William Knight walked toward Diana, unbuttoning the collar of his shirt. By the time he reached the bedside, his collar was wide open, revealing a broad, firm chest with skin as pale and smooth as cold jade.
The girl on the bed was fast asleep, her breathing as light as falling snow—soft, steady, and rhythmic.
William's gaze drifted from her cheeks down her slender neck, past the delicate curves of her collarbone and the soft rise and fall of her chest, over her narrow waist, finally settling on her splayed legs.
He leaned in close, his chest grazing her softest curves as he reached for the thin silk duvet tucked on the far side. He gently draped it over her legs. His movements were incredibly tender; he didn't want to wake her.
He had returned home briefly to pack a few changes of clothes. Upon opening the closet, however, he saw it filled once again with those colorful little "pennants."
Her bras.
Hadn't he folded them into neat little squares and placed them in the bottom drawer last time? Why were they back in the main closet? Had the maid moved them?
The vibrant lingerie hung scattered among his meticulously organized black, white, and gray suits. A purple lace bra, lacking a hanger, was even draped over one of his black blazers.
Driven by his perfectionist streak, William once again took Diana's bras, folded them into precise little squares, and tucked them away in the lower drawer.
He finished changing, slung two suits over his arm, and headed for the door. As he passed the desk adorned with pink and blue hydrangeas, he paused. The computer on the desk was still on, its screen glowing with a cool white light. It was open to a search page.
The search query read: How long does it take to get a response after interviewing for an EdTech company under the Knight Group?
William realized then that the company Diana had interviewed with yesterday was one of his own subsidiaries.
William arrived at the Knight Group headquarters, heading straight for his top-floor office on the 38th level. The moment he sat down, his assistant pushed open the door.
"Lord Knight, Violet Cole, the Brooks' GM from the 8th-floor EdTech division, says she has a report for you."
"I was just about to look for her," William replied.
The assistant was slightly surprised. "Is this about Stella Knight?"
William had a sister, Stella, who was seventeen and heading into her senior year of high school after the summer break. The primary reason the Knight Group had established an EdTech company and recruited top-tier teachers was to serve the little princess and improve her grades.
But Stella was spoiled to the bone. She looked innocent and harmless, but her behavior was anything but. She could drive three master teachers to a nervous breakdown in under a minute. No matter how prestigious the tutor, they usually quit within a day, driven away by her antics.
In the Knight family, there were two sayings: William was the "Great Demon King" everyone respected, and Stella was the "Little Demon King" everyone feared. Her grades, naturally, were consistently number one in her class—from the bottom. No one in the Knight lineage had ever performed so poorly, leading the family to wonder if she was the product of a genetic mutation.
Thinking his boss wanted to discuss the "Little Demon King," the assistant was taken aback when William said, "No."
The assistant stepped out, a metaphorical question mark over his head, and ushered Violet Cole in.
Violet entered the office with a coy expression, her voice softening considerably. "Lord Knight, I'd like to report on Stella's academic progress."
William's expression remained icy. "I am more concerned with something else right now."
Violet froze. Usually, every time William saw her, he asked about his sister first. What could possibly be more important than his own flesh and blood?
"What is it you're concerned about, Lord Knight?" she asked tentatively.
"Have the recruitment results from yesterday been finalized?"
"Yes," Violet replied. "We have already sent offers to the successful candidates."
"Was there a candidate named Diana Bell?"
Violet's heart skipped a beat. How did he know that woman? "Yes, there was."
"Why wasn't she hired?"
Violet certainly wasn't going to admit that she was intimidated by Diana's stunning beauty. She didn't want a woman that radiant working under her, making her look dull by comparison or stealing William's attention.
"That candidate, Miss Bell, didn't meet our requirements. She was only an A-level lecturer at her previous firm. We are looking for 'Gold Medal' status."
"Bring me the resumes of all the candidates."
His tone made it clear he didn't trust her word and intended to audit the process personally. Violet felt a surge of panic. As bold as she was, she didn't dare forge a resume. She reluctantly brought the files over.
William flipped through them, his face darkening. He tapped his finger heavily on Diana's resume, the thud-thud echoing in the silent office.
