No one was residing on the other side of this presidential suite anymore. It was now only occupied by the two of them.The overhead lighting highlighted Penny’s skin, making it especially fair with her eyes sparkling in the reflection. It was unclear how long she had been waiting here.“I have something to discuss with you, Mr. Fergerson. May I come in and sit for a while?”Caleb raised an eyebrow. The person who had painted his portrait was waiting for him at the entrance of his hotel room late at night. He squinted his eyes. He should decline.After all, he wanted to maintain a distance between them.Penny was worried that he would refuse, and the matter was not something she could explain in a short time. Madam Fergerson had quite a misunderstanding, and she needed to clarify it piece by piece.Caleb took his room card, swiped it, and opened the door.Penny followed him, the tip of her nose picking up the cold woody scent from him, mixed with a faint smell of alcohol.The
She let out a cry before noticing the man’s head leaning against the couch. He seemed to have fallen asleep. Penny heaved a sigh of relief. Thank goodness he was not deliberately refusing to reply to her messages. It would have been so awkward if that were the case. Since he had fallen asleep, it seemed that she would not be able to achieve her goals for tonight. She got up and prepared to leave. When she caught sight of his agape collar, she hesitated before reaching for the blanket and placing it over him. Just as she bent over him, Caleb’s eyelashes fluttered, and his eyes opened. Their faces were extremely near, to the point they could feel the other's breaths landing on their faces. It was not Penny’s first time looking at his face from such a distance, but she was still stunned. Then, she felt a pair of warm lips meeting hers. Her eyes widened while the rest of her body stiffened. The pair of lips grew bolder and captured hers in a long kiss. Her heart felt like
“Madam Fergerson, I can explain.” However, Amber retrieved her phone and made a call to Sir Fergerson. “Father, could you send me Caleb’s wife’s number? I need to contact her.” She had never met Caleb’s wife before this, but given the high praise Sir Fergerson had showered her with, she was confident his wife was an educated and well-mannered woman. Caleb’s wife deserved to know that there were women blatantly pestering him. Moreover, the fact Caleb himself had allowed Penny to use his office while waiting for him indicated he allowed her to do as she pleased. It was time she knocked some sense into Caleb’s mind. He was a married man, after all. If things escalated to the point where Sir Fergerson learned of it, the other members of the Fergerson family would probably stir up more trouble. If it were not for the fact Caleb himself had admitted to the night’s happenings, Amber would never have been able to imagine him engaging in drunken sex. Frankly, even if he were to
“Take your jacket off!” It was the first time in years that Sir Fergerson had been so angry.Caleb knew that for the sake of Sir Fergerson’s health, he needed to unleash his anger in this very instance. Besides, he had no way of defending himself against the crime he was charged with. He had, in a way, betrayed the Penny they spoke of and had an affair. The butler took his suit jacket. All he had on now was a thin shirt. The whip made a loud crack when it slashed across his back. Sir Fergerson was extremely strong, thanks to his time in the army as a young man. He may have fallen ill now, but he still could wield the whip with plenty of vigor. Caleb’s brows furrowed together in pain. He felt the skin on his back split open.“I don’t care how many wild oats everyone else is sowing, but how could you betray Penny this way?! She’s such a wonderful girl. It’s such an insult to herself that she got together with you!” The whip slashed downward again and again!Soon, not a
Amber caught up to him after they exited the Fergersons' residence, and she sighed. “I wasn’t expecting your grandfather to be so angry, Caleb. I’m sorry.” “It’s not your fault, Aunt Amber. This is between me and Penny.” The look on Amber’s face turned frosty again when she heard Penny’s name mentioned. “Don't blame me for sticking my nose into affairs either. Now that you’ve been whipped, it’ll be good to leave things in the past and cut ties so she doesn’t get dragged into further issues. I have no idea what your grandfather will do if he loses his temper again.” “I know what to do, Aunt Amber.” Amber knew she would get deemed annoying if she said anything else and fell silent. Caleb did not dare lean back against his seat after he got into the car.Sharp pains shot through his back. They were starting to become unbearable. Penny chose that moment to call him. “I’m at the hotel now, Mr. Fergerson. Will you be here tonight?” Caleb gripped the steering wheel with b
Caleb’s brows furrowed together. His heart ached. It felt like a poisonous bug had taken a bite out of it. “What are you doing?” His voice jolted Penny back to her senses, and she began apologizing to him.“I’m sorry, I just…” She hurriedly opened the first aid kit and scanned through its contents, trying to determine if there was anything she could use.When she saw the surgical scissors, she heaved a sigh of relief and picked them up to cut his shirt apart. However, his wounds had adhered to his shirt, and the sight of it was enough to make her wince in pain. “Hang in there, Mr. Fergerson.” “Alright.” Caleb averted his gaze from the glass before him and stopped looking at her, choosing to close his eyes instead. Penny gritted her teeth and ripped the shirt apart. Caleb let out a groan. Penny acted quickly. When she was done removing the shirt, she began disinfecting the wounds, staunching the blood flow. She then applied the ointment. After that, she took the ba
“An… an affair?” She would not have been surprised if any other man had said that. However, Caleb was famously known for remaining chaste for his first love. Who could he have had an affair with? Penny had obviously yet to connect the dots to herself. After all, she knew she was his wife, which meant their relationship was not an extramarital affair. Their relationship was recognized and supported by the law. Caleb could not help smiling when he saw the shocked look on her face. “Yes, an affair.” Penny did not have much interest in gossip, but if it involved her husband, she was more than happy to hear more. However, since Caleb was technically still one of her clients, she did not dare seem too eager—lest she upset him.“I’m curious what sort of woman could tempt you into doing this, Mr. Fergerson.”A thought occurred to her after she finished her sentence, and chills ran down her body. The woman he had an affair with… Could it be her?Had Caleb gotten whipped
Penny collapsed onto the couch when the door clicked shut. She had already been exhausted by Madam Fergerson’s doings, and Caleb’s injured back dealt her an even greater shock.She did not know when she could stop this facade. She spent every minute on edge.…Caleb continued to work in his room, having decided he would spend the night working since his wounds prevented him from lying flat on his back. When he left his room in the middle of the night, he saw Penny curled up on the couch. He frowned, thinking to himself that they needed to distance themselves from each other after tonight, given everything was in the past now. Aunt Amber was right. If Grandpa found out about her, it would not just be her studio that would be in trouble. He stood at the coffee table and gazed at her face while she slept. She had a tiny face, and her usually shrewd expression disappeared from her face when she was asleep, making her seem docile and mild-mannered instead. She had seemed