Later, at Sterling Corporation, lunchtime.

Tiesto and Javi arrived at the cafeteria. Senior staff had a private dining room, but for Tiesto, meals were functional-just fuel for the day. He preferred the main cafeteria with ready-to-eat dishes, avoiding the wait for freshly prepared meals.

The moment he stepped in, chatter faded. Employees instinctively knew they couldn't act freely around him. He picked his food and sat in a corner. Only then did the room slowly return to murmurs.

Javi went to grab his own lunch. A young manager, Chris, waved him over.

"Hey, Javi, when did you start seeing someone?"

"What? Seeing someone? No-why?"

Chris smirked. "You were spotted yesterday getting coffee with a girl. People are talking. She's... really beautiful!"

Other coworkers leaned in. "Yeah! And her smile-it's amazing!"

"Only someone like you could manage a girl like that. We're jealous!"

Chris nudged him. "Seriously, when are we going to meet her? Did you meet her through friends, family, work?"

Javi felt his heart race. That same cold, piercing gaze he'd felt yesterday-Tiesto's-was on him again, sharp and silent, freezing him in place.

"Uh... she's just a friend," Javi said quickly, trying to sound casual. "We were just grabbing coffee. That's all."

Tiesto's footsteps paused as he walked by. Javi felt a sharp tug of anxiety in his chest-he'd underestimated how possessive Tiesto could be, even without saying a word.

Liam, oblivious, continued teasing. "Not your girlfriend? Fine. Just bring your friend next time, then!"

Javi exhaled slowly, relief washing over him.

Hearing Tiesto's footsteps approaching, groaned inwardly. Thinking fast, he said: "My 'friend' is married and has a good husband. How could she have time to come eat with you all? Stop joking-eat, eat."

The group looked disappointed.

Javi turned and saw Tiesto quietly taking his food.

"Mr. Sterling!"

No one dared tease in front of Tiesto, and everyone returned to their seats, picking at their meals.

Tiesto said in a low voice: "There's progress on the business department's projects. This month, everyone works a bit harder and pushes deadlines."

Translation: everyone had to work overtime.

Chris and Liam, from the business department, immediately stopped smiling. The food in their hands lost all appeal.

Javi silently lit a mental candle for them.

...

That afternoon, Old Madam Sterling-Tiesto's grandmother-video-called.

As soon as he answered, he heard her coughing. Normally, he'd wait quietly while she lectured.

"Tiesto! You rascal!" she barked. "You promised to bring her here after the wedding. Are you taking advantage of an old lady who can't get out?"

"Grandma, now isn't a good time," he said.

"When will it ever be a good time? I've lived seventy-plus years-I've seen more of life than you've even dreamed. Ella is wife material. If you don't bring her here, I swear I'll make a scene!"

Tiesto stayed silent, letting her rant.

"Tiesto, answer me!" she demanded.

"I want to wait until our feelings are solid. Grandma... would you rather we rush and break up in a few months, or have a lasting relationship?"

His tactic worked perfectly. Sterling huffed, then relented. "Fine. Focus on your relationship. Everything else can wait."

Tiesto's lips twitched into the faintest smile.

Then Grandma Sterling added: "Are you living together? How can feelings grow if you don't spend time under the same roof?"

The older generation never missed a trick.

By eight that evening, Tiesto left the office.

"Javi, get the car ready," he said.

Javi nodded, already expecting that he wouldn't be going straight home.

Once inside the car, Tiesto instructed, "Take me to Ella's place."

Javi froze, then understood. It was unexpected, yes-but made perfect sense.

"Mr. Sterling... should I wait for you?"

"Wait for me. I'll need a ride back later."

Javi shook his head slightly. Tiesto clearly cared about Ella, yet they were married but not living together. How exactly did that work? Ah, the mind of a CEO.

As Tiesto approached the apartment complex, rain began to drizzle. Weather changed faster than a kid's mood swings.

The rain intensified. Inside, Ella gathered half-dried laundry and draped it over the living room furniture. Thunder cracked and lightning split the sky.

She turned off the lights, wrapped herself in a blanket on the sofa, and queued up a thriller. The weather was perfect for it. She buried her face, heart pounding, utterly absorbed.

Tiesto arrived and rang the doorbell. No answer.

He called her-still nothing.

A flicker of worry crossed his eyes. In this weather, had something happened?

He remembered the door code and entered it; the lock clicked open.

Inside, the sounds of a chilling scream and sinister laughter filled the room. Someone swung a mop at him.

Tiesto extended an arm, catching the mop with ease. Simultaneously, he grabbed a slender waist.

