Nicholas's gaze slowly drifted from the food to Samantha's face. His eyes, usually lifeless, suddenly flickered. Then, out of nowhere, he let out a gut-wrenching shriek and lunged forward, throwing his arms tightly around Caitlin.

"Ah... ah..." he screamed wildly like he was breaking apart.

The sudden move totally knocked Alexander off guard. He moved too late to stop anything-what if he hurt her?

Damn it. Why the hell was he so worried about Caitlin at a time like this?

Just after the shouting fit, Nicholas suddenly bit down-hard-on Samantha's shoulder.

"Nick! Don't!" Alexander growled, yanking Samantha's arm, desperate to pull her out of his brother's grip.

"Don't move!" Samantha snapped lowly, shifting her arm under Nicholas's and wrapping him in a tight embrace. Her voice was soft and calm, smooth like silk, as she tried to soothe him down. "It's okay now... You're alright... I'm here, no matter what happened. Don't be scared, okay?"

Nicholas's dried-out eyes quickly glazed with tears. The bite on her shoulder loosened.

"It's all over. Let the past go, alright?" Her voice was like a gentle lullaby, slipping into everyone's ears like a quiet spell. "I won't leave you... Just hold on to that."

Nicholas twitched, and suddenly tears burst out of him like a dam broke.

Samantha kept whispering by his ear, her voice hypnotic-"You're not alone, okay? Mom's with you... your brother's here... I'm here..."

Her voice was ridiculously beautiful-soft like a feather brushing your cheek. The simple words, spoken so casually, struck right at everyone's core.

Even Alexander wasn't immune. He never thought a woman's voice could sound that good, like it was melting into his heart and taking over.

"Ah..." Nicholas let out a final cry. His arms clutched Samantha even tighter, like he wanted to cram her right into his body.

Jealousy flitted across Alexander's eyes for a split second. Dammit, this woman... she'd messed with his head more than once today. And now what? He was... jealous?

Nicholas held on tightly until he finally passed out, but even then, he refused to let go of Samantha's hand. His mouth moved as though trying to speak, but the years of isolation had broken his ability to talk. All he could let out was one long, agonized sound, eyes filled with helpless pain locked on hers."Don't say anything now. I know everything. Just go to sleep. I'll stay right here with you."

Samantha gently held Nicholas's bony hand with both of hers, soft and boneless like velvet. A light smile curved her lips, softening her already perfect features with an almost angelic warmth.

Alexander stood nearby, eyes fixed on her serene profile. In that moment, the urge to pull her into his arms just like his brother had done hit him like a wave.

Damn it.

They had just made that ridiculous agreement before coming to this house.

Without her consent, he wasn't even allowed to touch her-not even her hand.

His lips curled up into a cold sneer.

He was the CEO of the mighty Perkins Group, and he needed her permission to touch his own wife? What a joke.

That dumb agreement-there's no way she'd actually stop him from getting close.

And then, reality slapped him square in the face.

Nicholas had finally fallen into a deep sleep. Samantha, who had been kneeling by the bed for too long, tried to stand but staggered slightly as pins and needles hit her legs. She gripped the edge of the bed for support.

Alexander reached out instinctively to help her, but she sidestepped him like it was nothing.

"Mr. Perkins, don't tell me you're trying to weasel out of the terms already," she said, her voice flat, a flicker of mockery in her gaze.

His hand froze in mid-air, and suddenly the whole room felt awkward.

Even the house staff who had quietly gathered to peek in seemed to catch on-something felt off between Alexander and his wife.

They looked picture-perfect, sure, but the vibe? Definitely not harmonious.

Mrs. Perkins had a cocky edge to her, and she didn't even bother sparing Alexander a sliver of respect in front of everyone.

Rumor had it Alexander wasn't into women. Judging by how Mrs. Perkins treated him, maybe that gossip wasn't so far off. I mean, if he wasn't avoiding intimacy, why would a woman turn her nose up at such a rich and handsome husband?

Proves it yet again-good men are usually taken... by other men.

People in the room started throwing each other knowing looks, eyebrows raised.

