Try Begging Novel - Chapter 23

A maid openly dating her master in front of others. There was no faster way to get fired. And since it would be in front of others, she wouldn’t have to worry about Winston ambushing her.

“That sounds boring just hearing it.”

“Doesn’t it?”

She smiled confidently, her eyes curving, and Winston let out a bewildered laugh.

“It’ll probably be so boring it’ll snap you back to your senses. Why don’t you take this opportunity to practice self-control?”

“Practice? Am I a dog?”

“You’re a soldier, aren’t you? Isn’t patience also a skill for a soldier?”

She subtly provoked his pride, hinting at a soldier’s qualities. Was it working? Winston bit his lower lip, deep in thought.

“A boring date… There is one perfect place.”

Winston grabbed Sally’s waist without warning and pulled her to her feet. He even pushed her towards the door.

“I’ll give you five minutes. Go change.”

As the mansion’s main gate opened, the sedan slowly moved.

On the way across the garden, she pressed herself against the window, hoping to be seen by the employees, but unluckily, she encountered no one.

Sally stared intently at the gatekeeper, her last hope. The middle-aged man raised an eyebrow when he saw her in the passenger seat but quickly averted his gaze.

Her shoulders slumped. The gatekeeper was not a talkative man. So he wouldn’t spread rumors about Winston going somewhere with a maid.

“You tried hard.”

“Pardon?”

The maid turned her head sharply to look at him. Leon twisted his lips into a smile instead of answering.

A pale pink blouse with clumsy ruffles, a brown checkered skirt, and a red cardigan with unsightly pilling. She looked even more shabby than when she stood in front of the Winsford department store. She had deliberately tried to make the date boring.

‘If that’s the case, she should have taken off her stockings.’

The healthy skin of the woman, visible through the thin black silk threads, was quite a sight. Moreover, that clumsy blouse didn’t constrict her neck like a maid’s uniform. Her exposed collarbones and the hollow beyond them kept drawing his gaze.

Even while looking forward, his peripheral vision was so focused that he couldn’t help but recall the woman huddled naked in the dim bathroom last night. It was only natural that he felt that annoying reaction again between his legs.

“So, the answer?”

“Pardon?”

“You should know the answer.”

He was asking why he only got aroused by Sally.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Sally firmly feigned ignorance and glanced at Winston’s hands on the steering wheel. She hadn’t seen him drive himself in over a year, and she couldn’t understand his whim today.

‘This is ominous.’

She had expected his retinue and driver to follow as usual. Then there would already be two witnesses from the mansion. That expectation had been brutally shattered.

‘He’s not going to drag me to some secluded place, is he?’

Sally sat rigid, like someone encased in iron armor, staring straight ahead.

“Where are we going?”

“Winsford Pier.”

“What?”

The sun was slowly setting. She had thought they would just have dinner in Hailwood or the Winsford downtown area…

‘Why the pier?’

She turned her head to look at Winston, but he was only looking forward. He frowned slightly, and she followed his gaze to see Peter’s mail carriage moving slowly in front of them.

“Sally.”

“Yes?”

“You seemed friendly with that fellow the other day.”

Instead of denying it, a short scream burst from Sally. It was because Winston suddenly yanked the gear and pressed hard on the accelerator.

The car sped forward as if to hit the mail carriage. As they got close enough for her to clearly see the dirt on the carriage’s rear wheels, Sally shrieked,

“What are you doing?”

At that moment, Winston sharply turned the steering wheel to the left. Sally’s body lurched towards the door.

Her eyes met Peter’s through the window, as he looked on in surprise at the car’s aggressive overtaking of the carriage. His eyes widened even further as he recognized Sally. At least she had one witness to her mission.

As soon as they passed the carriage, Winston turned the steering wheel to the right. Her body swayed, this time leaning towards the driver’s side. He grinned mischievously, amused by her struggle not to fall into his arms.

“Wouldn’t it be better to leave the driving to a professional?”

She taunted him, but he changed the subject instead of answering.

