Emily's POV:
I woke up the next morning, but the other side of the bed was empty.
I took a bath and wore a casual dress, as I didn't have anywhere to go. I walked downstairs to have breakfast and noticed Ava cleaning the living room.
I went to the kitchen to prepare my breakfast, but I saw Damon professionally preparing breakfast himself.
I stood there for a few minutes, just admiring him. This was the first time a man had ever made breakfast for me. For someone else this may be nothing, but for me… this was one of the best things ever.
"Hey," I said softly. "I thought you left for the office."
He looked at his watch before replying, "This early?"
Of course — for him, 10 o'clock was early, because it's his own company. Thinking this, I just shook my head.
"Need any help?" I asked.
"No need. Just go and wait — it's almost done."
I smiled and left, sitting at the dining table and looking through a magazine. Soon, I saw Damon coming my way, a servant following him with breakfast on a trolley.
We ate together, and after breakfast he left for the office.
I was so bored, I decided to take a walk beside the pool.
As I was enjoying the fresh air, a thought struck me — I should make lunch for him.
I grabbed my phone and dialed his number, but he didn't pick up.
So, I went to the kitchen to prepare lunch anyway.
Even after that, he didn't contact me back, so I asked one of the drivers to take me to his office.
We were in the parking lot, and I was about to take the common lift when I heard a voice.
"Mrs. Roy?"
I turned to look — it was Alex.
He stared at me from head to toe, his gaze stopping at the lunch box I was carrying.
"I prepared lunch for Damon," I said, holding it up a little.
"Come with me," he said coldly, and I followed him to another lift.
"If you want to meet Mr. Roy," he continued, "use this lift from now on. This is only for Mr. Roy and me."
I wondered if I had offended him somehow in the past. Why was he always so cold towards me, unlike everyone else?
The lift came to a halt, and as the doors opened, I saw Damon in the middle of a video conference.
So, I silently sat on the couch and started reading a magazine.
An hour later, he completed his meeting and came to sit beside me.
Showing me his phone, he asked, "You called me?"
"Yes," I nodded. "To ask if I can bring you lunch."
I pointed to the lunch box.
"Of course you can, honey," he said with a smirk.
He called a servant to set the food on the table.
"Tell Alex to be here," I said.
Damon tilted his head and looked at me.
"I prepared for both of you," I explained.
His expression changed — almost doubtful.
"He is your friend," I added quickly. "I thought you would be happy to have lunch with him."
He seemed convinced now.
On our way to the dining room, I asked, "Damon, did I offend Alex these past few days?"
"Why do you think that?" he asked with curiosity.
"I mean… every time he talks to me, his responses are cold. He's never smiled at me once. But with you and the staff, he's such a nice person…"
I told Damon everything, and suddenly he laughed out loud.
"Don't worry, honey," he said. "I'll talk to him."
We waited for Alex in the dining room until the door opened, and Alex walked in.
"Mr. Roy, you asked for my presence?" he said politely, completely ignoring me.
"I asked you to come and join us for lunch," I said.
Alex was quick to deny. "I'm sorry, but I have some work to attend to at lunch time."
"Enough, Alex. Come and join us," Damon said firmly, and I noticed he was somewhat pissed.
Alex silently came and sat beside Damon.
I served them food.
Jack always says that if someone is angry with me, I can melt them with my handmade food.
Now, I wanted to believe it — because Damon was enjoying his food like a child, and Alex's hard expression softened.
After they finished the food and dessert, a servant began packing the lunch box.
I turned to Alex.
"I'm sorry if I did anything wrong to you," I said in one breath. "But you being so cold is giving me a hard time trying to talk to you. I want to treat you just like Jack — as my brother."
Then I turned to Damon and said, "I'll see you at home," before leaving.
Later, I asked Natasha to come over.
This time, I arranged snacks and drinks to enjoy while watching a movie.
I also asked the staff to join us, but they kept insisting they had work to do.
So, I ordered them as Mrs. Roy — that way, they couldn't refuse me.
Natasha arrived, and I went to receive her.
"Hey, want to watch a movie?" I asked.
"I would love to… but just two of us?" she asked.
I nodded.
"How about we invite your friend and brother?" she suggested.
"Yeah, I know. I already asked Jack, but his schedule is full at the hospital. And about Mia—"
She didn't let me finish my sentence.
"Okay then, let's go," she said, hooking her arm with mine.
It felt like she just wanted to know more about Jack.
We entered the theatre room, and I asked the staff to join in five minutes.
We watched two movies, and as we were about to leave the room, I noticed Damon and Alex standing in the corner.
