She picked up the massive bouquet of red roses, glanced around suspiciously, but saw no one. Unlocking the door, she stepped inside-only to find Anthony Hayes mopping the floor right outside the bathroom.

"Hey Tony, did you leave these roses at my door?"

Anthony paused mid-motion, leaning his elbow on the mop handle. He looked every bit the relaxed, stay-at-home type.

"Do I look that bored to you? Clearly, someone's got a crush. You really have no idea who?"

"Who'd be sending me flowers?" Alice joked lazily, brushing it off. Since Anthony seemed just as clueless, she didn't press further. She dropped the roses on the couch and walked further in.

As soon as she noticed the puddle spreading across the floor, her expression shifted.

"What on earth happened here?" she called out. "Are you fixing the faucet or trying to recreate the Great Flood?"

Last time he'd come over for dinner, she'd mentioned the bathroom faucet was acting up-random spurts of water whenever it was turned on. Anthony had confidently promised to handle it over the weekend. She'd been skeptical of his sudden handyman enthusiasm.

Turns out, she had every reason to be.

"That mystery delivery guy messed everything up," Anthony said, still mopping. "The pipe burst while I was tightening the screws. Doorbell rang right in the middle, and. well, you see the result."

He glanced at her with a shrug. "But it's fine now. I replaced the faucet. Just cleaning up the water."

"Let me do it. You take a break," Alice said, setting the bouquet on the coffee table and taking the mop from him. As she leaned down to wipe the floor, she asked, "Any idea who sent the flowers?"

"No clue. He was dressed sharp, though. Looked like someone important." He rotated his wrist, stretching it, then grinned with curiosity. "Could it be that colleague you told me about?"

Alice paused mid-swipe, frowning. "Doubt it. I turned him down pretty clearly."

"Then who was the guy today? He asked for you by name," Anthony said, raising an eyebrow. "Don't tell me scammers are doing door-to-door deliveries now?"

Alice was just as puzzled. "What did he look like?"

His answer: "A guy's a guy. How am I supposed to tell?"

She stared at him, speechless. Well, she had no comeback for that.

Out of caution, Anthony ended up installing a smart lock with a built-in camera at her front door.

It showed who came by and saved video footage, too.

"If that creep shows up again with any shady ideas," he said, "at least the camera will make him think twice."

Alice thought that made sense.

After the lock was installed, Anthony headed out.

--

The next day, Alice accompanied Edward to Ancorum for a meeting about the new trade zone project. William came along, too.

Inside the VIP lounge, Alice quietly edged closer to William, eyeing Edward, who sat silently with a stormy expression.

"William, is it just me or does the air feel dangerously heavy today?"

William snuck a glance at Edward, then gave a very subtle nod.

Looks like the fire in Edward's gut from last night still hadn't cooled down.

Then again, being cheated on-especially for someone like him-wasn't exactly easy to swallow.

Even though Alice was dying to know what exactly had happened, she kept her mouth shut out of habit-less talk, fewer mistakes. She sat properly in her seat, quietly staring out the window, figuring it was safer not to draw any attention.

Soon, the plane landed in Ancorum, and the group headed straight to a high-end downtown club to meet their business partners.

"Mr. Hawthorne, we appreciate your investment and choosing us for this collaboration. Let me propose a toast."

Edward picked up his glass, clinked it lightly, then downed the drink in one go.

"The pleasure is mine," he said simply.

Lenny, their partner representative, broke into a wide grin. "Mr. Hawthorne, you handle your liquor well! This stuff is strong! Come on, another round!"

But Edward didn't touch his glass again. Besides that first drink, he didn't take another sip. That task fell entirely to William and Alice.

This was where having Edward's secretary came in handy-William navigated it like a pro. Alice, on the other hand, was new to the team and clearly hadn't built up her alcohol tolerance yet.

The other side had brought a whole crowd, and round after round kept coming. Before long, everything started doubling in Alice's vision.

By the end of it, her cheeks were flushed a deep rosy red, and her usually clear dark eyes had turned hazy.

She held up her glass-now looking like it had four copies-swayed slightly, then knocked it back.

Clink-

That was the final straw. Alice went limp and collapsed onto the table.

William wasn't doing much better. He leaned over, patting her lightly on the arm.

"Alice? You okay?"

No response whatsoever.

Lenny's eyes flickered as he glanced at the passed-out Alice.

"Mr. Hawthorne, I've already booked rooms upstairs. Let me have someone take you up to rest."

