CHAPTER 201: CHAPTER 201: DEFYING HIM

Ryder Griffin, refusing to back down, said, "It’s Sheila’s right to choose, neither of us has any say in it."

Caleb Grant didn’t waste any more words, shook off Ryder’s hand, and left directly.

Caleb returned to the car, unsure of where to go to find her. Suddenly, he realized he didn’t know much about her. When she was obedient, he could contact her anytime and never thought she would someday escape his control.

Standing by the roadside, he pondered for a moment, then remembered Julian Yardley.

Their sibling relationship had always been quite good, so Sheila was likely to go to him.

When Caleb found Julian, he was at his bar, eating, drinking, and laughing with a group of people, but Sheila was not among them.

If Sheila suddenly went to Julian, she would likely ask about last night’s events, and Julian certainly wouldn’t be playing around with colleagues at that moment.

Clearly, Sheila hadn’t gone to him. Analyzing her personality, she probably didn’t want to bring her unhappiness to her family.

But besides Julian, Caleb didn’t know where else she could have gone.

Over the past year or so, she was under his control and didn’t seem to have any friends close enough to stay with. She only mentioned her brother to him the most, never talking about work-related people or things.

The car drove aimlessly down the street, intending to take another look around her school. Just as the car turned around, he received a call from one of his subordinates.

"Ethan, we’ve found her."

"Where?"

"The Apex Hotel."

Caleb immediately drove toward the location, reaching the hotel in five minutes.

She probably didn’t know this hotel was also owned by him, or she definitely wouldn’t have chosen to stay there.

Led by the staff to her reserved room, they said, "Boss, this is the room."

Caleb took the master key card from the staff’s hand and told the accompanying personnel, "You guys can go down now."

After everyone left, Caleb gently opened the room door.

The room was dimly lit, with only one lamp shining along the wall.

On the big bed was a lump under the quilt, which suggested she was curled up.

She hadn’t rested well after a night of high fever and working all day, and was surely exhausted.

Standing by the bed for a while, Caleb chose not to disturb her and quietly left the room.

Seeing she was alright was enough; Caleb was worried she might lose hope.

He even considered that she might hide somewhere by herself, sad and upset, and was ready to drive to the riverside to find her.

It turns out she was smarter than he imagined, opting not to return home and instead choosing a comfortable hotel.

At about four o’clock in the night, Sheila woke up from a nightmare, drenched in sweat.

Reaching for the remote control by the pillow, she missed it and then remembered she was staying at a hotel.

She rubbed her eyes, sat up, extended her arm to grab the air conditioner remote control from the bedside table, turned on the air conditioning, went to the bathroom, and opened a bottle of mineral water to take a sip.

Lying back on the bed, she couldn’t fall back asleep. She didn’t know how to make it through the coming days.

She wanted to leave, but Professor Lockwood had given her so much help, and her career was finally making progress. If she left, where could she go?

If she didn’t leave, she didn’t know when she could escape Caleb’s clutches.

Continuously confronting him, she wondered if people’s patience had limits, and perhaps there would be a day he’d grow tired of her.

Thinking of that, she promptly pulled back the quilt, sat up again, dressed herself, and left with her bag.

"I’d like to check out," Sheila handed her room card to the receptionist.

The receptionist glanced at the room number and recalled the boss’s instructions, then made an excuse, "Miss, please wait a moment."

Sheila nodded, waiting patiently.

The receptionist took the chance to notify Caleb’s side, and within a minute, Caleb emerged from the elevator.

Seeing him naturally surprised Sheila, but she assumed it was a coincidence.

"Miss, the procedures are complete, and here is your deposit refund."

Coming back to reality, Sheila reached out and took the money. Meanwhile, Caleb had already walked up behind her, casually asking, "Why not sleep a little longer?"

She didn’t respond, lowered her head, placed money in her handbag, and turned toward the hotel entrance.

Caleb slowly followed her, accompanying her to stand by the roadside waiting for a car.

Sheila completely ignored him, neither driving him away nor talking to him.

She hailed a taxi, climbed into the back seat, and shut the car door, intentionally holding the door to prevent Caleb from coming in.

Of course, if Caleb really wanted to get in, he could force the door open, but he chose to sit in the front passenger seat instead.

"Where are you headed?"

Caleb turned, his gaze questioning Sheila. He was quite curious where Sheila wanted to go so early.

Unexpectedly, Sheila mentioned his home address.

Neither spoke in the car except for the driver, who muttered complaints to himself.

The taxi stopped at the designated place, and Sheila got out without paying.

"Did you have a fight?" the driver asked Caleb, full of gossip.

Caleb didn’t answer, handed a hundred yuan to the driver from his wallet. While the driver searched for change, he said, "When girls act up, just buy them a gift to cheer them up."

Caleb paused as he closed the car door, but without waiting for the change, he walked away.

"Hey, I haven’t given your change yet," the driver called after him, confirming Caleb could hear. Yet Caleb didn’t turn back, and the driver clicked his tongue, saying, "Young people these days, not easy to deal with."

Sheila walked ahead into the house, fully aware Caleb was right behind her. She didn’t leave the door open and slammed it shut.

As Caleb input the door code, he thought about how he had always seen her personality as gentle. He hadn’t anticipated such a strong temper.

Upon entering, he was greeted by the loud sound of her slamming the bedroom door and locking it. Caleb inhaled deeply, opting not to follow, and sat on the sofa, lost in thought.

He hadn’t slept the entire night and didn’t rest much during the day. At three in the morning, he finished handling work and had just managed to close his eyes when he learned she checked out.

Now he leaned on the sofa, shutting his eyes.

He slept lightly. When Sheila opened the door again, two hours later, the noise awoke him.

It was after seven, and daylight had broken.

His gaze landed on Sheila, and he immediately frowned, displeased, questioning, "What are you wearing?"

Today, she seemed like a completely different person, with heavy makeup and red lipstick, wearing a black off-shoulder mini dress. He loved her long black straight hair, but now it was styled into big waves, making her appear mature and sexy.