Chapter 1 He had an exception in his mind

The presidential suite was steeped in silence.

On the bed, the entangled man and woman reached their climax together, their passion culminating in two soft sighs of satisfaction.

Katherine lay with her eyes closed, most of her face buried in the plush pillow, her breathing still uneven.

The man withdrew his hand from where it had rested below her collarbone, brushing aside her silky hair.

Her slender neck was bared to the cool air, and his warm, damp kisses trailed down, sending a shiver through her body that she couldn't suppress.

The room's atmosphere, already charged, began to heat up again.

Suddenly, the phone on the bedside table buzzed, its vibration breaking the spell.

Vincent froze mid-motion, reaching out with his long arm to grab the phone.

Katherine opened her eyes, curiosity flickering in them. Who could be calling him now? He had already moved off her.

Vincent, phone in hand, walked toward the bathroom.

Just as the bathroom door clicked shut, a soft, feminine voice calling "Vincent" drifted clearly into Katherine's ears.

In an instant, the desire in her eyes vanished completely. Her mind echoed with her colleagues' whispers about Vincent's rumored engagement.

Her chest felt heavy and suffocating.

For five years, she had been by Vincent's side as his secretary, and for three of those years, she had been his hidden affair.

Vincent rarely avoided her when taking calls.

She had never seen him interrupt their intimacy for an unanswered phone call-until now.

It was clear that the woman on the other end of the line held a special place in Vincent's heart.

And as for her relationship with Vincent...

The sound of running water came from the bathroom.

Katherine's gaze dimmed as she forced herself to suppress the storm of emotions swirling within her.

She could accept being his lover, but she refused to become the kind of homewrecker she despised.

When Vincent emerged from the bathroom, he was dressed in a bathrobe, droplets of water still clinging to the ends of his hair.

Katherine, now seated on the sofa, was fully dressed and focused on her laptop, reviewing Vincent's upcoming schedule.

Her hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her slightly open collar revealed the faint pink of her neck and the teasing glimpse of a love mark, half-hidden by her shirt.

Vincent's gaze lingered on that mark, his Adam's apple bobbing as the desire he had just doused threatened to reignite.

"Mr. Murphy, you have a dinner meeting with the partners at eight tonight, " Katherine said, her cool, detached voice pulling Vincent back to reality.

Her tone was emotionless, as if they were merely employer and employee.

What Vincent hated most was this side of Katherine-the calm, rational demeanor that drew a clear line between work and personal matters the moment they left the bed.

His brows furrowed, and his voice, still slightly hoarse, carried an inexplicable edge of irritation and coldness. "Arrange for a driver to take me back to Sacford."

Katherine looked up, surprised. "Now?"

"Mm."

Katherine opened her mouth, the impulse to ask if this was because of the woman on the phone bubbling up.

But she swallowed the question, realizing she had no right to challenge his decisions.

To Vincent, she was nothing more than a bed partner, someone he could dismiss with money.

As she hesitated, Vincent had already walked over to her.

She quickly lowered her gaze, redirecting her attention to the laptop screen. "Mr. Murphy, this collaboration is crucial for the company."

Before she could finish, he grabbed her hair, forcing her to tilt her head back.

At the same time, his knee pressed between her legs, parting them roughly.

His commanding presence overwhelmed her, sparking both humiliation and anger. She couldn't understand why Vincent was treating her this way.

In the past, Vincent had been gentle and patient with her.

But in the past six months, he had become unpredictable, finding various ways to humiliate her.

A few droplets of water fell from his hair onto her delicate neck, trickling down into the hollow of her collarbone.

The cool sensation made her shiver, and despite herself, her trembling legs instinctively pressed closer together.

Her reaction only seemed to stoke Vincent's desire.

He had intended to make her kneel before him, but now he couldn't resist pulling her up and crushing her into his arms.

The force of his grip made her arm ache, but her attention was quickly diverted by the intensity of his kiss.

In moments of passion, she and Vincent were perfectly in sync.

She knew his preferences, and he knew her sensitive spots.

His lips trailed down her neck, teasing her skin with gentle bites, making her arch her head back, silently begging for more.

But just as her body surrendered to the moment, he abruptly pushed her away. Confusion flashed through her mind.