"I have your medication kit here. Maria must have switched it by mistake. Why do you have so many? You can come soak in the pool and take them before you leave."

My eyes widened.

For a moment, my mind went completely blank.

He had it.

Before I could think further, my body had already moved.

I grabbed my phone and stepped out of the room immediately—

Heading straight for 0108.

I reached the door and raised my hand to knock—but stopped myself.

I took a quiet breath, steadying my emotions first.

Only after I was sure I looked composed did I knock.

The door opened almost immediately.

Alexander stood there.

When he saw me, he simply stepped aside.

"Come in."

I walked into room 0108, my eyes instinctively taking in the surroundings.

Lavish.

It was a presidential suite—everything from the furnishings to the lighting was top-tier. Spacious, refined, and meticulously designed.

Far superior to my own room.

Through the glass doors, I could see it clearly—

A jacuzzi pool.

"You’re staying here tonight?" he asked.

"No," I replied calmly. "I’ll go back to my room. I’ll come tomorrow to use the pool."

I paused slightly before adding, "Where’s my medication?"

"It’s over there," he said, nodding toward the table.

Then, after a brief pause, his gaze sharpened slightly.

"Why do you take so many? And the packaging...?"

My heart skipped.

"I changed the packaging," I replied quickly, keeping my tone steady. "The original was too bulky. It’s easier to carry this way."

He looked at me for a moment.

"I see."

That was all he said.

Relief quietly settled in my chest.

I walked over, picked up my medication kit, and was about to leave when his voice stopped me again.

"Have you had dinner?"

"No."

"Then stay," he said casually. "Relax in the pool first. Dinner will be here soon."

I was about to refuse.

But the thought lingered—

The private pool.

The quiet.

The warmth.

And the fact that I was already here.

"...I’ll go change first," I said.

I returned to my room briefly, put my medication away, took what I needed, and changed into something more suitable.

Then I came back.

The moment I stepped into the pool—

I exhaled softly.

It felt amazing.

The warm water wrapped around me, easing the tension in my body, washing away the fatigue that had been building for days.

I leaned back against the edge, closing my eyes.

For a moment—

Everything felt quiet.

Then I heard footsteps.

I opened one eye.

Alexander was walking toward the pool, a bathrobe draped loosely over his shoulders.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, startled.

"I’m here to enjoy the pool," he replied calmly. "What kind of question is that?"

I froze.

Right.

Of course.

This was his room.

Before I could react, he had already removed his robe and stepped into the water.

My breath caught—just slightly.

No matter how many times I had seen him, it was the same.

Broad shoulders. Narrow waist. Defined muscles.

He had the kind of build that looked restrained in clothes—

But striking without them.

I didn’t realize I had been staring until his hand waved lightly in front of my face.

"What is it?" he teased. "You like looking at me? Haven’t you seen me enough already?"

Heat rushed to my cheeks.

I quickly turned away. "Who’s looking at you? I was just thinking."

"Oh?" he drawled, clearly unconvinced, as he moved closer and sat beside me. "Are your shoulders sore? Want me to give you a massage?"

"...Sure."

I tilted my head back slightly.

My shoulders and neck had been tense for days. The offer was too tempting to refuse.

"Turn around."

His hands settled on my shoulders.

Warm. Steady.

Slowly, he began to knead the tension away.

The combination of the heated water and his touch made my body relax almost instantly.

My breathing softened.

The tightness I hadn’t even realized I was holding began to melt away under his hands.

He had clearly gotten better at this.

Practice.

The thought flickered through my mind faintly.

I let myself relax... even though I knew I shouldn’t.

The warmth of the water, the steady pressure of his hands—it was too easy to sink into it, to forget everything else.

For a moment, I stopped thinking.

Stopped resisting.

Then—

Something shifted.

His hands, once firm and steady on my shoulders, slowed.

Not stopping.

Just... changing.

A faint awareness crept in.

Subtle.

But unmistakable.

My breath hitched slightly.

I should have moved.

Should have said something.

But I didn’t.

Maybe it was the warmth of the water.

Or the exhaustion from the day.

Or the way his touch felt so familiar... yet different this time.

My fingers tightened slightly against the edge of the pool.

His touch drifted lower.

Unhurried.

Certain.

And in that moment—

I realized what was happening.

But it was already too late.

His hand was already making its way between my thighs.

I reacted instantly, grabbing his wrist and stopping him.

"What are you doing?" I asked, my voice low but unsteady.

"Just trying to help you relax," he replied calmly.

Before I could respond, the doorbell rang.

The sharp sound cut through the tension.

Dinner.

Alexander withdrew his hand without a word, stepped out of the pool, and slipped into his robe before heading to the door.

I let out a quiet breath, watching his back as he walked away.

Relief washed over me—

Because I didn’t know what would have happened if that interruption hadn’t come.

The dinner spread was lavish.

Alexander arranged everything neatly on the table.

By the time I stepped out of the pool and put on my robe, he was already seated.

I joined him.

We ate mostly in silence.

Only speaking when necessary.

After a while, I stood up.

"I’m going back to my room. You can take your time."

For a brief second, a vein throbbed at Alexander’s temple.

But he said nothing.

Alexander’s POV

After Alicia left, I took a few more bites before setting my utensils down.

The room felt... quieter.

Too quiet.

I stood up and cleared the table before returning to the living room.

My gaze fell on the phone resting on the couch.

I picked it up absentmindedly—only to realize it wasn’t mine.

It was Alicia’s.

I paused for a moment.

Then unlocked it.

I knew her password.

The screen was still open.

WhatsApp Status.

It looked like she had been scrolling through it earlier... but hadn’t finished.

My thumb moved almost unconsciously.

Scrolling.

Then I stopped.

At the top—

A status update from Lilian.

Posted the previous night.

"Thanks for the company at dawn."

My expression darkened.

I tapped on it.

The image loaded.

Two hands intertwined.

One of them—

Was mine.

The timestamp matched exactly.

The night I had gone to see Lilian.

My brows slowly drew together.

A strange unease crept into my chest.

Had Alicia seen this?

No...

She couldn’t have.

If she had—

She wouldn’t have reacted like that tonight.

Right?

My grip on the phone tightened slightly.

Or maybe... 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

She had seen it.

And simply chose not to say anything.

I pulled out my own phone, opened WhatsApp, and checked the Status Update section for the same timestamp.

Lilian’s post wasn’t there.

My brows furrowed.

I opened Lilian’s contact on Alicia’s phone, confirming it without a doubt.

It was her.

A thought crossed my mind.

Quickly, I sent a message.

Alexander: "Michael, did Lilian post a Status Update last night?"

The reply came almost immediately.

Michael: "No. Why are you asking?"

"Nothing," I typed back.

Understanding dawned.

That Status Update...

Had only been visible to Alicia.

My expression darkened.

Why would Lilian do that?

Was she deliberately showing it to Alicia?

Trying to provoke her?

To make a point?

Hadn’t she always claimed she felt guilty toward Alicia?

I exhaled slowly.

Maybe I was overthinking it.

But even as the thought crossed my mind—

I was already dialing her number.

The call connected quickly.

"Alexander!" Lilian’s cheerful voice came through. "Have you had dinner?"

"I just finished. What about you?"

"I just finished too. We wrapped up early today. What’s up?"

"Lilian," I said, my tone turning serious, "I need you to answer me honestly."

There was a pause.

"What is it?" Her voice softened, cautious now.

"Did you post a Status Update last night?"

Silence....