Chapter 1 Her Body Would Have Decomposed

• The boulders on the mountain had tumbled down abruptly. The bus that Nadia Xander was riding in, along with two sedans ahead, was caught in the calamity. The sedans were instantly buried, while the bus, struck by the falling rocks, shook violently before flipping onto its side.
• “We've been caught in a landslide! I'm going to die!” A woman cried loudly over the phone.
• With trembling hands, Nadia pulled out her phone, her fingers shaking as she typed out a message to Joseph Lawson: Joseph, I'm really scared. Could you come and pick me up?
• It was unmistakable that she was terrified.
• However, she received no response.
• Nadia's seat was by the window. When the bus tipped over, her head hit the glass, and the woman next to her was thrown onto her. Once everything came to a standstill, she found herself unable to move one of her arms.
• In the confined and cramped space, pain, chaos, stifling heat, fear, and helplessness washed over Nadia. She felt as though she was caught between the devil and the deep blue sea.
• Joseph, will you come to rescue me?
• Regrettably, he never came.
• From the moment the landslide occurred to the resetting of her dislocated arm, a total of three hours had passed. Gradually, Nadia lost all hope.
• How naive was she to have messaged him? It was common knowledge in Derport that the man in charge of Steelen Group, the most handsome and wealthy man in the city, was Joseph Lawson. In his eyes, apart from work, there was only one person—Samantha Cooper.
• By the time Nadia returned to Willowshire Villa, dusk had already set in.
• In the living room, there was a man, tall and impeccably slender.
• The man's hair was as black as ink, cut sharply at the temples. His features were near perfection, and even the twilight couldn't mask the air of nobility that surrounded him.
• It seemed like he had just returned. As Joseph was unbuttoning his cuffs, he began to speak. “What were you scared of? Sorry, I just saw the message!”
• He was very gentle and polite.
• It seemed that he was completely unaware of the afternoon's incident that had shocked both the internet and the city government—a landslide resulting in five deaths and over thirty injuries.
• He had no idea just how terrified his wife had been.
• “I'm okay now,” Nadia said as she stared at him in a daze.
• From the time of the landslide up until now, a full five hours had passed. If she had died under the rubble, her body would likely have begun to decompose by now.
• Nadia didn't bring up the matter of the landslide.
• She gently touched her injured arm, intending to head into the kitchen. But in the next moment, she paused, turning her head to the side.
• The man's eyes, dark as obsidian, held a hint of inquiry. “Anything else?”
• Nadia softly asked, “If I were to die, would you be sad?”
• At dusk, her pallor was concealed by the fading light. She stood before him, tall and slender, seemingly the same as before, yet somehow different.
• Joseph gazed at her, and in a moment, he broke into a smile. His smile was captivating, turning the world upside down. He strode over to sit on the couch. His long legs were crossed as he said, “Name it. What do you want?”
• Three months ago, someone spotted him and Samantha leaving Westhill Mansion. Rumors circulated that he was keeping her as his mistress. To silence the gossip, he gifted Nadia an upscale apartment in the newly developed southern district. The apartment, a prime penthouse spanning two hundred square meters, was worth over ten million.
• Ever since then, he interpreted anything she said as nothing more than attempts of extortion.
• Nadia lowered her gaze, concealing the bitterness in her eyes, and casually remarked, “The mansion at Quakersville is quite nice.”
• Then, she headed toward the kitchen.
• Nobody knew that all she ever wanted was a sliver of his love.
• Joseph stared at her receding figure with a gaze full of disdain. He pulled out his phone and called his assistant. “Reserve a mansion in Quakersville!”
• The properties were all developed by Steelen Group, so reserving one was as easy as pie.
• Nadia listened to the scornful voice echoing from behind her. A hint of irony arose in her heart. Who was it that once said, if you couldn't provide abundant love, then provide abundant wealth? Well, isn't it spot on now?
• Nadia spent over half an hour preparing a serving of seafood stew.
