Chapter 21: Surrender
Candice asked: [Who are you?]
The person replied: [Byron]
She was completely dumbfounded.
Candice remembered that his background image was blank and his profile picture was a black heart, which seemed to refer to Vicky, the evil woman.
Then again, it was a reference to himself, the dark, ruthless player.
She couldnât recognize him.
While she was hesitating, Byron sent her another request and the door to the pantry was pushed open again without warning. Candice was so nervous that her fingers started shivering.
âWhat are you standing there for?â
She came back to her senses and quickly hid her phone behind her back.
Chapter 21. Surrender
âPatrick.â
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âYou havenât been attentive at work lately because youâre preoccupied with dating. Are you planning to lose your job?â Patrick chastised harshly.
Candice looked down without explaining further.
âAre you all co cky now that youâve h o o ked up with a doctor and youâre getting married soon? I canât tolerate the slightest bit of misconduct and poor performance. If your canât do well at work, Iâll sack you all the same even if youâre married to the boss!â
It was obvious that he was using work to get back at her. Indeed, petty men are not to be provoked.
âIâll work on it and get in the right state as soon as possible,â she said after taking a deep breath.
âClose the deal with Fortune Group by the end of the month or get out of here,â Patrick said, giving her an ultimatum.
As soon as he left, Candice immediately picked up her phone to see that Byron wasnât saying anything on Instagram.
She tapped on his profile and saw that he had posted three photos, with the latest being a photo of him at the gym, which was posted in the early hours of the morning. In the
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photo, he was wearing a gray sports tank and beige shorts, with the hem rolled up. His arm muscles were rather toned and his abs were covered in sweat.
He was subtly seductive and s**y, with an understated feral touch of lust.
There was no caption for that photo, which was very much in line with Byronâs style.
She accidentally liked the photo while she was in a trance.
Almost in the same second, Candice unliked it.
Immediately afterwards, Byron sent a text: [Iâm at the gym near your office.]
Having been caught stalking his profile, Candice pursed her lips and exited the app.
She lifted the blinds to look at Hotmax Gym, the gym on the second floor of Golden Building across the street, which was newly opened at the beginning of the year. The environment was nice too. She had a membership pass but she hadnât had the time to hit the gym.
The spa cious and clear floor-to-ceiling glass was facing the Shelton Building where she was working.
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NY General Hospital, Bourland Villa, and New Century Bar formed Byronâs three-point trajectory. Thus, coming to the Golden Building gym was a complete detour for him.
Candice had the impression that he had always been distant, aloof, and rigorous. At this point, she couldnât figure out what his intentions were.
Back in the office, Candice told Monica about the Fortune Group deal she had to close, which gave the latter a great shock.
âPatrick couldnât even close the deal himself. Whatâs the point of sending you?â she remarked.
The deal with Fortune Group was extremely hard to clinch. Candice didnât know the specific reasons for it but she had already made three attempts, all of which were rejected.
Keeping her volume down, Monica said, âMy boyfriendâs classmate works at Fortune Group, which is a joint venture with a foreign firm. They have rich resources but their boss is always out of office because he seems to have other business to attend to. So, its employees are free to sk ip work as they please as long as they meet their KPIs. Besides, the company is about to be listed soon and the elite core employees will be given shares. Would you jump ship if you were them?â
âNo,â Candice said without hesitation.
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âPatrick is purely making things hard for you. He became the laughing stock of the company after the failed proposal. Of course, he wouldnât let you off.â
Candice wasnât willing to resign for no reason and accept the unreasonable treatment.
âIâll just make a last-ditch effort and hope for the best.â
Monica pursed her lips and said, âGood luck.â
After work in the evening, Patrick criticized Candice again for submitting a messy proposal and lacking motivation.
Monica was so angry that she wanted to retort but Candice stopped her.
âPatrick must be going through menopause! How petty of him to be torturing a female employee,â she said.
indignantly.
The elevator was crowded and Candice was pondering about something while her phone kept ringing in her purse.
Sensing it, Monica asked, âWhoâs that? Youâre ignoring him.â
Candice couldnât put a finger on what was wrong but she
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felt that something was surreal.
âItâs a car salesman.â
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âHeâs pretty stubborn,â Monica said apprehensively, staring at her from the wall without believing Candice.
After her phone stopped vibrating, she glanced at it to see that it was a random number and not Byron.
