The tall man looked at them. Then at the car. Then back at them. Whatever calculation was happening behind his eyes, the answer came quickly. He put his hands in his pockets, lowered his head, and walked away without a word. The other two followed like dogs called to heel.The second bodyguard turned toward the shadows where Adrian was hiding, and his voice softened."Mr. Adrian. We're here. Please come with us."Adrian exhaled and stepped out of the gap, still carrying the unconscious woman in his arms. The bodyguard opened the rear door and helped him set her down gently on the back seat before Adrian climbed in beside her. The car pulled away from the curb in silence, smooth as water."Where are we going?""The Grand Meridian. A suite has been prepared for you on the top floor. Miss Sarah arranged it.""What about her?" Adrian looked at the woman beside him. Her face was pale under the passing streetlights, but her breathing had steadied."We will have a medical team on standby at

“I do not care what his family offered. I do not care how much money they have or how many buildings they own or how many people think he is some kind of golden prince.” Her tone did not rise. It stayed level, almost bored, like she was reading items off a list she had already thrown in the trash. “I have met Julian Ashford. I know exactly what kind of man he is.”Adrian’s stomach tightened. He turned to look at her fully now, and she must have felt his eyes on her because she glanced at him again, brief and dismissive, before returning her attention to the phone.“You want to know what kind of man Julian is?” She stood up and walked to the window, pulling the curtain aside just enough to let in a thin blade of light. “He is the kind of man who smiles at you while he is counting the money in your pocket. He is the kind of man who calls other people dogs when they are down and then goes to church on Sunday like his hands are clean. He treats anyone below him like garbage on the street,

“You mentioned an arranged marriage. With someone named Julian.” Adrian watched her face carefully. “Do you know his full name?”The change was instant. Her whole body went rigid, like someone had pressed a knife against her spine. Her nostrils flared and her lips pulled into a thin, hard line. The cold indifference cracked open for a moment, and underneath it was something hot and furious.“Why do you want to know?”“Just tell me his full name. That’s all I’m asking.”“Julian Malcolm.” She said the name the way someone spits out food that has gone bad. “The most worthless piece of garbage walking on two legs in this city. A leech who feeds off his family’s money and treats every person beneath him like dirt on his shoe.”Adrian’s stomach dropped. The same Julian. The same voice that had called his mother a bottom feeder. The same man who told him to put a cup on the street and beg.“You know him well?”“I know enough.” Her voice was low and tight, controlled but burning underneath. “

“Thank you for telling me this. You did not have to.”“You deserved to know what kind of man your family is trying to hand you to.”“A leech.” Kathy picked up her bag from the chair and slung it over her shoulder. “A leech who is already attached to someone else. My mother will hear about this today, and if she still wants to push this marriage after seeing that photo, then she can marry Julian herself.”She pulled a card from her bag and set it on the desk without ceremony. White card, black text, no decoration.“My number. In case you need anything.”Adrian picked it up and looked at it. Kathy Morrison. Morrison Group. The name hit him quietly. The Morrison family was one of the most powerful business families in the city. Everyone knew the name. He looked up at her, but her face gave away nothing.“You’re a Morrison?”“Does that change something?”“No. I was just asking.”“Then stop asking.” She walked to the door and paused with her hand on the handle. She did not turn around. “I

“Are you done?” “Done?” Mandy stepped closer, her eyes glittering with three years of stored up bitterness. “I haven’t even started. You rejected me like I was some kind of beggar, Adrian. You looked at me like I wasn’t good enough for you. And now look at you. A stray dog who wandered into a building where he doesn’t belong. You should be outside with the rest of the trash, not standing in a lobby that costs more than your entire life.” “Mandy, that’s enough.” “No, it is not enough. You humiliated me in front of our entire class. You made me feel like I was worthless. And now the universe has put you exactly where you deserve to be. At the bottom. Lower than the bottom. You are beneath the floor, Adrian. You are the dirt under the dirt.” The lobby receptionist was staring. Two security guards near the elevator exchanged a glance. And then the elevator doors opened with a soft chime. Sarah stepped out. She was wearing the same tailored black suit, her hair pulled back, her p