Beep!A sudden flash of lightning illuminated the dark, causing Athena to duck instinctively. Her forehead nearly collided with the seat in front of her as she tightened her grip on the unconscious woman in her lap. Rain hammered against the taxi, the rhythmic pounding a stark reminder of the danger closing in."Ma’am," the driver said, his voice edged with urgency. "There’s a car following us. Do you recognize it?"Athena’s heart sank as she turned to look. The unmistakable shape of Leon’s car loomed behind them. Her pulse quickened, and she turned back to face the driver. "No, I don’t know them. Please, don’t let them find out where we’re going.""Yes, Ma'am. Do you need me to call the police?""No, just… just make sure they don’t follow us. And please, don’t let anyone know about the woman in this car. She’s my… she’s family!"Nodded, the driver pressed harder on the gas, weaving through traffic with calculated precision. He turned abruptly at a busy intersection, the sudden maneuv
"What are you trying to say, Athena? You don’t—""This is one of the pieces of evidence I accidentally found while hiding with you. To me, it’s enough to prove that I’m the one truly at fault here."Shaking his head, Arthur then guided the woman beside him toward his room. He didn’t take the paper Athena was holding out to him. One of his hands moved quickly to open the door before stepping inside and standing there."Take off your clothes!" Athena’s eyes widened before the man continued, "Change into dry, warmer clothes. Night rain can make you more susceptible to illness.""But—""I’ll turn around and won’t leave until I’ve treated your wounds. You’re overthinking things, Athena, to the point where you haven’t noticed the cut on your neck from the glass shards."Athena froze, only now noticing the red stain on her neck. She winced slightly as she accidentally touched the wound. But before she could speak again, Arthur had already turned to face the wall, as if proving his words."I’
"Ouch!"Athena clutched her head, which had suddenly begun to ache severely. Her brow furrowed slightly as she took in her surroundings. It seemed she was no longer in the bathroom. Everything had changed without her noticing, including the time, which now appeared to be midday."What happened?" Athena murmured as she tried to recall the events that had led her there.As far as she remembered, she had been about to change her clothes last night after battling with her thoughts. She vaguely recalled feeling dizzy. Everything had spun for her, and then suddenly..."Oh my gosh, I fainted?" Her eyes widened as she realized another surprising fact.Her clothes—her clothes had completely changed. Not only that, but she felt cleaner all over, even though she couldn’t remember cleaning herself."Arthur... Was it him who did all this?" she said breathlessly, realizing a man was sleeping beside her.Not exactly beside her—Arthur was sleeping in a small chair next to the bed with one hand restin
Athena's breath hitched as the man before she moved even closer. His sharp, mysterious gaze was no longer focused on her eyes but had shifted downward. She shook her head briefly, trying to dispel the fleeting thoughts invading her mind. But instead of stepping back, the man smiled faintly."What's wrong, Athena? I won't understand anything if you just shake your head," he whispered which made Athena turn her gaze in another direction to catch her breath."You're too close, Arthur. You... We... We shouldn't—""We shouldn't what, hmm? I still don't understand unless you say it clearly."Athena's breath grew uneven as she tried to speak. No words came out. She felt trapped—not by Arthur, but by the conflicting emotions warring within her.Her body jolted as if electrified when she felt him gently stroke her face. The masculine scent he exuded sent strange shivers through her body, especially as his touch moved from her cheek downward toward her lips."Tell me to stop, Athena. At least p
"I still don’t like this idea. You’re taking too big a risk going alone!" Arthur's lips thinned into a tight line. His displeasure is apparent. He certainly did not want to take any further risks, especially since he would not be able to watch Athena closely."I will come with various evidence that can secure me, Arthur. I won’t be alone. I'm sure he won't be able to fight me directly anymore, even if he keeps trying to get rid of me.""And what if Leon retaliates? He's ruthless, Athena.""I’ll make him pay for everything he’s done to me and your sister first. That way, he won't be able to do anything to me more," she assured, which made Arthur rub his face for a moment."You're too confident.""At least that's one of the things I learned from you. I can't just stay here waiting for your help because I don't want him to take over everything I have."Silent, Arthur finally cast his gaze in another direction. Athena immediately grabbed his hand again. She grasped it expectantly until s
"No, no! Tell me this annoying woman is just dreaming, Leon! Those letters… they’re all fake, right?""Unfortunately, everything I’ve said is true, Crystal. Now that you know all this, what are you going to do? Stick with a man who only has good looks, or run off to find another rich man? Hmm?"With confident strides, Athena approached her former best friend. The sound of her high heels echoed like a war drum to Leon. He exhaled sharply, loosening his collar as his wife turned to him with a thin smile and tilted her chin slightly toward Crystal."It seems I’m starting to like this new version of myself! It feels… What does it feel like? Look at all your expressions—they’re so entertaining I can’t help but laugh!""Damn it! You think we’re all clowns, huh?!" Crystal moved to swat Athena’s hand away from her face, but before she could retaliate, Athena stopped her."Shh! I’m not finished speaking, Crystal. Do you know how most villains in fairy tales begin? Most of them were good people
