Chapter 21: Chapter 21: Petulance

When Victor Morgan dropped Jessie Sterling off in the underground garage, she got out of the car only to see him get out from the driver’s side as well.

“You don’t have to walk me up. I can find my way,” Jessie Sterling said.

She thought she was being considerate, but Victor Morgan was already striding toward the elevators. “It’s no trouble. It’s just a few steps. I’ll walk you up.”

Jessie Sterling pouted behind his back. ’What a chauvinist,’ she thought.

However, that thought vanished the moment the elevator reached the ground floor.

’There’s really no point in complaining.’

Jessie Sterling subtly shuffled closer to Victor Morgan and tugged on his sleeve.

“Walk me to the Four Joys Courtyard.”

The way Jessie Sterling spoke now was a complete one-eighty from her attitude in the garage, where she had told him not to bother walking her up.

The corner of Victor Morgan’s mouth twitched upward before he quickly smoothed his expression.

He looked down at Jessie, who was now timidly clinging to him like a little hamster. His voice held a hint of amusement. “Lost your way?”

His words earned him a glare from Jessie as she looked up.

’Of course I can find the way, but… but…’

No one had told her that the courtyard house would be shrouded in deep shadows at night! Even with the lights on, the house felt empty and devoid of life, which made it look… kind of terrifying.

She was terrified of the dark.

Jessie stubbornly retorted, “Of course I can find it. Now hurry up and lead the way.”

Victor Morgan chuckled. Seeing his fiancée, who looked like she wanted to hide her entire body behind him, he reached out and gently enclosed the small hand tugging on his sleeve within his own palm.

“Let’s go,” Victor Morgan said softly.

His voice was deep and mellow, always steady and unhurried, giving one a sense of security.

Jessie couldn’t tell if it was Victor Morgan’s reassuring voice or his warm, dry hand holding hers that was putting her at ease.

In any case, the surrounding darkness no longer seemed so frightening.

The courtyard house in the old alleyway was actually well-lit. Unfortunately, its design was modeled after the gardens of Jiangnan, filled with dense shrubbery and towering trees. As the summer night breeze rustled the leaves, the sound seemed to come from all directions. RUSTLE. Jessie couldn’t help but curl her fingers.

She didn’t realize that since her hand was in Victor Morgan’s large palm, the small movement felt like she was tickling his palm.

Victor Morgan: “…”

He glanced at his fiancée, who was completely oblivious. His Adam’s apple bobbed. In the end, he said nothing.

Victor Morgan walked Jessie to her bedroom. The moment he stepped inside, he froze.

It was a strange thing, really.

He’d visited the new house in the old alleyway several times to sort out some details with the renovation. Even after it was fully furnished, he’d been here twice, and the room had always carried the faint scent of natural wood.

But today, Jessie had only taken a nap here, and now the room was filled with a sweet fragrance that seemed to linger in the air. The moment he stepped inside, he was enveloped by the sweet scent.

A feeling he hadn’t experienced in over twenty years began to sprout in his heart.

“You should get some rest.” Having seen her to her room, Victor Morgan prepared to leave.

Although he and Jessie were engaged, they weren’t married yet. It would be improper for him to linger in her bedroom.

Jessie glanced around the bedroom. It was as large as her room back in Southaven, but there was a difference. In Southaven, she knew Quincy Sterling lived just downstairs, and her parents were in the house too. But here, in this massive residence, she was all alone.

So, the moment Victor Morgan turned to leave, Jessie once again shot out her hand without hesitation and grabbed the hem of his suit jacket.

“Don’t go!” Jessie ordered with a huff.

She looked up, meeting Victor’s eyes without a trace of fear.

’I’ve already embarrassed myself once,’ she figured. ’What’s the big deal if I admit I’m scared to sleep alone?’

“Wait until I fall asleep, then you can go,” Jessie said, a spoiled pout in her voice.

Her bossy, arrogant little act, coupled with a naturally spoiled charm, made it impossible for anyone to get angry with her.

Victor Morgan lowered his gaze to the small, fair hand clutching his jacket. Her pale pink nails were rounded and cute, looking as delicate as their owner.

“Scared?” Victor asked.

After a moment’s hesitation, Jessie nodded honestly. Before Victor could say anything else, she preemptively went on the defensive. “This place is huge, and it’s empty. It’s perfectly normal to be scared, right? Besides, the Forbidden City is right next door. Isn’t that place totally deserted at night?”

Jessie muttered, as if trying to prove that her fear was a perfectly normal reaction.

Hearing this, Victor couldn’t help but frown.

That was something he hadn’t considered.

He had bought this courtyard house in the old alleyway and hired numerous designers to draw up plans and renovate it as their new home precisely because it was a true quiet oasis in a bustling city.

There were no concerns about noise, the environmental conditions were excellent, and the security was top-notch. The one thing Victor hadn’t factored in, however, was that his fiancée might be timid, spoiled, and utterly terrified of living in the house by herself.

After she finished speaking, Jessie stared brazenly at Victor’s face.

’If he doesn’t agree,’ she thought, ’I’m going to… I’m going to throw a fit!’

’If he can’t even grant this one tiny wish before we’re married, what’s the point of having him around?’

Seeing Victor frown, Jessie was on the verge of huffing in displeasure.

But in the next moment, his voice reached her ears.

“Okay.”

“Huh?” Jessie let out a small sound of surprise. From his expression, she’d been sure he was going to refuse.

“It’s true this place isn’t ideal. If you don’t want to live here after we’re married, we can look at another property.” He wasn’t being sarcastic. He quickly added, “I have a few other new properties, but they haven’t been renovated yet. I can have someone send you the details…”

Jessie’s mouth fell open, and her eyes went wide.

“…Wait,” she cut in. She hadn’t meant for them to go to the trouble of finding a whole new house!

How did things escalate to finding a new house?

Victor looked at her, his gaze focused, gesturing for her to continue.

Jessie couldn’t help but swallow. ’If Dad found out I came to Aethelburg just to see if the new house needed any small trinkets, only to demand a completely new house less than a day after arriving, he’d probably be angry enough to fly here from Southaven tomorrow.’

’What is with this guy!’

’She was basically threatening “murder,” and not only did he not try to stop her, he even offered to help “set the fire”?’

’This wasn’t how she’d expected this to go at all.’

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