"Shouldn't we be going home? Why are you taking me to a hotel instead?"
Moreau had sensed something unusual about Abihirt's decision from the start. Just waiting for the moment—the right moment to ask a question. At least here, when they were trapped in a room together. No one would interrupt, though she was wrong in her assumption, as a faint knock from outside immediately prompted the man to open the door. Moreau did not try to know who the person behind Abihirt's large body was. She did not want to deliberately shift her face just to risk a direct view. Let her stepfather speak for a moment. She didn't want to get involved in the conversation there either. Maybe it was just a custom as the owner relaying information to the hotel staff. It shouldn't be anything. Moreau kept waiting... until she finally noticed the new clothes in the man's hand. She instinctively looked down to scrutinize every single thing that clung to the body. They were still half damp. Need"One more shot." Moreau had been dealing with bad press all day. Her ex-boyfriend had unilaterally made the choice to end their relationship. She had been asking for a definitive reason since that sad moment, but Froy and the man's angry gaze were clearly refusing to talk. What an irony. Tomorrow was her mother's wedding day, and Moreau had no idea what the groom looked like. They were not introduced. Her mother was planning a silent necessity. There was even so much other pressure to leave serious blotches that it felt like they were punching holes in Moreau's heart. She was almost desperate to figure things out. Moments ago, she decided to go to a bar with the intention of calming down. The striking red dress was perfect on Moreau's slim body. Apparently, in front of the bar counter, Moreau was sitting alone. Staring at a few empty glasses—the wine was gone. Thus, her throat was like ashes with the remains of a fire. It was completely barren. Moreau never thought that she would
Abihirt Lincoln woke up to find a young girl wrapped in thick blankets in his bed. He blinked a few times, trying hard to remember the remnants of last night's bet. The bastard Roki had brazenly added stimulant powder to the last cocktail glass—which had to be gulped down—to celebrate the upcoming wedding day. "Asshole!" Abihirt cursed while rubbing his rough face. This morning was the blessing. He glanced at the digital clock on the nightstand. 30 minutes to go, but as the groom-Abihirt had yet to make any preparations. For a moment, the gray eyes scanned the innocent face, which slowly began to frown to avoid the light streaming through the white curtains. Abihirt picked up the cloth scattered around the edge of the bed. Putting his white shirt back on, he raised one eyebrow high when he noticed that the bright blue iris had completely opened and were staring in complete surprise. "Who are you?" Moreau's breath caught. No one would have expected that in front of her a full-grow
A futile attempt at escape. Moreau's breath caught at the reflection in the mirror. A person with a pale-even completely disheveled-face was trying to compose herself. Moreau didn't know what else she could do after this. When Barbara noticed such a slow arrival at the wedding, her steps immediately left the people around. There was no better place to hide than the hotel bathroom. Moreau was still at a loss as to what to do after accepting the fact that last night's forbidden act had crossed the line. Literally-the incident with the strange man would not have fallen into the most complicated rut. They were not related by blood. He would just be Moreau's stepfather, though there was one important thing... she would feel awkward when they were under the same roof. Moreau was sure she could have become independent, had Barbara given her permission. It was just that she considered Moreau an asset and would not allow her to take one step out of the building left behind by her biologica
"You should get along better with my new husband, Moreau. But you must remember to behave yourself. Don't wear sexy clothes while Abi is home." So early in the morning Barbara had said a series of words, which had not even crossed Moreau's mind. She found it odd to think that since when would Barbara care about how she dressed? Never. Only after she had remarried. All the anticipation was there and the slightest hint of a cornered tone as if Moreau had been prepared, or perhaps Barbara had a hunch? Moreau would make sure that what happened that night. Would never happen again. "Did you hear me, Moreau?" Barbara's question again - the song filled the room, pushing Moreau back to the surface. She blinked, then glanced at her mother's stern face. "I dress openly only when performing on stage or at important tournaments. Even then, it's still within polite and normal levels. The rest of the time, as you've always seen, my clothes are ordinary," Moreau snarled as she pulled the fron
"I've warned you many times, Abi. Stop consuming alcohol. You know it has unpredictable interactions with medications. Your vitamins will be waiting if you don't show up on time." Roger always had a reason to lecture him with all kinds of sentences that unfolded at times like this. The special check-up schedule, which unfortunately could not be rearranged, despite Abihirt's serious attempts to avoid the doctor and most intimate cousin. He gave Roger a half squint after the man slid a bottle of vitamin capsules and circled the schedule for a blood transfusion. "Come back here next week. Got it, Abi-oh stop playing with my expensive collection!" Roger immediately got up-not that he was going to let Abihirt run his fingertips over his expensive robot series. He quickly slid the glass cabinet shut-carefully-then pocketed the key into his coat pocket. There were various kinds of patients, and they did not dare to just glance, but this one was an exception. "Let me remind you again,
