Elliana stiffened halfway through standing, irritation flickering across her face. How immature could Cole be? First, he picked a fight, and now he was offering candy as if she were a child to be bribed. She leveled him with a glare.

But then her eyes landed on the candy in his hand, and her breath hitched before she could stop it. Mango milk candy. Her all-time weakness, ever since she was little. She had no defense against that sweet, creamy taste.

Still, there was no way she was going to eat Cole’s candy. He was a complete jerk last night, dumping her curbside after kissing her like she was nothing. There was no way she would let him off the hook so easily.

But barely a heartbeat later, her resolve wavered. She snatched the candy from his hand, peeled off the wrapper, and let it melt on her tongue.

The sugary mango mingled with creamy milk, flooding her senses with pure bliss. She tilted her head back, eyes fluttering shut, letting the flavor wash over her.

Cole kept his gaze locked on her, a spark of triumph flickering in his eyes, as though he’d stumbled upon buried gold. It hit him—Elliana had a weakness for mango candy. Getting it right by chance sent a jolt of giddy satisfaction straight through him. The discovery cheered him up in an instant.

To Cole, Elliana was laughably easy to win over. One piece of candy, and she lit up like a kid at Christmas. He made a mental note to always keep a few on hand for the next time she threw a tantrum. Picturing more moments like this, Cole grinned, the curve of his lips and that effortlessly handsome face radiating charm.

Breaking the silence, Cole’s smile widened. “Well, honey, first you’re a design hotshot under the name Rosa, now you’re flexing medical know-how? What other surprises are you hiding?”

Elliana, savoring the last trace of sweetness on her tongue, froze. She cracked one eye open and shot him a frosty side glance. Did he truly believe a piece of candy could magically wipe away his rudeness? Did he take her for someone so easily won over? A single piece of candy to smooth over how he’d treated her the night before, and now he dared to use that tone, like they were suddenly cozy again? The audacity of it made her blood boil.

When her frosty, sarcastic glare locked onto him, Cole’s cocky grin faltered, stiffening awkwardly on his face. He questioned whether he’d badly misjudged how to handle Elliana.

Before Cole could open his mouth, Elliana flashed him a sly smirk. “You think you can treat me like dirt and then wave a piece of candy in my face like I’m some kid?”

? ?

Cole arched a brow, the swagger draining from his expression. “So you’re saying a candy’s not enough to make things right?”

Elliana shot back, her tone razor-sharp. “Do I strike you as someone that easy to placate? You really think my pride comes that cheap?”

Cole swallowed the retort on his tongue, quietly admitting to himself that, yeah, maybe a single candy had been a laughable offer. He gave a short nod, acknowledging his mistake.

After a tense moment, Cole pulled out his checkbook, scribbled a blank check, and extended it toward Elliana. “I was out of line last night. Put down any number you think makes us even.”

Elliana spared the check a frosty glance, her lips curling into a scornful smile, but she made no move to take it. He treated forgiveness like a transaction, dangling money as his apology.

Seeing her icy indifference, Cole continued, his tone softening. “And about the Venacure you gave out for the sake of the Evans family today, you deserve something for that, too. Write whatever figure you want. If it’s in my power, you’ll have it, even if it wipes me out.”

Elliana fixed her gaze on Cole, searching his face for any sign he was serious. He was Ublento’s wealthiest man, sitting on a fortune worth billions, but she knew better than to think he’d let her drain him dry without a brutal fight. She wasn’t naive. If she pushed too far, she had no doubt he would snap and show his ugliest side.

“You really think I’m the kind of woman who cashes in on her own sacrifice and mistreatment?” Elliana’s voice sliced through the air, brittle and laced with frost.

Cole blinked, caught completely off guard by her cutting words, leaving him dumbstruck.

Without hesitation, Elliana seized the check and hurled it at him. “I can make my own living the right way. Don’t trade my self-respect.” Thoroughly dismissed, Cole looked beaten down, his face ghostly, his eyes dull and sunken, and his hair unkempt. He had the sorry look of someone who’d just been handed a hard lesson.

Elliana fixed him with a hard, unflinching glare, her entire posture radiating defiant pride.

Then, without warning, Cole lurched forward, seized her wrist, and pulled her toward the towering glass window that stretched from floor to ceiling.

He pushed open the glass door, letting the wind rush in, tousling their hair and tugging at their clothes as they stood by the towering window. The sudden gust made Elliana squint, wary of whatever stunt Cole had in mind. Still gripping her wrist, he gestured toward the window below. “Go ahead. Shove me out the window. After that, you can make it up to me with a smile. No candy needed. I’m super easy to placate.”

Elliana followed his gesture and spotted a cluster of potted cacti directly beneath them. If she actually gave him a push, he’d wind up skewered from head to toe. The absurdity of it left her staring at him, utterly dumbfounded. Did he honestly expect her to go along with this? If she shoved him, he would probably lose it and chase her down like a maniac.

With an exaggerated eye roll, Elliana pivoted, ready to walk away. But before she could take a step, Cole’s voice followed, low and provoking. “Guess I’ll do it myself if you can’t handle it.”

He surmised that if it helped ease her anger, he had no problem putting on a show and pretending to jump.

Without warning, he tilted forward, his body leaning dangerously over the edge.

Elliana’s pulse lurched. She seized his collar and hauled him backward, her grip tight and unflinching.

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