CHAPTER 383: CHAPTER 204: RUTHLESS TO THE WORLD, BUT ONLY GENTLE TO YOU (PART 2)

Howard’s gaze lifted.

Not far away, Becca was earnestly watching the servant trim the flower branches. She chatted with the servant, her gentle smile inexplicably captivating.

The usual cold handsomeness was softened with tenderness, and Howard immediately took steps toward Becca.

Becca was still talking to the gardener.

"Mr. Rao, are star flowers hard to grow?"

The gardener replied while digging the soil, "Young Mistress, it’s not that star flowers are hard to grow, it’s that the soil in T City is too damp, unsuitable for star flowers that prefer dryness, so it’s hard to see a large spread of them in T City."

"Oh, that’s such a shame..."

"What’s a shame?"

Suddenly, her waist was encircled by someone from behind, and that pleasant, clear scent immediately told Becca who it was. She leaned back against the firm chest, holding his hand, turned her head with a smile, and softly asked, "Why are you back so early? Didn’t you say you had a mountain of files from headquarters to deal with for the next few days?"

Howard held Becca tighter and lovingly kissed her cheek, "You make it hard for me to concentrate on anything else, I just have to come back to be with you."

Hearing Howard’s affectionate words and his unabashed public display of affection, Becca blushed slightly, lightly patted Howard’s hands around her waist, and whispered, "Hey, there are so many people here... don’t do that!" Besides the gardener, there were servants in the garden, and not far away, Mrs. Geoffrey was sitting there too.

Howard gazed deeply at Becca’s charming face, "I don’t mind."

Becca’s voice grew even quieter, "It’s not good if your mother sees."

Howard chuckled, "Shy?"

With Howard’s teasing, Becca’s face turned even redder, "Hey, there are others here. Don’t talk like this..." Becca glanced at the gardener, only to find he had quietly left at some point.

Howard casually said, "What’s wrong with showing love in front of everyone? We have two kids already, do they still think our intimacy is limited to this?"

"You..." Becca pushed against Howard’s chest, her face blushing even more prettily, "I’m not talking to you anymore!" She was trying to break free.

However, he held her tightly, unceremoniously kissing her cherry lips again...

Unaccustomed to such intimacy with Howard in public, Becca glared at him, "Mr. Geoffrey, can’t you be a little more restrained?"

Howard held Becca in a tight embrace, "I have been restrained enough."

These past few days, mindful of her health, he had been exerting extreme self-control.

Understanding what Howard was implying, Becca’s face turned beet red. At this moment, she wished she could dig a hole and jump in...

Howard decided to stop teasing Becca, resting his head on her shoulder, asking softly, "Darling, what were you saying was a shame?"

With the topic diverted, Becca temporarily forgot about her flushed cheeks, looked at the empty plot not far away, "Lately I’ve been quite free, so I wanted to find something to do to pass the time... I originally wanted to plant star flowers on that plot, but Mr. Rao said the soil in T City isn’t suitable."

Howard frowned, "Star flowers?"

Amused, Becca replied, "Do you even know what star flowers are?"

Howard shook his head.

Becca smiled softly, "Star flowers are ’forget-me-nots.’ They bloom into small purple flowers, very beautiful. If planted in a plot, they’d be stunning."

"Forget-me-nots?"

"Yes, and the flower language is as beautiful as its name."

Howard’s gaze moved to the empty plot ahead.

Becca’s voice turned from anticipation to regret, "It’s a pity they can’t be planted here, otherwise, I’d definitely plant a large field..."

"Are you trying to tell me ’you won’t forget me’?"

"Narcissist, I just happened to see a field of them once in Alton, so I remember them vividly."

Howard smiled silently.

Becca said impatiently, "Ugh, talking to you is pointless; you’re always busy with work, how could you understand this kind of beauty... I just hope to see such a sea of flowers again someday."

Howard continued to smile, his gaze sweeping over the empty plot again, the light in his eyes growing inscrutable.

Noon.

In the dining room, Howard and Becca sat together, with Mrs. Geoffrey opposite them, the three of them at the table.

Being well-mannered people, they ate without making any noise, just the occasional sound of utensils clinking lightly.

At that moment, a servant brought in a fragrant soup. Mrs. Geoffrey scooped a bowl and passed it to Becca, "I cooked this chicken soup myself. It should be quite flavorful with the right amount of simmering."

"Uh, thank you... Mom." Becca took the soup, somewhat shy.

Even though she had reconciled with Mrs. Geoffrey, she still felt a bit uncomfortable with her attentiveness.

Mrs. Geoffrey kindly remarked, "Drink it while it’s hot, your health isn’t the best; you need to nourish yourself properly."

Becca nodded obediently, taking a sip of the chicken soup.

Mrs. Geoffrey scooped another bowl, this time placing it in front of Howard, advising, "You’ve been working day and night, take care of your health."

Howard accepted the chicken soup, responding softly, "Mm."

As Becca drank her chicken soup, she heard Mrs. Geoffrey mention Howard’s "working day and night," which suddenly made her choke...

"What’s wrong?"

Howard quickly supported the coughing Becca.

Becca’s face turned bright red, awkwardly saying, "N-nothing, it just burned me."

Mrs. Geoffrey gently said, "Drink slowly."

Becca dared not look up at Mrs. Geoffrey, keeping her head down, her face still flushed.

Actually, she wasn’t burnt; she was startled by Mrs. Geoffrey saying "working day and night"...

She swore she wasn’t thinking anything bad; surely, Mrs. Geoffrey wasn’t referring to Howard’s work...

You see, last night, Mrs. Geoffrey must have misunderstood her and Howard.

After dinner yesterday, feeling sleepy, she wanted to sleep early and went to the bedroom...

Unbeknownst to her, Howard followed her in, saw her lying on the bed drowsy, and tenderly took her to bathe.

After their bath, as he was about to help her change into her pajamas, a knock sounded at the door.

Wrapped in a towel, he went to open the door...

The visitor was Mrs. Geoffrey, who had something to discuss with Howard. Seeing Howard only covered by a towel, and Becca clutching the sheets tightly due to not wearing clothes, Mrs. Geoffrey’s expression turned awkward – naturally so, at her age, embarrassed by such an indecent sight – and without mentioning her business, she left on a random pretext.