Chapter 3

At the last second, Axel—the guy who was supposedly "paralyzed and couldn't feel his legs"—shot out of his wheelchair!

Before I could react, he lunged forward, grabbed me by the throat, and slammed me against the wall.

Axel leaned in, his dark eyes murderous.

"Got a death wish?"

His grip cut off my air, and my face turned red.

But seeing him standing perfectly fine on both legs, I burst out laughing.

"Mr. Alwyn... having fun... faking your paralysis?" I forced out, staring straight into his pitch-black eyes.

Axel's pupils constricted, veins popping on the back of his hand.

"You saw something you shouldn't have." His voice went ice-cold as his grip tightened. "I could strangle you right now and tell everyone you killed yourself because you couldn't handle the humiliation. The Twyfords wouldn't dare say a word."

"Really?" I could barely breathe, but my smile only grew.

I managed to lift a hand and lightly patted his tense arm.

"Killing me... would be easy. But if I'm dead, who's gonna... fix your legs?"

Axel's hand froze.

I sucked in a breath and kept going. "Your legs aren't completely paralyzed, but the nerve damage is bad. Every time you force yourself to stand, they go numb and stiff, right?

"If you don't get the right nerve treatment soon, you'll actually lose the use of your legs within six months."

Axel stared at me, surprise flashing in his eyes.

"There's more." I caught my breath and looked him straight in the eye. "Let's make a deal. I'll treat your legs and keep your secret.

"In return, you help me take down the Twyfords and the Pritchards.

"So, deal?"

Axel loosened his grip, amusement flashing in his eyes.

He didn't let me go. Instead, he leaned closer, his warm breath brushing my ear with the clean scent of cedar cologne.

"So the Twyfords' daughter isn't just gutsy. You also know how to perform a specialized nerve treatment that most doctors can't. You're full of surprises."

His low voice filled the huge bedroom, way too confident for my liking.

"If I'm right, you're also 'X,' the top trader in the hacking world—the one who recently shorted one of Alwyn Corp's rivals overseas."

My eyes widened, and my whole body went stiff.

Being "X" was my biggest secret. Not even the Twyfords knew that while I was growing up in a small town, I'd trained under a retired expert and picked up skills that went way beyond investing.

But Axel had figured it all out.

'Borevia's most powerful heir definitely lived up to the hype. Even while faking paralysis, his intel network was scary good.'

Now that my secret was out, I dropped the act and met his gaze with a calm smile.

"Since you already know everything about me, are we making this deal or not?"

Axel chuckled, his chest rumbling softly.

He finally let me go, then casually smoothed my wrinkled collar with his long fingers.

"Deal." His dark eyes locked on mine, a dangerous smile tugging at his lips. "Mrs. Alwyn, I look forward to working with you."