Flora touched her neck, eyes glued to the increasing digits. Dylan’s stare in that instant gave her the creeps.
Dylan straightened, his arm suddenly wrapping around Flora’s waist, his left hand nailing the band-aid and yanking it off with force.
The vivid red bite mark popped against Flora’s pale skin, causing Dylan’s good-looking face to tense up, as if it were a sore thumb.
He grabbed Flora’s collar, yanking it so roughly that the top button of her blouse popped off and hit the floor.
“Back off! What do you want?” Flora yelled. At the same time, on her exposed shoulder, a similar bite mark came into view.
Dylan’s dark eyes narrowed. He knew such a mark could only be left by someone who Flora got really intimate with.
“Is that Josh Martin’s handiwork?” Dylan asked, his voice already seethed with rage.
Flora played it safe, not wanting to drag Josh into this. “No,” she replied.
“Then who?”
Flora couldn’t find the words but blurted something she shouldn’t have, “Not your problem.”
The tiny space felt even more suffocating.
Dylan pressed one hand against her stomach while the other clutched her chin, forcing her to look back, “Till I let you go, no one else lays a finger on you.”
His breath burned hot, but it sent chills down Flora’s spine. She never meant to rile up or even dared to provoke a big shot like Dylan. “What’s it gonna take for you to let go?” she asked.
“It’s simple,” Dylan’s voice went back to being cool. His thin lips neared Flora’s neck, gently blowing a teasing breath as he said, “The day I’m done toying with you, you’re off the hook.”
Flora’s face shifted, their bodies way too close for comfort, “What make you think you can do that?”
“Because I’m Dylan! What I want, I get.”
Flora found such a response was so infuriating yet oddly amusing.
Dylan’s domineering side was scary. Flora squirmed, trying to wriggle out of his hold, yelling, “If you’re used to calling the shots, why push people to the edge? Why not just take what you want by force?”
Dylan sneered, “Huh, so you don’t know me well enough.”
Flora shot him an icy glare, thinking, “as if I’d want to know you!”
“I get a kick out of watching others squirm, seeing them backed into a corner,” said Dylan.
“Does that mean once I give in, he’ll lose interest in me?” Flora didn’t voice this thought. Just then, the elevator door chimed open. She seized the chance to bolt, but Dylan, sensing her move, effortlessly snatched her arm and yanked her back.
The elevator door shut once more, halting at the top floor.
“Meet me at the entrance after work. We’re having dinner.” His tone wasn’t a question, but an order. Flora didn’t want to obey, saying, “I got plans today.”
“Scrap them,” Dylan stepped past her and hit the elevator button, “I’ll be waiting for you downstairs at the company.”
As his tall figure vanished out of the elevator, Flora punched a number and retreated into the elevator space.
Today, work time seemed to pass by quickly for Flora, and before she knew it, Julie was already packing up her things. “Flora, let’s leave together,” she suggested.
“Go on ahead, I still need to wrap up some things with these files,” Flora replied.
“Alright, see you tomorrow.”
With the office finally empty, Flora sighed in relief. She could finally have a moment for herself. Just as she grabbed her bag and stood up, the door to Lilian’s office opened.
Lilian came in and asked, “You haven’t left yet?”
Flora nodded politely, “I’m just about to.”
“Flora,” Lilian suddenly stood in her way, an air of arrogance about her. “I have a piece of advice for you.”
Feeling the tension, Flora feigned ignorance and asked, “Is there something I’m not doing right at work, Lilian?”
“Women like you, who sleep with men just for money, he’ll never truly care for,” Lilian scoffed with disdain. “So, clinging to him is pointless.”
“If only I could clear my name and distance myself from Dylan!” Flora thought to herself. Ever since those photos had circulated in the design department, everyone assumed she was the one chasing after him. “I’ve never wanted any of his affection,” Flora retorted.
That much was true.
“I’ve seen your type before. To him, you’re all just temporary interests. You’re just too obedient, and he’ll lose the desire to conquer,” Lilian sneered.
Clearly, Lilian had already lumped Flora in with those gold diggers.
Glancing at her watch, Flora found that twenty minutes had passed. If she didn’t leave soon, Dylan might just come to fetch her himself.
Brushing past Lilian’s shoulder, Flora replied, “You’re right, Lilian. He’s only ever temporarily interested in women. Once he gets bored, he’ll move on to a new target, and the cycle continues. A man like that can’t be relied on, and he’ll never really settle with anyone.”
As the sound of footsteps faded behind her, Lilian clenched her fist. Her occasional dates with Dylan were just that – dates. He never asked for anything more. He had told her she was different from other women.
Lilian was certain that, eventually, Dylan would settle down.
Upon reaching the ground floor of the building, Flora saw Josh waiting for her. “Flora, I came to pick you up after work.”
“No need,” she said, noticing his car parked on the side of the street. “You’ve just taken over the company; you must be swamped with work. I can get home on my own.”
“No way, I can’t let what happened yesterday happen again. Let’s go!” Josh suggested.
Josh grabbed her arm, not allowing her to refuse. Flora scanned the surroundings but didn’t see any sign of Dylan. However, just as they took a few steps, her phone rang.
The screen didn’t display Dylan’s saved number, but Flora recognized it in an instant. She hesitated for a moment before declining the call.
However, they had barely taken a few steps when the ringtone sounded again, like a death knell.
Simultaneously, a luxurious sports car appeared out of nowhere, screeching to a halt right in front of them. With the convertible’s top down, Dylan sat, half-facing them, his eyes fixed on Flora. “Get in.”
Josh was clearly not a fan of Dylan at all. He turned aside and said, “Flora, let me take you home.”
Dylan’s handsome brows furrowed, and his expression darkened.
Flora descended the stone steps, with a still-worried Josh trailing behind her. He kept talking, asking her, “What if you run into those people again? Flora…”
“Don’t worry. In a bit, I’ll take a cab home, or I’ll call you when I’m home.” Flora walked to Dylan’s car, waved goodbye to Josh, and climbed in.
It wasn’t until the car started that Dylan’s tense expression eased. He asked, “You hung up on me. Were you planning to go with him?”
Flora had indeed considered that, but she merely replied, “I thought you got impatient and left on your own.”
Dylan let out a few low chuckles and suddenly grabbed Flora’s hand, saying, “I do what I say. I was just trying to see if you’d… mess around behind my back.”
Flora gave him a half-smile in response, but her eyes had already drifted outside the car.
“What did he mean by ‘those people’?” Dylan suddenly asked, his tone turning icy. He learned from her conversation with Josh just now and reasoned that Flora’d run into some trouble.