The moment the words hit her ears, Elena Shen's pupils contracted sharply.
Her breath caught in her throat.
The explicit video that had suddenly popped up on her phone screen felt like a scorching ember in her palm. Instinctively, she wanted to fling the device away.
But the audio was still playing—before she could toss it aside, she fumbled to turn off the screen in a panic.
Yet the clip that Annie Gu had so kindly gifted her seemed hell-bent on embarrassing her.
Even though the screen had gone black, the seductive moans and gasps continued to spill from the speaker, heating the surrounding air.
Cold sweat formed in her palms.
She pressed hard on the mute button while desperately trying to unlock the phone with her fingerprint to close the tab.
Just then, footsteps approached—Ethan Jiang was opening the door and walking toward her. The sound of his polished leather shoes on the floor grew louder, closer.
Elena didn't have time to check whether the video had fully closed. The moment the audio stopped, she hurriedly turned off the screen and stuffed the phone behind a pillow on the couch.
"What are you doing?"
Ethan loosened his tie, his gaze briefly pausing on the very spot where she'd hidden her phone.
Guilt flooded Elena's face.
Especially since she had just opened that gifted link from her dearest troublemaker of a friend, only to be caught red-handed.
Her heart was pounding wildly. She tried her best to act natural and looked up, her voice a little dry from sheer nervousness.
But she was far too flustered to notice how unconvincing she sounded.
"I was... going through some lab reports. I've been on leave for too long, and I've fallen behind on my research."
Ethan draped his tie over the back of the couch casually.
Only a leather sofa separated the two of them.
"Is that so?" His gaze lingered on her face.
And the obvious signs of guilt flickering in her darting eyes.
Elena had no idea whether Ethan had heard the explicit audio just now. She could only hope—pray—that he hadn't.
There was absolutely no way she could explain watching that kind of video.
So she stuck to her story like a lifeline: lab reports.
Ethan studied her for a moment longer but didn't press the issue.
The late autumn evening air was cold outside, but the room was warm. Ethan had his shirt sleeves rolled up, and after picking up a glass from the table, he took a sip of cold water.
Elena's mind was still in a swirl from her earlier panic.
She couldn't be sure whether she'd properly exited the tab.
Worried that the video might somehow open again and mortify her beyond redemption, she wanted to check her phone.
But she also feared that once she unlocked it, that same scandalous footage might leap back onto the screen without warning.
She didn't dare take the risk.
Fidgeting in place, she debated back and forth until, finally, when she saw Ethan sipping his water, she tentatively reached for her phone and stood up, intending to step outside and deal with the situation.
But the moment she got to her feet, Ethan's gaze snapped at her.
"What are you trying to do?"
Elena felt her heart clench.
The second his eyes landed on her, she froze in place, her guilt practically screaming through her stillness.
Caught off guard, and with her mind in chaos, she blurted out the first excuse that came to mind:
"I—I wanted some fruit. I was going downstairs to get a fruit platter."
Ethan swirled the water in his glass slowly, eyeing her. Then, with an almost casual motion, he lifted his hand and pointed toward the coffee table across the couch.
"There's fruit right there."
Stiffly, Elena followed the direction of his finger. Sure enough, a neatly arranged platter sat in plain sight.
Her lips twitched faintly. She was about to think up a different excuse, but Ethan had already set down his glass and was walking toward her.
The space between them wasn't large to begin with.
Before she could even take a step back, he was already standing in front of her. His warm hand wrapped around her wrist, halting any attempt to retreat.
His dark eyes bore into her. Perhaps it was the residual intensity from the meeting he'd just come from, but that cold, unspoken authority hadn't entirely faded from him yet. Elena's breath tightened instinctively.
"Really just going to get something?"
His voice was low, and his tone gave nothing away.
"—Or is it that you just don't want to see me?"
Elena had been staring down, avoiding his eyes.
But the moment she heard the latter half of his sentence—
Her lashes trembled, and she lifted her gaze to meet his.
She shook her head, denying it. "No, I just wanted to look for some other fruit…"
Before she could finish her sentence—
His thumb brushed gently against the corner of her lips.
Her voice cut off abruptly.
Startled, she looked up at him, wide-eyed.
The next second—
A shadow fell over her face.
His lips descended on hers. Their breaths tangled, heat blooming between them. In the midst of her chaotic heartbeat, she heard him murmur softly against her lips, his voice rough and low:
"Let the butler bring it up. You don't need to go yourself."