Chapter 133\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine couldn\u2019t help but roll her eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the past, she would have thought Ricki was definitely teasing\u00a0<\/p>\n
her, deliberately trying to annoy her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now that she knew he was saying these things sincerely\u00a0<\/p>\n
because he liked her, Madeleine felt flustered and\u00a0<\/p>\n
embarrassed, not knowing what to do for a moment.\u00a0<\/p>\n
No, who likes someone using such a cheap way to show it\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t give me that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She pushed against his chest, but he only held her tighter.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCome on, tell me. What exactly did you say to Nanette?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick chuckled, his fingers tracing her skin through the thin\u00a0<\/p>\n
fabric of her shirt, making Madeleine shiver.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou really want to know?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine shrank back a little and nodded.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick smiled. \u201cI had Mariah dig up her entire family history\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 133\u00a0<\/p>\n
and told her that if she didn\u2019t write it, what\u2019s waiting for her\u00a0<\/p>\n
would be a lot worse than just jail time and paying damages.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou threatened her?\u00a0<\/p>\n
That\u2019s illegal\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s called a reasonable negotiation.\u201c,\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick said nonchalantly, twirling a strand of her hair around\u00a0<\/p>\n
his finger. \u201cBesides, so what if it is illegal?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
For Madeleine, he would risk anything.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick chuckled again. \u201cI\u2019m kidding. We\u2019re law\u2013abiding\u00a0<\/p>\n
citizens. For those slaps you gave her, we\u2019ll pay the medical\u00a0<\/p>\n
bills. How much was it again?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He picked up his phone and glanced at the message from\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mariah.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSeventy\u2013six fifty\u2013two.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine almost choked on her own spit and couldn\u2019t help but\u00a0<\/p>\n
burst out laughing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Perfect. That was so Ricki.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 133\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine grinned, then immediately dug her own grave with\u00a0<\/p>\n
her next words:\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSince you helped me so much, shouldn\u2019t I thank you properly?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
At her words, she saw Roderick\u2019s eyes land on her, filled with\u00a0<\/p>\n
surprise and a hint of unreadable desire.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine, who had been a little chilly with her bare legs and\u00a0<\/p>\n
was wrapped in a blanket on the sofa, now felt the temperature\u00a0<\/p>\n
rising, her whole body growing hot.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just being enveloped by his gaze, she started to feel\u00a0<\/p>\n
uncomfortable all over, shifting her body uneasily.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy are you looking at me like that?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine\u2019s voice was timid, her nervousness obvious.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick mischievously leaned in closer, his eyes looking down\u00a0<\/p>\n
at her, forcing her to tilt her head up slightly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you think?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He raised an eyebrow and smiled. \u201cDidn\u2019t you say you wanted to\u00a0<\/p>\n
thank me? I\u2019m waiting.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine shrank back, not daring to meet his gaze.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 133\u00a0<\/p>\n
She felt that Roderick looked a little scary right now, that she\u2019d\u00a0<\/p>\n
be devoured if their eyes met.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI just haven\u2019t figured out how to thank you yet\u2026 How about I\u00a0<\/p>\n
buy you a gift?\u00a0<\/p>\n
I remember you really liked those figurines when you were a kid,\u00a0<\/p>\n
right?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
As Madeleine spoke, she squirmed, trying to get out of\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick\u2019s arms.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But that squirming only made things worse. Roderick\u2019s gaze on\u00a0<\/p>\n
her deepened, and several veins popped out on his neck.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMadeleine, don\u2019t move.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The hoarse voice came, and Madeleine immediately froze as if\u00a0<\/p>\n
under a spell, not daring to move.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She sat like a statue, her muscles tense, truly not moving at all.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick was amused by her, looking speechless.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGo ahead and move.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine wanted to cry but had no tears.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 133\u00a0<\/p>\n
Should she move or not? Her whole body was so tense it was\u00a0<\/p>\n
uncomfortable.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Seeing her like this, Roderick felt a little bad. After all, she was\u00a0<\/p>\n
missing her memories of the last few years. What if he scared\u00a0<\/p>\n
her by pushing her forward like this?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Take it slow, step by step.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick was just about to let her go, about to tell Madeleine to\u00a0<\/p>\n
get off him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The person on him, for some reason, reached out and wrapped\u00a0<\/p>\n
her arms around his neck.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick looked astonished.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What\u2019s gotten into her?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine was so nervous she was about to explode. She\u00a0<\/p>\n
didn\u2019t dare look Roderick in the eye, so she looked down, shyly\u00a0<\/p>\n
watching his lips.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She wasn\u2019t an idiot; of course she could hear the subtext in\u00a0<\/p>\n
what Roderick was saying to her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her heart was beating so fast it felt like it would leap out of her\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 133\u00a0<\/p>\n
chest, and her fingertips were trembling slightly. Madeleine held\u00a0<\/p>\n
her breath, finally gathered her courage, leaned up, and gently\u00a0<\/p>\n
pressed her lips to Roderick\u2019s.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His lips were warmer than she had imagined, with a faint scent\u00a0<\/p>\n
of coffee.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine had made the coffee for him. They were Ethiopian\u00a0<\/p>\n
beans from Bradley. When she was grinding them, she\u2019d\u00a0<\/p>\n
glanced at the description, which mentioned flavors of\u00a0<\/p>\n
magnolia, citrus, pineapple, and mango.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After brewing it, Madeleine had taken a sip herself. It was bitter\u00a0<\/p>\n
and astringent; she couldn\u2019t really taste those flavors.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But now, from Roderick\u2019s mouth, she thought she could taste\u00a0<\/p>\n
them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That hint of sweet floral and fruity aroma, as if laced with\u00a0<\/p>\n
alcohol, made her feel intoxicated, lost.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 134\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 133 Chapter 133\u00a0 Madeleine couldn\u2019t help but roll her eyes.\u00a0 In the […]<\/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-29430","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\/29430","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=29430"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29430\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29430"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29430"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29430"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}