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Even the next day, Xylia still couldn’t understand why she’d given in to Joshua so easily.
Lost in that dreamy haze, all Xylia could see was Joshua’s impossibly handsome face, and all she could hear was his voice, smooth as velvet.
It was like she’d been enchanted by a devil–every word out of her mouth was exactly what the devil wanted to hear.
As Xylia was sketching her designs, she couldn’t help but have the scene fromst night–the heated parting with Joshua–rey in her mind.
When Joshua heard her agree, all that gloom he’d had vanished in a sh, reced by the satisfied grin of someone who’d just gotten exactly what he wanted.
After that, he kept her close in the car for ages, showering her with kisses until Xylia waspletely undone, breathless and weak in his arms. Only then did he send her back to the Sadler family, leaving her all flustered and thoroughly tamed.
Just remembering all this, Xylia felt a mix of embarrassment and indignation burning on her cheeks.
And of course, the troublemaker himself was making himself right at home–sprawled out on the one and only couch in her office like he owned the ce. Joshua was so at ease, he’d brought an entire tea set and was brewing tea with all the time in the world.
Joshua must’ve felt Xylia’s gaze on him; his eyes met hers, a knowing glint flickering in his smile.
He finished pouring a cup, got up smoothly, and strolled over to Xylia with that faint air of smugness only he could pull off.
“Have some tea. First cup, just for you,” Joshua said, his voice a little yful as he offered her the fine porcin cup, his long fingers bnced beneath its rim.
With an easy, confident smile tugging at his lips, Joshua looked every bit the elegant charmer–gentle, self- assured, and impossibly handsome.
Today, Joshua kicked back in a casual outfit–a in white cotton shirt hugging his tall, lean frame, not a wrinkle to be seen. The sunlight pouring in through the window outlined his figure against the shadows, giving him an air of effortless mystery.
But Xylia couldn’t miss it–the unmistakable look of triumph shing in his eyes.
‘Seriously, he’s so smug right now!‘ Xylia thought, a mix of embarrassment and indignation bubbling inside
her.
Xylia didn’t say anything, just gave him a nod to put the teacup down on her desk.
Joshua set the cup on the desk but didn’t leave immediately.
He moved around the desk, leaned <b>casually </b>against the edge, and nced down at Xylia, his eyes soft. “The
manager upstairs isn’t in today.”
Xylia hadn’t realized Joshua had already scoped things out upstairs.
“So, what’s your n for thanking him?” Joshua asked, a teasing smile ying on his lips.
“Just treating him to a meal,” Xylia said, not making itplicated.
Nothing fancy–simple, practical, and it gets the job done.
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Xylia thought about it and said, “He probably burned himself pretty badly and needed some time off. We’ll just wait until he’s back at work and then invite him out.”
Joshua’s smile grew even wider.
“Alright,” he replied, casual as ever, a hint of amusement flickering across his face.
Joshua couldn’t help but feel a little curious about Richard—he figured he might as well meet the guy himself.
Noelle said she was heading out to the Jewelry Expo, just so she could slip away from the Garcia house.
After she arrived at the expo, Noelle made sure the Garcia family’s driver left before grabbing a cab to head straight for Richard’s ce.
Richard was at home, changing the dressing on his arm. The burn fromst night had left his skin red, swollen, and painfully tender.
While the doctor applied the ointment, Richard didn’t spare his injury a nce. But whenever a jolt of pain shot through him, his eyes would flick to the burn, his gaze growing cold and intimidating in an instant.
The doctor’s hands trembled even more under that sharp pressure.
By the time Noelle arrived at the apartment, the doctor had already finished treating Richard.
The same henchman Noelle had seen back in Daltonia grabbed the doctor by the cor and, with no hesitation, drew his knife–carving a long, nasty gash across the doctor’s right hand.
Noelle stepped right into the gruesome scene and instantly let out an involuntary scream,
Richard lifted his gaze without even sparing Noelle a look. Instead, he unraveled the fresh bandages the doctor had just wrapped, baring the burn on his arm all over again.
“If you can’t even heal a simple wound, you might as well stop pretending to be a doctor,” Richard said, voice icy and mocking.
The doctor’s mouth was quickly covered, eyes wide with terror. One of Richard’s men shoved a coat over him, grabbed him by the cor, and dragged him out of the apartment.
Noelle’s legs went weak.
Every single time she ran into Richard, he was either in the middle of hurting someone or on his way to do it.
For the first time ever, Noelle had to wonder if teaming up with a guy like Richard would get her a fate no better than his victims.
