?Chapter 221:


    In a swift motion, she unbuckled her seatbelt, her hand firmly gripping the car door handle.


    “Pull over,” she instructed coldly, her tone as harsh as frost.


    If it hadn’t been an emergency, she would never have gotten into Vince’s car.


    Vince kept stealing nces at her, his eyes darkening, yet he remained silent.


    He slowed down gradually, guiding the car toward the side of the road. The second they stopped moving, Maia immediately reached for the handle, eager to leave.


    But Vince swiftly grabbed her arm. “Maia, is this how you thank me? We should talk.”


    Maia shook off his grip, her expression utterly indifferent. “Thanks for the rescue, but there’s nothing left for us to discuss.”


    Frustration flickered across Vince’s face, his feelings straining at the surface. Nothing left?


    His voice turned rough, filled with restrained emotion. “Sometimes, I can’t stop thinking about how things were four years ago. Back then,…”


    “Stop right there. If that’s all you wanted to say, I’m not interested.” Maia reached for the door again.


    Vince clenched his jaw tightly, raising his voice slightly. “Maia, before you go, answer me a question! You never told me you were K! How much more have you hidden from me?”


    Maia paused, slowly turning her head to meet Vince’s gaze. Her stare was cold, edged with bitter mockery. A humorlessugh escaped her lips. “Have you ever bothered to know me?”


    Vince froze. Maia was right. Every time she’d tried to open up, he’d quickly dismissed her. He’d never truly listened or shown any interest in her world.


    It wasn’t that Maia chose secrecy — Vince and the Morgan family simply didn’t care enough to ask.


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    Eventually, Maia learned that silence was the best way to avoid rejection.


    His lips twitched awkwardly, his voice strained by sudden desperation. “What if I told you I want to know you now? Would you give me a chance?”


    Maia dropped her gaze, her eyes colder than he’d ever seen.


    When she finally spoke, her tone was steady yet distant. “It’s toote for that. If you’re so eager to understand someone, start with your fiancée, Rosanna. Do you really think she’s who you believe she is?”


    Maia shed a faint, disdainful smile and stepped decisively out of the car without looking back.


    Vince sat there, stunned. He watched her go, then urgently scrambled out and followed her.


    He reached to stop her, but Maia deftly avoided his grasp.


    Determined, Vince stepped directly into her path, arms spread wide. His eyes shed with defiance and an almost desperate sincerity. “This is about Rosanna and me getting engaged, isn’t it? But even if I get married, it won’t change anything between you and me.”


    His voice dropped lower, more seductive. “Stay with me, Maia. I’ll give you everything you’ve ever wanted. You’re a talentedposer. I can fund your music, even set up your ownbel. You can create freely without worrying about anything else.” Vince inched closer, eyes locked intensely with hers. “Wouldn’t that be perfect?”


    Maia’s lips curved ever so slightly, but her eyes remained as sharp and cold as steel.


    “Vince, after everything you’ve said, isn’t it just so you can keep me as your secret lover?”


    She raised her eyes and spoke with a heavy dose of sarcasm. “If you’re so taken with Rosanna and so desperate to marry her, why are you still wasting your time on me?”


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