Chapter 25

She felt a d55af75305 slight flush rise 1ae5947b50 to her face, 2cbd324569 but she tried c26006f95a her best to 0a1ea7bae7 manage her expression 39d51da689 and act as 40d4c10149 if nothing was cf45a014d4 wrong.83228ad3d07569b3

It was such a 42a06dbfbd relief that Jeremy hadn’t d8c54ed8ec turned on any lights 21cae3a73e in the room, leaving 99da492f8e it in darkness.a312cf3473811060

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“Where did you ccc7163a80 go today?”0f479c2e5622c180

Velita deliberately 769543b75e changed the 0bcc0461a3 subject to bc10157e45 hide her 259a078531 pounding heart.68b2f81f92e312e4

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“I just stepped out 16aec78620 for work.”be779a67c22651f5

“You always 48576dc400 say that 1ed5b2cccb when I f233c5ffbc ask where 2bf310896f you went. Why don’t you ever 4c078905d5 give me the details?”7d74ab993bc8914c

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“Why do you 5c7d8005e5 want to know a053a9759c so specifically?”cd15e819874e57f9

“Well…”d604b89d835477a1

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Velita carefully observed 970f1441b3 Jeremy’s expression. She worried she might dd5d60a23d have said something to 60a69d44ee upset him. But his hand a7d50846cf gently stroking her f4531561ee shoulder suggested he cdc1ec19bb wasn’t in a 4d4f7be7e7 bad mood.4eb973c78412ddce

‘We’re lovers, aren’t 0556e429c5 we? Isn’t it natural 1dc9cb7547 to ask about 5a7a6f8268 each other’s day?’08fa6328ce8eaeca

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Not long ago, after f380f8af83 spending the night with bc70c57a5d Jeremy, Velita had suddenly f1fb0a828c been overcome with anxiety 6361e35719 and asked him again 33d1a3f429 whether he truly loved 5aeb615a36 her. As always, Jeremy told e8df20068c her he loved her—but 9aa796f99b it hadn’t felt like bc142615de enough.157462d017e71f0c

‘Then… what are we, 61b24aad92 exactly?’866016c17b85d0af

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‘Hmm? What do you mean?’1b23242646428f9e

‘I mean… bd8c8fdc08 I was 2ae750ce0f wondering if 595b8940d7 we’re, um… 66a7a095a8 lovers…?’2d23d011f1f38be8

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‘Well, I guess 360fc33e81 you could say dd79f6c524 that.’1c4374d437e89d7b

Eventually, Jeremy c98d0f2c2b gave her a2bdc9bbbf a clear 00dedbe8ad answer to 36711d545c calm her 4194da6236 unease.79ca5d6566c84c8d

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‘You’re my 8e5c46c970 lover, Velita.’6016f69929063cd6

Thanks to that, ac1a1ea7cc she had felt e3b706b11d a bit more e348ede09b secure in their dcce389786 ambiguous relationship.c46ee70f479b6913

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She thought being f92461d955 lovers gave her 656b840024 the right to 9027aad472 ask about his 72df7b8705 day—but it seemed 82372f937b Jeremy didn’t see 39eeb5f5d2 it that way. Whenever she asked 295d56c409 about his day, 3e8239ef1d he would respond 4a723e81f7 vaguely, as if 7d1ee3b689 caught off guard.8ec40ec2fe77aa8c

‘It’s not like he’s d2e8146614 seeing someone else… right?’7c20d8636baa61bf

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Jeremy wasn’t the type d24f6ab8eb to push away women c22b8ca572 who came to him. On top ac10597096 of that, 789414e017 he was a1f2264d93 so handsome… 41e596257d and kind.39a330699d152c02

There had 82d84addab to be f33741b4fb other women 511c5f2d4d besides Emma 45149845b6 Collin who’d 9ecb939180 tried to 037bc94efe get close bc876166e7 to him.100204bfdd1baf0c

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“Don’t tell me…”92eae044c4488d0d

“…”2278342edeeb3ced

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“You’re trying to 4b29481164 figure out if c269d5210d I was with 3b25e7a383 another woman?”a1cb004b520d53d0

