Chapter 74

"Gene..." I was speechless.

Our faces were inches away from each other. I couldn't decide whether I was nervous, afraid, or falling for him. Maybe it was all at once.

His expression softened. It was the familiar Gene I knew well. "Sorry. Did I scare you?"

I shook my head. "It's fine. I'm not scared."

"I felt like I should be more assertive to finally move things forward."

"I'm just not used to seeing this side of you. Even though we've been together for a long time, I've never seen you like this except during that time you tried to stop me from following the suspicious lady in the city."

He smirked. "You'd better get used to this side of me, Beatrice, because you're probably going to see it more often when we're alone."

Auriel?

I was surprised that I even thought of the phantom thief at a time like this. I pushed the thoughts away.

He moved his mouth closer to my ear to whisper, "If you hate it, you can punch me or push me off."

"What?" I was confused.