Lily finally calmed down. She looked at Lucian."Lucian, I'm alright. Don't worry."Before Lily and Queenie entered the lounge, the latter revealed Lily's schedule implicitly through a call. Silence dawned upon the air. Even the music was stopped. Everyone present couldn't ignore the cold air flowing from Lucian. Sneering, Calista shifted her gaze and thought, "These two are shameless." "They're displaying affection in public when I'm around. I wonder how far they can go behind my back."As an afterthought, she deemed the divorce with Lucian was the wisest choice she had ever made. Lucian read her expression, and the others could tell that he was very upset.No one uttered a word. The invisible weight in the air loomed over them as it exuded from him. As the host, Andrew endured the pressure to relax the atmosphere."Mr. Northwood, have a seat."The main purpose of the entire plan was to win Lucian's favor. Although things were not going according to Andrew's plan, he was one
"Mr. Yarrow humiliated you under Calista's orders. If Mr. Northwood hadn't come, the investment would've gone out of the window.""You danced for nothing," Queenie said.Even though Lucian wouldn't do anything to Calista just because she said that, Queenie thought he would at least comfort Lily. Yet, he didn't say anything.Queenie looked at him only to see his distracted side. He wasn't listening to her.After making the phone call, Andrew asked carefully, "Mr. Northwood, it will take some time before the contract is printed. How about a drink together?""It's fine. Pass it to Ms. Yates after it's done. I have something else to attend to."Andrew was speechless by how quickly Lucian changed his attitude. Had he not been watching Lucian, Andrew would've thought that the person who wanted the contract clinched urgently was someone else.Lily stood up."It won't take long. We can go home with Queenie to drop her home along the way."Queenie's place was located along the way to E
Lucian hummed noncommittally. Calista waited, but he did not say anything else."Say what you need to say, then let go," she snapped impatiently.Lucian stared at her. Calista was frowning, her annoyance with him apparent. He pursed his lips. He did not like the way she was acting toward him.In the past, no matter how cold he was toward her, she had always been pleasant. But now …He frowned."Let's go."Calista was confused. Where did he want to go? What was wrong with him? Calista backed away warily, staring at him as if he were a pervert. Lucian did not like her instinctive reaction.Coldly, he said, "If you want to know who that person was, you'll follow me.""Just give me a name. It's not safe for us to be out alone at this time of the night."Lucian was furious. He gripped the handle of the door so tightly that the veins on his hands popped."Calista, what do you think I'll do to you?""How would I know?"Calista lifted her chin. Even though she was a good six inches
Nikolette tried to avoid answering him. She did not want to show weakness in front of Calista. However, the woman beside her opened her mouth. She was the waitress at the cafe."I'll talk! Ms. Everhart …"She tried to approach Calista, but one of the bodyguards pulled her back."I sent the audio recording to a friend by mistake, and then," she pointed at Nikolette furiously, "she came to me and forced me to sell her the recording. She said she's your sister, and the recording was damaging your reputation. I thought she seemed trustworthy, so I sold it to her. I didn't know she would be so evil and leak it to the press!"Not everything she said was true, but Nikolette did not refute any of it. She held her head high and looked at Calista haughtily."So what if I leaked it to the press? It's the truth anyway, isn't it, Calista? I didn't just leak the recording to the press, I also leaked the photos of you with Mr. Northwood. Otherwise, you wouldn't be able to marry him, given your s
Lucian's lips were pursed tightly as he looked at Calista."Why are you interested?""I'm just …"Before she could finish, she grabbed the handle above her in horror and screamed, "Keep your eyes on the road, Lucian! You're driving! Look in front!Her voice was shrill to the point of breaking.The road they were driving on was not busy, but it also wasn't empty. Lucian kept staring at her without slowing down, so they were close to hitting the car in front of them.Calista closed her eyes tightly and screamed, "We're going to hit them!"The breaks squealed shrilly, but the impact did not happen. Apart from the strain of the seatbelt tightening around her, Calista did not feel any pain.Calista opened her eyes. There was only a very small distance between the Bentley and the car in front. If Lucian had hit the breaks just a second later …Calista was furious."Lucian Northwood, if you want to die, go and die somewhere far away from me. I have no intention of dying with you. Ot
Selena placed a hand over her chest as she got up. She felt overwhelmed by the information, to the point that she had lost her appetite. Calista moved to help her, but she turned her down."I need some quiet. Finish your food, then leave. I don't know how many more surprises like this my heart can withstand."Then, she waved a hand at Macy."Give them the invitation."Macy picked up an invitation from the coffee table and handed it to Calista before going to the kitchen.Technically, Lucian was her employer, so she should've given the invitation to him instead of Calista, but his cold smile terrified her.Calista opened the invitation. It was an invitation to an engagement party. When she saw the bride's name, she raised an eyebrow. It was one of her classmates from university.Lucian had been looking at her, so when he saw her expression, he asked, "Someone you don't like?""Not really. We weren't close."It was the kind of natural enmity between the top of the class and the
