Chapter 41 Exclusive Release Chapter 41 "Kiss me, Elijah..."
Yuan Ning was exhausted. Looking at the ceiling of the wooden house, she felt completely refreshed.
This may not be the scene she had always imagined should take place in a luxury hotel presidential suite.
But when she saw Elias's out-of-control, chaotic expression, she was speechless.
There were no silky Egyptian cotton sheets, no floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city lights, and no perfectly timed champagne before or after the event.
The air was filled with the smell of dry firewood burning and the damp, earthy odor of melting snow.
His arm, supporting him beside her, was still taut and trembling slightly. His golden hair, soaked with sweat, hung messily over his forehead, with a few strands even falling down and brushing against her cheek.
She messed him up.
Silence spread through the cramped wooden cabin, but it was no longer the tension or ambiguity of before; instead, it was a suffocating, almost deafening stillness.
All they could hear were their gradually slowing breaths, the occasional crackling of firewood, and the howling of the wind and snow sweeping through the treetops outside.
“Wynne,” he said.
"Hmm?" she responded, her voice rising slightly at the end, carrying a hint of feline languidness. She was still savoring the moment.
"You..." He paused, "Are you alright?"
There were pinch marks on her waist, and perhaps some bruising on her lower back where it connects to her buttocks.
Yuan Ning wanted to laugh. She reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down. She sighed softly in his ear, "I'm fine, better than you can imagine."
At this moment, the perfect embodiment of a certain orthodox, ancient, and exclusive upper class presents itself before her in its most primal, chaotic, and even vulnerable male form.
Nothing is inviolable.
On the way back, Yuan Ning began to feel weak.
The excitement receded abruptly like a tide, revealing the overused shell beneath.
The fatigue, soreness, and the hidden dull pain in her waist and hips that had been ignored just now truly awakened. With the bumps of the snowmobile, she suddenly hugged Elias's waist tightly.
She was pressed against his back like a lazy sloth.
Elias noticed her movement, a hint of tenderness flashing in his eyes, followed by even tighter lips and a taut jaw.
Wynne is now very dependent on him.
He was a gentleman.
*
“Skiing is a sport that requires precise judgment and risk control, Elias.” Arthur did not turn around, still facing away from Elias. “However, choosing companions, especially those who may enter the inner circle of the family, requires a discerning eye that is a thousand times more careful than judging the slope of the ski run.”
He slowly turned around, his icy blue eyes, identical to Elias's but with a colder, more rational look etched by the passage of time, calmly falling on his son's face.
Arthur van der Berg has a proud personality, but he doesn't deliberately target the guests of the van der Berg family.
However, he went on to say unequivocally: "I don't think she has the ability, or more accurately, the necessary background and stability, to be the next mistress of Van der Berg."
Elias's jawline tightened slightly, but he didn't immediately refute, instead calmly looking back at his father.
“Father, I will help her step by step to reach a point where she is capable enough to take on the responsibilities of the family.”
Just then, Theodora gently closed the book of poems in her hands and let out a barely audible sigh.
She raised her eyes, her gaze lingering for a moment on her son's tightly pursed lips before turning to her husband, her voice still possessing her characteristic, rounded, and authoritative tone.
“Arthur, you always have that arrogant look in your eyes when judging others. Including you, Elias.”
Her gaze returned to Elias's face, carrying a sharp reminder: "Perhaps you should ask her first, Elias. I don't think she wants to be the mistress of the Van der Berg family."
Theodora looked at her son with a half-smile, even a hint of disappointment in him.
It wasn't because he fell in love with a girl who wasn't "qualified" for him; quite the opposite.
She could see right through Wynne's ambition and games, but Elias could not.
“Elijas, I know you have good gentlemanly qualities and an innate sense of responsibility, but she is very arrogant and may not accept it.”
Elias wasn't incapable of understanding his mother's words; he may have overestimated his control over the relationship.
“Elijas, where is your pride? I mean, do you still consider your chastity sacred, solemn, something that can only be given to your wife?” Theodora’s voice lingered calmly.
