Chapter 1

Gossip swirled in the Polaris Group office in Riverbourne.

"Hey, did you hear? We're getting an outside CEO approved by the board of directors."

"Is that why we're having a meeting?"

"It seems like it. Did you notice that our ex-CEO, James Chadwick, hasn't been in office for a while now? From what I heard…"

The speaker's voice trailed off as if it was an embarrassing topic to broach. Firstly, he had heard about the news but was unsure about its veracity. Secondly, he shouldn't have even opened his mouth because office politics could be dangerous.

Anyway, he managed to ruffle his colleagues' feathers by not wrapping up what he had started.

"Pray tell!"

After some thinking, he hunched up and gestured at everyone to huddle around him. He whispered, "I heard Mr. Chadwick was bribed with a huge sum. He seemed to have sold off the company's confidential documents, too. A few days ago, the police dropped by to bring him in for investigation."

Everyone gasped after hearing the revelation. Something bad must have happened internally for the board of directors to handpick an outside CEO, but no one had expected it to be this bad.

At this point, the speaker bent over a bit more and gazed at everyone with a solemn expression. It signaled to them that he had even more explosive news compared to James Chadwick's arrest.

"By the way, the new outside CEO hails from a powerful background. Just be careful."

"Who's that?" Everyone grew nervous.

"Our new CEO is a woman." While speaking, the man made a throat-cutting gesture. "Do you get it now?"

They were all adults, who immediately understood that the new female CEO might have bagged the job through unscrupulous means.

When the others were gossiping, Sebastian Smith hid in a corner and leaned on a table, yawning.

He could not be bothered about who had been arrested or promoted within the company. He was just there to earn a paycheck. He only wanted to get paid at the end of the month without bringing trouble for the company or its leadership.

The CEO's identity did not matter to him at all. More importantly, the company shouldn't have called for a meeting during lunch break. Sebastian checked the time on his watch and yawned again.

Still, he wasn't complaining. He kept yawning until he fell asleep, as the new CEO still hadn't shown up.

At that moment, two men in suits opened the door to the meeting room. The discussion instantly paused, and everyone turned their attention to the door.

Obviously, the new CEO had arrived. The sounds of heels clicking neared, and a woman in a suit strutted into the meeting room.

Tessa Yates was sexy and tall, with exquisite features, wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses. Hidden behind her glasses were a pair of cold, unfeeling eyes that hinted at danger.

For the occasion, she had chosen a black pantsuit paired with a black shirt with gray patterns, which added a streak of unruliness and raffishness to her otherwise formal attire.

Her outfit confirmed the assessment of her personality—she was a vicious woman.

In summary, Tessa was extremely gorgeous but also dangerous.

The unusual silence extended in the room. One could hear a pin drop.

Tessa walked up to the podium. Scanning the room, she frowned. She was looking for a particular guy, but he didn't seem to be around.

She gave it another thought. Before this, she had looked into that man and confirmed that he was employed at this company.

So, she scanned the room again and finally found something odd in the farthest corner, where a man seemed to have fallen asleep with his head and arms resting on the table.

All eyes traveled in the same direction. Some quietly lamented Sebastian's fate for daring to sleep during the meeting. New leaders mostly wanted to set precedents, and Sebastian could well be the sacrifice.

Sebastian's colleague in the same department, who hadn't noticed that he had fallen asleep, was shocked at his behavior. He tried to wake Sebastian up by poking him in the back.

Alas, Tessa noticed what the colleague was doing. She glared at him, and he froze in fear. Only when he didn't try to continue waking Sebastian up did Tessa move on.

Turning to the audience, she spoke in a deep voice. "Good afternoon. I'm Tessa Yates, who will work as the CEO at Polaris Group effective today."

After that, she deliberately paused. Then, she announced coldly, "That's it. You're dismissed."

Her abrupt announcement took everyone by surprise. They gave her confused looks, but she had no intention to say more. Instead, she coldly glared at Sebastian, who had been sleeping in the corner.

