Entangled Passions

Lily gritted her teeth, trying to suppress her emotions as she spoke into the phone, "Uncle, I'm working on a big story right now. It's not convenient for me to talk. Please go to sleep without waiting for me. I'll be home later."

She quickly ended the call, afraid her uncle would sense that something was off.

"You're quick at coming up with lies," Ethan sneered, his voice full of disdain.

"Ethan, you can't do this," Lily said, flushed from his teasing. She managed to hold back her anger and turned to face him seriously. "We need to talk. You shouldn't interfere with my personal life... Let's agree not to meddle in each other's private affairs or interact with acquaintances, okay?"

She really wanted to say that she didn't want him in her life at all, but she knew this arrogant man wouldn't take that well. She had to be subtle. She was already giving him plenty of face.

Not interfere with each other's private affairs? Not interact with each other's acquaintances?

Ethan's hands were still wrapped around her, his eyes cold as he stared at her, anger flickering in his gaze.

He had already thoroughly investigated her life—it was as simple as a blank sheet of paper. Her life revolved around the magazine office and her home, nothing more. What part of her life was off-limits to him?

Or was she saying that he was somehow beneath her?

"Lily," Ethan suddenly leaned in, his face dangerously close to hers.

A chill ran down Lily's spine, and she instinctively backed away. Ethan closed the distance, forcing her to retreat until she was pressed against the dining table with nowhere to go.

This isn't good, she thought. I've angered the lion again.

"Smack—"

Sure enough, Ethan grabbed her handbag and tossed it to the ground, scattering its contents across the floor.

His expression was terrifyingly dark.

Lily had a sinking feeling in her gut. She hesitated, wondering if she should try to defuse the situation, but Ethan spoke, his cold lips moving with a sneer before she could react. "Just because of the name Ethan Blackwood, I have women lining up to jump into my bed!"

"If your uncle knew, he'd beg you to crawl into my bed!"

The meaning was clear—she should stop being ungrateful.

Lily had been about to apologize, but hearing him insult her beloved uncle like that made her unable to hold back. "Don't use your disgusting worldview to define other people!"

Her uncle wasn't someone who sought fame or fortune.

He had to support a pair of twins, her cousins, who were studying abroad, and yet, despite her selfish aunt's constant whining and tantrums, he had insisted on adopting her and taking care of her. Without him, she would have been sent to an orphanage long ago.

Her uncle had treated her with nothing but kindness. No one had the right to insult him—none.

Disgusting?

Fine. She had used yet another filthy word to describe him.

Ethan pressed his hand against her back, pulling her closer, his mocking gaze dropping to the bright kiss marks on her chest. He spoke slowly, enunciating each word, "Lily, stop pretending to be so noble. If you were that virtuous, you wouldn't cry out so sweetly under me."

His words were blunt and crude.

With just that one sentence, he shattered her completely.

Lily's face turned pale, and she could not utter a single word in response.

He was right. If she were genuinely noble, if she had any sense of dignity, she wouldn't still be here as his mistress after he had forced himself on her…

She wasn't some virtuous, high-minded woman at all.

"Yes, I'm just as disgusting as you are," she finally said with a bitter smile. "But my uncle is a good man. If he knew I had become someone's mistress, it would break his heart."

Ethan's face remained filled with disdain.

Lily, still pale, added quietly, "As long as you don't let him find out, I'll stay with you until you get tired of me."

That was her bottom line. She had already fallen so far, and the last thing she wanted was to cause her uncle any more pain.

Her defeated expression stirred Ethan's chest.

She wasn't lashing out at him, wasn't cursing him out.

She was saying she would stay obedient until he grew tired of her.

His anger abruptly gave way to a different kind of frustration. He hated seeing her degrade herself like this—it was worse than hearing her curse him.

"Fine. Then fulfill your duty," Ethan said sharply, lifting her onto his shoulder and carrying her to the bedroom.

Lily stared emptily at the ground. She had sold her body to the devil, thrown her dignity into the trash... She wondered if she would ever be able to reclaim it.

The following day, Lily poked her head out from beneath the warm covers and glanced at the clock on the bedside table. She had missed work again. Who knew how worried her uncle would be...

She tried to sit up and get dressed, but her body felt like it had been completely dismantled.

Lily couldn't understand where Ethan got all his energy from.

