Chloe lifted her chin smugly. "Jessica, you just got back. Let me handle the arrangements for you. Someone, go prepare a room for her!" Her tone was like she was ordering a maid around.

Jessica narrowed her eyes, her voice cold. "You all work for the Southern family. If you don't take orders from me, then get out now! You're fired!"

The servants glanced uncertainly at Chloe.

Chloe tossed her hair carelessly. "Jessica, you don't need to take it out on the staff just because you're mad at me. They're officially hired. Fire them without cause, and you'll have to pay double compensation. Got that much cash lying around? Plus, there's a whole crew here-you think you can replace them all overnight?"

Jessica clenched her fist so tight her nails dug into her palm. She was the legitimate daughter of the Southern family, yet she had no say, no wealth. In the four years she'd been "dead," Chloe had taken over everything.

She looked up and caught Chloe's mocking gaze, and next to her, Alan's unreadable eyes. They were both just waiting for her to trip, to make a fool of herself. She suddenly felt just as powerless as the day she'd faced that bomb. This situation was a mess-without Alan's support, and with her brother gone, coming back with a name wasn't enough to change anything.

She'd already gone to the law firm to reinstate her identity, but that would take a few days. Until then, everything that was hers was still out of reach. Rushing things would only make them worse.

Suddenly, noise erupted outside-sounds of scuffling, shouts. A group barged in: sharply dressed men in black, followed by women in crisp maid uniforms.

Chloe's bodyguards stumbled in, bruised and clearly overpowered. "Ms. Southern, we don't know who those people are. We couldn't stop them!"

Chloe instinctively backed into Alan's arms, eyes wide with panic. What the hell was going on?

Even Alan looked briefly surprised-clearly, this wasn't part of his plan.

A composed, efficient-looking woman walked straight over to Jessica. "Miss Bennett, I'm Grace Wright, your new housekeeper. These are your personal bodyguards and household staff. From now on, whatever you need, we're here to handle it."

Jessica blinked. "Wait, I didn't hire you guys..."

"That's right," Grace replied with a professional smile. "The Count arranged everything a month ago. We were instructed to report to you today, Miss Bennett."

Jessica's lips curved up slightly-so that was his gift. It hit her that he was kind of like a genie from a magic lamp, always showing up with exactly what she needed when she was in a bind.

Alan stood off to the side, face dark as storm clouds, a chill flashing through his eyes.

"And these documents-everything's been handled by the lawyers. Miss Southern, your legal identity has been fully restored. As per your parents' will, all properties under the Southern family's name in Halden, along with 40% of Southern Group's shares, are now officially in your hands. Chloe was only granted temporary rights in the event of your presumed death. That's now void," one of the lawyers announced.

Taking the documents, Jessica blinked her big, bright eyes. "Then let's cut a check and fire every single servant hired by Chloe. Not one stays."

"Understood." Grace gave a nod and soon had all the servants cleared out. Of course, they were paid to the last cent-nothing shady.

Everything happened so efficiently Jessica couldn't help but feel a rush of satisfaction.

"Grace, my cousin's an adult. Southern family has no obligation to keep supporting her. Cancel all her bank cards. From today onward, not a dime more from us!"

Chloe's face turned pale at those words. She'd never had a real job in her life. Without the Southern money pipeline, she was flat-out broke.

"You've got no right, Jessica! I was adopted by your aunt!" she shouted, panic slipping through her voice. How was she supposed to keep up her high-maintenance lifestyle without the funding?

"Chloe, let's get this straight-adoption is for minors. Unless I'm wrong, you're four years older than me. You're 24 now. Exactly why would the Southern family still need to support you?" Jessica tapped the rolled-up papers against the sofa arm with a rhythm, every gesture calm but intentional. Yeah, this was exactly the reaction she'd planned on.

She was gonna make Chloe pay back every bit of the past.

Clinging to Alan's arm now, Chloe's voice had cooled down. "You're not seriously kicking me out, right, Jessica?"

The earlier panic seemed to have faded-she wasn't so worried anymore. Even though the wedding didn't happen yesterday, she still thought of herself as Alan's future wife.

He had come over last night and told her that as soon as the deal with Sultan blew over, they would rearrange the wedding. And this very morning, he'd returned to be with her-not even asking her any questions about the past. She didn't know whether Alan doubted Jessica out of revenge, or simply trusted her more. But what she did know was-he loved her.

And if Jessica ended up tossing her out, wouldn't that just give her a reason to finally move into Alan's place? The thought flashed through her mind. After all this time dating, he'd never invited her to stay over. Not even once.

Jessica sank lazily into the oversized sofa, half-lidding her bright eyes with a sly glint-it was the look of a clever little fox scheming in plain sight.

