Sleepless night

Inside the guestroom

After only a few hours of sleep, Erick felt as though he had run for miles ever since he left Thea in his bed. The memory of their kiss kept him awake, and he wanted to take a cold shower for the nth time since he couldn't fall asleep.

He is now startled awake by the mouthwatering aroma emanating from the guest room, which makes him hungry.

He made the decision to investigate the source of the enticing smell.

Thea was busy cooking pancakes on the stove when Erick arrived at the kitchen corner.

Since his mother is ill and prefers to reside in their province to recover, Erick rarely receives visitors, and she only ever pays him a visit to his apartment.

With a faint smile plastered on his face, Erick leaned against the corner wall, his arms crossed across his chest, and his eyes glued on the woman who was happily cooking in his kitchen as though it were her own.

'She resembles an angel'

Thea's hair was in a sloppy bun and she was wearing a white robe and apron, which highlighted her elegance and simplicity.

Thea, on the other hand, is unaware that someone was enjoying observing her every move like a hawk, and she misses cooking as well as the delight she felt while preparing for Erick, her loving future husband.

She picked up her phone and turned up the music to brighten the atmosphere as she swayed her hips to the beat, raised both arms in the air, and made a running man gesture while holding a spatula. She was having fun and sang loudly, completely forgetting that she was not at home.

Erick was startled to learn that the famous and glamorous heiress of La Roche could sing and dance despite her inability to follow the music when he saw all of her awkward antics.

Not everybody is gifted.

Yet because it was such an uncommon sight, he finally gave in to his amusement and let out a low chuckle that reach Thea's ears.

"..."

Thea froze and turned back to find a man trying not to laugh staring at her with amused eyes. Her cheeks heated up, and she blushed in humiliation realizing that Erick had seen everything she had done.

Unknowingly taking a step back, she touches the hot pan with her finger and shrieks in pain.

Erick examined the slight burn scar on her finger and asked, "Are you okay? Did you hold it for too long? Is it painful?"

Thea shook her head at Erick because she believed he was genuinely concerned.

You don't have to worry about me, Erick; it's just a minor burn, so everything is alright.

Thea laughed quietly when Erick answered, "But that happened because of me."

When she thought of Erick seeing her singing and dancing, she added, "It's not your fault, I was simply surprised."

Erick insisted on making fun of her after noticing her red cheeks.

He said jokingly, "I'm sorry, I didn't plan to watch the renowned La Roche Heiress sing and dance, I'm also startled."

Thea wanted the ground to swallow her whole after hearing Erick's words out of embarrassment. Erick received a chest punch from her as she looked up at him.

She started punching Erick's chest and shouted, "Hey, don't you know, watching people is impolite."

After Thea punched him, Erick smiled and grabbed her hand.

"Well, that's my fault, I'm sorry,"

"Absolutely, I must punish you because it was your fault."

"What would be the punishment for me?"

Thea holds Erick's hand while flashing a cute smile.

"You must swear to me that you will forget all you witnessed today."

With a grin, Erick runs a finger over his dark hair.

"But, what I witnessed today is my favorite moment."

She scowled at him while pouting her lips, saying, "NO! You should forget everything."

"Alright, I swear that I didn't see the heiress of La Roche sing and dance today," Erick said, grinning at her endearing response.

"Hey, I told you to put it out of your mind."

He chuckled teasingly, "I already promised."

His laughing earned Thea a strong punch, which caused her to hiss in pain once more.

He held Thea's scorched finger and looked worriedly at her, "Stop punching Thea or you'll harm your finger, is it too painful?"

When he noticed that her eyes were wet, Erick clicked his tongue, gripped the finger that had been slightly burned, and breathed warm air into it. Thea's heart fluttered at his passionate gesture.

Erick was about to check Thea's burn finger but his eyes betrayed him instead stared at Thea's soft pink lips caught Erick's attention as he looked at Thea's face, and when she realized he was staring at them, she unconsciously licked her lower lips. The gesture was caught by Erick's sharp eyes as he continued to bring his head closer to Thea, who immediately blushed.

'Will he kiss me?' Thea thought.

She was curious and excited at the same time, while slowly closing her eyes in the process. Thea fiercely grabbed Erick's hand as their faces were just an inch apart, anticipating the hot kiss they had last night.

"ding..dong.."

"..."

"..."

"ding..dong...ding..dong."

"..."

"..."

Thea raised an eyebrow as Erick swallowed and turned his head aside.

The doorbell continued ringing relentlessly and Thea wondered, 'Is someone dying outside?' As the anticipated kiss never occurred, she screamed internally, 'I will punch that person in the face.' She thought.

Erick breathes out loud.

"I should see who's outside,"

Thea gave a nod. Nonetheless, disappointment was evident on her face. Erick chuckled after seeing her expression.

"To reduce the pain, you must first apply an ice cube to your hand."

Thea groaned and said, "Alright, but don't be late—we'll eat breakfast soon."

Erick nodded and then proceeded to see who the obnoxious individual that was spoiling their mood.

When Erick opened the door, his brows furrowed, his arms crossed to his chest, and he stared at the man who was waiting outside, who grinned at Erick's annoyed expression.

Erick asked fiercely, "YOU! what are you doing here?"