Chapter 145: Chapter 145

He stared at me, looking somewhat speechless, "I’ve said so much, and you still don’t understand what I mean?"

A moment of clarity hit me, and I suddenly realized.

What he meant was that he didn’t want me to draw such clear lines of responsibility between us in the future.

He wanted to be a part of my life and help me deal with troubles.

Seeing my hesitation, Daniel Carter lowered his eyes slightly: "It seems... I still can’t make you satisfied."

"No, it’s not that." I hurriedly denied it, feeling guilty again.

Considering how good Daniel is to me, I really should be honest with him, without hiding anything.

But there are just too many chaotic issues on my side.

"In the future, if anything happens to me, I’ll definitely tell you, but some matters are indeed not suitable for you to handle. If I really can’t deal with them, I’ll ask for your help. Is that okay?"

In the end, I made a concession and negotiated with him nicely.

Daniel let out a low chuckle, raising his brows slightly: "Alright, it seems that making a fuss was worth it."

I felt a bit embarrassed and muttered, "It’s weird hearing that from Second Master Carter."

"What’s weird about it?"

"With all your power and influence, saying things like that is beyond me to handle."

"No matter how powerful and influential I am, I still can’t win over the woman I like."

"..." I was completely at a loss for words.

He always manages to say romantic things so smoothly and unreservedly, making me feel touched and happy yet a bit nervous.

Too much love can also be a burden.

I took a sip of water to calm my jittery heart.

He looked at me, "So, what unexpected situation changed the original plan today?"

I put down the water glass, pondered slightly, and truthfully confessed, "My father got released from prison, he’s seriously ill, released on medical parole."

Daniel frowned slightly and asked directly, "To the point of dying?"

I shook my head slightly, "He won’t die soon, but he already had hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and hyperglycemia, and now the diabetes is severe with many complications, making it difficult for him to walk."

"Are you going to treat him?"

I nodded and briefly told him what happened today.

I thought he would praise me for handling it well, at least I thought I did a good job.

To my surprise, after listening, his face turned grim, his eyes instantly becoming much darker, "You’re too bold, you’re a woman facing three of them alone—aren’t you afraid that all three of them would go against you?"

I quickly explained, "I had thought about it, so I didn’t let them get in my car. On the way to the cemetery, I hired a temporary driver as a bodyguard; that guy was pretty good."

Hearing this made him even angrier, "Do you still think you’re particularly clever?"

"..." I stayed silent, but that’s indeed what I thought.

Actually, I had already judged that Shirley Turner and her family wouldn’t really lay a hand on me, otherwise, they’d hardly get money from me.

As for temporarily hiring someone to protect me, it was just a precaution.

He continued to reprimand: "Such a big deal, when I called you, you didn’t mention a word and just hung up. Even if you don’t want me to interfere, at least I could have waited at the foot of the mountain, ready to rush over immediately if something happened."

My heart tightened slightly, looking at him eagerly, "Why are you angry again? I’m fine, aren’t I..."

He pressed his thin lips together tightly, not speaking.

Honestly, since meeting him today, I’ve been a bit apprehensive.

He’s usually very gentle, emotions extremely stable, but today he’s frowned several times, and his expression is somewhat serious.

I know, deep down, he’s still dissatisfied with my attitude, thinking I’m too rational and distant with him.

Who makes it my mistake, after all.

So after a few seconds of stalemate, I deliberately teased him: "Second Master Carter? Master? Sir?"

When I uttered the last word, he gave me a cold sideways glance, "Your antics and jokes won’t work."

"What will work then?" I asked sincerely.

But then he closed his mouth again, those sexy and good-looking thin lips clamped shut like a clam shell.

I shook his hand resting on the table, and he simply turned his face away, even withdrew his hand from the table.

I couldn’t help but smile, "You really think you’re a child now?"

Needing coaxing here and there.

Looking at his awkward demeanor, I suddenly pulled out my phone and opened the camera, pointing it at him.

"What are you doing?"

"I’m recording what Second Master Carter looks like when he’s angry, it’s such a rare sight, keep it as a souvenir." I replied with a smile and really started recording.

Heh, I have my ways of dealing with people.

Sure enough, Daniel soon got anxious and reached out to grab my phone.

I quickly dodged, continuing to provoke him: "What’s up with that? Second Master Carter snatching things from others doesn’t match your status."

Before I could finish my sentence, he suddenly stood up, his overly tall body leaning towards me, and the phone was seized.

"Hey, hey, hey, don’t delete it!" Seeing he was about to delete the video, I quickly got up and went around the dining table, "Can’t I keep it to enjoy for myself?"

He dodged left and right, and I followed, grabbing from the left, snatching from the right, completely unaware that I had already leaned entirely into his embrace.

When I finally got the phone back, I realized he hadn’t had time to delete it, and I secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but the next second, I was completely engulfed in his embrace.

It was only then that I realized his true intention wasn’t the phone—he just wanted to lure me over to hug me.

