Chapter <b>274 </b>
Joshua’s gaze grew heavy, and for a moment, a sh of panic darted across his eyes.
He tossed his phone aside, turned on his heel and pulled Xylia’s hand, looking her over anxiously from head
to toe.
“Are you hurt?” Joshua asked, voice tight with concern.
Xylia was momentarily stunned by his sudden intensity. Noticing the genuine panic in his eyes, she ced her hand gently over his, replying, “I’m really fine, Joshua. What’s got you so worried?”
Seeing her calm and unharmed, Joshua finally let out a slow breath, the knot of anxiety inside him beginning to loosen.
But the image of that photo, with its up–close, intimate vibe, kept haunting Joshua, growing stronger the longer he thought about it.
Even though the picture was shot from a sneaky angle, Joshua immediately recognized the ce—it was the cafeteria right below their office building. He trusted Xylia without a doubt, but it was obvious someone had deliberately sent him that photo, trying to drive a wedge between them.
If someone had schemed against her in such a public spot, it meant Xylia was definitely being watched.
Joshua’s enemies in Norhill were really just a handful of usual suspects.
Time <i>to </i>check them all out, one at a time.
But deep down, Joshua suspected the real troublemaker was that mutt who’d shown up from Country D.
He kept the photo from the email to himself, opting instead to ask Xylia about everything that had happened today.
Xylia picked up on Joshua’s unusually calm exterior and found herself a little confused.
‘Why’s he acting so jumpy all of a sudden?‘ Xylia wondered to herself.
She didn’t think much of it, and with a shrug, she told Joshua everything that happened at lunch, leaving out nothing.
Listening to her story, Joshua’s brow knit tightly once again.
<b>He </b>reached over, as if ready to check her for burns himself. “Are you sure you really didn’t get hurt?”
Xylia grabbed his hand and sighed, “I’m fine, seriously. If it wasn’t for Richard from thepany upstairs, my <b>face </b>would’ve been totally ruined.”
She tried to crack a joke to ease things up, but Joshua’s face only grew darker,
“I’m really okay,” Xylia insisted.
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Joshua didn’t rush to start the <b>car</b>. Instead, he gently scooped up Xylia’s small hand in his palm, holding it
close.
“You said his name was Richard?” Joshua pressed.
Xylia nodded, matching Joshua’s suddenly serious expression. “Is<b>… </b>is there a problem?”
‘Of course there’s a problem.‘ Joshua’s thoughts shed coldly.
‘Hell yes, there’s a problem!‘ Joshua’s possessive side red up–no way he’d let this slide.
Richard… Richard… Joshua chewed over the name in his mind, icy suspicion flickering in his eyes.
The guy in the photo was too blurry to make out, but Joshua figured he’d have to confirm it himself–face to face.
His dark expression slowly melted away, reced by a faint smile. His eyes softened, as if the stormy look from a moment ago had been nothing but a trick of the light.
“No problem, just asking,” Joshua replied smoothly. “Looks like I’ll need to thank this life–saver in person tomorrow.” His voice was easygoing, but there was something unreadable behind it.
Xylia couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something dangerous lurking beneath his words.
But when she saw Joshua acting so calm–except for a trace of lingering worry in his eyes–Xylia finally dismissed her uneasy feeling.
“Yeah, we really owe him a proper thank you,” Xylia said with a smile.
Joshua finally started up the car.
The streets were quiet at night, and as Joshua guided them down the familiar road, his foot instinctively eased up on the elerator.
The car slowed down.
He’d driven this road to the Sadler family’s ce more times than he could count.
Joshua drummed his fingers absent–mindedly on the steering wheel, clearly weighing something up in his mind.
<b>“</b>It’s getting prettyte,” Joshua said in a soft, even tone, as if it wasn’t anything important.
Xylia nced at the clock–it was almost ten o’clock.
“<b>Yeah</b>, <b>it </b><b>is </b>getting <bte</b>,” Xylia agreed, stifling a yawn. “I’m pretty beat. I’ll just crash as soon as I get home.”
Joshua shot a nce at her and went on, “Your family’s ce is way out there. It’ll take a whole hour to <b>get </b>there. By the time you finally get home, it’ll be close to eleven. Then you still have to wash up and get to bed, and tomorrow you’ve got to get up so early again. That’s really exhausting, you know?”
<b>8:38 </b><b>Thu</b><b>, </b><b>Sep </b><b>25 </b>
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Xylia propped her arm against the window, her face turned toward the city lights and the busy crowds
outside.
