As night fell, Calista grabbed a taxi to Everglade Manor. She had thought of discussing matters with Lucian over the phone. However, he hadn't been answering her calls for some reason.She wasn't sure if Lucian would be in Everglade Manor. He had rarely been there in recent years. Despite three years of marriage, she never fit into his social circle. She had no choice but to wait, hoping he would eventually be there.Upon arrival, Calista looked at the villa. It was enveloped in darkness. She hesitated for a moment before deciding to go inside.She opened the door and flicked the light switch on the wall. The living room instantly flooded with bright light. And there Lucian was, relaxing on the couch with his head tilted back.Lucian furrowed his brows and raised a hand to shield his eyes. His tone was irritable as he ordered, "Turn off the lights."Calista hadn't expected him to be here. After all, Lily had gone through such a distressing experience today. Calista was prepared to
Lucian was irritated by Calista's current cold expression. She was truly daring to threaten him like this.Without waiting for his response, she turned and walked away.At the self-checkout counter, Calista leaned over the cart to organize them on the counter. Lucian stood to the side with his arms crossed. He didn't look like he was going to help her at all.Calista ignored him. She didn't need his help to scan the products. It was only during payment that she glanced at him sideways. She noticed his gaze was on nearby displayed condoms.Her tone was frosty as she spat, "Pervert."Lucian hadn't been thinking about condoms, or at least not just then. His glance had simply landed on them on the shelf."Pervert?" Lucian scoffed. He studied her expression before continuing, "If showing an interest in these qualifies me as a pervert, then aren't you the bigger pervert? All I did was look at them. But you bought multiple boxes to keep at home."Lucian's words were enough to garner th
Lucian frowned. "You're overthinking it. There's a crucial upcoming project at Northwood Corporations. "The person in charge thinks highly of those with happy and harmonious families. So, if we divorce now, it might take me longer to secure the collaboration."Calista had only asked him to provoke him. Yet, his indifferent reply still stirred her heart."We got married in secret. Not many people know that we're married," Calista argued."Yes, but some people are aware. If the truth about us reaches the person in charge, then it wouldn't be worth it for me to divorce you."As Lucian explained this to Calista, he carried her to the second floor. From her vantage point, she could only see the sharp line of his jaw. It was reminiscent of when she was in bed with him at the hotel. He appeared just as cold, arrogant, and domineering.He brought her to the room, and an all too familiar sight greeted her. To everyone else, Everglade Manor was elusive and grand. But to Calista, this wa
Calista waited for a reply but didn't get one. She glanced at her unfinished work on the table and snapped, "Well? If you're not going to speak, I'll hang up."Lucian had been considering explaining his mistaken call, but her impatience irritated him. So, he changed his mind and stated, "Pick me up at the Luminary Lounge."Calista frowned before replying, "Are you insane? You want me to pick you up?"She had done it before when she was his assistant, picking him up after he got very drunk. She called him then to ask him when he was going home.That day, David was the one who picked up the phone. He also knew about her relationship with Lucian, so he told her that he was drunk and even asked her to pick him up.Back then, Lucian used to be constantly annoyed with her. So, when he saw her coming to pick him up, he lost his temper despite being drunk. Even David couldn't escape his wrath and was reprimanded, his yearly bonus cut.As a result, no matter how drunk Lucian got afterward
Alcohol dripped down Lucian's face, an unusual sight given his usual grace. It was unexpected to see him in such a state. His lips formed a tight line, and his fury was palpable. Calista was not intimidated by him at all. She simply cast a glance at him and left without another word. Cade couldn't help but express his exasperation. Only Calista would dare to splash alcohol on Lucian."I pray that Ms. Everhart can outrun Lucian," Cade mumbled under his breath.Lucian caught sight of Cade, dry despite being near Calista during the incident. He retorted coldly, "I hope you lose your voice."Cade immediately fell silent. Lucian ignored him and headed straight toward Calista.Lucian was tall with extremely long legs. He moved to catch up with Calista at a leisurely pace. People instinctively lowered their heads in submission as he passed.Calista waited by the elevator. She wasn't sure if it was bad luck or her imagination, but the elevator seemed slower than usual.As she debat
Calista's head snapped up. Her reaction was subtle but noticeable to Lucian who still had his arm around her waist. Paul's voice had made her tense up. Paul was standing some distance from the car. He was staring at her through the half-opened car window.He was dressed in a casual shirt and slacks. Even in the shadows, his good looks were evident.Calista's mind went blank for a second. She instinctively called out, "Paul … "The arm on her waist tightened again. She nearly yelped in pain. However, Paul was there. So, she had no choice but to grit her teeth and endure the pain. She wasn't sure if Paul had seen Lucian in the car with her. After all, the lighting in the car park was dim. It was unlikely he had seen Lucian from his distance and angle.Paul smiled and walked toward her. "I had a feeling I recognized someone here, but I didn't expect it to be you!"Her body tensed further as Paul neared, the hand on Lucian's chest clenching into a fist."Don't come any closer," s
"Go away!" Calista warned weakly. "If you keep pestering me, I'll post our marriage certificate online. I'll let the world know that Lily is a homewrecker!"Lucian coldly laughed at her weak threat. "Aren't you the one asking for a divorce?""I'll say that I'm asking for one because you cheated on me with her."Lucian's expression remained unchanged. He replied, "In that case, you can forget about ever getting divorced from me."Her threat had backfired. Lucian was now threatening her instead. Calista hated how Lucian always found a way to counter everything she said. Ever since they got together, she hadn't lived comfortably at all!Lucian caressed her finger. After a while of studying, he declared, "It's not broken.""I bet you wish that it was," Calista grumbled."Of course not. However, if you really take the three million dollars from Paul, not only would I wish for your finger to break, I would break it myself.""You madman!" Calista exclaimed.She pushed him away again.
The birthday dinner happened to fall on a weekend. Calista got up early to finish Lily's painting. She merely rested for two days before accepting another task. She had no choice. She would never be able to pay off the three million if she didn't work her fingers to the bone. The Northwood family always kept their birthday banquets low-profile. They only invited the relatives of the Jenkin and Northwood families. In previous years, Calista would always arrive at the Stansend Manor early in the morning to attend to the guests. But she decided against it this year since she and Lucian would get a divorce. She wanted to distance herself from her life as Mrs Northwood. It was also to give Selena some time to accept the situation. After all, she couldn't spend her whole life putting up an act with Lucian. Selena would eventually find out. Calista looked at the time and buried herself in work. She was tasked with restoring a Georgian vase this time. The damage was not severe. De