Before Melanie could breathe a sigh of relief, she felt herself being lifted and placed onto the table behind her. She panicked as she remembered her doctor’s advice. She tried to stop Frank by pushing against his chest, “Frank, wait, we can’t!”“We can’t?” His smiling face immediately darkened, “Mel, how could you just dump me after using me? Don’t forget. You still need me!”“No! It’s not that I’m trying to avoid you. It’s just…” Melanie still needed him, so she could not make him unhappy. She bit her lip and decided to tell him the truth, “I’m pregnant, so I can’t…”A glimpse of surprise flashed across Frank’s blue eyes, but then he remembered, “Mr. Hall’s?”Melanie nodded, “The doctor said my pregnancy is not very stable, so I didn’t mean to reject you, but you should know I have my reasons.”After listening to her explanation, Frank finally released her. He seemed like he had lost interest in continuing, “You’re saying that you’re due soon? Mel, I thought you were a twenty-fi
Before Frank could say something, Melanie quickly continued, “Even though I’ve decided not to keep the baby, it doesn’t mean we can do it. I have inflammation now, and it might even affect you. Can we continue this after I’ve recovered, please?”Frank just stared at her silently.“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure to keep my end of the promise. My informant has already informed me that Lily is on a break, and she will most likely go on a trip abroad. I might have trouble carrying out my plans in Sapphine, but it’ll be a different story when she’s abroad,” Melanie tried calming Frank down. She leaned into him while gently poking his chest.“Really?” Frank doubtfully questioned, as he did not trust her at all.“Of course! I heard her new product was a success, so I’m guessing she needs to leave to look for inspiration for her next product,” Melanie was annoyed when she thought about this, especially since she was having multiple problems here and there.Firstly, her health started to dete
Frank held Melanie’s chin with force. “I’m indeed a player, but I’m not satisfied with just anyone! I want only the best,” he stressed as he moved closer, breathing down her neck. At that moment, he was like a vampire craving blood, and it terrified Melanie as she shivered. Thankfully, he had no fangs and did not try to bite her. Instead, he only placed his lips on her neck and gently bit her. “The scent that I love could only be found on perfumers like you!” Melanie froze. She could feel him slowly pulling away and letting her go, yet she did not dare move or breathe, fearing him changing his mind seconds later. In other words, Frank was only interested in female perfumers, as they were the ones who would come in contact with different scents for an extended period. Their body odor would always carry a hint of floral or spice scent, which might cause discomfort to some, but others loved it. ‘Does this mean that Frank was one of those?’ Her mind was a mess, and she need
“There are other ways to help me.” Frank placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her around with force. “You could always try something creative!” “Something creative?” Melanie was confused, but she understood what he was referring to when she met his sly gaze. It disgusted her just thinking about it, but she did not want to upset him, so she tried reasoning gently, “Frank, if you could just be patient for a little longer, I’ll get someone beautiful from the industry! How about your partners? I could drive you there! I still have morning sickness, so it would just be messy and…”Before she could even finish, Frank grabbed her by her hair and pulled her head back roughly, “Enough of your nonsense! What does your pregnancy have to do with me? Is the baby mine? Mel, you should know better than try playing games with me! Don’t forget that you still need me to help you win your year-end championship!”He looked at her menacingly, “You should feel honored that I’ve chosen you.
”Since my mission is done, I’m leaving!” Frank patted Melanie on the shoulder. He walked calmly in Nathaniel’s direction, not caring much about the angry man blocking his exit. “Stop!” In anger, Nathaniel grabbed Frank’s arm and gritted his teeth. “You think you can just leave?” “What about it?” Frank smirked wickedly. At first, Nathaniel was still trying to hold in his rage because of Frank’s social status, as he could not afford to be rash. However, when he heard what Frank had to say, his anger erupted, and he punched Frank in the face, yelling, "You b*stard!" It was a solid punch, but it did not aggravate Frank at all. He fell back, and as he regained his balance, he touched the corner of his lips and saw blood. “I’ll let you off on behalf of Ms. Neville, but if you dare throw another punch, I won’t let you off that easily.” “Who needs it?” Frank's words easily set Nathaniel off, and since he had already hit him once, he might as well go all out. Nathaniel
”Let her go!” Nathaniel’s face turned ugly.“There’s no need to be so serious!” Frank wanted to challenge him. He got closer to Melanie’s face and tried to kiss her.When Nathaniel saw this, he could no longer hold back and rushed forward to fight Frank again.However, Melanie grabbed him. “Enough! Do you want to create a stir for the guard to come and let everyone else know what happened here, Nate?!”Melanie sounded virtuous as if she had not engaged in indecent behavior earlier. Still, her remarks caused Nathaniel to halt what he was doing. He would be embarrassed if others knew about this.“Get out! Get out of here!” He pointed a finger outside. Melanie gestured at Frank but did not move. Frank remained in the same spot, appearing not to take it seriously. Despite his smile, his eyes betrayed his contempt.Melanie frowned and continued gesturing at him with her eyes. She was anxious as she might be unable to control Nathaniel’s temper if Frank stayed longer. Frank shrugged
