Lia's POV“Good evening, I'm a friend of Elie Jenner,” I carefully said, despite her unfriendly attitude."Is that the whore who lives in 305?" She retorted.“Y-Yes,” I replied hesitantly.“What do you want?” She was irritated.I said, "I said, “I haven't been able to contact Elie lately, so I went looking for her. I know her boyfriend lives in this room."Immediately, the grumpy old woman closed the door.“Wait wait wait,” I hurriedly pushed the door back to prevent it from being closed by the woman. But she wouldn't give up. I tried my best to stop the door from closing. “I have something for you. I have something for you.”"What?" that woman's voice was grumpy.“I want to buy your news. I'll buy what you know about Elie,” I said hastily.The woman's gaze scanned me from head to toe, I felt uncomfortable but couldn't say anything.“What do you want to know about?” She said she didn't want to close the door anymore.“I want to know where she is,” I said.“Give me the money first,” sh
Lia's POV I finished my flight and picked up my luggage. I went out of the airport and opened the phone that I had bought from the mother of Elie's boyfriend. I frowned when the location showed Elie had moved to a poor California neighborhood. Only last night, she was still staying at a hotel in California. Did Ivor's subordinates go to California, and she had to run away? I rented a cab, and I went to where Elie lived. It was a shipping container house in a poor neighborhood. I pursed my lips, looking at Elie's location again to confirm that she was here. I approached the house and knocked, but no one opened the door. I knocked again, but nothing changed. I frowned. What was going on, after all? Was Elie not here or did she not open the door because she was on the run from Ivor's pursuit? I pressed my ear against the door and hoped I could hear something inside the house. Fortunately, I heard the glass falling on the fur carpet. There was someone in the room. It must be Elie. I l
Surveillance footage?What do you mean?I doubt it.Mark laughed and said, “Well, today, I just got a USB stick, and the person who gave me that USB stick judged its content to be interesting.”I frowned, feeling his story was bullshit and he was trying to waste my time. But I still can't hang up. My hunch said something bad would happen if I did.“Do you want to find out about it?” Mark asked, his voice playing.- How do you mean? Are you saying I'm interested in the contents of the USB?” I asked, my voice grumpy. “Stop wasting my time, say what you want to say.”That is what I am doing. I'm saying what I want to say,” Mark countered. “And – why do I feel you're being mean to me. What did I do to make you hate me? - What's her reason?I'm upset. He's got a lot going on. I tried to make my voice as friendly as possible, “Well, maybe my voice hurt you. I'm busy-vusy that is why! So can you tell me about the surveillance footage you talked about?”I heard his sarcastic laughter. Mark sai
I was discharged from the hospital that evening and returned to the company the next morning. I worried that Ivor was still angry with me. At the same time, I was worried Mark would send that surveillance tape to Ivor to intimidate him, so I asked him not to send it to Ivor for the next 7 days. Of course Mark said yes. And he also urged me to make a quick decision because Ivor's investigative team found him holding the surveillance footage.I walked out of the elevator, got greetings from my colleagues. I tried to be happy and responded to them. Just God knew how worried I was. I still didn't know how to face Ivor.I walked quickly back to my office and hoped I wouldn't see Ivor.But as soon as I touched the door handle of my office, I heard a familiar voice.“Good morning, Lia,” Ivor's voice spread from behind my back.I pursed my lips, turned my head, and saw Ivor. I tried to give him a wry smile, “Good morning.”I carefully observed Ivor's expression, but I still couldn't predict h
I know it was an evil thought, but I couldn't stop myself from thinking about it. If Ivor could see the surveillance footage, he might fire me. But I didn't believe in the plan I just came up with by chance.I looked at Ivor's desk. A lot of material was placed on it. However, documents of Ivor's plans were kept in iron cabinets, which were placed inside desk drawers.Those lockers were equipped with modern electronic locks. But for me, it was never a worry, because I was one of those people who knew the code.I approached the desk drawer, sitting on my hunkers, opening the drawer. I saw the cabinets stacked neatly inside. In order, the company's latest plan document was in the top cabinet.I could feel my heart beating very fast. My hands were sweaty too. I reached out towards the cabinet. But just before I could touch it, an alarm sounded in my mind. I remembered the reason I knew the code to open these iron cabinets. Because Ivor trusted me.I was startled and pulled my hand back.
