I’ll Become the Female Lead in this Trashy Webnovel

16.
I want to know everything about you (2)

His waxed black hair was slightly disheveled and the collar of his grey jacket had missing buttons.

His shoelace was loose on one side.

Yet, the most shocking thing besides that was the woman in the crown prince’s arms.

Of course, he shouldn’t have been that surprised to see the crown prince with his wife.

It was just strange to see his master seated in his office chair while holding someone precious in his arms.

“That’s…”

Joshua glanced down at Sohee.

“I’ll talk to you later.”

So-hee understood their discussion even if Joshua and his assistant tried their best to be vague.

She also instinctively knew why Joshua looked at her the whole time while talking to Macon.

“Alright.
You have a dinner appointment with the investors this afternoon, Your Highness.
What shall we do about this?”

“Please put that off if you can.”

As she listened to the conversation, Sohee interrupted.

“You can go with that.” She murmured.

The icy silence in the atmosphere brought chills down their spine.

Joshua gazed down at her with interest.

So-hee wanted to slap her mouth when she suddenly blurted it out.

She had thought about it but had no intention of saying it out loud.

“I take my words back.
Please stay with me, Joshua.”

The urgent excuse made him look at her strangely.

After Macon left the study, all of Joshua’s schedules were already changed according to plan, so now, he remained next to her.

“What are you going to do now?”

“I have to work.”

His strong arms–which were holding her still earlier—-headed toward the documents on the desk.

Upon seeing the white papers piled  up high beside her, So-hee shook her head in disbelief and made her dizzy for no reason.

Joshua began to work while she was seated in his lap.

The fluttering sound of documents rang in the silence repeatedly that it put her to sleep.

So-hee had finally dozed off.

A few hours earlier, she was having a hard time going back to sleep after that anxiety-inducing nightmare.

Joshua’s hand guided So-hee, whose head kept nodding and leaning forward, to lean against his broad chest.

“Get some sleep, Ariad.
We will eat our lunch in an hour.”

His soft voice, paired with his soothing, masculine scent, was the perfect combination for a good, satisfying nap.

* * *

The sun was falling, and the sunset color hung over the window.

Joshua had sat in the same seat for five hours, reading business-related documents.

After a couple of minutes, he put the paper he had in his hand for the first time, but he suddenly released it by accident.

White papers fell to the ground.

Some of them had rolled around from the soft breeze.

“It’s cold.”

The sleeping woman in his arms shivered slightly as she huddled closer.

Joshua slightly twisted his upper body while trying not to move her at the same time to pick up the jacket hanging at the back of his chair, and covered her shoulder with it.

In search of more warmth, she buried her face deeper and rubbed her cheek against his broad chest.

Joshua watched the woman in his arms without even thinking to pick up the papers on the floor.

Then, he raised his right hand to sweep her long, thick lashes with his fingers.

In the end, he had no choice but to admit it was a hasty judgment on his part to say that he’ss only lusting after her.

If someone told him he could only have Ariad’s body, his response would be much firmer now.

‘No.I want more than that.’

He had changed his mind about this, not on the day he made love with Ariad for the first time.

It happened when he saw her standing in front of the window at Filtmore Mansion before she vanished while wearing a beautiful smile on her radiant face.

At that moment, Joshua stood there blankly without having time to process what was really going on.

When Deon let out a fierce cry as he rushed to look for her, Joshua stood there stiffly as if his legs were stuck on the marble floor.

He could now understand why he was doing this.

Joshua Mckinley was a man who had lived his life under wraps and only revealed his impeccable perfection on the outside.

He and Ariad might not know each other well, but all he wanted from his wife was to see her smile at him finally.

‘As long as it looks pretty to you.’

Ariad’s face was reflected in the depths of his gaze.

Joshua’s fingers fiddled around her lips as he smiled at her.

‘I like you so much now.’

Her sweet words hanging in the air constantly appeared before him, making him smile.

If he were smart, he would eventually notice that everything she said was a lie.

Every time Joshua realized that, his heart would grow colder and colder.

Nevertheless, he wanted to believe it.

Ariad’s words sounded too sweet and sincere to consider it a lie.

If it turned out to be a lie, that would cater to the seething possessiveness inside him.

Joshua wanted to know everything about her.

Claim everything she had as his.

Then, Ariad’s sudden voice disturbed the current emotions he felt.

‘Joshua, do you know what you’re doing is called?’

‘Love.’

Ariad’s words made him stop and think for a moment.

Then, he threw his head and laughed.

“No, it isn’t.” He murmured, rejecting the voice lingering in his ear.

“It is.”

Their earlier conversation circled in his mind a few times before it died.

As his confusing emotions ganged up on him, the arms holding Ariad slowly gained strength.