I nervously follow behind Eric, and outside the door are parked the five Hummers that appears in the photo, with a Lincoln limousine in the middle.
Gallantly, Eric opens the door of the limo for me.
I take a deep breath and bravely get in.
The car drives for a full four hours on a long forest road before finally stopping in front of a massive manor.
Through the car window, I can see a high Gothic castle nestles amid layers of low hollies, exuding an ancient and noble aura, akin to a palace of ancient nobility.
Yet, it is only when I step inside that I realize the opulence and splendor here far exceed my imagination.
Elegant golden pillars stand on both sides, and intricately patterned Persian carpets extend from under my feet all the way to the end of seemingly endless corridors. It is almost identical to my "dream"!
The exquisite soaring domes, the magnificent murals that could be deadly if they fell... Seeing me stunned to the point of daze, Eric couldn't help but smile and says, "Miss Lily, the prince is currently engaged in his studies. I kindly request your patience. Should you find the wait tedious, feel free to acquaint yourself with our surroundings by taking a leisurely stroll."
"Acquainted with the surroundings?" I frown, "What do you mean? Do you expect me to wait here for a long time?"
Eric smiles faintly, "Allow me to correct you, it's 'live' here for quite a while."
"No way! I need to see my son as soon as possible! Otherwise, you will regret it!" I angrily block his way, but two guards pull me away.
"Chris! Where are you?" I struggle and shout Chris's name loudly, but within the vast palace, all I hear is my own echo.
Nevertheless, Eric leaves, and I feel dejected, wondering what I will face next.
"Hello..." a kind voice comes from above. I lift my hopeless eyes to meet the gaze of an elegantly attired elderly man. Several maids follow him.
The elderly man bows gracefully, "Are you Miss Lily?"
"Yes..."
"Please follow me. The master is available to meet you."
My eyes finally regain some spark, and I immediately stand up, grabbing him.
"Be quick! Take me to him! I need to see my son as soon as possible."
"Don't be hasty. There's one thing you need to do before that." The elderly man releases my hand and gestures to the maids.
The maids quickly grab me. One of them says, "Please, miss. Let's go to the bathroom."
"What? Bathroom? What are you doing?" I continue struggling, but their strength is overwhelming, and I can't break free.
"No! Let me go!" Give me a bath? I'm not comfortable with anyone seeing me naked, even if they are women.
"Miss Lily, please forgive our audacity. Due to the master's cleanliness obsession, you need to be thoroughly cleansed before meeting him."
My refusal echoes through the palace until I'm thrown into the bathtub, where I have to surrender to their ministrations.
They wash, scrub, and massage me, leaving no part untouched, even applying force to my private areas, almost intrusively, without any modesty.
I feel like a pitiful doll, manipulated at their whim in the bathtub...
But calling it a bathtub will be an understatement, as its size is more like a swimming pool!
The warm water surface is adorned with a layer of vibrant roses petals, and a misty aura envelopes the surroundings, creating a serene ambiance.
I finally give up resistance, letting them groom and adorn me as they pleased.
Once everything is done, I look surprisingly at the unfamiliar beauty in the massive floor-length mirror.
Her elegant updo adorns her head, with diamond earrings sparkling like stars on her earlobes. The white, snow-like gown hugs her waist perfectly, outlining her alluring curves.
Her feet are adorned with a pair of floral lace-up sandals, the straps of which are transparent, intentionally revealing the delicate arch of her feet and her dainty toes, resembling creamy jade.
This makes her look so pure and immaculate, as if she were the Venus who standing on the rising waves, every move exuding a sense of innocence and allure.
I can't help but blush slightly: Is the person in the mirror still me? Before I can examine myself closely, a cold voice, as icy as the Arctic, suddenly rings out.
"I finally caught you."
