The Daring Billionaire’s Wife novel (Vanessa and Dominic) novel Chapter 188

Liam

Two weeks ago, getting to our honeymoon destination was filled with excitement and desire. I expected it to be the same on my way back with Aileen, but it doesn't seem to be the case.

While I'm already trying to get back to work by going over a few documents on my laptop, she seems distant as she sits on the other side of the limousine with a poker face, far from me while scrolling on her phone. It doesn't matter what she's looking at, I would have expected her to at least sit so close to me.

To grab her attention, I close my laptop and raise my head, leaning back in my seat.

"Babe, is everything alright with you?" I ask, glancing at her crossed legs and skirt raised all the way up to her thighs. I still can't seem to get enough of her.

She sighs, looking up at me with an assuring smile. "Everything's fine."

I narrow my eyes suspiciously. "You know that I'm asking because I don't think that's the case."

"Why would you say that?" She tilts her head in curiosity.

"It's written all over your face that something's wrong."

"Fine, you got me. I didn't want to say anything because it's nothing. It's just the usual back and forth with my entitled family. The three of them just won't stop with their demands."

"Wait, I thought you blocked them. I remember you told me that."

"Well, I did, but anyway, it doesn't matter. I'm fine. I can handle them." She puts her phone on the seat next to her and places a hand on her chest with an enthusiastic smile. "I can't wait to see our new home!"

"I was just about to say something similar. I can't wait to show you." I nod in agreement.

Her enthusiasm puts me at ease as this is what I would expect of her. For the rest of the ride, she barely pays attention to her phone, engaging me in conversation by asking about my work.

We get to our new home, one of which I recently bought and I hold her hand as we step inside. She looks around with a light nod and a small smile, her reaction not meeting my expectations as I thought she'd be blown away by the size of this mansion. It makes me wonder what's going on with her.

"It's so beautiful here," she finally says, her tone neutral.

"Wait until you see the master bedroom." I chuckle.

Holding her hand, I lead her to the elevator and notice her smile, which doesn't seem to completely be genuine. Is she that annoyed by her entitled family? It has to be something else as we already spoke about this in the limousine, but what could it be? This should be an important moment, but she only seems half present with me.

We get to the bedroom door and I push it open, letting her walk inside before me.

She stands in the middle of the spacious room, looking left and right with her shoulders slightly curved inward. It's clear she's tense and I just want her to relax.

I get closer and stand right behind her, place my hands on her shoulders and plant a kiss on her cheek.

"Have you seen the size of this bed?" I whisper against her ear. "Imagine all the things I'll do to you here."

She giggles flirtatiously, then steps away from me.

It's only now that I realize what might be on her mind. How insensitive of me. To make up for it, I bring it up right away as I get close again.

"Now that we're here, you can focus on finding your biological parents again."

She immediately turns around to face the other side with a deep sigh. "You're right. I can now focus on that since I left it all up to Meryl."

"Any updates so far?"

"Nope. Nothing yet." She firmly shakes her head.

Before I can speak, my phone begins to ring from my pocket, the caller ID making me clear my throat.

"I have to take this. It's my father."

She nods with a smile and I step out of the room so I can speak to him. It's business as usual, as a lot is expected of me but at the end of our conversation, he mentions an upcoming event and I realize there's something I haven't yet told Aileen. It's also related to what my parents and I spoke about the first time they met her. I don't want to sound like a control freak, so it's best to find an easy way to tell her about it and I know just how to do it.

Coming back to the bedroom, I look around but there's no sign of her. That's until I look at the balcony. There she is, facing the sky with her arms wrapped around herself.

While approaching her, I say, "You know, you can always share what's going on with you."

"Oh, hey, I didn't hear you come in," she says as she looks over her shoulder. "How did it go?"

"It's only been a few minutes since I returned from my honeymoon and we're already talking about business."