Lucian was in a meeting when Timothy called. His mind went blank instantly, and he was engulfed by silence. He slumped in his chair, feeling like all his strength had been drained. It was difficult for him to move even a muscle in his body. It took several seconds before he finally grasped hold of the situation. He stood up, his face was dark and silently walked out of the meeting room. Even later, the executives present still remembered how awful and gloomy Lucian looked at that moment. Calista seemed somewhat dazed, slow to react, but it wasn’t as if she was scared out of her wits. She looked at Lucian, yet it seemed she was looking past him.After a while, she slowly said, "I'm sorry." She was completely out of it as if trapped in a mental state where no one could reach her. The person before her seemed like a lifeless puppet. Lucian grabbed her hand with a strong grip. The pain brought Calista back to her senses. "Callie." She finally focused her gaze and looked at h
Afterward, Calista lay on the bed, utterly devoid of strength.The remnants of passion hadn't completely faded, and she gazed at the open box of condoms on the bedside table, asking, "Why do I have this in my room?" Lucian lifted her from the bed and took her to the bathroom to shower.His voice was filled with contentment as he replied, "For occasional needs." Calista's hand couldn't touch water, so she had no choice but to bathe. He placed her on the vanity and went to fill the bathtub with water. Feeling bored, she began playing with the drawer beneath the vanity. Since she wasn't taking anything, she had only opened it slightly.However, one time she pulled it too hard, and the drawer opened a few inches. She instinctively looked down. A conspicuous blue box inside caught Calista's eye, and she couldn't help but widen her eyes. "You even have needs in the bathroom?" The water in the bathtub was nearly ready. Lucian walked over, but instead of taking her to the bath, he
Calista looked at her and asked, "What would you do?" "I'll throw you a bait to hook you in, then divide the matter into three parts. The first part will be told today, the second part after you successfully send the child abroad and make that professor his attending physician, and the third part after I've settled down abroad," Yara said, her tone light but convincing."Human nature is so; not even family and friends can be fully trusted. Look at those who were deceived into going abroad and ended up becoming exploited. It was either due to their greed or the betrayal of acquaintances." "He is a murderer who killed your mom. What if you go back on your word after he revealed everything? He would just kill someone for money. It"s most likely he"s a horrible person. He wouldn"t bet you"re some kind of saint who will forgive everything?" Yara continued, "So it wouldn"t matter if that call came. You wouldn"t hear what you want anyway. Since that's the case, why blame yourself?"Ya
Calista was taken aback for a moment. Lucian had already pulled up the chair next to her and sat down, his arm resting on the back of her chair. It was a discreet stance in public, yet it showed a strong sense of possession. "Mr. Hugo, aren't the dozens of staff in the Jacques family enough for you? Do you have to interfere with the Northwood family?" Hugo sat back in his chair, his hand resting on the table, a calm expression on his elegant face. "If I remember correctly, Mr. Northwood and Calista are already divorced. How can you say I'm meddling in the Northwood family?" Lucian protested, "Me and ... " He wanted to say they were dating, but he stopped short, realizing that he hadn't officially become her boyfriend yet, and Calista had said they should keep it a secret. Disappointed, he turned cold. "Even if she's my ex-wife, I won't let her be deceived by certain people. And I am currently pursuing Callie ... " Calista quickly tugged at Lucian's trousers under the ta
Back at Everglade Manor, Calista was still thinking about Hugo's sudden suggestion for her to go abroad. Could it be that the Jacques family was undergoing some changes? No wonder they suddenly wanted to expand to Capeton.Lost in her thoughts about the Jacques family, she forgot about the injury on Lucian's body. But when she snapped back to reality, he was nowhere to be seen. He didn't even take advantage of his wound, which was unlike the sly man he was. Calista was just about to go upstairs to check when she received a call from Paul. "Calista, the company is hosting a dinner party for the CrossTime Project tonight. Are you available? The project team has been talking about missing you all day. They’d be thrilled if you come." She was a part-timer and only spent up to four hours at the company each day.Due to the tight schedule, she would dive straight into work as soon as she arrived, without even a moment for small talk. So, it was clear that they were just using her t
Calista took the watch, and it was well-preserved except for some rust on the metal strap due to its long time in storage; there were hardly any other scratches.Her resentment towards Zachary grew stronger. Even a stranger could preserve her mother's heirloom so well. That scoundrel deserved to die alone.The watch had stopped moving, likely because the battery had run out. Paul noticed Calista staring at the hands and said, "The battery is dead. I can take it to the watch store later, and it will work normally again." "There’s no need," Calista replied as she put the watch away."This is my mother's heirloom, and I want to keep it there, safe. Thank you." Mrs. Baker glanced at Paul, her usually gentle face now shadowed with guilt. "You’re too kind. When your father did what he did back then, the Baker family was also facing financial difficulties. We couldn't help you, and I've felt guilty about it all these years. I've thought that even in death, I would be too ashamed to
Calista raised her head, and in front of her stood a young girl with black hair and fair skin. She had large, round eyes and was dressed in an evening gown that matched her charming style. She looked at Calista with an inquisitive gaze. Calista nodded, "Yes, you can." She was about to continue messaging Lucian when the girl asked, "I saw you come in with Paul earlier. Are you his girlfriend?" "No, I used to be his employee," she gestured to the words 'CrossTime' on the stage, "I'm here for the celebration." "Oh, that's great! I'm Camila Williams." Camila’s face lit up with joy, completely unrestrained. "My dad and Mr. Baker intend to arrange a marriage between us, and I'm quite happy with him. I thought I had been rejected when I saw you come in with him." Camila was good at socializing, and in no time, she had revealed everything, even the details of her first kiss with her first love.She was already envisioning her wedding with Paul, wondering what style it should b
The person had just reached out to take it when he felt a strong and scrutinizing gaze. He looked up and saw Lucian standing not far away. He had a stern expression, staring at the wristwatch on Calista's hand with pursed lips. The atmosphere seemed tense. He quickly withdrew his hand, saying, "Miss Calista, I just remembered that I have something to attend to. I should leave." With that, he slipped away. Calista turned her head in bewilderment. Initially, she intended to blame Lucian for scaring the person away, but she realized that almost everyone there was now looking in their direction.What was initially a secluded corner where nobody would notice had turned into the center of attention, all because of him. So, she stopped saying anything and pretended not to know him before leaving. As she departed, she carefully placed the wristwatch in a velvet box and placed it in her bag. Her cautious actions would make someone who didn't know think she was storing some irreplac