Sean could not take his eyes off Liliana. When she turned and left, something inside him cracked. He shoved his hand into his coat pocket and squeezed it into a fist.Joanna's voice, clear and pretty, broke through his thoughts. Sean looked at her. "Yeah?""Sean, what are you looking at?" Joanna tried to see what had caught Sean's attention but found nothing. "Did you recognize someone?""No." Sean did not look back at Liliana. Instead, he faced Joanna. "You wanted to see me for...?""Oh, it's just..." Joanna's cheeks were pink, and she fidgeted with her hands. "Gavin from school told you, right? The school wants to invite some famous alumni to talk to the younger students about jobs. You're so great. They really want you to come back."Joanna had come to convince him today. It had been ages since they had last met, especially since Sean opened his own hospital.Feelings were not Sean's thing—work was. He had not been back to school in three years, making it harder for Joanna to
Sean's eyes twinkled as he casually pulled his hand back and glanced at Joanna. "What's up with Darek?" He did not seem too interested in school matters, but he was more patient when it came to Darek. Sean really liked Darek. Even though he was young, he was smart and had already won many awards. Sean was sure that Darek would achieve great things in the future as long as he stayed healthy. Sean did not have romantic feelings for Joanna, but he stayed close to her because of Darek. Joanna's eyes lit up when she heard that. She did not understand what made Darek so special to Sean, but she was happy to let them be close. It meant she had a chance to spend time with Sean too."Darek recently won a big prize in a physics contest and wanted to share his excitement with you! But he's been under the weather lately, and my parents can't decide if they should take him to the hospital. You know how much Darek dislikes hospitals, and the bills there can be really high! "Sean narrowed
"Um… Sir, ma’am, our restaurant has a special couple's meal deal that's quite affordable. Would you like to try it?""Ah, no thanks. We're not a couple, we're siblings!" Liliana said quickly. "The couple's meal wouldn't be right for us.""Oops, I’m sorry about that. In that case, what would you like to order, Miss?"Liliana looked over at Charles, who gave her a quick glance and frowned slightly. "Pick whatever you feel like eating!""Alright!" Liliana nodded, chose a few things from the menu that looked good and were not too pricey, and handed the menu back to Charles.Charles added one more item to the order, then paused and turned to Liliana. "You're graduating next year, right?""Yep!" Liliana responded, almost childlike in front of Charles. "I am.”"Not much time left, huh? How's all the graduation stuff coming along?"Charles's tone was casual, like a relative catching up with a younger family member.However, perhaps because Charles sounded a bit too stern and formal, L
Autumn had painted Brookville in shades of gold and crimson when Noelle Shaw stepped off the plane. She grabbed her suitcase and walked out into the crisp air, a familiar sense of home wrapping around her.A whole year had passed since she left to pursue a corporate training program overseas, and now, she was back just in time.Her third anniversary with her boyfriend Xavier Harris was just days away, and she had been working nonstop to make it back early enough to surprise him.She hailed a cab and headed straight for Xavier's office. The moment she walked through the front doors, Alice, the receptionist, gave her a look of total shock. "Ms. Shaw? You’re back? Are you here for the CEO's engagement party?"Noelle's brow creased in confusion. "The CEO's engagement party? What are you talking about, Alice?""It's Mr. Harris's engagement party with your sister!""What?" Noelle's heart skipped a beat, and the happiness drained from her face. "Whose engagement party?"Alice seemed to
Noelle bolted from the hotel, her previously defiant face now streaked with tears.Out of nowhere, a black Cayenne screeched to a halt, its tires screaming against the pavement. Caught off guard, she tumbled to the ground.The driver gulped, his eyes darting to the man in the back seat, "Sir... Sir?"The man in the back, unfazed by the nearby accident, merely glanced at the passenger seat beside him. "Ronald, go see what happened.""Right away, sir." Ronald was out of the car in a flash, checking the front for any damage.About six feet ahead of the car, a woman sat on the ground with her eyes wide open, looking totally freaked out. Her cheeks were streaked with tears, and she had obviously been crying. "Miss? Are you okay? Do you need a ride to the hospital?"Noelle was scared out of her wits. She just gazed at Ronald, lost in shock, until she finally managed to pull herself together and stand up. Without a word, she tried to sidestep him, eager to get away.Ronald was puzzled
Trapped in the man's grip, Noelle struggled to break free, her body refusing to cooperate. Her vision was blurry as she glared at him. "What are you trying to do?""Just having a bit of fun..." He chuckled, his voice dripping with sleaze as he steadied her. "Let's go somewhere more entertaining, shall we?"Noelle might have been out of it, but she could still sense the danger in the man's tone. However, her whole body ached, and she knew she was no match for them. She scanned the area for anyone who could help her, but she was invisible to the passersby.She spotted a figure approaching through her haze. Acting instinctively, she shoved the two men aside and bolted, slamming right into the newcomer. "Save me!" she gasped.Her fingers dug into the fabric of the man's shirt, and she inhaled a sharp, clean scent. "Please, save me," she pleaded.Charles squinted, taking in the woman who had just collided with him. There was a flicker of something sharp in his gaze.Noelle did not let
