She was feeling drowsy, struggling to keep her eyes open while playing Snake, when suddenly a tall shadow loomed over her.
Startled, her hand slipped, and her game ended.
"It's all your fault!" she complained, tossing her phone aside.
"Not mine," he chuckled, unusually good-natured.
His dark eyes gazed steadily at her.
Perhaps without realizing it, his eyes were filled with warmth.
He bent down and tousled her hair, like petting a small animal.
She turned her head away, displeased. "You smoked?"
He paused, then smiled. "Before meeting you, I saw a business partner and handed him a cigarette."
She didn't believe him. "You must have smoked too!"
"I didn't," Daniel replied.
"You're lying!" Anna retorted.
He smiled tolerantly, like an adult indulging a child throwing a tantrum for candy.
Anna felt her cheeks growing warmer.
She knew she was being unreasonable, but she just wanted to find something to cover up her unease.
"Nervous?" he suddenly asked with a smile.
"No!" Hearing the teasing in his tone, she denied it.
"Really not?"
Her face was almost burning. Suddenly, she felt weightless for a moment.
Startled, she quickly wrapped her arms around his neck.
His arms were strong and steady, holding her like a doll, light as a feather. He effortlessly placed her on the console table by the entrance.
Anna's hands were still around his neck, looking straight into his eyes.
It was as if she were clinging entirely to him.
She sat in the shadows, head slightly lowered. From his angle, he could only glimpse her soft and graceful profile, half-lit and half-hidden, like a flower seen through mist—pure and enchanting, making one hold their breath.
Daniel was momentarily taken aback, surprised that such a young woman could so easily stir his desire. He was a normal man, of course, but he wasn't one to indulge lightly. Moreover, he was busy, held a special status, and often interacted with high-level officials. He couldn't allow himself to be entangled in any scandals.
Bringing her back was already crossing a line. One misstep after another—he was losing his usual restraint.
"Still say you're not nervous?" He smoothed down her rumpled hem.
Only then did Anna realize that due to her posture, the hem had ridden up, revealing her white underwear.
His fingers hooked slightly at the edge, giving it a gentle tug. "Lace," he remarked.
At that moment, Anna caught his implication. Perhaps he thought she'd be wearing something more childish.
...She wasn't that immature!
Anna didn't know what to say, burying her face in his chest.
Even with one hand braced on the table, legs slightly apart, he still towered over her.
She didn't quite understand why he liked this position; it made her feel suspended in mid-air, extremely nervous.
The more anxious she felt, the more she clung to him, gripping his shoulders tightly like a drowning person clutching at driftwood.
His lips met hers—warm, dry, with a hint of insistence. Anna's heart skipped a beat. She was a little scared but forced herself to relax, not pulling away.
But she still felt uncomfortable, instinctively resisting and turning her head aside.
At her age, she didn't fully understand desire and even felt some resistance to such intimate closeness. But she liked him and was willing to give herself to him.
"Wait," she said as he parted her legs, holding onto him. "Will it hurt?"
This question wasn't easy to answer, like a child asking if a shot would hurt.
Even knowing the answer, one still hopes for reassurance.
He usually wouldn't bother answering such questions, but perhaps her clear, trusting eyes made him feel a fleeting, almost absurd sense of guilt.
He lowered his head and kissed her earlobe as a form of comfort.
Daniel carefully unbuttoned his shirt on her. He was so patient, unwrapping her like a gift, making her seem even more tense and motionless.
At first, he was just testing, but she was so nervous that her toes curled, gripping the edge of the table tightly.
She couldn't help but look at him. His eyes were slightly lowered, long dark lashes hiding his gaze.
His lips were thin, slightly pressed—a very attractive curve.
His fingers were long, joints defined and strong. One finger, then two, moving slowly but firmly.
At first, she didn't quite understand, but then it was like a switch was flipped—a sharp pain suddenly surged.
This was different from any external injuries she'd experienced before.
Anna recalled when she first started, working as a stunt double and jumping from the second floor. Due to a mishap, she broke two ribs.
That pain, though intense, was different from this feeling of being torn from the inside out.
Accompanied by an innate fear.
In hindsight, perhaps it wasn't that painful—purely psychological; she was just too apprehensive.
But she didn't scream or cry, just bit her lip, enduring and waiting for the moment to pass.
Maybe her tense demeanor dampened the mood; in the end, he didn't continue.
He carried her back to the sofa, adjusted her clothes, and poured her a glass of warm water.
She held the cup, sipping quietly, her feet resting on the edge of the sofa.
Under the hem, her long, fair legs were slightly together.
She was somewhat lost in thought.
Perhaps her vacant, almost soulless expression amused him; he couldn't help but chuckle. "So delicate?"
Anna took another sip of water, silent, still feeling a bit embarrassed.
She felt his comment was unfair. "You're not the one hurting!"
When she was upset, she could be unreasonable, almost like throwing a tantrum. When she did, nothing else mattered.
She wanted to seek justice for herself.
Daniel felt intrigued under her piercing gaze.
Anna later realized how bold she had been, but at that time, being young and fearless, she wasn't afraid.
And she loved him deeply then; he appeared upright, and she thought he was a good person.
They didn't continue further; instead, she chatted with him about trivial matters.
She enjoyed talking to him.
He wasn't very talkative but seemed cultured, each sentence hitting the mark.
She casually flipped through the documents on his desk; he didn't stop her.
Because he knew she couldn't understand them.
After a while, she pouted in frustration. "I can't understand any of this."
He gathered the financial reports she had scattered, tapped them neatly on the desk, and set them aside. "Read more books; you'll understand in the future."
His eyes were full of amusement as he looked at her.
Embarrassed by his teasing, Anna whispered in protest, "I don't have time. Maybe later."
Daniel smiled faintly.