Chapter 12 His Aesthetic Preferences Hunter Vaughn opened the car door and stepped out . Finished He was dressed in an impeccably tailored suit , a luxury watch on his wrist . His strides were steady and confident , exuding the aura of a successful man . " Ms. Hayes , dinner together ? " Estella had no interest in being his mistress and declined politely . Hunter raised an eyebrow . " Ms. Hayes , are you not giving me any respect ? " He moved closer , reaching for her hand . Estella quickly took a step back . The scent of his cologne made her feel uneasy . Seeing her reaction , the gaze behind Hunter's gold - rimmed glasses darkened . " Ms. Hayes , I thought that since you accepted a week's worth of flowers from me , it meant you accepted my pursuit . " Estella found this absurd . There was no name on the flowers , and she hadn't even had the chance to return them . And now , he was using them as proof that she had agreed to his advances . " Mr. Hunter , " she said coldly , " I can give you the money for the flowers ." Hunter's expression flickered . He felt humiliated . He looked down at her with the arrogance of a man used to getting his way . " Ms. Hayes , my patience in pursuing you is a courtesy . Don't mistake kindness for weakness . In Javerton , there isn't a woman I can't have . " Estella knew the ways of men like him . They thought that having money gave them the right to force women into submission . She pulled out her phone , found Hunter's PayPal account on WhatsApp , and transferred him 70 dollars . " Mr. Hunter , here's the money for the flowers . Is that enough ? She knew those flowers had cost more than 70 dollars , but this was as much as she was willing to part with . " You ! " Hunter felt utterly insulted . If there weren't so many people around , he would have dragged her into his car and taught her how to be an obedient woman . He swallowed his anger . There was no rush . " Ms. Hayes , I won't give up ," he said with a smirk before turning to leave . Estella found him utterly repulsive . She had made herself perfectly clear . Surely , he would take the hint and back off . Not long after she left , Jocelyn , who had been hiding nearby , lowered her phone , having recorded everything . " Messing around with a married man , who is also a student's parent , no less . Estella , let's see how you survive at Serenade Music Hub . " A gleam of malice flashed in Jocelyn's eyes . From the moment Estella arrived at Serenade Music Hub , Jocelyn had felt threatened . Estella was beautiful , graceful , and an excellent pianist . Students adored her , renewal rates were high , and she was even howing potential to become the most popular instructor of the new quarter . That title had always belonged to Jocelyn . There was no way she would let Estella take it . 1/3 Chapter 12 His Aesthetic Preferences She had to get rid of Estella before she became a real threat . Finished Estella ran into Jonathan in the elevator . Since he had helped her last time , she had been wanting to thank him in person . " Mr. Bennett , have you had dinner ? " Jonathan's voice was refined and restrained . " Not yet . I was planning to just eat something simple at home . " " If you don't mind , Mr. Bennett , could I bring you dinner ? I wanted to thank you for helping me before ... " Jonathan had intended to decline her kindness , but when he saw the anticipation in her eyes , he couldn't bring himself to refuse . " Well , thank you then ." Seeing him agree . Estella let out a breath of relief . She had grown up in a well - off family and had a decent sense of aesthetics . Jonathan's suit was tasteful , clearly not from an ordinary brand . It was likely from a niche luxury designer . But she had no interest in looking into his background . After parting ways with Jonathan , Estella went home , prepared the meal , packed a portion for him , and then headed out again to ring his doorbell . Jonathan opened the door quickly . He had taken off his suit jacket and was wearing a light blue dress shirt , the sleeves rolled up to his elbows , revealing well- defined forearm muscles . " Mr. Bennett , this is your dinner . " Thank you ." Jonathan expressed his gratitude and took the food container . Estella nodded and turned to leave , but suddenly , a wave of dizziness hit her . She steadied herself against the wall , barely managing to stay upright . The past few days had been stressful at work , and running into Hunter that evening had shaken her more than she expected . Now , her head throbbed intensely . " Ms. Hayes , are you alright ? " Estella had already recovered . " Thanks for your concern . I'm fine . " " You don't look well . Do you need to go to the hospital ? " Jonathan frowned . He wasn't someone who meddled in others ' affairs , but Estella looked truly unwell . As a neighbor , and since he had just accepted her dinner , he felt it wouldn't be right to ignore her condition . Estella was about to decline , but another wave of dizziness clouded her mind . She pressed her palm , trying to stay alert . Jonathan set the food container down on the entryway cabinet and reached out his hand . " Let me take you to the hospital . " Estella wanted to refuse , but her headache was unbearable . If she didn't go tonight , she might not make it to work tomorrow . His hand remained outstretched , waiting for her to take it . 2/3 P Chapter 12 His Aesthetic Preferences Estella hesitated for a moment before placing her hand in his . Jonathan drove her to the city hospital . She was exhausted and fell asleep as soon as she got into the car . At a red light , Jonathan glanced at her . Her face was pale , her lips almost colorless . Faint blue shadows rested beneath her slightly drooping eyelashes . Jonathan worked late every night and had run into her several times . He wasn't the type to pay much attention to others . Yet somehow , his radar always picked up on her . She had an excellent figure and an undeniable elegance . His social circle was full of beautiful women . But none of them ever made him feel anything . Only Estella stirred something in him every time he saw her . Still , he didn't think much of it . She was strikingly beautiful and happened to match his aesthetic preferences . That was all . Physical attraction alone meant nothing . Send Gifts