Chapter 1 Last Night Wasn't a Dream

"Ah..."

In the dead of the night, a moan echoed through the tent.

Isabella Miller was burning up, her hands clutching the collar of the man in front of her, the bracelet on her wrist making a crisp clinking sound.

The man's muscular arms held her tightly, his breaths coming in scorching gasps.

Amidst the man's repeated fervent thrusts, Isabella shuddered to a climax.

Yet it seemed the man had endless stamina. He quickly caressed her back and entered her with force once again.

...

Time passed, and at last, the affair ended. Isabella curled up in the man's warm embrace and fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning, Isabella turned over. Her fingers touched something warm.

The unfamiliar sensation jolted her. She slowly opened her eyes to see a handsome face before her.

"Boss?" Isabella's mind went blank for two seconds, and then wild fragments of last night came rushing back. She suddenly widened her eyes and sat up abruptly, only to feel sore all over.

But what took her breath away was the scene before her.

In a spacious tent, the blankets were in disarray, and Sebastian Landon lay naked, with only a thin blanket draped over his waist. His long legs were crossed, and faint, delicate scratch marks could be seen on his back.

Isabella felt as if she had been struck by lightning. She sat there as the world seemed to collapse.

She, an intern who had only joined the company for half a month... had slept with the boss?!

At that moment, Sebastian's hand moved slightly as if he was waking up.

Isabella panicked, hurriedly dressed, and fled the scene without noticing the bracelet she had left behind on the pillow.

Outside, it was not yet dawn, and Isabella quickly made her way across the grass barefoot and dove into a pink and white tent.

As she lay down, Vanessa Field, who shared the tent with her, turned over and met Isabella's eyes.

Isabella's breath stopped in fright.

Vanessa just glanced at her and closed her eyes, casually asking, "What are you doing up so early?"

"I..." Isabella was nervous and thought fast. "I just went to the restroom."

Vanessa didn't ask any more questions. Soon, the tent was filled with the sound of deep breathing.

Isabella quietly sighed in relief, her heart still pounding violently.

Hours passed.

Laughter and cheerful voices came from outside.

Vanessa unzipped the tent and poked her head out to Isabella. "Isabella, get up. We've had breakfast, and we're going hiking soon."

The company had organized a team-building camping trip, and they were spending three to five days in the scenic area.

Last night, everyone had quite a bit to drink at dinner.

Isabella hadn't wanted to drink, but since she was new to the company and wanted to make friends with her colleagues, she ended up drinking a few extra glasses.

Little did she know that because of that, she would accidentally enter the wrong tent and, even more inadvertently, sleep with her boss, Sebastian!

The thought alone made Isabella's head start to hurt again.

"Isabella? Isabella?" Vanessa called out several times, but there was no response, so she took off her shoes and crawled into the tent. "What's wrong with you, Isabella?"

Isabella sniffled. She felt like crying, and her voice was low as she said, "I'm fine."

Vanessa reached out and touched her forehead. "Oh no, you have a fever?"

"I'm fine." Isabella bit her lip, held back the urge to cry, and said in a muffled voice, "I'll be okay if I lie down for a while. You guys go hiking. You don't have to worry about me."

Vanessa, still concerned, got two fever pills and made Isabella take them before leaving with the others to go hiking.

Isabella started to sob from discomfort only when the noises outside had died down.

Her body felt terrible. The traces of last night's pleasures still lingered, and perhaps because she was sensitive, she felt she could smell Sebastian with every breath. Coupled with the fever, Isabella felt miserable.

Meanwhile, the hiking team had gathered at the foot of the mountain.

When Sebastian stepped out of the car, the girls' gazes were instantly drawn to him.

"Ah, Mr. Landon is so handsome!"

"I'm used to seeing Mr. Landon in suits, but I never thought he'd be so handsome in casual clothes!"

"Girl, you're practically drooling."

"Hahaha, I've seen everything today."

Sebastian stood there with an extraordinary demeanor. His eyes scanned the crowd from behind his sunglasses. He asked in a deep voice, "Did everyone sleep well last night?"

Everyone answered in unison, "We did."

Sebastian frowned, tilting his head slightly, his gaze shifting to his assistant Jack Brown.

Jack got the hint and spoke seriously. "Did anyone enter Mr. Landon's tent last night?"

The crowd exchanged glances, all shaking their heads.

Everyone worked for Mr. Landon, and even though a few people in the assistant team liked the boss, they wouldn't dare risk their careers. Who would be so bold as to enter the boss's tent?

Sebastian's brow furrowed even tighter when he saw no one confess. He raised a hand, a bracelet dangling from his finger, "Whose is this?"

Again, the crowd shook their heads, indicating they had never seen the item.

"If anyone knows whose bracelet this is, please let me know," Sebastian said gravely, adding, "There'll be a reward."

"Additionally..." He paused, then added, "I’ll double your year-end bonuses."

The crowd erupted at his words.

"He’ll double it?"

"My year-end bonus was twenty thousand dollars last year. If he doubles it, that’ll be forty thousand dollars. Amazing. "

"Whose bracelet is that, anyway?”

"It looks like an ordinary bracelet. Is it really that valuable?"

"Vanessa, do you know?"

"Huh?" Vanessa snapped back to reality, her expression subtly changing. "I don't know..."

"Alright, let's start the roll call now." Jack began calling names.

When he called Isabella's name, there was silence.

"Where is Isabella?" Jack asked.

Vanessa stepped forward. "Isabella is sick. She's in the tent."

"Sick?" Jack was uncertain and looked toward Sebastian.

Sebastian sat in the black car, playing with the bracelet in his hand, contemplating.

Jack didn't dare disturb him. After finishing the roll call, he said, "Let's set off then.”

Closing the notebook, Jack walked to the side of the car. "Mr. Landon, are you going with everyone?"

Sebastian looked listless and seemed uninterested. He kept staring at the bracelet in his hand, and after a moment he said, "I’m not going go. You lead the team."

"Alright, Mr. Landon."

"What are you looking at, Vanessa?" Laura Jones tugged at Vanessa. "Hurry up. The first ten to reach the end get a bonus."

"Okay." Vanessa nodded but looked back once more.

The black car sped back to the campsite on the verdant winding mountain road.

Suddenly, Vanessa turned to Jack and said, "I'm worried about Isabella, Jack. I won't join you. I'm going back to take care of her."

"Alright."