FULL NOVELXO Chapter 45
Chapter 45
“Kent, you hanging around Newman?” Yolanda chatted up Kent, her voice as mellow and warm as a spring breeze.
Kent, all business, replied, “Mr. Bradshaw’s stepped out. I’m not with him right now.”
Yolanda prodded further, “What’s Newman up to now?”
“I don’t keep tabs on Mr. Bradshaw’s comings and goings, Ms. Abbott. Something I can help. with?”
Kent’s response was tight as a drum, but Yolanda pressed on, “I just tried ringing Newman and some chick picked up. Before I could even get a word in, she hung up on me. It smelled fishy, so I thought I’d ask you did Newman hire some lady bodyguard in Stardale City, or has he cozied up to some rich heiress or what?”
Kent’s voice had a hint of a chuckle. He always came off as the epitome of politeness, but with a distance that made him seem just out of reach.
“I really don’t keep track of Mr. Bradshaw’s personal entourage. Anything else, Ms. Abbott?”
There was a brief silence on the other end, a clear sign that Yolanda wasn’t pleased with Kent’s answers. But she kept her poise in front of Kent, simply asking him to let Newman know she’d called when he returned.
With a quick,“Will do” from Kent, Yolanda ended the call. Kent set down his phone, his gaze drifting out the window.
Newman had gone out solo today, no bodyguard in tow. A couple hours back, one of the underlings reported Newman driving back in the Dempsey family’s whip, with the Dempsey’s young heir in tow.
Usually after wrapping up business with the Dempsey family, Newman would head back. But tonight, he was camped out at Athena’s villa – maybe planning an overnighter?
For the past five years, Newman often dreamed of being lost in a frozen wasteland. He’d stand by an overturned car, the cold wind howling, his nose filled with the stench of gasoline, his eyes only catching glimpses of scattered, dark red bloodstains.
The dream was always the same: him wandering aimlessly through the icy wilderness. But he never knew what he was searching for.
This dream was different. In the white expanse of snow, he saw a figure. Newman lunged, grasping the woman in front of him with a vice–like grip!
Athena was feeding glucose water into Newman’s chapped lips when suddenly, he seized her arm and yanked her into his embrace.
“Ah!!” Taken by surprise, she gasped, and before she knew it, she was tumbling onto the bed.
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Her hair, like glossy silk, spilled across the sheets, and Newman’s feverish chest pressed down on her, sending shivers through Athena’s body!
But she dared not struggle, fearing she might aggravate his chest wound.
“Newman! Let go!” Athena’s voice was tinged with anger. She’d just managed to stop the bleeding on Newman’s chest – another knock and it would be a hassle to stem the flow again.
Athena tried to pry his hand off her, but his grip was strong, and he pinned her down like a mountain, leaving her breathless.
The man tightened his hold on her slender frame, unwilling to let go. After embracing Athena, his own body trembled.
Newman was like a big, old wolf–dog, pinning her beneath him, nuzzling his face into the cool nape of her neck. Feeling the chill against his face, a satisfied sigh escaped from his throat.
His breath on her shoulder made Athena’s pale skin break out in goosebumps. Frustrated, Athena managed to free one arm from his grasp and reached out, groping for a glass water cup on the nightstand.
Just as she was about to bring it down on Newman’s head, she heard him murmur someone’s
name.
Newman bit into the flesh of her shoulder, murmuring the name. Athena’s breath hitched, and she was completely floored.
Who was he calling? Her eyes began to water. Was Newman calling for Yolanda?
Back then, she lost her memory, and he granted her a new name acting as a stand–in for Yolanda. In reality, she wasn’t even a stand–in. Newman frequently tried to piss off Cornelia for her forcing him to split from Yolanda!
Athena’s heart quivered, old memories flooding her mind like a slideshow. She bit her lip. closing her eyes in pain.
Then, with a twist of her wrist, she tipped the cup, pouring all the glucose water over Newman’s
face.
Choking on the liquid, Newman coughed, the sensation of drowning pulling him fully out of his
oblivion.
His eyes, with their glassy sheen, met Athena’s gaze. In the depths of his eyes was a dark, icy pool.
But in his line of sight was a woman with a beautiful face, her fair skin dotted with a few stray locks of hair, one falling on her lips. Her lips were as red as delicate fruit, ripe for the picking.
Newman lifted his gaze, locking eyes with Athena’s dark, hesitant ones. Again, she looked at him with those damn puppy dog eyes, as if Newman had let her down.
He had indeed gotten up close and personal with Athena, but it was clear she had it all planned.
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Getting the goodies and still playing the victim.
The man gave out a scoff of disdain, and the next second, the glass cup in Athena’s hand came crashing down on his forehead.
“Shit!” He cursed as the pain hit, immediately grabbing Athena’s wrist and flipping her beneath
him.
The glass cup crashed to the floor with a loud bang! He loomed over her like a predator that had cornered its prey.
The glucose water mixed with sweat dripped from the man’s sharp nose, falling onto Athena’s face. She turned her head, struggling to break free from the man’s grip.
“Newman! Let go!”
The man grilled her, “What on earth are you up to? Trying to do me in? Or hoping to knock me senseless so you can cash in?”
Athena scoffed at his words, finding them ridiculous, “Newman, what’s your game now? Trying to get fresh with me again?”
The man recalled the events in the car, his expression as dark and deep as the ocean, a storm brewing in his shadowy eyes, “Getting fresh with you isn’t that exactly what you wanted?”
–
“Bullshit! With your pitiful skills, you’d owe people medical expenses even if you sold yourself!” Athena shouted, fuming with anger.
Newman was taken aback, his gaze involuntarily sweeping over her body. Aside from the swollen, bruised marks on Athena’s wrists, there didn’t seem to be any other visible injuries.
Newman released the hold on the woman’s hands, his voice icy cold, “I thought Ms. Dempsey was having a good time in the car, enjoying the ride.”
As Athena moved to slap the man’s face again, Newman had already gotten out of bed. He looked down at himself and asked, “You bandaged me up?”
Athena didn’t respond, and he could distinctly feel his own body temperature dropping where. his palm had touched the skin.
“What kind of medicine did you give me?”
“Fever reducer.”
Newman’s tone was chilling, “Fever reducers can’t cool my blood like this.”
He caught the scent of ointment from the bandage on his chest, “Who cooled my body down?”
“Me,” Athena answered straightforwardly.
The man standing by the bed, tall and imposing, looked down at Athena, “You know medicine? Do you know why my blood is overheating?”
Athena crossed her legs and sat on the bed, turning to throw the question back at him, “Do you
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know that taking Scorpion all the time can cut your life short?”
The look in the man’s eyes turned decidedly darker toward Athena – she knew too much, and he might just want to silence her for good!
Yet, he just answered Athena’s question, “I’m aware.”