Calista winced as Lucian's grip tightened. She tried to turn her head. But he was much stronger. Lucian's eyes were filled with anger, but he managed to keep it under control. Even his voice sounded slightly more gentle than usual.Lucian approached Calista calmly. "What is Alexander to you that you had to seek help from outsiders? Isn't the title of Mrs. Northwood enough? Or do you hate using it?""Lucian, you're hurting me." Calista was trapped in Lucian's hold. Her struggle was useless. His rough fingers pressed against her skin, causing burning pain. It felt as if he might tear her skin. Annoyed, she said, "We're getting divorced. Who I seek help from is none of your business!" "Divorce? You think you can do that? You said you wanted to spend a lifetime with me when you stripped and seduced me half a month ago." What was once a playful comment in private became extremely embarrassing when said publicly. Calista felt like she had been slapped across the face. Her face started t
The bedroom fell into a dead silence for a few seconds. A faint aroma of alcohol lingered in the air. Only then did Lucian belatedly realize what Calista had said moments ago. She said, "Lucian, I feel like vomiting." "Calista!" He gritted his teeth, calling out her name in anger. But eventually, he got up with an unpleasant expression. Then, he headed to the bathroom. Meanwhile, Calista closed her eyes again. She was unconscious and unaware of her surroundings. She slept deeply until the following day. The glaring daylight woke her up. Her eyes wandered around the unfamiliar ceiling. She tried to understand what was happening. Then, she realized she wasn't at her place. Calista had a splitting headache from the hangover. She lifted her head and looked around. It seemed like she was in a hotel room. Instinctively, she glanced at her clothes. The clothes she had worn yesterday had been replaced with an oversized men's shirt of luxurious fabric. After three years of being
Lucian ended the video call. He opened the door, took the clothes the manager had brought over, and threw them to Calista.Calista took the bag and headed over to the bathroom. She heard Lucian say through the door, "My mother's going to the hospital for a checkup later. You're coming with me.""I need to go to work." Calista was also worried about Selena, but she had taken too many leaves right after she had started at the studio. Taking more would look bad on her. "Let me know when the results are out."Lucian stared after her and said coldly, "So you don't even care about Mom's health anymore now you have that cleaning job?"Calista did not stop to explain her job. "She won't be my mother-in-law soon."She was just speaking the truth. But to Lucian, it sounded like she would be distancing herself from them after the divorce.Lately, all their conversations seemed to find their way to the topic of divorce. Lucian frowned. Feeling irritated, he said, "She might as well have gott
The smugness on Lily's face disappeared instantly, replaced with awkward embarrassment.She knew what Calista was implying. As Lucian's wife, she did not need her own invitation card to attend the party.Lily wanted to rebuke her, but when she saw Jacob still standing beside them, she held her tongue and turned to him. "Mr. Xanders, please keep an eye out for Claude. "I know she's not on your payroll, but I'm sure you're well-connected enough in the industry to be able to get in contact with a regular restorer. I'm willing to pay any price she raises."Jacob glanced over at Callista, who looked as impassive as ever, nodded awkwardly, and sent Lily off.After work, Calista exited her studio and saw Lucian's car stopped at the entrance.The Bentley, with its unique number plate, was a rare sight to see even in the richer part of the city, so naturally, it attracted a lot of attention.Her phone vibrated in her hand. It was a message from Lucian. "Come here."Calista ignored him
The conversation outside stopped suddenly, to Calista's confusion.She exited the cubicle and found Lucian smoking in front of the sinks. She stopped, stunned. "Why are you here?"He looked at her and smiled coldly. "Disappointed to see me? Who were you expecting?"Calista rolled her eyes. "This is the women's washroom. Who could I expect? What's wrong with you?"She went over to the sink to wash her hands. She had calmed down a little, but her face was still pale.Suddenly, Lucian grabbed her under the chin and forced her to look at him. "It's just a watch. Was that enough to fluster you?"Clearly, he had done this on purpose.Calista glared at him. "You did this on purpose?"Lucian smirked. "It's just a watch. If you hadn't designed it with special intentions, then it's nothing but an accessory. Why are you asking me if I did this on purpose? The real question is, haven't you forgotten him?" Slowly, he added, "Mrs. Northwood?"Calista frowned. The form of address gave her a
Calista hesitated, then stopped.Paul was clearly drunk. His clothes were rumpled. His voice was hoarse when he said, "I'm sorry … about last time."Calista knew what he was talking about. It was about the recording of her proposing to him.Back then, she was going around begging for money to pay off her debt. When the recording was leaked, it was the last straw for her.At that time, everyone thought she should sleep with more men for money. They believed she was already comfortable with it, and money would just come. So, they considered her debt of a few hundred million dollars to be simple for her.Even after three years, the memory was still stark."We did talk about marriage back then, but that was just a consensual transaction on both sides," Calista said calmly. That did not mean that she had let it go. She continued, "You could have just rejected me and cursed me for it. I wouldn't have minded. But why did you put it on the Internet? No matter how much you hated me, you
