Worship The Ground You Walk On
Chapter 48 I Still Love You

The office on the top floor of the Crawford Group was decorated in a dark style, which looked so relaxing and graceful. It felt a bit distant, but in a comfortable way. Almost all the decorations were black and brown, which gave away Ben's personality. He was a man of high aspirations, a born conqueror, and had an imposing manner.

Hanna sat on the sofa and took a sip of the black coffee served by the secretary. She liked it to be sugar-free. That was her preference.

She was surprised that he still remembered this after so many years.

She somehow felt sentimental. As her long eyelashes slowly raised, she looked at Ben through the vapor. His profile was very handsome, and every move he made seemed so confident and steady. "Is Claudia okay?" She suddenly asked. Her voice was plain, without any other intentions.

Ben looked sideways at her. Then he stared at her, narrowing his bright eyes.

"It has been raining for the past two days. Did she catch a cold?" Hanna asked again.

He still sat there silently, saying nothing.

Her eyebrows knitted and she asked, "Why are you so quiet? Did she catch a cold? Is it serious?"

She was asking those questions very nervously. Ben could tell she cared about Claudia, and the questions were sincere.

She wasn't faking. Ben was looking into her eyes. She took Claudia as her friend, and this was typical Hanna. She was always taking care of other people and seldom would she make herself the priority. That was what Ben found hard to accept.

This was how Hanna was now, and this was also how she had been back then...

A girlfriend who Hanna grew up with told her she had feelings for Ben. The girl begged Hanna to give up on Ben. She sugar-coated her intention and played every trick she could. At last, Hanna gave up on her relationship with Ben for her.

Then old Mrs. Crawford passed away and her last will was unveiled to the public.

Ben had to marry Claudia because that was the only way for him to fulfill his grandmother's last will, so that he could obtain the heirship of the family group.

It had been so many years, but the pain and struggling felt like yesterday. His calm face became sullen.

He felt even more annoyed when thinking of this, but Hanna didn't read his mind. She thought something serious must have happened to Claudia, so she took out her mobile phone in a panic, and sent Claudia a message.

When she was focusing on texting, her arm was suddenly grabbed by Ben. He took over her phone forcefully and threw it away. Before Hanna could react, she had already been turned over. They were looking at each other face to face, breath blending.

"Is she the only topic you have with me?"

Hanna paused for a few seconds when she heard that.

Then she suddenly chuckled.

Her smile was very charming. The two pretty dimples and her glamorous look made it fabulous.

Seeing Ben's sullen eyes, Hanna couldn't help asking, "Why are you mad? Claudia is my friend, so are you! You should be happy that I'm getting along so well with your wife!" Happy?

That word came to be very harsh to Ben.

Why would he be happy?

The ex that he couldn't get over with suddenly showed up. She was talking about nothing but another woman. How could he be happy?

"Ben, you should be aware of the fact that you're married now." She sounded hesitant, but she was surely indicating something. Then she continued, "I don't care what you have in your mind, but above all, you should care more about Claudia. She's your wife!"

Ben closed his eyes for a few seconds to avoid the intense confrontation. Then he let go of her and turned back to pick up a cigarette.

As soon as he held it in his mouth, Hanna took it away and said, "You should quit smoking."

He looked at her with anger surging deep in his chest, but for some reason, he couldn't take it on her.

Hanna was still smiling. It lingered on her lips and dimples.

"I've got to go now. Thank you for your investment in the gallery!" She said as she grabbed her purse.

Ben was a bit surprised. Then she added, "You had those two gentlemen invested in my gallery. I knew they had never been interested in art before, and that didn't seem like a sudden whim to me. So the only reason must be..."

It must be Ben.

"I know that there were only two men in this world who would offer me unconditional help."

"One is my father and the other one is you."

A woman would only say that when she had the deepest trust and affection towards this man.

She was still smiling, but with sadness in her eyes. She would never understand how much it hurt to Ben when he saw her forced smile.

In the depths of Ben's eyes, some complicated thoughts flickered. His heart tightened and felt uncomfortable.

"Thank you for always being so good to me!" Hanna said. She was standing before him, and grinned a decent smile.

He lowered his head, eyebrows raveled into knots.

"Okay! I'm leaving now. Bye!"

As she was about to turn back and step away, Ben suddenly grabbed her wrist from behind. Then she was pulled back.

Hanna lost balance and fell on Ben's tough chest. He hugged her tightly. Leaning on his chest and smelling the familiar smell, her faked toughness and indifference immediately collapsed. "You still love me, don't you?"

His voice was deep. His arms embraced her tightly, making it hard for her to breathe.

Hanna was still in shock. She stood there in a daze awkwardly, with her arms hanging by her side.

Ben wouldn't let her go. He put his arms around her waist, and with his charming voice he whispered to her again, "Don't lie to me. I want to hear the real answer from the bottom of your heart." He wanted her to draw a line to clarify her feelings for him.

He thought that was an easy request,

but that was so hard for Hanna.

After a while, he couldn't wait to get the answer. Before he let go of her, she suddenly gave him the answer.

She slowly put her hand around his waist and used equal strength to hold him back. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and tried to feel this person that she had dreamed of for a thousand times.

"..."

Her voice was trembling. Soon, tears rolled down her cheeks. Her nose felt sore as if she had sniffed onion.

She was very emotional right at that moment. She couldn't keep lying to herself and him anymore. She could wait no longer. She said out loudly, "I love you! I still love you! That bothers me a lot. Ben, you're married now. I'm so ashamed that I still have feelings for you. Shame on me to try to stay in your arms for a little longer!"

"I've never been so humble and shameless. I envy Claudia every time I see her. She married you, and now you're living together, having a baby... that used to be my dream!"

"Ben, what should I do? I love you, but I don't want to ruin your family. I don't want to break Claudia's heart. I don't want to be a bad woman..."

She poured out her heart and cried like a rainstorm.

She couldn't stop shedding tears in his arms.

He slowly let go of her hand and stared at her. His brows furrowed because his heart ached for her. He wiped the tears off her cheeks with his fingertips. Then he said with a gentle voice that he seldom used: "Stop crying, I've been missing you, too."

The two hugged each other tightly. The room was filled with a romantic air. Claudia, who accidentally passed by the office, eavesdropped on their conversation. She was already stunned by all kinds of thoughts.

The document in her hand fell to the ground.00000000