Chapter 114
As soon as Briar finished speaking, Tristan, who had been shaking his head in the video, suddenly froze.
He said, “Hello? What’s going on? The signal suddenly got bad.”
Briar was at a loss for words.
She thought, ‘This stingy old man.‘
Briar said irritably, “Come on, stop pretending. I personally arranged the signal on the island. When has it ever been bad?
“You’re a miracle doctor worth tens of millions. Can you stop being so cheap and send the money already?”
The video call was cut off instantly, not giving Briar a chance to talk Tristan into anything else.
Briar was at a loss for words.
‘Maybe I should just give up on such a stingy mentor,‘ she thought.
Not bothering to call back, Briar messaged Alexia, asking if she’d been shooting her mouth off to Tristan again.
Alexia immediately ghosted her.
Briar was so exasperated by these guys, she actually burst out laughing.
She was speechless to a whole new level.
At eleven sharp, Briar showed up at Ashton’s bedroom door. At Brandon’s signal, she knocked, but after a while, there was still no answer
from inside.
“Did Ashton fall asleep already?” Briar asked Brandon, who was standing next to her.
Brandon shook his head. “No way! Maybe he just didn’t hear you. It’s fine, Miss Jennings, you can just go right in.”
As he spoke, Brandon reached out, pushed the door open, and gestured for Briar to enter.
Under Brandon’s eager gaze, Briar walked in.
As the door slowly closed behind her, she glanced around the room, and her eyes finally settled on the tightly shut bathroom door.
She could hear water running inside. She felt that Ashton was probably still in the shower and hadn’t heard her knock.
Before Briar could do anything, the water stopped. Soon, a tall, blurry figure appeared behind the bathroom door.
Next thing she knew, the bathroom door opened from the inside, and Ashton stepped out, wearing nothing but a towel slung low around his
waist.
His usually neat black hair was now dripping wet, water trickling down his neck, gliding over his broad chest and sculpted abs, before disappearing into the towel.
Briar didn’t know what to do at that moment.
Chapter 114
She was usually quick and agile, but at that moment, she was completely frozen.
A drop–dead gorgeous hunk stepping out of the shower like that was just too much for her brain to handle. Her mind went Blank, and her body wouldn’t listen to her at all.
Clearly, Ashton hadn’t expected to see Briar in his room either. He froze when he saw her. “Briar…”
Time stood still for a full three seconds before they both snapped out of it. In perfect sync, Briar spun around, and Ashton ducked Back
behind the bathroom door.
Then, they both Blurted out at once.
Briar explained, “I knocked, but you didn’t answer. Brandon said it was fine for me to come in…”
Ashton replied quickly, “Sorry, let me just get changed. Feel free to sit anywhere…”
Just like that, the room was swallowed by an awkward, heavy silence.
Briar touched her slightly flushed cheeks and moved over to the bean bag by the window before sitting down.
Ashton had actually gotten this bean bag chair just for her.
She still had no idea why Ashton would put her favorite bean bag chair in his own bedroom.
Soon, Ashton came out of the bathroom, now fully dressed.
Apart from Briar’s slightly evasive gaze and the water still dripping from Ashton’s hair, it was as if nothing had changed.
Yet the air was filled with a subtle, rosy tension.
Something sweet and bashful, restless but pretending to be calm, was reflected in the wordless understanding between them.
Finally, Ashton broke the silence. “I got held up with some work earlier. I’m sorry.”
Briar waved her hand dismissively. “No worries. It’s not like I was at a loss or anything.”
She thought, ‘With a body like that, if we were a bit closer, I’d totally want to run my hands over those abs and see what an eight–pack actually feels like…‘
This little episode was just a small hiccup. They both quickly regained their composure.
After drying his hair, Ashton sat down on the single sofa across from Briar and handed her a glass of milk.
“Thanks,” Briar said as she took the glass.
Their fingers brushed. His warm hand lay on her cool hand. Even though it lasted only a second, it was enough to set off a wildfire in both
their hearts.
Ashton’s eyes flickered for a moment, but he was a pro at keeping a straight face.
He lowered his gaze, hiding the spark in his eyes, and said politely, “Drink it while it’s still warm.”
Briar took the glass, quietly trying to calm her racing heart as she pulled her hand back. She gave a small nod. “Okay.”
Then, Briar quietly drank the whole glass of milk, focusing on nothing else and keeping her cool.
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Chapter 114
Ashton’s eyes never left her face. He watched the soft flush on her cheeks, and his fingers moved slightly, as if still remembering fre her hand.
“Ashton, are you feeling sleepy yet?” Briar asked.
May be r
of milk left on her upper lip after finishing her gla
All of Ashton’s usual cool–headedness and sharp edge just vanished at the sight of that litt
milk mustache.
For some reason, he suddenly thought she looked ridiculously cute like that.
“I’m starting to feel a bit tired. I’ll lie down on the bed,” he said.
Briar nodded. “Okay.”
Tonight, Ashton had been twice rattled by Briar’s innocent charm, and sleep just wouldn’t come to him like it usually did.
He lay there for half an hour, still wide awake.
Briar sat in the bean bag chair, glancing over at Ashton for the fifth time. Even with his eyes closed, she could tell he wasn’t really asleep.
His breathing was steady, but she could sense he was still awake.
She bit her lip, stood up, and as she walked over, pulled out her gold needles. “Ashton, just relax your hand. Let me do acupuncture on you.
Ashton felt speechless.
He laid his hand flat, watching as Briar expertly disinfected the area, picked up a needle, and precisely inserted it into the inside of his
forearm.
“Stimulating this area properly can help you sleep. Since it’s your first time getting acupuncture, it should work even better,” she explained.
Briar’s acupuncture skills were on another level. When the golden needle slipped in, Ashton didn’t even feel a prick.
Just like she promised, in less than five minutes, Ashton felt sleepiness wash over him, and he slowly closed his eyes again.
This time, it took less than twenty minutes for Ashton to drift off into a deep, peaceful sleep.
Once she was sure Ashton was finally asleep, Briar let out a quiet sigh of relief.
The restless heat bottled up in her chest finally began to ebb away. Face still flushed, she slipped out of the bedroom, her steps slow and
hesitant.
Brandon was leaning against the staircase railing, chatting on the phone.
When he saw Briar come out, he said into the phone, “Hang on, Xavion. Miss Jennings just managed to get Mr. Wade to sleep. I’ll give her a ride home first.”
He hung up, walked over to Briar, and his gaze couldn’t help but linger on her lips for a second before he quickly looked away.
He said, “Miss Jennings, thanks for tonight. Let me drive you home.”
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Chapter 115
