His Untamed Rose novel Chapter 74

Cedric didn’t pause as he moved, but his voice betrayed a sense of urgency. “Something’s happened with Winona. I need to go.”

Lumina was half-awake, drifting between dreams and reality, when an unexpected wave of irritation washed over her. It felt just like having her favorite childhood stuffed animal snatched away in the middle of the night.

She crawled to the edge of the bed, grabbing Cedric’s wrist, her sleepy eyes shining with a stubborn glint. “I never said you could leave.”

Cedric glanced at her delicate, pale wrist peeking from beneath the silk sheets. He gently slipped free, then leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to her lips, his tone coaxing but firm. “Don’t start.”

“Please don’t go, okay?”

Irritated, he pushed her back onto the bed, his warning clear and unmistakable. “Lumina.”

She tumbled onto the mattress, her thick, wavy hair cascading over her face and slender frame like a veil. Through the strands, she watched as he quickly fastened his watch, grabbed his phone from the nightstand, and walked out.

The door closed softly behind him, shutting her gaze out.

Lumina lay there in the same position until dawn broke, only realizing with painful clarity, when she was fully awake, that none of it had been a dream.

He really had left her last night, to go to Winona.

A gentle knock sounded at the door. “Ms. Jardin, it’s almost noon,” Nancy called softly.

Lumina rustled out of bed and opened the door, finding Nancy standing there with a steaming bowl of bitter-smelling medicine and a patient smile.

“Mr. Royce just called. He said your fever hasn’t completely broken, so you need to take your medicine on time. Why don’t you have this, then rest a bit more?”

“Don’t pick up after him,” Lumina said coolly, then turned and headed downstairs.

She sat at her dressing table, applying a subtle, polished makeup look and curling her chestnut hair into soft waves that framed her delicate face. Then she picked out a fitted t-shirt and a fresh pair of jeans from the closet—looking every bit the college girl, cute with just a hint of womanly allure.

She called a cab and made her way to “Pastureside Stable. ”

The grounds were even cleaner and brighter than she’d imagined—spacious and carefully maintained, like a first-rate country estate.

At the entrance, a hostess gave Lumina a once-over, her eyes lighting up in admiration. “Miss, do you have a reservation?”

Lumina smiled and shook her head. “I’m here to see your boss, thought we could have a little riding competition.”