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
The purpose behind his enthusiasm was to find him a girlfriend. Hugo had lived his years, but it was his first time meeting such a bastard like Lucian. The woman in red discreetly sized Hugo up. She can't determine the man's exact age, but he has a maturity and elegance that comes with age.He has a robust physique, and his age can be easily overlooked due to his compelling charisma. She had heard of the Jacques family from Apthon. If she can get close to Hugo, it would solve the financial problems at home. "Cheers to you, Hugo." A few days ago, her father almost married her off to a man in his sixties. She had no other choice but to try her luck. She heard that Lucian and his ex-wife got married due to a one-night stand. They didn’t have any emotional attachment, and yet he helped her pay off several million in debt.So, she considered him a prime target. But Lucian had no interest in her, and now she was quite satisfied looking at Hugo. Facing the enthusiasm of the wo
The next day, Calista had just completed a highly precise repair procedure and was preparing to get up to pour herself a glass of water when her phone rang. She glanced over and saw an unfamiliar number with a Capeton area code. "Hello." "Claude, it's me ..." Calista recognized Vivian's voice and promptly hung up, adding the number to her blacklist. Two minutes later, another call came in from an unknown number, and she knew it was Vivian without a doubt. Was she insane? When things settled down for a few days, she started causing trouble again. After hanging up the phone, Calista set her phone to reject all incoming calls, but before she could, the phone rang again. It annoyed her to her wits. She answered frustratedly, "Are you sick, Vivian? You're testing my limits early in the morning. I've already said my piece! What else do you … " "Miss Calista?"The person on the other end interrupted her as she screamed profanities. "We're calling from Yarlford Prison. Zayn
The Jacquez family was so extravagant to be able to give away fifty thousand dollars as if it was nothing.Vivian’s words may sound annoying, but they were the truth. The truth was often hard to accept. Since the head of the Jacquez family had said so, there was no harm in getting compensation for enduring Vivian's antics for so long. So she sent a message to Yara, "Want to go shopping together later?" Yara was currently in a deep and heated situation, so she had no interest in going shopping. She replied with a crying emoji."No." After replying, her gaze once again fell on the stack of explicit photos on the table, making her feel hopeless. "Mr. Howard, there's no need to take this so seriously. I was just making things up ... " She couldn’t have explained to Timothy what BL was that day, so she made up something on the spot. "It means your thinking is unorthodox compared to ordinary people." That statement wasn't entirely untrue; it just wasn't very specific. A