He must want to get drunk too.
“I saw my mother in bed with another man at home. A disgusting sight.”
At Ryan’s following words, Alice couldn’t say anything.
It was a bigger shock than the traffic accident story Vera had told her.
“That must have been a huge shock at a young age.”
Ryan said his mother died when he was in elementary school, meaning he witnessed his mother’s infidelity before that.
How much of a wound must that have been? At an age when he should have been receiving his mother’s love.
Just thinking about it made Alice’s heart ache with betrayal.
Alice didn’t know what to say to Ryan. She didn’t think any words could comfort his pain.
So that’s why he hated marriage.
“Poor young Vice President…”
Her tongue was getting tangled.
Because of the whiskey she had gulped down, Alice couldn’t withstand the sudden rush of alcohol.
She wanted to know more about Ryan’s pain, but she couldn’t hold back her drooping eyes and rested her face on the table.
Thump.
“Secretary Alii?”
Ryan stood up and grabbed Alice’s shoulder. She didn’t seem to have any intention of getting up, even when he shook her or patted her back.
“Are you drunk?”
Seeing Alice, who showed no sign of getting up, Ryan ruffled his hair in a flustered manner.
Alice wasn’t usually weak to alcohol. It seemed that the last shot of whiskey had made her suddenly drunk.
He shouldn’t have given her that last drink. Ryan felt a belated regret.
He never thought Alice would fall asleep from being drunk.
Lately, Alice had been defying Ryan’s expectations in many ways.
[Shall we have dinner together tonight?]
At first, he thought it wasn’t Alice, judging by the tone.
Have dinner together?
Ryan put his phone in his pocket after receiving a follow-up message saying they would eat at home. He felt Alice’s efforts.
The feeling of becoming comfortable and close to each other wasn’t bad, unexpectedly.
After receiving Alice’s message, Ryan couldn’t concentrate on the meeting.
Even though she said it would be simple, they were still in the early stages of information sharing.
Ryan, who was pondering, remembered that he had a small brazier at home and thought it would be better to buy some beef.
She liked wine.
He remembered Alice drinking wine quite well at the restaurant.
He decided to buy wine as well while he was at the department store. That should be a fairly simple dinner, right?
Thus, Ryan finished planning the dinner menu alone.
When he arrived home with the meat and wine, Ryan paused at an unfamiliar smell.
Knowing that the housekeeper disliked smells, she wouldn’t have cooked anything smelly. She always aired out the kitchen after cooking and left, so this was the first time Ryan had smelled an unfamiliar food smell in a long time.
As if she heard him arrive, Alice rushed out.
Ryan couldn’t help but laugh at Alice’s appearance.
A ladle in one hand, a yellow apron on her body, a cheerful teddy bear playing in the middle of the apron, and her hair tied up in a bun.
As he looked at Alice’s attire, something seemed different.
It was the first time he had seen her with her hair tied up.
Ryan’s gaze kept lingering on Alice’s small, delicate jawline.
I didn’t realize it was hidden under her hair, but Alice’s jawline was delicate and slender.
Her fully revealed face looked smaller than Ryan’s hand.
Ryan shifted his gaze from her face back to her attire.
It was clear that they were dressed for a meal together.
Ryan gazed intently at Alice.
Alice’s eyes sparkled in surprise as she looked at Ryan.
Those eyes, even after knowing each other for years, felt unfamiliar. They weren’t supposed to be so bright and lively.
A strange difference had been bothering Ryan lately.
Seeing Alice’s comically stiff appearance, frozen like a statue, made him laugh again.
The sight of her waiting while cooking with such care for him wasn’t bad at all.
Feeling good, Ryan decided to tease Alice.
Experiencing such strange feelings for the first time made Ryan feel awkward. He hurriedly hid his emotions, worried someone might notice.
The Army Based Stew that Alice made was as delicious as it smelled, which whetted his appetite.
Soon, an empty bottle appeared.
This time, Ryan’s eyes were drawn to the clothes Alice had changed into.
Is she wearing long sleeves even at home? In this summer?
Ryan had never seen Alice in short sleeves. He had never seen her dressed comfortably at home.
‘Well, how long have we been living together anyway?’
Did she have a scar she wanted to hide?
He asked subtly but received an unexpected answer from Alice.
She spoke calmly, but the reason was anything but ordinary.
When she said a wolf disguised as an uncle had groped her, anger suddenly surged within him.
