All Chapters of Sunshine and The Beast: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

AltheaI woke up to warmth.For a moment, I forgot where I was. The weight of exhaustion from last night’s conversation still lingered, but there was something else—something unfamiliar yet strangely comforting. My mind stirred before my body did, registering the steady rise and fall of breath beside me.Matthias.Reality settled in slowly, like the first light of dawn creeping through heavy curtains. I was curled into his side, my head against his shoulder, and his arm—God, his arm was draped over my waist, possessive even in sleep. His scent lingered in the space between us, something clean and faintly masculine, a mix of crisp cologne and warmth that felt oddly familiar now. I wasn’t used to waking up next to someone, but for some reason, it didn’t feel unnatural.I knew I should move, but I didn’t. Instead, I allowed myself a few stolen seconds to take in the quiet rhythm of his breathing, the solid warmth of his body beside mine. It was grounding in a way I didn’t expect. Comfort

MatthiasI leaned back in my chair, fingers steepled beneath my chin, eyes fixed on the screen in front of me. The name stared back at me in bold, impersonal letters—JTB Business.A company that, on paper, was clean. Too clean. It might be good in some cases, but in this world I lived in, the cleaner the outside, the dirtier the inside was. It’s a common secret in business. And this cleanliness was something that would required a lot of work for me.Like … a lot.Ren stood beside me, arms crossed, watching as Cyan’s fingers moved swiftly across his keyboard, lines of code flashing across multiple monitors in the dimly lit room. I really wanted to turn the lamp on, because why the hell he should do this shit in the dark? Those movies that show hackers in the dark should remembered that hackers worked with their eyes too. But Cyan loved movies. “It will make my work cooler,” was his reason, which was questionable, but I just let him be.“They only appeared a year ago,” Ren muttered, ey

Matthias“You haven’t slept yet?”I wasn’t planning to take a peek at her bedroom. Blame the door that didn’t close tightly, making me able to take a glance at her still sitting at her desk, with a laptop open in front of her.Maybe I shouldn’t have walked in or asked. Too late to back out, no?“In a bit,” she turned to me and smiled–or at least trying to, because I instantly showed her paleness and her eyebags got darker. Noticing that only made me want to step closer to her. And I did. I stepped inside without waiting for an invitation, crossing the room in a few strides. The dim glow of her laptop screen cast sharp shadows across her face, accentuating the exhaustion she was failing to hide. The faint smile she tried to muster did little to convince me she was okay.“You look terrible,” I said bluntly, placing a hand on the edge of her desk and bending my body a little to take a careful look at her. I knew she was busy with her works for the past few days, and she was getting to

AltheaDreams were a blessing given to some, while others weren’t as lucky.At least, not with the good ones.But last night… last night was different.Everything felt warm, familiar, like sinking into a comfort I hadn’t realized I’d been craving. The strong arms wrapped around me, holding me close. The slow, deliberate kisses pressed against my skin, trailing from my temple to my shoulders, to places that made me shiver. And the pleasure—God, the pleasure. That feeling of being completely fulfilled, yet aching for more the second it was over.Even in sleep, the remnants of it lingered, pulling me into the kind of morning I didn’t want to leave.When I finally stirred, the first thing I felt was warmth. A slow, steady rhythm of breath against my neck, a firm yet gentle hold on my waist. Matthias was still close, still tangled up with me in the sheets, his body solid and warm against mine.I let my eyes flutter open, and for a moment, I just watched him. His face was softer like this,

AltheaThere were some facts too hard to admit, and it took time.I had those moments before—when my scholarship fell apart, when my life crumbled after Granny was gone. And now… this.Pregnant.I was pregnant.The word echoed in my mind, foreign and somehow felt surreal. But it was real. Even the doctor said so, and something in my belly was a living proof of that.That was what you got for doing stupid thing, Althea. A voice in my head warned me. You knew that what both of you did wasn’t even in the contract. You let that happened.The contract. Yes, that one.What were we going to do with it now?I sat curled up on the couch, my legs pulled to my chest, arms wrapped tightly around myself as if that would somehow hold me together. But nothing could stop the way my thoughts spiraled, the way my heart pounded with the weight of the unknown.Matthias hadn’t said much since the hospital.He had driven us back in silence, his grip on the steering wheel firm but not tense, his gaze unrea