Chapter 14

Winnie stopped in her tracks and glanced back. Van's hand had already dropped. "Sorry," he apologized for his touch, then added, "It'll be over soon. I'll take you back." Reluctantly, Winnie returned under his umbrella, looking up at the rain-sprinkled light through the edge of the umbrella. The man kept his word. Since he had promised, he didn't make her wait long. After a few brief words on the phone, he hung up, put his phone away, and took off his suit jacket, handing it to Winnie. Holding the umbrella in one hand, he somehow managed to remove the jacket with only one hand. It seemed difficult, but Winnie couldn't understand how someone could do it so gracefully, so slowly, as if every movement was deliberate and almost pleasing to watch. But halfway through, the man paused, folding the suit jacket over his forearm. He then took off the deep gray cashmere cardigan beneath and handed it to Winnie. "If you don't mind, you can wear this," Van said, his eyes lowering as he looked at her, his gaze deep. Winnie, puzzled, asked, "Why not just give me the suit jacket?" Van furrowed his brows slightly, thinking for a moment before answering, "The jacket has a bit of a messy smell. It's not good for a girl." Winnie didn't feel cold, but for some reason, she listened to him and raised her hand to take the cardigan, wrapping it around herself. The cashmere cardigan gently pressed against her neck, dry and warm yet soft against her skin. The collar closed lightly, and a subtle sense of comfort filled her nose, the faint scent of security. In truth, if she sneezed, countless men would rush to offer her a jacket or shield her from the wind. But they were always so eager, so hurried, as if they feared their jacket would be a second too late. No one had ever bothered to ask if she minded the various scents on their jackets. Winnie thought to herself, "That's what they call respect." The guests had all left, and there weren't many staying overnight. The whole hotel felt empty and quiet, like a deserted building. Van held the umbrella as the two of them walked slowly back, the click of Winnie's high heels echoing softly, each step falling in rhythm with the other. Winnie sensed the man beside her was distracted and irritated. Maybe it was because of that phone call earlier. She broke the silence, making small talk, "Mr. Marlowe, how did you know it was me?" "You were shooting here just now." "You saw me?" Winnie was surprised. "I only watched for a while." Winnie instinctively tightened her grip on the cardigan, her voice dropping low, "And you didn't say anything…" Her tone suggested she was annoyed with him. A gust of wind blew past, and Van tilted the umbrella slightly in her direction. He looked down at her for a moment, his voice still cold, "Are you blaming me?" Winnie dared not look at him, her gaze fixed on the road, "I wouldn't dare." Van lifted one side of his lips, his breath carrying a hint of a smile, and the irritation in his demeanor disappeared. They walked in silence for a while, then Winnie gathered her courage and said, "Mr. Marlowe, there's something I hope you won't misunderstand." Van answered indifferently, "What is it?" "In the guest room just now... I thought it was a junior from the company. She came to see me twice..." Winnie stuttered, her words all over the place. "Anyway, I didn't look through the peephole and didn't know it was you, so I wasn't trying... to let you see me like that." Van quietly waited for her to finish, clearly aware of what she meant, but still asked, "What kind of 'like that'?" Winnie bit her lip, looking troubled. She shut her eyes and, giving up on trying to explain properly, muttered, "The kind of 'trying to seduce you' look!" Van had teased her on a whim, but he didn't expect this girl to play along so well when she did, and to be so unbothered when she didn't want to. He fell silent for a moment, then calmly said, "Miss Loxley, I hope you understand, if it's just to that extent, you won't be able to seduce me." "Hope I understand?" Winnie repeated, her voice questioning. "…" "…" Why did she have to be so quick with her mouth? "I'm sorry, sorry," Winnie lowered her head, her voice low and mumbled. "I didn't mean to say that you hoped I'd seduce you…" Van glanced at her but didn't say anything. This is bad, Winnie thought, her mind racing. She's made the young master unhappy. The short garden path ended, and the rattan light hanging from the porch cast a dim glow. Winnie racked her brain, but couldn't come up with a suitable and natural way to fix things. Van put away the umbrella and asked in a calm tone, "You're a celebrity, so I imagine it wouldn't be convenient for me to take you to the door, right?" Winnie nodded, frustration filling her mind, but her face remained composed. "That's right, young master, you don't have to trouble yourself." Van escorted her to the elevator and pressed the button for her floor.