14: Jealousy Alert Level 1

"Nah!" I waved my hand on his face to dismiss the thought. "It was only an attempt to tease your brother. I didn't expect him to take it so seriously."

"Bad move!"

"I don't care. Besides, he deserved it."

A quick playback of our weird encounters inside my bedroom and bathroom earlier suddenly flashed on my mind.

I winced. "Ugh! I hate him!"

Matt put his arm over my shoulders.

"Do me a favor then, Ruth." He gave me a serious sideway glance.

"Favor?"

"Do not ever mention divorce to Marcus again, okay?"

"Why will I do that? Teasing him sounds a bit of fun, I think."

Matthew slightly shook his head.

"You'll find out soon. For now, just stay away from trouble, be a good girl and do me that favor, please?"

I bit my lips quickly weighing out some things inside my head. "Okay. But I have a favor to you too."

"Fire away."

"Can you not stop me from liking you, then?"

Matthew coughed. He suddenly grabbed my tea cup and inspected it.

"Did you mix alcohol in this tea or something? You must really be drunk."

I threw my head back and let out a loud laughter.

Having Matthew beside me feels so light and easy. I really felt comfortable having conversations with this man. It's as if I have found my long-lost soulmate. Somehow, it made me think that we could have some really deep connection in the past before everything went hazy up here in my head.

"Let me go!" I yelped at him, still laughing, when he jokingly locked my neck in his arm.

"Are you done flirting with my brother?"

My laughter was suspended in midair.

I didn't even notice how fast Matt removed his arm around my neck and moved one step away from me.

I saw Marcus standing a couple of feet away from us. His expression was way darker than before. It's as if by any minute, with just a trigger, he could kill someone with his dagger-like glares.

Matthew's eyes flickered a hint of fear as he turned to Marcus. His face was obviously quite rattled.

"He's really scary when he's jealous. I tell you." Matt leaned sideway and whispered. His eyes never left his brother's face.

"He said we we're flirting." I leaned too and whispered back.

"Yeah! He's jealous now."

I rolled my eyes and bravely stepped forward.

"Talking is not flirting." I said with my chin pointing upward. "We we're merely talking here."

"I can see that." Marcus smiled sardonically. He continued walking towards us. Towards me without breaking his deadly glance at me.

He stopped two little steps away from me before he took the empty teacup from my hand and placed it over the table.

"You're done talking with the investors, brother?" Matt asked him.

He simply nodded. His eyes were totally fixed on my face.

I looked at Matt. He gestured me to mum and just go with the flow. I knew whatever he was trying to do was a diversion. A diversion to keep us away from his brother's impending tantrum.

He made an awkward laugh. "That's good. I know you can pacify them. You're the President and Chairman, anyway. There shouldn't be any problem, right?"

What was Matthew even talking about?

"Yeah." Marcus answered. His eyes were piercing through me. He made one more step towards me.

I clutched my hand over my chest.

There he goes again making me feel uncomfortable and uneasy.

"Great! That means we'll have a happy summer holiday then, right? We'll have more time to spend here with Ruth and help her recover. Right?"

"Yeah." He made one last step and he was just a breath away from me.

My heart beat so loud I cannot hear myself breathing anymore.

"W-What are you doing?" I tried to veer away but he had ring fenced over me and completely block me from seeing his twin brother's face.

He was way taller than me and he made sure his broad shoulders served its purpose as a colossal wall between me and Matt.

"I should go to bed now, right?" I heard Matthew nervously chuckled behind Marcus.

I stood on my tiptoes so I can see Matt but Marcus blocked me again.

I dared glare at him but his gaze was unnerving.

"Yes. We should go to bed too." He used that husky impatient tone again. His lips were literally a few inches away from mine.

Ugh!

I bat my eyes several times to refocus.

How can I unflinch from his gaze?

"Bed? Sure! Let me go with you too, Matt!" I yelled and tried to duck and moved past Marcus.

But he was thinking way ahead of me. In a swift move, he had gripped my wrist and drew me closer to his body. Our lips were an inch apart.

My heart was rumbling like crazy inside my chest.

"Not so fast, wife." He whispered behind my earlobe.

I stiffened. There were fine tiny electricity running through his warm breath towards the sensitive skin at the back of my ear.

I lowered my gaze and looked at his hand holding my wrist instead.

He held my chin up. I tried to avoid his commanding visage but I failed.

"I-I'm going to sleep, now."

"So am I." His eyes wandered around my face as if he was trying to unearth something hidden from it.

"Uhm? Are you going to sleep with me?"

My eyeballs popped out the second I realized how stupid my question was.

Huh? Why did I even ask that?

Stupid!

Stupid mouth!

Marcus gave me a coquettish grin. "I'd love that."

My eyes shot him a disgusted glance.

"No! That's not what I mean!" I squealed and tried to escape the embarrassing situation I put myself into but he was fast to capture both of my arms.

"I guess this is my cue to disappear." Matthew's amused gazes shifted from me back to his twin.

"Piss off, brother." Marcus suddenly took me in his arms and started walking back inside the manor.

My eyes blinked repeatedly upon realizing what just happened and searched for Matt's face.

"Matthew! Help!" I mouthed as I saw him behind us waving his hand while smiling widely like a lunatic.

"Fighting!"

"No!!!"