Phoebe changed into slippers and walked in, stopping in front of Theodore. She leaned slightly and sniffed. Theodore squinted, not understanding her behavior. “What are you sniffing?”

“I’m sniffing to see if you’re emitting the smell of love all over your body.” Phoebe looked sincerely, and Theodore almost didn’t catch her sarcasm.

He grasped the back of her head without hesitation and pressed her against his chest. “There’s no sour smell, sniff it properly. This is the scent of a man.”

Phoebe was taken aback, her cheeks flushing. She froze for a moment before hastily pushing him away. Theodore applied too much force, and she couldn’t break free for a moment. Her face turned red, though whether it was from anger or embarrassment, she wasn’t sure.

Theodore had initially just been joking, but he unintentionally went too far. She pressed against her chest, an unnamed anger surged in his heart, forcing him to do something to let off steam.

As her grip loosened, Phoebe took two steps back, standing firm as she sternly glared at Theodore. “You, why are you such a rogue?”

The accusation lacked conviction and sounded more like a protest. Theodore changed his stance, his aggressively intense gaze running from head to toe, finally landing on her feet. Her toes were round and lovely, reminding him of the day he held her foot in his palm.

“Is your heel feeling better?” Phoebe struggled to keep up with his scattered thoughts, turning her head to look at her heel, which had already scabbed over. “Yeah, much better.”

“That’s good.”

The two fell into a momentary silence while Phoebe held her cup, taking a few sips, before Theodore turned and went back to his room. Phoebe set down her cup and rubbed her face forcefully.

She lingered in the living room for a while before slowly making her way into the bedroom. The warm yellow light at the bedside illuminated a lump on one side of the large bed. She pursed her lips and went to the bathroom to freshen up. Theodore lay on his side, not actually asleep, until he felt the mattress sink slightly beside him, his desire difficult to extinguish. Taking a deep breath, he waited for another ten minutes or so before he couldn’t suppress it any longer. He rolled over and moved closer to Phoebe’s side, only to hear her breathing steadily and lightly, as if she had fallen into a deep sleep.

The next day, Phoebe was awoken by her internal clock. Opening her eyes, she realized she wasn’t alone in the room, Theodore was sound asleep next to her. She got out of bed quietly, took some clothes, and went to the guest bathroom to freshen up. After changing, she went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

Since Theodore didn’t like strangers invading his private space, they didn’t have a housekeeper. Instead, they hired a cleaner to come every other day to tidy up. After finishing her breakfast, she went back to the bedroom to wake Theodore. She turned on the bedside lamp, clearly hearing the man on the bed impatiently take a deep breath. The light illuminated the man’s tight back muscles, casting shadows on his profile, accentuating his smooth contours and sharp edges. Phoebe walked slowly to the edge of the bed, reaching out to touch the man’s shoulder.

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