On the third day of Silas Norwood’s stay, the International Hotel, which had been mostly empty, was suddenly fully booked.

Silas Norwood kept to the shadows, sitting with Celia Sterling in a corner of the hotel lobby over coffee. Droves of men and women with East Asian features were lining up to check in. After watching them for a moment, Celia whispered to him:

"They must be from the Perfumer chat group. The ones invited to the social event at the base."

Silas murmured a soft agreement. He didn’t look at the newcomers, instead keeping his eyes lowered as he dutifully skimmed the foam from the top of Celia’s coffee.

Celia glanced at him. "You’ve never been one for gatherings. You don’t have to say a word, just stay with me."

Silas hummed in agreement again.

Celia looked down at her phone and sent a message to Miles Trenton. "Have you scheduled the meeting with Rivermoon?"

No matter how busy he was, Miles Trenton was always quick to reply to his boss’s beloved. "I asked the day before yesterday but didn’t get a reply. Hang on, I’ll ask again now."

Celia waited, casually lifting her cup to give Silas a sip of her coffee.

Silas’s phone rang.

He declined the call and started texting. Celia didn’t interrupt. She knew that given his position, he could easily be swamped with work from morning till night if he chose to be. Even though he claimed he wasn’t busy, she knew that spending time with her inevitably meant he was putting off his duties.

Before long, a reply came from Miles Trenton: "Miss Sterling, the boss says he can’t make it. He needs to be with his wife, just as you need to be with Chairman Norwood."

Celia sat up straighter and typed back, "He’s with his wife?"

Miles replied: "Yes, he’s been with her for a few days. Things are hot and heavy right now, so he can’t focus on anything else."

Celia let out a soft sigh of relief. With Rivermoon and his wife on good terms, she felt much more at ease.

"Did he say when to reschedule?"

Miles sent back a meaningful smile emoji. "That depends on when he confesses to his wife."

’Confess what?’

’Confess that he’s been sending suggestive messages to another woman behind his wife’s back?’

Celia typed back diplomatically, "As long as he and his wife are happy together, I won’t ask to meet with him again."

Celia ended the chat, her expression thoughtful.

Silas looked at her. "What are you thinking about, baby?"

"It’s Rivermoon. I just have a strange feeling about him," Celia said, slightly vexed.

Silas lowered his gaze. "Strange how?" he asked slowly.

"It’s hard to explain." Celia frowned, trying to articulate her thoughts. "He used to be great. He kept a professional distance, but he was also genuinely generous. And he was so good to his wife—he’d bring her up in conversation all the time. But over the last few months, something’s changed. He’s started saying all these greasy things that are just... unsettling."

’Greasy?’

’What an awkward and mortifying word to be called.’

For a moment, Silas had the overwhelming urge to delete his account.

More people arrived. This time, one of them let out a loud "Hey!" and, changing course from the front desk, plopped down in front of them with a gust of energy.

"Miss Sterling, there you are! Chairman Norwood, you’re here too?"

Eldest Young Master Warren set his suitcase aside, shot a surprised look at Silas Norwood, and then turned his attention back to Celia, his tone chummy.

"The networking event tomorrow is at the base. The big boss put me in charge of organizing it. Miss Sterling, do you have time to show me around the venue beforehand?"

Celia looked to Silas for his opinion. "Are you going back to the room, or are you coming with us?"

"With you, of course," Silas said, his voice gentle.

Eldest Young Master Warren was clearly a little intimidated by Silas Norwood’s status, but he was a naturally sociable person and quickly found a topic of conversation for the two men.

While Celia was off speaking with the base staff, Eldest Young Master Warren sidled up to Silas Norwood, his voice a low, excited whisper. "Chairman Norwood, the big boss Rivermoon really has a soft spot for Miss Sterling. This whole networking event is for her! I was worried you might mind, but seeing you here, it all suddenly makes sense."

"Sense of what?"

"Since you and Rivermoon are obviously acquainted, there’s no way he’d try to steal your girl. And the theme of this event is how older men are more desirable... he must have set this up for you, right?" 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Silas Norwood shot him a look, his voice cool and reserved. "I’m still a month away from turning thirty-one."

Eldest Young Master Warren’s heart skipped a beat. "Right, right, of course. Thirty-one is nothing! Men are boys at heart, till the very end! There’s no such thing as ’old.’ The main theme of the event is more about how marrying a man of your caliber, Chairman Norwood, leads to greater happiness and a more stable marriage."

Silas gave a noncommittal hum.

Eldest Young Master Warren pressed on. "I heard the big boss Rivermoon might be coming too? I’ve... had a bit of friction with him in the past. Even though he’s entrusted me with this, I’m still worried I’ll mess up and get on his bad side again. Chairman Norwood, you’re a man of high standing, you have influence. Could you maybe put in a good word for me?"

Before Silas could speak, Celia, having finished her conversation with the staff, came over. "Rivermoon can’t make it."

"Can’t make it? But I heard he was coming?" Eldest Young Master Warren was stunned.

"He’s with his wife," Celia said, her tone casual.

"Ah, with his wife. Well, that explains it." Eldest Young Master Warren had no idea that his revered leader was constantly hitting on Celia behind the scenes. In his mind, Rivermoon was still a larger-than-life figure. "You’ve got to hand it to the big boss Rivermoon, he’s really second to none when it comes to his wife."

Celia gave a noncommittal chuckle.

"Hey, don’t scoff." Now that Eldest Young Master Warren was allied with Delia Caine, he felt he could speak more freely with Celia. Thinking no one else was around, he lowered his voice and coughed. "I’m telling you, in our chat group, the big boss Rivermoon has been privately messaging a bunch of master players to get tips. Just the other day, he was even looking into... bondage play. If that’s not for his wife, who else could it be for?"

Celia’s head snapped toward Silas reflexively.

In the sunlight, Silas’s pale gold eyes shimmered with flecks of light, making his expression unreadable.

"Bondage play... what is that?" he asked Young Master Warren softly. "Tying with silk ribbons?"

"Ribbons are just for beginners," Young Master Warren replied, eager to answer any question from the chairman. "You’ve got belts, leather ones... and then things get more extreme. AHEM. Chairman Norwood, you’re a man of taste and refinement, it’s probably best you don’t know."

Silas said nothing.

"That’s the base manager over there. Go tell him what kind of layout you want," Celia said, shooing Young Master Warren away.

Once Young Master Warren was a good distance away, Celia turned back to Silas. "I never got to ask you, Silas. Where exactly did you learn about playing with ribbons?"

"I just stumbled across it online," Silas answered calmly. "Where else would I have learned it? It’s not like I’m in your chat group."

Celia didn’t seem to suspect a thing. She had only asked on a whim because of the coincidence. With her fleeting doubt gone, she started to head over and join Young Master Warren’s discussion.

As she started to walk away, Silas asked in a low voice from behind her,

"In that case, baby... would you like to try out those belts Young Master Warren just mentioned tonight?"

Celia stopped in her tracks. She didn’t say a word, but the corners of her lips curved into a slight smile.