Just recalling the terrifying memory from a little while ago made Adel feel as if her whole body was stiffening.
If Christine hadn’t come back then……
“How did you come back?”
“I heard the bell.”
“It’s been a while since you left. Weren’t you far away?”
“My ears are sharp.”
“That’s impossible.”
Anyway, she didn’t know how lucky it was to have him on a day like today.
“First…… only until the house repairs are done.”
Adel carefully agreed.
“Of course. I won’t be around even if you hold me back then.”
And Christine handed her the warm milk.
“Drink it. You’ll sleep well. I added sugar.”
Adel was slightly surprised.
When she was young and couldn’t sleep, her mother would give her warm milk with sugar.
“You knew?”
“You told me. It’s instant when you can’t sleep.”
Was that so? He remembered it for sure.
“I’ll drink it well.”
Adel took the cup of milk with both hands. Just feeling the warm temperature in her hand made her feel drowsy.
As she sipped the milk, she met Christine’s eyes and awkwardly smiled.
“It feels like going back to when I was a child. You should try some too, Chris.”
After putting down the cup of milk, Adel cautiously offered a piece of pie.
“It won’t be as good as Mom’s, but it will be tasty.”
“That’s enough. Why [give] something made for someone else.”
“You may not believe it, but I actually kept baking apple pies to invite you. I wanted to invite you with a pie that tasted just like Mom’s.”
When Christine narrowed his eyes, she made a sulky face.
“If you don’t believe it, quit.”
“Make me believe.”
At his serious voice, Adel laughed bitterly.
“Actually, I…… didn’t make apple pies on purpose until now. Because it reminded me too much of the past……”
Because I might want to go back to that time.
Wishing for something impossible is too unhappy.
“Ah……”
Christine opened his mouth. As if asking to be fed.
“I fed you, so you feed me.”
“You didn’t feed me, you shoved it in.”
Despite saying so, Adel obediently put the pie in Christine’s mouth.
Chomp!
At that moment, he grabbed Adel’s wrist and took a big bite of the pie. Even Adel’s fingers ended up in his mouth.
“……!”
Startled by the hot sensation, Adel pulled her hand out.
“It’s better than I thought.”
Christine chewed on the pie vigorously.
But Adel’s fingers, brushed by his tongue, were burning.
“Aren’t you eating?”
“Yes, I’m eating……”
It was when Adel was sipping her milk.
Suddenly the milk cup slipped out of her hand. Christine snatched the cup she was drinking from.
Even more, he sipped from the side that had touched Adel’s lips. The milk stuck to the rim of the cup disappeared between his lips.
“……”
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
He asked as if it was strange. As if he knew nothing, so naturally.
“You’re the same as always. Drinking with milk on your lips.”
Adel wiped his lips with her finger, which was still warm.
Just like she always used to, naturally.
But just touching his lips with her finger made her heart pound. They were much softer and smoother than she thought.
She was confused by an unknown heat, and her cheeks blushed.
Why am I like this……
“You must be feeling the effects of the milk. You’re sleepy.”
Adel quickly pulled the blanket and lay down.
“아델, 나랑 함께 있을래?”
“괜찮아. 금방 잠들 거 같아.”
“그럼 갈게.”
“응, 오늘 함께 있어 줘서 정말 고마웠어.”
“짐은 가능한 한 빨리 가져오지.”
“으응.”
아델은 졸린 사람처럼 스르르 눈을 감았다.
‘정말 그와 함께 지내도 괜찮을까?’
그를 볼 때마다 이상해지는 마음을 들키지 않을 수 있을까?
“파이 말이야……”
순간 코앞에서 들려온 목소리에 아델은 놀라서 눈을 떴다.
그는 얼굴이 맞닿을 것처럼 가까이서 내려다보고 있었다. 그윽한 눈동자와 마주치는 순간 아델은 얼른 고개를 돌렸지만 소용없었다. 그녀의 뺨을 부드럽게 감싸며 그가 자신을 바라보게 했으니까.
내게서 눈 돌리지마, 아델.
그렇게 말하듯 온건하면서도 강압적인 손길이었다.
그리고 금방이라도 고개를 숙여 입맞춤해올 것만 같았다.
주술이라도 걸린 것처럼 그녀의 온몸에 힘이 풀렸다. 알 수 없는 열기에 현기증이 나는 것 같았다.
만일 그가 입맞춤해온다면 어쩌면……
초옥.
그의 입술이 아델의 뺨에 가볍게 내려앉았다가 떨어졌다.
“옛날에 먹었던 그 맛이야. 당신이 내게 처음 주었던.”
아델이 혼란스러운 얼굴로 바라보는 동안 크리스틴은 그대로 돌아섰다.
저벅저벅 그의 발소리가 멀어지고……
탁!
문이 닫혔다.
“하아아……!”
아델은 참았던 숨을 한꺼번에 내쉬며 움켜쥐었던 이불을 놓았다. 어느새 손안에 땀이 촉촉했다.
그러고 보니 크리스틴에게 처음 건네준 것이 애플파이였다.
그 맛을 기억하고 있었구나.
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저벅, 저벅……
어둠 속에서 묵직한 발소리가 울려왔다.
