Chapter 17 I'm Doing This for Your Own Good

Henry shot a frosty look over, and Charles bolted with the med kit.

As the door clicked shut, Henry crushed his cigarette and flicked it into the ashtray on the coffee table.

Scooping up the drenched Alice, he cradled her in his arms and headed to the bathroom. He flicked on the wall lamp and casually twisted the cold water knob.

The icy water cascaded down, and Alice sighed inwardly. She knew she was in for it tonight.

She looked up at Henry, who was standing with her under the cold water, and pouted, "Uncle Henry, you really hate me."

"I'm doing this for your own good."

"For my own good?" Crystal-clear water droplets shattered on her trembling eyelashes, creating a poignant beauty. "Uncle Henry, you are just looking out for yourself, scared I'll cling to you."

Henry gritted his teeth, looking at Alice's reddened nose, which made her seem particularly pitiful. "That's not true."

Alice braced her hands against Henry's chest and shoved him away. "Get out, I don't need you to take care of me."

"Don't mess around, be good."

"If I knew it would be this uncomfortable, I would have gone out to find a man!"

"What nonsense are you talking?" Henry raised his hand to pinch her chin, looking at her tightly bitten, flushed lips, and frowned. "Don't bite."

"I don't need you to take care of me! You saved me once, can you always be there for me? I'm just someone who nobody loves and can be abandoned at will. Leave me..."

Alice's remaining words were cut off by Henry's lips, which pressed over hers, dominantly taking the last bit of oxygen from her mouth. His broad hand pressed against her soft waist, then slowly moved down as it lifted the hem of her dress that clung to her beautiful legs.

Henry's low breathing sounded in her ear. After a long while, he said, his voice hoarse, "Be good, I won't hurt you."

The heat from his palm made Alice's body stiffen. Although she had had a one-night stand with him, that was two years ago.

Now, he was staring at her without blinking, appreciating her discomfort under his touch, making her feel a bit ashamed.

Alice buried her face in Henry's chest and softly said, "Uncle Henry, don't look at me like that."

Maybe something in her words triggered Henry up, he applied a bit more pressure, making Alice let out a soft moan.

Forty minutes later, Henry carried Alice out of the bathroom, then gently placed her on the bed while drying her hair.

After covering Alice with a thin blanket, he went into the bathroom, and after a long while, he came out.

Alice lazily opened her eyes to look at Henry's silhouette behind the frosted glass and smiled.

She had thought Henry's rejection meant nothing would happen tonight, but the unexpected turn of events caught her off guard. Regardless, except for the final step, everything else had been done. This ambiguous behavior had ultimately turned their relationship into something impure.

Perhaps due to exhaustion, Alice fell into a deep sleep before Henry came out.

He stood beside Alice and looked down at her. Her hair spread out on the white sheets, with her still blushing face showing a hint of shyness, her lips red like ripe cherries, soft and sweet.

He seemed to hear her soft moans again, making his lower abdomen tighten. Taking a deep breath, he walked out.

He didn't know what kind of spell Alice had cast on him, making him break his rules for her repeatedly these past few days.

Mystique Bar.

When Henry stepped through the door, there were already no guests inside.

Just several sounds of pain and restraint came from the second floor.

"I'm dying here, please let us go to the bathroom!"

"Holding it in like this will burst our bladders. If something happens, it won't be good for anyone."

"Yeah, Mr. Howard has always had a good reputation. If any bad rumors spread, it would damage his reputation."

"Please, I feel like I'm going to die."

Steady footsteps echoed, each step pounding like a drum on their hearts.

Grant was on his knees, staring at a pair of shiny leather shoes that stopped right in front of him. Slowly, he looked up. "Mr. Howard."

Ethan brought over a chair, and Henry sat down, crossing his long legs with an air of elegance. His freshly dried hair was a bit messy, but his handsome face was still on point. "I'll give you a chance, spill it."

Hearing Henry's words, Grant knew if he didn't fess up tonight, he'd be the one dying from holding it in.

"Lester wants his daughter to marry into the Johnson Family. He said Alice and Oliver broke off their engagement because, although Alice is beautiful, she's stubborn, and Oliver prefers Clara's personality. Lester said only I could tame Alice. If I liked, I could send Alice back in the morning. He said I could do as I pleased, and they wouldn't have any complaints."

Grant cautiously looked at Henry, seeing his face grow darker, like a storm brewing.

Grant swallowed hard. "I didn't expect Alice to be so difficult. I didn't even touch her hair, and she made me drink fifteen glasses of wine. Really, that Alice is amazing at dice."

He crawled forward. "Mr. Howard, please have mercy on me. If I had known she was someone you valued, I wouldn't have even met her."

Henry frowned deeply. She was someone he valued?

He just felt sorry for her because her father didn't care while her grandmother didn't love her, and the Howard Family had wronged her, so he felt a bit of compassion. How did Alice become someone he valued?

Seeing Henry's frown, Grant didn't know which word had ticked him off. His eyes darted around. "Mr. Howard, don't worry. I'll never appear in front of Alice again. I'll stay as far away as possible."

Henry sneered, "What about the aphrodisiac you gave her?"

Grant immediately looked at Marcus Davis behind him, his eyes wide. "Did you do it?"

Marcus shook his head. "No, I didn't have the chance, I swear!" He fumbled in his pocket and took out a transparent bag with white pills. "Really, there are five in total, all here. I didn't have the chance. You all arrived before I could."

Henry licked his back teeth, completely losing patience. "If you didn't do it, did she do it herself?"

Grant said, "It's true, I swear! You can check the surveillance!"

Henry glanced at Ethan, who immediately went to check the surveillance.

After repeatedly watching the footage, Henry found that these people indeed hadn't tampered with anything.

His lips pressed tightly together, and he had to shift his gaze to Alice's slender figure. Then, his lips slowly curved downward, and he gritted his teeth, trying hard to suppress the rising anger.

After a while, he suddenly laughed, a laugh born of anger.

Despite his twenty-eight years of life experience,, he had been outsmarted by this young girl Alice and had his actions controlled.

He almost had sex with Alice today, but fortunately, they hadn't crossed that final line. Everything was still within his control.

Henry looked at Ethan. "Call the police chief and have these spoiled brats properly reformed!"

With that, he got up and left.

Grant and the others were terrified. With one word from Henry, all their criminal records would be exposed, and no one could save them. They were looking at a few years of reform in jail. "Mr. Howard, we are truly innocent."

Henry paused while glancing sideways, "None of you are innocent."

The Maybach cruised down the empty midnight road. The breeze blew through the half-open window, ruffling Henry's long bangs and covering his deep eyes, making his emotions unreadable.

Unknowingly, the car stopped under Bluewater Bay.

He lit a cigarette and took a couple of puffs, holding it between his fingers and resting it on the car window frame. It wasn't until the burning ash seared his fingertips that he extinguished the butt and flicked it into a nearby trash bin. Then he started the car and drove away.