Eliza suppressed her growing irritation.

All she had done was bring a pair of socks. She could just say she had forgotten them and leave, but, unfortunately for her, he was not there when she arrived.

‘From now on, I won’t avoid any social situations. Not even you, James.’

Steeling herself, she extended the box of chocolates.

“Thank you. And I hope these suit your taste.”

Sierra’s face lit up with genuine delight.

“Oh! These are from the shop downstairs, aren’t they? I’ve only ever looked because they’re so expensive… Thank you, Lady Ashton!”

James’s office looked much as she vaguely remembered it.

Bookshelves lined the walls from end to end, and a massive leather sofa sat there with an air of quiet intimidation. An antique desk stood before the window. The room’s furnishings reflected the stature of the guests who came and went.

In contrast, the desk itself was cluttered with documents and rolled-up papers scattered carelessly across its surface. And yet, at the same time, it seemed to suggest that James had built everything there himself.

Whatever else he might be — a traitor, perhaps — there was no denying that James Ashton was a relentless worker.

Caught up in a whirl of complicated emotions, Eliza sighed quietly and lowered herself onto the sofa.

Just then, Sierra returned with tea. Noticing Eliza’s gaze fixed on the desk, she smiled sheepishly and said something.

“The director never allows anyone to touch his desk…”

It was an unspoken excuse that the mess was not due to any negligence on her part.

“I know. He’s the same at home.”

At Eliza’s lightly amused reply, Sierra smiled faintly and left the room.

After taking a sip of tea, a sudden realization struck Eliza like a blow.

‘Eliza, you’re standing in front of the desk of the man who earns the most money in this city!’

She had yet to realize that a new kind of love had taken root in the emptiness of her heart — money.

All she could feel was her heart beating quickly and guiltily, like a thief’s, and a faint warmth rising to her cheeks as she approached the desk quietly.

Then she began to examine the documents spread across it.

She had read about how A-young had built his fortune, but there was no way she could know every detail.

It was like knowing that Cinderella wore a magical gown and glass slippers to the prince’s ball, but not knowing what she wore underneath or even if she wore anything at all.

Leaning over the broad desk, Eliza carefully examined the papers one by one.

“Goodness…”

Eliza felt as though she was beginning to understand James Ashton’s coldness and distance from a new perspective.

It wasn’t just that he had made money by investing in the prediction that negotiations with the Kingdom of Silomon would succeed, as described in the novel.

He had immersed himself in every aspect of that prediction.

He had studied Silomon’s history, royal family, nobility, administration, commerce, agriculture, mining, livestock, trade, transportation, climate, and geography.

If someone filled their mind with all that information and still managed to hold it together, it was only natural that there would be no room left for anything else — not even space for remembering a wife’s birthday.

‘Ha. Who would even want to live like that!’

Irritated for no reason, Eliza lightly lifted one of the stacked document folders with her fingertips.

The thick, worn yellow cover was wrinkled, as though it had once been soaked and dried.

“This is…”

“Eliza.”

As James strode straight towards the desk, frowning, Eliza felt as though her heart had dropped to the floor.

Without saying a word, he looked back and forth between her and the document she was holding.

If he had asked her what she was doing, she might have found something to say. But his silence and stare made her blood run cold.

Only true villains did that.

“James, the socks—”

“That’s… socks?”

The cold question made whatever little affection remained crumble away at once.

“No…”

Her face flushed red with humiliation and confusion.

James, however, looked as though he would wait indefinitely for a proper answer from her.

Feeling as though she might cry, Eliza lowered her gaze to her hands and began to ramble.

“This is a trade performance report from the Kingdom of Silomon, isn’t it? It’s confidential… Do you read such complicated documents? That’s really impressive. You’re truly amazing, James.”

“……”

“I just… I was curious, that’s all. It’s not like I’d understand it even if I read it… anyway.”

“If you did, that would be a problem. It’s confidential to Roycobs Bank.”

‘I know, I know that!’

Eliza nodded along internally, thinking desperately,

‘Just hurry up and scold me, look down on me, and tell me to get out!’

She felt as though she might suffocate from the tension if she stayed any longer, yet James remained silent.

