Chapter 2003


    Seth never thought he''d see the day when Cicely would scare the living daylights out of him. It


    happened in a moment of breakthrough.


    Cicely''s scream nearly pierced his eardrums. Then came a convulsion, her face turned as pale as a


    ghost, almost translucent.


    "Ouch. Seth, are you trying to kill me?" Tears cascaded down Cicely''s cheeks, a relentless torrent.


    Sweat beaded on Seth''s forehead as he gritted his teeth, staring at her seemingly lifeless form, torn


    between staying and fleeing. But then, she furrowed her brow and uttered a pained cry.


    "Ouch, don''t move."


    Seth, restraining himself, remained still. His hand found her forehead, his head lowered to hers, his


    voice strained and husky. "Does it hurt that bad?"d2


    Cicely bit her lip, eyes closed, with eyelids andshes trembling together. She nodded randomly,


    perhaps feeling overwhelmed by pain, and choked back a sob with a couple of stifled sobs.


    Time passed, and perhaps the pain had ebbed slightly, Cicely opened her eyes, her cheeks flushed


    with a returning rosiness, but her eyes were rimmed red with distress.


    "Feeling better?"


    Cicely gave a tiny nod, followed by a sniffle, "Is it this painful for every girl the first time, or is it just


    your lousy technique ?"


    Seth fell silent. The urge to throttle her surged within him.


    After a moment of silence, Cicely inhaled sharply.


    Seth rose and headed to the bathroom.


    Cicely felt uneasy, the foreign sensation still distinct, the pain all too real. Shey in bed, afraid to


    move. Watching Seth leave, her worry gnawed at her—had their utterly unromantic "first time" left


    him utterly disillusioned?


    Had he gone for good? Was he unsatisfied? Angry?


    Alone in bed, she spiraled into helpless spection. Would he seekfort with other women now?


    Cicely blinked. This was serious.


    When Seth returned from the bathroom with a towel, he found the woman in bed biting her finger,


    lost in thought. He frowned, "What''s on your mind?"


    Cicely turned quickly, shaking her head. "Nothing."


    Seth gave her a long look and then sat down beside her. His hand reached for her leg.


    Cicely protested with a whimper, trying to evade, "What are you doing?"


    "Don''t move." His tone was indifferent. He leaned down with the towel, and the warmth of it touched


    her skin. Cicely''s initial resistance melted away, but then came the flush of embarrassment.


    "If you don''t have the guts, stop talking big. You were quick to talk about having kids, and now


    you''re even shy for me to have a look?"


    Indeed. But she couldn''t help it.


    "It’s the first time..." her voice was barely audible.


    "Yeah, I''ll give you time to adjust."


    Seth wiped carefully, the pure white towel now marked with stark red stains. After he was done,


    Seth checked her over carefully, then looked up, his dark eyes heavy with an emotion that seemed


    too thick to dissolve. "Still hurts?"


    "It''s better."


    Hearing that, Seth stood up, picked her up, and ced her on the couch nearby. Cicely was


    puzzled, lying there as Seth draped a nket over her and turned away without a word.


    She grabbed the edge of his bathrobe, her expression pitiable, "You''re not making me sleep on the


    couch as punishment for not satisfying you, are you?"


    Seth grimanced, and he gently removed her hand, "Yeah, indeed it was less than satisfying."


    "So once I''m not in pain…" Cicely''s gaze followed Seth anxiously. Dissatisfaction in bed could spell


    disaster for a marriage.


    "Of course, that''s how it is. You think you''ve fulfilled your duty in one go?" Seth cut her off, but


    paused at the bedside to strip the sheets.


    Cicely watched as he skillfully reced the bedding with fresh linens. This was a task so distant


    from his usual repertoire, yet he executed it with surprising proficiency.


    Hmm… The way he appeared all domestic was strangely attractive.


    Once the bed was made, he carried her back andid her down. Cicely''s eyes crinkled with a smile,


    "Punishment over?"


    Seth shot her a nce, "Next time, the punishment willst longer. Get some sleep." With that, he


    pulled the covers over her.


    Taking the soiled linens, he disappeared into the bathroom. Before long, the sound of running water


    filled the room.


    A few minutester, Seth emerged from the bathroom. He had taken another shower and saw the


    woman lying there, with a pair of beautiful eyes staring at him, "Why haven''t you slept yet?"


    "Waiting for you." Cicely patted the empty spot next to her.


    Seth was not surprised. After all, they had sex and sharing a bed was natural.


    He lifted the nket andid down. Cicely immediately snuggled up to him. She rested on his arm,


    leaned into his chest, and wrapped her arms around his waist.


    Seth paused for a moment, looking down at her head for a few seconds, and then he gave her his


    arm, his embrace, and his hand.


    Cicely was particr about her bed and had never shared it with anyone. Seth woke up before her,


    and she could feel when he got up. She felt disturbed and frowned, but soon there was a sound at


    the door, and she was left alone in the room.


    All Cicely wanted now was peace, so she fell asleep again.


    After some time, the door opened again. Hearing the noise, Cicely''s mind began to vaguely


    remember the events of the previous night. She turned over, burying half of her face into the soft


    pillow,zily peeking through a slit in her eyes, watching Seth dressing in front of the wardrobe.


