Carol turned her head toward the laid-back man beside her, face calm. "Nope, nothing on my mind."

Edward's smirk deepened a little, voice casual but clearly poking, "Come on, Carol. Don't lie to me. What were you whispering to my brother just now? Something shady? Too secret for me to hear?"

Carol's tone stayed chilly. "You're overthinking."

Edward chuckled meaningfully. "Am I though? Or are you just trying to throw me off?"

His eyes locked onto hers, making her heart skip a beat. To hide her nerves, she shifted the topic and handed him the file she'd prepped. "The acquisition plan for Moran's Serenor Group is done. HQ finished the risk assessment and asset valuation. Waiting on your review and signature."

In the Dawson family, she was Edward's step-sister on paper. At the company, she was his top assistant.

Not that Edward ever acknowledged her as his sister. Just calling him like that once had set him off. And he clearly didn't see her as an assistant worth his time either.

Carol started explaining calmly. "PR over on the Moran side hasn't dared to take it on. Though West City's going well, Mr. Moran still won't budge, so if you want more market share..."

Edward cut her off, clearly annoyed. "I've said it enough times. Before they recover, stir things up deeper."

Carol knew his temper well and nodded. "Got it, I'll pass the word."

She thought that would be the end of it, but Edward suddenly asked, with that casual tone, "Heard my big brother's getting all cozy with the Moran family. That true?"

He didn't even lift his eyes, just idly fidgeted with the prayer beads on his wrist.

The air felt heavy for a second.

Carol's heart thudded, but she kept her expression still. "I've heard something."

Edward gave a sharp little smile, like a blade's edge. "Then why didn't you tell me?"

As she paused, unsure what to say, Edward leaned in close, that dangerously handsome face just inches from hers. "What? Still got a soft spot for him? Gonna team up and take me down together?"

Her hand tightened on the steering wheel, palms sweaty. "That's not it."

Edward caught her hand, his fingertip trailing across her clammy palm. "Sweaty and sticky. Still wanna say you're clean?"

She yanked her hand away. Edward casually pulled out his phone. "That guy who sold my intel last time-send him somewhere remote. I don't want to see his face again."

Carol froze inside, fingers clenched till they turned white. She knew damn well he was warning her.

With one arm resting on the car door, Edward let the chilly wind blow in through the crack, eyes flicking toward the traffic light. "Turn left up ahead."

"What?" Carol blinked, puzzled. Just had to ask, "Aren't we supposed to go right to the company?"

Edward lit a cigarette, taking a drag and exhaling a stream of smoke. "Not going to the office. We're heading back to No.1 Residence."

Carol's brows pinched slightly, mood turning impatient. "Didn't you just say you had stuff to handle at the company?"

The glowing tip of the cigarette dimmed to ash. Edward's gaze drifted, unreadable. "What, you think I'd be able to leave if I didn't say that?"

Carol paused slightly. "Then why lie?"

Edward gave a smug little grin, lips curling in that cocky way of his. "Because I wanted to."

Outside, a layer of fog had crept across the windshield, cool air sliding along the glass, blurring the view-isolating the tense atmosphere inside the car from the rest of the world.

Neither of them said anything for a good while, each stewing in their own silence.

Finally, Edward broke it. "Don't you wanna ask who Grandpa picked out as my fiancée?"

Carol's answer came out plain and honest: "I don't want to."

That attitude got to Edward. His lips thinned, clearly annoyed. When he saw she really didn't care to know more, he tossed a glance out the window, shifting the subject. "I've signed off on the acquisition. Tomorrow, you'll meet with the M&A team and talk first round with the Morans."

She gave no response. With work, Carol had always just followed orders.

Only thing was, this deal? Not exactly simple...

As she zoned out for a sec, Edward suddenly leaned toward her. His breath cool as it brushed her ear. "There's a convenience store up ahead. Pull over."

