Chapter 24 The Offer
“I didn’t,” said Isla.
Finished
She answered calmly, “You don’t need to look at me with such disdain. I’ll find a place to stay and just move out.”
Ronan paused for a moment, a little awkwardly turning his face away. “Suit yourself. If you want the Ellsworth family to come after you, that’s on you.”
The Ellsworth family was keeping a close eye. Their lawyers feared anyone might casually let her go, so they definitely wouldn’t allow Isla to leave.
Isla had checked Rowan’s information and naturally understood what he meant.
She smiled faintly, “It’s not that I’m unwilling to cooperate. I just don’t want you to think I stayed only to use you.”
Ronan’s brow furrowed deeply. “Fine. Stay if you want. No need to let this bother me.”
Back at the apartment, both were rather bedraggled.
Seeing his increasingly pale face, she frowned. “Your leg? Shouldn’t you go to the hospital?”
Ronan walked aside, pulling out some painkillers, and glanced at her. She was still soaked, her complexion worse than his, yet she still had the nerve to worry about him.
“Old injury. Going won’t help. Take care of yourself,” he said.
Ronan swallowed the pills with water, his complexion slightly improving.
Isla looked at him quietly for two seconds, said nothing, and calmly turned to the bathroom to freshen up.
Though the rain had stopped, the apartment was still quite stuffy. After showering, her body gradually warmed. She changed into comfortable loungewear and walked out.
The living room was empty, but the lights were on.
Outside, the sky had darkened completely.
Her stomach growled rebelliously.
She was hungry.
Glancing at the kitchen, she hesitated, then walked over and knocked on the door.
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Chapter 24 The Offer
After a moment, no one responded.
Was he not here?
She was about to turn away when the door opened.
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A wave of warm steam hit her as the tall, imposing figure of a man appeared. Ronan had just showered, wearing only a towel, revealing a well–defined upper body.
From seeing him dressed before, Isla knew he had a great figure, but she hadn’t expected the body beneath the clothes to be this impressive–lean arms exuding strength.
Curiously, she noticed numerous scars, old marks that from her professional perspective had existed for many years.
But set against his firm muscles, they didn’t look unattractive; instead, they added a rugged, masculine charm.
Looking further down, a trim waist and enticing V–lines came into view, water droplets sliding down, disappearing into places she dared not look.
Isla froze for a moment, almost forgetting herself, and felt her face flush. “Why aren’t you dressed?”
“Why have
you been knocking?” he said.
Ronan’s cold eyes glared at her impatiently, his voice sharp from being disturbed.
Isla drew her gaze away, and even from a doctor’s standpoint, the body before her was undeniably captivating.
She lowered her eyes and spoke calmly. “I just wanted to ask if you wanted something to eat.”
Though she had dated Felix for a long time, her shy nature had kept their most intimate acts to holding hands.
Later, when her reputation was ruined, their relationship deteriorated.
Even as a couple, Isla had never felt the sweetness of love, nor had she directly seen a man’s body outside of patients.
Isla silently told herself to treat him like a patient, and she won’t feel embarrassed.
Yet every time her eyes brushed over his skin, they instinctively looked away.
She was pathetic, really.
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Chapter 24 The Offer
Ronan, on the other hand, hadn’t expected her to be so shy.
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Isla had always seemed mysterious to him, her personality far more mature and composed than her peers. Though she sometimes smiled, it never reached her eyes–she was a woman skilled at masking her emotions.
Yet today, after seeing nothing more than the naked upper half of his body, she had somehow produced a look of awkward uncertainty, her gaze seemingly without a place to rest.
From the information David had gathered, she had once had a year–long romantic relationship and even had a rather wild reputation in the past.
And now, she was making that expression.
Ronan couldn’t help but wonder if she was playing hard to get.
Isla noticed his suspicious gaze and felt slightly uneasy, her delicate brows knitting together. “What are you looking at?”
Ronan stepped forward two paces, leaning closer, his cold eyes locked on hers. “Are you sure you’re not doing this on purpose?”
Isla rolled her eyes for a moment. “From a medical perspective, your suspicion is extreme. You need treatment.”
“What did you say?” His annoyed gaze drilled into her, voice low and gritted with anger.
Isla looked down at her toes and explained calmly, “I mean, I’m not interested in you. No need to overthink it.”
With a loud bang, Ronan slammed the door shut, his face turning iron–gray with fury.
The door echoed again behind him.
“Well, you really aren’t going to eat anything?” she
