Alyssa did not have the time to blow her hair dry. She hastily put on a wool coat over her night robe and sped to KS World Hotel in her Bugatti with her hair still damp.During the drive, she made a rare call to Jasper after giving it some thought.Jasper was on a business trip at Edenfells City, approximately 62 miles from Solana City. The Beckett Group had bought a piece of land by the countryside to build a hot springs resort, which was already in the works.At that very moment, Jasper and Xavier, wearing safety helmets, were inspecting the construction progress under the lead of the person in charge.Just as Xavier was shining a flashlight for Jasper to read the blueprint, Jasper's phone rang. He frowned and impatiently dug out his phone. Alyssa's name lit up the screen, a golden glimmer amidst the darkness. He held his breath and felt his heart race. His hand was trembling slightly as he clutched the phone."I-It's Madam!" Xavier's face beamed with exhilaration."I know. C
The grating sound of the car tires against the parking lot ground echoed in the space. Sean watched as Alyssa drifted the Bugatti and parked it nicely into her parking spot.He wore a proud grin on his lips.Alyssa left her car, looking damp from the bath and seething in anger. She hissed, "Which room is that scoundrel in?""He's in the presidential suite on the hotel's top floor," answered a worried Sean. He lowered his voice and continued, "They just entered their suite. There's only one presidential suite on the top floor, so no other guests would be disturbed even if there's a commotion.""Got it."A few minutes later, Alyssa arrived at the door of the presidential suite in her stilettos, a bundle of murderous rage.Sean followed closely behind her. Judging by her demeanor, it seemed as though she was here to confront a cheating couple rather than rescue a young lady who had made a poor choice."Swipe the room card.""Of course, Ms. Alyssa," Sean acknowledged as he unlock
Landon's eyes widened at the perfect "couple" in front of his eyes. Jasper's remark was meaningless, but paired with his longing gaze and his deep, hoarse voice, he sounded like a man in love.After some contemplation, Landon's perspective shifted. He believed, to be precise, that Jasper was, at most, a man tormented by unrequited love.It was a pity Landon didn't have a phone with him. If not, he would have taken a photo of Jasper's cheesy expression and showed it to the latter."And it seems you never learn," Jasper frowned, his eyes simmering with anger as he chastised Landon. He continued, "We asked you not to make a move on Lauren, but you kept crossing our lines. Do you think it's unfair to be slapped thrice?"I, on the other hand, think that it's not enough. You should be slapped every time we run into you."We?Alyssa felt uneasy at the way Jasper had lumped them together. After all, he had once been a heartless man who wanted nothing to do with her."Mr. Beckett, pl
Was he the same man who had never performed an act of service as simple as pouring a glass of water?How could he have helped dry her hair? At that moment, it felt more like a horror story."Get your hands off me!" she hissed through clenched teeth, but the soft noises had stirred Lauren. Lauren curled up under the blanket but thankfully did not wake up."Go louder if you want to wake her up." Jasper curled his lips into a grin and went on drying her hair, happy that he had figured out her weakness."Well, at least be gentle! I've been dealing with hair loss, you know. Your rough handling might just make me go bald!" She scowled, her cheeks flushed with anger."Sorry. This is my first time drying someone's hair. I'm inexperienced …" Jasper apologized. As he worked the towel through her hair, he could feel a warm, fuzzy sensation inside.He promised, "I'll do it better the next time."Alyssa had goosebumps on her skin and retorted, "I'm only letting you do this because of Lauren.
After settling Lauren's matter, Alyssa returned to the villa with Sean. She replayed the scene where Jasper dried her hair, and she felt her throat drying.He had said to her, "Sorry. This is my first time drying someone's hair. I'm inexperienced …"That was bullshit. He had dated Liana for years. Even if they didn't score a home run, they must have done everything possible with each other. What was the point of acting all innocent?To her, Jasper and Landon seemed equally terrible. They were a bad influence on each other.Back home, Alyssa kicked off her heels and sat on the couch glumly instead of retiring to her bedroom. Sean handed her a glass of hot milk with concern. He advised, "It's way past midnight. Take some rest after you've had the milk.""How did Lauren and Landon run into each other? She has always been kept at home under the tight supervision of her family. So, what happened?" Alyssa wondered aloud.Alyssa did not feel sleepy at all as she couldn't shake off her
"Zoe, Lauren is not an idiot! You can't call her that!" Landon chastised Zoe, deeply disturbed by her hurtful description of Lauren.In his eyes, Zoe had always been an angel. Sure, she could be a bit petulant at times, but she was inherently kind and soft-hearted.However, in this particular moment, Zoe seemed contorted by rage and hatred, as if she had a personal vendetta against Lauren and wanted nothing more than to tear her apart.Was it all because he had spent the night with Lauren?Throughout his years of casual encounters, Landon had never witnessed Zoe reacting so strongly against any of his romantic partners. Why was she agitated just because he was being good to Lauren?"Y-You yelled at me for calling her an idiot. How could you …" Zoe's flushed face had now paled, and the icy, piercing look in Landon's eyes caused beads of sweat to form on her forehead."Lauren is not an idiot, Zoe. I never want to hear you say that again. If it happens one more time, I'll be genuine
With such a straightforward question, all eyes turned to Bryan.A chill went down his spine as he met Alyssa's sharp gaze. However, he kept his composure and calmed down. He said, "This was already a public secret within our circle. The Beckett Group competed with us previously, and Ada was wavering between you and Mr. Beckett. "But in the end, you were one step ahead of his game, so you took over the right to host the wedding. "Since we're on the losing end now, given Ada's wedding is just around the corner, it's only natural that she'd switch to the Beckett Group, isn't it?"Bryan made it sound like it made perfect sense. Alyssa smiled, her captivating eyes narrowed slightly. She leaned back comfortably and smirked. "Good point, Bryan. But you've overlooked one thing—until now, the Beckett Group and Ada have not signed any official contract," stated Alyssa. Everyone was appalled. "What? It's been a week, and the contract hasn't been signed?"Bryan remained calm, but hi
Javier asked, "At this hour?"Javier lifted his wrist and looked at his watch. He furrowed his brows slightly. "He should know Jasper isn't home right now. Besides, it's almost dinner time. And for him to come now …""Oh, Javier, why are you overthinking it? It's rare for Mr. Harper to pay us a visit. Maybe he's here for Betty," said Sophia in a honeyed voice as she linked her arms with Javier."Sophia, what do you mean? Don't tell me Landon and Betty …" Javier was taken aback."You're always so busy, and you don't pay much attention to Betty. You don't even know what's going on in her mind.""Betty has had her eye on Mr. Harper for quite some time," said Sophia reproachfully as her slender fingers gently poked Javier's chest. Javier stared in astonishment. "Betty likes Landon? Why haven't I noticed at all?""Oh, you know how girls are easily embarrassed. How can they just put it straight like that?" replied Sophia. Sophia also had an embarrassed look on her face. It was as i