Calista's neck was turning red from his fingers and she stirred in her sleep from the pain. She groggily cracked her eyes open to see who was in front of her.When she realized who it was, she frowned and grumbled unhappily, "Lucian, don't touch me."The effect of her words was instantaneous. The only sound left in the room was the sound of their breaths. Lucian had still been able to keep his anger in check, but right now, he had reached his limit.Fury was radiating off him in waves as he yanked her toward him again and pinned her to the bed."You won't let me touch but you would let Paul touch you? I don't know if I should compliment you for being smart for knowing how to make a man submit to you or if I should call you stupid. Out of all the men in this city, why did you have to choose my friend? Or do you think that I would choose a woman like you over my friend?"Calista didn't answer. She was completely pinned down by him, and she looked as if she had fallen asleep again.
The sharp crack of the impact of her palm on his cheek seemed to be enough to make the room descend into silence.Though Calista had hit him with all of her might, it wasn't painful. She had not had any food since yesterday and had only just recovered from her fever.Even though she used all of her strength, it was just a mere tickle to Lucian. However, it didn't matter that her slap didn't hurt.What hurt more was the humiliation that followed! People had always bent over backwards to please Lucian so he had never been struck by anyone before in his life!He narrowed his eyes at her and picked her up from the bed.He stared straight into her eyes as he growled, "You're getting bolder by the day. How dare you hit me?"His tone didn't show much of his emotions but he had practically spat out each word which betrayed how furious he was. His expression looked terrifying and Calista braced herself for his retaliation.She told herself that if he hit her, then she would just hit him
Mr. Xanders laughed uncomfortably, "Don't be ridiculous, there's no such thing! I'm just giving you a break because I've seen how you have been because of the filming and the exhibition. I just wanted you to take a break. You're still young so you don't have to work yourself to the bone. Your health is much more important than your work!"Now that Mr. Xanders had said that, there was no reason for Calista to insist that he was being threatened.Besides, even if he wasn't willing to admit it, she had a faint inkling regarding the real reason why she was being given a break.She connected the dots between her sudden break and the warning that Lucian had given her before he left this morning. If she didn't make the connection between the two then she really would be a fool!She hung up and let out an annoyed exhale.Nikolette was still sarcastically mumbling in a corner, "Oh, did you get fired?"Calista frowned and turned to look at her distastefully."Why are you still here?""Th
Calista called the police right after she hung up and ten minutes later, the police arrived.After understanding the situation, they managed to get the landlady and the two men to leave her alone for now.The grumbling eventually ceased as they left, but Calista was now more awake than ever. She sat cross-legged on her sofa and went online to look for another house.There was no way she was going to continue living here after all that has happened tonight.She stumbled upon quite a nice-looking house and was just about to click on the listing when she received a call. She looked at the caller ID and saw that it was a foreign number.Calista didn't have any friends abroad and usually, she would've just assumed that it was a scam and hang up but this time …She stared at the numbers for a while longer and just before the call ended, she swiped her screen to pick up. "Hello?" she greeted cautiously.From the other came Zachary's comforting, yet at the same time unfamiliar voice,
After that, Calista didn't wait for Lucian's reply and blocked him immediately. It was rush hour right now and she couldn't hail a taxi so she planned to just stay at a nearby hotel for now. She had spent the entirety of today looking for a new house and packing so she was exhausted.Suddenly, there was a beep and a black car stopped by her side. Calista turned and the window from the passenger seat of the car rolled down to reveal Paul's handsome face."Calista, what are you doing?" he asked."I'm moving. I had originally had an appointment to sign a contract at 6:00 PM but the landlord went back on his word all of a sudden," she replied truthfully.She wasn't afraid to show him all the bad parts of her life."What about you? What are you doing here?" she asked.In front was a hospital and the entire street was filled with old food stalls. What's more, was that the roads were also narrow and filled with plotholes.It was obvious that this wasn't a place that Paul would freque
Paul was scanning the menu when he heard Nikolette. He raised his head and glanced at Calista, who was enjoying her lemon water.Without any hesitation, he said, "Calista wouldn't do something like that. She'd first seek my opinion if she genuinely wanted to introduce someone to me. Ms. Nikolette, if you have a penchant for stirring up trouble, I'd appreciate it if you found another table." Calista looked up in bewilderment. Her connection with Paul hadn't reached a stage where he unquestionably believed in her.He would probably have smoothed things over in the past to avoid an uncomfortable atmosphere. She hadn't seen him be this impolite, even with women more stubborn and temperamental than Nikolette. Nikolette's face turned red. She wished she could vanish into thin air. Although Paul's voice wasn't booming, and the tables weren't close together, the restaurant was bustling with people.It seemed like all eyes were on her, and even the whispered conversations she couldn't qu
Upon Lucian's arrival at the Luminary Lounge, he noticed that the others had already arrived. Cade glanced at Lucian’s impeccably tailored suit and the tie he was wearing."You didn't come straight from the office, did you?" "Yeah." "Ah, your wife is about to leave, and you're making all that money. Who are you saving it for, stacking it up to bury yourself with?" Cade teased. "What's it to you?" Lucian retorted. Cade thought, "Was Lucian trying to pick a fight or something?" Lucian took a seat beside Cade, with Paul on the other side. He then picked up the glass of wine the waiter had poured for him and raised it toward Paul.As he did, the amber liquid shimmered in the dim lighting. "Have Calista move out of your apartment," Lucian ordered. Paul wasn't surprised that Lucian knew about this. He had no intention of keeping it a secret."Lucian, aren’t you taking this too far? She's a woman you know. It's unsafe for her to move luggage around late at night." Lucian hi
Calista tried to push Lucian and retorted, "Don't touch me." But Lucian's strength was overpowering. No matter how hard Calista struggled, she couldn't break free from his firm grip around her waist. Finally, Lucian's lips left hers briefly, and he didn't rush to initiate another kiss. Instead, he maintained their position and looked at her with half-lowered eyes. Calista's fair complexion now bore an expression of disdain. She might have slapped him without a second thought if her hands weren't restrained behind her. Lucian let out a chuckle. His voice was laced with desire and a raspy undertone. His fingers pinched Calista's face, forcing her to turn back toward him. He pressed his lips firmly against her face, then trailing down to her jawline and neck. After his passionate embrace, her skin bore a delicate, rosy flush. Calista had dressed lightly for her plan to grab a quick bite downstairs. She wore only a base layer and a long cardigan. Her dressings left her utterly