When she woke up the following day, her sore body felt much better. After taking the medicine given to her by the doctor, she went downstairs for breakfast, and when she arrived, she saw Kaiser and Luca sitting at the table, silently glaring at each other.

As Luca ran over to hug her, Kaiser gave her a sly smile, which caused her to blush and look away. Laughing to himself, he came and pressed a kiss to her cheek while trying to place his arm around her waist.

“Good morning, Valentina. Sleep well?”

“I did. Now distance yourself.” Valentina replied, shoving his head away from her.

“You smell delicious, like a dessert fresh out of the oven. Whatever perfume this is, send me the details. I want to buy the patent so only you can smell like this.”

“You can’t. It’s custom. Stop your nonsense so early in the morning.” She rolled her eyes at him before sitting down. As Kaiser sat down, he looked at her happily, undeterred by her words.

“You look like you’re feeling better. You’re moving a lot easier, too,” he commented.

“I do feel better. The medicine the hospital gave me is good.” Valentina lied while reluctantly thanking the system mentally.

The scent had worked its magic. Although her body still ached a bit, and the bruises were still there, she felt much more at ease than yesterday. The swelling on her cheek had disappeared as well, and her face was clear, so she was quite happy. It seemed the good-for-nothing system was useful for something after all.

[……] Why did it catch a stray bullet after working so hard?

“I’m glad to hear it. What are your plans for the day, Valentina?”

“I want to host a live for my followers. Since I got so many new ones from the incident, I think it would be good to chat with them and talk about the situation that happened as well as answer any questions people may have.”

“Hmmm, do you have a camera, microphone, and lights?”

“No? I just planned on using my phone and doing it in my room by the window.” Valentina replied, confused. Why would she have to do all that with a casual live? It wasn’t as if it were an official statement for a company. This was just something quick to connect with fans in a casual setting, not a formal production. And besides, she didn’t have any of those items and didn’t want to spend her money on them since it was something the agency should provide.

Kaiser simply arched his brow at her before continuing to speak, “When did you plan on doing this?”

“Probably after I eat?”

“Sigh. Alright. I’ll help you set it up in my office and lend you my stuff. Luca.”

Kaiser called his name with no response. Luca simply focused his head on his bowl of cereal, bringing the spoon carefully to his mouth each time.

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

“Luca.” Kaiser was ignored by a four-year-old yet again.

Seeing Luca’s unwilling expression, Kaiser held back a sigh while rubbing the bridge of his nose.

“Luca, stop sulking and look at me.”

No response.

“...fine. Go get your laptop for your auntie to use when you’re done eating.”

“Okay!” the little nugget stuffed his remaining spoon of cereal into his mouth before running deng deng deng up the stairs, completely ignoring his father the entire time.

Seeing the boy running away happily, Kaiser sighed while muttering, “Is this puberty?”

“I think he’s a little young for that. Why are you two fighting?” Valentina asked curiously.

“It’s a fight between men, and I won. He’s 20 years too early to dream of taking me down.” Kaiser replied with a proud smile.

Valentina: “......” you’re proud of beating a four year old?

Seeing her judgemental expression, Kaiser coughed in embarrassment and changed the subject, “Eat your breakfast; the setup will be quick.”

“Really, it’s not that big of a deal. It’s just a casual live video. Back to the previous topic, what exactly did you win against Luca?”

“Don’t worry about it. Also, Lia brought you a few things with the strict order to throw out everything in your closet but sentimental clothing. One of the rooms upstairs has the things casually stored in it, so take a look when you have the chance.” Kaiser quickly changed the subject.

“Speaking of Lia,” Valentina narrowed her eyes as she pointed her spoon at him, “Why didn’t you tell me she was Alaïa?”

“Because she’s not.”

“Try again, Kaiser. I’m not that gullible.”

“Haha, I’m serious. Right now, she’s just a regular designer and stylist, not Alaïa. She’s currently in a legal battle with her family as they’re trying to take ownership of her label and brand since she’s so successful. After all the sweat and suffering she put into it, they just want to swoop in and reap the benefits. Naturally, she has to fight back.” Kaiser replied with a mocking smile.

“What? Why would her family do that?”

“Who knows? Some families inherently dislike their children and don’t want to see them succeed. Others push them to succeed and want to take credit for their children’s success. Either way, lots of good people can end up with terrible families.” He murmured quietly.

“I guess you’re right,” Valentina whispered, thinking about her situation with the Salazar family.

“Anyway, Lia planned on telling you at a later date, so please don’t tell her I said anything. And…please continue to work with her if you think she did a good job. She’s a dear friend of mine.”

“Of course, she nailed my look for the opening ceremony. I’m a bit sorry I ruined the outfit.”

“Don’t worry. It’s being properly cleaned, and Lia said she’ll replace anything that can’t be saved free of charge.”

“Really? That’s so sweet of her. I need to call her later.”

“Mmmm.” Kaiser hummed and silently smiled at Valentina while she ate. Feeling awkward, she wiped her face.

“Is there something on my face?”

“No. You just look very beautiful this morning. I really like your outfit.” She was wearing pajamas. The same oversized pajamas as yesterday.

As she rolled her eyes at his nonsense compliment, he stood up and leaned over her.

“Can I get a good morning kiss, Valentina?”

“Are you going to keep bothering me about it?”

“Yes.” Kaiser shamelessly replied.

Seeing the undisguised appreciation in his eyes, she rolled hers before holding up a finger to him, “One.”

“Stingy, but I’ll take it.” laughing at her disgruntled expression, he leaned down and braced his hands on the back of her chair.

As his lips touched hers, she felt him wrap his arms around her, tightly hugging her while pulling her up. As his tongue thoroughly explored her mouth while nibbling at her lips, she wrapped her arms around him, her fingers digging through his hair. Once she began to lose her breath, he reluctantly released her and sat her down gently on her chair.

As she panted while staring at him, he smiled in satisfaction at her expression. Her face was flushed pink while her hair fell wildly around her, her fox-shaped green eyes were narrowed in satisfaction, and as her pink lips parted while she took deep breaths, he watched her tongue flick outside and slightly lick her lips. Seeing the disappointed expression as he pulled away, he wanted to devour her from head to toe. Make her go wild with pleasure and watch her scream his name.

“Kaiser.” As she softly moaned his name, he held himself back by sheer will alone and backed away. If he stayed close to her, feeling her soft body and smelling that sweet, intoxicating smell, they might end up doing something they both weren’t ready for. Not yet, anyway.

It was good to see that she wanted him, but it wasn’t enough. He needed her to crave him the same way he craved her. For her to become obsessed with him, to depend on and trust him, to be the one to approach him. Then she would be his. Mind and body.

Seeing her eyes follow him, he twirled a strand of hair around his fingers and brought it to his lips, the sweet intoxicating scent evident even in the single strand.

“You said only one kiss. Don’t look at me like that unless you want me to continue, Valentina. And by continuing, I mean in bed.”

As she looked away and blushed, he chuckled before patting her head and pressing a light kiss to her cheek. “Eat your breakfast and get changed. I’ll go get my office set up for you. Of course, if you want me before that, just let me know. I’ll clear my schedule just for you.”

As he whispered, the warmth of his breath tickled her ear and sent a shiver down her back, and before she could do anything, she felt a slight nibble on her earlobe before he released her and distanced himself with a sly smile.

“I don’t appreciate you teasing me, Kaiser. I’ll get you back.” Valentina warned him with her eyes flashing.

“I look forward to it. And make sure you drink your medicine; I’ll be checking to make sure every last drop is gone. If it’s not, I’ll punish you.” Smirking at her angry expression, he casually walked away.