Bound to the Seduction (Free to read)

Chapter 17: He Is Blind

As soon as Sarah left the hotel, her strong façade collapsed. Her body leaned against the wall, and her bag fell on the concrete floor. The tears she had held back finally flowed down her face. In barely three years, it was as if she had gone through an entire cycle of reincarnation. The man she loved left with another woman right in front of her. She had been a total fool to believe that their love was special. Those mocking and mean whispers in that room had reached her ears. It hurt.

She did not want to cry for such a man. Her thousand days of longing were shattered in one day. She tried not to let those mean comments get to her, but in the end, she still failed. She did not want to cry, but she had to.

Tears continued to flow down her face like a broken dam. She sometimes raised her hand to wipe the moisture from her face, but in the blink of an eye, the salty tears wet her face again. She wasn't the type to cry at every little problem, but today, her body wouldn't listen to her.

Eventually, she sat on the ground without caring for her image. She bit her lip while sobbing quietly. A pair of slender, straight legs stopped in front of her. She raised her head, and the owner of those legs stunned her. "You, why are you here?"

The man smiled but did not respond. He squatted close to her and handed her a packet of pocket tissues. "Here, use this," his sexy, husky voice continued, "I don't have a habit of carrying handkerchiefs."

Sarah smiled through the tears, accepted the tissues, and cleaned her face. "I say, why do you always see me during my most embarrassing moments?"

"Perhaps we are fated?" Henry chuckled and helped her up. "Come, I'll take you somewhere to cheer up."

Not far away was a small restaurant with tables and chairs in the open on the other side of a shimmering pond. A curved wooden bridge led to the seating area. Water lilies floated happily in the pond, making people feel like they could float too if they let go of their worries. The dim lights at strategic locations emitted a soft hue that gave the illusion of sitting under the moonlight. A cool breeze brushed over their skin as they walked, and it brought a refreshing feeling.

Henry helped her sit at a table and went to get something from the counter. He came back with a glass of wine in one hand and a sobering tea in the other. He placed the tea on the table for Sarah and sat beside her with a glass of wine.

Sarah raised her head, pouted, and fixed her innocent eyes on his wine. "Can I have some?"

"You are already this drunk, and you still want more?" Henry asked, amused.

She placed her arms on the table and rested her head on her arms. She stared into the distance and said, her voice soft and melancholic, "I'm so sad. I want to drown my sorrows, but there is not enough liquor to drink my sorrows away." She went silent for two minutes and then continued, poking her chest. "They are still here."

Henry sat beside her in silence. He stared into the distance for a long time as well. No one knew what was on his mind. He turned his gaze onto the beautiful face on the table and exhaled. "More liquor brings more sorrows."

"That's fine too." Sarah suddenly laughed; a dry and helpless laughter that transitioned into a sob midway as warm tears left her eyes. She said, her voice small and distant, "You know, I kept asking myself, what did I do wrong? Am I not pretty enough? After thinking for a long time, I still couldn't come up with an answer. Henry, can you tell me why he cheated?"

"He is a blind i***t," he said, his voice hoarse.

"Then, tell me, why am I so obsessed with that blind i***t?" she asked, wiping away another stray tear that escaped her eyes.

He swallowed hard, and the grip on his glass tightened. Her heartbreaking sobs bore deep into his heart. He looked at her and hesitated. A part of him wanted to comfort her while the other wanted him to stay away, lest he get hurt.

Eventually, he pulled her into a hug and held her in a safe embrace. He patted her back and let her cry in his arms. Her warm tears wet his shirt, but he didn't care. Gradually, Sarah's sobs got softer and softer before disappearing completely. His powerful heartbeat had lulled her to sleep.

He made a call, and in a blink of an eye, a black SUV pulled over at the entrance. He helped the sleeping girl into the car and headed to his residence.

When they arrived, Sarah did not wake up even after he carried her into his apartment. She only mumbled a few things in her sleep and hugged his neck even tighter.

He laid her gently on the big bed, propped himself on his elbow, and gazed at the sleeping face beside him. His lips curved into a genuine smile as he clasped her hand and held it to his chest. How refreshing to watch such a cute beauty sleep on his bed. Perhaps he should consider keeping her forever, Henry thought.

He could feel the peace and tranquility at that moment. He leaned closer and kissed her forehead before turning off the lights.

***

Sarah woke up with a dull headache. She yawned and stretched her arms to the sides. Her hands brushed against a silky surface, and a smile bloomed on her face. The softness felt good against her skin, and she brushed her hand over the surface a few more times.

Then, a light bulb went off in her head, and her brows furrowed immediately. Wait a minute... her bed always had cotton bedding... Why did this surface feel like silk? She slowly opened her eyes, and a luxurious king-sized bed with black silky sheets lay before her.

