“What kind of game are you playing now?” Maurice leaned down, his voice a low vibration near Eliana’s ear.

Eliana shivered, but quickly shoved him back. “Keep your distance! I just saved you from a group of armed thugs. Is this how you repay someone who just risked her life for you?”

“Thugs?” Maurice looked at her, part of him wanting to laugh, the other part genuinely intrigued. She still seemed to believe he was some sort of high-class troublemaker involved in a scandalous affair. Was she truly that oblivious to his real identity, or was this the most brilliant acting he had ever seen?

Eliana crossed her arms, giving him a stern, motherly glare. “You’re still young and clearly capable. You should find a legitimate career instead of... whatever it is you do at these clubs. This lifestyle isn't a permanent solution.”

Maurice was momentarily speechless. The CEO of the Moran Group was being lectured on his career choices in a back alley.

The silence was broken by Eliana’s phone. She stepped aside to answer, her expression souring instantly.

“Eliana! You’ve completely destroyed the project!” Gabrielle’s voice was so loud it could be heard even without the speakerphone. “Mr. Blake is filing a complaint, and the medical fees alone are astronomical. You are personally responsible for the lost contract and every cent of the damages!”

The line went dead. Eliana felt a cold weight settle in her chest.

“Problem at work?” Maurice asked calmly.

“It’s your fault!” Eliana snapped, turning her frustration on him. “I lost my standing at the company because I stopped to help you. I’m not letting you vanish this time. Give me your number.”

Maurice looked at the phone she thrust toward him. “That’s an uninspired way to ask for a man's digits.”

“Just do it!” she growled.

Maurice smiled thinly, took the phone, and typed in a name and number. He handed it back with a feigned sigh. “You know, I had a very important meeting today. You interrupted a major deal. Perhaps I’m the one who should be asking for compensation.”

“I saved your life! Which is more important, a ‘deal’ or your safety?”

Maurice’s eyes darkened with a playful, yet dangerous glint. “If it’s compensation you want, we should talk about the ring. Five years ago, after our... encounter, a valuable family heirloom went missing. I’ve been looking for the person who took it ever since.”

A ring? A hazy memory flashed through Eliana’s mind. A glint of silver in the moonlight of that chaotic night...

“I didn't take anything!” she said, though her voice lacked its usual conviction. Was it possible she had swept it up in her haste to flee five years ago?

“We’ll see,” Maurice said, his tone turning professional and icy. He pulled out his own phone and made a brief call. “Bring the car around.”

An Aston Martin roared up the street seconds later, stopping precisely in front of them. Maurice stepped in, the door shutting firmly before Eliana could follow. As the car sped away, Eliana looked at her phone. The contact name read: Preston Archer.