In the hospital, Rosie was casually scrolling through her phone when she showed Bowen a news article about an engagement. "Bowen, look," she said, biting her lower lip. Her gaze was a mix of innocence and tentativeness. "Do you think Leyla is really going to get engaged to Brice? They do look quite a match, don't they?"

Bowen glanced at the screen.

In the photo, I stood quietly beside Brice and looked almost annoyingly submissive.

Bowen's usually flirtatious eyes were full of disdain, though there was a subtle hint of unease in his expression.

He sneered, "He is a work-obsessed machine, and she is a dull puppet. How are they a match? She's just trying to annoy me. She'll be back to me within three days." Despite his confident words, he felt an inexplicable anxiety.

The feeling of losing control was unsettling.

He forced himself to stay calm and dialed Brice's number.

Meanwhile, in the master bedroom of the Cloud Mansion, the atmosphere was intimate.

Brice was leaning over me.

He glanced at his lit-up phone screen with mockery in his eyes.

He didn't hang up. Instead, he answered and put it on speaker.

Bowen's voice came through the speaker, as casual and nonchalant as ever. "Thanks for today, Brice. If you hadn't covered for me, Grandpa would have broken my legs. Don't worry about Leyla. Leave her be for a few days, and she'll come around."

My body became tense on hearing Bowen's words, and my eyelashes fluttered slightly.

My faint disappointment didn't escape Brice's notice.

His gaze darkened instantly.

Without a word, he propped himself up beside me, and his other hand slipped under my dress.

His palm was warm and slightly calloused, sending shivers wherever it touched.

I couldn't suppress a low moan.

Although it was low, it sounded intimate enough to stir Bowen's imagination in the quiet night.

The other end of the line fell silent instantly.

"Brice?" Bowen's voice changed, tinged with suspicion. "Is there a woman with you?"

Brice lowered his head and kissed me on the collarbone.

He placed a soft bite on me.

"Mm…" I couldn't hold back, and a breathy sound escaped my lips.

Bowen was in a panic. "Who is that woman?"

Brice still didn't respond.

His fingers moved slightly and made me squirm. Bowen heard my ragged breathing clearly over the phone.

He was thoroughly flustered and raised his voice sharply. "Brice, what are you doing? Say something!"

Brice let out a cold snort and hung up the call. Then he shut off his phone.

Back at the hospital, Bowen listened to the busy tone and became restless.

He jumped up and was ready to rush out. "I can't just sit here. I have to go back and check it."

But his sleeve was gently tugged.

Rosie's face was pale, and her eyes instantly turned red. She was like a fragile flower caught in a storm.

"Bowen, please don't leave…" She looked up, and tears glistened in her eyes. "I know I have no right to keep you here. I never dared to hope for a relationship with you, but I just wish to quietly stay by your side at a time like this. Is that okay?"

Bowen paused and looked at her pitiful appearance. His steps faltered, and he eventually stayed with her in the hospital.

At the Cloud Mansion, Brice looked at me, and his eyes were filled with a desire that was almost tangible.

But he stopped.

He withdrew his hand from under my dress and fixed my disheveled clothes.

"If you're unwilling, I won't force you." He got off the bed, grabbed a pillow, and headed for the door. "I'm going to the guest room."

At the door, he hesitated for a moment. "Leyla, I want you to be willing to be with me. I don't want to be a pawn in your revenge against Bowen."

The door closed.

I lay on the large bed, surrounded by Brice's scent, which oddly comforted me.

I had the most peaceful sleep I'd had in seven years that night.

The next morning, Bowen finally managed to pull himself away and returned to our downtown apartment.

As he opened the door, a sense of emptiness greeted him.

The slippers were neatly arranged, but the warm water he usually drank was not on the table.

In the walk-in closet, more than half of my section was empty.

An inexplicable pang hit Bowen's heart.

He took out his phone to call me.

It rang for a long time before it was answered, but it wasn't my voice on the other end. It was Brice's.

"What's up?" Brice's voice sounded lazy and hoarse, with a hint of a morning nasal tone.

Bowen was stunned instantly. "Brice, why are you..."

"She's still sleeping," Brice replied nonchalantly. "She was exhausted yesterday."

His words left Bowen utterly puzzled.

"What do you mean? She stayed over at your place? You and she..."

The call was abruptly ended.

Bowen was furious and almost smashed his phone.

He rushed to Cloud Manor angrily and burst into the dining room.

I had sent my clothes for cleaning, so I had to put on Brice's white shirt. Its oversized hem barely covered my thighs.

The exposed part of my calf was strikingly attractive.

I was sipping porridge slowly.

Brice sat beside me. He was peeling shrimp with his long fingers and placing them naturally into my bowl.

The sight pierced Bowen's heart.

He strode forward and grabbed my wrist tightly. He seemed to be trying to crush the bones.

"Leyla!" Bowen gritted his teeth. "Are you so desperate for a man that you'd even go after my brother?"

Even though I had decided to move on from Bowen, his humiliating words still pierced my heart.

He cheated on me first, but now he was righteously accusing me?

Thinking about how I had devoted myself to him for seven years, I felt it was like a joke.

Just as I was about to retort, Brice beat me to it.

He stood up and gripped Bowen's wrist with a slight force. "Let go."

His voice carried an undeniable authority.

