Out of Control: Into Your Everything-Chapter 104: On One’s Mind

Julian Ford just finished his phone call, his hand holding the phone remained down by his side. Scarlett Shaw noticed he seemed to have said something, and those girls looked in her direction. In their eyes, surprise flashed by, followed by a hint of understanding, and then they quickly walked away.

Julian Ford stepped into the restaurant at the same time.

Scarlett Shaw was almost done eating, and as she got up from her seat, the waiter, very perceptively, handed over both her and Julian Ford’s coats, smiling, "Miss, here are your clothes and your boyfriend’s."

Scarlett Shaw’s fingers paused, her ears burning fiercely.

She took the clothes, thanked the waiter, and happened to meet Julian Ford’s dark eyes when she turned around.

The man’s eyes held a hint of a very faint smile, evidently having heard what the waiter just said.

"Boyfriend?"

Julian Ford raised an eyebrow, speaking casually.

Scarlett Shaw approached him, handing back his coat, pretending to be calm, "The waiter misunderstood."

Julian Ford put on his coat, looking down at her, said meaningfully, "You didn’t explain the misunderstanding."

Scarlett Shaw: "Or else, should I grab a megaphone and announce in the restaurant that the one treating me to dinner is my boss, not my boyfriend?"

Julian Ford: "Should I go buy you a megaphone?"

Scarlett Shaw: "..."

Of course, no megaphone was bought. After Julian Ford said that, he noticed the tips of Scarlett Shaw’s ears, hidden beneath her hair, blushing. His demeanor subtly softened as he turned to settle the bill at the front.

Scarlett Shaw followed behind, and when she heard the four-figure bill, she suddenly thought of something. When Julian Ford finished paying and looked at her, there was a wary look in her eyes.

Seeing her expression, Julian Ford chuckled, "What are you thinking again?"

Scarlett Shaw stammered, unwilling to be clear.

Julian Ford squinted his eyes, "Don’t pretend. You’ve said everything in front of me."

Scarlett Shaw: "I was just thinking, you probably wouldn’t ask me to split the bill, would you?"

"..."

Julian Ford was uncommonly silent for a few seconds, then looked at her with a hint of disdain, "What’s going on in your head every day?"

Scarlett Shaw was not convinced, "All my deductions are based on evidence, Julian Ford, don’t forget last time you asked me to pay a few hundred dollars for medical expenses."

"Your hand got caught by you, your own doing, bearing the financial consequence, isn’t it fair?"

They were walking out of the restaurant side by side, and Julian Ford pulled his right hand out of his coat, spreading his palm open in front of her.

Scarlett Shaw, who had been holding her ground, lost her courage when she glimpsed the lingering bruise on Julian Ford’s fingers.

Seeing her concede, Julian Ford pressed further, "Scarlett Shaw, you’re really something—one minute saying you like me, the next minute eager to break my hand. It seems your so-called affection is just lip service."

"Whether it’s lip service or not, it’s none of your business. You don’t like me anyway."

Scarlett Shaw blurted out.

The atmosphere suddenly turned quiet.

In Julian Ford’s calm, seemingly indifferent gaze, Scarlett Shaw saw herself as a clown.

She turned her head, escaping from his sight, instinctively creating a small distance between herself and the man.

Liking someone always entails chaos for one person alone; Scarlett Shaw understood this well.

After all, she was just an ordinary person.

Where there are feelings, there are desires.

Who wouldn’t have the wishful thinking of being mutually in love with the one they like?

Unfortunately, she was out of luck; the person she liked was Julian Ford, and the possibility of being reciprocated was negligible.

Oh no, there was still a response.

Time and again stabbing at her heart, wasn’t that a response too?

Scarlett Shaw felt sad, but powerless, and could only pray silently that the fortune she lacked in love could be transferred to her financial luck; as long as she got rich, she’d fear nothing.

Immersed in her own melancholic concerns, Scarlett Shaw paid no heed to Julian Ford.

The latter quietly followed beside her, his eyes occasionally falling on her face.

Noticing the subtle sadness in Scarlett Shaw’s eyes gradually transform into some kind of scheming contemplation, Julian Ford couldn’t help raising his hand to pinch the back of her neck, "What are you plotting?"

"Huh?"

Scarlett Shaw raised her eyes, staring blankly at him.

Julian Ford: "Hm?"

Scarlett Shaw: "?"

What else could she be thinking, if not about how this bastard in front of her doesn’t like her yet teases her now and then, messing up her heart and making it impossible for her to let go?

Of course, Scarlett Shaw didn’t voice out these thoughts.

She dodged to the side, pulling away the hand Julian Ford still had on her neck, and changed the subject, asking, "What did you say to those girls earlier?"

Julian Ford looked at her indifferently, "Do you want to know?"

Scarlett Shaw: "A little bit curious."

Who doesn’t have a little curiosity?

Julian Ford contemplated for a moment, then unexpectedly curved his lips into a faint smile, "Give me a gift, and then I’ll tell you."

Scarlett Shaw genuinely didn’t expect Julian Ford to be so persistent about getting reciprocation.

She couldn’t help but tease, "Julian Ford, a smart horse doesn’t graze the same patch of grass, yet you keep thinking about getting something in return."

"Yeah, I keep thinking about it."

Julian Ford said, looking at her.

The cool, low timbre carried an enticing tone in the cold winter night air.

The man’s dark eyes were deep, holding some hidden meaning.

It made Scarlett Shaw’s heart skip a beat.

There was a moment when Scarlett Shaw felt utterly powerless against Julian Ford—mourning one moment from the rejection in his eyes, and the next moment feeling like she was sinking, unable to ever escape.

Under Julian Ford’s focused gaze, Scarlett Shaw gave in, compromising, "Fine, you can have a gift, but this time, don’t be picky, and don’t explode over small things."

She definitely did not want a repeat of the previous events.

Julian Ford neither agreed nor disagreed and merely raised an eyebrow, "People usually go out of their way to give gifts that touch the recipient’s heart. As for you, you’re just thinking about how to fob me off."

"Well, it’s your fault for not appreciating the first opportunity; miss it, and it’s gone." Scarlett Shaw said fairly, "And you asked for the gift yourself, so just tell me what you want."

"Really?"

"I keep my word, as true as pearls."

As her words fell, Julian Ford drew nearer, unexpectedly wrapping an arm around her waist and lowered his head to seal her lips with his.

With cars flowing and people bustling around.

In the noisy world, Scarlett Shaw seemed to hear nothing else.

Only her heart pounded like a drum.

It clearly wasn’t the first time she had kissed Julian Ford; they had even been more intimate than this. But at this moment, she was more nervous than ever before, with a beast named possession roaring inside her.

"Julian Ford."

In the midst of the tender, intimate kiss, Scarlett Shaw’s soft voice, with a hint of unwitting allure, escaped her lips.

Julian Ford’s warm breath enveloped her, her gentle call of his name became the catalyst deepening his kiss.

He bit her lower lip, nibbling and kissing deeply.

The hand wrapped around her waist pulled her tightly into his embrace.

Scarlett Shaw clutched Julian Ford’s coat tightly.

Compared to the physiological turmoil from being kissed senseless by Julian Ford, what made Scarlett Shaw want to drown in that moment was the feeling of being tightly held by him—like finally finding a warm nook in the stormy, unstable journey of life.