Chapter 541

I was genuinely shocked to see him show up. I’d blocked him, stopped answering his calls, and basically announced I was cutting all ties with him. But I never expected to run into him again, especially in the middle of the night.

My mind quickly cleared after the initial shock. Hero saving the damsel? Please, I thought to myself. Or is this all just part of some elaborate scheme?

The car window was tapped by fingers with sharply defined knuckles.

I rolled it down and looked up—Edward was standing there. He lowered his gaze to meet mine, asking in a deep voice, “You okay? Are you hurt?”

I shook my head. “I’m fine. Thanks for stepping in.”

Edward caught on to my detached tone, and his handsome face stiffened a little.

“You think I set this up?” Edward said, a flash of indignation crossing his face at being wrongly accused.

I bit my lip. “It’s just too much of a coincidence. I can’t help but be suspicious.”

Edward paused, seeming to realize my suspicion made sense. He let out a helpless sigh. “I didn’t set up some lame coincidence. I was just outside your building, looking at the view, and happened to see your car drive up.”

I narrowed my eyes. “What view? You must be kidding, Mr. Jennings.”

Edward’s gaze lingered on my face, his voice growing softer. “Nothing out here catches my eye. The real beauty’s in my heart—and you’re the reason.”

He was acting weird again, which made me tense up. I started replaying every detail of the accident in my mind. I’d been on edge the whole drive, worrying about Sophia and Aiden, and when that car suddenly slammed on the brakes in the middle of the road, I ended up rear-ending it.

So maybe it really was just a misunderstanding. The only thing I could be sure of was that Edward had been sitting in his car outside my building, waiting for me around eleven or twelve at night. There were still plenty of cars and people on the street, and Edward really stood out in the crowd. A few women passing by couldn’t stop checking him out, glancing back at him again and again.

“Mr. Jennings, maybe I misunderstood you. Thanks for helping me out,” I said as I looked down, found his contact on WeChat, and added him back. The next second, I transferred him ten thousand yuan. “Mr. Jennings, I want you to accept this. I don’t want to owe you a favor.”

Edward’s face went through a whole range of emotions.

“Just lending a hand. No need to pay me,” he said, his tone clearly less than pleased.

“No, nothing says thank you like cold, hard cash,” I shot back, then got out of the car, walked around to the front, and snapped a photo of the dent in my hood.

Edward stood off to the side, watching everything I did. He frowned and asked, “You’re just getting home? Work keeping you busy?”

As I texted my coworker about the car, I replied, “No, I was out having dinner with Ryan tonight.”

Edward looked like he’d been slapped, his expression darkening even more.

After I finished, I turned to Edward and said, “It’s late. I’m heading home to crash.”

Edward was so thrown off by how distant I was, he couldn’t even get a word out. As I was about to slide back into my car, he suddenly grabbed my wrist. “Why won’t you answer my calls? Why did you block me?”

I jumped, and when his palm pressed against my skin, it sent a jolt right through my soul. It was that same anxious, forbidden panic—like I’d touched something I was never supposed to.

I twisted my wrist free from his grip and said coolly, “Don’t you get it, Mr. Jennings? The best thing between us is to stay strangers.”

Edward’s fingers tightened slightly at his sides as he just looked at me in silence.

The street was icy cold, the thin snow melting away, and the chill seeped right through my coat. I caught my breath, looking at him. We’re both adults—grown-ups should know where to draw the line.

“Just go,” Edward said, stepping back before turning and heading for his car.

Moments later, his black Audi vanished into the night at the end of the street.

I kept my hand on the car door, my breath instantly turning to white mist in the freezing air. My stiff lashes trembled as I blinked, and finally, I slipped back into my warm car, fired up the engine, and headed home.

As soon as I walked in, Ryan texted me, asking if I made it home safe. I sent him a photo of my living room and said goodnight.

I drank half a glass of water, and finally, my heart started to calm down.

When I checked my phone, I saw Edward hadn’t accepted the transfer. Yeah, like he’d ever care about that kind of money. Whether he wants it or not, that’s his business—but sending it? That’s mine.

After I showered, I heard my phone ping with a message. A little spark of hope lit up inside me—maybe Edward had finally accepted the transfer. If he did, that would mean I didn’t owe him anymore.

I checked the message in a rush, and my mind just exploded. It was from Edward: “I must be crazy, thinking you’d ever feel the same about me.”

I had no idea what kind of state he was in, but just a few words and his obsession was plain as day.