The tallest skyscraper in Haicheng stood like a silent giant on the city’s edge. Its rooftop, a sprawling space over a thousand square meters, was now blanketed in thick snow.

At minus ten degrees, Alice Field was standing right in the rooftop pool wearing nothing but a flimsy white towel that didn’t even bother hiding much. She was shivering from head to toe. Teeth clenched, she kept telling herself to hang in there. Just get through today, make the man happy, and she’d finally...

Right by the pool, the pale yellow wintersweet flowers swayed gently by the icy blue water. The setting sun draped the whole place in a magical light, turning the snowy rooftop into something out of a dream. And it was exactly here, in this dream-like spot, where she had to sell herself—to please him. Her body was freezing, but her heart felt even colder.

Staring up at the man in front of her—Ethan Moore—Alice’s insides twisted. He wasn’t just powerful; he was terrifying. A single word from this guy could ruin someone’s life. Her breath formed white puffs that barely floated before freezing mid-air. Meanwhile, Ethan was studying her—head to toe—as if she were some product on a shelf.

Her looks were no joke. Flawless face, snow-white skin, killer curves. The thin towel clinging wetly to her did nothing to hide any of that. Her lips started turning purple from the cold, but weirdly—it only made her look more tempting. The kind of woman that made men want to pin her down at first glance.

Ethan grabbed her chin roughly, forcing her to meet his cold, deep eyes.

"Still a virgin?" he asked, his tone ice-cold.

She knew it would come to this, yet her face still flushed with embarrassment.

“Yes,” she replied softly, biting her lip.

His expression didn’t change, but his grip tightened, making her jaw ache like it might snap.

"You think I don’t know what you've done? Oh please... The famous Miss Field, huh? Out with her boyfriend all night on Qixi, came back the next day with hickeys everywhere. Then just recently, got real cozy with her friend’s brother on some yacht. And you call that innocent?"

Her heart sank, a wave of humiliation sweeping through her. She pulled in a shaky breath. “Nothing happened with Brian that night—my neck wasn't—those weren’t...”

Her lips, already numb from the cold, moved slowly as she tried to speak. The helpless look on her face curled into something almost inviting without her meaning to, a mix of fear and vulnerability that only stirred up the man standing before her.

Ethan’s eyes swept over her again, lingering as the towel slipped centimetre by centimetre, threatening to fall. It was like even her trembling body was trying to seduce him.

Without warning, Ethan yanked away the towel.

Even in freezing water, his body started to heat up.

Perfect. She’d caught his attention.

“No need to explain,” he cut her off, showing no interest in her excuses. “Let’s just find out.”

Find out?

Her mind raced.

In this freezing pool? Out in the open at this height? She hadn’t finished thinking before he stepped in closer, pinning her against the icy marble wall.

“W-what are you doing?” she stammered, completely terrified, her tears mixing with the cold.

“Playing innocent now? I thought you knew the drill.”

“I’m not faking! I really am clean!” she cried, still trying to make him believe—only he wasn’t listening anymore.