"Where's Adrian?" Angeline asked.Adrian was an engineer who had been involved in the engine design since Sean's time. After that, she personally negotiated to bring him on board the project."Mr. Rostova is on leave today," the manager quickly responded. "But when he heard you were coming this afternoon, he said he would be here."Angeline nodded. After taking a tour around the research center, she directed everyone to the conference room for a meeting.The meeting lasted over four hours, and Adrian rushed over as soon as he got the message.Admittedly, the progress at the research center had accelerated with his involvement, but it still fell short of her expectations. For her, money wasn't an issue. The problem was the urgency to obtain results.After the meeting, the research center team invited Angeline to a dinner.Sensing her fatigue, Taylor approached and whispered, "Ms. Lawson, you have a video conference at 7:30 pm. I'm afraid dinner won't be possible."She nodded and
In the pitch-dark bedroom, a man with a cold, stern expression sat on the couch. As the bedroom door opened, warm light from the living room spilled onto his feet.Angeline's grip on the door handle tightened, and her vision blurred slightly due to the alcohol. She wasn't sure if she was hallucinating from drinking too much or if the man was actually in the suite.Their eyes met, and she adjusted her emotions faster than she expected.Holding her white blazer that had been draped over her arm, she stood at the door without turning on the light and asked, "Why are you here at this hour? Don't you need to stay with Melissa? Aren't you afraid of your identity being exposed?"Sean's gaze was fixed on the dazzling diamond ring on her ring finger. It was even more striking in the darkness.He looked up at her with his deep-set eyes and demanded, "Take off that eyesore on your finger!"It was the first time she had heard his voice sound so deep and commanding. She glanced down at the di
Sean bit Angeline's lip forcefully and demanded coldly, "Open your eyes! Look at me!"Fresh air rushed into her chest, and she gasped loudly while trembling uncontrollably. Even her legs were shaking vigorously.In the darkness, the man's deep eyes seemed even more profound. He pressed his thumb against her chin, forcing her to look at him.He asked, "Was it worthy to lose someone you love just to keep Thomas alive?"Sean's rough thumb pressed against her lips, which he had kissed until they looked like ripe berries. Expressionless, he stared straight at her with his dark eyes, exuding a low pressure and unfamiliarity.Then, he began to kiss her wildly, but there wasn't a hint of desire in his eyes. They were cold enough to make it seem like he could strangle her to death in the next moment.Angeline's lips were pressed together, her hazy consciousness finally returning. However, her thoughts were still unclear due to the alcohol. Even the ceiling seemed to be spinning.She refu
"Stop…" Angeline said, wanting to pull her hands out of Sean's grasp to push him away.However, her wrists were firmly fixed, unable to move an inch. She turned her head to avoid him, but his thumb pressed against her chin and pushed her face back.Lightning once again tore through the night outside the floor-to-ceiling window.In the light, the features on his face appeared even more distinct, exuding a cold, ascetic, and unfeeling demeanor. His gaze toward her carried a high and mighty sharpness, with a terrifying madness subtly lurking within his calm looks.Kissed to the point of near confusion, Angeline saw herself reflected in his pitch-black pupils. She saw her small figure in his eyes, and her heart pounded wildly.Sean's breathing was heavy, and his shirt was unbuttoned, revealing the firm, smooth lines of his muscles beneath the open collar.As the rumbling, bean-sized raindrops pelted the glass, her silk blouse was stripped away. In the darkness, his possessiveness bur
Angeline struggled to get up. With her feet on the carpet, she tried to stand up twice but failed. Her legs were weak and sore from the night before.Then, she noticed she was in a silk camisole nightgown.She vaguely recalled Sean helping her change into it. No one else could have done it other than him. She picked up the water cup from the carpet and placed it on the nightstand. Supporting herself on the edge of the bed, she stood up.Her mouth was dry, and her throat parched as if it were on fire.She had accidentally knocked over the cup earlier, so she needed to go out to get water. Just as she grabbed the handle of the suite bedroom door and opened it a crack, a large hand grabbed her arm and pushed the door closed.Angeline, already weak and sore, fell into the arms of the man who was still damp from a shower. She turned around and, to her surprise, Sean was still there.Her eyes widened with shock."Sean, why… why are you still here?" she asked, a little anxious. If
Sean was physically and mentally sated after a passionate night. He looked a lot less menacing than he'd been the night before.He gave Angeline another hard and deep kiss, almost making her run out of breath. At the same time, the passion and intimacy made her tingle all over. It made her heart race, and she felt weak.Sean's breathing was erratic, too. He said, "I'll talk to Brayden—your deal with him is off. I was willing to let Thomas off the hook for your sake. If not for that, even Brayden wouldn't have been able to take him away so easily."And so… you don't have to force yourself to marry Nathaniel. I don't want to see my wife marrying someone else.""It's too late." Angeline caught her breath and looked into his eyes. "You can see what things are like online now. If I don't marry Nathaniel, I'll get dragged into the mess between Ned and Ingrid. Those netizens will come after me again."Once Nathaniel and I are engaged and later married, I'll keep up my end of the bargain
Angeline's tears finally fell as she spoke. Once the words were out of her mouth, she hugged her knees to her chest and tried to calm down. She wiped her tears and tucked her hair behind her ears. "Nathaniel and I signed a marriage contract for an alliance between the Lawson and Hooper families."That's why he proposed. After we marry, we'll live at Grand Court Residences, but I'll be on my floor, and he'll be on his. Things will be exactly the same as before! If I really wanted to marry someone else, I'd have a clean break with you beforehand. I wouldn't still be involved with you!"After that, she lifted the sheets and headed to the bathroom to wash her face. Sean stood before the bathroom and watched her. Her accusation that he was bullying her because he knew she had feelings for him had greatly appeased him. He had boundless patience for her now.When he saw her long hair slip over her shoulders as she bent over, he approached her and grabbed a scrunchie provided by the hotel.
Angeline looked down. Her long lashes left shadows on her cheeks, making her look even more demure than usual. "I'll leave first. You should wait for an hour before you leave. You don't want anyone to catch you here."As she spoke, she walked to the couch to grab her bag. Then, she turned to leave without sparing Sean another glance. He hung up, flung his phone aside, and grabbed her wrist before she could go any further. He pulled her into his embrace.When their gazes met, Angeline had already concealed her earlier emotions. There was only a slight trace of surprise as she looked at Sean. She braced herself against his shoulders. Maybe she wasn't as good at Sean as keeping her emotions hidden, but she could still mask them well enough to avoid delays."Is it really okay for you not to hurry back to Melissa?" she asked.He didn't answer her, merely caressing the bones of her wrist gently. Angeline had sounded casual and light-hearted when she spoke, but there wasn't a hint of warm