Can't Win Me Back

One minute later, Sean came back out of the room. His expression was conflicted as he looked at Jasper. "Ms. Alyssa doesn't want to see you. Please leave."

Jasper balled his hands into fists. "Why?"

Sean sniggered coldly. "Why? Maybe because she's finally woken up. She doesn't want to make the same mistake twice or lose her dignity by chasing after a man who gives her nothing but indifference."

Jasper's face paled, and he fell silent.

Sean's heart ached as he remembered all the suffering Alyssa had endured recently. His eyes welled with unshed tears.

Struggling to suppress his anger, Sean said, "Mr. Beckett, Ms. Alyssa is completely exhausted. Since she doesn't want to see you, please just leave. Don't bother her anymore."

In the study at Seaview Manor, Sheryl laid out all her findings for Justin without holding back.

"I have reason to believe that the woman named Clara Whitaker is actually Jameson's substitute for Alyssa- Amber Altman!"

Sheryl watched Justin, who was sitting behind the desk, working on a piece of calligraphy writing with his head down. He had a composed look in his eyes.

Through gritted teeth, she continued, "No wonder she was so hostile when she saw me today. If she's Amber, it all makes sense now."

"I'm not bothered by her rudeness," she added, "but I'm concerned that she might have caught on. Don't you think she seemed slightly panicked when she met you earlier?"

"She's finally freed herself from Jameson's control. After everything she's gone through, she's found a chance at a new beginning with Mr. Axel." Justin's pen moved smoothly across the paper as he wrote "Lyse' in elegant strokes. "Naturally, her first instinct would be to get rid of that face that had put her through so much pain. She doesn't want to live in someone else's shadow anymore.

Sheryl's eyes widened in surprise. "Are you saying that at one glance, you could already tell-

"I merely had my suspicions. That was why I tasked you to confirm them."

Sheryl was utterly impressed.

Justin was intelligent and sharp-witted. If he was perfectly healthy physically, Jasper wouldn't stand a chance against him.

"Mr. Justin, based on Amber's behavior today, I'm afraid she might already be onto us. After all, she's crossed paths with us a few times while working for Jameson.

"Even though she has never seen us before, she might have an inkling. It would be disastrous if Ms. Alyssa found out.'

Sheryl stepped closer, her eyes narrowing with a sinister gleam. "Should I send someone to handle Amber before she becomes a problem?"

"Sheryl, you're being hasty again," Justin said, placing his pen in the holder and shifting his papers aside. He picked up the sheet he'd written on, admiring the strokes. "She may be starting to have doubts, but she hasn't solidified anything yet. If you intervene now, wouldn't that only make it obvious that I'm the one behind Jameson?' "In that case, are you planning to just let it go?" Sheryl frowned, feeling worried. "Amber is a survivor from Jameson's side. Now she's involved with Mr. Axel. If we don't nip this in its bud, it will come back to bite us!"

Sheryl was crude, straightforward, and cruel. She seemed to embody the saying that there was no worse evil than a bad woman.

"Even if we need to eliminate the problem at its source, we must be patient for now," Justin replied, his smile polite but his eyes holding a glint of something darker. "We need to wait for the right opportunity to deal with this while ensuring our own safety."

At 5:00 am, on a cold winter moming in Solana City, everything remained silent and pitch-black.

Alyssa tossed and turned restlessly on the hospital bed, unable to find any peace in her sleep. After what felt like an eternity, she slowly sat up and climbed out of bed, sluggishly slipping her slippers on.

She was still struggling with her injured leg, so she leaned against the wall as she made her way toward the door.Property © of NôvelDrama.Org.

But when she pushed the door open and looked up, she froze in shock. There, sitting on a cold bench just outside, was Jasper. His eyes were closed, his posture rigid and unmoving.

The dim lighting cast long shadows, highlighting his solitude.

Alyssa's heart skipped a beat, and her breathing became uneven.

Jasper's bloodshot eyes slowly opened when he heard the noise. Their gazes met.