---- Chapter 6 Levi ended up hiring Lily. Lily was clever-clever in that calculated, coquettish way that masked itself as innocence. Once she sensed that he was beginning to indulge her, ever so slightly, she began making small, deliberate mistakes-nothing serious, just enough to catch his attention. And he played along, half amused, half indifferent. Nikki noticed once. After that, he never took Lily's calls at home again. At the time, it had merely been about keeping his parents off his back. Then, Nikki's grandmother passed away. She had been raised by her grandmother-he knew how devastating the loss must have been. He was supposed to go back with her, to be by her side during the funeral. But without his ---- knowledge, his parents had arranged an urgent business trip for him-one he couldn't refuse, one that "had to be handled personally." And who was the assistant traveling with him? Lily. Of course, he knew what this was. This was a test. A push toward a decision they'd been pressuring him to make. Nikki, ever trusting, didn't question it when he told her he had to go on an urgent business trip. Over the phone, her voice was trembling, a quiet sob lodged in her throat. "Then go," she said. "All my relatives are here. I can manage." Despite everything, his wife-grief-stricken, emotionally gutted-still found the strength to comfort him. And there he was, planning how to betray her. ---- With his parents, no less. There was a moment, fleeting but undeniable, when he wanted to drop everything and rush to her side. But he couldn't. His parents had made it clear: if he didn't cooperate, if he dared resist, there would be a divorce. No negotiations. Fine, he thought. Let them send him away. But he told himself one thing-he wouldn't lay a finger on Lily. He never expected her to drug him. The night unraveled into a blur of chaos. Before he could even process what had happened, Lily had already confessed. "I don't want anything. I just... I like you." He had once seen that same look-pure, blazing sincerity-in Nikki's eyes.