Chapter 428
“But we’re a couple. There’s nothing wrong with us sharing a room,” Richard insisted.
Pearl still saw a hint of cheekiness on his face. Richard was still Richard, except his usual cool classiness was no longer there and was replaced by a wolf’s skin.
“Richard, can we sleep separately? I’m not ready for this.” In truth, she had never been prepared for such a situation.
Richard didn’t even raise an eyebrow. He merely detected a trace of panic in her expression. “It’s alright, there’s a first time for everything.”
‘What kind of answer was that?’ Pearl curled up in bed, visibly trembling.
Richard leaned over, placing his hands by her side before removing the blanket from the bed. Shortly after, the sophisticated Richard settled onto the couch in his suit, leaving the entire bed to her.
“Sleep.”
Pearl didn’t react and thought Richard was going to force himself on her. “You’re a true gentleman, Richard.” Her eyes welled up with tears as she regarded him with even greater admiration.
Richard closed his eyes and responded with a neutral tone, “Of course, I’d climb into bed if you asked.”
“Don’t. I’m going to sleep now.” Pearl shut her eyes tightly.
Some time passed, but Pearl was still awake. She could hear the steady breathing nearby. Then, Richard’s hoarse voice when he had just awakened broke the silence. “Why? Did you have a bad dream?”
“No, I can’t fall asleep.”
“Try your best, or else you won’t have the energy to enjoy tomorrow.” Richard’s tone lacked sympathy.
“I am trying my best, but sleep won’t come. I don’t know why I suddenly have insomnia.” Pearl was acutely aware that her insomnia was caused by the presence of the man on the couch, but she dared not voice her thoughts for fear of angering him. “What should we do then?”
Pearl thought about it and came up with an idea. “Why don’t you tell me a story?”
“I don’t do that.”
“My dad used to tell me bedtime stories when I couldn’t fall asleep as a child,” Pearl reminisced about her childhood.
“Alright.” Richard frowned, reluctantly agreeing. “Our building projects in Enswood are outlined below. We’re set to start on the 31st of August, and we have to make sure that everyone stays safe throughout the process-
“Stop it, Richard. I want a real story!” Pearl looked at the shadow not far away with annoyance. How could someone have such low emotional intelligence?
“What do you want to hear about?”
Seeing that he truly had no experience in this, Pearl dropped a hint. “What about stories about cute little animals?”
