Chapter 105 She Loves Him and Vice Versa
Yulia didn’t even tell Stella that she was coming to Murdough. By that alone, Stella was able to formulate an opinion about her. However, she didn’t let it show. No matter how innocent she was, she could be conniving when necessary.
Both women walked in front, while Miles and Matthew followed behind. Miles’ eyes were glued to Stella, so he tripped and almost fell when he was going down the stairs, which prompted him to curse under his breath.
Seeing that, Matthew chuckled. “Miles, are you getting old?”
“Well, that’s none of your business.” There was pride in his attractive baritone voice, which made Stella’s heart palpitate. No matter how many times she heard his voice, she was attracted to it as much as when she first met him.
A normal person uttering a curse word would seem unsightly, but someone of Miles’ status was an exception, for he rarely sweared. When combined with his voice, it made him sound like, in Stella’s opinion, a sexy ruffian who was both cheeky and domineering.
Meanwhile, when Stella was chatting with Yulia, she questioned why the latter was in Murdough. Yulia told her she came on a business trip, which coincided with the ball that was open to the public, hence her attendance. Her reply was fairly diplomatic.
After they parted ways, Matthew headed to a hotel, and so did Yulia. Stella was left walking alone with a spring in her step, but nonetheless seemed a bit bored while holding her handbag. All the while, Miles followed her without a word. From time to time, their shadows overlapped and parted when they passed under the street lights.
While Stella wasn’t intending to stop, Miles was already itching to make a move on her. “Aren’t you going to stop?” he asked begrudgingly from behind her. While he had seen her seductive side, this was going overboard.
“I need to go home.” She turned around to tell him with an innocent tone.
Upon hearing that, Miles hurried over to hug her. “Which house are you going back to? Do you really think you get to go home after fanning a flame within me?”
They weren’t too far away from Miles’ branch office, which meant they were close to his dwelling. Therefore, he carried her in his arms before walking back home in strides. Stella didn’t weigh a lot, so he had no problem carrying her all the way home before putting her down.
“Go take a shower!” Miles’ voice was hoarse when he pushed her against the door. In a flash, he removed her clothes and carried her into the shower. The moment when they saw each other naked was when their hearts were closest to each other. While in the shower, he showered the woman who was constantly surprising him and putting herself on the line for his sake with his kisses and love.
In the beginning, he was attracted to her exquisite looks and elegant bearing, so much so that he was infatuated with and overwhelmed by her sexiness. However, he came to love her person, who was a frail but loyal woman. She was different from other women in the sense that she wasn’t after his money nor his looks—she got together with him because she loved him.
“Can we do it tonight? Can we?” Miles nibbled on the corner of her lips. The steamy shower and his warm breaths made her blush.
“But the doctor said I can’t do it for a month—” Stella narrowed her eyes. While Miles couldn’t keep his hands off her, so was she.
“I can’t stand not having you!” His baritone voice rumbled and trembled as if he could drop dead if he didn’t get a taste of her right away. Considering that she had been taking her meds for a few days, which seemed to help relieve her stress, she figured it should be fine.
The water sprinkled on her from the showerhead, wetting her hair before trickling down her shoulder and her chest, where her hair cascaded over. She looped her arms around his neck while glancing at her heaving chest. “I-I suppose it’s alright.”
Miles’ ragged breathing hinted at an incoming storm. Sure enough, her premonition came true. No longer able to resist her tempting scent and her curvaceous physique, he carried Stella to the bed all of a sudden.
When they were enjoying themselves, he bit on her ear before whispering, “Do you have your herbs with you?”
“Yeah.” Stella’s eyes were narrowed into slits. Having been overwhelmed by desire, she was extremely alluring, her voice low and husky.
“How much have you brought with you?” Miles moved his lips across her face, doing his best to tease her.
“Enough to last for a week.”
Upon hearing that, Miles fell silent, opting to focus his attention on the physical exertion. After all, it had been a long time since he saw her and had her. In the end, Stella fell asleep after being utterly spent. When she woke up the next morning, he was no longer by her side. She grabbed a random article of clothing that she put on, since she had no clothes of her own in his house.
