Chapter 96: Chapter 96: Let Me Massage It for You
Their current position was terribly awkward.
Victoria Monroe’s small hands had wrinkled Julian Fordham’s sleek trousers in two places.
Looking up, the hem of the man’s white shirt was tucked into a belt with a silver metal buckle, not as neat as usual, a bit loose.
He propped his face with one hand, tilting his head to look at her, his eyes showing an unfamiliar laziness.
He didn’t change his expression abruptly because of her recent faux pas.
His lowered gaze fell on Victoria Monroe’s tender and lovely face, where a faint blush bloomed on her cheeks, making her look endearing.
Victoria was extremely nervous, "Sorry, I didn’t mean to."
She was so embarrassed she wished she could crawl into a hole. Why did she always make a fool of herself in front of Rhys Hawthorne?
If it weren’t for Rhys’s indifference, anyone else might have thought she was trying to seduce him.
Lost in her wild thoughts, she grabbed her phone and tried to stand up, but the car moved uphill, the forward tilt causing Victoria to fall into Rhys’s arms.
"Ah!" she exclaimed, kneeling on one knee on Rhys’s leather seat, her hands resting on his shoulders, and her red lips landed unexpectedly on the man’s neck.
"Be careful." Rhys’s deep voice sounded in her ear.
A pair of hands held her waist, Victoria’s nostrils filled with the man’s scent.
Besides his usual elegant and refined sandalwood note, there was also a faint trace of alcohol, which in the warmth of the car, created an atmosphere named "ambiguous."
She was wearing only a thin dress, her softness pressed against the man’s firm chest.
Assistant Woods heard the sound and instinctively glanced at the rearview mirror.
The mirror revealed a stunning picture.
The beautiful woman in a cheongsam fell into the man’s arms, who held her securely on his thigh.
The woman’s long legs were exposed from the side slit of her dress.
Anyone watching would see the scene as an act of passion, except for Victoria Monroe.
She was charming but not vulgar, even though she’d been married, she still maintained a girl’s innocence.
The term "pure desire" seemed tailor-made for her.
Her soft, lovely demeanor contrasted sharply with Rhys Hawthorne, the man’s slender fingers encircled her waist, the veins on his hands highlighting his dominance, filled with sexual tension.
Assistant Woods thought it looked like a delicate young wife falling into the arms of a warlord leader.
In just a glance, he finally understood why Rhys Hawthorne had been so infatuated with Victoria Monroe for so many years.
Victoria’s unique aura was both deceptive and enticing.
If some girl like her were to fall into his arms on the street, he would pluck the stars from the sky for her.
Assistant Woods took another look and sensed a cold glare shooting his way.
Locking eyes with Rhys’s sharp gaze, his heart clenched.
Assistant Woods quickly averted his gaze.
Rhys nonchalantly absorbed Victoria’s terrified yet embarrassed expression, with just one thought in his mind.
She was so obedient.
How could she be a pregnant mother? She still appeared like a girl, draped in a layer of unshakeable desire.
Her lips were so close, if he lowered his head slightly, he could kiss them.
Victoria felt the man’s hot breath fall on her neck, unsure if it was her imagination, his breathing seemed a bit more rapid than before.
Sensing the inappropriateness of their current position and fearing another mishap, Victoria only moved away from Rhys’s arms after confirming there was no issue with the road ahead.
Once her presence left his embrace, it seemed to leave behind a trace of her fragrance.
His proud self-control was on the verge of collapsing, just a moment ago, he desperately wanted to crush Victoria into his embrace, kiss her until she was breathless, her legs unable to close, clinging to his neck with soft moans.
Once a seed is planted in the heart, desire turns into a vine-like monster, binding and entwining his body tightly.
He also knew all too well that suppressed desire for too long, once breached, he would no longer be able to control it.
Victoria, still shaken, was distracted from Rachel Hayes’s live stream by this episode.
Her heart pounded wildly, hoping Rhys wouldn’t misunderstand her, she really had no intention of seducing him.
"How many days until the divorce papers are filed?" he suddenly asked.
Victoria, though unsure why he suddenly asked such a question, still obediently replied, "Ten days."
She looked at the snowy road ahead, not seeing Rhys’s slight smile under the dim light.
On his face, there was no longer the previous appearance of abstaining from worldly desires, only a crazed determination for possession remained.
There are ten days left until she’s free.
