The moment Rocky entered Laney's place, he was greeted with a warm and welcoming fragrance that refreshed his senses instantly. This smell, which came from Laney, was faint yet left a lingering impression.
Rocky pushed aside the sheer tissue like curtain to enter her room which, he thought, was elegant and tasteful. The decor and overall vibe of the room were not overtly feminine—the pastel-colored type most of women inclined towards, instead it was full of aesthetically appealing pieces of furniture. A round rosewood table was in the center, with several chairs around it forming a perfect set. On the left side, there was a secretaire along with a complementing bookcase. While on the right side, there was a table for her zither with a tiny stool. A censer was placed on the table which slowly let out streams of fragrant smoke.
Across from him, there was another delicate curtain, through which Rocky could see the shape of a queen-sized bed, a dressing table and a vast closet, about 6 feet high, placed against the wall. On the other side was a screen with oriental decorations. Clearly, this sheer curtain was meant to separate the common area from Laney's bedroom.
Now that Rocky had to wait patiently, he pulled out one of the rosewood chairs and, sat down to collect his thoughts. As the vivid scene of the incident from earlier began to flood his mind, his heart instantly quickened pace with fear and nervousness. If it were not for this mysterious woman in purple, he would have been dead.
Everything happened so suddenly and fast that Rocky was caught off guard. Just reliving the incident in his mind, Rocky felt something strange but couldn't tell what it was exactly.
"Was this supposed to be some sort of a revenge?" Rocky murmured to himself thinking back on what had unfolded. He taught the prefect's son a lesson and in the process ended up offending Calvin today. There was a strong possibility that it was the prefect who hired a professional to take revenge.
But Rocky soon dismissed that line of thought. The woman in white, who had just attacked him, was a Heavenly Stage spirit manipulator. If at all the prefect had the reach to hire a great master like her, he wouldn't have been scared away by Rocky that easily in the first place. Another reason to abandon that possibility all together was that Rocky already showed the prefect the Crimson Dragon Token. After that, the prefect would not be that silly and reckless to go against him, the Crimson Dragon General.
Since the chances of it being the prefect were so slim, it was even more unlikely for it to be Calvin. Now that the two prime suspects were in the clear, Rocky was back in the dark with no idea as to who called for this attack on him.
Yet, what baffle
much as looking at Laney's beautiful focused face. As she drowned in the notes of her instrument, he too flowed towards appreciating her elegance and warm smile. The moment his eyes met hers, he could not help but be infatuated with her charm and the euphonic melody.
Soon her melodious music stopped, but Rocky was still stuck in trance for a few moments before he finally pulled himself back to reality. He instinctively clapped with marvel and appreciation for the effect her music had on him. "This was intensely beautiful!"
"Thank you so much for your kind words, Mr. Bai. You have been a great audience! But was your compliment intended for my music or me?" Laney slowly stood up as she inquired and walked up to Rocky with smooth movements like that of a butterfly.
"To be honest, it was a compliment for both and still falls short!" Rocky said honestly.
Laney passed a wide smile and lifted the bottle of wine to fill both the glasses. She then handed one glass to Rocky and took the other one for herself. "Thank you for what you did today, Mr. Bai! If not for you and your kindness, I cannot even imagine how I would have gotten out of that muddle. Thank you again!" She clanked her glass with Rocky's glass and said cheers before taking a big sip of the wine.
Rocky nodded with a smile at her and chugged down the wine.
"Please wait a second, Mr. Bai!" Laney abruptly put her glass down and walked straight into the bedroom.
Rocky stared at her receding back as hint of meaningful emotion flashed in his eyes. After all, he was a man and he would be lying if he said he had not developed any feelings towards this beautiful girl who was extending an invitation. But, his will power and disposition were stronger than other men, which helped him remain reasonable and rise above worldly pleasures in such situations.