The Pro Swimmer

Thea flipped through another page of her notes, eyes reading through each line in silence.

A few days had gone by since that little….session in Seth's office but the next morning, he was back to being cold again. A part of her hated it, desperately wanted him to acknowledge that he felt something for her.

Or maybe it was just the sex and nothing else. She had pushed the thought aside and matched his energy, ignoring him too.

School has been going well and Chloe alongside her minions didn't seem to bother her anymore.

She got back from class a few hours ago and she decided to do a little bit of studying before dinner but her eyes refused to cooperate no further.

She sighed, rubbing her temples. She needed a break. She stood and stretched, walking toward the large glass wall of her suite that overlooked the patio and the penthouse pool.

Her breath caught as she looked down. Seth was in the pool.

He was swimming laps, his strokes were ridiculously smooth. Thea could mistake him for a pro swimmer with how easy he made it look.

The sunlight caught the water droplets on his skin as he broke the surface. The setting sun danced on his skin as droplets fell from his hair. A gold chain, one he's always had on, stuck to his skin like glue.

Thea found herself unable to look away. He was wearing swimming shorts, nothing more. She had seen him in a suit and a handful of times in casual wear but seeing him like tths…was different.

Hell, those abs and biceps looked heavenly in that light and for the first, Thea had to admit, he was way too handsome for his own good..

She traced a hand along the cool glass, lost in thought as she admired him still. An image of the night they'd spent together came rushing back, those strong arms holding her hands over her head before railing into her wildly.. and the look in his eyes…she had as much effect on his as he does on her..

Distracted, Thea didn't notice the small puddle of water near the glass door. She stepped onto it, her foot sliding instantly. She tried to catch herself, grabbing for the wall, but it was too late.

She lost her balance completely and tumbled forward, crashing through the open door and landing with a loud splash into the edge of the large pool.

She screamed as the icy water hit her like a shock. She surfaced, gasping, her clothes immediately heavy and clinging to her. She sputtered, trying to push her soaked hair out of her eyes.

“Help me!” She cried, trying to stay afloat but failed. She must have sprained her ankle when she slipped..

Seth stopped swimming. He surfaced, his head snapping toward the sound. As soon as his eyes landed on Thea struggling, he swam forward, covering the distance between them in seconds.

He reached the edge and immediately grabbed her arms, his grip strong and warm against her cold skin.

"What the hell happened?"

"I… I slipped," Thea managed, her teeth chattering.

What the hell was she thinking?! This is so embarrassing! ‘What is he going to say if he finds out I was gawking at him and slipped in the process?’ She wondered, unable to meet his eyes.

Seth didn't hesitate. He pulled her up and out of the water, hoisting her onto the tiled edge. She was dripping wet, her clothes plastered to her body.

Despite his face clouded with concern, Seth didn't miss the outline of her red bra under the graphic white tee-shirt she had on. He glanced up at her, he had other things to worry about right now.

"Are you hurt?" he demanded, his voice low and serious.

Thea shook her head, pulling her arms away from him. She wrapped her arms around her chest, her face turned away from him. "No. I'm fine. I didn't need your help."

Seth watched her, water dripping from his own body. A dry smile touched his lips.

"Right. Most people don't need help drowning." he said, folding his arms across his chest. "Plunging into a pool fully clothed is clearly a hobby. You looked perfectly capable of drowning all by yourself."

"I was not drowning!" Thea retorted, angry at his sarcasm.

"Of course not," Seth said, his voice flat.

Thea narrowed her eyes on him, what she would give to slap that smug look off his fucking face! He's so annoying!

He stepped closer, his gaze sweeping over her. "You're freezing. You need to get out of those clothes."

"I know that," Thea snapped. "I can get to my room myself.”

Thea got up on her feet only to scream in pain as she stood on her sprained ankle. She falls back to the floor, wincing in pain.

“What is it?” Seth asked, pulling her leg up for a better view.

Her ankle was red and pulsing: it looked extremely painful. He frowned.

“It's nothing. I'll be…” Thea swallowed her words the moment she made eye contact with Seth.

His brows were furrowed and everything about his expression told her to shut up.

“When did this happen? Just now?” He demanded, his tone laced with concern.

He didn't wait for her answer. He moved toward her, lifted her off the ground bridal style and walked toward the suite's entrance.

"I can walk, Seth!" Thea protested, trying to pull her arm back.

"You can't," he said simply, not breaking stride. " I’m not leaving you here. You're my wife, remember? My responsibility."

Thea went silent, her eyes staring at his face; did he just call her his wife? Again? The words felt both cold and oddly possessive.

He guided her into the suite in silence, his gaze fixed on their destination. They finally reached her bedroom and Seth sets her on the bed gently.

“You didn't have to..”

“Yes I do. Where's your first aid kit?” He asked, his eyes scanning the room for something.

“I told you I'm fine! You don't have to worry about this.”

