Michael's expression didn't flicker.
He wasn't moved by her accusations.
If it had been the old him, the man who had once cared too much, explained too often, hesitated too long, he might have stammered, eager to beg her to believe him.
But Michael was gone.
He straightened his shoulders, his voice low and steady.
"I don't know how you found your way here," he said in a calm tone, as if he was not just accused of a crime that could put him behind bars for a long time.
"But you would have died if it wasn't for me."
Alice Sinclair's jaws tightened as she clutched the sheets in anger.
Michael had good reason to say so.
From his newly acquired knowledge and recalling the details of when he had been intimate with the woman, he was now absolutely certain that she had been drugged with a powerful addictive aphrodisiac.
If she hadn't accidentally ended up in his room, engaged with him, and had her condition neutralized by the energy in his body, she would have completely fallen into the hands of the man who drugged her.
"You should be thanking me," he continued, each word deliberate.
Her eyes widened, fury warring with disbelief. "Thank you?" she spat, her voice shaking. "You took my dignity! You're a rapist!"
Michael's jaw didn't tighten, not even once.
"Your dignity," he said evenly, "would not mean anything if you were dead."
Her lips parted, but no words came.
"And think carefully before you speak. You were the one who forced yourself on me."
Her face flushed red, tears springing to her eyes. "You lia!"
But the words caught in her throat.
Because suddenly, memories of last night flooded her brain.
She dragged her grandmother out for a vacation on the beach because she had been too focused on work and it was affecting her health.
But she drank something that made her feel uneasy.
Before she could get to the restroom, the drug had completely taken over her, and she lost her senses and staggered into the nearest room- Michael's room.
She couldn't help herself, her hands flew to her face, burying her expression in her palms.
"Oh no…" she whispered, her voice trembling. "What on earth have I done?"
The truth cut through her like a blade.
It was her doing.
She, Alice Sinclair, had raped an unconscious man.
Her chest heaved as tears blurred her vision.
Michael, meanwhile, pushed himself upright with a measured calm, the sheets falling from his shoulders.
"You remember now, don't you? You entered my room."
His eyes narrowed slightly. "I was injured. Unconscious. If something happened between us, it wasn't because I forced you."
Alice's grip on the sheets tightened until her knuckles turned white.
"Shut up, will you?!" she burst, her voice breaking as tears streamed down her cheeks.
The weight of it all crashed down on her shoulders—the shame and humiliation this will cause if word gets out.
The heiress of one of the most powerful families on the continent had reduced herself to this.
"What did I do to deserve this misery?!" she sobbed, her voice cracking like shattered glass and she began to sob.
Michael tilted his head slightly, he felt almost embarrassed.
"Well…" he said slowly. "If you don't mind… I can take responsibility and marry you."
He let the silence hang before adding in the same calm tone, "…after I divorce my current wife, of course."
Sophia froze mid-sob, her breath catching.
Slowly, she raised her head, her tear-streaked face twisting in disbelief as she stared at Michael.
It was as though he had just spoken the most absurd thing she had ever heard.
Marry me?
Her lips curled into a bitter laugh.
Alice Sinclair, the heiress of the Sinclair empire, a woman raised on wealth, influence, and untouchable power, marry a commoner?
A stranger she had met by accident?
The very thought was insulting.
She shot him a scathing look, her voice dripping with venom.
"Me? Marry you?" she scoffed. "Take a good look at yourself. And then take a good look at me."
Her chin lifted high, her pride towering like a fortress.
"You are not worthy." She said coldly.
Michael's gaze remained calm. He didn't flinch, didn't blink.
Alice couldn't stand that calm, steady look.
She snatched up her designer purse, her manicured fingers trembling as she yanked it open. Pulling out a thick wad of cash, she tossed it onto the bed between them, the bills scattering like fallen leaves.
"There," she said coldly. "That's for your… hard work." Her tone dripped with mockery. "After all, you did work hard last night to… resolve my problem."
Her jaw tightened, her eyes burning with arrogance.
"Take it. And remember this well, don't you ever show your face before me again."
She turned her head sharply, as though dismissing him from existence.
Alice glared at Michael signalling him to turn as she got up to get dressed.
Alice's phone buzzed violently in her purse.
Her heart lurched when she saw the name on the screen, Grandma.
Her stomach twisted. They had come together to the beach, yet she hadn't returned all night.
She will be so worried sick.
She sniffled, wiped her tears in haste, and forced her trembling hands to steady. With cold precision, she pulled on her dress and smoothed her hair.
By the time she left the suite, she looked flawless again, like nothing had happened.
Meanwhile, Michael remained on the bed, leaning against the headboard. He stared at the scattered cash at his feet with an unreadable gaze.
Then, without hurry, he pulled out his phone and typed a message to Cynthia.
"Let's get a divorce."
It was time for him to get over that backstabber and move on with his life.
Cynthia immediately sent him the court venue and time, she was way more eager to get rid of him.
Immediately Alice arrived on the mainland, her grandmother, Evelyn Sinclair, was waiting.
Alice slowed down her steps knowing she was about to barrage her with questions about her whereabouts last night.
"Alice." Evelyn's voice cracked through the air like a whip. "Where were you last night? I searched every corner of that resort. Do you have any idea how worried I was?"
Alice's throat tightened. "I… wasn't feeling well, Grandma," she said quickly. "I went to bed early. I didn't want to disturb you."
Evelyn's eyes narrowed further, she was not convinced, but before she could press further, her sharp eyes spotted th
e man approaching them.
Alice followed her gaze.
Ohh no... It was Michael.
Her brows furrowed in annoyance.
I thought I paid him off!
What does he want now?