It finally dawned on the meeting attendees that the meeting had indeed ended. It was such a short meeting, though. Only a few words had been spoken.

Since Tessa wouldn't stop staring at Sebastian, everyone else sensibly left the meeting room, as they could tell she had unfinished business with Sebastian.

Soon, only Tessa and Sebastian were left behind. The meeting room suddenly felt lonelier.

She stepped off the podium and marched toward Sebastian in her exquisite high heels that clicked loudly on the marble floor. She then sat upright beside Sebastian without a word.

…

An hour later, Sebastian finally woke up.

Tessa whispered, "Are you up?"

She did not need to take a look to tell that he was awake, as her full attention was on him.

Sebastian, who hadn't sat up, froze when he heard her familiar voice. Yet, he shook the impossible thoughts off. It couldn't have been Tessa.

However, his eyes wavered, and his mind went blank when he looked up and saw her flaming red lips. He immediately grew uneasy.

Tessa turned to him at that moment with a beguiling smile. "It's been a while."

Sebastian stared at Tessa in disbelief, but soon, he went back to his normal self. Forcing a smile, he asked, "Do we know each other?"

With that, he got up and left without once looking back.

Tessa quietly studied Sebastian as he scrambled out of the meeting room.

Frowning and clenching his fists, Sebastian walked away defiantly. Even though he had seen Tessa with his own eyes, he couldn't believe that she was the same woman who had disappeared all those years ago.

She was gone for five years, 10 months, and three days. Why was she back?

Chapter 2

When Sebastian returned to the office area, his department manager, Charles McGill, approached him.

"Sebastian, today is Ms. Yates' first day as CEO. How could you fall asleep?"

Sebastian's brain was a mess at that moment. At the mention of the CEO, he put two and two together and realized that Tessa was Polaris Group's current CEO. He thought that Tessa was probably coming after him.

Then, he said to Charles in a serious tone, "Mr. McGill, I quit."

Charles looked stupefied and puzzled as he watched Sebastian walk right out of the company building.

…

News of Sebastian's resignation spread like wildfire in Polaris Group, but no one was surprised. Tessa looked like trouble. Besides, Sebastian had fallen asleep in a meeting on Tessa's first day. Anyone could tell that he would have a hard time in the company.

It was wise of him to quit, but they felt sorry for his wasted efforts. It was tough to work one's way up to a manager's position in Polaris Group, a huge and famous company in the country.

After Sebastian's resignation was processed, he walked out of the Polaris Group building.

It did not strike him until he was home that Tessa did not just come after him by taking up the CEO job at Polaris Group—she was here to destroy him.

Sebastian stayed in a planned neighborhood called Magnolia Heights. Although it was nowhere as affluent as Aspen Valley, it was considered a decent place to live. He had spent all five years of savings to buy a place in this neighborhood.

When he returned to his apartment, he immediately heard the sounds of someone hacking the walls right when the elevator doors slid open.

Confused, he mumbled to himself, "Is one of the neighbors renovating their place?"

Right away, he sensed that something was off. His apartment had a one-unit-per-floor layout. The loud hacking noises clearly came from his place and not from a neighbor's.

Sebastian immediately made a dash for his home. His door was wide open. When he peeked inside, he saw a huge mess.

His floorboards, electrical appliances, and walls were gone. A few bulky men were taking turns swinging hammers at other walls.

"Hey, who are you guys?" Sebastian yelled at them.

The men stopped in the middle of their work and turned to Sebastian with expressionless faces. One of them even casually lit a cigarette with his head tilted.

Sebastian walked into his home, which no longer looked the same. He felt extremely pained for losing his home, which he had spent 70,000 dollars renovating.

"How did you get in?" He glared at the men and pointed at the floor. "This is my home!"

The men stayed silent. The smoker puffed a cloud of smoke and slurred, "Oh, we got the wrong place."

Sebastian looked at them in bewilderment. He couldn't wrap his head around their attitude.

