The second Julian Mercer stepped out of the bathroom, he saw a woman asleep on his bed.
His dark eyes swept over her with barely any expression. Then a dull headache started creeping up on him, and he began trying to figure out which well-meaning idiot had sent her here.
After thinking for a few seconds, he let out a quiet breath and made a call.
"Second Brother, why are you ruining people’s sleep in the middle of the night?" Scott Lester grumbled the second he picked up.
Julian’s voice was cool and flat. "Through the phone, I can already smell the perfume from the woman next to you. And you’re telling me you’re just sleeping at home?"
"Second Brother, your ears are seriously insane." Scott laughed dryly. "Alright, what’s up? Why call this late?"
Julian walked to the bar, took out a stemmed glass, and poured himself a glass of red wine one-handed. His gaze drifted back to the woman on the bed, calm and detached. "Tell me. Did you send the one on my bed?"
"On your bed? The one on your bed?" Scott froze for a second. "Second Brother, wait, what exactly is going on?"
Julian lifted the wineglass with those long, defined fingers and took a swallow. As the wine slid down, his sharp throat bobbed once, slow and clean.
"You’re still pretending?"
"Second Brother, don’t tell me another random woman just magically appeared on your bed again?" Scott sounded instantly more awake. "I swear to God, ever since the last time—when you shipped me off to that godforsaken Arctic island for three whole months because of this—I haven’t dared pull that stunt again."
"So it wasn’t you?"
Julian glanced at the woman on the bed. His brows drew together slightly over those deep, unreadable eyes.
"Of course not me," Scott said quickly. "Second Brother, ever since I realized you’re the real deal, some ultra-disciplined saint-level man, I haven’t dared use random women to challenge your bottom line again, okay? I was worried about you, sure, but last time was the Arctic. Next time I’m scared you’ll send me straight to the moon."
"Mm."
Julian answered lightly. He still hadn’t gotten a clear look at the woman’s face, and his mind kept turning.
"Second Brother, could it be one of your clients sent her?" Scott asked.
"A client?" Julian’s tone turned colder. "Who would dare?"
In their circle, sending women around was nothing new. But every one of Julian Mercer’s clients knew exactly what kind of man he was.
He knew damn well nobody had the guts to pull something like this.
"Not the guts, yeah," Scott Lester muttered. Then, like something clicked in his head, he added, "Wait... what if this woman just went into the wrong room by herself? Since she already messed up, why not just go with it? Julian, seriously, I'm not even joking here. A woman? That's top-tier stuff. Since fate handed you a shot tonight, just try it."
"Heh." Julian Mercer let out a cold laugh. "Instead of worrying about me, you should probably worry about yourself."
That one line made Scott go stiff all over.
On the other end of the call, he cursed under his breath and hung up with a bang.
Lily Harmon was burning up, so uncomfortable she could barely stand it.
Today was her boyfriend's twenty-ninth birthday. She had already decided she was going to give herself to him.
To force herself not to chicken out at the last second, she had drunk quite a lot.
But the alcohol tonight... something about it felt off.
Usually when she got drunk, she just got sleepy. Tonight was different. The moment it hit, her whole body turned hot, like she was about to burst from the inside.
"Hot..."
"Ah..."
Her voice pulled Julian's attention from the bar.
He walked over, and the second he finally saw the face of the woman on his bed, the hand holding the wineglass froze.
It was her.
Why was she here?
Was this really a coincidence?
Or had someone set this up on purpose?
Seeing how miserable she looked, he didn't even hesitate. He set the red wine glass down and stepped toward her, wanting to help.
What he didn't expect was that the moment he got close, her twisting body clung to him tightly, like she had found the only thing in the room that could save her.
"Lily? Wake up. What's wrong with you?"
He gathered her into his arms and gently patted her flushed face.
"Husband..."
The moment that word hit Julian Mercer’s ears, his tall frame went rigid all over again.
"Husband, I feel awful... please, just take me, okay?"
Lily Harmon’s words sent a dark, dangerous flicker through his deep, shadowed eyes.
Take her?
He’d practically dreamed about that every damn day.
But...
Something was obviously wrong with her tonight.
He tried to peel the woman off him, the one clinging to him like an octopus, but the second he made a move, she only tightened her grip and held on even harder.
If it had been any other woman hanging all over him, he would’ve tossed her straight outside without a second thought.
But this woman...
To him, she was different from everyone else. Completely different.
The fire under his skin had already been lit.
Forcing himself to stay patient, he called to her softly, "Lily... wake up, come on. Were you drugged? I’ll take you to the hospital, okay?"
"Husband! I want you!"
Lily’s slender arms wound around his neck as she murmured the words against him.
Before he could say anything back, her soft, rosy lips brushed past his ear, and the touch sent a sharp shiver through his whole body.