CHAPTER 49: CHAPTER 49: SHE KISSED HIM

They entered the supermarket, Zane Sterling pushing the cart, with Sophia Lowell walking beside him.

After selecting some kitchen seasonings and vegetables, Sophia stopped in front of the cilantro section.

"Do you want some?" Zane glanced sideways at her.

"Not sure, I feel like I could try it."

Sophia recalled that morning when she smelled the cilantro scent on him and felt it wasn’t as disgusting as she thought.

Zane subtly nodded, slightly touching his nose.

He then seriously picked up the cilantro, choosing a fresh bunch, and put it into the cart.

With most of the shopping done, he pushed the cart towards the snack section, grabbing lots of chips, yogurt, cookies, and other snacks.

"Do you love snacks too?" Sophia asked.

"I stocked them for you, but don’t eat too much, it’s bad for your stomach." He didn’t particularly like snacks; he just noticed the new snack rack in the living room filled with snacks.

Recently, Aunt Sutton said she didn’t often come home for meals, and the snacks were almost finished without replenishment, so since she was not busy and not often home, he took a day off.

In the past half a month, she was probably making clothes for Zane Sterling.

Sophia smiled softly to herself; she had been hesitating whether to buy some snacks, worried he would lecture her.

Now it’s fine, she could openly take them.

At the checkout counter, it was Sophia who paid, while the cashier gave a cold look at the well-dressed and tall Zane Sterling standing next to her.

Looking decent but lacking any tact.

Sophia read the expression but let it go. After all, he didn’t come home often, and she was the one who mostly ate alone, so this little money she had.

As she just took out her phone, Zane swiftly got hold of it, tapping the default payment, selecting his secondary card.

Sophia was taken aback for a moment, but the code was already scanned.

The phone in his pocket chimed softly.

"You never use my card, as if I’m just marrying into your family," he said, handing the phone back to her, picking up the bags, and walked out.

The cashier stifled a laugh.

Sophia obediently followed behind him.

"It’s still early, want to walk around?" Zane asked.

"Sure." Sophia sneaked a glance at him, "Why not put the stuff in the car first, carrying it is a bit tiring."

"If you can’t carry even this much, how will I hold you in the future?"

"Looks like we bought too little then." She straightened her lips into a line.

Back when she was renting, Henry Quinn would often come over for meals with her. Each time they shopped, she picked while he watched.

He would always compare the supermarket vegetables with his home’s organic ones, disdaining them in every way.

Even back at the apartment, eating the already prepared meals, he would still jokingly critique until Sophia agreed, only then would he stop.

The third floor was a clothing store with nothing much to browse, so they went up to the fourth, mostly filled with boutique shops.

"The brooch you gave me, did you make it yourself?" she asked.

"Hmm."

"How does a grown man know how to make this?"

This brooch not only took time but also effort, especially for someone nearsighted like him.

"You learn and then you’ll know."

"Do you think I’m hard to win over?" Sophia found a place to sit down.

She hadn’t completely detached from her previous relationship, sometimes her emotions might still affect him.

Yet he didn’t mind at all.

Zane placed the bags aside, sitting beside her, his gaze falling onto her feet clad in high heels.

Seeing him notice, Sophia moved her feet inward.

"You aren’t a hard flower to care for; it’s just that the one watering wasn’t attentive enough." Zane.

Yes, it’s really not that hard to care for.

With that said, Zane knelt on one knee in front of her, holding up her left foot, and removed the black high heel.

Sophia was startled, retracting her foot slightly.

"Don’t move." He squeezed her ankle through the nude transparent stockings, faintly seeing the fiery red toenails hidden within.

Unexpectedly, she was so passionate.

"Hiss..."

"If you don’t wear high heels for a long time, soak them in hot water before wearing them again; otherwise, they’ll chafe." He frowned, noting the slight blood on her ankle.

"You even know about this..." She watched Zane, unreserved, massaging her ankle, feeling a slight electric shock radiate from his fingertips, quite comfortable...

And quite blush-inducing.

Sophia admired his ex-girlfriend; in some ways, she had trained him quite well.

"We used to do it in the army, wear leather shoes like that, sometimes putting pads in liberation shoes for running."

"..."

She bit her lip, not daring to respond.

Doesn’t he blush?

She rarely wore high heels, only doing so since entering society in the past two years.

With more time spent with Henry Quinn, she usually didn’t wear them, or if she did, wasn’t used to it.

Situations where she got blisters like today did happen, but he would always say: hurt, then don’t wear next time, it’s suffering. You have me, no need to look so nice in front of others.

Back then she foolishly believed he cared about her foot pain, or had a strong sense of possession.

But thinking about it now, it was just face and ego at work.

In fact, even if Sophia wasn’t dolled up, standing before him, he seemed just like an assistant, having only good looks without much else to show.

"Wait here for me." Zane.

"Where are you going?"

Zane didn’t respond, just told her to wait.

She looked at her foot, moving it around as if it still retained the warmth from his fingers.

She smiled lightly, slightly lifting her head to watch him leave around the corner, only to unintentionally meet the eyes of Henry Quinn watching her from upstairs.

Her heart shuddered, racing with a crimson vision.

He was seated by the window in the upstairs restaurant having lunch, opposite him was Sienna Lawson...

Were they back together?

She once believed she could sever this relationship in her heart, but she underestimated this bond.

Though knowing they had separated and she was no longer concerned, seeing him still tightened her chest painfully, leaving her breathless.

The reliance she developed over five years of youth and happiness with him were like enduring sharp swords.

She withdrew her gaze.

Yet upstairs, Henry Quinn continued to stare at her, lost in thought.

Opposite him, Sienna Lawson chatted with him smiling, seeing he wasn’t listening, she followed his gaze, recognizing Sophia’s familiar figure.

She quieted down, realizing Henry still couldn’t let her go.

Sophia’s impact was something Sienna never anticipated.

Even now, after distancing herself from Henry, turning to Zane, Sophia’s position in Henry’s heart remained unmoved.

Sienna remained silent today, knowing her purpose.

And Sophia bit her lip, holding back until she saw Zane jogging back into her sparkling eyes.

He was dressed in a suit, with taut three-dimensional features and sharp eyes exuding nobility, contrasting sharply with the fluffy white slippers in his hand.

Sophia chuckled, finding the scene amusingly cute.

He crouched, changing her high heels for the fluffy slippers.

"Wouldn’t wearing these embarrass you?" Sophia.

"Ill-fitting shoes hurt when worn," he spoke about this, yet not about this. "My face isn’t important." He responded calmly.

Sophia lowered her head, gazing at him, unable to see through him.

He could go weeks without communicating but when meeting, was exceedingly attentive, so attentive it left her at a loss.

"Zane."

"Hmm."

He continued massaging her ankle, noticing her silence, then lifted his eyes to glance at her.

In an instant, a fresh scent encroached upon him, and the warm center of his brow was suddenly occupied by an intense heat.

She kissed him.