Chapter 499

Chapter 499

When Diana stepped out in just a thick bathrobe, the biting cold of the sub-zero temperatures made her shiver, goosebumps rising all over her skin.

But as she tentatively dipped her toes into the pool, a wave of warmth instantly spread from her feet throughout her entire body.

She sighed contentedly, sliding into the water, letting the perfect heat chase away all the chill.

The hot spring pool was small, the steam blurring everything around them, making their water-reflected outlines hazy, as if they were in a dream world, isolated from reality.

Stanley silently approached her from behind, his warm and solid chest pressing firmly against her smooth back with an irresistible force.

With a stretch of his long arms, he easily enveloped her whole body in his strong embrace.

Diana stiffened for a moment, then completely relaxed, leaning back and surrendering all her weight to him.

The extreme contrast of ice and fire brought an unparalleled sensory experience.

Above them was the frigid night sky, while their bodies were gently wrapped in the soothing warmth of the pool.

His embrace was hotter than the water, more comforting than the flames of a fireplace.

She tilted her head slightly, and a cold snowflake, like a delicate feather, floated down and landed on her cheek, instantly melting into a cool droplet.

Stanley lowered his head, his prominent nose affectionately nuzzling her cold but flushed cheek.

"Still cold?" His voice, husky from the steam, carried a deadly allure.

"No," Diana shook her head, a mischievous smile spreading in her eyes.

Suddenly, she scooped up a handful of warm pool water and playfully splashed it onto his broad, muscular shoulders.

"With you here, it feels like summer."

Stanley chuckled softly, catching her playful hand and wrapping it in his large palm.

He guided her hand to his lips, planting a gentle and reverent kiss.

The kiss was light, as delicate as a falling snowflake, yet it carried a scorching touch, like a brand, making Diana's heart race wildly.

At that moment, someone noticed something unusual.

In the deep, ink-black night sky, a faint, gauzy green light band appeared without warning, like a divine miracle stretching across the horizon.

Diana's breath caught!

She abruptly straightened up from Stanley's embrace, gripping the edge of the hot spring pool tightly, her eyes wide with disbelief, afraid it was just an illusion.

But the green light grew brighter and clearer by the second!

Then, as if God had accidentally spilled His palette, more fantastical colors began to spread and unfold across the night sky!

Magnificent purples, dreamy pinks, dazzling golds...

They were no longer static light bands but flowing, spinning, dancing, and changing in the night sky!

Sometimes like a giant curtain covering the sky, slowly drawn open by invisible hands; sometimes like nimble fairies, performing a grand, silent ballet in the still night sky!

The entire world was completely enveloped by this ultimate display of light and shadow.

Diana was mesmerized, stunned.

Her mouth slightly open, she couldn't make a sound, her throat seemingly gripped by an invisible hand, allowing the breathtaking spectacle to absorb her entire soul.

This was the aurora.

This was the celestial light she had longed to witness with her own eyes on countless dark nights, tearing through the endless darkness!

Stanley didn't look at the sky.

From beginning to end, his deep gaze was firmly locked on her.

He watched her profile, illuminated by the ever-changing light, breathtakingly beautiful.

He watched her eyes, filled with a light more dazzling and moving than the aurora.

It was the light of rebirth.

He slowly reached out, gently turning her face towards him with a near-reverent touch.

Diana, still immersed in the overwhelming awe, instinctively and hazily met his gaze.

In the next second, a kiss, intense and irresistible, descended upon her like a thunderous storm.

The Arctic Circle's fierce wind howled past, but it couldn't take away the scorching heat of his lips, capable of melting ice and snow.

His kiss was hotter than the hot spring, more intense than the aurora above!

With a force that seemed to devour her whole, he dominantly pried open her lips, invading and conquering.

Diana's mind went blank.

All thoughts, all senses, were magnified infinitely by this sudden yet inevitable kiss.

She was forced, yet willingly, to tilt her head back, accepting everything he gave, filled with punishment and possession.

The dancing aurora in the night sky became the grandest, most luxurious backdrop for this deep kiss.

The airplane door opened, abruptly severing the dreamlike world of ice and snow with an invisible line.

The air that rushed in was no longer the soul-cleansing chill but the warm, polluted flow of the city, mixed with exhaust fumes, noise, and countless breaths.

Diana instinctively tightened her coat around herself, as if trying to seal away that moment of ultimate splendor and tranquility, along with the kiss that could melt ice and snow, deep in her heart.

It became a sacred, inviolable secret, just for her and Stanley.

...

A black sedan silently slid to a stop downstairs, and Stanley walked around to open the car door for her.

Before Diana could steady herself, two small figures shot out of the villa door like cannonballs.

"Mommy!"

Two childish voices, filled with overwhelming joy and longing, crashed into Diana's arms, almost knocking her back a step.

Diana immediately crouched down, hugging the two soft, milk-scented bodies tightly, her cheeks rubbing against their chubby faces greedily.

"Have my babies been good and listened to your aunt?"

"Yes!"

The two children answered in unison, their voices loud, then curiously peeked out from either side of Diana, looking at the tall, imposing man behind her.

They had seen his photos countless times.

They had met him a few times and heard their mom and aunt talk about him many times.

"Daddy."

The two little ones almost simultaneously called out in a tentative, shy tone.

Their clear eyes were filled with the purest curiosity and a hint of barely noticeable nervousness.

Stanley's heart was struck, not too hard but precisely, by this soft call.