With the documents in his arms, the assistant stopped walking, turned his head to sneak a quick glance at Alexander. When he confirmed that there wasn't a hint of anger, he turned his head and said in a flattering way, "Mr. Smith, I think Miss Davis will definitely agree!"

"Really?" asked Alexander in return. He then thought back to last night, when he asked her if he could continue. She didn't reply, but when they had sex, she didn't refuse either... so his chances of succeeding were quite high, right?

After reassuring himself, Alexander still didn't feel confident, and so he said to his assistant, "What do you think of the confession plan?"

"Great! If I were a woman, I'd definitely be moved." Though the assistant was flattering with his words, those were his true feelings. Mr. Smith had really put his heart and soul into this confession plan. He felt that Mr. Smith must've planned it for a really long time yesterday... What's more, he even chose a day to confess - next Wednesday, on Valentine day... How romantic...

After being assured by his assistant, it was like Alexander had taken a chill pill. His expression instantly became cold. "You can go now."

This time, the assistant didn't turn around when Alexander asked with little confidence, "Are you sure my confession plan has no flaws? Take a good look, is there something else that needs to be added? What about a gift? Do you think it's all right?"

There were five days until the confession, and Alexander realized that he was actually so nervous, he wasn't in the right mind.

"Mr. Smith, there really isn't a problem with it. It's already perfect." The assistant expressed his honest opinion to Alexander. Seeing as he was still a little anxious, he wanted to calm his nerves, so he looked all around him, and in the end, grabbed a pile of documents from the table. He walked up to Alexander, and said, "Mr. Smith, how about we play a game to see if the heavens will allow your confession to succeed or not succeed?"

Alexander slightly nodded, then stared with rapt attention at the assistant's test.

The assistant grabbed the first document and said. "Confession succeeds..."

He grabbed the second document. "Confession doesn't succeed..."

"Confession succeeds..."

"Confession doesn't succeed..."

When the assistant saw the last document, his expression instantly stiffened. He didn't dare sneak a glance at Alexander.

How could the last document coincidentally be 'Confession doesn't succeed'!

In that split second, Alexander's expression froze over. With a light tone, he helped the assistant reveal the answer, "Confession doesn't succeed?"

The assistant instantly felt a cold shiver crawl up his back. He quickly shook his head and said, "Mr. Smith, it was a simple mistake. Let's go again now... again... This time, I'll start with 'Confession doesn't succeed', then it'll end with 'Confession succeeds'..."

"Leave!" Before the assistant could finish, Alexander casually grabbed the computer's mouse, and chucked it at the assistant. This time, the assistant completely shut up, hugged the documents in his arm, and bolted out of the office.

Alexander sat back in his office chair in rage. He raised his hand and massaged his head. He stared at the documents his assistant counted just now, then dawdled for a while, recounting, "Confession doesn't succeed... Confession succeeds... Confession doesn't succeed... Confession succeeds..."

"..."

"Confession succeeds!" Alexander looked at the last document, and slowly said those two words. Then, he shut his eyes, and sat back into his chair. He secretly thought that he'll definitely succeed. Definitely succeed!

~*~

On Monday afternoon, Isabelle carried a big bag of grocery home. While she was preparing her meal, she received a text from Alexander. [Lets have dinner on Wednesday at 8 pm]

Today was Monday, so there were still two more days to Wednesday. Besides, why couldn't he tell at home if it was just dinner? Why send it through a text? And why two days in advance...

Isabelle replied with an [Oh.] as she continued to ponder.

Alexander exhaled, shutting his eyes as he repeated the confession that he had prepared earlier. One word at a time, he pictured himself saying it. When he was sure that everything was perfect, he straightened, continuing with his work.

Just then, he seemed to have thought of something new. Facing his assistant, he said, "Oh, remember to choose a new set of clothes for me tomorrow, everything from inside to outside must be new. Everything."

~*~

Only on Wednesday morning did Isabelle realize it was Valentines day.

In the past, when Alexander woke up for work, he wouldn't wake her. Today however, this Wednesday morning, before he got off the bed, he kissed her till she woke up and whispered into her ear, "Izzy, don't forget, we have a date tonight."

Sleep deprived, Isabelle yawned. With half open eyes, she nodded. "I know"

"Remember, at 6.30 pm, I'll get someone to drive you," Alexander added, nagging and emphasizing the importance once more.

This time, Isabelle didn't make a sound. She nodded while turning on her other shoulder, trying to get back to sleep. Just then, he continued, "Izzy, I'm going to work now, don't forget about dinner."

