Secret Pleasure

The height of summer in New York, afternoon thunderstorms come as they please.

Elena Lin clutched her soaked dress hem, standing pathetically in the gloomy corridor of the Sterling Mansion. Today was supposed to be the day of her engagement to Julian Sterling, but just half an hour ago, she had seen Julian with another woman in the dressing room with her own eyes.

She had escaped, but got lost in this giant labyrinth.

At the corner, a half-open door emitted a faint scent of agarwood. Elena didn't care about politeness and pushed the door open.

"Julian? Is that you?" Her voice trembled slightly.

The room was dimly lit, with only the occasional flash of lightning from outside illuminating the interior. A man sat on the leather sofa, a point of crimson between his fingers flickering in the darkness.

Hearing the voice, the man slowly looked up.

It was an extremely handsome yet extremely cold face, with features as deep as if carved by a knife, and the eyes behind gold-rimmed glasses exuded a coolness that saw through the world.

Elena's breath hitched, her legs feeling as if they were nailed to the spot.

It wasn't Julian Sterling.

It was Silas Sterling.

Julian's uncle, the true power-holder of the Sterling family, the man known to the outside world as the "Living King of Hell."

"Rushing in so recklessly, is this how Julian taught you?" Silas's voice was deep and pleasant, yet carried a sense of pressure that made one shudder.

Elena instinctively took a step back, her wet back pressing against the cold door. "I... I'm sorry, Uncle, I entered the wrong room."

She turned to escape, but behind her came the sound of the man rising unhurriedly.

"Stop."

Silas walked up behind her, his tall figure completely enveloping her. He reached out, his cool fingertips passing through her wet hair, finally stopping at the side of her fair neck, slowly stroking it.

"Crying?" He asked knowingly, his voice carrying a hint of playfulness. "For someone like Julian Sterling, is it worth it?"

Elena's eyes turned red, and she bit her lip in silence.

Silas leaned down, his warm breath pouring onto her earlobe, his tone becoming exceptionally dangerous: "Elena, since Julian can't give you the dignity you want, why not... try with me?"

Elena's eyes widened in horror. "Uncle, I'm Julian's fiancée!"

"Fiancée?" Silas let out a low laugh, which sounded particularly abrupt in this quiet afternoon. "After today, you won't be."

The rain in New York fell heavily, as if wanting to drown the entire city.

Elena Lin clutched that soaked contract, shrinking in the first-floor lobby of the Sterling Group. She had originally come to find her fiancé, Julian Sterling, but his phone had been unanswered.

"Miss Lin?"

A low and magnetic voice sounded from behind.

Elena's body stiffened, and she turned around to meet a pair of eyes as deep as ink.

Silas Sterling, Julian's biological uncle, the true power-holder of the Sterling family. He was currently stepping out of the private elevator, followed by a group of solemn-faced executives.

He was wearing a dark gray handmade suit, sharply tailored, making his figure appear even more upright. Even just standing there, the sense of pressure from someone in power was enough to make one suffocate.

"Mr... Mr. Sterling." Elena lowered her head, nervously clutching her clothes.

Silas's gaze lingered on her soaked shoulders for a moment, his brow slightly furrowed. "Where's Julian?"

"He... he might be busy," Elena answered softly.

Silas didn't ask more, walking straight to the black Rolls-Royce parked at the entrance. Just as Elena thought he was about to leave, the window rolled down, revealing his cold face.

"Get in, I'll take you."

Elena was stunned. "No need, Mr. Sterling, I'll take a taxi..."

"Miss Lin, my patience is limited."

That was the first time she heard him speak in such a commanding tone. For some reason, Elena walked forward as if possessed and opened the passenger door.

At that moment, she didn't know that what she had opened was actually the door to the abyss.

The car was filled with an extremely faint woody scent, Silas Sterling's characteristic fragrance.

The windshield wipers moved rhythmically, washing the windshield.

