Elise glanced at William.

She had so much to say, but didn't want to speak in front of James.

As for James, he didn't dare ask more questions under William's watchful gaze.

Still, Elise stayed for lunch and gently persuaded James to take his nap before leaving.

William rode home with her in the backseat, with Hendy driving.

The car remained silent until Elise finally spoke. "William."

"Yes." He turned toward her.

"I may have a complicated past," she said quietly. "But I'm not that kind of woman either."

William said nothing, clearly taken aback by her words.

"I understand you're successful and women naturally gravitate toward you. I won't deny that everyone appreciates beautiful things, and neither you nor she might be entirely at fault - but it goes against my principles. I'm fine with remaining friends, but I won't pursue anything beyond that."

The car happened to pull up outside Elise's apartment building just then. She opened the door and stepped out, leaving William looking completely bewildered.

He turned to Hendy. "What was she talking about?"

Hendy remained silent for a moment, feeling tense - he was too old to understand the complexities of young love.

But judging from what Elise had said...

"Perhaps she's suggesting you're somewhat unpredictable, sir?" Hendy ventured carefully.

"Am I really?" William asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You do give that impression, sir... I mean, with your appearance, women might feel somewhat insecure."

William was speechless.

So everything was his fault!

Whether he kissed her...

Exposed himself in front of her...

And now, even his looks were problematic!

Meanwhile, Elise became extremely busy after things cooled off with William. The Stellar Group's autumn collection was about to launch.

William never approached her after that day, and she didn't know if he understood what she had been trying to tell him.

Their relationship had clearly cooled down.

Still, she felt somewhat nervous as she sat in her office.

They had done everything possible to promote and build excitement for their autumn collection. Elizabeth was particularly enthusiastic too. Beyond the scheduled photoshoots, she frequently wore Stellar-branded clothes during her casual outings, even deliberately posing for paparazzi to capture more images of her in their designs. The media had recently dubbed her the 'most dedicated brand ambassador' in one of their articles.