Rain drums against the penthouse windows as I stare at the contract in my hands—the final signature still unwritten. Across the room, she stands motionless, her coat too loose, her gaze too guarded. The woman they call Li Yalan. My so-called 'shield bride.'

But the second she turned around, my breath stopped. That scar above her brow. The way she bites her lip when nervous. I’d know those anywhere. She’s the one from that night. The one who disappeared with the ball.

My voice cracks. 'Take off your coat.'

She freezes. 'It’s cold in here—'

'Do it.'

Silence. Then slowly, the fabric falls. And there it is—the unmistakable swell beneath her dress. Pregnant. With his child? Or… mine?

The pen slips from my fingers. The bounty notice on my desk shows her face. Wanted: Alive. Return the artifact.

Now she’s standing in my home. Bound to me by paper. And I don’t know if I want to kiss her… or lock her up.