Neil's words rang inside my head for the next few hours. Of course, there was no chance that I would let Aren know that I wasn't mad at him anymore because my inner rage was still present and boiling in my veins each time I felt that I recalled his words. Yet, the situation between me and Aren was clearly exhausting both of us, and I didn't want Aren to fire more people or trouble poor Neil...Since my message-recovery mission brought no results this time, I ended up focusing all my thoughts on Aren anyway. Neil advised me that it would be best if I reached out to him. He was also certain that Aren would agree to any conditions. I wasn't too sure about it, but I figured that maybe it was worth a shot. From the moment I met Aren, I literally moved into his world and played by his rules; it was time to change that. After writing and rewriting the message five times, I finally sent Aren an invitation, one without pleading and extra formalities."Eat dinner with me. I suggest tacos at Cas
Perhaps, he said. Perhaps I should have kept my mouth shut. With a stiff smile on my face, I tried to contain my boiling emotions. The sting of jealousy was painfully spreading throughout my body and made me hate Lanfen even if I didn't know her. Why had I even mentioned that I would look for her?! I didn't want to find my husband's ex! If she was out of his life, then it would be better if it stayed that way! I hated the way her name and the memory of her could stir his emotions. It made Aren agitated and anxious. She caused it, and, as much as I didn't like to admit it, I envied her. I bet that she knew Aren before he decided to lock all of his emotions away. She could have had his love, but she rejected him. Whoever she was and whatever her motives were, she didn't deserve to come back to his life. "Sunshine, are you worried?" Aren asked, smiling. "Of course I am!" I snapped. "No girl likes to hear that her man's ex is in town!" I might have gone a little overboard with the volume
I was glad that I didn't have to walk the entire way to the mansion's main building on foot. Marcus waited for us a little further away from the main gate. We drove away, leaving Vanessa, who looked as if she had gone mad. A tiny little part of me felt sorry for her. She had lost her son, and even if her brain lacked neurons, she must have suspected that he didn't kill himself. I would love to tell her that we shared the same suspicions, but that would only make her blame us for Callan's death more. I think we would never be able to guess what had caused her hatred, but especially now, that woman should be locked away from society for some serious treatment. As we entered the main building, my second favorite person in the mansion showed up—the chamberlain, Lucious Maffei. I didn't think that was possible, but this guy looked at me with more disdain than before. "Hello Lucious," I greeted him with a warm smile. "It's a lovely day, isn't it?" I couldn't help but turn on my very dark s
Aren and I left the Wintons' mansion soon after I had promised to meet with Augustus after the weekend."You did an excellent job, my beautiful wife," he commented as we were going back to the penthouse."You knew that your grandfather would approach me, didn't you? Was that why you suddenly chose to leave me alone in that hall?" I narrowed my eyes at him.He chuckled and kissed my forehead. "Of course. I knew that my grandfather would naturally assume that you are naïve. That was why he waited for the moment I wasn't around you. He was afraid that if I was listening to your conversation, I would make the choices for you, and I would make you refuse his offer.""Now, he thinks that I am willing to listen to him and use the diamond as an investment. What do we do next?" I asked.Aren sighed. "We would have to use the fact that you're going to meet my grandfather in his office, but the plan that I'm thinking of is a risky one…""What do you mean?" I asked, my heart speeding as I saw his
The clock was ticking. It wouldn't be so much better if Augustus gave me the real five minutes, but we all knew that he could come back at any time. Nevertheless, we had to proceed methodically."OK, we took over the surveillance cameras in the mansion." I heard Alan's voice in my ear. "We need to record a loop to play it while you look around the office. Cora, sit behind the old man's desk and pretend that you are reading the contract. You need to sit motionlessly and count to fifteen, then flip the page and count to fifteen one more time."I did everything according to Alan's instructions. By the time the look was prepared to fool any potential security guard watching, I was left with no more than four minutes. I pulled out my phone and turned on my super-scanner apps. The guys, sitting with their computers in the car right outside the gates of the mansion, could see everything I saw on their screens. That way, there were five of us, including Aren and Neil, trying to spot anything
We decided to be cautious and check what was on that flash drive once everyone left the company. It was a little after 10 PM, and since we weren't certain if the drive was password-protected, Aren and Neil met us in our full of equipment computer office. We locked the doors after making sure that all the other employees were gone from that floor, and ceremoniously plugged the USB into my computer. I checked if the flash drive wasn't infected before I opened its content, holding my breath. There was a single audio file on it. Aren, Norton, Alan, and Neil sat around me as I opened it. The recording started with some cracks and distorted sounds, which lasted about a minute. It felt discouraging. I skipped the record on fast-forward until finally, we heard two male voices. "The police want to reopen the case. Someone must have tipped them off," the first man said in a low-pitched hoarse voice. "What do you mean, someone?! It was your fucking job to make sure that no one ever digs in Lil
