Chapter 254

He hesitated, abruptly stopping their intimacy while they were both aroused. Hannah lay beneath him, gasping heavily. Her face was flushed; she had been subtly excited by Oscar's actions.

She gazed at him with her dark, bright eyes, even biting her lip. It was undeniably seductive.

"Will you not continue?" Hannah asked, watching Oscar struggle to contain his desire. The next moment, he left the bed and went to the bathroom.

Hannah lay staring at the ceiling. Was she disappointed? Surprisingly, her expectations of Oscar had been low. Yet, she felt unexpectedly empty and alone after he left her, a sense of abandonment settling over her.

Was it her self-esteem? She had responded to him, even taken the initiative, yet he hadn't made love to her. Or was it as Charles had suggested—that she was too cold and unresponsive in bed?

Hannah took a deep breath. She didn't really care; it was a fleeting emotion. She got out of bed, intending to sleep in another room. If Oscar hadn't intervened, she would have showered and lain there, lost in worry over her father's predicament.

As she reached the door, Oscar stopped her. "Where are you going?"

"To sleep in another room."

"Are you mad?" he asked playfully, approaching her.

"No," Hannah replied. "I slept with you only because you were unwell. Now that you're recovering, I don't think we need to sleep together."

"So, you are mad," Oscar said.

"Damn it, Oscar! Don't you understand?" Hannah exclaimed, exasperated. She wasn't angry; why did he insist on provoking her?

"Mrs. Wells, you appear remarkably calm and rational when you're angry," Oscar smiled. "Just as you do now."

"You're crazy," Hannah retorted, dismissing him. It was a waste of time.

She opened the door to leave, but Oscar slammed it shut.

"Oscar Wells!" she yelled. "Now I am mad!" She was truly furious.

"I have something for you," Oscar said.

"What?" Hannah was uninterested; nothing mattered to her right now. Her earlier intimacy with Oscar had been a way to vent her frustrations.

"Come here," Oscar said, taking her hand.

Hannah was impatient. She'd had a long, difficult day and needed to deal with numerous problems. His inability to help was one thing, but his persistence was infuriating.

Hannah shook him off. "I'm too busy to play games with you."

Oscar frowned.

"I don't know if you've read the news, or if you're aware of what's happening with my family. We're business partners; my affairs are my own. It's fine if you don't ask or care, but I hope you'll stop this and let me go," Hannah said seriously. "Understand this: you'll be implicated if anything happens to my father. Consider whether we should continue our cooperation. I can't guarantee I'll win his case and secure his release…"

"Hannah, I wonder how terribly I appear in your eyes!" Oscar interrupted.

Hannah pursed her lips. She was stating facts, expressing her honest, albeit emotional, truth. Oscar's career as a government official had been hard-won; she'd feel guilty if it was jeopardized because of her.

"Why can't you trust me? Am I so unworthy?" he asked again.

"I used to trust people, and I got burned. Now, I only trust myself."

"You're so annoying!" Oscar suppressed his anger, fighting to remain calm.

"You're the one who's annoying!" Hannah raged. "I've had a brutal day, my life is a mess, why can't you just give me a break?"

"I think you'll feel terribly guilty and ashamed when I tell you this."

Hannah ignored him, turning to leave.

"I've found discrepancies in the accounts of the private contracts for the 'Huatan' project—worth one hundred million."

Hannah froze, staring at him in disbelief.

"Manuel sent me a copy of the contracts he sent you this afternoon. I'm new at the office and have downtime, so I reviewed them and found something amiss," Oscar said casually.

Hannah was stunned. Had he effortlessly solved the problem that had plagued her all afternoon and night? She knew it wasn't as simple as he made it sound.

"What's wrong?" she asked immediately.

"Will you come with me now?" Oscar raised an eyebrow.

Hannah pursed her lips. She had quickly eaten her words.

Oscar took her hand, leading her to the bedroom sofa. He picked up his laptop, powered it on, and typed his password with deft fingers. Hannah casually glanced at the keyboard and saw his password: "HCILY!" Its simplicity made her blush.

"Impressed?" Oscar asked, working on the laptop.

"Did you show it to me on purpose?" Hannah countered disdainfully. Why slow down unless he intended to reveal it? He was cunning—or maybe he'd changed the password just before she saw it. Still, she had to admit he was adept at charming women.

Neither was distracted. Oscar opened a file, displaying three contracts. "Study these; I think there are inconsistencies."

Hannah frowned. She'd reviewed these contracts earlier but hadn't examined them thoroughly, finding nothing amiss. Oscar's hint prompted her to read them carefully.