Betrayed Spotlight
Chapter 33: Shopping

Chapter 33: Shopping

The next morning, Sarah woke up feeling warm and comfortable. She tried to move but realized she couldn’t. There was a heavy weight across her waist, and something solid and warm was pressed against her back.

She opened her eyes slowly and almost screamed.

Mason’s arm was wrapped around her waist, and she was practically lying against his chest. His face was peaceful in sleep, and he looked younger and less cold. His messy black hair fell across his forehead, and his breathing was slow and steady.

Sarah’s heart started beating fast. How had they ended up like this? Last night they had stayed on opposite sides of the bed!

She tried to move away slowly, but Mason’s arm tightened around her waist.

"Don’t move," he said quietly, his eyes still closed. His voice was deeper and rougher than usual because he had just woken up.

Sarah’s face turned red. "Let me go, Mason."

"No," Mason said simply, pulling her closer. "It’s still early."

"But... but this is..." Sarah struggled to find words. "This is inappropriate!"

"Says who?" Mason asked, finally opening his eyes. They were dark and sleepy, and Sarah felt her heart skip a beat.

"Says... says normal people!" Sarah said weakly.

Mason looked at her for a long moment, then sighed and let her go. "Fine. But you’re the one who rolled over to my side of the bed."

Sarah sat up quickly, her white robe slightly messy from sleep. "I did not!"

"You did. You were on top of me when I woke up."

Sarah’s face became even redder. "I... I don’t move in my sleep!"

"Clearly you do," Mason said, sitting up and running a hand through his messy hair. "And you talk too."

"I do NOT talk in my sleep!"

"You said something about ice cream," Mason said with a completely straight face.

Sarah stared at him. "Ice cream?"

"Chocolate ice cream, specifically. You seemed very passionate about it."

Sarah couldn’t tell if he was joking or not. His face was completely expressionless, but she thought she saw a tiny hint of amusement in his eyes.

"You’re making that up," she said.

"Am I?" Mason got out of bed and stretched. Sarah tried not to stare at how his T-shirt rode up slightly, showing a bit of his flat stomach.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

"That must be Derek with your dress," Mason said, walking to the door.

Sarah quickly fixed her hair and tried to look presentable. She didn’t want Derek to see her looking like she had just woken up next to Mason.

Mason opened the door, and Derek stood there with several bags.

"Good morning, sir," Derek said professionally. "I have everything you requested."

"Thank you," Mason said, taking the bags. "The dress is for my wife?"

Obviously, Boss.

Derek rolled his eyes mentally and wanted to say it out loud, but he caught himself before he could.

"Yes, sir. Size small, as you specified. And I also brought some accessories and shoes that should match."

Sarah felt surprised. How did Mason know her dress size?

After Derek left, Mason handed Sarah one of the bags. "Your dress for today."

Sarah looked inside the bag and gasped. It was a beautiful blue dress, elegant but not too formal. There were also matching shoes and a small purse.

"How did you know my size?" she asked.

Mason shrugged. "I guessed."

But the truth was that Mason had noticed Sarah’s size when he had seen her other clothes. He was very observant about details, even though he pretended not to care.

"Go get ready," Mason said. "Grandma will want to have breakfast with us before we leave."

Sarah nodded and went to the bathroom to change. The dress fit perfectly, and she looked elegant and pretty in it. She did her makeup and fixed her hair, trying to look nice for Grandma Liu.

When she came out, Mason was already dressed in a perfectly tailored navy blue suit. His hair was styled neatly, and he looked like he had stepped out of a magazine. He was looking at his phone with a frown.

"Is everything okay?" Sarah asked.

Mason looked up at her, and for just a moment, his expression seemed to soften. The blue dress looked beautiful on her, and her hair was shiny and neat.

"You look nice," he said simply.

Sarah smiled brightly. "Thank you! You look handsome too."

Mason didn’t respond, but Sarah thought she saw his ears turn slightly pink.

"I need to make a phone call," He muttered, turning away from her.

Sarah watched as he dialed a number. His voice became cold and business-like.

"Cancel the meeting with the Indonesian officials," he said into the phone. "Reschedule it for next week."

Sarah’s eyes widened. She moved closer to listen.

