Vincent led Alyssa and Ada to the backstage dressing room, where they chatted and sipped champagne.After a while, Ada's manager summoned her for an important interview, leaving only Alyssa and Vincent in the room."It's been three years since we last met. How have you been, Alyssa?" Vincent gave her a fatherly look, devoid of any romantic passion."Just like what you see. I'm still the old me." Alyssa opened her arms with a cool smile."You seem more worldly than three years ago. I can see in your weathered eyes that you went through a lot. Where did you go in the three years you vanished? Did you travel the world for inspiration?" Vincent detected a hint of melancholy in her expression and asked with genuine concern."Nah, I did not go traveling. I wasted three years working as a slave, and I'm completely burned out." Alyssa let out a sigh with an empty look in her eyes."You're as funny as before." He clinked glasses with her and chuckled. "When do you plan to reveal your iden
Whenever Jasper saw Alyssa getting close to someone from the opposite sex, it frustrated him. He so badly wanted to rid her of the men.He sensed that he was getting weirder and more begrudged by the day. The self-control he had always prided himself on was nowhere to be found when he was with Alyssa.Alyssa was riled up upon hearing his remark. She said mockingly, "Yeah, we do know each other. We're archenemies.""Alyssa," Jasper croaked. His chest tightened."An ex-husband shouldn't be out telling everyone about our 'relationship.' You should lay low and shut up. Don't you have any manners?"Her ex-husband? Vincent was shocked to learn that Alexa had been married. He hadn't heard of it, even as her close friend of many years. The question was, why did she marry Jasper?Alexa was a goddess who had better options. Why did she choose to marry a jealous fellow?"Mr. Beckett, you want to find trouble? I'm fine with that. The sight of you has already pissed me off anyway. But I don'
Jasper found himself standing before Alyssa, vulnerable and defenseless against her barrage of verbal attacks. She was right, though. He was the reason behind the shitty things she had to endure."Alyssa, there's nothing between me and Zoe. I only see her as a little sister!" His ears reddened from the anxiety as he struggled to make his point.Normally, he wouldn't bother explaining himself, but he was at his wit's end this time."Why bother telling me? It's not my concern," Alyssa snapped, her patience waning as she shot him a look of disdain. "I couldn't care less about your relationship with her, and I certainly don't want to hear your explanation. Let go. I'm going to watch the show.""Do you not care? If so, why did you have to bring it up? You mentioned it once at the police station and again this time!" He was resentful at the misunderstanding between them. His eyes brimmed with tears from the upsetting situation, and his shoulders quivered. He added, "If you care about w
Sounding anxious, Xavier quickly voiced his concern, "Ada Kingsley's wedding site decor at KS World Hotel has been leaked on Twitter. It's circulating and topping the trending topics."Jasper's eyes twitched as he inquired, "Do we know which media outlet is responsible for this?""It's a verified media account!""They're asking for trouble by leaking things they shouldn't!" Jasper remarked, his expression darkening."W-Will that affect Madam?" Xavier inquired with worry."Absolutely," Jasper replied, his gaze still fixed on the direction Alyssa had hurried off to. He continued, "I suspect there's a specific clause in her contract with Ada Kingsley that prohibits the hotel from divulging any details of the wedding. A violation of the clause is a breach of contract.""A breach of contract? That's serious!""Now that the site decoration has been leaked, KS World Hotel has breached the contract. Even if they aren't legally obligated to compensate Ada, I'm convinced she'll reconsid
When Alyssa heard from Vincent that Ada had left the show, she ran to the underground parking with Sean in search of Ada. At that moment, Ada had entered her private van with a foul expression.As the door rolled to a close, a pair of pale hands gripped it and slid it open."Madam Ada, we know you're furious at the trending topics. I feel the same because the photos have been leaked! KS World Hotel has no idea about the leak!" Alyssa spoke through heavy breaths after running all the way. She was sweaty,Ada gave her an amused look. She was a professional at keeping her composure after 30 years of acting.Instead of launching a tirade, she remarked, "Ms. Alyssa, I trust that you are unaware of the leak because we've signed an agreement to keep it a secret and also because of your principles. Otherwise, you wouldn't have won Mr. Carter's approval."Sean's eyes lit up upon hearing that. He misread Ada's tone, thinking there was a chance of turning things around. However, he was imm
Alyssa's eyes clouded over as she smirked. "Interesting. They are testing my limits. They won't learn their lessons if I don't put them in their place."The setback didn't demotivate her. Losing an important client was not the focus right now. She needed to find out the mole in the hotel or risk losing more."Ms. Alyssa, what should we do with the box of desserts?" Sean appeared upset.She decisively tossed the box into the trashcan and walked away without a second glance. She reasoned, "A gift is only meaningful if the recipient accepts it. Now, it's just trash. I never reclaim what I've given to others. Let's go."A tall and hunky figure emerged from the shadows when the two left. Jasper's eyes flickered as he stared at Alyssa."It looks like Madam will be busy hunting down the mole! It's no easy task." Xavier sighed. Jasper wordlessly walked to the trashcan and picked up the box without concern about hygiene."Mr. Beckett, s-stop! It's dirty!" Even the adaptable Xavier was g
The following day, Xavier hurriedly knocked on Jasper's office door at the Beckett Group, announcing, "Mr. Beckett, you wanted me to look into—Argh!"Xavier trailed off with a scream. It was too late to stop Jasper, who was seated on the table and casually lifting a pastry out of the dirty box.With a satisfied crunch, Jasper took a massive bite of the pastry and scrunched up his eyes in enjoyment."Oh god! How could you eat the food you picked from the trashcan?" Xavier warned him."Only the box is dirty. The pastries are fine," Jasper replied nonchalantly as he took another bite.The pastries tasted delightful, but too bad they weren't for him. Bitterness welled up inside him. He had once been dismissive of Alyssa's daily efforts in crafting these desserts. Now, he found himself rummaging through the trash can just to get a taste. How did he get to this point?"Go ahead. How's the investigation?" Jasper put away the remaining pastries and questioned leisurely."Ahem. After u
Xavier fell silent once more.Jasper took a deep breath and lowered his gaze. "I'll make it up to her, little by little."…Jonah and Silas rushed to Alyssa's private villa that night when they heard of her business setback.Silas was drenched in sweat as he sat in the study. His fingers typed furiously on the keyboard to track down the user information from the leaker's account that Alyssa gave her.Meanwhile, Alyssa lounged on the couch and clinked glasses with Jonah, savoring the high-quality red wine he had brought along."Hey, that's too much!" Mouth dry, Silas protested, "Am I here at night to work for free? Look at you, drinking wine and enjoying life. Is this how you treat a prosecutor?"Silas realized they showed no sympathy, so he added meekly, "Please save some for me.""Silas, stay focused on your work. If you succeed, I'll reward you with everything from my wine cellar," Alyssa quipped."Hmph! I am a moral and principled civil servant. You'd better not attempt to