The bedroom door swung open, and Lydia Sander sauntered in nonchalantly.
Ever since the last incident with Emily, she had moved upstairs and wasn't back until today.
She swiftly picked out a few garments from the wardrobe and grabbed several books from the shelf. Stuffing them into a bag without a second's delay, she left without so much as a glance around.
Sandy looked sidelong at Emily and quipped, "Do you think she's been eavesdropping outside?"
"Let her listen if she wants to."
Emily had made peace with it. After all, what's done was done. Why fret over it? She'd face whatever came her way.
"Oh well," Sandy shrugged, unconcerned abo
Elton moved his files and computer to the glass coffee table in front of the sofa, sitting beside Emily to discuss the Pier Nine project plan. Emily listened intently, but as she absorbed the information, she understood why Murray had labeled the plan a "castle in the air."The entire proposal was speculative, lacking in operational details and feasibility, just as Murray had pointed out. For instance, the project was divided into maritime and land components, essentially two different systems.Murray explained that for the maritime part, the focus should be on specialized and integrated companies. In contrast, based on his assumptions, Elton's plan involved separate tenders for design, construction, and operations. This approach, disjointed and inefficient, would not only reduce coordination efficiency but also significantly inflate the project's cost.Emily tried to help by raising some of the major issues Murray had m
After Emily returned to her room, she headed straight for her desk and began rummaging through a drawer in a flurry. Not finding what she was looking for, her expression darkened."I need to go out and buy something," Emily said, changing her clothes.Turning towards her, Sandy asked, "What are you going out to buy so late?"As she spoke, Sandy's eyes caught sight of the red marks on Emily's neck and the finger imprints on her legs. Sitting up from the bed, her tone laced with barely concealed anger, Sandy insisted, "You go take a shower. I'll go buy it for you.""Okay." Emily didn’t argue.Sandy quickly put on a coat and left the room without a word.Emily poured herself a cup of hot water and left it on the table to cool, planning to take medicine later.In the shower, E
Ronald Richardson sauntered over to Emily with a careless swagger, crouching down to try and pinch her chin. Emily dodged his hand with a tilt of her head, scoffing coldly, "So, you resort to other because you know you can't beat me yourself?"Ronald seemed slightly sheepish at this; he had indeed called for bodyguards after experiencing Emily's prowess. However, he wouldn't admit it, retorting, "Whatever happened that day, you know very well."Emily sneered, "From what I've seen, the toughest part of you is probably just your mouth."Ronald shamelessly leaned in closer, his voice low and suggestive, "You haven't experienced where I'm the toughest, so don't make assumptions."Unable to tolerate such verbal harassment, Emily's expression darkened. She powered up her right leg to kick him in the face, but midway, her leg suddenly went weak, and she found herself uncontrollably kneeling.A hand, firm as a vice, pressed heavily on her shoulder, immobil
“That guy, what's his background?” Emily turned down her hairdryer to make less noise.Sandy replied, “That idiot's name is Ronald Richardson. He’s a second-generation official. His dad is a big shot in Sandviken.”Emily simply responded, “Oh.”Sandy added, “His swagger at school today wasn’t just because of his dad. Several plots of land on the campus belong to his grandfather.”Emily didn’t comment further, continuing to dry her hair.Her phone started ringing. She remained seated, the persistent ringtone echoing in the room.Sandy, unable to ignore it, picked up the phone from the bed. Seeing an unfamiliar string of numbers, she said, “Unsaved number. I’ll hang up for you.”Emily paused, &ldqu
After a cool shower, Emily felt somewhat groggy and lethargic. She curled up in her blankets, shifting positions restlessly without finding comfort.Her phone buzzed. A message from Elton Cromwell: "Emily, I'm downstairs. Can you come down now?"Emily forced a smile. How did he always know she was in her apartment?"Okay, wait for me."She climbed out of bed, carelessly picked out some clothes to wear, and, just before leaving, glanced in the mirror. She dabbed a layer of lipstick on her lips, enhancing her naturally pale, almost icy skin and faint lip color, which, without lipstick, always made her look weary and listless.
"Oh."Hearing the slight disappointment in her voice, Murray's lips curled into a smirk.Earlier, Cornelius had sent him Emily's diary and mentioned the trouble Ronald Richardson caused her at school. Initially, Murray hadn't taken it seriously, but he found himself distracted during meetings, increasingly agitated by the thought.He had called Emily over lunch. The girl pretended Nothing had happened, even putting on a show over the phone. Irritated, he had hung up abruptly.Now, caught in the act, she started acting again.Murray's thoughts drifted to the contents of Emily's diary, and he asked nonchalantly, "Do you like him that much?"Emily sighed inwardly, knowing Nothing could be hidden from Murray. She didn't refute but wrapped her arms around his neck and said lazily, "If someone is with you, protecting you when you're most helpless and alone, you wil
Ronald Richardson was gaming in a luxurious suite at a seven-star hotel in Sandviken's CBD, adorned with a high-tech flair, wearing headphones in front of one of the five computers in the living room.The violence in the game did not alleviate his frustration; it only intensified his irritability. Angrily, he flung his keyboard at the computer screen after his teammate was killed, shattering the display.Cursing, Ronald rose from his gaming chair, grabbed a cigarette from the coffee table, and lit it while calling Stacey Zechariah."What do you want?" Stacey answered, her tone unfriendly."Can't I chat with an old friend?" Ronald lounged on the sofa, trying to sound nonchalant."Don’t bother. Jean Harry clarified that she'll never want to see you again." Stacey's cold laughter came through the phone. As friends who grew up together, Stacey wasn’t taking sides, b
Sandy eyed the strikingly handsome man, playfully poking Ronald Richardson's face with a golf club she'd casually picked up from a corner. "He's got a great figure too."The club lingered at the drawstring of his pajamas, teasingly lifting it. The waistband loosened, revealing a well-defined eight-pack.His features were exquisite, his physique broad-shouldered and narrow-waisted."Drag queen?" They exchanged glances and exclaimed in unison.Emily gave an approving 'ok' sign.She pulled makeup from her bag and, following the standards of a beauty vlogger, applied a full face of makeup on Ronald Richardson.Then, she and Sandy dragged him into a devilishly enchanting pose.Once everything was set, Sandy adjusted the lights in the room for the perfect ambiance - some on, some off.Emily unlocked Ronald Richardson's phon