Chapter 2

Elaine felt uneasy, dreading that Dylan might press her about the Xeno Club.

She approached him, timidly clutching the edge of his shirt, her voice soft and sweet. "Mr. Andrews, you haven't come by in half a month...I thought you'd forgotten about me." When his gaze swept over her, she flashed a smile that mirrored Alina's perfectly.

Her worries proved unnecessary; Dylan had no time to interrogate her.

Without a word, he scooped her up and tossed her onto the expansive bed.

Elaine suspected his sudden return and foul mood stemmed from a spat with his beloved.

She didn't dare provoke him further, softening her body to yield completely.

Yet her compliance seemed to enrage him, his actions growing fiercer, as if he meant to consume her entirely.

Unable to endure it any longer, she clutched his tense back, her voice trembling with a sob. "Mr. Andrews... please... be gentle with me..."

His scorching palm covered the lower half of her face, leaving only her eyes visible.

Staring into her tearful gaze, he rasped, "Call me Dylan."

Elaine understood his intent.

Her eyes were the feature most like Alina's.

Obediently, she curved her tear-soaked eyes into crescents, mimicking Alina's playful tone, and softly called, "Dylan."

Satisfied at last, Dylan's touch softened, and he placed a tender kiss on her forehead.

She knew full well that such a gentle, innocent kiss wasn't meant for her.

It was for Alina.

After so many years, her heart had grown calloused; it no longer hurt.

In the beginning, she hadn't been so compliant.

When she first started with Dylan, she was a bit reckless.

He had been so good to her back then.

He cleared her debts, paid her mother's medical bills, provided her with opportunities, and showered her with clothes, bags, and jewelry.

She almost believed they were in love.

Until Dylan's birthday, when she baked a cake herself and texted him, saying she'd wait at the hotel.

She waited past midnight, but he never responded.

Panicked, she called him repeatedly, but he didn't pick up.

Finally, she learned from his assistant that he was at his suburban villa.

She rushed there overnight, only to be stopped by a cold iron gate.

That night, a torrential downpour soaked her as Dylan remained upstairs in the warm glow, forbidding anyone to let her in.

Later, she discovered Alina had returned, flying in specially to celebrate his birthday.

Elaine stood in the rain all night, catching a fever that nearly turned into pneumonia.

Dylan only visited her in the hospital when she was nearly recovered, saying coolly, "If there's a next time, you're out."

There wouldn't be a next time.

After that, she learned her place.

She realized she was no different from a pet cat to Dylan.

A cat could sleep beside him, get a treat or a pat when he was pleased, maybe a scratch under the chin.

But a cat was just a cat.

After eight years of being his cat, Dylan was growing bored, and she was exhausted.

She wanted to be human again.

After his release, Dylan fell into a deep sleep.

Elaine couldn't sleep at all.

She scrolled through her phone, glancing at trending topics, when a name caught her eye.

Alina.

By coincidence, just as Elaine accepted Director Charlie's offer to pursue a career in Eldoria, Alina, who had been making her mark in Eldoria's film industry, announced a high-profile return to shoot a TV series.

Probably for Dylan.

Elaine gazed at Dylan's refined profile and let out a soft laugh.

His abrupt, angry return must have sparked a sense of urgency in the great beauty Alina.