My Dragon Boss Was My One-Night Stand

Chapter 2

In an instant, the ground vanished beneath me.

My stomach lurched into my throat.

I couldn't do anything but squeeze my eyes shut in terror.

I was going to die!

My son was only two months old.

He would never even remember my face.

Then something enormous caught me, hard and warm, wrapping around me like a shield.

The impact drove the air from my lungs.

When I came to, I was cradled in strong arms.

I blinked, trying to focus.

Then I saw his face.

The man from the alley.

How could he be here?

He had saved my life.

Beside me, August looked even more stunned than I felt.

He wasn't vomiting. His skin was perfectly clear, not a trace of the horrible red rash.

Am I really cured? This woman carries the same scent as the one from the alley. Could she actually be her? Could she be the one?

We were still staring at each other when hurried footsteps echoed through the hall.

Elizabeth arrived with Annabelle and the others.

The moment Elizabeth saw us, shock and delight flashed across her face.

"August, y-you're cured?"

Annabelle's hands curled into tight fists at her sides.

The excitement of seeing August instantly curdled into jealousy and resentment.

She couldn't understand why August, who couldn't even touch a woman before, hadn't shown the slightest adverse reaction to me.

I was stunned.

The man standing before me turned out to be August Holden, the ruthless and feared head of the Holden family whom the previous applicant had talked about?

Flustered, I quickly climbed out of August's arms and stood nervously to one side.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."

August rubbed his fingers together thoughtfully, his expression unreadable.

"It's fine."

He turned toward Elizabeth, his voice turning cold.

"What happened?"

Although Elizabeth was August's mother, she still couldn't help feeling intimidated whenever she faced him.

Since August had become the head of the Darkwyrm Clan, the aura surrounding him had become even more terrifying.

And he hated pointless conflict above all else.

If he learned what Annabelle had done, he would make sure she paid dearly.

"It was like this." Elizabeth was still trying to figure out how to explain everything when Annabelle stepped forward.

"They were all here to apply for the position of Mr. Leo's wet nurse."

"We all know your rules. We know you can't stand women who don't know their boundaries. But this woman stripped in front of everyone and tried to seduce a man."

"That was why we were going to throw her out of the manor."

"Wet nurse?" August frowned as he looked me over.

"So, you're married?"

Annabelle jumped in before I could answer.

"She's married and has a son! But her husband died because of her. She's nothing but bad luck! August, she can't stay here!"

I was furious.

I had come to be Leo's wet nurse, which had nothing to do with Annabelle's work as a servant, yet she had been gunning for me from the start.

She was trying to leave me with no way to survive.

I gritted my teeth and cut Annabelle off for the first time.

"My husband died in an accident! I never did anything to betray him!"

"Mr. Holden." I faced August, lowered my head, and carefully explained what had happened.

In the end, I said, "I need this job to support myself and my son. I have no other intentions. Please trust me."

August shot Annabelle a cold, hard look.

"Don't you know the Holden family's rules? Go and take your punishment!"

"No, August!" Annabelle cried out in panic.

August didn't give her a chance to defend herself.

He simply signaled the bodyguards to cover her mouth.

I watched as Annabelle was dragged away, her eyes fixed on me, burning with hatred.

I wasn't afraid anymore.

She had started this. I had only told the truth, and I hadn't done anything wrong.

"August, you..." Elizabeth looked at August helplessly, but the rest of her words died on her lips.

"Since Leo likes her milk," August's Adam's apple moved as he continued, "keep her."

"Since you have decided, then she can stay." Elizabeth nodded.

Relief flooded through me. I quickly lowered my head to hide it.

"Thank you, Madam Holden! Thank you, Mr. Holden!"

As long as I had a stable job, I could bring my son back to me before long.

Elizabeth told Bryce to take us to collect our wet nurse uniforms, then left.

I followed Bryce and was about to leave when a breeze suddenly swept through, lifting my hair.

The loose strands fluttered back and brushed against August's chiseled cheek.

He caught the fresh scent carried by my hair.

His eyes narrowed slightly as he watched me walk away.

In that instant, he knew without a doubt that I was the woman who had saved him in the alley.

Married with a child, yet widowed.

She was practically made for him.

Night had fallen.

Darkness surrounded Holden Manor, while the estate itself was bathed in warm light.

I carried a glass of red wine toward the outdoor pool.

One of the other maids had told me Elizabeth usually took a swim before bed and enjoyed a glass of red wine afterward.

She said if I brought it, the Madam would be pleased.

