In the subsequent moments, Selena didply with his suggestion. Nevertheless, the posture she assumed proved embarrassingly unstable, and her body quivered beyond her control.


    It seemed like an eternity before the doorbell finally rang, announcing the arrival of their ordered meal.


    Raymond sensed her body tense and a thinyer of sweat break out over her skin as though she were nervous.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    His gaze intensified, and his movements became more deliberate.


    "Isn''t your husband out of town on business? What? Afraid of getting caught?" he taunted.


    Selena didn''t respond, only pleading with him to hasten.


    Still, she knew that once Raymond embarked on a course of action, he wasn''t one to easily stop. As such, her thoughts lingered on the food, likely no longer edible, until she drifted off to sleep.


    ...


    Selena woke up once in the night, consumed by a fever. Despite this, she took medication and engaged in several more hours of intense activity with Raymond. To her surprise, when she woke up again, she noticed a significant improvement in her condition.


    It was now 11:00 p.m.; she had only managed an hour of sleep after Raymond''s relentless four-hour exertion. If she hadn''t consistentlyined about her legs hurting, he probably wouldn''t have stopped.


    She let out a soft sigh and dragged herself out of bed, feeling the gnawing emptiness in her stomach. She couldn''t get back to sleep without a bite to eat.


    When she shuffled into the living room, a surprise awaited her. Raymond was still there. Unlike her, he hadn''t slipped under the covers after tucking her in, nor had he left.


    Selena surmised that he avoided the bed, possibly thinking that others had imed the space before him. She went to the kitchen, fetched a ss of water, and noticed the freshness of Raymond''s shoes and loungewear-likely John had stopped by with them. It was their fifth encounter, after all.


    She had assumed their paths wouldn''t cross again after his return to New York. Yet, there they were, tangled up for the fifth time.


    ''Maybe the solitude has grown too heavy,'' she mused.


    Despite keeping track of their trysts, each time brought her an intensity that bordered on madness.


    Selena was reminded of Shelley''s words-spot on, as usual.


    She poured Raymond a ss of water and ced it beside him. He looked up at her. She stood there in her usual casual attire, her short hair flowing softly around her delicate features instead of being tied back in the typical low ponytail. For a fleeting moment, Raymond felt the illusion of domestic bliss-it was as if they were ying house. But the stark reality was that this was her home with someone else. He had simply yed his cards to dispatch the man of the house, seizing the opportunity to indulge in her allure.


    Yet, Raymond was uneasy. He avoided the bed, fearing the lingering scent of another man.


    "Raymond, aren''t you going home?" she asked.


    "Do you want me to?" he asked, the question slipping out before he could stop it. It struck him then, echoing Alex''s insights. His behavior was indeed akin to that of a kept lover: seeking stolen moments and reluctant to part. A difort he couldn''t shake settled in his chest.


    "When I decide to go is none of your concern," he snapped back.


    Selena, taken aback, thought with a hint of irritation, ''You''re lounging on my couch, not at the Montague estate.''


    Still, she held her breath and bit back any retort.


    She would endure it for the sake of the $70,000,000 and because, frankly, he was a satisfying lover.


    "nning to pull an all-nighter?" she asked, with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.


    Raymond withdrew his gaze back to his documents, nonchntly replying, "Would you prefer I sleep in your marital bed? Wouldn''t that bother you?"


    Her silence spoke volumes. Should she be bothered, or shouldn''t she?


    Raymond''s frustration burned through the calm facade as he shut hisptop with a snap and stood up abruptly. "If he really had a ce in your heart, we wouldn''t be doing what we''ve been doing."


    Selena''s infuriatingly stoic manner mped her mouth shut in response to his mocking words, denying him the anticipated confrontation. He was well aware of her stubbornness, evident in her silent defiance.


    In the next second, Raymond scooped her up, effortlessly showcasing the strength of his waist. His towering frame only exaggerated her delicate figure.


    Underneath her, her legs wrapped around him instinctively.


    Raymond smirked and whispered tauntingly in her ear, "Your body''s far more honest than your mouth right now."