Together Apart: Her White Moonlight Has Returned Too-Chapter 169: Not Ready Yet

Melinda Shelby saw Vera Yves and said expressionlessly, "Miss Yves, I need to speak with my son. Could you please step out for a moment?"

Vera Yves came back to her senses and calmly walked out.

Walter Lowell followed her out and respectfully closed the door for the two.

"If I had known you were so reckless with your life, I would’ve strangled you when you were born!" Melinda Shelby approached Winston Valentine, disappointed and angry. "For a woman, you risk your life time and time again. Is this how you repay me?"

"Mom, I know you don’t like Vera Yves," Winston Valentine said without much expression, "and I didn’t expect you to like her either."

"She wasn’t worthy of you back then," Melinda Shelby’s eyes were sharp as she looked at him, "let alone now that she’s been publicly rejected by the Monroe Family."

"I can make my own decisions about my affairs," Winston Valentine stood up, "we’ll keep out of each other’s way."

"Smack!" A loud slap landed on his face.

"Is that how you’re dealing with this?" Melinda Shelby’s face twisted in anger, "Do you think I owe you?"

Winston Valentine touched his cheek, "No."

Melinda Shelby calmed down, "Does the wound still hurt?"

"It’s just a superficial wound."

"I found another specialist for you, to have a good look. You’ll be taking over Valentine Group and the Shelby Family one day. If you lose the use of your right hand, what’s the difference between you and a cripple?"

Winston Valentine replied nonchalantly, "I’m not going to war, it’s just a slight tremor."

"Just a slight tremor?" Melinda Shelby gritted her teeth in anger. "I’ve raised you for so many years, and suddenly you become disabled for a woman, and you’re indifferent about it? What kind of spell has she cast on you?"

Melinda Shelby said coldly, "A woman like that is fine for a fling, but you’ve actually fallen for her, it’s laughable!"

Winston Valentine’s eyes flickered, looking at her expressionlessly, "And you?"

Melinda Shelby taunted, "As for emotions, I lost them when Tristan Valentine betrayed me. Unlike you, you not only look like him but are just as foolish!"

Melinda Shelby adjusted her hair, "Tristan Valentine has already sent the divorce papers to me. Can you guess what his next step is? I hope you won’t disappoint me after all these years of preparation."

Melinda Shelby gave him one last deep look before turning and leaving.

When Vera Yves returned to the office, she saw the handprint on Winston Valentine’s face. She didn’t say anything and continued to massage his scalp, relaxing him, before starting acupuncture.

After the acupuncture, Winston Valentine held her hand, unwilling to let go.

"You probably have work to do. I’ll wait for you in the lounge."

"Wait for me here," Winston Valentine lowered his voice, "so I can see you whenever I look up."

Vera Yves touched the handprint on his cheek, "Winston Valentine, your mom came to see me. Since you’re the one who wants to start over with me, you have to settle things with her. I don’t want my family or myself to be harmed because of our relationship."

"What if I can’t settle it?" Winston Valentine looked into her eyes, "Are you going to break up with me again?"

Vera Yves said seriously, "I don’t want to date a mama’s boy."

Winston Valentine was amused by her serious tone and couldn’t help pinching her cheek, "To avoid being a mama’s boy, I’ll handle it."

When he leaned closer, Vera Yves turned her head away, "Don’t you have work to do too?"

Winston Valentine felt a bit disappointed, but he knew winning her back wouldn’t be easy. However, since she was already with him, he had plenty of time.

Winston Valentine walked over to the desk to deal with documents.

Vera Yves sat on the sofa, took out her phone, and communicated with a contact from a show.

The show secured a fashion sponsorship. The theme was traditional style, and the contact sent Vera Yves more than ten sets of qipaos, asking her to choose a few for the fitting.

Vera Yves selected her favorites.

Linda Young texted her, saying she took some people to view a house, and the potential buyers were satisfied with both the place and the price. They scheduled a time to finalize the transaction.

Linda Young also asked her to go out for drinks later, mentioning her usual bar was having a performance tonight.

Vera Yves agreed.

After finishing his work, Winston Valentine walked over to her and joked, "How come you’re busier than me?"

Vera Yves snapped out of her work and stood up, "Are you done?"

Winston Valentine nodded, wanting to hold her hand, but Vera Yves turned to grab her coat, skillfully avoiding him and heading straight for the door.

Just as her hand touched the doorknob, someone pulled her back.

Winston Valentine pinned her against the door, "You don’t want me to hold your hand?"

Vera Yves turned her head away, "There are so many eyes outside. I don’t want anyone to see."

Winston Valentine caressed her cheek, "Then let’s kiss before anyone sees."

His warm lips pressed down, and Vera Yves’s face was shielded by his hand, unable to move, forced to tilt her head back, surrendering to him.

His kiss gradually deepened, and his hot hand began to wander.

Vera Yves caught the mischievous hand, reminding herself of the injury on his arm, so she didn’t apply force and just breathed softly, "Stop..."

Winston Valentine whispered in her ear, his voice a bit strained, "I just want to touch you, I’ve been longing for it for so long. Just let me satisfy my craving, okay?"

"What are you thinking about?"

"What do you think I’m thinking?" Winston Valentine kissed her ear; Vera Yves dodged as if scalded, "I... I’m not ready yet."

"So today I’ll just touch you," Winston Valentine’s hand became even more unrestrained, and Vera Yves couldn’t push him away, choosing to protest with her eyes instead.

Looking at her flushed cheeks, Winston Valentine couldn’t help but lower his head to capture her lips again, stealing her breath, tracing her lip shape with his thumb.

They emerged from the office half an hour later.

Vera Yves’s lipstick was kissed away, her lips swollen, with her once-tied hair cascading down.

In the elevator, Vera Yves adjusted her clothes, not sparing a glance at the man beside her.

Winston Valentine had booked a table at his usual Western restaurant.

They were the only guests, with wine already decanted, a large bouquet of roses on the table, and a woman not far away playing the piano, her graceful notes flowing softly.

Suddenly, Vera Yves thought of the duet she once played with Miles Monroe, feeling like those memories were so far away.

The floral scent triggered her to sneeze.

She called over a waiter and asked him to temporarily take the flowers away.

"The fragrance is too strong, it easily affects the appetite," Vera Yves said without emotion, "I didn’t sleep well last night, and listening to music makes me drowsy."

Winston Valentine instructed the waiter to have the pianist leave, giving her a tip as well.

The two ordered their meals.

Vera Yves ate slowly, but her appetite wasn’t great, and she didn’t eat much.

"No appetite?"

Vera Yves nodded, "I didn’t sleep well last night; after this, I think I’ll go home for a nap."

Winston Valentine had kept his afternoon free to take her out, but seeing her pale little face, he whispered, "I’ll take you back after the meal."

Vera Yves sighed in relief, "No need, I can drive myself home."

Noticing she hadn’t taken a sip of wine, Winston Valentine’s eyes darkened; she hadn’t intended to stay.

Back at The Yves Family, Vera Yves slept until evening, waking to find several missed video calls from Winston Valentine.

He sent a text, asking her out for dinner that night.

Hannah Hayes came upstairs to call her down for dinner, and Vera Yves casually replied to him: I’m eating at home.

It was only halfway through dinner that Vera Yves remembered the drinks she promised Linda Young that night. She went upstairs, applied some makeup, changed clothes, and left.

The bar was lively, with a group of muscular men on stage dancing enthusiastically, bare-chested.

Seeing her, Linda Young immediately wrapped her arm around her neck and pointed at the stage, "Which one do you like? Tonight, your sister will figure out how to get him into your bed!"