"No," he stated confidently. "My power is the result of hard work and perseverance. Summoning people and having them at my beck and call is the luxury I have earned."

Yun Qian Meng smirked. "I am not someone you can 'summon,' Mr. Mo. I have worked just as hard to be where I am and I have the luxury to say no to you whenever I want."

Mo Qingchen huffed. "Well, my luxury remains if you discuss business with me." She couldn't talk him out of his pride, so she approached a different method.

"Then, are you calling me a luxury?" It was a highly subjective notion, so she wanted to tease him.

He shook his head. "No. You are a maddening anomaly."

Just as she was about to snipe back, a man in uniform, the security guard, spoke up. "Mr. Mo."

Qian Meng jumped back quickly, realizing how intimate the moment appeared.

"What is it?" Mo Qingchen asked impatiently.

"The alarm alerted me there was a break in to this room. Is everything alright?" His beady eyes roamed Qian Meng's legs as he spoke.

Mo Qingchen shot the man a deathly glare before stepping in front of her. "What do you think? Do I look as though I am in danger?" he asked sarcastically.

"Uh… I guess not," she heard the man stammering, though she couldn't see a thing.

"You're dismissed," Mo Qingchen stated, cold as ice.

The security guard left the room and moments later, the Dragon turned to her. "You need to get dressed," he said with a serious look on his face.

"Okay. Will you show me the way to my room?" Because she had no clue.

He nodded his head before leading the way. As they walked the long and winding hallways together, he made sure to point out the many panels she hadn't noticed along the way, smirking each time. The smug bastard. When she got to her room, she thanked him.

"Good thing you found me. We wouldn't want your employees to see an almost naked woman prancing around your lair, now would we?"

He didn't reply. He was about to step away when she reached out for his arm and pulled him back. "Did you hear what I said outside the door?"

He thought a moment before answering. "No."

She didn't believe that.

"You tried to goad me, didn't you?" His brows rose up curiously.

She fought off a smile. "Are you interested to know?"

"Depends on what you said," he smirked, wickedly. "Was it a deal?"

"Hah. A deal. Yes, you do love your deals. Well, if it was a deal, your end of it would be to forgive me for accidentally drugging and maiming you," she explained calmly.

"Forgiveness?" The concept intrigued him. "That is what you're interested in? How surprising? I thought you would suck out the last drop of my blood to profit yourself."

She nodded. "In a normal circumstance, I would. But how do you know this is not a ploy to use you? The question still remains: have you ever forgiven anyone?"

"Definitely not," he replied without a moment of delay. "I am not an easy-going man."

She mock-gasped. "Really? I had no idea."

"If you were one of my employees, you would have been fired on day one," he stated seriously.

"But I am not your employee. I doubt you would have fired me, though." She contemplated his words. "Are any of your employees anomalies? Or as good at their work as I am?" The words sounded flirtatious. She couldn't help herself.

"Maddening anomaly," he corrected. "Just you," he added helpfully.

"What a shame… If you were my boss, I would have quit on day one and told you to go to hell."

"I believe that." He nodded, keeping his eyes locked on her. "Were any of your bosses Scoundrels?"

"I have never had bosses," she stated smoothly. She cleared her throat when she realized how long the two of them had wasted. "I have a meeting."

Mo Qingchen was flustered, she could see it. He ran his fingers through his hair, leaving it a mess. The tips of his ears were reddened. Why did Qian Meng find it adorable?

Because she needed serious help.

"What about our deal?" he asked just as she was about to go inside.

"I offered you no deal."

"Well, there will be no forgiveness, then," he bit back.

"We'll see about that!" she yelled out to him as he walked away. Not that she wanted his forgiveness, particularly.

"Get dressed!" he yelled back as he rounded the corner. "Be ready for dinner."

Tonight would be pure business. There would be no lewd thoughts. Instantly, the images flooded back into her brain.

How annoying.

"Why have I turned into a horny mess?" she asked herself several times, attempting to block the downright raunchy visuals that were floating around in her head.

Stomping her foot down on the floor, she demanded her head to behave.

How hard could it be?