Chapter 1

"Miss Anderson," Henry Bryan Kingston said, trading Noelle a nod toward a door. Just as he was about to knock, it suddenly swung open.

Instead of the smooth-talking, charming Nicolas everyone had been gossiping about, the person who appeared was a young woman. Her clothes were a little messy, her hair tousled and falling around her shoulders in loose waves.

"Mr. Kingston," the woman said, throwing a playful glance at the two of them.

"Ms. Clark," Bryan responded, giving her a polite nod. He then looked over at Noelle, curious to see how she'd react to this unexpected scene. It didn't take a genius to figure out what had just happened behind that door.

But what Noelle did next took everyone by surprise. Without missing a beat, she stared at Miriam Clark, her cheeks flushed slightly, leaned in, and whispered, "Miss, you might want to fix that. Your underwear's hanging out." She kept her voice low, but everyone could hear her loud and clear.

Bryan and Miriam were both at a loss for words. It was clear Noelle had a totally different way of seeing things.

After a brief, awkward silence, Miriam let out a laugh. She quickly adjusted her clothes, gave Noelle a playful pat on the shoulder, and smirked, "You're a little firecracker, huh?" Without waiting for Noelle to say anything back, she turned and walked out, her hips swaying.

"Miss Anderson, Mr. Sawyer is probably still in the bath. Please, make yourself comfortable inside," Bryan said, offering her a small, polite smile.

"Alright," Noelle replied, stepping into the room. She turned back and asked, "Mr. Kingston, you not coming in?"

"I'll leave you to it." Bryan nodded and gently closed the door behind him.

The large room was now empty, except for Noelle. She sat on the edge of the bed, tapping her fingers on the mattress while waiting for Nicolas to make an appearance. About ten minutes later, the bathroom door creaked open.

A tall man wrapped in a white bathrobe emerged from the steam, droplets of water sliding down his sculpted face. They traced his collarbones before disappearing beneath the robe. There was something so effortlessly sexy about him – lazy and teasing, making it almost impossible not to stare. Noelle couldn't tear her eyes away.

This guy… is fucking gorgeous, she thought. Sure, her brothers from the Anderson family were good-looking too, but this guy? He was in a whole other league.

Staring into Noelle's wide, unblinking eyes, Nicolas' lips curved into a lazy grin. His voice, deep and magnetic, had a certain relaxed charm to it. "So, you're Vincent Anderson's real daughter, huh? Noelle Anderson?"

Noelle snapped out of her daze and nodded quickly. "Yep, that's me!"

"Did you just see Miriam?" he asked, keeping the conversation going.

"Are you talking about the lady who just stormed out of your room?" Noelle asked, her curiosity piqued. "Yeah, that one. I saw her. She was rushing out, all disheveled, didn't even bother fixing herself up, but I pointed it out to her," Noelle said, sounding dead serious.

"Really?" Nicolas chuckled, but his eyes showed a flicker of surprise. That was not quite the reaction he expected. He watched her more closely now, his interest clearly growing.

He took a few steps toward her and leaned in, giving her an easy, almost mischievous grin. "So, what do you think about all that?"

"What do you mean, what do I think?!" Noelle tilted her head, clearly confused.

Nicolas, standing right in front of her, leaned in with smooth, effortless grace. His face was barely inches from hers as he casually said, "I've already slept with her. What's your take on that?"

"You… you two…" Noelle blinked in shock, then asked bluntly, "You already did it in the middle of the day, and you can sleep at night?"

Nicolas was completely at a loss for words. This girl is so damn innocent, it's almost painful, he thought, feeling a mix of disbelief and amusement. He took a deep breath, clearly deciding on something.

Without any warning, he leaned in, pinning Noelle against the soft bed. She barely seemed to notice the danger as she looked up at him, now hovering over her. Her eyes were full of confusion.

"Why are you on top of me?"

Nicolas exuded a relaxed, seductive vibe, his body drawing closer to hers. He spoke slowly, his voice thick with temptation. "Miss Anderson, it seems like you don't know much about these things. I figured I'd show you a few pleasures only grown-ups understand."

If it were any other woman with a bit of fire, she would've slapped him and walked out. If it were a more sensitive woman, she'd probably be crying by now. If it were one of those women familiar with such things, they wouldn't have run off or broken down in tears; they'd be too caught up in the moment.

But Noelle? She was none of that. As soon as she heard the words "pleasures only adults understand," her eyes practically sparkled with excitement. "Wait, is it what I think it is! You mean, like, having sex?!" She didn't get the whole "sleeping" thing, but sex – yeah, she was all over that.

Seeing the eager look on Noelle's face, Nicolas couldn't help but blink in disbelief. This girl's mind is on another planet. He'd originally meant to scare her off with this, thinking he'd use it to cancel the engagement with the Anderson family. But now? Things were definitely not going the way he planned.

"How do we do it? Come on, hurry up!" Noelle said eagerly, then suddenly flipped him over and pinned him to the bed. She straddled him, hands reaching for his bathrobe, and asked, dead serious, "Do we need to take off our clothes first?"

In her eighteen years, Noelle had dabbled in a lot of things and excelled at just about every one of them. She had reached the top in almost every field. But because of her age, the mysterious man trapped in her necklace had strictly forbidden her from anything related to sex. Now that she was of legal age, and the timing couldn't be better, Noelle had made up her mind to seize the moment and experience everything she'd been told to avoid until now.

Nicolas never expected this girl to be more impatient than any man he'd ever met. Holding onto his bathrobe like his life depended on it, he gave a sarcastic smile and said, "Do you even get it? I just had physical contact with that woman, and you don't care? Doesn't it gross you out?"

"I don't mind!" Noelle responded, her face completely innocent. "And besides, you just showered, so you're not dirty!"

Nicolas froze, his mind utterly blank for a second. What the hell is this girl on about? His eyes widened, and he stared at her in stunned disbelief. He couldn't even form a coherent thought in the moment. This girl's brain works on a whole different level. Totally out of left field, he thought.

"And… how the hell is she so strong!" Nicolas was genuinely shocked to realize he couldn't overpower this tiny girl on top of him.

As he felt himself on the brink of losing control, he took a deep breath and said, his voice low and warning, "If you don't stop right now, I'm not teaching you that thing anymore." He figured this strange girl had no clue what he was talking about.

Sure enough, the moment the words left his mouth, Noelle immediately stopped. She pouted, clearly frustrated, and asked, "Why do I have to stop! Didn't you say you were gonna teach me?"

Finally breaking free from her grip, Nicolas casually sat her up on the bed, brushing off her question with a lazy, indifferent tone. "Too tired. Can't teach you right now."

"What?" Noelle's face instantly fell into disappointment. "So when can you teach me then?"

Now Nicolas was really starting to feel exhausted. Noelle always had such a refreshingly bizarre way of thinking. She was completely different from everyone else. He glanced down at Noelle, still sitting on his lap like she was completely at ease. She was still clutching his bathrobe, looking all delicate and sweet. When she was quiet, she looked like a perfectly posed doll, but the moment she opened her mouth, everything changed.

For some strange reason, a new, unfamiliar feeling surged inside him. Suddenly, he found himself intensely curious about her. A slow, amused smile spread across his lips, and his voice softened as he said, "You, little weirdo, are one hell of a unique oddity."