Chapter 472

Hannah locked eyes with Vincent, a sly curve on her lips. "And why should I decline? Marilyn has arranged dashing escorts for me. I have no shortage of men to share a bed with, and perhaps an escort might even bring me more pleasure than you did."

Vincent's face clouded at once. He abruptly leaned forward, caging her between his arms, his brow furrowed hard. "So now I'm not good enough? Who was gasping with pleasure yesterday? Who pleaded for more rounds even after a shower?"

Hannah's chest gave a tremor beneath his fierce stare, but her features stayed cool. "I was drunk. I can't recall."

"Can't recall?" Vincent barked out a sharp laugh and then tugged at her robe's collar with force.

The fabric slid apart at one edge, laying bare her throat and shoulders, smeared with hickeys and bite marks.

"And these? Forgotten too?" Vincent's fingers traced across her skin. "Your marks are all over me as well.Want me to show you?"

Hannah jerked her face aside, heat spreading to the tips of her ears. She quickly drew the robe tighter wrapping it firmly.

Her reaction made Vincent's anger ebb, replaced by a grave intensity. He dropped his tone, his stare unyielding. "Then answer me-what exactly are we?"

"Friends with benefits," Hannah shot out,almost without thinking

Vincent looked as if the words cut him open. "What did you just say?"

Confronted with his stunned, wounded look, Hannah felt a strange irritation rise, and her tone grew frostier."It was only a one-night stand. What else could it mean?" Hannah let out a cold chuckle. "Don't be ridiculous. Sleeping together doesn't automatically make us an item."

"I mean it." Vincent stood up, his expression grave.

Hannah stood as well, her expression cold and unwavering. "But I have no intention of taking this any further. Last night was nothing but a mistake."

"A mistake?" Vincent retorted. "Then how do you explain it? You kissed me first. You wanted me. You moaned and uttered my name beneath me. Was all that some mistake too?"

Hannah recoiled a step at his raw demand, embarrassment flickering briefly before she masked it again."Given the state I was in last night, it could've been any man. You were no exception."

Suddenly, the suite sank into unbearable quiet, broken only by Vincent's rough, uneven breaths.

Hannah wrenched her eyes away, turned sharply, and vanished into the bathroom, slamming the door shut.Inside, she pulled out her phone and opened a private photo. In it, Vincent slept with her curled against him,the angle blatantly intimate.

She had taken it right after their intimate encounters. From the moment she entered the bar with Marilyn,she knew Vincent had followed her. She had intentionally drowned herself in liquor, intentionally flirted with that dashing escort, and intentionally wielded the cruelest barbs to ignite his fury... Every move served a single aim-to get himn into her bed.

She'd realized that Vincent was right. Sincé Erica had stepped forward claiming to be Brinley Gilbert, the smartest play was to embrace the disguise she'd spun. Whether Erica or Brinley, both shared the same fatal flaw--Vincent. Both harbored an almost obsessive compulsion to claim him. By wielding Vincent, would it still be difficult to uncover Erica's cracks and weaknesses?

Hannah's eyes gleamed with renewed sharpness. She secured Erica's number and sent the intimate photo,adding a scornful line. "Brinley, no matter how you mimic me, Vincent still belongs to me. With the crook of a finger, he comes into my bed." Seeing the delivery status on the screen, Hannah's lips curled in a chilling smirk. She showered again dressed neatly, and smothered every trace of emotion. When she emerged from the bathroom, her face bore its usual calm detachment.

Vincent hadn't moved, still staring out the window, lost deep in thought.

Recalling business, Hannah was first to break the stillness. "We'll handle the plagiarism dispute as you instructed yesterday. Aurora Court Studio will issue an apology, withdraw the game, and pay ten billion dollars in compensation. I'm leaving now."

She grabbed her bag, ready to walk out.

Vincent's gaze followed her, stung by how desperate she was to cut everything off, and it cut like another blade through his chest. His voice came out bitter, raw. "So that's it? One night and you're finished with me?"