Chapter 83\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her gaze secretly darted to the drop of water on Roderick\u2019s lips,\u00a0<\/p>\n
and her face turned even redder.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI happened to be thirsty, and there was no water to drink.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIsn\u2019t the water cooler right over there!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine pointed to the corner.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick didn\u2019t even look, replying casually, \u201cKirsten hasn\u2019t\u00a0<\/p>\n
replaced the water inside.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
After speaking, he muttered while wiping his sweat with a towel,\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll have to go talk to Kirsten about it later.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine gritted her teeth, reasonably suspecting that this guy\u00a0<\/p>\n
was doing it on purpose.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kirsten is so thorough. How could she possibly make a mistake\u00a0<\/p>\n
like that?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Oh well, for the sake of that great body of his, I\u2019ll forgive him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine\u2019s appraising gaze was caught by Roderick. He\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 83\u00a0<\/p>\n
suddenly leaned in close, \u201cWhat are you looking at?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
(Extra updates today!\u00a0<\/p>\n
You can all read them together later~ To all my darlings who\u2019ve\u00a0<\/p>\n
made it this far, please give me a rating on the main page, love\u00a0<\/p>\n
you all (3) Dr?\u00a0<\/p>\n
~)\u00a0<\/p>\n
The sudden closeness caught Madeleine off guard. She\u00a0<\/p>\n
flinched and stammered, \u201cIt\u2019s nothing, just\u2026 muscles\u2026 you\u00a0<\/p>\n
know.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
After saying it, Madeleine almost bit her tongue off.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Too honest. How could I have just blurted that out?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick\u2019s lips curved, his goal achieved.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He raised an eyebrow and asked, \u201cWant to train?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cUh\u2013huh!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine\u2019s eyes sparkled. Her current figure, while not fat, was\u00a0<\/p>\n
at best slender, not what you\u2019d call toned.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What she envied most was that powerful, toned physique.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 83\u00a0<\/p>\n
If she could dance and also lift some weights, that would be\u00a0<\/p>\n
even better.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After Ricki asked, she nodded eagerly, staring at him and telling\u00a0<\/p>\n
him to train with her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But then the guy didn\u2019t follow up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Wait, what does he mean by that?\u00a0<\/p>\n
He\u2019s baiting me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Is he waiting for me to beg him?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine stared at Roderick\u2019s face. That smug look, no doubt\u00a0<\/p>\n
about it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tch, she wasn\u2019t going to indulge him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine took out her phone and opened a local services\u00a0<\/p>\n
super\u2013app like Yelp. \u201cLet me see if I can find a handsome,\u00a0<\/p>\n
muscular male trainer or something.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick\u2019s smugness instantly deflated, and his face fell.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He quickly snatched the phone away.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cA waste of money.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 83\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cA waste of money?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t even blink when he sent over 8 million dollars, but\u00a0<\/p>\n
hiring a fitness trainer is a waste of money?\u00a0<\/p>\n
To prevent Madeleine from getting any more ideas, Roderick\u00a0<\/p>\n
turned and placed the phone on the top crossbar of the power\u00a0<\/p>\n
rack behind him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The crossbar was over two meters high; Madeleine probably\u00a0<\/p>\n
couldn\u2019t reach it even on her tiptoes. Safe.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFrugality is a great traditional virtue of the people of our nation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I can just teach you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick turned, grabbed a disinfectant wipe to clean the lat\u00a0<\/p>\n
pulldown machine, the upward curve of his lips harder to\u00a0<\/p>\n
suppress than an AK.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine snickered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hmph, he really thought she would beg him?\u00a0<\/p>\n
No way. She won this round!\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick had been working out for years and was familiar with\u00a0<\/p>\n
all sorts of theory and practical knowledge, so guiding\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 83\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine wasn\u2019t difficult for him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But Madeleine was a beginner. Understanding all the technical\u00a0<\/p>\n
terms and muscle engagement stances Roderick talked about\u00a0<\/p>\n
was useless; when it came to actually doing it, she just couldn\u2019t\u00a0<\/p>\n
find the right muscle to engage.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis doesn\u2019t feel right\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just as she finished muttering, Roderick suddenly leaned over,\u00a0<\/p>\n
his broad chest almost pressing against her back.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His warm palm slid down her arm to her shoulder blade, his\u00a0<\/p>\n
fingertips pressing lightly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEngage here. Don\u2019t compensate with your arms.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He was so close that his breath brushed against Madeleine\u2019s\u00a0<\/p>\n
ear as he spoke, and she could even feel the warmth radiating\u00a0<\/p>\n
from behind her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRelax your muscles first, don\u2019t be so tense. Slowly pull down,\u00a0<\/p>\n
feel the muscle contract\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
As Roderick spoke, the pads of his fingers lightly touched her\u00a0<\/p>\n
back, following the sequence of muscle engagement.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 83\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine\u2019s mind was a mess. She couldn\u2019t hear the rest of his\u00a0<\/p>\n
words, only able to feel his hand.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRicki!\u00a0<\/p>\n
Stop touching me!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick immediately pulled his hand back, a look of pure\u00a0<\/p>\n
innocence on his face.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWho are you accusing? I wasn\u2019t just touching you randomly.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine\u2019s ears burned as she let go and stood up. Roderick\u00a0<\/p>\n
was still protesting, \u201cThere\u2019s a different way to handle every\u00a0<\/p>\n
monkey. If you were a smarter monkey, I wouldn\u2019t have to touch\u00a0<\/p>\n
you to guide you, right?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine rolled her eyes at him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re the monkey.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She pouted and told Roderick to do a few reps to demonstrate\u00a0<\/p>\n
for her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick\u2019s form was perfect, and he explained it again as he did\u00a0<\/p>\n
the exercise. Madeleine listened, half\u2013understanding, but\u00a0<\/p>\n
figured she\u2019d gotten the hang of it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 83\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just then, the phone behind her rang.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine casually picked it up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She pouted when she saw the caller ID.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 84\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 84\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cedella is a passionate storyteller known for her bold romantic and spicy novels that keep readers hooked from the very first chapter. With a flair for crafting emotionally intense plots and unforgettable characters, she blends love, desire, and drama into every story she writes. Cedella\u2019s storytelling style is immersive and addictive\u2014perfect for fans of heated romances and heart-pounding twists.<\/p>\n
Night Carved Paths Into Silence by Zyrel Ash 83 Chapter 83\u00a0 Her gaze secretly darted to the drop of water […]<\/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":[85],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29380","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-heart-surgeons-last-patient-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29380","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=29380"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29380\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29380"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29380"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29380"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}