Lovesick

It was late spring. A gentle breeze drifted through the floor-to-ceiling windows, stirring the sheer curtains and sending delicate ripples through the air.

In that tranquil setting, Naomi began to dance. Her movements were hesitant at first, a little stiff, but as the music wrapped around her, she found her rhythm—graceful, fluid, as though she and the melody had become one.

When the final note faded, she made a few light edits and, with a quiet sense of fulfillment, clicked upload.

Her username: N.14

Comments started pouring in:

“Oh my god, what did I just see?! She actually posted a new video! I can't believe it!”

“It’s been nine years. N.14, you finally remembered this account existed!”

“What a treasure! Her dancing has soul.”

“By the way, does anyone know who Atlas is?”

“Me, me, me! I looked him up—he’s the CEO of Knox Group! But I’m guessing the guy she cursed out is someone else with the same name.”

Naomi pursed her lips as she read through the comments.

How was she supposed to respond?

She didn’t know either.

What had happened that year that made her stop posting in the first place?

No matter what, Naomi stirred up a wave of attention with her short video—it even made it onto the trending searches. Though it wasn’t ranked at the top, her platform still saw a huge increase in followers.

At Knox Group, Jay held a tablet and knocked on the CEO’s office door.

“Come in!”

Jay glanced at the man buried in his work. He wondered what the CEO would think if he knew people online were saying the man in Naomi’s video couldn’t possibly be him.

“Sir, Mrs. Knox is trending. Do you want me to have it taken down?”

Atlas paused at those words and took the tablet. On it played a video of Naomi dancing—filmed in the dance room he had specially built for her.

Every smile and expression of the girl in the video seemed to sweeten his heart.

Jay had been waiting for a response, but instead, Atlas just kept watching the video on loop. He had clearly seen it more than a few times and still showed no signs of putting the tablet down.

Well then… their brilliant and mighty CEO had officially turned into a lovesick fool.

Jay glanced at him with a touch of sympathy. “Sir, do you want me to remove it from the trending list?”

“No need.”

Jay looked at the tablet in his hands. “Then… I’ll head out?”

Without even turning around, Atlas said, “Go.”

At the same time, the Rhodes family had also noticed Naomi’s stunning performance. Ever since Kalea got kicked out of the mall yesterday, she hadn’t stepped out all day. She had planned to teach Naomi a lesson.

But unexpectedly, she saw Naomi’s dancing video online. Seeing that radiant woman in the video drove Kalea mad with jealousy. A shrill scream echoed from her room:

“Arghhh! That bitch Naomi!”

“What’s wrong now, Kalea?”

The woman speaking was Kael and Kalea’s mother, Jovita. She had never liked Naomi, convinced that her son’s failings were all because of her.

Kalea’s eyes lit up when she saw her mom. She quickly showed her the video on her phone. “Mommy, look—this is my wonderful sister-in-law. She’s out there seducing men while my brother’s not home.”

Jovita took the phone and saw the woman in the video dancing seductively. Her face immediately darkened. “Naomi is really bringing shame to our family. Thank goodness Kael hasn’t announced her as my daughter-in-law yet. I couldn’t handle the disgrace.”

Seeing her mom getting mad, Kalea felt even more pleased. But when she thought of what happened yesterday, she immediately put on a pitiful expression. “Mommy, she humiliated me yesterday too. At the mall, she pretended not to know me and wore a super short red camisole dress. Do you think… maybe my brother’s being cheated on?”

At her words, Jovita turned livid and snapped, “Like mother, like daughter! That Madelyn always pretended to be so dignified and graceful—who knows if she’s just a fox in disguise behind the scenes? And Maldric is too thick-headed to see it! Now Naomi’s turning into a little slut too. No, I’m calling her over to question her!”

Kalea’s eyes gleamed with mischief and she quickly offered an idea. “Mommy, you are her mother-in-law. Isn’t it your duty to discipline your daughter-in-law? I think you should make her stay here for a few days—to teach her how to be a proper wife.”

And by then, tormenting her would be an easy task.

Jovita naturally understood what her daughter meant. She immediately picked up the phone and called Naomi. The first call didn’t go through, neither did the second or the third.

She was so angry she almost stumbled. Great. Just great. Naomi actually dared to block her!

In reality, Naomi hadn’t blocked anyone. It was just that Atlas had gotten her a new phone, and naturally, a new number came with it.

Kalea seized the opportunity to curse, “I think this so-called sister-in-law of mine is just starved for attention. Yesterday she wore a strappy dress, and today she dares to ignore Mommy’s call. Who knows, maybe tomorrow she’ll be reaching for the stars.”

A woman like Naomi, who wasn’t even liked by her brother, how did she deserve such a good life? Kalea thought viciously.

Jovita had already disliked Naomi because of Madelyn, and now she disliked her even more. She had always enjoyed thinking: so what if Madelyn married Maldric? Her own daughter still obediently listened to her every word.

There was no way she would allow Naomi to get out of her control. Deep down, she knew that the Rhodes still needed help from the Swifts Even if they weren’t investing large sums anymore, as long as Naomi remained her daughter-in-law, the Rhodes would still hold a place among the major families.

“Find out. I want to know exactly what Naomi is up to!”

“Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll get someone to look into it!” Kalea immediately changed her expression and helped her mother up.

***