    Hearing her movement, he turned to her, "Stay home and rest today if you''re not feeling well. I''ll call


    in sick for you."


    "Mmm..."


    She hummed softly and closed her eyes again. Only when the rustling by the wardrobe seemed to


    stop did she roll over andzily lift her eyelids to look at him.


    The man was already impably dressed, his tall frame adorned with a crisp white shirt and a dark


    suit, exuding an air of detached elegance.


    Cicely sighed inwardly. He was every bit the man she adored.


    "You''re not going to ss today?"


    "Clearly not." Seth''s voice was cool as he approached, leaning in close, his handsome face bringing


    a fresh, clean scent as he hovered over her.


    His voice was a seductive whisper, his breath lightly caressing her face. "Does it still hurt?"


    Cicely''s ears turned pink, "Not anymore."


    A slight smirk graced Seth''s lips, "Are you sure?"


    "I''m not too sure," Cicely admitted with a touch of uncertainty.


    Seth''s low chuckle rumbled from his throat, "Finally learned to back down, huh?"


    "It''s called being wise," Cicely retorted with a smirk.


    "Uh huh, you always have the best excuses," he teased.


    Cicely smiled, reaching up to adjust his tie. "Got ns for today?"


    "Not sure. If time allows, I might swing by the set for a bit."


    Cicely’s eyebrows arched as she recalled his recent flurry of activities. She knew he''d been busy


    with hispany and prepping for a shoot, but she had no clue what project he was actually


    working on. She''d asked before, but Seth had been evasive.


    Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    "Alright then." That world was foreign to her, and she had little interest in it.


    Seth caught her hand and bent down to kiss her. "Breakfast is warming on the table. Make sure you


    eat."


    "Did you make it?"


    He stuffed her hand back under the covers and stood up, "Do you really think there''s a third person


    in this house?"


    "Call me if you need anything. And don''t go wandering off."


    "Mmm-hmm," Cicely nodded obediently.


    Satisfied, Seth finally turned and left.


    *


    Cicely nned on catching some extra sleep, but the restlessness won. She got out of bed and


    found a clean set of pajamasid out for her. She slipped them on, careful of the piercing pain from


    last night''s ordeal. She tiptoed gingerly to the dining room, where a te of sandwiches, milk, hard-


    boiled eggs, and a vegetable sd waited under the warming lights.


    Leaning on the table, she took a sip of milk and nibbled on an egg. A smile spread across her lips


    as she pictured Seth, alone in the kitchen, methodically preparing breakfast – even meticulously


    peeling eggs for her.


    The man who used to be so cold and distant, who seemed impossible to warm up was now


    unexpectedly affectionate and thoughtful. She had said she didn''t expect Seth to love her, but


    maybe now she could star t to hope a little?


    *


    After breakfast, she settled on the living room couch and flipped on the TV to watch a movie.


    Around eleven, her phone chimed with a message.


    *


    By noon, Charlie stood outside the door, carrying bags from a prestigious restaurant. When no one


    answered, he called Seth directly. "Mr. Diaz, Ms. Cicely seems to be out."


    Seth was at his desk, poring over documents with a stern focus. Hearing Charlie''s words, a frown


    flickered across his brow. He dialed Cicely''s cell from thendline, but it went straight to voicemail.


    He tried the apartment line too, with no answer. "Use the code to check inside," he instructed.


    "Alright."


    Charlie entered the code Seth had given him and stepped inside. After a thorough search, he


    confirmed, "Mr. Diaz, Ms. Cicely isn''t in the apartment."


    "Find out where she went."


    Seth hung up and grabbed his coat and keys, leaving thepany in a swift motion.


    Charlie sent Seth the location he''d uncovered within ten minutes and hurried over himself. The


    address was a high-ss restaurant, a setting that seemed to match Ms. Cicely''s dining style. Yet,


    the idea of her dining alone in such an atmospheric venue seemed unlikely. It was either that, or


    perhaps Ms. Cicely, unpredictable and independent, simply enjoyed the cuisine and chose to savor


    it solo – not impossible.


    Charlie considered these possibilities, but when he arrived at the restaurant and caught sight of Ms.


    Cicely, he rubbed his eyes in disbelief.


    Following shortly after, Seth''s typically stoic expression also betrayed a hint of surprise.


    "Mr. Diaz," Charlie whispered, approaching discreetly, "I didn''t disturb Ms. Cicely, but I''ve spoken


    with the owner. As you can see, she''s the pianist here. For the past month, she''se in every


    afternoon. Ms. Cicely has been working here. She took an advance on her pay yesterday, and she''s


    still obligated to work for another month."


    It was astonishing – a daughter of the affluent Ellis family, whocked for nothing, especially not


    money, working a job like this. If word got out, people would think Charlie had lost his mind.


    Seth watched the woman behind the piano, ying with practiced grace. Even with half her face


    masked, he recognized her instantly. No other woman possessed even a fraction of her innate


    elegance and pride.


    Bade pour Adeline... A beautiful love story that, ording to legend, moved the god of love.


    He nced down at his watch, the hands moving silently. Beneath the band, his pulse connected to


    his heart, beating in an erratic rhythm.