Chapter 62

Daisy quickly sprang up and tiptoed over to the tea table. When she gently lifted the dome, a wave of sweet, sugary scent filled the air.

She used a small fork to slice off a generous piece of cake and stuffed it into her mouth.

‘Mmm, perfection.’

The heavenly sweetness of the cream cake sent a delightful shiver down her spine.

‘Ugh, damn it. Fine, just one more bite…’

She cut another piece and was just about to put it in her mouth when the sound of running water stopped.

‘Fuck.’

Practically almost shitting herself, Daisy dove back into bed.

A soft click came as the bathroom door opened shortly after, followed by the sound of Maxim’s steps. Daisy curled up tightly beneath the blanket and squeezed her eyes shut, afraid he might notice she was awake.

The soft shuffling of slippers against the carpet grew closer, and Daisy froze, holding her breath.

“See? I even put on a robe.”

Who says stuff like that to someone who’s clearly asleep?

And since when is that worth bragging about? As per usual, she was sure he wasn’t wearing any underwear.

“This isn’t exactly my style, but since you wanted it, I didn’t have a choice.”

Muttering to himself, he lingered by Daisy’s bedside, refusing to move away.

Peeking through her lashes, Daisy saw him staring down at her sleeping face, again. Just like at the boutique. Every time, it was so suffocating she could hardly breathe.

Then she heard him chuckle under his breath.

What’s he laughing at? Is my sleeping face funny or something?

She bit back her urge to snap at him. That’s when Maxim’s fingers brushed against the corner of her mouth. His thumb pressed against her lower lip, rubbing lightly, before he suddenly made a sucking sound, as if tasting her lips.

“What were you up to before bed?”

“…”

“You have such a tiny mouth. You eat like a child, always ending up with food on your face.”

Oh, God. In her rush to sneak a bite, she must have gotten cream on the corner of her mouth.

His aunt’s favorite saying—“control your appetite”—echoed in her head. She’d always dismissed it as nagging and let it go in one ear and out the other. But now, she kind of wished she’d listened.

She should’ve just gone to sleep instead of stealing a bite. Daisy wanted to die from embarrassment.

“‘Taste of Heaven,’ huh? I’ll admit… it does taste good.”

Maxim licked his lips, giving a short, offhand review of the cake.

Seriously, if even that lunatic said it was good, how could anyone resist sneaking a bite?

‘But how the hell did he know it was called “Taste of Heaven”?’

“Taste of Heaven” was just a marketing slogan from that famous cake shop.

Could he really have figured out it was from that bakery just from tasting the cream?

Or… was someone feeding him information about her every move?

Wait. Was that why he sent Mary Gold?

Oh God, please, let that not be the case.

She desperately hoped it was merely his exceptional sense of taste. Her thoughts spiraled into a loop of unease and suspicion.

Then, the presence beside her shifted away, his slippers brushing softly against the carpet.

Daisy cracked her eyes open just enough to secretly observe his every move.

She watched him confidently stride over to the tea table.

He lifted the dome covering the plate and stared at the cake beneath it.

“Do we have a little rat in this room?”

Had she really left the cake looking that mangled? Daisy felt goosebumps prickle over her skin as embarrassment flooded her. She balled her fists tightly, trying to hold in her shame.

Picking up the dessert fork, Maxim scooped a small piece of the remaining cake. He chewed thoughtfully for a while before letting out a faint sigh.

“Doesn’t taste the same.”

What did he mean? Just five minutes ago, it had been the perfect “Taste of Heaven.”

The cake couldn’t have spoiled in that short amount of time. Something didn’t make sense.

He carried the plate back toward the bed, and Daisy held her breath, her whole body rigid, afraid he might notice she was awake.

Thunk. The sound of the plate being set down on the nightstand reached her ears, accompanied by a waft of sweetness that filled the air.

Her mouth watered on instinct. At this point, Daisy had to admit it. She was a hopeless slave to her cravings. Completely beyond saving.

Then, with a careless flick, something soft and sweet brushed her lips and the tip of her nose. It was cream.

‘What the– is he seriously messing around with food now?’

It was the kind of stupid prank kids pull. Doodling on someone’s face while they were asleep.

This was an absolute low.

But as much as she hated Maxim for playing such a juvenile prank on his “sleeping” wife, she hated herself even more for wanting to lick the cream off her lips right then and there.

That’s when she felt it. His warm lips softly pressing against hers. Once. Then again.

“Yes… this is it,” he murmured, like he was drunk on the moment, as he pulled away.