One Night

Chapter 51

Audrey

I stepped out of Edwin’s sleek black car, and my eyes widened into saucers as I took in the gleaming storefront in front of us. This wasn’t some run-of-the-mill electronics shop-it was one of those high-end places where they kept the really expensive stuff.

Like… Really expensive.

“Edwin,” I hissed, grabbing his arm as he locked the car. “We can’t shop here. Everything’s going to cost a fortune.”

He raised an eyebrow at me. “And?”

“And I can’t afford any of this!” I gestured wildly at the window displays showcasing the latest smartphones with their eye- watering price tags.

“I told you I was going to pay.”

I pursed my lips. “But… Still,” I insisted. “It’s too much money. Look, why don’t we just go to a cheap store? I’ll get a basic flip phone. It’ll do the job.”

Edwin’s face hardened. “Absolutely not. I won’t have my teaching assistant using a cheap phone.”

“But ”

“No buts,” he said firmly, grabbing my shoulder in one hand and steering me toward the entrance. “You need a reliable device with good functionality. End of discussion.”

as

I sighed, knowing there was no point in arguing further; although, there was no hiding the pink flush in my cheeks from his

I turned to take in the gleaming white kindness. As soon as we stepped inside, however, my flush turned into a look of awe surfaces and state-of-the-art devices.

It wasn’t long before a peppy sales associate with a sleek blonde ponytail and a smile that could kill bounded over to us.

“Welcome! How can I help you today?”

Edwin nodded at me with his arms folded across his chest. “She needs a new phone. The best

you have.”

The associate beamed, either not noticing or choosing to ignore the sudden deep redness in my face. “Right this way!”

deep

For the next twenty minutes, I found myself caught in a whirlwind of technical specifications and feature comparisons. My head was spinning by the time I finally settled on a sleek phone model that seemed to tick all the boxes. I didn’t even have the heart to look at the price tag.

“Excellent choice,” the associate gushed. “Is there anything else I can show you?”

I was about to say no when something caught my eye. In a corner of the store, there was a display of drawing tablets. My fingers itched at the sight. Edwin had wandered off to look at laptops, and so I figured I could kill a little time.

“Um, do you mind if I…?” I gestured towards the tablets, just curious to look at it more than anything.

“Of course! Feel free to try anything out,” the sales associate said

wandered over to the display, picking up the stylus of a floor model. It felt perfect in my hand, weighted and sleek. Within moments, I was lost in my own little world, sketching out a dress design that had been floating around in my head for days.

“That’s impressive.” Edwin’s voice startled me out of my creative trance. I hadn’t even noticed him coming up behind me

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Chapter 51

with a new laptop under his arm.

@X15%

+5

I blushed and quickly set down the stylus. “Oh, it’s nothing. Just playing around. Killing some time.”

“It doesn’t look like nothing,” he said, studying the intricate design on the screen. “Do you want it?”

My heart leapt at the thought, but I quickly shook my head. “No, no. I’m just having fun. Maybe once I’m officially working for Claudia, I can save up for one.”

Edwin’s eyes narrowed slightly, but before he could say anything, he turned and waved over the sales associate.

“We’ll take the phone she picked out,” he said. “And this tablet.”

My jaw dropped. “Edwin, no! You can’t-”

But he was already pulling out his sleek platinum credit card, completely ignoring my protests. The associate’s eyes lit up at the sale.

“Wonderful choices! Your daughter has excellent taste.”

There was a moment of stunned silence before Edwin and I both started talking at once.

“Oh, we’re not-”

“She’s not my-”

-touched my face self-consciously. “Do I really look like him?”

Meanwhile, Edwin looked utterly affronted. “Do I look old enough to be her father?”

The poor sales associate’s face turned beet red. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to assume, I just thought…. Please forgive me.”

“It’s fine,” Edwin said curtly, although his jaw was clenched. Meanwhile, I couldn’t decide whether I wanted to burst out laughing or shrivel up into a ball of embarrassment. “Just ring us up, please.”

The rest of the transaction passed in awkward silence. As we left the store, I clutched the bag of expensive electronics to my chest, still in disbelief.

“Edwin,” I said as we approached his car. “I can’t believe you did that. It’s too much.”

He shrugged as he unlocked the car doors. “You needed a phone” he said matter-of-factly, “And the tablet will be useful for your designs.”

“But at least let me repay-”

99

“Audrey.” He cut me off gruffly with a flash of his eyes, and his tone left no room for argument. I shrank a bit beneath his piercing gaze, my throat tightening. “It’s done. Accept it.”

With that, he flung my door open. I slid into the passenger seat, my mind reeling. As he shut the door behind me and walked around the front of the car to the driver’s side, my eyes lingered on his tall-form, and I felt my chest clench even

more.

How could I ever repay him for this? I couldn’t just do nothing; no, I had to figure something out, no matter how small. I made a me**l note to do something really nice for Edwin, to show how much I appreciated his generosity.

His fatherly generosity.

I couldn’t help but smirk at the memory of the sales associate’s blunder-and the way that Edwin had seemed so perturbed by our age gap.

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Chapter 51

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As he started the car, a mischievous thought popped into my head. I couldn’t resist, and I leaned close to him, hugging his broad arm. He stiffened beneath my touch.

“Thanks, Dad,” I said with a grin.

Edwin’s head whipped around so fast I thought he might get whiplash. His eyes flashed dangerously.

“What did you just say?” he growled.

My smile faltered, and I pulled away, positively shrinking beneath his stony glare. Maybe I had pushed it too far. “I… I was just joking. You know, because of what the sales lady said…”

In an instant, Edwin was looming over me, one arm braced against my headrest. His face was inches from mine, his eyes boring into me with an intensity that made my heart stop in my chest. I could smell his cologne, a heady combination of smoke and alcohol, and it blotted out everything else.

“Never,” he said, his voice low and fierce, “never say anything like that again. Do you understand me?”

I nodded mutely, not even daring to breathe. For a moment, neither of us moved. I was acutely aware of how close he was, of the faint scent of his cologne, of the way his eyes seemed to darken as they searched mine.

+5

Then, just as suddenly as he had moved towards me, Edwin pulled back. Without a word, he reached across me, grabbed my seatbelt, and clicked it into place.