"No."

Benjamin Gomez didn't waver, even as tears streamed down Isabella Austin's face. His voice was steady, almost cold. "I'm not going to say it again, Isabella. Now it's your choice."

Isabella let go of his sleeve, stumbling back a few steps. She looked torn, her face pale as a sheet.

Benjamin waited in silence until, at last, Isabella's voice broke through the tension.

"...Just one month?"

"I only need one month."

"And after that, you promise you'll leave me alone?"

"I won't chase after you."

Gradually, Isabella's shoulders relaxed. "During that month, you can't show up at the

Lane family's house or let Andrew find out."

Even Benjamin, who had never cared much for propriety, knew that being someone's mistress was nothing to be proud of. “Of course."

"...Alright, I agree. Help me."

He smiled, just slightly. "Deal."

Over at Vertex International, Emily Blair had been camping out in her office for days. There'd been nothing from the police department, but she wasn't worried. Good things, she figured, always took time.

"Oh, for heaven's sake, don't let me work myself into an early grave here,” Elizabeth Wilson groaned as she shouldered open the office door, clutching a mountain of files. She was so weighed down her back was nearly bent double.

Emily couldn't help but laugh. "You come straight to work after leaving the hospital, I really ought to give you an employee of the year award."

Elizabeth dumped the files onto Emily's desk with a huff. "Don't joke—I'd actually take that award if you handed it to me."

Emily glanced at the stack. "What's all this?"

"Papers you need to sign,” Elizabeth replied. “All for the Black and White Rabbit project. It goes live next week, so we're on a tight schedule."

Emily took the paperwork. "Alright, let me look through it."

She was always careful with her signature, reading every page before she put pen to paper.

As Emily started signing, Elizabeth kept talking beside her. "My grandma needs a few more days under observation before they'll let her out. I've been running to the hospital a lot lately, and I keep bumping into Alex White there. Honestly, I never pegged him as the considerate type-he's always seemed arrogant to me. But at work, he's way more meticulous than I expected. He even called me out for missing details."

Emily paused, looking up from the documents.

Elizabeth frowned. "Remember when you told me about what happened with Matthew Ross? Back when Alex turned you down, I thought he was a jerk. But now I'm wondering if maybe he actually has some principles."

Emily's pen stilled. "The world isn't all black and white. Besides, he and I never got along. It's only natural he'd turn me down."

"Yeah, that's true," Elizabeth admitted.

For a moment, the office fell quiet again, until Elizabeth spoke up. “So, did you get anywhere with that problem involving Matthew Ross? With all the evidence you handed over, there shouldn't be any issues, right?"

Emily shook her head. "No word yet."

Elizabeth's frown deepened. "How long does it take to process? Don't tell me they're about to drop the case."

As if her words had conjured it, Emily's phone rang.

She recognized the number immediately—it was the detective she'd been working with.

Emily picked up, half-expecting good news, but it turned out differently.

"Ms. Blair, after our investigation, we did confirm that Isabella Austin committed a crime. However, someone's already posted bail for her. The evidence you submitted is thorough, but since it could be considered an invasion of Isabella Austin's privacy, her attorney is planning to file a motion to have it thrown out. I wanted to give you a heads-up so you can prepare accordingly."