"Alana! What are you doing here?" Katherine asked, her shock and surprise on seeing Alana evident in her voice.

Words seemed to have left Alana's mouth, as she stared at Katherine then Roman then back to Katherine again, dumbfounded.

What on earth could her Mother's best friend; Katherine Haze, be doing here of all places. What was she even suppose to reply her.

Thoughts upon thoughts ran through Alana's mind at once and all she could do was blink at the woman who stood by the door waiting for her answer.

Alana was too overwhelmed by the situation that she did not realize how revealing her night gown was.

Katherine eyed Alana from head to toe, her surprise face turning to an annoyed and irritated frown.

"What is she doing here, in your room?" Katherine asked, turning to Roman for an answer.

"Wait outside," Roman said to Katherine, his voice calm and his face showing no emotion.

"Roman..."

"Wait for me outside Katherine," Roman repeated, cutting Katherine off.

He did not even spare her a glance as he spoke. His eyes were focused on Alana all this time, and this only incensed Katherine. She threw a hard stare at Alana before leaving the room and slamming the door close.

Roman leaned casually against the wall by the door. His jaw worked for a moment as his eyes caressed Alana's form.

"Are you trying to seduce me? It's a bit premature to start deviating from the contract, don't you think?" he said, his voice cool, with a hint of amusement dancing in his tone.

Alana stared at him, confusion in her eyes.

'What is he talking about?' she thought to herself, as she stared at Roman.

Roman's eyes moved down to her chest. "The contract explicitly says that you are not allowed to seduce me. You must remember that part since you read it only yesterday, right?" Roman asked, his eyes lingering on both her breast, before he met her eyes again.

When Alana still gave him the weird stare, Roman sighed, wondering how dense she could possibly be.

"You do realize that you are half naked, right?" Roman asked.

That was when Alana took a look at herself, only to see that her entire body was exposed in the light, see through night gown she was putting on. Her perky breasts were fully on display and every other other part of her.

She gasped in panic and quickly grabbed the duvet, using it to cover herself in a flash speed. Her face instantly turned red in embarrasment.

The only thing that stopped her from fainting was the fact that she was putting on a panties underneath.

She could only imagine the thoughts that were running through Katherine mind right now after seeing her like this.

What in heavens name was she thinking when she put on this night gown last night. She must have lost her mind yesterday, because she never sleeps with things like this.

The only reason she bought this piece was because of her friend's persuasion, ex friend rather since they were no longer friends

Roman smirked, finding amusement in her expression.

"You are very comical Alana." Roman stood straight and opened the door. "We are not done here," He said with a serious voice before leaving the room.

Alana finally raised up her head to look at his back as he left. A frown settling between her brows. She couldn't help herself from thinking about what business he might have with Katherine.

The both of them had been in a compromising position when they walked in and with the way Katherine reacted at seeing her here, it was obvious that she was jealous.

Alana cleared those thoughts from her mind and instead decided to freshen up a bit.

The memory of Roman seeing her half naked body flashed through her mind, the tips of her ears instantly turning red with embarrassment, as she facepalmed herself.

"Ha you stupid dummy!" She scolded herself as she made her way to the bathroom.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Katherine continued to tap her feet angeryily as she waited for Roman, her patience growing thin by the second.

When Roman finally entered the kitchen, Katherine rushed towards him.

"What is that girl doing in your bedroom, Roman?" Katherine questioned with impatience in her voice.

Roman had a bored look on his face as he stared at Katherine's angry face. He simply brushed past her and walked to the fridge. He grabbed an orange juice pack and poured the liquid into a glass.

He gave the glass to Katherine, who took it in a haste and sipped from it, almost chocking.

"You seemed to know miss Gates quite well," Roman stated, casually.

"She's my friend's daughter," Katherine replied, as she set the glass down on the counter.

She leaned closer to Roman with a calculative look. "What is she doing in your personal bedroom. Are you f*cking her too?"

Roman leaned even closer to Katherine that their lips were just inches apart. He slowly ran his fingers on her chick causing her to shut her eyes.

"I thought you would have understood by now that matters like this are none of your business, Katherine," Roman said and pulled away from her.

Katherine's eyes snapped open immediately. She seemed taken aback for a moment by Roman change in demeanor, before she regained her composure.

"What do you mean by that?" Katherine asked.

"Who I f*ck or allow inside my bedroom is none of your concern. Don't tell me that you have suddenly forgotten that?" Roman asked with a hard expression.

"I just thought that I had a right to know, because-"

"I am ending our contract." Roman said, cutting her off.

