And then... she opened them again. The surroundings had changed completely.

Lana found herself inside her bedroom of Lucian’s mansion. Her brows furrowed slightly as unease crept up her spine. ’This... again?’

Something felt off.

She tried to move, but her body refused to cooperate.

Her wrists were bound firmly. Panic flickered briefly in her chest as she struggled, but it was useless. She couldn’t break free.

Then the door creaked open.

Lucian stepped in.

Lana’s breath caught in her throat, whatever words she had been about to say dying instantly as her gaze froze on him.

He was shirtless.

The sharp lines of his well-defined muscles were illuminated by the soft light filtering through the room.

For a split second, her mind went completely blank, and before she could stop herself, a low whistle escaped her lips.

Lucian paused.

The anger that had been simmering within him faltered slightly, replaced by a flicker of amusement he hadn’t expected. ’She still reacts like this...’

The corner of his lips twitched as his approach softened, his steps slower and more deliberate as he moved closer to her.

Lana coughed awkwardly, trying to regain some composure as heat crept up her cheeks. "You... you’re looking great."

Her voice trailed off, her thoughts stumbling over themselves.

Still frowning faintly, she lifted her chin and added, "Now... open my hands."

Lucian didn’t respond immediately.

Instead, he moved closer.

Slowly, he reached out, his fingers brushing against her cheek with a gentle, almost reverent touch.

Lana’s breath hitched slightly, her eyes fluttering shut for a brief second before she let out a soft chuckle. "What are you doing...?"

"I’m admiring you," he murmured quietly, his voice low and steady. "You haven’t come to see me for so long."

Before she could respond, he pulled her into a tight embrace.

"I missed you," he whispered.

Lana stilled.

For a moment, she didn’t resist. Instead, she leaned into him, her forehead pressing lightly against his shoulder as a strange warmth spread through her chest.

’Did I... miss him this much? ’ she wondered, her thoughts hazy and uncertain.

"...I must’ve gone crazy," she muttered softly, her voice muffled. "Missing you so much that my mind created something like this..."

Lucian’s expression shifted.

For a brief second, he almost told her the truth... that this wasn’t just a dream, that he was real. But the thought of her anger stopped him.

’If she knows... she’ll only push me further away.’

So instead, he leaned down and pressed a soft kiss against her cheek.

Lana didn’t stop him.

It had been so long since she had been this close to him, since she had allowed herself to feel this way.

Slowly he started to kiss her eyes like he was worshipping a goddess. His hands started to softly massage her breasts, separated by a thin layer of fabric.

Soon he undressed her in one fluid motion while his lips attacked hers with an intensity that left Lana gasping for breath.

Just then the sound of clinking echoed, and her restraints were removed.

He simply reached down, his hands surprisingly gentle as they grasped her shoulders, and gently he flipped her on his knees.

"What... what are you doing?" Her voice filled with confusion.

Lucian’s answer wasn’t words.

His hand, the one that had so carefully helped her rise, moved. It settled on the curve of her hip.

The first strike came not as a painful blow but as a shock.

His palm connected with the back of her thigh, just below the curve of her buttock.

Lana moaned in surprise. "Lucian?"

"Do you know how much I missed you? Why don’t you miss me?" Lucian’s voice was tinged with grievance, yet his action didn’t match his words at all!

Though she wanted to question him, she felt too aroused to voice her thoughts.

His hand fell again. Another crack. This one on the other thigh. The sting was sharper, the heat more intense.

It pooled in her belly, mixing with the existing warmth there, amplifying it.

A third spank landed higher, squarely on the fullest part of her rear.

A moan, small and unbidden, escaped her lips.

"Why? Why do you make me punish you?"

Lana’s body was burning with heat. She never thought that in her life one day she would be aroused by getting spanked!

Punish? Did she ever want Lucian to punish her? No. But this kind of punishment... it was too sexy.

Each spank wasn’t brutal; it was controlled, deliberate, and intimate.

The pain was dull, but what it left behind was a lingering, throbbing warmth that seemed to pulse directly into her core.

"You feel it, don’t you?" he murmured, his voice close now. He had leaned in. "The heat. The ache. It’s all for me."

She couldn’t answer. She could only nod, a small, desperate movement.

"More..." She whispered, slightly dazed, and Lucian complied.

After finishing, and seeing her wasted, he kneaded the flesh gently, feeling the heat, the slight swelling from his attention

"I love you, Lana... so don’t you dare run away from me."

Those were the last words that Lana heard.

By the time she finally woke up, the world had returned to normal.

Yet something felt... wrong.

A faint soreness lingered, subtle but undeniable.

"...That’s strange," she muttered, frowning slightly.

Her steps led her to the washroom almost instinctively. The cold tiles pressed against her bare feet as she hesitated for a moment before slowly lifting her skirt.

The moment she saw it... she froze.

Clear handprints marked her skin.

Her breath hitched, her mind going blank as a chilling realization crept in. ’This... wasn’t just a dream?’

Her eyes widened, panic flickering through her as she shook her head repeatedly.

"No... that’s impossible," she whispered under her breath. "Why would there be a physical connection...? There wasn’t anything like this before..."

Her gaze dropped to the jade bracelet on her wrist.

’Could it be... this?’

After all, since the movement, she has worn this bracelet... she dreams of him frequently.