《Submit to the Boss He Rules the Boardroom and the Bedroom》


 Chapter 1

    Chapter 1


    There was rare silence in the huge cafe. Lucia lowered her head, stirring the coffee in front of her


    nervously. The atmosphere fell into an awkward state for a while.


    ¡°First time on a blind date?¡± the man asked in a in tone after being seated for half a minute. His aura


    was too strong, and just a simple question sentence made Lucia even more nervous.


    Today was Lucia Mitchell¡¯s first blind date in her life. Under the coercion of her mother, she reluctantly


    came to the pre-appointed cafe and found the designated seat. She had thought that today was going


    to be a formality, but the man who had sat down turned out to be August Adams, the CEO of Lion


    Group. He had a huge influence in Austos city!


    Worse still, Lucia worked in Lion Group as a small clerk in the administration department. Of course


    August would not know her, but it was too hard for Lucia to pretend she did not know him.


    She was so nervous that she stuttered, ¡°Yes, the¡­ the first time¡­¡±


    August looked back and forth at Lucia with his cold gaze, and continued to ask,


    ¡°Have you graduated from college?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Lucia swallowed unconsciously and added, ¡°It is been two years since graduation.¡±


    Hearing the answer, August was silent for a while, and there was no emotion on his handsome face.


    But Lucia felt quite nervous in her heart. On the one hand, she was thinking about what kind of fairy her


    mother worshiped and got such a top blind date. On the other hand, she wondered if August was sitting


    in the wrong ce. Or was she sitting in the wrong ce? She nced at the number te on the


    table from the corner of her eye, and it was indeed No.18.


    ¡°Sorry¡­ did you find the wrong seat?¡± Lucia asked with courage.


    ¡°Have you got your ID card?¡± August said.


    They two spoke at the same time, and also stopped abruptly at the same time. Lucia raised her head in


    shock after hearing August¡¯s words. Seeing August¡¯s near-perfect face from such a close distance,


    Lucia felt her cheeks flushing and her mind going nk.


    August was very handsome, even better looking than the popr stars. However, as a businessman,


    he emitted a domineering temperament, which often made people want to run away.


    Lucia had entered Lion Group as an intern since college, and stayed after the internship for two years.


    In the past two years, she had only seen August from behind in a distance a few times. Now they were


    sitting face to face, which was even more fantastic than a dream.


    ¡°Do you have any questions?¡± August looked at Lucia¡¯s blushing face, and the coldness in his eyes


    lessened. Lucia shook her head, what problem could she have with her boss!


    Suddenly, August¡¯s cell phone rang, and he picked it up. After a brief silence, he replied neatly, ¡°Got it.¡±


    Then, he hung up the phone and looked up at Lucia, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± He got up as sharply as he spoke and


    did things.


    Lucia obediently stood up and followed August out of the cafe as if she was bewildered. August was


    6.2 ft, so Lucia, 5.6 ft, looked petite behind him. She followed August into the car, a ck business


    Maybach that he often drove.


    Sitting in such a luxurious car, Lucia was very uneasy. She kept stirring her two fingers, asking herself


    from time to time if she was dreaming. However, all her reactions were seen by August.


    ¡°My family forced me to go on a blind date. I do not want to waste my time on this. You look not bad, a


    good candidate for marriage.¡± In the quiet car, August¡¯s maic voice suddenly rang in Lucia¡¯s ear.


    Lucia looked at August in astonishment. Although she came to have a blind date with him, they were


    not at the stage of marriage, ¡°Do you need to think about it again as we seem not to be quite familiar


    with each other¡­¡±


    ¡°No need.¡± August interrupted Lucia. He said domineeringly in a cold voice, ¡°Be my wife and I will give


    you everything you want.¡±


    Unbeknownst to Lucia, August had known her very well before he came.


    With the end of August¡¯s voice, the car also stopped. At this time, the special assistant Burton Harris,


    who had been sitting in the front row silently, got out of the car, opened the door for Lucia, and made a


    gesture of please.


    ¡°Municipal Department?¡± Seeing the destination, Lucia pinched her arm in disbelief, and yelled in pain.


    This was too fast. She was not ready yet.


    Lucia wanted to go back, but Burton came over and said with a smile, ¡°Ms. Mitchell.¡±


    ¡°I, I didn¡¯t bring my ID card.¡± Lucia found an excuse in panic. She had not heard of anyone who came


    to get married just after a blind date!


    Burton smiled and led Lucia inside, ¡°It is okay.¡±


    Burton¡¯s actions left Lucia in a dilemma. She looked back at August who was still in the car. Judged


    from his expression just now, if she ran away, August would kill her. So, Lucia had to follow Burton into


    the municipal department.


    In fewer than ten minutes, Lucia came out. Patting her face, Lucia felt like she was still dreaming¡ªShe


    had actually applied for a marriage certificate with August, without an ID card, without appearing with


    the male protagonist, and she became a married woman! She still felt that none of this was real.


    Lucia didn¡¯te back to her sense until August got out of the car. He took the marriage certificate


    from Burton and put it in the lined pocket of his suit. Then, he looked up at Lucia and said, ¡°I have an


    emergency meetingter. I¡¯ll ask Burton to take you back, and I¡¯ll visit your parents after the meeting


    ends.¡±


    Lucia nodded resignedly. August didn¡¯t say anything more. He turned around and walked to the


    intersection, stopped a taxi and left.


    Looking at August leaving, Lucia lost in her thought. This incident was too bizarre. She actually got a


    certificate with August, the most handsome man in Austos City!


    ¡°Madam, please.¡± Burton said after August left, opening the car door for Lucia.


    Madam? Lucia was pulled back to her senses by the new address. She nced at


    Burton in embarrassment, nodded her head, and got in the car.


    ¡°Madam, this is my business card with my number on it. If you need anything, you can call me.¡± Burton


    turned around and handed Lucia his business card with both hands. Burton was August¡¯s senior


    special assistant and had a high status in thepany. He could even be considered a senior to Lucia.


    Lucia was a little nervous when Burton handed her a business card. She took it with both hands and


    said subconsciously, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Madam, you don¡¯t have to be too polite to me.¡± Burton said respectfully.


    Seeing Burton smiling so friendly at her, Lucia swallowed hard and said nothing.


    Today¡¯s experience was too dreamy for her. It was hard to believe she got married in fewer than three


    hours on a blind date. In retrospect, she felt that she was too impulsive. How could she agree to get


    married just because the man dating her was her boss? She did not know how to exin it to her


    mother when she got home.


    ¡°Madam, Boss will be here on time at six o¡¯clock.¡± After getting out of the car,


    Burton added.


    The scene of Lucia getting out of a luxury car instantly attracted the attention of people. Lucia had no


    time to wonder why Burton had known she lived here. She nodded to Burton before she quickly fled the


    scene.


    She arrived at the door, exhausted and out of breath. When she was about to knock on the door, Lucia


    found her mother, Elisa Mitchell, standing behind her with a vegetable basket.


    ¡°Look at you, you¡¯re not like ady at all.¡± Elisa said in a judgy tone as she opened the door.


    Lucia stuck her tongue out and squeezed herself through the doorway. And then she


    threw her shoes away before rushing into the living room to grab some water.


    Elisa shook her head, displeased, ¡°Lucia Mitchell, your behavior is really


    inappropriate!¡±


    Elisa put the food basket in the kitchen, and then came out and muttered, ¡°When I


    came back, I heard from our neighbor that a girl came back in a luxury car! Such a


    lucky dog.¡±


    Lucia said in a weak tone, ¡°That is me.¡±


    ¡°Huh, you? Rich man likes you?¡± Elisa smirked, ¡°When was thest time you looked


    into a mirror?¡±


    Elisa¡¯s disbelief and relentless suppression left Lucia speechless.


    Both Elisa and Bill Mitchell were university professors. About Lucia¡¯s marriage,


    they upheld that she should find someone matching their background. They did not


    want Lucia to marry into a wealthy family. After all, it was not easy to live in


    such a cruel world.


    Lucia also knew what her parents were thinking, and she feared that her mother


    would faint if she knew her daughter was indeed married into a super rich family.


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    ¡°By the way, how is the blind date today?¡± Elisa came over and sat down on the


    sofa, as if she was going to interrogate Lucia.


    Elisa was retired now. Besides dancing, she went to the hospital to be a volunteer.


    Lucia¡¯s blind date this time was the grandson of an olddy she had met there.


    ¡°Mom, where did you know this guy?¡± Lucia sat down on the sofa next to her.


    ¡°He is Mrs. Adams¡¯ grandson. I heard that he is 30 years old, single for being busy


    with work. I¡¯ve seen his photos and he looks very stable.¡± Elisa had a slight smile


    on her face, obviously satisfied with him.


    Lucia bit her lip and noticed her mother¡¯s expression. Apparently her mother did


    not even know August¡¯s true identity.


    ¡°I¡¯m asking you! What is your impression?¡± Seeing that Lucia was distracted, Elisa


    asked while rolling his eyes.


    Lucia nodded while biting her lips, ¡°He is not bad.¡±


    ¡°That is fine. You can try to get along with him. It takes time to know people¡¯s


    hearts.¡± Elisa stood up, ready to wash the vegetables she had just bought.


    Seeing that Elisa was about to walk into the kitchen, Lucia rushed to pull the


    corner of Elisa¡¯s shirt and asked, ¡°Mom, where is Dad? Is Dading back for


    dinner tonight?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. What¡¯s the matter?¡± Elisa asked.


    Lucia shook her head, then nodded again, and finally whispered, ¡°He ising to our house for dinner


    tonight.¡±

 Chapter 2

    Chapter 2


    Lucia told her mother that August wasing for dinner. As for the marriage


    certificate, she would not mention it until Bill came back. Only in such a way,


    could she have someone to back her up.


    ¡°He?¡± Elisa did not understand at first. But when she saw her daughter¡¯s blushing


    face, she instantly understood who he was referred to. ¡°Okay!¡± Elisa nced at the


    vegetables in the basket, and immediately walked to the door, changing her shoes


    and saying, ¡°I¡¯ll go buy some fish and meat.¡±


    Before Lucia could reply, Elisa had already left, and that was when Lucia could


    breathe a sigh of relief. She went back to her room, closed the door and carefully


    took out the marriage certificate in her pocket.


    ¡°Am I really not dreaming?¡± Luciay on the bed, holding the certificate above her


    head, muttering to herself. At this point, her mind was in chaos, and then she


    suddenly thought of thest words August had said to her in the car.


    August had said that he could give her everything except love.


    In fact, so did she. Since she had been betrayed two years ago, she had lost hope


    in rtionships. Lucia even thought she would never fall in love with anyone in


    her life again. Otherwise, she would not go on a blind date.


    The both of them went for the blind date with their cards on the desk, making it


    clear that there were no feelings involved. Their both believed that marriage was


    just a tool to prove that they were also living a ¡®normal¡¯ life.


    Thinking of this, Lucia rxed a little. Although their marriage was an ident,


    its essence went as she had nned before. So what did she have to worry about?


    After Lucia convinced herself for a while, she fell asleep. It was past five


    o¡¯clock in the afternoon when she woke up. She rubbed her eyes as if she had not


    woken up yet.


    ¡°August, right? Drink water and eat an apple. I bought these at the market this


    morning. They are very fresh.¡±


    Just when Lucia was still thinking about whether to go back to sleep again, the


    enthusiastic voice of her mother outside made Lucia shudder.


    ¡®August? Water and apple?¡¯ Is there any guest at home?¡¯ Lucia scratched her head


    for a while before she suddenly remembered that August had said he woulde.


    Lucia rushed out like a rocket. As soon as she left the door, she bumped into


    Elisa, who was about to knock on the door with a fruit bowl.


    Elisa rolled her eyes at Lucia who was always in a hurry, then said softly with a


    motherly smile, ¡°Lucia, you came out just in time. August is here,e and talk to


    him.¡±


    Lucia¡¯s heart skipped a beat as she subconsciously looked at the clock on the wall,


    and the hour hand just pointed to six o¡¯clock. ¡®He really came! Just on time.¡¯


    Lucia grinned awkwardly, having an urge to hide in her room, but the quick-witted


    Elisa grabbed her arm, and pushed Lucia to August, who was sitting on the sofa.


    ¡°You guys talk. I¡¯m off to cook,¡± Elisa said with a smile.


    After she left, the air in the living room froze instantly. Lucia did not know what


    to do for a moment, nor where to look. Sometimes she looked at her toes, sometimes


    at August.


    Wearing an off-white sweatshirt this time, August looked calm and energetic, much


    more approachable than him in his suit in the daytime.


    ¡®Does he go back and change his clothes on purpose?¡¯ Lucia¡¯s mind wandered again.


    ¡°Lucia,¡± August said, breaking the silence.


    Lucia raised her head subconsciously and blurted out, ¡°Boss.¡± After that, she


    realized something was wrong. She hadn¡¯t told August before that she was his


    employee. ¡®Will he think I¡¯m very scheming? Will he doubt that it was me who


    arranged the blind date?¡¯


    At this moment, Lucia had countless images in her mind, but August did not pay


    attention to what she said and continued, ¡°Hand out.¡±


    Lucia obediently stretched out her right hand.


    ¡°Left hand,¡± August said. Lucia retracted her right hand and extended the left one.


    Then, August took out a tinum ring and put it on Lucia¡¯s left ring finger with


    gentleness and grace. Lucia was stunned, her heart beating fast. She looked at the


    ring on her finger but couldn¡¯t say anything. When she looked at August, she found


    the same ring on his left hand, but his slender and smooth fingers made the ring


    even better-looking.


    ¡°The size is just right.¡± August nodded with satisfaction.


    ¡°I...¡± Lucia¡¯s heart stirred again.


    ¡°As I said, I¡¯ll give you everything.¡± August looked up at Lucia, ¡°You can call me


    August, and I¡¯ll call you Lucia.¡± August said in a soft voice, yet with an


    unquestioning attitude.


    ¡°I...¡± Lucia tried to calm her excitement, ¡°Isn¡¯t it too soon? We just met, and you


    do not know me.¡±


    Lucia blushed and finally said what she wanted to say. In fact, she had nothing to


    worry about marrying August. After all, she wouldn¡¯t lose anything. But for August,


    that was a big loss! Being Mrs. Adams, what she could earn was definitely more than


    ten truckloads of diamonds!


    ¡°What do you mean by knowing?¡± August raised his eyebrows slightly.


    Lucia gave a few examples, ¡°For example, what is my name, where do I work, and what


    university did I graduate from...¡±


    ¡°You are Lucia Mitchell, 24 years old, working at Lion Group. During school, you


    had a boyfriend who studied finance. You broke up when you graduated...¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay.¡± Hearing this, Lucia hurriedly interrupted August. Speaking of her


    past romance, Lucia felt embarrassed, and her face instantly turned red. But August


    was calm, and answered Lucia¡¯s question seriously.


    Lucia swallowed. It seemed that August really knew her. But would he be interested


    in her previous emotional experiences? Would he misunderstand? After thinking about


    it, Lucia finally decided to exin it to August. She whispered, ¡°I had a


    boyfriend in college, but nothing really happened.¡± Speaking of this, Lucia


    blushed.


    August did not care about this matter at all. But seeing that Lucia talking about


    it seriously, he found the little girl cute, and the knot between his brows


    loosened.


    At this moment, the door opened from the outside, and it was Bill who had returned.


    Bill changed his shoes and went to the kitchen directly, not noticing what was


    going on in the living room. Lucia suddenly remembered that she forgot to tell


    August.


    ¡°Boss, I...¡± She sat closer to August and whispered. Looking at August¡¯s cold eyes,


    Lucia suddenly realized that she had called him wrong, but it was hard for her to


    call her boss by his name right now. So Lucia had to pretend not to understand, and


    continued, ¡°I have not told my parents that we have already married.¡±


    August nodded calmly, indicating that he understood, with no emotional change on


    his face.


    ¡°And...¡± Lucia continued, but Bill appeared behind her and interrupted her. ¡°Lucia! A


    guest in the house?¡±


    The thick voice almost made her jump. Turning around, Lucia wanted toin, but


    thinking that August was there, she had to change her attitude, ¡°Dad, you¡¯re back!


    How is your day?¡±


    Then she walked over to her dad and took off his briefcase. Just as Lucia was about


    to introduce August to her father, Bill walked past Lucia and straight towards


    August, ¡°August? Why are you here?¡±


    August stood up, bowed his head slightly at Bill, and called, ¡°Hello, Mr.


    Mitchell.¡±


    Different from Bill¡¯s excitement, August always looked calm and colleced under most


    conditions. It seemed that nothing could stir any emotion in his heart.


    Bill pulled August to sit down, then said to Lucia without even raisng his head,


    ¡°Hurry up to get my ck tea out.¡±


    Lucia was confused by the situation. But since her dad looked like he was reuniting


    with an old friend, she obviously could not get into the conversation. Therefore,


    she had to get the ck tea that Bill kept, and then went to the kitchen to make


    tea.


    ¡°Mom, Dad seems to know... August.¡± Although the name August was not hard to


    pronounce, it still needed some time for Lucia to get used to it.


    Elisa was picking the shrimp line. When she heard her daughter¡¯s words, she stopped


    her work and looked into the living room, only to see Bill delicate himself in the


    conversation. And she muttered, ¡°It looks like they do know each other.¡±


    Elisa had not told Bill about the blind date at first, and was scolded for the


    sudden announcement of Lucia¡¯s blind dateing for dinner. It turned out that


    they were acquaintances. Thinking of this, Elisa beamed. Since August had entered


    the door, the more she looked at him, the more she liked him. Calm, stable and


    handsome, he was the best choice for the son-inw in her heart.


    Elisa was overjoyed, humming a tune to herself, ignoring Lucia¡¯s dazed look. Lucia


    had no choice but to return to the living room with the brewed tea. Bill and August


    were chatting about some academic issues, which Lucia could not understand at all.


    She could only stay there with her embarrassment.


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    When speaking of something exciting, Bill took August into the study. As soon as


    the door closed, Lucia could not hear anything. She pursed her lips and went back


    to the kitchen to help her mother. After about half an hour, the food was ready and


    served, and Lucia asked the two men out for dinner.


    Probably because of August¡¯s powerful aura, the ordinary dinner looked like a high-


    level one. Lucia, who sat beside August, straightened her back subconsciously and


    put her hands on herp in an obedient manner.


    It was not until then that Bill thought of introducing August. ¡°Lucia, August is my


    favorite student, whom I have often mentioned to you before.¡±


    Lucia looked at August in shock. The student that her dad often praised, who had


    always been the first ce, turned out to be him! Lucia immediately regarded


    August as a superman in her heart.


    Elisa was even more pleased upon hearing the news. She had wanted to serve a piece


    of food for August, but when she saw August¡¯s cold look, she suddenly felt


    restrained. So, Elisa could only say to August with a tensed smile, ¡°Enjoy


    yourself.¡±


    August nodded to Elisa, his voice dry, ¡°Thank you, Mrs. Mitchell.¡± Then he used his


    cutlery with ease and grace, almost like an aristocrat. This made Lucia, who had


    always been bad at table manners, feel ashamed.


    Lucia decided to go for the soup first, so she got up and picked up the bowl. Just


    then, Elisa saw the ring on Lucia¡¯s finger. Elisa quickly looked at August¡¯s hand


    and found the same ring.


    ¡°Lucia, this ring...¡± Elisa grabbed Lucia¡¯s hand, then looked back and forth between


    Lucia and August, ¡°You two?¡±


    Being caught, Lucia turned to August for help with her eyes unconsciously.

 Chapter 3

    Chapter 3


    August put down his cutlery unhurriedly, set them up, and then slowly raised his head. He said very


    solemnly and calmly, ¡°Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell, Lucia and I have already married.¡± Marrying on the first


    day of their blind date was undoubtedly a bomb. But when it was cast by August, it felt it was not a big


    deal. Lucia was very nervous at this moment. Highly alert, she stared at Elisa¡¯s expression to get ready


    to flee at any time. But after a brief silence, Bill and Elisa said in unison after they regained their sense,


    ¡°Okay, we agree to your marriage.¡± Lucia wondered did she hear it wrong. Her eyes moved back and


    forth between her parents. ¡°Dad, Mom, you¡­ do not me me?¡± Bill and Elisa ignored Lucia. Instead,


    they turned to August. Bill put Lucia¡¯s hand in August¡¯s palm, ¡°August, Lucia will be handed over to you


    in the future. She is a sloppy person, but she also has advantages. She is kind, lively, and simple.¡±


    When Lucia¡¯s handnded on August, a tingling sensation like an electric shock spread all over her


    body. Lucia¡¯s face suddenly turned crimson, and she lowered her head in embarrassment. August


    didn¡¯t promise anything and just replied briefly. ¡°Mr. Mitchell, do not worry.¡± But these few words made


    Lucia feel very warm and safe for no reason. She nced at August secretly. He was so handsome no


    matter how she looked at him from any perspective. This dinner ended perfectly. Lucia escorted August


    downstairs as her parents demanded. Looking at August¡¯s tall body, Lucia couldn¡¯t help blushing. Her


    mind flew back to the scene that had just happened. She had thought her Mom and Dad would be


    furious, but nothing had happened. It was all because of the man beside her. Thinking of this, Lucia


    secretly nced at August again, and then her eyes fell on August¡¯s left hand. Her heart began to beat


    fast again, and the hand that had touched August started to get hot again. She hadn¡¯t expected that


    August, who looked like an iceberg on the outside, could have palms so warm. He could let others feel


    so safe, as if nothing would be a problem if he was there, just like they could get a marriage certificate


    without an ID card. She thought so intently that she didn¡¯t notice that August had stopped, so Lucia


    mmed into August¡¯s strong back. Screaming, she raised her head, and immediately stepped back in


    embarrassment. August turned around and looked at her, with a card in his hand. He handed it to


    Lucia, ¡°If it is not enough, tell me. The password is six zeros.¡± August¡¯s sharp facial features were


    softened by the light, even his eyes were less cold. ¡°This, for me?¡± Lucia took it in a daze, looking at


    the gold card in his hand. She still could not believe it. How much money was there on August¡¯s card?


    The money-grubber look Lucia identally showed was caught by August. At this moment, Burton


    arrived to pick up August. August nced at Lucia, who was still immersed in her own little world, the


    corners of his thin lips rising involuntarily. However, the smile fled in seconds, and he returned to his


    usual indifferent facade. August got into the car, lowered the window, and said to Lucia in an even


    voice, ¡°Tomorrow I¡¯lle pick you up and go to our new home.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Lucia came to her senses


    when she heard August¡¯s voice. But as soon as she looked up, August raised the window, and the car


    drove away, not giving Lucia any time to think. After a few seconds, Lucia caught the important


    information from the words just now. ¡°Our new home.¡± Lucia repeated what August had said, holding


    the card in her hands. Her face turned red again. August was a man of his word. Early the next


    morning, he was waiting in themunity. Urged by Elisa, Lucia hurried downstairs in a white T-shirt.


    The car was still that luxurious Maybach. Under people¡¯s gaze, Lucia walked over, and Burton opened


    the door of the car for her, greeting her, ¡°Madam, good morning.¡± Still not used to this title, Lucia cast


    an embarrassed smile at Burton, and entered the car. Once she got in, she was drawn to August.


    Today August wore an all-ck suit, which made him look very abstinent. With the two buttons at the


    top left unbuttoned, she could see his Adam¡¯s apple and could not help but hold her breath. She always


    knew that August was good-looking, but she hadn¡¯t expected him to be so attractive. August¡¯s eyes had


    originally fallen on the document in front of him, but Lucia¡¯s eyes were too hot that he suddenly looked


    over. As their eyes met, Lucia snapped back to her senses when she felt the coldness under August¡¯s


    eyes, and then lowered her head quickly, blushed and ashamed. As if nothing had happened, August


    returned his gaze to the document. Along the way, the inside of the car was extremely quiet. Although


    Lucia kept looking out of the window, her mind was full of what had happened just now and August¡¯s


    gaze. She didn¡¯t even notice when the car stopped. Burton reminded Lucia, opening the door for her,


    ¡°Madam, we¡¯re here.¡± Lucia got out of the car. She thought that August would follow, but the car sped


    away in front of her again, leaving her and Burton behind. Lucia was confused. ¡®Didn¡¯t he say we would


    go to our new home together?¡¯ Burton sensed Lucia¡¯s thoughts and exined, ¡°Madam, Mr. Adams


    has an emergency meeting this morning. He will have lunch with you.¡± Lucia¡¯s expression suddenly


    brightened, and then as if thinking of something, she turned to Burton and said, ¡°Mr. Harris, can you


    please stop calling me ¡®Madam¡¯?¡± It sounded awkward for her. After all, today was only the second day


    after she got married, so it was normal for her to feel ufortable by being called in such a way.


    ¡°Just call me by my name, Lucia.¡± ¡°Madam, Mr. Adams usually lives here, and it is where you will live in


    the future.¡± Burton ignored Lucia¡¯s words and pointed to a vi. Lucia followed Burton¡¯s hand, and the


    mansion entered her sight. Once inside, Lucia¡¯s eyes kept looking around. The interior of the house


    was mostly high-grade gray, which fits August¡¯s cold exterior. Burton took Lucia up to the second floor,


    pushed open a room next to the master bedroom and said to Lucia. ¡°Madam, this is your room.¡± The


    layout of this room was very simple, and it was still the color that the owner preferred. Looking at the


    big bed, Lucia felt a little nervous. She was going to be in the same bed with August from now on.


    Thinking of that scene, Lucia felt her throat tighten, and her breathing became a little nervous. Burton


    saw Lucia¡¯s blushing, and immediately asked her nervously, ¡°Madam, what¡¯s the matter with you?¡± ¡°No,


    no.¡± Lucia was even more embarrassed. How could Burton know about Lucia¡¯s thoughts? He


    continued, ¡°This room has not yet been furnished. Boss said that it will be decorated ording to your


    preference. Madam, I will take you to the shopping hallter.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Lucia nodded. After leaving the


    room, Burton pointed to the next room and said, ¡°Madam, the boss lives next door.¡± Hearing this, Lucia


    was slightly taken aback. It turned out that we slept separately. Lucia relieved a heave of sigh inwardly,


    knowing that she didn¡¯t have to be nervous. She had been thinking about what to do when she saw


    August at night. Seeing Lucia¡¯s face change slightly, Burton thought Lucia was unhappy. After all, no


    newlyweds slept in separate rooms. He quickly changed the subject. ¡°Madam, Mr. Adams likes to be


    quiet, so there is no babysitter at home. But part-time cleaners wille from time to time. If you have


    a need¡­¡± ¡°No, no, don¡¯t bother.¡± Lucia waved her hands quickly. On the way to the shopping hall, Lucia


    also learned about the nearby facilities. This was indeed a wealthy area. If she wanted to take the


    subway or bus, she needed to walk for half an hour. It seemed that she needed to wake up earlier from


    now on. Burton took Lucia to a shopping hall near Lion Group. ¡°Madam, you can go shopping by


    yourself. I have to go back to thepany, and the boss wille to have dinner with you in twoN?velDrama.Org exclusive content.


    hours.¡± All the people who came to this shopping hall were some richdies. Lucia, wearing a white T-


    shirt, looked very inconsistent. Just as she was looking leisurely at the things in the windows, someone


    suddenly called her from behind. Lucia turned around and saw a woman taking a man¡¯s hand stop in


    front of her. ¡°Yo! It is really you, Lucia.¡± The woman chuckled and leaned softly on the man beside her,


    ¡°Archibald, look at how right your choice was. She is still poor!¡± It was her ex-boyfriend Archibald Smith


    who had cheated on Lucia two years ago and his girlfriend Carol Wright. Looking at the two people in


    front of her, Lucia returned a cold smile. ¡°It¡¯s been two years, Archibald. You are still so bright on the


    outside, but more vicious on the inside.¡± Carol was wearing a tube top skirt and Archibald was wearing


    a royal blue suit. They had used to be the best-looking people in the finance department. They were


    compatible when they stood together, but only on the outside. Hearing her words, Archibald was angry


    but still said with a pretentiously good manner, ¡°Lucia, this is not the ce you shoulde.¡± ¡°Why


    can¡¯t Ie? Is this ce owned by you?¡± Lucia¡¯s usually soft eyes suddenly became sharp. After


    speaking, she covered her mouth and added with an apologetic expression, ¡°Sorry, I forgot. You are a


    servant of the Wright family.¡±

 Chapter 4

    Chapter 4


    Chapter 004 "Lucia Mitchell!"


    Archibald was stepped on the sore spot and could no longer disguise his appearance as a gentleman,


    roaring at Lucia.


    Seeing Archibald¡¯s exasperated look, Lucia couldn¡¯t help but feel in a good mood.


    Archibald had been born in a small town, and his parents were ordinary workers.


    The reason why Lucia had fallen in love with Archibald was his talent and knowledge.


    She had never looked down on his background, but instead, he looked down on her and had hooked


    up with Carol Wright, ady from Man Hong Construction Company Limited.


    At this time, Carol, who was standing silently by the side, opened her handbag and took out a stack of


    cash in front of Lucia.


    Lucia felt her heart tighten suddenly at the familiar scene and her face turned pale.


    Seeing Lucia¡¯s reaction, Carol smiled proudly and said, "After two years, you have changed a lot.


    However¡­"


    Carol looked at Lucia with contempt, "Archibald is right, this is not the ce for you, peasant.


    Take this money and get out!"


    As she finished her words, Carol threw the money in her hand towards Lucia, which was scattered all


    over the ce, just like when Lucia had caught Archibald in bed, Carol had taken a sum of money and


    told her not to pester Archibald.


    She had thought she didn¡¯t care about it for a long time, but when the scene reappeared, Lucia¡¯s heart


    ached again, and her hands trembled uncontrobly.


    "p!"A pnded on Carol¡¯s face as quickly as possible.


    "You dare to hit me?!"


    Carol, who was beaten, took half a second to react.


    She covered her face and tried to fight back, but Lucia, who was half a head taller than her, had the


    height advantage.


    Lucia took Carol¡¯s hand easily.


    "Do you think I¡¯m still the woman who let you humiliate without saying a word?"


    Lucia¡¯s sudden violent look frightened Carol, but it was only temporary.


    Then Carol hurriedly yelled at Archibald, who was standing there dumbfounded, "Archibald Smith, why


    are you still standing there? She beat me,e and help me!"


    Archibald regained his sense.


    Without hesitation, he stepped forward and raised his hand.


    Of course, it was impossible for Lucia to fight against them alone.


    Lucia sarcastically said to Archibald, "Archibald, I really regret thinking highly of you before.


    I thought you were still a human being, but it turns out you are not."


    "Lucia, you deserved it!"


    Archibald said fiercely.


    Just as Archibald was about to hit Lucia, a big hand suddenly grabbed Archibald¡¯s wrist.


    Lucia had thought she was going to be pped, but August suddenly appeared and rescued her in


    time.


    August squeezed Archibald¡¯s wrist effortlessly, but Archibald looked excruciatingly painful, and his


    mouth kept wailing for forgiveness.


    "Who are you? You let go of my husband."


    Carol came immediately.


    Seeing Caroling, August immediately let go of Archibald¡¯s hand and pulled Lucia to his side, as if


    avoiding the virus.


    He turned his head slightly and asked Lucia in a t tone, "Injured?"


    Looking at August¡¯s cold gaze, Lucia shook her head obediently.


    N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.


    Although his word was still indifferent, Lucia felt warmer in her heart for no reason.


    Carol¡¯s resentment deepened when she saw a graceful man suddenly appear to protect Lucia.


    She yelled at August, "Who are you? Mind on your own business!"


    Before Carol could finish her sentence, Archibald, who was standing next to her, changed his attitude


    instantly after seeing August¡¯s face.


    He said nervously, "President Adams!"


    ¡®President Adams?¡¯ Carol shared a look with Archibald.


    Although she had never seen August, there were very few people who could be called president in


    Austos city.


    Coupled with such an outstanding appearance, there was only that man.


    "You¡¯re August Adams!"


    Carol couldn¡¯t believe the man protecting Lucia was the man who had a reputation in the city! "Get


    lost,"


    August said, ncing at Carol.


    The sound was not loud, but it made Archibald break into cold sweats.


    However, Carol said, "Who are you to let us go? This hall belongs to my family."


    Before she could send them out instead, August emitted a chill aura, and the sudden low pressure


    made it hard for the people present to breathe.


    He nced at her indifferently.


    "From now on, it is mine."


    August¡¯s voice was t, but his eyes were very frightening.


    Frightened by the look, Carol shivered involuntarily, but she still tried to threaten him, "You¡­"


    "Sorry, President, we¡¯ll get out of here right away."


    Archibald interrupted Carol immediately, nodded and bowed in apology, and then dragged Carol away.


    Carol seemed unwilling, but she was not as powerful s Archibald, so she could only follow Archibald


    and stagger away.


    A farce ended.


    Many onlookers took out their mobile phones to take pictures after seeing August.


    At this time, Burton came.


    "Dispose of those photos,"


    August ordered.


    "Yes."


    Lucia, who was standing beside August, was stunned for a long time.


    It was the first time she had seen a person with such great power.


    He only needed to say a few words to win.


    "Madam, we¡¯re leaving,"


    Burton whispered.


    Lucia looked up and saw that the crowd had dispersed.


    August had already left.


    She didn¡¯t have time to think about it, and immediately chased after him.


    August¡¯s legs were too long and his steps were too big, so Lucia had to trot along.


    They entered a restaurant where the waiter seemed to know August.


    Seeing Augusting, the waiter immediately led him in.


    After they were seated in a private room, the waiters began to serve the dishes, as if everything had


    been arranged before so that they could eat immediately whenever they came.


    Lucia once againmented the strength of August.


    It was quiet.


    August seemed to have work to do, watching the iPad that Burton had handed him all the time.


    In such a big private room with such arge table of dishes, Lucia felt it was wasteful for only the two of


    them to eat.


    But considering August¡¯s status, she believed this should be a daily routine.


    Lucia picked up the teacup at hand, took a sip, and said to August, "Thank you for what happened just


    now."


    Her voice was low, fearing disturbing August¡¯s work.


    August continued to work as if he hadn¡¯t heard her.


    Lucia didn¡¯t say any more, but her appreciation was sincere.


    Although she looked fierce on the surface, she had actually been scared inside when faced with Carol.


    In addition to being afraid of Carol and Archibald beating her together, she was more afraid of recalling


    the past ¡ªTwo years ago, they had stood together and humiliated her, just like today.


    The man she once had thought he loved her had stood beside another woman, scolding her for all


    kinds of wrongs in the past and telling her that the days with her were painful.


    When she thought of this, Lucia¡¯s nose turned red and tears welled up in her eyes.


    The beautiful love she once had had faith in was ruined by Archibald and Carol.


    Lucia was suddenly caught up in sad memories, unaware that August was already looking at her.


    After watching for a few seconds, August frowned slightly and called out, "Lucia."


    Lucia shivered as the cold voice pierced her eardrums.


    She jerked her head up and met August¡¯s cold eyes.


    Lucia immediately realized that she had lost her cool and wiped away her tears as she said, "I¡¯m sorry,


    I¡­ It isn¡¯t intentional."


    "Remember, you are my wife.


    You don¡¯t need to say sorry to anyone."


    Before Lucia could finish her words, August interrupted her, "And you don¡¯t need to be afraid of


    anyone."


    August¡¯s face was aloof, and there was a hint of anger in his voice.


    Scared, Lucia could only purse her lips and nod obediently.


    She was thinking about whether she had embarrassed him just now.


    The way she had scolded Carol was indeed indecent.


    "I¡­ I know I am wrong."


    Lucia wanted to say something apologetic, but after meeting August¡¯s eyes, she closed her mouth


    immediately.


    She straightened her waist unconsciously, like a pupil who had made a mistake and waited to be


    disciplined.


    Seeing this, August softened his expression, and his tone was also much gentler.


    "Let¡¯s eat."


    After dinner, August went straight back to thepany.


    Lucia didn¡¯t have the mood to shop either, so Burton drove her home.


    On the way, Burton saw Lucia was unhappy and said, "Madam, if this happens again in the future,


    remember to call me, and I will be there as soon as possible."


    "I didn¡¯t expect such a thing to happen.


    I seem to upset him.


    Am I making him feel ashamed?"


    Lucia remembered August¡¯s being angry during the meal.


    Burton didn¡¯t understand who Lucia was talking about.


    And after half a second, he suddenly realized, "Madam, how can Mr.Adams be angry with you? If he is,


    he must be angry with me."


    "Why do you say that?"


    "Madam, although Mr.Adams didn¡¯t say anything, he will definitely protect you.


    Just now he sent someone to buy the Smith¡¯spany."


    Hearing what Burton said, Lucia remembered what August had said to Carol.


    She had thought he was just talking, but he actually did it.

 Chapter 5

    Chapter 5


    Chapter 005 Lucia''s mood was lifted.


    Burton continued, ''Madam, Boss is angry because he is afraid that you will suffer.


    He is extremely protective."


    "Really?"


    Hearing this exnation, Lucia was dubious but turned much happier.


    Unexpectedly, August just looked cold and yet was warm inside.


    Seeing Lucia''s smile, Burton panicked.


    He had said too much, and his boss would skin him if he found out.


    But for the sake of their harmony, it was worth it.


    In the Wright''s living room, as soon as they got home, Carol angrily smashed everything that could be


    smashed in the house, and then she pointed at Archibald, who was kneeling on the ground, and


    roared, "Archibald Smith, - what did you mean? You are helping outsiders deal with me, aren''t you?"


    "Darling, I didn''t help her, you are the woman I love the most, and my heart belongs to you,"


    Archibald exined to Carol.


    Then why don''t you hit that bitch? Why are you so afraid of August Adams? He''s just a president of a


    company."


    Carol asked hysterically.


    She had never been wronged since she grew up.


    Archibald was no longer so bright as he was in the public.


    He hung his head and let Carol beat and scold him.


    With a muffled voice, he continued to exin, "Honey, we can''t mess with August.


    He holds most of themercial territory of the city."


    Smith only owned a constructionpany.


    How dare itpete with Mitchell''s business empire? Wasn''t this like hitting the stone with an egg?


    However, Carol had been pampered since childhood.


    She could easily get whatever she wanted.


    She had never been bullied as badly as she was today.


    She despised Archibald for being so timid.


    As soon as Archibald spoke, she pped him in the face.


    "Trash! Get out! I don''t want to see you."


    Archibald heard this, he immediately disappeared in front of Carol.


    Feeling tired after venting her anger, Carol sat down and rubbed her temples.


    This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.


    She thought she couldn''t let Lucia have a good time.


    At this moment, she suddenly thought of someone, so she hurriedly called over.


    In just a few words, the two of them reached a consensus.


    After hanging up, Carol was in an improved mood.


    "Lucia, aren''t you backed by August? See what you do if you lose his protection!"


    After returning home, Lucia found that her belongings had been packed by her parents and delivered to


    her.


    Looking at the bags all over the ce, Lucia was speechless.


    How much did her mother want to kick her out of the house? Comining, Lucia still packed up her


    belongings.


    Finally, there were only some sundries left, which she didn''t know where to put them for now.


    Since the vi was so big, she thought there should be a storage room.


    So, Lucia was holding a box of sundries and familiarizing herself with the environment while looking for


    the storage room.


    After looking at all the rooms and finding no storage room, Lucia rightfully thought that the room in the


    deepest part of the corridor on the second floor was the storage room.


    But when she opened the door, what caught her eye was a bookcase full of various books.


    "This is the study?"


    Lucia stuck her head in and probed inside.


    Thinking it was August''s study, Lucia stepped in with her legs unconsciously.


    She looked at the books on this wall admiringly, and couldn''t help but admire August''s strength.


    She was so engrossed that the cardboard box in her hand identally bumped into the picture frame


    on the table.


    The sound of the frame falling to the ground was particrly clear, making Lucia tremble.


    She immediately realized that she was in trouble, and Lucia hurriedly knelt down nervously and picked


    up the frame.


    Fortunately, the frame was not iid with ss.


    If it were broken, she would definitely be dead.

 Chapter 6

    Chapter 6


    Chapter 006 Hence Lucia cautiously said to August, "I can take the subway, so I won''t bother you."


    Hearing that, August, who was reading the newspaper, raised his head and looked at Lucia.


    His gaze lingered on Lucia''s reddened face for a few seconds.


    Then he said, ''Lucia, have you forgotten?"


    Lucia was confused by the question, "What did I forget?"


    "You are my wife."


    Replied by August.


    "Oh."


    Lucia didn''t say another word and got into the car obediently.


    Because of these words, Lucia''s heart suddenly softened.


    No matter what happened between her and August or what August had been like, now he was her


    husband, and she was his wife.


    If nothing unexpected happened, they would be together for the rest of their lives.


    Finally, at thest minute of work time, Lucia arrived at the office and pressed her fingerprint to punch


    in.


    In such a way, she could get two hundred dors as this month''s full attendance awards.


    Leaning against her desk, Lucia gasped for air.


    At first, she had thought they would be discovered.


    Out of her expectation, August had a private entrance all the time where there was no one else.


    So she could take August''s car in the future without worrying that someone would discover it.


    She was very happy to think about it.


    Just as Lucia was feeling lucky, a department meeting was about to begin.


    Lucia grabbed herptop and quickly found herself a seat in the small corner of the meeting room.


    Lion Group had arge administrative department with a total of more than 50 people.


    It cooperated with different departments for daily business operations.


    The content of the meeting was still the same as usual, such as personal appearance, attendance


    policy, and punctuality in the workce.


    The routine presentation made her a little sleepy.


    Just then, Carter, the administrative director, suddenly called out Lucia''s name, and everyone in the


    meeting was woken up by the news and turned to look at her.


    Lucia was even more confused, but she had to stand up obediently eve "From now on, Lucia will be


    promoted to administrative assistant."


    Carter apuded after speaking.


    Although other attendees felt a little bit strange, they followed.


    Then the meeting was over.


    Lucia, as the person who was promoted, was confused.


    She hurriedly followed behind Carter and asked, "What''s going on? Did I get a promotion?"


    Casting a nce at Lucia, Carter replied nkly, "I just received a notice from the human resources


    department this morning.


    As for the reason, I don''t know either."


    Then she left.


    For a moment, Lucia became a hot topic in the department.


    Lion Group had a strict set of criteria for promotion.


    The intern had to finish her internship for three months, and then pass both the exams and the


    interview if she wanted to be a formal employee.


    And if an average employee wanted to be promoted to an assistant, they had to work for three years


    and pass the assessment of the director.


    Lucia had only two years of experience on the job, so she was not qualified.


    Therefore, her promotion caused a discussion.


    "What makes Lucia an assistant? By the way, I remember that you have been working for three years.


    The director is good to you.


    In my opinion, you should be the one to be promoted."


    "Who the hell knows what kind of in dumb luck she has!"


    In thedy''s room, there were more criticisms than congrattions about Lucia''s promotion.


    At the same time, Lucia, who was listening to her colleagues''ments in a booth, felt miserable.


    Although she had only been in thepany for two years, she was diligent in every assignment.


    She took the job seriously and got along with her colleagues well.


    How could she be hated for being promoted? "Lucia, Congrattions!"


    Lydia Anderson jumped in front of Lucia and handed her an apple when the depressed Lucia returned


    to her seat.


    Lydia, who had just turned 20 this year, was a young girl who had been interning in thepany for


    almost three months.


    She had been assigned to Lucia since she had entered thepany.


    During the period, Lucia 0.10 Chapler 006 treated Lydia as her sister.


    Lydia was the first person to congratte Lucia, which made Lucia feel better.


    She smiled at Lydia and said, "Thank you.


    Lydia,"


    and then took the apple from her.


    The promotion led to a handover from Lucia to Lydia.


    As Lydia followed Lucia, listening carefully to what Lucia said, suddenly, her sight fell on the ring on


    Lucia''s ring finger.


    Lydia''s eyes lit up with surprise.


    "Lucia, your ring is so beautiful!"


    Although there was no diamond embedded in the ring, the contoured design pleased the eye.


    Hearing Lydia''sment, Lucia stopped and set her eyes on the ring.


    She couldn''t help but think of the scene where August had put the ring on her finger.


    Although it was not a romantic asion, a handsome person always made people feel romantic and


    dreamy.


    Thinking about it, Lucia felt her cheeks blush.


    "Lucia, would you mind letting me try it?"


    Lydia stared at the ring on Lucia''s finger and asked sincerely.


    Lucia hadn''t expected Lydia to make such a request.


    Looking into Lydia''s eager eyes, Lucia was in a dilemma because August had told her that she was not


    allowed to take off this ring no matter whenever and wherever.


    So Lucia said to Lydia apologetically after hesitating for a moment, "I''m sorry, this is my wedding ring."


    Lydia was surprised at Lucia''s reply.


    She quickly apologized, "Geez, I''m sorry.


    I didn''t know.


    I was so rude."


    But there was still a sh of disappointment and unwillingness in her eyes.


    "It''s all right.'' Luciaforted her.


    When did you get married?"


    Lydia tilted her head and asked curiously.


    During her internship in thepany.


    Lydia had a general understanding of everyone in the department.


    Lucia had been single all the time before, and she hadn''t even had a boyfriend.


    It was rather strange and unexpected that she suddenly wore a wedding ring.


    Lucia realized that her case was strange, but she couldn''t tell the truth.


    Even if she told them she was actually on a blind date with the president of Lion Group and they had


    married, perhaps no one would buy it.


    After thinking for a while, Lucia described it lightly, "I met him on a blind date.


    It just happened recently."


    Then she lowered her head and continued her work.


    Seeing that Lucia didn''t say anything more, Lydia dropped the topic.


    About twenty minutester, Lucia finally finished sorting out the handover.


    She printed them out and handed them over to Lydia.


    "Thank you, Lucia,"


    Lydia said in a sweet voice, with the documents in her arms.


    She looked at her watch and found that it was time for lunch.


    She said to Lucia, "Lucia, I still have some questions that I don''t understand.


    How about we have lunch together and you can tell me again?"


    Afraid that Lucia wouldn''t agree, she added, "I''m afraid of making mistakes, so I won''t get through the


    internship."


    She frowned and looked at Lucia with pitiful eyes.


    In response, Lucia had no reason to reject Lydia and happily agreed.


    "Lydia, are we having lunch here?"


    Lucia asked.


    The hotel they arrived at was the one with the highest standard in Austos, in terms of its furnishing or


    food.


    It was not a ce that any person could afford.


    Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Lydia, who had been leading the way, immediately turned around to hold Lucia''s arm.


    She replied with a smile, "Yes, I have booked a private room just now."


    "But, isn''t it too expensive?"


    Lucia still felt it was not proper to have a working lunch in such a ce.


    It was too extravagant "Lucia, I want to thank you for taking care of me all the time.


    Besides, I''ve made the reservation.


    It will be a waste if we don''t eat it."


