Chapter 136: Chapter 136

"You really are shameless, you purposely incited my brother to go against The Caldwell Group, didn’t you? You just can’t resist seducing people even at the office door in broad daylight. I feel disgusted for you." Thinking about how Quinn Lockwood had been acting coquettishly in her brother’s arms just moments ago made Nina Sinclair even angrier, and she tightened her grip on her hand.

"Let go!" Nina Sinclair’s nails dug into Quinn Lockwood’s flesh, causing her to unconsciously raise her voice due to the pain.

"Which eye of yours saw me seducing anyone? Which ear heard that it was me instigating Elias Sinclair?" Quinn Lockwood rubbed her reddened wrist, raised an eyebrow, and retorted disdainfully.

"Do I really need to see it with my own eyes? Everyone knows that you’re just a vixen who seduces men because you can’t achieve anything on your own, so you sell your looks to rely on men to help you. Poor Faye is so kind and pure, and you did this to her."

Nina Sinclair saw Quinn Lockwood’s disdainful demeanor and was somewhat exasperated, just wanting to scold her harshly to avenge her best friend.

"That’s enough, look at what you’re like now!" The voice of Elias Sinclair’s angry and cold low roar sounded by her ear, and Nina Sinclair was momentarily stunned, looking at him in disbelief with wide eyes.

"Brother... are you talking about me?" Nina Sinclair looked into Elias Sinclair’s angry gaze, still somewhat unable to believe her brother would get angry at her because of Quinn Lockwood; a wave of sadness and indignation already engulfed her whole being.

Elias Sinclair was already annoyed by Nina Sinclair’s sudden arrival, and coupled with her harsh verbal insult toward Quinn Lockwood, he was almost at his limit.

He stepped forward to pull Quinn Lockwood behind him, his voice angry but low, scolding: "Who else would it be? Coming here to insult people without distinguishing right from wrong, is just unreasonable."

Nina Sinclair looked at him blankly; it was the first time her brother had lost his temper with her . Her fingertips trembled slightly as a surge of anger and grievance flooded over her.

"You’re yelling at me over this woman? I think you’ve been completely bewitched by this vixen!" Nina Sinclair’s eyebrows were furrowed into a crooked line, and her finger pointing at Quinn Lockwood trembled with anger. For origınal chapters go to Novᴇl_Fire(.)net

Seeing the dark and cold aura almost emanating from her brother’s face, Nina Sinclair was nearly at her breaking point.

"Savannah Lowell, I’m not done with you!" Fixing her resentment-filled gaze on Quinn Lockwood, Nina Sinclair almost gritted out these words, then cast a resentful look at her brother standing nearby.

Seeing he didn’t pay attention to her but rather focused on Quinn Lockwood, she clenched her fists tightly, stomped her foot hard, and turned to run out.

Quinn Lockwood furrowed her brow, biting her lip lightly, looking at Elias Sinclair with a hint of disbelief. Was he suppressing The Caldwell Group for her sake? It turned out Nina Sinclair wasn’t just being unreasonable; she was standing up for Freya Caldwell.

But if it was for her that he did such a thing, Quinn Lockwood still found it incredible. She hesitantly asked, "Why... why are you suppressing The Caldwell Group?"

Looking at the woman in front of him slightly biting her lip, and thinking of the soft touch under his fingers, his fingers trembled slightly.

A strange emotion surged in his heart, and he turned his gaze to the file on the desk, speaking coldly: "It’s The Caldwell Group who went too far first. As a shareholder ignoring things, letting Freya Caldwell run wild—I was just protecting the company’s interests to ensure the money invested wasn’t lost."

It was rare for Elias Sinclair to speak so in detail. Quinn Lockwood’s lips curled into a smile, and a warm sensation filled her heart.

She knew he wanted to emphasize that his actions weren’t for her, but it inadvertently confirmed the opposite, revealing his not always cold and overbearing nature—that he had this ’gentle and lovable’ side.

Quinn Lockwood couldn’t help but secretly laugh, surprised to see Boss Sinclair having a ’slip-up’ moment.

Looking at the man sitting at the desk with a cold and noble appearance, restrained and dignified, Quinn Lockwood was slightly lost in thought. The sunlight outlined his cold and clear profile, and his jet-black hair shimmered with a warm gloss in the light.

The tailored high-end suit perfectly showcased his solid and slender physique, seeming to sense her eyes on him, the man lifted his head to look at her, his expression exhibiting a coldness tinged with complexity.

Caught by Elias Sinclair while stealing glances, Quinn Lockwood’s face flushed red. She fiddled with her clothes, quickly looking elsewhere as if searching for something.

"Oh dear, how come you don’t even have a cup in your office? It’s really thirsty over here." Quinn Lockwood’s eyes searched the surroundings, deliberately avoiding the direction of Elias Sinclair, inadvertently becoming the one trying to cover things up now.

Watching her somewhat flustered demeanor, Elias Sinclair couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow, a faint smile playing at the corners of his lips. He picked up his exclusive black mug beside him, stood up, and walked to pour a cup of hot water for her.

"Isn’t this your cup? I’m not daring enough to use it, don’t you have a disposable one?" Quinn Lockwood was quite surprised looking at the man in front of her handing over the cup.

She knew Elias Sinclair was a known germaphobe and despised others touching his personal belongings. Once, Savannah Lowell had secretly slept in his bed. Upon finding out, he had flown into a rage, not only throwing the entire bed out but also punishing the servant who hadn’t stopped her.

Maintaining his posture of handing the cup over, Elias Sinclair showed slight displeasure in his expression when he saw that Quinn Lockwood hadn’t taken it yet. He raised his hand a little, his tone carrying a hint of anger and inquiry: "Seems like you’re not that thirsty, should I have someone specially buy a cup for you?"

"No need, no need." Quinn Lockwood’s throat was already parched; she hurriedly accepted the cup and drank the water in it. Only after relieving the dryness in her throat did she realize, wasn’t this... indirectly a kiss?

And what about Elias Sinclair? Had he not considered that, and if he realized it later, would he just throw the cup away and kick her out too?

Quinn Lockwood awkwardly tugged at the corners of her lips, holding the priceless custom-engraved cup, quickly placing it back down.

However, upon seeing the pink lipstick mark on the rim, she was stunned, standing there not knowing whether to wipe it off or not.

Elias Sinclair followed her gaze to the red mark, his previously relaxed expression shifting to a frown as soon as he noticed it. Quinn Lockwood turned back to see him staring at the lipstick stain, his brows furrowed, and couldn’t help but become tense.

Awkwardly smiling at him, she said, "I... didn’t indirectly... kiss you, I’ll go wash it off."

"Hmm?" The corners of the man’s mouth lifted slightly as he suddenly leaned closer to Quinn Lockwood, turning her to face him. He placed one hand on the table, almost circling her in.

His face slowly approached, thin lips seemingly about to touch hers, warm breath softly exhaling. Quinn Lockwood’s eyes were filled with undisguised astonishment, lips tightly pressed together, body stiffening.

Elias Sinclair’s gaze settled on her pale pressed lips, his figure pausing slightly as he spoke slowly, "Indire-ct kiss? But you’ve kissed quite a bit already, even ending up in ’bed’—what’s there to be afraid of?"

"That wasn’t ending up in bed, nothing happened between us!" Quinn Lockwood blurted out, almost without thinking.