Chapter 9

"Come on, knock it off. There's zero chance I'm taking a shower in front of you!" Evelyn stood her ground, her tone firm and no-nonsense.

He might be the President of Solandia, ruling over millions, but that didn't mean she'd fall for his looks or power. No way.

"You think my kid's that easy to fool?" Alexander lounged casually at the edge of the tub, tall and composed. Even in loungewear, he still had that air of untouchable authority.

"Then... I just won't shower tonight," Evelyn offered, thinking this compromise might get her out of it.

"You plan on climbing into my bed without a shower? And with my son next to you?" Alexander shot her a look full of disdain.

The man was a clean freak—he wouldn't tolerate even a speck of dust on his sheets, let alone a person who hadn't bathed.

"So I can't skip, can't shower dressed—what do you expect me to do? If you keep pushing me, I'll march straight out and tell your son I'm not really his mom. That this is all just an act!" Evelyn snapped, finally losing it.

But instead of getting mad, Alexander grinned, almost wickedly. He leaned in, invading her space with a dangerous smirk. "If that's what you wanna do, be my guest. But first, you'll have to cough up ten million as breach-of-contract penalty."

"What ten million?" Her stomach dropped.

"That agreement we signed yesterday? It's right there in black and white—if you back out on your own, you owe me ten mil. Don't tell me you didn't see that part." He looked smug, like he'd just won a game she'd never even realized they were playing.

"You're bluffing. I read every page yesterday—there's no such clause!" she shot back, not buying it.

Cool as ever, Alexander pulled out his phone, found the scanned contract, and handed it over. "Take your time. Make sure you read it properly."

Evelyn snatched the phone and flipped through the document. Her eyes widened as she spotted several pages she didn't remember from before—and right there was the clause he mentioned: she had to pay ten million if she broke the agreement on her own.

"You... you tricked me!" she muttered, glaring up at him, furious.

"You think anyone can just waltz into the President's office like it's nothing?" Alexander calmly put his phone away, his voice laced with amusement. "So tell me, are you gonna undress yourself, or want me to help out?"

"You—" Evelyn was so mad she couldn't even get a sentence out.

This so-called president might look all proper and refined on the outside, but deep down? Total two-faced scumbag. Walking red flag!

"Looks like you want me to do it for you." Alexander spoke calmly, seeing she didn't answer, and reached toward her shirt buttons.

"Hey! When did I ever say that? And where exactly do you think that hand's going?" Evelyn kept backing up, but the bathtub wall was already behind her—no room left to escape.

"Oh, I don't know. You tell me." Alexander leaned in, his eyes shimmering with a teasing glint under the dim lights, voice thick with suggestiveness.

He was dangerous when he looked at someone like that.

Evelyn almost got pulled into his trap.

"Ahem—back off!" She snapped back to her senses, face flushing as she shoved him away.

"I've got limited patience. Ten minutes. If you're not done by then, I'll have to step in myself." With that, Alexander stood up and casually walked to the door, turning his back to her.

"I said I'm not taking a bath!" Evelyn protested loudly.

"Nine minutes and thirty seconds." Alexander glanced at his watch and tossed the words over his shoulder like they were nothing.

This guy... he was impossible to reason with!

Evelyn felt tears gathering—she'd totally walked into a trap.

No time to feel sorry for herself now. She started stripping quickly. Even though she didn't know him that well, she had no doubt he meant every word he said.

When she got down to the last layer, she paused. In the end, she couldn't bring herself to go fully nude, so she just bathed with her long-sleeved tee still on.

"You really think I'm that dangerous?" Alexander raised an eyebrow, clearly not thrilled to see her still clothed.

"I can do what I want! It's not like the agreement says I've got to be naked to take a bath!" Evelyn shot back.

Clever. So she knew how to exploit loopholes now.

Alexander leaned down, closing the space between them, eyes narrowing like he was trying to read something in her.

He was so close, Evelyn could smell the faint shampoo on him mingled with his natural scent. It was masculine, clean, and it completely invaded her senses.

"What... what are you doing?" She glared at him, trying to sound tough, but her voice wavered. His presence was just too overwhelming.

"What I want to do? Shouldn't you be asking yourself that?" He smirked and let his eyes flick down toward her chest. "Honestly, in that outfit, what's really the difference?"

"What are you talking about?" She looked down and finally saw what he meant—her soaked top clung to her skin like a second layer, making every curve clearly visible. Her undergarments were practically on full display.

"Ahh!" Evelyn screamed and instinctively crossed her arms over herself, trying to cover up the most revealing parts.

"You covering up now kinda makes you look like you're playing hard to get." Alexander folded his arms and gave her a knowing smirk.

Hard to get? Seriously?

So basically, he's saying she was trying to seduce him on purpose?