In a Love Nest with the Aloof CEO

At his answer, she raised an eyebrow skeptically. Tobias was evidently uninterested in the entire affair.

They remained in their seats until the janitor looked at them meaningfully, prompting them to leave.

Skylar hurriedly followed Tobias out of the cinema.

She held out her hand, but the man adamantly refused to take it. Inwardly, she marveled at Tobias’

audacity. Throughout the film, he’d copped multiple feels in the darkness of the cinema. However, he’d

returned to his callous self right after the lights came on.

Can’t he even hold my hand? Skylar agonized.

At the exit, they ran into the pair that had been blissfully announcing their plans to the entire cinema.

The girl was now squatting in a corner earnestly convincing her mother, saying, “Mom, I’m going to stay

over at my classmate’s house for the next two days. I won’t be coming home.”

Skylar felt a grudging sense of admiration for this young girl’s dedication to her relationship. Not only

did they have to last the night at a cybercafe, but they would also have to drag their wearied bodies,

stained with the smell of beer and cigarettes, to a cheap hotel at the crack of dawn. The thought of the

journey they would have to undertake was fatiguing enough.

Ruefully, she supposed that the happiness the young couple got out of being together would be worth

all that toil.

Seeing Skylar thus distracted, Tobias challenged her rudely, “Why are you always staring at other

people? Are you envious of them? She’s got a boy toy to spend the weekend with. Is that what you’re

lusting after?”

Undeterred, Skylar replied with a toss of her head, “Well, is mine willing to spend the weekend with

me?”

At her words, Tobias froze, wrinkling his handsome brow.

He was not troubled by the fact that Skylar had referred to him so dismissively, but rather that he was

indeed unable to dedicate the entire weekend to her.

They descended by elevator in silence. When the two of them stepped out into the chilly night air, a

gust of cold wind blew past them. Tobias instinctively drew Skylar into his warm arms, murmuring in a

tender tone, “I know I don’t spend much time with you. I promise it’ll get better once this year is over.”

Skylar smiled but did not allow herself to be taken in that easily. After all, the year had only just

begun. Who knows if I’ll still be with Tobias next year?

Her mind flashed back to the food she’d been preparing halfway that had since been left to grow cold.

Unwilling to let it go to waste, she yearned to head back home to complete her preparations.

Similarly, Tobias was ready to head home. He, too, had work left unfinished. The two of them thus

agreed to proceed straight back.

When they stepped into the house, however, Tobias immediately swept Skylar up in his arms, hoisting

her up into the air before setting her down on the top of a low dresser. He then spread her legs open

and stood before her expectantly.

In a hoarse voice, he said, “What are you waiting for? Do you need me to teach you how to share

what’s on your mind? I was afraid that if I didn’t do something tonight, you’d be wondering if I was

having somebody else on the side all over again.”

Tobias had evidently taken Skylar’s look of unhappiness throughout the day to heart.

Skylar wreathed her arms tightly around Tobias as he pressed himself against her.

The next day, Skylar visited Penelope at her home. “Skylar, I need to tell you something. Brayden said

he’s going to gift me this apartment,” Penelope whispered conspiratorially as she leaned in towards her

friend.

Skylar was certain that men who proclaimed that women looked their best when they were pregnant

were telling the most barefaced lie possible.

Surveying her best friend critically, Skylar noted that Penelope had grown plump. Her greasy face was

dotted with spots and her nostrils flared.

Dressed in dowdy, loose maternity clothing, Penelope looked a whole ten years older than the

attractive girl Skylar knew her to be. Compared to Zelda, Brayden’s wife, Penelope was worlds apart.

Instead of congratulating her, Skylar prodded, “Do you think Brayden will marry you? Your belly is

growing larger day by day. It isn’t easy being a single mother! You’re still young. Why don’t you look for

someone faithful and reliable? Married men are dangerous creatures to get involved with.”

Skylar was not much older herself, but she spoke with the worldly wisdom of her elders. After all, with

matters of children being born out of wedlock, the one who suffered the most was inevitably the mother.

Thus, despite Tobias’ reassurances to the contrary, Skylar always ensured that she dutifully took her

birth control pills. The possibility of side effects was one she was more willing to risk than having to

raise a child alone.

Penelope smirked, maintaining her confidence. “You’re right. I’m young, so I think I’ll be able to

compete with his old hag of a wife! I’ve already decided that after this baby is born, I’ll immediately

invest heavily in cosmetics to regain my youthful, radiant look. So what if Brayden’s married? He can

always get divorced,” Penelope concluded contemptuously.