• Homemade pasta, topped with freshwater prawn, and razor clams, along with a little shredded chicken, cooked to perfection, was a dish that Joseph always loved.
• One could say, during the three years of their marriage, Nadia had infused all her love for Joseph into this stew.
• Attending to his meals and daily needs had become a habit deeply ingrained in her.
• Today, she had a brush with death, which left her physically and emotionally drained. She lacked the strength to hand-roll the dough, so she used store-bought pasta instead.
• As she emerged from the kitchen, carrying a bowl of seafood stew, Joseph was on the phone. The bright lights in the living room illuminated his tall figure.
• “Right, I was at the hospital all afternoon. Sammy got hurt, so I was accompanying her for the check-up...”
• The man's mellow voice reached her ears, causing Nadia to halt in her tracks. A sudden pang of pain pierced her heart when she realized he had been accompanying Samantha for a check-up, which was why he hadn't had the time to check his phone.
• During the period he spent with Samantha, Nadia was going through a tremendously difficult time, enduring immense hardship. Nadia felt an unpleasant stir in her heart. She placed the seafood stew on the dining table, then turned and ascended the stairs.
• After finishing his call, Joseph noticed the delicious seafood stew on the dining table. He put away his phone and walked over.
• After a few sips of the stew, Joseph couldn't hold back anymore. This was his first time tasting such a sweet seafood stew, and furthermore, the noodles lacked firmness.
• It didn't resemble something made by hand.
• He called out in a deep voice, “Nadia!”
• At that moment, Nadia was taking a bath, lost in a cloud of gloom. She was so engrossed in her own melancholy that she didn't hear the shouts from downstairs. Unbeknownst to her, she had absentmindedly mistaken sugar for sea salt and added it to the soup.
• Joseph pushed open the bathroom door in one swift motion. A chill ran down Nadia's spine, startling her into turning around. She was met with the sight of a man, imposing and austere, his brows furrowed and eyes dark as he stood at the doorway.
• Subconsciously, she wrapped her arms around her shoulders.
• The man's throat bobbed slightly as he walked in.
• “Let's bathe together!”
• The man, who initially came to confront her, was suddenly ignited by a hidden fire within him when he unexpectedly saw the woman's exquisite figure.
• Joseph shed the constraints he wore, revealing his well-defined physique. His tall and broad figure loomed over, bearing down like a mountain.
• The intimate affairs between them had always been led by Joseph. Regardless of the location or the position, Nadia had never resisted.
• But that day, Nadia didn't feel like it.
• Nadia turned her head to avoid the man's incoming kiss, raising her knee to keep him at bay. “Joseph,” she said, “I'm not feeling well today. Why don't you go find Ms. Cooper instead?”
• Joseph paused and squinted his eyes.
• To him, her words were nothing less than a provocation.
• He gazed at her defiant eyes, misty under the shimmering water. In a rather sarcastic voice, Joseph asked, “Do you really want me to?”
• “Yes, very much!” Nadia responded without a moment's hesitation.
• This statement, however, unwittingly irritated the man.
• Joseph's brow furrowed, and his aura turned dangerous. Suddenly, his large hand gripped her slender waist, assertively turning her around. “We'll talk about this after we're done with this!” he declared.
• The man was more ruthless than ever before. In the span of an hour, Nadia was almost certain that she was going to die in the bathroom.
• She was carried back to the bedroom as her body had gone limp. Joseph tossed a set of keys next to her. Nadia only gave it a quick glance, barely noticing the tag on the keys that read: Quakersville.
• The very next moment, she had fallen into a deep slumber.
• When she woke up, it was already nine in the morning, and Joseph was nowhere to be found. Nadia felt aches all over her body as if her waist was about to give out.
• That scoundrel of a man seemed to have unending stamina. With me and Samantha to keep him company, isn't he afraid of wearing himself out?
• Nadia cursed Joseph thoroughly, enduring the pain in her waist and the soreness in her legs. She tidied herself up and headed to Cosmic Resort located in the western suburbs.