The orphanage had few children and a small staff, and in the somewhat distant garden, weeds had grown unchecked, some reaching half a person's height. They were drawn there by the eerie barking of a dog, but it was only a short bark.Selena had been chased by Henry's dog before, so she was afraid of dogs, but the bark was so pitiful that it was clear the dog was in danger. After a few seconds of internal struggle, she decided to take a look. Afraid that making too much noise would scare the dog away, they trod very lightly, making no sound at all. And then they were met by a scene that shocked them. It was a small puppy, about a month old, but it had been tortured to the point of being covered in blood and beyond death.The dog's head was wrapped in layer upon layer of plastic wrap, and its mouth had been torn open, which was why they had heard that pitiful scream, but after a short squid, and then it died.The person crouching next to the dog, covered in blood, looked like he
There was no expression on Lucian's handsome yet icy countenance. He idly traced his fingers over the casing. There was a cold look in his eyes.After a while, a purposeful smile played on his lips. There was mockery in his voice."Alright."Under Kyros' watchful eye, he dialed Calista's number. A mechanical prompt echoed through the receiver. Even though the call was not on speaker, he could hear it clearly in the quiet atmosphere."Sorry. The number you have dialed is unavailable."He was still blocked. She hadn't whitelisted his number."The call isn't connecting …"Lucian's voice trailed off as Kyros waved his phone. A beeping tone could be heard coming from it."I exchanged contact information with Calista when I went to see her at the Northwood Corporation. I think she has your number blocked."There was a gloating tone in his voice.Lucian hummed. His expression remained unchanged. Being blacklisted by Calista didn't affect him. He had the presence of mind to go throug
Calista was relieved that she hadn't taken a sip of her drink. Otherwise, she would've spat the liquid in his face.This person was the epitome of a dog-abusing lunatic. Perhaps karma had gotten to him and driven him insane.She cleared her throat. She wanted to ask if he saw her as a garbage dump. But, she held herself back. "Did your brother agree to this?"She caressed her belly. It was surprisingly soft to the touch and oddly comfortable."I'm pregnant. You'll have to step in as a father if you want to be my boyfriend. You're still young …"Kyros cut her off. There was an earnest expression on his face."I don't mind. I like you, Calista. I'll love your child like my own too."Calista couldn't hold back and quickly turned away."Ugh."She extended her hand and gesticulated apologetically. Once she stopped gagging, she muttered, "I'm sorry. This is not out of the ordinary for pregnant women. It's not that I find you disgusting. What were you saying just now?"Kyros was s
Calista had acquired another label in Kyros' mind—materialistic.She was a superficial woman. He was certain that Lucian had been bewitched by her appearance. Once his brother learned of her true nature, he would surely despise her. Kyros turned to Lucian, troubled."The company belongs to the Lancaster family. Jordan may be my brother but I'm not a Lancaster. I don't have the authority to force them to breach the contract for my sake. Believe me. I'll work hard so you don't have to suffer."Lucian frowned and gave him a disapproving look. "You're undervaluing yourself. You may not be a Lancaster but you're my brother all the same. Say the word and I'll hand the contract over to the Northwood family. I'll have Mr. Prescott prepared for the penalty for the breach of contract.""Really?"Calista looked joyfully at him."Mr. Lancaster has spoken, Mr. Barlowe. So …"Kyros looked at Lucian, who seemed resolute in his decision. He couldn't tell if Lucian truly was that emotionally n
Calista couldn't speak. All she could do was whimper.The one who accosted her was a man with powerful arms. He had one hand over her mouth and the other gripping her by the neck. He was dragging her to a corner in the parking lot.Was this a kidnapping? Was she getting abducted? Was she going to be murdered to cover up a crime? Was he one of Kyros' men?Calista fell into panic. She tried to break free. But, the arm around her neck was like an impenetrable barrier. No matter how she hit him, he wouldn't budge at all.Seeing that she was being dragged into a blind spot away from the surveillance cameras, she blindly swung her bag back.However, having been restrained and faced away from the man, she missed most of her strikes. When she managed to hit him, the blow was as light as scratching an itch.That was when Calista felt her bag hit something solid. Then, the man let out a muffled groan."S-Stop, Ms. Everhart … I … I know you."As soon as they rounded the corner, the man re
Calista rolled her eyes."When someone disappears, they usually come home with a beautiful fiancee. You, on the other hand, brought home a father with a few screws loose."Lucian frowned. Part of him felt wronged and misunderstood."I didn't …"He paused before he could finish and turned to her with his expression bright with joy."Did you just say I went missing and brought home a father …? Does that mean you believe me, Callie? Do you believe I'm Lucian?"He looked overly thrilled. Calista deliberately messed with him."No."He appeared so sharp when Kyros was around. It was enough to subtly clue her in about the man knowing the number of pills in the bottle.So, why was he acting so foolishly now? If she didn't believe him, would he be allowed to kiss and touch her without being slapped?Lucian panicked. Seeing Calista approach the couch, he reached and grabbed her."But, you just said …"She had no choice but to face him. It wasn't as if she could walk away either. She
"How do you test for lovesickness? Do you take me for an idiot?" Calista pushed him away and turned to open the door."You're still in the enemy camp. Focus on staying undercover. You're already being forced to take medicine. You should hurry and come up with something. I can only cover for you once. I can't stop you from taking it every time.""You're just taking them as they come. Aren't you afraid you'll end up turning into an idiot because you keep taking the pills?" With how practiced Kyros seemed, it was likely that it wasn't his first time feeding them to Lucian. Despite knowing that he wasn't a good person, Lucian still reached for the "medicine".The thought infuriated Calista. But, she knew that he wouldn't put himself in harm's way if there were other courses of action he could take.Calista was about to turn the doorknob when Lucian hugged her from behind. His lips brushed against her."Stay tonight?"Their hands were interlocked over her abdomen. She was relieved
"Go on, Kyros. Bark like a dog. Do it. Woof woof …""Hurry up, Kyros. You're one of them, aren't you? Look, it's a female. You should treat her better. Who knows? She might be your wife when you grow up. Isn't she pretty? Come on, kiss her."The children had picked up the behavior from watching television."Woof woof …""Hahaha …"The dog's barks mingled with the sound of human laughter was piercing to the ears.Kyros, who was in bed, suddenly opened his eyes. The ceiling above him was shrouded by darkness. All he could see was the faint outline of the light.He stared absentmindedly at it. With no one around, his bitterness, indifference, ferocity, and hatred all came spilling out from his eyes. In his eyes, the shadow slowly transformed into a dog.It was such a disgusting creature …He stayed lying in place for a while before getting out of bed. He walked barefoot to the table and poured himself a glass of wine.He downed it all in one gulp. The burning sensation of the st