When His Perfect Mask Shattered I Awoke (Anneliese) novel Chapter 14

Chapter 14 So You’re the Crybaby

“Meatloaf! Come back!” Anneliese cried out and immediately looked away, not daring to watch

what came next.

Meatloaf had always been well–behaved. It never jumped on strangers, let alone barked at them. She had no idea what had gotten into it that day, but one thing she did know—if it actually bit the Fullbuster family’s golden heir, the consequences would be dire.

For all she knew, Meatloaf would be served as the main course on the Prince of Halden’s lunch table.

Panicking, she dashed after her dog, trying to grab it before it could launch itself at the most elite man in the city. But Meatloaf barreled forward with so much momentum that not only did she fail to stop him–she ended up crashing into the man with him.

Bang!

The sound echoed through the parking lot as both the dog and the woman slammed into the man, pinning him against the car door.

Meatloaf stood on its hind legs, both front paws propped against Jonathan’s chest, while Anneliese, still wrapped around the dog’s belly, had her head buried squarely into Jonathan’s abdomen in a very compromising position.

The world froze in an awkward silence.

Then came the man’s low, gravelly voice above her. “Move!”

Anneliese scrambled to pull Meatloaf off him, gripping the dog with both arms–but she failed, and with another thud, she knocked into Jonathan all over again.

Jonathan, exasperated, looked down to see the top of her head ramming into a rather sensitive area, completely unaware of what she was doing. Finally losing patience, he grabbed her by the back of her collar and yanked her off him.

“I meant you.”

Yanked back, Anneliese looked up at him and finally realized what had just happened. Her face instantly flushed crimson. “I–uh… I thought you were talking to Meatloaf. I was just trying to pull it off, I swear–I had no other intentions.”

Jonathan pointed to the golden retriever still happily glued to him. “So, you assumed I speak fluent canine and skipped talking to you?”

Anneliese fell silent. Oh god. He doesn’t think I was calling him a dog… does he? I swear, that wasn’t my intention!

“I’m really, really sorry,” she muttered, rubbing her forehead.

Why is this man built like reinforced concrete? First, he bruised my chest yesterday, and now I’ve probably got a bump the size of a golf ball on my forehead. What is this? Bad karma? Or should I have checked the daily horoscope before leaving the house?

Still, one thing was at least mildly comforting–Meatloaf hadn’t attacked.

At the moment, the big golden retriever was fully embodying the role of a clingy lapdog. It was licking Jonathan like crazy, its tongue slobbering all over the man’s expensive suit jacket until it was completely ruined.

Anneliese felt cold sweat sliding down her back. Any second now, she swore, Jonathan was going to pull out a knife and slit Meatloaf’s throat.

“He’s not usually like this,” she explained quickly. “He normally ignores strangers. I don’t know what’s gotten into him. Maybe it’s just that you’re overflowing with charisma, Mr. Fullbuster. Too much love and light, you know?”

“Woof!”

Right on cue, Meatloaf barked at Jonathan as if to second that opinion.

Good boy, Anneliese thought, then snuck a glance at Jonathan’s face. His expression was unreadable, cool and composed as always. It was impossible to tell if he was angry.

But her nerves were frayed to the breaking point, and his silence only made it worse. Her mouth ran before she could stop it. “I mean… yes, we knocked into you, but I got hurt too, okay? You’re really hard. Let’s just call it even, yeah?”

Jonathan finally lifted his lashes and looked straight at her. “I’m hard?”

Anneliese blinked. She pointed to her forehead. “Yeah, see? You can check if you don’t believe me-”

But when her eyes met his–dark, deep, and laced with something she couldn’t quite read— her voice faltered. She suddenly felt like some delusional fan trying to cop a feel. She waved her hands quickly,

“I meant your belt buckle! That’s what I hit! I wasn’t talking about anything else-”

“You really don’t have to explain.” Jonathan cut her off calmly.

Please. Someone save me! Anneliese wailed inside. I never want to see this man again for the rest of my life.

There was no greater torment than this level of awkwardness.

Finally, Jonathan lowered himself enough—dignity be d*mned–to give Meatloaf a quick pat along the spine.

Meatloaf nearly exploded with joy, its big head nuzzling eagerly into the man’s palm.

She had said something similar to him not long ago–now he was throwing it right back at her. Is he really the type to hold a grudge?

Anneliese couldn’t help glancing at him again. Who would’ve thought–cold, icy Mr. Fullbuster is actually… a dog lover? That’s kind of… weirdly cute.

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