Chapter 25
“I have something urgent…” Nadia’s sentence trailed off as her chin was suddenly pinched.
Jason, with a dark and menacing gaze, stared at her. “Your something urgent is to come to Askon to find men? Nadia, how desperate can you get? Dancing provocatively on stage, why not just strip completely…”
His words stung her, turning her face pale, but the anger from being misunderstood overpowered her fragility. She smiled lightly. “It’s been three years since I’ve had sex, so of course I’m desperate for men, and if I don’t find a man, I’m afraid I’m about to forget what sex is like.”
Jason tightened his grip. “Wasn’t that time enough for you to remember for a lifetime?”
“That time, you were drugged, and I was intoxicated. Turns out we wouldn’t have ended up together without either of those.” Nadia tasted blood; he had pinched her lips until they bled. “I’ll remember it forever, not with longing but with horror.”
Her defiance only fueled Jason’s anger to new heights.
His temples bulged, veins snaked across his forehead, and through clenched teeth, he said, “So, did you plan to drink first before seeking help from Ken?”
He flung Nadia away violently and strode toward the liquor cabinet.
Sensing danger approaching, Nadia leaped up and ran for the door, but before she could reach the handle, the back of her neck was seized.
Jason yanked her back, pressing her into his chest while thrusting a glass to her lips.
“Jason…” Nadia choked, coughing from the sudden intake of alcohol.
Jason ignored her resistance and forced her to down a strong shot of vodka. Watching her eyes turn red from choking, his cold expression grew even more fierce.
Nadia collapsed onto the floor, clutching her damp t–shirt and coughing.
He stood over her, removing his tie and tossing it onto the sofa before beginning to unbutton his shirt, gradually revealing his chiseled muscles and defined abs.
With actions that would seem wretched on anyone else, Jason executed with an air of grace, his laziness exuding the dominating charm and confidence of a mature man in control.
Nadia turned around and picked up the remaining half bottle of vodka on the coffee table, tilted her head back, and gulped it down fiercely. After finishing, she couldn’t stop coughing.
The alcohol quickly took its toll; she felt dizzy, her limbs weakened, and searing heat burned in her stomach.
She crawled toward the door, unexpectedly finding herself in the bathroom.
Supporting herself by the sink, she stood up, staring at her disheveled reflection in the mirror, tears welling up in her eyes.
Jason followed her to the door, where he heard her utter a name.
Time seemed to freeze, and Jason’s pupils contracted sharply.
Nadia’s soft sobs instantly ignited the boundless fury in Jason’s heart.
He approached from behind and took hold of her wrist, pressing against the mirror, his dark gaze meeting hers through the glass. “Who did you just call out?”
His voice was light, faint, and gentle, yet his palm holding Nadia’s hand was unmistakably hot.
If Nadia had been in her right mind, she would have known that this version of Jason, who spoke so softly, was far more terrifying than when he scowled and uttered his venomous words.
But she was beyond the point of coherent thought, her senses dulled by alcohol.
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Chapter 25
Her hand, which was pressing against the mirror, slowly moved from her own face to Jason’s. These eyebrows, eyes, nose bridge, and thin lips… they are all the features I like.‘
Drunk people might see things wrong; she felt that Jason would never speak to her like this.
A sudden smile flickered across Nadia’s face as she reached back to touch Jason’s face. “You heard it.”
Jason wrapped an arm around her waist, his breath hot against her ear. “I want you to say it again. Make sure you’re clear about what you’re saying.”
Leaning back into his embrace, Nadia closed her eyes and shook her head slowly, feeling even dizzier. “Back then, if I had been more careful, I wouldn’t have walked into the wrong room, and things wouldn’t have come to this… I was such a fool.”
She regretted it all–not listening to the warnings, insisting on marrying Jason.
At the time, she had no other options, but she shouldn’t have pinned her hopes on Jason. It was her own stubbornness that had led her to this humiliating situation.
She thought that by being kind to Jason, she could eventually thaw the ice around his heart.
Jason’s breath came heavier, his cold, intense gaze fixed on the teardrops welling at her eye corners.
Riiip! The ragged T–shirt was flung into the trash can, and the next second, Nadia found herself hoisted onto the sink counter.
She sat there, wobbly, nestled in his arms as his hand trailed down from her collarbone, making her shiver uncontrollably.
“These past three years, you’ve been so caring and gentle, always taking care of my every need, swearing eternal love… Never a single complaint. Now that Leland’s coming back, you think you are a fool?”
Nadia, captivated by the magnetic timbre of his voice, snapped her head up, eyes flying open. ‘It’s not a dream; it’s really Jason.’
She grabbed his wrist with all her might, struggling fiercely. “Jason, don’t touch me!”
The pent–up fury within Jason erupted at her rejection. He pinned her neck, their foreheads pressing together. “You don’t want me to touch you, then who? Leland? Edric? Or the senior who sent you flowers?”
A flash of realization hit Nadia. “Was it you who broke his hand? Why would you…”
Jason undid his belt with one hand. “Your precious senior’s already married, and Edric’s kid is in elementary school. Nadia, you hate homewreckers, yet here you are, aiming to be one. Your ambitions are quite grand.”
Nadia pushed Jason away, stumbled toward the door, slipped, and ended up kneeling on the floor.
The pain in her knees jolted her senses briefly; she mumbled something unintelligible through slurred speech.
Oblivious to her words, Jason scooped her up and headed for the master bedroom. “Aren’t you the one who’s been dreaming day and night about having a child with me? Playing hard–to–get now?”
Nadia rolled across the bed, nearly tumbling off, curling into a tight ball, her face contorted in agony.
Only then did Jason notice the few drops of red on the pristine sheet, understanding what she had muttered earlier, “I’m on my period.”
“Nadia!” Jason grabbed a blanket and tossed it over her before retreating to the bathroom.
After his shower, he ordered a pack of sanitary pads and some hangover soup from room service. Just as he hung up, a phone started ringing from the bedroom.
Following the sound, Jason fished Nadia’s phone from her pocket.
It was Hubert calling.
He glanced at Nadia, who curled up and muttered on the bed. He then closed the door behind him to answer. “Hello”
There was a pause on the other end when Hubert recognized his voice.
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Chapter 25
To outsiders. Jason was aloof and intimidating, but he maintained decent relations with both families.
“Jason…” Hubert’s voice instantly took on a smile, and his tone was somewhat ingratiating. “Nadia is causing trouble again in your study. That girl, she never gives peace of mind…”
“Click.” Jason lit a cigarette and took a puff. “She’s asleep.”
“Oh…” Hubert pondered the implication–that they’d just finished, Nadia was asleep, and Jason was smoking afterward. ‘Might as well strike while the iron’s hot.‘
“Nadia must have talked to you about…” He paused.
Jason sat on the sofa, exhaling smoke, saying nothing.
Hubert continued, “Thanks to you, Woodward’s Sugar Nest has seen good sales these past two years. I’m thinking of opening another branch. Nadia could spend more time there, keep her occupied instead of bothering you all the time.”
Jason remained silent.
“Jason?” After a while, not hearing any response, Hubert was about to press further when a strange bang came through the line.
