Chapter 4

For the first time, Linden saw E, the cat’s owner and surprisingly, the cat-sitter at night.

"You're... you're E. The owner and night shifter?" Linden gasped with amusement.

"Yes, and it's Evren. Hindi alam ni Harrison na ako rin ang night shifter. I kicked the one he hired after he shouted at my cats. Though, if I knew my cat therapist looked like this, I would have come home from sea a lot sooner."

The sheer weight of Evren’s presence seemed to suck all the oxygen straight out of the pool-house suite. Clinging tightly to the silver-gray silk duvet, Linden could feel her heart hammering a frantic, erratic rhythm against her ribs. She was cornered on a stranger’s bed—well, not a total stranger, but the man whose phantom scent she had literally just bathed in.

Evren didn’t move from his position against the heavy oak door, but his eyes were doing a thorough inspection. They traced the way the smooth fabric clung to the curves of her breasts, down to where her knuckles were turning white from clutching the sheets.

"I... I need to get to class," Linden stammered, frantically scanning the room for an escape route that didn't involve rolling off the mattress and exposing her underwear again. "My exam starts at six, and if I miss the bus, Mr. Harrison is going to have to find a new day shift because I'll be dead from academic failure."

Evren let out a low, amused rumble, dropping his leather duffel bag onto the floor with a heavy thud. He didn't look like a man who cared about bus schedules or university exams. Step by step, he encroached on her space, his dark hair falling lazily over his forehead.

"Relax, Doctor," Evren said, his gaze dropping briefly to her lips before flicking back to her wide eyes. "I don't bite. Unless requested. And you’re not going to miss your exam. Grandview Estate doesn't let its premium staff hitchhike. I'll have Harrison bring the car around."

He don't bite unless requested? Omg. Ang landi niya! sa isip-isip ni Linden.

"No, really, it’s fine, kaya ko namang mag-commute—"

"I insist," he cut her off, his tone smooth but entirely unyielding. He stopped right at the edge of the bed, towering over her. Up close, the crisp scent of the ocean on his clothes mixed violently with the warm, rich sandalwood radiating from her own damp skin. It was intoxicating. He tilted his head, a devastating smirk playing on his sharp lips. "Besides, you smell incredibly familiar, Linden. Is that my soap?"

Linden felt an intense wave of heat rush straight to her ears. Huli na nga, bisto pa. Of all the moments to try an expensive body wash, bakit ngayon pa na biglang umuwi ang may-ari?

"It was an... empirical experiment," she defended herself, using her academic vocabulary as a makeshift shield while tucking the duvet higher under her armpits. "As a psychology student, kailangan kong i-analyze ang environmental sensory factors ng workplace ko. It’s called behavioral adaptation."

Evren chuckled, a rich sound that vibrated somewhere deep in his chest. He leaned down slightly, resting his hands on his knees, bringing his face dangerously close to hers. "Behavioral adaptation? Is that what we’re calling stealing your boss’s toiletries now? Fascinating. Tell me, Doctor, what’s your psychological conclusion on the scent?"

Gusto na lang niyang lamunin siya ng kama ngayon.

"It’s... highly masculine. Dominant. Boundary-crossing," she snapped softly, her breath hitching as his eyes flared with dark amusement.

"Accurate," Evren murmured, his voice dropping to a gravelly whisper that made her toes curl beneath the sheets. "But you forgot one thing. It looks exceptionally good on you."

Before Linden could process the sudden drop in her stomach, Evren straightened up and pulled a smartphone from his pocket. He tapped the screen swiftly. "Harrison. Have the town car prepped. Our day shift has an emergency academic appointment. Move it."

He locked the phone and shoved it back into his pocket, turning his back to her as he walked over to the grand wardrobe across the room. "You have exactly three minutes to get dressed, Linden. I’ll be waiting by the kitchen island. Don't make me come back in here to fetch you."

The moment the pool-house door clicked shut behind him, Linden exploded into motion. She threw the duvet aside, her face completely flushed, and scrambled into her jeans, nearly tripping over her own sneakers again. She threw on a plain white t-shirt and grabbed her canvas backpack, her hands shaking so much she could barely zip it shut.

“Jusko po! Paano naging ganon ka-gwapo ang isang lalaking may limang problematic na pusa?

When she burst into the main mansion’s kitchen, she found Evren leaning casually against the marble counter, holding the leather-bound logbook in one hand. He had already poured himself a fresh espresso, the dark caffeine aroma blending with the opulent atmosphere of the house.

The five cats were scattered around him like loyal subjects. Barnaby was perched on a stool right next to his elbow, looking smug, while Siam was purring loudly as Evren absentmindedly scratched the base of her ears with long, sun-tanned fingers.

"So," Evren started without looking up from the page, his thumb tracing over the lines she had written earlier that morning. "'Siam requires a firm, dominant touch to feel secure.' You have some interesting theories on control, Linden."

"Ah eh..."

Linden grabbed the strap of her backpack tightly, feeling exposed all over again. "Gina-guide lang naman kita. You complained about Winston’s lethargy and Siam’s anxiety. I just applied basic behavioral conditioning.

