My First Love Died, Now My Step Uncle Wants Me-Chapter 87: Just a Hug

The warm breath on Nina Wynn’s ear tickled, and she recoiled in subconscious disgust. She took a few involuntary steps back, putting distance between herself and Finn Prescott, and watched him warily. "What do you want?"

Finn Prescott raised an eyebrow, then reached out and scooped her to his side. He forcefully took her hand and pressed her finger onto the phone’s lock screen.

Just as he expected, the phone unlocked.

He found her contacts, typed in his own number, and dialed it. Then, he pulled up WeChat and added himself.

With that done, he tossed the phone onto the bed.

Cradling her kitten, Nina Wynn stood about two feet away from him, her eyes lowered. Her thin bangs shifted across her smooth forehead, obscuring the expression in her eyes.

From Finn Prescott’s angle, he had a perfect view of her soft, crimson lips and the faint little mole just above them.

’For some reason, that’s incredibly alluring.’

He stared at her, his gaze darkening. "If you dare delete me on WeChat, I’ll tell your uncle everything about that night we spent together."

Nina Wynn didn’t even look up. Her voice was soft. "Mr. Prescott, you’re in a serious relationship with Crystal Rhodes, yet you’re secretly adding me on WeChat. It’s a bit strange, don’t you think?"

Finn Prescott’s handsome brows rose. He reached out, ruffled Nina Wynn’s hair, and said in a low voice, "Speaking of strange, I find the relationship between you and your uncle far more peculiar."

Nina Wynn’s heart leaped. She bit her lip and whispered, "He’s my uncle. What’s strange about that?"

Finn Prescott watched her with a smirk. "He even micromanages the time you spend with your cat. You don’t find that strange?"

Nina Wynn didn’t answer, but the hand stroking her kitten froze.

Finn Prescott’s tall frame closed in, pinning Nina Wynn in a corner. He narrowed his eyes, looming over her. "Nina Wynn, is he really your uncle?"

Backed into a corner with nowhere to go, Nina Wynn could only lower her lashes and say flatly, "If he’s not my uncle, is he yours?"

Finn Prescott suddenly frowned, his tone tinged with displeasure. "He said just now that you aren’t a member of the Rhodes Family."

Nina Wynn’s heart sank a little, but she said nothing.

’Of course I’m not part of the Rhodes Family. I never have been. And now that my own aunt has abandoned me, I probably can’t even set foot in the Rhodes’ house anymore.’

’But what does that have to do with Finn Prescott?’

She said in a low voice, "That’s none of your business."

Finn Prescott tilted her chin up, forcing her to meet his gaze. He looked into her dark eyes and said gravely, "You’re not a Rhodes, and yet he’s so concerned with you. Could it be you two are in *that* kind of relationship?"

Nina Wynn’s face went white. She snapped her head up. "What are you talking about?"

Finn Prescott stared straight at her, as if trying to discern the truth in her words.

After a long moment, his finger pressed against her soft lips, tapping once. He murmured, "There’d better not be. I’m quite interested in you."

Nina Wynn frowned. The intimate touch made her uncomfortable.

She didn’t let it show, however. Forcing herself to endure the feeling, she lowered her eyes and said softly, "Aren’t you getting engaged to Crystal Rhodes?"

The rough pad of Finn Prescott’s thumb slid across her tender cheek. His voice was low. "If the engagement were to you, I’d be willing to give it a try."

Nina Wynn didn’t say anything, just bit her lip gently with her eyes still downcast. "I’m not interested in other people’s things. Especially things Crystal Rhodes has had."

Finn Prescott smirked at her. "Aren’t you two sisters?"

Nina Wynn said nothing, just lifted her eyes to meet his.

She was truly beautiful. Her eyes were jet black, and when she looked at someone with such seriousness, her gaze seemed incredibly focused, almost full of deep affection.

It was as if the person before her was the one she loved most in the world.

Under that gaze, Finn Prescott was momentarily stunned. He reached out, grabbed her waist, and pulled her against him. His voice was hoarse. "Who taught you to look at someone like that?"

Nina Wynn’s expression was innocent, as if she had no idea what he was talking about.

Her long lashes fluttered, and her voice was small, seemingly laced with a hint of struggle. "You’re my sister’s boyfriend. Don’t... please, let me go."

Finn Prescott raised an eyebrow, a roguish smile spreading across his handsome face. "Drawing such a clear line, are we?"

Nina Wynn lowered her lashes, her voice small and soft. "The Rhodes Family might not like me, but I can’t go after someone else’s boyfriend."

