Chapter 006: Surrender or Fight Back

At Knight Group Headquarters, in the CEO's office.

Alexander's pen hovered over the last page of the acquisition proposal when his assistant Jasper knocked on the door and entered.

"Anything?"

Alexander didn't look up, his voice cold.

Jasper nodded and handed over a tablet.

"Lisa White, 22 years old, graduate of RISD."

"The baby who was supposed to be a White got mixed up with the Carters at birth. An unfortunate victim of a hospital mix-up."

Jasper finished his report. Alexander's lips twitched, cold amusement flickering in his eyes.

"The Carters don't want her, and the Whites disown her?"

"A stray with nowhere to go?"

"Yes."

Jasper pushed up his glasses, his tone calm.

"Now the golden child cherished by both families is Winnie Carter, a straight-A student from Harvard Business School."

Alexander closed his pen case and looked up at Jasper.

"What's her history with Ethan?"

Jasper swiped to the next page on the tablet, his tone cautious:

"Miss White attended the same high school as the young master—she chased him relentlessly, bringing him breakfast in the rain and sneaking sketchbooks over the wall."

"On the night of their high school graduation, the young master, drunk, tossed her a casual'keep up if you can'."

"But then he met Winnie Carter at Harvard's freshman orientation and left Miss White hanging like a forgotten accessory."

"The young master finds her clingy, yet keeps her around for amusement. They've known each other for six years,'dated'for four. Miss White has been used as a betting chip, a party joke. Everyone in their circle laughs at how she throws herself at him with no shred of dignity left."

Alexander's eyes darkened, a sneer tugging at his lips.

"Four years..."

"She certainly knows how to endure."

"Did you find out what happened last night?"

Jasper bowed his head to report:

"At Nebula last night, the young master was celebrating Miss Carter's birthday. Miss White endured some humiliation and was forced to down half a bottle of tequila."

Alexander tapped his knuckles lightly on the desk, his eyes suddenly turning cold.

"Half a bottle?"

"Yes. After Miss White was thoroughly drunk, the young master ordered her to go buy clothes for Miss Carter."

Jasper hesitated, then went on.

"When she stumbled into the elevator, you had just finished your dinner engagement and were heading upstairs..."

At that, Alexander let out a cold laugh.

So that was it. Last night, she'd been clutching at his tie like a lifeline.

Groveling for four years and getting nothing in return, yet she'd learned to bite and tear at his prayer beads.

This girl had quite the ambition.

Jasper went on:

"This afternoon, Miss White took the initiative to meet with Mrs. Voss. It seems they struck a deal."

Hearing this, Alexander's eyebrows twitched slightly.

"She shows some intelligence when she's not groveling. Knows where to apply pressure."

"Tonight, after Mrs. Voss finished investigating Miss White's background, she used an internal referral through HR to secure Miss White a position as a curatorial assistant, directly in the Collection Department."

"A curatorial assistant?"

Alexander scoffed, his voice low.

"Linda has a knack for picking the perfect spot."

A faint, cold amusement crossed his face. Was she trying to plant a spy? How naive of her.

The Collection Department was on the same floor as his office. She was planting someone right under his nose.

Jasper ventured:

"Mr. Knight, should we block it?"

Alexander waved his hand to cut him off sharply.

"Aunt Linda is handing her a knife. I'd hate to spoil her fun."

He knew exactly what Linda was up to.

That woman, whose life had been ruined by a marriage alliance with the Knight family, hated the Knights and this loveless marriage with a passion.

Now she wanted to use Lisa to sabotage the second marriage alliance between the Knight and Voss families.

This suited him perfectly.

As for whether that little wildcat would provoke Mr. Knight Sr.'s wrath...

She'd chosen this path. He had no reason to intervene.

"Let her come."

Jasper looked slightly stunned:

"You mean..."

"Tell HR to give her the position."

He paused, his eyes growing colder:

"But don't make it easy for her."

Jasper nodded in understanding:

"I understand."

Alexander stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the city lights below.

"Jasper, what do you think a cat cornered will do?"

Jasper pondered for a moment, then replied cautiously:

"Either surrender or fight back."

A faint smile crossed Alexander's lips. The dim yellow light from outside reflected on his cold profile.

He couldn't wait to see, this little wildcat...

How she would use her claws to crack open the doors of the Knight family, one scratch at a time.

...

At ten o'clock that night, as I pushed open the door to my apartment, Song Sheng came jumping off the sofa with a squid skewer in her mouth.

"Disappearing on your birthday?"

"A dozen unread messages. I thought Ethan that idiot had finally dumped you in the river."

I collapsed onto the sofa, propping my long legs up on the armrest.

"Pulled off something major."

Song Sheng's gaze swept over my collarbone. She squinted, leaned closer, and suddenly grabbed my chin to turn it toward the light.

"Damn, those bite marks are savage! Which brave soul finally broke the seal on your neck—Ethan's cowardly ass never dared."

"His father. Alexander Knight."

I pushed her hand away and pulled a pillow over my collarbone.

"No. Freaking. Way."Song Sheng slammed her beer bottle down on the coffee table."You slept with the untouchable power broker of the elite circles? To get back at his son? Now that's what I call next-level strategy!"

I grabbed an ice-cold beer from the coffee table and popped the tab with a crisp click.

"Let's just say... he put the brakes on. Hard. A tragic waste of a world-class body."

Song Sheng deflated instantly, shaking her head:

"Tsk, major disappointment!"

I laughed and took a big sip from the beer can.

"Brakes? Next time I'll just—"

I was about to continue when my phone, lying on the coffee table, buzzed with a notification.

The banner displaying"Knight Group"caught Song Sheng's eye.

Song Sheng moved quickly, snatching the phone and shoving it in front of my face.

"Holy shit, that logo... an offer from Knight Group??"

I swiped open the email. The golden logo of the employment notice made Song Sheng's eyes widen.

"Curatorial Assistant in the Collection Management Department? At Knight Group Headquarters? This is a fast track straight to the inner sanctum!"

"Wait, didn't you apply to Knight Group like eight hundred times before and never hear back?"

"Could it be Alexander?"

I tossed the phone back onto the coffee table and leaned back lazily.

"No."

"It was his stepmother, Linda Voss."

I briefly told Song Sheng about meeting Linda that afternoon.

After listening, Song Sheng slapped her own thigh.

"So Linda wants you to stir up a hornet's nest at the Knight family?"

I nodded:

"Mutual benefit."

Song Sheng thrust a thumbs-up in front of my face.

"About damn time you went nuclear!"

"Thinking about how you groveled after that coward Ethan all these years makes me want to scream."

I tapped my finger on the beer can, grinning mischievously.

"Groveling to him is a thing of the past. Just wait till I bring him to his knees."

At that, Song Sheng perked up.

"But you have to play it smart this time."

"Chasing Alexander is nothing like chasing Ethan. You can't just charge in and pester him relentlessly."

I propped my chin up, the corners of my eyes lifting like cunning hooks.

"Who said I'm going to chase him?"

I already had a plan.

"It's about patience and precision. Let him take the bait himself."

"A man like Alexander... if you try to unbutton a single button, he'll build a fortress. But if he's the one who unbuckles his belt..."

Song Sheng burst out laughing, clinking her beer can against mine.

"Hell yeah, strategic upgrade!"

Song Sheng looked at me, a flicker of genuine emotion crossing her face.

"Lisa... you've really changed."

Once, I'd been led around by an invisible script. Chasing Ethan like a puppet on strings.

But now, it was different. I was going to rewrite the play to suit myself!