Chapter 49: The Man Before Me Is Unmanageable

"Okay..." Lena swallowed hard, knowing the consequences of offending Grayson. The man before her was truly unmanageable. Yet, Lena's heart felt warm knowing Grayson protected her so thoroughly; she was deeply moved. Should she tell him about little Helen? She wasn't sure if he would be excited or angry upon learning he was a father. Oh well, she'd find the right moment to talk about it later. Lena wasn't certain how far she and Grayson could go, so it was better not to mention Helen's matter for now.

Just as Lena was grappling with her thoughts, Grayson's voice interrupted her. "I'm going on a business trip to France tonight, back in a week!"

"Oh, okay!" Lena's heart skipped a beat upon hearing about his trip. Finally, she wouldn't be squeezed by him every day. "Where to?" she asked.

"France."

When Lena heard "France," she recalled Eva's words from his last business trip, "The CEO is going to France to see his fiancée, so stop daydreaming." "France?" Lena asked uncertainly again.

"Yes, any problem?" "N-no problem," Lena quickly shook her head, turned to look out the window, hiding her inner panic. As usual, Lena got off the car first and entered the company separately from Grayson.

After work in the afternoon, Grayson drove Lena back to the villa. Lena headed straight to the second floor to help him pack. Shirts, ties, suits, shoes, socks, underwear—Lena sorted everything into the suitcase.

Leaning against the door frame, Grayson watched the busy woman under the warm light, feeling reluctant to let her go, wishing he could pack her up and take her away too.

With the luggage packed, Lena was also dragged into the car to send Grayson to the airport. The partition was pulled down, separating the front and back of the car. Lena sat cautiously, watching the man in front of her, his arms crossed, brows furrowed, looking very tired.

Lena gathered her courage and approached Grayson, lifting her hand to gently massage his temples, trying to relieve his fatigue. She remembered four years ago when she often massaged him. Lena used to joke that she would quit her job and become Grayson's full-time masseuse, with him paying her a salary. Grayson would always hug her and kiss her for half a day.

Looking back, she was so naive, thinking he was her whole world.

Lena's faint jasmine fragrance, like a poppy, was fatally attractive to Grayson. After a few massages, Grayson's hands encircled Lena's waist, exerting force to make her sit on him, locking eyes. Lena shyly leaned on Grayson's chest, clearly hearing his strong heartbeat, which was getting faster and faster.

Grayson's breath brushed against Lena's ear, "I really want to devour you right now!"

Lena shivered all over, feeling ashamed of her previous behavior. Her breathing quickened, cheeks flushing red. In the small car, the temperature rose a few degrees. She felt like she was on fire, her whole body heating up, her heart pounding faster, seemingly out of her control.

Realizing the danger posed by the man in front of her, Lena tried to get up from his embrace, but Grayson tightened his grip, "Stay still, let me hold you."

His tone carried an unmistakable weariness.