"She pushed you? Why would she do that? We're about to get married, for god's sake! Unless you said something to set her off, why else would she try to kill you? Jessica! If you've got a death wish, fine, take it somewhere else! I don't want to see you! And you're not a damn cat with nine lives! You won't make it every time!"

Alan's rage that had been simmering just blew up all at once.

Jessica's ears were ringing from his yelling. Lovely. Even if she died today, all this guy would say is, "Serves you right." Ridiculous. Just because he helped her today, she almost forgot how he had abandoned her back in the day like she didn't matter.

She bit her lip so hard, the pain snapped her back. "What does it matter to you if I die or not? Alan, are you done yelling? If you are, get out! Now!"

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through her jaw. He grabbed her so hard it felt like her chin might snap.

"Let me go!" She tried to pry his fingers off, both hands working at it, but he didn't budge.

Alan was staring into her eyes, and the hate in them was so raw, so real, it made his heart jolt. She hated him...

There was no mistaking it-that utter, overwhelming hatred was all he could see in her eyes.

After a moment, he finally let go. One hand grabbed the showerhead, the other went to her hair.

Jessica blinked, completely dazed. Two seconds ago he looked like he wanted her gone for good, and now he was...washing her hair? His hands were rough, but somehow he didn't hurt her.

It almost felt like those childhood days, when he used to wash her hair just like this. A weird, sour ache clogged her chest, like cotton stuffed in her heart. She blinked hard, trying to shut out all those old memories.

Alan moved quickly, rubbing shampoo through her hair, using body wash to clean her off. Then he wrapped her up in a big towel like a burrito and carried her to bed. After laying her down gently, he went back to the bathroom to clean himself up.

Jessica curled into the blankets, staring at the wet footprints across the floor in a kind of daze. He didn't even change out of his wet clothes.

A crack appeared in her tightly shut-off heart, and those old memories she kept locked away started sneaking back. Last time she was pulled out of the lake by the maids, her parents made her thank Chloe. They said it was Chloe who had gotten help.

She'd been furious, told them it was Chloe who pushed her. But who would believe that? Chloe may have only been ten back then, but she was born to act. She cried harder than a girl who had nearly drowned.

Jessica got punished for lying-locked in her room for two weeks straight, not allowed to come out.She locked herself in her room and called Alan, crying the whole time. Before she could even finish sobbing out her complaints, he had already rushed to her place. In front of everyone's shocked faces, he didn't hesitate-just charged straight into her bedroom, kicked the door open, and scooped her into his arms.

To her, it felt like the only person she could rely on had finally shown up. She clung to his neck like her life depended on it.

Alan carried her downstairs without a second thought, like she wasn't her parents' kid, but his.

"Jessica belongs to me, to the Knight family!" That's the line he dropped before walking out.

She still remembered the way her arrogant dad suddenly turned beet red, nearly coughing up blood from sheer rage.

A cold shadow loomed over her, pulling her out of those memories. She looked up and saw him-chilled to the bone like someone who just stepped out of an ice bath. He was in a bathrobe, face pale as snow, and his whole presence radiated frost.

"Jessica! This is your last warning. Stay away from Chloe!"

Her chest tightened. She hadn't even had time to put her guard up again before his words stabbed right through her. The pain hit her hard, fast, and deep, seeping through every inch of her body.

Jessica, this has to be the last time you let yourself hurt over him... the last time.

Alan strode out of the bedroom, and right outside was Chloe, tears streaming down her face like she was made of sorrow.

"Alan, please listen to me! I didn't mean to push Jessica, I swear!" She latched onto his arm, panic written all over her face. The contrast between his bronze skin, that white bathrobe, and the serious expression made him look like danger personified. Not that Chloe could appreciate the view-she was too busy freaking out over possibly pissing him off.

With a single sweep of his arm, Alan pulled her into his embrace. "Take me to your room."

Chloe was stunned, staring up at him blankly. She was so thrown off that her body didn't even react until he started guiding her forward. He'd never been to her room before!

Once inside, she rushed to the bathroom, grabbed the hairdryer, and started drying his hair, hands trembling a little. He had clearly witnessed her shove Jessica, he saw everything... so why wasn't he mad? Why hadn't he asked a single question?

Sometimes, silence is worse than an argument. At least if he confronted her, she'd have a chance to explain. But now? Nothing. That image of him holding Jessica, acting like she wasn't even there, kept flashing through her head.

"Alan, it's really not what you think. I know whatever I say now sounds fake, but I never meant to really hurt Jessica..."

"That's enough," his cold voice cut her off mid-sentence.

Chloe took a small step back, clearly startled, biting down hard on her bottom lip. Her big eyes welled up with tears, shimmering with silent frustration and helplessness.

