From Deadbeat To Doting; Something Is Wrong With My Husband!-Chapter 56: Visiting The Queen Of Diamonds

A sudden contraction hit her gut. "Nnngh..." The groan forced its way out as she doubled over.

By the time the pain subsided enough for her to breathe, Annie was already gone.

Brianna lay there, holding the box to her chest, while her mind drifted to the man downstairs. Could it have been Lucian? She immediately shook her head.

The thought was almost funny. She squeezed her eyes shut, as a hollow ache bloomed in her chest that had nothing to do with her cramps.

’Don’t be a fool,’ she told herself. ’Lucian Colburn didn’t have a "sweet" bone in his body.’

Even if he were playing the part of the doting husband for an audience, he wouldn’t stoop to something this... observant.

...

By the time Brianna woke up, yawning, her senses were covered with the sweet aroma of breakfast. The pain from yesterday had turned into a dull ache now.

On the nightstand sat a tray.

Upon reaching for the lid, Brianna found a steaming bowl of dark chocolate oatmeal topped with raspberries and pumpkin seeds; the ultimate comfort for a body wracked by cramps.

Yet, her eyes narrowed. She was allergic to the oats. Annie knew this; Annie wouldn’t stumble so carelessly.

She thought of Lucian briefly.

No.

Though the thought stayed with her as she descended the stairs. And when she got to the dining room, she found Senior Mrs. Colburn sitting across from Lucian.

Brianna looked between them; mother sipping from a fine China teacup and pretending as if she hadn’t tried to erase her own son from the genealogy months prior.

And son... looking normal–but Brianna interpreted his ’normal’ as the look of someone plotting revenge.

They were both–strange.

Pulling out a chair, Brianna sat down.

"You are here? The tray I sent to your room, was it not to your liking?" Lucian narrowed his eyes.

"Why are you here?" Lucian’s voice was cool, a shadow of a question. "Did you not find the breakfast I sent to your room?"

Brianna laughed in her mind. This man must think she’s stupid. She couldn’t tell what he wanted to do with that move–breakfast in bed–but she sure as hell wasn’t going to be caught off guard.

Brianna’s lips tilted into a gleaming smile; ’Look at him. I bet he didn’t see that coming.’

Leaning in, Brianna tilted her head slightly, letting her gaze lock onto his. Because her face was red, when she smiled, it was misinterpreted as a flirt.

"Let’s just say I was possessed by a sudden, desperate need to see... my husband."

Lucian cleared his throat, looking away; a rare fracture in his composure.

Did Thomas really mean what he said last night? Was this woman dangerously obsessed with him that she couldn’t wait to see him?

With her indifferent personality? No. He shook his head, looking everywhere but at her beautiful face.

Brianna on the other hand believed she had uttered him speechless with her clever move. She smiled at the thought of winning this round, before taking a mouthful of waffles to celebrate.

"That reminds me. Grandmother called." Lucian remarked casually, making Brianna hiccup loudly.

She hoped it wasn’t what she thought it was. She hadn’t signed and wasn’t planning to sign the permanent marriage contract!

...

Brianna sat in the back of the car, her gaze fixed on the passing city, but her mind was on the Dowager.

Her finger traced a slow, repetitive circle on the leather seat—round and round—wondering what the old woman wanted with this sudden, imperial request.

It better not be the permanent marriage contract. She groaned internally, shifting her fingers to trace the heavy jewelry on her neck and ears; the set Senior Mrs. Colburn had delivered through Secretary Ye weeks ago, she had forced her to wear it today.

"President Lucian, since we’re going to the hospital to see Madam Colburn, have you already prepared a gift for her?" Thomas’s voice came from the front.

But there was no answer.

When Brianna turned her head, she found his eyes already anchored on her. She furrowed her brows at his unwavering gaze.

Meanwhile, Lucian was lost in his head. ’Look at you, wife. Window-gazing like a tragic heroine in a three-hour indie film.’

Lucian couldn’t help but watch her. She was doing that thing again—tracing invisible circles on the leather seat, round and round, a nervous tic that screamed get me out of here!

