After Betrayal - I Married a Handsome Tycoon-Chapter 153: Give Dating a Try

Connor stepped forward and pulled her into his arms. The moment he pressed her close, he felt her body tremble.

One of his hands rested on her waist while the other gently caressed the nape of her neck.

He didn’t speak, but the warmth and pressure of his palm slowly calmed her emotions.

After a long moment, Connor’s deep voice broke the silence. "Want to go back to the room to cuddle?"

Moira Sloan’s voice was muffled. "Mhm."

A short while later, they swiped their keycard and entered the room. Connor swept her up into his arms, walked to the sofa, and sat down, settling Moira onto his lap.

They sat facing each other. Moira draped herself over him as if she had no bones, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face in the crook of it.

The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Moira’s breathing was shallow.

After a long time, Moira’s soft voice murmured, "Connor."

The hand on her waist tightened. "I’m here."

Moira said, "I feel a little tired."

Connor’s voice was low. "Do you want to rest for a bit?"

Moira pressed her lips together. "No."

Connor’s voice was as stern and cool as ever, yet it held a hint of barely perceptible tenderness. "Want to talk about it?"

Moira drew in a breath. ’I want to say something, but I also don’t.’

Connor seemed to guess her thoughts. The hand on her neck gave a gentle squeeze. "Just a casual chat between ordinary friends."

’Ordinary friends.’

’No strings attached, no responsibility. Just a place to vent.’

Hearing Connor’s words, Moira was silent for a few minutes. She nuzzled her face against his neck and began to speak in a low voice. "When I was eighteen, I became an apprentice to Kain Alden, a master of Northern Lacquerware Vessel. My master was a very old-fashioned, stubborn man. His skill was absolutely top-tier in his field, but he didn’t know how to adapt. He couldn’t keep up with the materialistic world we live in..."

Moira recounted her story in a soft voice, speaking intermittently.

She was only concerned with venting her pent-up emotions, not caring whether Connor understood or not.

It had to be said, Connor was an excellent listener.

He was a man of few words to begin with, and at times like this, he said almost nothing at all.

Moira murmured a few more sentences, then took a deep breath. After a pause, she continued, "A few years ago, a foreign company wanted to invest in my master’s Erudite Pavilion, but he—the old master—refused. After that, Erudite Pavilion faced all sorts of pressure. Just when all of us apprentices thought he would surely give in, who would have thought... the old man just shut the whole thing down."

Connor said, "He had a lot of integrity."

Moira gave a bitter laugh. "He had integrity, sure. But in this dog-eat-dog world, they’ll devour you without shedding a drop of blood, without peeling your skin or pulling your tendons, and they’ll still chew you up until not even bone dust is left. How could he think shutting down the shop would be the end of it, that it would just smooth things over?"

Connor prompted at the right moment, "And then?"

Moira said, "And then my master died. A mysterious death."

Connor’s large hand gently stroked Moira’s back. "It hurts a lot, doesn’t it?"

Moira’s breathing was soft and shallow. "I grew up without a father. The old man was strict with me, really strict. He’d even hit my palms with a ruler, and he didn’t hold back. It would hurt so much I couldn’t sleep all night. But..."

But what? Moira choked up, unable to continue.

She didn’t say it, but Connor understood her unspoken words.

Kain Alden’s presence had filled the void left by her absent father.

In Moira’s heart, Kain Alden was her master, but he was also her father.

It was no wonder she couldn’t keep her emotions in check, not with someone so special to her.

Moira finished speaking and took a moment to compose herself, sniffling. "Now, my master’s wife and my senior apprentice brother are planning to reopen his Erudite Pavilion. My master gave his life to close that shop, all for his own principles. And now they want to just reopen it, just like that..." 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Hearing Moira’s words, Connor’s body stiffened. "Perhaps they have their reasons."

Moira said, "I don’t care what reasons they have. I think they’re being selfish."

Sensing that the woman in his arms was getting worked up again, Connor stroked her hair to soothe her. "I agree."

’Some things, when you keep them buried in your heart, get all twisted into knots.’

But once you actually say them out loud, the emotions are released, and suddenly it doesn’t seem to hurt as much.

Moira finished saying everything she wanted to say, her story coming out in fits and starts. She lay limply in Connor’s arms for a while. Then, suddenly, the red lips pressed against his neck began to misbehave. She sucked gently, then nibbled with the pearly edges of her teeth. After that, her slender body straightened, and under the gaze of his deep eyes, she moved in to kiss his lips...

As their lips and tongues intertwined, pleasure flooded Moira’s body and soul.

After who knows how long, Moira’s red lips brushed across Connor’s cheek. Nibbling on his ear, she whispered, "Connor, do you still like me? How much? Do you want to try dating me...?"