Faced with such a fierce tone, Elliana Lyle’s hand, half-extended, paused in mid-air before she reluctantly withdrew it. Clearly, playing cute was no longer going to work, so she simply lowered her head, quietly awaiting the man’s criticism. About three seconds later, she felt a warm sensation on her head; it was the man’s hand gently ruffling her hair, his touch exceedingly tender. She looked up, her almond-shaped eyes staring intently at his face. There were no reprimands. To her, Norman Bennett sometimes felt like a guardian; perhaps... she had known Norman since she was young, and they had spent even more time together than she had with Shawn Lyle. So she relied on him a lot and also got used to being "afraid" of him. However, in the man’s eyes, her current expression appeared innocent and adorable—an expression that could soften any heart, especially that of Norman Bennett. Though he intended to reprimand her, at this moment, even a harsher tone seemed sinful. A thousand words condensed into two indulgent words wrapped in a sigh, signaling to Elliana that he wasn’t planning to hold her accountable. It seemed like her cuteness had managed to defuse the situation. She grinned, her eyes like twinkling stars, as she leapt to hug the man’s waist, tilting her head up as she spoke in a sweet tone, "I promise not to eat recklessly again. Lesson learned." "Alright." The man looked down at her, one hand protecting her back, the other gently tousling her hair. Lastly, he wiped off a small smudge at the corner of her mouth with his finger pads, and then lightly rubbed his fingers together. Seeing this little unidentified substance, she remembered it was from the chocolate she sneakily ate from Lana’s bag in the car. She remembered how Claire White had warned her in front of Norman Bennett to avoid chocolate, especially when she felt unwell. Claire said chocolate was a high-calorie sweet that stimulates gastric acid secretion, which could worsen symptoms for people with stomach issues. So she rarely ate chocolate, and almost never in front of Norman Bennett. Seeing the man’s gaze harden, she awkwardly laughed, "Heh... heh..." Yet Norman Bennett didn’t say anything this time, and while her heart was still pounding, he lifted her up in one swift motion. It wasn’t a princess carry, but he lifted her with one arm, having her sit on his arm while she could still hold onto his neck. Because Norman Bennett had a large build, she appeared petite and fragile, like a father holding his daughter. Suddenly, a flash of light came from afar, making her realize they’d been secretly photographed. She immediately felt embarrassed, knowing this carry really seemed like carrying a child, and given how the entertainment industry always joked about her height. After all, she barely reached 160 cm in flat shoes, and without shoes, she was just 158 cm. The current entertainment industry idolizes tall and sexy, while she was neither tall nor sexy. "Norman Bennett~ Put me down, won’t you? I can’t stand being held ..." Faced with the surrounding stares, she felt a bit embarrassed. Perhaps Norman Bennett liked to hold her because he had done so since she was a child. As she wiggled her legs a little, the man softly admonished, "Behave, don’t move around, or you’ll fall." "Okay..." Since there was no way to refuse, she might as well accept it willingly. Moreover, she found sitting in such a high position rather majestic, feeling like it was her personal Norman Bennett throne. It was like a lion king holding a cub on a parade; she almost bared her teeth at the paparazzi milling around. Maybe because they had stayed outside for quite a while, they were noticed by the paparazzi. Her announcement about leaving the entertainment circle had been a hot topic online. Many wanted to interview her for specific reasons. But all invitations had been blocked and rejected by Victor King, and she had set her phone to divert unknown numbers, so she wasn’t bothered much. A group of paparazzi was already gathering, but fortunately, with bodyguards around, Norman Bennett carrying her faced no obstruction. "Elliana, could you look this way?" A voice suddenly called out to her from an unknown person. She turned her head immediately to see a girl holding up a phone, apparently about to take a photo. She didn’t seem like a paparazzo; calling her by her real name meant she was probably a fan, so she raised her hand and made a peace sign toward the camera. After snapping the photo, the girl smiled and shouted, "Elliana, be happy, and may you have a baby soon~ When are you getting married?" The news of her marriage to Norman Bennett had not been officially announced, and very few people knew about it. She used to think about it every day, but she always forgot. Now she wasn’t in a rush; the wedding hadn’t even taken place, and if her marriage certificate got out, who knows what they’d say about her. When they finally got back to the hotel, Norman Bennett set her down on the couch and poured her a glass of warm water. She took a couple of sips but didn’t feel like drinking more, and when she was about to put the glass down, the man spoke sternly, "Finish it." "Okay." She responded, picking the glass back up. She didn’t like drinking water; if Lana didn’t pour it for her, she wouldn’t even think about drinking water all day. She preferred fizzy drinks to plain water. Coke, Sprite, Mirinda—she adored them all, especially with ice, so refreshing with every sip. But Norman Bennett didn’t allow her to drink soda, only letting her choose between plain water and freshly-squeezed juice. "Norman Bennett, did you come back early today because of me? If you’re busy, you can go work; I can watch TV by myself." She drank the water while sneaking a look at Norman Bennett who was staring at her. It was still quite early, and she’d never expected Norman Bennett to come home on time. Managing a corporation, it wasn’t possible to get off work on time; there were endless tasks, meetings, and social obligations. The man replied quickly, taking the empty glass from her after she finished drinking. Then he stayed to watch TV with her. After some channel surfing, nothing caught her interest, so she continued watching her childhood favorite, "Phineas and Ferb." Her favorite character was Katie Flynn, an interesting and persistent role. Upon reaching a humorous scene, she laughed for a good while, then glanced over at Norman Bennett, realizing that his eyes had been on her the whole time. The look was one of tenderness, as if watching over a child. A slight smile on his lips, his eyes filled with affectionate indulgence. This feeling was actually nice; though she seemed to have lost a goal to strive for, being quietly together felt like a little happiness. She just didn’t know how long her adventurous nature could stay this quiet. The next second, she couldn’t stay still anymore. She tossed the remote and ran straight to the bathroom. Her stomach started hurting again! Just as she reached the bathroom, her phone rang from her pocket—Luna was calling, probably having found some lead. "Hello, Luna." She answered. Content orıginally comes from 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵※𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮※𝓷𝓮𝓽 "Buddy, I’ve made progress here. I’ll be back the day after tomorrow. Arrange for Bella to meet at a secure location then." The word "secure" was weighted in Luna’s tone, suggesting it was important. So she asked, "What did you find out?" "Can’t explain it all now; you’ll know once I arrive. Not discussing further, I need to eat—starving."