Alexis observed them in silence.

Leonel kept his focus on Alexis, while Anika stood by his side, radiating confidence. After a moment, Leonel said something to Anika, and then headed into the house alone.

Anika shot Alexis a smug smile.

Observing her for a beat, Alexis spun on her heel and exited the balcony.

She bumped into Leonel on the staircase. In the glow of the fancy chandelier, she gave him a cool look and said, “Evelyn and Daniel are out cold! If you want to see the kids, come solo next time! I'd rather they not catch wind of your little affair.”

Leonel shot her a derisive smirk. “What are you babbling about? Anika and I are hitting up a work bash, and she's just my translator.”

Clearly, he wasn't in the mood to spar with Alexis. With that, he ascended the stairs, briefly kissing the kids before dashing back down with a stack of papers...

By the time he looked up, Alexis was nowhere to be seen, neither on the stairs nor in the living room.

Hurrying down the last step, Leonel glanced up, finding the landing on the second floor deserted.

As he settled back into the car, Anika leaned in, whispering, “Did you two have an argument? Mr. Douglas, I can explain things to your wife. We didn't do anything sketchy, right?"

Ignoring her completely, Leonel tossed aside the documents and sparked up a cigarette, puffing away in silence.

His nonchalance made Anika squirm but she dared not lash out.

Everything she had now came from Leonel - the fame, the lavish mansion...

She loved the high life, the attention from admirers. She didn't want to return to her old ways; she wanted more. She wanted to be Mrs. Douglas.

But that hinged on whether Leonel was willing to give that to her.

She couldn't fathom Leonel's intentions. He granted her every wish but never made a move on her, not even for a kiss, let alone sex...

Sometimes, he'd let her lean on him, caress her face gently, but the moment she hinted at more, he'd just pull away.

Anika was clueless about what Leonel was waiting for...

Clearly sour after dinner, Leonel was in a sulky mood. So Anika spoke up softly. "You've had a few too many, Mr. Douglas. No one's going to look after you at a hotel. Why not crash at my place? I'll brew some coffee and give you a massage. Remember how much you enjoyed it last time?"

Anika expected him to decline as he always did, but he didn't this time.