Finn Prescott narrowed his eyes and let go of Nina Wynn.

He was very tall, around the same height as Caleb Rhodes. Just having him stand before her was enough to create immense psychological pressure.

Nina Wynn lowered her head, biting her lip, refusing to speak or look at him.

Finn Prescott just stared at her. After a long moment, he asked, "Is it that you don’t dare go after him, or that you don’t want to?"

Nina Wynn shot a quick glance up at him before quickly looking away again.

Her gaze was shy and timid, laced with a hint of evasion.

Finn Prescott felt a prickle of desire. He lifted a hand and gripped her chin, his tone demanding. "Answer me. Is it that you don’t dare, or you don’t want to?"

Keeping her eyes downcast, Nina Wynn simply said flatly, "How long do you plan to stay in my room? Aren’t you afraid of someone seeing you?"

Finn Prescott clicked his tongue, his thumb stroking her delicate cheek a few times. "I’m not afraid of being seen. Are you?"

Nina Wynn didn’t answer.

He narrowed his eyes and murmured, "Tell me, have you thought about me since that night?"

Still, Nina Wynn said nothing.

Finn Prescott tightened his grip, his voice cold. "Speak!"

Nina Wynn bit her lip and let out a soft "Mm."

Finn Prescott froze for a second, then a smile lit up his eyes. But before he could speak, Nina Wynn continued, "I don’t want anything of Crystal Rhodes’, and I certainly won’t touch her man."

After saying her piece, she pulled Finn Prescott’s hand away and said flatly, "You should go. It wouldn’t be good if someone saw you."

She pushed him away, set the kitten on the bed, and started toward the bathroom.

Before she reached the door, Finn Prescott suddenly lunged forward and wrapped his arms around her from behind.

Nina Wynn’s body went rigid. Just as she started to push him away, he said, "Let me hold you. Just for a second!"

’Being held in his arms like this, I feel like I’m submerged in sewage. It’s so disgusting I want to throw up.’

But she forced herself to endure it.

Thankfully, Finn Prescott was true to his word. He held her for only a moment before letting go.

He looked at her and said in a low voice, "Message me on WeChat if you need anything. You can call, too. If I message you and you don’t reply, I’ll tell everyone everything."

Without turning around, Nina Wynn whispered, "Just go."

Finn Prescott said no more. He turned, left the room, and vaulted over the balcony railing to leave.

Once she felt Finn Prescott was gone, Nina Wynn hurried into the bathroom.

Without a moment’s hesitation, she ripped off her clothes and stood under the showerhead, frantically scrubbing her skin.

She scrubbed the places Finn Prescott had touched until they were raw and red, nearly breaking the skin.

She lost track of how long she’d been showering. Only when the nauseating feeling finally subsided did she step out of the bathroom.

The moment she stepped out of the bathroom, she saw Caleb Rhodes sitting in the armchair by the window. His gaze, fixed on her, was piercing and ice-cold.

Under his stare, Nina Wynn had the distinct and chilling feeling that he could see right through her, that none of her thoughts could be hidden. Her scalp tingled, and she took an involuntary step backward.

The truth was, Caleb Rhodes had never truly laid a hand on her, yet she was terrified of him.

This fear felt as if it were carved into her bones, woven into her very DNA. In his presence, she always felt completely exposed, as if he could see right through her. She was as helpless as a shadow with nowhere to hide in the blazing sun.

She subconsciously hid her hands behind her back, not daring to lift her head. "Uncle," she whispered, "weren’t you in a meeting? Is it over?"

Caleb Rhodes’s eyes fixed on her hands, his expression growing darker. His tone was as cold as splintering ice. "Was someone in your room just now?"

Nina Wynn started, her body giving an involuntary shudder. The hands hidden behind her back clenched into tight fists.

’Does he know? Or did Finn Prescott tell him something?’

’But I’m not going to admit it.’

She shook her head, her face pale. Her voice was small and soft, but her denial was firm. "No!"

Caleb Rhodes stared at her, his well-defined jawline clenched tightly. The very air around him seemed to crackle with frost.

This was the sign he was about to lose his temper.

Nina Wynn kept her head down, not daring to look at him, but she could feel the dangerous atmosphere intensifying. It became difficult to breathe, and a chill ran down her spine.

"Come here," Caleb Rhodes said, forcing down his rage.

’She dares to lie to me again!’