Evren closed the book with a soft snap, his eyes locking onto her with an intensity that made her knees feel weak. He walked toward her, his heavy steps echoing against the pristine marble floor until he was standing a mere foot away.

"I followed your advice, you know," he said softly, towering over her. "When I was docked in Tokyo last week, I kept thinking about your notes. I restricted Winston's portions. He screamed at me for three days straight, but his activity levels actually improved."

"See? I told you," Linden managed to say, trying to maintain a professional, academic composure despite the fact that her heart was beating like a tribal drum. "Psychology works, even on pampered felines."

"Oh, I'm convinced," Evren murmured, taking one more step forward, completely invading her personal bubble. He reached out, his fingers brushing a stray, damp lock of hair behind her ear. His skin was warm, and the brief contact sent a literal jolt of electricity straight down her spine. "But I'm much more interested in testing your other theories."

Linden's breath caught in her throat. "Which... which ones?"

"The ones about knowing who is in control," he whispered, his gaze dropping to her mouth before lifting back to her eyes, dark and predatory.

Before she could lose her mind entirely, the heavy front doors of the mansion creaked open, and Mr. Harrison’s clinical voice echoed through the foyer. "Miss Linden, the car is idling out front. We must depart immediately if you wish to arrive at the university before the examination gates close."

Linden practically leaped backward, breaking the suffocating tension between them. "Right! Yes! Thank you, Mr. Harrison! Papunta na po!"

She spun on her heel and bolted toward the foyer, but just as her hand touched the brass handle of the grand front door, Evren's deep voice called out from the kitchen, rich with a terrifyingly attractive promise.

"See you in two weeks, Doctor. I'm really busy so I can’t make time for you. I'll be here every night, but we can't meet. Make sure you leave plenty of notes for me."

"Make time... for me?"

Linden was confused. Bakit naman siya paglalaanan ng oras ni Evren? Saka paano pa siya ulit haharap dito matapos ng nangyari kanina?

By the time the black town car pulled up to the university gates, Linden’s mind was an absolute battlefield. She practically stumbled out of the leather interior, murmuring a distracted "Salamat po" to the driver before rushing toward the third floor of the Social Sciences building.

The cold, fluorescent lights of the examination hall did absolutely nothing to snap her out of her daze. She sat down at her designated desk, her heart still hammering against her ribs, the scent of Sandalwood and Sea Salt still clinging obstinately to her skin and clothes.

Ano ba, Linden? Mag-focus ka! binatukan niya ang sarili sa isip.

"You have two hours. No cheating. You may begin." Ang monotonous na boses ng kanilang professor ang bumasag sa katahimikan.

Linden stared down at the advanced behavioral statistics mid-term. The printed numbers and data distributions looked like an alien language. Her eyes locked onto question one, asking for a definition of conditioned stimulus, at biglang nag-flashback sa utak niya ang hitsura ni Evren.

The crisp white shirt. The sharp, heavy jawline. Ang paraan ng pagbaba ng mga mata nito sa labi niya habang halos magkadikit na ang mga katawan nila sa pool house.

Conditioned stimulus, isip niya, habang nanginginig ang kamay niyang humahawak ng ballpen. Evren’s voice is a conditioned stimulus. Because right now, the biological response is a violent shiver straight down her spine.

"Shit," bulong niya, sabay bura ng mabilis sa naisulat niya sa test paper bago pa ito makita ng katabi niya. Nababaliw na siya. Konti na lang, ga-graduate na siya. Pero isang 32 years old na chef lang pala ang kailangan para tuluyan niyang makalimutan ang lahat ng pinag-aralan niya sa loob ng apat na taon.

Paano ba kasing parang straight out of the book ang hitsura ng lalaki?

Nakaligtas siya sa exam sa pamamagitan ng purong muscle memory at sheer willpower. Nang sumapit ang alas 8 ng gabi, halos lumaylay ang balikat niya habang naglalakad palabas ng campus patungo sa pinakamalapit na bus stop. Ang malamig na hangin ng gabi ay nakatulong para pawiin ang natitirang init sa kanyang mukha, pero ang utak niya, ayaw pa ring tumigil sa pag-ikot kay Evren.

They were completely different. Si Evren, nabubuhay sa mundo ng karangyaan, kontrolado ang bawat galaw sa isang high-stress luxury kitchen, at nagmamay-ari ng mansyong kayang magpakain ng limang pusa ng gourmet salmon. Habang siya? Isang broke student na pilit na binubuo ang pangarap na naudlot ng apat na taon dahil sa kahirapan.

They shouldn't even be flirting. Twenty-six na siya pero estudyante pa rin naman siya. Pera lang ang kailangan niya mula sa pamilyang iyon. Ang ₱2,700 per hour na bumubuhay sa kanya ngayon. Pero habang sumasakay siya sa siksikang bus, hawak ang strap ng kanyang backpack, alam niyang huli na ang lahat.

The slow-burn notebook flirtation was officially over. Evren had physically entered her reality, and his touch was a lingering fire she didn't know how to extinguish.