Riley’s life was rough, but she was just as tough. doubt you realize your mistake by having someone else standing in front of you and questioning me on your behalf.”
Denise’s face turned pale. After a while, she bit her lip and pushed Sean away.
“I…accept the punishment.”
‘It’s just some humiliation, that’s all. It’s still better than losing my arms, legs, and life,’ she thought.
“Denise.”
Yannie furrowed her brow as she stood up. She did not think Denise would accept the proposal. “You…”
Actually, Denise did not need to accept it so quickly.
Yannie knew Thomas. In her point of view, Thomas was just using this to test whether Denise was sincere in admitting her mistake.
Yannie looked at Thomas. “Thomas, since Ms. Hughes has said this, you-“
“I’ll get someone to send her to the slum now.”
Thomas glared at Denise’s face and said, I’ll be there personally to accept your apology and check your result tomorrow morning. If you fail the task, then I’ll still go with the original plan and let you fulfill the task.”
“Denise!”
As Sean exited the hotel, Sean furrowed his brow and ran after Denise who was heading toward the slum outside of the city.
He quickly grabbed her by the sleeve. “Are you crazy?”
Denise raised her head and looked at Sean dully. Her face looked pale with a weak smile.”
I’m not. You don’t understand… I did so many bad things in the past, and this is the punishment that I deserve.”
She smiled bitterly and continued to head out, though feeling the cold breeze of Saigen City’s winter. She had taken off her coat when she was in the room because she was feeling hot. As she left in a hurry, however, she forgot to put her coat back on.
She shivered and pulled her clothes tighter to her body before continuing to walk.
Sean saw everything, including how she shivered. He sighed and chased after her; he took off his coat and placed it on Denise’s body. “Regardless of what bad things you did, you’ve acknowledged your mistake. He shouldn’t punish you so badly!”
He grabbed her hand by force and looked at her with a pair of determined eyes. With a deep voice, he said, “Go back with me. I’ll speak to Thomas. Brettley is my cousin, and my brother is Jim Landry from Merchant City. Bethan is also my family.
“Even if Thomas doesn’t care about his relationship with me, he’ll need to show my family some respect. Let’s go back and talk him into a different punishment.”
Although Sean and Denise had only got to know each other today, he did not think Denise was a bad, disgusting woman as Thomas said. She was an emotional person, but she had a cute side to her, too.
When they rescued Riley from the mansion, Denise would hold Riley dearly and cautiously in her arms. He had a hard time relating Denise to the bad woman Thomas and the others talked about.
Denise sighed. She turned around to look at Sean while shaking her head. “Forget about it. I don’t want to.”
She had promised Thomas, and she did not want to break it. Otherwise, he might think she was insincere in her apology. Besides, she had just known Sean for less than a day, and she dared not to expect someone would truly want to be nice to her.
If things turned out the way he said, how could she repay him after all his help? She was nothing but a deserted chess piece–someone whom the Hughes family and Tina had given up on.
There was no meaning to her life anymore. All she could see was darkness in her future.
Even if there was even a future for her, she was to drag out an ignoble existence. If she was to owe a great debt to Sean…how was she going to repay him? Return kindness with ingratitude and her dirty body?
“Denise!”
Sean’s heart ached as Denise struggled away to leave. He could not allow himself to stand by the side to see a woman giving up on herself.
He took a deep breath and chased after her again. “Where are you going? Are you going to find those men in the slum?”
Denise curled up her lips and smiled. “Yes. Where else can I go if not there? Didn’t you hear it too?”
Once again, she took a deep breath and swung away from Sean’s hand to move forward.
“Denise.”
Sean ran after her to stop her again. “If you’re adamant about sacrificing your body to a man, then let me be that man.”
Saigen City had a windy winter. The winds would stir the snowflakes and blow on their faces. It made them feel even colder.
Denise, thinking she heard wrongly, looked up at Sean with eyes that looked lost.
The snowflakes blew on her face and made her skin tingle. The coldness, however, helped her regain some senses for her blurred mind.
She stuttered, “Y–You…”
“I said.”
Sean took a deep breath and looked at Denise with his deep, dark eyes. “If your really need to find someone to sleep with tonight, why not me? I’m a man too. Compared to those men in the slums, I’m cleaner as well.”
Denise bit her lip as her gaze became muddled. At that moment, she did not know how to face Sean. She knew it better than anyone else Sean was saying this to help her, but…this felt like an insult, too.
It was as though she was a dirty woman who would sleep with anyone.
The complex feeling only lingered in her heart for a short while before she laughed bitterly. To be frank, she did not blame Sean for saying that. There was no difference between her and women who would sleep with any man.
Ever since she started to plot against Thomas, she should have known she would end up with this consequence. The malice she brought onto herself was the hardest to bear. She could have chosen to live a life that was dignified and honorable. Instead, she allowed herself to be in this situation after being instigated and induced by other people.
She looked at Sean. “Alright. Since we’ve known each other, I’ll even spend more time with you.”
Regardless of what, she was about to humiliate and insult herself. There was no difference, so she might as well start with Sean. She would at least have a relatively good time with him today.
Moreover, Sean was right too. He was cleaner and more handsome compared to the men from the slums. If Denise had not gone through what she did, she might have fallen in love at first sight with him.
Sean had a kind heart. He looked handsome and with slightly tanned skin. A young man but also a little unruly like a wolfdog…
He ticked off all the boxes Denise listed for the perfect man. Of course, that was her daydream before she was brainwashed by her family and Tina.
She took a deep breath to muster her courage and grabbed Sean’s hand. “Let’s go.”
When her cold hand touched Sean, he was startled and shocked. After a while, he regained his senses and gripped her hand tightly.
Everyone kept saying Denise was a terrible, disgusted, scheming person. However, he felt Denise was a gentle and kind person. It was not like he had never seen a scheming woman or someone who liked to scheme.
To mention a few, Nikki and also Kate.
He believed Denise was different from these two. She was not like them.
With this thought in mind, he took a deep breath, grabbed Denise’s hand, and headed to a hotel nearby. He used his identification card to book a room and brought her upstairs.
Originally, Sean planned to take this chance to bring Denise away and lock her up in the hotel room for the night, just so she could recollect herself. He had no desire to sleep with her at all because he thought she was not thinking soundly and was in a pitiful state.
He just felt pity and sorry for her.
However…
When they entered the hotel room, Denise stood on her toes and, wrapping her arms around Sean’s neck, pressed her lips against his while closing her eyes as the door closed.
Sean was taken aback by Denise’s actions. He never thought she would kiss him so straightforwardly.
He wanted to push her away, he truly did.
However, Denise smelled too good. Her body was so soft and tender.
Sean realized he could not bear to reject Denise’s action. After an internal debate that lasted only for a short while, he followed his heart, held Denise’s slim waist, and reacted to Denise’s kissing.
They kissed for such a long time and were mind–and–soul involved in this passion. Even though they only met each other for less than a day, they kissed like they had loved each other for a long time.
Fierce. Passionate.
No one knew who started to bite the other’s lip. They did not know who was the one to succumb first, and neither did they know who started to catch feelings for each other.
For the entire night, both of them forgot the time, forgot Thomas, forgot everything that happened. It was as though they were the only two people in the world.
From the door to the carpet, to the bed, to the bathroom, and back to the bed again.
They even did it on the balcony where it was freezing due to winter.
Both of them had gone crazy that night. Their phones rang again and again, but neither of them picked up the calls.
In the end, their phones turned off due to running out of battery, all because people were calling them non–stop. They were so into each other that they did not know what was happening outside when people tried to search for them.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.