The night was enticing.

In a private suite of a five-star hotel, Victoria Rowan's delicate wrist was firmly gripped and hoisted above her head, her lips taken in a passionate kiss against the wall.

The man's skills were undeniably good; his sweet, fervent kisses were enough to drive anyone mad.

Despite Victoria being somewhat intoxicated, she found herself muddled and lost in his kisses.

At that moment, his rough hand slid under her clothing, brushing against her slender waist.

she shivered. The tingling sensation of their skin contact gave her the feeling of being electrified, leaving her incapable of thinking coherently.

Other than a blinding whiteness filling her sight, there was an overwhelming heat engulfing her body...

Until, amid the confusion, her phone vibrated in her pocket, gradually bringing clarity back into her hazy peach-blossom eyes.

Almost instinctively, she pushed against the man's solid, warm chest. "Wait..."

The man, taking a slight, labored breath, his inky eyes holding a hint of repressed desire, glanced at her. His furrowed brows rendered him irresistibly sexy.

"I'm sorry, I... I was a little drunk just now and my mind was not clear..."

Her voice was warm and gentle, her lips, flushed and moist, bearing the evidence of his fervent ministrations.

She must have lost her mind.

For her boyfriend had just treated her as a 'gift' to this man before her—Mr. Emerson Jack—over some investment project...

To vent her frustrations, she shockingly kissed this man she had just met in the private room of a hotel.

Now that she sobered up, she wondered if there might have been a misunderstanding...

Taylor Michael might have been held up by something urgent.

Contrary to what Mr. Jack said...

Luke raised his eyebrows slightly. His voice, tinged with a hint of emotion, was hoarse, "What's the matter?"

Even though he asked verbally, his hand was gathering her hem, edging upwards.

"Jack..." Victoria quickly clamped down on his hand.

Luke's hand rested on her slim waist. The feeling of her smooth, delicate skin made him squint.

"Jack, I apologize for imposing on you today..." With a slight pursing of her lips, her gaze was clear and lucid.

Luke withdrew his hand and took half a step back. His shirt was half-unbuttoned, and wisps of hair fell into his eyes, obscuring their depth. He exuded an intense desire, rendering anyone weak at the knees.

"Playing hard to get?"

Victoria was made uncomfortable by his insistent gaze and she averted her eyes.

"Jack, please take your time and enjoy. I'll leave now..."

Only when Victoria left did he touch the corner of his lips, as though a warm, soft sensation was still lingering.

He pulled out a cigarette, and instinctively tilted back his head, elongating his slender neck and revealing the prominent Adam's apple, an extremely alluring sight. The blue smoky haze blurred his handsome, abstinent face.

Luke squinted slightly, unconsciously looking in the direction she had left. His eyes were so deep they were soul-stirring—"this little minx".

She seemed both pure and sensual, the slight touch of her body could make it soft as if it had no bones.

What was killer was that her desire could be triggered by just a kiss.

This was kind of interesting…

...

By the time Victoria had left the hotel, it was already dark outside.

Since leaving the private room earlier, she had been constantly calling Michael.

But the prompt was that the phone had been turned off.

Standing by the bustling roadside, Victoria frowned until her phone in her pocket vibrated again, returning her to her senses.

The call was from her good friend Avery Rose.

Victoria pressed the answer button, but before speaking, she heard some unspeakable noises coming from the phone.

It was Rose and a man's...

Almost subconsciously, Victoria thought to hang up.

But at this moment, she heard Rose suddenly shout a name, "Taylor Michael…"

Victoria was stunned—Michael.

She had been in a romantic relationship with her boyfriend for three years.

“Don't you...Uh...regret giving Victoria to Mr. Emerson?”

“What's there to regret? A woman in exchange for an investment, it’s worth it. Besides, she never lets me touch ‒ even holding hands takes ages...”

With a husky breath, Michael continued his actions while remarking, "Unlike you, who not only allows to touch but also allows to enter..."

"Disgusting!"

She hung up the phone in a completely flustered manner.

The two people on the call were her best friend and the boyfriend she had been in love with for three years.

she never thought she would suffer a double betrayal of friendship and love.

It turned out to be true.

Michael indeed ‘gifted’ her to Luke.

Because she won't let him touch her.

But he knew that she had a severe fear of physical contact.

Even a simple hand holding with a man would make her heartbeat race, her hands and feet turn cold, and sweat profusely.

This was exactly why her relationship with Michael was simply limited to hand-holding.

She always felt guilty about this, working hard to bring about some change...

But now...

It seems it is no longer necessary.

She stood alone at the entrance of the hotel. It was only when the phone in her pocket rang again that she seemed to snap back to reality, lowering her gaze to press the answer key.

"Hello..."

"Is this Victoria? Your sister, Isabelle, was rushed to the hospital following a sudden heart attack at school..."

she felt a tightness in her chest, the color fading instantly from her lips, "Which hospital is she in?"

"The Cleveland Hospital."

"I'll be right there."

...

By the time Victoria rushed to the hospital, Isabelle's homeroom teacher was nervously waiting outside the rescue room.

At the sight of Victoria rushing over, he quickly went over to meet her.

"Alexander, what happened? How could she have a sudden attack?”

"I'm not sure about the specific details. I heard from other students that she received a phone call and then suddenly passed out..."

Phone call?

Her mind was in turmoil. Isabelle had congenital heart disease. It had been so stable these past few months. The doctor also said as long as she was not stressed, she would safely pass through the college entrance exam.

"But this phone call…"

As she was lost in her thoughts, the red light outside the emergency room went out.

It didn't take long for the doctor to come out from inside.

"Doctor, how is my sister?"

"She's out of danger for now, but her cardiac condition is extremely critical. She must undergo a heart transplant operation as soon as possible, otherwise...”

The doctor pursed his lips, obviously familiar with Victoria and her sister, hesitated for a moment, and then said solemnly, "The surgical conditions for Isabelle are too complex. As of now, the only person capable of performing such an operation is Dr. Casey Mason from the Department of Cardiology at the Provincial Hospital..."

Casey Mason...

she felt a tightness in her heart – earlier, she seemed to have heard this name mentioned by that man Scott at the dinner table...

"However, even if you can get Professor Casey to operate, Isabelle won't be able to hold on for long. She'd last for a maximum of six months. You must conduct the surgery within these six months, and start raising funds. You need to prepare at least 500,000 dollars..."

Six months.

500,000 dollars...

Her face turned pale, "Thank you, doctor."

Once the doctor left, she finally entered the ward.

However, at this moment, Isabelle was lying weakly on the hospital bed, her face pale as if she were a wilting flower.

Victoria didn't notice how long she stood by the bedside. After a while, she finally took out the black card with golden engraving from her pocket.

The name of a person was written with the splendor of a dragon flying and a phoenix dancing —— Emerson Jack.

After hesitating for a long time while holding the business card in her hand, Victoria took a deep breath and dialed a series of numbers.

Soon, the call was connected.

"Hello"

A deep and magnetic laughter of a man came from the phone, yet it was frosty and distant.

"Is this a case of capture by letting go?"