Villain Ch 1649. Aftershocks

Back to photoshoot location.

The sun was warmer now. High noon casting sharper shadows across the photo set that had finally gone quiet. The crews were packing up, light reflectors folding, camera rigs wheeled back into their vans.

The storm that had been that photoshoot—the teasing, the heat, the games—was technically over.

But for Mila and Vivian, the aftershocks still hadn’t stopped.

Their bodies felt light but tense, as if the very air was still laced with him.

Their hearts beat too fast.

Still.

Mila exhaled softly as she stepped out of the dressing trailer, smoothing her skirt down with shaking hands. The makeup was off. The styled hair was loosely tied back again. She was fully back in her “normal” clothes.

But her body hadn’t cooled off.

Not even close.

Her pulse fluttered in her throat like a trapped bird.

Because he was standing right there.

Allen.

Leaning casually near the side of the trailer, hands in his pockets, clean again—his face wiped free of lipstick, shirt neat, collar fixed.

But the man beneath that polished layer was still very much the same.

The same sharp eyes.

The same presence that made her stomach twist with heat just seeing him.

Vivian stepped beside her, equally composed on the outside, but inside?

Her nerves were still a livewire.

Even after everything they’d done together—in the game, in the Crypts, behind closed doors—there was something about seeing him like this, in broad daylight, that made him feel even more dangerous.

Vivian swallowed. She could still feel the ghost of his hands—though he hadn’t even touched her today. The weight of his gaze during the shoot felt like it was burned into her skin.

He looked up at them as they stepped out.

His eyes flickered, subtle but intimate. Like he’d been waiting for only them.

“Done?” Allen asked with a soft tone.

Neither of them answered right away.

Vivian gave a small nod.

Mila forced a tiny breathy laugh. “Yeah.”

Allen smiled faintly. The kind of smile that shouldn’t make their knees weak—but did anyway.

He stepped forward slowly, closing the gap between them with quiet ease. “Come,” he said simply. “Let’s have lunch.”

Vivian blinked. “Lunch?”

“I made a reservation earlier,” Allen said, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. “I figured after today, we might need it.”

Mila flushed instantly. She opened her mouth, closed it, then found her words. “Uh… you mean all of us?”

“Of course,” Allen replied smoothly. “You two and me.”

His eyes flicked between them—reading them.

Because he knew.

Of course he knew.

None of them had spoken about it.

But he felt it too.

That strange, electric tension that had wrapped around all three of them during the shoot like invisible silk.

The unspoken heat.

The air thick with something more primal than professional.

Vivian bit the inside of her cheek and glanced at Mila.

Mila’s cheeks were already burning pink again. She looked like she was about to vibrate out of her skin. “I… yeah. That sounds good.”

Allen smiled again, amused by how adorably wrecked she still was.

He gestured casually with his head. “Come on. Before you both faint.”

They followed him as they moved toward the parking lot—but not the main one where the other staff and models were gathering. No, Allen’s car was parked in a far more private location.

A secluded section of the estate—walled off, shaded under tall pines, with no wandering lenses or nosy assistants nearby. The kind of place that wasn’t listed on the agency’s maps.

The other security vehicle had already pulled out, intentionally baiting the paparazzi and hovering press to follow. Flashbulbs burst near the front gate where that car stalled intentionally. Allen’s team knew how to handle misdirection perfectly.

Vivian’s heart quickened with every step they took. Mila’s palms were clammy again as she tried not to stare at Allen’s back—the way he walked, calm, commanding, like nothing ever touched him.

The farther they got from the main building, the quieter it became.

Just the sound of their heels clicking softly on the stone path, a few scattered bird calls above them, the faint rustle of wind through the leaves—

And the pulse of heat that hadn’t cooled since the shoot.

Kai stood waiting beside the sleek black sedan, his usual unreadable butler expression locked in place.

“Your car is ready, sir,” Kai said smoothly as they approached.

Without missing a beat, he opened the rear passenger door, bowing slightly.

Allen turned to the girls, his smile still faint, still sharp.

He could feel their nerves.

“Ladies,” he said gently, voice dipping just enough to tighten something low in both their stomachs. “After you.”

Vivian stepped forward first, her face warm, cheeks burning, pulse racing. Mila followed, clutching her bag tighter than necessary.

Vivian chuckled, her voice tight, and slid into the passenger seat. Mila followed quickly into the back, gripping her bag like it was an anchor.

The doors shut with a soft thunk, sealing them in with him.

The air inside the car felt different.

Thicker.

Quieter.

Kai started the engine, pulling away from the lot with smooth precision.

The hum of the engine filled the silence inside the car.

But no one spoke.

Not yet.

It wasn’t awkward silence—it was thick. Heavy. Like every second carried a weight none of them knew how to release yet.

Allen sat between them in the spacious backseat. His posture relaxed, but his presence… anything but. His arm lightly rested along the backrest behind both Vivian and Mila, not touching—but close enough they could feel the ghost of him in every breath.

Mila’s pulse raced. She could feel her chest rising a little too quickly, her palms slightly damp even as she tried to keep her fingers still in her lap.

Finally, she broke the silence.

Her voice was soft, barely above a whisper. “Do you… feel it too?”

Allen’s gaze shifted. He didn’t look at her fully—he didn’t need to—but his lips curved into that quiet, knowing smile. “Yes.”

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