The Billionaire's Secret Quartet

Ethan was sprawled out on the bed, his body a canvas of discomfort. Lydia, despite her frequent irritation with him, had a duty to perform. She approached, bending over in front of him to carefully remove the acupuncture needles one by one.

It seemed Ethan could feel her breath on his back, gentle and shallow, a stark contrast to her normally fierce demeanor.

As she leaned in, a faint, pleasant fragrance emanated from her, enveloping Ethan in its subtlety.

Ethan's heartbeat rhythmically altered, captivated by her presence.

With his hands clasped under his chin, a smirk adorned his lips. "So, Lydia, what do you think of this bod? Muscular and fit, right?"

The moment the words left his mouth, Lydia's movements halted, fully aware of the playful challenge in his tone. With deliberate precision, she twisted the needles slightly deeper into his skin, her teeth clenched. "Oh, it's sturdy alright. Typically, sturdy muscles don't mind a bit of pain!"

Ethan winced, his face contorting

muscles of yours supposed to be tough? Why the

After years of military service and rigorous training, she had seen her fair share of muscular men and was hardly impressed. Ethan's physique, in her eyes, was average at best, his muscles

aren't made of stone, you know? How could it not hurt?" Ethan gasped, still reeling

hard as stone, didn't you

can head home now," she said,

and sat up, rubbing his back where the needles had been. "You really don't have a romantic bone in your body, do you?"

him. Hastily, Ethan grabbed his shift and dressed, muttering as he left,"I'm never

Lydia replied

feeling a sense of loss. Lydia's indifference to his charms was both baffling and intriguing. Accustomed to attention, especially from women, he found her lack of interest a novel

Ethan dialed Thalassa as soon as