When Katrina"s face turns red, and she refuses to admit it, Aaron doesn"t embarra.s.s her.
Whether she deliberately saves money for him or not, he"s in a good mood.
"I won"t lock you up every day anymore. If you want to go out, you can go out if someone accompanies you. You can go shopping, get a beauty treatment, and watch a movie… As long as you don"t leave Hadley City, you"re free to do anything."
Only now does Aaron realize that if Katrina is kept in captivity all day, it"s easier for her to be unhappy, and it"s more likely to make her feel distant with him.
He works outside every day but ignores her feelings and how bored she must feel at home every day.
After taking her out, he realizes how bright and real her smile is.
Perhaps he should give her as much freedom as possible.
Hearing Aaron"s words, Katrina is shocked.
She grabs Aaron"s hand in disbelief and asks, "Aaron, are you really going to let me go out?"
"Why, are you unwilling?"
"Of course, I"m willing!"
This is great!
She doesn"t have to sit around the house all day, and she can finally go out!
G.o.d knows how excited she is when she hears the news. At that moment, Aaron is very handsome in her mind.
This is what happens after being oppressed. When Aaron gives her a few privileges, Katrina is immediately grateful and excited. She forgets that freedom is her own right.
Aaron lets her leave the house, but she can only do so if she has his men with her. Although it"s uncomfortable to be followed around by several people, she"s a stranger in Hadley City and has no friends in this place.
It"s enough for Katrina to be ecstatic.
Aaron can see the happiness glowing on Katrina"s face. Her eyebrows are curved, and all her emotions are written on her face. Moved by her joy, Aaron is in a good mood. He takes the opportunity to ask, "Why don"t you show your grat.i.tude?"
He gave in so readily to her, will she give him anything in return?
With a blush, Katrina tiptoes hooks her arms around Aaron"s neck and gives him a quick kiss on the cheek. It"s the only way she can think of to express her grat.i.tude to him. She"s penniless and relies on his money when they go outside.
The quick kiss seems very superficial.
But Aaron"s lips are slightly crooked, and the simple kiss makes him happy.
It"s the first time since they met that Katrina initiated to kiss him.
Just then, a soft voice reaches them.
"Mommy, I want to eat ice cream."
Aaron looks up and sees a little girl holding her mother"s leg, pointing to a nearby ice cream store.
Aaron frowns. It reminds him of the first time he took Katrina to the mall when she pointed at the ice cream store and said she wanted ice cream. Although what happened next was bad, he could never forget her soft and coquettish tone.
Since he"s hanging out with her, of course, he wants to meet all her demands, including the ice cream she didn"t get the first time.
Without saying a word, Aaron takes Katrina"s hand and walks towards the ice cream stall.
"One ice cream."
"No, two!"
"One!"
"Two ice creams!"
Probably because of Aaron"s gentleness today, and the unrestrained joy and relaxation she feels in such a happy place, Katrina gains the courage to rebut Aaron.
Hearing Katrina"s words, Aaron looks back at her. Instead of being scared, she sticks out her tongue mischievously.
Seeing them arguing, the ice cream vendor looks at them hesitantly. "How many?"
"One!"
"Two!"
"Okay, two ice creams!"
This time, Aaron gives in.
Because it"s the first time that Katrina had won when their opinions diverged, she"s in a good mood.
But Aaron suddenly turns around and leans close to her ear. He lowers his voice fiercely and says, "Katrina, if you dare get diarrhea tonight, I will sleep with you and make you too weak to get out of bed."
Aaron doesn"t care about the number of ice creams at all. What matters to him is her health.
Aaron"s voice is low and dangerous. Although his tone is very low, Katrina"s body still s.h.i.+vers, and her face involuntarily turns red.
She looks around quickly in fear that someone heard. Aaron is such a hoodlum to talk about such things in public! If she hears them, how would she live?
"Miss, your ice cream is ready!"
Smiling, the vendor hands the two ice creams to Katrina.
As Katrina takes one ice cream in one hand, Aaron pulls out his wallet and pays.
While Katrina takes a bite out of her ice cream, she points to an advertis.e.m.e.nt on the wall and says, "I just saw that it says the second one is half price, and I want one for Beta."
In such hot weather, long-haired animals like dogs are more susceptible to heat strokes than human beings. Beta feels too hot and begins to stick out his tongue.
Katrina surrept.i.tiously searched online and found out that the dogs can eat ice cream, as long as the quant.i.ty is controlled. This is the reason why she wants an extra ice cream to cool Beta.
In Katrina"s words, Aaron frowns after he pays the bill.
She"s sweet, and she knows to ask for ice cream for Beta.
But what about him?
With the second one at half price, her first thought is Beta and not him? Is he less important to her than Beta in her heart?
With this knowledge, Aaron"s face turns dark. "What about me?"
Katrina doesn"t expect Aaron to get angry about something so trivial.
After all, he brings her over for ice cream, and she knows he"s buying it for her. When he asks for one, she doesn"t think that he wants any ice cream.
Besides, he"s human. He can ask for ice cream if he wants some. Beta is a dog that can"t speak, so she has to ask on his behalf.
For half-price ice cream, Aaron is so jealous of a dog. He"s too easy to rile up.
As Aaron pushes further, Katrina gives in gradually, "I thought you didn"t like ice cream."
Aaron insists, "Whether I like ice cream is up to me, but you a.s.suming for me is another thing."