CHAPTER 185: CHAPTER 185: YOU NEARLY DRAINED ME DRY LAST NIGHT

The sunlight was glaring, and Jean Ellison’s eyelids fluttered as she slowly opened her eyes.

The headache from the hangover made her frown, and she instinctively tried to turn over, only to feel a heavy arm draped over her waist.

She was fully awake, turning her head to look at the side.

Justin Holden was sleeping quietly beside her, his normally stern eyebrows and eyes softened in slumber, breathing evenly.

Last night’s chaotic memories suddenly surfaced in her mind.

Jean was shocked, her eyes widening, her heart pounding wildly.

She remembered that at some point, she seemed to have initiated wrapping her arms around his neck.

This realization made her eyes widen even further, almost suffocating.

Just then, Justin’s eyelashes fluttered slightly as if he was about to wake up.

In a panic, Jean instinctively squeezed her eyes shut, holding her breath, pretending she was still asleep.

Justin opened his eyes, the initial haze of sleep quickly clearing in his gaze.

He turned his head to look at the woman curled up beside him, her eyelashes fluttering with tension, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

He tightened his arm, pulling her closer against himself.

His hand naturally brushed the back of her head, gently ruffling her soft hair, as he lowered his head, habitually intending to kiss her forehead.

Just as his lips were about to touch her skin, Jean could no longer keep up the act. She suddenly opened her eyes, pushing hard against his chest.

She exclaimed in embarrassment and annoyance, "What are you doing!"

Justin’s arm encircled her slim waist, holding her still.

He looked at her frazzled appearance, speaking calmly, his voice a little lazy.

"Nothing, just wanted to say good morning to you."

Jean’s face flushed instantly, her gaze unintentionally drifting to the floor beside the bed.

Scattered were four or five used condom wrappers.

Her cheeks grew hotter, as if they were on fire.

She forcefully broke free from his embrace, wrapping the quilt around herself as she tried to get out of bed and escape.

As soon as her feet touched the ground, her legs went weak and nearly gave out beneath her.

Justin quickly reached out to hold her waist, lifting her into his arms.

"Let go of me."

Jean struggled in his embrace.

"Don’t move." Justin’s voice was deep as he carried her steadily towards the bathroom, "You need a bath."

In the bathroom, Justin placed her on a clean, non-slip mat.

Jean immediately grabbed a towel to wrap around herself, her eyes wary, like a startled rabbit.

Justin was only wearing a white towel around his waist, his well-defined chest and abs and smooth lines on display, exuding a strong masculine pheromone.

Jean could clearly feel the change in his body and the lingering desire in his eyes.

"C-could you put some clothes on first?"

Jean turned her face away, her earlobes red.

Justin turned on the shower, testing the water temperature, speaking as if it were a matter of fact.

"Wearing clothes would get them wet; it’s more convenient this way."

Warm water began to spray down, and the bathroom filled with misty steam.

Jean turned her head and accidentally saw herself in the bathroom mirror.

The woman in the mirror had tousled hair, flushed cheeks, and from her neck to her collarbone and even lower, was covered in ambiguous red marks of varying degrees.

She gasped, quickly turning her head back, glaring angrily at the culprit.

Justin received her accusing gaze but showed no remorse, instead laughing lowly, the sound tinged with teasing and satisfaction.

"I worked so hard last night, and you were obviously satisfied, so why are you glaring at me?"

"Who was satisfied? I wasn’t!"

Jean stubbornly retorted, her voice lacking conviction.

Justin raised an eyebrow, stepping forward and enveloping her in his shadow, his tone deliberately provocative.

"Oh? Not satisfied? Alright, let’s continue tonight."

"Let’s say I wasn’t in a good state last night. Tonight, I’ll definitely satisfy you."

Jean’s heart skipped a beat. Wasn’t last night in a good state?

She clearly remembered passing out from exhaustion, not even knowing when he stopped.

"There’s no need."

She immediately declined, her voice changed slightly.

Justin looked at her panicked expression, the smile in his eyes growing deeper.

He lowered his head, leaning in close to her ear, speaking in a voice only the two of them could hear, half-serious and half-joking.

"I’m serious, Jean."

"You have to take responsibility for me. I was almost drained by you last night."

"What nonsense are you spouting."

Jean was both embarrassed and annoyed, instinctively reaching out to cover his mouth, stopping him from continuing.

Her palm felt the soft touch of his lips and the warm breath he exhaled, tickling her.

Justin was momentarily stunned, looking at her, embarrassed and helpless, before he couldn’t help it anymore, his chest vibrating with a low, joyful laugh.

Jean almost fled the bathroom, pushing Justin out, locking the door behind him.

Through the door, she could still hear Justin’s low laughter.

She leaned against the cool tiled wall, letting out a long breath, her heart still racing uncontrollably.

She quickly finished her shower, changed into clean pajamas, looked at the obvious marks on her neck in the mirror, and helplessly found a high-collared home outfit to hide them.

When she finally dragged herself out of the bathroom, the smell of food wafted over.

She walked to the dining room and saw Justin already dressed, his white shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows, placing cooked bacon and eggs on the table, alongside toasted bread and two steaming cups of milk.

