Chapter 34

Ran Into Your Old Flame

Nash hadn’t told anyone about the incident.

He hadn’t even shown up at the hotel that night.

The reason Nash went through with the purchase was to protect Caroline’s reputation. By buying her, the Brooks family couldn’t sell her to anyone else.

At that moment, Caroline had no idea that the one who had bought her was Nash.

By the time she returned to the Ellison residence, the sky had already darkened.

The living room lights were off.

“Weird…” Caroline murmured. “Where’s the butler? And the maids? Why is the house so dark?”

As she spoke, she flipped on the light switch.

Click!

The crystal chandelier lit up, illuminating the room. Caroline turned around and saw David sitting on the couch, his posture relaxed but his expression as cold and sharp as ever.

She clutched her chest. “Why are you just sitting there silently? You scared me!”

“Where were you?”

“I… Went wherever I wanted.”

David glanced at her briefly before leaning back, a cigarette dangling from his lips.

Then he spoke. “Light.”

Caroline blinked, confused for a moment, before realizing he meant the lighter.

David’s impatience grew. “Didn’t understand me?”

Reluctantly, she decided not to argue over something so trivial. It was just lighting a cigarette–fine.

She picked up the lighter, lit it, and held the flame to his cigarette.

But David tilted his head slightly, avoiding it.

“Didn’t you want to smoke?” Caroline asked, puzzled. “Are you lighting it or not?”

“Whether I Tight it or not, your flame needs to stay lit,” he said, his tone commanding and unreasonable.

The flame flickered steadily as the lighter grew hotter in her hand. Caroline wanted to pull back, but his cold gaze stopped her. “Hmm?”

She bit her lip. “I get it. You’re just finding new ways to torment me, aren’t you?”

David’s narrowed eyes carried a hint of disdainful amusement. “Want to see what happens if that flame

1/2

16:30 Fri, Feb 7 G.

Chapter 34 Ran Into Your Old Flame

Caroline retorted, “If the flame goes out, will you snuff the out too?”

Finished

His thin lips moved slightly, causing the cigarette to shift with them. Despite his insolent demeanor, he exuded a casual charm that made him frustratingly attractive.

Not that she had any interest in admiring him now.

If she could, she’d gladly burn him with the lighter.

The metal grew scalding, and her thumb throbbed with pain. The faint smell of something burning lingered in the air.

“I’ll ask you one more time,” David said. “Where were you?”

“I went to a coffee shop, sat for a while, and then came home.”

“And?”

“That’s it.”

. David leaned in, gripping her chin. “Not a word about running into your old flame?”

Caroline’s heart skipped a beat. “You’re spying on me?”

Not only did he know about her meeting with Nash, but he also knew about their past!

For the first time, Caroline fully grasped how terrifying David could be. She couldn’t possibly outmatch him, not even with ten of her.

“There’s nothing I don’t know,” David said coldly. “Caroline, remember who you are.”

“I know exactly who I am,” she shot back. “That’s why I only exchanged a few words with Nash. No touching, no impropriety–completely aboveboard. What about you?”

Caroline tossed the lighter onto his lap.

“You’re out there cuddling and flirting with Elizabeth, but I can’t even have a conversation with Nash?”

David’s eyes narrowed. “What I do doesn’t mean you can do the same.”