Ivor's kiss was a sugar-coated bullet. I felt sweet but also anxious, as I had not yet got an answer from Ivor about his action and about our relationship. But those thoughts couldn't stop me from going to the company the next day. Ivor still couldn't solve the trouble that Mark was causing him, so Lola was still busy and I made a cup of coffee for Ivor. I wondered what would happen if I met him. "Lia, is something happy going on?" Coco's voice startled me. As soon as I saw her, I smiled shyly, "Why are you here?" “I just wanted to find you, we haven't talked in two days,” Coco said. “And look at you, what has always made you keep a sweet smile on your lips?” "What?" I was amazed, answering instinctively. “Have I always smiled?” “That's right,” Coco nodded, as she approached me, I stepped back. "What happened? Can you tell me?” I was confused, not knowing how to avoid her question. But Coco had always been a trusted friend of mine, and she had proven it by making a smile and sa
Of course, I still wanted to make coffee for Ivor. This job gave me more time to meet him, although when he was no longer busy and we would have more time to meet.It took me 5 minutes to convince Lola to let me continue making coffee for Ivor. I brought him coffee.“Lia? Is that you again?" He asked when he saw me walk in with a hot cup of coffee, then he focused on his work.What did he mean? He seemed cold to me. Maybe he was busy.Oh God, I felt jealous of his work. Sometimes he made me feel like I wasn't as important as it was.Well, I didn't mind waiting for him to change his habits.I put the coffee down on the desk but didn't leave immediately. I'd like to have lunch with him. It had been two days since I had had lunch alone.“Ivor,” I called and expected him to look at me.“Go ahead,” Ivor said, but still focused on his work.I bit my lip, “Ivor, can we have lunch together today?”Ivor was paused for a few seconds, and then he said, "Sorry, I can't, I'm leaving the company be
He kept his brown eyes glued to me for a few minutes. I also looked into those brown eyes and suddenly realized they were incredibly beautiful. The way he looked at me was as if he were judging me and thinking about something.“It's my pleasure,” he said and laughed.My face blushed, and I felt sweet. His every move and the way he influenced me proved to me that he was more special than any man. No one can make me shy with just one look.I bit my lip, looked away, “Mm, I'll send you the address of the restaurant and the appointment time by text.”“Ok,” Ivor nodded.“So, I have work to do, see you later,” I said and then left Ivor's office. Although I wanted to spend more time with him, I was not used to such a sweet and shy feeling.Man, I hadn't been on a date in a while. But how could I date another man who's not Ivor?Wait, was this our first date tonight? We had lunch together, but those lunches didn't look like a date, at least to me.I couldn't help myself and kept a smile on my
I approached him. Ivor was sleeping drunk, his eyebrows squinting as if he still couldn't get rid of his thoughts.I give him a massage to loosen his eyebrows. I sat there, watching his sleeping face for a few minutes. As the time for me to leave was approaching, I felt even more confused, the emotions in me conflicted like the sea when the storm was approaching.I touched his cheek and stroked Ivor's hair. After that, I helped him into my room even though he was heavy compared to me. It took me a while to tie him to the bed. Fortunately, he was drunk enough not to wake up in the process.I found on him his phones, taken from my sim card drawer and put them on the bedside table. I took from the closet the backpack that I had prepared before, inside were the necessary things for my trip.After making sure I could leave at any moment, I was beside him, leaning on him, feeling the warmth of his body.It was the most peaceful time I've ever felt.Not long after, Ivor woke up.He must still
Discovering the secret road was not enough. I had to plan meticulously. Anna seemed to be used to me being cold to her, so I could spend an afternoon with Joy in my room without anyone suspecting me.After crossing the forest, I could only walk to the nearby residential area, however the road was very long, and I needed to be in good physical shape.There was no guard at the helipad or nearby area when I arrived but I could not be subjective.At the same time, I need to get in touch with Bruce as soon as I get to the residential area, otherwise they will quickly take me back to the mansion.And Ivor, I have a plan for him, too.“Lia, it's nice to have your palate back,” Ivor looked at me, his voice cheerful as we were having lunch together.That's the thing, of course, if I need to have the energy to walk a long distance.“Because I've been having so much fun lately,” I said.He laughed, “I should have finished my work sooner and spent more time with you. You must have had a hard time
“Sorry I couldn't always be by your side,” Ivor said, looking at the puppy. “I hope he helps you feel comfortable living here.”My eyes widened in surprise. I looked at the naughty puppy in his arms, happy. I pat his head, he wags his tail vigorously."What is his name?" I looked at Ivor.“Ah, oh,” Ivor faltered a little, avoiding my gaze. "He still doesn't have a name. I hope you can name him.”I pursed my lips, thinking for a moment, “Joy. What was it like?"“Great,” he laughs, dropping the puppy, now Joy, to the ground and patting its head. “Puppy, we will call you Joy from now on.”Joy barked happily. What are we talking about?From the day Joy appeared, life in this mansion became easier for me. At least the other people, whom Ivor sent to monitor me, including Anna, didn't try to talk to me anymore.I spend more time with Joy than Ivor. My emotions were in intense conflict, so I didn't want to meet Ivor, who was the cause of that problem.Joy is extremely naughty. He usually spe
