With a forceful pull, she fell into his arms. Ian Mitchell lowered his head and kissed her fiercely—not gently, but with intensity and anger.

That kind of kiss seemed as if he wanted to swallow her whole, begrudging her even a breath. The arm wrapped around her waist tightened more and more, as if he wanted to knead her into his own body, making her a part of him from then on.

“以琛…” Mason Scott tried to break free from his grasp. She could clearly feel the anger in his actions, but didn’t understand why.

Yet her soft, powerless call only fueled his passion. Her slight struggle deepened his desire to control her. He pressed her onto the bed, holding her firmly, his deep eyes gazing at the Mason Scott beneath him—she was the only thing he wanted to possess.

“默笙, this is a marital duty.”

He sucked on her delicate skin, forcibly leaving his mark on her. The forceful and direct movements made Mason Scott gasp softly.

“…It hurts.”

Ian Mitchell’s movements paused slightly. Hurt? She knew what pain was?

Pain was the gaping emptiness after waking from dreams in the middle of the night, unable to grasp her faint smiles; it was the inexplicable distraction in everything he did; it was the loneliness that followed every moment of success…

How could she possibly understand!

At those times, Mason Scott, you were in someone else’s arms.

Her pajamas were half torn open, slipping down to her waist, conveniently trapping her hands so she couldn’t move, leaving her at his mercy.

The sight before his eyes and the intoxicating sensation under his hands made Ian Mitchell lose all reason. His burning gaze fixed on her—this was what he had longed for, imagined countless times… Seven years of suppressed desire could no longer be contained, completely overwhelming him.

His hands roamed wantonly over every forbidden place he wished to possess, his scorching kisses branding every inch of skin he wanted to claim… That passion, tinged with a trace of resentment, left Mason Scott unable to think, dazed, as if lost in a dreamlike realm.

Until a strange, sharp ringtone suddenly sounded, jolting her drifting mind back. In her haze, she remembered this odd ringtone belonged exclusively to Ruby.

“My phone…”

She could still think of her phone at a time like this? Ian Mitchell increased his force, but gradually, the persistent ringing became impossible to ignore. He loosened his grip slightly and reached over to turn off the phone.

Mason Scott finally had a chance to breathe properly, but ended up coughing from a sudden shortness of breath. She already had a cold, and now once she started coughing, she couldn’t stop.

The phone stopped ringing, and the only sound left in the bedroom was her violent coughing.

Ian Mitchell was still half-pressed on top of her, but didn’t continue. His lost reason slowly returned. The Mason Scott beneath him had disheveled clothes, and the red marks on her body seemed to accuse him of his earlier roughness. He could even feel her body trembling slightly.

A wave of self-loathing gripped him tightly. Ian Mitchell, you already forced her to marry you, and now you’re forcing her to sleep with you?

He forced a bitter smile. “Why are you going to Hong Kong?”

“For a business trip. The magazine is negotiating a partnership with a Hong Kong publisher. Ian Mitchell, it’s just for a few days. I forgot to tell you.” Mason Scott explained everything one by one.

Ian Mitchell fell silent.

What had he just done? Marital rape?

Ian Mitchell tried to steady his rapid breathing, suppressing his restless desire, and helped her straighten her clothes. When he fastened her bra, he felt her shiver slightly, a hint of unease in her eyes.

“I won’t do anything to you.” he said softly, with a self-mocking smile, then abruptly got up and left the bedroom. Mason Scott only heard a loud bang, and once again, she was alone in the room.

The strange ringtone rang out again, stubbornly persistent. Mason Scott reached over and picked up the phone. Ruby’s excited voice came through: “AshAsh, there’s one more thing you absolutely mustn’t forget to bring for me. It’s really cheap to buy in Hong Kong…”

After she finally finished her endless chatter, Mason Scott closed her phone, wanting to smile, but couldn’t manage it.

She was leaving for Hong Kong tomorrow, and as for them—was it just like this?

She hesitated again and again, but in the end, she still pushed open that door.

Only a dim yellow lamp was on in the guest room. Ian Mitchell was sitting on the bed, staring at her, the ashtray beside him already full of cigarette butts.

Mason Scott quietly walked to the other side of the bed, placed her pillow next to his, lifted a corner of the blanket, carefully lay down, and closed her eyes.

Ian Mitchell didn’t move, just lit another cigarette.