At the top of The Majestic Lounge was a room that belonged to Charles alone. He swung the door open and carried Noelle in. She was feeling so awful that she hung onto Charles like she was trying to meld into him, her limbs all over the place with nary a hint of elegance.He managed to detach Noelle from himself with a bit of a struggle and gently placed her in the bathroom. Taking a deep breath, he dialed Ronald’s number. "I need ice, and make it quick."Once he ended the call, he saw Noelle trying to get out of the tub. He gently but firmly pushed her back down and turned on the cold tap. "Stay still!"His voice was firm and grew even more intense as he noticed how the water in the tub accentuated her figure. His gaze sharpened.Ronald was fast, arriving shortly with two buckets of ice. "Here's the ice, sir.""Hold on," Charles instructed Ronald. "Just set them down and leave, thanks." His tone was cool and detached.Ronald raised an eyebrow at Charles's unusual sternness. Howev
"It doesn't matter who I am. What matters is that I’m here to help." Charles tapped his cufflink, his gaze steady and serene as he watched Noelle.A wave of alarm washed over her. Something about this guy screamed that he was more complicated than he was making himself out to be. "I don't need your help.""Really? Then why were you here last night, trying to drink away your troubles? Your boyfriend is now your brother-in-law, your parents don't trust you, and now, you're the town's favorite punching bag. Did you miss the front page of the news?""That’s none of your business." Noelle's jaw tightened. "You helped me out yesterday, and yes, I'm thankful for that." She swung her legs out of bed and started searching for her clothes, but they were nowhere in sight. "Hey, mister!""Charles." He leaned against the wall with an easy grace, watching Noelle's panicked search. "That's my name."Hearing the name 'Charles' made her eyebrows twitch. It rang a bell. "Are you related to Xavier?"
"Um… Sir, ma’am, our restaurant has a special couple's meal deal that's quite affordable. Would you like to try it?""Ah, no thanks. We're not a couple, we're siblings!" Liliana said quickly. "The couple's meal wouldn't be right for us.""Oops, I’m sorry about that. In that case, what would you like to order, Miss?"Liliana looked over at Charles, who gave her a quick glance and frowned slightly. "Pick whatever you feel like eating!""Alright!" Liliana nodded, chose a few things from the menu that looked good and were not too pricey, and handed the menu back to Charles.Charles added one more item to the order, then paused and turned to Liliana. "You're graduating next year, right?""Yep!" Liliana responded, almost childlike in front of Charles. "I am.”"Not much time left, huh? How's all the graduation stuff coming along?"Charles's tone was casual, like a relative catching up with a younger family member.However, perhaps because Charles sounded a bit too stern and formal, L
Sean's eyes twinkled as he casually pulled his hand back and glanced at Joanna. "What's up with Darek?" He did not seem too interested in school matters, but he was more patient when it came to Darek. Sean really liked Darek. Even though he was young, he was smart and had already won many awards. Sean was sure that Darek would achieve great things in the future as long as he stayed healthy. Sean did not have romantic feelings for Joanna, but he stayed close to her because of Darek. Joanna's eyes lit up when she heard that. She did not understand what made Darek so special to Sean, but she was happy to let them be close. It meant she had a chance to spend time with Sean too."Darek recently won a big prize in a physics contest and wanted to share his excitement with you! But he's been under the weather lately, and my parents can't decide if they should take him to the hospital. You know how much Darek dislikes hospitals, and the bills there can be really high! "Sean narrowed
Sean could not take his eyes off Liliana. When she turned and left, something inside him cracked. He shoved his hand into his coat pocket and squeezed it into a fist.Joanna's voice, clear and pretty, broke through his thoughts. Sean looked at her. "Yeah?""Sean, what are you looking at?" Joanna tried to see what had caught Sean's attention but found nothing. "Did you recognize someone?""No." Sean did not look back at Liliana. Instead, he faced Joanna. "You wanted to see me for...?""Oh, it's just..." Joanna's cheeks were pink, and she fidgeted with her hands. "Gavin from school told you, right? The school wants to invite some famous alumni to talk to the younger students about jobs. You're so great. They really want you to come back."Joanna had come to convince him today. It had been ages since they had last met, especially since Sean opened his own hospital.Feelings were not Sean's thing—work was. He had not been back to school in three years, making it harder for Joanna to