He shot a look to his assistant, then smiled as he placed a hand on Alice's back.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure both William and Alice get back safely."

With that, he barked orders to the staff, having William and the other passed-out colleagues carried out, leaving Alice completely alone.

Lenny was more than a little buzzed himself, swaying slightly. But what was truly disgusting was the way his fat hand started roaming across Alice's back-right there in front of Edward.

The touch made Alice frown uncomfortably in her drunken daze. She feebly swatted his hand and mumbled, "Go away. don't touch me."

Edward's gaze turned icy-his deep eyes frosty. "Lenny, I suggest you move your hand."

Lenny chuckled like he'd heard a joke. "Mr. Hawthorne, you must've been out of the country too long. You know, some of our dinner habits here can be pretty. entertaining. How about we call it a night and continue tomorrow?"

Edward remained silent, just tapping his index finger lightly on the table. A minimal gesture, but enough to show he wasn't amused.

Lenny gave a theatrical shake of his head. "Oh, right-silly me. You grew up here, totally familiar with our ways. My bad, I thought you weren't into this type of scene."

He grinned with faux sincerity. "Anyway, sorry about the mess-everyone's kinda out cold. How about this: I'll take care of Alice tonight, make sure she's looked after. Tomorrow, I'll even send over someone even prettier-my own assistant. She's only twenty, fresh as they come."

Before Edward could respond, Lenny was already reaching to scoop Alice up, eyes glinting with sleaze.

"Well, sweetheart, you really are a stunner. Tonight's gonna be."

--

Before he could lay a hand on Alice, a loud bang! echoed through the room.

Edward suddenly stood up, eyes cold as ice and glinting with menace. With a swift, forceful kick, he sent Lenny flying to the floor.

Lenny curled up, clutching his stomach and whimpering, "Mr. Hawthorne, what... what are you doing?!"

Edward's face was calm, but his gaze was deadly. He stepped forward, his expensive leather shoe pressing hard on the back of Lenny's hand.

The scream that followed could've woken the dead.

Head slightly lowered, Edward's voice was low but chilling. "Didn't I tell you not to touch her?"

With every word, his foot pressed harder. Lenny was in so much pain he was dripping sweat, his bloated body shaking uncontrollably. Only now did he realize-Edward wasn't joking.

"I-I'm sorry, Mr. Hawthorne! I didn't know she was yours, I swear! If I had any idea, I wouldn't have dared, not even with ten lives!"

"Please... have mercy, Mr. Hawthorne!"

His crying was so over-the-top it jolted Alice partly awake. She tried to figure out what was going on through her hazy vision-only managing to make out two blurry figures.

She pushed herself up, but her legs gave out immediately.

Edward's eyes narrowed. He stepped forward and scooped her up without a word, carrying her bridal-style straight past Lenny, crushing his hand under his shoe in the process.

Lenny screamed again, this time deafeningly loud.

--

Edward carried Alice all the way back to the hotel room and gently laid her on the bed. Just as he was about to leave, she suddenly grabbed his wrist.

"Don't go."

Her hands clenched tightly around his arm, eyes shut, murmuring in her sleep.

He tried to free himself, annoyed. "Let go."

"No. please don't."

"Mama, Papa. don't leave me."

In that moment, the confident, collected version of Alice was gone. Her drink-flushed face was streaked with tears, and the way she hugged his arm-like she was drowning and he was the only thing keeping her afloat-was utterly vulnerable.

She curled into herself, brows scrunched tight. Her long lashes trembled slightly against her cheeks, and her whole body looked small and fragile.

Edward stood still, surprised, staring at her delicate features.

She looked exactly like she had that night. The night he'd pushed her too far. Even then, she'd cried softly like this, begging him to stop.

After that, he'd had her background investigated.

Turns out, both her parents had passed away. She'd been raised by her grandfather, worked her way into a top university, and had relied entirely on her own strength to get where she was.

Edward's usual frigid expression softened slightly. A girl like her-persistent, hardworking, fighting her way through life-shouldn't have to go through this kind of crap. What happened tonight was on him.

He reached out and gently patted her arm. "It's okay now. It's over."

The tension on her face eased a bit. She scooted closer, her lips brushing against the back of his hand-soft and warm.

Edward's eyes darkened. He quickly pulled his hand away with a frown.

Alice suddenly panicked, grabbing for him again. "No, don't go!"

"Mama, Papa, please... don't leave Emily-she'll be good, she promises. Don't leave her all alone."

