Chapter 60: The Person He Cherishes

Chapter 60: Chapter 60: The Person He Cherishes

~Reynold’s POV~

Even if he was a cold, ruthless man who had never shown me an ounce of real love... he was still my father.

Without a second thought, my fingers flew across the screen, and I called my stepmother back.

She picked up on the second ring, her voice trembling and laced with panic on the other end of the line.

"Hello," I said, keeping my tone flat.

"Reynold!" she gasped, her voice sharp. "You finally called back!"

"What happened?" I asked, getting straight to the point.

A choked sob came through the phone before she said, "Your father might not make it! His condition is critical, Reynold. You need to pack your things and come home right now."

I let out a quiet breath, my grip tightening around the phone. "I’m sorry to hear that he’s sick, but I’m sorry, I can’t come home. If you need any financial help or there’s anything else I can take care of, I’ll help. I didn’t call because I was coming home. I only called to check on his condition."

There was a sharp gasp on the other end.

"How dare you, Reynold?!" my stepmother shouted, her voice instantly turning from panic to anger. "Your father is dying, and you won’t even come to see him? You should be the first person rushing here, you ungrateful little bastard!"

I rolled my eyes and leaned back against the sofa. "Save the dramatics and say that to your precious sons, not me."

"How dare you speak to me like that?!" she screamed. "Who do you think you’re talking to—"

"Listen, Mom," I interrupted, letting a cool edge of sarcasm slip into my voice. "This really isn’t the time for you to stand there shouting. Why don’t you focus your energy on taking care of the husband you stole in the first place?"

I paused before adding, "And honestly, I hope you’re telling the truth about his condition. If he really is sick, I hope he recovers quickly. Or not. Either way, have a nice day. Bye-bye."

"Reynold! You—!"

I didn’t give her another second to continue. I pressed the red end-call button, cutting her off mid-rant, and tossed the phone onto the bed with a satisfied smirk.

A wave of bitter satisfaction washed over me. After years of watching her play the victim, feed me lies about my mother, treat me badly, and encourage everyone else in the family to do the same, cutting her off like that felt far too good.

Let her deal with her own mess.

They probably still thought I was the same naive kid they could manipulate. Calling me back like that? They probably wanted to lure me home so they could lock me up, control me, or force me into some miserable arrangement, maybe even sell me off to that older man as they had tried before.

But I wasn’t the same Reynold anymore. I didn’t give a damn about any of them. The only person I cared about right now was Frederick.

My thoughts drifted back to him, and a small, affectionate smile tugged at my lips. Then I suddenly remembered what had happened earlier, and my face burned all over again.

I muttered to myself, "What’s wrong with what I did? I was just having a good time by myself. How is that a crime?"

I was allowed to do whatever I wanted with my own body. It belonged to me. But still... why did Frederick have to walk in at that exact moment?

Groaning inwardly, I pushed the humiliating memory aside and placed my phone on the side table. A second later, it lit up and buzzed again. My stepmother was calling back.

I ignored it completely and let it ring until the call ended.

I forced myself to eat a little more of the breakfast the maid had brought, though my stomach was still tied in knots. Once I was finished, I climbed back onto the center of the oversized bed, grabbed the remote, and turned on the TV. I opened Netflix and put on a random movie, hoping it would distract me.

After a while, the bedroom door clicked open, and Frederick walked inside.

I kept my eyes stubbornly fixed on the screen, refusing to look at him. I was still far too embarrassed.

When he reached the bed, he stopped at the foot of it, his voice low and calm. "Why didn’t you finish your food? Is your throat still hurting?"

"I’m fine," I replied stiffly, keeping my gaze on the screen.

"Alright," Frederick said quietly.

For a moment, neither of us said anything. Then Frederick took a step closer. "About earlier..."

My head dropped, my chin resting against my chest as another wave of heat rushed to my cheeks.

"I just want to know if I’m not satisfying you enough, or if you don’t enjoy being with me," Frederick continued, his tone gentle. "I couldn’t stop thinking about it, not because of what you were doing, but because I wanted to understand why you did it. If you were feeling horny, you could have simply asked me for sex. Instead, you went in there to take care of yourself. I just want to know if you aren’t enjoying yourself when you’re with me."

Slowly, I lifted my head and turned to look at him. The seriousness in his eyes made me pause.

"I’m sorry you had to see me like that," I murmured. "And it’s not because I wasn’t enjoying having sex with you. That’s not it at all."

Frederick tilted his head. "Then what was the reason?"