Bowen winced in pain and had no choice but to release his grip on my wrist.

He was annoyed and asked, "Brice, what do you mean? Leyla is my fiancée!"

Brice took a wet wipe and carefully cleaned my hands. He didn't even spare a glance for Bowen. "You are at Cloud Mason. It's not a place for you to act wildly."

Bowen glared at Brice with a hint of doubt in his eyes.

Although Brice often cleaned up Bowen's messes, the latter didn't dare act too recklessly in front of the former, the eldest son of the family, who still commanded respect.

Watching Brice attentively clean my fingers without any further intimate gestures, Bowen felt a sense of relief.

Brice wouldn't be with me, Bowen's fiancée.

He felt it must be me throwing a tantrum over yesterday's engagement party fiasco. It was just my way to draw attention.

With this thought, Bowen said in a softened tone, "Alright, Leyla. I was wrong to leave you yesterday. But it is too much for you to team up with Brice to upset me. I'll let it slide this time. Come back with me, and stop embarrassing yourself here at Brice's place."

Bowen, in a patronizing tone, reached out to take my hand.

Just as I was about to evade, his phone rang.

It was Rosie again.

"Bowen, I fell and bled so much..." Her voice, with sobs, came through the receiver.

Bowen's expression changed instantly.

He looked at me and then at his phone.

In the end, Rosie won.

"Wait. I'm coming right away." He turned to leave before warning me. "Leyla, I'm running out of patience. You'd better know when to stop. Don't forget that your family is counting on the Green family to save them financially this time."

With that, he hurriedly left.

Watching his retreating figure, I suddenly found it amusing.

He still thought that it was just my way of trying to get his attention.

Brice offered the last peeled shrimp to me. A hint of amusement flashed in his eyes. "It seems that he still doesn't know what was going on. No worries. He'll figure it out soon enough."

The Green family's monthly gathering was an unbreakable tradition.

Brice intended to take me to the Green's old mansion.

I couldn't refuse him.

He not only invested a significant amount of money into the Yates Group but also leveraged his connections and resources to bring in several major clients for the struggling business of the Yates Group.

My father was so grateful to Brice that he practically flattered Brice.

In front of my parents, Brice said coldly, "The money and the business were given for Leyla's sake. If I hear even a whisper of you coercing her for your own benefit…"

His gaze swept over my parents' faces. "The Yates Group may have risen today, but I can make it vanish from the city overnight."

My mother's face turned pale with fear, and she repeatedly assured him that I was their most cherished and that they would never dare to hurt me again.

Just days ago, she had scolded me for being useless. But with Brice backing me now, I had suddenly become their most cherished.

How ironic it was!

Leaving the Yates home, Brice held my hand and didn't let go.

As the car pulled into the courtyard of the Greens' old mansion, I immediately noticed Bowen's flashy silver sports car.

The moment Brice and I stepped into the living room, the atmosphere was suffocatingly tense.

Brice's parents sat on the sofa and looked grim.

James, Brice's grandfather, sat at the head and leaned on his cane. His eyes were closed, and he gave no hint of his emotions.

To my surprise, Rosie was seated next to Bowen.

She wore a simple white dress and looked pitifully delicate.

Bowen was protectively beside Rosie and announced with excitement, "Rosie is pregnant." It's the eldest grandson of the Green family. I can't let the baby of the Green family stay homeless."

The last trace of sentiment in my heart was gone as soon as I heard those words.

It turned out that I could be in despair in an instant.

As I watched Bowen, who was now utterly devoted to Rosie, he felt like a stranger.

He was not the young man who had once danced with me and vowed to marry no one else.

James slowly opened his eyes and said in a commanding tone, "The Green family doesn't welcome just any woman."

Rosie trembled, and tears immediately fell. "Grandfather, I truly love Bowen…"

"Shut up!" James's cane struck the floor hard. "I only recognize the baby born to Leyla as one of the Green family. I refuse to acknowledge any other illegitimate children."

Bowen became anxious. "Grandfather, this is the modern age. How can you still be so stereotyped! Leyla and I were arranged to be engaged by the families. There's no love! Rosie and I truly love each other!"

Brice's father, Ivan Green, slammed the table and said, "You scoundrel! If Brice hadn't cleared up the mess for you, the Green family's reputation would have been utterly destroyed by you!"

Bowen was somewhat not convinced, but he dared not argue back with Ivan.

He turned to look at Brice and me. "Leyla, come over here." Bowen beckoned to me. He seemed to be summoning a pet. "You will be my wife and the mother of my baby. Rosie will need your care in the future, so don't make a fuss this time."

He really dared to imagine. How could he expect me to take care of his pregnant mistress?

Seeing that I wasn't moving, Bowen became impatient. "Leyla, don't be ungrateful. I've already given you the position of my wife. What more do you want?"

Rosie, seizing the moment, came over with teary eyes. She humbly lowered herself in front of me. "Ms. Yates, I won't fight you for the title. I just want to stay with Bowen. After my baby is born, you can be its mom. I truly love Bowen. Please take pity on me…"

With that, Rosie emotionally held my hand and looked so humble.

I shook her hand off in disgust. But she suddenly let out an exaggerated cry, stumbled backward dramatically, and fell to the floor heavily. "Ah! My belly… It hurts so much!"