The next morning, in the hotel restaurant.

Alice sat across from Edward, rubbing her aching temples. Hangovers were the worst-her head throbbed as if it might split open.

Fragments of the previous night resurfaced-the revolting moment when Lenny's hand had groped her. The clearer the memory grew, the sicker she felt. She grabbed the glass of warm water beside her and drank it down, trying to settle her stomach.

Thank goodness Edward had been there. If he hadn't stepped in last night. she didn't even want to think about it.

"Thank you for last night, Mr. Hawthorne."

Edward took a sip of his coffee, his tone low and even. "You work for GrandVerse. You represent the company-it was my responsibility to look out for you."

The corners of Alice's eyes reddened. So this was what it felt like to have someone stand up for you.

If only there had been someone like that for her back then.

She took a steadying breath. "I'll work on building my alcohol tolerance. I don't want a repeat of what happened."

"This wasn't your fault. You can't stop predators by drinking less. But next time, take a page from William's book-train your tolerance, and if things get out of hand, pretend to be drunk. Don't let people take advantage of you."

Alice blinked. "...That's actually solid advice."

Edward took another sip, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Who's Emily?"

He'd meant to ask last night, but she'd been too far gone to make sense of.

"Emily?" She paused, giving him a confused look. "Oh, that's the nickname my mother gave me. Why? Did I say something strange last night?"

She must have mumbled in her sleep-she'd been dreaming about her parents.

Edward's gaze darkened, something unreadable flickering in his expression.

The same name? What were the odds.

"Nothing. Just curious."

Seeing his reaction, Alice didn't press further. She offered an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry again about the deal falling through. all because of me."

Edward's expression remained cool, his voice even colder. "I already told you-it wasn't your fault. GrandVerse doesn't need to do business with people like him. The thought of that man still makes me sick."

Alice blinked, taken aback by his sudden sharpness. He really wasn't an easy man to read.

Still, deep down, she felt genuinely grateful. It was as if she were seeing him in a new light-this heir to the GrandVerse empire wasn't just brilliant and handsome; he had a strong moral compass, too. That was rare.

He was the kind of boss who truly had your back. Not stingy, always offering guidance-Alice felt fortunate to have someone like him in her corner.

--

With the deal canceled, their group returned home that afternoon.

Before boarding the plane, Alice spotted a trending headline-Lenny had been arrested for tax evasion, sexual assault of a minor, and coercing female staff. The post was exploding online.

There was even a photo-his face blurred, but the bandaged hand slung around his neck was unmistakable.

Her stomach turned. She clenched her fists. "Disgusting. People like him, abusing their power-who knows how many victims suffered in silence. He deserves everything that's coming to him."

Then a thought struck her, and she frowned. "Wait. but he seemed fine yesterday. How did all this come out overnight?"

William yawned beside her, clearly unimpressed. "Obviously, someone made it happen. You were nearly assaulted. Did you think Mr. Hawthorne would let that slide? He had me up all night digging up everything we could find on that creep."

"I spent the whole night running around gathering evidence for the police. That guy had pissed off so many people, it wasn't even hard to find proof. But man, it was exhausting. If I'd known, I'd have gotten drunk, too. At least then I'd have had an excuse to skip the all-nighter."

No wonder she hadn't seen William that morning. He'd been on a mission.

Alice felt a wave of surprise mixed with gratitude-her respect for Edward reached another level.

"Mr. Hawthorne, you're honestly too good to be true!"

Bosses were usually hard to please anyway. So what if he had a temper? That kinda came with the territory.

--

By the time they landed in the capital, it was already dark. The driver picked up Edward, while Alice and William took separate cabs home.

Once home, Alice removed her makeup, sank into a hot bath, and collapsed in the tub, completely drained. But just as she began to relax, the image of Lenny's disgusting face resurfaced-especially those sleazy eyes. It triggered an old, buried memory she'd tried hard to forget.

Her face turned ghostly pale. Grabbing the bath sponge, she scrubbed her skin as if it were covered in filth, only stopping when it stung and turned red.

She took a sharp breath. "It's over now. Alice, you're not allowed to look back."

She thought she'd moved on. I mean, just the other night, she and Edward had been close-not that she could see anything in the dark-but she could still remember his breath, his touch. She hadn't felt repulsed then, so she assumed she'd healed.

But it turned out that even now, just seeing those predatory eyes again still messed with her head.

--

After her bath, Alice curled up on the couch and checked her phone. Still no new messages.

