“No!” In the upstairs lounge, Jada Brooks melted bonelessly against Walter Grant, her small hands clutching at his chest, her lips teasingly biting. “If you don’t stop now, Miss Quinn will start to worry.”

Tonight was Carmen Quinn’s birthday — the heiress of the Quinn family — and also the night of her engagement party with Walter.

The grand ballroom downstairs was crowded with guests.

But upstairs, in the private lounge, Walter — the groom-to-be — was breathing heavily, his suit in disarray, holding Jada as though nothing else mattered, ready to give in completely to temptation.

“I told you, the engagement with Carmen is just a temporary arrangement.” Jada’s faint resistance made Walter frown instinctively.

He looked at the delicate, doll-like woman in his arms, and a shadow of grief clouded his deep gaze.

Sophia Quinn...

She had been gone for three whole years.

Since losing her, not a single day had been easy.

But he had no choice — he had to stay strong, to protect the Quinn family in her stead.

His grip on Jada’s shoulders tightened. The memory of the day Sophia died crashed over him, flooding him with guilt.

It was his fault.

If he hadn’t been so overconfident — thinking he could save her from the kidnappers himself — if he hadn’t chosen to rescue the frail Carmen first… Sophia wouldn’t have died.

The suffocating despair threatened to drown him.

Walter’s eyes turned bloodshot. He bent down fiercely and kissed Jada until the taste of blood filled their mouths, pulling him back from the brink of collapse.

They were clearly two very different women — from height to appearance — yet somehow, Jada carried that elusive, familiar quality he had only ever felt with Sophia.

It was that one shred of “familiarity” that became his last lifeline, pulling him back to life.

“Mm…” In the chaos, Jada’s dress strap slipped, exposing her cool skin.

Walter forgot where they were, lifted Jada into his arms — ready to lose control completely —

— when someone suddenly knocked at the door.

“Walter, are you in there?” A gentle, harmless female voice sounded, just like in his memory.

At the sound, Walter’s dazed mind cleared. He carefully set Jada back down, fixed her clothes, and went to open the door.

As the handle turned, the mocking curve that flashed across Jada’s lips was swallowed by the shadows.

“Walter, all the guests are here, we—” Carmen’s words stopped short when she saw Jada standing in the room. The warmth in her face nearly cracked, revealing a twisted, ugly edge.

Jada took her time, watching the other woman’s expression darken, and smiled faintly. “Miss Quinn, happy birthday.”

Carmen almost lost control of her face, forcing out a stiff smile. “Thank you.”

Then she reached for Walter’s hand. “Come on, everyone’s waiting downstairs — my parents too.”

Walter hesitated, frowned, then glanced back at Jada. “Get something to eat first. I’ll come find you later.”

Then he followed Carmen downstairs.

Jada ignored Carmen’s warning look, calmly smoothed her skirt and walked toward the door.

Just as her hand touched the handle, a faint sound reached her — the quiet click of wheelchair wheels rolling across the floor.

Jada froze. Looking down, she saw the shadowed, severe face of Caius Martino as he rolled toward her, his gaze like shards of ice.

Jada’s eyes flickered, and she nodded politely. “Mr. Martino.”

The wheelchair rolled into the lounge.

With a sharp click, the door locked again, and Caius stopped directly in front of Jada, saying nothing.

Her wrist was seized.

Caught off guard, Jada fell forward — straight into Caius’s lap.

His cool fingertips traced down her cheek slowly, his voice rough against her ear. “So this is how you plan to get revenge?”

Jada’s eyes darkened. She gripped the armrest of the wheelchair. “You promised not to interfere.”

Caius chuckled, his fingers pressing against the red mark on her collarbone, grinding it harder. “You forget — my promise came with conditions. You are not allowed any intimate contact with Grant.”

His voice grew deeper, and suddenly he bit her lips hard, making her frown in pain. “If you keep disobeying…”

Before he could finish, Jada moved first.

Her slender fingers slid down deftly — the faint click of a metal clasp sounded in the air.

Caius stiffened.

Jada smirked, pushed against his shoulders, and straddled him. “If you think I broke the deal, Mr. Martino, you’re welcome to find out.”

His eyes narrowed dangerously. “Are you sure?”

“This is a transaction. I’ll hold up my end.” Jada’s voice was calm, almost detached.

Walter. Carmen. Her parents, who had called her a disgrace. And the real Jada Brooks who had been killed because of Carmen…

Since fate had given her another chance at life, she would collect every debt of blood, one by one, until the innocent dead could rest.

When she first sought out Caius, offering herself in exchange for his power, Jada had already stopped caring.

Her body was a small price to pay — even her life wouldn’t matter once her revenge was complete.

