Chapter 36: Candy? Candy Again? Who Was Candy?

Annabel snapped, "Rupert, enough! Let go of my hand! Who the hell is Candy?"

Her icy demeanor instantly extinguished Rupert's enthusiasm. Clearly, she wasn't Candy; Candy wouldn't have resisted him.

He released her hand, sat up straight, then leaned back, his usual coldness returning. He picked up a button and asked, "Why was my button in your possession?"

Annabel rubbed her aching hand. "You were drunk last night," she said angrily. "You lay on the floor and refused to get up. I must have accidentally pulled the button off while carrying you upstairs."

Rupert's eyebrows shot up. "So, you were the one who took me to my room?"

"Yes. But later, Cathy said she wanted to carry you. You two seem very close," Annabel said with a meaningful look, hoping he'd understand her insinuation.

But Rupert was only thinking of Candy. He saw Cathy as his cousin and nothing more, and he was unaware of her feelings. Consequently, he missed Annabel's implication.

Last night's events flooded back. Though drunk, the feeling had been real. He remembered seeing Candy, holding her hand, talking to her. Candy had told him not to lie on the floor and had helped him up. It had all felt real.

Annabel claimed she'd helped him, meaning she was the woman he'd seen. Yet, she wasn't Candy. Why, then, did she evoke the same feelings?

A sudden wave of excitement swept over him. He jumped up, strode to Annabel, and looked down at her, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Annabel, have you ever been kidnapped?"

She'd never seen such tenderness in his eyes, nor heard such a magically enchanting voice. But she wasn't happy. This was the second time he'd asked. Why did he care so much about her past?

Looking into his deep-set eyes, she said seriously, "Rupert, I don't know why you always ask this. I'll answer for the last time: I've never been kidnapped!"

He fixed his gaze on hers, as if probing her soul. Her serious, frank answer seemed genuine. Since she'd never been kidnapped, she couldn't be Candy.

Rupert's eyes dimmed. Seeing his disappointment, Annabel felt curious and decided to probe further. "Who is Candy? The girl you love?"

After a brief silence, he said, "A girl who is very important to me." He couldn't explain to Annabel that he loved her.

"Oh, okay." Seeing his reluctance, Annabel stopped questioning.

Rupert suddenly asked, "Are you jealous?"

Jealous? Annabel scoffed inwardly at his arrogance. Did he think every woman would pursue him? Perhaps some did, but she wasn't one of them.

Pursing her lips, she frowned. "Rupert, stop being stupid! I'm not interested in your love life. Don't forget our three-month contract—actually, it's less than three months now, only two months and three weeks. When it ends, we'll be strangers. Do you understand?"

Strangers? The word upset him. He didn't know why he cared, perhaps because being with Annabel felt like being with Candy. Their engagement was mandated by their grandfathers; they had no real feelings. Yet, he treated her as a friend. But she saw him as a stranger!

"Annabel, am I really just an insignificant stranger to you?" he asked, reaching for her arm.

"What else could I call you?" she asked with a shrug, then looked down at her arm, which he held tightly. "You're hurting me, Rupert. Let go!"

He ignored her. His handsome face was hard, his brow furrowed, his eyes swirling with complex emotions. She stopped struggling when she grew tired.

A female voice broke the silence: "Annabel, what are you doing?"

Annabel turned to see Heather at the door. Seeing Heather's jealous glare, Annabel quickly snuggled closer to Rupert. "What my fiancé and I are doing is none of your business." She looked at Rupert and asked affectionately, "Babe, do you agree?"

Rupert's face remained expressionless, but the corners of his mouth curved slightly upwards. Heather's face reddened with anger; Finley, beside her, fidgeted.

"Mr. Benton, I'm sorry. I told Miss Norman you were busy, but she insisted on coming in," Finley said. His boss was known for his indifference and disliked women getting close to or staring at him. This public display of affection was rare.

With an impatient wave, Rupert dismissed Finley, who quickly left.

"Heather, why are you here?" Rupert asked, adjusting his tie and looking at her indifferently.

With a smile she considered charming, Heather approached him. "Rupert, we've prepared a preliminary prospectus for the Benton-Norman Group partnership. I brought it for you."

"Isn't your brother in charge?" Rupert frowned.

"He's busy today, so he asked me to bring it," Heather blushed, though she'd really come to see Rupert.

Rupert turned to Annabel. "You can go."

"Did you hear that? Get out! I'll explain the prospectus!" Heather shouted, elated by Rupert's dismissal of Annabel.