\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 29\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/2\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 29\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlet clenched her fists before turning to face William. \u201cI don\u2019t care what you say about me, but is that how you see your brother? Is he that kind of person in your eyes?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
William\u2019s cold gaze locked onto her. \u201cHe isn\u2019t. But maybe you are.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her heart skipped a beat. A suffocating knot tightened in her throat, making it hard to breathe.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIn that case, we\u2019re even,\u201d she shot back. \u201cI just mistook him for you. That\u2019s still better than you parading Nicole around everywhere. Who are you to judge me?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy drag Nicole into this?\u201d He frowned, like he thought she was overreacting. \u201cShe grew up under August\u2019s care. Now that he\u2019s gone, she\u2019s showing respect for the man who raised her. What\u2019s wrong with that?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re always right. Bringing her to a funeral is respect for family, and running off to Amriva together gets labeled career development, huh?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlet\u2019s hand gripped the railing so hard her knuckles went white. \u201cWhen you were in Nevaia together, did you sleep with her? How many times?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ruth had heard Scarlet come back and was about to step out of the kitchen. She froze when she caught the gunpowder-thick\u00a0<\/p>\n
tension in the air.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The argument escalated so fast that she couldn\u2019t help rushing out, instinctively speaking up for William. \u201cMrs. Cooper, please don\u2019t say that! Mr. Cooper isn\u2019t that kind of man!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlet shot back, \u201cWhat kind of man?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ruth faltered. \u201cI mean, he wouldn\u2019t\u2026 have an affair!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlet\u2019s tone stayed level. \u201cIsn\u2019t that what you\u2019ve been saying behind my back? That he went to Amriva to chase his first love while married?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ruth froze. When William\u2019s sharp glance shot her way, she panicked, waving her hands frantically. \u201cNo, no, no! I didn\u2019t say that!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Only now did she realize she\u2019d misjudged Scarlet all along.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlet had always been easygoing and generous with her. She couldn\u2019t use all the workplace perks, gifts from others, or the premium groceries delivered to the house. And, since she had no close family or friends to give them to, she let Ruth take them home. She was never stingy with bonuses, either.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlet lived alone, often worked late shifts, and barely caused trouble. The workload at home was light, and even when Ruth slacked off occasionally, Scarlet never made an issue of it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ruth had thought Scarlet was soft and easy to push around. She only realized now that the softness had been courtesy. Once it was gone, Scarlet was even more intimidating than William himself.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She didn\u2019t dare say another word and hurried back into the kitchen.\u00a0<\/p>\n
William\u2019s face darkened as he stubbed the half-smoked cigarette into a glass on the coffee table. He rose from the couch and walked toward Scarlet. He was so tall that even with her standing a step higher, she barely reached his shoulder.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His eyes fixed on her like ice. \u201cWho told you I slept with her? Were you hiding under my bed listening?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIf not her, then who?\u201d Scarlet\u2019s face was unreadable. \u201cAre you saying you\u2019ve spent the past two years staying faithful? As a man who can\u2019t resist every pretty woman, do you even believe your own words?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCan\u2019t resist every woman?\u201d His expression darkened further. \u201cScarlet, in your eyes, am I just a man driven by lust, desperate for company?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
X CLOSE\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 29\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/2\u00a0<\/p>\n
When she loved him, she had come up with every excuse in the book to justify his behavior. Maybe she\u2019d been trapped in that hopeless swamp for too long, struggling alone and suffocating for far too long. Now, looking at William\u2019s face, still dangerously charming, she felt nothing. Not even a trace of love.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her voice was calm, detached. \u201cIsn\u2019t it like that?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
If he weren\u2019t desperate for companionship, why would he still mess with her while he was in love with Nicole? If he weren\u2019t driven by lust, how could he burn so hot for her and then pull away so quickly?\u00a0<\/p>\n
William laughed bitterly. He ground his teeth, nodding sharply. \u201cFine. I\u2019m lust-driven. I\u2019m a man who can\u2019t help himself. Damn it, if I don\u2019t sleep with a woman every day, I\u2019m miserable!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before Scarlet could even react, he suddenly bent down and hoisted her over his shoulder with one arm, striding up the stairs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlet had no chance to brace herself. Her slippers tumbled down the stairs to the first floor. Her soft stomach pressed against the solid strength of his shoulders, her head dangling, bouncing with each step. Instinctively, she grabbed the back of his shirt to keep her balance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWilliam! What are you doing?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He carried her into the bedroom, tossing her onto the bed. She bounced across the mattress a few times.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He stood at the edge, roughly yanking off his tie and tossing it aside. Then, he removed his watch, throwing it onto the dresser.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you think I\u2019m doing?\u201d he said, a cold sneer tugging at his lip. \u201cI can\u2019t argue with you until I satisfy the lust raging in my head.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re crazy!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She rolled away, trying to escape, but his large hand clamped around her ankle. His strength was overwhelming, and he easily dragged her back.\u00a0<\/p>\n
X CLOSE\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0 Chapter 29\u00a0 1\/2\u00a0 Chapter 29\u00a0 Scarlet clenched her fists before turning to face William. \u201cI don\u2019t care what you […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-137","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-end-of-the-contractstart-of-his-obsession"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=137"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":163,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137\/revisions\/163"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=137"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=137"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=137"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}