Audrey’s POV:
I lay trapped in Caspar’s arms, my frustration mounting with each passing minute.
Just as I was contemplating a more forceful escape attempt, the door creaked open again.
Edward’s familiar silhouette appeared, and hope surged through me.
“Edward!” I whispered, careful not to wake Caspar. “Please help me—”
“Miss Lane,” he began, his voice barely audible. “I apologize for earlier, but there’s something you should know.”
I raised an eyebrow, silently prompting him to continue.
“Mr. Thornton hasn’t slept properly in weeks,” Edward said, his eyes reflecting genuine concern.
“Ever since your… disagreement. He buries himself in work until dawn, then starts again after barely an hour of rest.”
He gestured toward his sleeping employer.
“This is the first time I’ve seen him truly asleep in a long while.”
I glanced back at Caspar’s face.
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Now that Edward mentioned it, I could see the evidence of exhaustion more clearly–the dark circles under his eyes, the slight hollowness in his cheeks, the tension lines around his mouth that hadn’t fully relaxed even in sleep.
“I know it’s a lot to ask,” Edward continued, “but would you consider staying? Just until he wakes naturally? I’m concerned that if this insomnia continues, his health will seriously deteriorate. He can’t go on like this much longer.”
I bit my lip, torn between resentment at being manipulated and genuine concern for Caspar’s health.
“Fine,” I sighed. “I’ll stay until he wakes up. But then I’m leaving.”
Edward’s relief was palpable. “Thank you, Miss Lane.”
He moved toward the door, then paused. “There’s water and some fruit on the nightstand if you need refreshment.”
After he left, I resigned myself to my role as Caspar Thornton’s sleep aid.
I turned to look at his face, relaxed in slumber, and felt a strange ache in my chest.
18:27 Sat, Jan 31
Chapter 104
It’s really not fair how the universe blessed this man, I thought.
Money? In abundance. Power? More than enough. And somehow even his child is impossibly endearing.
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If only I’d met him before…before everything went wrong in my life.
Without quite realizing what I was doing, my fingers traced the strong line of his jaw, the perfect arch of his eyebrows, the straight bridge
of his nose.
Then my eyelids grew heavy, and before I knew it, I had drifted off.
Morning light was streaming through the half–open curtains when Caspar finally stirred.
I had been awake for about an hour, watching the play of light across the ceiling.
He blinked slowly, his gaze gradually focusing on me sitting on the edge of the bed.
“You didn’t leave,” he said, his voice with that peculiar magnetism that comes with the first words of the morning.
I didn’t answer his question.
Instead, I asked, “How long has it been since you’ve properly slept?”
A small smile touched his lips. “Are you concerned about me, Audrey?”
I sighed, shaking my head slightly.
“Don’t joke with your health, Caspar. What would happen to Noah if something happened to you?”
Something shifted in his expression–a softening around the eyes, a slight parting of lips as if my words had touched something deep
within him.
“You’re right,” he conceded, his voice quieter now. “I’ll take better care.”
I felt the tension leave my shoulders, a small sigh of relief escaping my lips.
I stood up, smoothing my rumpled clothes. “Now that you’ve had your rest, I should go.”
“Why?” The question was simple but loaded with meaning.
I faltered. “Why what?”
“Why do you keep running away? His eyes were clear now, all traces of sleep gone. “Do you have someone you like?‘
18:27 Sat, Jan 31
Chapter 104
The question caught me off guard. “What?”
นร
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*The person you keep in your heart. The reason you won’t give me a chance. His gaze was intense, searching. ‘Is it your child’s father?
The man you lost your baby with?‘
I felt a strange mixture of confusion and bitter amusement.
That child had been the result of a single reckless night–I didn’t even know who the father was.
But I wasn’t about to explain any of that to Caspar Thornton.
If his mistaken assumption gave him a reason to back off, perhaps it was better to let him believe it.
Caspar seemed to take my silence as confirmation.
His expression shifted, not to disappointment as I’d expected, but to something more calculating, more determined.
He rose from the bed with fluid grace. “You know, people’s tastes change over time.”
I stared at him, bewildered by this non sequitur. “What are you talking about?”
“When I was a child, I detested cabbage but loved carrots.”
He moved closer, his eyes never leaving mine. “Now, I find cabbage quite delicious, sometimes even more so than carrots.”
The familiar food metaphor hung between us.
I backed toward the door, unnerved by his cryptic words and the intensity of his gaze. ‘I should go.”
He didn’t try to stop me this time, just watched me with those inscrutable eyes as I reached for the doorknob.
“Audrey,” he called softly as I pulled the door open. “Try to like me a little bit.”
I didn’t look back as I hurried down the hallway, my heart pounding an erratic rhythm in my chest.
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18:27 Sat, Jan 31
Accidentally Crossing the Tycoon
Chapter
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
