Obediently, Serena sat at the table, lowered her head, and quietly started eating the Mediterranean Chicken Soup.
The rich aroma of the broth was savory and satisfying. One sip, and she knew it had been simmered for hours with high-quality fatty chicken.
This dish had always been one of Serena's favorites.
Whenever she was sick as a child and couldn't eat, her mother would make it for her.
But as far as she could remember, she'd never mentioned it to him-yet somehow, he knew. He'd paid attention to her preferences.
A surprising warmth bloomed in her heart, and suddenly, the soup tasted even better.
She'd been exhausted and had no appetite at all-but somehow, in the comfortable silence, she finished the entire bowl.
"I'm done." She grabbed a tissue and wiped her mouth casually before standing up. "I'm going to bed. You take your time eating. Just leave the trash here-I'll clean it up tomorrow morning."
Xavier looked up at her, a gentle smile in his eyes.
"Okay. You go to bed first. I'll be in shortly."
Huh?! What did that mean-in shortly?!
Serena hesitated, not moving. "Uh... I'm used to sleeping alone. Maybe... you should go sleep in your own room?"
His brows furrowed slightly. "It's my first night here. I'm not used to new places. I can't sleep in the guest room bed."
"But... my bed should feel just as unfamiliar to you, right?"
She was making one last effort.
Not that she needed the whole bed to herself-it was just that his stamina was terrifying.
If they shared the bed, she was afraid he'd come at her again...
"It's an unfamiliar bed, but you're not unfamiliar. Besides, I already slept in your bed this afternoon. Compared to the guest room, it doesn't feel so strange anymore."
"..." Serena twisted her fingers, looking troubled.
"Serena, are you really that unwilling to be around me?" Xavier stared at her, eyes full of hurt.
"No, no! It's not like that!"
She waved her hands in a panic.
The smile returned to his lips. "If you're not rejecting me, then why do you keep resisting sharing a bed?"
"I..." Her voice grew smaller and smaller as she mumbled, embarrassed, "I'm just... really tired. If it happens again, I think I might break my back..."
As she spoke, she discreetly rubbed her sore lower back.
Xavier froze for a second, then lowered his head and resumed sipping his soup, acting like nothing had happened.
Serena wasn't sure what that meant. She cautiously asked, "Then... I'm going back to the room now?"
"Mhm," he replied without looking up.
She quietly let out a breath and turned toward the bedroom.
But as soon as she took a step, his voice came from behind, low and rough,
"Tonight... I'll control myself. I won't... do anything."
"..." Serena stood there, silently closing her eyes.
So... he was still insisting on sharing the bed, huh?
Her mouth opened and closed a few times, but in the end, she said nothing and returned to the room in silence.
As soon as she entered, she was greeted by chaos.
The bedsheet was hopelessly wrinkled, as if reminding her of just how wild things had gotten earlier.
Her face flushed hot instantly. She raised her hands to cover her cheeks, taking a few deep breaths to steady herself.
Bending down, she picked up the clothes one by one and laid them neatly over a chair. Then she stripped the messy sheet off the bed and replaced it with a clean one.
Only then did she grab a change of clothes and head into the bathroom.
She peeled off the shirt she was wearing and glanced down-only to flush even redder at what she saw in the mirror.
Her body was covered in pink marks.
Deliberately left by him.
The one on her neck was especially obvious-a bold, bright-red hickey.
Serena leaned in close to the mirror to inspect it, finally sighing in defeat.
"Sigh... it's so obvious. There's no way foundation will cover this. Guess I'm not going out tomorrow..."
Back in the dining room, Xavier only took a couple more sips of his soup before getting up and clearing the table.
Then he strode quickly toward the master bedroom.
He turned the doorknob-it wasn't locked-and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
He walked in, and though Serena was nowhere to be seen, he could hear the water running in the bathroom.
His eyes narrowed slightly, and he swallowed hard, then calmly walked over to the bed.
Twenty minutes later, Serena stepped out of the bathroom, towel-drying her hair.
She looked up-and met his burning gaze.
Her body tensed instantly, and she froze at the door, too nervous to move forward.
He had changed into a silk T-shirt and was lounging against the headboard with a tablet in hand.
Hearing her, he looked up and said, "Serena, come here."
She hesitated for a moment, then slowly, reluctantly walked over.
As soon as she reached the edge of the bed, he reached out a hand.
She instinctively dodged to the side.
Xavier's expression darkened. "What are you afraid of? I'm not some wild beast-I'm not going to eat you."
Serena muttered to herself in her mind, 'You're worse than a wild beast when you get going. At least wild animals kill you quick... You? You draw it out-slow and steady, not painful, just unbearably teasing... makes you want to live and die at the same time!'
While she was lost in thought, he suddenly grabbed her wrist and yanked her into his arms.
"You... what are you doing?! Didn't you say you wouldn't-"
Xavier didn't reply. He just snatched the towel from her hands and gently started drying her hair.
"Where's the hairdryer?"
Serena blushed. "No need-I'll just towel dry."
"That won't do. Sleeping with wet hair can make you catch a cold. And you..." He paused, then added,
"You used up a lot of energy just now-your immune system's down. You can't afford to be careless."
Serena lowered her eyes, too embarrassed to meet his gaze. "I... I'm not that delicate, really..."
"Not delicate?" His hand paused. He leaned in close and whispered hoarsely in her ear, "So you mean... you're not that tired, and you could go again?"
"No! That's not what I meant!" Serena jumped up. "I-I'll go get the hairdryer!"
Watching her flee in a fluster, Xavier couldn't help but smile, his mood bright and cheerful.
***