Chapter 10

The next morning, in the hotel restaurant. Alice sat across from Edward, rubbing her aching temples. Hangovers were the worst—her head throbbed as if it might split open. Fragments of the previous night resurfaced—the revolting moment when Lenny’s hand had groped her. The clearer the memory grew, the sicker she felt. She grabbed the glass of warm water beside her and drank it down, trying to settle her stomach. Thank goodness Edward had been there. If he hadn’t stepped in last night… she didn’t even want to think about it. “Thank you for last night, Mr. Hawthorne.” Edward took a sip of his coffee, his tone low and even. “You work for GrandVerse. You represent the company—it was my responsibility to look out for you.” The corners of Alice’s eyes reddened. So this was what it felt like to have someone stand up for you. If only there had been someone like that for her back then… She took a steadying breath. “I’ll work on building my alcohol tolerance. I don’t want a repeat of what happened.” “This wasn’t your fault. You can’t stop predators by drinking less. But next time, take a page from William’s book—train your tolerance, and if things get out of hand, pretend to be drunk. Don’t let people take advantage of you.” Alice blinked. “...That’s actually solid advice.” Edward took another sip, his eyes narrowing slightly. “Who’s Emily?” He’d meant to ask last night, but she’d been too far gone to make sense of. “Emily?” She paused, giving him a confused look. “Oh, that’s the nickname my mother gave me. Why? Did I say something strange last night?” She must have mumbled in her sleep—she’d been dreaming about her parents. Edward’s gaze darkened, something unreadable flickering in his expression. The same name? What were the odds… “Nothing. Just curious.” Seeing his reaction, Alice didn’t press further. She offered an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry again about the deal falling through… all because of me.” Edward’s expression remained cool, his voice even colder. “I already told you—it wasn’t your fault. GrandVerse doesn’t need to do business with people like him. The thought of that man still makes me sick.” Alice blinked, taken aback by his sudden sharpness. He really wasn’t an easy man to read. Still, deep down, she felt genuinely grateful. It was as if she were seeing him in a new light—this heir to the GrandVerse empire wasn’t just brilliant and handsome; he had a strong moral compass, too. That was rare. He was the kind of boss who truly had your back. Not stingy, always offering guidance—Alice felt fortunate to have someone like him in her corner. —— With the deal canceled, their group returned home that afternoon. Before boarding the plane, Alice spotted a trending headline—Lenny had been arrested for tax evasion, sexual assault of a minor, and coercing female staff. The post was exploding online. There was even a photo—his face blurred, but the bandaged hand slung around his neck was unmistakable. Her stomach turned. She clenched her fists. “Disgusting. People like him, abusing their power—who knows how many victims suffered in silence. He deserves everything that’s coming to him.” Then a thought struck her, and she frowned. “Wait… but he seemed fine yesterday. How did all this come out overnight?” William yawned beside her, clearly unimpressed. “Obviously, someone made it happen. You were nearly assaulted. Did you think Mr. Hawthorne would let that slide? He had me up all night digging up everything we could find on that creep.” “I spent the whole night running around gathering evidence for the police. That guy had pissed off so many people, it wasn’t even hard to find proof. But man, it was exhausting. If I’d known, I’d have gotten drunk, too. At least then I’d have had an excuse to skip the all-nighter.” No wonder she hadn’t seen William that morning. He’d been on a mission. Alice felt a wave of surprise mixed with gratitude—her respect for Edward reached another level. “Mr. Hawthorne, you’re honestly too good to be true!” Bosses were usually hard to please anyway. So what if he had a temper? That kinda came with the territory. —— By the time they landed in the capital, it was already dark. The driver picked up Edward, while Alice and William took separate cabs home. Once home, Alice removed her makeup, sank into a hot bath, and collapsed in the tub, completely drained. But just as she began to relax, the image of Lenny’s disgusting face resurfaced—especially those sleazy eyes. It triggered an old, buried memory she’d tried hard to forget. Her face turned ghostly pale. Grabbing the bath sponge, she scrubbed her skin as if it were covered in filth, only stopping when it stung and turned red. She took a sharp breath. “It’s over now. Alice, you’re not allowed to look back…” She thought she’d moved on. I mean, just the other night, she and Edward had been close—not that she could see anything in the dark—but she could still remember his breath, his touch… She hadn’t felt repulsed then, so she assumed she’d healed. But it turned out that even now, just seeing those predatory eyes again still messed with her head. —— After her bath, Alice curled up on the couch and checked her phone. Still no new messages. Annoyance finally set in. Her husband vanishing on their wedding night was bad enough. Not showing his face for two years was even worse. But now? She’d literally admitted to cheating, and he couldn’t even be bothered to send a text? Was she married to a ghost? She tapped the contact labeled “Alexander Blake”—a number his grandfather had saved for her long ago. The phone rang for a while before someone finally picked up. But it wasn’t him. A young woman’s cheerful voice came through. “Hello? Who’s this?” Alice frowned. “Who are you? Why are you answering his phone?” “Oh, I’m Katherine. My brother’s in the shower. Can I help you with something?” Alice blinked. “You’re his sister?” Wait, he had a sister? His grandfather had never mentioned that. Katherine chimed in again, “Yeah, yeah. He just got in the bathroom. You can call back in a bit. Or, if it’s urgent, tell me and I’ll pass it along.” Alice didn’t care whether this girl was really his sister or some random fling. She was done pretending. “Could you let him know to call me back? I need to talk about filing for divorce.” “Sure, no problem…” Then dead silence. A moment later, Katherine shrieked, “Wait, WHAT?! Divorce?!” Alice winced and pulled the phone away from her ear. Once the noise settled, she spoke calmly, “Just let him know, please. It’s important.” Then she hung up. —— On the other end, Katherine’s scream had already drawn her mother’s attention. “What is it now? Why are you shouting?” her mom called out. Still stunned, Katherine stared at the phone. “Mom, you won’t believe this—seriously, brace yourself. Your son is MARRIED!” Her mom scoffed, setting dishes on the table. “What nonsense are you talking about? If your brother got married, don’t you think I’d know?” “I’m not kidding! Not only is he married, he’s already at the divorce stage!” Katherine spun the phone around. “Look! His wife just called, saying she wants to meet up and file!” Now both of them stood speechless, staring at each other. Suddenly, the mom snatched the phone and stormed toward the bathroom, pounding on the door. “William, get your butt out here right now!” Katherine followed close behind, shouting too. “William! Open up!” Inside, William hadn’t even fully fastened his robe yet. He threw it over his shoulders and cracked the door open, confused. “What’s going on?” Before he could get another word out, his mom slapped the back of his head. “You’ve got some nerve, boy! You actually got married behind my back?!”