Carly had always dismissed Celine, but now she was realizing how clever Celine truly was. She needed a plan. Picking up her phone, she called Sonia.

Celine returned to the dormitory; Hailey was already there. "Hailey, did you catch up with Declan?"

Hailey sighed. "Nope. He ignored me."

Celine smirked. "Looks like Declan isn't easily won over."

"Celine! Who said I was chasing him? You're teasing me!" Hailey's face flushed.

Celine chuckled but dropped the subject.

Suddenly, Hailey grabbed Celine's arm. "Celine, tell me the truth. How did my birthmark disappear? Yesterday, you gave me a bitter pill. Don't lie. It's because of that pill, right?"

Celine opened her mouth to speak when a knock sounded. Who could it be?

Hailey opened the door to reveal a tall, elegant figure: Adam.

"Mr. Alvarez, what are you doing here? I haven't found you yet! Be careful of Carly. She's vicious and scheming! If not for Celine, she would have ruined me!" Hailey exclaimed indignantly.

Adam looked at Hailey's delicate lace; the birthmark was gone. Without it, she looked radiant. This was his cousin.

He'd seen Celine casually erase the mark from Hailey's face yesterday while in the car. No one was more surprised than he was. James hadn't returned yet, but when he did, the entire Lambert family would be shocked. For years, they'd tried to remove the birthmark without success. Now, it was gone.

Adam's lips thinned. "How did your birthmark disappear?"

Celine tried to stop Hailey, but Hailey blurted out, "It's because Celine gave me a bitter pill."

Celine was speechless, cursing herself for not coordinating a story with Hailey. She saw Adam's sharp eyes lock onto her, piercing and unwavering.

"Hailey, could you step outside for a minute?" he asked quietly.

"Okay," Hailey replied.

Once Hailey left, Adam entered the dorm room and closed the door. He approached Celine, his presence filling the room.

"Where did you get that pill?"

Celine tilted her head. "I'm not telling you."

Adam was taken aback. Celine clearly didn't want to talk. She turned to leave, but Adam grabbed her arm.

Celine frowned and struggled. "Mr. Alvarez, let go of me! Show some respect, or I won't go easy on you!"

Adam tightened his grip, pulling her into his chest. Celine looked up to see amusement on his face. He chuckled mockingly. "You talk a big game. First, you'll teach my woman a lesson, now you're threatening me? Celine, you really think you're something, don't you?"