Peter? Mr. Smith?The difference in treatment was almost laughable. In the past, whenever they went out together, Liliana would always follow behind him and constantly chirp his name.Back then, she had been terrified of Peter. Now, she would rather go to Peter than to him if she needed help.Sean admitted to himself that at this moment, he felt something indescribable. On one hand, Liliana was finally doing exactly what he had asked. On the other, her damned obedience infuriated him.Sometimes, he wished she would not be so obedient. If only she could…Sean was suddenly startled by his own thoughts. His brows furrowed deeply as he stared at Liliana, his expression dark and unreadable.Liliana had no idea how to interact with him anymore. No matter what she said, he always seemed dissatisfied.She stood there, silently looking at him. Sean looked back at her."Sean?"It was Joanna's voice that finally broke the tense silence.Liliana did not know when Joanna had arrived or ho
Joanna's cheeks flushed slightly as she studied Sean's face. It was sculpted to perfection as if crafted by the hands of a divine artist.Not only had he been blessed with such striking features, but he was also exceptionally talented, capable, and charismatic.Joanna recalled the first time she had seen Sean at Vista University. Back then, he had not yet developed the calm maturity he exuded now, but his presence had already been overwhelming. From that moment, she had been unable to take her eyes off him.Now, after years of refinement, this man had only grown more irresistible.Joanna swore to herself that no matter what it took, she had to have Sean. Even if she had to use every trick in the book, she would make sure he belonged to her.She gazed at him with unconcealed adoration, her emotions laid bare for anyone to see. However, Joanna's affection was completely different from Liliana's.Liliana had also claimed to like him, but she had always been cautious. She would follo
Sean's words were almost merciless.A sharp blade inflicted instant pain, but a dull knife that was slow and relentless was far crueler.Had he delivered a swift, clean cut, Joanna might not have felt such piercing agony. However, Sean's deliberate indifference was like a blunt blade, dragging through her flesh and prolonging the torment.It did not cut deep enough to end her suffering, but it scraped and pulled, leaving her in excruciating pain that was worse than death itself.Joanna's face turned pale. She bit her lip, at a complete loss for words.She stared at Sean, feeling as though she no longer recognized him. He was nothing like the man she had known back in university.Yet even so, she loved him. She loved him to the point of madness, to the point of no return.Taking a deep breath, she decided there was no longer any need to hide her feelings. Since Sean had already seen through her, there was no point in pretending."Sean, I like you. I've liked you since the moment
After leaving the restroom, Liliana returned to the private dining room. By then, everyone had already drunk quite a bit, and the business discussions were nearly wrapped up.As a newcomer, Liliana had also been pulled into drinking rounds and, despite her attempts to pace herself, she was still just a rookie. There was no way she could outlast these seasoned drinkers.She had no idea how much she had consumed. Her stomach churned uncomfortably, and her head spun, making her feel increasingly out of control. The sensation sent a wave of alarm through her.Her supervisor, who had been watching her quietly, exchanged a glance with the representative from the other company. Quickly understanding the signal, Edmund Hughes took the opportunity to step closer to Liliana, reaching out to touch her lightly."Liliana?"Her head buzzed, and she faintly registered someone calling her name. When she looked up, a large face appeared alarmingly close. She frowned."Mr. Hughes?"Edmund's heart
Liliana shook her head, trying to clear her mind. She then lifted her gaze to the group of people behind her. She had not expected them to stand idly by, openly allowing Edmund to take her away.If she had not snapped out of her drunken haze just now, what would have happened to her?Liliana was an adult, and she understood the consequences all too well. The clearer those consequences became, the darker her expression grew.Clenching her fists, she quickly rummaged through her bag. She pulled out her phone and dialed Peter's number. The call had barely rung twice before he answered."Peter—"Before she could finish her sentence, her phone was snatched from her hand and flung aside."You little bitch!" Edmund snarled. "You should consider yourself lucky that I want you, and you dare to make a call? No matter who you call upon, no one's saving you tonight."Seeing that coaxing her was not working, he signaled the men behind him. Within seconds, they closed in, surrounding Liliana
Liliana's eyes burned with hatred as she glared at Edmund."Even if I die, I won't let you defile me," Liliana spat.With that, she bit down hard on her tongue. Blood gushed from her mouth, spilling over her lips in a gruesome display.A few of the men hesitated, realizing things were getting out of hand. However, Edmund only grew more excited. He grabbed a fistful of Liliana's hair and slapped her across the face, hard."Feisty! Let's see how far you can go!" he sneered.Seizing her by the collar, he yanked her up and slammed her onto the table.Her scream, mingled with the gasps and jeers from the onlookers, filled the entire room.Liliana had lost all hope. A hollow laugh escaped her lips as she stopped struggling.Noticing her resignation, Edmund gripped her chin and smirked. "And here I thought you were some virtuous little saint. Turns out, you're nothing special."With a loud rip, he tore away the last of her clothing, leaving only her camisole and underwear. Then, he t
"Mr. Smith! What brings you here?"Outside the private room, another group of people showed up. Leading them was the manager of the Cloud Pavilion. He rushed over as soon as he saw Sean. His heart lurched when he noticed the condition of the woman in Sean's arms. "Mr. Smith, this..."Sean's frosty eyes met the manager's. "Are you a Hughes too?"Those words from Sean sounded like a final verdict.The Cloud Pavilion's manager, Darren Hughes, trembled, especially when he caught sight of the president, Edmund Hughes. It was like he had been struck by lightning. He strode over to Edmund and slapped him hard across the face. “You idiot! Look at the trouble you’ve caused.”"Bro….""We’re not brothers.” Darren faced Sean, bowing and begging. "Mr. Smith, my brother is young and foolish. He's offended you, and for that...""Foolish?" Sean's voice was icy. He was about to say more, but the woman in his arms suddenly slumped, her head lolling to one side as she fell unconscious."Liliana!"