    Lydia said as she grabbed Lucia''s wrist tightly, as if she was afraid that Lucia would run away.


    Lucia was thinking about how much the meal would cost, not noticing this small gesture.


    Seeing that Lucia didn''t say anything, Lydia pulled Lucia inside in a hurry.


    After entering the private room, Lucia was once again shocked by the luxurious decor.


    Lucia looked at Lydia with suspicion.


    After thinking for a while, she asked, "Lydia, are you born into a rich family?"


    Lydia smiled at Lucia''s question but didn''t answer it.


    Seeing this, Lucia felt a little relieved.


    If Lydia were an average person, she wouldn''t agree on having the meal.


    After all, it was not worthwhile to have a meal with her yo two menthe Luole have a seat.


    What would you like to eat?"


    Lydia sat down next to Lucia and handed over the menu Lucia took a deep breath when she saw the


    priceeven the cheapest dish was priced at four figures.


    Now she suspected the customers here were gold eaters.


    "Lydia, let''s go somewhere else."


    The price made Lucia''s heart ache.


    With a smile on her face, Lydia took the menu from Lucia and said, "It''s my treat.


    Don''t worry."


    Lydia flipped through the menu while ordering.


    At this point, Lucia felt like peeing.


    She then went to the restroom in the room.


    When she came back, dishes and drinks had been on the table.


    As soon as she sat down, Lydia raised her ss of juice and said to her, "Congrattions, Lucia!


    You''ve got a promotion!"


    Hearing the heart-warming words, Lucia picked up the juice and clinked sses with Lydia.


    "Lydia, thank you."


    Then after taking only a sip, she put down the cup.


    Lydia kept her eyes on Lucia.


    Upset by Lucia only taking a sip, she drank the juice in her cup up in one gulp, and then showed the


    empty ss to Lucia and said, "Lucia, drink it up.


    After all, it''s to congratte your promotion!"


    Lucia thought Lydia had a point.


    Given that juice was not a strong drink and the worst would only be a full stomach, so she picked up


    the juice again and drank the rest in one breath.


    Seeing that Lucia had stepped into her trap, Lydia smiled and looked at the time without her expression


    changing.

 Chapter 7

    Chapter 7


    Chapter 007 Five minutes passed.


    All of a sudden, Lucia felt hot all over her body.


    She began to take off her sun-protection clothes.


    But after taking it off, Lucia felt even hotter, her mouth parching and her tongue scorching.


    The heat seemed toe from her body instead of the outside, which made her ufortable.


    "How strange, Lydia, does the air conditioning here fail to work?"


    Lucia asked.


    ''Really? I don''t think so!"


    Lydia shrugged with a sneer in her eyes.


    The scornful look caused Lucia''s heart to twitch, but she didn''t think too much and thought it was an


    illusion out of her ufort.


    After sitting for a while, Lucia felt more and more ufortable and couldn''t bear it anymore, so she


    said to Lydia, "Lydia, I don''t feel well.


    I''d better leave now."


    As she spoke, Lucia stood up and was about to leave.


    But before she could stay still, her legs became weak and she fell into the chair again.


    At this moment, she felt hot and feeble.


    Lucia, you have a fever, don''t you?"


    Lydia said, pretending to be surprised and worried.


    Reminded by this, Lucia felt as if she had caught a cold and had a fever.


    "Well, Lucia, I''ll get you a room so you can have a good rest.


    I will ask for a leave for you in thepany."


    Not giving Lucia any chance to think, Lydia forcefully lifted Lucia and walked towards the room.


    At this moment, Lucia''s whole body was weak.


    She could only let Lydia drag her along, but her consciousness was still somewhat clear, "Lydia, no


    need.


    I''ll be fine by taking some medicine.


    There''s no need to stay here."


    Pretending not to hear Lucia''s words, Lydia dragged Lucia into the elevator, and then pressed the


    number 18.


    The after effects of the medicine became stronger.


    Lucia felt that she saw everything with double vision.


    But she insisted, "Lydia, no, thanks.


    I''ll be fine after taking some medicine."


    Just then, Lydia''s phone rang.


    Lydia nced at Lucia, who was leaning against her, and answered the phone directly.


    Before the man on the other end of the line spoke, she said conceitedly, "It''s done.


    What about you?"


    Mr.Wright should be on the way now.


    You can just drop her in her roomter.


    That''s OK."


    The man said.


    Fine,"


    Lydia replied with a simple answer.


    After a few simple words, the elevator door opened.


    Although she had lost consciousness, Lucia vaguely understood Lydia''s vicious intention when she


    heard the phone.


    She held on to the elevator door tightly.


    unwilling to go with Lydia anymore.


    Oh, Lucia, it''s toote now."


    At this moment, Lydia didn''t mind exposing herself for what she was.


    Her cold smile sent a chill down Lucia''s spine.


    She bit her lips and questioned feebly.


    "I''ve always treated you like a sister, why lid you ...?"


    Before Lucia could finish her question, she fainted and fell to the ground.


    Looking at the unconscious Lucia, Lydia jeered.


    She kicked at Lucia belly to make sure Lucia would not wake up again.


    It was only after that she dragged Lucia into Room 1807, where they had installed cameras


    beforehand.


    Then Lydia threw Lucia onto the ed.


    Why? You offended my cousin!"


    Lydia exined to the unconscious Lucia with her hands on her hips.


    She took out the phone she had gotten from Lucia, and just in time, Lucia''s cell phone rang.


    It read "Harris".


    The iudden call startled Lydia.


    In a panic, she threw the phone into the toilet bowl.


    After a few seconds of ringing.


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    the phone cked out after being watered.


    Then Lydia turned back and took off Lucia''s ring.


    She looked at it and put it on her finger happily, "After today.


    this ring will be useless to you, so you may as well give it to me!"


    ncing at Lucia who was now unconscious on the bed, Lydia sneered again, raising her eyebrows,


    and walked out of the roomcently.


    Under such circumstances, even if she has wings, Lucia might not be able to escape.


    But who is to me? It is she who offends my badass cousin.


    Lydia thought.


    After passing through the corridor, Lydia took the elevator to the hall.


    From afar, she saw a fat man with a big belly heading toward this direction.


    It was not until he approached that the man raised his head.


    The two exchanged nces and knew what would happen next.

 Chapter 8

    Chapter 8


    Chapter 008 "Hey you''re finally awake!"


    The man put down the cup in his hand and said with a mouthful of yellow teeth bared.


    Then he smiled and tried to reach out for Lucia.


    He grabbed her hand towards him and leaned over "Have a good time with me today.


    You''ll be benefited a lot!"


    Seeing the person in front of her, Lucia couldn''t help but shiver and subconsciously raise her hand to


    push him away.


    "You ...


    don''t touch me! Get...out!"


    The heat hadn''t faded away, but it was getting stronger and stronger.


    By now, she had realized that she had been trapped by Lydia.


    It was all toote; she had no way to escape.


    The man didn''t care about her resistance.


    He chuckled and said, "Young woman, do you think you can escape at this point?"


    As he spoke, he quickly took off his clothes and reached out his hand to Lucia.


    Lucia trembled all over.


    In a panic, she grabbed the ss on the bedside table and smashed it hard at the man''s head.


    "Bang!"


    with a dull sound, the man''s head was hit with a gash, and blood spurted out.


    His face instantly changed.


    He raised his hand to feel the blood on his head and then raised his hand in embarrassment and anger.


    He pped Lucia''s face directly.


    "Bitch! How dare you hit me! I think you want to die!"


    As he spoke, he held Lucia''s hands with one hand and tried to strip her clothes off with the other.


    "You...


    Let me go..."


    Half of Lucia''s face was swollen.


    Seeing that her clothes were about to be stripped off, she struggled relentlessly.


    In a panic, she touched a piece of broken ss and pressed the cutting edge against her neck.


    She tried her best to be sane and her eyes turned red.


    "If you dare to touch me again, I...


    I will kill myself for you!"


    "Humph!"


    The man snorted with disdain, still holding her clothes.


    "I''d like to see if you tell the truth!"


    Lucia''s heart chilled and she lost all hope.


    She couldn''t lose her innocence in such a way.


    She had just married August who was such a wonderful man, so she couldn''t make herself dirty! She


    gritted her teeth and tightened her grip on the ss.


    The edge of the ss directly pierced into her skin, and blood immediately gushed out from her fair


    neck.


    Seeing this, the man was stunned.


    He hadn''t expected that Lucia would dare to force herself to death.


    At this moment, a loud sound came from the door, and the door of the suite was directly kicked open! It


    was August! Lucia''s hand trembled and suddenly stopped the de, which was about to stab into her


    neck.


    She hadn''t expected that someone woulde to save her at thest moment! "Damn it!"


    The man cursed and turned around.


    Before he could finish his words, a kick came across his shoulder, directly knocking him down to his


    knees.


    August felt a fit of unspoken anger in his heart.


    With his eyes sweeping to the dazzling bloodstain on the woman''s white neck, he came back to his


    sense.


    He stepped forward to pull the thin quilt to cover her body and said in a deep voice, "Don''t move!"


    Luckily he came just in time; otherwise, Lucia would have stabbed the ss fragments into her neck.


    "President...


    Adams?"


    The man who was kicked to the ground turned pale when he saw August''s face.


    He was too scared to breathe.


    On hearing the voice, August stared at him callously.


    "Who gave you the guts to hurt my woman?"


    The man on the ground was shocked.


    "...


    I just spent money to have fun.


    How...


    How could she be your woman?"


    As soon as he finished speaking, the sound of footsteps came from the door; Burton looked at the


    situation inside the room, and he had a general idea of what was going on.


    He looked around and pulled out the camera that had been installed beforehand.


    August cast a cold nce at the man and ordered Burton, "Take him away and deal with him."


    Burton nodded, "Yes."


    On hearing the order, the man immediately panicked and repeatedly pleaded, "President! I''m Jed


    Young from the Gres Sincerity Group! For the sake of our cooperation, please spare me this time! It''s


    my fault that I messed up with your people..."


    August took the first aid kit aside and was about to stop the bleeding for Lucia.


    He immediately wore a face of gloomy thunder when he heard what Young said.


    From his expression, Burton understood immediately and pulled the half-dressed Jed out of the room.


    When pulled to the door, Jed shouted, "President! It was Carol who did all the work! I didn''t know about


    it!"


    When August heard the name, his eyes grew murky.


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    It turned out that it


    was all her trick! August came back to his senses.


    He saw Lucia''s neck wound still bleeding and picked up the medicine to help her do the disinfection.


    As soon as the cotton swab touched the woman''s neck, she trembled and let out a misleading groan.


    August frowned and said, "Just bandage it up.


    I''ll take you to the hospitalter."


    Before he finished his words.


    his shoulder suddenly dropped and his neck was hugged.


    Lucia felt hot all over her body.


    At this moment, the drug was working, and herst sanity was instantly gone.


    "No...


    No...


    I don''t want to go to the hospital.."


    She leaned against August''s chest and rubbed back and forth like a dingy cat.


    August lowered her eyebrows and tried to push Lucia away, but she wrapped her arms around his


    neck.


    "I''m so...


    so hot..."


    She said.


    - August lowered his head, only to see her snow-white neck, her bright bloodstains, and her cheeks


    which had already been flushed.


    No one could refuse a woman like this.


    August tightened his grip on the swab and was about to continue cleaning her wound, but Lucia


    suddenly pped his hand away.


    "No...


    No..."


    She resisted.


    Looking at the woman who was unwilling to cooperate and the bleeding cut, August had no choice for a


    moment.


    When he inadvertently nced at the set of props on the nearby table, he took the rose-colored


    handcuffs and sped her hands behind her back in one take without thinking too much.


    The woman was still unwilling to be well-behaved even with her hands sped.


    She wriggled around and refused to cooperate.


    August frowned and half-pressed on her body.


    Eventually, he managed to bandage her wound.


    As soon as he put on thest piece of medical tape, Burton''s cautious voice came from the door,


    "Mr.President..."


    Hearing the noise, August immediately stood up from Lucia''s body.


    He looked straight at Burton and asked, "What''s the matter?"


    Burton''s eyes wandered back and forth between August and Lucia.


    "Well...


    I''ve handed Mr.Wright to my subordinate.


    Let them interrogate him first.


    I''m here to ask what else you need..."


    When August was about to say something, the woman beside him suddenly muttered, "It''s so hot...


    I want to hug you..."


    Her voice was charming, and there was a bit of grievance in the tone.


    It was even more pleasant to hear.


    August''s face turned somber instantly.


    He nced at the woman beside him and frowned deeply.


    Burton hesitated for a moment before he asked, "Do you want to call a doctor?"


    Turning to look at the woman beside her, August grumbled, "We don''t have time to do so."


    Having been in the business circle for a long time, he had seen kinds of tricks to deal with people.


    From Lucia''s strong reaction, he had known that it was a strong drug.


    With the drug working continuously, she just couldn''t hold on like this.


    Burton understood immediately and nodded sensibly.


    He quietly left the room and closed the door Hearing the sound of the door being closed, August felt a


    little annoyed and pulled the tie off his cor.


    He hadn''t wanted to touch her, but for now, the fire in his body was triggered.


    Just at that moment, Lucia started to rub her head against August''s shoulder.


    She raised her head and kissed him on the lips all of a sudden.


    "Buzz...", August felt as if something exploded in his ears.


    He pulled Lucia into his arms and said in a hoarse voice, "Under this circumstance, it''s not my fault!"


    When she woke up, Lucia found that it waspletely dark outside.


    She moved her body and felt aches and pains all over, her brain going nk.


    ''What is wrong with me?'' Lucia raised her hand to rub her temples.


    When she sat up, she suddenly felt a chill in her upper body.


    As soon as she lowered her head, she was stunned.


    She was naked!

 Chapter 9

    Chapter 9


    Chapter 009 Fragmented and unclear memories about what happened just now suddenly showed up.


    It took Lucia several minutes to recall what had happened.


    She slept with August! With her face burning, Lucia didn''t know whether she should feel happy or sad.


    She just felt that everything was going too fast, from the beginning of her marriage to what happened


    today "Bang, bang, bang!"


    The sudden knock on the door made Lucia nervous.


    She came to herself and asked, "Who is it?"


    "Madam, it''s me."


    Someone said outside the door.


    Hearing the voice of Burton, Lucia breathed a sigh of relief.


    Then she quickly put on her clothes and walked to open the door.


    Standing at the door, Burton nodded at Lucia to greet her, "Have you had a good rest, Madam?"


    Lucia looked around not to see August, and she felt relieved and said, "Okay..."


    "The President has told me to send you home after you have a good rest."


    As he said, Burton reached out his hand and gave her something, "Besides, the President asked me to


    return this to you."


    Lucia took a closer look and saw the shining wedding ring on Burton''s palm, which was given to her by


    August.


    Seeing that Lucia was restrained, Burton reminded her, "Mr.Adams said that we must protect the ring


    well in the future and don''t lose it again."


    Lucia took the ring and put it back on her left ring finger.


    She felt it a little heavier than before.


    Previously she had known very well that she had a simple rtionship with August, but now it seemed


    to be moreplicated After leaving the International Hotel and returning to the vi, Lucia smelled the


    aroma of the food as soon as she entered.


    She was surprised to see a figureing out of the kitchen.


    A woman in her 40 years saw her and a bit light sshed across her eyes.


    She walked up to Lucia and asked, "Are you Miss Mitchell?"


    Lucia was confused, "Who are you?"


    The woman answered, "I''m the servant transferred from the old house to take care of you."


    Burton walked up to Lucia and exined, "Aunt Turner is from the old house of the Adams family.


    The president particrly asked her to take care of you."


    "Take care of me?"


    Lucia didn''t understand.


    As Lucia was about to refuse, Aunt Turner had already warmly reached out her hand and pulled her


    towards the restaurant.


    "Actually Ie here to take care of you and the young master.


    The young master was taken care of by me since he was a child; I know his preferences and tastes


    very well! Since he has married you, I also bear the responsibility of taking care of you.


    I have prepared the dinner, not sure if it is right to your appetite..."


    Pulled to the dining room, when she saw the rich dishes highlighted on the table, all her doubts


    disappeared.


    After she had a few bites, she forgotpletely that she had wanted to refuse at first.


    Lucia was so impressed by Auntie Turner''s cooking that she didn''t notice anyone approaching.


    Auntie Turner was so happy to hear Lucia''spliment in the kitchen, "Eat more since you like it!"


    When Lucia was about to reply, she caught a glimpse of the figure next to her.


    When she turned around, she found August standing not far away.


    She was so scared that she dropped her chopsticks, "Why...


    Why are you back?"


    August looked at the woman who changed her face in a second, and a trace of surprise shed across


    her eyes.


    The woman who had enjoyed the meal a second ago was scared to drop her chopsticks when she saw


    him, ''Am I so terrible?'' He thought.


    "Isn''t it proper for me to return to my own house?"


    He asked.


    Raising his eyebrows, August walked away and sat down opposite Lucia.


    "Fine,"


    Lucia answered, lowered her head, and stopped talking.


    Seeing the person in front of her, she unconsciously thought of what happened today in the hotel, and


    her cheeks involuntarily burned.


    At the moment, Aunt Turner came out of the kitchen with soup and saw the two at the table.


    She immediately smiled, "Mr.Adams youe back!"


    Noticing Lucia''s sudden silence, she couldn''t help asking, "Mrs.Mitchell, why do you stop eating?"


    Hearing that Turner called her in that respectful way, she felt that her cheeks were even hotter.


    She nced at the man in front of her in a panic and shook her head.


    "I''m full."


    With that, she immediately got up, turned around, and left.


    Just as she went halfway up the stairs, a clear male voice suddenly came from behind her, "Why are


    you escaping?"


    August caught up with her soon.


    He raised his arm against the wall and blocked her way Lucia raised her head and looked at the


    handsome face in front of her, her heart beating fast.


    But August deliberately lowered his head and smiled.


    "Can I eat you?"


    "L..."


    Lucia was rendered speechless, eeing the frustrated look on the woman''s face, August raised her hand


    with satisfaction.


    He grabbed her hand and walked towards the bedroom.


    Lucia felt uneasy.


    "What...


    What are you doing?"


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    It was hard to believe that he still wanted to...


    August didn''t say a word, pulled her straight into the bedroom, and walked to the bedside.


    "Have a seat.


    Lucia got nervous.


    She crossed her arms over her chest subconsciously.


    "What do you want to do?"


    Looking at the anxious look on the woman''s face, August was angry and amused.


    "I told you to sit down."


    Then he opened the cab and took out the medicine box.


    He skillfully unrolled the gauze and applied the potion that needed to be used on it Lucia froze, and


    only then did she react to the fact that she still had a wound on her neck.


    "Change the gauze regrly, you''d better not leave a scat on this position."


    As he spoke, August moved gently to remove the gauze from her neck.


    Then he took the cotton swab with the salve and gently applied it to the skin.


    With the pain spreading in the neck, Lucia sucked in a breath and raised her eyes to look at the man''s


    serious appearance.


    Her heart sank all of a sudden for the affectionate indulgence.


    August seemed to be different today.


    Although he still looked cold at first nce, he seemed to be a tendered person than before.


    After carefully changing the gauze, August packed up the things.


    "Have a good rest at home these days.


    You don''t have to rush to work."


    "Well."


    Lucia hesitated.


    Thinking of what Lydia had done to her, she looked up at August and said, "About my promotion..."


    "I arranged it,"


    August admitted.


    Lucia took a deep breath and asked, "Why?"


    The promotion system in thepany was very strict, and August made an exception to give her a


    promotion.


    Not to mention Lydia, other senior employees in thepany would also have a grudge against her.


    August seemed to have seen through her mind.


    He stopped what he was doing and looked at her seriously.


    "Lucia, have you forgotten that you are my wife? You deserve the best."


    The man''s serious words made Lucia''s heart speed up.


    Without waiting for her to say anything, August had already turned around and put the medical kit back


    in the cab, "Get some rest.


    And if you need anything, call Aunt Turner."


    Watching the man''s figure disappear, Lucia still didn''te back to her senses.


    No man had ever said anything like that to her before.


    Even Archibald, her former first love, made her feel worthless after betraying her many times.


    And yet August told her that she deserved the best.


    Just as she was feeling happy about it, her phone suddenly rang.


    Lucia came to her senses, looked at the screen, and answered the phone in a hurry, "Hello, Mom?


    What''s wrong?"


    "Lucia, don''t you remember that it''s your father''s birthday the day after tomorrow? Do you forget your


    parents as soon as you have a husband?"


    Her mother said in a somewhat angry voice.


    "I forgot it!"


    Lucia patted her head and said, "Mom, I''m d you reminded me!"


    "Look, I told you! But I''ve already made up my mind about what to do the day after tomorrow.


    Bring August with you and ask him to bring his parents.


    We''ll have a family dinner."


    "What? Mom!"


    Lucia was shocked and turned restless, "Bring his parents?"


    She had been at the vi for several days, but she had never heard August''s parents mention it.


    Now her mother asked her to set up a dinner party.


    Wasn''t it difficult for her? Ms.


    Mitchell rightfully said, "What''s wrong? You two have been married; it''s time for both parents to meet!"


    Lucia lost her confidence for a moment, "Mom...


    Can we talk about itter? I haven''t told him yet."


    "What are you waiting for? I think it''s a good asion.


    It''s your father''s birthday.


    It''s a good time for our families to meet each other.


    Lucia, your father has agreed.


    Don''t try to fool me around!"


    After saying that, Miss Mitchell hung up ihe phone directly.


    Staring at the screen of her phone, Lucia felt distressed.


    Would August agree if she told him about the arrangement? Lucia thought about it for a while, and yet


    failed toe up with any good ideas.


    Anyway, Professor Mitchell''s birthday was an important day.


    Since she and August had gotten married, it was not a big deal for the two families to have a meal


    together.


    It would be better to make it clear to August and ask for his opinion some other day.


    After making up her mind, Lucia breathed a sigh of relief.


    She fell asleep as she was less burdened.

 Chapter 10

    Chapter 10


    Chapter 010 When she met August again, it was already the next afternoon, Being bored in the room,


    she looked through the window as soon as she heard the sound of a car outside the window, only to


    see a familiar car.


    Not long after, a door opening sound came from the corridor on the second floor in the direction of the


    study.


    Lucia pushed the door open and walked out of the bedroom.


    Hardly when she walked down the stairs, did she see Aunt Turner with freshly brewed tea.


    Lucia lowered her voice and asked, "Turner, is August back?"


    "Yes, the young master just came back, but he doesn''t seem happy.


    I think he doesn''t look too good."


    Turner replied, "What?"


    Lucia suddenly got nervous.


    She was waiting for August toe back, and nning to talk to him about her father''s birthday


    tomorrow.


    She hadn''t expected to catch him in a bad mood.


    Aunt Turner was confused and asked, "What is it, Mrs.Mitchell? Is something wrong?"


    "It''s okay"


    As Lucia spoke, her eyes swept over the tray in her hand, and hastily reached out to pick it up, "Auntie


    Turner, give me the tea.


    I''ll deliver it."


    "Okay, be careful,"


    Turner told her.


    Taking the tray.


    Lucia took a deep breath and walked directly to the study.


    In any case, this matter couldn''t be dyed, as her money had already booked the hotel for dinner in


    the morning, and the address and time had been sent to her.


    If she didn''t get it done, she would be reprimanded by her again.


    When she reached the door, Lucia gave her free hand and knocked on the door.


    "Come in,"


    August said.


    Hearing the man''s indifferent voice from inside, Lucia plucked up the courage to push the door in.


    August was sitting at his desk, staring at hisputer desktop with a serious look.


    His face was indeed a bit colder than usual.


    Lucia carried the tea to the desk and said softly.


    "This is the tea that Aunt just made; I came to bring it to you."


    "Okay."


    August responded indifferently, not even raising his head.


    Lucia paused, took the initiative to pick up the teapot and poured him tea, "Are you tired from your work


    today?"


    "Fine."


    August said, raising his eyes to her, his tone finally softening a bit, "Have you changed the medicine on


    your neck?"


    "Oh...I did."


    The man''s unexpected concern immediately disrupted Lucia''s rhythm.


    "Well..."


    August looked over at her, "What else?"


    Lucia pulled out a hard smile, pretending to ask casually, "Nothing.


    I just want to chat with you.


    I''ve been here for a few days, but I haven''t seen your parents.


    I''m quite curious..."


    Before she finished her words, she found that August''s face suddenly changed.


    She halted and stopped talking after she realized that.


    She felt inexplicably guilty and said hesitantly, "Did I...


    say something wrong?"


    August wore a serious face and his eyes were bitter, yet he seemed to hold back something.


    After a while, he stood up and stared at Lucia in amanding manner.


    He said in a somber voice, "Lucia, are you too idle now?"


    What August said meant something.


    Lucia froze and could not answer the question, "I..."


    August''s lowered his eyebrows and walked half a step forward to approach her, "If I were you, I would


    focus my energy on my work, on how to get rid of those gossip in thepany, instead of focusing on


    these insignificant things!"


    Finishing the words in a deep voice, August gave her an intense nce.


    He stopped staying there and strode towards the door.


    Lucia stood still, her mind going nk.


    She hadn''t expected that August would be so angry just because she mentioned something about his


    parents.


    Besides, now that they had gotten married, they were a family.


    His parents were her parents-inw.


    It was normal for her to want to know.


    How could it be insignificant? Could it be that August never treated her as a family member? With this


    thought shing in her mind, Lucia suddenly felt that her heart went cold and she was a little lost.


    She hadn''t intended to ask August to be affectionate to her since they got the marriage certificate.


    But it seemed that they were no different from strangers now.


    Feeling so upset and aggrieved, Lucia didn''t walk out of the room until she heard the sound of the


    engine starting and the car left.


    Seeing her, Aunt Turner came over in a panic and asked, "Youngdy, what happened? Why did


    Mr.Adams leave all of a sudden?"


    Clenching her fists, Lucia lowered her head and whispered, "Turner, I seem to have made him Chapler


    UTU .


    + 10 angry again."


    "What...


    What''s going on?"


    Turner asked.


    Lucia didn''t want to answer at first.


    However, under Auntie Turner''s repeated inquiries, Lucia had to tell the whole story.


    Hearing that she mentioned August''s parents, Turner''s face immediately changed.


    "Mrs.Mitchell, maybe you don''t know that August''s mother is a forbidden topic for him!"


    Lucia was dumbfounded, "What? A forbidden topic!"


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    It was the first time that she had heard that parents were a forbidden topic to some people! "Well, you


    don''t know that Mr.Adam''s mother passed when the young master was twenty years old.


    She wanted to see the master before she died, of illness but August''s father was too busy with


    business and couldn''te back in time.


    Since then, there has been a gap between them..."


    Turner let out a long sigh and continued, "Normally.


    Mr.Adams is not close to his father, and he doesn''t want others to mention his parents, so..."


    Lucia finally understood why August had such a big reaction after listening to what Turner had said


    beside her.


    "Then...


    What should I do?"


    She felt confused.


    She had touched his taboo.


    Now, let alone inviting August''s parents to her father''s birthday party, it would be difficult to appease


    August''s anger in a short time.


    Aunt Turner gently persuaded, "Well, you can''t me yourself too much.


    After all, you didn''t know the truth.


    After Mr.Adams calms down, it will be fine."


    Although she said so, Lucia felt like there was a heavy stone in her heart.


    She took a deep breath and asked, "Turner, can you teach me what I can do to express my apology to


    him? I didn''t mean to do it this time ..."


    The young master likes to eat Tom Yum Kung soup very much, why don''t I teach you how to make it


    and you prepare it for him yourself?"


    Lucia''s eyes lit up and she said immediately, "okay!"


    It was better to make something for him with your own handspared with a dry apology.


    Lucia thought.


    So she followed Aunt Turner into the kitchen and started learning how to make the soup.


    After two hours of being busy in the kitchen, Lucia finally mastered the secrets of Auntie Turner''s


    Private dishes - the Tom Yum Kung soup.


    The next morning, Lucia rushed to the kitchen as soon as she woke up.


    After she got the fresh pork ribs that Turner had just bought, she started to make the soup.


    She had already thought it through.


    When she finished the soup, she would send it to thepany.


    August might drink the soup and get happier, so that he could attend his father''s birthday party with her


    in the evening.


    Even if his parents couldn''t be there, she would be satisfied if he could be there.


    After being simmered for more than two hours, the delicious soup was finally ready.


    Lucia put the soup into a thermos and nned to head out.


    Before she left, she looked at herself in the mirror, and out of the blue, she hesitated.


    If she appeared in apany like this, many colleagues would recognize her.


    If she swaggered into the President''s office, she would attract many people''s suspicion.


    After thinking for a while, she changed into a sports suit and covered it with a hat and mask before she


    went out to thepany building.


    Last time, August dropped her off and took her through the president''s exclusive private ess.


    So she went straight to the exclusive elevator, which took her directly to the floor where the president''s


    office is located.


    When she got out of the elevator, Lucia was pleased with her wit, but before she could take two steps,


    she was stopped by someone.


    "Who are you? Do you know where this is? Delivery people can''t just go in!"


    A woman in a secretary''s uniform stood in front of Lucia, who had a pretty face, showed a bit of


    unsympathetic sharpness and arrogance with her upturned eyebrows.


    Lucia froze, and before she could speak, she heard the woman say again, "Whose take-out is it? You


    put it down, and get out!"


    ''Takeout delivery?'' Lucia looked down at the set of outfits she was wearing, and then at the bento bag


    she was carrying in her hand, so she was dumb for a moment.


    The woman saw Lucia did not answer for such a long while that her face became ugly again, "Do not


    understand humannguage? I told you to get out; this is not a ce for you toe!"


    Lucia''s eyes fell on the staff card on her chest and read but her name word by word, "Irene Rodriguez,


    is this your service attitude ..."


    "Service attitude? What kind of service attitude do you need from me for a delivery guy?"


    Irene rolled her eyes and stretched out her hand to grab the lunch box from Lucia, "Give me the


    takeaway. And you hurry up and go!"


    Lucia hurriedly stepped back.


    She was in a dilemma when a familiar voice suddenly came from the side.


    "Well.just follow the proposal of Group A, and give me theplete n within three days."


    Lucia followed the voice and saw several people, led by August,ing this way.


    Coincidentally, August turned his head to look at Lucia When he caught sight of her, he paused for a


    second and then moved away without a difference.


    As soon as Irene saw August, her eyes lit up.


    She hurried forward and said, "Mr.President, I''ve sent the materials you want to my office."


    "Okay."


    Faintly responded, August passed her by and looked at Lucia.

 Chapter 11

    Chapter 11


    Chapter 011 Lucia was wearing a baseball cap and a mask, covering her body tightly that left only her


    eyes and nose showing, being stared at by him, she felt a cold sweating out of her back.


    Irene noticed August''s eyes, she nced at Lucia, and hurriedly exined,"


    President, I don''t know who the delivery person is, she just barged into ourpany, the receptionist


    downstairs must not have noticed her that''s how she had a chance to sneak up, I''ll kick her out now..."


    "That''s ok.


    "August spoke up and said, "Let her in."


    "What?"Irene''s face was full of surprise and She felt she must have misheard.


    "I said, let her in."


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    August dropped these words in a deep voice and then walked straight towards the direction of the


    office.


    Irene froze and waited for August to walk away before she turned her head to look at Lucia and


    grumbled, "Why didn''t you say earlier that you were here to deliver to the president? Hurry up and go


    inside!"


    Lucia didn''t say anything, but the hand holding the lunch bag tightened a bit, and she hurriedly walked


    towards the office with her head down.


    August must have recognized her, even if she could hide it from others with this outfit, how could it be


    possible that she hide it from him? After walking into the office with great care, she could not even look


    up before she heard this man''smand, "Close the door."


    Lucia twisted her head and closed the door behind her, taking off her mask as well, Her heart beat


    faster than she knew it.


    "What are you doing here?"


    "......came to bring you some soup."


    Lucia drew a cold breath, lowered her head and walked to the table, took out the thermos bucket from


    the bento bag, "What happened yesterday was my fault, I know you are usually very busy at work, I


    shouldn''t have given you a mess, I''m sorry."


    Looked at the woman in front of him with her head down, like a schoolgirl who did something wrong,


    jarring voice, cheeks still red.


    The displeasure in August''s heart dissipated by half, he raised his hand and pressed his eyebrows,


    and, said softly, "All right, it''s okay."


    Lucia heard him say this and instantly looked at him with some excitement, "Does it mean


    that......you''re not angry now?"


    "Yes."


    Hearing his answer, Lucia''s heart fluttered with joy, then asked, "Maybe tonight you can


    apany......"


    A sudden knock at the door interrupted her,"


    President, there is a document here that you need to sign."


    August did not answer, but raised his eyes to Lucia, his face expressionlessmand, "You go back


    first."


    Lucia''s words were on the tip of her tongue and then swallowed, biting her lip and saying softly,


    "Remember to drink the soup while it''s hot."


    After saying these words, she put on the mask again and walked out of the office.


    She had thought that as soon as August had subsided, she would try to talk to him about her father''s


    birthday, but she didn''t expect him to be so busy and didn''t seem to have the patience to listen to her


    about anything else.


    In this case, she had no choice but to lie in front of Ms.


    Mitchell.


    Lucia had just walked to the exclusive elevator door when she heard a familiar female voice from her


    back, "You stop!"


    Lucia turned around to see Ireneing this way.


    "What can I do for you? Irene raised her eyebrows and asked tentatively, "What is your rtionship


    with the president? Are you the maid in his house?"


    Lucia was in a lost mood at the moment and was not in the mood for her, so she asked coldly in return,


    "It''s none of your business, Am I right?"


    After dropping these words, Lucia walked straight to the exclusive elevator and pressed the button.


    "How dare you!"Irene stood outside and stomped her feet in anger.


    After taking the elevator to the first floor, Lucia walked out of the office but didn''t know where to go next.


    She had agreed with Ms.


    Mitchell and Professor Mitchell that the parents of the two families would have dinner together tonight,


    but now August couldn''t attend, how should she exin to Ms.


    Mitchell? After thinking about it for a long time, Lucia came up with no ideas and thought that she


    hadn''t prepared a birthday present for her father yet, so she decided to go to the shopping mall nearby


    to choose a present.


    After shopping in several stores, Lucia didn''t see anything suitable for her father until she passed by a


    vintage store, where the brown wooden floor and crimson disy cases caught her eye immediately.


    Lucia strolled around the store, passed a disy case, and her eyes were drawn to a pen with an iron-


    gray glow.


    Lucia''s heart was filled with joy and she quickly asked, "Sir, can you take this pen out and show it to


    me?"


    When the boss came over and saw the pen she was pointing at, he smiled at her with apologies,"


    Sorry, this pen has just been sold and I just haven''t had time to wrap it up yet."


    Lucia was stunned for a moment, "It''s been sold already?"


    She had been shopping for a good half-day and hadn''t picked any satisfactory gift, she''s pretty sure


    that Professor Mitchell would like it after just one look at this fountain pen, but she didn''t expect that it


    had already been sold.......


    The boss nodded seriously, indicating for her to turn her head, "It''s already been sold, and the buyer is


    that gentleman."


    Lucia followed his line of sight and turned her head, seeing a man sitting in a wheelchair in front of a


    disy case not far away, intently admiring the exhibits in the case.


    His face was handsome, his eyes were gentle, and more importantly, Lucia thought that he and


    August''looked somewhat alike...


    vas man As Lucia was staring at the man, he looked up, and for a moment, they were looking at each


    other.


    Lucia was about to look away, but suddenly the man smiled at her.


    A pair of smiling eyes in a pure giance that anyone can not help but move.


    Lucia pulled the corners of her lips, politely returned a smile, then turned around, and looked at the pen


    with a little loss.


    Since it was already sold, there was nothing she could do but pick another one.


    After going around the store again, Lucia didn''t see any more suitable gifts than that pen and was


    about to leave when she suddenly heard a voice behind her, "Miss, please wait a minute."


    As soon as she turned around, she saw the man in the electric wheelchair approaching this way.


    Lucia asked softly, "May I help you, sir?"


    The corner of the man in the wheelchair''s mouth curled up.


    "Just now I heard the boss say that you also have your eye on this pen?"


    Lucia looked down at the iron-gray fountain pen in his hand and her eyes lit up, "Yes, but since you


    already bought it, forget it."


    The man in the wheelchair hooked his lips, his eyes shining, "I haven''t paid for it yet, if you do like it, I


    can let you have it "Really?"Lucia looked at him with some excitement, "You would let me have it?"


    The man nodded, "A gentleman does not take away what others loved, and I just simply like to collect,


    if you need it more, it''s yours."


    "You have no idea how much I appreciate it!"


    Lucia took the pen from his hand and thanked him several times before excitedly going to the counter


    to settle the bill.


    Once the gift was wrapped, Lucia turned around again only to find that the man was no longer there.


    In any case, it was a rare good thing that she could buy a satisfactory gift for her father! She left the


    vintage store in high spirits but did not notice the man in the cafe not far away, sitting in a wheelchair


    staring at her from the window.


    ONT At this moment, the man''s face under the eyes was only indifferent.


    After a long time, he asked, "Is she the woman who is married to August?"


    The man standing beside him nodded his head and replied, "Yes, it''s her, Lucia Mitchell."


    After returning to the vi from time mall it was gettingte, Lucia hurried back to her bedroom, wrote a


    personal letter wishing Professor Mitchell well, and wrapped the gift before leaving.


    "Aunt Turner, I''ll eat out tonight, so you don''t have to cook my dinner."


    "You''re eating out?"Aunt Turner came out of the kitchen and wiped her hands with her apron, "Why


    don''t you eat at home?"


    Lucia smiled at her, "It''s my dad''s birthday today, we''ve arranged to eat together."


    Auntie Turner smiled and quickly asked, "So is the young mastering with you?"


    This question silenced Lucia, and only after a moment''s pause did she reply, "He should not have time,


    I will go alone."


    Aunt Turner smiled and wanted to say something but finally did not speak.


    Lucia took her gift to the hotel address Ms.


    Mitchell had sent her.


    August came back just as she left.


    As soon as he entered the vi, he went straight to the study on the second floor, and when he reached


    the stairway, he suddenly felt that the house was quieter than usual.


    Could it be that she was...not home? August paused and turned to the bedroom next to the study door,


    and pushed the door in, the room was empty and the lights were off as expected.


    The scene of Lucia at the office today shed in his mind, August frowned slightly, turned around and


    left the room, went downstairs, and asked Aunt Turner, "Is Lucia not at home?"


    Aunt Turner answered truthfully,"


    She has gone out, just a short time ago, said she had to apany her father for his birthday."


    "A birthday?"August''s brow furrowed.


    It is Professor Mitchell''s birthday today? Aunt Turner, who saw August''s expression, continued, "Sir,


    you should apany your father-inw for his birthday as things should be, just now I saw that


    madam went out alone in a rather lost mood, I asked her why she did not tell you, she said she was


    afraid that it would affect your work......"


    August''s heart sank, and suddenly some guilt.


    He was indeed very busy, but not so busy that he did not have time to apany Professor Mitchell


    for a birthday dinner.

 Chapter 13

    Chapter 13


    Chapter 013 "I need to circteter.


    You go back first."


    Saying that, he picked up his phone and was about to dial the number.


    Suddenly, Lucia reached out and grabbed his coat, "How about, Ie with you ......."


    She had been very grateful that August coulde over today to apany her father on his


    birthday.


    Now August had drunk too much, and she worried that he would be in trouble going to socialize alone...


    With a slight pause, August turned to look at her, "You''reing with me?"


    Her hand grabbing his coat slowly fastened, and Lucia nodded seriously, "Well, I want toe with


    you."


    She still couldn''t speak out that she worried him.


    Looking at the woman''s determined eyes, August raised an eyebrow and asked rhetorically, "Do you


    have any idea where I''m going?"


    In his eyes, she was as simple and innocent as an infant, while he was going to somewhere with all


    kinds of sensuous pleasures.


    Lucia bit her lip and insisted, "I just want to be with you."


    After staring at her for a few seconds, August finally gave up.


    "Okay, then let''s go together."


    It was not a bad thing to let her see a different side of the city.


    Hearing August''s words, Lucia became joyful.


    But half an hourter, when the car arrived at the destination, the original little excitement suddenly


    disappeared as she looked outside the shing neon signs and high-end luxury club.


    As soon as she graduated from college, she joined thepany working as a small clerk.


    She had not seen the various transactions behind business cooperation at all, so it was natural that she


    had note to ces of this kind.


    She gritted her teeth, ventured nervously out of the car, and followed August to the door.


    Just as they reached the door, the waiter greeted August and said respectfully, "Mr.Adams, this way,


    please."


    It seemed that August was a regr visitor here.


    Following the waiter on the elevator, through the corridor, they approached the exclusive private box.


    Suddenly, August slowed his pace and tilted his head, looking at Lucia, "If you don''t want to go, feel


    free to tell me.


    I will let Burton pick you up."


    Lucia nodded, "Well, I know."


    The waiter pushed the door open and the loud music came straight out from inside.


    Walking in with August, Lucia found that it was spacious and there were already quite a lot people


    gathered in the room, singing, drinking, and ying snooker and other games.


    As soon as August appeared, he immediately drew the attention of many people.


    "Adams! It''s been a long time!"


    "Adams''s here!"


    Lucia followed closely behind August as he walked to the couch at the center, looking at these


    unfamiliar people a little nervously.


    Suddenly, she felt some warmth over her hand.


    August held her hand as he pulled her over to the couch.


    "Ha, why do you bring such a simple and innocent girl here this time? Have you changed your taste


    lately? So nd?"


    A man in a floral shirt greeted August with a smile.


    He kept one arm around a woman in a skimpy dress, but his yes were glued to lucia and he couldn''t


    stop looking at her.


    August raised his eyes, saying coldly, "Barry Evans, such good wine can''t keep your mouth shut?"


    Hearing this, Barry chuckled.


    "Just kidding.


    don''t take it seriously! Are you here to see Johnson? He is inside the small box, specially asking me to


    tell you, you can go there directly."


    August sniffed and nodded slightly.


    "Hmm."


    Immediately, he turned to Lucia, saying softly.


    "I''m going to talk about some business.


    You wait for me here and we''ll leave when it''s over."


    Lucia nodded obediently, "Okay."


    Hearing this, August then got up and walked straight towards the small box inside.


    Lucia stared at his back and couldn''t help but be mesmerized by the lights.


    He remained very different from those people here.


    Smoking and drinking, depravity and enjoyment, everything here was extravagant and crazy, but she


    knew clearly that he was not tainted with such worldly enjoyments at all.


    "Barry, why does Adams even bring a woman here this time?"


    A delicate voice brought Lucia back to reality.


    Lucia looked up and saw the woman beside Barry was murmuring, not too loudly, but just loudly


    enough for her to hear.


    Barryughed recklessly.


    "Who knows? It''s really unprecedented, but his taste...


    tsk!"


    Hearing the two people discussing her in this way just in front of her, Lucia frowned and looked away,


    holding back her displeasure.


    Not for a while, a woman in a short red dress came over, sat down beside Barry at first, whispered a


    few words, and then turned to Lucia, looking at her unkindly and repeatedly.


    It didn''t take long for the woman to finally get impatient, stood up huffily and then sat down just beside


    Lucia, "Hey, my name is Rose, what''s yours?"


    Facing the woman''s unsolicited inquiry, Lucia politely replied, "Lucia Mitchell."


    Hearing this, Rose nodded, looking at her while shaking the wine ss in her hand, and finally spoke


    again a momentter, "I heard August brought you here?"


    Lucia said lightly.


    "Hmm."


    Rose looked sullen, as if restraining her anger, and raised her voice, asking, "What is your rtion with


    him?"


    Seeing the woman''s attitude, Lucia looked sullen as well.


    She hesitated for a moment and asked calmly in return, "What do you think our rtionship is?"


    Hearing what Lucia said, Rose was angry.


    She restrained her anger and didn''t speak for quite a while before finally faking a smile, "Fine, let''s


    have a drink."


    At the same time, Rose picked up a ss directly, got Lucia a ss of wine, and brought it to her.


    Lucia looked down at the wine, smiled at Rose, and refused, "Sorry, I can''t drink."


    "Can''t drink?"


    Roseughed exaggeratedly, "how could the woman August brought in say she can''t drink? Isn''t that a


    disgrace to him?"


    Her voice was not too loud, but enough for the people around them to hear.


    For a while, they all looked towards them, and looked at Lucia with a few more question.


    Looking at Lucia, Rose smiled and shook the ss in her hand, "Besides, here are all August''s friends.


    If you don''t drink even a ss of wine, isn''t that too disgraceful?"


    Lucia frowned and became nervous unconsciously facing the various gazes around her.


    She didn''t want to make any trouble for August, but she knew clearly that Rose would not let her off


    easily.


    Taking a deep breath, Lucia reached out and took the ss, bringing it to her lips and drinking the wine


    in one gulp.


    The cold, spicy liquid slid down her throat and into her stomach, irritating her to shiver.


    Forcing down her difort, she put down the ss, looked at Rose, and smiled, "I''ve given you that


    grace."


    Rose didn''t expect Lucia to actually drink the wine.


    She frowned, faked a perfunctory smile, and turned to people around her.


    Several women who were originally bystanders received Rose''s hint.


    One by one, they came over to Lucia to chat and toast, as if they had made an agreement in advance.


    Lucia clenched her fist unconsciously as sses of wine was handed to her.


    It seemed that they were deliberately trying to crucify her.


    Under the current situation, it seemed that she couldn''t shirk.


    S After being persuaded by the women to gulp several sses of wine, Lucia only felt that her stomach


    was hot and spicy.


    When she saw the wine handed over by Rose, she reached out her hand and pushed it away directly,


    "I''m not drinking anymore!"


    If she continued to drink, she was afraid that she would be unconscious.


    Rose put the ss on the table heavily, "You think you can stop drinking as long as you want? Who do


    you think you are?"


    Barry, who was also happy to be a bystander just now, looking at this scene, also couldn''t help but say.


    "Rose, it''s almost enough.


    She is brought by August anyhow."


    Rose snorted, "She''s nothing! Who doesn''t know that August only has Jeanne in his heart!"


    Hearing the word "Jeanne", Lucia''s head buzzed.


    Not knowing whether or not it was due to the alcohol, she actually felt a little sad.


    "This ss of wine, whether you want it or not, you have to drink!"


    Picking up the ss to refill, Rose was about to force Lucia to continue drinking, but when she looked


    up, her movements stopped sharply.


    August came out of the small box and walked straight this way.


    The sound of music and noise in the room was too loud, so he didn''t hear what Rose said.


    However, when he approached, he found Lucia with her head down and her eyes red.


    Casting a nce at the people around him and looking at the ss of wine in Rose''s hand, August has


    almost guessed what happened.


    This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.


    Stepping forward, he reached out his hand, helped Lucia stand up from the couch, and pulled her to his


    side, asking seriously, "Who bullied you?"