"You got the wrong place?" he bellowed at them. "Did you guys plan this? How could you say you got the wrong place after you destroyed everything?"

The smoker looked a little impatient. Taking a last whiff, he tossed the cigarette butt onto the floor and stepped on it.

"We do what we are paid for. We destroy the home based on the address from our boss. Talk to our boss if you have a problem with it; we can't help you."

Sebastian's anger went away right then. Although these men seemed impatient, their words made sense.

He calmed himself and asked, "Fine. Who's your boss?"

The man tossed a business card to Sebastian. He then turned to his subordinates, "Have we demolished everything?"

"Yes," they answered.

"Let's go," the man instructed everyone, leaving Sebastian fuming.

What was that question supposed to mean? Were they going to keep hacking if they hadn't demolished everything?

However, everything made sense when he read the name on the business card.

Those men in suits were no renovation crew—that was why they knew the passcode to his home. They lied when they said they got the wrong place and truly intended to demolish his place.

Sebastian clutched the business card tightly, his teeth chattering in anger.

"Tessa Yates!" he hissed through gritted teeth.

…

Sebastian went back to that same meeting room at Polaris Group. As expected, Tessa hadn't left. She sat in the room with an air of elegance, lazily crossing her arms, swaying her slender legs. A pair of lovely heels dangled from her feet, tracing a sensual arc in the air.

Sebastian stormed over to Tessa and slammed her business card onto the table.

Looking at the card from the corner of her eye, she said nothing.

"Tessa Yates, what are you doing?" Sebastian growled at her.

She flashed him a soft smile. "Do we know each other?"

"You—" He choked on his anger. His finger was trembling as he pointed at her. "How could you hack my place?"

"I got the wrong place." She lifted her pale neck.

"That's your problem, not mine!" Sebastian lambasted her.

Tessa still crossed her arms without much reaction. "Well, it's not my fault that you set my birthday as your passcode."

His cheeks promptly flushed. He could deny it, but the truth lay in front of their eyes.

Soon, he calmed down, let out a long sigh, and composed himself. He warned her icily, "I'll call the police on you if you keep doing this."

"We don't have to get the police involved if all you want is compensation."

Upon hearing that, Sebastian finally realized that Tessa was pretty well-to-do in the present.

"Tessa, you were the one who left without saying goodbye. You don't have to take revenge against me. I didn't wrong you in any way," he said sternly.

"No, it wasn't revenge. We really demolished the wrong place," she insisted.

Sebastian lost his cool again. He pointed in the direction of his apartment as he yelled at Tessa. "Is that all you have to say after you destroyed my home? What am I going to do now?"

"You can crash at my place." She gave him a devilish smile.

One should never underestimate a stunning beauty's lethal power.

When a woman of breathtaking beauty sat before you, arms crossed, chest high, and elegantly crossing her long legs while saying, "You can crash at my place," any man would immediately realize what kind of adult game this was leading to.

However, Sebastian merely shot her an impatient frown. "Tessa, what exactly do you want?"

"For you to come back to me."

"That's impossible," he said to Tessa regretfully.

She suggested, "I'm rich now. We don't have to pinch pennies anymore. Come back to me, and you don't have to work a day. I can buy you anything you want."

Anyone could tell that Tessa was offering herself to be Sebastian's sugar mommy.

Undeniably, every man had an innermost desire to be protected. Burdened and tired, they had fantasized about the possibility of getting the attention of a rich lady, enjoying a passionate romance with her, and going on to reach the peak of his life.

But that was not what Sebastian wanted. Money wasn't what he lacked—all he wanted was Tessa from five years ago.

"We broke up five years ago. Let's treat each other with respect."

A glint appeared in her eyes when she heard his words. She realized that she had to use threats on Sebastian, as she couldn't sway him with words.

"Hah." She smirked. Then, she asked disdainfully, "And?"

"Five years is long enough. It's time to put it behind us. I nearly forgot you had you not shown up today," Sebastian replied calmly.

Tessa smiled softly. She stood up and walked over to him, stopping just inches away.

