Chapter 53: Chapter 53 The pictures
Hearing this, Alana immediately moved closer, opened the door, and climbed in.
Seeing Alana obediently seated beside him, Stephan snorted softly through his nose.
Little minx, manipulating this woman was a piece of cake!
Once settled, Alana turned to the cold, aristocratic man beside her and asked eagerly, “What kind of evidence?”
Her beautiful eyes widened, pupils dark and pure, clear and luminous.
They shimmered with a fresh, curious gleam.
Stephan fought the urge to kiss her, instead pulling out a document pouch and handing it to her. “Here.”
Alana snatched the pouch and ripped it open.
Instantly, she saw a jumble of photos inside.
Photos of Dane checking into hotels with other women.
There were so many pictures, she couldn’t count them and each picture featured different faces.
Most were young, all around twenty, fresh out of school like Alana herself.
Not too surprisingly, among these hundreds of photos, she spotted intimate shots of Dane and Vera.
One even captured the two of them doing it in a lobby. Vera’s dress were rolled around her waist while Dane’s trousers and underwear were around his feet.
Alana flushed crimson. Every single photo was unbearably explicit, utterly shameful.
She quickly stuffed the photos back into the envelope. “Where... where did you find these?”
Stephan replied, “I have my sources. I tracked them down.”
Alana bit her lip. “Why... why are you giving me these?”
He spoke calmly, “Take these photos to your company’s executives. Report his disgusting work and private life. I guarantee he won’t be able to keep his job here.”
That was true.
Otherwise, if Dane remained in the company, there was no guarantee he wouldn’t continue harassing her.
Alana couldn’t help but look at Stephan, her expression complex.
“Why...are you helping me like this?”
Stephan’s also looked at her, his dark eyes deep. “I said I don’t help for free.”
She bit her lip, guessing his purpose in her heart.
She slowly returned the document folder to him, placing it on his thigh.
“Thank you. Here, take these documents back. I don’t need them anymore.”
Stephan frowned.
He’d gone to all the trouble of investigating, only to have her return it? Was his effort for nothing?
He couldn’t help but frown. “Take it.”
Alana shook her head. “No. Since you gave me these materials expecting something in return, I... can’t repay you. So I refuse to take your documents.”
Stephan gritted his back teeth silently.
He only wanted her to be his girlfriend, how could that be beyond her means?
Besides, he’d never invested this much effort in any woman before.
“Alana, I’ve realized you’re quite stubborn!”
She shrugged. “Thanks. I think I’m stubborn too.”
Stephan felt thoroughly defeated. He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Fine. Consider it a gift. No strings attached.”
Alana stared at him, eyes wide.
Her expression seemed to say, Would he really be that generous?
Stevan fixed her with a narrowed gaze. “Take it back before I change my mind. Or I’ll toss it in the trash and you won’t get it.”
Hearing this, Alana finally retrieved the documents from his lap, handling them with extreme care.
“Thanks.”
That same ‘thanks’ again.
Stephan was sick of hearing it.
“Is ‘thanks’ the only word you know?”
Alana thought for a moment, then replied earnestly, “I’m truly grateful.”
Was this woman a robot?
Her responses were so robotic.
Stephan gripped the steering wheel and pressed the accelerator.
Seeing the car start moving,
Alana froze. “Hey, where are you driving me?”
He remained expressionless. “To eat. After all the investigating I did for you, treating you to a meal isn’t too much, right?”
Alana quickly replied, “It’s not too much, but my phone’s broken and I don’t have any cash on me. I can’t pay.” “
Stephan shot her a glance but said nothing. Like magic, a palm-sized square box suddenly materialized in his hand.
He tossed it decisively onto her lap.
Alana blinked.
She picked up the square box and looked at the man in confusion. “What... what is this...”
“Open it and see.”
Curious, she opened the box and discovered a pure white phone inside.
She couldn’t tell the brand or whether it was expensive.
But she had a feeling nothing he produced was cheap.
She couldn’t help but look at him. “This phone is...”
He spoke indifferently, “A gift for you.”
“For me?”
Alana bit her lip, feeling a bit surprised.
Did he know her phone was broken and specially prepared a new one for her?
For some reason, the phone felt hot in her hands.
“How much is this phone? I’ll transfer the money to you.”
Stephan chuckled. He’d expected Alana to say this.
It seemed like she kept every transaction with him perfectly accounted for, refusing to accept even the slightest favor from him.
Unlike other women, if he offered them something, they’d practically throw themselves at him, kissing and hugging.
“I said it’s a gift. No charge.”
Alana insisted earnestly, “I can’t accept something like this for free.”
He sighed, heavily. “If you won’t take it, I’ll throw it away.”
With that, he suddenly reached out, snatched her phone, and flung it toward the open car window.
“No, don’t...” Alana instinctively threw herself at him, clutching his arm. “Don’t! Don’t throw it!”
Stephan lowered his gaze to find the girl pressed against him, her clear, contrasting eyes fixed on him with palpable tension.
Her sweet, delicate scent was undeniably tempting.
His intended motion to toss it out softened because of her.
He stared at her, a faint smile involuntarily flickering in his deep eyes.
“It’s not your phone. I can throw it away. Why should it bother you?”
Alana didn’t miss the flicker of amusement in his eyes. A faint blush of embarrassment spread across her cheeks.
Realizing she’d unconsciously clung to him, her arms wrapped around his, the intimate posture made her cheeks burn even hotter.
She couldn’t help but let go of him, just as she was about to stand up. His hand shot out, gripping her waist, stopping her from leaving.
“Answer me. Should I throw this phone or not?”
Alana gritted her teeth. “Throw it...”
“Then I’ll throw it...”
He made a motion to raise his hand again. Alana couldn’t hold back any longer. “Throw it to me!”
Stephan curved his lips, his amused gaze fixed on her.
Her face flushed with embarrassment, yet she still thickened her skin and said,
“Anyway, since it’s going to be thrown away. Might as well throw it to me.”
“If only you’d been this obedient earlier.” Stephan grabbed her small hand, placed the phone in her palm, and closed her fingers around it.
“Hold on to it well.”
“Thank you.”
Another human-machine exchange.
“Treat me to dinner.”
“Mm, okay.” Alana agreed readily to the request.
*******
After dinner.
Stephan naturally drove her home.
Alana politely bid farewell to the man and pushed open the car door to step out.
Unexpectedly, the man followed her out.
She looked at him in surprise.
Stephan spoke indifferently, “Need to pee. Can I use your bathroom?”
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