Her eyes watered as he got on top of her. She said hoarsely, âI hate ⦠you.â
He stifled her unfinished sentence with a fierce kiss.
She suddenly felt a sharp pang of pain. He got into her without any notice.
She was unable to utter anything but to look at him in hatred and fear.
When the man met her eyes, his heart sank. He covered those eyes with his hand. He didnât want her to look at him like that!
Anguish filled the manâs eyes. Now he could stop suppressing his feelings. Anyway..., her eyes were covered, and she couldnât see him.
She was his!
He was the one hurting her, and he was also the one feeling hurtâ¦. So much had happened that he wondered if they had a future.
Grace, you were so cruel!
The room smelled of sex, yet the two in bed were despaired.
This was what he wanted the most in the last three years, but he felt heartbroken and suffocated.
He felt good physically, but he was tortured inside.
He listened carefully to her groans as she endured his intrusion. He paid attention to every sound she made. Every time she moaned, his pain grew.
I was sorry, Grace. I didnât mean to hurt you. Donât run away from me. Donât. Stay with me. I would be nice to you. I would give you everything. Donât⦠run away anymore.
He knew that he was shameless. He knew he had shown her the worst of him.
He was happy physically, but miserable mentally.
He felt like he was between heaven and hell and finally went crazy.
When it was over, the man got up and the woman on the bed was numb. She stared blankly at the manâs muscular chest and watched him get dressed elegantly. He acted like as if ⦠as if what had happened was just some absurd, boring drama.
He acted like he was a whoremaster who had just got laid.
She raised her finger and found that she was weak.
âYouâre really a jerk.â She moved her eyes mechanically and stared at the man beside the bed blankly.
The man buttoned the collar with his slim fingers. He paused for a moment and turned around slowly.
He lowered his head and looked down at the woman on the bed.
âDidnât you know I was a jerk a long time ago?â
He buttoned the last button slowly. He bent down and placed his palm on the bed beside her face. His handsome face was close to hers. He curled up his thin lips and said in a hoarse, magnetic voice, âSo donât run away. Donât try to resist.
I was a jerk. Donât try to provoke a jerk. â
Now he was like Satan from hell. He was dangerous and cold. But he was almost suffocating in torment.
Keep herâ¦. He couldnât think of any other way. He was willing to be the man she hated if he could keep her. He was willing to live in hell if he could keep her.
But allowing her to donate bone marrow at the risk of her own life? Allowing her to take the immeasurable risk that could result in her death?
He suddenly stood up and straightened his back. His large hands resting by his legs clenched into tight fistsâ¦. HE COULDNâT DO THAT!
The woman on the bed was silent. Suddenly, she curled up her lips into an odd smile. The manâs heart skipped a beat.
âIâm nothing but a toy, right?â She muttered hoarsely. She seemed to be asking him, but she was more like talking to herself.
Suddenly!
The manâs face turned pale as he said coldly, âYes, toy,â he sneered, âSo be good, understand?â
With such arrogant words, the man turned away eagerly, as if he couldnât wait to flee from the room.
The door was shut with a loud sound. The bedroom returned to the depressing silence.
The man strode out, followed by Ladd.
The more he thought about it, the sadder he became.
Toy?
If she was a toy, then he must be crazy. All he ever wanted was only this one.
Caden had never cared about his toys since he was a kid. If they broke, he would throw them away. If he was tired of them, he would put them aside. She was his toy?
If she was a toy, why couldnât he let go of her?
If their relationship must be like that of a toy and its ownerâ¦.
Grace, if you like, I could be your toy as long as you didnât leave me againâ¦, okay?
Ladd opened the car door and the man got into the car. He was no longer daunting. He reached out and rubbed the space between his eyebrows. There was only bitterness and exhaustion on his handsome face.
âShould we go back to the company, Boss?â Ladd asked.
The man seemed to have thought of something, âIs anyone looking after her?â
âDonât worry. Saul was already in place. With Saul standing guard outside her door, Mrs. James should be fine,â Ladd reported briefly. He knew what his boss meant.
âWatch her,â the man said evenly, âDonât let her go to the hospital.â How could she take such a risk to get away from him!
He gritted his teeth again.
âTell Saul to follow her if she wants to go shopping or work. She could go anywhere she wants but the hospital.â
âYes, Boss.â
âHowâs the thing I asked you to do?â
Ladd knew what he was referring to. âDeacon has already contacted them.â He fell silent after that.
He had made it clear â the other party was stalling and refusing them.
âAsk Deacon to âinviteâ them over to the manor now.â
Ladd was surprised, âBoss, do you want to meet them personally?â
The man in the back seat waved his hand tiredly. âDo it.â
Without further questions, Ladd put on his blue-tooth headphones. He called Deacon and transferred the manâs order.
After finishing the call, he drove straight to the Shaw Manor.
Caden had moved to the large manor after he grew up.
The iron gate opened automatically, and the car passed through the gatekeeper smoothly. After driving for a while, it stopped in front of the main building of the manor.
âWelcome home, sir,â the butler said respectfully.
He handed over a wet, warm, clean towel with the scent of lemonade.
The man wiped his hands. The warm, lemonade-scented towel smoothed his exhaustion.
Not long after...
A black commercial vehicle parked in front of the manor.
The car door opened, a pair of young mother and son was âinvitedâ off. They looked aggrieved.
âIâm not going. I want to go back. You donât have the right to do this!â The young woman was anxious.
The mother wasnât stupid. This was not an invitation. They were forced to come here.
What kind of âinvitationâ was this?
âOur Boss is waiting for you. Please come with me. He will be unhappy if you keep him waiting for too long. And none of us can bear the consequences.â Deacon learned that from Ladd.
Unblinking and expressionless, he forced them to the manor.
