Lahat ng Kabanata ng Daddies Taste Better : Kabanata 301 - Kabanata 310

I don’t know why. Maybe because my mother had spent so many years trying to convince the world—and herself—that Noah Ashford was nothing. And here he was, already treated like nothing by the very people who were supposed to love him. Or maybe it was the mystery of it. Whatever the reason maybe, I found myself being infatuated by him.I opened a new tab. Then another and searched old high school records, archived social media, news articles and after hours of digging, I did find fragments. A mention in a police report from seven years ago with charges dropped when Ashford legal team arrived. A blurry photo from someone’s old Instagram story, Noah in the background at a club, head thrown back in a laugh that didn’t reach his eyes. A single line in a business journal from when he was twenty: “Noah Ashford, once considered the future of Ashford Holdings, has reportedly stepped away from college to pursue independent interests.”Independent interests. That could mean anything, drugs,

SERAPHINA °❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ Riley’s smile faltered, as if she was genuinely shocked by my response. Did she seriously not realize how incredibly creepy she was being? Then she laughed lightly. “Oh. Okay. No problem. Maybe another time then?” I nodded, still smiling even though my hands were shaking. “Yeah. Maybe.” She stood there for another moment, studying me like she was trying to read something on my face. Then she gave a little wave, turned around, and walked back to her car without another word. As she drove off, I let out a shaky breath and leaned back against the trunk. Mr. James' eyes stayed sharp as he glanced between the road ahead like he was still expecting trouble. “Do you know her?” he asked quietly. I let out a shaky breath, still trying to steady myself after everything that had just happened with Riley but my hands were still trembling. “Um… yeah,” I let out, my voice small. “We met at school. She’s in one of my classes. Her name’s Riley.” A sudden gust of wind

Noah’s eyebrow lifted slightly, like he hadn’t expected that answer. He stayed where he was, leaning against the edge of the desk now instead of the doorway, arms still crossed over his chest.“Offended?” he asked, almost amused.“Shouldn’t I be?” I shot back. “You make it sound like I only got in because of my last name.”He didn’t argue and just watched me with that annoying poker expression of his. The silence stretched as he hovered near the desk, picking up one of my notebooks and flipping through it absently.I tried to refocus on my laptop, but it was impossible with him standing there. His presence filled the room in a way that made it hard to think straight. Every time I tried to read a line, I could feel his eyes on me or hear the faint rustle of pages as he kept flipping through my notes.After a few more minutes of it, I finally dropped my pen and looked up at him, exasperated.“I can’t concentrate with you here,” I said bluntly.Noah glanced up from the notebook, tilting

I blinked, still tasting the burn on my tongue when Noah snatched the glass right out of my hand.“Hey, that was mine,” I said, frowning up at him.He shook his head, still chuckling as he finished the rest in one go. “It’s okay,” he let out, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “You already proved your goddamn point. No need to torture yourself up over a stupid drink.”I crossed my arms, refusing to let it go. “As I said, I wasn’t trying to prove a point.”He scoffed, setting the empty glass down on the counter. “Sure you weren’t.”I smiled despite myself, watching the way the corners of his mouth still twitched like he was fighting another laugh. There was something almost soft in his eyes right now, buried under all that usual sharpness.I tilted my head, feeling bold. “Worried about me?”For a second, he just looked at me. Then, to my surprise, he answered without hesitation.“Yeah.”I stared at him, completely speechless. The word hung between us, heavier than I expected.

I watched him unzip the bag and my stomach dropped the second he opened it.Guns.The bag was filled with them. Handguns, mostly — sleek, black, and clearly well-maintained. They were packed neatly inside, wrapped in cloth to keep them from shifting. There had to be at least a dozen, maybe more. It wasn’t my first time to see one but it was certainly a first seeing that amount.I took a small step back, heart hammering but maybe the sound of my foot scraping against the stone was too loud, because Noah suddenly turned his head.Our eyes met.For a split second, I froze, bracing myself for the worst. I thought he’d stand up, confront me, and demand to know why I was spying on him. My mind raced with possible excuses I could give, lies I could tell. But he didn’t say a word.Instead, he simply turned back around, like my presence didn’t matter at all. His gloved hands moved calmly as he zipped the bag closed again, the sound of the zipper cutting through the quiet air. He brushed mor