"Apologies, Mrs. Athena. If I may ask, where is Arthur right now? Wasn’t he last seen with you when you were trapped in the elevator?"Hearing the whisper, Athena chuckled softly. She quickly made a gesture of apology as Leon’s business associate’s gaze returned to her, then stepped out of the room once Crystal exited ahead of her."It's a pity you’re asking about Arthur first, Ed. Aren’t you even the slightest bit worried about me after working for me all these years?" she quipped gently, aware of the footsteps behind her."Apologies, ma’am. Seeing how healthy you look, I assumed—""Have you not noticed these scars of mine? Ah, I guess no one in this world truly pays attention to me."Spotting the small scratches along his mistress’s elegant neck, Edward's eyes widened slightly. He seemed momentarily lost for words until Athena hastily covered the marks with the edge of her clothing."Forget it. Deep down, you all want to get rid of me anyway, right? So what’s the point of hoping for
"Wait! Why did she stop here?"Seeing Athena walk toward a different hospital, Arthur's brow furrowed slightly. His eyes narrowed as he observed the woman, who appeared to be in a hurry."Perhaps she wants to get herself checked?""If that’s the case, why not at the previous hospital?""I'm sorry, Sir. I don’t know. Or would you like me to go down and check what’s going on with her directly?"Shaking his head briefly, Arthur glanced down at his phone. "Just wait here. She should be coming out soon, and then we’ll pick her up!"Inside the hospital, Athena appeared increasingly anxious as a receptionist began searching for records of her mother’s whereabouts. Her breath grew heavier when she heard a soft sigh that made her even more tense."I'm sorry, Ma'am. There’s no record of a patient named Evelyn G. Waverly being admitted today. May I see the transfer documents?"Handed them over, Athena's hands slightly trembling. The receptionist scrutinized them before shaking her head. "These l
"Wait!"Just as Athena was about to step out of the car, Arthur quickly grabbed her hand, his usual calm expression shifting in an instant. His eyes darted toward his phone, which had suddenly started ringing. A name flashed across the screen."Reyna?"Exhaling softly, Arthur ran a hand over his face. "I bought this number specifically and left it at home so I could be contacted about any urgent updates regarding Reyna. They never call unless—""We won’t know anything unless you pick it up, right?" Athena squeezed his hand reassuringly, her gaze firm yet gentle. "Hopefully, nothing bad has happened to Reyna." Even though Arthur hadn’t told her yet, she already knew from the house staff that Reyna had another violent outburst the night before. It seemed her condition still hadn’t improved, and despite everything, she still refused to be transferred to the psychiatric hospital that had been treating her."I won’t be able to come home anytime soon," Arthur finally spoke, drawing Athena
Knock! Knock! Knock!The sudden sound of knocking on the door made Crystal scoff in frustration. Without hesitation, she opened the door, her eyes still slightly wet—after all, it had only been a few minutes since she had been left behind by Leon without a word."What do you want to say? If it’s not important or good news, you’d better leave now before I take my anger out on you!" she snapped, making the man in front of her nod immediately."I'm sorry, Miss Crystal. I came to see you to update you on the search for Arthur. I actually wanted to discuss this with Mr. Leon as well, but it seems he—""He’s gone. He’s a mess right now! So I’ll handle this for the time being!"Edward nodded again before handing her several documents he had just gathered. Inside were some photos of people who resembled Arthur, along with details of their last known locations and additional information. Crystal furrowed her brows as she looked through them—until her eyes widened in shock when she found anothe
"Your phone is ringing, Athena."Arthur smiled as he noticed Athena trying to ignore her ringing phone. Her eyes remained closed before him. The distance between their lips was barely anything until, finally, he gently caressed her beautiful face before kissing her again."Your phone is still ringing. Are you really going to ignore it just for me?" he whispered, making the red lips in front of him pout slightly.Still unwilling to open her eyes, Athena draped her arms around Arthur’s broad shoulders. When he moved slightly away, she instinctively followed, prompting Arthur to wrap his arms around her waist, shifting their seats slightly in the process."I... I feel so embarrassed looking at you now that I know everything, Arthur. I feel like such a fool!""So that's why you're keeping your eyes closed?" Arthur chuckled, his gaze tracing the perfection of her delicate features.Her naturally long lashes—one of his favorite things about her—were rare in this era. Women like Athena, who
