Livid Guardian's Endless Coddling

Chapter 599: Collaboration

Looking at Arsh's face again, up so close, Noor instinctively went away from him when he had already paused. Her breath stuck in her throat when her eyes betrayed her, and she looked at the handsome and classy being. Her fingers itched to touch his face, so again gulped nervously, clutching her dress hem.

When her eyes fell on his lips, her thoughts ran up to the numerous kissing scenes as she had read in novels and seen in movies. That shocked her even more until she felt a car belt press on her body.

Her eyes moved on the belt that was slipping between his fingers. Then she stared right into his nonchalant eyes.  She wanted a superpower to read them.

Arsh wanted to tease her with a question of 'what's wrong?' But he didn't get the chance.

Noor breathed slowly to be in composure. Her backhand unhesitatingly reached his forehead before he could sit back straight on his seat. She gently pressed his forehead to feel his temperature. She didn't feel like he had a fever, "Are you... alright?" She asked, looking at him in concern.

Arsh: "..."

He wanted to cuss at his fate. Now he felt like he had spoiled her too much by keeping her very much comfortable around him.

He shrugged with a lie, "I can't hold your cake if you slip it while wearing the seatbelt."

Noor's jaw dropped hearing him blatantly lie to her. She wanted to advise him, 'Young Master Morgan, you could have just told me that you helped me.' Anyway, looking at his drive maintaining absolute silence.

Instead of going to a typical restaurant, he took her to a dine-in kitchen restaurant. In that restaurant, the private rooms had a kitchen and dining table. The island kitchen counter had a bar stool on another side. Noor made herself comfortable at the bar counter and started listing what she would like to eat by assuming Arsh would invite a chef.

Arsh ordered the ingredients required for the dishes, and Noor flustered, "Young Master Morgan, I didn't know you were going to cook." She had gone all out while listing the dishes. She tried to cancel some dishes, "I don't want..."

Arsh cut in plainly, "I already ordered."

Instead of blaming herself, her eyes sparkled secretly, and she started drooling, imagining the yummy food.

After some time, Instead of drooling at the food, Noor's eyes were blindly following Arsh. He had pulled his sleeves up. The nerves of his arms were protruding as he carefully handled dishes and prepared many unique and small dishes. The handsomeness was slowly changing to sizzling hot. 

After the mouth-savoring dinner, Noor had her mini cake before Arsh dropped her at the hotel. She had lost count of how many she had blushed in one and half hours. Then her day followed with the thoughts of Arsh lingering in her mind, and she slapped her cheeks repeatedly to focus on work.

She concluded that she was acting like a secret fangirl of Arsh.

-----

At Skyline,

Aria was speechless. Because Arsh narrated till he got permission from Noah to take Noor for lunch, then he said, "I took her to Dine-in Kitchen, then dropped her to the hotel." 

"That's it?" Aria asked.

Arsh knew what Aria was expecting, yet he nodded his head. 

Aria threateningly laughed. She wasn't muddle-headed to think they went on simple lunch with Arsh being no mischievous or making any moves. "Alright. Let me call my little daughter-in-law home after work."

Arsh: "..."

Aria chuckled again before nodding, "I won't cross your privacy." Of course, hearing little juicy details would have been fun. Anyway, she understands the privacy between children and parents. 

Arsh hummed, "And Mom, you aren't allowed to tease me." His mother might not tease him like she teases her friends, but her smile or even her fake ignorance would be enough to tease him.

Shaking her head, she disagreed with him. Grabbing a cushion, she stood up and carefully placed it under his head. She kneeled and caressed his head as she asked him to rest, "Have a nap. Stop worrying about everything. Just think of getting my little daughter-in-law home soon."

Arsh flashed a faint smile before he drifted off to sleep. Aria got back to work after covering him with a knitted throw.

She knows he was worried that she would stress too much about Arna. How could she not? Arna forced everyone to go to work and was staying alone. An empty mind is the devil's worship. She didn't want Arna to take any drastic step thinking of the past.

---

Days passed by, Arna smiled on the exterior, but she lost her liveliness. She was trying hard not to worry anybody without knowing she had changed herself. However, everyone could see she was guilty, and that guilt was eating her, making her assume she wasn't worthy of being happy.

The family members didn't want to force her into anything, including being happy. They thought she would find it when she started her work. Alan found her studio located in a good location where she won't have to stress about traffic, vehicles. Instead, she could relax and focus on design.

Aria helped her design the studio, and they included the gym as Arna's workout wasn't fixed to morning or evening. Arna's assistants, the manager, didn't take long to get over the jet lag and made themselves aware of the place with the help of Arna.

She also signed the contract under Morgan Entertainment and attended a small media conference to respond to the frantic reporters and fans. Even though everyone welcomed her heartily, she could feel the celebrities feeling threatened by her appearance. Many tried to butter her up to stay on her good books, a lot stayed away, and some planning behind their back.

She shrugged them all off as she had her manager, who knows her well. Unless they don't try to snatch her resources, Arna was fine. She will handle them herself, except they become huge and reach her parent's ears.

During the whole two weeks, Arna didn't meet Ivan. She had responded to his message in a word, so their conversation didn't pick up. Instead, she had stayed in her room when he went to the Morgan mansion.

Standing in front of Skyline, Arna took a deep breath holding the files in her hand. Today she had a collaboration meeting of her studios with Skyline. She knew Ivan was the one who was going to lead.

There was no reason to be angry at him. Nevertheless, a part of her didn't want to face him. She didn't feel brave enough to court him anymore. She was afraid to fall weak in front of him.