The air inside the Stellar Marketing office felt electric long after Alexander Knight had departed. Elena found it difficult to breathe; every beat of her heart felt like a drum signaling imminent danger. The text message she had received was chillingly clear—Alexander knew she was there. Or was he merely playing a psychological game? Was this a calculated move to flush her out of hiding?
"I can't give up now," she whispered to herself, forcing her trembling hands to stay steady over the glowing keyboard. "Do it for Leo. Do it for Dad."
She quickly deleted the message and returned her focus to the encrypted guest list. She had to find Mr. Chen's name. Amidst thousands of data entries, she spotted one highlighted in crimson: "Legal Counsel Emeritus – Restricted Access." When she bypassed the initial layer of security, an address popped up—a private villa on the outskirts of the city owned by Knight-Core.
Alexander wasn't just protecting her father's lawyer; he was holding him hostage. It was a strategic move to control the only person who could grant Elena her rightful inheritance. Her only chance to get close to that villa was to obtain the "Master Pass," a high-level security card issued only to lead coordinators on the night of the Gala.
The night of the White Group's 30th Anniversary Gala finally arrived. It was held at the Grand Imperial Hotel, the most opulent venue in City A. The perimeter was choked with luxury vehicles, socialites in designer gowns, and a swarm of reporters waiting for the arrival of the country's elite.
Elena was there, but not as a guest. She was part of the "Technical Staff." She wore a standard hotel uniform—a simple black vest, a crisp white shirt, and slacks. Her wig had been replaced with a short, professional black bob, and she wore gray contact lenses that masked her expressive brown eyes.
"Sarah! Get to the control booth now! We need to sync the facial recognition software for the VIP arrivals," her supervisor barked over the radio.
"On my way," Elena replied, clutching her laptop bag.
As she navigated the service hallways, she caught a glimpse of the White family arriving. Her stepmother, Sylvia, looked like a queen in a blood-red gown, while her stepsister, Clara, clung to the arm of a wealthy tycoon. Elena felt a surge of bitterness. That was the life stolen from her. Those were the people who had trampled on her dignity just to seize her father's empire.
But the atmosphere shifted the moment a black Rolls-Royce Phantom pulled up at the entrance. Alexander Knight stepped out. Under the dazzling spotlights, he looked like a dark prince. Every movement he made radiated authority and power. Yet, behind his cold, perfect facade, his eyes were predatory—sharp and dangerous.
From the control booth, Elena watched everything on the monitors. Her palms sweated as she monitored the facial recognition scanners. If Alexander passed through, the system might recognize her underlying bone structure unless she manipulated the algorithm in real-time. Her fingers flew across the keys, coding a bypass for her own biometrics within the hotel's mainframe.
Moments later, Alexander entered the ballroom. A sea of people parted for him, everyone hoping to catch a crumb of his favor. But Alexander remained aloof, his gaze fixed forward as he walked toward Sylvia.
"Mr. Knight, it's an honor to have you here," Sylvia said, her smile not quite reaching her fearful eyes.
"I'm here for business, Madam White," Alexander replied, his voice a low growl. "I've heard rumors of 'missing' documents regarding your late husband's estate. I suggest you ensure everything is in order before the night ends."
In the control room, Elena knew she had a window of opportunity. She needed the Master Pass from the Hotel Manager's office. While the speeches began in the ballroom, she slipped through the service stairs. Reaching the office, she picked the lock with a thin wire—a skill born of desperation during her years abroad.
Click.
She was in. She ransacked the mahogany desk until she found the gold-plated card key. The Master Pass. But as she turned to leave, the door swung open.
"What do you think you're doing?"
A security guard stood in the doorway, his hand on his holster. Elena's heart skipped a beat. "Oh... the Manager asked me to fetch the supplemental VIP dietary restriction list. I... I forgot which drawer it was in."
The guard eyed her suspiciously. "I didn't get a memo about a new tech staffer in this wing. Show me your ID."
Elena reached into her pocket, but the Master Pass was already palmed in her hand. As the guard stepped closer, the lights throughout the hotel suddenly flickered and died.
