I glare at him with resentment.
Eric maintains his smug smile, saying, "Trust me, landing the President's helicopter in other places would draw even more attention. Have a pleasant day, Miss Lily. We'll be back to pick you up at 5 PM."
"Well, thank you for giving me such a NORMAL ride," I reply sarcastically.
The guests in this luxurious hotel is either a business tycoon or a dignitary.
I, dress in my Zara suits, feel like a clown who have accidentally wanders into Swan Lake!
I hurriedly make my way through the crowd with a blushed face, keeping close to the wall.
But I don't pay attention and bump into someone coming towards me.
"Sorry, I'm so sorry," I apologize repeatedly.
"Lily?"
This voice?
I shudder and slowly raise my head. Indeed, standing before me is my ex-boyfriend, Ben. I never expect to meet him again after five years, and certainly not in this place...
Ben has changed a lot from five years ago. He has shed his youthful innocence, and his features have softened, becoming more rounded and mature.
Only his sapphire blue eyes remain as clear as ever, resembling a tranquil lake that one couldn't help but be enchanted by, gradually sinking in...
However, Ben and I are no longer possible...
We stand there in silence.
He opens his mouth several times but couldn't seem to find the right words.
Meanwhile, I bite my lower lip and nod apologetically before hurriedly running past him.
Before I can get far, a sweet voice suddenly rings out, "Ben, there you are!"
I freeze in my tracks, unable to move.
Ben's expression becomes even uglier than mine.
After a few seconds, a petite woman run over from the other end of the corridor.
"Why did you take so long to answer the phone?" She affectionately hooks her arm through Ben's and complains, "My parents were getting bored!"
A sudden pain stabs my heart.
The woman beside Ben is my step-sister, Anna.
Ben awkwardly withdraws his arm, saying, "This is a public place, please behave."
"Ha-ha, what's the big deal? Come on, you're a city official, not a monk. Can't you show a little love to your dear girlfriend in a public place?"
Anna snuggles up to him, deliberately rubbing her chest against his arm.
Ben's lips twitch, and he looks at me with some embarrassment.
As for me, I manage a dry smile and am about to leave.
However, at that moment, Anna seems to finally notice my presence.
"Lily?"
Anna suddenly grabs my hand, and her long nails dig into my skin.
Forced to turn back, I greet her, "Morning, Anna."
"Wow, it's really you!"
Anna happily pounces on me and gives me a big hug.
"Why are you here? Since you left home, mom and dad have been looking for you! I never thought we'd meet here today!" says Anna joyfully, holding both my hands.
"Mhm."
Anna and I? Good sisters? Never.
I totally get why she acts all happy at the reunion.
Indeed, the next second, she turns around and smiles sweetly at Ben, "You should go back inside, don't keep mom and dad waiting. I'll catch up with my sister for a little reunion!"
Ben, perhaps relieves, glances at me meaningfully before leaving.
Once he is out of sight, Anna instantly changes her expression and pushes me away disdainfully, "What are you doing here?"
I shrug helplessly, "I said I was just passing by, do you believe me?"
"Don't give me that! You think I don't know what you're plotting? You heard about Ben getting a job in the city government, so you sneaked in to see him, didn't you?"
"Believe what you want."
I had spent nearly a decade dealing with my step-sister; I know her personality well. Trying to explain anything to her is pointless, as her suspicions and jealousy surpass even the goddess Hera's.
Now she resembles a mother wolf protecting her cubs, with her emerald eyes fixed on me and growling, "I don't care what you're planning! You better stay away from Ben from now on! He's MY boyfriend now!"
She then glances at my appearance and sneers, "You want him back? Look at you now, do you think you can support your little bastard with your current salary?"
I feel a slight frown forming on my forehead.
She could insult me all she wanted, but no one has the right to disrespect Chris!
"Oh, mad, huh?"
Anna smirks at me, as if she has finally discovered my weak point, her eyes are immediately filled with excitement. "You don't like him being called that? Well, I'll keep calling him that! Bastard! Bastard! Bastard!"
I clench my fist tightly, wishing I could slap her in the face hard.
But just then, Ben probably fears that I will argue with Anna, so he comes out of a nearby room.
However, Ben is behind Anna now, and Anna, thinking I'm still ignoring her, raises her hand to slap me.
"Hey!" Ben rushes over, grabbing her wrist.
Anna is taken aback, and the next second, she forces out a few tears, crying, "Ben, I just want to ask Lily to join us for a meal, you know. But she keeps saying that I stole you from her. She's even spreading rumors that you and I slept together while you were still with her..."
