Guidelines for the Perfect Goodbye - Chapter 292
Carolineâs eyes wavered like the pendulum of a clock. Her face was already flushed red. It had been a long time since heâd been with a woman for whom everything was a first. The unfamiliar reaction, surprisingly, felt refreshingly novel.
âHavenât you ever heard that people from the capital are lazy?â
Even having tea time in bed was a fad started by people from the capital.
With practiced nonchalance, he naturally led her toward the bed. But the gentle pull stopped at some point. She, half-risen, suddenly froze stiff as if sheâd seen Medusa.
âCaroline?â
âJ-Just a momentâŠâ
âWhatâs wrong?â
âIâŠâ
She closed her mouth and shook her head vigorously.
Her breath was as rough as her blushing face. It wasnât the precursor to pleasure. It was an unmistakable sign of rejection. Christian frowned.
âI made the appointment at this hotel. And you came all the way in here without a word.â
Even if it was a high-class room with the bedroom separated from the sitting area, a hotel was, at its core, a place for a nightâs rest or brief respite.
âButâ Iâm not that kind of woman!â
âWhat?â
âI was taught not to take these things lightly. Things like this⊠That is, for an unmarried woman to do something like this with a man⊠Itâs improper.â
âWho gave you such a noble lesson?â
âI-Itâs just basic decorum for a lady.â
âAh, decorum.â
The ladies he knew must have learned that sort of thing as well. None of them kept to it, though. No, more than thatâ
âWas there really someone who sincerely heard and practiced such old-fashioned talk?â
Impressive. Christian clicked his tongue inwardly. At the same time, he thought. Will she try to force such a moral code on him too? If he were to marry this woman, the rest of his life would be nothing but boredom.
Even considering a serious relationship for a moment was a mistake. Just as he first thought, she was a woman who didnât suit him at all.
âHmâŠâ
Christian let go of Carolineâs wrist and idly stroked his chin. The woman before him was incompatible with him from head to toe.
Still, she was useful for now. He wasnât heartless enough to treat fortune that had rolled his way so rudely.
âAll right. If thatâs how you feel.â
Christian put on a deliberately fabricated smile.
âThereâs a cafĂ© with excellent tea on the terrace, Miss. May I escort you? Would you kindly take my arm again?â
Only then did Caroline place her gloved hand on his arm. Christian smiled gently.
This must be the reason why she doesnât directly connect him to Dan.
Thatâs the only reason to keep seeing her.
She, too, must subconsciously know that what he needs from her is investment.
âIf thatâs the case, fine. I only need the money. Itâs not as if Iâm lacking women.â
For now, he would give her his trust. Enough to make her believe he truly loved her. So that she would eventually spill all her information herself.
It wouldnât be too late to discard her then.
Either way, she was, at present, the most valuable woman to him. He should let her exhaust that value.
âBy making her divulge everything she knows about this Dan person.â
* * *
When Christian asked her to connect him with Dan, Caroline was genuinely flustered. After all, the only information she had about him was from an anonymous misdelivered letter.
No matter how she tried to trace the source, all her acquaintances in investment were related to her father. To her, they were all adults separated by at least one degree.
Still, she feigned knowledge with all her might. She felt that if she admitted she didnât know Dan, sheâd be completely severed from Christian for good.
Around that time, another letter arrived. It wasnât a misdelivery. Her own initial was written on it, and the place of dispatch was marked. The intention behind it was clear as day.
So the previous letter hadnât been delivered by mistake⊠It had been aimed at her from the start?
Suddenly, a chill ran down her spine. Normally, she would have ignored such a letter out of unease.
But in reality, she couldnât let go of it. Two names waltzed together in her mind.
Dan⊠Christian⊠DanâŠ
âChristian.â
She didnât want to lose him a second time.
Even if this letter wasnât a letter of luck. Even if it was a trap set by someone.
Foolishly, she placed her hand atop that dubious trick and chased her immediate goal.
If things ended in heartbreak again this time, she felt as though she might as well drive a nail into her own heart and die.
