Wed To The Forbidden Uncle

CH 23

Mercy stared at him, not quite catching what he said. She thought the older man was scolding her and her tears flowed even more.

"Why are you yelling at me, mister? You’re so mean..."

The next moment, her eyes widened as her words were silenced by a kiss.

Timmy, the driver up front, quickly raised the partition, not wanting to see anything he shouldn't.

The man's deep woody scent mingled with the girl's sweet fragrance, creating a unique aroma.

Dexter kissed her deeply and soon Mercy was struggling to catch her breath, whimpering as she tried to push him away.

When the long kiss finally ended, Dexter wiped the moisture from her lips with his thumb and asked, "Still crying?"

Mercy, with her wide, cat-like eyes still glistening with tears, quickly shook her head, afraid he might make her breathless again.

Amused by her cuteness, Dexter let out a soft laugh.

Seeing him laugh, Mercy pouted, muttering, "Meanie!"

She glanced up and noticed his shirt collar, which she had tugged open, revealing his pale neck. Her eyes darted mischievously before she leaned in and playfully bit him.

"Ugh..." Dexter grunted, tightening his grip around her waist. "Mercy, stop it."

Mercy didn't bite too hard, just held on without letting go. Hearing his grunt, she thought she might have hurt him, so she gently licked the spot.

Unexpectedly, his breathing grew heavier. He gently pulled her head away from his neck, looking at her with a complex expression.

The girl was startled by his intense gaze, which seemed like he was about to devour her. She shivered and said, "M-Mister, you're poking me."

She shifted uneasily, only to be firmly held in place by the man. "Stay still," he said softly.

Otherwise, even he couldn't guarantee what might happen next.

Finally back at Maple Grove, Dexter let out a sigh of relief. He hadn't expected the usually quiet girl to become so lively after drinking.

But it turned out he had relaxed too soon.

"Mercy, why aren't you going to bed? What are you doing squatting there?" Dexter rubbed his temples, looking at Mercy with a hint of helplessness.

The girl was crouched in the corner of the living room, motionless. Only when she heard him call did she look up.

"Mister, I'm a mushroom," she said seriously.

"What?" Dexter thought he must have misheard.

"I'm a mushroom. I can't leave the soil, or I'll die," Mercy insisted, hugging her knees tightly as if she truly believed she was a little mushroom.

Dexter couldn't help but chuckle. He reached out to pick her up.

Mercy clung to herself, shouting, "No! Don't pull me out! I'm not tasty!"

Dexter lifted her off the ground anyway.

Her voice grew more desperate as she squeezed her eyes shut, "Oh no, oh no, I'm going to die!"

Until he settled her securely on his lap.

Dexter gently tapped her little nose. "See, you're still alive and kicking."

The girl blinked her eyes in surprise. "Huh? I'm not dead? Does that mean I'm not a mushroom? Then what am I?"

She pondered deeply, resting her chin on her hand and finally came to a conclusion. She made a fist with her left hand and tapped it on her open right palm.

"I know! I'm a cat!"

With that thought, she quickly climbed off Dexter's lap and crouched on the nearby coffee table.

Dexter watched in amazement as she transformed into another creature within a minute.

Mercy didn't stay put on the coffee table. First, she used her little hand to push the remote control onto the floor, then she knocked an orange out of the fruit bowl, behaving just like a mischievous kitten.

"Giggle, giggle..." Mercy, now imagining herself as a cat, was having a blast.

It wasn't until she reached for the teacup on the table that Dexter quickly grabbed her hand. "Mercy, you can't push this."

He was worried that broken porcelain might hurt her feet.

Unexpectedly, Mercy puffed up in indignation, her eyes wide with disbelief as she looked at Dexter, as if he had committed an unforgivable crime.

"Why can't I push this? Uncle, do you have another cat out there? Is this for her to push?"

What on earth was she talking about? Dexter rubbed his forehead in exasperation.

His silence made Mercy assume he was guilty.

"Did I really guess right? Boo hoo, I'm going to run away and become a stray cat! You can live with that other cat!"

Even though the girl was drunk, she moved with surprising agility. In no time, she had climbed onto the windowsill across the room, trying to push it open without success.

Luckily, the window was locked from above.

The windowsill was narrow and after crouching there for a while, Mercy looked up with a pitiful voice, "Mister, my legs are numb."

Dexter sighed and reached out his hand, "Jump down, I'll catch you."

This time, Mercy obediently climbed down.

Dexter carried her to the elevator, heading to the second floor to put her to bed.

But as soon as Mercy heard the word "sleep," she jumped down and ran into Bobby's room.

By the time Dexter caught up, Mercy had already taken over Bobby's bed, leaving the poor dog circling around her, confused about why his spot was occupied.

Dexter tried to reason with her, "Mercy, if you stay in Bobby's bed, where will he sleep?"

Mercy pondered seriously, "Oh right, what about Bobby? How about I cuddle him to sleep?"

With that, she reached out to hug the dog.

"This bed is too small for both of you. How about I take you to a bigger one?"

Understanding Mercy's current thought process, Dexter gently coaxed her.

"Okay, let's go then. I'm so sleepy," Mercy's eyes lit up as she followed Dexter.

He led her to the room he had prepared for her, helping her wash up. After getting splashed with water by the girl, he went to change his clothes and brought her a shirt to wear.

Without any pajamas prepared for her, Dexter had to let her wear this for now.

After a night of chaos, Mercy finally lay obediently on the bed.

The man gently brushed away the hair covering her face and planted a soft kiss on her forehead before preparing to leave.

Just as he was about to go, Mercy, who had already fallen asleep, suddenly reached out and grabbed his arm.

In her sleep, she murmured in a fragile voice, "Uncle, don't leave me."

Dexter tried to pull his arm away but was surprised by the strength of the little girl.

Not wanting to wake Mercy, who had just fallen asleep, he reluctantly got into bed and lay beside her.

Surrounded by the comforting scent of ebony from the man, Mercy drifted into an even deeper sleep. This time, it must have been a sweet dream, as a gentle smile appeared on her lips.