It was a small habit, but it did something weird to him. He had this sudden, stupid urge to reach out, cover her hand with his, and tell her to just stop.

But now she turned and gave him an indifferent glare, the spell snapped like a dry twig and Lucian immediately pivoted. He caught Thomas’s eyes in the rearview mirror instead.

"What did you just say?"

Thomas cleared his throat, repeating again. "The gift for Madam Colburn, sir? Is it ready?"

"I don’t have anything. Why?"

Screeeech!

The sudden halt made Brianna lurched forward, and a tiny gasp escaped her as gravity tried to throw her into the dashboard.

Before she could face-plant, Lucian’s arm was there, slamming across her chest to pin her safely against the seat.

"Thomas. Could you be any more careful? You almost hurt her."

He turned to Brianna, his touch lingering a second too long on her shoulder. "Are you okay? Talk to me."

However, Brianna didn’t look grateful. She looked like she’d just been touched by a monster. She slapped his hand away, her voice coming out like pointed knives. "I’m fine. Don’t make a scene."

Lucian, who was caught off guard, suddenly let go and slumped back in his seat. The adrenaline he was feeling seconds ago faded into a faint irritation.

Stammering, Thomas looked like he wanted to crawl into the engine block. "Sir, I am incredibly sorry. But we can’t show up empty-handed. Madam Colburn... She’s known as the Queen of Diamonds. If we don’t have a tribute, it’s my head on the block. I should have reminded you, I should have—"

"I don’t even remember the woman’s face, let alone her jewelry taste," Lucian cut him off, sighing. "Fine. What does she actually like?"

"Diamonds, sir. Big ones. But maybe leave it to me? I can find a boutique nearby—"

"No," Lucian interrupted. He turned his head slowly toward Brianna. A smirk crept onto his face. "Since it’s a gift for a woman, Thomas, who understands the fickle heart of a woman better than another one?"

He leaned in closer to Brianna, his eyes dancing with a mix of mischief and pure provocation. "Right, honey? Why don’t you go pick out something expensive for me?"

...

Brianna didn’t know why she agreed to this. Maybe it was because of Lucian’s creepy smile? She shuddered instantly, suppressing the mental image from her head.

When they stepped into the boutique, the manager practically prostrated himself the moment he saw Lucian. "President Lucian! What a fine pleasure visiting our small boutique like this. Are we looking for a modest token today?"

"Ask her," Lucian said, leaning against a mahogany pillar with effortless grace, looking like a man who hadn’t just nearly caused a three-car pileup.

When she had suggested they get flowers for the suck woman, Thomas had looked at her like she had grown a second head. Insisting the queen of diamonds needed to be treated in a certain sophisticated way not every woman understands.

’Not every woman understands?’ She scoffed inwardly. ’We’ll see about that.’

Brianna rolled her eyes at the thought as she glanced at the pieces arranged on the table. She didn’t look at the elegant sapphires or the classic gold bands.

Her eyes scanned the table like a predator until they landed on a velvet-lined case at the very back, guarded by its own laser grid.

Inside sat a necklace that looked like it had been stolen from a museum—or a small kingdom. It was a chaotic explosion of ’Pigeon Blood’ rubies and rare black diamonds, centered around a stone the size of a pigeon’s egg.

It was heavy, gaudy, and screamed ’I have more money than sense!’

"That one," Brianna pointed, her eyes gleaming with a touch of malice.

Even the manager hesitated. "The ’Eternal Empress’ set? It’s... quite a statement piece, Madam. It costs more than a private jet."

"It’s perfect," she said, turning to Lucian with a sugary-sweet, fake smile that didn’t reach her eyes. "After all, we want your grandmother to know exactly how much we value her, don’t we? It would be an insult to buy anything less."

Thomas, standing by the door, let out a choked sound that was half-cough, half-sob.

That necklace cost enough to fund a small country’s education system for a decade. However, it didn’t have a massive stone on top. It looked like the creators were stingy with the stone.

Mrs. Colburn wasn’t even trying to beat the allegations!

"’Leave the shopping to a woman’, he says." Thomas muttered.

He knew he was going to face whatever consequences when the Dowager expresses disinterest in the gift!