Her heart skipped a beat.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rebecca was startled by Adrian\u2019s undisguised, fierce gaze.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He was like a completely different person from the Professor\u00a0<\/p>\n
Shaw she knew.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She couldn\u2019t help but take half a step back, but Rebecca quickly\u00a0<\/p>\n
recovered and sneered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAdrian, do you think I\u2019m some naive girl in her early twenties?\u00a0<\/p>\n
That I\u2019m that easy to scare?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Adrian\u2019s cold gaze softened, and he returned to his usual calm\u00a0<\/p>\n
and detached demeanor.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rebecca was right.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He knew she was this kind of person, that he couldn\u2019t scare her. Otherwise, he wouldn\u2019t have been so angry he started talking\u00a0<\/p>\n
nonsense.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Adrian kept staring at her. They stood there in a stalemate for\u00a0<\/p>\n
who knows how long.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 245\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere have you been the past few days?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rebecca turned her head away. \u201cOn a business trip.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you go to P Country to see Professor Annelise Sloan?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re following me!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rebecca glared, looking at Adrian irritably.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He chuckled softly and said lightly, \u201cAnnelise was my deputy\u00a0<\/p>\n
before.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rebecca was at a loss for words.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She knew Adrian was capable, but she hadn\u2019t expected him to\u00a0<\/p>\n
be this capable.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Annelise was a top figure in the industry, and she\u2019d only been\u00a0<\/p>\n
his deputy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She took a deep breath.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s right, I went to see her. The Whitman group is short-\u00a0<\/p>\n
staffed right now, so of course I have to have a backup plan.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cA backup plan? Why do you need a backup plan? What\u2019s the first plan?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 245\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rebecca felt like she had a lump in her throat.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Some things were hard to say.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Adrian saw the tips of her ears turning a little red and moved\u00a0<\/p>\n
closer to her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou weren\u2019t this cowardly when you forced a kiss on me last\u00a0<\/p>\n
time.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAdrian!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rebecca glared at him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCan we not talk about last time? Just pretend I was sick and\u00a0<\/p>\n
delirious, that my brain short\u2013circuited and I did something\u00a0<\/p>\n
stupid, okay?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Adrian narrowed his eyes, hiding the trace of hurt and sadness.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A bitter smile touched his lips.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLooks like my decision that day was the right one. What if we had done it, and you turned around and blamed me for it later?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rebecca\u2019s face grew even hotter.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 245\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI would never.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She turned her head away, her heart pounding wildly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In truth, she couldn\u2019t explain what was wrong with her either.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That time with the stomach flu, she was genuinely touched, no\u00a0<\/p>\n
matter what Adrian\u2019s motive was for coming to find her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
So she acted on impulse.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She kissed him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And even suggested\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rebecca wasn\u2019t one to have regrets. Once she made a decision,\u00a0<\/p>\n
she accepted it calmly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But she did, in fact, regret what happened that day a little.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She didn\u2019t want Adrian to think she was the kind of person who would do anything for personal gain.\u00a0<\/p>\n
So before she was even fully recovered, she just bought a plane\u00a0<\/p>\n
ticket and fled to P Country, using work to cool her head for a few days.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She hadn\u2019t even finished cooling down, and now that damn\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 245\u00a0<\/p>\n
couple, Madeleine and Roderick, were starting to stir up trouble.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rebecca had a huge headache.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She should have given Madeleine a heads\u2013up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After standing in silence for a while, Rebecca got a few\u00a0<\/p>\n
mosquito bites and irritably scratched the back of her hand.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s walk.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Adrian seemed to sigh quietly. He reached for her hand, but she\u00a0<\/p>\n
pulled away.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Without a word, Adrian moved in again and grabbed her hand\u00a0<\/p>\n
firmly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His other hand reached into his pocket, pulled out a tube of\u00a0<\/p>\n
mosquito repellent, and he carefully applied it to Rebecca\u2019s\u00a0<\/p>\n
hand.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The cool sensation spread, instantly stopping the itching and\u00a0<\/p>\n
pain.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t believe you brought this.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI come here often. The mountains are full of bugs, so this is a\u00a0<\/p>\n
must\u2013have.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 245\u00a0<\/p>\n
When he finished, Adrian slipped the repellent into Rebecca\u2019s\u00a0<\/p>\n
pocket, but he didn\u2019t let go of her hand, just held it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They walked for who knows how long before a large meadow\u00a0<\/p>\n
opened up in front of them, with the vast wilderness beyond.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rebecca looked down at Adrian\u2019s hand holding hers, an\u00a0<\/p>\n
indescribable feeling rising in her heart.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a question I asked you before that you never\u00a0<\/p>\n
answered. Can you answer it today?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
After a long silence, Adrian turned his head and stared at her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rebecca felt uncomfortable under his gaze, pulled her hand\u00a0<\/p>\n
back, and sat down on the grass.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou ask so many questions.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve asked so many questions. How many have you answered?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Adrian sat down next to her. The cool mountain wind was\u00a0<\/p>\n
refreshing, clearing their heads quite a bit.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rebecca felt a little embarrassed by that.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was true, she supposed. She always just played dumb and dodged his questions.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter\u00a0\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 ` 245 Her heart skipped a beat.\u00a0 Rebecca was startled by Adrian\u2019s […]<\/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-29542","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\/29542","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=29542"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29542\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29542"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29542"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29542"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}