‘I was worried that the necklace might have been put away somewhere, but thankfully, it’s still hanging there.’
How could she secretly take it without getting caught?
This time, Iris hadn’t managed to prepare a Fake Necklace.
She had asked the Antique Shop Owner, but there hadn’t been enough time to have a Counterfeit made.
So, rather than swapping it, she’d have to steal the necklace outright.
Laika’s house was spacious, so it was possible to avoid his eyes while handling the Ring, but this situation was different.
The Lab Director’s Office was much smaller, and it didn’t seem likely that Abellus would leave her alone in the Lab Director’s Office.
On top of that, since Laika had barged in last time, Abellus had probably realized that the Ring was a counterfeit, and that Laika had told him the thief was her…
‘Wait. Maybe Laika didn’t say anything. Why didn’t I think of that?’
Did he… mention it? Thinking it over, she realized he probably hadn’t.
Laika didn’t know that Abellus was acquainted with the ordinary Iris.
So it would have been hard to explain, and Laika, with his pride, likely wouldn’t have given a detailed account of how the Ring was stolen.
Maybe he just brushed it off vaguely.
In fact, since Abellus hadn’t hidden the necklace and left it out in the open, it seemed very likely he didn’t know the truth.
At that moment, Abellus released Iris’s wrist and opened the door on the left side of the Lab Director’s Office.
Iris glanced around and noticed there was no security Keypad on the door.
‘Doesn’t seem like a suspicious place. At least, for now.’
When she stepped inside, as befitted Abellus’s personality, the room was immaculately tidy.
Unlike where Iris lived, the place was so spotless that it looked as if not a speck of dust could be found.
Abellus opened the door to the Shower Room and turned to her, widening his eyes slightly.
“I often can’t go home because of my research, so I’ve set up a room for myself here. You can shower here. The staff Shower Room is shared, which might be uncomfortable for you.”
“Oh, is it alright?”
“If it weren’t, I wouldn’t have brought you here, Iris.”
There was a searing heat from the hand that still lingered on her shoulder.
The intention behind bringing her to his private space instead of the shared staff Shower Room was obvious, but Iris tilted her head and smiled as if she didn’t notice a thing.
“…You’re right. Well then, I’ll take you up on your hospitality.”
Iris stepped into the Shower Room, stripped off her wet clothes, and carefully looked around.
She was worried there might be some kind of trap. But contrary to her fears, it just looked like a perfectly normal Shower Room.
‘Guess I’ve watched too many horror movies… But really, there’s no reason for him to hurt me before the big job. Maybe afterwards, though.’
Feeling relieved, she finished her shower, and was about to dry herself with a towel from the cabinet when she paused.
She’d been so uncomfortable she’d rushed to shower first, forgetting she had nothing to change into.
No matter how much Abellus might want to get frisky, walking out there stark naked was a bit much.
It would be way too obvious.
After a moment’s hesitation, Iris wrapped herself in the Towel, cracked the door open, and peeked out—only to be startled.
Right across from her, Abellus was sitting on the Sofa.
Had he been staring at the door the entire time she was showering?
His eyes glinted sharply, as if they could shoot lasers any second.
At a glance, he looked like he was doing some serious research.
Then, meeting Iris’s eyes, Abellus belatedly lifted the corners of his mouth in a smile.
“Iris, are you alright? No trouble?”
“Yes. Not really any trouble… But actually, um, I just realized I don’t have any clothes to change into…”
As Iris twirled a damp lock of her bangs with her fingers, Abellus, who had unconsciously lowered his gaze as if to see through the door, opened his mouth wide.
“Ah! That’s right. In that case, would you like to wear some of my clothes for now?”
He stood up from the Sofa, rummaged through the Wardrobe, and pulled out a large Shirt.
He hesitated as if looking for something more, then closed the Wardrobe and came over to Iris with just the Shirt in hand. A faint blush tinged his cheeks.
‘What, does he want me to wear just the Shirt? Well, I was going to take it off anyway, but he’s really not being subtle.’
