On the topmost floor of the mansion, in the vast balcony veranda area, Zethan sat on the railing, legs crossed, as he slowly inhaled his cigarette. His expression remained unreadable, lost in deep thought.
The wind was calm, yet carried a sharp chill, rustling the ends of his coat as it drifted around him. The night stretched endlessly, the stars shimring like distant eyes watching over the world below.
From where he sat, the drop was perilous. A single misstep, a wrong tilt of his weight, and he would plumt to his death. Yet, despite the danger, he remained unbothered, as if the risk itself ant nothing.
Beside him, Lucas stood, his posture stiff, his eyes heavy with exhaustion. His boss had summoned him just as he was slipping into the best part of his rest, and now, here he was—struggling to stay awake while Zethan spoke in circles.
Every ti Lucas thought he had an opening to respond, his boss would cut him off, as if toying with his patience.
Zethan swirled the cigarette between his fingers, watching the smoke curl in the air before exhaling slowly. Then, he chuckled, a low, almost bitter sound, covering his eyes briefly with his hand before shaking his head.
He spoke, voice laced with quiet amusent, "Can you believe it, Lucas? She slamd the door in my face—just when I was about to act like a gentleman."
Lucas blinked, still groggy.
Zethan chuckled again, the sound quieter this ti. "She didn't even let say what I had planned on saying. Can you believe it?"
Just as Lucas opened his mouth to answer, Zethan cut him off once more.
"She even locked the door," he said, laughing softly, shaking his head as if in disbelief. "Loris is becoming sothing else. Can you believe she locked the door on Zethan Lyall's face?"
Another chuckle, this one tinged with sothing unreadable.
"Unbelievable," Zethan whispered before taking a slow drag from his cigarette.
Lucas shifted on his feet, watching his boss closely. It wasn't the situation itself that surprised him—it was the way Zethan kept repeating himself, like he couldn't process what had happened.
How many tis had he already said this tonight?
Too many.
Still, Lucas couldn't bla him.
This had never happened before.
"Boss, I..."
And then—before he could continue, before he could even open his mouth to tell Zethan that it was okay—Zethan spoke first.
"I'll punish you, Loris," he murmured. "I'll punish you so hard."
His smile was calm. Then it twisted into a grin, sharp and almost cruel.
"And to think—I even tried acting like a gentleman."
He let out a slow grin before turning to Lucas. "So tell , Lucas, should I keep acting like a gentleman?"
Lucas opened his mouth.
Then closed it.
Lucas scratched the back of his head, his expression calm. "I don't know if—"
He was cut off again.
"And that wasn't all," he continued, shaking his head. "She's been giving that cold look. And I did nothing wrong. Look at —I can rember clearly, that I did nothing wrong. I can rember..."
His head shook slightly, his fingers tapping idly against the cigarette.
"Why am I even bothered?" His voice was lower now. "Tell , Lucas, why am I bothered?"
Lucas looked at him, unsure how to respond.
How was he supposed to explain to his boss that he had no answer?
That, at this point, the only thought circling his mind was: Sleep. Sleep. Sleep. Sleep.
Zethan took another slow drag from his cigarette, exhaling the smoke through his nose. His lips barely moved when he spoke next.
"I must say," he murmured, "this wife-to-be of mine... she's really, really sothing. Sothing fun."
Then, with a lazy wave of his hand, he dismissed him.
"You can go on, Lucas. Go have so rest."
Lucas exhaled in relief, a small, grateful smile forming on his face as he turned to leave.
But just as he took a step—
"Co, Lucas."
Lucas froze.
Zethan's voice was softer now, but his words carried an undeniable weight.
"Tell ," he continued, his gaze fixed on Lucas, "should she be punished? You tell ."
He hesitated, glancing at his boss's expression. Zethan was watching him, waiting.
His usual amusent had faded. What remained was sothing far less playful, sothing cold and expectant.
Lucas's mouth felt dry. His nerves prickled.
And finally, he spoke.
"Boss, I... I don't really know what to say."
"Nonsense," Zethan waved him off. "You may leave, Lucas."
Lucas let out a quiet breath of relief and turned to go.
But as he walked away, his mind whirled with a single thought.