He looked refreshed, his movements unhurried, as if this was his own home.

"All cleaned up? Come over for breakfast."

Justin Holden looked up at her, his tone as natural as if nothing had happened.

Jean Ellison pursed her lips and awkwardly walked over, sitting at the farthest spot from him, her head lowered, nibbling on a piece of toast, not daring to look at him at all.

The dining room was silent, only the subtle sounds of chewing and utensils clinking could be heard.

It was then that the sound of a key turning the lock at the entryway was heard with a "click."

Jean’s heart tightened, and before she could react, the door was pushed open.

Isabel Dalton stood at the door holding Jesse, talking as she changed her shoes.

"Jesse, we’re home, let’s see if mommy is awake..."

Her words stopped abruptly when she saw the scene in the dining room.

Her gaze swept over Jean, who was in her pajamas with her hair still slightly wet, and then over Justin, who was dressed neatly, having breakfast at the dining table.

She noticed the lingering steam on the bathroom glass door, the master bedroom door left ajar, with crumpled tissues scattered on the floor in plain view.

Isabel raised an eyebrow, a knowing yet teasing expression on her face, her tone meaningful.

"Oh, seems like my timing is off. Had quite the action last night, huh?"

Jean’s face flushed red all of a sudden. She jumped up from the chair almost impulsively and rushed over to slam the master bedroom door shut with a bang.

She tried to steady her breath, bent down, and softly said to Jesse, who was watching everything with wide, curious eyes, "Jesse, why don’t you go play with your blocks in your room for a bit? Mommy needs to talk with Aunt Dalton."

Jesse obediently nodded, "Okay."

She grabbed her little backpack and ran back to the children’s room.

Jean turned to Isabel, her face flushed with embarrassment and urgency, stammering as she explained.

"Isabel, it’s not like you think. I and him, Justin and I, we..."

Isabel ignored Jean’s panic. Her gaze landed directly on Justin.

He sat steadily at the dining table, leisurely taking a sip of milk.

She began, "Senior Counselor Holden, you’re quite the strategist. But you do know that rape is illegal, right?"

"Isabel!"

Jean hurriedly interrupted her, her cheeks burning fiercely.

"Last night, last night was my initiative..."

Isabel looked at Jean in shock, her eyes filled with disbelief.

Before Isabel could process this information, Justin set down the milk glass, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and casually began to speak, his tone carrying a hint of innocence and grievance.

"Officer Dalton, I think you’ve misunderstood."

"Strictly speaking, I’m the one who was forced. Miss Ellison promised me herself last night that she’d take responsibility."

"What nonsense are you spouting? I never said that."

Jean glared at him angrily.

Justin met her gaze, his eyes deep, his tone resolute.

"Just last night, we..."

He deliberately paused.

"You held me, and personally said, ’I’ll take responsibility for you.’"

He watched as Jean’s face froze instantly, then added, "Need me to help you recall the specific scene?"

Jean’s face went from red to white, she vaguely remembered that during the intoxicating chaos of last night, he did indeed whisper something in her ear, coaxing her.

She was so drunk at the time, she couldn’t tell left from right.

"Enough, stop talking."

Jean, both ashamed and annoyed, stopped him from saying any more.

Isabel watched the interaction between the two, her eyes shifting complexly between them.

Finally, she sighed and waved her hand.

"Alright, it’s none of my business. I’ve safely brought Jesse back, and there’s work to do at the station. I’ll head back to my shift now."

She placed the apartment keys on the entryway cabinet, giving Jean an insightful look.

"You three should talk this through properly."

With that, she turned and walked out.

"Isabel, wait a moment."

Jean hurried after her, grabbing hold of Isabel’s arm in the hallway, urgently explaining.

"Listen to me, I was really drunk last night, I don’t remember anything. It was an accident."

Isabel stopped, turned around, and looked Jean in the eyes, her tone calm.

"Claire, I know you were drunk, but the person you love in your heart has always been him, hasn’t it?"

It was the first time she called her Claire; she was serious.

Jean opened her mouth to retort, but found her throat seemed blocked, unable to make a sound.

Isabel continued, "Since you can’t let go, you should talk it out with Philip Paxton. You’re aware of his feelings towards you."

"I helped you before because I thought, after all you’d been through, you might start a new life with Philip Paxton. I sincerely wished you both well. But now it seems, in your heart, you still can’t forget Justin Holden."

She patted Jean on the shoulder, somewhat helplessly.

"Stop deceiving yourself, Claire. Think carefully about what you truly want."

With that, Isabel didn’t linger and stepped into the elevator.

Jean stood alone in the desolate hallway, unable to recover from Isabel’s words for a moment.

She returned to the apartment in a daze, closed the door, and leaned against the doorframe, feeling completely drained.

Justin, at some point, had walked over to her, looking at her pale face and vacant eyes, quietly watching her.

"Give me some time, I’ll take you and Jesse home."

He had it all planned. If he never had children, the Holden family would have no heir but to accept Jesse.

Even if Jesse wasn’t of Holden blood, as long as she was his nominal daughter, she could become the recognized heir.

After all, wasn’t he also not originally a member of the Holden family?

An adopted child.