“It’s just a slight cough,” Charles lies.
The chili in the spaghetti sauce has caused a severe reaction in his throat that makes it incredibly painful to speak. Even medicine hasn’t helped much.
“Anyway, I heard Leonie had an allergic reaction to the hotel’s hot springs,” Charles says, “Is she all right?”
“Oh she’s fine,” Leilani answers, “But I can’t say the same for the hotel. This has already hurt our reputation, and I imagine it won’t help us win back all of the business we’ve already lost.”
Leilani pauses and then asks with a sigh, “Will this affect the sale?”
It only makes sense that a PR crisis would affect the price of the hotel, assuming the other party still wants to buy it. She sighs, imagining her plans vanishing like the steam from the springs.
“It won’t make any difference,” Charles reassures her, “The other party is very eager.”
Leilani is perplexed. A savvy business will always try to maximize its profits. She doesn’t understand why the buyer isn’t taking advantage of the situation to give her a lower price for the hotel.
“I’ve already arranged your nanny’s transfer with the other hospital,” Charles says, interrupting her reverie, “I’ll see to all the formalities and have her moved the day before you disappear.”
“Thanks,” Leilani says with relief, “Have you taken any medicine? It can’t be good for business to be a sick doctor.”
“Doctors are human beings too,” Charles smiles, “These things happen.”
He feels so relieved knowing that Leilani will soon leave Waylen. He rests his arms on his desk and something clatters to the floor.
“What’s wrong?” Leilani asks, hearing the sound of the crash through the phone.
“Nothing. I just accidentally knocked a photo to the ground,” Charles truthfully says, “Actually, Waylen sent it to me.”
Although Leilani knew that Waylen sent the photo to Charles, she flushed with embarrassment remembering the intimate kiss in the photo.
“Don’t mind him,” she tells Charles, “He’s nothing but a boring ass.”
Charles smiles, “On the contrary, I think he’s very funny.”
“Huh?” Leilani asks.
“I’m honored he considers me a worthy opponent,” Charles laughs.
Waylen looks down on almost everyone. The fact that he considers Charles a threat means he sees the other man as almost an equal.
Leilani doesn’t know what to say to Charles. It makes her uncomfortable when Charles talks like that.
“I’m not expecting anything in return you know,” he said sensing her discomfort, “I’m helping you because we’re friends.”
He knows how hard she resists Waylen, and he’s afraid that she’d refuse his help if she knew the true extent of his feelings for her. The toxin in her blood has somehow turned her into a very unyielding and determined woman.
“It’s probably the toxin that’s made Waylen so crazy about her,” Charles thinks wryly, “Now that she’s so mysterious and elusive she poses a challenge for him.”
Leilani feels relief course through her and immediately changes the topic, “Did you get in touch with Bryan? He’s flaky and often changes his phone number. I don’t know what he was thinking to disappear like that.”
“What are you thinking?” an unmistakable voice asks, directly behind her.
Leilani almost drops the phone in shock. A hand wraps around her waist and pulls her back against a warm chest. She immediately ends the call.
“Who are you talking to with so much fascination?” Waylen asks, “Charles?”
Her silence signals her guilt, and Waylen flies into a rage, “I called you more than a dozen times. You rejected my call because you were too busy talking to him?”
Leilani purses her lips and cranes her head to look at him through the white mist.
“You sound a bit jealous,” she says archly.
“Jealous?” Waylen growls, “I think you forget who your husband is.”
“Well thanks for reminding me,” she says acerbically.
She presses her palm against his firm chest to keep him from getting closer.
“What will you do to thank me?” he asks.
Leilani glares at him and tries to get out of the hot spring, but Waylen grabs her wrist and pulled her back to him. The clear water reflects her snowy skin and he finds himself temporarily distracted by her beauty.
“I’ll ask again: why did you reject my calls?” he whispers.
Leilani knows he’s jealous, but he’s never cared so much about talking to her before.
“Did I hurt his pride by ignoring him?” she wonders.
Leilani looks at him carelessly. She doesn’t have the energy to contend with him, and she certainly doesn’t want to create more problems for herself.
“I had to deal with the issues at the hotel, and I have no time to answer your call,” she said wearily.
“I’ll ask Robert to deal with the hotel,” Waylen says, “In the future, I expect you to answer my calls as soon as the phone rings.”
“We’ll see, what I do depends on my mood,” Leilani says carelessly.
“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you’re always in the mood to talk to me.”
The innuendo isn’t lost on Leilani. She curls her lip with distaste and refuses to respond. Waylen wraps his arms around her waist and inhales her unique fragrance.
The moment he saw her pale skin half-submerged in the spring, he felt himself begin to lose control. She affects him like an aphrodisiac, making him unable to contain his emotions and his l.u.s.t—except even borrachero can’t affect him so powerfully. He’s felt unhinged since their first time together.
Sensing the wildness of his breath, Leilani presses her hands against his chest as a warning. Waylen covers her hands with his, and feels a hard bump on her finger—the ring!
Waylen takes her hand and inspects the ring with a squint, “A green diamond?”
Leilani wants to withdraw her hand, but he’s holding it so firmly she almost feels bruises forming.
“I’ve heard that the Meyer family has a ring called Love for Life,” he said coolly, “It’s inlaid with a green diamond, and it’s quite similar to the one on your finger.”
“And?” Leilani asks.
“If it’s the same one, the gun placed to Dean Charles’s head will fire next time,” Waylen threatens.
His deathly serious expression makes her shudder. Leilani knows he doesn’t make idle threats. She draws her hand away from him.
“They’re just similar,” she says, “A coincidence.”
Afraid that Waylen will see the fear and panic on her face, she turns her back to him. She refused the ring when Charles first offered it to her. She only accepted it because he said it could detect the toxin. She never thought Waylen would notice the ring, let alone become so obsessed with it.
If he knew that Charles gave her the ring, his jealousy would become uncontrollable. No explanation would satisfy him. His abnormal possessiveness would put Charles in a very dangerous situation.
Leilani tries to force herself to calm down. His muscled chest presses against her bareback and his hot breath blew on her ear. She can feel him hardening through the thin cloth of their swimsuits.
“Why would you wear such a valuable ring in a hot spring?” Waylen asks, his lips brushing her ear.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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