I couldn't cry even though I wanted to. For some sick reason, my body decided that it would be better if I kept all my intense emotions rotting inside me instead of crying them out. I lay on my bed, thinking about how this could happen. I was so engaged in his war that I poured my heart and soul into it, but he decided to crush it. Even if it was a twisted way of his to protect me, it destroyed everything and all the trust between us. I was certain of him, to the point where I wanted to risk my life for him because I thought that he would do the same... Was I only fooling myself?I stared at the ceiling, analyzing the situation of my kidnapping with a brand-new filter. What would have happened if I hadn't found my way out of there? Would Aren have risked his life to save mine, or perhaps it was merely my foolish assumption? Maybe he had never planned to enter that building in the first place. Maybe his sole purpose had always been to catch the one who wanted him dead? I felt that my h
I leaned back in my seat, my head spinning as I couldn't process what Jack had just told us. Anger buzzed within me as I thought that Callan was messing with us even after he died."This is absurd! You told us before that the pathologist couldn't find any evidence that Callan's death was a murder, and now you can be accused of killing him?!" My frustration went beyond the limits I could handle.Aren placed his hand on top of mine. "Calm down, Cora. We will find a solution; we just need to think carefully."I inwardly slapped myself for enjoying Aren's touch and then slipped my hand away from his. As I did, he glanced at me with a hint of odd sadness flashing in his expression. Was he surprised that I was going to avoid his touch? Well, too bad he hadn't thought about it before degrading everything we had to casual sex.Jack noticed our change in behavior right away. "You two had a fight?"My "yes" came simultaneously with Aren's "no." We looked at each other slightly awkwardly.Jack c
I didn't answer Aren right away. I held my poker face still, resisting the urge to smile. I waited until the smug smirk slowly left his mouth, enjoying every second of his uncertainty. "Say it again," I said. He raised his eyebrows questioningly. "Will you marry me?" His confusion made my lips gently curve. "Not this, but your words before that." "I love you." He grinned, reaching for my hand. "I love you." He took out the ring from the box and put it on my finger. It fitted perfectly. "I love you," he breathed, leaning closer and placing a gentle kiss on my chin, on my cheek, and my lips. I wish I could say that it was a perfect, romantic moment, but my hormones ruined it all by making me cry again. He chuckled softly, sitting beside me and pulling me onto his lap. He kissed every tear away while gently stroking my hair with his fingers. "I want you forever as my wife. Nod if you agree," he said, giving me the sweetest smile I saw on his face. Of course, I nodded. It was much e
I had been dreaming about this moment for the last five months. No. Scratch that. I had been having nightmares about this moment. From the moment I found out that I was pregnant, there wasn't a single day I didn't think about how I was going to tell Aren. Initially, I wanted to call him immediately. This situation was changing everything between us. I grabbed the phone while tears flooded my eyes. I picked Aren's number... and I froze.The baby I had growing inside my belly would become the future heir of the Lan family. This meant that as soon as I told anyone, I would become the future mother of the future heir... Chills ran down my spine. Would I be forced to live in Shanghai and become nothing more than Aren Lan's wife? I instantly felt nauseous, and not only because I had morning sickness. Something was crushing my chest, and I was scared. I was terrified. And then later, what if someone decided that I wasn't the best mother for my child and would take my child away? I knew that
It'd been over six months since Cora walked out the door of the Lan family mansion. That day was the last time I saw her, the last time I felt her, and the last time I could focus on anything. From that moment, I had been merely existing, surprising myself each time I got up to see another morning. Funny, isn't it? The cold son of the bitch who wasn't supposed to have a heart was suffering from agonizing heartache. If Nanny Mei Lien had seen me like this, she would have called me pathetic.Since my Mother died a little after I was born, Mei Lien was the only parent figure around me. James Winton most likely wanted me to die as well, but Mei Lien did everything she could to keep me safe. She contacted my Grandfather on her own and begged him to grant me and her his protection. He refused. He was soaked with hatred for the daughter who betrayed him, and it was only natural that he would hate that daughter's son as well. It's ironic that right before the daughter whom he hated died wishe
