Chapter 47

“CHASE…”
Both were panting after the kiss.
“Yes?” He was about to kiss her again, but she pushed him away. “What’s the matter?”
“We shouldn’t be kissing here like this. What if someone sees us here and—”
“The hell I care, Sybil….”
Chase kissed her again, and this time it was deeper and fiercer. She must admit that she could feel herself slowly drowning in it. Sybil wrapped her fingers around his hair and pulled him more until she felt his tongue inside her mouth. When Chase suddenly cut their kiss, she wanted to make protest. But it didn’t happen because he immediately lifted her and carried her out of the drawing room. He almost ran down the hallway as though they were being chased.
He brought her to his room. And the moment he lay her down on the bed, their lips met again.
How she wished they could stay that way forever. If only she could ask him to run away from everyone and build a new life with her. But Sybil couldn’t do that. She knew it was too much to ask. It was equivalent to giving up his life… the life he already had even before he met her. She couldn’t just decide for them and ruin his life.
‘“Chase…” she muttered when his lips went down to the top of her bosom.
“Hmm…?”
“What does she look like?” He abruptly raised his head and looked at her with narrowed eyes. Right then, Sybil knew that she had ruined the mood. “Prudence… how do you find her—”
“Are you jealous of her?” Chase slowly sat up without taking his gaze off her.
“I just want to know.” She sat up, too. “Is she a fine lady? I bet she is. Your family couldn’t have chosen someone like her as your fiancée if she wasn’t that pretty. Of course, she must’ve come from a very wealthy family with a powerful social connection—”
“Stop, Sybil.” He held her hand and brought it to his lips. “It doesn’t matter how she looks or what kind of family she is from. I don’t care about all those because it’s you I love… Keep that in mind.”
“But I heard what they told you about me—”
“Don’t worry about it, okay? It’s my job to convince them.
“Chase…” She let out a long sigh. “I don’t want to be a burden to you—”
“Who said you are?” He grasped her shoulders. “You are not… and you will never be, Sybil.”
“I—” She couldn’t finish her sentence because a sudden knock on his door interrupted her. “Go. It must be urgent,” she told Chase, pushing him off the bed.
Sighing, he sauntered toward the door and opened it. Chase went out and closed the door, so she couldn’t hear well what the butler had told him. After a few moments, he came in again.
“I… uhm… I need to talk to Papa about an urgent matter,” he informed her.
She just smiled and nodded her head in response. Sybil had a hunch that it had something to do about their affair.
“Will you wait for me?”
“Here?”
“Yes.”
“I will wait for you in the drawing room.”
“Alright.” Chase sighed and went out afterward.

PRUDENCE thought it wouldn’t be necessary for her and Julian to have dinner together since his brother had already returned. He made it clear last time that he had no intention of going against the rules of his family, which annoyed her. Though, she didn’t have a choice either. Her boss was firm in his decision that she must marry Chase, just like the original plan. But then, Prudence received a text from Julian that afternoon. He told her to meet him at his penthouse for dinner.
She didn’t give it a second thought and came to his penthouse. Call her foolish, but she wanted to see him. There was this side of her that kept missing him every single moment.
Prudence heaved a deep sigh when she reached his penthouse. She could even feel her body trembling as she strode inside.
“J-Julian?” she called upon reaching the dining area.
But there was no sign of him. Even the kitchen was clear and clean. Where could he be?
“Did he change his mind?” She fished her phone from her purse and was about to call him when she suddenly felt a hand wrapped around her arm. She jerked and almost threw out her phone from shock. “Julian…” she muttered after pulling herself together.
“Did I startle you?”
She frowned immediately.
“Do you really have to ask?”
A smirk was Julian’s answer. And then she noticed that he was half-naked with a towel wrapped around his waist, though she couldn’t tell if she came from a bath because there was no water residue on his body.
“Come,” he said as he ushered her to the bathroom.
“Julian.” Prudence halted before they could get in. “I came here for dinner because that is what you said—”
“We will have dinner.” He turned to her and caressed her arms. “Later.”
There was something in his voice and his gaze that compelled Prudence to come with him inside the bathroom. Ah, she must be crazy…
Julian took her bag away and even helped her to undress. She didn’t mind that. What was there to be ashamed of when they shared the same bed, bathed together, and even made love on his kitchen counter? The only thing holding her back was her mission.
Prudence moaned when the tub’s warm water touched her body.
“You like it, don’t you?” He joined her in the tub. But instead of sitting across from her, Julian sat behind her and started to lather her body with soap.
“This is great…” she whispered and hugged her folded legs.
“Have you heard from Chase or my father?” He started massaging her shoulders.
“Not yet.” She rested her chin between her knees. “How is it back home?”
“Chaotic.” She heard him sneer. “My brother brought this girl and announced to the family that she is his girlfriend and the woman he wants to marry.”
“Have you met the girl?” She turned around to face him.
“Yes.” He leaned against the tub. “She is that girl he was with back in Tennessee. She was a nobody, so there was no chance the elders and Papa would allow them to get married. But then…”
She arched a brow.
“But then what?” Prudence probed.
“I think Chase won’t stop until he gets what he wants. I can see n him that he will fight for this girl.”
That sounded like a piece of bad news for her. Chase would do his best to call off the engagement if he was determined to marry that girl. If that happened, she would lose her connection with the Whitewoods. Prudence must see that girl and scare her off.
“That’s really brave of him,” she said afterward. “Fighting for his love.”
If truth be told, she said that to trigger Julian. Somehow, she was hoping that would change his mind. Yes, despite her mission, she was still hoping he would choose her… that Julian would show bravery to fight for what he wanted.
*Perhaps he doesn’t want me that much…*
“I didn’t know you like romantic stuff.” He pulled her close to him and sat her above his lap. “You should’ve told me back then when I still have the chance to show you.”
Julian buried his face in her chest and started showering her bosoms with butterfly kisses. Prudence stayed still and closed her eyes. She couldn’t protest because she knew she wanted that. For one last time, she would let Julian have her.
“You are mine, Prudence….”
There… he said that again. But how could she hold on to that if he wasn’t doing something to claim her? Did he really want her when he just let her return to Chase?
She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his head backward.
“Make me yours then….”
Prudence gasped when she felt him surge inside her. She didn’t know if he understood her well or if it was the other way around.