"A few hundred thousand is nothing, Mom. Don’t worry about it; we’ll win it back tomorrow." A few hundred thousand was just a drop in the ocean for the Horne Family. Sometimes, when she went on a shopping spree, she could spend over a million in a single day.
The mother and daughter continued talking as they walked downstairs.
The sun was setting, its glow as red as blood, lighting up half the sky. Many people found the evening clouds beautiful and captured the crimson expanse with their phones.
As dusk approached, the earth didn’t settle down but instead became even more lively and buzzing with vitality.
Glades Horne had brought Julia Bluen back, but he didn’t take her to the Bluen Family home. Instead, they returned to the villa that was their new residence.
He parked the car in the garage.
"Are we staying here again tonight?" Julia Bluen asked, her cheeks slightly flushed, as she opened the car door and got out.
Glades Horne walked around the car to her side, wrapped an arm around her shoulder, and led her out of the garage. Outside the garage was the Courtyard; since they had just returned, its lights hadn’t turned on yet. He glanced at Julia Bluen, a low chuckle in his voice as he countered, "You stayed here last night. Did you not sleep well?"
Julia Bluen smiled without answering.
She had thought that sharing a bed with him would be very uncomfortable and unfamiliar, and that she would surely have insomnia. Who knew that, resting her head on his arm and listening to his rich voice, she would actually have the most peaceful sleep? He gave her the feeling that even if the sky were to fall, he would hold it up for her; she just needed to sleep soundly.
"We haven’t eaten yet," she said as they walked towards the Main House in the glow of the sunset, with Glades’s arm still around her.
Then she added, "Aunt Mei managed to make a lavish breakfast here this morning, so the kitchen must have everything we need. I’ll cook."
"Good, then I’ll get to taste my dear wife’s cooking," Glades Horne said, an indulgent smile on his face.
"I guarantee you’ll want more once you’ve tasted it," Julia Bluen said confidently. She had studied cooking, and while she wouldn’t claim to be top-notch, her skills were certainly on par with those of a professional chef.
"HA-HA." Glades Horne chuckled softly again, teasing, "Did you learn to cook just so you could capture your husband’s—my—heart in the future? I think I’ve heard that to capture a man, you first have to capture his stomach... Hey! Are you trying to murder your own husband?" Glades Horne’s teasing was cut short as Julia Bluen started tickling his armpits.
"So you’re ticklish too," Julia Bluen remarked, grinning devilishly as if she had discovered a new continent, sending shivers down Glades Horne’s spine. As a Businessman, and one of the most formidable at that, he was accustomed to hiding his true self. He kept all his weaknesses thoroughly concealed because he knew that if any were exposed, his rivals would seize upon them to attack.
Julia Bluen, similarly born into a Businessman’s family, understood even better: attack their weaknesses, and you’ll win every battle.
And so, the pair chased and played, laughing as they ran into the Main House.
"Don’t run! If you’ve got the guts, then don’t be scared!" Julia Bluen called out with a laugh as she chased him.
Glades Horne dodged around in the hall, his deep laughter tinged with a rare lightheartedness. "I genuinely don’t have any guts right now, so of course I have to run!"
"If I catch you, you’re in for it!" Julia Bluen laughed even more merrily.
A sense of lightness and ease came over them both.
After a few minutes of chasing, Glades Horne suddenly stopped. Julia Bluen rushed over and, just as she was about to grab and tickle him, he seized both her hands.
Struggling for a few moments but unable to break free, Julia Bluen conceded.
"Let’s cook together," he said in a husky voice. "I’ll learn cooking from you so I can prepare meals for you too. That way, you capture my stomach, and I capture yours." So we’ll never be separated, for a lifetime, an eternity. Glades Horne didn’t voice that last deeply affectionate and mushy sentiment.
Julia Bluen looked up at him, a faint smile playing on her lips as she nodded. The natural, familiar ease that had once existed between them was returning.
"Then, let’s go," Glades Horne said, taking her fair hand and leading her toward the kitchen.
The black curtain of night was slowly drawn across the land, enveloping it in darkness.
The path lights throughout the grand garden illuminated, casting a pure white glow. By night, the scenery here, under the light of the lamps, seemed even more luxurious and enchanting. By the artificial lake located deep within, many people strolled by the waterside—mostly lovers, along with some couples with their children. They walked along the shaded lakeside path, speaking softly, enjoying the stress-free evening.
However, Glades Horne and Julia Bluen were still in the kitchen, busily preparing their dinner.
"What soup would you like?" Julia Bluen asked as she opened the huge fridge in the kitchen to check the variety of foods, addressing Glades Horne who was by her side, fumbling to tie on an apron.
She liked the layout of this kitchen. Actually, she liked everything about this villa. Even though she knew Glades Horne had originally prepared it meticulously for his sister, she still felt it was made for her. Whether it was the interior design and decor or the exterior Courtyard landscape, it was all to her taste.
"Anything. As long as it’s made by you, I’ll gladly eat even a plain vegetable soup," Glades Horne finally managed to tie the apron. Standing nearly one hundred ninety centimeters tall, the apron only managed to cover his chest.
"There’s fish and tofu. Let’s make fish head tofu soup. It’s nutritious and good for the brain," Julia Bluen said. She deftly took a fish from the fridge, chopped off its head, retrieved a block of tender tofu, and then found other ingredients like shiitake mushrooms, winter bamboo shoots, scallions, and ginger.
Watching her skilled movements, Glades Horne smiled gently. "It’s rare for someone of your background to know how to cook." None of the young ladies from prominent families he knew could cook. He really had married a treasure.