In the hotel corridor, Phoebe sat shumped on the floor, her phone ringing a few times.
Weary, she answered the call, and Jonathan’s voice came through the receiver. “You have less than a month left.”
She leaned against the wall and stood up. “I know, Jonathan. Is there any way we can…”
The line went dead with a harsh beep.
Phoebe gripped the phone tightly, her knuckles turning white.
Her heart was full of unwillingness and restraint. Why?
Even if she was a dog for the Davidson family, she would be the one that bites.
Just as the call ended, Fiona’s call came in. “Ms. Davidson, there’s news about Ms. Chloe Davidson.”
“What? Where is she?” Phoebe’s voice softened, her tone tinged with urgency.
So fast… did they already find Emma?‘ she wondered. ‘No, this matter mustn’t get back to the Davidson family!
Someone who has been gone for five years should stay gone forever. Why was she showing up now?
Just then, the hotel room door opened, and Hendrick limped out.
His hair was a mess, like a haystack, and a few buttons on his shirt were missing, his collar still standing up.
His face was pale, and when he saw Phoebe, his face paled even more.
“Phoebe… Phoebe, what are you doing here?” His cheeks were flushed.
He gripped the door handle tightly, clearly trying to keep anyone from coming out of the room.
He didn’t want Phoebe to see.
Phoebe, looking at him, knew exactly what had happened the night before. Though it disgusted her, she still asked with some concern, “Are you okay? Are you alright?”
Hendrick was stunned for a moment.
She already knew.
Hendrick’s face seemed like it could drip with blood, his head lowered, unable to look at Phoebe.
‘Don’t let me know who did it! I won’t let it go!‘ he wondered.
At that moment, the muscular man forcefully pulled open the door and walked out, looking refreshed. Upon seeing Hendrick, there was a look of satisfaction in his eyes.
“Next time, you can contact me again,” he said.
“Get lost. Get out…” Hendrick swatted away the man’s hand, but in the process, his backside throbbed painfully.
*****
When they returned to Rosewood Manor, the afternoon sunlight was just right.
1/4
|||
11:07 Mon, Nov 25
Chapter 237-
The warm light cast on the blooming pink petals, as if they were coated in gold.
Actually, Ophelia’s head was still a bit heavy, but she didn’t want Kenneth to worry, so she kept it to herself.
“I thought you’d be back in the evening.” They both went upstairs and into the room.
.
77%
Sunlight streamed through the floor–to–ceiling windows, casting warm golden hues all over the bed, the carpet, and the
room.
“Take a rest. I’ll go run your bath,” she said.
She had already asked Lisa to prepare dinner earlier, so after a quick bath, they would be ready to eat downstairs.
Kenneth didn’t say anything. His narrow, deep–set eyes seemed to be fixed on her.
“What’s wrong? Why are you staring at me like that?” Ophelia asked.
Kenneth’s palm was facing up as if asking her for something.
Seeing the confusion in her eyes, Kenneth gently took her hand, pulling her fingers one by one from his palm.
Ophelia’s delicate palm had a long, raised scar, red and swollen. It was clearly still bruised.
Ophelia felt guilty and tried to pull her hand back, but at this point, she had no choice.
This injury had come from when she had wrapped a towel around the muscular man, pulling it too tightly. The towel had cut into her hand.
She hadn’t thought much of it at the time, and there hadn’t been any bleeding. She wondered how Kenneth had noticed.
Kenneth was so observant.
Kenneth led her to the sofa and fetched the first aid kit.
There were still some medicines for bruises and swelling from past injuries.
“It’s nothing. It won’t take long,” she said. The wound was minor, but she was more concerned about Kenneth’s reaction when he found out.
Still, he had seen it.
Kenneth sighed, not speaking since he entered the room.
While applying the medicine to her wound, Kenneth furrowed his brows, his focus intense.
“Darling…” she called softly, her voice a little sweet and pleading, trying to be extra obedient.
‘Does calling him Darling no longer matter?‘ she wondered.
Kenneth didn’t respond, continuing to carefully apply the medicine as though punishing her and deliberately using a bit more pressure.
“Hiss…” said Ophelia.
“Does it hurt?” Kenneth asked.
He finally spoke.
Ophelia smiled with her lips pressed together. “No, it doesn’t hurt.”
2/4
<
Mon, Nov 25
Chapter 237
She was pretending, of course. He didn’t speak, so she decided to take a little trick.
Ophelia pulled her hand back and wrapped both arms around his neck.
“Don’t move,” Kenneth warned, his tone firm.
“No way…” She grinned like a little fox, her words dripping with meaning.
She pressed her lips to his thin ones. After all, she had made the first move before.
Kenneth leaned back on the sofa, exuding a quiet, immovable presence.
The soft, warm golden light bathed the two of them.
Their suits were scattered across the plush carpet.
They stayed like that until the sun set, and the sky outside had turned completely dark.
The dinner had been reheated twice before they finally went downstairs to eat.
After dinner, Ophelia’s phone rang, and Lisa handed it to her.
It was Theo calling.
Ophelia had been so busy lately that she hadn’t visited the Carnegie family in a long time.
Clara and her mother had called Ophelia several times to invite her, and now it was Theo.
“Ophelia, it’s me, your grandfather. Have you forgotten you still have a grandfather?” Theo said.
Hearing that, Ophelia raised an eyebrow slightly.
Theo was so cute,
3
“When will you be free to come to play chess with me? I received the chess game you sent me, but I have no one to spar with, so I don’t even know how good I am,” he added.
“Yes, let me check my schedule.” Tomorrow was Sunday, and Ophelia didn’t seem to have any plans. “How about tomorrow?
“Tomorrow?” Theo’s voice immediately lit up at the suggestion. “Great, great, then I’ll be waiting at home for you tomorrow. Don’t forget!”
“I won’t. You should get some rest,” Ophelia said.
Ophelia hung up the phone and looked at Kenneth. “Do you want to come with me tomorrow?”
“No. You can go early and come back early.” Kenneth shook his head.
“Okay.” Ophelia nodded.
The next day, Ophelia went out in the morning.
As she left the house, she saw Ray and Eric sitting in the backseat of a black SUV, waiting for her.
She got in the car, and after they had been driving for a few minutes, she glanced at them through the rearview mirror. “So, where has Kenneth been these past few days?” she asked.
