Lu Rowan's Penthouse - Next Morning - 7:30 AM

Mei woke to find Lu Rowan already dressed for work, standing by the floor-to-ceiling windows with his phone pressed to his ear. The events of the previous night felt like a bad dream, but the hollow ache in her chest confirmed they'd been all too real.

She'd eventually fallen asleep on the sofa around three AM, and Lu Rowan had covered her with a blanket rather than disturb her rest. The small gesture of care made something twist in her stomach.

"Mr. Liang," Lu Rowan was saying into the phone, his voice professionally neutral. "I understand. Yes, we received your message."

Mei sat up, immediately alert. Lu Rowan caught her movement and gestured for her to wait as he finished the call.

"Your apology is noted," he continued. "However, I trust you understand that any future incidents will result in permanent consequences. Good day."

He ended the call and turned to face her. "Your uncle sent a formal apology for his wife's behavior last night. Along with assurances that it won't happen again."

Mei rubbed her temples, feeling the beginning of a headache. "And Bai Liang?"

"Stable. Being kept for psychiatric evaluation." His expression darkened slightly. "Shen Ji has apparently appointed himself as her primary emotional support."

The information settled over Mei like a weight. Even in crisis, the people from her past continued their complicated dance of manipulation and self-interest.

"I have a proposal," Lu Rowan said, moving to sit on the coffee table directly in front of her. "You're going to work for Crafts Construction while we finalize the paperwork for Moonlight Designs Company."

Mei blinked, surprised by the sudden change of subject. "Work for you?"

"With me," he corrected. "I need someone I can trust to handle sensitive projects. And frankly, I want to be able to see you throughout the day."

The honesty of his statement made heat creep up her neck. After the intimacy they'd shared, the idea of spending their days apart felt wrong somehow.

"Give me all the details about what you want for your company," he continued. "I'll handle the legal paperwork, business registration, everything. For now, I need help with two or three things in the office that require your particular skills."

Mei studied his face, looking for signs of pity or charity. Instead, she found only practical assessment and something that might have been possessiveness.

"What kind of help?" she asked carefully.

"Design consultation on the Pudong project. Review of the cultural center proposals. Maybe some analysis of our competitors' recent work." He leaned forward, his hands resting on his knees. "Real work, Mei. Not busy tasks to keep you occupied."

The offer was tempting meaningful work, the chance to prove herself in a new environment, and escape from the suffocating memories of Skyline Atelier.

"Alright," she said quietly. "When do I start?"

"Today. If you're ready."

Crafts Construction Headquarters - 9:00 AM

The Crafts Construction building was everything Skyline Atelier wasn't sleek, modern, with an energy that spoke of ambition and success. Employees moved through the lobby with purpose, their conversations focused on projects worth millions rather than office gossip.

Lu Rowan guided Mei through the security checkpoint and into the executive elevator, his hand resting lightly on her back. She wore one of her new business suits charcoal gray with subtle pinstripe detailing and felt almost like she belonged in this rarefied corporate atmosphere.

"My office is on the fortieth floor," he explained as they rose. "I've arranged a workspace for you adjacent to mine."

The executive floor was impressive floor-to-ceiling windows offering panoramic views of Shanghai, conference rooms that could host international negotiations, and an atmosphere of barely controlled power that made Mei's pulse quicken.

"Mr. Lu," his secretary rose as they approached his office. "Good morning. The Pudong files are on your desk, and the cultural center team is ready for the ten o'clock meeting."

"Thank you, Mary. This is Mei Chen. She'll be consulting on several projects. Please prepare an access card and introduce her to the design team."

Mary's assessment of Mei was swift and professional, but Mei caught the slight tightening around her eyes. Another woman in Lu Rowan's orbit was clearly noteworthy.

Design Department - 10:30 AM

The introduction to the design team went smoothly at first. Mei was presented as a consulting architect with specialized experience in sustainable design. There was no mention of her relationship to Lu Rowan beyond professional necessity and she wanted it that way to avoid unnecessary attention from his coworkers .

The team itself was impressive: talented architects and designers who worked on projects that shaped Shanghai's skyline. But as the morning progressed, Mei began to notice undercurrents she hadn't expected.

"Mei, right?" A woman named Jessica approached during the coffee break, her smile friendly but her eyes calculating. "You're new to working with Mr. Lu."

"Yes, this is my first day."

"Word of advice," Jessica continued, lowering her voice conspiratorially. "Don't get any ideas about our boss. Half the women in this building have tried, and he's made it clear he's not interested in office romances or any other women. Rumor says since his ex-girlfriend left him he has never been seen with a woman he's friendly to them but he draws a line with them. Maybe he's not over her yet ."

Before Mei could respond, another colleague joined the conversation.

"Jessica's right," said a designer named Amanda. "Mr. Lu is ours in a way—he's the heart of this company, and we protect him from distractions. Gold-diggers, social climbers, women who think they can use their looks to get ahead."

The words hit Mei like cold water. She realized these women saw her as a threat not to their jobs, but to their collective fantasy of Lu Rowan as an unattainable prize they could all safely desire.

"I'm just here to work," Mei said quietly.

"Of course you are," Jessica replied with false sweetness. "But you should know that Mr. Lu values loyalty above everything. And we've all been loyal to him much longer than you have."

