The next day, Seth Quinn was heading to work and wanted to take Clara Grant with him again.

Clara Grant firmly objected, "No, I’m not going."

’Yesterday was only for an hour or two, but today I’d have to stay the entire day. How boring.’

’More importantly... It’s probably true that the more you can’t have something, the more desperately you want it. Seth Quinn was getting *those* kinds of ideas about her all the time now, but the very thought of it terrified her.’

"Why?" Seth Quinn asked, adjusting his cuffs as he looked at her.

"It’s nothing. It’s just so boring there. I’d just be spacing out or sleeping while you work. It’s so dull. Besides, our relationship was made perfectly clear yesterday, so I don’t have to go to your company to make an appearance again, do I? I finally have a few days off to relax. I want to ask Sarah to go shopping."

Clara Grant protested with a pout.

Seth Quinn suddenly wrapped an arm around her waist and stole a kiss from her cute lips. He said, a little jealously, "Is spending time with me less important than going shopping?"

Clara Grant answered without a second thought, "Yeah."

At her words, Seth Quinn’s expression darkened. He reached out and gave her a slap on the butt, making Clara Grant jolt with a small cry. Annoyed, she exclaimed, "Ah, why did you hit me?"

But Seth Quinn ignored her protest, simply pulling her closer into his arms and holding her even tighter. He pressed his forehead against hers, his voice soft but laced with threat as he said:

"I can’t believe I’m less important to you than going shopping with a friend. If that’s the case, it just means our bond isn’t strong enough yet. It looks like I’ll have to work a little harder on ’cultivating’ our relationship."

As he spoke, he tilted her chin up with one hand, his thumb gently stroking back and forth across her red lips.

Seeing his posture, she knew exactly what "method" he wanted to use to "cultivate their relationship." Clara Grant’s legs instantly felt weak. She quickly tried to placate him, forcing a fawning smile.

"No, that’s not it! I mean, you’re very important to me, but I can’t be stuck to you every single day. I’d be distracting you from your work. Besides, I should be allowed to have friends in addition to a lover, right? So, please just let me go."

Her use of the word "lover" made Seth Quinn pause. His gaze, fixed on her, instantly deepened.

The corner of his mouth curved up. "What did you say? Lover? Are you confessing your feelings to me?"

Clara Grant froze for a moment before realizing what she had just said. Her face instantly flushed red, and she turned away, refusing to look at him. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

But she still retorted, "Who’s confessing to you? ’Lover’ is just a term for a married couple."

The smile on Seth Quinn’s lips widened, and his eyes glinted with amusement. "Is that so? Then why are you blushing?"

"Who’s blushing?" Clara Grant snapped her head back to glare at him. "Are you going to let me go or not?"

Seeing the annoyance on her flushed face, Seth Quinn found her all the more beautiful and couldn’t resist teasing her further.

"Say something sweet, and I’ll think about it."

"Like what?"

"You’ll have to think of it yourself. And it has to be sincere." Seth Quinn’s finger moved to tap the tip of her small, pert nose.

Clara Grant looked at the man before her, who seemed to be fishing for a compliment. Her heart stirred, and suddenly, there was something she desperately wanted to say to him.

The next moment, she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down slightly. Rising onto her tiptoes, she brought her lips close to his ear and said, her voice shy yet firm, "Seth, I like you."