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Chapter 14

Author: Lean
Sydney did not spare a thought for how that so-called happy family was spending their Christmas Eve.

After dinner, she squatted in the courtyard, carefully sculpting a Santa Claus out of snow. Her fingers turned red from the cold before she finally went inside for a hot bath.

Perhaps because Nancy had turned up the heat due to the snow, the room felt uncomfortably warm. Sydney lacked the energy to dry her hair. She leaned against the headboard, opened a book, and before long, curled up and fell asleep.

…

Sydney was jolted awake the next morning by a loud crash. It was unclear whether it came from downstairs or just outside her door, but the sound was sharp and unmistakable. Timothy was likely tearing through the house again.

She pushed aside her sleepiness, freshened up, and headed downstairs for breakfast. She had barely stepped onto the stairs when Timothy suddenly appeared, his hands on his hips and eyes blazing. "You wicked woman! Go die!"

Sydney frowned, about to speak, but
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    Julian's hand slipped lower on her waist, brushing against damp heat.Sydney's eyes snapped open, and she shoved him away in panic. "No!"Even though she had long anticipated the possibility of them going all the way someday, she could not accept it right here. Deep down, she was still, perhaps, a traditional woman. Even as someone's lover, she had hoped her first time would be private, safe. Not here, where anyone could push the door open at any second.Her voice trembled.Julian drew his hand back, his voice rough, as if scraped over gravel. "Not here?""Mm." She nodded, gripped the cold marble doorknob, and added quickly, "I'm going back to the room."Without waiting for him, she slipped out, rushed to the bathroom to fix her smudged lipstick, and hurried back to the private room. Her heartbeat had not settled even as she pushed the door open.If she had known Julian craved risk, the thrill of doing reckless things in public, she might have thought twice back then. She would

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