LOGINThe Nelsy family home.Her nightly ritual always began with a warm bath scented with flowers. She loved how the water eased every trace of tension from her body after a long day. When she was done, she would smooth her favorite fragrant lotion over her skin, letting its softness settle around her. Last of all, she brushed her long hair. It tangled easily, so she always made sure it fell straight and perfect before she went to bed. The blend of relaxed muscles, neat appearance, and the faint sweetness rising from her body was everything she needed to slip into sleep without effort.Her parents had returned from their date about an hour ago, and Nelsy, the only child, spent the evening tidying the house in peaceful solitude. When she was younger, she always wanted to tag along, but growing up taught her something important. They needed time for themselves, time to stitch their love back together after long weeks apart. She adored the idea of one day having a home like theirs. A marriage
A storm of assumptions spun wildly through Gaara’s mind. Was Esther seeing Felix? The thought alone left an unpleasant taste. Felix was known for cycling through different dates every week nothing new there. But with Esther? That was different. That was impossible. Felix and his younger brother lived far from Esther’s apartment. They weren’t neighbors. They didn’t run in the same circles. And with the history between Esther and Felix’s little brother, it made no sense for her to show up beside the elder sibling of someone she despised.Gaara snapped back to himself and stepped out of the elevator just in time to see Esther instinctively put distance between herself and Felix. Something about that tiny movement flipped a switch inside him. Without warning, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her aside. He didn’t give her room to argue. He led her somewhere quiet, somewhere tucked away from curious eyes, a corner where only the two of them stood breathing the same charged air.Questions spi
Gaara woke to the harsh rhythm of fists pounding against his door, a sound that refused to die down. From the ferocity alone, he already knew who dared to tear through the fragile quiet of dawn. None of the household staff would ever dream of waking him in such a barbaric way. Which meant there was only one culprit his older sister, Amber Maxwell.“Wake up, you lazy brat!” she shouted, her voice slicing through the wood like a blade. “Open this door right now, or I’ll break it down!”It wasn’t an empty threat. With a groan, unwilling to let the chaos stretch any further, Gaara forced himself out of bed. Every movement felt heavy, as if sleep still clung to him like a stubborn shadow, but he dragged himself across the room anyway. The moment he cracked the door open, his drowsiness vanished at the sight of Amber’s furious expression, blazing like she was seconds away from erupting.Without a word, he turned his back on her and shuffled toward his bed, letting himself fall onto the matt
Elise, still caught on the peak of her desire, could not understand at first. But when her clarity returned, confusion turned into anger. “What? You cannot? Are you out of your mind?”Gaara turned to her. “Yes. So leave, Elise.”“What is wrong with you?” Her voice rose sharply. She had never been rejected by anyone. Any man she wanted was supposed to be hers to taste, even Vinson. But Gaara? He had stirred her hunger, only to throw her out before anything even began. There was nothing crueler than this.“I do not owe you an answer.”“Oh, so you have a date with that loser?”“Yes. I have a dinner appointment with her,” Gaara replied, calm and controlled, every word steady. A moment ago he had been swept up by heat, yet now his mind was clear again.What am I doing here while Esther is probably waiting? The thought rang through him like a bell.Elise stared at him, stunned. “Are you serious? With Esther? That little bookworm?”“Yes. Leave,” Gaara muttered, impatience slipping through as
Before the dinner at Esther’s house…Gaara checked the watch on his right wrist, a faint curve tugging at the corner of his mouth. He turned off the car engine and climbed out quickly, then ran up the steps to the front door. It was only seven thirty in the evening. He needed just five minutes to change into something more fitting for the invitation he had promised Esther he would attend.It was the same day he had made plans with his friends, a long awaited trip to Vinson’s ranch in Chiba. He had booked the tickets far in advance. Gaara never refused Vinson’s invitation to go there. He loved the place, loved the air and the wide open fields, the beautiful horses he could ride. And at night they would barbecue and drink until they were completely gone. There was no way Gaara would have missed something that enjoyable.The plan had been perfect until Esther suddenly invited him to dinner. The quiet girl who usually stayed guarded had done something completely unexpected. To be honest,
Gaara let out a small laugh and said, “Oh, come on,” smiling in the hope that Esther would mirror the expression. But reality had a cruel sense of humor. Her face only grew more sour, the air around her heavy with unspoken disappointment.“I told you back then that I actually couldn’t make it,” he reminded her gently.“Yeah, but then you added that you’d still come, even if it was late,” Esther shot back. She still remembered every detail of their conversation by the lockers that day.“I did say that. But I finished at two in the morning. I couldn’t just turn back time and knock on your door at that hour. And besides, what would we even do at two in the morning?”“You could’ve at least said something,” Esther snapped again, frustration sharpening her voice.“How was I supposed to know you were still awake?” Gaara countered.“You could’ve called me. Or sent a message.”Gaara grinned at that, amusement lighting his eyes. “So you wanted to see me that badly, huh?”Esther’s head jerked up







