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
The next day, Calista received a call from Lucian's lawyer early in the morning. They agreed to meet up at a café. She contacted Harvey just in case the situation put her at a disadvantage.Judging from how Lucian readily agreed to the divorce, she assumed things wouldn't go smoothly.When Calista arrived at the destination, Lucian's lawyer was already there. She recognized the person. It was Timothy Howard, the general counsel of Northwood Corporation. The cases he took involved a huge sum of claims. She had never heard that he would accept family law cases like divorce. However, she soon realized that it was not a small lawsuit case. The asset distribution alone was worth billions."Mr. Howard, what do you mean by this?"Timothy demonstrated his professionalism by being deliberate in his choice of words. "The debt Mr. Northwood cleared in your stead is considered your personal debts before marriage. According to the law, he has the right to claim his money back after divo
Calista was at a loss for words. She got angry upon hearing that. She terminated the call right away. To begin with, he was never one to speak nicely.Still, three million was a huge amount of money. How was she supposed to gather that much money within a short period?Vexed, she went to Yara's antique shop. The staff recognized her. "Ms. Everhart, Ms. Quinn is on the second floor.""Thanks."She found her way to the second floor when Yara led a client to the stairs. Yara was surprised to see Calista. "Why are you here at this hour?"Calista flopped onto the couch lifelessly, recounting the whole story.Yara was utterly dumbfounded. "How could he stoop this low? Is Northwood Corporation going bankrupt? Why is he setting you up for money?"Calista couldn't comprehend the reason for him to do that.Not only was Northwood Corporation doing fine, but its future was also promising.Yara asked, "So what's your plan?""What else can I do? I have to return the money."It was clear
After verifying that the painting was authentic, Calista carefully placed it in a box. Next, she gave Lily a contract to sign her name."Back then, that best art student could sell a painting for 30 thousand. Yet, she's working as someone's assistant, running errands right now. I wonder what it feels like." Lily wasn't over with the mockery.This matter was supposed to be a blot on Calista's life forever.However, Lily didn't notice any hint of anger on Calista's face other than indifference.The latter didn't utter a word as she hugged the box and left.She made sure her back was straight until she hopped into a cab. Only then could she relax like a deflated balloon.The painting was seriously damaged, so it was considered a huge project. Due to the tight timeline, she didn't have time to waste.She headed straight home as soon as she grabbed the painting.Her house was a two-bedroom apartment. One of the rooms was used as her workshop.She spread a masking paper across the w
Fabian said, "Mr. Ackerman was taken away by the Office of Inspector General this morning. Madam Cameron and the Bark family are reportedly the ones responsible."The Carter Group hadn't broken any laws, nor had they been financially entangled with the Ackermans for over a decade. Still, the long-standing ties between the two families ran deep. If Victor Ackerman had skeletons in his closet, Cade would have a hard time avoiding the fallout.Cade propped his hand against his cheek. "What about my wife?""Madam Cameron…" Fabian had to steel himself to answer Cade. "Madam Cameron left the country. She applied for a long-term visa."Even with reporters hounding him, that sentence rang loud and clear in Cade's ears.A long silence stretched before he let out a quiet, bitter laugh.He had never realized how much Cameron had orchestrated behind his back. The Ackermans or the media could trip him up for now, but her betrayal cut deeper. Every move had been calculated.And the most absur
Cade crossed the room as Cameron, already seated, leaned her cheek against her hand, skimming the menu. "Want a drink?" she asked casually.His heart skipped a beat.Cameron's appearance radiated deliberate perfection. From her flawlessly styled hair and expertly applied makeup to her impeccable outfit and carefully chosen accessories, every detail was considered. Even her expensive "Allure" perfume hinted at a desire to captivate.A private dining room meant for couples with only spouses in each other's company…Given the setup, sharing a drink seemed like an implicit invitation.Cade pressed his lips into a line, trying to ignore the rising curve of a smile. "Sure," he replied, his tone deceptively even. "We'll start with two bottles of Magnolia's Pulpit," Cameron said.Cade choked on his water, coughing as he asked, "Seriously?"Who would start a date with such a strong distilled spirit? With two bottles, no less.Cameron propped up her chin and raised an eyebrow. "Is that
Cameron stared at her screen, where Gale had just sent a single word. "Ready." Her lips curled up involuntarily.Cade noticed the smile. He didn't know who she was messaging, but it irritated him for some reason. After a long pause, he exhaled slowly and asked, "What if the Ackermans refuse to settle?"Cameron didn't bother to answer. She knew Violet and Victor would soon be in hot water, so she hadn't considered the aftermath. However, to Cade, her silence only confirmed his assumptions—she was reckless, unprepared, and acting purely on emotion. He clenched his jaw and finally stopped holding his breath. Then, suddenly, he pulled the car over with a sharp twist of the wheel. "Did you think it through before turning yourself in? What if the psych evaluation comes back clean, and the Ackermans insist on pressing charges? What then? You hurt Mirabelle badly. You think you'll have it easy in prison with the way they dote on her?" In contrast to Cade's exasperation, Cameron remaine
With Cade covering Cameron's mouth, there was no chance for her pointed words to offend anyone in the room. His palm was cool to the touch. It was a sensation she disliked. So, she couldn't help but tilt her head.When Cade noticed her movements, he gently stroked her cheek as if he were calming a child who was throwing a tantrum.Victor spent years in a position of authority, giving him an air of unspoken authority. His gaze hardened, and his lips pressed into a firm line as he watched Cade. "Cade, don't jeopardize the long-standing relationship between our families over a woman.""If that's how you see it." Cade glanced at the door. "Aren't you doing the same for a woman?"Victor snorted contemptuously. "How can a cheap girl who was merely adopted be worth anything compared to Mirabelle?""How is my daughter, a Yorksworth, worth any less than yours?" Blaire stood at the doorway as she took in the occupants of the home with her sharp gaze. She had been feeling restless ever sin
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