After a while, Mason Scott said softly, “Can you turn off the light? I want to…”

The words “go to sleep” vanished into the air. Suddenly, she was lifted up and placed on his lap, tightly imprisoned in his arms. His warm breath brushed against her neck, and Ian Mitchell’s low, hoarse voice was taut with tension.

“Do you know what this means?”

How could she not know?

Mason Scott lowered her eyes and traced characters on his chest with her finger.

One stroke, two strokes, three strokes… She was writing…

Ian Mitchell shuddered, grabbing her restless hand, his eyes filled with too many emotions as he stared at her.

“Mason Scott, why do you torment me like this?”

The moment she traced those words on his chest, sorrow and joy became indistinguishable. He invaded her lips, wanting to prove her reality in this moment.

By the time he finally let her go, Mason Scott was already gasping for breath, leaning softly against his chest.

Such silence was so ambiguous. Mason Scott felt awkward and tried to find something to say.

“以琛, I have a cold.” Wasn’t he afraid of catching it?

“I know. I won’t take advantage of you right now.”

Ian Mitchell held her, helpless and resigned.

Huh? Mason Scott was a little stunned. Did he misunderstand something?

But… was she supposed to say that wasn’t what she meant?

No way! That would make it seem like she was eager for him to “take advantage” of her, and he’d definitely tease her about it later.

“Actually, you… can take advantage.”

Ugh! Who said that? It definitely wasn’t her! Mason Scott was mortified.

Ian Mitchell was silent. Did he not hear? Mason Scott was just starting to relax, when she realized the buttons on her chest were being quietly undone… Her fair shoulders gradually exposed to the cold air, her delicate skin covered in the marks of his earlier ravages—deep and clear, showing just how forceful he had been. But now, he only wanted to “bully” her again…

His burning lips pressed once more to her skin, searing over the marks he’d left before…

“Mason Scott, did I hear you right?” Ian Mitchell’s voice was hoarse to the extreme.

Mason Scott couldn’t say a word. He was already acting so thoroughly, and still asked such a question!

The passion that had been forcibly extinguished was so easily rekindled. Ian Mitchell suddenly picked her up and carried her to the bedroom, laying her on the bed.

“Still, it should be here.”

Was there any difference? Mason Scott didn’t understand, but she no longer had the strength to ask. Ian Mitchell’s hot, masculine body covered hers, his fiery lips and tongue possessively claiming every part of her, leading her through a world she had never experienced before, until the passion finally ebbed…

Mason Scott drifted off to sleep in a daze, but her rest was uneasy. In the middle of the night, she woke up at some unknown hour to find the space beside her empty. She looked around the room and saw Ian Mitchell standing by the window.

Perhaps it was the darkness, but Mason Scott suddenly felt his silhouette was so heavy, making it hard to breathe. He seemed to sense her gaze and turned around, but in the dim night, she couldn’t see what was in his eyes.

He stubbed out his cigarette, walked over, lifted the blanket, and lay down beside her, quietly holding her.

Mason Scott was silent for a while, then couldn’t help but ask, “以琛, what are you thinking about?”

There was unease in her voice.

“Nothing, just figured some things out.”

Figured out what? Mason Scott wanted to ask, but he kissed her.

“Mason Scott, let your hair grow long.”

“Huh?” Though she didn’t understand why he brought this up, Mason Scott’s attention was diverted, and she asked worriedly, “Is my hair really that ugly?”

Ian Mitchell lifted the corners of his mouth.

No.

Because, that way…

There would be more of you.

He kissed her hair, striking at her already fragile confidence: “Mason Scott, it really is ugly.”

Chapter 9: Constant Temperature

The fact that they would be running late the next morning was practically a given.

It was still Ian Mitchell who woke her up. She didn’t know when he had gotten up, but he was already neat and tidy, holding her phone in his hand.

“Your phone.”

“Oh.” Mason Scott struggled to open her eyes and reached for it. As soon as she answered, she was bombarded by Sister Collins, who was also going to Hong Kong: “Ash Morgan, do you know what time it is? We’re all waiting for you at the airport, and you’d better hurry up! If you dare to dawdle like a turtle, I’ll stomp you flat, hammer you to death, and use your skull as a keychain…” A string of threats, all in Sister Collins’s unique style.

Now Mason Scott was fully awake. She glanced at the time on her phone and jumped up in a panic.

She scrambled to get dressed and pack her luggage. Ian Mitchell, unable to watch her chaotic flurry any longer, grabbed her: “Can’t you be a bit more organized? Your buttons are all wrong.”