Lizzie only spared Carl a fleeting glance before quickly averting her gaze. "I don't know him," she said. She then turned to Cyrus with an innocent expression and reached out to hold his arm. "Cyrus, I have no idea who he is."Even with Carl standing right in front of her, she still tried to deny it.Ezra chuckled lightly. This woman was always good at feigning innocence, but no matter how much she denied it now, the truth would eventually come out. He exchanged a knowing look with Finley.Before entering, Finley had managed to extract some information from Carl. "Mrs. Finch, although you claim not to recognize him, it appears he is quite familiar with you," Finley declared, emphasizing the words "quite familiar."Lizzie's heart skipped a beat, and a look of displeasure washed over her face. "Judging by his attire, he appears to be a bodyguard from the Azure Clan, which serves the Finch family. It's not surprising he recognizes me," she countered.Indeed, it wasn't surprising
In that fleeting moment of panic, many noticed Lizzie's reaction, including Cyrus."Lizz, you and him…" Cyrus tried to resist the influence of Clover's words but couldn't help wanting a clear answer."Cyrus—" Lizzie had already prepared her explanation, but Clover didn't give her the chance to voice it.With a faint, mocking smile, Clover said, "If I were her, even if there was something shady going on, I'd still say there wasn't."He was obviously implying that LIzzie's words couldn't be trusted.Cyrus' brow furrowed deeply, an unmistakable crease forming as he felt an unsettling agreement with Clover's suspicion. He looked down at Carl, who was kneeling on the floor.In his mind, Carl was just a bodyguard from the Azure Clan, yet the man seemed to be everywhere.Suddenly, a feeling of dread welled up in Cyrus' chest, and he didn't dare to ask further. Just as he wavered, Carl broke the silence. "I'm sorry, Mr. Finch."Cyrus stiffened. "What is Carl apologizing for? What could
"I'm booking you for the night. Name your price."This was Nightfall Lounge, and Rose Shaffer had been drugged.She felt her body heating up, so before she disgraced herself in public, she chose a man in front of her.Nightfall Lounge was a famous lounge in Aquastead that offered male escort services.The other men were doing their best to please the female patrons beside them, but this man sat alone in a booth in a corner.Wearing a black satin shirt, he looked handsome and distinguished. He carried himself in a way that stood in stark contrast to his surroundings.His gaze fell upon her. There was a displeased look in his eyes.Rose thought he was worried she could not pay him."Don't worry. I'm very rich." Rose tried to take out a card from her purse to prove she could afford it.But her legs suddenly gave way, and she fell onto the man.Jonathan Finch had a cold look in his eyes. He assumed she was just like the women who tried to offer themselves to him in the past.He
An hour later, Jonathan woke up.He looked under the covers. Other than his underwear, he was not wearing anything.Not only so, but that woman even stole his clothes!Jonathan's expression turned gloomy.As soon as Zac Gibson entered the room, he saw the sullen Jonathan lying on the messy bed. There was also a torn red dress on the floor. Zac immediately realized what was going on."You're … transitioning?"Everyone knew Jonathan never got involved with women. Still, countless women had tried to sleep with him.Jonathan was cold and heartless toward women. None of those women had ever succeeded before.But it seemed like it had been quite an intense night last night.Zac had been utterly drunk when he received Jonathan's call the night before.Once he sobered up this morning, he finally remembered Jonathan asking him for a doctor.A month ago, Jonathan had defeated the other members of the Finch family. Hence, he became the new person in charge of the Finches.Since then,
Those were photos from the bar last night.Rose wondered who had taken them.She felt like her head was buzzing."Dad, calm down. Don't let your anger affect your health. Rose probably wasn't thinking straight. "It's a good thing Nixon bought those photos. If not, when the photos get leaked to the public, it would affect the Celeste Jewels' share price."Kelly coaxed in a gentle tone, but she was gloating inside.Last night, she had asked Maya to take Rose to Nightfall Lounge. She also arranged a few strong men for Rose. She wanted to take photos of Rose making a fool out of herself in public.But by the time Maya went back, a man was already taking Rose away.Maya could only snap a few photos hastily.Still, those photos were enough for Nixon to call off his engagement to Rose.Kelly stared at Rose with the expression of an innocent child.She suddenly noticed the man's shirt Rose was wearing. "Rose, your shirt … looks so weird! Why does it look like a man's shirt?"Not o
"Alright. I'll meet Uncle Jonathan tomorrow. He's an elder, so I'll prepare a huge gift for him. Don't worry, I'll behave myself."…After Nixon left, Rose picked up the photos on the floor.She glanced at Maya coldly while saying, "These are pretty good shots. It's a pity that you didn't capture his face."The man last night had extremely good looks. He was as handsome as the hottest male celebrities.Maya felt a little guilty. She knew Rose would suspect her for what had happened last night.She was about to argue when Rose looked at Kelly instead.Kelly had an innocent look on her face. She looked gentle and harmless, but deep down inside, her heart was filled with hatred.She did not expect Nixon to proceed with the marriage—not after Rose had been caught making out with another man.Kelly refused to back down. She wanted to press on with this incident and fan the flames so that Jamie would drive Rose out of the house.Just then, Rose smiled. The next words that came out
Jonathan's sneer froze. He could not believe his ears.After what felt like an eternity, Jonathan finally spoke."What … did you just say? Say that again!"Blinking, Rose said earnestly, "Let's get married!"She could pay him for it.She had already thought things through. To avoid unnecessary trouble, the easiest way was to make it a trade.There would be no emotional strings attached. She would pay him to marry her, and he would take the money.Also, due to the special nature of his job, he was the perfect candidate!Jonathan thought about it for a moment. Then, a look of disdain and disgust appeared in his cold eyes.He could tell what she was trying to do now.Scoffing to himself, he assumed that despite not knowing who he was, she knew he was no ordinary man. Therefore, after heading home and thinking about it, she came back to him.Was she trying to marry a rich man, or was it the money she was after?Jonathan recalled the red stain on the sheets this morning. The gui
An hour later, Jonathan stood outside the county clerk's office. He stared darkly at the marriage license he was holding.Meanwhile, Rose excitedly planted a kiss on her copy of the marriage license. She was already looking forward to the Lanes' banquet tomorrow. That was when Nixon's plans would fall apart.Suddenly, she looked at her "star escort husband" who was beside her.He had such a wonderful figure and face that Nixon could not compare to him at all.If he appeared at the Lanes' birthday banquet tomorrow, Nixon would be disgraced!The more Rose thought about it, the more excited she became."Um … Do you have time tomorrow? Can you attend a banquet with me—"Jonathan was still coming to terms with the fact that he was married. Without even thinking about it, he declined. "I'm busy!"Rose fell silent. She felt a little disappointed.But she soon got over it.Nixon's uncle, Jonathan, would be attending the Lanes' birthday banquet tomorrow. It would probably be an extrav