No Strings Attached

Chapter 32

She didn’t want to explain too much to him about the kid. The more she explained, the greater her disappointment became. She watched him in silence, her voice as flat and unrippled as a still pond. “So, what do

you want?”

lan’s fingertips gently lifted her chin, he lowered his head, their noses brushing against each other in an ambiguous, teasing dance. “You lost our baby. You owe me one.”

Clara shoved him away with a force that brooked no argument, “That’s not possible.”

“Then all those terms you just laid out, I’m rejecting every single one.

“lan, don’t be so unreasonable.”

Tears crept into Clara’s eyes, a furious storm brewing within.

lan’s aristocratic brows arched with a light smirk. He lazily bit into the soft flesh of Clara’s collarbone, his voice a languid murmur. “The project won’t be on track for another three months. Your father won’t be out of the woods until then. During this time, I can’t guarantee his safety– unless you agree to my terms. Give me another child. We can draft a contract, limited to three months. If you get pregnant within that time, after you give birth, the baby is mine, and I assure you, your family will be worry–free.”

Clara finally understood why the world called lan a devil. His methods were indeed diabolically cruel.

She couldn’t help but let out a cold chuckle, “And if I don’t get pregnant in three months?”

“Then you’re free to go, we’ll go our separate ways. But the odds of that are nearly zero.” They had conceived on their one unprotected encounter. He refused to believe he couldn’t father another child within three months. He refused to believe she would still want to leave once a child was in the picture.

Clara managed a resigned smile and agreed readily, “Fine, let’s draw up an agreement.”

Her body, conceiving in three months? She’d consider it a miracle if it happened in three

years.

Minutes later, a contract, warm from the printer, lay before Clara. Despite being prepared for all eventualities, the moment she picked up the pen to sign, she felt as if she were signing away her life.

Her fingertips trembled slightly, as she signed her name on the dotted line.

The adult game had officially begun.

Before Clara could even set down the pen, lan wrapped his arms around her from behind.. His hot, moist lips trailed down the back of her neck. Her clothes had somehow ended up scattered on the floor.

11:11

lan, treating her like a rare treasure, laid Clara on the spacious office desk. The overhead fluorescent light was harsh on Clara’s eyes. She used the back of her hand to shield them, trying to lessen the sensory assault. But lan moved her hand away and whispered in her ear, “Ms. Clara, I want you to watch. This desk is for more than just work. It’s for taking you, too.”

And so, the office, heavy with decor and the scent of many books, became the scene of their wild revelry throughout the night.

Clara truly experienced the unparalleled lan. Like a madman, he relished in the most thrilling of places, engaging in the most scandalous acts.

Clara didn’t know how long she was tormented, eventually succumbing to exhaustion and passing out.

When she awoke the next morning, she turned on her phone to find countless missed calls from Sasha.

Clara felt a pang of shame, and finally called Sasha back.

As soon as the call connected, a strange man’s voice came through. “Hello, this is from East Police Department.”