Because Calista had won the championship at the competition, upon her return to Capeton, Augustus whisked her away to various exhibition halls.It gave her no time to look into the discussions happening online. When she finally had time to do so, the incident involving Lucian and Cailyn had already been buried by other trending topics.Cailyn spent ten days in the hospital and received meticulous care from the nurses. She was also served three balanced and nutritious meals a day.As she watched Simon lay the food on the table, she said, "Please pass on my gratitude to Mr. Northwood, Simon."With how frequently Simon and Cailyn met, they had grown close enough to address each other by name. Alarm bells went off in Simon's head. He knew gratitude was usually the first step toward romantic feelings between a man and a woman."It was Madam Calista who had me deliver this. Mr. Northwood doesn't have any emotional intelligence to speak of. All his good qualities are devoted to her. To h
Calista's reaction clued Cailyn in that the former did not know about Lucian's condition. So, the relationship between the two was not as strong as they portrayed it to be. She pretended to be flustered and explained, "Mr. Prescott has been delivering meals to me for the past few days. I've already been discharged from the hospital. I don't want him to run a pointless errand."Her explanation was so full of loopholes that she might as well have not said anything. Calista forced a smile."I see. I'll let him know then."The party took place at the Stansend Manor, with Selena personally organizing it. Calista thought the invitations were only extended to close friends and family. But she realized half their social circle was present when she arrived.With how grand it was, no one would even bat an eye if they were told this was an engagement party.Calista held Selena's hand and softly whispered, "Mom, isn't this party a little too grand?""You won the championship at a world-cla
"Ms. Webster is here," Calista said.She approached Cailyn, who was at the door, as she spoke. Cailyn had just arrived dressed in a simple white dress. She was alone, making her look out of place. Lucian frowned but remained calm."You invited her?""I did. I brought an invitation when I picked Ms. Webster up at the hospital.""Don't get too close to her."Calista jabbed her elbow into him as a warning. "She saved you. Enough with the long face. People are watching." Then, she ignored Lucian and quickly walked up to Cailyn."Ms. Webster!"Cailyn visibly heaved a sigh of relief when she saw Calista. She released her dress from her nervous grip and handed Calista a box of homemade pastries."I didn't know what to bring you. I'm sure you don't lack anything that I can afford. So I made some pastries. It could be packaged better, but they taste nice. I hope that's ok."Offering a gift of food was uncharacteristic when they weren't close. That was common sense to most. Since she ha
Yara arrived two minutes after Cailyn left. She wore a white, off-shoulder sweater and floor-length pants. She looked sharp."Congrats, Calista."She enveloped Calista in a hug, to which the latter responded by patting her on the back and laughing wryly."How many times have you congratulated me?""I can't help it. Babe, you're amazing! I'd feel awful if I didn't gas you up daily.""Thank you, Yara."Calista had transitioned to a new career without graduating. Apart from her interest, Yara's constant praise was a large part of the reason she took the plunge. Yara's rainbow of compliments primarily dispelled the confusion she felt during employment.Yara let go of her. She glanced out of the corner of her eye at Timothy, who was speaking to Lucian. An exaggerated expression crossed her face as she softly whispered, "What's up with him today?" "Huh?"Calista followed her gaze toward Lucian. Aside from his pale complexion, nothing seemed to be unusual. His pallidness was attribu
Their shoulders were nearly touching as they were looking at a phone. The woman had delicate features, and her cheeks were tinged pink. There was also a subtle hint of joy in her eyes. Anyone could have gotten the wrong idea.Calista glanced at them, turned on her heel, and left before Lucian could speak. The man frowned and followed after her."Callie, let me explain …"As the two sped off, the tense Cailyn slowly relaxed. Her bag had distorted in shape from her tight grip. She lifted her phone with shaky hands and took several photos of a particular section of the party hall before stepping back inside.Lucian followed Calista up to the room on the second floor. "Callie …"Calista turned around in response to his tugging. There were no traces of anger on her face. "What did she say to you?"Lucian told her everything about the staged life-saving favor involving Cailyn on the night he arrived at Luspos. The man pulled her into his arms and rested his head against her shoulder. T
Ten seconds … Thirty seconds … One minute … It was so quiet she could hear a pin drop. No one appeared from the spot Cailyn was staring at. Just as she was about to relax, there were a few loud, sharp bangs at the door."Who's there?" She quickly put the photos away and grabbed the iron bar she kept behind the door for self-defense. Then, she stared at the door warily."Cailyn."Recognizing the voice as her neighbor's, Cailyn hurriedly put away the rod and answered the door. Her neighbor was a middle-aged woman who spoke with a thick accent."Cailyn, we've been robbed. Hurry and check if anything is missing from your place.""Huh?""What do you mean 'huh'? Several units have been robbed. Take a quick look and let the cops know."Cailyn didn't own anything valuable. Her only worry was that it wasn't thieves who had been through hEr home. The police arrived quickly. But since nothing was lost, they left after taking Cailyn and her neighbors' statements.…The room was once again
Cailyn's hands rested on the table, squeezed tightly together. She looked hesitant and conflicted."You should ask Mr. Northwood, Calista. I just happened to be there when he wasn't feeling well. I learned some acupressure techniques from my lecturer. So, I gave him a massage. But, I don't know much about his health.""I see." Calista dragged out her words. She had approached Cailyn to ask about it because of her profession. As the person who massaged Lucian, she must have known something. "I'll ask him again tonight." She looked disappointed. Even her smile seemed a little forced.Cailyn envied Calista. "You and Mr. Northwood get along so well.""We do."Calista smiled at her but didn't delve deeper. She didn't want to discuss Lucian with Cailyn if it had nothing to do with his help. Soft music reverberated throughout the cafe. She absentmindedly stirred her coffee and watched as the cream on top melted into the dark brown liquid. She contemplated how to extract the informati
Calista extended her hand to stop the man's face from getting too close and forced a smile. "Don't you want to know what Cailyn and I discussed?"Lucian wasn't interested.He had been celibate for a long time. When Calista helped him onto the bed this morning, the ties on her nightgown had loosened. As a result, he spent the morning feeling restless. Every now and again, the patch of fair skin below her collarbone obscured by the sash would come to mind. It was to the extent that what he had done that morning was far from what he usually accomplished in an hour.They were working overtime on the weekend, so everyone wanted to finish quickly and go home. However, morning had come and gone, and the work wasn't even halfway done. David shot him several covert glances, but he could only choke in silent fury.But, seeing Calista's eyes begging him to ask her, he complied with her wishes. "What did you two chat about?" he asked.He thought she might've gathered some information and wa