Chapter 6

"Your nose okay?" Jasper asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

Renee rubbed her nose and gave a playful smile. "It's the real deal, so it's nothing too serious."

He let out a quiet chuckle, his smile easy and warm. "Good. Glad to hear it."

Interesting woman, he thought as he walked past her and stepped out of the elevator.

Once he was gone, Renee pressed the button for her floor. She leaned against the wall, head bowed slightly, still rubbing her sore nose.

She let out a deep breath and muttered, "Ugh… that hurt like hell. What is that guy's chest made of, steel?"

Maybe because she was looking down, the tears that had been welling up finally slipped free, falling straight down. She had no idea Jasper was still standing just outside the elevator, watching the whole thing.

As the doors slowly closed, blocking his view, a small smile tugged at his lips. "Stubborn little thing."

Just then, his phone buzzed. Jasper glanced at the screen. The caller ID lit up with a familiar name—Alison.

He sighed and picked up. "Let me guess. Out of money again?"

Alison laughed on the other end. "You always get me, my dear brother."

"How much this time?" he asked as he walked toward the exit.

Alison thought for a second. "Hmm… let's say 50 million."

Jasper let out a disbelieving laugh. "50 million? What are you doing, taking a world tour or buying yourself a country?"

"Oh, come on, Jasper! I'm broke, just help me out," she whined, piling on the charm.

Of course, there was no way she could tell him the truth. Her company was on the verge of collapsing, and she needed serious cash to save it.

Jasper wasn't fooled. "Let me guess. Your company's about to go under again?"

Alison screamed in frustration. "Hey! Don't jinx me! My company's doing just fine, thank you very much."

"Yeah? If business is so great, why are you asking me for money?"

"T-that's because… I just… I haven't even made my money back yet!" Alison sputtered on the other end.

She let out a dramatic sigh and switched to full-on guilt mode: "Anyway, are you sending it or not? If not, your poor little sister will starve overseas."

Jasper's smile faded as his tone turned serious: "I'll have Luke wire you a million later today. But this is your last shot. I'm giving you six more months. If your business still isn't turning a profit by then, you're coming back to work for the family. No arguments. You'll follow every decision they make."

-

Up on the 29th floor, Renee wandered through the spacious apartment, soaking in every detail of the place. The entire unit was wide open and airy, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the river. From here, she could see nearly half the city.

The stunning view left her in awe. It almost felt like it had some kind of magic, calming every ounce of frustration in her chest.

She found herself thinking that once her divorce from Adam was finalized, she was going to buy a place of her own. Something just like this, right here in this neighborhood. She loved everything about this place, from the layout to the river view.

After sitting by the window for a long while, she suddenly remembered the man who had saved her life. She picked up her phone, found the number she had been given, and dialed.

It rang a few times before a deep voice answered: "Who is this?"

"Hi, this is Renee Whitley," she said simply. "I'm the woman you rescued and took to the hospital yesterday. I just wanted to call and thank you."

Jasper was in his office, flipping through documents when he heard her introduce herself. He raised an eyebrow. Until now, he hadn't even known her name, as Luke had handled the whole thing.

He stood, holding his phone in one hand and his coffee in the other, walking over to his own massive windows as he spoke in an easy, unhurried voice: "It was nothing. Just glad I could help."

His voice was deep and smooth, with the kind of rich tone that could stop someone in their tracks. On the other end of the line, Renee couldn't help but think he must be a kind man who probably looked as good as he sounded.

"I don't know if you have time, but I'd love to buy you dinner sometime," she said, hoping to repay him for the medical bills.

Jasper's eyes narrowed slightly, a flicker of mockery flashing across his face. His voice cooled just a little as he replied, "No need. I don't date married women."

He was long used to women throwing themselves at him, pulling every trick in the book to get his attention. It was nothing new.

His sharp, deep-set eyes drifted toward the view outside. Across the river, he could clearly see the apartments at Platinum Heights. Funny. Wasn't that where Renee lived too?

Meanwhile, Renee sat in stunned silence. A moment ago, she had been feeling nothing but gratitude for her so-called Good Samaritan. Now, her impression of him had plummeted to the ground.

Seriously? What an arrogant lunatic!

"I think you misunderstood. I only wanted to buy you dinner as a way to say thank you, and to repay the money you covered for my medical bills," she clarified, her voice turning cold.

"No need," he replied flatly.

Her polite tone vanished as she added, "I don't like owing people. This number is linked to your Venmo, right? I'll add you and transfer the money."

Before he could say another word, she hung up. Less than a minute later, his phone buzzed with a notification. He opened it, finding a friend request from Renee. Her profile picture showed a bright blue sky, with a delicate hand holding a heart-shaped piece of foxtail grass.

Jasper stared at the request for a moment, then tapped accept before he even realized it. A message came through right away, along with a transfer of five thousand dollars.

[Thanks for the help. This covers the medical bill you paid.]

Her words had a faint edge of sarcasm to them.

Jasper hesitated for a second before accepting the transfer. Out of politeness, he sent back a simple thumbs-up emoji, not bothering to type a single word. But right after he hit send, a red exclamation mark popped up.

[System message: You're not friends with this user.]

Jasper stared at the screen for a moment.

Seriously?

His usually cool expression twitched, then he let out a quiet, disbelieving laugh before taking a sip of his coffee.

-

It had been a week since that night at the hospital, when Adam stormed off in anger. He hadn't come home since. Over the phone, he said he was away on a business trip to the coast. He used to take Renee along on every trip. This time, he didn't.

Renee didn't bother asking questions. Honestly, she didn't care enough to dig. Every day, she showed up for work right on time, sticking to her usual nine-to-five routine.

Monday morning, Adam came straight to the office from his trip. But this time, he wasn't alone—there was a new personal assistant by his side.

Renee walked into the elevator, holding her resignation letter, and headed straight to Adam's office.

As she passed the break room, someone called out to her: "Long time no see, Ms. Whitley."

Renee paused and glanced over. Kayla stepped out of the break room in a sleek black suit, heels clicking against the floor. Her makeup was flawless, and she carried a steaming cup of tea, looking smug and radiant.

"Something you need?" Renee asked coolly.

Kayla casually brushed her shoulder-length hair behind her ear and offered her hand with a sweet smile. "Let me introduce myself. I'm Adam's—oh, sorry—Mr. Graham's new personal assistant. Looks like we'll be working together from now on, Ms. Whitley. Hope we get along."