Devil's Prisoner of Love by Prefer

Chapter 24: Or Should I Help You
The cold water cascaded over her fair, smooth skin, gathering into small streams across her chest. Aurora, her body speckled
with droplets, resembled a rose after the rain, enticingly dew-kissed and ripe for picking. As the water slowly warmed, Aurora's
heart remained frozen, her gaze ice-cold as she stared at the man before her.
Julian, seemingly oblivious to her expression, let his eyes linger on her chest and below. "Last one, do you want to do it, or
should I?" he asked.
"You're shameless!" Aurora exclaimed. Other than three years ago, when she had revealed herself to Julian, she had never been
so exposed in front of another man. That night, though she had tried every trick to entice Julian, the real deal had only really
happened once, three years ago.
Now, the thought of undressing in front of a man was utterly humiliating. "Looks like it's up to me," Julian said, moving to undress

her.
"Get out! I'll wash myself," Aurora declared, knowing well what this man was capable of, and resigned that she couldn't escape
today.
Julian cracked a slight smile. "Alright, you have twenty minutes," he conceded, not wanting to push Aurora too hard for fear she
might flee again. After all, even a cornered bunny will bite-a lesson he'd learned from Aurora three years earlier. He wasn't afraid
of her biting; he was just worried she might run.
With Julian surprisingly cooperative, Aurora was taken aback; she had thought it would take much effort to make him leave.
Submerged in the bathtub, which was a massage tub that adjusted to maintain the perfect temperature for human comfort, she
glanced at the only exit, the bathroom door, and dismissed any thoughts of escape.
She sank back into the bathwater, feeling unlucky-everything had been going smoothly until she encountered this devil.
The door opened again, and she submerged herself completely, wary. "What are you doing here again?"
"Just bringing you some clothes. You wouldn't want to come out naked, would you? Of course, I wouldn't mind, and I can just
take them away," he said, holding a nightgown. Seeing him pretend to leave, Aurora felt helpless. She couldn't very well come
out in soaking wet clothes, which would be no different from being naked.
"Wait, you just... just put the clothes down," she said urgently, reaching out to stop him.

Julian smiled faintly and placed the clothes aside, his hand brushing ambiguously over her soft, pale arm. "Just like snow, isn't
it?"
"You, you cad!" Aurora quickly withdrew her hand back into the water.
Julian stood at the edge of the bathtub, looking down at her with deep eyes. "At first, you seemed to know a lot about sex, and I
almost believed what you said about those many men," he said, narrowing his eyes and leaning closer to Aurora, who covered
her chest and moved back, her makeup removed, looking just like the young girl she was three years ago.
"Now, it seems I was mistaken, Miss Montgomery. You've disguised yourself too well; you almost fooled even me."
She was on guard against him all night, gaining nothing but the chance to lure him. Today, she avoided any contact with him
even more. Julian, experienced as he was, noticed something off about her earlier statements. Aurora's body betrayed her
through involuntary gestures she couldn't fake.
Realizing he was testing her to debunk her previous statements, Aurora was struck with fear. Could this man's scheming go any
deeper?
"You have twenty minutes. Maybe you should think things over. I'll ask you again later, and if you lie to me, you know the
consequences."