Xo Novel
Chapter 350
Chapter 350
The silence in the suite was deafening, broken as he left. Leanne lingered in bed for a little longer before she got up and headed to the bathroom. Turning away from the mirror, she
lifted her shirt.
Several red marks marred her shoulders and along her spine, likely leftovers from the
massage.
That masseuse went overboard.
The penthouse was expansive, and it took Leanne a moment to locate him. She finally found Curtis leaning against the hallway wall, a cigarette in hand. Half of it had already burned down, its smoke curling upwards, filling the corridor with its scent.
He took a deep drag, inhaling the sharp nicotine to quell the rising irritation that threatened to burst through his chest.
A simmering anger bubbled within him, with nowhere to go. He feared losing control and frightening Leanne if he stayed any longer.
When hearing the door, his gaze flicked over, his eyes still shadowed with a residual
sternness.
Only when he saw Leanne did the icy look dissipate, and he stubbed his cigarette in the ashtray.
“Why did you come out?” Curtis ushered her back into the room and shut the door. “It’s smoky out there.”
Close enough, Leanne could smell the tobacco on him, mingling with his usual woody cologne into a distinct scent belonging to Curtis.
“We went to a reputable spa today. I just…” She was cut off mid-sentence. © 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.
“Reputable? And they left you looking like that?” Curtis’ suppressed vexation was surfacing again, his voice tense. “Leanne, I can’t stand seeing you hurt.”
A swell of tenderness washed over her heart. When hearing Curtis’ concern, she forgave him. “The masseuse was new and didn’t mean to be so rough.”
Curtis scoffed coldly, “Try defending that guy again.”
Leanne blinked her lovely eyes. “She’s a girl.”
What?
A silence fell between them, during which Curtis’ expression subtly shifted.
“A girl, huh?” he said indifferently. “What a strong girl.”
09:3
Leanne retorted, “Next time you get jealous, can you at least get your facts straight first?”
“I’m sorry.” His apology was soft as he reached to embrace her, but she held him off with
her arms.
“No dice,” she said, not mincing words, before spinning on her heel and striding off.
Curtis followed, his voice softening as he coaxed, “Are you mad?”
“Yeah.” Leanne closed the bedroom door, nearly slamming it on his nose.
It took Curtis all night to smooth things over.
Meanwhile, Joy spent the entire evening explaining her encounter with the handsome young man with the eight-pack abs who gave her a foot massage the other day.
Her peace didn’t last long, as she was soon caught up in a whirlwind of tasks, too busy to scheme against Curtis.
Leanne tried calling her to go out for drinks, but all she could hear on the other end was the endless typing, Joy’s voice laden with the weary resignation of a corporate drone.
“Babe, I’m too busy these days. Several clients have asked for me by name, and I have to draft multiple proposals. It’s harder than a donkey’s day!”
“It’s because you’re amazing,” Leanne comforted. “It shows people appreciate your creativity and skills.”
Joy often came up with unconventional ideas, brilliant to those who could appreciate them and bizarre to those who couldn’t.
It seemed most of their clientele were the latter.
Joy suspected someone was sabotaging her.
She was spinning like a top, the beneficiary of her troubles clear as day.
That damned Curtis.
“Just average. Don’t flatter me,” Joy would get carried away when flattered, only to catch the real point later. “You’re asking me out for drinks? What’s the catch?”
“No catch.” Leanne said, “I have something to tell you.”
Being caught between two sides was tough. And Leanne felt it was time to lay her cards. on the table.
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