Chapter: Chapter 29: Public Humiliation"Oh no, I'm LATE!" Isla burst through the doors, face already twisted with dread. She'd been shoving down the breakfast the butler had packed while running, and there was way too much of it to finish.She was sprinting fast enough that when she skidded into the lobby, the sheer scale and formality of the scene stopped her cold. Momentum carried through anyway the pastry in her mouth flew straight out of her teeth, arcing forward, and slammed directly into the back of a man in a black suit standing a few feet away.My BREAKFAST.Hundreds of employees witnessed the entire tragedy unfold in real time.The silent, reverent lobby erupted into a collective, horrified gasp.Isla licked her lips, eyes darting wildly, and froze completely in place.A lamb. I am officially a lamb walking to slaughter.Her face went scarlet, eyes locked on the man slowly turning around, lips trembling with the beginnings of an apology that refused to actually form.Grayson's composed, distant expression turned o
Last Updated: 2026-07-13
Chapter: Chapter 28: Woman, You're Asking For ItIsla woke, came down for breakfast, then retreated to her room like she was fleeing a crime scene.Grayson's on the third floor. Stay put. Don't provoke anything.Married, living under the same roof, and yet everything about his actual life inside this house was a total mystery to her.She spent the rest of the weekend in a haze eating, sleeping, ignoring the nonstop barrage of calls from Richard and the rest of the Bennetts.By evening, Isla finished dinner alone in the estate's gleaming dining room. Just as she turned to head back upstairs, the butler stopped her.It's been a completely peaceful day. Do I really have to get an update the second I finish eating?Her stomach dropped, dread flooding back after hours of relative calm."The young master isn't feeling well. He'll be resting on the third floor tonight."Isla's slumped shoulders straightened instantly, a burst of pure joy flooding her chest.She fought hard to keep her expression appropriately concerned, but the happiness w
Last Updated: 2026-07-13
Chapter: Chapter 27: Get Over Here YourselfShe felt the wheelchair stop on the other side of the bed. He arrived. He said nothing. He didn't move.The silence stretched, oppressive, unbearable.What does it feel like, knowing full well the man beside you is dangerous, and being completely helpless to do anything but lie there and let him decide what happens next?Isla gritted her teeth, rigid on the bed, trembling head to toe.Grayson stayed silent, seated in the wheelchair, watching her small, tense outline on the bed. The pressure radiating off him alone was enough to demolish whatever composure she had left.Whirr. A soft, mechanical sound.The automatic curtains, sliding open.Isla couldn't read him at all. She stayed dead still, praying he might assume she was asleep and let her off the hook for one night."If you're awake, stop pretending." His voice cut through the dark, rough and low.Isla flinched, her face going paler than the moonlight streaming in.Is he actually psychic? He sees EVERYTHING."Mr. Vale..." Isla forc
Last Updated: 2026-07-12
Chapter: Chapter 26: He's Coming to Her Room Again Tonight"Mr. Vale, do you have feelings for me? Hahaha." Isla burst into forced laughter, going for a smug, self-assured tone to smooth over the tension.Asking outright is the fastest way to get an answer. She hadn't forgotten what he'd said back in that office that whole "be mine" business. But those kinds of arrangements never meant anything real. They just meant convenient.Besides, he already knew she was married. If she gave him any real opening now, she'd end up buried under enemies on every side.Her flippant, overconfident question was, in reality, a very calculated move.There's no way to make a man like him back down directly."You don't qualify," Grayson said, flat and cold."Oh, great." Isla's shoulders relaxed instantly, the tension bleeding out of her voice. She nodded rapidly, visibly relieved.PERFECT. That's exactly what I needed to hear. Sounding self-absorbed had been the whole strategy get the answer without asking directly, dodge any real vulnerability."Say one more wor
Last Updated: 2026-07-11
Chapter: Chapter 25: Beg MeShe could feel a sharp, irritated gaze from behind her, boring into her back."What, planning to kick me overboard for the sharks?" Grayson turned around unexpectedly, calling her exact thought out loud.What IS this man. Can he actually read minds?Isla straightened, defiant for half a second, then caught his dark, unreadable stare and shrank right back down, unable to hold eye contact.Compared to him, I'm basically a toddler throwing a tantrum.Seeing her back down, Grayson's mouth curved into a slow, satisfied smile.The yacht docked.Isla stepped onto the pier looking wobbly and thoroughly drained.Staff lined the dock, waving cheerfully.Isla kept her expression perfectly composed.She clutched her handbag against her chest right now, that seven-figure bag was the only thing left grounding her in reality.The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. She'd been a millionaire for less than three hours before it all evaporated. I curse this whole yacht company to have plumbi
Last Updated: 2026-07-11
Chapter: Chapter 24: He Only Behaves While KissingIsla stormed over to the deck sofa and dropped onto it, arms crossed, radiating a full-body do not test me energy."Thanks for dinner. Let's call it even. I'll keep your secret." Grayson's voice drifted over from behind her.Low, deep, laced with that same untouchable indifference.He just watched me hand over ten million dollars and STILL sounds this smug about it. If he threatens me one more time, I am biting him again. For real this time.Isla dropped her arms, shoved her hands into her pockets, and turned to glare at him as he sat down beside her."I honestly didn't think you were the type to bleed someone dry without a shred of guilt."He just took nearly ten million off me over one dinner. If he pushes his luck one more inch, I will lose my mind. I'll take him down with me if I have to."What's wrong? Upset?" Grayson asked, mild amusement in his voice, clearly enjoying himself.He settled back against the cushions, turning to look at her properly.Upset doesn't even BEGIN to cov
Last Updated: 2026-07-11