Elena Lin sat in the passenger seat, feeling the air was terrifyingly oppressive. She didn't even dare to turn her head to look at the man beside her, only staring at the street scenes receding rapidly outside the window.

"Cold?" Silas suddenly spoke.

"No... not cold." Just as Elena finished speaking, she couldn't help but sneeze.

The temperature in the car was instantly raised by a few degrees. Silas's long fingers tapped lightly on the screen, and then, a suit jacket carrying his body temperature fell onto Elena's lap.

"Put it on."

"Thank you, Mr. Sterling." Elena reached for the jacket, her fingers inadvertently touching the back of his hand.

It was a sensation like an electric shock.

Elena suddenly withdrew her hand, her cheeks burning.

"Elena Lin, are you afraid of me?" Silas seemed to have noticed her abnormality and asked in a low voice, the end of his tone rising slightly, carrying an inexplicable hint of teasing.

"No... no."

"Julian should have told you that I have a bad temper." Silas turned his head, his deep gaze fixed on her face. "But as long as you're obedient, I'm not scary."

His voice echoed in the small cabin, carrying a mysterious allure.

Elena's heart beat like a drum. She looked at the man's perfect profile, and Julian's words surfaced in her mind: "My uncle is the most cold-blooded and heartless person; remember to take a detour whenever you see him in the future."

But now, not only had she not taken a detour, she was even sitting in his car.

The car stopped at the entrance of the Lin family villa.

Elena Lin was about to push the door to get out, but the door was locked.

"Mr. Sterling?" She turned her head in confusion.

Silas Sterling was unhurriedly unfastening his seatbelt, leaning in close.

That immense sense of pressure descended again. Elena instinctively leaned back, her back pressing tightly against the car door.

"Do you know what Julian has been busy with lately?" he asked, his breath spraying on her neck, causing a tremor.

"Bu... business matters, I suppose."

"He's messing around with the second daughter of the Miller family." Silas's tone was calm, but it was like a heavy bomb exploding in Elena's ear.

Elena's pupils shrank slightly. Her engagement to Julian Sterling was a merger between two families; she had always known Julian played around, but she didn't expect him to be so unscrupulous on the eve of their engagement.

"Elena Lin, do you still want to marry him?" Silas's hand rested on the seatback by her ear, his deep gaze locking onto hers.

"I... I have no choice." Elena bit her lip.

"Following him will only bring you humiliation." Silas suddenly reached out, his cool fingertips lifting her chin. "Why not change to someone else?"

Elena's heart trembled, and she looked at him in disbelief. "Mr. Sterling, what are you saying? Please behave yourself."

Silas curled his lips into a playful smile. "Behave? Elena, in the Sterling family, I am the rule."

After saying that, he leaned down, his thin lips against her ear, his voice as low as a devil's whisper: "Remember, if you suffer any grievance in the future, don't go to him; come to me."

With a click, the car door unlocked.

Elena rushed out of the car as if escaping, and it wasn't until she ran into the house that the intense sense of crisis gradually dissipated.

This man... is too dangerous.

For the next few days, Elena Lin was in a state of daze.

Julian Sterling indeed didn't return, and the text messages he sent were only a few brief sentences. Silas Sterling's words, however, were like a thorn, deeply embedded in her heart.

Just then, something happened to the Lin family.

Elena's father was taken away for investigation on suspicion of illegal financing. The Lin family's stock price instantly hit the floor, and former friends and relatives avoided them.

Elena begged everyone she knew, and finally could only pin her hopes on Julian Sterling.

"Julian, my father..."

"Elena, it's very difficult for me right now too." Julian's tone on the other end of the phone was perfunctory. "The old man at home has spoken; he won't let us get involved in the Lin family's mess. Don't worry, once the heat dies down, I'll definitely find a way."

Elena's heart went completely cold.

She hung up the phone and looked at the number in her contacts that she had never dialed, her hand trembling incessantly.

It was Silas Sterling's private number.

While she was hesitating, a familiar Rolls-Royce stopped before her again.

The window rolled down, and Silas's cold profile looked exceptionally noble in the sunlight.