Just who had his boss brought into their lives?
She was really, really different from anyone he had ever known.
One thing was certain—this woman was already changing his boss.
Zethan had never called him at such an hour for sothing like this.
If his boss summoned him, it was always for sothing important.
But not this.
**********
Lilia woke up to a soft knock on the door.
Her eyes fluttered open lazily, her mind still foggy with sleep. She mumbled, "Co in," her voice barely above a whisper.
The door creaked open, and Evie entered.
The woman bowed respectfully. "Miss Lilia, good morning. I hope you slept well."
Lilia gave a small nod, still not fully awake.
"As I ntioned before," Evie continued, "the doctor recomnded that you exercise, drink water, and eat fruits. I'd like us to start our exercise routine this morning. We'll begin with jogging, so please dress for that."
She paused, then added, "You don't need to bathe—just wash your face and take care of your oral hygiene. After the exercise, you can go ahead and bathe, Miss Lilia."
She spoke softly, almost like she was reminding her.
Lilia nodded, and Evie left the room.
Once she was alone, Lilia quickly changed into her gym outfit.
It was a matching black set, similar to the one she had worn the day she escaped. However, this one had an even cuter design—tiny bow-like ribbons on the sides of the waist, adding a playful touch.
She stepped out of her room, finding Evie waiting outside.
Evie bowed before speaking.
"This way, Miss Lilia."
Lilia followed her, watching as Evie carried a bag, seemingly packed with essentials.
As they walked, Evie stole a glance at Lilia—then another.
A flicker of surprise crossed her face.
No one had dared to ntion it, but Lilia's figure was strikingly natural and undeniably beautiful. Her slim-thick fra was just the right balance—not too much, but certainly impressive.
Evie hesitated before speaking.
"Miss Lilia," she finally said, still in awe.
Evie continued speaking as they finally stopped. "Since you're just starting, we'll begin with basic steps." She pointed ahead. "Start from here," then gestured to the farthest corner of the mansion. "Please jog to that point, stop there, and then co back."
Lilia hesitated for a mont, but Evie reassured her. "It might look hard now, but I promise you will enjoy it as ti goes on."
As Lilia started jogging toward the tree area, she quickly realized how far it was. With every step, mories of the previous night rushed back—slamming the door in Zethan's face.
Why had she done that?
The truth was, she had been too overwheld to deal with him. Her mind was still processing everything—the anger at herself for acting that way and at him for making her feel like a fool. Everything had been so chaotic that she hadn't even realized she had slamd the door. Yet, at that mont, she didn't regret it.
Her curiosity, however, lingered. Where was Zethan now? She tried to shake off the thought and focused on her jog.
By the ti she reached the tree area, she was out of breath. She paused, inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly, trying to calm her body. Then, she turned around and began jogging back toward Evie.
It had been so long since she'd exercised, but strangely, it felt a bit enjoyable. The mansion wasn't that bad after all.
However, as she neared Evie, exhaustion set in, and she slowed down.
Evie noticed and called out, "You can walk the rest of the way, Miss Lilia. You've done very well." She bowed respectfully as Lilia nodded and walked toward her.
Evie handed her a small sachet. "This is glucose, Miss Lilia. It will help with your energy."
Lilia nodded in recognition and accepted the sachet. Evie then passed her a cute pink bottle.
"This is water," Evie said.
Lilia smiled, feeling a little better, and took a sip.
Evie finally spoke. "Great job, Miss Lilia. We'll continue tomorrow."
Lilia nodded and began walking back toward the mansion, but a thought lingered in her mind. Without realizing it, she spoke aloud. "Where is my fiancé?" The words surprised both herself and Evie.
Evie hesitated for a mont before answering. "Mr. Zethan is watching a sparring match. It's part of his schedule, but I'm not sure if he's still attending."
Lilia nodded, then casually said, "I see." She wondered what the sparring match was like before adding, "Take to him."
Evie hesitated, looking uncertain. "I'm sorry, Miss Lilia, but I don't think I can do that. Mr. Zethan needs to be inford first."
Lilia's expression hardened, and her tone beca firm. "I'm not asking, Evie. I'm telling you—take to my fiancé."
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