That.

Why?

Arianna couldn't even explain it herself.

She glared at him fiercely, acting the part of the unreasonable tyrant. "No reason. Just stop smiling."

"Fine," Maxwell replied, perfectly compliant. "No more smiling."

Despite his words, the smirk on his lips didn't vanish. If anything, the amusement in his eyes only deepened.

Arianna: "..."

She pressed her fingertip against the corner of his mouth, a faint flush creeping up her fair cheeks.

"You're still doing it!"

Maxwell caught her hand, kneading her fingers in his palm with a placating tone. "How about you show some mercy, Mrs. King, and let me off the hook just this once?"

He added, "Only for tonight, alright?"

Arianna puffed out her cheeks, exhaling a frustrated breath.

"I just kissed the wrong spot, is that really so funny?" she muttered.

Maxwell froze for a split second. "That's not why I'm laughing."

"Then... why?"

"Because Mrs. King just confessed to me," he said, the look in his eyes softening into something deeply affectionate. "I never dared to dream of this day—you actually saying you like me."

Was it really that hard to imagine?

Plenty of people liked him; she was hardly the only one.

Still, it was a relief to know he wasn't laughing at her clumsy slip-up.

"So that's what you were laughing about," Arianna said, deciding to be magnanimous. She tugged at his finger and tilted her chin, gesturing toward the road. "Alright, let go. The light is turning green in ten seconds."

Maxwell: "No rush. Give it five more seconds."

Arianna: "..."

Once they pulled into the garage, Arianna glanced out the window, a sudden, vivid memory of that near-loss of control in the private booth flashing through her mind. That hadn't been the "real" Maxwell she thought she knew.

Or, perhaps, that *was* the real Maxwell.

Arianna retracted her foot from the car door and turned to face him.

Maxwell raised an eyebrow. "Hmm?"

Arianna finally voiced the question that had been eating at her all evening: "Maxwell, have you always... played the 'good guy' around me? Is that it?"

Maxwell’s gaze flickered, though he quickly regained his composure. He tapped his fingers lightly against the steering wheel, his response smooth and effortless. "Why call it 'playing'? Why couldn't I just be a naturally well-behaved person?"

Arianna wasn't buying it.

"In any case, there was an element of performance, wasn't there?"

Seeing there was no escaping the truth, Maxwell hummed in agreement.

"Why?" Arianna asked, baffled.

A tender, knowing smile played in his eyes. "Because I knew that’s what you would like."

Arianna went silent for a long moment, taking a deep breath and studying him closely before finally popping the car door open and heading inside.

She left him with nothing but a cool, detached view of her back.

Maxwell, however, read exactly what her expression meant: *Oh, very clever. You were hiding it so well, and yet I still managed to sniff it out.*

A low, pleased chuckle echoed through the quiet interior of the car.

—

Arianna barely slept that night.

As soon as she finished her shower and slipped into her pajamas, she couldn't wait to jump on her phone and fill her friend in on the latest developments.

Arianna: [Oh my god! Gemma! I confessed to Maxwell!]

Gemma Bennett: [AHHHHH! Tell me everything! Don't leave out a single detail!]

Arianna typed out a quick recap of the evening's events.

Even through the screen, she could feel Gemma’s excitement vibrating.

Gemma Bennett: [Oh my god! This is literally a top-tier romance novel! That means he likes you back, right?!]

Before Arianna could finish typing her reply, another message popped up.

[Girl, don't even doubt it! He is absolutely, 100% into you! His ex-boyfriend shows up to knock on the door and he basically has a nervous breakdown? That man is a walking vat of vinegar right now!]

[Did you notice any signs before this? Come on, spill!]

Arianna thought back to their recent interactions.

A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth: [I don't think so. He was so obvious tonight—the fake twisted ankle, not letting me leave—that was the only reason I figured it out.]

[He’s just a naturally kind person, and he’s always treated me well. I really couldn't tell when it shifted into actual feelings.]

Gemma was practically cooing with maternal pride, clutching her chest. [My heavens, what a divine stroke of fate.]

[When is the universe going to grant me a high-quality man, too?]

Arianna: [Sending you flowers.jpg]

Gemma turned the chat window into a wishing well: [I don't even have high standards. Just 6'0"+, an eight-pack, V-lines, good-looking, long legs, boss-level energy, and someone who would just pin me to the bed if I don't listen to him.]

Arianna: […And what exactly would he be doing if you "don't listen to him"?]

Gemma Bennett: [Like when he tries to buy me luxury bags and I refuse to spend his money.]

Arianna: [Why are you being so greedy and grabbing stuff at the same time…]

Gemma Bennett: [So, what kind of 'boss' are you into?]

A moment later, Gemma followed up: [Wait, never mind, I forgot you have a living, breathing example right there. You like the 'refined gentleman' types, right? Otherwise, you would've never fallen for Maxwell.]

She followed up with a "Total Fangirl" sticker.

Staring at those words, Arianna couldn't help but recall the kiss in the private booth.

Maxwell had pinned her hands against the door, leaning down to press his body against hers, his tongue tracing her lips before forcing them apart.

The knocking on the door had been relentless, and his kiss had only grown deeper and more demanding.

Her tongue had been numb, his lips grinding against hers—he’d been so crazed, it was as if he wanted to consume her whole.

There hadn't been a single trace of a "refined gentleman" in that moment.

Arianna felt a pang of guilt and left the message unread for a while.

Gemma sensed the hesitation through the silence.

[No way, sister, I think I just stumbled upon a massive secret! Is Maxwell not the 'refined gentleman' type after all?]

[Is he actually a 'black-hearted wolf' hidden behind a 'pure puppy' exterior? The kind with insane possessiveness who would break the bed frame in a heartbeat?!]

...

Arianna’s eyelids twitched, and she slammed the chat window closed.

*Can’t see it… didn’t see it.*

She had seen absolutely nothing.

—

The next day at the office, during lunch, Arianna heard Diana James gossiping. "Hey, did you hear? Jenna Lawson quit."

Arianna blinked in surprise. "Why?"

Diana leaned in, whispering, "I only heard rumors, but apparently, ever since she got assigned to the new project, the senior staff in the group haven't been happy with her. How did they put it?"

"Oh, right. 'Useless at everything, first in line to take credit.'"

"It finally blew up and reached Miranda's desk. Miranda tried to give her the benefit of the doubt since she’s a rookie, so she just let it slide."

"But word just got out—she plagiarized someone else's project proposal. It was only discovered because two department heads were discussing their upcoming offline events and realized the locations and marketing strategies were identical. They looked into it, and boom, they found out Jenna had lifted the entire thing."

"Before that, everything was handled through internal messaging, and since they were in different groups, nobody noticed."

Arianna pondered this for a few seconds. "Did Miranda force her to resign?"

"Probably. But it’s better than being outright fired. If it goes on her permanent record, she's never going to find another job."

After lunch, Arianna found a quiet moment to pull Diana aside and tell her the news about being married.

Diana’s reaction was just as dramatic as Gemma's. "Oh my god! Are you serious? You're actually married?"

Arianna nodded with a smile. "I am."

"Wait," Diana paused, her face falling as a thought occurred to her. "Don't tell me it’s that guy who kept pestering you at that street-food spot the other day."