The meal was tasteless, both literally and figuratively.

I forced myself to sit through dinner, sipping wine with Helena.

Lucius didn’t join in. Throughout the entire meal, we barely exchanged a few words.

His phone, however, buzzed non-stop.

Lucius didn’t seem annoyed; instead, he patiently replied to messages, a faint smile occasionally curving his lips.

He barely touched his food.

I didn’t need to guess who was on the other end of those Facebook Messenger notifications.

Helena noticed too. The worry in her eyes deepened with each buzz. When Lucius stepped out briefly, she turned to me and vented, “Sisi, tell me, what’s gotten into Lucius lately? It’s like he’s possessed.”

I understood her concern.

Lucius wasn’t the type to waste time texting back and forth like this. Not before.

But things had clearly changed.

After dinner, the Albrecht family driver was already waiting outside the restaurant. Helena glanced at Lucius, who was still glued to his phone, and said, “It’s late. Lucius, you should give Sisi a ride home.”

Lucius didn’t even react.

I gave Helena an excuse to save face. “It’s okay, Auntie. I’ve already called a ride.”

For a brief moment, guilt flickered in her eyes.

A few minutes later, the only people left outside the restaurant were Lucius and me. I was just about to open my ride-hailing app when his deep voice reached me. “Let’s go.”

I looked at him, surprised. That’s when I realized he intended to give me a ride.

“Thank you, Mr. Albrecht, but I’ve already called a car,” I replied politely.

Lucius stopped in his tracks, his dark eyes fixed on me, a mocking tone in his voice. “What’s the matter? Afraid your boyfriend will get the wrong idea?”

I decided not to argue.

Why spend seventy or eighty bucks on a ride when I didn’t have to?

I had to admit, the comfort of a luxury car was unmatched.

I hadn’t been in the passenger seat for long before my eyelids grew heavy.

After two or three nights of poor sleep, combined with the gentle push of alcohol, drowsiness quickly crept in.

Lucius seemed to notice. His voice softened as he said, “Go ahead and sleep. I’ll wake you when we get there.”

He actually sounded... considerate.

I hesitated for a moment, but sleep quickly overtook reason.

I didn’t know how much time had passed when I was faintly awakened by the vibration of a phone. My eyelids fluttered open slightly.

Through the blur of my vision, I saw Lucius’s face close to mine.

He was staring at me.

Those sharp, phoenix eyes I knew so well weren’t cold and cutting anymore. Instead, they carried a gentleness that felt almost unreal.

A faint scent of soap lingered at the tip of my nose.

In the confined space of the car, his cool, fresh presence invaded my senses.

My gaze drifted downward, and I noticed that his usually neat collar was undone, revealing a sliver of pale skin and the faint outline of his collarbone.

Just like in countless dreams, he sat there—restrained yet irresistible.

But if this was just a dream, why did his normally icy eyes suddenly flicker with a hint of desire?

Like a saintly figure who had broken his vows, caught in a moment of forbidden temptation.

It felt... off.

The night was quiet. We sat in silence, eyes locked.

Yet, the air between us seemed to thicken, like a dark mold growing unchecked in the damp, suffocating night.

My heart trembled, and my breathing grew heavier.

Rationality slipped further and further away.

Before I knew it, my hand reached out on its own, tugging at his tie and pulling us closer together.

After all, it’s just a dream, isn’t it?

Breath unsteady, I heard myself whisper, “Babe...”

In an instant, his warm breath brushed against my neck—so vivid, so real it didn’t feel like a dream anymore.

Realization hit me like a wave. I tried to pull back, but his cold fingers pressed against my shoulder blade, firm and unyielding.

Overbearing, as always.

No, this wasn’t a dream.

I snapped my eyes open just as Lucius leaned closer. Without hesitation, I turned my face away.

The charged moment ended abruptly.

The rapid thudding of my heart felt like an invisible slap to my face.

In an instant, I was wide awake.

"Your phone's ringing," I said, my voice steady despite the storm raging in my chest.

I shifted slightly, and something slid to my feet. Looking down, I realized it was Lucius’s suit jacket. I pretended not to notice and instead focused on the name flashing on the phone screen—Michael.

"Aren’t you going to answer?" Lucius reminded me again, his tone calm and indifferent. "It’s been ringing for a while."

I gripped the phone tightly and turned to look out the window, only to realize we were already parked in front of my apartment building.

"Thank you for the ride, Mr. Albrecht. Have a good night," I said politely.

"No need for thanks. It was on the way," he replied lightly, his tone betraying no emotion.

If it weren’t for the thunderous pounding of my heart, I might have convinced myself that everything earlier had been a figment of my imagination.

As my eyes drifted over him, I saw Lucius tapping on a pink cat avatar in his contacts, his voice suddenly soft. "Are you still awake?" he asked.

I recognized the avatar—it was Cecily’s. I’d seen it before in the company chat group.

It dawned on me that when Lucius said it was "on the way," he hadn’t been lying. Cecily, his precious little darling, lived just upstairs from me.

I clenched my fist, nails digging into my palm as I quietly exited the car.

It was just a dream. That’s all.

A moment later, my phone buzzed again. I took a deep breath and answered.

Michael’s warm voice, unusually laced with urgency, came through the line. "Sylvie, are you okay?"

I was taken aback. "I’m fine. Why?"

"Jackson mentioned you’ve been working overtime these past few days and not responding to messages. I was worried..."

Jackson was someone Michael had referred to the studio. Judging by his tone, Michael was probably afraid I was on the verge of burnout.

Thinking back to the texts he sent during dinner and the handbag he’d gifted me earlier, a complicated mix of emotions swirled in my heart.

It wasn’t often that someone cared about me in this vast city of Kingport.

So I offered, "Are you free tomorrow night? I’d like to treat you to dinner."

"Huh?"

Realizing how abrupt I sounded, I quickly added, "Or some other time, if that’s better."

"Tomorrow works," Michael said immediately, his tone insistent. "Let me know when you’re done. I’ll pick you up."

The next afternoon, Michael showed up at the studio as promised.

He was dressed casually in a white embossed crewneck sweater, deep brown casual pants, and white sneakers, exuding an air of effortless charm.

He carried a shopping bag in one hand.

Seeing me still typing away at my desk, he deftly walked into the break room with a box of blueberries in the other.

I began tidying up my workspace, getting ready to leave.

Just then, a video call came through. When I saw it was Helena, I hesitated for a moment before answering.

"Lucius has lost his mind, Sisi!" Helena’s anxious voice burst through the line. "He’s insisting on bringing 'that' Miss Linwood to tonight’s family dinner. I’ve tried everything, but he won’t listen!"

It was just a family dinner, yet Helena seemed utterly exasperated. If she ever found out Lucius had invested five million dollars in Cecily to boost her career, she’d probably blow a gasket.

And I had to keep it from her.

Whether I spoke or stayed silent, it felt wrong either way.

The thought left a bitter taste in my mouth.

Meanwhile, Helena rambled on, "Can’t you help me talk some sense into him? After all these years, Lucius only ever listens to you."

I was at a loss for words.

As I scrambled to find a way to decline, Michael suddenly appeared beside me with the freshly washed blueberries.

"Sylvie, try some," he said, extending a blueberry toward my lips with his long fingers.

I froze, eyes wide in shock.

Helena’s sharp gasp came through the phone.

"Sisi, is that your new boyfriend?"

Michael’s refined features filled the video frame in that very moment.