Chapter 2 The Stranger

Just as Emily could only pray for escape, the staff member's cold reprimand descended like heavenly music. "Who are you? What's the commotion about?"

"I'm looking for someone," the sleazy man replied irritably.

"There's no one here for you. Leave immediately! If you disturb the guest inside, not even ten of you would be enough to make amends," the staff member said coldly.

Though Roy was disgruntled, he still had enough sense to know that Emerald City was full of people he couldn't afford to offend. He left, muttering curses under his breath.

Emily leaned against the door, cold sweat soaking through her dress, making it cling uncomfortably to her skin. Only then did she realize she had taken refuge in the territory of someone extremely powerful.

She wanted to leave, but she couldn't.

Who knew where Roy might be waiting for her?

In her current physical state, escaping Roy's clutches once had been pure luck. She had no strength to flee a second time.

She couldn't go out. Absolutely not.

Emily clung to a sliver of hope that the room's occupant had already left and might not return anytime soon. Besides this room, she couldn't find a safer place.

Just as her tense nerves began to relax, the heat surging through her body could no longer be suppressed. That burning sensation crawled through her veins to her limbs, turning even her fingertips unnaturally flushed.

The entire room was frighteningly dark, with only the bathroom emitting a faint light.

The bathroom...cold water could alleviate her current symptoms.

Afraid of drawing attention, Emily didn't dare turn on the living room lights. She moved quietly along the wall until she reached the bathroom door. Her fingers had just touched the cold doorknob when she heard a suppressed groan from inside.

Someone was in there?

She hesitantly pushed the door open a crack.

Through the misty vapor, she was startled to see a man sitting in the massive jacuzzi.

He hadn't undressed; his black shirt clung to his body, outlining his firm shoulders and back. The water in the tub glinted with ice chips—clearly cold water with added ice cubes.

The man's head was bowed, his wet hair falling forward to cover most of his face. She could only see his tightly pressed thin lips and the hard line of his jawbone, radiating an aura that made him difficult to approach.

Emily covered her mouth and stepped back.

What was happening?

The man in the tub seemed to sense her presence and sharply raised his eyes. Those eyes were startlingly bright through the steam, like ice-tempered stars, piercing straight into Emily's panicked pupils.

Charles Windsor's mind was terribly foggy, his vision blurred. He could only vaguely make out a shadowy figure standing at the bathroom door.

"Get out!" Charles muttered indistinctly.

"What?"

Emily couldn't hear clearly, but she could tell this man wasn't well either.

"Are... are you alright?" Emily tentatively asked. Due to the burning inside her, her throat felt as if it were filled with sand, making her voice as hoarse as the man's.

Charles didn't respond, his brow only furrowing deeper. Who would be so bold as to drug him?

If he found the culprit, they would never leave Emerald City alive!

This time, he had been careless.

Fortunately, his assistant had discovered his condition in time and helped him back to the private room, preventing the situation from worsening.

Seeing Charles's silence, Emily approached the tub on unsteady legs, intending to check on him.

As soon as her hand touched Charles's arm, he grabbed it forcefully. Charles's palm was scorching, in stark contrast to his body submerged in ice water.

Emily startled, trying to pull away, but he held her even tighter.

Charles had never liked touching strangers, but when the faint scent of bath gel mixed with the unique fragrance of youth wafted into his nostrils from Emily, he inexplicably felt at ease. The drug-induced agitation within him seemed to calm slightly.

His mind clouded, the cool touch of Emily's fingertips and her pleasant scent acted like a fuse, instantly igniting the flame he'd been suppressing. Already struggling with the drug's effects, this sudden physical contact broke his remaining control.

He yanked her forcefully into the bathtub. The cold water instantly soaked through Emily's dress, yet she felt no chill, as Charles's body enveloped her like fire.

"Let... let me go..." Emily struggled frantically, but her strength was negligible against Charles.

His deep, labored breathing sounded in her ear, carrying a sense of danger. His kiss descended without warning, domineering and urgent, stifling all her protests.

That kiss carried an irresistible force, spreading from her lips to her jaw, then to her slender neck. Each touch felt like flame against her skin.

Emily's mind went blank. The burning inside her body collided violently with Charles's impact, like two equally powerful torrents crashing together. She wanted to resist, to scream, but her throat seemed blocked, capable only of muffled whimpers.

Gradually, bodily instinct overcame reason, leaving her without strength to resist, only able to passively endure.

The sounds of splashing water and heavy breathing intertwined in the bathroom, the cold water and internal heat repeatedly stimulating two sensitive bodies.

Charles's soaked shirt clung to his skin, outlining smooth muscle contours. Water droplets fell from his hair tips, sliding over Emily's collarbone.

The blue sapphire necklace around her neck gleamed coldly, making her appear all the more captivating.

Once desire breached the dam, it poured forth like floodwater.

The contact of skin, the intermingling of lips and tongues, could no longer satisfy the man's drug-enhanced instincts. Charles suddenly released Emily's lips, his heavy breath hot on her face. His eyes were dark as night, swirling with turbulent emotions she couldn't comprehend.

He lifted Emily with one arm. She gasped, instinctively wrapping her arms around his neck, feeling the world spin before being thrown onto the soft bed.

Charles's tall figure loomed over her. Emily still couldn't see his face clearly, only feeling his heat with her body. Her consciousness wavered between clarity and surrender, finally engulfed completely by the oncoming tide.

After what seemed like an eternity, the drug's effects finally dissipated from Charles's system, and he fell into a deep sleep. Emily had long since passed out.

In the darkness, their faces were indistinct, with only a bloodstain on the white sheets clearly visible.