Together Apart: Her White Moonlight Has Returned Too Chapter 169: Not Ready Yet

linda Shelby saw Vera Yves and said expressionlessly, "Miss Yves, I need to speak with my son. Could you please step out for a mont?"

Vera Yves ca back to her senses and calmly walked out.

Walter Lowell followed her out and respectfully closed the door for the two.

"If I had known you were so reckless with your life, I would’ve strangled you when you were born!" linda Shelby approached Winston Valentine, disappointed and angry. "For a woman, you risk your life ti and ti again. Is this how you repay ?"

"Mom, I know you don’t like Vera Yves," Winston Valentine said without much expression, "and I didn’t expect you to like her either."

"She wasn’t worthy of you back then," linda Shelby’s eyes were sharp as she looked at him, "let alone now that she’s been publicly rejected by the Monroe Family."

"I can make my own decisions about my affairs," Winston Valentine stood up, "we’ll keep out of each other’s way."

"Smack!" A loud slap landed on his face.

"Is that how you’re dealing with this?" linda Shelby’s face twisted in anger, "Do you think I owe you?"

Winston Valentine touched his cheek, "No."

linda Shelby cald down, "Does the wound still hurt?"

"It’s just a superficial wound."

"I found another specialist for you, to have a good look. You’ll be taking over Valentine Group and the Shelby Family one day. If you lose the use of your right hand, what’s the difference between you and a cripple?"

Winston Valentine replied nonchalantly, "I’m not going to war, it’s just a slight tremor."

"Just a slight tremor?" linda Shelby gritted her teeth in anger. "I’ve raised you for so many years, and suddenly you beco disabled for a woman, and you’re indifferent about it? What kind of spell has she cast on you?"

linda Shelby said coldly, "A woman like that is fine for a fling, but you’ve actually fallen for her, it’s laughable!"

Winston Valentine’s eyes flickered, looking at her expressionlessly, "And you?"

linda Shelby taunted, "As for emotions, I lost them when Tristan Valentine betrayed . Unlike you, you not only look like him but are just as foolish!"

linda Shelby adjusted her hair, "Tristan Valentine has already sent the divorce papers to . Can you guess what his next step is? I hope you won’t disappoint after all these years of preparation."

linda Shelby gave him one last deep look before turning and leaving.

When Vera Yves returned to the office, she saw the handprint on Winston Valentine’s face. She didn’t say anything and continued to massage his scalp, relaxing him, before starting acupuncture.

After the acupuncture, Winston Valentine held her hand, unwilling to let go.

"You probably have work to do. I’ll wait for you in the lounge."

"Wait for here," Winston Valentine lowered his voice, "so I can see you whenever I look up."

Vera Yves touched the handprint on his cheek, "Winston Valentine, your mom ca to see . Since you’re the one who wants to start over with , you have to settle things with her. I don’t want my family or myself to be hard because of our relationship."

"What if I can’t settle it?" Winston Valentine looked into her eyes, "Are you going to break up with again?"

Vera Yves said seriously, "I don’t want to date a mama’s boy."

Winston Valentine was amused by her serious tone and couldn’t help pinching her cheek, "To avoid being a mama’s boy, I’ll handle it."

When he leaned closer, Vera Yves turned her head away, "Don’t you have work to do too?"

Winston Valentine felt a bit disappointed, but he knew winning her back wouldn’t be easy. However, since she was already with him, he had plenty of ti.

Winston Valentine walked over to the desk to deal with docunts.

Vera Yves sat on the sofa, took out her phone, and communicated with a contact from a show.

The show secured a fashion sponsorship. The the was traditional style, and the contact sent Vera Yves more than ten sets of qipaos, asking her to choose a few for the fitting.

Vera Yves selected her favorites.

Linda Young texted her, saying she took so people to view a house, and the potential buyers were satisfied with both the place and the price. They scheduled a ti to finalize the transaction.

Linda Young also asked her to go out for drinks later, ntioning her usual bar was having a performance tonight.

Vera Yves agreed.

After finishing his work, Winston Valentine walked over to her and joked, "How co you’re busier than ?"

Vera Yves snapped out of her work and stood up, "Are you done?"

Winston Valentine nodded, wanting to hold her hand, but Vera Yves turned to grab her coat, skillfully avoiding him and heading straight for the door.

Just as her hand touched the doorknob, soone pulled her back.

Winston Valentine pinned her against the door, "You don’t want to hold your hand?"

Vera Yves turned her head away, "There are so many eyes outside. I don’t want anyone to see."

Winston Valentine caressed her cheek, "Then let’s kiss before anyone sees."

His warm lips pressed down, and Vera Yves’s face was shielded by his hand, unable to move, forced to tilt her head back, surrendering to him.

His kiss gradually deepened, and his hot hand began to wander.

Vera Yves caught the mischievous hand, reminding herself of the injury on his arm, so she didn’t apply force and just breathed softly, "Stop..."

Winston Valentine whispered in her ear, his voice a bit strained, "I just want to touch you, I’ve been longing for it for so long. Just let satisfy my craving, okay?"

"What are you thinking about?"

"What do you think I’m thinking?" Winston Valentine kissed her ear; Vera Yves dodged as if scalded, "I... I’m not ready yet."

"So today I’ll just touch you," Winston Valentine’s hand beca even more unrestrained, and Vera Yves couldn’t push him away, choosing to protest with her eyes instead.

Looking at her flushed cheeks, Winston Valentine couldn’t help but lower his head to capture her lips again, stealing her breath, tracing her lip shape with his thumb.

They erged from the office half an hour later.

Vera Yves’s lipstick was kissed away, her lips swollen, with her once-tied hair cascading down.

In the elevator, Vera Yves adjusted her clothes, not sparing a glance at the man beside her.

Winston Valentine had booked a table at his usual Western restaurant.

They were the only guests, with wine already decanted, a large bouquet of roses on the table, and a woman not far away playing the piano, her graceful notes flowing softly.

Suddenly, Vera Yves thought of the duet she once played with Miles Monroe, feeling like those mories were so far away.

The floral scent triggered her to sneeze.

She called over a waiter and asked him to temporarily take the flowers away.

"The fragrance is too strong, it easily affects the appetite," Vera Yves said without emotion, "I didn’t sleep well last night, and listening to music makes drowsy."

Winston Valentine instructed the waiter to have the pianist leave, giving her a tip as well.

The two ordered their als.

Vera Yves ate slowly, but her appetite wasn’t great, and she didn’t eat much.

"No appetite?"

Vera Yves nodded, "I didn’t sleep well last night; after this, I think I’ll go ho for a nap."

Winston Valentine had kept his afternoon free to take her out, but seeing her pale little face, he whispered, "I’ll take you back after the al."

Vera Yves sighed in relief, "No need, I can drive myself ho."

Noticing she hadn’t taken a sip of wine, Winston Valentine’s eyes darkened; she hadn’t intended to stay.

Back at The Yves Family, Vera Yves slept until evening, waking to find several missed video calls from Winston Valentine.

He sent a text, asking her out for dinner that night.

Hannah Hayes ca upstairs to call her down for dinner, and Vera Yves casually replied to him: I’m eating at ho.

It was only halfway through dinner that Vera Yves rembered the drinks she promised Linda Young that night. She went upstairs, applied so makeup, changed clothes, and left.

The bar was lively, with a group of muscular n on stage dancing enthusiastically, bare-chested.

Seeing her, Linda Young imdiately wrapped her arm around her neck and pointed at the stage, "Which one do you like? Tonight, your sister will figure out how to get him into your bed!"