Marina had braced herself for a faceplant, shutting her eyes tight, but instead landed in a warm embrace.
Her heart skipped a beat. She slowly opened her eyes to see Daron, his face stormy. She bit her lip and hurriedly pulled herself out of his arms.
Marina stammered, “What… What are you doing here?”
She actually saw him entering the villa just now.
“Just checking what kind of mess you’re making this time, dummy,” Daron muttered, clearly annoyed.
He shot her a sidelong glance, making sure she was just a little dusty and not actually hurt. Then he looked away and flicked off the dust she’d gotten on him.
Marina gave an awkward smile.
Daron was a total neat freak, always fussing over his appearance. Feeling a bit sheepish, she awkwardly reached out to dust
off his arm.
But as soon as she patted him, she noticed the spot she’d just touched now had a clear handprint.
She froze, staring down at her own hand.
Daron’s gaze shifted to the spot where she’d just patted, then he looked down at her in silence.
He just felt speechless.
Marina gave an awkward smile and said, “Sorry, I totally forgot my hands were dirty from climbing that tree.”
She braced herself for Daron’s sarcasm or a lecture, but he just let his hand drop and, totally unfazed, said, “Whatever. It’s fine, I’m used to it.”
Marina glanced up at him, a bit surprised by how easygoing he was tonight.
She thought, ‘Well, when something good happens, people are always in high spirits.
He was heading back to Vrufield tomorrow to handle his marriage situation, so it was only natural that he was in a good mood and didn’t bother arguing with her.
Daron watched her stand quietly in front of him, head down, covered in dirt, looking like a kid who’d just been caught doing something wrong.
He bit back the sarcastic comment he was about to make and reminded her quietly, “Were you looking for something?”
Marina forced down her awkwardness and nodded. “Yeah.”
Daron shot her a look and headed inside.
Marina followed him, watching as he moved through the living room like he owned the place, flipping on all the lights. Her breath caught in her throat.
The living room layout had changed a bit, but it wasn’t a total overhaul.
As Marina looked closer, she realized most of the features that remained were the ones she’d helped design.
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Chapter 197
rouchers
Her lashes trembled as she watched Daron’s tall, imposing figure ahead of her. She took a deep breath, unable to hold back her curiosity any longer.
“Did you buy this villa, Mr. Zamora?” she blurted out.
He could have any house he wanted. So why this one?‘ she wondered, a little confused.
Daron didn’t answer. He just sat down on the couch and shot her a look.
You’ve got half an hour,” he said.
Marina hurried over to the elevator and pressed the button.
The elevator doors slid open, and she dashed straight for the small study on the top floor.
The laptop Daniel got from Lavern was actually hers, so Lavern’s own laptop was still somewhere in the villa.
She remembered he hadn’t taken it with him when he moved out.
Marina searched the study from top to bottom, but his laptop was nowhere to be found.
Now all she could do was hope it was hidden somewhere among the books and files in the study.
Daron had been waiting downstairs for quite a while. He glanced at his watch. Half an hour had already gone by.
The elevator was still sitting on the top floor, showing no sign of moving.
He frowned a little, got up from the couch, and made his way upstairs.
When Daron reached the study door, he saw Marina sitting cross–legged on the floor, surrounded by piles of books.
She’d pretty much cleared every shelf, flipping through each book one at a time. The files in front of her were sorted into stacks, and she’d opened up every folder.
Daron lingered in the doorway, just watching her work.
She was so focused, never once looking up at him.
Daron walked over and casually picked up a file.
Marina finally looked up, glanced at him, and said quietly, “Already checked those. Try over there.”
She pointed at another pile of files, bossing him around without hesitation.
“Don’t slack off. Lavern definitely uses this room as his safe place,” she added.
Daron shot her a look and asked, “You really that sure?”
Marina nodded. “Yeah.”
Daron frowned and asked, “What makes you so sure?”
Marina didn’t look up, answering calmly, “My reputation.”
Daron let out a soft scoff, clearly skeptical of her answer.
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Chapter 197
Marina set down the file, suddenly fired up.
She continued, “Honestly, when it comes to Lavern, I was the ideal girlfriend. I always respected his privacy, never tried to dig into his secrets or go through his phone. So this place has to be his safe space. He definitely…
Daron cut her off without mercy.
He said, “So he felt so safe he could hide his other woman right under your nose, and you never even found out.
“That’s not being an ideal girlfriend, that’s just being dumb or naive.”
Marina took a deep breath, her beautiful eyes blazing with anger as she glared at Daron.
“Doesn’t matter what it is, you guys always have something to say,” she snapped.
“The moment a girl tries to check her boyfriend’s phone, you guys call her crazy and complain about privacy, she added.
‘Whatever we do, it’s always our fault, Marina fumed inwardly.
Daron watched her pouty face, raising his eyebrows. He set down the file in his hand and picked up another.
“Only guys with something shady going on are scared of their girlfriends checking their phones. All that talk about being ‘irrational‘ is just a lame excuse when they get busted and have no comeback,” he said.
Hearing this, Marina looked up at him.
Daron didn’t meet her gaze, his eyes lowered, that usual arrogant look in his deep eyes.
“So you think it’s right for a girl to check their boyfriend’s phone?” Marina asked.
Daron shot her a look and replied, “There’s really no right or wrong here. As long as you give your partner enough security, there’s no need to go snooping through each other’s phones.”
Marina bit her lip and quietly asked, “So would you let your partner go through your phone?”
Daron shot her a glance and replied, “Sure, just look. There should be no concealment between couples. What secrets or private space do you even need? If you want your own space, just stay single.”
Marina nodded in agreement, flashing Daron a small smile.
‘Your future wife will definitely feel safe with you. She’s lucky,” she said.
Daron gave her a deep, unreadable look, his voice low and a little cold as he replied, “Whether she’s lucky or not, I can’t say. But right now? She just seems a bit naive.”
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