Charles glanced up. When he caught Ronald's eye, Ronald jumped and said, "I'll book a restaurant right away!"Liliana felt good about her morning interview. She did not know the result yet, but she was confident. After all, she had been studying hard for three years.After she left the interview company, Liliana checked the time. It was just after three. She figured Charles was still at work, so she decided to take a walk. She called Tania to chat about her interview and then called Jacy to catch up. After she hung up, Liliana looked up and saw someone standing at the edge of the square.Suddenly, Liliana stopped walking. She could not take her eyes off the figure not too far away.It had been three years since she last spoke to Sean at the dormitory door, and they had not seen each other since. She had heard bits and pieces about him, though.She had heard about his legendary last few years and everything he had done.Liliana had tried her best to ignore all the stories about Se
Liliana remained silent for a moment as if considering how to respond."I've already sent out a few resumes. I start my interviews today," she finally said, deciding to be upfront with Charles.After all, the reason she had been able to continue her studies so smoothly was largely thanks to the financial support he had provided.She never fully understood why Charles treated her the way he did, nor did she wish to delve too deeply into it. However, she was grateful for his help, so she spoke to him honestly."The companies I applied to are quite decent. Any of them would be a good option for my internship.""Alright," Charles responded with a nod before adding, "Send me the names of the companies you're interviewing with. I'll look into them for you.""That won't be necessary." Liliana quickly refused.She appreciated Charles' kindness, but she did not like the idea of him interfering in her personal affairs.Perhaps her refusal came too quickly because the line suddenly fell s
After falling seriously ill, Liliana became much quieter. She tried her best to maintain her emotions, but Tania still noticed the change. However, no matter how many times Tania asked, Liliana never told her what had happened.Three years passed at Vista University, and during that time, Liliana never saw Sean again. It was as if they were two lines that had once crossed but were now moving farther and farther apart.She thought that maybe this was not such a bad thing.He despised her, did not like her, and did not want to see her. She understood all of that. So rather than constantly running into him and being reminded of his disgust, it was better not to meet at all.Over the years, she surprisingly stopped thinking about Sean. Even at Vista University, his name was rarely mentioned.She knew it was not that she had truly forgotten—she had simply chosen not to remember.Three years was enough time to change many things, including a person's character.Now, she and Tania were
It was not a big deal. She only had to avoid seeing him.That did not matter as Liliana knew she never planned to see Sean again anyway.Seeing how easily Liliana agreed, a shadow flickered across Sean's gaze, though he quickly concealed it. His expression remained cold as he stared at her. "From now on, wherever I am, you are not allowed to be there. If you see me, go the other way.""Alright." Liliana kept her head down, refusing to look into his icy eyes.She was afraid that if she did, it would hurt even more. So she chose not to look at him at all."Remember what you just said." Sean shot her a withering glance before turning to leave. After a few steps, however, he suddenly stopped. "And don't ever like me again."Liliana froze.Then, she heard his voice again, calm and laced with disgust. "Being liked by someone like you makes me feel dirty."She watched his figure disappear into the darkness, realizing just how deep his loathing for her ran. It was so deep that even the
Sean narrowed his eyes, staring intensely into Liliana's. "I'll ask you one last time—why did you do it?"The moment the words left his mouth, he felt Liliana stiffen. She had not expected him to ask this question.Why?How was she supposed to explain something she never did?However, Liliana knew that after more than a year, no matter what she said, the outcome would remain the same.Sean had come looking for her not because he wanted an answer but because, in his entire life, no one had ever dared to scheme against him. She had simply walked right into his line of fire. Even though she was not the one who set him up, he had already decided that she was guilty.Her lips parted slightly, and for a moment, she just stared at him, lost in thought.It took her a long time before she finally spoke. Her voice was soft, almost a whisper. "What if—I'm just saying, what if—I told you I liked you?"Her voice was so quiet it nearly vanished in the night air, but Sean still heard it.His
Sean's chest burned with fury at Liliana's words. His usual mischievous glint was gone, replaced by an icy sharpness.Liliana instinctively stepped back, fear flashing in her eyes as she stared at Sean. She had no idea how to face him.She had never seen him like this before. His rage was overwhelming, smoldering like an unquenchable fire.Swallowing hard, she forced herself to hold his gaze. However, Sean, watching her, only felt more enraged. How could this woman be so utterly heartless?He had always treated her like a younger sister, protected her, and cared for her. Yet she had betrayed him and plotted against him."I know you hate me," Liliana said, her voice steady despite the tremor in her hands. "What I did was wrong. I shouldn't have set you up. But I didn't succeed, did I?"Look, I knew I was wrong, so I left. I never asked you to take responsibility. In the end, wasn't I the one who suffered more? As a girl, wasn't it worse for me?""Very well, then." Sean clenched h