Darren honestly did not know. He looked helplessly at the others.A girl spoke up, "Hoffman… Liliana Hoffman..."Right after she spoke, Darren could not take it anymore and fell to the floor."Darren..."Darren's brother, Edmund, had never met Sean or Peter and did not know who they were. Seeing his brother so terrified, he felt fear creeping in. However, he tried to be brave and said, "Let me tell you, my brother works for the Collosus Group! You..."Peter just laughed softly. "Mr. Darren Hughes, why don't you tell him about the girl he's been bullying? Who is she?"Peter pointed at Edmund as he said that."Be quiet!" Darren stared hard at Edmund. "You've put my life in danger. The girl you picked on is part of the Hoffman family. She’s Mr. Hoffman's sister. You've stirred up a lot of trouble."Edmund's eyes widened in shock. Everyone else fell to the ground, scared stiff by Darren's revelation.Who would have guessed that an average college girl was actually the sister of th
Lareal glanced at Peter. The light in the bedroom was dim, casting shadows on Peter's face and making it hard to read his expression. However, for a split second, Lareal caught a glimpse of a mischievous twinkle in Peter's eyes. "Go on," Peter said with a hint of amusement."Let me tell you about Tania. Her story is quite unusual. The parents she lives with now aren't her real mom and dad. She was adopted from an orphanage by a woman named Yasmin, who later married a man named Christian. They made a family together. Christian is really kind to Tania and Yasmin, treating Tania as if she were his own daughter. Yasmin has everything she could ever want. ""Your main point is…" Peter said, looking up with a frown.Lareal cleared his throat. "The main thing is that Yasmin isn't nice to Tania at all. You'd think Yasmin would love Tania since she adopted her, but when Christian isn't around, Yasmin is mean to her, yelling and hitting her a lot. That only stopped when Tania got a bit older
"That overprotected nephew of the Lennon family? No way. How is Tania even connected to Jamie, and why did she come to you to catch a cheater?"Sean thought the situation was funny and let out a soft chuckle. "You know, you really don't need me for your investigation. You've got people way better than mine."Peter gave Sean an indifferent look. "I’m glad you realize that."Sean's mouth twitched with annoyance. "Peter, just because you're older doesn't mean you can...""Hmm?"Sean clammed up. "Fine. What do you want me to do?""By tomorrow morning, the news about today will be all over the papers and magazines," Peter said, tapping his knee. "I want all the stories pulled." He paused, thinking. "Actually, leave one.""What's your plan?"Sean was confused about Peter's intentions. "You're not thinking of...""Nobody knows I was at the Grand Hull Hotel today," Peter said with a slight chuckle. "I'm curious to see who's bold enough to try and play me.""And the girl...""She'll
Peter's eyes narrowed when he saw Sean. "You got here quickly."Sean let out a chilling laugh, his face fixed with a fake, friendly smile. "When you call, Peter, I wouldn't dream of taking my time."Peter glared at him, and Sean quickly put up his hands. "Okay, okay, no need for that look. You didn't just call me here to stare me down, did you?"Peter scrunched his eyebrows together and then handed Sean a student ID. "Vista University?"Sean raised an eyebrow, but when he saw the student ID, his eyes landed on the innocent face pictured, and he could not help but smirk. "Wow, looks like a young girl has totally played you!""She's not that skilled!" Peter snapped back, his fingers laced together on his lap. His eyes seemed colder than before. "Do you know her?"Sean's mouth twitched at Peter's intense gaze. "Could you look any scarier?""Out with it!""Her name's Tania, Liliana's classmate and bestie," Sean said casually. "What's she done to you?"Since Liliana was involved, S
Liliana kept to herself who the other woman was. The whole thing with Yasmin and Tania was just too messy, and she did not want to spread the story around, not even to Keith.Keith felt a surge of anger. "That's not right. I thought Jamie treated Tania well!"Since Keith and Liliana became a couple, they had hung out with Tania, Jamie, and a few others a couple of times. Keith had always thought Jamie was a decent guy.Liliana just let out a chilly laugh. Jamie?She did not know Jamie very well, but as Peter's nephew, Jamie was no simple character. She had her doubts about Tania and Jamie from the start. Jamie had seemed sincere back then, and Liliana did not think he would ever betray Tania, but it looked like Jamie was just as bad as his mother now.Liliana took a deep breath to calm herself. "We can't talk about this now. We have to find Tania first. I'm really worried she might do something silly."Tania might not have looked like it, but she was actually super tough. Liliana
