Chapter 207:

Elyse returned home joyfully and found Jayden in the garden, sipping tea. Approaching him, she asked, "Have you been waiting for me long?"

Jayden glanced up. "No," he replied.

Elyse offered an awkward smile. "I'm going to change my clothes," she said, hurrying away.

Jayden watched her go, shaking his head and muttering affectionately but helplessly, "Just like a startled rabbit."

After changing and returning downstairs, Elyse found several servants bustling about with various items. Curiously, she approached and saw Driscoll directing them to tidy the collection room. All the items being moved belonged to Jayden. She wondered about their destination.

"Where are all these things going?" she asked.

Spotting her, Driscoll greeted her warmly. Elyse nodded, her eyes sparkling as she saw her cherished silver motorcycle. She walked over and caressed it; Driscoll gently pulled her away, smiling. "Mr. Owens' collections are cleaned here every three months," he explained. "Since the collection room isn't opened often, it gathers dust."

Elyse had longed to touch her motorcycle, and now, reluctant to withdraw her hand, Driscoll intervened.

Just then, a servant passed carrying a rabbit. Elyse could see its fur, eyes, and red pupils.

"Ah!" she exclaimed, jumping back in surprise.

Driscoll steadied her as she stumbled, instructing the servant to remove the rabbit quickly. "That was a rabbit Mr. Owen once cared for," he explained. "After it passed away, he had it preserved and kept here."

Elyse patted her chest, sighing in relief. "I was nearly scared to death! No wonder it looked so realistic. I thought it was alive."

Driscoll reassured her with a smile.

Looking around, Elyse noted the vast array of items in the collection room: antiques like vases and paintings, and other peculiar objects Driscoll said held great significance for Jayden.

Her attention was drawn to a photograph. It showed Jayden with an unfamiliar man, their arms around each other's shoulders, looking like close friends.

"May I take a closer look?" she asked the servant, approaching the frame.

The servant handed it to her. Driscoll came over, sighed upon seeing the photo, and said, "That's Mr. Owen's old friend, Louis Walker. They were very close. Mr. Owen often invited him for drinks."

"Louis Walker…" Elyse glanced several times between the photo and Jayden. The photo appeared to be from Jayden's college days; he looked much younger and less stern.

She studied the photo intently. Driscoll, noticing her reluctance to put it down, gently urged, "Perhaps it's time to put that away."

Elyse hesitated, tracing Jayden's face with her finger, her curiosity about his past piqued.

"Really, Mrs. Owen, you should focus on the present," Driscoll murmured, slightly embarrassed.

Puzzled, Elyse looked up and saw Jayden at the collection room entrance in his wheelchair. All the servants had left; only she and Driscoll remained.

Without a word, she returned the photo to Driscoll, went to Jayden, and bowed her head.

Jayden clenched his teeth. "So you went to the collection room. I waited for you, but you didn't come."

Elyse offered an awkward smile. Under Driscoll's sympathetic gaze, Jayden took her away.

As she was about to be taken back to her room, she clung to the sofa, protesting, "I won't go back! I refuse!"

Jayden gritted his teeth. "You need discipline. Come to your room."

"No! At least let me eat dinner first," Elyse pleaded, desperately stalling.

Jayden found her attempt amusing. "So you need to be full before your punishment, huh?"

Elyse blushed, biting her lip. "Fine, we can have dinner now. We'll do it later."

Jayden embraced her, murmuring suggestively and forcefully in her ear, making her too shy to look up.

When Driscoll and the servants reappeared, they saw the couple hugging and whispering intimately, appearing perfectly loving.

"Alright, stop staring. Go do your work," Driscoll dismissed the servants, leaving the couple to their privacy.