CHAPTER 33: CHAPTER 33: WHY ARE YOU SO MEAN TO ME!

Chloe Preston frowned in frustration. "I’m not drunk, I’m perfectly sober!"

People who are drunk usually claim they are not.

A moment later, Chloe’s eyes lit up as she noticed Leo Sterling and Adrian Rhodes standing to one side.

She swayed over to them, a drunken mischief in her eyes. "Oh, two more handsome guys. Do you have abs? Lift up your shirts and let me see..."

Adrian immediately took three steps back, clutching his chest. "Mr. Xavier, your ex-girlfriend is certainly bold these days!"

Donovan Xavier’s handsome face darkened.

He reached out, yanked the woman back forcefully, and his eyes turned cold. "Chloe Preston, it seems you’re asking to be taught a lesson!"

At that moment, a young waiter was standing nearby, trying to hide a laugh.

"What are you laughing at?" Leo noticed and asked in a low voice.

The young waiter shook his head. "Nothing."

"Speak," Leo commanded.

The young waiter glanced nervously at Donovan Xavier, swallowed, and trembled. "I... I don’t dare to say."

Leo’s eyes narrowed, but his tone remained steady. "Speak."

The waiter shot another extremely cautious look at Donovan Xavier, pursed his lips, and said, "The lady in the black dress just said that Mr. Xavier... isn’t good in bed. That he’s... terrible."

Hearing this, Leo gently clenched his jaw, raised an eyebrow at the man, and failed to stifle a laugh. "Mr. Xavier, she must have actually been with you to say something like that!"

Adrian also leaned in and clapped him on the shoulder, teasing with a grin, "An official endorsement from the ex-girlfriend! Mr. Xavier, is it true? Are you really not up to the task?"

Donovan Xavier’s aura turned sinister, his eyes simmering with rage. He let out a cold laugh. "All of you, get lost!"

Then, he lowered his head and glared at the woman in his arms. "Chloe Preston, coming to a bar is one thing, but you dare to slander me!"

Startled again by his icy tone, Chloe, completely dizzy from the drink, began to pound on his chest. "Why are you being so mean to me!"

Donovan leaned down, his thin lips grazing her ear as he whispered, his voice ruthlessly cold, "Chloe Preston, you are so dead today!"

The next second, he scooped her up with one arm, hoisted her over his shoulder, and strode toward the exit.

Ivy Lane watched it all unfold, feeling that her friend Chloe was in for a rough night.

Suddenly, Leo stepped forward. "A ride?"

"Ah?"

Ivy was momentarily stunned.

Leo’s voice was deep. "To take you home."

Adrian overheard from the side and raised an eyebrow slightly.

Ivy’s lashes trembled, and she instinctively refused, "No need, I’ve already called for a designated driver!"

With that, she hurried out in a flurry.

Leo watched her go, one hand in his pocket, his gaze profound.

「Outside the bar.」

Donovan Xavier placed Chloe in the car, shut the door, and then yanked off his tie, using it to bind her hands.

He shot her a frigid look before starting the car.

「Twenty-five minutes later.」

The car arrived at The Xavier Residence.

He got out of the car, hauled the woman over his shoulder, and walked inside without saying a word.

Housekeeper Wallace saw them and asked with a puzzled look, "Sir, weren’t you heading to Southel? Why are you back?"

Donovan’s eyes were cold as he ignored everyone and went directly upstairs.

「In the room.」

Donovan carried Chloe into the bathroom, turned on the shower, and let the icy water cascade over her slender back.

An bone-chilling cold washed over Chloe. She frowned, unable to bear it, and instinctively dove into his warm embrace.

"So cold!"

His laugh was even colder. "Sober now?"

He then swept her up into his arms, walked out, and tossed her onto the large, soft bed.

Donovan leaned over and gripped her chin. "Chloe Preston, who gave you the nerve to slander my name in public?"

Chloe, a bit more lucid now, let her gaze flicker away. "I... I was wrong."

"Too late!"

「The next day.」

Chloe Preston was exhausted and once again slept until the sun was high in the sky.

Suddenly, a phone began to ring sharply.

Leaning against the headboard, Chloe felt her whole body ache as if it had been run over by a truck.

The phone continued to ring. Chloe grabbed it, glanced at the screen, and answered.

"Hello? Oh, Sir Sutton, what can I do for you?... You’re waiting for me at the shop? Okay, I’ll be right over."

Chloe hurriedly ended the call and prepared to throw back the covers and get out of bed.

CLICK.

The bedroom door was pushed open.

Donovan Xavier walked in. He was tall and trim in a crisp suit, his long legs giving him an imposing stature. A pair of gold-rimmed glasses rested on the bridge of his nose.

He looked noble and virtuous, with a refined, abstemious air.

Chloe met his gaze, glared at him, then lay back down and pulled the covers over her head, ignoring him.

Donovan came over, placed a bowl of small wontons on the nightstand, and sat on the edge of the bed, trying to pull the covers away.

"Angry?" he asked, a hint of a smile in his voice.

Chloe still ignored him.

Donovan feigned a trace of anger. "Chloe Preston, if you don’t say something right now, I’ll..."

Chloe immediately poked her head out from under the covers, her wide, shimmering eyes filled with terror as she looked at him.

Seeing her messy hair, Donovan reached out to tidy it for her.

Chloe instinctively shrank back, a shiver running through her.

Donovan raised an eyebrow slightly.

He leaned down, moving closer until his lips were by her ear, and murmured, "Did I scare you last night?"

A wronged expression washed over Chloe’s face.

Donovan chuckled. "That’s what happens when you misbehave."

With that, he dipped his head and leaned toward her lips for a soft kiss.

Chloe didn’t struggle. Seeing that he was in a good mood, she said, "I have to go out later."

"Where to?"

"To work."

Donovan’s voice was slightly hoarse. "To the hospital?"

Chloe shook her head. "The jade shop. A client needs to see me."

Donovan looked up, an intriguing glint in his eyes. "A client?"

Chloe sounded a little helpless. "He’s a man. The eighty-year-old kind."

"Oh."

Donovan pulled her into his arms, a smile playing on his lips. "Our Chloe is so independent. A doctor who can also run a shop... very impressive."

He then picked up the bowl of small wontons and gently stirred them with a spoon. "It’s cooled down now. I’ll feed you."

Chloe nodded and smiled. "I never thought I’d see the day you’d be waiting on me."

Donovan raised his eyebrows slightly, resting his forehead against hers. He laughed huskily. "As long as you want, I’ll feed you every day."

Chloe’s lips curved, her eyes crinkling into happy crescents. "You said it. You can’t take it back!"

Tenderness filled Donovan’s eyes. "Mm. I’ll never take it back."

Chloe was about to say something else but couldn’t help but let out two small coughs.

Donovan instantly grew tense. "Why are you coughing? Did you catch a cold?"

Chloe shook her head. "I’m fine."

Seeing how worried he was, a thread of sweetness involuntarily coiled in her heart.