Dominic''s eyes darkened as he recalled that unforgettable kiss the previous night. He thought of the soft and smooth sensation that was sweeter than honey. It was an addictive taste that was impossible to forget once experienced.


    He leaned in, and just as his lips were about to touch Vespera''s, he paused. His rationality was caught between his desire and the urge to withdraw. Time and space seemed to freeze. He hesitated, torn between giving in and pulling away. Sometimeter, Dominic sighed and pulled away. He returned to his seat and loosened his tie before downing an entire ss of ice water.


    Meanwhile, Vespera slept perfectly still like a mannequin behind him. Even the angle of her tilted head was unnatural. It was as if someone had forcibly arranged it that way.


    One minuteter, she faintly curled her fingers. Ten minutester, she yanked the nket over her head in the blink of an eye and wrapped herself up like a mummy.


    Her heart had been pounding wildly for the past ten minutes. Even now, the lingering sensation throbbed in her chest. It felt as though her whole body had gone weightless, and the only thing anchoring her was her racing heart.


    Vespera was both exhausted andpletely wired. She wanted to cry.


    Dominic had taken his sweet time agonizing over his actions, but did he ever consider that the person beneath him was real? Did it ever cross his mind that she might actually wake up?


    She wasn''t some princess who could only awaken with a kiss. She had almost opened her eyes just now just to put an end to his torment.


    This kind of psychological torture was just cruel!


    After Vespera calmed down, another headache surfaced. She wondered if someone could tell her how many days it would take for that drug to fully wear off from both his mind and body.


    When the nended in Halewick, Vespera pretended to have just woken up. But with how exhausted she looked, it was as if she had been through some kind of emotional tribtion. She appeared to be on the verge of losing their mind.


    Dominic nced at her. "Did you have a good sleep?"


    Vespera ran her fingers through her hair. "I''m sorry, I was too sleepy. Did you try to wake me up? Once I''m asleep, it''s really hard to wake me. Even thunder wouldn''t do the trick."


    Dominic was at a loss for words. A flicker of something unreadable crossed his eyes. Then, he got up. "Now that you''re awake, let''s go."


    With that, he left his seat.


    Vespera slowly got up as well. As she was wrapped in the nket for the entire flight, she was now drenched in sweat and feeling somewhat weak.


    The flight attendant had already taken their luggage down and handed it over to Raymond, who hade to pick them up.


    As soon as they got into the car, Raymond asked espera with a smile, "Did everything go smoothly these past two days?"


    With a slightlyplicated expression, she returned the smile. "I suppose it went smoothly."


    At the very least, they hadn''t lost their purity.


    Raymond responded, "That''s good to hear."


    Vespera cast a quick nce at the rearview mirron Dominic sat in the back with his arms crossed and eyes closed. His expression was unreadable. At that, she let out a sigh of relief.


    Once they arrived at themunity, they got out of the car and walked from the garage toward the entrance. Just as they reached the security gate, a tall figure suddenly stepped out from the side.....


    Vespera swore that she had been startled more times in the past two days than she had been in an entire visit to a haunted house.


    “You''re finally back!” Reba eximed, anxiously holding her phone. She nced at Dominic and Raymond before greeting them.


    Vespera clutched her chest, calming her racing heart. "Why are you waiting out here? You could have just waited at home."


    "I''ve been waiting for you almost the entire night. Didn''t you say you would be home by 7:00 pm at thetest?"


    She grabbed Vespera''s luggage and hooked their arms together. "Come on, let''s go home. I have something to tell you."


    "What is it?"


    "I''ll tell you once we''re inside."


    At a loss for words, Vespera eyed Reba''s slightly odd expression, and an uneasy feeling rose within her. Once the four of them passed through the security gate, they walked toward the elevator with Dominic in the lead.