Clara looked at him with open contempt. “I’d rather stay tied to this chair.”A few of the men nearby burst into laughter.Tiger Bro’s smile vanished instantly. “You’ve got quite the mouth,” he said coldly. “And I don’t like being rejected.”He grabbed her chin roughly. This time, Clara didn’t hesitate. She spat directly into his face.The entire floor fell silent.One of the men nearby instinctively stepped back, fully aware of how much their leader despised humiliation.Tiger Bro slowly wiped the spit from his face, his expression settling into something far more dangerous. “You’ll regret that,” he said quietly.Clara’s response came without hesitation. “The only person who’s going to regret today… is you.”Tiger Bro stared at her for several long seconds.Then, to everyone’s surprise, he began to laugh. “Good,” he said. “Very good. I was starting to worry this would be boring.”He turned toward one of his men. “Bring me a phone.”A thug hurried over and handed him a mobile device.

Hundreds of miles away, inside a secluded estate hidden behind towering walls, a silent alarm spread across an operations room. Lights flickered to life across multiple consoles.Technicians rushed to their stations as dormant systems awakened one after another. An assistant glanced toward the elderly man standing at the center of the room. "Sir?"The old butler no longer carried the gentle expression he had worn moments ago. His entire demeanor had shifted, replaced by something sharp and commanding."The Young Master has finally called," he said calmly. "Drop every ongoing assignment. His request takes absolute priority.""Yes, sir." The assistant's response was precise and sharp Within moments, streams of information began flooding the monitors: cell tower data, Traffic camera feeds, Vehicle registration logs, Real-time location pings.The assistant’s fingers moved rapidly across the keyboard. "We’ve isolated the signal," he reported. "It moved west twenty-three minutes ago and ha

Once today was over, and once she had fulfilled her promise, she would explain everything to him. She would tell Alexander the truth, no matter the consequences, and she would find a way to win him back.Drawing in a steady breath, Aurelia finally pushed open the car door and stepped out.A cool evening breeze brushed against her face as she made her way into the hotel lobby, where the world immediately shifted into one of quiet luxury and refined elegance.Crystal chandeliers cast shimmering reflections across the marble floors, while a pianist in the corner filled the space with a gentle, soothing melody.Waiters moved gracefully through the crowd, balancing trays of champagne and wine with practiced ease, and the entire atmosphere radiated wealth, composure, and social polish.Aurelia’s gaze swept across the room before settling on a familiar figure.Nahir stood near the center of the lobby, surrounded by nearly twenty former classmates. Several of them raised their glasses toward

Curiosity spread rapidly, and whispers began to ripple through the group.“If she’s not his girlfriend…”“Then why defend him?”“They look close…”“I’m sure I’ve seen her somewhere before…”A woman near the back suddenly narrowed her eyes, staring at Aurelia for several long seconds as recognition slowly dawned. “Oh my God…”She pointed, her voice rising with excitement. “Wait… isn’t she the girl everyone used to say Nahir dated back in college?”The moment the words left her mouth, the entire lobby fell into a stunned silence.Every conversation stopped. All eyes locked onto Aurelia, and before she could react, a dozen voices erupted at once.“Wait… she’s that Aurelia?”“I knew she looked familiar!”“No wonder she stepped in to protect him.”“I heard they were inseparable back in college.”“So the rumors were true after all?”The questions came from every direction, overlapping into a chaotic wave of voices until Aurelia could no longer distinguish one from another.The lobby, which

Her fingers tightened unconsciously around the wine glass in her hand. It’s alright. He’s not here. He doesn’t know. After today… I’ll explain everything.She repeated those words over and over, clinging to them like a lifeline. As long as Alexander never saw this moment, there might still be a chance. Perhaps he would understand. Perhaps he would forgive her. Perhaps they could still start again.But fate had never been particularly kind to her. At almost the same moment, outside the Sheraton Hotel, a black luxury sedan came to a sharp stop beneath the entrance canopy.The driver’s door opened, and Alexander stepped out.His expression remained calm, but there was a clear urgency in his movements.The anonymous phone call still echoed in his mind. “If you want Clara alive, come to Sheraton Hotel. Fifth floor. Alone.”The butler had already traced the signal, and every second now mattered. Without hesitation, Alexander strode through the revolving doors.He paid no attention to the gr