"What's wrong? Are you crying?" Heather asked.
He turned on the light and saw Prisley's sad face.
"What happened? Did Steve do something to you?" Heather's voice grew louder.
"No, he was nice to me. It's just... I met her at the party." Prisley was never one to show her vulnerability in public.
It was only after saying goodbye to Steve that she dropped her facade. She walked back slowly, and tears streamed down her face.
Heather immediately called Steve.
"Got it, thanks, Steve." He got the whole story from Steve.
"I should just leave, otherwise this awkwardness will keep happening," Prisley said, sniffling. Having Heather by her side made her feel a bit better.
Heather gently stroked her waist-length hair. "You don't need to care about her at all."
"How can I not care? I'm just a fake version of her in your eyes." Prisley lay on the sofa, feeling depressed.
Heather's gaze darkened. He reached for a box on the coffee table. "Try this on. Let me see how beautiful it looks."
He took out a luxurious, intricately designed diamond necklace that was clearly worth a fortune.
The expensive necklace glittered on Prisley's delicate chest. It complemented the evening dress she was wearing, making her look stunning.
Heather kissed Prisley's neck lightly. "Beautiful, it suits you perfectly," he said with rare tenderness.
"No, I don't need this." Prisley pushed him away, taking off the necklace and putting it back in the box.
"Why?" Heather was a bit displeased. This was a new piece from a famous designer, and he hadn't expected her to refuse it.
"Heather, you can't provide what I truly need. The things you give me, I don't actually want."
Heather sneered. "Don't expect me to marry you. We agreed on that when we signed the contract." He pulled out the previous check and property documents.
"Take these. I can buy you anything, give you a lot of money. Isn't that enough?"
Prisley felt helpless. Their thoughts seemed like parallel lines that would never meet.
"Maybe I needed it before, but now, Heather, I don't care about these things. I just want a bit of respect from you, but you can't even do that."
"Ridiculous! Haven't I respected you?" Heather found it unbelievable.
"This afternoon in the meeting room, they humiliated me again. If you had stood up for me even once, they wouldn't dare to be so blatant. But you didn't."
"Filla's back, and you won't let me leave. Today I was humiliated by her once, and there will be many more times, but you don't care."
"Heather, I don't know what you're thinking. You can really watch me suffer and not feel a thing." Prisley's tears flowed uncontrollably again.
Heather sighed, thinking this was simply absurd. She was just making trouble for herself.
Maybe, as Steve said, Heather has been sheltered by wealth since childhood and can't empathize with others. What seems painful to Prisley is trivial to him. All he cares about are the company, wealth, and relationships. He was raised this way, trained to be a successful machine in a loveless wealthy family.
He's decisive and calm in business but always too cold and violent emotionally. Prisley, on the other hand, grew up in a warm middle-class family, surrounded by her parents' love. She once believed her love and care could warm Heather's heart, but she was wrong. Four years have passed, and he's still the same.
Heather bought this apartment specifically for Prisley. It's much smaller than his mansion. He spends most of his time at his own place and only comes over when he needs her.
Tonight, he just wanted to bring the diamond necklace to please her and persuade her to give up on leaving. He didn't expect not to get a single smile.
Heather's face turned grim.
He didn't want Prisley to trouble herself over those things. Having her around made him feel much better, but he never cared about what made her unhappy or why. It was always Prisley who cared about him and looked after him.
"Prisley, you're overthinking. I don't want to call you paranoid, but don't you think you're being melodramatic?"
"As for the respect you mentioned, I've always respected you. Don't make a big deal out of it."
"If you insist on being difficult, let me remind you that you’re the party B in our contract. Our contract is still in effect. The termination conditions haven't been met, so you have no choice but to fulfill it!"
Heather's eyes showed a cold, ruthless glint. He paused, maybe realizing his words were too harsh, then stepped forward, wrapped his arms around Prisley's waist, and kissed her earlobe. "Can we just be like before?" he said in a softer tone.
Paranoid? No choice?
Prisley closed her eyes in pain. This man seemed beyond help. She had thought that after four years together, Heather would show some care for her.
Suppressing her slightly trembling voice, she said, "Fine, we'll be like before and follow the contract."
She pushed him away and walked towards the bedroom.
"Where are you going?"
"To fulfill the contract." She forced a smile.
Soon, Prisley emerged from the bathroom, wearing sexy lingerie and smelling of the perfume Heather liked - in fact, it was Filla's favorite scent.
She walked towards Heather.
Heather smiled. As expected, she was still obedient and easy to please.
Prisley dimmed the lights and began kissing Heather's lips, in the way he liked.
Her lips were soft, and she knew exactly where Heather was most sensitive. She knew his body all too well.
Heather closed his eyes, enjoying the long-awaited moment of pleasure. Prisley undressed him, her soft fingers sending tingles over his skin as they moved across his chest, abs, and down to his most prized area.
