Love Poison: You're Addictive

As night fell, the street lights began to come on, beautifully illuminating A City.

Amidst the towering buildings was the QH Hotel, and on its top floor were the presidential suites.

In a suite, Luna Ruan, in an elegant black dress, rushed into the bathroom, took out a document from her handbag and tore it into pieces.

She was about to flush the shreds of paper down the toilet when she heard noises on the other side of the door.

A woman was moaning in pleasure as her male companion breathed heavily. Luna's eyes widened as she realized what these sounds entailed.

Opening the bathroom door a crack to take a peek, she saw that only the lights of the bedroom and the bathroom were turned on.

She switched off the light right away and stuck her head out the door.

A loud moan reached her ears. She wrinkled her nose in disgust.

Word on the street was that Silas He spent twelve hours sleeping with different women every day.

It seemed that the rumor was true.

There was no way she would sleep with such a man just to get a contract signed.

No way in hell!

Judging from the sounds, it seemed things were getting heated in the bedroom.

An unpleasant smell filled the suite, which made Luna sick to her stomach.

'Now's the time to run!' she thought to herself.

She tiptoed out of the bathroom and ducked down behind the big sofa in the living room, crawling her way slowly to the front door.

With the door in sight, she felt a wave of relief. Unbeknownst to her, someone was sitting on the sofa, tapping his gloved fingers on the armrest.

The man squinted at her in the dark, quietly watching her every move.

"Ow!"

Just as she was about to reach the door, she bumped into the sharp corner of some furniture. The searing pain made her eyes well up with tears.

Rubbing her forehead, she looked up and unexpectedly met the eyes of the mystery man on the sofa.

"Ah!"

Utterly shocked, Luna gasped and lost her footing on the carpet. When she realized what happened, she clamped a hand on her mouth anxiously, eyes wide. To her relief, she could still hear Silas and the woman thoroughly enjoying themselves in the bedroom. It seemed they were completely oblivious to what was happening in the living room.

When Luna returned her gaze to the gloved man, she found him picking up something from the carpeted floor.

Frowning, she grabbed her handbag and eyed the man warily.

"Who are you? Why are you here?" she asked in a hushed, angry voice.

The man snorted.

His voice made Luna blush slightly.

But she decided she had nothing to do with this man. Her priority now was to get out of here as fast as she could.

Just as she took another step towards the door, the man grabbed her by the wrist.

"Ouch! What're you doing?"

She tried to wriggle free but his grasp was firm-so firm that tears began to well up in her eyes once more.

Seeing her glistening eyes, the man dragged her out of the room.

It was bright in the corridor. The sudden exposure to light blinded her momentarily and she squinted at her surroundings in a daze.

The man took out a card key and opened another suite.

Luna heard the sound of door opening and snapped back to her senses. What she saw made her feel quite uneasy.

Panic welling up inside her, she struggled violently.

'What does he want?'

The man dragged her into the suite, leading her to the floor-to-ceiling windows.

"Tell me, why were you hiding in the bathroom?"

He placed his gloved hand under her chin, forcing her to look up at him.

Luna winced and made an excuse. "Mr. He asked me to come."

The man's eyebrows shot up in amusement. "Really? How come I didn't know that?"

"Could you please let go of me first?" Luna glared at him impatiently.

The man loosened his grip and leaned against the wall lazily, as if he was waiting for her to continue.

As soon as Luna was released, she rubbed her aching wrist angrily. "You're just his bodyguard. Who gives you the right to treat me like this?" she asked crossly.

His eyes narrowed slightly and he smiled, his eyes studying the woman who was trying desperately to hide her fear.

'Interesting!'

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the object he had picked up earlier, toying with it in his hand. But when he spoke, his voice was eerily cold. "Luna Ruan, I really underestimated you."

Luna froze.

'He knows my name!

How does he know my name?' Her mind raced as panic seized her.

Just as she opened her mouth to say something, she caught a glimpse of the lipstick in the man's hand. Her body stiffened, as though she had just been struck by lightning.

'Why is my lipstick in his hand?'

The truth was, that lipstick was a recorder in disguise.

So that was what he picked up from the floor. Her recorder!

'This is a disaster.'

She broke down. Her facade collapsed and she burst into tears.

"Sir, I'm sorry to have bothered you.

To tell you the truth, that lipstick was one of my mother's effects..."

The man sneered upon hearing this.

Luna didn't know whether he believed her or not.

She forced a smile and looked at his face carefully.

