CHAPTER 130: CHAPTER 130: THESE TWO DAYS ARE ALL YOURS

Vincent Rhodes reached out and pulled her into his arms, taking a deep breath and said, "Next time I come back, it will probably be after the New Year."

Shannon Quinn leaned against his chest and didn’t ask anything further.

Vincent held her hand in his palm, gently kneading it, and softly asked, "Do you want me to spend the New Year with you?"

Shannon muffled a reply, "What do you think?"

"I want to be with you too."

Shannon lowered her head, watching his hand lightly caressing her lower abdomen, wanting to ask something but not saying anything.

The two of them quietly nestled together, cherishing the peaceful time spent together.

Actually, everyone has their own worries, but there’s no way to share them with the other.

"Did you just get off the plane?"

"Mm, why?"

"Then hurry up and get some sleep," having experienced a trip herself, she knew how exhausting the journey could be.

Vincent, however, said, "Sleep can be had anytime, but the time to be with you is so rare, I don’t want to sleep."

Hearing his words, Shannon felt a bit sweet inside, and with a smile, said, "I’ll sleep with you then."

After a pause, she complained, "When I’m with you, I shouldn’t sleep at all. Every time I wake up, you’re gone."

Vincent chuckled softly, with a hint of helpless bitterness, unable to give her any promises.

Considering it was getting late, and although he didn’t need rest, she did, Vincent stood up and said, "Go to sleep."

Shannon immediately rose and carefully helped him towards the bed.

She took the initiative to turn off the bedside lamp, the curtains were drawn tightly, not a shred of light could seep in, enveloping the room in complete darkness.

Vincent removed his mask, tucked them under the blanket, placed his arm under her neck, pulling her into his embrace, and softly asked, "Aren’t you afraid of the dark?"

Shannon shook her head; she knew she was in a safe environment and didn’t feel afraid even in the dark.

Both tired, they lay beside each other, feeling content as they drifted into sleep.

The next day, when Shannon opened her eyes, the room was filled with dim light.

Illuminated by the faint light, she recognized the unfamiliar surroundings, and her memories inexplicably overlapped with that night she was framed by June Yardley. She sat up abruptly in bed, only to see Vincent sitting in a chair by the window, reading a newspaper.

"Awake?"

Her memories returning, Shannon sighed with relief, sitting in bed wrapped in the blanket, staring blankly at Vincent.

"What’s wrong?" Vincent put down the newspaper and looked at her.

Shannon smiled and shook her head, not knowing why herself, just happy to wake up and still see him.

"Sleep a bit more?"

Shannon turned her head, looked at the time on the electronic clock by the bed, shook her head, and said while getting out of bed, "I have to go to work."

It seemed Vincent hadn’t included her going to work in his plans, hesitating before vaguely responding, "Oh," and asked, "What time do you get off work?"

"If you have time, I can come back after a meeting; if not, I’ll stay at the studio."

"These two days are all yours."

Shannon smiled happily, grabbed the down jacket by the bed, and wrapped it around herself, saying, "Then let’s go home. My friend is away on a business trip, the house is empty."

Vincent nodded, folded the newspaper, placed it on the table, and stood up, grabbing the crutch leaning on the side.

All the way, Shannon carefully supported him, checked out downstairs, and then drove him back home.

After changing into a fresh set of clothes back home, Shannon walked to the door, changing her shoes as she said to Vincent, who was sitting on the sofa, "I guess I’ll be back around ten, and I’ll bring some groceries; let’s cook and eat at home for lunch."

"Alright."

"Then I’ll head to work first. If you’re bored, watch TV."

"Mm, drive safely."

Shannon nodded with a smile, saw that time was getting tight, glanced at herself in the mirror to tidy up her clothes, and hurried out.

Seeing the door close, Vincent removed his mask, got up, and walked to the balcony, watching the road downstairs where she would soon drive by.

She had planted a lot of flowers on the balcony, all well taken care of, and even a small plum tree, with a few budding buds.

His gaze returned to the road, and soon he saw her white Audi car slowly drive away.

When it disappeared from his sight, Vincent retracted his gaze and looked at the balcony of the house opposite.

At this point, Ronan was probably still not up.

Vincent went straight to the neighboring apartment, took out a key, and opened the door.

A soft "meow" from the kitten caught him off guard, instantly softening his heart.

Looking down at Shannon the cat rubbing against his leg, Vincent bent down to pick it up and cradled it in his arms, gently stroking its head.

Shannon the cat contentedly and obediently nestled in his arms, looking very attached.

"Master Nate?!" Hearing noises outside, Ronan came out. Seeing the man before him, his voice filled with surprise, "When did you come back?"

Vincent didn’t answer but turned his head to survey the surroundings. The apartment’s hygiene was passable, but certainly messier than when he lived there.

The table still had the leftovers and beer cans from last night’s midnight snack, and there was even a piece of women’s underwear on the floor.

Noticing Vincent’s gaze and his slightly furrowing brows, Ronan reacted immediately, hurriedly tossing the clutter from the coffee table into the trash and explained, "Got home late from work last night, didn’t have time to clean up."

"Was it work or something else?"

Ronan chuckled, "Did a bit of everything."

Vincent shot him a glare, saying, "Keeping a cat means maintaining cleanliness. I don’t mind if you live in a dump, but you have to take care of my cat."

"Yes, yes, the cat is more important than me, the cat is more important than me."

Vincent walked over, intending to find a place to sit but saw the sofa was stained with traces of women’s makeup and some unidentifiable marks. Imagining what Ronan might have done with those women, he was full of disdain, unable to bring himself to sit.

Holding the cat, he instructed, "Later, get someone in for a thorough clean-up, remember to disinfect, and stop bringing those messy women back. Book a hotel room instead."

Ronan nodded repeatedly in agreement.

"Get it done quickly, I’ll take it out for a bath."

"Sure thing, Master Nate! Want me to drive you?"

Vincent didn’t answer, turning to walk out of the apartment.

The cat Shannon seemed to recognize him somehow, or maybe it’s just naturally well-behaved. Even when faced with the unfamiliar surroundings and initially feeling uneasy, Vincent’s gentle caresses soon calmed it, and it nestled obediently in his arms, its eyes wide open, curiously taking in the environment around.