"Chloe, you're seriously overthinking this! You're not married yet, so obviously, living at your parents' place makes more sense. People talk, you know? Unmarried cohabitation isn't exactly a good look, especially for the Southern family. Still, living here isn't free-rent, food, utilities-that all adds up. Alan, don't tell me you can't handle that?"

No way she was gonna let Chloe waltz into the Knight home just like that. She hadn't forgotten how Chloe almost got her killed back then. Letting the two of them live comfy together without paying a cent? Not happening.

Chloe's face went pale. "It's okay, Alan. As long as I'm with you, nothing else matters," she said softly, clearly hinting she wasn't bothered by what people thought.

Alan held her hand tightly, his eyes filled with warmth. "I won't let my woman suffer. Chloe's staying right here. Jessica, name your price. This should cover it."

A sleek black card landed on the coffee table with a soft thud. It had a subtle gold rim-no doubt a symbol of serious power.

Jessica snatched it up instantly. That was the black card-no limit. Meaning, she could literally drain millions from it.

"Thanks, Alan. I appreciate it," she said with a sweet smile. Yeah, she wasn't exactly broke these days, but if she had a chance to burn through Alan's cash, why not? Maybe she could even bankrupt him. The thought made her grin as she started calculating in her mind.

"Jessica!" A sudden shout snapped through the room as a gray blur rushed in.

"Paul!" Jessica stood up quickly and ran to him, instantly swept into the arms of the man with the calm, gentle aura.

"Kiddo, you're alive! Damn, you've grown," he chuckled, ruffling her hair.

"Don't touch my head," Jessica batted his hand away with a scowl. She seriously hated that-made her feel like a damn pet.

Paul's laugh echoed warmly through the room.

"Weren't you busy checking up on the branch offices out of town?" A cold voice cut through the moment.

Paul seemed to notice the other two people in the room for the first time. His expression faltered a little. "Alan, I heard Jessica came back, so..."

Alan's face was thunderous. The guy had skipped his own cousin's wedding, but one word about Jessica, and he jumped on a plane?

"Paul, I'm feeling tired. Carry me upstairs?" Jessica turned to him, face all soft and innocent, putting on a playful smile.

"You still act like a kid, huh?" he laughed, but there was a hint of helplessness in his tone. She always wanted to be held, yet every single time, Alan would beat him to it. It took Paul a while to figure out-she didn't really want him to pick her up. She was just trying to push Alan into doing it because he wouldn't do it otherwise.

But this time? No one was there to steal the moment.

He scooped her up into his arms without hesitation and headed for the stairs, not sparing Alan even a glance.

Paul laid Jessica gently on the bed and sat beside her. "Where've you been all these years?"

Jessica tugged on his arm, motioning for him to lie down next to her. "Somewhere amazing. It felt like a dream, like those fairytales we used to read. There was even a count who saved me." That place had been both her escape and her prison.

The people she missed most during those four years were her family and friends. Now that she'd finally seen them again, the loneliness she'd buried for so long started bubbling back up. All she wanted was to lean on someone, just for a while.

Paul turned to face her, resting on his side. "You didn't plan to tell me anything, huh?" he tapped her forehead, his tone teasing.

Jessica slapped his hand away with a frown. "I'm serious! Believe it or not, that place is real. I just don't know where exactly-but there was an island, and the count was real too."

He gently stroked her short hair. She was back, and that was all he needed. If she didn't want to talk, he wasn't going to press her.

"When did you cut your hair?" he asked softly. In his memory, she'd always had long hair.

Jessica's chest tightened. She'd kept that long hair for sixteen years-first because she didn't know better, then because he said he liked it. She'd held onto it for him.

Just then, a faint scent of pine drifted through the air. Her brow furrowed. A flash of cold flickered across her eyes as she slowly turned her head to look at Paul.

Compared to Alan, Paul didn't have such a sharp look, but his features were gentle and defined-like someone straight out of a drama.

"Paul, do you like me?"

Paul blinked, caught completely off guard. What kind of question was that?

"Of course I do!" He meant it-he loved her like a sister, like family. After all, since the day she was born, she'd belonged to Alan in everyone's eyes.

Jessica reached up and pressed her lips lightly to his, then eased her body onto his.

Paul froze, staring up at her in shock. Her soft frame on top of him made his heartbeat go haywire.

"Jess... you're just using me because of him, aren't you?" he managed to say, lifting her head gently.

"Paul, I don't love him anymore. If you care about me, maybe we could give it a shot," Jessica said, then sat up and started unbuttoning her shirt.

Paul Leighton instinctively jumped off the bed, completely thrown off by what he was seeing. "Uh, Jess, I've gotta talk business with Alan real quick. I'll come back later, alright?" He bolted out of the room, head a mess of confusion. But one thing he knew for sure-until he figured out how he really felt, he couldn't risk hurting her.

