Under the heavy dark of night.

Her body was trapped against a broad, warm chest. A burning breath brushed across her neck, and the man’s thin lips barely grazed the side of her nose. It felt like a jolt of electricity, sharp and sudden, rushing through her whole body in an instant.

Lily Harmon clung hard to the tall figure in front of her. Her legs had gone so weak she could barely stay upright.

She let out a shaky little sound. "Sir, please... help me."

In the dark, a trace of coldness flashed through the man’s deep black eyes. Even so, his hand tightened around her slim, soft waist. "Did my grandmother send you?"

Lily couldn’t even process what he was saying anymore. Her limp, heated body kept pressing into his arms, chasing his warmth again and again, like that was the only thing keeping her from falling apart.

A faint, sweet scent lingered at the tip of his nose, spreading through him before he could stop it. Julian Ashford’s brows drew together hard. The drug in his system seemed to hit even faster under that scent, like it was being pushed to the max. This smell...

His striking, refined face was hidden in the shadows, but the look in his eyes was dark enough to make anyone’s scalp tingle.

He gave a low chuckle, but there was zero warmth in it. In the darkness, his fingers slowly brushed over the girl’s slightly flushed cheek. "What do you want?"

The girl’s small hands gripped his shirt tightly. Her soft voice trembled with pleading. "Sir... please, be good to me."

A moment later.

Their clothes lay in a messy heap on the floor.

The girl’s broken sobs were swallowed completely.

At the same time.

In the villa, after hearing what was said on the other end of the call, the girl flew into a rage and smashed the glass in her hand. Her makeup was flawless, but her face now looked twisted and vicious. "What did you just say? She got away? Several grown men couldn’t even keep an eye on one woman? Useless. Every single one of you is trash!"

Her breathing turned sharp with fury as she snapped, "Find Lily Harmon and bring her back now!"

-

An hour earlier.

Lily Harmon ran out of the private room in a panic.

Because she knew she’d been drugged.

The one who drugged her was a bloated, pot-bellied man.

The look in his eyes was straight-up disgusting. To Lily Harmon, she wasn’t even a person right now—just prey laid out on a plate.

Dizzy and weak, she staggered down the hallway, her heart feeling like it was being ripped apart.

How did this happen?

Why were they doing this to her?

She had already given up everything.

So why the hell were they still refusing to let her go?

Several men were chasing her from behind, and Lily was so panicked she barely knew where she was running.

If they dragged her back and threw her to that fat pig to be humiliated...

She didn’t even dare finish the thought.

No!

She couldn’t just fold like this!

Lily rushed into the elevator and, at the very last second, slammed the doors shut, cutting off the men chasing after her outside.

But she knew it too well—those people weren’t going to let her off that easily.

She had to find somewhere to hide.

But where?

Where could she go to shake them off?

The elevator doors opened again.

Lily bolted out, but before she got far, she heard voices from the stairwell.

“Damn it, don’t let that bitch get away, or how are we supposed to answer to Miss Serena?”

Miss Serena?

So Serena Harmon was the one who sent them after her?

Lily Harmon pressed her lips tight and bolted without looking back.

But the sound of her footsteps still gave her away.

"She’s over here! Don’t let her get away!"

A few men came charging after Lily, panting hard as they ran. "Bitch, what are you running for? Just stop already and behave. You’re not getting away!"

Lily bit down on her lip. Her mind was getting hazier by the second, like a thick fog was swallowing up her thoughts, but she couldn’t stop. No matter what, she absolutely could not stop.

She dug her nails into her palm, trying to force herself awake, trying to stay sharp.

At the same time—

In the top-floor VIP suite.

A man stepped out of the elevator with a dark, icy expression. He was tall and lean, dressed in a black shirt that made his whole presence feel even colder. His features were sharp and clean-cut, and it was obvious he was in a seriously bad mood. Something ugly churned in his eyes, fierce and hard to ignore.

His assistant hurried after him, looking awkward as he explained, "Sir, that woman just now was sent in by Mrs. Ashford, so... that’s why..."

A trace of helplessness flashed through Julian Ashford’s eyes.

"Be more careful next time. Don’t let Mrs. Ashford find another opening."

