Act Like You Love Me (Jessica) novel Chapter 202

Chapter 202

Daphne’s POV

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The morning sun in China felt different: clearer, somehow, as it spilled through the sheer silk curtains of the guest suite.

I stirred, my mind a foggy landscape of jet lag and half-remembered dreams, until I realized I wasn’t alone.

The mattress was heavy beside me. I didn’t need to open my eyes to know who it was; the scent of sandalwood and expensive soap was a dead giveaway.

I remembered the night before; the way he had scooped me up from the couch like I was a special egg and dropped me onto the bed.

I had expected him to leave, but the steady, calm sound of his breathing throughout the night told a different story.

I peeked through my lashes. David was fast asleep, his face turned toward me. Without the guarded mask he usually wore he, he looked younger. Vulnerable, almost.

One of his arms was thrown carelessly over the middle of the bed, his large hand resting just inches from my

waist.

My heart did a little dance against my ribs. I was paralyzed by a mix of mortification and a tingle that traveled straight down my spine.

We were supposed to be faking it for a cruise, not actually sharing a bed in his cousin’s house.

Suddenly, the door creaked open.

“Breakfast is-”

The voice cut off abruptly. I bolted upright, my face instantly catching fire. Jessica was standing in the doorway, her hand frozen on the handle.

She was wearing a simple silk robe, her blue eyes wide as they darted from my messy hair to David, who was only just starting to groan and blink at the sudden intrusion.

“Oh!” Jessica squeaked, a playful, knowing grin spreading across her face. “I am so sorry, I didn’t think… well, I didn’t think you two would still be tucked in so tight.”

“Jess,” David grumbled, his voice thick with sleep as he sat up, rubbing his eyes. “Ever heard of knocking?”

“I did knock! You two were just… busy dreaming,” she teased, her eyes twinkling. She looked at me, and t wanted the floor to open up and swallow me whole.

I clutched the duvet to my chest, my ears ringing with embarrassment.

“Breakfast is ready downstairs. Don’t take too long, or Adrian will eat all the pastries. He’s on a mission this

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Chapter 202

morning.”

She winked at me before pulling the door shut.

I buried my face in my hands. “I am going to die. I am actually going to die of shame.”

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David let out a dry huff. “Relax, Daphne. She’s seen and done worse. Besides, it only helps the story.”

“The story doesn’t involve me being a blushing mess in front of your sister-in-law,” I muttered through my fingers.

“You’re doing fine,” he said. He turned slightly, and for a second, his hand lingered on my shoulder-a brief, grounding touch that sent a fresh spark through me.

The springs of the bed groaned under David’s weight as he sat up.

I watched the muscle in his back tense as he stretched, his shirt tightening over his shoulders.

“I’m going to use the bathroom in the other guest room to give you some space. I will meet you downstairs.”

He stood up, his tall frame cutting a striking silhouette against the sunlight, and walked out without another

word.

I sat there, frozen, staring at the empty space where he’d been. The door clicked shut, and I immediately collapsed back into the pillows.

“What did I get myself into?” I grumbled into the fabric, kicking my legs under the covers in a fit of pure, unadulterated frustration.

My life was officially a complicated, messy, beautiful disaster.

Getting ready felt like preparing for a theatrical performance. I spent too long in front of the mirror, smoothing out a dress that didn’t need smoothing and checking my reflection as if a different person might stare back.

When I finally made it downstairs, the dining room was already alive with the clink of silver against porcelain.

The breakfast table was a sprawling spread of traditional Chinese congee and Western pastries, but I barely tasted any of it.

I kept my gaze fixed firmly on my plate, finding the pattern on the china fascinating.

Across from me, David and Aaron were already deep into a conversation.

I could feel Jessica’s eyes on me from time to time, a playful glint in her blue gaze that made the heat rise in my cheeks all over again.

Every time David leaned toward me to pass the salt or offer a quiet comment, I felt like I was being watched by a microscope.

“We’re heading out,” David finally announced, pushing his chair back. The sudden movement made me jump

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Chapter 202

slightly.

He looked down at me, his expression unreadable.

“The meetings at the new headquarters are likely to run late. You’ll be okay with Jess?”

“I’ll manage,” I said. I tried for a confident tone, but it came out as a small, shy whisper.

I offered a tiny smile, hoping I looked more like a girlfriend and less like a deer in headlights.

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“She’ll be more than okay,” Jessica cut in, rising from her seat and hooking her arm firmly through mine. She gave David a pointed look.

“We’re going to have a girls’ day. Go play with your spreadsheets and leave the fun to us.”

David’s lips twitched-not quite a smile, but a shadow of one that softened the harsh line of his jaw.

He gave me a brief, lingering look, his blue eyes scanning my face as if checking for cracks in my resolve, before he turned to follow Aaron out the door.

The house seemed to exhale the moment the front door closed.

The heavy, pressurized air that followed men like them evaporated, replaced by the lingering aroma of toasted bread and the rhythmic patter of Adrian’s bare feet as he chased their children puppy down the hallway.

“Finally,” Jessica sighed, leaning her hip against the mahogany table. “I love them, truly, but they occupy a lot of oxygen when they’re in a room together.”

I laughed, the sound breaking out awkwardly. It was the first time I felt the tension in my shoulders actually give way.

“I noticed. It’s like the atmospheric pressure changes when they walk in.”

“Exactly,” she grinned, already beginning to stack the porcelain dishes. “So… do you have anything fun in mind for today?”

I immediately stepped in to help, taking a stack of saucers from her. An awkward, sheepish smile touched my lips.

“I’m not exactly a ‘fun’ person, Jess. My best friend, Lois, usually takes total charge of our social lives. Left to my own devices, I’m mostly a hermit.”

Just saying her name brought a pang of guilt to my chest. I hadn’t updated Lois on any of this. It felt weirdly selfish and desensitised to call her from a literal mansion in China while she was back home stressing over her family’s mounting bills.

A dark, intrusive thought flickered through my mind: Maybe I should lean into this. Play the role perfectly. get David to actually fall for me, and use his bottomless bank account to fix everything for her.

I shook the thought away, horrified at my own opportunism.

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Chapter 202

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“I get you, Daphne,” Jessica’s calm voice broke through my mental spiral. She took a glass from my hand and set it in the tray.

“I used to be extremely introverted. Painfully so. At least, until six years ago.”

The look in her eyes-a mix of distant shadows and sudden light-made me pause.

“What happened six years ago?”

She chuckled, waving a hand as if brushing away a stray thread.

“Never mind that for now. It’s a long story involving a lot of misunderstanding from my end. Today, we’re just going to spend the day doing simple, relaxing things.”

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