"He's got no interest in you. Even if he does, he won't marry you either. No one in Capeton would dare marry a woman I divorced," Lucian said.Calista was livid. She turned and glared at him. "If you think this excuse would ruin your reputation, you can come up with something else! Something like your wife is disgusted every time she sees you and cannot get turned on, so your married life is unfulfilled!""Calista Everhart …" Lucian looked murderous as he gritted out her name.Worried that he might lose control of his temper and do something rash, Calista softened. "Whatever it is, we have to get divorced eventually. No other married couples are like us."The thought of the past three years of marriage made her upset. All of her smiles were returned with coldness. All of her home-cooked meals ended up in the trash without a second glance. All these grievances overwhelmed her.Lucian looked at Calista. Her eyes were red, but she had a look of stubborn determination on her.He swal
Calista was unbothered by Lucian's threat.She only knew that she would never share the same car as him, even if she had to return to Everglade Manor right now.She went there by cab. The two of them arrived at the same time.Calista ignored him. She snorted and entered the manor first.Sally was elated upon her return. "Madam, you're finally back! Mr. Northwood was upset these days because you weren't around. I didn't dare to make a noise when I was cleaning the house."On top of Calista's approachable demeanor, Sally was personally hired by Calista. She was comfortable with Calista around as she began grumbling, "It is common for couples to have disagreements. Mr. Northwood cares for you—"Calista didn't want to hear any good words about Lucian, so she questioned, "Sally, does your husband eat whatever you order?"Sally couldn't understand why Calista asked that. Sally answered honestly, "Yeah. He's not a picky eater. He eats whatever I buy and make."Calista changed her sh
Mirabelle frowned. "Excuse me?"As soon as she finished speaking, Cameron walked up to her, grabbed her by her hair, and forcefully bent her over.Cameron held up the guest list Monica had sent her and shoved it in Mirabelle's face. "Call them. Tell them to be there by 3:00 p.m., or else…"She tightened her grip threateningly. "You can kiss this head of hair goodbye."Mirabelle pressed down on her scalp where it had been pulled, her voice distorted with pain when she spoke."Let go, Cameron! Are you out of your mind?""Didn't I tell you not to involve anyone else in our feud?""Can't take it anymore?"Mirabelle endured the pain of turning her head to flash a disdainful sneer at Cameron."This is just the appetizer. If you go against me, you'll eventually crawl out of Capeton with your tail between your legs. I'll call your business partner right now and pin the catastrophic failure of this event on you…"Seeing Mirabelle's condescending expression brought Cameron back to the
The kiss lifted the dark cloud that hung over Cade's mood over the past few days.The next day, as Fabian brought in documents for him to sign, Cade asked, "When is Cameron's show?"Fabian was taken aback for a split second but quickly replied. Fortunately, he was well-prepared and kept track of Cameron's events for the year in advance."Has the invitation been delivered?"Fabian swallowed, almost wanting to laugh to mock Cade. Given Cade's strained relationship with his wife, Cameron would sooner invite a dog than have him around. However, all Fabian could do was revel in Cade's misery in his mind while keeping a businesslike facade."It was probably already delivered. The front desk brought in a stack of mail yesterday. I haven't sorted it out yet."He had already sorted out the mail this morning. Everything had gone straight to the trash."Clear my schedule for the day. Make reservations at a restaurant for a celebratory dinner.""Yes, sir."On the day of the show, Monica
That was obviously an excuse to get Cade out of the picture. Knowing what Mirabelle had done to Cameron in the past, leaving the two of them alone was out of the question. Besides, it wasn't convenient for him to move the car, so he refused without a second thought."Get the attendant—"However, Cameron cut him off before he could finish."Ms. Ackerman is a guest. You should fulfill her requests if she has any."Cade cast her a cold glance. "Shut up." Why should he dance to Mirabelle's tune?Cameron stared at him. "Run along."He gritted his teeth as rage crossed his face. After a brief pause, he sneered and turned to leave. As soon as the door shut behind him, Mirabelle's calm expression slipped. "Did you make me come here just to show off how much you two love each other?""You call that love? I think we have different definitions of what 'love' is then. He's nothing more than…" Cameron's fingers lightly traced the cup's rim as she smirked and said, "A lap dog.""You fu