The thought of the past lit a terrible determination in her eyes as she reached for her skirt.

A vein throbbed at Caius’s temple. He grabbed her hand, his teeth gritted. “Aren’t you afraid Grant will walk in right now and ruin everything?”

Jada’s stubborn grip faltered, and she met his gaze. “Do you believe me now?”

Caius closed his eyes briefly. “There will be no next time.”

Jada nodded, stood up with the help of the wheelchair, steadying herself.

The Brooks family was too weak — if not for Caius, they wouldn’t have even qualified to attend a gala like tonight’s, let alone approach the Quinns and Grants openly.

She needed his power for what was coming.

If she didn’t calm Caius, her entire plan could collapse.

Glancing at him, at the state she’d left him in, she hesitated only briefly before kneeling in front of him.

Caius’s eyes widened — almost surprised — his hand half-lifted as if to stop her.

But when he thought of her with Walter, the fire in his chest burned hotter, destroying his last rational thought. Slowly, his hand fell back to the armrest.

The room quickly grew heated. Jada gripped the armrest so hard the veins stood out on her pale hand, fighting to stop the tremor that ran through her body.

Caius, sunk in desire, soon noticed something was wrong. His frown deepened as his gaze cleared.

He tried to pull her up — but she wouldn’t budge.

Then, before either of them could speak, the host’s amplified voice rang out from the ballroom below:

“Ladies and gentlemen, congratulations to Mr. Walter Grant and Miss Carmen Quinn on their official engagement! Grant Holdings and Quinn Enterprises will be joining forces to develop the new Bayview Resort Project!”

Every word struck like a knife.

Jada shook harder, her hatred laced with fear — memories of that terrible day threatening to shatter her.

But even so, she refused to stop. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to continue.

“Enough!” Caius’s face darkened. He yanked her up, staring at her empty, haunted eyes. His fury died out, leaving him unable to scold her.

Moments later, footsteps sounded outside the lounge, stopping right at the door.

“Jada, are you in there?”

The voice dragged Jada’s scattered thoughts back.

“Jada?” Walter knocked again, then turned the handle.

Jada took a deep breath, forcing her emotions down, and turned to look at Caius.

He was silent, his face stormy again.

Outside, Walter tried the handle several times, finding it locked. “Jada? Did you fall asleep in there?”

“It’s over already. Mr. Brooks had to leave early — I’ll drive you home.”

Still no response. Walter called over a staff member to fetch the spare key.

Hearing the commotion, Jada closed her eyes briefly, then reached out and squeezed Caius’s hand.

His anger wavered, calming slightly as he stared back at her.

Just before the key turned in the lock, Caius sighed and leaned back.

Jada exhaled in relief, quickly pushed him into the bathroom.

At the same time, the door opened. Walter stepped inside, frowning at the empty room. “Jada?”

The lounge had been locked from the inside — there was no way to pretend she hadn’t been there.

Jada splashed water on her face in the mirror, fixed her hair, wiped away her ruined lipstick.

There were faint marks on her arms, but Walter had also lost control earlier — nothing needed explanation.

Within minutes, she looked exactly as she had when Walter had left. She smoothed her dress, erasing every trace of what had happened.

Before stepping out, Jada glanced at Caius, her voice low. “Mr. Martino…”

Caius stared at her for a long moment before speaking coldly: “Remember our terms. If you let him touch you, I won’t keep my promise.”

Jada nodded, slipped out of the room just as Walter came looking for her.

She walked up to him and looped her arm through his. “What are you doing here? Is it over already?”

Walter wasn’t so easily fooled — something felt off.

But today was his engagement day with Carmen. He had already told Jada it was just for the sake of the partnership deal, that they’d call it off when the project stabilized.

Still, guilt gnawed at him as soon as he saw her.

That strange feeling he had was quickly buried.

“Yes, it’s over.” Walter softened his tone. “Why did you lock the door? I was calling you for ages.”

Jada lowered her eyes, feigning embarrassment. “My stomach hurt. I didn’t want anyone walking in, so I locked it. I must not have heard you.”

“I just didn’t expect it to end so soon — after all, tonight wasn’t just a simple birthday party…”

Her tone wasn’t accusatory, but the sadness in it was hard to miss.

Looking at her soft, obedient expression, Walter felt a pang in his chest.

Sophia had been bright and principled, strong-willed and stubborn when crossed.

She was genuine — she loved fiercely and hated fiercely.

But she had never liked Carmen.

Walter had wanted to keep the peace, but he couldn’t stop the conflict between the sisters from deepening.

And since Carmen was frail and easily upset, every time the two clashed, Walter had to persuade Sophia to back down.

He remembered how she used to pout, accusing him of favoritism.

Just like Jada was now.