"I don’t care how important it is," Mason continued. "Something more important came up... No, I will not explain what could be more important than a multi-million dollar deal."

He hung up and looked annoyed.

"Was that about work?" Sarah asked softly.

"Yes," Mason said shortly.

"You canceled an important meeting because of me?" Sarah felt guilty. "Mason, you don’t have to—"

"It’s not because of you," Mason interrupted. "It’s because of Grandma. She wants us to buy wedding rings and take pictures today. I can’t just say no."

Sarah felt a little hurt that he said it wasn’t because of her, but she tried to smile anyway.

"Well, I’m sorry you had to cancel your meeting. But maybe we can make today fun?" she said hopefully.

Mason looked at her like she was crazy. "Fun? We’re buying rings and taking pictures. It’s just business."

Sarah’s smile faded slightly, but she didn’t give up. "Everything can be fun if you have the right attitude!"

"I don’t do fun," Mason reminded her coldly.

"Everyone does fun! They just do it differently," Sarah said, trying to sound cheerful.

Mason stared at her for a moment, then shook his head. "Let’s go. Grandma is waiting."

They walked down to the dining room together. Grandma Liu was already there, looking elegant in a pink silk dress. She smiled widely when she saw them.

"Good morning, my dear children!" she said happily. "Don’t you two look perfect together!"

Sarah smiled and kissed Grandma Liu’s cheek. "Good morning, Grandma. Thank you for letting me stay here."

"Nonsense! This is your home too now," Grandma Liu said, patting Sarah’s hand.

Mason kissed his grandmother’s forehead. "Good morning, Grandma."

"Sit, sit!" Grandma Liu said excitedly. "I had Cook prepare all your favorite things, Sarah. And Mason, your favorite coffee is ready."

They sat down at the large dining table. There was fresh fruit, pastries, eggs, and toast. Everything looked delicious.

"So," Grandma Liu said, looking between them with sparkling eyes, "are you excited about shopping for rings today?"

Sarah nodded enthusiastically. "Yes! I can’t wait to see what we find."

Mason just drank his coffee silently.

"And pictures too!" Grandma Liu clapped her hands together. "I want beautiful wedding photos to hang in my room."

"Grandma," Mason said carefully, "we don’t need to make a big deal about this."

"Of course we do!" Grandma Liu said firmly. "This is important! You only get married once."

Sarah and Mason looked at each other awkwardly. They both knew their marriage was supposed to be temporary.

"What kind of ring do you want, Sarah?" Grandma Liu asked.

Sarah thought about it. "Something simple but elegant. I don’t need anything too fancy."

"Nonsense! You need something beautiful and expensive," Grandma Liu said. "Mason, make sure you get her something worthy of a Liu family wife."

Mason nodded. "Of course, Grandma."

Sarah tried to catch Mason’s eye to tell him that she really didn’t need anything expensive, but he was avoiding looking at her.

"And for the pictures," Grandma Liu continued, "I want some formal ones, but also some casual ones. Some where you’re laughing and happy!"

Sarah smiled. "That sounds wonderful."

Mason looked like he wanted to disappear.

After breakfast, they got ready to leave. Grandma Liu walked them to the front door.

"Have fun, my dears!" she said, hugging them both. "And remember, these are precious moments. Don’t waste them being serious all the time."

She looked directly at Mason when she said this.

"Yes, Grandma," Mason said dutifully.

As they walked to the car, Sarah tried to lighten the mood.

"So, what kind of ring do you want?" she asked Mason.

"Something simple," he said without looking at her.

"We should get matching ones!" Sarah said excitedly. "That would be romantic."

Mason gave her a look. "This isn’t a real marriage, Sarah. We don’t need to be romantic."

Sarah’s smile faded. "Right. Of course. I just thought... for Grandma’s sake..."

Mason saw the hurt expression on her face and felt a strange pang in his chest. But he ignored it.

"Let’s just get this over with," he said, opening the car door for her.

Sarah got in the car quietly. She was determined to make this day good, even if Mason didn’t want to cooperate. Maybe, just maybe, she could make him smile at least once.

As they drove toward the jewelry store, Sarah looked out the window and made a silent promise to herself. She would make today special, no matter what Mason said.

And maybe, if she was lucky, she might even see Mason’s cold mask slip just a little bit.