Chapter 356

Chapter 356 Elysia pouted and hopped off the dining table, getting angrier the more she thought about it. She decided it was time to change clothes and go have a word with him.

But just before she could leave, something caught her eye—the painting hanging on the easel. It was the piece she’d done for the preliminary round of the national painting competition.

At first, Vincent had told her to pick any of her previous works, but after going through them, she just wasn’t happy with any of them. So, she started fresh and painted something new.

By sheer luck, she had finished it today. It was the perfect time to take it to him. She planned to have Zane drive her to Iskoria Villa to give it to Vincent.

Feeling determined, she carefully took the painting off the easel, rolled it up, and placed it in a tube. Then she walked out the door.

Just as she arrived at his place, Zane had just finished his third shower. He was heading out of his room when the doorbell rang.

Wrapping a bathrobe around himself, he opened the door, surprised to see Elysia standing there.

Seeing him in a bathrobe, Elysia blinked, her eyes wide. “Zane, it’s noon. Why did you...”

Hearing that, Zane quickly looked aw not meeting her eyes. “It’s hot. Just trying to cool off.”

‘Hot?‘ Elysia thought, tilting her head and glancing outside. ‘But it’s clearly overcast “Zane, you wouldn’t be...” Elysia started to say, eyeing him with curiosity. Zane’s eyes flickered for a second, his heart skipping a beat. ‘Does she know what’s happening with me?‘ he thought.

Before he could explain, Elysia’s face suddenly lit up, and she grinned. “You’re sick, aren’t you?”

Zane blinked, thinking, ‘How is Elysia so sharp, yet so clueless about these things? I guess I’ll have to tell her about something like this sometime.

He gently tapped her forehead with his finger, said nothing, and turned to head back inside.

Elysia followed him in, confused. ‘Did I say something wrong? Someone who can’t tell the difference between hot and overcast must be sick, right?‘ she wondered.

She was lost in thought, so she didn’t realize Zane had stopped in his tracks until she bumped into his solid back.

Rubbing her forehead where she’d hit him, she looked up, and Zane turned around, gently cupping her face in his hands.

“Did I hurt you?” he asked, his voice soft.

Elysia frowned, still feeling the sting. “What did you do to your back? It’s so hard!”

Zane smirked slightly, amusement dancing in his eyes. “I work out every night. What do you think?”

Elysia’s mind flashed with the image of him working out. Without thinking, she reached out and poked his abdomen. But the thick bathrobe was in the way, so she didn’t really feel much.

“Want me to take it off so you can get a better look?” Zane’s lips curled into a playful smile, his voice low and teasing.

Elysia’s face immediately turned bright red. She quickly pulled her hand back. “N–no. That’s okay.”

With that, she turned to run.

1/3 09:32 Wed, 19 Mar Chapter 356 But she forgot that Zane was still holding her face.

Zane wasn’t using much force, and his grip was light. Elysia could have easily pulled away, but before she could take mone than two steps, he tugged her back toward him.

She stumbled and fell right into his arms.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Zane asked with his hands on her shoulders. He gently pulled back just enough to give them both some space.

If she stayed this close, he’d probably have to go back to the bathroom to cool off again.

Elysia took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. She looked up at him, trying to sound steady. T... I wasn’t going anywhere.”

“Why do you sound so nervous?” Zane smiled, knowing this wasn’t like her usual self.

He carefully cupped her chin, lifting her face to meet his gaze. His eyes softened as they dropped to her forehead, where the had bumped it earlier. His touch lingered there with a gentle concern in his expression. “Be careful next time!

Then, he leaned in slightly and blew on her forehead, and his soft gesture was surprisingly tender.

Elysia’s heart skipped a beat, and her face went even redder.

When Zane pulled back, he noticed her flushed cheeks and couldn’t help but smile. He reached out and playfully rubbed the bridge of her nose.

“I’m going to change. Wait here for me,” he said.

When Elysia nodded, he finally turned and walked away.

Left alone, Elysia plopped down on the couch. She fanned her face with both hands, trying to cool off.

But even when Zane came back, her cheeks were still burning.

“Let’s go,” Zane said.

“What?” Elysia blinked, caught off guard.

“Aren’t you going to Iskoria Villa? I’ll take you,” he offered.

At that, Elysia froze. She had planned on going to Iskoria Villa, but she hadn’t mentioned it to him yet. How did he know?” she thought.

Seeing the confusion in her eyes, Zane casually took her wrist and helped her up. “I saw the art tube you’re carrying.”

Then Elysia nodded, but Zane didn’t let go of her hand. He held it firmly until they got into the passenger seat, reluctantly letting go only after that.

*****

When they arrived at Iskoria Villa, Faelan spotted them immediately and broke into a warm smile. “Mr. Hartley, Elysia, come on in!”

As he spoke, he stepped aside to let them in.

“Elysia, it’s been a while since you last stopped by. Vincent’s been talking about you nonstop. I was about to reach out myself, and now here you are,” Faelan said, grinning.

Wed, Chapter 856 Elysia smiled, a little embarrassed. “I’ve been swamped lately. Finally, I found some time, so I rushed over as soon as I could.”

She had been busy indeed, but Faelan suspected she might be stretching the truth a bit.

The Janssen family drama had just wrapped up. Bianca was in prison, and the family had fallen from grace. Faelan was relieved that Bianca likely wouldn’t be a problem for Elysia anymore.

It was unfortunate about Denzel, though. He had been a good man, but he’d raised a daughter who had hurt others and herself.

Now, the whole thing had ended so tragically.

93%1 53 “Elysia, you got so much going on that you forgot about me?” Vincent said, his tone teasing, but there was a light, playful complaint behind his words. It was clear he wasn’t actually upset.

Elysia quickly stepped forward, looping her arm through his. “Vincent, it’s not that I didn’t want to visit. I’ve just had too much going on. But now that I’ve got some free time, I came straight over.”

“Really?” Vincent raised an eyebrow.

“Really! I swear,” Elysia said, her eyes wide and innocent.

Seeing her big, round eyes and mischievous grin, Vincent couldn’t help but laugh. “Alright, I give up. You know I can’t stay mad at you. I try to scold you, but it never works. If I don’t scold you, you just get more trouble.”

Elysia grinned. “I know you treat me the best, Vincent.”

“You’ve got a way with words,” Vincent said, shaking his head. Then his gaze fell on the painting tube slung over her shoulder.

His eyes lit up. “Did you bring me a new painting to show off?”

“That’s right,” Elysia said, taking the tube off her back and handing the painting to him. “It’s for the competition. I wasn’t happy with my last ones, so I did a new one. Can you take a look and let me know if anything’s off?”

Vincent examined the painting carefully, nodding and offering his praise. “Not bad at all. It balances stillness with movement. The colors are perfect, and the details are spot on. If you submit this one, based on last year’s competition, you’d easily take first place.”

Elysia smiled slightly with a glimmer of pride in her eyes. “Thanks for the kind words, Vincent. In that case, I’ll leave it with you.”

“Alright, I’ll have Faelan take care of submitting it later,” Vincent said, giving the painting another approving glance.

“Thanks, Vincent.” She smiled warmly and then turned to Faelan with a teasing look. “I’ll leave the rest to you, Faelan.”

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