I was in Grandma's room, sitting by her bed, and holding her hand. She was plugged into all sorts of equipment that helped her breathe and monitored her. She looked as if she was peacefully asleep. I only hoped that she couldn't feel any pain while being in her motionless state. I talked to her often, hoping that she could hear me, or at least know that I loved her, and I wanted her back. I had never complained about anything, especially not in her presence. I didn't want her to think that she could have been some kind of a burden to me because she wasn't. She was the only family I had left, the only person I loved in this world, and the anchor that kept me going. But I wished she could tell me what to do because I was tired of being on my own, constantly dealing with all kinds of problems. I was angry and frustrated, and all kinds of "if only" swirled inside my head. If only I had more money... If only I had the diploma... If only I could have a well-paid job...
"Help me, Grandma..." I muttered, trying to smile despite tears drawing lines down my cheeks. "Things really got complicated this time, and you know that I suck at solving problems that require talking to other people…"
I felt overwhelmed, yet I forced myself to push my problems away for a moment. I wiped my tears and took a deep breath to calm down. Then I reached out my hand to stroke Grandma's beautiful, long, white hair. She had to be stunning when she was young. She didn't want to show me any of her old pictures, but I remember Grandpa saying that Grandma used to be the most magnificent woman he had ever seen. Even now, I could see her beauty through the lovely wrinkles on her face, stamping each tough year of her life. Sophia Bell, at 65, was one hot granny.
I used to wonder if the women in our family weren't cursed, certainly Grandma. She had never been treated kindly by her fate. She got pregnant when she was 17 years old. The father was her high school boyfriend, a local sports star from a wealthy family. He had never acknowledged the baby. He accused my Grandma of cheating and spread all kinds of gossip about her, turning her image from the naïve and kind girl she was into the vicious slut he accused her of being. In the end, even her parents believed this bastard's rumors. As a strong and independent woman, she packed her bags and left her small town and family. After she had given birth to my Mother, she applied to college. She was raising a child while studying and working. My Grandma was a real-life wonder woman.
When she was in college, she met Charles Johnstone, aka Grandpa. Of course, he and I weren't blood-related, but he loved Grandma and treated my Mom as his daughter and me as his granddaughter. To me, he was the best Grandpa I could imagine having. I was grateful to him that he had found my Grandma and filled over forty years of her life with love and warmth. He was her rock, and I know that Grandma couldn't have broken down long ago if it weren't for him, especially after my Mother died in a plane crash… Sophia Bell had always been resilient. I had seen her devastated and crying only once, and that was at my Mother's funeral. I was five at the time. The next day, she washed her beautiful face, took me for a walk, and told me that she would be the one raising me from that day. Now… my perfect and strong grandma was lying in bed in a coma, and I would have fought the devil if that could have brought her back.
"Right," I said, finding new determination within me, "We are not going to get evicted from our workshop. Then I'm going to find us a great deal that will bring us a lot of money, and I will get this hundred thousand dollars for the operation. And you, Grandma, are going to wake up and live for many long years."
Who was I to whine and complain? I had Sophia Bell's blood running in my veins. I had to prove that I was worthy of calling myself her Granddaughter. I stood up to lean over her, kissed her forehead, and left her room, ready to crush Golden Estate Investments if they weren't willing to change their minds about throwing us out of our workshop. I strode out of the clinic, taking fast, energetic steps. On my way to the bus stop, I texted Alan.
"Send me their company address."
A minute later, I received an address, detailed information on the company itself, and how to get to them from the clinic, along with Alan's short reply, "Go blast those bastards."
I smirked. Alan had never failed to impress me. I bet he had all those things prepared for some time and simply waited to hear from me. I checked the address and five minutes later was already on my way there, figuring out the right arguments to use. Sitting on a bus, I opened the file Alan sent me and started reading about the company. I had to know who I was up against first.
I started reading, muttering under my breath, "Founded in 2017, Golden Estate Investments is a part of the Lan Diamond Corporation…"
I gasped and stared at the screen in disbelief for nearly a minute. Someone was obviously playing a dirty trick on me. This couldn't be right, right? This company couldn't be a part of Lan Diamond Corporation because that would mean that it belonged to Aren Lan! From what I'd heard, this guy owned probably a large percentage of New York City, but come on!
My stomach squeezed at the thought that I could meet this arrogant asshole again. I hit the online search, making a desperate attempt to cast a spell on reality. I prayed for there to be another company called Lan Diamond Corporation in New York. Of course, that wasn't the case. Once I clicked on the official Aren Lan's Lan Diamond Corporation site, I easily found a link to Golden Estate Investments… I let out a frustrated growl that earned me a wave of frowns and glares from other passengers.
