Chapter 273
Chapter 273
Nydia was already feeling tipsy, but the moment Jason grabbed her, she sobered up.
Her petite blushed face, the tips of her ears, and her swan–like neck all blushed in a charming color.
“Be careful, Ms. Nydia.”
Jason saw her unsteady stance and assumed she was drunk. His eyes were filled with concern as he wrapped his long arms around her delicate waist, pulling her closer.
Suddenly, his throat felt dry, and his heart skipped a beat.
Her waist was so soft and delicate that it made him momentarily dazed. But he was a man of integrity, not one to be swayed by lust. He quickly composed himself, his handsome face not betraying any emotion.
“Jason, I’ll leave my sister to you tonight!”
Evadne, being the perceptive person she was, had not noticed the tension between them. She casually waved at them and left, hanging onto Cassius’s strong arm. The two were left alone, and the atmosphere suddenly became awkward.
“Uh, Evadne!” Nydia called out hesitantly with a blush on her face, her heart pounding.
“Don’t worry, Nydia.”
Jason looked at her kindly and reassured her, “I promised your sister I would get you home safely.”
“No need, Jason. I just had a little drink, I’m not drunk.” Nydia tried to push him away lightly, wanting to prove she wasn’t drunk.
But Jason was worried about her, so he steadied her again, “You said the same thing last time, but you still ended up
At that moment, they both froze.
A memory of a passionate kiss they had shared on a past night came flooding back.
Jason gazed at Nydia’s face, pale as jade and tinged with a rosy glow. His heart was in turmoil, a strange feeling of uncertainty welling up in his chest.
“Jason, last time I was drunk. I’m sorry.”
Nydia looked anxious, guilt coloring her eyes.
A braver girl would have confessed her love to the man she loved in such a situation. But Nydia, being the shy and timid girl her mother Myra had raised her to be, could only bury her feelings deep within her heart.
Even if Jason was a kind and gentle man, even if they had shared a real kiss, she knew she couldn’t lay claim to her sister’s man.
“Ms. Nydia.” Jason’s voice was slightly hoarse. He swallowed and asked hesitantly, “Was that your first kiss?”
“Don’t worry about it, Jason. I was drunk. Don’t think too much about it.” Nydia tried to put on a brave smile.
“Really, was it your first time?”
A deep sense of guilt gnawed at his heart.
He took a step back and bowed deeply to Nydia, “I’m sorry, Nydia! I was wrong, I was careless! Please tell me, how can I make it up to you?”
Nydia’s heart skipped a beat.
Seeing the man she liked filled with only guilt and respect towards her felt like her heart was being drowned in bitter water.
“It’s okay, it’s really okay, Jason.”
Nydia took a deep breath, holding back the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes. She reached out and helped him up, “If you really want to make it up to me, just be extra good to my sister from now on.”
On the way back, Evadne leaned on Cassius’s shoulder, feeling a bit drowsy.
Actually, she wanted to ask what Bennett had said to Thaddeus.
But she decided against it, knowing that whatever Bennett had said, it wouldn’t have been anything good. Bennett seemed gentle, but he had a sharp tongue. Sometimes, he was even more ruthless than her.
She didn’t want to hear how he had insulted Thaddeus. Not because she pitied the man, but because she didn’t want to witness the man she had once loved being looked down upon by those closest to her. It would have been too disappointing.
“Evadne, are you asleep?” Cassius suddenly asked softly.
“No, what’s up, Cassius?” Evadne shook her head to stay awake.
“Evadne, have you noticed something?”
Evadne looked at Cassius in surprise.
“Have you noticed that there’s a strange tension between Jason and Nydia?”
Cassius smiled faintly, “I don’t know if it’s just me, but I feel like there’s something ambiguous about their relationship.”
Oh, ambiguous.
Ambiguous?
Evadne’s eyes widened in shock, her jaw almost dropping, “Cassius, are you drunk? Are you joking with me?”
“I never joke about matters of the heart. You were too engrossed earlier to notice, but when Jason was helping Nydia, their expressions were strange, they were both blushing. Especially Nydia, the way she looked at Jason, how should I put it, it was just like how you used to look at Thaddeus.”
Evadne blinked in disbelief, “Cassius, why are you dragging me into this?”
She complained, but her mind was racing, thinking about the relationship between Jason and Nydia.
When did this happen? How had she not noticed?
“Jason isn’t getting any younger, he’s nearing his thirties. He’s been working diligently by my side as a secretary since he graduated from university, and now he’s working for you without any complaints. He’s basically been working non–stop for years without a proper rest.”
Cassius wrapped his arm around Evadne’s shoulder, his voice filled with sincerity, “If he wants to start dating and live a different life, I hope you can support him, Evadne.”
“Well, well, Jason has been playing me for a fool! They say he looks like a puppy, but it seems his personality matches his looks!”