"Forget about me? Is that real, or is it just a lie?" She put on a look of contempt.

At the same time, she took a step closer to him. He instinctively flinched and stepped back. Sebastian feared the voluptuous woman before him.

Seeing that, Tessa immediately grabbed his tie and yanked him over until they were face to face. She admired his handsome, angled face. Finally, her gaze rested on his lips.

The look in her eyes softened at the sight of his lips. Head tilted slightly, she tried to kiss him on the lips.

"The woman who nearly took your life is back. This time, she's here to do it again," she whispered fiercely as she kissed him.

Chapter 3

Tessa was as evil as she was pretty. Armed with her beauty and hourglass figure, she became many's object of desire.

Once you were preyed on by a woman like Tessa, and if she took a liking to you and lowered her guard even slightly, you would inevitably end up swayed by her.

Dior 952 was Tessa's favorite lip color. It was a shade of cherry red that added a hint of unexplainable, dangerous charm to her already exquisite features.

When her lips pressed against his, he trembled violently. Almost immediately, he felt his heart racing. But he knew very well that he and Tessa could never go back to what they once were.

Five years was a long time, during which Tessa vanished without a trace. No one knew what had happened during her absence.

More importantly, Sebastian did not know whether or not he was Tessa's fallback option. Besides, he, too, had a say in the relationship. Tessa couldn't just decide to break up with him and get back together as she wished.

Yet… He stared at her flaming red lips and her pretty face that was lost in admiration for him. His soul repeatedly screamed at him that she was the loveliest woman in the world.

Feeling conflicted, the two of them kissed.

As time passed, Sebastian gradually restored his sanity from the tender kiss. Feelings of shame took over.

Blushing, he pushed Tessa away. He hissed with a glare, "What are you doing?"

She pursed her lips, a look of greed and desire gleaming in her eyes. She lifted a brow in amusement and shrugged without any explanation. "Are you talking about me?"

Sebastian snorted and said harshly, "Please show some respect. I'm doing great right now, and I don't need you messing up my life!"

With that, he turned around to leave. He did not want to be involved with her in any way.

Tessa still stood in the same spot in the meeting room. Just like last time, she did not stop Sebastian from leaving.

Staring at Sebastian, who had left in haste, she smiled softly. "Remember to push me away earlier next time."

Sebastian lost his footing from anger and nearly tripped when he heard her comment. Face flushed, he turned around to glare at the smiling Tessa before letting out a snort.

…

Sebastian's phone rang in his pocket when he walked down the street. He pulled his phone out and saw a message from the bank.

"On October 17, an amount of one million dollars was transferred to your account ending in 1016. Your available balance is now 1,030,532.09 dollars."

He frowned at the bank transfer notice before another text came in. This time, it was from an unknown sender.

"Sorry for hacking the wrong place. That's your compensation."

He immediately looked dumbfounded and pissed.

What scared him was the astrological amount that Tessa had casually transferred to him. She might have hailed from a well-to-do family, but she could never afford to transfer one million dollars at once.

He started to suspect her activities in the past five years. What had she done to have amassed so much wealth? For a person to have suddenly experienced an increase in wealth, one couldn't help but suspect her of getting involved in shady deals.

Sebastian was not sure about other women, but Tessa certainly could receive a handsome payment if she were willing to drop her morals, given her top-tier looks and body. Someone would surely pay a million dollars for her.

At that moment, Sebastian shook his head violently. He reminded himself that Tessa had dumped him. How she got rich was none of his business now.

At that moment, he received another text from Tessa. "By the way, don't try to renovate your place. Do it, and I'll hack it again."

He was rendered speechless. He would have smashed his phone if only it weren't so expensive.

…

Sebastian sighed when he reached home. It was bare-bones now.

Now that there was nothing left in his home, he quickly put together a few wooden boards for a makeshift bed. He'd spend his night sleeping on that bed for now and think of a solution the next day.

