Lahat ng Kabanata ng His Dad Calls Me Baby: Kabanata 41 - Kabanata 50

I didn't speak again.The darkness sharpened my senses. I could hear his steady breathing clearly, and the occasional soft rustle of a page turning.Drowsiness settling over me, a dull ache flared in my stomach again.I curled up without thinking, my hand fumbling to press against the pain.A large, dry, warm hand covered the spot first.His palm pressed through the thin hospital blanket, a soothing weight against my cramping muscles. The pressure was just right, moving in slow, deliberate circles.I froze."Don't move."His gaze remained on the documents in his other hand, as if that hand had a mind of its own."The medication hasn't fully kicked in."Warmth seeped from his palm through the fabric, sinking steadily into my chilled skin. The pain faded, almost miraculously, under that gentle, steady kneading.I closed my eyes.The mortification, the vulnerability of being stuck in a hospital bed—all of it smoothed awa

Ethan Knight's vulgar words hit me like a bucket of filthy water.I didn't even flinch.That regurgitated insult, dripping with malice and intended to humiliate, landed between us.Six years of humbling myself.All the effort he'd ignored.Now it was all just ammunition he was using against me.How laughable.I felt no anger.Only a deep sense of absurdity.I stared at his face, twisted with jealousy and rage, and scoffed inwardly.There he was, throwing a fit, spitting venom, judging me.And he had the nerve to say his precious adoptive father would never look at me?He probably had no idea.The so-called untouchable, pristine paragon he worshipped had, just last night in the shadow of the coconut trees, mere steps from where Ethan stood, bitten my earlobe and promised to fuck me.If not for that damned gastritis…Well, last night wouldn't have been spent in a hospital bed, but on that ridiculously ov

Hong Kong International Airport was freezing cold. As soon as I passed through the arrivals gate, a blast of humid heat hit me, making me sway. The thick, damp air churned my stomach, bringing back the nausea. I took a sharp breath, forced it down, and scanned the crowd. "Lisa! Here!" A clear male voice cut through the noise. Roy Shen was leaning against a pillar nearby, one hand in his pocket. He saw me look his way, smiled, and raised his hand. In Hong Kong's sticky night air, he wore a crisp grey shirt, the top two buttons undone. He had that lazy, old-money Hong Kong elegance, mixed with a touch of something wild. He walked over, took my suitcase, and handed me a bottle of water. "Long time. Since RISD." "Long time, Roy." I smiled faintly, taking the water. Roy's eyes swept over my pale face. He raised an eyebrow. "But Lisa, that color... too much New York air? Can't handle our weather?" His tone was

I tilted my head, my gaze sweeping over his handsome face before a slow smile pulled at my lips."Appreciate the thought, Roy," I said, my voice light."But the clean-up? Save that for your housekeeper.""Bottling things up, are we?"Roy glanced over at me.I was leaning back in the passenger seat, a faint trace of fatigue still clinging to my face."Lisa White, one year apart and you're a whole different person."He mused aloud, guiding the car down the road."Remember that soft little thing in the RISD studio? Total pro at being lazy and sweet-talking your way out of trouble.""Spill a paint palette and you'd blame me for half the day.""Where'd this nonstop drive come from?"He nudged me playfully, a teasing glint in his eyes."Don't tell me Ethan Knight rattled you that much?"I shot him a withering look.The weariness lifted a little, thanks to our familiar banter."Don't bring him up. Jinx.""Besid

Roy's gaze flickered, a subtle dance between the phone in Alexander's hand and me.Alexander Knight. Here.With me.A spark of surprise lit his eyes, but it was gone in a breath, swallowed by that practiced, lazy smile. He let his offered hand fall, slipping it back into the pocket of his impeccably tailored trousers."Didn't expect to see you here in Hong Kong."The smile was relaxed, the picture of easy sociability."Are you staying at the Nebula as well?"Alexander's head inclined a bare centimeter."Temporarily."Roy wasn't deterred. He leaned a shoulder against the polished wall, the picture of casual charm."Business in Hong Kong, Mr. Knight?""The Asia-Pacific summit."The reply was a clipped, professional sound. Alexander turned, extending the phone back to me. His fingers didn't brush mine, but the air around them felt charged."You and Ms. White are acquainted?"His eyes, a stormy grey in the corridor's