Before I met him, Carter Hayes had never dated a C-cup before. He thought my body wasn't good enough, thought I was plain and boring. Relying on the fact that I wouldn't dare break off our engagement, he openly paraded his flings around town. For the sake of fairness, I cheated too. The day after I slept with a handsome stranger, something huge happened at my fiancé's estate. The antique statue his family had worshipped in their private chapel for generations disappeared. Over the phone, my fiancé told me: The guardian spirit's name was Silas Thorne. Wait a minute. I looked at the handsome guy in front of me, his chest covered in hickeys. "What did you say your name was again?" "Silas Thorne. Didn't he just tell you on the phone?" The handsome guy smiled at me. 1 The night before his birthday, Carter invited a bunch of friends over to his estate. We were playing a drinking game. The "King" dared a guy and a girl to kiss with a napkin pressed between their lips. Since Carter was the birthday boy, the King cut him some slack. He told Carter he could pick any girl in the room. Everyone started cheering and immediately looked at me. I was Carter's fiancée. Everyone knew that. Carter wore an ambiguous smile as he scanned the room. Finally, his gaze landed right next to me. "Chloe Davis. I choose you." My name isn't Chloe Davis. Chloe was my college roommate. 2 Being singled out, Chloe looked thrilled. But she quickly forced the corners of her mouth down, playing coy. "Me? I don't know..." Carter smirked. "I'm the birthday boy. What I say goes." Chloe happily stood up, standing bashfully in front of Carter. It wasn't until their bodies were practically pressed together that she turned her head to ask me: "Hazel, this is just a game. You don't mind, right?" Before I could answer, Carter beat me to it: "She wouldn't dare." His cold, dismissive gaze swept over my face for a split second. It felt like a slap. I stood up calmly. "You guys have fun. I'm going to the bathroom." After leaving the living room, I heard wave after wave of cheering and catcalls. They were definitely kissing. And for quite a while, too. I felt a little sick, staring at myself in the bathroom mirror. Carter was right about one thing. I didn't dare. My engagement to Carter was arranged by my family. Our family business had been tanking for years. We weren't just bankrupt; we were drowning in debt. My parents were desperate, and they finally managed to hook the wealthy Hayes family. As long as I married Carter, they would inject capital and bail us out. At the time, my dad actually fell to his knees, crying. "The whole family's survival rests on your shoulders." I said fine, but only if you leave your assets to me in the future, instead of giving everything to my younger brother. My dad, who had favored his son his entire life, shockingly nodded. It was only after the engagement that I found out the truth. Carter hated me. Before me, he had dated countless girls. Every single one was a bombshell, curvy and gorgeous with long legs. Just like Chloe. In contrast, I had plain features and a slender, unassuming figure. I wasn't his type at all. After washing my face, I was just about to head back to the living room. Then I heard Carter's voice from the hallway. "Hazel? She's boring as hell. Even if every other woman on earth died, I still wouldn't like her." Someone asked, "Then why agree to the engagement? Even if your parents pushed for it, if you said no, they couldn't force you." "Because she's obedient." Carter let out a scornful scoff. "Once I marry her and stick her in the house, she won't dare keep tabs on me. I can play around outside all I want." I stopped in my tracks, listening in silence. The mocking laughter continued. I raised my eyes and suddenly looked down the end of the grand hallway. A heavy mahogany shrine stood elevated in a private alcove. 3 The Hayes family was incredibly superstitious. They had worshipped a guardian spirit for generations, showing absolute devotion. Rumor had it that this spirit blessed them with endless prosperity. And it seemed to be true. Generation after generation, the Hayes family had been wildly successful. Back when they agreed to the marriage, aside from eyeing my dad's remaining assets, they had also consulted a psychic about my astrological chart. They said it was a perfect match. I walked quietly toward the shrine. The smooth, antique wood glowed with a timeless aura in the dim light. A statue sat squarely in the center. Backlit by a stained-glass window, its face was obscured. Carter had mentioned that this wasn't some mainstream deity. It was a colonial-era general, an ancestor who had sworn to protect their bloodline. I quietly put my hands together. Founder of the Hayes family. I hope one day, I can make Carter feel the exact same pain he's causing me. After making the wish, I let out a self-deprecating laugh. Wishful thinking, wasn't it? This was the Hayes family's personal patron spirit. Why on earth would it listen to me? But... did the shrine just flicker? It must have been my imagination. 