"All that nonsense with the media gossiping about you being his girlfriend. Are you so touched that you're going to devote yourself to him?"Lucian's voice got lower and grittier with every word. It was like sandpaper grinding against a person's heart."I know you're not the kind of girl who obsessed over vampire romance novels as a teenager. Is that kind of trashy flirting worth your time?""I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I am a harpy. I prefer my men like him." Calista wrenched her arm out of his grip. "He's miles better than a certain someone who keeps his wife in the shadows despite being married for three years."His lips were pressed into a thin line."If you wanted us to go public …"She knew what he wanted to say before he could finish and interrupted him."Forget it. Everyone knows we're divorced now. Any further entanglements between us would be rude. Let me remind you again. It hadn't been that long ago when you said that you would be no better than a dog if you wer
Calista had to leave to fetch her tools. Mr. Mysterious offered to prepare them for her, but she was more accustomed to using her own.The moment they left the manor, Yara grabbed her and whispered, "Something isn't right about this place, Calista. The housekeeper kept watching me as if I were a thief while I was in the living room downstairs. She even followed me to the washroom. Just a cursory sweep and I found at least five or more pinhole cameras around. There might even be invisible ones."The Quinn family owned a tech company. The cameras were things Yara was familiar with."If this is a legitimate job, why all the cameras? There's not a single blind spot. Even a mosquito wouldn't be able to fly in without being noticed."Calista's heart sank. She had been hoping the man would make things clear about her mother. It shouldn't have been hard for him to shed some light on the past.However, based on their exchange, the road ahead would no doubt be a tough one."Yeah."They be
Cade raised a brow."Tch."They hadn't personally participated in team-building activities before, they had seen them before. Games that required teamwork to complete were always a necessary part of every team-building event."Isn't this Paul's first time participating in a group activity like this? It seems exciting. When I head back, I should—"Before he could finish, Lucian suddenly walked away. He was so quick that Cade couldn't stop him.Calista had initially planned to go through the motions. If the ring fell, then so be it. But her coworkers on the same team were nervously cheering them on."Hold on, don't drop it. Just one more and we're done.""Let's go, Team A! You can do it, Team A! The prize depends on the two of you now! Steady!"Inspired by their drive, Calista steeled herself and developed a newfound sense of pride in their teamwork.She nervously aligned her straw with Paul's as they cooperated to shift the keyring from her end to his. The straw was very soft.
Both Paul and Hector followed after Lucian dragged Calista away. Cade got up. He and Paul were friends. Stopping him wasn't an option. But, it was still possible for him to stall Hector.So, he took a step forward and stood in Hector's way. He smiled politely. Even his expression seemed courteous."Can we talk, Mr. Calloway?"Hector narrowed his eyes. His head was casually cocked to one side as he grinned."Sure. What do you want to talk about? Cammie?"Cade stared at him. Compared to his previous demeanor, he was now acting noticeably colder."What did you just call her?" "Cammie. The Yorksworths and Calloways are family friends. We visit each other during holidays and special occasions. I was the one to help her get acquainted with Capeton when she was first brought home to the Yorksworth family."Cade didn't know this. The Carters and Yorksworths shared a good relationship. But the Calloways weren't part of the same circle.Moreover, Hector had left for the military academ
Though it was referred to as an observation deck, it was an open space of roughly 1000 square feet paved by cement.They arrived early, but the deck was already occupied by people who were also there to see the total lunar eclipse. They were here with full sets of equipment and bags piled high.In contrast, the empty-handed Lucian and Calista being around made it seem like they were being disrespectful to this rare astronomical spectacle.After an hour of hiking up the mountain, Calista had lost her initial excitement and was exhausted. She paid Lucian little attention. She instead found a relatively clean spot to sit and rest.However, even though the place had been vacant for a while, it wasn't entirely clean. The sun's rays could barely reach the ground.Chills would seep in if she sat like that, making her vulnerable to getting sick. Lucian took off his coat and gave it to her."Use this as a cushion. It's cold in the mountains."Calista was covered in sweat as they had just
The path was narrow, to begin with. With the crowd, it quickly got packed. Lucian hurriedly led Calista down the mountain with the flashlight of the person in front to guide their way.They couldn't use their phones for light unless necessary. If the battery ran out, they wouldn't be able to call for help even if something went wrong.Everyone else shared the sentiment. They had been there all afternoon. Their phone batteries were running low.Suddenly, Calista felt someone roughly hitting her on her right shoulder. It was a person behind who couldn't wait to rush forward.The mountain path was treacherous to begin with. Every step was taken with caution. Someone bumping into her had her stumbling into the nearby woods.Fortunately, Lucian had a firm grip on her. Despite the sudden turn of events, the man tightened his hold on her the moment she fell by the wayside.She didn't fall, but she twisted her ankle. Pain shot through her every time she moved. The delay had the group of
There was no sound behind him, leading Lucian to believe that Calista might have been upset by his words.He continued after pausing for a few seconds, "So, you're better off giving up on trying to get away from me."He heard nothing from her despite waiting for a long time. He frowned, found a steady position, and hefted the person on his back."Callie! Calista! Calista Everhart!"Despite his calls, the person on his back remained unresponsive.Lucian panicked and hurriedly set Calista down. He was usually a fussy rich man with clear standards for where the wrinkles should sit when ironing his clothes.But now, he was sitting on the muddy mountain path and cradling her in his arms.The woman's face was blue from the cold. Her disheveled hair clung to her face and her eyes were tightly shut. Rather than being upset at him, she seemed to have fainted from the cold.Lucian patted her face; his hands were already quite cold but Calista's face was even colder."Wake up, Callie. Ca
Calista felt them coming, but she couldn't muster the strength to look. On the other hand, Lucian's eyes remained sharp. He narrowed his eyes at the person who was traveling up the mountain path.It wasn't Cade. The person was alone and well-equipped with hiking equipment. He wore a specialized raincoat that was highly effective against blocking out the rain.His black military boots firmly gripped the slippery mountain trail as if it were a flat surface."Calista …"Seeing the half-conscious Calista held tightly in Lucian's arms, the man rushed to their side. It was Hector. Lucian's tense body finally relaxed.He asked, "Why are you alone?"Hector bent down to check on Calista and sneered when he heard Lucian's words."I'm here to see if you've kicked the bucket yet. If you're not dead, allow me to kick you down the mountain."Lucian said nothing. Hector fastened the flashlight to the buckle on his waist and reached out to take Calista out of Lucian's arms.Lucian instinctive