In a Love Nest with the Aloof CEO
Chapter 69

With her improving dramatics chops, he could imagine how mucheffort she must have devoted towards honing her craft around Claudia.As Tanya watched him depart, the anguish on her face faded tonothing. Tobias was an astute one. Therefore, she was beginning to rueher decision, as now, she had to fret about where she might be able toreplace herself a baby.

The receptionist informed Tobias that Skylar had already checked out.His cellphone and watch were returned to him in a zipper bag. Anyoneelse who came across this might have taken it for a bequeathment ifthey did not know better.

When he got back to the villa, the wardrobe doors were wide open.Every compartment he checked turned up empty.

His lips twitched as he stuck a hand in his pocket. “Scurried off like amouse, she did.”

May fortune favor the good.

The last line on the note she left by the side table creased between hisfingers. The man was no good person, and he was not ready for theirtransactional relationship to end.

More accurately, he was not tired of her youthful body. He was notusually into girls her age, but to him, she was a novelty. The thought ofletting her off so easily was a little disconcerting.

Twenty-year-old like her straddled maturity and adolescence. A blankcanvas such as Skylar deserved an artist like him. It would be a pityshould she end up in the hands of another.

The man was confident that she would come back to him, even thoughshe was a bit of a handful. He liked women who were pliant andsubmissive, being never one for the thrill of the chase.

He had called several times but without success, as his number hadbeen blacklisted. It was just as well that she was so thorough, sincebombarding someone over the phone was not amongst his inclinationseither.

Unable to reach her, he could only wait until tomorrow to try to replace heron campus. He figured that it should not be difficult to locate her, as itwas not a big city. With the means she had at her disposal, the littlesparrow would not be able to fly out of his grasp.

When he exited the International Garden by himself, he was a littlemorose. His thoughts came to Sheldon, and he wondered whichnightspot that hedonist was at.

Sheldon tottered out of the nightclub towards his older brother whenthe latter came calling. The lad reeked of alcohol, and his upper bodyswayed unsteadily as though he could not replace his feet.

Just looking at that decadent appearance of his made Tobias want tosend the rascal’s soul down to be reforged in the fires of the netherrealms.

To get him to sober up, he took Sheldon to the tea room. Unlike hisolder brother, who had a flair for the refined, Sheldon was nevercomfortable in this cultivated setting no matter how many times theyhad visited it together. He much preferred the candor of an inebriatedstupor.

“Regarding the issue between Tanya and myself, if you could spendmore time with Mom and talk to her...”

Sheldon tossed back his cup and took the tea in a single gulp. He nowunderstood why Tobias sought him out of his own volition. “Whatever itis that you are thinking, don't. If I were to open my mouth, Mom'sgoing to kick me out of the house for sure. Marriage is going tohappen only once anyway, so like, why not just get it over with? It's notlike Tanya could control you afterward. Bring back a mistress or two, orwhatever. She won't be able to do a damn thing about it.”

The corner of Tobias’ lips lifted. “Just get it over with? I know what Iwant for myself. Would you like to be tied down by any womanyourself? To be shackled by the chains of marriage?”

Sheldon chuckled as he thought his older brother was trying to fob himoff. There was no way Tanya Hanson would be able to control Tobias,pregnant or otherwise.

It was clear to him that that woman was playing her last hand andgoing all-in against Tobias. He was intrigued to see how she would beable to wrap this show up.

Sensing a storm brewing, there was no way he was going to fish inthese turbid waters.