Chapter 29

He must be an expert. Upon returning to the villa, Taylor asked Winnie to take a shower and said that Lawrence was hungry.

Taylor even tried making small talk by asking if she had simple cooking skills.

Winnie bathed and came downstairs. She never cooked before, but thinking about it, she wanted to express her gratitude tonight.

She knew how to cook. There was nothing a debutante couldn't do. Winnie walked into the kitchen and made a simple bowl of pasta for him.

"Mr. Rodriguez, you can eat now." She quickly brought it out. Her delicate, fair hands handed him the fork. The man glanced at it and accepted them.

Winnie sat across from him, holding her small face in her hands with a hint of dejection clouding her features.

The man poured a glass of red wine and raised his gaze to glance at her.

Then, Winnie started to worry for herself. "Mr. Rodriguez, do you know? The oil painting was stolen, and I can't please my arch-nemesis anymore. The October jewelry competition is their doing, and I'm at a disadvantage."

"Who is your arch-nemesis?" the man asked as he drank his wine.

"That odious owner of Imperial Jewelry," Winnie replied.

"Did you say the owner of Imperial Jewelry?" The man's eyes darkened. "What is your grudge with him?"

"It's a hereditary grudge, a business rivalry! Do you do business? If you don't do business, you wouldn't understand."

"Of course, Mr. Rodriguez does business. How else would he amassed such wealth?" The assistant standing behind the boss cursed silently. She felt that Ms. Winnie was spouting nonsense.

Mr. Rodriguez's eyes gleamed with amusement, and he coldly asked, "Does your arch-nemesis hold you in any regard?"

"He insulted my small chest, and this grudge is irreconcilable!"

The man's gaze flickered to the area below her collarbone, burning like fire. He frowned and slowly said, "So, what if he insults you? Aren't you an adult?"

Winnie suddenly wrapped her arms around herself, blushing. "Mr. Rodriguez, whose side are you on?"

The assistant thought to herself, 'What a thought-provoking question.'

Gracefully taking a bite of her pasta, the man crossed his legs. "Don't worry about the painting."

"Why?"

"Imperial Jewelry's CEO doesn't like oil paintings," he answered.

Winnie was stunned. Her eyes brightened. "You think so too? That is exactly what I thought! A handsome man like him, how could he have such a cliché taste, like an old man who likes oil paintings? A pervert like him likes Lolita."

"Is that so, Ms. Winnie?" The assistant twitched the corner of her mouth and stole a glance at the boss.

Sensing the man's inexplicably darkening expression, Winnie felt puzzled. "What's wrong with you, Mr. Rodriguez?"

The man squinted his cold eyes. "You can get back at him in a different way."

"How?"

"Come here." He beckoned with his finger.

The petite woman walked over hesitantly. Her slender waist, clothed under her clean, soft pajamas, was embraced by the man.

She let out a small cry and fell onto his lap, feeling his strong and powerful masculine texture.

Suddenly leaning against his embrace, so close, Winnie expressed a sense of discomfort on her face.

He held her struggling hand and wickedly asked, "How many ways do you think a woman can please a man?"

Winnie suddenly understood, frowning. "Do you want me to go...

"Try and seduce my enemy? He can just leave. Besides, I would never betray you."

"You wouldn't betray me?" Lawrence raised an eyebrow, unsure if he was happy or cold.

"You are truly loyal to me."

"We have an agreement."

"Would you like to practice?" Using his mature sense of control, he gently enticed the young woman.

"What do you mean, practice?"

"Pleasing a man." He leaned in, releasing a breath onto her earlobe. In an instant, Winnie's ears turned red. The man's eyes filled with desire.

His large hand gripped her slender waist as he softly instructed, "To please a man, you must be gentle in your tone and manner."

"What do you mean, gentle?" Winnie felt as if she had been intoxicated by the wine he breathed out, and as if her limbs were no longer hers, she followed his every instruction.

In the next moment, her body felt weightless as he gently placed her on the table.

The bowl was right next to her, and in front of her stood Lawrence.

The temperature emanating from the man was slightly high. Even through the air, it seemed to scorch her milky skin, especially when he leaned down, his attractive lips approaching her ear.

His face and her hair entangled. As he stopped just one centimeter away from her face neither advancing nor retreating, he simply teased her with his lips.

Unsure whether this man was trying to seduce her, she felt as if she couldn't breathe. With her face blushing, she grabbed onto his strong muscular arm. Her heartbeat was irregular.

"How about it?" Sensing her rising temperature, the man provocatively raised an eyebrow.

