I Married My Archenemy to Burn Them All Down

Elsie dropped her gaze, but her voice stayed steady—even as she spoke such provocative words. "Looks like your body's betraying you, Kingsley."

It was the first time Kingsley had ever felt himself losing control like this around a woman.

He caught her wrists, pinned them above her head, and pulled her close until their bodies pressed flush together. "A physical reaction is just a reflex. Nothing more."

In that moment, Elsie felt her anxiety melt away. "They say you're practically an ascetic—untouched by temptation. And yet here you are, reacting to me."

"All right, then. Since you seem to want this, I'll play along," Kingsley said.

He lifted Elsie out of the tub, carried her out of the bathroom, and tossed her onto the bed.

She was right. For the first time, his reaction to a woman was undeniable. He'd assumed it was just the aftereffect of the drug from the night before. But today? There was no mistaking what his body was doing.

Especially with Elsie's alluring figure right in front of him, his blood seemed to race through his veins.

He kissed her lips, her neck, leaving a trail of heat along her skin.

"Hold up," Elsie said, stopping him at the last second. "We're missing something. You wouldn't want an accidental baby, would you?"

To Kingsley, she was a cunning woman. Why would he ever want to start a family with her?

Sure enough, her words snuffed out his passion like a bucket of ice water.

Elsie sat up, leaned in close to his ear, and whispered, "Why not save this for another time?"

Her teasing words drew a fresh reaction from Kingsley, but Elsie was already out the door.

Her mentor had taught her well: keep a man wanting, never fully satisfied. Keep him craving, and you'll keep him close.

Kingsley's frustration was palpable as he finally gave in to the urge for a cold shower to cool down.

People often said he was stoic, seemingly untouched by emotion. But with Elsie—that mix of innocence and cunning—he couldn't keep his composure. There were moments he wanted nothing more than to grab her and shake some sense into her.

Back in her room, Elsie changed into fresh clothes and studied the marks on her neck in the mirror. A pang of guilt hit her for using such tactics, but the memory of her father's agonizing final moments fueled her determination—grief and fierce resolve tangled together.

The next morning, Elsie came downstairs in a high-neck blouse and casual pants, her hair pulled back—simple and practical.

The high neck hid the marks from the night before. She wasn't hiding them, exactly; she just didn't want to worry her mom.

Kingsley sat at the table with Rachel, eating breakfast in quiet contemplation. Rachel, older but still wary of Kingsley's presence, found it hard to relax.

"Good morning, Mom." Rachel's eyes lit up at Elsie's greeting, her smile warm. "Morning, Elsie. Join us for breakfast."

Elsie nodded, sat next to Rachel, and glanced across the table at Kingsley. "Good morning, Mr. Reynolds."

Kingsley ignored her, keeping up his indifference, but Elsie seemed unfazed.

Rachel noticed the exchange, her heart tugging with sympathy for her daughter.

After breakfast, Kingsley left for work without another word.

Elsie gave Rachel a few instructions before heading to J.C. International.

She hailed a cab, and it arrived promptly.

When she reached the office, she was about to contact Kingsley, but found his assistant, Jaxton, waiting for her at reception.

"Miss Gomez, Mr. Reynolds assigned me to guide you through orientation."

Elsie nodded, smiling politely. "Thank you, Mr. Schmidt."

Wasn't the Gomez heiress supposed to be unruly and arrogant? Jaxton wondered, noting her unexpectedly courteous demeanor.

He walked her through the formalities, introduced her to the company, and showed her around the executive floor so she could get familiar with operations.

Jaxton assumed she'd need time to grasp the complexities of the business, given the rumors about her incompetence. To his surprise, she had it all down within two hours.

"Miss Gomez, if you need anything, just ask."

"Thank you," Elsie replied, nodding slightly.

She could sense Jaxton's curiosity, probably fueled by the rumors Liana had spread—stories that painted Elsie as talentless and bad-tempered, built on selectively edited footage of her defending Liana.

But without the original footage, Elsie had no way to clear her name. Her family had treated Liana with kindness, only to realize they'd been nurturing a traitor.

Thinking of Liana's betrayal reignited something fierce inside Elsie.

"Miss Gomez, here's this quarter's report and the budget for a new project. They need reviewing before Mr. Reynolds signs off," the head secretary said, handing her the papers.

"Understood," Elsie said, bracing herself for the demanding tasks Kingsley had set for her—a test meant to intimidate her.

The head secretary watched her calmly accept the challenge, noting Elsie's quiet determination. Following orders, she kept her distance.

Elsie started cross-checking the numbers. She quickly spotted discrepancies among the figures and realized she'd need to verify the entire spreadsheet to correct them. Pulling data from a quarterly report isn't easy, especially since reports like this rarely contain errors. She knew this wasn't an accident. It was deliberate.

Once the data was sorted, Elsie took the documents and knocked on the CEO's office door.

Jaxton opened it, surprise flickering across his face when he saw her.

"I have documents for Mr. Reynolds to sign," Elsie said.

Jaxton stepped aside.

Elsie walked to Kingsley's desk and set the papers in front of him. "Mr. Reynolds, here are the quarter's report and the new project's budget. They need your signature."

In work mode, Elsie seemed transformed—efficient, focused.

Kingsley glanced at her and took the documents.

When he noticed her corrections, a flicker of admiration crossed his deep-set eyes.

"Mr. Reynolds, there were errors in these reports. I made the necessary adjustments."

One error could have been accidental, but the second—the budget sheet—was deliberate. The total budget still looked fine, yet the decimal points were off, a detail easy to miss without a careful eye.

"All right," Kingsley replied, signing the papers.

"Uncle!" A familiar voice called from the doorway.

Elsie's body went tense instantly.

Kingsley instinctively glanced at her, sensing the shift.

Fabian Cooper...

Elsie clenched her fists, her nails biting into her palms.