One of the nurses spoke in an excited whisper. "That girl looks just like Dr. Carter's first love."

"You're kidding, right?" another nurse asked as she moved closer. "Someone as cold as Dr. Carter had a first love?"

"I'm not making it up. Dr. Jones told me himself. He and Dr. Carter were classmates in college."

Nicole blinked. That explained Ethan's strange behavior in his office the other day.

Her fingers rose to brush her cheek. Apparently, she resembled the woman he first fell in love with.

Did that make her a substitute for his lost love? Perhaps... she could use that.

Once she left the hospital, Nicole headed to Blake Tower. Aurora Studio, her couture business, belonged to Blake Group.

She asked her assistant, Delilah White, to retrieve every order they had received during the past year.

Nicole read through the crowded figures from beginning to end. Each new line made her heart sink further.

Seventy percent of their business came from clients with ties to Brenton.

For years, she had lived in his world, and Aurora Studio had always received plenty of orders.

His influence had supported the studio for so long that she'd stopped noticing it.

The numbers now made the truth impossible to ignore. Brenton was the only reason her business had prospered.

All this time, she'd merely been fluttering around inside the golden cage he'd made for her.

Drawing a deep breath, Nicole said, "Delilah, I want you to manage these clients from now on. Don't offer them any new collections, and don't make any special effort to keep working with them."

Surprise crossed Delilah's face. "But most of our income comes from these clients."

"That doesn't matter. I'll bring in new business."

Nicole rose with a stack of fresh sketches and headed out to print them.

Everyone in the design department had gathered around Gillian. Brenton remained next to her, and they looked comfortable together.

A slight smile crossed Brenton's face. "Today is Gillian's first official day with Blake Group's design department. We're going out as a team to celebrate, and I'm paying."

Cheers filled the office.

Nicole showed no reaction and turned toward her studio. Before she could leave, Clare Moore grabbed her arm. "Where are you going, Nicole? You're coming with us!"

Nicole looked aside. "I'll pass. I already have plans."

Clare led the design team, and she'd always held a grudge against Nicole. In her mind, Nicole had no right to operate her own brand within the group.

A sneer crossed her face. "You're the only one refusing to come. People might think we're excluding you. Aurora Studio may operate independently, but the design department still oversees it. Gillian is our director now. The least you can do is show her some respect."

"That's enough, Clare." Gillian walked over and spoke in a gentle voice. "Don't mind her, Nicole. And come with us. I've been hoping to discuss motif design with you. It's a specialized field, so who better to ask than an expert?"

Those few words backed Nicole into a corner. Everyone was watching her, which made refusing impossible.

The gathering took place in a VIP booth at Mirage Lounge.

Gillian and Brenton occupied the middle of the long couch and naturally drew everyone's attention.

Sitting by herself in a corner, Nicole ran a finger along the edge of her soda water. The loud celebration around her only made her seem more alone.

Several bottles of liquor later, the group became noisy and proposed a game.

"How about an easy one?" Gillian suggested. "We each draw a card, and whoever gets the lowest one has to take a penalty. What do you think?"

"Yes! Let's do it," Clare exclaimed at once.

Everyone else agreed without hesitation.

"Don't be too hard on us, Gillian!" someone shouted.

They began playing. During the next few rounds, someone had to drink three shots, while another was challenged to ask someone in the neighboring booth for their number. Laughter and noise filled the booth.

Luck stayed on Gillian's side. She drew a safe card every time and never had to take a penalty.

Brenton didn't participate. Instead, he observed the game with his usual calm distance.

Whenever Gillian looked over at him, he answered with a small, affectionate smile.

The deck reached Nicole during the next round.

"Your turn, Nicole," Gillian said softly. "Relax. It's only a game."

Nicole extended her hand toward the card.

At that moment, Clare, who was sitting beside her, knocked over a glass as if by accident. Half the drink spilled across Nicole.

"Oh my God! I'm so sorry. It was an accident." Clare snatched up some napkins and rushed closer, using her body to hide Nicole from everyone else. Her position also concealed the face-down card on the table.

Once the others looked away, Clare quickly replaced Nicole's card with the one hidden between her fingers.

"I'm all right." Nicole took a tissue and blotted the wet mark on her dress. The switch hadn't escaped her notice.

"We've already gone through a bunch of rounds," Clare said eagerly. "Why don't we make this one a little more exciting?"

Curiosity spread through the group. "What do you have in mind?"

Clare glanced around before casting Nicole a spiteful look. Then she turned her attention to Gillian.

After receiving a subtle nod of approval, Clare raised her voice and said, "The person with the lowest card has to strip for us. Sounds fun, right?"

Cheers and whistles erupted around the booth.

Nicole had expected someone to try something. She'd hidden the highest card, the King of Spades.

Keeping her expression calm, she prepared to exchange the cards.

Then something in the darkened hallway beyond the group caught her attention.

A server was guiding someone she recognized into the next booth.

He wore a plain white shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Light briefly crossed his face as he walked past.

The man was Ethan.

Nicole wondered what had brought him here. Then a daring plan came to her.

Her cool gaze passed over the waiting faces. After the slightest pause, she turned over the card Clare had placed in front of her.

The Ace of Hearts stared back at her.

"She got the Ace of Hearts! That's the lowest one!"

"Nicole lost?"

"I knew it! The pretty girl always ends up with the best penalty!"

The men in the group watched Nicole with obvious and unwelcome excitement.

A faint frown appeared on Brenton's face, though he remained silent.

He expected Nicole to put aside her pride and ask him to save her.

One word from him would end the game.

Gillian's mouth curved into a cold smile, and victory briefly showed in her eyes.

She knew about Nicole's relationship with Brenton, but she pretended otherwise.

As far as she was concerned, Nicole was nothing more than Brenton's hidden convenience. He had never planned to treat her with real respect.

Exposing the relationship would only make her seem petty.

In her eyes, Nicole should have understood her position and disappeared without a fight. Now, she decided to teach Nicole a lesson.

Still holding the Ace of Hearts, Nicole rose with a pale face.

Clare gave her a mocking look. "You picked the card yourself, Nicole. What's the matter? You're not backing out, are you?"

Nicole placed the card on the table and slowly reached for the buttons at the top of her fitted silk dress.

The first button came undone, followed by the second.

Anticipation spread through the booth.

Nicole checked Ethan's position from the corner of her eye and made sure he had a clear view of her.

Her hand continued down the row of buttons.

The opening revealed a glimpse of skin above her collarbone.

Brenton's expression darkened as irritation surged through him.

What the hell was she thinking? She was really going to do it.

He started to rise and stop her when a crisp, jarring sound rang out from the neighboring booth.