Chapter 3

At two in the morning, I thought I heard some weird noises on the balcony.

Curiosity got the better of me, but what did I see?

Fennrick, in nothing but boxer briefs, working out.

Wait. Who works out in the middle of the night?!

Right then, my phone buzzed with a voice note from Lila: “Babe… did you get home safe? I forgot to ask.”

Her voice was hoarse.

I’d been home for three hours.

They couldn’t just be finishing now, could they?

I typed nervously: “Does your fox fae ever wake up in the middle of the night to… workout?”

Two quick voice notes pinged back.

“The owner said fox faes have strong desires. If they can’t satisfy those desires, they get restless at night and workout to relieve themselves.

“Maybe you should try it with yours… hmm.”

…She’d been kissed again.

The sound alone was driving me crazy.

Add that to Fennrick’s taut, sculpted back under the balcony light?

I nearly lost my mind. Argh!

So I edged closer, pretending to be curious.

“Fennrick… what exactly are you doing?” I asked.

He jumped at my sudden presence, but quickly recovered his icy composure. “I’m working out.”

“Working out, huh? At this hour?” I stepped even closer and blew a hot breath over his ear.

Technically, I hadn’t touched him. So I didn’t break any rules.

He stood perfectly still, but the slight throb of his throat betrayed him.

I leaned even closer, exhaling deliberately against his throat. “Or… Are you having trouble sleeping? Why not, Mr. Thorne? Do you… want something?”

He froze completely, then stepped back, cheeks flushing crimson.

“Autumn, you…”

His voice caught and died off. His eyes, though, screamed frustration laced with embarrassment.

I raised my hands innocently and arched an eyebrow.

“See? Didn’t touch you.”

He grabbed his sweat-damp clothes from the floor and retreated to his room in a huff.

Only then did I notice the sheen of sweat glimmering on his skin under the dim light.

⸻

Seven days of observation was finally over.

At sunrise, I stormed into Fennrick’s room, voice booming, “Time for riches!”

He opened his eyes slowly, irritation flickering across his brow.

Fennrick looked exhausted. It looked as if he hadn’t slept a wink.

He scrolled through his phone and pulled up a news article. It was about a billionaire spending a fortune trying to find his lost dog.

“Contact him today,” he said lazily, stretching, “I’ll go find the dog in a bit.”

I hesitated. “Can you really locate this dog?”

Fennrick gave me a single, sharp glance.

After some thought, I didn’t call the billionaire. What if Fennrick failed, or the billionaire got annoyed and cut me off from the money…

That was the reality for the average joe. We couldn't afford to take risk.

But then, Fennrick found the dog.

The billionaire, completely thrilled, hugged the dog and wired ten million dollars straight into my account.

I counted again and again. My bank balance was now eight digits. My jaw dropped.

Fennrick wasn’t lying.

He wasn’t a fox fae. He’s a living, breathing god of wealth!

I vowed to never disrespect him again. From then on, I’d treat him like he was my god!

And yet, Fennrick still wanted to play his little games.

After his morning shower, he left his freshly-dried shirt in plain view. I dutifully ironed it and tucked it back into the closet.

He glanced at my frumpy pajamas and frowned.

“Why aren’t you wearing my shirt anymore?”

“Do you… want me to?”

“…No.”

Okay, so what’s the issue?

“Mr. Thorne, I won’t do anything you don’t want me to do from now onward.”

He lifted an eyebrow, half-amused. “You’re surprisingly considerate.”

“Of course I am.”

He returned his gaze to the TV, flipping through channels like he couldn’t find anything worth watching.