Shock!That one word perfectly described the expression on Amora's face at the moment. She truly hadn't expected to run into the man she least wanted to see.Regis Lorenzo suddenly interrupted her blind date and called her "Honey". Of course, this made Amora wonder.'Is he crazy? Why is he calling me that?'Amora could only grumble hysterically in her heart because she didn't want to embarrass herself. She still thought maybe Regis had a slip of the tongue and accidentally called her that."It seems you've mistaken me for someone else, Sir," Amora said, trying to correct Regis' mistake.Unfortunately, Amora never expected Regis to smile unapologetically and say, "Are you still mad at me, Honey? I'm sorry for canceling our date yesterday.""What?" Amora was again astonished.Before she could question her confusion, Regis had already spoken to the man sitting across from her.Felix's face was just as shocked as Amora's."Felix Wright, I didn't expect to meet you here. It's quite a coinc
Amora’s chest was rising and falling rapidly. She struggled to keep up with Regis’s pace as he walked ahead, still gripping her wrist tightly as if afraid she’d run away if he let go.“Sir, stop! It looks like he’s not chasing us anymore,” Amora said, panting heavily.Amora glanced back and saw that Felix Wright wasn’t following them as she had feared. She figured there was no need to keep running, especially after Regis’s threats.However, Regis kept walking and pulling Amora along. She had hoped he would let her go.“Sir!” Amora called out louder than before, her breath coming in gasps as she tried to match Regis’s stride.Finally, Regis slowed down and stopped. They were now in a parking lot with a shiny, luxurious car parked nearby. Amora guessed it belonged to him.“Please let go of
"What do you want?"Amora asked Regis directly, without any preamble. She didn’t intend to lie to him about her identity anymore.Based on her research on the Lorenzo family through the internet, Amora knew that Regis had full power to easily obtain information if he wanted to. It wouldn't be wise to stick to her lies.Regis didn't answer Amora's question directly. Instead, he glanced at Mark, who had just exited the cafe.With just a brief glance, Mark understood what his boss meant. He took out his car keys, pressed a small button to turn off the car alarm, and unlocked the door.Regis smiled with satisfaction, then opened the back door of his car and said to Amora, inviting her inside, "Get in, Miss.""Why do we have to talk in the car?" Amora replied suspiciously.Regis shrugged nonchalantly. "No problem if you want to talk outside, but I don
‘So he remembers everything now? What should I do? Should I confess?’Amora bit her lip hard. She didn't know how to respond, except to admit everything she had seen seven years ago.But various negative perceptions filled her mind, doubling her fear.‘But what if... what if he kills me right here like he did back then?’The terrifying thought made Amora abandon her intention to confess. She didn't know how Regis would react to her admission. She worried he might get angry and involve Rayden."No need to be afraid, Miss Lysander. I want to discuss with you and ask a few questions about our beautiful memory that night," Regis said.Amora clenched her fists tightly. She was increasingly convinced that Regis remembered almost everything between them that night."Why? Don't tell me you have amnesia, Miss Lysander. I won't believe it. You know what happens if you lie to me."Regis subtly threatened Amora. He could see her deep hesitation. Although he wanted to know the truth from her lips,
Regis suppressed his smile. Slowly, he released his grip from Amora's hand and jaw, then briefly wiped his wet lips."It seems your lips taste the same as before. But kissing you felt like kissing a porcupine. Too stiff and painful," teased Regis.Amora glared at him. She wanted to curse, but instead, she exhaled in frustration."What's wrong with admitting it, Miss Lysander? Is spending the night with me that humiliating for you, hm?"Amora decided not to respond to Regis's words and gently rubbed her wrists, which had reddened from his grip.Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Regis taking something out of his coat pocket, and then offering the shiny object to her."I suppose you haven't forgotten this, have you?" Regis asked confidently."That..."Amora bit her lip before replying, "I don't recognize it."
