Once Bitten, Twice Shy

Inside the hotel room, the password left Samantha startled.

The number happened to be the date when her wedding with Timothy was broken off publicly five years ago!

She knew that Timothy did not have any feelings for her, but she never imagined that he would hate her to such an extent that he would use that fateful day as the password to his safe.

Although she had passed the point where she would feel uncomfortable due to the sadness, she still felt as though her heart was being stung by a million fire ants.

She remained in a daze until she heard Rochelle's nervous and anxious voice from the Bluetooth earpiece. "Sammy, I couldn't stop that scumbag long enough. He's going up now! Hurry up and leave!"

Samantha quickly snapped back to her senses.

She opened the door of the safe and looked calmly inside.

Her persistence had paid off and she immediately saw the small bag she used to carry.

Without wasting any more time, she took it out immediately, carried it on her back, then closed the door of the safe before preparing to leave.

By the time she ran to the door and was about to open it, she heard footsteps stopping right outside the door.

She froze all of a sudden!

His presence there meant that her escape route was blocked head-on...

She had only two choices: the first was to pretend to be a housekeeping staff and avoid looking right at Timothy while attempting to just slip past it. After all, she was wearing glasses, a mask, and a housekeeping staff uniform. 

The second was to hide before finding an opportunity to escape!

She hesitated for only a second and ran back quickly as she firmly chose the second option.

Masquerading as housekeeping staff carried too high a risk. Timothy was extremely perceptive and very familiar with her features, which made it very likely that he might recognize her at a glance!

As soon as she ran back, the door clicked open and Timothy stepped right in.

Time was running out, and Samantha was unable to find a suitable hiding place. After glancing around the room, she ran straight to the dressing room and closed the door.

She leaned against the door panel and listened to the man's footsteps as he walked into the room. He then sounded as if he had taken off his jacket and tie.

Samantha breathed extremely gently and reduce her presence as much as possible.

She did not dare let her guard down because she knew very well that Timothy was a very alert man.

There was no need for her to observe her surroundings because she was very familiar with the dressing room.

If Timothy walked in, she could hide in the corner under the cabinet. Her petite figure could be easily covered with clothes and no one would be the wiser.

Based on her understanding of Timothy's habits, he usually took a shower after coming came back and she could seize that moment to run out while he was bathing.

Sure enough, she soon heard Timothy's footsteps walking towards her. She was about to shrink into a corner but his cell phone rang halfway as he walked.

Timothy stopped walking and answered the phone.

She could not hear what the person on the other end of the line said, but after Timothy hung up, he went to the desk and turned on his laptop instead of continuing to walk toward the dressing room.

After about a minute, he started a video conference.

Samantha was a little anxious.

Once Timothy started working, he could go on and on without taking a break. If he had a meeting that lasted the whole night, would she have to stay there all night too?

Rochelle's voice came from the Bluetooth earpiece again. "How's the situation, Sammy?"

Samantha did not dare to speak for fear of attracting Timothy's attention. She could only tap the earpiece three times with her finger.

That was a code that she had decided on with Rochelle. Three taps meant that it was inconvenient for her to speak at that moment, but she was safe at least!

After hearing that, Rochelle could only say, "Be careful there. I'll think of a way from my end!"

Samantha ended the call.

Being anxious would do her no good and she could only continue to wait.

Samantha took a few deep breaths to try and calm herself down.

She had no interest in Timothy's meeting but the room was so quiet that she could hear everything that was being said in the meeting.

Timothy did not say much, but his words were was extremely sharp and direct whenever he spoke.

Although Samantha hated Timothy 'to the bone', she had to admit that he had a justified reputation for being nearly invincible in the business world.

His skills and judgment had enhanced considerably during the past three years.

To top it off, he became much more ruthless too.

He was in the midst of discussing an acquisition, and for those who did not cooperate, he only had one sentence, "Get rid of them."

Samantha's heart skipped a beat. The coldness she previously experienced after being submerged in the sea appeared out of nowhere and caused her to shiver uncontrollably.

Hugging herself tightly to control her shivering proved to be a futile attempt.

She could not help but wonder if he gave out the order to kill her using a similarly indifferent and curt 'Get rid of her'.

Samantha felt sad to discover that the man she used to share a bed with had become a complete stranger to her, almost as if she had never known him before.

Did she love a man like that once before?

She was certain that she loved a man who appeared cold, but in reality was warm inside.

Could she have ignored all those red flags back then because she was simply too smitten with him?

While she was deep in thought, the video conference ended somehow and the man was already walking towards the door of the dressing room. His hand was already pushing the door open.

Samantha's eyes widened suddenly.

Fortunately, she managed to react quickly enough and rolled immediately under the wardrobe a second before the door opened. She curled up there and covered herself behind some clothes.

She looked through the gap in between the clothes and saw the man's long legs approaching her.

Samantha subconsciously held her breath.

Timothy stood in front of the cabinet and raised his hand. He unbuttoned his cuffs first and then began unbuttoning his shirt slowly.

His movements were graceful yet leisurely and put his mature charisma on full display.

Samantha did not want to look at him but was forced to stare at him and be vigilant at all times. That was the only way she would be able to react to any untoward incidents.

Timothy's upper body came into view as he took off his white shirt and threw it aside.

His figure was as stunning as ever, with wide shoulders, a narrow waist, as well as beautifully sexy muscle lines. All those features seemed to be carved carefully by God's hand.

He then placed his hand on his belt, undid it with a click, then removed it with one hand.

Samantha kept calm without looking to the side.

It was not as if she had never seen his member before. Aside from seeing it, she had touched it, and rode on it too! There was nothing about it that could make her heart feel turbulent!

In any case, her chance to escape was already on the horizon. Since he had taken his pants off, it was about time he went to the bathroom for his shower.

To her surprise, Timothy did not leave at all. The next second, his long fingers held the only remaining piece of clothing on his body—his boxers—and took them off directly.

This action was too unpredictable and Samantha did not even have the time to look away.

The visual impact caused Samantha's black pupils to contract and she blurted out "F*ck"....