Caleb Rhodes didn’t answer. He stepped forward, lifted her chin, and leaned down to look at her.
He was exquisitely handso. Even this close, his face was so perfect that not a single flaw could be found. At this mont, his thin lips were pressed into a firm line, and his eyes were slightly narrowed as if he was trying to determine whether she had just lied.
Caleb Rhodes’s good looks weren’t ordinary; they delivered a visual impact, both stunning and aggressive. It was a beauty so dazzling it could make you feel timid at a single glance, inspiring an inexplicable sense of inferiority and helplessness in his presence.
However, this handsoness was often downplayed by his other dazzling qualities. No one really cared if the chairman of the world-class conglorate Nash Group and the Crown Prince of the Capital Set’s most powerful family was handso or not.
But he truly was. While perhaps not the most peerless beauty in the world, he was at least the kind of man who made people want to recklessly throw themselves at him, like a moth to a fla.
And now, that face was right in front of hers, completely oblivious to the imnse pressure he exuded.
Moreover, his condescending posture created a inexplicably heart-pounding sensation.
Nina Wynn lowered her gaze, not daring to look at him directly. Her long eyelashes trembled like broken butterfly wings.
Her small, pale face looked sickly, her lips devoid of color. She looked like a porcelain doll that would shatter at the slightest touch.
Caleb Rhodes’s long, slender fingers slowly traced over her soft lips, his gaze as cold and somber as ever.
He spoke in a low voice, "Nina Wynn, don’t you dare hide your little sches from ."
Under his intense stare, Nina felt as if her thoughts had nowhere to hide.
She didn’t dare look at him, whispering, "Caleb, what are you talking about?"
Caleb’s tone suddenly turned frigid. "Nina Wynn, have you secretly been in a relationship before?"
His hand stopped moving. The air suddenly beca difficult to breathe.
Nina didn’t understand why he was asking this and looked at him with a bewildered expression.
When she looked at people this way, her dark pupils were slightly unfocused, filled with a lost and helpless confusion that made her seem very young and naive. It brought to mind small, helpless cubs.
Just like that little kitten.
Caleb stared at her for a few monts, very satisfied with her reaction. When he spoke again, his voice was deep, suppressed, and utterly cold.
"Good."
Those few simple words carried a boundless chill that made Nina’s palms begin to sweat.
How could a man like Caleb Rhodes tolerate the people around him having a past? Even if that person was just a temporary plaything, she had to be pure in body and soul, inside and out.
She lowered her eyes and said softly, "Caleb, what past?"
Caleb Rhodes withdrew his hand.
He also retracted the faint, savage aura he had been exuding.
His gaze on Nina slowly took on a cold, desolate calm.
"It’s a bit of a pity."
’A pity about what?’
Nina didn’t dare to ask, because in the next second, Caleb Rhodes lifted her up and placed her on his lap.
His fingers gently caressed her soft lips, his voice softening considerably. "A few years ago, I might have considered giving you a whirlwind romance. But that ti has passed, and I don’t have that much energy anymore. However, I will do my best to learn."
Nina didn’t know what he was trying to say and looked at him in confusion.
’What does he want to learn?’
’How to be in a relationship?’
The thought made her blood run cold.
’Be in a relationship with Caleb Rhodes?’
A chill shot up her spine. She would never dare to have such a thought in her entire life. It was more shocking than hearing that aliens had landed on Earth.
Just as she was at a loss, Willson Lawson knocked on the glass door behind them. "Third Lord Master, I’ve got it."
Caleb grunted in acknowledgnt, placed Nina back on the chair, and draped a small, soft blanket over her. "You keep drawing. I’m stepping out for a mont."
Once inside the office, Willson Lawson handed the USB drive he had just obtained to Caleb. "All of Chloe Joyce’s videos are on here. Do you want to take a look?"
Caleb sat down in his executive chair, his face grim as he stared at the USB drive. His eyes were dark and cold, like a bottomless abyss where a bloody storm was brewing.
When Willson thought about what was going to happen to the Joyce Family in the coming days, his scalp tingled with fear.
’His thods are too ruthless!’
Two months ago, Caleb Rhodes had hired a few people to launch an assault on Reboot Technologies’ stock market presence, first using public opinion to ruin its reputation within the industry.
Then, he applied pressure from all sides. Halfway through, he let them see a glimr of hope, but his true goal was to seize the controlling shares from their major stakeholders.