"Have you considered it?" he asked, his tone as certain as if he had long expected this day.

Elena walked to the car, her eyes slightly red. "Can you save my father?"

"I can." Silas's answer was concise.

"The condition?" Elena wasn't stupid; she knew that in this circle, there was never a free lunch.

Silas pulled open the car door, signaling her to get in. "The condition is, from now on, you are mine."

Elena took a deep breath and sat inside.

At this moment, she knew she had betrayed everything, including that so-called status as a fiancée. But to save her father, she had no choice.

Elena's father was indeed released on bail.

Silas Sterling's methods were thunderous and swift; he not only quelled the storm but even injected a life-saving fund into the Lin family's business.

But in exchange, Elena became Silas's "secret."

This evening, at New York's most luxurious club, Silas was talking business with several CEOs. Elena was brought along by him, wearing an extremely figure-hugging dark green slip dress, her skin as white as jade, shining brightly under the lights.

"Oh, Mr. Sterling, who is this?" someone asked curiously.

"My person," Silas answered without looking up, naturally wrapping his arm around Elena's waist.

Elena's whole body was stiff, and she could only maintain a stiff smile.

Not far away, at the door of a private room, Julian Sterling was walking out with his arm around a young model when he happened to witness this scene.

"Uncle? Why are you here?" Julian was stunned, then his gaze fell on Elena, and his face instantly darkened. "Elena Lin, why are you with my uncle?"

The air froze instantly.

Elena was about to speak, but the hand on her waist suddenly tightened.

Silas picked up his wine glass and took an elegant sip. "Why, do you have an objection?"

"Uncle, she is my fiancée..." Although Julian was afraid of Silas, losing face in such a setting made him unable to stop protesting.

"Not anymore." Silas swept a cold glance at him, his gaze like an ice blade. "Julian, since you can't take care of her, I'll do it for you."

After saying that, he pulled Elena and left the club as if no one else were there.

Julian froze on the spot, his face turning from blue to red, but he didn't dare to say another word.

Silas Sterling had a private estate in the suburbs.

The environment here was elegant and heavily guarded, a true paradise. It was also the place where Silas "hid" Elena Lin.

"Mr. Sterling, I want to go back to school." Elena looked at the man before her.

Silas was sitting on the leather sofa in the study reviewing documents; hearing this, he looked up, his eyes dark. "Back to school? Back to let Julian continue pestering you?"

"I've already broken off the engagement with him."

"That's your idea." Silas stood up and walked to her, his long fingers picking up a strand of her hair. "In the eyes of the outside world, you are still the Sterling family's prospective daughter-in-law. Elena Lin, since you've entered my door, don't think about leaving easily."

He was unreasonably dominant.

Elena discovered that this man's possessiveness for her had reached a nearly pathological level.

He would personally choose the clothes she wore every day, stare at her until she finished every meal, and even the books she read had to go through his censorship.

"Silas Sterling, how is this different from imprisonment?" Elena finally couldn't help but explode.

Silas curled his lips into a smile, but there was no warmth in his eyes. "You can understand it as protection. Elena, the outside world is very messy; you only need to stay obediently by my side, and I will give you everything."

He leaned in and kissed her forehead, with a tenderness that made one sink, yet also made one shudder.

Elena knew she had become the most expensive canary in this cage.

Although Elena Lin wanted to break off the engagement, due to the involvement of family interests, the engagement banquet was still held as scheduled.

But this wasn't an engagement banquet for her and Julian Sterling; it was a grand gathering within the Sterling family, nominally to announce Elena's official entry into the Sterling family.

At the banquet, Elena wore a pure white wedding gown, standing beside Julian, accepting congratulations from everyone.

Although Julian's expression was not good, in front of his father and uncle, he could only play the role of a considerate fiancé.

"Elena, Uncle... didn't do anything to you, did he?" Taking advantage of the absence of others, Julian asked in a low voice, his tone carrying a hint of doubt.