    Seeing August was serious, all in the room felt too guilty to say anything.


    Lucia shook her head, saying nothing.


    Seeing that the atmosphere suddenly cooled, Barry couldn''t sit quietly anymore.


    Heughed and tried to ease the pressure, "August, notice your words, we just want to be friends with


    her.


    Just a few sses of wine ......"


    Raising his eyes, August turned furious immediately.


    "I am not asking you!"


    In an instant, the room became even quieter.Most of those here were offspring of the powerful or


    wealthy, whose families had some power.


    However, in front of August, they still didn''t dare to say one more word.


    Seeing Lucia refusing to speak, August reached out and took her into his arms, saying coldly, "Let''s go,


    I''ll take you back."


    Seeing that August was about to take Lucia away, Barry hurriedly said, "August, we''re all friends, and


    it''s just a misunderstanding.


    How could we bully her?"


    August stopped suddenly, turned around, and nced at them.


    Finally, he gazed directly at Rose, and then Rose lowered her head timorously.


    "Bullying my person? You had better never do it again!"


    After saying that in a cold voice, August took Lucia''s arm and went straight out of the box.


    Having several sses of wine, Lucia already felt her stomach was burning.


    After hearing what August said, she felt her whole body was somehow on fire.


    Walking out of the room and through the corridor, August still looked sullen.


    He loosened his grip and walked quickly.


    Obviously, he was a little angry.


    Lucia walked faster to keep up with him.


    But unexpectedly, a little unsteady on her feet, she stumbled and fell directly towards him.


    August frowned, reached out to hold her steady, and asked in a deep voice, "Why didn''t you tell me


    they''ve bullied you?"


    Lucia said softly, "I...


    I was afraid it would interfere with your talk."


    "Lucia,'' August stared at her and said seriously, "in any case, you can''t let people bully you at will.


    Even if you''re bullied, you have to know how to fight back, okay?"


    Lucia bit her lip, steeled herself, and nodded, "I know."


    Since childhood, she had seemed to be too cowardly.


    Even when Archibald cheated on her and cursed her with Carol, she didn''t dare to talk back.


    Now she had been much stronger than before, but it seemed not enough ....


    August lowered his head, looking at the woman with red cheeks after drinking too much.


    He couldn''t reproach her coldly as he intended to.


    Watching Lucia even couldn''t stand still, he sighed lightly, stooping down to pick her up and walking


    towards the car on the roadside.


    At the door of the club, Rose stood by the pir, staring straight over.


    She was so angry that unconsciously clenched her fists.


    She had been in love with August for two years.


    In the past two years, she had tried her best to make August notice her, and she didn''t expect that a


    woman would suddenly appear and be the one apanying August.


    How could she pretend to be not angry? Watching August carrying Lucia to the car, Rose gritted her


    teeth and called somebody, "Hello? Help me to check a person ......"


    By the time Burton drove August and Lucia to the vi, it was gettingte.


    As soon as August entered with Lucia in his arms, he saw Turner waiting in the living room anxiously.


    August carried Lucia straight towards the second floor, "She''s drunk.


    Turner, please get a cup of tea to sober her up."


    "Okay, I''m on my way."


    Carrying Lucia back to the bedroom, August just put her on the bed and was about to straighten up


    when she wrapped her arms around his neck.


    Lying on the bed, Lucia looked at him with her eyes nearly shut, "Don''t leave."


    August froze for a moment and reached out to pull her hand away.


    I''m not leaving."


    "August..."

 Chapter 14

    Chapter 14


    Her eyes wandering and her voice weak, August couldn''t tell whether she was drunk or not, but the


    hand around his neck just wouldn''t let go.


    Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    August had no choice but to stay in that position, "Well, what is it?"


    Lucia muttered, "Today...


    Thank you foring over to apany my dad for his birthday......"


    With that, she suddenly giggled, "Thank you ......"


    Immediately after that, she raised her chin and kissed August.


    August was stunned and felt like his face was on fire, tingling constantly He frowned, anger arising in


    his heart.


    This is the first time he has been kissed in this way.


    Is this considered a forced kiss? Wrapping her arms around him, Lucia giggled again.


    She waspletely unconscious.


    It seemed that she was really drunk.


    Looking at her like this, the anger in August''s heart dissipated unconsciously.


    With resignation, he pulled Lucia''s hands away and tuck her in.


    "Have a good rest."


    Lucia reached out and grabbed his hand, pleading like a rogue, "You stay here with me....."


    August frowned and had no idea what to do for a while.


    He didn''t expect Lucia to be like this when she was drunk Turner happened to see this when she came


    over to deliver the tea.


    She couldn''t help but smile, "Sir, Lucia relies on you.


    At this time, it''s better for you to stay with her."


    August looked down at the woman on the bed and the thought to leave suddenly disappeared.


    Ultimately, he should be held ountable for her being bullied.


    Now, he couldn''t leave her alone.


    "Sir, shall I feed Lucia the tea?"


    August hesitated for a second and whispered, "No, I''ll feed her."


    Hearing that, Turner smiled secretly and nodded, and then quietly left the room.


    August reached out and gently patted her cheek, "Get up and drink your tea."


    Lucia was too drunk.


    She frowned and turned her head directly, ignoring the teapletely.


    It was impossible to let her get up and drink the tea herself.


    August pulled his hand out of her hand, picked up the cup, and fed it to her mouth with a spoon.


    Lucia smelled the scent and frowned.


    She just wouldn''t open her mouth.


    "Are you sure you don''t want to drink the tea?"


    August''s eyebrows throbbed.


    He had never persuaded anyone like this.


    If it were someone else, he would have run out of patience.


    However, Lucia made it different.


    Seemingly startled by his sudden seriousness, Lucia shook her head, opened her eyes slightly, and


    said softly, "I''ll drink ......"


    By August''s threats and entreaties, Lucia drank most of the tea.


    Finally, she couldn''t resist sleepiness and fell asleep.


    Lucia was fast asleep.


    August nced at her and breathed deeply with relief.


    He quietly withdrew from the room and closed the door.


    Just as he wanted to go back to the bedroom beside him and rest, the phone suddenly rang at this


    time, "Sir, she just has a nightmare and desperately wants to see you."


    Hearing this, August suddenly tightened his hand holding the phone.


    He frowned, and without hesitation, immediately spoke, "I''m going there now!"


    Hanging up the phone, he didn''t say a word, grabbed his jacket, and hurried out.


    Finally, he disappeared in the sinking twilight


    The next day.


    Lucia turned over and opened her eyes as the sunshine shone into the room.


    Her head was heavy and a little painful.


    She raised her hand, rubbed her temples, and sat up.


    Trying to recall what happened yesterday, she suddenly couldn''t remember anything.


    It seemed thatst night she was really drunk! Lucia sighed and got up to walk to the bathroom.


    Going out of the bathroom, Lucia paced to the first floor, just as Turner had breakfast ready.


    "Ma''am, breakfast is ready."


    Looking around, Lucia didn''t see August, so asked, "Where is August?"


    "Sir leftst night.


    It seemed that he needed to handle something in a hurry."


    Turner came over and pulled Lucia towards the table, "It''s normal for sir, such a figure, to be busy, but I


    can see that he cares much about you.


    He was the one who took care of you when you were drunk yesterday..."


    "Huh?"


    Lucia was surprised, "he took care of me?"


    She had also been drunk before for several times.


    Her friends said that she wasn''t good at drinking and couldn''t stop being mad when she got drunk.


    So she worried that she had done something improperst night.


    Thinking about this, Lucia immediately had a panic fear and felt cold even on her back.


    If she was mad after drinking too much in front of Ms.


    Mitchell or her friends, it would be fine, but in front of August, she really dared not to imagine the scene.


    "I haven''t seen sir being so careful of anyone!"


    Turner didn''t notice the change in Lucia''s face and smilingly pulled her to sit down at the dining table.


    Lucia''s cheeks reddened, not sure if it was out of shame or shyness.


    Eventually, she smiled and didn''t answer, starting to eat the porridge.


    "By the way, ma''am, do you have any ns for today?"


    Hearing this, Lucia stopped with a sudden pause.


    As she nned yesterday, if nothing happened, she would go back to work today.


    Several days had passed from the day of the ident to now, and the wound on her neck had almost


    healed.


    Besides, she had nothing but boredom staying alone at home.


    It was better to go back to work.


    Lucia smiled at Turner, "I''m nning to go back to work today."


    Even now she had married August officially, she knew very well that she couldn''t rely on August for the


    rest of her life.


    After breakfast, Lucia simply packed up and immediately went to the office.


    Just as she arrived at the office area of her department, some colleagues saw her with some


    indefinableplexity.


    Lucia tightened her lips.


    She was just promoted a few days ago, and then she didn''te to work for days in a row.


    So her colleagues in the department must have been suspicious.

 Chapter 15

    Chapter 15


    Chapter 015 After putting her things on the desk, Lucia went straight to the department head Carter''s


    office to report.


    Upon entering the door, Carter was talking to Lisa, another department assistant.


    Carter saw Lucia standing in the doorway and waved at her, "Come here."


    Lucia immediately walked on, "Carter, I''m back at the office ande to report to you."


    Carter nodded slightly.


    "I know, since both of you are here now, I need to tell you something.


    You two are my assistants, to assist the entire department.


    Besides me, you two should shoulder the responsibility in this department.


    Lucia, I expect your performance, and if you have any problems, you can ask Lisa Miller, you


    understand?"


    Lucia immediately nodded and agreed, "Yes, I understand."


    Then Carter said, "Good, I have told Lisa the most important work in the department recently.


    Lisa, you show Lucia around to get familiar with her work."


    "Okay.


    Carter, you can rest assured."


    Lisa smiled kindly, and at the same time she turned to Lucia and smiled at her, "Lucia, youe with


    me."


    Lucia was only a small clerk in the department before, so she didn''t have much contact with Lisa.


    At first, she was worried that Lisa wouldn''t tolerate her, but now it seemed that she was overly worried.


    Secretly breathing a sigh of relief, Lucia nodded and followed her immediately.


    "Thanks very much, Lisa."


    The two walked out of Carter''s office shoulder to shoulder, and then Lisa led her to the side, "From


    today, you will have your own office, and you can move here after you pack up your stuffter."


    Looking at the bright, spacious office, Lucia felt happy secretly in that she had a chance to have an


    office of her own in her lifetime! "Thank you, Lisa.


    Carter just said something about work, what..."


    As soon as Lucia mentioned work, Lisa suddenly looked sullen, and the look on her face was no longer


    as kind as it was just now, even with some impatience, "I''ll tell youter."


    Saying this, Lisa took out a file from the folder in her hand and put it on the desk, "Holidays are around


    the corner now.


    This is the list of welfare prepared by ourpany for employees, and you need to purchase these


    things.


    There are tips about funds and our business partners.


    You can handle this thing first."


    Lucia took a look at the file and responded with a little excitement, "Okay, leave this to me!"


    Lisa looked at Lucia turning to leave, and a trace of coldness shed across her eyes.


    She would have a headache every time handling the holiday welfare thing.


    Thepany only gave limited funds, but prices rose every time.


    Therefore, failing to satisfy anyone, she was always in a dilemma despite her efforts.


    Now as Lucia had just been promoted, she naturally wanted to throw this hot potato at her.


    Once Lucia messed it up, not only could she not be med, but maybe even let Lucia lose her job.


    Getting her task, Lucia at first contacted their former business partners, set up a meeting schedule, and


    then prepared to move her stuff to the office.


    As she packed her stuff, colleagues around her cast spective nces at her, and some even


    gathered together to talk about it as if not seeing her.


    "Who knows her background? I heard that Lydia, the intern she instructed, was fired for offending her.


    Such a poor girl!"


    "Really? I am also confused howe I haven''t seen Lydia for the past few days."


    Hearing what they said, Lucia frowned and quickly packed up her stuff.


    Then she walked towards her office, holding the cardboard box.


    She knew clearly that her promotion was indeed not in line with thepany''s rules, and it was


    impossible for her not to let others discuss it now.


    The only thing she could do was to do her job earnestly.


    With this in mind, Lucia was so motivated that she took the file and read it again before going out to


    meet their business partners to discuss the order.


    The paperwork stipted that she could select two other people to go on the mission together, but


    when she arrived at the office area and asked, no one would go with her.


    Seeing no one respond, Lucia took a breath and continued to ask, "Is there anyone who is not so busy


    today? Pleasee with me and we will be back soon."


    Everyone there had their head down as if they didn''t hear what Lucia said and remained busy with their


    own ''business.


    The atmosphere was unspeakably awkward.


    Seeing that no one really responded, Lucia took a deep breath, walked directly to a colleague, and said


    softly, "Emma, can youe with me?"


    Emma was the most helpful girl in the department and got on well with Lucia before.


    Now in this situation, Lucia had no choice but to turn to her.


    Emma hesitated and was about to say something when a voice suddenly came from next to her,


    "Emma, have you finished the report I''ve asked you to arrange? I need it, quickly!"


    Lucia looked around and saw Lisaing this way.


    Emma smiled and immediately answered, "It''s not done yet, Lisa.


    I''ll finish it right now."


    Then she looked at Lucia and apologized to her, "Sorry Lucia, my work is not done yet."


    Lucia nodded, "It''s okay, you go ahead with your thing."


    Lisa came over and asked, "Lucia, what''s up? Are you looking for someone toe with you?"


    Lucia nodded, "Yes, I''m afraid I can''t do it alone."


    Hearing that, Lisa chuckled, "Lucia, you''re not the little clerk you were before.


    Now you''re an administrative assistant, and these things should be done well even if you do it yourself.


    Besides, everyone is so busy, and you still want others to put down their own work to help you?"


    The volume of her voice was proper enough to be heard clearly by Lucia''s colleagues, and some of


    them gloated so much that evenughed out loudly, all waiting to see Lucia being embarrassed.


    Being scolded like this in front of everyone, Lucia''s cheeks got hot and red.


    A momentter, she took a deep breath and said, "Lisa, you''re right.


    I''ll go myself now."


    After saying that, she turned around and walked straight out of the department.


    Although she was only a small clerk before, she knew that tasks like this were usuallypleted by


    two or three people together.


    Since no one was willing to go with her this time, she had toplete the task well alone.


    Leaving thepany, Lucia went directly to former partnerpanies and met with their managers in


    charge.


    After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Lucia directly said her purpose, "Sir, actually, Ie here today


    for the uing holiday order.


    The Lion Group has cooperated with you before, and this time we also intend to order yourpany''s


    goods.


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    As to the price, how about still the same asst year''s? What do you think?"


    Garcia''s original good attitude changed as soon as he heard the price.


    He casually flipped through the offer sheet and immediately shook his head, "I''m afraid we can''t ept


    this price."


    Hearing this, Lucia hurriedly spoke up, "Sir, ourpany''s budget this time is the same asst years


    ......


    "Miss Mitchel, that''s not reasonable.


    Prices are soaring all over the country now, and things are different.


    It''s been a year, and we certainly can''t ept the same price you offer at the beginning."


    "But this year we will order morepared to previous years ....."


    Not waiting for Lucia to finish her words, Garcia directly interrupted her, "Miss Mitchel, we can stop


    here.


    I have already stated clearly that we definitely can''t ept this price.


    Why don''t you go back to yourpany and apply for more funds? If you still need it,e back to me


    and we will talk then."


    Garcia finished speaking, got up, and left directly.


    Standing up and following him, Lucia didn''t expect Garcia to be so resolute andpletely refused to


    continue the conversation.


    She also didn''t expect the first round of conversation to be so unsmooth.


    Lucia sighed.


    She had no choice but to pick up her file and continue the next one.


    After severalpanies, almost none of them was willing to ept her offer.


    Lucia realized that it was not as easy to purchase as she thought it to be.


    Thepany gave a limited budget, but the prices these firms asked for weren''t low.


    She mediated on both sides and made great efforts, but the results were still unsatisfying.


    After a long day of rushing around, Lucia returned to her office tiredly.


    This first day back at work really gave her a lesson.


    Wearing high heels and running all day, Lucia walked quite a long way, and her heels were worn out of


    the blood.


    All her steps were apanied by great pain.


    Walking into the lobby of thepany, Lucia slowly moved forward and before she reached the


    stairway, she heard noisesing from behind her.


    She looked back just to see a group of peopleing this way.


    The one walking ahead was August, followed by four or five men in suits.


    It looked like they were thepany''s top managers.


    They walked quickly and Lucia stood still, as if she had been pinned there.


    But at the same time, she stared at August as he moved.


    August was talking about something to the man beside him.


    Turning his head and by chance noticing Lucia on the side, He suddenly paused, and two seconds


    later, he moved away and continued to walk forward.


    Seeing them walking away.


    Lucia was relieved because she was afraid August would see something unusual about her.


    But luckily he didn''t notice.


    Back in her office, Lucia took off her shoes and looked at the wound on her heels.


    She couldn''t help but frown.


    If she knew she had to walk so much, she should have worn ts! Not long after, the supervisor Carter


    suddenly called and asked her to send a document to the president''s office.


    There wasn''t enough time for Lucia to get the wound treated.


    She hurriedly took the document and went towards the president''s office.


    Only when she was halfway there did she realize that if she went to the president''s office like this, she


    might run into August.


    He might even notice the wound on her feet.

 Chapter 16

    Chapter 16


    "Ding--", the elevator door opened.


    Lucia was out of options, so she had to walk out of it with a stiff face.


    At this time, she could not run away from the battle.


    She could not run away from such a small thing --to deliver a document.


    She took a deep breath, put on a steady pace, and tried to walk without any difference.


    When she reached the office door, she raised her hand and knocked on the door.


    After she heard the voice inside, she pushed the door and came in.


    August was sitting at his desk flipping through papers, and he was the only one in the entirerge


    office.


    Lucia held the file tightly and she slowly walked forward, "President, this is the file you want."


    August nodded slightly, and his expression changed little, "Good, put it down."


    Lucia blinked and she said "Then if there''s nothing else, I''ll go out first."


    No sooner had she said that than August''s voice came, "Why did you suddenlye to the office,


    didn''t I tell you to take a good rest at home?"


    Lucia hesitated for a moment and she said truthfully.


    "I was too bored at home, so I came to work."


    August heard the words, and he paused for a moment.


    Then he suddenly got up, stepped up to her, and stared at her from a high position, "What happened to


    your feet?"


    Lucia was stunned and she subconsciously took a half step back, "Nothing...nothing."


    She clearly bore the pain when she was walking, so how could he still see it? August frowned, he


    directly reached out his hand and pulled her to the sofa next to him.


    Then he pressed her to sit down, "Don''t move, let me take a look."


    When he said that, he squatted down and directly took off the high heels on her feet.


    Lucia''s feet shrank back, but the neck of her feet were still clutched by the man.


    August looked down and he saw the bloody wound on the heel of the woman''s small, pink and white


    feet.


    His eyes sank sharply.


    The wound on her feet was so serious, and she didn''t even mention a word about it! There was an


    unknown angry rushed into his heart.


    August frowned as he stared at Lucia and he asked, "How much longer do you want to hide this?"


    When he asked, Lucia had nothing to say.


    So she lowered her head and stopped talking.


    August got up, and he opened the cab next to him.


    He found the spare medical kit, took out gauze and potion from it.


    Then he treated Lucia''s wound.


    He sat down on Lucia''s side, and he put her calf on hisp.


    Then he gently and carefully treated her wound.


    When she looked at this man''s handsome face and serious expression, Lucia''s cheeks kept heating


    up.


    Until the end, it fevered like a fire.


    "That..."


    Lucia forced herself to divert her attention, "I didn''t do anything unusualst night, did i?"


    Hearing her suddenly mentionst night, August''s face changed slightly.


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    He looked at the woman, and a few unnoticeable smiles surfaced under his eyes, "Do you want to


    know what happenedst night?"


    Lucia immediately nodded seriously, and she said "I...


    didn''t cause you any trouble, did I?"


    August raised his eyebrow and he continued the bandaging action on his hand.


    And he said "If putting your arm around my neck to offer a kiss is not a trouble, then it is not."


    "What!"


    Lucia was so shocked that she couldn''t help but scream out, "I ......"


    A dry heat rushed to the top of her head, which made Lucia''s already red cheeks even hotter.


    And even her two ears were red.


    She actually wrapped her arms around August''s neck to offer a kissst night, which was too shameful


    to speak out! Seeing the change in the woman''s expression, August''s lips emerged with a few smiles.


    He bandaged the wound and he opened his mouth to remind, "Change your shoes if they don''t fit."


    When he said that, he stood up, walked to his desk and dialed a phone call, "Please send a pair of


    women''s t shoes in size thirty-six over."


    After saying that, he hung up the phone.


    He walked to the sofa and he cautioned Lucia, "Wait until Burton send the t shoes to here, and you


    change the shoes before going out."


    "And these shoes, please don''t wear them afterward."


    Lucia sat on the couch and she obediently responded, "Okay."


    Not long after, Burton knocked on the door and he sent over a brand new pair of size thirty-six t


    shoes.


    Originally, Burton was confused.


    He was not sure how the president of him suddenly wanted a pair ofdies shoes.


    But once he saw Lucia, he immediately understood.


    He put down the shoes and immediately went out, because he determined not to y gooseberry.


    Looking at the shoes August handed over, Lucia''s heart warmed and she said softly, "Thank you."


    She did not know how August saw that her feet were injured, but there was no doubt that he was an


    attentive and considerate man.


    "This is what I should do.


    You don''t need to say thank you."


    August said lightly, "How does it feel to be on your first day of work after the promotion?"


    Lucia took a deep breath and she said, "Pretty good..."


    "Well, if there''s anything you need help with, you can just go for Burton."


    After August said that, he returned to his desk and he continued to look through the files he had just


    worked on.


    Lucia changed her shoes and she put her heels in the bag before she exited from the office.


    After the bandaging, the wound was still a little sore, but it was much better than earlier.


    What she didn''t expect was that August would be so meticulous that he particrly asked Burton to


    send her a pair of t shoes.


    When she thought that, Lucia unknowinglyughed out loud.


    Then she reached out and patted her blushing cheeks, and she walked forward.


    "Wait a minute!"


    A familiar voice suddenly came from behind her, Lucia was stunned and she turned around.


    Surprisingly, it was Irene, the same secretary she had met yesterday when she came to deliver Tom


    Yum Goong soup to August.


    Irene stared at her with some precaution.


    And after looking back and forth, she asked, "Which department are you from?"


    Lucia didn''t have a good impression of her.


    But she didn''t want to talk to her so much, she simply answered, "The administration department."


    When she heard Lucia''s voice, Irene suddenly frowned and she swept her badge, "Lucia, have we met


    somewhere before? This voice of yours sounds familiar ......"


    "Did we?"


    Lucia hooked her lips and smiled, she said"I''ll go first if there''s nothing else, I still have work to do."


    Irene frowned, her eyes finally locked on the shoes on Lucia''s feet.


    She said "Just now I saw Special Assistant Harris took a pair of shoes into the office, could it be the


    pair on your feet?"


    Lucia frowned and she said in a cold voice, "Secretary Scott, I still have work to do.


    Sorry, I need to leave first."


    With that, she took a step and she was about to walk forward.


    Irene immodestly chased after her, "Stop, let me tell you.


    No matter which department you are from, I wan to advise you that don''t think about hooking up with


    our president! As long as there is me, Irene in the president''s office, you should not have any crooked


    n!"


    After she heard Irene said that, Lucia couldn''t help but frown.


    She thought that she was treating herself as an imaginary enemy.


    Lucia smiled and she spoke, "Secretary Scott, not everyone is as boring as you are."


    After she heard Lucia say that, Irene''s face suddenly turned pale, "What do you mean by that?"


    Lucia didn''t bother to response her and she continued walking forward without pausing.


    Seeing Lucia walk into the elevator, Irene was angry and annoyed.


    And she red at her fiercely.


    She felt that Lucia''s voice seemed to be familiar from somewhere, and after hearing her say a few


    words just now, she felt even more familiar.


    Suddenly, an image shed through her mind.


    The person who wore a hat and a mask to bring food to August that day seemed to be Lucia! Irene


    suddenly reacted, and she couldn''t help but feel a shock in her heart.


    The doubts originally blocked her heart became more and moreplicated.


    Could it be that there was really some hidden secret between Lucia and August? This idea swept


    through Irene''s mind, but the next second she rejected it herself.


    How could the president take a fancy to a woman like Lucia? She must be stalking him, shamelessly!


    As she watched Lucia walk further and further away, Irene slowly clenched her fists.


    And she silently determined that if she caught any evidence next time, she would definitely not let this


    woman go easily!

 Chapter 17

    Chapter 17


    Chapter 017 "Ah-choo!"


    Lucia inexplicably felt a chill on her back, and just after she got on the elevator, she let out a loud


    sneeze, Could it be that someone missed her? She rubbed her nose and she didn''t think much of it.


    She watched the elevator stop at the floor of the administration department, and only then she got off


    the elevator.


    When she got out of the elevator, just at the moment she walked to the public office area of the


    administration department, a colleague approached her and said, "Assistant Mitchel, Mrs.Carter is


    looking for you and she is waiting for you in her office."


    Mrs.Carter? Lucia''s heart tightened and she immediately straightened up.


    After she thanked her colleague, she hurriedly walked in the direction of the supervisor''s office, It was


    about to be the end of the work, what could be the reason for Mrs.Carter toe to her at this time?


    Lucia''s heart was drumming.


    When she came to the office door, she raised her hand and knocked on the door.


    After she heard a response from inside, she pushed the door and walked in.


    Mrs.Carter sat in front of the desk and she waved at her, "Lucia,e here."


    "Mrs.Carter, what''s wrong?"


    "I have heard that now the holiday benefits are your responsibility.


    You have just been promoted, and this is your first mission, which is more or less difficult for you.


    But you must do a good job, first of all, you also know that this holiday benefits rted to the moods of


    thepany''s employees and their work motivations.


    These are very important for thepany.


    And secondly ......"


    When Mrs.Carter said that, the tone of her voice suddenly lightened a little, "you also know that now


    you were promoted to the position of administrative assistant, there are many people in the department


    are not convinced about that.


    This is the first task you took over after taking office, so you must do a good job.


    Only then, everyone would be convinced, are you understand?"


    Mrs.Carter''s words made Lucia''s heart tight, she nodded and said, "Mr.Carter, I see."


    It''s not that she couldn''t feel the change in the attitude of her colleagues in the department, so this first


    task was critical for her.


    And she wanted to prove herself through this opportunity.


    "It''s good that you know it."


    Mrs.carter nodded slightly, "You also know my temper.


    If things are not done well, I will not show you any mercy."


    Lucia nodded and she said, "Don''t worry Mrs.carter, I won''t let you down."


    "I''m just reminding you, and don''t be too nervous.


    Go and get busy."


    Lucia took a deep breath, she turned around and walked out of the supervisor''s office.


    She was thinking back and forth in her mind about what Mrs.Carter said.


    Today she ran outside all day, and two of her feet were worn.


    But things have not been negotiated, so it was clear that this matter was not as simple as she imagined


    "Sister Lisa, what about that, we can go to eat barbecue tonight, and next time we can go to eat hot


    pot!"


    "Okay, listen to you guys.


    Anyway, recently I do not need to work overtime."


    Hearing the sound ofughter, Lucia looked up and she saw several female colleagues were talking


    and were chatting in the refreshment area.


    And the one surrounded in the middle was Lisa.


    Lucia''s eyes lit up, she suddenly had an idea and took a step towards them.


    As soon as she approached, the few people over there who wereughing and joking fell silent.


    Lisa raised her eyes, and when she saw Lucia, a trace of coldness darted across her eyes.


    "Lisa, do you have time? I have something to ask you."


    Mrs.Carter said, she could always ask Lisa anything she didn''t clear and didn''t understand at any time.


    Now in what she was doing, she encountered a difficult problem.


    Lisa should not sit idly by.


    "What is it?"


    Lisa held a cup, and she took a sip of tea.


    Her attitude towards Lucia was somewhat deliberately estranged.


    Lucia looked at her colleagues who were standing next to Lisa and were reluctant to leave, then she


    took a deep breath and said, "It''s a work matter, and I''d like to consult you alone."


    .


    "At work?"


    Lisa heard that, and she smiled.


    A trace of Barcasm surfaced under her eyes, "You shouldn''te to ask me about work matters,


    right?"


    She straightened her back and she continued without waiting for Lucia''s answer, "It took me three


    years to get promoted from an ordinary employee to an administrative assistant, not including the


    internship period.


    But you stayed at The Lion group for two years once you graduated, and now you''ve been promoted


    from the top.


    It means that you must have something the others could not surpass.


    I should learn from you."


    After she said that, the next few colleaguesughed out loud without prior consultation, and then they


    looked at Lucia with a few more indefinable sarcasm.


    Lucia stood in the same ce, she only felt that her cheeks was burning hot.


    Lisa''s words sounded fine at first nce, but the reasonable one could understand that she was in front


    of everyone humiliating her.


    And she clearly said that Lucia improperly got her position.


    Seeing that she didn''t say anything for half a day, Lisa smiled and said to her colleagues, "This holiday


    benefit was organized by Mitchel''s assistant, so you should be looking forward to it.


    I wonder if this year''s holiday benefit will be more surprising than previous years?"/ Lucia bit her lip, but


    she couldn''t say a word.


    Originally she thought Lisa was nice, or at least kind to her.


    But she didn''t think it was just her superficial disguise! Rather than continued to stand here to be


    humiliated by them, it was better to leave.


    Lucia nced at Lisa, she clenched her fist and turned around.


    Then she walked quickly in the direction of her office.


    At this point, it seemed that there was no way out.


    Everything would have to depend on herself.


    With a sigh, Lucia prepared the necessary documents and she went straight back to the vi after


    work.


    After returning to the vi, Lucia was not in the mood to eat so she ate a few bites hastily before she


    going back to the bedroom to continue her research.


    The problem she had to face now was how to use the limited funds given by thepany to prepare


    holiday benefits and to make most of thepany''s employees like it.


    It was difficult to please everyone.


    How to made the useful funds to their maximum potential was the biggest problem.


    Lucia was so focused on viewing the information that she didn''t notice the door of the room was gently


    pushed open.


    August stood in the doorway and he saw the woman who sat at the table had no reaction.


    He lightened his steps, then he slowly stepped forward and he came around to her back.


    He only saw that this woman was taking notes.


    She looked like an elementary school student who took several different colors of pen in writing and


    drawing.


    August stood in ce, he silently watching her every move.


    Lucia flipped through the information for a while, and then she chewed on the pen to think of


    something, but there seemed to have only a few progress.


    Finally, he could not help but ask, "What are you reading?"


    This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.


    She suddenly heard a voiceing from behind, Lucia was startled.


    Her body shook violently, and the Goouments in her hands directly scattered on the ground.


    She tumed her head in a panic and she was surprised to see August standing behind her, "You...why


    are you here!"


    Seeing the woman''s face staring at him with fear, August frowned slightly.


    He did not expect her to react so much.


    August raised his eyebrows, "It''s my home.


    If I''m not here, where else can I be?"


    When he said that, he unhurriedly bent down to pick up the papers scattered on the ground.


    And after he read the fewrge words on it, he understood clearly what she was working on.


    "...I didn''t mean that."


    Lucia''s cheeks reddened, "It''s just that you appeared so suddenly that it startled me."


    August put the paper in his hand on the table and he looked at the woman''s frightened appearance.


    He couldn''t help but feel a little amused, "So timid?"


    Lucia paused, she blushed and embarrassingly said that "I''m not very bold...


    indeed, I''m not very bold, I get startled easily."


    "Then I''ll pay attention next time."


    August hooked his lips, "How are things at work? Can you handle it? Do you need my help?"


    Lucia was stunned and she reacted when she saw August gestured with his chin to the papers on his


    desk.


    "No."


    She shook her head repeatedly, "I want to get the job done through my own strength, and also kind of


    ......


    use this opportunity to prove myself."


    She knew very well that maybe one word from August would solve the problem in front of her, but she


    didn''t want that.


    She wanted to prove to everyone what she could do.


    Seeing the woman''s firm eyes, August''s heart suddenly swept a few moments of relief.


    He hooked his lips in satisfaction and said softly.


    "Then it''s up to you."

 Chapter 18

    Chapter 18


    After a few seconds of pause, he got serious again and said softly, "I came to tell you one thing, I will


    take you back to the old house this Saturday, grandma wants to see you."


    "Grandma?"


    Lucia had only heard of August''s grandmother from Ms.


    Mitchell''s mouth before, and the matchmaking had been discussed between Ms.


    Mitchell and August''s grandmother at first.


    Only they hadn''t met yet.


    Now that August suddenly said that her grandmother wanted to meet her, she had a bit indefinable


    nervousness.


    "Well, when Grandma heard we got married with a license, she told me to bring you back as soon as


    possible ''so she could take a look."


    Lucia''s two hands sped together, "But I .....".


    I was not ready, she said in her heart.


    Before the words were finished, she thought of the scene of August apanying Professor Mitchell


    on his birthday a few days ago.


    And she could not say the words that had been on her lips to refuse.


    In any case, now she and August were also legally recognized as a legal couple, if she squirmed and


    refused to meet the elders, it was not reasonable.


    Lucia raised her eyes to August and she said softly, "I''ll go with you."


    August nodded slightly, "Good, please rest early."


    After saying these words, the man turned around and he walked straight out of the room.


    The moment the door was closed, Lucia''s tension was released in an instant, and she was anxiously


    spinning in ce.


    She hadn''t even been in love a few times, let alone met the parents.


    And this time they were August''s parents who she was going to meet, so how could she not be


    nervous! Since she was going to meet his parents, she must to bring some gifts to show her sincerity.


    But she couldn''t pick a gift at all! Lucia, who waspletely out of ideas, was so anxious in the room.


    And finally she had no choice but to pick up her cell phone and she called her best friend in Ennd.


    "Hello, Pa!"


    Pa Thomas'' voice came from the other end of the phone with a bit of surprise, "Lucia? Why are you


    calling me at this time?"


    "A thousand miles of emergency! Don''t ask anything else.


    Tell me first, if you need to visit the elders, such as your grandmother, what is the appropriate gift?"


    "Grandma?"


    Pa was confused, "What grandmother You''re not going to visit a nursing home for the elderly for


    your overflowing love, are you?"


    "I''m serious, it''s ......"


    Lucia''s voice paused, and she swallowed back the word "husband".


    Pa has been abroad to study music, they had not seen each other for nearly half a year.


    Recently she quickly received a certificate, but she was not able to tell her in time.


    If Pa knew that she had be a married girl one step ahead of her, she was afraid that she would


    fly back from the United States to ask questions.


    This matter, maybe it was better that she told her in person when she returned home.


    Lucia paused and she hurriedly said, "She is a friend''s grandmother.


    I''m going to visit her this weekend."


    "A friend''s grandmother?"


    Pa was keenly aware of the scent of gossip, "Which friend, the boyfriend?"


    "No, just...a colleague in apany."


    Lucia was a little nervous, "Tell me quickly, what would be a better gift."


    "I think ......since she is a grandmother.


    The more practical was the better.


    For example, the massage machine, the cashmere nket, something good for the body.


    That''s okay!"


    Listen to Pa said so, Lucia suddenly brightened up.


    She could not help but say, "Right! Why didn''t I think of that?"


    The two of them talked a lot unconsciously.


    When Lucia hung up the phone, it was already more than an hourter.


    She wrote down the list of gifts she had just thought of.


    And only.then did her panic ease.


    Now thest thing to do was to prepare these gifts before the weekend, and everything would be well


    done! Lucia looked at all kinds of massagers online and she didn''t go to bed untilte at night.


    Who knew that the next morning she was upte, then she rushed from the vi to the office in a panic


    and she was almostte.


    After the morning meeting.


    Lucia returned to the office and she was just about to contact some of the gift suppliers she had chosen


    yesterday, but before she could dial the number, the phone rang.


    "Hello? This is Administration Department."


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    "Hello, is this Mitchels assistant? This is the receptionist, someone is looking for you."


    "Looking for me?"


    Lucia was startled, "Who is it?"


    "Ms.


    Wright and Mr.Smith."


    If she had only said Ms.


    Wright or Mr.Smith, she would not have thought of who they were.


    But when the twost names were said together, Lucia instantly knew exactly who were looking for her.


    After a moment of hesitation, Lucia said in a deep voice, "Please tell them to wait, I''m going down."


    Thest time at the International Hotel, if August did not appear in time, she was afraid that she would


    be spoiled.


    And only afterwards she learned from Burton the truth of the matter, it was Carol instigated her cousin


    Lydia.


    And they also colluded with President Wright to make such a drama.


    She never thought that now Carol and Archibald would dare toe to her! Lucia''s heart was clogged


    with anger, she put down the phone without much hesitation and directly walked out of the office to the


    first floor lobby.


    Then she saw Carol and Archibald far away.


    Two of them were sitting in the lobby sofa area.


    As soon as Carol saw Lucia, she immediately teared Archibald and she pulled him up towards her.


    Before she got close, she smiled at Lucia and said, "Lucia, you''re finally here.


    We''ve been waiting for you for half a day!"


    Seeing Carol acted like a different person, Lucia was stunned firstly.


    When she was looking at the woman''s hypocritical smile, she frowned ufortably.


    "You are looking for me.


    What''s the matter?"


    Carol turned her head to look at Archibald next to her, and then she looked at her with smile, "


    This time, we came to you specifically for apologizing to you.


    Lucia was already confused.


    And now when she heard Carol said she wanted to apologize, she was even more puzzled.


    In her understanding of Carol and Archibald, not to mention apologize, they craved to step on her into


    the dust.


    So how would they are willing to lower their heads to apologize to her.


    Without waiting for her to ask, Carol next to her already touched the Archibald next to her with her arm


    and gave him a wink.


    Archibald frowned, "Lucia, what happenedst time was our fault.


    The somebody won''t care the mistake of the nobody.


    You might forgive us this time, Carol and I are truly repentant."


    Lucia clenched her fist, "Forgive you? You''re the ones who want to beat me up, and you''re the ones


    who let Lydia mess with me.


    Shouldn''t I be the one saying this to you?"


    Archibald''s face turned blue and red, and he said, "Lucia, we admit that we went too farst time, but


    because of this incident, August drove the Smith family into a dead corner and he broke the financial


    chain.


    Isn''t that too much?"


    Lucia''s heart fluttered, "What?"


    August drove the Smith family to the brink of extinction? Carol echoed next to him, "Yes, Lucia! As long


    as you can forgive us, we''ll do our best topensate you for whatever you want!"


    Lucia just felt her head was buzzing, and she couldn''t think clearly for a while.


    She only knew that after this incident, August never mentioned the matter of Carol and Archibald.


    And she knew nothing about the Smith family''s broken financial chain.


    When she didn''t respond for half a day, Carol gradually ran out of patience.


    She pushed Archibald and gave him a hard stare.


    Archibald understood that.


    Even though reluctantly, he also continued to nod and continued to persuade Lucia, "Lucia, you are so


    kind.


    Surely you do not want to see me and Carol beg on the streets, right? And we''re not the only two


    Wrights, our families are innocent!"


    He reached out and grabbed Lucia''s hand, "Even for the sake of our previous friendship, you have to


    plead with the president for us! Is it okay.


    Lucia?"


    Lucia was suddenly held by his hand, she only felt her body shake and her goose bumps fell all over


    her body.


    She hurriedly pulled her hand back and she took a half step back, "I don''t know about this at all."


    Archibald opened his mouth and asked, "Lucia , do you really want me to get down on my knees and


    beg you?"


    For a moment, Lucia did not know what to do.


    Archibald looked at her face hesitant, he really backed up a step to kneel down.


    "Don''t!"


    Lucia hurriedly backed up, "I ......


    help you! I''ll help you talk to him ......"


    Archibald eyes surfaced with joy, he hurriedly straightened up and said, "Lucia , I know you are the


    kindest!"


    Carol''s face also surfaced with joy and surprise and she said, "Lucia, this time we are counting on you!"


    The two of them thanked her one one by one, Lucia was in aplicated mood.


    And it was only after watching them turned away that she slowly came back to her senses.


    If this thing was true, she felt that it was a little bit over.


    Although Carol had a cruel heart and she instigated people to set up her, there was no need to drag the


    wholepany.


    She was biting her lip.


    Then Lucia turned around and got on the elevator in confusion.


    After returning to the office, her mind was restless, and her mind went back and forth to this matter.


    No matter what she thought, she could not be calm.


    Just in time the administration department had some documents to send to the office of the president.


    And she was going to deliver the documents and she wanted to take the opportunity to ask August


    about the matter.


    When she arrived at the president''s office, Lucia knocked on the door and went in.


    After she put the documents down, however she had no intention of leaving.


    August noticed something unusual and he looked up to see Lucia who was standing in front of her desk


    and she was staring at him.


    At this time, the two were facing each other.


    And Lucia''s heart sank, she only to felt that the glow of the whole room had gathered on the man, and


    his bottomless eyes were trying to suck her whole body in.


    "What else is going on?"


    A cold male voice came, which instantly pulled her back to reality.


    "I...have something to ask you."


    Lucia squared her shoulders, "What happened to the Smith familypany did you do that?"


    "Pop,"


    August ced the pen in her hand on the table in a not soft and not heavy way.


    And he leaned back with a straight back, "Yes, I did."


    "Just now Carol and Archibald came to me, they came to apologize to me.


    And I just found out about it."


    took a coup breath and then said, "Actually, I think, things should not go this far.


    Carol did have autt, wur not unforgivable ......"


    Lucia,'' August suddenly looked gloomy.


    He stared at her and asked, "Have you forgotten what they did to you then?"


    Lucia bit her lip and said "I know, but if you do this, you will implicate many innocent people.


    The people in thepany will lose their jobs, and their families will suffer along with them."


    August''s eyebrows quivered, and after a few seconds, he looked away, "Don''t worry about it, I have the


    sense of propriety.


    Carol and Archibald fell into this situation, because they deserve it."


    Looking at the man''s suddenly ice-cold expression, Lucia was about to speak.


    But she did not expect that there suddenly came the sound of footsteps behind him.


    It followed by Burton''s voice, "President, Miss Jeanne she ......"


    Burton just said half of the words.


    Just at the time he look up, he found that another person was standing in the room, and he hastily


    stopped talking.


    Lucia heard "Jeanne", and her body unconsciously tensed.


    This name, she has heard several times.

 Chapter 19

    Chapter 19


    Dictably, August''s re became icy.


    Burton stepped forward at once, lowering his voice and keeping on reporting.


    Momentster, his tone softened, "Suit herself and tell Lucia I''ll give her a look-in another day."


    Burton nodded and stepped out of the office, Suddenly, the room became noiseless again.


    Lucia clenched her fists unconsciously.


    There was a sadness which can''t be expressed by recalling the scene.


    Who is Jeanne? Why did August change his tune intensely? Could it be that Jeanne is his lover? But


    why did he marry me? All kinds of questions sprang to her mind at one blow.


    Lucia got fretful suddenly.


    Just this moment, the man said "What else do you want to say?", with a detached tone.


    Lucia bit her lip.


    "As for Carol and Archibald, I''m not going to get to the bottom of this matter, so I hope you''ll give them


    a chance."


    August said coldly, "Interceding for the people who hurt you.


    This is the first time I have seen such dramatic plot in reality."


    As he was speaking, he took a deep look at Lucia, and then moved the sight.


    "The things I decided will not change.


    Moreover, what I did to the Smith family, not because of you."


    Lucia froze without any reply.


    It seems that everything is her own wishful thinking, and she thought that August was targeting the


    Smith family in order to fight for her, but it is not the case.


    Her cheeks were burning and burning.


    Lucia was embarrassed to say anything, so she bit her lip, and finally turned around and walked out of


    the office quickly.


    Who is Jeanne? The more Lucia thought about it, the more fidgety she became, and her felt like crying


    when her nose is sour.


    No sooner had Luciae back to the administration department than Emma greeted her when she


    reached the office, "Assistant Mitchel, where did you go? I was dropping off some paperwork for you,


    while the phone was ringing, so I answered.


    There was a supplier of holiday boxes called.


    When Lucia heard this, she immediately brought back herself and hurried into the office.


    Anyway, the priority is to solve the problem at work.


    Mind wandering can be another time.


    Lucia walked over to her desk and dialed the phone back.


    "Hello? This is Lucia Mitchell speaking."


    "Lucia Mitchell, the executive department of The lion group, right? We had met atst time.


    Given to the quoted price you made, we discussed again.


    I think it is possible to cooperate.


    So why don''t we make an appointment and talk over in detail?"


    When Lucia heard this, she was overjoyed.


    Without further pondering, she agreed, "Okay, then today!"


    After making an appointment with Thompson president.


    Lucia began to make a scheme of products right away.


    The festival gift box is for the entirepany''s employees.


    She can only spare no effort to make the best n, and then listen to the opinion of the manufacturer.


    How time flies! In no time the afternoones.


    Lucia had done full preparation, leaving herpany for President Thompson.


    After waiting in the reception room for a while, President Thompson pushed the door in.


    Lucia stood up immediately and shook his hand.


    "Hello President Thompson, I''m Lucia."


    "I know."


    President Thompson grinned, reached out and took Lucia''s hand, and looked at her up and down


    quickly Lucia pulled out her hand from President Thompson''s and handed him the scheme of products.


    "The price had been revealed to yourpanyst time.


    Today I want to talk about what stuff you want to set in the gift box.


    If yourpany epts it, we can make a deal.


    "Do not hurry."


    President Thompson smiled and leaned back on the couch, "Assistant Mitchel, I guess you''re probably


    doing this for the first time, right?"


    Lucia was surprised, "How...


    How do you know?"


    President Thompson exined, "This kind of festival gift box should have been scheduled long ago, if


    you are determined that there is a requirement.


    Now that our factories also need time to produce them.


    Furthermore, during the holidays, not only yourpany has orders but others also waiting to receive


    the goods.


    It''s toote to ce an order at this time.


    I am afraid that I have to put off your order."


    "What?"


    Lucia shocked.


    She doesn''t have much experience at this field because she just received the task recently and she


    didn''t take duration into ount at all! do now!"


    lu suddenly had no idea.


    She would suffer insult from the whole Yu families if she did not deliver the aifts to the employees of the


    company in time.


    "Don''t worry!"


    President Thompson was much calmer, his eyes flowing back and forth on Lucia, "I called you today,


    there must be a way to help you solve this mattet."


    "What''s the solution?"


    Lucia had never encountered anything like this either.


    By this time she panicked.


    "I can do you a favor that advancing your order, which is not a big deal!"


    President Thompson leered and continued, "And Assistant Mitchel just need to pay a little price."


    Lucia heard this, frowning subconsciously.


    She asked in fear "What price?"


    President Thompson suddenly straightened up, smiled and whispered, "As long as Assistant Mitchel is


    willing to give a cheek to dinner together, this matter is easy to figure out."