“Do you think I don’t need to hold you accountable, Miss Lysander?”The deep, cold voice made Amora’s eyes widen. She didn’t expect Regis to say something so shameless.“What is there to hold me accountable for? Not reporting you to the authorities is already a kindness on my part. Plus, you took my virginity!” Amora retorted angrily.“You gave it to me, I didn’t take it without permission,” Regis corrected her.Amora’s hazel eyes widened again, then moved restlessly. She knew the man’s words were true, but at that time, she was under the influence of alcohol and aphrodisiacs, so she didn’t realize what she had done.“But, as a true gentleman, shouldn’t you have refrained from taking advantage like that?” Amora countered, irritated.“I’m not a hypocrite, Miss Lysander. Isn’t there no cat that would refuse when given a salted fish?” Regis’s remark made Amora’s face flush red with shock.She exhaled roughly several times. She was utterly exasperated dealing with Regis. She turned her fa
Seeing that Amora had left his young master's car, Mark, who had been waiting by the car, finally decided to get in. He felt uneasy, worried he might face his boss’s anger after seeing Amora's sour expression as she left.Mark guessed that the two had just had a fierce argument.“Young Master,” Mark greeted as he took a seat behind the wheel.Regis’s closed eyes opened again. He only gave a slight nod to his assistant.Mark’s forehead wrinkled. He felt relieved that his previous concern did not happen, but he remained cautious.“What about Felix Wright?” Regis asked about the man who tried to deceive Amora earlier.“He seemed very shocked earlier, but I’ve already asked him to submit his resignation as soon as possible,” Mark replied.Regis sneered. “He underestimated my warning back then,” he said.The issue regarding Felix Wright had become a particular concern for Regis. Previously, he had received a report from one of his subordinates about Felix’s abuse of power in managing his n
"Mom, please don't cry."Rayden hugged his mom, gently rubbing her back with his tiny hands."Thank goodness you weren't taken away, Ray," Amora squeaked, her voice muffled by her sobs.Rayden looked confused by his mother's words, but he sensed the worry in her tone."I am not going anywhere, Mom. I'll always be by your side," Rayden comforted his mom."Amora."Amora's sobs halted when she heard Emma Adams call her name. Slowly, she looked up and saw Emma standing there, looking concerned.Amora quickly wiped her tears, then stood up and walked over to Emma, staring at her with a worried expression."W-What happened, Mrs. Adams? Where did you come from?" Amora asked anxiously, still confused about the situation.Emma sighed softly and replied, "I don't know who did it either. But I just reported the problem to the nearest authorities. Your house is still in shambles. I didn't have time to clean it up earlier. Let's talk about this at my house instead, Amora."Amora agreed. She locked
In the lavish living room of a five-star hotel suite, Alejandro Volker sat on a plush sofa, slowly puffing on a cigar. He seemed lost in thought until the voice of a younger man sitting across from him snapped him out of his reverie.“Let’s cut to the chase. Why did you ask me to come here, Mr. Volker?”Alejandro’s gaze fixed on the young man seated in front of him — clean-cut and impeccably dressed. The look on his face was one of obvious impatience.A faint smirk tugged at the corner of Alejandro’s lips. “Young Master Lorenzo, you’ve changed quite a bit since the last time we met.”Yes — the young man with him was none other than Regis Lorenzo.Not long ago, Regis received an unexpected phone call from Alejandro. He had no idea how Alejandro got his number, but he knew it wouldn’t be hard for someone in their circles.Alejandro had invited him to meet in this very hotel suite. Regis hadn’t planned to accept, but Alejandro mentioned he might be able to convince Diego—Regis’s father—t
Diego’s lips curled into a faint smirk at the woman’s reaction before he added, “But, if you want to tell Regis, that’s fine too. I wouldn’t want to waste the Old Madam Lysander’s time. Besides, she probably doesn’t have much time left anyway.”Amora’s eyes widened in shock. She shot up from her seat and slammed her hand on the table.“Mr. Lorenzo, stop threatening me by using my grandmother! Is this how a leader of the Royal Dragon behaves? Don’t you feel the slightest bit of shame?” she snapped.Diego’s expression darkened at Amora’s criticism, but he didn’t respond to her outburst. Instead, he said coolly, “If you leave Regis, I’ll grant you one request. This is the last of my patience, Miss Lysander.”“That’s not fair, Mr. Lorenzo! Why are you being so selfish? Are you only thinking about your happiness? Regis is your son, but nothing you’ve done reflects what a father should be!” Amora shouted, her anger boiling over.She couldn’t hold back anymore—his words and attitude had cros
“Do you want to meet your biological father, Miss Lysander?” Diego asked, his tone probing.He had considered arranging a meeting between them as a trade-off—if Amora agreed to leave Regis. “If you want, I can—”But Amora cut him off immediately. “That won’t be necessary!”Diego froze, caught off guard. He noticed the tears beginning to pool in her clear eyes, but there was something else there too—a sharp, almost predatory glare that made it clear she wasn’t someone to mess with.A faint, cold smile curved Diego’s lips. That side of her ... it was just like Alejandro Volker—and Diego hated that side the most.Even though he could see how angry Amora was with both Alejandro and himself, Diego couldn’t care less. In fact, he almost welcomed her hatred for Alejandro. To him, that was a win.‘Alejandro Volker … maybe the best punishment for you is your daughter’s hate,’ Diego thought with a twisted smile.He wanted Alejandro to feel the same kind of pain he felt now—being despised by you