Seth's jaw tightened. “Thea, where. Is. Your. First aid kit?”

She sighed. “It's in my closet.”

Seth left immediately and returned seconds later with the box. He dropped to his knees and his eyes fixed on the injured ankle.

“Do you have an ice pack here?”

“Yeah. In the fridge.”

He got that too. He placed it on the sprain gently and Thea sighed, relief washing over her. It wasn't as painful as it was before, so much better. Later, he wrapped the ankle with a bandage as carefully as he could with Thea watching him in silence.

All through, he looked worried. She couldn't see his face since his head was done but those few times she caught him, his face was etched up in concern.

Thea opened her mouth but she couldn't say a word.

“I went to med school for a while but that didn't seem right for me.” He said, almost like he could read her mind.

“You went to Med school?” Thea asked, dumbfounded.

Seth nodded, placing her leg on the floor gently. He raised his head to meet her gaze, eyes softening on meeting hers.

“Is it comfortable,” he asked calmly.

“Yes.” Thea replied, her voice barely above a whisper.

They were close, close enough to feel each other breathing.

Seth's eyes dropped to her lips, moved to her nose and back to her eyes. Thea swallowed, her eyes dropping to his lips, she wanted that too..

He was fairly dry now, his chest rising and falling slightly, his blue eyes dark and intense. He leaned in, Thea’s breath hitched. She didn't move, she was waiting, wanting.

His lips were only inches from hers…

Suddenly, a loud, sharp sound cut through the silence. Seth's phone rang from his wet swimming shorts pocket.

Seth stiffened, his eyes closing briefly in frustration. He pulled back, as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the phone.

He glanced at the screen, his expression turning serious.

"I have to take this," he said, his voice flat, already back to business.

He turned and walked away without another word, leaving Thea to her own ragged breathing.

What the hell was that?

《Random Cafe》

“Here is your latte ma'am” A young waitress said, placing a plastic cup filled with latte on the table in front of Posy.

Posy nodded and the waitress walked away, wondering why this customer had a hoodie and a nose mask on in the middle of the day.

Posy was seated in a secluded corner of an unknown cafe. She takes a sip of her latte discreetly and glances at her second phone for any message.

She was waiting for someone. Where the hell is he anyways? Why is he keeping her waiting?! Posy tut, what was she expecting from Vance? He’s an arrogant reporter that's why his nickname is Straydog.

“My apologies for keeping you waiting.” Liam said, sitting across from Posy.

“Do you keep everyone you need waiting like this?” Posy snapped, unable to hide her irritation.

“No. Just the annoying ones “ he said simply. He scans Posy in suspicion. “Is there a reason why you're dressed like this? I can barely see your face..”

“Does that bother you, if that's the case, I'll just go to your competitors then and hand over what I have..” Posy pretends to get on her feet but Vance stops her.

“Hold on!” He panicked. “That's not what I meant. The weather is warm, I was just worried, you know?”

Posy settles back in her seat.

"You said you had something big," Liam said, leaning in.

Posy nodded, her eyes narrowed. She reached into her purse and pulled out a flash drive. "I have a video," she whispered, sliding the drive across the table. "Something the public needs to see. It’s from a few weeks ago."

Liam picked up the drive, jis eyes staring at Posy in confusion. He pulled out his laptop, inserted the drive and pressed play on the first video he saw.

It was the video Posy had taken on the night of Thea's engagement party.

The grainy video showed Thea and some stranger. Thea was moaning shamelessly as this man thrust into her from behind, h8s back to the camera. But one thing was clear, Thea's face could be seen from the mirror right in front of her, showing her in her most vulnerable state.

Liam watched the video, his eyes widening. He tugged at his tie, eyes glued to the screen.

“Isn't this Thea Balmero? The disowned heiress? This is the man she cheated on Runes with?”

“Yes.” Posy said simply.

"This is..." Liam looked up at Posy, a look of fear in his eyes. "This is gold. If we release this, it could ruin her reputation completely..”

“I don't care. I want to make sure that she never walks out in public again. Ever!”

Vances leans back in his seat and shuts down his laptop. “What do you hope to gain from this? And what if she sues us?”

Posy smirked. “She has nothing to her name. Not even a dollar.”

Vances shakes his head. “I can't do this. This is extreme even for me..”

Posy placed a carton of fruit juice on the table and moved it across the table. Resistant at first, he pulled the carbon closer and pulled it open. He gasped, covering his mouth in shock.

“Is that…”

“Thirty thousand dollars. I'll give you double that once the article is out.”

Vances balanced at the money again and then back at Posy.

“To be fair..” he said, pulling the box closer with a greasy smile. “This could go viral instantly and more people will visit my company's website. Consider it done. This will be front-page news."

He stood up, packed up his things alongside the drive in his bag before tucking the box under his arm securely.

Posy watched him go, a cold, satisfied smile on her lips. “Let's see how you get out of this, golden child..”