Chapter 646: Side Story 23: Ink-Dot Plum Fragrance (21)
William Lane softly placed Alia Smith on the bed, worried that she might strain her injured arm.
Alia sat on the bed, looking at William in a daze.
William leaned over, looking at her with a smile in his eyes. “Is it okay if we sleep together?”
He forcefully entered the room but acted like a gentleman once inside, gently asking for her permission.
“But, but…”
“Alia, we got married,” William interrupted. “It’s only right, rational, and legal for us to sleep together.”
Alia, looking into his eyes, felt as if there were stars in them, gently intoxicating her. So, she inexplicably nodded her head.
William smiled, lifting the quilt on the other side to tuck her in.
However, Alia stiffly resisted him.
William found it amusing and asked, “What’s wrong? You seem to be pushing yourself.”
“I, I’m not. I just don’t want to sleep yet. You sleep first. I’ll sleep later,” Alia said, her eyes darting around.
William laughed, “What if I fall asleep and you run away?”
“I, I won’t run.”
“Do you think what you just said is credible?” William asked.
“Yes.”
William chuckled, picked her up horizontally, and tucked her into the blanket. Then he got into bed and held her in his arms.
Feeling the warmth of his skin, Alia’s body beca as stiff as a wooden plank.
William kissed her lips gently and placed her injured arm on his waist, softly saying, “Relax and sleep. I won’t do anything.”
Alia responded softly and closed her eyes.
William looked at her trembling eyelashes for a while, then used the remote control by the head of the bed to turn off all the lights in the room.
As they plunged into darkness, Alia slowly opened her eyes.
At this mont, she wasn’t sure if her fear of the dark was greater than the sense of safety that darkness could hide everything.
All she knew was that she was extrely tense, her body stiff with anxiety.
The distance between them was so close that she could hear William’s heartbeat and feel the heat of his body.
Her arm under her neck, being used as a pillow, might beco numb if she pressed it too hard.
And she dared not move the hand resting on his waist even slightly.
“Alia.”
“Huh?”
Alia’s thoughts were floating in chaos when she suddenly heard him call her na, causing her reply to be several tis louder than usual.
In the darkness, William’s laughter rang out.
Alia curled up, wanting to hide herself.
William pulled her closer, kissing the top of her head. “It seems my image in your heart isn’t very good.”
“No,” Alia whispered.
“Then what are you nervous about?” William asked. “I already told you I won’t do anything. If I want to do sothing, I’ll notify you in advance. Deal?”
Alia didn’t respond.
Feeling a thin layer of sweat forming on her body, William sighed silently to himself. After a while, he suggested, “How about we chat for a bit?”
“What about?”
“You tell .”
“I don’t know,” Alia’s voice was so quiet that it sounded like a child secretly whispering, afraid of being caught in the dark.
William raised the corner of his mouth, gently patting her back. “Tell about your childhood.”
Alia hesitated for a mont and resisted the urge to protest. “There’s nothing interesting to tell.”
“I want to know more about you and understand the past eighteen years I missed,” William said gently.
Alia hesitated for a while longer before speaking, “There’s really not much to say. I rember that ever since I could hold a carving knife, I started working with it. When I got a little older, I was able to carve so things to sell. I took care of my younger brother every day while preparing als and carving things. Later, when I went to school, I carved fewer things. And even later… Max Smith hit because I couldn’t sell many of my carvings and the number was getting smaller. After that, I stopped.”
As he patted her back, William’s hand stiffened for a mont.
“Getting punished is normal for kids,” Alia continued, gripping William’s sleeping robe. “In our village, it’s common for parents to chase their children all over the village with a broom, hitting them.”
William didn’t say anything.
“I’ve been rebellious since I was little,” Alia went on. “The more Max wanted to do sothing, the more I would defy him. He asked to learn to cook, so I refused. He wanted to carve things, so I stopped doing that. He didn’t want to go to school, so I got up early every day to go. I sought help from all the teachers and the principal, and they all visited my ho. So, I managed to graduate from elentary school with their help.”
“Your grades were good,” William said.
“You investigated ,” Alia replied.
“I’m sorry,” William apologized. “I just wanted to know more about you. I looked into your school records.”
Alia didn’t mind, “It doesn’t matter if you investigate . I’m innocent.”
William gently caressed her hair.
“Having good elentary school grades doesn’t an much. Everything you learn is simple,” Alia said.
“Your middle school grades were also very good,” William said. “Your grades are still good now. Evan Smith scored 701 in the college entrance exam, making him the provincial champion in your province this year. If he can achieve that, you must be even more amazing.”
“My brother is very intelligent,” Alia laughed. “Why do you sound so condescending?”
William chuckled, “It’s just that I resent him for wanting to get rid of … You and your siblings have a good relationship.”
“My sisters and brothers get along well,” Alia confird. “Maybe it’s because I took care of Evan more, and our ages were similar. He was the most directly affected by the unfair treatnt I received. So, his feelings for are deep, and he’s always trying to make up for it.”
“For now, I find him more bearable,” William said.
“Elder Brother, you can be quite childish,” Alia teased.
“We can talk about sothing more mature,” William said, moving his arm from underneath her neck to touch her ear. “As long as you don’t run.”
“Um, let’s stay childish instead. Being childish is better,” Alia said quickly.
William smiled, “So, what happened next? Why did you stop going to school?”
“My mother’s health was bad, and Max got into gambling. My two sisters got married, bringing in 200,000 dollars that Max squandered away,” Alia explained. “Evan needed to go to school and live. I had to beco the labor force.”
As for how Max caused a scene at school and forced her to stop attending, she left that part out.
“Later… The first thing I did after dropping out was to change my na,” Alia continued. “Then, I t you, Elder Brother.”
“Did you get into trouble when you went ho?” William asked.
“No, they only cared about Evan. As for , as long as I could bring in money, they didn’t care what I did,” Alia said nonchalantly.
William held her tighter, “Alia, I’m sorry. I should’ve taken you back with .”
During the ti that Max was locked up here, he was beaten by Jas Lane and questioned about many things. He later reported the information to William.
William knew that not long after they had t when she was fourteen, Max tried to sell Alia to pay off his debts.
“Elder Brother, if you had taken back then, I would’ve thought you were a bad person,” Alia said sincerely.
William: “……”
“I would’ve called the police when we were on our way,” Alia added.
William was silent for a mont before rolling over and pinning her beneath him, “Call the police now.”
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