"Don''t you insult me. I have very good self-control," Friedrich said curtly.

    "I can''t believe you," Hannah said, looking away. She then spoke to Sebastian. "I''d better pay for one of those real gigolos. Please ask your aunt, Sebastian. I saw two men who looked like gigolos hanging out the stairs. I think they should do."

    Hannah was about to walk towards the stairs when Friedrich grabbed her hand.

    "You said I couldn''t keep my self-control if we are in bed together naked? You don''t know who I am," Friedrich said sternly.

    Hannah looked at her hand that Friedrich was holding. Her eyes narrowed as she raised her face and stared at Friedrich closely. "Yes, that''s what I said. No man has such self-control."

    She deliberately used a mocking tone to annoy Friedrich, and the girl succeeded. The man took the bait. He was irritated and eager to prove her wrong. He pulled Hannah''s body closer to him. Now, they were only a few centimeters away from each other.

    Friedrich''s face was so close to Hannah''s that the girl could even feel the warmth of his breath. Unknowingly, her chest started pounding.

    Friedrich slowly brought his lips closer to hers until finally, they were only one centimeter apart ... Hannah subconsciously closed her eyes.

    Friedrich stared at Hannah''s pretty face with her eyes closed and he almost laughed. This girl thought Friedrich was going to kiss her.

    Friedrich tilted his head slightly and whispered in the girl''s right ear softly. "I''m not going to kiss you because I can control myself well."

    Hannah immediately opened her eyes. Her cheeks were flushed with embarrassment. She understood that Friedrich was just teasing her. Oh.. how embarrassing! She thought he was going to kiss her...

    Friedrich looked at the girl, and he was sure Hannah would slap him right away.

    But as it turned out, the girl looked down instead.

    "You''re right. You can control yourself very well. I misjudged you," said the girl in a low voice, shocking Friedrich at her reaction. Hannah then looked up and stared at Friedrich with a pleading expression. "Because of that, you are the right person to help me. Will you ''sleep'' with me and help me free myself from an unwanted marriage with Valentino?"

    For some reason, this time, Friedrich didn''t feel like refusing Hannah''s request. The beautiful girl''s expression looked utterly desperate.

    Friedrich could not imagine how bad it would feel to be in a loveless marriage that she had to endure. Must be bad enough to make her this desperate.

    Finally, Friedrich nodded. "Okay."

    Hannah looked so happy that she jumped in joy and hugged Friedrich tightly. The young man was pushed back in shock.

    "Gosh ... you''re so excited, huh?" said Friedrich, smiling faintly. He wondered what perfume this girl was wearing. It smelled so good.

    Hannah broke away from Friedrich and happily kissed the man on the cheek. "I''m just so happy to be free of that bastard."

    "Now, what do I do?" Friedrich asked her.

    After thinking for a moment, he felt that there was nothing wrong with helping others. Hannah looked like she really needed help. He knew he could control himself and he felt sorry if she had to resort to hiring real gigolos or sleeping with just any man, to achieve her goal.

    Friedrich also suspected there was something else behind the girl''s plan to break off her engagement with this man named Valentino. Either way, Friedrich chose to believe in Hannah.

    "Hmm ... later, after the party is over, you just stay here. Tell your date that you ... uhm, have to handle some business," Hannah said, glancing at Laura.

    Friedrich followed the corner of Hannah''s eye and chuckled. "I am not dating her. You could say she''s ... hmm .. she is like a sister to me."

    "Oh, really?" Hannah''s face was beaming. "Then, that''s fine. I don''t have to feel bad for Sebastian''s aunt for snatching up her best friend''s date."

    Friedrich cleared his throat softly. Laura would have been delighted to learn that Friedrich would stay behind after the party was over. She would assume the young man had managed to score a girl at the party.

    Laura''s mission accomplished!

    "She wouldn''t mind," Friedrich said calmly. He picked up his cell phone and typed a text message to Charles to let his brother know he was not coming home tonight. "I just need to tell my brother, so he wouldn''t worry."

    "Ahh ... why do you have to notify your brother?" Hannah asked in amazement. "Usually, people give news to their parents, not their siblings."

    "He''s staying over at a friend''s house. He''s lived with me since our parents died. If I don''t come home and don''t give him news, he''ll be worried."

    "Oh ..." Hannah''s face was filled with sympathy. "I''m sorry to hear that."

    "Sorry for what?" Friedrich asked in puzzlement.

    "For your parents. You said your parents are dead," Hannah explained. She looked down, and her face became sad. "To be honest, I would rather my parents die than having parents who force their will on me. I feel like a very unfilial child for going against them... but at the same time, I do hate them."

    "How old are you now?" Friedrich asked in concern. "You''re an adult, right? If you don''t like being forced to do things by your parents, you can get out of your home and live independently. Don''t be lazy!"

    Hannah pursed her lips at Friedrich''s harsh words. What a heartless man, she thought.

    "That is none of your business!" Finally, the girl replied with harsh words too. "I don''t ask you to feed me and care for me. You cannot tell me how I should live my life."

    Friedrich didn''t understand why Hannah seemed to hate her parents and Valentino so much. A few days later, he realized who Hannah really was and why she could not oppose her parents or leave home and live independently.

    But that night, their relationship turned cold because Friedrich misunderstood and he thought Hannah was a spoiled brat who relied on her parents'' support and didn''t want to be independent.