Rex leaned back in the tub, the warm water lapping gently at their skin. The air was thick with the comforting scent of bath oils and lingering steam. Monica rested against him, her back to his chest, the curve of her shoulder fitting perfectly beneath his chin as if she’d always belonged there.
Water swirling around their bodies as steam rose gently in the air, his fingers idly tracing circles on her waist.
"So... what are you planning to do about your agency? And that bastard agent of yours?" he asked, voice low but probing.
Monica’s lips curled into a cruel, elegant smile. Her eyes glead with a quiet, dangerous fire. "Don’t worry. I have my own thods," she said, brushing her wet hair back. "I’m not so helpless Virgin Mary waiting for justice. I know how to play dirty if needed."
Rex raised a brow, amused but impressed. "And the contract? I’ve heard those can be brutal, full of clauses and penalties."
She smiled faintly, a hint of confidence flickering in her eyes., as a sly smile curled on her lips. "It was a short-term contract with minimum penalties. When they signed , I was just another pretty face to fill their roster. They didn’t expect to blow up like this, so it was a standard contract—basic pay, barely any perks, and luckily for , not much in the way of restrictions or damages either."
She paused, brushing her hair back with a flick of confidence.
"And it’s already ending in a few months," she added.
"But I’m not the kind of person to just pack up and leave like nothing happened." Her voice dropped slightly, her smile taking on a sharp edge.
"I’ll settle things in my own way. Everyone—every single person who tried to exploit or sabotage ...they’ll learn exactly who they were dealing with."
Rex chuckled softly, genuinely impressed. "Pretty feisty one, aren’t you?"
His hand slid higher on her back, pulling her a little closer. "If you ever need help, anything at all, I’m always ready." His voice was quiet, but firm... serious, almost unexpectedly so.
Then he leaned forward slightly, his eyes eting hers with quiet intensity. "I’m not the kind of man who sleeps with a woman and disappears the next morning like nothing happened. I don’t know what label to put on this, that’s just not . If I let soone in, even a little... I don’t turn my back on them the next day like it ant nothing."
He paused, then added with a half-smile, almost like a confession,"So no matter what this is between us, just know, I’ll always be there for you. To support you, to comfort you... even if you decide to burn the entire industry down, I’ll still be right beside you."
Monica blinked, montarily caught off guard. For a second, all her sharp edges softened. No smirks, no teasing cobacks, just silence, as if she were trying to rember the last ti soone said sothing like that to her.
Then she let out a low laugh, not mocking but a little unsteady, like she didn’t know what to do with the warmth curling in her chest. "You talk like a man ready to sign up for a war," she said, brushing her hair back behind her ear. "Do you even know what you’re getting yourself into?"
Rex didn’t flinch. "Probably not. But I’m still here."
She stared at him for a long mont, her expression unreadable. Then, almost under her breath, she muttered, "Idiot."
But the way she leaned in, resting her head briefly on his shoulder...said more than anything else she could’ve. For soone like Monica, that was as close as surrender as it got.
Suddenly, Monica tilted her head with a teasing glint in her eyes. "Oh? A pretty possessive one," she purred, her voice low and sultry, fingers gliding slowly up his chest as if tracing her claim. "But I like it."
She shifted her position with lazy grace, straddling him slightly in the warm tub. Water rippled around her thighs, sloshing gently as her skin pressed against his. Her gaze didn’t waver as she leaned in and captured his lips with hers.
The kiss was deep and unhurried, breathless yet intimate... tasting of steam, skin, and sothing far more intoxicating. Her fingers slipped into his hair, pulling just enough to keep him rooted in the mont.
When their lips finally parted, they remained close, their foreheads nearly touching, breaths mingling in the humid air.
"What a coincidence," she whispered, still panting softly, her lips brushing his. "While I may not be as possessive as you... I also don’t like switching my n around."
Then suddenly, turning serious, she looked into his eyes. The teasing faded, replaced by a serious expression. Her fingers traced the line of his jaw, featherlight, almost reverent.
"I know myself," she murmured. "I’m ambitious. I have goals, big ones. I want to stand at the top of this industry, not just as another pretty face, but as soone who craved her own path, made her own rules, and forced the world to take her seriously."
She exhaled slowly, her fingers drifting in the water. "I’m not aiming for just stardom, I want power. Creative control, business ventures, maybe even my own studio soday. I want the world hundred, even thousands of years later to rember that there was soone nad Monica in this world.
Her eyes t his again, sharp yet vulnerable. "And to do that, I can’t always be present. I can’t play house or act like I’ll always be there to hold your hand. I won’t lie. I’ll be away, I’ll be tired, and sotis I’ll be too caught up chasing that next milestone."
"I won’t be the kind of woman who can spend every mont doting on her man. And I won’t apologize for that. So if you have a few won here and there... well, I’d rather have a man like you than so hypocrite clinging to a fantasy of monogamy while cheating behind my back."
She paused, then added with a touch of humor and self-awareness, "So no, I won’t demand blind loyalty or pretend I can give it. But I will be honest. I’ll give what I can, when I can, and if soone chooses to stay, they’ll know they’re choosing all of , not just the parts that are convenient."
Her voice softened then, eyes locked on his with a rare sincerity. "And while I may not be around all the ti... you’ll be the only one. Ever. For ."
She smiled faintly, like it surprised even her to say it, but there was no hesitation in her gaze, only the quiet strength of soone who knew her worth and was finally choosing to share it.
(End of Chapter)
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