Chapter 23

The next second, a ball hit Sean's back. The kids playing soccer under the trees picked up the bouncing ball and ran away. It was only then that Wendy fully grasped the situation. If Sean hadn't reacted so quickly, she would've been struck in the face by the ball, even if it was just a kid's toy. If that had happened, she would've inevitably ended up with a nosebleed. "Thank you, Captain Horton. Are you alright, though?" Wendy lifted her head to gaze softly at him. A soldier had quick reflexes, indeed. "I'm fine." Sean was tense, his muscles rigid and veins prominent on his temple, betraying the calm he tried to project. He quickly retracted his arm from her waist and put some distance between them. … On the balcony, Norman and Laura craned their necks as far as they could. Although they could only see their lower halves, they caught sight of Sean's "heroic" attempt to save Wendy from the incoming ball. "Sean is such a knight in shining armor. I can't believe he fell for her at