    Listening to President Thompson say this, the corners of Lucia''s mouth twitched involuntarily.


    President Thompson is in his forties and his head is getting bald.


    Since she had entered the office, he kept looking at her.


    She didn''t pay attention to thest time they met.


    But today she can really feel his obscenity.


    Ostensibly in the name of having dinner, but in fact, his purpose is ulterior.


    Lucia gritted her teeth, staring at President Thompson and raising the wedding ring in her finger.


    "Sorry President Thompson, I''m married!", she said firmly.


    As she spoke, she quickly collected the documents on the table and walked quickly outside.


    President Thompson quickly stood up, "Assistant Mitchel, please wait! I don''t mind that, and I''m


    married too! I liked you thest time I saw you..."


    Listening to the man''s words, Lucia got goosebumps all over her body, and she quickly fled the ce


    with the document in her arms.


    Walking on the road, the sky was already a little dark, and Lucia suddenly felt extremely lost.


    Today is really terrible.


    Not only matters didn''t go well at work, but had a fight with August...to the reached for her phone and


    called Aunt Turner.


    "Hey, Aunt Turner, you don''t have to cook my minal today.


    Mi stay at home tonight."


    After themand, she stopped a taxi, directly told the address of her home.


    Within half an hour, she arrived at the neighborhood she was familiar with.


    As soon as she entered the gate of themunity, Lucia saw several women standing next to the


    flower beds not far away, and Ms.


    Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Mitchell was standing in the center.


    "Let me show you, my son-inw has slender but not rough figure about 1.8 meters.


    Not only has handsome features, but gets along famously with Lucia."


    "Mitchell, are you kidding? "Let''s have a look next time!"


    "We have never seen him since you have been praising that boy..."


    EHIBIT Hearing these words, Lucia''s heart sank, and she suddenly felt her nose sour.


    If Ms.


    Mitchell and Professor Mitchell had known that she and August just two strangers who have fake


    rtionship barely, they would have been saddened.


    Ms.


    Mitchell was about to speak while the afterglow swept to this side, turning her head to see the person


    beside her, and couldn''t help being stunned, "Lucia? How do you..."


    Lucia quickly restrained her tears, stepped forward, and pulled out a smile at her, "Mom."


    Ms.


    Mitchell looked around Lucia, "How did you get back?"


    What about August?"


    "I miss you, so Ie back and see how do you do."


    "My girl!"


    Ms.


    Mitchell probably guessed something wrong, by saw Lucia''s reddened eye circles.


    Didn''t say something, pulling Lucia in the direction of home.


    Walking into the corridor, there was no one around, and Ms.


    Mitchell couldn''t help asking, "What happened?"


    Did you have a quarrel with August?"


    "Nothing."


    Lucia shook her head, "I really just miss you and Dad."


    Owing to Lucia did not want to say more, Ms.


    Mitchell stopped to ask, but just nagged, The marriage is not the same as single.


    You cannot be self-willed."


    Her having dinner with Professor Mitchell and The Mitchell Lady, Lucia went back to her room.


    Due to the fatigue of the day, she soon fell asleep.


    As time goes by, Lucia only felt ufortable in a trance, as if she was being watched.


    Lucia slowly opened her eyes and saw somebody in front of her.


    She fixed her eyes on this figure...


    That was August! Sitting by her bed! Lucia was shocked, rubbed her eyes, and said in surprise, "How...


    How do you get here? Am I dreaming now?"


    As she spoke, she was going to pinch her arm without hesitation.


    But before she wakes herself, August had already reached out and grasped Lucia''s hand.


    August was silent, but he said seriously, "I intend to pick you up and take you home."


    Feeling the temperature of the man''s palm, Lucia reacted with hindsight.


    The scene is veritable! She pulled her hand out of his hand in rush, "I...


    I won''t follow you!"


    August frowned slightly, and said "Lucia, you are my wife, you shoulde home with me."


    Hearing the word "wife", Lucia was stunned at first, and then she felt a little ridiculous.

 Chapter 22

    Chapter 22


    Chapter 22 Seeing Grandmother Green was suddenly more serious, Lucia was actually a little nervous.


    She turned to August and August nodded at her.


    So Lucia followed Grandmother Green to get on the second floor Lucia apanied Grandmother


    Green to the second floor and they walked into a room with the vintage decor, "Lucia, this is our first


    meeting, so I, as a grandmother, should give you a gift"


    While Grandmother Green was saying, she opened the drawer of the bedside table, look out a red


    cloth bag from it, and then slowly opened the handkerchief.


    A silver bracelet appeared, randmother Green handed the bracelet over, "Lucia, you can see it as a gift


    for our first meeting, so just take it."


    Lucia was surprised and a little overwhelmed The silver bracelet seemed to be something precious to


    Grandmother Green, so she couldn''t ept it Lucia looked at Grandmother Green, and then looked at


    the silver bracelet in her hand.


    She shook her head, "Grandmother Green, I can''t ept it."


    Seeing that Lucia refused, the olddy was not worried, but only asked softly, "Do you know whose


    bracelet this is?"


    Lucia didn''t know, so she shook her head.


    Wasn''t It Grandmother Green''s bracelet? Grandmother Green narrated slowly.


    "This is left behind by August''s mother before she died.


    She specially instructed that I must give it to August''s wife.


    This is a silver bracelet passed down from her ancestors.


    I give it to you, which represents my recognition of you, and also the recognition of the Adams family to


    you."


    Hearing Grandmother Green suddenly mention August''s mother, Lucia was nervous.


    Lucia had learned from Aunt Turner that everyone was prohibited to mention August''s mother, and


    seeing this bracelet, she was even more unsure whether she should take it.


    What''s more, it was a bracelet which meant a lot, so Lucia dared not ept it.


    Even if Grandmother Green admitted Lucia, and the Adams family epted her, the most important


    thing for her was August''s real eptance.


    When Grandmother Green saw Lucia did not speak for a while, she asked again, "Lucia, are you still


    not going to ept it?"


    Lucia came back to her senses.


    After she thought for a moment, she looked seriously at the olddy, "Grandmother Green, I''m afraid I


    can''t ept the bracelet.


    At least, I can''t ept it now."


    "Why?"


    Grandmother married August not long ago.


    Although I have contacted with him these days, we haven''t had a deep rtionship yet.


    I want to ept the bracelet until we love each other."


    Hearing Lucia''s word, Grandmother Green was very surprised.


    Finally, she smiled and shook her head, and put the red cloth bag back again, "You are frank and


    sincere.


    It''s ok.


    I will wait until you ept it."


    Although Lucia didn''t ept the bracelet, Grandmother Green was fonder of her.


    And they chatted for a while before they slowly went downstairs.


    The maids had already prepared the meal in the dining room downstairs, August walked up and


    supported Grandmother Green on the other side, "Grandmother Green, it''s time for lunch."


    Grandmother Green nodded, turned to Lucia, and said smilingly, "Come on, Lucia, let''s have lunch."


    Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    Lucia answered smilingly, "Okay.


    Grandmother Green."


    The three of them sat at the table.


    Before they use their chopsticks, a maid walked to Grandmother Green and half whispered,


    "Mrs.Green, he said he didn''t want to go downstairs because of the noise.


    We just need to send meal upstairs."


    Hearing it, Grandmother Green nodded slightly and said nothing else.


    Lucia heard the servant''s words clearly beside her, and she was a little puzzled.


    From the maid''s words, she could learn there was someone else in the house.


    But just now Lucia walked around with Grandmother Green, she neither heard Grandmother Green


    mention it, nor saw anyone else.


    Just when she was puzzled, Grandmother Green suddenly gave her a piece of pork ribs, "Lucia, try


    these ribs."


    Lucia came back to her senses and smiled in response, and she didn''t think much about what had just


    happened.


    Lucia tasted the ribs, and she was very surprised.


    Sauce vored pork ribs, crispy and tasty.


    The taste was really delicious! "It''s so delicious, Grandmother Green!"


    Hearing it, Grandmother Greenughed, "Our cook in our old house has been in the Adams family for


    more than ten years, and his skills are superb.


    So if you like it, you can oftene and visit me in the future."


    Lucia nodded almost without thinking, "Yes, I will definitely oftene here!"


    As Lucia finished saying, she stuffed the remaining half of the ribs directly into her mouth.


    At this moment she felt a sight.


    She looked up and saw August staring at her smilingly.


    Lucia was embarrassed, and restraint her behavior a bit, "What are you looking at me for?"


    August was asked by her and the smile on his face deepened, but it seemed that he wanted to hold


    back the smile, "Now that you like it, you can eat more."


    After August saying, he used chopsticks to pick up a piece of stir-fried seasonal vegetables and stuffed


    it into his mouth gracefully.


    Seeing this, Lucia realized suddenly that the man sitting opposite was excellent.


    Even if he was only wearing a casual shirt, and making the most ordinary movements, but he was


    really elegant.


    In contrast, Lucia felt that she was too vulgar, so she did not dare to eat meat, and her movements got


    slower, Grandmother Green next to them saw the actions of the two people, and unconsciously smiled.


    She cleared her throat and supported her granddaughter-inw, "Lucia, he''s always been like that,


    eating very little and nd food! Let''s eat what we want to eat and don''t mind him!"


    Hearing Grandmother Green say this, Lucia tried not tough and look at August provokingly.


    Then Lucia looked at Grandmother Green and nodded, and said, "Grandmother Green, I will!"


    The woman''s childish gestures made Augustugh bitterly, but in front of Grandmother Green, he did


    not say anything and he just ate.


    They all enjoyed the meal withughter.


    Mostly it was Grandmother Green and Lucia against August, which made August eat half a bowl more


    than usual.


    After dinner, Grandmother Green and Lucia walked in the courtyard.


    They were walking and chatting, but in a short while, Grandmother Green was a little sleepy.


    The maid who was following saw this and immediately exined to Lucia, "Ms.


    Lucia, Mrs.Green usually has to take a lunch break."


    Hearing it, Lucia immediately understood, and helped the maid to persuade Grandmother Green and


    send her back to the bedroom.


    After soothing Grandmother Green to sleep.


    Lucia came out of the room.


    Closing the bedroom door behind her gently, Lucia was relieved.


    She had thought that Grandmother Green would not like her, but it seemed that she had done a good


    job.


    Thinking that August was still downstairs on the balcony calling to deal with business, she hurriedly


    walked faster, but before she reached the stairs, the door to the next bedroom suddenly opened.


    Lucia stopped, and subconsciously looked over.


    She saw a wheelchairing out of the room, and it seemed that she was a little familiar to the man


    sitting in the wheelchair...


    She squinted her eyes and saw the man smiling at her.


    Suddenly she remembered that he was the man who gave a pen to her! Then Lucia was confused


    about why could he be in Adams'' house? "Lucia Mitchell?"


    The man activated his electric wheelchair and approached Lucia directly, and he even called out her


    name clearly Lucia was surprised, "How...how do you know my name?"


    The man smiled, "I just heard the name from the maids.


    They said she was my sisterinw.


    But I didn''t expect it was you."


    "Sister-inw?"


    Lucia was very confused and blinked before she understood, "Are you...August''s brother?"


    The man nodded slightly, and he still smiled and said clearly, "Well, my name is Bishop.


    Lucia was too surprised to say something.


    She had never heard anyone mention that August had a younger brother.


    However, looking at his action, it seems that he was not lying.


    Moreover,st time when she saw him in the store, she thought his appearance was simr to


    August''s.


    When Bishop saw that she was still surprised, he was not in a hurry, but just extended his hand


    towards her and said smilingly, "How about introducing ourselves?"


    Lucia came back to her senses and smiled back at him, "Yes, my name is Lucia Mitchell."


    They two shook hands and smiled at each other.

 Chapter 23

    Chapter 23


    Chapter 23 For some reason, when Lucia saw Bishop, she felt like she was seeing an old friend.


    She didn¡¯t feel strange and awkward, but a little bit closer.


    She suddenly thought of what the maid said just before dinner and suddenly understood, "By the way,


    when we were eating just now, why didn¡¯t youe down to join us?"


    "I like to be quiet."


    Bishop smiled, and a trace of bitterness swept across his face, "Besides, my brother doesn¡¯t like me¡­"


    Lucia was amazed, and she did not expect such an answer.


    She still wanted to ask the reason, but felt inappropriate, so she had to stop it, Bishop paused, raised


    his eyes to look at her, and bitterly asked her, "What about you, and will you also do not like me?"


    "No!"


    Lucia didn¡¯t hesitate and subconsciously shook her head, "I think you¡¯re very nice! Otherwise, why


    would you have given me the pen that you like? I gave that pen to my father, and he likes it very much.


    I also need to thank you!"


    Hearing what Lucia said, the gloom and sadness on Bishop¡¯s face was suddenly swept away, and he


    smiled, just like a bright teenager.


    "If you really want to thank me, why don¡¯t you push me downstairs.


    I want to go out in the yard to be in the sun."


    Lucia agreed without a second thought, "Sure!"


    She walked behind Bishop, took hold of the handle of the wheelchair and pushed him down the ramp


    on the side of the stairs.


    The ramp that was apparently built specifically for wheelchairs, and the wheel fit tracks very well so that


    Bishop could go down steadily on his own without her.


    Lucia didn¡¯t think much about it, and slowly pushed him down the stairs while she was chatting with


    Bishop.


    Bishopughed loudly and could always argue with her, and they got along well.


    When they got down the stairs, Lucia saw a maid standing not far away, looking at them with surprise


    and panic on her face.


    Before she understanding this, she raised her eyes and saw August standing at the door of the small


    balcony, staring at them from afar.


    This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.


    August made Lucia frightening.


    Just then, Bishop slowly turned his head and said with a light smile, "Lucia, thanks.


    You just need to drop me off here."


    1 Lucia was a little panicked, and she agreed.


    Then she walked towards August.


    Thinking about what Bishop had just said, that August didn¡¯t like him very much, and when she had


    seen August¡¯s expression, she was more guilty.


    Walking to August, Lucia asked softly, "Are you¡­ done with your business?"


    "Hmm."


    August answered coldly, and walked towards the door without hesitation.


    Lucia stunned, and after seeing August was about to walk out of the door, she quickly ran after August


    She jogged all the way to the path in the courtyard and reached out to pull the man by the hand, "We


    haven¡¯t bidden farewell to Grandmother Green yet.


    It¡¯s not good to leave like this¡­"


    August coldly said, "No."


    He continued to walk forward.


    Lucia had no choice but to follow him out of the courtyard, and then quickly get into the car.


    Lucia could know that August was angry, even very angry.


    Burton, who was bored and standing by, saw the situation and hurriedly pulled open the car door for


    them and got into the car, asking, "President, where are we going?"


    August¡¯s face was gloomy, "Back to our house."


    +10 Lucia sat aside, and dared not to speak out.


    After a long time, the car has been driving a distance, then she bravely asked, "What have done


    wrong?"


    August replied coldly, "No."


    Lucia could know the lie easily.


    August even didn¡¯t belie it.


    Lucia was helpless, and she knew if she continued to ask, August would not say anything, so she


    simply shut up.


    They were all the way speechless, so the atmosphere in the car was unusually awkward.


    Even Burton frequently looked at the rearview mirror, and frightened.


    Finally, the car arrived at the entrance of the house.


    The car was just parked, and August opened the car door and got out.


    The he direct walked towards the house, Lucia sighed lightly and couldn¡¯t understand why August


    hated Bishop so much.


    Lucia didn¡¯t want to be curious, so she quickly followed August and chased him up to the second floor.


    Seeing that the man was about to walk into the study, Lucia hurriedly quickened her pace and jogged


    to stop him, "Wait a minute!"


    Seeing the woman in front of him, August frowned, but did not say anything.


    Lucia took a deep breath and asked seriously,"


    Can you tell me what did I do wrong?"


    August¡¯s frowned, but he did not say anything.


    2 "It¡¯s because of Bishop, right?"


    Lucia clenched her fist and bravely asked, "I heard you hated him a lot."


    August¡¯s face instantly darkened, and then, he suddenly stretched out his hand, pressed Lucia¡¯s


    shoulder and pushed her against the wall, and said coldly, "Lucia, don¡¯t you think you¡¯ve overstepped


    the boundary with the question?"


    Bishop is a member of the Adams family.


    Whether August liked or hated him.


    It¡¯s none of Lucia¡¯s business! Lucia took a deep breath, and paused for a moment, and said slowly and


    clearly, "I am your wife."


    August¡¯s face went darker, "You don¡¯t need to know that much!"


    "Why?"


    For some reason, Lucia was very unhappy.


    This time she was not unwilling to give in, and wanted to know the reason.


    She reached out and grabbed the man¡¯s wrist.


    She said seriously, "I am someone you can trust.


    What you can¡¯t tell others can be talked to me.


    I can be your tree hole, ok?"


    With these days¡¯ getting along, Lucia knew August was not bad, so she would love to be able to do


    something for him.


    August was a little surprised firstly, but the next second, he sneered and pressed Lucia against the


    wall.


    He leaned down and slowly approached Lucia, "Why should I trust you?"


    Lucia was a little anxious when August asked her this question.


    She bit her lip and she didn¡¯t know how to answer it at first.


    Being stared at by August like that, her face slowly burned up.


    "¡­just because I¡¯m your wife, and isn¡¯t that enough?"


    August¡¯s eyes flickered, "Is that true?"


    Lucia¡¯s heart thumped, and she subconsciously dodged her gaze, and did not dare to look directly at


    August.


    Suddenly, Lucia¡¯s chin was pinched and she had to look at August.


    Knowing that she couldn¡¯t escape, Lucia took a deep breath, bit her lip and nodded gently, "Yes.


    Lucia had only had one rtionship experience, and after breaking up with Archibald, there were not


    many boys around her, so she didn¡¯t really know how to get along with boys, but during these days, she


    did know August was good to her, so she also sincerely hoped that he would be happy.


    Just after finishing her words, Lucia noticed a subtle change in August¡¯s expression.


    Suddenly, it was darkened 3 Like ULJ bafore her eyes, and a warm and soft lips touched her lips.


    At that moment, Lucia just felt excited! August¡­ should have kissed her! August should have actively


    kissed her! August did not really like Bishop, and he even did not like to see Lucia and Bishop stay


    together.


    Even if Lucia was only his nominal wife, he did not want to see Lucia have anything to do with Bishop!


    "Bang Bang!"


    "Mrs.Lucia, are you awake?"


    Aunt Turner¡¯s soft call came from the doorway, and then Lucia then opened her eyes.


    Lucia took a deep breath and looked at the dim room, and she didn¡¯t know when it is.


    Lucia only remembered August carrying her back to her room¡­ "Mrs.Lucia¡­"


    Lucia got up, and answered.


    She put on a shirt and turned on the light.


    She was secretly relieved to see that August was not in the bedroom.


    If Lucia waked up and August was still next to her.


    She was only afraid she would feel very awkward.


    Lucia walked to the door, "Aunt Turner, where is August?"


    "The young master went out, and he said he had something to do, so he won¡¯t be back this evening."


    August would note back in the evening¡­ Lucia was silent for a moment, and a name suddenly


    came to her mind, and after a moment, she shook her head and tried to dismiss that name from her


    mind.


    If things weren¡¯t what she thought, then she would have misunderstood August? If August wasn¡¯t


    willing to talk about it, she¡¯d better not guess it¡­ It was in Essence Hospital¡¯s advanced ward.


    "August, I really do not want to be here anymore.


    Could you take me away? Please take me away¡­"


    the woman on the bed was very pale.


    Her body was very weak, which made people worry about her.


    August frowned, and heartbreakingly hugged his girl.


    He raised his hand to caress her hair, "Jeanne, when you be healthy, I¡¯ll take you away."


    Hearing it, Jeanne trembled, and raised her eyes, and then her tears dropped.


    Because of the tears stored in the eyes, her light-colored pupils were like translucent cat eyes.


    "I can¡¯t stay here for one more day.


    August, can you let me stay by your side? I want to stay with you as long as possible, is this not good?"


    August frowned slightly, and he softly persuaded, "I will find a way to save you, so just wait a little


    longer."


    August was still trying, and in order to save Jeanne, he had spared his effort.


    But it was not the appropriate time.

 Chapter 24

    Chapter 24


    Chapter 24 August looked down and cupped the woman¡¯s small face, "Jeanne, you¡¯re not the only one


    who¡¯s suffering.


    I promise you¡¯ll get better, so give me some more time, and trust me, huh?"


    Jeanne sniffled and begged softly, "Then can youe and see me more often? You¡¯re always busy


    these days¡­ "I promise."


    August responded, raising his hand to dotingly stroke her cheek, "I will take you abroad in a few days


    for a more detailed examination.


    You must promise me that eat well and rest well."


    Jeanne nodded and hugged him tightly, "I¡¯ll do as I¡¯m told as long as you¡¯re with me."


    Putting Jeanne to sleep, August then breathed a sigh of relief.


    He slowly walked out of the ward, went to the window sill, and lit a cigarette.


    Burton stepped forward and asked softly, "President, didn¡¯t you say you were going to quit smoking?"


    August frowned slightly, "When Jeanne¡¯s surgery is over, then I start to quit smoking.


    The only woman who can make August quit smoking was Jeanne.


    Lucia was lying in bed, tossing and turning, and did not sleep well.


    It was going to be holidays, and they needed to prepare appropriate gift boxes for staff, but there were


    no factories receiving their order.


    Lucia was afraid that if she didn¡¯t hurry up, she would really mess up this matter! Lucia simply got up


    from the bed reluctantly.


    She looked through the previous documents, and finally determined the style and product of the gift


    box, and then started to choose the suitable manufacturers.


    It was toote for her to think it thoroughly.


    But she rushing to get the gift box ready, was better than having nothing at all.


    Finally, Lucia chose a suitable manufacturer whose price was slightly higher than Lucia¡¯s offer and the


    factory was also good at the product.


    If Lucia talked to the person in charge there, she may have a chance.


    But what made her worried was that tomorrow was the weekend, and she didn¡¯t even know the


    person¡¯s schedule who was in charge.


    Suddenly, Lucia had an idea in her head.


    It seemed that this time Lucia had to ask Burton for help, and she would do it tomorrow.


    The most important thing was a good sleep to her! 1 The next day.


    Lucia woke up, and ate breakfast.


    She immediately took the phone and called Burton.


    There was someone answering, "Hello? Mrs.Lucia, what can I do for you?"


    "Burton, I want to ask you a favor."


    "Just say your request."


    Lucia took a deep breath and said softly, "Can you help me check the itinerary of a person."


    Burton was a special assistant, and it was not difficult to checking an itinerary for him.


    "Yes."


    Getting his content, Lucia breathed a long sigh of relief, then continued, "Please don¡¯t tell the matter to


    August, ok?"


    "Yes, just give me the name, and I¡¯ll send it to you directly when I finish it."


    Lucia was very happy and she hung up the phone.


    And then she started to prepare the documents needed for today¡¯s appointment.


    Just for a little while, the phone rang, and received a text message from Burton.


    The message about President Martin¡¯s itinerary was very detailed.


    As long as Lucia could persuade Martin President to offer the order of the gift box today, she would


    settle the matter! Thinking of this, Lucia was very excited, and went to make preparations.


    At the other hand, Burton walked up to August and said softly, "President, there is something to report


    to you.


    Just now Mrs.Lucia called me and asked me to inquire about the itinerary of President Martin of Tiano


    Company."


    August frowned slightly, "President Martin of Tiano Company?"


    Burton nodded, "Well, I guess Mrs.Lucia should be for the recent holiday gift box."


    August was silent for a moment and said slightly,"


    President Martin, is known for his stubbornness, and he will not easily give up.


    I am just afraid that he refused to ept the order because of ourpany¡¯s quoted price."


    "Then¡­will you want me to help Mrs.Lucia secretly?"


    "No."


    August said softly.


    August remembered that Lucia had said that this time she wanted to try on her own.


    2 Then August would like to see if Lucia could seed or not.


    Everything was ready and Lucia was confident.


    Lucia carefully checked President Martin¡¯s schedule.


    For the whole afternoon, he would be ying golf on an high-end golf course in the suburbs of Austos


    City, and in the evening, he would move to the city and meet with some bosses in Karen Club.


    If Lucia wanted to go to the golf course, she was not a member and she wouldn¡¯t be able to enter the


    field, but if she wanted to go into Karen Club, it was not so difficult.


    So, she had her choice after theparison.


    As long as Lucia arrived at the ce, she could find a chance to meet with President Martin, and talk


    with him sincerely.


    The chances of sess would be greater.


    When it was dark, Lucia ate her meal.


    She saw that it was the right time, and went directly to Karen Club.


    The chic and sophisticated decoration inside Karen Club indicated it was a ce for rich people.


    Lucia remembered the door number sent by Burton, so she soon found the ce by sorting the rooms.


    She walked to the door and heard the noiseing from the room, and she was unconsciously a little


    nervous.


    From the itinerary provided by Burton, Lucia knew that at this time, the people who were staying with


    President Martin should be the bosses of thepanies President Martin were likely to cooperate with


    this time.


    If she barged into the room, she was afraid that not only would she not be able to get the business deal


    done, but even be thrown out! Thinking for a while, Lucia bit her lip and had to leave and leave


    temporarily.


    At this time, she could only think of other ways to contact with President Martin.


    If she just waited at the door for Martin toe out, she didn¡¯t know how long she would have to wait.


    Suddenly, a waitress wearing overalls and carrying a tray walked by, and Lucia had an idea! Since


    Lucia couldn¡¯t go in as herself, she can go in as something else! Lucia quickly walked forward, reached


    out a hand to stop the waitress and said, "Hello, can you do me a favor?"


    The waitress was confused and asked, "What kind of favor¡­) have to work."


    Lucia took a deep breath and lowered her voice, "I can give you money."


    3 The waitress was very strange, "I don¡¯t offer personal services."


    Lucia was stunned and quickly understood.


    She smiled, and pointed to the clothes on the waitress, "I don¡¯t need any personal services, and I just


    need you to lend me the clothes you are wearing for a while."


    Twenty minutester, Lucia was wearing the uniform of Karen Club and slipped out of the staff room.


    Wearing this outfit, Lucia would be able to enter the private room without any problems and would have


    the chance to get in touch with President Martin.


    Lucia plucked up her courage and walked along the corridor towards the direction of the private room.


    Just as she approached the corner, she heard a low voiceing from the other side of the corner.


    Bet,was just the name of Present Martin of Tiano Company she would meet! .


    It was a man, with a low voice and a somewhat urgent tone.


    He seemed to be calling.


    Lucia wanted to turn around and walk away directly, but she heard a familiar name.


    "Don¡¯t worry, Bet will not know.


    As long as you prepare the goods in advance, when the goods he delivers arrive, we can swap, then


    we will get something on him!"


    Bet, was the name of President Martin in Tiano Company, whom she was going to meet! Lucia


    held her breath, and stopped.


    "What are you afraid of! If you don¡¯t say anything about this and I don¡¯t say anything, who would know


    the secret! Have you forgotten Bet treated you like that before? This time is a good opportunity.


    As long as we swap his goods, we can directly call the police and say products manufactured in his


    company have problems.


    The police are also my people, so he can¡¯t deny!"


    Hearing this, Lucia has already guessed that someone wanted to frame Bet! Suddenly, the person


    around the corner approaching her.


    Lucia wanted to turn around and leave, but it may be toote.


    In a hurry, she saw an empty room, and she did not hesitate to go into the room and close the door.


    Soon, the man passed by the door of the empty room, and slowly walked away.


    Lucia stood behind the door, and listened to no sound outside, and then she breathed a sigh of relief.


    She slowly opened the door of the empty room.


    Luckily, Lucia had not been found out by the person.


    Otherwise, her ns in the evening would have been ruined.


    4 Lucia walked out of the room, adjusted her breathing, patted her cheeks, and continued to walk


    towards the room where President Martin was.


    No matter who the person was, the first thing she had to do was to get into the room first "Hey! You,


    stop!"


    A voice suddenly came from behind her, Lucia¡¯s body stiffened and subconsciously stopped.


    Lucia slowly turned around and saw a manager staring at her seriously.


    The manager nced her and asked, "Why I haven¡¯t seen you before?"


    Lucia clenched her hand nervously, "I¡­ am new here."


    Hearing these, the manager frowned and med, "No wonder that no one delivered wine.


    Come with me, and deliver wine in Room 18!"


    Hearing what he said, Lucia secretly relieved, and hurriedly followed the manager.


    After getting the wine, the manager ordered seriously, "Deliver these wines to Room 18, and just be


    quick about it!"


    "Yes."


    Lucia answered and immediately walked towards Room 18, and when she was out of the manager¡¯s


    sight, she elerated her steps and went directly to Room 22 with the tray.


    N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.


    Bet was in Room 22, so Lucia had to get into as soon as possible to avoid any afterp.


    "Bang Bang."


    Lucia raised her hand and opened the door, and then went into the room.


    There were three or four men sitting in the room, and two women in skimpy clothes were forpany.


    The atmosphere was lively and everyone was euphoric in high spirits.

 Chapter 25

    Chapter 25


    Chapter 25 Lucia nced at the table and saw Bet Martin sitting in the middle.


    She found the target, so she walked up and said softly, "Sir, this is the wine you ordered."


    A man beside nced the wine on the tray and said in confusion, "We didn¡¯t order any wine! Is this¡­a


    gift?"


    Listening to what this man said, all the people looked at Lucia.


    Lucia was nervous and she tensed up, "This¡­this is a gift from our manager to you."


    Hearing these, a man beside suddenly interjected smilingly, "So it¡¯s the manager! I just ran into the


    manager when I called and had a chat with him.


    Maybe the wine is from him."


    Hearing this voice, Lucia subconsciously looked up.


    This man¡¯s voice was the same as what she just heard at the corner! Before Lucia understood, Bet


    beside had already sald, "President rk looks great! Just chatting with the manager for a couple of


    minutes, he sent the wine!"


    President rk smiled tteringly.


    "I don¡¯t look as good as President Martin.


    Since the wine has been delivered, then I definitely have to toast President Martin first!"


    In a moment, the atmosphere in the room became more heated.


    Lucia stood aside, and suddenly be at a loss.


    What should Lucia do to meet and talk with Bet alone? At that moment, a man beside said to


    Lucia, "What are you doing? Just pour the wine for President Martin."


    Lucia immediately understood, and hurriedly picked up the red wine bottle to pour the wine.


    Lucia was so green and panicky that she looked like a novice.


    Present rk beside was very angry."


    If you don¡¯t know how to pour wine, just get out!"


    Being scolded, Lucia¡¯s hand shook and the wine filled out of the ss at once.


    Lucia spilled the wine all over Bet.


    The room was suddenly quiet for a few seconds, and the atmosphere was terrifying.


    Lucia understood quickly and hurriedly grabbed the towel next to her to help wipe the stains on


    Bet¡¯s clothes, "Sorry, and I am very sorry.


    I didn¡¯t mean to do it!"


    President rk was furious, "How do you do things! Do you no hands or no eyes? You can even spill a


    drink!"


    1 Bet waved his hand, and he said softly, "Come on, President rk.


    It¡¯s no big deal."


    Lucia took a deep breath, and looked at Bet and said, "President Martin, pleasee out with me,


    and I will help you clean up.


    It is really my fault.


    If I didn¡¯t handle it well, I will be chastised by the manager, so please give me a chance."


    Hearing it, Bet looked up at her, and pause, and nodded, "OK."


    Then Bet stood up and smiled at the others in the room, "You drink first, and I¡¯ll be back as soon as


    possible."


    After saying that, he walked towards the door.


    Lucia hurriedly followed, and casually brought the door with her.


    Once out of the room, Bet turned to Lucia with a serious face and said coldly.


    "You¡¯re not a waiter here, and why do you want to talk with me?"


    Lucia was stunned and she didn¡¯t know Bet should see it clearly.


    Lucia took a deep breath, and she was still curious, "Why do you say that?"


    Bet said in a deep voice, "Karen Club¡¯s waiters are all professionally trained, and obviously you are


    not."


    Hearing these, Lucia gasped, and she did not expect Bet was shrewder than she imagined.


    if so, she was afraid that Bet would not agree to this deal, but she still had a bargaining chip.


    Biting her lip, Lucia bravely looked up at Bet, "President Martin, you are very smart.


    I am really not a waitress here.


    I am the assistant of the lion Group¡¯s administration department, and I am specially here to talk about a


    deal with you."


    "What?"


    "I went to yourpany before and talked to your manager about the order for this month¡¯s holiday gift


    box.


    Because he didn¡¯t think the price was reasonable, he didn¡¯t ept the order.


    I came here to fight for our cooperation again."


    Bet said seriously.


    "I have read the proposal given by yourpany.


    The price given was too low.


    What¡¯s more, we are not short of orders now, so we don¡¯t have to do the business that does not earn


    money."


    "I know, and that¡¯s why I want to fight for it.


    I have a piece of valuable information for you this time."


    "What is it?"


    "It has to do with President rk.


    Are you going to work with him recently?"


    2 Bet frowned slightly, "How do you know it?"


    Lucia took a deep breath and told Bet what she had just heard around the corner word for word.


    As Lucia expected, Bet¡¯s face became more and more gloomy.


    Obviously, this matter was also beyond Bet expectation.


    Lucia pretended to be calm and asked, "President Martin, the value of this information should be much


    more than the profit you gave us, right?"


    Bet¡¯s eyes sank, "Why should I believe you?"


    "Believe me or not, which depends on you.


    Anyway, I have conveyed the information, so I won¡¯t be guilty.


    I don¡¯t care whether President Martin is willing to ept the order or not.


    After all, having long-term cooperation with The Lion Group, you won¡¯t lose something, will you?"


    Hearing what Lucia said, Bet¡¯s face changed slightly.


    After a few seconds of silence, he said much more softly, "President rk has a problem with me,


    which I knew before.


    I did not expect that this time he wanted to set a trap for me.


    I believe your words.


    To thank you for your reminder, I agree to take your order.


    However, next time if you still want to continue cooperation.


    You must give us a higher price."


    Lucia was surprised and she took a deep breath, "President Martin! Thank you!"


    Bet saw this and smiled, "If the next time you want to see me, don¡¯t use this way."


    After that, he took out a business card and handed it over.


    Lucia received it and said excitedly, "Yes! President Martin!"


    "Just for these days, I¡¯ll let my assistant contact you, so you can go back.".


    Lucia nodded repeatedly and watched President Martin go back to the room, and then she let out a


    sigh of relief.


    Lucia didn¡¯t expect this would sess! If she hadn¡¯t overheard someone trying to set a trap for


    Bet, she wouldn¡¯t have had the chance to negotiate with Bet here today.


    Anyway, her efforts were not in vain! Lucia carefully put the business card away, and walked quickly


    towards the staff room.


    She changed her clothes quickly, and then was ready to leave.


    After taking the elevator to the first floor, Lucia had just gotten out of the elevator and she was called


    out, "You! Stop!"


    Hearing this simr voice, Lucia suddenly got nervous and turned her head.


    She saw the manager who had just ordered her to deliver the wine, was staring at her with a gloomy


    face.


    3 When they looked at each other, they were both startled.


    Lucia quickly understood and jogged towards the door quickly.


    The manager immediately chased Lucia.


    "Don¡¯t run! Who the hell are you! Stop! The manager was confused about it.


    He asked her to deliver the wine, and the customers didn¡¯t receive the wine for a long time.


    The waitress should change her clothes to leave the club! in the sound of footsteps behind her.


    She didn¡¯t only stop, but elerated the speed.


    the wee really caught, the consequences would terrible! She just ran to the door, but the security


    guards at the door suddenly crowded up and directly blocked her way! Lucia didn¡¯t know what to do.


    Lucia panicked and turned around.


    She found the manager was panting and striding towards her.


    He said as he walked, "Why you don¡¯t run now? You should run away from here"


    There was the manager in front of her and the security guards behind her.


    Shepletely didn¡¯t know how to do for a moment.


    The manager¡¯s face blushed for anger, and he was in Lucia¡¯s way.


    He asked Lucia sternly, "Tell me, who are you and what do you want to do in the club?"


    Lucia nervously lied, "¡­I¡¯m here to find someone."


    The manager¡¯s face was gloomy, "Who did you look for? Do you need to change into the clothes of a


    waitress? What is your purpose? Are you here to steal something? And where is the wine I asked you


    to deliver?"


    A series of questions made Lucia unable to answer.


    She took a deep breath, and said softly, "I really ¡­ to find someone.


    Only in this way can I do it¡­"


    "Then tell me who did youe to see!"


    Lucia¡¯s two hands sped together and she always refused to say.


    If Lucia said Bet Martin¡¯s name, she might implicate him as well.


    And then all her efforts might be in vain! "If you don¡¯t tell me.


    Then I¡¯ll have to call the police!"


    The manager snorted coldly and took out his phone to dial the number.


    N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.


    Lucia¡¯s body trembled, seeing that the manager was about to call the police.


    She was even more stressful, "I¡­I¡¯ll tell you!"


    At this time, she only thought of August.


    If Lucia said August, would the manager let her off the hook? "Who?"


    Lucia gasped, "I, I¡¯m here to look for August Adams."


    The manager sneered, "Who? August Adams.


    You are must kidding me.


    You have a lot of nerve.


    You dare to say his name! I have to call the police today!"


    With that, the manager picked up his cell phone and was about to dial the number.


    Suddenly, a cold male voice came from the side, "She¡¯s here for me!"


    4 Lucia¡¯s body subconsciously trembled after she hearing the voice and she looked up to see the tall


    man two meters away.


    It was really August Adams! She was not dreaming!

 Chapter 27

    Chapter 27


    Chapter 27 "Lucia."


    Lucia nce at the sound and saw Lisa standing in the middle of themon office area with a file


    staring at her.


    Lucia pretended to be calm and asked, "Sister Lisa, is there something wrong?"


    Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    "Yes."


    Lisa casually handed the document to a colleague next to her and walked towards her, "There are quite


    a lot of tasks in the department recently.


    I urgently need you to help me share the load, but I don¡¯t know the first task¡¯s progress.


    Has the holiday gift box been confirmed?"


    The arrangement of the holiday gift box, was Lucia¡¯s work, but a welfare product for other employees in


    thepany.


    The colleagues next to Lisa heard Lisa mentioned this matter, they all pricked up their ears to


    eavesdrop.


    Lucia told the truth, "Almost there.


    It has been confirmed.


    We would cooperate with Tianopany.


    After confirming the details, I would sign the contract."


    Lisa originally thought Lucia would have no process.


    After all, this task was not simple.


    However, she did not expect Lucia had seeded, and the work has nearly beenpleted.


    Lisa was surprised, then she sneered, "Really? Tiano¡¯s boss is not easy to deal with.


    Our budget is not much, so I wonder if you can give everyone a surprise this year."


    Lucia said softly, "The gift box is a benefit for everyone.


    I can¡¯t guarantee if it¡¯s a surprise for everyone, but I can be sure that it won¡¯t be worse thanst year¡¯s."


    The gift box Lucia finally decided included some of the hottest products this year.


    However, it was just a token of appreciation, and she couldn¡¯t guarantee that everyone would like it.


    Lisa sneered and suddenly asked, "Lucia, why don¡¯t you tell us how you did this all by yourself, so we


    can all learn."


    As soon as Lisa said this, someone next to her echoed, "Yes, let us all learn!"


    The echoing sound, also mixed with a different voice, "Should we learn she badger people?"


    This sentence made the colleagues beside allughed out loud.


    Lucia stood in the original ce, and she understood the meaning of their words.


    They alluded to her pestering August Adams.


    Hearing this, Lisa restrained herself tough.


    She raised her eyebrows and asked Lucia on purpose, "Lucia, is it true?"


    1 Being watched by everyone, Lucia¡¯s cheeks were hot, as if she had been pped in the face.


    She bit her lips tightly, turned around directly, and walked quickly towards the office.


    Back in the office, Lucia was in a bad mood, but there was nothing she could do.


    Lucia didn¡¯t know who took those photos, nor did she know who reveal it.


    Even if she tried to delete the photos, it wouldn¡¯t help.


    People in herpany all knew these photos, so she couldn¡¯t do anything.


    Passing one day in a blur, Lucia deliberately left half an hourte when it was time to get off work, to


    avoid the rush hour, so as not to be judged by everyone.


    Seeing there were fewer people in thepany, Lucia packed her things and prepared to get off work.


    When Emma saw Lucia, Lucia asked, "Lucia, you¡¯re working overtime too."


    Lucia nodded, "Well, just now I was doing some work that hadn¡¯t have been finished."


    When the elevator came, Emma pulled Lucia into the elevator, and they were the only two people in the


    elevator.


    When the elevator door closed, Emma hurriedly asked, "Lucia, isn¡¯t the rumor in the group right? Lucia


    and Emma¡¯s rtionship was still quite good, and Lucia must say something about the rumor this time.


    So Lucia softly exined, "I just happened to meet the President, and he helped me.


    The case was not like what said by our colleagues, so you do not think too much about it."


    Hearing this, Emma nodded seriously, "I am not overthinking, but now the colleagues in thepany


    are talking nonsense.


    In this way, it¡¯s bad for you!"


    "And¡­"


    Emma still wanted to say something else, but she stopped.


    Lucia frowned, turned to Emma and asked, "And what?"


    "And if these things were heard by thepany¡¯s executives and shareholders, I¡¯m afraid it will affect


    the President as well¡­"


    Hearing this, Lucia panicked, as if a big stone had suddenly pressed against her chest.


    - It would be fine if this matter only affected herself, but it should affect August too! If this matter


    brought trouble to August, Lucia would certainly feel sorry for it!

 Chapter 28

    Chapter 28


    Chapter 28 Lucia took a deep breath and turned to look at Emma who was beside her.


    This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.


    "This really has nothing to do with Mr.Adams."


    Emma sighed.


    "Then you need to find a way to exin.


    After all, everyone now thinks you¡¯re head over heels in love with Mr.Adams to the point of badgering


    him."


    Exin? No one would listen even if she tried to exin.


    "Ding-dong."


    The door of the lift opened.


    Lucia and Emma stepped out side by side and walked to the front door.


    ima Suddenly, a man came up towards them.


    "Lucia!"


    Lucia turned to see that it was Baron, a male colleague from the finance department.


    "Baron, you just got off work too?"


    Baron smiled at her and nodded.


    "What a coincidence."


    He paused, said hello to Emma, and then looked back at Lucia.


    "Where are you going? Do you want me to take you home?"


    A little ufortable with Barons enthusiasm and attention, Lucia reached out to hook her arm around


    Emma¡¯s and declined with a smile.


    "I¡¯ve got a dinner date with Emma."


    At that, Baron smiled and scratched his head.


    "Well then, you two go for dinner and I¡¯ll take you home next time when I get a chance."


    "Okay, bye."


    After saying goodbye to Baron, Lucia pulled Emma with her and left the lobby of thepany quickly.


    When they were far away from thepany, Emma smiled and asked, "Lucia, everyone can see that


    Baron likes you! And I think he¡¯s nice.


    Why do you keep rejecting him?"


    Lucia had mixed feelings.


    She looked down at the wedding ring on her finger and had no idea how to exin it to Emma.


    Seeing that Lucia didn¡¯t answer, Emma didn¡¯t get angry and said, holding Lucia¡¯s hand, "Actually, I do


    have an idea that will help you to stop the rumors in thepany."


    Lucia asked promptly, "What is it?"


    1 "Well, they say that you are crazy about Mr.Adams, right? If you get closer to another man, like


    Baron, that will effectively disprove those rumors, won¡¯t it?"


    Lucia thought what Lucia said made some sense, but she felt something strange at the same time.


    "To prove that I¡¯m not interested in Mr.Adams, I should get closer to another man.


    Is that what you mean?"


    Emma nodded.


    "Yes.


    When the timees, you can exin and those rumors will be gone."


    Lucia hesitated.


    "But wouldn¡¯t that be taking advantage of Baron?"


    "Of course not.


    Baron likes you, and you are just trying to get closer to him.


    It doesn¡¯t mean that you have to be his girlfriend.


    You only need to prove that you are not interested in Mr.Adams and that¡¯s enough.


    Don¡¯t you think so?"


    Lucia nodded doubtfully.


    She was still hesitant.


    After parting from Emma, Lucia kept thinking about it, but she couldn¡¯t think of a better way.


    Before she knew it, two days had passed.


    Lucia thought that the rumors in thepany would die down within these days, only to find that they


    were getting worse instead of dying down.


    Wherever she went now, everyone was looking at her with suspicion, judgment, and sarcasm, which


    were like a huge mountain weighing her down.


    If this went on August would surely hear about all this when he came back from abroad.


    What should she do then? The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she became.


    In the end, Lucia ran out of ideas.


    She was at her wit¡¯s end when she suddenly thought of what Emma had said to her the other day.


    In this desperate situation, she had no other choice.


    Her first priority was to silence the rumors.


    The fewer people talked about them, the better.


    They used this trick a lot in showbiz.


    To squash one rumor, they would use another one to divert attention.


    At this point, Lucia was willing to draw attention to her and Baron so that August would not be affected.


    Having made up her mind, she summoned up the courage and went to see Baron, but her courage


    failed her when she arrived at the door of the finance department Just as she was wondering if she


    should go inside, someone came out and, coincidentally, it was Baron.


    With a stack of papers in his hand, Baron seemed to be on his way to the Archives.


    He was surprised to see Lucia.


    "What are you doing here, Lucia? Are you here to hand in the financial statements?"


    2 "No."


    Lucia suddenly got nervous, not knowing where to begin with the words she had already prepared.


    Baron smiled patiently at her.


    "So, what are you doing here?"


    Lucia gathered her courage.


    "I¡¯m..


    here to see you."


    "Me?"


    Baron felt extremely ttered.


    Lucia took a deep breath.


    "I have time tonight.


    Why don¡¯t we have dinner together?"


    Baron agreed without hesitation.


    "Sure!"


    They were standing right outside the finance department and quite a few people wereing and


    going.


    Because of those pictures, Lucia had be known in thepany and everyone recognized her


    now.


    As a result, when they saw her with another man, they couldn¡¯t help giving her a few extra nces.


    Baron smiled and asked, "What would you like to eat, Lucia? Fondue, beef or fish?"


    Lucia was so ufortable being stared at that she said softly, "Anything you like."


    She was simply asking Baron out on a date to divert attention away from August to her and Baron.


    ¡¯Okay, then I¡¯ll meet you in your department after work."


    ¡¯Okay."


    Having talked to Baron, Lucia turned and hurried away.


    ucia couldn¡¯t focus on her work in the afternoon, wondering if she had made the right choice.


    However, the afternoon had gone by before she figured it out.


    Nithin minutes after work, there was a knock on the door.


    Emma pushed the door open and came in with excitement on her face.


    She looked at Lucia and said in a low voice, "Lucia, guess who¡¯s here?"


    Lucia wasn¡¯t interested and said casually, "Who is it?"


