Sorry Too Late (by J.J. Twelve) novel Chapter 40

As Graham offered the drakeblood root, he subtly angled his body toward the doorway, clearly hoping to be invited inside. “I’ll accept the gift, but you won’t be coming inside.” Ivana took the drakeblood root without hesitation.

“But Ms. Stanton…” Graham froze when she accepted the treasure yet still refused him entry. And just as she was about to shut the door…

“Ivana, you have a call-

”

A man’s voice drifted down from the second floor, stopping both Ivana and Graham cold.

“Answer it for me!” Ivana quickly called back upstairs. Moments later, muffled conversation filtered down from above.

Graham stood there like a statue, completely stunned.

“There’s… a man in Ms. Stanton’s home? No wonder she wanted me gone so quickly… But isn’t she the iconic career woman- the modern, independent powerhouse who never needed a man?‘

His gaze lingered on the door, turning oddly speculative.

‘But why does that voice sound so familiar? It almost sounds like Evan…‘

“No. It can’t be…”

However, the more he listened, the more he thought it did sound like Evan. But before he could lean in for a clearer listen, Ivana slammed the door shut. Graham had no choice but to leave.

Still, this trip had been a major win.

Not only had he met the legendary Queen of Finance and successfully delivered his gift, he’d also uncovered a secret. She was hiding a man at home! And that voice… it had sounded suspiciously like Evan’s.

But that didn’t matter. What mattered was that the Golden family had officially formed a connection with the Queen of Finance!

Little did he know that it truly was Evan upstairs.

“The Iron Dragon was just calling to check on you. Once he heard you were fine, he relaxed,” Evan said, relaying the call.

Ivana casually tossed the drakeblood root into his hands. “Here. The drakeblood root you needed.”

“That man really went all out, didn’t he?” Evan chuckled. “If he finds out the treasure he brought for you ended up in my hands, he might actually lose his mind.”

As he spoke, he opened the ornate box. A vivid, blood–red root lay inside, glowing faintly.

A spark of excitement flickered in Evan’s eyes.

With this drakeblood root, he could push further into the Ninefold Arcane Arts, mastering skills he had only scratched the surface of. That vast ocean of power was still largely unexplored, and he had barely touched the tip of it.

“Now no one will disturb us…”

To Ivana, the medicinal ingredient meant nothing. She lowered herself in front of Evan again, tilting her head as she looked up

at him. Her half–loosened blouse slipped across her shoulders, revealing the smooth curve of her back.

The air between them grew heavy with heat.

Evan noticed that her skin looked even softer fresh out of the shower, and he swallowed hard. “Uh.. Ivana… I’ll start now.”

“Mm. Go ahead,” she murmured.

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He could hear the tension in her voice. He didn’t know if she was afraid of the ritual itself or simply nervous that it would be the first time a man touched her bare body. Her hands gripped the sheets tightly, every inch of her skin drawn taut

“Ivana, relax. You can‘

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