novelnext Chapter 290: I Love You
Chapter 290: I Love You
Bedroom
"Did you... drink?"
A faint smell of alcohol lingered in the air, though not obvious, but Maya Monroe still detected it. She couldn’t believe that Ian Rowe had gone out for a drink in such a short time.
What puzzled her the most was why Ian would suddenly drink.
He rarely touched alcohol; even at social gatherings, he would merely hold a glass. Given his status, there was no one who could force him to drink.
Ian was slightly startled by her words. His eyes were clear, showing no trace of drunkenness, though his voice was a bit hoarse as he spoke: "You noticed?"
He lifted his coat and took a light sniff but didn’t catch the expected scent, so he chuckled softly: "You’ve got quite the sharp nose."
"Did it bother you?" He turned around, took off his coat, and then walked towards the door: "I’ll take care of it."
"Wait!"
Maya swallowed hard, not knowing why she suddenly called him to stop.
"I mean... why did you suddenly drink?"
"Why?" Ian turned back, his tone indifferent: "No reason."
Maya was stunned, feeling like he was acting petulantly. However, thinking carefully, she felt they’d been getting along well recently. Why would he be upset?
"I... I’m fine, you go ahead, I’m sleepy." Maya wrapped herself with the blanket, leaving one pearly white foot exposed, its tip faintly pink.
Quickly, she retracted her foot, leaving only her dark hair draping over her thin shoulders.
"I’m going to sleep first." She raised her voice slightly.
Ian watched her back, pondering for a few seconds. Was he being too aloof?
Maya wasn’t asleep at all; her mind was wide awake. But she didn’t want to binge-watch shows or play on her phone, so she just lay there with her eyes closed.
In time, familiar footsteps approached, so light they were almost inaudible.
Soon, a warm presence appeared beside her; it must have been Ian getting into bed.
Maya no longer smelled alcohol; instead, there was a scent of sandalwood.
Did Ian put on cologne? How else did he cover it up?
Maya couldn’t figure it out and decided it was best not to think about it anymore.
"You’re not asleep, are you?"
A low voice came from behind, carrying a warm breath.
Maya originally intended to feign sleep, but felt Ian would surely see through it, so she simply turned to face him.
"I napped too long this afternoon, so I can’t sleep now."
Ian merely stared at her quietly. Perhaps because he’d had some drinks, his eyes didn’t seem as cold or impenetrable as before.
"Are you drunk?"
"No."
His jade-like face was as calm as ever, his voice steady, showing no sign of intoxication.
Yet, drunk people never admit they are, and Maya felt Ian was acting strange today.
"Are you worried about me?" He suddenly asked.
Maya’s expression changed subtly. Forcing a smile, she replied, "Of course I’m concerned about you, I always care about you, dear."
"You know what I mean."
"Of course, I know."
Ian didn’t say any more, and the atmosphere turned heavy and stagnant.
Just as Maya was about to turn away, a hand gently pressed on her shoulder, not forcefully: "You asked why I drank today, right? I’ll tell you."
Ian’s eyes were like a calm lake, showing no overly intense emotion. His tone was flat: "Have you ever cared about how I feel?"
"Seeing those rumors about you and someone else." His gaze darkened, not just in anger: "It really hurts."
"They are all fake, fake rumors! Don’t believe them!"
"I believe you, but promise me... keep some distance from other men in the future, alright?"
If Ian had forcefully ordered her not to interact with other men, Maya might have felt rebellious. But his gentle, pleading tone made her defenseless.
"I won’t." Thinking she’d agreed too easily, Maya added in a muted voice, "I’ll do my best."
A hand suddenly wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer until their bodies were almost touching.
Maya listened to his heartbeat, not steady, almost as if it would jump out of his chest at any second.
Tender whispers echoed in her ear, again and again:
"Maya, I like you.
"Really like you."
"I love you..."
Her heart felt like it was mixed with various emotions, sweet and bitter. Maya thought perhaps Ian really was drunk; otherwise, why would he be rambling on?
*
Miles Wallace had been watching the trends on Weibo recently, feeling an undeniable sense of guilt, especially noticing radical fans specifically leaving abusive comments in Maya Monroe’s comment section.
He considered taking all the blame upon himself, but it would only increase the resentment of the fans.
It felt like a dead end, with no way out.
He came across a particularly nasty comment; it was clearly from one of his girlfriend fans.
Miles switched to a small account, with a nickname just a punctuation mark, only following Maya Monroe.
[Miles is Mine: Don’t you see how old you are, trying for an older-younger relationship! So shameless! From the start, you set your sights on our Miles, didn’t you? You stop at nothing for traffic, Maya! Our Miles is just too pure-hearted to get fooled by you. Quit acting, go back to farming!]
[.: Could you keep your language clean? She’s not the kind of person you think she is.]
Miles replied with one sentence and saw an immediate response from the previous commenter.
[Miles is Mine: How is my language not clean? You say she’s not that kind of person? How do you know, did Maya give you some benefits? I just checked your profile; you only follow Maya and regularly send her blessings, never missing an event or birthday. You must be her brain-dead fan, daring to shout at me here! Who gave you the guts!]
Seeing this, Miles frowned. He remembered this username; she was a big influencer within his fanbase and had even gotten his autograph at a fan meeting.
[Miles is Mine: Why aren’t you saying anything? Even your nickname is a full stop, pretending to be aloof, looks immature, right? Sis advises you to unfollow Maya and quickly break free from this suffering!]
[.: It’s not her fault; it’s Miles’s fault. Don’t take this out on her.]
After typing the last word, Miles stared at the screen for a while before looking away. His gaze fixed in one direction, his thin lips almost pressed into a straight line.
He felt a guilt and heartache he’d never experienced before. If you like someone, you should pursue them openly, not subject them to unwarranted troubles.