The Ex and Her Riches

Having been viciously kicked on the side of the waist by Gwendolyn’s foot, Cedrick was in such pain his body spasmed
uncontrollably.
He held his hands over his waist, and before he could come to terms with the excruciating pain, she swiftly reached for the
decorative vase on the nightstand and swung it toward his head.
Cedrick hastily covered his head and bent over.
He did not fight back, neither did he dodge. He merely stood there and allowed her to hit him.
Gwendolyn smashed the vase in her grip on his back three times consecutively.
Because she was feeling dizzy, she could not muster much strength, so her moves were not as forceful.
Nonetheless, it still hurt as the dense porcelain vase smashed against his back.
Cedrick was probably traumatized at that point.
Frustration swamped him. I’ll never put anything that can be used as a weapon on my nightstand next time!
Seemingly unable to vent her anger after hitting the man several times, Gwendolyn aggressively slammed the vase on the
corner of the table, shattering it into pieces. Then, she hurled the sharp edge of the broken shard toward Cedrick.
“Gwendolyn!”
Worried that the broken shard would hurt her, Cedrick instinctively backed away.
Because of his brief hesitation, he did not manage to dodge in time and got cut by a piece of broken shard on his right
collarbone. A faint blood scratch mark appeared on his skin, and the collar of his white shirt was stained by blood quickly.
Gwendolyn had wanted to slit his neck, but she missed it and cut his collarbone instead.
Taking opportunity of the situation, Cedrick hurriedly grabbed her wrist and threw the weapon in her grip aside.
Gwendolyn glared at his face furiously. “Cedrick! You’re probably wearing this thing on your face to scare me, aren’t you? I shall
see how ugly the face behind this mask is!”
“Don’t... I—”

Before he could clarify anything, Gwendolyn hit her forehead against his.
As he loosened his grip, she regained freedom of her hands and swiftly took off his mask.
Cedrick was utterly stunned. How can she still be so ferocious when she’s drunk?
With the mask removed, he had his back to her in guilt. He dared not turn around, and his heart was pounding so fast it felt like it
was about to jump out of his chest.
He waited for a second. Then, two...
Unexpectedly, Gwendolyn, who had been taunting aggressively behind him, suddenly turned quiet. Even the atmosphere fell into
complete silence.
He cautiously turned his head a little and tried to steal a glance from the corner of his eye.
To his surprise, Gwendolyn had already collapsed on the bed, seemingly unconscious. There was a big, red mark on her
forehead, and evidently, she had passed out after smashing her head against his.
Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief. What happened earlier had obviously left a lingering fear within him.
A stinging pain radiated from his collarbone area. Pressing his hand against the wound, the fresh red blood on his fingers
reminded him about everything that happened earlier.
Tears welled up in Cedrick’s eyes. His whole body was in pain after getting hit by her.
Indignance overwhelmed him.
He meticulously took care of her while she was drunk. Little did he imagine she would be so ruthless toward him even when she
was in such a condition.
After finding out that Gwendolyn liked someone else in the morning, then learned later that the man she fancied was Sherman,
and eventually getting whacked up by her, Cedrick had been suppressing his disappointment for the whole day. At this point, he
could finally no longer hold his emotions back.
His nose stung sharply, his eyes burned, and he could feel his eyelashes wet with tears.

While bitterness overwhelmed him as he stared intently at the blood on the tip of his fingers, Gwendolyn opened her eyes a little
and fixed her gaze on him quietly for a long time.
Cedrick could vaguely sense her intense gaze.
Whipping his head around, he exchanged glances with Gwendolyn.
W-What’s up with that expression? Does she recognize who I am?
Nervous, Cedrick gulped. A myriad of thoughts raced through his mind as he tried to figure out an excuse to fool Gwendolyn.
Before he said anything, Gwendolyn sat up, approached him, and held his face. A wide smile spread across her flushing red
face.
“I’m dreaming again, huh? Indeed, I can only see you in my dreams. Even though you look somewhat different this time, you still
look so handsome...” Burp...
A burp laced with a strong alcohol smell could be felt on Cedrick’s face.
His mind went blank as he looked at her in a daze.
“I don’t care! This is my dream! I have the final say!”
With a gleeful smile, she inched closer toward him. It was clear she was up to no good.
While he was still in bewilderment, she lightly left a peck on his cold, thin lips.
Astonishment flickered in Cedrick’s dark eyes. That soft, tender feeling on his lips could still be felt vividly. He stood rooted to the
ground as if he was electrocuted.
D-Did... Did she just kiss me?
A smile crinkled the corners of Gwendolyn’s eyes. She appeared contented, but her eyes still gave off a dazed look, and it was a
sign that she was still in her drunkard state.
Cedrick straightened his back, not daring to move a single muscle.
Who knows what else is she going to do next? Will she give me a vicious slap on my face or kick me in my waist again?