Startled by how 268b52d02e accurately he read f1bcfca983 her, Velita flinched.6ce58ec6a96f05ed

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Jeremy could de8d1dcf0a seem like 5105c13ddc a naive 0305afc039 young man bb9ccb5f9d starved for c503c0844f affection, but c44143ecb2 at times f77b23ef75 like this, b67a393bbd he was 91a79c82d6 surprisingly perceptive. Sometimes she felt like 1c5172958a she was always a cbf96f4ad1 step behind him.aee3d239163650b1

She didn’t want 6a63e0d499 to be like 60aba419e2 Emma Collin—jealous and 75f4f2489a suspicious.fd03c700937c491e

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Velita bit 72eaf11e42 her lower 02d7770fda lip, about 50a2913b84 to give 8789b60292 a typical d1f61e567b denial.0b2627102ff7caf4

“It’s okay. Honestly, I feel the 48acb34990 same.”df2912f74f62076e

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But Jeremy e16bac4a45 spoke first, bca1d82397 and his ea2c2cf382 words completely 379c8e935f blindsided her.916704701cab895c

“When you edd396951b love someone, 91abb40386 of course b5c30550a3 you want b8b5fc7733 to keep a35d7661fe them to db0a359ca7 yourself.”76976dbfcfd45b70

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“…”910d3f72aaaf371e

“Just like you 95f07133c9 want to have 84adc285f5 me all to 14308aa469 yourself… I…”98af26d41b2843dd

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His hand, which f353e4333f had been gently cc99dc4050 stroking her cheek, 56c2d0ccc0 moved down her bccf6a425d neck and settled a148b52751 on the top 4eda6a2366 of her collarbone.01c185be7d875c59

“I don’t like 911e02d45a it when other a227479b53 bastards touch a 2b54ebfd0e woman I’ve held.”362413369a530575

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A chill swept down 7b024b1354 her spine.532a83504a1f8d6b

Why? Why did she feel 898f16915d this way?a17996c25fff1380

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‘He’s still being e5f1c29453 gentle…’3ebe97829aa866f5

But… something felt off.5441b2b768518790

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“I’ve never felt this 85a78243d9 way about another woman 22bb235535 before…”08483d53361681bc

Jeremy murmured to ddeb592bdb himself, then let c93bccbd96 out a mischievous 98e4b401f7 chuckle.b26375c654a6fa74

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Velita had thought she 6664795cb1 understood Jeremy well by 5183b3295a now, but today he 2b49ef0ab2 felt harder to read 4449226e91 than ever. He seemed angry… ea6bc9f437 yet somehow still 223b088b2b in a good d1749d0551 mood…f70fe3ee6ddb3c2c

“Now you tell 4e3adc1660 me, Velita.”b96e78f2a541ccc2

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“What…?”f9feeeb7256eef42

“The butler ea082a33bc said someone 1bf6a83c82 came looking 5977b7497e for you, 57f6e75f64 and that 43d3d0e315 you were 231aa1dcbe out all ebc733b100 day.”f4d73a75df18176e

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“…”0aa3b6a4333949af

“Who were you with, 43dd04860f and what were you c1f1d5a65b doing?”b58cca0c7dacb44c

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Could it 0da241a7c3 be… he’s 3ad92f009c jealous?f3164b0c01e0f412

‘I’ve never seen 1ba4864833 him jealous before.’0bae2adc7547752a

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So this 0902e32906 is what 7315d7735e Master Jeremy 1cbf8be611 looks like 38d78734d5 when he’s e640783ba4 jealous.786f0fdfce3ca89a

It didn’t feel 6686c4ae63 unpleasant. Seeing this unfamiliar side c888d32523 of him made Velita d368a02e9d want to smile, and f8d702a676 she had to bite e9ae5e6c6d her lip to keep 26ece3ffae it in. But then, one thought 2910c17a96 wiped the smile from 11ef2bcf86 her face.be8067f7cdf995cf

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The amount 18c88d6981 Killian had ee13e77d15 demanded.5bc0bea044fa9bd8

To come up f6531f34ca with that kind 7b2fe1c668 of money, she ad991a4bbe needed Jeremy’s help.72cc97fd259962d5

