Chapter 229 - 228: A Man, Three Parts Drunk

Leo Grant was silent the entire ride, his hand holding Yvonne Lowell’s tightly, their arms pressed close together.

His expression was as composed as ever, but a thin mist seemed to veil his usually deep eyes, obscuring his emotions.

The moment they got in the car, Yvonne Lowell found herself pulled into a tight embrace.

Leo Grant cupped her face and gave her a kiss, a goofy grin on his face. "Darling, I love you so much!"

Yvonne Lowell couldn’t stop the corner of her mouth from twitching. ’Who is this goofy rich kid? I don’t know him.’

Leo Grant kissed her again, his tone a little hurt. "Why aren’t you saying anything? Don’t you love me anymore?"

’A song descends from the heavens! *Am I not the one you love the most~? So why won’t you say a word~?*’

Up front, Ian Lynch silently raised the privacy partition. One must be safe when driving at night, and the most important thing is to remain emotionally stable.

He wouldn’t let anything tarnish his title as the "God of Ghostwind Mountain"—like his boss’s major devolution into a primate, for instance.

’I’m just a man who has the word "safety" etched into his very lungs,’ he told himself. ’It’s definitely not because I’m afraid of being silenced for what I’m witnessing.’

Seeing that Yvonne Lowell still wasn’t speaking, Leo Grant started to lean in again, only to have his mouth covered.

"Mmph?" Leo Grant looked at her, confused.

Yvonne Lowell pushed him back into his seat. "I love you, I love you. Now stop messing around and sit properly."

At her words, Leo Grant beamed and leaned back obediently against the seat, though his arms around her never loosened their grip.

Before long, the big puppy was leaning in again, his bristly, fluffy head nuzzling against her neck.

"I knew you loved me! I love you too! I love you more!"

"Yes, yes, I know, I know."

Yvonne Lowell sighed. ’Does this man have any idea how unfairly cute he’s being right now?’

He was being so incredibly sweet that it gave her the wicked urge to just mess him up.

Fortunately, Ian Lynch drove quickly. Before she could unleash her wicked claws, they had arrived back at Tidalview.

Perhaps because they were back in their comfortable safe zone, Leo Grant’s steps became unsteady, and he practically leaned his entire weight on Yvonne Lowell.

Yvonne Lowell half-carried him into the bedroom and unceremoniously dumped him onto the bed.

But she was caught off guard as he pulled her down with him, sending her sprawling on top of him.

She tried to get up, but two strong hands clamped down tightly on her back, holding her in place.

Yvonne Lowell’s eyes narrowed, her gaze turning dangerous as she looked down at her human mattress. "Let go."

"Sleepy... wanna sleep," Leo Grant mumbled, his eyes closed, the grip of his hands not lessening in the slightest.

"I’m counting to three. One... two..."

Excellent. The restraint on her back vanished instantly.

’It was hard to say if he was sober, but at least his instinctual fear of her was still intact.’

Yvonne Lowell got off him, but Leo Grant immediately sat up too, grabbing her hand.

"Don’t be so mean."

Yvonne Lowell irritably pushed his approaching head away. "Since you haven’t blacked out, go take a shower. Otherwise, you’re sleeping alone tonight."

"But I’m scared. It’s not safe in there," Leo Grant said, looking up at her with puppy-dog eyes.

Yvonne Lowell’s expression became indescribable. ’What, am I raising a Venice Water Monster in my bathtub or something?’

"Don’t worry, it’s perfectly safe. I’ll be right outside."

"Huh? Just outside?" Leo Grant looked crestfallen. "Then if there’s danger, you’ll come in to protect me right away, won’t you?"

"Yes. Just call me if anything happens, okay?"

After much coaxing and cajoling from Yvonne Lowell—who was one step away from just knocking him out—he finally took off his suit jacket and obediently went into the bathroom.

But just as Yvonne Lowell had changed out of her gown, a "cry for help" came from the bathroom.

"Darling, I didn’t grab a bathrobe!"

"I’ll get it for you." Yvonne Lowell had lost count of how many times she’d sighed that day.

She went to the walk-in closet, grabbed a new bathrobe for him, opened the bathroom door a crack, and pushed it through. "Here."

The next second, her hand was seized, and she was yanked into the bathroom, crashing into a bare chest.

Yvonne Lowell froze for a second. When she came to her senses, she lifted her gaze.

The man before her had eyes that were now perfectly clear, his dark irises filled with a scorching heat. Where was the drunken stupor from moments ago?

"You were faking it just now?" Yvonne Lowell’s tone was laced with danger.

Leo Grant shook his head decisively. "I really did drink a lot. I only sobered up a bit after my shower, and now I can’t wait to... repay you."

"No, thank you."

’Yvonne Lowell had a feeling this "repayment" was nothing good. Better to make a run for it.’

But a pair of large hands were still wrapped tightly around her slender waist, holding her fast.

Worse, his misbehaving paws lifted her loungewear and slipped underneath, kneading the soft skin of her waist and making her head spin.

Leo Grant lowered his head, his warm breath ghosting across her face as he leaned in.

"Oh, yes. After all, when it comes to repaying you, I’m a professional."

Yvonne Lowell blinked, and before she could react, her breath was stolen from her.

The kiss was a tangle of pure affection and intense aggression, yet the two intertwined without conflict.

Just as her knees began to feel weak, Leo Grant reluctantly let her go.

But before Yvonne Lowell could even speak, he lifted her onto the bathroom vanity and a deluge of kisses descended upon her once more.

...

An unknown amount of time passed before the bathroom door opened again.

A look of pure satisfaction on his face, Leo Grant gently placed the exhausted woman in his arms onto the bed.

"Present."

Yvonne Lowell propped herself up, pulled a box from the nightstand, tossed it in front of him, and immediately lay back down with her back to him.

’Now she finally understood the saying: a man who’s only a little bit drunk is acting well enough to make you cry.’

’Damn him! What kind of relationship was this that left her feeling like her arms were going to fall off every few days?!’

’If he hadn’t at least had the sense to take off her makeup for her, he could forget about presents. In fact, he could forget about getting into her bed for the rest of the year.’

Leo Grant froze for a second, seemingly not having expected another present.

When he recovered, he quickly picked up the box and opened it. Lying inside was a brand-new handgun, a model he had never seen on the market.

Leo Grant took the gun out and inspected it carefully. The craftsmanship was exquisite, and it was lightweight. Moreover, both its magazine capacity and firepower were top-tier.

He immediately spotted the "GSL" engraved on the grip, and the smile on his face grew wider and wider.

The surprises had bombarded him one after another all day, and he was at a loss for words. It was no exaggeration to say this was the most surprising birthday of his entire life.

He carefully put the gift away, then lay back down on the bed and turned off the light.

As the room plunged into darkness, Yvonne Lowell closed her eyes and pretended to drift off to sleep.

A moment later, Leo Grant wrapped his arms around her from behind.

He lowered his head and gently kissed her hair, his voice husky. "Darling, I was so happy today... So I’ve decided I’m going to repay you with even more effort from now on."

Yvonne Lowell kept her eyes closed, her tone impatient. "Is this ever going to end?"

"No more teasing. Let’s sleep. Good night."

Leo Grant chuckled softly and tightened his arms around her. This, he thought, was the best gift of all.