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
"Installments? It would still take up to three months, even if I gave you one every day. A child would've been born by then," Yara scratched her head in irritation. She then glared at Timothy, who was eyeing her like an exam proctor."I'll copy your legal provisions. Get out."The disheartened Yara sat down in her working chair, picked up her pen, and started to write. It didn't seem like much. But copying it a hundred times over was tiresome.If she refused, Timothy was going to talk drivel to Tabitha. It was better to endure this than be sent away as an unwilling bride. It was never too late to get back at Timothy. Yara vowed to settle the score with him one day. When the time came, it wouldn't just be a hundred copies. She envisioned making him kneel on a foot massage mat while he completed the task.When she noticed that the man beside her hadn't moved, Yara looked up in anger and huffed."Do you plan to keep standing here until I finish copying everything?"Timothy pursed
Lucian instinctively raised his hand to his temples. He found that he was getting stress-related headaches when he saw Cailyn now. There were several occasions where he had unbearable headaches upon seeing her.He frowned and was about to refuse when Cailyn silently mouthed the word, "plane".He instantly understood what she was trying to say and turned to David."You and the directors can go on ahead."David shot Cailyn a look and reminded Lucian before leaving, "We're short on time, Mr. Northwood."Lucian nodded and escorted Cailyn to the lounge where she had previously been. Then, the receptionist manning the front desk fetched a plate of sliced fruits and pastries. After asking her preferences, they prepared her a refreshing cup of fruit tea. It was the treatment she hadn't received before.Since she didn't have an appointment, all she could do was sit around and wait. The front desk had only offered her multiple cups of severely watered-down coffee. She couldn't help but won
When Lucian got into the car, he instructed David. "Find out what flights will arrive at the Capeton airport at 3:10 pm. Search both domestic and international flights. I want information on every passenger on those flights. To the airport."The last sentence was directed at the driver up front. David acquiesced and contacted the major aviation companies for the list of passengers.Lucian kept fiddling with the buttons on the side of his phone and watched as the screen brightened and dimmed in a constant cycle. After waiting for more than half an hour, he couldn't help but ask, "Do you have the contact information of the girl with the ponytail manning the front desk?"David paused and stiffly turned to look at his employer."I don't. But she should be listed in the company's group chat. Has she caught your eye, Mr. Northwood? You shouldn't do anything to disappoint Madam Calista. When you had gone missing, she had been busy comforting your parents while learning how to manage the
Lucian was about to say no, but he swallowed his words after a moment's hesitation.He wasn't sure if Calista had switched off her phone and refused to come home because she was angry about the photos. What if something happened to her? But with how tumultuous the situation had recently become, he couldn't afford to take any chances.Moreover, Cailyn claimed that the mastermind had returned to the country today. Yet, he hadn't seen hide nor hair of him. It was possible that the man had been prepared and avoided his eyes and ears.He returned to Capeton. And now, Calista was missing…Combining these two incidents, it was impossible to think of it as a mere coincidence.Lucian spoke at a rapid pace, "I don't know. Callie's phone is switched off. I can't get in contact with her. Tell me where she might usually go or how I can contact her."Yara was infuriated. Calista had gone missing, and he didn't even know if he had upset her. What was the point of keeping men around? They were n
It ended with Calista switching off her phone out of guilt and promising that she wouldn't respond to anyone tonight. Her sole focus would be to eat with Hugo, thus concluding his endless stream of complaints.She had wanted to call Lucian to let him know. But Hugo said he had already told him about it when he arrived. She would be staying with him tonight rather than returning to the Everglade Manor."Listen to your father. You should keep a man on his toes and leave him hanging for a few days. Otherwise, the lack of challenge would mean he wouldn't cherish you as much if he believes you're already his."Hugo was acting like a worried father who didn't want his daughter to be deceived by a scumbag. So, he fervently fed her his narratives."All this talk about your one true love. Men are fickle creatures. You can't just let them have their way…"Seeing him grow increasingly biased, Calista couldn't help but smile. She reminded him, "Dad, you're also a man.""Uh…" Hugo paused as h