With a small nod, Iris took the Shirt and closed the door to change.
After thinking it over, she decided to forgo underwear and just put on the Shirt.
Her underwear was wet anyway, and since she’d be taking it off later, there was no need to wear it now.
Abellus was already worked up enough that there was no need for further temptation, but she mixed in a little extra provocation just in case.
‘He brought me to his private room on purpose, so what else could it mean?’
Feeling bold for having chosen not to wear underwear, Iris liked the decision—until she was about to step out where Abellus was waiting, and her heart started racing so hard it might burst from her chest.
She’d thought walking out naked would be too bold, but wearing nothing under the Shirt was just as provocative, wasn’t it?
Before facing Abellus, she checked herself in the mirror and her face turned bright red.
Through the pristine white Shirt, the outlines of her areolae and the curves of her breasts were visible.
‘Ah, this is maybe a bit… too much.’
Her lips pouted as she lowered her gaze. Thankfully—or perhaps not—her lower half wasn’t too visible.
‘Doesn’t look like a summer-weight Shirt. That’s a little disappointing…’
Iris shrugged and rubbed her reddened cheeks.
Whether from embarrassment or anticipation of what was about to happen, she couldn’t tell.
She shook out the Shirt, checked her appearance one more time, and took a deep breath.
It took real courage to go before Abellus like this.
As she timidly stepped outside, Abellus looked up and drew in a sharp breath.
The sight of Iris wearing only the Shirt was even more stimulating than he’d expected.
The big Shirt reached down to her mid-thigh, and every time she moved, her luscious thighs peeked out and vanished again.
If she lifted her legs, the area beneath would surely be exposed.
His gaze slid up her bare white legs and stopped at her chest.
The moment he saw the shape of her areolae through the Shirt, his arousal—which had already been standing at attention—grew even stronger.
‘It was to see her in my Shirt that I lent it to her, but seeing it in person is even more arousing than I imagined.’
On top of that, Iris hadn’t worn any underwear at all, as if she’d made up her mind.
Her underwear must have gotten wet too, but he’d thought she’d wear it anyway out of embarrassment—not just put on the Shirt alone.
Despite her pure first impression, she had a bold side. Did he dislike that?
Not at all. He was so hard it almost hurt. He wanted to push her down right now and pound into her without restraint.
“Um…”
Iris’s face turned even redder under Abellus’s gaze.
It was clear she wasn’t displeased—he couldn’t tear his eyes away from her.
Embarrassed, but at the same time, her body was heating up.
She could see why people liked wearing revealing clothes.
With her hands clasped behind her back, Iris hesitated, then approached Abellus.
When Abellus looked at her as if to ask what was wrong, she held out her wet Dress, which she’d hidden behind her back.
“I was wondering… what I should do with these clothes. I’d appreciate it if there was somewhere to dry them.”
“You don’t need to worry. There’s a Washing Machine here. And naturally, a Dryer as well. By the time you go home, your clothes will be clean and dry.”
Abellus took the wet clothes and smiled softly. Even then, his purple eyes lingered suggestively around Iris’s chest.
Instead of feeling uncomfortable, the attention actually made Iris’s heart race.
Was she getting excited by the way Abellus couldn’t take his eyes off her body? Fidgeting, she asked him,
“So, um, how long will it take?”
“About three hours.”
“I see. So… I’ll have to wait until they’re dry.”
In other words, they’d have time for sex until her clothes were ready.
Unlike with Laika, whom she’d only allowed to go so far, Iris wanted Abellus to ravish her until she was completely spent—be it with his skills, levels, or stamina.
Abellus stood up abruptly from the Sofa and started to rush out, then stopped.
In his haste, he even forgot to play it cool, nearly throwing her clothes into the Washing Machine without a word.
He was the Research Director, after all; he needed to keep up appearances.
Even though he’d already shown Iris his true self, weren’t they both acting for each other’s sake anyway?
Clearing his throat, he glanced from Iris to the Bed and said,