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The silence stretched on for what felt like forever until the door creaked open and a maid
entered the room.
She glanced at the woman lying on the floor without any hint of surprise, but when she looked at me, her eyes widened in shock.
Xavier finally spoke.
“Take her to St. Mary’s Hospital. Give her some money afterward and make sure she never shows her face around here again.”
“Yes, sir,” the maid responded, her head bowed low.
I glanced at the woman on the floor, a mix of fear and disbelief in my eyes. I nudged
Xavier.
“She’s… still alive, right?”
Xavier turned to me, his lips pale, but his eyes filled with a strange tenderness.
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རོཊཱི 83%ཟླ
He gave a weak laugh.
“Of course she’s alive. What do you take me for? A cold–blooded killer? She’s a corporate spy sent by a rival company. The fact I didn’t throw her in jail is already a mercy.”
He looked away, a shadow of sadness crossing his face.
“In the five years you were gone, they sent dozens of girls who looked just like you. So when I saw you earlier, I thought you were just another one of them.”
The maid, Fiona, seemed to catch on to the conversation. She stared at me, wide–eyed.
“Miss Lucy, is it really you? But… didn’t they say that you…”
“Ahem, Fiona, go tell the chef to prepare a meal for Lucy. She must be starving after everything we’ve been through tonight.”
“Yes, sir. Right away.”
Fiona quickly scooped up the unconscious woman and hurried out of the room.
Before long, a bowl of steaming hot beef noodles was brought in.
Xavier took the bowl and walked over to me, a proud smile tugging at his lips.
“Beef noodles, no onions, extra vinegar, and less soy sauce. See? I remembered.”
A small warmth bloomed in my chest. Now that I knew he wasn’t a murderer, I didn’t feel as scared of him anymore.
Especially not when he acted like the Xavier I used to know–the one who would beg for my forgiveness just like this.
I slowly slurped up the noodles under his watchful gaze.
This… this was too much.
Couldn’t he stop staring? It’s making me feel self–conscious!
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I squirmed under his gaze, finally pulling out a noodle and offering it to him.
“Want some?”
Xavier blinked, clearly tempted by the offer.
But after a moment of hesitation, he bit his lip and declined.
“No, thanks. I already ate. I’m not hungry.”
As if on cue, his stomach growled loudly.
His cheeks flushed red as he quickly looked away.
Seeing him like this made me want to tease him even more. It was like seeing a kitten. trying to pretend it wasn’t hungry.
I blew on the noodle, the aroma of beef and vinegar filling the air. He couldn’t help but swallow audibly.
Finally, unable to resist, he lunged toward the noodle, muttering under his breath.
“Well, Lucy, you’re the one who tempted me. You can’t blame me for this.”
Just as he was about to take a bite, the phone rang.
Startled, I dropped the noodle, sending it tumbling to the floor.
Xavier’s expression darkened.
I felt a little guilty.
“Um… I can give you the rest of the noodles. I’m already full.”
Xavier glared at the phone before muttering to me.
“No need. Everyone knows you leave way too much chili oil in the broth.”
Oh no. he’d caught on
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