MasukZayne looked up at Elmy from below, gripping the bedsheet tightly. A faint smile tugged at his lips as she moved slowly, teasing him with light touches across his body. Her lips trailed along his neck, planting soft kisses before tormenting him with a gentle bite on his Adam’s apple.“You’re naughty, Mrs. Kensley.”“But I’m not your wife yet, so don’t call me that, Mr. Kensley.”Zayne’s cheeks and ears flushed every time Elmy used that title. There was something dominant about the way she said it, yet it also carried an intimacy that only showed when they were this close.“I could marry you right now.”“Are you mentally prepared to face my mother?” she said, lowering her head and lightly tracing her fingers over Zayne’s rising and falling chest. His breathing broke into uneven rhythm when her lips pressed there. “Besides a wedding ring, you’d better prepare your courage too.”“You’re a master tease, Mrs. Kensley.”“Me?”“Hm, you know exactly what you’re doing to me… and you enjoy it,”
Elmy didn’t know whether she should feel happy or not right now. Beneath the beautiful wedding gown she was wearing, she felt like she was dressed in a prisoner’s uniform, waiting to be executed. The sparkle of the beads sewn into the dress felt like it was mocking her. The bouquet in her hands felt like thorns. The stems pressed into her sweat-damp palms, almost snapping under the force of her grip.Her gaze was empty as she stared at her reflection in the mirror. She stood there, frozen, looking at a version of herself that was beautiful… yet utterly miserable.“Miss, are you ready?” Dean’s voice came from behind the door. “Mrs. Isabella wants to see you,” he added.“Yeah, just come in,” Elmy replied, her voice nearly breaking as she held back her tears.The door opened, and Isabella walked in. The woman beamed brightly. “You look absolutely stunning in that dress! I knew I made the right choice,” she said proudly.Elmy didn’t move, still standing there with her face flushed. Her ey
Sunny looked at the food she had cooked with pride. She picked up her phone and took a picture of it. Smiling, she sent it to Ford.“You promised you’d come home early today.” she typed, adding a teary-eyed emoji. Then she sent another message. “I cooked for you.”Not long after, Ford replied. “I’ll try to get home early.”While she was busy replying, the doorbell rang. Sunny placed her phone on the dining table and quickly took off her apron.“Just a second,” she called out as the bell rang several more times. She hurried toward the door and opened it.The smile on her face instantly faded.Her eyes swept over the elegant dress in front of her, the branded handbag, before finally landing on Isabella’s cold expression.For some reason, Sunny felt her footing falter. She took a step back.“What are you doing here? We don’t have anything to do with each other anymore,” Sunny said, gripping the door tightly, ready to shut it.Isabella slipped her high heel between the door to block it. T
“What exactly are we doing here? And why…” Hiro glanced at Zayne. “…am I getting dragged into this mess too?” he asked, making Zayne smirk.“Because you’re my friend now.”Hiro shot him an amused look before turning away.Zayne shrugged off his jacket, leaving on a dark brown turtleneck that hugged his broad frame. He tugged at the collar around his neck, trying to ease the suffocating feeling that had been bothering him since the drive to Sebastian’s girlfriend’s place.Feeling a little better, he walked up the stairs toward the modest house. He pressed the doorbell a few times before the thick glass door opened, revealing a young pregnant woman. Her belly was slightly swollen, and she looked exhausted.For a moment, Zayne hesitated to say anything—but they were already here.The woman looked at them back and forth, her expression filled with worry and fear.“Who are you?” she asked cautiously. The door that had been wide open slowly started to close, shielding her. “I don’t know eit
“Zayne, you need to see this message,” Gion said.Hearing that, Zayne—who had been rubbing his temples—immediately snatched the phone from Gion’s hand. He read the message Elmy had sent from someone else’s number over and over again.Wait.He wasn’t reading this wrong, right?Zayne’s eyes scanned the sentence slowly, making sure it was really Elmy who had typed it. A quiet chuckle slipped from his lips. He closed his eyes and leaned back against the sofa.His shoulders, which had been tense, slowly relaxed. He let out a long breath, like he’d just been released from an invisible chokehold. Then he laughed, making Gion raise an eyebrow in confusion.“You’re actually going to accept that offer?”Zayne snorted. “I’m not even surprised by her crazy ideas anymore.”“Figures. Bringing Sunny into your house was her idea too, right?” Gion said, and Zayne nodded. “And now she’s asking you to run away with her.”How did Elmy even come up with something like that? Run away? God… it wasn’t a bad
“Why is he here?”Dean shrugged. “I don’t know either.”“How did he even get in? Didn’t my mom forbid him from coming into this house?” Elmy asked, biting her nail anxiously.“Mrs. Isabella was the one who let him in,” Dean replied, leaving Elmy stunned. What was her mother planning now?Without another question, Elmy rushed past Dean, who stood by the doorway. Her hurried footsteps echoed through the corridor as she made her way downstairs. Her heels clicked sharply against the marble floor.Dean followed behind, guiding her toward the living room. When they got there, just like he said—Zayne was really there.“Zayne!”Hearing his name, Zayne turned around. He was wearing a black suit, looking neat and composed. His hair was styled, and rimless glasses framed his face. The corner of his lips lifted into a faint, charming smile.What is he doing here? Elmy wondered.Isabella, who was sitting on the sofa
“Watch your mouth,” a man’s voice suddenly cut in. It was sharp, slicing through Sunny’s words before she could land another insult. He pulled Elmy by the shoulder, moving her away from Sunny. Shielding her, as if Sunny’s presence alone was already dangerous.Seeing that, Sunny let out a hiss. Was
Before her anxiety had even settled, she now had to face her mother, who was sitting in the living room with her legs crossed. Her silk dress looked luxurious, paired perfectly with her jewelry. Elmy looked at her without any intention of moving closer to the sofa.Her feet felt glued to the spot f
Elmy struggled to loosen the restraints binding her, ignoring the stinging pain burning against her skin. The chair she was tied to shook violently until she lost balance and fell face-first onto the floor. Her cheek scraped against the rough, dusty concrete, sending a sharp sting through her fac
“Where’s Zayne?” Elmy asked Lyra, who was pouring coffee into a cup. It wasn’t like Zayne to skip breakfast. Last night, she hadn’t even had the chance to sleep beside him—he’d gone back to his study, and this morning, she couldn’t find him anywhere.Lyra set the teapot down on its tray.