The next moment, he stepped closer until their noses were almost touching. Then he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her towards him.

Eliza tilted her chin up and swallowed dryly, realizing her throat was parched.

“Eliza.”

“Yes! James?”

“A lie.”

‘Ahh—!’

Eliza screamed inwardly.

But she forced her eyes wide with the most innocent expression she could manage and asked, ‘Pardon?’

It was the only weapon she had—the ignorance and underestimation he had always held toward her.

“You were reading my documents. So absorbed you didn’t even notice me come in.”

Hearing his low, dangerous voice, Eliza found her thoughts drifting in an inappropriate direction, which made her feel dismayed.

The way he narrowed his sharp eyes at her, looking down as he spoke in that rough tone, made it sound almost intimate.

As if to confirm that unsettling thought, he tightened his grip on her, pulling her body flush against his.

Her breath grew shallow and a faint dizziness washed over her.

His gaze seemed to say—‘Read it out loud. Which sector recorded the largest trade deficit in the Kingdom of Silomon last year? Louder.’

And each time she stumbled over a word, he’d threaten to smack her with his palm.

“Eliza?”

“Yes!”

His voice turned edged with irritation as his brow furrowed sharply.

“Were you trying to tidy this up again?”

‘He’s remembering one of our fights from early in the marriage!’

Realizing a sliver of salvation had appeared, Eliza nodded vigorously.

“I’m sorry! But I didn’t do that—I swear I didn’t touch anything!”

Yet James only looked at her with steady, unreadable eyes.

Eliza was certain he didn’t believe her in the slightest.

Then suddenly, he called out toward the door.

“Sierra.”

“Yes, sir!”

Even as her head swam, Eliza heard the rapid clatter of Sierra’s approaching heels and thought,

‘Good heavens… just how strict is he with his staff?’

When Sierra opened the door and saw the two of them standing so close in front of the desk, she froze—then quickly turned her flushed face away.

‘No, it’s not what it looks like, Sierra!’

But James kept his gaze fixed on Eliza, staring straight through her as he spoke to Sierra.

“Tell Sandel I’ll call for him later.”

“Yes, sir!”

Sierra hurried out, seemingly eager to leave Eliza alone once more.

All Eliza could do was swallow dryly.

James Ashton looked down at his wife suspiciously and muttered, almost to himself.

“So it is like that these days… I didn’t realize you had taken an interest in my work, Eliza.”

“……”

Eliza was startled.

She could have pretended innocence by saying something like ‘Me?’ or ‘Of course not!’, but something in his tone prevented her from doing so. She met his gaze without answering.

She couldn’t fully grasp what he meant.

In her past life, A-young had read the novel and imagined Eliza as a small dog left alone in a studio apartment; a dog that spent all day staring out of the window, waiting for its owner to come back and stroke its head.

However, James’s words, spoken as if her lack of interest had disappointed him, were so unexpected that they made her feel irritated.

‘At what point did things go so wrong that he thinks I’m indifferent to him?’

“James, what exactly are you trying to say—”

She managed to speak, her voice rough, but he cut her off coldly.

“Or was there someone who told you to spy?”

“…!”

‘So that’s what this is!’

It was only then that Eliza understood what he was implying, and she was stunned.

Throughout the novel, she had been unaware of what James had been through.

William, who was another director and the nephew of the bank president, had disguised himself as a thief and stolen James’s briefcase out of jealousy.

James, who tolerated no mistakes, not even his own, nearly panicked over the incident.

If the information inside had been leaked, not only would the bank’s credibility have been damaged, but James’s career would also have been destroyed.

Count Winclaire was the one who helped James at that moment.

Using the men under his command — men of questionable means — he recovered the briefcase.

Even after hearing that William had been severely beaten by the thief, James asked no questions.

This incident allowed James to experience the true weight of power.

‘No matter how ruthless he is… he suspects his own wife? You’re the traitor here, not me!’

Fury flashed in Eliza’s eyes as she burst out,

“James! Have you lost your mind?”

She regretted her words as soon as they left her lips, but it was too late.

James’s eyes had already widened in shock.

She regretted them as soon as they left her lips, but it was too late.

His eyes had already widened in shock.