Chapter 3 The Soul-stirring Kiss

The man's Adam's apple bobbed in his throat. He was hypnotized by the beauty in front of him. He wasn't in control of his body. Everywhere she went, he found himself following her.

All this was new to him. He had never felt so restlessness for a woman before. 'What kind of a spell has she cast on me?' he wondered. He felt his blood boiling inside his body. Earlier when she came down the stairs, he got a glimpse of her snow-white breasts. And now, he found himself desiring to touch them.

All in all, this woman had torn open his heart and resided in it. There was nothing he could do to get rid of her. In spite of being powerful and handsome, he hadn't ever touched a woman. Hence this obsession seemed a bit absurd to him.

Unable to resist the temptation, he followed her to the end of the garden.

Tired after walking, Chloe came to a halt. She leaned against a huge locust tree. The fragrance of the tree wafted in the air, once again making her smile. She had always had a thing for nature. She gasped for breath. Heat surged through her body, making her limbs feel useless.

If it wasn't for the tree's support, she would have fallen on the ground. She clung onto the tree, almost dozing off.

Just then, under the bright moon, she caught sight of a man in a tuxedo. He was undoubtedly making his way towards her. Squinting her eyes, Chloe wondered if she was imagining things. After all, she wasn't in the right state of mind.

Every step he took brought him closer to her. In the end, she realized he wasn't a figment of her imagination. This charming man was indeed walking towards her. Even though he looked harmless, she began to panic.

Struck by an ominous premonition, she found herself trembling slightly.

"Who are you?" she asked as he stood right in front of her. He stood so close to her that he could hear her heartbeats.

Moonlight was shining on his face, giving him an angelic aura. She barely knew him yet she shuddered. 'I don't know him, ' she realized as she tried hard to detect familiarity in his features. He had a gorgeous face. If she had seen him before, she would have remembered for sure.

"Shh!" Putting his finger against her lips, he shushed her. Chloe wasn't used to be being touched by men, let alone a stranger. 'How dare he!' she thought, hating his audacity.

Eyes widened in disbelief, she was about to shoo him away.

Just then, he extracted his finger from her rosy lips and planted a deep kiss instead. Since he was tall, he had to bent down to reach her.

"Stop!" she whimpered, but he paid no heed to her words. Chloe didn't even have a boyfriend. She had reserved her first kiss, hoping to give it to her truth love. And this man had stolen it!

Hungrily, he stuck his tongue deep into her mouth, wanting to taste every inch of it. Her resistance meant nothing to him.

Chloe raised her hand, intending to push him away. But nothing could dissuade him. Using his strong arms, he held her hands. Their hands and tongues were intertwined.

Pulling her forward, he clamped her into his broad shoulder.

In his powerful arms, Chloe felt weak. She could do nothing but let this man satiate his hunger.

She attempted to push him, but to no avail. If anything, it took away the little energy her body had. She secretly hoped he would get tired of it.

But to her utter shock, he showed no signs of stopping. Plundering deep in her mouth, his desire for her became strong. Chloe, who had never kissed before, could do nothing as he delved deep into her mouth.

The drug was beginning to show its effect. Losing control over herself, Chloe almost fell down. Thankfully, his strong arms held her firmly.

Making use of this opportunity, he held her in his arms, embracing her tightly. Wind was blowing hard, but he remained unruffled. With the beauty in his arms, he left the garden.

"Where are you taking me?" Although Chloe was weak, she hadn't completely lost her consciousness.

With her feeble hands, she gripped his collars, waiting for an answer.

"I am taking you to my heart which is where you belong," he answered. He himself was stunned by his reply. 'Where did it come from?' he wondered with a smile. He wasn't used to sweet-talking. In fact, he couldn't think of an instance where he spoke nicely to a girl. Romance was the last thing on his mind. But with Chloe, things had become different. 'This woman is driving me nuts, ' he thought.

Chloe couldn't make sense of anything. As she fainted, she forgot all about the party. She felt hot all over her body.

'This is just a dream, ' she thought to herself. Under the influence of drug, she couldn't tell the difference between reality and imagination.

Back in the hall, Yvonne was searching frantically for Chloe. Having eaten a lot of food, Yvonne experienced a horrible stomachache. She had gone to the washroom, waiting for the pain to subdue. After she came out, Chloe was missing.

In a few minutes, the cake-cutting ceremony would begin. 'Where is she?' Yvonne thought as her heart thudded in her chest.

She searched everywhere but Chloe was nowhere to be found. The blood pounded in her ears at the thought of confronting Nicolas. She worried if he would blame her for it.

"All right, ladies and gentlemen. Now Miss Chloe Chu, the birthday girl, is going to cut the cake. We wish nothing but a happy life for her. May she remain young and beautiful forever!" the host announced.

Thunderous applause broke out among the guests. Everyone expected Chloe to come forward. But to their disappointed, she didn't.

"Well, where is Miss Chu?" Everyone looked around. The cake-cutting ceremony would conclude the party. It was the most awaited movement. After that, they would all go back to their homes.

"Where's Chloe?" Everyone looked around, eagerly trying to spot her.

Nicholas found himself in an embarrassing situation. He saw Yvonne standing in a corner and he made his way towards her.

"Yvonne, Yvonne," Nicholas called out anxiously

Yvonne shuddered at being called. She was overcome by an urge to run away. But she had no choice but to confess the truth. "Yes." She lowered her head and didn't dare to look into Nicholas' eyes.

"Where is Chloe?" Nicholas asked sternly.

"I have been looking around for her but she is missing," Yvonne answered honestly.

"What? Missing?" Nicholas realized he had spoken too loudly. Blue veins stood out on his forehead. Knowing fully well he had no time to waste here, he left Yvonne and walked towards the guests. Taking a deep breath, he went onto the stage.

Nicholas cleared his throat, getting ready to make an announcement.

"Ladies and gentlemen, my daughter wasn't feeling well so she went back to her room to take some rest. I am sorry about it. I will be the one cutting the cake! I hope you all are fine with it. I shall be considering this my 22nd birthday," Nicholas said, trying to make light of the situation.

The guests burst out laughing.

The banquet ended in a perfect way. Watching this, Madeline and Lucia gritted their teeth angrily. Once again, they had failed in their mission to embarrass Chloe. One after another, she had dodged their tricks!

"What a bitch!" Madeline cursed.

In the villa, sunlight slid in through the crack between the curtains. Two people were sleeping peacefully in the king size bed.

After a good night's sleep, Chloe seemed to have regained her senses. She then recalled what had happened last night.