Breathless, Danielle opened her eyes and smiled as she circled her arms around Ross’ neck, kissing him back.

Her hand slid down to Ross’ waist, giving him a playful squeeze through his crisp dress shirt. Ross deepened the kiss, pinning down her wandering hand. “Behave,” he murmured.

“You’re my boyfriend. I get to touch you whenever I want to. Got a problem with that?” she teased, tilting Ross’ chin playfully.

Danielle adored seeing Ross disoriented with desire because of her. She leaned in, nipped playfully at his lips, her fingers hooking onto his belt. She cooed, “Ross, are you going to stop me?”

His breath grew heavier. “If this gets out of hand… are you gonna take responsibility for it?”

“I’ll take all the responsibility you want me to,” she murmured, stealing another kiss while her hands continued their bold exploration.

Danielle thought, “We’re in his office. With his character, he’d never take things too far here. Besides, it’s broad daylight. Even if I get him all worked up, he’ll just have to restrain himself, right?”

Emboldened by this thought, Danielle got hooked on teasing him. She kept calling his name in that sweet, honeyed voice of hers, which would melt even the sternest heart.

But the next thing she knew, Ross swept her up off the couch and strode toward his private lounge.

He laid her on the bed, pinned her beneath him and locked their lips together. Unlike the tender, lingering kiss from earlier, this one burned with raw passion. It was fiery, intense, and utterly unrestrained.

This wasn’t what she had in mind. She didn’t think Ross would actually go for it. Her knit dress had already ridden up her thighs. His gaze burned into her, so intense it weakened her limbs.

Danielle gave him a playful nudge with her foot and teased, “Ross, aren’t we supposed to go out for lunch soon? Are you sure this is the right time for this?”

Ross’ voice came out hoarse. “No. Definitely not.”

But—

The curtains remained drawn, casting the lounge in dim light. Danielle clutched Ross’ shirt, her face burning with shyness as she let out a soft, pleading whimper in her sweet voice.

Danielle lay limp against him, her cheeks flushed a soft rose as her eyes shimmered with unshed tears. Biting her lip, she whispered, “Ross, how’d you get so bad?”

Ross chuckled, reaching for a tissue to casually wipe his hands. “Dr. Shelly, you’re seriously good at flipping the script.”

Danielle pouted playfully and gave a little huff. “You’ve become such a naughty boy.”

He grinned, slipping an arm around her waist and pulling her into his lap. “Actually, I was thinking about being worse.”

Danielle was speechless, her cheeks burning.

Back in the executive office, the assistants had all returned from their lunch break, chattering away. They were all sure that Ross had slipped out for a lunch date with Danielle.

“Oh my goodness. Don’t you think Mr. Jean and Dr. Shelly are such a perfect match?”

“Totally: Just like Mr. York and Ms. Jean, they’re the ultimate couple goals.”

They were totally obsessed with Ross and Danielle being together.

At around 3 PM, Ross calmly escorted Danielle out of the building like nothing had happened. The assistants all stared, exchanging glances thick with gossip.

Danielle, however, made a mental vow to never step into Jean Group again. Ross may look like a gentleman, but deep down, he was pure trouble through and through.

Meanwhile, Joshua returned to Riverswood Villa. The moment he stepped inside, he saw Stephen sitting on the couch, munching on—of all things—fried chicken.

Honestly, Stephen never expected Joshua to return at this hour. He froze mid-bite, blinking in surprise at the incriminating evidence—the fried chicken spread across the table like a damning exhibit in his own personal courtroom.

Joshua remained expressionless. Lately, he’d been staying at Riverswood Villa, but for some inexplicable reason, Stephen had stubbornly insisted on staying with him.

So, for the past while, Stephen had been living there with him. Stephen had no choice but to put on a brave front. “Since you’re back, do you want to join me for some?”

He thought to himself, a little playfully, ‘This fried chicken is seriously good.’

Now, Joshua finally understood why Stephen had packed on so much weight in such a short time. It turned out that behind everyone’s back, he’d been stuffing himself with all this junk food.

In Joshua’s mind, Stephen would never be caught dead eating this kind of junk food. “No,” he replied curtly.

“I’m sick of being vegetarian. Just wanted a change.” Stephen was really making up excuses for himself now.

Joshua gave a faint, humorless smile. “Suit yourself. Just make sure you clean up properly when you’re done.”

Stephen promised, “I will.”

With that, Joshua headed to the kitchen. Meanwhile, Stephen was breaking out in a cold sweat. He panicked internally. “Goodness. I almost choked to death. But the food’s just too good. I couldn’t help myself. Ugh.

‘Thank goodness Joshua didn’t say anything. He probably didn’t notice anything, right? Please, I hope he doesn’t get suspicious. Otherwise, I won’t be able to stay here. After all, my job is to stop those people from taking him away.’

Joshua went upstairs to change, then came back down to make dinner. Since Janice and the others were all going to Horington to meet Shermaine, they agreed to gather at the airport at 5 PM.

Once Joshua finished preparing dinner, he got ready to head out. Stephen looked up and asked, “Where are you going?”

Joshua replied, “Horington.”

Without missing a beat, Stephen said, “I’m coming with you.”

Joshua paused for a moment before saying, “Suit yourself.”