A few days later, he had all of Reboot Technology Group’s core technical staff poached, leaving the company as nothing but an empty shell.
In two short months, he had devoured a top dostic conglorate, not only knocking it from its pedestal but also exposing one family scandal after another, turning them into an industry laughingstock.
The thunderous thods and powerful connections required for such a feat were almost unimaginably vast.
The strategies and the interlocking traps designed to lure the prey in were beyond what any ordinary person could conceive.
At the very least, the Joyce Family still regarded Caleb Rhodes as their last lifeline, completely unaware that he was the true Grim Reaper coming to collect their lives.
Especially that Chloe Joyce. She was still imrsed in her beautiful dream of getting engaged to Adrian Finch, the Crown Prince of the Fawley Group, having no idea that it was just a dream, and one that was about to be shattered.
Willson once again felt thankful that he wasn’t Caleb Rhodes’s enemy. Otherwise, he wouldn’t even know how he was played to death in the end.
Caleb inserted the USB drive into his computer and randomly clicked on a video. It was a sordid clip of Chloe Joyce.
He watched for a few seconds before closing it in disgust, his voice cold. "What about the things on the Lawson Family?"
Willson replied, "The Lawson Family is cautious. They haven’t left much dirt behind, so we haven’t been able to collect much."
After a pause, Willson added, "Also, the Lawson Family’s granddaughter is getting engaged to Master Weston. Third Lord Master, you see..."
The Lawson Family had always had deep ties with the Rhodes Family, intricately entangled for three generations. If sothing were to happen to the Lawsons, the Rhodes Family would be implicated to so extent.
Moreover, the Rhodes Family was about to be joined with the Lawson Family through marriage.
Caleb’s tone was as cold as ice. "It’s just an engagent. Does an engagent guarantee a marriage? The engagent is a lesson for him. If he doesn’t learn to behave, he could squander the entire Rhodes Family fortune!"
"If he doesn’t straighten up, his good days are over."
"As for the Rhodes Family, if they’ve committed sins, they will naturally have to pay for them!"
His voice was exceptionally cold, devoid of any human warmth, as if the Rhodes Family weren’t his relatives, and whether his own nephew lived or died had little to do with him.
"The things Nathan Fletcher had you bring over, what are they?"
Willson quickly handed over another file folder he was holding.
"It’s so of Miss Wynn’s docunts, as well as the will left by her mother."
Caleb opened the folder and saw Nina Wynn’s ID card, her various diplomas from elentary school to university, a copy of a property deed, and her mother’s will.
He picked up the will and read it, then said with a blank expression, "She’s already turned twenty. According to the will, Lana Shaw should have transferred the house to her na."
Willson said, "Third Lord Master, you’ve forgotten. You were the one who won the bid for the demolition and redevelopnt project for the old residential area where Miss Wynn’s house is located. You personally set the compensation ratio for that district at 1-to-2. Miss Wynn’s house is eighty square ters, which ans she can be compensated with one hundred and sixty square ters of new comrcial housing."
"In other words, she can get two three-bedroom apartnts. That area is also a pri school district, with an average price of over 100,000 per square ter. That ans Miss Wynn’s house is now worth over 16 million."
"It’s hard for anyone not to be tempted by that price."
Caleb narrowed his eyes, a vicious glint flashing within. "Greedy!"
"Anyone with eyes can see that she wants to swallow up that property. And now that she thinks Miss Wynn is dead, the house naturally becos hers."
"Also, Third Lord Master, ever since you froze Crystal Rhodes’s credit card, she’s been looking for you everywhere. When she can’t find you, she keeps calling , asking where you are."
Caleb’s voice was rciless. "Ignore her!"
Autumn in Elysian City was short. In just over two weeks, a cold wind had begun to blow, and the temperature had dropped below freezing.
Nina Wynn had mostly recovered and was still staying at the hot spring hotel.
Because she had been exceptionally obedient recently, she was allowed to spend two hours with the kitten every day and was even permitted to go shopping at the mall with an escort.
Nina had little interest in shopping; she just looked forward to the ti when the kitten was brought to her each day.
Perhaps because she had been well-cared for these past days, and her anxieties had been sowhat eased, she had gained a little weight in the last couple of weeks. Her skin had beco better, more supple and hydrated. Especially when she had just erged from the hot spring, she had, on several occasions, tempted Caleb to the point where he almost lost control.
