Elise grumbled, "I was sleeping."

"My apologies for disturbing you." William offered his regret.

Still, she never sensed any genuine remorse in his apologies—as if he merely spoke the words out of obligation.

"Is something wrong?"

"Just wanted to let you know I've returned."

"Noted," Elise replied coolly, then added upon noticing his weary appearance, "You could have just texted. There was no need to come all this way."

"I assumed your phone was dead," he retorted, clearly implying she had ignored his messages.

"I've been occupied," Elise simply provided an excuse.

"Elise…"

"It's late, you should go home," Elise interjected, cutting him off. "I have work in the morning."

As William swallowed his unspoken words, she concluded, "Goodnight."

With that, she closed the door firmly in his face, leaving him staring at the solid wood barrier.

He had been right—it wasn't his imagination.

Elise was deliberately creating distance between them.

But he hadn't done anything inappropriate that night... In fact, his instincts told him Elise was beginning to open up to him.

So what had changed? Why was she pushing him away again?!

William left Elise's apartment building and noticed the car that had brought him was gone.

Scowling, he dialed a number.

Samuel answered immediately when his phone rang. "Yes, Mr. Levine?"

"Where are you?" William demanded coldly.

"Weren't you visiting Ms. Scott?"

"Get back here now!"

"Right away, sir!" Samuel promptly instructed the driver to turn the vehicle around.

Even as they headed back, Samuel wondered if Elise had actually kicked William out.

Incredible... She truly was different from other women!

Any other woman would be thrilled to have William spend the night at their place, even throwing themselves at him!

They quickly returned to where William's car waited, and Samuel stepped out, opening the door respectfully.

William fixed his gaze on Samuel, who flinched—he dreaded these silent confrontations most.

Predictably, William ordered, "Your phone and wallet."

Samuel's hands trembled as he handed everything over.

William then slid into the car and barked, "Drive!"

The sedan sped off, leaving Samuel stranded on the empty street at 3 AM, watching the taillights disappear...

If he had any tears left, he would be crying them now.

Over the following month, Elise poured all her energy into the autumn fashion line launch, overseeing everything from major strategic decisions to the smallest details.

However, most of Stellar Group remained under Benjamin Scott's control. Beyond other challenges, production delays were becoming increasingly severe.

"What's the problem?" Elise demanded, her gaze sharp as she confronted Jonathan Locke, the production manager, in the conference room.

There was no doubt Jonathan was on Benjamin's payroll too!

"It's not us causing delays, Ms. Scott—we can't do anything when the workers are striking," Jonathan said with a dismissive shrug.

"Striking? For what reason? And why wasn't there any advance notice? You know our timeline is tight!"

"You're the board chairman and always busy. How could we bother you with every minor company issue?" Jonathan replied with a sarcastic tone.

"So you're saying you can handle this situation?"

"I'll do what I can, but I can't make any promises."

"Understand this clearly, Mr. Locke," Elise stated with authority. "If the company suffers any financial losses, I'll hold you personally responsible for every dollar! You'd better decide whether you can bear that responsibility!"

Jonathan flushed deeply at her direct threat!