Chapter 05 Familiarity on his tongue

Adrien's eyes lowered to my lips. Without realizing it, I looked at his, too. I couldn’t help admiring his face again. Almost every part of his features looked perfectly carved. He looked gentle and kind at first glance, then intimidatingly attractive when you look at him longer.

His expression was just the problem.

“I think I prefer that color on you,” he said quietly.

“H-huh?” I looked confused.

Then I realized his attention was still on my lips.

“Um… I’m not wearing any lipstick,” I said awkwardly. “These are just my natural lips.”

“Really?” he asked, sounding slightly surprised. “Then I was right. It suits you much better.”

“Oh?” I teased with a playful smile, lightly moistening my lips. “So… does that make them kissable?”

The corner of his mouth lifted slightly. His eyes seemed amused as he watched the movement of my lips. A moment later, he looked into my eyes again before gently pushing me aside so he could pass.

“Are you staying here?” he asked casually as he started walking away.

I was stunned. I shouldn’t have expected him to suddenly become nice that easily.

I followed him, silently giving him an annoyed glare from behind.

“Nope. I just came here to look around the beach house,” I replied. “I’ll be staying in my hotel room—assuming no one’s taken it yet.”

“Your hotel room?” he repeated.

“Mm-hm."

He looked like he was deep in thoughts for awhile, his brows furrowing. He looked down and slipped his hands into his pockets before letting out a heavy sigh.

“Then go eat at the hotel,” he said flatly. “Just ask for room service.”

He left the room and walked down the stairs. I followed him while glaring at his back and quietly mocking what he had said earlier.

Gosh, what's with the mood swings?

We stepped outside the beach house. I jumped down the porch steps even though I was wearing heels and almost tripped on the sand.

A strong breeze hit my face as soon as I steadied myself. My attention shifted to the powerful waves of the ocean in the distance.

If I were the girl I was six years ago, I would have run straight toward the sea and jumped into the water. But I wasn’t excited anymore. This place only reminded me of the struggles I had faced alone, with only my daughter, Catherina, by my side.

If she were here now, she would probably be jumping with excitement.

Next Sunday, I would bring her with me.

“Miss Cassandra.”

I turned and saw Adrien leaning against the railing of the porch staircase. His hands were in his pockets as if he had been waiting for me.

I walked toward him and casually held onto his arm. He shook his arm slightly, signaling for me to let go, but I refused and shook my head. He pulled his arm away from me more firmly this time.

It was obvious he had already had enough.

Was I really that annoying?

“Adrien, I really want to do something or just start working now already,” I pleaded softly. “Or you can show me around here?” I gave him my best puppy eyes and a small pout.

His gaze briefly fell on my pouting lips before he looked away.

“Do whatever you want,” he said coldly. His tone made it sound like he was talking to a stubborn child.

“But Dad told you to take care of me,” I argued. He can't just let me be and expect me to know my way around here. I might've sort of grown up here but everything was all new and different now.

“How old are you?” he asked flatly. “You’re more than capable of taking care of yourself.”

“But—”

“I still have work to do at the hotel, Miss Cassandra,” he cut in, his voice firm. “Do you understand that? I can't take care of you right now and tour you around.”

He left me standing there and walked away without waiting for my response.

My heart started beating rapidly inside my chest. It felt like it might burst. I looked back at the ocean again, feeling suffocated by fear. I held my arm and rubbed my palm against my skin.

F*ck, I can't be alone near the sea. I didn't know where this fear started, but I just didn't want to be alone hearing the sound of the waves. My eyes started to water and my chest felt heavy. Just as I was about to cry, an arm suddenly wrapped around my waist and pulled me along.

“Actually… forget what I said,” he muttered calmly, though his jaw tightened slightly. “You really haven’t changed at all, Ma’am Cassandra.”

And there's that 'Ma'am' again, as if it was a familiarity on his tongue.

I looked up at him while he walked beside me, guiding me forward. His eyes were focused straight ahead, and as always, his face showed no emotion.

A small smile slowly returned to my lips, though I stayed quiet and simply let him lead the way.

It was strange. I couldn’t remember him as a bellboy. I couldn’t even imagine him working as one. He had the face of someone who looked like he came from wealth.

The resort had changed so much that I could barely recognize it anymore. It had become wider and more modern.

I wasn’t very good with directions.

Luckily, Adrien seemed to know exactly where he was going.

Many things were renovated and new areas were added. Even from far away, you could see the only hotel in the resort, which belonged to Dad.

The hotel itself had become much larger. More floors had been added, and the exterior design looked far more elegant than before. So many things had been improved and expanded that it was impossible to point out every single change.

“Did you have an assistant before me?” I asked while he escorted me. His arm was still around my waist, but he quickly noticed it and pulled away. He slipped his hands into his pockets and continued walking casually. Somehow, he still looked more elegant and confident than me.

“No.”

I walked beside him, struggling a little because I was on heels and we were walking on sand.

“Really? What about the hotel? Is there a separate manager assigned there, or do you handle it too? You should hire someone to manage it. I can already imagine how difficult it is to run the whole resort alone.”

“I like managing the hotel,” he answered.

I stopped for a moment to remove my stilettos. I expected him not to wait for me, and I was right. He had already walked far ahead by the time I managed to take them off. I ran to catch up with him, holding my shoes in one hand.

“Do you want to become a hotelier someday?”

He only hummed in response. I sighed quietly.

It was disappointing how simply he answered my questions. He was definitely the most boring person I had ever met. I couldn’t tell if he didn’t know how to keep a conversation going or if he just didn’t want to talk to me.

A few moments later, we arrived at the hotel. My heart started beating faster as we climbed the stairs and entered through the glass doors. Adrien walked ahead of me toward the front desk where reservations and check-ins were handled.