Ella screamed.

He switched on the lights. A girl struggled in his arms, her bathrobe slipping, revealing smooth, pale skin. Her curves, partially concealed, drew his gaze like a magnet.

His Adam's apple bobbed.

The sudden light made Ella blink, and she realized it was Tiesto-not a stranger, not an intruder. Reflexively, she slapped him-but missed.

She immediately noticed where his eyes had lingered and panicked, pulling her robe tight.

"You said you weren't coming back here!" she exclaimed, half-annoyed. "If you're visiting, at least warn me!"

Since learning Tiesto wouldn't stay at the apartment, she'd been dressing casually these past few days.

"The phone didn't answer, and no one answered the door," he said.

Ella felt guilty. "I... I was watching a movie." She quickly turned off the eerie soundtrack.

"Is there a reason you're here?" she asked.

"To come home. Do I need a reason?"

Tiesto crossed the room, dropped onto the sofa, and casually scanned the space like he owned it.

Ella had tidied the apartment meticulously.

She followed his gaze around the living room with quiet confidence-there was nothing for him to criticize. She cared about the place; she was a responsible tenant.

Until her eyes froze.

Her heart skipped a beat.

Her underwear-brought in from the drying rack earlier because of the rain-was still hanging in plain view.

How had Tiesto's eyes landed exactly there?

The pink lingerie swayed gently in the air from the AC-impossible to miss, impossible to ignore.

Her cheeks flared crimson. Thinking quickly, she grabbed a bottle of water and set it in front of him. "Mr. Sterling... have some water first," she said, forcing her voice calm.

While he was distracted, she snatched up the garments and bolted to her bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

Clutching her clothes, her cheeks burning, she swore silently: 'Never again will I trust a man who says he won't stay at home!'

Tiesto's lips curved in a faint, amused smile as he watched her flustered retreat. He lifted the bottle and took a sip-it was refreshing.

A moment later, Ella reemerged in modest loungewear, trying to appear composed.

"Mr. Sterling... are you staying here tonight?" she asked, her tone steady, but her heart racing.

"No."

Her obvious relief didn't escape him. She'd been worried he might move in unannounced.

"I just came to take a few photos for my grandmother," he added casually. "To prove that we're... living together."

Ella nodded, understanding perfectly. Elders loved to pressure for marriage these days.

Tiesto casually snapped a few photos of the inside of the house.

Seeing Ella standing there with her head lowered, lost in thought, he said, "Come here. Let's take a couple together."

"Oh-okay."

Ella immediately cooperated.

Since their marriage was meant to keep the elders from worrying, mutual cooperation was only fair.

She stepped closer, but remembering what had just happened earlier, she still felt a little stiff.

Tiesto looked at the two of them on the screen-one expressionless, the other awkward. They didn't look like a married couple living together at all.

"Smile," he said.

Ella forced a polite smile.

When she smiled, her eyes curved beautifully, and the faint fullness beneath them made her look especially charming.

Tiesto placed a hand lightly on her shoulder and quickly captured a few shots that at least looked somewhat intimate.

The moment he finished, Ella immediately stepped away and sat down on the couch.

The warmth lingering on her shoulder from his touch felt almost too intense. She wasn't used to it. It made her flustered.

Everything that had happened tonight was something she didn't dare replay in her mind.

She was so embarrassed she wished the floor would just swallow her whole.

Looking at the photos, Tiesto noticed the faint curve of his own lips.

When his arm dropped back to his side, it landed on empty air. He watched Ella move away from him as if he were some kind of natural disaster.

He straightened and put his phone away. "I told you I won't move back in. I won't. You don't need to worry."

"It's your house. You have every right to decide. Just... next time you plan to come over, let me know in advance."

"Mm."

Ella glanced outside at the raging storm. "If it's inconvenient for you to head back tonight, you can stay here."

After all, he was technically the homeowner.

"No need." Tiesto had only come to complete his grandmother's assignment.

He had no intention of staying.

Ella didn't insist.

When the doorbell rang, she frowned slightly. Who would come at this hour?

She hurried to open the door.

Javi stood outside.

"Mr. Javi! What brings you here?" Ella smiled warmly. Knowing he was Tiesto's friend-and that Tiesto was here-she added politely, "Come in and have some water."

Tiesto's expression darkened.

When she faced him, she looked guarded and reluctant.

But when she looked at Javi, she was all smiles.

It was true-Ella felt much more at ease around Javi.

Meanwhile, every single cell in Javi's body was screaming in resistance.

'Madam, please don't be this polite to me.'

