Chapter 122
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Gwyneth paused for a moment, and Clyde quickly explained, “Harrison used to own this place. Old habits die hard.”
He added, “Harrison knows martial arts. When he’s drunk like this, none of us dare go near him. Can you let him stay here for now?”
It was obvious Harrison was a strong fighter. Every time his big arms wrapped around her waist with strong force, she felt very safe.
To stop rumors about Harrison drunkenly fighting his assistant from spreading tomorrow, Gwyneth decided to just take Harrison back to her place and put him in the guest room.
Harrison’s heavy body sank into the soft mattress, his arm still around Gwyneth’s shoulder. Off balance, she tumbled right into his solid chest.
Clyde was surprised and left–pretending not to see anything. Gwyneth winced as her nose throbbed from the impact. Lifting her head from Harrison’s hold, she saw him looking perfectly calm and asleep as if nothing had happened.
“Seriously?” Gwyneth muttered quietly, annoyed. Still, she steadied herself against Harrison’s waist and pushed herself up, not knowing that his body instantly tightened under her hand.
Gwyneth wiped Harrison’s face, took off his coat, and tucked him into bed. She rubbed her sore shoulder, tired from supporting him all the way.
Good night, big guy,” Gwyneth whispered. When the lights went out, Harrison’s eyes suddenly snapped open in the darkness–sharp and completely sober. He still felt the warmth of Gwyneth’s body and let out a quiet, long exhale.
He thought, ‘That was close. I almost gave myself away!
***
In the early morning, Gwyneth was deeply asleep. She had left both her door and Harrison’s door slightly open, just in case the drunk man needed help during the night. But she was suddenly awakened by her phone ringing.
Groggily, Gwyneth grabbed her phone from the living room and went into her room–only to hear Quentin’s angry voice shouting on the line: “How could you be so careless with your sister? She’s been missing all night!”
The angry voice woke Gwyneth up, making her feel grumpy in the morning. She snapped, “She’s grown up–do I really have to watch her all the time? Maybe I should buy diapers for Melanie, since you treat her like she’s a baby.”
“Missing? Call the police. Find out who’s responsible. But calling me at this crazy hour like some ghost hunter? That’s just stupid,” Gwyneth added.
She hung up and pulled the covers over her head, trying to sleep. But her phone kept ringing over and over. She blocked his number, only to get calls from different numbers from Quentin.
She couldn’t turn off her phone because she had work to do, so she got up. She poured some water to calm herself and walked into the living room -just as another door opened softly.
“Sorry, did I wake you?” Gwyneth asked instinctively. Her phone suddenly vibrated.
It wasn’t a call, but more like a message. Harrison, still messy from sleep, leaned against the doorframe. He looked at Gwyneth, who wore a silky nightgown by the kitchen. He tilted his head slightly.
His hair covered part of his face, hiding how intense his eyes looked. He said calmly, “I heard your sister’s missing. I got the security footage and sent it to you.”
Gwyneth said, “Oh, so it was you who sent that message just now. Thanks.”
Feeling touched that Harrison was still helping her family even drunk, Gwyneth felt warmth in her chest as she saw a video from the security
camera.
The footage showed Melanie taking Arthur’s room card and heading straight to the suite. Harrison added calmly, “From what I see in the video, it looks like she went willingly.”
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3:08 PM