A tall figure in black stepped in from the balcony, voice cold and dripping with anger. "Back for one day and already hooking up with my cousin? Jessica, how desperate can you get?"

Jessica met Alan's glare head-on, her eyes sharp and frosty. A bitter smile tugged at her lips. How pathetic was she, not even able to successfully come on to someone? That familiar pine scent in the air told her he was there. Even after all these years, she could still pick up on him instantly. She'd only meant to mess with him, but somehow ended up being mocked herself.

"What does my love life have to do with you, Mr. Knight? Thinking of stepping in? Oh wait, weren't you worn out after last night? I doubt you've got anything left in the tank."

She sat on the bed, blouse half undone from earlier, revealing just enough to tease. Her fingers tangled through her messy hair, a wicked glint in her eyes. The whole act screamed defiance and bait.

Alan's gaze darkened, a dangerous swirl of red in his eyes. "Do you even hear yourself right now?"

Jessica gave a faint smile, totally unfazed by his rage. Her fingers reached casually for her shirt buttons again. "Since you're clearly out of commission, just do me a favor and call a bodyguard up here, would you?"

"Jessica! You've got a death wish?" he snapped, losing all control. In the next second, he shoved her onto the bed, pinning her beneath him.

"Tell me! Has any other man touched you?" She'd been missing for four years, and this was what she came back as? What the hell had she been doing all this time?

Jessica swung her hand toward his neck. Four years of training weren't for nothing. She might have meant to piss him off, but she wasn't about to just lie down and take his crap.

Turns out, her skills were no match for the hand-to-hand combat training he'd had growing up. After a few quick moves, he had her wrist caught in his big hand and forced above her head.

"Alan, Chloe's downstairs. You really think it's okay to mess around with your sister-in-law upstairs? Don't you feel the slightest bit guilty?" This situation was spiraling way off course-she had to shut it down, fast.

"You didn't seem to remember she was your cousin when you were throwing yourself at me. Now you wanna play family values?" His voice was ice, biting and cold. "Tell me. Did that so-called Count guy lay a hand on you or not?"

"Alan! Get the hell off me, don't touch me!" Jessica couldn't move her arms, so she kicked at him with all her strength.

The man pressed her legs down with his own, trapping her beneath him as he yanked at her clothes, a mocking smile playing on his lips. "I've seen this body countless times since we were kids. What's one more time? Don't let any other guy touch you. Got it?" His voice dropped, icy cold.

Jessica was stunned. He had completely lost it. He was still hung up on his ex, hooking up with her cousin, and now he wanted her to stay chaste for him? Seriously?

"Alan, I must've been completely clueless back then to fall for a jerk like you!" she shouted through gritted teeth, struggling to free herself. There was no way she'd let him do this.

That clearly pushed his buttons. He lowered his head and bit down hard on her lips like a punishment, rough and angry-like he really wanted to tear her apart.

Her mouth filled with that sharp taste of blood. He was dead serious-he looked like he was ready to devour her whole. So that's how much he hated her now? Fine. With all her rage, she bit him back-harder.

"Jessica, ah-!"

The bedroom door suddenly burst open and a woman's gasp followed. Jessica didn't need to look to know-Chloe had just walked in.

Chloe froze at the sight: two tangled figures on the bed, Jessica's clothes torn and disheveled, Alan still latched onto her lips. Her expression turned hard as ice, unable to process what she saw, and she practically bolted down the stairs.

Chloe's voice snapped Alan back to his senses. His grip relaxed for a second.

Jessica didn't hesitate. Like a cornered animal, she lashed out with a fierce kick to his stomach, yanked her arms free, shoved him off, and scrambled onto the floor, hugging herself tightly. That self-defense training finally came in handy. If he tried that crap again, she'd kick him into next week.

Her clothes were a mess and barely holding together, so she ran to the closet and dug through it. Most of the clothes were from when she was a kid-useless. Eventually, she found an old V-neck nightdress and slipped it on.

Alan was still stunned, doubled over, clutching his stomach. He stared at her-it hit him just how much she'd changed. The sweet, obedient girl he once knew was gone. She might still look a little like that sly little fox when annoyed, but when she was mad? She was a whole different person. Not his little doll anymore.

Then came the knock at the front door-Paul's voice.

"Jessica, are you okay?"

Alan immediately stopped her from going to the door. "Put that on! And don't even think about Paul! You're not worthy." He yanked off his suit jacket and shoved it onto her.

Her body had filled out over the years, and that thin nightdress hugged every curve. Just the thought of Paul seeing her like this made Alan's head explode. He didn't even want to imagine it.