In the Car - 10:45 PM

Arthur answered his phone on the second ring, his voice crisp with professional efficiency. "Dr. Chen? We have an emergency here"

"Arthur, I'm in the middle of a charity auction," Dr. Chen's irritated voice crackled through the speaker. "What's the fuss about? Can't it wait until morning?"

"Mr. Lu has been drugged. Rohypnol. He's conscious but disoriented, and… "

"Drugged?" The doctor's tone shifted immediately from annoyance to concern. "How much? When?"

Arthur glanced at the rearview mirror where Mei sat with Lu Rowan's head resting against her shoulder, his eyes closed but his breathing steady. "About an hour ago, we estimated. He intercepted a drink meant for his wife."

There was a pause, then Dr. Chen's voice returned with what sounded almost like amusement. "Ah, he's married now? That will help more than I can, Arthur. The best treatment for rohypnol isn't medical—it's emotional support and a safe environment."

Arthur felt his stomach drop. How was he supposed to explain this to his boss and the new Mrs. Lu? "Doctor, surely you need to examine him"

"I'm two hours away minimum, and by the time I arrive, the worst will be over. Keep him hydrated, keep him calm, and let his wife take care of him. Trust me on this, Arthur. Sometimes the heart heals better than medicine and it's God punishing him for not telling his best friend that he's now married ."

The line went dead, leaving Arthur staring at his phone in dismay. When Mei looked at him questioningly from the backseat, he could only manage, "He's... in an emergency but will arrive in two hours."

It was a lie of omission, but Arthur couldn't bring himself to explain that the doctor had essentially prescribed marital intimacy as treatment.

The drive home became increasingly difficult as the rohypnol reached its peak effect. Lu Rowan's usual controlled demeanor dissolved completely, leaving him vulnerable and seeking comfort in ways that made Arthur grateful for the privacy partition.

"Mei," Lu Rowan's voice was soft, almost pleading, as his hand found hers in the darkness of the backseat.

"I'm right here," she whispered back, but his hands seemed to have developed a mind of their own, tracing the fabric of her dress, sliding along her arm, fingertips ghosting across her collarbone with a tenderness that made her breath catch and she had started to feel the heat too.

"So beautiful," he murmured against her ear, his inhibitions completely stripped away by the drug. Mei felt heat flood her cheeks.

"Rowan," she said softly, trying to maintain some semblance of propriety while her treacherous body responded to his careful explorations. "We're in the car."

"Don't care," he breathed, pressing his face into the curve of her neck. "l need you, you're mine."

Arthur kept his eyes fixed firmly on the road, the partition raised and music playing softly to give them privacy, but even so, the intimate murmurs from the backseat made the twenty-minute drive feel like hours.

Lu Rowan's Penthouse - 11:15 PM

When they finally reached the building, Arthur practically leaped from the driver's seat in relief. "I'll help you get him upstairs, then park the car," he said quickly.

But Lu Rowan was having none of it. The moment Arthur tried to assist him from the backseat, he pulled away with surprising strength for someone so chemically impaired.

"No," he said firmly, his arm wrapping possessively around Mei's waist. "Only Mei. Only my wife can touch me and l can walk by myself ."

Arthur caught Mei's uncertain gaze and made a quick decision. "You go ahead, madam. I'll park the car and... and I'll be available if you need anything."

The elevator ride to the penthouse was a study in controlled chaos. Lu Rowan leaned heavily against Mei, his hands never still, mapping the planes of her back through silk, pressing soft kisses to her temple, whispering endearments in Mandarin that made her knees weak.

"Help me," he said when they reached his door, and there was something so vulnerable in his voice that Mei felt her heart crack open. "Please, Mei. I don't... I can't think straight, and I need you to help me."

She'd never seen him anything but composed and commanding. This version of Lu Rowan acting needy, seeking comfort, stripped of all pretense made her feel something deep in her stomach .

Inside the Penthouse - 11:30 PM

"Let's get you some water," Mei said gently, guiding him toward the kitchen, but Lu Rowan had other ideas.

His hands framed her face with surprising steadiness, thumbs stroking across her cheekbones as he studied her features like he was memorizing them.

