Mr. CEO's Young Mistress
Chapter 47: Quickened Heartbeat

He smirked and, in a light tone, started, "By the way."

As soon as Leonard spoke, Rosamond and Nathan's eyes left Sharon and turned to him.

Puvis also paused and turned to look at Leonard. "Oh, spit it out. Don't dawdle."

Rosamond looked at Puvis with displeasure and murmured, "Dad, why are you being so mean to Leonard?"

"I-I'm not! He's just speaking too slow." Puvis protested.

"You know you are," Rosamond muttered under her breath.

Puvis said nothing.

"I'm used to it, Mum."

Just when Rosamond hadn't intended to say anything else, Leonard voiced out innocently and pitifully.

Puvis's jaw clenched, and he glared fiercely at Leonard.

"Dad, Leonard's all grown up now, but you're still so harsh with him. Can't you just care for him a little more?" Rosamond asked Puvis, her heart aching for her son. Puvis tried not to roll his eyes when he saw Rosamond looking as if he had tortured Leonard. He bit his tongue so that Rosamond wouldn't continue yapping. Puvis looked at Leonard and humphed. "Just spit it out!"

He gritted his teeth silently and thought, "Bastard! Is it not enough to trick those in the black market? He even tries it on me now!"

Leonard cut Rosamond off before she said anything else, "We haven't decided on who to walk Sharon in for the banquet."

Leonard's words immediately soothed Puvis's ruffled feathers. Leonard raised an eyebrow and asked, "Grandpa, who do you think should do it?" "Of course it's me!" Puvis thought.

But, aloud, he answered, "It must be an elder from our family. You, Rosamond, and your father are all suitable."

Puvis had mentioned everyone present except for himself.

However, Nathan and Rosamond immediately frowned at the mention of them.

Leonard caught their expressions, and his playful expression returned to normal. He calmly turned to Sharon and asked, "Sharon, who will you choose?" With that, everyone's gaze turned back to her.

But Sharon was not as uncomfortable as last time, instead accepting their gazes with pursed lips.

"Sharon, who do you want to walk you in?" Puvis looked at her eagerly. He was obviously waiting for Sharon to choose him.

Sharon glanced at Nathan and Rosamond, who immediately averted their eyes. It was plain as day that they did not want to be chosen.

Of course, there was no way she would choose either of them, but she couldn't help feeling a little bitter by their obvious distaste.

...

But it did not bother Sharon too much. After all, they've been like that for a long time now.

Instead, she turned to Puvis, who was looking at her expectantly. "Grandpa, are you willing to do it?"

"Why, of course! Of course I am! You don't even need to ask. In fact, I think that it's my responsibility."

Puvis immediately dropped all pretense and laughed happily, patting Sharon's hand.

Puvis even raised an eyebrow and provoked Leonard, as if he was saying, "Ha! So what if you live with Sharon every day? In the end, she still chose me!" Leonard sighed silently and said nothing.

Sharon should have been happy to see Puvis so cheerful, but her heart felt heavy instead.

After the three of them left, the designer soon arrived with her gown.

Sharon's eyes sparkled with joy the moment she laid eyes on the beautiful dress.

Sharon's favourite colours were baby pink and cream yellow, and the dress that the designer brought out was a nude pink.

It was a tulle midi tube dress with a very fluffy bottom, and all over it were beautiful little flower buds in baby pink and cream yellow.

Although the gown was not the elegant style she was going for, it was still a cute design that suited a girl her age.

Even without trying it on, there was no doubt of the gown being a success.

Suddenly, a warm chest pressed against her back.

Sharon shivered and took a step forward.

Again, he followed her.

He was not actually touching her, but Sharon's cheeks still burned and her heart pounded.

She did not bother to take another step forward because she knew he would follow suit, anyway.

"Do you like it?" Leonard's attractive, deep voice came from behind Sharon's ear and her ear immediately turned red.

Doe-eyed, she swept her eyes across the gown and gave a small nod.

A large, warm hand touched her lower back, and she immediately froze.

She was about to get away before he said, "Try it on and see whether it fits you." He gave her a gentle push forward.

Sharon's cheeks heated when she realized she had overreacted. Leonard had only wanted her to try on the dress and nothing else.

She stopped holding her breath and breathed normally again.

In the room, Sharon finally put the gown on. However, despite countless tries, she still couldn't pull the zipper up.

After struggling around, Sharon's forehead was now covered in sweat.

"Sharon, are you done?" he asked calmly from the other side of the door.

Frustrated, Sharon frowned and said nothing.

"Sharon," the man called to her again.

Sharon sighed and answered gloomily. "Not yet."

He paused and asked, "Do you need any help?"

Sharon figured that there was no way she could zip the dress, so she called out, "Master Leonard, could you please get Kelley to help me?" "Alright."

While Sharon waited for Leonard to call for Kelley, she gave up trying to zip the dress up, turned around, and sat on the bed.

Almost immediately, Sharon leaped up. She twisted her neck to check the back of her dress.

The flowers where she had been sitting on had been flattened, and she quickly tried to fix it, sad that her beautiful dress was marred.

She put on a determined face and thought, "I'll never allow myself to ruin this gorgeous gown before the birthday banquet."

Out of the blue, someone knocked on her door.

Thinking that it was Kelley, Sharon held the dress close to her chest to prevent it from falling and wriggled her way to the door, careful not to step on the dress. She unlocked the door, opened it, and said, "Hurry, Kelley. Master Leonard—"

Sharon froze. She had thought that Kelley had been the one who knocked, but it had been Leonard.

Leonard's eyes darkened when he saw Sharon. However, his face was stoic and his voice was calm. "I couldn't replace Kelley."

"What? Did she go out already?" Sharon bit her lip, annoyed.

Leonard narrowed his eyes at her hand that was holding the dress to her chest and said, "I'll do it."

Sharon's eyes instantly widened, bewildered.

"I'll help you." Leonard said again and entered the room before Sharon could stop him.

Sharon blushed as she looked at him.

The sleeves of Leonard's black shirt rolled up to his elbows, revealing his bronze, muscular arms. With his hands in his pockets, he stood in the room, surveying her. Sharon's pale skin above the tube top soon flushed pink, matching the colour of her dress.

"What do you need me to do?" Leonard asked.

Sharon said nothing.

In the past, she might have asked him for help even if she was shy, but how could she ask him to do such an intimate action now?

Before she could come up with an excuse to refuse him, Leonard was already heading towards her.

Sharon shivered when she looked into Leonard's deep eyes.

Leonard stopped in front of her. He took his hands out of his pockets and placed a hand on her exposed shoulder. Sharon trembled uncontrollably from the warmth of his hand. Leonard ignored her shaking body. He clenched his hand lightly and pulled her closer.

Sharon's heart started beating wildly.

Suddenly, his other arm reached over her remaining shoulder.

Sharon's body stiffened, instantly standing upright.

The sounds of the zipper being pulled up, along with the light strokes of his fingers against her skin, they all flustered Sharon, making her heart skip a beat.

Even when Leonard finished, he kept his hand on her back, unmoving.

Sharon lowered her eyes and tried to control her shaking body, but to no avail.

Sharon found herself squirming under his intense gaze, uncomfortable at how intimate they had been. She shrugged her shoulders lightly and tried to distance herself from him. "Sharon," he suddenly called.

Without thinking, Sharon stopped in her tracks and lifted her head to look at him. ☐☐☐☐☐