Orion Hooper was dressed in a sky-blue nightgown and lying on the sofa. His sleeves were rolled up, revealing his thin wrists. He held a cigarette between his lips and blew a ring of blue smoke. Orion casually moved his mouth to the receiver and said a few words. His voice was gentle. Every syllable was soft, sexy, and sweet.

Orion's maid, Daniella Mayo, served him coffee and rushed into the bathroom without stopping. Orion had just showered and removed his clothes covered in the mud. The water in the bathtub was dirty. When Orion returned home, Daniella almost didn't let him in, as if she didn't recognize the man in a mess. When she picked up the muddy clothes to wash them, something fell out of the trouser pocket and rolled on the ground several times.

When Daniella cleaned it up, she saw a pink box with a green lid printed with a charming woman's portrait. It was a rouge box.

She knew that Orion was a playboy. Although she had never seen him bring other women home, he would receive calls from time to time. Every time he returned home, different flowers, necklaces, wooden combs, or handkerchiefs were in his suit pockets. They had different fragrances.

However, Orion always threw them away casually when he got home or gave them to Daniella. Of course, Daniella refused. Who knew if they were clean? Orion always fooled around with women, regardless of whether they were decent or not. Of course, this was all Daniella's guess because Orion had once brought back a woman's black stockings.

The stockings were thin and had some snags. There was a circle of lace embroidered on the edge, which was connected to slender buckles. Daniella's last employer was a mistress. She didn't come from a decent family. When her lover came, she put on makeup and her stockings slowly. She wore a dress with a high slit. Her red nails were wrapped in the stockings, and she tiptoed to buckle the stockings gracefully and sexily.

Daniella carried the stockings and stuffed them into the big cabinet. There were bits and pieces inside, all of which were women's things. Daniella prepared red wine and sna cks and looked at the sky outside. It was getting late, and it was time for her to return.

Orion was talking very quickly in the living room. His voice was pleasant even when he roared.

Orion was very handsome. He was a hybrid. He had grayish-blue eyes and brown curly hair. His smile was adorable. He could charmingly recite love poetry from abroad at any time. Daniella walked through the hall and put the red wine on the table. Orion had already hung up the phone and was sitting on the sofa, covering his face. His slender neck was sparkling. His genes made his skin fair and smooth. Small bones could be glimpsed vaguely under the tight skin on the back of his neck.

Orion mumbled. Suddenly, he said, "Daniella, I'm done. I'm done." Daniella cleaned the dining table. The silver knife and fork hit the exquisite plate, making a crisp sound. Orion put down his hands and leaned back on the sofa. He turned over, and the collar slipped to his arm, revealing his fair skin. There were scratches on his delicate shoulders.

He looked at the phone with melancholy, his hands tugging at the blanket tassels beneath him. Daniella heard him say in his attractive voice, "I slept with General Preston's woman." Daniella didn't understand much, so she lowered her eyes and didn't know how to reply. Orion raised his eyebrows, glanced at her, and sighed, "General Preston's father is Mathew Preston, the governor."

Only then did Daniella understand that Orion had provoked a powerful person.

Mathew was the highest-ranking official in this area. When Daniella read the newspaper and heard people gossip about Mathew, she knew a little about him. Orion was always unrestrained and had caused trouble before. However, it seemed that he could turn the situation around every time. She didn't know how often he had ripped off the blanket tassels. Daniella was already used to it.

Before Daniella left, Orion got up and kissed Daniella's face. It seemed that Orion was very good at dealing with all women. Daniella always pitied men who were much younger than her.

After seeing Daniella off, Orion held a glass of red wine and played music. He was barefoot, dancing on the soft blanket in the room. Orion did not like others to call him by his full name. His intimate female companions called him Orion or Mr. Hooper.

Orion took a sip of red wine and stuffed snacks into his mouth. It tasted as sweet as that woman's kiss. They first met at the banquet. Sherry Chapman did not appear in the dance hall at first. Orion brought gifts to attend the gathering held by Samuel Logan, a political counselor of the embassy. Orion talked about current social issues with Samuel for a while. He got impatient and found an excuse to stop it. He looked around aimlessly and raised his glasses at the women he was interested in.

Orion danced with them and teased them face to face. With a smile, Orion held a soft hand and rubbed the knuckles. Just as he was about to speak, he inadvertently raised his eyes and was instantly stunned.

The chandelier was embedded with a lot of glazed glass, and the spinning light was dreamy. A woman in a red robe stood on the rose carpet, wearing a white lace shawl. She was gorgeous, and as soon as she glanced at Orion, her beauty made Orion's heart beat wildly. The woman turned around and left. Orion naturally chased after her.

Orion's feet were soft as if he were drunk. He walked around the long table, took a rose, and stuffed it into his pocket. The balcony provided some respite from the noise inside. The moonlight was like a layer of gauze covering the woman under the moon. She held a slender cigarette in her hand. She looked back as if she had expected that Orion would chase after her.

Orion stepped forward and lit a cigarette for her. Her dark red nails matched her deep red lips. This woman with fair skin and a faint fragrance liked red. That night, he invited her to dance and learned her name was Sherry.

Sherry's mood was less than stellar at this time. A stunning woman like her shouldn't be gloomy, Orion thought. He was very sensitive to these things, so he guessed that someone had hurt her. Her slender waist swayed in his palm, and when their faces were close together, Orion gently took off her earring with his mouth.

The delicate emerald earring quietly fell into Orion's hand. The blooming rose was inserted into Sherry's hair by him. Orion said, "Don't be sad. This flower suits you very well."

Sherry, who had lost an earring, asked Orion for it back that night. He drove the drunk beauty home. As a considerate man, Orion carried her to the soft silk bed. It was a beautiful night. The soft and fragrant woman in his arms was like a blooming flower with dew.

The dream did not last until dawn. Sherry woke up Orion without a good morning kiss. Instead, his clothes were stuffed into his arms, and he was pushed to the window. He climbed over the windowsill, stepped on the edge, and hid behind the white window. The curtains were closed, revealing a crack.

Orion was hiding outside and peeping through the crack. It was a man in a military uniform. He was holding a cap. He wore white gloves and a brooch carved with a lion on his right chest. Although his face could not be seen clearly, he was very tall. The man sat down with his long legs lazily crossed. There were fine chains attached to his military boots, and the leather was shiny.

Sherry's voice sounded. She called that man Efrain. Thus, Orion watched as her slender waist, which he had held onto for the entire night, trembled and jumped shyly over to the man's side. Orion closed his eyes and felt a little uncomfortable.

The next moment, a sudden change occurred. Bullets pierced through the curtains and shattered the entire window. Orion was covered in mud amidst the woman's scream. He had always been the lucky one. This was a detached house. The lawn was soft after the rain. Orion jumped down from the second floor without any damage except for the mud all over his body.

The bullet brushed past Orion's cheek and almost hit him. In his fear, his heart was beating violently because of the danger. He got up from the ground and looked up. The window had been pushed open, and the wind blew the curtains around that man.

His eyes were deep and captivating, yet they shocked Orion to the point that he froze on the spot. He didn't dare to look away, and he actually stared at that person for a long time.

It wasn't until Sherry rushed to the window that Orion recovered himself. He grabbed his clothes and ran out in a hurry. When he passed through the woods, he turned around and glanced at the man again.

The drizzle didn't stop. It was hazy, but Orion saw him clearly. The man's eyebrows, lips, and nose were imprinted in Orion's mind. Orion was flustered. The music stopped. He stared at the red wine in his hand and suddenly sat down on the ground, allowing the red liquid to spill all over his body.

He recognized that person.

Efrain Preston.