As soon as they were out of the elevator, they heard a chatter in the lobby, and Monica dragged her forward to a Jaguar parked outside the office. The door on the driver side was open and half of the manâs silhouette was faintly visible.
The combination of dusk, a mature man, and smoke was incredibly mysterious, leaving much room for imagination.
It was a story of passionate obscurity.
After just taking one glance, Candice coincidentally met Byronâs gaze and he hon ked to greet her.
A handsome man in a luxury car was even rarer than a beautiful woman in a luxury car, and most men who drive luxury cars were fat and repulsive.
Chapter 21: Surender
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âIs that Mr. A from Tinder giving me a surprise?â Monica said while nudging Candiceâs arm.
Mr. A was Monicaâs backup lover. She was planning to dump her current boyfriend because he was lazy and undriven, but she had yet to find another guy who was good enough. Mr. A was quite a good catch but he had yet to confirm his relationship with her.
âHave you never met him in real life?â Candice asked, glaring at him.
âHeâs a talent show singer and heâs usually very busy with commercial performances and gigs.â
âYou seriously believe that?â
âIâve seen a photo of his back. He looks really cool.â
Monica pulled out her lipstick and quickly put some on her lips. Her cosmetic mirror shook a little and she faced it in. front of her.
âHeâs alighting! Heâs so tall and cool. Heâs coming closer!â she exclaimed.
Candice walked towards the side door but Byron stepped forward to stop her, preventing her from leaving.
Chapter 21: Surrender
âWhy didnât you reply to my text?â
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She bit the bullet and said, âProfessor Wilson⦠are you here to look for someone?â
He stuck one hand in his pocket, held a cigarette in the other and dusted it off toward the door while remaining silent.
âI donât think I owe the hospital any medical bills, do I?â
âWhat do you mean? Do you hate me now because weâre not dating?â Byron suddenly said.
An idea came to Candiceâs mind and she said, âIâm just worried I might implicate you.â
He chuckled and said, âIs that so?â
Byron turned around and turned on the hazard lights of his car before leaning against it.
The bumper of Candiceâs Mini was damaged and undergoing repair at the workshop. She was initially planning to hitch a ride in Monicaâs boyfriendâs car but now that there was a free ride, she obviously wouldnât refute.
She sat on the passenger side while Byron closed the door and went around to the other side.
Chapter 21: Surrender
He unbuttoned his suit with one hand while sitting in, and his aura was strong and sharp. Candice saw Monica taking pictures through the rearview mirror, and deliberately crossing over to capture only Byron.
She mouthed the words, âHow did you get so da mn lucky?â
Candice was indeed luckier than most women who would never get the chance to meet a man like Byron. However, it was just her luck that she couldnât be in a relationship with this dreamboat while the men she had were all scu m bags.
âHas your wound healed?â
âNot so soon,â Byron said as he raised his right arm in front of her.
Candice understood that he wanted her to check for him.
She touched his sleeve and Byron pretended to casually hold her fingertips.
His palm was dry while hers was cold and clammy because she had been in the air-conditioned room for a long time. When their hands touched, it was like a collision between fire and ice.
She tried to retract her hand but to no avail.
Chapter 21: Surrender
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âProfessor Wilson, I donât want to fall hard for you, so please donât flirt with me.â
Staring at the road ahead, he didnât let go and said, âIsnât it good to fall for me?â
âNo, I donât want to be cannon fodder.â
âCannon fodder?â
Candice turned her head to look at him seriously before saying, âThe cannon fodder of your exes.â
âNo such thing,â Byron said, his smile fading a little.
A while later, she recalled Harryâs friendly reminder to her.
âProfessor Wilson, is this a sugar-coated bomb?â she asked.
His hand was on her knees and it looked rather intimate yet restrained, with endless ambiguity.
âWhat is?â
âThe way youâre acting now.â
He didnât have any emotions in his eyes and his gaze was
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gentle, no longer as icy cold as before.
âIâm not that free.â
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In other words, he was trying to say that he meant it and wasnât just playing her out.
Candice had no choice but to admit that Byron was very seductive.
For example, once he confessed, women would definitely drop all suspicions and fall in love with him without regret.
Byron stopped right there without advancing further. He even took a photo of Candiceâs side profile and uploaded it to his Whatsapp Moments after blurring the important parts.
