As Calista got up, Paul followed her up as well."I'll see you off.""There's no need for that, Mr. Baker. You can carry on drinking with them. It's just downstairs, so you don't have to see me off."Earlier, when Shawn asked Paul whether it was okay for her to drink, it was an attempt to categorize her as Paul's partner.Though she knew she might be overthinking it, it was still better to avoid any potential misunderstandings. Since it's impossible, she should make herself clear. It's better to not give mixed signals as in rejecting verbally but acting the opposite.This created a false impression that she could be won over with just some more effort.Sometimes, having feelings for another person was self-hypnotizing in a certain way.Due to one's indecisiveness which in turn gave the other party the wrong signals, leading them deeper into self-hypnotization. It was the same concept as fishing. If you fed the fish too much, they wouldn’t take the bait. But, you couldn’t not
Lucian was expressionless as he lifted his leg, and stepped on Kyle without any hesitation. He didn't start with great force, but the slow and steady pressure he exerted to and fro made it unbearably painful. The gradually deepening force made Kyle could only focus on that spot.But Lucian stood there, looking calm and composed. Aside from his emotionless eyes, there wasn't any sign of emotional fluctuation. He could even be deemed as elegant. If judged solely by his face, no one would ever associate this gruesome act with his current expression."Argh—"Kyle's shriek echoed through the elevator, resembling the squeal of a slaughtered pig. Although Calista wasn't a man, she somehow could feel the pain herself as well. Her legs even straightened involuntarily. Kyle struggled to push Lucian's leg away, attempting to free himself from Lucian's crushing force on his penis. But no matter how hard he tried, Lucian didn't budge an inch. Thus, his series of agonizing screams ec
Paul rubbed his nose and said awkwardly, "Although men … uh … occasionally have certain desires, Lucian …"It was a first for him to discuss this topic with someone, and what's more that someone was the woman he was after. It was really hard for him to bring up."He probably wouldn't resort to hiring a prostitute. Besides, that woman … she didn't seem like his usual type."But it turned out that Paul had guessed it wrongly. The woman didn't come out again. Given Lucian's personality, he would've kicked her out in the first place if he wasn't interested. Paul shot Calista a worried look."Calista …"Calista beamed at him. There wasn't a single trace of sorrow on her face."You've had a long day too. Go back to your room and rest. Don't we have to go explore the building's interior tomorrow?"After Calista bid goodbye to Paul, she closed the door. As she passed by the desk, she picked up her phone and switched to an unregistered SIM card.She called the police and explained wha
"They're just being polite, it's not like they're asking you to report it."Such messages were not received in Apthon before. Every city has its dark secrets, as long as it doesn't surface into the light, only a small number of people are aware of it.However, a few incidents recently occurred in Apthon, particularly a heinous act where a woman was openly assaulted, and some kind of criminal force was involved.This incident had gained nationwide attention, resulting in heightened vigilance. This hotel seemed to be boldly flouting the law.Lucian furrowed his brows. His stern gaze was fixated on Calista. In this moment, the authority and pressure of one in power were vividly displayed by Lucian."If I can investigate, surely others can as well. If they dare to do something like this, they certainly have backers."Calista knew this. Otherwise, she wouldn't have changed her SIM card before making the call. However, she must've been too content with her life, as she had grown compla
Calista's eyes twitched as she saw the thing in Lucian's hand. She was both embarrassed and angered. She reached out to push him."Lucian, you bastard, get out!"She exerted quite a large force. When she pushed Lucian away, she moved forward a few steps due to inertia.He subconsciously held onto her waist. But he forgot that he was wearing disposable hotel slippers.The friction between the sole of the slipper and the carpet was greater than regular shoes, and they didn't fit snugly.As he moved forward, one of his slippers slipped off. He stumbled forward and lost his balance. And both of them tumbled to the bed.The bed in the five-star hotel was soft and bouncy. When they fell, they bounced off slightly again with the momentum. The back of Calista's head was cupped by Lucian, with her cheek tightly pressed against his chest.Underneath the fabric, she could feel his tense muscles and the scorching warmth of his skin. And his hand, which was still holding the toy, was press
Lucian leaned lazily against the wall with his arms crossed. His shirt opened wider with his movements, making the two red marks on his chest glaringly obvious."You're about to turn thirty, or to exaggerate a bit, almost forty. How can you still ask such innocent questions? I'm here because I slept here last night."If Paul was still able to maintain his composure as a gentleman earlier when the door was opened, now his expression had completely changed. His brows furrowed tightly, filled with an indifferent reproach."You took advantage of her?""Could it be that it was mutual consent between us? Paul, back when you refused to help her, you were already out of the picture. You have no chance with her anymore. Your persistence is going to wear off her impression on you during childhood sooner or later."Even though Paul knew what Lucian said only represented his personal opinion, he couldn't control his emotions. He grabbed onto Lucian's open collar, and finally, those glaring re
In this world, there were places with dark secrets beyond northern Myian. For someone like Calista, even if she were to be trafficked, her destination would be a wealthy country. She would be forced to engage in the dark web auctions—this was where the affluent individuals gathered. Sometimes, just one round of bidding could earn a fortune. Calista's dreams of being trafficked to northern Myian were purely influenced by the visuals of those videos. But the dark web was different, ordinary people only knew it was terrifying.But they weren't aware of how terrifying it was. There weren't any concrete images to draw inspiration from, so it was impossible to dream about it. Calista was dumbstruck. She ignored Lucian and lifted the covers to go to the bathroom to freshen up. After around ten minutes, only did she come out.The expression on her face was already back to normal. Only the rims of her eyes were slightly red, but it wasn't that obvious if no one paid close attention t
Calista lifted her head.Behind this street, which was overshadowed by the tourist hotspot, the shops facing the street didn't sell anything particularly appealing.Therefore, foot traffic was scarce. Given the wide street, it was highly unlikely that these two people were blocking her way for any other reason.After holding her breath all day, she finally let it out slowly."Who are you?""Ms. Everhart, our boss would like to meet you."Thanks to that faceless guy, she now associated the word 'boss' with his face."I don't know who you are, and I have no idea who your 'boss' is."After saying this, she turned to leave. The man was about to grab her, but a group of tourists approached from a distance. There were about a dozen people, so he retracted his hand and smiled apologetically."Sorry, I didn't express myself clearly. It's Ms. Simmons who asked us to invite you. She said she and your mother were old friends. Last night, she saw someone who looked somewhat like you at th