Heather froze. His body temperature dropped in an instant. The fire in his eyes extinguished, turning cold as a glacier in mere seconds.
Prisley shivered involuntarily.
He was always high and mighty, surrounded by admirers, never having been teased with like this.
Prisley had been compliant for the past four years, indulging his every whim, no matter how outrageous or demanding. And now she dared to play him?
His face darkened like a storm cloud. He looked at Prisley, her once docile and pure face now like an angry kitten showing its claws and fangs.
"Very well, fulfill the contract. Perfect!" he said through gritted teeth.
Heather buttoned up his shirt. Coldly and heavily pressed a kiss onto Prisley's lips before turning to leave.
The room's amorous atmosphere vanished instantly. Prisley still felt a chill down her spine. She had actually angered him...
She pressed the back of her hand to her lips, which were a bit sore, tasting the metallic tang of blood in her mouth.
Two kisses like this from Heather in one day, and her anxiety peaked.
Heather was definitely not an easy person to get along with. Whenever he was unhappy, he could think of a hundred ways to torment her. And she was just a small ant that he could crush underfoot at any moment.
The next day was the weekend. Prisley received a call from Heather early in the morning. He said only one sentence, "Come to the office for overtime." As brief as it could be.
She didn't ask why, immediately changing clothes and heading out. Heather was a workaholic, working day and night without regard for time. When he was in one of his moods, even Christmas Eve required results. Prisley had gotten used to it over the years.
When she arrived at the office, it was still far from regular working hours, but Heather was already there.
He had taken off his suit jacket, left his tie undone, and unbuttoned two buttons on his white shirt.
"Good morning, Heather. I got coffee and pastries from your favorite shop," Prisley said, putting the bag on the desk, her face bright with a fresh morning smile.
She never held grudges with him. With such a handsome boss and such a high salary, she was quite content.
"That is the business plan for Gadget Tech Intelligence and other investment projects. Take a look," Heather said, not acknowledging her greeting. His eyes indicated the thick stack of documents on the desk.
Prisley's heart sank. This was more work than could be done in ten days or even half a month.
"Mr. Rynn, I’ve already resigned. It's not appropriate for me to take on new projects. But I can assist with some of the work."
Heather's face darkened. Prisley's prank last night had already displeased him greatly.
"Do what you're told. You can't leave until the work is done," he said coldly.
Prisley knew this was Heather deliberately making things difficult for her.
There was no point in arguing. She picked up the files silently and walked towards her office.
The thick stack of files had just been placed on the desk when Heather strode in, radiating coldness.
"Mr. Rynn, any other instructions?"
"Prisley, haven't I treated you well enough? What more do you want?" He loomed over her, his tall figure blocking the light. The pressure made Prisley too afraid to lift her head.
He had thought that after a night's sleep, Prisley would forget the unpleasantness from before and say a few soft words to cheer him up, maybe even reconsider her resignation. But instead, she stood firm against him. His pride was bruised, igniting a fiery anger within him.
Prisley took a few nervous steps back, but Heather grabbed her arm and pulled her close.
"Five million and a house aren't enough for you? How much do you want? You're afraid of clashing with Filla. Fine, that won't happen anymore," Heather said, struggling to control his anger.
Prisley looked up and sneered, "So it's true, the money and the house are to buy my dignity. I can sign a romantic contract with a single man - you pay, I sell my body, that's fine. But I won't get involved in someone else's relationship."
"You chose her, so you don't need a fake like me anymore."
She recalled Heather's words "if you pay more than enough..." and felt utterly shameful.
"So what if I'm buying your dignity? Isn't the money and the house enough? Name your price," Heather said with contempt.
"Four years ago, you told me you needed money, a lot of money. Fine, I made a deal with you. We can do that now, anytime."
"The person I was back then... is different from who I am now. I can choose not to make a deal." Prisley's face contorted with pain. A few tears rolled down her cheeks. They were tears of bitter memories.
Her mother had died when she was eleven. All her mother's paintings had been sold. But the medical bills were still unpaid, and they had borrowed a lot of money from others.
Four years ago, she had seen her mother's work in an auction catalog, with a shocking price tag. She had just graduated from college then, burdened with loans. She was unable even to enter the auction house. All she had wanted then was to make a lot of money.