What she saw took her by surprise.

He actually was handsome, but not just handsome.

He was perfect!

The man's face was chiseled to perfection.

He had fair skin, deep eyes, prominent nose, and lips pursed in displeasure.

The man seemed to be very satisfied with the undisguised fascination and surprise in Luna's eyes. He turned the lipstick in his hand and said slowly, "You can go now. Don't let me catch you doing this again."

His words made Luna snap back to reality. Dubious, she wondered if he would actually let her off the hook so easily.

'I was so scared!'

Though she couldn't believe it, she ran away as fast as her legs could take her.

As she was closing the door behind her, she stole one last glance at the gloved man, catching a glimpse of his profile.

Shaking her head, she warned herself not to be enchanted by his beauty and left quickly.

The door slammed shut. The man's eyes were full of amusement. He reached for his phone and made a call.

"I want all the information about this woman, Luna Ruan," he said into the receiver.

Luna, relieved that she had somehow gotten herself out of that situation, had no idea that she was being investigated.

She figured Silas must have some special, private hobbies. That was why he needed bodyguards like this man.

She'd better not have anything to do with him.

She shook her head, hoping to get rid of the chaotic thoughts in her mind.

Later that night, she finally made it home. It was already 11 o'clock.

When she pushed the door open, she saw her father Jake Ruan, her stepmother, Lucy Lin and her half-sister, Nina Ruan, sitting on the sofa in the living room.

Nina must have said something funny, because Lucy was doubling up with laughter, and even Jake was smiling.

Luna paused at the door, a bitter taste lingering in her mouth.

She lowered her head. With all of them in the living room, it seemed she wouldn't be able to avoid being interrogated.

Luna tried to look as aggrieved as possible as she sat down opposite the three. That was when Lucy spoke up.

"How's it going, Luna?"

The sound of Lucy's voice seemed to rekindle some of Luna's painful memories.

Pouting, she couldn't stop the tears from streaming down her face.

"Aunt Lucy, it's no secret that Silas like beauties. I'm afraid he doesn't like me at all-he has eyes only for people like Nina."

As she spoke, she shot a piteous glance towards Nina.

Lucy frowned.

But before she could respond, Nina cut in angrily. Standing up abruptly, she pointed a finger at Luna's nose and said, "Bullshit! Did you even go to see Silas at all? You're so good at making up stories, Luna!"

Jake remained silent, as he was uncertain whether Luna was telling the truth.

He had been afraid that Luna would chicken out, so he had spied on her, watching until she had walked into Silas' suite.

'Does Silas not like Luna at all?'

He sized her up, trying to figure his daughter out.

Compared to Luna, it was true that Nina was indeed more beautiful.

Seeing Jake struggle with his thoughts, Luna gloated secretly.

"Dad, I really went into Silas' room, but was driven out by his bodyguard."

Luna lowered her head and twisted her hands together, feigning nervousness.

Nina stared at Luna with narrowed eyes, wishing to herself that she could slap her across the face right now.

"You're Silas' fiancee, Luna! There's no reason he won't like you. What a lame excuse!"

Luna lowered her head and buried her face in her hands to hide her annoyance and disgust. When she raised her head again, her cheeks were tear-stained.

"Nina, I'm not lying. Look, my wrist is still bruised!"

Convincingly, Luna stretched out her arm to expose the hand-shaped bruise on her wrist.

Seeing that, Jake stopped doubting her.

'Does this mean Nina will have to marry Silas instead?'

Lucy was silent this whole time, quietly observing as this scene unfolded before her. Seeing the hesitation in Jake's eyes, her heart skipped a beat.

Nina was so angry that she had to take a few deep breaths. It took every ounce of her willpower not to pounce on Luna and skin her alive then and there.

'This bitch!' She gritted her teeth.

Seeing their conflicted expressions, Luna felt secretly pleased.

The tension in the atmosphere was so thick, the slightest misstep would've caused a war.

Just then, a servant came in, lugging a gift box half her height.

"Sir, Mr. He has sent a gift to Miss Luna."

Three of the four people in the room were delighted to hear this.

Jake breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed.

'I knew it! Although Luna is not drop-dead gorgeous, she is still a good-looking girl. There's no way Silas would dislike her.'

Nina stood up happily and grabbed the servant's hand, eyes twinkling expectantly. "Did Mr. He say anything else?"

"Yes. He said the He family will be holding a party tomorrow night at their resort in the southern suburbs. He also mentioned he will be happy if Miss Luna attends the party."