Elena's heart raced, and just as she was about to answer, she suddenly felt a burning gaze staring at her.

It was Silas Sterling, not far away.

He was talking and laughing with several business tycoons, but his gaze drifted over here from time to time, carrying a determined aggression.

"I'm going to the restroom." Elena left in a panic.

At the end of the corridor leading to the restroom, she was suddenly pulled into an empty private room by a powerful large hand.

"Mmph..."

Before she could even cry out, her mouth was sealed.

A strong woody scent hit her; it was Silas's scent.

He was kissing her frantically in this place where they could be discovered at any moment.

"Silas Sterling... let go..." Elena struggled, her heart in her throat.

"What, afraid of being seen by your good fiancé?" Silas stopped his movements, his voice dark and hoarse, his large hand gripping the back of her head. "Elena, look at me. Who is your man?"

"You're crazy..." Elena's eyes were red.

"Yes, I'm crazy." Silas sneered and leaned in again.

Outside the door was a lively cocktail party; inside was a taboo that could not see the light.

After that night's gathering, Elena Lin was completely taken back to the estate.

Silas Sterling seemed to no longer hide his madness.

"Silas Sterling, what we're doing is wrong." Elena shrank into the corner of the bed, watching the man slowly approach.

Silas casually loosened his tie, two flames burning in his eyes. "Right or wrong, I decide. Elena Lin, from the moment you got in my car, there was no turning back."

He was like an elegant cheetah, having locked onto his prey and never letting go.

"If Julian finds out..."

"He wouldn't dare to know." Silas sneered. "Even if he knew, except for kneeling down and begging me, he can do nothing."

This was Silas Sterling, the man who commanded New York.

Elena closed her eyes, letting tears slide down. She discovered that in that transaction named "saving father," she had not only lost her freedom but also her heart.

She actually felt a mysterious dependence on this dangerous man while being afraid.

"Elena, don't cry." Silas's kiss fell on her eyelids, incredibly gentle. "As long as you don't leave me, I will pamper you for a lifetime."

This extreme pampering intertwined with extreme control became an inescapable nightmare for Elena, and also a poison she couldn't refuse.

The days passed in a morbid tranquility.

Elena Lin discovered that although Silas Sterling was dominant, he was truly good to her. He would push away all business dinners just to have a single dinner with her; he would search for rare treasures from all over the world just to make her smile.

Even the medical resources for Elena's father were personally contacted by him.

Today, Elena was reading in the study when Silas hugged her from behind.

"What are you reading?"

"Gone with the Wind," Elena answered softly.

"That's a tragedy." Silas rested his chin on her shoulder. "We won't be a tragedy."

Elena turned around and looked into the man's eyes. Those eyes were now filled with her reflection.

"Silas Sterling, why me of all people?"

"Because the first time I saw you, I wanted to possess you." He was frighteningly honest. "Elena, no matter how the outside world sees it, you can only be my Mrs. Sterling in this life."

Not that hypocritical "niece-in-law," but his woman.

Elena finally reached out and proactively circled his neck.

Since she had already fallen into the abyss, then let's just sink together.

In this game named "Secret Pleasure," whoever moves their heart first loses completely.

And they had both long since lost to each other.

Although the outside world didn't know about their relationship yet, rumors had already begun within the Sterling family.

The Sterling patriarch's eightieth birthday, and he specifically requested Elena Lin's attendance.

The Sterling Mansion, ancient and majestic.

Elena Lin walked into the hall with her arm around Julian Sterling's, but she felt a cold gaze constantly stuck on her.

It was Silas Sterling.

He was sitting next to the main seat, playing with a fountain pen, his expression cold, but those eyes seemed to want to see through Elena.

"Elena, come to Grandma." The elderly Mrs. Sterling was as kind to Elena as ever.

During the meal, to show off, Julian kept putting food on Elena's plate.

"Elena, eat more; you've gotten thin lately."

Elena smiled forcedly, and before she could finish the food in her bowl, she heard Silas suddenly speak: "Julian, that project the company has in North City, you'll go on a business trip to oversee it for three months."

