Chapter 165: The Coachman’s Reward

Chapter 165: Chapter 165: The Coachman’s Reward

Caroline Whitman wanted to refuse, but she swallowed the words. She knew this man too well; refusal was pointless. He always found a way around it.

It was better to save her energy than to keep going back and forth with him.

She picked up her bag and stood. "Alright, let’s go. Take me back to the office."

Adrian Grant was more than willing to oblige.

However, he glanced at the time.

"It’s still early. Why don’t you come to my place and rest for a bit?"

"Your place?"

Caroline Whitman had assumed he meant his office, but instead, Adrian Grant drove to The Seraphic.

She was shocked to realize it was very close to the restaurant—only a ten-minute drive.

"This was premeditated," Caroline Whitman said, getting out of the car with a sigh of resignation as she looked at the familiar gates of the villa.

Adrian Grant didn’t deny it. "I spent all morning choosing this restaurant. Its proximity was part of the reason."

"What about the food, then? Did it not matter if it was any good?"

"Of course it was important that you liked it. But being able to come straight here afterward was important, too."

Caroline Whitman was speechless. She was quickly becoming immune to his brand of shameless confidence.

Having been here several times before, Caroline Whitman knew the routine. She slipped off her shoes at the door and headed upstairs.

The clothes she’d left behind were still there, and besides those, there were new ones she’d never seen before.

In addition to casual wear, there was also a variety of sleepwear.

Besides Adrian Grant’s clothes, the walk-in closet now had a small section dedicated to jewelry.

"..."

Adrian Grant walked in just then, and Caroline Whitman turned and couldn’t stop herself from asking, "Why are there another woman’s clothes and jewelry here?"

Adrian Grant leaned against the doorframe and smiled. "There is no other woman. They’re all for you."

"The other day, Ryan said he wanted to stay here, so I had someone get some clothes ready for you. Who knew the little rascal would suddenly change his mind the next day."

"What? Who did you think I got them for?" he asked.

Caroline Whitman hmphed. "Who knows."

"Who else could there be but you? I swear, you’re the only one for me. Other than my family, only you and Ryan have ever been here."

Caroline needed to change, so she started pushing him out. "Oh, I guess I should feel honored, then."

"I’m the one who’s honored to have met you."

"Such a smooth talker. Where did you learn such cheesy lines?"

Pushed out the door, Adrian Grant turned and added just before it closed completely, "Are words from the heart considered smooth-talking, too?"

His response was the soft CLICK of the lock.

When Caroline Whitman came out after changing, Adrian Grant was no longer at the door.

She was about to go downstairs to find him when she saw he was in the study.

The door was open. Adrian Grant was at a bookshelf, looking for some documents.

Caroline Whitman guessed he’d probably chosen to come back to The Seraphic at midday for work.

Hearing footsteps, he looked up at her. Caroline Whitman had changed into a comfortable house dress.

"Why aren’t you sleeping? Don’t tell me you were waiting for me?" Adrian Grant pulled out a folder and set it on the desk before striding over to her. He wrapped an arm around her waist, bent down, and tenderly kissed her forehead and the corner of her mouth.

Caroline Whitman hummed a small "mhm." "I didn’t see you, so I came looking. Are you busy?"

"Yeah, for a little while. I’ll wake you later and drive you back to the office." Adrian Grant stroked her hair.

Seeing she hadn’t left, and was even giving him a look of fond attachment, Adrian Grant’s gaze darkened. "Don’t look at me like that, or I won’t be able to take it. Otherwise, you should just take the afternoon off. Don’t go back to the office."

His large hand had already begun to wander over her waist. Caroline Whitman’s face flushed as she instantly understood his meaning.

"Pervert!"

Tossing out the word, Caroline Whitman made a quick escape.

Adrian Grant watched her retreating figure with a wistful look, the warmth of her body still lingering on his palm.

He turned, returned to his desk, and picked up the file.

Back in the bedroom, Caroline Whitman lay on the bed and silently cursed Adrian Grant for being a lecher.

Ever since they’d become intimate, the man was always so lecherous.

’Won’t he be even more outrageous this weekend?’

"..."

Caroline Whitman suddenly had a thought. ’If they keep indulging like this every day, won’t Ryan Grant end up being born early?’

Realizing what she was thinking, she felt that some of Adrian Grant’s lewdness was starting to rub off on her.

Half an hour later, Adrian Grant came to wake her.

But his timing was off; Caroline Whitman was already awake.

She was in the walk-in closet, changing her clothes.

"You’re awake on your own?"

Adrian Grant leaned against the doorframe of the walk-in closet, looking a little regretfully at her already-changed clothes.

His gaze traveled from her earlobe to her collar, confirming that every detail was perfectly in place before he slowly let his eyes drift back to her face.

Caroline Whitman tossed her hair back haughtily. "What, was I supposed to wait for you to wake me up and help me change?"

Adrian Grant smiled. "The problem with us being on the same wavelength is that there’s no privacy at all."

Caroline Whitman: "..."

’Just who is the one with no privacy here...?’

Once they were out the door and in the car, Adrian Grant drove her dutifully to the building her office was in.

Before she got out, Adrian Grant, having learned his lesson, pointed to his lips and said, "A reward for the chauffeur."

Caroline Whitman: "..."

"Adrian Grant, your whole persona is crumbling. You’re getting more and more shameless by the day."

"Persona? What’s that?"

Caroline Whitman couldn’t be bothered to argue with him, but when she tried to get out, she found the door was locked.

His interest was piqued, and he decided he wanted to get to the bottom of this. "I have a ’persona’ in your mind?"

"Aloof, righteous, kind, erudite, refined, a gentleman, not lecherous, pure-hearted, unswayed by temptation, self-restrained, polite, gentle..." Caroline Whitman counted on her fingers, rattling off a long list of positive traits in an attempt to awaken his more ascetic side.

Adrian Grant laughed. "I had no idea I had so many virtues."

’Of course you didn’t know,’ Caroline Whitman thought. ’I just made them all up.’

’No, that’s not right. It wasn’t completely made up.’

’At least, before they made their relationship official, she felt Adrian Grant possessed at least half of those qualities.’

"So, I have such a wonderful image in your mind. But I have to correct you on one thing—the ’not lecherous’ part is wrong."

"I am lecherous."

He said it with absolute confidence, without the slightest hint of a blush.

Caroline Whitman was dumbfounded.

She studied Adrian Grant’s face intently. It was hard to believe that he could say such shameless things with that austere, scholarly-looking face.

Taking advantage of her astonishment, Adrian Grant leaned in and kissed her, and this was no fleeting, feather-light peck like the one she’d given.

As if to prove his point, the kiss was deep and lingering, and it was a long while before he reluctantly let her go.

"Consider this compensation for earlier."

He stroked her tender, glistening lips, his expression still full of longing. His eyes flickered to the bright sun and the tall office buildings outside, then returned to her. A slow smile spread across his face as he said in a low voice, "Maybe you should just take the afternoon off after all."

"You are truly... utterly shameless." Caroline Whitman pushed his hand away and knocked on the door, signaling for him to unlock it.

Knowing when to stop, Adrian Grant unlocked the door. As she straightened her clothes and hair before getting out, his lazy voice drifted over to her:

"Don’t forget, I’m picking you up later."

His only response was the sound of the car door closing.