Liesel buried her head in his chest, whimpering. She grabbed Elijah's idle hand and placed it on a specific spot on her lower back. "My back is so sore. Can you massage it, please?"Elijah's hands came into contact with skin so soft that it felt like a peeled hard-boiled again. It felt like if he used a little too much force, he'd leave behind fingerprints or even crush her.He remembered the bruises that he'd left on her waist in the form of fingerprints last night.His eyes darkened, and he held her tightly in his arms. Burying his head in her shoulder, he said helplessly, "You just love to tease me."Seeing him so helpless, Liesel laughed out loud. She'd managed to make Elijah forget about those useless things happening on the outside.Elijah's hands began to rub the sore spot on her lower back. Cheerily, Liesel lay in his arms, enjoying his hard work. After a moment, she asked, "Since you care about this so much, then why don't you come with me today?""What?" Elijah thought
"So you want to humiliate Dash?"Was Liesel trying to humiliate Dash? Every important person in Ashthorne was going to see him like he was the laughingstock of Draskia.Liesel considered it giving him a taste of his own medicine. After all, if Dash hadn't gone against Liesel and Hardin Group, she wouldn't have aimed her arrow directly at him. In other words, Dash had asked for it, so he couldn't complain that Liesel was being cruel.Not to mention, Dash also knew how ruthless Liesel could be. Wasn't "bait talks" bad enough? Why had he insisted on crossing her again?"Seems like Dash will think of this nightmarish experience every time he talks about you from now on."This wasn't just Dash's nightmare, but also the nightmare of many foreign investors."Don't you like that?"Liesel wrapped herself in a blanket and hummed. However, Elijah gripped her slim ankles, bowing his head to observe her feet.Liesel curled her cute, round toes.She had always thought that she was beautiful
Thanks to Liesel's invitation this time, Tobey was able to give Chelsea a chance to make up for her poor behavior. However, she got into the car happily after leaving the training camp and didn't seem to have noticed his displeasure. Perhaps she was aware but pretended to be in the dark. While Chelsea was at the training camp, almost everyone seemed to have secretly hidden their phones. Everyone could keep up with the news outside, and Chelsea had read plenty about Liesel and Dash's fight.Chelsea barely said a word when others were criticizing Liesel for being so reckless. Now that Liesel bounced back, the first thing Chelsea did after leaving the training camp was to give her a call. She was acting like she was her biggest fan. Chelsea completely disregarded Tobey, who went through all the trouble to take her home. His expression darkened as he drove. The tension in the car seemed to grow more intense. "Why do you seem more upset than I do?" Liesel's eyes gleamed as she answer
Liesel gazed at the burned salmon in silence before covering her face. It was fine. After all, the charred parts were great for digestion. Since Tobey had gone to pick up Chelsea in a hurry, he probably had not eaten yet. Liesel could bring a portion of food for him. Meanwhile, Tobey was yelling at Chelsea in the car. "Chelsea! Let go!""Never! I'm not letting go if you're not telling me why you snickered." Chelsea could be rather bold and had become quite famous lately.From the moment Chelsea joined the girl group reality show, her stunning appearance earned her a spot as one of the highly ranked contestants. Thanks to her impressive talents, she always remained in center position and never got demoted. She was considered a popular female idol that was on the verge of going viral. Tobey had gone to watch Chelsea perform in public. She seemed so distant and aloof while performing a traditional dance.Although she had an immaculate stage presence in front of the camera, she
"Oh yeah, Lili. Many are reprimanding you since they're still unaware of what's going on. You should stop checking Twitter for the next two days because all these people are out of their minds."It was rare that Tobey agreed with Chelsea's comments. Meanwhile, Liesel hummed in response. She ended the call without continuing the conversation.Liesel hurriedly skimmed through the Twitter trends while coming up with a plan in her mind. Not only did she find their tweets rather ridiculous, but she also finally understood why Elijah looked so upset. If she were in his shoes, she would be just as distressed if anyone insulted Elijah or Xavier. She locked her phone before quickly preparing breakfast that should have been ready long ago and served it on the table. Elijah had been waiting for breakfast for a little too long. By right, breakfast should not have taken such a long time to prepare, and he also clearly smelled something burning.Elijah noticed that Liesel had prepared two set
Liesel listened to Jeffrey talking nonsense with a cold expression. She only started mocking him after he finished his request."So, you don't think they betrayed me, right? Who do you think made Jacob ask for a divorce?" A few words from her was enough to leave him speechless.Jeffrey was silent for a long time before saying, "You don't have to help Nat, but you must help the Sharp family."He finally voiced out his true intention. That was what he actually wanted to ask from Liesel. He still wanted to restore the Sharp family to its former glory."Liesel, I've sacrificed so much for Heather, so you must help me revive the Sharp family. It's what the Mallones' descendants could do for me."Liesel tapped her fingers lightly against the table as she spoke mockingly. "How much did you get from Heather after the wedding?"Oh wait, no. Let me rephrase my question. How much did Ms. Mallone promise you after the wedding? She must have given you lots of money and assets."Even if you l
