As the sun began to rise, its light peeked through the curtains. Casandra blinked her eyes, feeling uncomfortable waking up with the sunlight shining on her face. She groaned slightly, starting to feel a headache as she opened her eyes. Perhaps it was the severe hangover from last night that was so bad that Casandra couldn’t keep her eyes open for too long.
However, as she glanced to the side, Casandra was startled. She found Alexander sleeping curled up under the blanket. His body was trembling, and his lips were pale. Casandra reached out with one hand to touch Alexander’s forehead because he didn’t seem well.
“Oh my, Sir,” Casandra instantly jumped, the pain in her head and the drowsiness in her eyes vanished as she felt how hot Alexander’s body was at the moment.
“Are you running a fever, Sir?”
Alexander shook his head. “No, I’m fine.”
“How can you be fine? Your body is hot,” Casandra protested, not accepting Alexander’s answer. She couldn’t believe that he would claim not to have a fever when his body temperature was so high. Casandra promptly jumped off the bed, looking for a small towel and soaking it in cold water.
For the time being, she used the towel to gently compress Alexander, providing first aid before contacting the hotel staff to bring medicine for him.
“Sir, how do I unlock your phone? I want to call Lady Cesilia to ask about fever medicine for you.”
Reluctantly, Alexander handed his phone to Casandra and unlocked the screen, as the woman requested.
Slightly panicking, Casandra immediately called Meri, who was now impatiently waiting for good news from both of them. But, in reality, the news Casandra gave was, “Ma’am, Mr. Alexander has a fever. His temperature is very high. I called you to ask what medicine Mr. Alexander usually takes when he has a fever like this. Or should I directly call a doctor? Or perhaps I should take Mr. Alexander to the hospital?”
“Alexander has a fever?” Instead of answering the series of questions Casandra mentioned, Meri instead asked.
“Yes, Ma’am. Mr. Alexander has a fever.”
“Why is he having a fever? Didn’t you two have your first night last night?”
“First night? What do you mean, Ma’am?” Casandra didn’t understand the connection between the fever and the first night.
“Yes, last night you had your first night, right? Why is Alexander having a fever? Shouldn’t you be the one having a fever, Cas?”
“First night? What are you talking about, Ma’am? Wait, let me explain. Mr. Alexander and I didn’t have our first night last night, I swear!” Casandra formed a “V” sign with her fingers, even though Meri couldn’t see what she was doing.
“Last night, the hotel staff added some medicine to the food they prepared for you. The medicine was supposed to help both of you have a smooth first night, with a long-lasting effect, so you would get closer first before having children. That’s the gist of it, as you ate with Alexander last night, you should’ve talked and continued with your first night, right?” Meri protested because what she had been expecting since last night turned out differently.
Instead of getting news that Casandra had been “conquered,” she received news that Alexander had a fever.
“So Alexander and Cesilia were the ones who ate the food? Casandra nodded.
“Yes, Ma.”
“Oh, wait, it wasn’t you who ate it, dear. Oh my … so Alexander and Cesilia did it?”
“No, Ma.”
“Oh, why not?” Meri became even more confused about what happened last night.
“Last night, Mr. Alexander and Mrs. Cesilia had dinner together, and then not long after that, Mrs. Cesilia rushed to leave. I don’t know why or where she went. She didn’t say anything to me, Ma. She just left without saying goodbye. And maybe Mrs. Cesilia said something to Mr. Alexander. I’ll ask later.
After that, I don’t remember anything, Ma. When I woke up, I saw Mr. Alexander shivering from the cold, so I called Mama to ask for the medicine that Mr. Alexander usually takes to recover quickly,” Casandra explained, according to her version.
Because that’s what happened. Meri sighed deeply, “Oh, so you didn’t have dinner?”
“Yes, Ma, I was more interested in the soda drinks that Mama ordered for us.”
Meri massaged her temples; her headache was getting worse. Instead of having dinner, her daughter-in-law was more interested in the wine that made her unconscious.
“Alright, let’s continue with the plan for the first night at home. Now Mama will book plane tickets for you to return to Jakarta. Alexander will be treated at home, and Mama will call a doctor to come over. At the same time, I’ll arrange for a driver to pick you up at the airport. Start packing; Mama will book the tickets.”
