Chapter 8 The Man Was Aggressive, His Face Bearing Down

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"Uncle, I can still drink more. Let's keep drinking." The drunken voice sounded vaguely familiar, but Delphine stayed hidden in the shadows of bamboo trees, landscaping plants, and cotton flowers, not daring to peek out.

The housekeeper, Mr. Lee, came out.

"Take Mr. Howard to a guest room to rest, and prepare some sober-up tea," Ignatius Leclair ordered indifferently, his voice low and husky, rich with a seductive graveliness.

"I don't want to! I want more wine!" The brash, unruly voice was accompanied by the sound of stumbling steps.

"If you keep this up, I'll ship you off to Africa," Ignatius's voice grew colder.

Mr. Lee quickly helped the utterly drunk and unapologetically unruly Howard Family heir, who was sulking from the reprimand, out to a guest room before he could cause more trouble.

The side hall fell silent once again.

Delphine adjusted her position to block the eerie glow from the computer screen, her ears perked up to catch any sounds. Ignatius didn't go upstairs. Instead, he brewed a cup of coffee in the side hall. The aroma drifted through the window into the garden, causing her brows to furrow.

She picked up her laptop, preparing to sneak into the tea room from a farther entrance and then head back to her bedroom.

The glass door suddenly slid open. Ignatius stood there with a cup of coffee, his rich, alluring voice teasingly asked, "Waiting for me?"

The man stood by the window, tall and straight, his tailored handmade suit fitting him perfectly. His face remained impeccably handsome, wearing the usual shallow and insincere smile. His eyes carried a depth darker than the night.

Cold sweat broke out along Delphine's spine. She straightened up, clutching her laptop tightly, and replied, "No."

Since she had been caught, she had no choice but to enter the side hall through the nearest door.

The scent of coffee lingered at her nose, mingled faintly with the smell of alcohol. Did he have a drink? The thought surfaced in her mind as she cast her eyes downward and headed to her bedroom while furrowing her brows. She hadn't taken three steps before a strong arm encircled her slender waist, and the man's presence invaded her space.

Delphine's face turned pale. Instinctively, she glanced at the empty side hall and snapped coldly, "Let go."

Ignatius tightened his grip on her waist with one hand, his other still holding the coffee cup as he took a sip. His hold strengthened further, and his voice dropped with commanding pressure, "Take back what you just said."

Each word was deliberate and domineering.

His grip was so strong it hurt, forcing her to turn her face away and distance herself from him as much as possible. She tried to ignore the searing heat from his hand on her waist, pursing her lips and remaining silent.

"Since you've returned, stop pretending to act delicate. Your so-called aunt, your cousin—they're all in the Leclair Family, aren't they?" Ignatius lowered his head, leaning closer to her neck. The faint trace of fragrance caught his attention, and the curve of his lips deepened lazily. Then, he casually added, "Oh, wait, my mistake—it's your mother and younger brother."

Delphine froze in shock, her entire body stiffening as her fingers began trembling uncontrollably. She whipped her head around urgently and demanded, "What nonsense are you spouting?"

With their close proximity, as she turned her head, her delicate lips accidentally brushed against Ignatius's ear. His breath visibly caught and darkened.

It was their first close encounter in five years. At such an intimate distance, the deep and narrow gaze in Ignatius's phoenix-shaped eyes seemed to contain storms of dark intensity. He stared at Delphine, who was desperately trying to hide her distress under a pretense of composure. Bowing his head slightly, he whispered into her ear, "Before your mother got together with my father, she gave birth to you. And not just that—she was also the princess of a nightclub."

The tightrope of tension in Delphine's mind snapped abruptly. She acted without thought, raising her hand and landing a slap directly across his face.

The side hall plunged into a deathly silence. The man's handsome features darkened completely as he stared at Delphine, who was now trembling all over. Then, lowering his head, he grabbed the back of her head forcefully and claimed her quivering lips in a brutal kiss as the shadows closed in around them.