Chapter 6 Her Trembling Form

Joshua shook his head, breaking from his thoughts. "No," he said after a while, his voice laced with restraint.

As Joshua's hand made a slight movement towards Lyla, it seemed as though he intended to touch her. But before he could, Lyla had already sprung to her feet, taking a quick step back that prevented Joshua from catching a whiff of her hair.

Turning towards the door, Lyla cast a natural glance back at Joshua. "That's good, huh? Aren't we going? Aren't you supposed to have lunch with a client?" she asked.

With narrowed eyes, Joshua pondered whether Lyla was exacting revenge on him for what happened when he buckled her seat belt in the car earlier.

A faint smile crossed Joshua's face. This woman was truly vengeful and stubborn.

The duo planned to have lunch at the restaurant located downstairs from Harvey Corporation.

Justin, an Avilia man in his forties, joined them for the meal. Although he was not a native to Dorburn, his wife was. Lyla and Justin's wife conversed effortlessly, sharing their contact information and making plans to meet for afternoon tea when they came to Dorburn again.

A smile tugged at Joshua's lips as he listened to Justin speak. Joshua gently twirled the wedding band on his left ring finger, musing to himself that Lyla was not gentle in the slightest. However, he couldn't ignore the fact that all the elders seemed to adore her.

This included his own parents and Justin's wife, whom they had just met.

Suddenly, Joshua stopped in his tracks and scowled. Not all the elders approved of Lyla. In fact, her biological father didn't like her one bit. If she hadn't married Joshua, her father would have turned her in to the police.

Justin spoke in the language of Avilia throughout their conversation. Whenever he touched upon an intriguing subject, Justin would speak faster, making his words difficult to understand. As Joshua listened absent-mindedly, memories of a night two years ago flooded his mind.

It was a heavily rainy day. Raindrops cascaded onto the leaves, creating a symphony of cracking noises. Lyla stood at the gate of the Harvey Mansion without an umbrella, drenched to the bone.

She remained there for two hours, pitifully gazing up at Joshua with a pale face. In that moment, she appeared to be the most docile girl he had ever encountered. Like a lost puppy, she implored him to take her in, provide her with shelter and shield her from the rain.

When Joshua wrapped her in a dry towel, he noticed her trembling form.

Her trembling remained even when they lay together on his bed and she responded to his touch in a maladroit way.

With a sip of lemonade in hand, Joshua nodded at Justin and spoke softly, "I concur."

Once lunch had concluded, Lyla and Joshua escorted the couple out and made their way back to the CEO's office. As Lyla closed the door behind them, she began to speak. "Mrs. Debenham is an avid horse rider. She offered to teach me how to ride the next time she comes back. I..."

Before Lyla could finish her sentence, Joshua seized her hands and pressed her against the door. She fell silent in an instant.