“Is that fellow your fiancé?”

“Pardon?”

Sally’s face contorted, clearly showing her genuine displeasure. Winston only turned his eyes towards her and quirked the corner of his mouth.

“I like handsome men.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Why do you get to decide that, Captain?”

“You hate me, don’t you?”

Unbelievable.

Sally stared at Winston’s face with cold eyes.

Skin tanned just enough to look good. Sharp eyes with elegantly long eyelashes. A smooth nose bridge. A strong jawline.

Damn it.

He was a devil she despised, but Sally had to admit he was handsome. Why was his inside so hideously twisted when he possessed such an excellent exterior?

“Oh, right.”

“What’s right?”

“Looking at the Captain, I realize. I like handsome and kind men.”

She expected him to scoff again, but he frowned and stared straight ahead. Was he perhaps displeased by the remark about him not being kind? The nickname “Vampire” wasn’t given for nothing, yet he seemed oblivious to his own nature.

“Handsome and kind men, huh…”

Leon pressed his lips together once before forcing out a light scoff.

“Then it makes sense.”

‘What kind of trick is this?’

Sally stood on the pier, her mouth agape. Before her eyes, a luxurious cruise ship was lighting up, one orange light at a time. It was an excessively grand venue for a “boring date.”

“Get in.”

Winston pushed Sally’s back, as she stood rooted to the ground as if anchored. As she stumbled down the gangway towards the entrance, she felt as if she was being imprisoned in a lavish cage by Winston.

“Um, Captain.”

“Hmm?”

“When are we returning?”

“Four hours later.”

Sally stopped dead at the entrance. She was about to turn back and suggest having dinner in the city, but the quick-witted Winston wouldn’t let her go so easily. As she was pushed into the cruise ship, she heard him give her a task.

“Try to make four hours feel like eight.”

A pageboy standing in the lobby immediately approached the two.

“Welcome aboard the Sunset Cruise, where we’ll create a fantastic night for you.”

Fantastic? It was infuriating.

The pageboy subtly raised an eyebrow the moment his gaze fell on Sally, who stood beside Winston with a displeased expression. He even secretly scrutinized her from head to toe while spouting his polished welcome. He was surprised by her shabby attire, which was unfitting for a luxurious cruise ship.

‘What are you looking at? This is just my uniform for the mission.’

She glared, and the pageboy averted his gaze, turning to Winston with an exaggerated smile straight out of an advertisement poster.

“Where may I escort you?”

“Restaurant.”

As the command was curtly given, the pageboy led them to the elevator. Passing passengers and staff alike all cast peculiar glances at Sally.

She was unaccustomed to being stared at and felt a little uncomfortable, but it was a good thing. As long as others’ eyes were on them, Winston wouldn’t be able to pull any tricks.

When the elevator doors opened, Winston gestured for her to enter first, as if she were a lady. Pushing her lower back with his hand, however, was not very gentlemanly.

“Good evening.”

The elevator operator tipped his cap slightly in greeting. Sally nodded in acknowledgment and stood in the corner. Winston followed, stood in the center, and searched his inner jacket pocket.

He pulled out two crisp banknotes and handed them to the operator. The operator’s eyes widened, and when Winston winked, he nodded slightly and took the money.

‘Does he tip the operator every time he takes the elevator?’

Sally frowned at the extravagance she couldn’t even dream of, but Winston forcibly pulled her to the center of the elevator. When she stepped aside, he pulled her back again. She glared, and Winston leaned against the wall, smiling.

She soon understood what all this outlandish behavior was for. The doors closed, and the elevator, which had been smoothly ascending, suddenly jolted to a halt with a loud thud.

“Ah!”

Her arms were tightly crossed, and being in the middle of the elevator, she couldn’t brace herself against the wall. Her body swayed and she stumbled into Winston’s chest, at which point his thick arm wrapped around her shoulder.

“You should practice self-control, Miss Bristol. Are you trying to pounce on me in front of people?”