Chapter 25.
Lennox set her down, unlocked the door, and stepped inside first.
After a moment without hearing her follow, he turned to see her frozen in the doorway, staring blankly Frowning, he called out, “What are you standing there for? Come in!”
“Oh!” Serena mumbled.
Then, she quickly slipped off her shoes at the entrance. She bent down to find a pair of slippers, only to notice that there were no women’s slippers on the rack.
She hesitated.
Lennox didn’t seem like the type to lead a spotless, single life, yet here he was without any trace of a woman’s presence in his home. This was unexpected.
Shrugging, she grabbed a pair of his men’s slippers and limped inside.
His apartment mirrored his office–a stark black–and–white color scheme, every bit as cool and sterile. The decor was cold and minimal, the classic look of a bachelor’s pad, and not a single hint of anything feminine. The whole place was spotless, as if it were ready to be photographed as a showroom.
Serena settled onto the couch, which was so soft that she felt like she might just melt right into it. If Lennox weren’t looming nearby, she might have been tempted to flop down and stretch out on it.
“What do you want to drink? Coffee?” Lennox called from the kitchen doorway.
“Oh, no, I’m fine!” Serena waved her hands quickly, her eyes scanning the room. She asked in what she hoped was a casual tone, “Uh…Mr. Savill, is your income… kind of low?”
Lennox raised an eyebrow. He set a glass of water on the coffee table in front of her, then sat down beside her as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Taking her injured right leg, he propped it on his knee and gently pressed an ice pack from the fridge against her ankle. Catching on to her implication, he replied with Surprising patience, “Not all CEOs care to live in a mansion.”
The chill from the ice startled her, and she sank back into the couch, nibbling on her lip as her cheeks reddened. She quickly tried to pull her leg back.
“I can handle it myself, really,” she said, embarrassed.
Having a CEO give me an ice pack feels like it’s going to take years off my life.
Her leg was long and slender, her skin smooth and soft like silk, which only seemed to make his touch linger longer. Lennox tightened his grip gently around her calf. “Hold still. It’ll only take a moment.”
Serena’s cheeks flushed even deeper.
She had always found it easier to resist him when he was distant and harsh, but when he treated her like this, she found her defenses faltering.
After cooling her ankle, Lennox fetched a cotton swab and tended to the scrapes on her elbow and knee, carefully dabbing ointment over the cuts.
Her pale skin made the red marks on her knees look painfully vivid, something he found oddly irritating.
Once he was done, he looked at her and said, “Alright, keep those wounds dry. You don’t want them to get infected.”
When he looked up, he noticed Serena’s face was flushed pink.
His gaze flickered, and a faint, cryptic smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Are you… blushing?.
Serena immediately covered her cheeks with both hands, shooting him a mock glare. “It’s just hot, alright?
Her bright, starry eyes, slightly upturned at the corners, always seemed to carry a hint of laughter, even when she wasn’t smiling. Right now, with her flushed cheeks and her defiant look, she was more charmingly flustered than intimidating.
Lennox’s gaze grew darker.
Unaware, Serena awkwardly fanned herself with her hands, eyes darting everywhere but at him. “It really is warm in here…Mr. Savill, is your air conditioner broken?”
“Oh, really?” Lennox raised an eyebrow, standing by the couch and looking down at her.
“Yeah, yeah, super hot,” she insisted, nodding vigorously to drive the point home.
A hint of a mischievous smile played at the corner of Lennox’s mouth. Leaning down, he met her eyes directly. Serena’s mind went blank, but it was too late to escape–his hand was already at the zipper of her dress behind her neck.
“If you’re so hot, then just take it off.”
In a flustered scramble, Serena rolled off the couch and hit the carpeted floor with a soft thud.
Though the carpet was thick, the landing still made her wince. She scrambled up, retreating to the other side of the room in an instant.
So, this is his plan all along! I almost let myself be charmed by how he cared for me with the ice pack and ointment, and now he’s pulling stunts like this.
Crossing her arms protectively, Serena glared at Lennox, silently cursing him as a shameless flirt.
“Why are you standing so far away?” he asked lazily, arching an eyebrow as he leaned back on the couch. ¿Come here.”
She’d have to be out of her mind to walk into that trap.
Serena cleared her throat from across the room. “Mr. Savill, shouldn’t we discuss business?”
“Not hot anymore?” he asked.
“Nope! Not hot at all!” Fearing that even mentioning the word “hot” might tempt him to reach for her zipper again, Serena clutched her dress tightly. “Let’s focus on the contract.”
“What exactly do you want to discuss?”
Lennox casually shrugged off his suit jacket and draped it over the couch, then undid a button on his shirt and rolled up his sleeves, transforming from his usual stern executive into a relaxed, elegantly casual man. Patting the seat beside him, he gave her a calm look. “If you want to talk, sit here. Otherwise, I don’t have the time for idle chatter.”
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Serena bit her lip, caught in a storm of conflicting emotions if she approached him, there was a chance hed exploit the situation. But if she hesitated, it seemned Lennox would never take her seriously about discussing
the contract.
After a lengthy internal battle, she relented. With the cautiousness of a snail, she inched h
couch, deliberately choosing the seat farthest from him.
“Sit closer,” Lennox commanded, his tone leaving little room for argument.
“Oh…” She complied reluctantly, scooting a fraction nearer, the distance still feeling insurmountable.
Lennox frowned, his icy gaze holding her in place. Under his penetrating stare, she steeled herself and settled right beside him, her heart racing as she did so
Only then did he divert his attention, his demeanor shifting slightly. “Alright, talk,” he said, sounding more authoritative than ever.
“Mr. Savill….
“Call me something else, he interjected, a hint of annoyance creeping into his voice. While the title might be acceptable to others, it felt too formal, too detached when it came from her.
Swallowing a few choice words that bubbled to the surface, Serena shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Then, what should I call you?”
“Either Lennox or…” He paused, a playful glint in his eye. Leaning in closer, he breathed warmly into her ear. “You could call me Lenny.”
Lenny?
A shiver of distaste ran down her spine.
Lenny, my *ss!
“Lennox, let’s discuss the contract, she insisted, her voice steady despite the turmoil inside her.
“I thought the terms were already quite generous,” he replied, a hint of mischief in his tone. “But if you have other conditions, I’m all ears. After all, we’re close aren’t we?” He poured himself a cup of coffee, savoring it in delicate sips.
As he lingered over the word “close,” it dripped with implications, igniting a flush across Serena’s cheeks.
With a deep breath, she retrieved the contract from her bag, holding it out to him with both hands. She lowered her gaze, her tone earnest and sincere. “It’s precisely because the terms are so good that I can’t accept them. Mr. Savill, you’re a CEO, and I’m just a nobody. Please, don’t make this harder for me. Let’s terminate the contract.”
“Terminate the contract, again?” Lennox’s expression darkened, his frustration evident as he slammed his coffee cup down. He seized her chin, forcing her to meet his piercing gaze. His voice was as cold as ice” “Do you truly detest the idea of being associated with me that much?”
Serena bit her lip, her eyes darting away from his intense stare. This is such a fantastic contract–there are plenty of people out there who would do anything to sign with Starlight Media. You should look for someone else.”
Though she loved acting and desperately needed the money, she had her principles. In her past life, she could have climbed the social ladder through connections, but she hadn’t done it then, and she certainly wouldn’t compromise herself now.
Holding the contract tightly, Serena could tell he had no intention of accepting her request. She placed it on the coffee table beside the couch, clutching her bag tightly as she shifted backward, poised to leave at a
