Lucian wasn't even aware that his presence wasn't welcomed. "Since there aren't any suitable men in Apthon, why not look for some in Capeton?"Hugo sneered at him. He gritted his teeth as he said, "Mr. Northwood's right. Liam, get a list of young and talented men in Apthon, and leave Mr. Northwood out of the list."After he said so, his gaze turned to Calista. "Then we'll go on blind dates every day. Meet two in one day, and you can date them if you like. Just break up if you don't like them. Since you're young, you have to date more to—""Mom must be infuriated by your dating principle. That's why she ran away," Lucian interrupted.There's no way Lucian would let his words get into Calista. Otherwise, he had to be by her side every single day to keep an eye on her. Hugo was dumbfounded. As he met with Calista's probing gaze, he finally understood what it was like to get a taste of his own medicine. "Calista, the reason behind our breakup is quite complicated. It's hard t
At Everglade Manor, Calista was immediately locked in Lucian's embrace the moment she stepped inside."Is Mr. Jacquez your dad?"Calista's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "Didn't you know?""I wasn't sure.""You weren't sure. Yet you were such a natural when you called him dad."Calista was speechless. From how quickly he changed his way of addressing Hugo, she thought he already had solid proof. "He was already trying to introduce a new boyfriend to you. So it would only be right for me to take the first move and take control of the situation, right?" Lucian retorted, resentment evident in his tone. Feeling wronged, he added, "When he said he wanted to introduce other men to you, you didn't even refuse.""I was about to defend you. Who knew you came in at that time?"Lucian's spirits lifted in an instant. He smiled and rubbed his head like a dog on her shoulder. He's tall, so this position wasn't that comfortable for him. "Callie, I checked the calendar. The 18th of
"I did visit. I was behind you every single time, and I visited him after you did. If only you turned back for once, you would've seen me."Calista shot him a bewildered look. "Have you ever seen someone who'd turn around after visiting? Do you expect to see something?"Lucian was at a loss for words. After they visited Calista's grandfather, they made their way out together. Lucian brought his driver along who drove her car back first. The place was quite far from Everglade Manor, so they had lunch outside. "When are you going to give me the present that you owe me?"Whenever he was going to get his present, he kept getting interrupted. He was starting to wonder whether his present was cursed. He set down his fork, his appetite lost. Since they knew each other, he'd never received a gift from her. Calista glanced at the time. "Let's go after we eat."Lucian's mood was heightened.He picked up his fork again, and said, "Sure."After they ate, he went to get the car when
The two of them stood side by side, leaning on the door while lowering their heads.Hugo said disgustedly, "You're a spineless man. The moment she opened her mouth, you folded. It's so dangerous for her to be alone inside there."Lucian replied, "If I didn't compromise, you would turn on me and say that I don't dote on her, I'm irresponsible, and a failure of a husband. Once again, you would try to set her up with other eligible young men."Hugo was silent for a while before he retorted, "I preferred you when you were quiet. Perhaps that would make it easier for me to accept you."In the room, Calista half-squatted and met Julia's eyes. She knew that Julia had mistaken her for Joan.While gazing into her eyes, her heart thumped wildly as she asked, "Julia, why did you harm me?"Initially, Calista was worried that her tactic would not work. After all, she was no voice actress; she couldn't disguise her voice at will, nor did her voice sound like her mother's. If Julia called her
Zachary panicked."Calista, I did all this for your safety! When your mother married me, her only wish was for me to treat you as my child. "That father of yours was poor and worthless, taking advantage of your mother but tossing her aside. Your grandfather was so mad that he almost dragged her to get an abortion! Back in those days, if it wasn't for me, your mother would have been a laughingstock!""I loved her. What man would be willing to play happy family with a woman who cheated on him and had a child with another man? I even made sure that no one knew about it!"Hugo had long left his hot-blooded and impulsive years behind, but upon hearing Zachary's words, he felt a rare rush of anger. His fist tightened, but his anger was directed more towards himself. If only he was more considerate while communicating with Joan, maybe they wouldn't break up. The star-crossed lovers would not have wasted so many years being apart.Now, they were separated by life and death. He glared a
At the prison, the young, beautiful lawyer finished her questioning and started to gather her things into her bag. Her scarlet red lipstick stood in stark contrast to her cold expression. Jean asked, "When can I be released?"There was no anxiety in his expression. Instead, it was full of disdain at the squalor of his surroundings and at having wasted his time here.He kept no illegal items in his manor, as the police who searched his place could testify. As for jailing Julia, they were lovers but she had gone mad. He had no choice as well.The lawyer replied, "Mr. Jacquez, I'm sure you know whom you offended. Under normal circumstances, you would be eligible for bail, but this person has stopped them from granting you bail."The first person Jean could think of was Hugo. Recently, Hugo had caused him lots of trouble in the company. Their facade of brotherhood had long been torn to shreds. However, upon further reflection, Hugo did not have that much power in the capital. After
Hugo looked at the picture of the sparkling, blush pink diamond. He pursed his lips and didn't say a word. Someone came out from the shadows and walked toward them.He spoke up, "Mr. Hugo, Ms. Everhart, let's get on the boat."Calista recognized him; he was Jean's secretary. She met when she was at the hospital's emergency department and he was handling Vivian's admission. Hugo stepped forward and shielded Calista."This matter is between us older ones. Let's not get the young ones involved. I'll get on the boat; the rest of you stay behind.""Mr. Hugo …""She'll just be on the beach, what difference does it make if she's not on the boat?"As long as she wasn't in the sea, Lucian was confident that no matter what happened, he could protect her. Besides, they had so many bodyguards.But if she was in the sea, he couldn't guarantee her safety. With one wave, she could be dashed into the sea.Man was nothing compared to nature's might. The sea did not discriminate between the rich
On the boat, there were fifteen people. This included the captain and the secretary who looked like he couldn't even lift a dumbbell, much less fight. It wouldn't be too hard to deal with them.Jean's voice came from the door, "Mr. Northwood, you don't need to be so wary of me."They turned to look in his direction. He was wearing an Italian suit with his secretary in tow. Right now, he looked completely relaxed and unthreatening."Survival is my priority, which is why I asked you all to come here to talk. I hope you won't follow me around like dogs on a trail."He sat in his seat."Although I have blood on my hands, I have never taken a life. I haven't been completely honest in my business dealings, but they're within the law so it wouldn't be an issue …"His relaxed expression suddenly tightened and his gaze became dangerous.Even his tone changed as he asked, "Hugo, where is the painting I asked you to bring?"Lucian frowned."How did you get on the boat?"Before they got