Alexander's eyes turned darker. "Nurse," he said coolly, "can you tend to her shoulder?"

Like hell he cared-he wouldn't have even looked at her if his brother hadn't bitten her like that.

A deep bite mark, still bleeding, marred her smooth white skin. It made him feel strangely uncomfortable.

He hadn't even touched that shoulder himself.

By the time she got back to the villa, it was already 3 a.m. Samantha looked exhausted.

She hadn't eaten much at dinner, and her stomach had been growling for hours now. The second she walked in, she headed straight for the kitchen. She remembered spotting a box of frozen fish fillets and a bag of fries in the freezer earlier-nothing fancy, but perfect for a late-night snack before bed.

Samantha threw the fish and chips into the air fryer, then drizzled a generous amount of malt vinegar over them as soon as they came out-hot, crispy, and golden. The sharp, tangy smell of vinegar immediately filled the kitchen air, mingling with the savory scent of fried batter.

Holding the plate as she stepped out, she was startled to see Mr. Carson standing at the doorway, looking at her like she'd just committed a crime.

Biting into a chip with zero shame, Samantha shot him a glance and said flatly, "Something wrong?"

"Ma'am..." Mr. Carson looked uneasy and hesitant, clearly struggling with what to say.

This wasn't the same Madame Caitlin he used to know-the one people could ignore or walk all over. Even Mr. Alexander couldn't win when he clashed with her, and here he was just a butler. One mistake, and he could be packing his bags.

"Spit it out." Samantha strolled to the dining table, plopped down, and started digging into her food.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but do you... remember? Sir has a strong aversion to overly fragrant foods... and the vinegar you're using has a particularly sharp scent.."

"And what's that got to do with me? I'm eating it, not him." She didn't even look up, just kept eating, vinegar-soaked fries disappearing one by one.

Mr. Carson broke into a cold sweat. He barely got the words out, "It's just that... Sir really can't stand the smell. He says it lingers for hours. Especially in the curtains."

"Control freak," Samantha muttered, waving him off like he was a pop-up ad. "He's sleeping, right? He won't know. That stupid rule is on pause for now."

So what if he didn't like the smell? That didn't mean the rest of the house had to suffer. How ridiculous was that?

Mr. Carson's lips twitched. Great. Both of them were nightmares to deal with. He really couldn't afford to upset either one.

Watching her shamelessly munch on her forbidden fish and chips, he awkwardly stood off to the side, silently begging her to please hurry up and head upstairs so he could open every window and spray the place down before Alexander came down.

"Hey, Mr. Carson!" Alexander's voice came unexpectedly, casual but chilly.

Mr. Carson froze, heart dropping. He looked up to see Alexander leaning lazily against the upstairs railing, in his silk robe, eyes fixed directly on him.

"S-Sir! I-I'll open the windows right away." Mr. Carson stammered, wiping sweat from his brow like he'd just been caught in the act.

Alexander waved a hand impatiently. "I'm hungry. Make me a plate too."

"Yes, sir!" Mr. Carson responded by habit, but then his eyes widened like someone had smacked him in the face. "Wait, you mean. fish and chips?"

"What else would I mean?" Alexander replied in his usual deadpan tone, but there was a distinct chill in his eyes that made Mr. Carson want to disappear.

"Of course! Right away!" Mr. Carson nodded quickly, expression darkening like a storm cloud.

Really, sir? Could you not? I literally just reminded ma'am that you hate the smell! And now you're asking me to make it like it's no big deal?

Dealing with one moody boss was already exhausting. Now add a vinegar-loving wife into the mix? This job was going to be the end of him.

When the maid brought up the fish and chips, Samantha had already finished the last bite.

"Caitlin, there's a cocktail party tomorrow night. You're going with me." Alexander sat at the head of the dining table, his tone icy as usual.

"Not going." Samantha downed the last sip of her cola, let out a satisfied burp, and got up to head upstairs to bed.

"I'll be back from a meeting by 2 p.m. tomorrow. I'll take you to pick a dress," Alexander added, completely ignoring her refusal.

Samantha didn't bother replying. She just waved him off behind her back, clearly not in the mood to deal with him.

