At noon, the rain outside kept tapping against the window, a steady, annoying rhythm that made it impossible to sleep in.

Stella Morrison stared blankly at the ceiling for what felt like ages before finally rolling out of bed. She grabbed the dress from the floor and slipped it on. The zipper was at the back; she twisted her arm awkwardly to pull it up, but it got stuck halfway no matter how she tugged.

She was just thinking maybe she should give up on it when a warm hand slid in and pinched the tiny zipper, pulling it smoothly all the way to the top.

The moment his fingertips brushed her spine, tiny shivers crawled up her skin, goosebumps exploding down her arms. And with that touch, the heat from last night replayed in her mind, making her ears burn all over again.

She placed a bank card on the nightstand. “There’s a million on here.”

A strong arm brushed against her waist as the man reached out. His long fingers picked up the card with an easy pinch. “So,” he drawled, voice low, lazy and a little raspy, “is that the overnight rate or… a whole-month package?”

She pushed his hand away. Her smile looked warm, but her tone carried a cool sharpness. “Hush money. I’m done. Time to go back to my family.”

The man had one of those faces that could get people in trouble—sharp bone structure, a straight nose, and a jawline that looked like it was carved clean. His eyes were dangerously charming, peach-blossom shaped with a tiny beauty mark at the tail.

He looked like pure trouble, honestly.

And yeah, with a face like that, it made sense she’d tangled with him for months. If she didn’t have real business to handle now, she wouldn’t be cutting things off so fast. Since their time together wasn’t exactly terrible, the hush money naturally had to be generous—couldn’t let anything mess up her plans.

Three days ago.

Her twin sister, Seren Morrison, had grabbed her hand with her last bit of strength, pleading, “Stella, you have to help me win the divorce case. I don’t want a cent, but my kid cannot stay with the Thornton family.”

Seren’s husband, Byron Thornton, had cheated with his own secretary and even dumped the child into the secretary’s care. Now the kid only recognized the secretary, not his own mother.

Since childhood, Stella Morrison had been treated like the Morrison family’s shame and dumped at her uncle’s place in the countryside. Outsiders only knew the Morrisons had one daughter, Seren Morrison. No one even knew Stella existed.

But she and Seren had always been close. Maybe it was some kind of twin instinct—those few days she’d felt restless for no reason, and the moment she saw Seren, the tightness in her chest finally eased.

She promised Seren she’d get the custody papers. She’d take care of the kid for her.

And then Seren was gone.

That night, Stella saw the news.

“Byron Thornton celebrates secretary’s birthday with his son. Picture-perfect—like a warm little family.”

Stella’s lips twitched.

Dog of a man.

Her sister died alone in a hospital bed, and Byron Thornton was out there playing happy family with his mistress.

Ridiculous.

Her fists clenched, her eyes fixed on the TV where that “happy trio” smiled like nothing in the world was wrong. The more she stared, the colder she felt.

If Seren hadn’t wanted her child back so badly, Stella would’ve happily dumped both the dog man and the kid into the mistress’s lap.

Suddenly, an arm tightened around her waist, pulling her back and pinning her down.

The man—her so‑called walking disaster—looked at her with a cool, narrowed gaze. Even the tiny teardrop mole under his eye carried a chill. His voice was half‑smirk, half‑warning.

“You’re married?”

Stella touched his sharp, handsome jaw, her tone lazy and bold.

“What, you got beef with married women? Marriage means I’m not allowed to have fun anymore?”

His lashes lowered, and something darker slipped into his eyes. Even his voice turned colder.

“You really have no idea who I am? You’re playing with fire.”

Stella hooked her lips, a slow, fearless smile spreading.

“I’m here to have a good time, not memorize your résumé. We walk out that door, we’re strangers. Simple as that.”

Her fingers—warm, a little shaky—pulled down the zipper.

“Alright then.”

The rain kept falling outside, but the room grew hotter by the second.

Stella closed her eyes. Just once more.

Tomorrow, she’d return to the Thornton house in Seren’s place.

And she’d take back everything that should have belonged to Sister Seren.