Katherine eyes widened in both horror and shock "B-But why?" She asked, stuttering due to her shock.

Everything was happening so fast, that she had no time to fully take in the situation.

"Because I've simply grown bored of you, and you've started to become obsessed with me which I find disgusting," Roman replied bluntly.

The cold intensity in his voice could easily slice through ice, but Roman couldn't care less if he was breaking Katherine heart at that moment.

After all, what they shared was mere business and pleasure and nothing more. She was expected to know more than anyone what a heartless man he was when it came to romance.

After a moment of silence, Katherine finally found her voice to speak. She looked at Roman with tears glittering in her eyes.

"I don't accept it. You won't end it, not after everything," Katherine said, with pain in her voice.

Roman only stood still, staring at her, with no emotion in his eyes.

Erin stepped into the kitchen and Roman's attention moved to him.

"Take miss Haze home. She is not feeling too well," Roman instructed Erin and left without sparing Katherine so much as a last glance.

...

Alana hurriedly tied her hair up in a rough bun after putting on her clothes. She sat down on the bed with a blank expression. She couldn't risk taking a shower because she was certain that Roman could walk in at any minute and who knew what he would do.

Even though he looked calm and all, she could not ignore the fact that the man was mad in some way.

And his unreasonable mood swings were another problem entirely.

Just as those thoughts were running through her mind, the door opened and Roman entered. His gaze settled on her as he took off his suit. His stoic face made it impossible for Alana to even guess what was on his mind.

"What are you doing on my bed?" Roman asked as he undid the buttons of his shirt.

Alana quickly averted her eyes from him.

"Um I'm sitting," she replied, her eyes wandering elsewhere which only irked Roman as his face instantly darkened.

"Alana," Roman called softly.

"Mmm," Alana answered but still didn't glance at him.

Seeing his nude torso was the last thing she wanted to happen not after he saw her... She blushed in embarrassment when she recalled that incident.

"Look at me," Roman ordered in calm yet hard voice, compelling Alana to reluctantly stare at him.

Only the first few buttons of his shirt were undone, but it was just enough to show a glimpse his tone chest. Alana's eyes only wandered around his chest for a slit second before her eyes instantly pinned on his cold, hard face as she dared not look downwards again like it would burn her if she did.

"Don't ever take your eyes off me when I'm speaking to you," Roman said, more like warned and Alana nodded immediately the words left his mouth.

Roman glanced at his bed, where she was sitting, and a frown creased his face. He shut his eyes and ran his hand through his black hair, a sigh escaping his lips.

"Get out," Roman ordered Alana, his eyes still shut.

Without wasting a second, Alana stood up and hurried out of the room.

Once she was gone, Roman quickly stripped off his clothes and entered the bathroom. He paused in front of the mirror, where something on the floor caught his attention. Seeing what it was, his expression instantly darkened.

After leaving Roman's room, Alana went straight to the kitchen to make breakfast for herself.

She poured cereal into a bowl and added milk to the bowl. Making herself comfortably on a stool, she began eating.

A minute later, Erin entered, tapping on his phone.

From his attire, Alana could tell that he had just returned from a morning run.

With her head no longer clouded with various thoughts, she could now discern the man's distinctive features. His jet-black hair perfectly complemented his brown eyes. He had a lean build yet was still toned.

He was also quite tall, though not as tall as Roman, who stood at about 6'6 ft, if her estimate was correct.

She refocused on her plate when she noticed him approaching her, not wanting to seem like she was gawking at him.

"Good morning, Miss Gates," he greeted.

Alana raised her head to meet his gaze before nodding in response, as her mouth was filled with cereal.

"Would you like me to prepare a proper breakfast for you?" Erin offered, but Alana simply shook her head.

"Thanks, but it's fine," she replied politely.

Eren nodded and was about to leave when Alana stopped him.

"Is it possible for me to have my own room?" Alana asked.

"I don't think I'm in a position to answer that question. You will have to discuss that with Roman," Erin replied.

Alana simply nodded and resumed eating. The expression on her face revealed her lack of enthusiasm for talking with Roman.

Not wanting to interfere, Erin left without saying anything. He assumed that she and Roman might have had an argument or something. He had returned to discuss something with Roman, but it seemed that would have to wait.

As Roman's assistant and friend, Erin was always informed about everything that went on in Roman's personal and business life. What he just couldn't understand was why Roman hadn't told him about his relationship with this girl. He had only been gone for three days, so when and how had this relationship even started? Was it not only a few days ago that there had been a misunderstanding that escalated into an incident with her?

Erin's eyes narrowed as he went up the stairs to the second floor, he felt like he was missing something.

