Demitri didn’t move. He watched as her fingers flew over her laptop keyboard, her focus unshaken—or so it seemed.

She had asked him out but he wasn’t ready to go. Not yet. Until he convinced her.

“This partnership could be mutually beneficial, Ashley,” he said, emphasizing her chosen name.

Ashley’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t call me that. And don’t think for a second that throwing around business jargon is going to change my mind.”

Ashley had decided to just ignore him.

“Ashley—”

She held up a single finger, silencing him. “Don’t call me that.”

He frowned, confused. “What else am I supposed to call you? It’s your name.”

“No,” she snapped, her voice cold and unyielding. “I am Emerald now. Ashley is dead, Demitri. The woman you married no longer exists; frankly, she should have never existed in the first place.”

Her words hung heavily in the air, and for a moment, even Demitri seemed unsure of what to say.

“You can leave now,” she said, turning her back to him and moving toward the window.

He hesitated. Then, his voice softened. “I’m not here to dredge up the past. I came for something else.”

She ignored him.

Demitri reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a sleek, black folder. “I’m here for a partnership,” he said, placing the file on her desk. “This agreement could benefit both of our companies. It’s a win-win situation.”

Her lips curled into a mocking smile. “A partnership? With you? Do you really think I’d ever do something like that with you again?”

“This isn’t personal,” Demitri replied, stepping closer. “It’s strictly business.”

“I’m not interested.”

“You haven’t even looked at it,” he pointed out, his tone edging toward frustration.

“I don’t need to,” she shot back. “I have no interest in working with you, Demitri. Not now, not ever.”

Demitri exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. “Ashley—”

“Emerald,” she corrected, her voice like ice.

“Fine,” he said, his voice rising slightly. “Emerald. Whatever you want to call yourself, can you at least be reasonable for five minutes?”

She laughed bitterly. “Reasonable? You want me to be reasonable after everything you’ve done?”

Demitri opened his mouth to respond but stopped himself. He took a deep breath, calming himself before speaking again. “I understand why you’re angry. I do. But this isn’t just about us. This partnership could help a lot of people. Lewis foundation and that one company the Donaldsons have always wanted to partner with. I can help you make that happen.”

Finally, he got her attention.

He knew how she had secretly donated money to the Lewis foundation but he never knew that was because she was a secret heiress.

He thought she was donating all the money he was giving her for her eggs. But apparently, it was more than that. She had empathy and that was what he wanted to use to get to her.

“Lewis?” She asked with surprise.

“Yes,” Demitri nodded, trying to hide his smile. “The partnership gives room for more donations to the foundation. 10% of the annual revenue goes to the foundation. And Drey’s company is also partnering with us.”

Her eyes twinkled.

Drey’s father and hers have been enemies for a decade. Even after they settled their difference, bone has been courageous enough to extend a hand of partnership to the other because of their ego.

If she could get the partnership from Drey which she knew Demitri could make possible, she would helped Lewis foundations more than she had ever done.

She was thinking about what he just explained when he suddenly asked. “Why did you marry me under a fake identity, Ashley?”

Her fingers froze mid-air, but she quickly masked the reaction.

She was silent.

“I’m serious,” Demitri pressed, his voice firmer now. “I’m not leaving until you answer me.”

Ashley sighed, her patience wearing thin. She leaned back in her chair and folded her arms, finally meeting his gaze. “Do you really think you can barge into my office and demand answers like that? Don’t you have anything better to do with your time?”

“Answer the question, and I’ll leave,” he said simply, leaning closer.

“Liar.” She raised a brow. “We both know you won’t.”

A flicker of amusement crossed his face. “Fair point. But humor me anyway.”

Ashley stared at him for a long moment, debating whether to kick him out or entertain his curiosity. Finally, she exhaled sharply and said, “I needed to live as someone else for a few years. That’s it.”

Demitri frowned. “That’s it? That’s your grand explanation?”

“That’s all you’re getting,” she shot back, reaching for a document on her desk.

He studied her, the wheels turning in his mind. “So, you used me too, then.”

Ashley froze again, her hand hovering over the papers. “If you’re trying to provoke me, Demitri, it’s not going to work.”

“No provocation, Ashley,” he said casually, standing upright now. “Just stating the obvious.”

She rolled her eyes and turned back to her screen, clearly done with the conversation. But Demitri wasn’t finished.

“Did you ever love me?” he asked suddenly, his tone softer, almost vulnerable.

Ashley stilled. Her hands clenched into fists in her lap, but she kept her gaze on the laptop, refusing to look at him.

“Apparently, I was just a means to an end,” he continued, his voice tinged with bitterness. “Just like everyone else in your life, right?”

“You’re being dramatic,” she muttered.

“And you’re being evasive,” he countered.

She didn’t respond.

The silence hung heavily in the room, the tension thick enough to cut with a knife. Demitri moved closer, his voice dropping to a near whisper.

“I loved you,” he said, the words spilling out before he could stop them.

Ashley’s head snapped up, her eyes wide with shock.

“From the very first day we met,” he added, his gaze locked on hers. “I have always loved you.”

The confession hit her like a freight train, leaving her speechless.