Chapter 26

"This guy is way too narcissistic." Layla shook her head in disdain, thinking, 'He's handsome but overconfident. How would I possibly go knock on his door?'

"Ms. Adkins, this way please," Dylan smiled at Layla.

After following Dylan to the third floor, Layla couldn't help asking, "Dylan, what are you constantly smirking about?"

"Me? Smirking?" Dylan sounded a little surprised.

"Yes. The corners of your mouth have been twitching," Layla said.

Hearing this, Dylan had a relieved smile on his face. "I feel happy for Mr. Holland. With you by his side, he won't be lonely."

Layla thought, 'How could someone like him, who lives in his own world, be lonely? Dylan is really overthinking it.'

But instead of speaking out what she was thinking, she asked, "Doesn't he have any relatives or friends?"

Dylan replied, "Mr. Holland and the rest of the Holland family aren't close. As for friends, he only has two buddies. The one who visits him the most is the scion from the Sheeran family."

Layla pouted, "He always acts so superior. I see why he doesn't have many friends."

Dylan explained, "Mr. Holland only appears cold on the surface, but he's actually a warm man. However, he only shows warmth to the people he cares about. You'll know after you spend more time with him."

"But I don't want to. We're not that close," Layla emphasized.

"I'm not sure what kind of relationship you have with Mr. Holland, but you're the first female guest he has brought home. He even broke his rule of not eating tomatoes for you," Dylan said.

"He brought me home because I had nowhere to go last night. He...he probably just felt like he picked up a stray cat on the road. As for eating tomatoes, it's only because I made them delicious," Layla clarified.

Dylan smiled slightly, "As a butler, I'm not supposed to talk about these matters. Ms. Adkins, please don't tell Mr. Holland about our conversation tonight."

Layla nodded. "Okay."

"Goodnight."

After the shower, Layla looked at her phone and saw that it was already ten o'clock.

She double-checked the door, making sure it was locked.

The only good thing about staying overnight here was that very comfortable bed. She even didn't wanna get up from it in the morning.

Just as Layla was about to lie down, her phone rang.

It was Molly, so Layla quickly answered.

Molly said on the phone that she had decided to hold a meeting tomorrow morning and asked Layla to prepare some documents, then she hung up.

"Dylan." Layla ran out of the room. "Is there a computer here?"

"Yes, there's one in Mr. Holland's room," Dylan replied.

"In such a big mansion, there's only one computer?" Layla felt speechless.

"Yes. Only Mr. Holland uses it. The rest of us don't. If you need one, you can go and ask Mr. Holland."

Layla had no choice but to go to Samuel's room.

She knocked on the door three times, and then it opened.

Samuel leaned against the doorframe, still wearing his shirt, his cold face carrying a hint of mockery. "You'd rather kill yourself?"

"My leader suddenly assigned me some work. Can I use your laptop?" Layla tried to ignore his comment and explained her purpose.

'Now? Her leader is so inconsiderate,' Samuel thought. But given the current situation, he liked this "inconsiderateness" as Layla had come knocking on his door.

"Sure." Samuel stepped aside, making way for her.

But she didn't go in. "Just give me the laptop. I'll work in my room. It's more convenient."

"I have a lot of confidential files on it," Samuel said.

"What do you mean? You don't think I'm a spy, do you?" Layla asked.

Samuel looked down at her and said half-jokingly, "Although the likelihood is low considering your intelligence, nothing is absolute. I've faced many business rivals who tried to seduce me."

Layla thought to herself, 'If I were a spy, I would surely have his compromising photos and send them all over the world.'

"Are you going to stand here until dawn? Come in or not?" Samuel asked.

"Then excuse me." Layla nervously walked into the room.

Samuel closed the door.

"Why did you close the door?" Layla asked immediately, feeling as nervous as a bunny trapped in a wolf's den.

"What do you think?" Samuel's gaze held a hint of mischief in it.

He approached her step by step. His black shirt was unbuttoned, exposing his collarbone. At this moment, he was like an elegant cheetah ready to pounce.

Layla couldn't help thinking of words like "sophisticated scoundrel" and "handsome beast."

Unfortunately, this "scoundrel" was so sexy that she couldn't resist.

Layla kept stepping back until she was against the bed, with no further room to retreat. "Stop right there, or I'll yell for help."

"Silly girl, if I really wanted to do something to you, would it make a difference whether the door is closed or not?" Achieving his goal of teasing her, Samuel stopped in his tracks. Then, he pointed to the laptop and said, "There. I'll go take a shower."

Layla let out a sigh of relief and then went to sit down in front of the latest MacBook.

The desktop was just like the room, in black and white tones, very neat, revealing a man's style. Moreover, it was the style of a successful man who had a cleanliness obsession.

Layla opened her email first. Luckily, she had already backed up all the necessary files in the afternoon, otherwise she would have to rush back to the office tonight.

After reviewing the information, she began typing, completely immersed in her work.

"Here. There's a mistake." A slender finger lightly tapped the screen, and Samuel's magnetic voice filled her ears.

"Where? Here?" She asked without much thought.

"Yes." A warm breath sprayed on Layla's ear.

She was suddenly startled by the handsome face in front of her and let out a scream, "When did you come out?"

Samuel's face was very close to Layla's, and one hand of his hand rested on the back of her chair. Their postures looked intimate, and Samuel's gaze carried a hint of seductive heat.

"Been here for a while." His deep and husky voice became even more alluring up close.

Layla's heart raced, feeling like a little deer leaping around, almost jumping out of her throat.

She wasn't accustomed to such intimate contact.

"Why aren't you wearing clothes?" With a blushing face, she didn't know where to look.

Her eyes were full of his tantalizing chest muscles, below the eight-pack abs, the V-line extended all the way into the towel, dangerously tempting.

"Not wearing clothes? Can't you see my towel here?" Samuel, such a cold and ruthless man, suddenly had the mischievous intention of teasing her.

He slowly landed his fingers on the edge of the towel, ready to untie it.

"Since you can't see, I might as well take it off," he teased.

"No! Don't!" Layla screamed, covering her eyes with her hands.

Then, a deep and incredibly charming chuckle reached her ears.

Blushing, Layla opened her eyes and saw amusement twinkling in Samuel's eyes, his mouth curled upwards.

He was laughing!

Layla was captivated. It seemed to be the first time she had seen him genuinely smile.

Samuel's previous smiles had always been cold and devoid of any warmth in his eyes. It was as if he was born incapable of laughter and happiness, truly an indifferent person.

But at this moment, his eyes held a genuine smile, albeit a mischievous one aimed at her. It was so charming, like a rare blooming flower.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Samuel pinched Layla's chin, his rough fingertips gently caressing her.

With her fair and tender skin, she was like a budding rose in his eyes, tempting him to pluck it, make it his own, and savor every bit of it.

Layla gazed at him dazedly and stuttered, "So you can smile actually."