Love beneath the Skin

Even though Sophia had grown distant before her death, that familiar feeling still hit Walter hard, almost enough to bring him to tears.

Overcome by longing, he pulled Jada into his arms, as if he could hold Sophia again through her.

He buried his face in her neck, revealing a vulnerability he never showed to anyone.

After a long while, he pulled back, cupping the back of her head gently. “Don’t worry. It will be over soon.”

“I only think of Carmen as a little sister I need to protect. Once the Quinn family is through this crisis, I’ll break off the engagement. I won’t marry her.”

Jada said nothing, but in her hidden expression, mockery flashed.

Carmen wasn’t the type to give up what she wanted — she wouldn’t let Walter end the engagement so easily.

Jada’s lips curved in a cold smile. She wrapped her arms around Walter and patted his back gently.

Walter straightened. “You said you weren’t feeling well?”

Jada’s smile turned warm. “Just a little stomach ache — I’m fine now.”

Walter’s grip on her hand tightened, his gaze darkening. “Come to my place tonight.”

Jada lowered her head shyly. “But… won’t Miss Quinn be upset?”

Walter’s eyes turned hard. He scooped her into his arms, striding forward with urgency. “You’re my girlfriend, Jada.”

Jada looped her arms around his neck, leaning obediently against him.

Walter’s breathing grew heavier.

Holding her tight, he carried her downstairs.

After they left, Caius wheeled himself out of the bathroom.

He stared at the open doorway, his expression dark as storm clouds.

Grant Holdings was one of San Francisco’s most powerful corporations, and Walter, its young CEO, was widely admired.

He owned countless properties, but the place he took Jada was a private estate in Pacific Heights — an enclave of the city’s wealthiest elite.

Inside, Walter pinned Jada against the entryway cabinet, kissing her with an urgency that left her breathless.

Her phone lit up on the side table.

“Whose call is that?” Walter growled, annoyed.

When it kept ringing, ruining the mood, he tried to grab it.

But Jada snatched it up first, saw the screen — Mr. Martino — and powered it off without blinking. “Just a friend. Ignore it.”

Walter didn’t press. He tossed the phone aside and kissed her again.

Outside, in the corner, Caius sat in his black Rolls-Royce Cullinan, listening to the endless shut-off tone. His expression darkened.

Looking up, he caught a glimpse of two figures pressed together in the lit window above. His fury snapped. He hurled his phone aside. “Ethan, get out!”

The bodyguard immediately stepped out, pulling the folded wheelchair from the trunk.

Before he could set it up, a red Ferrari screeched to a stop at the front gate.

Ethan quickly ducked into the shadows. The Cullinan’s lights shut off.

From the Ferrari stepped a woman in a white dress and heels — Carmen Quinn.