Nina was actually very afraid of soaking in the hot spring with Caleb. Each ti, it left her blushing, her heart racing with embarrassnt. This was especially true when he kissed the scar on her abdon, which made her so mortified she wanted to dig a hole and crawl into it.
To reduce this kind of contact, she changed her midday hot spring soak to the ti after her afternoon nap.
At this ti, Caleb was generally at the office. Plus, it was also when the kitten was brought over.
After soaking for so long, it had beco a familiar routine for her, and she was slowly experiencing the nourishing and restorative effects of the natural spring water.
When Caleb was around, she would wrap herself up completely while soaking. Only when he was absent would she wear sothing a little lighter.
Today, the outfit the housekeeper had prepared had a bit less fabric, and the style was a little embarrassing. At first glance, it looked like so kind of uniform seduction costu from a movie.
She changed into it and stood by the mirror for a mont, still blushing a little.
If she hadn’t known that Caleb couldn’t possibly show up at this ti, she wouldn’t have worn it, not even if it killed her.
After a few glances, she got into the water.
Soaking in the hot spring was very comfortable in this weather. Moreover, Caleb had soone add sothing to the water, which masked the sll of sulfur, leaving only a faint, woody fragrance.
In a short while, she was so comfortable that she was lying languidly against the side of the pool, idly poking the kitten in its basket.
Just then, the door opened without a sound and closed with a soft CREAK.
Nina looked up and saw Caleb Rhodes standing in the doorway.
The charcoal-gray three-piece suit made him look exceptionally tall and straight, his aristocratic aura enough to outshine any runway model.
Cold, deep, noble, and incredibly imposing.
Nina felt that no one looked better in a suit than he did.
For a mont, she couldn’t tear her eyes away.
Seeing her in a daze, Caleb casually took off his suit jacket and draped it over a cabinet by the door, then strode toward her.
The hem of his form-fitting, high-quality white shirt was tucked into his waistband, further accentuating his broad shoulders and narrow waist, displaying his inverted-triangle physique to full effect.
His legs, encased in straight-legged trousers, were long and lean. Even through the fabric, she knew just how long and powerful those legs were.
While Nina was still staring blankly, Caleb had already reached the edge of the pool.
He stared at her little face, flushed pink from the heat, his voice as cold and somber as ever. "Co out and help take this off."
For so many days now, regardless of whether Nina resisted or felt uncomfortable, Caleb insisted that she personally handle his clothes and accessories when he soaked in the hot spring and when he left in the morning.
At first, Nina was very resistant, but after doing it so many tis, it had beco second nature.
She rubbed her sowhat tired eyes and climbed out of the pool.
As soon as she was out of the water, the black-and-white, uniform-style swimsuit was fully exposed to Caleb’s gaze.
The outfit itself wasn’t particularly revealing; it covered everything that should be covered. But the key was the special fabric. After getting wet, certain areas beca faintly visible, making it incredibly seductive.
Coupled with her perfect proportions, the outfit made her waist look even slimr and her legs longer. With every step she took, her soft, full chest bounced, threatening to burst out.
At this mont, she was dripping wet, her skin pink, soft, and supple from the spring water. Her damp hair clung to her pale neck, and her eyes were filled with sleepiness and a dazed look, creating an image that was both pure and seductive.
But Nina had apparently forgotten what she was wearing and walked over to place her hands on the buttons of his shirt.
In the next second, a powerful hand seized her waist, pulling her against his body, and her chin was lifted.
Her tender lips were captured by his, and he bit down hard.
Pressed against him, she could clearly feel that sothing was not right with him.
Just as she was wondering, he bit down hard again. The pain made her flinch, and she said softly, "Caleb, that hurts..."
Caleb’s voice was hoarse and scorching, as if it had been burned in a fire. "Nina Wynn, are you trying to seduce ?"
Only then did Nina rember that she was wearing sothing even more terrifying than before. Her face instantly flushed crimson, and she began to push and struggle against him. "No, it’s not... I didn’t know about the clothes..."
Caleb bit down hard once more, then moved his lips away and pressed them against her ear, whispering in a low, husky voice, "I like it..."
His breathing was extrely unsteady as he nibbled his way down her slender neck. "Have a few more outfits like this prepared. I want to see them every ti from now on."
As he spoke, he dragged her hand and pressed it against his body.
"Nina, let’s do it today. I can’t take it anymore!"
With that, before Nina could react, he lifted her into the air, walked to the lounge bed, and placed her on it.
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