Chapter 14

Alice set the briefcase down to the side, a polite smile gracing her calm, elegant features. She answered evenly, “Miss Grant, I actually don’t know how to shoot.” Charles Bennett’s eyes lit up for a second. He leaned in and whispered near her ear, “Archery’s actually pretty fun. Want me to show you the ropes?” Alice raised an eyebrow slightly, thought for a moment, then still shook her head. Charles seemed to pick up on her hesitation right away. He looked up at Sophia and offered, “I’m up for a match, but maybe let’s tone down the bet. How about—winner gets to ask the loser any question?” Before Sophia could refuse, James Grant cut in smoothly, “Now that's a reasonable idea. The deal’s already signed, right? What's left is having a little fun. You’re not planning to bail before playing anything, are you, Edward?” Alice turned her head slightly toward James, her gaze growing cautious. He gave off the vibe of a wolf in sheep’s clothing, always calculating behind that easy smile. Edward narrowed his eyes, giving a sidelong glance. Something unreadable flickered in their depths as he replied, voice calm and distant, “Whatever.” Sophia pouted but didn’t argue further. The group made their way over to the archery range. Charles picked out a bow for Alice and handed it to her. “Try one shot first.” Alice took it awkwardly, already sensing this was going to be difficult. She hadn’t lied to Sophia—she really had never touched a bow before. Charles couldn’t help chuckling a bit at her tense, serious expression. “Relax.” Alice rolled her shoulders a bit, and under his guidance, started to pick up the basics—how to nock an arrow, how to aim, how to release. Meanwhile, the others began warming up. James, standing casually next to Edward, let loose an arrow with ease—dead center. “So, why didn’t your wife come tonight? Been married this long and none of us have met her yet.” Before anyone had time to react, Sophia jumped in, irritated. “What’s the point of bringing her? If Grandpa Hawthorne hadn’t forced him, Edward wouldn’t have married that woman.” Right as she finished, Edward released his arrow—also a bullseye. His eyes went cold. “Nothing worth meeting.” The chill in his voice was sharp, making everyone glance his way. Alice remembered the dinner that got cut short the previous night. She didn’t know exactly what had gone down between Edward and his wife, but something had clearly gone sideways. She quietly blocked out the tension radiating from his focused, cutting stare. James met Edward’s dark gaze and let out a small laugh. “Interesting.” Edward’s face was all ice, clearly not in the mood to chat. While most people had taken just a few minutes to warm up, Alice was given ten full minutes to catch up, considering she was a total beginner. By the time those ten minutes were up, James and Edward had already gone through several rounds. James narrowly edged out Edward by a single point in the first round. “Well then, guess I’ll take that win,” James said with a lazy grin, smoothly lowering his bow with practiced ease. “The first love or your wife—who do you love more?” Everyone had been focused on their own practice, but James Grant’s question was like a bomb—everyone instantly froze, eyes lighting up with gossipy curiosity. Alice paused mid-draw and glanced toward Edward. Edward shot James a sideways glance, lips curling with a frosty smirk. Without answering, he strolled over to the bar, grabbed a glass of whiskey, and downed it in one go. The rules were clear—skip a question, take a drink as penalty. Alice frowned. She almost wanted to stop him. He ended up in the hospital after drinking just last night, and now he was back at hard liquor? Not exactly smart. But since Charles Bennett, a literal doctor, was here and didn’t say a word, she figured she’d better keep quiet too. And just like that, things between Edward and James ramped up fast. Their archery skills were evenly matched. In the second round, Edward scraped by with a one-point lead. “So… does Laura love you? Or did she just marry you because she didn’t have a choice? If I remember right, wasn’t she about to get engaged to someone else before you showed up?” Laura Grant was James' wife. Rumor had it she had a serious boyfriend before him, someone she wanted to marry. But James had shut it all down, forcing the couple apart with his influence and resources. After breaking them up, he allegedly used pressure on her family’s company to corner Laura into marrying him. So yeah, even though Laura had his last name, her heart? Not his. That fact? Absolutely drilled into James’s pride. Everyone gasped sharply. Only a close “friend” would know