Chapter 1

Ever since I moved into my stepfather David’s house, he'd give me a glass of warm milk every night.

After drinking it, I’d immediately fall into a deep sleep, only to dream of being tormented by two men.

One time, I skipped the milk. Soon after I lay down, the door creaked open.

The two men from my dreams appeared.

“I’m tired of her being half-asleep. How about we try it with her wide awake tonight?”

“What do you say, Rose?”

“Rose, drink your milk and go to bed early.”

As soon as I got home, David handed me a glass of warm milk, a slightly fawning look in his eyes.

David was Mom’s new husband, only five years older than me. I worried Mom was being scammed, so I decided to spend some time getting to know him better.

Mom had us move into David’s place. It was close to my office, which was convenient.

But Mom’s job was far, so she only came over on weekends.

I felt awkward being alone with David, but Mom insisted it was the only way to truly understand him.

So, from Monday to Friday, it was just David and me.

I finished my milk and went into my room, planning to read a bit. But I barely turned a few pages before drowsiness hit. I slumped onto the desk, drifting off to sleep.

In my dream, a man’s hand wrapped around my waist from behind. Two fingers deftly undid my sleepwear, leaving me utterly vulnerable.

“Open your mouth.” Another man’s deep voice guided me, close to my ear.

At that moment, my throat felt incredibly dry, and I involuntarily opened my mouth.

“Good girl, Rose. I’m really starting to like you more and more.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my reflection in the mirror. Two figures, one in front, one behind. I vaguely recognized one man wearing a suit, a silver ring on his finger.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

A knock on the door startled me awake.

I opened my eyes in a daze. I was lying on my bed, still in my sleepwear.

“Rose, are you up yet? You’ll be late for work!” It was David’s voice, urging me from outside the door.

“Oh, right.” I mumbled, climbing out of bed.

The bedsheets were tangled in a mess, and my body felt sticky, as if I’d sweated a lot.

I quickly took a shower and headed to the office.

During work, I couldn't help but slack off, posting online about my recent dreams. Replies quickly flooded in.

[LOL, OP, are you single? Get a boyfriend, and you won’t have dreams like that. Hehe, or maybe just go on a date?]

[My dreams are way weirder. It’s fine, totally normal.]

[Aw, sweetie, sounds like you’ve got a crush! Totally normal!]

Seeing that I wasn’t the only one eased my mind.

“Rose, let’s go to the meeting.” My manager, Brenda, tapped my desk.

My eyes widened. “Me?”

“Yes, you. What are you staring at? Come on!” Brenda said, striding towards the conference room.

I scrambled to follow her.

I’d only been interning at this company for less than a month. I hadn't even touched a project, let alone attended a meeting. Usually, I just did odd jobs.

Brenda suddenly taking me to a meeting made me a little panicked.

When we reached the conference room, about twenty-something people were already seated. A moment later, two stern-faced men walked in.

Brenda whispered in my ear, “Those are our company’s two bosses. The one with the blue tie is Mr. Julian, and the other is Mr. Marcus.”

I’d heard colleagues privately discuss how both bosses were incredibly wealthy, handsome, and successful – the total package. But they rarely came to the office.

Seeing them in person today still stunned me. They were both good-looking enough to be movie stars.

As I was admiring them, Julian’s gaze suddenly swept over. I quickly averted my eyes, startled.

That’s when I noticed the silver ring on Marcus’s finger.

That ring…

It seemed identical to the one worn by one of the men in my dream last night.

And their builds, they were so similar to the two men in my dream! Julian’s voice, too, sounded just like the man who told me to open my mouth.

But this was my first time seeing them.

It had to be a coincidence.

“Next, the colleagues whose names I call will be traveling with me to the branch office for a week, starting tomorrow.”

“Rose…”