Alanna's lips twitched.Terrence hadn't bothered softening the insult behind his words. In fact, he even sounded haughty, as if amused by the drama.Although Alanna always felt invincible and unfazed by others, Terrence's words made her blood run cold. Indeed, the people in the industry, including Hades, didn't respect her.She faced Terrence and tried hard to make herself seem perfectly unbothered. "The bitch who covets others' belongings? Why?""Naturally, it's because you stole Melanie's spot, Ms. Jacinto. I always thought you were sensible. Who'd have known you'd have such blurred boundaries between doing the right and wrong thing?"Alanna chuckled. "That's funny. If Hades wanted Melanie, do you think I'd be able to steal her spot? Or, do you believe I'm actually capable of controlling Hades? I have this current position because Hades kept me here. Aren't you people being too nosy? Also—"She paused for a breath before continuing, "If I'm a bitch, what does that make you? I s
Melanie didn't return to Hades' office. Instead, she gave him a call before leaving the company. After leaving the company, she made another call. "Dad, find me a pharmacist."…Alanna contacted Melanie's manager again, but nobody answered. She hung up and massaged her temples. It was too obvious Melanie and the manager were deliberately making things difficult for her."What do we do now, Ms. Jacinto? How about you speak with Mr. Florentine again?" Renee suggested.A scoff came from Alanna then. She knew there was no use talking to Hades about it since he'd never put his first love in a difficult position. After a brief silence, Alanna made a phone call that quickly went through. "Mr. Walsh, sorry to disturb you, but our company has a recent collaboration project. I'd like to speak about it with one of your managers, Heidi Zain. However, I don't seem to have her number anymore. Could you ask her to contact me? Yes, okay, thank you. Let's go out for a meal someday. It'll be on
Alanna looked at the private room ahead and then turned to face the waiter. "Excuse me. Have you made a mistake? I recall making a reservation for an open-air table."The waiter smiled. "It's not a mistake, Ms. Jacinto. The man who's dining with you has requested to have a private room instead."Alanna's eyelid twitched as she flashed a bitter smile. "I see. Sorry for the trouble. I'll head inside on my own."She headed for the washroom once the waiter left. Then, she immediately phoned Chelsey. "Where are you, Chelsey?""I'm at the hospital since I'm on duty tonight. What's wrong? Are you unwell?"Alanna was briefly silent before saying, "It's nothing. I wanted to ask you out for a meal, but it's okay. We'll meet up another day.""Okay."Alanna stood frozen for a long time after the call. Ultimately, she gritted her teeth and phoned Hades. She would rather put up with his ridiculing than face Blake alone.Alas, Hades didn't answer.Alanna's chest bitterly tightened as she wat
"Why would I be professional? You should already know what's about to happen since you chose to show up today, so quit acting innocent! I doubt Hades has never touched you before!" Blake's arms slithered around Alanna as he kissed her neck. The smell of alcohol on him made Alanna feel sick, and she immediately fought back. "You should just drink as told, Ms. Jacinto. Did you seriously think I didn't notice you swapping your wine for water? Who are you fooling? Huh?" While saying that, Blake picked up a glass of wine and poured it into Alanna's mouth.Alanna paled at once. She wanted to spit the wine out but accidentally swallowed a little out of reflex."You won't even drink the wine. Ms. Jacinto, this isn't the attitude one should have when asking for others' help!"Alanna coughed intensely.Blake grabbed the collar of her shirt and unbuttoned it by force. He unknowingly gulped when he saw her tempting collarbones. Yet, as he leaned down to kiss them, Alanna kicked his thi
"I won't." Alanna met Hades' gaze with red eyes. "I've never thought about sleeping with anyone.""Then why are you here?" Hades snapped.Alanna took a deep breath, trying to make herself seem less disheveled. "Ms. Smith refused to cooperate with me, and I couldn't contact her manager. I had no choice but to ask Mr. Walsh for help."Hades gripped her jaw. "Is it really just for work? Or is he your next wealthy sponsor?"Alanna's jaw hurt from how tightly he held it, but she didn't let it show. Instead, she smiled at him. "I have plenty of candidates for wealthy sponsors to choose from. As long as my eyes are functioning, there's no way I would pick him."The flames in Hades' eyes burned brighter. He grabbed Alanna's wrist so tightly that it was almost as if he wanted to snap it in half. Then, he dragged her out of the restaurant and stuffed her into the car.The car sped away like an arrow being shot from a bow. Hades didn't say anything else, and neither did Alanna. She didn't e
Alanna couldn't help it, though.Hades went to the balcony and lit a cigarette. After taking a drag, he pulled out his phone to make a call.Yves' voice rang out on the other end of the line. "What's up, Hades?""Send a copy of the photos of Blake with those starlets to his brother-in-law," Hades said.Yves was taken aback by this. Blake could be considered a self-made man, but he'd made his money with help from his wife's family. His wife's surname was Quigley; the Quigley family had dabbled in illegal dealings for ages.The current head of the Quigley family was Blake's brother-in-law. Blake's wife had grown up like a princess. Her brothers had doted on her all her life.The Quigley family hadn't been pleased about her marrying Blake but had no choice but to turn Blake into a more powerful man for her sake.In the early years of their marriage, Blake had been pretty grounded. But as his business expanded, he started showing his true colors. It was just that he didn't dare to m
