"Nah. I'm just asking," Leon replied and started the engine.

What kind of person Tanya was, what kind of things she was into, which places she visited, or who she decided to meet had nothing to do with him.

He was interested in Tina, not her.

Meanwhile, things were going pretty smoothly with Tanya at the hospital.

The nurses brought her adoptive mother, Nancy, to the operating room at two o'clock in the afternoon and moved her back to her room at eight o'clock in the evening.

The doctor informed Tanya that her mother's operation went well. However, due to Nancy's complicated surgery, the doctor advised Tanya not to expect her to regain consciousness any time soon, as Nancy still needed to regain her strength. In addition, she stated that the surgery could cause side effects, so she would continue to monitor Nancy.

Still, knowing that her mother was fine was enough for Tanya to sigh a breath of relief. Only then did she decide to approach a nurse for her ankle.

"Your ankle has grown swollen, but don't worry. It's just a sprain and nothing serious," the nurse reassured while giving her a foot massage. She also applied some ointment, which soon alleviated Tanya's pain.

...

The night deepened, so Tanya prepared to sleep after extending the folding bed in Nancy's room. However, it had only been three seconds since she closed her eyes when someone suddenly texted her.

Tina: [Tanya, I've already arrived at Royal Island. If Leon asks anything about me, don't say anything dumb and watch your mouth, okay?]

Knowing where her sister's concern was coming from, Tanya hurriedly replied: [You have nothing to worry about, Tina. I won't say anything off about you.]

Still, Tanya couldn't help but wonder why Tina was so worried because she didn't feel like Leon would purposely go looking for her to ask anything. Tanya even thought that the likelihood of meeting Leon accidentally again was thinner than a strand of hair.

However, contrary to her expectations, she unexpectedly ran into Leon again the following night.

They met on almost the same occasion in the same embarrassing situation.

The Night Charm Bar was a famous go-to place on the side street of the Lingerfield bridge. Since it was already a few minutes past ten o'clock, it was currently the busiest hour of the night.

A group of men and women dressed in sexy and fashionable attire were swinging to the beat on the dance floor, evidently intoxicated. The DJ played heavy metal rock music to its loudest extent, where even those in the farthest corner found their ears ringing because of it.

Such places had never been Leon's favorites. Even if he dropped by occasionally for work or leisure, he would always head straight to the private room to avoid the deafening noise.

But tonight, Nathanael, the chief director of FND, persuaded him to sit among others, saying he needed to look for wild inspiration tonight.

...

Nathanael rubbed his chin as he sat at the small round table with half a dozen beer bottles and said, "I'm still baffled, Leon! I couldn't believe that I guessed wrong. How could Tina be a virgin?!"

Leon's eyes glimmered at what Nathanael said. Proud, he leisurely lit his cigarette and said, "Well, it's your choice whether you believe me or not, but let me tell you one thing. Tina is Tim Yates' daughter, and you know how strict of a father he is. So, it's not surprising that Tina was a virgin."

"Forget it," Nathanael surrendered with a sneer. "You look ready to give up a forest for one tree, so I won't persuade you anymore."

Leon immediately understood what Nathanael meant, but he didn't bother to refute it. After all, that had been his plan these previous days.

A beautiful girl caught Nathanael's eyes shortly after, so he abandoned Leon without hesitation. The latter, however, knew this would happen, so he only sneered in displeasure.

'I'll leave after finishing this cigarette,' he thought.

A young man, on the other hand, was having a blast on the dance floor with a stunning woman when he inadvertently saw Leon. Because of that, he stopped dancing.

The girl dressed in a mini halter top immediately noticed the man's stiffness, so she followed his gaze.

Then, she asked, "Lambert, is that your cousin?"

Lambert, however, didn't answer.

Hearing no response from him, the woman clutched her hands on Lambert's arm and said, "I heard from the news that he's in love with Tina of the Yates family. If they are going to get married soon, why does he still come to places like this?"

"Their marriage has nothing to do with love. It's all about business," Lambert corrected as he pulled the woman out of the dance floor. "But grandpa happens to admire how independent and successful Tina was, so Leon deliberately slept with her at grandpa's birthday party, fearing someone might steal her," he added.

Lambert was close to the VIP lounge on the night of the party when Leon went inside. He knew Tina was also there, so he stayed to eavesdrop but ended up hearing them making love.

Sensing jealousy in Lambert's tone, the woman rolled her eyes and said, "Lambert, if you want to sabotage your cousin, I'll help you."