A few deep breaths later, I came to realize that I wouldn't have to deal with Aren Lan anyway. The "big boss" would never care about some lowly creatures trying to fight against the rules of his huge company. Still, the thought that it was Aren Lan who now owned the building with our workshop was pissing me off great time!
The bus stop was a block away from the Lan Diamond Tower, where Golden Estate Investments and Lan Diamond Corporation had their headquarters. The building was impossible to miss.
"That guy has some serious issues..." I chuckled to myself as I walked in front of a glass and steel giant, daringly ascending the lower clouds.
I exhaled, clenching my fist before stepping through the revolving door, and immediately stopped in awe as I walked into the entrance hall. The windows and glass used to construct the ceiling were carefully angled to create a diamond-shaped cut, giving the impression of entering a gem. I stood for a few seconds with my mouth open, admiring the perfect structure and the glow spread by the smooth surfaces reflecting the setting sun. Only after I almost got swallowed by the crowd that left one of the elevators did I break from my daze and started looking for the Golden Estate Investments office. Fortunately, the information board was right in front of me. I quickly found out that I needed to go to the fifteenth floor... and didn't fail to notice that Lan Diamond Corporation had their offices on floors from twenty-seventh to thirty-sixth, with the CEO's office on the top floor, of course. Suddenly, I started to wonder if he was there today, imagining him sitting behind his desk in that sexy grey three-piece suit he was wearing when I met him.
I shook my head violently and slapped my cheeks with both hands. "Focus, Cora!"
It was deadly frustrating just how much this guy could mess with my head without any effort. I bet that if I let myself picture him a second longer, I would find myself thinking of having sex on that desk with him... Oh God... too late.
I couldn't believe that I got turned on just thinking about that cocky jerk! If it weren't for the people riding in the same elevator with me, I would have banged my head against the wall. Did he spread his pheromones everywhere in this building or something?! I clenched my thighs, forcefully containing my increasing for no explainable reason arousal. Somehow, being in that place suddenly made me pathetically horny. Reasoning my insane behavior, I decided to blame it on my soon-to-come period.
I regained my composure once I got off the elevator on the fifteenth floor and walked towards the Golden Estate Investments' reception. A red-haired receptionist buzzed me in through the elegant glass door, and I stepped in, putting on my professional smile.
With a polite nod, I started with "Hello. I am renting one of the apartments you currently own, and I came to talk about the unfair eviction notice my partners and I have just received."
The receptionist leaned back, grimacing nervously. Fine, the tone of my voice came out harsher than I wanted it to. I guess my anger surfaced despite my good intentions.
"All of our managers are busy right now… Why don't you come again tomorrow?" She obviously was trying to blow me off, but I wasn't that easy to deal with.
"That's OK, I'll wait," I said, making myself comfortable on a sofa right beside her desk.
"B-but it might take a few hours or even longer than that," she urged, ineptly fighting against my relentlessness.
I stated coldly, "I have a lot of time, and I'm not going anywhere until this case is settled."
Her irritation sounded clear in her sigh, but I ignored it. With a wicked smirk on my face, I pulled out my phone and started browsing online to kill time. If they thought that we would just accept their notice and move out, they messed with the wrong computer freaks. Game on.
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Two hours had passed since I sat on the sofa in the reception hall of Golden Estate Investments. The red-head sitting by her desk kept flashing me displeased glances. She must have found my presence uniquely bothersome, to say the least. I didn't care. I was on my mission, and I wasn't going to back off… although I was tired, and my growling stomach reminded me that my last meal was twelve hours ago, and that meal was coffee. I quickly decided to temporarily fill my stomach with water. I grabbed one of the bottles prepared for the guests, standing on the table, even though the receptionist didn't bother to ask if I wanted something to drink. I clicked my tongue, looking at her before taking a sip of water. I could see her jaw clench. I knew that she found me annoying, but I couldn't understand why she looked so nervous. As I began to observe her more closely, I registered her glimpsing at the door at the end of the corridor, and realized something else... Every corridor was empty, as
A brief, hysteric chuckle flew out of my lips. My move was risky. I was practically admitting that I went through the company's files, violating their confidentiality. No one in their right mind would ever admit to committing something like that! The more annoying fact was that I couldn't play dumb while trying to prove I was smart enough to fix their problem. Aren Lan went back to the middle of the corridor where I stood. Mr. Errington followed his boss, although his reluctance couldn't possibly be marked on his face more clearly. Aren looked around. There were plenty of other people gaping at the three of us in that corridor. "Lend me your office," Lan said, his words sounding like an unmistakable order. Mr. Errington twitched his lips but didn't dare to say a word. After a quick nod, he started walking through the corridor and stopped as he reached the corner. "This way." He pointed at the door before opening it for the big boss to walk in. "Miss Cora, after you," Aren Lan tosse
