"To avoid today's fiasco, you should probably save my number," Phillip suggested with a brief pause, his tone bland. "Unless, of course, you prefer orchestrating your own amateur theatrics." So much for his gentleman act. Tina rolled her eyes.
Unlocking her phone and placing it in his palm, Tina shifted the blame onto him. "Why didn't you give me a heads up about hanging out with my dad? Made me look like a complete fool."
"Your actions are quite unpredictable, hard for me to anticipate what you might do next," Phillip remarked as he saved his number and added himself on her social media, handing the phone back to her. "But I'll try to keep up."
"Why would you do that?"
Phillip explained, "If all goes as planned, we're in this for the long haul. Getting in tune with each other and having each other's backs-it just makes things easier. Our partnership will be stronger for it." Halfway through his speech, Tina felt a touch moved, but by the end, any warmth had fizzled out.
Reclaiming her phone, she responded, "Well said, partner."
It was fitting, after all. Their marriage was essentially a business deal they both needed to manage.
Even after exchanging contact details, Tina and Phillip hadn't spoken much.
The turning point in their relationship came at Hubert's birthday bash.
Hamilton called with instructions: "You're representing the Watsons at Hubert Perez's birthday this weekend. I'll have the gift sent over; just make sure you don't embarrass me."
For the occasion, Tina chose an elegant white gown, though her heels turned out to be a bit of a torture device. Clinging to Phillip's arm, she endured half the party before her feet screamed for mercy.
าวน์
Given the Richardsons' esteemed status in Stonebridge, guests flocked to Phillip, leaving Tina no chance to sit and rest. Unable to escape, she discreetly slipped off her shoes under the cover of her gown while everyone else was engaged in conversation Content
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Attempting to maintain her previous height on tiptoe was even more exhausting than the shoes, and she soon gave up, noticeably shrinking.
Only Phillip seemed to notice the sudden change.
"What are you looking at?" Tina challenged, meeting his gaze defiantly.
Phillip's eyes dropped to the floor, but her gown hid any evidence of her bare feet.
Taking advantage of his distraction, Tina tiptoed again, momentarily regaining some height, as if he couldn't see her fluctuating stature.
Phillip looked away, signaling a server with a quiet request before resuming his business conversation.
Moments later, the server brought over a pair of slippers, which Phillip accepted, crouching before Tina.
The conversation paused, and all eyes followed his movement.
Without any concern for the onlookers, Phillip placed the slippers before her.
Hesitant, Tina knew wearing slippers at such an event was taboo for the Watsons.
"Go ahead," Phillip urged with a convincing calmness, offering his arm for support.
Reluctantly leaning on him, Tina
avel get
slipped her feet into the comfort the slippers, a small rebellion
against the Watson family's norms, but a huge relief.
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