Chapter8 What Exactly Is Your Relationship With Him

Talia POV

I slid down from the desk edge and sat in the chair beside him, gently swinging my legs. "Then keep working. I'll just watch you."

He gave a faint response and lowered his head to continue reading documents.

By the end of the workday, Jareth suddenly tossed me a paper bag. "Change into this. Come with me somewhere."

I opened it and saw a black minimalist dress. Simple design, fine fabric, understated luxury. You could tell he'd picked it carefully.

I didn't ask questions. I took the bag and walked into the lounge.

After changing, I stood in front of the mirror looking at myself. The dress fit perfectly, making my figure look elegant and sexy. Except the zipper in the back was stuck and I couldn't reach it no matter how I tried.

I called out, "Jareth, can you come help me?"

He didn't answer.

A few seconds later, the door opened from outside.

He walked in.

"Turn around a bit." He said.

I turned as he said. I could feel his warm fingertips touch the skin on my back.

The zipper was slowly pulled up. When it reached the top, his fingers didn't immediately pull away. Instead, they paused lightly, his fingertips touching the skin on the back of my neck.

Just as I was about to turn around, he'd already withdrawn his hand and stepped back half a step, creating distance. "Done."

I turned around and saw his eyes on me, looking me over from top to bottom. He frowned. "The dress is too short."

"Didn't you give this to me?" I raised an eyebrow and deliberately swayed the hem, showing a bit of my leg.

He didn't say anything, just turned and walked out. "Let's go. Don't keep people waiting."

We got in the car together.

The car drove for over forty minutes before stopping in front of a villa halfway up a mountain.

Several bodyguards in black suits stood at the entrance. When they saw Jareth's car, they immediately walked over, respectfully opening the door. "Boss, you're back!"

"Mm." As Jareth got out of the car, he told me, "This is a private family gathering. Don't be uptight, but don't say anything out of line either."

I nodded. I understood. This kind of big family gathering would definitely have plenty of top people attending, with lots of secrets underneath.

I got out of the car and followed him into the villa. The living room already had quite a few people. The men mostly wore casual suits, holding wine glasses. The women were dressed appropriately. Several people were gathered chatting together.

As soon as we entered, all eyes in the living room turned to look.

I moved closer to Jareth.

"Don Jareth, who is this?" A middle-aged man with a beard walked over.

"My woman." After Jareth said this, he handed me a glass of red wine. "Have something to drink. Don't just stand there."

His three words instantly quieted the surrounding murmurs. Those elders' faces didn't look great.

They glanced at each other, but no one dared say anything to his face. After all, Jareth was the head of the Camorra family. No one dared easily contradict what he said.

I held my wine glass, found a sofa in a corner, and sat down.

Even so, the whispers still reached my ears.

"Who's that woman? Never seen her before."

"No idea. Heard Don Jareth say she's his woman. Probably some wild girl he picked up somewhere."

"How can just any cat or dog come to our family gathering?"

I pretended not to hear and lowered my head to take a sip of wine.

Just then, a commotion broke out at the door.

I looked up and it was actually Gavin and Serafina.

Serafina wore a pink long dress, holding Gavin's arm. As soon as she entered, she saw me. Her face instantly darkened, her eyes full of anger. If not for the setting, she probably would've rushed over already.

Gavin also saw me. He froze for a moment, then his gaze moved back and forth between me and Jareth, his eyes full of shock.

He probably never imagined I'd appear at a Camorra family internal gathering, and with Jareth no less.

Serafina pulled Gavin to the other side, but Gavin's gaze kept looking at me.

I couldn't be bothered with him and turned to chat with an elderly woman nearby who seemed kind enough.

Before long, Gavin actually found an excuse and walked toward me alone. His face didn't look good. He walked up to me and asked in a lowered voice, "Talia, what are you doing here? What exactly is your relationship with Don Jareth?"

I looked up at him, a smile curving at the corner of my mouth. "What my relationship with him is, how is that any of your business?"

"How is it not!" Gavin leaned closer. "Are you deliberately getting close to him? What are you trying to do?"

I put down my wine glass and smiled. "To make you and her miserable, of course. Do you really need to ask?"

Gavin's face turned ugly. He cursed quietly, "Don't be crazy! You think Jareth is just anyone? How long do you think you can use him? When he gets bored, you'll be the first one he deals with."

I sneered. "Still better than you. At least I can stand here now. While you, you only got through that door thanks to Serafina's connections."

"You!...I'm warning you, stop causing trouble, or I'll..."

"Or you'll what?"

A low voice suddenly interrupted. Jareth had walked over at some point and stood beside me, looking down at Gavin from above.

He had no expression, but that oppressive presence made Gavin freeze. His earlier anger vanished instantly, his face going slightly pale.

"Don... Don Jareth." Gavin took a step back.

Jareth didn't look at him. He turned to me and said, "Come with me."

I stood up and followed him.

Gavin panicked and reached out to grab me, but Jareth's glare stopped him cold. That look was so icy it scared him into freezing with his hand in midair.

We walked through the crowd toward the second floor of the villa.

Behind me, I could feel Gavin's hateful and anxious gaze, along with Serafina's venomous stare, stabbing into my back like needles.

When we reached the staircase corner, Jareth looked down at me and said softly, "What did he say to you just now?"

I looked up and smiled at him, deliberately moving closer. "He asked if I was your woman and warned me not to go crazy. So tell me, should I teach him a lesson?"

Jareth didn't say anything. His steps didn't stop as he continued upstairs.

Reaching the bedroom door, Jareth stopped and turned to look at me. His face was very close to mine. I could smell the cigar scent on him.

Jareth's finger gently brushed my earlobe. "A lesson? How do you want to teach him?"

I looked up at him. "For example, let him know that I'm not someone he can mess with anymore."

He chuckled softly and pushed open the door. "Come in and we'll talk."

The door clicked shut, cutting off the noise from downstairs.

I hadn't even steadied myself when Jareth's large hand gripped the back of my neck, not letting me move at all, pressing me against the cold wall.

His kiss came urgently and fiercely. His lips covered mine directly, carrying the scent of cigars.

I was caught off guard. My lips hurt slightly from his bite. I could only instinctively grab his shirt. My body was pinned firmly between the wall and him, with no room even to retreat.