Chapter 240

Ethan's eyes snapped open at Vivian's shrill scream. He sat up abruptly, his forehead creased in irritation.

The man had apparently removed his shirt during the night. His bronzed torso was on full display, every sculpted muscle a testament to his perfection. It was as though the universe had poured all its creative energy into crafting this one flawless specimen.

The intimate position they were in shocked him into instant alertness. He sat up straight, piercing gaze locked onto Vivian. "What's happening?"

"You disgusting pig! Don't pretend you don't know!" Vivian yanked a jacket over herself and punched Ethan's arm hard.

"You absolute monster! How could you do this to me? Look at my stomach! If anything's wrong, I swear I'll drag you straight to hell!" Though her memory of last night was fuzzy, the evidence seemed undeniable. A half-naked man and woman tangled together? What else could have happened?

"Wait." Ethan caught her flailing fists, struggling to piece together the events. "I can swear on my life I didn't touch you. I have standards, you know."

His body would have remembered such an encounter. In fact, his memory was crystal clear about last night's absurdity.

Vivian had behaved like someone possessed. She'd tried catching imaginary "tiny people," yanked his hair thinking it was weeds, and sucked on his lips like they were candy. The whole thing had been... bizarre.

"You're the one who needs to explain. If you wanted me, you could've just said so. No need for these theatrics." Ethan pulled her closer, his gaze razor-sharp.

"Me? Want you?" Vivian scoffed. "Keep dreaming. I'd have to be blind to desire someone like you."

"You threw yourself at me, then attacked my mouth like a vacuum cleaner. That's textbook seduction."

"That's impossible!" Vivian crossed her arms defiantly. "I'm not crazy enough to do that! I'd rather kiss a pig than you!"

"Fine." Ethan nodded. "Since you refuse to admit it, let's settle this with evidence."

"Show me your so-called proof then! Stop slandering me!" Vivian's voice shook with anger. Though her memory was blank, she knew she wasn't that kind of woman.

Ethan wordlessly exited the car and returned to the driver's seat.

Vivian misinterpreted his silence. "Think you can walk away after insulting me? I'll sue you for defamation!"

Instead of responding, Ethan pulled up the dashcam footage on the large screen...

"Oh god!" Vivian's face burned crimson as she covered her eyes. "Turn it off! This is mortifying!"

Never could she have imagined herself willingly "seducing" Ethan. Watching her brazenly maul his lips and grope him was unbearable.

Truthfully, Ethan did appear to be the victim here.

The footage showed them both eventually behaving identically - hunting invisible creatures and plucking "weeds" from each other's hair. Their intense focus led to accidental disrobing before exhaustion claimed them.

When the torture finally ended, Ethan coolly switched off the display.

Vivian had curled into a ball, wishing she could bury her head like an ostrich. Facing Ethan was impossible now.

"This is so humiliating! Just kill me now, I can't live with this!" she wailed childishly.

Oddly, Ethan found her distress endearing. A faint smile touched his lips. "So... how do you plan to take responsibility for this?"