After My Contract Marriage with the Aloof Omega (GL , ABO) - Chapter 3
“Lulu, when did you buy a house in Mingxia Villa?”
As the van slowly approached the villa gates, Xie Yun nearly shrieked with excitement.
Lu Qingzhuo rubbed her temples, amused by Xie Yun’s awestruck reaction though she had been in a similar state just half a month ago, like a screaming rubber chicken on remote control.
“Just bought it.”
After signing a two-year contract of servitude.
“Oh my god, Lulu! What other surprises do you have that I don’t know about?”
Still slightly dazed, Lu Qingzhuo pushed aside the blanket draped over her and smiled mysteriously. When the van stopped in front of the tallest villa in the estate and the door opened, an elegant and poised beta woman approached her.
“Madam, you’ve finally returned.”
Xie Yun, with one leg still in the car, gaped at the scene before her, eyes nearly popping out of her head.
Madam?
Was she referring to Lu Qingzhuo?
“Hmm, I’m going for a soak,” Lu Qingzhuo said, glancing at Xie Yun, who was clearly out of her depth, before turning to instruct Butler Qin. “Oh, this is my assistant, Xie Yun. Arrange a room for her, she’s been working hard with me all day.”
“Understood.”
“Lulu, just now…”
Xie Yun swallowed hard, her legs wobbling as she stepped onto the polished staircase, as if walking on cotton. It all felt like a dream.
Following Lu Qingzhuo through the villa’s grand entrance, the first thing that caught her eye was a small bar counter, with shelves of unfamiliar liquors lining the walls. Even if she didn’t recognize them, she knew that her lifetime earnings wouldn’t be enough to buy a single bottle.
“Miss Xie, please follow me. Your room is this way.”
Bewildered, Xie Yun trailed behind Butler Qin, sticking close for fear of getting lost in the sprawling villa.
Lu Qingzhuo shrugged off her coat, which was promptly taken by a servant behind her. Sinking into the sofa, she absentmindedly scratched an itch at her temple, only for someone to step forward and massage it for her.
After a while, Lu Qingzhuo closed her eyes in brief meditation before dismissing everyone with a wave. Once the doors were shut, she headed to the bathroom.
She still wasn’t entirely accustomed to being waited on hand and foot, perhaps this was what people called being “pampered.”
But for now, she might as well enjoy it. In two years, this life of luxury would no longer be hers.
Lu Qingzhuo had rehearsed the scene of moving out after the divorce countless times in her mind. No matter what, she believed in leaving with dignity.
An hour later, Lu Qingzhuo emerged from the bathtub, her long, slender legs hidden beneath the hem of her robe, her porcelain skin peeking through. Her bare feet pressed against the cool marble floor.
Her hands and feet were so beautifully proportioned they could easily belong to a model. Standing before the mirror, she admired her feet and decided to polish them with some nail varnish.
Her hair was only half-dried, she never fully blow-dried it after washing, preferring the damp, tousled look.
The wet strands clung to her alabaster skin, smooth as satin, gleaming under the cool light of the living room, a vision of effortless elegance.
Lu Qingzhuo changed into a pure handmade silk robe in her favorite wine-red color. Even the nail polish she was preparing to apply was the same rich shade.
The wine-red clashed with creamy white, bold and smooth.
Xie Yun stumbled around countless times, nearly pulling out her phone to navigate, before she finally blundered into the living room and saw Lu Qingzhuo painting her nails.
She had applied to be Lu Qingzhuo’s assistant purely because she liked her face.
Unable to resist, Xie Yun snapped a slightly blurry photo with her phone. After one glance, her face flushed, and she couldn’t help but take several more.
Oh my god, how can someone look so beautiful even while painting their own toenails?
Lu Qingzhuo heard the rapid shutter clicks and looked up but it wasn’t Xie Yun she saw. Instead, it was her cold, expressionless omega wife standing behind her.
The impeccably tailored high-end suit, the black dress pants hugging slender calves, the restrained gold-rimmed glasses, everything about Fu Yumian was dangerously alluring. But Lu Qingzhuo knew better than to entertain any fantasies.
She flashed Fu Yumian a practiced, professional smile. “You’re here.”
“Yeah, I—”
Xie Yun began excitedly, only for a faint scent of red wine to drift over. She instinctively turned and saw the tall omega step past her without so much as a glance.
Han Tian, whom she hadn’t seen in a while, appeared before Xie Yun with a polite smile and promptly escorted her out.
