The room fell silent.
Adelyn’s gaze beca anticipative.
She waited ... waited for him to refuse her in the worst way.
But Dylan looked at her quietly.
For several seconds, he said nothing.
Then —
His lips parted.
Just as she braced herself for the worst, a single soft word slipped out of his lips, striking her like a blow.
"Alright."
Adelyn blinked.
"... What?"
He didn’t really just agree to the idea, did he?
She shot to her feet, hardly believing what she had heard.
"Did you just agree?" she asked in disbelief.
"You didn’t want to agree?" Dylan asked, looking at her suspiciously, as though inviting her to think carefully before answering.
Adelyn read his expression clearly —and suddenly didn’t know what to say.
Of course, she didn’t want him to agree.
Otherwise, why would she have gone through so much trouble weaving lies she never intended to make real?
"Why would you agree to sothing like this?" she asked, her expression troubled no matter how hard she tried to hide it.
When Dylan raised his brow, she quickly added,
"I an, you have no reason to stay hidden in anyone’s life. You’re soone worth flaunting in every way. So why would you ... agree?"
She might have been weaving lies to get herself out of the ss, but what she said wasn’t entirely wrong.
Dylan Warren had every rit to be flaunted.
Be it his looks, his status, or his achievents in the business world —any woman would take pride in standing beside him.
Keeping him in the shadows would not only be an insult to him but also a loss.
"Worth flaunting?" Dylan repeated, leaning back against the couch as he studied her expression more closely.
His gaze like that made Adelyn self-conscious.
"Then why aren’t you eager to flaunt , Ms. Grace?"
She was taken aback.
Staring at him, she didn’t know what to say.
Why would she be eager to flaunt him?
She was not hers to flaunt.
And above all —
This whole situation felt like trouble. Indulging in it would only bring chaos into her life.
"To you, am I shaful? Not worth flaunting?" Dylan asked, leaning forward slightly, closing the distance between them.
Adelyn instinctively stepped back, dumbfounded.
For a mont, she parted her lips to speak, but the words seed stuck in her throat.
His intense gaze only made it harder.
Perhaps it was because she felt guilty sowhere inside for lying to him and tricking him into believing her.
"You ... aren’t shaful," she said hurriedly. "The fault lies with ."
She pointed at herself.
When she noticed him still staring at her, she nodded more firmly.
"Yes, . I have a career and dreams that I cannot dare sacrifice for anyone. Not even myself. So, it’s not you, but . I’m the coward."
"You don’t need to be a coward," he said calmly, leaving her expression in a complete disarray.
"Huh?"
"I agree to be your secret."
"But you don’t have to —" she almost pleaded.
When she noticed his gaze deepen, she quickly corrected herself.
"I an, why would you do sothing so unfair to yourself?"
"Because it’s for your career," he said plainly, "—the one thing you can’t bear to sacrifice."
Their eyes t, and her heart skipped a beat.
For a second, frozen at his words. Sothing laced to them tugged at her heart differently. She didn’t know what, but she felt it.
"You have any more excuses, Ms. Grace?" Dylan suddenly asked.
She subconsciously shook her head.
"Good. Then it’s settled."
He picked the silk again and reached for her hand.
She flinched at the sudden touch and almost pulled away.
But he held her firm.
Slowly unfolding the fabric, he casually wrapped it around her injured palm.
"You are now my woman," he said, tying the knot carefully. "And I don’t like my woman getting hurt."
He lifted his gaze to et hers.
"Not even the slightest."
Adelyn’s breath hitched, unsure what exactly had caught her so off guard.
Was it his gentleness?
Or the way he had called her his woman?
Feeling strangely nervous under his intense gaze, she tried to pull her hand away.
But once again, he held it firmly, not allowing her to slip free.
With a frown, she looked at him.
"Your woman?" she repeated. "What do you an by that, Mr. Warren?"
Dylan finished tying the knot around her hand. His lips curved into a slow, knowing smirk.
"Didn’t you just agree to the relationship between us?" he asked. "Did you forget again?"
Adelyn was dumbfounded.
Did she?
She quickly tried to recollect. And realized —
She had ended up agreeing to him without even realizing.
Could she even back away now?
Before she could think any further, a knock at the door interrupted her thoughts.
"Brother!"
Adelyn instinctively turned to look, only to notice another tall, handso man standing at the doorway.
His looks couldn’t rival Dylan’s, yet his features were still pleasing to the eye.
Dressed in impeccable taste, he looked like soone who knew how to carry himself with effortless elegance.
He stood at the door, his gaze shifting from Dylan before settling on Adelyn.
When he didn’t move for several seconds, Adelyn turned to Dylan in confusion —only to find him staring at her as though waiting for sothing.
She didn’t understand until the man spoke again from the doorway.
"Ms. Grace, I just ca to deliver your clothes. May I co in?"
Adelyn was stunned.
Was he waiting for her permission?
Dylan’s small gesture toward her the next second confird it.
She quickly turned and nodded.
"Please ... co in."
Felix stepped into the room, his strides elegant and asured —neither hurried nor slow.
A bag rested in his hand.
Stopping in front of her, he extended it.
"These are for you."
Adelyn’s glance at the bag before looking back at him.
"For ?"
He nodded once.
"You might want to change into sothing appropriate before leaving the hotel."
She looked down at herself, realizing she was still in bathrobe. Her expression flushed, and she nodded in slight embarrassnt.
"Thank you," she said.
Then she turned to Dylan.
"I’ll go change first."
With that, she turned and strode in the direction of the bathroom, sliding the door shut after her.
Felix then turned to his brother.
"Brother, how are you feeling now?" he asked, a genuine concern lacing his voice.
But Dylan’s gaze remained fixed on the bathroom door.
He didn’t answer his question.
Instead, his eyes darkened slightly as he asked,
"Who?"
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