My Beloved Has Risen from Death’s Embrace

“Wait, no. Orion, don’t get me wrong. It’s not that I don’t want to introduce you to my family. But if Samuel sees us like this, he’ll kill you!” Her words made him pause

Xanthea continued to explain, “Our family has always been super strict. Even though Matthew and I have been dating for years, my parents and my brother never allowed us to hold hands or spend time alone outside. Especially Samuel; he’s super strict with me. If he sees me like this with you, he’d go berserk.”

As if womed he wouldn’t believe her, she added, “If you don’t believe me, you can ask my best friend. She works at a research institute now. And she saw how badly Samuel beat up this guy who tried to sneakily hold my hand once! I know he probably wouldn’t stand a chance against you, but I don’t want to see you guys clash. Don’t worry, once this situation is over, I’ll find the right time to formally introduce you to my family.”

Before she could finish, she heard the man’s deep, magnetic laughter close to her ear.

Xanthea: “?” Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

“Okay.”

Okay? Did that mean he agreed?

“Samuel is good.”

Huh? “Samuel is good“? Shouldn’t he be saying that she was “good“?

Orion stood up and began buttoning his shirt. The sound of the zipper caught her attention, and Xanthea quickly turned her eyes away. ashamed. She glanced down at her own disheveled state, her

clothes in disarray, with love bites across her chest, and several buttons missing. It was just too…

She hastily tidied her clothes and scampered off the sofa, looking around the office in confusion.

“Can I hide in your bathroom?”

“The bathroom lights are motion–activated. They’ll turn on automatically if someone’s inside.”

The wardrobe?”

“The built–in wardrobe is too small to fit you”

“Then, what should we do?”

“Knock, knock, knock.”

The knocking outside grew even more insistent. Cedric repeated his announcement again, this time with an edge to his voice that suggested they were barely holding Samuel back and he might burst in any moment now.

Xanthea’s heart was racing, her cheeks flushed, and she was as frantic as a cat on a hot tin roof. Meanwhile, the man next to her had a gentle, amused smile on his lips, clearly enjoying her predicament.

Noticing his amusement, Xanthea punched him lightly with her fist, “How come you’re still laughing! What should we do? Maybe you should go out and meet him?”

“If he’s here, he already knows you’re with me. Going out will only make it more suspicious–like I’m hiding you,”

“Under the desk.”

Brilliant!

Xanthea’s eyes lit up, and without a second thought, she dived under the desk.

She was too tall to fully crouch under the desk; neither squatting nor lying down worked. After adjusting several times, she finally settled in a cramped kneeling position.

From under the desk, her red, rose–like lips were positioned right where his office chair usually was. It looked as if… Orion’s brows furrowed, his veins pulsing as his suppressed desire surged, his dark eyes blazing as if he wanted to strangle her.

Oblivious to the danger, Xanthea cheerfully said, “Ori, you’ve got this! Make sure Samuel doesn’t find me!”