Jared stood behind Alicia, his eyes lighting up in joy.

Before the woman could open her mouth, he flicked her a sharp look, then pressed his palms together briefly, silently begging her to cover for him.

Rolling her eyes in exaggerated annoyance, the woman shifted gears, flashed Alicia a polite smile, and remarked with casual ease, "He owes me $5 million."

Alicia didn't hesitate for even a second as she pulled out her phone. "Send me your account number. I'll transfer it right now."

The second those words came out of her mouth, realization hit her, and a faint flush crept up her cheeks. "Ah—my account's temporarily frozen. Give me the number anyway. I'll wire it to you tomorrow."

With a lifted brow and a knowing look, the woman recited her account details without protest.

Once the phone was tucked away, Alicia seized Jared by the sleeve, tugging him decisively down the corridor.

Only after their figures vanished around the corner did the woman let out a steadying breath. Her gaze hardened with quiet resolve as she typed out a message to Jared. "I know I can't dissuade you from seeking justice for your mother. What happened back then was tangled and painful, but as your aunt, I will always stand behind you. Before she passed, your mother left something for you—it's stored in a bank safe-deposit box. The password is 8564."

…

Afterward, Alicia sent Renee a brief message, explaining that she was going home.

Moments later, she flagged down a passing cab at the curb.

Jared trailed behind her in silence, shoulders tense, clearly holding his tongue.

It wasn't until the car doors shut and the city lights began sliding past the windows that he finally spoke, his voice low and restrained. "I was buried in debt back then," he admitted quietly. "She helped me clear all of it."

"So you've been sleeping with her?" The question slipped out sharp and bitter, a spike of irritation driving into Alicia at the image of Jared leaving another woman's bed only to show up in front of her.

"I didn't touch her," Jared insisted, urgency creeping into his voice as he hurried to explain.

Her expression barely shifted as Alicia responded, "That doesn't matter anymore."

If there had been another way out, who would ever choose to sell themselves?

The moment those words fell from her lips, a shadow crept across Jared's features, his jaw tightening as something dark flickered in his eyes.

"But since I cleared your debts," Alicia continued with icy composure, fixing him with an unyielding stare, "you belong to me for now. At least until this partnership ends, I don't want you tangled up with any other women. Are we clear?"

The sheer dominance in her tone left Jared frozen in place, stunned into silence.

Moments later, he dipped his head in quiet compliance, yielding without another word.

That meek response clashed so sharply with the confidence usually etched into his features that Alicia felt her pulse stutter.

Inside the mildly chilled car, whether from the lingering alcohol or something else entirely, warmth crept up her neck and flooded her cheeks.

Once they reached home, she went straight for the bathroom without a word.

The plan had been to rinse away the chaos in her head, yet the rising steam and residual buzz only made her breaths turn shallow and uneven.

Unwilling to linger, she wrapped herself in a robe and slipped back out.

Jared had been focused on his phone, thumbs moving fast, but the instant he looked up and saw her, his hands went perfectly still.

The loose white robe had slid off her shoulders, baring smooth skin, and the emptiness that usually clouded her gaze had softened into a hazy, unfocused warmth.

His attention locked onto her as she moved closer, throat tightening before he forced himself to look away.

"Why are you dodging me?" Without warning, Alicia settled onto his lap, her arms looping around his neck, her closeness unmistakably deliberate.

Tension snapped through his frame as Jared stiffened, one hand coming up to clamp around her shoulder. "Get off."

A lazy, tipsy smile curved her lips. "Come on. It's not like this would be the first time." Alcohol had blurred Alicia's judgment, erasing the resolve she had sworn to earlier about keeping her distance from him.

Besides, she was spending ten million on him—what did it matter if he ended up in her bed?

Leaning in, she brushed her mouth against his, sealing the thought with a deliberate kiss.

Caught off guard by her bold move, Jared froze, conflicting emotions flickering through his eyes.

It might not have been their first time, but this time he was standing there as Jared, fully himself.

When he didn't immediately respond, Alicia tilted her head and bit lightly at his lower lip, testing him. Her mouth lingered, her tongue moving forward in a tentative, coaxing motion.

Alicia's reckless closeness finally snapped the last fragile thread of Jared's self-control. In a sudden, heated motion, he caught her by the nape of the neck and pinned her beneath him. "Alicia," he demanded hoarsely, eyes locked on hers, "tell me—who am I?"

"Jared."

…

Long after the storm had burned itself out, Alicia lay limp with exhaustion, drifting into sleep against his chest.

Jared brushed his lips along her collarbone and let out a low, amused breath. "Alicia," he murmured, voice barely more than a whisper, "do you still remember me?"

A sharp ringtone shattered the quiet. The warmth in Jared's gaze disappeared at once. He eased Alicia onto the mattress with careful restraint, then stepped onto the balcony, phone already at his ear.

"Mr. Nelson, everything unfolded just as you predicted. Michael has walked right into it," Jared's assistant said.

A thin, icy curve touched Jared's lips—effortless, almost lazy, yet carrying the lethal chill of a striking serpent. "Good," he replied softly.

Morning light crept in as Alicia slowly woke, only to realize she was tucked securely in Jared's arms.

Her eyes flew open as scattered images from last night surged back into her mind.

She had been the one to cross the line...

Turning her face away, she cursed herself in silence—for her weakness, and for trusting alcohol to dull her judgment.

"Good morning," Jared murmured, his low, velvety voice brushing right against her ear.

Startled fully awake, Alicia jerked back and shoved him away without thinking.