Throughout the Day

The subtle warnings continued all day. During lunch, Mei sat alone while groups of female employees shot her curious glances and whispered among themselves. In the afternoon meeting about the cultural center, she noticed how the other women positioned themselves strategically around Lu Rowan, creating an invisible barrier that excluded her.

By three o'clock, jealousy was eating at Mei in ways she'd never experienced. Watching these confident, accomplished women treat Lu Rowan with familiar ease made her acutely aware of her own uncertain position in his life.

Were they right? Was she just another distraction he'd eventually tire of? The women around him were successful professionals who matched his world in ways she never could. They belonged here and her she was still playing catch-up.

The worst moment came when she overheard a conversation between two marketing executives in the ladies' room.

"Did you see how Mr. Lu looked at that new girl during the meeting?"

"Hmm. She's pretty enough, I suppose. But pretty doesn't last. He'll figure out soon enough that she doesn't really fit in here."

"Give it a month. Mr. Lu gets bored quickly with women who don't challenge him intellectually."

Mei spent the rest of the afternoon avoiding any unnecessary interaction with Lu Rowan, focusing intensely on her work and declining his casual invitations to discuss projects over coffee.

End of Day - 6:00 PM

When five-thirty arrived, Mei gathered her things quickly and headed for the elevator without stopping by Lu Rowan's office to say goodbye. She needed space to process the day's revelations, time to figure out where she actually stood in his world.

She waited on the street corner two blocks from the Crafts Construction building, knowing Lu Rowan's car would pass by on the way home. When the familiar black sedan pulled up beside her, she felt her heart race despite her decision to maintain distance.

"Mei?" Lu Rowan rolled down the window, confusion evident in his voice. "What are you doing here?"

"Waiting for a taxi," she replied, not quite meeting his eyes.

"Arthur can drive us both home. Get in the car."

"I'll take a taxi, go people will see us."

Lu Rowan studied her face, noting the careful neutrality that had replaced the morning's cautious optimism. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. I just prefer to get home on my own today."

Before he could respond, she turned and walked quickly toward the main street, leaving Lu Rowan staring after her in bewilderment.

In the Car - 6:15 PM

"Arthur," Lu Rowan said as they pulled away from the curb. "Did I do something today? Say something inappropriate to my wife?"

Arthur met his eyes in the rearview mirror. "Sir, I wouldn't know. I wasn't present for your interactions with Mrs. Lu during work hours."

"She's avoiding me. Won't even ride home with me." Lu Rowan ran a hand through his hair, genuinely puzzled. "This morning she agreed to work at the company. By evening she's acting like I'm a stranger."

"Perhaps," Arthur suggested carefully, "something happened at the office that didn't involve you directly."

Later That Evening - Lu Rowan's Penthouse - 8:00 PM

Mei arrived home an hour after Lu Rowan, using her key to enter quietly. She could hear him moving around the kitchen, probably preparing dinner or reviewing work documents.

"Mei?" his voice called out when he heard the door.

"I'm here," she replied, but instead of joining him, she headed directly for her bedroom.

"Dinner's ready," he said, appearing in the hallway.

"I'm not hungry. Thank you."

She continued toward her room, but Lu Rowan moved to block her path—the same gesture he'd made the night before, but this time his expression was frustrated rather than concerned.

"What happened today?" he demanded. "You left work without saying goodbye, refused to ride home with me, and now you're avoiding me again. What did I do wrong?"

Mei looked up at him, seeing the genuine confusion in his face. Part of her wanted to tell him about the warnings, the jealousy, the way his female employees had made her feel like an interloper in his world. But a larger part of her felt foolish for caring so much about the opinions of strangers.

"I'm afraid," she said finally, the words coming out more honestly than she'd intended.

"Afraid of what?"

"That I'll die for a man the whole company claims as theirs. That I shouldn't go near you because you belong to them somehow." The admission made her feel vulnerable and ridiculous. "So I'm obligating their demands. Keeping my distance like they suggested."

Lu Rowan's expression shifted from confusion to something much more dangerous. "Who said what to you?"

"It doesn't matter—"

"It matters to me. Someone made you feel unwelcome in my company, in my space. I want names."

His protective anger should have been comforting, but instead it made Mei feel even more uncertain. Were his employees right to be territorial? Did she really have any claim to his protection, his attention, his loyalty and they weren't wrong they didn't know he was married ?

"Just forget it," she said tiredly. "They're probably right anyway. You do belong to that world more than you belong to me and they don't know that you are married anyway. And one more thing l don't want them to know"

She tried to step around him, but he caught her arm gently.

"Mei—"

"Please," she said, not looking at him. "I just need some time to think."

Reluctantly, he let her pass, watching as she disappeared into her bedroom and closed the door with a soft click that somehow sounded final.

Lu Rowan stood alone in his hallway, anger and frustration warring in his chest. Someone in his company had made his wife feel unwelcome and had convinced her she was somehow unworthy of her place in his life.

he would give Mei the space she'd asked for while planning how to make it crystal clear to everyone at Crafts Construction that he was married without saying her name but he was going to tell them how his wife meant to him.

The honeymoon phase of their marriage was apparently over. Now came the harder work of building something that could withstand outside pressure and internal doubts.

But first, he had to figure out how to convince Mei that the opinions of his employees meant nothing compared to what they were building together even if what they had built was still too fragile and new to have a name.