?<strong>Chapter 1359:</strong>


    Without hesitation, he took off after her.


    Yet, the woman seemed intent on keeping her identity veiled, quickening her pace before vanishing around a corner.


    When Lowell reached the corner, his eyes searched the empty space, finding nothing but silence.


    He muttered under his breath, “Where on earth did she vanish to?”


    “Looking for me?” came a yful voice from behind. Before Lowell could spin around, he felt slender arms wrap around his waist, her figure pressing firmly against him, her teasing hands exploring with audacity.


    Lowell, a man known for his self-control and a heart as unyielding as stone, felt a crack in his resolve. The woman stirred desires he had long kept dormant.


    He swiftly caught her wandering hands, his tone bothmanding and curious. “Who are you?”


    Her voice, as sultry as the lingering heat of summer, replied, “Does it truly matter? If I mean so much to you, why don’t you take a guess?”


    Lowell stood silent, her enigmatic tone throwing him into deep thought.


    Seeing his hesitation, she remained unfazed. Slowly, her hands glided upward, covering his eyes with a yful firmness.


    Robbed of his sight, Lowell tensed like a tightly coiled spring. “What are you doing?” he asked, his voice carrying a thin edge of wariness.


    Sheughed lightly, a sound as breezy as leaves rustling in the wind. “If you can guess who I am, you’ll get a reward. But since you can’t…” She paused, her voice dipping. “You must face a punishment.”


    Lowell’s brow furrowed. “What punishment?”


    Her lips curled into a sly smile as she gently tugged him…


    Driven by curiosity, he leaned closer, and then it happened. Her warm breath caressed his face, and before he could react, her lips captured his.


    The kiss struck Lowell like lightning splitting the sky. His entire body froze, caught off guard by the intimate ambush. But the woman wasn’t satisfied with a fleeting moment. She deepened the kiss, her passion burning like a me that refused to be extinguished.


    For a spell, Lowell let himself be swept away by her fervor. When reality reimed him, he realized she had stolen something precious—his very first kiss.


    Indeed, that kiss was sacred to him. Lowell had lived a life untouched by romantic entanglements, his heart and lips unimed until this very moment.


    The realization struck him like a bolt from the blue. She had taken what no one else ever had.


    Desperate to unmask her, Lowell reached for her hands to uncover her identity, but she held him firmly.


    “I warned you. This is your punishment for failing my little riddle,” she teased, her voice a yful whisper in the dimness.


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