[Present Time]-Michael stared at Camille, who sat stiffly on the sofa in front of him. She had never met his eyes since they arrived here. Her demeanor was a little unnerving, but he figured it had to be.After all, it was he who had invited her to his private villa.He didn’t know what had come over him. Before he could think twice, he had sent her a message a few days ago, asking her to meet him somewhere far away, where they could talk privately.To be on the alert, he asked Grady to pick her up at a public mall and drive her to the location in a conspicuous car. That way, Christian wouldn’t be able to easily track them down.Unless he put a GPS tracker on her or something.Michael knew a great deal about Christian Callahan. The first time they met was during Michael’s training to inherit the company. The two of them were at a social event after his father introduced him to Christian and Gregory Callahan.He was 25 years old at the time. He heard good and bad things about Gregory

“So why did you invite me here today?” Camille’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts. “I have a feeling you want to tell me something. Something important.”She said the last part hesitantly, as if she had been thinking about it for a while.Michael looked at her, noting the uncertainty in her expression. It couldn’t be clearer that she was nervous about being here. He felt bad about making her take such risks, but if what Grady had gathered was true, he needed her to tell him the truth as soon as possible. He wouldn’t force her, of course, but he really wanted to help her.He hadn’t been able to help her in fourteen years. This was his only chance. Since their reunion, he had never seen a real smile on her face, one that showed her true happiness. Even when she smiled, it barely reached her eyes. Her eyes used to be so vivid and passionate, and she was so caring and fussy about other people.But the woman sitting before him now was so different that it made his heart ache. Her stif

Camille thought about it for a moment. First of all, it couldn’t be work-related. After all, they worked at the same company, and she was even his personal assistant. She would know if something went wrong.On the contrary, everything was running smoothly, which made this current situation even more confusing.‘Probably has to do with his father? I can’t think of anything else,’ Camille grumbled to herself as she forced herself to leave her bedroom.As much as it annoyed her to take care of Christian, she couldn’t let the servants do it for her. Not when he called for her himself. If she didn’t come, he would most likely punish the servants in response, and she didn’t want that to happen.When she finally reached the living room, she stopped in her tracks, stunned by the sight before her.The scene in front of her was so strange. The lights weren’t on, just a single chandelier hanging from the ceiling, casting a soft glow over the room.Christian, usually calm and collected, was spraw

“Not even a cent?” Christian looked bemused. “That’s unusual.”“That girl was unusual from the start.” Greg shook his head. “Do you know what favor she asked of me?”“What was it?”“A new identity.”“A new… identity? Why?”“That was the only thing she asked of me.”“Is she a criminal?”“Perhaps. I won’t know unless I conduct an investigation on her.”“What kind of crimes could a young girl commit?” Christian sounded like he had a hard time processing this information.“There are a lot of things. Maybe theft.” Greg shrugged. “I have no idea at the moment. Once the results are out, we will know.”“How old is she?”“Eighteen.” Greg raised an eyebrow. “Are you interested in her?”“In her background, yes,” Christian said calmly. “She might just be pretending in order to catch your interest. I do not trust her.”Greg chuckled. “Neither do I. But she does deserve a favor, so I will do it without hesitation. I just want to know the reason behind it, for contingency purposes.”“I see.”***The

‘The audacity of this girl.’This was what Christian thought immediately as a response to her blatant insult.No one had ever dared to say that to his face before. This was certainly a first.The silence between them became tense, like the formation of a dense cloud. He was seething inside, but he didn’t want to explode like an irrational person on this woman, no matter how foolish she was.He would handle this situation calmly. He would be the better person instead of her. He had been taught by his father to remain calm in any situation. Rationality over emotions, as Greg often liked to call it.“…You’re a pretty brave girl for saying that,” he finally said in an impassive tone.Hailey only scoffed. There seemed to be no hint of fear in her eyes.A brave girl, indeed.“I am always brave enough to stand up for injustice whenever it’s needed,” she pointed out. “You’re the one in the wrong and yet you refuse to acknowledge it.”“I was merely being honest,” he said as calmly as he could.