His Plaything Became the Heiress He Can't Touch

Carol stepped into the company, only to be greeted by an overly excited Vivian, who looked even more thrilled than she did.

"Carol, if I'd known Mr. Dawson was planning to get back at Cheryl for you, we wouldn't have bothered trying to contact the press at all! You were being too soft before, but look at him-one move and Cheryl's basically done for life."

If even Vivian believed Edward was behind it, then the rest of the office probably thought the same.

Carol didn't bother explaining. Since Edward clearly had no intention of helping Cheryl out, she might as well let everyone assume he was on her side. It'd keep unnecessary trouble off her back-why not?

The weather was downright cold, heavy clouds hanging low like they were smothering everything.

Edward had just stepped out of the family's old estate, looking visibly worse than when he went in.

For someone like him-always laid-back and cocky-it was rare to see him look like that.

He slid a cigarette between his lips, lit it casually, the flicker of flame bouncing in the fog-like smoke swirling around him, ember slowly burning.

A bright orange Aston Martin rolled up next to him. The window on the driver's side slid down, revealing Jonathan's effortlessly handsome face, full of that signature smugness.

"Went by the company to see you. Turns out you ghosted me."

With the cigarette still dangling from his lips, Edward glanced at him with a lazy posture, mumbling, "What's up?"

Jonathan leaned back, one hand on the wheel, one resting on the door. "Can't I drop by for the hell of it? Come on-thought we'd grab a drink."

Edward got in without a word.

"So, I heard you're tying the knot?" Jonathan asked.

Edward bit down on the cigarette, half-lidded eyes looking half-bored. "Who told you that? Christopher?"

"Who else could it be?" Jonathan raised an eyebrow as the car rumbled to life. "Still... kind of random, no? Who's the lucky girl?"

Edward didn't answer this time.

"What about Carol? You've been with her for years. What's your plan?"

Jonathan was pretty much the only one who dared to say it out loud-that Edward and Carol had a thing.

Edward's hair fell messily across his forehead, long lashes casting sharp shadows across his face. In the flickering streetlights, that sculpted profile of his went dead still like frozen stone.

Jonathan glanced sideways, realizing he'd stepped in it. Classic foot-in-mouth moment.

He scratched his nose, then smoothly changed the subject. "Oh, heard Jessica's coming back from Y Country. She's looking better than ever-killer looks, killer body. Shouldn't we show some respect and throw her a 'welcome back'?"

Edward's tone was slow, casual, with a half-smile, "We'll see."

Jonathan expertly turned the wheel, clicking his tongue. "Cold, man. Real cold. You remember the night she left? You drank yourself right into the ER. They thought it was alcohol poisoning."

The moment he brought it up, Edward's eyes darkened a shade. Jonathan caught the shift and quickly dropped the topic.The two of them ended up in a private room at the Royal Club, drinks flowing freely. With alcohol blurring his senses, Jonathan Lowe suddenly brought up Carol again, "You know, I used to think Carol would end up marrying your brother. I mean, the way she looked at Christopher, it was pretty obvious to me."

The moment he said that, the crystal cufflinks on Edward's wrist caught the dim light and gleamed with a sharp chill. His knuckles tensed visibly.

In the low lighting, he slammed his glass on the table with a dull thud, so heavy and sudden that it snapped Jonathan half out of his drunken state.

What's he pissed about now?

Before Jonathan could ask, Edward had already grabbed his blazer with one hand and left the room, his eyes dark as a storm cloud.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the night slipped quietly through the thin curtains. Traffic streamed endlessly over the elevated highway, winding toward the ocean-no end in sight.

By the time Edward got back from Royal Club, Carol was already asleep.

He stared at the lump under the bed covers, tossed aside his jacket without a care, climbed in quietly, and wrapped his arms around her from behind, his lips burning against her neck.

Half-asleep, Carol asked groggily, "Edward? That you?"

"Who else? Think it's Christopher?" he shot back, his tone immediately on edge. "Or... did you want it to be him?"

Carol blinked herself awake, trying to turn around, but he held her still. "Don't. Just... let me hold you."

The alcohol on his breath hit her full force, making her frown. "You've been drinking?"

