CHAPTER 913. RULE #1. What Was I Thinking?That kiss was only meant to be playful, but for Leon, in just a second, it had turned into an unbearable curiosity, as if some invisible force was pushing him to go further. Mariel’s lips were sweet and teasing, and the future count couldn’t help but lose himself completely.He had kissed many women in his life, but this… kissing Mariel was simply something else. His tongue slipped into that small mouth that opened for him, and for the first time in his life, the floral tea’s aftertaste was delicious.He felt Mariel’s soft fingers tangling in his hair, pulling urgently, as if this was real, as if…Leon wrapped her in a possessive embrace and pulled her even closer, nearly lifting one of her legs onto his hip and touching her like they didn’t have an audience—until a low growl escaped his throat, and he heard a soft moan come from his wife’s lips.The magic of the moment shattered when they both opened their eyes at the same time, pulling away
CHAPTER 914. RULE #1. A Little Fairy with HormonesLeon’s eyes widened as if he were watching a horror movie no one had warned him about. The fact that Mariel was letting those words get to her, making her feel insecure, made his blood boil in an instant.“Baby, listen,” he said, trying to keep his cool because it wouldn’t be right for the future count to cause a scene. “Verena is an idiot! She has no idea what she’s talking about!”Mariel looked up, but her eyes only showed a mix of surprise and exhaustion.“You’re just saying that because you’re nice, Leon.” She sighed sadly.“No, I mean it! You’re a really beautiful woman!”“No, I’m not beautiful, I’m just… cute!”Leon frowned, offended on her behalf.“Cute? Come on, Mariel! Have you looked in a mirror? You’re so much more than that. You’re gorgeous, sexy…”“Oh, please! If I were all that, he would’ve looked at me at least once! Maybe he would’ve noticed I exist! Even just a little.”Leon felt something tighten inside him. Who the
CHAPTER 915. RULE #1. The Man of Her DreamsSeeing her clench her fists, so small and scrunched up, with those little tears of frustration and emotion streaming down her cheeks, made Leon’s knees go weak. Of course, it was obvious she had hormones, but hearing her declare that she had a clitoris like a grown, sensual woman… Well, that was a little more than he could process all at once."Whoa, whoa, whoa…!" Leon pulled Mariel close and wrapped his arms around her, gently stroking her hair while she snuggled against his chest. "What a dramatic girl! You’re on your period, aren’t you?" he asked, his tone soft but curious.Mariel lifted her head, frowning slightly and pouting."What? Nooooo! I still have two weeks to go."Leon raised an eyebrow, a playful smile on his lips."That’s even worse! You’re ovulating!"Mariel huffed, both sad and annoyed."And what does that have to do with anything?""Everything." Leon tightened his hug, his grin mischievous. "That means you’re climbing the Dr
CHAPTER 916. RULE #1. A Special ProposalLeon leaned forward on the couch, setting his coffee cup aside as Mariel’s mischievous smile made him instinctively go on high alert. He looked at her with a mix of curiosity and caution, narrowing his eyes.“A proposal? That sounds dangerous. What are you up to now?”Mariel sat beside him, crossing her legs with a serious expression that didn’t quite match the playful spark in her eyes.“I want you to teach me.”Leon frowned, clearly confused.“Teach you? Teach you what?”Mariel leaned in close, whispering in his ear with a deliberately sultry tone.“Everything you know…”“Oh, Jesus!” Leon jumped up as if a bug had just flown into his ear, shaking his head. “Everything?! How can you even ask that?!”Mariel pouted and stood up after him.“What’s so wrong about it? If anyone can teach me how to be interesting, it’s you. How to be bold, sexy, and all that. I want to learn how to drive like you, ride horses like you, even handle a motorcycle! And
CHAPTER 1. More than one way to break a heart**JANUARY SEATTLE**"How could you do this?!" Zack Keller's furious roar stopped his girlfriend right at the door as soon as he saw her arrive.Giselle saw a piece of paper in his hand and had no idea what he was talking about, but she had never seen him so upset as he was at that moment."I don't know what you're talking about...""Of course you do! You aborted my child! You lost it on purpose!" he accused her angrily. "Did you at least have the damn intention of telling me anything?!"The woman in front of him turned pale."How... how do you know...?"Zack threw the paper in her direction and looked at her with disappointment."Do you forget you're on my company's health insurance?" he spat, approaching her. "As soon as your last name appeared in the payment records, they notified me. Imagine my joy when I found out the insurance had paid for a pregnancy test and then for an ultrasound!"Giselle stepped away from him, her face red with e
CHAPTER 2. Something is Very Wrong...**NOVEMBER. VANCOUVER**"Andrea! To my office! Now!"The shout from her boss, a middle manager at SportUnike, made her jump in her seat, anxious because she knew he was in a very bad mood that day."Is this a damn joke?" he growled, throwing a folder of documents at her face. "I clearly told you I needed the budget reports for the water sports division from last month!"Andrea's eyes widened."But... Mr. Trembley... I'm sure you said you wanted this month's reports...""Don't argue with me, you useless idiot!" her boss snapped. At fifty years old, Peter Trembley was as unpleasant as his bulging belly, but Andrea had to endure him because she had barely managed to get a job as his assistant, and she and her daughter depended on it to survive. "Don't you realize what's happening? SportUnike is gone! A Swiss bastard bought it, and now we'll just be a part of his company! Do you know what that means?"Andrea knew. The arrival of a new owner had create
CHAPTER 3. A Possible AllyBut if Zack thought something was wrong with the company, his instincts went on high alert when he went down to the parking lot and saw the woman leaning against one of the walls. She was trying to change from high heels to low sneakers, but her hands were shaking.He was tempted to go talk to her, but something in him still resisted getting involved in other people's problems. He had a new company to run; if he wanted Andrea to feel better, he just had to fix his company, not the woman's personal life.Finally, he saw her adjust her coat and step out into the cold street.He watched from a distance and saw she didn't take a taxi or a bus, so she probably lived nearby. He had no idea how wrong he was because Andrea didn't live remotely close; she simply couldn't afford any form of transportation.For forty minutes, the young woman walked through the cold of a Canadian winter, and by the time she finally reached her building, it was almost dark."Good evening
CHAPTER 4: This is War!Trembley's face visibly reddened, and the hardness in his eyes remained."Waiting for Andrea?" he growled. "Are you trying to be funny, or do you not know that interpersonal relationships are prohibited in this company?""Well, I'm a slow learner, but I tend to imitate," Zack replied sarcastically. "Maybe I got confused when I saw you climbing on her like a lizard needing sunlight."The old man clenched his teeth and released Andrea abruptly before walking up to Zack."Don't get in my way, kid. You're just a newcomer, and I can...""What? Fire me?" Zack interrupted with a cold voice. "Well... you can try, but you'll find my job here doesn't depend on you. I belong to the team of the company owner, and only he can fire me. I'm sure he wouldn't look kindly on a manager trying to dismiss me without justified cause."Trembley clenched his fists and glared at Zack with a malevolent, defiant expression."Maybe your job is safe," he spat, "but hers leaves much to be