Chapter 1444 - 1438: Boyfriend-Girlfriend Relationship
Being stared at by Constantine Stewart like that, Chloe Winston instinctively took a step back. Seeing the man’s eyes narrow deeply, she quickly turned around and scanned her fingerprint to enter the house, slamming the door shut with a bang.
Constantine Stewart sat on the ground, looking at the fingerprint-locked door that had just been closed. His handsome and refined face showed a trace of shock and confusion.
The man propped himself up slightly with his arms, the top button of his shirt undone, revealing a hint of sexy collarbone and muscular lines. He lowered his eyes, wondering if this posture wasn’t sexy enough?
Did he not fall convincingly enough? Why did Chloe Winston react like she’d seen a ghost?
Constantine Stewart sat in the lush little garden, looking at the trellis covered in ivy and then at the five-layer lunch box he had brought, feeling a bit bored and continuing to sit motionlessly.
After entering the residential area, he had sent both his driver and assistant away. After all, to fall and gain sympathy, the fewer people witnessing it, the better. He had anticipated the beginning but not the ending, where Chloe would just turn her head and leave without saying a word.
Constantine inexplicably found Chloe Winston’s way of slamming the door while holding her warm cat plush somewhat cute.
Without an assistant to help, Constantine could still find a way to get up. He only had a fracture in one leg, not both, but the man insisted on sitting there. Luckily, the weather in September was still hot, and looking at the flowers and plants felt like a little day trip.
After closing the door, Chloe Winston dropped her little kitty warmer, which fell onto her foot, her heartbeat racing. She stood there in a daze for a while and then irritably listened for any sound outside. Walking to the floor-to-ceiling window, she secretly peeked through the sheer curtain. Seeing the man still sitting there unchanged, she was instantly speechless.
Had Constantine Stewart been kicked in the head by a donkey? Why come to her door to play at falling down?
Chloe felt even her home wasn’t safe anymore and paced back and forth anxiously. In her agitation, she felt some pain in her lower abdomen and weakly sat on the sofa, deciding to ignore him; it was clear she wouldn’t be ordering takeout tonight.
Chloe boiled some hot water and then heard the voice of Professor Wu from Building 10 coming from the little garden outside.
"Oh my, what’s happened here? Why did he fall and no one help him? Is little Chloe not at home?" Professor Wu’s husband was very familiar with Finnian, occasionally interacting. Ever since Chloe invited Mr. Lin over to renovate the little garden, Professor Wu had been very fond of it and, over multiple visits, grew familiar and often came over to exchange gardening tips with Chloe.
"Do you live nearby?" Constantine’s voice was deep and magnetic, with a touch of wildness and hoarseness, the kind that could make one pregnant just by listening.
"I live in Building 10. Finnian went abroad yesterday for work and was worried Chloe had no food to eat, so he told me. I was just about to invite Chloe over for a meal." Aunt Wu laughed heartily and, seeing that even sitting on the ground, Constantine exuded an air of elegance, and being so handsome and refined with no hint of threat, she immediately let down her guard and helped him up.
Constantine lowered his eyes, made a move to rise, and sat back in his wheelchair, saying in a low voice, "A comminuted fracture, almost had to amputate the leg, had no strength to get up after the fall. Thank you."
"You’re being awfully polite, young man. Are you here to see Chloe?" Aunt Wu laughed as she went to knock on the door.
Inside, Chloe heard everything clearly, her face changing color. Hearing the knocking, she couldn’t not open the door. She awkwardly shuffled over, poked her head out, blinking her big dark eyes innocently, and asked, "Professor Wu, what brings you here?"
"Have you worn yourself out filming? I see you have a friend here," Aunt Wu gave her a knowing look, smiling warmly, her eyes glinting with a hint of gossip. Such a handsome young man, with a broken leg, waiting at someone’s doorstep, surely deserves a chance.
Chloe’s face flushed red then turned pale, and she opened the door, stiffly smiling, "I was just upstairs and didn’t hear anything from down here."
Professor Wu walked in, then laughed, "Figured you were upstairs."
Meanwhile, Constantine had already wheeled himself inside, resuming his usual immaculate demeanor, and calmly said, "Is Professor Wu inviting Chloe over for a meal? I brought some dishes, perfect to add to the menu."
Chloe widened her eyes suddenly, wishing she could kick him out. How shameless! She felt too embarrassed to go over to Professor Wu’s house for a meal.
"That’s perfect, you two can come together. My son is away at university, and it’s dull with just Old Liu and me at home; having you both over would be great." Aunt Wu smiled.
Constantine finally smiled, nodded, and said, "Apologies for the intrusion."
And just like that, the two had decided on dinner plans, leaving Chloe standing there, speechless.
"Ah, Chloe, take the lunch box from outside." The man looked up, his gaze soft as he glanced at Chloe, giving a slight smile, exuding noble elegance.
Meanwhile, Secretary Liu hummed a tune at home, playing with the parrot in its cage, only to hear the parrot shriek, "Guests are here, guests are here."