"Huh? Uncle, isn't Manager Chen in charge of that project?" Julian was stunned.

"What, do you have an objection to my decision?" Silas's tone deepened slightly, exuding an unquestionable aura of power.

Julian wilted instantly. "No... no objection."

Elena knew perfectly well that Silas was using a public matter to settle a private grudge, wanting to send Julian away.

She peeked at Silas and found the man curling his lips into an extremely wicked smile.

Under the table, a cold hand suddenly covered her knee and then slowly moved upward.

Elena almost jumped in shock but had to desperately suppress her emotions, lowering her head to eat.

This meal was like sitting on a bed of needles for her.

Before Julian Sterling left, he seemed to have sensed something.

He asked Elena Lin to meet at a Western restaurant they used to frequent.

"Elena, tell me the truth, you and my uncle... what exactly is going on?" Julian stared into her eyes, his gaze filled with suspicion.

Elena's heart skipped a beat, but she forced herself to remain calm. "What do you mean? Mr. Sterling is just looking after the Lin family a bit more for your sake."

"Looking after? When has a person like him ever cared about anyone's life or death?" Julian sneered. "I heard from the servants at the estate that you've been going there frequently lately."

"That's to discuss the compensation for breaking off the engagement." Elena bit her lip.

"Really?" Julian leaned in close. "Elena Lin, you'd better not lie to me. If you dare to get together with my uncle behind my back, I... although I can't touch him, I can make the Lin family fall into ruin again."

This was Julian's shamelessness; he clearly cheated outside himself, yet demanded absolute loyalty from Elena.

Looking at this once-familiar face, Elena only felt thoroughly disgusted.

Just then, Silas Sterling's call came in.

"Where are you?" The voice on the other end was as cold as frost.

"I'm with Julian..."

"Come back immediately." Silas cut off the call.

Elena looked at Julian and took a deep breath. "I have something to do; I'm leaving first."

She didn't even look at Julian's unpredictable face, directly stopped a taxi, and headed straight for the estate.

At the entrance of the estate, that Rolls-Royce was parked quietly.

Just as Elena Lin got out of the taxi, she was yanked into the back seat by Silas Sterling.

The car doors were locked, and the driver, understanding the situation, raised the partition in the middle.

"Silas Sterling, what are you doing?" Elena struggled, but was easily pinned onto the leather seat by him.

"Did he touch you?" Silas pinched her chin, his eyes terrifyingly gloomy.

"He's my fiancé; it's normal to have a meal..."

"I said, you are mine." Silas lowered his head and bit fiercely on her lips until the taste of blood spread between their teeth.

His kiss carried the meaning of punishment, crude and dominant, as if wanting to tear her apart and eat her whole.

"It hurts..." Elena's eyes turned red.

"It's supposed to hurt." Silas's large hand wandered around her waist, his voice deep. "Elena Lin, stop trying to challenge my bottom line. That so-called engagement, I will find an opportunity to cancel it. But before that, you can only belong to me alone."

"But that's my reputation..."

"Reputation?" Silas sneered. "In New York, who dares to say a single word against a woman Silas Sterling has set his eyes on?"

He buried his head in her neck, took a deep breath, and his tone suddenly became somewhat lonely. "Elena, don't go see him again, okay?"

This transition from wildness to vulnerability was what Elena was most unable to resist. She reached out with a trembling hand and circled the back of his neck.

As Silas Sterling's possessiveness grew stronger, Elena Lin felt unprecedented pressure.

This secret romance that couldn't see the light of day made her live in anxiety every day. She feared her father's disappointed eyes and the pointing fingers of the world.

She began to try to escape.

Today, taking advantage of Silas's business trip abroad, she secretly contacted an old friend and prepared a one-way ticket to go abroad.

She left a letter at the estate, with only five simple words: "I'm sorry, I'm tired."

However, before she even reached the airport waiting hall, several bodyguards in black blocked her path.