Sharon's husband, Theodore Beckett, was the second son of the Beckett family. The Beckett family wasn't exactly upper-class, but they were still a rich family.He'd never been insulted to his face like this before. Theodore looked at her darkly."If you're here to congratulate us on the ceremony, you're more than welcome, but if not …"He glanced over at the entrance of the garden and paused.Schooling his expression, he abandoned his threats toward Calista and strode over to the car that had just stopped at the entrance."Mr. Northwood."Even though the engagement party was about to start, he still stayed out there just to wait for Lucian. Lucian got out of his car and nodded at Theodore."No need for the pleasantries, Mr. Beckett."Theodore did not relax.He gestured toward the entrance of the hall, saying, "Right this way, sir."Technically, he should be the center of attention at his engagement party, but Lucian overshadowed him just by standing beside him. Theodore looke
Calista intended to mock Lucian. However, he did not lose his temper as she expected.Instead, he looked at her and said, "How do you know no one would back you up? You've never even tried."Calista was taken aback. Did he lose his mind again? She pursed and cautiously took a few steps back and prayed for help against this lunatic. Lucian's face darkened when he saw her reaction."What is this?" Calista threw the plate onto the table and warned, "Stay away from me so I don't get infected by your madness and end up as crazy as you."Then, she turned around and headed to the restroom. As she exited the bathroom stall, several people surrounded her, blocking her way. "Calista, aren't you going to catch up with your old friends?"The leader of the group was Amanda Riley, Sharon's best friend. She was one of Calista's classmates in university, as were the others behind her. However, she wasn't familiar with them as they were from different faculties. Calista raised an eyebrow and
With Cade covering Cameron's mouth, there was no chance for her pointed words to offend anyone in the room. His palm was cool to the touch. It was a sensation she disliked. So, she couldn't help but tilt her head.When Cade noticed her movements, he gently stroked her cheek as if he were calming a child who was throwing a tantrum.Victor spent years in a position of authority, giving him an air of unspoken authority. His gaze hardened, and his lips pressed into a firm line as he watched Cade. "Cade, don't jeopardize the long-standing relationship between our families over a woman.""If that's how you see it." Cade glanced at the door. "Aren't you doing the same for a woman?"Victor snorted contemptuously. "How can a cheap girl who was merely adopted be worth anything compared to Mirabelle?""How is my daughter, a Yorksworth, worth any less than yours?" Blaire stood at the doorway as she took in the occupants of the home with her sharp gaze. She had been feeling restless ever sin
Mirabelle frowned. "Excuse me?"As soon as she finished speaking, Cameron walked up to her, grabbed her by her hair, and forcefully bent her over.Cameron held up the guest list Monica had sent her and shoved it in Mirabelle's face. "Call them. Tell them to be there by 3:00 p.m., or else…"She tightened her grip threateningly. "You can kiss this head of hair goodbye."Mirabelle pressed down on her scalp where it had been pulled, her voice distorted with pain when she spoke."Let go, Cameron! Are you out of your mind?""Didn't I tell you not to involve anyone else in our feud?""Can't take it anymore?"Mirabelle endured the pain of turning her head to flash a disdainful sneer at Cameron."This is just the appetizer. If you go against me, you'll eventually crawl out of Capeton with your tail between your legs. I'll call your business partner right now and pin the catastrophic failure of this event on you…"Seeing Mirabelle's condescending expression brought Cameron back to the
The kiss lifted the dark cloud that hung over Cade's mood over the past few days.The next day, as Fabian brought in documents for him to sign, Cade asked, "When is Cameron's show?"Fabian was taken aback for a split second but quickly replied. Fortunately, he was well-prepared and kept track of Cameron's events for the year in advance."Has the invitation been delivered?"Fabian swallowed, almost wanting to laugh to mock Cade. Given Cade's strained relationship with his wife, Cameron would sooner invite a dog than have him around. However, all Fabian could do was revel in Cade's misery in his mind while keeping a businesslike facade."It was probably already delivered. The front desk brought in a stack of mail yesterday. I haven't sorted it out yet."He had already sorted out the mail this morning. Everything had gone straight to the trash."Clear my schedule for the day. Make reservations at a restaurant for a celebratory dinner.""Yes, sir."On the day of the show, Monica
