Chapter 16

Suddenly, as though Tristan had touched something filthy, he quickly stood up, but then he caught a faintly familiar fragrance in the air. The scent brought back memories of that wild night, and his breath faltered. He looked down at Genevieve beneath him. Her eyes were tightly closed, her cheeks flushed, and her hands restlessly gripped the fabric of his shirt. She was still wearing the pink sweater dress from earlier, the neckline slightly open from her sleeping position, revealing the graceful curves of her chest. His breathing grew more urgent as a strange heat surged through his body. But she wasn't the woman from that night. The woman from that night had been pure and innocent, while this one was dirty and repulsive. He averted his gaze and thought, "You're still trying to seduce someone even while sleeping." When he thought Genevieve lacked any propriety, he disdainfully removed her hands and coldly walked away. She slept uneasily throughout the night. She dreamed that Tristan was trying to strangle her, and even in her sleep, she felt suffocated. When she finally woke up, she realized the bed beneath her was different. The bed was warm and soft, and she suddenly jumped up, horrified. What the heck! How did she end up in Tristan's bed? She frantically looked around, relieved that he wasn't there. She quickly tidied the bed, trying to act as if nothing had happened. The whole incident made her feel guilty at breakfast as she nervously watched the expression on his face. But seeing that he appeared indifferent as usual, she sighed in relief, thinking he hadn't returned to his room last night. Just then, the devil suddenly called for a maid. "Go change the bedding in my room." Genevieve froze, unable to swallow the bread she had just bitten into. She looked at Tristan. He smiled gently at her. "Is my bed warm?" She involuntarily shivered, feeling a chill run down her spine. She lowered her head, pretending not to have heard his question. … Herman lazily lounged in a chair. His feet were propped up on the edge of the desk, and he looked every bit the spoiled heir. Tristan couldn't stand the sight of it. "Don't you have anything else to do? Why are you always running to my construction site?" "The construction site is great. Watching the workers toil away, I can feel the real world, the hustle and bustle," Herman replied with a carefree attitude. "You're insane!" Tristan shot back. At that moment, Ethan suddenly looked outside and said, "Hey, isn't that Mrs. Burtman?" Herman, who had been lounging, immediately straightened up. His eyes gleamed with interest as he looked in the direction Ethan had pointed. After a moment, he teasingly smirked. "So it's her." Tristan shot Ethan a glare. "Keep quiet!" Herman glanced at Tristan and then at Genevieve, his eyes twinkling with a mischievous grin. As expected, Genevieve was again rejected from the construction site and didn't get to meet the new boss. Dejected, she was about to leave when someone called out to her. "Our boss says you seem sincere, so he's giving you a chance." She felt her heart lift with hope. "So I can enter the construction site?" "No... you need to try over there first. He wants to see how you perform. If you do well, you'll get the chance to work on the site." She was then led to a pile of bricks and gravel. Her task was to use a wheelbarrow to transport the bricks and gravel to a nearby construction site. She carefully loaded the bricks into the wheelbarrow one by one, then used a shovel to load gravel into another. Once both wheelbarrows were full, she pushed them to the construction site a few feet away. This was her chance to get onto the site, and she worked energetically. At the project department, Herman grinned as he watched the determined figure under the blazing sun. "Well, well, well... Mrs. Burtman looks small and delicate, but she's got some strength. It's been three hours, and she's still going strong. If she has this much energy in bed, you might be unable to keep up." Tristan glanced at him coldly. "How pathetic. Are you so bored that you have to play with trash?" "Trash?" Herman raised an eyebrow mockingly. "How can you say that about Mrs. Burtman? Look at her legs and face—everything about her is beautiful. She's not just any woman. If you don't want her, plenty of others would." Tristan glanced outside, his gaze darkening. The person helping Genevieve was her former senior, Alexander Thatcher. Genevieve, believing this was her chance to join the construction site, pushed herself to keep going despite feeling unwell. By evening, however, she was told, "You're not suitable. Leave." Her strength drained instantly, and she nearly collapsed, but Alexander caught her. Tristan caught sight of this scene. He silently spun the pen in his hand, slowly withdrew his gaze, and told the manager, "From now on, if she shows up, kick her out." "Got it, Mr. Burtman." Exhausted after a full day of work and still sick, Genevieve felt dizzy and struggled to walk. Upon hearing the sound of a car behind her, she tried to step aside. But suddenly, her legs gave out, and she collapsed to the ground. Ethan quickly slammed on the brakes, looking at Tristan in surprise. Tristan, expressionless, watched her struggle to get up and apologize. Ethan asked softly, "Should we pick up Mrs. Burtman?" Tristan looked away and said coldly, "Drive." Ethan didn't dare to ask further and silently started the car engine. Tristan stared at Genevieve in the rearview mirror. Her discomfort was apparent as she leaned on her knees and gasped for breath. After a moment, he spoke again. "Back up." Ethan froze, confused. Genevieve felt dizzy and uncomfortable when the car suddenly reversed and stopped beside her. The window rolled down, and she saw Tristan's cold profile. "Get in the car," he ordered icily. She instinctively declined, "No, thank you." "If you pass out here, my grandmother will blame me. You can die, but don't make me look bad." She took a shaky breath. What a cruel man. But in the end, she entered his car, knowing she couldn't walk any further, and the area was too deserted for her to catch a ride. She didn't ask why he was there. She just leaned back in her seat, closing her eyes. Only when the car stopped did she feel anxious, instinctively clutching her abdomen. "Why did you bring me here?"