The doorbell rang just as he was about to go to bed. He walked to the door and looked through the peephole. He immediately felt uneasy when he saw Tessa standing on the other side, arms crossed.

He walked back into his bedroom, pretending that no one was at home.

Tessa cautiously pressed the doorbell again. Once she confirmed that Sebastian had snubbed her, she snorted unhappily. "I guess we forgot to break down his door."

After that, she kicked the door to Sebastian's apartment, causing him to jump in shock from the loud sound. "What's she trying to do?"

When Tessa realized that the lock was still intact after the first kick, she tilted her head and chuckled impatiently. The cheap door was quite solid, it seemed.

She retreated and smiled with her lips slightly parted before delivering another kick. The door shook, but the lock wouldn't give way.

She tossed her lovely curls back and gave it another kick. This time, the lock was finally broken. She pushed the door open and invited herself in.

Sebastian yelled at her from the apartment, "It's past midnight! Jeez! What's wrong with you?"

Tessa, however, looked nonchalant as she strutted into his place in her high heels. She checked out the layout while commenting, "Your place is quite compact."

"This is trespassing! What you're doing is illegal!" he chided her.

She turned around and cast him a puzzled look. Then, she said flatly, "I broke in to save a life."

"Save a life?" He looked at her, bewildered.

"I rang the doorbell many times, but you did not answer the door. That made me wonder if something had happened to my man. So, I broke in. Was that against the law?" She put on a sly smile.

"You—" He choked in anger before pointing at his broken door. "What about my door? How are you gonna pay for that?"

"I'll pay up," promised Tessa, who looked unbothered. "It doesn't cost much, anyway."

Sebastian suddenly found himself speechless when he stood before the filthy rich and generous Tessa.

She tilted her head toward the door, signaling to him to leave this place. "Come spend the night at my place."

Chapter 4

Sebastian felt like he had fallen slightly for Tessa's charm. She was good-looking to start with, and she looked so sassy and ruffish when she insisted that he spend the night at her place.

No man could turn down a siren like Tessa. Perhaps this was every man's inner desire—hoping that beneath a woman's gentle and charming exterior, there lay a fearless and bold side.

But not Sebastian. His frown deepened as he stared at Tessa unhappily.

The problem was, he and Tessa had already broken up. Once, he had indeed loved this bold and straightforward side of her. But now, things were different. They had broken up, which meant that her boldness and candor were no longer his to claim.

During the five years in which they had broken up, Sebastian was sure that somewhere in the world, a man must have enjoyed Tessa's character just like he once did.

He wasn't being paranoid—if Tessa could do this to him, she could treat another man the same. Personality was a core part of a person that would remain unchanged.

Tessa merely smirked at Sebastian's thoughts. "Do you hate me that much?"

He replied coldly, "I'm glad you know that."

Then, he walked past Tessa. She turned around, asking, "Where are you going?"

"That's none of your business," he snapped without looking back.

Tessa shrugged helplessly without trying to make him stay. That was because she knew she could not win over a man like Sebastian in a day. It would take time.

Thankfully, she had plenty of time. This was just the start. She believed that she could conquer Sebastian sooner or later.

…

Sebastian spent the night at a hotel instead. The next day, he called up a home renovation company. The workers arrived at his home to clean up the mess in the afternoon.

Sebastian did not have much of a budget for the renovation. Besides, winter was coming soon, and a proper renovation would take time. He wouldn't want to pay the expensive accommodation fee at the hotel during the winter months.

In the end, he decided to renovate his place just enough for it to be livable.

A month later, the renovation at Sebastian's was completed. The temperature had dropped, and golden leaves started to fall from the trees.

The leaves crunched beneath his shoes. He blew some warm air into his hands and rubbed them to keep himself warm, muttering, "It's getting cold."

He pulled his coat closer and hurried home.

In the past month, Tessa had not harassed him at all. Just like how she had initiated the breakup five years ago and disappeared, she vanished from his life without any explanation.

Five years ago, he was devastated, but today, he felt relieved. However, he also felt oddly disappointed, which puzzled him. Did that mean he still had hopes for Tessa?

