Adam reached out, and I opened the wardrobe door. There she was. Celine was curled up in the corner, her small body huddled tightly, her long, silky black hair cascading around her. When the door swung open, her sleepy, deer-like eyes, still hazy from sleep, opened to meet his. Startled, she looked like a frightened fawn. At that moment, she looked so pitiful, so vulnerable. She seemed like a secret mistress someone might keep hidden away, forced to flee the bed and hide in a closet when the wife barged in unexpectedly.

Adam frowned. "Why are you hiding in the wardrobe?"

Celine blinked, her thoughts still scattered from sleep. She had woken suddenly; she had been sleeping on his bed in the lounge of Carly's villa outside. As her surroundings registered, she realized she couldn't even remember how she got there. The last thing she remembered was dozing off at her desk. That's when Carly stormed in, clearly angry. Celine had panicked and instinctively hidden in the wardrobe.

Looking up at Adam, she asked, "Is Carly gone?"

Celine tilted her head slightly, a faint, playful smile curving her lips. "When I saw Carly coming in, I hid on my own. Mr. Alvarez, wasn't I good this time?" Adam's expression didn't change, but his thoughts flickered darkly. "Good? When it matters, you're never good," he thought to himself.

Without a word, Celine began climbing out of the wardrobe. But she had been crouched in the confined space for so long that her legs had gone completely numb. The moment she stepped out, her legs buckled, and she wobbled forward, about to collapse onto the carpet. Adam's hand shot out with lightning speed, his long, strong fingers closing around her slender arm. He steadied her effortlessly before she could hit the ground. Celine bent one knee slightly, wincing as she tried to shake the pins and needles out of her leg. "Thank you, Mr. Alvarez," she murmured.

Adam's gaze stayed on her. She reached up, brushing a lock of hair behind her snow-white ear; the delicate curve of her profile caught the light. His lips pressed into a thin line before he finally spoke, his voice low and measured. "Next time something like this happens, if the man hasn't told you to hide, there's no need for you to hide. Got it?"

Celine's long lashes fluttered slightly at his words. Did he think she wanted to hide? She was the real wife; Carly was the mistress here, not her. And yet, crouching in that wardrobe, feeling pathetic and ridiculous, had left her shaken.

"I was afraid Carly would hit me," she muttered.

Adam let out a low, sarcastic laugh. "You think you can't beat her?"

The memory of Celine pinning Elijah to the ground and beating him senseless was still vivid in his mind. The idea that she couldn't handle Carly? That was hard to believe.

Celine met his gaze. "I can beat Carly, but I'm afraid you'll take her side."

Adam was taken aback by her words. She was afraid of Carly. She was afraid of him siding with Carly. Celine's anxious gaze stayed on his handsome face. After a beat of silence, she asked seriously, "If one day Carly and I really got into a fight, who would you help?" Adam looked at her but didn't say a word. His silence was as good as an answer—he would side with Carly, his favorite, the woman he'd given so much power and confidence that she could walk around like she owned the place.

Gently but firmly, he pulled her from his grasp. His arm fell to his side.

Celine frowned slightly, her voice laced with confusion. "Mr. Alvarez, why was I sleeping in your lounge?"

Adam's expression remained hard. "You fell asleep at your desk last night. When you woke up, you wandered into my lounge and shamelessly made yourself comfortable."

Celine gasped softly, her eyes widening in shock. Was that something she had done? "Last night… did I sleep alone? Or did I… sleep with you?" Her gaze burned with intensity.

Adam answered grudgingly, betraying her own struggle to recall how she'd clung to his desk and snuggled into his arms. Adam, noting her apparent amnesia, decided it was best to let it go. After all, last night had been nothing more than an accident. A mocking smirk curled his thin lips. "Celine, what exactly are you hoping for? Did you think I'd sleep with you? I slept on the couch."

Celine remained silent.