Alex nced back at Renata and shook his head.


    "Did they hit your head too hard?”


    She stared at him nkly.


    "What are you talking about?"


    He frowned in disbelief.


    "No sane woman asks about making love while she''s lying injured in a hospital bed.”


    "I didn''t mean this very moment,” Renata answered quickly, clearly embarrassed.


    "Let''s make it never," Alex replied tly.


    "What?"


    "I refuse," he said firmly.


    "Are you sure?" Renata studied him, trying to understand. She had forced herself to be brave, to offer intimacy as a way of saying thanks.


    In her mind, that kind of offer usually made men thrilled and eager. She absolutely believed no one would reject her.


    She was a duke''s daughter, admired wherever she went, breathtakingly beautiful and fully aware of her effect on people.


    Yet after gathering all her courage, after swallowing her pride and speaking honestly, the man in front of her dismissed her without hesitation.


    And that stung more than any of her visible wounds.


    Alex folded his arms.


    "I heard you used to be conservative. You nned to stay pure until marriage and devote yourself to the man you married. Is that right?"


    “Yes,” she admitted. "That was my belief."


    "Then what changed?"


    Renata''s eyes hardened.


    "That was in the past. I''ve learned the hard way there''s no advantage to being a conservative woman. Look what that jerk did to me."


    Alex softened his tone.


    “Meeting one asshole doesn''t mean all men are assholes. You just trusted the wrong person."


    She sighed.


    "Finding a man who truly feels the same way I do that''s impossible. It was only a dream. Better to let go of that na?ve mindset."


    "It''s your decision to make," Alex said. "Just don''t put that expectation on me. I''ve been married to Sofina, and I don''t n to change how I live."


    "You''re faithful?" Renata asked, startled.


    "I am," he answered calmly. "In all this time, in thest three years in Prussia, I''ve only slept with Sofina. And that''s exactly how it will stay."


    She blinked at him in shock.


    "Are you lying to me?"


    Alex looked directly into her eyes.


    "Why would I lie? What reason would I have?"


    Renata fell silent, stunned. Everything she believed about men suddenly felt uncertain.


    Alex touched the bracelet on his wrist and changed the subject.


    "Anyway, Count Oskar tried to squeeze Baron Sturmfels and Matthias for money,


    but it was like shaking an empty jar. They couldn''t pay what they owed. You can only recover twice what Matthias scammed from you."


    "Twice?" Renata echoed.


    "Exactly,” Alex said. "Your original loss was thirty million. That means you''re entitled to sixty million. Open your bank ount. I''m transferring sixty million right now."


    "Sixty million?" Renata gasped. She had already believed the thirty million she''d lost -money from her savings and the amount she had secretly taken from her father- was gone forever and impossible to recover. Now a miracle had happened, and it had returned to her doubled.


    Even with her body aching as she moved, the word money cut through the pain. She activated the bracelet and opened the secure connection.


    Alexpleted the transfer without hesitation. The figure appeared on her screen- sixty million dors deposited into her ount.


    Renata stared at the bnce. Her smile grew wider and wider, washing away, for a moment, the bitterness in her heart.


    Renata looked Alex in the eye.


    "Alex Saint-ire, I''ll repay this favor no matter what. I''ll do anything youmand without hesitation."


    Alex gave a small nod, epting her gratitude without making much of it.


    “Just remember—don''t tell Sofina about this. If she ever found out I had dealings with people like Count Oskar, she''d hate me. I can''t afford that."


    "It will stay our secret," Renata said.


    She studied him again, searching his face for an opening. After a long pause, she


    finally spoke the words she had rehearsed in her mind.


    "Let''s make love. I''m starting to feel that I truly want to be with you."


    "No," Alex answered immediately.


    Renata blinked, caught off guard.


    "You''re not impotent, are you?"


    He waved the question away.


    "Yes. I''m impotent. So leave me alone."


    The lie came out cold and careless.


    She sighed in disappointment.


    "That''s sad. You''re very handsome, but impotent. What a pity."


    Before Alex could respond, the door burst open and Sofina rushed into the hospital


    room, worry written across her face.


    "Renata! I heard you were hurt!"


    Renata forced a cheerful smile.


    “Nah, it''s just a small wound. Advanced healing. I''ll be walking out tomorrow."


    Sofina hurried to her side.


    "Renata, I was really worried."


    The two women embraced while Alex stood quietly near the window.


    Then Renata''s expression turned thoughtful, and she nced back toward him.


    "Sofina... I''m truly sorry you ended up with an impotent husband. That must be hard for you."


    Sofina stared at her in confusion.


    "Impotent? What are you talking about?"


    "Alex said he''s impotent," Renata exined.


    Alex was already halfway out the door.


    “Impotent?” Sofina burst intoughter. “That man is a sex machine. If you don''t stop


    him, he can go all day without rest. He makes my whole body ache."


    Renata looked toward Alex with rising anger, but he was gone.


    The next day, while Alex was at home cleaning the house, he received an


    unexpected video call from an unknown number.


    "Hello, Mister Alex," a woman said as her face appeared on the screen. “I am Leonora von Silberkreuz."


    Alex frowned,pletely puzzled.


    "What do you want? We don''t have anything to talk about."


    Leonora''s smile trembled just slightly.


    "I hope you''ll forgive me," she said.


    Alex didn''t bother to look. “I already did. Goodbye."


    "Wait," she rushed. “Please. This call isn''t about yesterday."


    His finger hovered over the screen. “Then make it fast.”


    Leonora took a breath.


    "I really like everything rted to Xia culture, especially their books. But I''m not experienced in this field. Yesterday Loould see that you are. Someone is offering me a collection of Xia texts. Would you fancy helping me identify which of them might be rare?"


    That caught his attention.


    "And what exactly are you being offered?"


    Leonora''s expression grew serious.


    "Xia''s royal family cultivation books and martial arts manuals. The seller ims they best of the best. But I don''t know


    "They''re real or fake. T?? many fake books have been sold to me before."


    Alex nodded slowly. Thest Xia


    formation text he had read had


    already helped him more than he expected. If he could even nce at higher level methods, it would be a chance worth taking.


    "Fine," he said. "I''ll go with you."


    "Thank you, Mister Saint-ire,” Leonora replied with relief. “I''ll send the address immediately. Could youe shortly?"


    Minutester, the V?XEN Lucifer carried Alex across the city. The vehicle moved


    like a dark streak of polished metal, slicing through traffic with effortless speed.


    He arrived at the destination alone.


    It was arge estate with an enormous garden. Tall iron gates stood open, and the


    house beyond them looked quiet and elegant in the afternoon light.


    Alex stepped out onto the gravel path and waited.


    The silence didn''tst.


    From behind the trees, a group of men appeared without warning. No words. No


    threats. Only raised weapons.


    Laser guns erupted in shes of brutal light.


    Energy rounds ripped through the air toward Alex Saint-ire, turning the quiet garden into instant chaos and deadly intent.