Chapter 273 Shy Friend
“No way.”
“It’s not about her.”
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Jessica and Zane’s voices crashed together, sharp and loud. Their eyes locked, then almost in the same breath, they both looked away, like strangers pretending nothing had been said.
Anneliese almost doubled over with laughter. The tension, the stiff voices, the guilty faces–it all carried the thick stench of a hidden fling.
“Then tell me, Zane, what exactly are you doing here?”
“I came to return your phone, Anneliese. And Jonathan already set everything in place regarding the Whites. You shouldn’t run into any real problems. But if they keep stirring up trouble, you tell me. I’ll handle it.”
Zane slid his hand into his pocket, pulled out the phone, and placed it in her hand.
Anneliese’s eyes widened with delight. “How did
you end up with this?”
“I had a case in Baytree. Picked it up on my way back.”
She remembered how she had been dragged into the White family’s home while her car was driven to Baytree.
Jonathan’s men had tracked her down there. Zane must have bumped into them by chance.
But Zane wasn’t the kind of man to waste his time playing delivery boy. He had taken this task for a reason, and it wasn’t just about a phone.
Anneliese curled her lips into a smile as she held the phone close. “I’ll have to go up. Jess, make sure you thank Zane for me.”
She shot Jessica a knowing wink before heading quickly toward the building.
“Thanks for the trouble. Well, if there’s nothing else, then I’ll just…”
Jessica’s words tumbled out clumsily and unevenly. The memory of that one–night stand burned inside her, awkward and heavy, since she had never done anything like it before.
She was about to slip away when Zane’s voice cut her off.
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Chapter 273 Shy Friend
“We should talk.”
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Jessica’s head turned. She refused to let her nerves show. She squared her shoulders, lifted her chin, and gave a firm nod.
“Alright. Let’s talk.”
“The wind’s picking up. We’ll use my car.”
His jaw tightened as he gestured toward it with a tilt of his head. He didn’t wait for her answer, already moving.
Jessica trailed after him. He swung open the rear door, and she bent to slide inside. She had barely sat down when Zane stepped in too, closing the space.
The backseat had plenty of room, but his presence made the air thick and suffocating. She had to shuffle fast or she would have been pressed right into his chest.
“About that night…” Zane started.
Jessica’s scalp prickled. She jumped in before he could finish.
“It was an accident. I don’t care about it, and you shouldn’t either. Don’t worry. I already took the morning–after pill. You won’t ever have to take responsibility.”
Zane’s eyes narrowed. She looked like she would swear her life just to prove she wanted nothing to do with him. His jaw clenched tight, and a rough laugh scraped out of his throat.
“So responsible, aren’t you?”
Her lips twisted into a forced grin. “Of course. That’s the only way to handle it.”
She would never be foolish enough to tie herself to a man like him, especially a lawyer.
His face stayed hard and cold, and silence filled the car.
Jessica took it as his warning, a wordless command to never speak about that night again. She nodded once, as if closing the subject..
“Is that all? Then I’ll have to go now.”
She turned toward the door. But before she could pull it open, his hand clamped around her
wrist.
His other arm stretched over, pressing firm against the top of the door, holding it shut and
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Chapter 273 Shy Friend
caging her in.
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Jessica’s breath caught. She whipped her head around, eyes wide, trapped between the cold car door and the broad wall of muscle blocking her escape.
His breath hit her skin, sharp with the scent of pine layered with a faint bite of smoke, clean yet fierce. The smell clawed through her chest and dragged her mind back to that night.
He had leaned over her the same way then, commanding every second, pulling her into his fire without giving her space to resist.
Jessica’s heart raced. A single thought sliced into her. She should have been the one on top. She should have taken charge.
Heat spilled across her face, and her tongue swept over her lips before she could stop it.
Zane’s gaze darkened. He caught every flicker, every crack in her control. His breath ghosted against the edge of her ear, and his voice fell low and rough.
“Let’s do it again. This time, you can take the lead. You can… be on top.”
Jessica froze.
He could see straight through her.
That was terrifying.
She yanked the door handle, slipped under his arm, and shot out of the car like lightning.
Once her feet hit the ground, she spun around, crossing her arms into a sharp X in front of her chest.
“You’re too expensive, Zane. I can’t afford you. Goodbye.”
She slammed the door hard and ran, her small frame darting away in the dark.
In the backseat, Zane clicked his tongue as he watched her vanish into the night.
That was the second time she had turned him down.
Anneliese finally reached home, plugged in her phone, and hit the power. The device lit up and rang out with one notification after another, the sounds stacking together like a chorus of
chimes.
Her chest tightened when Jonathan’s name filled the screen. He had called more than ten
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Chapter 273 Shy Friend
times. She tapped their WhatsApp thread, and message after message scrolled down.
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He had written again and again, asking if she was alright, begging for an answer. Every word dripped with worry and fear.
Her chest warmed, heavy and full. She thought of how he had flown back only for her, how he had gone to such lengths to punish the White family for what they had done, how he had kissed her without warning.
Her pulse faltered and raced, and her fingers shook as she typed.
Did you kiss me because you love me?‘
Her teeth sank down hard as she read it over. She was about to send it when the screen lit again. A new call came in. It was the shipping company. Earlier that afternoon, she had made arrangements for Meatloaf to be sent back to Baytree.
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