"Are you criticizing how I handle my son, Miss Lysander?" Diego asked, his voice cold and piercing.The pressure in the air made Amora hold her breath. She quickly broke eye contact with the middle-aged man. That sharp gaze, almost suffocating in intensity, made her realize she might've crossed the line. Still, she didn’t believe anything she said was wrong.“I think you know what I really meant, Sir,” Amora replied, refusing to back down even a little.Diego scoffed. Her unyielding attitude both impressed and annoyed him. “If he hadn’t chosen a life with you, I wouldn’t have gone this far either, Miss Lysander,” he said as calmly as he could.Inside, though, rage was boiling in his chest. But he wasn’t about to let Amora see that she had managed to stir him so easily.Diego kept cornering her with harsh words, trying to make it seem like all his actions were her fault, as if she were the root of the problem. And that made Amora’s blood boil.‘No! I can’t lose it. He still has Grandma
“Mr. Lorenzo—”“Let’s talk over dinner,” Diego cut her off before Amora could say anything else. He signaled to one of his men standing by the door.Moments later, a server rolled in a cart of food that had clearly been prepared in advance. He placed a plate of beef bourguignon in front of Amora and Diego.The rich aroma of the dish made Amora’s stomach growl. She was starving—she hadn’t eaten a single thing since morning. But despite the tempting sight and smell in front of her, she held herself back.“I’m sorry, please take my plate away,” Amora said to the server.The man hesitated and looked toward Diego, whose expression had darkened at her refusal—clearly taking it as a sign of disrespect.Amora could sense the shift in Diego, too. Still, she stayed calm, projecting confidence as she stared him down. “I’m not hungry. So let’s just cut to the chase, Mr. Lorenzo.”Diego smirked. With a wave of his hand, the server quickly wheeled the food cart out of the room.“What do you want in
"Grandma ...."Amora’s whisper was soft and full of sorrow. She deeply regretted dragging her innocent grandmother into her mess.Clutching her phone tightly, Amora’s earlier resolve to avoid Diego completely shifted. Without a second thought, she bolted out of her rented house and rushed to the meeting place Diego had set.Thirty minutes later, she arrived. Amora glanced around before stepping toward the restaurant.Her brows furrowed when she saw the sign hanging on the restaurant’s door—it said closed. But the street outside still buzzed with activity like usual. A place like this shouldn’t be closing this early.Her heart pounded. A sinking feeling settled in her chest as her mind conjured all the terrible things that might be happening inside. For a second, she considered turning back. But then her grandmother’s face flashed in her mind, reigniting her courage.She took a deep breath, bracing herself, and pushed the door open. The silence inside sent a chill down her spine.The r
“Oh my God. What time is it?”Amora shot up in bed, completely startled to see the sun already high in the sky. She turned to glance at the wall clock and nearly panicked—it was almost ten in the morning. And she hadn’t even started prepping lunch for her husband and son yet.Running her fingers through her already-messy hair, she groaned, “Ugh, I can’t believe I slept this long.”She had only meant to lie down for a bit—but somehow, she ended up sleeping for three whole hours!Normally, no matter how tired she was, Amora never slept this deeply. Something felt off. She realized she’d been feeling unusually drained for the past week, and today it was even worse.“Am I ... actually sick?” she murmured, worry creeping into her voice.But a moment later, Amora shook her head firmly. She tried to shake off the fear with a positive affirmation. “No. I can’t be sick,” she said with conviction.She didn’t want to give Regis anything else to worry about—especially not her health. So she pushe
It had been three days since Regis, Amora, and Rayden moved into their modest rental home. A calm morning greeted them with warmth and cheer. The scent of freshly baked pizza mixed with the rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled the air.“Morning, Dad,” Rayden greeted as his father walked out of the bathroom and joined them at the dining table.“Morning, Ray,” Regis replied, bumping fists with his son.Simple mornings like these had become a special kind of happiness for Regis over the past few days. A warm greeting and a genuine smile to start the day—no wealth or power could ever replace that.But deep down, Regis still carried a concern—he hadn’t secured any steady income yet. Over the past two days, he had applied to several companies, but not a single one had called him in for an interview.Regis suspected his father had a hand in that. Both Gino and Xavier had previously offered him positions in their personal businesses.But Regis turned them down. Their lines of work didn’
“Mad?” Amora raised an eyebrow.Regis gave a hesitant nod. “Aren’t you? I mean, you were completely silent on the drive here.”Amora let out a small laugh before replying, “I’m not mad. I was just a little annoyed earlier. I’m sorry.”Seeing how concerned Regis looked, she added, “But I’ve thought about it, and I understand—you were only trying to keep us safe.”Earlier, Amora had stayed quiet in the car, reflecting on Regis’s words. She realized that her stubbornness might’ve put them in danger. But Regis had misread her silence, thinking she was giving him the cold shoulder.“I was going to say sor—”Before she could finish her sentence, Regis leaned in and kissed her lips.Amora’s eyes widened in surprise. She quickly glanced around, noticing the agent who had accompanied them looked just as shocked. The agent immediately turned away, pretending not to see anything so as not to make Amora feel uncomfortable. But Amora's face had already turned bright red like a boiled lobster.“Reg