Chapter 2

In the office, Neville pinched the lightweight ID badge between his fingers, his brow furrowing slightly. He lowered his gaze to the name printed there, pronouncing it syllable by syllable.

"Melina Cross?"

The tangled, intimate scenes from last night crashed into his mind without warning. The woman's iris flower scent—crisp yet seductive—seemed to still linger at the tip of his nose. 

Neville's Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily. He irritably loosened his tie and undid the top two buttons of his shirt before his fingertips flew across his phone screen, firing off a command to his assistant.

[Find her out!]

Everything about that woman—he needed to know it all, crystal clear.

Meanwhile, Jasmine had her head buried so low it nearly touched her chest, holding her breath desperately. Her lashes trembled violently behind her glasses as she counted numbers in her mind. One, two, three...

But the footsteps drew closer and closer until Drake stopped right in front of her. Jasmine's heart was about to burst from her chest.

That intensely oppressive gaze swept over—but in the next second, it passed right by her and landed on Melina beside her.

"Ms. Cross, please come to the CEO's office."

Melina's steps were unsteady. Before leaving, she shot Jasmine a vicious glare, practically writing the word 'guilty' across her face.

Jasmine broke out in a cold sweat. Thank God. Neville hadn't recognized her.

But her taut nerves didn't relax. Jasmine looked toward where Melina had disappeared, a shadow of worry surfacing in her eyes.

Drake led Melina to the door of Neville's office. He said nothing, only gestured for her to enter. Melina pushed open the door trembling, terrified that her secret had been exposed.

Her dealings with Eddy weren't limited to last night alone. Another female intern in the office had also been deliberately left to him after Melina got her drunk. That old creep had successfully taken advantage of her too. But that happened a whole month ago, and everything had been calm since!

"You're Melina?" Neville's indifferent, low voice rang out.

The man was tall and straight, his tailored charcoal gray bespoke suit emphasizing his broad shoulders and narrow waist. Seated at his desk, his demeanor was composed and utterly untouchable. Melina's legs nearly gave out. She couldn't withstand Neville's commanding presence at all. Her lips parted, her face deathly pale, her mouth trembling too much to form words.

Neville narrowed his eyes, his gaze sharp, his well-defined fingers pointing to the ID badge on the desk. He asked, "The person from last night—was that you?"

Melina's calves were shaking, but her mind instantly caught up. In last night's chaos, she and Jasmine had switched ID badges!

Looking at Jasmine's condition, she must have slept with someone last night. This badge must be the one she accidentally left in the hotel room. And now it was in Neville's hands, which meant the person Jasmine had a one-night stand with was the untouchable CEO standing before her!

A golden path stretched out before her. If she dared take it, she'd ascend above everyone else.

Melina took a deep breath, pressed her lips together, and said without hesitation, "Yes."

The voice was sweet and coquettish, utterly different from last night's cool tone.

Neville stood up and walked toward her. The woman before him had delicate features and was gazing at him with shy, timid eyes that sparkled with the fervor he'd seen countless times before. That look—he'd seen it in the eyes of countless women who wanted to climb into his bed.

Neville discovered he felt no flutter of emotion, no intoxicating desire. At the same time, the memories of that night became even clearer in his mind, like hooks pulling at him, making it impossible to let go.

This feeling—he'd never experienced it with any other woman.

"I'll give you two choices." Neville took a deep breath, calming his inner restlessness. "Become my woman, or take the money and leave."

Melina pinched her thigh hard, suppressing the corners of her mouth that wanted to curl upward.

She'd bet right!

As for which to choose—even an idiot could figure that out. She wanted to reach for his arm, but Neville stepped back several paces, his emotionless eyes flicking lightly across her face with a subtle warning.

Melina's smile froze. "I'm willing to be your woman."

Money, power, others' adoration... it was all too tempting.

When she emerged from Neville's office, her feet felt like they were walking on clouds. All her initial fear and nervousness had completely vanished.

Jasmine was waiting for her by the stairwell. "Lina." Jasmine couldn't just stand by and do nothing. She asked anxiously, "Did something happen?"

Melina looked her up and down, grateful they'd switched badges. Otherwise, Jasmine would be the one living a life of wealth and luxury.

"It's nothing. I'm quitting to move in with my boyfriend. You don't need to worry about me anymore."

"Why?"

This internship at PrimeUniverse Holdings was something she'd worked so hard to secure for Melina. With Melina's average credentials, missing this opportunity would make it nearly impossible to enter a major company again.

"What business is it of yours?" Melina suddenly shoved Jasmine away. "Does seeing me doing well make you uncomfortable? Do you need my family destroyed, living my whole life crammed in that tiny rental with you before you'll be satisfied?"

Jasmine's painful spot was hit. For a moment her mind went blank. She could only bite down hard on her lip and watch Melina walk away.

She braced herself against the wall, barely able to support her own weight. What on earth did she have to do to make up for the damage her parents' deaths had caused Melina?

"Jasmine."

A man's hand suddenly reached from behind, patting her shoulder with clear suggestion. Jasmine turned around and came face to face with Eddy. The look in his eyes was disgusting and slimy, crawling over her body like a serpent's tongue.

Eddy said, "If you're not feeling well, why don't you come sit in my office?"

"I'm fine." Jasmine fought back the urge to retch, trying her best to stay composed and deal with him. This man was her direct supervisor, directly deciding whether she could stay at PrimeUniverse. From any angle, she couldn't afford to openly break with him.

But Eddy seemed oblivious to her resistance, still smiling broadly while forcefully grabbing her wrist. "Just come sit for a bit. I'm not going to do anything to you."

How could she possibly believe that?

Jasmine's heart stirred. She made retching motions. Eddy was wearing designer clothes and naturally didn't want them soiled. Frightened, he quickly released her and jumped back several steps. Jasmine seized the opportunity to hide her hands behind her back.

"Mr. Reed, I just need to rest at my desk for a moment."

Her posture was resistant, her eyes firm, as if prepared for mutual destruction.

Eddy was experienced. One look at this stance told him he wouldn't gain any advantage. He withdrew his hand with an awkward laugh, deliberately bumping into her hard before leaving with repeated backward glances.

Only after he completely disappeared did Jasmine breathe a sigh of relief, feeling the spots he'd touched itching with revulsion. She leaned against the wall to leave, but her mind, stretched so taut, went blank for a moment.

Just as she was about to collapse to the floor, hands reached from behind to steady her firmly.

Neville's face filled Jasmine's field of vision.

Her breathing hitched. She bit down hard on her lower lip, struggling to stand steady, her pupils contracting sharply. Neville shot Drake a look. Understanding immediately, his assistant went to deal with the Eddy situation.

Jasmine avoided Neville's gaze, completely panicked.

In the air, the familiar iris flower scent once again stirred Neville's memories.

He frowned. "Who are you?"