"Instinct," Liam breathed softly."Huh?" Gwyneth was confused, and blinked her dewy gaze at him.There was a twinkle in his eyes as he looked into her eyes. His heart tenderized, he cleared his throat to hide his unease and explained, "You were restless ever since you returned from the cafe two days ago. You refused to tell me when I asked too, so I knew you were hiding something from me."His expression slowly softened and was a lot less icy, though he could not calm down when he remembered the sight of her being in Hayden's cage. "I knew this was fishy, but it's worse than I thought!" He snorted coldly. "If I never made it, there's no telling how long you'd be confined or where that crazy man would've taken you!"Gwyneth lowered her head in response, a gleam of guilt showing in her eyes. "I didn't expect this… I mean, I was the one who decided where we should meet, and I thought I had the advantage. I didn't know that it was Hayden's turf!""Even so, you should've told me firs
Elizabeth's eyes widened, her pupils dilating in terror as Hayden closed in. She was starting to back away when she accidentally stumbled off her chair.As she lay sprawled like a rag doll, Hayden sneered as he dropped to a crouch and grabbed her hair and pulled.She had to lift her face, her eyes fixed on the bloodthirsty man as he slapped her viciously across the face!"Argh!!!" she cried out in pain while a dull hum was left ringing in her head.She could taste blood on her lips as a warmth unfurled over her scalp.However, one swollen cheek was nowhere enough to calm HaydenHis eyes flashed with excitement even as he slapped her again, her screams echoing in the roomy dining hall for over half an hour before it finally came to a stop.Hayden came to his senses as his phone rang, the light returning to his eyes. He finally released Elizabeth, though she was barely recognizable at that point—battered and bruised, there was no luster in her eyes, and she was totally numb to
"That's enough!" Liam frowned impatiently. "It's already been decided.""But—"Laim raised a hand to stop the board member from continuing while his cold gaze darted between the faces of each board member. "We still have two months until the ceremony," he growled. "Instead of being concerned that my wife would fail, you should all be putting more effort into rehearsing your toasts and scripts. Don't get yourself humiliated when the time comes!"Since the board chairman had put it that way, the board members stopped protesting all the way until the end of the meeting since it would be public dissent against him if they kept it up.-At a restaurant, Gwyneth told her best friend Aubrey about her upcoming performance at the anniversary gala. Aubrey was so shocked she almost spat her coffee at Gwyneth—fortunately, she choked instead.When she finally calmed down, she asked, "Do you have too much free time lately, Gwyneth? Is that why you're so eager to entertain yourself? If you
"No," Liam said without hesitation, speaking in his deep voice with a tone that allowed no refusal. "Girls should cut out on cold beverages. It's harmful to the liver. Moreover, the climate is just starting to cool. Don't hurt your body out of a whim."He lifted a hand and patted her head as he spoke. "Be good. Drink warm water—it's healthier."Still, Gwyneth was glaring at his face, feeling a little indignant. "It's nowhere as bad as you put it—I've read from a book that drinking cold water could hone your physique. Otherwise, everyone would collapse from a gentle breeze!"With that, they started arguing endlessly on that topic, whereas Henry and Aubrey had left on a stroll in the garden of Luther mansion.They were having a small talk, and the vibes were perfectly peaceful until Henry suddenly asked about their rehearsal indoors. "I'm not surprised Gwyneth can play the piano—it does feel as if she knows everything at times, and I'm used to it since I've worked for Liam for a whil
Liam was apathetic to Elizabeth's pleas.The sight of her—even her voice—would remind Liam that Hayden almost abducted Gwyneth at that cafe.If he did not make in time with the cops, Gwyneth might still be missing to the day, even suffering Hayden's inhuman torment.And that had been an elaborate trap set up by Elizabeth and Hayden!Hence, even as Elizabeth continued to talk, Liam glowered with the gloom of an impending storm and hung up.Gwyneth had just happened to reach him and noticed the dark look on his face. She asked, "Who was that? What's with that look on your face?"Noticing her look of concern, Liam quickly composed himself and shook his head. "I'm fine."-Meanwhile, at Hayden's residence, Elizabeth was thrown violently to the floor.She did not try to run and merely kept her eyes tightly shut, as if it would dampen the pain radiating from every part of her body.Nonetheless, the look of resignation on her face merely left the frenzied Hayden incensed, and he sta
Everyone in Luther Corporation was eagerly anticipating the gala, though the board remained absolutely concerned.In fact, they questioned the opening ceremony once more at the board meeting, but Liam remained adamant on letting his wife take the stage.The conference room was left so silent one could hear a pin drop.The board members then traded looks, shaking their heads and sighing until one of them said, "With all due respect, Mr. Luther, even if Mrs. Luther is as extraordinary as you put it, surely she'd still have a hard time."He slid a look—a gesture to the other board members—and they all promptly nodded when they understood."That's right. We should at least invite a professional band to hype things up!""What a fine suggestion. If Mrs. Luther's performance proves to be subpar, the guests would enjoy the warm-up act regardless. At least it wouldn't be embarrassing."They were all skeptical about Gwyneth's abilities in the end, so Liam did not hesitate to shoot them do
Mr. Tucker's face was ashen by the time Gwyneth finished her performance.Sephina, who was sitting beside him, certainly sensed his displeasure. She asked in concern, "Are you alright, Mr. Tucker?"However, she presumed that Mr. Tucker was dissatisfied with the opening performance and defended Gwyneth after some thought, "Actually, the ladies' performance was perfect, especially the pianist. I'm genuinely impressed!"There was no hiding the admiration in her voice, and that only prompted Mr. Tucker's eyes to flash in displeasure. "Really, I couldn't tell!" He laughed coolly before adding, "Aren't you Tina Wilkinson's top student? Are you going to let someone rain on your parade?! Remember—I paid you a fortune for your performance, so you have to beat them!"Sephina certainly understood why Tucker invited her just then.However, while she would have been confident about winning before, things were different now—it was not obvious to the layman, but having played the piano for yea
Even though Aubrey hadn’t used that much strength, Henry decided to play along. Wincing in ‘pain,’ he pretended to be hurt while exclaiming, “L-let go! It hurts! For real!” Understandably startled, she instinctively let go… But she wasn’t going to let him off that easily! Pretending like she didn’t care, she crossed her arms as she scoffed, “You deserve it.” “…With how fierce you are, aren’t you worried that you’ll scare off other men who come across you…?” “There you go, badmouthing me again! Really, with how much you bully me, it makes me wonder if you have a crush on me! If you do, then be honest! Then maybe, we’d actually have a shot at dating-” Cr*p. She had accidentally said too much! Oh God, was he going to think that she was the kind of woman who casually confessed to other men now?! Sipping her coffee in embarrassment, all she could do was eagerly wait for Henry’s reply… If only she hadn’t been averting her gaze, she’d surely have seen how hopeful Henry’s eyes were!