53 A Heavy Promise
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“So, when do you plan on marrying me?” Brian asked.
Chloe almost choked on the sip of coffee she’d just taken. “Marry?”
“Or are you just toying with me and were planning to toss me aside once you’re bored?” He leaned in, bracing his hands on the couch and caging her in, his presence overwhelming.
Chapter 153 His Despicable Desire to Keep Her
Chloe suddenly felt as though she were being hunted by a predator.
“Hmm?” Brian’s voice lifted at the end, expectant and almost teasing.
She raised a hand to push him back and set her cup down on the coffee table.
“We haven’t been together that long. It’s too soon to talk about marriage,” Chloe said.
But in the next moment, Brian’s arm slipped around her waist, pulling her close. His face hovered near hers as he asked, “You’ve never thought about marrying me?”
His voice carried a sharp edge, yet his eyes, usually cool and distant, now shimmered with a seductive allure. He was like a wild beast, deliberately revealing its most captivating side in courtship.
Chloe swallowed hard, a sudden rush of saliva catching in her throat.
The Brian before her was both captivating and dangerous. She couldn’t ignore the desire and tenderness flickering in his eyes.
But marriage… They’d only known each other for such a short time, and she hadn’t even started to truly understand him.
“I’ve been divorced once, so I have to be more careful about a second marriage,” Chloe said softly.
“Brian, I like you, but I’m not sure that feeling runs deep enough yet for me to step into marriage with you. Let’s give it time to get to know each other. It won’t be too late to talk about marriage then.”
As she spoke, a thought seemed to cross her mind. She lifted her hand, brushing his cheek gently.
“Maybe after some time, you’ll realize I’m not as good as you think I am, and maybe you’ll be the one who wants to end things.”
Her words were cut short when his lips claimed hers, swallowing the rest of her words.
It was a long moment before he finally drew back, his voice rough and low. “Don’t talk about breaking up, I won’t bring it up, and neither can you. I’ll make you love me more, and we’ll get married,”
A misty haze seemed to cloud his eyes. This tender, vulnerable side of Brian always managed to soften Chloe’s heart in ways she couldn’t explain.
This time, it was Chloe who leaned in and kissed him. “I think I’ll love you more,” she
Chapter 153 His Despicable Desire to Keep Her
whispered.
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She knew for certain that her affection for him was growing far more than when they’d first started dating.
Brian lowered his gaze, his eyes flickering briefly over Chloe’s abdomen.
She still hadn’t promised to marry him. Was it because her feelings weren’t strong enough? What would it take to make her stay by his side for good?
If she got pregnant with his child, would that bind her to him?
The thought struck him like lightning. It was just what Liam had once tried to use to keep Emily shackled to his side.
The realization made him jolt, his whole body going rigid.
“What’s wrong?” Chloe asked. When she kissed him just now, she’d immediately sensed something was off.
“Nothing,” he said.
She studied his slightly pale face. “Brian, I’ve told you before that I don’t want a relationship
built on secrets. What I want is mutual trust.‘
He stayed silent for a moment before finally speaking, his voice edged with bitterness. “I just don’t want to turn into my father. I’m terrified that one day, you’ll leave me as decisively as my mom left him.”
What had gotten into him just now? He’d actually thought about using a child to bind Chloe to him, just like Liam once did to Emily.
Brian had despised Liam for that very act. Yet just moments ago, he’d felt the urge to do the
same.
The thought made him want to spit at himself.
Chloe cupped Brian’s face in her hands. “Don’t worry. You’ll never become like your father. And I’m not your mom. I would never take my own life.”
Brian stared at her, stunned. After a long pause, his lips curved into a faint smile. “You’re right. You’re not my mom. You’re far stronger than she ever was.
She brimmed with life. Even in hardship, she would fight to survive rather than seek release in
death.
“My mom never liked my father. She even despised him. But you like me, and you’ll fall in love with me too, won’t you?” He looked up at her, as if pleading for reassurance.
“Yes, I like you, and I will fall in love with you,” Chloe replied.
Chapter 153 His Despicable Desire to Keep Her
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Perhaps she was already in love with him.
Brian pulled her into his arms, pressing his face into the curve of her shoulder and breathing
in her scent.
She always had this effect on him, stirring his anxiety, yet soothing it just as easily. And he, in turn, found himself more and more incapable of letting her go.
Sonya showed up at AeroQuest Airlines‘ office the next day, hoping to persuade the managers to reconsider and reinstate her.
But the same people who’d always treated her with warmth and kindness now regarded her as if she were something vile.
One of the managers said coldly, “You should be grateful we’re only firing you. how much our reputation has suffered because of your actions?”
“But I didn’t save anyone! I just chose to protect myself. How is that wrong?”
Do you realize
“If you only think of protecting yourself in a crisis, how can your passengers ever trust you with their lives?” the manager countered.
“Furthermore, if you hadn’t received a commendation as a firefighting heroine five years ago, do you really believe your skills alone would have gotten you promoted to captain so quickly?”
“What?” Sonya was dumbfounded.
“Your flying technique and personal abilities are far from exceptional. AeroQuest Airlines only invested in your training because of your reputation as the firefighting heroine. Now that the title no longer serves its purpose, the airline has no reason to keep you,” the manager declared.
Humiliation burned across Sonya’s face.
She’d always been fiercely confident in her abilities and been proud of becoming AeroQuest Airline’s very first female captain. Even as a captain, she’d believed she was the most outstanding woman on the crew.
And yet, to the manager, she was nothing special.
Impossible! She refused to accept it.
After leaving the manager’s office, Sonya noticed her former colleagues whispering and casting sidelong glances at her, their eyes brimming with contempt and mockery.
Her fists tightened at her sides. One day, she promised herself, they would look at her not with scorn, but with awe and admiration.
Chapter 153Huis Despreable Desire to keep flei
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Just then, her phone rang. She glanced at the caller ID, and her expression shifted instantly.
Lena had arranged to meet Ethan at a coffee shop.
As soon as they sat down, she blurted, “The other night, when you were drunk, why did you call Thomas to pick you up?”
“Why? Shouldn’t I have him pick me up?” Ethan replied lazily.
“You know perfectly well what we used to be! Of all people, you had to ask him? Didn’t it cross your mind how awkward that would be for me?” she snapped.
“I figured you don’t care, so it wouldn’t bother you,” Ethan said casually.
Lena was speechless and rolled her eyes. Was that supposed to be acceptable?
“Anyway, did Thomas say anything to you afterward?”
Ethan raised an eyebrow. “What should he have said?”
“Nothing!” Lena forced a stiff smile. “It’d be better if he hadn’t said a word.”
Just then, out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Sonya slipping into a small,
secluded motel with a man.
What on earth was going on?
Lena narrowed her eyes. The way Sonya ducked her head, clearly not wanting to be recognized, made her look all the more suspicious.
And who was that man? Why would Sonya be sneaking into a motel with him?
Gripping Ethan’s arm, Lena hissed, “Come with me!”
“Where to?” Ethan asked, startled.
“That motel across the street!”