I started packing the second I walked into our room. Aren looked at me, shocked. Within a heartbeat, he surged between me and my suitcase. "What are you doing, sunshine?" His steady voice had a rough edge painted with anxiety. "I'm going back to New York. I had already booked a plane on our way to the mansion." I tried to keep my tone composed, but every piece within me was shaking. He huffed nervously. "When are you coming back to Shanghai?" His eyes darkened; he knew what I was going to say. "I'm not coming back," I muttered, lowering my gaze. "Sunshine... don't..." He shook his head, pain and desperation surfacing in his features wildly. I brushed away the tears that had uncontrollably fallen down my cheeks. "Give me a reason why I should stay?" I pushed him away from my suitcase and continued packing. "I know that I'm selfish, but I can't lose you." His voice was soft, nearly cracking. Before I knew it, his arms were wrapped around me, and I surrendered to the warmth of his b
I had trouble eating dinner, and it had nothing to do with my two broken fingers. I couldn't swallow a single piece of food, feeling that every bite got stuck in my throat. Afterward, I went to Lan Jing's office for a private conversation. I was pissed, and with every second that had gone by, I found it more difficult to hide my anger. I had known that Aren would have to be in Shanghai to take over Lan Wang Corporation, but we were going to discuss the details together! I had never even considered moving to Shanghai and staying here permanently!The few friends I had, all lived in New York. My Grandma stayed in the clinic in New York. My life was in New York. I loved Aren, but I had only just begun to truly cherish the place where I lived, and I didn't want to move somewhere else, no matter how beautiful and extraordinary Shanghai was. It wasn't about the language, because I would gladly learn it, but I would do it for myself. I helped Aren with his revenge, and it seemed to me that h
I was not a killer. I'd always considered myself a good person. I had a high set of moral standards, and I had never thought that there would be a day when I would point a gun at someone, thinking that he deserved to die. Still, I couldn't take away his life... But I wanted him to suffer. I aimed at his right shoulder. Adrenaline sharpened my senses, making me more focused than I had ever been in my whole life. The oddly funny fact was that I had problems with hitting the target board, but I knew exactly where the bullet would hit the second I pulled that trigger.Caishen growled in pain, the knife held in his right hand falling to the ground. "You bitch!" he yelled, stomping my way.I shot again, this time aiming at his thigh. The second bullet made him collapse. I watched him fall to the ground, his hands reaching to press the wound on his leg. I smirked coldly. I must have hit an artery since he was bleeding out fast. None of those shots were lethal, but they were enough. He lost.
My husband was two feet away from me. He was covered in blood, but all I cared about was that the blood wasn't his. His eyes carried an explosive mix of emotions. There was fear, guilt, relief, need, longing, pain, anger, and an unrecognizable form of warmth. He stood still, as if he was waiting for my permission to come closer, to touch me, to embrace me. Seeing him near me and not feeling his skin against mine was almost unbearable. My whole body craved him. I could finally breathe because he was close. I spread my arms open, invitingly. It only took a heartbeat for him to encircle me in a tight hug, allowing me to melt into his muscular frame. I breathed in his scent like it was a remedy for all the physical pain."I missed you so much," I mumbled, shedding a wide stream of tears.His hands delicately traced up and down my back as if he was afraid to hurt me. "I'm sorry, sunshine... I'm so sorry." He breathed heavily in between leaving soft kisses on the crown of my head. "I was so
The alarms went off. I could see the red lights flashing rhythmically as Caishen dragged me through the corridor. This time I didn't even dream of running away. I was circled by Max and the group of guards who watched me closely, tensing each time one of my legs swayed as if it was a signal of me trying to run away. I tried to memorize the route but then decided that it was useless since I didn't even know where the exit was. Nonetheless, I'd noticed something before: there were no windows. My suspicions were confirmed as I was pushed into the elevator. We were on the underground floor—Level -3, and the elevator went down to Level -5.Once we left the elevator, I saw more armed men, running somewhere and securing certain areas. Then I heard very distant gunshots. My heart started to pound with a new beat. Aren might have been getting closer. The sole thought made my body warm."Get in," Caishen hissed, throwing me into a raw, almost unfurnished room. "You will wait here until it's all
Caishen's peel of laughter told me that I could breathe again. I emptied my lungs in one hectic exhale. The gun's barrel was still touching my temple. My hand was trembling. I blinked my eyes, slowly realizing that there was no bullet in the chamber. Caishen clapped his hands, visibly entertained that I decided to risk my life, playing his sick game. I hated him. I hated him for making me choose between my life and the lives of the criminals standing around me. It would have been easier if I had lost my moral values and had given up on respect for human lives, but it was something I could never do. Certainly, I believed that there were deviants in this world that didn't deserve to live, but if I was their judge, I would rather grant them hell on earth than send them to hell myself."Are you trying to become a saint, my dear?" Caishen laughed as he snatched the gun from my hand. "We are surrounded by meaningless people. Their lives don't matter. They will always be workers, not creator