"This color is really not good. It doesn’t suit you at all. Only won like Sabrina Johnson would like it."
Pauline Briggs walked over to the clothes rack, took a gray dress, and handed it to Sienna Johnson, saying, "How about trying this one?"
She knew Sienna liked dark colors, so she picked a gray dress for her. Sienna didn’t take it but chose a lake-green sleeveless dress with a large hem instead. "This one. This one is nice," she said.
Samara chuckled. "Sister is so beautiful that all clothes look good on her. Mom, don’t you think so?"
Pauline looked at her daughter with satisfaction. "You are the first child your father and I had. You’ve inherited all the best traits from both of us. Your eyes are exactly like your father’s; every ti you look at , I feel as if your father is looking at ."
"Not at all! Dad looks at you much more tenderly than I do! Right, Samara?"
"Yes. As long as Mom is around, Dad can’t see anyone else."
Pauline laughed, her face filled with sweet happiness and a touch of shyness. "Oh, you child. When does your father ever *not* pay attention to you two?"
Samara stuck out her tongue. "Anyway, he must have seen Mom first, then us. Sister, am I right?"
"Yes!"
The two sisters looked at each other and laughed, causing Madam Johnson, who was nearby, to blush with embarrassnt.
"You two girls..."
The negative emotions Yvette Harris had brought earlier vanished. The mother and her two daughters were all smiles; onlookers might have mistaken them for three sisters.
「...」
When they returned ho in the evening, Sienna’s legs were swollen from shopping for too long. When Adrian Desmond saw this, he couldn’t help but complain about Pauline Briggs.
"Honestly, she knew you were pregnant but wasn’t more considerate. Look, your legs are all swollen."
"Did you have fun today? I wanted to go shopping too. Oh, by the way, I bought us matching outfits. I put yours in the closet. We’ll wear them when we go to Blackwood."
They had just found out today that Bryant Robertson was getting married. His fiancée was a local girl, said to be beautiful and virtuous, though she ca from a poor family.
However, the Robertson Family didn’t discriminate against the poor, and Rose Collins had completely disregarded the girl’s family background.
"Well, at least you have a conscience, thinking of ."
"You’re always in my heart. When am I not thinking of you?"
Adrian gently massaged her legs, relieving the soreness. His pressure was perfect, just right. Sienna squinted in comfort, her expression growing lazy and alluring.
"When we were shopping today, we ran into Yvette Harris... and we also saw Isaac Goodwin. I wonder how far things have progressed between Isaac Goodwin and Yvette Harris."
"Didn’t you say that a hefty reward will always attract a brave man? As long as he handles that woman, all of Yvette Harris’s money, including the Southgate Departnt Store, will be his. What more could he be dissatisfied with?"
"I’m not worried about Isaac Goodwin. If he doesn’t succeed, I’ll deal with her myself when I get back from Abyanabad. She must go to jail!"
"..."
"You weren’t there today, so you don’t know how fierce Madam Johnson was. She didn’t just scold Yvette Harris; she hit her." Sienna recounted the day’s events, a proud look on her face as she finished, "You have no idea how bold Madam Johnson was. SLAP! SLAP! She smacked Yvette Harris several tis. It’s the first ti I’ve ever seen Madam Johnson hit anyone. Even I was a little scared."
"I didn’t see you looking scared at all. All I saw on your face was the expression of soone enjoying a good show."
"Yes, today’s show was exciting. It’s a pity you didn’t go."
Adrian had no interest in watching won fight. After he finished massaging her legs, he started on her feet. She was ticklish and playfully kicked him, a few tis even catching his face. Adrian pretended to be angry and gently swatted her a few tis.
"Ouch, it hurts, it hurts so much..."
He pretended, and she pretended too.
"Just keep pretending! Don’t think I’ll be fooled by you, you cunning woman!"
Sienna grinned at him, and that smile spelled trouble. Like a tiger pouncing on a butterfly, he lunged, pinning her beneath him. "Now I’ll teach you a lesson."
"The curtains haven’t been drawn yet..."
At a ti like this, he couldn’t care less whether the curtains were drawn. Beneath the thin quilt, their entangled figures rose and fell for a long, long ti before finally growing still.
Adrian sat leaning against the headboard, shirtless. His broad shoulders, narrow waist, and handso face glowed with pleasure from his joyful mood.
He lowered his head and gazed at the woman sleeping beside him.
Her features were relaxed, her expression peaceful, her red lips slightly pouted. If not for the faint shadows under her eyes, one might think a carefree child slept there, not a young woman.
He shouldn’t have been so forceful earlier...
Adrian felt a pang of regret. He lovingly reached out, gently caressing her face, the skin smooth beneath his fingertips.
The soft, silky sensation instantly triggered mories of their earlier passion... Just monts ago, her body had been this tender and smooth, pliant as if boneless, yet firm and warm... His own body instantly grew aroused again.
Damn it! he cursed inwardly, frustrated by his diminishing self-control.
It was true what they said: to taste the marrow was to know its flavor, to crave it.
He had spent so many years alone before. He’d seen plenty of beautiful won, and it wasn’t as if none had ever thrown themselves at him. Yet, he had never been moved—not like this, where just a light caress of her cheek sent his body into an uncontrollable spiral of desire...
Adrian gave a wry, helpless smile, forcibly suppressing the turmoil in his heart.
In her sleep, Sienna felt an itch on her face. She mumbled sothing incoherent and, shifting uncomfortably, turned away from his touch.
The thin quilt slid from her shoulder, revealing the graceful curve of her back, her skin as white as freshly fallen snow... The sight made Adrian’s mouth go dry.
Adrian quickly averted his gaze, not daring to look further. He slipped on his robe and went to take a shower, washing away the lingering stickiness from his body.
When he ca out, he held a warm, damp towel and began to gently wipe her down. She opened her eyes, which were filled with exhaustion.
"Adrian, I can’t anymore. I’m so tired. I want to sleep."
She was rather particular about cleanliness; after intimacy, she always had to shower before sleeping. This habit had even rubbed off on him, so now they both showered afterwards.
"Go to sleep. I’ll finish wiping you down."
She obediently closed her eyes, allowing him to tend to her.
Adrian got up. Noticing the open window, he walked over to close it, but then he saw a pair of eyes glinting from the shadows...
The eyes were concealed in the darkness, hidden behind the leaves of the Phoenix Tree in the yard. Their owner probably thought they were perfectly concealed, but Adrian had spotted them.
Their gazes t. A silent acknowledgnt passed between them: each knew the other had been discovered.
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