"What would you like to eat for dinner?" Giselle asked.

"Whatever."

"Can I eat dinner with you?"

"Mhm."

The conversation wasn't particularly long, but it wasn't bad either. At the very least, she hadn't said anything to offend him. She silently reflected on her recent words, though she couldn't remember everything clearly. To ensure the Theophilus family didn't reject her, she only needed to focus on Reid. If Reid was dissatisfied, it wouldn't matter who else she tried to please.

With about two hours left before dinner, she wanted to ask the servants about Reid's daily routine and rest schedule. Reid was busy reading, and she didn't dare start a conversation in front of him, so she intended to speak less and do more.

In the kitchen, the staff had begun preparing food. Giselle looked over the ingredients and selected some. Back when she was a student, she had trained as a nurse, so she knew a bit about medicinal cuisine and food therapy. Since the soup required more time, she started on it while the other dishes were being finished.

She learned from the servants that Reid preferred light flavors. She, on the other hand, loved spicy food to the point where a meal didn't feel satisfying or delicious without it. Since she had suggested eating with Reid, the dishes were prepared according to his palate. She had no choice but to prepare a side of chili sauce to dip her food in later.

While the servants were cooking, Giselle called over her sister Skye. Within the Theophilus household, most people gave her no reaction when she asked about Reid. Only the older sister, Skye, was willing to answer her questions. From her, Giselle learned a few things about Reid. They weren't major secrets, but they were enough to help her avoid provoking him.

Seeing Giselle preparing the food, sister Skye showed a smile. "I didn't expect the young mistress to know how to cook. Not many girls know their way around a kitchen these days, especially those born into good families who usually keep their hands away from chores to preserve their manicures."

Giselle smiled at her sister Skye's comment. When it was time to bring the food to the table, Giselle went to inform Mrs. Theophilus that she would be dining with Reid today. Mrs. Theophilus's expression softened considerably. Although she had handpicked a young wife for her son, she was glad she hadn't chosen the wrong person.

In the study, the book remained on Reid's lap. Giselle saw the open pages but couldn't see the page numbers or even the title. Living with him meant she had to adapt to this kind of dim lighting.

Upon entering, Giselle placed the food on the table. "Time to eat."

Reid could see clearly that the dishes on the table were all things he liked. He maneuvered his wheelchair toward the table. Giselle took out a damp towel. "Wash your hands before eating."

During her nursing training, she had completed an internship, so she had some experience. Her care for Reid was perfect. Reid narrowed his eyes slightly, took the towel, and, after wiping his hands, began to eat.

The food was delicious, but the flavor was different from what sister Skye usually prepared. There was a hint of fennel in the dish. After chewing and swallowing a small piece, he stopped.

"Is it not to your liking?" Seeing him stop, Giselle grew anxious. Was he angry again? In the weak light, she couldn't read the emotions on his face.

After a long silence, Reid finally spoke. "Did you make this?"

"Mhm."

"It's not bad," Reid uttered those few words indifferently.

For Giselle, it felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted. Seeing Reid pick up his chopsticks again, she felt relieved and picked up her own bowl. She took a piece of food, dipped it into the small dish of chili sauce she had prepared, and began to eat.

The chili sauce had a mild, spicy flavor that made the meal savory for Giselle. She was so engrossed in her food that she didn't even notice Reid was watching her.

In small moments like these, it was evident that he treated her slightly better than the common servants. Not fearing him and not being overly submissive, she knew instinctively how to handle him best. This dynamic made their coexistence at least somewhat less dull.

Once the meal was finished, Giselle gathered the dishes to take them away. When she reached the ground floor, Mrs. Theophilus stepped forward to meet her. Looking at the tray in her hands, she saw that the two plates and the bowl of soup were empty. Even the rice bowl was spotless, without a single grain left.

Mrs. Theophilus's expression softened. "Next time, you should prepare a few more dishes so Reid can eat a bit more."

However, since Reid had only said her cooking wasn't too bad, Giselle hadn't actually planned on cooking again. But hearing Mrs. Theophilus's instruction, she could only agree. "Yes, I will."

