Alice York was just guessing.
She just wanted to test Kyle Churchill.
But to her surprise, Kyle Churchill’s expression changed dramatically, and he reacted with extre intensity. "Where the hell would I get a twin brother? I’m my dad’s only son! You can stop your damn nonsense!"
Alice York frowned. "If you don’t, you don’t. Why such a strong reaction, Young Mr. Churchill? It almost makes one think you’re deliberately trying to hide sothing."
"Who the hell do you think you are? Shut your mouth!" Kyle Churchill suddenly closed in on Alice York, deliberately posturing to look nacing.
Alice York didn’t back down an inch, tilting her head up to et his gaze.
Kyle Churchill warned, "Don’t try to be clever, and don’t get too curious. Or you’ll regret it."
The warning was packed with aning, but before Alice York could fully process it, Kyle Churchill had vanished from sight.
For the next two days, Alice York didn’t see Kyle Churchill again, nor did she make any effort to find him. When bored, she simply stayed cooped up in her room.
「On the morning of the third day」, she had just opened her door to find a sharply dressed Kyle Churchill standing right outside!
"Good morning, Miss York."
Kyle Churchill handsoly ran a hand through his hair. With a face like his, he didn’t even need to try to look cool; he was naturally good-looking, a credit to the Churchill family’s genes. It was just a sha the cast on his arm marred the overall picture.
Alice York pulled the collar of her pajamas closed. "What can I do for you, Young Mr. Churchill?"
Kyle Churchill was concise. "A date with you."
Alice York stared at him for a few seconds. He shot her a rakish grin. She nodded, accepting his invitation. "Please wait a mont, Young Mr. Churchill. I’ll get changed and be right out."
"No rush. Take your ti getting ready," Kyle Churchill said, acting every bit the gentleman.
「Half an hour later」, Alice York erged with her purse.
She wore a pink knit cardigan with a sh overlay, a turtleneck underneath, and a matching pleated skirt. Her curly hair cascaded down her back, giving her an air of gentle elegance.
When Kyle Churchill heard the door open and turned to see Alice York, his eyes lit up. "You’re beautiful."
Alice York had taken care with her appearance, so she deserved the complint. "So, where are you planning to take today, Young Mr. Churchill?"
Kyle Churchill replied, "A movie, so shopping, and then dinner. How does that sound, Miss York?"
Alice York smiled. "I don’t have any objections. Whatever you’ve arranged is fine, Young Mr. Churchill."
She wasn’t oblivious to the fact that Kyle Churchill’s attitude had beco strange. ’I can’t quite put my finger on what’s wrong,’ she thought, ’so I’ll just have to watch and see for now.’
They went to a movie first. Since Kyle Churchill disliked crowds, he simply rented out the entire theater. After the movie, they went shopping, where he once again bought Alice York a great deal of clothes and jewelry. Despite the discomfort from his arm, he didn’t show the slightest hint of impatience the entire ti.
When it was ti for dinner, Kyle Churchill had booked a private room at a high-end restaurant.
Unlike their last al, Kyle Churchill was the perfect gentleman, handing the nu to Alice York for her to order first. "See what you’d like. This restaurant’s cuisine is more traditional; you should like it."
Alice York’s hand paused as she reached for the nu.
Then, under her gaze, Kyle Churchill stood up, walked over, and thoughtfully placed the nu in front of her. He pointed to a dish. "Do you like pork belly with preserved greens? I hear it’s a staple at banquets back on the mainland."
Alice York said, "Then let’s order it."
"What about this West Lake vinegar fish? Do you like it?" Kyle Churchill leaned down, closing the distance between them, whether intentionally or not.
Alice York discreetly shifted away to maintain so distance. "Are you tired, Young Mr. Churchill? You’re practically on top of ."
"I’ve been shopping with you for so long today, I guess I am a little tired," Kyle Churchill said as he straightened up and returned to his seat across from her.
Alice York was surprised by how good-tempered he was today. ’He hasn’t talked back once,’ she thought. ’And the strangest thing of all is that he hasn’t had a single public outburst all day!’
’Did he have a complete personality change? Or is he deliberately holding back? Either way, this is all so strange...’
"Miss York."
Alice York turned a page in the nu before looking up to see Kyle Churchill watching her with a smile on his face.
"Could you please not smile like that? It’s kind of creepy." If he had smiled at her like this when they first t, she wouldn’t have thought anything of it.
The problem was, she already knew what he was really like—hot-tempered and rude. So seeing Kyle Churchill smile like that genuinely unnerved her.
At her words, Kyle Churchill let his smile fade. "I just wanted to ask you, how did I do today?"
Alice York: ?
Kyle Churchill clasped his hands and placed them on the table. "Actually, my personality is multifaceted. Sotis, when things don’t go my way, I get irritable. Other tis, I do childish, impulsive things, like a little kid. And sotis..."
"Wait!"
Alice York cut him off, closing the nu and setting it aside. "Young Mr. Churchill, can you tell if sothing happened?"
Kyle Churchill didn’t seem to understand. "Why do you ask?"
Alice York was blunt. "Because you’re being too strange today."
Kyle Churchill smiled. "If you think I’m strange, Miss York, it’s only because you don’t know well enough yet. How about this: you go ahead and order. I’ll go to the restroom, and I’ll explain everything when I get back."
"Okay," she nodded.
After Kyle Churchill left for the restroom, Alice York picked up the nu again, but her mind wasn’t on ordering. It was consud by all of his strange behavior from the day.
Nearly ten minutes passed, but Kyle Churchill still hadn’t returned.
’Did he fall in the toilet? Or did he just run off?’
Alice York waved a male waiter over and asked him to check the restroom. The waiter pointed. "Is it that gentleman there?"
Alice York turned her head and saw Kyle Churchill walking toward her with a goofy grin on his face.
Her brow furrowed. She said to the waiter, "Yes, that’s him. You can get back to your work."
"Of course. Please let know if you need anything else." The waiter turned and left.
Alice York watched Kyle Churchill approach. "I was starting to think you’d left, Young Mr. Churchill."
Kyle Churchill didn’t say a word, just grinned at her. As he grinned, he suddenly leaned in close to stare at her intently. The movent was so abrupt that Alice York, thankfully quick to react, imdiately pulled back to create so distance.
"Young Mr. Churchill, please have so self-respect," she said, her voice deepening slightly.
Kyle Churchill sniffed the air. "You sll so good."
Alice York frowned. ’Why do I feel like the Kyle Churchill who ca back from the restroom is completely different from the one who left?’
Just as this thought crossed her mind, Kyle Churchill sat down across from her, his posture perfectly upright. He then looked up at her, an expression on his face as if he were waiting for praise.
If it weren’t for the cast on his arm, his hair, his clothes, and that sa face, she would have sworn he was a completely different person.
"Sit," Kyle Churchill said to her.
Alice York slowly sat down. "What took you so long in the restroom, Young Mr. Churchill?"
Kyle Churchill tilted his head, thought for a mont, and then answered her with a perfectly straight face, "My stomach hurt."
"Your stomach hurt? Is it better now?" she asked.
Kyle Churchill shook his head, then, as if realizing his mistake, imdiately started nodding. "It doesn’t hurt! It doesn’t hurt anymore."
Alice York’s eyes narrowed. Everything about the words and actions of the man across from her felt wrong. He wasn’t like the Kyle Churchill she knew.
She suddenly thought of the person who had knocked her over that other day and asked tentatively, "Young Mr. Churchill, do you know my na?"
"Alice York."
Alice York froze.
But the one who had called her na wasn’t Kyle Churchill. It was a voice from behind her.
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