Andrew's room was Room 9527. He unlocked the door and laid Aspen gently on the bed. As usual, he checked the space thoroughly to make sure everything was secure before preparing to lie down and get some rest. However, just as he was about to close his eyes, he noticed Aspen's body burning up with fever. Andrew cursed under his breath, 'Great… Now she has a high fever.' Nonetheless, he knew that for someone with a weaker constitution, this kind of fever after sustaining injuries was normal since the immune system would be completely worn down. He fetched some ice and started cold compresses to bring her temperature down. Yet, even after trying for a while, Andrew realized it was not helping much at all. Left with no better option, he had to resort to the last resort of stripping Aspen down completely. Since they had left in a rush earlier, she'd only had on a thin top, which made it easy for Andrew to pull it off. Her chest was now completely exposed, and her perky little bre

Late at night at the Golding family estate, the massive mansion blazed with lights from top to bottom. Strangely, though, the entire place was dead silent, not a single person in sight. Only the grand hall was occupied—several figures stood beneath the towering chandeliers. At the center sat Richard, head of the Golding family, high on the main seat with an icy expression carved into his face. The butler stepped forward and leaned in to whisper in his ear. "Sir, there's an update on the bounty." Richard's eyes flickered. He growled, "Well? Where's Andrew's head?" The butler's face twisted slightly. "We didn't recover Andrew's head, sir… but three members of the assassin group were found dead at the villa. We believe it was Andrew's residence here, but by the time our men arrived, the place had already been cleaned out." The flicker of satisfaction in Richard's eyes disappeared, replaced with pure disgust. He hissed, "How useless." Knowing his place, the butler backed away q

In the faint light of dawn, Aspen slowly woke up back at the hotel. Her body ached, and a soft groan escaped her lips as she frowned from the soreness. The last thing she remembered before blacking out was Andrew finally arriving at the villa to find her. Everything else after that was a blur. However, she vaguely recalled him treating her wounds and undressing her. When Aspen realized Andrew had undressed her, she bolted upright and flung the covers aside in a panic. Her bare, pale body was fully exposed beneath the sheets, with bandages wrapped around her chest and lower abdomen. She wondered how Andrew helped with the bandage, and if he had touched her. If he did, where did he touch? Did he touch her chest, her thighs, or even her private part? A sharp scream echoed through Room 9527, and Andrew jolted awake on the sofa, looking more irritated than surprised. "What the hell? You moaning from a dream or something?" Aspen scrambled to sit up, her face flushed with fu

In one of the rooms inside the private club. "Mr. Parks, I'm still recovering from my injuries, so I truly can't drink. I hope you'll understand," Aspen said politely, her brow tightening. She had come expecting a legitimate business conversation—a contract negotiation. However, judging by the atmosphere and Davon's sleazy expression, it was clear he had other intentions. Fat-faced and beady-eyed, Davon swirled a glass of red wine as he leered at her. He said, "Ms. Stevens, you must be new around here. I guess you're not familiar with how things work in this city. "When you sit down to talk business, drinks and fun go hand in hand. Loosen up. Don't be so uptight. Tell you what—down this bottle, and I'll sign that contract on the spot. Deal done." Aspen replied calmly, "I'm sorry, Mr. Parks. I don't drink at all. But if you sign the deal today, once I've recovered, I'll gladly toast with you to celebrate." Davon's smile faded, and his tone sharpened with irritation. "Aspen,

Aspen glared coldly. "Says who? What is this? Are the Haywoods running a den of thugs now? Does no one here know what decency even looks like?" Rufus let out a sinister chuckle. "Sweetheart, did you really think this club was built for a legitimate business? You rookies must be first-timers here. This entire club belongs to Seth Haywood himself. "And what we offer isn't just champagne and contract signings. We provide services that rich men like Mr. Parks truly value. You want logic and fairness? Girl, after you've been taken a few times, you'll realize reason doesn't matter. Power and money are all that do." Aspen's face darkened instantly when she heard that it was Seth, the same man who had once pursued her and paraded around like a golden boy from a noble lineage. She never would have guessed he was secretly running this kind of hellhole. She was glad she never placed any hopes on him. But right now? They were surrounded by over 100 armed guards. Injured or not, there was n