A cool night breeze blew. Adeena felt the man‘s eyes darken, and she tugged her clothes around
herself even tighter. “Then, I‘ll be going up first.” She took two steps back...
Duke felt indignation.
They were going to meet again tomorrow at noon, but he was still reluctant to part with her. He had
waited four years, but he could not wait through an additional night. “Adee, wait.”
He opened his mouth to stop her as she was about to turn and leave.
His gaze was glued to her, which made Adeena feel at a loss.
She looked down at the ground and stepped on the dead leaves that fell on the street, making a
rustling sound. She said hoarsely, “Mr. Winters, is there anything else you wish to say?” “What cuisine
do you like to eat?” Duke was at a loss for words. “I‘ll have the kitchen prepare the dishes in advance.”
He actually knew a lot about what she liked to eat, and had never forgotten. Perhaps it was because
the night was too beautiful, or because the man‘s voice was too gentle, Adeena actually stayed to talk.
She thought about it and said, “I like Indranian cuisine. Some simple home–cooked dishes are fine.
There‘s no need to put in so much work for dinner.”
As they continued back and forth with the questioning and answering, their conversation came to an
end.
Duke was still reluctant, so he asked again, “Then, what about your favorite drinks? Red wine or white
wine? Or tea?”
“Is plain water alright?” Adeena smiled. “I like to drink coffee at work, red wine at banquets, and I tend
to drink plain water when I eat at home.”
“Alright, I‘ll have it prepared.” Duke stared at her quietly.
He could not get enough of this face, which had appeared thousands of times in his dreams.
His gaze was so heated. There was no way Adeena did not feel it. She lowered her head, and her
voice was quite hoarse. “It‘s getting late, I‘ll go up first. You should head back soon too, Mr. Winters.”
“I‘ll watch you head upstairs.”
Duke‘s voice was extremely gentle. It was softer than the moonlight.
Adeena turned away and walked back to the apartment, step by step. Roses bloomed along the walls
of the courtyard. Under the billowing night wind, they emitted a faint fragrance that wafted through the
tranquil night.
Adeena felt a hot gaze on her back. She walked slowly, as if she was walking a hundred–meter–long
corridor. When she finally went inside the building, she turned a corner inside the corridor, and finally,
the gaze behind her disappeared. Adeena finally relaxed. Even when she was being watched by
hundreds of eyes before, she had never been this nervous.
She never remembered being in a tenser moment than today...
She patted her cheeks. After the heat had dissipated a little, she calmly walked upstairs.
When she reached the third floor and noticed that neither Brady nor Ruth had woken up, she breathed
a sigh of relief. She snuck back into her room and went to the balcony again. The man was still
downstairs. Some rose petals had gotten blown off by the wind and had landed on his shoulders
beneath the moonlight.
Apparently, he noticed her. He raised his arm and waved, then bent down and got into his car. That
night, Adeena did not sleep well. No matter how she tossed and turned in her dream, she would only
see that tall and slender figure. The man came out of the thick fog. Step by step, he came closer to her.
Then he suddenly grabbed her wrist and trapped her against the headboard. “Adee, you can‘t escape
me.”
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