Chapter 1 The Clandestine Relationship

"Are you nervous?" The man's voice, husky and magnetic, drifted into Chelsey Howard's ears.

"Are you kidding me? Do you have any clue where we are?"

As Chelsey dodged, her body couldn't help but tremble, fingers gripping the sofa towel tightly.

The red flush on her cheeks only seemed to embolden the man further.

Footsteps shuffled outside the lounge; tonight was the Morris family's shindig, and the place was buzzing with activity.

Chelsey couldn't shake the fear of someone barging in at any moment.

She dared not utter a word, but the man seemed hell-bent on teasing her, almost coaxing a moan out of her.

In the glass reflection, his sharp features were etched, his eyes glinting with mischief as he observed Chelsey's startled expression.

"What got you so spooked?" He smirked, reveling in her reaction.

It wasn't until a voice greeted Kaden Morris nearby that he abruptly pinched Chelsey's waist, hastily concluding their escapade.

He withdrew, leaving Chelsey overwhelmed, collapsing onto the floor!

Luckily, there was a mirror nearby for last-minute adjustments; Chelsey gazed at her flushed face, clothes askew.

Standing behind her was Trevor Morris, elegantly dressed, exuding charm and sophistication.

Despite having an elder cousin, Trevor was the legitimate heir of the Morris family, a force to be reckoned with.

Trevor's gaze landed on the finger marks on Chelsey's waist. He tossed aside the handkerchief, lit a cigarette, and exhaled leisurely.

A faint glow emanated from the emerald ring on his left hand, cold and distant. The ring was rare and exquisite.

"I heard you've been looking at cars lately. Shall I get one for you?" Trevor offered.

"No need, I'll manage on my own." Chelsey put on her clothes, her fingers clenching with resolve as she avoided meeting his gaze in the mirror.

She knew Trevor was seething now; his attempts to rile her up had fallen flat, and her defiance only stoked the flames.

"Are you really planning to cut ties with me?" he asked.

Chelsey remained silent, her focus fixed on fastening her blouse, her knuckles turning white from the strain.

"Chelsey, you're something else," Trevor sneered, his gaze drifting away from her waist as he stubbed out the cigarette after a few puffs.

Still avoiding eye contact, Chelsey hastily retreated to the bathroom to tidy herself up.

As the lounge door creaked open and shut, she knew Trevor had left.

After a moment, when the flush had faded from her cheeks and no traces of their liaison remained, she emerged from the bathroom.

Entering the dining room, she found the guests already assembled.

Tonight's banquet held significance for the Morris family, their esteemed guests filling three grand round tables with animated chatter, but no one came up to talk to Chelsey.

Chelsey had no desire to engage with them either, preferring to keep her head down as she looked for her seat.

"Where have you been? I've been searching everywhere for you, and you wouldn't pick up your phone," her mother, Gabriella Morris, scolded, her grip firm on Chelsey's hand.

Chelsey discreetly pulled away, murmuring, "Didn't hear it, Mom!"

In truth, she had heard it, but Trevor's presence forbade any interruptions. Displeasing him would only invite further torment.

As Chelsey settled into her seat, a voice at the main table remarked, "Trevor, your sleeve is damp."

Trevor chuckled. "Yeah, it got wet a little earlier."

Chelsey couldn't shake the feeling that Trevor's gaze lingered on her after his comment.

Glancing up nervously, she noticed a small patch of moisture on Trevor's sleeve, barely discernible against the dark fabric.

She remembered how he had earlier grabbed her butt with the same hand, biting her ear and saying she was wet.

Chelsey's cheeks were burning again!

Trevor shrugged off his suit jacket, draping it casually over the back of his chair. Conversing with ease with those around him, he exuded an air of effortless charm, unchallenged in the Morris family hierarchy.

Well, Chelsey's was a different case altogether.

She had entered the Morris family through her mother's remarriage, Gabriella tying the knot with Trevor's uncle, Cary Morris.

So, in the Morris family, Chelsey was the odd one out; she was considered an outsider!

Gabriella wouldn't stop her constant chatter beside her.

"Kaden was already on edge, and here you are acting all reckless. Don't you realize today's a family gathering? Luckily, he has nothing against us."

Gabriella's remarriage had always set her apart, but things only got worse after Cary passed away, making them even more unwelcome among the Morris family.

Behind closed doors, the household staff whispered about Gabriella and Chelsey bringing bad luck to Cary.

So, Gabriella made it a point to strictly adhere to the Morris family's rules.

Chelsey had grown accustomed to it and paid little heed to her mother's complaints. In her mind, there was only one thing that mattered—Trevor's last significant words.

Her gaze occasionally wandered toward the table, where Trevor sat, bringing her back to that fateful night two years ago.

On the eve of her college graduation, she had gotten a little too tipsy with her classmates.

It was unlike her, considering she used to be a teetotaler. But fate had it that the Morris family was gearing up for marriage talks with Trevor.

Trevor, the man she had secretly admired for years, was unexpectedly at the same bar that night. Emboldened by alcohol, she approached him, asking him how she looked in his eyes.

Trevor gently freed himself from her grasp on his shoulder, a smirk playing on his lips. "What do you mean?"

Chelsey never imagined that she, the consistently compliant girl would act in such a disobedient manner. Trevor was, after all, her nominal cousin.

Chelsey, fueled by liquid courage, leaned in close, her words slurred. "To be yours, Trevor."

Trevor leaned against the wall, cigarette in hand, the smoke swirling around them. He looked at her with an enigmatic smile. "Are you brave enough?"

Without hesitation, Chelsey pecked his chin, boldly wrapping her arms around his neck. "Are you?" she challenged.

Trevor extinguished his cigarette without a word, his smile speaking volumes.

His eyes, with the play of light, appeared to be both an inferno capable of destroying everything and an incomprehensible chasm.

That night, she became Trevor's woman.

In the heat of the moment, Trevor whispered in her ear, "Remember what you said tonight, Chelsey."

But amidst the blur of alcohol-induced confessions, Chelsey couldn't recall which of her many declarations Trevor was referring to.

Afterwards, she couldn't shake the feeling of regret. Entangling herself with a man like Trevor was a dangerous game.

Their relationship had to remain clandestine, leaving Chelsey forever in the shadows, a secret lover.

She couldn't bear the thought of it.

But Trevor would eventually marry and have children. Rumor had it that Kaden Morris, his grandfather, had already picked out the perfect bride for him.

Trevor never acknowledged their relationship, silently accepting her as nothing more than a shameful secret. Chelsey couldn't dwell on it.

If their relationship was doomed to be unequal, she refused to play the part of the meek accomplice any longer.

So, last weekend, she mustered the courage to message Trevor, wanting to end their illicit affair.

But to this day, Trevor was yet to respond.

She went back to Morris Mansion in the evening and ran into him in the hallway. She bent her head to walk by him in the empty corridor, but he grabbed her wrist and dragged her into the lounge instead.

He seemed irritated by her by the look of it.

As the evening progressed, dishes were served one after the other, distracting Chelsey momentarily from her thoughts.

A wild salmon was brought in by a maid. All of the seafood for tonight came in from overseas. The smell of the salmon was irresistible.

Chelsey couldn't contain her discomfort. She grimaced involuntarily, unable to bear the smell. "Ugh..."