Ding.
Nathaniel Fu replied:"Go back to Yuyuan and wait for me. I'll come home once I'm done with work."
Celia responded sweetly,"Okay~"
She removed the fake scar from her cheek and returned to Yuyuan.
"Welcome back, madam."
It had been a long time since Celia last set foot in the Imperial Garden. She wasn't sure why Nathaniel had asked her to return here. The last two times, he'd taken her to a hotel instead.
Being back felt... surreal.Almost like time had rewound two years—back to the days when she lived here as his hidden wife, waiting for him night after night.
Celia went upstairs and soaked in a hot bath.Nathaniel hadn't returned yet. He must've had a lot to handle after the Fu family's gala tonight.
After bathing, she slipped into bed and pulled the quilt over herself. Sleep crept in, soft and heavy.
She had a dream.
In it, a massive weight pressed down on her chest—so heavy she couldn't breathe.
Celia suddenly opened her eyes.
Under the soft amber glow of the bedside lamp, Nathaniel Fu's sharply defined face filled her vision.
It wasn't a stone pressing down on her—it was him.
He had come back. Still dressed in his black suit, the faint scent of cologne mixed with cigarette smoke and aged whiskey lingered on him. The frost of the evening air clung to his shoulders. It was the scent of a grown man—dangerous, magnetic.
He braced both arms on either side of her, his lips brushing over hers—cool, soft, and slow.
Seeing her eyes open, he paused but kept their faces close, noses nearly touching.
"You're awake?" he asked, his voice low and raspy.
Celia was still dazed, her sleepy eyes delicate and unfocused, her voice feather-soft like a kitten,"…You're back?"
Nathaniel loved seeing her like this.This girl, who was already breathtaking, looked even more alluring in her drowsiness.
"You went to bed without waiting for me?" he murmured, leaning in and capturing her lips once again.
Celia could barely take his sudden tenderness.Lying here, waiting for him like this… it almost felt like she really was Mrs. Fu.
But she wasn't.
She shrank deeper under the covers, trying to dodge his breath and lips.
It didn't work.
He leaned in again, pinning her down with nothing but his presence.
Celia bit her lip, trying to resist—but Nathaniel was ready for that. He reached out and pinched her cheek, making her soft face bloom under his hand. Then he kissed her, deeply, almost hungrily.
Caught off guard, Celia's hands reached for the lapels of his suit. The expensive fabric bunched and wrinkled under her grasp.
When she was almost out of breath, he finally let her go.
He sat up slightly and began unbuttoning his shirt with slow, practiced fingers.
Celia's flushed face buried itself in the pillow."Nathaniel, wait... can we just talk first?"
He arched a brow, amused."Talk? What do you think I am, a kid who needs bedtime stories?"
"You asked me to keep you company tonight, didn't you? Let's talk," she said quickly.
His dark eyes gleamed, half-laughing, half smoldering."You still don't get what I meant by company, do you?"
He leaned down again. "It's fine. If you don't understand, I'll teach you."
She tried to roll away, but he reached out and caught her ankle, gently tugging her back beneath him.
"You know exactly what I mean, Celia. You just like to pretend you don't."
Before she could respond, she felt a chill against her collarbone. He had slipped something onto her neck.
Celia reached up and touched it.A necklace.
A diamond necklace, glimmering with a deep sapphire-blue stone now rested against her pale skin. The cool jewels sat flush above her heart.
"What is this?" she whispered.
The blue sapphire sparkled against her soft skin. Her naturally aloof aura clashed beautifully with the extravagant necklace, creating a contrast both elegant and wild—like dew on roses or fire trapped in ice.
Nathaniel's eyes darkened as he gazed at her.
"A gift I brought back from overseas," he said, his voice low and husky."Do you like it?"