Spencer Hayden quietly let out a breath of relief. "Yes, sir."

After saying that, he paused for a moment, then asked carefully, "Sir, should I call a doctor for you?"

Mrs. Ashford had completely gone off the rails trying to force him into marriage.

She’d even gone as far as drugging him.

Still, that kind of family mess wasn’t something he could interfere in.

Julian Ashford said flatly, "No need."

This little bit of medicine was still within what he could suppress.

Spencer Hayden swiped the room card, and the man stepped inside.

A moment later.

Water started running in the bathroom.

Cold water poured down from above, washing away about half the heat raging through his body.

The phone set to the side buzzed at the worst possible time. The man glanced at it and saw the message on the screen.

Grandma: "Julian Ashford, you little brat, why did you drive away the girl I arranged for you? Are you trying to piss me off to death?"

Julian Ashford looked at it once, then set the phone back down.

Not long after.

He came out of the bathroom with a towel hanging low and loose around his waist. A broad stretch of pale, cool-toned skin was exposed across his chest. Leftover droplets slid slowly from his neck, tracing down his sharply defined abs before disappearing into that dangerously suggestive V-line.

Even after standing under cold water for half an hour, the restlessness inside him still hadn’t fully gone away. It was only barely under control.

Julian Ashford casually wiped the water from his hair. Just then, someone knocked on the door. It was Spencer Hayden, bringing over a few documents.

After dropping off the files, Spencer Hayden left right away.

Julian Ashford held the papers in one hand and casually switched off the light. His body still felt a little off, and he planned to lie down for a bit.

But just as he turned off the light and was about to shut the door, a petite figure suddenly squeezed through the gap.

The next second, a girl’s soft, trembling voice rang out in a rush. "Sorry—someone’s chasing me. Can you let me hide here for a second?"

Lily Harmon hurriedly shut the door behind her. Outside, frantic footsteps thundered past. She instantly held her breath. Then came several furious voices from beyond the door.

"Damn it, where the hell did that bitch run off to? Go find her. Hurry up. When I catch her, I’m gonna kill her!"

Probably because they couldn’t find Lily Harmon, those footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

Lily Harmon finally relaxed for a second, but the heat inside her kept crashing through her body in waves, making her feel worse and worse.

Only then did she realize the person standing in front of her was a man.

"Who are you?"

The man’s voice was icy cold. Lily Harmon couldn’t make out his face in the dark, but she could tell one thing for sure.

He was angry.

She blurted out in a panic, "Sorry, sir. I’ll leave right now."

Those people probably wouldn’t come back for the moment.

Lily Harmon had just reached for the door, ready to get out, when her body suddenly went limp. Her knees gave way, and she nearly collapsed. Her head spun hard, and her whole body felt awful—burning, weak, restless, like she desperately needed something.

That feeling was way too weird.

So weird that a soft moan slipped from Lily’s lips before she could stop it.

But she didn’t actually hit the floor. The instant her body sagged, the man in front of her suddenly grabbed her by the waist and pulled her straight into his arms.

The scent on him—cold, sharp, distinctly male—kept crashing over her senses.

Her eyes turned hazy. Leaning against him felt insanely comforting. That was what she thought, and that was exactly what she did. Her flushed, delicate cheek pressed against Julian Ashford’s bare chest, and his whole body jolted violently.

The heat he had just forced down came roaring back in a second.

Julian’s eyes reddened as he flung Lily away.

Her body slammed into the door behind her. She let out a pained cry, but that sound was soft and trembling, almost like a kitten’s mewl, scratching right across Julian’s nerves and leaving his heart tingling and numb.

What the hell?

Why was this happening?

Just as Julian was about to throw the girl out, she wrapped herself around him again. Her soft arms hooked around his neck, and broken, aggrieved little sounds spilled from her lips. "So hot... it hurts..."

In the dark, Lily Harmon had already reached her limit. Her body seemed completely out of control, only wanting to move closer to the man. She wanted more, but she couldn’t even explain what that "more" was. Her voice came out with a sobbing edge. "Sir, I feel so bad... can you help me, please?"

-

New book, new book!

Hope all you sweethearts keep supporting me.

La la la~

And this is—the brain storage zone.