His tone seemed to blame her, but his actions became increasingly distant.
Luana understood in her heart that he despised her, but she didn't understand why he was acting this way.
Perhaps it was the alcohol affecting his mind, causing him to act impulsively and get close to her.
She couldn't figure it out and didn't want to waste her energy trying to understand, so she just replied, "Mr. Moriarty, we've broken up. Isn't it normal for me to act this way?"
He blamed her, but it was he who had discarded her like a worn-out shoe. Why should he expect her to remain faithful to him?
Upon hearing this, Cline's body became even more rigid, and the cold aura around him intensified. Luana felt the chill to the bone and couldn't stop shivering.
She instinctively shrank back, not daring to lift her eyelids, fearing that she might provoke his anger and suffer a beating.
When a man reaches the peak of disgust and disdain for you, he often shows no mercy, just like Albion had done in the past.
To protect herself, her hands unconsciously rose to shield her chest, where her heart was.
Fortunately, Cline only held her and did not explode in anger because of her retort.
Luana's tense body gradually relaxed...
She could feel Cline's grip on her tightening, as if he wanted to meld her into his own body.
Confused, Luana wondered why he, who clearly despised her, couldn't resist holding her.
"Cline," she softly called his name.
His body stiffened again, and then he held her even tighter.
Luana vaguely felt that Cline might care about her, but thinking of his relationship with Runa, she hardened her heart.
She pushed him away, forced a smile, and said, "Mr. Moriarty, we're over."
She could be a lover for a single person, but she would never be a third wheel. This was her moral bottom line.
Moreover, since the moment she was tainted by Mr. Night, she and Cline were destined to have no future together.
She appeared polite and distant, as if determined to sever all ties with him. Seeing her like this, a faint, enigmatic smile appeared at the corner of Cline's lips.
His expression was tinged with disdain, even a hint of mockery, a stark contrast to the brief tenderness he had shown earlier.
"Do you think I was doing that for you just now?" he asked, pinching her cheek forcefully and shaking it, his tone icy and full of disgust.
"You should take a look at yourself. What makes you think you're worth my effort?"
Luana frowned, her eyes filled with confusion, and asked, "Then why did you just..."
Cline let out a cold laugh, which echoed harshly in the silent car. "The man you're clinging to now is the future son-in-law of the Moriarty family. I was just trying to deceive you into giving him up early."
Calvert was the future son-in-law of the Moriarty family?
Upon hearing this news, the confusion in Luana's heart vanished instantly.
She had felt Cline's behavior was somewhat abnormal earlier, and now she understood he had been trying to distance her from Calvert using seductive tactics.
After clarifying the reason, she didn't feel angry or embarrassed. Instead, she inexplicably felt relieved.
To be honest, she was quite afraid that Cline might have developed other feelings for her, which she knew she couldn't bear and didn't dare to accept recklessly.
Now, this might be the best outcome for her.
Looking at the cold and heartless man in front of her, a faint smile appeared at the corner of her lips, and she said, "Since Mr. Coburn is going to be your family, I definitely won't try to get close to him anymore."
Cline's originally furrowed brows slightly relaxed.
After a moment of silence, he added, "Stay away from Calvert."
Luana nodded. In fact, she didn't need his reminder. She also planned to stay far away from Calvert. After all, she wanted to live longer and didn't want to cause unnecessary trouble.
Cline didn't say anything more, and his gloomy and obscure expression gradually returned to his usual indifferent and distant demeanor.
Luana saw that he seemed to have completed his warning and didn't want to stay with her a second longer.
She hesitated for a moment, then mustered the courage to say, "Mr. Moriarty, could you please take me back? I'm really scared out here in the middle of nowhere."
Cline didn't even glance at her. He just started the car and sped back to the hotel garage in a flash.
Luana felt a surge of gratitude, quickly said, "Thank you."
After expressing her gratitude, she hurriedly reached for the central lock to get out of the car, only to find the door wouldn't budge.
She turned to look at Cline, her voice low and cautious, "Mr. Moriarty, could you help me open the door?"
Cline didn't respond. He just took out a slender cigarette from the pack with his long fingers, lit it, placed it on his thin lips, and took a slow drag.
Luana remembered that he used to not smoke. How had he picked up the habit in just half a month?
As she was observing him, trying to gauge his recent situation, he suddenly turned his head and looked straight at her.
"Who is Albion?"