Valerie didn't hesitate . She reached into the container , picked a mystery box at random , and opened it to reveal an elegant pearl necklace . Beneath it lay the inevitable paper slip . Just as she reached for it , Kieran snatched it away and read it aloud . " Take one grape . Without using any outside help , work with the third person to your right to peel it using only your mouths and eat it . " The room fell into a stunned silence once more , because the third person to Valerie's right was Lucius . She had a feeling this absurd rule had been Kieran's doing while she wasn't looking . As fellow mystic masters , such tricks were child's play to them . Noah burst out laughing . "These games just keep getting better . " Naomi bet Valerie wouldn't dare offend Lucius and taunted , " What's wrong , Ms. Collins ? Scared ? " Lucius ' intense gaze met Valerie's as he said , " I'm up for it if you are . " " Then , let's begin . " Kieran plucked a grape and handed it to Valerie . She walked up to Lucius and , under everyone's astonished stares , placed the grape between their lips . From where the others sat , it looked exactly like a kiss . Sonia's eyes burned with rage as she watched , wishing she could tear Valerie apart . Why ? Why couldn't she have picked that mystery box ? To keep the grape from falling , the two had to keep their pressed together in a deeply intimate pose . Lucius hadn't expected Valerie to be so bold . The grape was soft , but her lips were softer and cooler to the touch , with a trace of tempting sweetness . Suddenly , the lights in the room went out and plunged the spacious private room into darkness . " What's going on ? Was there a power cut ? " someone shouted . With the unexpected interruption , Valerie lost interest in playing the game . But as she tried to pull away , a pair of strong arms wrapped around her and pulled her in tightly . Her lips met Lucius ' as the grape fell . She tried to struggle , but instead of letting go , his Chapter 47 tongue pried her lips open . 2/2 Lucius had been holding in his frustration all night and needed to let it out . His rage boiled at the thought that Valerie was his wife in name , yet was linking arms and acting too intimately with another man . Even if their marriage was just a facade , he wouldn't tolerate his authority as a husband to be claimed by anyone else . The kiss was aggressive and punishing -a release of pent - up frustration that felt strangely satisfying in the pitch - black room . Valerie would never let anyone take control so easily . So , they battled silently in the darkness for dominance and were locked in a fierce grapple , lips bruising from the passion . No one could see in the dark , so none of the others knew what was happening . When the kiss grew rougher , Valerie bit down hard on his lower lip in revenge . He flinched in pain and instinctively pulled back . Then , in a flash , the lights returned . Everyone saw them locked together , their arms around each other in mid - kiss . Noah was the first to recover from the shock . " Luc , have you two been holding that pose this whole time ? " Chapter 48 Chapter 48