Morning sunlight spilled across the penthouse like melted gold.
Tang Yueru lay awake in bed, the sheets twisted around her, the scent of Lu Shenyan still clinging to her skin like a secret.
The kiss had changed everything.
Again.
And again, neither of them spoke about it.
Because real love wasn't part of the deal.
Because once feelings entered, the contract would start to crack.
---
She sat at the breakfast table, sipping coffee she barely tasted, when he finally emerged — in a black suit, hair damp from a quick shower, expression unreadable.
He paused when he saw her.
Then walked past.
She expected silence.
Instead, he spoke.
"I canceled today's press conference."
She blinked. "Why?"
"They wanted a public statement about us."
"And you said no?"
"I said they didn't deserve one."
Her chest squeezed.
"You're defending something that's not real," she whispered.
He turned, slowly.
"No, I'm defending something I'm not ready to define."
---
Later that afternoon, at the Lu Corporation's private floor:
A board member approached her in the hallway.
Gray suit. Thin smile. Eyes like a blade.
"Mrs. Lu," he said politely. "Or… Miss Tang?"
She kept her chin high. "You wanted something?"
"Only clarity. About your… arrangement."
She didn't answer.
He leaned in.
"Power always shifts. If Mr. Lu steps down, your value may plummet overnight. Just remember which side of the line you stand on."
Before she could speak, a voice cut in.
> "She stands on mine."
Lu Shenyan.
His voice was like steel through silk.
The man in the gray suit paled and retreated.
Yueru turned to him.
"You didn't have to—"
"I did."
His jaw was tight. "Because I'm done pretending you're temporary."
---
That night, he brought her to a private dinner — not for business, not for show. Just them.
No cameras.
No handlers.
Only candlelight and quiet.
She stared at him across the table.
"I thought we agreed—"
"That this was a contract," he said.
She nodded.
"Then let me rewrite it," he said.
---
Her heart skipped.
"You're serious?"
"Deadly."
He leaned forward.
"One year was never going to be enough."
"But it started with a lie."
"And now I want the truth."
He took out a small velvet box — not a ring this time, but a key.
"To my world. Not just my penthouse."
Her fingers closed around it before her mind caught up.
And suddenly, the line between paper and passion vanished.
---