"Come in!"Crystal’s face twisted with fury, but before she could respond, Athena turned to the door and let in some employees and cleaners as well."Pack up everything that belongs to Mr. Leon," Athena instructed them with a faint smile adorning her beautiful face. "Move it to one of the smaller offices on the lower floors because this is my space now!""Wait, you can't—""Ssshh! Just like what I said earlier, my dear husband. I've already gotten the green signal from some of the board of directors. So before you're forcibly evicted by them, I'd better get you out of here first!""You’ll regret this, Athena!" Leon stepped forward, grabbing his wife's arm roughly."Do your worst, Leon. I’ve already survived your betrayal, your lies, and your schemes. There’s nothing left you can take from me!""You’re playing a dangerous game!""And I’m winning!" Athena’s lips curled into a sneer as she stepped forward. Seeing this, Crystal then pulled Leon away. She certainly didn't want to let Leon
"You have to tell me..."The soft glow of the chandelier above cast a golden hue over the elegantly set table. The room was soundproofed, offering Athena and Arthur complete privacy as they waited. No longer in the office, they were now chatting in one of the famous restaurants nearby. "How did you manage to secure a deal with Leon without making him suspicious?" Athena leaned back against the velvet chair, her eyes narrowing slightly as she studied the man before her."Leon is arrogant," Arthur smirked, resting his chin on his knuckles. "That’s his weakness. All I had to do was feed into that. Stroke his ego, make him believe he had the upper hand. He was too busy feeling superior to realize he was walking into a trap.""So you played him?""Like a piano. But that’s not enough. We need to make sure he doesn’t recover from this!"Taking a sip of his drink, Arthur's gaze darkened slightly as he leaned forward. Athena let out a soft chuckle, her lips curling in amusement."We? But you
"You’ll regret it if I go along with your wishes."Snorting, Athena wrapped her arms around the strong shoulders of the man carrying her. "Everyone keeps talking to me like that! Leon, Crystal, they're just like you!""No, I won’t be like them. You’ll see soon enough."Hearing that response, Athena pursed her lips in a pout, resembling a lost cygnet searching for its mother."This isn’t fair! How are you still so clear-headed while I’m like this?" she grumbled, making the man carrying her smirk slightly."It’s because you’re incredibly weak against alcohol. Why didn’t you ever tell me before?""Tell you? For what? Ugh! Why is my head spinning so much? Did you poison me?"As she weakly hit his chest, Arthur chuckled. He quickened his pace toward the car while trying to shield Athena’s face from prying eyes. He didn’t want anyone to recognize her, especially not in her current drunken state.Living in luxury and constantly under the public eye, who would have thought Athena was this eas
Ring!The sound of an alarm suddenly echoed, waking a woman who had been fast asleep in her bed. One of her hands moved around frantically, trying to locate the source of the noise. Her still-closed eyes widened instantly when she realized she was only wearing a white tank top—the same one she had last paired with her black blazer. "Damn! What the hell happened?" Athena grumbled, hugging herself. Quickly, she glanced around, trying to piece together what had happened the night before. Her head still felt a bit dizzy, but a small sigh of relief escaped her lips when she realized she was in Arthur’s home. That meant the chances of her doing something reckless while drunk were slim, right? At least she hadn’t ended up with a stranger for a one-night stand like in the novels she had read. Unless… Arthur had accepted her offer last night, and…. "Oh God! That’s so embarrassing!" she gasped, immediately sitting up. She ran her hands over her face, scanning her surroundings once mor
Still wondering in her heart, Athena was now transfixed by the breathtaking view before her.A vast, beautifully arranged lake stretched out in front of her. Not only that, from where she stood, she could see several swans gliding gracefully and birds chirping in the distance.The morning air was quite cold. Fortunately, Arthur had reminded her to wear a thick coat, though she had still forgotten to bring her gloves."Are you ready for a little clue?""A clue?"Athena instinctively grabbed Arthur's arm as he was about to lead her somewhere else. Her brow furrowed in confusion while the man let out a quiet sigh."So, you don’t remember?" he asked, his gaze fixed intently on her face.Shaking her head, Athena met his eyes, slightly tilting her chin upward. "If you're doing all this because I called you a coward last night or anything else I said, then you don’t have to worry about it, Arthur. Last night, I was just—""That’s not it!" he quickly interrupted, making her frown deepen."The
"Your phone is ringing, Athena."Arthur smiled as he noticed Athena trying to ignore her ringing phone. Her eyes remained closed before him. The distance between their lips was barely anything until, finally, he gently caressed her beautiful face before kissing her again."Your phone is still ringing. Are you really going to ignore it just for me?" he whispered, making the red lips in front of him pout slightly.Still unwilling to open her eyes, Athena draped her arms around Arthur’s broad shoulders. When he moved slightly away, she instinctively followed, prompting Arthur to wrap his arms around her waist, shifting their seats slightly in the process."I... I feel so embarrassed looking at you now that I know everything, Arthur. I feel like such a fool!""So that's why you're keeping your eyes closed?" Arthur chuckled, his gaze tracing the perfection of her delicate features.Her naturally long lashes—one of his favorite things about her—were rare in this era. Women like Athena, who
