The next morning, Gal Gadot woke up on time from her sleep, instinctively reached out beside her, and couldn't help but shake her head and smile. Last night, Murphy had mentioned that he needed to go to the Fox Building of 20th Century Fox early in the morning to prepare for an 11 AM press conference. He was likely already in Century City by now.
Gal Gadot casually threw on a robe and walked into the bathroom to freshen up. The mirror above the sink clearly reflected her slender figure; in some aspects, she was a bit too thin.
As she picked up her toothbrush, she suddenly felt a burning pain in several places on her body simultaneously. Frowning slightly, she looked at herself in the mirror. Her fair, smooth skin was marked with over a dozen long red marks. Apart from a particularly prominent one above her chest, the other marks were not too obvious, just faint traces, but they were still somewhat shocking.
Instinctively, she raised a hand and gently touched the most prominent red mark extending from above her chest to near her neck. As her long fingers brushed against the red skin, the pain intensified, but Gal Gadot suddenly tilted her head back, letting out a faint sound from her nose and mouth, her long eyes closing as if she were reveling in this sensation.
Her fingers pressed slightly harder, and memories of the wild scenes with Murphy last night filled her mind. She had been tied to a cross, under the gaze of Christ and God, receiving Satan's torment like a pitiful angel...
The hand holding the toothbrush moved unconsciously, sliding down from her waist. Gal Gadot felt as if Murphy's fingers were caressing her body. As the toothbrush approached a sensitive area, a strange feeling made her dizzy head suddenly clear.
"Damn it!" She quickly raised both hands, lightly slapping her face with her free hand. Looking at her slightly flushed skin in the mirror, she muttered, "What are you thinking? Wasn't last night enough?"
The answer was obvious. Because Murphy had to wake up early today, last night's madness lasted only half an hour. Compared to usual, both the intensity and duration were too short.
Gal Gadot shook her head, tossed the toothbrush into the trash can, and took a cold shower in the adjacent bathroom. The icy water cascading over the red welts made her shiver and fully wake up.
After washing up and blow-drying her hair, Gal Gadot left the bathroom, glancing at the clock on the wall. Realizing she had taken longer than usual, she decided to skip her daily exercise routine and headed straight to the walk-in closet to get dressed and go downstairs for breakfast. Margot Robbie, who she had an appointment with, would be arriving soon.
Standing in front of the dressing mirror, Gal Gadot noticed a problem. The red marks Murphy had left last night were mostly in the usual places, lower down on her body. After a cold shower, they were barely noticeable and could easily be covered by clothes. However, there was a particularly noticeable mark on her neck because she had taken the whip from Murphy at one point, frustrated by his light touch, and accidentally hit herself near the neck.
This location was hard to cover.
"I must be crazy," she muttered, shaking her head, feeling like Murphy had completely corrupted her. Initially, they had only played some intimate games involving Wonder Woman and Ares, but their activities had grown increasingly intense over time. And instead of feeling repulsed, she found herself enjoying it.
Pushing these thoughts aside, Gal Gadot walked through the spacious walk-in closet, which housed over a hundred outfits, most of them custom-made. Finally, she found a high-necked sweater. While it couldn't completely cover the mark, it made it much less noticeable.
Pairing the top with low-rise skinny jeans and light-colored running shoes, she went downstairs. In the dining room, the butler promptly had the maids serve breakfast.
"When did Murphy leave?" she asked the butler while eating.
"He left before six," the butler replied after thinking for a moment. "He drove himself."
Gal Gadot frowned. "Without bodyguards?"
"The bodyguards followed behind," the butler added.
Gal Gadot nodded. Since Murphy had been attacked at Santa Monica's shopping plaza, she had strictly ordered the bodyguards to always accompany him outside, not knowing what those crazy fans might do next.
Taking a sip of skim milk, she said, "Maggie is coming over later. She'll stay for lunch, so have the chef prepare some Australian-style dishes."
"Yes, ma'am," the butler said, then left for the kitchen after seeing Gal Gadot wave her hand.
