?Chapter 1720:


    The Wade household had made a catastrophic error in judgment, never once bothering to investigate Christina’s past. All they knew was that the missing Jones daughter had resurfaced after years of hardship, and they had leapt to the conclusion that she must have grown up in a rural backwater, rough-edged andcking refinement. The revtion that she was exceptionally gifted—skilled across countless disciplines and impressive beyond all expectation—left them reeling.


    It dawned on them far toote that she would never be easily steered, and that extracting any advantage from her would prove far more troublesome than they had imagined.


    The charity auction continued without pause.


    Gillian, whose body had never tolerated liquor well, felt a dull pressure spreading behind her temples. Christina told her to retire upstairs, promising she woulde fetch her when the evening ended.


    “I’ll walk you to the room,” Christina said, refusing to leave it to anyone else as she personally escorted Gillian away.


    La tracked them with her eyes, her fingers tightening around the stem of her ss. Despite being a member of the powerful Jones family, Christina had disyed an ease and familiarity with a servant that La found deeply irritating. What unsettled her most was how insignificant she and Jaxen seemed in Christina’s priorities when ced beside Gillian.


    “Cheers, Bain,” La said, raising her ss toward him. Jaxen followed suit, and the three sses touched with a muted clink.


    “Cheers.” Bain showed no reaction, his gaze already fixed on the retreating figures of Christina and Gillian.


    The event was nearing its end.


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    Inside one of the guest rooms, Gillian gradually regained consciousness, her eyebrows knitting together as a growing sense of unease curled in her gut. A body rested beside her, radiating warmth.


    Her heartbeat surged the instant her eyes focused on a striking, sleeping face. Her breath caught, disbelief flooding her widened eyes.


    How could Alban be here, in her bed? What had taken ce between them?


    Gillian nced downward and realized neither of them was clothed. Heat red across her cheeks, humiliation and fury tangling together as her hand nearlyshed out on reflex to rouse him.


    But reality mmed into her—she was nothing more than a servant. If she woke him like this, she knew exactly how the narrative would unfold. Their difference in standing alone ensured that his word would outweigh hers. Then there were the remarks he had thrown out earlier, insisting she was a spy he had deliberately nted within the Jones household. If matters escted, no defense she offered would ever wash her clean. The Jones family would brand her as Alban’s instrument.


    And what of her employment? What of her child?


    Just as life had begun to show promise, everything now dangled on the brink. Above all else, her child’s future hung in the bnce, and she could not allow it all to fall apart.


    So Gillian reached a decision—she would swallow the truth, seal the incident away, and let silence protect her. She pressed her lips together, drew a careful breath, and forced her feelings down as she slipped out of bed, moving with painstaking quiet.


    Without warning, her wrist was seized, and a scream tore free before she could restrain it.


    Her gaze collided with those frigid eyes, her thoughts nking at once.


    Alban yanked her toward him, and she stumbled into his embrace, his heavy, masculine scent engulfing her senses. To her surprise, it was not unpleasant.


    “Did the Jones family send you?” Alban demanded, his stare cial, his voice cutting.


    Gillian stiffened briefly, then fired back. “Stop throwing around baseless ims! This has nothing to do with the Jones family!”


    “Then you’re clearly trying to climb into the upper ranks by slipping into my bed.” A sh of disdain crossed his eyes.


    A chaotic tangle of emotions churned inside Alban—revulsion at the thought of her scheming, paired with a faint, unwee spark of gratification. The sh only deepened the darkness settling across his face.


    Gillian acted without pause. Her hand struck his cheek with a sharp, echoing crack.


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