"You're sleeping in the storage room tonight, and I don't want to hear any complaints!"Jayce Walker stood at the bottom of the grand staircase in the Barker family mansion, his worn shoes leaving small puddles of rainwater on the marble floor. The young woman glaring down at him, Hailey Barker, looked like she wanted to throw something at his head."Hailey, I just need a dry towel," Jayce said calmly, water dripping from his hair. "I got caught in the storm while making deliveries.""Deliveries! That's all you ever talk about!" Hailey stomped down three steps, her designer dress swishing around her legs. "Do you know how embarrassing it is? My husband rides around on a rusty motorcycle delivering food to people! My friends laugh at me!"Jayce wiped his face with his sleeve. He had known this marriage would be hard. Six months ago, Old Master Barker had called him to the hospital and made a strange request. Marry Hailey. Protect her. Keep your real identity hidden. Jayce had agreed, b

"Get out of my house!" Old Master Barker tried to sit up, but he was too weak.Stephen Winchestar laughed, a cold sound that made everyone uncomfortable. "Your house? Oh, that's funny. You see, in about three days, this house will belong to me. Just like Barker Medical Group will belong to me. Just like everything you own will belong to me.""What are you talking about?" Rose stepped forward. "This house has been in the Barker family for fifty years!""Not anymore," Stephen pulled out some papers from his jacket. "You see, your husband, Robert Barker, took a loan from my company five years ago. Fifty million dollars. He never paid it back. And according to this contract, if the loan isn't repaid, everything you own becomes mine.""That's a lie!" Rose grabbed the papers. Her face went white as she read them. "No... no, Robert wouldn't...""But he did," Stephen smiled. "And now the loan is due. Fifty million dollars, plus interest. That's seventy-five million total. Pay up, or get out."

"You look absolutely beautiful tonight, Hailey."Damson Cole smiled across the fancy restaurant table, his eyes moving over Hailey's red dress. She felt uncomfortable but tried to smile back. Her mother had insisted she come to this dinner, saying it was important for "family business.""Thank you, Damson," Hailey said quietly. "But I still don't understand why we're here. You said you wanted to discuss business, but you haven't mentioned anything about business yet.""Can't a man enjoy dinner with a beautiful woman first?" Damson reached across the table and tried to take her hand. Hailey pulled back."Damson, I'm married.""To that delivery boy? Come on, Hailey. We both know that marriage is a joke." Damson leaned forward, his voice becoming softer. "You and I were supposed to be together. We dated for two years. We were happy. Then your grandfather ruined everything by forcing you to marry that nobody.""Jayce is not a nobody," Hailey said, surprising herself. After seeing Jayce sa

"Emma! Emma, can you hear me?"Leonard Warden pressed his ear against the storage closet door. He had been searching the mansion for the past hour after Emma didn't show up for her morning duties. The other servants said she always woke up early, so her absence was strange.Inside the closet, Emma heard Leonard's voice and wanted to scream, but she was too scared. What if Richard Stone was nearby? What if he heard her and hurt her brother?"Boss, I found something," Leonard spoke into his phone. "There's a locked closet on the first floor. Someone changed the lock recently. It doesn't match the other doors.""Break it down," Jayce's voice came through the phone. "Now."Leonard stepped back and kicked the door hard. The wood cracked but didn't break. He kicked again, and this time the door flew open. Emma was inside, curled up on the floor, her face red from crying."Emma!" Leonard knelt beside her. "Are you hurt? What happened?""My brother," Emma whispered, her voice hoarse from cryi

"Are you sure about this plan, boss?"Leonard stood in the mansion's security room, looking at the monitors showing every corner of the property. Jayce's plan was risky, maybe too risky, but Leonard knew better than to argue when Jayce had that determined look in his eyes."I'm sure," Jayce said, checking the weapons Leonard had prepared. "Stephen thinks he's walking into a helpless situation. He thinks with Rose arrested, the family will be weak and scared. He doesn't know we're ready for him.""What about Hailey? She should leave with the FBI.""She won't go. I already tried." Jayce smiled a little. "She says married people face danger together.""She's braver than I thought.""She's stronger than anyone thought. Including herself."In the living room, Hailey was talking to her grandfather. Old Master Barker had woken up and demanded to know what was happening. When Hailey told him everything about Rose's arrest and Stephen's plan, the old man's face showed no surprise."I knew your