novelraw Chapter 286: Don’t Want Me to Touch You, Who Do You Hope Will?
Chapter 286: Don’t Want Me to Touch You, Who Do You Hope Will?
Ignatius Leclair carried Delphine straight up to the bedroom on the top floor.
The man’s expression was far gloomier than usual.
He had originally hoped to keep Delphine from learning too much about the affairs of the Leclair estate. But who could have imagined that Stone Leclair would have the audacity to reveal the events of that year?
He touched her pale, delicate face and said in a low voice, "I will handle this matter. Your mother and brother will not be harmed."
Delphine reached out and gripped his sleeve, lifting her gaze to look at the man’s handsome face. Most of the time, this face was cold, unsmiling, and his thoughts were unfathomable. Only in bed did he reveal traces of emotion and preference, patiently coaxing her.
"How does Stone Leclair know about us?" Her eyes, as dark as black grapes, carried a faint misty sheen as she struggled to control her emotions, looking as if she might burst into tears at any moment.
Ignatius Leclair was silent for several seconds, his voice deep and rich. "Reginald Yeager knows. He doesn’t want us to be together."
At fifteen, Delphine Carter still carried the innocence of South River Town, sweet and naïve. She had awkwardly stepped into the world of these elite heirs, where they treated her like a novel toy, each wanting to possess her for themselves.
Delphine suddenly turned her head, her large eyes stinging with pain. How could it be him? She had believed Jocelyn Yeager was the one person in the South Seas unwilling to hurt her.
Men—none of them could be trusted.
Her face grew pale and cold, letting go of the man’s sleeve as she stood and returned to her room.
"Where are you going?" Ignatius Leclair extended his hand to seize her arm abruptly, his phoenix-like eyes narrowing, his tone darkened. Enough was enough; the tantrum had gone on long enough.
"Don’t touch me." She shook off his hand, her face cold. Years ago, whether Stone Leclair had wanted to kill her or Jocelyn Yeager had sought to tear them apart, it made no difference to her—they were outsiders. Only him had she given her all, only to be repaid with betrayal and merciless rejection.
Ignatius Leclair withdrew his hand, clenched it behind his back, his fingers slowly balling into a fist, faintly showing bulging veins.
"If you don’t want my touch, whose touch do you seek? Griffith Squire or Sylvester Cloud? Delphine Carter, are you planning to turn the South Seas into utter chaos?" The man’s brows furrowed in anger, his voice laced with a cold laugh. "Unless I refuse you, whoever lays a hand on you—I’ll ruin them."
She lowered her gaze, letting out a faint cold laugh. "At this point, why bother with this hollow display, pretending to be so devoted? If you truly cared, how could you have done what you did back then?
In all these years, every time I close my eyes, it’s nothing but nightmares." She waved her hand, her expression tinged with a layer of indifference, and left the bedroom.
Ignatius Leclair remained motionless, his body rigid like stone.
The room fell into a deathly silence, until even the sound of her footsteps had vanished, and the last remaining trace of her fragrance dissipated in the air. Only then did he take a deep, stifled breath.
Ignatius Leclair pressed his slender fingertips against his aching temple, his handsome face revealing a hint of loneliness and desolation, his heart feeling hollow and barren. He said nothing.
Delphine returned to the small attic room, her face pale and devoid of any hint of color. The shocks of the morning, the intense emotional swings, and the bitter argument with Ignatius Leclair had left her feeling suffocated, her stomach aching dully.
She pressed her hand to her chest, sat down on the small bed, removed her shoes, and curled into herself like an ostrich, waiting for the pain to subside.
Not long after, the butler knocked lightly on the door and asked softly, "Miss Delphine, the young master of the Cloud Family has come, saying he’d like to see you."