After finishing her meal, Alana went directly to Roman's bedroom to talk to him. She was completely convinced that there was no way they could share a room. Once again, she was reminded that morning of his unpredictable nature.

Upon reaching the door, she paused for a moment, gathering her thoughts before raising her hand to knock. Just then, the door swung open suddenly, leaving her hand suspended in mid-air.

Roman wore a look of surprise when he saw her standing there.

"Have you been standing here the whole time?" he asked.

"No, of course not," Alana quickly replied, lowering her suspended hand to her side.

Roman's gaze lingered on her for a moment longer before he brushed past her. Alana hurriedly followed him.

"I wanted to talk to you about something important," she said, trailing behind him.

Roman glanced back at her over his shoulder.

"What is it?"

"It's about the bedroom. I can't-"

"Have you had breakfast yet?" Roman interrupted, cutting off Alana's words.

Alana fell silent, dumbfounded by the sudden question. Hadn't he just treated her coldly for no valid reason a moment ago?

"I'm sure you heard me, right?" Roman inquired when she didn't respond.

"Um, yes," Alana replied.

"What did you eat?"

Alana stared at his back with a blank expression, puzzled by his abrupt change of focus.

"Cereal," she replied simply.

"That doesn't really count as a meal, Alana. I'll make you some pancakes."

Alana shook her head. "I don't really like pancakes," she lied, despite loving them.

"What about bacon?" Roman inquired as they entered the kitchen.

"I do like bacon, but as I mentioned earlier, I've already had breakfast," Alana replied.

"And as I also mentioned earlier, that doesn't count," Roman retorted, gathering the ingredients he needed. "You're not six, Alana. Cereal isn't a sufficient breakfast. Besides, I need you to gain some weight; you're too thin as you are."

A frown creased Alana's face.

"I'm not thin," she shot back.

"Right," Roman said simply as he heated up the pan.

Alana raised her wrist and examined it before holding it and gently stroking it. Perhaps she was a little skinny after all, but she had always considered herself to be slender.

Her gaze lingered on Roman's back as he worked. She didn't think he had any plans to go out, given his casual attire.

She took a seat on a stool and propped her right elbow on the kitchen counter, resting her chin on her palm.

Her thoughts shifted to her stepsister. Alana was certain that the spoiled brat would be terribly bored now that she wasn't around for her to torment anymore.

As for her stepfather, she had heard that he was in New York. The very thought of him made her stomach churn with disgust.

Lost in her thoughts, Alana didn't notice when Roman placed a plate of bacon in front of her.

"What are you thinking about?" Roman's voice snapped her out of her reverie, and she turned toward him, her gaze settling on the plate before her.

"Nothing," she replied in a low voice, picking up a piece of bacon and biting into it.

Roman observed her as she ate in silence.

"You were talking to me about something concerning the bedroom, right?" he finally said after a while.

Alana nodded, chewing on the bacon. "Can I have my own room, please?"

"No," Roman replied promptly as soon as the words escaped her lips.

"Why?" Alana inquired.

"The only guest room is being used by my assistant from time to time, so there are no rooms available at the moment," Roman explained, and Alana nodded in understanding.

"Why do you want a separate room?" Roman asked. "Is the current room unsuitable for you?"

"It's not that. I don't think it's appropriate to share a room with you. Besides, our relationship is merely a facade," Alana expressed her concern.

Just then, Erin entered the kitchen.

"That is precisely why we should be sleeping together," Roman insisted.

Alana coughed, almost choking on her drink when those words escaped his lips. She glanced at Erin, who seemed busy rummaging through the fridge, but she was certain he had heard what Roman just said.

She shot a small glare at Roman, who wore an expression of indifference.

"I'm sure you agree that it is essential in every relationship," Roman said as he poured some milk for himself.

"Yes," Alana replied quickly, hoping to silence him.

However, as soon as she realized what her answer implied, she immediately corrected herself.

"No!"

Roman raised an eyebrow at her, his expression as serious as ever, even though he was only teasing.

Alana immediately stood up, her face red with embarrassment. "I'm full. Thank you for making me breakfast, Mr. Ashford," she said, and left without another word, as if she were being chased from the kitchen.

Roman smirked wickedly as he watched her scurry away like a frightened kitten. His smirk quickly dissipated when he felt a pair of questioning eyes on him.

"What?" He glanced at Erin, who had just taken Alana's former seat after clearing her plate.

"Nothing," Erin replied with a shrug, picking up the plate of pancakes that had been in front of Roman and beginning to eat.

