Elise gave a slow nod, absorbing William's perspective.

His gaze remained fixed on her, his expression serious as he laid out his analysis. "To summarize, Charles Stuart has two major obstacles to overcome before securing his power: Patrick Montgomery and myself. However, he has marked Patrick as an enemy to be eliminated, while simultaneously employing every tactic possible to recruit me to his cause. And in their eyes, the only complication in that equation is you. That's why they would undoubtedly target you."

Elise blinked slowly but stayed silent.

William continued, his voice steady. "When you appeared at that charity gala with Patrick, it presented them with an opportunity to achieve two objectives with one move. They were never going to let such a perfect chance slip through their fingers."

"In truth, I'm not omniscient enough to read their every thought. Everything I've mentioned is based on my deductions combined with observations after the fact. I'm not clairvoyant—I couldn't protect you before anything happened. It wasn't until the final moments that I realized the Stuarts would resort to manufacturing a car accident to eliminate both you and Patrick simultaneously."

William swallowed hard, the memory of that terrifying night still fresh in his mind.

One small miscalculation, and Elise would have been gone forever.

"That's why I tried to stop you from coming to Rockville. If you had stayed away, the Stuarts might have only contemplated moving against Patrick. But with you present, the outcome was certain. No one ever passes up the chance to kill two birds with one stone—especially not the Stuarts, who are shrewd to their very core."

Elise remained quiet.

She had actually sensed the potential danger in coming to Rockville, which was precisely why she had insisted on leaving the charity event early with Patrick.

As William had pointed out, none of them possessed foresight. They could never accurately predict what methods the Stuarts would employ to harm them.

The only path available was to keep moving forward.

Her decision to come despite knowing the risks wasn't meant as a petty gesture toward William. She had made it clear that she had no alternative—Charles's faction wanted her gone, and retreat wasn't an option.

For survival, she needed Patrick as a shield. Their partnership had to take priority, and if her business ventures failed, she would become worthless to Patrick.

She understood all too well that their alliance would dissolve the moment one party lost their value.

Still, she offered no explanation to William.

At this moment, she couldn't define their relationship clearly because emotions weren't everything—there were advantages and disadvantages to weigh, along with unanswered questions.

Were they allies or adversaries?

What were William's true feelings toward Charles's faction?

Perhaps he was merely biding his time—waiting to see whether Charles or Montgomery emerged victorious before choosing his side.

But for Elise, the situation was different. She had already aligned herself with Montgomery's side, staking everything she had in the process.

This left her emotions in turmoil.

She had endured plenty of misfortune before—her mother's early death, her father and family's indifference and mistreatment, her boyfriend's betrayal.

Those experiences had been painful, but she had weathered them alone, either enduring silently or fighting back fiercely.

Now, for the first time, she felt truly lost. She simply had no idea what the future held.