CHAPTER 177: CHAPTER 177: FRIVOLOUS MAN

Just as Sheila Yardley hesitated, the car door opened, and Caleb Grant stepped out from the driver’s seat and walked straight toward her.

Her mind was still a bit dazed, and before she could react, Caleb Grant grabbed her arm without a word and led her toward the car door.

The grip was somewhat heavy, squeezing Sheila Yardley’s arm painfully.

He forcefully dragged her to the car, opened the door, and directly threw her into the passenger seat.

"Bang—" Caleb Grant slammed the car door shut, his anger unmistakable.

Sheila Yardley stared blankly as he walked to the other side of the car, silently starting the vehicle.

She couldn’t figure out if she had done something wrong to upset him, so she grudgingly fastened her seatbelt, and thoughtfully cast her gaze out the window.

Now that her mother’s illness was cured, her worries should have disappeared, but now she only felt that the things weighing on her heart were increasing by the day.

No matter what Ryder Griffin had become now, she couldn’t deny that during her hardest times, without Ryder Griffin, she truly wouldn’t know how those days would have turned out.

"Buzz buzz—" Her phone vibrated briefly twice in her bag, and Caleb Grant glanced at her with a sidelong look, continuing to drive silently.

Sheila Yardley took out her phone, looked down at the message from a number with no note but was exceptionally familiar: When did you get together with him?

Recalling the scene where Caleb Grant had just dragged her into the car, Ryder Griffin must have seen it, which is why he sent the message questioning her.

Staring at the message for two seconds, Sheila Yardley locked the phone screen directly, not replying.

Let him think what he wants, what kind of person she was no longer mattered, and explanations wouldn’t change anything.

"Got back together?" The silence in the car lingered for a long time, until Sheila Yardley was about to fall asleep leaning against the car window, when suddenly Caleb Grant’s voice sounded.

She snapped back to her senses, sat up straight, and looked at him questioningly, unsure if she had clearly heard what he said, so she remained silent.

He then repeated the question: "Didn’t you break up? When did you get back together?"

Sheila Yardley thought Caleb Grant had just seen her with Ryder Griffin and was curious, which is why he asked.

She lightly shook her head and said, "We didn’t get back together."

"Then why were you just together?"

His tone didn’t seem like a casual inquiry, more like an interrogation. Sheila Yardley didn’t know if she was mistaken in feeling this, or if this was just his usual way of speaking.

"We just ran into each other and exchanged a few words."

"Exchanging a few words requires lips to touch each other to hear?"

Sheila Yardley was taken aback, felt a bit awkward, and looked at Caleb Grant cluelessly, not knowing what to say in response.

The car decelerated and came to a halt. Sheila Yardley turned to look out the window and realized they had reached the destination.

The car stopped, but Caleb Grant didn’t get out; instead, he locked the car door and turned his head to look at Sheila Yardley.

His gaze made Sheila Yardley’s heart flutter with unease. She opened her mouth to ask him something but dared not speak.

Caleb Grant’s gaze settled from her face onto her lips, his mind replaying that earlier kiss.

Even though it wasn’t initiated by Sheila Yardley, and he saw her resistance, he still felt uneasy about it.

"... Mr. Grant, we’re here." Sheila Yardley swallowed, unfastened her seatbelt, and carefully reminded the man in front of her.

Watching her speak, her lips opened and closed, it seemed to inexplicably provoke him, making him lean closer to her.

Seeing Sheila Yardley’s obvious avoidance, he forcefully gripped her head, his thumb rubbing her lips as if to wipe away the traces left by another man, and kissed her firmly...

Sheila Yardley immediately reacted, desperately pushing against him, only to meet with his more forceful restraint.

In the heat of the kiss, both began to breathe heavily. Sheila Yardley furrowed her brows, clamping her teeth together, tasting the tang of blood in her mouth.

Caleb Grant groaned in pain, releasing her, and a fine thread formed between them, breaking as the distance increased.

Sheila Yardley leaned back against the car door, frowning at him, her eyes now with an added sense of wariness and embarrassment.

"Don’t have excessive contact with other men. Today is a warning. If there’s a next time, the punishment won’t be this simple." Caleb Grant said, with a light and heavy tone.

Hearing his words, Sheila Yardley couldn’t help but argue, "Mr. Grant, you need to understand that at most, we are just employer and employee. Even if I interact with a man, that’s my personal relationship issue. What do you mean by this?"

This was the first time Sheila Yardley spoke to him in such a tone, indeed somewhat provoked by his earlier actions.

Caleb Grant raised an eyebrow lightly, seemingly not expecting her, usually obedient and compliant, to talk to him in such a manner.

"I don’t like seeing you with other men, okay?"

His words left Sheila Yardley even more puzzled, yet he carried on as if nothing significant had happened, got out of the car, and walked away.

Sheila Yardley frowned, feeling inexplicable. She found it increasingly difficult to understand what Caleb Grant was up to.

Then it occurred to her that his behavior wasn’t that strange. After all, initially, his aim was just a physical exchange, wasn’t it?

Perhaps he was inherently a frivolous person, but his well-dressed appearance had given her an unrealistic illusion.

When Sheila Yardley entered the house, he had already gone upstairs. She didn’t linger in the living room and went straight to her room.

Previously, because Ryder Griffin was concerned about her getting too close to Aidan Lockwood, she gave up a great learning opportunity. Now, trying to find a job like that again seemed like an impossible dream.

Plus, Lynn Kendall being somewhat established in design, knowing many people, made it difficult for Sheila to blend into this circle without someone familiar guiding her.

Lynn Kendall, having previously impersonated Shannon Quinn, made everyone mistakenly believe she was that mysterious Chinese designer, temporarily elevating her reputation in the design world, drawing endless clients, with major companies scrambling to hire her.

Shannon Quinn had heard bits and pieces about this, as people in the work group would occasionally bring it up, standing up for her.

But she didn’t intend to clarify it. Now that the storm had calmed, she just wanted to live a peaceful life with her child.

She didn’t need a huge reputation, earning enough to support herself and her child was sufficient.

As for Lynn Kendall, what isn’t yours will never truly belong to you. She might have impersonated her name, but she didn’t have the talent to back it up. Sooner or later, she’d end up lifting a rock only to drop it on her own foot.

A new city, a new working environment, a new life—she didn’t want to cling to past issues any longer, whether in her career or personal life.