Under his doubtful gaze, Gwendolyn wrapped her arms around his waist. As she shifted her gaze downward, she noticed the
blood mark beside the collar of his shirt. A pained look crossed her face.
“Why will you get injured even in my dream? Who on earth dares to hurt you? I’ll kill him!”
The distressed look in her eyes instantly dissipated all the grievances Cedrick had inside him earlier.
Even though he already sensed that she had most likely mistaken him for someone else, it did not matter to him.
“I’m fine. It doesn’t hurt,” he tenderly said.
The smile on Gwendolyn’s face, however, vanished. She was rather unhappy.
“But I feel bad.”
As her words fell, she leaned over and gently kissed the blood mark on his collarbone.
She was just like a kitten, trying to comfort her injured companion.
Her gentleness was on par with her viciousness while she beat him up earlier.
“Gwendolyn, you—”
Cedrick was dumbfounded by her action.
Her soft lips were as sweet as honey, melting his entire heart as she kissed his collarbone, stirring up his desires.
He wrapped his arms around her waist, unwilling to let her go.
He was touched, satisfied, and surprised, yet afraid he would lose her again. A mixture of emotions enveloped him.
For a second, he wished that time could stop.
He selfishly hoped Gwendolyn’s love and care would only belong to him forever.
“Do you like it?”
Cedrick caressed her head and broke into a smile. “I like it very much.”

Gwendolyn nestled herself into his arms and rested her head on the other side of his collarbone, sniffing the tobacco smell on his
body.
“Then you have to come into my dreams every night. I want to hug you, kiss you, and sleep with you...”
Her voice grew softer and softer as she spoke.
Lowering his head, Cedrick found that Gwendolyn had fallen asleep again.
But it was different this time. She slept exceptionally well in his embrace and did not wake up in the middle of the night.
Cedrick remained in the same position and did not move for several hours. As time passed, he felt his neck and back beginning
to ache.
Just as he tried to place Gwendolyn’s head on the pillow, she furrowed her brows at his slightest movement, seemingly voicing
her protest soundlessly.
Left with no choice, Cedrick could only suppress the aches and pains he was experiencing. He covered a blanket over her and
let her stay in his embrace to sleep the entire night.
At six the following morning, Cedrick was taking a quick nap while leaning against Gwendolyn’s head when he heard someone
softly mimicking a bird chirping outside the door.
At six the following morning, Cedrick was taking a quick nap while leaning against Gwendolyn’s head when he heard someone
softly mimicking a bird chirping outside the door.
Figuring that it was Nico, Cedrick sobered up at once.
Lowering his head and seeing the woman in his arms sleeping exceptionally well, he carefully placed her on the bed.
Luckily, Gwendolyn was deep asleep and did not have much reaction.
He quietly got up, grabbed his coat, and headed outside.
Nico was waiting outside the door. The moment Cedrick stepped out, Nico’s sharp eyes immediately noticed the blood stain on
the collar of his shirt.
“Boss, why are you hurt? Did you two fight last night?”

There wasn’t any fight. I got whacked instead.
If not for Nico mentioning it, Cedrick would have forgotten about that incident.
The wound no longer hurt. Yet, he could still vividly remember the kiss Gwendolyn left on his blood mark with her soft lips.
The tip of his ears turned red. Regarding the incident last night, he was very contented.
The only exception was perhaps the fact that his back hurt a little...
He reflexively rubbed his back and aching neck. An exhausted look clouded his face.
“Let’s go. She’ll wake up later.”
Seeing that action, Nico instantly came to a realization and exclaimed, “Boss, you’re progressing pretty well, huh! You got things
done so quickly. I bet it must be a wild night yesterday!”