Shane watched as Audrey Sutton’s emotions cald down slightly, and only then did he gently turn her body toward him. But she kept her eyes downcast, unwilling to look at him.
He used his hand to wipe her tear-stained face and said, "Why do you feel so wronged? I didn’t even do anything to you, did I?"
The words sounded like a confused reproach, but the tone was all tender spoiling.
Audrey Sutton’s body occasionally shuddered due to sobbing. She sniffed and still wouldn’t look at him or speak to him.
Shane tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and tried to ask her, "Were you scared because I slamd the door just now?"
"...Mm," she replied muffledly with one word.
Hearing this reason, Shane felt a bit caught between laughter and tears.
He also felt inwardly that he hadn’t been considerate enough, not realizing how his unintended actions might affect her.
"I’m sorry," he said.
Upon hearing these three words drift down softly from above her, Audrey Sutton finally lifted her eyes to glance at him, seemingly not expecting him to apologize to her.
Before he ca, she had been hesitating about whether or not to go find him and apologize.
She was very afraid of him being angry and unhappy.
"I won’t do that again in the future, okay?" His voice was gentle in a way she’d never heard before, as if he were making a serious promise to a child.
It sounded like such an untrustworthy statent, but coming from his mouth, Audrey Sutton believed it without doubt and found it even more incredible.
Shane turned over, stretched his arm out, and pressed the switch on the bedside to turn off the room’s lights.
The room once again beca completely dark, and the light from her phone had long since gone out.
Shane held her through the blanket, patting her back gently as if coaxing a child to sleep, watching her eyes wide open in the darkness. Because of her previous crying, they looked even brighter than usual. Shane softly scolded her, "Close your eyes and sleep."
Audrey Sutton blinked a few tis at him before obediently closing them.
Feeling the force from his hand, not too heavy or too light, rhythmic in its patting, her heart gradually cald and steadied.
The bundle of worries that had been tangled in her mind dissipated instantly.
As he had just promised, he beca quite the gentleman, not even taking the opportunity to slip into her bed, simply holding her lightly through the blanket.
He might have thought that his patting would make her fall asleep faster, but in fact, it only focused all of Audrey Sutton’s attention on him, making it impossible for her to sleep.
But she didn’t voice this, just remained perfectly still and quiet, maintaining her position, while he kept on gently patting for about ten minutes.
Perhaps thinking she had finally fallen asleep, he slowly stopped, sitting up on the bed.
After a few seconds of silence, a brief rustling sound was heard, and then she felt him adjusting the blanket on her, before footsteps could be heard softly heading towards the bedroom door.
"Creaaak——"
"Click——"
The door opened and was locked again.
Audrey Sutton finally opened her eyes, looking at the bedroom door in the dark, taking a deep breath.
The long list of grievances she had compiled against him in her heart just now all disappeared to zero.
He was still the Shane she loved the most.
Her stiff body relaxed with a deep breath, snuggling into the blanket to find a comfortable sleeping position, a smile unknowingly curving her lips.
With a touch of a smile, she fell asleep peacefully...
The next day.
Audrey Sutton opened her eyes. The window was next to the bed, and she pulled open the curtains to take a look outside.
It was snowing outside, the flakes small, and the ground didn’t have too thick a layer of snow, adding an even more picturesque feel to this already romantic city.
The beautiful view imdiately put her in a good mood as soon as she woke up.
"Knock knock—" Shane’s voice followed the sound of knocking: "Ti to get up."
Audrey Sutton responded with a sound from within the room, quickly pulling her gaze from the window, starting her morning routine with swift efficiency.
By the ti she was ready and stepped out, Shane, already dressed neatly, was sitting on the sofa reading a newspaper, waiting for her.
Because of what happened last night, Audrey Sutton was, for a mont, unsure how to face him.
The mont he looked up at her, she could only manage an awkward smile.
"Did you see the snow outside?"
Audrey Sutton hadn’t expected him to start with this. She thought he also couldn’t find the right topic and was just using the weather to break the awkward silence.
So Audrey Sutton, with a dry laugh, nodded and replied, "Yes, it’s quite pretty."
Unexpectedly, Shane glanced at her dress and said, "I ant it’s cold outside, go change your clothes."
Audrey Sutton: "..."
Hearing Shane’s cold command, she began to doubt if the gentle Shane from last night was just a fignt of her dreams; otherwise, she couldn’t explain why he’d return to his cold deanor after one night’s sleep.
Audrey Sutton lifted the hem of her long dress and explained, "I’m wearing thermal leggings underneath, it’s not cold."
"They look thin."
Audrey Sutton leaned against the doorfra, lifting her leg slightly to show him the fabric of her leggings, saying, "They’re fleece-lined!"
She seed to be vigorously advertising the stockings.
Shane looked over, seemingly satisfied with their thickness as he nodded and said, "Let’s go."
Audrey Sutton pouted at the back of his head, scheming how to bring back the gentle Shane from last night—she didn’t want to see his frosty poker face.
The elevator in the morning was rather busy, already filled with five or six people when they got in.
Shane entered first, with Audrey Sutton following behind and standing by his side.
Behind them were three middle-aged n in suits speaking loudly in French, laughing about sothing.
Although Audrey Sutton couldn’t fully understand, she guessed they were discussing her, and it wasn’t polite but rather lewd teasing.
Suddenly, Shane reached over, grabbed her arm, and pulled her in front of him, using his tall fra to shield her, as if he didn’t even want other n to look at her.
Audrey Sutton glanced back at him, her sight sneaking over his shoulder for a peek at the three Frenchn. Before she could see clearly, Shane turned her head back: "What are you looking at? Are they more handso than ?"
Audrey Sutton rolled her eyes at him, not answering.
She wasn’t looking at handso guys, just wanted to see what those scoundrels looked like.
As for whether they were handso... in her heart, no one was more handso than Shane.
But she wouldn’t let this conceited man know, as knowing might make him insufferably prideful.
He never praised her for anything, she had beco sharp-tongued because he taught her to be.
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