Mason woke up the next morning and found that Zoe wasn’t by his side. Thinking that she was in the dressing room, he got off the bed and made his way there.His suit had been laid out, ready for him to wear. A matching watch and cuff links had been prepared as well, but she was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps she was preparing his breakfast downstairs, he thought. So, he freshened up and made his way down. The servant was laying out the plates and cutleries in the dining hall. Two freshly baked croissants and a cup of black coffee, his usual breakfast, had already been set on the table. The day's newspaper was on the left side of the table as well, as usual. Zoe had always made sure everything was set up in this way.The servant noticed Mason descending the stairs and greeted him respectfully. He sat down, flipped through the papers casually, and asked, “Where’s Zoe?”She was stunned. When she came back to her senses moments later, she said, “Are you asking about her whereabouts, Mr

Vivid colors filled the evening skies in autumn, adding to dusk’s gloriousness.Zoe made her way back to the apartment. She had just opened the door when she heard Mason’s warm, sweet voice.“I used to fix my own pipes when I studied abroad.”“I’ll just change into a fresh suit tomorrow if I get wet! It’s no problem, Mia!”…What was he doing here? Closing the door, Zoe placed her keys on the hook by the door. Mia heard her movements and came to greet her. “He’s been here for an hour now. It just so happens that the pipe in the kitchen broke and he insisted on fixing it! Is he here to take you back home?” Mia was genuinely surprised. Mason was so conceited under normal circumstances. When had he ever fixed a pipe? All men were the same, it’d seem. They could do anything previously thought to be impossible if it was about winning a lady’s favor!Taking off her coat, Zoe said softly, “I’m staying here tonight.”Mia let out a sigh of relief. “Alright. I’ll make some dinner! Y

Turning on the bedside lamp, Mason sat up, leaned on the headboard, and looked at her, “What do you think?”Zoe had no answer for that. Smiling faintly, he spoke. His deep voice sounded especially moving in the night. “I’ve never loved anyone from the bottom of my heart, Zoe, and I don’t know what it feels like to be in love. However, this is the first time I've ever cared about someone. I care about you so much that I ditched my principles. I even followed you to your parents' place and fixed the leaky pipe in their kitchen.”Pausing briefly, he kept going, “Do you think I did all that just to find someone to sleep with? I think you know that a lot of women would throw themselves at me if that’s what I wanted.”Zoe refused to go along with it. “Well. I’m not stopping you.” He chuckled in response. His eyes looked dashing in the glow from the lamp. His brows exuded a charm that only mature men possessed. She knew, deep down, that any woman would serve herself up on a silver pl

They had never talked about it, but both of them knew that Zoe was reluctant to have sex with him ever since she returned. The fact that she enjoyed some of it didn’t change the fact.However, it was very different tonight.Beneath the dim light, Mason was being very gentle with her. It seemed that every time he thrust into her, he did so with care and concern as if he was worried about hurting her. He even leaned in her ear and asked if she enjoyed it.She wrapped her arms around his neck, refusing to give him an answer. However, her body was honest and betrayed her. This was the best sex she had had in the last three years. Both of them were immensely satisfied.After that, she took a bath. Mason put on a pair of long pants and a shirt. Then, he headed to the balcony and enjoyed the breeze while smoking a cigar.The wind blew past him and brushed his neatly trimmed hair. His normally stern face softened. He could hear Zoe in the bathroom. She had finished taking her bath, but it

Mason was mesmerized by Zoe’s serene expression on her delicate face. It looked like she was glowing in the evening light. She was beautiful and graceful.He couldn’t help himself but muttered some crude, but flirtatious words to her. What he said would’ve acted like a lubricant to their relationship if they were an ordinary couple, but Zoe thought it was repulsive.The servant was trying to look past Mason. She reminded them softly, “It’s almost time for dinner!”Grabbing her slender arm, he chatted with her as they walked to the dining hall. “We’re having crabs for dinner tonight. They’re fresh, just came in in the afternoon. Aren’t crabs your favorite food? You’ve got to have more later.”She smiled faintly in response.Zoe didn’t even let her displeasure show during dinner, much less question him. If he wanted to act like a lovely couple, then she’d go along with it. She didn’t even reject him when he wanted to have sex with her at night. Just when things were getting hot, s