My First Love Died, Now My Step Uncle Wants Me-Chapter 28: This Is a Punishment

Nina was so anxious she broke out in a sweat. She unconsciously followed Caleb Rhodes upstairs, her gaze fixed on the box in his hands.

But she didn’t dare to ask for it a second time. She stood outside the door until Caleb Rhodes went into his bedroom, watching as he placed the box in a drawer and then locked it.

She was so anxious she nearly bit her lip raw. Too afraid to enter his room, she could only stand at the doorway, clutching her skirt so tightly her eyes began to turn red.

That box was one of her most important possessions.

She had secretly buried it, afraid that Crystal Rhodes would take it and destroy it. She never expected that it would now fall into Caleb Rhodes’s hands.

Caleb Rhodes was a hundred times more terrifying than Crystal Rhodes!

Seeing her anxious state, Caleb’s gaze softened slightly, but his voice was as cold as ever. "Come in!"

Nina clutched her skirt tightly, subconsciously glancing toward the stairs.

’It’s about seven or eight meters to the stairs. If I run fast enough, I should be able to get out of this house in under a minute.’

After a moment’s hesitation, she walked in.

The Rhodes Family estate was uniformly designed in a modern Chinese style—simple and understated, yet exuding an air of grandeur and refined taste.

Caleb’s room was no exception. The spacious bedroom was furnished with minimalist, yet stately, modern Chinese furniture. Light-colored hardwood covered the floors, and if one took a gentle breath, they could almost smell the subtle, floating fragrance of high-end timber.

His bed was also massive, covered in pale gray linens. It looked elegant and cold, just like him—devoid of any warmth.

Nina stopped halfway across the room, unwilling to go any further.

Caleb was standing by the bed, and the darkness in his gaze terrified her.

The memories she had deliberately tried to forget crept back, hazy and indistinct. Nina felt an unprecedented sense of danger.

But she didn’t dare to run, nor could she.

’I have to get that box back! I have to!’

She stood in the middle of the bedroom with her head bowed, looking as nervous and helpless as a lost kitten.

Caleb felt the air grow hot and dry. He tugged at his collar, his voice low and raspy. "Come here."

Nina bit her lip and, bracing herself, slowly walked toward him.

Every step was an agonizing, helpless trek, as if she were walking through a gauntlet of knives and fire. Yet, she had no choice but to press on.

It took her a full two or three minutes to cross the distance of just a few meters.

She stood before him, not daring to look up, her soft, pale fingers twisting together nervously. She had bitten her alluring lips so hard they’d turned white.

Caleb stared at the tiny, pinprick-sized mole for two seconds before his hand shot out to grip her jaw. He yanked her into his arms and roughly captured the mole with his lips.

’The sensation was unbelievably soft. Sweet and crisp, with a faint hint of mint—exactly the same as three years ago.’

’For the past three years, whenever this taste came to him in his dreams, he couldn’t sleep.’

In a gesture of plunder and punishment, Caleb bit down hard on the little mole.

Nina cried out in pain, her teeth parting instinctively. He seized the opportunity to force his way in, plundering her mouth like a conquering army.

Nina was scared witless, her mind a complete blank as she let him plunder her. Meanwhile, only one word echoed in his mind, stark and raw: ’Mine!’

’She’s mine. She can only be mine!’

The brutal kiss quickly sent Caleb spiraling out of control. He manhandled her onto the bed and pinned her beneath him.

Her waist was impossibly slender, even softer than it was three years ago. Her skin was like cream, smoother than satin.

Though she was thin, her breasts were so full that one of his hands wasn’t enough to hold them.

In a daze, Nina thought she had returned to that afternoon three years ago.

The same scorching body, the same beast-like, bloodshot eyes... The images overlapped, merging with the man before her now.

Terrified, Nina trembled all over and pleaded in a low, raspy voice.

"Uncle, please don’t..."

"Uncle..."

But it was no use. If anything, the title "Uncle" only made Caleb lose control even more. He pinned her whole body down with one arm while grabbing her hand with his other, forcing it to close around him.

The sheer size and scorching heat of him in her grasp made Nina’s hand tremble violently.

She was so frightened she almost lost her mind, nearly crying out, "Uncle, please don’t..."

That single, light touch was enough to make Caleb feel he was about to lose control completely.

Every cell in his body was screaming: ’She’s mine. Devour her!’

But he knew it wasn’t the right time.

’Still, she’s been so disobedient, lying and trying to run away. She needs to be punished.’

He bit down hard on her delicate earlobe, his voice impossibly hoarse. "Nina Wynn, this is your punishment for today. If you dare to be disobedient again, I’ll punish you severely."

With that, he released her pinned hand and stood up.

By the time he had straightened his clothes, his eyes had reverted to their usual dark, cold depths. His expression was impassive, as if his loss of control moments ago had been nothing more than Nina’s imagination.

But Nina was still curled up at the edge of the bed, her body trembling in fear.

Caleb watched her for a moment, then bent down, picked her up, and set her back on the bed. "Are you hungry?"

Nina didn’t dare to look up, but she also didn’t dare to remain silent. "I’m not hungry," she said softly.

Caleb stared at the small whorl of hair on the crown of her head. Suddenly, his hand shot out, grabbing her chin and forcing her to look him in the eye.

"Nina Wynn, good girls don’t lie."

The coldness in his eyes was like a blade, so sharp it made Nina’s scalp tingle. Terrified he would suddenly lose control again, she whispered, "I’m a little hungry."

’Of course I’m hungry.’ She’d barely touched her lunch or dinner, and the scare she’d just had... Now that he mentioned it, she realized she was starving, her stomach practically clinging to her spine.

Caleb seemed satisfied with her answer. He released her and glanced around the room, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly. "It’s still just as inconvenient. Never mind. Let’s go."

With that, he reached for Nina’s hand.

Nina flinched and instinctively pulled away. "Uncle," she said, her voice small and tense, "my things are still in my room. Can we... not leave today?"

"No!"

Caleb’s reply was cold, hard, and blunt.

Nina bit her lip, her gaze flickering to the drawer where he’d put the box. Then, she looked at Caleb with pleading eyes.

Caleb narrowed his eyes, his voice frigid. "I’m taking the box with me. Be at my car in ten minutes."

After saying this, he unlocked the drawer, took out the box, and walked out of the bedroom.

Seeing that there was no hope of getting the box back, Nina could only return to her own room.

She didn’t actually have many belongings, so she just packed the soiled dress and her handbag.

She wouldn’t be living here anymore, so she didn’t have many clothes. All she could find was a school uniform from her high school days. It was a little old, but with no other choice, she reluctantly put it on.

As she was closing the door, she couldn’t resist pulling the photo out from under her bed again. She looked at it, wanting to take it with her but terrified Caleb would find it. If she left it, she was afraid Crystal would find it.

After a long, conflicted moment, she still couldn’t bring herself to take it. She took a few pictures of it with her phone and then stuffed the photo back under the floorboards beneath the bed.

When she went outside, she saw Caleb standing by his car in the distance, waiting for her.

Dressed in a white shirt and black trousers, he looked crisp, cold, and composed—noble, with a powerful presence.

’What a shame,’ she thought. ’Such a handsome man... and he’s one of the Rhodes.’

She lowered her gaze and slowly walked toward him.

However, just as she reached the car door, Caleb suddenly grabbed her by the waist, pinned her against the vehicle, and crushed his lips to hers.