Alan was sitting on her bed. He reached out with one arm and pulled her close, his palm gently brushing over the cheek she'd struck herself. His deep eyes carried a stormy chill, unreadable and intense.

"Chloe, you're the one I want to marry. Whatever happens to Jessica, it doesn't matter to us," he said firmly. No matter what Chloe had done, she was the only one he recognized as his bride.

She stared at him in shock, barely believing her ears. "Alan... you're not mad at me? But she... she almost died."

"Why would I blame you?" he asked, brows slightly furrowed. "You must've had your reasons. If anything happens to her, it's on her. Just remember - I like my girl to keep her hands clean. If you want something done, tell me. I'll take care of it."

His gaze lingered on her, calm and focused.

Chloe's heart pounded. She'd never imagined that Alan loved her this much - more than she ever guessed.

She threw her arms around him, guilt crowding her chest. How could she have almost let herself get messy for this?

"Alan, I promise, I won't lose it again. I'll stay clean and wait to become your wife," she said. But her confident tone wavered a bit at the end.

Alan patted her back gently. "Go check if the clothes I ordered are here. Bring them in."

"Okay, I'll go," she replied, voice full of warmth. Just as she reached the door, she paused and glanced back at him.

That's when she noticed something - why did he have such large burn scars on both legs? She frowned. He'd only been injured once in the past four years - during that shootout with the kidnappers. But that was a gun wound... So where did these burns come from?

Still trying to make sense of it, she almost bumped straight into Paul.

Paul was carrying an armful of clothes. Were those for Jessica? The thought popped into her head and distracted her from the burn scars completely.

"Paul, did Alan's clothes get delivered?" she asked.

"Yeah, the store rep is in the living room waiting for your signature," he replied. Two sets had arrived - one for him and one for Chloe.

Chloe nodded with satisfaction. Since she was the one signing for Alan's, Paul's must be something else. No way they'd have two people signing for the same stuff.

Paul headed upstairs with the clothes. "Jess! Can I come in? I brought you some clothes."

But the silence that met him made his heart skip a beat. Something felt off, so he pushed the door open.The girl curled up under the covers, only revealing her small face. Her eyes looked hollow and lost, like a stray kitten nobody wanted.

"Jessica, are you okay?" Paul quickly walked over, reaching out to gently stroke her hair.

In a flash, the light in Jessica's eyes turned firm again. "I'm fine. Still alive, aren't I?"

Well, that's already more than enough. Everything that happened before-she'd leave it behind. Nothing could shake her again. She was living now only for revenge, for her parents, and for herself.

Her words made Paul's heart tighten. "I brought you some clothes. Here, put them on."

He set the clothes beside her pillow and suddenly realized-she hadn't been wearing anything underneath. His ears went red in an instant. Avoiding her gaze, he stammered, "Uh... you go ahead and change, I'll wait outside!"

He practically bolted out the door.

Jessica reached out and touched the clothes. They were neatly arranged and included everything-from undergarments to outerwear. Weirdly enough, everything fit her perfectly.

Alan had no reason to buy these, not with how much he hated her. But how did Paul even know her size? Her cheeks flushed pink at the thought.

After changing, she opened the door and let Paul back in. "Thanks."

The sunlight poured in behind her, giving her a soft halo. A pastel pink sweater with sky-blue jeans, her pale skin glowing-she looked like a doll, too perfect to be real.

Paul couldn't peel his eyes away. It wasn't until Jessica looked shyly away that he realized he might've been staring a bit too long.

He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Uh, don't mention it." He just brought her clothes, nothing major. But in the next second, he seemed to get it-maybe she misunderstood his intentions.

"Actually, Jessica, tomorrow I'll take you to the mall and we'll grab some more clothes. I noticed there isn't much here for you."

So what if she misunderstood? He could just get her more stuff anyway.

"No need, I've got some at the apartment I rented, just didn't bring them today."

"Still, you can never have too many clothes! It's settled then! By the way, dinner's ready, let's head down!" Paul finished it all in one breath, not leaving her any room to say no.

"Oh, good! I'm honestly starving. Let's go." Jessica quickly moved on, skipping over everything else he'd said. After everything today, her stomach was more than ready for food.

They walked down the stairs side by side.

From the couch, Alan's eyes darkened. Somehow, this clean, innocent schoolgirl look she had going on... made her even more tempting. He rubbed his aching temples. No matter what she wore, she still managed to turn heads.

Chloe strolled over gracefully. "Alan, dinner's ready."

"Okay." Alan nodded, got up, and took Chloe's hand as they headed to the dining room.

The four of them sat face to face as dinner was brought out by the servers.

Chloe eyed Jessica across the table, her eyes carrying a smug glint. "Jessica, your maid asked me earlier what you liked to eat, so I told them! I made sure they served your favorite-crab legs! Eat up!"

