Kellan fixed Alina with a look full of open contempt.
Alina said, "Mr. Gilbert, I'm fully aware that this marriage isn't something you wanted. Even so, you still agreed to it, which tells me you have your own reasons. So, why don't we work together?"
Instead of dismissing her at once, Kellan studied the composed expression on her face. Interest quietly surfaced in him because no woman had ever approached him with that kind of nerve and proposed an alliance so directly.
His expression turned cold as Kellan asked, "What exactly makes you believe you have anything worth offering me?"
"You have two older brothers, and you've been pretending that your injuries from the accident are worse than they are, even inside your own home. That tells me the danger isn't outside your family but within it. If that is the case, then I can stay in that house, watch what happens, and report anything suspicious to you," Alina said evenly.
Something shifted in Kellan's expression as he listened. His stare became far sharper than before. The woman in front of him was becoming far more interesting. She had uncovered his deception almost immediately.
With his eyes pinned on Alina, he asked, "So who are you really?"
A small smile appeared on Alina's face as she replied, "No mystery there. I'm Alina Riley. My mother serves the Hayes household."
Not once did she look away from Kellan, and fear never showed on her face.
By now, she was certain he had already investigated everything he could about her past. Even if suspicion lingered in his mind, she remained unbothered because the truth about who she really was could never be uncovered by someone with ordinary reach.
After a brief silence, Kellan finally spoke, his voice carrying a sharp chill. "Then tell me, what do you want in return?"
Without hesitation, Alina replied, "What I am asking for is straightforward. This marriage only needs to exist on paper. Nothing more."
Bitterness quietly rose in her chest.
At that moment, the reason behind Kristy's strange lack of anger or disappointment over Jessica being chosen to marry Kellan became painfully obvious.
Kristy had known about the switch from the very start and had kept silent because it served her interests.
Had she refused this marriage, Kristy would have found another opportunity to trade her off to someone else if it meant personal gain. Compared to that fate, remaining in this arrangement with Kellan felt like the better option because Kristy would lose her ability to control her.
More than once, she had questioned whether Kristy was truly the woman who gave birth to her.
Instead of answering immediately, Kellan made an unexpected move and yanked her into his embrace. A startled cry escaped her before she could stop it.
Without giving her room to react, he pressed his face against the curve of her neck.
The moment Alina tried to speak, Kellan silenced her. "I thought you said you wanted to be useful to me. Then make it sound convincing. Moan."
A faint rustle came from the doorway, and Alina immediately realized someone was listening outside. She had no doubt it was one of the Gilbert family.
Heat rushed to Alina's face at once. "I wouldn't even know what to do," she replied in a barely audible voice.
Kellan narrowed his eyes at her. "You expect me to believe that? You've been with Alan for years, and nothing ever happened between you?" Suspicion was clear in his voice.
Embarrassment burned even hotter across Alina's face.
Without warning, Kellan lowered his head and pressed a kiss against her neck. A tremor passed through her body, and a soft sound slipped from her lips before she could stop it.
Several minutes passed, and Alina's entire face and body felt overheated, while whoever had been lurking outside had apparently given up and left.
"You can have the bed tonight. I'll take the sofa," Kellan said evenly.
After taking a moment to settle herself, Alina cleaned up and slipped beneath the covers of the oversized bed. She had been certain Kellan's presence on the sofa would keep her awake for hours, yet exhaustion took over faster than expected, and she fell into a deep sleep.
Morning arrived, and when Alina opened her eyes, Kellan was nowhere to be seen.
Making her way downstairs, Alina found several people gathered in the lavish living room. The first to notice her was an elderly woman, who immediately smiled and called out, "Jessica, come here, dear!"
Before Alina could respond, a younger woman let out a mocking laugh and said, "Grandma, you've mistaken her for someone else. That isn't Jessica. That's Alina, a servant's daughter."
Pamela Gilbert, Kellan's mother, gave Alina a long, careful look. "How could that be?" she asked in clear disbelief. "She's the very image of Lynda!"
