CEO's Secret Play

Kingsly Scott allowed her to speak alone with her brother for ten minutes. Ten minutes later, she could still not stop her brother from attending the press conference, where he officially announced his responsibility for the Shallow Bay project.

In the taxi ride home, she wore the suit jacket Noah had draped over her shoulders, leaning wearily against the seat.

Kingsly had promised not to entangle her further, but she couldn't persuade her brother to leave Titans Group.

She had never doubted her brother's intelligence, but compared to Kingsly Scott's, it seemed...

She had a bad feeling that Kingsly wasn't letting her go; he was setting a larger trap, waiting for her and Noah to fall into it.

Noah didn't understand how dangerous Kingsly Scott was; he was still too inexperienced.

All she could hope for now was that Kingsly was a man of his word; having chosen to release her, he wouldn't use Noah as leverage against her again.

...

As night fell, the vast cityscape of the city was illuminated by twinkling lights, visible through the large blue floor-to-ceiling window. It was rush hour, and the cars on the ground moved slowly, like a river of glowing red arcs.

From the eighty-eighth floor, one could see the bustling scene but hear no sound, as if isolated from the world.

Kingsly held a glass of red wine, drinking quietly, seemingly lost in thought.

"I knew you'd be here alone again. So, with Shuman not at home, you don't even go back?" The speaker was Leo Thompson, who approached Kingsly with a freshly poured glass of wine.

Kingsly didn't answer Leo, simply taking another sip of his wine.

Leo glanced at Kingsly's expressionless face and said, "I heard from Helen that you spent over two hours alone with Miss Foster in the hotel today, and she came out looking disheveled... So, did you make a move today?"

Kingsly continued to gaze at the distant horizon without speaking.

"Judging by your expression, you didn't make a move, did you?" Leo laughed wickedly. "I told Helen she would lose the bet... If Mr. Scott made a move, it wouldn't just be two hours."

Kingsly spoke calmly. "Isn't Maggie due any day now? Why aren't you with her?"

Leo took a sip of wine and said, "I've been by her side 24/7, and I'm about to go stir-crazy... With Shuman back in the U.S., I told my wife I needed to keep an eye on you for her, so I got a pass."

"Spend more time with her when you can."

Leo nodded, then shook his head. "No, why are you turning the conversation to me... Tell me why you haven't made a move on Miss Foster yet. It's not like you to procrastinate."

"There was a moment today when I almost couldn't control myself."

Leo chuckled. "Miss Foster is quite the enchantress, nearly causing the famously composed Mr. Scott to lose his grip."

Kingsly turned, setting down his wine glass, and sat on the sofa behind him, lighting a cigarette.

Leaning against the sofa with his drink, Leo asked. "Why didn't you follow through?"

Kingsly took a drag, exhaled, and let the smoke obscure his vision, speaking softly. "She insisted she wasn't a woman who would sell herself for money, which reminded me of the past... If I took her just like that, wouldn't I let her off too easily? Maybe I should tear apart her deceitful facade so she can never deceive again."

The night was so quiet that only the chirping of insects could be heard.

The garden lights outside the window cast a gentle glow through the floor-to-ceiling windows, reflecting on the white marble floor. Rachel Foster sat alone on the sofa, hugging a pillow, lost in light and shadow.

Jasper Reed didn't come home for dinner. Ivy Morgan had guessed they might have fought. Still, Rachel told them they disagreed over work matters to avoid worrying the elders.

She had made numerous calls to Jasper throughout the evening. Still, his phone remained unreachable, leaving her with no choice but to wait for him to return.

Tick-tock, tick-tock...

The clock on the wall kept ticking. She couldn't help but glance at the time again just as the servant at the door bowed, "Sir."

Jasper had returned.

Seeing his tall figure enter the hall, she almost immediately dropped the pillow and stood up.

Jasper seemed a bit surprised to find her waiting for him. He gave her a calm look, gestured for the servant to leave, and walked towards her.

Rachel also moved towards him, and they met in the hall's center.

"Are you not asleep yet?" Jasper asked first, his emotions calm and his voice gentle as usual.

Rachel looked deeply at him and said, "I was waiting for you."

"It's late, you should go to bed early."

Feeling a bit wronged, Rachel said, "I called you, but you didn't answer. I was worried about you."

