Chapter 1234 Mutual Affection
Stella gazed up at Randy in a daze. From this angle, his jawline was sharp and defined, tapering elegantly toward his ears, while his neck appeared long and graceful with a pronounced Adam's apple. His long lashes cast deep shadows at the corners of his eyes, and his usually light-colored irises looked almost black in the dim lighting.
She wondered, 'God, he is gorgeous!'
Stella found herself swallowing hard. After being repeatedly struck by his stunning looks throughout the day, her heart was hammering against her ribs like she was having some kind of cardiac episode. Their current position was straight out of a martial arts film—the classic hero-saves-beauty scene where they spin through the air before gracefully touching down.
Stella's heart was racing out of control. She couldn't stop herself from screaming internally. How could Randy be this devastatingly handsome? If he weren't her cousin, she would absolutely, without question, fall head over heels for him.
This was bad. Really bad.
Even knowing he was her cousin, she was still completely smitten—what was she supposed to do with that? How had she never noticed just how incredibly attractive Randy was before? It must have been because she was so used to seeing Charles regularly that she'd become immune to their striking looks. When she saw Randy, who was identical to Charles, she simply hadn't paid attention.
But if they looked exactly the same, why did she find Randy so much more attractive than Charles? She'd never felt this kind of heart-stopping attraction to Charles.
What was wrong with her?
"Stella!"
The urgent, repeated calls gradually pulled Stella's wandering consciousness back to reality.
"Wh-what's wrong?" she stammered, momentarily confused by everyone's anxious expressions, unable to grasp what was happening.
Randy was still holding her around the waist, looking down at the shaken woman in his arms with deep concern. "How do you feel? Are you hurt anywhere?"
Charles chimed in, "Yes, do you feel pain anywhere? We should get you to a hospital immediately."
Seeing the safety rope still attached to Randy, Stella suddenly remembered what had just happened. The terrifying memory came flooding back, making her shudder as she instinctively threw her arms around Randy's waist and pressed herself against his chest.
"Randy, I'm scared! I almost died just now!"
Randy's breath caught as he gently patted her back, his voice so tender it seemed to drip with warmth. "It's okay, it's all over now."
Charles glanced between the two of them, then tactfully stepped away to find the facility staff and address the incident.
Stella's fear was genuine—but so was her desire to take advantage of the situation. Hidden in Randy's embrace, her eyes sparkled with mischief as a sly smile played at the corners of her mouth.
"I almost never got to see you again, or Hannah, or Mom and Dad," she whimpered. "It was so terrifying!"
Randy held her close, offering gentle, patient comfort. "But you're safe now. I promise, as long as I'm here, I won't let anything happen to you."
God knows, the moment he saw her falling, his heart nearly stopped beating. Then he'd made the split-second decision to let go of his own rope. His weight advantage made him fall faster than Stella, allowing him to catch her at the very last second before she hit the ground.
Even now, the thought of what could have happened made him break out in a cold sweat. If he hadn't been there, if he hadn't reacted in time... he couldn't bear to imagine the consequences.
Stella clung tightly to his waist, breathing in the subtle scent of pine and winter air that clung to him—clean and crisp like warm sunshine on a spring day, making her feel safe and content. She closed her eyes and greedily inhaled his unique fragrance.
He smelled incredible. Other men always seemed to reek of something unpleasant that you could detect from a mile away, but Randy smelled divine.
Feeling the woman in his arms trembling, Randy assumed she was crying and asked with concern, "What's wrong? Why are you shaking? Are you still frightened?"
That's when Stella realized she was actually smiling—grinning like an idiot while nestled against Randy's chest, her shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter. Meanwhile, Randy thought she was sobbing with fear.
Quickly, Stella wiped away the drool that had escaped the corner of her mouth and tried to make her voice sound appropriately distressed.
"Yes, I'm so scared! Hold me tighter, Randy. If you hold me a little longer, I won't be afraid anymore."
Randy obediently tightened his arms around her, pulling her even closer.
Hannah stood nearby, one hand protectively over her belly, watching the two of them embrace like lovers. For a moment, she wasn't sure whether she should approach them or not. A strange and rather disturbing thought suddenly occurred to her, but she quickly shook her head, trying to banish the unsettling idea.
She was definitely overthinking things. This was simply sibling affection, nothing more. It was perfectly natural for Randy to care for his cousin, and she shouldn't let her mind wander to such inappropriate places.
Stella was thoroughly enjoying her impromptu embrace when the facility manager's voice interrupted them.
"I'm so sorry, truly sorry! This was entirely our fault, and we take full responsibility. Please, tell us what compensation would be satisfactory?"
Stella pouted slightly as she reluctantly pulled away from Randy's arms. The sudden emptiness in Randy's embrace left him feeling strangely hollow.
As she removed her climbing gear, Stella waved dismissively. "Forget about it. Running a business isn't easy, and I'm fine anyway. Keep your compensation money and use it to inspect all your equipment instead. Make sure this never happens again. I was lucky today, but the next person might not be so fortunate. If someone actually gets seriously hurt, you won't be able to afford the lawsuit."
More importantly, their equipment failure had given her the perfect excuse to get close to Randy. She supposed that balanced things out—she wouldn't hold a grudge.
The manager was moved to tears by her magnanimity. "Thank you, thank you so much. I promise to thoroughly inspect all our equipment to prevent any future accidents."
"Alright, you can go now," Stella said, waving him away before turning to help Randy with his gear.
Randy's breath hitched as he instinctively stepped back. "I can do it myself."
But Stella wouldn't be deterred. She stepped closer, lowering her head to work on the buckles of his safety harness with practiced efficiency.
"What's this 'you do it, I do it' nonsense? It's all the same, isn't it?"
Her fingertips deliberately grazed his sensitive skin through the thin fabric of his shirt. Every place she touched seemed to carry an electric current, sending waves of tingling sensation through his bloodstream straight to his heart. Her delicate, feminine scent filled his nostrils, overwhelming all his senses with her intoxicating fragrance.
Randy clenched his hands into tight fists and forced himself to breathe more slowly.
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