Shattered Rose He Held On Tight novel Chapter 309

Chapter 309 Romantic

Chapter 309 Romantic

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The man holding Claudia suddenly tightened his arms, squeezing her hard enough to make

her wince.

She smiled a little, patted his back with the hand around his waist, and said, “But then I figured it out. If my whole life was just about making up for something, I might as well have died when I was six. Or better yet, never been born at all. I refuse to accept that. I believe my life can’t stay trapped here forever.”

She started with dancing, then painting—she had fallen into despair many times, but always got back up. For years, she’d fought to break free from the Lancasters.

Turns out, it was worth it. Because she never gave up.

“When I was little,” she said softly, “I loved riding on my dad’s shoulders. No matter what, he’d always hold me up. But later, I realized … the only one who could keep holding me up forever was myself.

“Of course,” she added with a grin, rising on tiptoe to kiss him, “now I’ve got you too.”

“Claudia,” he said her name, then scooped her back onto the stone ledge of the flowerbed. Turning around with a small tilt of his head, he asked, “Want a ride?”

Claudia laughed and climbed on.

He gripped her legs tight to steady her. Once she was settled, he smiled and asked, “Ready?”

“Uh–huh!” she said, nodding seriously. “Go, Sterling! Faster, faster!”

He took off with her on his back, running into the night. The wind tossed their hair, blowing away every bit of pain and bad memory.

All that lingered in the air was her clear, bell–like laughter–and his deep, warm voice telling her to hold on.

At the gate, the security guard leaned out from his post, watching the couple rush looking, glowing, and full of life. He couldn’t help but whistle.

“Guess rich folks can be pretty down–to–earth when they want to be.”

past–good-

He chuckled to himself. Mr. Romero and Ms. Lancaster really are something else. I could see the love between them from a mile away–sweet enough to make anyone jealous.

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19:59 Fri, Oct 17

Chapter 309 Romantic

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He shook his head and picked up his travel mug.

Man, youth sure is something. Back in my day, I’d been wild and passionate too.

Just… not with the stamina Mr. Romero had. Ahem.

4L)

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That night, Sterling was unusually gentle–so much so that it almost drove Claudia mad.

Tears welled up as she half–laughed, half–scolded him, her voice trembling between anger and embarrassment.

He only chuckled, eyes dark but full of warmth. “Did you keep count? How many left?”

Her answer came out as a jumble of numbers, which only made his grin widen. “Wrong again,” he teased softly. “Guess there’s a penalty for that.”

“Sterling, you’re the worst!” she cried, her voice catching.

“Hey, don’t cry,” he said softly, brushing his thumb across her cheek. “Let’s make it right, yeah?”

“Mm …” She let out a small sound.

But it didn’t help–she still felt overwhelmed.

Tears slipped down her cheeks as he kept trying to comfort her, his words a mix of coaxing and laughter, until the whole room seemed to fill with their messy emotions and quiet warmth.

The mix of too much wine and too much passion left the two of them holed up in the villa for another two days.

Thankfully, things had been quiet lately–even the Lloyds, who’d been restless and pushy before, had gone silent.

Maybe Donovan’s warning had scared them off. Or maybe they were just plotting something

new.

Sterling carried a sleepy Claudia out of bed, helped her get dressed, brushed her teeth for her, and then carried her downstairs to the dining table. He set a warm bowl of soup in front of

her.

“Wanna come to work with me after breakfast?” he asked.

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10:50 Fri Oct 17

Chapter 309 Romantic

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“No, she mumbled, pouting, her lips still a little swollen. Im not seeing anyone for a while

Yeah after all than anyone could tell what they’d been up to.

She figured she’d let Sterling deal with the embarrassment. He could handle it–he had thick skin any way

“Fine,” he said with a grin, leaning over to kiss her. “I’ll get off on time today. What do you want for dinner?”

“Cajun seafood stew!” Claudia’s eyes lit up immediately.

Sterling pinched her check, about to remind her that her throat was still sore, and spicy food probably wasn’t a great idea. But his instincts told him that saying it out loud might earn him a slap–so he wisely kept it to himself.

19:59 Fri, Oct 17