Still wondering in her heart, Athena was now transfixed by the breathtaking view before her.A vast, beautifully arranged lake stretched out in front of her. Not only that, from where she stood, she could see several swans gliding gracefully and birds chirping in the distance.The morning air was quite cold. Fortunately, Arthur had reminded her to wear a thick coat, though she had still forgotten to bring her gloves."Are you ready for a little clue?""A clue?"Athena instinctively grabbed Arthur's arm as he was about to lead her somewhere else. Her brow furrowed in confusion while the man let out a quiet sigh."So, you don’t remember?" he asked, his gaze fixed intently on her face.Shaking her head, Athena met his eyes, slightly tilting her chin upward. "If you're doing all this because I called you a coward last night or anything else I said, then you don’t have to worry about it, Arthur. Last night, I was just—""That’s not it!" he quickly interrupted, making her frown deepen."The
Ring!The sound of an alarm suddenly echoed, waking a woman who had been fast asleep in her bed. One of her hands moved around frantically, trying to locate the source of the noise. Her still-closed eyes widened instantly when she realized she was only wearing a white tank top—the same one she had last paired with her black blazer. "Damn! What the hell happened?" Athena grumbled, hugging herself. Quickly, she glanced around, trying to piece together what had happened the night before. Her head still felt a bit dizzy, but a small sigh of relief escaped her lips when she realized she was in Arthur’s home. That meant the chances of her doing something reckless while drunk were slim, right? At least she hadn’t ended up with a stranger for a one-night stand like in the novels she had read. Unless… Arthur had accepted her offer last night, and…. "Oh God! That’s so embarrassing!" she gasped, immediately sitting up. She ran her hands over her face, scanning her surroundings once mor
"You’ll regret it if I go along with your wishes."Snorting, Athena wrapped her arms around the strong shoulders of the man carrying her. "Everyone keeps talking to me like that! Leon, Crystal, they're just like you!""No, I won’t be like them. You’ll see soon enough."Hearing that response, Athena pursed her lips in a pout, resembling a lost cygnet searching for its mother."This isn’t fair! How are you still so clear-headed while I’m like this?" she grumbled, making the man carrying her smirk slightly."It’s because you’re incredibly weak against alcohol. Why didn’t you ever tell me before?""Tell you? For what? Ugh! Why is my head spinning so much? Did you poison me?"As she weakly hit his chest, Arthur chuckled. He quickened his pace toward the car while trying to shield Athena’s face from prying eyes. He didn’t want anyone to recognize her, especially not in her current drunken state.Living in luxury and constantly under the public eye, who would have thought Athena was this eas
"You have to tell me..."The soft glow of the chandelier above cast a golden hue over the elegantly set table. The room was soundproofed, offering Athena and Arthur complete privacy as they waited. No longer in the office, they were now chatting in one of the famous restaurants nearby. "How did you manage to secure a deal with Leon without making him suspicious?" Athena leaned back against the velvet chair, her eyes narrowing slightly as she studied the man before her."Leon is arrogant," Arthur smirked, resting his chin on his knuckles. "That’s his weakness. All I had to do was feed into that. Stroke his ego, make him believe he had the upper hand. He was too busy feeling superior to realize he was walking into a trap.""So you played him?""Like a piano. But that’s not enough. We need to make sure he doesn’t recover from this!"Taking a sip of his drink, Arthur's gaze darkened slightly as he leaned forward. Athena let out a soft chuckle, her lips curling in amusement."We? But you
"Come in!"Crystal’s face twisted with fury, but before she could respond, Athena turned to the door and let in some employees and cleaners as well."Pack up everything that belongs to Mr. Leon," Athena instructed them with a faint smile adorning her beautiful face. "Move it to one of the smaller offices on the lower floors because this is my space now!""Wait, you can't—""Ssshh! Just like what I said earlier, my dear husband. I've already gotten the green signal from some of the board of directors. So before you're forcibly evicted by them, I'd better get you out of here first!""You’ll regret this, Athena!" Leon stepped forward, grabbing his wife's arm roughly."Do your worst, Leon. I’ve already survived your betrayal, your lies, and your schemes. There’s nothing left you can take from me!""You’re playing a dangerous game!""And I’m winning!" Athena’s lips curled into a sneer as she stepped forward. Seeing this, Crystal then pulled Leon away. She certainly didn't want to let Leon
"These are some of the pieces of evidence I mentioned to you last night, sir."The police officer across from her nodded, his expression unreadable as he accepted the stack of documents from Athena's lawyer. He flipped through the pages, and a flicker of something curiosity crossed his face before he glanced toward the growing crowd of reporters gathering outside the station."So," the officer began, leaning back slightly in his chair, "behind the perfection you always present in front of the cameras, it seems there’s a different story—a messy one. Why are you only reporting this now?"Athena’s lips curved into a faint, practiced smile, but her eyes remained cold. "I was waiting for the right time, sir. But unfortunately, he crossed the line. My patience for him has completely run out.""And where are you staying now?" The officer raised a brow, clearly intrigued. "Are you no longer living under the same roof as your husband?""Not since I was trapped in the elevator, sir. But I inten