Chapter 10
Atherton’s gaze left no room for doubt. I could only bite the bullet, hold my breath, and swallow it all at once.
My throat burned, and the bitter taste in my mouth made me feel even worse.
“Open your mouth!”
I instinctively obeyed, and he placed a candy inside. Instantly, a wave of sweetness spread through me, reaching deep into my chest.
“Good girl.”
I was stunned by Atherton’s actions, staring blankly at his hand as it patted my head.
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Before I could think of what to say, I suddenly felt a tightness in my lower abdomen, followed by an uncontrollable wave of warmth.
“Hiss…”
“What’s wrong? Do you need to go to the bathroom?”
Atherton quickly yanked the blanket off, picked me up, and rushed to the bathroom. He set me on the toilet and immediately shut the door behind him.
“Uh, everything you need is on the shelf–it’s been disinfected. I’ll be right outside. Just call me when you’re done, and I’ll come get you.”
At first, I was embarrassed, but seeing Atherton act so awkwardly made me want to
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laugh.
He was just the little boy I had once taken care of–overly enthusiastic, but what other intentions could he possibly have?
⚫ I stayed at Atherton’s house for a whole
week. He had arranged for me to take time off. Aside from going to work every day, he spent all his free time with me.
I blocked out everything related to Rosent and forced myself to move on from my life without him as quickly as possible.
One day, feeling bored, I decided to clean the entire room from top to bottom. But just as I was finishing, Atherton came home from work and caught me in the act!
“What’s going on here? You didn’t think I could afford a cleaning service?”
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“You think I can’t hire help?”
“Lushya, you’re a person, a living, breathing person. You need to learn to love yourself. I asked you to come here to enjoy life, not to ⚫ act like a maid!”
I was a bit dazed by Atherton’s yelling. Seeing my shock, he quickly took a few deep breaths, tossed his briefcase aside, and pulled me onto the sofa.
“I know you’re feeling down. If you want to cry, there’s plenty of tissue. If you need someone to lean on, my shoulder’s not small, and I’ve got an eight–pack abs to back it up!”
He deliberately softened his tone, cautiously stroking my hand. When he felt it was cold, he gently tucked it into his chest.
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“Don’t struggle. Once you warm up, I’ll let go. Don’t be silly–take advantage while it’s right in front of you!”
He gave me a playful eye–roll, and I could only obediently let him hold my hand.
“Atherton, why are you being so nice to me?”
“Because you’re silly.”
Just as a wave of warmth spread through me, he doused it with a cold splash.
I leaned my head back against the sofa, staring absentmindedly at the crystal chandelier on the ceiling.
“Are you tired? You don’t have a fever, right? My mom said you could get sick easily these days, so you have to be careful…”
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A thin blanket was gently draped over me.
When I snapped back to reality, I saw Atherton’s hand resting on my forehead, his eyes filled with concern.
. For a moment, I had the strange feeling that I
had known him for many years.
“Atherton, how long have we known each other?”
“If I told you I’ve known you for over ten years, would you believe me?”
“That’s nonsense…” I was about to continue, but when I saw the seriousness in his eyes, I stopped.
Could it be true?
I racked my brain, but the only memory I
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had of him was when he first joined the company.
No matter how many times I asked, he would never tell me more.
- Kafir had gone on another business trip, and my plans to move were once again postponed.
The main reason was laziness, but also because Atherton said he was worried about me being alone at home.
One day, I woke up naturally, groggily wanting to get some water from the kitchen, only to find that the person who was
supposed to be at work was fiddling around in there.
