A few days later, at Emir’s palace.

“Emma, you have to survive and leave here, return to the prairie, just like we used to,” Tang Mi whispered to Emma.

The beautiful white lion, once dazzling with its radiant coat, had become dull and tangled due to injuries and hunger. Its fur was now matted with dirt and brown blood clots, and Tang Mi could even feel the blood vessels beneath its skin and the prominent bones protruding from its ribs.

Several plates of raw meat lay next to it, covered in black and green flies.

Emma opened her eyelids, her pale amber eyes clouded, but as her pupils focused on Tang Mi’s face, a sliver of light broke through the fog, slowly blooming and finally settling at the tips of her eyes, sparkling like stars.

It raised its head, sitting upright, and gazed at her. In an instant, the noble and dignified aura of the hunting captain returned.

“Come, eat, for your son’s sake. We need to be strong to escape,” Tang Mi said, pulling a plate of meat closer and staring into its eyes, silently conveying her message.

A heavy breath passed through Emma’s nostrils as it turned its head, eyeing Emir and the guards nearby. The sunlight fell on its face, its pupils shrinking into thin slits. Its claws dug into the ground, and its mouth curled, exposing its pink gums.

This was a sign of anger and readiness to attack. Tang Mi quickly pressed its head down, resting her forehead against its broad one. “No, not now. We must wait patiently for the right moment.”

Emma stopped its low growl, stood up, and began tearing into the raw meat, the sound of bones and flesh being crushed sharply coming from between its sharp teeth.

Tang Mi tightly embraced its neck, blocking the view of the guards behind them, then pressed a pen-like object between her fingers a few times. A thin needle popped out, and she gently inserted it into Emma’s skin.

Emir stood on the steps, quietly watching the woman and the lion in the iron cage. The scorching midday sun pressed down on the top of the cage, casting bright, dazzling light over everything inside, accompanied by intense heat. The woman’s slender, delicate waist contrasted sharply with the lioness’s strong and agile body. Tang Mi’s honey-colored skin was surrounded by the lion’s silver-white fur, smooth and fluid, like a perfect backdrop accentuating her tight, sensual curves that gently rippled in the sunlight.

Emir could even see the glistening beads of sweat sliding down her exquisite face, following the elegant line of her neck and falling into the slightly open collar of her silk blouse, disappearing into the deep curve of her chest.

As if sensing Emir’s gaze, both Tang Mi and the white lion turned their heads to look at him, their eyes narrowing with a long, seductive line. The wild, rebellious light in their eyes invaded his vision and his heart.

Emir suddenly felt thirsty. Something deep inside him, wild and restless, was awakened, like a beast stirring, and his uneasy tongue wanted to lick away something moist and warm, like the sweat on her body. This thought sparked a line of heat in his chest and abdomen.

“I want this woman.” Emir was very clear about his physical reaction and inner desire, but he wasn’t in a hurry. It was just like when he first stepped onto this barren but intensely passionate land—conquest and possession were his only beliefs.

He didn’t fully trust Tang Mi; in fact, he sensed that this woman concealed some unknown danger, just like the untamable white lion. But what stirred him was never safety or obedience.

“Chief, please unlock the chains and let Emma out of the cage. She is the leader of the pride, and the confinement will only make her more agitated.” Tang Mi walked closer to him. Despite her skin reddening from the fierce sunlight, her eyes remained cold, indifferently reflecting his pale figure.

Emir knew that Tang Mi was approaching him with a purpose. He had sensed it the moment she first appeared by the pond, but he had yet to figure out what that purpose was. She didn’t seem to be using her beauty to tempt him, and he saw no desire in her eyes, whether for money, power, or for him personally.

It was like a cat that had eaten its fill, approaching you with graceful steps. Just when you think she needs your affection, she nimbly jumps away, crouching in a corner to watch you quietly.

What exactly did she want? Emir’s curiosity was strongly piqued, even more than the wariness he felt inside. He furrowed his brow and said, “Let her out. What if she attacks someone? Several of my guards have already been bitten by her.”

“Any wild animal’s taming carries risks. After all, they’re not pets. But if you want to gain their true trust and respect, you must approach and communicate with them, not just stand behind a cage and use whips and electric rods as your form of dialogue. Of course, you can order your soldiers to stay nearby and use a tranquilizer gun if danger arises,” Tang Mi replied with a slight, almost mocking smile in her voice.

This made Emir somewhat displeased. No one had ever dared challenge his authority on his own land like she did. However, her words did successfully stir his competitive spirit, and he wanted to see how this seemingly fragile woman would manage it. After all, people who are too strong often have a hidden masochistic streak, even if they like to attribute it to their absolute confidence in their own power.

Emir looked at Tang Mi, a provocative smile spreading across his face. “Alright!”

Stepping forward with the dangerous intent of a Sicilian, always guided by the fiercest blood in their veins.

