He cleared a spot on the small table in his bedroom, pushing aside a few scattered gadgets and an empty noddle cup.
Effie set the tray down—eggs, toast, fruit, and a cup of hot chocolate. Steam Rising.
"Let me fix something first."
He clicked into his streaming tab and picked up where he left off.
An anime episode with screaming characters and epic background music filled the room.
Effie took her seat across from him but didn't touch her food right away.
Instead, she rested her chin on her hand and just watched him eat, while enjoying the show.
Her lips curled into a small smile, absentminded, like she didn't even notice she was smiling.
Terrence glanced at her from the corner of his eye and couldn't help but think she was at the peak of her honeymoon phase.
She would probably calm down after a few days. For now, he just needed to go along with her overly clingy side—not that he minded.
"You're not eating?" he asked, eyes still on the screen.
"I will," she smiled, picking up a slice of toast. "Just watching you first."
He raised an eyebrow but didn't say more.
Between bites, he let out the occasional laugh at the show's over-the-top drama.
The main character was in the middle of a long speech about friendship , and the villains waited like in an idiot.
Effie quietly chewed, eyes locked on him like he was the main character in her life. No complaints, no distractions. Just... there. Present.
"You really don't mind this stuff?" he asked, pointing at the screen with his fork.
She shook her head. "Not really. It's your thing. I like seeing you happy."
He glanced over. Her eyes didn't flinch. No sarcasm, no fake interest. Just admiration.
It almost made him feel self-conscious.
"You know you're like the dream girl for a shut-in," he muttered, half-joking.
Effie bit her lips. "I only want to be your dream girl though."
Terrence glanced at her, caught off guard for a second.
Anime kept playing, but his attention was already on her. He set his fork down.
"Don't tell me you want to do it again?" He let out a forced chuckle.
She licked her fingers, not even pretending to look innocent. "I want to eat something else,"
Without waiting for a response, she knelt on the floor beneath the table, her hands slowly unzipping his pants.
It would be another session, and from how she played with his base, Terrence knew he was in for a time of pure, unadulterated pleasure.
She started sucking him, but a rapid succession of doorbells made her paused on her track
Quickly, she wiped her lips with the back of her hand, then crawled out from under the table.
She looked scared.
They didn't need to say anything. Both of them knew exactly who was behind that impatient ringing.
Terrence stuffed his phone into his pocket and zipped back his pants. "Let's go,"
Effie nodded and slipped on her sandals without a word.
Before heading out, she grabbed a glass and gulped down some water, trying to wash away the lingering smell of him from her mouth.
When they reached the first floor, the knocking stopped. But the tension in the air was there.
As expected, it was his relatives—uncles, aunts, cousins, and even his grandmother and grandfather.
Among them stood a man that was wearing a black suit—one of their family lawyers.
They looked angry, but he didn't back away. He stared right at them, showing no fear.
"Is this how you repay kindness? You stupid child!" his grandfather snapped, voice filled with anger.
"How you treat me is how I'll treat you. So what is it? You here to yell at us for turning in Uncle, or are you here to actually talk?"
His grandfather's jaw tightened. For a second, no one said anything.
The rest of the family stood silent. They did not expect Terrence to be this stubborn.
"We didn't raise you to disrespect your family," Tiffany finally stepped forward. "Your uncle—"
"Same words again? Aren't you tired of this?" he scoffed. "He's in jail because he deserved it. Period."
"And let's be real," he continued. "You're not here for him. You're here because you think we turned him in to get his assets. You're trying to corner us, thinking we need his money."
No one denied it.
"Well, take it then. I don't care. We don't need it." He stepped aside, leaving the doorway open.
"Go ahead. Strip the house, empty the accounts. If that's what you think matters right now, take it all. Just know it won't fix anything."
"You...You ungrateful child…" His grandfather gritted his teeth in anger.
Meanwhile, all his relatives stared at him with disgust.
Judging by their faces and how they acted, there was no saving this family now.
"Yeah, I'm an ungrateful piece of shit. Take everything—so I can finally cut all ties to this family."
Just as the tension rose, the family attorney stepped forward.
"Let's talk this out like civilized people," he said calmly. "The other side isn't fighting for the assets, so there's no need to escalate things."
Terrence agreed. He didn't want to waste time on them. The faster this drama ended, the better.
Inside the living room, the settlement began.
As expected, the attorney already knew the marriage was fake. There was even Effie's signature on a paper proving she agreed to it.
Instead of protesting, he told her to agree to their terms. She didn't question him.
She didn't care if they ended up poor after this, as long as she was with him.
Of course, they didn't act lovey-dovey in front of his relatives—that would only cause more unnecessary rumors.
When everything was settled, they were given three days to move out.
All the relatives left, staring at them like they were fools for agreeing to terms that clearly worked against them.
Little did they know, he didn't care about his uncle's assets. He planned to become a multi-billionaire, so money like that didn't even make him flinch.