Elise remained silent, her gaze lowered.

William's voice cut through the quiet. "Don't pretend you haven't been avoiding me. I can feel it."

His meaning was clear—he wouldn't tolerate any lies from her.

She met his eyes steadily. "I thought you understood why."

"I don't," he stated flatly, refusing to play games.

"I've told you before—I don't believe in love," Elise said, her voice soft but firm. "My rejection stands. This is just your persistence talking."

She wouldn't admit it was because of Elizabeth York.

If he truly didn't want to be with her, there would be no other woman in the picture.

"So you're saying my efforts were actually working?" William pressed, seeking confirmation. "That's why you're pulling away?"

Elise hesitated, then nodded silently.

What other explanation could there be?

William was dangerous territory—she couldn't afford to get too close.

"Then I've failed to make you feel secure," William concluded. "I'll be more restrained from now on."

"Or you could simply let go," Elise suggested seriously. "We can remain friends. James adores me, and I won't deny—I've grown fond of him too. You could even make me his godmother, if you're willing."

"Not a chance, Ms. Scott."

His refusal was immediate and absolute, leaving no room for negotiation.

"You'll either be James's mother, or..." William paused, his eyes locking with hers.

Elise wondered if he meant to say 'or nothing.'

"Or my wife."

She was speechless—it was the same thing!

"Exactly," William said, reading her expression. "You don't get to choose."

"You'll regret this, Mr. Levine," Elise warned, knowing further argument was pointless.

"I already do," he murmured quietly.

"What?"

"I need to use the restroom," William said abruptly.

Elise blinked. Nature's call certainly had interesting timing.

She stayed until William fell asleep before leaving the hospital.

Late that night, Benjamin finally called. Fabian Locke and Dean Longman would submit their resignations tomorrow. He would also bring the culprit to visit William, offering both compensation and an apology.

The next morning, just as William texted her about Benjamin's hospital visit and the substantial compensation payment, Elise sat at her desk.

She picked up the internal phone. "Matthew? Inform the CEO to come to my office. There's a department heads meeting in thirty minutes. Tell them punctuality is mandatory."

"Right away, Ms. Scott."

Soon, Sophia entered Elise's office.

After yesterday's humiliation when she tried to visit William, Sophia had returned home seething.

Fortunately, she had developed thick skin since childhood. While others might call it shamelessness, the Scotts always indulged her because of it.

That resilience allowed her to compose herself even in worse situations. Today, her mood showed no traces of yesterday's embarrassment.

In fact, she was already planning her next move.

Still, she felt apprehensive about Elise summoning her alone.

Elise never forgot a slight. Was this about yesterday? Would she use this opportunity to insult or warn her?

Steeling herself, Sophia sat opposite Elise. "You wanted to see me, sis?"

"I've just accepted Jonathan Locke and Patrick Longman's resignations," Elise said without preamble.

Sophia already knew about this.

Elise's eyes remained fixed on her as she continued, "This leaves our current season's production without leadership, and deadlines are approaching. Given your background in the design team and your connections with production, I'm putting you in complete charge of next season's fashion line. Any problems with that?"