In the midst of this stagnant silence, Linus had somehow moved from the window to the bookshelf, shrugged slightly, and said with his back to his brother, "In this day and age, love is no longer the same as marriage. What are you thinking?"
Elias could not deny that he felt hurt.
What he considers sacred and solemn, some people see as a game, while others think it is outdated.
But he couldn't accept it.
That is the cornerstone of his entire value system. This is how his parents and grandparents raised him, and he was never a hedonist who did not seek results.
“Elijas, the Winthrop daughter is the best fit for you. Our two families have followed the exact same tradition in raising children,” Arthur said.
Linus added, "It's rumored that Jasper Winthrop is dating a supermodel girlfriend, Dad, is that true?"
*
With two days left in the Christmas holiday, everyone at the manor in Gstaad quieted down and enjoyed their best rest.
Yuan Ning would quietly read in the sunroom every afternoon, with Elias sometimes keeping her company and sometimes working in the room.
She also needed to prepare for the upcoming Paris Métiers d'Art launch event, her mind preoccupied with how to utilize the resources that the event could provide.
In the evening, he would take her hand and go for a walk, and briefly kiss her in the shadows of the corridor.
Yuan Ning thoroughly enjoyed these tranquil, warm, and sweet moments, while Elias displayed remarkable gentlemanly manners, as if the out-of-control situation had been tacitly sealed away by both of them.
But Yuan Ning didn't mean she didn't want to; she was just... busy with work.
She had just finalized the dress and jewelry she would wear that evening, and she had also prepared several interview drafts. If she had the opportunity to talk to designers and celebrities, she couldn't let it pass by.
When Elias escorted her back to her room at night, he would give her a slightly longer kiss at the door.
Yuan Ning held her phone, ready to reply to Eleanor's message.
The other party just called her and said, "Wynne! Listen up, this is absolutely bombshell! I just got this from a key PR person at the Chanel Métiers d'Art, and it's not just a regular media or guest invitation, it's a job!"
You know about the private luncheon and VIP preview after the annual fashion show, right? This year, the assistant creative director in charge of overall coordination suddenly fell ill with acute appendicitis and is currently in the hospital; he definitely won't be able to make it. The entire team is in chaos, especially the reception and itinerary coordination for important clients in Asia and North America. We need to immediately find someone who understands the brand's core values, has top-tier client service experience, and can fluently communicate in Chinese, English, and French to temporarily fill in, at least until the core three days of the show.
I recommended you right away! It took almost no effort; your resume is simply amazing!
Listen, Wynne, this isn't just about saving the day. If you do well, this is your ticket to Chanel's core creative team. You'll have access to the top client lists, the innermost processes, and designers and master craftsmen you'd never normally meet. This is more valuable than writing ten columns; it's a real ticket!
Yuan Ning, held in Elias's arms, felt a rush of heat to her head, her face turning red.
The immense sense of opportunity made her tremble slightly.
Elias noticed her distress, released her, and held her head, asking, "What's wrong, Wynne? Are you feeling unwell?"
She leaned against the door, looking at him and smiling.
"Wynne, why is your face so red?"
His palms were dry and warm, and the concern in his icy blue eyes seemed especially focused under the corridor lamp. Yuan Ning leaned against him, still able to feel her rapid heartbeat pounding against his chest.
Yuan Ning tried to suppress her excitement. There was no use being anxious about her career, so why not enjoy the last Christmas holiday?
She reached out and hugged his neck, taking a couple of quick breaths.
A more primal, more intense impulse suddenly seized her.
She wanted to be happy.
She slowly leaned closer to him and breathed on his Adam's apple.
"Kiss me, Elias... Now, with a little force, okay?"
Elias was taken aback by her sudden request.
The tender concern in her eyes was covered by something deeper and more undercurrent.
Elias gently kissed her lips, his kiss becoming restrained once more.
Yuan Ning felt it wasn't enough; she wasn't satisfied with this.
So she grabbed his collar, then climbed up his neck, ran her fingers through his hair, ruffled it, and gasped for a kiss.
He remained unmoved, so she became even more aggressive.
The girl's lips were very sweet, and she almost recklessly demanded them.
Elias's eyes darkened.
The next second, Yuan Ning felt the world spinning around her.
