Chapter 47
He had lost a lot of weight and looked much more haggard. The well-fitted designer suit he used to wear had been replaced by a wrinkled jacket. Stubble covered his chin, and his whole appearance showed the defeat and decline of someone who had been beaten down by life again and again.
His eyes were sunken, bloodshot, staring at me intensely. They churned with complicated emotions I couldn't quite read—a mix of longing, regret, and unwillingness to let go.
"Ophelia..." he started hoarsely, his voice carrying a humility and pleading he himself hadn't even noticed. "I've been waiting for you for so long. During this time, I think about you every night, about how we used to be..."
I didn't stop walking, didn't even bother to give him a glance, and walked right past him.
His presence was like an annoying rock on the roadside—I just wanted to get away quickly before it dirtied my shoes.
Seeing me ignore him, he suddenly turned around and grabbed my wrist with surprising force. "Ophelia, do you have to be so heartless?" he growled, losing control of his emotions. "I know I was wrong! But don't forget, when the White family was on the verge of bankruptcy, I was the one who suffered with you. We built everything from scratch together."
He was trying to use the past he had personally betrayed to guilt-trip me, to awaken some ridiculous old feelings in my heart.
Too bad he picked the wrong person. I only felt incredibly ironic. Just as I was about to speak, the grip on my wrist suddenly loosened.
A well-defined hand covered Michael's, prying his fingers open one by one.
I turned around in surprise. Benjamin was somehow standing behind me.
He wore an overcoat that made his figure look even taller and straighter.
Though his face still carried a trace of paleness from his recent illness, his eyes had regained their usual calm sharpness.
Just by standing there, Benjamin seemed out of place with the noisy surroundings, forming a stark contrast with the disheveled Michael in front of us.
Michael paused for a moment, then looked Benjamin up and down with hostile eyes.
When his gaze fell on Benjamin's exceptionally handsome face, the hostility in his eyes quickly turned to disdain and contempt.
As if understanding something, he let out a mocking laugh. "Ophelia, I thought you'd found someone impressive, but he's just a pretty boy who lives off his looks. Is this the kind of guy you're into now?"
I frowned, about to snap back, but Benjamin spoke first.
Not only was he not angry, he actually put his arm around my shoulders, drawing me half into his embrace in an intimate and natural gesture. He looked down at me, a faint smile on his lips, his tone so affectionate it was as if we were lovers in a passionate relationship.
"How I am doesn't matter," he said to Michael, though his words were meant for me. "As long as she's happy. She can spend her money however she wants. I'll go along with whatever she says."
His "considerate" statement was perfectly executed.
Michael's face instantly turned red.
Every word of Benjamin's hit precisely on Michael's pitiful and laughable male ego.
"You... you two..." he pointed at us, trembling with rage. All his pretense and scheming collapsed in that moment, leaving only raw humiliation and anger. "Ophelia, you shameless woman! And you, you worthless parasite living off women, you..."
The foul language was unbearable. His completely uncontrolled roaring drew quite a bit of attention.
"Sir, please watch your behavior!" Two tall security guards quickly stepped forward, grabbing his arms from both sides.
"Let go of me! Do you know who I am!" Michael continued to struggle and curse hysterically, like a mad dog whose tail had been stepped on. However, the more he struggled, the more forceful the security guards became.
Soon, he was dragged away, finally disappearing at the end of the corridor.
I stepped out of Benjamin's embrace, putting a step of distance between us, but my emotions took a long time to settle.
"Why are you here?" I looked up at him, trying to keep my voice calm. "How's your health... are you feeling better?"
"Much better." He didn't answer my first question, but instead took my slightly cool hand, completely wrapping it in his warm palm.
"I came back with you this time," he looked into my eyes, his voice low and serious, carrying an unquestionable certainty, "because our engagement ceremony should be put on the agenda."
My heart skipped a beat. Before I could process the information in his words, I heard him add the second half in a tone almost like a sigh.
"I'm getting a bit impatient."
My heart felt like it had been scalded, instantly skipping half a beat.
"Impatient" coming from Benjamin's lips—lips that usually only uttered business terms and cold commands—carried a heart-stopping warmth.
I instinctively tried to pull my hand back, but he held it tighter, his warm palm completely enveloping mine, giving me no chance to retreat.
People were coming and going in the corridor. Those curious, probing gazes fell on our clasped hands, and I actually felt my cheeks getting hot.
"I've already told my grandparents," Benjamin said, looking down at me. He used a declarative tone, yet it also carried a trace of serious inquiry. "Give me a chance to arrange a meeting between our families, okay?"
His voice lifted at the end, carrying a barely noticeable huskiness, like a feather lightly brushing across my heart.
I looked at him. The rational words about "cooperation" and "boundaries" that had been on the tip of my tongue—I couldn't say any of them.
The relationship between us had long since deviated from its original track, speeding toward a direction I couldn't predict but secretly anticipated.
After a long while, I finally found my voice and nodded gently. "Okay."
Getting my agreement, a faint smile rippled in Benjamin's eyes. That smile quickly spread, softening his entire demeanor.
He didn't say anything more, just held my hand and walked me all the way to the elevator.
As we were about to part, he released my hand, then very naturally smoothed my hair that had been messed up by the wind.
His fingertips were slightly cool, but his movements were incredibly gentle.
"Go on," he said softly. "I'll pick you up tonight."