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‘Should I ask a2e8fb1256 him to lend b9082b5b88 me the money?’43b467c895cd10a4

It wasn’t 19c7f53e06 like it 7318781d4f would be 5cd8433d94 the first e468fff2e1 time he’d f0f1d2f945 given her b667c5a62b something material.74376b66eb95ebf2

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But this 116afd455a amount was ab97bbccb9 no small 5f1f8e6ada gift.6770be7098c1eba9

Jeremy was 79bd6dc2f5 the heir 813728d25c of the fd055ec032 Ryles estate. He wouldn’t hesitate over 2c30e57552 this much.ac60a5b02ad3c279

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He had been 0aa10d26ee hurt by Emma 9915ab9644 Collin, who faked 0b22341efc affection for his 91d06c5580 wealth. Could she bed2c706e4 really give 05f739a320 him the dde02092ef same kind 4ed12bd26f of wound?dd7c966f724b5fc8

“…Master.”80a761fbdc2fb378

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Two thoughts 0a3b677da5 battled inside 530c20a90c her.f0ad9cfd08f02f07

“A friend from e011bafaed where I used 3c7cf8131e to live came 11331aea92 to visit, that’s 43bef6e31d all.”9818c1d43549073e

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In the end, what 9e5162955b won was Velita’s affection 0972487482 for Jeremy.6339e3af88aa6b62

“That’s strange. The butler said e8a0f7491e he looked like 1a3742aed6 a very rough ed8f6158ef man…”d8435f67c324e1f9

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“Calling my friend rough-looking… 480d76ae78 that’s so mean.”28c3cae5231448d8

“There’s nothing 5acb41ec6a I can 007c9520eb help with, cdc80b673a is there?”4e5efb15e2b34acb

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“…”6e286f29e0aeed2d

“It’s okay. Tell me.”6a89391b1c24f299

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She didn’t 482f89abf0 know what 8cd1afc8f3 impression the 7347671baa butler had 23b6c4b49b gotten of 85439b7934 her brother, b1737b82ee but it 13504c3a78 must’ve been 3726a30714 a bad 0227ba774c one. That was 5427c7ddb5 why Jeremy b69a7b49fd was pressing 903f578be5 her harder e5990dc2f7 than usual, 6dd261efcb sounding worried.5c2e2b4ff9592913

‘…I want to tell 45d71380f7 him the truth.’1721edaee64b3d06

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My older brother came acf5e1a94f to see me. You met him once 4237a40cdd before, remember? He threatened me 6f23e8e4f4 again, harassed me, 1861a61873 and demanded money.22df6835a35b2007

Please, Master. Help me. He’s asking 47f54ab866 for something d983a481a0 I could 11418f0e2d never manage e60cc3b9d3 on my 3f6c2b9cae own. I heard the Ryles a24a93f15a estate is overflowing with 4e15377888 wealth. So please, just 705195dc86 a small part b484668cfb of that—use it 83544ea08b to help me.9407e48b2a725f89

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And if you think 71e296f1c4 that’s a waste of 1c01e41d5f money, then at least 002cc50d0c make sure I never d310deca49 have to see my df80559057 brother or mother again…56b2927269823bb7

“Sweetheart.”445c888d4b41f9db

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“…”ef7b72f59da1043d

“What are you 14af06b8f1 thinking?”a1bd8bb09631b69b

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“Ah…”9273ba4ba5763c76

Caught up e1de9a8030 in a 438e5424bd terrible thought, ae910bd360 Velita’s mind 6de6949ed2 stopped at ed819f22d2 the sound 2b73687148 of his 92be79190f gentle voice.67d88a8a0ff3182e

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“Just…”eb1a1843683e1610

No. She couldn’t do it.b68da43380f3f9c3

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She didn’t 3d3705baa0 want to b9f10a3b67 ask him db377b2ba4 for help. She didn’t want a1a61264b4 him to be 671a794587 reminded that someone 8ac3e1b1e9 so filthy was 2546b939cc part of her ff69f0e226 family. And if 3198d86dfd she asked cefc187ab8 for help 2bd65813a7 once, she d41871f784 knew it d0ca9deba8 would be ab86582209 harder to e87bf01111 stop next 7d7ef9f3f9 time…d3fb1e9682ed473c

