“Lydia, do we really have to end up as enemies?” Quincy’s voice faltered as he looked into her eyes, seeing nothing but coldness.His heart grew colder with every passing second. How he longed for the past, when Lydia’s gaze was filled with warm, fierce love, like the midday sun that wrapped him in its comforting heat. But now, everything had changed.Lydia gave a mocking smile. “This is the path you chose, Quincy. You made your decision, and now you want to backtrack? It’s pointless. We’re adults. You can’t have it all.”The moment he chose to follow his mother’s wishes and kept meeting with Tiffany, any hope for them was lost. Lydia wasn’t the type to tolerate her husband accepting a ‘sister’ from outside their marriage, and she certainly wouldn’t stand by while her mother-in-law plotted to shove a mistress into her husband’s life. If someone wanted to live that life, they could but she wasn’t going to make herself miserable for it.“But Lydia, I chose you. I’m having the rum
Could she really be so pathetic, constantly throwing herself at someone who clearly didn’t want her, enjoying being insulted every day?“Quincy...” Tiffany watched helplessly as Quincy walked away. She didn’t chase after him but stood up from the ground quietly. Quincy’s disdain for her was obvious, and she wasn’t stupid. She could see it as clear as day. But what Mrs. Perez had promised her was too tempting. As long as they got married and she bore him a child, that child would become the future heir of the Perez family and inherit the entire company! And with Quincy being close to Mr. York, his company would only grow. If she could endure the cold shoulder now, the future held the life of a rich wife waiting for her. Her in-laws would adore her, and even if Quincy didn’t love her, at least he would treat her with respect for the child’s sake. Quincy was a good man, and if she could just win him over, there would be nothing but sweet rewards in the future. Tiffany had calcu
The bar was filled with beautiful women, but none quite had the presence that Lydia did. As soon as she stepped inside, men holding drinks were quick to approach her.“Hey gorgeous, I’ve got a booth over there and a bottle of whiskey. Why don’t you join us for a drink?”“Forget him, come with me. I’m a VIP member here. Whatever you want, we’ll order it.”Without so much as a glance, Lydia brushed past them, her expression unchanged. “Excuse me.”She made her way to the bar, took out her card, and rented a private booth for herself. She ordered a case of beer and sat down alone. She mechanically cracked open bottles, one after the other, pouring the liquid down her throat. Before long, the table was littered with empty bottles.Lydia had hoped the alcohol would dull the pain, but the more she drank, the clearer her mind became. Unwanted memories flooded in. Snapshots of Quincy filled her thoughts. From moments at work to their everyday life together, all these fragments blended i
The bottle shattered into countless pieces, scattering across the floor. The woman jumped back, startled by the sudden violence. Her heart pounded in her chest as she stared at Quincy in disbelief. “What the hell are you doing?”“I told you to get lost,” Quincy finally looked at her.His gaze was void of any emotion or desire, filled only with pure disdain. In that moment, the woman felt a sharp sting of rejection. Was she really that undesirable? A man who wouldn’t even consider a woman throwing herself at him, going so far as to smash a bottle. How harsh.“Fine, I’ll leave! What, you think you’re the only option I’ve got?” she retorted, her pride wounded. She spat out, “With that attitude, who else would even want you? If you didn’t want to be bothered, why come to a place like this?”Bars were for unwinding, for indulging in pleasure, so what was he doing pretending to be the good guy?Quincy didn’t respond. As the noise around him quieted, he sat back down, lost in his tho
“Eugene, I’m telling you one more time. I don’t need you here. Just go home,” Lydia’s tone grew more impatient.She had come out late to have a drink, clear her mind, and ease her frustrations, not to have Eugene hovering around, nagging her endlessly.Eugene, however, didn’t budge. Instead, he sat down beside her and opened a bottle of beer for himself.“If you want to drink, then I’ll drink with you. Whenever you’ve had enough and want to go home, I’ll take you.”Lydia found herself at a loss for words. Suddenly, she no longer felt like drinking. She placed the bottle aside and looked at the men and women swaying wildly in the dance floor under the neon lights.How she wished Quincy was the one beside her right now.“Lydia, how about we head over and dance for a bit?” Eugene offered.Earlier, as he walked into the bar, he spotted Quincy. That man really was everywhere, like a shadow that refused to disappear. Or maybe it was just fate. No matter how they tried to avoid each ot
The man, dazed from the beating, looked up to see Quincy’s furious face. Instantly, he cowered, forcing a smile. “I get it, I get it. She’s all yours. I’ll leave right now, I promise not to bother you two. Take your time, big guy.”Quincy grabbed him by the collar and firmly warned him again. “A woman is a person, not something you can just hand over. You don’t have the right to talk like that.”The only reason Quincy had intervened was to stop an innocent woman from being harassed, not to claim her for himself. Apart from Lydia, he didn’t want anyone.“Yes, yes, you’re right,” the man mumbled as he scrambled to his feet and darted away, grumbling under his breath about Quincy. Acting all noble but everyone knew why guys came to a place like this. It was solely to pick up women.Quincy didn’t bother chasing him. Instead, he turned to give a word of caution to the woman. She should be careful hanging around a bar at night like this. But then he froze.It was Lydia.“Quincy? Am I s
