Chapter 8: I Won't be Shy

Finn carried Mia into the room and threw her onto the bed in one go. He asked breathlessly, "Where's the model you found? Has he arrived?" Aria, touching up her makeup in the bathroom, replied with a laugh, "He's been here, asleep under the covers!" Finn glanced at the bed and indeed saw a man lying there, back turned. He didn't bother to look more, straightened his crumpled shirt, and was about to turn away when he noticed his shirttail was tightly clutched by the sleeping girl. He frowned, leaning down to pry her hand open, his gaze lingering on her small face. Seeing her reddened cheeks and furrowed brows, he felt a reluctant pang. To think such a pure and cute virgin was about to be defiled by a stranger. It seemed quite a pity! Moreover, he was always aware of her feelings for him. Aria emerged from the bathroom and saw Finn kneeling on one knee by the bed, staring silently at the girl. "Finn, what's wrong? Don't tell me you've fallen for her!" She hurried over in her high heels and pushed Finn away. "How could that be? Yi Yi, you're the only one in my eyes! I just feel... she... after all, she is your sister..." "So what if she's my sister? If we don't have some leverage over her, how can we control her properly?" Aria snorted in frustration, looking at him with disappointment: "It's because you're not charming enough. You spent all night but couldn't get her. She used to like you so much. If you had just put in a bit more effort, making her utterly devoted to you, why would we need to resort to such troublesome plans?" "I didn't expect her to change like this, she used to be so sweet..." "Enough, let's go!" Aria turned to leave but noticed Finn still looking at the bed. She pushed him from behind, "Stop thinking about her. Aren't I enough for you?" "How can you not be enough? You're the best! No one can compare to you!" Finn turned and hugged her, and the two flirtatiously left the room. Thump! After the door closed, Mia opened her eyes, spitting viciously into the trash can beside the bed, spewing out the melted ice cream in her mouth. Her hands clenched into fists, veins popping on the back of her hands. Finn, you've completely destroyed the only good memory between us! Today, in her previous life, she had let Finn's confession succeed, thus falling into their trap and becoming the scapegoat. But there's no wall that doesn't leak. She eventually discovered the intimate relationship between Finn and Aria. They resorted to this plan because they thought they couldn't control her anymore – drugging her, ruining her innocence, and then using those painful and shameful videos and photos to continue blackmailing her. Now, they just moved their plan forward! Fortunately, she didn't eat much, just a few bites, but it was enough to make her pass out for so long. She turned to look at the male model, intending to kindly wake him up. But as she turned him over, Mia froze, seeing Asher's cold, handsome face. How could it be Asher? Mia covered her face, her heart tumultuous. To think Aria would meet him in a hotel room... Damn, that's frighteningly meticulous! Such a shameless woman! She sighed, looking at her brother-in-law who was caught in the crossfire. "She invited you and you just came, without even a bodyguard. How much do you like her?" Mia felt a bit regretful. Although Asher was temperamental and had a cleanliness obsession, he wasn't bad. She couldn't bear to see him fall into the same trap as she had, giving painful and unrequited love, especially to someone as manipulative as Aria. However, she had to admit, Aria played her cards well. With Mia now married under her identity, if outsiders found out about the intimate relationship between the Mrs. Carn and her brother-in-law, it would be a perfect way to get rid of two eye-sores at once. The man beside her suddenly hummed softly. Mia jumped, nearly falling off the bed. Because she had consumed less of the drug, she was relatively lucid and had heard part of the plot devised by those two, guessing the current situation. But Asher didn't know, what if he misunderstood that she had sabotaged his chance with Aria and shamelessly offered herself, then what should she do? Thinking of this, she subconsciously got out of bed to escape, but as soon as her toes touched the ground, her legs gave way, and she fell straight down, knocking over the clothes rack standing not far from the bed. The clothes rack was over one meter tall, and as she moved, it also toppled forward, crashing onto the armchair by the window. The armchair, already missing a leg, toppled backwards onto the desk leaning against the mirror, knocking over the desk lamp, which then set off a chain reaction, hitting the mirror. With a loud clang, the mirror, unable to bear the weight, shattered into pieces on the floor. With such a noise, unless the other person was dead, it was impossible for them not to wake up. Asher rubbed his eyes and struggled to sit up. His gaze swept warily around the room, following the trail of destruction, and quickly settled on the culprit still sitting on the floor. Mia smiled helplessly, managing a strained grin, and waved her innocent little hands at him. "Hi, we meet again!" "Why are you here?" Asher's peach blossom eyes became unusually sharp. Mia climbed up from the floor, sat cross-legged, and rubbed her head. "If I say... I don't know! Do you... do you believe me?" "What do you think?" Meeting those distrustful black eyes, Mia sighed and recounted how Finn and Aria schemed together against them. Asher leaned back against the headboard's pillow, chin slightly raised. Following his beautifully chiseled jawline down, slightly open shirt revealed a glimpse of his well-defined pectorals, mermaid lines, and subtly visible abs, showcasing his impressive physique. Despite sitting there tired and lazy, he exuded an unreachable, noble aura. Mia couldn't help but swallow her saliva! Asher patted the space next to him. "Come here!" Mia instinctively resisted, but under his commanding and ascetic gaze, her body honestly reacted. Her head still a bit dizzy, she moved laboriously towards the bed, then collapsed on it, too tired to keep her eyes open. However, the next moment, she held her breath in astonishment, looking at the handsome face that suddenly turned towards her, getting closer and closer. "You..." "Since you offered it yourself, I won't be shy."