Chapter: Chapter 32: Could This Be a Coincidence?Ethan stopped, turning to find Sebastian's calm, unreadable gaze already on him.Catching the tangle of confusion and calculation flickering across Ethan's face, Sebastian said, evenly, "Principal, handle what needs handling first. We can reschedule the tour and the funding conversation for another day."He turned and walked off without another word.He could feel Ethan's stare fixed on his back and ignored it entirely.The truth was simpler than Ethan probably assumed something about Lily had struck him as familiar from the start, and he hadn't been able to stand watching her get framed for something she clearly hadn't done.Talent like that shouldn't get buried over a lie.Naomi reached the school gate and was about to pull off when she caught sight of Sebastian walking out on foot."No car today, Mr. Cole?" she asked, then added, "I can drop you home, if you'd like."Something shifted behind Sebastian's eyes.The principal had picked him up personally; he hadn't driven himself.He
Last Updated: 2026-07-13
Chapter: Chapter 31: Clearing Her NameThe principal froze, immediately assuming he'd somehow angered Sebastian. "Mr. Cole, please, let me explain""No rush. Handle whatever needs handling first," Sebastian said, something deliberate in the way he said it.He'd only come by for a routine visit and had no particular interest in the details. Might as well let the man save face in front of his own staff.The principal's relief was visible. "Thank you, Mr. Cole. Give me just a moment I'll check in and be right back."He hurried into the office.Sebastian's gaze drifted to Naomi through the glass and, for reasons he couldn't quite name, stayed there.That's when he noticed it a small, faint scar at the nape of her neck.His pupils tightened instantly.The girl I've been looking for has a scar in almost that exact spot. Left over from a car accident.She'd never been the type to cry over something like a scar, unlike most girls her age. She'd been the one comforting him instead, insisting it was nothing.He'd never gotten a clea
Last Updated: 2026-07-13
Chapter: Chapter 30: No More WavesJulian trailed behind Ms. Carter toward the office, shooting Lily a smug look over his shoulder on the way out.Lily frowned but didn't dwell on it.Once inside the office, Ms. Carter turned to Julian first. "Julian, tell me honestly did you actually see Lily cheating?""Yeah, I did." He nodded, dead serious. "I watched her copying notes on the sly, with my own eyes."Ms. Carter's frown deepened, and something disappointed settled into her expression as she looked at Lily.In her experience, Lily had always been attentive, well-mannered, sharp in class nothing like a kid who'd cut corners on a test.But Julian, mischievous as he could be, got along fine with his classmates and had held the top spot in the class every single time before Lily transferred in. He hadn't struck her as the type to fabricate something like this either."Lily, cheating is a serious thing," Ms. Carter said, meeting her eyes directly.Lily held her ground, insisting she hadn't done it.With no clear answer eith
Last Updated: 2026-07-12
Chapter: Chapter 29: Don't Bother With Your Idiot BrotherNot long after, Ethan pulled up outside the police station.He stepped out just as a heavyset man with a face like thunder came stumbling out through the front doors.The man's face was swollen and discolored, a gash crusted over his forehead. Ethan didn't recognize him at first didn't connect this battered figure with the Lawson he'd been looking for.He walked right past him, heading inside.Lawson recognized him instantly.Already furious, watching Ethan brush past him without a word tipped him over the edge. "Did you come here just to laugh at me, Mr. Blackwood?"Ethan stopped at the sound of the voice, and turned back slowly.Realizing that ruined, swollen face actually belonged to Lawson, Ethan's stomach dropped.What happened to this man?He couldn't even bring himself to look directly at it. "Mr. Lawson what exactly"He shouldn't have asked. Lawson's face went ashen with rage. "You didn't think to mention Naomi Hart was personally connected to Sebastian Cole? Do you have any i
Last Updated: 2026-07-12
Chapter: Chapter 28: Too Many CoincidencesNaomi forced herself to stay level-headed.One step at a time, eyes tracking behind her.The next second, she collided hard with what felt like a solid wall.Her stomach dropped instantly, certain Lawson had someone waiting to cut off her escape.She looked up, braced and found Sebastian's sharp, familiar face instead.Sebastian? Here, in this restaurant?Before she could process the coincidence, Lawson's furious voice rang out behind her. "Naomi! Is this really how you negotiate a partnership?"Naomi's composure flickered. She pressed her lips together, voice low and pleading. "Mr. Cole. Could you... help me?"Sebastian said nothing at first, eyes dropping to the torn fabric hanging off her dress, something cooling behind his gaze.He shrugged off his suit jacket without a word and held it out. "Cover up."Naomi blinked, only now fully registering just how much of her dress Lawson had torn away."Thank you." She took the jacket without hesitation and pulled it around herself.Lawson
Last Updated: 2026-07-11
Chapter: Chapter 27: The SetupNaomi arrived at the restaurant a short while later and scanned for the room number Mr. Lawson had sent.She didn't notice the two sets of eyes that had locked onto her the second she walked in."Isn't that Ms. Hart?" Miles said, eyebrows lifting.Sebastian's expression stayed neutral watching her disappear into the room next to theirs, though something complicated flickered behind his eyes.A coincidence? Again?He seemed to be running into this woman constantly these days."Feel like we keep bumping into Ms. Hart lately?" Miles leaned in, throwing Sebastian a deliberate look. "Seems like you two have quite the rapport going."Sebastian's frown deepened, about to warn Miles to watch his mouth when a heavyset figure walked into the same room Naomi had entered."Why does that guy look familiar?" Miles muttered.Sebastian felt the same tug of recognition.Miles snapped his fingers. "Right that's Mr. Lawson."Both their expressions shifted at once.Sebastian had no real interest in indus
Last Updated: 2026-07-10
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