Taken By My Fiancé's Uncle - Chapter 149: Chapter 149

Ian scoffed inwardly, 'Serious? How serious could it be? By the age of twenty-seven, I had never come across anything I would consider serious.'
Most matters were beneath the Pedler family's notice, let alone worthy of their concern. In the eyes of the Pedler family, no problem was ever truly a problem. If money could solve it, all the better.
When money failed, there was always power to fall back on. And when both money and power failed, the Pedler family always had shadier methods at their disposal.
Ian took the iPad with calm composure and swiftly skimmed through the news headlines. Finally, his rosy lips curved into a mischievous smile. "How amusing," he murmured.
The assistant tensed up and thought, 'Ms. Shaw is about to be expelled from school and publicly disgraced. How could he possibly find that "amusing"? This is just so cold-hearted. And honestly, what a twisted sense of humor.'
Ian casually tossed the iPad onto the table and said, "I've been in Auretian long enough. It's about time I made an appearance. Go organize a party for tonight. Invite everyone, whether they want to see me or not."
The assistant thought, 'The definition is far too vague. After all, since Mr. Pedler arrived in Auretian, all the city's elites have been clamoring to curry favor with him. Yet only a select few have ever actually managed to meet him.'
He then simply decided to invite all of Auretian's social elites. It wasn't exactly a difficult task for him. He nodded promptly and replied, "Understood, Mr. Pedler. I'll get it done right away."
Ian waved the assistant away. After the assistant left, he rose and walked alone to the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Auretian was a thriving metropolis, already the nation's economic hub.
Ian had grown up in Jonalesburg and spent most of his later years abroad. This was his first time in Auretian.
He had thought he would only be in Auretian for a few days. After finding Norah, he would wrap things up and head back home.
To his surprise, Ian found himself entertaining the idea of staying a bit longer. He thought, 'How rare for me to be in such a mood. Naturally, I ought to stay and indulge myself properly.'
In the palatial stone manor, Lorraine sat there in a daze for a while. Suddenly, she heard footsteps approaching outside. She sprang to her feet, took two steps, and then froze. She turned back and called, "Shirin..."
But where Shirin had been sitting was now empty. Then it dawned on Lorraine that Shirin had already left after receiving Sheila's call to go to school. Lorraine wondered what they were going to do at school.
The approaching footsteps snapped Lorraine out of her thoughts. She turned back to grab the bowl of soup from the table.
Eugene strode into the room and almost collided head-on with Lorraine.
A little hot soup sloshed out, nearly scalding Lorraine.
"Lorraine!" Eugene cried out instinctively, shielding Lorraine from the scalding soup with one hand while pulling her into a tight, protective embrace with the other.
Lorraine crashed headlong into his embrace. Not a single drop touched her.
The soup bowl hit the floor with a crash, porcelain shards scattering as hot broth splashed across the tiles.
Suddenly, Lorraine felt a sting at the tip of her nose. She reached out and clutched the hem of his shirt, pressing herself tightly against his chest as if she'd never let go.
"Are you burned anywhere?" Eugene asked. He urgently ran his hands over her back, then carefully inspected her arms and feet. His expression was deadly serious.
Lorraine shook her head, her eyes faintly reddening at the rims. She thought with regret, 'Why did I even pick up the soup in the first place?'
Eugene asked anxiously, "Are you sure? Does it hurt anywhere?" He wouldn't rest until he'd thoroughly checked every inch of her. He thought, 'Her skin is so fair and delicate. If scalded, it would surely leave a scar.'
Lorraine didn't say a word. She just clung to him, holding on tightly. Her arms wrapped around Eugene's toned, muscular frame. As she pressed closer, her whole body seemed to mold itself to him, clinging tightly. And she didn't want to let go.
Eugene suddenly felt warm dampness on his chest, spreading out in gentle ripples across his heart. He pulled her slightly away, surprise flickering in his eyes. He asked, "Lorraine, are you crying?"
If only he hadn't asked. The moment he did, all her pent-up grievances came flooding out uncontrollably. Tears gushed down her cheeks, soaking Eugene's hand.
Lorraine wanted to tell Eugene everything that happened in the morning, but seeing the faint dark circles under Eugene's eyes, the words on her lips died.
She thought, 'He must be exhausted from working at the hospital. He must not know anything about what happened to me at school or online.'
Lorraine managed a shaky smile and replied, "It's nothing. You just bumped my nose, now even my eyes sting."
Eugene reached out and gently tweaked her flushed nose tip. He thought, 'Fearing she might get burned, I did pull her back with all my strength. My chest is all hard muscle; no wonder she felt sore from the impact.'
"Sorry, I'll be gentler next time," Eugene murmured, lowering his head.
"No, I'm not blaming you," Lorraine said softly. She looked down and suddenly noticed a large, damp patch on Eugene's arm. Her heart clenched with alarm.