His strong arms suddenly swept around her knees and back, lifting her up horizontally in his arms.
He tossed her in the middle of the bed covered with a thick down comforter.
The soft mattress bounced her up and down, and before she could fully react, he had already pressed down on her, his heavy body carrying her burning body heat and the crisp scent of cedar, completely enveloping her beneath him.
She smiled gently, casually draped her arms over his shoulders, and almost expertly wrapped her legs around his waist.
His eyes were full of cunning after his success.
He didn't kiss her immediately, but stared intently at her with those stormy eyes, as if trying to etch her image into his very being.
Their rapid breaths mingled in the air, so thick they could almost be drawn into strands.
She raised her chin again and pouted her lips slightly forward, and the man's lips pressed against hers.
Under the intense entanglement and sucking, Yuan Ning felt as if her oxygen was instantly robbed, her mind went blank, and she could only passively and passionately endure it, while broken sobs and responses overflowed from deep in her throat.
The bouncy mattress made noises as the two moved.
Yuan Ning was so weak from the kisses that her consciousness blurred, and she felt like she was melting.
She loved Elias, both physically and emotionally; he captivated her completely.
Just as she was about to arch her back to meet him, all her movements came to an abrupt halt.
He propped himself up, hovering above her, his chest heaving violently, his breathing frighteningly heavy.
Yuan Ning breathed heavily, urging him with her eyes, overwhelmed by an immense desire.
His hair was completely disheveled, with a few strands of sweat clinging to his full forehead.
God knows how captivating Elias was.
Unfortunately, the tide of desire in those icy blue eyes was slowly receding with astonishing willpower.
His thumb gently traced her slightly parted, swollen, and moist lips, which he had kissed, wiping away a trace of silver. The temperature of his fingertip was astonishingly hot, and he trembled.
“Wynne…” His voice was incredibly hoarse, with a grainy quality that still carried the lingering passion, yet it softened strangely. “Wait a little longer.”
He lowered his head and placed a tender, precious kiss on her forehead.
His meaning was too vague. Yuan Ning lay on the bed, staring blankly at him, the fire that had been ignited in her body still burning. She didn't understand.
He slowly propped himself up, and Yuan Ning wrapped her arms around his neck in dissatisfaction, demanding that he stay.
Elias froze in mid-air, helplessly reaching out to remove her hand from his neck.
"Get some rest." He glanced at her one last time, his eyes filled with complex emotions. "See you tomorrow."
Then he turned around, strode out of the room, and didn't even look back.
The door closed gently.
Yuan Ning lay alone on the messy bed, the air still thick with the scent of their passionate kiss. She raised her hand, her fingertips touching her still burning lips, then slowly sliding down to her waist where he had massaged her so vigorously.
She slowly closed her eyes, soothing her screaming body.
To some extent, she thought Elias was ungrateful.
She closed her eyes, buried her face in the pillow that still carried his scent, and let the lingering excitement and passion intertwine and ferment in the quiet night.
*
Theodora hadn't expected Elias to come to her study late at night.
She had just finished a call with a European arts foundation and was taking off her glasses and rubbing her temples.
The fireplace fire had died down, leaving only dark red embers, and only a floor lamp in the corner of the study cast a dim yellow glow.
Elias stood at the boundary between light and darkness, his figure tall and his expression calm, looking as if he had just returned from an important negotiation. No one would associate him with having just left a girl's room.
“Mother, we understand each other.”
His voice rang out in the silence, lower than usual, yet strangely clear.
Theodora looked up at him and raised an eyebrow slightly.
“I cannot place it within a vague framework that could vanish at any moment. It needs to be given the seriousness, stability, and clear direction for the future that it is commensurate with.”
Theodora frowned slightly.
An hour later, as Elias left the study, Theodora gave him only one last piece of advice:
“Elijas, this ring has been passed down for three hundred years. Do not let it be defiled, or your ancestors will not forgive you.”
*
Marriage is such a sacred thing; it is never a rosy dream.
It is filled with solemn vows, a covenant that cannot be broken for life, and a solemn union of two souls before God and the law.
Elias firmly believed it.