After that, she took something from her pocket and whispered in Lambert's ears. The latter's face lit up upon hearing what her girl had to say. He seemed so pleased that he kissed her torridly before walking toward Leon with a mischievous smile plastered on his face.

"Look who we have here! What's up, Leo? I didn't know you were here!" Lambert greeted.

Traces of displeasure immediately filled Leon's face upon seeing Lambert. Uninterested in talking to him, he only nodded forcefully and continued puffing on his cigarette.

Lambert, on the contrary, cleared his throat in embarrassment and pulled her date closer after receiving his cousin's coldest response. Then, he said, "Maya, this is my cousin, Leon Darving. I call him Leo, and you can too if you want. Why don't you say hello to him?"

Lambert's date, Maya, also came from a wealthy family. Because of that, her eyes automatically glimmered in admiration upon seeing the great Leon Darving up close.

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Darving," Maya politely addressed, not wanting to sound so rude on their first encounter. "I've heard a lot about you from Lambert. He said you are handsome and capable, and I couldn't agree more," she added.

Then, she casually took a beer for herself and offered a glass of whiskey to Leon. "Care to have a drink with me?" she said, sounding utterly sweet.

Leon had always been aloof with girls, unlike how he behaved whenever he was with Tina. Because of that, he only gave Maya a questioning look and didn't bother to accept the glass of whiskey.

Sensing his cousin's weariness, Lambert rolled his eyes and scolded, "Come on, Leo. I know I am the last person you want to come across here, but don't be rude to a girl. She's offering you a drink, so accept it like a man!"

"It's just one drink, Mr. Darving. I'd be hurt if you'll reject it. Please, don't embarrass me," Maya mirrored supportively.

Left with no choice, Leon frowned, took the glass of whiskey from Maya, and drank half of its content.

With that, Lambert smiled triumphantly. "That's what I'm saying! Alright then. I don't want to disturb you, so we'll leave first. Have a good time!" he said.

After finishing his cigarette, Leon turned his attention to the dance floor, where Nathanael was already grooving passionately with a pretty girl, his hands wrapped around her waist.

Planning to leave, Leon snuffed his cigarette at the ashtray, patted the corner of his coat, and got up. However, he suddenly felt an overwhelming wave of dizziness, followed by a strange feeling of throwing up.

'Fuck you, Lambert! Did he put something in my drink for me to feel this way?' Leon cursed in his mind as his vision gradually went fuzzy.

When Lambert saw Leon almost tumble, he smiled cunningly. Maya, on the other hand, encircled her hands around his neck and glowed with pride at what she did. She even boasted, saying, "See? I told you it'd work! Well, I'll go seduce him later, so take pictures. You can make up stories with that."

Maya explained that if Lambert did that, Tina would be upset with Leon, and Morris would not like it either.

But then, Lambert didn't want to shove Maya into the lion's den. So, he shook his head, smiled, and reminded her, "You're such a sly fox, honey. I'll let you go on with your plan, but if he finds out, you'll be dead. At least know what you are getting yourself into."

Leon tried to endure the indescribable feeling he felt as he walked toward the exit. He was not born yesterday, so he knew he got into this situation because of Lambert.

The latter was Morris' fourth grandson. He had always been supportive of Francis, but the opposite toward Leon. And now, he even went as far as pulling such a dirty trick to set him up.

Just when Leon was only a few steps away from the exit, Maya suddenly blocked his way and asked, "Are you leaving already, Mr. Darving?"

She looked at him seductively, her fingers sneakily traveling through the surface of his arm.

Because of that, Leon had enough and unhesitatingly pushed Maya away in disgust. Then, he glared at Lambert, who almost dropped his phone upon meeting his deadly gaze.

Still, Maya remained persistent. She boldly hugged Leon's arm and invited, "Let's dance, Mr. Darving! It's still too early to leave."

"Get lost!" Leon ordered, which sounded like a threat.

This time, he realized Lambert wanted to create some scandal and ruin his relationship with Tina. Just then, Leon caught a glimpse of a familiar face. Even though the colorful lights made it difficult for him to entirely see the girl's face, he still recognized her.

The girl, without a doubt, was Tanya. Dressed casually in jeans and a white shirt, she scoured the area with her eyes.

'Did she come here to have fun?' Leon inwardly asked, gradually feeling a burning sensation in his body.

Since Tanya and Tina looked precisely the same, a better escape plan suddenly popped into Leon's mind.

Not wanting to waste time, he pushed Maya away, strode toward Tanya, and wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

The latter didn't have time to react as she found herself being pulled over by a man.

When she raised her eyes to see who it was, her heart began beating faster than the beat of rock music.

