'Let's get married in five days.'
William's voice still echoed in Thalia's ears.
She sat frozen in her seat, long after he had left.
"You don't have to worry," Tiara said, trying to reassure her. "He can't do that. My company isn't so small that he can just crush it like that…"
But even as she spoke, her words lacked conviction, because she knew exactly what William Carter was capable of doing.
The Carter Group had only grown stronger after he took over, and that alone was enough to make people question just how much influence he truly held behind the scenes.
William Carter—the second son of the Carter family, not the heir, not the one people were meant to pay attention to, yet somehow always present in places that mattered more than they should.
Five years ago, everything changed when his brother fell ill, and he stepped in without hesitation, taking over the position that was never meant to be his in the first place.
At the same time, he publicly announced that he was no longer associated with the Black Crest, but the way it was handled was far too clean, far too quiet, leaving behind more questions than answers.
There was no confirmation, no denial, no clear record of what he had actually been to that organisation, and that uncertainty was exactly why Tiara had described him as a retired mafia, even though deep down, she knew that nothing about him was ever that simple.
"Hey, are you okay? Tell me… what did he whisper to you earlier?" Tiara snapped her fingers in front of Thalia's face, trying to pull her out of her thoughts.
Thalia blinked a few times before finally looking at her.
"Tiara… I'm going to get married."
"What?!" Tiara jerked upright. "Did he threaten you? What did he say? What did he do?"
Thalia shook her head and forced a small smile. "He didn't threaten me… not really. He just… gave me a choice."
Tiara's brows furrowed. "Then why would you—"
"But, sis…" Thalia cut in softly, her fingers tightening slightly in her lap. "I noticed something."
"What?" Tiara leaned closer, her voice lowering instinctively.
Thalia hesitated.
"I—" she paused, frowning as if trying to make sense of it herself. "It sounds weird, okay? But…"
Her gaze dropped for a second.
"Just now… when he caught me… I didn't feel dizzy anymore."
Tiara froze.
Thalia continued, slower this time, like she was testing her own words.
"It was like… everything just… stopped. The headache, the nose bleed…" She pressed her hand lightly against her chest. "Even this… it felt better."
A small pause.
"I don't know how to explain it…" she added quickly, almost defensively. "It's just… when he's close…"
She didn't finish the sentence.
"Wait…" Tiara's brows furrowed slightly. "So… are you saying… he was refilling your energy?"
Thalia nodded slowly. "Yes… that's the word."
She hesitated, then added awkwardly, "I felt… full."
A brief pause.
"Not to sound weird," she muttered, avoiding Tiara's gaze, "but… yeah full."
Tiara stared at her without blinking for a few seconds before finally speaking, as if trying to steady her thoughts.
"I still think marrying him is not a good idea, Lia…" she said, her voice lower now. She let out a frustrated sigh. "He's dangerous."
Thalia's expression didn't change much as she met Tiara's gaze.
"I know you mean well…" she said quietly. "But my life is already a gamble."
Tiara studied her carefully, her eyes narrowing slightly as if trying to read through her.
"You're hiding something… aren't you?" she asked, tilting her head just a little.
Thalia let out an awkward chuckle.
"What do you mean?" she said lightly. "I already told you… it's just…"
She hesitated for a second, then shrugged.
"I think since I'm running out of time and options, I might as well take what's being offered to me, right?"
"So he threatened you into marrying him… as a way to get out of offending him?"
Thalia hesitated.
"Not exactly," she said, her voice softer this time.
Tiara's eyes narrowed. "Then what exactly, Lia?"
Thalia looked away, her fingers tightening slightly in her lap.
"It's just…" she paused, searching for the right words. "He gave me a choice. That's all."
"That's not a choice," Tiara said immediately. "That's pressure."
Thalia let out a small breath.
"Wait…" Tiara suddenly straightened, her eyes locking onto Thalia's. "Don't tell me you didn't manage to compel him?!"
'Ah—as expected of Tiara. She cracked it immediately.'
Thalia nodded, letting out a weak exhale.
"How—how?!" Tiara shot up to her feet in disbelief. "You said you did, right?!"
"He said he was wearing contact lenses," Thalia replied, almost too casually.
"Con—contact what?" Tiara gasped, her mind clearly struggling to process it. "So contact lenses able to block—"
She stopped mid-sentence. Her expression changed, slowly.
"He knew," she whispered.
The room fell silent.
Tiara's gaze darkened as she looked at Thalia again.
"He knew what you were trying to do… and he still let you do it."
A chill ran down Thalia's spine.
"He knew?" Thalia blinked, still trying to process what Tiara had just said. "What do you—"
She suddenly stood up as well.
"He knew… I'm a fox?!"
—
Meanwhile, William leaned against his car, his gaze lifted toward the tenth-floor building.
"Sir, shall we?" Beto stepped up beside him.
William straightened and turned, opening the car door before getting in.
"Ask HR to increase your salary by ten percent," he said as Beto settled into the driver's seat.
Beto blinked, confused, and glanced back. "Sorry, sir?"
William raised a brow. "You played along well."
A subtle smirk appeared on his lips.
"Ah…" Beto nodded, breaking into a small smile. "Thank you, sir. I'll do even better next time."
He then faced forward again.
"By the way, sir," he added hesitantly, "can contact lenses really block hypnotism?"
William didn't answer immediately.
He leaned back slightly, his gaze lowering as if replaying the earlier moment.
"I don't know," he said at last.
Beto blinked. "You… don't know?"
William's eyes remained distant for a second longer.
"She did something," he said calmly. "But it didn't affect me."
That only confused Beto even more.
"So the lenses—?"
William let out a faint breath, almost amused.
"I'm just setting a trap," he said lightly.
Smiling, he continued, "To corner a mouse."