Chapter 3

I stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, watching Aethon's sleek black sports car tear through the estate gates.

I took a deep, shaky breath. The clock is ticking. Today was the day Edward was heading to the Central Bank to borrow against the Kingsleigh Group's West District land deeds. To make matters worse, my idiotic past self had already signed those transfer papers right before my soul was thrown back in time. I had to get them back, no matter the cost.

I bolted out of the bedroom. But I barely made it two steps down the hallway before a towering figure with silver-streaked hair blocked my path.

"Good morning, Mrs. Kingsleigh. Where do you think you're going?" asked Harris, the head butler.

"Harris, I need to go out for a bit. It's an absolute emergency," I said, trying to push past him.

Harris gave a polite, rigid bow. "My deepest apologies, ma'am. Mr. Kingsleigh's explicit orders are that you are not to leave the mansion under any circumstances."

"Just two hours! I swear I'll be back before Aethon gets home from the office. Please..."

"The Boss's word is law in this house, ma'am. I cannot break it," Harris replied, his face a total blank.

I decided to pull my usual bratty act—back then, this always worked. "Are you seriously defying me? Move out of my way!"

But as I tried to force my way past Harris, Sean—Aethon's head of security—stepped out from the shadows to handle the situation.

"Ma'am, you are grounded today. Step back."

"I have a pounding migraine, and I'm incredibly nauseous," I lied, gripping my stomach. "I need to go to the hospital. Now."

"If you are unwell, a maid will bring you medication. But the lockdown stands," Sean countered, his voice like ice.

Seeing no other option, I pulled the oldest trick in the book. I let my eyes roll back and faked a dead faint.

"Ma'am?!" Sean panicked. He dropped to his knees beside me, instantly checking the pulse at my wrist. I forced my entire body to go limp, keeping my breathing as shallow and undetectable as possible, playing the part of a pale, unconscious damsel.

Sean pulled out his radio. "Boss! It's Sean. She just collapsed."

I couldn't hear Aethon's response, but judging by the sudden, ragged hitch in Sean's breathing, I knew Aethon was either losing his mind or barking out lethal orders.

Without wasting another second, Sean scooped me up into his arms. I kept my eyes glued shut, letting my head dangle uselessly against his shoulder to keep the act flawless.

The moment we reached the driveway and he opened the car door to lay me down, I scrambled inside, slammed the door shut, and hit the locks. I leaned over the console, glaring at the driver. "Drive. Now!"

"B-but, Mrs. Kingsleigh—"

"I said drive!" I threatened, my voice cutting through the car.

"Yes, ma'am." The driver slammed on the gas, peeling out of the estate.

I glanced out the rear window. Sean and three black-suited bodyguards were already sprinting toward their SUVs to hunt me down.

"Faster, or I swear to God I'm jumping out of this moving car!!" I screamed at the driver.

The driver looked terrified in the rearview mirror. "But ma'am, where are we even—"

"Just drive!" I snapped. "You know damn well I'm Aethon's weakness. If I get so much as a scratch because you didn't listen to me, he will personally skin you alive!"

That did the trick. The driver floored it, weaving through traffic until we completely lost Sean's tail.

I pulled out my phone and dialed Edward. He picked up on the first ring.

"Olivia? Baby? Is that you? Did that deformed freak hurt you?" Edward asked, his voice dripping with faux concern, acting like he was the most devoted man on earth. In my past life, I would have melted. Tonight, it made me want to vomit.

I swallowed my disgust, forcing myself to play along. "Edward, I found the draft authorization codes and the revised blueprints for the West District project. Without these new files, the transfer papers I gave you yesterday are completely useless at the bank. Aethon already caught on and locked down the legal system!"

There was a sharp catch of breath on the other end. I knew the bait had been taken. Edward was a broke, overly ambitious social climber; the mere mention of a bigger payout completely fried his ability to think clearly.

"Seriously?! Do you have the authorization files with you right now?" he asked, his voice trembling with greed.

"Yes, I have them. But we need to meet tonight in a secure location to merge the files. You have to bring the original asset transfer papers I signed yesterday. We need to revise them together so Kingsleigh's legal team can't track the data breach when you hit the bank tomorrow morning," I explained, making it sound entirely logical and sweet.

"Of course! Of course, babe. I'll set up the perfect spot. Come to the Grand Lumina Hotel, Suite 809. I'll be waiting for you in an hour."

"I'm on my way."

....

Suite 809 at the Grand Lumina Hotel.

Edward looked me up and down, his eyebrows knitting together in confusion. "Olivia? Why do you look so disheveled?"

I walked past him with an intentionally casual stride, tossing my small handbag onto the velvet sofa. "I had to escape Aethon."

Hearing this, Edward smirked. He stepped forward, opening his arms wide as he reached for my waist, leaning in to plant a kiss on my lips. "Ah, sweetheart, you really are brilliant. God, I've missed you—"

I sidestepped him seamlessly, pretending to walk over to the glass coffee table to set my phone down, effortlessly dodging his touch. "Not right now. We don't have time. Let's talk about the West District deeds and the extra documents I brought."

Edward froze, clearing his throat to mask the awkward rejection, before sinking into the sofa, his eyes gleaming with unadulterated greed. "Right, right. Where are the authorization codes and the revised blueprints? You said the papers from yesterday won't clear without them?"

I pulled out my phone, tapping the screen to flash a fake encrypted folder in his face. "I kept all the data on my phone."

Edward lunged forward, his hand snapping out to snatch the phone from my grip. "Perfect! Give it to me. I'll have my legal team process the official documents tonight."

I calmly pulled the phone back, slipping it into my jacket pocket. "Relax, Edward. Before I hand this over, I need to know one thing. Where are the original asset transfer papers I signed yesterday? You brought them, right?"

Edward let out a arrogant chuckle, leaning back against the cushions with the smug confidence of a man who thought he had already won. "They're right here in my briefcase. The second we merge the codes from your phone, I'm dropping them off at the Central Bank tomorrow morning at nine. The bank has already approved a two-billion-dollar loan against that land. Once the funds clear, we'll wire the entire amount into our offshore account. The Kingsleigh Group won't be able to touch us. Isn't it a flawless plan, baby?"