The sunlight pierced through the thin curtain, landing softly on Aria's face. She groaned loudly, rubbing her temples as a headache crept in.

Her head felt like it had been hammered with a ton of bricks, and her body also felt sore. She felt entirely weak and worn out, like a used car.

She slowly opened her groggy eyes, her brows furrowing as she found herself in an unfamiliar room covered with soft sheets.

Her frown deepened as she wondered how she had ended up in a room, because she clearly remembered that he had taken her into an office.

Talking of him, her eyes fell on the lump beside her, and there was the man she had slept with, in a peaceful slumber, his chest rising and falling with each breath.

Even while sleeping, he looked extremely intimidating and sexy.

The bedsheets had rolled down to his torso, showcasing his perfectly sculpted body.

There were intricate tattoos that seemed to crawl along his muscled arms, and some of his braided hair had loosened, a reminder of how desperately she had pulled it the previous night.

Aria's gaze dropped to his abs, six perfectly sculpted packs that made her cheeks burn hotter than the morning sun.

Her lips parted slightly, and her teeth bit down on her lower lip. Her face flushed crimson, and she couldn’t stop staring at the hickeys and bite marks she had left on his body.

She quickly cautioned herself and looked away.

Then it struck her, and she exclaimed softly, “I just slept with a man the same age as my father. Will… will he want me to take responsibility?”

Aria's hands trembled slightly as she glanced down at herself. Her shredded underwear lay in ruins across the floor.

Her mind raced as she thought of how broke she was, she could barely afford a square meal.

She couldn’t afford to be tied to anyone, let alone a man like him.

Her heart thudded in her chest as panic began to set in.

Taking a deep breath, she quickly grabbed her dress, slipping it over her still-sensitive skin.

She pulled her purse from the floor, and inside it was the remaining cash she had with her.

Her eyes caught a notebook and a pen near the bed. She silently moved toward them so as not to wake the man on the bed.

Her gaze drifted to him once again, and she sighed. He had really helped her, he saved her when she was almost molested, and yet she had taken advantage of him.

If he woke up and asked for compensation, she wouldn’t be able to do anything.

She tore a page from the notebook and, with shaky hands, wrote:

“Thank you for last night.”

She folded the paper neatly and placed it on the bedside table. She looked at the man for the last time, her hand trembling as she added her last 20 bucks on top of it.

Aria eventually walked out of the room briskly, without looking back.

Thirty seconds after Aria had left, Reed stirred awake, and the first thing he noticed was the emptiness beside him.

The warmth and the soft weight that had pressed against him all night were gone.

His gray eyes slowly opened, scanning the room. He sat upright, ruffling his loose braid.

His gaze fell on the note and the 20 bucks on the bedside table

.

A low chuckle escaped him.

“She left me a tip. What a brave girl, huh?” he murmured to himself, his voice rough and amused. Then his eyes narrowed as he picked up the note, reading the words scribbled on the paper.

“Thank you for last night.”

Reed’s lips curved into a smirk. He tossed the note onto the bed silently and sat up slowly. His gaze scanned the room again, lingering on the shredded underwear scattered on the floor.

The thought struck him. She was gone. She didn’t even say goodbye. At least she left a souvenir for him to cling to.

If it were any other person, he would have felt insulted after seeing the money. But his tesoro was so gentle and sweet, she must have emptied her last cash on him.

A flicker of curiosity, no, more than curiosity, crossed his mind. Who was this young woman who could both inflame and evade him at the same time? She hadn’t even asked for anything. She didn’t demand anything. And yet, the way she had clung to him, whispered to him… she had already left a mark on him, and she didn’t even know the power she held.

He picked up the shredded underwear and stuffed it into his pocket.

“Don’t think you can just leave like that, tesoro. We will eventually meet.”

The door to the room flung open, and a man dressed in a suit appeared.

His eyes lingered on his boss’s skin and the state of his clothes on the floor. His eyes bulged, and he gasped before quickly turning around, cursing under his breath.

“What happened here, boss? You seem to have gotten bitten. No wonder you disappeared for the whole night.”

Reed chuckled slowly and hurriedly wore his clothes.

“Of course, I got bitten by an adorable cat.”

The man’s lips twitched as he wondered if his boss had hit his head last night.

He turned around after seeing that his boss was fully dressed. “Boss, I think you need to see your doctor.”

Reed’s expression turned serious, and he nodded. “I do. But that can wait until after I return from my business trip.”

Seeing the 20 bucks on the table, the assistant burst into laughter and teased his boss. “Boss, don’t tell me you got paid for your work? She must not have known who you are. This is very funny.”

A glare from Reed made the assistant shut his mouth and stifle his laughter.

Reed looked at his assistant. If he weren’t his favorite, he would have fired him on the spot for making fun of him.

Reed’s eyes lingered on the bed one last time, his expression darkening. How could he forget that she had given him her first time last night?

“Leo, I want a background check on the girl who left this room. I want everything about her.”

He wouldn’t let his tesoro escape so easily.