CHAPTER 3

Atticus’s POV

Why do I keep remembering his face over and over again since I stepped out of his building? His green eyes, his lips, his body — what?! Why do I even bother? His attitude is terrible!

As she was setting her table, a knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. A smile tugged at her lips.

That must be the food Lineth promised.

Excitedly, she walked to the door and opened it.

Her smile vanished when she saw a man she didn’t recognize standing there. Her brows furrowed.

“Who are you?”

The man in front of her was handsome — too handsome to trust. His sharp eyes and tailored tuxedo looked out of place in front of her modest home.

“I’m Sean Song,” he said, showing her an ID. “I’m here for you, Mrs. Ever—” He cleared his throat. “Ms. Roan.”

She raised an eyebrow. “What do you want?” she asked, switching to English effortlessly.

He glanced past her into the house. “May I come in?”

“No,” she said firmly, crossing her arms over her chest. Who in their right mind knocks on someone’s door this late at night? He might be handsome, but she wasn’t about to trust a stranger.

It wasn’t safe to let a man into her home — especially a stranger.

“Uh,” he cleared his throat, a look of disbelief flashing across his eyes. “You don’t know me?”

She shook her head. “No.”

“Are you sure?”

“I said no.” A sharp pain throbbed in her temple, and she rubbed it briefly. “What do you want from me?”

“I’m a private detective,” he said with a smile. “I’ve been looking for you.”

Her stomach tightened. “What do you mean?”

“Someone hired me to find you,” he said, taking a deep breath. “And they’d like to see you now, if possible.”

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “I don’t know you. You need to leave.”

He nodded. “Alright. Thank you for your time.”

She watched as Sean Song walked to his sleek car and drove away. A private detective? Someone’s looking for me? Yeah, right. Scammers come up with all kinds of schemes these days.

****

Phoenix’s POV

Phoenix answered the call immediately when he saw Sean’s name on the screen.

“How did it go?” he asked.

“It’s her,” Sean confirmed. “I’m sure of it, Everette. She’s your wife. But she doesn’t seem to know me. It’s strange. Either she doesn’t remember, or she’s pretending.”

Phoenix’s jaw clenched. “She’s just pretending. She’s always been good at that — making you believe her lies.”

Sean sighed. “What now? Her address matches the one on the résumé she gave you. Her neighbor said she’s been living there for almost two years.”

“Almost two years?” Phoenix echoed, his fist tightening.

“Yes.”

“Is there a man living with her?” Phoenix’s voice was sharp.

“No,” Sean said. “From what I gathered, she’s been alone since a woman she lived with died six months ago.”

“She’s alone?” Phoenix’s lips thinned. “How sure are you?”

“Seventy-five percent.”

Phoenix’s frustration boiled over. “And the other twenty-five percent?”

“That’s the ‘not sure’ part.”

Sean cleared his throat. “So what’s your plan? She doesn’t seem to remember you or care. Are you going to let her go, or let her back into your life again?”

Instead of answering, Phoenix ended the call and stared at the photo of him and Atticus on his desk. They looked happy — but it was all a lie. Only he had been happy. She had just been pretending.

His blood boiled. No. She wasn’t going to fool him again. He grabbed his Mercedes-Benz keys, stood with the help of his cane, and headed to the garage.

****

Atticus’s POV

“Thanks for the food,” Atticus said to Lineth, who had brought over the meal. “It smells amazing.”

Her mouth watered at the aroma.

Lineth smirked. “Of course it does. I’m a great cook.”

Atticus laughed, sitting down and eagerly digging into her meal. “It tastes even better.”

Lineth chuckled. “Enjoy. I’ll leave you to it.”

“Thanks again,” Atticus spoke around a mouthful of food.

She ate heartily, savoring every bite. She enjoyed food in a way she never had before. Maybe in a past life, she had been starved. Whatever the reason, she no longer cared about her weight. Her hunger mattered more.

Her meal was interrupted by a sudden knock at the door. She groaned in frustration, setting her fork down and heading to the door.

When she opened it, she nearly choked on the food she was chewing. Phoenix Everette stood there, his tall frame slightly hunched, leaning on his cane.

She swallowed quickly, her heart racing. “What are you doing here?”

He didn’t answer, his green eyes boring into her as if searching for answers she didn’t have. The intensity of his gaze made her squirm.

“Can I come in?” he asked after a long silence.

She shook her head quickly. “No.”

Shame washed over her. Her humble home was nothing like the luxurious spaces he was used to. He clenched his jaw. “Why not?”

“First, because it’s not safe to let a man in at night. Second, you were a jerk yesterday. Why should I let you in?”

His jaw twitched, and he nodded.

“What do you want?” she asked after a moment. “Wasn’t yelling at me earlier enough?”

He slid his hand into his pocket and took a deep breath. “I’m here to offer you a job.”

Her jaw dropped. Was this a joke? After what he had done, now he was offering her a job.

“Look, I’m sorry for shouting at you earlier.” He cleared his throat. “I mistook you for someone else, and I wasn’t feeling well.”

Her eyes drifted to the cane in his hand.

“You can’t walk?”

He sighed. “I can — with the help of this.”

She shrugged. Why should she feel sorry for him? He’d been awful to her. “It doesn’t matter.”

He studied her, his eyes calculating. “How would you like to be my assistant?”

Her eyebrows shot up. “Personal assistant? Hah! I must be dreaming.”

“Repeat your question?” She pinched her cheek, wincing at the pain. No, she was awake.

He cleared his throat again. “Can you be my PA?”

“Are you serious? This isn’t a joke?”

“See you tomorrow at 8. Don’t be late.”

“H-huh?”

“I’m leaving now,” he said, turning before she could react.

What just happened? The arrogant, handsome man who couldn’t walk without a cane had just offered her a job!