Business ventures were like battlegrounds. More often than not, glory and disaster were separated only by the finest of lines.If Skylar had not been on hand to discover what was wrong with the formula for the anti-blemish cream, Yulia would have fallen prey to Andersonâs malicious trap. The resulting consequences would have been unimaginable.Yuliaâs mind was still on her narrow escape when she felt Skylar slipping an arm around her waist. Before she could react, he leaned down and murmured warmly in her ear, âDonât I deserve some sort of reward for this, hmm?âHe was behaving in such a manner when there were so many reporters and invited guests present, as well as Kareem Fashionâs staff and employees!Skylarâs sudden display of intimacy was unexpected and a bit too much for Yulia.
She gave an involuntary start and hurriedly pushed him away. âSay what you have to say, but donât stand so close to me, not in front of so many people!âHowever, Skylar replied matter-of-factly, âSo what? If weâre photographed, even better. I want everyone in Cloudtopia to know that youâre my wife.ââSkylar, youâ¦! Canât you be a bit less conspicuous?â Yulia was so embarrassed she turned beet-
red, but she could not prevent a warm feeling of bliss from sweeping over her.âWhatâs my reward, then?â Skylar teased wickedly.Yulia wavered, irresolute for the longest time before she finally gathered all her courage and planted a very quick kiss on Skylarâs cheek. âYouâre such a rascal!â She protested coquettishly, her face as red as a ripe tomato.She had actually kissed Skylar in front of so many reporters and just as many of her employees, no less. Perhaps this was no big deal for most women, but her subordinates would be left gaping in astonishment if they saw her.Their domineering CEO, that proud, aloof goddess, was now behaving like a schoolgirl all because of a man. Most would consider him lucky; that said, everyone was entitled to differences of opinion.Skylar had no intention of letting Yulia off so easily, however. Instead of releasing her, he pulled her even closer, shaking his head.
âThatâs not what I wanted, though,â he replied mournfully.âWhat do you want then?â Yulia could not help asking, despite herself. A trace of warmth briefly flared in Skylarâs eyes. âIâd like to hear you call me âDearâ every dayâ¦Iâd also like to go into the room next door with you and spend the entire night and day together. You know what I mean by that, right?â His voice became more enthusiastic as he spoke.Right as he was about to indulge in a very pleasant flight of fancy, he suddenly felt sharp fingernails stabbing into his waist.âOw! Not in front of so many people, Dearâ¦at least leave me some dignity!â Skylar hastily apologized, keeping his voice low.âYouâre finally paying attention to the fact that there are people present, eh?â Yulia rolled her eyes at him and reached out to yank his earlobe like a mother might do to an errant child.âI apologize! Iâm sorry, Dear! The last was just wishful thinking, please ignore it!â Skylar was so taken aback he kept apologizing repeatedly.However, Yulia showed no signs of releasing his ear just yet.Skylarâs mouth worked a few times, then he steeled himself and pleaded, âAlright, how about we settle for you calling me âDearâ once at night and once in the morning, and forget about the other times?âYulia opened her mouth to reply and Skylar, afraid of what she might say, hastily amended, âOnce every morning! Thatâs the least I can ask for! If not, it wonât happen at all!âWhen Yulia saw Skylar looking exactly like a hen-pecked husband, she burst out laughing. âVery well then, Iâll call you âDearâ once every morning!â As she released Skylarâs ear, she purposely paused for a moment before adding, âTo be perfectly honest, earlier I was going to say yes. But since youâve changed it to once every morning, then weâll go with what you decided.ââWhat? Iâ¦â Skylar was dumbfounded; unfortunately, there was nothing he could do now but suffer in silence. He pursed his lips, looking rather discontented, then asked, âDear, couldnât we stick to once in the morning and once at night like I said earlier?ââMr. Stone, arenât you always teaching Lola that she should be a person of her word? If thatâs the case, then shouldnât youâ¦â Yulia deliberately let the end of the sentence trail off in a calculated fashion.