Chapter 6
582words
Mr. Palmer's sudden revelation left my mind completely blank. For a long moment, I couldn't process anything. I glanced instinctively at the candle nearby, then turned my gaze back toward him.
"W-What do you mean by 'pleasure candle?'" I asked in a daze.
What did he mean? What exactly was he trying to say?
"When this kind of candle is lit, the scent it gives off can easily stir up certain urges in a person's body."
Mr. Palmer phrased it rather delicately, but I understood instantly what he meant. And it was precisely because I understood that I felt even more bewildered.
Why would Mom do this? Why would she light such a candle for me while I was sleeping? I was her daughter, so what good would this do her?
At that moment, I was utterly at a loss and simply stared blankly at Mr. Palmer.
"I usually settle accounts with Allison on Fridays, but she postponed it to Sunday and asked me to come today."
After Mr. Palmer said this, my mind seemed to buzz with a sudden, deafening hum.
At that moment, it felt like many things were connecting in my head, yet I didn't dare dwell on them too closely.
I had been busy with wedding preparations lately, so I only came back on weekends. And with how hectic things had been recently, I had been staying up late. This time, I didn't even go home, opting to rest here instead.
But as luck would have it, Mom scheduled her accounting session with Mr. Palmer for today. And it just so happened that she had to leave to pick up goods, leaving me alone in the shop. To make it all worse, she decided to light the pleasure candle near me.
If Mr. Palmer and I hadn't shown remarkable restraint earlier and taken things all the way, what would have happened?
For a moment, I felt completely lost. My mind was in chaos, and I had no idea what to do.
I opened my mouth to speak, only to find my words failing me.
"Why?" I asked dazedly.
Mr. Palmer's expression grew especially serious, as if he, too, couldn't make sense of what was happening.
Just then, I suddenly heard the sound of the shop door opening outside. Mom must be back!
Instinctively, I looked at Mr. Palmer in a panic.
"Go over to the side for now, while I go talk to Allison and try to find out why she did this."
For some reason, hearing Mr. Palmer say that brought me a sense of relief. I nodded quickly and ducked behind the curtains to hide.
"Someone's here? Why didn't you open the door? I thought you weren't in today," Mom grumbled.
Through a gap in the curtains, I saw Mom walk in. She looked surprised to see Mr. Palmer there, but then she glanced around as if searching for something.
"Where's Ruby?"
Mom seemed quite disappointed to see I wasn't there. Then, she glanced at the extinguished candle nearby, and her expression darkened considerably.
"Weren't you the one who asked me to come settle accounts today? Where did you go off to?" Mr. Palmer asked casually.
I saw Mom smile coquettishly before leaning into Mr. Palmer's arms and slipping her hand down to grasp his family jewels.
"What's wrong? Did you miss me?"
My eyes widened in shock when I saw what was happening.
Mom and Mr. Palmer were actually in that kind of relationship?
