Chapter 5

I nervously watched as Zane emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a towel. He had the classic broad shoulders and narrow waist. His physique was perfectly proportioned. His skin was not fair but had a healthy, strong glow. I used to never let him show his body in front of me. At that class reunion, I was so out of it that I never realized his physique was actually impressive. Realizing I was staring, I quickly averted my gaze, feeling embarrassed. Zane quickly approached me, radiating warmth. I shrank back nervously and stammered, "W-When did you get back? Are you hungry? Should I g-go make something for you?" "Make something?" Zane chuckled lightly, his tone tinged with sarcasm. "Do you even know how to cook?" His words left me speechless. To him, I was probably just an utterly useless heiress. And in truth, I could hardly argue. I could dance, but beyond that, I wasn't sure what else I could offer. Suddenly, Zane moved closer. His warm breath tickled my ear and made my nerves jangle. "Actually, besides cooking, you could do other things to make me happy." His eyes were deep and gleamed with blatant desire. I knew that, as his secret lover, I was expected to please him. But my body wasn't cooperating with my mind. The contrast was just too jarring. I struggled to adapt to this new role. As I was grappling with this, he suddenly kissed me. His kiss was fierce and demanding, filled with dominance. I was startled and instinctively tried to push him away. He pulled back, frowning. "If it were Isaac, you wouldn't be resisting like this, would you?" he said. What did Isaac have to do with this? Sure, I used to be infatuated with Isaac, but once I married Zane, I had no contact with Isaac. It had been three years since I last saw him. I had almost forgotten about him until Zane brought him up. "Isaac is coming back soon. You must miss him, right?" Zane's gaze was intense, with a hint of coldness. I licked my lips and was going to tell him not to jump to conclusions. But then he laughed bitterly. "To you, I can never compare to Isaac. Even now, despite my success, you still look down on me, don't you?" Why did Zane suddenly seem so insecure? I quickly said, "Isaac is indeed impressive, but you're—" "Shut up!" Zane suddenly snapped. His expression grew cold. The words "better than him" were caught in my throat. He was clearly upset. I pressed my lips together, not daring to say more. Leaning against the window, Zane lit a cigarette and watched me with a smirk. As the smoke drifted from his lips, he said nonchalantly, "It seems your arrogance hasn't faded. You don't seem suited to be a secret lover." Worried he might retract his money that had cleared my family's debts, I quickly said, "No, it's not that. I-I'm just still getting used to it." Zane's laugh was tinged with clear sarcasm. I bit my lip and walked over to him. Since I had already chosen this path, any further hesitation would be considered pretentious. Standing before him, I clung to his shoulders and awkwardly leaned in to kiss his lips and neck. His eyes darkened with intensity. I then tried to explore his chest, mimicking the seductive women I had seen in bars. But I was at a loss for what to do next. My hands just aimlessly roamed his chest. Just then, he chuckled and captured my wandering hands. His voice was husky as he said, "You don't know what to do?" I kept my eyes down, unable to look at him.