Chapter 140
Daron cast his eyes down at her, their gazes meeting for a tense moment. There was a clear trace of irritation in his eyes.
“Go ahead and wait if you want,” Daron said, his tone icy,
With that, he walked straight out of the dressing room.
Marina rushed to catch up with him.
But Daron was striding ahead with those long legs of his, way too fast for her to keep up. She had to run out and grab his arm, saying in a soft, slightly coaxing voice.
“Why would I wait? I’m obviously sticking with you,” Marina said.
“You’re the one in charge here. As long as I’m with you, I might actually get into the Clark family,” she added.
Daron looked at her delicate, pretty face as she came closer, and it felt like her long lashes were teasing his heart, making his throat itch.
“Let’s go,” he said, his voice much softer now.
Marina nodded, naturally letting go of Daron’s arm and followed him forward.
Daron reached out to take her hand, but caught only air–Marina, who’d just been giving him those puppy eyes, was already striding ahead of him.
He looked up at Marina’s back, his gaze growing heavier, his breath a little uneven. Finally, he let his hand drop and strode after her.
Once they got in the car, Daron reached over and pulled out a velvet box, flipping it open.
Inside, a strand of lustrous white pearls rested elegantly.
While Marina was still a little stunned, Daron had already taken out the necklace and held it out to her.
“Put it on,” Daron told her, his tone leaving no room for
argument.
Marina glanced down at her bare neck, thinking that since she was supposed to be Daron’s date tonight, showing up looking too plain would just embarrass him.
So she didn’t make a fuss, just took the necklace and tried to put it on herself.
But after fumbling with it for a while, she still couldn’t get it on.
Finally, she shot a pleading look at Daron, who was sitting there, watching her with that usual indifferent expression.
“Mr. Zamora, could you help me with this?” Marina asked, her voice soft and a little helpless.
Daron reached out and took the necklace from her.
“Next time, use that sweet voice and ask me earlier,” Daron teased.
Marina was silent.
The cool touch of the pearls, along with the occasional brush of Daron’s warm fingertips, made her skin tingle with
awareness.
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Chapter 140
It felt like her skin was soaking up every bit of that sensation, her whole body hyper–aware of his touch.
Marina held her neck so stiff that Daron could barely manage the tiny clasp. After a few failed attempts, he muttered in a low voice, “Your neck is even stiffer than your backer.”
“Your neck is even stiffer than your backer.”
“Huh?” Marina froze for a second, then noticed Daron still struggling with the necklace. She gave an awkward smile and leaned a little closer to him.
Only then did Daron finally manage to fasten the clasp.
Her swan–like neck was already a showstopper, but now, with the necklace as a finishing touch, it was even harder to look
away.
Marina glanced down, unable to see how the necklace looked on her. Curious and a little nervous, she turned to Daron and asked, “Does it look good?”
Daron didn’t answer. His gaze lingered for a moment on the red mark now hidden beneath the pearls, then he silently reached over and handed her a hand mirror.
Marina hadn’t expected him to have a mirror in his car. Surprised, she took it and glanced at her reflection.
Honestly, Daron had a real knack for putting together a look.
Her whole outfit was vibrant yet graceful, completely sweeping away all that gloom from her past. As she reached up to gently touch the pearls at her neck, she couldn’t help but smile.
Suddenly, Marina found herself wanting to keep this entire look as a memento.
“Mr. Zamora, how much is this whole set? I want to buy it,” she said.
Daron had already pulled the car out of the parking garage, but when he heard her, he slammed on the brakes.
“What did you just say?” Daron blurted out, disbelief in his voice.
Marina clutched her seatbelt, startled by the sudden stop.
“I just wanted to know how much this look costs. I-” Marina tried to explain.
“Shut up,” Daron snapped, cutting her off.
Daron was clearly pissed, his chest heaving as he restarted the car with a cold look.
Marina didn’t want to just accept something so expensive from Daron for free, so she mumbled quietly, “I just really like it, that’s why I want to keep it.”
Daron kept his eyes on the road, his voice low and serious. “I don’t have any strange habits.”
“Wait, what?‘ Marina thought, totally thrown off.
‘Weren’t we just talking about clothes? How did this turn into a conversation about fetishes?‘ she wondered.
Daron shot her a sideways glance at her confused face and added coldly, “I’m not the type who collects clothes women have worn. If you like it, keep it. If not, toss it. I’m not short on cash.”
“I’m not the type who collects clothes women have worn. If you like it, keep it. If not, toss it. I’m not short on cash.”
Marina let out a soft “oh,” then muttered under her breath, ‘Seriously, why not just say you’re giving it to me?
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Chapter 140
“Why not just say you’re giving it to me?”
Daron glanced at her, a hint of exasperation in his voice. “It’s already on you. Do I really have to say it out loud?”
Marina nodded, her tone playful. “Of course you do.”
Daron turned to the side and shot her a look, his eyes narrowing at her.
Marina gave her lip a little nibble and murmured, “Just hearing you say it for real would put my
After that, she tilted her head and gazed out the window, not saying another word.
She realized she’d been out of the loop in this crowd for way too long, and the thought left her feeling restless.
Can’t really blame Daron for not giving her a clear answer–once it’s on you, it’s yours in their eyes.
Women in Daron’s circle never ask about the price, let alone try to pay him for an outfit.
Marina’s eyes dimmed, and the sadness in them was impossible to hide.
At the end of the day, just like Daron pointed out, she’d really been scraping by all those years in Sicester.
Back in the day, whenever she had to attend big events to make connections, she’d need to show up in designer dresses. But since she couldn’t afford them, she’d have to borrow or rent something nice.
Later, when Ross Group started picking up and Lavern handled all the schmoozing, she didn’t have to go out much anymore. Even when things got better, she still rarely bought herself anything fancy.
Bringing up the price in front of Daron today not only made her feel embarrassed, but probably ruined his mood too.
She felt a wave of frustration and helplessness wash over her.
The difference between them was just huge.
“The dress and the necklace–they’re yours now,” Daron said, his deep voice breaking the quiet in the car.
A flicker of surprise crossed Marina’s eyes as she turned from the window to look at Daron, who was staring straight ahead, his expression unreadable as he drove.
If she hadn’t heard him say it herself, Marina would’ve thought she was hearing things.
She managed a smile.
“Thanks, Mr. Zamora. I’ll work hard and pay you back,” Marina said.
Daron didn’t reply, just gave her a sideways glance, his gaze complicated.
“Then you’ll have to work at Zamora Group for three to five years just to pay off this dress and necklace,” he teased.
Marina paused, a bit awkward. “Didn’t you just say it was a gift?”
Three to five years? No way–she was planning to get back to Finley Group long before that.
Daron shot her a sideways glance. “So what was that earlier? You trying to feed me some BS and sell me a pipe dream?”
Marina gave an awkward smile.
Usually it’s the boss handing out empty promises to the employees, but here she was, flipping the script and trying to sell one to her own boss.
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Chapter 140
Too bad the boss wasn’t buying–he just shoved that dream right back in her face.
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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.