‘What if I end up just like them?‘ The thought kept spiraling out of control in her mind.
Suddenly, Noelle couldn’t stand the idea of working with Richard one second longer.
Richard shot her an unreadable, icy gaze that seemed to strip her bare–like he could see every thought passing through her mind.
Those venomous eyes didn’t linger on Noelle for long; instead, he coolly gestured at the couch across the
room.
“Ms. Coffey, have a seat,” Richard said, his tone calm yet leaving no room for discussion.
Noelle understood exactly what kind of guy Richard was–she didn’t dare refuse and sat down without a word.
As soon as Noelle sat down, Richard spoke up.
“I met Ms. Sadler,” he said, voice cool and direct.
At the mention of Xylia, Noelle looked up at Richard, surprised to catch a rare hint of softness in his usually icy demeanor. ‘Is that genuine?‘ she wondered, puzzled.
“Ms. Sadler isn’t as vicious as you described,” Richard went on, sounding almost amused. “Honestly, I think she’s adorable–beautiful, genuinely kind, not at all what I expected.”
As he said this, Richard fixed his attention on Noelle, watching her every reaction.
With each word, Noelle’s face grew colder–Richard’s grin only got bigger, savoring her difort.
“No wonder Joshua likes her,” he remarked, with a knowing edge.
That line hit a nerve for Noelle.
Any doubt she’d just had disappeared in a sh–her resolve was rock–solid now.
Noelle shot Richard a cold re. “If you’re so into her, why don’t you chase her yourself? You’re the one who promised to get Xylia away from Joshua. That’d do the trick, wouldn’t it? Maybe that’s the best way for you
after all.”
“You think you can tell me how to handle my business?” Richard’s voice was chillingly cold.
His icy tone was terrifying–like a knife to Noelle’s nerves.
All the courage Noelle had just screwed up vanished in a blink, leaving her feeling helpless.
Noelle didn’t say a word.
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Richard stared at the burned skin on his hand, watching the shiny blisters swell up and look nasty as hell.
It stung and itched, but he didn’t care one bit–pain like this barely registered with him.
What really got his blood pumping was thinking about the advantage this injury could bring him.
“You’ve been back for days. Did you get those files I told you to find yet?” Richard’s tone was razor–sharp, giving Noelle no room to hide.
Noelle’s heart skipped a beat–she felt ice in her veins.
“I’m still working on it,” Noelle replied, forcing herself to sound steady but her nerves were on edge.
Right now, it wasn’t just Joshua keeping an eye on her–Aaron was on high alert too, making sure she didn’t get up to anything suspicious.
Even though Noelle lived at the Garcia residence, she never got a real chance to step into the study. Sometimes she’d try to use the excuse of delivering something to Aaron, but every time, the servants would shut her down before she even got close.
Noelle knew full well–it was Aaron’s orders keeping her out.
She was strictly forbidden from ever setting foot in that study.
The more they kept her out, the more Noelle felt certain–there had to be something important stashed away in that study.
She was obsessed with the idea that somewhere in there was exactly the confidential file Richard needed.
“Just give me a little more time,” Noelle murmured, her voice trembling ever so slightly.
Richard ignored her words–he just grabbed his phone and sent out a message, cool and casual, never losing that icyposure.
The silence in the living room was suffocating for a moment.
Then, with a sharp movement, Richard tossed his phone onto the coffee table. The crack echoed, shattering the stillness like a stone sshing into a calmke, sending ripples through the heavy air.
Noelle’s heart skipped–a chill ran down her spine and her face went pale.
Sure enough, Richard spoke up the next second.
“Ms. Coffey, I’ve already put my ns in motion. You’d better deliver as promised–I want results, and they’d better be concrete. Otherwise, I’ll start doubting our partnership, and trust me, that’s not good for you,” Richard said, his voice cold enough to freeze the room.
And if you bail halfway, you’ll face the consequences–Richard’s way.
Everyone in this world knew about Richard’s way of doing things–and Noelle had studied his rules inside out before ever agreeing to work with him.
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Now, hearing Richardy it out again, fear spiked so high in her chest it almost made her sick.
She swallowed hard, clutching her knees as her hands started shaking without her even realizing it.
“I… got it.”
Noelle’s voice was barely a whisper.
Richard lookedpletely satisfied with how shaken Noelle was. “I hear Joshua’s mother’s birthday ising up. Set something up–make it look natural–and get me an invitation to the Garcia house.”
Noelle’s head snapped up, her eyes wide with disbelief.