When Julissa woke up in the middle of the night and wanted to go to the bathroom, she realized she was already in her bed.
She sat up and scratched her head, feeling a bit confused.
Wasn’t she in the living room earlier? How did she end up in bed?
Had Scott left?
She got out of bed to use the bathroom and called out toward the other room, "Mr. Nichols?"
The room was pitch black, and there was no answer.
She walked into the kitchen and glanced at the cupboard. The watch was gone.
She checked the entryway next, and the shoes under the shoe rack were also gone.
It seemed he had already left. He must have carried her to bed after she fell asleep, then left afterward.
There was an inexplicable feeling of disappointment.
But soon, that feeling was replaced by the sharp pang of stomach pain as she drowsily made her way to the bathroom.
Afterward, she returned to bed, ready to fall back asleep. But after lyin
Julissa was close to tears. Although half of her salary was being deducted, she still had 50,000 left, but it felt like being sliced open—it was painful."This is just inhuman..." she muttered under her breath."Even if it's for the money, you better start coming to work on time from now on!" Linda said with a smile, patting her on the shoulder. "Mr. Nichols wants some coffee, go make him a cup, and don't mess up again."Julissa quickly agreed and, after putting down her things, headed to the breakroom.Linda watched her leave, feeling helpless. The new rules that had been implemented were something Scott had come up with on the spot, and they were only directed at the executive assistant, effectively targeting Julissa for not being present.Was this really his way of pursuing a woman? Linda couldn’t help but think that Scott’s emotional intelligence was lacking.Meanwhile, Julissa took out her favorite instant coffee from
Julissa froze for a second. Was Scott teasing her?Sure enough, men who were usually so reserved had a hidden mischievous side.Wasn’t this a form of workplace harassment, though?She decided to play dumb—after all, Scott was her employer now, her "bread and butter.""I was just looking at that painting," she said, taking a step back and subtly pulling her arm away.Scott casually slipped his hands into his pockets, unfazed."Well then, come up and have a closer look."He started up the stairs first, and Julissa, reluctantly, followed him.As she walked behind him, heading toward his bedroom, the feeling of being “taken advantage of” intensified.He had already shown a flirtatious side before, and now it seemed like he had finally decided to make his move. Was this the moment he was going to take advantage of her?What if someone walked in and caught them? The office door wasn’t locke
Not long after she participated in the competition, she had the car accident, and since then, she hadn't been able to return to the stage.Julissa gazed at the painting of herself, feeling a sense of fate between her and Scott. At the same time, her heart was filled with a strong desire—she longed to be that little swan on the stage again.But she knew it was no longer possible."I remember Assistant Hickman used to dance ballet. Do you know this dancer?" Scott asked, gazing at her profile."...No," her voice was hoarse, tinged with a slight nasal tone.She didn’t want Scott to know that she was the one in the painting. If he found out, it would be terribly awkward for her. He might think it was embarrassing—how could he hang a picture of his assistant on his wall? He would probably take it down.Julissa sniffed and smiled at him. "Mr. Nichols, your time is valuable. Let's get on with the coffee brewing lesson."Righ
Julissa felt the pressure of his gaze, her scalp tingling as if she had been caught daydreaming in class and was suddenly called on by the teacher.She stammered, "You... you just said to put the coffee grounds on the filter paper..."Scott pressed his temple. "Did I really need to say that?"Julissa realized she had just said something pointless. She wiped the cold sweat from her brow and continued, "Then you don’t need much water at first, just wet the coffee grounds, and then... wait a moment?""That step is called blooming. Continue.""Oh, blooming... then we add water!"Scott sighed in exasperation. "The scale has a timer. Remember, the blooming time is 30 seconds."Julissa nodded quickly. "Oh, got it! Then we add water, using the pour-over kettle in a spiral motion, just like you're doing, right?""160 ml of water, add it in two stages. Once the first batch of water has fully filtered through, begin the second." He
Julissa couldn’t help but wonder if Scott had also held Linda’s hand, guiding her on how to pour the water in circles just like he did with her.She stared at his face, waiting for him to respond.Scott, however, remained indifferent. "I usually have her make instant coffee or buy coffee from downstairs. If I want pour-over, I make it myself."What?Why was he so lenient with Linda, but so harsh with her, Julissa?A surge of dissatisfaction bubbled up inside her, though she didn't dare to voice it strongly."Then why did you want me to learn?" she asked, trying to keep her tone neutral."Sometimes I just want to be lazy," he replied, raising an eyebrow and looking at her. "You said you really like learning new things and challenging yourself, right?"Julissa: "..."At that moment, Julissa felt like Scott was deliberately toying with her.She remembered how she had been docked half her salary for being late due to
Ariana had been worried that Kendrick might suddenly back out and not attend the engagement party. After all, their relationship was no longer what it used to be, and she could feel his deliberate distance.But seeing him arrive, Ariana immediately felt at ease, silently cursing herself for being overly anxious. Brother Kendrick had always kept his word, and if he had promised to come, he would definitely show up.Moreover, their relationship hadn’t reached the point of no return. Kendrick would still attend her engagement party out of respect for their past friendship.However, something felt off. Ariana couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong with Kendrick today. His brows were furrowed, his expression cold, as though he were angry.Annabelle, walking next to him, looked equally indifferent.They were walking side by side, yet there was no hand-holding or arm-linking.Ariana, ever observant, picked up on these small
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Ariana called over a waiter to take Annabelle’s coat.When Annabelle had arrived, she was wearing a coat that hid the outfit underneath. The only thing Ariana had noticed were her shoes. They were cheap, nothing special.Ariana figured that the dress Annabelle wore today probably wasn’t very expensive either.Wearing something so shabby to an event like this was embarrassing, especially when she was in the presence of her "brother Kendrick." But the more Annabelle embarrassed herself, the more Ariana felt satisfied.After all, her engagement dress was designed by a world-renowned designer. The contrast between her and Annabelle would be stark. Their tastes would be clearly evident, with Ariana’s standing out far more.Kendrick, a man of refined taste, would never be interested in a woman like Annabelle, who clearly lacked any sense of style.As Ariana watched Annabelle remove her white coat, revealing her dress, she was momentarily taken aback.