By Aren Lan's order, Mr. Errington organized a room for me... and a group of babysitters in the form of IT specialists who were supposed to check if I wasn't a secret spy who merely pretended to help. I expected that to happen. After all, I was given access to their sensitive information, like their tenders and bidding offers. Aren Lan didn't engage in the process. He only instructed Mr. Errington to inform him of the results. I took it as a good thing. I didn't think I could stand him as one of my babysitters, leaning over my head and constantly looking at the screen.I quickly established that the infection hadn't missed a single computer in their company. It couldn't be a coincidence. It looked like a planned, precise attack aimed at stealing intel, and the bug must have infected their system no more than a few days ago.Supervised by steadily frowning IT specialists, I called Alan and Norton and told them about the problem. Fortunately, we had already found the best way to fight t
A week has passed since I solved our workshop problem. Alan and Norton called my achievement a victory, but that didn't mean that everything in our lives went back to so-called normal. We didn't have to move out of our basement, but it didn't change much in Golden Estate Investments' plans. The renovation work that was supposed to turn the old tenement into a hotel began two days after I had signed our rental agreement. In a flash, the whole area became a construction site. They might have skipped the basement for now, but even so, they turned our quiet place of work into a freaking madhouse... It took the greatest toll on Norton, whose antisocial nature had been challenged like never before. Fortunately, soundproofing headphones saved us from going insane... or committing mass murder.Certainly, my work at the coffee shop stayed as it was. There were days when Monique, Marco, and I had some fun, but mainly it was energy-draining. Thankfully, the tips made up for the stress, yet it la
I stared at Liam for a few seconds, partially glad that he didn't want me to pretend his new girlfriend. Nonetheless, hacking into anything seemed like an even worse idea."Liam… I can imagine that you're hurting, but don't you think that messing up your ex's engagement party seems a little low?" I gave him a dry smile.He narrowed his eyes at me. "You don't understand, but don't worry. You'll change your mind once you know the whole story," he said, gesturing to the waiter.A minute later, we were both holding glasses of scotch in our hands. It wasn't my usual choice of alcohol, but Liam insisted that it was essential to drink something stronger before I'd hear what he was about to say. I didn't get it, but the drinks were on him anyway. I shrugged and took a sip from the glass, letting the liquid bring the heat down my throat.Once Liam confirmed that I had drank one-third of my glass, he started to speak, "Her name is Nicole Saxon, a beautiful brunette with the body of a goddess. I
It was the worst hangover I'd ever had, and it wasn't even about the toxic level of alcohol I'd consumed the night before. Sure, ten thousand dollars sounded great. It would have been my first real step to gathering the amount of money I needed, but at the same time, I felt as if I was getting myself involved in a bank robbery!I trusted my abilities, but I felt much safer when I used them from my computer at home or in our workshop. I had never had to sneak anywhere and plug into some other, off-line system to take control of it. I couldn't believe that I had agreed to something like this!I felt like we were engaging in a top-secret operation that required perfect planning, high precision, and an incredible amount of luck. Our mission had been divided into two stages. The first stage had to take place two days before the engagement party, and it was meant to get access to the hotel's computers connected to the ballroom, while the second stage was about the actual engagement party ev
Aren Lan looked absolutely striking in a navy blue suit and a black shirt and tie. I wouldn't miss the way his perfectly tailored jacket emphasized his broad shoulders, nor how the well-defined curves of his biceps pressured the fabric with each slight bend of his arm. Why did this arrogant douche have to look so mouth-watering? He made my mind go blank again! I should ignore him, walk past him, say that he confused me with someone else… anything aside from greeting him! Instead, I was now standing before him like a schoolgirl in front of a teacher while trying to find a logical way to explain my sudden brain malfunction. "I didn't know you were working in my hotel," he said, his eyes carefully scanning my tight uniform. A wave of heat rushed through me. Of course, he owned the hotel! He owned nearly half of Manhattan, and with my luck, I should have assumed from the beginning that the Blue Crystal Hotel was his. Nonetheless, I proved to be stupid enough to never consider checking wh
While Liam stared at the screen with fire in his eyes, I was becoming more and more terrified. Liam enjoyed Nicole's writhe when she tried to cover the wall-size screen with her body and raised arm. I couldn't blame him. She got what she deserved, and Liam got what he wanted. He obviously knew nothing about Aren Lan, and he didn't care. I wish I could say something similar...While Nicole stood in the line of fire on the stage, Aren walked to the side and talked to two of his people. A few seconds later, those two commanded the security team who led the press out of the ballroom and the other team who took care of the disturbed guests. Suddenly, Aren smirked, looking directly at the surveillance camera... I swallowed. He couldn't know that we were watching him at that moment, could he?"Liam… we need to get out of here… the show is over," I said nervously, cleaning the first of the computers from any traces of hacking into their system."Why? Do you think someone will catch us?" He sh
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