Léana had heard everything — Vareck's whispered conversation with his henchman, the dark secrets being plotted, and she had even caught a glimpse of the mysterious compendium, that ancient book with yellowed pages that seemed to hold unspeakable mysteries. But she forced herself to play the innocent, hiding her calculating gaze behind a veil of feigned vulnerability. *I can't raise suspicion,* she thought, her heart pounding with barely contained rage, *but I must find out what's in that book. It's hiding something crucial.*
Vareck approached her with a predatory smile, his eyes shining with poorly concealed excitement.
"Come on, Léana, I know I messed up. A little fun should help you unwind, right?" he suggested in a silky voice, brushing her arm with a possessive gesture.
Léana looked up at him, a bitter smile stretching her lips, masking the emotional storm raging inside her — betrayal, repressed desire, and a thirst for vengeance.
"You know perfectly well you don't do anything for me… except when your friend gets involved," she replied dryly, crossing her arms to create an invisible barrier.
Vareck chuckled softly, a deep sound that vibrated through the tense room, but his eyes betrayed growing frustration.
"Well then, let's do it!" he insisted, moving closer, his warm breath against her skin.
Léana shook her head, a hint of real anger breaking through her voice, rekindling the wounds from their last fight.
"The problem is you ruined the mood with your accusations," she spat, her eyes gleaming with suppressed fury.
Vareck raised his hands in surrender, his expression shifting from malice to fake remorse, but Léana could feel the manipulation thick in the air.
"Okay… Okay… I'm sorry. I apologize. Come on, let's make peace, please… I'm on edge right now," he murmured, his voice turning pleading, laced with simulated emotion that barely masked his impatience.
Léana remained silent for a moment, her mind racing. *I need to find out what's in that compendium. Spending the night with him is a good way to stay close…* She had planned to use their intimacy as an excuse to remain in the room, but she needed to play hard to get first. If she had accepted right away, he would have been suspicious. Now that he suspected nothing, she just had to find a way to knock him out after sex to give herself time to search the book. Her eyes swept the room and landed on a bottle of wine on the dresser. *Of course! Vareck always drinks wine after we have sex, supposedly to "rehydrate." And I have my sleeping powder with me.* However, she still needed to distract him long enough to slip the powder in without him noticing.
Vareck, noticing her thoughtful expression, moved even closer, reaching out a hand.
"Léana, come on… Stop overthinking. It'll do you good. It'll help you forget that idiot Klaus," he said, brushing her shoulder, his low, persuasive voice heavy with palpable sexual tension.
Léana stopped him firmly with a hand on his chest, her heart pounding with a mix of apprehe
nsion and determination.