I Walked Away And He Lost His Mind (Zephyra and Steven) novel Chapter 373

I never thought Horace would look at me like that.

Horace snapped back to his senses, a look of regret on his handsome, pale face. He muttered something under his breath, then pushed himself up with his crutches, his eyes full of apology.

"I'm sorry. I said we'd take it slow, but I lost control just now. Did... did I scare you? I won't do anything so forward again. Please don't be angry, okay?"

I was scared. My expression was tense. I wasn't ready to be intimate with Horace; my mind and body were still stuck in friend mode.

But for a couple, something like that wasn't really crossing a line.

Besides, we'd grown up together. This pace should be considered normal... right?

Just as I was about to say something, Rachel walked in, sighing as she dragged her suitcase behind her. "I'll go help Rachel," I said quickly.

Horace's brow furrowed. "Zephyra..."

I had already darted out of the room. I grabbed Rachel's suitcase, surprised by its weight. "This is so heavy. You're not leaving already, are you?"

Rachel waved her hand, looking completely exasperated.

"Don't even ask. I knew your... I mean, I knew Steven's negotiation with Hugh was doomed to fail, but I never imagined he'd be this ridiculous."

"You have no idea. During the meeting yesterday, Steven didn't even try to butter Hugh up with the vintage wine he brought, nor did he discuss much business. He just kept drinking with Hugh, got him drunk, and then took off, leaving me to clean up the mess all night."

"Drunk Hugh is impossible to deal with. He cornered me and made me listen to his rambling theories about the market all night. I was so annoyed, I still haven't recovered."

"I just scheduled the next meeting with Aether Studio in Ixia. My boss wants me back there ASAP, so I have to leave."

My eyes flickered as I remembered what Steven looked like yesterday. No wonder he reeked of alcohol; he'd been drinking with Hugh.

He must have been drunk. Normally, he wouldn't just ditch a business partner like that, nor would he have said all that nonsense to me, let alone claimed to like me.

"Okay. When's your flight? I'll see you off."

Rachel glanced at her watch. "It's tonight. I still have some time to hang out with you guys."

I pushed her suitcase into the hospital room and turned to find Horace standing at the doorway on his crutches, watching me intently. His lips were pressed into a thin line, as if he was afraid I'd run away.

He reached out, saying meekly, "I'll get that. You and Rachel should sit down."

Feeling awkward, I cleared my throat. "It's fine, I've got it."

Rachel was the first to react, rubbing her arms.

"Whoa, I'm getting goosebumps! Horace, you're so cheesy! You should save those sappy lines for when you're alone with Zephyra. This... this is PDA, and it's totally uncalled for!"

Horace smirked. "Couldn't help it. You'll have to forgive me."

Rachel scoffed.

Standing beside Rachel, I looked at the handsome, devoted man before me, and my heart fluttered as if brushed by a feather.

I knew his heartfelt words weren't just for show. He truly loved me with his life. Anyone else in the world might hurt me, but he never would. He would even stand in front of me to shield me from harm.

I thought to myself: Horace, I will not let you down.

The atmosphere relaxed. The three of us ate fruit and reminisced about the good old days, feeling an almost surreal sense of happiness.

Suddenly, my phone buzzed with a text message. I ignored it, assuming it was just spam.

But it buzzed several more times in quick succession. Finally, I couldn't ignore it any longer and glanced down. As I read the messages, the smile on my face froze and my expression changed dramatically—