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
Lucian frowned as he studied the documents in his hand."What identity?""She's Claude."Calista's name also started with the letter "C". To make sure Lily got her point across, she emphasized her words."You know, the one who restored that painting for me."At that time, she wanted to use the restored painting to please Selena and give Lucian a surprise. That was why she hadn't mentioned it beforehand.But the incident at the birthday party brought Claude into the public eye.Claude? Lucian paused. His gaze shifted away from the papers. After a split second, he let out a soft hum. Lily's breath was caught in her throat to hear how calm he was."You already knew?" she asked in disbelief.He said nothing. He had no idea. He had heard Bryan refer to Calista as "Claude". At the time, he simply thought it was a strange variation of a nickname.Besides, he never paid much attention to the matter. He hadn't given it much thought at all.He chose not to explain in response to Lily'
One look at Lucian's attitude and the sarcastic tone of voice, Calista knew he had heard everything.Lily had failed to get her way with her that morning and left for a few minutes. When she returned, her mood had visibly improved.And now Lucian showed up when lunchtime rolled around. It was clear from his tone that he was degrading her. So, he was here seeking revenge on his lover's behalf.Calista had a busy day as a puppet on strings being directed to perform. She was exhausted. And now she had to face this man picking on her after finishing up. Her expression darkened.She set aside her phone on the table. The clear thud could be heard. She crossed her arms, leaned against the backrest, and got straight to the point."So, what does Lily want? Does she want her money back? She can dream on."There was a certain gloom in his eyes."We're discussing the matter concerning Claude. Don't go involving an outsider.""Outsider? Lily called you this morning, didn't she? Did she tatt
Calista hadn't expected a mere argument between strangers to direct Selena's attention back on her."No …""Don't lie to me. If that bastard forced you to take anything of the sort, I'll kill him myself!"Selena was truly all up in arms. As long as Calista said the word, the woman was ready to arm herself to confront Lucian.Calista shook her head."It's nothing like that, Mom. He never forced me to take anything … We were married for three years, yes, but he has never touched me."Ever since they openly discussed the divorce with Selena, Calista had begun to express herself more freely. She stopped hiding things."What?"Selena's eyes were wide with shock at the revelation."You mean … The two of you never consummated your marriage?"After all, they were mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. There was still a difference in seniority between them. She felt embarrassed to ask."Is it because Lucian …? Should I talk to the doctor to prescribe more of those pills? Maybe if he take
Choosing between Lucian and the dog. Her answer wouldn't matter anymore because it's just not possible to make her reply sound nice. Fortunately, Lucian wasn't that immature to nitpick over things like this. He stopped pressing on Calista when he saw she wasn't interested in delving into this topic. He sat in the driver's seat after closing the car door. An awkward silence hung in the car. Lucian's frosty gaze was fixated on the road.Calista sealed her mouth shut to keep herself from blurting out something that'd trigger him. She was a bit thirsty from the honey she had at Stansend Manor. As she was about to open a bottle of mineral water from the storage compartment, she sensed Lucian turning toward her. She stopped and gestured the bottle of mineral water to Lucian. She turned her head toward him."Do you want some?"Lucian scoffed at Calista. He made the atmosphere unpleasant again. Calista rolled her eyes scornfully. She was desperate for a sip of water, but Lucian's ga
After a few days, Calista didn't stumble upon those people again near the condominium. She knew that she must've been overthinking that night. Soon, this incident slipped her mind. She just finished filming for the program that was yet to be released. Even if someone were to sabotage her, it would be a strange timing to do so.Calista received a call from Hector just as she got off from working overtime.He complained as soon as he got through, "Are you just going to pretend that I'm gone for good if I didn't contact you first?"They hadn't been in touch since they parted at the hospital. He's been busy recently too, so it slipped his mind as well.Once he was finally done with his work, he came to realize that this heartless woman didn't even bother to message him. Hector whining like a woman got Calista.She laughed, "How's your injury? Have you gone to the hospital yet? I remembered the doctor told you to redress."Hector snorted."If I were to take action only after your r