"Here to See Mrs. Jiang"

He stood there, tall and unmoving, eyes fixed on her.

"Your husband's here. Aren't you going to greet him?"

With a crisp clink, Elena Shen set her juice down on the table. Under Aurel Shen's penetrating gaze, she rose reluctantly and tried to cover her fluster with a light excuse.

"Of course I will. I'll be back soon, Aurel."

As she stepped out of the grand hall, Ethan Jiang was already making his way through the manor's courtyard under the guidance of a servant.

The moment she appeared, he lifted his gaze on her.

His eyes were dark as night, as deep and unreadable as an ancient well—still and bottomless—melding with the surrounding shadows, making it impossible to discern a trace of his emotions.

Elena had feared Ethan Jiang for as long as she could remember. It wasn't just his austere demeanor—it was the way his gaze could make your heart curl in on itself without a word spoken.

Her friend Annie Gu, that relentless troublemaker, had once said that after marrying Ethan, all the years of fear would melt away with a little close contact.

But now—

Their eyes locked.

Staring into Ethan's abyssal gaze, Elena couldn't help cursing Annie inwardly. Everything she told me was crap.

Her steps slowed unconsciously as she walked toward him.

Ethan watched her reaction with detached interest.

It reminded him of all those years past—on the rare occasions he returned to the country and crossed paths with her in the old house. She would see him from afar, immediately change direction, and flee like he didn't exist.

Now that they were married, running away was no longer an option. She could only steel herself and approach.

The butler, unaware of the subtle tension between his young lady and her husband, was visibly surprised to see Ethan arrive in person.

Still, he fulfilled his duties diligently.

"Mr. Jiang, have you had dinner yet?"

"Would you like the chef to prepare something for you?"

"No need," Ethan replied with a calm voice. "I've already eaten."

The butler nodded quickly and turned to have tea prepared instead.

Elena reached him a few steps later. Her porcelain-pale face tilted up toward his, clear eyes glistening faintly in the misty twilight.

"Ethan," she said softly, "what brings you here tonight?"

He looked into her eyes, saw the reflection of his own silhouette in their watery depths, and reached out to gently clasp her wrist.

"I came to see Mrs. Jiang."

Her fingertips trembled.

She looked down at his hand enclosing hers.

Then she quickly averted her gaze. Her lips parted as if to say that he didn't need to come—he must be busy, and there was no need to trouble himself for her.

But before she could speak, Ethan had already turned slightly, looking toward the hall entrance, toward the figure standing in the shifting light and shadow—Aurel Shen.

"We're newly married," Ethan said evenly, and we've already spent two days apart. I wonder if President Shen would mind if I brought my wife home tonight?"

His tone was courteous.

As if that tense confrontation in the CEO's office of Shen Group had never happened.

Aurel, for his part, showed no outward hostility. He leaned lazily against the doorway, arms crossed, his eyes flicking to the hands his sister and Ethan were still holding.

In a tone politely apologetic but absolutely firm, he replied:

"Elena needs to start learning about the company. I planned to go over some matters of the group with her tonight. I'm afraid it's not convenient."

Elena was just about to nod in agreement.

It wasn't that she didn't want to leave with Ethan—well, she didn't—but more so that she couldn't keep pretending to be the affectionate, love-struck newlywed in front of her brother.

She didn't have the acting chops, and Aurel had a pair of eyes sharp enough to cut through steel. He'd see through her facade in minutes, and the web of lies she had so painstakingly woven would unravel in a breath.

But just as she was about to lower her head and nod, Ethan glanced down at her.

"Since the Jiang and Shen families are now united in marriage," he said steadily, then what concerns the Shen family naturally concerns the Jiang family as well. Why not allow me to assist President Shen in guiding my wife tonight? What do you think?"

"…???"

Elena froze mid-nod.

Before Aurel could answer, she hastily tried to intervene.

"That's not necessary! Ethan, this is just a small thing. You don't have to—really, you must have work to do. Go ahead and—"

"I don't have anything else to do tonight," Ethan cut her off, her voice cool and calm. "I'm here to stay with you."

Her words stuck in her throat.

Aurel listened to Ethan's every phrase—marriage alliance, shared interests, guiding my wife—and then looked at his sister, still looking up at Ethan with wide eyes.

He gave a faint, unreadable smile and nodded.

"Very well."

"…?" Elena, mid-thought and scrambling for more excuses, blinked.

She rubbed her ears like she might have misheard.

But Aurel had already turned and was heading inside, leaving only a parting instruction:

"Elena, bring Mr. Jiang to the study."

Ten minutes later.

Inside the study.

Elena sat stiffly at the desk, her spine ramrod straight. As she flipped through the PowerPoint slides, she stole a glance across the table.

The moment her eyes shifted, both Aurel and Ethan—seated side by side on the opposite side of the desk—lifted their gazes in unison to meet hers.

The sensation was worse than being stared at by the dean and the homeroom teacher at the same time.

She resisted the urge to raise her hands and shield her face from their dual scrutiny, and instead buried her head in the screen, pretending to focus.

But beneath the table, her legs itched to move, and she could barely stop herself from grabbing her laptop and making a run for it.