After returning from the private island, Emma and Gu Liang moved into a luxurious duplex penthouse in the city center, overlooking the entire skyline. The property belonged to Gu Liang—and he had designated it as their "marital home."
But calling it a home would be generous. It was more like a meticulously designed, fully functional co-working space. Only this time, the co-tenants were legally married.
The apartment was vast, decorated in minimalist black, white, and gray. Sharp lines, cold tones—everything exuded precision and distance. The floor-to-ceiling windows offered a breathtaking view, but even sunlight couldn't warm the chill that lingered in the air.
Their living zones were strictly divided. Gu Liang occupied the master bedroom, complete with a private study and oversized terrace. Emma lived in the guest room. Shared spaces like the living room, kitchen, and gym were technically communal—but both silently avoided using them at the same time.
Gu Liang hired a professional housekeeper and a cook, both Betas. They were quiet, efficient, and eerily robotic—ensuring the household ran flawlessly, and that the two "spouses" never had to interact unnecessarily.
Emma's life fell into a suffocating routine.
Each morning, she'd wake and find Gu Liang already seated at the dining table, reading financial news on his tablet while quietly eating breakfast. He ate little. He made no sound. It was as if he were the only one in the room.
Emma would sit at the farthest seat, silently finishing the meal prepared by the cook. No conversation. Rarely even eye contact.
Then they'd drive off separately to their respective companies. Ai Group and First Heart Capital—headed in opposite directions, just like their lives.
At night, unless a business event required them to appear as a loving couple (which Gu Liang carefully curated), Emma would deliberately work late.
She dreaded returning to that cold "home."
But no matter how late she came back, she'd often see light seeping from under Gu Liang's door, or hear the faint tapping of his keyboard. He knew she was home. She knew he didn't care.
Her mark made his presence unmistakable. That crisp white tea scent lingered everywhere—like surveillance. A quiet reminder of where she was, and who she now was.
She tried numbing herself with alcohol, like before. But the wine cabinet only held Gu Liang's preferred reds and smooth whiskeys. None of the harsh liquors she used to drown herself in. She suspected he did it on purpose—denying even her right to self-destruction.
One night, she stumbled home reeking of alcohol. Only one lamp was lit in the living room. Gu Liang sat on the sofa, laptop on his knees, still working.
He looked up at her flushed, dazed face. His brows twitched—barely.
That tiny reaction pierced through the fragile shell she'd built with alcohol.
"What are you staring at?" she snapped, voice slurred. "Disgusted? Am I ruining your peace?"
Gu Liang closed his laptop and stood. He wore simple loungewear, posture straight, gaze calm—an elegant contrast to her disheveled state.
"You're disturbing me," he said coolly. "Also, remember the terms of our agreement. I don't want unnecessary scents polluting my living space."
He meant the alcohol. But Emma heard the deeper warning—he didn't want any other Omega's scent on her.
That damn agreement again. That suffocating, all-consuming contract.
"Agreement! Agreement! Is that all you know how to use against me?" she shouted, staggering forward. "Look around! Does this look like a home to you? It's a freezer! A cage!"
Gu Liang stared at her. No anger. Just a detached, almost pitying coldness.
"Home?" he repeated, like the word was foreign. "Emma, have you forgotten why we're here?"
He stepped closer. His white tea pheromones surged, drowning out her muddled scent.
"Was it love? Duty?" His voice was soft, but every word cut deep. "No. It was your irresponsibility. My revenge. Ai Group's collapse. And the contract you signed with your own hands."
"This was never a home." He glanced around the luxurious, lifeless apartment. Then back at her pale face.
"This is a battlefield. Between you and me. And everything you feel now— Is the fruit of the seeds you sowed."
"You think this is a cage?" His lips curled into a cold smile. "Good. Then stay in it. We're just getting started."
He turned and walked away.
Emma stood frozen. His words had burned away the alcohol, leaving only cold and fury.
She watched him disappear behind his door. He didn't slam it. Just locked it—like always.
She collapsed onto the carpet, burying her face in her knees.
This wasn't a home. It was her prison. His victory stage.
And she— She didn't even have the right to be angry.
Because she had brought this on herself.
From that day on, Emma grew quieter. She came home on time. Ate on time. Played her role.
At public events, she'd smile flawlessly, loop her arm around Gu Liang's, and act the part of Ai Group's perfect CEO bride.
But in the shadows, in her lonely guest room, the rage and humiliation boiled beneath the surface—like magma searching for a crack.
She couldn't shake Gu Liang's icy control. She couldn't escape this suffocating marriage.
So what could she do?
How could she fight back?
A dark, dangerous thought began to take root.
If he cared so much about "the agreement," About "pheromonal loyalty"…
Then what if she broke it?
What if she found an Omega? Or several?
The thought slithered around her heart like a venomous snake.
She knew it was reckless. She knew the consequences would be brutal.
But people pushed to the edge will trade anything for a breath of air— Even poison.
This cold cohabitation was a tightening net.
And the trapped beast inside Had begun to plan How to tear it open In the most violent way possible.