Semua Bab Nora and Her Unexpected Billionaire : Bab 11 - Bab 20

A tall, lanky man with deeply tanned skin was waiting outside the cottage when they arrived a short while later. He raised a cheerful hand in greeting as they climbed out of the car, beaming as though his weekend hadn't been interrupted at all. 'Hello, there!' he said in a jovial voice. 'Looks like you had quite the adventure last night,' he said directly to Arlo before adding, 'And you must be Miss Ellison? Pleased to meet you, madam.' 'I'm sorry about this.' Nora shook the man's hand, red with embarrassment. 'Not to worry. These things happen. Not a new case for me, at least. My daughters lock themselves out all the time. Now, let's get you back inside, shall we?' He swung the front door open with the spare key before calling over his shoulder, 'You coming to the Muay Thai this afternoon, Mr Arlo? Looks like it'll be a good match.' 'Perhaps.' As Somchai stood aside for her to enter the cottage, Arlo remained where he was. 'Thank you for helping last night.' Nora bent to

Nora stood across the street for almost five minutes before convincing herself to cross it. After the person who had texted her the night before sent their address, she couldn't be sure whether what she was doing was stupid or not. But one thing she had always been taught was that life wasn't worth living unless you took risks. Now all she hoped was that this was a good one. The building certainly wasn't what she'd expected. Instead, she found herself outside a faded two-storey shophouse squeezed between a tailor's shop and a tiny café. A weathered wooden sign swung lazily above the entrance. "J. J. Investigations," she murmured. The gold lettering had faded with age. A potted fern sat crookedly beside the door. She looked down at her phone. "Yup... this is the place." "So either he's very good..." she murmured, "...or I'm about to be murdered." Nora sighed and climbed the short flight of steps. She knocked and waited. No answer. Just as she reached for the han

"What do I think?" The question caught Nora completely off guard. She stared down at the menu without really seeing it. The pages blurred together into elegant descriptions of dishes. Normally, this would have been a perfect afternoon. She loved going to restaurants and trying new menus. But lately, it had become a chore for obvious reasons. If she thought about one more thing today, she was fairly certain her brain would simply give up. This week, she'd been convinced she was searching for a hospital. By lunchtime, she'd met a detective who might have a few loose screws, discovered the police couldn't help her, and somehow found herself sitting opposite the very man she'd promised herself she wouldn't inconvenience again. "I..." She gave a small, apologetic smile. "I wasn't really expecting to become part of your lunch plans." Arlo looked up from his own menu. "It simply happened." His answer was so straightforward. The chef was still standing patiently beside the

Walking out toward the gate, Arlo could hear Nora stomp back inside, slamming the door behind her.Arlo pulled open the door of his car, climbed into the driver's seat and shut it, but he didn't turn the key. Instead, he just sat there in the dark, his hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white. His ears were burning, a deep flush creeping up his neck.He was blushing?He couldn't even remember the last time a woman had made him feel this completely unraveled. Closing his eyes, he leaned his head back against the seat, and Nora's face immediately filled his mind. Up until today, he had genuinely intended to treat her as nothing more than a tenant—a shadow he was supposed to briefly check in on. But spending time with her today, and standing that close to her, had ruined every bit of his composure.His thoughts drifted to her big, dark, expressive eyes that had looked like glossy beads beneath the hallway light, and the way her plump lips had parted slightly

Arlo rested against the hallway wall with his eyes closed, breathing slowly as though he could simply will the room to stop spinning. Nora folded her arms tightly over her chest, trying to maintain her defensive stance despite how vulnerable he looked. "You are not driving anywhere like this." She stared down at his massive frame slouched against the wall. "Okay, I hear you." A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, though his eyes remained firmly shut. "I don't usually drink this much." "You don't say." Silence settled over the hallway again. For a long moment, Nora genuinely thought he had fallen asleep right there on her floor. The rhythmic rise and fall of his chest slowed, his head lolling slightly to one side. Just as she was about to nudge his shoulder, he spoke again, his voice dropping into a rough, gravelly register. "I was supposed to stay longer." She looked over in mild surprise. "What?" "I was going to leave in a few days." His words came slowly, eve