4 By the time the party ended, it was late. Carter said he was going to drive Chloe back to campus. I didn't go back. Since tomorrow I was expected to act as the dutiful fiancée and join his family in offering prayers at the shrine, I was staying the night at the estate. He said he was just dropping her off, but by 11 PM, Carter still wasn't back. Instead, I got a text. Carter: [Buy a box of condoms and send it to Room 901 at the Grand Plaza Hotel.] Wasn't he just dropping her off? Why were they at a hotel downtown? I opened Instagram. Sure enough, Chloe had just posted a selfie. [Had such a great time today. I feel like such a spoiled princess! ~] In the corner of the selfie, I could clearly see the hotel's white bedsheets and Carter lying on the bed. Carter: [Hurry up. Just leave it at the front desk, the robot will bring it up.] It had started raining outside. I held an umbrella and walked to a nearby convenience store. It was my first time buying something like this, and I felt a little awkward. Cashier: "Just the one box?" "No." Driven by some inexplicable impulse, I grabbed another. "Two." I dropped one box off at the front desk. I kept the other box in my pocket. I didn't even know why I bought it. What was I going to do, blow balloons with them? While my mind was wandering, something strange on the sidewalk caught my eye. A bizarre man was standing in the pouring rain. He was dressed in full historical colonial garb, his long, ink-black hair cascading down his back, holding an antique paper umbrella. People walking by were staring, casting all sorts of weird looks his way. But he acted as if he couldn't see them, standing tall and straight like a lone pine tree. The moment I saw his face, I couldn't look away. He was strikingly handsome, but there was a sharp, lethal aura about his brow that gave him a fierce, commanding presence. I walked up and struck up a conversation. "Cosplay?" He looked down at me, his eyes like cold silver moonlight. "That outfit looks expensive. Must have cost a lot to make. Is there a convention today?" He didn't answer. I squeezed the little box in my pocket. I didn't know where the courage came from, but I invited him. "Want to come upstairs and hang out for a bit?" 5 I got a room with the guy. Room 902. Right next door to Carter. Once the door closed, I realized his long hair was real. The texture was incredible. Like spilled ink. "Hazel." He suddenly called my name. I jumped. "How do you know my name?" He didn't answer. I figured he must have seen it when I was checking in at the front desk. "What exactly do you want me to do, Hazel?" His voice was deep. When he said my name, it sounded absurdly good, sending a jolt of electricity straight to my brain. "Do something adults do." "Are you sure?" "Do you have a girlfriend?" "No." "Then it's fine. Wait here, I'm going to take a shower..." "Let's shower together." His words caught me completely off guard. Ten minutes later, we were standing together under the showerhead. I was incredibly awkward. I didn't dare look at him, let alone face him head-on. I just prayed the steam would fill the room and blur everything... Suddenly, he hugged me from behind. My whole body stiffened, a tingling, desperate craving washing over me. "Are you afraid?" "Yeah..." "Don't be. I'm very clean." It all started with a kiss. A gentle, damp kiss. The bathroom tiles were freezing against my burning back. "My name is Silas. Remember that. My name is Silas Thorne." He whispered into my ear. My rationality had already mostly fled the building. Because of that, I didn't stop to think—where had I heard that name before? Just as things were getting intense, Silas tore open the packaging. I sobered up a little, suddenly unable to cross that final mental hurdle. I gritted my teeth and said, "Maybe we shouldn't. Actually, let's just forget it..." I didn't even finish my sentence. A noise suddenly came through the wall. It was definitely coming from 901. It was an unmistakable rhythm, and it was getting louder by the second. "Do you still want to forget it?" Silas asked me. I stared blankly for a second. "No. Keep going." 