Done with Cheater's Coldness Shine in Rival's Arms novel Chapter 147

Chapter 147 I Couldn’t Help Myself

4. (71)

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Finished

“Miss Hart,” Mia mumbled, her words slurred and unsteady. “You’ve got so much going on at home. Why’d you come all the way here? You don’t have to worry about me. I’m fine, really. I just… I had a great time tonight.”

“I’m sorry… so sorry for bothering you,” she babbled, her eyes welling up with tears of embarrassment. “It’s all my fault… totally my fault.”

Mia was still in a daze when she spotted Quinn, and she immediately started apologizing, her cheeks burning with shame.

“Oh, cut it out. You don’t have to be so formal with me,” Quinn sighed, shaking her head. “But I need to get something straight right now. No more drinking yourself into a stupor like this, got it? You must be feeling absolutely terrible.”

She frowned, looking at Mia’s pale, miserable face with genuine concern.

If Mia hadn’t been so worked up over the guy she liked, she never would’ve drunk this much. Mia was usually such a level-headed, cheerful girl-bright and easygoing. For her to get this wasted, she must’ve been drowning in a flood of emotions.

Quinn helped Mia lie down on the bed, then fetched a towel to wipe her face. She’d always thought of Mia like a little sister. Seeing her fall apart over a crush made her heart ache.

And to make matters worse, the guy in question was her friend. But when it came to matters of the heart, there was nothing she could do. She couldn’t force feelings where there were none.

“Miss Hart, really, don’t bother with me,” Mia mumbled, waving a hand weakly. “I’m okay, I promise. You should go home and get some sleep. I feel terrible for dragging you our here so late.”

Even dead drunk, she still hated being a burden to others. Quinn sighed, at a loss for what to do.

Leo stood off to the side, watching the woman sprawled on the bed. Her cheeks were flushed, her lips moving as she mumbled nonsense, and for some reason, she looked… kind of cute.

It had been years since he’d looked at another woman this way. He couldn’t help but glance at her again, his curiosity piqued.

Maybe, deep down, he’d finally moved on from the woman he’d loved for so long. He’d never once thought about interfering with Quinn’s life or breaking up her engagement. That had never been his intention.

“I guess I’ll head next door if I’m not needed here,” Leo said, clearing his throat awkwardly. Just call if you need anything”

He didn’t want to stay in this room a second longer. He was scared of what he might feel, what thoughts might pop into his head.

After all, he and the woman in the bed were from two completely different worlds. They were incompatible. There was no point in getting tangled up with each other.

From now on, they should stick to business-nothing more, nothing less.

C

17:15 Tue, Jan 27 JMM

Chapter 147 I Couldn’t Help Myself

སཊཱི77)

71

Finished

“Sure, go ahead.” Quinn nodded. Having a grown man stay in the same room as a drunk young woman wasn’t exactly appropriate, so she was glad he offered to leave.

As soon as Leo stepped out the door, Mia seemed to sober up a little. When she focused her bleary eyes on her boss, she looked even more mortified than before.

I

“Mia, you’re looking a little more with it now, huh?” Quinn said, her tone turning serious. “Good, because we need to have a talk. From now on, no matter what event you’re at, if I’m not there with you, you cannot drink this much. You’re a young woman-you need to learn to protect yourself.

“Think about it-you were completely passed out tonight. What if one of those guys had bad intentions? What do you think would’ve happened?”

She didn’t mince words. This was a conversation that needed to be had.

“I’m sorry. I know I messed up,” Mia sniffled, her voice trembling. “I just… I got so carried away with everything tonight. You weren’t there, and Mr. Harrison was so nice to me. I couldn’t help myself.”

This was more kindness than she’d ever dared to hope for. She knew deep down that his thoughtfulness was only because Quinn had asked him to look after her, but that didn’t stop her from feeling happy.

“I get that you were excited,” Quinn said softly, her tone softening a little. “But you still have to look out for yourself. Don’t lose sight of who you are just because you like someone. Even if you two end up together someday, you still need to protect your heart.

“At the end of the day, the only person who can truly make you happy is you. No one else should have that much power over how you feel.”

Quinn looked at Mia with a worried expression. If Mia and Leo ever did get together, she knew Mia would give her whole heart to him. If Leo ever hurt her, Quinn would never forgive herself.

But there was nothing she could do. Mia was already head over heels, falling fast and hard. At this point, nothing anyone said would make her change her mind.

“I understand, Miss Hart. I’m so sorry for making you go through all this trouble,” Mia said, her voice finally steadying. “I’m really okay now. Please, go home. You’ve got enough on your plate with everything happening at your place.”

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