Chapter 431
“Hm p>
Lisette Cavendish looked up at him, eyes bright, waiting.
“Because p>
Tobias Hastings brushed his lips lightly against her ear. It was barely a touch, but it sent a sharp, tingling rush through her whole body, like a string of tiny sparks crackling from head to toe.
And then p>
Nothing.
After dragging it out forever, he still didn’t say because of what. He was just teasing her on purpose.
Lisette’s mind instantly went off the rails.
Oh my God.
Tobias was seriously flirting with her in the office.
In. The. Office.
And wow, her legs were actually going a little weak p>
If Tobias hadn’t been holding her slim waist, steadying her with one arm, she would’ve probably collapsed right onto him in the most embarrassing way possible.
What a menace.
He was the one who kept saying she was pregnant and they absolutely could not do anything, yet here he was, blatantly messing with her, no shame at all.
Her mouth moved faster than her brain, and she blurted out with a soft huff, “Even if you want to do that in the office, you’ll have to wait until after I give birth. Right now, even if you want it, you still have to hold it in p>
Tobias Hastings: p>
He stared at her, eyes dark and deep, burning with heat.
Lisette Cavendish: p>
Then it hit her.
She had just said her inner thoughts out loud.
Out loud.
Ahhh, this was beyond embarrassing.
Her cheeks instantly flared. She covered her face and turned to flee, trying to walk away.
She had only taken one step when Tobias hooked an arm around her and pulled her right back, pressing her into his chest. He took a slow breath, clearly trying to calm down whatever she had just stirred up in him, then said in a low voice, “It was a guess p>
“Hm p>
That came out of nowhere.
What was that supposed to mean?
The flush on Lisette Cavendish’s face still hadn’t faded. She looked at him in a daze, eyes soft and a little blank, like her brain still hadn’t fully caught up.
She was way too adorable.
Tobias Hastings couldn’t help himself. He leaned in and kissed her once before finally explaining, “What I said to Bradley Hayes just now? I was guessing p>
Lisette nearly yelped. “You sounded so sure of yourself, and that was a guess p>
Her eyes widened in disbelief. “Something like that should be top secret even inside the Carmen family. How on earth did you figure it out p>
“I She paused, replaying Bradley’s reaction in her head, then said with growing certainty, “Judging from that look on his face just now, even if you weren’t a hundred percent right, you were at least ninety-nine percent there p>
Tobias wrapped an arm around her slim waist and led her over to the desk. He settled her into the chair beside his own, then thoughtfully tucked a soft cushion behind her lower back before speaking in his usual calm tone. “It wasn’t that hard to work out p>
With Tobias’s brain, even cracking international mystery cases was basically no big deal, let alone this.
“Back then, most of the top elite families around the world,” he said, holding her hand as he spoke, “more or less kept private shadow guards p>
Lisette nodded. “Yeah. I know. My dad had a team like that too p>
Tobias gave her fingers a light squeeze and continued, “Over the last few years, I’ve dealt with several families in Lumière. From bits and pieces they let slip, I learned the Carmen family has a guard unit called ‘Dark Night.’ The people in it are called envoys. When night falls, the envoy appears, carrying the clan leader’s orders p>
“Bradley is extremely skilled. Since Bessie got him to hurt you, then his identity is pretty clear. He has to be one of Dark Night’s envoys p>
At that point, Bradley’s exact role was basically confirmed.
Lisette listened with full attention, nodding every now and then, her expression serious and focused.
“The only real mistake he made,” Tobias said, “wasn’t exposing the truth that Bessie was the one who hurt you. It was taking Sebastian Ford p>
He knew exactly how deep Sebastian’s damage to Lisette had gone. So when Tobias said that name, his grip on her hand tightened slightly, steady and warm, like he was silently giving her strength to lean on.
With him beside her, Lisette felt unbelievably safe.
That name no longer made her tense up.
That person no longer stirred any discomfort in her at all.
