The next day.
Durrell Landon woke up in bed, his eyes half-open, with a clear expression of fatigue on his face. His whole demeanor was somewhat gloomy as he leaned casually against the bed.
Quiana Sutton's presence was overwhelmingly strong. Even though he deliberately chose to ignore her, her steady and long breaths still resonated around him. Any slight disturbance would wake him, and he only managed to fall asleep when it was almost dawn.
Letting Quiana sleep on the sofa, he didn't know whether he was tormenting himself or her.
At this moment, a faint, barely noticeable smell of smoke wafted in from the balcony, causing him to involuntarily frown.
He didn't like the smell of smoke, this dislike stemming from an innate repulsion that even he couldn't quite explain.
He flipped off the bed and walked over to Quiana, with an air of undeniable authority, "From now on, you're not allowed to smoke in front of me."
Hearing this, Quiana couldn't help but laugh out loud.
This was exactly what she had said the first time she smoked in front of him, and even the expression was the same upon closer examination.
Actually, her smoking cravings weren't that strong, she just wanted to smoke when she felt upset.
Obviously, she wasn't in a good mood now. Holding the cigarette in her left hand, she deliberately blew a beautifully-formed smoke ring in Durrell's face, looking fearless:
"If you can't stand it, then sign the divorce papers, and I'll immediately move out of Imperial View Manor."
In the past, she might have wanted to humor him, but now she had no such intention.
Durrell, irritated by the smoke, looked especially cold with a sinister undertone on his already gloomy face. He spoke in a low, deliberate voice, "If you want me to sign the divorce papers, then you'd better not provoke me."
Quiana glanced sideways at him, not wanting to argue first thing in the morning, stubbed out her cigarette, and casually tossed it into the trash can.
...
During breakfast, the butler sensitively detected a strange atmosphere circulating between the two.
Dark and insidious, it made people very uncomfortable.
Given that he still couldn't figure out the exact relationship between this young lady and the young master, he wisely chose to keep silent.
Fortunately, when he was about to reach his limit, Oliver Gale walked in.
Upon seeing Durrell with dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep, Oliver smirked with a knowing look, "Were you fighting a long battle last night, causing your lack of sleep?"
Saying this, he regretfully added, "Poor Miss Windsor was so concerned about you yesterday, didn't expect you were snug in a tender nest."
Every word from Oliver make Durrell furious, his already dark eyes turned even darker like ink, "Shut up."
Oliver felt Durrell was truly angry, so he chuckled awkwardly, "I was just joking with you, don't be upset. But really, Miss Windsor asked a lot about you yesterday, I almost couldn't handle it."
He was obsessed with medicine, preferred facing these cold machines, unlike Charles Foote and Julian Haworth who were eloquent and good with people.
Unfortunately, yesterday both Charles and Julian were in a foul mood, and Miss Windsor could tell, so she didn't pester them and came to him instead.
Durrell rubbed the edge of his cup, his gaze dark and unreadable.
"Next time if Chloe wants to inquire about me again, just turn her down directly."
The words weren't loud, rather they were quite low, but the excessive calmness gave it an absolute decisiveness.
This stunned Oliver for a moment.
Before Chloe went abroad, it wasn't just others, even he thought that in Durrell's heart, Chloe must hold a special place.
Although Young Master Durrell never explicitly said he liked Chloe, the boundaries he set for her were never comparable to other women from prestigious families. At least, aside from a few of their friends, she was the only one who could get within a meter of him.
And now he plans to firmly refuse her?
He instinctively glanced at Quiana quietly eating breakfast on the side, feeling that Durrell's change must have something to do with this girl.
While eating breakfast, Quiana suddenly felt a gaze fall on her, feeling a bit speechless. Was she getting shot while sitting?
Having lost her appetite, she finished a glass of milk quickly, picked up the clothes beside her, and prepared to leave.
Seeing this, Oliver called out to her, curiously asking, "Hey, Quiana, where are you going?"
Quiana stopped but didn't turn around, her tone indifferent, "Naturally, to work. Do you think Young Master Durrell will support me for life?"
Durrell pursed his lips without saying anything.
Similar to a promise, he would never say it lightly.
Oliver felt the surrounding air instantly cooled down, and he promptly shut his mouth.
"Durrell, I'll check your body later to see how the recovery is going."
Durrell responded with a light "Hmm," but there was a hint of coldness on his face.
As soon as Quiana stepped out of the Imperial View Manor's gates, she encountered Charles Foote and Julian Haworth.
Julian merely glanced at her, then quickly averted his gaze. His look was cold and disdainful, as if she were some kind of plague.
Charles, on the other hand, smiled warmly at her, "Heading out so early."
Charles always had a gentle smile for everyone, but she could see that no one could truly reach his heart, responding lightly, "Just want to get some fresh air."
"Where are you heading? I'll give you a ride."
She declined.
"No need, I can take a cab."
Charles let out a chuckle, "I forgot to tell you, there's no taxi service around Imperial View Manor."
Quiana felt a bit embarrassed.
She considered whether she should buy a car.
Ultimately, she didn't refuse.
"Thank you."
Standing nearby, Julian, hearing the two of them converse, indignantly remarked:
"Charles, what makes this woman worthy of a personal ride from you, the great Foote master?"
Charles pulled Julian along with him.
"Come on, you don't have anything to do anyway, so why not keep me company."
Julian waved his fist in the air, insisting that he, Young Master Haworth, had plenty to do and was very busy.
In Charles's eyes, Julian's resistance was like child's play and he effortlessly stuffed him into the car.
Sitting inside, Julian turned his head with some resentment, feeling embarrassed in front of Quiana.
From the moment she got in the car, Quiana propped her right hand under her chin and hadn't moved, letting the scenery outside the window drift by.
Charles glanced at the rearview mirror and had to admit that the unmasking of Quiana revealed an almost seductive beauty but inexplicably made him feel a trace of heartbreak.
"You haven't said where you want to go yet?"
"North Star."
Hearing that, Julian looked contemptuous, "Going clubbing in broad daylight, you surely have ambition. No wonder you can't compare to Chloe Cloud."