"What are you doing..." Falling into his embrace, my cheeks instantly turned hot, and I pushed him slightly with my hand.

But he didn’t care, holding my chin with one hand to make me look up, then lowered his handsome face to a tilted angle, seeking my lips and kissing them tightly.

I trembled slightly, the phone even slipped out, but thankfully it landed between our bodies.

He freed one hand to pick up my phone and put it on the table. As he withdrew his hand, he placed it on my nape, clearly not letting me retreat.

"Daniel Carter... Mmm, stop—be careful, someone might come in..." After all, we were in a restaurant, not a private place.

"Don’t worry, no one’s coming in..." he murmured softly, then kissed me even more passionately.

Only then did I remember that he had earlier instructed the manager not to let anyone in without being called.

Startled, I suddenly panicked a little.

Would he, while kissing, start getting carried away here...?

Especially with us embracing face to face , I was completely sitting in his arms and could distinctly feel his body’s reaction.

I pulled back, pushing him away: "Daniel, you—"

"Lily... What are you afraid of..." His gaze was deep, reflecting the light above, flickering and mesmerizing.

He could actually see the worry in my mind with one glance.

"Am I that unreliable?" He curled his lips mischievously, eyes unabashed, "Though I do want to, I wouldn’t disregard the setting..."

So he understood everything.

Blushing, my heart raced as I looked into his deep and enchanting eyes, speechless.

Our eyes met, he smiled slightly, and then lowered his head to kiss again.

This time, I had no excuse to escape, so I just clung tightly to his clothes, allowing him to kiss to his heart’s content.

I thought, if this could make him happy, it wasn’t so bad.

I didn’t know how long it had been, but I felt my lips were dry from the kissing. I turned my head slightly to look at him: "Enough..."

As soon as I spoke, I realized my voice was a bit hoarse, which made it even more awkward.

Sure enough, he laughed, not showing any sign of being angry just moments ago.

"Don’t look at me with those eyes, like an innocent kitten, or else I won’t be able to resist later." His words set my entire body ablaze.

I immediately gave him a fierce glare.

He laughed even more joyfully.

I was still sitting in his arms, grumpily asking, "Are you not angry now?" Content originally comes from NoveIꜰire.net

"A bit, but if you kiss me again, I won’t be angry at all."

I deliberately let out a cold laugh, "Then stay mad."

I moved to get up, but he clasped my waist with his hands, not letting go.

The room was comfortably warm, and we had taken off our coats when we came in.

I was wearing a form-fitting wool sweater, which outlined my good figure perfectly.

He wrapped his arms around my waist, making a gesture with his hands, "So slender... I can hold it with one hand."

"That’s an exaggeration, making it sound like I’m a demon." Only the demons in "Journey to the West" had waists like willows, slender enough to grasp with one hand.

"You are a demon; how else could you have bewitch people for so many years?"

"..." I was at a loss, looking at his deep eyes filled with laughter, and my mind was flooded with a tangle of emotions.

What did he really like about me?

And for so many years?

I wanted to ask, but was afraid the answer would overwhelm me.

In my heart, I hoped he was just attracted to me out of novelty, a man’s desire to conquer a woman, a temporary enchantment with beauty and allure.

I hoped that when the novelty wore off, when he had me, when he was immune to my beauty and charm—he would take back his love, and we could part on good terms.

So I didn’t dare to ask such deep-seated questions, for not knowing would keep me from getting in too deep.

In silence, I yawned, leaned against his shoulder, and murmured in a sleepy voice, "I ate too much, and didn’t nap, I’m so sleepy now..."

"Shall I take you back to sleep?" he said softly beside my ear.

I truly did want to go back and sleep.

But I thought, just the two of us, whether at his place or mine, once in a private space, something would surely happen.

Besides, I didn’t feel like moving at all.

So I snuggled deeper into his chest, finding a comfortable position, "No, just sleep here... hold me to sleep—"

"Lily, are you doing this on purpose?"

"Doing what on purpose?"

"Intentionally teasing me, yet choosing such a place where I can’t do anything to you."

"You’re overthinking it."

Half asleep, my mind started to blur.

Just before losing consciousness completely, I felt him kiss my lips again, then he subtly shifted, allowing me to lie down entirely to sleep in his arms.

During this time, it seemed like someone came in; I faintly heard him speaking softly to someone, a vibration running through his chest and abdomen, then everything fell completely silent again.

This nap didn’t last too long.

After thirty minutes or so, I woke up, feeling much clearer in my mind and body.

We left the restaurant, and Daniel arranged for someone else to drive my car away. He pulled me into his car.

"Where to?" I asked curiously, noticing it was already past four.

"It’s Little New Year’s Eve today, there’s an event tonight, let’s go have some fun."

I was taken aback, suddenly remembering it was already the twenty-second of the twelfth lunar month.

"I don’t know your friends well, won’t it be..."