The man's deep, magnetic voice came through the line."Are you asleep?"
Just two simple words—but maybe because the phone was pressed against her ear, the low timbre seeped straight into her chest, warm and intoxicating, leaving a faint, tingling numbness in its wake.
Celia shifted the phone slightly away. "Yeah."
Then she asked, "President Fu, is there something you need?"
He gave a soft chuckle, the sound carrying a teasing lilt."Can't I call you for no reason?"
No—you can't, she thought silently. But she didn't say it aloud. After all, she was still living in a villa he owned, one that probably cost more than she could ever imagine.
When she didn't answer, Nathaniel's voice took on a calm seriousness."Don't sleep yet. Go to the study and find a document for me. I need it."
"Oh… alright."
Celia walked into the study, following his directions. She opened the desk drawer and pulled out the file."President Fu, I've got it."
"I need to proofread it. Grab a pen. Circle what I tell you."
"…?"
She glanced at the thick stack in her hands. How long would it take to proofread something like this?
But she didn't dare protest. She picked up a pen and began circling and marking wherever he instructed.
An hour slipped by.
Drowsiness crept in, her eyelids growing heavier by the second. Eventually, she fetched a blanket, curled up on the sofa, and let sleep overtake her.
"Celia."
His low voice sounded from the phone resting beside her.
"Mmm…"
Half-asleep, she murmured back, her words softened by the gentle lilt of her Wu dialect. "President Fu~"
In the presidential suite thousands of miles away, Nathaniel sat in his office chair, watching her through the surveillance feed.
On the screen, she was curled into a small ball on the sofa, wrapped entirely in the blanket. Only half of her exquisite face peeked out from behind a spill of dark hair.
She was fast asleep. That sweet, sleepy way she called him "President Fu" melted into his ears like warm marshmallow—soft, sweet, and unbearably tempting.
His lips curved faintly.
Through the screen, his thumb brushed over her cheek, then lingered on her soft, rosy lips, rubbing them with deliberate slowness.
She had no idea there were security cameras in the villa. Of course, none in the bedroom—but the study had one. He had called her there tonight for no other reason than to see her.
"Celia…" His voice was low, almost as if speaking to himself. "Is there anything you want to say to me?"
Naturally, the girl gave him no reply.
The next morning.
Celia woke up on the study sofa, dazed.
She sat up and glanced at her phone—her call with Nathaniel had lasted three hours. She had actually fallen asleep to his voice.
Last night, she had expected to toss and turn until dawn, her mind restless. Yet somehow, with his voice in her ear, she had drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep.
The kind of sleep she hadn't had in years.
Oh my god.
What was happening to her?
She vaguely remembered—just before she lost consciousness—him asking if she had anything to say to him. She still didn't know what kind of answer he had been hoping for.
Just then, her phone chimed.
Julia Lin had sent a message:Cici, Rosalie and the others are going to the TV station for an interview today.
Celia typed back: I know. I've prepared a big gift for them.
Julia replied, I'm looking forward to it too.
Meanwhile, Li Chong had spent the last two nights lurking in the city's red-light district.
Emerging in the early morning light, his mind was still fixed on Celia.
That girl had been fierce since she was young. He had obsessed over her the entire time he'd been in prison. And now, seeing her grown and even more beautiful, his desire had only intensified.
He patted his pockets. Empty.
First, he'd need cash.
Nearby, two men were chatting."Hey, did you hear? Rosalie, the eldest daughter of the Su family, is going to be interviewed on TV."