Tempting Him to Lose Control

Chapter 68: Chapter 68: He Gave a Kraft Paper Bag

Miles Warren walked around her, washed his hands, and sat down at his desk.

Claire Kendall leaned against the desk beside him and blinked. "Dr. Warren, I’m not sure I understand what you mean."

"Yes, you do." Miles Warren looked up, staring at her. "Clinging to my arm, letting them get the wrong idea."

Claire Kendall leaned in slightly, her fair fingers tracing circles over the buttons of his shirt.

"The wrong idea about what?"

"That Dr. Warren likes me?"

She moved closer, their lips almost touching.

"So, does Dr. Warren not like me?"

The man grabbed her hand and leaned back slightly, putting some distance between them.

"Dr. Warren, when do you plan on making our relationship public?"

"I’ve already devoured little Miles Warren, after all. You have to take some responsibility, right?"

Miles Warren’s back clearly stiffened.

He took a deep breath, exasperated. "Claire Kendall, can you please not..."

"Not what?"

"Nothing." He gave up the struggle.

’If anyone was being indecent, it was him.’

Seeing his silence, Claire Kendall stopped teasing him. "Alright, alright, don’t be mad, Dr. Warren."

"The day after tomorrow is the grand opening of my studio, Moonstone. I’d like to invite you to the ribbon-cutting ceremony. I wonder if you would grace me with your presence?" She adopted a serious tone, her eyes sparkling.

"You found a location that quickly?"

She pulled out her phone and showed him a photo.

"It’s on the first floor of The Keystone Building, downtown."

"Hmm, not a bad location."

Claire Kendall nodded. "The rent is a little steep, but it’s worth it."

Miles Warren looked up at her. "How much?"

Claire Kendall stated a number. "Dr. Warren, you’re so loaded. Don’t tell me you’re thinking of helping me pay for it?"

The man lowered his gaze and coolly uttered two words: "You wish."

’He can’t even be bothered to pretend,’ Claire inwardly complained. ’He doesn’t know how to say a single nice thing to make a girl happy!’

She put on a radiant smile. "Well then, Dr. Warren, you have to be there on time!"

Claire Kendall stood up to leave, but her elbow accidentally bumped a stack of patient files on the corner of the desk.

WHOOSH—

A pile of documents scattered all over the floor.

"Sorry, I didn’t mean to." Claire Kendall apologized as she squatted down to pick up the files.

The space under the desk wasn’t large.

Claire knelt on the floor, her slender waist dipping as she reached for a file that had slid further underneath.

Miles Warren’s gaze fell upon her, watching her bustling, slightly flustered and clumsy figure. His eyes darkened unconsciously, his focus landing on her slender neck.

’This position...’

The man immediately averted his gaze, his Adam’s apple bobbing.

The office door was suddenly pushed open.

"Miles, about that surgery tomorrow afternoon, I..."

Jonathan Keller’s voice died in his throat.

He stood at the door, dumbfounded.

A slender, beautiful figure was kneeling under Miles Warren’s desk, her head buried between his legs, while the man himself sat ramrod straight, looking down, with one hand seemingly resting on her shoulder...

The look on Jonathan Keller’s face was suddenly priceless.

"My apologies, d-don’t mind me."

He slammed the door shut with a BAM and hurried away.

"See no evil, see no evil..."

Miles Warren closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. "Just leave them."

Claire Kendall got up and stacked the files neatly. "Was that Dr. Keller who just came by?"

"Yes."

A smile played on Claire Kendall’s lips, spreading across her face. "So he thought we were..." She touched her two fair index fingers together, tapping them lightly.

"Dr. Warren, I’m so sorry for ruining your virtuous and noble reputation. But this time, I really didn’t do it on purpose~"

She darted away like a cunning fox.

Miles Warren stared after her, his fingertips tightening their grip on the patient file.

’Hah, virtuous and noble? She really thought too highly of him.’

’He was loath to admit how shameless he truly was—just seeing that sliver of her slender waist was enough to get a reaction out of him.’

-

「Two days later, at The Keystone Building.」

Moonstone’s grand opening was a spectacular affair.