Cameron crossed her arms over her chest and gave the bouquet in Cade's hands a nonchalant glance."What are you trying to pull, Mr. Carter?""Fabian said it was Women's Day today.""So what?"There was silence all around. The sound of soothing music could be heard through the door. Cade was silent for a while. "We're not getting a divorce, Cameron."It was the same old topic that Cameron had grown too weary of. She turned around and felt for the cigarette box on the table. There was already a layer of cigarette butts in the ashtray next to it. Judging by the color of the lipstick marks, more than half of them were hers.Cade frowned. He clearly disapproved of her smoking but kept himself from stopping her.Smoke curled from between her lips. The flickering embers of the cigarette reflected in her eyes, softening her indifferent gaze. Through the thin haze, Cameron's lips curled into a wide, unrestrained smile. Every time she smiled in this way, it always filled Cade with a
Cade began unbuckling his belt as he spoke. When it came to this sort of thing, men often had a strong sense of competition, especially in the presence of a woman they were interested in."Such a dark atmosphere isn't right for our situation."Cameron didn't like him to begin. In such a dark atmosphere, there was no telling what kind of grotesque creature she might imagine him to be. It would be strange if she felt attraction for him.She leveled a steady stare at him. Cade's shirt was half undone, showing his tense muscles underneath. Under the influence of alcohol, his skin took on a faint reddish hue. There was a heart-pounding tension in the air as if something was about to ignite. Occasionally, his slightly heavy breaths could be heard."You haven't been working out recently, have you?" Cameron asked.Cade was confused.Cameron pressed her hand against his chest, right below his ribs, and gave it a little push. After a moment, she commented, "Your muscles are a little soft
Cade tossed his phone onto the table in frustration when he saw who entered. He pressed his hand against his brow."Leave. You should see Diane for a work uniform.""Are you feeling unwell, Mr. Carter?" Rosalia approached the desk with a glass of milk in hand. "I learned how to give massages. Why don't I…" "Get out."Cade abruptly got to his feet and avoided Rosalia's outstretched hand, causing the milk to spill all over him. He glanced down at his now-stained shirt with a dark expression and pressed his lips tightly together. After a long pause, he asked through clenched teeth, "Did my wife ask you to send this up?" Every syllable was pronounced with the gnashing of teeth.Rosalia froze under his piercing gaze."It really was Mrs. Carter who asked me to bring it to you, sir," she stammered."Leave. From now on, you will not enter my study unless you have permission."Rosalia had come to work as a housekeeper to land herself a wealthy husband. She had even bribed the manager
On the next day, Cameron was discussing the fashion show with Monica when she suddenly heard a familiar voice from behind. "Cammie…" It was Blaire.Although Monica didn't fully know about Cameron's past, she didn't like Blaire at all. What kind of mother wouldn't protect their own child, after all?However, it wasn't appropriate for her to intervene as much even though she was Cameron's close friend. After all, it was Cameron's family matter.Monica stood up with her notebook in hand and said, "Well, I just remembered that there's still a few more invitations to send, so I'll go and take care of that. Let's discuss more about the fashion show later."After saying that, she glanced at Blaire and left without even greeting her.Cameron got up and nodded at Blaire. "Is something the matter?"She thought that her distant attitude last night had made it clear enough that she didn't want any more involvement with the Yorksworth family. She didn't expect that Blaire would come and loo
Cameron pushed the door open. She looked tired as she laid down her bag. As she changed her shoes, she caught sight of the food on the dining table out of the corner of her eye."Diane, didn't I tell you I wasn't coming back for dinner? Why did you make so much food?"Diane glanced upstairs. "It's for Mr. Carter. He hasn't eaten yet."The moment Cade was mentioned, Cameron dropped the topic. She rubbed her sore shoulder as she headed upstairs. "I see.""Madam…" Diane called out hesitantly, looking troubled. "Mr. Carter asked you to call him down for dinner when you got home.""Me? Call him down for dinner?" Cameron stopped in her tracks and turned around in confusion. "Why?""Mr. Carter seems to be upset. Did you two have another fight?""So If he's in a bad mood, I'm supposed to go upstairs and invite him down to eat? Should I also say 'Your meal is ready, my liege!' while I'm at it?" Cameron scoffed. Her sarcastic smirk quickly faded. "He can eat if he wants. If he doesn't,
Cameron replied, "Did I ever say that I was a good person?"She tilted her head slightly as she smiled. Her damp hair gathered to one side.From Cade's perspective, the first thing he noticed was her slender neck and collarbone, with large areas of her fair skin exposed, speckled with a few water droplets from her wet hair.He felt a searing, intense emotion rising in his chest. This was Cameron's room, so it was filled with her scent. Cade subconsciously clenched his fists.The effects of the alcohol finally hit him, overwhelming his senses and making his head feel heavy and muddled.Cameron pulled open the door and gestured in a "see-you-out" motion. "I'm not one to force myself to please others, so we can discuss about our relationship when you decide to get rid of Mirabelle."Cade responded, "Can't it be something else?""Like what?" Cameron's gaze lingered on him as if she was inspecting an item for sale. "Is there anything about you that could spark my interest?"Her wor