Annoyance finally set in. Her husband vanishing on their wedding night was bad enough. Not showing his face for two years was even worse. But now? She'd literally admitted to cheating, and he couldn't even be bothered to send a text?

Was she married to a ghost?

She tapped the contact labeled "Alexander Blake"-a number his grandfather had saved for her long ago.

The phone rang for a while before someone finally picked up. But it wasn't him. A young woman's cheerful voice came through.

"Hello? Who's this?"

Alice frowned. "Who are you? Why are you answering his phone?"

"Oh, I'm Katherine. My brother's in the shower. Can I help you with something?"

Alice blinked. "You're his sister?"

Wait, he had a sister? His grandfather had never mentioned that.

Katherine chimed in again, "Yeah, yeah. He just got in the bathroom. You can call back in a bit. Or, if it's urgent, tell me and I'll pass it along."

Alice didn't care whether this girl was really his sister or some random fling. She was done pretending.

"Could you let him know to call me back? I need to talk about filing for divorce."

"Sure, no problem." Then dead silence. A moment later, Katherine shrieked, "Wait, WHAT?! Divorce?!"

Alice winced and pulled the phone away from her ear. Once the noise settled, she spoke calmly, "Just let him know, please. It's important."

Then she hung up.

--

On the other end, Katherine's scream had already drawn her mother's attention.

"What is it now? Why are you shouting?" her mom called out.

Still stunned, Katherine stared at the phone. "Mom, you won't believe this-seriously, brace yourself. Your son is MARRIED!"

Her mom scoffed, setting dishes on the table. "What nonsense are you talking about? If your brother got married, don't you think I'd know?"

"I'm not kidding! Not only is he married, he's already at the divorce stage!" Katherine spun the phone around. "Look! His wife just called, saying she wants to meet up and file!"

Now both of them stood speechless, staring at each other.

Suddenly, the mom snatched the phone and stormed toward the bathroom, pounding on the door.

"William, get your butt out here right now!"

Katherine followed close behind, shouting too. "William! Open up!"

Inside, William hadn't even fully fastened his robe yet. He threw it over his shoulders and cracked the door open, confused. "What's going on?"

Before he could get another word out, his mom slapped the back of his head.

"You've got some nerve, boy! You actually got married behind my back?!"

William clutched his head, completely baffled. "Married? I don't even have a girlfriend!"

"Still denying it?" his mom snapped, giving him a couple of sharp smacks. "That girl literally called! She said she's your wife!"

"You idiot! Even if you got married in secret, fine-but now you've messed up so badly she wants a divorce? Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

Katherine chimed in dramatically, "Totally! You must have been ignoring her. She probably couldn't take your cold shoulder anymore!"

William hugged his head tighter, practically growling. "Okay, okay! Mom, stop hitting me. Just let me check my phone before you jump to conclusions."

That finally got his mother to calm down a bit.

He massaged his sore head, wincing, and scrolled through his messages-immediately, his face darkened with anger.

"Mom, I swear I'm single! I don't even know this woman! She sent me some weird texts a few days ago, and I thought she had the wrong number. Now it looks like she's trying to scam me!"

Both his mom and sister eyed him skeptically. "Seriously?"

He looked dead serious. "I swear-if I secretly got married and messed around with this woman, may I never have another peaceful day!"

His mom slapped him again. "Ugh, shut your mouth! Don't say things like that! May the gods not take you seriously. You'd better live a long, long life, got it?"

After clearing up the misunderstanding, William angrily blocked Alice's number.

If he weren't above stooping to her level, he would've already tracked her down and given her a piece of his mind.

--

Meanwhile, Alice was sprawled on her couch, bored out of her mind while waiting for a call. She turned on a random drama and mindlessly munched on cucumber-flavored chips.

She waited and waited until she was almost asleep. Then finally-her phone rang! She jolted upright and grabbed it-only to see it wasn't the call she'd been hoping for.

It was Edward.

He never called her this late. This was a first.

Alice sobered up immediately and answered quickly. "Mr. Hawthorne?"

But the voice she heard wasn't his. "Hello? Is this Ms. Sterling? Your husband collapsed while playing squash at our club. He was clutching his stomach in pain and passed out. The paramedics just arrived; he's on his way to the hospital. You need to get there now."

Her face froze. "I'm his secretary, not his wife. But thank you for letting me know. Our company will follow up. Can you tell me which hospital? I'll head there right away."

