Tempting Him to Lose Control

Chapter 54: Chapter 54: Flower on a High Peak? Nothing Special.

Miles Warren picked her up and tossed her onto the sofa.

He ground out a single word: "Liar."

"Think carefully before you answer my question."

The man turned and left the suite.

Just then, Ethan Lynch walked out of the bedroom, already fully dressed. He looked at Claire Kendall, whose clothes were in disarray on the sofa, his tone filled with disgust.

"What are you so busy with? Why haven’t you changed? Don’t keep Mr. and Mrs. Hale waiting!"

"I know." Claire Kendall got up and went into the bedroom.

「At the hot springs behind The Rose Hotel.」

Under the moonlight, the water shimmered mesmerizingly.

Megan Hale chose a large pool, and Claire Kendall and Ethan Lynch followed.

Miles Warren, dressed in a dark gray bathrobe, arrived late.

"Miles, I was starting to think you weren’t coming," Ryan Hale called out. "Come on, get in."

Miles Warren stepped into the hot spring, sitting at a distance from Claire Kendall that was neither too close nor too far.

The hot water rose past his toned waist as he leaned back and closed his eyes to rest.

Megan Hale brought over some chilled fruit. "Claire, try a cherry. They’re especially sweet."

"Thank you, Mrs. Hale."

She glanced at Miles Warren, then picked up a cherry. Instead of eating it, she brought it to Ethan Lynch’s lips.

Her eyes sparkled flirtatiously, and her voice was bewitching. "Ethan, you should try one too."

Ethan Lynch was stunned at first, not expecting Claire Kendall to be so forward.

A hint of smugness appeared in his eyes as he opened his mouth and ate it.

"It is sweet," he said, his words slightly muffled. His gaze on her grew more suggestive. "But it’s even sweeter when you feed it to me."

Claire Kendall pretended she was about to feed him another. The next second, a large hand gripped her waist from behind, under the water.

’He won’t discuss our relationship, won’t even acknowledge it... but he never misses a chance for these possessive little gestures in private.’

She put the cherry down and subtly pulled away, the smile on her face fading slightly.

"Sorry, I’m feeling a little dizzy. You guys take your time. I’m going to get out and rest for a bit."

Ethan Lynch shot her a look. ’She’s always so much trouble.’ But he couldn’t lash out in front of Ryan and Megan Hale, so he just gave a dismissive wave and added, "Call a doctor if you don’t feel well."

She stood up, water droplets rolling off her body like a mermaid emerging from the sea.

She got out and walked toward a more secluded private pool deeper in the area.

’It’s so much more peaceful where there’s no one around.’

Claire Kendall slid into the water. Her entire body submerged in the spring, the warmth enveloping her, but it couldn’t dispel the irritation in her heart.

’A man like Miles Warren wanting to help me is probably just an act of charity.’

’I don’t think I want to pluck this flower after all.’

Behind her, there was a soft sound.

"SPLASH—"

Claire Kendall opened her eyes. The water beside her rippled as a tall figure entered the pool.

Miles Warren sat down behind her, his voice cool.

"Have you thought about my question?"

"Didn’t I already tell you? I like you. What more do you want?" Claire Kendall said, a hint of frustration in her voice.

He turned his head to look at her. "Are you mad?"

"What do I have to be mad about?" Claire Kendall’s voice was cold and hard.

"You ask me to be your boyfriend, then turn around and feed cherries to another man. Claire Kendall, is this all the sincerity you have to offer?"

"I was just putting on an act. We’ve come this far, I still have to secure the partnership with Medari."

Claire Kendall’s expression turned serious.

"Besides, you’re not my boyfriend right now. And you and that model, Mielle..."

Before she could finish, the curtain at the entrance to the small courtyard was pushed aside.

Megan Hale was all smiles. "See? I told you Miles came this way."

"Alright, alright, you’ve got sharp eyes," Ryan Hale said dotingly.

Claire Kendall’s body stiffened. She immediately pressed herself into Miles Warren’s arms, her face buried against his chest, her nose filled with his overwhelmingly masculine scent.

She didn’t dare to move a muscle.

The man had his back to them, so Megan and Ryan Hale couldn’t see who was in his arms.

Megan Hale was surprised. "Did we come at a bad time? Has Miles had a... romantic encounter? Why not bring her over to join the fun?"

"Her—"

Miles Warren lowered his gaze to the person in his arms.

Her heart was pounding, and for a moment, she nearly stopped breathing.

"She’s a little shy."