If Lydia didn’t recognize him, Quincy would leave her to rest. He knew she was drunk, and he didn’t want to take advantage of the situation.“Quincy, I could never forget your face. Do you really think I wouldn’t know it’s you?” Lydia looked at him, her voice slightly slurred. Though her vision was hazy under the dim light, her emotions were clear. She was letting herself believe this was a dream, one where she could finally release all the feelings she had kept bottled up for so long. She repeated Quincy’s name, over and over.Hearing her say his name was intoxicating to Quincy, more so than any alcohol. He leaned down, kissed her deeply, and they lost themselves in the moment, wrapped in each other’s arms. Hours passed, and by the time they were done, Lydia was completely spent, too exhausted to even get up and shower. She drifted off to sleep almost immediately. For the first time in a long while, they both slept soundly.As the sunlight filtered through the curtains the next
He lay on the bed until Lydia opened her eyes.When she saw Eugene, she froze for a moment, her mind going blank. She struggled to speak, “Last night… how did we end up here?”The fragments of memory lingering in her mind told her that she had been with Quincy, so why was it suddenly Eugene? She couldn’t accept this reality.“Lydia, I told you to head home early last night, but you insisted on letting me go alone. How could I leave you there at the bar? Surrounded by men who were eyeing you like prey? I couldn’t risk that, but despite all my precautions, you still fell into their trap.” Eugene’s voice dripped with false sincerity as he spun his tale.His expression conveyed nothing but concern. “They slipped something into your drink. When you went to grab some juice, you lost consciousness and nearly got taken away. Luckily, I arrived just in time to save you.”Lydia struggled to remember what had happened the night before. She recalled the sleazy guy who had tried to make a move
Hunter took a bite of the biscuits and ravioli she had made. The taste was surprisingly good. It wasn’t on the level of a Michelin-starred chef, but it had something even more special—the taste of home. And of course, there was the oatmeal. He took one spoonful after another, finishing the entire bowl. *Meanwhile, Vera still hadn’t found her brother. Disappointment weighed heavily on her as she prepared to leave. But just then, her phone buzzed. An anonymous message. She tapped it open and stared at the image attached. It was a watch. Alone, a watch meant nothing. But this watch was her brother’s. Vera immediately zoomed in on the photo, carefully inspecting the engravings inside. There they were—his initials. No mistake. This was his watch. Below the image, a location pin was attached. The place was nearby. Vera’s eyes filled with determination. If she had found nothing, she would have simply left. But now, she had recei
When Yelena woke up again, she was shocked to find that she wasn’t at the club. She sat up abruptly, looking around in confusion. Then, she got out of bed, slipped on her slippers, and pushed the door open. “Where am I?” “At my place,” Hunter replied casually. He was working in the living room when he saw her wake up. “You slept for a long time. I couldn’t just leave you alone at the club, so I brought you back here.” Seeing the uncertainty on her face, he added, “It’s already late. Just stay here for the night. I’ll take you back tomorrow.” Yelena nodded. There was no other choice now. “There’s food in the fridge. If you’re hungry, heat something up. There are also snacks in the drawer—take whatever you want.” “Alright.” She really was hungry. She opened the drawer, grabbed a few small bread rolls, ate them quickly, and then went back to her room to rest. *The next morning, Yelena woke up early. Thinking about everything Hunter had done—treatin
Yelena quickly lowered her arm, letting her sleeve fall over the mark to cover it. “It’s nothing. Here’s your cocktail. Please enjoy.” “Yelena.” Hunter grabbed her wrist without warning. He pulled up her sleeve, revealing the deep, ugly scars on her arm. His brows knitted together instantly. “Who did this to you?” The force behind it was brutal—downright inhuman. Yelena remained silent. Who else could have done this besides Liam? But she had agreed to this. She had willingly accepted Hunter’s request and entered Liam’s world. She had no right to complain. Her silence gave Hunter all the confirmation he needed. “Liam did this to you, didn’t he?” Yelena nodded. “It’s nothing. The wounds have already started healing. They look worse than they feel. Give it some time, and they’ll fade.” “Wait here.” Hunter stood abruptly and walked away. Yelena had no idea what he was doing, but since he told her to wait, she didn’t argue. A few minu