Once the car stopped, he cocked his chin at her. "Grab a few boxes of condoms. Actually, get more than a few. We ran out of the stash last time. This stuff's better stocked up."

Carol, already wound up by the night, snapped a little. "I'm not going. You want 'em, go get 'em yourself."

Edward just grinned, shameless as ever. "If you don't go, then I'm not wearing one tonight."

She winced. Pills were harsh on the body, and if she ended up pregnant? That'd blow everything up.

Thankfully, Edward always handled that part himself. Never made her take the pill.

Carol swallowed her irritation. Unclipping her seatbelt, she swung the door open and trudged to the store.

Minutes later, she stood by the shelves, pointing. "These-I'll take all of them. Please bag them."

Behind the counter, the cashier gawked, whispering to another worker.

Carol ignored it all. Paid up, then dumped two full bags of condoms into the back seat.

Edward gave a low laugh, eyes twinkling. "What is this, wholesale supply?"

She started the car without looking at him. "You said we should stock up, didn't you?"

"Carol, are you trying to test my stamina now?"

He called her "Carol" in that low, teasing way that curled right into your spine. He almost never used that tone-except when they were tangled up in bed, when his voice would murmur against her ear again and again.

"Guess I'll just have to step up."

She frowned slightly, not hiding the frustration. "Didn't we already do it once tonight?"

Tomorrow's talk with the Moran family wouldn't be easy - they were always vague as hell. It was going to take every bit of her focus. She needed rest.

But Edward? He never took her schedule seriously.

He gave her a sideways glance, smirk curving up. His sharp features dipped into shadow. "Once and that's it? Come on, what kind of guy do you think I am? Some one-and-done loser?"

Carol just shot him a look and stayed quiet. Arguing over stuff like this? Total waste of breath.

Back at the riverside house, they'd barely stepped inside before Edward was all over her.

He pressed up from behind like a wall, flooding her neck and cheek with kisses. His hand slid beneath her dress.

Men's hands really did come GPS-equipped. Whatever they wanted to find, they found it.

Carol braced against the wall, grabbing his wrist to stop him. "Shower first."

Too far in to stop now, Edward's breath was heavy, voice coaxing. "Let's finish first-then we shower."

Then came that faint "click"-the sound of his belt buckle unfastening.

In the quiet room, it was electric. As if just that sound could light a match.

Carol gave in with a sigh. "Just once, okay? I've got that meeting first thing."

He paused. The air froze for a beat. Then Edward suddenly stepped away from her, nudging her forward. "Go get cleaned up."

Carol blinked, caught off guard by the sudden shift. Still, she headed to the bathroom.

When she came out, Edward-once full of energy-was already dead asleep on the bed.She let out a quiet breath and silently lay beside him.

Sometimes, even she didn't know-did she fall for the young, energetic Edward, or the careless playboy he was now?

Same face, same person... but somehow, he felt like a stranger.

The words from earlier kept echoing in her mind-he's getting married...

She barely got any real sleep through the night, tossing and turning in restless bits.

After washing up in the morning, Edward noticed the dark circles under her eyes. "Rough night?"

Carol paused mid-motion while picking out a tie for him. Was that concern in his voice?

But before she could think further, his next line dragged her back to reality: "How are you supposed to negotiate a deal looking like that? Don't embarrass me. If you can't pull yourself together, just stay home."

"I'll cover it up with some concealer."

She reached out and tied a Windsor knot in record time-neat and tight.

Edward looked down at her and smirked, "How about we play with the tie next time?"

She looked up and caught that mischievous smile. For a second, she couldn't help but think-Maybe when Timothy named him Edward, he pictured a future general - commanding armies, conquering nations.

Well, Edward got the bold part right... just not the battlefield.

Since Edward was being picked up by Nathaniel Carter, the executive assistant, Carol headed to work first.

She wore a tight, purple split pencil skirt paired with sky-high 8cm heels. Didn't slow her down a bit-she was striding briskly like she owned the place.

