Chapter 1

I love Adrian Carter—enough to give him everything.

And Adrian loves me—that bone‑deep kind of love.

I was absolutely confident about that, but he was always doubt.

Because I’m a nationally famous hypnotist.

With my expertise, I swept one rival after another off his business chessboard, making him unstoppable.

So he began to suspect that the feelings he had for me were because I had also used my craft on him.

He trusted me absolutely in business, and kept his guard up in love. I understood.

Once, when we were canoodling, he stroked my face and asked in a low voice, “Grace, promise me. You’re the person I trust most. Never lie to me. Never hypnotize me. Ever. Okay?”

The usual chill was gone from his eyes; what looked back at me was warmth and hope. I promised, “Okay. I promise. In this lifetime I won’t lie to you—and I will never hypnotize you.”

My voice was soft and appealing; it stirred him until he couldn’t hold back. He kissed me, again and again, drowning himself in me as if he wanted to fuse us into one.

I’m an Aries—bold and straightforward, firm and decisive. I keep my word.

I never lied to him. Even when I wanted badly to know what he truly felt, I never hypnotized him.

Until the day I discovered a girl had started sticking to his side—at the company, at social dinners, at dances—and somehow she always managed to avoid me.

“Her name is Mia Adams,” someone said. “Mr. Carter’s new secretary. He seems very attentive to her.”

I had promised never to hypnotize him; yet I hadn’t promised not to hypnotize his assistant.

Using a set of hypnotic guiding words I created myself, I had his assistant tell me everything he knew.

Induction relies on the suggestive power of language to affect the subject’s mental state and behavior.

He was at his desk, eyes meeting mine; to others we looked like we were chatting. Only I knew he was already in deep sleep.

Smiling, eyes locked on his, I asked softly, “Last night, in the private room at the bar—when I opened the door, what topic did you all instantly stop? What were you talking about?”

I held my breath, bracing for the answer I both expected and dreaded.

What he said made my heart drop straight to the floor:

“A woman like Grace Lawson isn’t suited to be a wife!”

“Who knows whether the love I feel now is just a scheme she planned?”

I had thought he understood my heart.

I had thought that even with his guard up, it wouldn’t stop him from truly loving me.

I had thought he and his buddies were planning a proposal.

Turns out, none of that was true.

I’m from South City. Three years ago I came to River City for the first time because Adrian found me and asked me to restore his mother’s memory.

Someone had come seeking revenge. A club as thick as a thigh came crashing down. His mother took the blow for him; it hit her head.

She survived, but the clot pressed on her nerves—temporary amnesia.

So he searched and found me, asking me to bring back her memories.

“A nationally renowned hypnotist—half a million per hour?”

He stood tall and elegant at my door like a sculpture. “Please, come in.” I answered with a steady smile.

Watching him step in from the doorway felt like destiny walking out of the light. I won’t deny it—I fell for him at first sight.

“Help my mother recover her memories. I’ll pay triple,” he said, voice ice‑cold yet unquestionable.

I opened my notebook, lifted my pen, and smiled. “Please sit. Let’s talk it through.”

Adrian’s sword‑straight brows pinched; a flash of wariness passed through his cold eyes.

His assistant helped his mother sit across from me.

I could tell Adrian didn’t trust hypnosis at all. But from the moment his mother sat down, the hypnosis had already begun.

An hour later, the session ended. She woke and anxiously asked whether he was hurt—clearly, her memories had returned.

I handed him the invoice. “One hour. Five hundred thousand dollars. Please settle.” Adrian passed the slip to his assistant.

Then he lifted those cold eyes to me; warmth and interest began to roll through them. He planted both palms on my desk, leaned in, and said, “Work with me. Name your price.”