After breakfast, about half an hour later, a red Ferrari sped into the estate and stopped in front of the villa. Margot Robbie got out and entered the villa, complaining when she saw Gal Gadot, "You finally have some time. How can Murphy overwork you like this!"
"It's the critical moment for the Oscars," Gal Gadot said, pulling her to sit down. "Who will help him if I don't?"
"Yeah, yeah," Margot Robbie accepted a glass of lemon water from a maid and thanked her before continuing, "Your life revolves entirely around Murphy."
Gal Gadot pointed to the glass. "Alright, stop complaining. This lemon is from the tree in my backyard. Try it."
"Really?" Margot Robbie took a sip. "It's really sour."
She looked around and said, "I've been so bored lately. Let's go play some pool in your game room."
Margot Robbie pulled Gal Gadot towards the first-floor game room.
"I read an article about you in the Los Angeles Times yesterday," Gal Gadot said, opening the door to the game room and leading Margot Robbie to the pool table. "How's your PR going?"
"Not great," Margot Robbie replied, somewhat lacking confidence. "Just getting a nomination would be good enough. I don't think I have much chance of winning."
She picked up a cue stick and handed one to Gal Gadot. "Do you want to break, or should I?"
"I'll do it," Gal Gadot said, walking to one end of the table and leaning over to break. But as she bent down, the high-necked sweater couldn't completely hide the mark on her neck.
She didn't notice it, but sharp-eyed Margot Robbie did.
With a sharp crack, Gal Gadot broke the rack, scattering the balls. As she stood up, she noticed Margot Robbie staring at her.
"What's up, Maggie?"
"Your neck," Margot Robbie walked over. "What's with the marks?"
"It's nothing," Gal Gadot said, not trying to hide it since Margot Robbie had already noticed. "I accidentally did it to myself last night."
Margot Robbie was now close enough to see the red welt clearly through the high neck of the sweater. "It looks like someone hit you..."
Her eyes widened in anger. "Did Murphy abuse you?"
"Maggie, what are you thinking?" Gal Gadot felt helpless, dropping the cue stick. "Murphy would never abuse me."
Margot Robbie stared at the mark. "Did he bully you? Gal, you can't tolerate this. If it happens once, it'll happen again."
She hesitated before suggesting, "Should we call the police?"
"Dear, you're overthinking it," Gal Gadot knew Margot Robbie was concerned for her and patiently explained, "It's not domestic abuse."
"But..." Margot Robbie's fingers brushed the red mark on Gal Gadot's neck. "Seeing these makes me sad."
The touch triggered memories from last night in Gal Gadot's mind, making her quickly step aside, away from Margot Robbie's fingers.
Margot Robbie, feeling genuinely worried, said, "Just thinking that someone hurt you makes me want to fight them!"
Gal Gadot appreciated Margot Robbie's concern and knew her friend was looking out for her. She explained, "This happened when Murphy and I were... being intimate. I accidentally did it to myself."
"Really?" Margot Robbie was stunned. "How did you get hurt there?"
She remembered past conversations with Gal Gadot about intimate matters and asked, "Did you guys play those intense games again?"
Being close friends, they often talked about personal topics. Gal Gadot nodded. "Yes, I thought Murphy was too gentle, so I hit myself a few times."
"Oh my God," Margot Robbie rolled her eyes. "You two are wild."
Then, intrigued, she asked, "Have you ever hit Murphy?"
Gal Gadot shook her head. "No, it's always him taking the initiative."
"Dear," Margot Robbie, now full of curiosity, said, "You should try taking the lead. Don't you want to hit him?"
Gal Gadot shrugged, not saying anything.
Margot Robbie, clearly fascinated, bombarded her with questions, even delving into details.
"I can't tell you these things," Gal Gadot said, becoming cautious when it came to Murphy. "Some things are private. If you're so curious, try it yourself."
"Really?" Margot Robbie looked eager. "Let's try it ourselves."
Gal Gadot glanced at her, thinking she was joking. "If I did it, I'd beat you to a pulp."
"Then forget it," Margot Robbie suggested, "But can you show me the tools you use?"
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