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Ch7 - Final goodbye
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2024-11-14 21:00:00This would be Lena’s last day at the villa. The next morning, she packed a few clothes and essentials into a suitcase, dressed herself in a formal business suit, styled her hair neatly in a half-updo, and put on a pair of comfortable white shoes. She wore no flashy jewelry, but her look was sharp and professional.
"Ms. Carrington, how do you feel about everything right now?" "Your employees are facing layoffs and unpaid wages—will you take full responsibility for them?" "Why are you here alone? Where is your family?" "What are your current assets? Will your personal wealth be used to repay the company’s debts?" The reporters' questions were blunt and relentless. They had been camped outside her villa since early morning, with even more swarming outside her company building. Flashbulbs flashed continuously as financial and entertainment journalists all vied for a comment. Even some small creditors and clientsRelated chapters
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"What's got her so stressed? Is she really wandering the rooftop just because she can't have pretty clothes and bags?" "Haha, you guys are brutal." "I'm heading to the scene now. Anyone coming?" "Count me in—anyone else want to team up?" "Don't bother. She’s not actually going to jump; she’s just looking for sympathy." "Is it really okay to rub salt in someone's wounds like that?" ... The online comments were relentless, and the things people said were too harsh for Lena to ignore. She rolled up her sleeves, adjusted her posture, and her fingers flew over the keyboard. "I'm really sorry for hogging public resources. Rest assured, I have no intention of taking my own life—past, present, or future. Also, if someone truly had suicidal thoughts, those making snide remarks would only be complicit. Please watch what you say, and have a great weekend." Lena switched off her screen and set her phone face down. She didn't care what else people might say; she’d spoken her mind
Last Updated : 2024-11-14Rivals to Lovers Ch9 - Genderless
After staying at the hotel for a week, Lena rented an apartment and was checking out of the hotel. “We look forward to your next visit!” The receptionist politely handed Lena her credit card back. It was a new hotel—not perfect in terms of amenities but with excellent service. She’d had a good experience these past few days. “Wait, it’s you again? Why are you stalking me?” Lena’s smile vanished, replaced with a defensive glare. “Hey, lady, who’s got the time to stalk you?” The guy replied with a smirk, two buttons undone on his shirt, revealing a hint of muscle. “Then what are you doing here?” she asked, eyeing him with suspicion. “This hotel’s mine. Why wouldn’t I be here?” “Yours?” Lena couldn’t believe it. This hotel belonged to Alaric? He grinned proudly. “A little pre-birthday gift for next month. What do you thi
Last Updated : 2024-11-15Rivals to Lovers Ch10 - International call
Lena's apartment wasn’t big, but it had the advantage of tight front desk security, keeping journalists away so she could have a little peace. At least, that’s what she thought—A call interrupted the quiet. It was from an unknown international number, most likely a scam, so she didn’t answer. But two minutes later, the same number called again. When it almost went to voicemail, curiosity got the better of her, and she answered.“Lena... it’s me, your mom…”Lena’s hand slipped, and the phone tumbled onto the carpet, spinning as her mind went blank, buzzing in shock. After several seconds, her vision slowly focused. With trembling hands, she picked up the phone, put it on speaker, and set it on the floor. She sat down, hugging her knees, dreading what she might hear, yet unable to turn away.“Lena, are you still there?” Her mother’s voice was gentle, “You must be so tired lately; it must have been so hard. Your dad and I didn’t want to le
Last Updated : 2024-11-15Rivals to Lovers Ch11 - Abandoned Land
Lena had a headache. She had no idea how to deal with cryptocurrencies—she was completely clueless in that area.Just then, her phone chimed. She picked it up and saw a message from “The Weakling”: “Want to meet up today?” She remembered that she hadn’t contacted Alaric since they last met at his hotel. She replied, “Address?”Lena returned to the same hotel. Zayn was already waiting in the lobby and escorted her upstairs to a suite. “Please have a seat. The boss will be here in five minutes after his meeting,” he said. Lena nodded, and Zayn left the room.The suite was spacious, with a full wall of floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the river. It had been a long time since Lena had taken a moment to enjoy the view. The city felt somewhat unfamiliar to her now, and she stared out, momentarily lost in thought.She didn’t even notice when someone entered the room.Alaric walked in to see her standing by the window, her graceful silhouette
Last Updated : 2024-11-16Rivals to Lovers Ch12 - A lot alike