Heather felt a surge of electricity through his body. His breathing grew heavier as he savored the calm before the storm.
Her fingers were soft and slightly cool, tracing patterns on his warming skin, making him feel incredibly comfortable.
His thighs tensed under her kisses, revealing their muscular lines.
Heather felt his body heat up, a powerful lust surging through him, reaching his head. He let out a low moan, impulsively threading his fingers through her hair.
He opened his eyes to kiss Prisley but was met with her blank stare.
He paused, the heat in his body fading slightly. "Prisley, what's wrong?"
"Nothing," Prisley continued her actions. "I'm just fulfilling the contract." Her voice was cold, her gaze equally devoid of passion.
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
"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 had always been careful about contraception. After all, it was a clause in her contract.She remembered about five weeks ago, Heather had been unusually passionate one day. Rarely, he came to her apartment and they made love from day to night. 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 morning, they were both busy with a business trip, and Prisley forgot to take the morning-after pill.Retracing the timeline, that would have been about the time Filla announced her return. Prisley didn't know whether to feel happy or sad. She ran her fingers through her hair, tugging at it in frustration."Damn, how could I have missed that day?"She was only 26, and her career was just taking off. Having a baby now didn't seem like a good idea. 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 recent erratic behavi
To show her respect, Prisley chose a fitted long dress. After carefully dressing up, she put on high heels and waited for Mark to pick her up.Mark spotted Prisley standing by the road from a distance. In her light green dress, with her wavy hair falling to her waist, she looked as elegant and fresh as a woodland fairy. Her hair was styled simply, adding a touch of refinement compared to the casual look she had in the morning.Mark was stunned, forgetting to drive when the light turned green, until the car behind him honked.When a Ferrari roared up next to Prisley, and the driver took off his sunglasses, she realized it was her ride. Mark, dressed in a loose floral shirt, looked stylish and relaxed, with an unrestrained air. He smiled broadly as he opened the car door for her.Another car change? Wasn’t it a Bentley this morning? She shook her head, marveling at her entanglement with a playboy.As Prisley settled into the passenger seat, Mark couldn’t help but stare at her for a few s
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
Prisley had been hit, scared, and cried her heart out all day. She was utterly exhausted and was drifting off to sleep within minutes. She vaguely felt someone beside her, and her silk robe being removed.Instinctively, she pulled the blanket tight around herself. "Heather, no... please..."A pair of warm lips gently kissed her cheek. "Don’t worry, I won’t touch you."She smelled a pleasant herbal scent and then felt a coolness on her skin, followed by warmth. A hand moved gently over her body, applying a soothing ointment.She was too tired to open her eyes. Using the last bit of her consciousness, she murmured, "Thanks, Heather..."Heather, now in a robe, was applying the medicine. "I get injured sometimes while playing sports too. This ointment is really good." His voice was deep and soothing, like a mountain stream, calming and cool.The room was lit with a soft light, making Heather’s chiseled features appear gentle and filled with warmth."Mark and I are just friends. We met toda
The next morning, Prisley woke up alone in bed. The pain from the collision seemed more pronounced today, and the scabbed wounds on her skin felt tight, causing sharp pain with any movement.She struggled to turn over, sensing a faint herbal scent on her body.She vaguely remembered Heather applying ointment to her yesterday. It made her somewhat happy. Is everything okay now? she wondered.So much had happened in the past few days; it was more mentally exhausting than rushing projects at work. Heather hadn't contacted her since, so Prisley decided to indulge in a day of rest.On Monday, shortly after arriving at the office, a delivery man brought flowers to the office area. It was a magnificent bouquet, obviously quite expensive."Who's Prisley Anderson?" the delivery man asked.Prisley had just walked out from the secretary's office and was intercepted halfway to sign for it. The secretaries flocked out to see what was happening, chattering away."It's from Dreamy Rose! Top-tier flor
The man in the floral shirt froze for a moment, then his lips curved into a smile as he quickly walked over and sat down beside Mr. Grant."Let me introduce my youngest son, Mark," Mr. Grant said with a smile.Prisley and Mark remained composed, though there was a hint of suppressed laughter in their eyes."Mark doesn't like getting involved in the company's management. He graduated with a master's degree last year and has been traveling ever since. He's only been at Voda Pharm for the past two months, and he skips work often," Mr. Grant, the doting father, rambled on about his beloved son."Mark must be exceptionally talented to afford such freedom," Prisley complimented.Mr. Grant, pleased by the flattery, looked fondly at his youngest son. "He's just playful and loves his freedom. He didn't even agree to work at the headquarters."Mark was genuinely surprised and delighted. That morning, he learned from his assistant that the president of Warner Group wanted to meet his father. Sinc