Clarissa looked at Luana with concern and scrutinized her from head to toe. "Luana, did he do anything bad to you?" she asked.
"No," Luana shook her head.
However, Clarissa's sharp eyes immediately noticed the hickey on her neck, and her expression stiffened.
"Luana, what's this..."
Luana initially didn't realize her neck was covered in hickeys.
It was only when she saw Clarissa's shocked gaze that she suddenly realized and panicked, covering her neck and awkwardly lowering her head.
"I..." she stammered.
"Was it that Mr. Elan who did this to you?"
Clarissa had seen the greedy and possessive look in Mr. Elan's eyes, as if he was scrutinizing his prey.
She had intended to warn Luana yesterday but got caught up with wedding preparations and entertaining Albert's relatives, never finding the chance for a serious conversation.
Seeing Luana return so disheartened, Clarissa became more confident that Mr. E
Was it because she missed Cline so much that she subconsciously regarded that man as Cline?Luana felt ashamed of such thoughts.Now that she had slept with a stranger, what qualifications did she have to miss Cline?There could no longer be any intersection between her and Cline.Exhausted, Luana had no more energy to think about these distressing matters.She took a hot bath and returned to her room to rest.This sleep was heavy, and she didn't wake up until nearly three in the afternoon the next day.It seemed her symptoms of somnolence were getting worse.She understood that for a late-stage patient like her, the worsening of the condition was inevitable, so she didn't pay too much attention to it.At the moment, for her, living one more day was a day more.After all, everyone has to die. It's just a matter of time, and there's no need for excessive sadness.She got up and went to the kitchen to prepare
He knew she wanted to kill Travis.If she involved the police to capture him, he, as the only witness, could likely accuse her of murder.Luana had thought she could bring this man to justice, but she hadn't anticipated that he had blocked all her exits."I'll give you half an hour," the man sent, and then fell silent, not responding to Luana's messages anymore, as if leaving her with this difficult choice.Luana clutched her phone, her body trembling uncontrollably.The messages she had given to the police mentioned Travis, and the hotel room surveillance showed Travis entering and leaving.The police would likely use this evidence to investigate Travis.If Mr. Night revealed her attempt to kill Travis to the police, she would undoubtedly be charged with attempted murder.At that point, Travis would also realize her true intention was not to deliver the contract but to kill him.Once Travis understood her real motive wa
Luana felt embarrassed, thinking to herself that next time she would definitely get a more powerful stun baton to teach him a lesson.After the man removed her clothes, he picked her up and pinned her against the wall to kiss her.His movements were domineering, and Luana was like a puppet, allowing him to manipulate her as he wished.After kissing her for a while, perhaps finding it somewhat dull, the man pinched her waist."Ouch..."Luana cried out in pain, her cherry lips parting, and the man took the opportunity to invade.His kiss was still fervent, but the way he touched her was much gentler than last time.He seemed to know her body as if it were his own, first teasing her sensitive spots, then slowly delving deeper.His exquisite skills gave Luana an illusion that this was not a forced act but an enjoyment.As soon as this thought emerged, she wanted to slap herself—how could it be enjoyable?Yet...
Her indistinct mumblings reached the man's ears.The hand that had been gently patting her back suddenly froze.The man stared at the woman in his arms for a moment, then abruptly pushed her away, rolled out of bed, and quickly got dressed.He grabbed his coat and left without looking back.The moment the man closed the door, Luana softly murmured, "Cline..."She had been dreaming of Cline holding her as she slept, coaxing her with a tenderness akin to soothing a child, filling her heart with joy.Waking from this beautiful dream, Luana herself found it somewhat incredible, not expecting to have such a pleasant dream.The room was still pitch dark. Luana reached out to touch the spot beside her, cold and empty.It seemed the man had already left. She breathed a sigh of relief, got out of bed, and walked over to open the floor-to-ceiling windows.As the curtains slowly receded, bright sunlight poured in.Luana now
Joan scrutinized Luana and ventured a guess, "You weren't poached by the Moriarty Group, were you?""OMG!"Sabrina's eyes widened in surprise. "Luana, the salary at Moriarty Group is several times higher than at Winward. You're about to soar to great heights, aren't you?"Amused by Sabrina's adorable expression, Luana chuckled and clarified, "No, the plans I mentioned are personal, not related to work at all."Seeing that Luana hadn't been recruited by the Moriarty Group, the jealousy in Joan's eyes gradually transformed into curiosity.She continued, "So, you're not planning to work anymore?"Luana shook her head and softly replied, "No, I won't be working."Unable to extract any further information about Luana's future plans, Joan let out a derisive snort, thinking to herself that it seemed Luana had indeed attached herself to some wealthy family.She wondered which wealthy older man had taken her under their wing, causing he
