William Knight hung up the phone, his silhouette disappearing into the shadows of the corridor. He radiated a cold, detached aura that made anyone instinctively want to keep their distance.
The assistant, Elias Slade, stood a few paces away, clutching a folder. He looked conflicted, caught between stepping forward and retreating.
William had already sensed his hesitation. He took a long stride, stopping directly in front of him, his voice low and resonant. "Something on your mind?"
Elias swallowed hard, bracing himself. "Lord Knight, Miss Bell just inquired about visiting her grandmother at the nursing home. She asked if she could borrow a four-seater from the garage for the trip."
William's eyes flickered. "And what was your response?"
"I told her... that everything in the Forbidden Palace is hers to use," Elias said, cautiously watching his boss's expression.
"Correct one thing." William looked down slightly, his tone indifferent but absolute. "It's not the right of use; it's the right of ownership. Every brick, every blade of grass in the Forbidden Palace belongs to Miss Bell, both in name and in law. She doesn't just have the right to use things—she has the right to possess, dispose of, or even give them away."
He turned his deep, dark gaze toward the assistant. "Do you follow the logic?"
Elias felt his heart skip a beat. He understood perfectly. Lord Knight wasn't "lending" a car; he was handing over the entire collection of twelve world-class luxury vehicles, along with the multi-million dollar villa, straight into Miss Bell's pocket.
The registration tax on any single car in that garage could likely support an average family for a lifetime.
For a brief, absurd second, Elias wondered: If I flew to Thailand for a quick surgery and came back as a beauty, would I have a shot at being Miss Bell?
Naturally, the thought vanished as quickly as it came. Even if he became the most stunning woman on earth, this "Living Yama" of a CEO clearly only granted "legal exemptions" for one person: Diana.
"Understood. I'll bring all the spare keys to Miss Bell immediately." Elias turned to leave, but was called back.
William seemed to be talking to himself, a trace of inexplicable irritation in his voice. "Why did she call you instead of coming to me directly?"
Elias blinked. "Sorry, Lord Knight? What was that?"
William turned his head, his eyes boring into Elias as he repeated each word slowly. "I am saying: why is it that when my new wife encounters a problem, her first instinct is to call my assistant instead of her lawful husband?"
Elias broke into a cold sweat, trying desperately to smooth things over. "Maybe... maybe it's because I have a 'safe' face? I'm easy to talk to?"
William's gaze turned ice-cold. "You're quite proud of being so 'easy to talk to' with another man's wife, aren't you?"
Terrified, Elias felt like writing a formal apology letter on the spot. "Lord Knight! You misunderstand! What I meant was, I have a face that's aged prematurely. I'm in my twenties, but I look fifty. To Miss Bell, I'm just a reliable old butler—a grandfather figure! A plain-looking guy like me, with an average height and zero savings, couldn't possibly compare to you. You're the moon in the clouds, and I'm the mud on the ground. I'm not even fit to be one of your fingernail clippings!"
William let out a cold snort. "Enough nonsense. Have you delivered the keys?"
"Right away! Going now!"
When Diana received the heavy ring of keys, Elias didn't forget to faithfully relay the message: "Miss Bell, Lord Knight specifically stated that everything in the Forbidden Palace is your private property. You may dispose of it as you wish without asking anyone's permission."
Diana was slightly stunned. She had assumed William was merely being generous on the surface; she hadn't expected him to be this thorough.
Before leaving, Elias risked his job to add one last thing: "Miss Bell, if you need anything in the future, please contact Lord Knight directly via WhatsApp or a call. Having a middleman... tends to cause 'misunderstandings'."
Diana hesitated. "Wouldn't that interrupt his meetings?"
"Not at all. Not even a bit," Elias said with a sincere smile. "If he gets a message from you, he'll probably spend the rest of the meeting smiling."
A faint, almost imperceptible curve touched the corner of Diana's mouth. "Alright. I'll go to him directly next time."
Half an hour later, a black Bentley Mulsanne pulled up smoothly at Penelope Reed's apartment.
Penelope walked around the car three times, clicking her tongue in awe. "Impressive, Diana. Yesterday it was a Porsche supercar, today it's a top-tier executive ride. This isn't a marriage; you've fallen into a gold mine. My heart, liver, and kidneys are all turning green with envy."
Diana remained silent. In truth, this car was the most understated one she could find in that garage full of limited editions.
Noah Bell hopped out of the passenger seat. Before Penelope could reach for the door, he opened it with the grace of a young gentleman. "Penelope, please, after you."
"Wow, Noah, you've grown so much. Getting more handsome by the day," Penelope teased.
"Of course. And you're more charming than ever—it's like you're aging in reverse," Noah replied, his voice smooth as honey.
"Oh, please. Compared to the seventeen-year-old girls in your class, I'm practically a wilting flower."
"Who said that? In my heart, you'll always be the girl from that midsummer night when I was sixteen—brighter than anyone." As Noah spoke, he thoughtfully placed his hand over the door frame to protect her head. "Watch your head, Penelope."