Returning to the sanatorium, Rhys Hawthorne put on a coat and got out of the car, willingly holding an umbrella for Victoria Monroe.
Victoria Monroe spoke up first, "I’m fine, it’s so late, you should go home and rest early. I’m already imposing on you by having you send me off."
Rhys Hawthorne had no intention of stopping, he calmly said, "Rachel Hayes announcing the child’s matter without permission was not Julian Fordham’s wish."
Victoria Monroe was well aware of this; if Julian Fordham had really wanted to do that, he wouldn’t still be trying so hard to win her back.
It must have been last time when she and Julian Fordham cornered Rachel Hayes, leaving her with no way out, prompting her to take the risky step of using the child to threaten Julian Fordham for greater benefits.
Even though Rachel Hayes’s actions were contemptible, they inadvertently helped Victoria Monroe.
Her public scene ensured that Julian Fordham was definitely getting a divorce!
Victoria Monroe asked, "So what?"
"Julian Fordham won’t let it go easily; he wants to explain to you and might entangle you. With his extreme personality, I’m afraid he might hurt you again."
Thinking of the earlier bathtub scene, Julian Fordham seemed like a completely different person, which made Victoria Monroe somewhat terrified.
"I’ll be extra careful tonight."
"I’ll stay."
Victoria Monroe’s footsteps paused slightly, "You mean..."
"I’ll sleep on the couch in the living room."
"How can that be right? You’re..."
Rhys Hawthorne looked down, "Ms. Monroe, do you know what I was thinking when I saw you in the bathtub?"
Victoria Monroe shook her head; that night she was burning with a fever, and the details were a blur.
Rhys Hawthorne answered word by word, "I swear I will never let you fall into such danger again; Julian Fordham doesn’t care about bodyguards, only if I’m by your side can he not touch you."
This remark was proved true, as Julian Fordham dared not act against Rhys Hawthorne.
"Alright then." She had no choice but to agree.
Though sharing space with a man was somewhat strange, considering Rhys Hawthorne’s nature, he probably was the one guarding against her.
Victoria Monroe would never associate him with that sort of thought.
He had plenty of women; why would he be interested in a pregnant woman?
She looked at her grandmother; the grandmother was still in the hospital room with nurses and caregivers, and her condition was gradually stabilizing.
Victoria Monroe returned to her grandmother’s sanatorium suite. Her smaller bedroom wasn’t very large, but fortunately, the living room was spacious enough.
She took a blanket and a pillow to the sofa, "Sorry, you’ll have to make do tonight."
"Never mind, it’s already late; you should rest early."
Rhys Hawthorne looked down at her, gently saying, "Goodnight."
Victoria Monroe closed the door without locking it, then took her pajamas to the bathroom.
Too much had happened that night; thinking of Rachel Hayes announcing in front of everyone that she was carrying Julian Fordham’s child, Victoria Monroe felt a pang in her heart.
The only man she ever had had gotten involved with another woman after all.
The shower’s water cascaded over her body, but it couldn’t wash away the haze and sorrow in her heart.
Victoria Monroe’s eyes were dry; she felt like crying but couldn’t, only experiencing a suffocating heartache.
She pushed open the partition to get out, but her vision suddenly went black, and her body fell to the floor.
With a "thud," Victoria Monroe let out a small cry.
In the quiet room, Rhys Hawthorne heard her faint voice and got up to walk towards the smaller bedroom.
Finding it empty, he stood outside the bathroom and gently knocked on the door, "Ms. Monroe?"
Victoria Monroe’s weak voice replied, "I-I’m fine."
Her voice didn’t sound fine at all, so Rhys Hawthorne didn’t bother with etiquette and pushed the door open abruptly.
Victoria Monroe was wrapped in a bath towel, having fallen to the floor, in a sorry state.
Rhys Hawthorne stepped in with a few strides, his dark eyes showing a hint of worry, "Are you alright? Did you hurt anywhere?"
"The child is fine, I just feel dizzy, and my foot... is cramping," Victoria Monroe struggled to say, her face full of pain.
Rhys Hawthorne crouched, his long fingers gently holding her water-wet ankle. The touch of a man made Victoria Monroe subconsciously shiver, her calf muscles knotted with pain, leaving her unable to reject.
With her eyes already red, she clung to Rhys Hawthorne’s clothes, her small mouth open slightly, "It hurts so much..."
"Don’t be afraid, I’ll rub it for you."