Chapter 286
Theodore quickly collected himself and said to Elians, “Let’s continue
Eliana blinked, confused. “Continue what?”
“Your shooting practice,” he said seriously.
Felix, standing nearby, caught the subtle shift in wording. It wasn’t “playing with guns” anymore. It was “learning to shoot” Clearly, seeing Ashton point a gun at Eliana had left a mark on him.
One hour later…
Eliana, who had barely managed to hit the center once, lowered her aching arms and turned to Theodore. “Is this good enough?
But instead of the usual indifference, he looked at her and said, firmly, “Keep going.”
She had no choice but to turn back and continue. She didn’t care for guns, not in the slightest. She was only doing this to calm him desen
At 11 PM…
When they returned to Russell Manor, Eliana was dripping with sweat and went straight to take a shower.
By the time she came out in her robe, she heard Theodore say, “Let me see your hands. I’ll massage them.“”
“I can do it myself,” she replied, not wanting to trouble him.
But his voice dropped, low and forceful. “Let me.”
She looked at him. His eyes seemed like whirlpools–deep, intense, almost frightening.
Theodore realized his tone had slipped. He pulled her into his arms and let out a long sigh. “I’m not mad at you. I just…” He was just scared.
The image of Ashton holding a gun to her had triggered something deep inside him. At that moment, even if Ashton had been his clase friend, he would’ve shot him without hesitation. The thought of losing her was something he couldn’t bear
Eliana gently patted his stiff back, trying to comfort him. “Felix said the gun was unloaded, so I think Ashton just wanted to scare me into giving up Harper’s location.”
After a pause, she added, “Go shower. Cool off a bit.”
But instead of doing that, Theodore loosened his arms and took her hands in his. His cold exterior contrasted sharply with how tenderly he worked her fingers, as if her arms weren’t flesh and bone, but petals too soft to bruise.
After a while, he asked, “How does that feel?”
“Much better,” Eliana said with a soft smile. “Go take your shower. I’ll warm up some milk.”
He thought she must’ve been too rattled by Ashton and needed help falling asleep, so he nodded. “Okay.”
But when he came back from the shower, she handed him the glass instead. “This is for you,” she said.
‘For me?‘ he wondered, surprised.
“I noticed you’ve been restless all night. I thought the milk might help you sleep,” she explained.
22:05 Fri 8 AUD
Chapter 286
Theodore took the glass but kept his eyes on her. “Milk won’t help me sleep.”
“Then what will-
Before she could finish, he kissed her, so gently it caught her off guard. And at
that moment, she understood.
As they lay together, Theodore held her tightly, one strong arm wrapped around her slender waist. It was as if the only way he could truly feel, she was safe was by holding her like this.
The next morning…
Eliana woke in Theodore’s arms and saw the determined line of his lips. She couldn’t help but reach up, wanting to smooth it out
But just as her fingers brushed his mouth, he caught her fingertip between his teeth in a gentle bite. At the same time, he opened his sharp, eyes and murmured, “Morning, sweetheart.”
Seeing he seemed back to normal, Eliana finally breathed a sigh of relief, thinking, ‘At least last night wasn’t for nothing‘
Just then, her phone rang from the nightstand.
She quickly rolled over to grab it. When she saw the caller ID, her eyes darkened. “Hey, Mom.”
“Ellie, did you hear your father threw Gavin in jail?”
“What?” Eliana was stunned. “No, I didn’t. What happened?”
“Let me tell you…”
Belinda’s voice cracked as she ranted about how Hudson had kicked her out for his secretary Linsey and even fired Eliana’s two freeloading
cousins.
“All Gavin did was show up at his company to defend me, and your father had him arrested! Now I can’t even visit, let alone post bail!”
Eliana moved the phone away slightly and turned toward Theodore. “Who’s Linsey?”
But before he could answer, Belinda’s voice piped up again. “Ellie, who are you talking to?”
“No one,” she said quickly and then asked, “So this call is just about Uncle Gavin?”
Belinda rushed to explain. “Your father’s been acting possessed lately. He won’t listen to me or Hannah. But maybe he’ll listen to you. You might be the only one who can get him to release Gavin.”
Eliana thought for a moment. “If Dad had him arrested, I’m guessing Uncle Gavin must’ve done something serious. He wouldn’t go that far otherwise.”
“You can’t be serious!” Belinda snapped, “Don’t forget, Gavin used to take care of you when you were little! You’re just goin
After a pause, Eliana said calmly, “Mom, I think you’re remembering wrong. He looked after Hannah, not me.”
Belinda fell silent. “If there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up,” Eliana added.
After the call ended, she felt a soft kiss land on her shoulder. She turned to find Theodore watching her with a faint smile.
“So Linsey Dowen, the one my mom’s so upset about, was actually your arrangement, wasn’t she?”
that go?”
22:05 Fri, 8 Aug
Chapter 286
Theodore nodded.
Eliana let out a sigh and rubbed her forehead. “My mom thought she was some floozy Dad met. She’s been fuming at her parents‘ place eve
since.”
“Linsey is the secretary l’assigned to your father. She’s professional and keeps to herself,” he said gently as he patted her head.
Eliana understood now. There had been no affair. No scheming seductress. Just a shift in control.
‘The real issue is, Dad’s finally slipping out of Mom’s grip. That’s why she sent Gavin to stir things up… and landed him in jail, she thought.
“Do you want to help your uncle?” Theodore asked.
Eliana blinked, hesitating, until he added, “Before you decide, watch this.”
He picked up the iPad from the nightstand, opened a video, and handed it to her.
She looked down to see footage of Gavin throwing punches at the security guards outside Burke Group and then smashing up a car. The scene was pure chaos.
“This is the surveillance video from the incident. Still want to help him?”
“No,” Eliana said firmly.
Truth was, she’d already made up her mind the moment she hung up on her mother.
Elsewhere, in Burke Manor…
During breakfast, Hudson turned to Hannah. “Linsey told me you had a conflict with the planning manager yesterday. Is that true?”
Hannah paused and then huffed. “She was being rude. I just gave it back to her.”
“What did she say?”
“She claimed I was flirting around the department,” Hannah feplied. “But come on, Dad, you know I’ve always had guys chasing after me. It’s not my fault.”
“Hannah,” Hudson said, “the most important thing in any team is stability. If you’re the one causing chaos, then maybe you should just stay home. I’ll support you.”
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