The land was in Z Country and was auctioned off by the local government.It’s only a three-hour flight to Z Country. Lena and Alaric flew there on his private jet, sitting far apart—one at the front and the other at the back—without saying a word the entire way.After landing, they stayed overnight at a hotel. Lena's room was right next to Alaric's, supposedly for better security. As she looked around her luxurious room, she had to admit Alaric had treated her well; he'd booked her the best room. Alone for the night, she didn’t feel like going out, so she ordered room service, had a quiet meal, and then enjoyed a relaxing bath. It had been a long time since she’d had such a comfortable break. Luckily, once Alaric won the bid for that piece of land, it wouldn’t take even half a year before she could get her payout. She hadn’t told her family in advance; she wanted to wait until the money was really in her hands.Just after she put on a bathrobe, s
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"What's that? The land in Z Country was auctioned off to someone else? I didn't tell anyone about this, there's no way I would have dared—it'd be like shooting myself in the foot!" Mr. Carrington was sweating profusely, trying to explain to the person on the other end of the line. But with a sharp click, the call was disconnected."What happened?" his wife asked, gripping her hands tightly. She had picked up bits of the conversation and had a bad feeling.Mr. Carrington rubbed his forehead in frustration. "The land was taken by someone else. Dolphin Real Estate didn't get it.""What? Then our fifty million is gone too!" She collapsed into a chair, disbelief etched on her face. "That’s impossible. No one else should have known about this."Owen leaned in, looking shocked. "Dad, Mom, what are you talking about?" His eyes were wide, unable to believe what he was hearing.His parents didn't answer, but their expressions were filled with worry
Last Updated : 2024-11-18Rivals to Lovers Ch14 - Handsome
"Hey, ladies, interested in joining us?" A young man interrupted right as Lena was about to speak, extending an invitation to their table.Diya’s mood dropped instantly as their conversation was cut short. She shot him a look, and the guy's smile froze. He quickly backpedaled, “Haha, sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt.”Feeling a bit deflated, he scratched his head and returned to his seat.“I warned you, didn’t I? The girl on the right is not to be messed with,” Alaric teased.“No, it was the one on the left,” Argo said, still a bit rattled. “She shot me such a fierce look that I didn't dare say another word. I must’ve interrupted something important… they were talking about virtual currency or something. But seriously, the one on the right is gorgeous—those eyes!”Alaric’s gaze froze, lingering on the swaying figure a short distance away.The other guys, curious, asked, “Hey, is she really that pretty? So, who do you think is pret
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A sudden chill settled deep within her heart. Despite the sumptuous breakfast laid before her, she had little appetite. Just two days ago, she'd invested five million in cryptocurrency.She opened her phone and saw message after message from her parents, urging her to send them the rest of the money. Since this was her first attempt, she didn’t want to risk everything at once, so she’d only sent a bit to test the waters. She’d planned to make sure they received it before sending the rest.Cryptocurrency was new and somewhat mysterious—a whole new financial system, famous for its anonymous account structures. But the process of transferring money from a personal bank account to buy the currency was all carefully recorded and very public.---"I couldn’t get her to tell me anything… She’s too tight-lipped! What do you expect me to do if she won’t talk? And you keep going off without telling me, yet you want me to do all this for you. I’m really mad at you this time! Hmph! I won’t forgiv
Last Updated : 2024-11-20
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Rivals to Lovers Ch45 - Honest body
Lena glanced at Alaric, who hadn’t moved a muscle. Lowering her eyes, she swiftly swung her legs off the bed. “Forget it. I’m not thick-skinned enough to hog your bed. I’ll just—”As she brushed past him, her dress lightly swept against his leg. In an instant, Alaric’s hand encircled her waist, pulling her back against him. Her back pressed against his rising and falling chest, and even through the fabric, she could feel the heat emanating from his legs, now supporting her seated on his lap.Her breath hitched, and a gravelly voice murmured by her ear, “Be honest, were you thinking about sleeping with me?”The words were nearly the same as before, but the tone was completely different. The air had shifted. Lena’s heart pounded chaotically. She
Rivals to Lovers Ch44 - Faint-heart
Lena’s heart skipped a beat as she turned her head, finding Alaric standing there, hands in his pockets, a playful smirk on his face."Finished most of that coffee, huh? Aren’t you worried it’ll keep you up even more?" he teased.A small flicker of relief washed over her, but she quickly masked it, turning her head away with a huff. Of all things, he’d managed to track her down and call out her excuse. She lightly touched her cheek with her fingertips, glancing upward. "And what about you? What are you doing down here? How’d you even know I was at the café?""You’re afraid of ghosts, so obviously you’d stay somewhere well-lit," he said matter-of-factly, taking a seat across from her."