Sitting opposite Erin, Roman rested both elbows on the counter. He didn't mind that Erin had taken the food he had prepared for himself; he had no intention of eating that morning, as he simply didn't have the appetite.

"You clearly have something on your mind, so go ahead and say it," Roman prompted, looking at Erin intently.

"Why didn't you tell me about her before yesterday?" Erin asked. It had come as a shock to him when Roman instructed him to pick up the young woman the previous evening.

Initially, he had been expecting to meet someone in their twenties, but this girl looked like she was under twenty.

"Our relationship is simply an arrangement, and it only started yesterday," Roman replied.

Erin paused eating. He could already grasp the situation without needing further details from Roman.

"Does Ryan know about your arrangements with her?" Erin inquired, looking at Roman with a curious expression.

"No, Not yet," Roman replied.

"You should have informed him about your intentions before finalizing the contract with her," Erin remarked, shaking his head. "Ryan will be furious when he discovers this."

"Likely," Roman replied, resting his forehead on his palm, his gaze fixed on the countertop as if he were seeking answers from it.

Erin's phone buzzed in his pocket, prompting him to reach into his pocket to retrieve the ringing phone.

His expression subtly shifted upon seeing who the caller was. He glanced at Roman, who remained in the same position, before excusing himself to answer the call.

Upon his return, Erin wore a slight frown between his brows.

Roman raised his head to look at him.

"Who was it?" he inquired, noticing the expression on Erin's face.

"It's your grandfather," Erin replied.

Roman frowned.

"What does he want?"

"He arranged a family dinner for Friday, and he wants you there," Erin informed Roman.

"Ask him to reschedule the dinner. I have a meeting in Japan on Friday," Roman replied firmly.

"You'll need to reschedule that meeting," Erin insisted, his expression serious.

Roman shot him a sharp look.

"And why should I do that for a pointless dinner with the old man and his group of insatiable fools?" Roman questioned.

Erin sighed.

"Because if you miss it, he's going to arrange a marriage for you by the end of the week," he retorted.

"Does he really think a threat like that would unsettle me," Roman scoffed, a tinge of mockery in his tone.

"It should faze you," Erin stated with utmost seriousness.

"Remember, there's a marriage certificate with your signature on it," Eren reminded him.

Roman scoffed contemptuously.

"He wouldn't dare."

The chill in his voice was enough to send shivers down anyone's spine.

The marriage certificate was a component of the agreement he had struck with Mr Beaufort when he initially assumed control of the business.

It was ironic how something he had deemed insignificant back then could now be wielded against him.

"I believe it's a good chance to introduce Alana to him. It wouldn't hurt to spend a few hours with him and the rest of the family," Erin suggested, attempting to make him see the logic in it.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Roman eventually relented and agreed.

"Fine, Postponed my trip to Japan." He sighed. "This better be worth my time."

....

With her eyes fixed on her phone screen and her hand running through her slightly damp hair, Alana settled comfortably on the large couch.

Her gaze was locked on a specific photo of Roman that she had just come across on the web.

Driven by curiosity to learn more about Roman, she had decided to search for information about him on the internet.

To her surprise, she discovered that Roman was the current heir of the Beaufort empire.

Her family and the Beauforts had been friends for as long as she could remember.

She recalled her father mentioning that her grandfather and the founder of Beaufort, Mr. Beaufort, were best friends even before they both started their companies, which had now grown into billion-dollar empires.

From what she knew, Mr. Beaufort had only one son who was at least in his late forties.

So the question lingered in her mind: why was Roman the one in charge of running the family business instead of Mr. Beaufort's son?

And why isn't he answering the family name?

After trying to investigate for a bit, Alana decided to just give it up. The only thing she could find was that Roman was the of one of Mr Beauforts' distance relative.

It was all a mystery to Alana including how he took control of business at just the age of nineteen.

There were a few speculation online as to why Mr Beaufort did not entrust his only son, or any of his other two daughters with the family business.

But most of them were only speculation and nothing more, with any worthy facts, to back up the theory.

Alana rubbed her tired eyes as she scrolled through photos of Roman.

She paused on a particular photo of him, where he was dressed in a dark navy tuxedo with his perfectly groomed hair brushed back.

His appearance was so breathtakingly handsome that Alana couldn't help but linger on the photo.

Yawning softly, a tired tear slipped from her eye down her cheek, which she quickly wiped away.

She settled down comfortably, continuing to gaze at the photo with her weary eyes.

If only he had a nice personality, she was sure she would have fallen hard for him with those looks. But Roman was a psycho, from Alana's perspective and she hated arrogant men to her core.

