The Ex and Her Riches novel (Gwendolyn and Maverick)

While she was lost in her thought, she saw him enter the walk-in closet.

Charles never undressed in front of her.

The bed was too soft, and the silk bedding felt smooth and comfortable against her skin.

Whitney fell asleep in no time.

After Charles dried his hair and emerged from the walk-in closet, he was greeted by the sight of Whitney sleeping in

an unsightly manner. Half her body was outside the blanket, exposing her slender legs.

He walked over and helped Whitney with the blanket.

As her fair legs were wrapped around the blanket, he inadvertently touched her soft skin.

As if he had been electrocuted, he froze in place.

Whitney was a beauty to behold despite the way she slept.

His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down, and he felt his throat going dry.

D*mn it. I actually have feelings for this woman.

Charles furrowed his brows.

His unbidden feeling overwhelmed him with guilt. This is a mistake. How could I tarnish my love for Gwendolyn over

the past ten years?

“Have you forgotten that there’s another man in this room? How can you sleep so carelessly? If you were to

encounter a man with ill intentions, he would have taken advantage of you tonight.”

Despite feeling displeased, Charles tucked her in tightly.

However, as soon as he turned around, the restless Whitney extended her arm outside the blanket again, looking

nothing like a lady.

Charles went over and stuffed her arm back under the covers silently.

Suddenly, Whitney turned over and wrapped her arm around Charles’ neck.

A hint of guilt fleeted across his eyes. She had pushed him down onto the bed, and he found himself gazing at her

sleeping face that was magnified before him.

“You foolish woman. Are you pretending to be asleep to take advantage of me?” he muttered, then retaliated by

reaching out and pinching her cheek to test if she was truly asleep.

He had wanted to pinch her hard, but her skin was too soft and delicate that it felt bouncy at the slightest pressure.

Her skin was so fair that it would go red at his slightest touch.

Charles found himself unable to carry on with his mischievous plan. Instead, he lightly pinched her cheek twice.

Whitney, still deep in her slumber, frowned and unconsciously brushed his hand away.

“Stop messing around. I have a husband…”

Charles heard her murmured words clearly and instantly felt much better.

At least she knows she has a husband and must keep a distance from other men.

Her soft cheeks felt so good to the touch that Charles couldn’t stop himself from pinching her.

Unintentionally, his gaze landed on her rosy lips.

They looked soft and inviting.

It should feel great kissing them. She’s my wife, after all. Stealing a kiss isn’t a crime, right?

Driven by a strange impulse, Charles leaned closer to Whitney.

Thump, thump.

His heartbeat accelerated as if he was doing something wicked.

Just as he was about to touch her lips, he stopped himself.

He opened his eyes. The desire in them dissipated and was replaced by coldness.

Seemingly recalling something, he abruptly stopped his advances. He rolled out of bed, distanced himself from

Whitney, and went back to the couch.

Decades of celibacy for Gwendolyn had made him indifferent to other women. For so many years, he had felt

nothing but disgust for other women.

And yet now, he actually wanted to kiss Whitney.

I must be going mad. This woman is poisonous. I have to stay away from her.

Feeling frustrated, he wrapped himself in a blanket and curled up on the couch to sleep for the night.

The next morning, Whitney woke up first.

By the time Charles woke up, she had already brought breakfast from the kitchen and arranged it neatly on the

coffee table.

The marvelous scent of fried eggs and toast wafted into his nose.

“Mr. Newton, you’re awake. Did you sleep well last night?”

Whitney had already changed into office attire. She stood across from the coffee table and cocked her head

sideways to glance at him.

He appeared groggy. With his short, disheveled hair, he gave off a particularly lazy and amiable air.

However, his face indicated otherwise.

He found it difficult to turn his body on the small couch, especially since he was used to sleeping on the wide and

spacious bed for a long time.

His back felt sore and numb. He did not sleep well at all.

Whitney failed to stifle a giggle when she noticed the look on his face, knowing that he was suppressing his

annoyance.

“As a distinguished man, you’re too used to sleeping on a soft and spacious bed. It’s only normal that you find the

couch too small and cramped. Let’s switch back tonight. It’s fine if I sleep on the couch. I’m already used to it,”

Whitney suggested.

Charles looked grouchy, and his tone wasn’t very pleasant when he said, “Lucas and Jasmine will accuse me of

mistreating you if they find out you’ve been sleeping on the couch. There’s no need to switch back. I’m not some

distinguished man. I’ll get used to sleeping on the couch in a few days’ time.”

He eyed Whitney’s attire. She was wearing a formal black suit and a tight-fitting pencil skirt that accentuated her

slender waist. Her blonde hair was tied in a high ponytail, giving her a particularly professional look.

“When did you buy this outfit?” he asked with a stern look on his face.

Whitney lowered her head to straighten her clothes before turning around to let Charles have a better look at her

outfit. “How is it? Does it fit well? When I found out I passed the interview yesterday, I took the time to buy two

sets.”

He remained impassive and said, “It’s fine, just average.”

Whitney was already happy to hear him say that it was fine.

She handed him the glass of hot soy milk and said earnestly, “I know you don’t like bitter coffee and prefer sweet

treats, so I brought soy milk from the kitchen. It’s good for your stomach. Remember to drink it after you finish

washing up. I’ll be on my way now.”

“Stop right there,” Charles called out to her. “Where are you going?”

Befuddled, Whitney replied, “To the office, of course. Today is my first official day at work.”

Charles quickly got up, checked the time on his watch, and walked toward the bathroom. He said grumpily, “Wait

for me. I’m heading out anyway. I can give you a ride along the way.”

“Oh? Wouldn’t that be too much trouble?” Whitney felt a bit embarrassed. “I remember that you have to head to

the lab today, right? We’re not heading in the same direction, I suppose?”

Having just woken up, Charles had almost forgotten about that. They were indeed not heading in the same

direction.

However, since he had promised to drop her off at work, it didn’t sit right with him to go back on his words.

“It won’t be much trouble since I’m driving. I’ll just take a little detour. Consider it an exercise after breakfast,” he

said.

Whitney was puzzled. It all sounded a little strange to her.

“All right, then. Thank you, Mr. Newton.”

Charles accepted her gratitude without saying a word and went to the bathroom.

She silently went to help tidy up the pillows and bedding on the couch, folding them neatly and placing them in the

closet.

Charles only spent five minutes freshening up and another five minutes having his breakfast.

It was all because Whitney had been keeping an eye on the time, worried about being late on her first day of work.

She did not wish to leave a negative impression on her very first day.

Charles appeared sullen and annoyed.

He quickly changed into a suit and headed for the door with his hands in his pockets.

“I’m leaving. If you dare waste my time, I’ll leave you on the road.”