In her previous life, Vivian had wielded power and influence, fearing nothing and no one. Her greatest weakness, however, lay in the sight of a beautiful person in tears.
Especially when that person was attractive to her in every way.
"Don't cry, please..."
But once the floodgates of tears opened, they weren't easily closed. More teardrops fell like snapped pearls, Ethan's stifled sobs frightening Vivian so much she felt like begging him stop crying.
"I'm sorry, it's all my fault. Please don't cry, won't you?" Vivian pleaded almost desperately.
She would do anything if it meant he would stop crying.
"Get away from me!" Ethan tried to sound fierce, but with him being helplessly pinned to the bed, tears lingering in his eyes, and Vivian's fingers still in an embarrassing place, his authority crumbled.
He whimpered like an injured puppy, powerless.
Ethan despised himself for appearing so weak, while Vivian seemed terrified, repeating, "Okay, okay, I'm leaving, I'm leaving..."
Vivian hastily got off him, stepping back to realize her hand was still where it shouldn't be. Any lascivious thoughts vanished as she hastily withdrew her fingers, wiping them carelessly on the sheet before retreating to a corner of the bed on her knees.
Ethan didn't expect Vivian to withdraw so readily, her previous aggression gone, leaving her looking like a guilty schoolgirl kneeling in the corner.
Somewhat surprised, Ethan didn't ponder too deeply about Vivian's erratic behavior. He hurriedly wiped his tears on the pillow, managing to sit up and struggling to free himself from the binds.
Vivian watched him struggle fruitlessly, his wrists reddening, and couldn't bear it. She hesitantly asked, "Should I... help you untie yourself?"
Ethan nearly screamed in alarm, "Stay away! Don't touch me!" No one had ever made him so pathetic, and he was terrified of Vivian.
Vivian touched her nose, obediently staying put on her knees.
Ethan struggled for another fifteen minutes, only tightening his bonds further. His anger grew, along with a sense of injustice. He had no feelings for Vivian, yet after a few encounters, he found himself tricked into marriage, drugged, forced into intimacy, and now bound by a transformed Vivian, subjected to... that!
His emotions surged, his tear ducts loosening as another large teardrop fell, causing Vivian to falter, nearly collapsing.
"You... you... don't cry again..."
"I'm not crying!" Ethan denied loudly, enraged.
How could someone like him cry? Since taking over the Sharpe Corporation at eighteen after his parents' death, everyone saw him as ruthless and unemotional. He hadn't cried when they died, endured mistreatment from relatives, accepted a manipulated marriage, being drugged and taken advantage of... and now, tied up like this...
Once the tears started, they wouldn't stop.
It softened Vivian's iron heart, twisting it painfully.
"Don't cry, please... I'll, I'll untie you, alright?"
"I said I'm not crying!"
Despite his wet face, Ethan stubbornly insisted.
"Alright, alright... You're not crying, just sweating a lot... unusual sweat glands for a CEO, I get it," Vivian agreed, ready to believe anything he might say next.
However, Vivian noticed Ethan didn't refuse her offer to untie him, only denied crying.
She cautiously approached, only to be met with Ethan's roar, "Don't touch me!"
"I won't, I swear. Without your permission, I won't do anything to you again! I... I'll just untie you, okay?"
Vivian couldn't bear seeing a stunningly handsome man cry, turning her into a coward willing to submit.
Ethan glared at Vivian, tears still falling, but his mind gradually calming. He sized her up, weighing whether to trust her apparent obedience.
Realizing he couldn't free himself and couldn't call for help in this state, Ethan reluctantly asked, "You won't do anything to me again?"
"No, no, I swear. I'll just untie you, I won't touch you without your consent," Vivian quickly promised, gaining Ethan's reluctant agreement to let her help.
Vivian carefully untied him with minimal contact, stealing glances at Ethan's reddened eyes, his long eyelashes still wet with tears. It tugged at her conscience, filling her with guilt.
"I'm freeing you, so please stop crying, okay?"
"I'm not crying! It's all because of you..." Ethan, upon being freed, flipped over, raising his hand to retaliate.
Vivian anticipated his reaction and, considering what she'd done, figured he deserved a hit to vent his anger, so she sat still, waiting.
But his hand stopped just short of hitting her, Ethan noticing a faint bloodstain on the sheet and Vivian's non-resistant stance.
He abruptly changed course, grabbing his shirt to cover himself.
Vivian blinked, a teasing smile playing on her lips when Ethan wasn't looking.
"Aren't you going to hit me?" Vivian taunted, edging closer to Ethan.
He promptly stepped back, on high alert.
Vivian pointed at her face, grinning. "Not everyone gets the honor of slapping me. Are you sure you want to miss this chance?"
Ethan glared at her, puzzled by her audacity.
Was a slap that precious?
"It would be too easy for you to get away with just a slap. I'll make you regret what you did today for the rest of your life!" Ethan bluffed, justifying his hesitation.
"Oh." Vivian responded half-heartedly.
She couldn't imagine what he could do to make her regret for a lifetime; she hadn't regretted anything in her past life, let alone this one.
"Don't believe me?" Ethan detected her dismissiveness and narrowed his eyes threateningly.
"You're like this..." Vivian glanced at his face, then down to his disheveled white shirt, his lower half exposed, a huge member barely concealed by the shirt hem, igniting Vivian's carnal desires.
"You're not convincing at all..." Vivian reluctantly dragged her gaze back to his face.
Ethan noticed her lascivious look and exploded in anger.
"You shameless woman!"
