Chapter 4 You Asked for It

After going so many years without experiencing such intimate acts, Gardenia was in so much pain that her face went white. Ansel wasn't faring much better, either. She wanted to avoid Ansel's advances, but he held her down by the waist with one hand. Time and time again, he took her earlobe into his mouth, his heavy breaths reaching her ears. Seeing that things were about to spiral out of control, Gardenia finally felt fear creeping over her. "Mr. Leager! Let me go! I'm begging you!" Ansel picked her up from the bed and asked in a hoarse voice, "Has he touched you before?" She shook her head as the feeling of weightlessness forced her to grab tightly onto his shirt collar. "No! We haven't done it before!" His gaze landed on her lips. "What about here? Has he kissed you before?" She said nothing and was punished for that one second of hesitation. Ansel's lips pressed heavily against her delicate ones again. It was as if he was staking his claim. "Ow, it hurts…" He snapped, "Bear with it anyway! You asked for it." … Gardenia was already barely conscious by the time Ansel started going for a second round. She didn't know what happened after that. She had a nightmare that the debt collectors trafficked her overseas and forced her to pleasure customers with her body. In the end, they even wanted to harvest all her organs and sell them. Just when she was about to be tied down to the operating table, she woke up. She found the ceiling that entered her vision incredibly glaring. This wasn't her room! She jerked out of bed, but the pain between her legs made her lie back down. The memories of last night rushed back quickly, and she recalled that she had encountered Ansel. "Are you awake?" Ansel's deep voice rang out, making her look up reflexively. He wasn't wearing a suit but an inky black silk nightgown. The sash wasn't tied properly, leaving the fabric around his chest loose and unable to conceal the firm lines of muscle under it. Unlike when Ansel was at the company, where he was usually always elegant and dignified, he was always lazy and relaxed at home. Fine strands of his short hair hung down naturally around his face, which even seemed to retain a bit of residual youthfulness. He was currently reclining against the couch. There seemed to be a document in his hand covered with densely packed words. "Stop faking sleep. If you're awake, hurry and wash up and then have breakfast." He didn't continue gazing at her the entire time. After saying what he wanted to, he looked back at the document in his hand. Gardenia shoved down her humiliation and reached out to grab the nightgown that had been placed next to the bed. Then, she slowly shuffled out of bed. Before she could reach the bathroom, Ansel spoke up again, "Your phone was ringing constantly, which interrupted my sleep cycle and prevented me from waking up naturally, so I turned it off." She frowned, walked over to him, and extended her hand. "Give it to me." Ansel looked up casually at her. "Are you planning to contact that little brat from the Chandler family?" "I want to ask for leave." She wondered if Chandler Corporation's project team meeting had proceeded as usual, considering that she had disappeared all of a sudden. And Ian… Who knew how frantically he was searching for her? "I asked my assistant to apply for leave on your behalf," Ansel informed her, after which he passed her the document in his hand. "To be precise, I asked him to help you resign. Also, sign this." Gardenia took a look at it. It turned out to be an employment contract from Leager Group. "I don't want to!" she shouted. "Be a good girl now," Ansel said patiently, seemingly in a very good mood. "You have a lot to do today, so don't make me force you to do each task." Gardenia immediately became wary and stepped back from him. "What else do you want to do?" "I want to move all your shabby belongings here from your residence, then…" He paused for a moment before continuing, "You'll be coming to the city hall with me to register our marriage."