Chapter 38: Are you tresspassing?

The kiss was a clumsy, desperate collision of heat and repressed longing. The expensive, intoxicating scent of her perfume wrapped around Karl, entirely drowning out the faint, warm aroma of the dinner she had left roasting in the kitchen oven.

Miss Vera pressed against him with a frantic, unyielding energy, her fingers curling tightly into the fabric of his jacket as if she were terrified he might suddenly disappear.

He did not pull away.

His large hands remained anchored to her warm cheeks, his thumbs resting just beneath her cheekbones, gently keeping her anchored to reality as the emotional floodgates finally opened.

She made a soft, breathless sound against his mouth, a quiet, tearing whimper that sent a direct jolt of electricity straight down his spine.

The hesitation that had initially paralyzed Karl melted away entirely, replaced by a sudden, consuming heat. He adjusted his angle, deepening the kiss, and Vera responded by practically climbing into his personal space.

Her hands slipped down from his jacket, tracing the solid line of his chest, her touch frantic and searching. She pushed him backward, her weight forcing him to retreat until the back of his knees hit the edge of the plush, oversized couch.

’The system quest is already completed,’ Karl thought, a brief, logical voice cutting through the heavy haze of arousal. ’The prompt specifically said to make her feel loved and help her find the strength to leave. I did that. There is absolutely no strategic need for me to stay here and let this escalate.’

That logical thought evaporated into thin air the very second Vera pushed him down onto the soft cushions.

She followed him down immediately, straddling his hips with a fluid, desperate grace. The smooth silk of her elegant evening dress rode up her thighs, exposing a generous expanse of pale, flawless skin. She broke the kiss just long enough to drag in a ragged, starving breath, her chest heaving violently.

Her cheeks were flushed a deep, brilliant crimson, entirely stripped of the composed, untouchable facade she wore every single day at the university infirmary. Her dark eyes were completely blown out, heavy with a raw, undisguised hunger that made Karl’s heart hammer a frantic rhythm against his ribs.

Through the thin silk of her elegant dress, the hard peaks of her nipples were visibly erect, pressing firmly against the delicate fabric. She was completely unraveled, panting heavily above him, and she wanted him with a desperate, clawing intensity.

She leaned down again, capturing his lips in another searing kiss, her hands moving lower with absolute purpose. Her fingers traced the waistband of his jeans, slipping down to cup him directly through the denim.

Vera gasped sharply against his mouth, her eyes flying open in genuine, unadulterated shock as her hand closed around the sheer size of his arousal.

The sudden, overwhelming realization of what she was holding seemed to strip away whatever tiny fraction of restraint she had left in her body.

She began to roll her hips against him, a slow, agonizingly deliberate friction that drew a low, involuntary groan from Karl’s throat.

"Karl," she begged, her voice dropping to a husky, pleading whisper right against his ear. "Please. Let us do it. I want you. I want you inside me right now."

She punctuated the desperate demand by grinding down hard against him, a wet, tearing moan escaping her lips.

Karl stared up at her, watching the beautiful, broken woman completely surrender herself to the physical moment.

The cruel corporate stalker, the toxic relationship, the suffocating loneliness she had endured for years in absolute silence—all of it faded into the background, replaced by the immediate, overwhelming reality of her heat and her desperate need for connection.

He made up his mind. He reached up, his large hands gripping her narrow waist, entirely ready to pull her down and give her exactly what she was begging for.

Then, a heavy, resounding knock echoed through the quiet apartment.

The sound hit the room like a physical blow.

Vera froze instantly, her entire body going rigid above him.

The intoxicating haze of arousal vanished from her dark eyes in a heartbeat, replaced by a sudden, paralyzing spike of pure terror. She scrambled off him, her breathing erratic and panicked as she frantically smoothed down her rumpled silk dress.

"Who is that?" Karl asked, keeping his voice low and perfectly level, though his own heart was racing from the abrupt, jarring interruption.

"I do not know," Vera whispered, her hands shaking uncontrollably as she adjusted her collar and pushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "Nobody was supposed to come here tonight. Nobody knows I am home."

