Chapter 286 Ankle Ring
Diana's face tightened as she mentally kicked herself. Crap, she forgot to change his contact name!
Charles glanced at the string of numbers on her phone, his expression darkening.
"It's me."
He said it like a statement, not a question.
Diana couldn't come up with an excuse. In the next second, she snatched her phone back and changed the contact name to "Charles."
She waved the phone in front of his face, "Sorry, my bad. I didn't update it before, but it's fixed now."
Charles was still a bit annoyed, but having just gotten rid of two annoying rivals in love and seeing her sincere apology, he only lightly pinched her cheek as a form of punishment.
Diana gritted her teeth, holding her cheek, and said, "It's getting late, Mr. Percy. You should head back to your room and rest."
She raised her hand to push Charles out, but after just a couple of steps, he grabbed her arm.
"I'm sleeping here."
Diana's face changed slightly, memories of that night flooding back.
"Dr. Ramos said no."
"I won't touch you."
Lately, sleeping next to Diana had improved his sleep significantly. Besides, leaving her alone in the room always made him worry she might escape through the window.
"If you're bored at home, you can come to the office with me every day."
Charles suddenly suggested, wishing he could shrink Diana and carry her in his pocket.
Hearing this, Diana quickly changed her tune. "I don't want to. Let's just sleep. I'm really tired."
Sleeping with him was just a few hours at night, and it would pass in the blink of an eye. Going to the Percy Group would waste many good opportunities to escape.
Seeing her reluctance, Charles didn't insist. He just regretfully touched her face, "You go to sleep. I'll join you later."
Diana obediently agreed on the surface, but inside she was screaming, 'Weren't you the one insisting on sleeping with me? Now it sounds like I'm begging you to stay. Do you really think I'm dependent on you, you jerk!'
She got ready for bed and lay down, curling up in a corner of the 6.5-foot-wide bed, the blanket forming a small mound over her.
She didn't know how much time had passed when she yawned sleepily, and then she felt movement beside her.
Charles lifted the blanket and got into bed, the first thing he did was reach for Diana.
She felt like prey caught by a sea monster, her waist tightened as she was pulled into his arms.
This time, Diana didn't react much, her whole body soft and pliant, letting him hold her.
She convinced herself to ignore Charles beside her, thinking of him as a warm heater.
It wasn't the first time they slept together. If she struggled, it might arouse his desires, and she'd be the one to suffer.
With that thought, Diana yawned again, her head resting on Charles' collarbone, and she fell asleep.
Maybe it was her excessive compliance this time, but Charles' heart pounded even more.
He resisted the urge to hold her tightly, only lowering his head to plant a kiss on her hair, whispering, "Goodnight."
The next morning, when Diana woke up, Charles was already gone.
She was quite pleased with his workaholic persona, as it gave her plenty of personal space.
But before she could finish her breakfast, Tessa appeared at the dining table with a notebook.
Diana rolled her eyes, having no fondness for this sneaky eavesdropper.
Tessa, stifling her anger at Diana's expression, said, "Ms. Spencer, you need to join the servants in the back garden to weed. Please finish your breakfast quickly."
"Tessa, isn't this work arrangement a bit off?" Evelyn interjected.
When Jacob was around, the tasks were always simple. Weeding, which requires prolonged squatting, would put pressure on the stomach.
But Tessa closed her notebook, her expression indifferent. "Not at all. Should I have Ms. Spencer chop trees or paint the exterior walls? I've already chosen the easiest task. And you need to join her."
Evelyn wanted to argue further, but Diana stopped her. Weeding wasn't a big deal. Arguing with Tessa might lead to retaliation.
The enemy was in the shadows, and they were in the open. The most important thing now was to wait and see.
However, in Tessa's eyes, Diana's compliance looked like weakness. She couldn't help but smirk. So what if Diana was pregnant? She still had to follow orders.
After breakfast, Diana and Evelyn were taken to the back garden.
Compared to the last time they planted flowers, the area assigned to them was much larger, impossible to finish in a day. Moreover, Tessa didn't provide them with gloves.
Diana, who had always lived a pampered life, felt her palms and knuckles burning after weeding a small patch.
"We need gloves," she said, raising her hand to ask Tessa.
Tessa replied, "Sorry, the gloves are all gone. The weather is nice today, Ms. Spencer. Do your best."
With that, she moved to a shaded spot to continue supervising.
The winter sun, though not hot, was glaringly bright. Diana frowned, raising a hand to shield her eyes, then pulled Evelyn to leave. Whoever wanted to do this job could do it.
But as soon as she took two steps, Tessa's slow voice came, "Ms. Spencer, you can leave, but Evelyn will have to finish your share."
Diana's eyes flashed with anger, ready to confront her. But Evelyn shook her head, whispering, "Ms. Spencer, you go rest. I'll handle it."
They were already living at The Percy Mansion, having to watch their behavior. If Charles got angry again, it wouldn't be good for them.
Thinking of this, Diana gritted her teeth and squatted back down, "We'll do it together."
It wasn't until four in the afternoon that they finished weeding.
Both skipped lunch, feeling weak and exhausted, and after a few bites of food, they went to their rooms to rest.
When Charles returned home, he found Diana curled up on the bed, sleeping fitfully.
Tessa reported the day's events, only mentioning that Diana had helped the servants in the back garden, without specifying how much she had done.
But knowing that work at The Percy Mansion was usually light, Charles didn't ask further. His gaze fell on her exposed ankle.
In her sleep, Diana felt a cold sensation on her foot, followed by a faint sound. She tried to move her foot, only to find it held by someone.
"Who's there?"
Diana's eyes snapped open, seeing Charles at the foot of the bed, startling her.
He bent down, caressing her ankle with a look of admiration.
"Beautiful." His voice was hoarse.
Diana propped herself up, noticing a metal anklet on her ankle, adorned with large sapphires and sparkling diamonds.
On closer inspection, the diamonds formed the initials of his name.
"What is this? Shackles? Charles, you jerk, do you think I'm a prisoner? Take it off now!"
Diana struggled to pull her foot back, trying to remove the anklet, but it was made of a sturdy material, seemingly custom-made for her. The special lock could only be opened with a unique key.
Her struggle only made the bells on the anklet jingle incessantly, driving Charles' eyes red with desire.
He suppressed his heavy breathing, asking, "Do you like it? I designed it myself. It was originally a necklace, but I modified it."
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
