After they finished eating and rested for a bit, they set off to head back down. The descent was much faster than the climb, and they reached the halfway point in less than half an hour.Mason walked quickly and would occasionally run when the path was flat.Nyla kept an eye on him, reminding him to slow down, but she wasn't watching the stones under her feet. She stepped on one and slipped."Ah!" she cried out.A sharp pain shot through her ankle as she stumbled toward the railing.Damon quickly grabbed her hand to steady her."Are you okay?" he asked.Nyla's face turned pale, and cold sweat beaded on her forehead. "I think I twisted my ankle.""Hold onto the railing. Let me check it," Damon instructed.Once she was stable, he crouched down to examine her ankle. Seeing that it was swollen, he frowned. "It's swollen—you probably sprained it."He stood up, turned his backpack around to the front, and crouched down again. "Get on my back. I'll carry you down," he told Nyla."B
"The bathroom is slippery. What if you fall again?" Damon asked."I'll be careful," Nyla promised.Damon shook his head. "No. I'm running the bath. You're using the bathtub today."As he turned to leave, Nyla quickly grabbed his arm. "Then ask Lydia to help me instead."Damon glanced back at her, raising an eyebrow. "Lydia is busy making dinner. Besides, I'm your boyfriend. Do you not trust me?"Nyla felt her cheeks heat up, unable to meet his gaze. It took her a moment to find her voice."Men and women are different," was all she managed to say."Why are you worried? I've seen all of you," Damon replied.Nyla was at a loss for words. How could he say something so embarrassing in such a calm tone?!She glared at him. "Damon, don't push it!"What she didn't realize was that her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were wide and wet—unintentionally captivating.Damon's gaze darkened, like flames igniting in the darkness, ready to burn everything in its path.Realizing the danger
Damon's voice was deep, carrying a seductive quality that made it hard to ignore.Nyla's eyelashes fluttered as she looked up at him. She broke into a radiant smile and replied, "No need, you can go now."Her smile was so dazzling that it momentarily left Damon in a daze.After a pause, he replied with a hint of disappointment, "Alright then.""Just go already. If you stay here any longer, the water in the bathtub will get cold," Nyla urged.Damon raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you don't want me to stay and help you?""I really don't need it," Nyla insisted.If he stayed, how could she bathe properly?"Fine." Damon sighed and straightened up, his disappointment evident as he turned and left.Only after he disappeared from the bathroom doorway did Nyla finally breathe a sigh of relief. She began removing her clothes, careful not to put too much pressure on her injured foot. Limiting her steps, she carefully made her way to the edge of the bathtub.However, once she reached t
Nyla just wanted Damon to leave, so she replied with a frown, "I'll pay you back for it.""No way, this shirt means a lot to me," Damon said.Nyla ground her teeth in frustration. If it meant so much to him, why hadn't he treated it better?"What exactly do you want?" she asked.She glared at him, but given that she was sitting in the bathtub with her body partially exposed, it was more alluring than threatening.Damon's gaze deepened, and he grasped her hand before leaning in to kiss her again.Just before their lips touched, his low, gravelly voice whispered in her ear, "I want you."Nyla clenched the edge of the bathtub tightly, her body instinctively tensing.In a moment of distraction, one of them accidentally hit the shower switch. Steam quickly filled the bathroom, drowning out all sound.…The bath lasted for over two hours.When Damon finally stepped out of the bathroom, holding a flushed Nyla, he wore a satisfied smile. He set her down on the bed and went to grab a
Mason quickly pushed his confusion aside when he saw his favorite barbecue ribs and focused on eating.After finishing dinner, Nyla was just about to head back to her bedroom when Damon walked up to her and effortlessly picked her up.Seeing Lydia cover her mouth and chuckle, Nyla felt her cheeks flush. She quickly whispered in Damon's ear, "I can walk on my own.""You walk too slowly. I'm carrying you," Damon insisted.Nyla couldn't argue with him, so she went along with it.Instead of taking Nyla to the bedroom, Damon carried her to his study."Aren't you supposed to be in a meeting soon? Why are you taking me to your study?" she asked."You can rest on the sofa in my study and read. I'll take you upstairs after the meeting," he replied.Nyla frowned. "Will it disturb your meeting?"Damon smiled. "No."Their relationship had finally made substantial progress that day, and with Nyla's foot injured, Damon wanted to seize the opportunity to move into her room. He wasn't sure w
Seeing Damon's lips slowly approaching, Nyla quickly pushed against his chest. "I can sleep... I can sleep…""Then are you still going to Buddy?" Damon asked.Nyla remained silent for a moment before she relented. "No…""Okay, then let's sleep," Damon replied, releasing her and settling back into his original position.As Damon moved away, the fresh scent of pine on him gradually faded.Nyla clutched the blanket, a sudden and unexpected sense of loss sweeping over her. She wasn't actually hoping for something, was she?"Why aren't you covering yourself? Do you want me to help you?" Damon's deep voice broke through her thoughts."No, thanks," Nyla answered.She pulled the blanket up to her collarbone and closed her eyes, trying to drift off to sleep.Since Mason turned three, he had refused to sleep with her and insisted on sleeping in his own room.For the past two years, Nyla had slept alone, so suddenly having someone else in her space felt strange.Nyla thought she would
"But if I do that, the company shares he promised me…" Jane trailed off."Jane, you can't have it all. It's already a blessing in disguise that Grandpa hasn't completely lost faith in you. You'll have other chances for the shares in the future," Gabriel advised.Jane was upset, but she knew Gabriel was right. She reluctantly nodded and said, "Alright, I'll go talk to Grandpa."…A little over ten minutes later, Pedro's voice boomed through the study of the Wilkie mansion. His expression was grim. "How did you raise your son?! Wilhelm actually dared to tell such a lie! And you approached Damon for negotiations without verifying the facts? You've completely embarrassed the Wilkies!"Jane kept her eyes down, displeasure flickering in them, but she didn't dare retort.Once Pedro finished his tirade, Jane cautiously looked up and said, "Grandpa, it seems the collaboration with Prospectus Technology is definitely off."I met with Mr. Shane Tonra from Starlite Enterprise today, and he
Pedro was getting old, but none of his children or grandchildren seemed ready to take over. If things continued like this, the Wilkie Group would soon need to change its name.At that thought, a wave of sorrow washed over him.Among his grandchildren, Jane stood out as one of the more capable, but she still lacked the skills to manage the Wilkie Group.Gabriel was competent enough to turn around a gaming company that had been losing money for years, which proved he had some skill. However, he was still not a Wilkie, and Pedro didn't fully trust him.It seemed Pedro would have to find a way to train Theo. If Theo didn't work out, he would have to hand the company over to Jane in the future.…Unaware of Pedro's thoughts, Jane returned to her villa, looking dejected."Jane, why do you look so upset? Did Grandpa disagree?" Gabriel asked.Jane weakly nodded. "Yeah, he thinks half a billion dollars is too much."Before meeting with Pedro, she had already suspected the outcome. She