Knock! Knock! Knock!The sudden sound of knocking on the door made Crystal scoff in frustration. Without hesitation, she opened the door, her eyes still slightly wet—after all, it had only been a few minutes since she had been left behind by Leon without a word."What do you want to say? If it’s not important or good news, you’d better leave now before I take my anger out on you!" she snapped, making the man in front of her nod immediately."I'm sorry, Miss Crystal. I came to see you to update you on the search for Arthur. I actually wanted to discuss this with Mr. Leon as well, but it seems he—""He’s gone. He’s a mess right now! So I’ll handle this for the time being!"Edward nodded again before handing her several documents he had just gathered. Inside were some photos of people who resembled Arthur, along with details of their last known locations and additional information. Crystal furrowed her brows as she looked through them—until her eyes widened in shock when she found anothe
"Wait!"Just as Athena was about to step out of the car, Arthur quickly grabbed her hand, his usual calm expression shifting in an instant. His eyes darted toward his phone, which had suddenly started ringing. A name flashed across the screen."Reyna?"Exhaling softly, Arthur ran a hand over his face. "I bought this number specifically and left it at home so I could be contacted about any urgent updates regarding Reyna. They never call unless—""We won’t know anything unless you pick it up, right?" Athena squeezed his hand reassuringly, her gaze firm yet gentle. "Hopefully, nothing bad has happened to Reyna." Even though Arthur hadn’t told her yet, she already knew from the house staff that Reyna had another violent outburst the night before. It seemed her condition still hadn’t improved, and despite everything, she still refused to be transferred to the psychiatric hospital that had been treating her."I won’t be able to come home anytime soon," Arthur finally spoke, drawing Athena
Time passed by without her realizing it. One day after another went by. The series of divorce trials between Athena and Leon had begun running smoothly without obstacles. Slowly, the negative gossip about her life started to fade away. The project to build a free music school with the Mayor was nearing its final stages, and her company’s collaboration with Caroline’s business was also progressing well.Everything was starting to fall into place for Athena, yet there was still an emptiness in her heart. To her, all these achievements still felt incomplete because the person who had been her source of strength—the one who kept her going—was not by her side.Arthur. Yes, his departure had left a void in Athena’s heart. Even though Arthur had told her beforehand that he would be too busy to return to his sister anytime soon, she couldn’t help but feel restless. That feeling only deepened with time, pulling her
Tingg!A sudden notification sound rang just as the initial meeting for her collaboration with Caroline's company concluded. Realizing that it was Arthur who had messaged her, Athena quickly glanced around to make sure no one was watching her at that moment.[I'm sorry, but I have to go abroad for a while due to an urgent matter. I didn't have the chance to inform you in person because everything happened so quickly.]Letting out a quiet sigh, Athena leaned back in her chair. Once again, a tightness gripped her chest. She felt that sense of loss creeping in again, so she quickly shifted her focus to her employees, who were preparing to leave the meeting room, and to Caroline, who seemed busy with her phone—to push away that feeling.[I'm sorry once again, dear. I never wanted to leave you, but I have no choice.]Staring blankly at her phone screen, Athena straightened her p
"E–enemy?"Athena stammered as both of her ears caught Caroline’s last word. Her eyes widened in tension, especially when the woman nodded in response, meeting her gaze without hesitation."Caroline... I think we've gone too far with this conversation. We should—""Don't be so tense, Athena. I haven't explained what I meant yet," Caroline said calmly once again, though her ever-changing gaze made her intentions difficult to read."Ah, I just...""What I mean is, we could become enemies if you were to take the man who has been a savior in my life. I absolutely despise it when something that should belong to me is taken or even disturbed by someone else. But surely, you wouldn’t do that to me, right?" Caroline chuckled again as if trying to lighten the mood, leaving Athena oblivious to the true meaning behind her words.Athena forced a s
Once he left, Athena sat still for a moment, staring at the empty space beside her. A strange feeling crept into her chest, was it disappointment? Worry? Or something else entirely?Shaking it off, she decided she couldn’t dwell on it. She needed to get back to her own life.Arriving at her office, she immediately instructed the security team to be cautious about accepting packages with no clear sender information. The last thing she needed was an unexpected threat slipping through the cracks like yesterday."Athena!""Caroline?"Athena waved her hand toward a woman who had just stepped out of a luxury car. Without hesitation, she gave her a warm hug as the woman in dark sunglasses approached, then slightly furrowed her brows when the woman handed her a rather large handbag with the label of a well-known brand."What is this?" she asked, still unsure.
