A Night of Desire

Chapter 211 - 208: My Feelings for Him Are Quite Complicated

"A little coffee in the evening keeps you energized. It’s nice." After saying this, he waved a waiter over.

’It’s nighttime, time for sleep,’ Clara Grant grumbled to herself. ’Why would anyone need to be so energized?’

Sarah Shelby, however, seemed to catch the hidden meaning in Seth Quinn’s words, ducking her head to hide a smile.

When the waiter came over, Seth Quinn and Sarah Shelby each ordered a coffee. In the end, Clara Grant couldn’t resist either and ordered her favorite, a cappuccino.

Perhaps because Seth Quinn was present, the two girls didn’t dare to truly let loose, just making small talk about this and that. Seth Quinn could tell they weren’t able to chat as freely as they wanted.

After a little while, Seth Quinn stood up and said to Clara Grant, "I’m going to the restroom."

He then nodded to Sarah Shelby before striding off toward the restrooms.

Once around the corner, Seth Quinn stopped in a secluded spot. He had made an excuse to leave for two reasons. One, to give the women some space to talk privately. And two, so he could take the opportunity to make arrangements for the next day.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. Placing one between his lips, he then took out a lighter and lit it. He took a drag, exhaling a perfect ring of smoke. He squinted, his gaze passing through the faint haze to his phone screen. Finding the number he was looking for, he dialed.

...

Meanwhile, as soon as Seth Quinn left, Sarah Shelby let out a long sigh of relief. Propping her elbows on the table, she leaned toward Clara Grant and complained, "Phew, Clara, your husband is finally gone. His presence is so intense. With him around, I didn’t even know what to say."

Hearing her say those two words—"your husband"—again, Clara Grant felt her face grow warm. She lowered her gaze to hide her awkwardness, but still managed to joke with Sarah Shelby.

"You’re usually afraid of nothing. I can’t believe there’s actually someone you’re scared of."

Sarah Shelby gave an awkward little laugh. It wasn’t that she was actually afraid of Seth Quinn; it was just that his presence was truly intense. On top of that, given the unpleasant history between the Shelby Family and the Quinn Family, she felt even more uncomfortable around him.

Although that business had nothing to do with her—it was all about that distinguished young lady of the Shelby Family—and she didn’t even consider herself a true Shelby, her last name was still Shelby. So, she figured that in Seth Quinn’s eyes, she was just one of them.

Ever since everything that happened between the Shelby Family’s eldest daughter, Autumn Shelby, and Seth Quinn, he had truly kept his distance. Although Seth Quinn never explicitly said he was cutting ties with the Shelby Family, for the past year or so, he really hadn’t had anything to do with them.

And since her last name was also Shelby, she wondered if seeing her would dredge up all that history for Seth Quinn.

"So, Clara," Sarah Shelby said, changing the subject to start teasing her friend, "what’s the deal with you and Seth Quinn now? You two seem to be getting along pretty well, and it looks like your opinion of him has improved a lot. Spill. Did he conquer you in bed?"

"Oh, shut up! What goes on in that head of yours all day?" Clara Grant scolded her with a laugh.

"You’re a married woman now, why are you still so shy? Isn’t it perfectly natural for that sort of thing to happen between a husband and wife?"

Clara Grant shook her head. "We... haven’t."

Sarah Shelby was stunned. "You mean to tell me you haven’t slept together since you got married? So, besides that night you were drugged, there hasn’t been a second time?"

Clara Grant nodded. "You know why I agreed to marry him. I had no choice, and I was completely heartbroken. So I asked him to give me time to accept him."

"I figured a proud man like him would be furious after being rejected, that there was no way he’d agree to such an unreasonable request. But... he actually accepted it. He respected my wishes and didn’t force me to fulfill my ’wifely duties’."

Clara Grant went on to recount everything that had happened between her and Seth Quinn over the past month or so, finishing with a sigh.

"So, Sarah, my feelings for him right now are... actually pretty complicated."