Cline lowered his eyes, glanced at the hand on his arm, and coldly said, "Your clothes are wrinkled."Runa quickly released her grip, a hint of disappointment on her face as she lowered her head and said, "Is your mysophobia still not better?"Cline meticulously wiped his clothes with a handkerchief and indifferently replied, "It won't get better."Runa was left speechless.She remembered the first day she took up her position when he held her hand.In the office, when she accidentally sat on his lap, he didn't say anything.That night, when she suffered from acute gastroenteritis, it was he who carried her out of the car at the emergency entrance.She had thought that after five years, his mysophobia might have improved, but he said it was incurable.Perhaps it wasn't really incurable, but he was dissatisfied with her and thus unwilling to let her touch him."Cline, I'm sorry."Runa cautiously explained, "Five ye
Luana's eyebrows instantly furrowed, and she blurted out, "Mr. Ortega, I've already submitted my resignation application and am here to handle the handover. Could someone else take care of arranging the dinner?"As soon as she finished speaking, the three people sitting on the sofa looked up and turned their gazes towards her.Luana inadvertently met Cline's deep eyes, and her heart skipped a beat.She feigned composure, quickly averting her gaze to Dawn.Nearly fifty, Dawn exuded an aura of authority that commanded respect, yet Luana had never been intimidated by him.Others might avoid his gaze, but she could look him straight in the eye, as if he were a relative who gave her a sense of fearlessness.Dawn's dignified expression darkened as Luana scrutinized him so boldly.He felt that Luana, who bore a resemblance to his daughter Runa, had been treated with more leniency by him than others.Did she think that because he was m
Just as Luana finished booking the restaurant on her phone and hadn't even had a chance to catch her breath, Dawn's call came through."Luana, send the restaurant address to Mr. Moriarty as well," Dawn instructed, as usual, hanging up without giving Luana a chance to respond.With a solemn expression, Luana put down the phone, unlocked her screen, and sent the address to the assistant responsible for Cline's itinerary.However, she soon received a reply, "Miss Hammond, I'm temporarily unable to reach Mr. Moriarty. Please send the address directly to his phone. You should have his number."Seeing this message, Luana felt a sense of helplessness and gritted her teeth, pulling Cline's WhatsApp account out of her blacklist.She quickly forwarded the restaurant address and then blocked him again.After handling this matter, Luana grabbed the keys and headed to the company's parking lot.As she stepped out of the elevator, she saw the priva
Luana never expected that after Cline let Calvert in, he would continue to kiss her.It wasn't until she heard Calvert's voice that she understood his intention.Although she had already let go of Calvert, seeing his eyes turn bloodshot with despair still startled her.She couldn't help but feel that the man struggling to rush towards them wasn't Calvert, but Albion.Because only Albion would lose control when he saw her being hurt by another man.Instinctively not wanting to upset Albion, she struggled desperately.But the more she struggled, the harder Cline kissed her, even going so far as to slide his slender fingers inside her clothes right in front of Calvert."Cline, don't touch her!" Calvert roared in a fit of madness, wishing he could rush over and kill Cline.But his body was pinned down by the bodyguard, leaving him helpless as he watched Cline take possession of Luana bit by bit.Luana forcefully pushed Cline
"So you did plan this with him!" Cline's cold, emotionless voice came from above Luana's head, making her pause for a moment."I didn't.""Then how did he know you were here?""I'm not sure, maybe it's because..." Her explanation was cut short by Cline's cold interruption."Stop making excuses. Getting your bag back wasn't just to contact him, was it?"Seeing Cline's stubborn and indifferent expression, Luana fell silent.He had already made up his mind that she had contacted Calvert to pick her up. No amount of explanation would convince him; it was futile."He comes to pick you up as soon as you're recovering. If that's not premeditated, then what is it?" Cline's distrust and relentless questioning left Luana feeling exhausted.She took a deep breath and replied indifferently, "Yes, I did arrange with him. The day I could walk again, I asked him to come and get me."Hearing her admission, Cline's lips curled into a col
"Remember to use the scar-removing medicine," Eva said. With her delicate and elegant appearance, she was the epitome of beauty—her face couldn't afford to be marred by scars.Eva nodded in agreement and left with her medical bag.As the dean of a private hospital, her schedule was usually quite busy.Had it not been for Cline, it would have been nearly impossible to get an appointment with her.Thinking of Cline, Luana felt a lump in her chest.She couldn't understand his intentions. He was about to get married to his fiancée, yet he kept her locked up at home.Did he want Runa and yet couldn't bear to let go of her?If that was the case, Cline was being incredibly greedy.Luana glanced at the floor-to-ceiling windows. At some point, the sky had darkened and a heavy downpour had begun.The weather matched her mood perfectly, prompting a deep sigh from her.As she sat on the bed, hugging her legs and