    ¡¯It¡¯s Baron! He¡¯s waiting for you at the door!"


    At her words, Lucia suddenly got nervous and nodded.


    "I¡¯m going."


    Taking a deep breath, Lucia grabbed her bag and stepped towards the door.


    When she passed by the desk area, she noticed that some of her gossipy colleagues in the department


    wereughing and discussing something.


    Lucia just overheard a few words as she passed by, but she could tell that they were talking about her.


    She clenched her fists and walked quickly towards the door.


    Baron was standing there in a light blue shirt with a hint of anxiety and anticipation on his face.


    His eyes shone brightly the minute he saw Lucia.


    ¡¯Lucia, here!"


    3 Lucia knew that her colleagues were staring at them from a short distance away.


    She curled her lips into a smile at Baron and asked, "Why are you here so early?"


    "I finished my work early, so I came to wait for you.


    I¡¯ve booked a table and the restaurant is a nice ce¡­ Lucia nodded and walked side by side with


    Baron as they left together.


    No sooner had they left than a gossipy colleague in the department waved her phone excitedly."Hey,


    what do you think will happen if I post this picture in the group?"


    "Just try it!"


    That colleague started to work on her phone and without hesitation, she sent the picture she had just


    taken of Lucia and Baron into their WeChat group.

 Chapter 29

    Chapter 29


    Chapter 29 Within ten minutes, the picture set off a frenzy once again.


    "Wow! This Lucia is really something! She has a different man around her every day."


    "Yes! This girl seems to be keeping a low profile! I never thought¡­"


    "I thought she was crazy about Mr.Adams.


    Why did she change her target?"


    All sorts of gossip came pouring in the WeChat group and it wouldn¡¯t go away for a while.


    Lucia and Baron were on their way to the restaurant when their phones kept ringing almost


    simultaneously.


    Lucia took out her phone and saw various group messages.


    She clicked on them and saw without surprise that they were all about her and Baron.


    Baron, who was next to her, looked at his phone and quickly realized what was going on.


    He frowned and said softly, "Lucia, don¡¯t listen to them.


    People in thepany just love gossip!"


    At his words, Lucia curled her lips into a smile.


    "It¡¯s okay, I don¡¯t care."


    What she cared about was whether August would be implicated because of her.


    Now that she was in the middle of all the gossip with another m¨¤n, the rumors about her and August


    would slowly fade away.


    It was a good thing from another point of view.


    Next to her, Baron was relieved to see that she looked calm and unruffled.


    Soon, they arrived at the restaurant.


    Baron had booked a table in a niche Western restaurant.


    It had floor-to-ceiling ss windows, little shing light bulbs, and little bouquets of flowers on the


    tables, making it a nice atmosphere, perfect for dates.


    Lucia sat down and looked around.


    She found that most of the customers around them were couples and felt extremely ufortable all


    of a sudden.


    "Look and see what you want to eat."


    Lucia nced at the menu Baron handed over.


    "You can order."


    Upon hearing this, Baron didn¡¯t push her and thoughtfully ordered before handing the menu back to the


    waiter.


    When the waiter left, Baron poured Lucia a ss of lemonade and said softly, "Lucia, I know there have


    been 1 some rumors in thepany recently.


    Actually, I don¡¯t think that you need to take it to heart.


    It won¡¯t be long before no one remembers such things."


    Hearing his words, Lucia smiled at him.


    "I know.


    Thank you forforting me."


    She had met Baron when they yed games as a team at thepany sports day, and she could see


    that Baron was a nice man, sunny and kind.


    Now he wasforting her sincerely, Baron nodded.


    "That¡¯s good.


    Anyway, if you get into any trouble, you can ask me for help."


    "Yeah, I will."


    The two of them chatted for a short time before the food was all served.


    Lucia kept her head down and ate without saying much.


    Suddenly, Baron said, "Lucia, I¡¯m curious.


    What type of man do you like?"


    Lucia tilted her head and thought about his question before she almost said subconsciously, "Someone


    nice to me, and independent, knowing his own mind."


    A smile spread across Baron¡¯s face as he listened, nodding his head in agreement.


    "Pretty good."


    With that, he looked at Lucia and asked softly, "Do you want to know what type of girl I like? Lucia, who


    was drinking her water, paused and asked casually, following his words, "What type?"


    "Cute and kind."


    With that.


    Baron slowly put down the fork in his hand and stared unblinkingly at Lucia across the table.


    "Actually, the one I like is¡­"


    Lucia raised her eyes and met Baron¡¯s.


    She suddenly tensed up.


    She could almost guess what he was going to say next, and it was the very thing she feared and


    dreaded the most.


    She had never been interested in Baron since the beginning, and now she would have to reject him if


    he confessed his feelings.


    Baron was nervous too.


    He swallowed and tried to reorganize his words.


    "Lucia, I think you can see that I like¡­"


    "Buzz."


    Just then, her phone on the table vibrated, interrupting what Baron was about to say.


    Lucia sighed in secret relief and said quickly.


    "Excuse me."


    2 With that, she picked up the phone and when she looked down, she was dumbfounded, seeing the


    name of August shing on the screen.


    It was August! Why was he suddenly calling her at this moment? Lucia, who had been relieved just


    now, felt terribly nervous again all of a sudden.


    She took a deep breath, pretended to be calm and answered it.


    "Hello?"


    The man¡¯s deep voice came through.


    "How are you doing these days?"


    It was the first time he had ever called her since he left.


    Lucia had mixed feelings, but she said in a seemingly calm voice, "Pretty good."


    There was a brief silence at the other end for two seconds, followed by the man¡¯s voiceing again.


    "Well, I¡¯ll be back in a few days.


    Wait for me."


    His words were like something invisible and magical.


    For some reason, Lucia¡¯s heart beat faster.


    She hmmed, said nothing more, and hung up the phone in a hurry.


    When she looked up, she saw Baron staring at her across the table in confusion.


    "Lucia, what¡¯s wrong?"


    "No-nothing."


    Lucia looked at him and felt a pang of guilt at the bottom of her heart.


    She was even more distraught at the thought of what Baron had been trying to say earlier.


    "I need to use the restroom.


    You can eat without me."


    With that, she got up and walked quickly to the restroom.


    Meanwhile, August, who was sitting on the couch, nced at his phone and subconsciously frowned.


    It was the first time anyone had dared to hang up on him.


    The interface of the call disappeared to reveal what he had been looking at earlier.


    It was a picture of Lucia and Baron walking side by side.


    Lucia ran to the restroom with her heart pounding.


    She couldn¡¯t go on with the dinner, let alone face Baron¡¯s confession, because the only reason she was


    willing to have dinner with him was to use him as a shield.


    A deep sense of guilt came over her and she bit her lip, knowing that she could no longer face Baron or


    continue to use him.


    Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    She came out of the restroom and left from the back door of the restaurant.


    Outside the restaurant, Lucia hailed a taxi and told the driver the address of the vi.


    Only then did she feel a little better slowly.


    She picked up her phone and sent a text message to Baron apologizing, but she just apologized


    without exining exactly why.


    3 Soon after that, Baron texted back.


    "It¡¯s okay.


    Just go home and we¡¯ll get together again sometime."


    When she saw the message, Lucia breathed a sigh of relief.


    In retrospect, she shouldn¡¯t have taken advantage of Baron in the first ce, but she¡¯de to her


    senses and saved the day before things got worse.


    The reality, however, was much worse than she had imagined.


    The next day, Lucia went to work as usual, but as soon as she arrived at the department, a colleague


    mocked and sarcastically said to her, "Lucia, they say you went out on a date with Baron from the


    finance department yesterday?"


    Listening to her colleague¡¯s sarcastic tone, Lucia pretended she didn¡¯t hear anything and kept


    photocopying documents.


    Another colleague next to her giggled and teased.


    "What a date! I heard that Lucia simply left Baron there alone without finishing the dinner!"


    ¡¯Hearing this, Lucia paused abruptly as she organized the papers, a surge of anger welling up inside


    her.


    How did they know? Did Baron tell someone about what had happenedst night?Within ten minutes,


    the picture set off a frenzy once again.


    "Wow! This Lucia is really something! She has a different man around her every day."


    "Yes! This girl seems to be keeping a low profile! I never thought¡­"


    "I thought she was crazy about Mr.Adams.


    Why did she change her target?"


    All sorts of gossip came pouring in the WeChat group and it wouldn¡¯t go away for a while.


    Lucia and Baron were on their way to the restaurant when their phones kept ringing almost


    simultaneously.


    Lucia took out her phone and saw various group messages.


    She clicked on them and saw without surprise that they were all about her and Baron.


    Baron, who was next to her, looked at his phone and quickly realized what was going on.


    He frowned and said softly, "Lucia, don¡¯t listen to them.


    People in thepany just love gossip!"


    At his words, Lucia curled her lips into a smile.


    "It¡¯s okay, I don¡¯t care."


    What she cared about was whether August would be implicated because of her.


    Now that she was in the middle of all the gossip with another m¨¤n, the rumors about her and August


    would slowly fade away.


    It was a good thing from another point of view.


    Next to her, Baron was relieved to see that she looked calm and unruffled.


    Soon, they arrived at the restaurant.


    Baron had booked a table in a niche Western restaurant.


    It had floor-to-ceiling ss windows, little shing 4 light bulbs, and little bouquets of flowers on the


    tables, making it a nice atmosphere, perfect for dates.


    Lucia sat down and looked around.


    She found that most of the customers around them were couples and felt extremely ufortable all


    of a sudden.


    "Look and see what you want to eat."


    Lucia nced at the menu Baron handed over.


    "You can order."


    Upon hearing this, Baron didn¡¯t push her and thoughtfully ordered before handing the menu back to the


    waiter.


    When the waiter left, Baron poured Lucia a ss of lemonade and said softly, "Lucia, I know there have


    been some rumors in thepany recently.


    Actually, I don¡¯t think that you need to take it to heart.


    It won¡¯t be long before no one remembers such things."


    Hearing his words, Lucia smiled at him.


    "I know.


    Thank you forforting me."


    She had met Baron when they yed games as a team at thepany sports day, and she could see


    that Baron was a nice man, sunny and kind.


    Now he wasforting her sincerely, Baron nodded.


    "That¡¯s good.


    Anyway, if you get into any trouble, you can ask me for help."


    "Yeah, I will."


    The two of them chatted for a short time before the food was all served.


    Lucia kept her head down and ate without saying much.


    Suddenly, Baron said, "Lucia, I¡¯m curious.


    What type of man do you like?"


    Lucia tilted her head and thought about his question before she almost said subconsciously, "Someone


    nice to me, and independent, knowing his own mind."


    A smile spread across Baron¡¯s face as he listened, nodding his head in agreement.


    "Pretty good."


    With that, he looked at Lucia and asked softly, "Do you want to know what type of girl I like? Lucia, who


    was drinking her water, paused and asked casually, following his words, "What type?"


    "Cute and kind."


    Baron slowly put down the fork in his hand and stared unblinkingly at Lucia across the table.


    5 "Actually, the one I like is¡­"


    Lucia raised her eyes and met Baron¡¯s.


    She suddenly tensed up.


    She could almost guess what he was going to say next, and it was the very thing she feared and


    dreaded the most.


    She had never been interested in Baron since the beginning, and now she would have to reject him if


    he confessed his feelings.


    Baron was nervous too.


    He swallowed and tried to reorganize his words.


    "Lucia, I think you can see that I like¡­"


    "Buzz."


    Just then, her phone on the table vibrated, interrupting what Baron was about to say.


    Lucia sighed in secret relief and said quickly.


    "Excuse me."


    With that, she picked up the phone and when she looked down, she was dumbfounded, seeing the


    name of August shing on the screen.


    It was August! Why was he suddenly calling her at this moment? Lucia, who had been relieved just


    now, felt terribly nervous again all of a sudden.


    She took a deep breath, pretended to be calm and answered it.


    "Hello?"


    The man¡¯s deep voice came through.


    "How are you doing these days?"


    It was the first time he had ever called her since he left.


    Lucia had mixed feelings, but she said in a seemingly calm voice, "Pretty good."


    There was a brief silence at the other end for two seconds, followed by the man¡¯s voiceing again.


    "Well, I¡¯ll be back in a few days.


    Wait for me."


    His words were like something invisible and magical.


    For some reason, Lucia¡¯s heart beat faster.


    She hmmed, said nothing more, and hung up the phone in a hurry.


    When she looked up, she saw Baron staring at her across the table in confusion.


    "Lucia, what¡¯s wrong?"


    "No-nothing."


    Lucia looked at him and felt a pang of guilt at the bottom of her heart.


    She was even more distraught at the thought of what Baron had been trying to say earlier.


    "I need to use the restroom.


    You can eat without me."


    With that, she got up and walked quickly to the restroom.


    Meanwhile, August, who was sitting on the couch, nced at his phone and subconsciously frowned.


    It was the first time anyone had dared to hang up on him.


    The interface of the call disappeared to reveal what he had been looking at earlier.


    It was a picture of Lucia and Baron walking side by side.


    Lucia ran to the restroom with her heart pounding.


    6 She couldn¡¯t go on with the dinner, let alone face Baron¡¯s confession, because the only reason she


    was willing to have dinner with him was to use him as a shield.


    A deep sense of guilt came over her and she bit her lip, knowing that she could no longer face Baron or


    continue to use him.


    She came out of the restroom and left from the back door of the restaurant.


    Outside the restaurant, Lucia hailed a taxi and told the driver the address of the vi.


    Only then did she feel a little better slowly.


    She picked up her phone and sent a text message to Baron apologizing, but she just apologized


    without exining exactly why.


    Soon after that, Baron texted back.


    "It¡¯s okay.


    Just go home and we¡¯ll get together again sometime."


    When she saw the message, Lucia breathed a sigh of relief.


    In retrospect, she shouldn¡¯t have taken advantage of Baron in the first ce, but she¡¯de to her


    senses and saved the day before things got worse.


    The reality, however, was much worse than she had imagined.


    The next day, Lucia went to work as usual, but as soon as she arrived at the department, a colleague


    mocked and sarcastically said to her, "Lucia, they say you went out on a date with Baron from the


    finance department yesterday?"


    Listening to her colleague¡¯s sarcastic tone, Lucia pretended she didn¡¯t hear anything and kept


    photocopying documents.


    Another colleague next to her giggled and teased.


    "What a date! I heard that Lucia simply left Baron there alone without finishing the dinner!"


    ¡¯Hearing this, Lucia paused abruptly as she organized the papers, a surge of anger welling up inside


    her.


    How did they know? Did Baron tell someone about what had happenedst night?

 Chapter 30

    Chapter 30


    Chapter 30 Listening to the sneers of her colleagues, Lucia suppressed her anger and turned to look at


    them, asking seriously.


    "Who told you that?"


    Logically.


    Baron wouldn¡¯t tell anyone about this kind of thing, but how did they know? One of her female


    colleaguesughed fearlessly, "Everyone knows about it, okay?"


    "That¡¯s right, Lucia.


    You¡¯ve be famous in thepany recently, and everyone knows about it!"


    Listening to them echoing each other, Lucia couldn¡¯t help but clench her fists.


    And something seemed to be blocking her throat, so she couldn¡¯t swallow her anger, Lucia nced at


    them coldly, picked up the documents she had just photocopied, and walked directly towards her office.


    Emma couldn¡¯t stand it anymore, so she got up and followed Lucia to her office, Closing the office door


    behind her, Emma persuaded her, "Lucia, don¡¯t be angry."


    Lucia took a deep breath, "How did everyone know about this?"


    "Yesterday, someone sent a picture of you and Baron going out together to the WeChat group.


    Then a colleague said that he saw you in the restaurant and that you left first before finishing your


    meal, so everyone knew about Hearing what Emma said, Lucia then remembered that after reading the


    group message yesterday, she directly blocked the group, so she knew nothing.


    "Lucia, recently everyone is more concerned about you, and some colleagues in the department are


    fond of gossip, it can¡¯t be helped¡­"


    Lucia had mixed feelings in her heart.


    Indeed, at this point, no matter what she did, it would not help.


    She might as well keep a low profile, hold back, and wait for their enthusiasm to run out.


    Thinking about this, she felt a little calmer.


    Then she looked up at Emma and smiled at her, "Thank you, Emma."


    Only Emma was willing tofort her at this time.


    The morning passed quickly, and when it was time to eat, Emma dragged Lucia to the staff canteen.


    The canteen was full of people.


    Lucia could feel people looking at her, but she didn¡¯t really take it to heart.


    After taking her meal as usual, she took her te and found a seat.


    All tables were for four.


    Lucia had just sat down when someone suddenly approached her and sat directly across from her.


    1 As soon as she looked up, she saw Irene, who was not looking well, and two female colleagues.


    The three of them sat down in the three free seats, and they surrounded Lucia just right.


    Lucia frowned and reminded them, "This seat is already taken."


    Just as she finished speaking, Emma, who had just finished her meal, walked over and stared at them


    somewhat confusedly.


    Irene smiled crookedly, nced at Emma, and casually pointed to the table next to her, "Isn¡¯t there an


    empty seat there? You can go over and share a table with Doris!"


    After saying that, she looked at Lucia again and said with a smile, "Lucia, we are colleagues anyway.


    There¡¯s nothing wrong with sitting at the same table, right?"


    Lucia knew in her heart that Irene was here to pick a fight, but she didn¡¯t want to tangle with them too


    much after thinking about it for a while, so she simply said to Emma, "Emma, you go over there to find


    a seat Although Emma was a little hesitant, she nodded and agreed.


    When she saw Emma walking away, a smug smile appeared under Irene¡¯s eyes.


    Irene picked up her chopsticks, took a bite of her food, and then deliberately asked, "Lucia, I heard that


    you left Baron from the finance department alone yesterday and I¡¯m curious about how you flirt with


    men.


    Do you have any skills? Can you¡­ teach me?"


    When she said so, the two female colleagues next to her echoed andughed.


    Lucia lowered her head and gripped her chopsticks tightly.


    She knew Irene wanted to sit with her for no good reason, and sure enough, she was here on purpose


    to embarrass her.


    "It is said that several little girls in the department like Baron! That must make those little girls very


    sad!"


    "Yes! I also think Baron is not bad!"


    "It¡¯s no use you think he¡¯s good! He likes Lucia!"


    Irene and two other female colleagues spoke together, clearly making fun of Lucia, and some of the


    colleagues around couldn¡¯t help but speak up for Lucia, "Come on, don¡¯t go too far!"


    "Go too far? We?"


    Irene rolled her eyes in discontent, "Isn¡¯t it go too far for her to leave Baron behind before they¡¯ve


    finished eating?"


    Lucia frowned, forcing down her anger.


    2 At that moment, Irene continued, "Lucia, don¡¯t you think you¡¯re going too far? You¡¯re seducing


    Mr.Adams while hanging on to Baron.


    Aren¡¯t you the legendary scheming bitch?"


    When she heard the name "Mr.Adams", Lucia¡¯s heart sank.


    Her hand that was holding the dish shook involuntarily, and the chicken nugget fell directly onto her


    clothes.


    She was wearing a white shirt, and the dark soup stained a patch on it.


    She frowned and hurriedly got up, walking quickly towards the nearby tap.


    Watching her leave, Irene nced at Lucia¡¯s te and her eyes eventually locked on Lucia¡¯s ss of


    juice.


    She turned her head to look at the woman next to her and lowered her voice, "Keep an eye on her!"


    With that, she picked up her juice and poured some into Lucia¡¯s ss.


    Then she picked up the straw again and stirred it, putting it back.


    Another female colleague was a bit uneasy.


    "Irene, are you sure this is okay?"


    Irene lowered her voice and scolded, "What do you know? This kind of woman needs to be taught a


    lesson!"


    Although the gossip about Lucia had never ceased in the past few days, Irene could not swallow her


    anger when she thought of seeing her with August that day.


    Not long ago, Irene looked at the employee information collection on Lucia¡¯s promotion report and


    personal data from which she inadvertently knew Lucia was allergic to mangos, so she wanted to take


    this opportunity to teach Lucia a good lesson! A short whileter, Lucia cleaned the stains from her


    clothes and walked back.


    N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.


    Irene swept a nce at her, pretended to look at the two female colleagues next to her, and spoke, "I


    can¡¯t even eat my meal when I see someone.


    I think we¡¯d better change seats to save the trouble!"


    With that, she stood up, picked up her te, and walked towards the other side of the canteen with


    those two female colleagues.


    Lucia looked at their backs as they left and secretly sighed in relief.


    Luckily, they left, otherwise she really couldn¡¯t eat.


    3 She originally had an appointment with Mr.Martin of Tiano Company to meet in the afternoon, so she


    had to hurry to finish eating and go back to prepare the documents she needed.


    Once she thought of this, Lucia immediately ate several bites of rice, then picked up the juice and


    drank a few sips.


    After quickly finishing the meal, Lucia was about to leave when she suddenly felt some indefinable


    itchiness on her body and some heat on her cheeks.


    Could it be that she had eaten too fast? Lucia was a little confused.


    She picked up the juice ss and drank the rest of the juice in one go.


    Then she picked up her te and walked towards the entrance of the canteen.


    Irene sat on the other side with the two women, watching Lucia¡¯s every move.


    "Irene, didn¡¯t you say she was allergic to mangoes? She finished all the juice, but why is she still fine?"

 Chapter 31

    Chapter 31


    Chapter 31 Irene frowned and stared at Lucia, not quite sure.


    Could it be that what Lucia wrote on her information collection form was a lie? But she didn¡¯t have to


    lie! Irene was unwilling to give up, so she stood and said, "Let¡¯s follow up and see what¡¯s going on!"


    After cing her te in the recycling area, Lucia walked out of the canteen.


    But before she got very far, it became obvious that she felt hot and itchy on all parts of her body,


    including her arms, neck, and even her cheeks.


    She was familiar with this feeling.


    She scratched her arm and lifted her sleeve to see a fineyer of small red bumps on her arm.


    She¡¯s allergic¡­ She had allergy symptoms before.


    After going to the hospital, the doctor checked out that she was allergic to mangoes, but she hadn¡¯t


    touched any mangoes today! Before she figured out what was going on, the itchy feeling on her body


    became more and more intense.


    She couldn¡¯t help but reach out her hand to scratch those ces which then turned red and became


    itchier.


    It was like a million bugs kept biting her body parts, making her too ufortable.


    Lucia held back the pain and walked quickly, but in a hurry, her steps were disordered, and she directly


    stumbled on herself.


    She stumbled forward and when she was about to fall to the ground, a hand suddenly reached over


    next to hold her directly "Lucia, are you okay?"


    After standing firm, Lucia looked up and saw Baron.


    She shook her head and before she could speak, Baron said in surprise, "Your face¡­"


    Lucia then recovered and raised her hand to touch her cheek which waspletely swollen.


    It was exactly the same as her previous allergy to mangoes, but she didn¡¯t eat anything containing


    mango¡­ Could it be¡­ the mixed fruit and vegetable juice? But she hadn¡¯t had anything to do with that


    juice before.


    When she saw Baron trying to lean over, Lucia subconsciously took a step back, "I¡¯m allergic."


    Baron said without hesitation, "I¡¯ll take you to the hospital!"


    1 Lucia wanted to refuse, but the ufortable feeling was getting worse and she had no choice but


    to agree.


    At the airport on the outskirts of Austos City.


    August got off the ne, took Jeanne back to the hospital, and then rushed directly to Lion Group.


    Looking to Burton, he instructed, "What¡¯s going on in thepany these days?"


    "The projects are being followed up by Mr.Harrison, and everything is normal.


    A few bosses have asked you to meet with them, which has been arranged to your schedule afterward.


    Also, it seems that there have been rumors about you and Mrs.Adams in thepany recently¡­"


    "I know about it"


    August frowned slightly and his eyes darkened, "When we get to the officeter, you notify her toe


    to see me first."


    Burton responded, "Okay."


    When he got to his office, August flipped through the papers his assistant had just sent up, and before


    he could look at them carefully, Burton pushed his way in.


    "Mr.Adams, Mrs.Adams is not at the office and she is at the hospital."


    "The hospital?"


    August frowned, "What¡¯s going on?"


    Burton reported truthfully, "I heard from the administration department that she seems to have an


    allergy and is now in the hospital"


    August got a little more serious.


    He hurriedly got up and walked towards the outside, ¡¯Which hospital? He didn¡¯t realize that he had only


    been gone for a few days and so many things happened one after another, First, there was a rumor


    about Lucia and him, then a Baron popped up, and now she had an alleray Burton was a little hesitant,


    "She¡¯s at Central Hospital, Mr.Adams, do you want to go now? Didn¡¯t you just say you were going to


    have a meeting with the executives?"


    Hearing this, August scowled, but he did not stop.


    "go to the hospital!"


    In less than half an hour, August and Burton had arrived at the hospital.


    After knowing the ward number, August looked at the door unclosed and was about to walk in


    Suddenly, a voice came from the ward, "Baron, thank you for sending me to the hospital.."


    2 August stopped and subconsciously clenched his fist.


    He didn¡¯t expect that it was Baron who sent her here.


    Did the two of them really¡­ Another voice came from the ward, "Lucia, I said you could call me if you


    were in trouble."


    "I know you¡¯re very kind, but I¡¯m ashamed that I actually used you¡­"


    Lucia sat on the hospital bed, took a deep breath, and continued, "I took the initiative to find you to


    have dinner with me actually to divert people¡¯s attention.


    I didn¡¯t want to bring trouble to Mr.Adams, so I used you, I¡¯m sorry."


    These words kept inside made her very ufortable.


    Now that she had confessed, she felt a lot more ryed At that, Baron smiled bitterly, "Lucia, I know."


    Lucia was confused, "You¡­ know?"


    Baron nodded, "Well, I¡¯m just happy to help you when you¡¯re having a hard time.


    I don¡¯t care."


    Hearing him say that, Lucia felt even more guilty, so she bit her lip, "Baron, let¡¯s just be normal friends.


    I owe you favor this time.


    If there¡¯s anything I can do for you in the future, just let me know."


    Al these words, Baron looked gloomy, but he finally nodded, "Okay."


    He wanted to say more, but before he could speak, the door of the ward was suddenly pushed open


    and the sound of footsteps came.


    As soon as he turned his head, he saw the cold-faced August.


    Baron was startled, "Mr.Adams?"


    August nced at him coldly, "Get out."


    Lucia sitting on the bed was also dumbfounded, "You¡­ you¡¯re back?"


    The door was closed, and they were the only two people left in the room for a while.


    August stepped forward, a coldness emanating from his body.


    Lucia looked at him and unconsciously felt guilty, "You¡­ August leaned over and propped both hands


    on the bed, directly surrounding her between his arms and chest.


    They were suddenly very close to each other.


    August could almost see the small mole on Lucia¡¯s nose, as well as the small red spots on her face


    from allergies.


    August was exasperated, "Are you not going to tell me if I don¡¯te back?"


    3 Lucia¡¯s eyes dodged, "I¡­ I was afraid it would affect you."


    August¡¯s voice raised a bit, "Did I ever tell you that you are my wife and you shouldn¡¯t hide anything


    from me!"


    Lucia shuddered, unable to speak for a moment.


    Looking at the woman going to cry.


    August suddenly felt a little self-conscious.


    Just now at the door, he heard Lucia and Baron¡¯s conversation.


    He then realized that her real purpose in looking for Baron was to protect him.


    But he was strong and didn¡¯t need her protection.He was angry and helpless.


    Once he looked down and saw Lucia with tears in her eyes, very pitiful, he was softened.


    He slightly straightened up, his voice softer, "Take off your clothes and let me have a look."


    "Huh?"


    Lucia thought she had heard wrong, "Take off¡­ take off my clothes for what!"


    August frowned, "Aren¡¯t you allergic?"


    At this time, she was still thinking about nonsense "Oh¡­"


    N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.


    Lucia secretly breathed a sigh of relief and lifted her sleeves a bit, "After the infusion, I¡¯m already better.


    The doctor also prescribed some medicines and I¡¯ll be fine soon."


    August took a look at the denseyer of red rash on Lucia¡¯s small white arms and frowned, "Do you


    know how did it happen?"


    Lucia said softly, "The doctor found out the allergen is mango.


    Maybe there is mango in the vegetable and fruit juice in the canteen today"


    She hadn¡¯t even figured out the specific reason yet, August¡¯s face was somber, "I just asked Burton to


    ask the canteen staff and they said there is no mango in the fruit and vegetable juice today."


    After hearing this, Lucia was a little surprised.


    Since there was no mango in the juice, how was she allergic to it?

 Chapter 32

    Chapter 32


    Chapter 32 Lucia was puzzled and carefully went through everything she had eaten in her mind to


    make sure she hadn¡¯t eaten any mango or food with any mango in it.


    She tilted her head.


    "So, what¡¯s wrong?"


    She thought as she scratched one of her arms with the other hand unconsciously August frowned


    when he saw what she was doing and directly reached out to grab her hand, "Stop scratching."


    People with allergies should never scratch their skin.


    That would only aggravate the itch and make it worse instead of relieving it.


    Lucia came back to her senses and couldn¡¯t help blushing when she saw her hand being held by the


    man.


    "Oh."


    August instructed seriously.


    "I will find out why you are allergic.


    And you should have a good rest now."


    Lucia nodded, looked up at the man, and cautiously asked, "Did you juste back home?"


    August said lightly.


    "Yeah."


    She hesitantly asked, "Will the rumors in thepany¡­ affect you?"


    She was most worried about that.


    Now August was back, but the rumors in thepany had notpletely gone.


    She was afraid that it would have a bad influence on him.


    The woman was still worried about him while shey in bed with allergies.


    Seeing that, August felt that his heart suddenly softened a bit.


    "No."


    Lucia couldn¡¯t rest assured and wanted to ask more questions, but August said before she could do it,


    "I will tell Burton to ask for leave for you, so you can rest until you are better."


    Lucia had to agree.


    "Okay."


    August let go of her hand and said in a softer voice, "Then I¡¯ll go back to the office and see you


    tonight."


    Seeing that he was leaving.


    Lucia felt a bit upset somehow and had to nod her head.


    August turned to leave, but he just took a step when he suddenly felt a tug at the corner of his coat.


    He looked back and saw Lucia tugging at his coat.


    She looked hesitant and tried to say something.


    "What¡¯s up?"


    Lucia took a deep breath, plucked up the courage to meet the man¡¯s dark eyes, and said softly.


    "Tonight¡­ can we go home for dinner together?"


    In the past few days when August was away, she always felt that something was missing while she


    was alone.


    She felt empty even though she had Turner at home with her.


    1 Watching the woman as she asked gingerly, August couldn¡¯t refuse her, so he paused and answered


    in a light voice, "Okay."


    Seeing that he agreed, Lucia slowly let go of his coat.


    August stepped out of the ward and closed the door behind him.


    Burton, who was at the door, came forward.


    "Mr.Adams, do you want someone to take care of her?"


    "Not for now.


    Tell her to get some rest.


    I¡¯lle and pick her upter."


    With that, he stepped forward, and his eyes suddenly turned cold as he thought of something.


    "Have you done what you were told to do?"


    Burton nodded.


    "Yes.


    It¡¯s your secretary, Irene from the president¡¯s office."


    Hearing this name, August frowned and said, "Let¡¯s go back to the office."


    In any case, Lucia was his wife.


    If anyone tried to bully her, he wouldn¡¯t let them get away with it.


    But he hadn¡¯t expected that it was his secretary who did that to Lucia! It took less than half an hour to


    get back to the office from the hospital.


    In his office, August watched the surveince video that Burton had pulled out and his face grew colder


    and colder.


    After watching the footage of Irene mixing mango juice into Lucia¡¯s ss five times, he picked up his


    cup, took a sip of coffee, and coldly instructed Burton, "Go prepare something¡­"


    Meanwhile, Irene, who was sitting in the secretary¡¯s office, had no idea of what was going on in


    August¡¯s office.


    She was in a good mood, humming a tunefortably and touching up her lipstick.


    The president¡¯s office had more than one secretary, and the secretary¡¯s office was shared by two.


    Mary Baker, the other secretary, organized the documents at hand, looked at Irene, and asked with a


    smile, "Why are you so happy?"


    Irene looked in the mirror as she smiled.


    "It¡¯s really good to watch someone I hate to make a fool of her!"


    Mary asked curiously.


    Someone you hate? Who is it?"


    Irene smiled and deliberately said, "I won¡¯t tell you!"


    2 Hearing that, Mary stopped asking her and said lightly, "Mr.Adams just came back.


    Do you know?"


    "Mr.Adams is back?"


    Irene paused abruptly and her eyes lit up.


    Ever since she joined the Lion Group, she had been working for August as his secretary.


    She had long fallen for him, but due to their identities, she was hesitant to show her feelings.


    This time when August went on a business trip, she missed him, but she did not dare to show it clearly,


    so she could only send him a text message to greet him on the grounds of work.


    Now that he was back, she naturally couldn¡¯t wait to see him.


    Mary said casually, Yeah, Mr.Adams has been back for a while, but he seems to have something to do


    in his office Irene couldn¡¯t help but feel a little excited.


    "Why don¡¯t I go over and ask?"


    Before she finished speaking, the door of the office was suddenly pushed open.


    When she looked over and saw August at the door, she was secretly surprised and then stood up


    excitedly.


    "Wee back, Mr.Adams."


    August had a little expression on his face, and with little hesitation, he stepped toward her.


    "Hmm.


    Seeing that, Irene was overjoyed and asked softly, "Did you have a good trip? "Yes.¡¯ August replied


    coldly and walked directly to her desk, asking,"What about you? How¡¯s your work going these days?


    This was the first time August had asked her that.


    She felt somewhat ttered at once.


    "Pretty¡­pretty good August said expressionlessly.


    "That¡¯s good.


    I asked Burton to bring you a gift when I came back this time.¡¯ Irene was both surprised and excited.


    "A gift?"


    Since she started working for him as his secretary, all the exchanges between them had been about


    work.


    This time, August suddenly showed care and concern for her as if he were a different man, so she was


    naturally surprised Just when she was overwhelmed by this excitement, August suddenly pped his


    hands.


    Soon, Burton walked in with arge carton and ced it directly on Irene¡¯s desk Irene fixed her eyes on


    the brown carton, which had the picture of two plump,rge mangoes printed on it, with the words


    "Premium Mangoes¡¯ Seeing this carton of mangoes, she suddenly felt a little sheepish and looked at


    August in surprise."Mr.Adams, what are you: August lifted his chin and gestured.


    They¡¯re all for you."


    3 Irene did not understand.


    "Why..


    August gave her a cold nce without speaking and tuned to Burton.


    Burton got it.


    He walked forward and showed his phone to trene Irene took a look and saw it was a surveince


    video, the one of her pouring mango juice into Lucias ss! Instantly, she felt a chill down her back.


    ¡¯Mr.Adams.


    I just wanted to teach her a lesson.


    Because of her, the rumors of you are spread all over thepany.


    I just couldn¡¯t bear it¡­"


    Before she finished her words, August spoke in a cold voice and interrupted her.


    "Finish them."


    Irene looked towards therge carton of mangoes on her desk, following August¡¯s gaze, and couldn¡¯t


    help but shiver.


    "Mr.Adams, I won¡¯t try it again¡­"


    August gave the order without blinking his eyes.


    "You have two choices.


    Finish them or leave."This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

 Chapter 33

    Chapter 33


    Chapter 33 Irene¡¯s face instantly turned pale when she heard that.


    If she left, all her efforts over the years would have been in vain.


    But what would happen to her if she finished the carton of mangoes? On the side, Mary had no idea


    what Irene had done wrong.


    She just watched them, holding her breath.


    "Mr.Adams, I¡¯m really sorry, but I just wanted to teach her a lesson for you.


    I was doing it for your sake!"


    August¡¯s expression remained unchanged as if he hadn¡¯t heard her words at all.


    Burton next to him looked at Irene and warned her.


    "Scott, Mr.Adams doesn¡¯t have much time."


    Irene wanted to cry.


    She looked at the whole carton of mangoes in front of her and hesitated.


    But after all, she couldn¡¯t give up her efforts over the years, so she grabbed a mango with her body


    trembling slightly August kept a gloomy look, making it clear that there was no room for negotiation.


    Seeing that, Irene had no choice but to peel the mango and start eating it.


    Her hands were covered with the juice of the mango.


    However, she couldn¡¯t care about her image and face now as she peeled and ate the mangoes one


    after another.


    Her tears welled up when she ate the third one.


    Her hands and mouth were all stained with mangoes and she was in a mess.


    August gave her a cold nce with no intention of stopping her.


    Irene had no choice but to pick up the mangoes and mechanically stuff them into her mouth one by


    one.


    Mary could not stand watching it anymore.


    She gingerly walked up and advised, "Mr.Adams, what the hell is going on here? Scott has been


    working in the president¡¯s office for years.


    How can you¡­"


    August nced at her and said lightly, "If you feel sorry for her, just help her eat some."


    Hearing that, Mary instantly turned pale and stopped before she could finish what she was trying to


    say.


    Irene heard August¡¯s words and realized that there was no more room to turn around at this point, so


    she just had to stuff the mangoes into her mouth silently.


    After quite a while, Irene finished half of the mangoes and it was a mess there.


    1 August took a look at the half-empty carton and had an idea in his mind.


    He instructed Mary in a deep voice, "See that she finishes them."


    After that, he turned around and stepped outside.


    Burton followed him quickly.


    They had just walked out of the office door when they heard the sound of Irene vomiting in the room as


    if she was going to vomit out all her internal organs.


    Looking at Irene like this, Mary was both scared and worried.


    "Irene, you can¡¯t eat anymore.


    If you keep eating, something will happen!"


    Irene¡¯s shoulders shook.


    This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.


    Her eyes were filled with tears because of her nausea.


    She clenched her fists and gritted her teeth, hating and regretting.


    She had worked for August for long enough to know that if she didn¡¯t finish the mangoes, he would


    definitely do what he said and kick her out.


    But she couldn¡¯t ept it.


    She had worked at the Lion Group for years to obtain the experience and position she had now.


    She simply couldn¡¯t afford to lose it, so she wouldn¡¯t give up.


    She gritted her teeth, grabbed a mango, and peeled it before she stuffed it hard into her mouth.


    Mary reached out to stop Irene immediately.


    "Irene, you can¡¯t eat anymore!"


    Irene shook off Mary¡¯s hand.


    "Leave me alone!"


    Just then, the sound of footsteps suddenly came from the doorway.


    She looked up and saw Burton standing there.


    "Harris¡­"


    Burton delivered the message seriously.


    "Mr.Adams said that you don¡¯t have to eat the rest, but you should keep this lesson in mind."


    Hearing that, Irene nodded repeatedly without hesitation.


    "I-I will! I won¡¯t do it again!"


    Burton suddenly said, "But you have to take the me for spreading rumors and disturbing the order."


    Before Irene said anything.


    Mary couldn¡¯t help but fight for her, "Harris, why do you me Irene for this?"


    Hearing that, Burton stared at Irene nonchntly, curled his lips, and said, "What have you done,


    Scott? Do you want me to remind you?"


    The moment these words came out, Irene¡¯s heart sank.


    The cold and sweet stuff in her stomach tumbled and jerked.


    She was about to throw up as she shook.


    II turned out that August had known everything.


    She was the one who had mixed mango juice into Lucia¡¯s juice and who had sent the pictures taken


    secretly into the group in the first ce.


    And August knew all about it quite well 2 Ten minutester, Irene was taken to the hospital,


    apanied by Mary.


    Soon, the news spread through thepany Everyone knew that Irene had been punished by August


    for spreading rumors.


    It came as a warning to all of them.


    No one dared to gossip anymore, and they were silent about the previous incident.


    Meanwhile, Lucia was lying on the hospital bed, thinking about her appointment with Bet Martin.


    Suddenly, her phone vibrated and she received a WeChat message from Emma "Lucia, did you hear


    about it? Irene from the president¡¯s office has been punished.


    She is the one who was spreading rumors everywhere, and your allergies seem to have something to


    do with her too."


    Seeing that, Lucia was confused.


    How could her allergies have been the handiwork of Irene? Irene was from the president¡¯s office.


    People from all departments would show her some respect, and the only one who could punish her


    was August, right? Lucia sighed and put all these tedious things behind her.


    When she saw that the injection was finished, she immediately called the nurse to remove the needle.


    Lucia pressed the cotton ball against the needle hole and asked the nurse, "Do I need to do any more


    procedures if I¡¯m discharged?"


    The nurse nodded.


    "Yes, but Mr.Adams said specifically before he left that you should rest and not be in a hurry 10 be


    discharged."


    Not in a hurry to be discharged? She had an appointment with Bet.


    If she missed this opportunity, she didn¡¯t know if she could get another appointment next time.


    Lucia got out of bed and casually packed her things together.


    "I feel much better and it doesn¡¯t itch much now.


    I still have some urgent business, so I can¡¯t stay long¡­"


    With that, she took her things and walked out of the ward against the nurse¡¯s advice.


    The nurse couldn¡¯t stop or catch up with Lucia.


    She got so anxious and hurriedly dialed a phone number.


    "Hello, Harris? Miss Mitchell from Bed 26 has just left the hospital.


    I couldn¡¯t stop her!"


    Lucia came out of the hospital, directly hailed a taxi, and rushed to the ce where she had an


    appointment with Bet She was still a few minuteste when she hurried to her destination.


    Lucia ran all the way and when she saw Bet, she quickly apologized.


    "Mr.Martin, sorry, I¡¯mte."


    Bet didn¡¯t mind that and waved his hand.


    "Have a seat."


    The two of them sat down.


    After greetings, they got straight to the point and talked directly about their cooperation 3 The only thing


    left to do was for both parties to sign after they had agreed on everything.


    Bet looked up at Lucia and smiled.


    "Lucia, why don¡¯t we have dinner together tonight so that I can show my gratitude to you?"


    Last time, thanks to Lucia, he didn¡¯t fall into the trap of the viin! Lucia smiled and politely declined,


    "You¡¯ve already shown your gratitude to me by epting this order, Mr.Martin.


    We don¡¯t need to have dinner, but if there is any need in the future, I will definitely think of you first


    "Alright then."


    Bet was quite straightforward.


    He took a pen and signed his name "Well deliver the gift boxes on time.


    Please rest assured, Lucia."


    Lucia nodded and tried to say something else when the phone in her pocket suddenly rang She pulled


    it out and saw that it was August! Did he know that she had left the hospital early?

 Chapter 34

    Chapter 34


    Chapter 34 Thinking of that, Lucia felt a little guilty.


    August had clearly told her to take a good rest in the hospital before he left, and she had promised to


    do so.


    But now she was out of the hospital without telling him.


    It was hardly justifiable.


    Seeing that she didn¡¯t answer the phone for a while, Bet, who was sitting across from her, couldn¡¯t


    help butugh and say, "Why don¡¯t you answer it.


    Lucia?"


    Lucia¡¯s hand shook and hung up identally.


    "Well, never mind.


    It¡¯s a nuisance call."


    With that, she hurriedly put the phone away and smiled at Bet.


    "Mr.Martin, I¡¯d like to confirm again the requirements for the gift boxes this time¡­"


    Meanwhile, on the top floor of the Lion Tower, August was sitting in his bright office.


    He looked at his phone after Lucia hung up on him and couldn¡¯t help but frown.


    This woman was bold enough to hang up on him again and again! Her allergies hadn¡¯t gone yet and


    she dared to run away from the hospital.


    He should really teach her a lesson! "Ah-choo!"


    Lucia sneezed unawares.


    She rubbed her nose, wondering.


    Was August cursing her? She shook the strange idea out of her head before she stood up and looked


    at Bet¡¯s assistant.


    "Shall we go then?"


    Bet had other appointments, so he told his assistant to take Lucia to the factory to see the samples


    of the gift boxes made ording to her requirements.


    If there were no major problems, they would start mass production Once the production started, it


    wouldn¡¯t take long for these holiday gift boxes to be in ce.


    They would definitely be ready before the holiday.


    Then, her first job as an assistant would bepleted sessfully.


    The conditions in the production nt were not as good as those in thepany after all.


    After they got there, Lucia felt extremely ufortable when she walked with the assistant around the


    roaring operation room.


    Her allergies had not yetpletely healed, and her skin was exposed to the factory air and dust, so


    she naturally did not feelfortable.


    Lucia left the factory after checking the gift box samples and making sure there was nothing wrong with


    them.


    She had been busy all afternoon and was so hungry that she couldn¡¯t make it home for dinner.


    She ate a bowl of hot noodles at a nearby restaurant before taking the car home.


    1 As soon as she came in, she saw Turner waiting for her in the living room.


    "You¡¯re finally back, Madam."


    Seeing that Turner looked strange, Lucia asked, "What¡¯s wrong?"


    Turner told her in a low voice, "Mr.Adams is home.


    He asked where you were as soon as he got back, and when he heard you weren¡¯t home, he seemed


    a little angry."


    Angry? Was it because she didn¡¯t answer his call? Or was it because she had stood him up? After all,


    she said she wanted to have dinner with him¡­ Feeling itchy again in the ces where she suffered


    from allergies, Lucia couldn¡¯t think about it anymore.


    She looked at Turner and said softly, "I¡¯ll go to my room for a shower, Turner.


    Can youe to my bedroom in half an hour and help me apply the allergy medicine?"


    Turner nodded.


    "Yes."


    Seeing that she agreed, Lucia then quickly went up to her bedroom.


    She had been busy all day and hadn¡¯t had time to apply the medicine.


    She was so exhausted at this point that she just wanted to take a shower and lie down on the bed to


    sleep.After a warm shower, Lucia felt much more rxed from head to toe.


    She wiped her hair, wrapped a bath towel around herself, and copsed directly onto the soft bed.


    It was not cold at all in the room.


    Shey there and fell into a sleepy haze in no time.


    Just as she was drifting off, she suddenly heard the sound of footsteps approaching.


    She was too tired to open her eyes, so she muttered, "Turner, the medicine is on the table.


    Please help me apply All she wanted now was a good night¡¯s sleep, and she didn¡¯t notice anything


    wrong.


    August stood at the bed, looking at the woman lying on the bed with a bath towel around her.


    The majority of her bare back was exposed, which was somewhat too pale in his eyes.


    Seeing the ointment on the table next to him, he casually picked it up, went to the bed, and sat down,


    wondering if he should help her apply it.


    After all, now she was¡­ Lucia couldn¡¯t help feeling a little anxious when she didn¡¯t hear any movement


    for a while.


    "Come on¡­"


    If it took a little longer, she was afraid that she would really fall asleep.


    Come on? 2 Hearing her words, August got it wrong and thought she meant something else.


    After all, he wasn¡¯t a pure kid.


    Seeing her naked in front of him, he couldn¡¯t help imagining things, of course.


    August screwed off the cap of the ointment.


    He didn¡¯t find a cotton swab, so he squeezed the ointment into his hand and used his fingertip to gently


    apply it to the small red spot on the back of her neck, and then to her shoulder de¡­ The creamy


    scent of the woman¡¯s body wash kept going up his nose.


