They all denied it.But the fact remained that she had been slapped.The stinging pain in her cheek was proof of that.This was too peculiar for words.She shifted her suspicious gaze toward Trevor. With tears in her eyes, she bleated, "Was it you, Grandpa?"Trevor's face fell. "You're my granddaughter. Even if you make me angry, scolding you is the most that I will do. How could I slap you?"Samantha was about to have a nervous breakdown.She patted her swollen red cheek. "But I really was slapped. There are so many people here. Hasn't anyone seen the culprit at all?"The assistants all backed away. They were afraid of being suspected.Abelin turned and walked toward Holly. He asked, "Can it be restored, Ms. Sinclair?"Holly nodded. "Yes. But the paper is really thick, and there's a great deal of damage. It'll take a few days to restore it. Are you in a hurry to get it back?""No. You can take your time. Call me when it's done, and I'll come to pick it up.""Alright.""Th
Samantha was left with the static sound on the receiver. She was furious.She just couldn't understand it. Just what sort of a spell had Holly bewitched all these people with?Why did they all love Holly and hate her so much?It was just illogical!Holly was a country bumpkin who didn't know how to dress up. She had never even stepped foot outside of the country.Meanwhile, Samantha was a princess. She was delicate, beautiful, and fashionable.She was better than Holly in every way.Samantha was upset. The people who liked Holly had terrible taste, including her Trevor.As Samantha fumed, Holly, with Trevor's permission, brought Abelin's genealogy chart home to restore it. It just so happened that Trevor's Pavilion didn't have the materials needed for the restoration.Bryce had prepared a study for her at home. It was specially for her restoration work.Abelin's chart was quite aged. The paper was dated to be thousands of years ago.The chart was thick, and the pages were fi
However, Bryce pulled her back.He raised her chin and then pecked her nose. Then, he slid down to her lips and kissed her lightly.After a pause, he let her go.Holly felt a little disappointed.He wasn't like this before.Back then, he would kiss her deeply. He wouldn't let her go after just a simple peck on the lips.She asked dubiously, "What's wrong with you today?"Bryce massaged his forehead, looking a little irritated. "We're trying for a child, and I'm drunk. I don't want to influence you with my alcohol."That was a shoddy excuse no matter how Holly looked at it.Bryce strode into the bathroom to shower.Since he was drunk, Holly was afraid he would slip and fall.So, she followed after him and held his arm, saying, "I was commissioned to restore a genealogy chart today. I saw Grandpa's name on it. He and Abelin's grandfather are cousins. Doesn't that make you…""It's just a coincidence," Bryce said, cutting her off. "Abelin and I are not related to each other at
"Everything is fine. Just go to sleep." Bryce switched off the lights.Holly stared at his handsome face for some time.In the dark, the shadows on his face were even more prominent. Lying beneath the shadows was a storm.Holly wondered why he was like this.A while later, she said softly, "Abelin wanted me to restore the genealogy chart. If you're against it, I can return it to him tomorrow and ask him to get someone else to help him.""Don't. Just restore it. It's your work," Bryce said lightly."I don't think you're too happy about it.""I am," Bryce said. He sounded too indifferent about it.He sounded unhappy no matter how he put it.Holly took a deep breath and said, "Just tell me what you want me to do. I'll listen to whatever you say.""Just do what you have to. I'll control myself."His mask was slipping.Holly repositioned herself, leaning against his chest. She caressed his cheek and began kissing him.She wasn't really good at comforting people.For the first
Holly would usually put her phone on silent when she worked.She was afraid of getting distracted. It might cause her to make a mistake.When she grew busy, she would forget the time. She would forget everything, in fact.It was only after it hit 10:00 pm that Holly remembered Bryce's call.She took up her phone and saw that there were several missed calls. They were all from Bryce.She dialed him back.He only picked up after three beeps.A sultry female voice could be heard saying, "Who are you looking for?"It was a familiar voice. It belonged to Samantha.Holly felt like she was struck by lightning. She trembled all over.She gritted her teeth and asked, "Are you Samantha?""Yeah. Are you surprised, Holly?" Samantha said, giggling.That giggle of hers felt like she was provoking Holly.Holly steeled herself. "What about Bryce? Why is his phone in your hands?""Oh, Bryce? He's in the shower."Holly's mind was about to explode. There was a low hum in her ears as if the
Samantha turned pale at once.She held onto the armrest and stood up weakly. She looked at Bryce with a pathetic expression on her face."Don't be angry, Bryce. I was just following Uncle Arthur's orders to send you the documents."She'd said it all in an appeasing tone. Paired with her scared, doe-eyed look, any other man would have fallen for her trap.Unfortunately for her, Bryce no longer fell for her tricks.He didn't want to hear her explanations.Seeing that Samantha was refusing to leave, Bryce lost his patience. He grabbed her arm and picked her up like she was a kitten. Then, he pushed her out of the door.With a loud slam, the door was shut in her face.He walked to the table and called Arthur.When Arthur picked up, Bryce said, "Did you tell Samantha to come over?""Yes. I promised you that I wouldn't bother Holly, and in return, you promised to take care of Samantha when it comes to work matters," Arthur replied.Bryce frowned. "You told her to come into my room
In the end, she let go.She slowly turned, leaning against the door.She would rather wait, as if time would make the truth hurt less.The pain would grow less sharp.She hadn't slept all night. Despite her heavy head and the throbbing ache in her temples, she wasn't tired. She was too tense for that.James saw that she was as pale as a sheet and that her eyes were bloodshot. In a low voice, he said, "Do you want to sleep in the room next door?"Holly shook her head lightly. "There's no need.""Should I wake him up?"Holly glanced at her watch. It was already past 6:00 am. In another hour or more, Bryce would walk out.If Samantha were in the room too, she would be following him out.She'd rather see them clothed, anyway."No," she said resolutely.James dared not disobey her.This was a trying time. He couldn't message Bryce to let him know they were there.Bryce wasn't someone he could go against. On the other hand, despite Holly's gentle demeanor, she had a lot of pers
Holly still wasn't convinced. She looked through all the rooms once more.Bryce could guess what she was thinking. Stopping her would only deepen the misunderstanding, so he let her be.He watched her from behind with a hand in his pocket.She was never one to rush through her tasks, but today, she bolted around the suite like a headless chicken.As he watched, a mix of emotions swam in his chest. It ached pretty considerably.When Holly finally stopped, Bryce went to her side and asked softly, "Who are you looking for?"Since Holly hadn't had a proper night's sleep, her reflexes weren't as sharp.She wasn't planning on hiding it. So, she said bluntly, "Samantha."Bryce smiled in exasperation. "Do you think that I slept with her last night?""Yes."Bryce was amused. "If I still had feelings for her, I would have divorced you to marry her. Why would I go through all the effort to sleep with her in Haryndale?"Holly watched him quietly. "But when I called you at around 10:00 p