He yanked the towel on her body and let it land on the floor.
"Ah," she gasped when her body was exposed to the coolness of the air.
Kissing was not merely enough to dispel the fire in Beichen's body. He traveled down and landed a couple of hickeys on her neck. Then, he picked at her erect nipples with his tongue and fingers. It was sweet like cherry, making him unable to let go.
While his mouth was occupied, his hand slid down to her swells, which became a fountain after he methodically stroked it back and forth.
He dipped his head and traced every flap and fold with his lips. He was like a thirsty hummingbird sucking the sweetness out of the crimson petunia in the spring.
"Beichen..." the woman on the bed mustered out weakly as her body squirmed out of control.
This was the first time she had used his name. She never imagined that calling him by his first name would have such an impact on her. She felt more intimate, as if she were lost in his embrace.
The man heard her little protests, but he did not bother to stop. He increased the speed of his swirls, slurping and flickering the creases like he was painting a flower—his tongue the paintbrush, and she the canvas.
When he stuck his tongue in her, Yanyue felt a tingling sensation all over her skin which threatened to take her to the peak of ecstasy. Soon, she could not hold back her moans anymore and the room was filled with her soft voice.
"Anh!" she cried, shaking and twisting from the insanity of it all.
Pregnancy had made her body more sensitive than usual. A touch from him felt like someone had teased her with a feather.
She jerked in a series of climaxes and her juices squirted all over his face. Beichen smirked and licked the remnants from his lips as he gazed wonderfully at the chaotic sight before him.
He lifted her legs with one hand, resting it on his shoulder, and used the other hand to guide his erection into her dripping nest, which still surprised him by how tight it always was every time.
He moved his hips back and forth, making sure to control his thrusts as she was pregnant. Even though he preferred doing it rough, he enjoyed the slow way their bodies stuck against each other.
After a long time, he was finally released.
He could feel her body tightening around his pulsating manhood as their liquid mixed and dripped down to the bed like a waterfall.
Their heavy breaths fanned against each other as he gave her a final kiss.
He whispered in her ears, "Don't forget who you belong to."
Yanyue was too exhausted to react to his warning.
Beichen was satisfied and pulled out and zipped his pants, which was the only thing he unclothed, otherwise, he was still neatly dressed.
Yanyue did not move from the bed long after he was gone.
That night, she had a dream that she gave birth to a baby boy. However, his father would not admit his identity. She dropped down on the floor with her son in her hand and watched the man she loved walk away with his lover. She was all alone with her son in the dark and endless universe.
Her eyes were puffy when she woke up; she had cried again in her sleep.
She took a shower to remove the sticky feeling from the night before. Since it was another weekday, she went to work as usual.
*
In a high-rise building facing the riverside, a man in a black suit took out a folder and gave it to the man sitting in front of a sizeable rusty pine desk.
"President Yang, this is our investigation."
"Good, you can go now."
Yanfeng opened the folder and checked the information he had asked his subordinate to gather. It was the background information of the woman he had met at his welcoming event a week ago.
The investigation revealed that her birth name was Shen Yanyue, and she had lived in Yilongua since birth. She had achieved many things in school and sports and graduated from the top university in the country with a design major.
She was president of her mother's company, Klotho, which went bankrupt fifteen years ago. Her husband, Lu Beichen, was the second son of the royal family.
His eyebrows furrowed in displeasure from the last sentence. He put his finger on his chin and contemplated the accuracy of the investigation.
However, he sighed in disappointment because it looked like nothing was fake in the profile, and he could not find anything suspicious. It was true that this woman was not his Lulu.
He was dismayed, but his interest in the woman would not stop because of this investigation. It was unbelievable that two persons would look so much alike without a familial relation.
He had heard of doppelgängers, but she displayed a temperament similar to Lulu's, and he could not let go completely. He felt he needed to get to know her better.
He pressed a button on the phone and said, "Go pick up a flower bouquet for me."
*
It was six in the evening, and music could be heard throughout the venue. People were chatting and enjoying the hors d'oeuvres.
Yanyue was busy walking back and forth to ensure everything was correctly set up. After all, this was Klotho's public launch, so she did not want any mishaps.
"Is everything ready to go?"
"Yes, President Shen," the manager confirmed from the speaker.
Yanyue was not used to standing in the spotlight, so she was overwhelmed by all the cameras and lights.
Jason sighed and tapped her head, trying to calm her down.
"Everything will be alright," he reassured her warmly.
Yanyue smiled because it was nice to have someone encourage her.
She sighed, held on to the microphone, and began the opening speech as Klotho's President.
"Thank you for attending Klotho's first launch. It took years, but I have now completed the first step towards recognizing my mother's dream: to make personalized clothes to show the charms of the person wearing it."
Yanyue looked down the stage with high expectations. Tonight was also a special event because she planned to present her mother's last design, which never was published.
"I would like to present a design that is immensely important to me." She continued, "The star of this launch is The Black Swan Crystal!"