    He tried to focus and stop himself from getting distracted.


    Lucia kept her eyes closed and her body shivered gently when she felt the tickling touch on her back.


    The rough fingertip made her feel indescribablyfortable as it applied the medicine for her.


    She asked curiously.


    "Turner¡­ are your hands so rough because you work all year round?"


    August paused abruptly, wondering if he should answer.


    Just then, Lucia opened her eyes and slowly turned around.


    When she saw that it was August who was sitting on the bed and applying the medicine for her, Lucia


    felt like she had an electric shock and jumped up from the bed.


    "Why¡­ are you here!"


    She panicked and pulled the bed sheet to cover her body.


    The sleepy feeling she had had earlier dissipated all of a sudden Seeing her reaction, August frowned


    slightly and his embarrassment was reced by displeasure.


    He raised his eyebrow inadvertently.


    "Can¡¯t be here?"


    He was her husband, so why couldn¡¯t he help her apply the medicine? Sensing August¡¯s displeasure,


    Lucia blinked and curbed her panic.


    "Yeah¡­ I didn¡¯t mean that.


    I thought it was Turner¡­"


    She took a deep breath and slowly calmed down.


    August frowned slightly and ordered coldly, "Come over and lie down."


    Lucia got flustered again.


    "What?"


    August said unhappily, "We haven¡¯t done with the medicine.


    Where are you going?"


    "Oh¡­"


    Lucia hesitantly responded and slowlyy back down on the bed, but her whole body was tense.


    No wonder she felt the finger that applied the medicine for her was rough just now.


    So it was him.


    August raised his hand and held her shoulder down to rx her body before he went on applying the


    medicine for her.Thinking of what had happened in the afternoon, he couldn¡¯t help but ask, "Didn¡¯t I tell


    you to rest and get well in the hospital? Who permitted you to leave the hospital?"


    Lucia stammered an exnation.


    "I-I had something to do in the afternoon."


    N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.


    "And you didn¡¯t answer my call?"


    She lied without thinking.


    "I-I didn¡¯t hear it."


    "You didn¡¯t hear it?"


    August paused.


    He suddenly leaned over and came up to her ear, "Are you sure you didn¡¯t hang up on me?"


    He wasn¡¯t stupid and could tell if someone missed or refused his call.


    He suddenly came so close that Lucia could almost smell his faint fragrance.


    And all of a sudden, she got hot.


    Looking at the woman¡¯s fair and delicate face, August did not hesitate to reach out and pinch her cheek


    as he seemingly warned and ordered, "Don¡¯t you ever hang up on me again."


    Lucia responded quickly.


    "Okay, I won¡¯t."


    Only when she promised did August let go of her cheek and continue to finish applying the medicine


    silently.


    Then, he said lightly, "Do you want me to help you with the front?"


    Lucia had a lot of red spots on her chest as well.


    Now that he was done with her back, it was time for the front.


    Lucia didn¡¯t get it at first and then when she realized the meaning of his words, her cheeks felt like they


    were on fire, hot and scorching.


    Fearing that he might misunderstand, she hurriedly said, "No¡­ thanks.


    I¡¯ll do it myself."

 Chapter 35

    Chapter 35


    Chapter 35 Watching her blush in an inst"Are you sure?"


    Lucia was flustered and affirmed, "Yes, I¡¯m sure!"


    Seeing that she was afraid of being taken advantage of by him, August smiled crookedly.


    Then he slowly wiped the ointment on his fingers, and then was about to get up to leave.


    "Wait a minute!"


    Lucia suddenly thought of something and stopped him in a hurry.


    She hadn¡¯t had a chance to ask him about Irene.


    August turned around and stared at her with dark eyes, ¡¯Hmm?"


    Lucia spoke cautiously, "I heard Irene was punished and hospitalized.


    Is it you who did that?"


    August got a little more serious at once and said lightly.


    "Yes."


    "Is it her making me allergic?"


    Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    "Yes.


    Except for that, she¡¯s also the one who secretly took the pictures of us."


    When she learned the truth, Lucia was surprised and puzzled, muttering, "But ¡­ never offended her."


    Irene and she had only met a few times.


    She knew Irene didn¡¯t like her, but Irene wasn¡¯t to the point of harming her.


    Looking at Lucia¡¯s expression, August paused, stepped forward, and stared at her, "People in this world


    are never that simple.


    You should always remember that the next sentence of ¡®don¡¯t harm people is ¡¯but guard against their


    deceits¡¯.


    Lucia bit her lip with mixed feelings.


    Seeing that she did not speak for a long time, August said softly, "Well, you rest early."


    Suddenly.


    Lucia stretched out her hand and took his hand.


    Feeling the warmth on his palm, August froze.


    As far as he could remember, it seemed to be the first time Lucia took the initiative to hold his hand.


    Lucia took a deep breath and said rather seriously, "Thank you for protecting me."


    In the past, except for her parents, there was no one to protect her.


    But now, she has one more person who can protect her.


    August drooped his eyes and saw the woman¡¯s clear eyes, and for some reason, his breathing was


    suddenly a little hard.


    She seemed to have trusted himpletely yet he was still hiding something from her.


    Only he knew that what he was doing had some other daunting purposes.


    At that moment, he actually felt some shame in his heart.


    August couldn¡¯t bear to look Lucia in the eye, so he looked away, pulled his hand out of her hand, 1


    and said in a cold voice, "Get some rest."


    Before the words were finished, he had taken a big stride towards the outside.


    Lucia waspletely unaware of the change in August¡¯s mood.


    She smiled crookedly, feeling a satisfaction she had never felt before Today¡¯s life was full of ups and


    downs, but she felt happier.


    After a good sleep, Lucia woke up the next day and the red rash on her body had already disappeared


    by half.


    Stretching herself and looking at herself in the inirror, she was in a rare good mood.


    When Lucia arrived at thepany, the department held an impromptu meeting.


    After the supervisor, Carter,went over the recent important matters, she suddenly looked at Lucia,


    "Lucia, you report on the progress of your task at hand."


    Lucia smiled and responded, "Okay."


    She reported on thetest progress of the gift box reservation and went over the details and specifics.


    Carter listened, nodded, and said softly.


    "Show me the specific documents."


    Lucia immediately handed over the documents, After she went through all the documents, a satisfied


    smile appeared on Carter¡¯s face, "Well, ording to the contract, the gift boxes can be shipped to our


    company¡¯s warehouse before the holidays."


    "Yes.


    Tiano Company¡¯s assistant and I have discussed it.


    They will help deliver the goods into the warehouse then, so we can save money on shipping costs."


    "Well done."


    Carter said, sweeping a nce at the people around him and instructing, "You should all learn from


    Lucia¡¯s work ethic.


    Can you get your work done by gossiping behind others¡¯ backs all day?"


    When hearing these words, Lucia¡¯s colleagues looked different, and a few people who were keen on


    gossip recently were very embarrassed and didn¡¯t know what to say Now that the story of Irene being


    punished by August for eating half a box of mangoes had spread through thepany, everyone no


    longer dared to gossip freely, especially about Lucia.


    After this incident, all sensible people could know that her rtionship with August was unusual.


    After the meeting, Lucia walked out of the conference room and several colleagues surrounded her,


    fawning and pleasing, "Lucia, you¡¯re amazing.


    You took care of the holiday gift box all by yourself!"


    "That¡¯s right! Now Carter values you the most now! You should help us in the future!"


    Suddenly bing the focus of her colleagues, Lucia was a bit ufortable.


    She shook her head with an embarrassed smile, "I¡¯m just lucky and I have to 2 learn more from you in


    the future¡­ Following behind them, Lisa scoffed at those people¡¯s ingratiating behavior with a coldness


    emerging from her eyes.


    Not long ago, these people were trying to please her.


    Now when they saw that the situation had changed, they immediately changed.


    They are really sheep people! Lisa stared at Lucia and she thought Lucia was more disgusted.


    She was just dissatisfied with her promotion before, but after such an incident, she really felt


    threatened by Lucia.


    If she didn¡¯t give Lucia a lesson to learn, she wouldn¡¯t be able to hold her position in the administration


    department in the future.


    If Carter was promoted, then Lucia would be the biggestpetitor on her way to the supervisor! The


    more Lisa thought about it, the more uneasy she became.


    She clenched her fists and was restless.


    O as re No, she couldn¡¯t just await her doom and she must do something about it! Lucia was pestered


    by her colleagues in the department for a whole day.


    Whether she went to get water or to eat, they all followed her, like a cowlick that could not be shaken


    off, so she even did not dare to leave the office.


    She was about to send a message to August to ask if he wanted to go home with her, but before she


    could send the message, her mom¡¯s phone call came.


    "Hello? Mom?"


    "Lucia, are you off work? Come home for dinner."


    "Yes, but why did you suddenly ask me toe home today¡­"


    Her mom, Mrs.Mitchell, was as forceful as ever, "Don¡¯t ask so many questions.


    Juste home.


    Your father and I have something serious to talk to you."


    Lucia was helpless and amused.


    But thinking that she really hadn¡¯t gone back to see them for several days, she agreed, "Okay, I¡¯ll go


    back."


    After hanging up the phone, she sent a text message to August and then took the car directly back


    home.


    Just in time for the rush hour and the section of road from thepany to home was very congested,


    so she arrived homete.


    3 Once she entered home and saw the table full of her favorite dishes, Lucia was immediately


    overjoyed and reached out to pinch a piece of chicken wings to try it first.


    "Pop!"


    Mrs.Mitchell hit her with chopsticks, "No way! You¡¯re married and you¡¯re still so rude.


    Go wash your hands."


    "Oh."


    - After being admonished, Lucia answered in a low voice and turned around to wash her hands in the


    kitchen.


    After she finished washing her hands, her dad, Mr.Mitchell, put down the newspaper and sat down at


    the table.


    Mrs.Mitchell sat opposite him, and both of them were much more serious than usual.


    Lucia¡¯s heart was pounding.


    Could it be that she had made some mistake? She asked uneasily, "Dad, mom, what are you¡­

 Chapter 37

    Chapter 37


    Chapter 37 Luci forced a smile and just walked ahead to lead the way without saying anything.


    She had just stepped into the elevator when she suddenly felt her hair being gently stroked behind her.


    As soon as she turned around, she met Jamie¡¯s charming phoenix eyes.


    "Mr.Nordhaus, what¡¯s the problem¡­"


    Jamie was not ashamed at all and his smile became more and more charming, "It¡¯s okay.


    I think curly hair is more suitable for you."


    Lucia was a little confused, paused for a moment, and smiled at him, "I think a buzz cut is more


    suitable for you."


    Jamie was amazing.


    If he had been born a woman, he would have been a great beauty.


    His hair was just the right length and cutting it short would definitely neutralize the feminine features


    and add a more masculine feel, which would make him more attractive.


    Hearing her suggestion, Jamie seemed a little surprised.


    After a few seconds of pause, he smiled crookedly, "Buzz cut? I can think about it¡­"


    Soon, the elevator door opened and Lucia walked in front, leading Jamie and his assistant directly to


    the reception room After arranging for them to sit down in the reception room, Lucia immediately went


    to prepare tea.


    After setting the tea down, she said softly, "Mr.Nordhaus, there are magazines over here that you can


    read to pass the time.


    Let me know if you need anything and I¡¯ll be at the door."


    Jamie smiled and stared at her, saying lightly, "Yes, I need chatting."


    "What do you mean?"


    Lucia froze.


    Jamie reached out and pointed at her,ughing, "I need you to chat with me."


    Jamie¡¯s assistant next to him froze, seemingly feeling out of ce, and quickly advised, "Mr.Nordhaus,


    no fooling around."


    ISS "I¡¯m not fooling around."


    Jamie raised an eyebrow, still staring at Lucia with a smile on his face.


    Lucia only felt speechless.


    This rich guy was not here to discuss cooperation, but to flirt with girls.


    She took a breath of cold air, forced a smile, and said, "I don¡¯t have any other work for the time being,


    so I¡¯m okay to chat with Mr.Nordhaus."


    Jamie patted the couch beside him, "Come sit here."


    1 Lucia clenched her fist and slowly walked to the couch and sat down.


    Jamie stared at her with a smile and said, "How old are you? Do you have a boyfriend?"


    Lucia took a deep breath, "Mr.Nordhaus, I don¡¯t answer personal questions during work."


    Jamieughed, "Well then, I¡¯ll keep the two questions I just asked for now, and I¡¯ll ask them again when


    you get off work."


    Saying that, he picked up the cup of tea, took a sip, and said softly, "Lucia, the tea seems to be cold."


    After a nce at the still hot tea, Lucia was confused, "cold?"


    Jamie remained calm and spoke with a smile, "Yes, I think it¡¯s cold and I like hot tea."


    "Then I will make a new cup of tea for you."


    With that, she stood up, picked up the cup, and exited the reception room.


    Only then did she understand why Lisa didn¡¯t receive him personally but instead asked her toe


    over to receive him.


    He was so difficult to deal with! After re-brewing the tea with boiling water, Lucia returned to the


    reception room and brought it to Jamie, saying patiently, "Mr.Nordhaus, try it and see if the temperature


    is okay this time."


    Jamie took the tea, drank a little to test the temperature, and suddenly frowned, "A little too hot."


    Saying that, he handed the cup to Lucia, smiling harmlessly.


    "Why don¡¯t you blow it for me?"


    When Lucia heard this, she was so angry that her temples pulsated involuntarily.


    He was really testing her patience! Gritting her teeth, she had to reach out and take the cup, pretending


    to blow a few times, Jamie¡¯s assistant at the side could not stand it any longer and deliberately cleared


    his throat, "Mr.Nordhaus, why don¡¯t you take a look at the file¡­"


    Before the assistant could finish his words, Jamie turned back to him and gave him a nk stare,


    "Can¡¯t you see that I¡¯m chattering with Lucia? You shut up!"


    Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    Hearing that, Lucia was shocked.


    Then her hand holding the cup unconsciously shook, and the hot tea spilled out directly from the cup.


    "Hiss¡­"


    Jamie on the other side suddenly drew in a breath of cold air and frowned.


    When Lucia looked down, she realized that the water spilled out of the cup had spilled right onto his


    arm! Lucia was shocked and hurriedly put down the cup, "So..


    sorry! Did it burn you?"


    With that, she reached up and pulled the sleeve on Jamie¡¯s arm, and sure enough, his lower arm was


    burnt red.


    "Wait a minute."


    2 Lucia immediately got up and walked out of the reception room, and when she came back again,


    there was a bag of ice in her hand, "Put it on first, so it doesn¡¯t get worse."


    After saying that, she took Jamie¡¯s hand and put the ice bag on his lower arm.


    Jamie slightly narrowed his eyes and stared at the side face of the woman, an intriguing smile


    appearing on his face.


    He, Jamie, was a famous yboy.


    His favorite thing was to flirt with girls.


    When he was in a bad mood, he had to bully the little girl into tears before he could stop.


    And the women around him either shunned him or pleased him.


    And Lucia and those women were not the same, He smiled lightly and asked, "Lucia, are you free after


    work today?"


    Lucia answered without hesitation, "No."


    When he heard this word, Jamie was not surprised and smiled even more.


    Suddenly, there were footsteps at the door, and the assistant next to Jamie reminded him,


    "Mr.Nordhaus, Mr.Adams is here."


    When she heard the words "Mr.Adams", Lucia¡¯s hand holding the ice bag suddenly shook, and when


    she looked up, she saw August standing at the door and staring at them with his cold eyes.


    The next second, she hurriedly withdrew her hand holding the ice bag, stood up, and said,


    "Mr.Adams¡­ In contrast, Jamie was much calmer.


    He raised one eyebrow, swept a nce at August, and finally looked at Lucia,"Lucia, you burned me,


    so you have to be responsible for me."


    When he said this, he deliberately lengthened thest sound, making others could not help but think


    wrong.


    As expected, August, standing in the doorway, looked even more gloomy.


    He frowned slightly, and his gaze towards Jamie was a bit colder.


    Knowing that it was no longer appropriate for her to be here, Lucia put the ice bag down and said softly,


    "Since Mr.Adams has arrived, I¡¯ll go to work."


    After saying that, she lowered her head and walked quickly towards the outside.


    As she walked past August, she could clearly feel the oppressive atmosphere around him, which made


    her wouldn¡¯t say boo to a goose.


    When she came out of the reception room, she breathed a long sigh of relief.


    Before she could take a few steps, someone from behind suddenly called out to her.


    3 Lucia turned around and saw Burton who caught up with her.


    "Mr.Harris, what¡¯s wrong?"


    Burton came forward and looked at her with aplicated look, "Mr.Adams asked you to wait for him


    in the lounge next to the reception room.


    He said he had something to say to you when he finished the meeting."


    At that, Lucia instantly became very nervous.


    What was August going to say to her? Why did she feel so uneasy?

 Chapter 38

    Chapter 38


    Chapter 38 Lucia thought about the scene where she had put the ice bag on Jamie just now and found


    it a little too intimate.


    After all, August was herwful husband.


    But coincidentally, he happened to see it.


    With a sigh of helplessness, Lucia had to turn around and walk toward the lounge next to the reception


    room.


    In the reception room, August sat across from Jamie with a poker face, showing no signs of happiness


    or anger.


    Jamiezily leaned back on the couch, holding the ice bag on his burnt arm, with a smile in his eyes.


    "Mr.Adams, I have been waiting for you so long and I even got injured."


    His assistant at the side couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and quickly said respectfully, "I¡¯m sorry Mr.Adams,


    but Mr.Nordhaus has an unruly personality.


    Please don¡¯t take it personally.


    This time, we came here specifically to talk with you about cooperation."


    August nced at Jamie who was opposite him and said in a light voice, "Sorry, but I don¡¯t think you¡¯re


    taking it seriously.


    I don¡¯t have much time, so let¡¯s wait until you are ready to cooperate."


    With that, he got up and buttoned up his suit coat with one hand while stepping toward the outside.


    "Mr.Adams, please wait a minute!"


    Jamie¡¯s assistant was so worried that he immediately jumped up and run over to hand August the


    documents.


    Jamie didn¡¯t think it was a big deal.


    He grinned and teased, "Trayden, just forget it if he doesn¡¯t think we¡¯re sincere! Anyway, it¡¯s not like I


    didn¡¯t get anything out of this trip, but I met a cute and interesting girl!"


    At the door, August frowned hard as soon as he heard that.


    He turned around and stared at the unrestrained man on the couch, saying word by word, "Don¡¯t you


    touch her."


    "Why not?"


    Jamie suddenly got aggressive.


    "Are you trying to work against me.


    Mr.Adams?"


    August said with his thin lips slightly parted and a cold light bursting out from his eyes, "There is no


    reason.


    You just can¡¯t touch her."


    Dropping those words coldly, he turned around without hesitation and walked out without taking a


    second look at the documents in front of him.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    Jamie¡¯s assistant Trayden sighed, "Why did you do that, Mr.Nordhaus? What am I going to tell your


    father?"


    Jamie raised an eyebrow.


    "Don¡¯t worry.


    I won¡¯t make it difficult for you."


    With that, he stared at the door and muttered, "Anyway, I¡¯ve got a crush on that girl!"


    1 August walked out of the reception room with a sullen look on his face.


    Seeing that, Burton came up and asked, "What¡¯s wrong, Mr.Adams?"


    August asked directly, "Where is Lucia?"


    Burton said gently, "Right in the lounge next door."


    Hearing that, August paused.


    Then, he immediately turned around and walked to the lounge.


    When he got to the door, he directly pushed it open and went in.


    Seeing Lucia, who was sitting uneasily on the couch, he didn¡¯t hesitate to close the door behind him


    and lock it.


    Lucia saw what August was doing and her heart sank with the sound of the lock clicking.


    She hastily got up.


    "¡­ just identally burned Mr.Nordhaus, so I took an ice bag and put it on him."


    She was exining, but August didn¡¯t have any intention to stop.


    He walked over straight away and slowly approached her Lucia held her breath and slowly leaned


    back, unable to stop her panic.


    August said in a deep voice, "Do you remember who you are?"


    Lucia was confused.


    "Huh?"


    August found it quite annoying when he thought of what he had just seen.


    "You are a married woman now, so keep your distance from other men, okay?"


    Besides, Jamie was a yboy He hung around with a different woman almost every day.


    Many young models and starlets had ended up as his targets Lucia would definitely suffer if she had


    more contact with him.


    Lucia stared at the man¡¯s dark eyes, nodding in a daze,"


    know."


    August knitted his brows and said in a deep voice, "I don¡¯t want to see this kind of thing again in the


    future!"


    He sounded a bitmanding and Lucia trembled, unable to say anything, Thinking of the man¡¯s


    attitude toward herst night, Lu felt so bad that a lump came into her throat.


    She lowered her head and unconsciously shook her shoulders slightly.


    "I won¡¯t do it again."


    Seeing that the woman¡¯s eyes suddenly turned red, August frowned and steeled himself to step out of


    the room 2 At the door, Burton saw Augusting out with a grim look on his face while Lucia stood in


    the room, looking aggrieved and pitiful.


    He hesitated and then hurriedly followed after August.


    "What¡¯s wrong with her, Mr.Adams?"


    August shot him a cold nce.


    "Mind your own business."


    Burton immediately stopped talking and asked no more questions, August kept thinking about the


    aggrieved look on Lucia¡¯s face as he walked forward.


    He didn¡¯t want to be so mean to her, but if he was too nice to her, he was afraid that he wouldn¡¯t have


    the heart to talk to her about¡­ It¡¯s better to have short, sharp pains than long, dull pains.


    He might as well be cruel to her from the beginning Lucia was gloomy in the lounge for quite a while


    before she slowly came back to her senses.


    She sniffled and walked out She couldn¡¯t figure out why August had suddenly changed his attitude


    toward her.


    He was getting increasingly serious and insensitive, making her feel strange.


    However, she knew he was not that kind of man.


    With a soft sigh, Lucia walked forward with a heavy heart,pletely unaware of the man nearby.


    "Ahem! Lucia!"


    A male voice suddenly came with a rising tone, sounding somewhat pompous Lucia raised her eyes


    and was startled to see Jamie standing against the railing.


    Why was he still here? Jamie smiled at once when he saw the look of confusion on Lucia¡¯s face.


    "You¡¯re wondering why I¡¯m still here?"


    He stepped forward with a smile and then said, "Because I¡¯m¡­ waiting for you."


    Although Lucia admitted to herself that Jamie was good-looking, she couldn¡¯t help but get goose


    bumps when she heard him say that.


    Thinking about what August had just said, she took a deep breath, put on a proper face, and said


    seriously, "We just met, Mr.Nordhaus.


    And I have got work to do, so excuse me."


    With that, she stepped to leave.


    Seeing that, Jamie roguishly strode over and blocked her way, "Why are you so cold, Lucia? I just want


    to ask you out for dinner."


    Lucia took a deep breath and said seriously, "Sorry, I am already married."


    With that, she raised her left hand.


    Jamie nced at it and saw the ring on her ring finger.


    He was a little surprised.


    She was married? By the time he came back from the shock, Lucia had already disappeared.


    Trayden, his assistant, saw that at the side and said, "Now you can forget about it, Mr.Nordhaus!"


    Jamie paused and suddenly said in a serious manner, "No way!"


    With that, he turned to Trayden.


    "Go find out who and when she married."


    He had finally met a girl he was interested in, only to find that she was already married.


    Was God ying a joke on him? Trayden said helplessly, "I think you¡¯d better stop, Mr.Nordhaus!"


    Jamie stubbornly sneered, "No! I¡¯d like to see what kind of man her husband is!"


    He had never failed to get the women he had his eye on.


    More than that, this time he had met a woman he was interested in.

 Chapter 39

    Chapter 39


    Chapter 39 Lucia came back to her office in a low mood.


    And her door was pushed open shortly after she sat down in her seat.


    Lisa stood at the door, looking at Lucia and asking, "How is it going? Is it all ready?"


    Lucia was not in the mood and answered casually.


    "Yes."


    Lisa was a little surprised.


    "Mr.Adams is here?"


    "Yes."


    Looking at Lucia, who said nothing more than the word "Yes", Lisa spoke up discontentedly, "What do


    you mean by that? How is your work going exactly?"


    Lucia took a deep breath and came back to her senses before she turned to Lisa and said word by


    word, "I did everything I needed to do to receive Mr.Nordhaus and have him in the reception room.


    And Mr.Adams is here, but I don¡¯t know how their talk went."


    Lisa was obviously a bit dissatisfied when she heard that, but she couldn¡¯t find anything wrong with it


    She had long heard rumors that Mr.Nordhaus was a womanizer and a bully.


    That was why she had deliberately given the most difficult job of receiving him to Lucia.


    She just wanted to see Lucia make a fool of herself, but she hadn¡¯t expected that things wouldn¡¯t turn


    out as she had hoped, The topic was closed, so she had to move on.


    "Is the attendance report ready? I need it already."


    Lucia took a deep breath and answered truthfully, "You just told me to do it this morning, and I had


    another job this afternoon, so I didn¡¯t have time to do it yet."


    Hearing that, Lisa said coldly, "Finish it as soon as you can."


    With that, she turned around straight away and stepped out of the room.


    The door was closed with a bang.


    Lucia sat at her desk, without feeling any better.


    Once she thought of August, she wilted like a piece of limp lettuce.


    When she finally got home from work, Lucia tried to ask Turner for advice on how to make August stop


    being angry, only to find out that August wouldn¡¯t being home at night.


    She thought it was just one night, but to her surprise, August did note home for three nights in a


    row.


    1 It seemed that this time, he was seriously angry with her.


    The three days passed quickly.


    She was so busy with her work at the department that she barely sow Augusta few times.


    Even when she did, she just ran into him asionally in thepany and took a quick look at him.


    Lucia tried many times to find an opportunity.


    Finally, when the department had a document to hand over to the President¡¯s Office, she volunteered to


    deliver it.


    She didn¡¯t want anything more than to meet August and have a few words with him.


    With the document in her hand, Lucia headed there with excitement.


    Just as she arrived at the door of the President¡¯s Office, she saw Irene So, Irene had already been


    discharged from the hospital, They exchanged a nce.


    Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    Then, Lucia looked away and went on toward August¡¯s office, "Wait a minute"


    Irene suddenly stopped Lucia the moment Lucia brushed past her.


    Lucia looked back at Irene.


    "What¡¯s up?"


    Seeing Irene now, she kept her normal mind, without specting or thinking too much about it.


    It seemed that Irene was still a bit afraid of Lucia in her heart.


    She sounded a little hesitant, but her voice was somewhat cold at the same time.


    "What are you doing there?"


    Lucia raised the document in her hand.


    "Delivering the document."


    Irene held out her hand.


    "Give it to me.


    I¡¯ll deliver it."


    Lucia pulled back her hand with the document and said lightly, "I have something to report, so I¡¯d better


    do it myself."


    With that, she didn¡¯t wait for Irene to say anything else and walked straight forward.


    Irene¡¯s face instantly darkened.


    She turned around to stare at Lucia from behind as she gritted her teeth.


    One day, sooner orter, she would pay Lucia back for what she had suffered before! When she got to


    August¡¯s office, Lucia raised her hand to knock on the door.


    When she heard a voice inside, she pushed the door open and went in.


    Inside the office, she saw August flipping through papers at his desk.


    2 She took a deep breath.


    "Mr.Adams, here is the report you wanted from the Administration Department."


    Hearing her voice, August stopped to look up at her.


    "Well, just put it on the desk."


    "Okay."


    Lucia slowly put the document on the desk.


    After that, she still stood in the same ce and had no intention to leave.


    August could see that the woman was trying to say something and asked, "What else?"


    In the past few days, he had purposely not gone home to keep his distance and get estranged from


    her.


    Besides, it wasn¡¯t a good idea for him to go back at this point¡­ Lucia twisted her hands together and


    gathered the courage to ask, "Tonight, are youing home?"


    "Is there something going on at home?"


    Lucia bit her lip.


    "No."


    August casually put the papers in his hand aside.


    "We¡¯ll see then."


    With that, he stood up, walked to the coat rack, and picked up his coat.


    Lucia felt a lump in her throat.


    She suddenly reached out and gently grabbed the man¡¯s shirt.


    "Are you still mad at me?"


    He hadn¡¯te home since thest time he said those words to her in the lounge.


    August paused and turned slightly sideways.


    "No."


    Lucia lowered her head and bit her lip.


    "So, you dislike me."


    Hearing that, August frowned.


    "No."


    He had never disliked her.


    Otherwise, why would he have married her in the first ce? Lucia took a deep breath and said softly,


    "Then why don¡¯t youe home tonight? I¡­ and Turner both miss you a lot."


    August paused, not knowing how to refuse.


    Although he had married her for another purpose, she was his nominal wife, after all, so he shouldn¡¯t


    have left her alone.


    After a few seconds of silence, he said softly, "Okay."


    Hearing that, Lucia was overjoyed.


    "Great!"


    Because of the joy, she tugged harder at the corner of his shirt unconsciously.


    Suddenly, the look on his face changed as he let out a groan.


    "What¡­ what¡¯s wrong?"


    Lucia was taken aback and subconsciously let go of his shirt.


    She looked at the man¡¯s somewhat stiff back and asked worriedly, "What¡¯s wrong with you?"


    August fixed the look on his face and casually responded, "Nothing.


    I have to go out for something.


    You can go back to work Seeing how firm August¡¯s attitude was, Lucia didn¡¯t ask more questions.


    She said yes and then got out of the office.


    Anyway, he was willing to go home now! Lucia was in such a good mood that she immediately sent a


    text message to Turner when she got back to her department, asking Turner to prepare a few more


    dishes.


    After receiving Turner¡¯s reply, Lucia happily took her ss to the pantry area and poured a ss of


    juice.


    Emma walked over to Lucia and picked up a ss to get hot water.


    Seeing the expression on Lucia¡¯s face, she couldn¡¯t help but ask, "Why are you so happy? You¡¯re just


    like a girl in love.


    So¡­ are you seeing someone?"


    Lucia came to her senses and subconsciously denied it.


    "No, I¡¯m not!"


    Although she said so, somehow, her cheeks were burning.


    Emma chuckled and said, "Your face is so red, and you still say no? I would say that you are either in


    love or thinking about someone you like!"


    Hearing that, Lucia didn¡¯t know what to say.


    With her ss, she quickly slipped into her office and closed the door.


    She leaned against the door for quite a while before she calmed down a bit.


    She touched her cheek, and it was really hot! She was just thinking about August¡­ Did she really have


    a crush on him? Suddenly, her phone dinged.


    Lucia came back to her senses.


    She picked it up and saw that it was a text message from Mrs.Mitchell.


    "Have you talked about it with August, Lucia? Why don¡¯t you tell me?"


    Only when she saw this message did Lucia suddenly remembered that she still had something to talk


    about with August! It was the wedding.


    She hadn¡¯t seen August much in the past few days, so she had forgotten about it.


    If August came home today, she would have to find some time to talk with him.

 Chapter 40

    Chapter 40


    Chapter 40 Right at the end of the day, Lu packed up her things and was ready to go home,


    However, just as she was about to leave, she was stopped by Lisa at the door of her office, Lisa


    nced at the bag in her hand and raised an eyebrow "Ready to go now?"


    Lucia looked at the clock on the wall.


    "It¡¯s the end of the day"


    The Lion Group was a very humanepany and they didn¡¯t do much over time on weekdays, except


    sometimes when it was busy and they would stay overtime to catch up on work, "Finish these


    documents before you leave."


    Lisa rolled her eyes and shoved a dozen documents directly into Lucia¡¯s hand, Lucia took a look.


    There were so many documents that it might take two hours to file them all, but she had agreed with


    August to go home for dinner¡­ Seeing that Lisa was about to leave, Lucia stopped her straight away.


    "Wait a minute!"


    Lisa turned around.


    "What¡¯s up?"


    Lucia said word by word, "I¡¯ve finished my work for today.


    How can you give me a new task at the end of the day?"


    It seemed that Lisa hadn¡¯t expected Lucia to be so tough.


    She frowned.


    "What? You¡¯re not going to do the task you¡¯re given?"


    Lucia refused to give in and said word by word, "I have ns today, so I really can¡¯t do it.


    If you have a problem with me, let¡¯s go and talk with Carter together tomorrow."


    Lucia was on equal footing with Lisa.


    She wouldn¡¯t say anything if Lisa assigned her tasks during work hours, but now it was after hours, so


    she didn¡¯t have to go along with her on everything.


    With those words, Lucia walked out of the office and left Lisa alone, who stood there rolling her eyes.


    She left thepany in a hurry, only to get caught up in the rush hour.


    By the time she got home, August had alreadye back from his busy day outside.


    As soon as she entered the door, she saw Turner cing the tableware.


    "Dinner will be ready soon, Madam.


    Please wash your hands and tell Mr.Adams toe down for dinner."


    "Okay."


    Lucia put down her bag and skipping with a little excitement, she went to the second floor.


    She walked to the bedroom, pushed open the door and walked in.


    Hearing movements in the bathroom, she went over to it and raised her hand, I trying to knock on the


    ss door.


    Just then, she suddenly heard the man¡¯s groansing from inside.


    It was just a few small, short groans, but Lucia blushed at once.


    What¡­ was August doing in there? At that moment, curiosity got the better of her.


    Even though she knew it was bad, she couldn¡¯t help but slowly push the door of the bathroom open a


    little.


    The man was topless, with his back to the door.


    Every muscle on his broad, sturdy back was a symbol of strength.


    However, right on his lower back was a bloody wound, which was too red in her eyes.


    Lucia trembled and felt a chill down her back as she unconsciously took a step back.


    Why¡­ why did he get that? August heard the sound behind him and turned his head around sharply.


    "Who¡¯s there?"


    This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.


    When he saw Lucia at the door, the cold, wary look in his eyes slowly eased up a bit.


    He quickly put some gauze dressing on his wound, casually draped the bathrobe nearby around


    himself, andmanded in a deep voice, "Go wait for me outside."


    Lucia came back from the shock and trepidation.


    She hesitated for a moment and then stepped directly into the bathroom.


    Her voice trembled as she spoke, "What the hell happened to you?"


    August frowned.


    "You don¡¯t need to know."


    "August"


    Lucia suddenly raised her voice and called him by his name in a serious lone Immediately after that,


    she stepped forward and reached out to grab his hand without hesitation, "Why did you hide it from


    me?"


    11 was okay if he didn¡¯t tell her how he had gotten injured or what he had done, but at least he should


    have told her about the wound! August knitted his brows.


    He was about to tell Lucia to get out when he turned to see her with tears in her eyes, which were red


    Tears poured down her face as she said, "You didn¡¯t tell me about your wound.


    Is it because you¡¯ve never thought of me as your wife?"


    August¡¯s heart sank abruptly at her words, Lucia¡¯s shoulders shook as tears kepting out of her


    eyes.


    "Tell me."


    The man moved slightly and paused for a moment before he finally said softly, "There are things that I


    might as well keep to myself.


    You are not me, Lucia, so you won¡¯t understand."


    2 Lucia raised her hand, wiped her tears quickly with its back, and then reached out to pull off his


    bathrobe.


    A closer look revealed that August had more than one wound on his body.


    Lucia found old scars on his arms, waist, and back.


    She gently touched the white marks with her hand and tears welled up in her eyes again.


    August tilted his head slightly and said in a deep voice, I¡¯m not as good as you think, Lucia, so you


    don¡¯t need to cry for me.


    It¡¯s not worth it."


    Hearing that, Lucia was even more upset.


    Her shoulders shook as she cried, and she sobbed, "But I love you.


    It¡¯s worth it if I think it is! Whether you are good or bad, you are my husband."


    Her words were like a stone cast directly into theke of August¡¯s heart, causing ripples there.


    He turned his head sideways, looked at the woman¡¯s twitching eyshes, and murmured, "You¡¯ll regret


    it."


    She would regret it if she knew the true purpose of his marrying her.


    "I won¡¯t"


    Lucia denied it without hesitation and repeated in a murmur, "I love you."


    August had mixed and bitter feelings.


    The sense of guilt he had felt for her came back to haunt him, but at this moment, he decided to ignore


    it.


    He stretched out a hand and took the woman straight into his arms, "Stop crying."


    Lucia could not control her tears.


    She raised her hand and wiped them quickly.


    "¡­ I feel bad."


    She felt bad for him, because he was not as morous or superior as he appeared, and he had to bear


    so much pain and suffering all by himself.


    Hearing what she said, August actually curved his lips unconsciously.


    It was the first time that he had heard someone feel bad for him.


    After all, he had always shown up as an indestructible figure in front of others.


    At this moment, his heart softened a bit for her.


    Looking at her red nose and sad look, August suddenly lowered his head and kissed her on the lips


    straight away.


    The moment when their lips met, they froze at the same time.


    She hadn¡¯t expected him to do so, and he hadn¡¯t either.


    The next moment, the two bounced back at the same time, but their eyes still met.


    Instantly, the atmosphere in the room became awkward.


    Lucia¡¯s eyes widened and she held her breath as if she was frozen.


    August came to his senses first.


    He coughed lightly twice, looked away and pulled his bathrobe back on.


    Then, he said, "I think dinner is ready."


    With that, he stepped out of the bathroom.


    It wasn¡¯t until the man¡¯s figure got out of her sight that Lucia tried to catch her breath.


    She gasped for air while the corners of her mouth kept going upward.


    Their kiss onlysted a second or two just now, but it was sweet.


    She patted her red, burning cheeks and went downstairs while pretending to be calm.


    August was already seated at the table, with a look no different than usual.


    Just as Lucia sat down, Turner, who was serving the soup, couldn¡¯t help but say, "Why is it so red?"


    -Lucia replied almost instantly.


    "Huh? No, I¡¯m too hot.


    That¡¯s why my face is red.


    It¡¯s okay!"


    When she finished her exnation, she suddenly found that there was a terrible silence in the room.


    She looked up and saw Turner staring at her with a puzzled expression.


    "I was wondering why the soup is so red this time.


    What are you talking about, Madam?"


    Lucia was startled.


    Only then did she notice that Turner was serving the soup.


    She had thought..


    It was so embarrassing! was Seeing the smile on the face of the man opposite, Lucia immediately


    stressed, "No-Nothing!"

 Chapter 41

    Chapter 41


    She had always been the first to send a message between them and it was the first time that he had


    done so.


    "I¡¯ll meet you at the underground garage after work tonight."


    Lucia was instantly overjoyed to see those words and a smile appeared on her face.


    So, August was waiting for her to go home together! She couldn¡¯t hide her joy and held her phone


    happily for quite a while.


    Suddenly, the door of her office was pushed open and Emma walked in quickly.


    "Lucia, Carter wants to see you in her office now!"


    Seeing how nervous Emma looked, Lucia was stunned and asked, "Why? What¡¯s wrong?"


    Emma shook her head, "I¡¯m not sure, but Carter looks unhappy. You''d better hurry up and go over."


    Lucia turned serious when she heard that She immediately got up and walked out of the office, going


    directly to the supervisor¡¯s office When she pushed open the door of the supervisor¡¯s office and walked


    lit, Lucia saw three or four colleagues standing in a row, all with their heads down.


    Carter was sitting in her office chair.


    She nced at Lucia with a sullen face and asked in a cold voice, "Are you working on the quarterly


    report?"


    Lucia hesitated for a moment and nodded.


    "Yes."


    Last night.


    Lisa stopped her after work and asked her to do overtime for the report, but she left directly and did not


    start doing it until she arrived at the office this morning.


    Carter forced back her anger, but her eyes were sharply fixed on Lucia.


    "I heard that the documents were handed over to you yesterday, yet you haven¡¯t turned the report in


    today."


    Lucia was instantly stressed out and said, "Yes, but I¡­"


    ¡°No buts!"


    Carter pped her desk and interrupted Lucia unceremoniously.


    "Where did you get so many excuses? Do you know how many people are waiting to use the report?


    Just because you didn¡¯t do it, the schedule of the whole team has been dyed!"


    Carter was usually quite forgiving about almost everything, but she was absolutely strict and meticulous


    about work Lucia lowered her head and couldn¡¯t say a word.


    It was true that she had been given the task yesterday, but it was already the end of the day when Lisa


    told her.


    Even if she had started to do it then, it would have been toote to organize and file some of the


    documents and then do the report.


    Carter said in an angry voice, "Let me remind you, don¡¯t make excuses at any time! Not doing a good


    job is your own problem, understand?"


    Those colleagues standing in a row responded, and only then did the angry look on Carter¡¯s face ease


    up a bit.


    She turned to Lucia and instructed in a deep voice, "Now that you are an administrative assistant,


    Lucia, whatever you do must be thoughtful.With an attitude like yours, our Administration Department


    will be in trouble! Don¡¯t get proud just because of a small achievement, understand?"


    Carter was saying that in front of all those colleagues in the room.


    Lucia found it quite embarrassing, She bit her lip and nodded.


    "Yes, Carter, I will keep it in mind."


    As she spoke, she inadvertently raised her eyes and saw Lisa standing next to Carter with a look of


    pleasure and triumph.


    Instantly, she got to know what was going on.


    No wonder Lisa had given Lucia the documents after work yesterday.


    It turned out that she had done it on purpose so that Lucia would fail to hand in the report and dy the


    schedule of the team.


    Lucia took a hard look at Lisa and slowly suppressed her anger.


    Carter nced at her and instructed, "Go back to your work and finish the quarterly report as soon as


    possible"


    ¡°Okay."


    Lucia replied, turned around and walked out of the office.


    The colleagues who had been scolded together in the office just now also came out.


    They couldn¡¯t help but whine andin.


    "It¡¯s all because of her! Our schedule has been dyed just because she didn¡¯t finish the report!"


    "I know.And we got scolded by the supervisor too.What bad luck!"


    They kept talking like that with no intention to hide it from her.


    Lucia could hear everything, but she couldn¡¯t say a word.


    This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.


    They were right.


    It was because of her that their schedule was dyed She walked quickly back to her office, looked at


    the documents on her desk, and could not help hul sigh As she caught sight of her phone at the side,


    her original excitement was gone She picked up her phone and texted August back.


    "I have to work overtime tonight.You can go home without me She had to finish the report as soon as


    possible.If she kept dying the schedule and causing trouble for her colleagues, she was afraid that


    her situation in the Administration Department would be even more difficult An hourter, Lucia tilted


    her head back and pinched the back of her sore neck.


    Then, she intended to go back to work when suddenly, she heard footsteps slowly approaching, Lucia


    froze, feeling a bit strange.


    At this hour, almost all her colleagues in the department had left and the big lights outside had been


    turned off, so why would there be footsteps? The footsteps sounded steady and they were indeed


    approaching her.


    Lucia clutched her mouse and unconsciously got nervous.


    Now that she was alone in thisrge desk area, she would surely feel afraid.


    Suddenly, the footsteps stopped at the door, which was pushed open after a few seconds of silence


    Lucia¡¯s eyes widened, and when she saw the man standing at the door, she suddenly heaved a sigh of


    relief


    "What¡­ are you doing here?"


    August raised his eyebrows slightly when he saw that the woman looked like she had seen a ghost,


    "Can¡¯t Ie here?"


    "I didn¡¯t mean that."


    Lucia secretly sighed in relief and her fear was gone.


    "I thought you had gone home"


    August walked toward her on his long legs and stopped at her desk.


    He took a nce at therge pile of papers on the desk and the look in his eyes suddenly turned a little


    sullen.


    He propped his hand on the desk and stared at Lucia from above, looking a bit displeased.


    "I didn¡¯t know you love your work so much."


    Lucia wasn¡¯t sure if hisment was positive or negative.She blushed.


    "I didn¡¯t finish my work on time and dyed the schedule of the department."


    Hearing that, August paused and casually put the paper bag in his hand on the desk.


    "Eat first."


    Lucia looked up and saw the porridge and side dishes in the bag.Her eyes suddenly lit up.


    Just now she was already starving, but she had to endure it because she was working overtime Lucia


    found it heart-warming and looked at August with some excitement.


    "Have you eaten?"


    August nodded slightly and gave the order, "Yeah.They¡¯re just for you.Finish them."


    Without saying another word, Lucia immediately started to eat, while August just sat beside her,


    casually picking up a document to read.


    After the meal, Lucia went back to work.


    With August by her side, she felt somehow more secure, and her work efficiency increased a lot.


    It took her another hour or so to finish all the report work.


    On the way home, Lucia turned to look at the man who was driving and the corners of her mouth went


    upward involuntarily.


    After pausing for a while, she finally couldn¡¯t help but say, "Thank you for doing overtime with me


    today"


    It happened that their car stopped at an intersection, waiting for the traffic light to turn green.


    August turned around and stared at Lucia seriously.


    "Lucia, there is no need to say thank you between you and me Lucia was touched.


    She nodded with a smile.


    Soon, their car arrived at the house.


    Lucia entered with August.


    Turner came up just after they changed their shoes.


    "Madam and Sir, Harris came over with two invitations just now."


    Hearing that, August took the invitations over from Turner and had a look at them.


    "Got it."


    It was a jewelry exhibition on Saturday.


    They invited people from the business and entertainment circles in Austos City to attend the event,


    mainly for the release and disy of some new jewelry For August, it was just a cocktail party where he


    could find business opportunities and socialize.


    He casually put the invitations on the cab in the foyer.


    When he turned around, he saw Lucia staring at the invitations with a look of concentration and


    curiosity.


    He paused for a moment and asked, "Do you want to go?"


    Lucia had not expected him to find out what she was thinking.


    She smiled with some embarrassment.


    "I guess it would be fun."


    She had never attended such an event before.


    Thergest event she had ever been to was the annual party of the Lion Group at the end of the year.


    Hearing that, August picked up an invitation and handed it to her.


    "Just go and see if you want to."


    Lucia hesitantly reached out to take it.She blinked and asked, "Aren¡¯t youing with me?"

 Chapter 43

    Chapter 43


    August paused as he held the invitation in his hand.


    "Yes,"


    Seeing how hesitant he was, Lucia realized almost instantly that he was going to the event, but couldn¡¯t


    go with her.


    After all, their rtionship couldn¡¯t be made public yet.


    She forced a smile and pretended that she didn¡¯t mind it as she took the invitation he handed over and


    said, "I see"


    She looked down at the invitation, then raised her head and smiled at him, "I will be there, and I won¡¯t


    make trouble for you then."


    After that, she stepped away and went up to the second floor.


    August watched the woman from behind as she pretended to be fine.


    His brows furrowed involuntarily and he had a strange feeling When her figure disappeared around the


    corner of the second floor, August picked up his phone and sent a message to Burton.


    "Go to PW tomorrow and order adies¡¯ evening dress for Lucia."


    He was not a good husband to Lucia, so he could only try to make up for it in other ways.


    Time flew by and it was already Saturday.


    Lucia woke up without the man at her side.


    She wiped her face and hurried downstairs.Turner, where¡¯s August?"


