Chapter 483

Sophia Sullivan was no naive young girl.

She immediately recognized the physical change in Alexander Laurent.

Could it be...

"Did the cold water not help at all?"

Alexander had his back to her.

She couldn't see his expression, only heard a stifled reply.

"...No."

"Then you... I..."

Sophia floundered, feeling flustered.

"Sophia, please leave first." He paused, his voice low and hoarse. "I don't want you to see me like this."

He added softly, "...Would you?"

"...Okay."

Sophia stepped out of the bathroom, closing the door gently behind her.

The moment she turned around, tears welled up and spilled over.

He was pleading with her.

Begging her to preserve his last shred of dignity.

So she left.

Hearing the door click shut, Alexander's tense body suddenly went slack.

He sank completely into the cold water.

The icy water submerged his limbs, bringing a biting chill.

Yet it couldn't suppress the raging heat coursing through him.

No, there had been a moment of relief.

The instant Sophia touched him, that slight coolness made him crave more.

Having tasted that relief, the current feverish agitation was unbearable.

Fearing he might lose control and hurt her, he had to make her leave.

She was gone now, her scent gradually fading.

But the fire inside him burned hotter and fiercer.

Alexander buried his head under the water.

Out of sight, out of smell.

But the alluring images in his mind grew only clearer.

The desire to hold her, to kiss her, grew overwhelming.

No...

This can't happen...

Alexander bit his tongue under the water.

The taste of blood spread, the pain granting a moment of clarity.

But it wasn't enough...

Sophia sat on the edge of the bed.

She wasn't trying to listen, but the sound of water from the bathroom kept reaching her.

Beneath the water's noise, there were also the man's suppressed groans.

She guessed what they meant, her cheeks flushing warm.

She didn't know how long it had been, so long she worried he might have passed out, and was just about to go knock on the door—

The bathroom door opened.

The man walked out barefoot, wearing a clean robe, his hair still dripping.

Water droplets trailed down his neck, disappearing into his chest.

"Are you okay?" Sophia immediately stood and walked toward him.

The man's face was still flushed, but his eyes were clear, no longer clouded.

"It's fine now..."

"That's good..." Sophia let out a sigh of relief.

She turned to pour water, pressed the glass into his hand, and noticed his hand was trembling.

"Professor, you—"

"I'm fine," he repeated.

Sophia directly pushed him to sit on the bed, ignoring his evasion, and reached out to feel his forehead. "You're burning up! You have a fever!"

"Yeah."

"And you just say 'yeah'?!"

She immediately called the front desk. "I need fever reducers. If you don't have any, please go buy some ibuprofen from the pharmacy. Yes, right now!"

Fortunately, the hotel kept common medications.

In less than ten minutes, a staff member brought the fever reducers, along with cooling patches and alcohol swabs.

Under the man's resigned gaze, Sophia ordered him to lie down.

"...This is your bed..."

"At a time like this, we're still splitting hairs over yours and mine? It's a hotel bed! We paid for it, anyone can sleep on it!"

Alexander: "..."

Sophia made him take the medicine first.

Then she tore open a cooling patch and was about to apply it when her wrist was suddenly caught.

"What's wrong?"

The man's palm was scorching, like a branding iron.

"Sophia, do you know what you're doing?"

Sophia waved the cooling patch. "Bringing your fever down. Is there a problem?"

Alexander's gaze was intense. "You're sheltering a man who's been drugged."

"And?" she raised an eyebrow.

"You could be in danger."

"Then will you put me in danger?" she retorted.

Alexander gave a bitter smile. "...I'm not as noble as you think. When the drug takes full effect, I lose control."

The moment he caught her wrist, Alexander felt like he was holding a piece of soft, cool jade.

The delicate texture made him crave more...

Not just her wrist.

But Sophia said, "You are."

The man was stunned. "...What?"

"You are that noble. If you wanted to lose control, you would have done it in the bathroom just now, wouldn't you?"

"..."

Alexander released her hand.

Sophia helped him apply the cooling patch. "Do you feel a bit better now?"

"Yeah. The medicine should bring the fever down soon."

"Ahem! I mean... your body. That... has it subsided?"

Alexander's face flushed even redder.

"You..."

Had she heard?

How much had she heard?

Would she think he was vulgar?

These questions were too embarrassing to voice.

Seeing his silence, Sophia realized her question might have been too direct.

But...

She had been quite tactful.

Why was he blushing so hard?

"Ahem! You rest first. I'll get you more water. You need to hydrate when you have a fever... Yes, drink plenty of water..."

Sophia picked up the water glass, took a deep breath, returned to the bedside, and handed it to him.

Their eyes met, the atmosphere awkward.

"You... what are you planning to do next?"

Seeing Alexander finish the water, she took the cup and set it aside, speaking up first.

The man's eyes turned cold. "I can guess who it was. Her behavior afterward confirmed my suspicion. But that drug..."

Alexander thought carefully, his frown deepening.

It smelled like lavender, with a hint of jasmine, very faint.

Perhaps because the effect had already started to dissipate by the time he returned to the room.

Sophia thought he had ingested something. "Was it from the banquet, or the hotel?"

Alexander shook his head. "It wasn't a liquid. It was in the air."

"Huh?"

He explained about noticing the scent. Sophia immediately understood the severity.

"I took a pharmaceutics elective. Aphrodisiacs usually come in liquid, pill, or powder form and work through ingestion. Things like incense in dramas are theoretically possible but require a sealed space, continuous burning, and high purity."

In other words, it was highly unlikely an inhaled aphrodisiac could have the effect Alexander just experienced.

Especially since he only caught a faint whiff.

A faint scent suggested low purity.

Alexander: "Given Lillian Lopez's capabilities, she couldn't get her hands on something like this."

"You mean... someone is behind her?"

"It's just a suspicion."

"What will you do? Confront her? Interrogate her?"

"No," Alexander clenched his jaw, enunciating each word, "I'm going to the police."

Sophia was stunned.