Once a Doormat Now Untouchable (Caleb and Sydney) novel Chapter 165

Tiffany gave a detached smile. “See, Mr. Hutton, we were never from the same world. You know it, and so do I-

“1

“Give me some time,” Raymond’s voice cut in, low and steady.

Tiffany narrowed her eyes, trying to clear the feverish haze clouding her mind. “What did you just say?”

Inside the apartment, Sydney slipped off her shoes at the door and glanced at the man across the room.

“Thank you for helping with Tiffany.” Relief softened her voice.

Julian’s mouth curved, barely a smile. “Thank me? Wasn’t that what you earned?”

Heat crept up Sydney’s neck, and she lowered her gaze. She understood perfectly. He meant her body had paid the price.

Before embarrassment could take hold, Julian placed a document on the dining table. “Sign this.”

She stepped closer and glanced down. Bold black letters spelled: Contract of Servitude.

Her head snapped up to meet his steady eyes.

“I have to protect my interests somehow, don’t I?” he said flatly.

“Fine.” Sydney reminded herself that Julian was a businessman, first and foremost.

His gaze pressed on her as she skimmed the contract line by line, then quickly scrawled her name.

He set a stamp pad beside her. “Handprint.”

‘Meticulous, as always,‘ she thought.

Pressing her fingertip into the ink, she muttered under her breath, “I’m not going anywhere anyway.”

Julian’s lips curved with meaning. “And if one day you decide you’ve gotten over your tantrum and are ready to dive back into your love–brained devotion, could I possibly stop you?”

He was pointing straight at three years ago, when she had insisted on marrying Caleb.

Sydney knew there was no way to explain. To him, trading marriage for a sliver of freedom would always look like blind infatuation.

“Not anymore.” She pushed the contract back across the table. “Signed and stamped. That’s enough, right?”

She hadn’t read the fine print, but she noticed it was light on restrictions. There were no clauses about tracking her whereabouts or rules about keeping their affair secret.

Perhaps those were simply assumed. The basic etiquette of being a mistress was too obvious to write down.

1/2

As she stood, Julian’s brows lifted faintly. “Leaving already?”

Her nerves jumped, mind spinning where it shouldn’t. Last night, her focus had been all on saving Tiffany, so she hadn’t been flustered. Now, her earlobes burned red.

“Tiffany’s waiting for me…”

“What’s the rush?” He rose and closed the distance with swift strides.

The faint scent of sandalwood surrounded her. Sydney stumbled back, nearly falling onto the sofa, as his arm swept around her.

His hand clamped firmly at her waist, just like that night in the car. The only difference was the thin layer of fabric between them. Still, the air felt no less charged.

Julian’s grip on her waist tightened as he leaned closer.

Sydney’s heart slammed against her ribs, her voice trembling. “I’m still on my period.”

He smirked faintly. “I don’t forget things.”

Lowering his gaze, he studied her small face—the nervous flutter of her lashes, the delicate slope of her nose, the soft curve of her mouth, pink and full, begging to be kissed.

The skin under his palm was just as soft. He kneaded lightly, and his voice dropped to a coaxing murmur. “Kiss

me.”