Hector had gone to the hospital to get his wounds treated after leaving last night. But, seeing the earnest look Calista was giving him, he shook his head."No.""Take off your mask. Let me see your injuries."He glanced around the bustling entrance of the apartment building."Here? Should we move elsewhere?"The two bodyguards behind her were Lucian's men. Having them bear witness to his injuries was the same as his rival seeing the extent of his injuries."It's not like I'm asking you to take off your clothes. Why are you fussing about taking this elsewhere? Should I book you a hotel room too?""Well, you could …"Calista couldn't be bothered with his nonsense. She immediately ripped his mask off. Hector reacted the moment she moved but lowered it.He was a rough man. He worried that he might accidentally hurt her hand if he failed to control his strength.With the mask off, the injuries on his face could finally be seen. They looked even more alarming than they had seemed
Lucian looked down to watch Calista. The woman was frowning. Despite being forced to lean in his embrace, her eyes were fixed on Hector. It looked to him like she was focused solely on the man across from her.His hand slid from her shoulder to her waist. He tightened his grip to forcefully direct her attention back to him. His eyes were dark."Let's go."Jonathan had already parked the car next to the pair. All they needed to do was reach for the door to get in."No …"Before she could refuse, Lucian forcefully led her into the car. Hector's expression darkened. He wanted to stop the man but was stopped by the two bodyguards.In a blink of an eye, Lucian had ushered Calista into the vehicle and locked the doors. The car whirred to life and sped away from the hospital.Jonathan wasn't the only person in the car. David was also there.Hector's voice could be heard through the roar of the engine and reached the two people in the backseat who wore vastly different expressions."L
The man's handsome face pressed close. His straight nose and lips, flawless in shape and color, were now tantalizingly close. Calista's heart began racing with how close he was. She put her hands against his chest."What are you doing?"That scared the living daylights out of her!Due to their proximity, Lucian spoke in a low whisper. He sounded as cold as ever but it was tinged with amusement. Yet, it did nothing to conceal the chilling undertone."So, you failed to ensnare Paul. Is Hector Calloway the next one on your list?"She could feel his breath on her lips. She tilted her head back to put some distance between them. But with her head already pressed firmly against the door, there was no escape."Aren't you here because you want to get your wounds dressed? Lie down."She pointed at the couch and pushed Lucian, who was completely pressed up against her. This was a risky position to be in. One wrong move would lead to consequences.Even though Lucian was capable of restrai
Lucian let go of Calista, who continued to glare at him. Her neck still bore marks left behind by his kisses when he failed to control his strength.If she had a knife in her hand, she would've long since stabbed him. What part of her looked afraid?Lucian said nothing. His gaze was fixed on Paul's hand. He had used the fingerprint scanner to unlock the door.Being an heir to a wealthy family meant that social cues were ingrained in them. The first step was to read between the lines.Despite Lucian not saying a word, Paul immediately caught onto what he was thinking."I apologize. I was in a hurry and hadn't had time to get my data erased."That was indeed a mistake. Paul opened the door, fiddled around with the touchpad, and removed his fingerprint from the system.Lucian acted distant and couldn't be bothered to extend a symbolic invitation for the man to come inside. He stood at the entrance with an expression that made it look like he was sending Paul on his way."It's late
Calista slammed the brakes. The employee from the florist who held the bouquet then noticed her. He fumbled to reach for their phone and checked a photo.After confirming that it was the right car, he approached her.Those who were part of the workshop were huddled at the entrance. The employee from the florist had been there since their arrival. With such a massive bouquet in hand, it was difficult to miss.Calista had already pulled up into the parking lot. She couldn't just turn and leave. Doing so would only make it look like she was covering up the situation. It would solve nothing.She could only watch as they walked up to her. "Are you Mrs. Northwood?"Even with her windows shut, she could hear his voice loud and clear. She fell silent. She parked her car and got out."Mr. Northwood has requested we deliver these flowers to you. Could you please sign this?"The moment he finished, her colleagues descended into an uproar.There was only a small handful of staff at the w
A few of Calista's colleagues were with her. They all wore smirks as they shot her looks. After enduring a full day of teasing, she now had no problems keeping her calm as they watched her.Chelsea Ferguson leaned over to whisper to Calista as she passed her by, "You didn't cover up the love bites behind your ear, Claude."Calista, a woman who had dated and jumped straight into marriage, stayed as innocent as a virgin in the last three years.No matter how calm and composed she seemed, it was a challenge to keep a straight face when faced with such an embarrassing situation.She immediately tried to cover her ears so Chelsea would stop staring."Don't bother. Everyone has seen them."Calista had checked herself over in the mirror before she left the apartment. She had covered the traces on her neck with concealer.She wore a turtleneck sweater and a scarf on top of that. Even her hair which she usually kept pulled up was down. She didn't think there would still be traces she fai
Seeing Lily at the door, Lucian made a connection as to what had happened after considering Calista's words. He narrowed his eyes. His gaze had turned glacial with indifference.He didn't show any outward signs of anger. But his emotions were palpable. His grip around Calista's wrist only continued to tighten. It was violent."You called her here?"A severe pain shot up her arm. She couldn't help but let out a hiss. But before she could break free, he let go of her. He looked down, his gaze landing on her wrist."I'm sorry. I lost control of my strength."Lucian was acting far more gentlemanly and was sincerely apologizing for hurting her. His words sounded much more sincere than the perfunctory words he had used back at the workshop.But Calista still kept her distance. To her, he acted no different from crazed characters found in soap operas on television.If he were to wear a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, he would fit the image of a civilized scum who doubled as a psychopathic
Lucas told Jacob about the last show half a month ago. Calista hadn't been in Justa at the time. Jacob also knew of her preference for not showing her face. That was why he recommended her for the show.Only Calista's hands were in the frame in the documentary. When paired with the handsome Bryan, she aroused curiosity about her appearance.The unpopular documentary ended up trending on social media.After receiving a call from Jacob and learning that Calista had agreed to participate, Lucas was overjoyed. He informed her of the shooting that would take place a week later.Everyone involved was an amateur. So, scheduling was not an issue.The day before the shoot, Calista received the program's schedule and a list of participants. She didn't know anyone. But it was still necessary to go through with it.She wasn't there for the program. She wanted to make use of Lucas's gimmick to show everyone that she was the mysterious conservator "Claude".After reviewing the schedule, she c