Chapter 66: Unwelcome Guest

I wake up warm, too warm.

And there’s weight on me that wasn’t there when I fell asleep. My brain takes a second to catch up, still foggy with sleep, and then it clicks.

Bael.

I’m still lying on his chest.

My head is pressed against his shirt, one arm draped across his torso, his arm around my shoulders exactly where I put it last night when I asked him to hold me down so I wouldn’t move.

Oh shit.

I didn’t move once the entire night.

Which means I’ve been using him as a pillow for...I check the time on the nightstand...seven hours.

Seven hours.

My face burns hot enough to cook an egg on.

What the hell was I thinking last night? *If you hold me down like this, I won’t move*? What kind of—

Bael shifts beneath me.

I freeze completely, every muscle locking up, my breath catching in my throat.

Please be asleep please be asleep please be—

"You’re awake."

Fuck.

His voice is rough with sleep, low and gravelly in a way that does absolutely nothing good for my already chaotic morning brain.

I should move.

I should definitely move.

I don’t move.

My brain has apparently shut down completely, leaving me plastered against his chest like some kind of overly attached...

"Are you going to stay there all day?"

The amusement in his voice snaps me back to reality.

I scramble off him so fast I nearly fall off the bed entirely, catching myself at the last second and ending up in an undignified heap on my side of the mattress.

Smooth, very smooth.

Bael sits up, looking infuriatingly composed for someone who just woke up, and I refuse to make eye contact because I can feel him watching me and I absolutely do not want to see whatever expression is on his face right now.

"I need to shower," I announce to no one in particular.

Then I bolt for the bathroom before he can say anything else. The door closes behind me and I press my back against it, staring at the ceiling.

Why did I do that yesterday? Why did I ask him to hold me? Why did I...

No.

Not thinking about this.

Not dealing with this.

Shower. Get dressed. Pretend last night never happened.

Perfect plan.

***

By the time I emerge, fully dressed and having spent an excessive amount of time making sure I look completely normal and unaffected, Bael is already gone.

The bedroom is empty.

Good.

Better.

Easier this way.

I head downstairs and find Grandmother in the sitting room with her tea, looking like she’s been awake for hours, which she probably has.

"Good morning, Runze."

"Morning, Grandmother."

She studies me for a moment, that sharp assessing look she always has, and I have the uncomfortable feeling she knows exactly what happened last night.

She can’t possibly know.

There’s no way.

"You look well-rested," she observes.

My face heats up and I focus very intently on sitting down in the chair across from her.

"The bed is comfortable."

"I see."

What did she see?

Mrs. Wen appears with breakfast and I attack it with more focus than it deserves, chewing slowly, keeping my eyes on my plate.

Normal morning.

Completely normal.

Grandmother sips her tea and doesn’t say anything else about it, which somehow makes it worse.

I’m halfway through my congee when I hear footsteps.

Bael appears in the doorway, already dressed for work in one of those sharp suits that probably costs more than a car.

He’s leaving. He’s going to the office.

That’s good.

Space is good.

Distance is...

"Runze."

I look up.

His expression is perfectly neutral, controlled in that way he always is, but there’s something in his eyes I can’t quite read.

"Don’t come to my office today."

The words land flat and matter-of-fact.

I blink.

"I... okay?"

"Not on a whim," he continues, voice even. "If you need something, call Shen Rui first."

Then he’s already turning to leave, his driver falling into step behind him.

The front door closes, and I sit there, staring at my half-eaten breakfast.

Don’t come to the office.

Not on a whim.

Right.

Because last time I showed up unannounced, I walked in on him with Xue Lian.

Last time I interrupted their convenient little lunch meeting and made a whole territorial display that probably embarrassed him in front of his... whatever Xue Lian is to him.

My chest feels tight.

This is Bael reminding me where the boundaries are.

Reminding me that yesterday was an exception, not a rule. That I can claim territory in public when it’s convenient for appearances, but I don’t actually get to just show up whenever I want like I have some kind of right to his time.

Of course.

What was I expecting?

That two days of him being slightly gentler meant anything real?

That ice cream in the fridge and a blanket while I napped translated to actual care?

I’m so stupid.

This is a business arrangement.

This marriage exists because I’m carrying the heir he needs for his inheritance, the baby that keeps Uncle Ming from taking the company.

That’s it.

That’s all it’s ever been.

Bael isn’t being kind because he cares about me.

He’s being strategic because he needs this baby, he needs me healthy and compliant and playing the role of perfect spouse when cameras are watching.

Everything else...the gentle hands, the quiet gestures, the way he held me last night...

All of it is just him protecting his investment.

I set down my chopsticks, suddenly not hungry anymore.

"Runze?"

Grandmother’s voice cuts through the spiral.

I look up and she’s watching me with that sharp, knowing expression.

"Yes?"

"Eat your breakfast."

It’s not a suggestion.

I pick up my chopsticks and force myself to take another bite even though everything tastes like ash now.

How could I forget?

How could I let myself get confused by small gestures and think they meant something more?

The baby is the key to Bael’s entire future.

Of course he’s going to take care of me.

Of course he’s going to make sure I’m comfortable and fed and rested.

It has nothing to do with me.

It has everything to do with what I’m carrying.

I finish breakfast mechanically, tasting nothing, and when I’m done I excuse myself and head back upstairs.

The study where I’ve been sketching feels too close to where Bael usually works when he’s home.

I can’t be there.

Can’t sit in a space that reminds me of yesterday, of him telling me to bring my work to his office so he could "keep an eye on me."

Like I’m something that needs monitoring.

Which I guess I am.

I grab my sketchbook and head to one of the other rooms instead, settling into an uncomfortable chair by a window that faces the gardens.

My phone buzzes.

A message.

I almost ignore it, but something makes me check.

Unknown number.

My stomach drops.

Unknown: *I’m looking forward to seeing you Saturday. It’s been too long.*

...Xue Lian.

I stare at the message.

Saturday.

The gala.

I don’t respond, I just lock my screen and set the phone face-down on the table.

But my hands are shaking slightly.

Saturday is in four days.

Four days until I have to navigate a room full of elite people while Xue Lian is there, while everyone is watching, while I have to prove I belong in this world I was never supposed to be part of.

My phone buzzes again.

I flip it over, half-expecting another message from Xue Lian.

Mrs. Zhou: Runze! Just a reminder that the gala is this Saturday at 7pm. I’m sending over the final guest list so you know who to expect.

Oh.

A file attachment appears, I download it and scroll through.

Names I recognize from the wedding, from that first spouse circle where they all looked at me like I was an interesting specimen under glass.

Mrs. Zhou, obviously.

Mr. Kim and Mr. Wei.

Several others I vaguely remember.

Then I see it.

Near the bottom of the list.

Li Feifei - VP of Strategic Development, Li Corporation

Everything stops.

I read it again.

And again.

Feifei.

My sister.

The one whose engagement I destroyed, whose fiance I stole, whose entire life I derailed.

She’s going to be at the gala.

In the same room where everyone will be watching, where everyone knows exactly what happened between us.

I can’t breathe properly.

My chest is too tight, my lungs aren’t working right, and I have to set the phone down before I drop it.

Feifei at the gala, four days away.

This isn’t just about navigating elite social politics anymore.

This isn’t just about Xue Lian’s games.

This is about facing my sister.

The person I betrayed worse than anyone.

The only person who had ever loved the original Runze enough to make inheriting this life feel like theft.

And I have four days to figure out how to survive it.