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“Is that so?” Edwin drawled, a wicked idea forming in his mind. “A project so grand might cost quite a fortune, might it not?”

Ava nodded. “I suppose it might require a substantial amount. However, the result will be well worth it. I can assure you of that. In fact, the furniture will be ordered from Paris, and the drapes?—”

“Now, I must release money for this,” he said.

“Indeed, you must.”

“And what will I get in return for spending all this money?” he asked.

He braced himself for her anger.

“What you will get…?” she trailed off.

She seemed confused at first. But then her eyes widened as she realized what he was speaking of.

“What you will get in return?” she echoed in a dangerously low voice, her eyes flashing. “What you will get in return is a beautiful home.”

“You know what I mean, dear wife,” Edwin teased.

His face hurt as he tried so hard to hold back the smile threatening to spread across his lips. He raised his wine glass and pretended to sip from it.

“Then God help me, I shall simply do nothing in the house if that is what you expect of me,” Ava huffed. “In fact, from now on, I will simply sleep and wake up. I will do nothing if you expect me to give you… something in return.”

Edwin could no longer hold it in—he burst into laughter.

That only seemed to anger Ava more.

“You find this funny?” She shot him a scowl. “You think it’s funny that my husband is asking for favors in exchange for… for?—”

“Oh, Ava, why are you wound so tight?” Edwin sputtered, quaking with laughter.

Ava set down her cutlery with a loud thud, rose from the dining table, and stomped towards the door.

“Ava,” Edwin called as his laughter finally died down, “how can you not tell that I am teasing you?”

That stopped Ava in her tracks, and she turned to face him.

“Is that so?” she asked. “You are teasing me?”

“Of course, I am merely jesting. I could never take advantage of you in such a manner,” Edwin said. “I will only bed you when you truly want it—when youbegme for it.”

Ava’s face reddened, and she averted her gaze.

“You can take all the money and do with it as you please,” Edwin added. “I trust you, Ava.”

At that, a reluctant smile tugged at her lips.

For a moment, Edwin could not tear his eyes away from her. Her smile was so radiant it lit up her whole face.

“Thank you, Edwin,” she murmured.

It was his turn to smile. He enjoyed how his name rolled off her tongue. It felt intimate, familiar.

“Now, you should return to your food,” he urged.

“You are right. I should not go to bed hungry.”

With that, she returned to her seat and resumed eating, all the while rambling about how she planned to renovate the house.