Year Five The Perfect Goodbye Plan novel Chapter 196

“Kent?”

Silvia approached the door, suspicion flickering across her face. She checked the video intercom and, upon seeing that it really was Kent slumped against the driver, hurried to unlock the door.

The driver half-carried Kent inside, wiping the sweat from his brow. “Mr. Parsons’s assistant is away on business these days—I’m just the driver, ma’am. I had no idea how to handle this, so I thought it best to bring Mr. Parsons home to you.”

Kent was sprawled across the sofa, his handsome brow furrowed in discomfort. His long legs curled awkwardly, his cheeks flushed with an unusual color that made him look entirely unlike himself.

“Thank you. I appreciate it,” Silvia said, offering the driver a grateful nod.

After the front door closed and she was alone, Silvia dragged a stool over and sat by Kent’s side. She studied his face, noticing the feverish flush that didn’t seem quite right.

He hadn’t been gone long—could he really have gotten this drunk so quickly?

No, something was off. It wasn’t the smell of alcohol. Silvia had spent years in high-stakes negotiations; she knew the scent of liquor intimately. There was nothing like that on Kent.

Her lips pressed together in thought. She hesitated, then reached out, her cool fingers gently resting on Kent’s cheek. The heat radiating from his skin startled her—he was burning up.

But before she could react, Kent’s hand shot up. His large palm closed around her wrist and, with surprising ease, he pulled her closer until she tumbled right into his arms.

Silvia inhaled the familiar, comforting scent of him, her heart calming in spite of herself.

“What on earth is wrong with you—” Her words were cut off as Kent’s mouth claimed hers, his breath mingling with hers, stealing away any last shred of composure. He cradled the back of her head, deepening the kiss with a kind of desperate expertise.

Silvia’s body trembled. She looked into his eyes—and, as if some unseen force took over, she nodded.

There was no time for second thoughts. He kissed her again, harder this time, until she was utterly lost in him.

The night blurred into passion. Silvia couldn’t remember how long they held each other, only that, in those moments, she felt a happiness she’d never known before.

And in the midst of it all, she heard that familiar whisper on his lips—his voice low, rough, and full of longing, as if every ounce of love in the world was meant for her alone.

“Via...”