Giselle carried the tray to the kitchen, where sister Skye looked on in surprise. "Did the young master eat that much today?"

In truth, it wasn't particularly much or little; it was mainly that Giselle herself had eaten quite a bit. She smiled sheepishly and said, "I ate more than Reid did."

"Even so, it isn't a small amount. In the past, the young master always ate alone and barely finished half a bowl of rice. We servants rarely see him, and when we do, we can't see his face clearly. We don't even know how thin he has become," sister Skye lamented for a moment.

Giselle also couldn't tell if Reid was thin or not.

Having just finished the meal, she wanted to help him with some light exercise. However, seeing Reid in his wheelchair, she realized why no one dared to approach him or encourage him to be active. Giselle didn't dare to tell him to exercise, but she thought she could at least help by massaging his pressure points, especially his legs. Without regular walking, muscles could easily atrophy.

After the servants helped wash the dirty plates, she went back up to the study. Reid was at the bookshelf, returning a book to its place.

"I would like to give you a massage, if that's alright." Giselle approached him and knelt, asking softly.

His gaze immediately turned sharp and cold, and his voice was even chillier. "Where exactly do you want to be massaged?"

Giselle could hear the underlying coldness in his tone. By asking that, he surely knew she wanted to massage his legs. Her heart skipped a beat, but to prevent him from becoming suspicious, she only offered a faint smile.

"I just wanted to massage your shoulders. You haven't left the study all day and have been reading the entire time. Your shoulders must be stiff."

"No need." He emphasized each word coldly.

Reid finished putting away the book; it was time for him to return to the bedroom. Giselle worried about what would happen if he asked her to help him bathe again tonight. Setting aside the physical boundaries between men and women, his weight alone was more than she could support.

Suddenly, she spoke up to change the subject. "May I ask where you sleep at night?"

She remembered that in their wedding suite this morning, the blankets on the bed had been untouched.

"I sleep in the wheelchair." His voice remained as cold as ever.

Sleeping in a wheelchair meant sleeping sitting up all night. He would rather sleep in a chair than let anyone help him. She was curious how the servants used to take care of him.

Reid moved his wheelchair toward the bedroom. Giselle stepped behind to push it without a word. She really wanted to go downstairs and ask sister Skye, who usually assisted Reid with his bath.

Before entering the room, Giselle found an excuse. "Are you thirsty. I'll go pour you a glass of water."

"I am not."

He spoke as if words were made of gold, leaving her without the courage to even open her mouth to talk. After entering the room, Reid looked toward her. "Tomorrow, look for a servant named Jimmy. He was the one taking care of me before."

Understanding him better would make it easier to care for him. He didn't want Giselle acting like a headless fly, and he certainly didn't want another uncomfortable incident like the last one to occur.

"Yes, of course." Giselle nodded and made a note of it.

For now, she would help him choose clothes to wear tomorrow. Even though he wouldn't go out and no one would see what he was wearing, she still opened the wardrobe. Using her phone's light, she patiently selected an outfit for him.

After choosing the clothes, Giselle went into the bathroom to prepare the bathwater for him. Help him bathe. She bit her lower lip, telling herself to think of him as a regular patient she was nursing. She mustn't overthink, and she certainly couldn't get nervous and blush.

Before assisting Reid with his bath, she wanted to shower first, lest she end up unable to wash like the previous night. She adjusted the water temperature. Because it was so dim, she accidentally knocked over several bottles while trying to distinguish the shampoo on the shelf.

She pulled a bath towel around herself and picked up all the bottles that had fallen on the floor. A voice spoke up beside her ear. "What are you doing?"

The voice was cold and indifferent. She knew it was Reid entering in his wheelchair. After putting the items back, she looked at him. "It's nothing, it's just too dark in here. I accidentally knocked things over."

To Reid, this kind of light wasn't considered dark. He could see Giselle clearly, taking in her appearance with her wet hair and the towel wrapped around her body. Although she was thin, she had curves where they were supposed to be, especially where the edge of the towel was tucked. The front seemed ready to spill over. Her delicate figure possessed an undeniable, hidden allure.

