My First Love Died, Now My Step Uncle Wants Me-Chapter 37: Uncle, I Can Walk by Myself
Nina Wynn shook her head and lowered her gaze, saying nothing. Her long, curled lashes trembled gently, as if mischievously beckoning to Caleb Rhodes.
Caleb Rhodes watched her for a few seconds, his eyes darkening. He took her hand, enveloping it in his palm. "Let’s go."
In the small parlor on the other side, three or four people were already waiting.
Though called a small parlor, it was anything but, measuring a spacious seventy to eighty square meters. It was designed as a minimalist, neo-Chinese tearoom, its understated decor suffused with an indescribable elegance.
Three middle-aged men stood stiffly to the side. Next to them were numerous garments that had not yet been released to the market.
These three were all renowned figures in Elysian City’s fashion industry. The brands they represented encompassed nearly every domestic and international label on the market. With considerable fortunes, they were prominent individuals in Elysian City. Yet, before a titan like the Rhodes Family, they seemed like nothing more than humble clothing peddlers.
When they received the call yesterday that Master Rhodes wanted to browse some of the womenswear brands they represented, they had been too excited to get a wink of sleep.
After all, in Elysian City, forging a connection with the Rhodes Family was an almost unattainable dream.
After a long wait, the man they were waiting for finally arrived, taking his time.
They had assumed the young lady of the Rhodes Family was the one picking out clothes, but unexpectedly, Master Rhodes emerged leading a delicate, timid young girl by the hand.
The young girl looked to be seventeen or eighteen. With dark hair, red lips, and an innate allure, she was beautiful down to the very last strand of hair. She had the kind of looks that could steal a man’s soul, yet her eyes were clear and cool, and she was too timid to meet anyone’s gaze.
They had braced themselves for a demanding client, but to their surprise, this Third Lord Master, despite his noble and aloof demeanor, wasn’t picky at all. He selected numerous styles in a short time, but the young girl seemed to think it was too much, repeatedly calling out in a soft voice, "Uncle, that’s enough."
Her soft, delicate voice was utterly tantalizing.
It made the Third Lord Master stare at the girl the way a wolf stares at a lamb—a raw, unblinking gaze, lined with sharp barbs, as if he couldn’t wait to tear chunks of flesh from her small frame.
The agents understood perfectly, but they didn’t dare utter a word, resorting to exchanging glances.
They had inquired quite thoroughly. The Rhodes Family had only one daughter, Crystal Rhodes. Furthermore, Crystal Rhodes was a public figure, and they all knew what she looked like. It certainly wasn’t the girl before them now.
As for Master Rhodes, rumor had it that he and Rosalind Lowell, the heiress of the Lowell Family, were childhood sweethearts, and their families were on the verge of discussing marriage. It seemed those rumors were merely rumors; this young lord apparently had other... preferences.
Within an hour, the contents of four or five entire racks of clothing had been selected.
Caleb Rhodes seemed unsatisfied. His brow furrowed. "Is that all?"
One of the agents immediately replied with reverence, "There’s more, there’s more! We have the new collections. I’ll have them sent over right away. Next season’s, the season after that, we have it all."
Nina Wynn’s heart leaped into her throat as she glimpsed the price tags on the massive pile of clothes. She couldn’t fathom wearing an entire Elysian City apartment on her body. She could only try to stop Caleb Rhodes in a small voice, "Uncle, it’s too much. I won’t be able to wear it all."
Caleb Rhodes’s expression was indifferent, his voice just as faint. "This won’t even fill half the walk-in closet. How is this enough?"
He had originally been completely uninterested in things like picking out clothes. But after having done so for Nina Wynn twice, he found it was rather interesting. ’Having her wear clothes I picked out is like holding her entire being in the palm of my hand. The very thought of it is deeply satisfying.’
Nina Wynn had no concept of what it meant to fill a walk-in closet. What she did know was that she hated this public intimacy with Caleb Rhodes. But she didn’t dare defy him, so she could only lower her head, her small, fair hands twisting the hem of her clothes in silence.
Caleb Rhodes saw her weary expression and squeezed her fingers. "Tired?" 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢
Without looking up, Nina Wynn just hummed a quiet "mhm."
Caleb Rhodes glanced down and saw her small feet in slippers, several of her pale toes peeking out. His gaze darkened. "We haven’t picked out shoes yet."
The agent heard this and immediately shot a frantic look at an assistant outside. The assistant rushed in, arms full of shoeboxes, and quickly arranged the shoes in several neat rows.
They were all distinctly girlish styles, ranging from sneakers to delicate, slender heels. The colors were exclusively white, light blue, or pale pink. A few pairs even had tiny, delicate white pearls embedded in the laces.
Caleb Rhodes had her sit on a small, padded mahogany stool and try them on, one pair after another.
Her feet were petite, her ankles remarkably slender, and her toes were exquisitely shaped and delicate. One of the agents snuck a few glances and found himself unable to look away.
But in the next second, he felt something was wrong. Looking up, he saw Master Rhodes staring at him. His eyes held a biting chill, devoid of any humanity, and the viciousness within them looked as if it could rip him to shreds at any moment.
The agent jumped in fright. He had heard many stories about Master Rhodes, most of which involved his ruthless, cutthroat tactics. A chill ran up his spine, and he hastily averted his gaze.
Nina Wynn tried on two pairs before refusing to try on any more. Head bowed, she fidgeted with her slippers with her small toes. "Uncle, they’re all too big."
The agent heard this and quickly interjected, "They’re all size 35. They’re all too big? But Butler Zimmerman distinctly told us size 35..."
Nina Wynn murmured, "I can only wear a size 34. For some larger fits, I can even wear a 33..."
The agent broke out in an anxious sweat, terrified that this hard-won opportunity to collaborate with the Nash Group would slip through his fingers. He stammered, "I’ll arrange for size 34s to be brought over at once..."
Caleb Rhodes bent over, scooped her into his arms, and started walking toward the main hall. "Then we don’t want any of them. We’ll choose another day."
Nina Wynn was completely unused to such public displays of intimacy. Moreover, the men were staring at them with odd expressions. She felt a mixture of resistance and fear, but she was powerless to struggle, so she could only bury her face in Caleb Rhodes’s shoulder to hide from view.
’But this way, his scent fills my every breath, and my internal resistance grows even stronger.’
’It’s as if his very essence is trying to take root and sprout within my heart, but every cell in my body is rejecting it, screaming to be expelled.’
This intense internal struggle and resistance made her so tense that her body began to tremble. In the short distance from the parlor to the main hall, she had already broken out in a fine sweat.
She clutched at Caleb Rhodes’s shirt, her voice tiny and laced with a hint of a plea, "Uncle, I can walk on my own."
Caleb Rhodes’s steps faltered for a second. His voice turned cold. "Nina Wynn, the sooner you get used to this, the better."
With that, he strode into the main hall, still carrying her.
A doctor was already waiting in the main hall. Upon seeing them enter, he simply offered a respectful "Third Lord Master" and fell silent.
Caleb Rhodes set Nina Wynn down on the sofa, only then noticing that she was sweating again. Wisps of hair on her forehead and at her temples were damp, clinging to her soft, pale cheeks and giving her a touch of pitiable charm.
The blackness of her hair made her skin seem all the more pale. Under the bright lights, one could almost see the fine capillaries beneath her delicate skin.
Her pupils were also pitch-black, at once coolly distant and timid, making her look exceptionally vulnerable—the kind of vulnerability that made one want to devour her whole.
Watching her, Caleb Rhodes’s eyes grew even darker.
