He then stepped aside, keeping his gaze averted with a light cough. "Okay, go ahead." Cindy tilted her head, a look of confusion crossing her face as if wondering why he wasn't joining her. The next second, her bra and panties landed squarely on Zephyr's face. His face flushed, he caught the items. He found a small basin, then went to the sink on the balcony to hand-wash her delicate lingerie. He hung them carefully on a hanger to dry before returning to the living room. He tried to watch TV for a while, his mind elsewhere. Estimating enough time had passed, he got up and knocked on the bathroom door. "Cindy? Time's up. You shouldn't soak too long after drinking." He waited, but there was no response. A flicker of unease went through him. He pushed the door open.The bathwater had cooled, and Cindy was asleep in the tub. Zephyr ran a hand through his hair, exasperated. With no other option, he squeezed his eyes shut, lifted her out of the water, and quickly wrapped her in a plush bathrobe before carrying her to the bedroom. After settling her in, he checked the time. It was almost midnight. Screw it, I'll crash here for the night. He lay down on the sofa and was soon asleep. The next morning, Cindy awoke with a splitting headache and a bitter taste in her mouth. She groaned, rubbing her temples as she shuffled towards the bathroom. Halfway there, she froze. Zephyr's tall frame was curled awkwardly on her small living room sofa, fast asleep. Her brain short-circuited for several seconds. Then, fragmented, blush-inducing memories of the previous night came flooding back. Heat rushed to her face. She covered her eyes with her hands.We didn't do anything last night, did we? Sure, they'd sex before, and she wasn't exactly a traditional prude, but they weren't in any kind of relationship. Not really. She was biting her lip, lost in turmoil, when a sleepy voice broke the silence. "Awake?" Zephyr's voice was husky with sleep. He stretched, the joints in his shoulders popping softly, then walked over to her. A faint, gentle smile played on his lips. "Sleep well?" Cindy turned her face away, refusing to look at him. The memory of what Doris had said yesterday afternoon stabbed at her heart like a needle. If he knows his family is trying to marry me off to his stepbrother, why is he here, playing the knight in shining armor? For kicks? But her anger was mostly directed at herself. Her standards for Zephyr were pathetically low. All he had to do was show up and show the slightest bit of concern, and her stupid heart would start racing again.Zephyr, of course, was completely unaware of this internal monologue. "Not talking to me?" he asked, reaching out to ruffle her hair, but Cindy swatted his hand away. He stared at her bristling, turned-away form, momentarily taken aback. He rubbed the back of his neck. She's mad? Why? Because I barged in last night without asking? Okay, maybe that was a bit much. Cindy stomped into the bathroom and began brushing her teeth with aggressive strokes. Suddenly, she saw his reflection—handsome, sculpted, and annoyingly concerned—in the mirror behind her. Zephyr leaned against the doorframe. "Look, I'm sorry about last night. Showing up unannounced, I mean. I was worried about you drinking alone and—" Cindy spat out her toothpaste, her voice cold. "Even if something happened, it's my problem. Not yours."Her icy tone left him floundering. "Right. Yeah. Won't happen again," he mumbled. She finished washing her face in silence. From that moment, through getting ready, eating a wordless breakfast, and leaving the apartment, Cindy didn't grant Zephyr so much as a glance. In the elevator, Zephyr studied her reflection in the polished metal doors, trying to find an opening. But Cindy kept her eyes stubbornly fixed on the floor. He wisely kept quiet. At the office, they parted ways at the lobby, heading to their respective workstations. All morning, Zephyr's body was at his desk, but his mind was miles away. "Mr. Knight, how should we implement this requirement?" Gwen approached with her laptop, ready to take notes. Her eyes widened slightly when she saw his monitor—the code editor was open, displaying only two lonely lines of code. Uh... is he seriously slacking off right in the open? Feeling caught, Zephyr quickly minimized the window and turned to explain the product specs to Gwen. Around noon, his long fingers tapped open his phone. He hesitated, then sent a message to Cindy, "Free for lunch? We should talk." The reply came swiftly, "On a diet. Not eating." Zephyr massaged his temples. Still mad? But I didn't do anything last night... well, except... Vivid, distracting images surfaced. He cleared his throat. Okay, fine. Maybe I did cross a line. At a restaurant near the office, Cindy sat in a private booth with Darcy and Gwen. Before they could even look at the menus, Cindy announced, "I'm ordering the extra-spicy combo today." Darcy simply nodded; she could handle it. Gwen, however, looked apprehensive. Pouring a glass of water for Gwen, Darcy advised gently, "If it's too spicy, just rinse the food in this before you eat it." Then, she turned her attention to Cindy.They had an unspoken rule—whoever suggested extra-spicy food was having a bad day. Darcy's observant eyes scanned her friend's face, noticing the faint shadows under her eyes. "Rough night?"