As the CEO of Blackwood Enterprise's Asia-Pacific division, his work schedule was absurdly busy. And yet, when it came to matters in the bedroom, his stamina seemed endless. She couldn't keep up with him at all, and by the end, she was always left limp and exhausted, at his mercy.

How had she even fallen asleep last night?

She vaguely remembered him passing out from exhaustion while he still had plenty of energy and showed no signs of stopping.

Ethan was a complete maniac!

Lily cursed him silently, forcing herself to sit up. Suddenly, an arm draped across her chest, pushing her back onto the bed.

Startled, Lily turned her head to see Ethan lying beside her, one arm resting on her body as he slept.

The covers had slipped down, exposing his muscular, bareback. His face was turned toward her, his short hair slightly tousled, and his furrowed brow relaxed in sleep. Beneath his long lashes, his eyes were closed, and his lips were slightly parted.

If she were being honest, Ethan was almost unfairly handsome.

But his terrible personality utterly ruined that good-looking face.

Realizing she was wasting time staring at him, Lily shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. She carefully pushed his arm off her, but he shifted and placed it back on her no sooner had she moved it.

Lily was seething. She tried to move his arm again, but Ethan's eyes suddenly opened this time. His dark gaze, still heavy with sleep, fixed on her. "You're awake?"

"Mmm… yeah…" Before Lily could say anything else, he pulled her in for a deep kiss. By the time he finally let her go, she was breathless. Trying to suppress the urge to wipe her mouth, she said calmly, "I need to go to work."

With that, Lily quickly climbed out of bed, slipping into a loose robe. She had to hurry—if he tried anything else this early in the morning, her entire day would be ruined.

"You're just a tabloid reporter. I'll give you the money. Quit your job at the magazine," Ethan said as he rolled over, propping himself up against the pillows. He observed her with a slight annoyance and was obviously upset with the way she hurried to dress.

Quit her job? And suddenly come home with a pile of cash? That would scare her uncle to death.

"I can't explain that to my uncle," Lily replied quickly, rushing into the bathroom. She started brushing her teeth furiously, desperate to get rid of any trace of Ethan from her mouth.

But no matter how hard she brushed—until her gums bled and her skin felt raw from the shower—she couldn't erase the scent of him from her body.

It was as if she couldn't get rid of him.

Ethan had claimed entirely her body, at least.

Staring at herself in the mirror, her long hair slightly tousled, her face looked tired, and her features slightly worn. Her lips were swollen, and when she pulled down her collar, the clear trail of kiss marks reminded her exactly what kind of woman she had become.

Her mind flashed back to the night she had seen Alex at the Summer Night nightclub. She had been disheveled, throwing up in the men's restroom, and he hadn't recognized her.

Why would he?

After nine years apart, Alex couldn't be expected to recognize her.

And looking at the state she was in now, she barely recognized herself.

After getting dressed, Lily stepped out of the bathroom, only to find that the man in bed was gone. All that remained was the unmade bed, with no sign of him.

When she exited the bedroom, Nanny stood respectfully by the door, smiling kindly. "Miss Anderson, breakfast is ready."

"Sorry, I don't usually eat breakfast," Lily said politely, smiling. She just wanted to leave the Blackwood villa as quickly as possible.

"Well, you'll eat it until it becomes a habit!"

The domineering voice came from beside her. Lily turned to see Ethan leaning casually against the wall, wearing a dark robe, his gaze sweeping over her with an intense look. "Gain some weight. Stop passing out all the time—it kills my mood."

Lily's eyes widened in shock. Passing out all the time? Was he seriously referring to the two times she had fainted during his… insatiable demands?

"You…" Lily was left speechless, unable to believe he would say something so crude in front of Nanny.

This man had no sense of shame, did he?

What did he mean by "passing out"? Not her endurance was the problem—it was his absurd stamina!

Nanny, a middle-aged woman, clearly understood what Ethan meant. She lowered her head, hiding a knowing smile.

Lily wanted to die from embarrassment. She glared at Ethan before rushing into the dining room to grab her purse.

She didn't want to see his obnoxious face for even one more second.

Just as she was about to leave, a pair of domineering hands pressed down on her shoulders, forcing her to sit in a chair. In front of her, the table was set with Western and Chinese-style breakfasts, with the tantalizing aromas of milk and soy drifting through the air.

Her stomach growled loudly in response.

"Eat before you go," Ethan said as he sat across from her, issuing his command in a tone that left no room for argument.