?Chapter 327:


    The man was draped in a perfectly tailored suit, the kind that whispered wealth and power. His face, handsome yet sharp as a knife, exuded a cold, deliberate air. His posture was straight, radiating theposed confidence of someone who ruled their domain.


    It was Rnd.


    In that moment, his hands were casually tucked into his pockets, and he stood there quietly, as if waiting for something—or perhaps someone. He had obtained Maia’s address from Pattie and had arrived early in the morning, like a man on a mission.


    Maia raised an eyebrow, a flicker of curiosity crossing her face. “What brings you here?”


    Rnd’s brow furrowed, but instead of offering an exnation, he chose to ask a question of his own. His tone wasced with a mix of tension and uncertainty. “Maia, why did you… keep a male escort?”


    For a split second, Maia was caught off guard. Was this why he had shown up on her doorstep at the crack of dawn? Just to ask this?


    She chuckled lightly, her voice casual, almost flippant. “Because I wanted to. What, Mr. Cullen—are you so invested in my personal life?” The subtext was clear—it was none of his business.


    Rnd’s brows drew closer, his irritation simmering. Maia’s indifference felt like a wall he couldn’t scale, suffocating him, leaving him gasping for rity.


    Yet beneath the surface, a storm was brewing. He was trying to piece together this jarring shift in Maia’s behavior. This wasn’t the woman he believed her to be. There had to be a reason—a hidden thread somewhere, pulling at her actions. Yes, that was it. He could see it now, like a sh of light cutting through fog. A theory that made everything fall into ce.


    “Is it because your husband…” Rnd hesitated, then blurted, “…is impotent?”


    He winced slightly at his words but pressed on. “Or perhaps you had no choice but to marry him?”


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    For a brief moment, Maia stood frozen, her expression unchanged. Rnd, with hiswyer’s precision, had always been adept at reading between the lines. His sharp intellect was his greatest tool — he was trained to uncover truths hidden in shadows.


    Maia knew that Rnd wouldn’t be easily swayed or brushed aside like his sister Elvira. He was probing. She could feel it.


    After a beat of silence, she answered, her voice steady and calm. “Rnd, this is my business, not yours. Don’t you think?”


    Her gaze flickered ever so slightly, but her tone was nonchnt, as though she were dodging an inconvenient bullet without breaking a sweat.


    But Rnd, in an unexpected break from his usual self-restraint, reached out and seized her wrist. His eyes darkened, and for the first time in ages, a spark of raw sincerity flickered in his gaze. “Maia, if you’re in trouble, tell me. I’ll help you. Whatever it is, we’ll fix it together.”


    His voice became increasingly insistent, almost desperate, as he added, “If this marriage was forced upon you, you can get a divorce. I’ll handle everything—the legal stuff, the paperwork. I’ll take care of it all.”


    Maia, momentarily stunned by his outburst, processed his words. Then, as if to disarm him, sheughed softly. “I’m not in trouble, Rnd. I wasn’t forced into anything. It was all my decision.”


    Her words cut through the air like a ssh of cold water, extinguishing the fire he had so fervently kindled.


    Rnd froze, her statement a thunderp, the shockwave reverberating through him. The world seemed to pause in that moment.


    Then, Maia’s voice rang out again, this time with a hint of teasing, as she said slowly, “I’m just someone with a troubled past. I should count myself lucky that someone’s willing to marry me. If I get divorced, what if no one wants me anymore? Would you take responsibility for me?”


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