Chapter 496 No!
In the grand Platan Height Villa No. 1, the atmosphere froze—so silent you could hear a pin drop!
Ryder's breathing was the only sound as his eyes locked with Sarah's.
Sweat poured down his forehead; no matter how he'd calculated, he never saw this curveball coming!
In a panic, he quickly let go of Barbara.
Ryder blinked and broke the silence first: "Sarah, let me explain!"
"You don't need to explain!" Sarah left a cold remark and turned to go upstairs!
"This is bad!" Seeing this, Ryder's face changed!
Even though things between him and Sarah had just started to heat up recently, he knew her well enough to see the jealousy flashing in her eyes.
At this moment, Barbara bit her lip lightly and asked Ryder worriedly, "Did I do something wrong?"
Hearing this, Ryder smiled bitterly: "This has nothing to do with you, it's all my fault!"
The nightgown Barbara was wearing originally belonged to Sarah!
Just a few days ago, Sarah had given it to Barbara, and Ryder didn't know about it!
So he mistook her for Sarah from behind, leading to the misunderstanding!
Of course, regardless of the reason!
No matter the reason, the priority now was to clear the air and apologize to Sarah—fast.
If this misunderstanding spiraled, it'd be a disaster!
Ryder made a reassuring gesture to Barbara and immediately went upstairs!
Left behind, Barbara watched him go, her eyes welling up, lost in her thoughts.
Meanwhile, Ryder charged straight to the bedroom.
Luckily, Sarah hadn't locked the door.
He opened the door!
Sarah was sitting on the bed, her back to him, staring at the wall in silence.
Ryder shut the door behind him and crept closer, his nerves on edge.
It was weird. No matter how tough things got—whether dealing with the Johnsons or someone like Mark—he could always keep his cool. But when it came to Sarah, he felt like he was always messing up.
He didn't want to let her down.
Staying calm was impossible.
"Sarah, I..." Ryder started, his voice shaky.
Sarah suddenly turned her head, staring at him, expressionless, and interrupted: "How far have you and Barbara gone?"
Ryder was puzzled.
How far? They hadn't done a damn thing!
He forced a nervous grin and said, "Sarah, chill, nothing's going on between Barbara and me!"
Sarah snorted coldly: "Nothing happened? Then who were you hugging just now? Or am I blind and saw it wrong?"
Facing Sarah's series of questions, Ryder sighed: "Can I say I hugged the wrong person?"
Saying this, Ryder explained the reason for his mistake!
After listening, Sarah raised an eyebrow skeptically: "Are you telling the truth?"
"Absolutely!" Ryder nodded frantically!
Sarah blinked.
Then she thought of something: "Even if what you're saying's true, I still think you and Barbara are holding out on me!"
"Why do you say that?"
Sarah pouted. "Because you're too damn perfect! Lately, the more amazing stuff you pull off, the more I feel like I'm not enough. I know women fall for heroes—no matter how strong or independent they are. Spend enough time with one, and they're hooked. I know it's messed up, but I can't help it. I'm scared one day I won't measure up, and I'll lose you for good."
Her voice cracked as she spoke, and Ryder's heart twisted.
He'd never realized Sarah felt this way.
A hero?
That word—familiar yet distant—hit him hard.
Was that really how she saw him?
Pride and excitement aside, guilt washed over him.
He squatted down, holding Sarah's hands on her knees, and said softly: "Honey, you're right! I've neglected your feelings, from today on I'll consider your feelings more and think from your perspective! Please don't be mad, okay?"
Saying this, he brought Sarah's hand to his lips and kissed it gently!
This gesture was very effective!
Sarah's frown was slightly relaxed, but she still sniffled and asked softly: "Do you think I'm being selfish?"
Ryder shook his head repeatedly: "What are you talking about! A wife being selfish with her husband is a blessing!"
Sarah playfully slapped Ryder's head: "Smooth talker! So unserious!"
Seeing Sarah cheered up, Ryder finally breathed a sigh of relief!
Then his eyes shifted, pointing to the "red flower" on the bed sheet: "Honey, what's this?"
Sarah turned her head, seeing the "red flower," her expression froze!
Then, visibly, a blush spread from her neck to her cheeks and ears!
She couldn't meet his gaze. "This, uh, I…"
Ryder smirked, leaning in. "So, I had this dream last night. A really, really good one. Wanna hear about it? Oh, and after dinner, I started feeling all dizzy and heated up. Any idea why?"
Facing Ryder's questions, Sarah cleared her throat. "Uh, I just remembered—something came up. Gotta go!"
She was about to bolt, but Ryder snagged her wrist, pulling her close—so close he could feel her breath on his skin.
Sarah's nerves skyrocketed, her cheeks flaming.
"This, I... I mean..." she fumbled, words failing her.
It was the first time she'd ever felt this kind of jittery, a whole new level of "what the hell is happening?!"
Ryder's hand slowly moved to Sarah's cheek!
Gently sliding down!
Chin!
Neck!
And even further down!
Sarah's expression shifted. "What—what are you doing?"
Ryder grinned, licking his lips. "Oh, you know, reliving last night's highlights."
Sarah's gaze darted everywhere. "We—we didn't do anything last night!"
Ryder tilted her chin up, forcing her to meet his eyes, a sly smile playing on his lips. "Really? Nothing at all?"
"No!" Sarah squeezed her eyes shut, her voice firm.
But her rapid, nervous breathing had already betrayed the truth of her words to some extent!
Ryder leaned close to Sarah's ear and whispered, "If nothing happened! Then why not make it 'something' right now!"
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