Chapter 7 Held Intimately

• Mabel climbed the stairs slowly, step by step. By the time she reached the halfway point between the fifth and sixth floor, she was feeling a bit strained and decided to take a break on the stairs. As she caught her breath, she heard a soft moan nearby—a sound that was both coy and breathless. Mabel's heart skipped a beat. She looked up and saw at the corner of the stairs, a man pressing a woman against the staircase, kissing her passionately.
• From her angle, she could only see the woman's back and the side of the man's face.
• She cursed her bad luck—she'd stumbled into a secret rendezvous. Just as she was about to retreat, the man's previously shut eyes suddenly opened, and his devilish gaze locked onto her.
• Mabel's heart pounded like a drum. She blinked and stared at the man, who, realizing he had her attention, became even more aggressive. He pressed the woman's head down harder, making the kiss even more intense. His dark eyes, brighter than stars, playfully landed on Mabel.
• Mabel's heart trembled. She quickly lowered her head and turned to leave.
• “Stop.” Hearing the voice behind her, Mabel felt a chill run down her spine. She didn't want any trouble, but in the world of power and money, she couldn't predict what these people might do.
• After a moment's hesitation, she turned around, bowed respectfully, and said, “Good evening, sir. I apologize for interrupting your moment. It was not intentional, and I deeply regret it.” She pointed toward the door leading to the sixth floor. “I'm just the janitor who was called to clean Room 606. It's all a coincidence, and I apologize again for disturbing your mood. I ask for your understanding.”
• Instead of being startled by her hoarse voice, the man seemed to find it amusing. “You're a janitor? So young?” His devilish eyes roamed over her, sizing her up. “You're going to Room 606?” Before Mabel could respond, the man beckoned to her. “Come on, I'll take you there.”
• Huh? Mabel was baffled as she stared at the man. After a brief hesitation, she followed him.
• Mabel recognized the woman with him—it was Zendaya, a new female escort who had just started at Club Royale. When Zendaya saw the man enter the door to the stairwell, she followed them.
• The man suddenly stopped, turned to Zendaya, and said, “I said I'm taking her, not you. You don't need to follow.”
• Zendaya pouted and whined, “Mr. Carter, you don't care about me anymore...” Just as she was speaking, a check appeared in front of her. The man smiled and asked, “Is this enough for you to leave?”
• Zendaya's eyes lit up, and her nasal tone immediately disappeared as she gratefully took the check and thanked him with a broad smile.
• Mabel saw it clearly—the man had handed the check to Zendaya with a smile, but the laughter in his eyes was pure mockery. Perhaps sensing Mabel's gaze, he suddenly raised an eyebrow, his devilish eyes falling on her again. “What? Have you fallen in love with me?”
• “Huh?”
• His muscular frame exuded a commanding presence. Without her realizing it, he had already moved closer to Mabel. She wasn't tall to begin with, and his proximity made her feel even smaller.
• The man squinted his seductive eyes. Glancing down, he saw Mabel's head, which barely reached his chest. Suddenly, he bent down and whispered in her ear, “So, have you fallen in love with me? Is it me you like, or my money?”
• Mabel could feel his breath against her ear, causing her earlobes to flush a deep red instantly. Instinctively, she took a swift step back, forgetting that her leg had been injured. She moved too quickly, too urgently, and stumbled, losing her balance. She braced herself for the inevitable fall.
• A large hand suddenly appeared at her waist, catching her just in time.
• Mabel was still shaken. Before she could even feel relieved, she realized she was being held intimately by a strange man.
• “Ah! Ah! Ah!” Mabel panicked. In her entire life, other than her brother, no man had ever held her so closely, not even Xavier.
• Henry Carter's face darkened as he reached out with his other hand to cover Mabel's mouth. “Shut up! What the hell are you screaming for? You're really something! Any normal person would scream when they're about to fall. You didn't scream when you fell, but now you're yelling for no reason!”
• “You, you, you... Let go of me.”
• Henry looked at her stuttering and suspicious demeanor, and a lightbulb went off in his head. “Wait, don't tell me you're screaming because I held your waist?” Seeing Mabel's suddenly unnatural expression, Henry's mouth twitched.
• “So that's it,” he muttered, his eyes gleaming with mischief. “Hey, woman, have you never been hugged by a man like this before?”
• Henry found her reaction amusing. Noticing how red her ears were, he got an idea. Playfully, he tightened his grip around Mabel's waist.
• Henry watched in amazement as Mabel's entire face turned bright red. In this day and age, there's actually a woman who blushes just from being hugged around the waist! How fascinating! How fun!