Nathaniel hatefully slammed his fist on the steering wheel. He felt nauseous, wanted to vomit, was dizzy, and lost control of the car. The car swerved as if a drunkard was driving on the empty road. After some sharp screeches sounded, the car uncontrollably rushed to the side.Crash!The car hit a tree heavily before coming to a stop. Nathaniel was bleeding as he wounded his head.…Lily felt very comfortable when she woke up the following morning. She did not have any headaches or hangovers. It looked like the hangover soup Alexander learned in a hurry was exceptionally helpful.She could smell breakfast coming from downstairs. She put on her slippers before going downstairs and saw Alexander serving breakfast in an apron. It was a beautiful morning!She hurried downstairs and hugged Alexander from behind as she gave him a sweet kiss on the cheek, “Good morning!” Alexander laughed happily and turned to kiss her back in return, “Come sit down and have some breakfast.”Plenty of
“Yes.” Edward nodded in reply.“Thank you!” Lily thanked him sincerely. However, this caused Alexander to feel jealous again, “You only thank him? What about me?”“I don’t need to be so polite with you!” Before Alexander could speak further, Lily added, “Hey, you were the one who said that.”‘It seems I’ve stepped on my own trap,’ Alexander thought.Edward looked at his boss in surprise when he saw Alexander stammering, unable to refute. ‘It seems that only my boss’s wife can make him feel so helpless.’“I might be late today. Call me if you have any problems,” Alexander said while putting on his coat.“Okay!” Lily tip-toed to help him adjust his shirt’s collar. She suddenly remembered the upcoming trip, “Oh right, you mentioned going on vacation earlier. Do you have a destination in mind? Or have you already decided where to go?”“Not yet. Why?”“It’s nothing. Liv has a few recommendations. Since you’re busy and have not decided on a place, why don’t the girls and I decide it
Lily tilted her head up to fight back her tears, saying, “There’s something I find strange.”“What is it?” Mike asked after comforting his son.“Instead of detaining Prince Ross, Her Majesty has sent him back to Yudonia. If so, why couldn’t we reach him?”After some thought, Mike answered, “There are two possibilities. It’s probably due to poor signals, or he doesn’t want us to contact him.”The two shared a look, knowing what each other was wondering.‘Why can’t we contact Ross? Is he planning something?’…Three days later, Lily inserted the last needle into the queen’s leg and looked up at her, saying, “You should start feeling your legs tomorrow. Still, it’ll take some time before you can stand.”Suddenly, Lily chuckled.“Why are you laughing?” Yasmin touched her legs. She had begun to regain sensation in her legs over the last two days. She then began to believe that she could get up. However, the queen was hesitant when the queen heard Lily chuckle.Lily shook her head
Lily straightened up and said without resentment, “Of course, you wouldn’t.”“That’s… quite a pity,” the queen murmured thoughtfully.“Well, there’s a price to pay for everything. That’s how the world balances itself,” Lily continued, “I can’t stop you if you must carry on with R10. Still, I won’t witness whether or not it succeeds. I just wish the outcome isn’t something you’ll regret.”Lily smiled and turned to head out the door.Rick heard their conversation as he stood guard outside. After exchanging looks with Lily as she brushed past him, he entered the room and saw the needles in Yasmin’s legs. “Your Majesty, those needles—”The queen waved dismissively. “It’s okay. Lily will remove them later.”Even so, Rick was wary. “You’re being too careless, Your Majesty. What if that woman—”“She wouldn’t,” Yasmin interjected, shaking her head."Why do you trust her so much?" Rick asked despite himself. The queen fell silent. If Rick had not asked her that, she would not have rea
Lily took out a cloth and unfolded it, revealing a row of silver needles inside. Yasmin was surprised she carried the needles with her.“Tell me. What do you want?” The queen took a deep breath to calm herself. She then reminded herself that she could always say no to Lily’s request. Still, Yasmin was cautious about Lily trying to trick her.Lily casually said, "I left because Prince Ross wanted to help me. I hope you don’t punish him.""That's it?" Yasmin thought she had misheard Lily. 'Is she trying to talk terms with me just so that I won't punish my son?' she wondered in disbelief."Ross is my son. I won't harm him. Don't you think you've wasted an opportunity by making such a request?" The queen shook her head. "I wasn’t sure if you’d blame him, but he did rescue me once. If I don't do anything, it would be ungrateful of me," Lily said gently, "Also, didn’t you already lock him up?"Yasmin was puzzled. "No, I only sent him back to Yudonia. He kept trying to get me to sto