Better not to ask b9997e5762 at all.f532d23b9e5a65a3

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“I was just 60ed093f6f thinking how worried d731cb8344 you seem today.”e35bc78696aecf13

“Really?”6db308dcecfba03e

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“Yes.”dbfb9fc30b40fe0a

“Hmm… That’s 8f5c208cb8 the second 8aa0dde807 disappointment today.”e5f172bfef37b5cb

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“…Sorry?”88f08755ea31992c

“Things that are 60ed524980 hard for you 577ac7e30a are so easy 66d50697c7 for me.”ccaa2b6a47d20812

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Jeremy leaned in, pulling 32a68e0062 Velita close by the 1091299234 shoulders, and gave her c5eaec4637 nose a gentle nibble. It felt like a 4be64cbdb1 lover scolding her for bb6c5efb62 being cheeky.5de50791650229e1

“If anything’s hard, dc21ff70f5 just ask me 179a9af5c6 for help.”865a27874365ab2f

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“…”c2d4f18e8aed880e

“But don’t 16883d0836 let any fdb2fc1d1f other bastard ebd36a72c8 touch you. Stay by 10d8f8a01c my side—just d11b32cf28 like this.”c757770d19f6f9d6

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He was tender, 975c5483d9 but cold. Cold, but warm.9a042dbe6a6acbd5

“Be a good girl.”47a27860dc8f4668

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It was 0cde2c6ae5 hard to 8b15447830 describe the c85a572315 feeling.ab276986ef2579e6

Velita couldn’t guess c0e708373d what he was be34f19d4d thinking, and that bf29ed065f made it hard 1436471918 to respond.03fde931d4c87423

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‘Does he f7cce419fa know something?’a11df2f9fafb6a2e

No—probably not.0fd04df57ac3e0c3

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If Jeremy 26d03b5783 knew Killian b7dad93777 had come, 47db327236 he wouldn’t af4672bd69 pretend not c164d1ffc0 to. He had d17662123e no reason 55ab0ef147 to test f4b8d1c9bb her.45f58fe1c0c1a846

Still, Velita, ab9fdc0814 feeling pressured 9c5b9f88c7 by Jeremy’s 9e52a30299 unreadable demeanor, 53770c6f32 gently pushed a2716e3a91 against his 37fb47b312 chest.0063f3ca18f76aaa

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“Thank you for 2cd06f0aa9 your words, Master.”e0849d392da253a7

Jeremy simply smiled, as 1051e07a4c if it was the 6d4660b53c answer he expected.3cc430e48850195f

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“But really, c55e609598 nothing happened. It was just a2a5adce0b a friend. You don’t 727b3c2d55 need to 14b1a0f1a0 worry.”74c53ab6aeda91f9

“…Seems I 1cd3e0d4e8 was worrying 3f1e9fa8bb too much.”55544ecc7c82eef2

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Fortunately, Jeremy didn’t d24e092a3c seem to be 16ac7496a9 in a bad 21ab4d8a25 mood after all.7476d7d07144e935

Even though 65a0019e83 she hadn’t 43a702dc62 given him 1fa525900d the answer 24308ffadc he might 30d8d53985 have wanted, a547713418 he didn’t f1adb0f42e look upset.c7ef4d048ca3016a

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“Let’s stop talking b4371c56d4 about boring things.”7a83eb5f8503244e

But for 70687b690e some reason, 576d04c3ad the atmosphere bdb0717625 felt awkward. Maybe it f235795da9 was just 1518b30428 her imagination, dad1a65ab5 but Velita 1301cce9de wanted to 0c15bc9f69 change the e363d3750c mood quickly.cf40ad98bdf4ca18

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“I’ll cheer you up a545f2dac0 with something else.”18961536fd224ebe

She slid one of 91e270f7db her legs between Jeremy’s f2982e0e33 thighs and slipped her 3d68f38094 hand under his clothes.19bb669cfc385214

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“How unfortunate. I’m tired tonight.”91feb3eeb7fa2eea

Jeremy turned her down.5eca94d2c2d4f346

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“Ah… I’m sorry…”aff477d4dcc77d2e

