The Illegitimate Flame: Bride of Ashes-Chapter 38- touch

The midday heat was stifling. As Janet stepped out of the restaurant, a wave of dizziness hit her. She leaned against the corner of the building, steadying herself for a few seconds before forcing her legs to move forward. The office wasn’t far from here, but under the blazing sun, she was strangely determined to walk back on foot—almost like she was punishing herself.

Even she found it baffling. Whether he was with Elvira or Ivanka, why was she so angry?

Lost in her thoughts, Janet wandered down the street in a daze. Suddenly, a sharp screech of brakes pierced her ears, snapping her back to reality.

In the next moment, she realized she was standing where the traffic lights changed, but she had already stepped into the middle of the road. The roaring engines of speeding cars zoomed past, making her instinctively cover her ears and freeze in place, too scared to move.

"FUCK! Where did this woman come from?" Janet caught the harsh curse from a passing driver. Cars rushed back and forth in front of her, while she stood like a lost child, helplessly staring across the red light.

"Damn it, how dare you curse my woman?" A deep growl echoed. Before Janet could react, a long leg kicked the sports car that had just sped past her. She was suddenly pulled into a warm embrace, the faint scent of tobacco wrapping around her. Gripping Manfred’s shirt like a lifeline, she heard another urgent screech of brakes behind her. Her body twisted ninety degrees, but those strong, warm hands held firmly at her waist as she was safely set down at the curb.

"Janet, are you trying to get yourself killed?!" Manfred scolded, knocking her gently on the head as he released her. Seeing her suddenly run into the middle of the street had nearly stopped his heart.

A player she once saw as just a game suddenly cared more about her safety than his own. Manfred told himself it was just responsibility that made him worry so much.

"Thank you," Janet whispered, her face pale enough to break anyone’s heart. She knew if it weren’t for Manfred, she would have been hit by that car. Instinctively, she thanked him, the grudges she held before instantly forgotten.

"Where are you going? Let me drive you!" Manfred grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the sleek sports car parked by the curb. Janet was still shaken, unable to fully recover from the shock, and let him haul her into the car without protest. It wasn’t until they reached the company’s entrance that she finally snapped out of it.

"Why didn’t you answer your phone?" Manfred’s long fingers rested on the steering wheel, but the car doors were locked tight—Janet couldn’t open them and had to turn to face him with a confused look.

"Janet, you’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?" Manfred said, watching her blink those big, innocent eyes at him with a hint of confusion. To any normal man, that was an irresistible temptation. He reached out, grabbed her by the hair, and pulled her face close—only for Janet to quickly turn her head away, clutch her clothes tighter, and glare at him fiercely. "What do you think you’re doing?"

"I want to kiss you," Manfred said bluntly, his smirk returning with a cocky charm.

But Janet’s mind drifted back to the kiss in the parking lot a few days ago, and she covered her mouth with disgust, avoiding any contact with him. Without thinking, she muttered, "Don’t you prefer kissing men?"

At her words, Manfred’s eyes darkened dangerously, the light in his face dimming instantly. "What did you say?"

Damn, he must be crazy to think he was a normal guy wanting to kiss this woman!

Janet was scared by the harshness in his eyes. She desperately tried to pull the door handle open, her gaze locked on Manfred’s furious expression as she realized she’d said the wrong thing. "I didn’t say anything. Let me out!"

Manfred stared thoughtfully at her frightened, delicate face. The clear fear in her eyes stirred something in him. With a press of a button, the door unlocked. Janet wasted no time opening it and bolted out of the car.

"So she saw..." Manfred thought. He’d noticed a figure in the parking lot that day but hadn’t been able to make out who it was. He hadn’t expected it to be Janet. His relationship with August wasn’t as simple or ambiguous as she thought—he wasn’t even sure himself what it was. What kind of feeling was that?

Two men who had been hurt in body and soul, comforting each other—just because neither had met the exception, the woman who could change everything.

Remembering August’s six years of inhumane life in the US, this path of revenge—he would walk it with him, all the way to the end.

When Janet got back to the office, she pulled out her phone and saw over a dozen missed calls—all from Charles. He must have noticed she was missing and was looking for her.

She was about to call him back when his tall figure suddenly loomed over her small frame, his anxious face turning into anger the moment he saw her.

"Janet, you damn woman!" Charles said without hesitation, grabbing her roughly and pinning her against the large wooden desk behind her.

The moment he realized she was missing, a suffocating rage clogged Charles’s chest. Without thinking, he dropped Ivanka and dashed out after Janet. But at the company entrance, he saw her with Manfred. Sitting inside his car, Charles caught a glimpse—just from his angle—of Manfred kissing Janet. That image sent his anger soaring even higher.

He had warned her never to let another man kiss her. Yet again, she was crossing his line. He felt like she was driving him insane.

Janet’s body was slammed against the smooth surface of the desk. The computer and papers scattered to the floor with a crash. Before she could even cry out, his breath, heavy with fury, filled her mouth.

But this time, it wasn’t just a punishment kiss. His hands tore roughly at her clothes, as if she were some disease to be scrubbed away. Janet whimpered in pain, but it didn’t soften his rage.

"What are you doing, Charles? Let me go!" Janet struggled fiercely. The buttons of her long shirt had been ripped off, exposing a black lace bra beneath. The humiliation was unlike anything she had felt before. She fought back with all her might, but he clung to her like a trapped beast, unwilling to stop at just kissing.

"You belong to me, Janet. You’re mine!" There was no calm or reason left in Charles’s angry eyes. All he wanted was to brand her while she was still conscious—she was his, and no one else would touch her.

"No, no, what do you want? I’m your sister-in-law!" Tears streamed down Janet’s face. Why could he only treat her this way? The pain in her heart was far worse than the pain on her skin. When Charles roughly undid her denim shorts, she finally understood his intent.

No matter how much she hit or cursed him this time, it made no difference. Her cries of "Sister-in-law!" could no longer bring back his sanity.

"This ends now. You will never be anyone else’s. You’re my woman!" Charles buried his face in her bare shoulder, his fingers skillfully undoing her bra. His burning kisses trailed down to her pale chest, his teeth gently biting the cherry on her skin.

His own shirt was quickly discarded, revealing bare skin that sent chills of panic down Janet’s spine. His savage behavior was unmistakably violent.

As Charles tore at his clothes in frustration, Janet struggled to push away. But with nowhere to escape, she tumbled off the desk onto the floor. freewebnoveℓ.com

Half undressed, Charles couldn’t catch her. Hearing her painful moan from beneath the desk, he lost his composure.

"Janet, what’s wrong?" He grabbed the clothes he had thrown aside to cover her, trying to lift her up. But seeing tears streaming in her eyes and her hand clutching her stomach, biting her lip, she whispered, "It hurts... my stomach hurts so much..."