Chapter 12
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Chapter 12
Niall’s mother wasn’t nearly strong enough to lift a grown man, let alone hang William over a pool.
“You Coopers think you can just bully everyone because you have money! I’m calling the police! I’ll have them arrest you-”
she shrieked.
A sharp, loud slap cut her off mid-sentence.
“Shut up!” Brett barked. “You have the nerve to call the police? This is your fault for spoiling him! He does nothing but cause trouble!”
The woman stood frozen, clutching her cheek, before collapsing onto the ground in a fit of hysterics. “I can’t live like this! Are you taking the side of a stranger over me? I must have been cursed the day I met you!”
John waved his hand in disgust. Andrea and Priscilla stepped forward and tried to lead the wailing mother and son away.
Brett was drowning in regret, thinking that he never should have brought his brainless wife and bratty son to the Thompsons ‘party. His company was desperate for a loan from Heritage Bank to stay afloat. Now that he had offended the Coopers, he
was finished.
Brett plastered a fawning smile on his face.
“Mr. and Mrs. Cooper, I’m so incredibly sorry. It’s my fault the boy wasn’t raised right. Please, don’t hold it against us. I promise I’ll give him a proper thrashing when we get home.”
“It’s fine. He’s just a child,” Scarlet said, her tone much more polite than William’s. She handed the water gun back to Brett.” Don’t go too hard on him. Just good lecturing should be enough.”
Brett didn’t know what to say.
The drama by the pool finally came to an end. The family left, and the crowd of onlookers began to disperse.
Justine shot William a look of annoyance. “You’re a grown man, and yet you’re perfectly fine with bullying a child in front of
everyone.”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” A lazy, mocking smile played on William’s lips. “It’s not like it’s my first time being the bad guy.”
Justine opened her mouth to lecture Scarlet since the whole mess had started because of her, but William cut her off. He signaled a housekeeper. “Grab Scarlet’s coat.”
Scarlet’s blanket was soaked through. Given how cold it was, it would feel as if she had jumped into the pool herself. The housekeeper quickly returned with her heavy coat and a pair of mittens.
Justine sighed, deciding to drop it. “Fine. You two should just head home.”
Scarlet naturally had cold hands and feet. Even wrapped in her cashmere coat and having her hands in mittens in the heated car, it took a long time for her to stop shivering. But it wasn’t enough. The moment they stepped out of the car at home, the wind from the short walk to the front door made her hands chilly again.
Inside, William took her coat. As his fingers brushed hers, he frowned. “Why are you still this cold?”
Before Scarlet could react, he took her hand, enveloping her icy fingers in his warm, dry palm. She looked down at his hand but didn’t pull away.
William looked over his shoulder and ordered Ruth to prepare a hot bath and some hot tea. Once he finished giving instructions, he turned back to her.
“Give me your other hand.”
Scarlet looked up at him, dazed. When she didn’t move, William reached out and grabbed her other hand, pulling both of
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Chapter 12
them into his grip to warm them up.
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“Do you just not know how to fight back?” he asked, his gaze drifting over her lazily. “If I hadn’t been there today, were you just going to let him walk all over you?”
Scarlet lowered her eyes. “If you hadn’t been there, I would have pushed him into the pool long before you arrived.”
William scoffed. To him, her idea sounded like some brawl at the playground. It wasn’t strategic at all.
“And then what? When his parents came looking for trouble, how were you going to get out of it?”
“I would have pushed him in, then started screaming for help,” Scarlet said calmly. “Once people arrived, I’d pretend to be the hero and dive in to save him. They wouldn’t scream at the woman who saved their son’s life, would they?”
William chuckled. “You’re sacrificing yourself just to land one hit? That kid is a lot tougher than you are. You would have ended up worse off than him.”
“What else was I supposed to do?” Scarlet asked. “Hang him upside down as you did? I’m not strong enough to lift him.”
“If you can’t handle it yourself, don’t you know how to call for help? I’m not going to let anyone push you around as long as I’m alive,” William said.
Scarlet knew better than anyone that he was a silver-tongued charmer, but her heart couldn’t help skipping a beat when she heard those words.
She went back to her room and soaked in a hot bath. By the time she came out, Ruth had a cup of hot tea waiting for her.
The tea had a very sharp scent, and Scarlet turned away immediately.
“Just a few sips,” Ruth pleaded. “It’ll keep the flu away.”
Scarlet didn’t want any of it. “I already had a hot bath. I’m fine.”
William walked in, his jacket and tie already gone. With his top buttons undone, he looked completely relaxed.
“What’s the matter?” he asked.
“I made her tea, but she won’t touch it,” Ruth complained.
William glanced at Scarlet. She reluctantly took a few sips, looking like she was swallowing poison.
“Is it really that bad?” William asked. “Let me try.”
“I’ll get you a fresh cup,” Ruth offered.
“Don’t bother.” William leaned down and took a sip directly from Scarlet’s spoon. “It’s just tea. It’s not that bad.”
Scarlet couldn’t understand how he could be so casual about it. She hated the taste.
“Then you finish it,” she said.
“It’s made for you. I can’t build up your immune system for you,” William replied, pinching her cheek.
Scarlet was still flushed from her bath, so her skin felt soft and warm. William’s hand lingered on her face, and she froze. It had been a long time since they had been this close. She looked up at him, and in the warm light, his gaze seemed almost gentle.
“William…” she whispered.
William’s hand lingered on her face. His knuckles grazed her jawline and slid slowly down her neck. She was in her pajamas, leaving her slender neck and collarbones exposed.
“Yeah?” he murmured,
His eyes followed his fingers as they traced her skin, the slow movement making her shiver. The air in the room suddenly
Chapter 12
felt heavy and charged. He was so close that she could smell the cool, woody scent of his cologne.
It reminded her of those feverish, messy nights, and of the wild man hidden beneath his expensive suits.
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William was usually casual and indifferent, but in bed, he was aggressive. He would lock her in his arms, pulling her so close there wasn’t an inch of space between them.
He would whisper her name seductively and tease her until she broke.
He would say, “Be good. Call me honey, and I’ll satisfy you.”
But as Scarlet looked into his deep eyes now, she felt distant. He hadn’t touched her like that in a long time. Only she knew how much she missed that intimacy.
William brushed a damp strand of hair behind her ear, his eyes half-lidded. “What was it that you wanted to say?”
a
End of the Contract,Start of His Obsession
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