Did you not miss me?

Selene Ashcombe.
A faint smile, unnoticed even by himself, hung on Theron’s lips.
The lingering effects of the terrible nightmare had vanished.
How frantically he had immersed himself in work to bring forward the day he would see her, even by a single day.
Lysander, seeing Theron working through the flood of work after the investment was confirmed, sleeping only two or three hours a day, had asked if he was being chased by a debt collector.

“If it’s urgent, I’ll lend you some. But I’ll take interest.”
“Don’t talk nonsense.”

Theron, while retorting to Lysander, had a brief thought.
That Selene Ashcombe was indeed more fearsome than a debt collector.
She, being unpredictable, seemed like she would create a new observation subject while he wasn’t looking and declare their farewell.
Just the thought of it made his jaw clench and his mouth shut tight.
‘Says who. Who says you can dump me, Selene Ashcombe.’
Even just for the effort he had put in so far, that could never happen.
‘It’s ridiculous. How much I’ve suffered because of that woman.’
Thanks to the fantasy that whipped him, Theron was able to exert superhuman stamina and concentration to get the work done.
Even though he had worked like a dog all this time and had slept comfortably in his mansion for the first time in a long time yesterday, he was not in good condition because of the crappy dream, but whatever.
Because he was finally going to meet Selene today.
The meeting place was, as always, the ducal estate.
Although there had been various bad things that happened there before, Theron no longer cared much.
Even if the fountain in the garden brought back bad memories, even if he had to pass through the luxurious piano room, even if he happened to hear Selene’s piano performance again, none of it mattered anymore.
It just became that way, whether he had gotten used to it or it was the magic of time.
In particular, his attitude towards the piano was clearly different from before.
Whenever the word ‘piano’ came out of Selene’s mouth, he would act like a sulky child, but after playing the piano together, that resistance had somewhat disappeared.
‘Her piano skills were quite decent, after all.’
Theron recalled the day he had happened to hear Selene’s piano performance.
He had been late for their appointment and had rushed to the ducal estate, but he had stopped in his tracks at the sound coming from the piano room.

“It’s a piece I’ve only been practicing for less than a month. I haven’t memorized it completely yet.”

Although Selene had said that, her performance was undeniably excellent.
So much so that he was momentarily dazed by the sight of Selene playing the piano and couldn’t even make a sound to announce his arrival.
And to the extent that he thought that if she was a woman who could play that well in just a month, she could have won the competition without borrowing Colonel Orlando’s hand.
However, the reason that thought didn’t continue deeply was probably because she had made an unexpected proposal.

“If there’s a piece you remember, would you like to try playing it?”

