A Love for Every Curve

The Prince's Touch and a Friend's Fury

Julian Chen frowned at the unsightly purple bruise blossoming on her flawless white leg.

"Does it hurt badly? Why are you so clumsy?" he asked, his voice laced with an unexpected tenderness.

She wasn't used to such intimacy with a virtual stranger. Ellie instinctively tried to pull her leg back.

"It's nothing. Can you let go now?"

Julian merely observed the unsightly purple mark. It was truly a blemish on a work of art; her legs were so fair, slender, and shapely. Her small, immaculate toenails were painted a soft pink, making her feet remarkably beautiful.

"Is this the first time your leg has been injured like this?" he inquired. The pristine state of her limbs suggested this might be her first real injury.

Ellie gave a soft nod, pressing her lips together. He looked at her with an intrigued gaze. What other "firsts" did this girl possess? He gently released her leg, then bent down to pick up the three-inch high heel she had discarded last night beneath the sofa. He slipped it onto her foot. In that moment, he looked like a prince fitting a slipper onto a princess. If his employees ever saw this, they would likely be shocked speechless and perhaps even quit.

He walked behind the sofa, retrieved her phone, handed it to her, and then walked to the door and stepped out. Eleanor Dane watched him go, stunned. This was his suite, yet he had left her—a complete stranger—alone inside. Ellie decided to stay put; her foot was throbbing, and she needed a moment for the pain to subside before attempting to leave.

She turned on her phone. A hundred missed calls instantly flooded the screen, the majority from Ethan Ryder, and the rest from her closest friend and colleague, Chloe Dong. Ignoring the familiar numbers, Ellie scrolled down and called her friend.

"Aiza, Ellie! Where are you? We had a meeting this morning to submit the report, and you disappeared! Good thing you sent me a copy; I copied it and sent it to President Kỳ, otherwise you’d be dead meat!"

Before Ellie could speak, Chloe was already talking animatedly, a hint of triumphant pride in her voice. Ellie smiled, listening to her friend finish. Chloe and she had been best friends for seven years. Chloe was lively, smart, sharp, and quite attractive, but above all, she was fiercely kind. For years, Chloe had been the only one with whom Ellie shared all her joys and sorrows. Her conversations with Ethan had always been scarce. Ellie gently massaged her wounded knee as she spoke.

"Chloe, I’m really tired today. Can you please cover for me for one day?"

Hearing her friend was unwell, Chloe quickly grew worried. "Are you okay? Do you need me to come visit? Does Ethan know you’re sick?"

Hearing the concern in Chloe’s voice, followed by the mention of the faithless and cruel Ethan Ryder, Ellie couldn’t hold back the tears. Chloe heard her friend’s quiet sobs through the phone and grew frantic.

"What is it? Tell me what happened!"

Ellie recounted the events of the previous night. Upon hearing the story, Chloe erupted in fury, slamming her hand down onto a desk.

"What?! That scum, Ethan Ryder! No, absolutely not. You must call off the wedding! Come stay with me! This time, he deserves a lesson he won't forget!" Chloe was incensed on her friend's behalf.

They talked for a while longer before hanging up; Chloe couldn't stay on the line forever during work hours. As soon as Ellie ended the call, Ethan's number appeared on the screen. She was debating whether to answer or decline when the suite door opened once more.

Julian Chen entered, holding a small bag. He had expected her to be gone, and was surprised to find her still obediently waiting.

"I can’t walk, so I was waiting for the pain to ease before I left," she quickly explained. She didn't want him to misunderstand her intentions, thinking she was lingering with some improper motive or trying to cling to him.

"Hmm," he murmured, then walked to her side, and once again, gently lifted her leg. Ellie gasped, instinctively pulling back, but his grip was firm, making any movement impossible.