Under Tang Mi’s guidance, Emir opened the cage door and unlocked the collar around Emma’s neck. He then stood in front of her, staring directly into her clear, deep, pale amber eyes.

In that instant, he felt a twinge of fear, not because he was afraid of being attacked by Emma, but because her eyes seemed to pierce through his skin, shooting straight to the depths of his soul. It made him feel exposed, like being naked under the harsh light of the sun, vulnerable and unsafe.

“Don’t shrink back. It is probing your heart. You need to open your heart and convey your intentions to it,” Tang Mi said softly, pressing Emir’s cold hand.

“Can it understand what I’m thinking?” Emir asked, half in doubt.

“Yes, as long as you’re willing,” Tang Mi smiled at him encouragingly, her bright, clear eyes as transparent as crystal.

He suddenly had the illusion that the woman before him and the white lion were of the same kind.

Though Emir didn’t fully believe her words, her voice carried a strange charm and undeniable authority, making him feel almost hypnotized, willingly doing as she said, without hesitation.

Finally, when the fierce lion quietly lay at Emir’s feet, its tail swaying, like a big cat squinting its eyes and enjoying the cold shower he poured over it, he began to completely believe in Tang Mi’s words.

“Why did it suddenly accept my approach?” Emir lifted his eyes and asked Tang Mi, who was squatting beside Emma, tending to the lion’s wounds.

“Animals are much like humans. If you show them kindness and help, they will return it in the same way.”

“Just now, you opened the iron cage and shackles that Emma hates most and stared into its eyes, conveying your thoughts to it. It felt your respect,” Tang Mi turned back and smiled brightly at him. Her rectangular eyes were jet black and dazzling, with a mysterious violet hue deep in her pupils. Her eyelashes curled like the softest feathers, and her pink lips shimmered with a glossy sheen. Emir couldn’t help but wonder what it would feel like to bite them.

“It’s also because of you,” he couldn’t help but tighten his grip on her hand resting on Emma’s back. The smooth, delicate skin stimulated his palm, and his heart thumped loudly in his chest, with blood rushing to his limbs. The sweet, cloying scent of citrus blossoms wafted over, and he suddenly remembered the first time he held his beloved girl in the orange grove on Sicily when he was young, as if time had suddenly reversed by twenty years.

But for Emir, with that kind of first-love-like passion and abruptness, Tang Mi quickly withdrew her hand as if startled, like a frightened rabbit. She abruptly stood up and, just as she was about to take a few steps back, the grass beneath her feet, wet from the water, became incredibly slippery, and her body uncontrollably slipped forward.

But in response to Emir’s first-love-like passion and abruptness, Tang Mi quickly pulled her hand away, like a startled rabbit. She stood up abruptly, planning to step back, but the grass beneath her feet, wet from the water, was incredibly slippery, and she lost control, falling backward.

Of course, she wouldn’t fall clumsily to the ground, because Emir’s hand had already shot out, firmly grasping her waist. The searing heat from his palm pressed through the thin silk of her blouse, leaving an imprint on her skin. All of their movements seemed perfectly coordinated, as if they were designed to complement each other seamlessly.

Emir held her body close, her curly, soft hair brushing against the back of his hand, causing a tickling sensation. The rich, sweet fragrance from her hair wafted up, teasing his nose. Her wide, helpless eyes reflected his face, her eyelashes fluttering as her red lips parted slightly.

As a man, what more was there for him to wait for?

“Oh, God, you’re so beautiful!” Emir quickly lowered his head, eagerly seeking the sweetness he had longed for on her lips. However, she was resisting and dodging his touch. The friction between their bodies in their struggle became increasingly heated and enticing. In the subtle dynamics between men and women, sometimes rejection itself is the best way to drive desire.

Emir gripped Tang Mi’s chin, pressing her struggling hands tightly against his chest, and swiftly sealed her lips with his.

Suddenly, a cold, hard object pressed against Emir’s chin, like a sharp blade. He lowered his gaze and saw the emerald ring on her finger. The dark green gem glared at him indifferently, like a deep ghostly flame.

In that instant, Emir remembered Arthur’s unfathomable pupils. The hand holding her gradually loosened.

“No, Emir, I’m Arthur’s fiancée,” Tang Mi turned her face away, speaking softly, her eyes closed, a hint of pain on her face.

Emir released her. At that moment, Emma, who had been lying nearby, suddenly let out a low, soft growl. However, Emir hadn’t anticipated that the scene just now had already been transmitted to Arthur’s screen, ten kilometers away, through the nanochip that Tang Mi had injected into Emma’s body.

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Author’s Note:

I received a long review today, and I’m so touched! Thanks to Baozi and everyone else who has been supporting this story. I love you all! Such an honest confession!

Covering my face~~

It seems a lot of readers like the Chief, so here’s a little treat for him.