Theron vividly remembered that moment when he had sat on the piano stool he had hated to even look at again, as if possessed.
Do-re-mi-fa-sol, a thrill ran through him at the white keys he had pressed after a long time.
His heart was pounding as if startled by the piano he had thought he could no longer get close to, and should not.
That abnormal beating of his heart intensified as he became conscious of Selene’s smile and their close bodies.
So much so that he felt a little resentful when she moved away after the short lesson.
At the same time, the more he played the etude, the more his fingertips tingled with the desire to play the jazz piece engraved in his body.
But that was not wise.
There would be no more foolish act than to get involved halfway.
Today would drag him into a deeper abyss.
Like the mayflies of a summer night, flailing at a light they could not reach.
Still, Theron did not rate the time he had spent playing the piano with Selene badly.
Because the second kiss was perfect enough to make him forget things like the longing he had briefly felt for the piano, or Selene, who seemed like she would use stiff, formal language with him for the rest of her life while speaking comfortably to Logan or whatever his name was.
It was a kiss that tickled his heart.
A kiss that started while they were tapping the keyboard side by side as if playing house.
Even though her eyes and expression were so cold, her mouth and tongue were surprisingly warm, giving him a deeper satisfaction than before.
Unlike the first kiss, which had been dull, her breathing was quite fast and her tongue’s reaction was active, so he could feel her much more intensely.
There might also be the reason that Selene’s clumsy kiss had become somewhat skilled, as if she had learned in the meantime.
‘It’s not good to learn things like that quickly.’
‘What am I supposed to do if the woman who already has me wrapped around her finger becomes good at kissing too?’
‘Wouldn’t I be staring at Selene’s lips even more like a crazy person than before?’
However, the well-fed worry he had for a moment disappeared when Selene groped his chest.
As her slender fingertips touched a sensitive spot beyond the thin fabric of his shirt, Theron’s erection stood up without a fight.
Although he managed to stop the kiss with superhuman patience, Theron was still dizzy just thinking about that moment now.
If he had caught his senses even a second later, this hand, which was out of control, would have…
Theron swallowed hard even as he imagined it.
Damn it.
Just imagining the sensation on his hand made his lower body stiffen, and Theron took a quick, deep breath.
His car was slowly approaching the ducal estate, and if he looked at her chest with such lewd eyes after meeting her for the first time in a while, Selene might see him as a pervert.
No, he might already be a pervert.
A degenerate who gets an erection at the drop of a hat only for Selene Ashcombe.
However, as the familiar exterior of the mansion came into view in the distance, Theron had to straighten his dazed eyes.
‘Get a grip.’
‘No matter how excellent her piano skills are, that woman is a hypocrite who bribed the judges of a competition, and no matter how much my lower body reacts, all I want is money.’
‘Although I keep inadvertently revealing my true self that I should be hiding in front of that woman, the real purpose must never be revealed.’
Finally stopping the car at the main gate of the mansion, which was largely engraved with the ducal family’s crest, Theron let out a deep breath as if to calm his excited erection.
It was time to meet Selene.

A cool breeze blew through the open window.
It meant that the chilly season was approaching, when people who complained about the heat would soon miss that season and bundle up.
Selene, standing by the window, saw a leaf that had fallen early.
Although Selene, who didn’t have much sensitivity to the seasons, didn’t feel much other than hot and cold, she seemed to know for sure that the Nordica International Competition was one step closer.
Nevertheless, she was not anxious because her performance was gradually improving.
‘Although what grandmother said is a little bothersome.’
Since her grandmother had never pressured her about marriage before, that day’s conversation had made Selene quite embarrassed.
Selene, who was dreaming of studying abroad across the far sea, being recognized as an outstanding pianist, and traveling the world’s concert halls to perform.
But Selene decided not to think deeply about it.
Her grandmother seemed not to hate Evelyn, even though she was not on good terms with Uncle Orlando, and if Evelyn had a child first, she might change her mind and pass the title to that side.
In the meantime, if she regularly met with Theron Cox and deceived her eyes, there would be no immediate trouble until the upcoming competition.
“Good morning, Miss Selene.”
Just then, Theron Cox arrived at the mansion.
Selene felt a little pleased to see Theron’s sparkling face after a long time.
It was probably because she believed he would give her new inspiration.
After playing the piano together, she felt like she had gotten to know the person named Theron Cox a little better.
“You’ve become more beautiful since I last saw you, Miss Selene.”
Although it seemed like he often lied to her.
It was the same now.
Theron was looking at her eyes.
Although he would occasionally stare at her lips, men who were simply captivated by her face would usually look at her with more dazed eyes.
In that sense, Theron’s compliment about her appearance now was closer to a customary remark to please a woman.
But it didn’t feel bad because she felt she knew that he hadn’t fallen in love with her at first sight just because of her face.
It meant he wasn’t a pathetic person who confessed his love after falling for just a face.
“I’ve missed you very much, Miss Selene.”
Theron spoke again.
“I see.”
“How about you, Miss Selene?”
‘What?’
As Selene stood blankly without answering, Theron asked with an embarrassed look.
“Haven’t you missed me?”