chapter435

Thalassa stirred in the quiet light of dawn, finding herself still held within a firm, proprietary embrace. The warmth and solid presence of the man beside her were a stark reminder of the emotional turbulence of the previous night.

She carefully extricated herself, moving with quiet resolve. In the bathroom, she let the warm water wash away the exhaustion, attempting to reconstruct the professional persona she needed to face the world.

When she emerged, Lysander was awake, his gaze unreadable but commanding. “It’s late,” Thalassa said, her voice steady. “I need to return to my professional duties.”

Her stomach betrayed her with a soft growl, breaking the calculated distance she was trying to maintain. Lysander gestured toward the room service cart that had just arrived. “You will dine before you depart. I require my staff to be at peak performance, not hindered by fatigue.”

Thalassa found herself unable to decline. As the attendant arranged the breakfast, she quickly gathered the scattered remnants of the previous night’s chaos, maintaining a final shred of decorum. Across the table, the atmosphere was thick with unspoken terms. Alongside the meal sat a glass of water and a small white tablet—a clear, clinical boundary. It was a silent contract, ensuring that their complex association remained strictly defined within the present.