She couldn’t resist retorting, "People say you keep to yourself and aren’t interested in sleeping around. But seeing you like this, I’m starting to seriously doubt if that’s true!"

Her words reminded Seth Quinn of something she’d said earlier, which he had initially overlooked. He frowned, looked at her, and asked, "You just mentioned that ’someone’ told you Autumn Shelby and I were deeply in love, and that I even bought this apartment for her. Who, exactly, is this ’someone’?"

He had never gone out of his way to stop people from gossiping about his past with Autumn Shelby. But for the last year, since he never mentioned her, no one in all of Novaria dared to bring it up anymore.

There hadn’t even been whispers behind his back. So who could be so audacious as to not only bring it up in front of Clara Grant, but also have the nerve to spout such utter nonsense?

’They must have had malicious intentions.’

’If that’s really the case, I won’t let them off easy!’

"Well, it was..." Clara Grant pressed her lips together. She was about to say Chloe Grant’s name but suddenly stopped.

’Chloe Grant was already canceled by Seth Quinn for slandering me last time. If he finds out she’s behind this too, she’ll never have a chance to recover, will she?’

’True, for an actress, being completely blacklisted by Aegis was practically a career-ending move. But if I keep quiet about this, maybe she’ll still have a sliver of hope.’

’It wasn’t that I was so kind and merciful that I wanted to repay her cruelty with kindness, despite everything Chloe Grant had done to me.’

’It was because I suddenly thought of Cedric Grant.’

’Even though Cedric Grant had betrayed his marriage to my mother, divorced her without a second thought after learning my true parentage, and kicked us out of the Shelby Family home...’

’Even though I couldn’t stand the way he conducted himself...’

’...he had still raised me for over twenty years. That was an undeniable fact.’

’Then I’ll repay him for those twenty-odd years of care by letting his biological daughter off the hook this one time.’

’After this, we’ll be even. Our ties will be severed, and we won’t owe each other a thing!’

At this thought, Clara Grant spoke again. "It was no one. It was just... you never mentioned Autumn Shelby to me before. When she suddenly showed up, I let my imagination run wild."

The change in her expression didn’t escape Seth Quinn’s notice. He knew she was deliberately protecting someone, but since she was set on hiding it, he decided to let it go.

"I didn’t bring her up because I didn’t think it was necessary. In my eyes, she’s just an irrelevant stranger now. Regardless, it was my fault for not telling you, which let you get carried away with these thoughts. But,"

As he spoke, Seth Quinn’s expression deliberately grew stern. "you are forbidden from letting your imagination run wild again! And don’t pay any mind to what outsiders say."

’Clara Grant had always seen Seth Quinn as a cold, aloof, and proud CEO—a high and mighty man of few words who would never deign to explain himself.’

’But today, Seth Quinn had explained so much to her. Maybe he really did want their marriage to last?’

’Perhaps today was a new beginning for their marriage.’

Clara Grant subconsciously nodded. "Okay."

"However, given that you let your imagination run wild, I still need to give you a little punishment."

As soon as he finished speaking, before Clara Grant could even react, he captured her lips with his.

Clara Grant was stunned for a moment, then a smile unconsciously touched her lips. She slowly closed her eyes, her hands finding their way around his neck.

Sensing her response, Seth Quinn’s kiss deepened, and his hands moved from her back, slowly beginning to explore elsewhere.