Despite the dejection in Zachariasâ heart, he wouldnât be holding his current position if he was a person who would give up easily. Putting on an understanding smile, he released her. âNo rush. Youâll need time to know me better.â
Stunned, Shirley thought, Any man who has been rejected on the spot will be a little upset, but this man appears unexpectedly calm!
âIâve given the watch to you. If you donât like it, you can give it to someone else or sell it. Do whatever you want with it,â he commented. With that, he picked up his cell phone and started upstairs.
Shirley took off the watch from her wrist and went after him, grabbing his hand. âI donât want it. Please take it back.â
In reply, he merely turned back at her and said kindly, âThe bin is right there.â
Annoyed, she thought, How can he tell me to throw such an expensive gift away?
Ignoring her, Zacharias headed for the staircase, leaving Shirley behind with a womanâs watch in her hand and at a loss for what to do. Every word he just said had thrown her heart into a mess, and she decided not to think about anything and went upstairs.
Around midnight, while Shirley was in a daze in her sleep, she heard noises from the staircase outside.
Alert as she was, she sprang up and walked nimbly to the door. Softly, she opened the door and tiptoed out in her pajamas.
Rapidly, she jogged to the foyer and heard sounds coming from downstairs. Step by step, she went down the staircase. When she saw the man standing next to the wine cabinet, a huge sigh of relief escaped her lips. Why is this guy wandering around instead of sleeping in the middle of the night?
Meanwhile, Zacharias was opening a bottle of wine. Turning his head, he saw the girl coming downstairs in her pajamas and cordially invited, âWould you like a drink?â
âItâs already so late. Arenât you going to bed?â Shirley asked.
âI canât sleep,â he replied. Nobody can sleep soundly after having their confession rejected. After Zacharias returned to his room earlier, he thought about his situation so much that he ended up not being able to sleep.
Pacing over to his side, Shirley saw that he had prepared two wine glasses and turned him down. âIâm not drinking.â
Still, he insisted on pouring half a glass for her. Placing down his glass, he picked up the other one and passed it to her. âItâs my birthday today. Have a drink with me for my sake.â
âItâs already midnight, so your birthday is over, no?â Shirley corrected him.
From Zachariasâ unruly hair, it was clear that the man had slept a little before. Presently, he said in an authoritative tone, âPlease have a drink with me.
Shirley took the glass from him, and he clinked his glass against hers before throwing his head back and taking a huge gulp. Then, he fixed his deep, dark eyes on her, taking in every detail of her face.
Her long hair framed her face, which was clear and bright like a pearl, radiating a pearly-white glow.
She was stunning and gorgeous, filling his mind with imagination.
âYou still canât forget Cole?â Zacharias asked out of the blue.
Shirleyâs brows knitted together for a second. This is odd. Ever since I last saw Cole the other day, it seems like heâs out of my mind, and my liking for him has somehow disappeared without me realizing it.
âIâve been thinking, if I had met you a little earlier before Cole did, would we have a chance at it?â A wry smile touched his lips.
His words caught Shirley by surprise. As she only had a short relationship before, her knowledge of romantic love was still very shallow. To her, loving someone was a highly sacred matter.
âItâs late. Go to bed after having one drink,â she said. Because she was wearing nothing under her pajamas, it was a little awkward for her to face this man right now.
After saying that, she put down her glass, turned around, and was about to leave. However, the man suddenly took a sip of wine in his mouth, grasped her wrist, and hauled her into his embrace.
Before Shirley could react, she bumped into Zachariasâ chest and felt him holding her chin. Then, along with his passionate kiss on her lips, he fed the wine in his mouth into hers. Her eyes widened, and her slender throat swallowed the liquid from his mouth out of reflex.
Frustrated, she wanted to shove him aside, but he gripped her hands and pinned them on the wine cabinet. His tongue explored her mouth like a tornado ravishing through the fields, and she was breathless from his kissing, her mind going blank.