Marrying a Secret Zillionaire: Happy ever after - Chapter 72

Chapter 72:

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Just how extraordinary was she to have this effect on Collin?

One thing was certain—he needed to find a chance to properly get to know her.

Collin gripped the velvet box tightly as he rushed back to Vista Villa at top speed.

Hearing the distant hum of an approaching car, the butler frowned, puzzled. It wasn’t until he spotted Collin wheeling himself inside that he spoke up in surprise. “Mr. Riley, I thought you mentioned you might not be coming home tonight?”

Collin’s gaze flicked toward him, his expression unreadable. If it weren’t for the butler’s message, he wouldn’t have come rushing back like this.

“Where’s Linsey?” he asked, his fingers unconsciously tightening around the box.

The butler let out a small chuckle. “Mr. Riley, it’s the middle of the night. She’s been asleep for hours.”

Collin hesitated. Only now did he realize it was nearly two hours past midnight. A quiet laugh escaped him. Of course. Normal people would be asleep by now. There was no reason to wake Linsey at this hour.

“Alright. Let her know to come to the study when she wakes up,” he said.

With that, he wheeled himself toward the study, already shifting his focus to urgent company matters. The butler watched him go, scratching his head, still unsure what had prompted Collin’s sudden return.

Linsey slept soundly until the morning light filtered through her curtains. After washing up, she made her way to the dining room, only to find Collin nowhere in sight. Assuming he hadn’t come home last night after all, she thought nothing of it—until the butler approached her.

“Mrs. Riley, Mr. Riley asked that you go to the study after breakfast.” Linsey blinked in surprise. “Collin came back? This morning?”

She had woken up early. How had she not heard anything?

The butler smiled. “He returned late last night and went straight to the study. He hasn’t come out since.”

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Linsey frowned, irritation flickering across her face. He had come home so late, yet instead of resting, he had locked himself in the study to work.

Did he have no regard for his health at all?

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. The lavish breakfast before her suddenly lost all appeal—she had no appetite, no patience. She just wanted to find Collin and confront him directly.

Outside the study, she inhaled deeply, mentally running through everything she wanted to say. Then, raising her hand, she knocked firmly on the door.

“Who is it?” Collin’s deep voice carried from inside.

She pressed her lips together and replied softly, “It’s me.”

And just like that, her irritation wavered. She had intended to sound firm, but the moment she spoke to him, her voice softened without her meaning to.

Ever since learning about the hardships he had endured within his family, she had felt an instinctive urge to be gentler with him—as if, somehow, she could make up for all the coldness and cruelty he had faced. But she knew her efforts were limited. The only thing she could do was try her best to show him that there was still warmth in the world.

“Come in,” Collin said.

For a split second, she thought she heard something different in his tone—less distant, almost gentle.

She pushed the door open and found him seated at his desk. The moment their eyes met, his expression softened, and he reached for the velvet box that had been sitting there all night, ready to hand it to her as she stepped forward.

But Linsey, too focused on her frustration, didn’t notice.

Fixing her gaze on him, she asked, “Collin, have you always been like this—completely indifferent to your own health?”

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