Reid said calmly, "Who told you to bathe first?"

Giselle was slightly stunned. Hearing his angry tone, she didn't dare speak further, fearing another argument with him. Seeing the flustered look on her face, Reid frowned and looked away. "Clean the bathtub again."

"Alright." She hurried to follow his command. She wanted to put on clothes before cleaning, but after taking just one step, she stepped on the spilled liquid and lunged forward.

She didn't fall to the floor. Instead, her face landed on Reid's lap, coinciding perfectly with the space between his legs. Suddenly, a voice erupted from above, laced with sky-high rage. "How much longer do you plan on lying there?"

His body was changing; she could clearly feel it being so close to him. Giselle braced herself and pushed away from him. Her face felt hot, as if it were burning with fire.

"Don't expect a paraplegic like me to be able to satisfy you," Reid warned in a cold voice, while simultaneously suppressing the rising anger within him.

Giselle understood the implication of those words. If she wanted to stay with the Theophilus family, she had to be prepared to live like a widow. However, her fall had been an accident; she hadn't even thought about doing such a thing with him.

Giselle bit her lower lip as she watched Reid maneuver his wheelchair out of the room. Did he think she was that kind of woman, driven by unsatisfied desire?

At noon, she had still been eating with him and could occasionally exchange a few words. She had thought this state would continue and improve, but she didn't expect that by evening, everything would return to a frozen silence.

After cleaning the bathtub, Reid wheeled himself back into the bathroom and would not allow her to follow. She worried he might fall; his legs were unsteady, and there were no crutches for him to hold onto. Outside the bathroom, she simply stood and waited. The moment he called her, she would go in.

"Come in here."

Sure enough, Reid called her into the bathroom. She opened the door and saw that he had already finished washing his hair, but his clothes were still on. She stepped forward and said in a low voice, "Could you turn off the fluorescent light as well?"

It would be much better if she didn't have to see anything.

Reid glanced at her. "Are you sure you can still see if all the lights are turned off?"

"I don't need to see."

Reid pressed a button on his automated wheelchair. His wheelchair was specially designed; it could control the lights in the house and possessed many functions he required.

Without the LED lights, everything in the room became even more invisible. Her hands moved blindly, fumbling around. Reid did not intend to turn on the lights. She breathed heavily in her anxiety, and his own breathing gradually became erratic.

Finally, Giselle touched his waist, but she couldn't undo the belt. She tugged at it for a long while. When she looked up, she felt a cold pair of lips brush against hers. She hurriedly pulled away. Before he could get angry, she apologized. "Sorry, I didn't mean to."

"There is no need to explain. You are my wife. Even if it were intentional, it is legal." Reid said softly.

The warm, sweet scent of her lingered on his lips. Her lips were soft, and the taste was not bad.

Giselle was stunned. A moment ago, he had been giving her cold warnings; now, he wasn't angry but was telling her she was exercising her legal rights. The rumors that the young master of the Theophilus family was a man of a volatile temperament were indeed true.

Accidentally kissing his lips was better than accidentally kissing him somewhere else. Her face had never felt so hot. Fortunately, he undid the belt himself. She pulled his trousers down and removed them. Seeing his undergarments, she hesitated for a moment before grasping the waistband and pulling them down.

In the darkness, Reid's eyes were locked onto her flushed face.

Giselle used all her strength to support Reid into the bathtub. Her hands fumbled around to find the towel. After scrubbing his back, she handed the towel to him. "You wash the front."

For a moment, she didn't hear the man respond, nor did he take the towel from her hand. This silence meant she was to continue bathing him.

As she touched him, she felt firm muscles everywhere without a hint of excess fat. He didn't seem like someone who didn't exercise at all. Reid had been in a wheelchair for over six months and didn't work out; furthermore, his sister Skye had mentioned he ate very little. Giselle frowned, finding it quite strange.

While bathing him, she specifically pinched him a few times to check if he still had sensation. Reid closed his eyes, enjoying her hands moving over him; it was even more comfortable than a massage.

"It's finished." Giselle placed the towel back in its original spot.

