Third Person's POV It was Velda-the young she-wolf who had always harbored an ill-concealed interest in Victor. And beside her stood two Capital-born socialites, both wearing expressions that made it clear they were here for entertainment. Their target was unmistakably Lana. Freya instinctively wanted to speak up, but Lana only cast her a faint, easy smile. "If they're picking a fight with me," she murmured, "let me handle it." Then she lifted her gaze toward the trio. "Dirty-minded wolves only ever think of dirty things," she said coolly. "Velda, have you watched too many human dramas? Do you really believe Alphas and power are so easy to cling to?" "You-!" Velda's eyes widened in fury. "A newly-rich upstart like you must've used some disgraceful method to get into tonight's gala!" "Disgraceful?" Lana arched a brow. "So you're suggesting there was corruption in the Ironclad Coalition's tri-faction vetting for suppliers? My company, SkyVex Armaments, is one of their certified partners. And conveniently, Alpha Whitmor is present tonight. Why don't you go tell Alpha Silas your suspicions? See whether he thinks there's corruption." Velda's face flushed crimson. There was no scenario in which she would dare confront Silas Whitmor. But backtracking would make her lose face, so she snapped stubbornly, "I'm merely making a reasonable assumption. It's just… difficult to imagine how such a small company could become a Coalition supplier." "Reasonable assumption?" Lana let out a cold, wolf-sharp laugh. "Are you truly a lawyer? With what you just said, I could sue you for defamation. Of course, I'm not familiar with every clause of the law. I'll ask Victor later for clarification." Velda's face turned even uglier. And right at that moment, Victor's voice cut into the circle. "Ask me what?" Lana turned at the sound.It wasn't surprising to see him here-Velda was his junior colleague, and Victor's firm had longstanding cooperation with the Ironclad Coalition. "Oh, your little colleague here," Lana said lightly, "suggested that the only reason my company became a Coalition supplier was because I used disgraceful, underhanded tricks. She also said I attended this gala because I'm eager to climb into the laps of powerful Alphas." Victor's brows pulled together, displeasure flashing in his gaze as he looked directly at Velda. Velda went stiff, mortified. She had never imagined Lana would simply dump every word she'd said straight into Victor's ears without hesitation. "My, your colleague is quite funny," Lana continued, her tone feather-light and wicked. "With a boyfriend like you, why would I bother coveting any other male here?" As she spoke, she hooked a finger beneath Victor's chin, adopting an openly seductive pose. "Or… does she think you're inferior to some of the other men at this gala?" Victor lifted his chin slightly, but he didn't push her hand away. That normally cold, untouchable face suddenly carried a dangerously enticing edge. "So," he murmured, voice low enough to vibrate, "I'm the only one you covet, hm?" Gasps echoed quietly around them. Was this truly the same Victor Ashford-the famously ascetic, untouchable Alpha attorney of the Capital? Velda looked as if lightning had struck her. This-this couldn't be Victor speaking. Not to a woman like Lana Rook. A supposed upstart. Even the two socialites beside her stiffened, their mockery instantly wiped clean. Because Victor's reaction… wasn't normal. And Lana had already claimed him as her boyfriend-yet Victor hadn't denied it. Everyone in the Capital knew what Victor represented. Families with power inevitably faced lawsuits. Among the Capital's four major law firms, Victor's stood at the very apex.He had never lost a case. Crossing him was not a matter of pride-it was suicide. "What's wrong?" Victor asked, staring at Lana with a faint smirk. "So difficult to answer?" Just moments ago, she'd been boldly teasing him. Now she looked like a startled fawn. "Uh… you're my boyfriend now," she said with difficulty. "Of course you're the only one I covet." Victor arched a brow. So she believed that once their one-year agreement ended, she could go coveting other males? He didn't press her immediately. Cornering her too tightly would only send her running-just like a rabbit. "Then it's settled," he said softly, eyes locking onto hers. "If you covet me, you don't get to covet anyone else." For a moment, Lana felt as if his gaze wrapped around her like an invisible snare-tight, inescapable, impossible to break free from. "…Fine," she managed, forcing a smile. Freya watched the entire exchange and couldn't help wondering whether Lana's claim was truly the whole story. Lana had said she and Victor were bound only by a one-year agreement… But after tonight, Freya wasn't so sure.