Calista's words dispelled the gloom that had plagued him. That night, Lucian had a dreamless slumber.The next day, he opened his eyes to the sight of Calista's serene countenance still lax with sleep. Her slightly curled hair was scattered messily on the pillow. A few strands of hair stuck to her face. The warmth had tinted her cheeks pink, and even her lips were a rosy shade.Lucian leaned over and planted a soft kiss on her lips. However, Calista was deeply asleep and showed no signs of waking up. So, he kissed her again. After several attempts, her long, curled lashes fluttered. She wrinkled her brows as she struggled to open her eyes. Her voice was still raspy with sleep. "What time is it?"Lucian reached for the phone on the bedside table. The screen unlocked immediately after the device scanned his face. He checked the time and said, "9:30 a.m."After answering her question, he tapped on the notification informing him of a new message on WhatsApp. After a quick glance, his

Calista spotted Lucian, dressed in a light gray coat, standing by the car when she got to the door. He was on the phone. His sleeve shifted as he moved, revealing a watch on his wrist. It was a sunny day, and the sunlight seemed to dance off him.Lucian's gaze was fixed in their direction. He immediately noticed when Calista and Hugo walked out. He quickly wrapped up with the person on the other end of the line, hung up, and strode over."Dad. Callie."Hugo couldn't help but hide his face in his hand at the sight of Lucian acting like a dog that was being offered a bone. There were sparkles in his eyes. Hugo feebly corrected him, "Stop calling me that. I haven't permitted you to do so."If possible, he wanted to keep Calista by his side for a few more years. The Jacquez family wasn't lacking in money or power. She could have anything he wanted. Having a man around would only influence his daughter's shopping habits. Everything she was wearing was part of last year's collection.

"Well…" Lucian sounded upbeat. He was beaming with pride, but Calista's dark expression had him swallowing his words. He stiffly changed the subject. "I missed you, Callie."Calista didn't buy his act at all. She repeated her question. "How did you get up here?""I… climbed up here," he said softly.She knew that, but she wanted to hear him admit it. They were on the second floor. There was nothing for him to hold onto on the outer wall of the villa except for the guard rails. It required him to run up, wall hop, and grab onto the railing to get up. Not only did he need to accurately calculate the distance, there could be no slip-ups.If he fell, he would have a twisted ankle at best, or break a leg at worst. It could even be fatal if luck was not on his side.But rather than fearing the consequences, Lucian was demanding praise. She was angry. But considering how he climbed up here and risked danger just to see her, she swallowed her anger. "Don't do that again.""I won't." Wi

Timothy lifted Yara and set her down on the vanity for convenience. He smeared makeup remover all over her face as if he were plastering a wall. Despite her discomfort, she didn't dare to say a word. She was afraid that if she opened her mouth, he was going to put the makeup remover into her mouth. When he turned to fetch a towel to wipe her face, Yara finally took the opportunity to speak up. "Do you even know how to remove makeup, Timothy? You need to emulsify it with warm water before thoroughly washing it off."Timothy snorted and expressed his gripes. "It's just one thing after another. How do you emulsify it?""Just use some warm water…" Yara guided him on how to remove her makeup. Her words were also interspersed with gibberish. "You need to learn this. Otherwise, no woman is going to want to marry you.""Hah…" He had never heard that he had to learn how to remove someone's makeup to get married. The requirements usually ended at gold bars, wedding gifts, a house, and a c

"Did Lucian call to tell you that I'm here?" Yara asked.Timothy wouldn't have known she was here unless someone tipped him off. Calista wouldn't sell her out, which left Lucian the only possible suspect."Yes," Timothy said. Yara could barely believe how quickly he resorted to betrayal."He was the one who tipped you off. Did he know that you would sell him out in return?""To each their own. I don't think I'm selling him out."One of them didn't want Yara sticking around as their third wheel, while the other wanted to whisk her away. They were so in sync that they were practically one person.Yara rolled her eyes. She sat motionless on the bed as the sky outside darkened. The room was barely lit by the glow of the street lamps that filtered in. The dim lighting made their expressions unreadable.Timothy raised a brow. "Do you want me to help you put on your pants?"His expression reminded Yara of how unabashed he was when he wheedled her into doing "that" last night. She grit