She looked at him and asked, “Why p>
She had wanted to ask him that ever since they were outside.
Tobias’s gaze darkened a little as he said, “Bradley and Sebastian had never really dealt with each other directly. With Bradley’s ability, if he truly wanted Sebastian dead, he could’ve finished him cleanly that rainy night. So why would he take the risk of being jointly hunted by the Royal family, the Hastings family, and the Cavendish family just to take Sebastian away and hide him p>
Lisette Cavendish thought it over carefully, and one answer flashed through her mind.
“The only real thing they have in common is that their bodies were both altered afterward. They broke past normal human limits and can unleash strength way beyond ordinary people p>
“Exactly p>
Tobias Hastings looked at her with clear approval.
“So Bradley Hayes taking Sebastian Ford away probably has something to do with Sebastian Ford’s physical changes p>
“You told me before that when Sebastian Ford’s manic episodes spiral out of control, he completely loses it. Back then, I already had a guess. If someone forces their body past its limits, there should be side effects. That rule should apply to them too p>
“Bradley Hayes is human too. As long as he’s human, he’s not some special exception p>
“It’s just that… from what I’ve observed lately, he’s different from Sebastian Ford. On the surface, he looks totally normal. So I’m guessing his side effects are being suppressed p>
“And whoever he answers to… the thing that can keep those side effects in check is in that person’s hands p>
Lisette was so shocked she almost froze.
Her catlike eyes went round and wide.
“SySy, you’re insane! You figured out all that from just one tiny detail? You’re seriously my idol p>
“I absolutely have to show some respect to my idol p>
As she spoke, she pushed herself up, looped her arms around his neck, and with a soft smack, pressed her red lips against his.
Tobias lifted a hand and gently rubbed her fluffy little head. His gaze softened instantly, like water melting into light.
She smiled, then turned to look toward the glass door outside.
“Ha, you saw it too just now, right? After Bradley Hayes heard what you said, he didn’t say a single word. Where was that smug, wicked attitude he had before p>
Lisette said with open glee, “Hahaha… every time I remember that look on his face, I just… hahaha… I swear I’m dying p>
During this whole stretch of time, she had been stuck in the weak position, getting her face pinched by him now and then, getting threatened, getting pushed around by him at every turn. And now, all of a sudden, she had finally turned the tables. That feeling—
It honestly felt like going straight from hell to heaven.
So good it was unreal.
Lisette Cavendish almost wanted to run out right then and there, buy a few strings of firecrackers, and set them off to celebrate this iconic comeback moment.
Tobias Hastings looked at her with that doting little smile of his and gently rubbed the cheek Bradley Hayes had pinched. “Does it hurt p>
“No p>
Lisette shook her head.
Actually, every time Bradley made a move, he kept his strength under control. Just enough to pinch her face red, just enough to make her feel the sting, but never enough to really hurt her, leave a bruise, or injure her.
So whenever she snapped at him and cursed him out, there was never real hatred in it. She was just annoyed, plain and simple.
But none of that mattered now.
What mattered was that her husband had helped her turn the tables. Hahaha, seriously, this was too satisfying.
From today on, she would never have to put up with that psycho pinching her cheek again.
From here on out, life was basically heaven on earth.
And Tobias Hastings was her guardian angel.
Now that the knot in her heart had been untied and Bradley’s weak point was finally in their hands, Lisette gave Tobias a little push. “Come on, hurry up and get back to work. I’ll just sit over there and read for a bit p>
“I’ll pick one for you p>
Tobias walked to the bookshelf and pulled out a collection of short stories.
Lisette looked at the book and blinked, clearly surprised. “Wait, Sisi, you read this kind of stuff too p>
She laughed. “I seriously thought a workaholic like you, the kind who practically lives in the office, would only keep books about finance and business management on your shelves p>
Tobias switched on the computer as he answered, “One of our partners loves telling painfully bad cold jokes. I bought those for him, so he could level up his storytelling and maybe improve his joke quality a little p>