Lydia's face turned pale as all the blood seemed to drain from her body. Her hands trembled slightly, and she could feel every muscle in her chest tightening painfully. Quincy clenched his fists, barely containing his frustration."You're being too harsh. This isn’t Lydia’s fault, and you owe her an apology," Quincy demanded, his voice firm.Mrs. Perez scoffed. "Fine, I’ll apologize," she said, though her tone was anything but sincere. "Miss Lydia, I hope you can understand. While we may not be some grand, wealthy family, both Quincy’s father and I have spent our lives in education. We come from a respectable background, and quite frankly, our family can’t accept someone like you."She didn’t mince words, and the effect was immediate.Lydia felt like she had been stripped bare and tossed out into the street, vulnerable and humiliated. A fire of shame burned in her chest, making it hard to breathe. Every part of her body screamed for her to leave this place, to escape the suffocat
The car pulled up in front of a three-story villa. Eugene glanced over at Lydia and suggested she come inside to change out of her wet clothes. Lydia, finally speaking for the first time since getting into his car, shook her head. “I’m not going in. Just drop me off somewhere. I can find my way back.”Eugene raised an eyebrow and pointed outside. “You really want to sit on the side of the road like this?”Lydia looked down at her soaked clothes, clinging tightly to her body, outlining every curve. Panic crossed her face as she realized how exposed she was but couldn’t figure out what to cover first.Without saying anything more, Eugene turned and unlocked the front door, his demeanor calm and unfazed. After hesitating for a moment, Lydia followed him inside. She wasn’t sure about Eugene’s intentions, but she knew it was safer to be indoors than stranded in the middle of the night.The interior of the villa was minimalist, much like Eugene himself—cold, distant, and seemingly un
Eugene didn’t pressure Lydia to give him an answer right away. He simply gave her a guest room to rest. At this point, Lydia wasn’t sure where else she could go. She had turned off her phone and didn’t want to see Quincy. She couldn’t face going home, so she silently agreed to stay.The next morning, after turning her phone back on, she found more than a dozen missed calls, all from Quincy.“Miss Lydia?” came a knock at the door, followed by a voice she didn’t recognize. “Are you awake?”Lydia opened the door to find a middle-aged woman with a kind face, holding a bowl of chicken soup. The faint aroma made her stomach rumble.Seeing Lydia’s confused expression, the woman quickly explained, “I’m the housekeeper here, you can call me Mrs. Lucy. Mr. Ford told me not to disturb you, but it’s almost noon, and I was worried you hadn’t eaten yet. So, I brought some congee for you.”She placed the bowl on the nearby table.“Did Eugene ask you to do this?” Lydia asked.“Sort of,” Mrs.
Eugene’s lips pressed into a thin line, his dark eyes staring off into nowhere. Finally, the project leader, his voice hoarse from presenting, paused and looked at him expectantly. “Mr. Ford, what do you think?”“It’s fine,” Eugene replied dismissively, rising from his seat without much interest. “Let’s go with that.”Without waiting for a reaction from his bewildered employees, Eugene left the room. As soon as he stepped outside, his assistant hurried up to him, looking flustered. “Mr. Ford! There’s someone here, demanding to see you.”Eugene paused mid-step. Moments later, he was downstairs, and as expected, he came face to face with Quincy. The tension between them was palpable, even more intense than it had been on the yacht. Both men stood rigid, cold expressions on their faces, as if a fight could break out at any moment.The receptionist, sensing the hostility, looked on nervously, fearing she might get caught in the middle of whatever was about to unfold.“Where is Lydia
With a dark expression, Eugene moved closer and gently placed the back of his hand on Lydia’s forehead to check her temperature. The heat radiating from her skin only deepened his frown. He pulled his hand back, preparing to call the family doctor, but before he could move, Lydia’s hand gripped his. He froze, looking down at her pale face, surprised that she was holding onto him so tightly. Mrs. Lucy and his assistant were both watching, adding an awkward tension to the room. Eugene’s lips began to curve slightly in response, but the name Lydia mumbled next immediately wiped away any hint of a smile. “Quincy…”Eugene quickly withdrew his hand, his face hardening. “Mr. Ford, I’ll go call Dr. Neil now,” the assistant said hurriedly, eager to break the silence. Mrs. Lucy, sensing the tension, also found an excuse to leave the room.It wasn’t long before the family doctor arrived. He checked Lydia’s temperature and proceeded through the usual steps which included taking vitals
Under Lydia’s insistence, Mrs. Lucy reluctantly handed her the phone, which was still charging. As soon as Lydia unlocked it, she saw a string of missed calls, including one just five minutes ago. The familiar number on the screen made her hesitate.She wanted to hear Quincy's voice more than anything, to feel his concern, but every time her fingers hovered over the screen, memories of his mother's harsh words flooded her mind. Just as she was wavering, the phone buzzed again, startling her so much that she almost dropped it.“Mrs. Lucy, could you answer that for me?” Lydia asked, her fleeting courage draining away. “I’m not ready to talk to anyone right now.”Though puzzled, Mrs. Lucy agreed and picked up the call. To her surprise, the voice on the other end belonged to a man, and he sounded exhausted.“Lydia, you finally answered," Quincy’s relief was palpable, almost bursting through the phone. "Where have you been? I've been looking everywhere for you and couldn’t find you. I’m
Eugene’s urgency in proposing again was painfully obvious, and it only made Lydia more determined to leave.The next morning, after her fever had subsided, Lydia expressed her desire to leave. Eugene, who had been calmly wiping his mouth with a napkin, froze mid-motion. “You’re still not fully recovered. Why are you in such a rush to leave?” he asked, his voice carrying a hint of displeasure. “The doctor said you need to rest.”The doctor had indeed mentioned this yesterday before leaving, but given the clear closeness between him and Eugene, Lydia found herself doubting the advice. “I want to go,” she insisted, her resolve clear. Eugene’s gaze grew colder, and the room fell into a heavy silence. The tension was palpable, with even Mrs. Lucy and the other staff too afraid to intervene.After what felt like an eternity, Eugene finally spoke, his voice calm but sharp, “It’s not the right time.”Lydia’s brows furrowed. “Why not?”“Have you forgotten the state of things online?
Mrs. Perez was clearly stunned. “You said you didn’t want to have anything to do with that family anymore. So, what happened?” she asked, her voice laced with confusion.Lydia lowered her gaze, avoiding eye contact.Sighing deeply, Mrs. Perez didn’t push any further, sensing Lydia’s reluctance. But Mr. Perez was less patient.“You both promised that once you were married, he would treat you well, and you’d have a good life together,” Mr. Perez huffed in frustration. “How long has it been since the wedding? And now we’re dealing with this mess.”“This isn’t all Quincy’s fault…” Lydia began to say, but her father wasn’t having it.“You’re still defending him?” Mr. Perez retorted angrily. “Alright, if it’s not his fault, then why have you been out of touch for two whole days? Why no word from you?”Lydia was left speechless, her hands fidgeting nervously under the table as her thoughts spiraled.She knew her parents all too well. Both of them were fiery and protective. If she tol