MasukLena was surprised to see Evelyn crouched in front of her house.She quickly stepped out of the car and ran toward her.“Eve!”Evelyn looked up. Her eyes were red.Lena’s brows knitted immediately.“Why are you—what’s going on?”Her gaze swept around.“Where’s your driver?”Evelyn sniffed. “I came alone.”That only made Lena more worried.“Evelyn, what’s happening?” she asked again.“I…” Evelyn trailed off, her voice hoarse.—A few minutes later, Lena sat across from her, completely dumbfounded.Slurp. Slurp.Evelyn didn’t even spare her a glance as she devoured the instant noodles in front of her.Lena’s lips twitched.“Are you this starved?” she finally asked.Slurp.Evelyn took a few more bites before lifting her head.“Roman won’t let me eat things like this often,” she said, her mouth still full. “So yes… I’m starving.”Lena pressed her lips together.“He should at least let you eat what you want. You’re pregnant.”Gulp. Gulp.Evelyn drank the soup greedily.“Hah…” she exhaled i
Lena took a cold shower, letting the water run over her as she tried to calm her racing thoughts.But it didn’t help much.When she finally stepped out, she felt drained—both physically and mentally.The house was silent.It made her wonder if Rhys was still around.She slowly made her way to the elevator and went downstairs.Her steps led her straight to the door, but she paused.She felt a gaze on her.Lena slowly turned.Rhys sat at the dining table.His hair was slightly damp, and he was dressed in dark casual clothes, looking composed. As if nothing had happened between them.“Come. Sit.”His voice carried across the room.“You haven’t eaten anything,” he continued, calmly spreading jam on a slice of toast. “This was brought in fresh this morning.”Lena frowned, staring at him.It was like the earlier confrontation had been erased. Like he had simply reset.Her feet remained rooted to the ground, torn between walking toward him or heading straight for the door.Her gaze flickered
Lena scrunched her face as sunlight filtered through the window, the brightness pressing against her eyelids.She tried to open her eyes, but they felt heavy.Her entire body ached dully. Dragging everywhere, but it was sharper in her lower body.“Mm…” she let out a low, pained sound.She tried to turn to her side, but something heavy pinned her in place. Warm breath brushed against her skin, followed by lips trailing slowly along her shoulder.Her eyes flew open.Without thinking, she shoved the weight off her and sat up abruptly.“Hiss—” she sucked in a sharp breath as pain shot through her.“Are you okay?” a deep voice asked from beside her, laced with concern.Lena's head immediately snapped to the side only to be met with Rhys face.“…Huh…” she exhaled shakily.The blanket slipped down her body as she moved. Cool air brushed across her bare skin, sending a chill through her.Her gaze dropped. And froze.Faint red marks trailed across her chest… up to her neck.Her breath caught.
Lena stood frozen in his arms. Her hands hovered in the air.Then, slowly, they came down. One rested on his shoulder, the other slid to the back of his head, her fingers threading lightly into his hair.“I’m here,” she said softly, her voice calm as she stroked his hair.Rhys tightened his hold around her, pulling her closer as if afraid she might slip away.They stayed like that for a while.Lena’s body began to stiffen from the awkward position.“Rhys…” she called gently.He didn’t respond.She pressed her lips together before speaking again. “Let’s go.”She paused.“I’ll take you to my place.”Rhys stirred at her words, his face still buried against her.“Can we go to my place instead?” he mumbled against her stomach.Lena let out a quiet sigh.“Fine. I’ll take you there.”A faint smile tugged at his lips.“Thank you,” he murmured.—By the time they reached his penthouse, Lena felt like her arms would fall off.She keyed in the passcode without hesitation. It wasn’t her first t
Lena excused herself to pick up the call.At first, her expression was neutral, then it shifted.Her brows drew together. She pressed her lips tightly.By the time she ended the call, her face had gone pale.Theon watched from a distance.His eyes narrowed slightly.Something about the way she stood there—tense and shaken, set something off in him.His jaw clenched. The tightness in his chest grew worse.He quickly looked away, and walked further down the beach.—A few minutes later, footsteps rushed across the sand.“Theon—”He stopped.Lena reached him, slightly out of breath. Her fingers curled into her shirt as she tried to steady herself.“Can we go back?” she asked quickly. “Today. Like right now.”Theon turned slowly. His gaze sharpened.“Why?”“It’s Rhys.”Her voice wavered.“Something happened. He won’t tell me what it is over the phone.”She swallowed.“I—”“No.”The word cut her off coldly.Lena froze.Theon’s hand tightened inside his pocket.“Please,” she said, stepping
Lena's heart slammed hard against her ribs. Theon didn't move. He didn’t look away either. He just stood there, his gaze locked on her face as if he was waiting for something—waiting for her to react, or pull away. Lena's thoughts scattered. For a moment, she couldn’t breathe properly, or even think. Theon leaned in slowly. His lips brushed the corner of her mouth. Not quite a kiss. But close enough to steal her breath. Lena trembled. She felt his warm breath against her skin. "Perfect," Phillip whispered. Click. The camera captured it. — The sun was setting by the time they reached the beach. Lena sat on the sand, watching the sky shift from orange to pink, and then to gold. The waves lapped at the shore, slow and steady. Theon sat beside her. "It's been a long time," she said quietly, "since I went out like this… and felt alive." Theon turned his head to look at her. She met his gaze. Something in his eyes had changed. The usual teasing edge was
Evelyn’s fingers fumbled at the buttons of Roman’s shirt, her hands betraying her nerves no matter how hard she tried to steady them.Roman watched her quietly, his gaze heavy and unblinking.“Always so flustered,” he murmured, a smirk tugging at his lips as he caught her wrist mid-motion.Evelyn fr
Roman only finally let Evelyn go after she agreed to pack his underwear for the trip.And worse—he stood there and watched her do it.By the time she was done, Evelyn was certain her skin would start bleeding from how hard her cheeks had been burning all day. Roman hadn’t stopped teasing her, his e
Roman swallowed hard, not daring to move.His legs had gone numb.“Darling,” he murmured close to Evelyn’s ear, voice low and tight, “please… don’t move.”Evelyn stiffened.She stayed seated on his lap, cheeks burning, eyes stubbornly lowered to the tablecloth. She could feel everything—his warmth,
Evelyn couldn't believe what she was seeing. Parked beyond the soft glow of the runway lights was an enormous, gleaming private jet. Its silver body reflected the night sky like polished glass, faint golden lines tracing along its sleek length. The stairs were lowered, each step lit with a gentle