I was new here, and I wanted to make a good impression, so I agreed.

When I reached the pool, I was about to set the wine glass on the table when a figure suddenly rose from the water.

"Madam Holden, your..."

I was about to tell Elizabeth that I had brought her wine, but the face emerging before me belonged to August, ruggedly handsome as ever!

"I-I'm sorry!"

I froze.

After this afternoon's training, I had learned that August couldn't stand women.

The moment any woman came within three feet of him, he would start vomiting!

I had no idea why the August I met that morning had been so different from the man everyone described.

Whatever the reason, I knew one thing for certain.

I couldn't get anywhere near August!

I quickly lowered my head and turned to leave.

Then a violent splash sounded behind me.

The next second, a scorching hand suddenly locked around my ankle.

No nausea. No burning rash. Not with her.

"Ah!"

I cried out, but August was already behind me.

He sent me stumbling onto the pool's edge, leaving me sitting there facing him, while his other hand covered my lips.

"Want everyone to hear you? Then keep screaming."

My face drained of color as I nervously scanned the area.

Only after confirming that no one had noticed us did I finally let out a breath.

August ran a callused fingertip gently over my lips before taking his hand away.

Standing in the pool, he leaned in close, inhaled my scent, and locked his gaze with mine.

"Delis, you're the woman who slept with me in that alley today, aren't you?"

My heart lurched, and I quickly shook my head.

"No!"

All I wanted was to make an honest living.

The last thing I needed was any kind of inappropriate entanglement with August!

August's hand on my thigh stilled.

"No? Then why does your scent feel so familiar? Why does Leo prefer your milk over all the others? You're… different."

I trembled from head to toe, shaking my head so hard it was practically a no on repeat.

Admit it and lose everything. Deny it and maybe I survive.

"No, I have no idea what you are talking about. Besides, breast milk is breast milk. There is no such thing as recognizing someone by it..."

I was lying.

Every woman's breast milk was different.

Otherwise, Leo would never have turned up his nose at the other wet nurses after trying mine.

But if I wanted to keep this job, I couldn't let the truth slip.

"Is that so?" August's expression grew colder, as if he were weighing every word I had said.

"Of course," I answered without hesitation.

I was about to pull away from August and get to my feet when a sharp voice I knew all too well suddenly rang out.

"Elizabeth, that b***h Delis is over here! I told you, she came here to seduce a man. She never had any intention of doing her job properly!"

I was in trouble!

If they saw me like this—August's hand on my thigh, his body pressed against mine—no one would believe it was innocent.

Annabelle had brought Elizabeth, Bryce, and two bodyguards to catch me red-handed with August!

If Elizabeth believed Annabelle's version of events and decided I would be a bad influence on Leo, I would be fired on the spot!

There was no time to think.

In a panic, I jumped into the pool.

August stared at me in disbelief as I vanished beneath the water.

I was clearly terrified, clinging to his chest like a frightened koala.

When he reached down to pull me up, I couldn't even breathe properly underwater.

I squeezed my eyes shut and shook my head wildly, refusing to surface.

"You..." August wanted to tell me that I didn't need to go this far.

As long as he wanted me to stay, even Elizabeth couldn't fire me.

Before he could say another word, he saw my face turning blue under the water.

I was about to pass out from not getting enough air.

August's expression changed instantly.

He jumped into the pool, wrapped one arm around my waist, and pressed his mouth to mine to give me air.

When I finally came to and opened my eyes, his handsome, sharp face was only inches away.

It was August.

He was giving me CPR with his lips?

His dark eyes were open, watching me.

There was a flicker of amusement in them—like he was enjoying this, like he knew exactly what he was doing to me.

Before I could even react, his body pressed flush against mine, and I felt a hard, insistent pressure against my inner thigh through our soaked clothes.

His mouth stayed on mine, feeding me air.

But his hand slid down, cupping my breast through the wet fabric, his fingers slowly kneading.

"Mm." A shiver ran through me.

I tried to hold it back, but a soft moan slipped out, little bubbles rising with every breath I took.

Through the water, I watched shadows closing in around the pool.

Annabelle led the way, with Elizabeth, Bryce, and two bodyguards right behind her.

They were getting closer by the second.

My lungs burned. I couldn't hold my breath much longer.

Then Annabelle's gaze snapped to the water.

The surface was rippling.

Her eyes widened—and a cruel smile spread across her face.

"She was just here with the wine!" she shrieked, pointing at the pool. "Delis is hiding in there!"

She spun to the bodyguards behind her.

“Get in the water! Drag her out—now!”