Alec downed the cold water, though the chill did nothing to steady the heat surging under his skin.
He nudged the air-conditioning lower and shrugged out of his robe, leaving only a pair of fitted shorts clinging to his hips.
Rylee's breath hitched when she caught the full view of his sculpted muscles, the dim light carving sharp shadows along his torso.
A rush of warmth flooded her cheeks, and she tore her gaze away, curling into the corner of the sofa as if the cushions could shield her from him.
With the lights dimmed, the room softened into a muted glow, and she heard the mattress dip as Alec settled onto the spacious bed.
For all the years they'd been married, tonight marked the first time she had ever shared a room with him.
Sleep refused to come. Rylee shifted restlessly, unable to quiet her racing thoughts.
Her phone suddenly lit up, the glow sharp in the darkness—Rory Murray, Claire's brother, had sent a message.
He came from a line of formidable attorneys, each one sharper in court than the last, and he was no exception.
Rylee had already passed him every scrap of information she'd pieced together about the incident from the night before.
Was it possible he'd finally uncovered something significant?
She tapped the notification, and the haze clouding her thoughts lifted in an instant.
"Rylee, the one who drugged you was Saul Smith—the CEO of Smith Group. Do you want to deal with him yourself? I can send you the address."
Her response came swift and certain. "Stay put. I'm coming."
She pushed to her feet, tugged open the wardrobe with a quiet sweep, and slipped into fitted black casual wear.
Tucking her hair beneath a baseball cap and pulling a mask into place, she slipped out the door like a shadow.
Moments after she disappeared down the hall, Alec's eyes snapped open.
Out on the road, her car tore through the night, the engine roaring as Rylee pressed the accelerator all the way down toward an abandoned factory on the outskirts.
Inside the dim factory, a stout middle-aged man and several of his henchmen lay bound on the cold floor, ropes digging into their limbs, the place littered with debris.
A tall man stood over them, his presence dark and imposing, eyes sharp enough to cut.
The stout man's body trembled uncontrollably. "Who on earth put you up to this? I swear—I never laid a hand on Mrs. Bradley's drink!" he babbled.
Rory's jaw tightened, fury flaring across his features as he stepped forward to deliver another blow.
Before his fist landed, the metal door slammed open.
Rylee strode inside, her quiet, obedient facade nowhere in sight. She reached for a discarded metal pipe, testing its weight before moving toward the stout man.
The factory rang with his ragged screams as she hit him with the pipe.
With her gaze blazing, Rylee barked out the demand. "There's no damn reason for you to come after me. Why the hell did you drug me? Spit it out."
Saul coughed up a mouthful of blood, panic twisting his features. "Mrs. Bradley, please—have mercy! I swear I didn't drug you, and I never laid a hand on you last night! It was..."
One of his bound henchmen lurched forward, lowering his voice in a frantic whisper. "Mr. Bradley made it clear—we're not to say a word, no matter what."
Torn between conflicting fears for two people, Saul collapsed into a miserable wail. "I'm innocent, I really am!"
Rylee's lashes lowered as suspicion sharpened inside her. Something about the exchange felt off.
Her gaze locked on the meddling henchman.
She caught the way Saul's gaze faltered, the truth trembling on his lips—right before the henchman cut in.
Rylee tilted her chin at Rory. "Hold him for me."
Rory signaled his men, and two of them stepped in, pinning the henchman to the filthy floor.
Closing the distance, Rylee slipped her fingers to his collar and lifted a miniature camera free.
She straightened and turned to Saul, a glacial smile curving across her mouth. "Mr. Smith, are you planning to run another little stunt?"
Meanwhile, in the Bradley Mansion, Alec sat rigidly before the glowing monitor, the live feed spilling across the screen.
Then the image shattered into static.
The final frame froze on Rylee's soft, taunting smile.
Beneath Alec's steady gaze, a storm began to coil.
Was this really the same Rylee he thought he knew?
He once believed she would always swallow every slight without a word.
Yet tonight shattered that illusion—he had never truly seen Rylee for who she was.
Growing up beside her had made him arrogant enough to think he knew everything about her.
Jaycob's call cut through his disbelief.
"Mr. Bradley, who knew Mrs. Bradley would be bold enough to quietly bring Rory on board—and unleash payback this savage! She even caught the man we planted, though he managed not to expose your identity."
Alec felt a strange, simmering irritation rise in his chest.
Rylee hadn't turned to him at all—she had gone to Rory instead.
Unbelievable.
Had she gotten daring enough to pretend he no longer mattered?
He answered with a low command, "Jaycob, get over there and pull Saul and his group out. If Rylee tries to stop you, tell her you're acting on my orders."