"So, can you explain to me why your family wasn't at the wedding yesterday?" Moreau would not be put off any longer by her curiosity after her accidental encounter with Froy. It was strange to know Abihirt was related by blood to her former lover, but Froy was nowhere to be seen on the wedding day. Now she was beginning to doubt what Abihirt's unrevealed thoughts were. Moreau feared that Abihirt was ultimately a dangerous man, while she and her mother had become involved in a committed relationship with him. Moreau's fingers unconsciously tightened waiting for Abihirt to say something, at least a little, even though the man seemed to be so preoccupied with reading the file she had brought at Barbara's request. How serious... Abihirt's cold face was unbelievably handsome. Moreau swallowed roughly. Trying not to be mesmerized - unwilling to stare at the man's face any longer. She preferred to move her attention around the office. It was a beautiful place. Almost every corner of th
Abihirt soared up from the second floor of a building only to observe a beautiful, slender body with perfect curves... twirling its arms and legs on a slippery layer of ice. The solemn sight would almost never make Abihirt leave her natural brown hair, tied in a ponytail, swaying in various directions with every movement created. Moreau is beautiful to look at from any angle. A natural image of the young leaf's radiance. Occasionally, there was a faint smile as Moreau's bright blue eyes smiled amusedly at the man she was dancing with. Juan Baker began to lift— perhaps—so lightly with such youth that Moreau seemed to have put all her trust into never doubting anything that was about to happen. They looked good together as figure skaters. Dancing like a couple and Abihirt would look away for a moment... at the close-ups of faces. There was no kiss. Just Moreau's hand cupping Juan Baker's face as the corner of Abihirt's eye tried to keep looking. Moreau's smile and laughter in the
"Thank you for your interest in injecting funds into our organization's team, Mr. Lincoln. Many people know you as a successful young entrepreneur, so it would be great if more people would consider sponsoring us in the future." "No need to be shy, Mr. Pablo. My late mother was also a former ice dancer. I'm happy to do it." It was only when Barbara recounted Moreau's busy day and everything on the young girl's personal file. Abihirt was suddenly interested in doing challenging activities. The many stories about his mother's elegance had always intrigued and mesmerized him. There was no denying that Moreau's beautifully curved body had slightly whetted Abihirt's worn-out appetite. Simply getting into something-apparently-wouldn't be enough to give Abihirt leverage. He looked up at Mr. Pablo and accepted the handshake of the man before him. The deal was loaded. The conversation was over. He needed to leave this place after handing over some work in full to his right-hand man. Besides
"Shouldn't we be going home? Why are you taking me to a hotel instead?" Moreau had sensed something unusual about Abihirt's decision from the start. Just waiting for the moment—the right moment to ask a question. At least here, when they were trapped in a room together. No one would interrupt, though she was wrong in her assumption, as a faint knock from outside immediately prompted the man to open the door. Moreau did not try to know who the person behind Abihirt's large body was. She did not want to deliberately shift her face just to risk a direct view. Let her stepfather speak for a moment. She didn't want to get involved in the conversation there either. Maybe it was just a custom as the owner relaying information to the hotel staff. It shouldn't be anything. Moreau kept waiting... until she finally noticed the new clothes in the man's hand. She instinctively looked down to scrutinize every single thing that clung to the body. They were still half damp. Need
Moreau was a little tense about the various reasons lodged in her mind. Abihirt's touch had caused an electric shock and the most important part was that the wound from Froy's actions might become apparent. That could be evidenced from Abihirt's suddenly silent facial expression, while the man's fingers moved slowly. It was as if he wanted to give her a light stroke, then instantly became a firm grip—not painful on her neck, but enough to scare Moreau. Worried that Abihirt would suddenly strangle her when the man was not in good control; angry perhaps, though there was still no specific reaction to be found, other than her stepfather remaining still. Or actually not .... "Why didn't you tell me this from the start?" the man asked in a voice that sounded like skepticism-disbelief. It almost made Moreau flinch and blink quickly so as not to arouse more suspicion. "Tell you what?" She understood where Abihirt was going with this. Intentionally feigning
Moreau let her hand soak in the water, letting the touch there, on Abihirt's arm like leaving a trace of mutual need. "Your mother will not be home today." Then a whisper from that deep, hoarse voice added something Moreau had hardly ever thought about. Reflexively... she parted her lips and asked, "Why?" "Your mother asked permission to take a vacation." Okay. She might have forgotten that; about Barbara's statement the other day during their dinner together. But that didn't mean this was part of their freedom, did it? Moreau still wanted to keep the boundaries or actually she was still waiting for when the irritation in her mind would disappear. "But I still want to go home," she said finally. Let Abihirt relent. The man should always give in, though Moreau unexpectedly felt her stepfather's embrace loosen. Only briefly, which made the new touch feel more intimate as she was lifted high and invited to sit by the lake. Perhaps Abihirt
