Chapter 40 Chapter 40
She realized how foolish she had been. Saying such things would only anger him and provide her with no benefit beyond a few seconds of satisfaction. She should be more rational and composed. Even if he was truly addicted to having sex with her, she should hold tightly to that fact and use it to her advantage rather than engage in a verbal battle.
Grace clamped her mouth shut and fell silent.
After a long pause, Benjamin finally curved his lips into a mocking smile and said lightly, "Grace, I admit I'm interested in you right now, but that doesn't mean I'll always want you. If I were you, I'd seize this chance and find ways to win my favor. Maybe later, I'll let you go or give you a quick death instead of leaving you to beg for death."
She believed he would follow through on his words, and a shiver ran through her. She lowered her gaze. After a long moment, she murmured softly, "Thank you."
"You're welcome," he replied.
She clutched her room key card tightly and turned to leave. No sooner had she returned to the reception desk, however, than a student approached her excitedly and asked, "Ms. Hill, who was that gentleman? He was so charming!”
She found herself at a loss for words. She tried to force a smile, but no matter how hard she tried, the corners of her mouth refused to lift. Just as she was struggling, Nathan appeared beside her out of nowhere. He took over the conversation, smiling at the girl and saying, "I know who he is. Treat me to a meal, and I'll tell you."
The girl agreed, abandoning Grace to crowd closer to Nathan and urge him, "Tell me!"
Nathan smiled, no longer keeping her in suspense. “He’s Benjamin, the president of Norman Science. Do you know Gia from our class? Mr. Norman is her cousin. He helped arrange her leave of absence from school, didn't he, Ms. Hill? Did you mention Gia to Mr. Norman earlier? How is she doing now?”
He explained why Grace knew Benjamin, and Grace, of course, understood. She had calmed considerably. Hearing this, she gave a faint smile and replied, "Yes, Mr. Norman is Gia's cousin."
The conference staff and volunteers were split into two shifts. The first group, who had gone for dinner, had already returned. Nathan dismissed the girl who had been pestering him with endless questions with a couple brief replies, then turned to Grace. "Ms. Hill, shall we eat together?"
Grace was distracted and took a moment to look up at him. "Huh? Oh, no. I have something else to do. You go ahead.”
Over by the public lounge, Benjamin was nowhere to be found. She didn't know when he left. After hesitating for a very short moment, she stepped out of the hotel with her phone in hand. She found an empty corner by the water feature, sat down, and dialed Adrian's number. The call connected quickly. He said, "Hello," and then laughed. "Grace, I'm not home yet. Can you come back tonight?"
"No. I can't come back tonight." She replied, sniffing back a sob before blurting out, "Adrian, I miss you. I miss you so much."
Adrian's laughter filled the receiver, followed by the faint hum of car horns. After a few seconds, he spoke again. “Honey, you sound like you're a million miles away from me. Wait for me; I'll come find you. You can't go home, so I'll just stay in a hotel, okay?”
She'd only been feeling lonely and wanted to talk to him. Hearing this made her anxious. "Don't joke around! Do you have money to burn? Why waste it on this? Besides, all the hotels are fully booked now. You won't get a room!"
Adrian just laughed. "How do you know without trying?"
She was truly panicking. "No! It'll look terrible if anyone finds out! Okay, Adrian, stop messing with me! If you keep this up, I'll get angry!"
"Fine, I won't book a room. I'll just come see you. Is that okay?" He conceded but then added a new condition. Before she could refuse, he continued, "Grace, I've already turned the car around. Don't say another word. Go find the manager and ask for an hour off. I know a great place nearby that serves grilled fish. I'll take you there. How about it?"
She glanced at her watch over her bowl. Seeing that it was still early, she agreed. "Fine," she said.
Half an hour later, Adrian's car finally pulled up to the hotel. Grace had already changed out of her volunteer uniform and was waiting outside. She opened the door, slid in, and urged him to drive. "Let's go. Skip the fish. Let's find a nearby budget hotel. We're getting a room!"
Startled by her demand, he couldn't help but laugh. "Grace, let's eat first, okay?"
"No." She refused, staring at him intently. "I don't want to eat. I want you right now."
Adrian started laughing, thinking she was teasing him. But when he saw her serious expression, his laughter gradually faded. After staring at her for a moment, he suddenly grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her close. He tilted his head and kissed her. She responded with equal passion, and their kiss deepened. But then an urgent honk sounded from behind the car. He pulled away and gave her one last lingering look before spinning the wheel and steering back onto the service road.
"Search for the nearest hotel," he said.
There was no need to search. Just a few hundred meters down the road, a budget hotel chain stood by the side of the road. They pulled the car to the curb and ran hand-in-hand toward the hotel like lovers in the throes of passion. They wouldn't even let go while checking in at the front desk, drawing frequent, furtive glances from the clerk.
Adrian smiled, took the key card, and pulled Grace upstairs. The moment they opened the door, they couldn't resist kissing. He hooked his foot against the door, shoved the key card into the slot, lifted her off the floor, and pressed her against the wall, kissing her fiercely.
She responded passionately, panting, "Hold me, Adrian. Hold me tight.”
He held her tighter, almost choking her. Entwined and struggling, they stumbled toward the bed and crashed onto it together. They wrestled for over an hour until finally, amidst her uncontrollable sobs, he released himself inside her.
He rolled off her, panting, and kissed her forehead repeatedly as he whispered, "You little witch! Did you cast a spell on me? How is it that I love you madly, that I'd even die for you?”
Still lost in the afterglow of her climax, her lips parted slightly as she gasped. Hearing his words, she only looked at him blankly. He lowered his head and gazed at her until he couldn't help but curse softly under his breath. He rolled over, pressing himself against her once more. Leaning down to kiss her, his voice hoarse, he murmured, "Let's do it again!"
Only then did she snap back to reality, tilting her head up to kiss him. But mid-kiss, she suddenly stopped. She wrapped her arms around him, buried her face in his chest, and burst into loud sobs. Startled, he scrambled off her and pulled her into his arms. Cooing softly, his voice tinged with anxiety, he asked, "What's wrong, baby? What happened?”