“From our point of view, we know the fiancé is just an extra, but Henry doesn’t know that! He thinks the guy’s a tall, rich, handsome rival!”

“For Henry, as long as 'Miss Rivers' looks at him, even just once, he’s willing to be the spare for eternity!”

“Why do they still keep the secret crush play? We want adult tension! Female lead, explain yourself, now!”

Fiancé? Were they talking about that womanizer, Ethan Grant?

“Actually, he and I…”

The explanation had barely left my mouth when my phone's ringtone exploded.

The caller ID read: Ethan Grant.

…

Henry glanced at the name flashing on the screen, and the fingers that had been about to reach for the ink stiffened almost imperceptibly.

In that instant, I felt the air grow cold.

He quickly looked away and refrained from asking any questions.

“I’m going to mix some colors. Let me know when you’re done.”

The curtain partition slid down, cutting off that broad yet lonely silhouette.

I let out a long breath and slid my finger to answer the call.

“Say what you need to say. I’m busy.”

On the other end of the phone, Ethan’s voice came through, amidst a noisy background, as obnoxious as ever.

“Busy with what? Counting ants in that crappy tattoo shop? Tomorrow night’s charity gala. You have to be there.”

I frowned. “Not going. I’m busy.”

“Don’t be like that, my dear Miss Rivers!” Ethan panicked.

“That Whitman girl just got back to Riverton.

“Tomorrow night, she’s definitely going to eat me alive. Since we’re both involved, you have to act this whole thing out with me!”

He paused, and his tone grew unusually solemn.

“You need to act especially in love with me.

“Holding hands, hugging… Even a kiss or two is fine! My parents have to believe we’re madly in love and that you won’t marry anyone but me. Otherwise, I won’t be able to explain myself!”

“Acting is exhausting enough, and you want me to kiss you? Dream on,” I snapped irritably.

“As long as you help me this time and cooperate to make this whole act look real, I’ll have that limited-edition motorcycle you've always wanted delivered straight to your home.”

At the mention of the motorcycle, the refusal already on my lips took an abrupt turn.

It was the same model Henry had admired the last time he saw it.

A sly glint flashed in my eyes as I lowered my voice.

“Deal. I’ll be there on time tomorrow. Remember what you said. I want that motorcycle as payment.”

“Alright, alright. As long as you cooperate, forget the motorcycle, I'll pluck the stars from the sky for you!”

After hanging up, I was happily scheming how to get the motorcycle to Henry, but when I looked up, the partition curtain had been lifted.

Henry stood there, holding a fresh cup of ink, his expression unreadable.

Yet the controlled edge of his temper now seemed to seep out uncontrollably, tendrils of it drifting around him, tinting his pitch-black eyes with a hint of scarlet.

I shivered involuntarily.

Wasn’t the air-conditioning a bit too cold?

Before I could say anything, several scarlet comments appeared:

“It’s over, it’s over! Henry heard everything!”

“Don’t forget! The beast’s hearing is a hundred times better than a human’s. Even through the curtain, it’s like shouting into his ear!”

“He heard your words… He’s definitely thinking the female lead is selling her body for that motorcycle!”

“Henry must be thinking: “So she behaves so obediently in front of that rich kid, willing to kiss him for money… My heart is shattered into pieces.”

Was it really like that?

My chest tightened.

I wanted to explain, but looking at Henry’s icy, unreadable face, I didn’t even know where to start.

If I told him I was “performing” just to get him a new motorcycle, would he think I was selling myself?

Or worse, consider it an insult?

In the few seconds I spent hesitating, Henry had already walked behind me.

He said nothing, not even the teasing remark he had made earlier.

The hand in the black glove clenched the tattoo machine tightly, his knuckles whitening from the force.

That suppressed despair, the kind that wanted to destroy everything yet had no choice but to restrain itself, was so intense it made my heart jolt.

“Lie down.”

The words were brief, his voice cold as ice.

I obediently lay back down, hardly daring to breathe.

Just then, my phone screen lit up again.

Ethan had sent a message:

[Wear something nice tomorrow night. You have to outshine everyone. Make my parents feel like this money was well spent. Whatever you do, don’t let anything slip!]

The notification popped up at the worst possible angle, directly in Henry’s line of sight.

Although I reacted quickly and turned off the screen, the prickling sensation only grew sharper.

I was finished.

He completely misunderstood it.

Henry did not say anything as he wiped my skin with an alcohol pad.

The spot I had just picked open began to sting sharply under his movements.

This time, he did not tell me to bear with it.

He continued until the area was cleaned and the color reapplied.

Then Henry suddenly spoke in a low voice, so hoarse it barely sounded like his own.

“Are you short on money?”

“Huh?” I froze for a moment.

“No, I’m not.”

Henry paused.

His mouth twitched, and the light in his eyes dimmed completely.

Of course, how could Miss Rivers ever be short on money?

What she lacked might only be the vanity of that social circle, or the “transaction” offered by that man.

And what was Henry, then?

Nothing more than a sad man lurking in the shadows, watching her dress up beautifully for another man.

The comments went wild again:

“This hurts so much! This big, stupid beast! He thinks the female lead made that deal for true love!”