A beautiful model stepped out from behind the stage and elegantly advanced down the lane, stunning the audience with her dress.
The model was wearing a black gown that extended past her feet. Her bosom was covered with a stiff floral-embroidered material, and a long slit down the front showed a part of her chest. The lower half of the dress was fluffy yet fluid like water as it was endowed with layers of rare black swan's feather. Tiny white crystal gemstones were adorned throughout the dress to reflect the lights. The dress sparkled against the light, creating a universe of its own.
This dress was her mother's last creation before she was brutally murdered. She had found the dress already completed with notes and drafts in her mother's secret chest that was left to her.
The dress had no name, so she named it the Black Swan Crystal. Each feather piece was collected from the shedding of rare black swans one could only find once a year.
In her opinion, this was her mother's most outstanding work in her lifetime. It was a shame that her mother was not alive to present the outfit herself.
The main entrance slammed open as everyone admired the dress, garnering the audience's attention.
When Wanyue entered the room, the lights shone behind her, making her seem like the main character of a soap opera. Beichen held her waist intimately. Following behind them was Mrs. Shen.
The room began to be filled with people whispering to each other, and they were especially shocked by the dress that Wanyue was wearing—The Black Swan Crystal!
The only difference was that this was a white dress. It was probably made from white swan feathers instead of black ones.
Yanyue's eyes widened in confusion, wondering why another version of the Black Swan Crystal existed.
Before she could move, someone shouted, "President Shen plagiarized the dress that the Young Miss Shen is wearing!"
The remarks were heard by several other people now questioning the dress's validity and authenticity.
Yanyue wrinkled her eyebrows in concern. She did not expect her half-sister and stepmother to attend the launch, and the dress that Wanyue was wearing made her speechless.
Wanyue looked around the room, excited by the noises she had instigated. In her opinion, things could not have been any better.
"Older sister, why didn't you invite us to your event? Did you have something to hide?" Wanyue asked suspiciously as she walked to Yanyue.
"Wanyue, mother..." Yanyue greeted them while avoiding Beichen's gaze.
"Sister, I wanted to come and support you, but who knew that your special event was the Black Swan Crystal. You know that this was my mother's design!" Wanyue said desperately.
Yanyue shook her head.
"What do you mean? My late mother designed this dress, so when did it belong to mom?"
Then, her stepmother stepped in and said, "I designed this dress. Your mother was always jealous of my designs, so she stole this pattern and secretly sewed this dress before she passed away. I don't want to make a dead person look bad, but I can't stand my designs being plagiarized!"
Yanyue did not believe her stepmother's statements because her mother would never steal or plagiarize another person's work.
"No, you're slandering my mother! She would never do something like that!" Yanyue shook her head in disbelief.
"Sister, I remember that aunt was always kind to me, so we would never slander her," Wanyue said softly.
"Aunt Shen would never steal. Don't slander someone without evidence!" Jason growled.
"That's right, aunty and cousin. For something that happened so long ago, we can't just take your word as the truth," said Yanfeng, emerging from the crowd and stopping by Yanyue's side. If you claim that the late Mrs. Shen stole your design, then please show us the proof."
The middle-aged woman sneered, "Yanfeng, what are you implying?"
Wanyue echoed, "Cousin, my mother is your aunt. How can you not believe her?"
Yanfeng shook his head, "Precisely because she's my aunt..."
The women could only bite their lips in frustration, unable to respond to such a condemning tone.
Yanfeng turned to Beichen. "President Lu, you are something. Your wife is in trouble, but the perfume overload peacock next to you gets your full attention."
Yanyue stared at Beichen and it was a lie to say that she did not feel sad because of his indifference toward her.
Yanfeng continued, "As the situation stands, an investigation must be conducted. We cannot simply trust anyone's words without proof!"
The rest of the people in the room nodded in agreement.
"There is no need to investigate because this dress is mine," Mrs. Shen said eagerly. "I must get it back!"
"Mrs. Shen, if you're speaking the truth, you should not resist an investigation. Or are you afraid of something?" Jason chimed in.
"Of course, I have nothing to be afraid of!"
"Since that's the case, auntie must cooperate well with the investigation," said Yanfeng in finality.
Mrs. Shen was reluctant, but if she refused any further, then she would be the suspicious one, so she could only turn her eyes away in anger and accept the investigation.
Of course, she would not let them succeed anyway. No one could stop her from getting what she wanted, especially the Black Swan Crystal. She must get it by any means!
The launch ended in a disaster.
Yanyue looked at the workers clearing away the room. Although she had not yet truly begun working on Klotho, troubles had already started. It seemed that she had to be extra careful while investigating her mother's death.
She was also truly struck by the fact that there was another white version of the Black Swan Crystal, even though her mother's notes indicated nothing of this. Would her mother steal another person's design? she wondered.
A finger tapped on her shoulder as she contemplated the whole issue.
"It's you..."