Passing coworkers greeted her along the way; she returned each nod with poise, exuding the confidence of a seasoned woman.

"Carol!"

She turned at the sound and saw a woman approaching, taking off her sunglasses.

"Miss Cheryl, what can I do for you?"

The one in front of her was one of Edward's many flings-but among them all, she had stayed around the longest.

Honestly, if Edward hadn't dumped her in the end, Carol might've believed he actually liked Cheryl back.

"I want to see Mr. Dawson."

"Miss Cheryl, I think I made it plenty clear last time-there's nothing between you and Mr. Dawson anymore. So no, you're not seeing him. Please stop clinging."

"You're just an assistant. What gives you the right to interfere in matters between me and Edward. I'm being nice just asking you to take me to him!"

Cheryl's foundation was so thick that the frustration was practically caked on her face.

Carol wasn't in the mood for drama. She called out, "Security-"

Before she could finish, a loud smack cut her off. A stinging pain spread across her cheek.

"I told you not to call security!"

Carol stared at Cheryl's smug look for one beat-then slapped her right back.

She didn't hold back. Her hits were trained and tough, not something a regular woman could shake off.

Cheryl hit the ground, blood at the corner of her mouth. "You-you actually dared to hit me?!"

Carol shot her a cold glance and turned to leave, when someone suddenly shouted, "Mr. Dawson is here!"

Everyone turned to look in sync-and sure enough, that tall figure stepped into view.

Seeing it was actually Edward, Cheryl scrambled up and ran to him, tearing up in dramatic fashion. "Edward, I just wanted to see you, but... but she hit me!"

Edward glanced over at Carol and the faint red mark on her face. "You hit her?"

Carol's voice was calm and clear. "I did."

Cheryl's voice turned shrill with sobs. "Edward, you've got to stand up for me!"

Edward's gaze never left Carol, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Of course."

With that, he walked toward her.

Cheryl looked smug, while everyone else sensed the icy vibe he was giving off-Carol was in trouble, no doubt.

But she stayed cool, unfazed, as he stopped in front of her.

And then... he lifted his hand.

The next second, Edward flicked Carol on the forehead with his fingers - not too hard, but definitely more than a mosquito bite.

The warm sting took her by surprise, while Cheryl instantly panicked, "Mr. Dawson!"

"Handle it quickly," Edward tossed the words behind him as he turned to leave.

Carol gave a glance, and the security guards immediately dragged Cheryl away.

On the 66th floor, Carol was about to head over to the Mergers & Acquisitions department to speak with Michael Peyton about the deal. To her surprise, Michael beat her to it, already waiting with files in hand.

"Director Peyton? What's this about?"

"Mr. Dawson said he wants to sit in-told us to use his office."

Edward didn't inform her. Carol had no idea what he was up to, but went along without complaint.

Once in the president's office, Edward really just sat there, not interfering at all. "You two, go on."

Carol had retouched her makeup earlier, so the red mark on her forehead was barely visible.

She wore a slit dress today, her figure more than enough to catch Edward's eye. His gaze lingered for half a second before he crossed his legs and looked away like nothing happened.

Michael, of course, didn't notice any of that, focused solely on the papers. "Ms. Bright, I went through your revised acquisition proposal. Regarding payment, we had agreed on 40% in cash and 60% through a stock issue. Cutting the stock entirely... don't you think that's too aggressive? Acquiring Serenor in full cash might strain the group's funds. It's safer to go with stock issuance."

Carol parted her lips slightly. "It's just Serenor. Director Peyton, are you being overly cautious?"

"Ms. Bright, I think..."

"I'm not interested in what you think. What I think is what matters."

Carol had a reputation for being direct and assertive. Backed by her competence, no one dared to go against her.

As head of the investment department and one of Edward's trusted people, Michael usually had a voice. "Ms. Bright, I think you may not fully grasp the investment team's standpoint."