Alanna pursed her lips tightly. She didn't answer Hades. Obviously, she felt wronged, but it wouldn't win any of his pity or mercy."Did you not see Blake trying to make a move on you the first two times, or did you just not care?" Hades gripped the back of her neck, forcing her to look up at him.Alanna didn't change her tune. "I had no other choice but to seek Mr. Walsh out. Melanie refused to work with me, and her manager didn't answer my calls. And you, Mr. Florentine, insisted on using Melanie for this. What else could I do?"Hades released her. "If you can't do your job, I might as well switch you out for someone else!""You need to get something straight, Mr. Florentine. Melanie Smith is the one who's been refusing to work with me!"Hades sneered. "And why would she do that? I warned you not to piss her off, haven't I? Think about your attitude toward her!"Alanna lowered her gaze. Her heart ached so badly that she felt like she was suffocating. Did the problem lie with he
"Can we not do this right now?" Alanna asked.Hades paused. "You should know that I haven't spent this much money on you for you to throw tantrums at me, Ms. Jacinto!"Alanna felt suffocated. Indeed, he was paying her to be his sex toy. How could she have forgotten? She stopped resisting them and responded to him enthusiastically, even.Hades was rough with her, as if he wanted to punish her. He even seemed like he wanted to swallow her whole. Alanna could only go along with him as best as she could while telling him tentatively not to be too rough.He finally stopped when it was past 2:00 am. Alanna was exhausted. The sweat from her face dripped onto her collarbone; it hurt a little.Hades had left a bite mark there, covering the mark that Blake had left on her. His face was covered in sweat; there was no sign of tenderness in his gaze as it landed on the bite mark. "Does it hurt?"Alanna shook her head. He pressed it hard. "Does it hurt?"She turned pale from the pain, but he
He casually picked it up and glanced at it, his eyes filled with displeasure. "Who is this pretty boy?"Alanna looked at the snow outside."Can't you tell? A handsome guy."Hades frowned. "Is he more handsome than me?"Alanna couldn't be bothered to answer him.Hades lowered his eyes and held her waist. "Ms. Jacinto, are you feeling needy?"Alanna furrowed her brows. "Hades, can you be serious?"But Hades shamelessly replied, "If you have any needs, just give me a call. I'll be at your service anytime and anywhere."Alanna glared at him. "Hades, have some dignity."Hades chuckled. "Ms. Jacinto, are you doubting my abilities?"Alanna kicked his leg without hesitation.Hades laughed. "Feeling better now?"Alanna paused before nodding slightly. "Thank you.""Silly girl. Why are you thanking me?" Alanna smiled and got back to her work. She glanced at the man on the other side, who was busy replying to emails on his phone."If you're busy, you don't have to come over here on
Alanna was surprised. She then looked up at the man before her.She had a guarded expression.The man chuckled and handed her another business card. "I'm Mason Lowe and a classmate of Grayson's. I've heard a bit about you from him. I happened to have a business meeting recently that required translation. Would you be interested in taking up the job?"Alanna remained wary."Mr. Lowe, since you're Grayson's classmate, it would be more convenient to talk to him. I have something to attend to today, so I'll take my leave."With that, she pulled Chelsey and headed out. After their figures disappeared, Mason chuckled."She's quite guarded."He muttered to himself before lighting a cigarette. Just then, his phone rang. A woman's voice came from the other end."Didn't I ask you to approach Alanna? Why haven't you made any progress after such a long time?"Mason took a drag of his cigarette."Do you think it's easy to get close to Alanna? She's always surrounded by bodyguards. I o
Chelsey didn't know how to comfort Alanna."Ally, you need to move on."Alanna nodded without saying much. There was nothing else she could do.While the doctor examined Chelsey's wound and prescribed her medication, a commotion arose outside.Michel and the dog's owner had followed them to the clinic."Chelsey!"As soon as Michel entered the clinic, he called out.Chelsey gave him a sidelong glance. "What are you doing here?"Michel chuckled. "I came to check on you after hearing you got bitten."Chelsey scoffed. "What for? I got bitten by a dog, not you."Michel clicked his tongue. "Even if we were to bite each other, you would be the one who bit me."Chelsey aimed a kick at him. But before she could reach him, someone shouted, "Michel!"Chelsey immediately retracted her foot and glared at Michel. "Get out of the way. Stop being an eyesore."Michel chuckled. "Chelsey, are you reluctant to kick me?"Without hesitation, Chelsey aimed another kick at him. This time, she hi