Athena let out a soft sigh, staring at the ceiling.As she lay there, wrapped in the thick blanket Arthur had secured around her, she let out a small sigh. The lingering heat of their moment still clung to her skin, making her body tingle with anticipation. Yet, Arthur was gone now—at least for the moment.She waited. And waited. But Arthur never returned. Her fingers absently traced the fabric of Arthur’s bedsheets. She had expected him to return quickly, but the minutes stretched on, turning into an hour… and then another."Geez, why am I being like this?" she muttered worriedly to herself.She turned onto her side, curling up slightly as a strange sense of unease settled in her chest. He wouldn’t have just left without a word—not after what had happened between them tonight.At first, she thought he might have gotten caught up in something minor,
"Holding back?"Arthur couldn’t help but smile when he heard that. Deep down, he had to admit it was true. He had been holding back all this time—restraining himself from touching every inch of Athena’s smooth skin, even as his heart and body yearned for her more with each passing day.Tonight, after such a long wait, it was finally happening. This wasn’t just a fleeting desire; it was a dream he had held onto for so long, a hope for the future. He hoped to remain in this moment, in this intimacy, until the day he married her and spent the rest of his life by her side—until death did them part."Hmm... Why did you stop?" Athena’s soft voice broke the silence, laced with a hint of hesitation. "Isn’t this the best distraction from all the troubles drowning us?"Arthur nodded, then pressed a lingering kiss to the delicate skin beside him, his signature smirk ret
"Thank you! I'll confirm the arrival of both of us with the Mayor!"Before getting up from the lap of the man who always managed to capture her heart, Athena gave him a quick kiss on the corner of his lips. She smiled upon noticing his surprised expression. To her, Arthur always looked incredibly cute when he was like that, making it impossible for her to hold back a chuckle as she pulled away."The maid said you've already had dinner, right? In that case, get some rest. I’ve eaten too, so I just need to go back to my room to freshen up before resting."Smiling again, Athena adjusted Arthur’s blanket and bed before finally preparing to leave. She made sure he was completely comfortable before her eyes suddenly widened in shock—she was abruptly pulled back onto the bed.Who else could it be but Arthur? As if unwilling to let her go just yet, he pulled her back toward him before captu
Crystal’s growing curiosity as the mysterious woman walked away. A chill ran down her spine, her mind still spinning. She tapped her fingers against the cold, hard surface of her cell’s metal bed.The first letter of their names was the same? That meant her name started with C. But who? Charlotte? Cassandra?No. None of them matched the woman she had just seen. That poised smile, that air of confidence, it didn’t fit anyone she knew."Damn it!" she muttered under her breath. Her fingers curled into fists. "Who the hell was she?!"The woman’s words echoed in her mind, especially when she talks about Athena’s downfall. Something about this was different. This wasn’t just idle gossip or petty revenge. The woman had a plan, and she could feel it."Great!" she muttered bitterly. "Yet another person obsessed with that woman!"Cry
Athena’s fingers hovered over her phone screen, her mind racing. She needed—no, she wanted—to tell Arthur about this. Her heart was still pounding from the shock of what she had just seen.A blood-stained knife. A chilling note. A clear warning. Arthur needed to know. He always knew what to do. He would protect her. He would...."No, don’t do it!" Athena inhaled sharply and shook her head.Arthur was already drowning in problems. Reyna was still missing. He was barely sleeping, barely eating, spending every waking moment trying to track her down. If she called him now, she would only add to his burden."He doesn’t need another problem!" she muttered to herself, biting her lower lip. "I can handle this on my own!"With a sigh, she locked her phone and set it aside. Taking a deep breath, she pressed the intercom."Come