When ra woke up, it was pitch ck outside. She nced at her phone-nine o''clock already. Hadn''t Ryan said he''d wake her at seven?


    Quickly, she jumped out of bed, grabbed a shower, and changed clothes. As she made her way downstairs, she noticed a few neatly arranged dishes on the table along with a note from Ryan.


    "ra, I''ve gone to the office with Cole."


    Feeling reassured, ra smiled. With her and Cole''s help, she was sure Ryan would turn out to be an amazing CEO.


    She microwaved the food, ate leisurely, and remembered the notification she''d seen earlier. Sure enough, there was a message from Z.


    "Please don''t break up with me..."


    The message was sent two hours ago, but she''d been asleep and hadn''t responded. Now, she wasn''t sure what to say, so she left it be.


    After dinner, she drove back to her ce. The past week had been exhausting,


    and all she wanted was to crash into bed and sleep straight through to tomorrow, when she had to report to Ferguson Corporation.


    But as soon as she opened her bedroom door, she was pulled inside with unexpected force.


    There was only one person who''d behave like this.


    "Z..."


    She barely got his name out before he kissed her, a kiss full of urgency, heat, and sincerity.


    They stumbled from the entrance all the way to the couch. Just as she was about to speak, his lips silenced her again.


    "Don''t break up with me."


    ra could barely breathe, feeling his whole body trembling slightly. He was genuinely scared.


    She took a deep breath, trying to push him away, but he suddenly pinned her legs down.


    "Z!"


    In the dim light, her voice sounded almost teasing.


    "Z..."


    ra regretted mentioning the breakup so casually; now he wasn''t hearing anything she said.


    She tried to sit up and talk it out, but he seemed lost in another world, ignoring her words.


    Gradually, ra found herself yielding to his repeated requests of "don''t break


    up."


    Who knows how much time passed, but eventually, he seemed to calm down, and


    she was left with no energy, just holding his face.


    Her whole body ached; he was like a machine that wouldn''t tire.


    "Z, enough, we''re not breaking up. Stop."


    She stroked his face, surprised to find it wet with tears. Startled, she pulled her


    hand back, but he grabbed it firmly, pressing it back to his cheek.


    He nuzzled into her palm like a calmed golden retriever.


    ra''s fingers curled slightly, wishing she could kick herself for taking her frustrations out on him.


    He hadn''t done anything wrong.


    For such a solitary guy, he''d been scared enough toe wait in her room, terrified of being left behind.


    Her palm brushed his cheek, ensuring all the tears were wiped away, before cupping his face again.


    "Okay, I''ve been in a bad mood and took it out on you. The breakup was just something I said in the moment. We''re not breaking up, not now."


    "What do you mean ''not now''? Am I just some dog you can throw away whenever you want? You sweet-talk me when you''re happy and kick me out when you''re not."


    ra frowned, feeling unfairly used.


    "Z..."


    She wanted to apologize and calm things down so they could talk it through.


    But something she said must''ve hit a nerve; he bit down on her shoulder.


    "Isn''t this what it''s about? You only got with me because I was convenient. You treat me like a pet, happy with my performance in bed. You don''t even care what I look like. Anyone could be by your side, and it wouldn''t matter if it was me or not!"


    He finished, his voice dropping to a whisper.


    ra heard his heavy breathing, realizing he was truly upset.