All the sleepiness vanished. She gasped, sprang up to a sitting position, and looked around. She was in a bedroom half the size of her entire apartment. The walls were painted grey and there was little furniture in the room. On the right was a partially open black curtain exposing a French window. There was a small ash-grey couch by the window and a small stylish ottoman on the side.



The wall beside the headboard had a sophisticated, colorful painting of a mother and child. That was the only thing with a burst of color in the otherwise dull and lonely room. The two people in the picture seemed to be basking in a fairyland. It brought a nostalgic innocence of childhood.

There was a sad and lonely undertone to the painting, like that of a sudden separation. Something you can't go back to, no matter how much you miss it. She couldn't help but remember the times she played with her dad. It was the only happy memory of her childhood she wasn't willing to forget, no matter how much she hated him. Perhaps, like her, the owner of this room had something he couldn't bear to let go. It seems like they share some similarities.

But that wasn't the main point. The real question should be: where was she? How did she get here? Why was she lying in a stranger's bed? She lowered her eyes, and her heart almost stopped beating. She was wearing a man's shirt. How in the world did she get that? Then she had an even more terrifying question. What happened last night?

The sound of the door opening interrupted her thoughts. It was only now that she noticed the door was on the left corner of the room. She could see the intruder right in front of her when she raised her head. Half of her worries disappeared when Henry stood at the door. Even if the worst happened, at least it wasn't with a perverted old man or a stranger.

Henry leaned on the door frame with his arms crossed on his chest and his legs crossed at the ankles. He had grey sweatpants and a black t-shirt with the words 'I'M A KING' in bold white letters. He could see that she was trying hard not to look bothered, but she failed miserably. Her forced composure amused him, and he had an idea. Mischief couldn't be hidden in his eyes as he greeted, "Good morning, my queen."

"Good morning." Sarah got even more uncomfortable from the way he looked at her. The doubt in her heart intensified, and her heart pounded harder. Did something happen or not? She wanted to ask, but she did not know how. If nothing happened, would he think she wanted something to happen if she asked? If something happened, how would she face him now?

It would be embarrassing either way. She wasn't sure if she wanted to know the truth or not. Her ears turned red the more she thought about it. There was only one way to find out. She scratched the back of her neck and gathered all the courage left in her bones. "Umm... d-did... did something happen?"

Henry raised his eyebrow. "What do you think?"

Sarah exhaled. "I wouldn't ask you if I knew."

"Relax. I don't have a sick hobby of ramming into unconscious women," he said leisurely as he straightened his body. He entered the room and stood beside the bed. "I like it consensual." He propped his hands on the bed, leaned closer to her, and whispered in her ears, "I like it even better when my women are awake."

Sarah's heart pounded so hard that she feared he would hear it. His warm breath fanning her ear made it hard to think. The faint musky scent and a whiff of sandalwood did not escape her sensitive nose. Oh yeah, she could listen to that voice all day and still want more.

Henry noticed her discomfort. He backed up and then sat at the edge of the bed. A soft chuckle erupted in his throat as Sarah's ears and the tip of her nose turned into a deeper shade of red.

"Ahem..." She cleared her throat, pulling herself back to reality. "Why... am I... wearing your shirt?"

"You were wearing a weird dress that looked like a long scarf. You sleep so bad that I was worried you might strangle yourself by accident."

"Incredible." Sarah sighed, shaking her head. "Getting a review of my sleeping habits out of nowhere, a terrible one at that, wasn't exactly how I imagined my morning to start." She ruffled her hair, attempting to hide her face because she had no comeback for that.

After he'd had enough of the teasing, he stood. "Freshen up, and I'll fix something for us for breakfast. He paused at the door, hand on the handle, and turned back to her. "Oh, there are some new dresses in the dressing room for you. I didn't know your size, so I ordered several. Try out and see which one fits."

Sarah took a quick shower, changed, and tidied the room. She left it as neat as she found it. However, the room felt a little empty, gloomy, and lonely. She made a mental note to get him some fragrant, relaxing flowers, if she ever had the chance in the future.

After breakfast, Henry offered to drive her home. She didn't have the money for a taxi anyway, and it would be great to get a chance to save. He drove her home without asking for directions even a single time. Sarah's jaw dropped when he pulled over right outside her gate.

"How did you know... Never mind." Of course, he'd know. He wouldn't be a billionaire if he didn't know a thing or two. If he could get all the information, even from the most hidden business tycoons, investigating her would be a piece of cake. "I'm curious, though, why didn't you bring me home last night if you already knew where I live?"

"It's not like I didn't want to." Henry glanced at her with mischief in his eyes. "You clung to me like an octopus. I had no choice."

Sarah blushed. She shouldn't have asked. Why did she sound like a frivolous young lady from the way he said it?

Henry's smile widened as Sarah stepped out of the car, enjoying her reaction. Something about her had him wishing this moment would last longer. He watched her disappear behind the brown gate before driving away.