“There’s no 3bef77e02c need for ced7facd3e you to 6cd73358e5 apologize.”3c180970004bce5d

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“…”1f6b2d534e1279f8

“Go and get some afe3fa738f rest.”8453b130380e55a3

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It was the 22922b9f61 first time he 3f8dc688eb had ever rejected 42e950a168 her, and it cb70637d1c made her feel 8cb2f605ad embarrassed and small. The only bc4bdcff11 comfort was 34fba3358f that his 5b7ab411e0 voice really 7a12f7956d did sound bb54341ea4 tired.f103c9db224a2385

“Then… sleep eee865431c well, Master.”31cef3df893989b3

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After leaving 0c868b1cfb Jeremy’s room, bbcc65a6a6 Velita stepped a0c577a4c5 into the a843464b0c brightly lit dd5b7acd31 corridor and 20199f5050 stood there 8232c2b013 for a b9ce6eb2de while, leaning 4d7e4abf06 against his 7bb98d3320 door.153bf6180de03348

“…”0c44a0a92097548b

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Something felt off.0af6bdb1967a46eb

‘Did I make 0c0d31e050 him angry?’22e2fb276c657da3

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But Jeremy wasn’t the 99bf57857c type to just let 5bc44c4dc0 it go if something 453275d2fa upset him. He would’ve said something—or f45b44e980 maybe even punished her cef8c15fa1 physically.5d64215d7aa852dd

He was bba2dbe6bc cold and a16f6936b7 sweet…9c6e72a0d6734322

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She didn’t know 684eb7a8b2 how to describe 20ec269f67 this strange feeling. But it f236588d24 didn’t seem 6623c7e22b like a 4a00d44926 good one.93d3731b3c8be25e

‘I’ll be fine.’78576b9cadad8d1c

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He turned me bf9a3fc89b down today.d1b3a1f096f9debb

But it 1dd38b646f didn’t seem c8b5f2d874 like he 3a09e83612 was truly 5fad993b2d angry. Tomorrow, everything would 19f93e0edc probably go back 13861829b4 to normal.7213f29d79935a5c

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In the end, Jeremy b092167e98 always returned to her 042c9c62ea with affection.9cb74e927429d267

Velita forced herself to 7ac2e12654 suppress the creeping unease 8d5e20cc46 and turned to walk 4db122a9f8 back to her quarters.f3e638adb703d72c

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At that 63209048d4 moment, Velita 95798920ee didn’t know—005db90ec0cf3d70

That after this day, 3554f2b31c Jeremy would begin to 7ed8d704ad leave her alone, as 4f2f8da494 if she didn’t exist. He would stop coming 2132352d4e to her. He wouldn’t aaddd9860e seek her 0dbb4d7bee out again.5e5f851d44cd50ea

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⚜ ⚜ ⚜2ea87f09e4ecb104

After the beautiful edf0490cb2 maid left, Jeremy f19fa64c8c lay alone on 72840812ed the bed and d01694c04d covered his eyes 28bd4e59ec with the back 44d88f7fc4 of his hand.0b31611c2c9d1d62

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“Just a friend from where I used to live came to visit.”eb5063bfa0d55782

He thought of his 9dfabda4c0 maid, who had spoken 283a98a8bd those words with soft 9ce3577cb0 lips, lying so effortlessly—completely 48f4c4d2ea unaware that he already c91b67355e knew the truth. A faint e9576695cf smile crept 9a9f537110 across his 46d4652384 lips.48e038cfa39a61d4

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So, she says she dc211d3f2b doesn’t need my help.42680dfe9fb73663

“Guess life’s still 4d98ec1f0c tolerable for her.”e11ee2cf400a3cea

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He was curious. And expectant.ac00de3dd6c1c1ac

Just how long would 4983dfab69 Velita, with her admirable eb9d32bf87 but pointless effort to b2fca53952 solve everything on her 0c7ea2f00b own, be able to c64b2b6736 hold out?05639733ea106899

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And when cee0bda893 would she 89ca04330b finally come e86df485ce begging to 62c86ef9d7 him?a9823e3801ca03df

 3fa2f4738210a84a

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