"Miss Lin, Mr. Sterling requests your return."

The leader was Silas's special assistant.

Elena's face was pale. "Isn't he on a business trip?"

"Mr. Sterling said you would definitely run, so he specifically returned early." The assistant bowed politely, making a "please" gesture.

Elena was taken to the airport's VIP lounge.

Silas was sitting there, holding a cup of already cold coffee, his gaze as cold as if he had no human warmth.

"Elena, where do you want to go?"

His voice was very light, yet it made Elena's hair stand on end.

"I... I want to go out for some fresh air."

"Does getting some fresh air require bringing all your documents and luggage?" Silas stood up, approaching step by step, a cruel curve appearing at the corner of his mouth. "Elena Lin, it seems I've still been too gentle with you."

To make Elena Lin completely give up the idea of escaping, Silas Sterling got serious.

He not only stopped all of Elena's bank cards but even directly announced, in the name of the Lin family, that Elena was temporarily taking a leave of absence from school due to health reasons.

"Silas Sterling, you can't do this!" Elena shouted in the bedroom.

Silas just looked at her coldly. "I can give you everything, but the premise is that you cannot leave this room. Elena Lin, if you dare to run again, you should be clear about what the consequences will be for the Lin family."

Elena collapsed onto the floor, crying out in despair.

She finally understood that the love this man gave her always came with shackles.

For the next half month, she was under house arrest at the estate. Except for servants, she couldn't see anyone.

Silas would return every night; he would gently help her comb her hair and feed her bird's nest soup, but in Elena's eyes, he was more like a cold jailer.

"Elena, don't be angry anymore." He hugged her from behind, his tone extremely gentle. "As long as you're good, I'll take you to the seaside for a vacation next week."

Elena turned her head, her hollow eyes staring at him. "Silas Sterling, just kill me."

The man's body stiffened slightly, and his gaze instantly became incredibly gloomy.

"Kill you? No, I can't bear to." He lowered his head, frantically kissing her tear stains. "I want you to stay by my side for this life and every lifetime to come."

Just as Elena Lin thought she would be locked in this magnificent cage for the rest of her life, things took a turn.

Elena's father suddenly had a heart attack and was sent to the ICU.

Elena saw it on the news.

"Let me see my father!" She rushed into the study, hysterical toward Silas Sterling, who was in the middle of a meeting.

Silas dismissed his subordinates on the computer, his brow tightly furrowed. "I've already sent the best doctors over."

"That's my father! I want to see him with my own eyes!" Elena grabbed his collar, crying hoarsely. "Silas Sterling, I beg you, let me go. I don't want your money, I don't want your pampering, I just want my father to live..."

Looking at Elena in such a broken state, a hint of unprecedented hesitation flashed in Silas's heart.

He had always thought that as long as he controlled her person and gave her the best material enjoyment, she would eventually stay willingly.

But he had forgotten that she was a living person, not an object.

"Fine." He finally relented. "I'll take you."

In the hospital, Elena's father lay on the hospital bed, his breath faint.

Elena threw herself at the bedside, crying her eyes out.

Silas stood at the end of the corridor, looking at the girl's thin and broken figure, reflecting for the first time on whether he had truly done wrong.

Elena's father was resuscitated but needed quiet rest.

Silas Sterling did not force Elena back to the estate but instead let her stay in an apartment near the hospital.

"There are no bodyguards here; you can go wherever you want." Silas sat on the sofa, his expression somewhat weary.

Elena could hardly believe her ears. "Really?"

"Really." Silas gave a self-deprecating laugh. "Elena, I'm tired. Seeing you cry makes my heart ache too."

This was the first time he admitted his weakness in front of Elena.

For the next month, Silas indeed did not interfere with her freedom. He only occasionally sent a text message asking if she had eaten, or sat quietly in his car downstairs at night for a while, looking at the lit window.

This step back instead made Elena feel lost.

She discovered that after getting used to that dominant man's presence, her current freedom actually seemed somewhat lonely.