Everyone at the table knew Jessica loved crab, but unless Alan cracked the shells and pulled out the meat for her, she wouldn't even bother. That used to be his thing-pampering her like a queen. But now? No one was stepping up for her.

This was Chloe's moment. She wanted to stab at Jessica's pride, poke right where it hurt. After all, Alan had confessed his feelings to her. She was the one he'd marry. With that in mind, she no longer had to hold back.

Suddenly, it all clicked-why Jessica had always been so spoiled and arrogant growing up. Being adored like that by a man? It felt amazing.

Jessica instantly caught on to Chloe's petty mind games, but her lashes dropped slightly in indifference. She'd already made peace with her past. Chloe's words? Couldn't even ruffle her mood.

She calmly reached out to pick up another dish, when-surprise-a chunk of warm, glistening crab meat landed on her plate, perfectly pulled from the shell and drizzled with garlic butter.

"Jessica, this one's for you. I cracked it," Paul said with a warm smile, gentle like a spring breeze.

"Thanks," Jessica replied with a soft curve in her brows, lips tugging up in a lovely arc. Without hesitation, she picked up the tender crab meat and popped it into her mouth.

Her smile was beautiful-gone was the immaturity of youth. Now she had this subtle, delicate charm, like a half-ripe apple: just the right mix of sweet and tangy.

Paul couldn't take his eyes off her. Only now did he really get why Alan had spent so many years doing this for her. Watching her eat like that, so satisfied, smiling... it was enough to warm anyone's heart.

Alan, on the other hand, was seething with jealousy. His hand clenched around his fork so hard, veins popped on his knuckles.

Chloe's anger flared too. She never thought Paul-who avoided shellfish like the plague-would crack crab legs for Jessica.

She sneaked a glance at Alan, silently hoping he'd treat her the way he used to with Jessica. But judging by the stormy look on his face, she knew that hope was dead.

Squashing her disappointment and irritation, she reminded herself-she'd fought for four years to get close to this man. She'd won his heart step by step, doing what she believed worked: acting gentle and sweet, everything Jessica wasn't.

So she leaned over, picked up a crab claw, and carefully cracked it open with the nutcracker, placing the intact meat into Alan's small plate, her smile soft and graceful.

"Alan, let me get this for you! Here, try it," Chloe's voice was soft enough to melt, practically dripping with sweetness.

Jessica shot her a glance-seriously, the perfect domestic goddess vibe. No wonder Alan had a thing for her. Guess serving someone feels pretty different from being on the receiving end.

"Ow!" Paul winced. Honestly, he had no clue how to crack crab legs properly. That's why he never bothered eating them-way too much work.

"Oh no, you're bleeding!" Jessica immediately grabbed Paul's hand. A tiny bead of blood was forming, and without thinking, she brought his finger to her lips and gently sucked the blood off.

Paul's face turned beet red. He wasn't used to girls treating him like this.

Alan slammed his fork down. "Paul, seriously? She's not a kid anymore. You doing all that for her?"

"In my eyes, she'll always be one," Paul replied coolly, ignoring the flash of cold warning in Alan's eyes.

Jessica held Paul's hand carefully. "Does it still hurt?"

She remembered getting pinched by a crab claw as a kid-it stung like hell. She cried her eyes out in someone's arms that time. From then on, she swore off cracking crab herself.

Paul slowly pulled his hand back and ruffled her hair with a warm smile. "Nah, it's fine. Just a tiny pinch. Look at you, fussing over it. I'll keep cracking, don't worry!"

"No, you don't have to-I'm done with crab," Jessica quickly stopped him.

"That won't do. It's your first night home for dinner, no way I'm letting you miss out on your favorite dish. Just a small poke, nothing serious. I'm a guy, not made of glass! And hey, didn't you used to love rearranging the empty shells into whole crabs? Just wait-I'll get them ready."

Paul grabbed another crab leg.

"Hold on!" Jessica grabbed his hand and turned to Grace. "Take a few crab legs downstairs and ask someone to pull the meat out. Oh, and if anyone can reassemble the shells to look like a perfect crab, give 'em a hundred bucks!"

Grace quickly carried the tray off to the kitchen.

Not long after, she returned carrying two plates-one stacked with crab meat, the other with a few neatly reassembled empty shells.

Jessica smiled. "Paul, see? When the help can do it, why should we? Tsk, tsk... so rebuilding a crab shell only costs a hundred bucks! They even did more than one! With money, you really can make anything happen. Man, if I'd said fifty, someone probably would've still done it!"

Paul kept nodding along, chuckling with Jessica as the two of them dug in and shared laughs.

Across the table, Alan looked stormy, while Chloe's face had gone ghost-white.