Chapter 3

I hadn’t gone to the office in a long time; then I suddenly showed up, and even ran into Mia. Naturally, Adrian’s suspicious nature kicked in.

Before six he came home to pick me up and took me to a newly opened Michelin restaurant. Ever since Mia appeared, it had been more than a month since he’d taken me out to eat. In psychology, a man’s sudden over‑attentiveness often compensates for a guilty conscience.

As he carefully cut my favorite black‑pepper steak, I asked, “Aren’t you busy locking horns with Black Group lately? How do you have time to be out with me?”

He slid the plate toward me and kissed my hands. “Nothing matters more than you.”

I smiled. “Black Group isn’t so easy. Let’s eat quickly so you can get back without delaying work.”

At the mention of Black Group, his brows slowly furrowed. He ate without speaking for a while; then, in a low voice, said, “Grace, it’s time for you to step in.”

I gave a thin smile. “Everyone in the market knows you have a famous hypnotist partner. Black Group won’t agree to meet me.”

“Only by getting something from their core can we land a clean, decisive blow—and the only way to that core is to hypnotize their head, Gideon Black. He’s cautious; it’s hard to get close.” A faint shadow crossed his eyes. “Grace, what if you approached him directly?”

The warmth of the meal vanished. My face chilled; my voice lost its softness. “You want me to seduce him?”

“Of course not!” He grabbed my hands, anxious to explain. “Just find a pretext to get close. My assistant found he’s still single and extremely picky. You’re the most outstanding woman in the field. If you can get a few minutes face‑to‑face and lower his guard, your ability can hypnotize him. He’s rumored to be ruthless, but if we’re fully prepared, I can keep you safe.”

My face grew darker, and my heart sank. His words disappointed me to the core.

All these years we had worked in lockstep. I had handled so many people for him, and he’d never once crossed the bottom line—until now, when he asked me to bait another man.

I bit my lip and made my voice calm. “Have Mia invite him out. As long as they meet in public, I’m sure I can make it work.”

His gaze flickered away. “Mia’s only been here a month. She doesn’t understand the company. She’s just a young girl—without your experience and wit. It’s dangerous. If they realize it’s a setup, she won’t be able to get away.”

Listening to him shield her—dropping her last name when he said ‘Mia’—I finally understood.

He had feelings for her.

I didn’t know whether he liked two women at once, or whether I was only good for sharing hardship. I’d believed our love was unbreakable and that only his suspicious nature made him guarded with me. The truth revealed itself by comparison.

Coldly, I said, “All this time, you enjoyed the gains I brought you while keeping your guard up against me. I endured it because I loved you. That doesn’t mean you get to trample that love.”

I’m not some hothouse flower, and Adrian knew it.

In more than three years, even as I loved him and did so much for him, I always had a bottom line—nothing illegal, nothing that made me lose myself. I love him, but I love myself more.

Maybe that very nature made a man like him feel he couldn’t control me or get his sense of security. Most of all, he constantly worried I’d hypnotize him.

I never told him I’d known Gideon Black before I ever met him. Gideon had long been a legend—super‑intelligent, ruthless. He alone had driven Black Group to number one in the country.

In two years of economic downturn, even Adrian’s profits slid, while Black Group remained unscathed and rose against the current.

With a mind like his, Gideon would absolutely sniff out any play Adrian made and guard against it. I wouldn’t take that risk. I refused—and that candlelight dinner became our last, ending badly.

We rode home in silence. Adrian was furious at my refusal. Maybe our love had been too evenly matched; maybe his guardedness bloomed after our fight.

At last, he exploded.