Page 16 of Neptune

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CASSIE

I spend the rest of the day resting in my new bedroom. They have moved my clothes and belongings here, and I'm thankful that Luke hasn't bothered me yet. He might think that I indeed need my nap.

When I look at the clock on the wall, I notice that it's almost dinner time. I wonder what Luke will do about this, but I guess that it's not that hard to figure out.

A knock on the door snaps me out of my thoughts. "Mrs. Klein, the dinner is ready."

I walk toward the door and open it. Ms. Langston is standing before me.

"Your husband is waiting for you." She smiles.

I sigh and follow her. Although I'm still too irritated to face that cocky and bossy man, I'm terribly hungry. My stomach growls. When we arrive at the dining room, Luke is already at the table, with Aiden.

The boy's face brightens as soon as he sees me, a big smile creeping on his lips. That sight somehow brightens my mood too.

I smile softly at Aiden and take a seat beside him, who sits across Luke. Luke stays silent, looking like he's pissed because of our recent argument about sharing our bedroom, and I suddenly feel my anger building up again.

What does he expect? Does he expect me to just sleep with him after we get married?

I never told him that I would sleep with him as long as he helped me—it isn't a part of our agreement. He asked me to be his wife, not his slut.

A maid serves our dinner, which is roast duck breast with rosemary and garlic fried potatoes.

Oh God, the food looks super delicious. It does a good job of distracting me from Luke.

After the three of us begin eating, Luke speaks, "So did you have a good rest in your new lovely, splendid room?" he emphasizes the adjectives in his question.

I look up from my plate and flash Luke a dazzling smile. "Absolutely," I say. "The room needs to have a nice atmosphere for me to have a good rest."

"Like some girly, princessy kind of atmosphere?" Luke mocks me, making me realize that my new room is quite feminine, especially when he compares it to his.

I want to laugh in disbelief. "Sure thing. But that's not the main reason, though. I need to get away from something to keep my mind in peace. Especially, from a certain someone." A small smile forms on my lips.

Luke doesn't do a good job of hiding his annoyance as we bicker. Aiden, on the other hand, keeps eating his food in silence, looking at his plate.

I suddenly feel sorry for creating such an uncomfortable atmosphere around him.

We continue eating, and Luke breaks the silence again. "What are you going to do tomorrow, Cassie?"

His question makes me wonder too what I'm going to do. My team has indicated that they won't be bothering me too soon after my wedding, and I'm still taking a break, but I'll have to call Oscar or Peter tomorrow.

I don't think that doing nothing in this house would do me any good—I need a distraction from Luke. Maybe for this week, a few online interviews would be okay, or a couple of photoshoots that wouldn't drain much of my energy.

"I don't know," I answer Luke without shifting my attention from the plate. "It's not like I have to report to you about every activity I'm taking."

With how domineering Luke is, I've sensed that he likes to be in charge, that he's dominant. And the last thing I need is a controlling or possessive husband.

"I would very much appreciate it if my wife shares with me a lot of things about her," Luke says.

When I look up at him, I can see that I've indeed made him even more annoyed by behaving like a pain in the ass.

"So what?" I ask. "It's not like I have to ask for your permission every time I want to do something. Clearly, you don't seem to consider fair treatment, since you barged into my personal matters and invited Jude to our wedding without asking me first about it."

Yes, I'm still holding a grudge after that shocking decision he made, which almost made me have a heart attack.

Luke scoffs. "Have you ever thought that I just saved you from humiliating us in front of the whole world?" he asks, and that feels like a slap on my face—Jude attending our wedding did make me think twice before running away like a broken and lost puppy. "In fact, I just saved our wedding."

And there he goes again, like he's the smartest person in the world. My grip on the knife and fork in my hands tightens.

"And yes, you have to ask for my permission first before doing anything that will expose us," Luke adds warningly. "Since you're a public figure, and since you are now my wife, you have to be careful."

That's ironic. Just like how I don't trust him one bit, he seems to have a huge trust issue with me—I don't blame him after what almost happened to our wedding.

"I still don't give a damn about what you think," I say simply. "I handle my own stuff. You handle yours. We're going to mind our own business."

"Not gonna happen," Luke says firmly, not tolerating any objection. "We're together now. "

Gosh, why is he acting like we're real husband and wife?

"We will do everything separately and won't care about each other one bit," I insist.

"No." Luke is persistent.

"Yes," I hiss.

"No." Luke glares at me, his eyes piercing.

"Yes!" I shout.

" No !" he snaps.

The sound of dining utensils dropping onto the plate echoes in the room, and we snap our heads. Aiden has just stopped eating his half-finished dinner.

His jaw tightens, disappointment crossing his expression. Before I can comprehend what's happening, he gets up from his chair and runs out of the room.

"Aiden!" Luke warns his nephew, but it seems that the boy won't just come back and finish his dinner. Guilt skates on Luke's face, and he looks away, his jaw clenched.

And I look down at my lap, sighing, feeling the same guilt washing over me.