When words like that came out of Mason Nightshade's mouth, even though Aurelia Shaw was used to his occasionally startling confessions, she was still briefly surprised.

She cast a suspicious glance at him, trying to see through the thoughts hidden behind that face.

"You said all this because you were sure I wouldn't touch the Nightshade Group, didn't you?"

In her heart, she actually knew that Mason wouldn't do such a thing.

She couldn't figure out how Mason could willingly hand the Nightshade Group over to her; she knew exactly how important it was to him. He would marry her for it, ruthlessly eliminate competitors, and in such a short time, restore Nightshade's former glory. What Mason had accomplished was far from as effortless as it looked on the surface.

And now he was handing all his hard work into her hands.

She couldn't understand; she totally couldn't figure out what he was thinking. They were already divorced, and Mason's actions were nothing short of a gamble. No matter how well he thought he knew her, he couldn't be certain she wouldn't do something drastic, like selling the Nightshade Group in defiance of his grandfather.

If there was even a one in ten thousand chance, the Nightshade Group would be ruined in her hands.

She wouldn't lose anything.

But he was different. He would go from a celebrated CEO, the almost all-powerful Nightshade heir of Q City, to having nothing at all.

He was handing her the knife held to his own neck. All she had to do was move a finger, and she could destroy everything he owned now.

Was it that he…

…was trying to give her a sense of security.

Aurelia was stunned for a moment, her gaze at Mason growing complicated.

She relaxed her fingers, pulled back and stepped away, but suddenly an arm snaked around her waist from behind, pulling her back into an embrace. The man's face magnified rapidly in her pupils; Aurelia reflexively reached for her knife, but Mason caught her wrist first.

His low voice sounded right by her ear, deep and quiet: "I told you, I won't give up on you."

Aurelia was stunned for a second, then twisted her hand back.

But compared to Mason, her self-taught skills were barely worth mentioning.

Before she could really do anything, Mason let her go and, in a relaxed posture, sat cross-legged in the boss's chair.

He watched her with deep, dark eyes, as if staring at prey he would never let escape.

Aurelia parted her lips and smiled, chin lifting, almond-shaped eyes narrowing. Whether intentional or not, ripples of light shimmered in her gaze, making hearts itch.

"Alright. I'll be watching."

Mason's lips quirked up, his eyes narrowing as he met her challenging gaze.

They locked eyes for three seconds; then Aurelia suddenly turned and walked toward the door. Everything that needed saying had already been said, and there was no point staying longer.

Left alone together in the same room, it was hard to ensure that something uncontrollable wouldn't happen.

And besides, she already had her own plan in mind.

Her hand touched the doorknob, when the man's voice rang out behind her. "When you have time, go home and see Grandpa."

Watching her walk to the door, Mason unconsciously leaned forward; when he saw her look back in confusion, brows furrowed, he explained, "Grandpa saw the news about our divorce on TV. With things blowing up like this, there's no way to hide it anymore. He's been really down these days, eating less and less. If you have time, go see him."

"He truly cares about you."

"Mm." Aurelia nodded.

-

When Aurelia left Mason's office, she was still wearing her mask. Countless gossiping eyes were glued to her. If she hadn't long gotten used to being stared at, she might really have been unable to handle it.

She turned the corner, stepped into the elevator, and the doors slowly began to close.

Just before they closed, someone slipped inside.