At that moment, Alexander called up from downstairs, "Evie, where should I put all this stuff?"
"I'll handle it myself!" Evie answered quickly.
She dropped her phone and hurried downstairs.
"What's the big secret? You seem nervous," Alexander teased with a smile.
"It's nothing special!" Evie replied, her cheeks flushing.
She grabbed the pile of shopping bags and headed for the stairs.
"Just tell me where you want them. I'll carry them up for you," Alexander said, catching her arm.
"They're not heavy. I can manage," Evie mumbled, unable to meet his eyes.
There was no way she could tell Alexander these were the secret weapons meant to seduce him.
Just thinking about it made her want to die of embarrassment.
What was her mother thinking? And her sister had cursed her out too!
Well, that saying might not be quite right, but the meaning was close enough.
Alexander didn't push further. He let go, and Evie trudged upstairs with the bags.
As soon as she reached the top, her phone rang.
She set one bag down on the sofa and picked up. "Victoria?"
"Why are you out of breath?" Victoria's voice came through, puzzled.
"I'm carrying stuff!" Evie answered, hauling the remaining bags into her private sitting room.
"Carrying stuff, or making out with your husband?"
"Victoria, stop joking! What do you need?" Evie asked, flustered.
"Nothing much. Just calling to say I loaded everything into the trunk for you. I sent a message, but I figured you might not have seen it."
"I saw it. I'm bringing it in now," Evie replied.
"Good! Make good use of it. Enjoy yourself!"
"..."
Evie was speechless.
When had her sister turned into a matchmaker?
The next second, Evie quickly shook that thought away and wondered where to hide everything.
After putting the things down, Evie sat down for a breather.
She was exhausted.
She rested for a long while before finally leaving the sitting room.
She was walking along when she suddenly stopped dead.
Alexander was sitting on the sofa, looking up at her.
But that wasn't the problem. The problem was the shopping bags right beside him!
When she'd answered the phone, she'd left those bags on the sofa.
Evie rushed over, snatched up the bags, and headed back to the sitting room.
"Evie, let's try them out tonight. I hear the effect is amazing," Alexander said with a grin.
Evie pretended she hadn't heard.
The next second, Alexander's laughter rang out.
She was so embarrassed she wanted to dig a hole and hide.
After stashing everything away, she came out a few minutes later.
"Don't you believe in your own charm? Or don't you trust your husband's abilities?" Alexander asked lazily, pouring tea. He glanced at Evie, who was now sitting on the sofa.
"I didn't buy them!" Evie replied, mortified.
"Since you bought them, you might as well use them. It would be a waste not to," Alexander continued, teasing her.
"I'll return them in a couple of days!" Evie shot back.
"Don't bother. Use them once in a while. That smoky nightgown would look great on you tonight," Alexander suggested.
Evie was stunned. She looked up at Alexander, then immediately looked away, embarrassed. "I have no idea what you're talking about. None at all!"
Alexander laughed but didn't keep teasing her.
He placed a cup of tea in front of her. "Have some tea."
Evie nodded, picked up the cup, and drank in silence.
Right now, she didn't want to talk. She didn't want to face any of it. She just wanted to rest, take a bath, and go straight to bed.
Later, Alexander took a phone call and went into his study.
Evie felt a wave of relief.
After resting a bit more, she went into the bathroom to take a bath.
She ran a hot bath and lay down to soak, letting the warmth relax her muscles.
Maybe she was too tired, or maybe it was just too comfortable. Evie drifted off to sleep.
She didn't open her eyes until she felt something strange beside her. When she saw Alexander, she mumbled, "What time is it?"
"Almost six."
"Oh," Evie answered, thinking she could sleep a little longer.
The next second, she turned over and nearly rolled into the water. Alexander caught her just in time.
Evie finally snapped awake. She wasn't in bed. She was in the water. Mortified, she wanted to sink beneath the surface.
"Don't soak too long. You'll catch a cold," Alexander said.
"Okay," Evie replied, head down. She couldn't help but sink deeper into the water, utterly embarrassed.
She'd fallen asleep in the bath.
Alexander didn't say anything more. He got up and left the bathroom.
Evie carefully climbed out of the tub, showered, and changed into her pajamas.
In a few days, she and Alexander were going to an island for a short stay. It was supposed to be their honeymoon trip.
So after changing, Evie pulled out a suitcase and started packing.
It wasn't her first time packing, but it was her first time packing for Alexander.
She just needed to bring a few sets of clothes and some toiletries.
But she didn't know much about Alexander's preferences. She wanted to ask him, but he wasn't in the bedroom.
So she decided to pack what she could and ask him later what he needed to add.
She packed one suitcase and one duffel bag. The duffel bag held her things, and the suitcase held Alexander's clothes and toiletries.
"Alexander, I've packed the luggage. Do you want to check it? See if I missed anything?" Evie said to Alexander, who was sitting on the living room sofa.
"No, you decide," Alexander said, looking back at her.
"What if I forget something important?" Evie asked anxiously.
"Then we'll buy it there. The place we're going isn't the wilderness. Don't worry about not being able to find what you need," Alexander said with a smile.
"Oh," Evie answered after a long pause. She turned and went back to the bedroom.
She checked her luggage again. In the end, she packed extra toiletries, following the principle of better safe than sorry.
The next morning, after breakfast at home, they set off for the island.
Evie didn't know why Alexander had chosen this particular island for their honeymoon. But for her, as long as the air was fresh and the scenery was nice, she had no other requirements.
So whatever Alexander arranged was fine with her. She was just going to enjoy herself.
"Just the two of us?" Evie asked excitedly, looking out the window. The question slipped out before she could stop it.
"It's a honeymoon trip. How many people were you planning to invite?" Alexander glanced at her and asked.
Evie immediately gave an embarrassed smile.
She still couldn't shake the old stereotype about Alexander.
Before this, she'd always thought Alexander insisted on a honeymoon trip because he wanted to go with his real lover. She was just a cover.
Now it turned out she'd been wrong. It was all in her head.