Years had passed, and thanks to her career achievements and Heather's generosity, she had money. But she had scoured galleries and auction houses without ever seeing her mother's paintings again. It was a permanent wound in her heart.
Heather sneered, "What's different? You're just more expensive now."
"Everything can be bought and sold; everything has a price."
Indeed, to him, she was just a plaything. How foolish her past feelings seemed.
"Heather, I'm not selling anymore. You can go make deals with someone else. My salary these past years is enough. I’ll return all the money you gave me, and I don't want any of the things you gave me. I’ll pay the penalty in installments!"
Prisley's most painful spot had been hit, and she no longer wanted to play nice. She shouted at Heather.
The office fell into a dead silence, leaving only their heavy breathing. Both of them were heaving with anger, staring at each other with red eyes.
Heather felt a sharp pain in his heart. He finally understood that Prisley had made up her mind to leave, and he could no longer hold her back.
He felt an indescribable mix of emotions—feeling scorned, humiliated, deceived, and betrayed. All these feelings ignited within him. He suddenly pushed Prisley down onto the desk.
"You're right, you're just Filla's substitute. I'm used to you, that's all. Don't overestimate yourself and think I can't live without you!" he said, not hiding his violence.
"I don't think that, Mr. Rynn. I'm just an employee, easily replaceable," Prisley replied coldly, her voice trembling slightly.
"Good that you understand. I can let you go, but before you leave, fulfill the contract one last time. Have sex with me!”
“Right here!”
“Right now!"
He said, starting to tear off her clothes.
"No - !" Prisley gasped, Heather seemed so unfamiliar, so out of control, so far from the wise and calm man she knew.She was pinned against the desk. And the door was unlocked. It was the weekend, but what if someone came in? Prisley couldn't bear to think any more."Stop it, Heather, please," she begged tearfully, but Heather was still unbuttoning her.Desperation and humiliation washed over Prisley. She closed her eyes tightly, gathered every ounce of energy she could, and pushed Heather away when he least expected it.With a loud smack, a slap landed on his face. Heather froze. The chill emanated from him accumulating.Prisley slipped out from under him and rushed toward the door.She ran out into the hallway, disoriented and frantic. Her clothes disheveled, and her hair wild.She was terrified. Tears streamed uncontrollably from her eyes.Suddenly, someone rounded the corner and almost collided with Prisley."Prisley? Are you still working today? I came to pick up something at the
Prisley has always been careful about contraception; it's one of the clauses in the contract.She recalls that about five weeks ago, when Heather was unusually passionate one day, he came for her on a weekend. They made love from day to night and ran out of condoms. The last half of the passionate day was unprotected and wild.The next day, they were both busy with a business trip, and Prisley forgot to take emergency contraception. Retracing the timeline, that would have been about the time Filla announced her return.Prisley didn't know whether to be happy or sad. She ran her fingers through her hair, tugging at it in frustration."Damn, how could I have missed that day?"At 26, with her career just starting to take off, she wanted to achieve something in her professional life as well. Having a child at that time didn't seem quite right.And she wasn't sure if Heather wanted children. His cold and distant nature made it difficult to imagine his reaction to hearing this news. And his
Prisley chose a long, fitted dress, putting on high heels and waited for Mark to arrive.From a distance, Mark saw Prisley standing by the roadside. The light green dress complemented her waist-length wavy hair, giving her a graceful and ethereal appearance, much like a woodland nymph.Her hair, styled in soft curls, seemed less casual and more sophisticated than when they had first met in the morning.Mark was stunned by the sight, forgot to start the car even when the traffic light turned green, and was honked at by the car behind him.Prisley didn't snap back to reality until a Ferrari roared to a stop next to her and the driver removed his sunglasses. It was Mike, who had come to pick her up.Mark wore a loose floral shirt, exuding a fashionable, carefree aura. He smiled broadly as he opened the car door for Prisley.Prisley was surprised by the change of car. Hadn't it been a Bentley in the morning? She shook her head, wondering how she had somehow gotten involved with a rich dand
