My First Love Died, Now My Step Uncle Wants Me-Chapter 38: You Are My Little Uncle

Terrified that he might do something strange again, Nina shrank back. She glanced at the doctor beside them and whispered, "Uncle, who is he?"

Caleb Rhodes finally turned and nodded to the doctor. "Please change the dressing on her wound."

The doctor was obviously very professional. During the dressing change, he didn’t ask how the wound happened, nor did he show any curiosity about Nina’s identity. He just reapplied the medicine, gave her a tetanus shot, told her not to get it wet, and left.

With the dressing changed, Nina was even more at a loss as to how to face Caleb Rhodes.

’It’s not even the weekend, but it doesn’t feel like Caleb has any intention of leaving for work. Didn’t he just take over the Nash Group? For a corporation that huge, doesn’t he have any paperwork to handle?’

As if reading her mind, Caleb said nonchalantly, "I’ll be home this afternoon. You get some rest. I’ll be working in the study. There’s a gathering tonight. You’re coming with me."

Nina wanted desperately to ask if she could be excused, but she didn’t dare to ask directly.

In truth, she didn’t want to stay in this house for another second. But after the way she had run off that morning, she knew Caleb wouldn’t let her go out again. It seemed the only thing she could do now was go to her room and sleep.

She’d been gone all morning, and there already seemed to be a few new things in the room.

She had no interest in them. She just doodled a bit on the easel on the small balcony, then started calling Noelle Landon.

’That girl... Every month, there were always a few mysterious days when her calls wouldn’t go through and she wouldn’t reply to texts.’

This time was no different. It had been six or seven days now without a single word from her.

Utterly bored, she flopped onto the bed. Immediately, her mind filled with the image of Caleb kissing her.

The more she thought about it, the more frightened she became. A sense of dread washed over her as she lightly touched her lips, feeling a burning heat spread across them.

Gradually, she felt every inch of skin he had touched begin to burn.

The faint scent of white roses drifted in. As her mind replayed the intimacy with Caleb, a violent wave of nausea churned in her stomach, and she rushed to the bathroom.

When she was done, she looked at her reflection in the mirror and slowly lowered her gaze, hiding all emotion.

She fell into a deep sleep and woke to a gray sky.

The housekeeper led her to the adjacent walk-in closet, where she was surprised to find Caleb Rhodes was also inside.

The walk-in closet was enormous, at least three or four hundred square feet. More than half of it was taken up by Caleb’s clothes—almost exclusively suits. A large portion of those were dress shirts, most of them white.

He was wearing a gray-and-white striped shirt tucked into iron-gray trousers. The fit accentuated his broad shoulders and narrow waist, giving him a cold and aristocratic air.

When he saw Nina come in, his gaze swept over her face, which still held a trace of sleepiness. "Come here," he said, his voice flat.

Nina’s sleepiness vanished instantly. She grew nervous. "Uncle, I... I’m not good at tying ties..."

Her flustered expression made Caleb’s throat tighten. His gaze darkened, and his voice grew a little hoarse. "Come here."

The look in his eyes frightened Nina. She wanted to hide, but in a space this size, there was nowhere to run. Steeling herself, she walked over.

Before she could say a word, Caleb lifted her into the air.

"Uncle!" Nina gasped.

Caleb set her down on the counter in front of him, placing his hands on either side of her and trapping her against the wall.

He slowly brushed a few stray strands of hair from her face, his voice a little hoarse. "I’m not wearing a tie today. The people we’re seeing tonight are just a few of my friends. You don’t need to be afraid. You can be casual."

He paused, then added slowly, "No one from the Rhodes Family will be there."

His words seemed intended to reassure her, but they only made Nina more tense.

’His friends! But I don’t want to meet his friends!’

But she didn’t dare say that out loud. She just lowered her head and subconsciously bit her lip, worrying the small, alluring mole there until it was red and moist.

Caleb raised a hand, pressing the pad of his thumb against her soft lip. He held it over the small mole, rubbing it back and forth.

His eyes were dark, his voice cold. "Nina, has anyone ever kissed you before?"

Nina was already on edge. Hearing him suddenly ask such a bizarre question, she instinctively looked up at him.

Her gaze was filled with confusion and bewilderment.

Caleb seemed pleased with her innocent reaction. He leaned down and nipped lightly at her lip. "Mine. Understand?"

His voice was low and hoarse, yet it carried a heavy warning. It felt as if the very air had become tinged with an oppressive authority.

Nina stared at him blankly, as if she didn’t understand what he meant.

After a long moment, she lowered her head and said in a tiny voice, "But... you’re my uncle."

Caleb narrowed his eyes. He grabbed her chin, forcing her to look up at him. "Are you afraid?"

His gaze was piercingly cold, tinged with a ruthlessness she had never seen in him before.

It felt as if he could choke the life out of her for a single wrong word.

A shiver ran down Nina’s spine. She lowered her gaze, not daring to look at him.

Caleb’s eyes narrowed, his tone growing even colder. "Is it that you don’t want to, or that you don’t dare?"

How could Nina dare to answer? In a trembling voice, she could only manage, "It hurts."

She wasn’t saying it to be difficult; it genuinely hurt. He seemed to be losing control, his grip so strong it felt like he might snap her jaw.

When he didn’t get the answer he wanted, the coldness in Caleb’s eyes deepened. His thin lips pressed into a tight line. His grip didn’t lessen, and the chill in the air seemed to intensify.

Nina hissed in pain. "Uncle, you’re hurting me."

Her voice was soft and reedy, with the hint of a sob.

Caleb narrowed his eyes and slowly released her jaw.

Two bright red fingerprints marred her soft, fair chin. Caleb gently stroked them a few times, his voice ice-cold. "Being afraid is useless. Not wanting to is even more useless. What I want... can only be mine."

He wasn’t wrong. From the moment he was born, he had stood at the pinnacle of the world. He was one of the people who made the rules, and his upbringing had been anything but ordinary.

No one had ever taught him charity; plunder seemed to be in his nature.

Whatever he wanted, people would fall over themselves to present it to him. This was true for things, and it was true for people.

So, he naturally assumed that anything he wanted was his for the taking.

"Nina, learn to get used to me. My patience is limited."

Nina kept her head down, her voice small. "You’re going to marry Miss Lowell."

Caleb looked at her lowered eyes, at her meek and docile expression. She seemed so easy to control.

His thumb traced slowly over her soft lips. "Does that bother you?"

Nina kept her head down, biting her lip in silence. He could only see the wispy bangs trembling against her smooth forehead.

Caleb watched her for a moment, then tucked a stray wisp of hair behind her ear. He reached out and took down a white dress with sheer fabric. "Wear this."