Once Bitten, Twice Shy

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

…one single word: Lily.

What could have been a normal nickname ended up jolting Samantha’s memory of the flowers that Timothy received during his recuperation at the hospital.

Those flowers were lilies.

The perfume, those lilies, the time frame of her hospital visit, their countless chance encounters before; all of it might seem unrelated if one did not give it too much thought. However, all of it seemed to be related to Timothy when the dots were connected.

Samantha tightened her grip on the phone.

Could it all have been a coincidence, or was Timothy really involved in it?

She had known Timothy for so long, and although he was surrounded by a multitude of women, she was very familiar with each one of them and Harmony was not someone she ever saw.

Harmony’s face was so beautiful that it would almost definitely leave a strong impression on Samantha.

Did Harmony meet Timothy before Samantha got acquainted with him, or did Harmony only appear during Samantha’s two years abroad?

Harmony’s name was never mentioned during Samantha’s relationship with Timothy, but if Harmony showed up in the two years Samantha was abroad, then what was the explanation for Penelope? Penelope’s character made it extremely unlikely that she would be clueless about Harmony.

Samantha did not realize that the car had already reached the villa entrance. When the driver saw Samantha sitting still and motionless there, he immediately reminded her, “We’ve reached your destination, Miss.”

His remark pulled Samantha out of her thoughts. She looked up, glanced at the villa, and unconsciously remembered that Timothy had not been home for several days.

If he did have some sort of relationship with Harmony, could he have been with her all along instead of at work?

She was well aware that she should not overthink, but she really hoped that she could go the distance with Timothy due to all the struggles she went through just to finally start afresh with him.

The more idyllic the situation was, the more afraid she was that an accident might happen.

“Could you…” Samantha took a breath and continued, “…drive to the Barker Group please.”

Samantha’s thoughts and speculations continued unabated during the journey.

In about 40 or so minutes, the car arrived at the entrance of the Barker Group. Samantha paid the fare and got down.

She just wanted to go in and take a look to confirm things for herself.

As she started walking over, she suddenly remembered that her visit was very sudden. On the off chance everything really was just a coincidence, she would be facing a very embarrassing situation indeed.

She had to have an excuse for coming.

Her eyes scanned the surroundings and she spotted a cake shop on the side of the road. She immediately walked over there.

The cake was chosen at random, and once the server packed them up for her, she carried it out of the store and headed to the Barker Group.

Since Timothy had publicly announced his marriage to her, every single employee recognized her as the boss’s wife. She entered the company without being stopped and took the CEO’s elevator to the top floor.

The front desk had already given Ronald a heads-up by the time she went upstairs. He was already waiting for her when she walked out of the elevator.

“Mrs. Barker,” he greeted respectfully, “What brings you here?”

Samantha raised the cakes she bought and smiled as naturally as possible. “I’m here to bring him something for afternoon tea.”

“That’s very considerate of you, Mrs. Barker,” Ronald said while leading her to the office. “Mr. Barker is still in a meeting unfortunately, so you might have to wait for a bit.”

“Sure, it’s fine.”

Ronald brought Samantha to the CEO’s office and directed her to the sofa while asking, “Would you like anything to drink?”

“A glass of warm water will do.”

“Sure.”

Ronald turned around and left the office.

Samantha put the cake on the coffee table and looked at the work desk.

There were many documents scattered on the desk. Some had been flipped through while others remained untouched. The computer was on and there was a data spreadsheet on the screen.

Her gaze then fell on the cup on the desk. There was only a little bit of coffee left in it, while the ashtray next to the cup had several cigarette butts.

It was rather obvious that Timothy had a huge workload.

Ronald knocked twice on the door before coming in and placing a cup of warm water in front of Samantha. “Here’s your water.”

“Thank you.” Samantha held the cup to her mouth and took a sip.

She pretended to ask nonchalantly, “Has Timothy been really busy at work these days? Did he make sure to eat?”

“Mr. Barker has been working on a large transnational project recently. It’s been close to the three days that he hasn’t had any sleep,” Ronald gave an honest answer, “but you can rest assured that he eats his meals now. After all, he’s a married man now, not a bachelor. He has to think about his old lady and his beautiful wife!”

Samantha could not help but feel amused at his words.

Timothy really had been busy working in the company those few days, and none of what she imagined happened at all.

Samantha finally and resolutely set her heart at ease, although that did not preclude her from feeling a little worried about Timothy.

“As busy as he is, it’s still important for him to get some rest. Could you remind him more often for me, Ronald?”

Ronald nodded. “I will, Mrs. Barker.”

“Thank you for your trouble.”

Ronald was about to answer when there was another knock on the office door. The person, who looked to be a secretary, came in and said, “Mr. Crawford, the folks from Axlelland are requesting to hold a video conference in another ten minutes. Shall I accept the request?”

“Ah, yes, please do. I’ll notify Mr. Barker.”

Ronald answered, then looked awkwardly at Samantha. “Mrs. Barker, I don’t know how long Mr. Barker’s meeting will continue, so would—”

Samantha interrupted him right away and said, “I think it’s about time I leave. Everyone seems busy so I wouldn’t want to be a bother.”

She got up and walked out as soon as she said.

Ronald walked with her to the elevator entrance and turned back only after the elevator descended to the ground floor.

…

Samantha got in the taxi and raised her hand to give her head a little knock.

She had been overthinking, and she was fortunate not to have interrupted Timothy’s work.

Everything really was just a coincidence…

After breathing a sigh of relief, Samantha picked up the phone and put a note on Harmony’s WeTalk profile before putting the phone away and looking out the window.

…

Timothy’s meeting ended at eight o’clock in the evening and he finally returned to the office.

He glanced at the cake on the coffee table as soon as he stepped in, and a gleam of light flickered in his eyes before he asked, “Where did that come from?”

He raised his chin slightly to gesture at the cake.

Ronald, who was following behind him, looked over and replied, “Oh, I forgot to tell you that Mrs. Barker came over in the afternoon. She brought you this cake, saying that it was for your afternoon tea. She even told me to make sure that you eat your meals and have enough rest.”

‘Samantha was here? Did my wife finally show concern for me?’

The corners of Timothy’s lips curled up unconsciously and a gentle look of joy appeared in his expression. However, he glanced at the cake again and frowned slightly.

Ronald was confused by Timothy’s expression and so asked, “Is something wrong, Mr.. Barker?”