Penelope settled into the car and looked back at Diana. "Not bad. This kid is really growing up."
Diana started the engine and dryly brought him back to earth. "Growing up? Have you forgotten his 'great achievement' at age seven? He used my new imported rice cooker as a toilet and then seriously told me he was 'making dinner' for me?"
"Pfft—hahaha!" Penelope laughed so hard she nearly rolled off the leather seat.
Noah's face turned bright red. "Diana! That was ages ago! If you bring that up one more time, I'm going on a three-day hunger strike!"
"Alright, alright. To keep you from starving, I'll buy you a bubble tea," Penelope laughed, handing him an Oreo cheese milk tea.
Noah took a large gulp. "I knew Penelope was the one who truly loved me."
Penelope felt a bit mischievous and decided to tease him. "So, if your sister and I both fell into a river, who would you save first?"
Noah nearly choked on a boba pearl. He looked at her with a deadpan expression. "Penelope, I'm still a minor. Let's leave those world-shattering dilemmas to William. He's the one who should be having the headache."
Upon arriving at the nursing home, Penelope was a whirlwind of efficiency, carrying bags of high-end supplements and seasonal fruits.
"Don't even try to pay me back," Penelope cut Diana off. "Visiting your grandmother is about showing heart. I'm an adult; I can't show up empty-handed. It's about basic decency."
The three of them entered the elite nursing suite. Located amidst mountains and water, this was the finest and most expensive facility in the east city. Diana had poured nearly all her savings over the years into this place. To her, money was just paper to sustain life, but family was her only root.
On the bed, a white-haired elderly woman looked up. The moment she saw Diana, a startling light erupted in her clouded eyes. She reached out with trembling hands. "Ivy... My Ivy is back?"
Diana felt a sharp sting in her eyes. She tightly gripped the withered, frail hands. "Grandmother, it's me. It's Diana."
But the old woman seemed caught in a memory, tears streaming down her face. "Ivy, I lost you back then... Did it hurt? Have you been okay all these years? It's all my fault... I deserve to die..."
Ivy was Diana's biological younger sister. After the Bell family's stepmother, Catherine Archer, entered the picture, the little girl had vanished during an outing. The grandmother had been so traumatized by the incident that her mental state had been fragile ever since.
Diana gently comforted her, wiping away the tears. "Grandmother, Ivy met some very kind people. She's living a good life, and she doesn't blame you at all."
The grandmother seemed to believe her. She mysteriously pulled a paper-wrapped bundle from under her pillow. "Diana, I saved these osmanthus cakes from the other day. Three for you, three for Ivy... Wait, where's Ivy?"
Penelope quickly leaned in, acting cute to lighten the mood. "Grandmother, I'm Ivy! Look at me, haven't I become beautiful?"
The grandmother squinted at her for a long time before muttering, "You got uglier. You were much fresher before."
Penelope's smile froze. She clutched her chest dramatically. "Grandmother, that was a direct hit to the heart."
Noah asked weakly from the side, "Grandmother, what about mine?"
The grandmother looked stern. "Boys shouldn't eat sweets. Your teeth will fall out."
Noah was speechless. He sighed inwardly: So much for the 'preferring boys' myth. In this family, he was clearly at the bottom of the food chain.
The three of them spent the afternoon with her on the lawn—sunbathing, brushing her hair, and chatting until dusk. Diana decided to stay the night, letting Penelope head back first.
At the end of the corridor, Penelope pulled Diana aside and lowered her voice. "You're a newlywed. Coming back to see your grandmother is like your 'homecoming' visit. Does that big-shot Mr. Knight really just let you stay here alone?"
"I didn't tell him," Diana said calmly.
"So you two are... sleeping in separate rooms? Doing your own thing?"
"We are respectful and stay out of each other's way."
Penelope frowned. "Diana, a marriage with only money and no warmth... is there really any point to it?"
Diana stopped and looked out the window at the lake and mountains. "Penelope, I used to live in a leaky tenement. Now I live in a thousand-square-meter villa. I used to ride a second-hand electric scooter through the wind and rain; now I'm driven in a Bentley. I don't have to do chores, I don't have to walk on eggshells, and I don't have to worry about how to pay for Grandmother's medical bills next year. You tell me—is there a point?"
Penelope was silenced. she clutched her chest with a sigh. "Fine, that 'wealthy flex' just turned me—a common renter—into a sieve."
"If you want, you can take the Bentley downstairs," Diana said seriously.
"No way." Penelope waved her off, her eyes bright and clear. "I don't take handouts. Money I earn myself feels better to spend. I want freedom, not to be a canary in a gilded cage."
Penelope was silent for a moment, but she couldn't help asking the question buried in her heart:
"So, are you planning to stay like this with William forever? A lifetime of being respectful and staying out of each other's way? Don't you... ever want him to fall in love with you?"