The guy on the line sounded flustered. "Oh, my bad-he had you listed as his emergency contact, so I assumed. anyway, he's being taken to Nova Hospital. Better hurry."

As soon as the call ended, Alice threw on fresh clothes and dashed out the door.

Luckily, The Lodge Apartments were just six kilometers from Nova Hospital-it only took about ten or fifteen minutes by cab.

When she burst into the hospital room, a doctor was already hooking Edward up to an IV.

"Mr. Hawthorne, are you okay?" Alice rushed to the bed, and her heart sank.

The usually commanding, no-nonsense man looked pale as a ghost. His eyes were shut tight, long lashes trembling as though he were fighting through waves of pain.

He cracked his eyes open slightly when he saw her, but he couldn't even speak-just shut them again, clearly suffering.

The doctor beside the bed, Charles Bennett, turned around when he heard her. His brows lifted slightly when he saw her pretty, gentle face.

"And you are.?"

Slightly out of breath from rushing, Alice replied, "I'm his secretary."

"Secretary?" Charles Bennett leaned his hands on the hospital bed rail, eyeing the weakened Edward with a teasing grin. "Dragging your secretary here after work hours? Impressive. Where's that wife of yours? Shouldn't she be the one taking care of you?"

Alice froze for a second. Wait, is this guy a friend of Mr. Hawthorne's?

But come to think of it, he kinda had a point. Shouldn't the lady of the house be handling this?

Edward's eyes snapped open, sharp as ice, shooting daggers straight at Charles.

"Alright, alright." Charles raised his hands in mock surrender. "Forget I said anything."

Alice didn't bother figuring out their relationship. Her top priority was knowing how her boss was doing.

"Doctor, how is Mr. Hawthorne's condition?"

Charles grinned. "Oh, he'll live."

Alice blinked, sneaking a glance at Edward. "That's-not very reassuring."

Charles chuckled at her awkward but clearly unamused expression.

"Don't stress. This is how he always is," he said. "Knows he's got a serious stomach issue and still skips meals. To make it worse, he drinks on an empty stomach. Honestly, it's like he's asking for it."

Alice was genuinely surprised. Edward had such a serious condition?

And he still drank. yeah, that was pretty much self-sabotage.

On the bed, Edward cracked open his eyes and rasped, "Charles, do you have a death wish?"

Charles casually adjusted the IV drip. "If someone like you is still kicking, how could I be tired of living?"

Alice pressed her lips together and cleared her throat, trying to break up their bickering.

"Um, thank you for your help, Dr. Bennett. Is there anything special I should keep an eye on?"

Charles replied without skipping a beat. "Nope."

Alice stared-he always answered like this?

"With him?" Charles scoffed. "I could nag him a hundred times, and it'd go in one ear and out the other. Might as well save my breath. If it gets worse, we'll just remove part of the stomach. Quick fix."

Alice broke into a cold sweat and swallowed hard. This doctor really had zero filter.

Edward's already stone-cold face turned even darker, as if a storm were brewing. His gaze sliced toward Charles. "Do your job and get out."

Yeah. if he weren't so weak, Alice was pretty sure Mr. Hawthorne would've tossed the doctor out the window by now.

Charles dropped his hands into his coat pockets and shook his head with a sigh. "Okay, okay, take it easy. You're this close to internal bleeding. Chill with that temper."

"I've got a minor surgery to get to," he said, turning to Alice. "His stomach's fragile right now. No solids. Go grab something gentle like oatmeal for him later."

Alice nodded, mentally taking notes. "Got it. Thanks, Doctor. I'll handle it."

"Mm-hm. If anything comes up, talk to the nurses. If they can't solve it, they'll let me know."

"Okay."

Just as he reached the door, Charles stopped and turned back, flashing a slow, mischievous smile at Alice. "By the way, I didn't get your name."

Alice stuck to business. "Alice."

"Sterling." Charles narrowed his eyes slightly, saying the name slowly, almost as if tasting it, then glanced over at Edward, who'd closed his eyes again. His smile deepened.

"Pretty name."

"Oh, before I forget-play some music while he sleeps, yeah? There's a speaker by the bed. Helps him doze off."

Then he was gone.

Music?

Alice glanced over at the small white speaker on the bedside table. It was clearly placed there on purpose.

Hospitals were supposed to be quiet-who puts a speaker by a patient's bed?

Still a bit puzzled, she looked down at Edward and asked, "Mr. Hawthorne, I'll head out to grab your oatmeal later. But. do you want me to arrange for someone to stay and watch over you?"