64\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
Seeing how serious Vincent looked, Sabrina didn\u2019t dare keep teasing him. \u201cOkay, I understand,\u201d she murmured.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vincent returned to his paperwork, while Sabrina sat beside him, flipping through research articles without really taking in a single word.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Damian\u2019s message had left her on edge.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In a city like Rivergate, aside from Vincent, Damian was the most influential man around.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She already had Vincent wrapped around her finger, and now, unexpectedly, she seemed to have Damian right where she wanted him too.\u00a0<\/p>\n
At that moment, the sense of triumph she felt was just as strong as when she\u2019d earned her doctorate.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After a moment\u2019s thought, Sabrina switched off her tablet. \u201cVincent,\u201d she said softly, \u201cI don\u2019t feel like studying anymore tonight. I think I\u2019ll head back to my place to rest.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hearing this, Vincent stood up right away. \u201cAlright, I\u2019ll drive you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sabrina didn\u2019t refuse. \u201cOkay.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vincent put on his jacket and walked Sabrina downstairs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Xavier had already gone to bed\u2013otherwise, Vincent wouldn\u2019t have felt comfortable letting Sabrina come up so casually.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After dropping Sabrina off at the new townhouse he\u2019d bought for her, Vincent didn\u2019t stay long before returning to Ravenshade Villa.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Once inside, Sabrina sank into the sofa and finally replied to Damian\u2019s text, \u201cMr. Langley, are you really that impatient?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Damian\u2019s reply came almost instantly. \u201cCan you do it or not? Yes or no.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
From the tone, Sabrina could almost picture Damian\u2019s frustrated, hungry look.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But just then, a news alert flashed across her screen. \u201cDamian Langley Spotted Getting Cozy with Rising Star at Upscale Restaurant.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sabrina tapped the notification.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The photos and short video were clear\u2013Damian and the actress were being openly\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
20:09 Wed, Jan 14\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 322 A Delicate Balancing Act\u00a0<\/p>\n
affectionate.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Looking at the images, Sabrina clicked her tongue in annoyance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
At the same time, another message from Damian popped up. \u201c?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u0f62\u0f71 (64\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sabrina typed back carefully, \u201cThe man I want has to be fully committed to me\u2013no other women in the picture. Otherwise, I just wouldn\u2019t feel secure.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Even though Damian was clearly already into her, Sabrina wanted to test how far he\u2019d go.\u00a0<\/p>\n
There was a certain satisfaction in making a known playboy settle down.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When Damian read the message, he couldn\u2019t help rolling his eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He locked his phone screen without replying.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He\u2019d thought he had things under control, but he hadn\u2019t expected Sabrina to be so difficult.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Still, he eventually sent a reply, \u201cBuzzkill.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just two words, but when Sabrina saw them, she pressed her lips together and let out a faint, disdainful laugh.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ever since she turned 18, she\u2019d learned one thing\u2013if you give yourself to a man too easily, he won\u2019t value you.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A man only stays when he\u2019s had to work for it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Damian had countless beautiful women around him, yet none ever stayed. Wasn\u2019t it because they were too easy to get?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sabrina intended to be the exception.\u00a0<\/p>\n
So she didn\u2019t write back.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ignoring him for a while would probably only make him want her more.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After returning to Ravenshade Villa, Vincent went back to his study to finish up some work.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He\u2019d only been at it for a short while when the door quietly opened.\u00a0<\/p>\n
From the light footsteps, Vincent knew it was Vanessa.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He stopped what he was doing and turned. Vanessa stood there in her pajamas, clutching a stuffed animal. She walked over and asked softly, \u201cDaddy, how much longer until you come to bed?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
20:09 Wed, Jan 14\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 322 A Delicate Balancing Act\u00a0<\/p>\n
A64\u00a0<\/p>\n
64\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vincent bent down, lifted her onto his lap, and gently touched his forehead to hers. \u201cDaddy has to work a little late tonight. It might be a while.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vanessa pouted, clearly unhappy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vincent gently tugged her earlobe. \u201cWhy don\u2019t you go to sleep first, sweetheart?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vanessa pressed her lips together and stayed quiet.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Noticing her mood, Vincent asked patiently, \u201cWhat\u2019s the matter?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vanessa wasn\u2019t entirely sure herself. She just\u2026 kind of missed Scarlett.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When her mom was around, she never yelled\u2013she always spoke softly and kindly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But last night, Maria had been so harsh with her. Of course she felt hurt.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Still, Maria had explained she was only strict because she didn\u2019t want Vanessa to keep crying.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Remembering that, Vanessa held back. After all, she\u2019d promised Maria not to tell.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When she didn\u2019t answer, Vincent tried, \u201cHow about going to sleep in Maria\u2019s room tonight?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
At the mention of Maria\u2019s name, Vanessa instinctively shook her head. \u201cNo, I don\u2019t want to.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Thinking she just wanted his company, Vincent reassured her, \u201cThen I will come tuck you in as soon as I\u2019m done, okay?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vanessa didn\u2019t reply. She slipped off his lap and, without another word, padded back to her own\u00a0<\/p>\n
room.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lying in her soft bed, she felt a hollow ache inside.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She waited a few minutes, but Vincent didn\u2019t follow.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In that quiet loneliness, Vanessa suddenly missed Scarlett terribly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1.1K\u00a0<\/p>\n
Editorial Board: Our editorial team works behind the scenes to refine each chapter, maintain consistency, and deliver the best reading experience.<\/p>\n
Silent Dreams Never Die \u2014 Author: John Miller 322 64\u00a0 Finished\u00a0 Seeing how serious Vincent looked, Sabrina didn\u2019t dare keep […]<\/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":[81],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27686","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-impossible-condition-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27686","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=27686"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27686\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27686"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27686"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27686"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}