Chapter 51

“He’s in the lounge now. Would you like to meet him?” asked Simon.

“It’s only right for me to thank him in person. Can you show me the way?”

“Of course.”

Simon dropped what he was working on and ushered Caroline to the lounge.

On the way there, Caroline couldn’t hold back her racing heart. She was about to meet the mysterious business tycoon. In an attempt to calm down, she rubbed her temples.

“We are here,” said Simon after a few minutes of walking. He then turned to Caroline and said, “I shall take my leave now.”

Caroline nodded. After Simon disappeared, she knocked on the door. She did it a few more times, but only silence answered her.

Meekly, Caroline uttered, “Hi there, Mr. Morrison. I’m Caroline. I invited you to dinner last time, but you couldn’t come. If it weren’t for your help today. I…”

“What are you doing here?” A husky voice from behind made Caroline jump.

She turned around, flustered. “Why are you here?”

looked out of her reach.

As Kirk looked down, his eyes landed on Caroline’s slender collarbone. The urges he’d tried so hard to suppress flared up again, making him frown. “I’m here to help out. It’s my grandpa’s birthday. What about you?”

Kirk looked away. No more distractions.

“… I’m here to find Eddy’s second uncle, answered Caroline, visibly uncomfortable “Oh?” Kirk lifted his eyebrows. “Are you into him?*

Peeved by Kirk’s mocking tone, Caroline retorted, “I respect him a lot, so don’t talk about him like that.”

All of a sudden, Kirk closed the distance between them, He held Caroline’s waist in one hand and grabbed the door handle with another. As the panicking Caroline floundered in his embrace, his primal instincts kicked in.

“Stop.”

The mint–scented warning seized Caroline’s being. She rested her hands on Kirk’s chest and froze.

“S… Stop making fun of me, Kirk.” Caroline’s voice broke, as if it were a plea. No one was ever nice to her. All she wanted was a safe comer for herself.

Kirk was taken aback by Caroline’s reaction. “Are you crying?”

“No.” Caroline shook her head.

Kirk lifted Caroline’s face with his fingers. Under the glow of the light, her tears shone like pearls, adorning her beautiful features. Kirk scooped out one of the tears and asked, “What is this, then?”

Just like that, Caroline burst into small sobs. Tears overflowed her face. The tough front she’d put up crumbled like paper before Kirk, But who could blame her? She was so young–hardly 20 years old.

She could face death bravely, but that didn’t mean she didn’t fear it.

Seeing a weeping Caroline, Kirk didn’t feel any better either. “Hey…”

Clumsily, he tried to wipe away the tears, but they wouldn’t stop appearing. He gave up, and instead, he leaned in and kissed Caroline. That did the trick. Caroline ceased crying.

Her big, round eyes stared up at him as she tried to protest, but to no avail in the face of Kirk’s greedy and unrelenting kisses. Caroline was too powerless to resist his advance. All she could do was enjoy it.

Noticing his victory, Kirk gave a sly grin. He then twisted the door handle, but Caroline immediately stopped him in his tracks.

“Someone’s inside,” uttered Caroline. Eddy’s second uncle was inside.

“It’s unoccupied.” Kirk pushed the door open. He was right. There was no one inside; just a screen which showed the security footage c the banquet.

Gently, he put Caroline on the couch and looked at her fondly. He whispered, not wanting to scare her, “Can I?”

Kirk hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Caroline since last night.

Caroline bit her lips. The current scene reminded her of the night Kirk had been drunk. He’d asked her the same question too. But this time, he’d asked it while sober.

Caroline gave a timid nod. She wasn’t going to be in this world for long anyway, so she might as well have some fun before she left. Thrilled by her answer, Kirk moved his fingers to the dress’s zipper.

Caroline held her breath. Deep down, she longed for it.

Suddenly, they heard footsteps outside, followed by the rattling of the door handle.

“Uncle, are you there?”