Rivals to Lovers Ch43 - Urban legends
Lena ignored the architect's puzzled look. After carefully studying the drawing, she looked up and said, “This design is solid, no doubt. But I do have a question—when designing this linear layout, did you take the impact of wind direction and sunlight on the residents into account? Considering we’re by the seaside, it’s a crucial factor.”The two architects froze, seemingly caught off guard. Lena's focused gaze bore into them, prompting a response after a brief pause. One of them replied, “We’re addressing it by enhancing window sealing. As for the wind direction…”The other quickly added, “We’ll reassess the building’s orientation to see if adjustments are needed.”Lena nodded slightly before pointing out, “Another thing—I n
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When Lena got home, she leaned against the wall, taking several deep breaths. She was terrified that if she’d walked any slower, the words “Do you want to come up for a bit?” would have slipped out of her mouth.She kicked off her heels, tossed her bag aside, and buried her fingers in her hair, exasperated. “What’s wrong with you, Lena? Have you lost your mind?” she muttered, scolding herself. Her hair became as disheveled as her thoughts. She couldn’t let herself repeat the mistake she made last time—getting drunk and accidentally sleeping with him. No way. Not again....Even if his physique and skills were—Stop!She hurried into the kitchen and gulped down some ice water. The sudden
Rivals to Lovers Ch41 - Physical attraction
Cassian quietly stepped out of Tessa’s room. “Sorry about that—she fell asleep.”Lena guessed as much. “Her love for naps hasn’t changed one bit since she was a kid.”He sighed. “Exactly. I told her to finish just two pages of homework, and not even an hour later, she passed out at her desk.”Lena chuckled. “See? You do spoil her.”“What can I do? She’s my only sister.” He shook his head with a helpless smile. “Next time, I’ll invite you over earlier and cook for you to make up for tonight.”Lena’s eyes lit up. “Really? You better tell me in advance then, so I can skip dinner the day before!”
Rivals to Lovers Ch40 - Old neighbour
As soon as Lena entered Cassian's apartment, a teenage girl, around 14 or 15, came running out of the hallway. Her curly auburn hair matched Cassian's.Lena froze for a moment. The girl she remembered as barely waist-high had suddenly grown so much taller."Brother, you're back!" Tessa exclaimed, throwing her arms around Cassian. He gently patted her head—a habit he had with younger girls. "Look who’s here," he said, gesturing toward Lena.Tessa turned her head curiously and said, "Huh? Who’s this pretty lady? Is she your girlfriend? She looks familiar."Lena chuckled, "I’m not your brother’s girlfriend. But do you remember how you used to run to my house whenever your brother scolded you and you didn’t want to go home?"
Rivals to Lovers Ch39 - Need a explanation
Alaric picked up his phone, glanced at it quickly, didn’t type a single word, and put it away again. His expression turned two shades colder than before.Emma tried to keep the conversation going, but he clearly wasn’t in the mood to talk. His replies grew noticeably shorter.Thinking he might just be overworked and tired, Emma reminded herself of the research she had done before this blind date. Alaric had managed a large company at such a young age, and that alone had earned her admiration before they even met. She didn’t want to let go of such a high-quality match.The main course was finished, and dessert was served. Emma picked up her dessert fork but didn’t take a bite. Instead, she said, “I know you’re here because, like me, your parents pushed you into it. Honestly, I hate this kind of thing, t
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"Alright, I’m heading out." Alaric placed his napkin on the table, getting ready to stand up.A hand reached across the table and gently pressed down on his.“Alaric, you just got here. You haven’t even warmed the chair and you’re already leaving?” It was Alaric’s mother, Daisy, speaking. She had been pestering him for ages to come home, and now that he finally showed up for dinner, she wasn’t going to let him off so easily. "It’s Friday evening—surely you don’t have anything urgent to do? Stay a little longer.”“I have a few reports to review for Monday’s meeting,” Alaric replied, pulling his hand back as he stood.Mrs. Winfield, not wanting to confront her son directly, redirected her frustration toward her husband, Albert. “Look at you! You handed over the company to him so early, and now he’s too busy to have a life of his own.”Albert was busy staring at his phone.Irritated, Daisy snatched it away.Startled, Albert blinked in confusion. He had been
Rivals to Lovers Ch37 - Conflict
On Thursday afternoon, the meeting was in full swing.The special meeting focused on the project The Corner in Zone 2, unlike the regular Monday meetings. Lena brought three of her deputies, striving to push for an extension on the project’s delivery deadline.Lena presented her reasoning for why the project required more time than initially planned. She pointed out discrepancies in the early calculations and emphasized the importance of execution quality. “Since this is the company’s first build-to-rent project, I firmly believe we should prioritize quality,” she stated.Alaric, however, disagreed. “The schedule has already been delayed due to previous repairs. There’s no room for further extension. I need to see this project completed by the end of January next year.”His tone was resolute.“Rushing the delivery will lead to inevitable flaws and affect our future leasing potential. Please reconsider quality as a priority,” Lena urged.“No. Our marketing cam
