“Just stay with me," Gerard said, his voice turning possessive as he wrapped his arm around Lilah's shoulder. "Don't worry about anything else."

“Mommy, come on, I'm still here!" Jerrold interjected, covering his eyes with his hands but peeking through his fingers, his face turning crimson.

Devonte, ever the pragmatist, snorted. “Well, well. Perhaps a little privacy wouldn't hurt. Come on, squirt," he said, scooping Jerrold up under his arm. “Let's go see if they have any of that delicious blueberry cake you love."

With a knowing wink, the others followed suit, leaving Lilah and Gerard alone.

It was then Lilah noticed the bevy of women who had been stealing glances at Gerard. Admiration, obsession, and even a touch of lust flickered in their eyes.

An unfamiliar pang of possessiveness twisted in her gut.

Discreetly, she requested a towel from a waiter and draped it over Gerard's bare chest.

Yet, the outline of his sculpted muscles remained tantalizingly visible. His physique was extraordinary, the kind honed through rigorous training. And the touch? Like smooth, oiled silk.

Lilah found herself lost in a daydream, her gaze clouded with desire.

Gerard, a subtle smile playing on his lips, caught her drift. He reached for her hand. "Let's go," he murmured. "I have a place I want to show you."

The sixth floor housed guest rooms.

The moment they entered, Gerard pulled her into a heated kiss, a potent mix of dominance and tenderness that left her breathless.

The air crackled with unspoken desire.

Just as things were about to escalate, Lilah pulled back. "No, not here," she whispered, her voice laced with reason. "Everyone's waiting for us."

Indeed, this was not the place for such intimacy.

Gerard's deep eyes locked onto hers, filled with silent frustration.

"Do you have the heart to let me suffer this?" he sighed, pulling her onto his lap.

They lingered in the guest room for a long while. When they finally descended the stairs, something was amiss.

“I didn't plagiarize! What happened was a load of lies and slander. Why can't you believe me?"

Trey, once a gentle and sunny boy, now stood Like an angry lion, his eyes blazing with hostility as he glared at the young people confronting him.

These people, also there for some fun, were from the Research and Development Department of a rival company and were well-versed in Trey's past scandal.

They had invited Trey over under the guise of sharing experiences. As the evening wore on and the drinks flowed, the atmosphere turned rowdy.

A group of giggling girls had urged Trey to showcase some of the new perfumes. As he shyly began, a drunken young man, fueled by envy, sneered, "Why fawn over a plagiarist? Shameful!"

The atmosphere curdled instantly.