Chapter 9 The Escort Again Vanessa's face turned ghastly pale right after she steadied herself on the terrace. A tall, upright man casually leaned against the railing, his white tee and black jeans accentuating his roguish charm with effortless cool. The escort from last night? Why was he here? "I'm here to pick you up. What is it? You don't welcome me?" he asked lazily, his hands tucked in his pockets. "Y-You… What are you doing here?" Vanessa stuttered. "W-We agreed we'd never see each other again." She was utterly nervous, her heart pounding frantically. This was Evercrest Villa, crawling with guards. What if they couldn't get out? If he told anyone about what had hap- pened last night or blackmailed her with it, she'd be doomed. He clicked his tongue, smirking, "Last night was amazing. Do you really think I'm already done with you? Why don't we… discuss what positions we should try tonight?" When saying this, he placed his hands on her waist. With a little bit of force, he trapped her in his arms and smiled mischievously. Color flooded her face at once. "You… Let go of me," she said through gritted teeth, lowering her voice. Pushing him away hard, she felt so frustrat- What was Kathleen thinking? Of all people, she had taken this escort here at a time like this? What exactly was Kathleen up to? Fuming, she heard Kathleen's whisper coming from downstairs. "Hey! Be quick before someone sees you!" She snapped back to reality at once. "Let's go. Your friend asked for my help. As a gentleman, I'm always glad to help a damsel in distress. Not to mention we've just shared an intimate night together…" the man joked, held her in his arms again, and then picked her up to climb the stairs. Her gaze dropped instinctively, and then she saw herself suspended in mid-air amid the darkness. Terrified, she im- mediately shut her eyes and clawed at his chest. He curved his lips imperceptibly. 0.0% 15:37 Chapter 9 The Escort Again Soon, they descended to solid ground. "Hop in!" Kathleen urged, the car door already hanging open. Before Vanessa could steady herself, he had already carried her into the car with his strong arms. Then he started the car and drove away. 1288 Vouchers After a few minutes, they reached a deserted stretch of road, which was already a long distance from Evercrest Villa. "Stop the car! Now!" Vanessa shouted. "What is it?" Instead of pulling over, he looked at her through the rearview mirror, his gaze deep, unreadable. "I'm going home. You can drop me here," she said. All she wanted was to get away from him as soon as possible and not see him ever again. "That's not right, is it? After using me, you wanna toss me aside just like that?" His hands flexed on the wheel, and the car headed to a narrow side street. She panicked. "Tell you what? I'll give you another 16,000 dollars. How about that?" she said, softening her tone. Kathleen found it too much and quickly chimed in, "Wait… That's a lot, isn't it? How about half of it? 8,000 dollars, is that OK? Sir, you don't strike me as the greedy type. If we need your help the next time, we'll reach out to you again. Alright?" He curled his lip slightly and nodded. "I guess. Thank you." Vanessa immediately transferred 8,000 dollars to him before pulling Kathleen out of the car. They ran across the street. He stared at Vanessa's back intently, his gaze deep, razor-sharp. With a mysterious smile, he took out his phone. After running into a café they frequented, they finally stopped. 55.5% 15:37 Chapter 10 My Prince Charming † 288 Vouchers In "CEO, That Intern is Actually Your Wife" by CrushReel, delve into a captivating romance where a billionaire CEO becomes contractually linked to an unexpected partner. When faced with the urgent need to fund her grandmother's critical surgery, our protagonist finds herself in a unique situation—entering a one-year contract marriage with a stranger. As the story unfolds, themes of love, sacrifice, and the complexities of modern relationships come to light. The novel offers a fresh take on the familiar billionaire romance genre by exploring the dynamics of office relationships and the intricacies of contract lovers. Discover this modern tale of unexpected connections and heartfelt emotions, available to read at CrushReel.