“Henry must be thinking right now: “I’ll give you my life, okay? Just don’t be with that man.”

“But he’s insecure! He thinks he’s dirty, thinks he’s unworthy, and doesn’t even believe he has the right to ask her to stay!”

“Explain already, female lead! Don’t you have a mouth?”

I panicked and tried to turn around, but Henry pressed a hand firmly against my shoulder.

“Don’t move.”

He drew in a deep breath, as if summoning every ounce of strength to suppress the storm of emotion inside him.

“It’ll be over soon.”

The next ten minutes passed in silence.

Only the buzzing of the tattoo machine filled the air, like a saw cutting through both his heart and mine.

Finally, it was done.

Henry applied the healing film with hands so impossibly gentle, it clashed sharply with the icy expression he wore.

He removed his gloves and tossed them into the trash without looking at me, then slid a business card across the table.

“Save my number.”

The command carried a strength that allowed no refusal.

I blankly took out my phone.

“In the future…” Henry said, his voice barely audible, “if someone hurts you… or… he doesn’t want you anymore…

“Come to me anytime.

“I’ll be here. Always.”

A sting hit my nose.

This guy… Even after all this misunderstanding, his first instinct was still to leave me a way out.

“Then… if I miss you, can I come too?”

I tilted my head up and asked boldly.

The hand Henry was using to tidy his tools trembled violently, and a pair of scissors in the tray nearly clattered to the floor.

He spun around sharply, locking his gaze on me.

In that look, there was shock, doubt, and a trace of wild hope clawing its way to the surface.

Just then, a voice called from outside.

The butler, Aflred, was telling me to hurry.

I had no choice but to leave.

“I’m leaving now, Henry.”

At the door, I glanced back.

He still stood in the shadows, frozen in that posture, like an abandoned pup.

As I pushed the door open, the last line of comments floated past my eyes:

[Henry almost rushed forward to hug you! He’s holding back! He’s desperately telling himself not to dirty your dress!]

I bit my lip and silently swore to myself.

Once I got the motorcycle tomorrow, I’d tear through this fragile barrier between us.

That was a promise.

…

On the way home, I noticed a black car trailing me.

No doubt, it had to be a spy sent by a rival family.

I snapped a photo of the license plate and sent it to Alfred.

He’d handle it.

But… would they be able to trace Henry?

Once home, I couldn’t wait to message him.

[Are you busy?]

Henry didn’t reply immediately.

Seconds dragged on, and my heart raced with every passing moment.

Finally, after a full ten minutes, my phone vibrated.

Henry: [Just finished.]

Cold. Distant.

I gritted my teeth and typed again: [If anyone comes to the shop asking about me, don’t you dare respond to them.]

Another long pause.

Henry: [Okay.]

I typed rapidly: [Actually, that news about Ethan and me…]

Before I could finish, Henry’s message arrived first.

[Don’t worry. I won’t let your fiancé know you came here.]

The words… somehow sounded like we were having an affair.

And he seemed convinced I was trying to hide something.

I held my phone, frozen, my chest tight with anxiety.

Just then, Mom walked in, carrying a bowl of fruit.

“What have you been acting so secretive about all day?”

I hurriedly locked the screen and, feeling guilty, stuffed my phone under the pillow.

“N‑nothing… nothing at all.”

Mom sat down on the edge of the bed. When she noticed the gauze taped to my lower back, she frowned.

“Why are you messing with that again? Aren’t you afraid it’ll leave scars?”

I felt even guiltier and pulled the blanket over myself.

“Last time. I won’t do it again.”

Mom sighed.

“I don’t interfere with your hobbies, but until the bigger picture is settled, rein it in a little. Once the cooperation with the Grants is done, you can do whatever you want.”

“Got it, Mom.”

This was a critical period for the expansion of the family business. I couldn’t afford to mess things up at a moment like this.

At the same time, at Nightshade Tattoo Studio.

The metal shutter had already been pulled down, and only a single dim yellow light remained inside.

At the workstation, a glass cup had been crushed into fragments, shards piercing through the black glove as blood dripped onto the floor.

Yet, Henry felt none of it.

He sat on the chair I had just occupied, staring at his phone screen like a statue.

Should he not have mentioned that man?

She hadn’t replied. Was she angry?

The more he thought about it, the heavier the violent aura around him grew.

That contradictory urge to destroy everything while forcing himself to restrain it threatened to tear him apart.

He knew she was engaged; he had no right to desire her.

Yet the moment he closed his eyes, all he saw was her lying there, soft and pliant, calling his name in that gentle voice.

God knew how much self-control he had needed just now not to leave a mark on that pale stretch of waist—something that should belong to him alone.

At that moment, the air inside the shop seemed to warp.

A massive black shadow loomed behind him, baring its fangs.

“Claire Rivers…”

Henry rubbed a used tissue between his fingers, stained with a trace of my blood.

His pupils slowly narrowed into the needle-like slits of a beast.

Lowering his head, he pressed a reverent kiss to that dark red stain.

“Please… stop tempting me.

“I can’t hold back much longer.”