"Diana Bell's performance metrics are the highest among all candidates, surpassing your so-called 'Gold Medal' lecturers. Why did she fail?"
Violet scrambled for an excuse. "Because she has no experience in live-streamed teaching."
"Her metrics were number one without live-streaming," William countered coldly. "One can only imagine how she would dominate the field with it. As a General Manager, you couldn't see something so obvious?"
"Lord Knight, I will contact Miss Bell immediately and tell her she passed," Violet said hurriedly.
As she rushed toward the door, William's frost-laden voice followed her: "If this happens again, you will no longer meet my requirements. Have your resignation ready."
Violet shivered.
When Diana woke up, she found the silk duvet covering her legs. She remembered going to sleep with her legs bare. She looked around, but William was nowhere to be seen.
Did the maid cover me? she wondered.
She got out of bed, took off her nightgown, and opened the closet to grab a bra. They were gone again. She pulled open the bottom drawer and, sure enough, there were her ten bras, folded into perfect little squares and arranged by color from light to dark.
Is someone using my lingerie for military drills?
She was now certain: the Knight family's maid had a serious case of OCD.
Diana once again pulled all ten bras out of the drawer, unfolded them, and hung them back in the closet. She went downstairs and found the maid. "Please, don't fold my underwear into little squares in the drawer anymore," she said seriously.
Luna, the maid, looked bewildered. "Miss Bell, I've never folded your underwear."
Now it was Diana's turn to be confused. "Then who did?"
"Miss Bell, no one enters your room besides me for cleaning, except for you and Mr. Knight."
The realization hit Diana like a bolt of lightning. The person "drilling" her bras was William!
Him? Really? Why was he touching her bras? Didn't he feel embarrassed? She hadn't even touched his boxers!
To prevent her lingerie from being subjected to more "basic training," Diana decided she needed to have a word with him when he returned.
As she was thinking, her phone rang. It was a landline.
"Diana Bell? This is Violet Cole. I was your interviewer for the third round. I'm calling to let you know you've successfully passed. Congratulations."
"When do I start?" Diana asked.
"Whenever you like," Violet replied, her tone a complete 180 from the aggressive woman yesterday. She was now incredibly polite.
Diana's foot injury hadn't fully healed, so she decided to rest for two more days. She realized that working at the Knight Group headquarters meant she would inevitably run into William.
Her husband was now her boss.
Diana planned to wait for William to come home tonight to tell him about the job and discuss a few other matters.
At 5:00 PM, William rose from his desk, grabbed his black suit jacket, draped it casually over his arm, and headed out. The moment he opened the door, he ran into William's grandmother.
"Grandma? What are you doing here?"
"I heard you're going on another business trip today?" she asked.
"Who told you that?" William glanced at his assistant, who lowered his head, terrified.
The grandmother, being loyal, didn't sell out the assistant. "Never mind who told me. I'm here for one reason: I want to see your wife. I want to meet my granddaughter-in-law."
"You will meet her, of course," William said. "But the first meeting should be at a formal, grand occasion, not something rushed."
"When are you bringing her back to the Knight family home?"
"When I get back from my trip."
The old lady's cane thudded heavily against his shin. "What trip? You're not going anywhere! Go home and spend time with your wife!"
"We're already married," William sighed. "We have plenty of time."
"Later is later; now is now! Don't give me excuses. Today! Bring her home for a formal introduction!"
"I haven't prepared anything," William protested.
"You don't need to. I've already handled it. The Knight estate is decorated to the nines, and a full imperial feast is waiting for her. If you refuse..." She planted her cane firmly on the floor. "I'll bring your grandfather here, and we'll both hang ourselves in your office!"
See how you get any work done then!
William looked at her with utter helplessness. He was cornered. "Fine. I'll bring my wife to the family home tonight."
The old lady immediately beamed with joy. As she was about to leave, a thought struck her. Her grandson was such a workaholic... had they even consummated the marriage?
After a few pointed questions, the answer was clear: they hadn't.
She became agitated. "Consummation! You two must consummate the marriage tonight!"