?Chapter 191:


    “Help me choose an outfit,” he said.


    The memory of him holding her hand lingered in her thoughts. His hand was significantlyrger than hers, the touch rough yet gentle, leaving her with a faint sense of numbness. Hand-holding, she mused, was quite intimate.


    Kaiden had only nned to visit hispany, not meet with clients, so Ellie picked a casual suit for him—something less typical in style. She added tinum cufflinks with lively colors and designs.


    Kaiden frowned at the cufflinks.


    He usually preferred darker colors, like ck, gray, and blue. This pair was new to him.


    Sensing his reluctance, Elliemented, “These look great on you, Mr. Thorpe. You’re only twenty-seven. Don’t dress too old, okay? I remember a professor who dressed younger than you, and he was over forty.”


    Kaiden, always direct, pressed her against the closet door.


    “Ellie, do you think I’m old?” he asked.


    Back against the cool door, Ellie blinked.


    At twenty-seven, Kaiden was certainly not old.


    However, standing beside Ellie, who was just twenty-one, he did appear somewhat older.


    Her silence prompted Kaiden to sneer. “You deserve this, Ellie.” His breath drew close, his hand sliding up under her nightgown, his expression intensely serious.


    “Kaiden… Hmm…”


    An hourter, after Ellie had showered, Kaiden gently ced her on the bed. She regretted not immediately assuring him he wasn’t old, instead allowing him to prove his youth more emphatically.


    “What’s this?” Kaiden, now changed, noticed a jewelry box on the bedside table.


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    Only then did Ellie recall the unopened gift from her friend. “It’s from a friend. I haven’t opened it yet.”


    Kaiden showed little interest and didn’t inquire further.


    “Kaiden,” Ellie called out as he approached the bedroom door, mustering the courage to ask, “Is everything alright in Estoqua?”


    “Yes,” he replied with only one word.


    Her heart sank.


    She had contemted asking him about the rumors she’de across, but ultimately decided against it. Perhaps the frustration gnawing at her stemmed from her unpleasant birthday, marred by encounters with people she hated, and the news of her husband’s implication in an affair.


    Sitting up, Ellie opened the jewelry box.


    Inside, nestled on ck velvet, was a pair of Chanel pearl hairpins, styled exactly to her taste, personalized with her monogram. Ellie texted Edwin. “Thank you for the gift, I love it!”


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