Chapter 194 Steven Let Her Kiss Him
Nora took out her phone, ready to order takeout.
"If you're getting me dinner, I'll grab some water for you," Philip said, then left the office to go downstairs.
Just then, a stocky man in his thirties came into the office abruptly.
"You're Nora, right?" His tone was sharp.
Nora stood up, eyeing him cautiously. "Who are you?"
The man glanced around and saw nothing valuable, just a few desks and shelves. He asked again, "Where's Olivia?"
If he could call Olivia by name, he was clearly prepared.
"What exactly do you want from us?" Nora frowned.
"I'm Willie's son, Jimmy Cole," the man said flatly.
Nora understood — he was Willow's son. She stared at him. "What are you doing here?"
And how did he know the company's new address?
Jimmy said matter-of-factly, "Olivia sent my mom to prison. Now there's no one to take care of the kids at home, so we have to hire a nanny. For these three years of nanny fees, you need to cover the cost. My mom's doing three years, so you owe me three years of nanny money!"
Nora let out a short laugh. "By that logic, shouldn't your family pay for the baby Olivia is carrying?"
Jimmy's face hardened. "What baby? My mom's in prison, that's final!"
"Your mom only got three years — that's a light sentence."
"What do you mean?" Jimmy's voice suddenly rose, looking ready to start a fight.
Just then Philip returned. He immediately moved Nora behind him, watching Jimmy warily. "Don't cause trouble, or I'll call the police."
Then he looked down at Nora. "Are you okay?"
Nora shook her head. "I'm fine."
Seeing another man had arrived, Jimmy backed off slightly, but still warned Nora, "Tell Olivia — there's no one to watch the kids at our house, you have to pay three years of nanny fees, two hundred thousand dollars total."
Nora shot back, "Go ask the Reed family for that money — they're the real culprits. I won't give you a cent."
Jimmy glared at her. He was thinking that the Reed family had already paid two hundred thousand dollars, so that should be the end of it. But now he'd heard that Olivia got a lot of money in her divorce and was getting big monthly alimony payments, so he figured they should pay more.
Jimmy left after making his threat, giving Nora one last hard stare as he went.
Philip asked, "Why did he come asking for money?"
Nora kept it brief. "He's just being unreasonable. Don't worry about him. Next time he comes, I'll call the police."
Philip nodded. "Okay, remember to call me if you run into this kind of thing again."
"Will do." Nora nodded, not taking it to heart.
Soon, evening came.
When Nora returned to Riverside Apartment, it was already 8PM.
She opened the door to see Steven lying on the couch with one hand pressed to his forehead, looking worn out, as if battling a headache.
Nora hadn't planned to pay attention to him, but seeing how uncomfortable he looked, she walked over quickly. "Steven, is your headache acting up again?"
Steven opened his eyes and saw the concern in hers. His heart suddenly felt warm. He realized that even though they'd been apart for a month, things didn't feel distant between them.
He smiled slightly. "Yeah, it hurts a bit."
"Should I do acupuncture for you?" Nora asked.
"Okay."
She was about to get her acupuncture kit when her stomach suddenly growled.
Steven heard it and smiled. "You haven't had dinner yet?"
"No, I was too busy today."
"I haven't eaten either." Steven glanced at her, his tone tinged with feigned helplessness. "Actually, my head doesn't hurt that much. How about you cook first?"
Nora thought about it. "Do you want to eat? If so, I'll make you some."
"Yes." Steven nodded.
Nora reached out to feel his forehead, making sure he didn't have a fever, before relaxing. "Rest for a bit. I'll cook some noodles, and after we eat, I'll do the acupuncture."
"OK."
Even though they were divorced, Nora couldn't bring herself to hate Steven. She felt he wasn't a bad person.
She checked the fridge and found beef rolls and tomatoes, so she made two bowls of tomato beef pasta.
"Steven, dinner's ready." She brought the pasta to the table.
Steven sat across from her.
Nora asked with concern, "Haven't you been resting well lately? Why are you so tired?"
"That month abroad, I barely slept."
"Was work too busy?"
He looked up at her. "Yeah."
"No matter how busy, you need to rest properly and eat on time." She reminded him.
Steven felt warm inside and smiled. "Your cooking is still so good. The beef pasta is delicious."
Nora smiled slightly. "Thanks."