"You might actually be interested," Alexander said with a hint of sarcasm flirting at the edge of his lips. "It's a pitch meeting with the Rivers Group about investing in Samerra Designs. The company you built from scratch might be getting funding. Don't you want to see it for yourself?"

"Samerra?" Samantha suddenly paused mid-step.

That was Caitlin's company. And it was named after her, Caitlin had really missed her... so much that she named her company after her.

Her eyes welled up a little. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to snap out of it. Then she turned her head slightly with a calm smile. "Not worried I'll stir up trouble at the party?"

"Do what you want-not my problem." Alexander's reply was cold, but inside, he felt a small surge of triumph.

Women-just hit the right nerve, and they'd fall in line on their own.

"I'll pick the dress myself." Samantha said plainly and turned upstairs.

"Sure." Alexander raised an eyebrow, scoffing.

He'd be there anyway.

After she left, Alexander stared at the plate of fish and chips in front of him. Compared to hers, his version was clearly elevated-crispy beer-battered cod fried to a perfect golden brown, hand-cut fries dusted with sea salt, a side of minted pea purée, and malt vinegar served in a tiny glass dropper, as if it were some rare elixir. A sprig of parsley sat on top, likely for show.

He picked up a chip, dipped it lightly, and took a bite.

Didn't taste half as good as Samantha's earlier.

His brow creased.

Time to find a new chef.

...

Having stayed up till almost 4 a.m. last night, Samantha was still groggy when she woke up the next day at around eleven. If Ethan hadn't called, she probably would've slept right through lunch.

"Sam, can you come down for a bit? My car's parked out front," Ethan's voice sounded low, almost uncertain.

"Sure. Give me a few minutes." She ended the call and dragged herself to freshen up.

Even though she'd called him out last night for being useless, Samantha didn't actually dislike Ethan.

He was someone her sister loved and had entrusted to look after her. He'd been quietly supporting her for years. To Samantha, he was someone she owed.

And she'd always believed in paying back what she owed-whether it was kindness or a grudge.

After a quick wash, she opened the wardrobe. It was full of her sister's favorite soft linen outfits.

She let out a deep sigh. That look Ethan had the other night when she came out wearing her sister's clothes-it said everything.

She didn't want to trigger that again. So instead, she headed to the big balcony on the second floor, dug through the clothes drying on the rack, and pulled out a white button-up shirt to throw on.

It belonged to Alexander-the size difference was obvious. The sleeves hung past her wrists, and the hem hit mid-thigh.

Samantha went back inside, found a wide belt to cinch her waist, threw on some embroidered jeans, and tucked the shirt in casually.

Looking in the mirror, she saw someone new looking back-sharp, stunning, and confident. A total boss."Uncle Ethan, what's going on?" Samantha got in the car and went straight to the point.

"You and Caitlin look exactly the same, but... you give off such a totally different vibe. It's like night and day." Ethan glanced at her, something flickering in his eyes.

"Different personalities, different tastes. It's not that weird. Next time, try not to mix us up," Samantha said bluntly, no sugarcoating.

Ethan quickly averted his gaze and gripped the steering wheel. "Sorry... I couldn't help it."

Ethan paused, then added, "Can you stop calling me Uncle Ethan? I'm only ten years older than Caitlin."

"Ethan," she nodded, cutting him no slack, "What is it?"

Ethan seemed to let out a quiet breath of relief. He jumped in, "This afternoon, there's a party hosted by the Rivers. They're planning to discuss investing in Caitlin's company. I got two invites-"

"I know. I'm going there with Alexander," Samantha said, calm as ever.

A brief shadow crossed Ethan's face. He swallowed hard and asked, sounding a bit puzzled, "Okay then... That's good. It's not a formal meeting-just a talk-so why's Perkins going?"

"He knows Caitlin built Samerra Design from scratch. Probably just wants to watch me embarrass myself," Samantha replied with a faint shrug, like it didn't bother her.

Ethan nodded, frowning. "Alexander's not exactly easy to deal with. Has he made things hard for you?"