To her, it was basic courtesy.

To Tiesto, it was practically a death sentence.

"I-I came to deliver an umbrella for President Sterling... and take him back," Javi explained quickly.

"President Sterling?"

"Uh... Tiesto. I was just joking," Javi improvised smoothly.

Ella nodded. "Oh, I see. Then I won't keep you. The rain's really heavy-drive safely."

"Tiesto, your wife really cares about you," Javi quickly redirected all of Ella's concern straight to Tiesto.

Tiesto brushed past Ella and walked out.

Ella stuck out her tongue after him. This man had half the temper Javi did!

He got moody for absolutely no reason.

Once both men were gone, she finally let out a breath of relief.

After closing the door, she thought about what had happened earlier and patted her chest.

What a night...

In the car, Tiesto suddenly asked, "Javi, are you familiar with the northwest desert region?"

"I'm quite-" Javi almost said 'familiar,' but suddenly froze.

Wait. Was he about to get reassigned out there?

He immediately changed his tone. "Not at all! I'm completely unfamiliar with that area. Mr. Sterling, I'm used to working by your side. You've been especially busy lately-I'll give it my all."

Tiesto let out a cold scoff. "I thought maybe you didn't want this job anymore."

"How could that be? I could work under you for another hundred years!"

Javi racked his brain but couldn't figure out what he'd done wrong.

If this was about Ella being friendly to him... that wasn't exactly something he could control.

As if reading his thoughts, Tiesto said calmly, "Who told you to knock on Ella's door?"

If he hadn't arrived earlier, Javi might have seen Ella answering the door in a bathrobe.

Javi felt completely wronged. "Didn't you message me and telling me to bring an umbrella because it was raining?"

"I told you to bring an umbrella. Did I tell you to knock?"

Javi: "..."

People in love really are unreasonable.

Was Mr. Sterling secretly the jealous type?

The next day, Tiesto selected two photos and sent them to Grandma Sterling.

"This girl looks delightful. Just looking at her, you can tell she's blessed. She suits you perfectly. Look at your noses, your eyes-you two even have that married-couple look. You brat, treat her well, understand?"

After admiring the photos, Grandma Sterling suddenly noticed something. "Why are there only two?"

"There are only two."

The rest, he planned to use strategically later.

Considering her precious grandson rarely took photos at all, this was already a rare exception. Grandma Sterling didn't press further.

Tiesto glanced at the picture again.

A married-couple look?

Did they really?

When Ella was changing clothes, her gaze accidentally landed on the lingerie from the night before.

Her face flushed again.

Thankfully, Tiesto didn't live here. Otherwise, she wouldn't even know how to face him.

That evening, Ella finished writing her article.

The editor-in-chief walked over and handed her an entry pass. "There's a banquet tonight. A lot of influential figures will be there. I managed to get an entry pass. Go take a look-see if there are any opportunities."

"Do I need to interview anyone? Write a specific piece?"

"You're not at that level yet. Just go broaden your horizons."

The guests at this banquet were all major players. Ella didn't yet have the qualifications.

If this had been a formal invitation rather than just an entry pass, the editor wouldn't have given it to a complete newcomer like her.

Ella nodded.

"Of course," the editor added, "if you're capable of writing something impressive, I won't regret trusting you."

"Thank you, Editor. I'll do my best!"

After work, Ella rode her bike to the address listed on the pass.

It was one of Elaris's most famous seven-star hotels-the Elaris Grand Hotel.

She parked and walked inside, only to run into her brother, Caleb.

"Caleb!" Ella waved happily when she saw him.

Caleb walked over with a bright grin. "Ella! What are you doing here?"

"Editor sent me to gain some experience." She waved the entry pass in her hand.

Caleb chuckled. "Not bad. I'm here with a client for dinner."

"Caleb, about the money you transferred to me last time... I don't need it right now. Let me send it back-"

Caleb gently pressed down the hand she was reaching for her phone with. "If you send it back, then don't call me your brother anymore."

"Caleb..."

He smiled. "Don't be so formal with me."

As they were talking, a group of people walked toward the banquet hall.

Leading them were their adoptive mother, Nora, and Piper-along with several others.

When Piper saw Caleb and Ella, her expression turned slightly unnatural.

Piper turned her head away as if she hadn't seen the siblings at all.

But inwardly, she was annoyed.

Why did she have to run into them here of all places?

They weren't thinking of tagging along with her to get inside, were they?

With that thought, Piper tightened her grip on Nora's arm and quickened her pace.

Caleb's eyes darkened slightly. He asked quietly, "Does Piper bully you at Nora's house?"

