"Come closer… and kiss me."
Not sleeping plain… so only indulging in pleasure?
Before Clara could even respond, the man's low, commanding voice resonated again:
"Come closer… and kiss me."
Startled, she lifted her gaze and met the fathomless darkness of Sebastian Kane's eyes. Reclining on the sofa with effortless elegance, he exuded an innate nobility, cold yet magnetic. The lucidity she had maintained after biting her lip wavered, slipping into a haze as her remaining consciousness wrestled with the encroaching daze.
Calm… stay calm.
She averted her gaze, attempting to distract herself by reading the live comments.
[Ahhh! The S-sensuality is overwhelming! My legs are weak through the screen!]
[Damn, this seductive man is just a passerby?!]
[Strongly suggest he be added to the heroine's harem!]
[He's wearing a full matching shirt set! So meticulous!]
[Will the side character react?]
The barrage of comments only stirred her anxiety. She struggled to remain composed until one particularly alarming message appeared:
[Don't worry, tonight is pivotal. The side character will lose herself. The second male lead's drug is potent. If she resists, she'll be doomed! As soon as she leaves the room, he'll collide with her, and she'll beg like a dog. He'll record it, to be revealed at the wedding!]
Clara drew a deep breath, steeling herself, and approached Sebastian. "Are you… insane?" she asked, voice trembling.
"You're my first guest," he replied, a faint, teasing smile curving his lips. "Shall we inspect first?"
Inspect? Clara could not comprehend, yet the subtle parting of his lips… stirred a daring impulse within her. She leaned forward, and their lips met. Sebastian's gaze darkened, but before he could react, a tear slipped, landing wet upon his face.
Their eyes locked. Though he had been the one intruded upon, she cried with unexpected sorrow. He did not scowl; instead, a smile touched his lips. "Why are you crying?"
"I…" Clara wiped her tears, startled at her own vulnerability. "Perhaps it was… overwhelming."
"Overwhelming?" His tone bore a dark amusement.
Embarrassment flushed her cheeks, deepening the redness around her eyes. Sebastian took in her flustered, conflicted state, a wicked thought forming. This audacious intruder had mistaken him for a mere tool—perhaps a lesson was due.
"I can offer something even more overwhelming," he murmured, seizing her wrist and drawing her into his embrace. "Care to try?"
In this intimate space, a subtle, sweet scent lingered, teasing his senses, beckoning exploration. The mischievous intent in him began to shift. He wanted her to cry a little more, to feel a sharper sting. And so he acted, deliberately.
Outside, the moon climbed high into the night sky. City lights dimmed, the river's mist rising to blur the amber street lamps, like fireworks blooming through a softened focus.
Clara huddled on the bed, the dark sheets contrasting her porcelain skin, immersed in the intoxicating scent of Sebastian. Memories of Jiang Siren's protective warmth intruded—hands pulling her through ridicule and isolation, grounding her in this unfamiliar city. Yet, the present… shattered that recollection.
The sound of running water from the shower echoed, a reminder of her prior actions. Hastily, she donned her skirt, placed the ten thousand at the bedside, and struggled against her sore legs to leave the room.
[What about the previous scene? What can my esteemed SVIP not view?]
[The side character enjoyed herself and left Sebastian alone?]
[Unfair! I wanted her brutally punished, not pampered by the handsome lead!]
Clara ignored the comments, hailed a ride, and returned to the family estate. It was two a.m., yet lights blazed throughout the mansion. Her family clustered around her adopted sister, Baozhu.
"She's beautiful," her father remarked. "I heard the Whitmore heir couldn't attend tonight. But he will recognize you as his 'white moonlight' at the birthday banquet."
Clara lingered in the shadows, observing her sister's preparation to marry into the capital's elite circle. On the way back, she had glimpsed the wealthy aunt's photograph, confirming her speculation.
"Ah, Clara's home?" Baozhu feigned surprise, directing attention away from herself.
Her family scrutinized her. Mother's disappointment was palpable. "Why so late? Learn from your sister—she's about to marry the Whitmore heir. And what are those marks on your neck?"
Clara answered lightly, "The Whitmore heir kissed me."
Shock rippled through the room; none could believe it. Her brother scowled. "Where have you been?" He reached for her, but she sidestepped, leaving him to crash into the tea table, shattering the finest cups and injuring his waist.
Clara merely blinked, a practiced reflex sparing her from harm.
[Why isn't the side character getting hit? Such screen impotence!]
[Seeing Dad injure himself… kind of satisfying!]
[The side character's family is harsh, poor girl.]
Clara smiled faintly, offering only verbal concern. "Father, are you alright?"
"You dare speak? Where have you been?"
"Dad, don't blame her," Baozhu interjected, anxious. "Sister, I know you like fun, but this cannot reach the Jiang family. Our company struggles, and your engagement to Siren will secure our ties further."
Mother added, "Take the ruby necklace given by Grandma to Baozhu to the banquet. We will overlook tonight, but you must handle this respectfully."
Clara's inner smirk was quiet as she conceded: "Fine. I admit, I was with Jiang Siren earlier."
"What?" The revelation hit like thunder.
The live comments erupted in disbelief.
Later, moonlight spilled silver across the room. Sebastian emerged from the shower, water droplets clinging to his sculpted shoulders, a white towel wrapped at his waist, his long legs bare. Seeing the ten thousand on the bed, he only smirked.
"Enjoyed yourself and ran?"
Before his assistant could intervene, Sebastian's icy glare pierced the air. "Go check on that person."
After another cold shower, he returned to his dormitory, still restless. The four-person room was shared with Jiang Siren, not close friends but linked by circumstance. His eyes swept the incoming messages:
[Who dared spread rumors? Someone could sleep with your fiancée and get the car!]
[Not a rumor.]
Sebastian extinguished his phone screen, indifferent to the car, indifferent to anyone else's fiancée. Entering the dorm, the dim moonlight revealed two bodies entwined on his bed—his roommate with a woman. The acrid mix of alcohol and perfume turned his brow, and with a swift motion, he tipped a cup of water over them.