The entire exterior of the building was covered in massive posters. A red carpet was rolled out at the entrance, flanked by rows upon rows of flower arrangements sent by friends and business partners.

Reporters stood guard at the entrance with their long-lensed cameras, flashes blinking nonstop as passersby stopped to stare.

"I heard the calligraphy on that plaque was personally written by the old master of the Warren family and sent over. What an honor!"

"Look, isn’t that the CEO of Crescent? And over there, the vice-chairman of Aethel’s chamber of commerce!"

"Who is this Claire Kendall, anyway? Isn’t she just some minor designer from the Sinclair Group?"

"And now she’s striking out on her own and can pull off a scene this big. Half of Aethel high society is almost here."

...

Claire Kendall wore a light blue cheongsam, her hair casually pinned up. She had a gentle smile, and her every move exuded an exceptional grace.

"Claire, from now on I’ll have to call you Ms. Kendall. If you have any collaborations, remember to think of Crescent first!"

Julian Wilde stepped forward and handed her an exquisitely wrapped box.

"This is a grand opening gift for you. It’s a Cabbage Vase, hand-fired by the ceramic artist Monroe of Seraphine. The name is a pun for ’a hundred fortunes’!"

"Thank you, Mr. Wilde." Claire Kendall quickly accepted it with both hands and instructed an employee to put it away safely.

The reporters snapped photos enthusiastically.

A piece by ceramic artist Monroe was worth at least several hundred thousand. For Mr. Wilde to place so much importance on a small studio that wasn’t even worth a fraction of Crescent was astounding.

At the storefront, a white Porsche Cayenne pulled up.

"Fairy Princess!"

A chubby little boy hopped out of the passenger seat, rushed over to Claire Kendall, and hugged her.

"Bobby missed you so much."

Claire Kendall was pleasantly surprised to see him and patted the little boy’s head.

"Bobby, you’ve gotten taller! You’re becoming such a little man!"

Maya Warren stepped out of the car in high heels, radiating the full aura of a powerful career woman.

She pulled Bobby back, instructing, "You can’t cling to your big sister today. She’s very busy."

Bobby pouted, reluctantly let go, and then started shadowing Claire’s every move.

Maya Warren presented a gift box. "Congratulations on the grand opening. For my overseas trade business, if you ever need to export via ship, just let me know."

Claire Kendall accepted the gift box. Through the transparent lid, she saw it was a gleaming gold bar!

Weight: 1 kg.

’What...?’

’This gift...’

"Ms. Warren, this is far too valuable. I can’t accept it."

Bobby huffed. "Fairy Princess, just take it. This is what my mom always gives as a present. We have a lot more at home."

"She gives big ones to people she’s close with and small ones to people she’s not," Bobby said seriously. "Yours is a super big one!"

Claire Kendall felt it would be improper to refuse, so she had no choice but to accept it.

’This gift really was in line with the eldest daughter of the Warren family’s usual style.’

Claire Kendall glanced at her phone, a sense of anxiety creeping into her heart.

It was almost time for the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

A low-key Volkswagen Phaeton pulled up.

Miles Warren was dressed in a black suit with a slim, dark gray tie. A brooch glinting faintly in the sunlight made him look even more distinguished.

The man walked up. "Sorry, a surgery held me up."

Seeing him, Claire Kendall felt a sense of relief, and her eyes curved into a smile.

"It’s okay. I’m just glad you could make it, Dr. Warren."

He handed Claire Kendall a kraft paper bag.

It was a completely ordinary paper bag, with no decorations, not even properly sealed.

The reporters, as if they had found a "hot story," immediately started snapping endless photos of the paper bag.

The expressions on the faces of the surrounding crowd were quite peculiar.

"What’s going on? Is that all he’s giving her?"

"Miles Warren is a member of the Warren family, after all. How can he be so cheap?"

"He probably doesn’t think much of Claire Kendall. At the end of the day, she’s just a dressmaker."

"True. The fact that the heir even showed up is a huge honor in itself."

Whispers rose from the crowd.

Sharon Carter whispered in her ear, "Girl, are you sure your eyes are working? The guy you’re chasing is way too stingy."

Someone in the crowd started to heckle.

"Hurry up and open it! Let’s see what he got you!"

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