Her manner was proper, polite, but keeping her distance.
Steven wasn't used to her being distant. His brow furrowed slightly.
After dinner, Nora had Steven go to the master bedroom while she got her acupuncture kit.
Standing in the master bedroom, Steven noticed Nora had moved all her things out. Only his belongings remained, making the room feel empty.
He looked quietly at the master bedroom, feeling a bit lost.
When Nora came in, he asked, "Why did you move everything out?"
"I'm not comfortable in the master bedroom." Nora kept her head down as she laid out her acupuncture kit, not looking at him.
She didn't dare say it was because the master bedroom held too many memories of them together, and sleeping there alone now just made her feel worse.
"Steven, lie down." She had him lie down.
Steven's expression was complicated. He didn't say anything, just slowly moved his hand to his shirt collar and undid the buttons.
Nora was surprised. "What are you doing?"
"I'm changing into a robe. I want to rest after the acupuncture."
Oh, that's why.
Nora relaxed and looked away. "Then hurry up and change."
Steven took off his shirt and put on a black robe. His body was still in great shape — broad chest, long legs, and a relaxed, almost languid charm.
Nora looked down at her phone, pretending she hadn't noticed.
Steven sat on the bed, casually wearing the robe with the collar wide open, asking her, "Are you afraid to look at me?"
"Put your robe on properly." Nora turned her head away, not wanting to look at his body.
"Haven't you seen it all before?"
"Before was before, now is now. Tie your robe properly and lie down." If he didn't tie it, she felt awkward.
"Fine." Steven tied the sash and lay on his side. "You can start now."
Nora took out the needles, preparing to begin.
Steven suddenly said, "You used to hold me when you did acupuncture."
Nora paused. "That was when you were drunk. You're not drunk now."
"But last time you weren't drunk, and I remember you holding me." Steven looked at her seriously.
Nora felt like he was acting spoiled, a bit helpless. "Mr. York, we're about to be divorced."
"I don't care, I still want you to hold me."
"If you keep this up, I won't help you." Nora put away the needles, ready to leave.
Steven suddenly pressed his forehead, his brow furrowing tightly. "My head really hurts."
Nora stopped and looked back at him.
Steven frowned, looking pained.
"Does it really hurt?" Nora walked over. Not thinking about anything else, she sat on the bed and gently pressed his temples, massaging them.
Steven reached out and pulled her into his arms, resting his head on her shoulder. "Yes, it hurts a lot."
Nora's heart softened. She didn't push him away.
"Lie down properly, I'll do the acupuncture." She said softly.
"Okay." Steven obediently lay in her arms.
They were very close. This intimacy made Nora feel a bit dazed, as if they'd never been apart.
A faint ache stirred in her chest. Afraid she might cry, she focused on preparing the needles.
"Ow!" Steven frowned and held her waist tighter, bringing his face closer.
Nora looked at his face so close to hers and looked away, preparing the second needle.
Steven wasn't happy. He said in a low voice, "What about the kiss?"
Nora's face felt hot. "What kiss?"
"Didn't you always kiss me when you did acupuncture before?" He looked at her lips, his eyes showing some expectation.
She was about to say no when Steven suddenly cupped the back of her head.
The next second, everything went dark.
Nora was kissed by him.
Her eyes widened, her mind a bit blank. She hadn't expected him to suddenly kiss her.
After the kiss, Steven smiled, looking at her flushed face. "Still the same as before, very sweet."
Nora felt embarrassed and glared at him. "Stop messing around. I need to do the second needle."
Steven smiled and waited obediently.
Nora inserted the second needle.
Steven's lashes fluttered. He held her tighter, wanting to kiss her again.
Nora quickly pressed her hand against his chest, not letting him get closer.
Steven looked up at her. "What's wrong?"
"Don't kiss me," Nora said seriously. "I'm just helping you with acupuncture. I don't want anything else with you."
"I can help you with your headache, but kissing me isn't okay."
Steven's expression turned cold. "Why?"
Nora looked at him directly. "We're about to be divorced. Our relationship has changed. We're strangers now. You can't act as you used to."
Steven looked at her quietly. "You really want to treat me like a stranger?"
"What else?" Nora lowered her head, saying somewhat dejectedly, "We have to get used to it eventually."
Steven's face turned grim, his eyes clouded with displeasure.