"Only a day apart, and you're already missing each other so much. It seems your old flame has been rekindled?"Faced with his sarcastic remark, Luana didn't bother to explain. She simply lowered her long eyelashes, hiding the discomfort in her eyes.Seeing her silence, Cline's face turned even colder. His grip on her chin tightened uncontrollably."Didn't you say you didn't love him anymore? Why are you rekindling your old relationship?"Luana endured the pain in her chin and forced a smile at Cline."If I can be your lover for years without loving you, why can't I rekindle my relationship with him?"It wasn't clear whether it was the first part of her sentence that choked Cline or the latter that left him speechless, but it made him so angry that he couldn't find words.Luana glanced up at him and saw his usually frosty, charming eyes gradually turn bloodshot. Her heart jolted, but she quickly suppressed the involuntary feelings that
Calvert seemed to have lost the strength to speak, only managing a faint nod.Clarissa knew his stubborn nature from childhood. Trying to persuade him to leave would be futile. So she steeled herself and told him the truth."Every time Luana is taken away by Cline, she won't be back in less than two or three days. You can't just keep squatting here, can you?"Judging by his reaction, it seemed he already knew who Luana had sold herself to back then.Since that was the case, there was no harm in telling him the truth. He wouldn't stand a chance against that man anyway.Clarissa's words hit Calvert like a sledgehammer, delivering a fatal blow."Every time?" he asked incredulously, his bloodshot eyes slowly turning towards Clarissa. "For these five years... she's been with Cline?""Mm-hmm," Clarissa replied indifferently. That single word, however, almost caused Calvert to collapse.He had thought she had only sold herself once, b
Hearing this, Luana felt even more guilty. "Clarissa, he got hurt trying to save me. Could you tell him to go back to the hospital first? I'll come to see him in a few days."Clarissa latched onto the key phrase. "Save you? What's going on?"Luana briefly explained the incident with Travis's private revenge.Upon learning the truth, Clarissa shouted that she wanted to teach Travis a lesson.However, upon hearing that Cline had already dealt with Travis, she immediately fell silent."So... you're with Cline now?"Luana could only nod in affirmation, not daring to hide anything from Clarissa.Clarissa sighed deeply and muttered, "What a complicated relationship," before hanging up the phone.She put her phone in her pocket and, carrying a large pot of corn chowder, walked towards the entrance of the small apartment.She had been excited to bring the soup to Luana to help her regain her strength, but as soon as she stepped
After Eva left, Cline glanced towards the guest bedroom and noticed the door was ajar. His expression darkened immediately.He unconsciously quickened his pace and entered the room, only to see Luana adjusting the IV drip.Her small, palm-sized face showed no significant emotional fluctuation. She remained as gentle and well-behaved as before.She even smiled at him when he entered, which dispelled his doubts.The volume of his conversation with Eva hadn't been loud enough for her to overhear.Cline subconsciously let out a breath of relief and sat down beside her bed, asking, "Feeling better?"Luana nodded and replied, "A bit better."Then, they fell into silence. The atmosphere was somewhat awkward.Seeing that Cline had no intention of leaving, Luana couldn't help but speak up, "Mr. Moriarty, could you help me find my bag?"Her bag had been left in the banquet hall at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Her phone and other belon
Cline finally put down the vegetable salad and picked up a napkin to wipe the corners of her mouth.In the five years she had been with him, he had never taken care of her like this. Luana was utterly shocked.She stared blankly at the man in front of her with her clear, innocent eyes, feeling as if all of this was surreal.Cline, however, didn't seem to find anything amiss. He calmly wiped her mouth with the napkin.After cleaning her up, he took out his phone and called Eva. He asked Eva to bring medical equipment to the villa.Hearing this, Luana quickly snapped out of her daze and said, "I'll be fine with just some rest. There's no need to trouble Dr. Eva."Cline glanced at her coldly, his tone domineering and brooking no refusal. "Whether it's troublesome or not, I'm the one who decides."Luana had no choice but to keep quiet and let him arrange everything...When Eva pushed a cart full of instruments into the room, Cline
Cline coldly interrupted him, "No meeting."Russell immediately seemed a bit embarrassed. "Mr. Moriarty, he is, after all, the CEO of Coburn Group. Right now, people from Coburn Group are constantly asking me for him. I can't keep him locked up forever..."Russell's meaning was clear—he could withstand the pressure for a while, but not for long.Cline's face darkened as he thought for a few seconds, and finally relented, "Let him go."He then hung up the phone directly and looked at Luana, who was examining him.In fact, Luana had already guessed who he was talking about and didn't ask.As long as he was willing to release Calvert, she could thank him later once she had recovered a bit.Cline stared at the IV drip for a while until the liquid in the bottle was completely gone, then he helped her remove the needle.Luana glanced at the three bottles of medicine still on the side. Logically, they should be administered one