Chapter 129 - Marriage and business

Some of her brown curls were loosened out of her updo and spread out over his lap. Gently he brushed a strand back behind her ear, her hair was as smooth as silk. He enjoyed the feeling of sliding his fingers through her silky hair. Every morning when he woke up, he would bury his nose in her hair first thing. It smelled of soap and fresh flowers. That' s the fragrance he loved. Lost in thought, he stared down at her. Silent for a moment. He couldn't believe how much he had gotten used to the feeling of waking up in the morning with her in his arms. He could hardly imagine waking up without her. To much he enjoyed her closeness.

Actually, he hadn't expected much from this marriage, he felt that a woman was just a partner to have fun with or a means to do business with. This was also the way most of his relationships with women began. Women usually looked for a man with the appropriate title, power and wealth. However, there was nothing wrong with it. That was the way their society was constructed. Daughters and sisters were used by their legal guardians to form political alliances. He didn't despise women who rushed to him like a moth to flame in search of his wealth and power. It was a reasonable response. Who was not longing for power and wealth. He was a man who constantly made alliances, whether in his business or in his private life. Marriage was nothing more than a lucrative business for him to achieve his ambitions.

His marriage was no exception. Lily's background had played a major role when he decided to marry her about two years ago. The Clermont family was one of the most influential families in Burgundy, along with his own, and they had powerful connections to France, Great Britain and Australia, as well as the branch of relatives he had wished to become close to. That this plan had failed did not diminish Lily's value. She promised enough other advantages. Just the fact that Lily was the only heiress of Albert de Clermont had made the decision easy for him. She was an excellent bargain without any loss. She was young, pretty, educated and later on, damned rich. Lillian de Clermont was one of his most satisfying trading partners.

But that was not the only thing that appealed to him. At first he didn't realize it. But the longer she was with him, the more fascinating was this quality about her character.

She managed to make him relax completely. Around her he often forgot his worries and he knew he had many of them. After all, she was one of those. But actually there was only one part of his wife he had to really worry about. The danger she was in. In fact, he was the one who had put her in that spot in the first place. So he would deal with it.

However, she had no real desires other than Adrien's well-being. She didn't really care about anything special, just seemed to live for the day. She did not crave power or his money. Accepted matters as they came. It was almost as if this indifference was her own way of being fearless. A broad smile danced around his lips as he looked down on her.

It was a very pleasant feeling, her inner serenity which allowed him to relax. Her gentle quietness kept his mind and body at ease. She even managed to make him drop his guard when he was near her. Until now there had been no one like her near him. Only she managed to let his inner tension vanish. Even if it was only for a short moment.

That' s not all. His life with her and Adrien... He couldn't imagine life without them. What a strange feeling. A few months ago, he never imagined he'd get so used to his life as a father and husband. But there was something incredibly satisfying about their constant closeness. He enjoyed it. Just spending time with them. He didn't know why. Was that the power of everyday life?

It just had to be habit. Moreover, it gave his rather dreary life the appropriate dash of color. Grey became colorful. And who wouldn't prefer watching black and white without sound rather than color films? Maybe this was the change he hadn't even known he was looking for.

Carefully he pulled her into his lap, wrapped one arm around her back and slipped the other arm under her legs, then he lifted her up into his embrace. Satisfied, he entered the villa with her body nestled against his.