Chapter 1517:
Just then, the control room door swung open, and a woman strode in without pause. “Hey, Jerome!”
She was impossible to ignore—tight clothes hugging a shapely figure, long hair pulled high into a whip-like ponytail.
Her entrance drew several quick glances, but Jerome’s expression darkened immediately. “How many times do I have to tell you—knock before entering?”
The woman pouted. “Oops. I forgot.”
But her eyes were too busy scanning Nate—lingering on him far too long. Then she noticed Corrine. Her smile dimmed, and a flicker of hostility seeped into her eyes.
Corrine met her stare without flinching.
For a heartbeat, they locked eyes—neither blinking, neither yielding—until the woman broke contact and turned her smile back on Nate. “Mr. Hopkins, you should’ve told us you were coming.”
Corrine hadn’t paid her much attention at first, but now, the way this woman looked at Nate—with such naked longing—was impossible to ignore.
Her gaze lingered on the woman, sharp and still.
Jerome sprang to his feet and snapped, “Irene, mind your manners!”
His heart skipped a beat when he noticed Corrine’s scrutinizing gaze. He stepped forward to explain, “Please don’t mind her, Miss Holland. That’s my sister, Irene. We grew up together, and… she isn’t always mindful of formalities. I hope you won’t hold it against her.”
Corrine withdrew her gaze and gave a faint, enigmatic smile. “You two certainly have very different personalities.”
One knew how to measure every word and gesture. The other had clearly never learned her place.
Nate’s fingers closed around Corrine’s. “Would you like to go outside for a walk?”
The rest on gⲁl𝗇𝗈ν𝖊𝗅𝘀⧸𝒸𝗈𝗺
She smiled. “Sure.”
As they strolled away, Irene’s hushed voice floated behind them—faint but sharp enough to catch Corrine’s ear. “Who is that woman? Why did Mr. Hopkins bring her here?”
Corrine didn’t stop, but her lashes lowered, and a cold smile twitched at the corner of her lips, quiet as frost.
“What are you thinking?” Nate murmured beside her.
Corrine looked up at him, her fingers lifting to gently tilt his chin. She studied his face in silence, her eyes tracing every exquisite line with quiet admiration. “A face like this is enough to drive anyone mad.” No wonder so many women chased after him.
Nate said nothing.
Corrine slid her fingers down from his jaw to the collar of his shirt, tugging him toward her with a deliberate motion. Her tone turned suddenly serious. “Don’t even think about flirting with anyone else.”
He raised an eyebrow, amused. “Flirting?”
She looked at him with cool detachment. “That woman clearly found you attractive, didn’t she?”
“Technically,” Nate said, reaching out to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear, “that’s not my fault.”
Then he leaned in, brushing a soft kiss across her lips. “You know I belong to you—my heart, my body, my everything.”
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