Rejected Heiress, Reigning Queen novel Chapter 213

Carter held Emma tightly, exercising every ounce of restraint he possessed.

His burning lips pressed against the delicate skin of her neck. Emma gripped his arms, trying to pull away, but his hold was ironclad.

"Carter, what are you—"

Her words were cut off by a sudden, sharp sting on her shoulder as he sucked gently against her skin.

"This will give us an alibi for tomorrow."

Carter left a cluster of blooming, suggestive marks along her collarbone and neck before scooping her up and carrying her back to the bed.

Afterward, the sound of the shower ran endlessly in the bathroom. Emma curled up under the blankets, her face burning as she pulled the covers over her head, unable to shake the memory of his heavy breathing.

The next morning at breakfast, Winifred kept stealing glances at Emma.

"Winifred, we'll skip the soup tonight," Carter said, faint dark circles under his eyes. "Let her body recover a bit more."

Hearing this, Emma's face flushed even deeper.

Seeing the marks on Emma's neck, Winifred knew the young couple had had a busy night. She nodded with a beaming smile. "Of course, whatever you say, Carter."

Emma purposely chose a high-collared turtleneck for the day to hide the evidence of their supposed passion.

Carter leaned back in the car, resting his eyes. Emma quietly observed him from the corner of her eye.

The memory of his agonizing restraint last night was still fresh. The fact that he was willing to suffer through it himself rather than cross a line without her full consent made her smile softly to herself.

Honestly, if they didn't have all this chaotic drama surrounding them, properly dating Carter Harrington might not be such a bad idea.

The car soon pulled up to the bidding auditorium, which was packed with representatives from various companies.

"Sitting in the audience? Don't tell me you're backing out of the bid."

Sebastian was already there. Seeing Emma bypass the representative seats, he looked surprised.

Emma shook her head. "VP Levi was discharged from the hospital."

Logan stood up, fully intending to clear the air.

But Dominic, sitting nearby, drawled lazily, "Your sister is the legal representative of that lab, remember?"

A flash of anger crossed Logan's eyes, but Dominic just smirked. "She chose to be the legal rep, and this was her idea to begin with. I kept her off the stage and pushed Tiffany up there instead. I'd say I'm doing you a massive favor."

"Logan, don't you believe me?" Gillian gripped his arm tightly. This time, she was going to make absolutely sure Emma's reputation was destroyed.

Their brief exchange wasn't lost on Emma. Her lips curled into a cold, mocking smile as she looked down at Logan.

Down in the front row, the project supervisors were reviewing the evidence Tiffany had provided.

"The authenticity of the samples submitted by CFT is currently under question. Therefore, we are temporarily suspending CFT's bidding qualifications."

The official's stern announcement echoed through the hall, but Emma's smile only grew wider.

"Businessmen should stick to business. Do you honestly think you understand pharmaceutical research?"