Rebecca Quentin lowered her head and hadn’t spoken yet when Roye already blurted out, "CEO, Miss Quentin has sothing to tell you..."
With nervous eyes, Rebecca looked up, "It’s nothing major."
Howard Geoffrey, clad in a robe, opened the door, "Let’s talk inside."
Once inside, Rebecca initially thought Roye was still there, but sohow he had slipped away unnoticed.
Soon enough, it was just Howard and Rebecca left in the room.
Howard had obviously just taken a shower, as there was a refreshing scent of body wash on him.
Rebecca stood there awkwardly, feeling she had no choice but to make the best of the situation. She was the first to speak, "I ca to see you because, during lunch this afternoon, I forgot to thank you."
Howard walked over to Rebecca, steadied her slightly trembling body, and chuckled softly, "There’s no need to be so formal with ."
Looking up at Howard’s handso face with that gentle smile, Rebecca longed to ask him questions, yet past failures had left her lacking the courage this mont demanded.
After a few seconds of gazing into his eyes, Rebecca softly replied, "I just wanted to express my gratitude, but considering the sum of money, I’m afraid I can’t repay it..."
"You know that amount of money doesn’t matter to ."
"Either way, I’m thanking you on behalf of Aunt Clare. I know you didn’t just contribute financially; you put in effort too," referring to what she saw on the computer, him contacting so renowned hospital directors in the U.S.
"Did you co just to say this?"
Howard walked to the bed, removed his robe, picked up a shirt from the bed, and started getting dressed.
Rebecca turned her back to Howard, only turning around when she no longer heard the sounds of dressing behind her.
She saw Howard standing in front of the full-length mirror in the room, fastening his watch.
Despite knowing she shouldn’t ask such unnecessary questions, Rebecca couldn’t help but ask, "Are you leaving soon?"
"Yes, I have urgent matters to attend to in New York."
Rebecca swallowed back a lump in her throat, "Then I wish you a safe journey."
As he tied his tie, Howard gave a small smile, "Why say such a cliché thing."
Rebecca followed with a slight smile, yet beneath it was bitterness.
After dressing, Howard returned to Rebecca, wrapped his arms around her waist from the front, and lightly kissed her forehead, "Take care of yourself in T City."
An acidic feeling imdiately settled in Rebecca’s chest.
Involuntarily, Rebecca also wrapped her arms around Howard, her eyes misty as she gazed at him.
I don’t want you to go, Howard!
At that mont, what Rebecca most wanted to say to Howard was this.
When they were about to sign the surgery consent form for Aunt Clare, how grateful she was to have him by her side!
If it weren’t for him, she would’ve been utterly unable to make the right decision in such a confused, helpless state...
He gave her a sense of security; he alleviated her fears...
In the past few days, she avoided him because after receiving Chester Robinson’s call, she knew he might leave any day, and she feared the longer she stayed with him, the harder it would be to let go...
Rebecca suddenly voiced a tear-choked call, "Howard..."
"Hmm?"
Standing on tiptoe, Rebecca willingly kissed his lips.
As her lips touched his slightly cold ones, her tears began to fall.
Salty and wet tears trickled down her cheeks onto their connected lips...
Feeling her tears, he gently pulled away.
Seeing her teary eyes, he chuckled softly, "You fool..."
Howard reached out to wipe the tears from Rebecca’s eyes, but Rebecca tiptoed to kiss him again.
At this mont, she didn’t want to think about anything. She just wanted to let herself go, indulge once, rely once...
Howard seemingly didn’t anticipate Rebecca’s boldness. As she shyly tried to imitate his usual kissing manner, her actions suddenly ignited his desires. Drawing closer, he pressed her against him, taking control, kissing her soft lips fiercely.
Once things cald down, Howard found her hand, pressing it firmly against the bed, and kissed her unsteady lips, locking all the passion and joy within her body.
"Are you alright?" Howard gently stroked Rebecca’s face.
Rebecca gazed at Howard in a daze, seemingly confused as to what he was saying.
Howard hugged Rebecca tightly, "You just lost consciousness."
Suddenly, feeling that sense of body and mind alignnt was wonderful. It felt like, for a mont, it was their most harmonious experience; he made her so happy she wanted to weep and shout. She realized it wasn’t just pain that could make soone faint with tears—happiness could too.
"What’s wrong?" Howard noticed the redness around Rebecca’s eyes.
"Nothing." Rebecca wiped away the tear stains, feeling content with the current happiness and clinging tightly to him, "I’ve never..." Embarrassed to finish the sentence, she was shy to look at him.
She wanted to say she had never been this crazy before.
Howard, want ...
She couldn’t believe, in her plunge, she actually said such words to him.
Howard looked at her flushed face, smiling at the corners of his mouth.
Oh God, how could she be so enticing, so adorable! He wished he could have her day and night like now; he almost wanted to tell her all his love for her, but rationality, like a boulder, clogged his throat.
She didn’t know their future required this separation to compensate for the flaws; she also didn’t know how dangerous her situation could beco while by his side. He needed to pave a thorn-free path for their future.
"I’m going to take a shower."
Suddenly withdrawing from within her, Howard walked into the bathroom.
With the sound of water pattering inside the bathroom, coincidentally, it started raining outside too. All the happiness, shyness, satisfaction displayed on her face earlier, with the sound of water and the loneliness from the rain outside, seeped into her heart, gradually replaced by sadness and disappointnt. Just earlier, it seed like she had been dreaming, and now it all returned to reality.
Rain began ticking against the floor-to-ceiling windows. Rebecca, draped in Howard’s robe, quietly got out of bed and stood at the spot he often liked to stand, looking at the scenery he had gazed at.
A thin mist ford on the glass curtain wall, and Rebecca naively breathed onto it.
The mist beca clearer as she extended her finger, writing word by word on the glass...
"What are you doing?" Howard walked out from the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his lower body, fresh and clean, glanced at Rebecca, and casually asked.
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