“Do you like it?” Elvira stood there, watching the little prince enjoy his meal. He nodded with his mouth full. She shuffled his hair, petting him as if he were a little pup.

“I didn’t know Miss Pearce had waitstaff skills too,” a cold, dry voice rang in her ears, sending shivers down her spine. Before even turning around, she knew who it was.

She lowered her head and flustered out of embarrassment. Even though she didn’t like how he spoke to her, deep down, she felt it was she who had misbehaved first.

“Daddy.” Abe jumped out of his chair and ran to Shane, quickly clinging to his leg, given his height.

Wait! He is his son? She didn’t know the CEO had a son. She had just talked to his son. The more she tried to avoid getting involved with him, the more she did—either deliberately or unintentionally.

“I told you to sit still, didn’t I?” Shane asked Abe in a playful manner, as a parent would. This took Elvira by surprise for a second. In her past encounters with him, she hadn’t seen him being this gentle to anyone.

“No, you told me to go play around,” the little one giggled, covering his mouth. He was certainly one naughty kid. Even Elvira chuckled at him being this adorable.

Shane’s attention quickly shifted to her. His stare was blank yet fierce for some reason. Elvira’s smile briskly turned into a frown, and she lowered her head.

“I’m sorry.” She apologized without even thinking twice. ‘Shoot! What did I even apologize for?’

“Daddy, look.” Abe grabbed one of his toasts and showed it off to Shane before he could even respond to Elvira. “Rosy made it for me,” he said, leaving everyone confused.

“Who is Rosy, kiddo?” Shane asked, sliding his hands into his pockets.

“She.” Abe pointed at Elvira. Her eyes widened as she gestured at herself.

“Kiddo, her name isn’t Rosy. It’s rude to say that,” Shane scolded Abe, who frowned, glancing at Elvira. She was baffled by the situation and thought she was at fault.

“But her face is like roses, look.” Abe wanted to make his point, which flustered Elvira even more. She just wanted the earth to swallow her up right then. Why was she even being this shy?

It wasn’t like she would see him every day around here, right? Or would she? But in the past few days, she hadn’t. The probabilities weren’t very high.

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“I... I suddenly remembered I had something urgent to do.” She bolted, disappearing into the air as if she had wings.

“See, you upset her. Now go apologize!” Shane strictly told his son. Abe just shook his head, keeping it low and not meeting Shane’s eyes.

“Kiddo.” Shane knelt down to his level, making him look at him. “If you do something wrong or upset someone, you must apologize.” He had been a good father since he came to know about Abe.

“Would she not make me toast anymore?” Abe asked in his tiny voice, nervously playing with his fingers.

“Don’t go wandering around now. I’ll be back in a minute.” Shane stroked his face before leaving the little one to his toasts.

He walked straight into the kitchen without warning. He glanced around for that rose-scented girl, but she was nowhere to be seen. Ned came rushing to him after seeing him looking around.

“Do you need something, Sir?” he asked, standing at attention.

“Where is Miss Pearce? I would like to have a word with her,” Shane spoke with his usual stern tone and stare.

“She is off her shift. She probably headed back to her room.” Ned was curious about why Shane wanted to talk to Elvira again. He wanted to know every single detail, but his job would be at risk. Since he hadn’t even confessed his feelings to her, he restrained himself from asking any questions.

“...**” Without another word, Shane left to find Elvira. He already knew her room. The night she was so drunk and couldn’t remember was the night he had come into her room.

Knock...

The door opened, revealing a girl in a robe. Her hair fell down on her shoulders, making her look gorgeous and irresistible all at once. Shane inhaled sharply, pushing away the strange thoughts.

‘She is really quick. How did she change this fast?’

Both were embarrassed, locking eyes. ‘Why did he follow me?’ This certainly wasn’t the moment Elvira would want to see him—and surely not in that outfit. She got more embarrassed, remembering she wasn’t wearing anything underneath.

“May I help you, Mr. CEO?” she asked, biting her lip. That made it even worse. How was he going to hold himself back now?

“I... I was...” He couldn’t find a reason for coming to her. His eyes were glued to her lips, not moving an inch away.

“Hmm?” She asked, pressing her lips together as she noticed him staring. Her heart was racing like crazy. She had wanted to take a bath to get over the embarrassment she felt earlier.

This was her secret remedy—taking a bath after she did something stupid. But right now, a bath wasn’t on her mind; Shane was. This made the feeling mutual for both of them.

“I wanted to apologize on behalf of Abe,” he smoothly spoke, without taking his eyes off her lips. Abe was certainly right; she is like a rose.

“You know what?” His breathing was uneven, loosening his tie and stretching his neck out. He looked incredibly attractive. Any other girl would have been tempted by him at that moment.

“What?” Elvira’s eyes sparkled as her mind stopped working when he looked into her eyes before capturing those plump, glossy, rosy lips.

With a forceful tension, their eyes shut. They entered her room. With a flick of his hand, the door closed. She couldn’t resist him—not even a bit. She wanted to, but she didn’t at the same time.

The kiss was fierce, but it didn’t lose the passion and urge to taste each other. She was sweet like watermelon sugar. He was minty but warm.

His hands trailed down her back over the robe. Her hands were tangled in his hair, making him groan into her sweet, strawberry-flavored mouth. Neither of them stopped until they realized what they were doing.