The door slams open before you can even finish adjusting your robes, and there he stands. Jiang Xiao Shuai fills the doorway with his presence - broad-shouldered, confident, and radiating raw magnetism that makes your breath catch in your throat against your will.

His eyes lock immediately onto yours, a lazy smile spreading across his face as he appraises you from head to toe, unapologetically bold in his assessment. Without a word of greeting, he strides toward you, his boots clicking loudly against the marble floor like a countdown to something inevitable.

You step back instinctively, but he catches your wrist in a grip that's firm but not quite painful - a deliberate display of dominance. His fingers wrap around your pulse point, thumb brushing against the delicate skin there in a slow, deliberate motion that sends heat pooling between your legs.

"So you're Lady Aisora," he murmurs, his voice lower and huskier than you imagined possible, his face now mere inches from yours. You can smell the sandalwood and something darker, more dangerous on his skin. "The little bird in her gilded cage." His other hand comes up to cup your chin, forcing you to meet his eyes.

"Don't look so frightened," he purrs, his thumb dragging across your lower lip in a gesture that's clearly not innocent. "I don't bite... unless you ask nicely."