C7 You Pervert!

Her eyes widened in shock, fists clenched so tightly that her nails pierced her flesh, drawing blood that dripped onto the ground.

"Out of respect for our time as classmates, I'll give you three days to clear out. After that, this place is mine," Caroline said with a sly chuckle, her gaze sweeping dismissively over Katie. To her, the poor simply didn't deserve a voice.

Katie stood frozen, watching as Caroline strutted past with an arrogant smirk. She sauntered away, arm in arm with Waverly, before hopping into a sports car and speeding off, leaving everyone else in her dust.

On a night so dark and windy you couldn't see your hand in front of your face, Katie and Nancy sat on the curb, gazing at the villa that seemed like a slice of heaven from their vantage point five hundred meters away.

"Are you sure you can handle this alone? Isn't this too risky?" Nancy asked, her concern evident as she eyed the villa.

Earlier that day, Katie had spent three thousand dollars to hire a pro to dig into the demolition project. The scoop was that Jabe had put in the bid, then passed the project off to the Howard family. If she could just find Jabe, she could fix everything.

But how? After mulling it over, Katie decided to play a dangerous game: she'd sneak a nude photo of him and use it as leverage.

To pull it off, she'd have to slip into the villa and into his bedroom.

Katie slinked over the wall and landed gracefully, scanning the silent, sprawling villa. No guards, no staff—just eerie silence.

She tiptoed through the deserted, brightly lit hall and up the stairs, pausing at a balcony. Gripping the railing, she wondered which room was his.

"Where could it be?" she murmured, fiddling with a mini digital camera. A sudden loud slam from a room to the left shattered the silence, nearly sending her tumbling.

Katie edged toward the noise, peering into the empty room. With a swift climb over the railing and through the window, she landed softly on the plush carpet below.

The sound of cascading water jolted her. Slipping off her shoes, Katie tiptoed barefoot to the bathroom door and peered through the crack. A tall silhouette stood bathed in the warm, yellow glow, his profile exquisitely chiseled to perfection. As he turned slightly, his deep, dark eyes met hers.

The sound of rushing water startled Katie, and she instinctively stepped back, fearing she'd been discovered. Her heart settled as she realized she remained unnoticed.

She pressed against the door, peering through the crack with one eye squinted, her finger poised on the camera's shutter button. He slowly unbuttoned his dark blue shirt, revealing the seductive curve of his collarbone. As he turned, his shirt slipped off, and water splashed onto his skin, tracing beautiful lines that almost lured Katie into a daydream.

But his face stopped her cold.

Jabe? Wasn't he the man she'd run into before? Anxiety crept into Katie's thoughts.

This was the man she'd used as a shield, the one she'd accidentally kicked...

OMG, it was actually Jabe? Could her luck get any worse?

A loud "bang" jolted her from her thoughts as the sound of breaking glass came from the bathroom. She quickly retracted her camera, eyeing the window as a potential escape route, only to see someone patrolling the grounds below.

Her eyes darted to the large bed, and in an instant, she was hiding beneath it, trembling. What if she were caught? Would she be thrown to the dogs?

Another "bang" echoed as the bathroom door opened, and the approaching heavy footsteps sent her nerves into overdrive.

"Please, heaven and earth, help me," Katie prayed silently, wishing he would just leave. As his steps neared, her heart raced.

After a tense silence, she risked a glance. He stood with his back to her, bare and vulnerable—a perfect shot. She gripped her camera, ready to capture the moment.

But then he turned, sat at the bed's edge, and reached out so quickly she couldn't retract her hand in time.

He had caught her! Jabe had actually caught her camera!

Katie's fingertips grazed something cool as Jabe's eyes narrowed, focusing on the red light blinking relentlessly. He plucked the camera from her grasp with a chilling smirk. In a fluid movement, he grabbed Katie's wrist and yanked her from under the bed.

"Ah... I..." Katie gasped, taken aback. She tumbled onto the bed, bouncing slightly before coming to a stop, sprawled across the middle.

Jabe's towering presence loomed over the daring woman sprawled below him.

"Sorry, I... I must've walked into the wrong room," Katie stammered, her embarrassment palpable as she reached for the camera. With a casual flick, Jabe sent it skidding away.

Her heart plummeted. Damn, her precious photos!

"Big brother... No, Mr. Russell! I..." Katie's voice faltered, her wide eyes flitting around, her mind a blank slate under his piercing scrutiny.

Her gaze slowly descended from his neck to the sculpted abs and the flawless V-line of his hips. A trickle from her nose brought a salty, faintly metallic taste to her lips.

"You're bleeding," he informed her, his deep voice laced with concern as his fingers lightly grazed her nose, sending a shiver through her.

Katie looked up at him, stunned, the cool touch from his fingertips sending waves of warmth to her core.

She held her breath, suddenly regaining her senses, and squirmed her hand free. Rolling to the bed's edge, she snatched the white bedsheet to wipe away the blood.

Jabe's handsome features twitched as he squinted at her, his gaze sweeping over her before settling on the ajar window.

Damn it, she'd climbed in through the window? Were all his men just dead weight?

"Blood, I'm bleeding?" Katie's eyes widened as she noticed the stain on the sheet. She was mortified to realize she'd gotten a nosebleed from just looking at a man.

How utterly unbecoming.

Jabe observed her turn and quickly moved around the bed, seizing her arm and pulling her beneath him with a decisive yank.

"What are you trying to do? Get off me, you creep," Katie blurted out, her anger rising as she poked at his chest, her composure unraveling.

Caught in the act, it was only natural to panic.

Now, she was entirely overpowered by him.

"Creep? Are you talking about me?" His deep, magnetic voice hummed in her ear as his fingers gently coaxed her chin upward, compelling her eyes to lock with his.

Katie bit her lip and shifted uncomfortably, lifting her eyes only to have Jabe's face draw near, his breath grazing her cheek.