Reign said nothing, but a flick of his gaze urged Lydia to step aside so he could exit the car.

She moved back, just enough to give him room, but as soon as he stood, she shifted to block his path, tilting her head with a playful smile. “Prof. Hawke,” she murmured, her fingers reaching for his hand, “can I come over tonight?”

Maybe it was the intimacy from the previous night—the way he’d pressed her down, his heat raw and unrestrained—that gave her this boldness, making her feel like perhaps Reign wasn’t quite as untouchable as he seemed.

But Reign stepped back, evading her touch as he put more distance between them, his voice smooth and cold. “What for?”

Lydia hesitated, her mind racing as she sought the right words. “Just a man and a woman, alone at night… What else could we possibly do? You know… a repeat performance.”

She thought that maybe last night’s unexpected call from her fiancé had given Reign the wrong idea—that she was just using him to get back at someone else. It would explain his sudden coldness, how he’d closed himself off. Men, after all, were always easier to talk to in bed. She just needed one more chance.

She took a step closer, until only an inch separated them, her body nearly pressed against his.

Checking over her shoulder, she noted the security camera’s blind spot and then, taking a steadying breath, lifted her knee. Her toned leg brushed lightly against his thigh, teasing in gentle strokes. “I need something from you, Prof. Hawke…” she whispered, her voice lazy, rich with unspoken promises.

Reign’s gaze drifted to her leg, his expression unreadable, but he made no move to pull away. His tone was detached as he replied, “If there’s anything you need, why not have your fiancé ask me himself? This isn’t exactly… appropriate.”

But his lack of resistance only emboldened her. Lydia stepped in closer, closing that small gap between them entirely, pressing herself flush against him. She hooked her leg around his, maintaining the closeness, a small, triumphant smile playing on her lips.

In the distance, to anyone watching, it would appear they were just talking—albeit, a little too close for “just business.” Her voice dropped to a teasing murmur. “Prof. Hawke, I broke it off with your little childhood friend already,” she said with a sweet, knowing smile, her face close enough to catch the faint scent of his cologne, the same one he’d worn last night.

Feeling a bit adventurous, she raised her hand boldly, her fingertips slipping beneath his shirt to trace gentle circles over his chiseled abs.

“I’m not having an affair with Prof. Hawke,” she teased, her voice sultry. “This is just love—two willing hearts, nothing more.”

She spoke, glancing up at Reign’s face, trying to read him, but his expression remained cold and indifferent. She couldn’t quite tell what was going through his mind, so she gathered more courage. Rising onto her toes, she quickly pressed a kiss to his jawline, her lips barely brushing against his throat. Her voice was soft and seductive as she teased, “Prof. Hawke, it seemed like you weren’t quite finished last night.”

Reign looked down at her with no visible emotion, his gaze distant. He raised his hand.

Lydia thought he was about to embrace her and leaned into him, but to her surprise, he shoved her away.

He stood a few steps back, straightening his clothes that she had wrinkled, before coldly speaking, “I’m not interested in you anymore.”

Without another word, he turned and walked away, not sparing her a second glance.

He didn’t get far before running into a colleague and had to pause to exchange greetings. The colleague noticed Lydia and waved her over, pushing her toward Reign. “Prof. Hawke, wasn’t your department looking for a photographer for the anniversary celebration? This is my former roommate from my study abroad days, Lydia. She’s an excellent photographer and has won international awards. She also took the promotional photos for this year’s anniversary. You might want to consider her.”

Lydia, her confidence rising, handed him her business card. “Prof. Hawke, please, give me a few pointers.”

She purposely emphasized the word “pointer,” her eyes briefly flickering down to his fingers.

His hands were long and elegant, with a certain dexterity...

Reign didn’t take her card, his expression as neutral as ever, as though she were a stranger. “I’m not responsible for this matter.”

The colleague took the card from her, slipping it into Reign’s hand, his tone light. “We’re all from the same department. Prof. Hawke, please, just say a few good words for her. If you’re unsure, Lydia can send you some of her work.”

Only then did Reign nod. “We’ll see.”

Lydia let out a quiet breath. The Hawke family donated a substantial amount to Marineton University every year, and if Reign was willing to recommend her, she’d land the job for sure. More than that, it was an opportunity to close the distance between them—Harris Wynn, her father, would no longer have to worry about the special medicine he needed.

Back at her apartment, Lydia went to Jayden’s to collect a few things. The place was empty; her ex-fiancé was still staying at his childhood friend’s house.

She didn’t need much—just a few notebooks where she jotted down her ideas. They were important to her, and she didn’t want to lose them, so she’d made the trip.

Although Jayden had proposed to her before, she still wasn’t used to living together. They had always kept separate residences. Looking back now, she was almost relieved. If they had lived together, the breakup would have meant moving out too—such a hassle.

But she hadn’t expected to run into Jayden downstairs.

His face was stormy. The moment he saw her, he grabbed her roughly, his voice filled with anger. “Where were you last night?”

Lydia smacked him with the notebook in her hand. “What do you care where I am? Jayden, the moment you let that little childhood friend sit on your lap and feed you drinks, we were done.”

Her words were quick and fierce, brimming with defiance. In a fit of anger, Jayden lost control and slapped her across the face. “You bitch! After all this time, you wouldn’t let me touch you, but you just throw yourself at Reign?”

He spoke, pulling up a photo on his phone and showing it to her.

Lydia, seething, slapped him hard across the face before even glancing at the screen. But when she finally did, just one look at the photo sent her mind spiraling.

It was Reign's social circle, the dim lighting casting shadows over the disheveled sheets. In the corner of the frame, the bare shoulders of a man and a woman were visible, and at the base of the woman’s collarbone, a small red mole stood out distinctly.

The caption read, “Just so so.”

This scene… it was unmistakably from last night.

Reign had actually posted a photo of her in his bed!

Though her face wasn’t visible, many of her close friends knew about the little red mole beneath her collarbone.

Jayden's voice dripped with sarcasm as he sneered, "Lydia, how low can you go? Flirting with my friend, and in the end, he doesn’t even care about you. All that effort for nothing."

Lydia fought to keep her emotions in check, her voice cold as she replied, "So what if I slept with someone else? Jayden, we’ve been broken up for a long time."

“I don’t agree,” Jayden snapped, his voice hard. “You think you can just send one message and call it quits? It’s not that easy. Lydia, I’m not agreeing to this breakup.”

Lydia hadn’t expected Jayden to be so angry—but now she realized, it wasn’t anger, it was an attempt to win her back. A bitter smile curved her lips. "Jayden, are you trying to say that you still want to marry me and that you don’t mind I’ve been with Reign?"

Jayden clenched his jaw, silent for a moment. Then he gave a low, mocking laugh. "You think sleeping with Reign will make him want you? Don’t be ridiculous. Everyone knows Reign has a first love abroad. He’s stayed single all these years, not dating anyone, just waiting for her. And here you are, acting like a fool, throwing yourself at him."

He raised his phone and waved it in front of her. "If it weren’t for wanting his first love to see, why would he send out photos like this?"

Lydia’s heart raced wildly.

She wanted to argue, to deny it all, but the words caught in her throat. If Reign really had someone else in his heart, then all the years he’d stayed single, his indifference toward her—it all made sense.

Just then, a loud horn honked, breaking the tense silence between them.

Reign’s voice came from the car, his head poking out of the window as he glanced at the two of them, his impatience clear. "Move. You’re in my way."