Calista fell silent. She was just about to hang up when she heard Timothy's voice in the background."It's time for dinner, Yaya."She had a few run-ins with Timothy. As far as she could remember, he was someone who always maintained a distant and indifferent attitude. She had never heard him sound so gentle.Yara immediately knew Calista had gotten the wrong idea when she saw the look on her face. The former pulled the latter's attention back to her."He's calling for the dog, not me. Stop it with that stupid look on your face.""You call the dog Timothy Howard and Mr. Howard calls it Yaya. Is the dog part of your play? What hardcore stuff have you been getting into?""It's a long story. I'll tell you the details the next time we meet."Thinking about the reason behind naming the dog Timothy Howard riled her up. Even her mother referred to her as Yaya now. She thought she was calling for the dog.Yara glanced at Timothy who had bent over to pour out some dog food. His shirt an
Timothy fell silent. When he and Yara first met, he was Lucian's attorney. He simply followed orders. He hadn't even remembered who she was then. Her claims of him trying to sue her were his attempts at teasing her. If he truly wanted to take her to court, she would've already been behind bars putting cardboard boxes together.He hadn't expected his jests to now be weapons pointed at him. It was as they say, "what goes around comes around". It was time for him to repent.If he had known that he would fall in love with her, he would've taken it a little more seriously when he realized that she didn't take to teasing very well."Is that all?" Timothy asked."That's not all. Being with someone like you …" With how discriminatory she sounded, she quickly tried to explain herself. "Your job. It's tiring to be dating someone with a job like yours. It's fine if everything is smooth sailing. But, what if something happens? What happens if we want to get a divorce? It would be such a trou
Lucian snapped back to his senses. "What's wrong?"Calista stared at him with lips tightly pursed."I've been trying to get your attention. But, you didn't respond.""Sorry."The man hung his head. He subconsciously tried to massage his temples but remembered that Calista was still watching just as he lifted his hand. So, he abruptly stopped."I didn't sleep well last night. I'm just a little tired."The tired look in his eyes and his hoarse voice lent some credence to his words. Calista didn't seem suspicious."You should freshen up and go to sleep.""I will."Lucian was experiencing a slight headache. He was worried that she would notice something if he continued to stick around. So, he got up and went to the bathroom per her suggestion.He wanted to take a bath to relieve his discomfort. But, they were at a budget hotel with no bathtubs. Even if it did, he wouldn't want to use a communal one.The place he bought was a little far from the hotel. It would take them two ho
Lucian asked a passerby for help. They were an attractive pair. There was no need for them to deliberately pose. As long as the photo wasn't taken at a dead angle, even a picture taken while they were angry would come out decent. The camera clicked, freezing the moment.In the photo, Lucian held Calista from behind. He lowered his gaze to look at her. With the way he fixated on her, it was as if she was his entire world. His sharp features seemed to soften in the warm lighting. There was undisguised affection in his eyes.Lucian took his phone and thanked the person in Lusposian. The person said something in return. But, Calista didn't catch it. But even if she did, she wouldn't have understood a word."What did he say?"She looked down to go through the photos. The man had helped take several photos. The background of one of them was blurred, turning the neon lights into a dazzling display of fireworks. There was a warm yellow hue reflected in her eyes."He said you're beau
The dizziness hit Lucian like a truck and was accompanied by a sharp ringing in his ears. But, it went away as quickly as it came. He hadn't fainted.His brows were tightly furrowed. Although he was now back on alert, his headache persisted. He instinctively raised his hand to massage his temples but realized that someone was holding onto his arm.The one steadying him was Cailyn. She frowned and looked at him seriously."Are your symptoms worsening, Mr. Northwood? You should've gone in for a reexamination yesterday. Dragging it out will only make things worse."After thanking her, Lucian extracted his arm from her grasp."It's fine."But, he wasn't convincing anyone with how pale he had gotten. His brows were tightly furrowed and his eyes were bloodshot. He had even found it difficult to hold onto a simple bottle of milk."Look at you. You're probably feeling awful right now. You're likely not going to have a peaceful night's rest either. Let's head to the cafe upstairs so I ca
Although Lucian fell into deep sleep, he didn't stay asleep for long. It was still bright out when he woke up. His mind was much sharper after his nap. Even the headache that had been bothering him all day was gone.He fished for his cell phone on the nightstand and took a look at it. Ever since his insomnia worsened, he had developed a habit of putting his phone on silent mode whenever he slept. Lucian first replied to David."What is it?""I have good and bad news. Which one would you like to hear first?"David wasn't discouraged by his lack of response. He simply got to answering his question. It was thanks to him spending a considerable amount of time with Lucian and his skills at work that he hadn't been outright fired."Let's begin with the good news. You're trending again. Everyone in the country, be it an 18-year-old or an 80-year-old, is praying for a man like you …""Stop speaking in riddles."Lucian impatiently interrupted him before getting up and heading to th
Calista put down her fork."Why do you think I'm upset? Did you cheat on me or something? Are you feeling guilty?"Lucian spoke up before she could finish. Any hesitation would be seen as an admission of guilt."No.""Oh," Calista murmured.Neither of them spoke following the response. Although the silence stretched on for no longer than a few seconds, it created a relatively awkward atmosphere."Callie …" Lucian was so flustered that he spoke to break the silence. "I …"Explaining what was happening in the photo would mean revealing who Cailyn was. That would, in turn, bring his health issues to light."I haven't done anything to hurt you," Lucian said softly. He sounded serious and genuine. It was like he was trying to get Calista to believe him. "I'll come to Pelduin to pick you up after the competition."He would explain everything to her then. She had the right to know if his condition didn't improve within the month.Whether they got married was then her choice to make.
Lucian was about to take another swig when Paul snatched the glass out of his grip, spilling alcohol on their hands."You already have one foot in the grave. Stop drinking."Paul looked at the bartender and said, "Get him a glass of milk."The man looked up and swept a glance at him."You're acting like a woman in her mid-40s."Despite the comment, Lucian accepted the milk from the bartender and took a sip."I have something I need your help with."After Lucian explained his plan to Paul, the latter thought about it for a moment before suggesting, "Why not go with a beauty trap?"A beauty trap?There was undoubtedly a hidden agenda to Paul's dubious idea. Paul must've been trying to create conflict between him and Calista. It would allow Paul to step in. What a conniving bastard!"Thank you for helping me out. You've always been a true brother to me growing up. I can't believe you're going to such lengths for me. I owe you one.""Hah." Paul flashed him an insincere smile whi