Chapter 352 Take your advice
Stephan reached out and ruffled the girl’s soft hair. “Nice choice... the flowers are beautiful. From now on, I’ll bring you a bouquet every day when I come home.”
Alana smiled, “Just don’t buy too many... they’re a bit of a hassle to take care of.”
“Okay, I’ll take your advice.”
Stephan gave her a doting smile, then turned and posted a photo to his social media.
[Who gets this? Just got off work, and my girlfriend has a steaming hot meal ready for me, it smells amazing! Plus, here I am, a guy almost thirty, and my girlfriend thoughtfully gave me roses... eleven of them, symbolizing her undivided love for me.]
Actually, there weren’t eleven roses... Stephan had made up the number. Since he’d already posted it on his social media to show off, he didn’t mind embellishing the story a bit.
He added a few photos he’d just taken.
Alana accidentally caught a glimpse of Stephan’s post and her lips twitched slightly. He really knows how to make himself look good.
Curious, she kept scrolling and noticed that people had already started liking and commenting on his post.
[Here we go again! Showing off every single day!]
[Oh my, cooking and giving roses... you’re really showing off!]
[Just passing by to spit... sending nothing but malice!]
Alana swallowed.
Stephan glanced at her and curved his lips. “Sweetheart, don’t mind them. They’re just jealous of me.”
Alana sighed.
She was speechless once again.
She smiled. “Let’s eat first. The food will get cold soon, and it won’t taste as good.”
“Don’t worry. Even if the food gets cold, I’ll eat every last bite. I won’t let all your hard work go to waste.”
Alana’s lips turned up in a smile.
That emotional reward was more than enough.
Alana couldn’t help but serve him some food.
Remembering that he didn’t like cilantro, she picked out only the beef from the stir-fried beef with cilantro and placed it in his bowl.
She also served him a small portion of almost every other dish.
With every bite, Stephan offered a compliment.
He said that Alana’s cooking was even better than that of a five-star restaurant chef.
Alana felt all warm and fuzzy inside from the praise, wishing she could cook delicious meals for him every night from now on.
“It’s not that exaggerated. I know exactly what my cooking skills are worth. But this is something you made just for me... it’s different from what anyone else makes.”
“What others make is nowhere near as fragrant as what you make for me.”
She paused for a moment. “Most importantly, only when you cook it do I get that addictive, irresistible feeling.”
A double entendre.
Alana couldn’t help but blush. “Hurry up and eat.”
She added silently to herself, “There’ll be a surprise after you’ve eaten.” After saying that, she picked up her chopsticks again and served him some food.
Stephan continued eating as usual and smiled. “Why are you being so nice to me today? First you sent me flowers, and now you’re even cooking for me yourself.”
“When have I ever not been nice to you?”
“You’ve been especially kind today.”
Alana’s gaze instinctively fell on his left hand, which was still wrapped in gauze. Since it was completely wrapped in gauze, she couldn’t see how severe the injury was underneath.
It must be quite serious; otherwise, it wouldn’t be wrapped in so many layers.
A pang of pain pierced Alana’s heart, and her eyes began to well up.
Stephan was still basking in the girl’s kindness toward him when he suddenly noticed her tear-filled eyes, and his heart tightened sharply.
He immediately set down his chopsticks and cupped Alana’s chin with his long fingers.
Her flushed, misty eyes came into sharper focus in his gaze.
“What’s wrong? Why are you suddenly crying?”
Alana’s voice caught slightly. “Stephan, from now on... don’t do anything foolish for my sake.”
Stephan found it both amusing and heartbreaking. “Silly girl, I haven’t done anything foolish.”
“I know why your hand is injured. It’s because of me. You drove into Darla’s car, and that’s what caused the injury, isn’t it?”
Stephan furrowed his brow. “How did you find out?”
Alana shook her head. “Never mind how I found out. Anyway, you’re not allowed to do anything that foolish again.”
Stephan gently stroked her head with his large hand. “Don’t worry. I always know my limits. Besides, it’s just a minor injury to my hand. Nothing serious.”
Tears welled up in Alana’s eyes. “Your hand is injured, and you still say it’s nothing serious? Do you only think it’s a big deal if something actually goes wrong? What if you misjudge the situation and something really does happen? What then?”
The more she spoke, the more tears streamed down Alana’s face.
When she learned the truth today, she was truly worried about him.
She desperately wanted to call him right away and ask him about it.
But she managed to hold back.
She waited until he returned and the moment felt right before she finally couldn’t help but bring it up.
Seeing Alana’s tears fall like strings of pearls, Stephan bent down and kissed the corner of her eye with a heavy heart. “I’m sorry. I won’t do this again. Stop crying. It breaks my heart to see you cry.”
Alana said with reddened eyes, “My heart aches because you’re hurt too. Why don’t you know how to protect yourself properly? Risking your life to take on Darla just to vent my anger... it wasn’t worth it. Someone like her isn’t worth it at all. Do you understand?”
Stephan nodded and said gently, “Yeah, it’s not worth it. You’re right. From now on, when dealing with her, I won’t have to step in personally. That way, I won’t get hurt, and you won’t have to worry about me getting hurt.”
Hearing this, Alana felt a little better.
She looked at his left hand, wanting to touch it, but hesitated to do so.
“Is your hand badly injured?”
Stephan used his uninjured right hand to wipe away her tears.
“It’s not serious. It’s almost healed.”
Knowing he wouldn’t tell her the truth, she didn’t press him further.
She picked up his bowl. “Let me feed you the last few bites.”
Stephan teased, “Why does it feel like I’m about to go to the guillotine?”
Alana glared at him, feigning a stern expression. “If you ever do anything to hurt yourself like this again, I’ll make you kneel on a durian!”
Stephan raised an eyebrow. “What am I supposed to do? I’m so scared.”
Alana snorted, then quickly scooped up a mouthful of food and shoved it into his mouth.
****************
Dinner was over.
Alana cleared the table, loaded the dishes into the dishwasher, and let it automatically wash and sanitize them.
Once everything was taken care of, she didn’t see Stephan in the dining room or living room anymore; he must have gone upstairs.
Alana followed him upstairs and returned to the bedroom.
As soon as she walked in, she heard the man’s deep, magnetic voice coming from the bathroom.
“Honey, I hurt my hand and can’t get undressed. Why don’t you come in and help me take off my clothes? You can give me a quick wash while you’re at it.”
Having been together for so long, Alana guessed his intentions in an instant.
She thought to herself, “Even with an injured hand, he still hasn’t forgotten to look out for his own interests.”
“Wait a minute.”
Alana didn’t head straight to the bathroom. Instead, she walked to the walk-in closet, pulled out a few outfits she’d bought that day, and finally chose a red one.
She looked at the skirt in her hands, made of barely any fabric, blushed, took a deep breath, and steeled herself to take off her clothes, slipping on that pitifully skimpy skirt...
The moment she slipped it on, Alana felt a chill run through her body; the fabric was so thin it was almost as if she weren’t wearing anything at all.
Moreover, the way it barely covered certain areas only served to stir the imagination.
Alana couldn’t help but glance at the full-length mirror in the walk-in closet.
The girl in the mirror had an exceptionally delicate face, her cheeks flushed with an alluring peach-pink hue.
Dressed in a seductive, sheer red dress with ruffled lace trim, she resembled a fully blooming red rose.
Her exposed legs were slender and shapely, with just the right amount of curves, pale and smooth, as if glowing.
Moving upward, the dress featured a deep V-neck design, the neckline plunging all the way to her navel.
Almost all her beauty was laid bare.