The last thing Gordon expected, in that moment, was that in the future he'd be desperate to tell Caitlin, hundreds of times a day, that he owed her his life—and would gladly devote himself to repaying the debt, body and soul.

He could only hope Caitlin would listen.

But that's a story for another time.

Alaina frowned slightly as she looked at her younger brother. "Is pledging your life to someone really that cliché?"

Gordon frowned as well. "You see a pretty girl, and your first thought is marriage. Isn't that the definition of cliché?"

That wasn't devotion-it was just shallow attraction.

He would never fall for Caitlin, much less make some dramatic vow of devotion to her.

"Fine, fine," Alaina nodded, "Just remember what you said today and never become that kind of cliché. Otherwise, I swear, I'll never let you live it down."

A faint smirk tugged at Gordon's lips.

"What's so funny?" Alaina shot him a look.

Gordon's tone was unhurried. "Sis, what makes you think something like that would ever happen to me?"

He was above such things.

Gordon lived with a plan, with purpose. He would never let anyone throw his goals off track.

If he hadn't just come back from the brink of death, Alaina might have been tempted to smack him right there.

**

Their car slipped through the thick darkness of the night, pulling into the Kensington family's neighborhood fifteen minutes later.

Skyler stepped out from the driver's seat and respectfully opened the rear door. "Miss Kensington, we've arrived."

Caitlin leaned forward and stepped out.

As she straightened up, Skyler reached into his pocket and handed her a bank card. "Oh, Miss Kensington, my mother asked me to give you this. The PIN is six sixes."

Caitlin accepted the card without hesitation. "Thank your mother for me, will you?"

"No need for thanks. It's what you're owed."

"I'll head up now." As she turned, she paused, glancing back at Skyler. "In two weeks, I'll come by to do a follow-up for Mr. Sylvester."

"Of course." Skyler hesitated, then added, "Miss Kensington, wait—"

"Yes?" Caitlin stopped.

He pulled out his phone, a bit nervous. "Um, could I...add you on WhatsApp?"

He hurried to explain, "Just so I can pick you up for your next appointment with my uncle."

Tonight, Caitlin had thoroughly won Skyler over.

Right now, she was nothing less than a miracle worker in his eyes.

"Sure." If it meant a free ride in two weeks, Caitlin was more than happy to oblige. She pulled out her phone and opened her QR code.

Beep.

Scan successful.

Her WhatsApp name was simple: just a capital C. The profile image was a minimalist sketch of a woman in profile.

Skyler figured the C must stand for Caitlin. He sent the friend request and saved her contact with a note:

Boss Caitlin.

After that, Caitlin headed inside, and Skyler drove off.

As Caitlin opened the door to her apartment, she saw that the living room light was still on.

Her grandfather, Fortune, was sitting on the couch, scrolling through his phone. When he saw her, he stood up right away. "Catie, you're back."

She glanced at the clock on the wall-it was already past three in the morning. "Grandpa, it's so late. Why aren't you asleep?"

"I'm too old to sleep early," he said, though the truth was he'd stayed up waiting for his granddaughter to come home. Even though she'd told him where she was going, he couldn't help but worry.

No sooner had he said it than Fortune couldn't stifle a yawn.

"Go get some sleep, Grandpa. You don't have to wait up for me, really."

Fortune nodded and started drawing the curtains in preparation for bed.

Caitlin retreated to her room and began her nightly routine.

Even though it was late, she still ran a hot bath infused with medicinal herbs. She

set an alarm, just in case she dozed off during the hour-long soak.

Once she was done, Caitlin pulled out the bank card Skyler had given her, transferred all the money into her own account, and checked the balance.

It started with a nine.

Seven digits in total.

The Sylvester family was certainly generous.

Then again, Mr. Sylvester's life was worth every penny.

Caitlin had no intention of letting that money sit idle. She needed to double it fast

if she wanted to invest in Apex.

**

After dropping Caitlin off, Skyler returned to the hospital.

Gordon was recovering well but needed to stay for observation another day.

Alaina and Justice had already left by the time Skyler arrived.

He asked, "Uncle, where's my mom?"

Gordon turned a page of the financial newspaper in his hand. "I told them to go home."

Skyler nodded. "Did you get her home safely?"

"Yes."

Gordon looked up. "Any leads on the person behind The Chandler Group?"

He was genuinely intrigued. Whoever had built up The Chandler Group so quickly had to be a force to reckon with.

"Nothing concrete yet," Skyler admitted, taking a seat beside the bed. "Uncle, honestly, I think you're overthinking it. There's no mysterious mastermind. Julian is the one who pulled it off. You're just being stubborn."

Gordon's eyes narrowed. "Julian absolutely isn't the one."

Skyler could only sigh at his uncle's stubbornness.