Evadne slammed her fist against the car window, gritting her teeth, “Men really are all the sarne! One moment he’s confessing his love to me, the next he’s showing interest in Nydia. She’s my only sister. If he dares to entertain any lustful thoughts for her, I’ll ship him off to the jungles to become a snack for the local wildlife!”
“Evadne, has Jason confessed his feelings to you?” Cassius raised an eyebrow, looking slightly surprised.
“Yeah, but I turned him down without hesitation.”
Evadne never held back in front of Cassius, always speaking her mind. “It’s not that he isn’t a great guy, but I don’t have feelings for him. I’ve been divorced and I have no plans to date again. I don’t want to keep him waiting, he’s still in his prime after all. But how could he just turn around and start having feelings for Nydia? He changed his mind so fast. I’m really worried that Nydia might get hurt.”
“Evadne, Jason is not that kind of guy. As for this seamless transition you’re talking about, perhaps Jason has been around you for too long. You’re his crush and his first love. He’s used to caring for you, being good to you, so perhaps he unknowingly developed feelings for Nydia without even realizing it himself.” Cassius proposed his theory seriously.
“What? How is it possible not to know when you’ve fallen for someone else?” Evadné frowned, her expression slightly skeptical.
“Emotions are tangled and complex.”
Cassius squinted his deep, thoughtful eyes. “For example, today, thirteen years later, Thaddeus has once again saved your life. Can you clearly distinguish between love and hate when you face him now?
Can you assure yourself that it’s all hatred, all resentment, without a shred of love left?”
A pang pierced Evadne’s heart, making her breath heavy.
Remembering the dangerous night, Thaddeus, who was seriously injured, carried her a long way in the pouring rain. Thinking of how he took off almost all his clothes to put on her in that dark and damp cave, just to keep her warm.
Her chest felt as if it was filled with boiling water, burning her so much that she clenched her numb fingers.
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Why could Thaddeus be so good to Evadne, but utterly ruthless to llana?
“Cassius, you know me. I’ve always been someone who hates evil and has clear love and hate. Maybe you’re right, there’s a grey area in emotions that’s hard to explain, but I’m not like that, I know what I want.“”
Evadne looked out the window with a choked voice and reddened eyes. “No matter how complicated my feelings for Thaddeus are now, there’s no love in them anymore. Risking my life, burning my youth for love, hurting myself without getting anything in return, once is enough for this lifetime.”
Jason drove Nydia back to school. They were lost in their own thoughts, and the journey was silent.
In the quiet of the late night, the Porsche stopped slowly at the back gate of the school.
Surprisingly, they sat silently side by side in the car, neither mentioning getting out.
The silver moon in the sky cast a soft glow, and the atmosphere inside the car was peaceful, creating a romantic moment of unspoken understanding. “Thank you for driving me back, Mr. Jason.” Nydia broke
the silence shyly.
“Ms. Nydia, there’s no need to be so formal, you can just call me Jason.”
Jason felt guilty towards Nydia and because of their different statuses, he was more distant than before: “Although you and Evadne are both girls I’ve watched grow up, I’m just Evadne’s secretary, a subordinate working for the Ashbourne Group. President Ashbourne and the others boys are your brothers, I am not worthy.” Nydia, sensitive and delicate, naturally sensed that Jason wanted to maintain a distance from her. Her eyes, brimming with tears, looked ahead.
“Jason, I won’t bother you anymore, just don’t hate me, okay?”
“Ms. Nydia, you’ve misunderstood. You’ve never been a bother to me. I just don’t want to affect your life.”
Jason sighed softly, bent over to unbuckle her seatbelt.
The heated breaths intertwined and the temperature in the car started to rise.
Jason subconsciously avoided her gaze, quickly straightened up and said, “It’s late, I’ll walk you in.”
Then he stepped out of the car.
Nydia, recalling his words, felt as if there was a hollow pit in her chest, filled with coldness and loss.
She knew there was no chance for them, that kiss was just an accident.
How could someone as outstanding as Jason like an ordinary girl like her? She was just wishfully thinking.
The passenger door opened and Jason, with his usual courtesy, asked Nydia to get out of the car.
Nydia, her lips pale, stepped out of the car.
“I can go in myself, you don’t have to accompany me. Ah!”
Before she could finish her sentence, a loud engine roar startled her from behind. Fearful, she covered her ears and closed her eyes!
Having almost been in a car accident as a child, she had a severe phobia of the sound of speeding cars!
Seeing her reaction, Jason frowned. He quickly spread his arms and hugged Nydia, turning her to protect her with his body.
A silver Ferrari zoomed past him, the gust it created even lifting his suit jacket, showing how fast it was going!
“It’s alright, don’t be scared, I’m here.”
Jason comforted her softly, gently patting Nydia who was trembling from fear. Half of his eyes filled with tenderness for her, the other half filled with strong displeasure towards the owner of the Ferrari.
The Ferrari also stopped at the back gate of the school.
The passenger door opened and a pair of long, seductive legs emerged.
A young woman with auburn curls, stunning makeup, and a sexy miniskirt lazily got out of the car.