the exact spot to stab so it really hurt. James' lazy grin never reached his eyes. That slightly raised corner of his lips had a kind of twisted edge to it. “She doesn't get to love anyone else but me.” Alice felt a chill crawl down her spine. People like him, who’d do absolutely anything just to own someone they love... yeah, that was terrifying. And this? This was elite drama at its finest. These people were all on the same level and seemed cool with all this, but she? She wasn’t even supposed to overhear this stuff. She definitely knew way too much now. The game kept moving. In round three, James landed another bullseye with his final arrow, narrowly securing the win. “Alice’s voice sounds a lot like the way you once described your first love’s. Is that why you hired her to be your secretary?” Just like that, every gaze shifted and locked in on Alice again. Sophia looked like she was seconds from exploding. Her glare could’ve ripped Alice apart. So that’s why Edward treated this woman so nicely? Because she sounded like someone from his past? Great. Couldn’t beat his first love, and now this woman had to sound like her too? Alice went rigid. Internally, she cursed James for being such a snake. Couldn’t believe he dragged her into this mess. Now that she thought about it, Edward had often asked her to read out reports and documents. She figured it was just his way of absorbing info differently, given how many files he had to deal with every day. He never asked William to do that… ever. Could it really be what James hinted at? Was their voice that similar? Edward gave Alice a passing glance, expression flat. “She wasn’t my choice. That hire came from the board.” Alice had climbed her way up from the bottom. Long before Edward returned to the country, the board had already chosen her as his secretary to work alongside William. She let out a tiny breath of relief, stealing a grateful glance at Edward. Thank God he told the truth, or Sophia’s glare probably would’ve killed her on the spot. After that, the match between Edward and James Grant just got boring. At first, everyone was hyped, but when both of them kept hitting bullseyes every single round, the novelty wore off fast. It was basically a draw every time. Even the two of them seemed to lose interest—they just ditched their bows and flopped back onto the couch. Finally, the second round kicked off. Sophia strutted up to Alice with her chin raised high, the arrogance practically dripping off her as she said, “Go ahead. You can shoot first.” Charles Bennett gave Alice a gentle pat on the shoulder and leaned in with a grin, whispering, “Go get ’em, beauty.” Alice felt nervous inside, but her face stayed calm. She stood tall, raised the bow, closed one eye to line up a shot right at the red center of the target. Thwack! “Alice, six points,” the scorekeeper announced loudly. Sophia shot her a mocking smirk before readying her own arrow. Thwack! “Sophia, nine points.” Alice ignored her smug looks and let out a quiet breath to calm her nerves. Thwack! “Alice, eight.” “Sophia, eight.” “Alice, nine.” “Sophia, ten.” After several rounds, Sophia was leading by a few points. It was down to the final arrow now. A thin sheen of sweat had formed across Alice’s pale forehead. She shut her eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, and imagined the target was someone she desperately wanted to destroy. When she opened them, her eyes were sharp with focus. She took the shot. Thwack! “Alice, ten.” She blinked in disbelief at the bullseye, then spun around with bright eyes toward Charles. “I actually hit ten points!” Her clean, delicate features lit up with joy, that smile of hers adding a refreshing kind of innocence. Even Charles was a little stunned staring at her. “Yeah, you nailed it.” Thwack! “Sophia, ten.” “Oh please, you act like hitting one ten-pointer is some big deal?” Sophia folded her arms, sarcasm dripping from her voice. “You still lost, right?” Alice didn’t even flinch. She casually lowered her bow, smiling sweetly. “True, Miss Grant. Your archery skills are clearly on a different level.” Charles chuckled, “Come on, Sophia. Alice just started learning. No need to be so competitive.” It wasn’t like it was some amazing feat to beat a beginner when you’ve been training since childhood. Besides, the final score difference was only three points. Sophia caught sight of the amused stares from the people around them. Her cheeks flushed, and she stomped her foot. “Whatever, I still won, and she has to answer my question!” Then she blurted out the most outrageous thing that could’ve fried Alice’s brain. “Tell the truth—have you slept with Edward?”