Transmigrated: Stealing the CEO husband-Chapter 16: Professionalism shattered

"Some other way?"

A chill crawled down Ariana's spine.

No.

Curiosity killed the cat, and she had no interest in knowing what this other way meant.

President Luiss, while good at heart somewhere deep inside, was still a man—a powerful, experienced player before meeting the female lead who would eventually steer him to the right path.

But she wasn't that female lead.

Right now, she was just prey.

Ariana's mind raced. Struggling would only provoke him further.

So, she did the opposite.

She softened.

"President Luiss..." Her voice quivered as she stopped resisting, shimmering tears pooling in her eyes. Her expression, pitiful and vulnerable, mirrored that of a bullied kitten—small, helpless, utterly fragile.

It worked.

His grip loosened. A flicker of hesitation crossed his gaze. Guilt seeped into his heart, whispering justifications in his ear.

"You entered the Presidential suite fully aware," he murmured, as if convincing himself rather than her.

Ariana sniffled, her voice barely above a whisper. "I didn't know it was the President's suite... The hallways are confusing, and all the suites look the same."

Luiss was at an impasse.

On one side, he was aroused to the point of pain, her presence igniting something primal within him. On the other, he knew. He knew. What he was doing was wrong.

Yet, he had spent the entire evening watching her.

The dress she wore, the way it hugged her frame, the way everyone else had admired her—

He was a man. And the beauty standing before him was his.

It started as a game, but somewhere along the way, the act became real. The lines blurred, and along with it, so did his self-control.

"Don't worry," he murmured, running a finger along the delicate curve of her ear, loosening the intricate hairstyle she had worked so hard to maintain. Strands of her hair fell freely around her face as he leaned down, pressing a kiss against her forehead. "You'll be compensated."

A chill raced down Ariana's spine.

"No," came her resolute reply.

Luiss paused, his lips barely parted from her skin, only to meet her eyes—sharp, defiant, burning with anger.

The more unwilling she was, the more he wanted her.

"Oh no."

Ariana felt his grip tighten around her wrists.

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"He's not going to spare me."

Panic shot through her. She needed an escape. Now.

Her mind latched onto the system. Her best bet was Softness Buff.

Without hesitation, she activated it.

A soft, golden glow enveloped her body.

For a split second, Luiss's pupils dilated. He staggered slightly, blinking in confusion, as if he were hallucinating.

Ariana didn't waste the moment.

"President Luiss," she whispered, her voice trembling, "I really respect you from the bottom of my heart. But if this continues... you won't ever be the same in my eyes."

A sharp pain stabbed into his chest.

"What... am I doing?"

"I know you, President Luiss." Her voice was like silk, wrapping around his mind. "Deep down, you're not a monster. You value people. You value consent."

The countdown ticked in her vision.

15 minutes.

His breathing grew heavy, but something in his expression shifted.

"You are different from other men with power," she continued softly, "You don't see people as tools. You see loyalty. You see character."

13 minutes.

Luiss clenched his jaw. The words sliced through the haze clouding his mind.

"You don't look down on your staff," she whispered. "You respect them as human beings."

11 minutes.

His grip weakened.

Her heart pounded.

Five minutes.

A storm raged in his eyes. His hands, once possessive, now trembled.

Three minutes.

For the first time that night, he saw her. Not as a conquest. Not as something to take.

But as Ariana.

His breath hitched.

The raw, searing passion that had consumed him just moments ago faded into something else entirely.

Regret.

Guilt.

"What the fck am I doing?"

His hands fell from her wrists, and without thinking, he pulled her into a tight embrace.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered, his voice rough with emotion.

Ariana, still trembling, let out a broken sob.

"Shh..." Luiss gently rubbed her back, soothing her. "I won't hurt you." His grip tightened, as if trying to protect her from the very monster he had almost become.

"And I would never force you."

Ariana's shoulders shook as she let herself be held, her body still tense with fear. But slowly... slowly, the exhaustion won.

Her eyelids grew heavy. Her breathing evened out.

She fell asleep in his arms.

The countdown ended.

Ting! Ting! Ting!

A flurry of system notifications rang in her head.

Ariana didn't need to check them to know—

Tonight had changed everything.

The wall of professionalism between them? Shattered.

The dynamic of their relationship? Altered forever.

The man who once viewed her as an object of desire now held her as if she were something precious—something he had almost lost.

As Luiss tightened his embrace, resting his chin gently against the top of her head, a thought echoed in his mind:

"What the hell is happening to me?"