“Your first time?”
The man’s voice, saturated with his desires, echoed in her ears. It was clear that he was asking her, his eagerness palpable.
He paused for a moment, his hot chest pressed against her back, searing her flesh. His cold lips tightly embraced her skin, both eager and ambiguous. He craved her intensely, yet still restrained himself. “It’s not too late for you to change your mind,” he murmured.
“I have no regrets.”
As soon as she spoke, the man wrapped his arms around her waist, seizing the opportunity to push her onto the bed. In the darkness, she couldn’t see his face clearly, but she could feel his burning desire. His body radiated heat like a flame, and his hands possessed a magical touch-every inch of her skin that he grazed set her ablaze.
Nervous and fearful, she initially wanted to push him away, but the thought of her mother and younger brother in the hospital made her hesitate. Gripping the bedsheet tightly, she held back.
Suddenly, her body felt as if it was being torn apart. The pain she experienced was not only physical but also emotional. To stifle her moans of shame, she bit down hard on her bottom lip, suppressing her voice.
The man’s strength overwhelmed her. Several times, she couldn’t bear it and wanted to push him away.
“Don’t-”
Abruptly, Dolores jolted awake from her nightmare. Wide-eyed, she glanced around the room, her gaze meeting a pair of affectionate eyes above her.
She was startled.
Immediately, she sat up and stammered, “You… You… Who are you?”
“You’ve stolen my line,” the man replied calmly, his voice deep. With short hair and brown eyes as elegant as the midnight sky, he exuded a striking handsomeness when he curved his lips into a smile. Observing the lingering tears in Dolores’s eyes, he asked, “Did you have a nightmare?”
Dolores clutched the quilt tightly, knowing that her experience went beyond a mere nightmare.
For years, she had never dreamed about that fateful night. The dream felt so vivid, as if the suppressed memories she had long avoided resurfaced suddenly. It was like reopening an old wound, causing it to bleed once again.
“Did you save me?” she inquired, recalling the moment she struggled for breath in the river, losing consciousness. She had no recollection of what happened next.
“Yes. To be precise, I had someone save you,” the man replied with a faint smile.
However, his eyes betrayed no trace of amusement.
It was only now that Dolores noticed the man’s wheelchair. He sat there dressed in casual attire, a thin blanket draped over his legs.
His gaze, fixed upon Dolores, turned somber. Not seeing any contempt in her eyes, only surprise, put him at ease.
“I came home last night and saw someone jump into the river. I instructed my servant to save you,” he explained in a gentle tone. “Did someone try to harm you?”
Having witnessed her plunge into the river, he deduced that someone was after her.
Dolores remained silent, retreating toward the headboard. The movement triggered a pain in her foot, causing her to grimace.
The man sensed Dolores’s wariness toward him, and he understood. She didn’t know him at all and had every reason to be cautious. He refrained from pressing further, saying, “Please don’t worry. You’re safe here. I had my doctor examine you. Due to your foot injuries, I’m afraid you won’t be able to leave the bed for at least two weeks.”
Doloreswas aware of her injured foot, but she was surprised that he had arranged for a doctor to examine her. “Thank you so much,” she said sincerely.
“You’re welcome. In the face of injustice, I believe it’s important to help others. Even if I hadn’t been there, someone else would have come to your aid… Besides, you are a beautiful woman,” the man teased after a brief pause.
Dolores sensed his teasing tone, and while she found it slightly unpleasant, she couldn’t help but acknowledge that he had saved her life. She kept her composure, not allowing her true feelings to show on her face.
“Where am I now? May I borrow your phone, please?” Since she had managed to escape from Sampson, she was eager to call Samuel and let him know she was safe. She wondered how Simona and he had been coping during her absence in the past few days.
The man’s gaze fixated on Dolores’s wrist, where a high-quality green jade bracelet adorned her. His eyes shimmered with intrigue, but he declined her request. “No, you may not. Amelia will take care of you from now on. If you need anything, just let her know.”
As he finished speaking, he maneuvered his wheelchair and exited the room. Before reaching the door, he paused and turned to face her. “What’s your name?”
Dolores widened her eyes but didn’t answer truthfully. “Aurora Flores?”
Her intuition told her that the man standing before her was no ordinary person.
The man smiled. “Aurora Flores? Lola? I like that name. My name is Charles White.”
The sound of his wheelchair gradually faded as he moved away from the room. A young woman who had been waiting at the door entered and greeted Dolores, introducing herself as Amelia. “Hi, Miss. Please call me Amelia. If you need anything, just let me know.”
Dolores shook her head. For now, she didn’t require anything. However, she couldn’t trust this man at all. It felt as if she had escaped the wolf’s den only to find herself in the tiger’s mouth.
“Where am I now? Who was that man just now?” Dolores inquired, seeking more information.
“Miss, you are in Podon now. The man you met is our young master,” Amelia replied.
Dolores furrowed her brow. Amelia’s response wasn’t particularly helpful, as she had only provided the name of the city-Podon-a place Dolores had never heard of before.
“Please rest assured, Miss. Our young master is a kind man,” Amelia reassured, sensing Dolores’s confusion. Her admiration for Charles was evident, accompanied by the shyness of an admirer.
Dolores surmised that Amelia harbored romantic feelings for Charles.
“I want to take a nap now.” Dolores hadn’t slept well in the past few days under Sampson’s control, leaving her physically exhausted. At least, for the time being, she believed the man wouldn’t harm her.
Realizing her heightened vigilance, Dolores recognized that it was easy for others to discern her thoughts. She decided to calm herself down and try to establish some form of connection with those around her.
“Okay, Miss. Feel free to call me if you need anything.” Amelia exited the room and closed the door behind her.
Dolores lay down on the bed. The chirping of birds reached her ears, but fatigue overcame her. Her eyelashes trembled slightly as she succumbed to sleep. The room fell into silence, and soon her breathing became steady.
Amelia didn’t immediately leave the room after closing the door. She lingered by the entrance, listening intently. Once she was certain Dolores was truly asleep, she turned away. In the living room, Charles sat next to the window, his eyes closed.
Hearing Amelia’s footsteps, he inquired, “What is she doing now?”
“She fell asleep,” Amelia responded, stopping a short distance away from him.
She stole a glance at the man, sitting upright even in his wheelchair. She couldn’t help but feel that life had been unjust to him. He possessed such kindness, yet he had been deprived of the ability to walk.
“If she has any requests, fulfill them,” Charles spoke gently.
Amelia was puzzled and blurted out, “Young Master, do you know her? Why are you treating her so kindly after saving her life?”
Charles gazed out the window, observing a skylark perched on a branch, chirping away. The leaves occasionally spun and fluttered, onlyto eventually fall to the ground, much like life itself.
“It’s because of fate,” he uttered a few words indifferently.
Fate? Amelia didn’t find this answer entirely satisfactory. If that were the case, she wondered if she, too, shared a similar fate with the young master.
Ever since she was young, Amelia had been sold to the White family. From a young age, she had taken care of Charles. She pondered if that, too, was part of their shared fate, as he had mentioned.
“Do I have a fate with you, Young Master?” Amelia asked, her voice filled with hope.
Charles wheeled his chair to face the girl, who stood under a soft halo of light, and offered a faint smile. “What is fate?”
Amelia shook her head, unsure of the answer.
“Go back to your duties,” Charles waved her off. Amelia wanted to uncover the truth and understand what he truly meant by fate. However, she didn’t dare to defy him and could only return to her work.
Charles cast a glance at the room where Dolores lay sleeping, his gaze deepening. Thoughts of the jade bracelet on her wrist caused him to clench his hands tightly…