On the Day I Was Kicked Out of the Wealthy Family, I Had a Flash Marriage with a Tycoon-Chapter 39: Don’t Run Out Again

Not long after Chloe Sterling left, she noticed a car was following her.

At the upcoming intersection, she was supposed to go straight but made a last-minute lane change and turned left.

The car behind her also turned left.

Once she confirmed they were tailing her, she immediately sped up and quickly lost them.

"Miss, we lost her."

Inside the car, the driver spoke nervously.

Phoebe Sinclair’s expression darkened.

The woman beside her scoffed. "She’s pretty sharp. Seems she has experience with this. Phoebe, that Chloe Sterling is definitely hiding something. You have to find out what it is and make President Lockwood see her for the piece of work she is!"

After a long silence, Phoebe Sinclair finally said, "Let’s head back."

She had wanted to confirm whether Chloe Sterling was actually living at The Lockwood Residence, which would have confirmed her suspicions. She never expected to be discovered.

’Someone that cautious is either afraid of being exposed or is into some other shady business. I have to find out what it is.’

Chloe Sterling returned to The Lockwood Residence and parked her car in the garage.

Parked among the rows of luxury cars, hers looked completely out of place. But she paid it no mind, simply locking the car and leaving the garage.

Jasper Lockwood wasn’t home yet. Chloe Sterling first asked Jean Kensington to look into who had been following her, then picked up a medical book to read.

It wasn’t long before Jean Kensington called. "Chloe, I found out who was following you. It’s a woman named Phoebe Sinclair. Looks like she’s connected to Jasper Lockwood somehow."

Chloe Sterling’s expression cleared with understanding. "So it’s her."

"I hacked her phone," Jean Kensington said. "I found pictures of you and Chase Langdon. She also hired a PI to investigate your relationship. This woman is trying to stir up trouble, isn’t she? Want me to teach her a lesson?"

"Not for now."

"Alright, then. You can handle it. I’ve got to run, so I’m hanging up."

"Hmm?" Chloe Sterling drawled. "I’ve noticed you’ve been pretty busy lately."

Jean Kensington: "....Of course I’m busy. I’m a badass hacker."

"Alright, I’ll let you get back to it."

After putting her phone down, Chloe Sterling went back to her medical book. After a while, her eyes grew tired. She closed the book to rest them and, before she knew it, had fallen asleep leaning against the sofa.

Jasper Lockwood got home a little late. He’d assumed she was already asleep, but then he noticed a sliver of light from the crack in the study door and walked over.

Pushing the door open, Jasper Lockwood’s eyes fell upon Chloe Sterling, who was asleep on the sofa. He walked over quietly, took the book from her hands, and gently scooped her up into his arms.

Chloe Sterling was a light sleeper and woke the moment he lifted her. "Jasper Lockwood! You’re back."

Jasper Lockwood gazed down at her. "Why didn’t you go to your room if you were sleepy?"

"I just dozed off... You can put me down now."

Jasper’s arms tightened around her, a faint smile playing on his lips. "I’m already holding you. I might as well carry you back," he said, striding out of the room.

Chloe Sterling rested in his embrace, the faint scent of alcohol on him feeling somewhat intoxicating. In the end, she didn’t say another word, simply letting him carry her.

Jasper Lockwood carried her back to the bedroom, laid her gently on the bed, and pulled the covers over her. "Go to sleep," he said softly. "Good night."

Chloe Sterling’s fingers clutched the corner of the blanket. "Good night."

The man straightened up, turned, and left the room.

Chloe Sterling closed her eyes, but sleep wouldn’t come. After a little while, she felt thirsty, so she got up to get a drink of water.

The moment she stepped out of her room, she saw Jasper Lockwood standing before the floor-to-ceiling windows, gazing into the distance. He held a glass of red wine, and something seemed to be weighing on his mind.

He must have heard her, because he turned around, looking at her in surprise. "What are you doing up?"

"I was thirsty and wanted some water. Why aren’t you in bed? What are you doing out here?"

"I couldn’t sleep," Jasper Lockwood said. "So I came out to look at the stars."

Chloe Sterling glanced outside. It was an overcast night; there were no stars to be seen.

’Besides,’ she thought, ’even if there were stars, his own room has a balcony and floor-to-ceiling windows. He could just as easily watch them from there.’

Chloe Sterling didn’t call him on his lie. She went to the water cooler, poured a glass, and then walked over to stand beside him, also gazing out the window.

"Can’t get back to sleep?" Jasper Lockwood asked.

"Not once I’m fully awake." Chloe Sterling took a sip of water, then glanced sideways at him. "Are you... in a bad mood?"

"No, just thinking about something."

"About what?"

Jasper Lockwood’s gaze fixed on her. After a long moment, he finally asked, "Do you really want to know?"

"........"

Chloe Sterling suddenly fell silent, as if something had occurred to her.

"If you don’t want to talk about it, then never mind." She finished the water in her glass and turned to leave.

But Jasper Lockwood suddenly grabbed her wrist, pulling her into his arms and kissing her.

The glasses they were holding fell to the carpet with a soft thud, but neither of them noticed.

Jasper Lockwood kissed the woman in his arms with intense focus, holding her tightly as if he never wanted to let go.

Chloe Sterling’s eyes were squeezed shut, her heart thundering in her chest. She slowly raised her arms and wrapped them around his waist.

Jasper suddenly stopped. He rested his forehead against hers, his voice low and raspy. "Chloe... are you used to it yet?"

Chloe’s cheeks were flushed and her breathing was unsteady. It took her a moment to register his meaning. "Used to... what?"

"To me... and to being Mrs. Lockwood," Jasper Lockwood said softly.

"....."

For a moment, Chloe Sterling didn’t know what to say. She had told him she needed time to adjust, and Jasper had promised to give her that time.

’But what happens after I’ve adjusted?’

’Are we supposed to be like a normal married couple?’

’I suppose I could accept that...’

’But I have to be at the lab early tomorrow. A few of us arranged to have a discussion meeting.’

’If something really happened with Jasper tonight, there’s a good chance I wouldn’t make it there early tomorrow. After all, she had firsthand experience of that, and the memory was still a little daunting.’

Jasper Lockwood, of course, had no idea that her current hesitation was due to his frankly terrifying stamina. Seeing her silence, he simply assumed she still hadn’t adjusted and wasn’t willing to get any closer to him.

He released her and said softly, "Go to sleep. And don’t come running out here again, or else..." He let the sentence hang.

Chloe knew Jasper had likely misunderstood her, but she didn’t know how to explain. After a long pause, all she said was, "I have to be at The Medical College early tomorrow."

"I know," Jasper replied softly, completely missing the meaning behind her words. It wasn’t exactly obvious, to be fair.

Chloe Sterling bit her lip. She wanted to suggest another time but couldn’t bring herself to say it. In the end, she walked away, her face burning with embarrassment.

Jasper Lockwood gave a helpless smile and went back to his room as well.

「The next morning.」

As Chloe Sterling walked out of her room, Jasper Lockwood emerged from the guest room at the same moment.

They both instinctively looked at each other, their eyes meeting. Jasper was the first to speak. "Morning."

Chloe: "Morning."

Jasper: "Let’s go down together."

Chloe nodded. "Okay."

They went downstairs together, the atmosphere between them a little strange. Chloe didn’t look at Jasper once, not even after they entered the dining room, and she deliberately avoided his gaze.