Belated Moonlight: He Regretted Only After I Left-Chapter 28: Awake?
A dozen minutes later.
At the gate of a villa closest to the venue of the exchange, the personal doctor and two maids who received the call had been waiting for some time.
When Shane Donovan got out of the vehicle holding a woman wrapped tightly in a suit, still writhing, the doctor stepped forward immediately.
"Mr. Donovan."
"She’s been drugged, handle it quickly." Shane Donovan said concisely, his voice still tinged with hoarseness.
He carefully placed Stella Sterling on the wide couch in the living room, but Stella’s hands still clung tenaciously to his lapels.
The doctor quickly moved forward to examine her, made a preliminary judgment, and promptly prepared a sedative.
The injection process was not smooth; Stella was extremely resistant. Shane Donovan had to hold her from behind, restraining her firmly in his arms to make it easier for the doctor to proceed.
The slight pain of the needle piercing the skin made Stella whimper, her struggle subsided gradually, finally collapsing in Shane’s embrace, her breathing became long and even.
The world suddenly became quiet.
But Shane Donovan still maintained the position of holding her, motionless, only his chest still slightly rising and falling, his breathing a bit heavy.
The body in his arms was soft and warm, seemingly still able to feel the prior scorching heat through the thin fabric.
Her appearance in peaceful sleep stripped away the distance of wakefulness, her long eyelashes like small fans casting light shadows beneath her eyes, her cheeks retaining a blush, lips slightly parted, moving unconsciously.
The air was filled with her faint fragrance, mixed with the scent of alcohol, and a unique sweetness belonging to her, silently enveloping the nose.
Shane Donovan’s deep gaze fell on her face, as if drawn by some invisible thread, staying there for a long time.
He reached out, his fingertips gently brushing aside the damp locks of hair on her forehead, the motion carrying an unnoticed tenderness.
His gaze slowly moved downward, passing over her pert nose, finally locking onto her slightly swollen, blushing lips.
Right here...
Moments ago in the car, she had unintentionally brushed against his neck, leaving a sizzling soft touch, like a feather gently tickling the heart, bringing an indescribable agitation.
His Adam’s apple involuntarily rolled, eyes darkening, like ink that wouldn’t dissolve.
Fingertips hovered in the air, nearly touching those enticing lips.
Time seemed infinitely stretched at this moment...
Ultimately, his fingertips stopped at the slightest fraction from the lips, slowly curling into a fist, veins slightly visible on the back of his hand.
He closed his eyes, reopening them with suppressed tumult, returning to his usual calm and restraint.
He carefully lifted her in his arms, steadily walking to the second floor, placing her on the master bedroom’s large bed.
Pulling over the blanket, he meticulously tucked her in tightly, only revealing a peaceful sleeping face.
...
Next morning at dawn.
Sunlight seeped through the heavy curtains, casting a narrow beam of light onto the floor.
Stella Sterling woke up amid intense headache.
She groaned, struggling to open her heavy eyelids, greeted by a completely unfamiliar environment—luxurious yet stark black and gray décor, a huge floor-to-ceiling window, beneath her a bed unbelievably soft.
Where is this?
She sat up abruptly, a wave of dizziness almost sending her back down.
Memories of last night flooded her mind like fragments...
Academic exchange meeting...
Jasper Hawthorne...
Grace Quinn...
Then she drank a glass of wine...
And then...
Memory became blurry and chaotic.
She only remembered feeling uncomfortable, very hot, as if... in the restroom?
Then... someone seemed to have picked her up...
Who was it?
Just then, scattered scenes flashed by—the jostling in the car, the man’s taut jawline, scorching touch...
Stella’s heart sank suddenly, her face instantly turning pale.
She instinctively lifted the blanket to check herself—
The clothes on her body had been changed, wearing a man’s large silk robe, clearly not belonging to her.
The body beneath the robe...
Seemed to feel no discomfort, except for a hangover-like headache and general fatigue.
But this couldn’t reassure her.
Who changed her clothes?
What exactly happened last night?
That man...
"Awake?"
At that moment, a deep voice suddenly sounded, "How are you feeling? Is your head still hurting?"
Stella glanced up abruptly, her eyes meeting a pair of jet-black eyes.
Shane... Shane Donovan?!
So last night... it was him?
Her gaze uncontrollably shifted to his cold, pale neck—
Right beside the Adam’s apple, a clear and ambiguous red mark was startlingly visible!
That mark...
Stella’s mind made a "buzz" sound, instantaneously blank, leaving her completely dumbfounded, mouth open, unable to utter a word, just staring dazedly at that mark, cheeks uncontrollably flushing, even ears turning red.
Following her gaze, Shane Donovan instinctively touched his neck, then seemed to understand something, his eyes darkening slightly, yet offered no explanation, just extended a glass of water to her, his tone still calm: "Drink some water first, the doctor said you might be dehydrated when you wake up. Breakfast is ready, freshen up and come down to eat."
His demeanor was too natural, as though the ambiguous mark on his neck didn’t exist at all.
Stella accepted the glass, her fingertips cold, head bowed, her voice barely a whisper: "Last night... I..."
She wanted to ask, yet didn’t dare to.
Watching her longing to dig herself a hole, Shane Donovan’s eyes flitted with a very faint smile, but it quickly vanished.
"You were drugged last night and passed out in the restroom at the venue, I brought you back." He explained succinctly, skirting the crucial points, "The maid changed your clothes."
Drugged?
Stella’s heart tightened suddenly!
Indeed!
That drink!
Rage and dread surged instantly.
Who was it?!
But then, greater embarrassment engulfed her—even if the maid changed the clothes, then...the mark on his neck?
Surely not caused by the maid?
Shane Donovan seemed to see through her thoughts, yet didn’t break it, only said indifferently: "The toiletries are in the bathroom, all new. I’ll be downstairs waiting for you."
Watching his leaving silhouette, Stella lowered her head, glanced at the man’s bathrobe still on her body, then recalled the clear kiss mark...
"Ah—"
She wailed, burying her burning face deep in the soft pillow, toes curling up in embarrassment.
This...
Really couldn’t be explained away!
What exactly did she do to Shane Donovan last night?! 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺
In the bathroom, Stella splashed her face with cold water for a full ten minutes, barely managing to reduce the heat from her cheeks.
Looking at her still flushed face in the mirror, she wished time could reverse.
Dawdling for nearly half an hour, she finally braced herself, slowly descending the stairs.
Shane Donovan was sitting at the dining table, reading financial news on his tablet, exquisite breakfast laid on the table.
A blend of Chinese and Western, aroma enticing.
Upon hearing footsteps, he looked up, his gaze calmly meeting hers.
Stella, wearing the same clothes cleaned, dried, and pressed neatly by the maid from last night, stood there a bit awkward, unable to meet his gaze at all.
"Sit." Shane set down the tablet, signaling her to eat.
Stella stiffly sat in the seat opposite him, picked up a spoon, sipping the porridge in small spoonfuls, tasting bland.
The dining room was so quiet only the faint clinking of cutlery could be heard.
This silence made Stella’s suffering even worse.
Taking a deep breath, she summoned the courage to raise her head, "Well, last night... I might have done something offensive, if... if it caused you any trouble, I..."
"Trouble, not really..." Shane set down his coffee cup, raising his gaze to her, eyes deep and unreadable, "Though, Counselor Sterling, you’ve been clinging to me all night, and you bit me once, how should that be accounted for?"
"..."
