Taken By My Fiancé's Uncle - Chapter 54: Chapter 54

Soon, a fleet of cars came roaring in, engines ripping through the sky. Thick exhaust hung under the blue, and it took ages for the thunderous noise to finally fade.
Lorraine snuck a peek through the gap—it was a line of black cars, motorcycles leading the way. The whole scene was seriously intimidating.
The bodyguards around her didn't let their guard down for a second. "Ms. Shaw, please come with us immediately." Without giving her a chance to protest, they whisked her away.
In the living room of the seaside villa, three men were sitting together, deep in conversation.
When the bodyguard walked in, Nathan's expression shifted. He glanced at Eugene, but in the end, kept quiet.
Eugene stood up and took the paper bag from Lorraine naturally. "What did you get?"
"Just some little trinkets. I thought they'd look nice at Silverlake Villa," Lorraine said. She'd been a bit nervous, but hearing his tone, she immediately started unpacking everything from the bag.
The coffee table was soon covered with all sorts of little things—handmade shell wind chimes, tiny photo frames made from coconut shells, and some wooden carvings. They were all cute, but definitely on the cheap side.
Nathan and Lorenzo stared at the collection for a few minutes, not impressed. In their homes, even a random painting was a priceless masterpiece. Stuff like this? Never.
As the three remained silent, Lorraine started to feel awkward. She squeezed her sweaty palms and mumbled, "Is it not okay? If not, I can just put them away."
"Just take good care of them. Put them wherever you want," Eugene said calmly. "You've been out for so long—aren't you tired? Go take a shower and come down for dinner in a bit."
Lorraine's eyes instantly lit up, and she nodded hard. "Okay!" She packed up her little treasures like they were priceless and dashed back to her room, grinning from ear to ear.
Only then did the bodyguards give a quick report about what was happening outside. Then they headed back out of the villa.
Nathan snapped his file shut, his tone turning sharp. "You let her go shopping at a time like this?"
Eugene picked up a little seashell from the coffee table, rolling it in his palm. He sounded completely unfazed. "Come on, what's the point of a holiday if we don't go out and have a little fun?"
Nathan's handsome face twisted with frustration. "You really think we're here for a vacation? It's dangerous for her out there—don't you get that?"
Eugene shrugged. "We can't keep her caged up all the time. She needs to get out now and then, or she'll go stir-crazy. Besides, we've got bodyguards, don't we?"
Nathan was at a loss for words. After a moment, he snapped, "I'm putting more men here. Don't let her run around anymore."
Eugene just smiled, glancing toward the guest room at the end of the hall before looking away.
The three of them went back to their discussion.
Lorraine went back to her room, took a shower, and changed into a simple white tank top and pink shorts. Then she sprawled out on the balcony, watching the sunset over the ocean. The salty sea breeze washed over her, and it smelled pretty nice.
The sound of speedboat engines suddenly echoed all around. In no time, the whole villa was surrounded—everyone on the boats wore matching uniforms, just like the bodyguards from before.
Lorenzo vaulted over the balcony railing from the water. "Lorraine, you can't stay in this room anymore. Pack your things and come with me to the second floor," he said.
The mood instantly grew tense. Lorraine didn't dare ask questions—she had a feeling the extra security had something to do with that convoy she saw earlier today. She quickly packed up and followed Lorenzo to a corner room on the second floor.
"This is the safest spot. Look out for yourself and don't go out for the next few days, okay?" Lorenzo said, opening the window for her like a true gentleman. "You can still enjoy the view from here."
'Who could even think about enjoying the view now?' Lorraine wiped her cheek with her palm, wanting to ask something but not sure how to start.
"Eugene's staying in the room at the far east end of the first floor," Lorenzo added, turning back to her. "If you don't need anything else, I'll head out."
"Okay. Thanks," Lorraine replied quietly, mentally mapping out the villa—the far east room on the first floor was as far from hers as it could get.
That night, Lorraine ate dinner alone; the other three men were nowhere to be seen.
Bodyguards stood guard at the entrance of the villa, not letting anyone in or out—including Lorraine. Even though the place felt open and free, the villa itself was slowly turning into a fortress.
Back in her room, Lorraine couldn't help but think, 'Maybe he didn't actually bring me here for a vacation. I might have misread things earlier.'
She felt a little annoyed with herself, and—though she didn't want to admit it—a faint sense of disappointment crept in. She buried her face in the pillow for a while before finally drifting off to sleep.