“Okay, Ma. We’ll do as you say!” Casandra concluded before ending the call. It was a bit complicated to take care of Alexander in his current condition, but as a wife, it was her duty to take care and protect him until they reached home. It was a way to repay Alexander for the inconvenience he had experienced during these two nights.
It was somewhat challenging to get Alexander to change clothes and pack up to return to Jakarta. But eventually, Casandra succeeded. After they finished breakfast, a lot of drama unfolded, but everything paid off as Casandra successfully sat on the plane with Alexander. Now they just had to wait for the plane to land. After that, they would arrive home, have Alexander checked by a doctor, and the man could rest.
Casandra’s task of taking care of her feverish husband was now complete, and of course, she hoped that everything would go smoothly as expected.
Meanwhile, Cesilia groaned, slowly opening her eyes and scanning her surroundings. Her eyebrows furrowed as she didn’t recognize where she was.
“Welcome to my home, dear!” Maxime greeted, placing a tray on the nightstand. He greeted Cesilia, who had just awakened from a very deep sleep, affected by the medicine Meri put in the food, which the middle-aged woman had ordered for Alexander and Casandra.
“Where am I?” Cesilia slowly sat up and leaned against the bed. She also clutched the blanket to her chest to avoid exposing her bare body.
“You are in my home, my palace, and soon it will be your home too, my dear.” Maxime stroked Cesilia’s head. “Now, have your breakfast first; it’s already noon. You might get sick if you don’t eat.”
Cesilia shook her head quickly. “No, I want to go home.”
“Why, leaving already?” Maxime held Cesilia’s shoulder. “Weren’t you the one who came to me and served me? Now it’s time for me to repay all your hard work last night.”
“What do you mean?” Cesilia really didn’t understand where Maxime was going with this conversation.
“Last night, you were so naughty, dear. I couldn’t even handle you. I had to rent a cheap cottage just to fulfill all your desires. And I’m very grateful that last night was such a delightful experience. I’m sure I’ll never forget it for the rest of my life.”
Cesilia didn’t understand, so she still wanted to get out of the bed.
“Darling, don’t act like this. You can go home or go to work, but please finish your breakfast first. I won’t let the woman I love leave this palace on an empty stomach.”
“I know, but please tell me honestly what really happened. I really don’t understand.”
“Okay, now calm down. Take a deep breath, exhale slowly. Come on, remember what happened to you. Last night, you suddenly rushed to me and insisted on serving me.”
“It’s not possible.” Cesilia insisted on dismissing all of Maxime’s words.
“It’s up to you to say it’s not possible or whatever, but that’s what really happened. If you don’t believe me, ask my private driver. He had to take us to the nearest cottage from the airport to fulfill your desires. And if you still don’t believe it…” Maxime took out his phone. “Here’s the second video of you treating me well.”
“Oh, my God…” Cesilia covered her mouth with her palm. It was true what Maxime said; she was the one who took control of the game. Her body shuddered as she watched how passionate their lovemaking was last night, and she controlled it herself. Maxime didn’t intervene at all.
The man truly accepted and surrendered to whatever she wanted to do. Once again, Cesilia had done something foolish and betrayed her husband. After this, what would Cesilia do if Alexander found out about her actions behind his back?
“Oh, yes, you must remember our agreement; you are not allowed to have intimate relations with Alexander for the next two years.” Remembering Cesilia’s greediness last night, Maxime feared she would break the agreement.
Cesilia shook her head. “I can’t do that, Maxime. He’s my husband, and no matter what you forbid me, I won’t do it.”
“Are you sure?” Maxime raised both of his eyebrows. “Are you sure you want to serve Alexander with your body marked like this?” Pointing to the many purple bruises he left on Cesilia’s body. “You can do it, as long as you can explain to Alexander where all these marks came from. If he’s not angry, then you can have an intimate relationship with him.”
As if the shock of seeing the video of her lovemaking with Maxime last night wasn’t enough, now Cesilia was further surprised by the numerous marks left by the man on her body.
Maxime was right; it would be impossible for her to serve Alexander with her body covered in marks like this. During their intimate moments, Alexander rarely left any traces on her body, unlike what Maxime did. He was truly cunning, and Cesilia had no choice but to admit that she couldn’t be intimate with Alexander until those marks were gone.
And of course, the cunning Maxime wouldn’t let those marks disappear. He would make sure to repeat and repeat them until he could be sure that the marks would still be there when Cesilia was with Alexander. He was truly devious.