Stanley lifted his gaze, and there she was-a figure so delicate it seemed untouched by the dust of the world. Wendy had arrived.


    His thin lips pressed together in a tight line. "What are you doing here? Who told you toe?"


    Wendy stepped into the living room, closing the distance between them until she stood right in front of him.


    "Zayn!" Stanley called out, his voice sharp. "Zayn, where''s the girl I told you to prepare? Why isn''t she here yet?"


    Silence.


    No one answered him.


    Wendy remained quiet as well.


    Stanley tugged at the cor of his shirt, his frustration evident.


    "Get out," he snapped at her.


    Wendy lowered her long, delicateshes and met his gaze. "Fine. I''ll leave, then."


    She turned on her heel and started to walk away.


    The next moment, arge, well-defined hand shot out, gripping her slender arm with force. A low, gritted voice, dark with irritation, rang out. "Wendy!"


    Stanley was so angry he could barely contain it, her name escaping through clenched teeth.


    Wendy turned back to face him, hershes fluttering as she looked at him with a yful, almost mischievous glint in her eyes. "What do you want?"


    Stanley yanked her toward him, and her petite frame tumbled onto his solid thighs. His body burned like moltenva, the effects of the aphrodisiac incense having taken hold long ago. Only his sheer willpower had kept him going until


    now.


    Since returning to Imperial Garden, his eyes had turned bloodshot, and his consciousness had begun to blur.


    Now, with Wendy''s soft, fragrant body in his arms, Stanley buried his face in her hair, his lips seeking hers. Hisrge hand slipped beneath the hem of her clothes, exploring the warmth of her skin.


    Wendy''s delicate frame trembled slightly in his embrace, a hint of nervousness betraying her otherwiseposed demeanor.


    "Why are you shaking? Never been with a man before?"


    Wendy looked up at Stanley. His eyes burned with two flickering mes of desire, the mask of theposed, mature man stripped away. His gaze was raw, unapologetic and filled with a hunger that was both thrilling and intimidating.


    Did he always think of her as someone with a messy personal life, someone who had been with countless men?


    Was that why he treated her so casually?


    Wendy bit down on her red lip, her frustration bubbling over. She raised her hand, aiming to p his handsome face.


    But this time, she didn''t seed. Stanley caught her wrist in mid-air, his grip firm. With a swift motion, he pushed her down onto the sofa, hisrge, heated frame pinning her beneath him. "You''ve developed a habit,


    haven''t you? Try pping me again, and see what happens.


    Only she would dare to raise a hand against him.


    Wendy struggled beneath him. "Let go of my hand."


    Stanley released her wrist, but his hands moved to the buttons of her clothes, intent on removing them.


    "Stanley, wait. I can help you."


    Wendy''s fingers brushed against the needle she kept at her waist. She gripped it tightly, ready to press it into one of his pressure points.


    But Stanley was no ordinary man. He knocked the needle from her hand before


    she could act. "What are you trying to do?"


    The needle fell onto the carpet, and Wendy immediately reached for it. "My needle!"


    Stanley watched as she stretched out to retrieve it, her silky ck hair cascading like a waterfall, tangling around her slender, fair arms. Her profile was wless, her skin like porcin. She was undeniably beautiful.


    His gaze lingered on her, studying her with the intensity of a man appreciating a woman. Every man had his preferences, but before Wendy, Stanley hadn''t been sure what his type was.


    Jessica had been his treasure, his darling, Everyone assumed he was drawn to women as vibrant and striking as red roses. He had thought so, too.


    Until Wendy came along


    Somehow, she seemed to embody everything he found captivating. Her ethereal beauty often left him unable to look away.


    Stanley''s eyes remained fixed on her snow-white, oval face as his hands moved to the ck belt around his waist. With a sharp tug, he undid it, the sound cutting through the tension in the room. His heavy, heated body pressed down on her, trapping her in his embrace.


    He leaned over her, his voice low as he murmured her name "Wendy."


    Wendy''s fingers brushed against the needle on the carpet. She was so close to grabbing it.


    But then, she felt the hem of her skirt being pushed up.