The restaurant was so quiet that the only sound was the faint hum of the central air-conditioning.
“Yours.”
Richard Sterling finally spoke.
“Mm… yes.”
Elena Hayes stood up somewhat stiffly and walked over.
As the distance between them closed, she could more clearly catch the faint scent of oak on the man, mixed with the subtle trace of a mature, woody aftershave.
Richard remained seated, not moving an inch. The earring was still pinched between his fingers.
Elena thought for a moment before simply leaning closer.
She tilted her head, exposing her left ear within easy reach of him.
With one hand, she brushed aside the loose strands of black hair beside her ear, revealing a section of pale, jade-like skin along her graceful neck.
And there was that small, delicate earlobe, its usual fair color touched with a faint pink from the change in her emotions.
Elena glanced up at him, her cheeks flushing a soft peach. She looked shy and nervous.
“…Are you going to put it on for me?”
Her voice was soft.
The man in front of her looked at her silently.
She simply waited there, as though it were the most natural thing in the world—with a trace of unconscious dependence and silent permission.
—And no wonder.
He had been holding the earring this entire time. Naturally, she would assume that was what he intended.
Or perhaps, even if she hadn’t misunderstood, she was simply taking advantage of the opportunity and pretending she had.
Richard’s fingers tightened almost imperceptibly around the earring for a brief moment.
He had just lost himself in thought.
Even he couldn’t explain why.
It was nothing more than an inexpensive little piece of jewelry. Yet knowing that it belonged to her, he had somehow found himself unable to resist turning it over in his fingers.
Richard said nothing.
His gaze moved from the girl’s flushed profile to her subtly trembling eyelashes.
Finally, his gaze fell to the pale, vulnerable skin exposed along the side of her neck, then settled on that delicate earlobe, flushed with an alluring pink as though it were offering a silent invitation.
The temperature in the air seemed to rise almost imperceptibly.
Dark, unreadable emotions stirred in the man’s black eyes. The fingers holding the earring tightened slightly, turning pale with pressure, the rose-gold hook nearly pressing into his fingertip.
Elena remained bent toward him.
—The original owner had been a dance student, just like her, so this body was hardly lacking in physical stamina.
Her earlier stumble had been entirely due to the cold water and slippery floor.
Anyone else who had gone in and out of the pool twice might well have caught a chill and be sneezing by now.
Still…
Wasn’t she making it a little too obvious?
Or perhaps things were moving too quickly?
“…All right.”
The man’s deep voice sounded beside her ear.
Richard lifted his other hand and reached toward Elena’s turned face.
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His rough, warm fingertip, lightly callused, came to rest beneath her chin with a gentle yet irresistible pressure.
He turned her face slightly toward him.
Their eyes met.
His touch was not rough. If anything, it was careful.
Yet beneath that restraint was an unmistakable sense of control.
Elena’s breath caught as she found herself staring into his deep, unfathomable eyes, now carrying a dangerous warmth she couldn’t quite understand.
Richard didn’t release his hold on her chin.
“…Don’t move.”
The man leaned closer.
His presence instantly enveloped her.
Elena could clearly make out his thick lashes, the straight bridge of his nose, and his slightly pursed lips, their sharp lines giving them a distinctly cold edge.
His movements were slow and steady.
The cool rose-gold earring hook gently pressed against the soft, heated flesh of her earlobe.
A faint sting followed, accompanied by the occasional unavoidable brush of his warm fingertips against her skin.
Each touch was fleeting.
Yet even those brief contacts seemed to send tiny sparks of electricity racing down her spine.
Elena grew increasingly nervous.
Richard remained bent toward her, completely focused on the delicate movement of his hands. His breath brushed against the loose strands of hair beside her ear, even grazing the skin along her neck.
The warmth sent a tingling sensation through her.
Elena’s body stiffened. She didn’t dare move an inch. Only her eyelashes trembled violently, while her cheeks and neck flushed so deeply they seemed ready to burn.
She could hear her own heartbeat pounding like a drum.
The hook slipped through the piercing.
The entire process took only a few seconds, yet to her, it felt like an entire century.
Richard Sterling’s hand did not move away immediately.