    She didn¡¯t find the man after a quick look around.


    Turner answered while wiping the table, "Mr.Adams went out early, saying he has an appointment in


    the morning."


    "Oh."


    Lucia replied with some disappointment.


    The jewelry exhibition was starting in the afternoon.


    She had thought that August would be willing to take her with him at thest minute, even if they had to


    separate afterward, but she had never expected him to go out early in the morning.


    Turner looked at her like this and asked, "You have an event to attend today, Madam, don¡¯t you?"


    Lucia said wanly, "Yes, a jewelry exhibition."


    "Then have breakfast and let¡¯s get ready early."


    Seeing how excited Turner was, Lucia smiled.


    "It doesn¡¯t start until this afternoon."


    And she didn¡¯t have a proper dress for the event, so there was nothing to prepare.


    With Turner urging and persuading her, Lucia finally felt better and got up to have breakfast, Just at


    noon, Burton suddenly came over with a big t box in his hands, which stood up and almost blocked


    the upper half of his body revealing only his legs.


    Lucia was watching TV on the couch.


    She was startled to see hime in like this.


    "What are you¡­"


    What was he doing? Burton put the box on the table and smiled at Lucia.


    "Madam, this is a dress Mr.Adams prepared for you?"


    Lucia was surprised, "A dress?"


    Burton nodded.


    "Yes, he told me to order it the other day and chose the style himself."


    Lucia hurriedly got up, feeling a little excited for some reason.


    She walked to the table and slowly opened the box.


    A gold dress with a bustier and nipped-in waist came into sight.


    It was so beautiful and shiny as far as she could see.


    Lucia stared at it for quite a while as if in a dream.She turned to Burton and asked, "It¡¯s for me?"


    Burton nodded his head.


    Having gotten the positive answer, Lucia felt that her heart was pounding violently Growing up, she had


    never worn such a beautiful dress before! Turner, who came over to look at it couldn¡¯t help but exim,


    "It¡¯s so beautiful, Madar.You¡¯ll look gorgeous in it! Mr.Adams has such a good eye!"


    Hearing that, Lucia felt her cheeks burning and froze for quite a while.


    Turner encouraged her to go and try it on in her room, and only then did she head back to her room


    slowly with the box in her arms in a daze.


    During her time with August, she had seen how cold and thoughtful he was.


    Although he hadn¡¯t mentioned a word about the jewelry exhibition these days, he had already had her


    dress ordered, so how could she not be touched? Lucia happily changed into her dress, took a deep


    breath and pulled up the zipper.


    Then, she was somewhat mesmerized when she looked at herself in the mirror.


    She had never thought that she would be so beautiful one day.


    After all, she usually wore what she wasfortable with When she came down in her dress, Turner,


    who was waiting in the living room, couldn¡¯t help butpliment her.


    Burton, who was also a bit surprised, quickly came to his senses.


    He grabbed his phone and took a picture of Lucia when she wasn¡¯t looking, and sent it to August.


    "You¡¯re so beautiful in this dress, Madam.I¡¯ll curl your hairter.You¡¯ll be absolutely stunning then!"


    Lucia¡¯s face was red from Turner¡¯spliments.


    She said shyly, "You¡¯re teasing me, Turner."


    "No, I¡¯m not.I think Mr.Adams knows you best and the size is just right."


    Lucia felt that her cheeks were even hotter when she heard that.


    This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.


    Lucia blushed so much that even her ears turned red.


    Only then did Turnerugh and stop teasing her The two of them wereughing and joking.


    In the end, Turner insisted on doing her hair in her room.


    Lucia could not resist, so she went to her bedroom with Turner.


    In a private room at Austos International, August was a bit distracted as he sat at the table and listened


    to the manager beside him talking about the specifics of a project.


    "You¡¯ll find more details in the proposal, Mr.Adams."


    A document was handed in front of him.


    August raised his eyes slightly and said in a somewhatzy manner, "It¡¯s okay.


    Just tell me how long it will take to build a team for this project and the payback period."


    "Okay."


    The manager from the other party nodded and began to exin in detail.


    After an exchange, August had a bit of a headache.


    When he casually checked his phone, he saw a WeChat message from Burton and opened it directly to


    read it.


    It was just a picture.He tapped it to zoom in.


    In the picture, Lucia was in a gold silk dress.


    Her waist was so sl¨ªm that it could be easily grasped with one hand.


    Her eyes were slightly lowered and the corners of her mouth turned upward with a little shyness.


    Instantly, August held his breath and felt like a fire was burning inside.


    He narrowed his eyes slightly, staring at the picture, and ayer of sweat emerged from the palm of his


    hand holding the phone.


    He hadn¡¯t expected that Lucia would have such a stunning moment that he couldn¡¯t take his eyes off


    her picture C C F1 That¡¯s about it, Mr.Adams.Have you got it?"


    The manager¡¯s voice came from next to August, which pulled him back to reality..


    He flipped his phone over and put it on the table with its screen downward.


    Then, he picked up the red wine at the side and took a sip before saying, "Yeah, I¡¯ve basically got it all


    and found nothing wrong, so you can draw up a contract."


    The manager was relieved to hear that and picked up a ss of wine quickly to toast him.


    He waved his hand and politely refused.


    "I have an event to attend this afternoon, so I can¡¯t drink much."


    The manager smiled and stopped trying to toast him.


    August didn''t drink much, but for some reason, he felt his stomach burning.


    And he couldn¡¯t help but keep thinking about the smile on Lucia¡¯s face, which got a little bigger and


    bigger in his mind..


    He grabbed a ss of water and drank most of it.


    Only then did he feel the fire inside him eased up a lot.


    He checked the time and found that he could take a short break before he got ready for the event.


    He was wondering if Lucia would surprise him when he met her at the venue.

 Chapter 44

    Chapter 44


    Outside the Starlight, Lucia got out of the car.


    When she saw the crowd at the entrance of the venue, she felt a little scared from the bottom of her


    heart.


    The red carpet wasid from the entrance to the street and there were quite a few media reporters at


    the entrance.


    That was a much bigger scene than she had imagined.


    "Do you want me to go with you, Madam?"


    It was only when Burton¡¯s voice came from behind her that Lucia came back to her senses.


    She turned her head around gently.


    "No, I can do it myself."


    She was simply interested in this exhibition, so she would leave after having a look at the jewelry and


    whatnot.


    After all, she wasn¡¯t used to such an asion.


    In her high heels, she stepped a lot more slowly than usual, which added a bit of elegance.


    At the entrance, the receptionist put a bracelet on her wrist when she showed the invitation.


    Once inside, the silver Starlight Hall came into view.


    The silver-gray irregr walls made it more artistic, spacious and bright.


    There were already a lot of people gathered there.


    Many transparent showcases were ced on both sides, which extended in parallel to thergest


    jewelry showcase.


    Lucia was excited and began to admire the jewelry in the showcases.


    Although she had never bought much jewelry growing up and had little knowledge of jewelry, she could


    not help but be impressed by the shiny and beautiful designs.


    She just finished half of the tour after quite a while, but her feet hurt from walking in the nearly 10 cm


    heels, so she went to the rest area on the other side.


    The rest area and the exhibition area were separated by long tables, on which were exquisite


    refreshments.


    Lucia picked up a ss of juice and hesitated, looking at all those refreshments.


    Should she take some? She looked around and saw that others were all drinking and talking without


    eating anything.


    Lucia took a deep breath, paused for a moment, and finally gathered the courage to pick up a te.


    Just then, a familiar voice suddenly came from the side.


    "Lucia?"


    Lucia paused with a start and looked over following the voice.


    She couldn¡¯t help but freeze when she saw Carol in a long ck dress.


    Carol watched as Lucia 1 turned around.


    Her face turned cold when she saw how beautiful Lucia was with red lips and ck hair in the gold silk


    dress that outlined her pretty waist.


    Carol had thought it couldn¡¯t be Lucia just now, only to find that it was! Lucia had been such a bumpkin.


    Why was she suddenly so good at dressing up anding to this kind of asion? Feeling jealous


    inside, Carol still managed to curl her lips.


    "So, it¡¯s you.Who are you here with?"


    With that, she looked around and felt relieved when she didn¡¯t see August.


    Lucia hadn¡¯t expected to meet Carol here.She took a deep breath and replied with a nonchnt face.


    "I¡¯m here alone.What is it?"


    Carol could see that Lucia did not want to talk to her.


    She smiled and said, "Nothing.I¡¯ve actually been meaning to meet you.And I¡¯d like to thank you for


    what happenedst time."


    Hearing that, Lucia then remembered that Carol and Archibald hade to her for a favor at the Lion


    Groupst time.


    She did ask August for a favor back then, but she did it for the innocent employees of Man Hong, not


    for Carol and Archibald.


    "You¡¯re wee."


    After that, Lucia put down the te in her hand and decided to leave.


    After all, she didn¡¯t want to have too many interactions with Carol.


    "Carol."


    Archibald suddenly came from the side.


    He was about to talk to Carol when he saw lucia next to Carol He froze at first and then his eyes shone


    with light "Lucia?"


    Lucia did not say anything She just nodded at him slightly and turned to leave straight away Archibald


    watched her from behind Al that moment, he forgot that Carol was still standing beside him When he


    was with Lucia before, he hadn¡¯t thought she was that pretly, but he was amazed when he saw her


    today Carol noticed the look in Archibald¡¯s eyes and instantly felt a surge of anger.


    She grabbed his arm and pinched him fiercely "What are you looking at?"


    It was only when he felt the pain in his arm that Archibald came to his senses.


    "Carol No, I wasn¡¯t looking ! was just wondering why she looks so pretty now."


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    Carol¡¯s face darkened at these words.


    She said through clenched teeth, "Archibald, you think she is pretty!"


    Archibald realized that he shouldn¡¯t have said that, so he denied it quickly.


    "No, I don¡¯t! Honey, you are the most beautiful in my eyes!"


    Although he said all the nice things and used all the words in his vocabry topliment her, Carol


    still felt awful inside and her dislike for Lucia grew even worse.


    After a while, Carol sat on the couch in the rest area, looking at Lucia on the other side and gritting her


    teeth with hatred.


    She slowly clenched her fists and thought secretly that since Lucia had shown up today, she would


    make a fool of the girl right in front of everyone! Meanwhile, Lucia was so focused on the refreshments


    in front of her that she didn¡¯t even notice that someone had been staring at her for quite a while.


    "Look, your Prince Charming is here!"


    "What Prince Charming? I just walked around and didn¡¯t see a single one that caught my eye.It¡¯s so


    boring."


    "Look, isn¡¯t that August, your Prince Charming?"


    "August! It¡¯s really him.Let¡¯s go and see!"


    The two women at the table next to her were talking to each other and Lucia could hear them really


    well When she heard the familiar name, she couldn¡¯t help but raise her head and look over.


    Sure enough, there was a group of people in the exhibition area, and the man standing in the middle


    was shining so brightly that she couldn¡¯t take her eyes off him.


    It was really him! Lucia felt her heart skipping a beat.


    Almost immediately, she put down the fork in her hand and wiped her mouth before she got up and


    approached there.


    Although her rtionship with August couldn¡¯t be disclosed yet, she couldn¡¯t help but feel proud when


    she saw such a dazzling man in the crowd.


    Only when she got closer did Lucia see clearly that the representative of the organizer was talking to


    August about the jewelry next to them and that the media were taking pictures, The representative


    smiled and said, "As far as I know, you are very interested in jewelry, Mr.Adams, so I¡¯m wondering if


    you have any ns to enter the jewelry industry in the future."


    August looked gentle and said courteously.


    "I¡¯m still thinking about it, but if I meet a partner I can work with, the idea will be on the agenda."


    "Then I hope we can work together sometime."

 Chapter 45

    Chapter 45


    Now that the atmosphere had warmed up, the representative of the organizer was smart enough to


    stop asking further questions and show August other jewelry Seeing that the questioning session was


    over, quite a few of the beautifuldies in the crowd were not satisfied and dispersed wistfully Lucia


    would have liked to keep following August, but she didn¡¯t want to be so conspicuous when everyone


    else had dispersed.


    After all, she had said before she came here that she wouldn¡¯t make any trouble for him.


    She stepped away to the side in a trance.


    Just as she crossed the exhibition area and reached the long table, a dark figure suddenly rushed over


    and the next thing she knew, her arm was hit hard, In her high heels, Lucia stumbled and almost fell.


    She tried hard to endure the pain.


    Before she could straighten up, she heard an apology "Sorry, I¡¯m sorry."


    Lucia looked up and saw a uniformed waiter bowing at her as he apologized repeatedly.


    She was going to say that it was okay when she noticed that people around were looking at her in a


    strange way.


    She looked down to find arge brown and ck stain on her dress.


    In a panic, she noticed the ss that had dropped on the floor and the sweet, creamy smell that filled


    the air Only then did she realize that it was a chocte drink! Lucia looked at therge stain on her


    dress and instantly flushed, feeling the stares from onlookers.


    It was not a small stain that could be cleaned up easily.


    With this, not only did her dress get dirty, but she would also lose face.


    Just when she didn¡¯t know what to do, the waiter next to her suddenly came forward.


    "I¡¯m really sorry.Let me wipe it for you!"


    With that, he took a square towel and began to wipe it.


    However, it was thick hot chocte, which became more and more obvious.


    As he wiped it, the stain got muchrger.


    Lucia frowned and hurriedly backed up.


    "No, please stop it."


    But unexpectedly, the waiter refused to let go of her dress.


    "Sorry, I will definitely clean it for you."


    As he said that, he pulled the hem of her dress without hesitation.


    Lucia had already found it hard to stand steadily.


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    When she was pulled like that, she lost her bnce and fell directly backwards to the floor.


    A loud cracking sound attracted the attention of more people.


    Lucia had to endure the pain all over her body and slowly sat up, only to find that people around were


    all looking at her as if she were an alien.


    Others were in groups of three or two, but she was alone.


    Now, not only did she make a fool of herself, but her situation was made even worse by the fact that no


    one was helping her.


    "Are you all right? Why did you fall off your feet?"


    The waiter came up to help her hypocritically.


    If others couldn¡¯t tell what was going on, Lucia, as the one involved, knew exactly what he had just


    done.


    She held back her anger and flung his hand away.


    "Don¡¯t you touch me!"


    When she said that, more whispers came from the crowd around her.


    However, all of them were watching, and none of them came forward to help.


    On the other side, August was talking with someone from the organizer.


    He looked over casually when he heard the noise.


    Suddenly, he saw a familiar figure in gold and his eyes were immediately fixed.


    Why did the figure stumbling to her feet look so much like Lucia? He knitted his brows, put down his


    ss quickly, and slightly raised his hand to stop the person who was talking to him.


    "Excuse me."


    With that, he stepped away on his long legs and strode toward themotion Lucia stood up.


    Despite the stinging pain in her elbows, she looked down at her evening dress, which was now even


    dirtier after she had just fallen onto the floor and got more hot chocte on it.


    She could easily tell that she must be a mess at the moment, without even thinking about it Luckily,


    August didn¡¯t see it.She took a deep breath and wanted to hide in the bathroom, but she didn¡¯t know


    where it was.


    People around were all secretly looking at her with indifference and disdain.


    "Hey, what the hell is going on?"


    A voice suddenly came from the side.


    It sounded like an unruly man, with a bit of anger.


    Lucia looked over following the voice and saw Jamieing up in a deep coffee colored suit.


    He looked so aggressive as if he wanted to fight.


    Before she could react, she saw him grab the waiter¡¯s neck with a fierce look.


    And he had a buzz cut now, which made him look less feminine and more like a cocky young man.


    "I¡­ I didn¡¯t mean it."


    The waiter was instantly scared out of his wits.


    He lowered his head and spoke in a weak voice, not even daring to look at the man.


    Jamie couldn¡¯t help but curse.


    "You didn¡¯t mean it? Damn it, I didn¡¯t mean to beat you, either!"


    Seeing that he was about to p the waiter, Lucia got anxious and quickly called out, "Jamie!"


    Jamie suddenly stopped.


    He let go of the waiter and shoved the man aside.


    Then, He turned around to look at Lucia and said in a softer voice, "Let¡¯s go.You need to change."


    He had made such a scene.


    More people wereing and watching.


    Lucia was a little hesitant, not sure if she should follow him.


    Suddenly, a face came into her sight.


    It was August! Lucia¡¯s grip on her dress immediately tightened and her face got even hotter.


    He saw what a mess she was after all.


    August saw Lucia in the crowd as soon as he got closer.


    Seeing her like this, his eyes immediately turned colder and without saying a word, he pushed through


    the crowd and came toward her.


    When she saw the man walking straight toward her, Lucia bit her lower lip and thought of the moment


    when he gave her the invitation.


    She had said she wouldn¡¯t cause him any trouble, but now if August came over and took her away, he


    would have to face questions from the media and spection from the crowd.


    Gritting her teeth, Lucia made up her mind.


    She looked past August, turned around indifferently and said to Jamie in a soft voice, "Let¡¯s go."


    Jamie was a little surprised to see her sudden change of mind, but after only half a second, he curved


    his lips, reached out to grab her wrist, and pulled her out of the crowd.


    August watched Lucia from behind.


    His face suddenly darkened, and finally, his eyes were fixed on Jamie¡¯s hand holding hers.He hadn¡¯t


    expected that she would rather go with a man she had only met once than with him! When she was


    pulled to the side by Jamie, Lucia felt a lump in her throat and tears were welling up in her eyes.


    "Let¡¯s find a ce where you can change.Wait here and I¡¯ll get you a clean dress,"


    With that, Jamie turned around and paused when he saw Lucia¡¯s red eyes.


    "Why are you crying? You¡¯re so upset? Just wait and see.I¡¯ll beat that guy up!"


    The look on Jamie¡¯s face changed immediately.He let go of her and pulled his sleeves up as if he was


    looking for a fight.


    "No, Lucia spoke up quickly."It¡¯s okay.I¡¯m fine."


    She raised her hand and casually wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.


    .


    Jamie paused.


    He was silent for a few seconds and then walked ahead, leading her to a lounge.


    Once inside the lounge, Lucia locked the door behind her and tears poured out of her eyes


    uncontrobly, She did feel upset and aggrieved.


    What made her feel even worse was that her rtionship with August could not be unveiled.

 Chapter 46

    Chapter 46


    After a while, she stopped crying and wiped her tears.


    Just then, there was a knock at the door "Open the door for the dress."


    Lucia opened the door and saw Jamie handing over a little dress, "This is a dress the organizer


    prepared.It¡¯s clean.Check the size."


    Lucia took a look. It was an M.just right for her She took the dress and found that Jamie was not so


    unpleasant when she looked at him again, "Thanks.¡±


    Hearing that, Jamie raised his eyebrows.


    "There is no need to say thanks between you and me."


    Lucia was surprised.


    Were they close enough? At this point, she was not in the mood to look deeper into his words.


    She closed the door behind her, locked it, and then began to change.


    This little white dress was a most ordinary and simple one and it¡¯s her size.


    Although it wasn¡¯t gorgeous, it was much better than going out in her dirty dress.


    She folded up her dress and put it in a bag before pushing open the door to get out of the room.


    At the door, Jamie leanedzily against the wall.


    When he saw Luciaing out, a smile appeared on his face Lucia took a deep breath.


    She couldn¡¯t resist the urge to say thank you again.


    "Mr.Nordhaus¡­"


    Jamie frowned at the way she called him.


    He interrupted her with some dissatisfaction.


    "Didn¡¯t you just call me by my name? Why are you changing your mind so quickly?"


    Lucia twitched her lips, not knowing what to say in reply.


    "From now on, just call me by my first name."


    With that, Jamie suddenly took two steps forward, directly approaching her, and smiled.


    "Let¡¯s go.It¡¯s so boring here.I¡¯ll take you to dinner."


    Lucia took a deep breath and said softly, "I¡¯d better go home."


    Jamie raised his eyebrows and teased her.


    "Lucia, do you have the heart to refuse me a second time?"


    Looking back on his long history of love affairs, he had never been rejected by a woman more than


    twice.


    Lucia said word by word, "Sorry, but I¡¯m already married.What she meant was that she was married


    and would not ept flirtation.


    Hearing that, Jamie looked at her meaningfully.


    "But your husband isn¡¯t sopetent.He watched you being bullied and didn¡¯t do anything about it."


    Lucia stiffened at once.She looked up at him incredulously.


    "You¡­ you know?"


    "I¡¯II know anything if I want to."


    Jamie paused.


    "But I was surprised when I first learned of your rtionship with August When the word "August" came


    out of his mouth, Lucia was even more nervous She had never expected that Jamie would find out


    about her rtionship with August.


    Lucia breathed heavily.


    She stared at him and said seriously, "Please don¡¯t tell anyone else about this."


    Jamie curled his lips and said deliberately.


    "Why not? It¡¯s not something to be ashamed of."


    Lucia got a little anxious.


    "Anyway, just don¡¯t!"


    Jamie found it more interesting when he saw how annoyed the woman was.


    "Then you have to promise me one thing."


    Lucia took a deep breath.


    "You name it."


    "Have a meal with me.It¡¯s okay if you can¡¯t do it today.You can take a rain check, but you mustn¡¯t


    renege on it,or else¡­"


    He drawled deliberately.


    Lucia got impulsive and immediately said without thinking about it, "Okay, I promise you!"


    At this point, what she feared most was that Jamie would talk about her rtionship with August


    everywhere, That would cause August a lot of trouble.


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    Seeing that she agreed, Jamie raised his eyebrows.


    "Then it¡¯s a deal."


    Lucia nodded her head and replied, "Hmm."


    Now, she had no choice but to do what he wanted When Jamie left.


    Lucia went back to the exhibition area.


    The atmosphere inside the venue was exciting, and everyone gathered in the innermost jewelry


    section.


    Next to the huge showcase was a gemstone sculpture, where everyone would take pictures for the final


    part of 2 the event Lucia stood at the side, watching them going over there in groups, and a trace of


    despondency swept through her heart She was alone, so it would be better for her to leave.


    When she turned around, a group of people happened to be walking over.


    August was at the front between the representative of the organizer and Adeline Jones, the celebrity


    spokesperson for the jewelry.


    Adeline walked side by side with August.


    After a few steps, she suddenly smiled and said something in August¡¯s ear.


    Then, August curved his lips into a smile.


    Lucia watched them as they talked and smiled.


    She unconsciously clutched her dress, feeling upset inside.


    Seeing that they were about toe over, she took a step back to make way for them.


    Suddenly, August seemed to sense something and turned around to look at her.


    Lucia¡¯s body instantly tensed up when she saw the man turning to her, but unexpectedly, August only


    gave her a nce and looked away without any hesitation.


    Lucia didn¡¯t rx until she saw them walk by in front of her.


    Looking at the man from behind, she bit her lip and felt a lot of emotions in her heart.


    Just now, he looked at her as if she were a stranger he had never met before and he didn¡¯t fix his eyes


    on her for even one more second.


    For some reason, Lucia couldn¡¯t help but feel disappointed when she thought of the way the man


    looked at her.


    She sniffled and stepped out.


    Outside, it was raining and the sky was horribly overcast, but she didn¡¯t know it at all until she came out


    of the venue.


    The entrance, which had been luxurious and spectacr when she arrived, was now a somewhat


    cheerless ce.


    Lucia took a deep breath and watched as some people got out of the venue and left in their cars, while


    she was standing alone at the entrance.


    She picked up her phone and tried to hail a taxi online, only to find that there were dozens of people


    waiting before her, and it would take a long time to get her turn Lucia stared at the heavy rain outside,


    wondering what to do when a staff member suddenly approached her.


    "Here¡¯s an umbre for you, Miss."


    Looking at the white transparent umbre in front of her, Lucia was moved and reached out to take it.


    "Thank you."


    With the umbre, Lucia went down the steps.


    The wind was so strong that she got wet from the rain before she could go far.


    Despite that, she just wanted to stop a taxi by the road.


    She waited for quite a while, but there were only a few taxis and they were all upied.


    Lucia stood there.


    Although she had an umbre, she was almost soaked now.


    Not far away, a car was slowly moving forward at the exit of the underground garage.


    In the driver¡¯s seat Burton saw a familiar figure.


    He turned around quickly and said, "Mis Adams is over there, Sir."


    August looked out of the window toward where Burton was pointing al and saw the hazy, single figure


    in the rain.


    He frowned slightly and paused for two seconds before looking back "Just drive."


    Burton couldn¡¯t help but ask again, "Shall we take her back with us?"


    August looked up at him and said in a colder voice, "Drive."


    At once.


    Burton stopped saying anything.


    He stepped on the gas and focused on driving The car went down the main road, farther and farther


    away from the Starlight August felt annoyed and tossed his tablet aside.


    All that shed through his mind was the scene of Lucia leaving with Jamie, He was upset and had an


    indescribable feeling.


    But now, he couldn¡¯t bear to think of her trying to hail a taxi in the rain, After a moment of silence,


    August suddenly ordered in a deep voice, "Turn around"


    How could he leave her alone there?

 Chapter 47

    Chapter 47


    Burton who was driving, immediately mmed on the brakes, changednes, and turned around at the


    intersection The rain and wind outside didn¡¯t have a tendency to stop Instead, it was getting heavier


    and stronger.


    August looked out of the window at the misty view and couldn¡¯t help but knit his brows Soon the car


    returned to the Starlight za, but the ce where Lucia had been was empty now! August pushed


    open the door and got out of the car Burton hurriedly came out with umbres and held one up for him


    Burton looked around without finding Lucia Where is she? The look in August¡¯s eyes grew more sullen.


    He took the other umbre from Burton and said in a deep voice, Split up and look!"


    Ahchool Lucia sat in the car and sneezed several times in a row.


    Here re some tissues.


    A gentle male voice came along, followed by a pack of tissues handed to her.


    Lucia pulled out a few as she said.¡±Thank you."


    She had waited for a long time by the road outside the Starlight za without stopping a taxi.


    Just when she was desperate, a car suddenly drove by.


    Its window was rolled down, revealing Bishop, August¡¯s brother She had no choice but to get into his


    car.


    When she saw the car going down an unfamiliar road.


    Lucia couldn¡¯t help but ask, "Where are we going now?"


    Next to her, Bishop curved his lips at her and said unhurriedly, "Let¡¯s find a ce for you to take a warm


    shower and change Lucia subconsciously refused.


    "No¡­ thanks.I¡¯ll just go straight home."


    Her dress was almost soaked and she was cold from head to toe.


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    Although it was ufortable, she didn¡¯t want to cause trouble for Bishop. After all, they had only met


    twice and didn¡¯t really know each other well.


    "You will catch a cold if you go back like this.I have an apartment nearby.Let¡¯s go there.It¡¯s no trouble."


    Hearing that, Lucia couldn¡¯t refuse anymore.


    She looked down at her wet dress and nodded.


    "Well then, thank you¡¯ 1 Bishop suddenly chuckled when he heard that.


    "Sure.You are my sister-inw.I¡¯m just doing what I should do."


    Lucia paused when she heard the words ¡¯sister-inw and then smiled at him in embarrassment.


    She was his sister-inw, indeed Soon the car entered a mid-to-high-end neighborhood and stopped


    outside a building.


    Lucia went in with Bishop and his man and got to his apartment.


    They pushed the door open and entered.


    The interior was all ck, white and gray, very simple and clean.


    When Lucia got inside.


    Bishop said in a gentle voice, "There are newdies¡¯ slippers at the door.You can change into


    them.There are brand new clothes in the guest room over there.You can find something right for


    you.And there is hot water, so you can take a shower.Lucia nodded at him.Thank you."


    With that she walked into the guest room.


    The look on Bishop¡¯s face slowly turned cold when he saw the door of the guest room close.


    After a moment, ne slightly tilted his head and instructed the man next to him.


    ¡¯Go make some ginger tea, Bob.


    "Yes, Siri ¡°


    After the shower, Lucia dried her hair with a towel.


    She found a most ordinary shirt and pants in the closet and put them on before getting out of the guest


    room.


    In the living room, Bishop was sitting in his wheelchair and reading the magazine in his hands with his


    head down, looking focused and serious.


    Lucia got a good view of his long eyshes from where she was.


    Although Bishop looked a bit like August, they were quite different from each other.


    August wasposed and aloof while Bishop was gentle and quiet But it must be admitted that the


    Adams family had strong genes.


    No matter what type they were, they were all so excellent and brilliant that people could not take their


    eyes off them.


    Noticing the gaze, Bishop looked up and saw Lucia.


    He immediately curved his lips and casually closed the magazine in his hands.


    Do you feel warmer? I told Bob to make you some ginger tea.You can have some."


    Lucia looked toward where he was looking at and saw the ginger tea still staring on the table.


    She was moved again.She took the hot ginger tea and had a few sips.


    In a short while, Lucia felt the sweat on her back and her body slowly warmed up.


    At the side, Bishop suddenly asked, "You went to the jewelry exhibition today, didn¡¯t you?"


    Lucia nodded.


    Thinking about what had happened at the venue, she looked a little gloomier.


    "So why weren¡¯t you with my brother?"


    "Because he¡­"


    Lucia didn¡¯t know what to say and bit her lip.


    "Our rtionship can¡¯t be made public yet, so¡­"


    Hearing that, Bishop nodded.He said softly when he saw the disappointment on Lucia¡¯s face, "In fact,


    he has no choice in many things.You have to understand that."


    Lucia was a little surprised to hear Bishop speak for August.


    Last time at the old house, August wasn¡¯t so nice to Bishop.


    Lucia couldn¡¯t help but ask curiously, "I¡¯ve always wanted to ask you.Why did you and August end up


    like this?"


    In any case, they were brothers.


    What kind of deep hatred could they have? Bishop curled his lips into a bitter smile and paused for a


    moment before he spoke, "Because we are not full brothers."


    Lucia was confused when she heard that.


    "Huh?"


    Bishop said lightly, "We are half-brothers, born of the same father."


    Only then did Lucia get what he meant.


    It turned out that they had different mothers, so that was why August hated Bishop so much.


    She had thought they were full brothers.


    After all, they did look somewhat alike¡­ Bishop went on to say, "I came into the Adams family with my


    mother when I was sixteen.It¡¯s only natural for my brother to dislike me."


    Seeing the sad look on Bishop¡¯s face, Lucia couldn¡¯t help butfort him.


    "Actually, I think you¡¯re quite nice.He¡¯ll definitely ept you.It¡¯s just a matter of time."


    His sad look disappeared immediately when he heard that.


    Bishop smiled brightly at her.


    "I hope so."


    They waited for another while.


    Lucia didn¡¯t realize that it was time for her to leave until she saw what time it was by chance.


    Bishop pressed a button on his motorized wheelchair.


    They exchanged contact information on their way to the door.


    "If you need any help in the future, Lucia, you can call me."


    Lucia smiled at him.


    "Okay."


    Bob, one of Bishop¡¯s men, drove her home.


    Soon, she arrived at the house.


    It was still raining outside.


    Lucia held an umbre and walked into the house.


    As soon as she entered, Turner came up to her with a worried look out 27.


    Na Dopp wet? Lucia smiled at Turner and shook her head I¡¯m fine, Turner After a long day, she just


    wanted to go back to her room and have a more con "Good.


    Mr.Adams is in the study nil go and tell him."


    With that, Turner was going upstairs with her Lucia paused and stopped her.


    "No need to tell him, Turner She didn¡¯t think August cared about her, or he wouldn¡¯t have left het alone


    at the start Turner paused and turned to Lucia.


    Only then did she notice that Luba do not look gre Was wrong , Madam?"Nothing¡¯ Lucia shook her


    head without saying another word and went straight upstars to her room The door of the room closed


    with a click, and on the other end of the corridor stood a tal figure Disappointment flickered in his eyes


    as he heard what Ludia had just sad to Turner .

 Chapter 48

    Chapter 48


    Turner saw August.She immediately stepped forward, cautiously asking, "What exactly is going on


    here, Sir?"


    With a cold look on his face, August frowned as his lips parted slightly.


    "Nothing."


    After that, he turned around directly and went into the study.


    Turner stood in the corridor, puzzled.


    Why were they like that? Did they fight? With a deep sigh, Turner stepped slowly down the stairs, The


    rain kept falling without stopping.


    As it got dark, the sky outside became even more oppressive.


    ¡¯The house was brightly lit.


    Turner got dinner ready, wiped her hands, and went upstairs to tell Lucia and August to have dinner.


    Outside the bedroom, she knocked gently on the door.


    "Dinner is ready, Madam."


    She knocked several times in a row, but there was no response from inside.


    Turner felt that something was wrong, so she slowly pushed the door open and went into the room.


    In the room, the lights were all off and Lucia seemed to be sleeping.


    Turner came closer and called several times, but Lucia still didn¡¯t respond.


    She had no choice but to turn on themp on the bedside table.


    Lucia huddled under the covers, with only her face exposed.


    She was pale and seemed to be cold, shivering slightly Turner was startled and hurriedly reached out


    to feel the heat of Lucia.


    She found it boiling hot as soon as she put the back of her hand on Lucia¡¯s forehead! "Madam!"


    Her intuition told her that Lucia had a fever.


    Without hesitation, she immediately took a smart thermometer and checked it.


    As expected, it was about 102 degrees Fahrenheit! She didn¡¯t dare to dy and ran to the study at


    once.


    "Bad news, Sir! Mrs.Adams has a fever!"


    August was flipping through some papers.


    He was startled when he heard Turner¡¯s voice.


    "What?"


    Turner stood at the door of the study panting.


    "Mrs.Adams has a fever! About 102 degrees Fahrenheit!"


    August knitted his eyebrows.


    He got up abruptly and strode toward the bedroom on his long legs without hesitation August pushed


    the door open and went into the room.


    Anxiety flickered in his eyes when he saw the woman shivering under the covers.


    He immediately ordered, "Turner, call Dr.Lambert!"


    Turner said yes and immediately went to make the call.


    August leaned over to touch Lucia¡¯s forehead and found it boiling hot as expected! Looking at the


    woman on the bed, he felt a bit guilty.


    N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.


    If he hadn¡¯t left her alone, she wouldn¡¯t have gotten wet and cold, would she? Soon, the family doctor


    arrived.


    After checking, he immediately told Turner to control Lucia¡¯s temperature physically and gave Lucia


    some pills to swallow.


    "It¡¯s just a cold.She needs to rest.Give her some light porridge when she wakes up, and make sure she


    takes her medicine regrly for the next few days.She¡¯ll be fine soon."


    Outside the bedroom, August listened to the doctor¡¯s orders and nodded.


    "Okay.I got it."


    The family doctor of the Adams was a regr one.


    Dr.Lambert had been taking care of the health of the Adams family since August was a kid.He was just


    like an uncle to August.


    August walked Dr Lambert out.


    When they reached the stairway, Dr.Lambert couldn¡¯t help but ask, "Is she your wile, August?"


    Di Lambeit often went to do physical examination for Grandma at the old house.


    It was no surprise that he know about what was going on here August paused for hall a second before


    he nodded and bad, "Yes."


    "She look like a good girl, better than thest one She¡¯s a good match for you.


    That¡¯s the way it should be."


    with that, Di Lambert raised his hand and polled August on the shoulder before he turned to go


    downstairs "That¡¯s it I¡¯ll leave you to 11"


    August stood where he was.


    He watched De Lambert from behind and what the doctor had said just now Tingered in his mind Di


    Lambert knew that August had been with Jeanne before the words he had just said were obviously


    directed 2 at Jeanne August frowned, feeling inexplicably fretful The next morning, the rain finally


    stopped.


    Lucia didn¡¯t open her eyes until the sun was high up in the sky For some reason, she woke up feeling


    groggy and found herself light-headed when she got out of bed Her mouth was dry.


    She grabbed the ss of water next to her and drank most of it, which made her feel a little better.


    "Click"


    The door of the room was pushed open.


    Lucia paused as she was walking.


    She looked up and saw Augusting in The two of them looked at each other and it was surprisingly


    a bit awkward.


    August walked over and said before she did, "How are you feeling? Better?"


    With that, he directly reached out his hand to feel the heat on Lucia¡¯s forehead.


    Lucia stood there still, without dodging or saying anything.


    After all, she hadn¡¯t gotten over what had happened.


    Finding nothing wrong with her temperature, August looked at Lucia who did not react and slowly took


    her hand.


    "Come on, let¡¯s go down to breakfast"


    She hasn¡¯t eaten anything since she came back yesterday.


    Now, she had to have something, or she might get too weak Lucia followed him for a couple of steps.


    Suddenly, she stopped and pulled her hand out of the man¡¯s hand.


    "I can walk by myself."


    August could tell that the woman was still upset from her tone.


    He turned around to stare at Lucia and suddenly took a hall step forward.


    He was about six feet tall and overshadowed her when he stood in front of her.


    August took a deep breath and said patiently.


    "I won¡¯t leave you alone again."


    This time, it was his fault.


    When Lucia heard his words, her eyshes flickered and tears dropped directly out of her eyes.


    She hadn¡¯t grown up as a pampered princess, but Mr.and Mrs.Mitchell had never left her alone.


    He left without her after what had happened at the venue yesterday.


    Of course, she would feel bad and take it to heart August couldn¡¯t bear to see a woman crying Now


    Lucia was in tears in front of him.


    He didn¡¯t know what to do.


    He didn¡¯t know how to make her stop crying.


    He just moved his lips and uttered two words, "Don¡¯t cry."


    However, he sounded colder when those words came out of his mouth.


    Instead of stopping, Lucia cried even harder August waspletely at a loss as to what to do.


    After a pause, he suddenly reached out and took her into his arms


    Lucia froze.


    She tilted her head back and found that his shirt was wet around his chest from her tears.


    She took a deep breath and felt much better.


    Looking at the stain on his shirt, she found herself in the mood to smile.


    It just so happened that August raised his hand to gently stroke her back and promised again, "I won¡¯t


    leave you alone again."


    Lucia looked up and asked seriously, "Really?"


    August looked down at her and nodded seriously Looking at his expression, Lucia suddenly felt more


    assured.


    After all, she had never gotten such a promise from a man.


    Suddenly, August¡¯s phone rang.


    He let go of Lucia, took it out, and nced at the name on the screen before he answered.


    "Hello, Grandma?"


    As soon as he answered, Grandma¡¯s voice came through, sounding a bit angry.


    "Brat! I heard that Lucia is sick.Is it true?"


    August was a little taken aback at her words.


    How did Grandma know about it? Suddenly, he found the answer when he thought of Dr.Lambert who


    hade overst night.


    "It was raining yesterday, and she got a cold.Don¡¯t worry.Her fever has gone now."


    Grandma huffed, "Don¡¯t worry? Of course, I¡¯m worried.I won¡¯t let you get away with it if anything


    happens to Lucia.Do you hear me?"


    August curled his lips helplessly, not expecting that his grandma would care so much about Lucia.


    "Yes, I do."


    Just after he answered, his grandma added, "Come over this afternoon if you are free.I want to see


    how Lucia is doing!"

 Chapter 49

    Chapter 49


    August paused and promised, "Okay, we wille to see you if we have time."


    After a few words of coaxing and persuasion, he hung up the phone.


    Putting away the phone, August looked over at Lucia and said, "Grandma wants to see us at the old


    house this afternoon.Do you want to go there?"


    Lucia nodded without hesitation "Yes."


    She knew how nice Grandma was to her.


    It was a good idea to go and see the olddy since they had nothing to do in the afternoon.


    After lunch, they briefly dressed up and went straight to the old house by car.


    When they arrived at the gate of the old house, Lucia saw Grandma standing there with support and


    waving at them as soon as she got out of the car Lucia was so touched that she immediately walked up


    to the olddy Seeing her, Grandma immediately reached out to take her hand and asked her, "How


    are you? Are you feeling better?"


    Lucia smiled nicely, "My fever has gone.I¡¯ll be fine after taking my medicine on time for a few days."


    Heaning that, Grandma nodded with a smile and pulled her into the living room.


    August followed behind them.


    The look on his face eased up unconsciously.


    "Lucia, I specially told them to prepare some tonic products, like bird¡¯s nest and old ginseng.They are


    all good for you.You can take them with you when you go back and tell Turner to cook them for you.You


    need to get stronger these days."


    Lucia had just sat down on the couch when she heard Grandma say that.She was both touched and


    amused.


    "I¡¯m good, Grandma.You can keep them for yourself.I¡¯m young and healthy.I don¡¯t need them!"


    "Of course, you do.You need to get stronger to have a baby!"


    Lucia paused.


    Only when she saw the meaningful smile on Grandma¡¯s face did she realize what the olddy was


    talking about.


    Grandma reached out to take Lucia¡¯s hand and smiled softly.


    "Don¡¯t be shy.Women have to go through this.You and August should work harder so that I can have a


    grandson sooner!"


    Hearing that, Lucia subconsciously raised her eyes to look at August who was sitting opposite her.


    She felt a warm blush rise to her cheeks and even to her ears.


    Noticing her eyes, Grandma turned to August and said in a seemingly serious manner, "Did you hear


    what I just said, August? Give me a grandson as soon as possible!"


    August frowned.


    Atst, he curved his lips into a smile and answered, "No problem, Grandma."


    When she heard his promise, Grandma smiled happily and held Lucia¡¯s hand tighter.


    "The Adams family is 1 counting on you, Lucia."


    Looking at the expectation in her eyes, Lucia shyly nodded her head.


    They called and gossiped a lot with Grandma.


    When it was gettingte, Grandma had boxes of tonic products taken out and stuffed into the trunk of


    their car before she would let them go.


    In the car, all Lucia could think about was what Grandma had said to her about the baby The car went


    down the road.


    After a while, August couldn¡¯t help but clear his throat when he saw that the woman beside him just


    stared nkly without saying a word.


    "What are you thinking about?"


    Lucia reacted with a start and her cheeks flushed.


    "No-nothing."


    However, that only made what she was thinking about more obvious.


    August looked at her red face and said, "Don¡¯t take what Grandma said seriously I won¡¯t force you."


    Although he didn¡¯t make it clear, Lucia could tell what he was talking about.


    It was definitely about having a baby Lucia bit her lip, held her hands together tighter, and gathered the


    courage to speak, "Actually, I won¡¯t reject"


    Now that she was his wife, the daughter-inw of the Adams family, it was only natural for her to have


    a baby with him to carry on his family name.


    August¡¯s grip on the steering wheel tightened.


    His face suddenly became more serious and he didn¡¯t say anything for a while.


    Lucia didn¡¯t notice that She was too shy to go on with the topic.


    After a moment, August¡¯s phone rang, which was connected to the Bluetooth in the car.


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    Lucia nced at the disy screen and saw that the number was marked with the capital letter "P"


    August took a nce, raised his hand, and hung up directly Lucia was a bit puzzled and asked, "Why


    don¡¯t you answer it?"


    August said in a deep voice, "It¡¯s about business.I¡¯ll call backter.It doesn¡¯t matter."


    Hearing that, Lucia nodded and stopped thinking about it.


    Back at the house, August got out of the car.


    After having Turner take the tonic products away, he stood in the courtyard, picked up his phone, and


    made a call.


    "Peter, what¡¯s up?"


    "My team is ready.Mr.Adams.We can operate anytime when Miss Lytton is okay.The information of the


    kidney donor that you found needs to be confirmed as soon as possible in case something else


    happens.


    When August heard that, his grip on the phone tightened a bit.


    He paused for a few seconds before he said,"Okay, I¡¯ll let you know after confirmation."


    "Okay."


    After the call, August felt a bit stressed as if arge stone had suddenly been ced on his shoulders.


    He stepped into the door and once inside, he saw Turner and Lucia busy putting the tonic products


    away.


    Turner said something.


    Lucia smiled with a blush, looking shy and cute.


    Looking at her from a distance, August was even more torn inside.


    He had his purpose for dating and marrying her in the first ce.


    He knew that he would have to tell her the truth sooner orter, but he found it hard to do so in the face


    of such a woman.


    Lucia saw that August had stood at the door for a while, She couldn¡¯t help but walk up and ask, "Why?


    What¡¯s wrong?"


    August knitted his brows and said softly, "I have something to tell you."


    Lucia tilted her head and smiled sweetly at him.


    "Go ahead."


    Looking at the woman with such a smile in front of him, August moved his lips and found himself at a


    loss as to what to say The man didn¡¯t say anything for a while and he looked even gloomier.


    Seeing that, Lucia frowned and asked with concern, "What¡¯s wrong? Do you feel sick?"


    With that, she naturally reached out and touched his forehead to check his heat while murmuring.


    "Did you get a cold, too?"


    Somehow, August found her hand burning hot on his forehead.


    He subconsciously stretched out his hand and grabbed it.


    Lucia was startled, "What¡­ what¡¯s wrong?"


    August was silent for a moment before he said softly, "Nothing."


    Lucia felt a little strange, but she didn¡¯t ask him about it anymore.


    Thinking of what he had said earlier, she asked in a soft voice, "What were you trying to tell me?"


    With the look in his eyes easing up, August said, "Nothing special.It will be the Founding Day of the


    company in a few days.The senior management has decided to give everyone two days off to go out


    for team-building activities."


    When it came to the Founding Day, Lucia naturally thought of the team-building activities they had had


    in thest couple of years, like climbing mountains and so on, which were not that fun, but rather


    exhausting.


    Lucia lowered her eyes and muttered, "It¡¯s not mountain climbing again, is it?"


    "No, it¡¯s at the Lakeside Manor in the countryside."


    "The Lakeside Manor?"


    Lucia instantly got interested when she heard that.


    She was a little excited and subconsciously reached out to hold August by the arm.


    "Will youe along with us?"

 Chapter 50

    Chapter 50


    As in previous Founding Day team-building activities, the executives also attended, but they never


    interacted with the employees, so she wasn¡¯t sure if August would go with them.


    Looking at her sparkling eyes, August paused and asked, "Do you want me to go with you?"


    Lucia said with a thoughtful expression, "We y games every year at this event.But I have never seen


    you participate in one of the games among employees."


    Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    August said softly.


    "I cane if you want me to."


    Considering how much he owed her, he wanted to satisfy her with this small request.


    Lucia¡¯s face lit up when she heard him say that.


    She had never seen August y a game in the past, but now it seemed like she was about to see it for


    the first time, The next morning.


    Lucia got up and went to work as usual.


    Not long after arriving at thepany, she received a notification email from the President¡¯s Office.


    It was just two days before thepany¡¯s Founding Day, and the email specified what to bring and the


    location and time of the team-building activity.


    It brought both joy and sorrow to thepany when the news broke.


    Some people looked forward to it, and some people didn¡¯t.


    Lucia heard many different voices in the tea room when she went there to get some water.


    When she picked up her teacup and was about to leave, Lisa Miller, who was beside her, suddenly


    said, "Guess what, I have another exciting news."


    "What exciting news?"


    "This time, Mr.Adams will also join us in our team-building activities.Unlike previous years, he will live


    and eat with us on an equal basis and interact more with employees!"