"Why bring that up?" Ella said with a bright smile. "Let's not talk about things that ruin the mood."

It wasn't that she'd forgotten the past.

She just didn't see the point in revisiting it.

Caleb didn't really need to ask anyway-he could guess.

Over the past few days, the whole family had tried adding Piper to the family group chat.

Their intention was simple: to check in on her and send her some money, just like they did for Ella-although the three brothers had done so rather reluctantly. 

After all, they'd missed over twenty years of her life. They thought they should make up for it.

But several days had passed, and Piper still hadn't accepted the requests.

The day Caleb went to the Hart family villa, he had already seen the expression on her face.

How could he not understand what she was thinking?

He didn't bring her up again.

Instead, he said, "Give me your address. I prepared a wedding gift for you. I'll send it over."

"You really don't have to, Caleb. You've already given me so much."

"I already bought it. If I don't give it to you, that's a waste. Write it down."

Left with no choice, Ella gave him her current address.

"Wait here for me a minute," Caleb said.

A few minutes later, he returned and handed her an invitation card.

"Use this to go in."

"What is it?"

"Dummy. With an entry pass, you're limited to certain areas-basically treated like staff. With an invitation, you're officially a guest."

Only then did Ella understand the difference.

No wonder her editor had never really given her opportunities-complaining that she wasn't willing to drink and entertain at business dinners-yet this time handed her the entry pass so easily.

Turns out it was something the editor didn't even want.

"Caleb, if you give this to me, what about you?"

"I'm not attending the banquet. I'm here with a client. The invitation was given to me by them anyway."

"Thank you, Caleb. I'll head in now."

"Wait."

He pulled her back gently, took out a handful of candy from his pocket, and slipped it into her bag. "You liked this last time. I grabbed some from the private room just now."

It was mint candy-her favorite back in elementary school.

Her cheeks flushed slightly. "Caleb, you're the best!"

Even after she walked away, Caleb was still smiling at those words.

With the invitation card, the treatment was completely different.

Ella was ushered inside instead of being restricted to the outer hall like other reporters holding entry passes.

Inside, the men were dressed in tailored suits, the women in elegant gowns.

High society truly did feel like another world.

She glanced down at herself-white blouse and tailored slacks. Professional and neat.

Without her brother's invitation, she wouldn't have made it past the entrance.

Pulling herself together, Ella slipped into work mode, exchanging pleasantries and quickly collecting a few business cards.

Nearby, Nora and Piper were chatting animatedly with a group of wealthy ladies.

The Hart family's financial situation was solid. Jayden Hart ran a business that had been thriving in recent years.

Nora loved bringing Piper to events like this.

Tonight, Piper wore a formal gown and navigated conversations effortlessly.

Nora suddenly spotted Ella inside and looked surprised. "How did she get in?"

Piper noticed the work badge on Ella's chest. "Probably through her company."

Nora clicked her tongue. "When I used to bring her, she refused to come. Now she shows up for a few thousand dollars a month."

Mrs. Steele, standing nearby, asked curiously, "Mrs. Hart, isn't that your second daughter? Why did she come dressed like that?"

Embarrassed, Nora replied coldly, "She's not my daughter anymore."

Piper, meanwhile, just found Ella irritating.

That face of hers-too eye-catching-wandering around like that.

They were biological sisters, yet somehow the heavens had favored Ella, giving her the better figure and prettier features.

Mrs. Steele looked surprised. "What do you mean?"

"You all know Ella was adopted. Her biological family found her and took her back."

"Oh, I see," Mrs. Steele said. "Mrs. Hart, you're truly kind-raising someone else's child for so many years."

Nora smiled faintly. "Consider it a good deed. Luckily, I still have my own biological daughter and son by my side. As for someone else's child... if she leaves, she leaves."

In truth, many people knew Piper was adopted too-and that she and Ella were biological sisters.

But Nora repeatedly emphasized that Piper was her biological daughter, and no one was bold enough to contradict her.

If you repeat something often enough, it becomes the accepted truth.

Mrs. Steele shook her head. "Even so, Ella should repay your kindness. Raising her wasn't nothing."

Nora waved dismissively. "Don't even mention her biological family... no house, no car, and three unmarried older brothers."

The women around them clicked their tongues.

"In this day and age, what man can get married without a house or car?"

"Ella really is foolish. You treated her with your whole heart, and she chose them instead."

They didn't lower their voices at all-even as Ella walked closer.

Piper smiled. "I'll go say a few words to her."

"Piper is so gracious."

"Yes, just one year older, yet she's so much more mature than Ella."