Chapter 19 Becoming a Little Lamb for Him

Night rolled in.

Alice checked her watch—8 PM already.

She'd just dug up Henry's schedule and knew he was chilling at the Royal Orchid Restaurant with Ryan Collins from Windwalk Machinery. But she had to play it cool, so she called Ethan, "Hey, Mr. Ross, it's Alice. I need to return something to Uncle Henry, but I can't get ahold of him."

Ethan had just stepped out of the restroom. "Mr. Howard's probably busy with Mr. Collins."

"Cool, I'll bring it to him. Where are you guys?"

Ethan remembered Henry asking him to transfer some property to Alice that morning. Given last night's drama, their relationship was probably in a weird, murky place now.

So, he didn't hold back. "Room 208 at the Royal Orchid Restaurant."

Alice hung up, grabbed the manila envelope, and bounced out of the house.

Half an hour later, she rolled up to the Royal Orchid Restaurant.

As she climbed the steps, she spotted a sign at the entrance: [Pets and the Savoys Are Not Admitted!]

Alice raised an eyebrow. The Savoy Family? Who ticked off the owner that bad?

If it was Lester, she'd be thrilled.

She smirked and strolled in.

On her way to Room 208, she passed the restroom and saw a familiar face stepping out.

"Here for me?" Oliver asked, surprise flickering in his eyes.

Alice shot him a look of pure disgust. Where did this jerk get his ego from?

"I'll give you one chance to vanish," she said coldly.

"Playing hard to get, huh?" Oliver sneered, stepping closer and eyeing her up and down. "If you'd dressed like this sooner, maybe I'd have noticed you. But it's not too late. Spend the night with me, and I'll dump Clara and get engaged to you."

Alice's eyes narrowed, fighting the urge to deck him.

Just then, the door to Room 208 swung open, and Henry stepped out.

Seeing Oliver's face getting too close, Alice smacked him with the manila envelope, her voice shaky, "What do you want? Stay away from me!"

Oliver laughed and reached for her wrist. "I just want you!"

"What the hell are you doing?" Henry grabbed Oliver by the collar and yanked him off balance.

The force sent Oliver crashing into the wall, half his body going numb.

Just as he was about to curse, he saw it was Henry and swallowed his words. "Uncle Henry, you got it all wrong."

Henry's eyes were ice-cold, and he radiated menace. "Want another beating?"

Oliver remembered the thrashing he'd gotten a few days ago, his body still bruised, and broke into a cold sweat.

"Uncle Henry, it's really a misunderstanding," he stammered.

"Get lost!" Henry's face was stone-cold, leaving no room for argument.

Oliver bolted, not even looking back.

Turning around, Henry saw Alice's red eyes and flushed nose, looking all kinds of pitiful.

The anger he'd felt towards her for scheming against him melted away, just a bit.

His tone softened, "Why are you here?"

Alice handed him the manila envelope. "I came to give you this."

It was the property deed he'd given her that morning.

He glanced inside and weighed it in his hand. "You want more?"

Alice shook her head and gently tugged at Henry's sleeve. "I don't want our connection to end with just a house."

People walked by, sneaking glances at them.

Henry told her to hang tight and ducked back into the room. Less than two minutes later, he came out with Ethan.

"Let's roll, I'll take you home," Henry said as he breezed past her.

In the car, Henry's chiseled profile flickered in the passing streetlights.

Alice spoke softly, "Uncle Henry..."

Before she could finish, Henry kicked the back of the seat, and Ethan raised the partition, splitting the car into two separate spaces.

Henry stared at Alice for a long while before speaking, "Do you like me?"

Alice nodded. "Yeah."

"How much?"

Alice didn't miss a beat. "So much I'd go nuts for you, die for you, and be your little lamb."

Henry rubbed his temples. Was this what they called sweet talk?

He lit a cigarette, holding it elegantly between his fingers, his thin lips parting slightly, "Don't like me; it won't end well."

Alice looked at him, feeling super bummed, her eyes welling up with tears. "Why?"

"What do you call me?"

"Uncle Henry."

"You're my nephew's ex-fiancée."

The space between them felt like a chasm.

Her fingers fidgeted, then she leaned closer, pressing her body against his crisp suit, tugging at his diamond cufflink. "It's ex-fiancée, and Oliver barely talked to me. From now on, I'll call you Henry, okay?"

Henry looked into Alice's playful eyes, speechless.

The cold words he'd prepared got stuck in his throat.

His gaze shifted to Alice's slightly parted lips, the sweet taste seemingly still lingering on his own.

His Adam's apple bobbed, and he turned his head away from her.

"Uncle Henry? Henry? Which do you prefer?" Alice leaned in again.

Her natural scent filled his nose, seemingly on purpose.

Henry felt a surge of heat in his chest, recalling their bathroom encounter last night. He seemed to hear her call him Henry.

Her soft voice echoed in his mind, making his lower abdomen tighten. He suddenly extinguished the cigarette and tossed it into the ashtray.

He admitted he had desires for her, but the sense of taboo held him back, ultimately stopping him from going all the way last night.

Henry pressed his finger against Alice's forehead. "Sit properly. Just 'cause I'm talking to you now doesn't mean I'm not pissed about you scheming against me."

So he was still mad, but not as mad as last night. Alice blinked, her eyes clear and innocent, like she wasn't the one who did wrong.

The car stopped at Bluewater Bay, and Henry's voice was cold, "You're not a bad girl. Use your smarts for the right things in the future."

Alice murmured a sound of acknowledgment before cautiously asking, "So, can you stop being mad?"

Henry shot back with a question, "What do you think?"

Alice put herself in his shoes. If someone had schemed against her and almost cost her her virginity, she'd be furious and want to tear the person apart.

"How about you hit me to vent your anger?" she suggested, sticking out her tongue playfully.

Henry glanced at her, catching sight of her light pink tongue, his eyes darkening. "Get out."

Alice nodded. She obediently opened the door and got out of the car, then waved goodbye from the roadside.

Soon, the taillights disappeared around the corner.

Alice thought that even though she had returned the property deed, it didn't mean they had reconciled.

Henry was still mad and needed some serious coaxing.

Before hitting the sack, Alice sent Henry a message as usual but didn't get a reply.

No biggie; as long as Henry didn't block her, it wasn't a huge problem.