Cecilia Adler pointed to the stool opposite her, gesturing for him to sit down.
Ian Quincy stepped forward and sat, then hesitated for a breath before taking off his socks.
Cecilia Adler lifted her foot. As soon as he slid his into the basin, she placed hers on top of it.
The moment their skin touched, a tingling numbness shot through him. His voice grew husky. "Cecilia, have you ever heard the expression 'internecine strife'?"
"Of course. It just means infighting."
Ian Quincy lowered his lashes, masking the turbulent possessiveness in his eyes.
'That's just the surface meaning,' he thought.
'There's another layer to it.'
'It can also refer to two brothers fighting over the same woman. And while my situation is a bit unusual, the essence is the same.'
"ACHOO!" Cecilia Adler sneezed, covering her mouth. "Someone must be talking about me."
Ian Quincy's train of thought shifted. "Your sister?"
"And her mother, probably!"
.......
「Meanwhile, at the Shaw family residence.」
