Chapter 694
“So, when you came back and talked to your dad, you made sure he wouldn’t get in the way of whoever you wanted to be with?” I asked, my chest tightening. Edward was always like this—he’d set everything up, just waiting for you to walk right into his trap. Once you were caught in his net, good luck ever getting out.
“Victoria, I don’t want to live with regrets,” Edward said, gently brushing his fingers against my cheek. “All the things I missed out on before don’t matter. What matters is being able to choose who I spend the rest of my life with.”
“Edward, I…” I stammered, my breath coming fast as I turned my face away. “I really don’t want to talk about this right now. Are you sure Ryan won’t make a scene?”
“He’ll calm down,” Edward said harshly. “If he still wants to be a Jennings.”
If you want the crown, you have to bear its weight. Everything in this world comes with a price.
I let it go. Ryan was smart—he knew how to weigh his options.
After dinner, Edward and I walked along the quiet, old-world paths of the estate. I noticed some lights glowing halfway up the mountain, and Edward mentioned there was a hot spring up there.
‘On a chilly night like this, a soak in the hot spring would be perfect,’ I thought.
Since I couldn’t sleep anyway, I suggested we go up and take a look. Edward immediately arranged a car.
With the car roof open, the stars shone above us. Edward grew quiet, and I nestled into his side, feeling safe and totally relaxed.
When we got halfway up the mountain, we found a gorgeous estate built in classic English style. These days, it’s open to outsiders, but only the rich or powerful ever get to enjoy a place like this.
Once we went inside, we changed into fresh bathrobes and towels that were already waiting for us.
Edward took me to a pool where the surface of the warm water was scattered with rose petals—it was romantic, almost unreal.
The pungent scent of sulfur filled the air—a sure sign this was genuine hot spring water, not like those fake ones back home where they just heat up tap water.
Edward watched me in silence as I scooped up rose petals from the water. He looked at me like I was a view he never wanted to forget, his eyes slowly growing distant.
I looked at him and, just to tease, tossed some rose petals his way. The moment he realized I was up to no good, he pulled me straight into his arms, pressing me against his chest.
He reached out, plucked a petal from my hair, and lowered his head to kiss me.
The heat of the water sent waves of warmth around us, but Edward’s kiss held no trace of urgency—just gentle affection and a kind of indulgent tenderness.
My heart was pounding. ‘Can this life last a little longer? Just a bit more, please?’ I thought, not wanting this moment to ever end.
‘I don’t want to wake up from this dream. I just want to stay here and never go back to reality,’ I told myself.
But moments like this never last long. With all that sulfur in the hot spring, we couldn’t soak for too long or we’d get lightheaded. After half an hour, we got out, and by then, it was already late.
Edward didn’t take us back down the mountain—instead, he got us a room right there.
I curled up in his arms, my head resting on his arm, and drifted off into a deep, dreamless sleep. I was so at peace, not even a single dream came to me.
In the middle of the night, I felt a big hand roaming over me, stoking the fire inside. Half-awake, I slowly came to.
Turns out, Edward was getting frisky again.
With a mix of shyness and surrender, we ended up tangled together once more. The feeling was hard to describe—strange, thrilling, and completely new.
The next morning, the sun was already up outside. I got out of bed, scrolled through some work emails on my phone, then went to wash up.
Once I was dressed, I walked down the winding staircase to the downstairs living room.
Edward was sitting by the floor-to-ceiling windows in his bathrobe. I walked over and took a seat beside him.
Just then, I spotted a laptop on the table—and out of nowhere, a few startled voices burst from its speakers.
Only then did I realize Edward was actually in the middle of a morning video meeting.
I jumped to my feet in a panic and dashed away from Edward, not daring to look back.
Edward’s laughter rang out behind me.