Chapter 277

Hannah didn't jump straight into the deal. She opened with a question of her own. "Signing Alice Dubois-was that something you decided on the spot,Mr.Jones?"

That move had blindsided her, coming just hours before she was set to ink their partnership. The timing reeked of calculation.

Vincent relaxed into the leather of his chair, fingertips laced in a posture of effortless confidence. His expression gave nothing away; he radiated the unflappable composure of someone who treated business like a high-stakes chess match.

"Jones Group's new premium skincare brand demands a spokesperson who stands out-someone with a rare, global allure," he answered in a measured, unhurried voice. "Alice fits those requirements. Her market influence is undeniable.

The decision to bring her on was purely strategic-a move that benefits both sides. Nothing more, nothing less."

His delivery was crisp, almost clinical, as if reading from a script.

Hannah scrutinized him, searching for any hint of emotion, but Vincent's face stayed as inscrutable as ever, as though bringing Alice on board had been just another tick on the corporate checklist.

Her hands tensed at her sides before she drew in a breath and offered him a meaningful smile. "You make a good point, Mr. Jones. Alice is the kind of talent any brand would scramble to sign." She paused, letting her words linger between them."But the timing was extraordinary. Almost too precise. I have to admit, I'm impressed by how quickly the word must have traveled. Practically the moment she and I reached an agreement, your team swept in and closed the deal-like clockwork."

Hannah's tone stayed gentle, but the subtle steel beneath it was unmistakable. "Honestly, the whole

thing felt so perfectly choreographed that, for a second, I thought you'd orchestrated it just to get under my skin."

A subtle shift rippled through Vincent's posture; he leaned forward ever so slightly, interest sharpening his gaze. Instead of bristling, he remained composed, his fingers drumming an absent rhythm against the gleaming surface of his desk.

"So, you think I engineered all this just to rattle you,Ms. Scott?" His reply came with effortless poise. "My company's search for a spokesperson began long before your negotiations. Alice earned her spot after we evaluated every option. The decision to sign her stemmed from hard-nosed corporate reasoning. And as for this allegedly precise timing..."

A faint smile touched his lips. "Maybe the real issue is that details about your schedule travel faster than you'd expect, Ms. Scott."

His words ricocheted the blame back at her,transforming her suspicion into a flaw of her own overexposure.

A knot formed in Hannah's chest. He always had this way-building an impenetrable fortress out of cold logic and razor-sharp phrasing. She could never crack his facade.

Determined to stop dancing around the point,Hannah locked eyes with him, her patience fraying."So you're saying Alice's contract has absolutely nothing to do with Metamorphosis-my lingerie show?"

Vincent didn't answer her question. Instead,he stood slowly and strolled around the edge of his oversized mahogany desk, every step he took radiated an unspoken power, compressing the air until it thrummed with tension.

He halted just short of her, close enough for his shadow to eclipse hers.

In an instant, she was swallowed by his nearness-his clean, cool scent, the impenetrable wall of his presence, the magnetic pull that seemed to bend the very space between them.

Their height difference forced Hannah to tip her chin,meeting his eyes where they lingered just above her.

"You're asking if it was intentional?" His voice,pitched low and velvety, slid between them like a secret-intimate as a caress, yet edged with a chill that made her skin prickle.

He leaned even closer, and she could trace the sharp plane of his collarbone beneath his shirt.

His breath teased a stray lock at her temple, trapping her in a hush so dense that it felt suffocating.

Unblinking, Hannah stared back, refusing to look away. "That's right. I want a real answer. lf..."

Vincent silenced her with a level, implacable voice."Yes. I did it on purpose."

Every trace of pretense vanished. There hadn't been

a flicker of remorse on his face. His company had stuck to the rulebook-right up until he'd seen her schedule. Then, without hesitation, he'd advanced

the signing by two full weeks.

"You..." Hannah's breath stuttered, her chest tightening. For a split second, her composure cracked as shock widened her eyes. She'd braced herself for negotiations, manipulations, even covert sabotage-but not for such bald, unapologetic honesty.

"Why?" Her voice wavered, rough and frayed at the edges. She fought to keep herself steady. "To humiliate me? Is that it? Did you want to watch me stumble-just for your own satisfaction? Vincent, this isn't your style."

He answered with a thin, icy smile-one that pressed down on the room like a tightening vise. Rather than pulling away, he angled closer, his presence looming over her, every inch of his frame radiating deliberate pressure.

"Why?" He repeated her question, the word rolling off his tongue, laced with a mocking amusement that didn't reach his eyes. "It's far simpler than you imagine.I simply wanted to find out..."

He raised his hand-not to touch, but to hover with calculated intent, pausing directly above her heart. "I wanted to see what you'd give up for your precious little lingerie show."

She didn't flinch. Her eyes met his, steel-sharp and steady,the old composure snapping back into place.

"Let's not beat around the bush, Mr. Jones." Her tone turned pointed, the edge of a negotiator returning."Name your terms. How much for Alice's authorization to show up in my company's event?"

A low, rich laugh rolled from Vincent's lips. He let the silence stretch and then replied, voice steely and unyielding, "It's easy." He leaned in, his words slipping into her ear like a dare. "You spend a month with me.Day and night. No distance."