In the middle of the night, a faint noise outside the window woke Lorraine up. Still half-asleep, she reached for some bird food she'd left on the windowsill, opened the window, and tossed it out. "Here you go, take your time."
Outside was a tree she couldn't name, as tall as the two-story villa. She'd seen lots of white seabirds in it during the day.
But after waiting a bit, there was no sound of flapping wings. Blinking her eyes open, she noticed Eugene sitting on a branch. The darkness made his sharp features look even more striking. He seemed a little annoyed, but he was still ridiculously handsome.
Lorraine realized she hadn't seen him in hours and had no idea what he'd been up to. The nervousness she'd felt earlier was gone, replaced by pure surprise. "Eugene, even you can't get past the bodyguards?"
Eugene was speechless. He was only wearing a black tank top and linen pants, with bird food scattered all over him.
Getting no response, Lorraine quickly caught on. "Oh, you must've come to the wrong window, huh? Well, I'll just go back to sleep then. Goodnight."
She reached out to close the window, but suddenly felt his warm hand wrap around her wrist. "Lorraine," he said.
"Yes?"
Eugene gritted his teeth. "Who gets lost and ends up climbing a tree?"
Lorraine looked embarrassed, finally realizing his situation. "Oh, right. You're in a tree."
Eugene's mouth twitched, but he didn't let go of her wrist. "Wanna sneak out and have some fun?"
The question caught her completely off guard, but her heart was already racing. She hadn't even finished exploring this place yet. "But the bodyguards are all on edge and said we're not allowed to go out," he said, hesitating.
"Forget about them. Just tell me—do you want to?"
Lorraine pressed her lips together, staying silent, but her eyes gave her away. It was like the starlight over the sea was about to spill out of those bright eyes.
Eugene let out a soft chuckle and released her wrist. "Go put on your slippers and then come over here."
"Out this way?" Lorraine blurted out in shock. They were on the second floor—was he expecting her to climb down a tree or something?
"Hurry up," Eugene urged. "You want the bodyguards to catch us?"
Lorraine turned to dash back into the room, but he called her back. "What is it?" she asked.
"You..." Eugene's eyes dropped to her chest, and he swallowed hard.
Lorraine followed his gaze, realizing what he meant. She quickly crossed her arms over her chest and slammed the window shut.
Eugene was caught off guard and nearly got smacked in the nose by the window. The words "You're not wearing a bra" died in his throat as he lost his balance and tumbled out of the tree.
Hearing the heavy thud, Lorraine panicked. She hurriedly opened the window—thank goodness there was only soft sand below.
She had no idea what she was thinking, but somehow she ended up jumping off the balcony too, landing headfirst in the sand right next to him.
Eugene let out a low laugh, reached out, and pulled her over, pinning her beneath him. Before she could say a word, he sealed her lips with his.
Eugene kissed her, his chest pressing against her softness as he teased, "Can't wait to seduce me, huh?"
His kisses were anything but innocent, and his hands wandered just as much. His chest rubbed against her, making her feel like she was about to burst into flames. Only when he heard her soft, kitten-like gasps did he finally let her go.
"I wasn't trying to seduce you," Lorraine retorted, flustered. She was just in a hurry just now.
Eugene pressed a long finger on her lips. "Shh, don't talk. Come with me," he said, pulling her up.
Lorraine was still dazed from his kiss, her lips damp and glistening like dewdrops from the sea.
She nodded blankly, letting him lead her as they slipped past the bodyguards and quietly left the villa, heading into the coconut grove by the shore.
The grove was empty except for the sound of waves crashing. Eugene sat down with her by the water, the cool white sand slowly slipping between their toes.
Lorraine panted, "Why did you bring me out here? Nathan said it's really dangerous right now."
Eugene smiled. "What danger could there possibly be on vacation?"
His smile eased the whole atmosphere. In that moment, Lorraine almost believed they really were just here for a holiday.
"Thank you, Eugene," she said suddenly, her gratitude genuine and heartfelt.
Eugene was gently brushing the fine sand from her hair. At her words, his hand paused, and he looked deeply into her eyes. "Why are you thanking me all of a sudden?"
Lorraine smiled softly, "No real reason. I just felt like saying it." Maybe it was because of the beautiful scenery, or maybe something more.
Even though her current situation was awkward, and her future felt completely out of her control—all because of him—she realized she didn't resent him at all.
After a moment, Eugene smiled faintly and tucked her hair behind her ear. He turned and pointed ahead. "Lorraine, look."