Chapter 172: Chapter 172

When Maxwell returned, the piano had already been serviced, and Flora's emotions had returned to normal, though she still felt a bit lost inside. Surprisingly, a sense of guilt crept in when she saw Maxwell.

She couldn't understand why she felt such a heavy sense of guilt. Her heart was clear, and she had no other thoughts about Oliver except gratitude. Was it because Oliver kissed her today that made her feel guilty?

Maxwell observed Flora, who sat quietly on the corner of the bed. He mocked her, "It's rare to see you so calm. Did you suddenly become refined overnight?"

Flora raised her eyes to glance at him. He must be aware of what happened today, even if Chiyoko didn't complain, Mrs. Smith would have informed him. Why was he mocking her now?

After a sarcastic smile, Flora looked at him and said, "Are you feeling sorry for Miss Chiyoko's head that I supposedly broke? She must be very sad now and in need of your company. Don't you want to go and comfort her?"

Maxwell chuckled, walked to the edge of the bed, leaned over with his hands resting on the large bed, and scrutinized her calm face up close. He chuckled lowly, "I haven't gone yet, and you're already so jealous."

Seeing the jealousy on her face, Maxwell surprisingly felt in a good mood. This was exactly what he wanted to see. Although he was almost forgetting his original plan, he still enjoyed seeing her caring about him. After all, people are inherently vain!

"You're thinking too much! You're being vain too early!" Flora glared at him, finished her retort, pulled the nearby blanket over her head, and lay down on the bed to avoid his sharp and all-seeing gaze.

Her face turned red, feeling hot like a child caught doing something embarrassing. She had blurted out such sarcastic words without thinking, and once spoken, it was too late to regret.

Maxwell didn't bother her anymore and stood up, walking towards the bathroom. Only when she heard the sound of running water did Flora quietly take the blanket off her head, staring at the floral-patterned bathroom door in a daze.

When the water stopped, and Maxwell walked out, Flora quickly closed her eyes, avoiding a face-to-face encounter with him. However, when she heard the sound of him opening the room door and leaving, her heart sank.

An uneasy atmosphere made her start to have wild thoughts. Was he going to see Chiyoko? Usually, at this time, he would be in the study. Then she thought, Chiyoko was his fiancée, so it was normal for him to visit her!

Regardless of whether it was normal or reasonable, Flora decided to shamelessly take action. If Chiyoko could use schemes, why couldn't she? So, she called Betty on the internal line and asked her to bring up a cup of milk, claiming that she wanted to drink it herself.

After Betty handed her the milk and left, Flora put on a pair of slippers and quietly made her way to Maxwell's study. It was just delivering a glass of milk to Big Young Master, but it felt like she was sneaking around like a thief. Even Flora herself found it amusing!

After all, it was the first time she had delivered milk under the guise of concern, making her feel a bit uncomfortable. Step by step, she walked on the carpet without making a sound. Passing by Oliver's bedroom, she noticed that his door was ajar.

Flora involuntarily stopped in her tracks, and through the partially open door, she peered inside. In the middle of the bedroom, Oliver sat on the sofa, wearing only casual shorts, revealing his robust upper body muscles, and that distinctive dragon tattoo! His hair was damp, indicating he had just taken a shower.

At that moment, he was carefully examining something with a magnifying glass. Driven by curiosity, Flora tiptoed, stretching her neck to survey the tabletop. Finally, she saw it—the colored blueprint of that necklace!

Flora couldn't understand why these two brothers were so interested in this necklace. Oliver's focused and contemplative expression was strikingly similar to Maxwell's! Flora even began to suspect that these two were the same person.

Just as Flora was about to leave, she accidentally hit the door, producing a not-so-light sound, but enough for Oliver to notice her presence. His icy gaze shot towards her, making Flora stunned, almost dropping the milk in her hands.

"Uh..." Flora opened her mouth but couldn't spit out an apology. She stared blankly at Oliver's angry face, and for the first time in her life, she saw this terrifying expression on Oliver's face!

Oh my! Was this Oliver? The gentle and considerate Smith Family's Second Young Master? Why didn't he look like it at all now? He looked more like the devil Maxwell! She always thought Oliver had no temper.

"Get out!" Oliver scolded, and it was evident that he was genuinely angry!

Wasn't it just an accidental peek? Was it worth getting this angry? It was really strange!

"S-sorry, I... I didn't mean to." Flora stammered, quickly stepping aside, leaning against the wall, tilting her head back to take a sip of the milk to calm herself. Then, with her other hand, she patted her wildly beating heart, thinking, Oh my! Oliver had the potential to scare people to death!

After a while, her heartbeat gradually calmed down, and after taking a deep breath, Flora raised the half-empty cup of milk and swayed it. She continued towards the direction of Maxwell's study, standing at the entrance and raising her hand to knock on the study door.

For the first time, there was no response. She increased the force, knocking three times, but still, there was no answer. Was Maxwell not in the study?

After a moment of disappointment, Flora pushed open the study door, which was illuminated, but there was not a trace of anyone inside. Confirming that Maxwell was not there, she left the study with a sense of loss, pushing the door closed. Returning to her room, she poured the milk into the toilet, releasing the gloom in her heart.

If he wasn't in the study and not in the bedroom this late at night, where else could Maxwell be except with Chiyoko? But hasn't Maxwell always hated Chiyoko even more than he hated her? How could he be with her?

Feeling that something was amiss, including today and all the events tonight, there was an indescribable strangeness. However, Flora couldn't pinpoint where the problem lay or what was odd about it.

With this strange feeling, Flora lay quietly on the bed and drifted off to sleep. The next morning, upon waking up, there was still no sign of Maxwell.