After saying that, the servant bowed slightly and left.

Hearing this, Luna was shocked. She hadn't even seen Silas tonight. Why did he give her a gift and invite her to a party?

It must have had something to do with that bodyguard.

The thought made Luna press her fingers against her temples.

She stood up and said to Jake, "Dad, I'm a little tired. I'll go back to my room and rest."

"Okay, go to bed early tonight so you can look your best for the party tomorrow." Jake nodded with a smile and waved his hand towards a servant to send the gift box to Luna's room.

Nina stared at the beautifully packaged gift box in the servant's arms and couldn't help but feel a little envious.

After taking a shower, Luna rolled onto the bed and heaved a sigh of relief.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the gift box in the room and stared at it for a long time. Finally, she rolled her eyes and went to open it.

Inside lay a delicate dress with a unique shoulder and collar design. The waistline, however, was a little tight. The hemline ended just below the knees, so it was more of a sweet and elegant-looking dress than a raunchy one.

Luna pursed her lips with displeasure.

'Is Silas really so kind as to give me a dress?' she wondered.

After taking out the dress and turning it around, Luna became fury.

'What a bastard!' she cursed inwardly. After taking an even closer look, she realized that the dress had been modified, exclusively customized for her.

The backside of the dress had been carefully cut off, replaced with two slim straps, which would expose her fair back to the world.

Luna was so furious that she wished she could tear that man apart.

How did he get this revealing dress at such a late hour?

Since Silas was a shameless man, no wonder he had such a mean bodyguard.

Luna gradually calmed down and sat down to alter the dress herself.

By the time she was done, it was already past midnight.

She checked her phone for the time. She quickly opened WeChat and saw a voice message from Owen Fang.

She put the phone near her ear and listened to his gentle voice.

"Luna, I'm going to B City for a business trip tomorrow. But I will be back in two or three days. Let's have dinner together then. I miss you so much. Good night."

Hearing the sentence "I miss you so much," Luna blushed and her heart skipped a beat.

She buried her head in her pillow and couldn't help but smile giddily. 'I miss you, too, ' she said inwardly.

All the wild events of the night were put to rest by his three words-"I miss you."

Luna blinked. Tears streamed down her cheeks, staining the pillow.

At least she still had Owen.

Owen promised he would marry her and take her away from the Ruan family so they could live a simple and happy life.

Fantasizing about that beautiful life, Luna fell asleep with a sweet smile plastered on her face.

But she didn't sleep well that night.

She had a dream. In her dream, she was being bullied by other children in the orphanage. She was bossed around by Nina after she was brought back to the Ruan family. Jake demanded that she sleep with Silas. Owen hugged her lovingly and said that he would marry her.

Luna's frown eased a little, but in the next moment, she saw Owen holding another woman and sneering at her.

As Luna was struggling in her dream, she started to cry.

"No, it's not like that!"

Luna cried in her dream and finally woke up.

She woke up to the sound of knocking on her door.

She opened her eyes blearily, recalling the events of her dream.

Enduring the headache, she pulled on some clothes and opened the door.

She was greeted by a servant. "Miss Luna, Mr. He has sent a driver here. Your father is asking you to go downstairs now."

Luna rubbed her forehead as she went downstairs, her face expressionless.

She spotted Jake, smiling and nodding at a man standing opposite the sofa.

Lucy hurried over to her and grabbed her arm as she said anxiously, "You're late, Luna. Mr. He has sent a driver to pick you up."

It was only then that Luna came to her senses.

That was weird. Why would Silas send a driver to pick her up? It didn't make sense.

Luna was still in a daze as she followed Jake, Lucy, and Nina into the car.

It was a three-hour drive to the resort in the southern suburbs, and Luna fully intended to make the most of it. She leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes.

When she next opened them, the car had stopped in front of a European-style villa at the top of a mountain.

She pursed her lips as she got out of the car and followed the others through the gate.

An elegant strain of piano music reached her ears through the door along with genial laughter of men and women enjoying themselves. She frowned before she rearranged her features into a serene facade.

The moment they entered the party, Jake, Lucy, and Nina went around, hobnobbing with the hotshots.

Luna settled down on a sofa in a corner of the hall, a glass of red wine in hand.

She watched people raise their glasses at each other, more frequently than she could stomach, and wrinkled her nose at the two-facedness of it all, her lips curling in disgust.