6 The next morning, I was woken up by Carter's phone call. "Where are you?" He sounded frantic. From the looks of it, he must have gone back to the estate and realized I wasn't there. Today was his birthday, and there was serious family business to attend to. My brain slowly booted up. "I'm outside—" "Don't you want to sleep a little longer?" Silas suddenly spoke up. Carter heard it and instantly got suspicious. "Hazel, is there someone next to you?" "Ah, no one." I frantically signaled Silas to be quiet. But he acted like he didn't understand my frantic waving. He pulled me close, leaning right up to the phone. "Were you satisfied last night?" I highly suspected Silas did that on purpose. Even through the phone, I could feel Carter freeze completely. "I heard a man's voice. Who is talking?!" "No one, I'm just out for a walk. You heard wrong." I slapped my hand over Silas's mouth. His eyes curved into a sly smile, his thin lips brushing against my palm as if tracing the lines of my hand. Carter couldn't even focus on that anymore. He panicked, "A walk? Something massive just happened, and you're in the mood for a walk?!" "What happened?" "The statue in the shrine is gone!!!" 7 I threw my clothes on, rushing to head back to the Hayes estate. Behind me, Silas spoke with complete nonchalance. "It's just a missing statue." "That's an incredibly important artifact. How can you say 'just'?" "Important?" Silas grew serious. "You don't believe in it, and it has never protected you. Yet you think it's important?" "Of course." Silas didn't say anything else, just watched quietly as I left. When I rushed back to the estate, the atmosphere was thick with tension. The entire family was kneeling in front of the shrine, no one daring to breathe. Carter was supposed to be the center of attention today. For the statue to vanish on his birthday was an unimaginably bad omen. I tiptoed over and knelt beside Carter, whispering, "What's going on?" "The statue came back." "What?" "I don't even know what happened. It was gone this morning, everyone was losing their minds, but just now..." He sighed heavily. "Just now, it suddenly reappeared in the shrine." No wonder he looked so pale. The whole thing was supernatural and terrifying. I looked up at the shrine. It wasn't backlit right now, and I could finally see the details. Carved into the pedestal were the words: Silas Thorne. I stared in shock. "Your family's guardian spirit... his name is Silas?" "Yeah. General Silas Thorne." That's way too much of a coincidence. As I marveled at it, I tilted my head up to look at the statue's face. I froze instantly. Isn't this... the gorgeous guy from last night?! 8 The statue looked down with lowered eyes, gazing at the crowd with a tragic sort of mercy. For a split second. I felt like it was making eye contact with me. The shiver that ran down my spine was the exact same feeling from when I first saw Silas yesterday in the rain. The same name. The same face. The coincidence gave me goosebumps all over. As soon as the prayers were over, I wanted nothing more than to sprint back to the hotel. If Silas hadn't checked out yet, I needed to ask him what the hell was going on. But Carter stopped me. "Maria said you didn't sleep here last night." Maria was their housekeeper. "Oh, right. I stayed at a hotel last night." Carter was shocked by my bluntness. "Why were you at a hotel?" "You get to book a room, but I can't?" I had never spoken to him like this before. "That hotel is actually really nice. The showers are huge, the bed is soft. Right?" I was personally ripping off my own mask of the obedient fiancée. Carter stared at me blankly, looking at me like he was seeing me for the first time. It took him a long moment to process. "Hazel, you misunderstood. Nothing happened between me and Chloe." I looked at him like he was an alien. "You literally had me drop off condoms. What is there to explain?" "Those weren't for me!" Carter desperately tried to explain. "Yesterday Chloe said her roommates weren't going back, she was scared to be alone, so she asked me to book her a room. "I wasn't planning to stay, but I drank too much, saw the bed, and just passed out. Chloe took my phone and texted you. You know that when a guy is blackout drunk, he can't possibly do that. "I didn't even see the text until this morning. I yelled at Chloe, and she said she was just messing around to see if you'd get jealous." I cut him off. "Well, that's a shame." "A shame?" A shame that the noises I heard last night didn't come from Room 901 after all. A shame that Chloe's little scheme completely backfired. But I definitely got mine. The corners of my mouth curled up. I didn't hide my absolute delight. Carter stared at my smile, freezing again. "Hazel, did you get a room with a guy last night?" he demanded. I blinked twice, my smile growing wider. "Take a wild guess." 9 Because Carter delayed me, Silas was already gone by the time I got back to the hotel. I hadn't gotten his number. When I left this morning, I figured I'd never see him again. But now that I actually couldn't find him, I felt an empty ache in my chest. It was May, graduation season. The design department was hosting our senior portfolio showcase. Major brands and top-tier firms would send scouts to pick the best graduating talent. This was a massive deal, and everyone was taking it seriously. The night before the showcase. Chloe suddenly asked me, "Carter is coming to see my design tomorrow. Hazel, you don't mind, do you?" "Whatever." "Don't be mad. Carter just sees me as a good friend. You absolutely cannot misunderstand us." I scoffed, too lazy to