She looked again at the list of herbs Osvaldo gave her, the ones his father had supposedly used on him. Some of them Penny didn’t even recognize. It was possible she was missing something.


    She had tried a sample of the original potion on Barnaby. The man had beenpletely fine. No outbursts. No madness. Not even a twitch.


    So why was Osvaldo different?


    She pulled out her notes and carefully examined the antidote she had recreated. She’d made it dozens of times, maybe even a hundred. But every time, it reacted differently in Osvaldo.


    It wasn’t just one wrong step, it felt like something important was missing. A key. An invisible thread.


    She bit her lip, staring at the glowing liquid in the sk.


    Maybe it was time to ask for help.


    Her mentor, Doctor Shen, had always been her guiding light. A master in both eastern and western medicine. If anyone could help her now, it was him.


    Penny began packing her tools carefully, coat, gloves, goggles, protective salve, samples of potions she’d made. She sealed each sk and ced them into her reinforced bag.


    Just as she reached the door...


    "Mine?"


    His voice was low, gentle, almost childlike. Osvaldo was rushing toward her. His tall figure moved clumsily, like a boy seeing his favorite toy leave the room. But Penny’s eyesnded where they alwaysndedtely, the bulge pressing against his trousers.


    She sighed softly.


    This was another side effect. One she hadn’t expected.


    Her potions had messed with his emotions, and his body.


    His desires were getting worse by the day.


    Penny’s hands were already sore. She’d tried everything, cooling tonics, sedatives, acupuncture points and when none worked, she used her hands. But nothing seemed to help for long.


    He’d calm down... then within minutes, get riled up again like a man possessed.


    It wasn’t safe. For him or for anyone else.


    That was one more reason she needed her mentor.


    If Doctor Shen couldn’t cure Osvaldo’s madness, he could at least stabilize his needs. Because Penny feared that if she didn’t act fast... someone might end up getting hurt.


    <fnace2> Follow current nov?ls on f?i?n?d?n?o?v?e?l?</fnace2>


    "Mr. Osvaldo... do you want toe with me?" Penny’s voice was honey-sweet. She hoped her mentor could help him-if she could just get him there.


    "Mine." The word was a dark growl against her skin as his arms locked around her, pulling her flush against him. His hips ground into her, the hard ridge of his arousal pressing insistently against her hips. Every rough thrust sent a jolt through her, his need burning through the thin fabric of her dress.


    "Mr. Osvaldo-!" She gasped, twisting in his grip, but his hands only tightened, roaming possessively over her curves and body.


    One palm slid up her ribs, fingers digging into the soft swell of her breast. The other gripped her hip, holding her in ce as he thrust against her like a man starved.


    "Mine," he snarled into her ear, his breath scorching her skin. His teeth grazed the sensitive spot beneath her earlobe, and a traitorous shiver raced down her spine.


    No, she didn’t want this.


    "Stop, I can’t help you! My hands are sore Mr Osvaldo!" She pushed his chest, but he caught her wrists effortlessly, forcing her palms against the rigid outline of his cock. The heat of him seared through his trousers, and her breath hitched.


    Then, rip...


    Osvaldo shread her dress with one swift movement.


    "Huh-!" Penny gasped, eyes flew wide, shock locking her in ce for one fatal second. She could not believe this.


    But that was all he needed.


    Osvaldo seized her chin, tilting her face up as his mouth crashed down on hers. His kiss was fire-hot, demanding, consuming. His tongue dived deep, stealing her breath, her thoughts, any feeble protest. She whimpered against his lips, her body arching despite herself.


    "Mr. Osvaldo-this isn’t-!"


    He didn’t let her finish. His lips zed a path down her throat, teeth scraping, sucking marks into her skin as his hands imed her breasts through thece of her bra. A rough squeeze, then another, and panic surged through her.


    "NO!" Penny pushed him hard, her palms mming against his chest and he staggered backwards a little, but that was a big mistake.


    A feral snarl ripped from his throat. And in one brutal motion, he spun her around, mming her front, first against theb counter. His body caged her in, his erection driving against her backside with relentless, punishing thrusts.


    "Mr. Osvaldo... p... please!" Her fingers scrambled across the counter, searching for anything, anything, to stop him. The only thing there were beakers and funnels.


    Penny grabbed the beaker immediately, voice shaking.


    "D-don’t make me-!"


    Osvaldo didn’t even flinch when she smashed it against his skull. The ss shattered everywhere. Blood trickled down his face and Penny’s eyes turned wide. But he didn’t let her go.


    He rather smiled and her stomach dropped.


    "Mr Osvaldo plea..."


    In a sh, he hauled her to the floor, his weight pinning her down. One powerful thigh forced her legs apart as he trapped her wrists above her head, his grip iron.


    "When I’m like this, Penguin," he growled, his hips grinding down, "you don’t hit me with a fucking beaker."


    A sharp cry tore from her lips as his cock... God, even through his clothes, dragged against her core.


    Again and again, her body trembled, torn between terror and something darker, something she refused to name.


    Then, just as suddenly as he’d taken her, he released her.


    "Leave," he bit out, rising to his feet. "Before I do something we’ll both regret."


    Tears streaked her cheeks as she scrambled up, her ruined dress barely clinging to her body. She didn’t look back.


    She ran.