"Thank you." There shouldn't have been anything else. The only thing Moreau wanted to do was put the necklace back on. She would be self-sufficient for times like this. Ironically, there was no time to read the slightest warning when Abihirt unexpectedly pulled her into the lake. "Abi—my phone!" Moreau shouted instinctively. She was now flooded quite high up. Almost her entire body was completely wet. And the very first thing she did was to grab the handheld cell phone that was clearly tucked into the back pocket of her pant. At least it was still on, but it was quite doubtful that it would last after almost the entire compound was submerged in water. She gave Abihirt a sharp look. Didn't know whether to feel grateful when still holding the necklace in hand so tightly. Probably, she would have gone straight to the edge just to make sure if her cell phone was okay or not. Moreau lifted the flat object high into the air. The lake shore felt shallow enough tha
"You have to be careful." Don't know why, but that's what Moreau said. She looked longingly at Abihirt's face. The first brief reaction was a faint nod. There was nothing else to do when she only needed to observe her stepfather's body was out of sight. Abihirt dived. Moreau did not expect that she would be waiting for quite some time. That was surprising. There was no clue about her stepfather from the start. Abihirt's method was definitely not like Froy's who often popped into the air, though this made Moreau feel very scared as she further examined the calm surface after a few puddle runs. Abihirt was completely unpredictable about appearing, and then... at times she would daydream—the sound of splashing water immediately drawing her attention closer. Moreau straightened her shoulders. Unfortunately, she would not immediately find Abihirt turning his head towards her. The man presumably just wanted to scoop up some oxygen and dive back into the water.
Moreau's body suddenly stiffened at the sight of the water splashing, while Abihirt had gotten closer to Froy. The man offered help to his nephew and there was some relief that they were slowly swimming to the shore. She and Gabriel instinctively ran to the lip of the lake. It wasn't Froy Moreau was thinking about. Only her stepfather. Let Gabriel take the remaining action by welcoming the man—who seemed to be panting—to be laid down on the grass with a groan. The cramping was painful. The feeling could be imagined so clearly in her mind. Moreau winced, but also looked over to find that Abihirt had climbed to the ground. Now the man towered over her soaking wet. Staring at his nephew half annoyed, though saying nothing but letting Froy calm down a bit more. Slowly... at least it had subsided. There was still no conversation. However, Gabriel again offered to help when Froy tried to get up from his seat and looked up hesitantly. "I can't find the necklace."
Moreau continued to watch her stepfather. The unpredictable handsome man was now at least trying not to be incensed at any form of resistance from Froy. "You know that throwing something small into the lake will make it difficult for you to find, so why do you keep doing it? You keep throwing Moreau's necklace for no reason." Abihirt's question was simple enough, but it more than made Froy almost faint. The man's eyes moved restlessly. It took a few moments of pause to actually find an answer. "I was out of line, Uncle. I was angry at the attitude you gave Lewi and the way you gave the necklace to Moreau instead!" That was like a huge protest. Froy's voice boomed loudly. The man was lucky, because it seemed like Abihirt had paid with money to make people leave the park, which Moreau only realized when she looked around. Not a surprise. She should be used to it. "What's wrong with that? Didn't I replace Lewi's necklace with a new one?" Abihirt's statement this time made Fro
Moreau thought that Gabriel's involvement in the trip to Sierre De Guadarrama National Park was something that made it an unfair prospect. However, it turned out that she was wrong to include such a notion, as Abihirt's wishes were more understandable when asking her to move to Gabriel's car, while the man walked into the building—quite a flashy place there. Moreau had been to this place before; it was where Froy got married and she ended up asking for permission to leave early. It was a little odd to think that Abihirt had actually come to the man's nephew for some sort of accountability. Now she found her stepfather forcing Froy to walk. Although it seemed forced, Froy would have no choice. The man's body had disappeared in the car. Only a tendrils of shadow remained, then she also had to watch Abihirt's body get into the driver's seat. The car engine started and that's when Gabriel understood to bring them up behind. "Abi wants to ask his nephew to dive
Moreau shook her head for a while. In the end, she decided to lift her face. She was almost surprised—of course, because this was not what she wanted to find; the smallest hint of disappointment on her stepfather's handsome face, no matter how much Abihirt tried to keep every detail of the reaction between them brief. The necklace left to her was indeed a lasting memory and Moreau was sure it was very-very precious. "I apologize." She still could not take it for granted that Abihirt did not want to prosecute anything at the moment. There was an impact where her heart felt like it was being crushed. Staring at the man made her eyes sting and heat up. To the time that kept crawling forward... would soon be accompanied by seepage of water and Moreau would not be able to hold back. Perhaps Abihirt understood how worry controlled the fear in her mind, so the man hugged instead of saying angry. Hugging after letting her tremble as if this was an unexpected outburst of trouble. "N