With foam still in her hair, Nora Ainsworth had no choice but to clutch her bathrobe with one hand and try to wash her hair with the other, her eyes fixed cautiously on the uninvited guest.
Quentin Grant’s tall, slender figure was leaning against the doorway. He leisurely watched her flustered movents, a casual smile playing across his lips.
She pointed at the door. "About us sleeping together—we just *slept*, that’s all! Don’t put it like that! Get out! If anyone finds you in my bedroom—" She trailed off, certain he understood what she ant.
"Even if we didn’t do anything, we still shared a bed. Since you know the consequences, just be a good girl. This is the key to my place. Be there at six tonight." With a light toss, he threw the key to her. Nora Ainsworth caught it and clutched it in her palm as she watched the bathroom door close.
The sound of his footsteps faded away. She finished washing her hair, wrapped a towel around herself, and walked out. Lying on her bed, she thought for a long ti. ’Moving into the school dorm is the only way to stop Quentin Grant’s harassnt,’ Nora Ainsworth thought.
When she got dressed and went to tell Mrs. Ainsworth her idea, she was t with the sa refusal as always.
"Your sister will probably be getting married soon, and you’re next. This is the perfect opportunity for you to cultivate your relationship with Leon. What would you move into a school dorm for? I don’t think your uncle—would allow it either."
Nora Ainsworth’s fantasy was shattered. She didn’t argue with her mother. Instead, she thought back on everything. Ever since she was a child, her mother had never allowed her to do what she wanted. She could only walk the path her mother laid out for her. Even threatening suicide couldn’t change her mother’s mind.
’My life will only truly be my own, free from her control, when she finally disowns ,’ Nora Ainsworth thought.
After dinner, she took a cab to Quentin Grant’s residence.
She used the key to open the door and quietly stepped inside.
The courtyard was brightly illuminated by a massive, shining Luminous Pearl. ’That must be worth a fortune,’ she thought, glancing around. She noticed guards posted around the periter of the courtyard.
She realized no one was stopping her. Quentin Grant must have given them advance notice.
As she stood at the entrance to the living room changing her shoes, the sound of a beautiful piano lody drifted toward her.
Nora Ainsworth paused, then followed the music upstairs.
She stopped in front of the third door in the hallway. For so reason, the music was no longer as passionate and soaring as before; it now carried a touch of lancholy.
She pushed the door open, and the piano music ca to an abrupt halt.
"I’m here."
He gestured to Nora Ainsworth. "Co here."
Nora Ainsworth obediently went over. Quentin Grant stood up and had her sit in the seat he had just occupied. Then, he wrapped his arms around her from behind.
She felt his embrace but didn’t push him away.
Quentin Grant rested his chin on her shoulder and whispered near her neck, "What song do you like?"
"Ti Boils the Rain."
He lifted the fallboard, tested a few notes on the keys with his fair fingers, then took both her hands in his and placed them on the keys together.
"Do you know how to play?"
"I don’t."
Quentin Grant bit her on the neck. "No. You have to learn. I like won who can play the piano."
The bite stung, and Nora Ainsworth glared at him. "If you have sothing to say, just say it! Why did you have to bite ? Are you so kind of dog?"
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