\u201cDo you think Bradley\u2019s blind date will go well tomorrow?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She looked up at Roderick. \u201cYou know him better. What if he\u00a0<\/p>\n
doesn\u2019t like her and makes a scene?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine was worrying on her mom\u2019s behalf.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Being a matchmaker wasn\u2019t easy. What if she failed to set them\u00a0<\/p>\n
up and just made things awkward for everyone?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick had just finished the document. He closed his laptop,\u00a0<\/p>\n
lifted Madeleine up, and settled her onto his lap.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSo worried about him?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cJust curious.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve been a little too curious these past few days.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick\u2019s eyes narrowed slightly as he suddenly leaned in, a\u00a0<\/p>\n
hint of seduction in his gaze.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHow come I don\u2019t see you being this curious about me?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 172\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine didn\u2019t have time to pull back, and her heart gave a\u00a0<\/p>\n
violent thump.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She seemed to get flustered so easily lately\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
Seeing him lean in again, Madeleine quickly pressed two fingers\u00a0<\/p>\n
against Roderick\u2019s lips.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cStop messing around, we\u2019re talking about something serious.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick\u2019s eyes showed his displeasure.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This girl. It was bad enough she wouldn\u2019t let him go all the way\u00a0<\/p>\n
with her, but for the past two days, she\u2019d even been resisting\u00a0<\/p>\n
any form of intimacy. Could it be that the novelty of him had\u00a0<\/p>\n
worn off?\u00a0<\/p>\n
He had no idea what was on Madeleine\u2019s mind.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For the past two days, his words kept replaying in her head-\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIf this keeps up, what if I develop a problem from holding it\u00a0<\/p>\n
in\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just thinking about it made Madeleine tense up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It couldn\u2019t actually break, could it?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 172\u00a0<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why she always stopped Roderick from getting too close,\u00a0<\/p>\n
nipping it all in the bud!\u00a0<\/p>\n
Quickly pushing Roderick away, Madeleine sat cross\u2013legged on\u00a0<\/p>\n
the sofa next to him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you free tomorrow? How about we go watch?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick\u2019s mind was still a mess, and he didn\u2019t immediately\u00a0<\/p>\n
register what she wanted to watch.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHm?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBradley\u2019s blind date! Don\u2019t you want to see how he does?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick thought for a moment. \u201cI can\u2019t get away tomorrow.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAh\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine was a bit disappointed. \u201cThen I\u2019ll just skip it if I\u2019m\u00a0<\/p>\n
alone. I\u2019m not going.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick\u2019s brow furrowed again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He considered it. There was a national\u2013level event he had to\u00a0<\/p>\n
attend tomorrow; he really couldn\u2019t get out of it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He sighed with some resignation. \u201cHave Rebecca go with you?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 172\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIs she free?\u00a0<\/p>\n
She seems pretty busy lately. I\u2019ve asked her to dinner a few\u00a0<\/p>\n
times, but she always said she didn\u2019t have time.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick chuckled. \u201cJust busy with nonsense.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
These days, Rebecca was running all over the place, spending\u00a0<\/p>\n
most of her time in that lab of Adrian\u2019s.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was hard to tell if she was the one scheming, or if she was\u00a0<\/p>\n
the one being schemed against.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick took out his phone and sent Rebecca a text.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A moment later, he got an affirmative reply.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe agreed. I\u2019ll have her come pick you up tomorrow.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYay~\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The next day, Madeleine showed up in front of Rebecca\u00a0<\/p>\n
dressed all in black, with a hat, a mask, and sunglasses, fully\u00a0<\/p>\n
equipped.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rebecca\u2019s mouth twitched.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 172\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen did you switch careers to become a paparazzo?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat paparazzo?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine spoke, then it clicked, and she glanced down at her\u00a0<\/p>\n
outfit and raised an eyebrow.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s called being cautious.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rebecca shook her head in confusion, entered the restaurant\u00a0<\/p>\n
and gave her name, and a waiter led them to their reserved\u00a0<\/p>\n
table.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine blinked a couple of times.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou didn\u2019t tell me you booked the perfect spot for spying!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Their table was in a corner of the restaurant, diagonally across\u00a0<\/p>\n
from Bradley\u2019s reserved table, with a few plants in between that\u00a0<\/p>\n
both hid them and gave them a clear view.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rebecca elegantly lifted her water glass and took a sip, the\u00a0<\/p>\n
corner of her mouth lifting slightly. \u201cIf we\u2019re going to spectate,\u00a0<\/p>\n
of course we need a good spot.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine took off her sunglasses, her eyes sparkling. \u201cLeave it to you!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 172\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before long, Bradley arrived.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He was wearing a dark shirt for a change today, the cuffs\u00a0<\/p>\n
slightly rolled up to reveal his strong forearms, and he still had\u00a0<\/p>\n
that same cold, stern air about him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But his brow was slightly furrowed, clearly not looking forward\u00a0<\/p>\n
to this blind date.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine lowered her voice. \u201cTsk, look at his face. He looks\u00a0<\/p>\n
like he\u2019s here for a fight, not a blind date.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou get used to it. How many people go on blind dates\u00a0<\/p>\n
willingly these days?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine picked up on something.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRebecca, you\u2019ve been on them too?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rebecca shot her a glare. \u201cAre you here for Gossip about\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bradley or about me?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine\u2019s eyes lit up even more.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere there\u2019s Gossip, there I am!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cStop being a smart\u2013ass.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 172\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rebecca avoided her gaze and lifted her chin toward the door.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLooks like Bradley\u2019s blind date is here.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 173\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 173\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 172 \u201cDo you think Bradley\u2019s blind date will go well tomorrow?\u201d\u00a0 She […]<\/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-29469","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\/29469","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=29469"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29469\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29469"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29469"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29469"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}