Chapter 55: Chapter 55: The Hungry Wolf Catches the Lamb

Rosalind had clearly never been in a situation like this, and she couldn’t hide how shaken she was.

But she still tried to maintain her calm composure as she answered earnestly.

"Yes, you may."

However, as if he hadn’t noticed her unease, Jon simply continued speaking.

"Good... Rosalind..."

He reached out his other hand, placed it on her waist, and with a gentle pull, brought her closer, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"Tell me, do you know what it means for a lady to knock on a gentleman’s door in the middle of the night?"

Under the dim lights of the lounge, the tall man’s figure completely enveloped the woman in his shadow, like a vicious beast that had caught its prey, waiting to devour a satisfying meal.

Rosalind felt herself completely enveloped by the presence of the man behind her.

This presence was scorching and aggressive, like an invisible flame that made her skin grow taut and her mind restless.

Although she had anticipated such a scenario, when the moment actually came, her voice betrayed her and began to tremble.

"I... I know..."

"As... repayment... for saving Miss Rhea... I have come... to offer... to offer..."

"Offer what?"

Jon’s voice was teasing. His hand was now gently caressing Rosalind’s taut, flat stomach, feeling the delicate skin beneath her soft silk nightgown.

"Are you offering money? Offering knowledge? Or something else? Hmm~?"

As he spoke, his index finger mischievously traced a light circle around her small, slightly indented navel. The movement was gentle, yet it precisely struck a weak point in her defenses.

"Ah..."

How could this Ice Beauty, who had never been so intimate with a man, withstand such a provocation? Her thin lips parted instantly, a trembling moan escaping them as her silver eyes misted over.

However, Jon had no intention of letting her off the hook.

As an adult, he certainly had normal desires!

If making a move on the more familiar Reya would be a psychological burden, he had no such qualms about Rosalind, a woman he barely knew who had delivered herself to his doorstep.

One of his hands continued its gentle caress, while the other held the back of her neck, forcing her head to tilt back until all she could see was the intricately patterned ceiling. His tone was coaxing, yet held a trace of cold inquiry.

"Come now. Tell me the goal you’re willing to sacrifice yourself to achieve."

Rosalind had now completely lost her usual calm and composure. Under Jon’s caresses and restraint, she could barely remain standing. She could only press herself tightly against the firm, broad body of the man behind her to keep from collapsing to the floor.

She gasped for air, her chest heaving violently, each rise and fall charged with immense emotional turmoil.

"You saved Reya, and... you saved me..."

"For such a great kindness... I... have nothing else to give you..."

"So I came... to offer myself..."

"Oh?"

Intrigued by Rosalind’s explanation, Jon slightly relaxed his hold on her neck.

"Aren’t you the director of the Birch Town branch? You should have considerable resources on hand, no? How could you have nothing else to offer as a bargaining chip?"

"Or are you just working for that Viscount Yed for free?"

This time, Rosalind did not answer immediately.

She steadied herself with a hand on Jon’s arm, composing her turbulent emotions before continuing.

"I... am someone who has lost everything..."

"If Lord Yed hadn’t taken me in, I would have died long ago in that turmoil..."

"To repay his kindness, I work for Lord Yed, but I don’t own anything from the Commerce Association... I am merely an employee under his protection."

As she finished, the silver-haired woman seemed to have momentarily forgotten Jon’s errant caresses. A trace of her former calm returned to her voice, along with a hint of moving determination.

"So, the only thing I can offer... is myself..."

Rosalind’s slender fingers trailed up the man’s arm, finally grasping the hand he had placed on her neck, twining around it like ivy.

She tilted her head back, her hazy silver eyes filled with a pleading look as she gazed at Jon’s profile, which seemed as if it would never be shaken by anything.

"Mr. Jon, I know you are a capable and wise man. So I implore you, please become Reya’s friend and protect her through this difficult time..."

This was her true purpose for coming to Jon tonight—to use herself as a bargaining chip to secure a powerful ally for Reya.

In these turbulent times, this was the only thing she could do for the girl she saw as a younger sister.

However, just as she had thought, the man behind her was not someone who would easily change his mind for the sake of a beautiful woman.

After hearing her words, Jon’s other hand, which had been roaming over her body, suddenly stopped. His previously playful tone vanished, replaced by a coldness that made her tremble to her core.

"So, this is also part of the deal?"

The silver-haired, silver-eyed woman’s heart tightened, but she answered nonetheless.

"If you agree... then yes."

"..."

A long silence.

It was so long that despair began to well up in Rosalind’s heart, and she even started to doubt if she had made the right call.

’Is my beauty not enough to move him?’

’Or does this man have some deeper, more far-reaching goal?’

’Could it be... he’s after Reya...’

Thinking of the red-haired girl she regarded as family, a flicker of conflict appeared in Rosalind’s silver eyes, but her reason ultimately suppressed the wild thoughts in her heart.

’No... that can’t be. If Mr. Jon wanted to make a move on Reya, he’s had plenty of opportunities...’

’He must just be assessing the risks...’

In a way, she was right, but not entirely.

Jon was indeed assessing and deliberating, but not on whether to get involved in the affairs of the Noble United Commerce Association as she imagined. He was considering something else entirely.

His gaze was lowered, as if in thought, but he was actually looking at a notification that had just popped up on his system panel.

[Ding! The words of the person before you seem to reveal a piece of information.]

To a player, a prompt like this often meant one thing—

’A personal quest!’

Jon’s gaze swept over Rosalind’s face, showing no emotion, but he felt a little strange inside.

’I never thought the day would come when a quest would be hand-delivered to me...’

After all, this kind of treatment was typically reserved only for those players at the cutting edge of the game, the ones with access to top-tier resources.

As a former ordinary player, he had found it difficult enough just to find a high-reward quest, let alone a super-rare one like this that could grant a [Follower]!

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