?Chapter 481:


    “Ohhh…”


    Another round ofughter followed, teasing remarks flying, but Eric didn’t seem to mind.


    “You’re all too damn loud!”


    Ericughed, shaking his head as he swatted away his friends’ teasing remarks. Ignoring their whistles and knowing smirks, he took Hadley’s hand and led her into the yacht’s cabin.


    “We’ll stay here tonight,” he said casually, ncing at her. “In the morning, we’ll watch the sunrise over the sea.”


    Huh? Hadley blinked, caught off guard.


    That… sounded dangerously romantic.


    Wait—was this something they were supposed to be doing?


    For a normal couple, sure, this n would make perfect sense. But they were anything but. She had no illusions about what this was—no promises, no expectations.


    “What’s wrong?” Noticing her hesitation, Eric frowned slightly. “You don’t like it?”


    He had taken this first date—if it could even be called that—seriously. He had chosen this moment carefully, bringing her here to share something special: the sunrise spilling over the endless sea.


    Hadley snapped out of her thoughts, shaking her head. “No, it’s not that.” She reassessed the situation. Maybe this was just part of keeping up appearances—bringing her around his friends, making their rtionship seem real enough to avoid suspicion from Ernest and Linda.


    Fine. She’d y along. “A sunrise at sea sounds interesting,” she said atst, her tone light. “I’ve never seen one before.”


    ?????? ?????? ???????????????? ???????? ???? g????????ν??????.??o m


    Eric’s posture rxed, a small smile ying at his lips. “I think you’ll like it.”


    Hadley nced around the room, then back at him. Arching a brow, she asked, “Are we sharing this room?”


    Eric hesitated, his gaze intensifying as he leaned in, gently grasping Hadley’s hand.


    Circumventing a straightforward answer, he asked, “Considering that we’ve decided to be together, sharing a room should be quite ordinary, right? Do you have reservations?”


    Hadley paused, then shook her head. “No, I don’t.”


    As Eric spoke, his lips hovered near her cheek. “May I kiss you now?”


    Caught off guard, Hadley managed a tense smile. “Yes, you may.” She then shut her eyes and slightly lifted her chin. Resigned to the moment, she chose to meet it boldly.


    “Hadley…”


    In a whisper, Eric raised his hand to her chin, his touch grazing her lips. The touch was new and unsettling to Hadley, causing difort she couldn’t express, her hands tightening into fists.


    Eric, his throat tightening with emotion, finally acted on his feelings and pressed his lips to hers.


    The tension mounted, bing unbearable for her.


    Suddenly, Hadley’s body tensed up, shaking uncontrobly. Her eyes snapped open, locking onto the man before her.


    Without thinking, her hand shot up to his shoulder, instinctively trying to push him back. Yet she quickly caught herself… No, that wasn’t an option!


    “Hadley?”


    Eric picked up on her distress instantly, noting how rigid she was in his embrace.


    .


    .


    .