Zoe locked her phone screen faster than she ever had in her life. She took the hairdryer from Simon’s hands, acting as if nothing had happened. "I’ll do it myself. You should rest."
Simon didn’t say anything. With an indifferent expression, he turned around, leaned against the headboard, and continued scrolling on his phone.
He didn’t seem to mind Jules’s wild rantings from earlier.
Zoe let out a faint sigh of relief. She couldn’t afford to anger her meal ticket. Otherwise, who would she cry to?
After she finished drying her hair, it was just past ten in the evening.
Zoe walked around to the other side of the bed, pulled back the covers, and climbed in. But the moment she set her phone down, the man beside her snatched it away. He held it up to her face, unlocking it with Face ID.
Zoe jumped in fright. Acting on pure instinct, she lunged toward Simon to snatch it back. "What are you doing? Give it back!"
A woman’s phone held plenty of secrets—especially the chat histories. She absolutely could not let Simon see her conversations with Crystal Hayes and Jules, or her meal ticket would explode in anger!
As Zoe lunged, Simon calmly raised his hand, causing her to miss the phone and fall right onto his chest. He pressed one hand against her back to keep her still, while his other hand navigated her screen. He didn’t snoop. Instead, he directly opened WhatsApp, scanned his own QR code, sent a friend request, and then accepted it himself. The entire process was as smooth as flowing water, taking no more than three seconds.
"Adding you on WhatsApp, Mrs. Hawthorne."
Zoe’s beautiful eyes widened. "Why did you have to make such a big fuss just to add me on WhatsApp? It’s not like I would’ve said no..."
She took the opportunity to snatch her phone back. Come to think of it, they hadn’t added each other on WhatsApp despite being married for so long. He had only gotten her phone number after returning to the country. It was rare to find a married couple like them in this world.
Amidst her thoughts, she caught a glimpse of the new conversation in her chat list. His screen name was simple: Mr. H.
But his profile picture was unique. It was a close-up of a large patch of white camellias blooming in midsummer, looking very much like a corner of some scenic spot or real-life garden. The weather in the photo was gloomy and rainy, the tones gray and muted, making the rain-kissed white camellias the only clean and vibrant things in the frame.
She had assumed his profile picture would be something strictly professional. She hadn’t expected it to be a photo with such a strong, warm atmosphere.
Finding it incredible, Zoe couldn’t help but ask, "Do you like camellias?"
Simon lowered his eyes to look at her, his gaze placid. After a few seconds, he replied casually, "I do."
This time, it was Zoe’s turn to be surprised. It was hard to imagine that a man as cold and arrogant as Simon would like such pure, flawless flowers.
"Why?" she asked.
Simon looked at her calmly. His fingertips lightly picked up a strand of her hair, slowly twirling it around as he played with it. "Does there have to be a reason?"
Meeting those dangerously beautiful eyes, Zoe’s heartbeat skipped a beat. She suddenly tightened her grip on her phone. "Forget it then. It doesn’t matter."
A suspicion leapt into her mind. Peyton. Her temperament was very similar to the traits of a white camellia—subtle, tranquil, beautiful, and peaceful.
To think she had actually asked such a stupid question. No wonder Simon used this as his profile picture. Wasn’t it just another covert confession of his feelings for Peyton?
Zoe couldn’t help but inwardly mock her own excessive cleverness. A woman’s intuition and suspicions were never entirely baseless. Digging too deep would only humiliate herself.
Not wanting to continue the topic, Zoe tried to push herself off his chest, but he grabbed her wrist. She fell back down against his abdomen. Propping herself up halfway, she looked up at him. "What are you doing?"
Simon merely stared at her, his eyes dark and unfathomable. That gaze was inexplicably scorching, making her heart race.
His thumb lightly stroked her wrist bone, sending shivers down her spine. The man’s gaze was far too aggressive. Combined with his teasing caresses, her ears began to burn. She followed his line of sight downward.
The collar of her bathrobe had loosened at some point, half-exposing her delicate shoulders. Since she wasn’t wearing a bra, the soft, snow-white curves of her breasts were partially revealed. Due to the warmth of the room and the ambiguous atmosphere from just a moment ago, a faint pink flush spread across her skin. Trembling slightly with bashful timidity, she looked like a bud ready to burst into bloom—breathtakingly beautiful.
Finally understanding the reason behind the man’s profound gaze, Zoe’s cheeks instantly flushed crimson. She yanked herself free from his grasp and hastily pulled her collar tight. "I wasn’t trying to seduce you! Don’t get the wrong idea! I just didn’t have any clean clothes to change into..."
She was terrified Simon would think she had ulterior motives. She had washed all her underwear, and it wouldn’t be dry until tomorrow. She thought the thick bathrobe would be enough to conceal everything, but who knew it would come loose?! It made it look as if she had done it on purpose!
"Why are you panicking?" Simon’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly. Hooking his fingers under her chin, he carefully scrutinized the woman’s delicate, blushing face. His pleasant voice seemed a bit hoarse, laced with a palpable, sexually charged desire. "You’re telling on yourself. Did I say anything?"
Zoe felt there was no way to defend herself. Her face was as red as blood. "I’m not going to bother explaining it to you! Go to sleep!"
The idea of winning a verbal argument against Simon was simply a fantasy; the man could effortlessly spin black into white! She swatted his hand away and turned her back to him, lying down in a huff.
A short while later, the mattress dipped behind her. An arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her into a scorching embrace. Her back pressed tightly against his hard, muscular chest as she was enveloped by his pleasant oud scent.
Zoe’s body went completely stiff. Her heart leapt into her throat.
Simon nuzzled his chin against the crook of her neck, the end of his sentence dropping into an even huskier register. "I’m getting a reaction. How are you going to take responsibility for this?"
Zoe didn’t dare move a muscle. The sensation against her lower back was unmistakable. It felt like a loaded gun pressed against her vitals. One wrong move, and it would go off.
She swallowed hard, her throat dry. "No—Auntie and the others aren’t asleep yet. We can’t do this here. Find a way to cool down."
She thought her words made her sound like a heartless scumbag. But the circumstances here were special, and when Simon got going, he knew no restraint. Usually, he looked so refined and noble, like a cold, untouchable ascetic. But in reality... his drive was unimaginably intense and overwhelming.
They had only done it three times. Yet every single time left her feeling as if she had been dismantled and put back together. Her skin wasn’t thick enough to do it in her aunt’s house.
Not to mention, Simon had been keeping Peyton company just yesterday. Between them... She didn’t dare wonder if anything had happened. The more she thought about it, the colder her heart grew.
Her chin was pinched and forced around. Meeting Simon’s deep, dark eyes, she heard him say, "Just one kiss, and I’ll cool down."
He barely gave Zoe a chance to refuse. He lowered his head and captured her lips. It wasn’t an illusion; his kissing technique had become increasingly masterful, effortlessly stirring up her most primal desires. Zoe’s eyes widened in shock as she let out muffled whimpers, trying to push him away.
But he didn’t seem satisfied with just that. What started as methodical, unhurried kissing quickly escalated into a ferocious demand, as if he wanted to drain every last drop of sweetness from her mouth.
She could hear his heavy, ragged breathing. And that *thing* pressing against her lower back was becoming increasingly terrifying.
Seeing that things were about to spiral out of control, Zoe forced herself to pull away. She shoved him hard in the chest, creating some distance between them. Panting, she said, "I don’t want to! You can’t force me!"