##Chapter 18 Intention

"You're back,"

Sharon waited for Nathan proudly at the door. She smiled as if she was expecting him.

Nathan looked at her and then the sparkling clean house,

"Did you do all this?"

He looked surprised and pleased.

"Yeah. You've got someone else on the job?"

She glanced at Nathan and started for the kitchen.

Nathan followed her. He always thought that someone like her would never know how to do any housework properly. Little did he know, she started trying to do all that after knowing he was but an ordinary clerk. That was moving.

"Here. I got this. You need a break,"

he then went for the fridge and pulled out a salmon steak. She wanted salmon, then salmon it shall be.

As she watched him working on that piece of salmon, he somehow felt more real, more human. Yet his suppressive aura remained still.

"Quit watching. Go and take a break."

Sharon was stunned for a second. He knew he was supposed to cherish her, so everything was well worth it. She then rubbed on her blistered hands and went for the bedroom.

As she turned the TV set on, the news channel got her attention.

"According to our exclusive intel, Evans Group is about to cooperate with the biggest company in the city. It is said that the boss of such a company is a well-hidden millionaire and has powers unknown to this world. We will follow up on the news in the coming report."

Evans Group. Marvin Evans. Cooperation. Well-hidden millionaire.

All these words jumped at Sharon.

"If they do get to grow their business, wouldn't it be harder for me to achieve my goal?

Nope. This is not happening.

But how can I stop them?

All I have is this half-stranger husband," she thought.

"Your salmon's ready. Come on down."

Sharon paced downstairs with the news filling her head. The fresh smell of braised salmon steak mixed with the sweetness of asparagus came to her, but she had lost all her appetite.

"Wanna dig in?"

She clawed a piece of her salmon off with her fork, lifted it, and put it back by the asparagus.

"I... can't."

"What's wrong? Feeling off?"

Nathan tried to reach out for her forehead to check if she had a fever. As he was about to touch her, she shrank back.

"I'm fine. It's just..." she sighed.

Nathan looked at her and gently put his fork down. She was still alright before she went upstairs. There wasn't even anyone else in the house, so it must have been that she just got some news of the Evans from the TV.

"Salmon for thoughts? This feeds you, you know."

Sharon calmed herself down, looking at him worriedly and helplessly.

"Evans Group is about to cooperate with the largest company in the city. Do you think it'll go well?"

Nathan then immediately understood what was going on. It was him who decided to cooperate with them, so of course, he knew what was going on.

"Well... I guess so. What do you think?"

He replied to Sharon with all seriousness and waited for her reaction.

Sharon said nothing and sighed.

"Are you worried that they'll grow stronger, and it'll get harder for you to succeed?"

He knew exactly what she thought as he looked at her worried face.

"And it doesn't stop there..."

Her words intrigued Nathan. He unconsciously opened his eyes wider.

"Well. What else?"

Sharon paused for a second and continued, as he was on her side anyway.

"Do you know? Renata is a woman of ambitions. She could get close to that well-hidden millionaire through their cooperation. I'd be done if they... I don't know. It'll then be pretty much impossible for me to take back what's mine anymore."

Sharon got her mind stirred up by all the information.

Nathan tried wrapping his brain around what she was talking about, but he still didn't get it.

"So you're saying their cooperation can be bad to you?"

"I mean, they might become a couple just as well. Isn't that totally reasonable?"

Nathan almost choked on his asparagus as he heard that.

"What? Doesn't that make them way harder to deal with? They'll have pretty much everything in the city by then."

Sharon then started stabbing on her salmon.

"So that's what you're worried about. Do you want to marry that millionaire, though?"

He then found that question funny. She already believed that he was but an ordinary clerk. She even started doing housework for him. How was she supposed to give a satisfying answer to a question like that?

Sharon looked up at him with all seriousness.

"If that's what it takes to revenge me and take back what's mine, then sure."

Nathan replied with a complicated smile.

"Nah. No millionaire will ever be fond of someone like Renata."

"How are you so sure about that? He might. You're just trying to comfort me."

Sharon mumbled to herself and dipped a piece of asparagus in the sauce as if trying to drown it.

Later that evening.

"Do you think this is gonna work?"

Renata asked with much expectation. "If this cooperation goes well, I'll surely get more chances to show up around Nathan," she thought.

Joyce came over and held her hand, "I remember you told me that he looked at you. Your photo was in that contract. If he does like you, it'll sure turn out well."

Renata looked at Joyce confusedly. She just placed her photo in the contract. Wouldn't it make it too obvious? That might work against her.

"Hey, you don't just..."

Joyce replied with a smile.

"Don't worry about it. I didn't just put your profile picture there. That'll be the same as offering you as part of the contract."

"Mom..." Renata started to blush.

The next day.

As Nathan got to the office, his secretary came in with a pile of files.

"This is all the files Evans Group brought."

"Yeah. Just leave them here."

He toyed with the front page. The name of Evans Group in bold looked glaring.

Evans Group.

A mysterious smile appeared on his face.