The man inside the room was Matthew.
He was tall and long-limbed, and even stretched out across the king-sized bed, he somehow made it seem too small.
His features were striking, and even in sleep, there was still something imposing about him.
Cathleen couldn't quite figure out how anyone could still be sleeping after ten in the morning.
She lingered at the doorway, uncertain whether she should knock and wake him, when an icy, irritated voice suddenly rang out. "Get out!"
Cathleen lifted her eyes and met a pair of cold, dangerous-looking ones.
Attractive people really did have their advantages. Both he and Kevan were unpleasant when they first woke up, but Matthew was far easier to look at.
Too bad his temper was awful, and hers wasn't exactly gentle either.
Cathleen stepped back twice, then slammed the door so hard it felt as if the whole house rattled.
Matthew had just risen from bed when the explosive bang caught him off guard, making him lose his balance for a second.
He steadied himself and stood there in stunned silence.
He couldn't believe she actually had the nerve to slam the door on him.
If the door hadn't been built so solidly, she might have shattered it.
A short while later, Matthew came downstairs with a dark expression carved across his handsome face.
He had been forced into marrying Cathleen, so naturally he had no good opinion of her. In his eyes, Oqruron was filled with women who fantasized about changing their status through marriage, foolishly thinking that winning over his grandfather would somehow secure them a place beside him. The idea was ridiculous.
Dark shadows sat heavily beneath Matthew's eyes, making it obvious he hadn't slept well.
He dropped onto the couch, crossed one leg over the other, and carried himself with dominance.
He fixed Cathleen with a stare for two seconds, then looked away and spoke in a slow, measured tone. "I don't care what tricks you used to win my grandfather over, but hear me clearly: don't start imagining anything between us. I'm marrying you only because it's what he wanted. You'd better know your place. Don't ask for things you have no right to ask for, and don't interfere in matters that don't involve you."
Cathleen watched his attractive lips move while he spoke, then gave a nod. "So what you're saying is we each live our own lives and stay out of each other's business?"
"Exactly."
"And what about the physical side of marriage?"
Matthew's brows drew together at once, his eyes turning sharp.
She really wanted to sleep with him? The thought made him scoff inwardly.
He swept his eyes over her from head to toe before saying with a cold smirk, "I'm not interested in a kid."
Cathleen's expression didn't change as she answered evenly, "I'm not interested in an old man either."
Matthew's face darkened on the spot. He sprang to his feet, looking as though he couldn't tolerate sharing the same room with her for even another second.
Cathleen, however, remained unfazed. Once Matthew stormed out, she started unpacking her things.
She hadn't brought much with her, only a few sets of clothes and a wooden box. She carefully tucked the box into the far back corner of the closet, then draped some old clothes over it to keep it hidden.
Her ring suddenly vibrated. Lowering her eyes, she twisted it on her finger. Instantly, a holographic screen appeared before her, showing a message from Miaburgh.
"Hey, K. I've got some bad news. Darren's in trouble. An organization from South Arland just attacked our headquarters network using some kind of advanced technology. We've never encountered anything like this before. Every system is down, the command center can't send orders, and all communication channels are being jammed. We need your help."
Cathleen's brows knit faintly as she grasped how serious the matter was. Without hesitation, she took the ring apart and quickly reassembled it into another form.
Her fingers moved rapidly across the holographic keyboard, while streams of intricate code flooded the display.
Only after the sun had gone down did she slide the ring back onto her finger. She rolled her sore neck, and right then, her stomach let out a loud growl.
Starving, Cathleen headed downstairs to look for something to eat.
It was already six in the evening, and Matthew still hadn't come back. In the huge, silent house, the only sound was the echo of her footsteps.
Inside the top-floor office of Spencer Group, Matthew stood before the wide windows, his tall frame rigid.
Jayden Evans, Matthew's friend, spoke from the other end of the call. "We were seconds away from pulling it off, and then someone appeared out of nowhere and ruined everything. They stopped Rylie's team in the middle of the attack and broke through our network security. Now our systems are down too. And get this: it was only one person."
Matthew's expression sharpened. "You're saying one person took down Rylie's entire team alone?"
"It's worse than that. Do you know what's on my computer screen right now?"
"What?"
"I'll share you a photo."
A notification sounded on Matthew's phone. He opened his chat with Jayden, and his face immediately turned grim.
The large monitor was completely black, except for the bright red word displayed boldly in the center—loser.
Signed beneath it was the codename K.
Matthew scowled seeing that it was K again.
