The next day...
Anne jolted awake, a pounding sensation in her head making her wince. It felt as if soone were relentlessly hamring against her skull. She groaned softly, rubbing her forehead as her eyes fluttered open.
Her movents suddenly halted when she noticed Augustine lying beside her, his arm draped over her body.
’What is he doing here?’ she wondered, confusion swirling in her mind.
Her wide eyes moved down and locked onto his bare chest. Her heart lurched to her stomach.
So focused was she on piecing together the events of the previous night that she montarily forgot about her throbbing headache.
Just then, Augustine’s eyes opened lazily, and saw her staring at him. A slow smirk spread across his lips. "Good morning."
Anne stiffened, instinctively shifting back to put so distance between them. But before she could move away, Augustine’s arm tightened around her, keeping her in place.
Her breath caught in her throat.
"Trying to escape?" He grinned, amusent dancing in his eyes.
Anne swallowed hard, her gaze betraying her as it flickered back to his bare chest despite her best efforts to avoid looking.
"I-I need to take a shower," she stamred, wriggling in an attempt to free herself.
But instead of letting go, he pulled her closer, pressing her against his warm chest. "What is the rush? Stay with a little longer—then we’ll shower together." His voice dropped to a teasing murmur, laced with aning.
Anne’s cheeks turned red. ’Shower together?’ Her mind reeled. ’What exactly happened last night for him to suggest sothing like this?’
Uncertainty and unease churned inside her. His closeness, his words, and most of all, his bare chest—each sign pointed to the possibility that sothing intimate had happened between them.
Heat spread across her face as a single, nerve-wracking thought took root in her mind. ’Did we have sex last night?’
Anne swallowed hard. "Um... last night... I was drunk," she stamred. "I don’t rember anything. So, whatever happened between us... can we just not take it seriously?"
Lowering her head, she fiddled nervously with the edge of the blanket, avoiding his gaze.
Augustine raised an eyebrow, montarily caught off guard. ’She doesn’t rember anything?’
A flicker of disappointnt passed through him. The passionate, wild kiss they had shared—she had forgotten it already so easily.
But then, an idea struck him, quickly replacing his disappointnt with amusent. A mischievous glint flashed in his eyes as he leaned closer.
"How can I pretend nothing happened?" he drawled, feigning seriousness. "You took advantage of ."
Anne’s head snapped up, eyes widening in shock. "W-What? I... I took advantage of you?"
She had always heard of people taking advantage of the drunk, but never in her wildest imagination had she thought she—while intoxicated—could have forced herself on him.
"Yes." He tilted his head, pointing to the red mark on his neck. "See this bite mark? You were completely out of control last night – you acted like a wild cat."
Anne’s gaze landed on the mark, and her breath hitched. Her mind struggled to process it—until a hazy mory surfaced. She saw herself clinging to him, her teeth sinking into his skin.
Her stomach dropped. ’Oh no... I really did that.’
Her cheeks flad, and with a mortified groan, she yanked the blanket over her face. ’So embarrassing!’ she scread internally. ’I actually— had slept with him.’
She wished the mattress would swallow her completely or that she could vanish into thin air.
Augustine fought back a laugh, keeping his expression composed. He tugged the blanket down slightly, looking at her with a solemn face. "I can’t just forget it. The mory is still crystal clear in my mind."
Anne clutched the blanket tighter, her face burning. "I don’t rember..."
Before she could finish, Augustine swiftly grabbed her wrists, pinning them above her head. In one smooth motion, he rolled over her, his body pressing her into the mattress.
Anne’s heart pounded, her eyes wide and her breathing erratic.
"Then I’ll remind you," he murmured in a teasing tone and crashed his lips onto hers.
She froze, her body going rigid. But as his kiss deepened—slow, intoxicating, deliberate—the tension in her muscles lted away. Warmth spread through her, dissolving her hesitation.
’He is my husband. There is nothing wrong with this,’ her mind reasoned weakly.
Just as she was about to surrender to the mont, Augustine abruptly pulled away.
Anne blinked, dazed and confused. ’Why did he stop? Doesn’t he want ?’
A knowing smile played on his lips as he gently caressed her cheek. "Relax. I won’t do anything until you’re ready." Winking at her aningfully, he smoothly rolled out of bed. "Get so more rest." And with that, he strode out the door.
Anne sat up, staring after him with a shocked look, her mouth slightly open.
"Wait... does that an nothing happened last night?"
The realization hit her like a bolt of lightning.
Her expression twisted in frustration. "You..." She snatched up a pillow and hurled it at the door just as he exited. "You tricked !"
~~~~~~~~~~
Denis stepped into the office, his expression darkening the mont his eyes landed on Anne’s empty desk. ’She hasn’t co yet,’ he mused bitterly.
He had anticipated that she would show up to collect her belongings, but it seed she was in such a rush to cut ties with him that she didn’t even care about them. She hadn’t returned to his house either, nor had she bothered to retrieve the extravagant gifts he had showered her with over the past three years.
For three years, Anne had lived in his house, eaten his food, and spent his money. Now, she was eager to walk away because she had found soone else. A surge of anger burned within him like a raging inferno.
"Ungrateful," Denis muttered under his breath as he strode toward his office. However, before he could reach the door, his phone buzzed with an incoming call from his father, summoning him to his office. With a sigh, he turned around and made his way there.
Upon entering, he found Gabriel seated behind his grand desk, his expression grim and severe.
"What’s wrong?" Denis asked, dropping into the chair across from him. "You look furious."
Gabriel’s eyes flashed with anger as he slid a tablet across the desk toward him. "You have the audacity to ask that?" he snapped. "The company’s stock has plumted because of this recent ss. Investors are pulling out, the project has slipped from our grasp, and the client is threatening to terminate the contract."
Denis clenched the armrests of his chair, his jaw tightening. "I already fired the person responsible."
"But the damage is done," Gabriel shot back. "This is the result of your carelessness. What kind of people are you keeping around yourself? You don’t even keep an eye on your subordinates. How could a corporate spy infiltrate our company, and you had no idea?"
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