Then again, it made sense. How could a normal person possibly empathize with a lunatic? If Yelena could understand Liam, that would make her just as twisted. *For the next few days, Yelena stayed home to recover. During that time, Liam came back a few times, bringing her flowers and food. Like a child showing off a treasure, he placed the food in front of her. “Yelena, these are your favorite honey crullers. I got them fresh from the bakery. Try them and see if you like them.” “I’m not really hungry.” She didn’t want to eat anything he gave her. She couldn’t even stand looking at him. But she had made a promise. So, she had to force herself to stay. Liam’s expression darkened. “Are you really not hungry, or do you just not want to eat what I give you?” For someone like him, once he had lost his temper once, the second time would only come faster and smoother. With a heavy thud, he slammed the honey crullers onto the table. “Yes, I hit y
If Liam had been a normal person, Hunter never would have sent her here in the first place. But of course, Yelena could only think that. She wasn’t suicidal enough to say it out loud. Instead, she reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. “I was really just messaging an old classmate. If you don’t believe me, go ahead—check my phone.” She wasn’t worried. Whenever she contacted Hunter, she deleted each message immediately. She had even forged an entire fake conversation just in case Liam ever got suspicious. So, no matter how thoroughly he checked, there would be nothing for him to find. Liam narrowed his eyes. “Is that so? Then why do I still feel like you’re lying? Women like you—nothing but liars, every last one of you.” Then, he struck her again. Yelena screamed. The pain was relentless, merciless. She had no idea how long it lasted—only that by the time he finally stopped, she was barely breathing. Her body slumped against the floor
Suddenly, footsteps sounded behind Yelena. She spun around, her heart hammering in her chest. Liam was walking toward her, a faint smile on his lips—but the coldness in his eyes told a different story. Memories of his past cruelty flashed through her mind, sending a shudder down her spine. She forced herself to stay calm. “Who are you messaging?” He was getting closer. So close that when he finally stopped, they were nearly pressed against each other. Then, without warning, his fingers clamped around her chin, gripping tighter and tighter. Pain shot through her jaw, and Yelena winced. “No one. Just an old classmate. I ran into her a few days ago while I was out.” “Oh? Is that so?” Liam’s voice softened, almost gentle. To anyone watching, he might have seemed like a kind, easygoing man. But Yelena knew better. He would never let her off that easily. And sure enough— In the next second, he grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked her hea
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.“Haven’t I been just fine lately?“Or do you think my hand isn’t injured enough? If that’s the case, go ahead—do it yourself. “You already know I wouldn’t fight back no matter what.” Without warning, Yelena stretched out her injured hand, an act that instantly enraged Liam. “What the hell is wrong with you?” He snapped. “I was just making a casual remark. Is that really what you think of me? I already told you—I’m not going to lay a hand on you.“It wasn’t intentional before, and you know it. We both do. Stop acting like you’re above all this when we both know who sent you here.” Yelena felt a pang of sadness. They had spent so much time together, yet this was how he treated her—always choosing to hurt her. “I know—I wasn’t someone you chose, and none of this was intentional. But after all this time we've spent together...“I thought maybe I was a little different to you. But I guess I was wrong. Nothing has changed at all.
“Why do you even care about what happens to other people? Haven’t I made myself clear enough already?“Whose card is this—yours or mine?” His assistant immediately apologized upon hearing Caleb’s tone. “I hope you won’t hold this against me. I really wasn’t thinking clearly at the time—I should have considered this more carefully.” Caleb didn’t bother responding. After hanging up, he focused entirely on investigating Vera’s brother. *Meanwhile, Vera was deeply worried. If things had been somewhat under control before, now they were completely off track. The situation on both sides was far more complicated than she had anticipated. “Don’t worry. That’s exactly how it is. If you don’t want to go in person, I can go for you—but it won’t be cheap,” the private investigator said.Since Caleb had warned her about the private investigator, Vera started testing him, probing for inconsistencies. And sure enough, his story had too many holes. “Why are you so sure my b
As Caleb spoke, he looked at Vera with a hint of helplessness. After all, her hand had been injured because of Luna. “Don’t feel guilty about this. Honestly, it’s nothing to me.“And I’m not the type to carry burdens over things like this.“Besides, it’s been so long. If this had happened back then, I might have cared. But now? I just don’t think it matters anymore.” Vera’s voice was steady and sincere. But Caleb’s expression darkened. “Why would you say that? Why do you think it doesn’t matter? Do you really see me as just the same as everyone else?” For some reason, at this moment, Caleb took it personally. Vera couldn’t help but laugh. “Of course not. You’re different from the rest—so obviously, I wouldn’t see it the same way.“You’ve helped me so much. The least I can do is acknowledge that, instead of stubbornly nitpicking about what’s right or wrong, don’t you think?“Besides, whatever happened between you and Luna, that’s none of my business. It’s in