Secretary Liu naturally knew that a very famous celebrity had moved into Building 8, someone beautiful, calm, polite, and always smiling. If it weren’t so clear that Finnian was pursuing the young girl, and his son only being a freshman, he would’ve wanted his son to try!
"Is it young Miss Wen?" Secretary Liu spoke warmly, and then saw his wife, Professor Wu, bringing in a refined and handsome man in a wheelchair, full of presence, with Chloe lagging behind timidly.
Secretary Liu, seeing this, was genuinely surprised. Professor Wu, busy teaching at the university all day, hadn’t recognized Constantine Stewart, but Secretary Liu had recognized him right away.
In this era where Beltway insiders are everywhere, at the very top are the Shaw and Huo families. Whoever is in public office hopes to have some connection with these families. Constantine Stewart is in the Shaw family’s faction, though he’s not in politics or the military, he’s a famous mogul in the business world. How come Constantine Stewart came to their house? Is he representing the Shaw family to inspect their household? No, the Shaw family is part of the military department, he’s in politics.
Secretary Liu’s jaw almost dropped. Suppressing his nervousness, he smiled warmly and said, "And this is?"
"A friend of Chloe’s, came over for a meal and even prepared a few dishes himself. Old Liu, why don’t you plate the dishes," Professor Wu said with a smile, then opened the thermal food containers and found that they had excellent insulation, with steam still rising. He laughed, "They’re not cold, no need to heat them."
Secretary Liu wished he could knock Professor Wu’s head open to see if it’s filled with water. He wiped his hands, rushed forward to shake Constantine Stewart’s hand, and said with a smile, "Mr. Stewart, apologies for the inadequate hospitality."
"I came to see a friend, sorry for the surprise," Constantine Stewart smiled. Even though he didn’t know the secretary in front of him, he was still very polite.
"Come and sit, make yourself at home," Professor Wu said as he tidied up the dining table, smiling to invite them to sit down, before being pulled into the kitchen by Old Liu.
Secretary Liu and his wife went into the kitchen, leaving just Constantine Stewart and Chloe Winston in the living room.
Chloe Winston’s face was cold. Unable to hold back any longer, she gritted her teeth and said, "Constantine, your skin is thicker than the city walls now."
Constantine Stewart watched her little face turn red with anger, her eyes amazingly bright, and he pulled out a chair casually and said, "Don’t get angry, or your cramps will start again."
Chloe: "..."
"How can you come to someone’s house to scrounge a meal? You’re not even close," Chloe said, pressing a small hand against her stomach, as her awkwardness flared up. Even though she frequently exchanged gardening tips with Professor Wu, she wasn’t keen on coming over to scrounge a meal, a matter that could be solved with a takeout. Why complicate things?
The man lowered his eyes, his long lashes shielded the depths of his pupils, and he leisurely smiled, "If I didn’t come for a meal, how would you talk to me like this now?"
Chloe: "..."
If it weren’t for Professor Wu coming over, Constantine reckoned he could sit there until the next morning.
Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Secretary Liu, seeing his wife still plating the dishes, whispered, "How can you bring just anyone into our house?"
Professor Wu was not pleased and said disdainfully, "Oh, do I need to consult you when bringing friends home for dinner?"
"No, don’t you know who that man is?" Secretary Liu felt stifled with resentment.
"A friend of Chloe’s, right? Just an especially handsome guy. If he wasn’t handsome, I wouldn’t have invited him over to eat," Professor Wu said as he opened the lid of the food containers, finally noticing that the dishes were already plated and ready to serve, each one visually and aromatically stunning, far surpassing Old Liu’s culinary skills by a long shot.
"I tell you women sometimes act without thinking. Why didn’t you ask for his name? That’s Constantine Stewart, a famous aristocrat in the Imperial City, drowning in so much money it could bury you," Secretary Liu grumbled in a low voice, "Do you know the Shaw Family? He’s like brothers with Richard Shaw! Oh, here he is to eat these three veggie dishes I made?"
While speaking, Secretary Liu quietly listened to the movements in the living room.
Professor Wu was astonished upon hearing this, dumbfounded, "He didn’t say he was Constantine Stewart. When I arrived, he was locked out by Chloe, awkwardly falling on the floor."
"You’ve even seen him at his most awkward. You’ll be the death of me," Secretary Liu seized the opportunity to give his wife a good scolding.
"Hurry out there; it’s not good to leave people hanging."
Professor Wu carried the dishes up, his smile becoming more enthusiastic, constantly looking at Constantine. He was busy serving tea and offering snacks, seeds, and fruit, never idling.
Luckily, Constantine Stewart’s attitude was very humble, with not the slightest arrogance, allowing Secretary Liu to relax, thinking his wife was just being nosy, and Constantine was probably dragged over by coincidence.
"Mr. Stewart and Miss Winston are friends?" Secretary Liu tried to find a topic, smiling as he asked.
"Boyfriend and girlfriend."
"Just friends."
Both spoke at the same time, and then there was an awkward silence.
Constantine Stewart’s long fingers played with the chopsticks, his demeanor refined and handsome, and he smiled deeply, "Friends who are a boy and a girl."