Chapter 3

Serena grabbed his strong hand, lowering her voice to mimic Wendy's coy tone. "Zayn, I'm shy. Don't turn on the light, okay?"

Warm breath brushed against his ear.

"Okay."

Zayn agreed almost without thinking.

He swept her up in his arms. Before she could gasp, the scent of cedarwood surrounded her. Maybe the diffuser was working its magic again, because he was even more intense tonight. Serena clenched her teeth, enduring wave after wave of his assault.

The night dissolved into endless passion. Just before dawn, while Zayn slept deeply from exhaustion, Serena dragged her worn-out body off the bed, grabbed her clothes from the floor, and slipped out.

The moment she stepped outside, she ran into Wendy.

Wendy stood with her arms crossed, her gaze sweeping dismissively over the red marks on Serena's neck and chest. She lowered her voice in warning. "From now on, stay out of Zayn's sight except at night."

Serena bit her lip, eyes downcast. "Yes, Ms. Wright."

"Now get lost."

Serena quickened her pace and left. Wendy walked into the room with a cold expression, taking in the disheveled sheets. She took a deep breath, walked to the bed, lifted the covers, and slipped into Zayn's arms.

Dawn gradually lightened the sky.

Zayn slowly opened his eyes. His arm felt heavy. He looked down and saw Wendy beside him, his gaze unconsciously softening.

Thinking of her clumsy eagerness last night, he reached to brush the hair from her face. Then he noticed her scent had changed.

Sharp. Heavy. Nothing like that delicate, clean fragrance.

But the woman beside him was clearly Wendy.

Zayn pinched the bridge of his nose. Maybe he'd been working too hard lately. Otherwise, why did the Wendy in his bed at night feel like a completely different person from the one during the day?

His throat was dry. He carefully slipped his arm free, got up, and went downstairs for water.

At the same time, Serena woke up in the maid's room, equally parched. She still wore the silk slip Wendy had given her. The thin fabric clung to her body, outlining her curves.

She walked to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. Her eyes landed on the chilled spring water on the top shelf.

Serena stood on her toes to reach it. The nightgown rode up, barely covering the tops of her thighs.

She had no idea that a tall figure stood at the landing of the stairs.

The faint glow from the refrigerator traced Serena's silhouette. The nightgown was barely there. Red marks covered her pale neck, glaringly obvious.

Zayn's brow furrowed, a cold edge settling into his eyes.

Walking around her employer's home dressed so provocatively, with the man of the house present—how was she any different from those friends of Wendy's, desperate to marry rich? A wave of disgust washed over him.

He didn't make a sound. He turned silently and went back to the bedroom, not wanting Wendy to see and get the wrong idea.

Serena drained the bottle of cold water. Finally, her thirst was quenched, and the chaotic images in her mind settled. She had no idea about Zayn's misunderstanding.

After finishing the water, she tiptoed back to the maid's room and didn't fall asleep until just before dawn.

After dozing for only an hour or two, she suddenly remembered she'd promised Justin she'd report to Wright Group today. She scrambled out of bed to prepare breakfast. After serving Wendy and Zayn and seeing them off, she grabbed her bag and rushed to Wright Group.

Nine o'clock sharp, Wright Group legal department.

Department head Axel Lawson was conducting the usual morning meeting when Serena hurried over, breathless. "I'm so sorry, Mr. Lawson. I'm the new hire, Serena Lancaster. I'm late."

Axel raised an eyebrow. Remembering Justin's instructions, he glanced at his watch.

"It's exactly nine. You're not late. Join the lineup."

Serena smiled warmly. "Thank you, Mr. Lawson."

The others exchanged confused glances.

Everyone knew Axel was famously picky. Forget being a minute late—even arriving a couple minutes early could get you chewed out for being "insufficiently prepared." This scene had everyone wondering what Serena's background was.

In Wright Group's legal department, no one got in easily.

After the meeting, Axel had Team One leader Isla White take Serena through the onboarding process. Her desk would be right next to Isla's.

Isla had always clashed with Axel. She tried fishing for information about Serena but came up empty, only learning she'd graduated from Acton University's law program.

Serena had just finished setting up her workspace when Axel walked out of his office and tapped her desk.

"Mr. Wright wants to see you."

Serena nodded and, after saying goodbye to Axel and Isla, headed to Justin's office.

Axel shot Isla a meaningful look. "Someone Mr. Wright personally recruited. Watch yourself."

Isla's smile visibly crumbled. She knew it—Serena had connections. This batch of graduates had all been rejected. Even her cousin, an excellent grad student, hadn't made it into Wright Group. What made Serena, a simple Acton University graduate, so special?

She hated people who got in through connections. Isla stared at the files on her desk, picked out the most difficult stack, and placed them on Serena's desk.

General Manager's office.

"Come in."

Serena pushed the door open and spoke politely. "Mr. Wright, you wanted to see me?"

Justin looked up. Seeing her formal demeanor, he smiled gently. "You don't need to be so stiff in my office."

Serena relaxed. "Okay, Justin."

Justin studied her pale face. Even with light makeup, the dark circles under her eyes were visible. He frowned slightly. "Didn't sleep well last night? You look tired."

Serena touched her cheek reflexively and shook her head with a smile. "Do I? I was probably too excited. Stayed up a bit late."

Justin laughed. "You got excited about starting work?"

"Of course. This is such a great opportunity. I never would've gotten in without your help."

That one sentence put Justin in a great mood.

"All right, get to work. If you run into any trouble, come find me."

"Will do!"

Serena returned to the legal department. The moment she sat down, she felt several hostile gazes land on her. She looked around, but everyone had already buried themselves in their work. Maybe she was overthinking it.

A stack of files slammed onto her desk.

Isla stood there with a cold expression, her tone sharp. "These are the guarantee agreements for the partnership project with Sinclair Group. They've already been sent back four or five times. The other side says the protections are inadequate. Draft a new version."

Serena frowned slightly. She'd just started. They were handing her such an important contract to draft? When she'd interned at a small firm over the summer, they'd only given her basic tasks. They'd never thrown a major corporate contract at a new hire who knew nothing.

She looked up at Isla. "Ms. White, isn't that... against protocol?"

Isla smirked, adjusting her black-framed glasses, her gaze fixed on Serena. "Is it against protocol, or are you not capable of handling it?"

If Serena still couldn't see what Isla was trying to do, all those years of education would've been wasted.

She steadied herself and asked, "Since I made it into Wright Group's legal department, I'm confident I can handle anything. When's the latest I can submit this project?"

Isla glanced at the calendar. "Before the end of the workday tomorrow. That a problem?"

Serena took a deep breath and forced a smile. "Of course not."

Isla snorted and walked away.

Serena quickly flipped through the project contract. When she saw the annotations and handwritten notes, her pupils contracted sharply.

This handwriting... was Zayn's?