"Are you being gentle?"

"I...I supposed we can find out." Winnie felt lightheaded as a feather.

He was quite pleased with himself, his dark eyes filled with arrogance. Biting her lip, she felt embarrassed by his teasing. A defiant spirit surged within her, and Winnie raised her head proudly, intentionally hooking her hands onto his neck.

Copying his movements, she approached the man's face. Her lips brushed against his defined jawline.

But as she got closer, she didn't actually kiss him. Instead, she kept a certain distance.

Their breaths grew heavier, and she heard his breathing suddenly grow husky. Winnie curved her lips into a teasing smile, her eyes provokingly looking at him.

"So, Mr. Rodriguez, does your breathing get shallow too?" She attempted to tease.

Instantly, her chin was grasped by his large hand, his eyes burning, breathing heavily. His chest rose and fell, and he dangerously said, "You're quite adept at learning. Then, I won't hold back."

He controlled her chin and kissed her. Winnie's mind went blank, and she struggled quickly.

He smirked, not letting her escape.

After an unknown amount of time, she was finding it hard to breathe, and the man suddenly let go of her. This time, his narrow eye corners were bloodshot. Staring at her flushed face for a moment, he impatiently turned around and ran upstairs.

Soon, Winnie heard the sounds of water coming from the bedroom. She stood there in a daze, realizing that before he went upstairs, he had carried her down.

Winnie covered her blushing face, her mind spinning. 'Huh... Weren't we just talking? How did we end up kissing?' she thought to herself. Annoyed, she quickly tidied up the dishes and tried to calm herself.

Her heart was beating irregularly, and the air around her was filled with ambiguity. She couldn't help but wonder why did he go to take a shower.

'Could it be ...' she pondered to herself, making herself blush.

Winnie had a restless night and couldn't get that kiss out of her mind. This man had kissed her twice before, and both times she resisted. But tonight, besides resisting, she felt a bit confused as she thought that this man's teasing was a little too intense.

Winnie covered herself with the blanket, thankful that he didn't come into her bedroom tonight.

...

The next day, Winnie woke up with dark circles under her eyes. As she stepped out, she bumped into a man who was already dressed in a shirt and was putting on his tie. He glanced at her with a hint of arrogance and indifference.

'He slept well, didn't he?' Winnie thought, giving him a sideways glance. But he caught her gaze and smirked. "Why do I see a little panda? Didn't sleep well?"

"Mind your own business," Winnie retorted fiercely.

Ignoring her completely, he tossed the tie to her small hand and stood tall in front of her, saying, "Are you insisting on staying here to help me put on my tie, Ms. Winnie?"

'Is he being real? Did he go blind at such a young age?' Winnie thought to herself, her eyes widened in disbelief.

Winnie walked over, and his imposing height required her to tiptoe. She looped the tie around the man's neck and tied it firmly, her voice gentle as she teased.

"Does this look acceptable, Mr. Rodriguez?"

The man glanced down, his slender fingers loosening the tie. He spoke in a low voice while going downstairs, "I'll deal with you when I come back from my business trip."

Winnie's face turned red, and she quickly turned to hide in her bedroom.

Taylor called for her, asking her to come downstairs and have a meal, but she refused to come.

Her stomach growled loudly. Being pregnant made her hungry quickly. Winnie opened the curtains to see if the man had left yet. When he did, she immediately went downstairs to eat.

When she saw the figure in his car that came to pick him up, Winnie was taken aback. Sitting in the passenger seat was a woman with long curled hair partially covering her face, but her profile was very attractive. She wore a tight, sexy red dress, low-key yet captivating.

Most importantly, as the man approached, he handed the tie to the woman, who gracefully accepted it.

He didn't refuse.

They got in the car together and left.

Winnie's fingers clenched the curtain. Her previous shyness was suddenly replaced by a newfound sense of composure.

Her lips slowly straightened.

Winnie started to make assumptions, thinking about whether she was his secretary, but the thought was quickly brushed off as a secretary wouldn't be so natural in her movements.

Winnie made a guess but felt foolish about it.

Maybe she was his girlfriend. Their marriage was just a contract because of the sudden appearance of the child. He even suspected her hidden motives.

'So, it wouldn't be strange for him to have a girlfriend before, right? Anyway, the deal only lasts for a year. Maybe when it's over, he will marry his girlfriend,' Winnie thought to herself.

Even though she thought this way, she still felt a sense of unease in her heart. If that woman was indeed his girlfriend, then he wouldn't have teased her last night.