Marriage Before Love: Ten Years of Secret Admiration

As the sun set, vast expanses of fiery clouds filled the sky, casting a golden glow through the lace curtains into the room. The light fell upon the delicate butterfly bones of a woman's back, tracing golden patterns on her figure.

A man with a finely chiseled face gazed at her, his voice low and husky. "Everly, tell me, who am I?"

Her thick, curly lashes brushed against his skin as she lifted her arm, lightly hooking her fingers around his neck. A rich scent of alcohol intertwined with their closeness, leaving crimson marks on his crisp white shirt.

Those shimmering, watery eyes of hers curved, her sweet voice as if dipped in honey, "You are... Aiden..."

Suddenly, the eyes that had been fixed on her turned dense and murky-

Aiden Coleman's shirt collar was loosened, sweat beads rolling down his collarbones. The woman in his arms curled up like a small animal, her curly lashes trembling lightly. In a soft voice, she murmured, "...hot."

---

The sky began to lighten, golden rays gradually piercing through the clouds.

Everly Lawson's head pounded, and she rubbed her sore eyes. Even before fully opening them, fragments of last night rushed into her mind.

["She's just an adopted daughter, how could I really care about her? In our circle, we still need to be of the same class."]

Everly paused, her hand that had been rubbing her eyes dropping back down.

She had chased after Gavin Stewart for more than a decade. No matter when or where, Gavin could always see her whenever he turned around.

A sour sensation uncontrollably welled up in her eyes, along with the laughter of the people around him last night, carrying endless bitterness.

Like tangled thoughts, they continued to churn, slowly engulfing her.

Everly sank into the pillows, feeling everything around her was suffocating.

The suffocating feeling of dizziness almost made her unable to breathe.

Until the light gauze curtain on the side was lifted, clusters of light rushed in, and the feeling of suffocation stopped abruptly.

The lazy and pleasant voice sounded in her ear-

"Awake?"

Everly suddenly raised her eyes and saw a stunning face.

The other person stood beside the bed with arms folded and looked down at her, and the stunning face suddenly stopped, looking at her and said, "Miss Lawson, you took advantage of me. Now it should be me who feels bad, right?"

Everly's fingers pulled the quilt, taking advantage of the advantage?

Fragmented memories floated before her eyes, one after another. Dim streetlights, orange-flavored liquor, her arms wrapped tightly around someone's neck, refusing to let go, and then...

She tilted her head back and bit down.

Everly's lashes were still wet with tears, her expression dazed. Her previously grief-stricken face suddenly flushed a deep crimson.

Her round, clear eyes lifted in an instant, her gaze accurately landing on the person's Adam's apple.

There, a faint pink bite mark.

Everly couldn't help but study it closely, the slightly raised Adam's apple appearing almost like a work of art, made all the more suggestive and intimate by the red mark.

Her fingers tightened slightly, her pupils gradually dilating.

It seemed like she had been the one who bit him...

She had bitten him last night.

The man standing by the bed noticed her apparent recollection, his thin lips curving into a lazy smile, "Miss Lawson."

Everly raised her head in confusion, meeting his narrow, dark eyes.

His gaze seemed to burn, causing Everly to instinctively flutter her eyelashes.

As she looked at him, she tried hard to remember. Besides clinging to his neck, biting his Adam's apple, and kissing his face...had she done anything even more outrageous last night?

The man by the bedside raised his hand and lightly pulled at his collar, pointing to the bite mark on his neck. "I can understand Miss Lawson's intentions towards me, but was this necessary?"

Everly looked up dazedly. "?"

Did she have intentions towards Aiden Coleman?

Everly inadvertently recalled something from her school days.

She and Aiden attended the same high school and the same university. Whether it was Avalon High School or Avalon University, Aiden was always a prominent figure, quite popular indeed.

In high school, she once saw him playing basketball while waiting for Gavin, Isaac and the others came back and saw her sitting there watching him play. Isaac even asked her if she was also captivated by Aiden.

["Aiden is really famous. It seems like all the girls in school like him. Everly, are you going to abandon Gavin and like him too?"]

What did Everly say at that time?

She sat in the seats beside the court, paused and looked at the male student wearing a white jersey, turned back, and smiled, and said how impossible it was, she only liked Gavin.

Aiden noticed her distraction, stepped back, leaned against the nearby table, crossed his long legs in trousers, and looked at her askance. "Everly."

"...Mm." Everly finally regained her senses and nodded earnestly.

She thought it was understandable for Aiden to think like that. After all, he had always been so popular since childhood, and last night she had been a bit too... enthusiastic after drinking too much.

It was normal for him to misunderstand.

"I will compensate you."

"How will you compensate me?"

Both voices sounded simultaneously. Everly hesitated for a moment, slowly sitting up from the bed, carefully looking at the perfect and noble person beside her, and cautiously said, "I will buy you new clothes and invite you to dinner, okay?"

This was the first time she had encountered such a situation and really didn't know how to resolve it.

This was already the best solution she could come up with.

Aiden turned his head, his narrow eyes curved in a smile that wasn't quite a smile. "Invite me to dinner?"

Everly: "..."

Did he misunderstand again?

She pursed her lips and said seriously, "If Mr. Coleman finds it inconvenient, then I will convert the cost of the clothes and room into cash for you. Would that be alright? And also the money for dinner."

As if finding it amusing, Aiden's beautiful blue eyes raised slightly.

"Everly, do you think I'm short of money?"

Everly was suddenly choked.

He definitely wasn't short of money.

Whenever she heard his name before, it was often "Aiden of Avalon University" or "Aiden of Avalon High School," but now it was mostly "Aiden of BioGen Innovations."

BioGen Innovations was founded by Aiden after graduation, and the company was about to go public with an estimated market value of over ten billion.

Of course, he wouldn't care about a piece of clothing, room expenses, or dinner money.

The time of such a person was measured in seconds.

So how could she compensate him and make amends?

Everly furrowed her brows lightly, momentarily perplexed.

Aiden's gaze lingered on her. He lowered his eyes, his slender fingers tapping lightly on the table. "My company is about to go public, you know."

Everly looked up at him and nodded. "...I know."

Aiden's gaze shifted away from his fingers. In those shimmering blue eyes were emotions deep and shallow, making it hard to discern. He looked steadily at her, his tone casual.

"At this time, both my company and I can't afford any scandals, especially not public incidents like tearing clothes and scandalous kisses with unknown women."

"For both me and my company, that would be fatal."