Blackout.
This was Elena's backup plan. She had set a remote timer on the hotel's main circuit breaker. In the sudden darkness, she dodged past the guard and sprinted into the hallway. The ballroom erupted in confused shouts. Chaos was her best disguise.
But she didn't expect what happened next. At the end of a darkened corridor, a powerful arm reached out, snagging her waist and slamming her against the wall. The scent of sandalwood and rain enveloped her senses.
"Found you," the voice was like a low vibration from the earth—hoarse, deep, and filled with a burning intensity.
Alexander.
Even in the pitch black, Elena could feel the searing heat of his body. Her heart hammered against her ribs, not just from fear, but from the familiar electric spark that only Alexander could ignite.
"Let me go! You don't know what you're doing!" Elena hissed, trying to mask her voice.
"Stop lying to me, Elena," Alexander said, leaning in so close she could feel his breath on her lips. "You can change your face, you can change the color of your eyes, but my soul knows yours. Did you really think you could run from me after three years?"
"I don't know who this Elena is! My name is Sarah, I'm just an employee!" she lied, though her voice wavered.
Suddenly, the emergency red lights flickered on. The hallway was bathed in a pale, eerie crimson glow. There, Elena saw Alexander's face. It wasn't the face of an angry enemy; it was the face of a man who was starving, a man who had been lost in a desert and had finally found water.
"Sarah?" Alexander whispered, a bitter, haunting smile touching his lips. He cupped her jaw, his thumb tracing the line of her throat, forcing her to meet his gaze. "If you're Sarah, why are you holding the hotel's Master Pass? And why is your heart trying to beat its way out of your chest the moment I touch you?"
Elena couldn't find the words. The card key in her hand felt like a branding iron.
"Tell me the truth, Elena. Why did you come back? To rob me again? Or to finish the destruction you started three years ago?" His grip on her jaw was firm yet strangely gentle, as if he feared she might vanish into thin air.
"I came back because I had nowhere else to go!" Elena finally snapped, her emotions overflowing. "You left me in the mud, Alexander! You believed their lies over my tears! You have no right to question me!"
Alexander looked stunned by her outburst. But the sound of security guards' heavy footfall reverberated close by before he could say anything.
"Over here! A suspicious person was seen in the hallway!" a guard shouted.
Alexander glanced at the end of the hall and then back at Elena. In one swift motion, he pulled her toward a private service elevator and swiped his own black executive card, hitting the button for the penthouse.
"What are you doing? Let me go!" Elena cried.
"Be quiet if you want to get out of here alive," Alexander threatened, though his eyes were protective. "We aren't done. You have a lot to explain, and I'm not letting you disappear again until I have every single answer."
As the elevator ascended, Elena looked at the Master Pass in her hand. She was being taken to the penthouse—Alexander's private sanctuary. She knew this was a golden trap. Once she entered that room, she might never be allowed to leave. But then she thought of Leo. She thought of her son's failing heart.
"I have to use this," she thought. "I have to use his obsession to get what I need."
The doors opened to a lavish, sprawling suite. Alexander released her arm and turned to face her. The silence in the room was more terrifying than the chaos downstairs. He shrugged off his tuxedo jacket, tossing it onto a leather sofa with a careless flick of his wrist.
"Now, Elena White... or Sarah Miller... or whoever you are tonight," Alexander said, stepping into her personal space. "Let's start from the beginning. Where is the child?"
Elena's entire body went cold. Her secret—the most important person in her life—was already known to him? Or was he bluffing?
"What... what child are you talking about?" she stammered, her voice thin.
Alexander walked toward her, his presence dominating the room. He pulled out his phone and swiped to a photo. It was a candid shot of Elena at the airport, and in the blurred background, there was a glimpse of a small child being carried by a nurse.
"Don't test my patience, Elena. I've tracked your movements in Switzerland. I know about the clinic. "I'll ask you one last time now," he said, taking a step toward her and casting a shadow over her. "Who is the father of that boy?"