Unprepared for the sudden force, Jared pitched off the bed, his skull knocking hard against the cabinet behind him.

A sharp breath tore from his chest as pain flared, and he grabbed at his head.

Pulling his hand back, he found a smear of red staining his palm.

"Wow," he muttered dryly, half a laugh in his tone, "you're seriously dangerous."

The sight of blood made Alicia freeze, alarm flashing across her face. "I'm so sorry—I didn't mean to do that."

Catching her flustered reaction, Jared reached out and tugged her into his arms, a wicked curve lifting his lips. "If you're that sorry, you could always make it up to me with a kiss."

He leaned in deliberately, invading her space with infuriating ease.

Heat rushed to Alicia's ears as his face filled her vision, her pupils tightening instinctively.

"I'll grab the first-aid kit." As soon as the words slipped out, she bolted from the room, steps hurried and uneven, while Jared dropped his gaze and laughed softly, his eyes filled with an unguarded, lingering tenderness.

…

"It's lucky the cut isn't very deep." Kneeling close, Alicia focused on cleaning the wound, her movements careful and precise.

At that moment, her phone rang—it was Renee.

Hands still busy, she answered and put Renee on speaker. "What's going on?"

"Clint's finally cracking," Renee informed, barely containing her excitement. "Ever since the funding dried up, he's been calling everyone he knows for help—but nobody's answering. I'd bet he's pacing himself sick with worry by now."

Alicia kept her face composed, not a flicker of emotion slipping through.

The situation unfolded exactly as she had expected it would.

Relief stirred quietly in her chest at the thought that she had never exposed her real identity to the Gill family; even now, they still believed she was nothing more than a naive, useless woman—a strategy Renee had insisted on back then.

It was safe to say that the Gill Group had only climbed to its current heights because of her intervention.

And now they thought they could push her aside?

If that was how they chose to treat her, she would simply make sure those powerful investors withdrew every last cent.

The Gill family's downfall was inevitable!

Her thoughts lingered in that bitter spiral until a low hiss of pain snapped her back to the present.

Noticing the strain tightening Jared's features, Alicia realized she had pressed the cotton swab straight into his wound without noticing.

"I'm so sorry," she murmured, her voice softening. With a quick flick of her wrist, she tossed the swab aside and carefully secured a fresh bandage over the wound.

Ending Renee's call, she barely had a second to breathe before her phone rang again with Jennifer's name flashing across the screen.

"Alicia, are you on your way? It's Clint's birthday today. We're at the Majesty Hotel, and he keeps saying the party can't begin until you arrive," Jennifer noted gently, an unusual warmth in her tone. "He even hired a top specialist—someone who can fix your eyes."

A cold glint swept through Alicia's gaze, sharp and unmistakable.

Did they expect her to see this as kindness?

There was no way she would fall for that.

Her eyes drifted to the neatly wrapped birthday present she had prepared for Jennifer's husband, Clint Gill; the corner of her mouth curled in a thin, mocking smile before she dropped it into the trash.

Clint didn't deserve a damn bit of it.

By the end of the day, she intended to deliver them a surprise they would never forget!

Alicia let a trace of mockery color her tone as she answered, "Fine. I'll be there shortly."

Curiosity stirred beneath her calm—she genuinely wanted to see what those people were scheming with such sudden enthusiasm.

A moment later, she turned to Jared and remarked, "Have dinner with me tonight."

Catching the slight crease between his brows, she tilted her head and pressed. "You already have plans?"

He hesitated before replying quietly, "This afternoon I'm going to visit my mother's grave. It's the anniversary of her death."

That same date also marked the day he was supposed to return to the Powell family.

She lowered her gaze and said softly, "Then forget—"

Before she could finish her sentence, Jared cut in, amusement glinting in his eyes as a smile curved his lips. "I'll come as soon as I'm done. How could I let my wife deal with those backstabbing assholes on her own?"

A sudden flutter hit Alicia's chest, her pulse stuttering as tension crept up her throat.

Heat rushed to her face, and she coughed softly before steadying herself. "I'll text you the address later."

"Sounds good," he replied without hesitation.

...

Meanwhile, Jennifer lowered her phone with a satisfied air at the Gill family's residence.

Leaning forward, Kaelyn blurted out, barely containing herself, "So—she's coming, right?"

"That's right," Jennifer responded, lips curling smugly. "Alicia has always been starved for affection from your father and me. She won't dare turn me down."

"That's a relief." A sharp glint flashed through Kaelyn's eyes as she glanced toward Clint. "Dad, did Mr. Butcher say he'd invest as long as Alicia ends up sleeping with him?"

He answered flatly, "That's exactly what he said."

Unease flickered across Kaelyn's face. "And if she realizes what we're doing?"

Curling her lips in disdain, Jennifer let out an icy laugh. "She's blind. What could she possibly do? Just lure her into the hotel room—once it's over, she won't be able to say a thing."

Following a short beat, Jennifer shifted the topic, her gaze sharp. "That aside, why didn't you let me tell Michael about the pregnancy? When do you plan to make things official?"

Kaelyn's expression stiffened before smoothing out again. "I have no intention of marrying him anytime soon."

"What did you say?" Clint hissed, his voice dropping. "If you're not marrying him, are you planning to have the child out of wedlock?"

Both Clint and Jennifer stared at her, confusion etched across their faces.

A smug smile slowly curved her lips as Kaelyn explained, "I'm setting my sights on the Powell family's heir. Isn't he returning from overseas soon? As for Michael—he's just an illegitimate son. He's nowhere near good enough for me."