Everybody else left, leaving just me and Damon.
"Hey, when did you come?" I asked awkwardly.
We had just watched a romantic movie that ended with a very deep, passionate scene — and I wondered if he had seen that part.
"When you started to watch the second movie," he said with a romantic smile.
"Let's go," he said, holding my hand, and we went to my room.
I told him everything about the gathering and the movie, and he kept listening to my nonsense.
"Okay, I'm going to take a bath," he said, getting up from the bed.
"Damon… can I go to work?" I asked politely.
"Why? You don't need to do any job. I have enough money," he said, coming back to my side.
"But I am so bored. I want to do my job," I pleaded.
He finally agreed after a long time.
"Okay, but one condition," he said.
"I'll do anything. What is that?" I asked quickly.
"You will do your job from home or from my office," he said, then added, "Or else, no work, no job — your wish."
"From home?" I asked, confused.
He nodded. "Or from my office."
"Will they agree to that?" I asked.
"You don't need to worry, honey. I'll take care of it."
We had dinner, and Damon slept in my room.
The next morning, we had breakfast together before he left for work, and I started doing my work from home.
Every day, I prepared lunch for Damon and Alex and delivered it to their office.
After coming home, I would continue my work.
Every 2–3 days, Damon would take me to some new place for dinner or just to spend time together.
Life felt so good living like this — and I was glad to have him.
Not just as a husband, but as a friend and as a caring person, which was totally opposite to the day of our marriage.
Three Weeks Later
One night, I woke up to Damon's husky voice in my ear.
"Happy Birthday, Emmi."
I slowly opened my eyes, and Damon kissed my forehead.
I smiled and said, "Thank you."
"Come with me," he said, holding my hand.
He took me to the terrace, where I was welcomed by a pathway of rose petals.
We reached a table covered with white cloth and rose petals, two empty glasses and a wine bottle sitting on it.
I picked up the bunch of flowers placed on the table and laughed when I saw a single red rose on a plate.
"Damon, this is so amazing… beautiful… and all the good words in the world. Thank you so much!" I said, my eyes filling with tears.
In my three-year relationship with Noah, I never had a birthday like this. He barely even wished me.
But now… could I trust the man in front of me unconditionally?
"Hey, you're crying, birthday girl!? This is just some wine and roses… and you're crying?" he teased.
"This may be simple for you, but for me, this is everything. I never experienced this kind of surprise in the past," I said, closing my eyes as tears rolled down my cheeks.
Damon held my face gently and wiped my tears.
"Oh honey, you cried for this? Then what about tomorrow? I was going to gift you a diamond ring and the best jewelry in the world, and a party, and a feast—"
I didn't let him finish.
I kissed him.
He was taken aback at first and didn't respond — which made me want to pull back.
But just then, he grabbed my waist and deepened the kiss.
We broke apart only when we were out of breath.
"I don't need diamonds, parties, feasts, or anything… I just need your love and trust," I whispered.
He hugged me tightly and held me for a while.
The next morning, I watched him making breakfast again — but this time, I sat on the kitchen counter.
"Tell me, what do you want as a birthday gift? And what about a party tonight?" he asked, still focused on breakfast.
"I already told you I don't need any gifts. As for the party… we can invite your parents and my parents… though of course my parents won't come. Natasha, Alex, Jack, Stella, Mia… and our staff," I said, clapping my hands with excitement.
He looked at me in shock, and just then, I smelled something burning.
"Damon! Watch out — it's burning!"
He snapped out of his thoughts and quickly put the pan under the sink.
"What have you done, Damon?" I scolded playfully, pushing him aside to clean up and make breakfast for both of us.
That evening, we invited our families and friends.
Alex and Natasha were already there, and we were waiting for Damon's parents.
Damon's mom and dad arrived, and we went to welcome them.
"Happy Birthday, my daughter!" my mother-in-law said, hugging me warmly.
I returned the hug with a smile.
Last time, I hadn't had the chance to properly introduce myself to my father-in-law.
"Hello Mr. Roy… umm… Dad. I'm Emily," I said nervously.
Damon and his dad laughed together.
"Happy Birthday, Emily. I know we didn't introduce ourselves earlier, but I know everything about you," he said kindly.
I smiled politely — but my smile faded when I saw my father and mother entering with Jack and Stella.
I knew immediately this was Damon's doing.
I looked at him nervously.
"It's okay," he said softly, moving his arm around my waist as we went to welcome them.
But I stopped midway.
"Damon… what if she says something about me in front of your parents?" I whispered.
"She won't get that chance," he said sarcastically, his tone firm.