LOGINMoments later, the car had already entered the hotel’s underground parking lot.The familiar concrete walls and bright overhead lights passed in a blur as the vehicle rolled towards the private lift. The faint hum of the engine echoed through the enclosed space, mixing with the distant sounds of staff moving about the hotel.Then Ava spotted the familiar security staff gathered nearby.Her heart sank."Oh, bloody hell."She immediately snatched up the magazine beside her and held it in front of her face, hiding behind its glossy pages.She certainly didn't want any of her familiar colleagues seeing her in such an embarrassing state. Being carried around by Alexander was humiliating enough without having an audience to witness it.Beside her, Alexander watched her movements.A faint smile touched his eyes.He found her embarrassment far more amusing than he probably should have.The car came to a smooth stop beside the private elevator. Several members of the security team had already
Ava bit her lower lip, then let out a light, incredulous laugh.“Ten times? As if you’ve got the ability to do that!”The man remained seated at the simple old dining table, one hand elegantly cradling his bowl as though they were having the most ordinary breakfast in the world. There was an almost infuriating calmness about him.“You can try.”“Ungrateful wretch!” Ava gritted her teeth. “I saved you, and instead of being grateful, you treat me like this?”Alexander glanced sideways at her, his expression composed, his voice carrying that effortless American drawl that somehow made his shamelessness sound perfectly reasonable.“Offering myself to you and cherishing only you for the rest of my life—that’s the greatest gratitude I can give you.”Ava curled her lip.Who on earth would want that?To say something so outrageously shameless while wearing such a righteous, almost noble expression—honestly, probably only Alexander could manage it.There was simply no reasoning with a man like
Settling back down beside the toilet, Ava rested her head against one hand and stared blankly at the tiled floor.Her stomach still churned unpleasantly, leaving a bitter taste at the back of her throat. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to steady herself and make sense of the miserable morning she was having.Little did she know, she would barely have half a minute of peace.Knock, knock, knock.The sound came from the bathroom door again.Ava's eyes snapped open.She stared at the door in disbelief.She couldn't even have five minutes of peace while using the bathroom. Was this man deliberately trying to drive her mad?Irritation flared through her already frayed nerves.She turned towards the door and snapped, "I'm giving you three seconds to get as far away from this door as possible!"There was a brief silence.Then a small, familiar voice came from the other side."Mommy."Ava froze."It's me."Her anger vanished instantly, replaced by guilt.She had completely forgotten
Late into the night, Ava dreamed...It was not the sort of dream that came in fragments, nor one that faded upon waking. No—this one unfolded with unsettling clarity, as though memory itself had decided to return, dressed in silk and candlelight.She was younger.Far younger.Barely more than a girl.The grand Vanderbilt estate shimmered around her, ablaze with golden light and music. That night—the night she had saved the formidable patriarch, Mr. Cornelius Vanderbilt—had altered the course of everything that followed.And in reward, she had been invited to the ball.She remembered the first moment she saw him.Alexander.Standing beneath the chandeliers, tall and self-assured, yet with something unguarded lingering beneath his composure. Their eyes had met only briefly before he crossed the floor and asked for her hand.And then—They danced.From the very first note to the final fading chord of the evening.Not once did they tire.Not once did they falter.It was as though they had
“Sir.”Finn stood outside the door, a large paper bag in hand. “Everything you requested is inside—including your phone.”Alexander took the bag, his expression already returned to its usual cold composure. “Go back and find out who that man was. I want a full report. Contact me the moment you learn anything.”“Yes, sir.”Finn hesitated.His gaze flicked—just briefly—towards the interior of the apartment, then back to Alexander. “This place… may not be entirely safe.”“It’s fine,” Alexander replied, his tone leaving no room for argument.Finn exhaled quietly. “Very well.”He took a step back, then paused again, clearly wrestling with himself.“Sir… if I may—”Alexander’s brows drew together. “You may not.”Finn pressed on anyway, lowering his voice. “Women are not won over by force. They respond to patience… to gentleness.”A beat.“Try treating her kindly.”Alexander’s expression darkened immediately. “I don’t require your advice.”Finn raised both hands in surrender. “Of course not.
The moment the lift doors parted, Ava recognised the familiar corridor and could have wept—whether from relief or sheer exhaustion, she could not quite tell.They had arrived at her building.She twisted in Alexander’s arms at once, intent on freeing herself, but his hold only tightened.“If you keep moving,” he murmured against her ear, his voice low and dangerously even, “I’ll take you again.”The threat was quiet—far too quiet—and therefore entirely believable.Ava stilled.She bit the inside of her cheek, then deliberately relaxed against him, allowing her weight to settle against his chest. It was not surrender—it was strategy. A sensible woman, after all, did not choose to fight a battle she was certain to lose, particularly while injured and at a disadvantage.And Alexander Vanderbilt, infuriatingly, always did exactly as he said he would.By the time she had finished that thought, he had already carried her into the lift.Finn followed with a discreet efficiency, gesturing for
Did he think she wanted to be sitting on top of him? If it weren’t for that damned strand of hair, she wouldn’t touch him even if someone paid her.Ava pushed herself up at once, straightened her clothes with brisk, irritated movements, then glanced down at him. “Are you alright?” she asked quickly,
Ava walked slowly along the fourth-floor corridor, her footsteps muted by the thick carpet beneath her shoes. The hallway seemed unusually long tonight, stretching ahead like a quiet trial she had already accepted but could not avoid.At the very end lay the terrace.The hanging garden there was dim
Back in her room, Ava moved with swift, practised efficiency.She opened her suitcase and didn’t hesitate—documents, wallet, phone, keys. Everything essential went straight into a backpack. She slung it over her shoulders, then crossed the room and went into Marcello’s bedroom.From the wardrobe, s
After a long stretch of silence, Finn finally returned.“Sir,” he said carefully, his voice low, “there really isn’t any.”Alexander turned.He studied Finn for a moment—long enough for the assistant to feel the weight of that gaze settle on his shoulders—before Alexander sud







