Leon put on a dejected look. "To be honest with you, Miss Sanders, today''s my birthday. I''ve always spent it alone. But ever since I met you, it finally feels like I''m actually living."

Wealthy families always came with their own baggage. Sarah had no idea what he''d been through-and frankly, she wasn''t interested. But seeing the

seriousness in his eyes, she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt-just this

once.

"Fine. I''ll sit with you for a bit. But remember what you said: after today, don''te looking for me again."

Leon let out a wry smile. "You really are heartless."

Sarah sat down nearby. He reheated the tea and handed her a fresh cup. "Try this. Their silver needle tea is really something."

She rarely drank tea, but maybe because it felt like she''d finally shaken off a headache, she didn''t refuse this time.

Lifting the delicate ss cup, she took a small sip. The subtle fragrance gently wrapped around her taste buds, leaving a lingering aftertaste that was surprisingly pleasant.fn5157 Original content can be found at FιndNovel/fn5157

Still, sitting there quietly made it hard to ignore Leon''s intense gaze. Sarah lowered her head, sipping her tea slowly, using it as a distraction to pass the time.

Every so often, she nced at her watch, telling herself she''d make an excuse to leave in five minutes.

Oddly, Leon didn''t say much. He wasn''t staring at her either. For a moment, he almost seemed sincere.

A few minutes passed. Then Sarah suddenly felt lightheaded.

She pressed her fingers to her forehead and closed her eyes briefly. When she opened them again, the room felt warmer-much warmer.

She tugged at her cor, ncing toward the air conditioner. It was off.

Something felt wrong. rm bells rang in her mind.

Before things got out of hand, she stood up quickly. "I have to go. There''s work I need to finish at school."

This time, Leon didn''t make it easy. The aloof, devil-may-care expression returned to his face.

He stood, his tall frame blocking her path. His eyes lingered on her, captivated by the unintentional softness in her expression. He reached out, trying to touch her face-but she quickly pulled away.  s

Leon chuckled, unfazed, a glint of smug confidence in his eyes. “Feeling a little warm, Miss Sanders?"

Sarah''s head snapped up. She stumbled back two steps, wariness ring in her gaze. "What did you do to me?"

She had no proof, but deep down, she knew there had to be something in the tea.

Leon''s lips curled into a wicked smile. "Rx. I wouldn''t hurt you. Just something to help you... loosen up and enjoy yourself."

As he stepped forward, the rich scent of his cologne became more intoxicating than ever.

Sarah wasn''t naive. Based on how her body was reacting, she had a good idea what kind of drug it was.

She bit down hard on the tip of her tongue. The jolt of pain snapped her back to rity just enough to keep her standing.

She red at him, hoping her icy stare would be enough to stop him. But she didn''t realize that the tears welling up in her dazed eyes only fueled his desire to overpower her.

He could''ve pinned her down right then-but he didn''t.

He wanted her to give in willingly.

So he sat back down, just a few feet away from her, deliberately unbuttoning his shirt to reveal a set of well-defined abs.

By his calction, Sarah wouldn''tst more than ten or fifteen minutes.

And he wanted to savor every second of it.

?

Sarah struggled to breathe. She had made it to the screen divider and seeing that he wasn''t stopping her she didn''t even dare to sigh in relief-she just forced herself to keep moving toward the door.  s

But the moment she lifted her foot, her body began to give out. Her limbs turned to jelly. Every inch of her burned like it was being held to an open me tormenting

remaining shred of reason.  s

In that moment, all she could do was desperately hope Zachary would appear

right now—appear and pull her out of this nightmare.