CH 20.1

20. I’m going to kill him myself. (1)

“What have you done, Ariad?”

“I…I…”

She stuttered as she felt his intense scrutiny on her side profile.

Her heart pounded from suffocation.

Was she ruined?

No.

Joshua had no idea that she had burned the paper yet.

No matter how smart he was, how could he see through everything and try to stop her?

So-hee didn’t know what to do.

Should she just go out of there?

“I mean…”

She turned her head to make eye contact with the crown prince.

He might have appeared silent and calm, but she swore she saw a dangerous glint in those blood-red eyes as he pressed his lips into a tight line.

He glowered at her with an icy countenance that she knew so well.

“I d-didn’t do anything.” She stuttered with another lame excuse instead of leaving the study as planned.

There was nothing she could say in front of a scowling prince who hadn’t even moved an inch.

“Are you sure you didn’t do anything?”

When she felt deep anger coming from him as if he already knew what she had done, So-hee kept her mouth shut out of embarrassment.

Soon, Joshua’s office became silent enough that they could hear the sound of each other’s breathing.

Suddenly, Joshua picked her up, approached the wall next to the window, and propped her.

Her legs trembled when she realized her soles couldn’t touch the floor.

“What are you doing?”

A sharp breeze came through the open window as raindrops began to fall from the sunny sky.

After closing the window, Joshua slowly swept his index finger at the window pane.

Some of the burnt paper’s ashes—-which So-hee failed to throw away due to the wind rushing inside the office—still remained, dyeing his fingers black.

Damn it.

So-hee cursed inside as she watched him.

Not closing the window and removing all the ashes was a mistake she couldn’t afford.

Joshua stood closer and tilted his head in interest, “What is this?”

Ariad’s vulnerable form was pressed tightly between the wall and the crown prince’s torso.

When So-hee avoided his gaze, she found another crucial mistake of hers.

From the right side of her peripheral vision, she saw that she didn’t close the third drawer, placed the ashtray in the middle of the desk, and moved Joshua’s teacup when she shouldn’t have.

She could have probably escaped this interrogation if she had just put his items back in their original position and closed the drawer.

However, Joshua suddenly grabbed Sohee’s right hand, wearing a strange expression on his beautiful face.

She gasped in surprise when he smirked at her, lowered his head, and kissed the back of her hand.

The little spot where his lips landed was red from the fire that accidentally burned her hand.

Joshua didn’t lose his smile, but his gaze was still cold.

“Ariad, I had no idea how you knew about this and got rid of that paper, but it won’t be easy for you to do next time.”

‘Next?’ Sohee’s lips trembled when she realized what Joshua had just implied. ‘So, there’s something else besides this document?’

“Do you think this is the only way to kill Deon?”

Her nostrils flared in chagrin in front of the wicked crown prince.

She couldn’t believe he was acting out of the script.

Joshua lifted So-hee, dazed and confused, without breaking a sweat.

His uniform’s gold insignia made his arms a little uncomfortable.

Meanwhile, Joshua was moving around like they had all the time in the world.

“Thanks to you. I want to kill more of them.” He said casually.  That gentle yet eerie tone never failed to scare her like this. “I’m going to kill him myself, Ariad.”

The only thing left behind her faulty plan was her readers’ reviews about the violent and twisted male lead.

So-hee exhaled a deep breath and closed her eyes shut.

The future of her web novel was dark.

* * *

He knew what she had done.

“How did you know, Ariad?” He whispered low in her ears.

“What?”

“About the paper.”

Her stupid excuses wouldn’t work in front of someone who had already figured her out.

The intelligent man had recognized So-hee’s intentions just by looking at the messy space.

Joshua smiled, slightly biting his lower lip. “Now I know.”

“….”

“Is this why you’re being sweet to me, Ariad?” He asked in a seductive whisper before he removed her from the wall and sprawled her on top of the table.

Joshua stared into the depths of her purple eyes.

Without removing his gaze off her, he gently pushed the third drawer close.

“This is a misunderstanding, Joshua—-”

Her lying lips were determined to cover up her sins, but they went shut from the cool words that followed.

“Ariad.” He caressed her purple hair gently. You’re making it hard for me when you keep acting like you didn’t do it.”

So-hee’s pupils trembled at Joshua’s soft voice.

“I didn’t mean it, Joshua. I——This is an entirely different matter.”

One finger of his slowly swept a stray strand away from her pale face.

The tender gesture should have been romantic.

Yet, why did she feel threatened?

“Ariad. You’re a terrible liar, you know? Even if you try to fool me, I can see it all on your face.”

So-hee swallowed hard and cursed inwardly.

Joshua pulled down the tie and ran his fingers through his dark hair.

His blood-red eyes glittered like rubies underneath the glorious mess.

“Still, I understand you.”

Suddenly hearing his gentle tone despite the tense atmosphere made her eyes widen in surprise.

“What do you mean?”

“I understand that you would do everything to save Deon. You love him that much, huh.”

“No. No. It’s not like that. You got it all wrong. This has nothing to do with him. I don’t even like Deon.”

“You did this for a man you don’t even like? How am I supposed to believe that, Ariad?”

This was just a series of embarrassing events.

Her poor planning, which she failed to execute correctly, left her in a difficult situation.