CHAPTER 15
1334 Words
Hector hesitated for a moment before speaking up, “Mr. Darwin, to be honest, Miss Cooper and I do have something very important to discuss.”
Raising an eyebrow, Charles, with his handsome features, casually settled into the sofa, his demeanor relaxed as he pressed on, “What’s so important?”
“It’s…just a pri..vate matter,” Hector stammered, searching for an excuse.
“Go on, what kind of private matter? If Miss Cooper can help, there’s no reason I can’t…” he replied, maintaining his elegant composure.
Hector fell silent, completely at a loss for words. Was he really going to ask the prominent CEO Darwin to personally help him with such a delicate issue?
*********
Moments later, Davina helped Lopez into the back seat and then assisted the slightly drunk Maya into the front passenger seat.
As she accidentally caught a glimpse of the man’s striking and aristocratic profile, her heart raced like a startled deer, and her gaze flickered nervously.
“Address?” he asked, turning to Davina in the back seat.
“Happy Community,” she quickly responded, snapping back to reality. The black Range Rover roared to life, and the car fell into a heavy silence, filled only with the mingled sounds of their breathing.
Maya felt a pounding headache, as if her head might explode. Her stomach churned, and with her eyes closed, she weakly said, "Can you crack the window open a bit...?"
"Miss Cooper was so bold when drinking, yet now you seem so fragile?"
Charles’s voice was low and laced with a hint of mockery as he turned the steering wheel to the right, navigating the curve.
Leaning against the car window, Maya raised her hand to massage her painfully throbbing temples. "I was drinking while Mr. Darwin was already at the bar. Were you just there to watch the show?"
Raising an eyebrow, Charles remained silent, focused on driving.
He and Hudson had just arrived at the bar and had seen her in a lively discussion with Hector. They were indeed there to enjoy the spectacle.
"Thanks for not leaving me to suffer, Mr. Darwin," she said, shaking her head with a touch of sarcasm.
A slight smirk appeared on Charles's lips, but he said nothing, his eyes deep and mysterious like the ocean.
In the backseat, Davina listened to their exchange, feeling completely out of place. She couldn't find a way to interject and could only remain silent.
But when did Maya and Charles become acquainted?
As Davina caught another glimpse of the man's perfectly sculpted profile, her heart raced, and her thoughts became a whirlwind. Moments later, the car stopped outside the Happy Community building. Davina helped Lopez upstairs before heading back down to get Maya.
"Regardless, I want to thank Mr. Darwin for tonight," Maya said, unbuckling her seatbelt.
Turning around, Charles squinted at her.
“Why do I feel like Miss Cooper's gratitude is a bit insincere?”
"That's just Mr. Darwin’s misunderstanding. I truly appreciate it, from the bottom of my heart.”
"Did I only save you when you were at your wits' end?"
Maya shook her head, sincerity in her eyes. "No, you and I aren't close. Even if you hadn't stepped in, it would have been understandable."
With a smirk, Charles rested one arm on the steering wheel, his gaze rich like fine wine. His voice was slow and smooth. "Miss Cooper is quite charming when she speaks with such conviction..."
Indeed, something was captivating about her. With her back straight and a serious expression, Maya’s fair cheeks flushed a rosy hue, her pink lips moving slightly as she spoke, drawing attention effortlessly...
"So, Mr. Darwin, are you completely captivated at the moment?"
Maya asked with a teasing tone, laughing softly. "You really are quite the jokester, and your jokes are absurd.”
Just as her words fell, a deep voice interrupted her, "Don’t believe me? Want me to show you?"
Show her? Show her what? Maya frowned, struggling to understand his words.
Leaning forward, Charles’s large hand cradled the back of her head, and his lips captured hers in a sudden kiss.
Her legs felt weak, and she froze in place for a moment. But as reality hit her, she bit down hard on his lip. Taking advantage of his surprise, she quickly jumped out of the car.
Standing outside the window, she glared at him, gritting her teeth as she said, "Mr. Darwin, please don’t tease teachers like that again.”
With her body still shaky and her head spinning, she hurried away, while Charles raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing on his lips.
Why shouldn’t he tease teachers? There was something quite delightful about it.
Ah, her lips still tasted just as sweet as before...
************
Having had too much to drink, Maya collapsed
onto her bed and fell into a deep sleep, completely unconscious in no time.
She had truly reached her limit; after holding herself together for so long, the moment she let her guard down, she simply crumpled.
The next morning.
She slowly opened her eyes, squinting at the light. She groggily reached for her phone to check the time, but as soon as she moved, a warm wave surged through her body.
Instantly alert, she hurriedly opened the bedside drawer to grab a sanitary pad and walked into the bathroom. As she pulled down her underwear, she noticed the blood was a bit lighter in color than usual, not the deep red she expected.
After changing into the pad, she frowned. Her period usually arrived around the 4th or 5th of each month, why was it a whole week early this time?
But then again, menstrual cycles could be unpredictable, so she brushed it off without giving it too much thought.
She had definitely overindulged in alcohol last night; her head throbbed painfully, as if it had been pricked by needles. Fortunately, it was Sunday, so she didn’t have to go to work and could catch up on some much-needed sleep.
As she lay in bed, the events of the previous night suddenly flashed in her mind—him pinning her down, kissing her with reckless ease…
Her cheeks flushed slightly as she let out a soft sigh. He really was so bold, just pressing himself against her and kissing her like that.
Can a teacher really be so casual about flirting?
She decided it was best to keep her distance from such dangerous men in the future.
Just then, her phone rang. It was a call from Davina. “Maya, could you help me call Mr. Darwin? I’d like to invite him to lunch.”
Sitting up, Maya poured herself a glass of warm water. "I already thanked him yesterday."
"After all, Mr. Darwin helped us out a lot. Just saying thank you feels a bit insincere. How about this: I'll call a restaurant, and you can handle the rest. Let’s just agree to take him out for dinner this afternoon. I’ll hang up now.”
Before she could respond, the other end of the line had already disconnected, leaving her feeling a bit of a headache.
She didn’t really want to make the call, but she couldn’t ignore Davina's request either. Out of courtesy and reason, he had helped them significantly, so treating him to dinner was the least she could do.
After thinking it over, she decided to go ahead and call. She didn’t like being in anyone's debt…
After getting Ethan’s phone number, she took a moment to think about what to say before dialing.
A moment later, the call connected.
Gathering her courage, she spoke directly, "Thank you so much for what happened last night, Mr. Darwin. I wanted to invite you to dinner today, but I know you’re a busy man with a lot on your plate, so you probably don’t have time…”
However, before she could finish her sentence, his deep voice interrupted her, "I have time. Where are we eating?"
- Writer