Suddenly, a man appears in the mirror.I gaze at the man's features in the mirror. His nose is as straight as a mountain peak, and his eyes are as deep as the cosmos.His gaze overlaps with the eyes from my dream five years ago. Even in the darkness, his domineering look pierces through my soul.My heart couldn't help but race uncontrollably,The mature woody scent of Hermès men's cologne fills the air, accompanied by his damn arrogant, cold, and noble aura...I feel like a startled fawn encountering a lion and instinctively take a step back, wanting to turn and run away.But the next second, I grit my teeth, stand my ground, and raise my hand, delivering a fierce slap to his face.A crisp sound echoes in the surroundings, and the crowd fall silent.He didn't expect such a reaction from me.Even the bodyguards are stunned, taking a few seconds to react and then moving towards me."Step back!" he coldly orders.The bodyguards tremble, bowing their heads and retreating.I'm a bit fright
Fangs pierce through his skin.A pungent-sweet taste instantly fills my mouth!He winces in pain, finally releasing his grip on me, stepping back a few paces.I immediately get to my feet, wiping the blood from the corner of my mouth with force. "You demon! Where's Chris? You'd better return him to me right away!"But he flatly denies, "Not possible."I know he will answer like that.I raise my phone, the call has already connected. "This is the L District Police Station's number. Would you dare to repeat what you just said?"The policeman who had once suspected my association with a certain important figure had been bothering me.It is fortunate I can use him to my advantage!Before coming here, I have secretly dialed that policeman's number, keeping the call active throughout!"Officer Smith? Are you still there?"I press the speakerphone button firmly, and the officer on the other end speaks with stern words, "Yes, I'm with you, Miss Lily." he continues, "This is detective Smith!
As I turn around and see Antoninus standing behind me, I couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.How is it that he appeared just at the moment when I'm slapping him, I mean, his portrait? Perhaps he truly is a demon... capable of reading minds!His perfectly sculpted face and frigid expression remain unchanged as he speaks with a cold and almost monotone voice, "Why are you dressed in only a nightgown?"I suddenly realize that I'm only wearing a loosely fitting silk nightgown!I don't wear a bra, and my chest is unconstrained, forming two small protrusions beneath the fabric...Instinctively, I shield my chest with my arms, and he furrows his brow slightly, seemingly displeased with my actions. "Stop playing these tiresome games of trying to seduce men. At the very least, don't do it in the hallways."What? Who do I seduce?!If I had known he would be here, I would never have come!Feeling indignant, I release my arms and straighten my chest. "I'm not trying to seduce anyone. It
I tightly bite my lower lip, remaining silent for a while before asking him, "Then how should I prove that I'm accompanying Chris well? Do I need to stay here 24 hours?""Yes."Antoninus's gaze, as deep as the night sky, stares at me firmly, his tone leaving no room for doubt, "I don't think this request is unreasonable. Chris goes to school every weekday and only comes back in the evening. So, you'll have at least 12 hours of free time each day."I nod, continuing his thought, "And if we subtract the 10 hours he spends sleeping, the actual time I need to be with him on weekdays is probably only around 4 hours. It does seem like a fair deal."He seems pleased with my understanding and pushes the pen for me to sign the agreement.However, I let out a soft laugh and return both the pen and the contract to him.He furrows his brows, "What do you mean?""Mr. President, you may have misunderstood."I also look at him with pride, my tone resolute, "Being with Chris has never been my job; it
I glare at him with resentment.Eric maintains his smug smile, saying, "Trust me, landing the President's helicopter in other places would draw even more attention. Have a pleasant day, Miss Lily. We'll be back to pick you up at 5 PM.""Well, thank you for giving me such a NORMAL ride," I reply sarcastically.The guests in this luxurious hotel is either a business tycoon or a dignitary.I, dress in my Zara suits, feel like a clown who have accidentally wanders into Swan Lake!I hurriedly make my way through the crowd with a blushed face, keeping close to the wall.But I don't pay attention and bump into someone coming towards me."Sorry, I'm so sorry," I apologize repeatedly."Lily?"This voice?I shudder and slowly raise my head. Indeed, standing before me is my ex-boyfriend, Ben. I never expect to meet him again after five years, and certainly not in this place...Ben has changed a lot from five years ago. He has shed his youthful innocence, and his features have softened, becoming
