Leonard had been waiting outside the tea room for nearly two hours. Just as he was about to barge in and look for her, M finally emerged on her own.


    "Did he hurt you?" he asked at once.


    Seeing her swollen, red-rimmed eyes and the flush at the tip of her nose, it was obvious she''d been crying. Leonard''s expression darkened. He kept his voice level, but he''d already started striding toward the tea room, looking very much like he was ready to go confront Forrest.


    "No, wait!" M hurriedly grabbed his arm and tugged him away. "My grandfather wants me at his ce tonight. I can''t bete. Besides, what does any of this have to do with you?"


    It was always like this.


    For the past year, every time she met with Forrest, Leonard had insisted on sticking close by. In the beginning, he''d insist on sitting in at every meeting, and whenever she tried to object, his answer was always the same: *"It was in the will, Miss. I''m to keep you safe."*


    But Forrest was never a threat to her.


    After several heated arguments, she''d finally managed to convince Leonard to at least wait outside, although even that came with a time limit. She technically had the authority to give him orders, but Leonard was still a living, breathing person- one carefully groomed by the Montgomery family. She didn''t have to like him, but she couldn''t just dismiss him at will.


    At most, she could ask her personal assistant, Cara, to stick closer to her, letting her avoid Leonard as much as possible. But every time she came home, she just couldn''t shake him. He was a constant nuisance.


    As she managed to usher him into the car, Leonard couldn''t help but warn her again. "Chairman Suthend, Forrest isn''t as harmless as he seems. It''d be better if you kept your distance from him in the future."


    M just looked at him. "Are you sure you''re talking about Forrest? Or are you talking about yourself?"


    "I''d never hurt you," Leonard replied, his voice firm.


    She let out a humorlessugh. Choosing not to argue, and with her mood still in shambles, M closed her eyes and massaged her brow, hoping to steady her


    nerves.


    ***


    Upstairs in the tea room, Forrest watched the orange car disappear from sight. He was just about to leave when his phone buzzed on the table. Seeing the number, the smile on his face vanished.


    "What is it?" His tone was curt.


    After ignoring several calls, he finally answered, since the caller was nothing if not persistent.


    "My, aren''t you cold," came Giselle''s teasing voice. "Mr. Whitmore, how about we strike another deal?"


    "Another deal?" Forrest''s voice was icy. "When did we ever have a deal?"


    "Come on, Mr. Whitmore," Giselle gave a softugh. "You were the one who sent those documents to


    anonymously, weren''t you? you me


    used me to let M see through the farce of her marriage with Lysander. Now you want to pretend you don''t know me?"


    When Forrest stayed silent, she pressed on. "What do you think M would do if she knew you were a sanctimonious fraud? She was devastated when the truth came out-fainted the moment she left the lounge, I heard."


    Giselle sounded delighted.


    "You seem to have a lot of animosity toward her," Forrest said, his tone still calm. "Is it just because of Lysander?”


    "Oh, it''s more than that." Giselle''s voice went cold. "If it weren''t for her, I never would have—” She cut herself off abruptly. "Mr. Whitmore, don''t try to fish for information. This deal is worth your while."


    "Oh? You want me to help you hurt the woman I love?" Forrest scoffed, shaking his head. He grabbed his suit jacket from the coat rack and unlocked the door, ready to leave. His thumb hovered over the button to end the call-then paused.


    "Don''t you want her?" Giselle


    pressed, catching the momentary silence. "Rx. I have no interest in her now. What I want is something else. Here''s my offer: I''ll help you win her over-get her to marry you, willingly. What do you say?"


    "And why should I trust you?" Forrest asked tly.


    "You''ve got nothing to lose," Giselle said lightly. "If it doesn''t work out, you can just take back whatever you give me. Besides, I''m confident I won''t fail. I know her- maybe even better than either of you do."


    "You''re awfully sure of yourself." Forrest let go of the door handle, hung his jacket back up, and sat down in the chair M had just vacated. Setting his phone on the table, he switched it to speaker. "Alright. What exactly do you want?"


    "Finally, some honesty." Giselle didn''t beat around the bush. "I want your tech. Your expertise."


    "Not a chance." Forrest smiled, but his eyes were cold as ice. "No matter what you want, I have no intention of letting M know we''re in contact. Understood?"


    "Of course. We''re strangers, after all," Giselle replied smoothly. "I''m sure you know about the Al automation project I''m applying for. My team isn''t up to scratch, and I know you''re not avable. But I just want ess to your overseas contacts. There are a few specialists on your international team I have my eye on. If you make the introduction, I''m sure they''lle help with my research."


    "With their expertise, I''ll secure the project funding. That''s the only way the proposal will get approved. And officially, these people won''t be linked to you— M will never know."


    "And since they''d being on your rmendation, if I can''t deliver what you want, you can always pull them out. You risk nothing. So, what do you say?"