Hades was already putting on his tie when Alanna woke up the next day. He stood fully clothed by the bed and said, "You can take a day off if you're tired."He had kept her up the whole night. He had only allowed her to rest after it was way past midnight.Alanna shook her head and sat up. She still had a lot of things to do in the company.Hades raised an eyebrow. "Then do you want to go to the company with me?"Alanna rejected the offer. "It's alright. I'll take public transport."Hades ignored her refusal and waited for her by the door.Alanna glanced at him and did not say anything else. She paused for a moment while she was changing. Then, she took out a box from her drawer. Inside the box were rosary beads for protection. She had gotten it as a gift for Hades.But she suddenly remembered his tux when he had asked her about his gift last night. So, she did not want to give it to him.She didn't want to give him something and watch him trample all over her sincerity.It
"Let Melanie rest for a while."…Renee could immediately tell there was something wrong with Alanna the second she arrived at the company."Ms. Jacinto, what's wrong? Did something happen?"Alanna forced a smile and said, "Nothing's wrong. I just did not sleep well last night. How's the annual report coming along?""It's almost finished." Renee was still worried about Alanna. So, she said, "Ms. Jacinto, you can talk to me if something has happened. Although I might not be able to do much, at least there's one more brain helping to think of a solution."Alanna could not help but smile. "Thank you, Renee.""Why are you thanking me?" Then, Renee inched closer to Alanna and said, "Ms. Jacinto, did you hear the rumors? They're saying that Mr. Florentine did not get engaged yesterday."Alanna nodded and did not say anything else. In truth, she did not want to hear anything about Melanie and Hades for now. But she didn't stop Renee from speaking.Renee scoffed. "I'd like to see he
Alanna was unsure of how she should answer Yves. She knew Yves was saying such things for her own good.After all, what could she do with Hades protecting Melanie except move on?However, she could not move on.Alanna tightened her grip on the file. She did not stay to chat with Yves and returned to the company after finishing her meal.When she returned to the company, her phone rang."Come up." Hades' cold voice rang out.Alanna stood rooted to the spot for a few seconds before heading upstairs.After reaching his office, she saw Hades standing by the window. He was facing the world outside. Although she could only see his back, she could tell he was in a bad mood."Mr. Florentine, why did you call me here?"Hades turned and looked at her with an intense gaze. "Have you finished your lunch?""Yes." Hades' expression was cold as he walked toward Alanna. "Tell me. What else did you do besides have lunch?"Alanna immediately frowned. "I'm sorry. I don't understand what you'
Renee hurriedly poured Alanna a glass of water. "Ms. Jacinto, are you alright?"Alanna took the cup and shook her head. The depressing feeling in her heart was growing. She finally understood that she was no match against Melanie.As long as Hades protected Melanie, she could not do anything to her!Alanna suddenly laughed as her tears fell uncontrollably. She admitted defeat. She had lost.She no longer wanted to dwell on that matter anymore.She didn't want to have anything to do with Hades and Melanie either. There were many things that she wanted to do.Hades was a dream from her childhood. But he was also the one who had ripped that dream into shreds.She had finally come to her senses. Perhaps the man in her heart…Perhaps he had died on the beach back when she was 17. In reality, all that was left was devastation and the pain from realizing it.…Alanna cheered up and forced herself to stop thinking of those unhappy matters. After ending her shift, she collected her
The smile on Alanna's face froze.She did not tell Hades about her plans tonight. She would probably not be able to join if she did tell him.Hades did not care about her. But his possessiveness over her was overwhelming.Alanna could never figure out what Hades was thinking. It was just like how she could not figure out why he kept her by his side when he cared about Melanie so much.A heaviness in Alanna's heart immediately resurfaced at the thought of Melanie and Hades. Although she had tried her best to ignore them, she was still upset.Jeff frowned slightly after noticing the visible change in Alanna's mood."Did you two fight?"Alanna returned to her senses and shook her head. "No, we didn't."Jeff nodded and did not expose her. "Just tell me if you need anything. I help people based on their reasoning, not on kinship."Alanna smiled and nodded.Soon, Travis returned.Jeff looked at Alanna and said, "Let's talk after the conference ends." "Alright."After separating
Travis felt emotional. "It was about time you came back to the field."Alanna smiled. She did want to return. But it would be hard for her to do so. She still had to get Hades' permission.The two of them spotted Jeff after leaving the interpretation room.Jeff had already packed his things and was waiting at the exit of the exhibition center. He saw Alanna and asked, "Ms. Jacinto, shall I send you home?"Travis frowned. He had planned on sending Alanna back. Jeff seemed to have read his mind and asked, "You probably have a lot of things to do. Am I right?"Travis chuckled in exasperation. He did have a lot of things to do. Although the conference had ended, he still had to attend to some international guests.However, he was not in a rush. Now that he had gotten back in touch with Alanna, he would not let her disappear from his life again.He turned to Alanna. "I'll message you soon."Alanna nodded and said her goodbyes to Travis. Then, she left with Jeff.When they left th
Hades frowned. He didn't seem to have heard her."What did you say?" Hades asked as he looked at Alanna coldly.Alanna met his gaze. "I said that I want to move out."Hades' expression immediately darkened. "Alanna, did you forget what I told you? Our relationship will never end without my permission!"Alanna did not look away. "I did not forget. I know I don't have the right to say no in our relationship."That was why she did not ask for the relationship to end. Because even if she did, it would not have made a difference!"You can call me every time you need me. I will come as soon as you call."Hades looked at her with a burning gaze. He did not say anything and continued to look at her.The tension in the space was overwhelming. But Alanna backed down.After a long while, Hades laughed coldly and said, "Ms. Jacinto, you're quite the professional. You are even willing to come on call."His words were humiliating.Although Alanna had prepared herself mentally, she was sti
Then, Hades suddenly lowered his head to kiss her. He kissed her with a longing gentleness that she had never experienced before.Hades acted like he was tasting a delicacy as he kissed her lips, cheek, and neck.Suddenly, he roughly tore her clothes open. The sound of the fabric ripping echoed throughout the house. Alanna shivered at the unexpected coldness.But suddenly, Hades released her. He moved to the side to light a cigarette. "Go and take a bath. You just came back after being out with another man. You're dirty."No one could compare to Hades' ability to humiliate someone with just mere words. Despite his gentle appearance, Hades had always been a cruel and heartless man.He never loved her. She was nothing more than a toy in his eyes.Alanna swallowed the humiliation she felt and walked toward the bathroom.Hades' expression faltered as he watched her stubbornly head to the bathroom. He had always believed that he had treated Alanna with enough leniency and kindness.