When she heard the humming of the range hood, she got out of bed to walk in the direction of the noise. Before she even got to the kitchen, she detected the smell of herbal medicine in the air. It reeked a little, but also had the fragrance of herbs. She was already familiar with the smell, owing to the fact that she had been constantly taking the medicine. However, it was the first time she took it in at a place other than her house.
Meanwhile, Miles had his back to her while boiling the herbs. No wonder he asked if I’ve got them, she thought while scanning her surroundings. Miles’ house was a sight to behold, and it was exceptionally spacious. The patterns on the cold marble floor and the TV wall oozed with style. By comparison, her tiny apartment unit was nothing.
After a while, Stella snuck up to him bare-footed to hold him on his waist. She had always been hoping to hug someone like that. Ever since her mother passed away, she stopped hoping, while her marriage to Zane was a literal hell that crushed all of her hopes and dreams for the future. Back then, she was numb and emotionless, but she warmed up as she was resuscitated now, having found the love of her life.
Miles turned to glance at Stella, noting that she had woken up. Just like when they were in Stella’s house, he nudged her breast using his elbow and then looked at her while wearing a smug grin. She could totally get why Miles was as sexy and proud as he was.
Although she was quite tall herself, she seemed short while standing on bare feet beside an even taller man. Lifting her head, she cast him an innocent yet reprehensive gaze before looking away.
Miles tilted his head. Although her face was obscured, he knew by instinct that she must be looking away out of resignation after he flirted with her.
“While I take my meds on time every day, you’re also doing this to me every day. What if as a result, I never recover from my illness?” Stella asked while sticking close to him.
The rumbling in her chest resonated with him, which made him feel as if he were the one who was speaking. They started off as separate individuals, but after all those incidents and the oppression they faced from others, not only did they not separate them, but they brought them closer to each other. Bit by bit, he managed to glean more info about both her body and her mind, understanding her better.
“What have I done?” he teased her smilingly.
She shut her eyes. He just enjoys doing this to me.
After he finished preparing the medicine, he poured the liquid into a bowl for her to drink.
As soon as she took a sip, she frowned. “Why didn’t you add any sugar?”
He burst into laughter upon hearing that. It was the first time he ever saw her behave like a child in front of him, which meant he could love and spoil her rotten.
Two days later, they returned to Hollowcrest City. Stella had spent the last few days in Miles’ apartment, but he never had sex with her, for she was still recovering. Although she still had bouts of coughing, it wasn’t as severe as before.
Stella was holding Miles’ arm when they went to Matthew’s office. Meanwhile, Miles was planning to show his benevolence in front of Matthew, which was, indeed, just a facade. “I’ll be leaving Stella in your care when I’m away.”
Inside Matthew’s office sat another person—Yulia. However, Miles ignored her entirely, which came as a huge blow to her ego. Yulia was an intelligent girl who grew up in a rich family, nor did she encounter many setbacks in her career. Therefore, the fact that Miles wouldn’t even look her way felt like the end of the world. Not only did she take it personally, but she also began degrading herself as an utter failure. A woman whose hatred stemmed from love was scary, more so when a proud woman descended into a self-loathing mindset.
Amon had undertaken a lot of Meridian Trading’s projects, while Yulia was a leading figure in the latter, so her presence wasn’t out of the ordinary. From what she gathered, Stella had spent two days in Murdough. On the other hand, Matthew came back by the next day, for his company needed him.
Although Matthew had expected to feel unhappy when Miles finally got together with Stella, he never expected to feel so jarred while faking a smile, especially when he saw Stella resting her arm on Miles’. Nonetheless, he replied calmly, “Of course I’ll take good care of her.”
Yulia also stood up from her seat, but Miles didn’t even spare her a glance. After he left, Stella began working. After thinking long and hard, Yulia told her, “Stella, I noticed that you have reconciled with Miles, so I guess I’ll just call it quits. After all, it’s ridiculous to have the two of us go after the same man. It’s fortunate that I have yet to start courting him.”
Hearing that, Stella thought, You wouldn’t have gone to the ball at Murdough if you hadn’t started the process. However, considering that they were cousins, and that Stella did give Yulia her consent to go after Miles, which she regretted, she could only apologize. “Yulia, I’m so, very sorry!”
Yulia merely put on an innocent smile.
