At night, when Rosemary got the call from Maxwell, she had already finished her nightly routine and


    was ready to hit the sack.


    She had been pulling all-nighters for several days and was finally managing to get to bed early


    tonight, but this call totally messed that up. So she sounded none too pleased, "What''s up with the


    late-night call?"


    "Open the door."


    The man uttered just three words before abruptly ending the call, leaving Rosemary with her retort,


    "Are you out of your mind?” lingering unsaid, caught in her throat.


    Pfft, as if she was going to indulge him?


    Rosemary threw her phone away andy down to sleep, not knowing whether Maxwell had


    guessed her thoughts or simply ran out of patience. Just as she closed her eyes, she heard a


    thunderous noise from the security door!


    With a click, it was the neighbor''s door that swung open.


    The person next door was an elderlydy who didn''t seem the friendliest from the few times


    Rosemary had seen her.


    Sure enough, the olddyunched into a tirade the second she opened the door: "What''s with the


    banging in the middle of the night? You think people don''t need sleep? Have you no sense of public


    decency, as a grown man?!"


    Soundproofing in these ordinary apartments was mediocre at best, and with the olddy''s shrill


    voice, Rosemary could hear everything crystal clear from the innermost bedroom.


    She didn''t hear Maxwell speak; probably, this scion of fortune was experiencing such a scenario for


    the first time and was left dumbfounded?


    "Don''t you dare knock again, or I''m calling the cops for disturbance of peace!"


    Maxwell''s voice was calm but convincing: "My wife lives here. She struggles with severe


    depression, mania, and even schizophrenia. When she has an episode, she either wants to kill


    herself or others. Today, I made her mad, and she hasn''t been answering my calls for half an hour."


    He didn''t finish, but the olddy''s mind filled in the nks with a series of grisly scenes, pping


    her thigh, "Oh dear, she''s a lunatic? Well, you better bust the door down and drag her out, or I''ll call


    building management. We can''t have her dying in there."


    Before she could finish, Rosemary swung the door open, her face as dark as the bottom of a pan,


    "Come in."


    That damn Maxwell, now she had to live with the tags of being suicidal and homicidal—how was


    she supposed to keep staying here?


    The man''s lips curled into a faint smirk as he strolled in, not a hint of guilt on his face for ndering


    her.


    Rosemary frowned, irritation in her voice, "What on earth do you want?"


    The entryway was dark, lit only by the light from the living room. Maxwell''s gazended on her


    slender, well-proportioned fingers, "Don''t you have anything to confess to me?"


    "Do I have anything to confess to you?" Rosemary yawned, her eyes glossy with fatigue—it was


    obvious she was dead tired, "If you have something to say, then say it. Stop speaking in riddles."


    His eyes cooled, and with a contained emotion, he reminded her, "The morning after the birthday


    banquet."


    As he spoke, his hand reached for hers, ignoring her wishes and forcibly seizing her fingers. They


    were beautiful—long and well-shaped, with a thin callus on the pads of her thumb and index finger.


    Rosemary couldn''t pull her hand back, her brow furrowed in displeasure. She thought back to the


    morning after the banquet...


    Suddenly, she realized it was about the check Martin had given her.


    Maxwell knew?


    At the same time, a vague pain emanated from the fingers the man held.


    Rosemary''s heart tightened, and she instinctively denied it: "I didn''t take his money."


    It wasn''t fear of Maxwell actually breaking her fingers; she feared it wouldplicate their divorce.


    Maxwell''s tone wasden with sarcasm: "Why should I believe you? If you didn''t ask him for it, why


    would he give it to you for no reason?”


    "Believe it or not, that''s up to you. And even if I did ask him, it was a loan, and I''ll pay it back."


    The difference between "taking” and "borrowing” was crucial; the ideas brewing in Maxwell''s head


    were undoubtedly more sordid, and if she didn''t object, he''d probably throw insults about selling


    herself next.


    Maxwell''s gaze settled on her face, dark and brooding.


    Rosemary couldn''t guess what was on his mind, but she felt an unusual and intense unease.


    She stepped back, pulling her hand free, "If I had taken Martin''s money, I''d have thrown it in your


    face and made you file the paperwork with me first thing in the morning."


    That was the strongest exnation she could offer, and she really had been wanting to do just that


    —if only she had the money.


    Maxwell''s temple twitched, clearly irked by herst remark. He took a deep breath to prevent


    himself from strangling her on the spot.


    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    "Stay away from Martin."


    Rosemary arched an eyebrow. Was he ordering her around?


    Whether to see Martin or not truly wasn''t her decision; these few times weren''t initiated by her


    wanting to see Martin. It was mere coincidence they always ended up in the same ce, but


    without Maxwell, such coincidences would be greatly reduced.


    "He''s from your circle. If you divorce me swiftly, I''ll bepletely cut off from his circle and won''t


    even have the chance to see him."


    In a ce as big as Greenwood, running into someone frequently wasn''t easy.


    "Heh," Maxwell chuckled darkly, leaning in and effortlessly trapping her between the wall and


    himself, "Setting a trap for me?"


    "I''m stating the facts," Rosemary, ufortable with his proximity, turned her head away with a


    frown, "I''m going to bed. If you have nothing else, then leave."


    His towering presence was intimidating, especially in such close quarters.


    She had a feeling that any second now, Maxwell would just lean in and kiss her.


    Although the thought seemed a bit self-asserting, it wasn''t as if he hadn''t done such things before!


    Maxwell saw her resistance and his expression darkened quickly. Annoyed, he switched topics,


    "About that business deal I mentionedst time, the person in charge from the otherpany has


    come to Greenwood. Come with me, and the three hundred million you owe will be settled."


    Rosemary pulled a cold smile, expressionless, "Do you think I''d still fall for your lies?"


    She had heard his conversation with Archer at the Night Clubst time. Securing this coboration


    was just a matter of a few words for Maxwell.


    With a frown, she tried to push him away, clearly repulsed by his closeness.


    His expression darkened rapidly, and the anger stoked by Martin''s three hundred million surfaced


    again, even more intensely than before.


    He had his long fingers gripped around a woman''s waist, his eyes dark as if sttered with ink,


    "The contract hasn''t been officially signed yet; changes can happen at any time."


    Rosemary rolled her eyes—what did matter to her whether there were changes or not?


    Depending on splitting the assets yet being indebted by three billion, she would rather he went


    bankrupt!


    Maxwell squinted, her expression... she''s really pushing her luck!


    "You borrowed money from another man behind my back. I''m not in a good mood right now. I''ll give


    you one minute to agree to my proposal, to soothe my temper."


    Rosemary heard what seemed like the biggest joke ever, to soothe his temper?


    "Maxwell, do you need me to escort you to the neurologist to get your head checked?"