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
Cade was simply offering Lucian a solution. And now the latter decided to direct the problem back to him."What the fuck? This is a company phone. I run a film company. What's wrong with me having interviews with female artists?"Now, Cade wanted nothing more than to smash the phone into Lucian's face. Forget introducing him to someone. It'd be more appropriate to acquaint him with Bigfoot.It was already late at night by the time Lucian got to the hospital. The nurse helped look into Calista's ward number."It's past visiting hours, sir. Please come back tomorrow morning if you want to visit the patient. Otherwise, you would be disturbing the other patients in the ward."Just as she finished, he noticed someone leaving the ward. It was Hector fetching some water with a thermos in hand. Lucian frowned and pointed at the man."What is he doing here then?"The nurse, intimidated by his imposing presence, craned her neck in the direction he pointed at."He's a family member acting
There was a stormy look in Lucian's eyes as he stared at the pair."Keep your filthy paws to yourself."Hector retracted his hand from Calista's forehead and turned it over several times."You mean this?"He raised a brow at Lucian and stuck his hand back to her forehead in a provocative manner again. He also stroked her head.Calista didn't think a man soon to turn thirty would still be this childish. Before she could stop him, he had stroked her hair so vigorously that it resembled a nest."Do you know what a proper ex-husband should be doing? He should act dead. You, on the other hand, keep returning like a corpse that refuses to die while dragging others down with you."Just as Lucian was about to lift his covers and get out of bed, the nurse returned with a tray and handed him a thermometer."Take your temperature."Then, she turned to Paul, who was still seated on the stool, and said softly, "I'm sorry, sir. It's getting late. This hospital has a rule that states that fa
Lucian turned to look at Calista. But the woman only rolled her eyes and laid back down with her back to him.Lily was already sitting in the chair and waiting for him to ask her what was wrong. She was ready to put on the waterworks.However, the man never once looked her way. Forget her exhaustion badly masked by makeup. He likely wouldn't have noticed even if she walked in naked."Lucian."She couldn't help but raise her voice. In the past, she would've walked away and waited for the man to coddle her.But when Lily thought about everything that had happened between them, she realized the only time Lucian would cajole her was when Calista was around.Even then, it barely qualified as him cajoling her. He was simply responding to a request. And all she could ask for was money to satisfy her needs.Now, her only regret was leaving abroad to test the man to see if he had any semblance of affection for her and force a marriageWhen she thought about her purpose for coming today,
Calista turned to Lucian with a raised brow and smiled."Yes. I want a harem. But I'm not interested in men like you.""Like me? Elaborate."She began to count off her fingers."Sharp-tongued, arrogant, holds everyone in contempt, and has no respect for others. You think you're the best thing to grace the earth. You blame everything on everyone but yourself. You have no emotional intelligence to speak of. Every word that comes out of your mouth is unpleasant. You always act like you're owed billions. You're scum who won't shut up. Most importantly, you're like an unlucky charm …"Lucian wanted to see the lunar eclipse. But, it started to rain. While everyone made it down the mountain, they were the only ones trapped.The more Calista went on, the darker his face became. He didn't think Calista saw him in such a terrible light."Do I not have any good qualities?""You do," she admitted frankly. "You're handsome and well-built. You're rich too. But none of that offsets your short
"What is it?" Calista asked.As soon as the driver noticed her guarded posture, he realized he had frightened her with how sneaky he was acting.He immediately tried to explain himself, "Don't get me wrong, Miss. I'm not a bad person. I don't mean any harm. It's just that customer service gave me a call saying that Mr. Northwood had transferred 30 thousand dollars to me … No, it's for you. He wants me to drop you off at an electronics store so you can get yourself a new phone. The remaining amount would be converted to cash and given to you."Lucian had offered up 35 thousand dollars. The remaining five thousand was for the driver for his troubles.Wow, he was being given that much money for such a simple task. He wouldn't mind picking up such generous customers every day.Calista was rendered speechless. The only Northwood she knew was Lucian.The cab pulled up in front of an electronics store. Calista reached out to open the car door. Since he was offering her money on a silver
Lucian stared at the ten-dollar bill between Calista's delicate fingers and furrowed his brows."Calista, do you think I'm just a glorified delivery guy or something?"Calista paused briefly before responding, her remarks filled with heartfelt sincerity."No. Getting something so late would have cost much more. I'm not forking out extra for delivery. Think of it as a tip from me. It's my way of saying thanks for going the extra mile."Lucian would have preferred Calista's usual nonchalant behavior. Whenever she responded with such earnestness, it usually preceded a rejection.Just as he was about to interrupt, Calista continued, "Well, considering we were divorced and without kids, it's probably a good idea for us to keep some distance. It wouldn't be fair to us or our future partners if we kept getting in each other's way.""You've already caused me a lot of pain during our marriage, and I wouldn't want you to do the same to another woman in your next one," Calista said, her voi
With Berta's departure, the vast living room was now a solo stage for Calista.She glanced around, taking in Yara's warning about five visible surveillance cameras and the potential for hidden ones in uncharted territories. Who were they monitoring? Was it her?During Calista's first visit, Berta and the mysterious man had the manor entirely themselves. However, Berta had just disclosed that the unidentified man had left. So, who was on the upper floor?Calista felt her heart race amidst the eerie silence. Her heartbeats seemed to resonate uncomfortably close to her ears. Thump ... Thump …She pivoted and gracefully climbed the staircase, her steps nearly silent thanks to the plush carpet and the soft-soled disposable slippers on her feet.The study was on the second floor, yet there was no sign of anyone as she reached the corridor on this level. A faint, distant sound, too low to discern, seemed to originate from the third floor.Calista's hand rested on the granite handrail of