That was obviously an excuse to get Cade out of the picture. Knowing what Mirabelle had done to Cameron in the past, leaving the two of them alone was out of the question. Besides, it wasn't convenient for him to move the car, so he refused without a second thought."Get the attendant—"However, Cameron cut him off before he could finish."Ms. Ackerman is a guest. You should fulfill her requests if she has any."Cade cast her a cold glance. "Shut up." Why should he dance to Mirabelle's tune?Cameron stared at him. "Run along."He gritted his teeth as rage crossed his face. After a brief pause, he sneered and turned to leave. As soon as the door shut behind him, Mirabelle's calm expression slipped. "Did you make me come here just to show off how much you two love each other?""You call that love? I think we have different definitions of what 'love' is then. He's nothing more than…" Cameron's fingers lightly traced the cup's rim as she smirked and said, "A lap dog.""You fu
Cameron crossed her arms over her chest and gave the bouquet in Cade's hands a nonchalant glance."What are you trying to pull, Mr. Carter?""Fabian said it was Women's Day today.""So what?"There was silence all around. The sound of soothing music could be heard through the door. Cade was silent for a while. "We're not getting a divorce, Cameron."It was the same old topic that Cameron had grown too weary of. She turned around and felt for the cigarette box on the table. There was already a layer of cigarette butts in the ashtray next to it. Judging by the color of the lipstick marks, more than half of them were hers.Cade frowned. He clearly disapproved of her smoking but kept himself from stopping her.Smoke curled from between her lips. The flickering embers of the cigarette reflected in her eyes, softening her indifferent gaze. Through the thin haze, Cameron's lips curled into a wide, unrestrained smile. Every time she smiled in this way, it always filled Cade with a
Cade began unbuckling his belt as he spoke. When it came to this sort of thing, men often had a strong sense of competition, especially in the presence of a woman they were interested in."Such a dark atmosphere isn't right for our situation."Cameron didn't like him to begin. In such a dark atmosphere, there was no telling what kind of grotesque creature she might imagine him to be. It would be strange if she felt attraction for him.She leveled a steady stare at him. Cade's shirt was half undone, showing his tense muscles underneath. Under the influence of alcohol, his skin took on a faint reddish hue. There was a heart-pounding tension in the air as if something was about to ignite. Occasionally, his slightly heavy breaths could be heard."You haven't been working out recently, have you?" Cameron asked.Cade was confused.Cameron pressed her hand against his chest, right below his ribs, and gave it a little push. After a moment, she commented, "Your muscles are a little soft
Cade tossed his phone onto the table in frustration when he saw who entered. He pressed his hand against his brow."Leave. You should see Diane for a work uniform.""Are you feeling unwell, Mr. Carter?" Rosalia approached the desk with a glass of milk in hand. "I learned how to give massages. Why don't I…" "Get out."Cade abruptly got to his feet and avoided Rosalia's outstretched hand, causing the milk to spill all over him. He glanced down at his now-stained shirt with a dark expression and pressed his lips tightly together. After a long pause, he asked through clenched teeth, "Did my wife ask you to send this up?" Every syllable was pronounced with the gnashing of teeth.Rosalia froze under his piercing gaze."It really was Mrs. Carter who asked me to bring it to you, sir," she stammered."Leave. From now on, you will not enter my study unless you have permission."Rosalia had come to work as a housekeeper to land herself a wealthy husband. She had even bribed the manager
On the next day, Cameron was discussing the fashion show with Monica when she suddenly heard a familiar voice from behind. "Cammie…" It was Blaire.Although Monica didn't fully know about Cameron's past, she didn't like Blaire at all. What kind of mother wouldn't protect their own child, after all?However, it wasn't appropriate for her to intervene as much even though she was Cameron's close friend. After all, it was Cameron's family matter.Monica stood up with her notebook in hand and said, "Well, I just remembered that there's still a few more invitations to send, so I'll go and take care of that. Let's discuss more about the fashion show later."After saying that, she glanced at Blaire and left without even greeting her.Cameron got up and nodded at Blaire. "Is something the matter?"She thought that her distant attitude last night had made it clear enough that she didn't want any more involvement with the Yorksworth family. She didn't expect that Blaire would come and loo
Cameron pushed the door open. She looked tired as she laid down her bag. As she changed her shoes, she caught sight of the food on the dining table out of the corner of her eye."Diane, didn't I tell you I wasn't coming back for dinner? Why did you make so much food?"Diane glanced upstairs. "It's for Mr. Carter. He hasn't eaten yet."The moment Cade was mentioned, Cameron dropped the topic. She rubbed her sore shoulder as she headed upstairs. "I see.""Madam…" Diane called out hesitantly, looking troubled. "Mr. Carter asked you to call him down for dinner when you got home.""Me? Call him down for dinner?" Cameron stopped in her tracks and turned around in confusion. "Why?""Mr. Carter seems to be upset. Did you two have another fight?""So If he's in a bad mood, I'm supposed to go upstairs and invite him down to eat? Should I also say 'Your meal is ready, my liege!' while I'm at it?" Cameron scoffed. Her sarcastic smirk quickly faded. "He can eat if he wants. If he doesn't,