The room remained still for a moment after Persis spoke, the weight of her words hanging like fog in the air.Marcus glanced at Xander, his eyes pleading, silently saying he was tired—tired of talking, tired of defending both Kalista and Xander.Seeing the look, Xander’s jaw tightened. His fist curled slightly on the table, then he looked up and met Persis’s gaze.“Can I ask how long you’ve known the relationship was fake from our end?” he asked evenly.“Half a day,” she replied. “But does that matter?”Xander shook his head. “Nope. I was just wondering how this has anything to do with Kalista spilling hot soup on Mr. Washington. I’d prefer if we got straight to the point so I can know what kind of compensation you’re expecting.”There was a beat of silence.“All right,” Howard said. “We’ll go straight to the point.”Relieved, Xander gave a sharp nod.Marcus exhaled quietly, thankful that the endless tension might finally ease. Maybe now he could think straight—perhaps now they’d just

Xander peered at Persis, brows furrowed. He hadn’t noticed anything out of the ordinary, and Kalista wasn’t even part of the company, so he had no idea what Persis was getting at.“Nope. Nothing so far,” he replied.Tedmond raised a brow. “Could you call your assistant and have them check it out?”Nodding, Xander pulled out his phone and made the call. It was answered on the second ring.“Head to the accounting office and review all recent transactions,” he ordered. “Look for anything unusual—vague project names, sudden withdrawals, undocumented purchases. I want a report as soon as possible.”“Yes, sir,” his assistant responded briskly before ending the call.Xander slipped the phone back into his pocket and turned to Persis. “You really think she’s already moved funds?”Persis folded her arms, her voice steady. “She’s not stupid. If Kalista’s planning to vanish, she won’t leave a trail. Jewelry, artwork, crypto, discreet wire transfers—it’s the oldest trick in the book. You don’t ne

Earlier...“Okay. Now that your sister’s issue has been settled,” Rick said, clearing his throat to get Xander’s attention, “how do you intend to compensate the Washingtons for burning the head of the family?”Tedmond glanced at Xander, curious to see how he would handle the situation. Honestly, he felt a bit guilty asking for compensation—it had been Kalista who caused the damage, not Xander.Still, Xander didn’t seem fazed by taking responsibility for his sister’s actions.“Oh.” Xander blinked, snapping out of his thoughts, his expression shifting from blank to concerned.“Don’t tell me you haven’t thought of anything yet,” Howard said with a deep frown. “We didn’t tell you everything about your sister so that you could walk away without consequences.”Tedmond’s brows drew together as he looked at Howard, slightly confused. Was Howard expecting something in return for simply being honest?Personally, Tedmond already felt content—he had stopped Kalista from getting what she wanted. T

Kalista stiffened, caught off guard by the suggestion.She couldn’t believe her brother would ask her to go out with someone when she was already heading out. He didn’t usually do that in the past. It was either Marcus tagged along on his own accord, or she asked him to come.“Why would I go with him?” she asked her brother.Xander looked at her, his gaze blank. It was the kind of look that tried too hard to hide what he was truly thinking—and that made Kalista uneasy.“Didn’t you always want to be with him?” Xander asked. “After all, he is your fiancé.”Confused, she narrowed her eyes. “What do you mean?”“I’ve decided to move the wedding date forward,” Xander said casually. “In fact, I’ll be helping you set the new date.”Kalista’s face turned pale. Her eyes widened in disbelief.“What do you mean by moving the wedding date forward?” she demanded. There was no way she could leave Adrian and end up with Marcus.“You don’t like it?” Xander asked, tilting his head. “I thought you were

Tedmond glanced at the mug in his hand. It was the one he had made for Bianca. Since he’d passed by Persis’s room first, he had stepped in to give her hers before continuing.“I haven’t drunk from it,” Tedmond said gently as he walked over to Bianca and knelt in front of her, offering the mug. “Here you go. It’s still warm.”Bianca looked at the mug, then up at him, her little brows furrowed.“You gave Persis hers first?” she asked in a small, slightly pouty voice.Tedmond blinked. “I did. I passed her room first.”Bianca took the mug with both hands but didn’t drink right away. She held it close to her chest, her lower lip jutting out.“You like her more than me now?” she whispered.Tedmond’s chest tightened. Why would she say something like that? Even though Persis was his fiancée, he liked them both.“Hey, no, no way,” he said softly, brushing her hair back behind her ear. “I just gave hers first because her door was closer. That’s all.”Bianca looked at him for a long moment. “Pro