He didn't answer, just kept going stubbornly. Then, almost accusingly, he nipped at her ear gently, tugging with his teeth. "Tell me the truth-have you liked Christopher all along?"

Carol sighed, "You're drunk."

Edward held her even tighter, his arms locked around her. "Answer me."

Back when she was around the Dawson family more often, she and Christopher did get along-at least until that incident... since then, things were different.

Outside, the wind howled. Inside, the tension was thick.

Late at night, people's minds slow down, and Carol had officially run out of patience after dealing with Edward's drama. She spoke without thinking, almost wanting to provoke him. "Yeah. Sure. I like Christopher. Always have. Happy now?"

Edward held her down, knees on either side of her hips, his voice as cold as a blade, "Right, I'm the reckless one. But you think Christopher's some kind of saint? He's not. He's not a good guy, and you and him? Never gonna happen."

Carol was used to Edward flying off the handle, but hearing this still stung a bit.

If there was no chance with Christopher, then what about her and Edward? That was even more of a dead end.

She couldn't help thinking-maybe this thing between her and Edward... was really gonna be over.

They had a rough night.

When Carol woke up, the space next to her was already empty, the sheets cool to the touch.

On the nightstand was a sticky note with just two words, scribbled quickly-

[Business Trip.]

Carol knew his schedule inside out. He didn't have any planned trips. Probably just stormed off again to cool his temper.

She tore the note up and tossed it in the trash without a second thought.

An hour later, just as she stepped into the office, Vivian came rushing over, lowering her voice as she leaned in, "Carol, Christopher's here. He's in Edward's office right now."

Christopher was both a shareholder and board member.

Carol's guard instantly went up. Edward had just left... and now Christopher shows up?

"Did he say why he's here?"

Vivian shrugged. "No idea."

Carol gave her a pat on the shoulder. "Can you make me a cup of coffee?"

The coffee was ready soon, and Carol walked into the CEO's office with the cup in hand.

The man sat facing away, a book in hand. His blazer was draped over the chair, just a shirt on.

Anyone unaware might've thought Christopher was the actual boss here.

Carol steadied herself, keeping her expression neutral. "What brings you here, Chris?"

Christopher turned, setting the book down. There was a soft smile on his refined, handsome face. "Not happy to see me?"

"Of course I am."

Carol placed the coffee beside him and sat down across the table, getting straight to the point. "Is something up?"

"I heard Edward's out on a trip. Thought I'd drop by to check things out."

Carol hadn't expected him to admit it that easily. No one in the Dawson family played it simple-especially not Christopher, who used his gentle demeanor to hide his real game.

He took a sip of the coffee and smiled. "You've still got it-your coffee tastes just like before."

Carol gave a faint smile. She knew he didn't show up just to compliment her coffee.

"Normally, Edward'd take you along when he traveled, but this time..."

Compared to his roundabout way of asking, Carol kept her tone light. "Guess he didn't feel like it."

Christopher looked her in the eye, like he was trying to read her mind.

Then he set his cup down, casually tossing out, "So, how's the Serenor acquisition going?"

A flicker of unease crossed Carol's eyes. So that's what he was really here for.

"Everything's on track for now."

Christopher clasped his hands on the table. "There's a good chance the project lead might change."

That caught Carol flat-footed. Her fingers clenched slightly. She instantly recalled what Michael had said yesterday...

"You sure about this?"

Christopher didn't hide it. After a pause, he admitted, "Pretty likely. Word is it's from Grandpa. He's recommended someone new."

Carol's face stiffened a little. If that were true, unless Edward stepped in to protect her, she was probably out of luck.

Turned out, Christopher came just to deliver that heads-up. But instead of leaving, he waited for her to clock out and insisted on taking her to dinner.

It wasn't easy to brush him off, so the two of them went out for Japanese food.

Carol could tell he had something on his mind, like he wanted to say something but kept hesitating. She didn't ask.

By the time they walked out, the chill of the early spring evening hit hard.

Carol was lightly dressed, so Christopher took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders... and maybe it was just her, but he seemed extra attentive tonight.

They hadn't gone far when Carol stumbled. Thankfully, Christopher caught her in time-but she ended up bumping right into his chest.

And, just a few meters away, a camera silently caught every second of it...