Chapter 76 Accompany Me
Selena's POV
Keep me company?
And that settles the favor?
I wanted to throw the glass of water in his face.
But I didn't.
"Mr. Sterling, I think you've got the wrong idea. I'm not some escort from a bar."
I stood up, grabbed my purse, and prepared to leave this nauseating place.
I didn't want to stay a second longer.
"Sel-ena," he drawled out my name, his voice carrying a lazy hint of amusement, "what are you thinking?"
I stopped and turned to look at him coldly.
"What are you expecting? Expecting me to pin you down on this table, or expecting us to go to a suite upstairs? Is that all that's in your head?"
My cheeks started burning.
Not from embarrassment, but from anger.
This bastard was humiliating me. He was suggesting my mind was full of dirty thoughts.
"You think 'keeping me company' only means one thing?" He shook his head, picked up his wine glass, took a sip, and looked at me with those deep eyes like I was some naive little girl.
"Seems like your ex-boyfriend never taught you what a real 'date' is."
The casual mention of Myrdal's name left me reeling.
"Royce Sterling, what exactly do you want?"
"I want you to repay the favor." He put down his glass, finally returning to that business-like tone. "It's simple. You keep me company for one day."
"One day?"
"That's right. From sunrise tomorrow until sunset. Twenty-four hours. Your time belongs to me. During this period, you put aside your company, your plans, your messy relationships with men, and just stay with me."
He paused, then added, "Of course, just 'stay with me.' As for what we actually do, you can rest assured—I'm not someone whose mind is full of dirty thoughts."
Trading one day of my time for a crucial list and a contract worth hundreds of millions.
This deal seemed pretty good.
"Fine." I heard myself say. "One day. Starting at six tomorrow morning. After twenty-four hours, we're even. You can't use any excuse to bother me again, and no more stupid talk about 'my things.'"
The corner of his mouth curved upward.
That smile was smug and dangerous.
I didn't look at him again. I turned around, clicked away in my heels, and left that empty restaurant without looking back.
The next morning at five-thirty, I was already awake before my alarm went off.
I hadn't slept well.
At exactly six o'clock, a black Bentley pulled up at the estate entrance right on time.
I walked out. Royce was already waiting by the car.
He was dressed casually today—a dark gray cashmere sweater and black pants, looking like he'd stepped out of a luxury magazine.
He opened the car door and gestured for me to enter.
I got in without saying a word.
The car drove toward the outskirts of the city, getting more and more remote.
Half an hour later, the car stopped on an open field.
I got out and froze.
In the center of the field, something huge and colorful lay quietly.
A hot air balloon.
Several uniformed workers were busy preparing for takeoff. A giant blower roared, and flame jets periodically shot long tongues of fire, heating the air inside the balloon.
"Are you crazy?" I looked at him in disbelief. "Keeping you company for a day doesn't mean I have to go up in the sky!"
"Get in." He didn't answer, just walked toward that giant wicker basket.
I stood still.
I hated this feeling of losing control.
I hated putting my safety in someone else's hands, especially when that someone was Royce Sterling.
"What's wrong? Scared? The all-powerful Miss Selena of Hart Group is afraid of heights?"
"I just think it's childish."
"Then come up and be childish with me once."
In the end, I gave in.
I didn't want him to think I was scared.
I climbed the small ladder the workers brought over and got into that basket that didn't look very sturdy.
The space was small. With both of us standing, our shoulders were almost touching.
At the command, the workers released the ropes.
The hot air balloon began to rise slowly and steadily.
My heart rose with it.
The ground rapidly receded. The estate, the woods, the roads—all became matchbox-sized.
Wind roared in my ears, blowing my hair wild.
I instinctively grabbed the edge of the basket, my palms breaking out in a fine sweat.
"Relax." His voice suddenly sounded in my ear.
A warm, large hand covered my cold one.
His palm was dry, carrying a reassuring strength.
I wanted to pull my hand back like I'd been shocked, but he gripped it tighter.
"Don't move. Trust me."
I froze.
I didn't know whether to trust him or push him right off this thing.
The balloon rose higher and higher. We seemed to float above the clouds.
Below us stretched endless green.
Just then, I saw something strange on the huge lawn directly below us—giant patterns formed by green plants.
They weren't natural.
They were... deliberately trimmed landscaping.
As we rose higher and higher, the full picture of that pattern became clearer and clearer before my eyes.
It was a maze of unimaginable size.
Made of countless dark green cypress walls, intricate and exquisite, like a perfect work of art.
And at the very center of the maze, at the only exit, was something huge made of countless red roses...
My name.
SELENA HART.
The whole world seemed to go quiet in that moment.
Only the sound of wind remained, and my pounding heartbeat.
"I told you before—projects, land deals, none of that interests me."
Royce's voice came from behind me.
His hand slid from the back of my hand, then gently wrapped around my waist, pulling me closer to him.
His other hand lifted, first pointing at the sea of roses below filled with meaning, then sweeping across the boundless blue sky above.
"With me, you can be as wild as you want. Break the ground, I'll rebuild it. Tear a hole in the sky, I'll patch it up."
He lowered his head, his lips lightly touching my ear, each word wrapped in burning possessiveness, yet soft enough to melt into one's heart.
"Last time at the estate, I said you were wild? Since you've got that fire in your bones, then stop being my adversary."
His fingertips gently caressed my hair. "Come here. Be the one I cherish for life."