As the Ferrari pulled to the side of the road, Prinsley leaned motionless against the window, tears in her eyes, staring blankly ahead.When Mark thought about the way that couple had treated the woman he cared about, a wave of heartache coursed through his veins. He wished he could turn around and teach them a good lesson.It's just the Warner Group? What's so great about it?!With a firm grip, Mark slammed the steering wheel.The loud thud snapped Prisley out of her daze. "Ah, are we home? Thanks for driving me back," she said, hastily wiping away her tears and unbuckling her seat belt.Mark escorted her to the entrance of the building. He was tenderhearted at the sight of her fragile demeanor. He gently guided Prisley upright."Prisley, I don't need to know what happened between you and this man, but I won't let anyone manipulate you. If you're in trouble, tell me. I'll fix it."Looking up into his caring and concerned eyes, Prisley felt a wave of gratitude. It was so good to be car
The next morning, Prisley wakes up to find herself alone in bed, the pain from the bump increasing today.She struggles to turn over, feeling the faint scent of herbs on her body. She vaguely remembers that it was Heather who applied the medicine for her yesterday. She feels somewhat pleased. "Does that mean we made up?" She wonders.So much has happened in the last few days. It takes more of her brain than rushing to complete projects in the company.Heather hasn't contacted her, so Prisley just sleeps all day.On Monday, shortly after she arrives at the office, a delivery man comes into the office area with a large bouquet of flowers that appears to be very expensive."Excuse me, who is Prisley Anderson?" He asks.Prisley has just come out of the secretariat and is stops halfway to sign for the delivery. The secretaries come out to see what's going on, chattering."Dreamy Rose's bouquet! It's gorgeous!""You can’t buy these flowers in normal flower shops. They're top florist's choi
The man in the floral shirt freezes for a moment. The corners of his mouth turn up as he walks briskly over to the old Grant and sits down."Let me introduce, this is my youngest son, Mark," the old man says with a smile.Prisley and Mark keep a straight face, but there is actually a hidden smile in their eyes."Mark doesn't like to be involved in running the business. After finishing his master's degree last year, he's been playing around outside. He only joined Voda Pharm two months ago and is still absent from work form time and time."Mr. Grant, the kind old father, talks endlessly about his beloved son."Mark must be exceptionally capable to be so unrestrained," Prisley flatters.Old Grant is pleased with the praise and looks at his son with a smile, "He's just playful and likes to be free. And he refuses to work at headquarters."Mark is really surprised. In the morning, his assistant told him that the CEO of the Warner Group wanted to meet with his father. Since he is the one w
Prisley looks out the window at the street scene and senses something is wrong. "Heather, you took the wrong turn. We should have turned left at the last intersection.""Heather, where are you taking me?"Ignoring Prisley, Heather steps on the gas.The car roars along, entering an upscale neighbourhood and finally stopping in a large courtyard.Prisley is astonished. Why would Heather bring her to his own home?In the four years they have been together, she has only been there a few times, just to wait on the porch for the butler to bring his luggage before rushing off to the airport.She has never actually entered his home.What is he thinking?Prisley hesitantly gets out of the car and is pulled into the house and pressed against the door.His lips come down hard, a storm of kisses that land wildly on Prisley's cheeks and neck.Before Prisley knows what is happening, she is being kissed until she feels hot all over. She shivers, breathes heavily, and bites her lower lip to muffle t
As soon as Filla walks in the door, she sees Heather and Prisley coming out of the upstairs bedroom.Prisley is wearing Heather's white shirt and looks like she’s not even wearing underwear. It is clear at a glance what they have done.Filla's face twists in displeasure, and then changes in seconds to a look of contempt."Heather, why do you bring this cheap bastard home when I'm not here?""It's understandable for a young girl to trade her body for quick money. You must have gotten quite a bit over the years following Heather, didn't you?""Cheap things are easy to take care of. Heather only pays for one meal and you serve him for four years."Prisley grips the hem of her shirt tightly, tears welling up in her eyes."What are you doing here, Filla?" Heather asks coldly."Can't I come? It's been four years, and you still have my fingerprints, which means I can come at anytime, right?" She looks provocatively at Prisley .Prisley's fingertips tremble as she feels her dignity being brut