After getting 'tortured' by Alexander for almost the entire night, Isabelle was sleepy and exhausted, and now that he was nagging continuously, she started to feel her morning grogginess. Grabbing a pillow, she smashed Alexander's body violently, shoving his nag back into his stomach.

After he had showered, dressed, and prepared for the day, he walked back to the room. Turning to look at the bed, he reminded Isabelle once more, "Izzy, I'm going now. Remember..."

Another pillow came flying over, and Alexander raised his hands to catch it before tossing it onto the sofa at the side. Leaving the room, he carefully shut the door behind him.

Silence finally returned to the bedroom. Isabelle laid on the bed but couldn't fall asleep anymore. Flipping over, she sat up and reached for her phone out of habit, to look at the time. Just then, Alexander's text came in. [Izzy, tonight, dinner.]

Isabelle wanted to break down. She smashed her phone on the bed before covering her head with the blanket in frustration.

What day was it today? Why did he emphasize the dinner so much and so often?

She reached for her phone to look at the calender, and instantly realized that it was Valentines day!

Valentines day....

The words repeated in Isabelle's mind several times before she suddenly processed the meaning of the day.

Alexander had asked her out for dinner on Valentines day... Was he inviting her to celebrate Valentines day with him? But its a day for lovers... Did that mean that she was about to be promoted to his girlfriend?

Having lost all her sleepiness, she headed to the mall nearby to first get a facial done and then her hair set. After making sure that her hair was perfect, she got her makeup done professionally. Only then was she satisfied with how she looked.

When she came out of the beauty salon, she realized that the mall was filled with Valentines day advertisements.

She glanced at the time, there were approximately six hours till their dinner date. Since she was bored, she decided to shop around the male section to find a Valentines day present for Alexander.

Regardless of how rich or poor someone was, the way they celebrated Valentines day was similar - have a meal, watch a movie, and exchange gifts. The only difference was that a richer person would spend much more.

The entire mall was flooded with females with the same mindset as Isabelle; they all were looking for gifts for their loves ones. Even thought the mall was unusually crowded, all the customers seemed to be women.

Some came by themselves, just like Isabelle, while others came in pairs. When she passed by a glass window, she heard two ladies discussing which outfit better suited one of theirs boyfriend. Isabelle glanced over, seeing a bright smile and blissful expressions on their faces. At that moment, she started to wonder if she too had that look on her face.

After browsing through several stores, she settled on a tie.

The queue to the cashier was a little long, and, out of boredom, Isabelle lifted her head to look at the television hung above the cashier. The news was currently airing, reporting random events. Just when it was about to be her turn, she heard a familiar name in the conversation behind her.

"Oh god, I never expected that in less than a month, Williams Enterprise will be about to change owners."

"How is it?"

"Look at the news! Williams Enterprise recently held a board meeting, and someone had bought over 53% of their shares, becoming the largest shareholder in the company. The first thing he did was fire Mr. Williams and Mrs. Williams..."

"Who is it?"

"It's not stated.... Oh, its out... It's Global Entertainment's CEO Alexander..."

"Oh god, my male god bought Williams Enterprise!"

...

Alexander bought Williams Enterprise?

Isabelle's heart trembled. She instinctively turned over to look at two speakers who were holding onto their phones as they spoke. She fished out her own phone, and the moment she entered the news site, the newest headline was out: Williams Enterprise mystery buyer, the largest shareholder exposed!

Isabelle stared at the headline, hesitating before clicking on it. Initially, she didn't have the courage to look, but after taking a deep breath, she mustered enough to move her eyes to the text.

'Williams Enterprise biggest shareholder is Alexander, who was awarded for six consecutive years as the Best Screen Actor and who is also the CEO of Global Entertainment. On the day of Williams Enterprise board meeting, using 53% shares, he became the person with the biggest say...'

Isabelle stared at the screen for a long while, repeatedly going over the words "Alexander" before finally digesting the article.

Why would he buy Williams Enterprise?

When did he start to plot the takeover?

Why didn't she realize anything in so long?

Isabelle was in a mess. She stood motionless for a long while until the person behind kindly reminded her, "Excuse me, it's you turn to pay." Only then did she slowly get back to her senses, but even then, she couldn't seem to react.

The cashier seemed irritated by Isabelle. Impatiently, she knocked on the table. "Miss? Hurry up."

She passed her item over, then suddenly realizing something. She reached for her phone and dialed a number, but it didn't go through. Quickly, she dialed for Alexander's assistant.

"Miss Davis."

When she heard the assistant's polite voice, she shut her eyes to calm herself before asking, "Where's Alexander?"

"Mr. Smith is in his office..." Before he could finish his sentence, Isabelle hung up. Ignoring the cashier in front of her, she left, running towards the staircase.

