I Once Married You (Harper and Benjamin)
Chapter 86

Chapter 86 Let Me Hug You

As she was about to finish her sentence, she was kissed.

The distance was so close that it only took a second to kiss her lips.

Lately, the two had been busy and had little intimacy. This kiss made Benjamin feel a bit out of control, even prompting him to nibble lightly.

Harper, realizing what was happening, instinctively struggled, but Benjamin had been prepared and grabbed her hand, raising it above her head, not giving her any chance to refuse.

The kiss lasted a long time, and Harper felt her energy draining away. Her legs felt limp, almost causing her to stumble, but thankfully, his hands were gently supporting her.

Benjamin didn't continue, but he didn't release her either. With his burning gaze fixed on her slightly swollen lips, even his breathing became heavier.

Benjamin's said in a husky voice, "Harper, you really affect me."

Harper looked at him innocently, thinking, "I haven't done anything, so how could I be affecting him?"

Meeting her gaze, Benjamin lightly traced her mouth with his fingers and said, "Don't give me that look, okay?"

The implication in his tone was heavy, and Harper finally understood what he meant by her affecting him. Her cheeks instantly burned hot.

She instinctively tried to push Benjamin away, but he pressed even tighter. Harper was almost being driven crazy by this intense intimacy, so she muttered, "Benjamin, let go. I'm uncomfortable." "What's wrong?" Benjamin asked with concern.

"You're too close to me, you're stealing my air."

"Try to blame me some more?" Benjamin smirked, his face exuding a hint of roguishness that couldn't be imitated by anyone else.

Harper pressed her lips, looking displeased.

He raised his hand, gently stroking her hair, and said, "Let me hug you, I won't do anything, okay?"

After that, he held her gently in his arms, with the smile on his face widened.

The hug lasted for a while. Benjamin asked in a hoarse voice, "Your friend is coming to Mayby tomorrow, as hosts, we should treat him to dinner. Is there anything he can't eat? I'll have Curtis reserve a private room at the Silver, okay?"

Harper shook her head. "Benjamin, you don't have to go to all this trouble. He's a bit socially anxious, so I was planning to pick him up and have dinner with him by ourselves. As for accommodation, he has made his own arrangements. I don't want to disturb him too much, he's coming this time for work reasons."

Benjamin's face visibly darkened. He squinted and asked, "Harper, you don't want me to meet your friend? Do you feel embarrassed to have me in front of your friend?"

"No, why would you think that?"

"Then why don't you want me to meet your friend? Is it because he's a man and you feel awkward, or do you simply not want me to meet your friends?"

His attitude was firm as if he was determined to meet her friend.

Knowing Benjamin's lack of interest in such matters, Harper was puzzled by his sudden interest in every detail.

She thought, "Is he worried about me tarnishing his image?"

Harper looked helplessly at him and finally said, "Benjamin, I really didn't mean it. If you're willing, I need to ask him first. If he agrees, then we can arrange to have dinner together. Is that okay?" Benjamin didn't explicitly agree, but he didn't disagree either. It was more of a "you arrange it, you decide" kind of attitude.

Harper suddenly felt a headache, thinking, "What on earth is going on with Benjamin lately?"

She shook her head, not dwelling on it too deeply. After all, they were bound to divorce sooner or later. Paying too much attention to his every move and change wouldn't benefit her, especially in the long run when they eventually part ways.

However, Harper was quite surprised that since Benjamin's scandal with Lauren hit the headlines, the two hadn't interacted much. Given that they usually went home together after work, Harper could confirm that Lauren hadn't called. As for whether any messages were sent, she wasn't sure.

Of course, Lauren did message him, but Benjamin didn't respond at all. Lauren didn't want to continue bothering him and risk annoying him, so she could only bear her inner dissatisfaction and vent on her alternate account on Twitter.

She had written quite a few posts on her alternate account.

The most recent post was half an hour ago. She wrote: [We love each other, but because of her appearance, his family obstructed us in every way, and he ended up marrying her. I thought about leaving forever and never showing up again, but their relationship wasn't good. They're just getting married to appease the elders. Recently, he discussed divorcing her, and we would start anew. She clearly agreed but suddenly changed her mind, using the elders to block and pressure him into a dilemma. A marriage without love won't last, but I don't want to hurt a girl, so I want to take the initiative to leave and never reappear.]

Although it was on her alternate account, her die-hard fans knew about it. In just half an hour, the post had garnered over three to four thousand comments.

All of them were in support of the protagonist in the post, criticizing "her" for being too manipulative.

Some fans even speculated: [Lauren, is the protagonist really you? We feel for you, baby. We really want to know who that 'her' is, to be so manipulative.]

[Goddess, we support you in guarding love. We're always here for you.]

[Hugs, Goddess!!]

Watching the support and love from her fans, Lauren felt particularly relieved.

But amid her happiness, there was a troubling matter. There had been no news from Isaac yet, and she couldn't reach Benjamin either.

To save her dignity, she had hinted to industry insiders that her new song would be related to Isaac, so this needed to happen. Otherwise, her current glory would be a big slap in the face. Lauren told herself that continuing to be cold with Benjamin wasn't the way to go. After a night of thinking, she finally had an idea.

The next morning, she drove alone to the Martin Group.

This time, instead of going straight upstairs as usual, Lauren sat in the car and called him. "Benjamin, sorry to disturb you. Are you free now?"

"I'm in the office, preparing for a meeting. Do you need something?"

"In that case, I'll wait for you downstairs at the Martin Group. It's nothing important, just that last night before going to bed, I vaguely remembered something about that matter..."

"Why didn't you call me directly last night?"

Benjamin's voice sounded urgent.

Lauren pressed her lips together and said, "I was afraid you were still angry and wouldn't talk to me, so I didn't dare call you. Benjamin, I really know I was wrong. Can you please not ignore me?" She clasped her hands tightly, feeling anxious and afraid that Benjamin wouldn't be willing to talk to her.

But the final result was as she had hoped. Benjamin calmly said, "Come up first, okay?"

"You're having a meeting. If I come up, I'll disturb you."

"I'll have Curtis come down to escort you. Come up first, okay?"

Although his voice was gentle, his face was shrouded in a haze of cold detachment, making it difficult to discern his emotions.

As Benjamin waited for Lauren to arrive, his face remained cold.

Curtis knocked on the office door. "Mr. Martin, Ms. Davis is here."

Benjamin then composed himself. His eyes softened as he said, "Lauren, please have a seat."

Lauren nodded and took a seat, and he sat across from her.

Benjamin poured her a glass of water and asked, "Why didn't you come up directly?"

"I was afraid of disturbing you," Lauren replied softly, with a hint of appeasement and fear in her eyes. Frowning slightly, Benjamin asked, "Lauren, are you blaming me for the punishment from that incident?"