"No." Samantha clearly didn't want to get into it. She moved on. "If there's nothing else, just give me a lift. Find a big mall-I need to buy some clothes."

"Sure... We're still heading to a Perkins Mall, huh?" Ethan let out a dry chuckle. "It's the top luxury mall in Lichester-owned entirely by his family."

"Whatever." Samantha looked out the window, her eyes calm. "I won't wear my sister's clothes anymore. They'll all be packed up properly."

Ethan's temples twitched. To lighten the mood, he changed the topic while driving. "You grew up in Farsenia, but your Calverian's still great."

"I owe that to the Calverian foster family you found for me. They let me grow up speaking it every day." Her tone was flat.

"You just got back, haven't had a chance to try much local food yet, right? Let me treat you to cajun seafood boil for lunch?"

"Okay. I'm starving," Samantha replied without hesitation.

They found a cajun seafood boil place in the mall and sat down, chatting while waiting for the food.

"Caitlin loved cajun seafood boil," Ethan murmured, his voice tinted with regret. "But after marrying into the Perkins family, she told me Alexander hated strong smells. Wasn't allowed at home. She had to sneak out just to eat it every now and then."

Mentioning Caitlin stirred something in Samantha. She thought of last night-when Alexander saw her eating fish and chips with malt vinegar and told Mr. Carson to prepare some too. Her lips curled with a trace of sarcasm. "Oh please, like he could actually stay away from it forever."

"What do you mean?" Ethan looked confused.

"Nothing," Samantha brushed it off. "So, any plans for tonight's party?"

Ethan straightened up, his fists tightening. "I want to expose what those people did to Caitlin's company. Once it's out, the Rivers won't invest a dime!"

Samantha looked at him like he had two heads, which made Ethan shift awkwardly in his seat.

He scratched his cheek. "What... Did I say something wrong?"

"Do you have any actual proof? Like Caitlin's drafts, or some other solid documents?" Samantha's tone was chilly.

Ethan shook his head, frustrated. "No. But I thought if we went together, it'd have more impact-you calling them out in person would hit harder, right?"

"So your plan is to drag Caitlin's company down with them? Go out with a bang and leave nothing behind?"

Her detached attitude only made him feel even more defeated.

"I just want to get justice for Caitlin!" There was a flicker of deep resentment in his eyes.

Samantha let out a short laugh. "She worked her ass off to build that company. You think she'd want to see it crash and burn? Is she supposed to smile from above while you wreck everything?"

"And what, just let those two walk away with the investment and live their best lives?" Ethan snapped, fists slamming onto the table. His voice was low and tight with anger. "I can't swallow that!"

Samantha scoffed. "Without solid evidence, who the hell is gonna believe us? The moment I speak out as Caitlin and Alexander's wife, the whole internet's gonna explode. Ten minutes flat. Headlines about her ex and copied designs plastered everywhere. Even if nobody knows who's right, the mess is guaranteed."

Ethan looked suddenly shaken, the color drained from his face. "I didn't think it through... So that's it? Nothing we can do for Caitlin?"

"No, that story needs to come out. We will make it public. Not just that-we're taking back her award-winning work and making them crawl and beg. But it's not time yet."

Ethan blinked, thrown off. "Samantha, what are you really planning?"

Samantha took a sip of her cola, her gaze calm and unwavering. "You shouldn't go to the party this afternoon. There's nothing meaningful you can do there-it'll only mess with your head. Let me handle this. I'll call you in when I need you."

Ethan quietly ate, nodding slightly. After she finished speaking, he stared at her, dazed and confused.

"These past few days... every time I see you, I almost think Caitlin's still here. But then you speak, and I'm yanked right back. Everything you say, how you look-just screams that you're Samantha, not Caitlin."

Samantha sneered. "Ethan, Caitlin was never really by your side. You pushed her away. Again, and again. All because you were too weak and too stupid."

His fork clattered to the floor. His face went pale, chest heaving. It took him a moment to force the words out, almost whispering, "Samantha... for your sister's sake, don't cut that deep."

Suddenly, the loud buzz of the restaurant went dead silent.

Everyone in the restaurant froze, all turning toward the entrance where a strong, cold presence seemed to suck all the air out of the room.