Late one night, Elena couldn't help but walk downstairs and indeed saw that black Rolls-Royce.

Silas was leaning against the car smoking, the sparks flickering in the darkness.

"Silas Sterling," she called softly.

The man turned his head abruptly, a flash of joy in his eyes, which he quickly concealed. "Why did you come down? It's cold outside."

Elena walked over and ducked into his arms.

"I won't run anymore."

At that moment, the cigarette in Silas's hand fell to the ground, and he held her tightly, as if holding a lost and found treasure.

However, paper cannot wrap fire forever.

When Julian Sterling returned from his business trip, he discovered their secret.

He blocked Silas Sterling at the entrance of the estate.

"Uncle, you actually stole your own niece-in-law!" Julian trembled with anger; if such a scandal got out, the Sterling family's reputation would be completely ruined.

Silas, however, remained calm; he didn't even lift an eyelid. "She was never yours. Julian, don't force me to move against you."

"You're going to turn against the family for a woman?"

"For her, I can give up everything."

Julian brought this matter to the patriarch.

The Sterling family was in an uproar. The patriarch was furious and even used family discipline, locking Silas in the ancestral hall and forcing him to give up Elena Lin.

When Elena heard the news, she rushed into the Sterling Mansion regardless of everything.

"Grandpa, please let him go." Elena knelt at the door, her forehead hitting the stone floor.

"Lin girl, do you know what this is called? This is called offending public decency!" The patriarch's beard trembled with anger.

"I love him, and he loves me; what's wrong with that?" Elena looked up, her gaze firm. "If there must be punishment, please punish me alone."

Silas, in the ancestral hall, heard the girl's confession, and a gentle smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Even if he were covered in scars, he felt it was worth it.

Silas Sterling eventually broke with the family.

He gave up the position of CEO of the Sterling Group, took his own private assets, and took Elena Lin.

This pair, who had once been influential in the wealthy circles, now became the focus of everyone's discussion.

"Do you regret it?" On the private plane flying to the island, Elena looked at Silas.

Silas took her hand and kissed it at his lips. "I regret not taking you away sooner."

They settled on a small island in the South Pacific.

There was no gossip here, no family interests—only blue sky, white clouds, and each other.

Elena began to learn painting, while Silas opened an investment consulting firm in the small town, living the life of an ordinary person.

In the evening, the two would walk hand-in-hand on the beach.

"Elena, if one day we have no money, will you leave me?" Silas asked jokingly.

Elena turned her head, smiling radiantly. "Then I'll go paint portraits for people to support you, Mr. Sterling."

This quiet and beautiful life was once a fantasy they dared not imagine, but now it had become reality.

They finally escaped that swamp named the "Sterling family" and found themselves again in this pure sea area.

Two years later.

Elena Lin's solo art exhibition was held in the small town.

One of the paintings depicted the silhouette of a man holding an umbrella in a rainy night, titled Secret Pleasure.

"Mrs. Sterling, is this painting not for sale at any price?" a tourist asked.

Elena smiled gently. "Not for sale; it's my life."

In a corner of the exhibition hall, Silas Sterling held a one-year-old baby girl in his arms, his eyes fixed on his wife.

The little girl was extremely beautiful, her features closely resembling Silas's.

"Dada, Mama," the little one called out in a milky voice.

Silas walked over and placed a kiss on Elena's forehead. "The exhibition is very successful, my great artist."

Elena naturally leaned into his arms, looking at the brilliant sunshine outside the window.

Recalling that dark, taboo, and pull-filled period of time now felt as if it were from a previous life.

They had experienced forced love, escape and house arrest, and family abandonment.

But in the end, they guarded that emotion that originally belonged to "stealing" and turned it into eternity.

"Silas Sterling, I love you," Elena whispered.

"I know." Silas held her tighter. "I feel the same, more than you can imagine."

This long journey named "Secret Pleasure" finally drew a perfect conclusion in this quiet town.

Love, after all, can conquer all taboos.

(The End)