Chapter 22: Chapter 22: Ambiguity and Danger

“How can you be like that!” Jessie Sterling said, looking at Victor Morgan unhappily.

Victor Morgan: “Hm?”

He was clearly confused, not understanding what Jessie Sterling meant.

Jessie Sterling crossed her arms. She was petite, which was especially obvious when she stood before the six-foot-two Victor Morgan, making her seem a little less imposing.

“I just casually mentioned that the house is a little scary because no one lives here, and you immediately want to find a new one?” Jessie Sterling asked in disbelief.

’Even my own father wouldn’t indulge me this much.’

But Victor Morgan didn’t see anything wrong with his line of thinking. Detecting the question hidden in Jessie Sterling’s words, he thought for a moment before offering a self-correction. “You’re right, I was being inconsiderate. The wedding is at the end of the year. With only six months left, even if we started work on one of the other properties tonight, it might not be ready in time.”

After all, their new home had to be perfect; they couldn’t just throw something together.

Jessie Sterling: “…”

’That’s not what I meant at all!’

Taking a deep breath, Jessie Sterling said, “This house is the one our families agreed would be our marital home. Does it make sense to just get a new one because I made one little comment about it being too quiet and scary?”

Victor Morgan actually thought it was perfectly reasonable. After all, it wasn’t their parents who would be living in the courtyard house—it was him and Jessie Sterling.

He personally didn’t mind where he lived, so if Jessie Sterling was scared, he thought it was completely reasonable to find a new marital home.

But seeing the unpleasant expression on his fiancée’s face, Victor Morgan silently swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue and went along with her. “You’re right, it’s not reasonable.”

Sure enough, the next moment, an expression that said ’So you can be taught’ appeared on Jessie Sterling’s face.

“This courtyard is perfectly fine, it just feels a little empty. We don’t need to move.” Jessie Sterling wasn’t forcing herself to say this. She genuinely thought the courtyard house was in a prime location. Since so many people came to their front door to take pictures and check in online, the Eldest Miss Sterling figured it had to be an excellent spot.

Besides, it only felt empty because they hadn’t officially moved in yet. The housekeeper and maids hadn’t moved in either. ’Once they’re here,’ she thought, ’it definitely won’t be like this, and I won’t be scared living here by myself.’

At this thought, Jessie Sterling couldn’t help but give herself a mental thumbs-up.

As Jessie Sterling was secretly preening, she was caught off guard when her eyes met Victor Morgan’s. She immediately cleared her throat. “Anyway, there’s no need to go to all that trouble. Just… wait a little before you leave.” She paused, then added sheepishly, “Wait until I’m asleep before you go.”

The Eldest Miss thought for a moment, then added, “Is that okay?”

Though she phrased it as a question, the look in her big eyes was full of conviction.

Like a proud, slightly standoffish kitten.

Once again, Victor Morgan couldn’t stop his fingers from twitching where his hand rested at his side.

“Alright,” he nodded.

After saying this, Victor Morgan went over to the small tea nook to the side.

It was separated from the main bed by just a single wall and had a beverage counter, fully equipped with a Western-style coffee machine, a Chinese-style tea set, and more.

Meanwhile, Jessie Sterling gathered her clothes and went into the bathroom.

When the gentle sound of running water reached Victor Morgan’s ears, he couldn’t help the slight furrow in his brow.

The house was still uninhabited, so there wasn’t a single magazine or newspaper near the little beverage counter for him to pass the time.

As a result, the faint sound of water, barely muffled by the bathroom door, seemed all the more distinct and clear.

Victor Morgan lowered his head and pinched the bridge of his nose.

He wasn’t sure if his fiancée was just not very guarded, or if she simply trusted him completely. She didn’t seem to think there was anything wrong with taking a shower while a man was in her room.

Victor Morgan took out his phone and sent a message to his assistant, Keegan Sanders.

Keegan Sanders had already gotten off work and was on a date with his girlfriend.

His boss was a workaholic, so as his executive assistant, Keegan rarely had much time off. The trade-off, however, was an annual salary several times higher than the average person’s.

But today, Keegan Sanders had actually gotten off work quite early.

He had heard from his boss that his fiancée, Miss Sterling, was flying in from Southaven to Aethelburg today. His boss would probably be compressing his work schedule as much as possible to spend time with her.

So when he received a work message from his boss now, Keegan Sanders was completely baffled.

’At this hour…’

Once inside the bathroom, Jessie Sterling remembered that her usual brand of bath products hadn’t been delivered yet. She had no choice but to make do with the shampoo and body wash already in the shower.

When she opened the bottles to smell them, Jessie Sterling found the scent familiar.

’Isn’t this the same scent I smelled on Victor Morgan earlier today?’

’It’s very similar.’

Jessie Sterling recalled what Victor Morgan had told her that evening—that he had personally purchased all the intimate items like her pajamas. Suddenly, both the shampoo and the body wash felt scalding hot in her hands.

It felt as if she were willingly covering herself in Victor Morgan’s scent.

Jessie Sterling had gone into the bathroom without a second thought, but now that it was time to come out, she found herself hesitating by the door.

Fortunately, she had packed her usual skincare products in her suitcase for this trip.

After completing her entire evening skincare routine—body lotion, essential oils, a face mask, moisturizing toner and lotion, night cream, and neck cream—Jessie Sterling finally emerged from the bathroom.

Although Victor Morgan was discussing work with Keegan Sanders, he still instinctively turned his head when he heard the bathroom door open.

Nearly an hour and a half had passed between the moment the water stopped running and Jessie Sterling finally emerging from the bathroom.

Victor Morgan had never imagined anyone could spend that much time in a bathroom.

When he turned, Victor Morgan saw Jessie Sterling walking out of the bathroom in the pajamas he had personally selected—the same set he’d seen earlier today.

While the robe covered Jessie Sterling’s slender arms, it couldn’t hide her slim, shapely calves.

When the bathroom door opened, a fragrance—both familiar and foreign—wafted into the air, reaching Victor Morgan.

It was a complex scent.

It was a mixture of the crisp, resinous scent of cedar and the richly sweet fragrance of ripe fruit, which combined to create a complex aroma that was difficult to pinpoint.

Victor Morgan couldn’t help but raise his hand and pinch the bridge of his nose again.

Such a sweet fragrance was utterly foreign to him.

“All done?” Victor Morgan asked as he watched Jessie Sterling scurry from the bathroom door to the bed like a little rabbit. A fleeting smile touched his eyes.

Jessie Sterling made a muffled “Mmph,” her voice coming from under the covers.

Only then did she belatedly realize just how intimate, and… dangerous, her situation with Victor Morgan was.

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