Chapter 13: Whose Doing Was It This Time?

The sun had climbed high into the sky, its blazing rays slipping through the narrow gap in the hotel room curtains and spilling across the floor. The digital clock on the nightstand displayed eleven o'clock in the morning.

On the unmade king-size bed, Zane was still fast asleep, lying on his stomach. The hotel blanket covered only his body from the waist down, exposing his broad, well-built back without a single thread of clothing. The combined effects of the strong alcohol and the release of passion that had lasted until dawn had completely knocked the top actor unconscious to the world around him.

Unlike Zane, Emma had been awake since nine that morning. Her body felt slightly sore, but the warmth and overwhelming sense of satisfaction filling her heart made it impossible for her to fall back asleep. She had already taken a shower, cleaned herself up, and was now wearing a loose cream-colored satin bathrobe. Her slightly damp hair was casually twisted into a bun, revealing the graceful curve of her slender neck.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

The impatient, forceful knocking shattered the silence of the room.

Emma, who had been combing her hair in front of the vanity mirror, turned her head with a slight frown. She glanced at Zane, who remained completely undisturbed by the noise, before quietly walking toward the door.

The moment the door swung open, Violet Iris was already standing outside.

The beautiful actress wore oversized sunglasses, a fashionable Korean-style dress accented with a ribbon around the waist, and a branded handbag clutched tightly in her hand. Even behind the sunglasses, the displeasure on her face was unmistakable.

However, before Violet could utter the sharp words she had prepared, she suddenly froze.

Her sharp eyes locked onto Emma's neck.

Scattered across her fair skin were more than a dozen fresh, dark reddish-purple marks—the unmistakable traces of Zane's possessive desire from the night before.

Violet felt her chest tighten as though it had been struck by something heavy.

With a rough motion, she yanked off her sunglasses and glared at Emma, her eyes blazing with fury and burning jealousy.

"Th-Those... were those Zane's doing?!" Violet hissed, her voice rising sharply as she struggled to contain her overwhelming disbelief.

Emma wasn't surprised by the reaction.

Instead of feeling intimidated, she simply folded her arms across her chest and leaned casually against the doorframe. A faint smile—almost a victorious smirk—curved her lips.

"Yes. Who else do you think did it?" Emma replied calmly, her tone utterly indifferent. "There were only Zane and me in this room all night, Violet."

Violet's face instantly flushed crimson. The humiliation of being rejected by Zane in the hallway the previous night, combined with the undeniable proof that he had instead spent a passionate night with his own personal assistant, completely shattered the actress's pride.

"Damn it!"

Violet stormed forward, shoving Emma's shoulder roughly aside as she forced her way into the room.

"Where's Zane?! He has an important filming schedule at twelve noon! The entire crew is already waiting on set, and the director has been calling his manager nonstop!"

"Zane is still asleep," Emma replied calmly, turning to follow Violet's hurried footsteps toward the bed. "He was exhausted last night. You'd better not disturb him right now."

"Shut up! I don't care!" Violet snapped.

The moment she reached the bedside, Violet's eyes widened at the sight of Zane sleeping face down without any clothes on.

Without a second thought, the anger and resentment clouding her judgment drove her to reach for the edge of the white hotel blanket and yank it away with all her strength. She wanted to prove it to herself—or perhaps deliberately expose the intimacy the two of them had shared just hours earlier.

"Zane! Wake up!" Violet screamed hysterically. "Look at what you've done with this woman last—"

"Don't disturb him, Violet!" Emma cut in sharply, her voice rising an octave with unmistakable cold authority. She stepped forward, trying to pull the blanket back.

"Shut up, Emma! You're just his assistant! Don't act like you're his wife!" Violet shouted back, her face burning with rage.

The shrill commotion finally broke through Zane's deep sleep.

He let out a low groan, his brows knitting together as a pounding headache hit him from the noise. With slow, sluggish movements, Zane began turning his naked body over, preparing to sit up and open his eyes.

The moment Emma realized he was about to roll onto his back—potentially exposing the front of his completely unclothed body to another woman—her possessive instincts took over in an instant.

Before Zane could turn over completely, Emma snatched up the blanket Violet had thrown aside and leaned over the bed, covering both his chest and his lower body securely, shielding him from Violet's hungry gaze.

Zane blinked several times, trying to adjust his vision to the harsh daylight streaming into the room. The first thing he saw was Emma's face hovering directly above him, looking at him with a mixture of concern and determination.

Still half asleep, with his mind lingering on the sweet memories of the previous night, Zane instinctively reached out with his left hand and gently wrapped it around Emma's waist, which was concealed beneath her cream-colored bathrobe.

"What's going on, sweetheart...?" Zane asked, his voice deep and husky, thick with the drowsiness of someone who had just woken up, yet filled with a tenderness and affection that no one but Emma had ever heard. The endearment sweetheart slipped naturally from his lips, reaffirming the illusion of love he had created the night before.

The moment Violet heard Zane call Emma sweetheart, her world seemed to crumble before her eyes.

"Zane...!" Violet cried, her voice trembling violently as tears of disappointment and wounded pride instantly welled up in her eyes. She pointed a shaking finger at Zane, then at Emma. "I... I'm so disappointed in you! I'm truly disappointed!"

Violet could no longer bear to stand there and witness the intimacy unfolding before her.

With sobs breaking free, she turned around and ran out of Emma's hotel room as fast as she could, her footsteps pounding heavily against the floor before she slammed the front door shut with all her strength.

Bang!

The loud slam instantly brought Zane fully back to his senses.

The last traces of sleep vanished from his mind.

He looked toward the closed door before shifting his gaze to Emma, who had already straightened up and was now standing beside the bed, her expression once again cold and unreadable.

Zane knew that Violet was his leading co-star in the major film they were currently shooting. If Violet threw a tantrum and refused to continue filming, both his career and reputation would be at stake.

Almost instinctively, Zane lifted himself from the bed, intending to get up and chase after Violet to calm her down for the sake of their professional responsibilities.

However, just as he lowered one foot over the edge of the bed, his eyes inadvertently met Emma's gaze.

Emma did not stop him with words.

She simply stood there, looking at him with eyes that had once again lost their warmth—as though silently saying, Go ahead and chase after her, and you'll lose me forever while I still have time left.

Zane froze.

His movement came to an abrupt halt.

Memories of how Emma had pushed him away the night before, how coldly she had ignored him in the hallway, and how she had almost slipped from his grasp all came flooding back into his mind.

Zane knew that winning Emma over the previous night had taken tremendous effort. He had swallowed his pride and uttered false words of love. If he walked out now to chase after Violet, then everything he had done the night before would have been for nothing.

Emma would once again become the cold, intimidating woman who was ready to leave him at any moment.

Zane let out a rough breath through his nose, abandoning the idea.

He drew his foot back onto the bed and leaned against the headboard in frustration.

This time, he chose to suppress his pride.

He did not want Emma to become someone he could no longer keep by his side.

"Damn it," Zane muttered under his breath, rubbing his disheveled face as he tried to ignore the guilt he felt as a professional in order to hold on to the woman who was now looking at him once again with a faint smile that was impossible to read.