You could hear a pin drop in the office. Liam was wearing a gold watch on his lean hands, holding a platinum business card. It had his private number on it.Zoe took it from him gingerly. She stared at him for some time before asking softly, “Why would you help me, Liam? I thought you’d take Mason’s side.”He didn’t answer her. Instead, he leaned back on his chair and smoked the cigar wordlessly. Truth be told, he didn’t have a good reason for doing this. If he had to find a reason, then perhaps it was because of what he saw in the hospital that day. The cuts on her wrists were terrifying to look at and it reminded him so much of the same injuries he had seen on his mother. There was a definite difference between them, though. His mother was determined to die and she had succeeded in her goal.On the other hand, Zoe was doing everything she could to stay alive. Perhaps that was what triggered his compassion for her.…Zoe was gripping the business card tightly and her palms were
Mason had never loved anyone, but that didn’t mean he was clueless when it came to putting work into a relationship.Silence draped over the car.If working on their relationship meant that Zoe would love him again, he wouldn’t mind putting in some work so they could become a couple who loved each other genuinely.…It was evening on the weekend. A black limousine pulled up to the manor. The chauffeur carried Mason’s suitcases and said respectfully, “Do you need my help with the suitcases, Mr. Mason?”Mason was dressed in black. As they said, the suit maketh the man. Standing in the evening light, he looked exceptionally dashing. Even the old servant couldn't help but steal glances at him.He asked lightly, “Where’s Zoe?”The servant was about to respond when they heard the sound of a violin coming from the third floor. The melody was mellow and it complimented the evening twilight. She couldn’t help but put in a good word for Zoe, “Ms. Zoe plays a mean violin! Perhaps you sho
Zoe said softly, “That’s not it.” Then, she averted her gaze and spoke even more quietly, “I’m having my period.”Mason was a little startled.Then, he came back to his senses and couldn’t help but touch her warm cheeks. Zoe never wore makeup when she was at home. He was touching her bare skin and it was irresistible.Staring at her, he could not help but laugh. “Am I that much of a monster in your eyes, Zoe? Do you think I’ll force myself on you when you’re on your period?”Her eyes were slightly wet with tears, but she didn’t answer him.He got his answer from her reaction. She probably thought he cared only about pleasuring himself, even if it was at the cost of his wife’s well-being. And she would’ve been right. He had never cared about her in the past and he liked to do it rough, but he had never done it with her when she was having her period.Grabbing her slender arm, he pulled her up and let her sit on his lap. Zoe wasn’t used to this kind of intimacy. They had never be
The servant knocked on the door and said, “Dinner is served, Mr. Mason. Will you be having dinner now?”“Sure! We’ll have dinner now.”The servant went downstairs. Her footsteps trailed off, but he still kept Zoe pinned down. She couldn’t help but squirm a little. “Aren’t we going to have dinner now? Help me up.”In response, he stared back at her wordlessly. She couldn’t fathom what was on his mind. She tried pushing him away, but he grabbed her arm and put it back on his chest. His heartbeat was strong and throbbed rhythmically. She pulled back her hand abruptly, as if she had just touched fire. He pinched her chin gently and chuckled, “Did that scare you as well? What's on your mind, Zoe?”She couldn’t cope with this new side of Mason. Truth be told, she was missing his ruthless ways a little. He might hurt her, but she could brave through the pain. Now, however, she wasn’t sure what to make of him.Turning her back at him, she straightened out her dress. Then, she rose a
Zoe’s ears were indeed red. She gripped the drawer with her slim hands and tried to stop him from peering into it. “It’s nothing! I bought a new perfume and I had just unwrapped it.”“Oh, I see.” Reacting out of his character, he spoke slowly, “Give it a whirl! I want to smell it. Don’t they always say a perfume makes a lady?” His voice was flirty but it carried a hint of a threat. Zoe couldn’t find it in her to say no to him.He had pulled open the drawer completely as they spoke. True enough, there was a bottle of perfume in there. He took it and squeezed some of the perfume behind her ear. It was probably due to the sudden burst of air, but her ear actually trembled lightly.Mason’s eyes grew darker at that. Holding her perky shoulders, he pressed his face against her neck and brushed her ear with his nose. Then, he spoke in his husky, seductive voice, “You smell so good.”She couldn’t help but tremble lightly. “Mason!”Chuckling, he said, “You’re still on your period.
Mason responded lightly after Ava was done talking. “I’m coming over right now.” However, he didn’t leave immediately. Instead, he touched Zoe’s cheek lightly. It wasn’t warm like before. In fact, it was rather cold. He said in a deep voice, “I need to go to the hospital. You should go ahead and head to bed.”Zoe stayed silent. Grabbing his coat from the bed, he put it on and leaned down to touch her cheeks again before leaving.It was a windy autumn night. The moment he had left, she relaxed and started panting lightly.It was a good thing Ava called when she did. Luckily, Mason had to leave because something happened to Lilith. Otherwise, she might’ve just given in to his tender moves and brought pain and misery to herself. Sliding off the makeup table, she looked at both the business card as well as the diary and tucked them away. All of her youthful memories were in that diary.She might have hated Mason intensely, but never once had she thought to throw her d
Mason was about to say something when the door to the operating room swung open. The doctor came out and let out a sigh of relief. “We pumped the patient’s stomach and managed to stabilize her. We’re going to work with the police to get to the bottom of this incident, Mr. Mason. Just leave it to us!”Mason, however, remained calm. Leaning over, he gave some instructions to Ava. “Have Lilith transfered to Lockwood Hospital at dawn.”She nodded in response, the bags under her eyes clearly visible.Carly spoke hesitantly, “You have to stay by Lilith’s side, Mason! She could've died. She needs you now!”Ava snapped at her, “Mr. Mason isn’t a doctor, for Heaven’s sake!” That silenced Carly immediately.Then, Mason looked at Cecil and smiled, “I came here in such a hurry that I didn’t have time to explain everything to Zoe! She’s probably wrapped in her her blanket, feeling upset. Don’t worry, Cecil. I’m going to go home and keep her company now.”He checked the time and continue
Mason woke up the next morning and found that Zoe wasn’t by his side. Thinking that she was in the dressing room, he got off the bed and made his way there.His suit had been laid out, ready for him to wear. A matching watch and cuff links had been prepared as well, but she was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps she was preparing his breakfast downstairs, he thought. So, he freshened up and made his way down. The servant was laying out the plates and cutleries in the dining hall. Two freshly baked croissants and a cup of black coffee, his usual breakfast, had already been set on the table. The day's newspaper was on the left side of the table as well, as usual. Zoe had always made sure everything was set up in this way.The servant noticed Mason descending the stairs and greeted him respectfully. He sat down, flipped through the papers casually, and asked, “Where’s Zoe?”She was stunned. When she came back to her senses moments later, she said, “Are you asking about her whereabouts, Mr