Page 7 of The Rancher's Vengeful Heart

Well, she wasn't quite sure what would happen, but she was sure it would be something...unexpected.

Deep breaths, Tas.

She did her best to calm herself before counting to three one more time.

Three.

Two.

And...oh no.

Billionaire Lucius Young wasstillstanding in front of her, which meant he was neither a hallucination nor an illusion from the devil.

He was real.

All 195.58 centimeters of him that radiated with power, wealth, and overwhelming virility—-

It was all real and within touching distance and so...

Why was he standing in front of her still?

There was no man in this world whom herboyfriendex more admired...or resented. There were times that Xylan would even spend the entire dinner just talking about the billionaire, praising and dissing him in one breath as if he had yet to make up his mind on whether Lucius was his idol or rival.

The relationship between the two, if it could be called that, was complicated...just like how Tassy herself had something to work out.

Am I really going to do this?

To allow her mind to dwell on him even for a single second was to reach a point of no return. But with Lucius Youngstillstanding in front of her like some Greek god who was graciously giving her time to gaze at him adoringly—-

Okay, why not?

Something seemed to click in her mind, unlocking the door, and flooding out of this once-hidden place were all the memories Tassy had suppressed of Lucius Young.

Tassy and Xylan had just started dating when the billionaire was invited by their then-university as a speaker. That was, what? Six or so years ago? And yet the memory wasstillenough to affect her right this very moment, with her body already throbbing with the most forbidden sensations.

Tassy remembered how his brief speech had everyone in the hall eagerly getting to their feet to give the billionaire a standing ovation.

Everyone that was...except her.

She remembered feeling panicky and dizzy at the same time, wondering why the mere sight of a stranger had her heart pounding...like it didn't already belong to someone else. Her hands had also grown mortifyingly damp and her breath short, her skin flushed with heat even though the auditorium's air conditioning was on full blast.

The giant screens had magnified his every chiseled feature and amplified how his whole being pulsed with intoxicating sexuality. It had made his presence inescapable, and Tassy could feel her cheeks burning when she remembered how the mere sight of him that day had been enough to enslave her entire being.

Each time his image appeared, her body responded like a tuning fork struck at the perfect frequency. The camera would zoom in on the gorgeous features of the billionaire's face, and her lips would start to tremble, her mind unable to stop wondering how it would feel to have his mouth cover hers. The camera would zoom out to give the audience a chance to appreciate the full impact of his towering height, and her breasts would start to swell, and...

Stop it!

Tassy remembered mentally yelling the words out that day when she realized what was happening, and she hadn't wasted another moment after that. She had simply gotten up from her seat and walked out of the auditorium with no intention of coming back.

It was just science at work, Tassy still remembered forcefully telling herself at that time. Sometimes, complete strangers simply had chemistry that had an effortless time...chemistrying.

That was all there was to it.

Science.

But because Tassy had been so bothered by her body's scientific reaction, she had also promised herself toneverhave anything to do with him. She remembered having dinner with Xylan thatsame day, and how Xylan had derided the time she "wasted" in listening to Lucius Young speak.

He's only successful because he was born rich!

---