His slightly rough fingertips traced, almost imperceptibly, along the curve of her earlobe, moving with deliberate slowness, as though checking whether the earring was properly secured.
Or perhaps he was simply lingering over the delicate softness of her skin.
Elena couldn’t help drawing in a soft breath.
Richard made no further move.
He finally withdrew his hand and leaned back against the chair, putting a little distance between them. His legs crossed as he settled comfortably into his seat.
Yet a powerful, wordless tension still lingered between them.
Richard raised his eyes to the girl who was still standing there with her head slightly tilted, her cheeks flushed, her eyes hazy.
His Adam’s apple moved almost imperceptibly.
When he spoke, his voice was noticeably lower and raspier than before.
“Done.”
Elena seemed to snap back to reality.
She straightened abruptly and took half a step back, her fingertips unconsciously touching the earlobe he had just brushed.
The strange sensation of cool metal intertwined with the warmth of his fingertips still lingered there.
“Th-Thank you…”
Her voice was barely louder than a whisper.
Richard stared at her fair cheeks, now covered in a rosy flush, his dark eyes unreadable.
“That thing doesn’t suit you. It’s too tacky.”
Elena smiled sweetly.
“I’m no fairy. Can’t I wear something a little tacky?”
“Everything in this world is ordinary,” Richard said noncommittally. “But even ordinary things have their differences in quality.”
Elena: “…”
Going around in circles, wasn’t he basically saying he looked down on cheap things?
She understood perfectly well!
Seeing the slightly puffed-up girl in front of him, Richard couldn’t help finding her reaction faintly amusing, though he showed little of it on his face.
“Go to sleep,” he said calmly. “Young girls shouldn’t stay up late.”
The corner of Elena’s mouth twitched.
“I’m a university student. Naturally, I’m an expert at staying up all night—”
Richard glanced at her.
Elena’s words came to an abrupt halt.
“Then…” she muttered under her breath, “technically, no one should stay up late, so you should go to bed early too!”
As she spoke, Elena took several steps backward, intending to turn and leave, but she couldn’t help looking back at him twice.
Richard naturally noticed.
“What is it?”
Elena tilted her head.
“I… actually haven’t had anyone help me like this in a very long time. I guess I don’t really want to leave yet? I know that once I go upstairs, I’ll probably never see you again.”
The first part was actually sincere.
Whether before she transmigrated or after.
“Hmm?”
Richard raised an eyebrow slightly, as though he’d heard something rather interesting.
“Who said that?”
Elena pressed her lips together.
“Isn’t that true?”
Richard didn’t answer her question directly.
He simply looked at her in silence, as though he were watching a small creature that had wandered into his territory, still innocent and unaware of where it belonged.
After a while, the man spoke in an unhurried voice.
“Go get some rest. Tomorrow’s problems can wait until tomorrow.”
Tomorrow?
Elena blinked.
“Mm. Then… good night, Mr. Sterling.”
Richard gave a slight nod.
“Good night.”
Elena turned and walked toward the staircase leading to the second floor.
Her footsteps gradually faded against the thick carpet covering the stairs.
The sitting room fell silent once again.
Richard, however, did not immediately return to his documents.
He remained in the same position, his gaze resting on the spot where Elena had just been standing, as though his eyes had passed through the empty space and settled somewhere beyond it.
Then he raised a hand and gestured.
Assistant Wang approached from a short distance away.
“Tomorrow—”
Richard suddenly spoke.
“Contact several jewelry houses we regularly work with. Have them send over some catalogs. And have them bring in several batches of loose stones for selection.”
His long fingers tapped lightly against the tabletop.
“Tell them I only want the finest quality for the center stones—the highest clarity and brilliance. The cutting and setting must be flawless.”
His tone remained calm, carrying the habitual exacting scrutiny of a man accustomed to evaluating assets.
“As for the design…”
Richard fell silent for several seconds.
“Let them decide for themselves. If they’re unsure, keep it simple. No messy or overly elaborate designs.”
He paused.
For a fleeting moment, the lively image of the young woman sticking out her tongue after being overwhelmed by the spicy food crossed his mind.
“Something suitable for a woman in her twenties to wear casually.”