Chapter 38 A Gift Unwrapped.
Chapter 38 A Gift Unwrapped.
Nathan wanted to tear into the gift right away, but he forced himself to hold back.
“I’ll carry these inside. Ethan offered, both hands loaded with seven or eight shopping bags.
“Give them to me, Nathan said.
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Ethan almost refused, but the words died before he could speak them. Nathan’s tone wasn’t a request–it was an unspoken command. That quiet weight of authority flared for just an instant, and then the bags were already gone from his hands.
The sudden absence of weight felt strange. He flexed his left wrist, turning the black rosary looped there
“All right. I’ll get going.” he said.
Drive safe,” Stella told him, waying
The man in the white shirt, tall and long–legged, followed behind the slender, beautiful girl with the bags in hand. Their shadows stretched and tangled together on the pavement.
Ethan couldn’t help a flicker of pride that was his sister. No matter who walked behind her, they ended up looking like her personal bag carrier.
The thought turned bittersweet a heartbeat later. That had always been his job.
But sooner or later, Stella would start dating, and then it would be her boyfriend taking that role.
He let out a sigh. Better make the most of the time before Xavier came back- her servant while he still could.
–
and before Stella found someone by being
Nathan carrying her bags didn’t strike him as strange. To Ethan, it was just a matter of convenience; he would’ve done the same for any girl he lived with.
By the time he got back to his car, his mood had lifted again. Stella had bought him a gift and one for Xavier, and one for Louis. That was her habit: always three at a time.
His was a Seven Wolves belt. The brand wasn’t his favorite, but because it came from Stella, he loved it – and he’d use it.
Hopefully Louis would be found soon. Stella had been looking into it, she’d told him.
“Is here fine?” Nathan asked, setting the bags down in her room.
Her eyes curved in a smile. “Yes. Thank you for bringing them up!”
She’d meant to carry them herself when she remembered his injured hand, but Nathan had brushed it off
What a gentleman, she thought sincerely.
The small gift bag hooked over his fingers made them look even longer
“You should open it,” she suggested.
His deep gaze lingered on her for a moment before his long fingers reached into the bag and drew out a small box.
Inside was a gold bracelet crafted in the shape of bamboo segments, a pair of delicate bamboo leaves curling against the matte metal. The understated gold glowed with quiet elegance
“Well? Not bad, right? Bamboo’s a good omen steady growth, rising higher,” Stella said, eyes narrowing slightly in
amusement.
She was smiling, but when he opened the box, a flicker of doubt stirred. Nathan’s watches alone cost millions; this bracelet was barely worth over ten thousand. And men didn’t often wear gold jewelry.
Ethan hal urged her to get a gold pixiu instead, but she’d thought it was tacky
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Chapter 38 A Gift Unwrapped
I
At the door, Nathan’s like it could’ve been politeness. Now she watched his eyes, trying to see the truth.
Slowly, she saw the cool shadows in his gaze melt into warmth, rippling like sunlight on water.
When he looked up, the tiny mole at the bridge of his nose seemed almost alive with the smile on his face.
“Thank you. I like it very much he said slow, deliberate.
No, not just that. He loved iL
–
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Relief lit her features. T’m glad. I didn’t know what you’d like, so I got you something I like. Look I’m wearing gold too.”
She pulled out the little gold dog pendant at her neck.
It was a gift from Ethan.
Nathan curled his fingers around the bracelet, feeling the cool weight in his palm. His gaze flicked to the pendant in her hand, something shifting deep in his eyes.
How he wished he could be that little dog- always close to her, always at her side.
Her neck was slim and soft, the golden chain making her pale skin look like polished jade.
“It looks beautiful on you, Nathan said warmly, pushing his glasses up with one finger to hide the darker, more dangerous glint beneath.
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