Instead of feeling embarrassed, Elijah felt proud. To him, being able to lean on Liesel was something to be proud of. Meanwhile, Jeffrey gritted his teeth in fury. His plea had become an entertainment for Liesel and Elijah. Was he just a joke to them?Elijah knew Liesel put the phone on speaker, so he took it from her and placed it on the table. That way, he could hear their conversation as well. He even intentionally took wet tissue and dabbed at her hand. His gaze didn't seem aloof at all. Instead, Elijah seemed rather amused. It was as if he were waiting for something exciting to unfold.Ever since Liesel mentioned that the phone was on speaker, and Elijah was beside her, Jeffrey had stopped smashing things over the phone.Jeffrey was clearly startled as his breathing had turned shallow. Although he was sitting on the couch, he felt like his legs had gone limp. He propped his arms on the table. "Lili, you… Why did you put the phone on speaker while talking to me? Some thing
Elijah glanced at Liesel calmly. His eyes were filled with affection. She had noticed his expression while gazing into his dark eyes that seemed to twinkle with adoration for her. His gaze darkened further once he realized she was looking at him.Liesel once described Elijah's gaze as always full of affection, no matter who he looked at. Even if he were looking at a dog, his gaze was still rather tender."It's getting late. Shall we go there?" She nuzzled herself against his shoulder, appearing like she had gone limp completely.Liesel never acted that way in public. She would only show her lazy side around him, like a cat exposing its soft tummy.Hearing her made him hesitate for a moment. It had been some time since he appeared in public. Although Liesel kept protecting Hardin Group repeatedly and even associated the company with Shifter Corporation, some people kept criticizing her relationship with him. But Elijah could understand why outsiders would criticize them. The most
Brandon didn't respond right away. Fred continued, "No one taught your mother and sister how to act appropriately in society. Mr. Ford is spending his precious time teaching them what to do and what not to do. Thus, they will have to suffer a bit for this."Mr. Zima, if you really want to help them, then just give your parents the bare minimum financial aid from time to time. As for your sister… you have no obligation to provide for her. Do you understand where I'm coming from?"Brandon couldn't accept it. "My sister's reputation in the industry isn't great right now. If I don't help her, then she really won't be able to survive. Mr. Ford is also an older brother. He should understand what I'm going through."Jacob loved Ophelia, and Brandon also naturally loved Yvonne. It was because of this that he wanted to try getting forgiveness from Ophelia.Fred raised his voice. "Ms. Ford is very warm and never treats people haughtily. She has never used her family background to bully oth
With a serious expression, Brandon rattled on about the various compensations for Ophelia. Fred nearly couldn't keep his facial expression under control.It seemed like everyone already knew that Ophelia was a huge fan of Chelsea's. It couldn't have been easy to think of such a compensation.The elevator arrived on the top floor, but Jacob still hadn't given his response. Therefore, Brandon hurried into his office behind Jacob and Fred. Finally, Jacob looked at him. "There is some sincerity to it."Firstly, a public apology to Ophelia on his company's Twitter account would clear her name. Secondly, the shares would be considered as financial compensation for the mental distress caused.The third form of compensation was the key point that convinced Jacob to look up. He thought that it was too difficult for Ophelia to fight for concert tickets and produce fan merchandise herself. Now that there was someone readily available to do it, Ophelia wouldn't have to work so hard.This pers
Jacob could really be heinous.Who wanted to listen to Veronica's blabbering?Most people thought that Tobey was sly, cold, and heartless. However, they didn't know that Jacob was the one who was truly wicked.In his youth, he had once been kidnapped because one of the medicines that the Ford family manufactured had threatened to undermine the profits of others. During that time, he'd suffered through endless torment.When he was rescued, his personality had turned ruthless.Although he could be monstrous, he placed great importance on his family and friends. And, Ophelia was his beloved little sister.How could he let Yvonne off the hook for scheming against Ophelia? He had to teach Yvonne that the world could be a harsh place.Not only was Yvonne stupid, but she was also very unfortunate.At first, Jacob could still tolerate how Yvonne had used Ophelia. He had just planned to give her a small taste of her medicine and stop there. However, Veronica had decided on her own accor
