Chapter 1554:

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“Marcus! Who do you think you are?” Novalee shoved her chair backward with a harsh scrape and marched straight toward him, her face burning with anger and disbelief. “You were observing me? What am I to you, a test subject? Some laboratory experiment? You analyzed my reactions just so you could decide I wasn’t capable of moving on from you?”

“Everything I observed led me to that conclusion.” Marcus acknowledged it with unsettling calmness, as though the idea of denying the truth had never crossed his mind.

Those words shattered the last of Novalee’s restraint. She swung her hand and struck him hard across the face. “You’re disgusting!”

She spun around to leave, only for Marcus to catch her wrist and pull her back. Rising to his feet, he trapped her against the table, looking down at her with an icy expression.

“You’re the first person who’s ever dared to hit me,” he said quietly, his voice carrying a dangerous edge.

Novalee clenched her teeth before replying, “So what if I did?”

He looked at her in silence for several seconds before lifting her hand and placing it against his opposite cheek. “Go ahead. You can slap this side as well.”

Novalee stared at him in disbelief. “What kind of sick game is this?”

𝗕𝗲 𝘁𝗁𝗲 𝖿𝗶r𝘴𝘁 t𝘰 𝘳𝗲𝖺𝖽 𝗼𝘯 𝗀𝗮𝘭𝘯𝗈𝗏e𝗅s.𝘤о𝗺

“I have a different proposal.” Marcus’s hand settled firmly at her waist. “I can put my pride aside and help you with your situation. Barry was unfaithful to you, wasn’t he? Then think of it as returning the favor.”

“I’ve already made myself clear. I won’t be involved in another relationship that has to stay hidden,” she replied firmly.

“Then we’ll begin our relationship ahead of schedule,” Marcus answered with the same maddening calm. “We’ll keep it private for now, and after you and Barry officially separate, I’ll announce it openly. What do you think?”

Novalee was completely speechless, unable to make sense of him. “Have you lost your mind?”

“Yes.” Marcus gave a calm nod. “I was captivated by your body from the beginning. Now I’ve started wanting to understand the person behind it as well. If one day I must marry and have children, I’ve thought it over carefully, and I’ve realized I wouldn’t object if that person were you. The idea is actually beginning to appeal to me.”

Left speechless for a moment, Novalee let out a quiet breath before asking, “Don’t you think you’re a little late to realize that?”

“Maybe that’s the one thing I’m still not sure about,” Marcus admitted, holding her gaze. “You can punish me too, if that’s what you want.”

Novalee searched his eyes for a long moment. She couldn’t deny that part of her wanted to believe him. Wanted to accept the sincerity in his words. But the more sensible part of her refused to be silenced, repeating the same warning over and over. What if this ended the same way it did before?

In the end, she gently slipped her hand from his, took her clothes from the dryer, changed, and then swung her bag over her shoulder, ready to leave.

“You won’t get a ride out here at this hour,” Marcus said quietly. “Stay the night. You can leave first thing in the morning.”

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