Annabelle responded with, “Who asked you to care?” She stubbornly chose to wear the dress anyway.Beauty is every woman's nature, and besides, she thought Kendrick didn't want her to wear the dress because it highlighted her figure. She didn’t want to let him feel possessive over something like that.From then on, the two of them were silently upset with each other as they made their way to the hotel.It wasn't until Kendrick helped adjust her earring that he spoke up, saying, “Still not talking to me? Did Annabelle force me to make up with you in such a way?”Annabelle blushed, and slapped him lightly, calling him a dirty pervert. That finally broke the awkwardness between them.Now, as they entered the venue, Annabelle still looked upset.Kendrick sighed inwardly and decided to completely soften his stance.Surrounded by so many men eyeing her, he felt an overwhelming sense of urgency. He didn’t want to upset his little wife and risk her being swayed by another man.He took her to a
Agatha’s face turned deathly pale. “Dereon, I didn’t!”Sid let out a cold snort. “At first, when we didn’t see Annabelle, you tried to seduce Kendrick directly. You wanted to sleep with him, then turn around and cling to him as his mistress, living a worry-free life, didn’t you?”Agatha shook her head in panic, glancing between Sid and Dereon. “No, I didn’t. That’s not true.”She anxiously grabbed Dereon’s arm. “Dereon, don’t listen to his nonsense. I was just thinking, if I could seduce Kendrick and sleep with him first, then when he dies, it would solidify the story that he forced himself on a waitress!”“If it were that easy, why would we wait until today to act?” Dereon stepped closer to her. “That Kendrick, like the young master, has long been bewitched by Annabelle and doesn’t even glance at other women. That’s why I arranged for you to hide in the room and fake the scene after he died.”Just mentioning Annabelle ignited a fire in Dereon’s chest.What Kendrick thought of Annabel
Annabelle walked out of the bedroom and came over to the dining table, standing in front of Kendrick.Kendrick was cutting into a plate of German sausage and hadn’t started eating yet. He looked up at her and smiled, “Why are you back again? Don’t want me to eat?”Caught red-handed, Annabelle felt a little embarrassed.Still, she reached out, took his hand, and set down the knife. “How about… you lie down with me for a bit first, and then I’ll eat with you?”Kendrick looked at her, amusement flickering in his eyes.His gaze made her face flush with heat, and even her breathing grew unsteady.“Anna, if you want the ox to work, you have to feed it first.”Her cheeks turned even redder. “That’s not what I meant…”Laughing, Kendrick pulled her into his arms, settling her on his lap. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he said, “After sleeping in the same bed for so many days, if I still can’t tell what you want, wouldn’t that be a waste of all that sleep?”He whispered the last part again
Kendrick sighed against her shoulder, clearly reluctant, but still got out of bed, buttoned up his shirt, and went to open the door.Annabelle followed him out, intending to grab a glass of water.As the door opened, she glanced over—turns out it really was room service.A male staff member was pushing a food cart, and a female staff member stood in front of it, holding a dry-cleaned suit in her arms.“Mr. Gregory, sorry to disturb you. This is the breakfast you ordered, and your clothes have been cleaned as well,” the female staff member said in a gentle, soft-spoken voice.Annabelle couldn’t help but glance at her. The woman was wearing a red hotel uniform skirt set, with an alluring figure, good looks, and a refined demeanor—clearly more polished than the average staff member.Normally, Annabelle would appreciate a pretty girl with a quick glance and move on.But this woman made her frown—and made her stay in the living room instead of heading back to the bedroom after finishing he
Annabelle’s face flushed bright red.What the VP was implying—any adult could understand.She could feel the ambiguous gazes of the others, making her even more embarrassed.Kendrick gave a cold “tsk” and glanced at his vice president. “If you can’t come up with a good idea later, I’m holding you responsible.”“lol, no problem!”he replied heartily.Kendrick looked at Annabelle and smiled. “Come on, I’ll take you to the room.”He took her hand and led her into the bedroom.Once the door closed, Annabelle hurriedly explained, “I didn’t know you were in a meeting—mmph…”Before she could finish, Kendrick had already pinned her against the door, capturing her lips in a deep, heated kiss.Annabelle couldn’t handle such intensity and felt like she was suffocating. She lightly patted his shoulder, signaling him to stop.Kendrick pulled back just slightly, his lips still brushing hers as he whispered, “Anna, I’m really happy you came to see me.”She lowered her head, biting her lip, but he gen