Jasper pressed his phone out of his suit pocket, finding the screen still dark. He shrugged apologetically, "Looks like my phone ran out of battery."

At that moment, Rachel reached out and hugged Jasper.

Her sudden action left Jasper momentarily stunned.

Rachel buried herself tightly in Jasper's warm and broad embrace, her voice tinged with emotion. "Jasper, believe me, there's nothing between Kingsly Scott and me..."

He had already thought it through by the afternoon; he had perhaps been too harsh on her.

Everyone has a past, and since it becomes a memory buried within, it is natural to remember it fondly.

She and Kingsly had once been a couple, and holding onto Kingsly's things might indicate she hadn't entirely forgotten him, but those were all part of her past. He couldn't demand she erase those memories, and since the facts couldn't be changed, why should he let them stand between them, damaging their relationship?

He slowly placed his hand on her back, embracing her.

Her response filled her with joy, and she hugged him even tighter, deeply nestled in his arms, breathing in his pleasant masculine scent, her voice choked. "I promise you, I won't meet him again."

He closed his eyes, content to rest against her slender shoulder, breathing in the light fragrance of her hair. "I'm sorry... I shouldn't have doubted you."

She placed her hand on his mouth, shaking her head. "Don't say that... It's my fault for not handling my matters well, leading to your misunderstanding."

"You went to find Kingsly for me, yet I didn't trust you..."

She placed her hand on his handsome face, shook her head again, and gazed at him with deep affection. "I just want you to know, in this lifetime, I only want to be with you."

Someone once said that the person you love the most in this lifetime may not be the one you end up with, but the one you end up with is the person most suited to you.

She had to be honest with herself. The person she loved the most was the Kingsly Scott from seven years ago. The pain she felt when she broke up with him was something she would never forget.

To her, the Kingsly Scott of today was a stranger. Apart from his appearance, she couldn't see any trace of his past self... So, for her, the Kingsly she loved had utterly vanished from this world. That deep love, with his disappearance, existed only in her memories.

She might not have been able to forget this person from her memories completely. Still, she had been trying to be wholeheartedly devoted to Jasper. Yet, forgetting someone was more complicated than she had imagined.

"Miss Foster."

Lost in thought while holding her coffee by the floor-to-ceiling window, she turned to see her assistant entering with a bouquet of red roses.

She frowned slightly, puzzled.

Why was he sending flowers again? It had been over half a month since they last met, and during this time, she hadn't seen him again. She thought he had honored his promise not to disturb her.

The assistant placed the bouquet on her desk, admiringly saying, "Mr. Reed is so romantic. This must be ninety-nine roses."

Why wasn't he keeping his word?

In the business world, his word was as good as gold, so why was he unreliable with her?

Just when her life with Jasper had finally returned to normal, why was this happening again?

Annoyed, she walked over to the bouquet, set down her coffee, picked up the flowers, and headed straight for the trash can.

Without any hesitation, she tossed the bouquet into the trash. The narrow trash can couldn't bear the weight of the large bouquet and toppled over, spilling the roses and dislodging a card.

She turned to leave, but as she did, her peripheral vision caught the signature on the card on the floor, and the name "Jasper" made her stop abruptly. She turned back, bent down, and picked up the card.

She froze momentarily, realizing that the flowers were actually from Jasper.

"Dear wife, I'm about to get off the plane. Can we have dinner together?" — Jasper.

It turned out that Jasper had sent the flowers while he was on a business trip.

Embarrassed, Rachel picked up the bouquet from the trash can again. However, it now looked quite disheveled, with roses scattered everywhere.

Her assistant laughed, "Miss Foster, you scared me. I thought you and Mr. Reed had another fight."

Rachel gently shook her head, staring dumbfoundedly at the bouquet of roses, lost in thought. She had misunderstood; the flowers weren't from him.

It seemed she had overthought it; he hadn't broken his promise.

She had noticed from the news that he had been in the U.S. recently... She recalled that Helen mentioned his wife had gone to the U.S., and now it seemed he had gone to bring her back.

His and her lives had finally returned to their proper paths.

Just as Rachel sighed in relief, her phone rang on the desk.

She picked it up and saw Noah calling. She smiled slightly and put the phone to her ear, "Hello..."

Noah's slightly urgent voice said, "Sis, I might be in trouble..."