At that moment, the frustrated Theodoric was standing before the full-length window, chomping on a cigar. Behind the screen of smoke was his authoritative yet handsome face. “Go on!” Ballard frantically began his report. “Mr. Lasker, Ruthanne’s background is clean. She doesn’t have parents and is designated as ‘illiterate.’ She’s probably just an orphan.” Theodoric turned around and asked, “That’s all?” Eyes widened, Ballard nodded awkwardly. “T-That’s all.” As Theodoric took another puff of his cigar, its flickering light illuminated his chiseled face. Thereafter, the corner of his lips curled in a smirk. “Illiterate? There’s no way someone with a tongue as sharp as hers is illiterate.” Ballard nodded in agreement. “That’s right. There seems to be a sense of pride in her.” Theodoric sneered, “Pride? That’s just her sense of poverty. Because of it, she has racked her brains to cheat me of my money, but I’m not going to let her succeed!” After pondering a moment, Ballard inquired, “Mr. Lasker, now that we know everything about her, should we let her go?” Theodoric snuffed out his cigar before walking out of the study with his hands in his pocket. “Release her. The further she stays away from us, the better. I don’t want to see her for the next three months until we’re able to divorce each other.” “Understood!” Carrying out his employer’s instructions unconditionally, Ballard withdrew the guards outside Ruthanne’s room at once. However, since it was late at night and Truson Manor was located far from the city, Ballard didn’t ask Ruthanne to leave immediately. Deep in the night, the magnificent Truson Manor was bathed by silvery moonlight. Everyone was in deep slumber except for Ruthanne, who had just realized that her precious pendant was missing. When she tried hard to recall all the places she had been to during the day, she felt as if she had lost it after leaving Theodoric’s room. Can the necklace be in there? She had worn the pendant for twenty-two years and had never taken it off. Back then, a fortune-teller had foretold that she would have a difficult life. As a result, her grandmother got her the pendant which was blessed in a church, hoping that it would act as a lucky charm. I must get it back! With that thought in mind, Ruthanne took out her phone to check the time. Thinking that Theodoric must be asleep, she tiptoed to his room without a second thought. As the door was unlocked and left ajar, the anxious Ruthanne felt her way right up to his bed. Given that she had lied in it for the entire afternoon, she figured that the necklace must be somewhere near the pillow. With the help of the moonlight, she could vaguely see Theodoric’s handsome features. In fact, she could even feel his breath brush across her face due to their proximity. Meanwhile, Ruthanne felt her heart pounding furiously. She wasn’t sure if it was because of her nerves or the fact that she was bathed by his searing breath. My heart is beating really fast. Worried that Theodoric would wake up suddenly, Ruthanne was almost suffocated by her own anxiety. Unfortunately for her, Murphy’s law was at work that night when the bedside lamp was turned on abruptly. The jarring light caused Ruthanne to close her eyes by reflex. By the time she reopened them, she could see Theodoric staring coldly at her. As the scowl on his face caused her mind to go blank, Ruthanne broke into an awkward smile. In her panic, her first response was to flee. However, Theodoric grabbed her by the wrist and gave her a forceful tug. Upon losing her balance, Ruthanne fell right on top of his muscular chest. Just as she was dazed by the impact, Theodoric flipped her around and pinned her beneath him. The shock caused Ruthanne’s mind to draw a blank. W-W-What is he doing? Why is he holding me down? By then, Ruthanne was utterly seized by panic. “W-What are you trying to do?” As he restrained her, the burning rage in Theodoric’s eyes was unmistakable. “Shouldn’t I be the one asking that question? Are you trying to seduce me by coming to my room in the middle of the night?” “No, no. That’s not it,” Ruthanne frantically explained with a face filled with trepidation. “I… I seemed to have dropped something here.” “What is it?” “I-It’s a necklace…”