"Would do anything for you. Do you understand that?"

The intensity in his voice, even filtered through pharmaceutical haze, made something fundamental shift between them. This wasn't just about their practical arrangement anymore it was about something deeper, more elemental.

"Rowan," she whispered, but he was already kissing her, soft and desperate and full of need that had nothing to do with the drug and everything to do with weeks of careful restraint finally crumbling.

She found herself kissing him back, her body making decisions her mind was still catching up to. He tasted like champagne and vulnerability, and when he pulled her closer, she went willingly.

He didn't see when they arrived at the bedroom his lips were still against her lips. "Please l need to be inside you so bad, l need you with me."

Mei was feeling the heat too; he didn't know if it was alcohol or maybe the small sips of alcohol she had taken were taking effect too. She was clearly struggling, she too clearly needed care and comfort. But as they made their way to his room, his hands gentle but insistent on her waist, her back, the curve of her hip, she realized this night was going to unfold in ways she'd never expected.

Lu Rowan's Bedroom - 12:00 AM

What happened next unfolded with dreamlike inevitability. Lu Rowan, stripped of his usual careful control, became utterly focused on her and her comfort, her pleasure, her soft sighs of surprise as he worshiped her with hands and lips and whispered endearments.

The drug hadn't dulled his instincts; if anything, it had sharpened his focus to a laser point of need and devotion. He touched her like she was precious, like she was the answer to questions he'd never known he was asking.

For Mei, who had spent her life being overlooked and undervalued, the experience of being thoroughly cherished was overwhelming. Every kiss, every caress spoke of reverence and desire in equal measure. He was gentle but thorough, patient but passionate, and when he finally claimed her completely, it felt less like possession and more like coming home.

She'd never imagined her first time would be like this tender and consuming, with a man who whispered her name like a prayer and held her like she was the most precious thing in his world.

The Next Morning - 7:00 AM

Mei woke to sunlight streaming through unfamiliar windows and the solid warmth of Lu Rowan's body wrapped around hers. Her cheeks burned as memories of the night flooded back the desperate kisses, the way he'd made her body sing, the things they'd done that she'd never imagined herself capable of wanting.

Lu Rowan stirred against her, his arm tightening around her waist, and she realized he was awake and studying her with dark, calculating eyes that held no trace of the previous night's chemical influence.

"Good morning," he said, his voice rough and knowing.

"Good morning," she replied, suddenly shy under his intense gaze. "How do you feel?"

"Hungry," he said simply, and the way he looked at her made it clear he wasn't talking about food.

Before she could respond, he was kissing her again, and despite her embarrassment, her body responded immediately. The passion that had ignited the night before hadn't dimmed yet, it burned hotter now that they both knew exactly what they were doing .

Her shy protests dissolved under his skilled touch, and soon pieces of clothing that had been hastily retrieved were scattered across the floor once more. Lu Rowan seemed determined to prove that what had happened in chemical haze could be even better in clear daylight.

By the time they finally surfaced, breathless and sated, the sun was high in the sky.

Later That Morning - 11:00 AM

Over breakfast—which Mei prepared. Lu Rowan made an announcement that surprised her.

"We have an appointment this afternoon," he said casually, sipping his coffee.

"An appointment?"

"With a doctor. For family planning and for morning after pills for yesterday's activities ." His tone was matter-of-fact, but his eyes were watchful. "Birth control injections. The long-term kind."

Mei nearly dropped her chopsticks. The implication was crystal clear—he expected this physical relationship to continue, and he wanted no complications from it. No children. It partly made her sad but she reminded herself that maybe she was supposed to do it yesterday and today cause that's what married couples were supposed to do but she couldn't help feeling sad.

"I..." she started,then stopped, she was unsure how to respond and words were stuck in her mouth .

"Unless you object," he added, but there was something in his voice that suggested objection wasn't really an option. This was Lu Rowan making a practical decision about their arrangement; it was clearly not a discussion .

"No," she said quietly, meeting his eyes despite her shyness. "I don't object."

His smile was predatory and satisfied.