"Mr. Darving?" she called in both surprise and confusion.

"Just follow me," Leon replied.

Leon walked so fast that Tanya couldn't keep up with his pace. Since her sprained ankle hadn't fully recovered, she came awfully close to being dragged into the private room.

The guests who were originally inside happened to have become bored, so they stepped outside, leaving the two alone.

Confused about what was happening, Tanya looked at Leon and asked, "What's going on, Mr. Darving? Why did you drag me here?"

Knowing how timid of a woman Tanya was, Leon gently pushed her against the wall and held her shoulders. Then, he leaned closer to her and calmly said, "Don't be afraid."

Tanya, however, felt otherwise. Leon trapped her in the corner, so as much as she wanted to escape, she had nowhere to run to or hide.

Unsure of what she must do, Tanya closed her eyes in fright. Her mind, however, remained alert. Her body started trembling when she felt Leon slowly closing the space between them.

Leon, of course, did not kiss her. He stopped getting close to her, an inch away from her lips, before whispering, "Relax, Tanya. You are Tina's sister. I won't hurt you."

Even though the situation didn't escalate further, what happened on the night of the party flashed before Tanya's eyes after Leon's warm breath brushed against her neck. That, alone, was enough to make her anxious.

Wanting to conceal her nervousness, Tanya cleared her throat and asked, "So, what do you want me to do?"

"I need you to do me a favor," Leon directly replied, cutting to the chase.

"What kind of favor?" Tanya asked, casually tilting her head to the side and raising her gaze.

When she did that, their lips almost touched.

Surprised, Tanya froze on her spot.

Leon, on the other hand, felt a bolt of electricity traveling across his body after what happened. Tanya's fragrant scent made him feel more uncomfortable as well.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be so close," Leon stated.

Tanya didn't know when the temperature inside started increasing, but Leon's hoarse voice sent a disturbing sensation to her body.

She couldn't even think straight at the moment.

When Leon saw Lambert and Maya following them through his peripheral view, he immediately grabbed Tanya by the waist, dragged her along with him, and kicked open the bathroom door of the private room.

Tanya, unaware of what was happening, cast another perplexed glance in Leon's direction and asked, "What are we doing here, Mr. Darving?"

Leon, however, didn't answer her question. Instead, he looked at her calmly and said, "Don't ask. Just cooperate."

"Cooperate? What do you mean, Mr. Darving? Kindly enlighten me about what is happening because I—"

Tanya was yet to finish her sentence, but Leon immediately cut her off.

"Scream, Tanya," he ordered, dead serious. "I want you to scream as loud as you can."

Tanya was still puzzled about their situation, but she decided to trust Leon. Just as she was about to scream as he asked, the latter realized that she had misunderstood his request.

Because of that, Leon immediately covered Tanya's mouth with his hand.

"No, not scream for help," he stated in embarrassment. Then, he leaned closer to Tanya's ear and whispered, "Moan, Tanya."

Hearing that, Tanya repeatedly shook her head, causing her soft lips to brush against Leon's palm.

Frowning, the latter removed his hand from her mouth and said, "Don't take it the wrong way, Tanya. Do it for Tina and me."

"For Tina?" Tanya repeated.

She was about to ask Leon more questions when they heard a sound outside the bathroom that sounded like someone was coming.

Pressed with the situation, Leon looked at Tanya seriously and firmly said, "It's just an act, Tanya. We don't have much time."

Tanya, being the shy girl she had always been, didn't want to do it, but Leon's blue eyes seemed to have magic that drew her in and put her under a spell. In the end, she tried to do as he asked, but no sound escaped her mouth.

She was too embarrassed to moan since people could hear her from outside, and Leon was with her.

Leon knew Tanya would feel that way, but he also knew that it was too late to change plans. So, he quickly held her hands, put them on her back, swiftly turned her body around, and promptly made her bend over to face the wall.

Caught off guard, Tanya moaned subconsciously.

Leon, on the other hand, beamed in satisfaction as he said, "That's right! Go on and moan louder."

But then, even though he appeared to be laughing outside, he was cussing on the inside. Leon, after all, was a man. How could he possibly feel at ease when a woman was moaning in front of him?

'Fuck you, Lambert! I'll make you beg for mercy for putting me in this situation!' Leon inwardly remarked.

Since the latter told Tanya that this was for her sister, she gathered all the remaining ounce of courage she had and moaned way louder.

Satisfied, Leon smiled and urged, "Yes! Keep moaning like that."

Then, with his eyes glued on Tanya's slender back, he added, "You have such a nice voice."