"I-it..."The firm expression and sharp gaze on Harper’s face faded, replaced by evident hesitation. Fear, panic, and anxiety filled her heart.How did this man know about that? And how was she supposed to explain to him—and to everyone else, especially Lord Everstone—that she had never slept with Marc, let alone had any kind of relationship with him? What could she say now?As these questions suddenly flooded Harper’s mind, Shadow abruptly grabbed both of her hands and shoved her against the alley wall."What else do you have to say now? Spending the night with another man and then acting all composed before your future father-in-law—you’re clearly not a good girl," Shadow sneered.As if his words made it even harder for Harper to think clearly, she seemed utterly frozen as the ninja yanked her hands upward and restrained them with just one of his.Then, with his other hand, Shadow roughly tugged at the belt of Harper’s bathrobe, this time tearing it so that the robe fell open even w

Five hours later.Harper had no idea how long she had been unconscious when her eyelids fluttered slightly. At the same time, her awareness gradually returned, and the last thing she remembered was how her head had suddenly felt incredibly light and calm before an overwhelming drowsiness overtook her.When she opened her eyes, she found herself lying on a sofa inside a hotel suite. A sigh of relief escaped her lips—it must have been Marc who had carried her there.Turning her head to the side, her eyes widened in surprise upon seeing more than a hundred pizza boxes neatly arranged on the floor. All of them were open, and, of course, completely empty.A wide smile spread across her lips. She knew exactly who had eaten all that food. If she hadn’t seen Marc ordering an absurd amount of food before, this sight would have surely shocked her to the core.Lifting her gaze toward the sofa just ahead of her, she saw the young man staring intently at a single pizza box on the table in front of

"I'm afraid you'll only make things worse if you go see them now," Marc continued.Harper might have a million reasons to confront Nicholas for his huge mistake—cheating on her with another girl behind her back. But at the same time, Harper had also come to this restaurant with another young man."If Nicholas finds out who you're here with, he'll have the perfect excuse to accuse you of doing the same thing."Marc was never worried about being mistaken as Harper’s lover because that was never his intention, nor had he done anything inappropriate. He was always ready to face any situation and anyone who came his way.However, things were different for Harper. If Nicholas really turned the tables on her, she would be in a much tougher position."It would be best if he didn’t know we were here."Hearing Marc’s words, Harper didn’t respond. But instead of walking away, she returned to her seat.For some reason, she didn’t feel annoyed when Marc said that, unlike the usual irritation she f

"What did I just hear? A girl’s voice?" Leonie furrowed her brows. Though the voice was faint in her ears, she was certain it belonged to a girl."Could that be… Marc’s girlfriend?" Curiosity grew within her, especially after hearing Marc’s slightly hesitant tone.Even so, she quickly realized that she shouldn’t stay on the phone for too long. "Whoever that girl is, I’d better not disturb Marc right now," she thought. The young man had gone on vacation. It made more sense to let him enjoy his time off."Marc, I think I should hang up now. Don’t worry about things here and just enjoy your vacation. I can handle everything in the meantime.""Thank you, Mrs. Griffin," Marc replied before ending the call."Mom, why do you look tense? What happened?"Sasha, who had just entered the inn’s lobby after returning from campus, immediately approached her mother and threw out the question."Ah, it’s nothing. I was just thinking about some ideas for renovating a few parts of the inn.""Mom, oh my

Meanwhile, in the living room on the first floor.Marc hadn't expected Harper to suddenly run behind him, eavesdropping on his conversation. However, that wasn't what truly surprised and worried him.Holding his phone in one hand, he gestured for the girl to get dressed immediately. After that, as if nothing had happened, he put on a smile while watching her head up to the third floor.Just moments ago, Marc had been staring at his phone screen for a long time when Leonie suddenly called him. And when the woman ended the call, Marc once again had to find a way to keep this secret from Harper.Yes, Marc had to keep his patient list a secret. Other than himself and Helma, no one else was allowed to see it."Thank goodness Harper didn't see it," Marc muttered. He then pulled his hand from behind his back and looked at the names on the patient list."The provincial capital? In two days?"The next patient on the list was an elderly man residing in the provincial capital of Walenstein. Acco