Chapter 105: I Swear Nothing Happened!
Chapter 105: I Swear Nothing Happened!
The next morning, sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, painting warm golden patterns across the oversized bed.
Lucas stirred.
His eyelids felt heavy at first, but the lingering effects of the alcohol were gone.
Ever since his physical fitness had improved, his recovery speed had become noticeably faster. Despite everything he had drunk the night before, a single night’s sleep was enough to leave him feeling refreshed.
He rubbed his eyes and instinctively tried to sit up.
Only to realize that something was pinning him down.
Lucas frowned slightly and looked down.
The next second, every trace of sleep vanished.
His eyes widened.
Maya’s leg rested lightly across his waist, while both of her arms were wrapped around him as though he were a giant body pillow.
Her long dark hair spilled across the pillow and draped over his shoulder.
At some point during the night, the blanket had shifted, and her sweater had ridden up slightly, revealing a glimpse of her slender waist.
Lucas froze.
His mind went completely blank.
What was Maya doing in his bed?
No.
More importantly...
How did she even get here?
He quickly searched through his memories of the previous night.
Drinking.
The movie room.
Everyone getting increasingly drunk.
Passing out on the sofa.
After that...
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
Lucas carefully glanced down again.
Their clothes were perfectly intact.
Good.
That meant nothing inappropriate had happened.
He silently let out a breath of relief.
Still, the situation was dangerous.
Very dangerous.
If Maya woke up like this, there was a high chance she would misunderstand everything.
She might think he had taken advantage of her while she was drunk.
Wait.
Lucas blinked.
Why was he the one panicking?
This was his room.
His bed.
If anyone had wandered into the wrong place, it was her.
And he had been drunk too.
Realizing that, Lucas regained a little confidence.
Carefully, he turned his head and looked at Maya.
Up close, she was even more stunning than usual.
Her long eyelashes cast faint shadows across her cheeks.
Her breathing was soft and steady.
Without her usual composed expression, she looked younger.
More approachable.
A few loose strands of hair rested against her face, making her appear unexpectedly gentle.
Nothing like the confident student council president everyone knew.
More like a sleepy kitten that had accidentally found a warm place to curl up.
Lucas found himself staring.
No wonder she was one of the most popular girls on campus.
She really was beautiful.
For a brief moment, he forgot all about escaping the situation.
Just then, Maya shifted slightly.
Her arms tightened around him for a moment as she stretched lazily.
"Hmm..."
Her eyelashes fluttered.
Then her eyes slowly opened.
For a few seconds, she stared blankly at the ceiling.
"It’s morning already..."
Her voice was soft and sleepy.
Then she frowned.
"Where am I?"
She blinked.
"What is this... why is it warm?"
A second later, she looked down.
Her eyes widened instantly.
Then she looked up.
Straight into Lucas’s eyes.
For a brief moment, the room fell completely silent.
"Lucas?!"
Maya immediately sat upright.
Her face turned bright red.
"What are you doing here?"
The question left her mouth before she realized how ridiculous it sounded.
She looked around the room.
The giant bed.
The unfamiliar furniture.
The master bedroom.
Memories from the previous night slowly resurfaced.
Drinking.
Getting dizzy.
Wandering upstairs.
Finding a bed.
Then...
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
Her face grew even redder.
Lucas raised both hands helplessly.
"Relax."
"I drank too much too."
"Nothing happened."
Maya instinctively checked her clothes.
Everything was exactly the same as before.
Only then did she finally let out a breath.
Still, her heart refused to slow down.
She crossed her arms and looked away.
"I wasn’t worried."
Lucas raised an eyebrow.
"You checked pretty fast for someone who wasn’t worried."
Maya’s face burned even hotter.
"I just wanted to confirm my memory!"
The image of waking up in Lucas’s arms refused to leave her mind.
Then reality came crashing back.
Her engagement.
The family expectations resting on her shoulders.
The responsibilities she could never escape.
Maya stopped in the hallway and lowered her gaze.
No matter what had happened last night, she was still a woman expected to be engaged soon.
Even if she had never loved the man chosen for her, he deserved at least a basic level of respect.
And if anyone found out she had spent the night in another man’s bed...
The consequences would be disastrous.
If the engagement fell apart, her family’s company would lose its last chance to survive.
Without that partnership, the debts would crush everything her father had spent decades building.
The thought made her chest tighten.
Images of her father’s tired face flashed through her mind.
The sleepless nights.
The pressure he tried so hard to hide.
A wave of guilt washed over her.
"It’s all my fault..."
"If I were more capable..."
"If I didn’t rely on my family for everything..."
"Maybe things wouldn’t have come to this."
Maya hated how powerless she felt.
Then she thought about Lucas.
He was around her age.
No powerful family.
No connections.
Yet somehow, he had built a life most people could only dream about.
A successful career.
Financial freedom.
A confidence that came naturally.
Most importantly...
They had spent an entire night in the same bed, and he had never crossed a line.
Not once.
That kind of self-control was rare.
Especially considering the situation.
For some reason, that made her trust him even more.
A warm feeling quietly spread through her heart.
[Maya Favorability +5]
[Current Favorability: 40]
Hearing the system notification, Lucas felt satisfied.
At least Maya didn’t think less of him.
That had been his biggest concern.
Instead, her favorability had increased.
Which only left him even more confused.
Still, as long as her favorability continued to rise, that was good enough for him.
As Lucas remained in an awkward state, unsure of what else to say, Maya finally gathered herself.
"Lucas..."
She avoided eye contact.
"I’m heading back to campus."
"And... thank you for everything yesterday."
Her voice grew quieter toward the end.
Lucas smiled.
"No problem."
Maya nodded quickly.
For some reason, every time she looked at him now, her heartbeat sped up.
That wasn’t a good sign.
She couldn’t allow herself to think about him that way.
Not now.
Not when her future had already been decided for her.
Yesterday had already been reckless enough.
She needed to calm down.
She needed to remember reality.
Without another word, Maya hurried downstairs, rushed out of the villa, and flagged down a taxi.
She didn’t even look back.
Her hurried footsteps echoed through the hallway.
The noise woke Cardi, who was sleeping in the guest room closest to the stairs.
Still half asleep, Cardi rubbed her eyes and opened the door.
Just in time to see Maya running downstairs from the third floor.
From the master bedroom.
Cardi froze.
"...Wait."
Her sleepy expression vanished instantly.
She clearly remembered helping Maya into one of the guest rooms the night before.
So why was she coming out of the master bedroom?
Confused, Cardi leaned over the railing and looked downstairs.
The sofa in the living room was empty.
The blanket she had placed over Lucas the night before was folded neatly on the cushions.
Lucas was nowhere to be seen.
Then she heard footsteps behind her.
Turning around, she saw Lucas walking down from the third floor.
He wore a simple T-shirt and sweatpants, casually adjusting the collar of his shirt.
Seeing Cardi standing there, he greeted her naturally.
"Morning."
"You’re up early."
Cardi stared at him.
Then she looked toward the master bedroom.
Then back at him.
Her eyes widened.
The pieces clicked together all at once.
Maya.
The master bedroom.
Lucas.
The empty sofa.
"Oh my God..."
She pointed a trembling finger at him.
"You two last night..."