As I started to adjust my seat irritably and then I heard him say, “Okay, don't worry, I'll be there soon.”
My hand paused and I slowly looked up at him.
Harvey frowned slightly, “Stephanie is returning the dress at the counter, but she doesn't have the receipt. I have to go there.”
Then, he continued, “Claudine, I'll call the driver to pick you up. You go home first.”
I said in disbelief, “You're going to leave me behind just for this little thing?”
“Claudine, please don't make it difficult for me. Stephanie has a strong sense of self-esteem. You made her cry until her voice became hoarse. Now she wants to return the dress.”
“Is she being spoiled, or is she deliberately provoking me in front of you? Can’t she come and get it herself?” I asked sharply, my voice tight with barely suppressed anger.
Harvey sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as if I were the one being unreasonable.
“Claudine, is it really necessary to make things hard for a newcomer? When did you start bullying others? You weren’t like this before.”
His words hit me harder than I expected, extinguishing my anger in an instant and replacing it with a wave of crushing disappointment.
And then, as if caught in the absurdity of it all, I suddenly found it funny. How effortlessly he turned the blame onto me, shielding her while leaving me out in the cold.
“I am bullying others by taking advantage of my power? Harvey, you have never defended other women in front of me, including your mother. This is the first time.”
A hint of incomprehension appeared on Harvey's stern face.
“We already agreed when we got married that for the sake of the reputation of the Rodrigo and Collins families, you wouldn't flirt with other women and I wouldn't hang out in nightclubs. Are you going to break the rules for that woman?”
Harvey's eyes were deep and cold when he heard that.
After thinking for a long time and finally called the family driver.
Finally, he leaned over to unbuckle my seat belt, his tone calm and measured.
“Claudine, you’ve always been so dominant. But we’re husband and wife, not just strategic partners. Can’t you, for once, put work aside and be like other wives, rely on me, trust me and maybe even obey me a little?”
Then, as if delivering a judgment, he added, “After dealing with Stephanie’s matter, I’ll go back to the Collins Family manor for the night. We both need some time to calm down.”