Eric once again displayed that signature smile and looked down at my neck. I raised my hand to touch it and realized I still had the communication earpiece hanging there! Back on the plane, I found it too heavy, causing my scalp to ache, so I pushed it down and wore it around my neck. The problem was that Eric had noticed I hadn't taken off the earpiece, but he didn't remind me; instead, he eavesdropped on my conversations! What? Cute? This kind of person is irritating!!!Angrily, I glared at him. He smirked and said, "I just found it amusing to see when you would notice.""Oh, it's so amusing!" I retorted, slamming the earpiece into his hand, mimicking his smug tone, "I'll make sure to tell the President exactly what happened!"Ignoring his plea, I walked straight back to my office building. As expected, my first action upon returning was... getting scolded. My boss, Blake, summoned me to his office and unleashed his wrath."You've been absent for an entire month, and you dare ask me
In hindsight, I should have known that our President never plays by conventional rules. He took the cake from me and without any hesitation, took a big bite. As he saw my shocked and reproachful expression, he appeared puzzled and asked, "What's wrong?"Feeling a bit hurt, I replied, "You ate my only little cake..."He paused, ceasing to chew, and asked, "Can't you make another one?"Sadly, I shook my head, "No, I ran out of eggs."Ordinarily, his kitchen should have stocked plenty of eggs, but I couldn't find a refrigerator anywhere.Antoninus glanced at me, then at the half-eaten cake in his hand. He generously extended it towards me, saying, "Here, take this one."I looked at the cake he had bitten into, and my heart skipped a beat. Was this considered an indirect kiss?"Thank you, but I'm not hungry anymore," I responded hesitantly.Yet, he insisted, placing the half piece of cake in front of me. I hesitated and whispered, "This cake, you already took a bite...""Are you disgusted
Once all the horses were released, Antoninus selected the most docile one. He mounted the horse himself and gestured with his eyes for me to hand Chris to him. As I held Chris, I hesitated."Don't worry," Antoninus said, extending his hand with a gentle gaze.I bit my lip, feeling as helpless as poor Abraham as I reluctantly handed over my Isaac, saying, "Take care of him...""I will," he assured me.Antoninus took Chris in front of him, securing him with both arms. He was indeed responsible, but Chris didn't make it easy. He dared to move around happily on the horse's back."Chris!" I warned him, "Listen to Daddy! Otherwise, get down right now, and we'll go back!""Alright..." Chris sighed in boredom, "Mommy always worries too much."Antoninus nodded, "Indeed.""What are you two saying?" I asked, but they ignored me, urging the horses to move away."Hey!" I worriedly chased after them, "Slow down!""I know, Mommy!" Chris replied, running a few laps around the horse arena before retur
Once the hype is over, it's time to start preparing for our roving pitch. The first presentation was downtown. It's where the last parade was. Only this time it wasn't Antoninus in armor on the stage, it was me. He didn't show up, so I, the president's personal secretary, had to deliver his campaign message instead. I don't know much about Antoninus' politics, but at least I know what he did, and I have something to say about it. I don't know if the advertisements all over the street played a role, and when I took the stage to preach, the audience came to be particularly large. I even saw a lot of professional reporters and cameras standing in the audience. Good flow of propaganda, actually made a press conference sense. The dark camera came over, and I panicked for a while. However, I was more disturbed by the questions they asked. "How do you and the president know each other?" 'What? I suspect I misheard. But then someone asked, "I hear you and the president have a son
"Boss, I might need a favor from you." I said."No problem, go ahead."I said, "Antoninus's campaign has been delayed for a while, and I was hoping you could help us out."'Of course you can!Blake grinned and patted me on the shoulder, but sure enough, he was looking down and rubbing his hands. "But... You know, Lily, we don't do this kind of propaganda at this paper. So I'm afraid I can't help you directly. How about I give you the contact information of some of my colleagues, and you go find them?"I knew this was gonna happen.I sighed and stepped aside.Lucius, who was behind me, stepped forward and expertly pressed Blake down on the table, sneering, "Repeat what you just said?"Blake's face turned white. "You... Who are you? Lily! How could you do that?! I'll call security in!"I gave him a faint glance. 'Bark.'"I... Help me! Get me someone now! Security guard!"Just as he spoke, the door was pushed
"Antoninus lost? What do you mean?" I asked him.Lucius replied vaguely, "The day you were taken by Roman, my duel with him ended." Four out of seven, I won.""Not two out of three?"lucius replied uncomfortably, "Never mind a few games, I won anyway.""Well," I said, "it's none of my business. It's just a game. I don't care if you win or lose.""You don't care about the result?""Of course not."A kid takes a game like that seriously!Lucius snorted, "That's what I thought."He stretched out and asked, "Do you have any food here? I'm a little hungry."He did not regard himself as a stranger at all, and had begun to dig in the refrigerator.Two people in a bunker suddenly burst into a dozen people, just preparing the ingredients can be exhausting.Fortunately, they were not idle, rushing to help wash vegetables and cut meat, almost pushed the table over.Even the meal was noisy.The fir
