Lucian looked up in the direction of the voice. It was Cailyn. She had just walked out. She was wearing a long down coat with fuzzy earmuffs and gloves. The man lowered his hand and shook his head."No thanks."Cailyn noticed the cigarette in his hand that had yet to burn out and put on a stern demeanor."The doctor said you should quit smoking and drinking given your current condition.""Sure," Lucian responded coldly to the woman's admonition.Cailyn wanted to say more. Just as she did, the man who had been as cold as ice looked in a certain direction. His tense features softened. He left after politely excusing himself.Lucian went up to Calista, snaked his arm around her waist, and gathered her into his embrace."What are you doing out here?""I came out here to look for you. You were gone for a while. I thought you fell into the toilet," Calista joked before taking a sidelong glance at Cailyn. But, the latter had already turned the other way. All she could make out was a
Calista had barely set foot into the snack shop when she caught sight of Yara. She was sitting by a window. She had likely gotten bored of waiting and was drawing a pig on the table by dipping into her tea."Are you drawing … Mr. Howard?"Yara had been startled. She nearly knocked over her cup of tea."You nearly scared me to death. It's a brand new year. Why do you have to mention him of all people?"She looked around while speaking and heaved a long sigh of relief. Timothy was nowhere to be found. She leaned back languidly against her seat."Speak of the devil and he shall appear. Have you heard of that saying? Never mention that name in my presence again. You'll be summoning him without fail."Calista took notice of Yara's aversion to Timothy's name and frowned."Has he been tormenting you?"Yara shook her head."No. I had a meal with him when I picked up the dog last time. I haven't seen him since.""Do you hate him?" Calista asked.If that were the case, she could kee
Yara fell silent. Timothy had placed a voice recorder in front of her. "Go on.""What is this?""If you don't plan on getting it together, I'll just have to speak with Uncle Steven and Aunt Tabitha the next time we meet."Yara glared at him. He was such a despicable man. Even though her mother appeared carefree and somewhat unreliable, she was far from lax when it came to her family's upbringing. If Yara, the heiress of the Quinn family, used foul language, it would reflect poorly on her family name. If her mother found out, there would be consequences.Timothy was hitting her where it hurt the most and left her no room to resist. With Lucian and Timothy around, what else could they talk about besides their daily trifles?While they were heading to the restroom together, Yara asked Calista in confusion, "Does your husband have a problem with me? Why does he look at me as if I'm a thief? He glares at me every time I talk to you."Calista didn't answer."Oh my god …" Yara dr
As soon as Yara walked through the door, she was greeted by a dog pouncing on her. It wagged its tail in excitement while whining. It showed no signs of being near death as Timothy had described.The dog had grown noticeably plump after Timothy had cared for it. It was far from being the skinny creature it used to be. Being pounced on made her stagger back and fall into the man's arms.Her hand was suspended awkwardly in the air. She didn't know where to rest it. So, she ultimately decided to settle it on the dog's head while it was in her arms. After giving it a few pats, her hand was drenched in the dog's saliva."Have you named it yet?"She turned around to grab Timothy's clothes. She wiped off the drool on his expensive clothes while he wasn't paying attention. The man looked down and frowned slightly as she wiped down her hand.Yara paused, laughed awkwardly, and sheepishly withdrew her hand."I didn't know you were skilled at raising dogs. It's well-fed and chubby now."
Timothy lowered his head and leaned close to Yara. There was barely any distance between them, and she thought he was going to kiss her. However, he stopped a few inches away from her lips.His breaths brushed against her cheek as he spoke in a low voice."You have no proof, Yaya."Despite his gentle tone with her, she was hardly moved. To her, it felt as if he were calling for a dog. There was also an implication in his words. Yara didn't respond. Was he planning to be unreasonable since she couldn't be reasoned with? He was still acting like he had the moral high ground despite his reprehensible actions.Timothy took a closer look at the gash on her tongue."Fortunately, it's nothing serious. There's no need for medication for the time being."Yara rolled her eyes and pushed him away."I accidentally bit my tongue. It wasn't a suicide attempt. How serious can it be? Have you seen anyone needing medication for accidentally biting their tongue? It's getting late. I'm leaving.
Lucian wasn't a fan of discussing personal matters with people he wasn't familiar with. He closed his eyes and didn't bother responding.Cailyn said apologetically, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry into your private affairs. This is just a process of the examination. I try to engage in lighthearted or interesting conversations with patients to help them relax. Tension would lead to inaccurate test results."The man let out a low hum in response, showing no intention of continuing the conversation. She changed the topic when she noticed his aversion."I haven't thanked you properly for saving me that time. If you have time, I'd like to invite you to a meal. Is that alright?"Lucian opened his eyes. His expression was distant and cold."No thanks. I just happened to be in the area. Saving you was no trouble at all. Anyone else would've done the same. You don't have to take it to heart.""I know," Cailyn said earnestly. "It may have been no trouble for you. Nevertheless, you were a
The person standing outside was Cailyn. She was studying the shifting graph on the screen. When she noticed Paul's gaze, she turned and smiled at him. With a polite incline of her head, she turned to leave.Paul relaxed from his tense state and leaned back against the couch. It was already past six when he checked for the time. Lucian had yet to wake up. With no doctor coming by yet, he took out his phone and sent a text to Calista. Halfway through, he suddenly realized how inappropriate the situation was.If it was a joint meeting between the two companies, how would he be able to send a text message while Lucian's phone was still switched off? It wouldn't be appropriate for him to outright report to Calista about it. After careful consideration, he decided that it would be the most appropriate for his assistant to handle the notification.Lucian was as petty and jealous as they came. He even had his guard up when Paul spoke to Calista. Why would he have his rival send her a te
Calista pressed her hand against his chest. "I have something I need to tell you."Lucian's breaths grew rapid. His eyes were red. His hormones rushed straight to his head. There was some kind of impulse building in him. Sparks began to surge through his pulsating blood vessels.Calista only used a bit of force to keep him away. If he wanted to force himself on her, this bit of force wasn't enough to stop him. But, he didn't.He asked hoarsely, "Are you sure you want to discuss this with me right now?"Lucian took Calista's hand and moved it down his abdomen."The participants for the competition have been decided. I'm one of them.""Can you not go?" Lucian knew it wasn't possible. He couldn't bear for Calista to give up her dreams for him. He wasn't going to turn her into a caged bird just to keep her by his side. So, his words were nothing more than offhand comments. Calista hesitated."I'm still thinking about it."Her answer was beyond Lucian's expectations. He could