Cringe acting... again

"Think about it yourself. And make me a good offer. You are going to be my legal advocate after all," Then, slowly—too slowly—his lips curled up.

"Me?" she choked out. "Why?" She blurted, her eyes wider than she intended for them to be. 

"I can think of several reasons." 

She could think of them too. 

Aurora had been the best in her class. She was a member of the legal team here. She was his wife. And—most damning of all—she was the one in the CCTV footage. 

Dread pooled in her stomach. 

"I'm sorry but…" she tried, her voice tight. "I don't think I can do that. As your closest family—"

Hades' expression twitched. Just for a second.

It was subtle, but she saw it. A flicker of confusion at the word family.

Had he… forgotten they were married?

How… romantic.

Hades recovered instantly, his cold, unreadable mask slipping back into place.

The impatience crossed his face again and this time, he stood up.

She stood up immediately as though the couch burned her butt.

He simply eyed her before taking a step closer to her. She didn't have the time to panic when his hand reached into her blazer pocket. 

Alice jolted. "—What the hell—"

His fingers brushed her as he pulled out her phone. But also, he seemed momentarily stunned at the curse word she had uttered. Her mouth snapped shut instantly, eyes still wide from the sudden invasion.

He turned the phone screen to her. "Unlock it," he ordered.

His tone left no room for argument.

His gaze flicked to hers, and the weight behind it made her swallow her protest.

Still stunned by his sheer rudeness, Slowly, she lifted her hand and pressed her fingerprint to the screen. 

He typed something in, then handed it back to her.

She stared at the screen.

He had saved a number.

It wasn't under his name. 

Gavin. 

GA-VIN?! 

The gunman from the wedding who had also suggested they brought the dog to bark in her ears to wake her up?

Her eyes widened.

"When you make a decision," Hades murmured, turning away, "book an appointment."

His voice was eerily calm. Almost too calm.

But it wasn't a suggestion. 

It was a warning. 

She swallowed hard.

Message received.

Don't carelessly show up in my apartment again.

Alice gripped her phone tightly, realizing just how deeply she had gotten herself into this mess.

Hades looked like he was done with her. But she couldn't just leave without anything.

Alice tried to think of something. Anything. 

Aside from what she had heard, her little traumatic interactions with Hades had led her to one conclusion: he was a sociopath. And unfortunately, she had no idea how to deal with sociopaths. Was there a manual for this? 'Sociopath Husband: A Survival Guide'? 

As much as she wanted to avoid him, she also wanted to survive here. And survival meant being in his good books. Which meant… he had to like her. 

She shivered at the thought once again. 

Desperate, her brain scrambled for solutions. And then—bingo! She thought of all the books she had read, the movies she had watched, the webnovels she had written herself. 

The answer was obvious. 

Those billionaire CEOs always fell for the female lead with little to no effort on her part. 

So what did she need to do? Appeal to his emotions. Say something deep and meaningful. 

Cringe, if necessary. 

Her pride could take the hit if it meant she wouldn't get worse than a D ranking. 

So when Hades brushed past her, walking away, she swallowed the lump in her throat, clenched her fists, and— screw it—grabbed his hand. To be more specific, she held his hand.

The moment her fingers wrapped around his wrist, she realized two things: 

First, his hand was... warm. Very warm. That was quite surprising. Very surprising even.

Second, 'Oh my God, what did I just do?' 

Hades stopped. 

For a moment, the room itself seemed to hold its breath. It had only been two of them sitting there, but it felt like the room went even more quiet. Like there had been ghosts lurking around who fled for their lives as soon as she held him.

Alice could feel the horror creeping up her spine. Her brain screamed at her to abort mission, but it was too late. 

Hades turned his head, slowly, like some horror movie villain who had just spotted their next victim. His sharp gaze flicked to their joined hands. Then slowly to her face. 

Alice gulped. 

She had made a terrible, terrible mistake. She immediately regretted it. It was as if she had touched something she wasn't meant to, something dangerous. 

Still, she had started this. She couldn't back down now. 

She squeezed her eyes shut for a second, mentally rifling through every ridiculous romance novel she had ever written or read.

What did the female leads even do? 

Right. 

Appeal to his emotions. Say something... nice or heart wrenching.

She took a breath, steeling herself, then opened her mouth. 

"I... I just want to understand you." 

Silence. 

The air between them stretched, thin as glass. Alice suddenly felt like a child who had wandered too close to a sleeping wolf. 

He leaned in, his presence looming. "That's cute." 

She let go of his hand immediately. 

Abort mission. This was a terrible idea. 

However, Hades took a step forward, and instinctively, she stepped back. 

Another step. Another retreat. 

Until her back was pressed against the back of the couch. She almost fell over.