정신을 잃었던 이튼은 그 소리에 겨우 눈을 떴다.
“으읍! 읍!”
그는 자신이 의자에 결박된 걸 깨닫고 덜컥 겁이 났다. 하지만 입에 재갈이 물려 있어서 아무 말도 할 수 없었다.
아델의 집에서 도망치자마자 무언가가 목덜미를 내리치는 바람에 정신을 잃은 것이다. 그리고 눈을 뜨니 이렇게 묶여 있었다.
한스 부인의 파티에서와 똑같았다.
‘설마 바이스 백작이 또?’
그때와 다른 점이 있다면 어딘지 알 수 없는 곳에 끌려왔다는 것.
사방이 캄캄하고 여기저기 깨진 오색 유리를 보면 버려진 종교 시설 같았다.
‘왜 날 이런 곳에?’
그동안에도 어둠 속을 울리며 발소리가 점점 가까워졌다.
마침내 깨진 창틈으로 들이치는 달빛에 부츠를 신은 긴 다리가 드러났다.
겁에 질린 이튼은 저도 모르게 시선을 위로 들어 올렸다.
바이스 백작!
역시 그자였다.
때마침 불어온 바람에 크리스틴의 머리카락이 은빛으로 흩날렸다.
그 모습은 눈을 뗄 수 없을 만큼 아름다웠지만 섬뜩해서 소름이 돋았다. 아까 아델의 집에서 봤을 때와는 분위기가 또 달랐다.
아름답지만 웃음기 하나 없는 서늘한 표정.
만일 사신이 있다면 이런 모습이었을까?
When male lead is the homewrecker
“I know she doesn’t love him.”
I’ve read the novel below twice already. Girls, I’m highly recommending it to you!
The female lead? Not a good person.
The second male lead? Not a good person.
The male lead? Willingly plays the third party, breaking up the female and second male lead’s relationship despite all the warnings from his friends—so yeah, he’s definitely not a good person either.
Basically, nobody in this novel is simple-minded or without scheming.
The female lead starts off as the male lead’s secretary, but don’t worry—later on, she takes over the company while the male lead steps back to support her. He won’t steal her spotlight, overshadow her, or dull her shine.
I love novels where men are out here snatching wigs, tearing each other down, and going to war just to win the female lead’s affection. And this is exactly that kind of novel. Most of Hai Dai Ran’s works have this dynamic. You’ll see the male characters’ emotions being pushed to the absolute extreme.
There’s even a scene where the second male lead exposes the male lead online for being a homewrecker. The brotherhood immediately gangs up on him, dragging him through the mud. I find it compelling —it completely flips reality on its head, where usually, women are the ones fighting over a man and getting torn apart by the sisterhood.
For me, female leads in the novels I read should only struggle in their careers, not in love. But if the brainless romantics in the story are all men? I have zero complaints.
I’ve pretty much read all of Hai Dai Ran’s novels and even translated all of them—her works are just my thing. I’ll slowly upload everything here. One day, when my website is official, I hope I can invite her to join as one of the star authors.
Here’s the story synopsis:
One-line summary: She is his lifelong obsession, to the point where he was willing to be a third wheel, scorned by society, just to wedge his way into her relationship with her fiancé.
Cold-hearted and indifferent female lead + Scheming and subservient CEO male lead
Intro 1:
“I know she doesn’t love him.”
With blood trickling from his clenched fist, Rong Xiu gazed at the woman before him, his eyes clouded with anguish. Hidden in the wardrobe, he had witnessed Fan Xia – the woman he desperately loved – in an intimate embrace with her fiancé. Yet his heart still yearned for her, defying all reason.
Fan Xia, the elegant and composed assistant, carried something mysterious in her eyes whenever she looked at her fiancé, Wen Lan Sheng. Strange occurrences began to surface – secret meetings with the young Gu Jin Yi, an unexplained withdrawal of 5,000 yuan… Then suddenly, her fiancé’s sister, Wen Jing, violently attacked her.
In this matriarchal society, Rong Xiu had risen to become the chairman of a powerful healthcare conglomerate, breaking through gender prejudices. But for the first time, he willingly stepped into the shadows as the other man, disregarding his friends’ warnings to become her secret lover.
Because he had discovered the truth – Fan Xia wasn’t the pure angel everyone believed her to be. And perhaps, he was the only one capable of helping her execute her mysterious plan…
Intro 2:
Rong Xiu’s biggest regret in life was missing out on Fan Xia.
He secretly loved Fan Xia for 7 years.
Watched her go public with her boyfriend.
Watched her kiss her boyfriend at their wedding.
Until that man blissfully nestled in Fan Xia’s arms, obtaining everything he could only dream of.
The crazy jealousy stripped away his hidden secret love, layer by layer, burning like wildfire.
Fan Xia, how can I have you!
【Reading and Trigger Warning Guide】
1. Female dominant, male submissive, male pregnancy
2. Male lead schemes his way to the top, male competition
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Please help me, I want to bring you the best possible things.
If you find any chapter or novel with poor translation and editing quality, let me know by commenting directly under that novel or chapter. I will retranslate it as soon as possible.
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