Zoe Pierce’s hand froze.

She licked her bottom lip, her palms growing sweaty. She even felt the urge to leave.

But Chase Shaw pressed her hand down. "If you want to touch me, then touch me."

’He dressed like this just for her to touch, didn’t he?’

Even though she was only wearing a slip dress, Zoe Pierce felt unbearably hot.

Chase Shaw’s breath ghosted over her head, the rhythm quickening or slowing in time with her caress.

It was as if she was the troublemaker, not him.

She didn’t dare touch any lower, as his muscles would tremble at her touch. In the end, Zoe Pierce pressed her face against Chase Shaw’s chest, her fingers pulling his tank top all the way down, covering his body completely.

’I can’t touch him anymore.’

’If this keeps up, neither of us will get any sleep tonight.’

Zoe Pierce’s hands clutched the hem of Chase Shaw’s tank top at his waist. She didn’t know how long they stayed like that in silence. Her closed eyes darted about beneath her eyelids before finally, after a long while, growing still.

And the man holding her, hearing her breathing finally even out, couldn’t hold back a muffled chuckle.

’Once they were actually in bed, she completely lost the boldness she’d shown on the deck chair earlier.’

’She turned into such a good girl.’

’Even now, her fingers are still tugging his tank top down, as if terrified of a single inch of his skin showing.’

’Honestly...’

Chase Shaw couldn’t help but smirk. ’Compared to her, he was probably the one who would have a harder time falling asleep tonight.’

’How could he sleep with such a soft, beautiful woman in his arms?’

Chase Shaw looked down and saw only the top of her fluffy hair. But even through the fabric of his tank top, her every breath brushed against his chest.

’Is she testing me? My self-control?’

’Something that’s practically nonexistent.’

After a long while, the woman in his arms seemed to get uncomfortable. She turned completely onto her side, her back facing him as she slept.

The space that had been nonexistent between them instantly widened to two arm’s lengths. Chase Shaw glanced at the gap, then silently closed it, pressing up against her just as he had before.

「A sleepless night.」

Zoe Pierce was woken by a heat source behind her, like a fireball pressed against her back that she couldn’t push away no matter how she tried.

When she opened her eyes to find the source of the heat, she was met with the sight of a sleeping face.

The memories of last night came flooding back. Zoe Pierce stared at his face, momentarily forgetting to move. Her eyes instinctively flicked down to his tank top—it was still on him.

For some reason, she let out a sigh of relief.

Without the cover of night, she could no longer be as muddled and irrational as she had been.

As she got up and slipped on her slippers, a voice came from behind her. "You’re awake?"

The man had just woken up, and his already deep, raspy voice now sounded like gravel, sending a tingle through her ears.

She glanced back at him. Chase Shaw was sitting up, his tank top wrinkled, revealing his broad shoulders and neck.

"Yeah." She remained composed, hastily tying her hair back with a band. "I’m going to head down and send the staff home for the day."

Chase Shaw’s sleepy brain snapped to full alert.

Zoe Pierce didn’t want anyone to know he had stayed the night.

He pressed his lips together and remained silent.

Zoe Pierce was like the cat that stole the cream. Without a single glance back, she opened the door as if nothing had happened. She wanted a glass of water—she could have called the robot for it—but she couldn’t bring herself to face Chase Shaw right now.

So, using that as an excuse, she went straight downstairs.

But once she was downstairs, she realized it wasn’t just Chase Shaw she was trying to avoid.

In the living room, Nathan Lockwood, Miles Sherman, and Erin Xavier were seated on the sofa, some holding cups of tea, others looking at their Intelligent Brains.

Hearing the noise from upstairs, they all looked up at the same time.

A dark green slip dress. Though loose-fitting, it perfectly accentuated her feminine figure, her long legs, and the bare expanse of her chest.

The men were momentarily stunned.

Zoe Pierce was stunned too. ’Why are they here, right now?’

A housemaid hurried over from the side, handing Zoe a shawl. "Miss, Mr. Lockwood and the others have been here for a while."

All of them had access credentials for the house, so they didn’t need to announce their arrival to the staff.

Fortunately, knowing that Zoe Pierce was likely asleep upstairs, they hadn’t gone up to disturb her and had waited in the living room instead.

"Mrs. Lewis, you can head home. We won’t be needing anyone today." Zoe Pierce dismissed her on instinct.

Mrs. Lewis acknowledged the order, glanced at Nathan Lockwood and the others, and then left through the villa’s back door.

Now, they were the only ones left in the villa.

Erin Xavier glanced at the robot, but his gaze remained fixed on the top of the stairs. "Zoe Pierce, where’s Chase?"

They had specifically tried to contact Chase Shaw today but couldn’t get through.

Then they came to Zoe Pierce’s house and found traces of Chase Shaw in the robot’s logs.

Without a doubt, Chase Shaw had stayed at Zoe Pierce’s place last night.

And from Nathan Lockwood’s subtle questioning just now, they had all learned that the guest rooms were unoccupied.

’So, where was Chase Shaw?’

’Where did he sleep?’

Upstairs were the master bedrooms. Besides Zoe Pierce’s, there were Damien Pierce’s and her parents’ rooms.

Her parents’ room was out of the question, of course. But what about Damien Pierce’s room? Would Zoe Pierce let Chase Shaw use it?

Erin Xavier wasn’t sure.

He stared at Zoe Pierce’s face, not daring to guess the answer.

’Her suppression patch is still on the back of her neck, so... nothing should have happened, right...?’

The words had barely left his lips when a tall figure appeared at the top of the stairs. He wore a gray tank top and plaid pants, and held two Intelligent Brains in his hands. It was obvious he had just woken up.

He was already tall, and now standing at the top of the stairs gave him a commanding, condescending presence as he looked down on them all.

"Zoe Pierce, you forgot your Intelligent Brain."

He acted as if he had known all along that Erin Xavier and the others would be there. He strode down from the top of the stairs and calmly handed an Intelligent Brain to Zoe Pierce.

"What, you’re not going to take responsibility after sleeping with me last night?"

This was, without a doubt, adding fuel to the fire.

’That bastard, Chase. He’s definitely doing this on purpose.’ 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Zoe Pierce could already feel the gazes from Nathan Lockwood and the others boring into her, hot enough to burn.

She frowned. "Don’t talk nonsense."

Chase Shaw’s gaze swept over the others. He chuckled, then poured a glass of warm water and held it out to her. "Drink."

Her lips were chapped.

Zoe Pierce took the glass, her movements somewhat robotic, and took a sip.

Nathan Lockwood gave a smirk that wasn’t quite a smile. "Chase Shaw, saying things just to get a rise out of people is pretty childish."

Chase Shaw looked up, his gaze landing on Nathan Lockwood with extreme Attack Power. "Mm, she knows whether we slept together or not."

The smile on Erin Xavier’s face was equally insincere. He propped his chin on his hand and looked at Zoe Pierce. "So, you slept with him last night, sis?"

’Hah.’

’Sure enough, she had been too impulsive last night. That bastard, Chase Shaw.’

Zoe Pierce tugged at the shawl around her shoulders. "We slept. In a bed."

She didn’t plan on elaborating.

Because she couldn’t.

Explaining would mean bringing up other things, like how her hands had been all over Chase Shaw—which was impossible to explain.

Fortunately, Chase Shaw had some sense. He seemed to notice Zoe Pierce’s displeasure and stopped fanning the flames, instead following her to the dining table.

Her words left a lot to the imagination.