Upon hearing her words, Ben's gaze shifts from guilt to disappointment as he looks at me.
He gently pats Anna's shoulder to comfort her.
Hiding behind Ben, Anna shows a victory smile at me.
I'm infuriated.
At that moment, Eric unexpectedly comes running down from the rooftop.
As Ben works in the city government, he recognizes Eric.
Seeing Eric quickly approaching us, Ben pushes Anna away again, and discreetly straightens his clothes.
Anna asks out of curiosity, "Who's that person?"
"Eric, the senior assistant to the President," Ben replies.
Instantly, Anna jumps at his words, "Is he here to see you? Could it be that he wants to promote you to work at the President's office?"
"Probably. There's no one else in this corridor," Ben replies.
Anna is overjoyed, starting to primp and preen herself.
Ben even reaches out and wants to shake hands with Eric when he comes closer.
However, as Eric passes by them, he doesn't stop for a moment and comes directly to me, saying, "Miss Lily, sir sent these items for you. You forgot to bring them."
"Thank you," I take the package from him and thank him.
Eric maintains his standard smile, but now he seems particularly friendly. "Do you need me to accompany you downstairs?"
I wave my hand, about to decline.
But Eric takes a step forward, gallantly offering his arm, "Please, allow me."
I follow his lead, leaving Ben and Anna stupefied.
In the lift.
I thank Eric again, "Thanks for stepping in back there."
"You're welcome." Eric's smile seems a little dangerous, "I just can't stand them calling the young master 'bastard.' I'll make sure to tell the President exactly what happened. They won't have any chance to rise up in their lifetime!"
"That's a good idea," I chuckle in agreement.
As it turns out, this smiling Eric is also quite naughty sometimes, making him kinda cute in my eyes.
However, a thought suddenly occurs to me, "Wait! How did you hear our conversation from the rooftop?"
Eric once again displayed that signature smile and looked down at my neck. I raised my hand to touch it and realized I still had the communication earpiece hanging there! Back on the plane, I found it too heavy, causing my scalp to ache, so I pushed it down and wore it around my neck. The problem was that Eric had noticed I hadn't taken off the earpiece, but he didn't remind me; instead, he eavesdropped on my conversations! What? Cute? This kind of person is irritating!!!Angrily, I glared at him. He smirked and said, "I just found it amusing to see when you would notice.""Oh, it's so amusing!" I retorted, slamming the earpiece into his hand, mimicking his smug tone, "I'll make sure to tell the President exactly what happened!"Ignoring his plea, I walked straight back to my office building. As expected, my first action upon returning was... getting scolded. My boss, Blake, summoned me to his office and unleashed his wrath."You've been absent for an entire month, and you dare ask me
In hindsight, I should have known that our President never plays by conventional rules. He took the cake from me and without any hesitation, took a big bite. As he saw my shocked and reproachful expression, he appeared puzzled and asked, "What's wrong?"Feeling a bit hurt, I replied, "You ate my only little cake..."He paused, ceasing to chew, and asked, "Can't you make another one?"Sadly, I shook my head, "No, I ran out of eggs."Ordinarily, his kitchen should have stocked plenty of eggs, but I couldn't find a refrigerator anywhere.Antoninus glanced at me, then at the half-eaten cake in his hand. He generously extended it towards me, saying, "Here, take this one."I looked at the cake he had bitten into, and my heart skipped a beat. Was this considered an indirect kiss?"Thank you, but I'm not hungry anymore," I responded hesitantly.Yet, he insisted, placing the half piece of cake in front of me. I hesitated and whispered, "This cake, you already took a bite...""Are you disgusted
Once all the horses were released, Antoninus selected the most docile one. He mounted the horse himself and gestured with his eyes for me to hand Chris to him. As I held Chris, I hesitated."Don't worry," Antoninus said, extending his hand with a gentle gaze.I bit my lip, feeling as helpless as poor Abraham as I reluctantly handed over my Isaac, saying, "Take care of him...""I will," he assured me.Antoninus took Chris in front of him, securing him with both arms. He was indeed responsible, but Chris didn't make it easy. He dared to move around happily on the horse's back."Chris!" I warned him, "Listen to Daddy! Otherwise, get down right now, and we'll go back!""Alright..." Chris sighed in boredom, "Mommy always worries too much."Antoninus nodded, "Indeed.""What are you two saying?" I asked, but they ignored me, urging the horses to move away."Hey!" I worriedly chased after them, "Slow down!""I know, Mommy!" Chris replied, running a few laps around the horse arena before retur