Everyone knew about Carol and Edward's ambiguous relationship, so Michael had to keep his tone in check. If it were someone else, he might've kicked them out already.

"Being this aggressive could backfire during the negotiations," he added more tactfully, barely holding back from saying he thought she should be replaced.

Carol easily read between the lines. She tapped her index finger on the table gently. "Director Peyton, have you even looked into Serenor's equity structure? They're tightly held, which makes a full cash acquisition ideal. Issuing stock won't necessarily shift control, but if someone sneaky exploits it, who's going to take the hit?"

"You're heading the investment team. Don't tell me you missed such a basic detail in an acquisition case?"

Her voice was calm, but the chill in her eyes was hard to ignore. The air tensed.

Michael stayed quiet, clearly shaken. He really had overlooked that.

Carol might come off tough, but she knew when to balance carrot and stick. She smiled and added, "I know you mean well, Director Peyton. At the end of the day, we're all just employees here. Why not let Mr. Dawson decide?"There was a flicker of appreciation in Edward's eyes, but his tone stayed laidback. "Up to you guys."

Then he turned to Michael. "Who's the person in charge on the Moran side?"

"Initially it was me and their mergers director. But since you wanted Carol assisting me, they swapped people too. Looks like Mr. Moran himself is handling the first round."

Edward narrowed his eyes slightly, fingertip tracing the edge of his jaw as he glanced briefly at Carol. "Then let's see what you two can pull off."

...

After stepping out of Edward's office, Carol went to find her right-hand woman, Vivian Price.

She was still stewing about Cheryl smacking her that day. Sure, she hit back right away, but the anger hadn't really gone away. She wanted Cheryl to get a real taste of what the world was like.

Back when Cheryl was chasing after Edward, Carol had dug up some dirt on her-not enough to totally wipe her out of the modeling world, but definitely enough to cause trouble.

Carol handed the info to Vivian, who immediately took the lead. "Don't worry, Carol! I'll make sure it's handled beautifully."

With a faint smile, Carol decided to move ahead. Once things with Cheryl were set in motion, it was nearly time for her meeting with Michael and Mr. Moran.

She called Michael, but he shot back a message: [Mr. Dawson says they're holding off today. He's rethinking the lineup.]

Wait, didn't he just say she was in charge? What now?

Edward's thoughts really were impossible to get a handle on...

Vivian worked fast. The very next morning, while Carol and Edward were having breakfast, the TV chirped on showing a scandal about Cheryl.

"-According to reports, rising model Cheryl has exited the industry due to poor professionalism and lack of skill. Her brand endorsement contracts involve high compensation penalties..."

Cheryl's face appeared on the big screen. In just one day, she'd gone from high-flying to rock-bottom-completely devastated.

Carol paused mid-spoonful of oatmeal. Weird. The info she gave Vivian was enough to rattle Cheryl a bit, not kick her out of the industry entirely.

And those words-"unprofessional and incompetent"? That kind of label was career-ending. Someone big had clearly moved behind the scenes...

She glanced at Edward, subtly trying to read him. But before she could ask, he beat her to it. "Was that your doing?"

He didn't even look up. And just like that, Carol felt a bit foolish. Right, what made her think it was actually him?

She kept her voice low. "It wasn't me."

Edward's eyes flicked up, skeptical. She misread the look, thinking he was upset for Cheryl. "If you're trying to protect her..."

"Don't talk while eating."

Carol: "..."

At that moment, Nathaniel walked in. As Edward's chief aide, he was well aware of how things stood between Edward and Carol.

"Mr. Dawson, the old gentleman wants to see you."

Hearing that, Carol got up to gather her things. Normally, when Edward headed to the family home, she'd go too.

But Nathaniel quietly added, "Miss Bright, the old gentleman asked to see only him."

Carol raised an eyebrow, glancing at Edward's calm face-

So, something hush-hush was brewing. She wasn't in the loop.