"Mhm. Help me up." His voice was somewhat lazy, not as cold as usual.

Giselle reached out to support him. He stood very tall; her head couldn't even reach his shoulder. Giselle struggled to support him, especially as she wanted him to step out with one leg. She leaned down slightly and used her hands to lift his leg.

With the weight pressing down on her, she truly couldn't stand firm. She wobbled and then fell. The fall was not light. Her body crashed into his arms, and the heavy impact left her internal organs aching with pain. With him beneath her acting as a cushion, she knew he must be hurting just as much as she was.

Reid wanted to turn on the lights now, but the control switch was on his wheelchair. There should have been a small desk lamp above the bathtub. Reid reached out and touched the switch. An orange light shone down from above, much brighter than the LED. Following the light, she looked at what was in front of her. Her line of sight was directly level with his chest.

Suddenly, her face burned like fire. She braced herself, wanting to get up from him in her embarrassment, but the bathtub was too small. She had to find something to lean on to stand up, and her legs didn't know where to find purchase to support her body.

Reid looked at Giselle, his gaze searching and analytical. In those ice-cold eyes, there wasn't a trace of anger.

Their bodies were so close that they could feel each other's warmth. Combined with the warm water enveloping them and the slight friction of their skin, a tingling sensation spread to the depths of their hearts, disturbing their thoughts.

Her skin was flushed, a soft, radiant pink as if it had been freshly watered. Her soaked nightgown clung tightly to her body, revealing alluring, graceful curves. He could feel that this body possessed a powerful attraction for him.

His eyes grew deep, and it wasn't until Giselle braced herself against the tub to stand up that she looked up and noticed. The light was sufficient for her to see his gaze clearly-his pupils were pitch black. She took only a fleeting glance before immediately looking away. Her face burned crimson as she embarrassedly moved away from him, stammering, "I... I'm sorry."

"Did my mother tell you to do this?" Reid asked, his tone laced with a hint of coldness.

It had happened repeatedly. If she wasn't letting him see her right after a bath, she was falling onto him. After so many instances, who would believe this wasn't intentional?

Giselle struggled to stand straight. Her head felt as if fireworks were exploding inside-a chaotic mess that made it impossible to think. Hearing his question, her reaction was a half-beat slow. "I don't understand what you mean."

Her large eyes, filled with doubt, looked at him. Reid felt those eyes were as vivid as if they could speak; he could see she wasn't faking it.

That night, she didn't oversleep, so she was able to take meticulous care of Reid. After smoothing his bedsheets, she brought out a blanket for him while she slept on the sofa. The sofa was large enough, and she slept peacefully through the night.

The next morning, after getting up and washing her face, she went downstairs to make breakfast. As she descended, she heard Mrs. Theophilus arguing with Flynn again.

Mrs. Theophilus was trembling with rage as she pointed at Flynn. "If you dare step foot out of that door today, I will make that girl, Serena Staverley, disappear forever from New York."

Giselle stood on the stairs, not daring to continue down. She worried they might take their anger out on her.

"Then don't expect to ever see this son again," Flynn replied coldly.

The heated and tense argument between mother and son was all because of a girl named Serena Staverley. This was the first time Giselle had ever heard that name.

Mrs. Theophilus laughed out of sheer anger. "Fine. Very well. You actually dare to threaten me."

"It's you who broke your word. You promised me that as long as I stood in for my elder brother at the wedding, you would let Serena and me get married. Furthermore, Serena is pregnant with my child. Haven't you always longed to hold a grandchild?"

"It's been two days since I've seen Serena. Can you please let me go out to see her?"

Hearing such humble pleading, Giselle realized she had misjudged her brother-in-law as a cold person. He was dissatisfied with her because of that wedding; he was also someone who had been forced, so how could he have a good attitude toward her?

The fury on Mrs. Theophilus's face had not dissipated. Hearing him speak like that only made her angrier. Her own son refused to listen and was pleading so submissively for that girl. She didn't even look at Flynn. "Who knows if the child in her womb is even yours?"

