From His Invisible Wife to the World's Icon novel Chapter 180

Xavier pressed his lips against hers with crushing dominance.

Her breath was stolen instantly, her chest heaving wildly. In her peripheral vision, his pitch-black eyes were deep and fathomless, swirling with a searing intensity she couldn't comprehend.

As Frederick drew closer, the sharp scent of cedarwood mingling with sweet gardenia drifted over.

In a panicked frenzy, she bit down hard on Xavier's lip. The metallic taste of blood instantly bloomed amidst the soft, lingering kiss.

He abruptly released her, pulling her tightly against his chest.

She buried her face into him, gasping softly. Her mind was a chaotic blur of panic and adrenaline, her entire body completely numb.

A muffled chuckle vibrated against her ear. It felt like a hallucination, yet she clearly felt the rumble in his chest.

Suddenly, his arm banded around her waist, and he hauled her away, spinning her until she was dizzy.

Bang.

Her back hit a cold, solid surface. Xavier let her go, and she stared up in shock to meet his condescending gaze.

She pursed her lips, desperately trying to steady her erratic breathing. Meanwhile, he looked completely unbothered, as cold and untouchable as an alpine flower. Even his breathing was perfectly steady, without a single trace of arousal.

It was as if that blistering kiss had merely been a calculated tactic to bail her out.

Lydia frowned. There had been absolutely no need for that. He could have just dragged her into the room to hide.

Knock, knock!

A sudden rapping on the door shattered the silence.

She jumped, immediately recognizing the voice.

"Mr. Ford?"

It was Frederick.

Without a second of hesitation, Xavier grabbed the handle and opened the door.

As the door cracked open, Lydia gasped. Her body was nearly exposed.

She almost screamed, frantically grabbing Xavier's wrist and throwing her entire body weight against it to stop him from opening it further.

But the man didn't budge an inch. The sheer, immovable power in his wrist made her stomach drop.

Lydia glared at him, completely at a loss for words.

"Mr. Ford, you dropped your laptop."

Through the crack in the door, Frederick's long fingers held out the device.

Xavier shot her a lazy, warning look. "Stop messing around. It's stuck."

Terrified Frederick would hear, Lydia leaned in and whispered directly into his ear, "I should be asking you that!"

"I act as your meat shield, and this is how you repay me?"

Xavier pulled his ear back slightly, as if it tickled. Instinctively, his lips hovered right beside her ear. "That was a contract."

"The contract is long over," Lydia whispered fiercely, emboldened by panic. "If you don't help me, I'm going out there right now and telling Maya you don't have a fiancée."

"Heh..." A low, husky laugh escaped him. "Go ahead."

With a sudden, forceful twist of his wrist, her slender grip was instantly shattered.

The door swung wide open.

Lydia stumbled back against the wall, clapping her hands over her mouth in sheer terror, but a stifled shriek slipped out anyway.

She heard Frederick's gasp of surprise from the doorway.

Her entire body went numb with dread. Her eyes went wide, and she completely stopped breathing.

"Mr. Ford, have you seen my wife?"

"She was just in the lounge next door."