The Arrogant Agreement

An hour ticked by in agonizing slowness. Sylvie stood near the bottom of the grand staircase, her mind endlessly replaying the horrific image of little Hayes biting down until his mouth bled. The heavy silence of the massive villa pressed down on her shoulders, thick with unresolved tension. Finally, the sound of measured, heavy footsteps broke through her daze.

Julian descended the stairs. His custom suit bore obvious wrinkles from his intense struggle to restrain and comfort the frantic child. Yet, the slight dishevelment did nothing to diminish his commanding, reserved presence. His handsome face remained a mask of pure ice, projecting an aura of untouchable authority.

He paused on the final step, looking down at her with a chilling, unapologetic gaze. "Come over here every day from now on and take care of Hayes," he ordered. The directive was stripped of any warmth, sounding more like a royal decree than a simple request for help.

Sylvie met his unyielding stare. Knowing she could not deny an autistic child's fragile needs, and carrying the heavy, agonizing guilt of her unfulfilled maternal duties over the past few years, she found her voice. She could not walk away from him again.

"Okay," she agreed without a single second of hesitation. "I will cooperate with you."

Julian’s jaw tightened visibly. Just like that? No demands for a massive salary? No attempts to negotiate a luxury apartment or designer goods? Her immediate, unconditional compliance grated against his cynical nature. It fueled his suspicions of ulterior motives. In his world, women who asked for nothing up front usually plotted to take everything in the end.

His expression darkened, casting harsh shadows over his sharp features. "Don't promise me so easily. I have conditions."

Sylvie kept her posture rigid, bracing herself for his inevitable cruelty.

He laid out his rules mercilessly. "First, the only reason I am keeping you around is solely for Hayes's sake. You must remember your status and identity at all times. Keep your boundaries clear so we can avoid any further unnecessary misunderstandings."

She clenched her fists at her sides. Misunderstandings. He still blamed her for the chaotic encounters of last night and today, flat-out refusing to acknowledge his own blind assumptions. They never gave her a chance to explain, yet he stood there laying the blame squarely on her shoulders.

"Second," Julian continued, stepping off the final stair to close the distance between them, "you are to leave the very moment the boy's condition improves. If you dare to harbor any bad thoughts toward Hayes, or if you dare to manipulate him for your own gain, I will make sure you regret being a human in a minute!"

Sylvie fumed internally. Her blood boiled at his arrogant, narcissistic assumption. Did this man honestly believe she was scheming to use a sick child just to hit on him? She was the one who wanted to teach him how to act like a decent human being. He was insufferably self-righteous, strutting around like a peacock.

"The third point," Julian stated, his voice dropping an octave. Standing tall and domineering at nearly 1.9 meters, he stepped directly into her personal space. The sheer size of him cast a shadow over her. He reached into his inner jacket pocket and arrogantly held out a supreme black card. He offered it between his long fingers, a token of supreme and honorable status.

"As a personal assistant taking care of Hayes, I don’t want you to be randomly hooking up with men again," he commanded coldly. "Your improper conduct and bad character will influence Hayes. You can just spend the money inside the card if you have any needs in the future."

Sylvie stared at the dark rectangle, her eyes widening in sheer disbelief. Which eye of his had seen her misbehaving and hooking up with men? Men like him, who judged others so freely, were usually the ones with countless women trailing behind them.

But a sudden, sharp thought cooled her boiling temper. If he dared to offer it, she dared to accept it. She would simply use these limitless funds to raise Aria and give her daughter the best life possible.

Snatching the card from his grip, she fired back, her voice ringing clear and steady. "Don't worry, as long as you're not blind, there will generally be no misunderstanding. The only reason I'm staying is because of little Hayes. I do not have any desire to hit on you!"

She took a deliberate step back, looking him up and down with mock pity. "Even if I want to ogle, I would only ogle a gentle, considerate gentleman. I will not be interested in a thirty-year-old married man like you with facial paralysis!"

She did not stop there. She gestured toward the corner of the room where his right-hand man stood watching. "Even the rich and frivolous guy next to you is much more likable."

In the corner, Lucian choked on his own breath. Frivolous? He felt intensely offended. What did she mean by that? He was a respected young master in his own right, yet she tossed the insult at him effortlessly.

Julian was caught off guard by her sharp and eloquent tongue. No one dared to describe the flawless Julian Garrick as a married man with facial paralysis. He narrowed his eyes dangerously, a fierce storm brewing in his dark pupils. "It better be as you say," he warned, his voice sharp as a knife. "Otherwise..."

The unspoken threat of a fate worse than death hung thick in the air. The chilling pressure would have crushed anyone else, but Sylvie was completely unafraid. Her conscience was spotless; she genuinely had zero desire to throw herself at him.

"I will do it," she confirmed with unwavering certainty. Clutching the black card, she turned on her heel and departed with an air of unyielding arrogance, her back straight and her head held high.

Once the heavy front door clicked shut and her footsteps faded away, Lucian finally broke his silence. He stepped out from the shadows, running a hand through his hair in bewilderment.

"Boss, who is she? Where did she come from? It seems as though she is really not sister-in-law."

He stated it as a concrete fact. Giselle had always been exceptionally gentle, speaking to Julian with a voice full of admiration and careful submission. Giselle would never possess such a fiery, combative attitude.

Julian’s handsome face was shrouded in darkness. He stared at the closed door, his jaw clenched tight. "Sylvie. Giselle’s twin sister."

"Twins?" Lucian's eyes widened in sheer shock. "They look exactly the same! They are totally indistinguishable." He paced a few steps, struggling to wrap his head around the bizarre revelation. "By the way, boss, Hayes actually got close to her. He even opened his mouth and spoke! That is really strange."

The deeply withdrawn boy fiercely rejected physical touch, yet he had clung to a stranger and uttered words. It defied every medical expectation they had relied upon.

Julian, however, remained coldly resolute. "Giselle has always been busy with work. Hayes wants his mother. So, he must have mistaken Sylvie for Giselle."

The tone of his voice was freezing. He was convinced Sylvie was deliberately using her identical face to manufacture coincidences and approach him, whether it was last night or tonight. Otherwise, how could a stranger break through his son's defenses so easily?

Lucian stopped pacing. He rubbed his chin, frowning in deep doubt. Was that the case? Was there really no other explanation?