LOGIN“Come on, over here, Lily,” the older man replied, beckoning her to follow him quickly.“Coming! Um… please excuse me, Trey, Paul,” Lily said, turning to the two men with a polite nod before hurrying after him.“Mr. Johnson has his eye on Lily for his son,” Trey remarked nonchalantly, as if sensing his friend’s curiosity.“And you aren’t jealous?”“I don’t know. That’s up to Lily to decide. My mother and Mr. Johnson are currently in a race to see who can land her as a daughter-in-law,” Trey added. He was well aware that his mother and Nolan Johnson were targeting the same woman; after all, Lily wasn’t just beautiful—she was the heiress to a multi-million dollar empire.“Mr. Smith, it’s time to officially open the ceremony.”“Understood.” Trey quickly followed the staff member responsible for the stage proceedings, leaving Paul standing alone. Although several executives stopped by to chat with him, his eyes never stopped searching for someone—until they finally settled on a
The ring on Clara’s left ring finger and her brand-new iPhone became the talk of the entire department; it was clear they were not cheap. It was fortunate she hadn't worn her new clothes or carried the luxury brand bag; otherwise, the rumors would have surely spiraled out of control.“Can I see the ring, Clara?” Poppy stared at the ring for a while before asking directly.“Of course, Poppy.” Clara quickly pulled the ring off and handed it to her friend.Poppy took the ring and turned it over. Upon seeing the engraved letters, her heart went completely numb.“Thor bought this for you, didn't he?” Poppy said, handing it back. Her expression had no sign of emotion—neither joy nor resentment.“Mm-hmm.” Clara slipped the ring back onto her finger, failing to notice the slight shift in her friend’s demeanor."That means he must see you as quite important, Clara—to go as far as engraving both his and your initials on the ring like that.""It's not like that, Poppy. He just wants to 'ma
“We’ll take a taxi back today, Clara. I had Lilly drive my mother home.”The moment he uttered that woman’s name, the happiness she had felt seconds ago vanished into thin air. It was a cold splash of reality, a stinging reminder of exactly where her place in his world was—and how little she truly meant.“Let’s go in here instead, Clara,” he said, suddenly taking her hand and leading her toward a diamond shop nearby.“Why are we going in there, Mr. Smith?” A strange sense of unease washed over her, making her feel extra self-conscious.“I just want you to have a ring. Isn't that a good thing?” He looked at her with genuine confusion, surprised to find suspicion on her face instead of the delight he had expected.“Are you buying a ring for me, Mr. Smith?” Clara asked, tilting her head slightly as she looked at him.“I am. Why? Aren’t you happy, Clara?”“No, that’s not it... I’m very happy.” She forced a smile, but deep down, the feeling was hollow. She wondered ‘Why don't I feel
“Clara, I have to go now.”“What? Poppy, we’ve only been here for less than an hour.”“It’s really urgent. I’m sorry. You can go watch the movie alone.”“Not buying any clothes then?” Clara asked, noticing her friend wasn’t carrying any new outfits.“No, none of them were to my liking.”“Ah, what a pity. But it’s fine.”“Bye for now.”“Mm.” Clara watched her friend walk away, feeling that Poppy was hiding something from her. She must be secretly seeing someone, but wasn’t ready to reveal it yet, which made her seem so mysterious.'Watching the movie alone should be fine.'She walked to the escalator to go up to the cinema floor. The place was rather empty. The movie she had tickets for wouldn’t start for another half hour, so Clara sat down on a coin-operated massage chair to wait. She closed her eyes and reflected on the earlier events. The image of Trey with that beautiful woman was still stuck in her mind, no matter how she tried to shake it off. Why did it have to be like
Clara arranged to go shopping at the mall with Poppy, since lately she seemed to have something troubling her. No matter how Poppy asked, she never got a real answer.“Thor isn’t coming today, huh? That’s why you invited me to stroll around the mall like this. Usually, I’ve invited you several times and you never agreed to come,” Poppy remarked after seeing her friend at the meeting point.“He said he has some business, Poppy. But it’s kind of good too. Lately, he’s been visiting me too often. It’s fine if he doesn’t come sometimes,” Clara replied.“Don’t you like it when he comes by often?”“Uh… I do like it, but… let’s not talk about it, Poppy.” Just imagining him coming over and the passion in the bedroom made Clara shiver all over. Even though she tried to get used to it, someone like Trey felt far too distant from her. Sometimes she couldn’t help but wonder whether what happened between them was real or if she was just dreaming.“Is Thor stingy, Clara?” Poppy’s question made
He honked the horn loudly when Paul suddenly pulled her into his arms right in front of the condominium entrance.“Mr. Thomas, what are you doing?” she gasped, startled by his embrace and shaken by the blaring horn behind them.“Get out now, Clara. And don’t you dare tell Trey anything about us.” He didn’t answer her question, only fixed his gaze on the entrance. She shook her head at him, but the moment she stepped out of the car, her knees nearly buckled when she realized whose car had honked at Paul earlier.'You’re screwed, Clara…'Trey drove past her, turning toward the rear parking lot. And of course, she had better start preparing a solid explanation. Why did everything have to get this messy?Trey opened the door to his room and found a cold can of beer waiting on the table, along with a few snacks. Clara, who had prepared everything for him, sat quietly and demurely, as if she already knew she was about to be punished.“Are you tired, Mr. Smith? Would you like me to give







