Jace stepped out of the carriage and made his way back to his own building.
After entering his apartment, he saw the cat lying on the table, her eyes closed in a peaceful slumber.
Sensing Jace's presence, Nyx opened her eyes to look at him, but she quickly closed them again and went back to sleep.
Jace smiled; this was exactly why he liked cats as opposed to dogs.
If it were a dog, it would have run to him, demanding constant attention and affection.
Nyx, meanwhile, only gave him a brief glance as a greeting and minded her own business.
Jace removed his clothes and changed into more comfortable ones.
He sat at his desk and stared at the typewriter, at the metallic keys.
By now, he had written about half of 'The Godfather Part 1'.
He had taken his experience from reading different novels and made the version he was writing significantly better.
He changed the papers with a sharp 'click' and started writing.
'Tap, tap, tap——tap...'
In the living room, Nyx growled, opening her eyes sharply at the rhythmic noise of the typewriter.
'That guy just had to disturb my rest!' she thought irritably.
***
Two days later
It was evening.
Jace sat in a carriage, traveling toward Catherine's manor.
Earlier that afternoon, the creepy, floating octopus messenger belonging to Catherine had popped out of nowhere and dropped a letter.
In the letter, she simply stated that she would like to see him.
Jace was nervous—afraid, even—but he forced himself to relax.
This was the first time he would meet her after their last encounter.
After thinking about it long and hard, Jace had decided to change his outlook on life.
He decided he would no longer be bound by ethical obligations and rigid rightness; instead, he would be more aloof, chasing his own interests and amusement.
When he first came to this world, he had been naive and made mistakes. But it was not too late; he could still be better than he was before.
How did this relate to his current situation?
Well, it didn't... but the mindset helped.
It was likely that Catherine had "summoned" him to perform his "nightly duties."
However, he decided today would be different. Today, he would not be humiliated as he had been that day.
**
After being led by a maid through the silent, opulent halls, Jace sat on a couch in Catherine's study.
By now, it was dark outside, and the shadows in the room were long.
Jace was waiting for Catherine, contemplating how he would act in front of her.
Clack.
Before he could come up with a solid plan, the door opened and Catherine stepped in.
Today, her hair was tied in a loose bun with a few curly strands framing her beautiful, mature face. Her eyes were sharp and her lips a vibrant red.
She wore a dark green dress with a low neckline, revealing just enough of her fair cleavage and shoulders to make a man want to see more.
Catherine saw Jace sitting on the couch and flashed him a beautiful smile.
She walked to her desk and sat at the edge of the wood, holding the table with one hand.
"So... how was your week?" she asked, her voice soft and sensual while looking at him with genuine interest.
Jace kept his face straight. "It was fine," he said flatly.
'She is doing this on purpose,' Jace thought.
He knew that Catherine liked to dress conservatively, but today, just like last week, she had dressed more suggestively.
'She is teasing me!' Jace sneered inwardly.
"I heard you went on an independent mission with Natalie," she said in a clear, curious voice.
Jace looked at Catherine.
Since he was sitting on the right side of the table, Jace saw her side profile.
Her fair neck was long, featuring an elegant mole on her collarbone; her bosom was prominent, and she was barefoot, her toes peeking out from under the hem of her dress.
Seeing Jace looking at her like that, Catherine smiled teasingly.
But her smile made Jace frown, and he averted his eyes.
He was embarrassed that, even after what she had done to him, he was still attracted to her.
"Yes, we did. It was..." Jace explained the entire ordeal with the psychopath in a neutral voice.
Catherine listened patiently, and after he finished his tale, she stayed silent for a moment.
Then she said, "Hmm... Jace, I can't help but feel that you are upset with m—"
"You humiliated me," Jace interrupted, speaking with restrained anger.
Catherine looked away and sighed. "I thought we talked about this. I just got lost in the moment," she said as she rubbed her forehead with her hand.
Jace's eyes widened. He looked at her as if she had said the most ridiculous thing ever.
"Got lost in the moment? Bitch, please! You knew exactly what you were doing. You humiliated me to put me in my place, or whatever sick thought you had," Jace said, narrowing his eyes in anger and speaking with spite.
"Jace!" Catherine snapped. Her eyes narrowed and her voice became higher and stern. By now, she was standing straight, having moved off the desk.
Catherine was a proper lady, and she did not appreciate it when anyone spoke to her in such a tone—especially not Jace.
Jace stood up as well, matching her energy.
It was impossible for a Sequence 5 Disciplinary Paladin to get "lost in the moment," as they possessed superior control over their minds and bodies. Jace knew that.
He calmed himself down, walked toward her, and stopped directly in front of her.
Jace looked her in the eyes for a moment; her eyebrows were still narrowed in frustration.
Closing his eyes, he reached out and embraced her deeply.
Catherine was surprised for a moment, not expecting him to do that.
"I had hoped to have a good relationship with you," Catherine heard him whisper in her ear.
Her stern eyes turned soft as she moved her hands to hug him back. "As did I—"
But before she could hug him, he suddenly turned her around.
A confused look appeared on her face. "Jac—" Before she could say anything else, her back was pushed.
She moved her hands and planted them on the desk that was now before her to steady herself.
Catherine's body was pushed forward. Her eyes widened as she felt Jace press against her ass through the fabric of her dress.
Her face turned red with a mix of humiliation and anger as she looked behind her. "What is the meaning of this?" she asked, her voice sharp and hard.
If anyone else had even touched her, she would have killed them without a thought. Even now, it would not be difficult for her to overturn the situation, as she was significantly stronger than Jace.
But because it was Jace, she was being lenient and asking for the reason behind his actions.
Jace pushed himself harder against her. He leaned forward and whispered into her ear, "You said you would make up for what you did. So... make it up."
He pushed her further forward until she was leaning on the desk with her hands as support.
Jace bent down slightly and hiked the hem of her dress, bunching it up at her waist.
Catherine felt the cool air of the night hit her bare skin and long legs; her body shivered slightly.
Before coming to meet Jace, she had removed her panties for him, so she was completely bare.
She felt his hand touch her pussy roughly as two fingers penetrated her. Caught by surprise, she let out a restrained sound.
Jace leaned forward and whispered into her ear, "Look at that, you were already bare. Was that for me?" he asked as he thrust his fingers further inside her.
Catherine winced at his rough action but said nothing.
She gasped as she felt his fingers being removed, leaving her feeling empty.
She heard the sound of a belt and a zipper being undone. Within a moment, she felt him penetrate her, raw and deep.
She let out a moan.
Jace started moving his hips without any regard for gentleness.
Catherine moved with him, taking Jace without resistance and restraining her moans as much as she could.
Jace fucked her hard as he held her waist, his fingers digging into her skin, but he felt it wasn't enough.
So he raised his right hand and brought it down hard on her ass.
Pha!
Catherine's face turned red with anger.
It was humiliating. She hated it.