Antoninus let out a pained grunt when I bit him and finally pulled the reins to stop the horse. I struggled to get down, demanding, "Let me go!""Stop moving!" Antoninus scolded, bending down to inspect the bite mark on his arm, his brows furrowed, "Why do you enjoy biting people so much?"I glared at him angrily, "Put me down!"Antoninus narrowed his eyes at me, showing clear signs of anger, but he eventually sighed heavily. He got off the horse and reached out to help me down, but I refused to let him assist me. I glared at him and jumped down from the other side of the horse instead.However, I landed unsteadily, twisting my ankle and feeling a sharp pain. I suppressed the pain and limped over to Chris, commanding, "Get down!""Mommy...""Quickly!" Chris looked to Antoninus for help, but he was focused on my injured ankle and paid no attention to Chris's plea.Chris reluctantly let me carry him down, saying, "I'm sorry, Mommy.""It's not your fault. But next time, don't be so disob
"Sorry, Mr. Blake. We agreed that I wouldn't work overtime.""Overtime? You dare to call this a rare opportunity 'overtime'? Don't be ridiculous! Take your camera and bring back the photos and the interview for me intact!"Ignoring my feelings, he pushed me out of the office.Before I left, he reminded me, "Be careful when changing clothes! Don't remove the tags from the collar! I need to return them tomorrow!""Oh...""Now go!"I had no choice but to call Eric."A ball? You left the President and Chris just to attend a ball?"I could practically see Eric's smug face through the phone!Annoyed, I retorted, "I'm going for an interview! It just happens to be at the same venue as the ball!""Apologies, even if it's to interview God, it's not allowed. I will ask the President for you, but he's in a meeting, and I don't know when it will end. If the President agrees, I'll let you know. In any case, be back at the rooftop at 5 p.m."After hanging up, I spent the entire afternoon looking at
"I..."I stood there, feeling awkward. Mary's answer completely caught me off guard.Mary slammed the camera into my arms and pointed towards the exit, teeth gritted, "Get out! Right now!""Mary!"Ben stood up to stop her, "Lily is here for an exclusive interview. My father wants the newspaper to promote my success in being elected as a congressman to enhance my reputation. You wouldn't mind if I use this opportunity to do the interview, right?""Ben?" Mary turned around, puzzled. "Are you defending her? But she betrayed you before! She even got pregnant with another man's child!"Ben didn't reply.Mary sneered, "Let's see how Lisa handles this."With a proud look on her face, she walked back into the ballroom.Lisa was at the center of the party, chatting and laughing with another man.I didn't want to start a conflict with Lisa in this setting, so I nodded to Ben, "Thank you. I'll leave now.""Wait!"Ben suddenly grabbed my wrist, then quickly withdrew his hand, a bit embarrassed. "
I understood that Antoninus was expressing dissatisfaction about my biting him earlier. However, what matters most now is not his mockery, but how to handle the aftermath."You made Eric announce in front of so many people... that I am your companion. It will surely spread tomorrow." After all, this evening party had more than just our Nightingale family of reporters; Haar wished to have his name plastered on every newspaper in the city.Antoninus, however, showed no concern, "You don't need to worry about that.""But I need to know!" This is not only about him; it concerns me too! I do want to make it to the headlines, but I desire to have my pen name on it, not being treated as news!Being in the spotlight is an honor, but it's also risky, especially since I haven't decided whether I'll take Chris and escape from the presidential mansion in the future. I don't want to be recognized overseas and face the risk of exposure every day.Though Antoninus couldn't fathom my persistence, see
Damn Blake!!!First, I interviewed my ex-boyfriend, and now I have to interview my "potential" rival!Haha, what a brilliant arrangement!In my mind, I cursed Blake a thousand times and returned to the mansion with a belly full of resentment.But wait, Antonius seems to be missing from the mansion?That's very strange.In my impression, our dear President is like a well-oiled machine, with a schedule that is mind-bogglingly regular!At this time of the day, he should be sitting in his office reviewing his documents. Why can't I find a trace of him anywhere?Could something have happened to him...I remember the month he suddenly disappeared before. Dr. Wilson said he was shot.I couldn't help but worry.But I searched all the places Antonius usually goes, even the kitchen, and still couldn't find him.However, there were sudden barks and neighs coming from the stables.Could someone have broken in?!Cautiously, I hid a dining knife up my sleeve and quietly went to the stables to inves