?Chapter 49:


    A single phone call from Cole was all it took to summon Manley here. In the phone call, Cole hadn’t wasted time on pleasantries. “Get to the Royal Club. Now.”


    Manley hadn’t even gotten a chance to reply—the line went dead. Assuming it was an emergency, he raced to the Royal Club. The moment he arrived, Cole hit him with somethingpletely unexpected: he wanted a woman.


    Wait—what? Cole asking for a woman? That didn’t line up at all. Cole was practically a monk when it came to women—distant, cold, and always above temptation. And wasn’t he married to Elliana anyway?


    The whole thing threw Manley off. He couldn’t make sense of any of it. Cole’s eyes burned with urgency. “She needs to be clean. Legal age. Gorgeous,” he said through clenched teeth.


    To Aron and Hugh, it made perfect sense. If anyone could handle this kind of bizarre request, it was Manley. He had connections in every corner of the city, and more importantly, he knew how to get things done fast.


    Manley narrowed his eyes, something finally clicking. “Wait… Did someone spike your drink?”


    Cole said nothing, just tugged at his cor with a grimace—answer enough.


    Manley practically erupted. “Who the hell messed with your drink? Point me to them, and I’ll handle them myself!”


    Before Manley could storm off, Aron and Hugh pulled him aside and filled him in on everything that had happened.


    The exnation left Manleypletely baffled. So, let him get this straight—Cole drank some spiked soup, fully intending to spend the night with his wife, but bailed at thest minute and stormed out instead? That couldn’t be right. It made no sense. He’d just seen Cole wrapped around Elliana like she was the only person that mattered. Why the sudden hesitation now? There was only one thing that made sense—Elliana must’ve turned Cole down.


    Manley, never one to miss an opportunity to needle someone, smirked and asked, “Dude, did Elliana turn you down?”


    “Bang!” Cole grabbed the takeout box left by Trinity and smashed it onto the floor in frustration, food sttering across the floor.


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    Both Aron and Hugh flinched, stunned. The outburst sealed it—Manley had guessed right. Elliana had shut Cole down. It was hard to wrap their heads around it.


    Hugh rubbed his nose awkwardly. He used tough at Elliana for not knowing her ce, for wanting something beyond her reach, but now Cole was the one who had been rejected.


    Manley couldn’t hold it in and let out a loudugh. “Alright, Aron, Hugh—out. I need a moment alone with our love-struck friend here.”


    Without protest, Aron and Hugh stepped out, pulling the door shut behind them.


    Taking a seat beside Cole, Manley pulled out his phone and tilted it toward him. “Here—scroll through. Anyone catch your eye?”


    Cole barely looked at the gallery of morous women before flopping back in irritation. “You pick. I don’t care.”


    Manley blinked. “What do you mean by that?” With a chuckle, he added, “I can promise they’re legal and untouched, but your preferences? That’s a mystery I won’t pretend to understand.”


    Cole shot him a look, his voice sharp. “Who said I needed a woman for that?”


    Nowpletely thrown off, Manley stared at him. If it wasn’t for that, then what the hell was the emergency?


    Meanwhile, just outside the room, Paulina and Myles had shown up, their timing impable as always.


    Once Paulina got the gist of what was going on, she didn’t hesitate. Her re at Myles was sharp enough to slice ss as she snapped, “Drop to your knees. Now!”


    Though utterly baffled, Myles didn’t hesitate—he dropped to his knees with a sigh. “Okay, but what did I do this time, Paulina?”


    Without even ncing at him, Paulina shifted her fury toward Hugh. “How many times do I have to repeat myself? We’re working for Mr. Evans. That means knowing our ce. Why did you run your mouth at Mrs. Evans today? You stirred up trouble between them—now what? How do you n to fix it?”


    Hugh ran a hand through his hair, trying to figure out if Elliana had truly turned Cole down because of what he mentioned before. If that was the case, then yeah—he’d definitely made a mess of things. But he still believed he had a point. “Paulina, wasn’t I right? Mr. Evans ought to marry someone elegant and well-connected. What makes Elliana qualified to be Mrs. Evans?”


    The pieces finally clicked for Myles. He adjusted his sses with a sigh and said, “So Hugh runs his mouth, and I end up on my knees? Paulina, aren’t you aiming at the wrong target here?”


    While saying this, Myles made a cautious move to rise.


    Paulina knocked him right back into ce. “I’m punishing you! You’re the oldest, so tell me, is this how you’ve been guiding your younger brother?”


    Myles lifted an eyebrow, clearly fed up but not about to argue. Between chasing deadlines and managing Cole’s packed schedule, disciplining Hugh hadn’t exactly made it onto his to-do list. Still, Paulina outranked them all, and defying her wasn’t an option he was brave enough to take.


    Watching from the side, Aron broke into a grin. Hugh messed up, Myles paid for it—same script every time. Poor guy never caught a break.


    Right when Aron started to feel bad for Myles, Paulina yelled at him, “You get down on your knees too!”


    Aron blinked, confused, but his knees hit the floor before his brain could stop them. “Wait, Paulina—what did I even do?”


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