My First Love Died, Now My Step Uncle Wants Me-Chapter 22: Taint

Nina Wynn recoiled as if she’d touched something dreadful, taking a sharp step back. She ducked her head, barely daring to look at Caleb Rhodes.

Caleb Rhodes’s eyes narrowed in displeasure. "You’re not done," he said, his voice cold and heavy. "Continue." 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

He possessed the oppressive aura of a man in power, and his cold voice was laced with unmistakable displeasure.

Nina Wynn didn’t dare disobey him. Biting her lip, she stepped forward to continue adjusting his tie.

A moist sheen lingered where she had just bitten her lip, making the tender flesh look even more crimson.

Caleb Rhodes’s eyes narrowed. He lowered his chin slightly, and his thin lips brushed against her smooth forehead as if by accident. Nina Wynn’s face flushed so violently she felt it might explode.

Growing anxious from her repeated failures to tie the knot, she leaned in closer.

And just like that, her small, soft body was pressed almost entirely against Caleb Rhodes. With the light clothing of summer, she could feel his body heat, making her even more nervous.

The more nervous she became, the more she fumbled. After her sixth failed attempt, Nina Wynn was at her wit’s end. She looked up and whispered, "Caleb..."

But before the name had fully left her lips, she realized just how close they were. As she tilted her head up, her lips almost brushed against his chin.

Nina Wynn’s mind went blank. She stumbled back a few steps instinctively, her fingers twisting the poor necktie. "Ca-Caleb," she stammered, "I really don’t know how."

Caleb Rhodes saw the blush spreading to the tips of her ears, and his gaze darkened. "Come here. I’ll teach you."

Nina Wynn’s face flushed an even deeper shade of red, the tie nearly crumpled in her grip. In the next moment, Caleb Rhodes’s hand covered hers.

His large, slender hand, with its well-defined knuckles, enveloped her small, soft one, the contrast stark.

Caleb Rhodes’s cool, dark gaze lingered on their joined hands for a moment before he spoke, his voice turning slightly husky. "A simple knot, like the ones from elementary school. You can do that, can’t you?"

Nina Wynn kept her head down, afraid to meet his gaze. "I can."

Finally, with Caleb Rhodes’s concise and firm guidance, Nina Wynn finished tying the tie.

As he watched the blush spread from her face all the way down her neck, the darkness in Caleb Rhodes’s eyes intensified. "Cufflinks."

Biting her lip, Nina Wynn picked up the pair of light-blue gemstone cufflinks from their box.

The pure, light-blue gems refracted a light that was simultaneously understated and luxurious. Nina Wynn felt the material was identical to the gems on her own headband.

’The same jewelry, the same pajamas...’ An answer seemed to be on the verge of revealing itself, but Nina Wynn didn’t dare dwell on it. She quickly focused on fastening the cufflinks.

Once she was finished, she made an excuse to use the restroom and hid inside, not emerging until she heard Caleb Rhodes leave.

Back in the room, the butler had already tidied up. Nina Wynn let out a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, Caleb Rhodes didn’t appear for the rest of the day, nor did he come the following day. Nina Wynn breathed another sigh of relief.

Unfortunately, her relief was short-lived. The butler soon presented her with an exquisitely packaged bag and said, his face expressionless, "Miss Wynn, the Young Master will be here to pick you up at six o’clock sharp. Please change into these clothes."

Nina Wynn stared at the bag, a bad feeling welling up inside her. "He wants me to go with him to the Rhodes’ family home?"

The butler’s poker face remained, his tone flat. "The Young Master makes all the decisions. He will be here to pick you up at six."

He glanced at his watch. "It is 5:30 now. You have half an hour."

’Caleb Rhodes is domineering, and his butler is no better—they both have the same cold poker face.’ Nina Wynn felt an urge to run, but the butler was now watching her like a hawk. He even stood guard outside the restroom door, as if he knew she was planning to escape.

With no other choice, after procrastinating for as long as she could, she finally went into the restroom to change.

It had to be said, Caleb Rhodes had exquisite taste.

The dress was a stunning light blue. Its outer layer of mesh, as thin as a cicada’s wing, was arranged in cascading tiers, with the top layer embedded with fine, glittering gems. It was a fresh yet magnificent design. A small, tassel-adorned cutout at the waist added a playful hint of allure, the tassels dancing with her every move.

Of course, Nina Wynn loved the beautiful dress, but the thought that Caleb Rhodes had picked it out—and the uncertainty of what the night held in store—made her tense up all over again.

A short while later, Caleb Rhodes arrived.

He stood tall and elegant in a fine white shirt and charcoal-gray trousers. The light-blue diamond cufflinks at his wrists shimmered, adding to his distinguished air.

It was as if time had been exceptionally kind to him. In his three years away, he had only gained more charm and dignity, without a single trace of hardship.

They stood so close that she could smell the crisp scent of cedar from him, mingled with an indescribable fragrance that was uniquely Caleb. She couldn’t put a name to it, but after the last few days, she had grown all too familiar with it.

To her, however, the scent felt invasive, making her heart race. From the moment he had walked in, the room seemed saturated with it, the fragrance clinging to the air she breathed until she felt she might suffocate.

Nina Wynn stood frozen, her eyes downcast, not daring to look at him directly.

She felt as if his gaze was wrapping around her entirely.

His gaze was dark and heavy, like the deepest ocean—placid on the surface, but cold, dark, and dangerous beneath. To fall in would be to invite eternal damnation.

She even had the strange feeling that Caleb Rhodes was luring her in—tempting her to enter his world, become his prey, and be devoured until not even a scrap of bone remained.

They stood in a silent standoff, the air between them thick with a startlingly intimate tension.

In the end, Nina Wynn couldn’t bear the silence any longer. Biting her lip, she looked up and softly called out, "Caleb."

Her voice was soft, with a delicate, almost pampered lilt that made her sound fragile.

The light-blue headband held back her black hair, revealing a makeup-free face that was a paradoxical blend of innocence and allure.

Her eyes were clear and held a hint of shyness, but the small mole above her lip was inexplicably alluring.

’Every time she looks at me like that,’ he thought, ’I just want to possess her—to put her in the most shameful positions and make her sob until she’s breathless.’

’In fact, for the past three years, I’ve regretted not taking that final step. It’s why, in my midnight dreams, she’s always there, crying and begging for mercy as I bite down on that small mole above her lip, leaving it a glistening, vivid red.’

Caleb Rhodes’s gaze grew impossibly dark, his voice turning husky. "Let’s go."

Nina Wynn wanted to ask if she could stay, but she didn’t have the courage. All she could do was trail obediently after him.

Caleb Rhodes was tall with long legs and walked quickly. Nina Wynn had to break into a near-jog just to keep up.

They were both extraordinarily good-looking, and the sight of them walking one after the other drew the eyes of nearly every passerby.

People they passed would invariably turn their heads for a second, then a third, look.

Being the center of public attention was what Nina Wynn hated most. She was so mortified she could have clawed a hole in the floor with her toes.