She gently took Eugene's hand, leading him to the sofa. "Sit here and wait for me," she said softly. Then she dashed to the study, grabbed the first-aid kit, and hurried back. "Does it hurt badly?" she asked anxiously.
Burns went straight to the nerve endings. It was the most unbearable kind of pain.
Eugene reached out to gently squeeze her hand in reassurance and said, "It doesn't hurt much. Don't be nervous."
From the moment he stepped inside, Eugene sensed that Lorraine was distracted. He knew something was clearly off about her.
"How could I not be nervous? That duck soup was scalding hot," Lorraine exclaimed. The chicken soup she had made today had a layer of greasy oil on top, and now it was all stuck to his shirt. She felt he must be painful.
Without waiting for Eugene to say another word, Lorraine immediately knelt and retrieved surgical scissors from the first-aid kit. With utmost care, she began snipping open his sleeve millimeter by millimeter.
Sure enough, Lorraine found that a row of tiny blisters had already formed on his skin. With practiced ease, she retrieved the household first-aid supplies and treated his wound.
Despite being a medical student, she couldn't help but gently blow on his injury, just like someone untrained.
Her warm, sweet breath escaped from her soft cherry lips, brushing over his skin like a gossamer veil. Surprisingly, Eugene felt the pain subsided.
A faint smile touched Eugene's lips, his eyes shimmering with warmth like sunlight dancing beyond the window.
After Lorraine finished applying the ointment for him, her brow was still furrowed with worry. She said, "No, this is just basic household first-aid ointment. You need something else." With that, she sprang to her feet and strode out.
Eugene held her waist and said, "It doesn't hurt anymore."
As Eugene held her close, his breath warming against her ear, Lorraine felt her mind go a little fuzzy, but she remained firm. She insisted firmly, "This kind of wound is prone to infection. I really should take care of it."
Eugene said softly, "Got it, my little doctor. Will you take care of me every day and apply medicine for me?"
Eugene's warm, damp breath caressed her skin, feather-light as the touch of a feather. The tingling sensation was unbearable, yet impossible to pinpoint. Lorraine finally nestled against his chest, perfectly still.
Eugene wrapped one arm around her and settled her back onto the sofa, then sat down beside her. He asked, "Did something upset you?"
Lorraine rested her head on Eugene's lap, docile as a kitten, letting his fingers gently run through her hair. She pursed her lips, thought for a moment, then softly asked, "Was your phone off?"
Eugene chuckled and said, "Yes, the treatment plan discussion ran so long my phone died. Missed me?"
"Yeah," Lorraine murmured.
Eugene asked, "Is this about what's been upsetting you?"
"No," Lorraine replied. She shifted slightly, adjusting her position until her face was nestled against Eugene's abs. Her warm breath seeped through his shirt, lingering on his abs.
Eugene's muscles tensed, his gaze darkening. He asked, "So, Lorraine, why did you call me?"
Lorraine didn't know how to bring it up, and she truly didn't want to burden him with more trouble. She thought, 'He's already so exhausted.'
Lorraine feared that if Eugene pressed further, she could never lie to him convincingly. So she sat up abruptly, settling herself onto Eugene's lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck, then leaned in and pressed a gentle, tentative kiss to his lips.
Lorraine's rare initiative caught Eugene completely off guard. His eyes locked onto her flushed lips, and whatever questions he'd had instantly slipped his mind.
Lorraine thought her kiss had done the trick, so she gathered her courage and pressed her lips to his again. Her tongue, like a shy snail cautiously extending its delicate antenna, tentatively brushed against his lips.
Her kiss was clumsy and inexperienced as she slipped her tongue into his mouth, tentatively brushing against his tongue before timidly echoing his earlier movements with a soft, tentative suck.
Heat rushed to Eugene's head. He pulled Lorraine flush against his chest, giving her backside a firm squeeze. He teased, "Missed me?"
Lorraine's face burned crimson with embarrassment. Engune hadn't even done anything to her yet, but her mind had already gone blank. She murmured, "Mm..."
Eugene asked, "What does that mean? Do you miss me or not?" Seeing Lorraine's silence, he mischievously pressed closer, making his intentions crystal clear.
Eugene was burning up with desire. He reached out and slowly loosened the waist tie of her dress. His voice was low and coaxing as he murmured, "My hand's hurt. Won't you help me?"
Lorraine froze rigid on Eugene's lap, desperately trying to climb off, but he pinned her down firmly.
Eugene was being so mischievous, tracing little fires across her skin with just one finger.
Lorraine let out a soft murmur and sank her teeth lightly into Eugene's shoulder.
The bite was feather-light, sending pleasurable shivers through Eugene. With a wicked grin, he murmured, "Be my little doctor then. Help cool me down a little first, Dr. Shaw."
A sudden image flashed through Lorraine's mind, sending a shiver down her spine. She trembled. An uncontrollable image flashed through her mind: herself in a doctor's coat, being torn to shreds by Eugene.
She thought, 'Could he ever stop being such a tease?'