The knock came again, significantly louder this time, carrying a demanding, arrogant rhythm that rattled the heavy wooden door in its frame.

Vera took a shaky step back, her terrified gaze darting toward the entryway. She looked exactly like a trapped animal, the confident, commanding school nurse entirely erased by the mere presence of whoever was standing on the other side of that wood.

"Stay here," she instructed him, her voice trembling so badly it cracked on the second word. "Just stay out of sight, please."

Karl sat up on the edge of the plush couch, watching her hurry toward the front door. He did not hide.

He simply remained seated in the ambient light of the living room, his muscles coiled tight, his mind immediately running through the list of physical skills he currently had equipped from the system store.

The heavy lock clicked, and Vera pulled the door open just a fraction of an inch.

She did not get a single chance to speak. The door was violently shoved inward, forcing Vera to stumble backward to avoid being hit by the heavy wood.

A man stepped into the apartment.

He was tall, broad-shouldered, and dressed in a tailored, immaculately cut charcoal suit that radiated expensive authority.

His dark hair was slicked back flawlessly, and his sharp, angular face bore the kind of effortless arrogance that only came from a lifetime of never being told no. He moved with a predatory, entitled grace, stepping onto the polished hardwood floor as if he owned the entire building.

This was the man who had bought her mother’s software development firm right after her father died, the corporate stalker who spent every waking second working on his family’s company and viewed her as nothing more than another piece of property to acquire.

"What are you doing here?" Vera demanded, her voice shaking violently as she backed away from him. "You cannot just force your way into my home."

The man did not even bother to look at her. He casually reached into his suit jacket, pulling out a sleek silver cigarette case.

"You were not answering your phone, Vera. You know how much I detest being ignored," he stated, his tone chillingly calm and entirely devoid of any actual affection. "I told you we had a dinner engagement with the board tonight. Your continuous attempts at rebellion are becoming incredibly tedious."

He snapped the silver case shut, finally turning his cold, calculating gaze toward her. He looked her up and down, taking in her flushed cheeks, her disheveled hair, and the slightly rumpled silk of her evening gown. His eyes narrowed, a dangerous, possessive shadow crossing his sharp features.

Then, his gaze flicked past her, landing squarely on the living room.

He saw the two crystal glasses of iced water resting on the low glass coffee table. He saw the dim, romantic lighting. And finally, he saw Karl.

Karl sat perfectly still on the oversized couch, his hands resting casually on his knees, his expression completely dead and unreadable.

He did not shrink away from the man’s piercing stare. He met it head-on, projecting the exact same cold, absolute authority he used to dismantle pro players in the arena.

The man in the charcoal suit completely stopped moving. The arrogant, dismissive air vanished in a flash, instantly replaced by a sudden, volatile surge of raw jealousy. His jaw clenched so tight the muscles visibly jumped beneath his skin.

"Who the hell is this?" the man demanded, his voice dropping into a lethal, venomous snarl.

He took a heavy step toward the living room, completely ignoring Vera as he aggressively closed the distance. He stared at Karl, his furious eyes analyzing the cheap street clothes and the sharp, flawless features brought on by the system’s refinement draught.

"I asked you a question, boy," the man barked, stopping just a few feet away from the coffee table. "Who are you, and what are you doing in my apartment?"

Karl remained seated. He looked up at the towering executive, absolutely unimpressed by the expensive suit or the threatening tone.

’He really does view her as a trophy to collect alongside his business acquisitions,’ Karl thought, noting the way Vera flinched violently at the man’s territorial claim over her home.

"I am a guest," Karl replied, his voice completely level and devoid of any intimidation. "And from where I am sitting, it looks like you are trespassing."

The corporate executive let out a sharp, humorless laugh, though his eyes remained entirely murderous. He reached up, adjusting his expensive silk tie with a jerky, agitated motion.

"Trespassing," the man repeated, the word dripping with sheer condescension. "You have absolutely no idea who you are speaking to, do you? I own the company that pays for this building. And I own her."

He pointed a rigid, accusatory finger toward Vera, who was standing frozen near the entryway, tears of sheer humiliation welling in her dark eyes.

Karl slowly stood up from the couch.