Once a Doormat Now Untouchable (Caleb and Sydney) novel Chapter 167

Chapter 167

With Tiffany still running a fever, Sydney stayed home and worked remotely instead of going to the lab.

By noon the next day, Tiffany’s fever had finally subsided. Only then did Sydney leave for work. The moment she opened her door, she saw Julian waiting by the elevator.

He stood tall, and the sunlight streaming through the glass behind him softened some of his sharp edges. At the sound of her footsteps, he glanced her way. “Going to the clinic?”

“The lab.” She closed the door behind her. The clinic had begun its New Year break, leaving her free to focus entirely on the research project.

They went downstairs together. Ever since the night before last, a faint nervousness clung to her whenever she was near him.

They had once been estranged like siblings, constantly at odds. Now, she was his mistress. The leap between those roles was staggering.

When they stepped out of the elevator, Sydney’s shoulders eased slightly. She headed toward her car, only to stop cold when she saw the rear tire completely flat. It must have been punctured somewhere along the way.

She checked the time. There was no way to fix it and still make the afternoon’s important research meeting.

A Bentley rolled up, and the back window slid down to reveal Julian’s sharp, flawless features. “Get in.”

Sydney hesitated. She could still call a cab and make it in time. But Julian’s cool voice cut in, “We signed a

contract.”

She remembered the clause that bound her to him at his beck and call.

With no choice, she opened the door and slid inside. “I know. I just need time to adjust.”

‘Brother… Mistress…‘ She needed space to bridge the two.

Julian studied the way she shrank from him. “Adjust to what?”

“Adjusting to being a mistress.”

He held out his hand. “Give me your hand.”

After a pause, she placed hers in his, holding herself rigid.

Julian frowned faintly. “Did you hold Caleb’s hand like this? I’m holding your hand, not chopping it off. What’s with the nerves?”

She faltered and lowered her head. She and Caleb had never held hands this way. At events, she had always taken his arm, never palm to palm.

The last time she had held hands with a man, it had been Julian. But then, she had been a child. He had walked her everywhere, her hand firmly in his. He had been the brother, she the little sister.

Unlike now. After all these years, it was natural to be nervous. She said nothing, but he could feel the soft hand

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in his palm slowly, haltingly relaxing.

She was adjusting to their new reality.

As Julian toyed with her fingers, his gaze drifted to the empty space beside them, wide enough for two more. He smirked faintly before he snapped his wrist sharply.

Sydney, still trying not to tense, was yanked forward and collided with him.

“Still nervous?” He lifted her chin, his tone a blend of warning and promise. “I don’t have much patience. Keep this up, and I won’t hesitate to skip straight to the end.”

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