淑女的欲望

After inwardly cursing himself, Theodor cleared his throat and responded, "Well, my sister-in-law mentioned earlier that she intended to visit Country M early this year. So, I offered to be her travel guide there." He provided the safest answer he could, subtly shifting the blame onto Scarlett while she was asleep. Moreover, he believed Xander wouldn\'t suspect that he had known Scarlett before their meeting yesterday, right?

Xander nodded and smiled, glad that Scarlett had changed her mind. To him, it would be beneficial if Theodor could assist Scarlett in her plan to uncover her mother\'s whereabouts.

"Alright, see you soon, man!" Xander bid farewell and climbed into the car. Once settled in, he gently rested Scarlett\'s head on his lap and instructed Logan to start the vehicle.

It was almost midnight when their car arrived at Scarlett\'s apartment. Coincidentally, Scarlett woke up from her slumber at the same time.

Startled, Scarlett realized she had been sleeping on Xander\'s thigh, and they were inside the car. "Huh!? Where are we?" she asked, waking up and sitting upright to assess her surroundings. Her surprise grew as she noticed they had arrived at the basement parking lot of her apartment building.

"You were sleeping soundly, babe. That\'s why I didn\'t wake you," Xander explained, offering a helping hand as she stepped out of the car.

"Ugh, sorry! I didn\'t even realize I had dozed off while playing the game," Scarlett said, finding amusement in the fact that she had fallen asleep in someone else\'s house as if it were her own. Gosh!

"It\'s alright, dear," Xander reassured her as they entered the elevator.

Soon enough, they arrived at her apartment.

Xander held her hand as they entered the house. "Baby, earlier... I thought you had fallen asleep while reading a book. But it turns out you fell asleep while playing a game?" he chuckled and playfully ruffled her hair.

Scarlett swallowed silently, hearing Xander\'s words. She replied, "...That\'s because I couldn\'t find a suitable book to read, and the atmosphere there was quiet enough to lull me to sleep during my gaming session."

"Why did you go there? You could have played in the living room, right?" Xander asked, helping her hang up her coat in the cupboard.

"I just thought you needed some one-on-one time with Theo, so I purposely left you two alone," Scarlett grinned.

"Baby," Xander\'s voice turned serious as he looked at her, "There\'s nothing to hide anything between me and Theodor. You don\'t have to do that next time..." He calmly explained, wanting to reassure her.

Scarlett nodded, a smile playing on her lips. She swiftly made her way to her bedroom to change into her sleepwear.

The night felt remarkably short as Scarlett and Xander had to rise early to catch their flight back to Astington. Their short trip to New York had come to an end.

****

At Riley Mansion. 

Upon Scarlett\'s arrival at the house, the entire family was taken aback by her new appearance, as she no longer wore the wig and makeup she usually relied on to conceal her true face.

She found herself having to explain multiple times to Grandpa Riley and Aunt Martha to assure them that Xander was not having an affair and introducing another woman to the family.

It took two days until they felt familiar again with her.

And, during Scarlett\'s stay at the Riley Mansion, not much happened besides her shocking new appearance. As usual, she spent a significant amount of time with Aunty Martha, who taught her cooking and painting.

It was an exhilarating experience for Scarlett, as she had never done these things before. Usually, when she was with Mother Hazel, Rex\'s mother, they would go shopping instead. Moreover, she was forbidden from entering the kitchen.

In addition to her cooking and painting lessons, Scarlett also enjoyed playfully teasing Carter. Poor guy spent his time at home observing her activities, learning alongside her. He confessed he didn\'t have one when she jokingly asked about his girlfriend. It was pitiful to know he was almost 24 years old and still single. Geez!

Sometimes, Scarlett considers giving Zara permission to pursue Carter. She knows that Zara genuinely likes Carter, but their age difference often makes Zara hesitate. However, Scarlett is also hesitant about Zara dating Carter because he has a reputation as a player. Despite not having a girlfriend, he has been involved with many women as his casual partners.

Scarlett took a deep breath as she pondered the situation. \'No, I can\'t imagine Zara being with someone like Carter!\' she whispered to herself, feeling helpless. She snuggled deeper into her blanket and sought solace in Xander\'s arms.

Though she had been awake for a while, Scarlett chose to stay in bed upon seeing Xander still asleep beside her. It was a rare sight to witness him still sleeping, as she usually woke up after him.

Being in Xander\'s arms provided Scarlett with a sense of safety and comfort, especially in moments like these. Adding to her emotional turmoil was the intense feeling she experienced after receiving a phone call from her uncle, Noah Withers, a few days ago.

It had been three days since their conversation, but her uncle still hadn\'t called to disclose the meeting location. This increased Scarlett\'s worry further. Was he alright? She had sent several messages to her uncle, but there had been no response thus far.

In her distress, she attempted to trace her uncle\'s location the previous night, only to discover that his last known position was at the J City — X Country\'s capital city —  international airport a day ago. And before she went to bed last night, when she checked again her uncle\'s cell phone was still off.

\'Uncle, where are you? Please contact me as soon as possible! I\'m consumed with worry!\' Scarlett whispered, her voice filled with concern and frustration, as she let out a deep sigh to momentarily alleviate her anxiety. 

"Good morning, babe," Xander\'s voice resonated above Scarlett\'s head. A happy smile appears on her lips to know Xander was awake. "What were you thinking about that made you take so many deep breaths?" he asked, pulling her closer to his body and wrapping his arms tightly around her.

Soon, he released his embrace and gazed into her radiant eyes, his smile growing wider as he admired their beauty.

"Are you hungry?" Xander asked again, waiting for her response, but she remained silent. "I apologize, babe. I must have slept for too long. Let\'s head outside; I\'m sure Aunt Martha has already prepared our breakfast!" he suggested, glancing at the clock on the nightstand, which read 8 AM.

Scarlett couldn\'t resist nodding when she heard about the food. She was starving at the moment.

Setting aside her worries about her uncle for now, she decided to inform Xander about it once she received confirmation from her uncle regarding the exact meeting location. She hoped it would be in New York or Seattle, as she was familiar with the area.

The two of them swiftly changed their clothes. They went downstairs to join the rest of the family, who were already engaged in lively conversation while savoring their breakfast.