’That younger Prescott was gone for nearly half an hour. When he returned, I caught a familiar scent on him. It was faint, mixed with the smell of tobacco, but I still caught it.’

’It was Nina Wynn’s scent.’

’Nina Wynn herself didn’t even know. The fragrance used on her clothes and in her room was one he had specially commissioned. It was a matching "couples" scent to the one he wore. His was cedarwood; hers was white rose.’

’Her version was just so faint that it was almost undetectable unless one was paying close attention. Combined with the other floral scents in the courtyard, the fragrance was easily missed.’

’But just because others couldn’t smell it didn’t mean he couldn’t. He had been holding her to sleep every night recently; that familiar scent was etched into his very being.’

’He knew she wouldn’t dare do anything with another man, but the thought that they might have met twice before, that they had spent so much time together in a confined space, made him unable to suppress a torrent of dark thoughts.’

Seeing Nina Wynn frozen in place, the frost in his eyes deepened, and his voice turned to ice. "Nina Wynn. You’re lying to me?"

Nina Wynn’s face grew even paler, her fingertips trembling uncontrollably. She still didn’t dare move forward.

Caleb Rhodes narrowed his eyes, the dangerous tension in the air thickening. "Come here!"

The two words were practically ground out from between his teeth.

Nina Wynn hesitated, but finally, she slowly shuffled over to him.

Even though he was sitting and she was standing, she still felt as though he were looking down on her.

That feeling of being scrutinized from on high was awful, as humiliating and debasing as being stripped naked in broad daylight.

She kept her head bowed, her soft, pale fingers twisting together nervously. Her voice was barely a whisper. "Uncle, I wouldn’t dare lie to you."

Caleb Rhodes said nothing, his eyes boring into her.

’It was better when he was speaking. At least then she could gauge his mood and try to predict what he might do or think.’

’But when he fell silent and just stared like this, it was terrifying.’

’When he was silent, he was like a predator lurking in the shadows, its presence completely undetectable. But the moment it decided to strike, it would pounce and deliver a fatal blow.’ 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

This side of Caleb Rhodes was utterly terrifying to her.

’She didn’t know how to dispel his suspicion. All she knew was that he seemed to enjoy seeing her depend on him.’

After a moment’s thought, she gave him a timid glance, then slowly and deliberately settled onto his lap.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and looked at him.

Right now, Caleb Rhodes’s face was like a cold, hard mask. Even his thin lips seemed to be sealed behind an unyielding shell.

At a loss for what to do, she shifted slightly, then closed her eyes and slowly, gently, pressed her lips to his.

She didn’t know how to kiss, so she just mimicked what he did, gently taking his lip between hers and nibbling on it softly.

But Caleb Rhodes remained completely still. Aside from his body stiffening slightly, he gave no reaction at all.

After kissing him for a moment with no response, Nina Wynn grew even more frightened. She pulled away from his lips and lowered her head, her face drained of all color.

Caleb Rhodes’s voice was like ice. "You think this solves the problem?"

He reached out, grabbed her chin, and forced her to face him.

"Nina Wynn, I’m giving you one chance to explain. If you dare lie to me again, the consequences will be far more severe than you can imagine."

He enunciated every word, his voice thick with a rage that sent shivers down Nina Wynn’s spine.

She wrung her hands tightly and whispered, "I wasn’t lying."

Like a lost child who had done something wrong, she mumbled in a tiny voice, "Just now... just now, Roy and I were on the balcony and we ran into Finn Prescott. Crystal Rhodes’s boyfriend."

Caleb Rhodes’s body stiffened, and his eyes grew even darker.

"Did he enter your room?"

Nina Wynn bit her lip and shook her head. "No. He was standing by the railing, smoking. He just said a few words to me. Roy had jumped out of my arms, and he helped me get him back."

She glanced nervously at Caleb Rhodes. Seeing his face turn even colder, she lowered her head in fear, her voice shrinking. "The last time, at school... I was scared of you, so I hid in his car. That’s how we met."

Her soft, pale hands were clasped together so tightly her fingertips trembled. "I know he’s Crystal Rhodes’s boyfriend now. I won’t talk to him much. Uncle, that time at school, I didn’t know he was her boyfriend, or I never would have dared to get in his car."

After finishing, she lowered her eyes and remained perfectly still, as if awaiting sentencing from Caleb Rhodes.

Caleb Rhodes’s grim expression didn’t soften in the slightest. He continued to watch her coldly. "And what about that night?"

"The night of the thunderstorm at the hotel... did you see him then?"