Madeleine\u2019s face instantly turned red. She subconsciously\u00a0<\/p>\n
tightened her grip on his suit lapel, only to hear a soft chuckle\u00a0<\/p>\n
from above her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you laughing at?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick looked down at her, the fragmented light of the\u00a0<\/p>\n
streetlamps reflected in his eyes. \u201cLooks like the restaurant I\u00a0<\/p>\n
picked for you was pretty good.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine froze, then realized he was saying she\u2019d gotten\u00a0<\/p>\n
heavier from eating too much. She lightly punched his shoulder\u00a0<\/p>\n
in annoyance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you, a human scale? You can even feel that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI hold you every day. How could I not feel it?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
That sentence was like a piece of candy, unexpectedly\u00a0<\/p>\n
sweetening her heart.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick told her to hold the umbrella properly, then turned and\u00a0<\/p>\n
nodded to the secretaries as a farewell before walking into the\u00a0<\/p>\n
curtain of rain with her in his arms.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 152\u00a0<\/p>\n
Suppressed squeals came from the secretaries behind them:\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAhhh, Mr. Livingston is so smooth!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cChase is blushing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is such a fairy\u2013tale romance!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine held the umbrella with one hand and turned her\u00a0<\/p>\n
head, not forgetting to wave goodbye to the secretaries.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When her gaze swept over Fiona, she noticed her expression\u00a0<\/p>\n
wasn\u2019t great, and she couldn\u2019t tell what she was thinking.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fiona\u2019s eyes followed Madeleine the whole time. She watched\u00a0<\/p>\n
as Roderick carefully placed Madeleine in the car, his gaze filled\u00a0<\/p>\n
with an unconcealable love.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was completely different from the rumors.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The two women behind Fiona heard what the four secretaries\u00a0<\/p>\n
up front were saying and couldn\u2019t help but roll their eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cTch, fairy\u2013tale romance. Wasn\u2019t Madeleine just Mr. Carroll\u2019s\u00a0<\/p>\n
people\u2013pleaser before?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cA real fairy\u2013tale romance is someone like Fiona and Mr. Carroll,\u00a0<\/p>\n
okay? Can\u2019t they get some taste?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 152\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fiona\u2019s already sinking heart now felt as if it had been dealt a\u00a0<\/p>\n
heavy blow.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Were she and Edward in a fairy\u2013tale romance?\u00a0<\/p>\n
But she asked herself, if Edward had been the one to show up,\u00a0<\/p>\n
he would never cherish her the way Roderick cherished\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her companion\u2019s harsh taunts faded in her ears, and all she could see was the gentle profile of Roderick as he leaned over\u00a0<\/p>\n
to fasten Madeleine\u2019s seatbelt.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFiona?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Why aren\u2019t you talking?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her companion nudged her shoulder. \u201cDon\u2019t tell me you were\u00a0<\/p>\n
actually grossed out by that phony couple?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fiona shot her a cold, sideways glance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIs it that hard to shut your mouth?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
It had started to rain, and the temperature had dropped quite a\u00a0<\/p>\n
bit. The driver turned on the heat, and the chill inside the car\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 152\u00a0<\/p>\n
instantly vanished.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick reached out and brushed back a stray strand of\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine\u2019s hair.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLet me tell you what just happened, that Fio-\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou really didn\u2019t drink?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick suddenly asked, raising an eyebrow in doubt.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine\u2019s eyes widened.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t. How can you still not believe me?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why is your face so red?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIs it?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine reached up to touch her face, realizing her cheeks\u00a0<\/p>\n
were hot.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s probably because the heat is on.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick said nothing, but suddenly cupped the back of her\u00a0<\/p>\n
head and lowered his to kiss her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWarmed up\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 152\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine instinctively grabbed his shirt, her eyelashes\u00a0<\/p>\n
trembling as her heart began to race.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The driver\u2019s right there in the front!\u00a0<\/p>\n
Three seconds later, Roderick released her, his thumb brushing\u00a0<\/p>\n
the corner of her reddened lips. \u201cYou really didn\u2019t drink.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine\u2019s eyes widened.\u00a0<\/p>\n
You little rascal, checking with a kiss, are you!\u00a0<\/p>\n
Grinding her teeth, Madeleine suddenly leaned forward and bit\u00a0<\/p>\n
down on Roderick\u2019s smiling, upturned lips.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was a quick, forceful bite. As Roderick winced in pain, the\u00a0<\/p>\n
culprit had already pulled back and sat down properly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A closer look revealed her face was full of glee from her\u00a0<\/p>\n
successful scheme.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick didn\u2019t know whether to laugh or cry, suddenly finding\u00a0<\/p>\n
her adorable.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAlright, no more messing around.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick patted her head. \u201cTell me, what happened earlier?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 152\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine talked the whole way, not only explaining what\u00a0<\/p>\n
happened but also adding some of her own thoughts.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis Fiona, she\u2019s a strange one. Not completely bad, but not\u00a0<\/p>\n
good enough either. I don\u2019t get her.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cActually, that\u2019s a true reflection of most people.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick\u2019s tone was gentle, his voice low.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople like Fiona might not be inherently bad, but she\u2019s selfish\u00a0<\/p>\n
enough to do whatever it takes when her own interests are at\u00a0<\/p>\n
stake.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHuman nature is complex. Stay away from her if you run into\u00a0<\/p>\n
her in the future.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine nodded obediently.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Of course she had to stay away. What if she got dragged into\u00a0<\/p>\n
the main narrative control again? That would be a disaster.\u00a0<\/p>\n
On the way back, Madeleine saw a dessert shop she liked and\u00a0<\/p>\n
asked the driver to pull over.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m planning to buy this for Kev, you know. We went out for\u00a0<\/p>\n
good food today without him, what if he feels left out?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 153\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 152 Madeleine\u2019s face instantly turned red. She subconsciously\u00a0 tightened her grip on […]<\/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-29449","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\/29449","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=29449"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29449\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29449"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29449"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29449"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}