He shook those thoughts out of his head. Anyway, it was great that he could finally live in his home starting that day. It was time to go home!

Once he opened the door to his place, his mood brightened. Although his home decor was rather shabby and nowhere as good as the hotels out there, at least it was a place he could call his own—a safe haven that provided him with a sense of security, unlike the hotels.

Not long after he sat down, the doorbell rang.

He got up and looked through the peephole. His expression instantly fell when he saw Tessa on the other side.

Not only that, but she came with a few men in black, and he couldn't take a better look at their faces. The moment he saw Tessa, he was in no mood to think about the others.

He tiptoed away from the door, pretending that no one was at home.

Tessa, who stood outside Sebastian's place, chuckled impatiently and sassily adjusted her glasses. "Oh, no. My man might be in trouble."

While speaking, she gestured at the men in black to step back. Then, she took a few steps backward and cracked her neck.

The door creaked open, followed by Sebastian's scream from within. "Tessa Yates, what's wrong with you?"

She put on a look of mock surprise and smiled. "Oh, it looks like you're fine."

Hands in pocket, she strutted into his place, but he tried to stop her. "What are you doing?"

"I'm coming in to take a seat," she replied flatly.

"Pardon me? Did I invite you in?" He shot her an irritated look.

"Oh." After some thought, she nodded. "Fine, then. I'll drop by next time."

Before she left, she tapped on his door, mumbling, "This door isn't that solid."

At the same time, she flashed him a mocking smile.

Sebastian watched Tessa leave as he trembled in anger. He had seen what Tessa was capable of.

Fortunately, he happened to be home tonight. What if he wasn't at home when she dropped by? She would surely destroy his place and later claim to have gotten the "wrong address".

Calling the cops on her wouldn't work—she'd just get out of it by claiming she made a mistake. No one could hold her accountable. She'd only be asked to compensate him, but money was not a problem for her.

Sebastian knew he would receive a sum from Tessa as compensation, but that would not help because he'd lose his place to stay. Renovation was a hassle, too.

His shoulders drooped in defeat. "Come on in!"

Tessa had already anticipated that Sebastian would eventually invite her inside. A sly grin played on her lips.

"Are you welcoming me into your place?" Without turning back, she smiled cheekily.

He replied by harrumphing.

Tessa did not give him a hard time. She turned around, hands in her pockets, and coolly entered his place.

"Hey!" he called after her. "You need to change into home slippers!"

But Tessa ignored him.

Her bodyguards followed suit. Only then did Sebastian focus on them. They looked familiar, especially that man in the middle with almond-shaped eyes and huge ears. He realized that they were the men who had thrashed his place last time.

The bodyguard with almond-shaped eyes, Gilbert Garcia, glared at Sebastian. He snapped at the latter, "What are you staring at?"

Sebastian was frustrated by the bunch of ill-tempered hooligans. How could they yell at him just for staring?

The bodyguards made themselves at home immediately. They settled down in various parts of the room. Gilbert was the worst. He plopped on the couch and stretched his legs on the coffee table, lounging comfortably.

But Sebastian did not want more trouble or to get involved with Tessa. He just wanted her to leave immediately.

"Spit it out and leave!" he snapped at Tessa, looking upset.

Again, she ignored him. She wandered into his bedroom, and upon seeing the single bed, she let out a displeased snort. Soon after, she checked out his bathroom and even washed her hands.

Her bodyguards were busy complaining and picking on Sebastian's place.

"What a crappy couch!"

"Did he freaking scavenge this TV from the trash?"

Tessa walked out of the bathroom, wiping down her hands with a napkin. She drawled, "Are you guys done checking this place out?"

Gilbert replied, "Yes, Ms. Yates."

Sebastian's patience was wearing thin. "Hey, what exactly are you trying to do?"

At that moment, Tessa tossed her used napkin onto the floor and adjusted her glasses.

"If you're done looking around, what are you waiting for? Start smashing!"