Averi kept a few changes of clothes in her office, so she didn't look too disheveled. Dallas, on the other hand, wasn't as lucky and had to put his suit back on after tidying it up.
The collar of his shirt was stained with a lipstick mark, difficult to clean. Instinctively, Averi pulled out her credit card and offered it to Dallas, saying it was to compensate him for the suit.
Dallas didn't take it. Before she could react, he pinned her down and kissed her deeply.
After work, Averi asked Dallas if he wanted to come to her place. He didn't answer, but he got out of the car and followed her.
On Sunday, Averi went to the office as usual.
The indulgence of the previous night, followed by another round in the morning, left her feeling unsettled. Sitting for too long made her ache, so she moved to the couch to go over some documents.
Around ten, Milo arrived unannounced.
Jordan, already used to his sudden appearances, greeted Mr. Hebert and directed him to Averi's office.
As he passed by Dallas' office, Milo glanced inside, surprised to find the man looking back at him.
Most bodyguards were unremarkable in appearance, so when Milo saw that face, he felt a strange sense of familiarity—especially with the indifferent expression, which was rare for him to encounter.
Milo frowned, unable to immediately recall who he was, and turned to ask Jordan, "Who is he?"
"Dallas, Averi's bodyguard," Jordan replied.
"How long has he been here?"
Jordan answered, "Since the car accident."
Odin had already mentioned it to him, but Milo couldn't quite explain why he felt the need to confirm it again.
A few steps later, a flash of realization struck him, and Milo's pace faltered.
He remembered: this man used to be Beatrice's bodyguard. More importantly, he had seen him near Averi's secret apartment.
It wasn't exactly a coincidence, but Milo found it hard to believe it was all happenstance.
The seed of doubt planted earlier began to sprout again. He cast a suspicious glance at the woman sitting on the couch, his eyes lingering on her lips for a moment before he masked his emotions. "How's your health? I heard you injured your leg," he asked.
"It's better now," Averi replied, though she couldn't help but wonder why he had shown up so unexpectedly. She thought for a moment but couldn't come up with any reason that would warrant Milo's visit. "Is something wrong?" she asked.
"Nothing," he replied.
Noticing her puzzled look, Milo raised an eyebrow. "Can't I come see my fiancée without a reason?"
His words only deepened Averi's suspicions, though she kept her expression neutral and smiled politely. She invited him to sit and asked what he would like to drink.
Instead of answering, he stepped forward, crouching down in front of her. "Let me see your leg," he said.
Averi hesitated for a moment, then turned sideways, extending her injured leg to him for inspection.
The mottled new flesh marred the overall beauty of her fair skin, making it look rather shocking.
Milo wanted to touch but was afraid he might hurt her, so in the end, he didn't.
"Do you need to find an expert to take a look?"
Averi pulled back her leg and said indifferently, "Thanks, no need. It's just a flesh wound; it won't be noticeable in two months."
As she moved, waves of fragrance wafted up to Milo's nose, not the scent of perfume but the fresh aroma after a bath.
Milo remained crouching, paused for a moment, then stood up and asked, "Why did you sit on the sofa today?"
Averi answered with her usual expression, "Sitting in the office chair for too long made my backache, so I decided to relax somewhere else."
Milo nodded, glanced around the office, leaned against the wall, and chatted as if looking for something to say, "Who is the man in the suit outside your door? I've never seen him before."
Averi: "A newly hired bodyguard."
The man's gaze slowly returned to her, and he smiled, "Why did you suddenly think of hiring a bodyguard?"
Averi: "I had been considering it for some time. It just so happened that the car accident occurred, so I hired one."
Milo responded with a nod, paused for two or three seconds, and said, "How come he seems familiar to me? Have I met him somewhere before?"
Averi half-closed her eyes, her thoughts unreadable. She flipped a page of the document on her lap and said, "It's possible. He used to be Beatrice's bodyguard."
"Is that so? No wonder." Milo chuckled and changed the subject, "How's the accident investigation going?"
Averi: "It's closed. It was just an accident."
The Forbes family publicly claimed the car accident was an accident, but the truth was known only to Averi, Cristopher, and the Lalas. The parties involved stuck to their story, and everything else was mere speculation.
Milo understood the underlying issues and didn't press further.
There wasn't much else to talk about. After a brief exchange about work, they lapsed into an awkward silence.
Finally, Milo said, "Nothing else to do, I'll head back to sleep. I just landed in the early hours of the morning, and I haven't adjusted to the time difference yet." After a two-second pause, he asked, "Dinner tonight?"
Averi nodded.
Walking out of the office, Milo glanced at Dallas's office and said teasingly, "Don't overwork Jordan. How about having your new bodyguard take me to the parking lot?"
Averi lowered her gaze briefly and joked, "Are you afraid the elevator might be dangerous?"
She expected Milo to laugh it off, but he stopped and looked at her, his tone playful but his eyes serious, "Who knows? Anything can happen."
Averi pretended not to notice his unusual behavior and met his gaze, saying, "Sure."
The numbers on the elevator display ticked downward as the two men stood side by side. After a few floors, Milo, as if just realizing something, turned and extended his hand to Dallas, "What's your name?"
Dallas shook his hand and replied succinctly, "Dallas."
"I'm Milo," Milo responded just as briefly.
As the number dropped to 3, Milo suddenly pressed the button for the L level and said to Dallas, "I've got a craving for a cigarette. Dallas, mind if I smoke?"
His words were polite, but his actions were anything but.
Dallas replied, "Not at all."
