He stared at the ceiling, realizing it had all been a dream—a dream about Celine. Last night, she'd appeared in his dream. Adam's throat tightened, every muscle in his body tensing. His young, vigorous body was particularly sensitive in the early morning. Slowly, he slid his hand beneath the covers, surrendering to his desire.

The snow had fallen all night, and the group planned to go skiing that day. Everyone had gathered, but Adam was still absent.

"Where's Adam?" someone asked.

"I'll go get him," another offered.

Just as they were about to call him again, Adam emerged from his room.

"Adam, good morning," someone greeted.

His expression was unreadable, the cold air around him making him seem even more unapproachable than usual. He nodded slightly and replied, "Morning."

"Great, now that Adam's here, let's head to the ski resort," one of the seniors said.

As Adam joined the group, his eyes were drawn to Celine, who was standing with Randall. Randall was chatting with her.

"I sent you a message earlier. Did you see it?" Randall asked.

Celine smiled and nodded. "Yes, Randall. I saw it," she replied.

Adam let out a low, humorless laugh. "Randall, you have Celine's WhatsApp?" he asked sharply.

Randall nodded casually. "Of course," he said.

The seniors chimed in. "Adam, we all have Celine on WhatsApp. Don't you?" one asked with mild surprise.

Adam was silent. Everyone else had her WhatsApp—except him. She had added the entire group but deliberately left him out.

His mood soured as he turned his sharp gaze toward Celine. Celine felt the intensity of his stare and instinctively stiffened. Why was he looking at her like that? His glare was as oppressive as a thunderstorm. She hadn't added him because she had no intention of having any further issues with him.

"Let's get going, everyone," Celine said.

Half an hour later, they arrived at the ski resort. While everyone geared up, one of the seniors approached Celine.

"Celine, do you know how to ski?"

Celine shook her head. "No, I don't," she admitted.

"Randall, you'll take care of Celine then," the senior said with a smile.

"Randall's a fantastic skier. You're in good hands, Celine," another added.

After putting on his skis, Randall glided across the snow with effortless grace. After a few sleek turns to show off his skills, he stopped in front of Celine. He extended his hands to her.

"Celine, give me your hands. I'll teach you one-on-one today," he said warmly.

"Thank you, Randall," she said.

She gingerly placed her hands in his, and Randall led her into the skiing area. Adam, standing off to the side, observed the scene with a stormy expression. His eyes locked on their clasped hands, and his mood soured further.

Randall proved to be an excellent teacher, and Celine quickly picked up the basics. Before long, she let go of his hands and began skiing on her own.

Suddenly, a skier behind her lost control and headed straight for her. The person shouted in panic, "Move! Get out of the way!"

Celine froze in panic. She wanted to step aside, but as a novice, her feet refused to cooperate. Just as the skier was about to collide with her, a figure lunged forward and tackled her out of the way. Though the impact was avoided, both of them hit the snow and rolled down the slope in a tangled heap.