Dumped My Cheating Ex. Now I'm Sleeping Next to a Billionaire CEO novel Chapter 1598

His tone dripped with impatient irritability, carrying the overwhelming oppression of someone long accustomed to absolute authority. Mercedes did not flinch. Curving her lips into a gentle smile, she offered the fruit platter forward.

"I saw you working so hard all afternoon, so I went and cut some fruit for you."

Calony lowered his eyes to scan the plate, assuming it was yet another random platter she had taken from the dining room to placate him. However, when his gaze fell upon the left hand holding the plate, his brow knit even tighter. "What happened?" He seized her wrist, staring at the two fingers wrapped in gauze with a glare sharp enough to kill.

Mercedes's tone carried a mix of helplessness and delicate charm. "It is nothing. It has just been many years since I peeled an apple, so I was a bit out of practice. But it is fine. It does not hurt at all."

Calony froze, his scrutinizing gaze returning to the rather ugly pile of chopped apples. "You peeled and cut this fruit yourself?"

Mercedes nodded, tilting her strikingly beautiful face up to look at him. "You are so busy every day handling military affairs. I just wanted to do something for you. I cannot just lounge around you all day doing nothing, acting like a useless person who only knows how to spend money." Using her uninjured hand, she picked up a piece of apple with a fork and brought it to his lips. "Have a bite?"

Calony cast her a perplexed look. Ever since Mercedes had gotten together with him, she had maintained the aura of a superstar. Aside from being forced to cater to him in bed, she had never voluntarily done any sort of menial chore for him. Half doubting, he opened his mouth and took the piece of apple. As the crisp fruit burst with juice on his tongue, he surprisingly found it to be exceptionally sweet and delicious.

Mercedes's heart clenched, but she smoothly transitioned into a helpless, slightly coquettish smile. She raised a hand to push gently against his chest, taking the opportunity to set the fruit platter down on the nearby metal counter. "Who does not want to have a beautiful romance?" She tilted her head back, gazing up at him with glossy eyes. "So, Major General, why do we not... try dating first?"

Calony narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Mercedes's stunningly beautiful face. Naturally paranoid, having crawled his way up through hails of bullets and artillery fire since childhood, he never believed in romantic fantasies. He was convinced her sudden performance meant she was plotting something else. The man abruptly raised his hand and pinched her delicate chin. His voice dropped extremely low, laced with a dangerous warning.

"Have you, like those other women, developed the notion of leaving me?"