Chapter 296: Lessons
Samuel let out a small, silent sigh, his hand coming up to pinch the bridge of his nose for a brief second before he smoothly adjusted his glasses back into place.
"Miss April," Samuel began, his voice impeccably calm and professional once more, "if you are planning to attend the competition today, then I advise that you head to the bathroom, take your bath, and hurry down for breakfast. We are heading out in one hour."
"Okay," April replied simply.
She threw back the duvet and began to maneuver her way out of the bed, attempting to climb past the two imposing figures boxing her in. Before she could step off the mattress, Xavier reached out, his hand wrapping gently around her wrist.
He looked up at her, his eyes laced with genuine, lingering worry. "Are you sure you’re all right now?"
April paused, looking down into his face with her usual steady, unblinking dark eyes. "Yes, I’m perfectly fine. I can definitely handle the schedule for today. So you guys should also get ready, or I’m leaving you behind."
Xavier let out a low chuckle at her typical attitude and released her wrist. "Understood."
April walked straight into the bathroom to bathe and prepare for the day.
An hour later, the group arrived at the competition venue. Before the cooking events for the day officially commenced, the grand arena echoed with the booming voice of the host over the loudspeakers.
Following the official press release the previous day, the MC announced once again that the previous day’s technical complications had been fully resolved, and the competition was officially back in full swing with no further interruptions.
The venue erupted in applause, and the schedule proceeded without a hitch.
Throughout the day, dish after dish was presented, cooked, and judged. April and Emily systematically tasted the entries. Every time a remarkable dish came their way, April quietly preserved the extra portions within her spatial dimension for future reference, marking the scores with clinical precision.
By the time evening rolled around, the results for the day were officially declared. To everyone’s surprise—and Emily’s absolute delight—Philippe took first place for the day, successfully beating Renzo in a neck-and-neck culinary showdown. He won by a 0.1 mark. But that 0.1 mark gave him a 10 million dollar reward so he was probably proud of himself.
"Look at that!" Emily cheered, clapping her hands happily as Philippe stepped up to receive his recognition on stage. "He’s improving so fast! His technique today was incredible! And the dish he made was very delicious too."
April nodded along, though her mind was somewhat absent. It wasn’t due to lingering fever symptoms or menstrual cramps—those had faded to the background—but rather a strange, subtle sensation in her chest.
Her nipples felt oddly sensitive, almost twitchy against the fabric of her inner wear. Her mind reasoned that it was almost certainly the result of Nat’s relentless attention from the night before.
Speaking of Nat, he was nowhere to be found in the venue. He had left in the middle of the night, and he would seemingly avoid her for the duration of her period—a boundary she figured he was keeping for both their sakes.
Well, it was fine, but what was she going to do about the over sensitivity of her nipples? She was the one who asked for them to be sucked, but still...
As they headed down in the elevator, April noticed Emily buried in her phone, giggling softly and typing away with a bright blush on her cheeks.
"Who are you texting?" April asked, tilting her head.
Emily looked up, her cheeks flushing a deeper shade of pink as she smiled warmly. "I’m texting Philippe! Just congratulating him on his big win today."
April narrowed her dark eyes suspiciously at her sister’s subtle excitement. She made a mental note to keep a close eye on the situation like always, though for now, she let it slide.
When they finally returned to the estate later that evening, the household quickly dispersed. Alexander announced that his grandfather had summoned him back home for some discussion, while Xavier had urgent work to attend to regarding his safehouse, leaving the premises shortly after. But since they couldn’t let April be on her own, despite Emily’s presence, he didn’t take Samuel along.
Emily immediately retreated to her room, still happily absorbed in her endless text thread with Philippe.
With the estate quiet and empty, April found herself alone in the spacious living room with Samuel. She sat on the sofa, unbuttoning the top cuff of her blouse to relax after the long day.
Samuel stepped into the lounge, carrying a tray with warm tea. He set the cup down on the glass table before her, straightened his posture, and lightly adjusted the bridge of his glasses with a single finger.
"Miss April," Samuel said, his voice silky, composed, and quiet in the warm lighting of the room. "We have some free time right now. Would you like us to commence the sex education I mentioned previously?"
April looked up at him, nodding slowly.
Samuel tilted his glasses slightly, his eyes locking onto hers with a calm, deeply analytical intensity.
"Before we begin the formal structure," Samuel continued smoothly, "I would like to establish a baseline. Could you tell me how much you already know... for example, the specific activities you engaged in with Nat Collins last night?"
April looked up at Samuel, leaning back against the sofa cushions. She didn’t ask how he knew they had done something, but simply crossed her legs comfortably, her expression returning to its usual composed, logical state.
"I think he called it a handjob," April said plainly, her tone as direct as if she were detailing a cooking recipe. "Or something like that. It’s the process where I use my hand and..."
She went quiet mid-sentence. A sudden wave of heat rushed to her cheeks, making her face feel noticeably flushed as the vivid memory of Nat’s thick, burning penis and his warm, sticky release flashed through her mind.
𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮
She cleared her throat slightly, maintaining steady eye contact with him.
"...You get it, right?"
Samuel smoothly pulled a small leather notebook and a silver pen from his jacket pocket. Without changing his calm, unbothered expression, he clicked the pen open and jotted down a quick note.
He intended to structure this properly—covering the biological basics, explaining what to expect in intimate situations, and most importantly, establishing clear personal boundaries.
"I understand completely, Miss April," Samuel replied, looking up from his notes. "Now, as part of setting your boundaries... have you felt uncomfortable with anything you’ve done so far?"
April didn’t need to hesitate or overthink it. Her sharp mind quickly evaluated her recent interactions with Xavier, Alexander and Nat, weighing how her body and instincts had responded.
She shook her head firmly. "No. It’s all been fine. I actually like it."
Samuel gave a single, approving nod, his pen tapping lightly against the page. "Very good. So, aside from kissing and the handjob... was there nothing else?"
A sudden wave of shyness hit her. The thought of detailing the sensitive, intimate reaction she had experienced in the bathroom felt strangely embarrassing to voice out loud, even to him.
But April quickly reined in the feeling, reminding herself that this was Samuel—the most reliable, composed person in her life. There was no reason to hold back facts during an educational assessment.
"Well..." April began, her voice dropping a little lower. "I asked him to suck my nipples... and I reached ecstasy through it."
Samuel’s pen froze mid-air.
For a split second, his sharp, calculating mind seemed to stall completely. His dark eyes flickered behind his glasses, a subtle, almost imperceptible stillness coming over his rigid posture as her words hung in the quiet living room.
It took him a beat to recover his usual flawless composure. Silently, Samuel brought the pen back to the paper and carefully wrote it down.
"I see," He whispered.