LOGINThen came a knock on each cabin door. The sound arrived almost at the same moment across the entire yacht.Clara looked toward the door from where she stood near the edge of the bed, the dark red fabric of her assigned costume falling smoothly against her body while the gold-detailed mask rested carefully against her face. The room lights reflected softly across the marble walls surrounding her suite. The small compartment beside the door slid open slowly.A sealed black card slipped through the lower compartment beneath the door before the opening shut again immediately afterward.Then the hidden speakers across the yacht came alive.“Attention guests. Open the card placed inside your suite and follow the instructions carefully.”The mechanical voice spread smoothly through every room at the same time.“If your assigned card carries a white print, you must remain inside your suite and wait for your designated partner. If your card carries a gold print, you are responsible for locat
“Are you sure this man really loves you, Clara?”Clara stayed quiet for a moment after Mei’s question settled between them. The room felt heavier than before. The sound of distant waves pressing against the resort’s shore slipped through the open balcony doors, soft but constant.Then she finally shook her head softly. “I’m sure he does, Mei,” she answered quietly. “I just don’t understand why he keeps refusing to go all the way with me.”Mei watched her carefully without interrupting. The confusion inside Clara’s voice sounded too genuine to fake. There was frustration there, but beneath it sat something far worse self-doubt.“Could it be…” Mei stopped midway before giving Clara a careful look.Clara’s eyes widened almost immediately afterward. “No. No, it can’t be that,” she said quickly before the thought could even settle properly inside her own head. “He’s medically okay if that’s what you’re trying to say.”Her voice lowered slightly afterward while embarrassment slowly crept
The entire beach club slowly quieted the moment the lights around the stage dimmed lower.A soft blue glow spread across the platform while the speakers released a deep rhythmic beat that rolled smoothly through the air like slow fire. The ocean breeze pushed against Clara’s hair the moment she stepped fully into the center, one hand holding the microphone loosely while her waist moved lightly with the rhythm already playing around her.Then the beat changed. It started quietly, a slow street love rhythm that carried only a soft pulse that echoed through the speakers.Even the usual chatter that followed Mei’s announcements had disappeared completely, replaced by a kind of stillness.Clara finally moved. Her first step was small. Her shoulders followed the rhythm next, subtle at first, then gradually aligning with the beat as if her body was remembering something it never forgot.Then her voice finally came through. Smooth and sweet.Hot enough to make several heads turn instantly. J
The instructors eventually started explaining safety procedures while everybody listened with different levels of seriousness. Clara surprisingly looked calm.Jeffery moved slightly closer toward her afterward. “You’re seriously not scared?”Clara shrugged lightly. “I’ve already been emotionally free-falling since yesterday. This part should be easier.”Jeffery stared at her for two seconds before shaking his head beneath his breath.“You’re impossible.”The instructors eventually started preparing everyone one after another.At some point Clara moved dangerously close toward the platform edge while adjusting her harness, making Jeffery react almost instantly.“Clara step back.”She turned toward him calmly. “Why?”A faint smile appeared briefly on her lips afterward, but it carried more sadness underneath than amusement.“You suddenly remembered I’m your wife again?”That single sentence hit him hard enough to visibly shut him up.Even Clara looked affected immediately afterward.Bec
“Mei!” Clara gasped, heat rushing to her face. Mei laughed loudly before escaping outside quickly. The moment the door closed completely, silence returned again. Heavy silence. Clara quietly walked toward the bed area first before removing her heels. Jeffery remained near the entrance watching her carefully while trying to figure out whether speaking now would worsen things again. Clara finally climbed onto one side of the bed afterward without looking at him. “Only one of us is sleeping on this bed tonight,” she said calmly. “We are not sleeping together.” Jeffery stayed quiet. “So if you can’t leave,” Clara continued while adjusting the duvet around herself calmly, “then I’ll leave for you.” The moment she started stepping down from the bed, Jeffery immediately moved forward and stopped her gently. “I’ll sleep on the couch.” Clara immediately pulled her hand away from him. “Suit yourself.” Jeffery nodded quietly afterward before reaching for one of the duv
Jeffery lifted his hand slowly and wiped the tears from her cheeks gently with his thumb, but Clara immediately shook her head afterward, even his softness hurt her more right now. The silence that followed between them felt painfully heavy because both of them clearly understood there was something standing between them now even if only one person fully knew what it was.Clara slowly leaned back slightly against the bed again, emotionally exhausted from holding everything inside for too long. The anger inside her had started fading already, but the confusion remained painfully strong. She looked at Jeffery again afterward, this time softer, almost like she didn’t even want to fight anymore. “I’m not your enemy, Jeffery,” she whispered quietly. “I’m your wife.”Her voice broke slightly at the last sentence.“You always act like there’s something stopping you that I don’t even know about,” she continued softly. “And every time you shut me out like this, it hurts more than you think.
Jeffery slowly released her, his hands slipping away from her as the quiet between them settled again. He looked at her for a brief moment before telling her to go take her bath. Clara blinked, slightly surprised, but she didn’t question him and simply nodded before heading toward the bathroom.The
Later that night, Clara walked into her room while Jeffery returned to his own. Each of them carried different thoughts from the long evening. Jeffery removed his jacket and set it aside, thinking about the lady who had tried to trap him at the party. His men had already taken care of the situation
Their hands brushed as they moved together toward the door. It was a small, fleeting touch, but enough to set a spark between them. Throughout the ride, he kept stealing glances at her, a quiet, unspoken admiration. She felt his gaze, but fought to look straight ahead, keeping herself composed.AT
Clara pressed the button for her floor and waited as the elevator descended. The ride was quiet, giving her a moment to collect her thoughts. She was here for a mission, she reminded herself, and she had to keep her mind clear. Every instruction, every piece of research she had done, insisted that