“Be careful!” I rushed to shield David behind me.Draw my gun.Aim.The dark figures gradually rose to their feet.They looked at each other for a moment, then suddenly shouted my name: "Lily?"This voice?Is it the Salamanders?I looked at the men in surprise as they came out of the shadows one by one.It was them.And the tall figure in the distance who was waving a crowbar to greet me was the bear."Why are you here?" I was pleasantly surprised.They were visibly agitated, too: "We're coming to save you.""But how did you find me?"I can't get any signal out of here.Did they call in satellite surveillance? Or infrared tracking?"No, no, none of that. The salamander vendor said, "We have the drawings, look at the coordinates and find it."The blueprints?I looked back at David. Didn't he say the drawings were gone?So, salamander, where did the
“What's that noise?”I instinctively stood still and looked warily into the cave.David smiled and explained, "Don't worry, it's just some... Music in the background. Surely a dark cave needs some monsters, doesn't it?" 'What do you mean? I looked at him in even more shock. "Don't tell me you've been genetically modifying animals."Could it be that the depths of the cave are visiting cages stacked with animals, and the cages are filled with mutated monsters with hideous faces?Judging by his uncle's crazy ideas, it's not impossible.But David waved his hand and denied my guess: "This is a shelter. Not an outdoor adventure park. How could I really put some monsters in here? You may rest assured that you are perfectly safe here. ""So what was that sound?""I don't know..." David scratched his head and looked puzzled, "These are all audio files I downl
I looked at Antoninus on the screen and asked anxiously, "Does he have a good chance of reelection?""I don't know."I looked back in doubt.With all this surveillance, it's kind of bullying for him to say he didn't know.But David doesn't seem to know.He raised an eyebrow innocently and explained, "Well, his approval ratings are very high and he should have a good shot at re-election.""But?"But he doesn't seem to be running anymore."'Why?I was surprised. "Where did you get that information?"I know all about Antoninus. How could a workaholic totalitarian like him give up the presidency?David was still clueless: "Maybe it's you?""Me?"I'm not sure. Well, that's certainly the case according to the surveillance results. He spends half his time at his desk working and half looking at your pictures.""Oh," he said.My heart beat faster, but my face pretended not to care, "Then
"How can this be..." I know I'm not tied tight.I seriously doubt he strangled his hands like that on purpose.Sure enough, he looked up at me innocently again, his blue blue eyes blinking and blinking."All right," I said, "I'll untie you, but you have to give me a gun!""I don't have a gun.""Do you expect me to believe that?"I don't think a guy with his paranoid, cautious personality wouldn't have a few guns stashed around here."Say it! Where is the gun?"He smiled brightly again: "Under your bed, the floor closest to the wall is pry up.""Very good."I looked where he said, and sure enough I found two pistols under the floor.With a weapon in my hand and some relief, I unseated him from his chair.He still looked at me with a big smile. "You're not afraid I have a gun somewhere else.""Not afraid. One is enough for me."Shoot him or shoot yourself, but I won't give him another cha
For the next few days, I just stayed in my room.I cooked for David every day, watched TV with him, and even chatted with him until late at night.Because I wanted him to let his guard down early, hoping he'd forget to close the door one time he left.But I really underestimated him.The man was indeed introverted and timid, but he was also sensitive and cautious, like a rabbit, a scheming rabbit with a soft exterior but a dark belly.He locked the door when he entered the room and made sure I was standing at least three metres away when he opened and closed the door.I think it's gonna take a few months before he's completely unwary of me.I can't afford to wait that long.I can't stand the fact that he provides me with everything I need to live here, like food, like clothes, including my underwear.I even had to give him my underwear to change.I'm really gonna go crazy if this keeps going on.Might as we
"Well..." I nodded, as Antoninus had told me.Tiberius did all he could to restore the glory of his family, even though it drove his wife away and killed his only daughter.David sees that my face is fine and continues: "Mr Tibeirus chooses a quicker way to have a baby as soon as possible. One that doesn't require much cooperation from the president." .I probably guessed what he was going to say, and I bowed my head and listened.David said: "His father found a surrogate for him. That's you, isn't it?""That's right." I freely admitted, "I did have a child with him.""Chris. That's the name, isn't it?"I heard him say Chris's name and raised my eyebrows at him. "He's just a kid! What are you investigating him for?""I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Seeing my anger, David awkwardly began to wring his fingers, "I didn't mean to hurt him." I just feel sorry for you... I mean, innocent.""It's not something you should take on," he sa