Chapter 797

 797:
She realized her naked state before Dustin!
A sense of urgency crossed her face, which oddly steadied Dustin. He framed her face with his arms, speaking in a soothing tone. “Dolores, do you have feelings for me?”
Dolores was caught off guard, her mind turning blank. She gazed at Dustin incredulously, struggling to speak. “Could you repeat that?”
Holding her gaze steadily, Dustin didn’t wait for her to recover before saying, “I have feelings for you.”
His sudden confession left Dolores dumbfounded.
Dustin’s fists tightened, and his breath caught in his throat, a mix of fear and exhilaration flooding through him.
His eyelids fluttered slightly.
Gradually, he leaned closer, his breaths blending with hers.
Dolores was motionless, caught in the moment. As his lips gently met hers, surprisingly, she didn’t pull away.
As he observed her receptiveness, a spark of joy lit up Dustin’s eyes. He tenderly stroked her cheek, abandoning all hesitations, and deepened the kiss.
Collin spent a restless night, yet an essential meeting awaited him, forcing him to start his day early.
Exhausted, he reclined in the car’s backseat, pressing his thumb against a pulsing ache in his temple.
gⲁ𝗅𝗇𝗈ν𝖊𝗅𝘀.k𝗈𝗺 – 𝓐𝓬𝓬𝓮𝓼𝓼 𝒶𝓽 𝖠𝖳
The echo of Linsey’s last conversation haunted him.
“Mr. Riley,” his assistant said from the front, glancing back with concern, “I wasn’t able to reach Mr. Wade.”
At those words, Collin slowly opened his eyes and replied in a calm voice, “I didn’t see Dustin again after the banquet last night.” After a brief pause, he added mildly, “It’s fine. I’ll bring him up to speed on the meeting later.”
“Yes, sir,” the assistant replied promptly.
Collin turned his gaze to the window, his eyes settling on a quaint coffee shop up ahead. “Stop here,” he said. “I’ll grab a coffee.”
The assistant straightened at once. “Please—let me get it for you. You can rest in the car.”
He had already noticed that his boss looked unusually worn that morning.
With a dismissive wave, Collin stepped out. “No need. I want to stretch my legs.”
The driver pulled over, and the assistant quickly followed suit, trailing Collin as they made their way toward the café.
But just as they turned the corner, a small child burst out from behind a wall—then, wham—ran straight into Collin.
Without thinking, Collin instinctively caught the child in his arms, steadying himself with practiced ease.
But his face darkened the next second.
.
.
.