Chapter 158
Status.
Nathaniel was taking deep breaths. He lay face down on top of Serena after having made love to her the fifth time.
“God, I can’t get enough of you,” he muttered softly. He pecked Serena’s head, but then he realized she was… unresponsive.
“Serena?” he called.
She was lying face down on the bed.
Earlier, he had taken her from behind and crashed on top of her after coming undone.
“Nathan, I’m tired. Let’s get some rest,” she finally answered, straining for air.
He supposed it was time to call it a night. It was already two in the morning. He could still go on, but he might have overwhelmed Serena.
“I’m sorry,” he said. Finding her cheek, he gave her one last peck before rolling off her.
Nathaniel unwittingly glanced down at his manhood and saw that the tip didn’t have any semen.
His heart raced.
“I’ll be back,” he said, not wanting to let Serena see.
Nathaniel rushed to the bathroom to do a thorough inspection, and he was right.
The condom broke.
Inside his head, he laughed ominously.
But he didn’t want Serena to know. She could easily take a morning-after pill. So he quickly tossed the condom in the trash can and buried it with a pile of tissue.
He cleaned himself up a little before heading back. “Do you want to clean up p>
“Too tired,” Serena said. She was still in the same position in bed.
“That’s fine,” he said. “At least drink some water p>
He grabbed the bottle of water from the fridge and helped Serena up a little. She drank some, her eyes still hazy.
After that, Serena sank into the bed, exhaustion written all over her.
Nathaniel quickly climbed up next to her. He pulled her into his chest, then put the blanket over them.
“Good night,” he said. “I’m sorry, I tired you. I was just too excited p>
“Mmmm,” she said.
Serena didn’t look at him, so he didn’t really see her expression.
He thought about that night and the passion they shared. He said, his voice serious, “Serena? We should just get married again. Can we p>
She didn’t answer.
When Nathaniel checked on her, he realized her eyes were already closed, her breathing even.
“Serena?” he tried to wake her. “Will you marry me again p>
Still, she didn’t answer.
Her breathing was so calm, it was evident she was already in deep sleep.
Nathaniel’s heart was still restless. He instead sent a text message to his friends, inviting them to lunch:
[Lunch on me, guys. I want to celebrate. See you at Astoria Hotel for their lunch buffet p>
What he meant to celebrate was the fact that he and Serena were back together. They made love. They were one, and he claimed it.
Next, he pulled up the site for the same jeweler he had used for Serena’s previous ring. He was ready to buy her an engagement ring, and this time, he wanted something even more spectacular.
When none of the designs fit his preference, he texted Gavin:
[Contact The Obsidian House
tomorrow morning. I want a
custom-made engagement ring for Serena need a rare,
BUT
investment-grade sapphire ten carats mimum Royal blue no heat treatment. I want it as the centerpiece, haloed by the best quality diamonds. Have them find me the best stone on the market p>
It was the opposite design from Serena’s last engagement ring.
Serena had not worn the pendant and engagement ring he gave her, but that was fine. He understood that the previous engagement ring also symbolized the pain of their past.
‘Everything is falling into place.’ The thought of proposing to Serena again made him excited. It was the kind of high that only came when he was seconds away from winning everything.
He turned to Serena again, smiling.
After a while, he finally rested his eyes, pulling Serena closer, his nose nuzzling against the back of her head.
It was already late when they woke up.
As expected.
“I’m so hungry, I could eat a horse,” Serena said after combing her hair.
They were both ready to leave. Nathaniel checked the time. It was eleven forty-five
in the morning. The lunch buffet started at twelve. Nathaniel had already made reservations.
“Let’s go.” He offered his hand. “I still prefer to eat you, but I guess I need more energy for tonight p>
Then he winked at her.
Serena rolled her eyes. “Let’s go p>
They made it quickly down to the lobby. They were almost at the restaurant when a familiar face walked toward them.
“Miss Vander, Mr. Thorne,” Mr. Gonzales smiled. “What a surprise to see you both together. Are you having a business meeting p>
It was one of the sales managers
from VanderMed Technologies. Mr. Gonzales was responsible for monitoring all medical equipment and accounts within the Velmon area, including the Al Body Scanner, Vanguard.
“Ah, no, Serena is my “
“Mr. Gonzales, surely you have seen the news around Velmon,” Serena cut in. “Nathaniel and I were handling the case against the Holts p>
“Ah, yes.” Mr. Gonzales scratched his head and laughed. “Yes, I did hear about it. So, you and Mr. Thorne p>
“Mr. Thorne is my ex-husband and the father of my children,” Serena said politely.
“We are having lunch. Would you like to join us p>
“Oh no, Miss Vander,” the manager
said. “In fact, I’m about to return to Rexam, Your brother called me back for an emergency, but thank you for the invitation. Tl be heading off now p>
Nathaniel never liked the term “Ex-husband.” That was true, but he had expected an upgraded status after their night of passion. He expected that he and Serena were on the same page.
Still, it was no reason to get worked up about the label. But later, after meeting his best friends, Dennis and Peter asked about their relationship status.
The words that left her lips were the last thing he expected to hear.