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
It wasn't a hurtful statement, but it was an incredibly insulting one."Are you saying I'm stupid, Timothy?" Yara asked.The man gave her a look that said, "Why humiliate yourself if you already know that?". Still, he calmly replied, "No."Yara didn't really care much about what game they played. Picking the escape room was just a random decision. But now, she had successfully been provoked into showing her competitive side. As for Timothy, his goal was simply to go on a date with Yara. He didn't care much about the activity itself.The escape room was on the third floor. As they made their way up, Yara asked Timothy, "What are you most afraid of?"Timothy glanced at the promotional posters at the entrance and casually said, "Ghosts.""Okay. Let's go with the horror scenario, then." She took a promotional brochure from the staff. "Take a look and tell me which one you like. How about a folk-themed horror?"Timothy took a look at the eerie images. "Are you doing this on purpose
Yara hurriedly dragged Timothy along. "Hurry up. We need to follow them."He could only see the surging crowd. He didn't notice any familiar faces among them."Who did you see?""Who else but Little Miss Home Wrecker's gambling addict father?"It was such an impactful manner of address that Timothy was taken aback for a moment. It took him a split second to realize who she was talking about. He smiled wryly."What do you mean by 'Little Miss Home Wrecker'? She and Lucian don't have that kind of relationship.""That's only because Lucian hasn't responded to her. She's probably thinking that he hasn't rejected her. I'll bet you on it. If that woman doesn't have any romantic inclinations for Lucian, I'll treat you to 100 rounds of escape room games," Yara said.No matter how well she pretended to be the good guy, the look in her eyes was a dead giveaway. Timothy was at a loss for words."Didn't you know Little Miss Home Wrecker's father …"Seeing the man frown disapprovingly, Yar
Lucian noticed how Calista stood rooted in place. "What is it?"She recounted the incident at the shopping mall where Yara ran into Cailyn's father shopping with a little girl."I'm going to get a milkshake. You should go check on her." Cailyn had already noticed the pair and was limping toward them.Lucian held Calista's hand and twined their fingers together. "I'll go with you.""Ms. Webster called you out here for a reason. She probably has something to say to you.""There's nothing you're not allowed to know." He came here solely to stabilize Cailyn. She had defected to his side. He couldn't ignore the matter until he was certain that it was a ruse. Cailyn approached. It was clear that she had yet to recover from the shock of nearly being run over. She was shaking uncontrollably. There was hesitation and fear in her eyes. "Mr. Northwood, he …"Lucian had already gotten the gist of the situation through the phone. He cut to the chase and asked, "Did you see his license pla
Calista left without hesitation. She didn't bother waiting for Lucian and showed no intention of seeing how he was going to handle the situation. She took the milkshake out of his hand and left.The sound of her heels clicking against the sidewalk gradually faded away, leaving Lucian's hand hanging in midair.Behind him, Cailyn propped herself up on the ground with her hands and slowly managed to stagger to her feet. Her wounds had split open again, and bright red blood trickled down her fair calves.A passerby took note and said, "Oh dear, you're bleeding so much. That looks bad. Why aren't you taking her to the hospital to get her injuries treated? What kind of boyfriend are you?"Lucian frowned impatiently. What was with people rambling on about things they didn't understand fully? But, before he could rebuke the woman, Cailyn explained, "He's not my boyfriend, Ma'am."Since there was no need for him to clarify any further, he turned to Cailyn and asked, "Should I call an ambul
Lucian was at a loss for words.Calista ignored him once she said her piece. She looked down leisurely, excited for her meal. She had just cut a slice of steak and was about to put it in her mouth when Lucian grabbed her hand."Are you doing this on purpose?""You said it yourself. 'Anything is fine'." She gestured toward the metallic utensils sitting before him with a jerk of her chin. "Go ahead. Don't be shy."Every time she asked, he would respond with "Anything is fine" or "Whatever". It was annoying to eat with him. It extinguished most of her enthusiasm for the meal.Lucian leaned over, took her hand, and ate the steak she had just cut into in one bite. Calista fell silent.Night fell as they finished their dinner. The hot spring resort had a much more enchanting atmosphere at night compared to the day. Clusters of fairy lights adorned the trees. The lawn was also filled with jellyfish-shaped lamps. It was gorgeous and gave off a romantic vibe.Lucian had already booked