Chapter 276

Chapter 276 I’m Fine

Chloe suppressed her shivers and felt her face heating up.

“I’m… I’m fine,” she managed to reply.

Upon hearing her response, Joseph mischievously placed his other hand on her waist, slowly moving it

upward while increasing the intensity of his kiss. Her delicate skin tingled at his touch, turning red and

purplish under his lips.

“Are you sure you’re okay? Your face suddenly turned red… Are you having a fever?” her colleague

hesitated and expressed concern.

Feeling a sharp pain on the back of her neck, Chloe could not help but let out a groan. Both she and

her colleague froze.

Chloe closed her eyes in embarrassment, wishing she could find a hole to hide in. ‘Damnit! What the

hell was that? Why would such a sound come out of my mouth? I felt a pain, and that came out of my

mouth?! People might think I’m having sex right now!

Her colleague’s face also turned red. Feeling a little scared, she stumbled for an excuse before

hurrying away.

Watching her colleague disappear from sight, Chloe pushed away the man behind her and exclaimed,

“What the hell were you doing?! Do you have any idea how embarrassing that was?! She might think

something’s wrong with me!”

Joseph gazed at the hickeys on her neck, which stood out prominently against her fair skin. A smirk

formed at the corner of his mouth as he said, “You’re making me state the obvious. Do you want to go

for another round?!

“No!” Chloe angrily grabbed her phone from the sofa. “I’m going to join my colleagues now. Goodbye!”

The workers were free to engage in any activities they wanted for the whole afternoon and would only

gather for dinner in the evening. When Chloe arrived at the game room, her colleagues looked at her

with peculiar expressions. She felt strange and wondered if someone had been talking about her

behind her back again.

“Chloe, there’s something on your neck… You might want to pull up your collar,” one of her colleagues

suggested.

‘Huh?’

Curiously, Chloe went to the restroom to check. To her surprise, several vivid hickeys were imprinted

on her neck.

Her mind went blank, and a surge of embarrassment coursed through her entire body. However, the

more intense it became, the more she had to pretend to be calm. Silently, she raised her collar and

composedly said, “It’s nothing. Come, let’s play cards.”

The game room was located next to a hot spring, surrounded by glass windows that offered a view of

the outside scenery. After playing for about two hours, Chloe’s performance was mediocre, and she

lost about 30 dollars.

As she raised her head, she caught a glimpse of a familiar figure passing by outside-a graceful and

elegant silhouette. Who else could it be but Xavia?

Chloe froze, unsure if her eyes were playing tricks on her. She said to her colleagues, “You guys

continue without me. I’m going out for a walk.”

“Hey, are you upset about losing 30 dollars?” a colleague asked.

She answered honestly, “Yeah, a little.”

The colleague was speechless.

By the time Chloe exited the game room, Xavia was nowhere to be seen. The only direction this path

led to was the hot spring. Chloe followed it and found Xavia sitting by the poolside, her back facing her.

Although Xavia’s arm was recovering well, she still could not enter the water for the time being. She

simply sat by the edge of the hot spring, immersing her feet in the soothing warmth of the water. Her

slender legs delicately swayed within the pool, a graceful motion that exuded a sense of tranquility.

However, the toll of chemotherapy was evident, as her once vibrant figure appeared somewhat frail and

her knee bones faintly peeked through her skin.

As if sensing someone behind her, Xavia turned her head. A surprised expression overcame her face.

“Ms. Chloe? What a coincidence. I didn’t know you were here.”

‘Coincidence? Didn’t know I was here? She’s talking like she came here first.’

Chloe frowned, but she quickly regained her composure. “My company’s having a team- building trip

here.”

“No wonder I saw a lot of people when I checked in. Usually, there aren’t many people here before the

weekend,” Xavia remarked.

“What about you? Did you come here alone?” Chloe asked.

Xavia smiled and replied, “Yes. I don’t have many friends, after all.”

Chloe exchanged a few more words with her before ending the conversation. On the way back, she

took the initiative to send a message to Joseph, informing him that she had run into Xavia.

Joseph seemed to be free at the moment and instantly replied, [Did you go to the hot spring? Are you

wearing a swimsuit? I forbid you from going out while dressed so skimpily.]

Chloe was lost for words. But though she was left speechless by Joseph’s response, she could not

help but feel a sense of satisfaction that his attention was not directed toward Xavia.

It was reminiscent of a question circulating online: [If a guy encounters his ex in a hospital, and his first

concern is her instead of his girlfriend’s reason for being there, they are likely to have a fight.]

“Hey, beautiful. You’re quite the looker. How about giving me your number?”

A man suddenly blocked Chloe’s path, his lecherous gaze wandering over her body.

She felt disgusted and said, “Buzz off.”

“Such a spicy temper, and I do love me a feisty girl. I’m rich. Want to come with me to my room? You

can name your price,” he persisted.

“Fuck off! I’ll call for help if you don’t get out of my way,” she threatened.

The man’s imposing stature and muscular build made Chloe hesitate to confront him directly.. The

narrow path added to her unease as there was limited space for escape or assistance.

She was aware of the unpredictable reactions some men could have when faced with rejection. Society

had shown her that some individuals, when rejected, could respond with vulgar language, aggression,

or even physical violence.

Fortunately, the man she encountered had not crossed that line yet.

“I’m the general manager of Exotic Star’s branch in Aesper City. Look at this card. It requires a

minimum spending of 7 million dollars to get it, and my account still has 1.5 mil dollars. You can spend

it as you wish,” the man bragged.

Chloe furrowed her brow and responded, “I don’t want it.”

“Stop acting all high and mighty. I know all you women love jewelry,” he said. As he spoke, he reached

out and suddenly touched her back.

Chloe instinctively pushed him away while shouting angrily, “Don’t touch me!”