Chapter 4

This spa was one of Julian’s properties. The front desk staff immediately greeted me with a warm, professional smile.

“Miss Sterling, you have an appointment with Mr. Hawthorne, correct? Please follow me.”

I nodded slightly and followed the attendant into the spa. After several turns, we finally reached the destination.

The attendant smiled. “Mr. Hawthorne is inside. Miss Sterling, please go in. I’ll leave you now.”

After she left, I hesitated for a moment before raising my hand to knock.

“Come in.”

A low, magnetic voice came from inside.

I turned the doorknob and pushed the door open. To my surprise, the moment I looked up, I was met with a tantalizing sight.

Julian stood by the edge of the large bath, his tall, lean frame naked from the waist up. His taut, muscular physique was subtly revealed through the swirling steam, and a few drops of water trailed down his broad chest, disappearing into the white towel wrapped around his waist.

His hair was damp, a few strands clinging to his forehead, adding to his raw sex appeal.

Julian saw me enter, a playful smirk curving his lips, his eyes burning with intense desire.

He spoke slowly. “Sera, you’re here. I’ve been waiting.”

My face flushed slightly, and my eyes instinctively darted away from his body. I tried to sound calm as I asked, “Uncle Julian, what do you need?”

Julian took a slow, deliberate step towards me, his long legs moving with an almost predatory grace. Each step carried a sense of pressure.

“Are you feeling alright?”

I immediately understood his meaning. Images of last night’s passion flashed through my mind, and my cheeks involuntarily deepened in color.

“Uncle Julian, I’m fine.”

“Is that so? Then it seems we can go for another round today?” Julian stopped in front of me, leaning down so his warm breath ghosted over my face.

I froze. “What?”

“Last night was incredibly sweet. I’m addicted.” He wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling my body flush against his, and whispered into my ear. “If we’re having an affair, let’s go all the way.”

With that, he kissed my lips.

My handbag slipped from my fingers to the floor, and my hands wrapped around Julian’s waist.

I didn't resist him; instead, I met his kiss.

Because,

I needed to get pregnant by him, to break free from this gilded cage of a strategic marriage.

We kissed for a long time, entangled, before Julian swept me into his arms and carried me towards the steaming bath.

After another round of passionate kissing, Julian reached for a condom lying by the edge of the bath, tearing open the wrapper with his teeth.

I noticed his action and gasped, "Don't use it."

"Don't use it?"

Julian lifted my chin, his dark eyes glinting with a knowing smirk. "Aren't you afraid of getting pregnant with my child?"

That was precisely what I wanted.

But I shook my head. "It's uncomfortable. I'll take a pill afterward."

Julian leaned closer, chuckling softly. "You're quite daring."

"Come here." I hooked my arms around his neck, my eyes hazy with allure, openly seducing him.

Julian's throat bobbed, and he nuzzled my lips. "They say Rhys's wife is the most dignified and traditional. Your behavior now hardly matches what people say about you."

"Don't people always have two sides?" I tilted my head, smiling softly. "Besides, don't men always crave a woman with a bit of a wild side?"

Just like Rhys, who outwardly claimed to love me to death, yet couldn't resist the allure of his flirtatious assistant.

I was smiling, but my eyes held a hint of sorrow.

Julian didn't like the sadness in my eyes. His warm lips slowly moved from my cheek to my brow, and his large hand gripped my waist.

"Wild or not, I like you just the same."

In his eyes, I was a walking temptation, even if I did nothing.

He gave me no chance to linger in my melancholic thoughts, sealing my lips with his.

They indulged in a prolonged embrace in that private space, until the passion finally receded.

Julian carried me, boneless and exhausted, out of the thermal bath and into the adjoining lounge, placing me gently on the large bed.

Then he turned and left.

Once I regained some strength, I crawled up, then propped my slender legs onto the headboard, placing a pillow under my hips.

This position, I knew, was more conducive to conception.

After doing all this, I gazed at the ceiling, a sudden wave of sorrow washing over me.

It was truly pathetic that I so desperately craved to be pregnant with another man's child, all just to escape an unhappy marriage.

How truly pitiful.

I started to laugh, and as I laughed, two lines of tears streamed from my eyes.

My heart felt as though it had been filled with sand, a suffocating ache pressing down.

Julian came back in carrying a tray of food, just as he caught sight of me lowering my legs from the headboard.

"What are you doing?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.