Chapter 280

Chapter 280

As soon as Serena finished speaking, even the sea breeze seemed to pause for a moment.

Silas stared at her, and the string of reason in his mind snapped with an audible crack.

They had only met a handful of times.

Yet hearing her say "boyfriend" triggered an uncontrollable surge of violent emotion from deep within him.

It felt like something he'd been clutching tightly in his palm had been forcibly gouged away.

Silas didn't stop to think about where this emotion came from.

He took a large step forward and grabbed her arm.

Before Serena could even cry out, she was yanked toward him by a powerful force.

Her back slammed hard against the cold, rough surface of the reef.

The next second, the man's body pressed against her.

Pinning her solidly between the reef and his chest.

"What are you doing!" Serena hissed angrily, her hands pushing against his shoulders.

Silas grabbed her wrists and pressed them back against the reef.

He lowered his head, his thin lips almost touching her ear.

"Someone's coming."

Serena's whole body stiffened.

Her struggling stopped instantly.

She knew all too well what would happen if someone from the company caught them like this.

The Marketing Director alone with the Sterling Group CEO behind beach rocks in the middle of the night.

By tomorrow morning, the whole of Synergy Global Corporation would be buzzing with gossip.

Serena clenched her jaw and didn't dare move.

Silas took the opportunity to tighten his arms, pulling her completely into his embrace.

The shadowed side of the reef was pitch black.

The distance between them left no gap at all.

Serena was forced against him.

Through the thin fabric, she could clearly feel the rise and fall of his chest, and that heavy, powerful heartbeat.

Once, twice.

It made her own heart go numb.

Waves lapped at the beach in layers.

Apart from the wind and water, there was no sound around them.

Serena waited for a while, but didn't see a single person, let alone hear footsteps.

Several street lamps in the distance went out.

The beach sank into deeper darkness.

Serena finally realized something was wrong.

"Where's anyone?" she demanded in a low voice.

Silas didn't let go, his chin resting on top of her head. "There was someone just now."

Serena laughed bitterly.

She struggled one hand free and shoved hard at Silas's chest.

"Silas, you're really pathetic!"

She turned to leave from beside the reef.

She'd barely taken half a step when her waist tightened.

Silas pulled her back from behind, and with a slight effort, dragged her back.

This time he turned her around directly, bracing his hands on the reef on either side of her, completely blocking her escape.

"Let go!" Serena was completely furious now, raising her hand to hit him.

Silas dodged by tilting his head, grabbed her wrist, and pressed her hand against his chest.

"Serena." He spoke, his voice carrying an obsessive madness that even he hadn't noticed.

"Just these few days."

Serena paused, not understanding. "What?"

Silas stared at her face, enunciating each word. "This team building trip, keep me company. After it's over, I'll never come looking for you again."

The statement was absurd to the extreme.

Serena thought the man in front of her might actually be crazy.

"Are you sick?" Serena sneered, pulling her hand back forcefully. "Your fiancée is staying right next door to you, and you run out in the middle of the night asking me to keep you company? Mr. Sterling, have you forgotten even basic decency?"

Silas's jawline was taut.

He ignored her mockery, only stubbornly repeating, "Agree, and I'll never actively seek you out again."

"Why should I agree?" Serena didn't back down. "I'll say it again, I have a boyfriend. I don't want to look at you for even one more minute."

As soon as she finished speaking.

A rustling of footsteps suddenly came from the beach not far away.

Then a warm, familiar voice carried over.

"Serena?"

The blood in Serena's body instantly turned cold.

It was Clayton.

The footsteps were getting closer.

"Jenna and the others said they saw you over here earlier. Why did you come so far alone?" Clayton's voice grew nearer, and from the direction, he was less than ten meters from this reef.

Serena panicked.

She instinctively held her breath, shrinking into the shadows deeper behind the reef.

But Silas stood still.

Half his body was hidden in darkness, one hand still gripping Serena's wrist tightly.

If Clayton took just two more steps forward and walked around this reef, he'd see them both clear as day.

"Let go." Serena warned in the smallest breath, desperately trying to pry his fingers loose.

Silas looked down, watching her panicked face in the faint moonlight.

He suddenly pulled the corner of his mouth up.

"You're that afraid of him seeing?"

Serena said nothing, so anxious that sweat broke out on her forehead.

Silas's grip tightened even more.

He bent down, leaning close to her ear, his voice extremely low but full of threat.

"What I just said, do you agree or not?"

Serena's eyes widened, looking at him in disbelief.

He was threatening her with Clayton.

"Serena? Are you over there?" Clayton's footsteps paused, as if confirming the direction.

He was even closer now.

"Don't agree?" Silas's tone was flat. "Then I'll take you out right now. Perfect timing—I'd like to meet this boyfriend of yours too."

With that, he grabbed Serena's wrist and made as if to walk out.

"Don't!"

Serena grabbed his arm back, her nails nearly digging into his flesh from the force.

She bit her lower lip hard, her chest heaving violently.

The two confronted each other in the darkness, locked in a silent struggle.

On one side were the approaching footsteps, on the other was Silas's cold, obsessive face.

Serena closed her eyes.

When she opened them again, she gritted her teeth and nodded very slowly.

Watching her surrender, Silas didn't feel the satisfaction he'd expected.

Instead, the feeling blocking his chest grew heavier.

But he still let go.

"Go on." He stepped back half a pace, disappearing completely into the darkness.

As soon as Serena's wrist was free, she didn't stay even one more second, turning to leave.

She'd just come around the reef when she ran straight into Clayton walking over.

Clayton was holding a jacket. Seeing her emerge, he stopped in his tracks.

His gaze swept over her slightly disheveled hair and faintly reddened eyes.

Finally landing on the pitch-black reef area behind her.

"How did you end up here?" Clayton draped the jacket over her shoulders, his tone still gentle, revealing nothing unusual.

Serena took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing her racing heart.

She took the initiative to reach out and link her arm through Clayton's.

"I ate too much at dinner, couldn't sleep, so I came out for a walk."

She tried to make her voice sound natural. "It's fine, let's go back."

Clayton looked down at her hand linked through his arm.

Serena was usually very careful about boundaries and rarely made such intimate gestures in public.

He didn't ask more questions, naturally taking her hand in his.

"Alright, let's go back. The wind is strong at night, don't catch cold."

The two turned around and walked back toward the hotel along the path they'd come.