Alexander had arrived. The vibe he gave off was intense enough to make the whole place shiver.

His expression was pure ice, that slight crease between his brows radiating pressure. He strode over to Samantha, voice low and cold, "Caitlin, what are you doing here?"

The entire room could feel the chill in his tone-but Samantha? She didn't even blink. Calmly dunking food into the pot, she didn't bother to look up. "What does it look like? I'm eating seafood boil. Not that hard to figure out."

Lucas, who had heard all kinds of wild stories today about Samantha's stunt last night, nearly choked on air hearing her talk to Alexander like that. He suddenly felt a chill crawl down his spine.

Did she just call him dumb? Seriously?

If Alexander is dumb, then the whole world's full of idiots.Lucas was practically holding his breath for this fierce woman. Ever since he started working with Alexander, not a soul had dared speak to him like that. Messing with Alexander? Yeah, that was pretty much asking for a one-way trip to trouble.

"There's perfectly good food at home-why settle for this greasy mess?" Alexander muttered, face dark as ever, yet casually dropped himself into the seat next to Samantha.

Lucas's eye twitched. Seriously? After being given the cold shoulder twice, the man wasn't flipping the table or storming out. Instead, he actually sat down right next to his so-called rival to share a meal. Since when did he become so chill?

Sam shifted away from him, clearly grossed out. "Alexander, did you hit your head? Thought you just said seafood boil was greasy mess."

Alexander wrinkled his nose and said, dead serious, "I'll allow it once. No next time."

Lucas's lips twitched again. Oh no. What was happening to his boss's tone? That wasn't annoyance... it was borderline doting. Creepy.

Since Alexander had barged in, chatting about Caitlin with Ethan was off the table. So Samantha just focused on the food.

Alexander's sharp gaze flicked to Ethan. "Do you always have this much free time?"

"Happened to be free today. Just thought I'd grab a meal with Caitlin," Ethan replied with a light smile.

"Next time, check my schedule first," Alexander cut in, not even trying to sound polite.

Sam turned to glare at him. "Why should I adjust my plans for you just to have lunch with someone?"

"I asked you out today first," Alexander shot back, his eyes locked on hers. "And you bailed on me to come here with someone else."

Lucas was frozen on the other side, eyes wide. Whoa. The tension in here? You'd think this was some soap opera. And Alexander... was that jealousy hanging over his head?

He leaned in and squinted at Alexander's sulking face. Yep. No doubt. That man was totally jealous.

Lucas had known Alexander for years and not once had the guy ever acted like this over a woman. Normally it was women fighting tooth and nail for his attention.

"I never agreed to that," Samantha said testily. "Told you I was going out to shop."

"What a coincidence. I was shopping too," Alexander said, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Whatever," she groaned, clearly annoyed.

"You're wearing the shirt I planned to wear this afternoon. Now I gotta buy another," Alexander said, glancing at the shirt she had on, eyes narrowing. Damn, though. She wore it well.

"Caitlin!" Before Samantha could snap back, Ethan stood up out of the blue, a bit on edge. "Mr. Perkins. I've got something to handle at work. Gotta run. Enjoy your meal-on me."

Alexander didn't say a word. Lucas, quick on his feet, got up to walk Ethan out.

Watching Ethan leave, Lucas squinted again. Boss was slick with that dog food move. Didn't even have to lift a finger-just swooped in and shut it all down.

"That guy? Stay away from him," Alexander said the second Ethan was gone, voice dropping cold.

"How about no?" Sam rolled her eyes hard.

"I don't like him," Alexander huffed.

"Why on earth would I care what you like?" Samantha's voice dripped with disdain. She swore this guy tested her patience more than anyone.

"Caitlin," Alexander said, voice deep and so serious it made her blink. "Pick out a few more outfits later, alright? What you wore in the past doesn't fit you anymore."

Lucas just about choked on his tea. Wait, what?

That tone. That name. Wasn't he about to start a fight?

Nope. Alexander had just flipped the switch from battlefield mode straight into caring-boyfriend territory like it was nothing.

Talk about emotional whiplash.