In the eyes of Mrs. Theophilus, this girl named Serena Staverley didn't have a single redeeming quality. She had a bad reputation, poor conduct, and was an illegitimate daughter. She would absolutely never allow such a person to set foot in the Theophilus family.

"Mother, how can you say such a thing?" Flynn shouted, his face filled with rage.

The two were at daggers drawn, and there was no telling when the argument would end. Giselle was very reluctant to face someone like Mrs. Theophilus; if she hated someone, she would use incredibly harsh words to describe them.

While Giselle stood watching Mrs. Theophilus, the older woman turned around and caught her eye. "Giselle, according to custom, today you must return to your family home for the post-wedding visit. Your mother called here early this morning. Once you finish breakfast, you and Flynn will go to the Yashashree family home together."

Upon hearing Mrs. Theophilus's words, Giselle looked toward Flynn. Sure enough, his eyes were bloodshot, looking as if he wanted to tear her apart. Consequently, even though she hadn't done or said anything, she had somehow managed to offend him.

After thinking for a moment, Giselle said awkwardly, "Mother, I will call home. I won't go back today. I'm worried there will be no one here to look after Reid."

She claimed to be worried about Reid's care, but in reality, she didn't want to offend Flynn further. Moreover, if Flynn had to return to the Yashashree house with her while looking like he wanted to shred her to pieces, how could her mother and Uncle Yashashree fail to notice something was wrong?

"Mhm, I know you mean well. But we cannot let that ruin our customs and traditions." Mrs. Theophilus spoke with a firm tone that brooked no opposition.

Flynn suddenly agreed. "Fine, I will go back with Giselle."

However, Giselle truly did not want to return. Once she went back, she didn't know if she could keep the secret; she feared everything would be exposed. In this house, she had no right to make her own decisions. After Giselle finished making breakfast, she carried it up to the room, wanting Reid to help her. But how should she bring it up? And even if she spoke, would he help her?

The study was the place where Reid went every day after waking up. Just like yesterday, he currently had a book resting on his lap. Giselle placed the food on the table and proactively stepped forward to push his wheelchair. "I heard from sister Skye that breakfast in this house is usually noodles or porridge. Today I made fennel noodles to change things up for you. I hope you enjoy it."

The fennel noodles sat on the table looking quite presentable, topped with a fried egg that looked very appetizing. Reid picked up the bowl, took a bite, and chewed slowly. The flavor was excellent.

Looking at Reid's expression, a smile appeared in the depths of Giselle's eyes. She quite enjoyed cooking, and she enjoyed seeing others like her food even more. Although he didn't say he liked it, he didn't say it was "not bad" like yesterday.

"May I trouble you with something?" Giselle hesitated for a long time before finally speaking.

Reid looked toward her. "Mhm, go on."

The fact that he was willing to speak gave her more hope than if he had remained silent. Thinking this way, Giselle no longer hesitated. "Today is the home-visit day. I don't want to go back. Could you please speak to Mother so I don't have to go?"

"You don't want to go home." He looked at her tightly knitted brows and asked suspiciously.

"It's not that I don't want to go home, but... the visit requires the husband and wife to return to the bride's home together. Mother wants me and the younger brother to go back together, but my husband isn't the younger brother. I don't want to deceive my family." She spoke the truth from her heart.

The hand Reid was using to hold his chopsticks paused. His voice was cold. "No one is making you deceive your family."

This whole situation had been arranged by his mother. His mother had indeed put all her effort into him. If it weren't for her being consumed by worry all day, he wouldn't have compromised and agreed to marry Giselle.

"Then am I supposed to tell them the truth. How could I be so heartless as to tell them? They..." She stopped abruptly. She had almost blurted out that her family would think they had personally pushed her into a pit of fire and would be consumed by guilt.

He stared at her, his gaze much sharper. "Speak. Why did you stop talking?"

From his voice, she could hear a terrifying coldness. How could she dare to continue? But Reid did not intend to let her stay silent. He leaned closer to her and questioned her coldly. "Are you afraid of your parents knowing you married a cripple?"

Hearing this tone, Giselle held her breath, not daring to make a single sound.