Chapter 47 Practicing Kissing Skills
Bianca stood up and shook her hand, maintaining a polite smile: "Hello, Ms. Sharp. I'm Bianca."
"Just call me Hestia."
Hestia withdrew her hand and handed the gift box to Yasmin. "Grandma, I brought you some supplements, and a tea set for Terrence. It's a small token of my appreciation."
Yasmin smiled and had someone take the gifts, gesturing for Hestia to sit down. "You should have told us you were coming back. How long are you planning to stay this time?"
"I'm not leaving for now." Hestia accepted the tea from a servant. "My family wants me to develop my career here. Plus, I want to gain some experience and not always rely on my family."
As she spoke, Hestia turned her gaze to Terrence with a hint of expectation: "Terrence, I know the Anderson Group has high standards, but I really want to learn something. Could you let me work at the Anderson Group for a while? I'm willing to start from the bottom. I promise I won't cause you any trouble."
The courtyard fell silent for a moment.
Bianca lowered her eyes to look at her fingertips, understanding the situation.
Hestia seemed to have feelings for Terrence too.
Terrence's expression remained unchanged. "The Anderson Group has a formal recruitment process. If Ms. Sharp is interested, you can contact my assistant Barry to submit your resume. If you meet the requirements, you'll naturally enter the interview process."
Hestia's smile froze for a moment before quickly recovering. "Then, I'll contact Mr. Myers later. Thank you, Terrence."
Yasmin smoothed over the atmosphere and changed the subject.
During dinner, Hestia was very gracious, especially warm toward Bianca, frequently finding topics to chat with her and complimenting how well-matched she and Terrence were. Hestia also shared some childhood stories from the Anderson Mansion, casually revealing her familiarity with Terrence.
Bianca smiled and responded throughout, but she understood Hestia's intentions.
After dinner, Yasmin used the late hour as an excuse to have Bianca and Terrence stay overnight at the Anderson Mansion.
Hestia was also asked to stay, in a guest room on the west side.
Back in the east wing room Yasmin had prepared for them, Bianca had just closed the door when Terrence wrapped his arms around her from behind.
"Unhappy?" His low voice sounded by her ear.
Bianca turned around and raised an eyebrow at him. "What do I have to be unhappy about? Ms. Sharp is gentle and gracious, grew up with you since childhood, and keeps calling you 'Terrence' so affectionately."
Bianca didn't even notice the hint of jealousy in her own words.
Terrence chuckled softly, lifted Bianca's chin, and gave her lips a light peck. "I'm not close with Ms. Sharp."
"You grew up together and you're not close?"
"Many children came and went at the Anderson Mansion." Terrence's tone was flat. "Her grandfather had ties with Grandma, that's all."
Seeing his completely indifferent attitude, the subtle discomfort in Bianca's heart dissipated.
She leaned into his embrace, playing with the buttons on his shirt. "Then why didn't you just refuse to let her join the company?"
"The Anderson Group doesn't support freeloaders or play favorites." Terrence was brief and to the point.
Bianca was about to say something when a gentle knock came from outside the door, accompanied by Hestia's soft voice: "Terrence, are you asleep? I had the kitchen make some calming soup. I'd like to bring some to you and Bianca."
Bianca raised an eyebrow at him.
Terrence's aura turned cold.
"No need. My wife doesn't like eating at night, and neither do I. Please go back, Ms. Sharp."
There was silence outside the door for a few seconds before Hestia's slightly embarrassed voice came through: "Well, alright then. Sorry to disturb you."
Footsteps gradually faded away.
Terrence turned around to see Bianca looking at him with an amused expression.
"Since when do I not like eating at night?" Bianca asked deliberately.
Terrence walked back to her, his eyes deep. "Starting now."
Bianca couldn't help but laugh and threw her arms around him. "Mr. Anderson, you look pretty cool when you're rejecting people."
Terrence caught her, a slight smile on his lips.
After washing up, they lay down. Bianca nestled in Terrence's arms and suddenly remembered something. She looked up at him. "By the way, your kissing skills seem to have improved recently?"
Before, his kisses had moved her heart but were somewhat forceful and awkward.
But just now, they were noticeably more lingering and deep. He even seemed to know how to be considerate of her feelings.
Terrence's body stiffened almost imperceptibly, his tone casual. "Really?"
"Yes." Bianca said with certainty, poking his chest with her finger. "Come clean, have you been secretly practicing behind my back?"
Terrence caught her mischievous hand and pressed it against his heart. After a moment of silence, he said in a low voice, "Go to sleep."
The more he avoided answering, the more curious Bianca became.
Unfortunately, no matter how she asked, she couldn't get it out of him.
Bianca curled up in Terrence's arms as drowsiness overcame her.
After some time, she groggily felt the space beside her empty. She reached out and felt the other side of the bed was cold.
She opened her sleepy eyes. Only a dim nightlight remained on in the bedroom, and Terrence was indeed gone.
She checked the time—past 2 AM.
Did he have urgent company business? Or were his eyes bothering him?
She quietly got out of bed and shuffled in her slippers to the study. Just as she was about to knock, she glimpsed the scene inside through the crack in the door.
Terrence sat upright behind the desk in a dark silk robe.
Under the soft desk lamp light, his brow was slightly furrowed, his expression showing rare focus, even a hint of scholarly concentration, as he gazed at the laptop screen before him.
What made Bianca freeze was the content on the screen.
Though she was some distance away, it instantly woke her up.
At the top of the screen was a browser search bar, still showing the keywords: "kissing techniques, how to make your partner..."
Below, the open webpage article had a title that read: "In-Depth Analysis: How to Enhance Emotional Connection and Comfort in Kissing."
Bianca was stunned.
She looked at his serious, earnest expression, then at the straightforward information on the screen.
An overwhelming sense of contrast hit her, followed by an irrepressible wave of amusement.
This fool Terrence was actually researching this?
And he picked the middle of the night to sit alone in the study and seriously study it?
Perhaps her gaze lingered too long—Terrence suddenly turned his head alertly, his eyes landing precisely on the doorway.
Their eyes met.
Terrence instantly froze.
His movements were lightning-fast. Almost in the blink of Bianca's eye, his fingers had already hit the shortcut keys, and the screen instantly switched to dense stock market charts.
But it was already too late.
Bianca pushed open the door and walked in, her face showing a smile she couldn't suppress, her eyes bright as she looked at him.
"Mr. Anderson."
She deliberately drew out her tone, slowly walking to the desk, glancing at the screen that had already changed its appearance, then looking back at his forced composure. "Working late at night, studying financial markets? How hard you work."
Terrence's Adam's apple bobbed, and he avoided her gaze, his voice carrying a hint of tension if you listened carefully. "Yes, there's some data I need to review. Did I wake you?"
"No, I woke up on my own and found you weren't there."
Bianca held back her laughter, placing her hands on the edge of the desk and leaning toward him, her gaze sweeping over his slightly reddened ears. "But just now, I think I saw what you were looking at before. Pretty interesting stuff."