Chapter 35

Emily Smith jolted awake from her sleep.

William Johnson's hand had already slipped beneath her nightgown, his fingertips burning with heat.

"What are you doing?" Her eyes flew open.

William wore an innocent expression. "You were the one who moved closer first."

Emily wanted to argue, but he flipped her over, pinning her beneath him.

Morning light filtered through the curtains, illuminating the darkness in his eyes.

Afterward, Emily fled to the guest bathroom like a startled deer.

The water rushed over her skin as she tried to wash away the lingering scent of sandalwood.

When she pushed open the closet door, she froze.

The once-empty wardrobe was now neatly lined with Hermès bags.

Every style and color matched the ones Mia Harris had purchased that night.

She took two steps back to check the door number.

Yes, this was definitely her closet.

"Could it be...?" She recalled the entertainment news she'd seen last night.

Mia Harris had been attacked and hospitalized late at night, yet William this morning...

Grace Lee's gaze while delivering breakfast made her skin crawl.

Those eyes were like knives, yet also like honey—complex and impossible to decipher.

On the subway, her phone buzzed with a sudden notification.

[Famous Actress Mia Harris Hospitalized After Attack—Rumored Heartbreak]

The accompanying photo showed Mia being helped into the hospital, her face hidden behind sunglasses and a mask.

Emily's finger hovered over the screen.

The next headline was even more explosive:

[Exclusive: Mia Harris and BestTech's Second Young Master Rumored to Have Split—Insider Reveals...]

Just as she was about to read further, her phone vibrated again.

A bank deposit alert:

[Amount Received: $168,312.38]

Emily's eyes widened. She counted the digits three times.

One hundred sixty-eight thousand!

This was her audiobook earnings from last month.

With trembling fingers, she opened her editor's message:

[You're amazing, sweetheart! Next month will be even better~]

Tears blurred her vision.

She immediately shared the news with Daniel Chen.

[Congratulations. This is just the beginning.] His reply came swiftly.

Emily wiped her tears and dashed off the subway as it reached her stop.

The sunlight warmed her skin.

......

67th floor, BestTech Tower.

The office door was flung open.

Alexander Johnson stormed in, his face dark with fury.

"Olivia Davis attacked Mia. Are you going to do anything about it?"

William didn't look up. "I know."

"And you're just sitting here?" Alexander slammed his palm on the desk. "Make her apologize!"

William finally lifted his gaze.

"Brother," he said with a faint smile, "wasn't it you who told me to 'take care' of Miss Harris?"

Alexander's expression stiffened.

"Now the whole city knows she's mine," William closed the file in front of him. "Don't pretend you don't know why Olivia did this."

The air turned to ice.