[James's POV]
The car door shut behind me.
I leaned back in the seat and closed my eyes. My head was still pounding.
All I could see in my mind was Alistair Black's face.
That smug look of his made me sick.
And all the crap he said?
Bullshit.
Marriage alliance?
More bullshit.
I pulled out my phone and called Leo.
"It's me."
There was nothing on the other end except breathing.
"Find out who messed with my drink last night."
"And the woman—who sent her in?"
I paused.
She had her back to me. That red rose birthmark behind her ear...
I could still see it clearly.
"Also, look into Alistair Black's daughter. Lilith."
"From last night to 8 a.m. this morning—track everything. Who she saw. Where she went. I want it minute by minute."
"And the reporters outside the hotel get their names, jobs, addresses. Everything."
"Make sure they learn what they can and cannot say."
"One more thing. The mole."
"I want a name in thirty minutes."
"Yes, Mr. Watson," Leo replied. His voice was flat. Like a machine.
I hung up.
The tightness in my chest eased a little.
Outside, the streets kept flying past.
But my mind was stuck on last night.
The heat of her body.
The way she cried under me, begging.
That moment when I broke through her barrier. That cry of pain.
I lost control with her.
I never touched women. I never lost control.
It had never happened before.
I got home.
I tore off the wrinkled clothes and went straight into the bathroom.
Cold water poured over me.
My head finally cleared.
I looked down. There were faint scratch marks on my neck and shoulder.
She left them.
I touched them.
They didn't hurt. They itched.
I turned off the water and dried off.
I wrapped a towel around my waist.
As soon as I lay down, my phone rang.
It was Leo.
"Talk."
"Mr. James, we found the mole. It's one of your bodyguards. David. Alistair Black paid him a million."
I listened without reacting.
"Deal with him."
"Understood." Leo got it.
In the Watson family, betrayal means death.
"Anything else?" I asked.
"We tracked Lilith Black. She spent the whole night at a private villa in the western suburbs. She had a small party. She never left."
My heart sank.
It wasn't her.
The girl from last night—she was nervous. Inexperienced. Nothing like what they say about Lilith.
"There's more," Leo added. "Alistair Black divorced his wife Celeste Lang years ago. They have twin daughters. Lilith stayed with Alistair and took his name. The other one is Rose Lang. She lives with her mother."
Rose.
I said the name in my head.
"The one who was sent into your room last night was Rose Lang."
I held the phone. I didn't say anything.
So it was her.
Rose. The name fits her.
I couldn't help it. I let out a quiet laugh.
Leo went silent, waiting for me.
"Send me everything you can find on Rose Lang. From childhood till now. I want details."
"Yes."
He hung up.
A few seconds later, my phone buzzed.
An encrypted file came in.
At the top, there was a surveillance video.
I opened it.
The screen showed a girl in a slip dress.
She was being dragged in, her steps unsteady, her eyes glazed.
They shoved her into my room.
The door closed behind her.
That was the end of the footage.
She didn't walk in on her own.
That fact made my chest tight.
Is she awake now?
What did she think about last night?
She must hate me.
I threw the phone aside. Ran my hand through my hair.
I wanted to see her.
Right now.
But what could I say?
Sorry?
Tell her I was set up?
She won't believe it.
To her, I'm just the man who forced himself on her.
I picked the phone up again.
I tapped Alistair Black's number.
My finger hovered over the call button.
But I didn't press it.
Alistair thought he could use one of his daughters to lock in a marriage deal.
He thought it didn't matter which one.
He was wrong.
If he wants a deal, then he needs to offer something real.
I set the phone down.
You want me to marry your daughter, Alistair?
Fine.
I'll force you to bring Rose to me yourself.