Clearly, apart from Vicky, the rest of his contacts on Whatsapp were a bunch of fan girls that got his number through connections.
He was using Candice as a tool to make them back off.
A week later, Byron asked Candice out on a swimming date but she turned him down, saying that she didnât know how to swim. Byron then said that he would teach her.
Chapter 21 Surrender
She did want to go, not because she had any special
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thoughts, but because she was happy to see Byronâs face. Besides, the weather was really hot so it would be great to cool down.
Candice changed into her swimsuit in the womenâs locker room. She had opted for a relatively conservative one-piece, with her chest and buttocks well covered.
As she entered the swimming pool, Byron became silent for, a moment when he saw her.
âYouâre swimming in this?â he asked.
âThis wonât ride up when Iâm in the water, right?â asked Candice who didnât know much about swimwear.
Those that would float up werenât suitable for her.
Byron thought that she would wear a s**y swimsuit. After all, she had tried her best to court him and win his heart back then and not to mention, she had a marvelous figure too. Even if she couldnât win his heart, she could at least get his attention.
Other women whose figures werenât as good as hers, would rush to strip in front of him.
It seemed that she wasnât really playing hard to get but had.
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really given up.
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Byron was a little frustrated. He reached out and pulled Candice, catching her off guard and causing her to fall into the water. He held her body with his hand, only to realize that there was an intricate design at the back of her swimsuit.
It was a bandeau design that exuded a subtle sex iness, revealing her porcelain skin that was simply glowing.
Candiceâs figure was slim yet curvy in all the right places. Byron had seen her body before but he didnât expect her to be so conservative despite having such a great figure, which gives full play to her pure innocence.
She kept trying to cover herself but unintentionally revealed some of her body parts. Mixed with a tinge of naivete, her behavior was absolutely attractive.
âAre you scared?â
Candice thought about it and shook her head as she answered, âWith you around, Iâm not afraid. Itâs quite cool here.â
She didnât realize how satisfying this little gesture of feminine reliance was to men.
Chapter 21: Surrender
Byron stood behind her to shield her in his arms as the rippling water roamed towards the deepest area in the
center.
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Candiceâs skin was as tender and soft as cotton. She was incredibly meek and feeble too. He couldnât take his hands. off her at all.
He didnât feel any sexual lust for her at first but his desires had now been aroused because of the physical contact.
Byron sucked away a line of water droplets on her neck, clearly restraining himself to the point that his breathing was suppressed too while his hormones raged within him.
Candice couldnât help but tense her back at the wet, suggestive kiss.
âDidnât you ask me out for a swim?â
âWeâre already in the pool. Why are you still asking that?â Byron said, kissing her every now and then.
âPlease focus on teaching me how to swim then.â
He chuckled and said, âAre you st*pid? How many men are really serious about teaching when it comes to something like swimming where youâre barely clothed?â
Chapter 21: Surrender
Candice tried to break free and turned around to face him.
âIn that case, I must be mistaken.â
She turned around again and moved along the wall while Byron deliberately brought her to the deepest areas of the pool. Although the water level was high above her chest, she stubbornly refused to give in and beg him for help.
Byron watched her for a long time before swimming over
too.
He thought that Candice was being too uptight and pretentious. Since they had already been intimate with each other, there was no difference in getting closer. Since they both had the hots for each other and the atmosphere was just right, there was no harm in satisfying each otherâs sexual needs.
However, Byron found Candiceâs stubbornness to be rather attractive because she was purer and had more self-respect for herself compared to Vicky.
She was incredibly alluring and they were just an inch apart. It felt like she was arousing him through the air. He wouldnât have many thoughts about her if he didnât touch her but once he kissed her, all hell would break loose.
He had been bewitched by Vicky.
Chapter 21: Sumender
He had to compare every woman and the way they made him feel to Vicky.
Candice may not be able to defeat her but she wouldnât fall too far behind.
In the past few years, Vicky had gotten a millions of dollars from him and she would make him pay her at least a hundred grand for every date that they went on. She would then go around sleeping with other men. Byron had been confronted by her 16th boyfriend too.
At that time, her boyfriend said straightforwardly, âVicky borrowed 800 grand from me. She wants you to pay for her.â
Vicky.
Byron had never given her any mushy pet names. At most, he addressed her as âhis womanâ.
She often made him furious yet helpless.
Now Candice was playing the nonchalant game again.