Her eyelids fluttered slowly, and as fatigue overcame her, her phone slipped from her grasp until her eyes closed, succumbing to sleep.

The door opened, and Roman entered the room. His eyes scanned the bed and then the closed bathroom door before settling on Alana, fast asleep on the couch.

Approaching her, he observed her peaceful slumber, his gaze lingering on her pale face and slightly pink parted lips, then moving to her chest as it rose and fell with each breath.

His eyes involuntarily traveled down to her exposed white thighs, and he frowned, quickly averting his gaze.

He stepped away from her and exited the room. Shortly after, he returned with a blanket and approached the couch where Alana lay sleeping.

With gentle hands, he covered her with the blanket, his expression still retaining its firmness.

A knock sounded on the door, and Roman instructed the person to enter. A young woman dressed in a maid's uniform promptly entered the room.

"Good morning, Mr. Ashford," the woman greeted with a slight bow of respect.

Roman simply stared at her with a stoic expression, without reactioning to her greeting. He walked past her without a word, only stopping when he reached the door.

"Clean as quietly as possible. I don't want her waking up," he instructed sternly.

"Yes, sir," the woman nodded in response, and Roman left the room.

As soon as he was gone, the woman's gaze fixed on Alana's sleeping form.

Her eyes narrowed, a frown creasing her forehead.

One could easily discern the mix of rage and curiosity in the woman's intense gaze as she watched Alana.

....

Stirring slightly, Alana's eyes opened slowly.

As she sat up from the couch she had been lying on, she stretched and yawned softly.

Her gaze fell on the blanket draped over her with a puzzled expression.

She couldn't remember using a blanket, so how did it end up here?

Turning to her side, she noticed Roman sitting beside the bed, his gaze fixed intently on her, his hands resting on his thighs, his back slightly arched, and his fingers intertwined.

The sight of him instantly dispelled any lingering drowsiness in Alana's eyes.

She glanced at herself only to see that the bottom part of her gown had shifted upward, revealing her bare thighs. She immediately stood up, adjusted her dress properly, and then sat back down.

Alana did not need to glance at Roman again to know that he was still staring at her. It was impossible not to feel his hot gaze, considering how intense it was.

A suffocating silence filled the room as neither of them spoke for some time.

Tired of the silence and the intense stare, Alana glared questioningly at Roman.

Roman rose from his seated position and began to approach Alana, his strides gentle and steady, like a lion approaching its prey.

Alana watched as he moved towards her, a hint of curiosity in her brown eyes.

As he reached her, he leaned forward, causing his back to bend. Placing both hands on either side of her on the couch, he locked her in place, his eyes meeting hers as she raised her head to meet his gaze.

The tension in the room seemed to increase as their gazes met, each trying to decipher the intentions behind the other's eyes.

"At first, I thought you were intentionally trying to seduce me," he said, his voice tinged with a mixture of amusement and danger as he studied her eyes, as if searching for some answer in them. "But it looks like you're just a careless, silly girl."

"Seduce?" Alana blinked, her eyes reflecting her confusion at his words.

Feeling slightly disoriented by his words and their proximity, she didn't notice when he reached for her phone before swiftly pulling his hand back.

He stood straight and shove his left hands into his pocket, as he began to tap on the phone.

Alana glanced at the phone in his hand before looking around the couch where she searched for her phone.

She shot a glare at Roman when she realized that the phone in his hand belonged to her. Feeling slightly irritated, she was about to ask for her phone back when Roman spoke.

"Were you pleasuring yourself while staring at my pictures?" Roman inquired, his gaze moving from the phone to her face.

Shocked by his unexpected question, Alana's eyes widened, a gasp almost escaping her lips.

"H-how can you ask such an inappropriate question?" Alana stuttered, finding it hard to believe that he had just asked her such a vulgar question without the slightest of shame like he was talking about something very normal.

Roman arched an eyebrow at her expression.

"We're both adults," he stated, emphasizing a simple fact. "There's no need for shyness, Alana. I've seen many women do it before, so you wouldn't be the first."

Alana struggled to find words to respond, and with each word he spoke, she wished more fervently that the ground would simply open up and swallow her whole.

"Now I understand why I found you in that state when I walked in... Did you enjoy your orga–"

"No!" Alana screamed, anticipating what he was about to say next.

Roman furrowed his brow.

"No what? Did you enjoy it or not?" he pressed.

Alana shook her head vigorously.

"I wasn't pleasuring myself... I would never do something like that, especially not with an image of you in my head." she protested innocently, as if staunchly defending herself from a grave accusation.