Page 226

Before leaving, Gan Yuan had cleaned up her office and even deleted some of her private files from her computer.

This photo was used for Xiaotang’s backup swimming card; because it was tucked into a corner of the drawer, she hadn’t noticed it.

"The hotel staff mentioned that Gan Yuan has a son named Gan Tang, who is five years old this year," a subordinate reported softly at his side.

A son?

She had gotten married and had a child!

Moses’s dark pupils slowly constricted as he raised his hand to bring the photo closer to his eyes, fixating on the Gan Tang in the picture, especially on Gan Tang’s eyes.

In his mind, another face flashed by—a little girl’s face, around the same age as the one in the photo.

Beneath the shiny black hair were eyes bright as stars, and even at such a young age, she stood in front of him, neither arrogant nor servile.

That year, he was eleven and Gaia was five.

All the children were afraid of him, but she stood there, meeting his gaze as if she could see right through him.

That was the first time another child hadn’t been afraid of him.

Moses pulled himself out of his reverie, his attention returning to the photo in his hand. He stood up from the chair and handed the photo back to his subordinate.

"Keep investigating. I want to know... everything about her," he ordered.

"Yes, sir!"

The subordinate responded respectfully.

...

...

When Gan Yuan came to, the night had already fallen.

With her eyes open, all she could see was darkness.

She turned on her side, trying to grope her way to turn on the light and get a look at her surroundings.

Her whole body was sore from head to toe, as if she had no bones, and every inch of her skin, every muscle, was in a state of extreme fatigue.

.. Even the act of turning over made her tired.

How she had been taken away from the airport by him that afternoon, Gan Yuan had no idea.

All she remembered was in that small storage room, the man took her like a madman, relentlessly until she finally couldn’t bear it anymore, fainting after reaching the peak several times. What he did afterward, how he brought her back from the airport... she was completely unaware of all this.

Fumbling for the lamp on the table, she managed to press the switch with her fingertips, and the light illuminated her surroundings.

The dark curtains blocked the light, the decor was simple, modern, yet luxurious, adorned in only three colors: black, white, and deep blue. She recognized this as a spacious master bedroom, and she was currently lying on its large bed.

Realizing this was Huangfu Jue’s bedroom, she breathed a small sigh of relief.

It was better to be here than to meet Moses again.

Outside the door, there were footsteps approaching, pausing at the entrance, then the door was gently pushed open.

Gan Yuan lifted her gaze only to meet the man’s deep blue eyes.

He came over, placed the tray on the bedside, and then Huangfu Jue sat down beside her.

"Where’s Xiaotang?"

"Asleep," he replied as he reached over to adjust the blanket covering her.

Gan Yuan reached for the edge of the blanket, meeting his gaze with a frown.

Without looking, she was already aware that she wasn’t wearing anything at the moment.

"I’m not dressed yet."

"There’s no need," he stated.

She inwardly clenched her teeth, her hands pulling the blanket tighter.

"Huangfu Jue, can’t you show me some respect?"

Respect?

Had she ever respected him?

The man’s hand resting on the edge of the blanket tightened its grip and suddenly pulled off the cover from her.

Her warm body was abruptly exposed to the chill of the night air, causing a fine layer of goosebumps to form on her skin. Her hand instinctively reached out and then retracted, and she lay still without moving.