At the entrance of the reception hall....
The door was shut, and the young mother and son hesitated. Obviously, they didnât want to go in.
âMom, letâs leave.â The boy pulled his mother.
But it was not up to them. The door was pushed open from the inside. The butler was courteous and aloof, politely inviting them in.
âWelcome. Mr. Shaw has been waiting for a long time. Madam, sir, would you prefer coffee or juice?â
âNo need.â
The butler nodded and moved aside. At his hint, the mother and the son went into the mansion.
The butler bowed, walked out, turned around, and thoughtfully closed the door for them.
âDonâtâ¦.â
The butler interrupted her, âMiss Dyer, please sit down.â
Nora was alert. She had a hunch that nothing good was going to happen today.
She turned around and saw the tall man leaning against the sofa.
Nora had no choice but to force herself to pull her son forward and sit down.
Sitting in the hall, Caden was impatient for any small talks. He went straight to the topic. The man pushed the coffee-colored file bag on the table to Nora.
Nora opened it suspiciously, her face pale. She reddened and smashed the document on the table loudly. âNo way! Ollie has already done the match with his older brother, and Grace knows it!â
She emphasized Graceâs name.
Caden remained unmoved. âA fake certificate. It was done by Jafar, wasnât it?â
âNonsense!
Mr. Shaw! This is slander! â
Caden snorted and handed over another piece of paper.
Nora took it over impatiently and her face turned pale. âHow is this possible?â It was a confession.
There were only a few sentences on the paper about the fake matching results. And the signature at the bottom of this confession was the person who had helped forge it.
He confessed everything in this piece of paper!
Nora was short of breath, her chest heaving.
âNothing is impossible. Jafar is not the only one who can get things done by money.â
Nora was shocked. He had made it clear enough.
âBesides, offending Jafar or me, which one is more serious?â
Nora fell silentâ¦. Of course, it would be him.
âMy child is still young.â
Could they not donate bone marrow?
âEven if the match is successful, Ollie is still a kid. Mr. Shaw, please understand us as parents. Even if we faked the document, we did it only for the sake of our child.â
She was trying to persuade him.
The man in front of her pushed over another contract. âSign it, take the money, and leave.
Otherwise....â The man cast an icy glance at her as if he was looking at a dead woman. âWho will get custody of an illegitimate child whose parents are dead?â
Noraâs heart skipped a beat. She stared at the man with a racing heart. She was sure that the man was telling the truth. He did dare to do such a thing!
âWhy donât you take a look at the conditions I offer for you and your son?â
Only then did Nora breathe a sigh of relief. She almost couldnât breathe just now. She flipped through the contract with trembling hands.
After she read it, her heart poundedâ¦. This time, it was not because she was frightened, butâ¦. âMr.
Shaw, is that true?â
âWill you respect this your contract?â
Nora looked at the favorable terms on the contract with accelerated heartbeatsâ¦. 100 million in cash and a local advertising agency.
The key point was that the advertising agency was not some unknown one. It was quite famous in the city.
The old man, Jafar, was becoming like a pervert and was stingy to her.
Jafar no longer had the James Group. Even if she tried all she could, she couldnât let Ollie inherit the group.
Moreover, the tough man in front of him had already made it clear that he wanted to get into thisâ¦. âIs it for her?â
For some reason, Nora blurted out in jealousy.
âThis is not what you should care about. Your job is to decide whether to sign or not.â
Nora looked at the handsome, outstanding man in front of herâ¦. Why didnât she meet such a man?
Thinking of the old pervert at home, Nora was even more envious.
But at least she knew what was best for her. She knew clearly what she was doing and what was important.
She took a look at the contract in her hands and turned around to the boy. âOllie, with these, you wonât be ordinary. These are enough to give you a better life.â
She said, âItâs for your own good.â
With that, she gritted her teeth and signed the contract.
âMr. Shaw, you have to keep your word.â
Caden curled up his lips into a smile. âIâll have someone transfer 50 million to your account right now.
Iâll give the rest to you when the bone marrow transplant operation is done.â
His smile was even more bewitching. Noraâs heart skipped a beat. She looked at the contract in her hand, then at the remarkable man in front of her before she left the hall reluctantly.
His phone rang suddenly. Caden stopped rubbing his fingers between his eyebrows and picked up his phone on the table. âWhat?â
There was an imperceptible weariness in his low voice. But he still sounded calm and magnetic.
The man on the other end of the phone reported, âBoss, Iâm sorry. I was tricked by Miss Grace and let her run away.â
Caden was suddenly taut. His relaxed body tensed up again. His eyes were burning with rage, âIâll go find her! Iâll deal with you after I find her!â
He stood up and turned on the phoneâs location function.
There was a bright, moving spot on the screen. The manâs thin lips twisted into a cold smile ⦠Sure enough, she was still trying to escape!
He had installed a locator device on her phone.
âFollow me! Find her!â
He said, gritting his teeth as he hurried down the stairs and past Ladd.
Ladd was shocked. Before he could ask more, he chased after his boss automatically.
âIâm driving!â The man pulled Ladd away and said, âSit over there.â He pointed to the passenger seat.
The bright spot on the screen was still moving.
The car sped out and the engine roared angrily.
He was seething with anger.
The air in the car was depressing. Ladd asked despite of himself, âSaul slacked off and Miss Grace ran away?â This was all he could think of.
The man nodded calmly without loosening the accelerator.
They followed the navigation and headed to the hospital.
The closer he got to the hospital, the angrier he lookedâ¦. Sure enough, she ran to the hospital!
He chased after her. Just as he was about to catch up, he found that the pin spot stopped moving.
There was a trace of confusion in his eyes.
â¦
On the other way...
With a loud bang, a small car was hit by an SUV into the green belt.