Vincent's expression turned cold. He wanted to kick her out of the house, but suddenly, Jacob's cold voice sounded from afar."Since our family is powerful and influential, why should we swallow our anger and surfer in silence?"Jacob had left a document at home, but because his assistant, Fred Foreman, didn't know where it was kept, he had to come home himself to get it. Unexpectedly, he overheard Veronica's haughty words when he returned.Well, a woman who was only pretending to be wealthy in a remote place was now acting superior in his home. Who would allow that to happen?All these years, Veronica had never been defied by someone younger than her before. Because she was much older, she considered herself superior. She didn't care if one was the heir to the family or the eldest son of the main family. At that moment, Jacob's words had made her rage boil over."Look! Look at the children that the Ford family has produced!"Jacob raised an eyebrow. He massaged the spot betwee
Edward chuckled quietly in her ear. "Where do you want to go tomorrow, Ophelia? Should I take you on an overseas getaway? Or perhaps, we could take a stroll nearby and watch a movie.""I can't go overseas; I'm not on break yet. Let's go watch a movie," Ophelia replied. "I've only watched a movie with you as my brother. This time, I want to try watching a movie with you as my boyfriend."Although Edward was still the same person, his identity had changed.She could now touch Edward openly. She could hold his hand, hug him, and kiss him.It was… really great."Alright, get some rest today. I'll come pick you up tomorrow," Edward said.Ophelia nodded and walked him to the door. As soon as she shut the door, she pressed her hand to her chest, feeling her heart thudding rapidly from the kiss earlier.She hopped into bed and rolled from side to side.After Edward got into his car, he finally let out a loud laugh. He pressed his fingers to his lips, reminiscing about the aftertaste sh
As their tongues intertwined, Edward could taste a sweet and sour flavor on Ophelia's tongue. It tasted like she just had a piece of strawberry candy that made her entire mouth taste sweet.Even her breath smelled like this refreshing and saccharine fruity scent. It was as if she was enticing him to take a bite of her and swallow her.The more they kissed, the more forceful Edward got. The air around them felt syrupy and intimate."Are you sure you really have never dated before? Am I really your first? If I am… then why are you so good at kissing?" she asked like it was an interrogation.She didn't know how to kiss and was very inexperienced. However, Edward had practically conquered her. He kissed her until her knees went weak.At the thought of Edward doing this to another woman, her chest began to ache terribly.Edward played with her hair, which had become messy from the kissing. "Like I said, you're all I dream about. I don't even know how many times I've kissed you in my d
"How would you know that I also didn't have the same kind of thoughts when you secretly kissed me all those years ago?"You said that I was born in a tall tower, but I didn't get to choose my background. Meanwhile, you have climbed your way up to where I am to be with me."In ancient times, we would have been innocent and carefree childhood sweethearts. We would've been considered a match made in heaven."Edward, what I'm saying is the truth." Ophelia said each word solemnly. She stared unblinkingly at Edward as she spoke. "While you were struggling with these emotions, who said I was not struggling too?"However, I just couldn't forget you. I couldn't accept a future without you. What I wanted was to have you by my side. I wish you were my lover, and I want to be with you, Edward Ford."Her response was firm and resolute. It echoed with conviction.At the same time, she seemed to be giving her answer to the Edward who had been hiding his feelings in fear and panic for many y
"If you're ever unhappy, you can come find me anytime. I'll always be here for you."This was Edward's promise.These were the moments when Ophelia had seen Edward smoking. Each time, it seemed to have something to do with her.She recalled the past. The way Edward always looked at her became even clearer in her mind. Back then, she might not have understood the struggle and yearning in his eyes.But now, she thought she understood.Her mind was filled with too many thoughts, and their embrace had lasted far too long.She wanted to push him away, but at that moment, he suddenly whispered in her ear, "Your first kiss wasn't him. It was me."What?Ophelia was stunned. She even thought that she'd heard wrong.When had she ever kissed Edward? How come she never knew about it?She pushed him away. Her doe eyes widened."You're lying. E-except just now, we've never kissed before!""The night before I left the country, you held onto my shirt and refused to let me leave. After you
Ophelia still remembered the melancholy and confusion that she'd seen in Edward's eyes. He had looked like a young boy who couldn't find his way home.The moment Edward saw her, he stubbed out his cigarette. Holding her hand, he led the bleary-eyed Ophelia back to the bedroom.Worried that she'd catch a cold from the freezing winds, he made her a cup of hot chamomile tea. She didn't like the taste, so he had to try his hardest to coax her into drinking it.Upset, she said to him accusingly, "Edward, I feel I'm turning into a chamomile plant."Edward laughed.He was handsome. Even when he laughed, he looked attractive. Amusement bloomed on his charming and elegant face.She complimented him dazedly, "Edward, you're really good-looking."Even though she was still mad that she'd been coaxed into drinking a whole mug of chamomile tea, she still found herself lost in his handsomeness. Edward's eyes were curved from his broad grin, and he reached out to rub her head."You're very goo