*
Due to work commitments, Yuan Ning needs to arrive in Paris a day early.
The Van der Berg family's Christmas is coming to an end.
Elias offered to accompany Yuan Ning to Paris, but Yuan Ning refused, saying, "You stay here and spend the last day of the Christmas holiday with your family. I can manage on my own. Elias, I don't want you to miss out on your family reunion because of me."
She was very considerate, and Elias watched her in silence.
Her fingertips, which held his hand, were slightly cool; her tone was gentle; and her smile was perfect.
“Wynne, I brought you here, and I can’t bear to leave you alone.”
“Elijas, I am very independent. I came to New York City alone when I was fourteen.”
Elias gazed at her for a moment, and to some extent, he felt that she shouldn't be putting on such an independent stance now, given their unusual relationship.
But he didn't dwell on it for long.
“Alright.” He nodded, his tone devoid of emotion. “Richard will arrange everything. Private jet, driver, hotel…”
“Thank you, Elias.” Yuan Ning’s smile deepened, and she stepped forward to plant a light kiss on his lips. “Don’t worry, I’ll call you when I get there.”
Elias accepted the kiss, without deepening it. His hand lingered on her lower back for a moment, with a silent, almost possessive tone, before slowly releasing her.
"Go," he said finally, his icy blue eyes unfathomable.
--
The plane began its descent, breaking through the clouds. Yuan Ning lifted her blindfold and looked out the window.
Paris unfolds under the gray winter sky.
It's not the glittering gold on the postcard, but a more real, massive object bearing the weight of history and the wrinkles of life.
The Seine, like a gray-green ribbon, meanders through the densely packed light-colored rooftops.
The Eiffel Tower peeks out from the distance, its cold steel spire barely visible. The city skyline is jagged, a stark blend of classical and modern elements, exuding a world-weary arrogance.
This is completely different from the pure and magnificent natural landscape of the Alps. The beauty of Paris is artificial, layered, and full of scheming and calculation.
It doesn't try to please anyone; it simply coldly displays its rules—to leave a mark here, you must be smarter, more resilient, and better at utilizing the rules than it is.
Richard's arrangements were as meticulous as ever. The plane landed smoothly at the private terminal of Le Bourget Airport.
But she refused the driver and car Richard had arranged for her to arrive at the airport. Instead, she walked out of the airport and hugged Eleanor, who had come to meet her earlier.
Eleanor was standing in front of a bright yellow BMW, looking down and rapidly tapping on her phone, her face displaying the focused expression honed from her experience in the world of fame and fortune, ready to engage in social battles at any moment.
“Wynne!” Eleanor looked up and saw her, immediately putting away her phone and opening her arms to give her a big, perfume-scented hug. “God, you look amazing! The air in the Alps is truly invigorating! But…”
She released her hand, looked Yuan Ning up and down, her eyes gleaming with shrewdness. "Your outfit is too understated. Is this the taste of the Van der Berg family? When we get to the city, we need to go to my hotel first. I have a few more stunning dresses. You should try them on first. We have to make a big impact on Paris!"
Yuan Ning's heart suddenly settled after hearing the rapid-fire words. A more vivid, more chaotic, and more down-to-earth sense of reality washed over her.
Her leisurely vacations with handsome gentlemen were occasional moments in her life, but this was her real life.
"Where's the car? This one?" Yuan Ning pointed to the bright yellow car.
“Otherwise?” Eleanor opened the passenger door nimbly. “Driving a big truck in Paris is stupid; you’ll get stuck in traffic.”
Yuan Ning sat in the passenger seat. The car was filled with a mixed scent of coffee, cigarettes, and the floral-fruity perfume that Eleanor often used. It was a bit chaotic, but full of life.
With the windows closed, Eleanor stepped on the gas, and the small car nimbly merged into the traffic outside the airport, quickly leaving the orderly private terminal behind.
"So, you refused your boss's chauffeur service?" Eleanor asked, raising an eyebrow as she overtook the car.
“Of course I’ll refuse. I don’t like people knowing where I am,” Yuan Ning said casually, looking out the window.
“Wise. By the way, Prince Esposito has already sent me three messages asking about your itinerary.”
