All the test packets were finished. He flipped through the pages quickly. The neat, delicate handwriting was unmistakably Celine's. Every answer was correct. He had completed five test packets in an hour, and all had perfect scores. He pulled them off the desk.

“How could she pull that off?” the question clouded Adam’s mind as his gaze shifted to Celine, still sound asleep at the desk. Then, his voice cut through the silence, “Leo.”

Moments later, the office door opened, and Leo stepped inside. “Mr. Alvarez, what can I do for you?”

Adam’s tone sharpened. “Leo, I didn’t expect you to do something like this right under my nose.”

Leo blinked, caught completely off guard. “Mr. Alvarez, what did I do?”

Adam slammed the test packets onto the desk. “You let Celine cheat by giving her the answers!”

Leo froze, his mind racing. Then his thoughts practically screamed, “What? Mr. Alvarez, I didn’t do anything!”

But Adam wasn’t interested in hearing an explanation. To him, explanations were just excuses. There was no way Celine, with her current ability, could have completed five perfect test packets in an hour unless Leo had handed her the answers.

“Your salary is docked. Don’t let this happen again. Now get out,” Adam said curtly.

Leo stood there, utterly dumbfounded.

With a sigh of defeat and slumped shoulders, Leo left the office, thinking bitterly, “Why me? What did I even do?”

Adam had planned to wake Celine up and give her a thorough lecture, but the sight of her sleeping so peacefully gave him pause. Realizing how late it had gotten, he had no choice but to scoop her up into his arms.

Carrying her into his private lounge, he made his way to the bed. He’d been staying there the past few days. Carefully, he laid Celine down on the bed, tucking her in. He intended to leave immediately. But just as he turned to go, her arms suddenly wrapped around his neck. With surprising strength, she pulled him down onto the bed with her. And for the second time in just a few days, the two of them ended up in bed together.

Celine wriggled into his arms. Her delicate hands clung tightly to his neck as she snuggled closer, finding a comfortable spot against him before slipping back into a deep, untroubled sleep.

Adam lay there stiffly, his entire body tense. Even after days apart, she was still as clingy as ever, clinging to him tightly, not letting go.

Adam tried to pry her hands off him. “Celine, let go. We can’t sleep together like this.” Carly had made it clear that he wasn’t allowed to share a bed with her. But Celine didn’t respond.

Adam sighed, his sharp, handsome features softening with a trace of helplessness and frustration. Soon, sleepiness began to creep in, tugging at his resistance. He gave up. Resting his hand lightly on her delicate shoulder, he pulled her closer into his arms and closed his eyes.

Just then, his phone lit up. But Adam had put his phone on silent earlier. The call went unanswered, ringing again and again in vain until the screen dimmed back into darkness.

The next morning, Adam stirred, his eyes slowly fluttering open. A warm, boneless weight was still nestled against him. Celine hadn’t woken up yet.

Adam glanced at the clock on the wall. It was almost nine a.m. He rarely slept this late. Normally, he was up by six. Whenever he slept with Celine beside him, his sleep quality improved so much that he always…

Carefully, he tried to slip out from under her. He needed to get up and start his day. He tried to pull away, but Celine clung tighter to him, her arms wrapping around his body. Adam glanced down at her fair, delicate face, still relaxed in sleep. “Celine, I need to get up and go to work.”

In response, she burrowed deeper into his chest. She wiggled slightly and let out a sleepy, muffled whimper. It was a spoiled, almost petulant—the kind of girlish protest that felt like a dawn-out: “No,” sweet, teasing, and utterly disarming.