Byron grimaced and ignored her as he passed by.
Candice called out to him, âWhat about me?â
Chapter 21: Surrender
âGet back on your own.â
He left it at that and walked away from the swimming pool.
Candice had never been to this part of the city before, and couldnât get a taxi in the suburbs, so she scrambled to get changed and went out to chase Byron.
He didnât actually leave either. Instead, he was talking on speakerphone with the window open and a cigarette in his mouth.
Candice stopped two or three meters away from him and unintentionally overheard a couple of sentences.
âHe is back in NY.â
The person on the other end was very calm.
âHeâs been back for half a month.â
âHe has come to see me.â
âDid he force you to sign the agreement?â
Byron exhaled some smoke through his nostrils as he said, âHe wouldnât dare to.â
Chapter 21. Surrender
âIs he going to leave again?â
âNo idea.â
The person on the other end said, âWhether he leaves or not, just go about your life. You canât cross paths for now.â
Byron was unfazed, put out his cigarette and started the engine.
Candice did not move as she was frozen in place.
He said impatiently, âAre you not going to come up?â
She finally closed the door and went forward.
Byron was generally a very civilized gentleman, but occasionally he was unpredictable, so she couldnât be sure, especially since they had just had a bit of a conflict. Thus, she was even more scared to provoke him.
âWhere do you want to go?â
âHome.â
The rest of the journey was silent.
Chapter 21 Surrender
When she arrived at her destination, Candice was about to push the door open when Byron grabbed her by the shoulders and, with a little force, pulled her into his lap.
He touched Candiceâs face and kissed her domineeringly.
The smell of smoke this time was astringent, bitter and aggressive.
Candice clenched her teeth and didnât let him get away with it.
Completely annoyed, Byron let go of her and said, âGet out.â
That day, Harry texted her.
[Did you really surrender?]
Baffled, Candice replied: [To who?]
He posted a screenshot.
She zoomed in to see that it was a new photo of her swimming in the pool, which Byron had posted.
The angle of the photo was shot from a third person perspective and most importantly, she was blocked from seeing that photo.
The photo was sent to her, but she was blocked.
Candice couldnât figure it out, and asked Harry: [Does he want to go public with our relationship?]
She had a crush on Byron, and there were many women who loved him, both for his looks and for his riches.
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However, Candice had great concerns when it came to an exclusive partner.
She had suffered losses before.
Byron couldnât forget his ex-lover and definitely wouldnât be able to do so in the next few years. She was more like a rebound to him and a tool for comfort. Having learned her lesson with Rufus, she knew that getting into a relationship with a man who couldnât forget his ex would only cause herself to get hurt.
Since her first marriage didnât end well, she definitely had to be cautious with her next relationship.
On the other hand, Harry regretted his decision to be nosy. He Harry and Byron had known each other for ten years and had a very close friendship. Byron had even helped Harry court his first love, who was a forensic scientists that he was deeply in love with. As a result, he started developing a penchant for forensic scientists and went on to date three
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consecutive forensic scientists before finally changing his
type two years ago.
Harryâs first love was arrogant and picky about her boyfriend, and only wanted to date men from prestigious families. Men from middle-class backgrounds wouldnât catch her eye at all. Later on, Byron pulled some courtship tricks and managed to get her for Harry.
However, Harryâs first love fell for Byron instead.
Not only did she not resent him after finding out the truth, but she also even started courting Byron aggressively, causing him to be so overwhelmed that he decided to go abroad to further his studies, so as to hide from her. Only then did she decide to date Harry.
Of course, he had already prepared to go abroad to study drama, which was what Vicky was studying in France. She was obsessed with romantic retro European drama. However, Byron wasnât actually interested in theater and preferred law, directed venture capital, and finance. He almost made a name for himself in the industry but unfortunately, someone caught wind of it and hampered him, for fear that he might rise to fame.
He then majored in theater, only to get close to Vicky.
However, Harry remembered that favor and was thankful to him for it. By right, he should not be betraying Byron.
However, he took pity on Candice for being used as cannon fodder.
Harry weighed his options again and again, and finally chose his buddy. Thus, he did not expose him.
He immediately sent another text to fill the loophole.
[No, he doesnât. Did you guys go swimming together?]
Candice typed with a different hand.
[Heâs really weird. He was acting like a different person today.]
Harry didnât reply.