Now, only Serena and Nicholas were left in the large hall.
Serena focused on her oatmeal.
Just as he always did at the villa, the man naturally sat across from her, pulled on a pair of gloves, and began peeling shrimp for her.
There were eight in total. After peeling them, he arranged them on a small plate.
Next, he took an egg and peeled it for her.
As Serena was eating, she paused and gently pursed her lips.
He naturally brought a glass of water to her mouth.
Serena blinked, her eyelids lifting to see his devastatingly handsome face so close to hers.
For some reason, she felt her ears growing warm.
As a flush crept up her neck, her mouth suddenly went dry.
Without thinking, she drank from the glass he held.
It was still dry.
She lowered her head and took a few more sips.
Until the glass was empty.
Serena leaned back slightly.
Her gaze happened to fall on the man's well-defined fingers holding the glass, which seemed to catch the light.
It was a bit dazzling.
She couldn't help but swallow hard.
Seeing this, the man stood up and poured her another glass, his eyes falling on a cold dish she had just sampled. "Too salty?"
Serena shook her head. "That's enough."
After a pause, she added, "It's not salty."
She lowered her head and continued to eat.
With all the peeling done, Nicholas settled back, leaning slightly forward with his elbows on the table. He propped up his chin, his bewitching eyes watching Serena quietly.
The tender affection in his eyes was practically overflowing.
It was honestly a bit scorching.
For Serena, who usually believed that nothing was more important than a meal, his stare was making her feel a little flustered, her ears turning slightly hot.
She tightened her grip on the spoon, then lowered her gaze and switched to her fork to break the tender, romantic atmosphere.
"How is the wound on your back?"
Nicholas rested his chin in his hand, his enchanting eyes curving upward, a seductive arc at the corners.
He smiled, his voice drawling with a lazy, roguish charm. "Mm... not so good."
The girl's movements paused, and she lifted her gaze to look at him.
The man cupped his ridiculously handsome face and sighed dramatically. "Without Ghost Doctor personally changing the dressing, it's healing very slowly. It... still hurts a bit now."
As he spoke, he even let out a deliberate hiss, as if in great pain.
Serena was speechless.
He hadn't mentioned any pain all this time.
And now that she asked, it started hurting?
Serena really wanted to press her hand firmly on his back to see if he was just showing off or actually in pain.
Seeing the girl roll her eyes at him, the smile at the corners of Nicholas's eyes deepened, and even his lazy drawn-out tone rippled with amusement. It really hurts you don't believe me, Serena, you can see for yourself."
As he spoke, his well-defined fingers moved to the buttons of his open shirt.
One by one, he began to unbutton them.
"Mmm... this is a badge of honor I earned for saving you, Serena. You have to take responsibility for it.” Her name rolled off his tongue, an intimate caress.
His drawling tone made one's heart tremble.
Serena just watched as he unbuttoned his shirt, one button at a time, revealing a stretch of pale skin, then the smooth lines of his chest muscles...
Serena was at a loss for words.
She put down her fork and watched him with a deadpan expression.
Until the man's fingers landed on the button that would reveal his abs.
He stopped.
The contrast between his long, elegant fingers and the deep red button was exceptionally captivating.
Serena raised an eyebrow. "Why'd you stop?"
Nicholas's thin lips curled into a lazy smile.
His finger hooked tantalizingly around that single button and pulled it down slightly.
A faint outline of his abs became visible...
He smiled. “For the rest... why don't you continue, Serena?"
Serena's grip on her spoon tightened.
She stared deeply at the man's cool, almost demonic face and said flatly, "Nicholas, if it weren't for your exceptionally handsome face, whe you're doing right now would be considered perverted."
Nicholas's smile grew even more brilliant, his eyes shimmering. "Isn't the dark and brooding male lead popular these days? Maybe if I change my style, I'll be even more popular?"
Serena's temple throbbed. "You need to delete those trashy romance novels from your phone before the esteemed heir of the Blackwood family gets his brain completely rotted by them!"
"I can't," Nicholas said, his gaze
deepening, a faint smile dancing in his shimmering eyes. "The poisone has gone too deep. I've been poisoned by something called
Serena. It's a terrpmnal ilhess withe
no cure."
His low, magnetic voice seemed to whisper directly into her ear.
Like a lover's murmur.
Serena fell silent.
She took a deep breath, raised her hand, and pressed it firmly against the man's face, which was far too close.
She pushed him away.
With a completely deadpan expression, she stared at him. “Nicholas, you're just as cheesy as the male leads in those novels."