Robert took the chance James was offering and got out of the embarrassing situation.“Let’s eat.”While James headed to the dining area, Zoey beamed at her father.“This is the young talent you chose for me?”Robert was able to acknowledge what she said without even changing his expression.“Mr. Lewis isn't too old.”Zoey smiled.“He already has a wife.”Robert snapped.“It’s useless to mention things like that! If he likes you, you better serve him well and not ruin my business.”Zoey doubted she was his biological daughter. After all, what father would do this to their daughter?“Think of your mother. Don’t make me do things you won’t like.”“I know.”“What have you heard about the piece of land on the city outskirts?”“I don’t know. Laurence never tells me things like this.”Zoey’s head dropped, deliberately acting like she was in a pickle. But she couldn’t hold the expression for long before smirking.“But I did overhear his call with his father. The government plans to use that la
James was a frequent offender when it came to using dirty methods like these. Fortunately, the medicine wasn’t working too fast. Zoey nearly hacked up a lung. She knew what James had forced her to take without even asking.Clenching her hands into fists, she asked, “Mr. Lewis, aren’t you afraid your wife will find out?”James was notorious for being afraid of his wife, so even if he did mess around with others, he made sure to hide it from his wife. At Zoey’s words, James’ face immediately twisted.“This is none of your business! I see that you’re still playing tricks on me. Well, I admire your courage, Miss Jenner.”Zoey pretended to be calm.“Mr. Scott will come for me.”In reality, she was bluffing. Laurence hadn’t sent anyone to watch her, so he wouldn’t know where she was. If he doesn’t return home, he won’t even know that she wasn’t home yet. So, she was just saying this to scare James. James tsked.“What is he to you? Is he your boss or your benefactor? Let me remind you that yo
Fortunately, Zoey didn’t sustain any serious injuries. Putting up with the pain, she quickly called for a car while she was still conscious and asked the driver to send her home. By the time she got home, Zoey was barely hanging on to her inhibitions. The drug was so strong it was robbing her of her sanity and switching her submissive instincts on.She staggered out of the car and slurred, “Thanks.”The cold night wind somewhat eased the heat off her face. Zoey patted her face, realizing she had made a dumb decision. She should’ve headed to the hospital straightaway instead. Well, it was too late now. She wouldn’t reach the hospital in time. Right now, all she wanted was to reach her bathroom and soak in some cold water.The lights in the villa were still on, so she wobbled towards them. After she changed into her bedroom slippers, a familiar voice spoke out.“You’re home?”Zoey swallowed, agonized by the changes happening to her body. She lifted her head to look at the man who was spl
Zoey felt as though she was being submerged in a warm tide as the water soaked her feet and wetted her body. Her hands were tied behind her back, and the tie binding her wasn’t very secure, yet she couldn’t seem to escape no matter how she tried. She opened her eyes shakily.Like a spectator, Laurence sat on the bed and watched as Zoey panted, enjoying the look of her flushed face. Laurence was using silence as torture to extract information from her, who was like a fish deprived of water. Tears filled her eyes, and her easily bruised skin was red from her fierce struggle with the tie binding her. Breaking out in cold sweat, Zoey panted and slowly began.“I ran into some trouble tonight.”It was tough to fool Laurence, so she had no intention of lying. However, she wasn’t going to tell him everything either. She didn’t want Laurence to know that Robert was her father because she might be treated as an illegitimate daughter.Robert would never admit his marriage with Zoey’s mother, nor
Hence, when she spoke again, Zoey’s words sounded slightly muffled.“I can go to someone else if you do not wish to help.”Laurence admired her for bearing such wishful thoughts.“Did I say I wouldn't help you?”“Well, then hurry up and loosen the tie!”She was utterly annoyed at being kept hanging. Laurence chuckled softly. His eyes held a hint of youthful vigor when he laughed. He held onto her nape, his breath hot against her skin.“Let’s keep it this way. I prefer you like this.”For the entire night, she was like a small boat caught in a storm. Tossed around in the waves against her will. She had no choice but to cling tightly to the only salvation in sight. By daybreak, she had lost her voice. She sounded as hoarse as could be. Her throat hurt so much that she refused to speak. However, she had to admit that it had been a long time since she last felt so satisfied.When Laurence woke up in the morning, he looked satiated. Zoey glanced at him before she fell asleep again in mere s
Zoey cleared her throat and intentionally ignored his question.“Mr. Scott, could you please go through the schedule and let me know if there are any areas that need to be revised?"Her voice still sounded pretty hoarse. Laurence raised a brow but ignored the fact that she deliberately disregarded his question. His thumb rested casually on the document as he scanned through it.“Postpone the meeting scheduled for the day after tomorrow. Reschedule it for another day."Zoey was quiet for a brief moment.“That meeting…”It was a meeting with the leaders of ES Corporation, a high-end technology company that had made rapid progress domestically over the past two years, which they were in the process of acquiring. The acquisition case was actually in its final stages, with only a few details left to be finalized. Zoey had just started when she was cut off by Laurence.“Postpone it.”“Okay.”She did not continue any further. Laurence must have something much more important to deal with for h
Winter quietly reached its end. And spring was just around the corner. Zoey was glad that spring was on its way. On her way home from work, she stopped by a florist and bought herself a bouquet of pink roses. She had no one to send her flowers, but nothing stopped her from getting some for herself.If nobody loved her, she decided, she would need to love herself more. She put the flowers in a vase in her bedroom, and set it on her desk. They looked lovely. She opened the windows to let in some fresh air. Then, she took a shower, changed into her pajamas, and settled down to catch the latest episode of a popular reality show.Halfway through the show, she went downstairs to get herself a can of ice-cold soda from the fridge. She rummaged around for quite a while but to no avail. It was only then that she recalled that Laurence didn’t like all this “junk food”, so the maids would not stock the fridge with them. Even the two cans which Zoey had hidden in the fridge were nowhere to be foun
Zoey knew where she stood with Laurence. She would never dream of competing with Sarah for a spot in his heart. She was no match for Sarah. And she didn’t need Tristan to remind her of that.“There’s no need to worry about me, Mr. Gray.”Zoey looked impervious to his words. She pushed him away coldly after giving him a step on the foot with her high heels. Tristan had to admit that she was an attractive one. Much prettier than the wannabe celebrities and influencers that he’d played around with before.It might be because of her beauty, along with how men always yearned for what they could not have, Tristan found himself unable to stop his thoughts about her. Once he had her, however, he would likely find her boring and ditch her as he did his past flings. His words were harsh.“Miss Jenner, do you enjoy setting foot in others’ relationships?”“Not as much as you do, Mr. Gray.” Zoey flashed him a sarcastic smile.Tristan was taken aback by what she said. He hadn’t expected her to be so