Chapter 116

Chapter 116

The cigarette hung lazily between his lips, burning on its own as he sat motionless, half-squinting into the night.

Footsteps approached, and Phillip set a bottle of bourbon and two glasses on the glass coffee table, sitting beside him and saying, “Not hitting the sack? What’s on your mind, sitting out here all alone?”

Curtis gazed at the deep blue of the night sky, taking his time before he spoke, “You know, Phillip, sometimes, I envy you.”

“What’s there to envy?” Phillip asked.

“Since childhood, you got it all. You were Mom and Dad’s favorites, received all the respect, and everything our family had to offer. Curtis continued, “The whole world. seems to be yours.”

Phillip’s face showed no surprise as if he’d known all along, and he said, “Curtis, you have no idea how much I envy your freedom.”

With a self-mocking smile, Curtis lounged back in the wicker chair. “Everything a person gets comes with a hidden price tag. You envy my freedom because I don’t have to attend the classes an heir must, and I don’t need to master the skills you’ve learned since childhood. It’s not a privilege, Phillip. It’s because I was denied that right.”

“So, heading off to Emberland was about proving to Mom and Dad that you could make

yourself without the Richardson name?”

som

Curtis removed the cigarette from his lips, flicking away the ash, his eyelids. Cealing his gaze. “I wanted to prove I’m no less than you.”

was silent for a moment. “Curtis, you don’t need to prove anything.”

ah.” Curtis laughed lightly, a cryptic shade to his amusement. He took a drag from his. cigarette, his tone growing indifferent. “Turns out, proving it doesn’t make a difference.”

After her shower, Leanne reached for a towel only to find the rack in the bathroom empty.

The Richardson family staff, seasoned with years of service, wouldn’t make such an oversight.

Even if they forgot to restock, the spares should still be there. They were just yesterday.

She couldn’t help but suspect it was Mary’s doing, purposely leaving her without a towel, forcing her to call for help from Curtis.

OTL

Though clever, she probably didn’t know that Curtis usually didn’t sleep in this room, making her scheme futile.

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Chapter 116

Yet, even with no one around, it took courage to ventu

Damping all over, Leanne cautiously stepped out of the bathroom, tipto came close for a spare towel

As she opened the cabinet and reached up, the door swung open, and Curtis came in, his stride halting when his eyes landed on her.

At that moment, Leanne’s mind fizzled, frozen. Her arm still lifted in mid reach, wet locks cascaded down her shoulders, water streaming down her dazed face, over her elegant neck and delicate collarbone, meandering past her curves to the soft expanse of her waist.

There wasn’t a single flaw on her, from the full curves of her hips down to her well-proportioned legs, so straight and long.

Curtis snapped back from the vivid scene in seconds, or maybe less. He raised an eyebrow.

“I should’ve known Grandma snatched my liquor to send me up here, but I didn’t expect such a grand surprise.”

In a panic, Leanne yanked a piece of cloth from the closet. She didn’t know what it was, wrapping it hastily around herself.

Her lips pressed together, then she said, “There are no towels in the bathroom.”

“I noticed.” Curtis remained, blatantly admiring her with no intention to look away. “Grandma’s quite the strategist.”

With him not moving and Leanne unable to dress before him, her skin burned with irritation under his gaze.

“Have you seen enough?”

“If you ask like that, obviously not.” His eyes casually roamed over her as he continued, “What a dilemma. I’m beginning to regret the thought of divorcing you.”