Every time I look at Lia's peaceful face, I don't want her to be sad or miserable.I won't allow anyone to hurt her, even if that person is her biological mother.I stroked Lia's cheek. I don't want to lose a soulmate like her, who has been with me for many years.I get annoyed thinking about the damn man who got her pregnant but so far he hasn't come to see her once. Then he'd better never see her and her baby again.That's why Lia needs to stay in this mansion, live under my protection.I got up, left her room without making any noise and went back to my room.…Lately, Lia often sits alone outside in the garden and reads books, she always seems sad when I'm not with her. She also became difficult to get along with everyone else except me.The proof is that she rarely talks to Anna. After a few unsuccessful attempts to initiate a conversation, Anna could only give up.“She seems to be wary of me,” Anna said after entering my office. “She was very upset knowing she was being controll
I frowned, very hesitant.But at last I sighed, closed my eyes, took a sip of pea blossom tea.“Not bad,” I said, surprised. “But not good either.”Lia chuckled, “So you can still drink it, right? Drink this cup of tea.”I could only do what she said, drink the whole cup of tea. Lia, who was carrying an empty cup, went outside. Before closing the door, she looked at me and said, “Good night. It's already a new day in Vietnam, so let's go to sleep“Good night,” I smile back at her and after Lia closes the door, I sit down and continue my work.I was tired, leaning back on my chair. It was late, and I had done some work. I needed a few minutes to relax, so I got up, poured a glass of wine, walked over to the window and took in the view.The taste of the wine that I love seems to be different from the previous times. I suddenly remembered the taste of the tea Lia had brought me earlier. The cool aroma of pea tea seemed to be hanging around on the tip of my tongue.The phone rang unexpecte
I smiled and pulled out a chair for her, “Sorry to be so busy with my work.”I could see the surprise in her eyes.I'm happy with that show. I always wanted to get closer to Lia, but I didn't know how to keep her and make peace with her, and my work at the company dominated me.I looked at Lia, who was having fun when the maid brought the plates up for us. I will not wait until I find a way to make peace with her, I will take care of her from now on.We had a nice dinner. During the process, I had to use my serious brain to talk in a funny way. Although some of my jokes seemed bland, at least Lia laughed a lot.“Oh, Ivor, look, you didn't leave any food on your plate,” I heard Lia's surprised voice."Yeah. I'm surprised, I still don't understand what's going on.Lia smiled, “You've been very picky, this is the first time I haven't seen leftovers on your plate.”I was even more surprised, looked down at the plate and then at Lia, and laughed. I didn't expect that one day my picky eating
Ivor's POVI came home before dawn. Upon entering the hallway, I heard Anna's voice, “She asked to play the piano this morning, but we needed time to prepare the piano room so she joined me in listening to music in the morning. In the afternoon, after taking a nap, she learned to play the piano. She's in the piano room now.”i raised an eyebrow. Is Lia playing the piano?Cool I opened wider because I was surprised and interested in Lia's request. Before that, she only made simple and basic requests, this is the first time she made a “complicated” request.Anna seemed to want to say something more, but I didn't care, and went quickly to the piano room.Outside, I could hear the piano. Unequivocal misaligned sounds denounced the skill of the pianist.I turned the doorknob gently and opened the door. The sound coming from the piano needs to become a lot clearer. Then I saw Lia, in her wide white set, frowning, her soft fingers resting on the keys, she was pressing down on the keys clumsi
I pursed my lips.I felt Ivor's hand moving slightly over my cheek.I tilted my body slightly to the side to avoid his touch.His hand stopped and he pulled his hand back.I said, “As always.”Then I added, “Not bad.”“You're six months pregnant-”Ivor hadn't finished interrupting, “I know.”He was silent for a moment and then said, “Don't be too active.”He reminded me of this afternoon, didn't he?I puckered my lips, reminding myself to be more careful.Ivor tried to talk to me afterwards, but I was so tired of walking all afternoon that I just wanted to rest. So the conversation between us became like an interrogation. Ivor always asked me some open-ended questions, but I always answered them through the speaker.He quickly realized the situation, helped me up to my room to rest, then went to his office.In the evening, although my legs were still tired, I tried to go down to the dining room to eat my meal.If Anna had to bring my meal to my room, there was a good chance that I would
I went back to my room, Anna helped me turn off the light. The room was covered with darkness, I still clutched my sim card in my hand, sobering up more calmly than ever.I know what I want. I wanted to see my mother, I was really worried about her condition because she was behaving in a strange way compared to before.I need to find a way to get out of this mansion, but first I need to sleep.I tried closing my eyes and falling asleep, but it didn't work. I sighed, sat up, and put my SIM card deep in the closet.Fortunately, I was able to sleep afterwards.The next day Ivor went down to the dining room to have breakfast later than usual. When I got there, I almost ate my breakfast.I looked at him, seeing the awkwardness in his eyes when he saw me, but very quickly he readjusted his emotions.Ivor ate breakfast, then went to work, as usual. He didn't say anything about what happened last night.He didn't ask for anything after he woke up, did he?I did not think so...I smiled, deftl