"Well, girls can be like that..." Megan Hale said, but she couldn’t contain her curiosity and craned her neck, trying to see what kind of girl had managed to capture Miles Warren’s heart.

Claire Kendall’s hands, wrapped around Miles Warren’s waist, tightened. She even ducked her head under the water, terrified of being discovered.

Just as Megan Hale was about to see—

Ryan Hale urged, "Honey, it’s getting late. We should head back and rest. Give the young people some space."

"Alright." Megan Hale, somewhat disappointed, was pulled away by her husband.

Only after their footsteps had completely faded away did Claire Kendall emerge from the water.

The combination of tension and the warm water had flushed her skin pink, making her look like a ripe apple, utterly delectable.

"What about me and that model?" He looked down. "A purely monetary transaction."

He turned his head away, seeming to find it hard to say, but he explained anyway.

"I give her money, and she calls me... and bakes cakes."

It finally dawned on Claire Kendall.

That incredibly intimate phone call in the car that day—he had arranged it in advance?

’Could this man be any more shameless...’

Miles Warren casually pulled over the fruit platter from the edge of the pool, which was filled with bright red cherries.

"What’s this?" Claire Kendall raised an eyebrow. "You want me to feed you?"

He gave a noncommittal grunt.

Claire Kendall picked up a cherry, and just as she was about to bring it to his lips, she popped it into her own mouth instead.

Her pearly white teeth bit into the cherry as she rested her hands on his shoulders and leaned forward.

Her moist, dewy eyes stared at him without blinking.

"You..." Miles Warren lowered his head, his Adam’s apple bobbing. "What kind of feeding is this?"

SPLASH—

He stood up and grabbed his bathrobe, his back ramrod straight, but the deep red of his neck betrayed him.

"What’s wrong? Is Dr. Warren not eating cherries anymore?"

Claire Kendall stared at his back, bit through the cherry, and its juice burst forth.

She chuckled softly. "The ’flower on a high mountain’... not so unattainable after all..."

「The next morning.」

Ethan Lynch and Ryan Hale signed the building materials cooperation contract. Because of Claire Kendall, Megan Hale offered an additional one percent discount, which made Ethan Lynch ecstatic.

On the way back, Miles Warren had an academic conference to attend, so Megan Hale personally drove the two of them to the airport.

"Mrs. Hale, if you have any styles or patterns you like, you can send them to me anytime. I’ll have the master artisans in Wexall Village make them for you."

Megan Hale understood her meaning perfectly and nodded repeatedly.

"You really know how to win someone over."

"Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to promote your Moonstone brand to all my friends."

Claire Kendall’s eyes curved into crescents. "Thank you, Mrs. Hale!"

On the ride back, Ethan Lynch was gloating.

"Claire Kendall, you did well this time. I’ll sign that contract with your father."

"You’ve got some ability. Shut down that pathetic little studio of yours. From now on, you’ll work for me. The most important thing is that you take good care of me, both at home and outside."

...

Claire Kendall turned a deaf ear to his bullshit.

With the cooperation contract between the Kendall and Lynch families in hand, Claire Kendall went straight to the Kendall family home.

The sooner she was done with Howard Kendall, the better.

In the living room, she slapped the contract down on the coffee table, her gaze fixed coldly on the man before her.

"I brought you what you wanted."

Howard Kendall greedily snatched up the contract, looking it over again and again.

He hadn’t expected Claire Kendall to move so quickly.

Her voice was icy. "Now it’s your turn. Sign the surgery consent form."

"What’s the rush?" Howard Kendall sneered. "The surgery isn’t scheduled yet, is it?"

"Claire, actually, I have another project. It’s a partnership with the Holt Group. You can handle that one too."

Chloe Kendall couldn’t hide her glee. "Dad, isn’t Mr. Holt from the Holt Group over fifty?"

"Let sis go. She did such a good job pleasing Ethan Lynch, she must be an expert at handling old men like him."

Howard Kendall considered it seriously.

"Claire, about that Mr. Holt... you’ll have to take it easy on him. After all, he’s not a young man. He can’t handle too much... excitement."

A wave of disgust washed over Claire Kendall.

’This was her father? He could hardly even be called human!’

However, she had already anticipated this situation before she arrived.

She flexed her wrist.

"SMACK!"

The slap was vicious and heavy.

She struck Howard Kendall directly across the face, making the fat on his cheeks jiggle.

Chloe Kendall, who had been slapped by her before, quickly scrambled out of the way.

"C-Claire Kendall, are you... insane!"

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