When she heard Joshua’s words, the corners of her mouth curled into a soft smile.
Her apartment was close by–a quick ten to fifteen minute drive from here.
Joshua was pretty much wearing his intentions on his sleeve.
Xylia pretended not to get it. “Who isn’t tired from work? Just gotta push through a few more dayse the weekend, I’ll catch up on sleep.”
The traffic light flipped red.
The car rolled to a stop at the intersection.
The next right was her turn–off back to the apartment.
Joshua kept a calm exterior, but inside he was quietly scheming.
When Xylia mentioned staying at her family’s ce for a few days, Joshua had agreed without hesitation.
But now, as he drove her home, he realized he couldn’t bear to see her go.
Just thinking about not being able to hold her tonight, not having her familiar softness and scent next to him, Joshua knew he’d be tossing and turning all night.
“It’s reallyte,” Joshua said, sounding casual but not fooling anyone. “Why don’t you stay at the apartment tonight?”
He didn’t beat around the bush.
Xylia turned to look at him, her smile soft and tender.
Joshua tilted his head, heart thumping. ‘Looks like I’ve got a chance!‘ he thought, hope flickering in his chest.
But in the next second, Xylia shut him down, her voice cool and decisive. “Nope, I promised Sonny I’d be staying at the Sadler family’s ce for the next two weeks.”
Joshua’s brow knitted in annoyance,
“Didn’t you say it’d just be a few days? How did that get bumped up to half a month?” Joshua protested, clearly
put out.
<b>She </b>was just making it sound way more dramatic than it actually was.
Honestly, even if Joshua didn’t care, Xylia herself couldn’t stand being apart from him that long.
She <b>stared </b>at Joshua’s <b>face</b>–he looked like he’d just been struck by lightning–and couldn’t help <b>messing </b>with him, <b>refusing </b><b>to </b>answer on <b>purpose </b>and enjoying his reaction.
The light turned green.
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The constant honking from behind forced Joshua to start the car, no matter how much he didn’t want to.
He never got an answer from Xylia, and when the light turned green at the next intersection, Joshua had no choice but to steer the car toward the Sadler family’s ce, going against his own wishes.
The silence hung heavy between them,sting all the way until they reached her destination.
They arrived at the Sadler family’s house.
As Xylia was about to get out, she suddenly turned to Joshua and said, “By the way, I’ll drive myself to work tomorrow. You don’t have to go all that distance just for me–I don’t want you tiring yourself out.”
Xylia smiled softly and said, “By the way, I’ll drive myself to work tomorrow. It’s too far for you toe all that way–I don’t want you running yourself ragged.” Joshua’s face darkened, his brow furrowing deeply.
Seeing him this way, Xylia let out a gentleugh and reached out to ruffle his fluffy silver hair, just about to exin that she actually wasn’t going to stay at the Sadler family’s ce for half a month.
But before she could say anything, Joshua suddenly caught her hand and, without warning, leaned in, iming her lips in a fierce, desperate kiss.
The kiss was burning hot, unapologetically forceful, his hand anchoring the back of her head as he stole her breath away–possessive and relentless.
Xylia, flustered and breathless, clung to Joshua’s shirt. Every exnation she had melted away in the heat of the moment, leaving her powerless–she could do nothing but pour all her focus into surviving his fiery, demanding kiss.
After what felt like forever, Joshua finally let her go.
He lingered, his big hand gently massaging the back of her head–like a king staking his im,manding everything about her.
Their foreheads bumped together, breath tangled and uneven in the hush between them.
“Xylia,” Joshua whispered, his voice husky, “don’t stay at the Sadler family’s for so long–just three days, all right? Promise me.”
Three days–that was really the max he could take.
Back when he still hadn’t won Xylia over, Joshua had no way to pour out the jealousy and longing that was always brewing inside him.
Now that the two of them were basically inseparable, having to spend time apart felt downright unbearable- like someone was punishing him on purpose.
He kept telling himself to stay chill; after all, they weren’t even married yet, so not living together was just how things were supposed to go.
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But they’d already built a cozy little home together, and Joshua wanted Xylia’s warmth and presence to linger in every room, every corner–it just didn’t feel like home without her.
He needed her to be wrapped around him all the time, clinging to him, hooked on him–only then could he rx and feel truly secure.
Xylia, gasping for air, was genuinely startled by the pleading note and fierce possessiveness threading through Joshua’s words.
As she nced up, she was caught off guard by his eyes–deep and bottomless, like falling into endless night.
Lost in his intense gaze, Xylia couldn’t help but nod, almost dreamily.