Obedience No More He's the One I Deserved novel Chapter 148

Dawn wasn't so sure—she figured Ethan was just saying that to make her feel better. "Uncle Austin has always been like that. Don't take it too personally. I'll talk to him properly when I get the chance."

Ethan's eyes flickered as he turned the key in the ignition. "Oh, I'm sure. You heard it yourself—our work will overlap a bit soon, and in business, I'm the client. He's not going to make things hard for me."

"You're right."

With just those words, Dawn fell silent, lost in thought.

Ethan waited, expecting her to say more, but when she didn't, he finally spoke up. "What I mean is, you don't have to go out of your way to explain anything for me."

If Austin really were just Dawn's uncle, Ethan would treat him like any other elder.

But as a man, Ethan could see exactly what was in Austin's eyes.

That wasn't the way a grown man looked at his niece.

It was the way a man looked at a woman.

If Austin had those kinds of feelings, then fine—let him stew in the background. No need to give him any more attention.

Dawn rolled down the window a crack. The cold breeze hit her face, clearing her mind.

"You're right," she said after a moment. "Your connection is just work. If I don't bring anything up, he probably won't think about it. Let's just leave it for now."

She'd already said everything that needed to be said.

Whether Austin believed it or not was his own problem.

When they got back to the house, Hannah greeted them with a huge smile the moment she heard they'd gotten their marriage license. "This is such great news! If your grandfather and your parents knew, they'd be over the moon ... Wait, have you told them yet?"

Ethan's face stayed calm. "Haven't had the chance."

"That's alright, I'll tell them!"

Hannah fumbled for her phone, so excited she didn't quite know what to do first.

Watching her, Dawn couldn't help but smile. She let out a quiet breath and turned to Ethan. "I'm going to take a shower upstairs ... I have to stop by the office this afternoon."

Ethan watched her, pressing his tongue against his back teeth.

Most newlyweds would be showing off their marriage, but not Dawn.

She was as upright as ever, focused on work and bettering herself.

"Alright," he answered, a bit gruff, wanting to say more. But before he could, Dawn was already halfway up the stairs, eyes glued to her phone.

Dawn really was in a hurry. The design department was busier than ever. Every new product had to be ready as quickly as possible, and some pieces couldn't even be designed on a computer—they had to be hand-carved in wax, which took a lot more effort.

After her shower, she finally had a moment to check her phone.

The notifications from that one Instagram post had nearly blown up her inbox.

Since everyone was busy, Dawn didn't say much. She just called out, "I'm heading to work!" and slipped on her shoes.

Ethan hadn't even had time to react before the front door slammed shut.

" ... "

See?

His wife was so low-maintenance.

Two pings from his phone—Alex was blowing up the group chat again.

"What's with the silence, Ethan? Where are you and your new wife going to celebrate this afternoon?"

Brogan chimed in, "Shouldn't you be planning your wedding night instead?"

Alex replied, "Hey, you're right—today's Ethan's big day!"

Ethan was speechless.

A vein throbbed at his temple, his face darkening.

He immediately left the group chat.

Just then, Hannah finished her call and came out, noticing the scowl on his face. "Ethan, how come you look so grumpy when you just got married?"