Out of habit, she looked around at the interiors, and her eyebrows shot up in surprise.

They were exquisite and elegant, and there were antiques everywhere she looked. Even the table in front of her was made of red sandalwood.

The He family ranked first among the top four clans in S Province, and had deep pockets.

No wonder Nina wanted to marry Randal He and be allowed into the He family.

After all, compared with the playboy that Silas was, Randal, who was likely to inherit the family property, was indeed the better choice.

Luna sneered as she looked around idly.

There were at least a hundred guests at this party, more than she had expected.

"Mr. Randal is here!"

Someone in the crowd exclaimed excitedly.

Luna stood up subconsciously, smoothing her dress as she craned her neck to look at the door, which seemed to open in slow motion.

But when it did, she was surprised to see two men entering the hall.

The familiar face behind the strange man in front shocked her.

'Why is that bodyguard following Randal?'

The party erupted at the appearance of these men.

All the men present seemed to move closer to Randal without appearing to do so, and the women swarmed around the bodyguard with undisguised enthusiasm.

Luna looked on, her jaw dropping open.

This proved yet again that this was a world where appearance took precedence over virtue.

"Who is the super handsome man behind Mr. Randal?"

"Oh my God, you don't know him? That is Mr. Silas, Mr. Randal's elder brother!"

"What? That is Silas? The Silas who dates countless beautiful women?"

"Yes! His reputation is that of a wastrel, but he really is a handsome man!"

Luna overheard the women talking, and all color drained from her face.

'He is... Silas?

He is Silas!'

No wonder he had called her by name the other night. No wonder he had asked her why she had been hiding in the bathroom. No wonder he had chuckled when she had challenged him.

'Why did he let me go so easily?

Besides, since he was Silas, then who was the person in the bedroom having sex with the woman that night?'

Luna looked Silas up and down.

The man was dressed in a handmade navy blue suit over a white shirt buttoned up to his throat. The straight pants showed off his particularly long legs.

He looked both chaste and sexy with his broad shoulders, narrow waist, and long legs.

He raised his dark brown eyes to glance at the crowd. His bearing seemed to overwhelm the people, Randal included.

And then, his lips curled, an evil smile lighting up his handsome face.

The smile caused hormones to surge, and all the women in the room blushed to their roots.

Luna had never been seduced by men, but she felt her heart skip a beat. Butterflies raided her stomach and her palms became sweaty, slipping on the wineglass.

When she came to herself, she saw Silas making his way over to her.

She squinted and turned around, hurrying into the crowd and trying to blend in.

Little did she know that Silas had spotted her the moment he had entered the hall.

That was not surprising.

The hall was full of people toasting each other and laughing. Luna was the only one sitting in a corner, looking comfortable in her solitude.

'She is... quite special!'

The white lace at the back of her dress drew him in even further. It looked like his fiancee was dexterous.

"May I have the honor of getting you a drink?"

A voice sounded before Luna had even recovered from the shock of seeing Silas.

She looked up to find a well-dressed young man standing in front of her. If it weren't for the frivolous look in the glinting eyes behind his glasses, Luna would have been deceived by his appearance.

The man raised a glass and looked lasciviously at her breasts and slender waist.

Her instincts kicked in and she took a step back.

The man noticed her action and grinned evilly. "Are you refusing me, lovely lady?"

Luna's eyes were fearful and they now roamed the hall. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Silas making his way over to them. She fixed her gaze on Silas, trying to convey to him that she needed help.

Silas smiled at her and nodded.

Luna didn't know why he would help her, but she was, nevertheless, relieved.

But then she saw him turn around and walk away.

He approached a woman close by and said something to her, causing her to laugh.

Luna was speechless.

Ugh! Of course! She knew this would happen. She shouldn't have believed him.

When Silas glanced sideways at Luna and saw the stunned expression on her face, amusement lit up his face.

The tinkle of wineglasses caught her attention.

She raised the glass in her hand and sipped perfunctorily on her drink.

"This is my card. May I invite you to dinner tomorrow?" The man pulled out a business card and handed it to her, still with a frivolous look.

"I'm really sorry but I can't. I have important business tomorrow."

Luna said, not wanting to talk to him anymore. But she took the business card and slipped it into her bag. She then turned around and made to leave.

The man's eyes narrowed and he grabbed her wrist. "Miss, why are you in such a hurry? You can always find some time to have dinner with me. How about the day after tomorrow?"

"Royal, what are you doing?" A woman's sharp voice sounded from behind them.