Yuan Ning raised an eyebrow in surprise: "He hasn't given up yet."
“I already told him you were in Paris for the fashion show,” Eleanor winked slyly, “and I accidentally let slip that you might be staying at the Ritz. After all, he’s a prince; I had to give him some clues, right?”
As Yuan Ning rummaged through her makeup bag to find a lipstick, she opened the mirror and applied it: "Well done, Eleanor. I just needed to talk to him about the contract."
31 Rue Cambon, Paris, Chanel flagship store and Ritz Hotel, 24 hours before the 2001 Autumn/Winter Métiers d'Art show.
Yuan Ning stood in a suite at the Ritz Hotel that had been temporarily requisitioned and converted into the "VIC Handicraft Workshop Contact Center".
Because of her outstanding experience serving top clients on her resume, she was specially assigned to the contact center to deal with the most difficult people.
The air was filled with at least seven languages, ten phones were ringing incessantly, and three open laptops were laid out in front of her, their screens displaying an Excel seating chart, a customer relationship database, and her personal email address.
With her left hand on the microphone of the ongoing call, her right hand rapidly moved the cursor across the seating chart, her brain processing three streams of information simultaneously.
Yuan Ning stood at the very center of the storm, wearing a sharp black Albert Fairty knit suit, her hair neatly pulled back, revealing her smooth forehead and neck.
She wore no jewelry around her neck, except for a pair of extremely small diamond stud earrings, which occasionally flashed a sharp light under the hotel's crystal chandelier, much like her gaze at that moment.
As Ms. Claire approached, she picked up her nth vibrating phone, her face instantly switching to a sweet smile: "Dear Mrs. Smith, of course. The preview originally scheduled for 10 o'clock has been moved to 9 o'clock for you. I will accompany you personally, and I have already notified the workshop to retrieve the tweed jacket you ordered from the vault ahead of schedule."
“Wynne Meng.”
Yuan Ning turned around, and Ms. Claire, one of the chief planners of this press conference, walked in.
"The flower arrangement in the Hall of Mirrors is not right. I need the Free Spirit roses, flown in from Ecuador at dawn, still dewy, with the most natural folds at the edges of the petals, and the color of a grayish-pink like the cover of a diary, not this tacky pink. Go and get it done. I need to see the right flowers in the right place within three hours."
This was almost an impossible task. The flower markets in Paris were already closed, and the roses from Ecuador…
Yuan Ning simply nodded slightly, her face showing no sign of embarrassment. "Yes, Ms. Claire."
There are many difficult things to do in this place; if you can't do them, you're out.
Claire clearly wasn't placing her hopes on just one person; many interns received assignments, and whoever completed them would advance.
Yuan Ning picked up her personal phone and walked to the relatively quiet balcony.
To gain influence in the fashion industry, one certainly needs resources and connections. If all she can provide is labor, it's only right that she's ousted.
At that moment, she searched her mind for anyone who could be connected to the flower supplier.
She thought of someone.
The call was answered almost immediately.
“Wynne! Does the Parisian sunshine captivate you more than the snow of the Alps?” the prince asked with a smile.
“Federico, I need help. I remember you mentioned that your tech company has a global high-end logistics network project, with warehousing and express delivery centers in Paris?”
There was a pause on the other end of the phone: "Wynne, after the press conference, I need an entire evening just for me. No work, just enjoying Paris. Will you agree?"
"Deal." She said without any hesitation.
*
After their Christmas holiday, the Van der Berg family members boarded their respective planes at the private terminal, returning to where they belonged.
There were no unnecessary farewells, only a simple nod and a pre-arranged itinerary.
Viscount Arthur and Theodora returned to Newport in the Gulfstream GIV bearing the family crest to handle some year-end matters for the trust fund before returning to Newtown.
Linus flew to London alone to continue his unfinished art history thesis.
After boarding the plane, Arthur complained to Theodora, "You shouldn't have given him that ring so easily, Theodora. You should be on my side. I will not allow Elias's marriage to be treated like a child's play."
Theodora closed her eyes to rest, barely paying attention to her husband, and simply said, "His proposal could never succeed. How could I make such a mistake?"
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