After Rebirth, I Accept The Arranged Marriage-Chapter 46: Heart Racing

If this had been some celebrity, the photographer might have already started chewing them out. Couldn’t find the camera, couldn’t even emote properly, and so stiff to work with? Weren’t they just here to get reamed? But looking at the two in front of her, the photographer fell grimly silent. She truly couldn’t scold them or lash out.

The photographer took a deep breath. "Stop. You two take a short break."

Victor Morgan rolled off of Jessie Sterling and silently walked to the side. He took a bottle of mineral water from the mini-fridge, twisted open the cap, and only then handed it to her as she sat on the bed.

"Have some water," Victor said.

Seeing this, the photographer only grew more frustrated.

Of everyone on set, she was probably the thirstiest, right? The number of words she’d spoken this morning probably surpassed the total for all of last month.

The photographer stared at Victor and Jessie. Looking at the new couple, just in terms of appearance, they were indeed quite pleasing to the eye.

Their dynamic was harmonious, but...

"President Morgan." At that moment, the photographer suddenly called out Victor’s name. "Can we talk outside for a moment?"

The instant Jessie saw Victor’s figure disappear through the doorway, she immediately turned, grabbed her phone, and found the small group chat she shared with Quincy Sterling and Lynn Jennings. She began to vent furiously—

[Jessie Sterling: Ahhhh! Wedding photoshoots are exhausting.]

[Lynn Jennings: Let me see the proofs first, then I’ll comfort you.]

[Jessie Sterling: There are no proofs...]

[Quincy Sterling: Huh? Didn’t you go over first thing this morning? Didn’t the assistant snap a few shots of you and my brother-in-law?]

[Jessie Sterling: No... Anyway, I think the photographer feels like Victor and I don’t look good in photos together?]

[Lynn Jennings: ??? No humblebragging allowed in the group chat!]

[Jessie Sterling: I’m not! I just get so nervous whenever I take a picture with him!]

[Lynn Jennings: Why nervous? Are you guys going to kiss? French kiss? Are your wedding photos that racy?]

Jessie’s mind had been blank, but now, seeing Lynn’s words, her composure shattered. Her thoughts were almost completely filled with the image of Victor from a moment ago—following the photographer’s instructions as he leaned down and looked at her.

Victor’s eyes were deep and could always give off a sense of pressure when he looked at someone.

But when he was close to her, the fir scent that clung to him dominated every inch of the air she breathed.

In that moment, Jessie felt as if she were pressed right up against him, inhaling his scent.

That was why, when Victor had been looking at her earlier, she couldn’t help but hastily avert her gaze, terrified that her eyes might betray some inappropriate emotion for him to see through.

The memory she had nearly managed to forget was now forcibly brought back to the forefront by Lynn’s use of the word "kiss."

When she’d avoided his gaze back then, was it only because she didn’t want him to see through her?

At such a close distance, Jessie once again clearly perceived the pressure and sense of confinement that an adult man could impose. Victor’s gaze, his scent... it was too domineering. So domineering that her heart had begun to race, making her feel as if he was about to lower his head at any second...

She was panicking, yet there was also a hint of anticipation and shyness that she herself hadn’t even noticed.

Because Jessie hadn’t replied, the other two in the group chat were dying of curiosity, and her phone blew up with countless messages.

But now, Jessie ignored them all.

When she saw Victor and the photographer’s figures appear in the doorway, Jessie subconsciously picked up the water bottle Victor had given her and gulped down several mouthfuls.

The photographer’s return meant the shoot was back on.

"What did Ms. Myers pull you out to talk about just now?" Jessie asked, tilting her head up at Victor, who was now standing by the edge of the bed.

Victor’s expression was unchanged. "Nothing much. We talked about some shooting techniques..."

"Oh." Jessie didn’t press further, just muttered under her breath, "But would a straight-laced guy like you even get it?"

*Even if she was going to teach someone photography techniques, shouldn’t she have told me? Did she think I wouldn’t understand?*

Hearing Jessie’s muttered doubt, Victor’s gaze deepened, though Jessie, still looking down, didn’t notice at all.

Meanwhile, the words the photographer had said to him outside were replaying in Victor’s mind.

"President Morgan, you have a beautiful bride lying on that bed. She’s *your* bride, not your subordinate. Why is your gaze so cold?"

The photographer, of course, wasn’t going to say this to the bride. If the photos weren’t turning out well, it was obviously the man’s fault. Seeing him look at such a delicate and lovely wife without a trace of emotion, she could only think this man was cold as iron.

"Also, aren’t you newlyweds? I’m not asking for your eyes to be dripping with passion, but... do you not like your wife?"

The moment the photographer said this, she felt the man’s gaze suddenly turn sharp as he stared at her in silence.

The photographer: "..."

Even if the client looked a little intimidating, she was a professional with a work ethic. And even though Victor’s stare made her want to take two steps back, she had to stand her ground and say, her voice firm, "President Morgan, if you do like her, you need to show it with your body language and in your eyes so my camera can capture it. Otherwise, when you look back on this wedding album in the future, you probably won’t be very satisfied with it."

The photographer silently added in her head, *Isn’t this just a waste of money? My hourly rate isn’t cheap.*

"I understand." After a moment of silence, Victor finally nodded, indicating he had taken her words to heart.

"So, what should I do?" Victor asked proactively.

The photographer’s attitude naturally softened now that the client was willing to learn. She analyzed the situation carefully and offered a suggestion. "You’re both a bit too stiff. It might be because we’re shooting in a hotel, which isn’t a place that makes Miss Sterling feel at ease. When she gets nervous, President Morgan, you might also get tense and unable to get into the right state..."

"You can try gently caressing your fiancée, or kissing her, to give her a sense of security. It doesn’t have to be too intimate, just a little. When I capture a candid moment like that, you won’t need any post-processing. That natural atmosphere will just appear between the two of you..."

The photographer never imagined that an engaged adult couple might have never kissed or even held hands before.

Victor: "..."

His face was perennially expressionless. Even now, as the photographer’s suggestion set off a small whirlwind in his mind, he still appeared calm and collected.

"President Morgan, Miss Sterling, shall we continue?" The photographer, having checked the lights and props, poked her head out from behind her camera and asked.