"Hey..." Sophie Sullivan raised her hand and scratched his back a few times.
He grabbed her hand, yanking it from his back. The man’s low voice warned, "Behave!"
Pain filled Sophie Sullivan’s face. She lowered her thick, long eyelashes, which trembled delicately. Her long, upturned lashes quivered like a butterfly’s wings, casting a soft shadow beneath her eyelids.
"Thomas Shannon, enough!"
Thomas Shannon understood without her needing to say a word.
"As long as you behave, I won’t do anything to you, got it?"
Sophie Sullivan pursed her lips. "I know..." she said reluctantly.
Thomas Shannon got off her and sat up, taking her slender wrist. "Let me see."
Her skin was so delicate that even slight pressure would leave a red mark on her fairy skin. He had tugged her hand just now and wondered if he had hurt it.
Sophie Sullivan instinctively pulled her hand back, not wanting him to see. "What do you want?"
"To look at your hand. What else did you think I wanted to do?" Thomas Shannon sneered. "Get those ridiculous thoughts out of your head."
"Who... who has ridiculous thoughts?" Sophie Sullivan jutted out her chin, her words articulate.
Thomas Shannon replied, "It’s best if no one does." This little scamp, still daring to talk back.
A harsh smile touched the corner of Thomas Shannon’s mouth. In the next second, a strong force pulled Sophie Sullivan towards him. Inertia sent her tumbling into his embrace.
The man forcibly gripped her wrist. He lowered his head, carefully examining it.
He was right; a ring of fingerprints was indeed visible on her snow-white skin. He hadn’t controlled his strength when he’d pulled her, leaving the marks.
His deep eyes gazed at her. "Does it hurt?"
"Tch." Sophie Sullivan sneered. Who was so cruel just now? And now he’s feigning concern, asking if my hand hurts. Doesn’t he think he’s being hypocritical?
"Speak properly." Thomas Shannon flicked her on the head.
A dull sound resonated.
Sophie Sullivan almost bristled. "Thomas Shannon, are you crazy?!" She rubbed her head; it really hurt. That bastard didn’t hold back at all!
It had to be said, she looked rather cute when she bristled. Thomas Shannon’s thin lips curled slightly. "I told you to speak properly, but you wouldn’t. I already gave you a chance."
"Let go! I don’t need your phony concern." Sophie Sullivan was determined to pull her hand free, but the man’s grip was too tight. She struggled a couple of times but couldn’t break away. Furious, she glared at him.
Thomas Shannon, knowing when to stop, rubbed her wrist and asked with a smile, "Not hungry? Let’s go down the stairs and eat."
"Not hungry. Not eating."
"Unless... you beg me."
Thomas Shannon said, "Then you’d better just stay hungry." Beg her? Impossible. Not in this lifetime.
Sophie Sullivan turned her head away, muttering, "Absolutely no sincerity."
"If you really wanted me to eat, wouldn’t you just carry me down the stairs to eat?"
Thomas Shannon closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and resignedly bent down, scooping her up in his arms.
The corner of Sophie Sullivan’s lips curved as she rested her head in the crook of his neck. "Thomas Shannon, see? If you’re a little nicer to me, I’ll like being close to you even more. Why don’t you confess your feelings? Maybe I’ll fall for you soon."
"Who was it that said they admired me before?"
"No, it was a disobedient little puppy!"
Sophie Sullivan flared up, tightening her arms around his neck. "You dare call me a little puppy?!"
"A confession without being pressed?"
Thomas Shannon’s dark eyes, which seemed capable of seeing into a person’s heart, stared intently at her. "Maniac, of all the things you say, which are true, and which are false?"