Chapter 51: Chapter 51 Try harder
Alana stared at him in disbelief.
Was this something a normal person would say?
What did he mean, “Try harder to develop feelings for him”?
Wasn’t it enough that she was trying to stay away from him?
Observing her reaction, Stephan’s tone turned icy. “I’m not that bad, am I? At least I’m far superior to your deadbeat boyfriend. How many times have you faced danger? When did he ever show up to save you?”
Alana pressed her lips together, at a loss for words.
Stephan snorted with a smirk, ultimately not forcing her to make an immediate decision.
After all, haste makes waste. This needed to be done gradually.
He moved closer to her, lifting her up and placing her on his lap, acting as if she was already his, no question about it.
His large hand wrapped around her slender waist as he stared into her eyes and asked, “Alright, let’s put this aside for now. What exactly happened last night?”
His embrace felt perfectly natural, as if he hadn’t noticed her discomfort at all.
Alana watched as he suddenly pulled her close, holding her tightly. The heat radiating from his body steadily warmed her.
She felt incredibly uneasy.
It was as if they were already a couple, free to kiss and hug whenever they pleased.
But clearly, they weren’t anything yet.
She hadn’t agreed to be his girlfriend.
It wasn’t that she resisted the idea of being his girlfriend.
It was just that she felt they weren’t familiar enough with each other to start a relationship.
He had helped her, and she was grateful.
But that was one thing; it didn’t mean he could demand she be his girlfriend because of it.
She believed that before becoming boyfriend and girlfriend, both parties should have a certain level of understanding and familiarity.
Besides, he’d admitted he craved her body.
Who knew if asking her to be his girlfriend was just a convenient excuse to sleep with her?
So she thought her refusal was perfectly normal.
Agreeing immediately would have been the abnormal thing to do.
Stephan noticed the girl’s dazed expression and couldn’t resist pinching her pretty little cheek.
“What are you thinking about? Why aren’t you answering my question? Who drugged you? Was it that old man last night?”
Alana snapped back to reality, recalling last night’s events. Her expression darkened.
“Not him. It was a female colleague at the company who has a grudge against me. But I suspect he’s involved too.”
Just as she was about to leave after being drugged, Dane chased her out.
Clearly, Dane knew about Vera drugging her.
She’d been double-crossed by both of them!
As if recalling something, Alana couldn’t help asking, “Last night, how did you know I was at the Spring clubhouse and come to rescue me?”
Stephan plucked a strand of her hair, twirling it between his fingers.
“Because you called me for help.”
Alana froze. “Last night... the person I called... was it you?”
His fingers paused, his brows slightly furrowing. “You didn’t know you called me?”
Alana shook her head, her answer honest. “No. I meant to call the police, but I tapped the wrong button. I didn’t know whose number I’d dialed, turns out it was yours.”
No wonder he’d appeared so promptly.
Stephan gasped in shock.
She thought she’d been in danger and turned to him first for help, he started to even feel a touch of smug satisfaction.
But it turned out she’d dialed him by mistake. He didn’t know whether to be annoyed or amused. Watching the girl sitting obediently on his lap, he couldn’t resist cupping her chin. Leaning down, he gave her lips a punishing bite.
Here we go again, kissing at the drop of a hat.
Watching the girl’s lips grow increasingly flushed from his kisses, Stephan gently pressed his fingertip against them, his voice deep and husky.
“Tell me, how do you want to handle this?” Recalling Dane’s disgusting, lecherous behavior last night, Alana frowned. “I want to call the police.”
She wanted that rapist to pay!
Stephan said, “Then call the police.”
Alana clenched her fists before lowering her eyes again. But if she reported it, the fact she’d been drugged and almost violated would become public knowledge. She knew all too well the terror of rumors and didn’t want to be swept up in that kind of scandal, drowned in a sea of gossip.
After a long internal struggle, Alana finally conceded helplessly, “Forget it...”
“You already taught him a lesson last night.”
She recalled Dane being beaten black and blue by Stephan until he passed out.
Stephan gave Alana a deep look, perhaps seeing through her hesitation.
He pinched her chin again. “Is last night’s lesson enough to satisfy you?”
“What else could I do?”
“I can’t take him on.”
Alana’s voice carried a hint of resentment.
Powerless and without influence, how could she possibly fight a seasoned fox in the treacherous business world?
Stephan stared at her dejected face. “You can rely on me.”
“If you want me to take him down, I will.”
Alana couldn’t help but glance at the man.
Him?
Could he be trusted?
Stephan raised an eyebrow. “Don’t you believe me?”
Alana gritted her teeth. “Could you, um, stop touching me?”
She sat on his lap, yet his hands were anything but still, constantly roaming her waist and thighs.
Stephan smiled, awkwardly: “Sorry, my hands have a mind of their own.”
He apologized with his words, but the large hand resting on her thigh hadn’t retreated.
Alana felt the man wasn’t just cunning, he was downright nasty.
She forced herself to ignore the calloused palm on her thigh, biting her lip as she asked, “You really intend to help me?”
For some reason, she believed he had the capability to assist her.
After days of interaction, she sensed he wasn’t from an ordinary background.
Just the apartment he lived in was worth tens of millions at the very least.
How could someone from an average family afford such a mansion?
Perhaps he was a rich second-generation heir or some playboy from a wealthy family.
“Of course.”
After a pause, the man changed the subject. “But I can’t help you for free.”
Sure enough, there was no such thing as a free lunch.
Alana immediately pushed away the hand that was wrapped around her waist and slid off his lap.
“Then I don’t want your help.”
“It’s getting late. I should head back.”
The girl pouted her rosy lips, her cheeks puffing out into a rounded curve, seemingly annoyed. Little did she know, her pout was utterly adorable, making the man want nothing more than to tease her.
Stephan raised an eyebrow again. “I only said I can’t help you for free. I never said I wouldn’t help you.”
Alana retorted irritably, “Your help always comes with strings attached! I’m not falling for your tricks!”
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