CHAPTER 9: CHAPTER 9: DID YOU TAKE OFF MY CLOTHES?

Turning his face to the side, Ethan Sterling helped Seraphina Thorne remove her bloodstained dress and casually pulled a blanket over her.

Throwing her dress and his jacket into the trash can, Ethan cleaned his hands and came out.

He gently dimmed the lamp and his gaze fell on the girl’s sleeping profile, causing him to pause.

Under the dim light, her features appeared even softer and more beautiful.

Her pink lips, slightly parted.

That posture, as if asking for a kiss.

Ethan lowered his head and gently kissed her forehead.

"Good night."

He carefully tucked in the blanket corners and was about to leave.

"Daddy, don’t go!"

Seraphina turned her body, hugging his arm.

Because of her turning, most of her shoulder and back were exposed, with a hint of her chest showing.

Ethan’s gaze darkened, and he reached to pull the blanket over her again.

"Let go."

"No..." The girl refused to let go, clinging even tighter to his arm, "I want Daddy to sleep with me."

Daddy?

Ethan: ...

"I’m not your dad."

"Daddy, don’t go..." Holding onto his arm, Seraphina childishly pleaded, "Mom isn’t here, and I... I’m scared being alone..."

"Such a handful!"

Ethan frowned and muttered, yet still sat down beside the bed.

That night, Seraphina had a dream.

In the dream, she went back to her childhood, and Daddy coaxed her to sleep.

She clung to Daddy’s waist, refusing to let go, insisting he sleep with her.

Daddy, unable to resist her, had to lie down beside her and hold her.

Daddy’s chest was so broad, warm, and safe...

No nightmares, no insomnia; she slept soundly until morning.

This was the most peaceful night’s sleep Seraphina had since her father’s accident, and the downfall of the Thorne Family.

At dawn, she opened her eyes to see a hand.

It was a man’s hand, and she was resting on his arm.

The hand had fair skin and well-defined joints.

The veins on the back of the hand slightly protruded, exuding an indescribable... allure.

A man?

Her somewhat foggy nerves instantly cleared up.

Seraphina suddenly sat up, looking behind her.

The morning light through the curtains cast a hazy glow in the room.

A man dressed in black was lying on one side of the bed, with half of his long legs hanging off the bed...

Ethan Sterling?!

Why was he sleeping with her?

Could it be...

Seraphina lowered her head, glanced at her chest, and quickly wrapped the blanket around herself.

Awakened by her movements, Ethan opened his eyes with a frown and sat up, rubbing the arm she had pressed numb.

"Awake?"

"Did you undress me?"

Ethan stood up, looking down at her with a commanding presence.

"Who else?"

Seraphina: ...

Taking advantage of someone while they’re in distress, yet he seems justified?

"Next time, there’s no need to trouble President Sterling."

Next time?

Ethan leaned down, placing both hands on either side of her, meeting her eye to eye at close range.

"Seraphina, listen carefully. What happened last night, I won’t allow it to happen again."

Getting called to the police station to bail someone out in the middle of the night, for someone like him, it must have been quite embarrassing.

Seraphina lowered her eyelashes, "Don’t worry, I won’t trouble President Sterling again."

Trouble?

Ethan frowned.

Noticing the bruises on her neck, Ethan suppressed his anger.

"I’ll wait for you downstairs."

Grabbing his jacket from the floor, Ethan strode out of the bedroom.

Listening to his footsteps fading away, Seraphina jumped off the bed, grabbing a blanket to wrap around herself.

She quickly showered in the bathroom, toweling her hair dry, accidentally glancing at the trash can.

She immediately saw her small dress inside, along with a man’s suit jacket.

There were not only bloodstains on the dress but also vomit from when she was drunk.

So...

Is this why he helped her undress?

Seraphina didn’t have much experience with matters between men and women, but as an adult, she knew what it meant.

Thinking back to when she just woke up.

Ethan was clothed, and her underwear was still on.

And she didn’t notice any unfamiliar sensations on her body while showering just now.

He rescued her from the police station and took care of her all night, yet she misunderstood him as a rogue.

Seraphina felt a wave of embarrassment.

Turning around, she quickly ran downstairs.

In the living room, Ethan was standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, smoking.

Hearing footsteps, Ethan stubbed out the freshly lit cigarette in the ashtray.

Seraphina descended the stairs and stopped before him, wearing a look of apology.

"I’m sorry for misunderstanding you earlier, and... thank you for taking care of me last night."

The girl was only wrapped in a white bathrobe.

Her long hair was still damp, strands scattered over her shoulder.

A few strands mischievously slipped into the collar, making the skin inside the collar appear as white as snow.

Remembering the brief glimpse of her chest last night, Ethan swallowed twice.

Averting his gaze, he spoke nonchalantly.

"So... are you moved to the point of wanting to marry me?"

A decent man, but with such a mouth!

Seraphina felt both embarrassed and angry, "I am not!"

Her throat was sensitive every autumn and winter.

The smell of smoke made her throat itch, and she uncontrollably coughed twice.

"Not?" Ethan raised his right hand, fanning the lingering smoke in the air, "Then who was the one hugging me tight last night?"

So, last night was not a dream.

She wasn’t hugging "Daddy," she was hugging him?

"I..." Seraphina’s face flushed with heat, "I was just drunk."

"If you don’t want to marry me, then don’t wear this and linger in front of me first thing in the morning." Ethan lifted his right hand, wiping away droplets of water from her forehead with the back of his hand, "Mornings are... dangerous for men!"

Rogue!

The little flicker of warmth in her heart turned into irritation instantly.

She slapped his hand away and turned to run back up the stairs.

Watching her disappear up the staircase, Ethan glanced at the car stopped outside the window and walked over to open the hall door.

His assistant, Sean Hale, was just coming up the steps, one hand holding Seraphina’s violin and the other carrying a paper bag with breakfast.

Leading him into the dining room, Ethan took the takeout bag from his hand and set the breakfast on the dining table.

"Is everything settled?"

"Rest assured." Sean grinned mischievously, "That bastard will be in the hospital for at least a month. We did a good deed for the people this time."

Ethan put on his jacket and sat down at the table.

He leisurely stirred the steaming red bean porridge with a spoon.

"You go to the company first; I’ll come a bit later."

Just as Sean left, Seraphina hurriedly ran downstairs.

Wearing an overcoat in one hand and holding a backpack in the other, she looked ready to head out in a rush.

"Come over here." Ethan placed the cooled porridge in front of her usual spot, "Keep me company for breakfast."

"I can’t; I have to head to the police station right now. There’s something important I need to retrieve."

Seraphina rushed into the hallway, hastily grabbing her shoes.

She only remembered while changing clothes—her violin was still at the police station.

It’s the violin her mother had given her, something she must retrieve no matter what.

Ethan raised his left hand.

"This?"