Chapter 22 ~ Embarrassing Situation

“Ugh…”

Jeslyn woke up with a pounding headache, as if a hammer were relentlessly slamming into her temples. The morning light streaming through the curtain slits felt unbearably bright, stabbing into her still-heavy eyes.

She stirred slowly, trying to sit up, but her body was restrained by something—or someone.

Thud.

Jeslyn's breath caught instantly.

A strong arm was wrapped around her waist. The warmth of someone’s bare skin pressed against her, and a faint masculine scent lingered in the air. Slowly, she turned her head to the side.

Her eyes widened in shock.

Next to her, a man was fast asleep. His broad chest was bare, rising and falling gently with each breath. His jawline was sharp, his hair slightly tousled. But that handsome face... she recognized it all too well.

Leonel.

Her future brother-in-law.

Jeslyn jerked up, nearly falling off the bed. Her heart raced wildly, panic surging through her like a sudden storm. She scrambled up and almost tripped over her own feet as she rushed toward the bathroom.

Once the door was shut, Jeslyn locked it tightly. She stood frozen in front of the sink, staring at her reflection in the mirror. Her hair was a mess, her eyes were slightly puffy, and there was a faint mark on her neck.

“What happened last night…?” she whispered, barely audible.

She tried to recall. The sound of music, sweet cocktails, laughing with Kiara… and Leonel. That face… those lips…

Jeslyn covered her mouth, breath catching. “Oh, God…”

Questions flooded her mind. What did they do? Did they sleep together? Why did being in Leonel’s arms feel so… comforting?

Her hand trembled as she touched her lips, as if still feeling the remnants of last night’s kiss.

“What have I done…?”

And for the first time in a long while, Jeslyn was truly afraid. Not of being drunk. Not of a scandal. But of a terrifying truth—her heart pounded wildly just from remembering Leonel.

She looked at herself again in the mirror. She was wearing a nightgown.

“D-did Leonel change my clothes? What the hell happened last night? Damn it, Jeslyn! You’ve done it again…” Jeslyn cursed herself, angry at how reckless and foolish she always acted.

Then came a knock at the door.

“Jessy… are you okay?” came Leonel’s husky voice from outside. “I’ll come in if you don’t answer.”

Jeslyn froze. She had forgotten to lock the bathroom door earlier.

“I-I’m fine! Don’t come in!” she quickly replied.

“Okay.”

The knocking stopped, but Jeslyn’s heart still pounded in her chest. She stared into the mirror again, trying to calm herself, but the face staring back looked even more panicked and disheveled.

“Damn it…” she muttered under her breath.

Her hands gripped the edge of the sink tightly, as if clinging to something to stop her mind from spiraling. Every memory felt hazy. She remembered laughing, running, dancing like a lunatic… Leonel carrying her to the car… and…

Jeslyn frowned. A flash of a warm, deep kiss appeared in her mind—too vivid to be a dream. But after that… darkness.

“If something really happened… why don’t I remember it, just like that time?” she wondered, confused and overwhelmed.

She looked down at the nightgown. The fabric was soft, thin, and clearly not what she wore to the club last night. Her clothes had definitely been changed. But by who?

Jeslyn’s face flushed red.

“Oh no… don’t tell me Leonel—ugh!” She smacked her forehead in frustration.

Embarrassment. Confusion. Fear. All tangled together.

“You’re insane, Jeslyn!”

Jeslyn sank down onto the bathroom floor, burying her face in her knees.

“I need to talk to him… I need to know the truth,” she whispered, almost like a prayer. “But… I’m so embarrassed…”

And her heart wasn’t ready to hear whatever truth Leonel might tell her.

After washing her face and composing herself, Jeslyn finally stepped out of the bathroom. Leonel wasn’t in the bedroom. She walked out and found him in the kitchen, shirtless, busy preparing something.

“Drink this. It’ll help with the hangover,” Leonel said, placing a glass on the minibar.

Jeslyn approached and sat down, both hands wrapped around the warm mug Leonel had handed her. He looked annoyingly sexy making coffee like that.

“Um… about last night—” Jeslyn’s voice trailed off.

“What is it?” Leonel asked calmly.

“D-did something… happen between us last night?” Jeslyn asked, looking straight at him.

Leonel walked closer, leaning over the counter until his face was just inches from hers.

“What do you think?” he asked.

Jeslyn swallowed hard. Her face felt hot, and not just from the steam of the mug she was holding. Her breath caught as their eyes met. His gaze was intense, unreadable—and for some reason, it made her heart beat even faster.

“I… I don’t know. I don’t remember anything,” she whispered hoarsely.

Leonel stared at her in silence for a few seconds, then stood upright and walked around the counter to her side. He leaned against it, arms crossed, still watching her.

“That’s a shame. Last night was… quite sweet. I got to see another side of you,” he said, his tone casual but teasing.

Jeslyn frowned, glaring at him. “Did we really sleep together? And this mark on my neck… is that your doing?”

Leonel exhaled quietly and rubbed the back of his neck, as if weighing the right words.

“What do you remember?” he asked.

“I—” She suddenly recalled dancing, singing, screaming in the streets. Her face turned red, then flushed deeper at the memory of a heated, passionate kiss with Leonel.

***