Savannah Sherman clutched her torn knit cardigan, slipping stealthily away from the suite.

As she closed the door, she saw the man laying still in bed, his eyes tightly shut. She sighed with relief.

She pondered about what had happened the night before. When she had taken advantage of his drunken stupor to shamelessly seduce him to bed, she felt immense regret! Touching his taut abdominal muscles in wild abandon had been euphoric...

However, she then remembered that he was her boss. He was the stern, serious man she was terrified of, and she shivered at that thought.

Indeed, chasing temporary pleasure led to disastrous consequences.

Savannah's legs trembled, and she fled from the "crime" scene.

Upon reaching the dormitory, she steadied her breath before opening the door, pretending as if nothing had happened.

Her roommate, Irene Smith, was applying makeup, meticulously dabbing adhesive on her false eyelashes.

She wanted to slip into the room unnoticed but was caught off guard when Irene asked, "Why didn't you come back last night? You didn't answer the phone when I tried calling you."

Irene's question was nothing but casual.

Despite that, Savannah felt a lurch in her heart.

Stumbling over her words, she lied, "I did return, but I didn't know you called. I only realized it when I was tidying and saw it on my phone. You were asleep, so I didn't wake you up..."

"Really?"

After putting on her false eyelashes, Irene turned and looked at Savannah, noticing how she was holding onto her jacket. "Don't you always wear a jacket with a tank top?"

It was another normal question, and yet, it made Savannah's heart race. "It's... It's hot. I had to run to Mr. Johnston's place for some work."

She was Alastair Johnston's dedicated assistant. Her duty was to be at his beck and call, so this explanation made sense.

Yet, her wavering gaze made Irene feel that something was off, and she scrutinized her from head to toe.

Narrowing her eyes, she queried, "Why is your left ear so red?"

"What?" Savannah was startled. "Perhaps... I was bitten by a bug last night," she replied, brushing down the hair from her left side to deliberately cover it up.

"Something is off with you."

Irene set down her eyelash curler, ready to interrogate Savannah thoroughly.

However, at that moment, Savannah's phone began to vibrate.

The word "Mr. Johnston" that flashed across the screen made Savannah shudder.

"Come to the break room!"

It was just a simple sentence, but she could almost feel his anger through the screen.

"I... I'll be right there."

Savannah ended the call, disregarding Irene's puzzled gaze. She instantly dashed into the room to change into a black suit and then raced into the bathroom to freshen up. Then, she bolted out the door like lightning.

Seeing that it seemed like an urgent command from her boss, Irene did not bother to question her further.

On her way to the resting room, Savannah felt as if she was being led to the execution grounds, with various conjectures blowing up in her brain.

Being summoned by Mr. Johnston... Could it be because of what she did the night before?

However, he was fairly drunk, he should... not have been able to remember, right?

Savannah, filled with uncertainty and experiencing a rollercoaster of emotions, found Alastair in the resting area.

His features were stern, his eyes hiding an unusually intimidating darkness.

His aura was so intense that it made Savannah involuntarily tremble!

Savannah clenched her fists, wore a courteous smile, and approached him with the utmost respect. "Mr. Johnston, were you looking for me?"

With a clatter, a solid object was thrown onto the cold coffee table, its glimmer catching the light.

Savannah's blood ran cold as she identified the object—her black swan pendant!

She had actually left such an important item in the room!

She cautiously scrutinized Alastair's expression. She noticed his pursed lips and penetrating gaze that felt like a sharp blade pressing against her neck.

Just when she was pondering if admitting to her mistake right then would lessen her punishment...

Alastair gestured towards the pendant and in a voice laden with cold severity, he asked, "Do you recognize this object?"