Liliana had agreed to give things a try with Keith, but she was not sure what to expect. Keith, on the other hand, was thrilled. Ever since Liliana said she would give it a shot, he was by her side from dawn till dusk, the picture of a devoted boyfriend. Even Tania had to admit that Keith's efforts were impressive.Liliana appreciated his dedication, so she welcomed his affection, except when he tried to spoil her with fancy gifts. Other than that, they enjoyed each other's company a lot.After two months of spending time together, Liliana landed a new job. She and Keith were not super close, but they were not just acquaintances either. She did not mind holding hands from time to time.One day on the weekend, Liliana was getting ready to go out with Keith. He had excitedly told her he got tickets to a big movie release, knowing how much he enjoyed those films.Just as she was about to leave, her phone rang. It was Tania. "Hey Liliana, are you free? Come join me for a drink!"Lilia
Compared to Tania and Keith's nervousness, Liliana seemed a bit more relaxed.Worse come to worst, she could always pull some strings or come up with a plan.Liliana really did not want to ask Charles for help unless she had no other choice. She had kept a big secret for so many years—none of her friends or teachers, and not even Tania, knew she was connected to the Hoffman family. She did not want to depend on them.After they finished eating, Tania made Liliana promise to walk Keith out. Liliana could not say no, so she walked with him toward the exit.They took their time going downstairs. Keith walked slowly because he wanted to make the moment last. He wanted to be alone with Liliana for a little while longer.Liliana felt torn. She did not know how to act around Keith. She knew he liked her a lot, and that was why he was always so nice to her.She had thought about being with Keith, but the truth was that she did not like him back. No matter how great he was, her feelings j
"As long as you're happy, that's what matters!"Liliana asked Tania to make sure Keith was settled in, and then she dashed back to the kitchen to keep busy.Tania snuck up and hugged Liliana from behind, making her jump. "Hey! What's up?""Hehe! It's been ages, and you seem slimmer to me." Tania playfully squeezed Liliana's waist but then looked concerned. "You really have lost weight.""Nope. You're imagining things." Liliana gently pushed Tania's hand away. "Go look after our guest. I've still got things to do here!""Okay, okay. Let's drop the act. You know Keith came here just for you," Tania said as she nudged Liliana aside and started washing the vegetables. "Keith's been missing you for over a month. He's worried. You could've dropped him a line. He's been asking about you, so since you're back, I brought him along."Tania's face turned serious. "Honestly, Keith's liked you for ages. Do you like him back? He's a good guy. If you're single, why not think about it?"Liliana
Liliana let out a relieved breath. "Thank you!""You know, when you think about it, you were the one who ended up hurt," Sean said. He did not remember that night very well, but he kind of remembered that he was the one who made her do things, even though she was the one who gave him the drug.Liliana hung her head. "I was wrong. I shouldn't have had those thoughts about you, and I definitely shouldn't have drugged you.""Okay. Let's not talk about it anymore. It's all in the past." Sean did not want to lose Liliana as a friend, especially since she was Charles's sister. They used to bump into each other all the time, and he did not want to see her act aloof and distant toward him anymore."Okay."Liliana nodded, and then there was silence.Liliana could only eat a little bit of oatmeal before she could not have any more. Her tongue was hurt, and even eating something as soft as oatmeal still irked it.Sean saw how uncomfortable Liliana was and felt a twinge of concern, but he s
"No!" Liliana shook her head. "I'm okay. It's just that my mom needs me right now, so I can't come back anytime soon.""Alright, I get it. You take care of what you need to. You've lost your job, and there's nothing much for you to do here anyway. You're better off staying busy at home. It was only an internship, after all."After hanging up the phone, Liliana felt a wave of unease.Clutching the latest smartphone, she was reminded of the vast difference between her life and the lives of Sean and Charles.She had felt so powerless that day, like a puppet in someone else's hands. However, Sean and Peter were different. They could snatch away someone's job with the flick of a wrist.When Sean walked in again and found Liliana sitting on the bed, deep in thought, he could not guess what was on her mind."Liliana."She looked up to see Sean offering a lunch box, her forehead creasing with concern.Sean caught the look on her face. He did not like how distant she seemed, even though