I bit my lower lip, feeling my face burn. "I did that because I was enjoying it... too much. Just thinking about being with you and how you make me feel drove me crazy. I was so turned on that I couldn’t help myself. I’m sorry."

A slow smirk touched the corner of Frederick’s lips. "It’s fine. You didn’t do anything wrong. I just wanted to make sure I’m keeping you satisfied."

With that, he climbed onto the bed and moved closer until he was sitting right beside me.

"Yes, you are," I admitted quietly, looking down at my hands. "I love having sex with you."

Frederick reached out, his warm fingers gently tilting my chin upward until I had no choice but to meet his gaze. "Alright. But next time, if you have to do something like that, you have to do it right in front of me. I want to watch. I want to taste your cum and swallow every drop, then fuck you right after."

I looked away, feeling my cheeks flare bright red. "Alright."

"You don’t have to be shy," he murmured, his thumb brushing over my jaw. "I love the sight of you coming. Honestly, I wanted to walk right over and take you on the spot... but I stopped myself when I saw how completely shocked you looked."

"Alright," I muttered, offering a small, shy smile. "Next time, just come over and fuck me so I don’t have to feel this embarrassed."

Frederick chuckled softly, his deep, warm laughter making my heart skip a beat. "You’re becoming quite bold, aren’t you?"

"Yes," I replied, holding his gaze with growing confidence. "I have to be bold for you."

A tender look softened his features. Frederick pulled me firmly against his chest, wrapping his arms around me and pressing a lingering kiss to my hair.

For a long while, the room remained quiet, filled only by the soft murmur of the movie playing on the TV. Taking a deep breath, I decided to break the silence.

"My stepmother called earlier," I said quietly against his shoulder. "She said my father is in the hospital. His condition is serious, and the doctors say he’s in critical condition. She wants me to come home and see him."

Frederick was quiet for a moment, his hand still moving gently over my back. "Okay. So, are you going to go see him?"

I shook my head immediately. "No. Whether it’s true or not, I’m not going back home. It’s dangerous."

Frederick let out a quiet murmur of approval, tightening his arms around me. "Good. I’m glad you understand. Don’t ever go back there, okay? And if you want to go anywhere after you return to campus, let me know first."

I tilted my head up, offering him a faint smile. "Okay, Mr. Corvin."

For a moment, we stayed like that in comfortable silence. Then I suddenly remembered Lily and lifted my head slightly. "What about Lily? Where is she?"

Frederick gently traced his fingers along my shoulder. "She’s downstairs. She’ll be going to her grandparents’ place soon and will be back tomorrow evening before she travels abroad."

"That’s sad," I murmured, genuine disappointment creeping into my voice. "So I won’t even get to see her before I leave for campus tomorrow morning."

Frederick raised an eyebrow, a teasing glint in his eyes. "Why? Do you like her that much?"

"Yes, I like her. She’s fun to talk to," I replied honestly.

"What about me?" Frederick asked, his tone dropping into a mock-jealous tease as he looked down at me.

I looked up at him, a playful smile touching my lips. "You’re fun to be with too, but..."

"But what?" Frederick pressed, narrowing his eyes slightly.

I hesitated, trying to choose my words. "She just has this vibe. There’s never a dull moment when I’m around her."

Frederick raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

I didn’t wait for him to question me any further. I quickly scrambled to my feet. "Can I go downstairs and say goodbye to her before she leaves?" ℴℴ𝘮

Frederick watched me for a moment before giving a small nod. "Sure. But wait for me. I’m coming with you."

"Okay," I agreed quickly. "But I have to change first."

"Alright," Frederick said.

I quickly went into the walk-in closet to change my clothes. Once I stepped back out, we were about to leave the room when Frederick suddenly stopped and turned to me, his expression becoming serious.

"Reynold," he said, "I know you’re only two years older than Lily, but try to act mature around her. You never know what the future holds."

I paused, looking at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Just be mature and keep your conversations with her sensible," Frederick instructed smoothly as he adjusted his cuffs.

"Alright," I muttered, shaking my head slightly.

Afterward, we headed out of the bedroom together and walked down the grand staircase.

When we reached the ground floor, Lily was already standing near the formal living room with her handbag. The moment she spotted us coming down the stairs, her face lit up with a bright smile.

"Reynold!" she called cheerfully, but the words instantly faded from my mind.

My gaze dropped to the silver chain resting against the collar of her top. Hanging against her skin was the exact same pendant, the signature necklace Frederick had given me.

I froze for a second.

That’s the same necklace Frederick gave me.