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
It was true that more than 20 hosts were called. But Calista hadn't done anything to cross the line. She hadn't even touched their hands. She simply sat there singing.However, she felt uneasy with the way Lucian was staring at her. She unconsciously licked her chapped lips. "That was a misunderstanding. We were just helping them with their performance targets.""Oh." Lucian pulled her close. "I'm feeling dizzy. Let's head back to our room so we can talk this over."Meanwhile, Yara pinched Timothy's arm. But, the man was so well-built that he didn't even feel it."You can insult me all you want. Why did you drag Calista into this? Are you aware that you're sowing discord between them?""Sorry. It's an occupational habit. I tell the truth out of habit," Timothy said.Yara was at a loss for words. He shouldn't have explained at all. The more he did, the worse it sounded.Seeing how Lucian was dragging Calista away, she hurriedly said, "I was the one who called for the hosts. All o
Calista looked down at the hand that held her own. When she looked back up again, she shot him an annoyed glare."If I didn't believe you, you'd be sleeping out in the corridor by now."The photographer and the makeup artist that Lucian had arranged for were already at the door. He opened it to let them in.Calista already looked good. With Lucian's request that the photos not deviate too much from reality, the makeup, styling, and clothing selection took less than half an hour.The photoshoot went smoothly. Even though neither of them were professional models, their good looks and figures made any angle look good. The photographer hadn't taken on such an easy job in a long while. "Good job. Let's take a few more photos of you two play fighting in bed. We can wrap it up after that."Calista froze as soon as she sat on the bed. The bed was moving… It was a waterbed meant to spice things up. She finally understood why it was called a couple's suite.The photographer was going thr
Kenneth noticed Calista pausing and asked in confusion, "Is something wrong?"Rather than answering, she got closer to take a discreet whiff. But, all she could make out was the scent of a classic cologne.Calista rubbed her nose. She must've been mistaken. Since she couldn't recall where she had smelled that fragrance, she didn't take it to heart.She took the cup and made up an excuse. "It's nothing. It's probably because I skipped breakfast this morning. My blood sugar might be a little low. I felt a little dizzy."While speaking, she fished for a piece of candy from her drawer. She peeled off the wrapper and was about to put it in her mouth when she noticed Kenneth staring at her with bated breath. More precisely, he was staring at the candy in her hand.Calista was at a loss for words. She wanted to ignore him at first. But, he looked so desperate that she couldn't turn a blind eye."Do you want some?"She thought she may have been mistaken. Most men weren't fond of sweets.
The little girl visibly tensed at the mention of the stick, fear filling her eyes.Lucian frowned. Anyone who would lay hands on a child was no better than a beast.Cailyn arrived in a hurry. "Hannah."Hannah Webster hurriedly got off the stool upon hearing her sister's voice. Concerned that Hannah might stumble, Lucian instinctively reached out, protecting her from behind.Hannah rushed into Cailyn's arms. "I got lost, Lynn. I was so scared. So, I borrowed Mister's phone to call you."Cailyn comforted her before leading the distressed Hannah over."Thank you for helping me again, Mr. Northwood.""It has nothing to do with me. It was the child who was clever," Lucian responded indifferently. "Still… thank you," Cailyn said.Knowing Cailyn's tendency to worry about minor details, as seen at the parking lot, Lucian anticipated she would feel indebted to him regardless of his reassurances. So, he responded, "No need to thank me. You can settle the debt by covering the cost of
"Ms. Webster," Lucian cut Cailyn off as he directed his cold gaze at her. "If you have nothing else to say, my wife and I plan to have dinner."It was an obvious hint for her to leave. She immediately caught on, causing her eyes to redden. There was a tremble in her voice."I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said all that…."Cailyn couldn't say any more than that. In her haste to leave, she had forgotten that Hannah was sitting beside her. She accidentally bumped her knee into Hannah."Lynn." Hannah had long ceased eating her cake. She timidly glanced up at Cailyn, refraining from making a sound despite the evident hurt from the collision.Cailyn took Hannah by her hand and quickly left.Hannah cast a reluctant glance back at the partially eaten strawberry cake on the table and licked her lips. Despite her hesitation, she obediently followed Cailyn.It wasn't until they were out of Lucian and Calista's sights that Cailyn stopped in her tracks. She turned to take a long look in the di
Yara was nothing if not a master at speed typing. While Calista was still reading the messages, another ten more arrived in quick succession."He's sowing discord in our friendship."It was immediately followed by another wave of stickers expressing extreme anger. It filled the screen with brutal imagery."Oh damn.""I made a mistake.""Lucian didn't send me money because he fell in love with me. He wants me to stay away from you.""That scumbag accused me of sending you explicit photos and is calling me a bad influence."Calista turned to look at Lucian. Lucian had lowered his head slightly. She found no imperfections in the lines of his jaw. Currently, a furrow lay between his brows as his fingers swiftly danced across the screen. Calista wondered if he was texting Yara.She couldn't help but smile at the thought of the usually stern and indifferent man sending money to Yara over a few random images that could be found with a single Google search. A hint of a smile coul