Chapter 24: You Are Not My Type

Annabel, engrossed in applying ointment, didn't notice him. He stood there in a white bathrobe, part of his broad chest visible. Their collision made his chin ache, and his face was slightly furrowed. Droplets of water fell from the tips of his wet hair, his eyebrows and eyelashes also damp. Annabel stared at him for a long moment, admitting to herself that he was very handsome.

"Have you feasted your eyes enough?" Rupert asked with a smug smile, shattering her reverie.

"When did you get here? You scared me half to death! Stop tiptoeing around like a thief, and get dressed immediately!"

Annabel rubbed her head, looking away shyly. Rupert chuckled and buttoned his bathrobe. Rubbing his chin, he teased, "My chin hurts because you bumped into me. What are you going to do about that?"

She had bumped into him, yet complained instead of apologizing.

"I… I'm going to take a shower." Flustered under his intense gaze, she grabbed clean clothes and rushed into the bathroom, muttering, "Why did he come out dressed like that? Oh, God. Why am I suddenly sweating?"

Watching her flee, Rupert wondered if he was intimidating.

Knock! Knock! Knock! Annabel was showering when a series of knocks came on the bathroom door.

"Who is there?"

Her heart skipped a beat as she rinsed the lather from her face. Who could it be? Rupert was the only one in the room. What did he want? Sure enough, Rupert's attractive voice answered.

"It's me."

Annabel immediately became wary.

"What do you want? Can't you tell I'm showering? Go away!"

"You dropped something," Rupert said in a low, hoarse voice.

"What?"

Annabel turned off the shower and wrapped herself in a short bath towel. She thought he was lying; she didn't believe she'd dropped anything. Even if she had, couldn't he wait until she finished showering? This man was up to something! He usually behaved decently. But could he be a peeping Tom? The thought made her resolve to fight him off with all her strength if he made any sexual advances.

"You should have a look yourself."

A smile played on Rupert's lips as he examined the item in his hand. Annabel was confused. She checked the pile of clothes she'd brought into the bathroom. To her dismay, her clean underwear was missing. It must have fallen out when she'd hurried. Was that what Rupert was holding? This was so embarrassing.

Annabel pulled at her hair in anxiety, her face flushing red. After much hesitation, she tiptoed to the door, opened it slightly, and peeked out. "I dropped it accidentally. Hand it over."

The orange light illuminated her face, her smooth, tender skin glistening with water droplets, slightly flushed. Rupert couldn't help but stare. His lips curved into a wide smile.

He held out the underwear, saying softly, "Be careful. Don't drop it again."

"Thank you!"

Annabel snatched it, her hand briefly brushing his. The electrifying heat from his hand made her cheeks burn. Seeing his smile widen, she slammed the door shut. She could feel her heart pounding.

Gosh! What was wrong with her? This was so embarrassing! For the first time, Annabel regretted agreeing to come to this house to please her grandfather. It dawned on her that she was courting trouble.

Annabel took a few deep breaths to calm herself. After showering, she walked out to find Rupert sitting on the sofa, legs crossed, leisurely reading a financial magazine. His handsome eyes were narrowed, fixed on the page.

"I'm going to bed."

Annabel walked toward him, immediately regretting her ambiguous phrasing.

"Oh? Is that an invitation?"

Rupert looked up, asking in a charming voice. What? How was that an invitation? Annabel had only said it because she was tired and wanted to sleep. How could he twist her words? His mind was so corrupt! "Rupert Benton!"

Annabel adopted a serious expression. "Stop being narcissistic. We're only together because of our grandfathers. This will all be over in three months. Behave yourself!"

Narcissistic? No woman had ever said that to Rupert before. A cold glint replaced the warmth in his eyes. He eyed her from head to toe and said, "Don't flatter yourself. You don't even have a good figure. If I wanted to sleep with someone, it wouldn't be you. You are not my type. I like my women curvy, sophisticated, and nice!"

Did he just say she had a bad figure? Annabel couldn't believe her ears. She had a great figure! "You don't have a good figure either! Nobody in your family does! You're all ugly, too!"

Annabel retorted, rolling her eyes. She felt like a rabbit who'd just had its carrot stolen.

Rupert looked away. "I don't have time for this. I'm going to the study." He stood and left without looking back. However, he couldn't get Annabel out of his mind. She was beautiful, smart, confident, and neither humble nor pushy. She was his type! But unfortunately, she wasn't the one he was looking for.

The incident from when he was thirteen replayed in his head.

"Rupert, your hand is injured. Let me bandage it for you." A girl with a ponytail, a few years younger than him, offered a handkerchief. She carefully bandaged his wound, tying a pretty bow.

"Does it hurt?"

The girl looked up, revealing beautiful, large eyes.

Rupert wrapped his arms around her, saying firmly, "No, it doesn't. Don't be afraid, Candy. Help will come soon. I'm sure of it."

Snapping back to the present, Rupert opened a drawer and took out a faded handkerchief. He stared at it for a long time. Where was Candy now? Was she living a good life?

The following morning, Annabel woke to find herself alone. The other side of the bed was cold. Did Rupert stay in the study all night? Annabel rubbed her temples, wondering if she'd misjudged him. A powerful, handsome man like him had many admirers. Annabel, known to be a country girl, was unlikely to appeal to him compared to his other options. She was delighted he didn't want her; she didn't want anything to complicate matters. The lack of romantic interest was the perfect excuse she could give her grandfather.

At this thought, Annabel hummed happily as she left for work. She'd barely sat down when Nina sent for her.

"What can I do for you?" Annabel asked indifferently, tired of Nina's constant problems and curious about her latest scheme.