Justin entered the room just in time to hear Alanna's questionHe paused briefly before taking a deep breath and walking up to her."Ms. Jacinto."Alanna turned around and saw Justin coming in with a stack of forms.Her lips twitched. But before she could speak, Justin beat her to it."Ms. Jacinto, what brings you here?" His demeanor was natural, showing no signs of evasion.Alanna pursed her lips and smiled slightly. "I'm here accompanying Chelsey for her shot."With that, she glanced back at the little girl."Is this your daughter?"Justin nodded, his eyes filled with affection as he looked at the girl."Yes, she's my daughter."Alanna's fingers twitched. "May I hold her?"Almost instinctively, the nanny holding the girl took a step back.Alanna's hands froze. She said, "Sorry."Justin's brow furrowed instantly.He glanced at the nanny before explaining softly to Alanna."Aashika was born prematurely and has a very weak immune system. We always disinfect before holdin
After leaving the detention center, Alanna seemed lost in thought.Although Tucker hadn't revealed much, she couldn't shake off her suspicions about Edmund."Do you think it could be Edmund?" Hades remained silent."The key question now is, if it's Edmund, why would he harm your mother?"Alanna lowered her gaze.Hades was right. She wondered why.Since learning that Tara was being targeted, she had thought of countless possibilities. Who could be behind the threats, and why would anyone want to harm such a fragile woman?But she still had no answers.Hades felt a pang of heartache."We'll find out eventually. Don't worry, if it's him, he'll show his true colors sooner or later."Alanna looked out the window and responded in a hum.Hades looked at her and gently caressed her cheek."Ally, don't feel sad. It hurts me."Alanna brushed his hand away. "Stop touching me all the time."Hades' mouth twitched."I've already asked Margaret to make preparations for the New Year.
Alanna glanced at him and brushed off his hand.Hades' eyes twinkled with amusement."Is it okay to spend the New Year's Eve together?"Alanna turned her head and looked at the calendar hanging on the wall.It was already mid-December.The New Year was approaching.Their baby was already three months old.If nothing had gone wrong, their New Year's Eve would have been filled with joy.Alanna withdrew her gaze, lowered her head, and straightened her clothes.Hades saw the glimmer of moisture in her eyes when she lowered her head.His heart ached, and he quickly hurried over to hug her."Everything will be fine."Alanna fought back her tears and nodded before pushing him away.Hades looked at her determined expression with a sense of helplessness."Let's go see Tucker. Maybe we can get some information about your mother."Alanna nodded and followed him out.After the two left, Chelsey rolled her eyes in the room."What a world! I have to see them being all lovey-dovey ri
In Northlight Group at Brunstein City, Edmund listened as his assistant reported everything to him."You mean, Olivia has been investigating Tara recently?"The assistant nodded. "Yes, and she's been very thorough."Edmund's pen snapped in his hand."Besides that, did she find out anything else?""She already found out about Tara's death."Edmund's face turned grim. "Got it."After speaking, he paused briefly. "Prepare something for me, and also, invite Mrs. Campbell to have lunch with me at the company."Olivia arrived at Northlight Group before noon.Before she could enter the office, she heard Edmund making a phone call."Mr. Florentine, I can help stabilize the stock price of Florentine Group with Northlight, but I hope you won't vent your anger on Alanna. Yes, she's important to me. You could say, even more important than Hudson."Olivia's steps abruptly halted. The smile on her face gradually disappeared.It wasn't until Edmund's secretary called out to her that Olivi
Alanna's grip on her phone tightened slightly."Hades, are you... really okay?"Hades chuckled. "I'm just trying to get some sympathy from you. Is it working?"Alanna pursed her lips and remained silent.Hades chuckled. "Go to bed early."After a pause, he added, "Also, try not to take sleeping pills.""Where are you?"Alanna suddenly asked.Hades was stunned.He glanced at the villa in the distance. "I'm taking a walk outside.""Taking a walk in the dead of winter?"Hades chuckled. "Ms. Jacinto, are you showing concern for me?"Alanna scoffed. "Go ahead and enjoy your walk."Hades quickly responded, "I'm outside handling some business. I just finished and suddenly missed you. So I wanted to call you."Alanna pursed her lips."Hades, we're partners now. From now on, don't hide anything from me."Hades' voice softened."Alright, I won't hide anything from you."Alanna didn't say much and hung up the phone directly.She silently looked at the sleeping pills on the beds
Afterward, he sneered, extinguished his cigarette, and drove away.Just as he left the residential area, a car suddenly came speeding towards him.Hades jerked the steering wheel.But the car behind him turned around and came back in his direction.Hades narrowed his eyes and stepped on the gas pedal, rushing forward.However, he didn't intend to shake off the car this time.Instead, he maintained a distance that allowed him to keep sight of the car. It was neither too close nor too far. He ensured that the car couldn't catch up with him and he wouldn't lose sight of it.The scenery outside became increasingly desolate.At some point, they were already on the outskirts.Surprisingly, Hades lit a cigarette at this moment.Then, he sent a location to Yves."Come handle the accident."Hades' car suddenly went uphill before rushing down a steep slope.The person in the car behind widened their eyes.Below the steep slope was a wall!They slammed on the brakes. But the speed