One night stand with my president(chapter 426)

 Chapter 426 : He Should Be Skinned Alive

Sam's expression turned serious as he nodded slightly. "Right, I won't lie to her."

"Then talk to her properly," Harrison said. 

"She knows some things about your past, but certainly not everything. You should ask her if she wants to know. If she does, then tell her everything. If she can accept it, she will decide. If she doesn't..."

"If she doesn't, what will happen?" Sam asked, his voice tight with tension.

"One possibility is that she cares about you, but doesn't want to focus on your past. What she wants is your present and future with her."

Sam exhaled slightly, relieved, though not entirely.

But before he could let out a full breath, Harrison added, "The other possibility is much worse. She might not care about your past, but also not care about your present or future with her."

"So... she doesn't want a future with me?" Sam's voice quivered.

"Exactly."

After a long silence, Sam finally looked at Harrison and said quietly, "I didn't expect you, the once hopeless romantic, would be telling me this."

"Guess I learned a few things after getting a girlfriend," Harrison said with a satisfied smile.

Sam's frustration flared up, and he raised his leg to kick Harrison, but Harrison was quick to dodge.

"Alas, talking to you, I've realized something," Sam said. "I could never figure out when I started liking Joyce. But now, I think I've always liked her. It's just that, deep down, I felt that a guy like, me—so reckless-could never deserve someone like her, someone who takes love so seriously. So I kept running away from my own feelings."

"It's not too late for you to realize that," Harrison said. "It's not too late to tell her how you feel. Don't be like me..."

He had wasted five years before he finally knew his true feelings for Aline.

Sam fell silent again and then said "let's not talk about my problems. What about you? What do you plan to do?"

"What do you mean?" Harrison asked.

"Benjamin. Don't tell me you're going to let him off the hook.' The mention of Benjamin immediately darkened Harrison's eyes.

"Of course not," he said.

Turning Lance over to the police was his first

"gift" to Benjamin.

And the real show was about to begin.

"Wow, haven't seen you this serious in a while," Sam said excitedly. "Honestly, I almost feel bad for Benjamin."

Harrison shot him a cold glance.

Sam quickly corrected himself, "No, I mean, that guy deserves it. How dare he kidnap Miss Hensley? He should be skinned alive. So, Harrison, can I ask you something? "

"Go ahead."

"Miss Hensley, uh, no, your honey..."

Calling her that made Harrison's expression noticeably softer.

Sam continued, feeling more comfortable, "Your girlfriend is Joyce's best friend. If you have time, could you say some nice things about me to her?"

Harrison scoffed, "She won't listen to me. If you don't show her your sincerity, forget about her saying anything good about you. She might even oppose you being with Joyce."

"I'm sincere to Joyce. I really am!" Sam said quickly. "But, look, we've been good friends for so many years. If you say a few good words to her, she'll surely think better of me."

"You do have a point," Harrison nodded slightly.

"But you've overlooked something."

"What's that?"

"Adeline's known you for over five years. She probably knows exactly what you're like." Harrison said. "It's not something a few nice words from me will change."

Sam was at a loss for words.

Joyce stepped out of the hospital entrance, and two tall bodyguards immediately approached her.

"Miss Monroe, we're in charge of escorting you back to the hotel."

"Alright." Joyce nodded. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

As Joyce walked toward the hotel, the two bodyguards followed closely behind her.

After walking a few steps, she suddenly spotted a man leaning against a nearby wall, with a flickering flame between his fingers.

As he brought the flame to his lips, it cast a dim glow on his features.

Joyce froze.

It was Russell.

He was here in Daltori, clearly for Adeline.

But Joyce wasn't familiar with Russell, and they hadn't really spoken much.

So, she didn't plan to engage in conversation with him.

Just as she was about to leave, she heard him call her name. "Miss Monroe."

Joyce, completely unprepared, jumped in surprise.

But she quickly regained her composure.

Then, she saw Russell extinguish the cigarette and slowly walk toward her.

She sensed the bodyguards behind her becoming more alert, so she said, "It's fine. He's... someone I know."

Russell emerged from the shadows into the light.-He looked a little worn-out, with dark circles under his eyes, as if he hadn't been sleeping well.

"Mr. Hunter." Joyce greeted him. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Is Miss Hensley alright?"

Russell hadn't visited Adeline in the past couple of days.

Though he was deeply concerned about her, he didn't want to face the reality that she had firmly chosen Harrison.

He was human.

He felt jealous and sad.

"She's fine," Joyce answered honestly.

After a brief pause, she added, "Mr. Thomson has been with her the whole time."

She didn't have to mention that, but as Adeline's best friend, she knew that Adeline's heart was with Harrison.

If Russell didn't let go, it would be bad for both him and everyone around him.

Russell's lips curled into a bitter smile.

"Well, now he's actually paying attention to Miss Hensley," he said ambiguously.

Joyce understood what he meant.

Honestly, when Adeline first got into trouble, Joyce too had some resentment toward Harrison.

After all, Harrison was Adeline's boyfriend.

As her best friend, it was only natural to feel frustrated with him.

But thinking it over, Joyce knew no one was perfect. No matter how strong Harrison was, he deserved a chance to make mistakes.

When Adeline was taken away by Benjamin, Harrison was dealing with family matters in Orianto, and Adeline was with the Mendoza family. No one would have predicted that someone dared to take Adeline away.

And from what Joyce had learned from the Mendoza family, after Adeline was kidnapped, Harrison had tirelessly searched for her.

After that, no matter the circumstances, Harrison would be extra cautious.

So, Joyce thought that blaming Harrison now wasn't necessary.

"Actually, Mr. Thomson has been quite attentive to Adeline," Joyce said. "Nobody wanted that to happen, and Mr. Thomson regrets it deeply. If we don't give him a chance, that'd be Russell fell silent.

After a brief moment, he said, "I'll keep trying."

"What?" Joyce froze. "Keep trying?"

"I'll try harder. I'll be better than Harrison."

With that, he nodded at Joyce and turned to leave.