Isabelle ran all the way out of the mall. When she reached the road, she jumped into a cab that someone else had hailed for. Turning to face the person, she apologized multiple times before telling the driver the address, "Global Entertainment, thank you."

James was a good friend she had grown up with. If it wasn't for him, she would have never been able to get together with Alexander. If it wasn't for him, she would have never easily ended her marriage... James was always a brotherly figure, protecting her selflessly, but Alexander was the man she was in love with for thirteen years.

The same blood flowed in their veins, and she wished that they would both be happy. She didn't want anything to get between them, so she wanted to clarify Alexander's motives.

~*~

After the news were exposed, Alexander's phone never stopped ringing. Every time a call came in, he would briefly glance at the phone, never once accepting. His calm demeanor seemed to show his confidence as he waited for one specific call.

The call came in earlier than expected. When he saw the words "Mrs. Williams" on the screen, his lips curled into a smirk. Staring without a blink at the screen, he slowly placed the document he was working on aside and accepted the call. Casually, he strolled to the window, not saying a word. His eyes seemed to turn to ice.

After a long moment of silence, Mrs. Williams, who had always been strong in the face of a crisis, finally broke down. "Why did you do it? You..."

"Will you even be able to look at James, who once saved your life? In all these years, he has treated you so well, have you forgotten? Do you even have a heart!"

Alexander, who had remained rather quiet all this time, didn't wait for Mrs. Williams to finish what she had to say. He suddenly, asked her mockingly, "Mrs. Williams, was this all you wanted to say?"

Before she could speak, someone else had said it all... In that moment, Mrs. Williams kept her silence on the phone.

This time, Alexander, didn't remain quiet like Mrs. Williams. Instead, he continued to speak in a calm voice, but there was a pressing tone in his voice. "I can tell James everything I did with a clear conscience! What about you? Mrs. Williams, could you do the same? As a mother, could you honestly say that you've done things with a clear conscience?"

"What a joke! You stole what belongs to James. You're here talking to me about having a clear conscience, but don't you forget you're an illegitimate child that should have never been born onto this earth! You mother was a shameful mistress. As James's birth mother, how could I have a guilty conscience?"

Even if Alexander one day stole Williams Enterprise after she painstakingly built it up for almost thirty years, Mrs. Williams would still talk with the same confidence in her tone. She continued to speak ill of Alexander and his mother. "Let me tell you, even if Williams Enterprise becomes yours, you still can't change the fact that you're an illegitimate child. Nor can you change the fact that your mother was a prostitute!"

Alexander's brows flashed with a hint of malevolence. He tightened his grasp on his phone and said, "Yes. That's right. My mother was a prostitute. My mother was a mistress who gave birth to me, but she received her just rewards. I've also received mine, but even if my mother was lackluster, in my eyes, as her son, she was still a good mother, a great mother. Better than a murderer like yourself!"

In that moment, Mrs. Williams's confidence was clearly shaken. "What do you mean by that?"

Alexander had no intention of letting Mrs. Williams have a single word in, asking rhetorically, "I wonder, if James knew that his own mother's hands were so stained with blood, they didn't even show mercy to a two month old baby... Just with what kind of eyes do you think he would look at this kind of mother?"

Mrs. Williams was somewhat clever. With Alexander's first sentence, she could already guess what he meant. Now, under Alexander's questioning, she instantly understood. "So you knew."

"Yes, of course I knew. Isabelle's miscarriage was all thanks to your sleeping pills in her swallow's nest. Mrs. Williams, you made such careful preparations, but what a shame, you slipped up and revealed a flaw in your plan."

"When did you find out?" asked Mrs. Williams.

Alexander didn't say a word.

After a while, Mrs. Williams looked as though she had realized something and said, "So, the only reason why my several dozen billion investment got scrapped was because you were scheming behind it all? Was it also you who added fuel to the fire when Williams enterprises stocks fell? Your purpose for all this was to devour the Williams enterprise and leave me with nothing! Am I right?"

Alexander had no intention of hiding, so he admitted, "That's right."

"Just what will make you stop? I did this single-handedly. You can come at me..."

Having gotten the evidence he wanted, Alexander had no intention of rattling on with her nonsense... He didn't wait for Mrs. Williams to speak again, saying in an unsympathetic and arrogant voice, "If you called hoping that I'll let you off, let me tell you this... don't even think about it!"

When Alexander finished speaking, he hung up the call. With a dark expression on his face, he walked over to the office desk and pushed the intercom. His assistant was quick to knock on the door and come in.

Alexander directly gave him the phone and said, "Take out the voice recording and upload it onto a recording pen. I need it for tonight."