even entertain her. The other roommates chimed in curiously. "Chloe, how do you even know the Hayes family heir?" "Oh, you know, we met through mutual friends." Liar. She had obviously stolen Carter's number from my phone behind my back. Chloe really thought I didn't know about that. I just didn't care enough to expose her. "Omg, I can't believe you invited him..." "I didn't invite him! He insisted on coming to support me," Chloe said bashfully. "I told him it wasn't a huge deal and he didn't have to come, but he insisted. I couldn't say no." "Does he have a crush on you?" The roommate who asked that immediately got glared at by the others. They glanced at me guiltily. Seeing me with my AirPods in, they sighed in relief. Honestly, they didn't need to be so tense. I truly, genuinely did not give a damn about that trashy man. The next day, the showcase began. Carter made a grand entrance. Chloe rushed up to greet him immediately. She was wearing a cocktail dress today, treating an academic showcase like her own personal red carpet. No one found it strange. Word on the street was that Chloe's family had pulled some strings and already locked down the job offer from the top firm today. The internship slot was practically hers. "Carter, you really came! And you brought flowers?" Chloe asked happily. "Did you buy these because you know I'm signing with the agency today?" But Carter didn't answer her. His eyes landed squarely on me first. "Hazel, what's your problem? Why haven't you been answering my texts?" For the past few days, Carter had actually been initiating conversations. Texting me random nonsense, even asking me out to dinner. But I barely replied. I gave a brush-off answer: "I was busy. Didn't see them." "Next time you're busy, you still need to reply to me." "And if I don't? Are you going to just sit there hugging your phone waiting?" "Of course not! Who cares if you reply!" Carter snapped, humiliated. "Hazel, don't test my limits. I can cancel this engagement at any second and make you regret it." He turned and shoved the bouquet into Chloe's arms. "Chloe, you guessed right. These are for you. Why would I buy flowers for anyone else?" It was pathetic. What was he even trying to prove? I rolled my eyes and looked away, completely bored. And in the next second, I saw a familiar silhouette. Silas! He was standing by the entrance, smiling at me from afar. I instantly pushed through the crowd and chased after him. 10 I followed Silas to a quiet corner where no one was around. He had actually adapted to modern times today. He was wearing normal casual clothes, his hair was cut short, and he had a baseball cap on. He looked exactly like a modern-day heartthrob. "Silas, who exactly are you?" I asked frantically. "You already know, don't you?" He looked at me, a smile playing on his lips. "Are you seriously... the spirit from the shrine???" "Yes." No wonder when I first met him, I felt that aura of blood and violence on him. General Silas Thorne had been a brutal warlord before he died. "Then why did you come to find me?" "I am a spirit. Naturally, I heard your prayer." He patted my head, his gaze incredibly tender. "For hundreds of years, I've listened to the Hayes family's selfish, greedy wishes every single day. When someone completely different suddenly showed up, it was hard not to notice." He paused, then added. "But it was my first time taking human form. I wasn't used to it, and I didn't dress quite right. This is better, isn't it?" I latched onto the other key piece of information. "First time taking human form?" "Right." "So for hundreds of years... you just sat inside that wooden box?" "Yes. Sitting there, listening to their boring, greedy demands. My ears were practically bleeding." I fell silent. Silas noticed. "Scared? It's normal to be afraid—" "I'm not scared," I looked up, meeting his eyes seriously. "I'm just wondering... were you lonely? Were you happy?" Silas froze, then let out a soft laugh. "That's a very strange question. No one cares if a spirit is lonely or happy." "I care." Silas's smile vanished. He stared at me for a long time, as if trying to permanently carve my expression into his memory. "No one has ever asked me that. Not even when I was alive, when I was just a soldier..." "Whether you're a soldier or a guardian spirit, you still have moments of vulnerability." I got up on my tiptoes, mimicking his earlier gesture, and ruffled his short, choppy hair. "Silas, whoever you are, I just want you to be happy." And then, something bizarre happened. All around us, the decorative flowers that hadn't bloomed yet burst open in a single instant, like magic. I understood immediately. It was Silas's subconscious divine power leaking out. His heart was currently beating out of his chest for me. As Silas leaned down to kiss me, I thought to myself: This pure, ancient spirit is actually pretty easy to charm.
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