"Three days," Lily replied.“That’s it?!” Yasmin was in disbelief. She thought Lily would try to buy some more time and suspected she would say the process would take several months or even years.‘I haven’t felt my legs for over a decade. I wouldn’t mind waiting for three more days.’“Are you sure I can get up and walk in just three days?” Yasmin pressed her legs hard but felt nothing. She would have treated her legs long ago if it were that easy.The queen had visited many famous doctors from various countries, but they could only stop her legs from getting weaker. However, Lily confidently told Yasmin that she could fix her legs so quickly.Yasmin wanted to believe it.After some consideration, Lily said, “I can’t guarantee that you’ll walk as fast as you once could. After all, you haven’t used your legs for a long time, and your muscles have atrophied. Still, you’ll recover slowly.”Yasmin nodded repeatedly, thinking it was good enough. She never dreamed of walking as well a
“Because only our opinions matter." Lily thought of something and said, "Unless you choose to believe Rhea.""I… don't trust anyone." Yasmin’s expression stiffened as she turned her wheelchair away."Your Majesty, I know you're dedicated to the experiment, but there are other things in life. Have you ever considered letting go of your burden to sightsee? You’ve done enough as a queen over the last few decades. Aren’t you tired of living a lonely life?”Lily gently spoke as she gazed at Yasmin’s back.The older woman caressed her knees with both hands and stared down at her legs, murmuring, “Sightsee, huh? I’ve forgotten what that’s like.”Yasmin had not used her legs for many years. Initially, she could still stand up and sometimes took a few steps. However, she could no longer get to her feet.She had grown accustomed to sitting in a wheelchair, but she felt a pang of sorrow after hearing Lily’s suggestion.Lily asked, “What if I can help you stand again? What if you can walk a
"Yes, I returned not just for him but also for you," Lily said, "I'm sure you were anxious for my return, weren't you?"Yasmin scoffed dismissively. "Why would I be? I have my bargaining chip. Besides, did you honestly think I couldn’t bring you back?""Bargaining chip? Do you mean Nick?" Lily shook her head with a smile. "Don't forget that he's not my son. Do you think he'll be much of a bargaining chip to you if I choose to ignore him for my three children?"She did not wait for Yasmin to reply and continued, "Besides, Nick still has a father who’s willing to die for him. If Mike decides to take drastic action against you— Yes, you're a queen, and you don't care much about an insignificant businessman.“However, don't forget that his business spans worldwide. There's no guarantee what he might do. Who knows, he might spread information that can affect Your Majesty and Yudonia's reputation?""You…" The queen was exasperated but could not retort.Lily noticed it and casually said
Rick could only remain silent at that moment.Yasmin then turned her wheelchair around and blandly said, “Bring Lily over. I’d like to see what excuses that sly woman can come up with.”"Your Majesty?" Rick was puzzled. "You know she'll just lie to you. Why must you—"Yasmin interjected, "I'd like to hear what she has to say."Rick had no choice but to leave and do as she said.As Lily was about to doze off, she heard noises from outside and opened her eyes. Immediately after, the door opened, and Rick appeared. He glared at her and spoke coldly, “Her Majesty wants to see you.”Lily glanced at Rick calmly and stood up as if she had expected his appearance. On the other hand, Mike rose before her and headed out.However, Rick stopped him as he reached the door. “You stay.”"But we came together!" Mike glanced over his shoulder at Lily, signaling her to persuade the man. Rick added, "The queen doesn’t wish to see you. Just stay here!"Lily patted Mike's shoulder and said gentl
Everyone was shocked when Lily returned to the embassy with Mike. One of the staff members quickly left to report the news to Queen Yasmin.Meanwhile, Lily saw people peering at her and Mike from the corner. Afterward, several guarded-looking men appeared. Lilt recognized them as the queen’s attendants. They brought Mike and Lily inside and then gave the duo a thorough search.The men only relaxed after finding nothing suspicious about the duo. Even so, Lily could not see the queen as the men told her to wait in an innermost room instead.After returning to the embassy, Lily felt a sense of strange familiarity. Although she knew the place well, her mindset had changed.She previously hated the embassy and simply wanted to escape. However, she had returned with a critical mission. Not only did she have to complete it, but she also needed to leave the place in one piece.While she was calm, Mike was somewhat anxious. He clasped his hands on his knees and glanced around as he sat dow
"I promise I'll do anything you want, okay?" Mike begged. He was desperate to see his son, so he decided to follow Lily when she insisted on returning to the embassy.Mike continued, “If any of you go with her, they might stop or suspect you. They won’t do that to me. It’s natural for me to want to see and rescue my son. I’m the best candidate because it makes sense for me to sacrifice myself for him.”After a short silence, Lily said, “You’re right.” She then looked at Alexander, who pondered before slowly raising his head and saying, “Me too.”Dominic tapped the table. "So do I."Cameron thought for a moment before saying, "I've no objections."Seeing this, Austin spread his arms and said, "Since you all agree, what else can I say? Let's do it!"It did not matter whether or not he agreed, but he just wanted to support Mike. The latter nodded and became emotional, saying, “Thanks, you guys!”"Why are you thanking us? Just be careful, and don’t be rash like you promised," Aust