Chapter 181\u00a0<\/p>\n
Isabella threw up her hands.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know how it is. Sometimes you can\u2019t refuse your elders\u2018\u00a0<\/p>\n
requests. And I\u2019m not the type to make things awkward. It\u2019s not\u00a0<\/p>\n
like meeting up once will kill me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bradley nodded. He believed that. From her behavior, Isabella\u00a0<\/p>\n
seemed like a very straightforward and open person.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Isabella stirred her coffee, a sly smile suddenly appearing on\u00a0<\/p>\n
her face. \u201cBut, you know, I\u2019m starting to think this trip was\u00a0<\/p>\n
totally worth it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bradley raised an eyebrow. \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve found the perfect ally.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bradley narrowed his eyes. \u201cAlly?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Isabella slapped the table excitedly. \u201cWe can be each other\u2019s\u00a0<\/p>\n
cover! You help me deal with my family, and I\u2019ll help you win\u00a0<\/p>\n
over Charlotte. How about it?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 181\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bradley\u2019s expression suddenly turned wary. \u201cWho said I was.\u00a0<\/p>\n
going to pursue her?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou like her, but you\u2019re not going to pursue her? What\u2019s up with\u00a0<\/p>\n
that?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The light in Bradley\u2019s eyes dimmed a little.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe has a boyfriend. And besides, she doesn\u2019t like me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe has a boyfriend?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Isabella scratched her head.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That\u2019s strange. How did I not know about this?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bradley picked up the tea on the table and downed it like a shot.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When he was done, his eyes were clear.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHurry up and eat. I\u2019ll take you home when you\u2019re done.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Later that night.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine was panting as she lay on the bed, her whole body\u00a0<\/p>\n
still flushed a faint pink.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 181\u00a0<\/p>\n
The ends of her hair were damp, sinking into the soft down\u00a0<\/p>\n
comforter.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick leaned over her, propped on his arms. He gently\u00a0<\/p>\n
brushed the stray hairs from the nape of her neck, the dark\u00a0<\/p>\n
passion in his eyes still lingering.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGot any strength left?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He asked in a low voice, the pads of his fingers barely grazing\u00a0<\/p>\n
her back.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine mumbled, her face buried in the pillows, \u201cI\u2019m spent.\u00a0<\/p>\n
No more.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick chuckled, pulling her over to turn and lean against\u00a0<\/p>\n
him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI was asking if you have the energy now to tell me what\u00a0<\/p>\n
happened today.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine\u2019s face flushed, and she ducked her head shyly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Oh, so that\u2019s what he meant.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re awful. You did that on purpose.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her voice was still thick with arousal, holding no menace at all.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 181\u00a0<\/p>\n
He chuckled softly, then buried his face in the crook of her neck\u00a0<\/p>\n
and inhaled deeply.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah. On purpose.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His warm lips pressed against her throbbing pulse. \u201cSo, what\u00a0<\/p>\n
were you really angry about?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine moved her lips, realizing her throat was terribly dry\u00a0<\/p>\n
and hoarse.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just now\u2026 I think I yelled a little too loud.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to drink some water first.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick chuckled softly and immediately got up to pour her a\u00a0<\/p>\n
glass.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After drinking the water, Madeleine finally regained some of her\u00a0<\/p>\n
strength.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She leaned on Roderick\u2019s shoulder, rambling on about what\u00a0<\/p>\n
happened today.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI just don\u2019t get it, how is that Jason still so annoying?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 181\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I had known Hengrong Group was his family\u2019s business, I\u00a0<\/p>\n
wouldn\u2019t have even given it a second glance.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt pisses me off so much, wasting so much of my time\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine mumbled on for a while, but Roderick never said a\u00a0<\/p>\n
word.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She looked up, puzzled.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRicki?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, she looked up right into Roderick\u2019s icy eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He narrowed his eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen did he harass you?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cUh.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine blinked a couple of times.\u00a0<\/p>\n
So out of everything I just said, the only thing Roderick heard\u00a0<\/p>\n
was that Jason harassed me?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was all old stuff from ten years ago. He was really\u00a0<\/p>\n
annoying back then, but luckily he went back abroad later.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 181\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick lifted her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you tell me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine looked helpless, \u201cOur relationship was pretty average back then, right? What if I told you and you just laughed at me?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick\u2019s brow furrowed even deeper.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It seemed her misunderstanding of him ran deep.\u00a0<\/p>\n
How could he possibly laugh at her?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHow exactly did he harass you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He asked in a low voice, knowing the answer would upset him,\u00a0<\/p>\n
but he couldn\u2019t help himself.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He held Madeleine close, lightly twirling a few loose strands of her hair like he was playing with his property.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine thought for a moment, \u201cIt was nothing much, just chasing me around saying he liked me, insisting I be his\u00a0<\/p>\n
girlfriend and stuff.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick\u2019s grip on her hair tightened.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He tried his best to control his emotions.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 181\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat else?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe followed me everywhere I went, came to my house every day, it was so annoying. Later, I slapped him, and it felt so\u00a0<\/p>\n
satisfying.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did you slap him?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat bastard asked if I still had my first kiss. I couldn\u2019t be\u00a0<\/p>\n
bothered with him, but he insisted on cornering me against a\u00a0<\/p>\n
wall, saying he was going to take my first kiss.\u201d\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 181 Chapter 181\u00a0 Isabella threw up her hands.\u00a0 \u201cYou know how it […]<\/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-29478","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\/29478","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=29478"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29478\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29478"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29478"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29478"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}