Confused, Xie Yun shot Lu Qingzhuo a worried look. That icy omega seemed terrifying just now…
Han Tian quickly resumed her usual detached expression and extended a hand. “Hand over your phone.”
Bewildered, Xie Yun scratched her head and numbly complied, watching curiously as Han Tian tapped away. “Uh… you’re not deleting my photos, are you? I didn’t take anything inappropriate…”
Han Tian replied flatly, “Orders from President Fu.”
Xie Yun’s lips twitched. Recalling the omega whose gaze she hadn’t dared meet, she hesitated. “But… she didn’t say anything?”
Meeting Han Tian’s frosty stare, Xie Yun quickly shut her mouth, realizing her mistake. She accepted her phone with trembling hands and fled.
Lu Qingzhuo had only finished half of her toenails, the polish still wet. She couldn’t slip her foot into a slipper, but leaving one bare looked odd and unflattering, so she kicked off the other shoe and stood barefoot on the carpet.
Just as expected, Fu Yumian’s gaze flicked to the painted foot before her elegant brows furrowed slightly.
Lu Qingzhuo: “…”
If you don’t like it, just say so. Why pretend to be reserved?
The two sat in silence, an awkward tension thickening between them. Lu Qingzhuo had no idea what Fu Yumian was thinking, but her toes were practically clawing holes in the pure wool carpet.
“President Fu, what brings you back so suddenly? Weren’t you on a business trip in Manhattan?”
Lu Qingzhuo lifted her head and met Fu Yumian’s eyes then immediately fought back a twitch of her lips.
Behind those gold-rimmed glasses lay a razor-sharp gaze. Fu Yumian’s upturned phoenix eyes seemed to hook into whoever dared meet them, most people couldn’t withstand the intensity.
But after all these years in the entertainment industry, Lu Qingzhuo had long learned to remain composed in such situations.
“It’s already over,” Fu Yumian’s voice was so faint that Lu Qingzhuo couldn’t even detect the emotions hidden within. “I came back because I have something to tell you.”
“You didn’t have to make a special trip just for me, it must have interrupted your work,” Lu Qingzhuo put on an exaggeratedly flattered expression, thoughtfully offering a solution. “Actually, you could’ve just messaged me online, like when we first met.”
Lu Qingzhuo and Fu Yumian had first met when signing their marriage contract, though their interaction had been entirely online. Fu Yumian had appeared on the computer screen for less than five minutes before logging off.
At the time, Lu Qingzhuo hadn’t dared to stare at the other woman’s face, avoiding eye contact the entire time. She had no idea that Fu Yumian had taken in every minute detail of her nervous, startled micro-expressions through the screen.
This was only their second in-person meeting. Lu Qingzhuo was tense, but Fu Yumian was brimming with curiosity about her.
The moment she stepped through the villa’s entrance, she spotted an unfamiliar beta holding up a phone as if filming something. But then her gaze shifted to the figure curled up on the sofa.
Clad in a wine-red silk robe that draped over a sensual frame, the alpha sat with casual ease, meticulously painting her nails, completely oblivious to being recorded, let alone Fu Yumian’s silent approach.
The smooth curve of her back was like fine cream, her glossy black hair damp against her skin, glistening under the light and momentarily dazzling Fu Yumian’s eyes.
At this moment, Lu Qingzhuo didn’t seem much different from how she had been back then. But Fu Yumian knew, this alpha didn’t like her at all. In fact, she might even prefer not to see her.
This was the best way for them to coexist. Lu Qingzhuo seemed to know her place, never making unreasonable demands since their marriage. Things were moving in a positive direction.
Lu Qingzhuo’s fingers curled slightly on instinct. When Fu Yumian remained silent, she cautiously ventured, “So… what exactly did you come back to tell me, President Fu?”
Please, she hadn’t caused any trouble. It was just that the entertainment industry was in an uproar lately, and she happened to get caught in the crossfire.
Could Fu Yumian be here to hold her accountable?
But news of their marriage hadn’t leaked no one in the industry even knew she had tied the knot with the Fu family, the wealthiest in the country.
If not that, then what?
Something so important… could it be divorce?
No way! They hadn’t even been married for a month yet!
She wasn’t about to accept a losing deal!
Lu Qingzhuo quickly scrambled to assemble a dozen convincing excuses in her head only to be stunned by Fu Yumian’s next words.
“What, you don’t want to see me?”