Dereon wore a black baseball cap, head down, looking rushed as he headed toward the boarding gate.He was about to board a flight to North City.His phone rang. Glancing at the screen, he answered, “Young Master, I’m about to board… understood…”At that moment, a familiar figure brushed past him. Dereon paused, frowning as he turned to look back.The crowd was bustling with passengers preparing to board. That fleeting figure was now nowhere to be seen. Had he imagined it?But even if it really was Annabelle, she was walking in the opposite direction of the boarding line, which meant she wasn’t getting on this flight.As long as she didn’t interfere, everything would be fine.He continued the call, “Yes, I’m listening, Young Master… Don’t worry. Tomorrow morning, just wait and watch the news.”After hanging up, he proceeded with the check-in process alongside the crowd.Dereon had booked an economy class ticket. Once on the plane, he turned off his phone and began mentally reviewing ev
Julissa curled herself into the blanket.For Scott, that bar was the place they first met—perhaps even where he fell in love with her at first sight. It was a beautiful memory.But for Julissa, it remained a grey area she had never managed to escape.Whenever she thought about how a stranger had taken her to a hotel that night, how she had lost her virginity there, and might have even been photographed or recorded, her scalp tingled with regret and dread.She used to want revenge on that gigolo, but now, the thing she feared most was encountering him again.She just hoped that incident would stay buried in the past, never to be mentioned again.She held up her left hand in front of her eyes, using the moonlight streaming through the window to look at the ring Scott had given her. She really liked him—loved him—and she hoped he would never find out about that foolish mistake she had made...After leaving the bedroom, Scott went to the dining room. He poured himself half a glass of whis
Julissa looked at him timidly, seemingly wanting to comfort him but not knowing where to start.She bit her lip and carefully asked, “Did you have a fight with Auntie?”“You heard something?”Julissa’s eyes became even more nervous. “Mr. Nichols, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. Please don’t be mad…”Only then did Scott realize that he had sounded a bit harsh due to his anxiety, and it had clearly scared her.“Fool, I’m not blaming you.” He pulled Julissa into his arms. “What did you hear?”“I just heard you say that when Julian had a high fever as a child, you took him to get an IV and stuff…”Scott let out a sigh of relief. It seemed like Julissa had only heard the latter part.As long as she didn’t hear the earlier part.Earlier, when he arrived at the apartment building, he had deliberately tricked her, saying he wasn’t coming back, just to play a joke on her—but he ended up scaring her to tears.That’s when he realized that Julissa had been hurt before by Liam and lacked a sense of se
Julissa immediately said, “I’ve got a great memory, Mr. Nichols, so don’t you go back on your word.”“I won’t. I’ll give it to you in a bit.”Julissa had been eagerly waiting for so long, but he was still teasing her. She wasn’t happy about that. “Mr. Nichols, if your ‘little surprise’ isn’t worth at least a few hundred thousand, you’ll owe me big time for all this waiting.”Scott chuckled, “Isn’t that a bit low of a bar? Just a few hundred thousand is enough?”Julissa ignored him. To a capitalist like him, money was just a meaningless number—completely irrational. What she really wanted to know now was: what exactly was this surprise gift?Since he said he’d give it to her later, it had to be a physical item.“Mr. Nichols, just let me see it now, please? Why wait? I’ve been waiting all night!”But no matter how she pouted or pleaded, Scott stayed calm and composed. He simply said, “Be good. I’ll give it to you once we’re in bed.”Julissa started wondering—what kind of gift could only
Julissa cast a sidelong glance at the takeout bags. One large box of fried chicken, two cans of premixed peach cocktails—her favorite—and… a bowl of Frozen yogurt?Wait. Frozen yogurt?She remembered eyeing it longingly when they passed that shop on the way home. She hadn’t said a word though, especially once Mr. Nichols had already driven past. She hadn’t had the heart to ask him to turn back.But clearly, he’d noticed.Looking at Scott again, the fury in her heart had significantly waned.He pulled out the yogurt and looked at her with an arched brow. “Not eating, huh?”Julissa huffed and turned her head away dramatically.As if she'd surrender to the wicked capitalist for just a bowl of yogurt.Scott shrugged, “Guess I’ll eat it, then. Can’t let it melt. Would be a waste.”She rolled her eyes inwardly. As if he—Mr. Perfectionist—would ever stoop to eating something as common as a street snack.But then… he actually started eating it.Julissa's brows furrowed as she peeked at him. H