Chapter 1966 Come Clean After getting dressed, Elisa finally exited the bathroom.
She was wrapped in a bathrobe, concealing her enticing figure.
Still, Gareth couldn't help but imagine her figure beneath the bathrobe, unconsciously gulping.
“I'm sorry. | didn't mean to intrude. Your room door was unlocked, and I just pushed it open,” Gareth began to explain, aware that their relationship was still on thin ice, and he couldn't afford to make things worse.
Elisa gave him a sidelong glance without uttering a word, leaving Gareth unable to fathom her current mood.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtHowever, he was certain of one thing. Elisa wasn't severely mad at him.
Otherwise, he would've been locked out of the house that day.
Nevertheless, her treating him like a stranger wasn't a standoff Gareth wanted to last. Gareth decided to take the initiative to initiate the conversation. “Do you have some free time now? Why don't we take a walk outside? | can't let you keep misunderstanding me, can 1?" Although Gareth was smiling, it was a bitter smile.
Elisa's expression shifted slightly, but in the end, she did not refuse.
After a while, she replied tersely, “Okay.” Gareth conscientiously went downstairs to wait while Elisa changed her clothes upstairs.
Before long, the two of them went outside to take a stroll under the cover of night in the neighborhood.
That was supposed to be a very romantic occasion, but both of them had their own thoughts. As a result, the vibe between them wasn't romantic at all.
Instead, it was actually quite awkward.
Having walked around the neighborhood for quite a while, Elisa could only feel her face stinging from the biting night breeze.
She arched her eyebrows as a scarf enveloped her.
Gareth's unique faint scent lingered on the scarf, making her feel as if she was in his embrace.
“Thanks.” Elisa didn't refuse. That could be considered the first step in breaking the ice between them.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmFrom that point on, Gareth started to open up and talk. “I'd like to tell you about how | met Kaylee.” Elisa always felt that the atmosphere was a bit strange. Their topic of conversation was a bit strange, too. It was as if they were a newlywed couple taking a walk, and the husband was coming clean about his first love.
Of course, they were not newlyweds, and Kaylee was not Gareth's first love.
Elisa nodded, signaling him to continue speaking.
Gareth took a deep breath and said, “The day | went to find you, | met an old man. I told him that Rachel had given me the location of the factory, and he happily agreed to take me there.” Elisa nodded. No wonder Gareth arrived so quickly even though Rachel didn't tag along.
Immediately after, Gareth continued, “However, the old man suffered a sudden stroke and died on the way. Before he passed away, he entrusted me to take his granddaughter out of the mountains. You're also aware that the people living in these mountains belong to a minority ethnic group. This group has a tradition of marrying within their own community to preserve the purity of their lineage... even to the point of marrying close relatives.” Ultimately, it was simply because Gareth couldn't get on board with that tradition.
Those people treated women as birthing machines and disregarded their willingness.
Elisa was somewhat moved. This is probably Kaylee's background.
Seeing that Elisa showed no signs of resistance, Gareth continued, “The old man didn't want to trouble a complete stranger, but if we don't take Kaylee away, her father will marry her off to a very old elder in the clan as a mistress next week.” With a raise of her eyebrows, Elisa realized something. It was the combination of gratitude and a tragic past that had prompted Gareth, a man who usually never meddles in others’ affairs, to intervene this time. After all, Gareth is certainly not the kind of person to help when he witnesses an injustice. A businessman like him values profit more than friendship.