    "Really? Our iceberg president didn¡¯t even take a break during team buildingst year.I heard that he


    even held a video conference with foreign businessmen in the hotel!"


    Seeing that others didn¡¯t believe it, Lisa Miller said with certainty, "Really! It¡¯s 100% true!"


    There was skepticism among everyone and they started discussing and arguing.


    Lucia took a deep breath and walked out of the tea room.


    Emma got bored, so she followed Lucia and asked, "Lucia, what do you think? Will Mr.Adams go with


    us?"


    Lucia took a deep breath and nodded, "He will."


    As he promised her yesterday, he should follow through on what he said.


    Emma smiled.


    "It would be fun if Mr.Adams came with us."


    Hearing the words, Lucia began to envision August ying games with them unconsciously.


    Would he also y with a poker face? Her smile spread across her face as she thought of this Upon


    arriving at the office door, Emma reached out and held her.


    "How about having dinner together at noon? A cafe just opened next door and I heard it¡¯s great."


    Lucia nced at the time.


    Her lunch break was only half an hour away.


    Her phone vibrated just as she was about to agree.


    As she looked down at the screen of her phone, she was a little surprised and felt a little nervous.


    It turned out to be August calling! In a rush, she put her phone away and smiled at Emma.


    "Let me take a call first and then we¡¯ll talk about it."


    As she said that, she turned around and entered the office, pressing the answer button.


    "Hello? Why did he call her during working hours? Could it be an urgent matter? The deep voice of a


    man could be heard over there "What do you want to eat for lunch Lucia was stunned for a moment


    and said quietly.


    "Emma told me just now that there is a cafe that is very great.


    The man over there said without hesitation, "I will go with you."


    Lucia was a little confused and stunned What happened to him today? It was unexpected of him to


    invite her to dinner like this "Uh"Lucia blinked and asked softly, "Is there anything else?"


    August said quietly.


    "Well, I¡¯ll take you to the hospital after dinner for aplete health examination Hearing this, Lucia


    answered hesitantly,"Ok then."


    "Come down in twenty minutes.I¡¯ll wait for you in the underground garage"


    "OK"


    As she hung up the phone, Lucia pondered what August had just said, a little surprised What made him


    decide to take her to the hospital for a health examination? After a few seconds, Lucia suddenly


    recalled yesterday¡¯s visit to his great grandma at the old house At that time, the Old Mrs.Adams


    grabbed August¡¯s hand and asked him to bring her to the hospital soon to have a health examination to


    ensure that she was in good health so that they could prepare for pregnancy Unexpectedly.


    He was going to take her to the hospital today.


    As she thought about it, images of her having sex with him shed across her mind, and her cheeks


    flushed red Suddenly, the door of the office was pushed open, and Emma¡¯s head popped in.


    "Lucia, have you decided yet?"


    Lucia smiled apologetically at her.


    "Well¡­ There¡¯s something I¡¯ve got to do this afternoon, so I might not be able to join you for dinner."


    "Okay, maybe next time."


    Seeing Emma leave, Lucia patted her hot cheeks, took a deep breath, packed her things, and prepared


    to leave Upon arriving at the underground garage, August got in the car and asked, "Where are we


    going to eat?"


    "Uh, up to you.If they really went to the cafe she mentioned, she was afraid they would meet many


    company colleagues there, "OK: August started the car and drove straight away They finally chose a


    French restaurant.


    Luca and August walked in and sat at the window.


    Lucia looked at the menu but wasn¡¯t sure what to order, so she asked the waiter for rmendations.


    "You can try this special steak.It tastes great, and this bacon too¡­"


    As the waiter introduced the dishes to her, she felt someone pulling her leg.


    After lowering her head, she noticed a cute boy tugging at her skirt, about three or four years old "Little


    boy, why are you here alone?"


    Lucia nced around but didn¡¯t see his parents.


    The little boy stared at her with his big round eyes and pulled her skirt without letting go.


    He looked at Lucia and her juice on the table.


    Lucia¡¯s heart melted at the sight of the cute boy.


    After a while, he whispered, "Juice¡­"


    Lucia finally understood what he meant after hearing that.


    Immediately, she poured a ss of juice and handed it to him.


    "Take it.Slow down¡­"


    A smile unconsciously came over August¡¯s face as he looked up at Lucia, whose tone was much


    gentler than usual.


    "Sorry! My apologies for disturbing you!"


    A woman ran over and pulled the little boy away, repeatedly apologizing to Lucia.


    Lucia smiled and shook her head.


    "It¡¯s okay.He¡¯s so cute."


    As the woman reached out to pick up the little boy, she found that his hand was still tightly grasping


    Lucia¡¯s skirt.


    The woman pretended to be stern and warned her son.


    "Tom, let go.Or else the mister sitting across the table will kick your ass!"


    After hearing the words, the little boy looked at Lucia, then turned to August, hesitated for a moment,


    and then released his hand.


    Lucia smiled as she watched the mother and son leave.


    The expression on her face softened.


    At the opposite end of the table, August raised his eyebrows and asked, "You like children very much?"


    Lucia nodded directly without hesitation.


    "Yes."


    After she finished speaking, she suddenly thought of something else.


    She quickly calmed down and asked, "Then¡­ how about you?"


    August said lightly, "It¡¯s right."


    Lucia was even more nervous.


    She continued to ask, "Do you prefer a boy or a girl?"

 Chapter 51

    Chapter 51


    The moment Lucia uttered these words, she regretted them instantly.She sounded like she was


    nning on having a child with him, so awkward.


    August paused, then raised his eyes slightly to look at her.


    "Both are fine."


    Lucia blushed, nodded in panic, and did not continue the topic.


    Upon arrival at the hospital, August queued up to register and apanied her for the checkup.


    More than two hours have passed without their notice after visiting various sections for checkups.


    During the wait for the test results, Lucia became thirsty, so she looked around to find a ce where


    she could get some water.


    August stood aside with several checklists in hand.


    Seeing her looking around, he asked, "What¡¯s the matter?"


    Lucia answered truthfully, "I¡¯m a little thirsty¡­"


    Hearing this, August gently pressed her shoulder to get her to sit down.


    "Just wait for me here.I¡¯ll get you some water."


    Lucia nodded obediently and watched him walk away.


    Seeing this, a middle-aged woman sitting next to her couldn¡¯t help but ask, "Is that your boyfriend?"


    Lucia smiled and said softly, "He¡¯s my husband."


    The middle-aged woman eximed in surprise.


    "Oh, what a wonderful husband you have! Besides being tall and handsome, the way he treats you is


    so sweet.


    As opposed to my husband, who even refuses to apany me to the hospital."


    As Lucia gazed at August¡¯s receding figure, her heart was filled with joy.


    Throughout her life, she had always assumed that no one would love her except her parents.


    Now that he was by her side, she felt very fortunate to have his love.


    After a while, Lucia¡¯s cell phone suddenly rang.


    When she took out her phone, she saw Mrs.Mitchell was on the line.


    "Hello? Mom? What¡¯s up?"


    "It¡¯s okay.It¡¯s just that I haven¡¯t seen you in a few days, so I called to ask."


    Lucia¡¯s heart skipped a beat as she heard Mrs.Mitchell¡¯s words, and she thought of the order she had


    given her not so long ago.


    It seemed that worrying about things that might never happen increased their chances of happening.


    Mrs.Mitchell immediately asked, "Did you talk to August? What time will the wedding be held?"


    Lucia took a deep breath and said softly, "Mom, he¡¯s very busy with work, so I¡¯m afraid the wedding will


    be postponed¡­"


    "However busy he is at work, the wedding cannot be postponed! Silly girl, I knew you couldn¡¯t handle


    this!"


    Mrs.Mitchell was a little angry.


    I don¡¯t understand how you could not care about your marriage.


    Upon hearing herint, Lucia couldn¡¯t help but frown.


    "Mom, there¡¯s no rush on this.I¡¯m in the hospital right now.I don¡¯t want to talk about it now, that¡¯s


    all.Bye."


    Mrs.Mitchell¡¯s voice came from the receiver immediately.


    "Wait a minute! What are you doing in the hospital? Are you sick?"


    "No¡­"


    Lucia paused and put the phone to her ear again.


    "I¡¯m here for a health examination."


    "Health examination? Are you not feeling well?"


    "Not really¡­"


    Lucia hesitated, not knowing what to say for a while.


    She had no choice but to confess after being questioned repeatedly by Mrs.Mitchell.


    "Yesterday, August took me to his great grandmother¡¯s house to see her, and she told me to prepare


    for pregnancy and gave me a lot of supplements, and now he is taking me to the hospital for a health


    examination¡­"


    Hearing her say this, Ms.


    Mitchell¡¯s voice softened.


    "She is right.Since you and August already have a marriage license, you should have a baby.We are all


    looking forward to the arrival of a sweet baby!"


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    Lucia¡¯s cheeks turned red when she heard what Mrs.Mitchell said, and she couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    When she looked up, she saw August walking toward her and said quickly, "Okay, Mom.I gotta go.Bye."


    "Okay, okay, bring August home for dinner when you have time.Your dad and I will be waiting for you at


    home."


    Lucia responded quickly and hung up the phone.


    As August approached, he handed her a water ss.


    "Here you are."


    ¡°Thank you."


    After another hour or so, they got all the test reports one after another, and everything seemed to be


    fine.


    August sent Peter the electronic reports after returning home from the hospital.


    Having done all this, August looked at Lucia, who was eating and didn¡¯t know what was going on and


    feltplicated.


    Lucia inadvertently raised her eyes, noticing August staring at her in a trance.


    She asked cautiously, "What¡¯s the matter? Why don¡¯t you eat?"


    August said softly.


    "I¡¯m not hungry.I¡¯ll watch you eat."


    Her tenderness made Lucia a little shy.


    "By the way, I got a call today from my mother asking if we could go home for dinner someday."


    "Okay, we¡¯ll go see them when we get back from Lakeside Manor Lucia smiled and responded, "Okay!"


    Within a blink of an eye, the team building day arrived.


    Upon arriving at thepany, Lucia noticed that everyone was carrying suitcases of all sizes and


    chatting excitedly "Lucial"


    As Emma ran over from the side, she quickly grabbed Lucia¡¯s hand, looked at her, and couldn¡¯t help


    but praise her.


    "You look so great in this suit!"


    In contrast to her usual workce attire, she wore a white hooded sweater with loose pants and tied


    her hair into a ponytail.


    Her attractive and youthful appearance caught everyone¡¯s attention.


    Lucia smiled.


    "You look fantastic as well!"


    Everyone wore casual clothes since they were going on a tour and they were more active than usual.


    After they called the roll, a bus took people from various departments to the Lakeside Manor in Austos


    City¡¯s suburbs.


    After getting into the car, they began discussing excitedly.


    "Lakeside Manor is a very interesting ce.It was heard that Mr.Adams ns to develop a real estate


    project there, so this time we set the event location there.


    "I have no interest in the project at all.I just want to see Mr.Adams.Did you see it just now? Adams is


    dressed in army green casual clothes, my God! He¡¯s so handsome!"


    "Nympho!"


    The atmosphere in the car brightened up after a few jokes.


    There were many young girls in almost every department of thepany who had fallen for August.


    After all, not many young girls could resist an attractive and wealthy boss.


    Lucia and Emma sat in the front row of the bus, and could clearly hear the chatter andughter behind


    them.


    As they were talking andughing, someone interjected, "It¡¯s okay to be a nympho.


    However, don¡¯t get caught up in it.


    How can a superb man like Mr.Adams like us? You know what? Adeline Jones, that superstar, is here


    as well!"


    She was a little sleepy at first, but after hearing it, she immediately awoke.


    Adeline Jones, the celebrity spokesperson she saw at the jewelry exhibition that day, was a third-tier


    female star who was very popr recently "What? Didn¡¯t Adeline Jones y a role in That Spring?


    She¡¯s been very popr recently!"


    "That¡¯s right!I saw her get into Mr.Adams¡¯ car just now.The two of them are such a perfect match!"


    Lucia felt bad in her heart as she listened to everyone¡¯s words.


    Even though she didn¡¯t want to believe these rumors, August and Adeline Jones seemed so close


    when she visited the shooting sitest time.


    They rubbed shoulders together and clung to each other like an object and its shadow.


    They were indeed a perfect match, as everyone said.


    Biting her lip, Lucia clenched her hands.


    Thinking about it this way, she and August were really not a good match..

 Chapter 52

    Chapter 52


    Emma next to her was keenly aware of Lucia¡¯s change in mood and hurriedly came over to ask,


    "What¡¯s wrong? Are they too noisy?"


    Lucia didn¡¯t know what to say, so she just shook her head gently "You can put on your headphones and


    take a nap.We¡¯ll be at Lakeside Manor soon."


    Lucia nodded and put on the headphones to exclude the outside sound.


    After listening to a few songs, she felt better and got over it.


    She knew best how August treated her and she really shall not think nonsense just because of other


    people¡¯s gossip Soon, several buses in parallel turned a corner and arrived at a fairly open area.


    There was ake halfway around the entire Lakeside Manor in the distance.


    "Wow, it¡¯s beautiful!"


    Lucia¡¯s colleagues marveled at the beautiful scenery and were excited to get out of the buses, so they


    had little time to discuss any gossip Lucia took off her headphones, got her things, and got out of the


    bus with Emma The air was cool and fresh, anding to such an environment, all of them couldn¡¯t


    help but rx.


    After a group of people from the Lion Group got off the bus, they went to the hotel to check in to receive


    their room cards, and then were scheduled for the activities afterward.


    Lucia and Emma came from the hotel room to the assembly hall and saw that their departmental


    colleagues did not look good As there were too many employees in thepany, outdoor activities


    such as boating, orchard picking, and wilderness cs had to be carried out separately ording to the


    department as a unit.


    As a result, the Administration Department camest and was assigned to do indoor recreational


    activities.


    Their whole department was full ofints.


    "Why should we be rankedst? The outdoor activities are all divided out, so we have to stay inside?"


    "Yes! I¡¯ve changed my clothes."


    The supervisor, Carter, scowled, pped her hands, and said, "All right, let¡¯s not talk too much.We all


    take turns and sooner orter it will be our turn.What are youining about?"


    Only when the supervisor spoke up did the colleagues stopining.


    Upon seeing that, Lisa said, "Didn¡¯t someonee up with some fun games? Come on, let¡¯s y


    together!"


    The atmosphere was slowly enlivened, and everyone was no longer sad.


    Guy, who was very popr in the department, nned the games.


    Heughed twice, and said, "The first game is Mouth-to-Mouth Passing of Cards!"


    When the words came out, all people were in an uproar.


    Lucia was a little confused.


    After carefully reciting the name of the game, she realized that it was a hot game of passing cards by


    mouth on a small video app.


    If the yer was a little careless and the card fell, an ident would happen! Guy pped his hands


    excitedly and directed the crowd to sit in a circle, with men and women sitting next to each other.


    Lucia sat there in a restless state, not knowing what to do.


    There were men on both sides of her.


    What if there was an ident and she really kissed one of them? Just as the atmosphere reached a


    climax, a person suddenly spoke up, "Mr.Adams¡­"


    Hearing that the crowd looked and saw August striding this way, followed by Burton and a few


    secretaries from the President¡¯s Office August was wearing an army green casual suit that outlined his


    perfectly proportioned fiqure, with a unique aura exuding from him.


    Lucia took a breath, her eyes following him.


    Carter immediately greeted him and smiled, "Mr.Adams, what brings you here?"


    "We don¡¯t have many people in the President¡¯s Office, so we can do indoor activities with you together."


    August swept a nce at the crowd sitting in a circle and asked, "Are you ying a game?"


    Guy nodded and grinned, "Would Mr.Adams like toe and y with us?"


    Not as serious as usual, August nodded slightly.


    "Yes, we are out to rx, so let¡¯s all y together."


    As soon as these words came out, a cheer came from the crowd.


    Some of the women in the Administration Department were even more nervous and excited.


    After August and the employees in the president¡¯s office were seated, he asked, "What kind of game is


    this?"


    August smiled and exined, "It¡¯s the game of passing cards by mouth which is very hot recently."


    N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.


    August¡¯s eyes darkened after he heard this.


    He looked up at Lucia naturally, smiling crookedly, "Is this too exciting?"


    August cooperated and said, "It¡¯s all for fun!"


    Lucia sat across from him, feeling so strange.


    If August didn¡¯t say anything else, it¡¯s awkward for them to sit together and y a game like this.


    August smiled and looked up at Carter, "Carter, will you y?"


    Carter sat aside and shook her head repeatedly,ughing, "This is a game for young people.Just don¡¯t


    count me in."


    August smiled and stood up.


    "This is indeed a game for young people and married people can refuse to y this game."


    Once these words came out, several married ones who did not dare to mess around immediately stood


    up to the side.


    Hearing this, Lucia happily and hurriedly got up to the side.


    August also stepped back.


    Guy said in surprise, "Mr.Adams, why are you gone too?"


    With his eyes sparkling, August smiled crookedly, "I¡¯m married."


    These words were like a heavy bomb, making a circle of people dumbfounded with shock.


    Some of the women who were expecting August to y the game pulled long faces and their hearts


    were breaking.


    Augustughed lightly.


    "You y, and I¡¯ll y the rest of the games with you."


    Lucia sat across from August and after hearing him say so, she felt warm inside.


    Luckily, he was there, otherwise, she really did not know what to do.


    Although they were sad, the people who hadn¡¯t married still yed the game.


    After two or three rounds, they were not new to it, so Guy announced the second game, Come


    Together Like a Foot in a Shoe.


    Run as a team of two people with their feet tied together.


    The team that reached the finish line first won.


    There were prizes for the top three teams and penalties for the bottom three teams.


    Everyone was free to group.


    The two people who were generally close to each other would be divided into a team.


    Lucia didn¡¯t find Emma at first, so she searched again, only to see that Emma was being dragged by


    Lisa to form a team.


    When she looked around again, all the female colleagues in the Administration Department had


    already been divided into teams, leaving her alone.


    If she wanted to y the game, she could only group with one of those secretaries.


    But since Irene¡¯s incidentst time, the secretaries were now looking at her like a gue.


    "Lucia, how about we group together?"


    A male colleague from her department sent an invitation, but Lucia smiled and shook her head


    embarrassedly, "No, no.¡¯ Seeing that she was about to be left alone, suddenly, a tall man next to her


    leaned over,"I¡¯m with you."


    When she heard the familiar voice, Lucia¡¯s ears perked up, and as soon as she looked up, she saw


    August standing beside her.


    "It¡¯s¡­ Without waiting for her to say anything, August had already brought the red rope from the side


    and bent down to tie his left foot and Lucia¡¯s right foot together.


    The female colleagues next to them who had already divided into teams looked over in unison, some in


    awe, some sighing. and more envying.


    "My God! If I had known this, I wouldn¡¯t have grouped up 3 early!"


    "Yes, Mr.Adams is nice!"


    "Why Lucia? I regret it so much!"


    Uw kinds of voices came one after another.


    Lucia looked down at August who was tying the rope, and her heart was filled with sweetness.


    At that moment, Lucia truly felt that she must have saved the gxy in herst life, so she could now


    marry such a perfect man!

 Chapter 53

    Chapter 53


    After August tied their feet with a rope, Burton immediately went up and took the rope to tie their hands


    together again.


    Lucia could clearly feel her female colleagues staring jealously straight at her.


    When the back of her hand touched his, she unconsciously blushed.


    Suddenly, a low voice rang in her ears, "Give me your hand."


    Lucia froze, and the next, her hand was being held by August.


    It was the first time August had held her hand in front of so many people! "Ah!"


    The screams and discontent of the female colleagues next to her came over like a flood.


    Lucia forced herself to resist the urge tough.


    Looking at the red ropes tied to their hands, she was so happy that she was about to get dizzy Guy, the


    judge next to them, finally got tired of watching and picked up the loudspeaker, shouting, "All


    right.Everyone, get ready and the game is about to start!"


    August looked down, nced at the dazed woman, and said softly, "You follow my steps, okay?"


    He doesn¡¯t want to be first in everything.


    As long as their team didn¡¯t get punished for being thest three, it would be okay.


    Lucia, a little confused, looked up and sluggishly answered, "Okay."


    After adjusting their state, the crowd stood behind the starting line.


    With Guy¡¯smand of three, two, and one, the two-person teams moved forward quickly.


    Lucia yed simr games when she was in school, and she didn¡¯t feel any difficulty before.


    But when she took a step, she couldn¡¯t help but fall forward.


    Luckily, she was supported by August, so she didn¡¯t fall.


    August spoke softly, "No hurry."


    Although he said so, when Lucia looked up and saw that some teams had rushed to the front, she was


    unconsciously anxious.


    When she was in a hurry, her footsteps were naturally disrupted, plus August¡¯s long legs and big steps,


    she almost fell.


    August and she stopped a few times and as expected, they became the third from the bottom, so they


    had to ept the punishment The punishments included drinking arge ss of red wine in one gulp,


    an ice bucket challenge, and adventure.


    Drawing lots would be needed to decide which punishment they would ept.


    Lucia drew randomly but did not expect to draw the ice bucket challenge.


    Looking down and ncing at the three words on the paper, August became depressed.


    If the punishment was the ice bucket challenge, Lucia and he would be thrown arge bucket of water


    mixed with ice.


    But 1 she just had a fever a few days ago and he was worried that she would not be able to stand the


    cold.


    There were whispers from the female colleagues nearby, "Mr.Adams is going to be punished because


    of Lucia! She¡¯s so stupid!"


    "Yeah! I thought Mr.Adams would win, but I didn¡¯t expect¡­"


    When she heard this, Lucia felt a bit of remorse, because she did hold August back during the race just


    now.


    August naturally also heard it, so he said seriously, "I alone bear the punishment this time because I


    took too big a step in the race and did not consider Lucia."


    The crowd was stunned at these words, followed by various voices praising him.


    "Gosh, Mr.Adams is so manly!"


    August took off his jacket, leaving with only a short sleeve.


    Then he instructed Burton to bring the ice bucket, which surprised Lucia.


    Although it wasn¡¯t cold, she also didn¡¯t want him to be punished for herself.


    That¡¯s two whole buckets of ice water! She took a deep breath and immediately stepped forward,


    stopping Burton, "No, I should take the punishment with you."


    At her words, August looked up at her and met her eyes.


    For a moment, Lucia just felt at a loss for words After a moment, he averted his gaze and turned to look


    at Burton.


    Burton understood and threw a bucket of ice water over him, which sent the crowd into an uproar.


    August¡¯s exposed wheat skin was red and he was wet through, short sleeves clinging to his body,


    which was really seductive.


    Neyt Burton lifted another bucket.


    Lucia couldn¡¯t help but feel distressed when she watched Burton throw a second bucket of ice water at


    August.


    Guy immediately took a dry towel and handed it to August.


    Everyone was more or less serious because August was their boss and the president of Lion Group


    anyway.


    Being sshed with two buckets of water in public, he would definitely feel very humiliated.


    But August picked up a towel and wiped his face, then looked at the crowd, with a smile in his eyes,


    "Since I lost, I have to ept my punishment.You guys keep ying and I¡¯ll go back to change my


    clothes."


    The crowdughed at these words and were rxed again.


    They didn¡¯t expect the cold-faced president to have such a side.


    Not only did he take responsibility as a gentleman and ept the punishment decently, but he was


    also able to impart a life lesson to everyone at the end, which made him very charming Watching


    August walk away, Lucia involuntarily smiled crookedly, and her heart was filled with warmth and


    sweetness.


    "Hey! Lucia."


    Emma ran over, poked Lucia with her elbow, and smiled ambiguously, "How does it feel to hold hands


    with Mr.Adams? Are you feeling very happy?"


    Lucia smiled and hit her, "And you¡¯re here to tease me?"


    "No, I¡¯m serious! You are now the envy of all female colleagues!"


    "Hmph! Bullshit!"


    N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.


    An abrupt female voice suddenly came from beside her, shrill and sarcastic.


    Lucia and Emma both froze, and when they turned their heads, they saw Irene who hade from the


    side.


    Seeing her, Lucia scowled.


    Irene nced at her and coldly snorted, "Didn¡¯t you hear what Mr.Adams just said? He¡¯s married!


    What? Do you want to break Mr.Adams¡¯s family and be a primary three!"


    Emma couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and spoke up for Lucia, "Your words are so terrible!"


    Irene sneered and asked back, "Did I say who it was? Someone knew whom I was talking about.Don¡¯t


    be so impatient!"


    "You!"


    Lucia reached out and pulled Emma to the side, "Come on, it¡¯s not worth getting angry over that kind of


    person."


    Besides, she knew very well what kind of rtionship she had with August, so she wouldn¡¯t be angry


    for being called a "primary three".


    Emma said angrily, "She¡¯s really annoying!"


    Luciaughed, "Let¡¯s go to the restaurant and have something to eat?"


    "Okay."


    As soon as they talked about food, they were in a much better mood.


    After telling the supervisor, they left the entertainment hall.


    When they arrived at the restaurant, there were already a lot of people inside.


    Lucia and Emma found a seat and ordered their food.


    They had just been chatting for a while when Emma suddenly saw something and pointed in a direction


    in shock, "Lucia, look!"


    Lucia turned her head in the direction Emma pointed and saw August and Adeline walking in through


    the restaurant door side by side.


    They were not followed by their assistants and entourage and were talking about something while


    walking.


    Adeline turned her head from time to time to look at the man at her side, smiling softly.


    Lucia¡¯s heart skipped a beat and then she felt a little depressed, so she looked away, her heart aching.


    Emma was still staring at the two of them and couldn¡¯t help but sigh, "So what Lisa and the others said


    today is true.Is it possible that Mr.Adams and Adeline are dating? But isn¡¯t Mr.Adams already married¡­


    Listening to these words, Lucia subconsciously frowned.


    She took a deep breath, totally in a mess.Could it be that there was really something else between


    August and Adeline?

 Chapter 54

    Chapter 54


    Lucia couldn¡¯t help but look up at August and Adeline while thinking about it August and Adeline found


    a seat.


    After that, August took the menu and tenderly handed it to Adeline, letting her order first.


    Emma continued to talk to herself, "They don¡¯t seem to have a normal rtionship.


    After all, Mr.Adams never treat any woman so well regrly."


    "Top!"


    The fork in Lucia¡¯s hand suddenly fell into the te, making a sharp sound and spilling the sauce


    everywhere.


    Lucia hurriedly took the napkin and started to wipe the sauce in a panic, Emma looked back and asked


    in a strange voice, "Lucia, what¡¯s wrong with you?"


    "I''m fine, just a little careless.I¡¯ll go to the bathroom to wash up first."


    Lucia hemmed and hawed.


    Then she stood up, not daring to look at Emma, and turned directly in the direction of the bathroom She


    felt confused and had an indefinable sense of loss.


    Although August and she had little affection at first, she was his wife anyway.


    Seeing hirn having lunch with another woman made her feel ufortable Lucia stood in front of the


    mirror and washed her hands lost in thought.


    "I can meet her wherever I go.Bad luck!"


    Hearing a sarcastic voice from the side, Lucia subconsciously turned her head and saw Ireneing


    out of the toilet stall.


    It was a small world.


    They had just quarreled in the entertainment hall and met again here not long after Irene walked next to


    Lucia, turned on the faucet, washed her hands unhurriedly, and said in a cold voice, "You don¡¯t even


    look in the mirror to see if you are worthy of being a primary three?"


    Hearing these harsh words, Lucia frowned, stretched out her hand to turn off the tap, and said in a


    deep voice, word by word, "That¡¯s none of your business either."


    Lucia was already in a bad mood, and now that Irene wanted to humiliate her, she naturally didn¡¯t want


    to put up with her anymore.


    After she said that, Irene¡¯s face turned blue and she stared at Lucia with gritting teeth, and when she


    finally couldn¡¯t find the right words to retort, she reached out and sshed a handful of water from the


    tap directly onto Lucia¡¯s face 1 Suddenly Lucia felt cold water being thrown in her face, which made her


    very surprised.


    She never expected Irene to ssh her with water when she couldn¡¯t get the upper hand verbally!


    "Irene, don¡¯t go too far¡­"


    Before she could finish her sentence, Irene took another handful of water and threw it at her face, "How


    did I go too far? You deserve it."


    Lucia¡¯s face was sshed with water again, and as she saw Irene trying to catch the water again, she


    took a deep breath, pushed her hand away, and quickly turned to run out of the bathroom.


    Before drying the water from her hair and face, she left in a panic.


    Suddenly, a tall, familiar man came up to her not far away.


    Seeing Lucia stumbling forward with wet hair, August called out in surprise, "Lucia."


    Lucia froze at the words, and when she looked up, she saw Augusting at her.


    So, she lowered her head and ran away quickly She didn¡¯t want him to see her in such a mess.


    August turned around and watched the woman run away quickly, frowning slightly.


    Why was Lucia avoiding him? And what about the water on her face and hair? August took out his cell


    phone and was about to call Lucia when he looked up and saw Irene and Mary walking toward him.


    They greeted him "Hello, Mr.Adams."


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    August nodded slightly and said nothing.


    After they left, August called Lucia, but there was no answer.


    He hung up the phone and frowned, "Forget it.I can ask her when meeting her."


    Lucia ran out of the restaurant and went straight back to her hotel room.


    After sitting on the bed for a while, she slowly calmed down.


    "Ding-ring-"


    The phone suddenly rang and she shuddered, looking nervously at the screen.


    Only when she saw that it was Emma calling did she answer it.


    "Hello? Lucia, where are you?"


    Lucia whispered, "I-I¡¯m going back to the hotel and I¡¯m not feeling well."


    "What¡¯s wrong? Do you need to call a doctor?"


    "No, it¡¯s probably because I didn¡¯t sleep well yesterday and I¡¯m a little bit depressed."


    Lucia casually made an excuse, not wanting Emma to worry about her.


    "Okay.Then you take a good rest."


    Lucia took a deep breath, "Emma, please ask Carter for a leave of absence for me.I won¡¯t be going to


    the afternoon event and I want to get some rest."


    Emma agreed, "Okay.Call me if you need anything."


    "Okay."


    Lucia hung up the phone andy down on her bed, feeling a mess in her heart.


    Although she was angry with Irene for what she had just done to her, what made her feel more


    ufortable was seeing August with Adeline, so she didn¡¯t want to go to the afternoon event.


    She closed the curtains and fell asleep, not thinking about it anymore.


    But she didn¡¯t expect to sleep for the rest of the afternoon.


    When she woke up in a daze, it was alreadypletely dark outside.


    There was a "bang, bang, bang" at the door, apanied by a few urgent calls from Emma.


    Lucia sat up in a hurry, got out of bed, and went to the door.


    "What¡­what¡¯s wrong?"


    Seeing her safe, Emma breathed a sigh of relief, "I was scared to death!I called you and no one


    answered; I knocked for a long time and no one answered the door!"


    Lucia rubbed her eyes and smiled at her, "I was sleeping."


    Emma patted her on the shoulder, "Go wash your face.We¡¯ll have a big dinner together tonight!"


    Hearing her say that, Lucia realized that it was gettingte.


    After cleaning up a bit and washing her face, Lucia went to the big private room with Emma.


    In the evening, everyone in their development gathered there for dinner.


    Emma pulled Lucia and sat down in a corner.


    At this time, the table was almost full of food.


    Seeing that everyone had arrived, Carter poured a ss of wine and got up to gesture to everyone,


    "It¡¯s rare that everyone is gathered today, so let¡¯s take this opportunity to have a drink together."


    Everyone stood up with a smile and raised their sses to toast.


    Guy also said with a smile, "This is the special fruit wine made here, sweet and delicious.You women


    drink as much as you like and we men drink white wine!"


    The crowdughed, raised their sses together, and drank the wine.


    Looking at the bright liquid, Lucia tasted it.


    This wine was sour and sweet, really quite good.


    After sitting down, everyone started to eat and drink.


    One by one, under the leadership of someone unknown, everyone started toasting.


    Lucia was not interested in these table games and focused on the food in front of her.


    After someone mentioned it, Guy suddenly called out to her, "Lucia, shouldn¡¯t you toast us too?"


    Lucia was stunned, "Me?"


    Yo! You are now the luckiest woman in our department.


    As soon as you came to Lakesi in which made many female all egues envious of you! When Guy said


    that, a few voices rose next to him, "Yes! You have to drink to us!"


    Lucia took a deep breath, knowing that she couldn¡¯t resist in this situation.


    As soon as she heard August, she thought of him having lunch with the actress Adeline, and the


    difort that was at the bottom of her heart was rekindled.


    Lucia gritted his teeth and stood up.


    After that, she picked up the bottle of wine next to her, filled the ss, and lifted it to gesture to


    everyone, "Okay.Toast to you!"

 Chapter 55

    Chapter 55


    With that, Lucia picked up the ss and drank the full ss of fruit wine in one go.


    The cold liquid slid down her throat and into her stomach, and the spicy taste lingered in her mouth.


    Everyone was dumbfounded.


    They didn¡¯t expect Lucia, who usually looked very weak, to be able to drink such arge ss of wine


    in one gulp.


    Swallowing thest sip of wine, Lucia turned her empty ss over to everyone, "And thank you all for


    taking care of me in general."


    When she finished, Guy apuded.


    The male colleagues followed suit and praised her, "You really have a high tolerance for alcohol."


    When Lucia sat down after drinking, Emma came over and said in a low voice, "Lucia, why do you take


    it seriously? You drank so much in one gulp! You know Guy and the male colleagues who like to make


    a fuss and it¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t drink!"


    Lucia smiled at her, "It¡¯s okay."


    After she drank a ss of wine, the hot feeling in her stomach made her feel a littlefortable.


    At the table, everyone was ying together, toasting each other, and ying guessing at the end.


    Looking at the lively crowd, Lucia sat in the corner and silently drank ss after ss of wine.


    Although the sweet and sour fruit wine was not strong, the after-effects slowly came up after she


    unknowingly drank a few sses.


    Lucia¡¯s cheeks warmed up and her head was dizzy.


    Emma, who had been sitting next to her, was also dragged away to drink.


    She sat there drinking alone, and unknowingly drank half of the wine in the bottle in her hand,


    Unconsciously a little dizzy, Lucia patted her cheeks, got up, and went to the bathroom to wash her


    face to wake up a little.


    Then she slowly walked out, but when she reached the corridor, she turned around and left after


    looking at the private room not far away She did not want to go back to the chaotic private room and


    just wanted to be alone.


    Even if she didn¡¯t go back, her colleagues won¡¯t know.


    Since her promotion, colleagues in the department had distanced themselves from her, and she was


    morefortable on her own.


    Down the stairs, Lucia took a deep breath and walked around to a backyard.


    The backyard wasrge, with greenery on both sides and arge pool in the middle.


    The courtyard was quiet, and Lucia walked to the pool in the evening breeze and slowly walked


    forward.


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    At that moment, the cell phone in her pocket suddenly rang.


    She took it out and saw the word "August"


    jumping on the screen, and for some reason, she didn¡¯t want to answer it at all.


    Turning off the screen, she held the phone and slowly walked along the pool.


    A short whileter, the phone rang again.


    Lucia took it out and saw that it was still August calling! After a moment of hesitation, she finally


    answered the 1 phone and casually put the phone to her ear, "Hello?"


    "Where are you?"


    The man¡¯s voice was as deep and nice as ever, but it was t and unemotional.


    Lucia took a deep breath and said gamely, "It¡¯s none of your business."


    August on the other end of the phone froze for a moment, then asked again patiently.


    "Where were you? Burton said you weren¡¯t in the private room."


    Lucia said word for word, "You don¡¯t need to know¡­"


    After being denied twice in a row, August noticed something was wrong and frowned, "Have you been


    drinking?"


    "No!"


    Lucia denied it categorically and hung up August¡¯s phone without even thinking about it driven by


    alcohol.


    Lucia was indeed a little angry that he still ate with another woman when he was married to her.


    She angrily turned off her phone and put it directly into her pocket, shaking and continuing to walk


    forward.


    Suddenly, there were light footsteps behind her and before Lucia could react, she felt someone push


    her to the side! woman With a loud "thump", Lucia felt instantly wrapped in cold liquid and sank


    unconsciously! Did she-she fall into the pool? She couldn¡¯t swim! Lucia fluttered in the pool but still


    sank.


    What¡¯s more, her arms and legs were a bit out of control after her drinking, so al choked several times


    in the emergency! "Help-help!"


    At this moment, the desire to survive prevailed.


    Lucia kept struggling and her face was getting redder¡­ Suddenly, there was a "thump" in the pool, and


    then Lucia felt herself being lifted up.


    The next second, she lost consciousness, and everything went ck.


    In the luxurious private room, August was sitting at the table looking at various dishes, with little


    appetite, and listening to the conversation with little interest.


    Several senior leaders of thepany wereughing and chatting while Adeline was sitting on the


    side.


    Noticing August¡¯s displeasure, someone next to him smiled and asked, "Mr.Adams, what¡¯s wrong? Is


    the food not to your liking?"


    August opened his thin lips and he said lightly, "No.I¡¯m not very hungry and you guys eat."


    The crowd nodded and continued to drink and chat.


    Adeline kept looking at August, and after a few moments, she poured herself a ss of wine and


    looked at August with a seductive smile, "Mr.Adams, would you like to have a drink with me?"


    August looked up at her lightly and was about to lift his ss when suddenly, the door of the private


    room was pushed open.


    Burton came in in a panic.


    After nodding to the crowd, he immediately approached August and lowered his voice to August¡¯s ear,


    "Mr.Adams, Mrs.Adams fell in the water!"


    August¡¯s face was slightly somber, "What¡¯s going on?"


    He had just talked to her on the phone.


    How could she be in an ident all of a sudden? Burton said in a rush, "Mrs.Adams fell into the


    pool.But she is fine and she is in her room now."


    August got up and nodded to the crowd, "Excuse me, I have something to do, so I have to go now."


    With that, he took a big step toward the outside.


    If something happened to Lucia, then Jeanne¡¯s operation would have to be postponed, and all his hard


    work would have been for nothing! Walking out of the private room, he asked in a deep voice, "What


    happened?"


    Burton said as he walked away, "It seems Mrs.Adams had a drink and fell into the pool.A waiter saw


    that and rescued her."


    At these words, August scowled.


    She had indeed been drinking! After hurrying to Lucia¡¯s room, August pushed the door and saw a


    doctor and several waiters gathered in the room.


    Lucia was lying on the bed, already awake, but her face was a bit pale.


    August walked up and asked the doctor, "How is she doing?"


    The doctor at the hotel whispered, "She has spitted out the water she was choking on.It¡¯s just that she


    seemed a little shaken up and didn¡¯t speak for a long time."


    August looked up at the dazed woman on the bed, feeling a littleplicated.


    He paused and then nced at the people next to her, "You all go out."


    At this time, she needed a quiet environment more than anything else.


    After the doctor and the waiters went out wordlessly, August walked to the door and told Burton in a


    deep voice, "Go check if there¡¯s anything unusual about her falling into the water."


    Burton hurriedly answered, "Yes."


    After Burton left, August closed the door and strode over to the bed.


    Lucia was lying on the bed with her eyes closed.


    August pulled a chair aside, sat down on the edge of the bed, and asked, "How do you feel now?"


    Lucia did not answer, but pulled the quilt and covered her head.

 Chapter 56

    Chapter 56


    Seeing Lucia¡¯s reaction like this, August froze.


    It seemed that something was wrong with her from the moment he met her at the restaurant at noon.


    He reached out and pulled the quilt, but Lucia wrapped herself up so tightly that he couldn¡¯t pull it off.


    "Lucia?"


    She didn¡¯t respond to his call.


    August had no choice but simply stood up and reached out his hand to directly pick up both the quilt


    and Lucia.


    Lucia panicked and pulled the quilt away, "You¡­ put me down!"


    She didn¡¯t want to see him and thought he would leave if he saw her ignoring him, but she didn¡¯t expect


    him to do that! At that, August refused to let go and just held her.


    Probably because she was angry or anxious, Lucia¡¯s face turned red, "Put me down!"


    Seeing that she was anxious, August raised an eyebrow slightly and asked, "What¡¯s wrong with you?"


    Lucia blushed, "I¡­ no! I¡¯m just tired!"


    Hearing her say that, August put her right down on the bed, and quickly pressed the quilt down to


    prevent her from covering her head again.


    He leaned down and asked softly with his eyes darkening, "How did you fall into the pool?"


    She was an adult and would not jump into the pool for no reason.


    He always felt there was something fishy about this.


    Even if she had been drinking, she wasn¡¯t drunk enough to do so.


    Peter had set a time for the surgery.


    At this critical moment, he had to make sure she was absolutely safe and she couldn¡¯t get sick or


    injured.


    Lucia bit her lip and said softly, "l-I was dizzy, so I went out for a walk.I was walking right next to the


    pool when suddenly felt like someone pushed me and I fell in¡­"


    Hearing Lucia¡¯s description, August slightly scowled, "You mean someone pushed you?"


    Lucia mumbled, "Well¡­it seemed so."


    It seemed so? Listening to the woman¡¯s ambiguous answer, August couldn¡¯t help but frown.


    She must have been drinking a lot that she couldn¡¯t even remember if someone pushed her.


    Looking at Lucia¡¯s small face hiding under the quilt, August was a little inexplicably angry.


    He stretched out his hand and pinched her cheek without mercy, deliberately saying in a deep voice,


    "It¡¯s all your fault for drinking so much wine."


    When her cheek was pinched by him, Lucia¡¯s nose was sore and her eyes were misted with tears, "It-


    It¡¯s none of your business!"


    She huffed and tugged at the quilt, trying to cover her head with it again, but it was pressed by August


    and she couldn¡¯t tug at it at all.


    August frowned and his heart seemed to be burning with fire, ¡¯I am your husband.Whose business is it


    if it¡¯s not mine?"


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    Lucia grunted in anger and simply looked away.


    Looking at Lucia like this, August was puzzled.


    She was usually meek like a white rabbit, but today she was full of thorns, as if deliberately against


    him.


    But even so, she was quite cute like this.


    After a moment¡¯s pause, he patiently asked in a soft voice, "Is it possible that I¡¯ve messed with you?"


    Lucia was angry like a pufferfish and affirmed, "Yes, it¡¯s you!"


    Looking at her like this, August didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry, "How did I mess with you?"


    "You¡­"


    Lucia was about to say something but suddenly hesitated and stopped.


    She reached out her hand and pushed him, "You¡¯d better go be with other women and leave me


    alone!"


    August froze and kept trying to figure out what she meant by her words.


    Another woman? When had he ever been with other women? He suddenly remembered that Adeline


    and he had eaten together at the restaurant at noon today.


    Could it be that Lucia had seen them? August looked up at Lucia, who had twisted her head to the


    side, and when his eyes fell on her little red ears, he instantly cleared.


    So that¡¯s the reason¡­ August reached out to hold Lucia¡¯s shoulder and turned her directly to his side.


    He did have dinner with Adeline alone, but they talked about business matters.


    They didn¡¯t have any interaction in private, and eating together was just a coincidence that the two of


    them met at the entrance of the restaurant.


    He raised one eyebrow, "You¡¯re jealous?"


    Upon hearing this, Lucia blushed again, "Who¡¯s¡­ jealous? I¡¯m not!"


    With faint smiles emerging from his eyes, August reached out and lifted the quilt wrapped around


    Lucia.


    Then, he pulled her arm, pulling her directly to him.


    Taking control of both her hands, August lifted his hand and pinched her chin so that she had to meet


    his eyes.


    "He lowered his maic voice and asked,"Really?"


    Lucia looked into the man¡¯s deep eyes and was nearly mesmerized by him.


    She bit her lips and stubbornly denied it, "Yes¡­"


    She was his wife, so she was not happy.


    Looking into the woman¡¯s bright eyes, August lowered his voice and said invisibly and intimidatingly,


    "Whether you¡¯re jealous or not, from now on, you must take care of yourself."


    At August¡¯s words, Lucia shuddered.


    She straightened up, shook his hand off, and asked knowingly after a brief pause, "Why?"


    August spoke without hesitation, "Because your body is not just yours alone."


    Only when she was healthy, Jeanne¡¯s surgery could continue and everything could proceed as


    nned¡­ Lucia blinked and continued to ask, "If my body isn¡¯t mine then whose is it?"


    August froze, pretending to be calm.


    He hadn¡¯t figured out how to tell her about it.


    Looking at the woman¡¯s questioning gaze, he didn¡¯t know how to face her.


    But Lucia was emboldened by the effects of alcohol.


    She reached out and gently tugged on his shirt, looking like she had 2 to ask for an answer, "Whose is


    it?"


    August looked up and met the woman¡¯s watery eyes.


    He froze, a fire of desire quickly burning up.He suppressed his rising desire, looked away, and spoke in


    a hoarse voice, "Let¡¯s talk about it some other time."


    At least at this moment, it was not a good time to tell her the truth.


    But Lucia, who had been drinking, was extraordinarily stubborn and refused to give in in any way.


    She pulled at his shirt and tugged, unwilling to let go.


    It just so happened that the button on his cor was ripped open, and his shirt was pulled diagonally,


    revealing August¡¯s firm pecs.


    August naturally lowered his head, swept a nce, and his eyes darkened.


    Lucia reacted and panicked a little, and then she hurriedly let go of her hand, "I didn¡¯t mean to¡­"


    Before she could say the rest of her words, she was held into the arms of August, and immediately


    afterward, she was firmly kissed on her lips.


    A momentter, he breathed heavily in her ear, "We¡¯ll talk about it some other time¡­"


    The next day, the sun shone through the gap in the curtains and entered the room.


    When he woke up, August took a look at the woman who was still sleeping beside him, got up quietly,


    and got out of bed.


    He looked at the time and saw that it was still early, but he had to leave now.


    Otherwise, if he was seen by someone from thepany when he came out of Lucia¡¯s room, all kinds


    of gossip would arise again.


    After leaving a note for Lucia, August walked out of her room and went back to his room.


    Aher breakfast was delivered, August took a sip of his coffee and soon Burton knocked on the door.


    "Mr.Adams, are you looking for me?" August asked indifferently, "Have you had breakfast yet?"


    Burton hesitated for a moment and answered truthfully, "Not yet¡­"


    August lifted his chin and gestured for him to sit across the table, "I ordered you breakfast too.Eat


    together."


    A smile shed across Burton¡¯s face, "Okay."


    After a moment, he looked up at Burton, "How¡¯s the investigation I asked you to do yesterday?"


    When it came to business, Burton got serious, "I went to look around the pool yesterday and found that


    it happens to be blind spot for surveince."


    August looked up, "No surveince probe?"


    "No.I checked the surveince video in the vicinity, but I didn¡¯t find anything unusual."


    After hearing Burton say so much, August became more scowled.


    Yesterday Lucia told him she felt like someone pushed her from behind.


    Judging from her condition, she had not reached the point ofplete unconsciousness.


    Yet it happened in a blind surveince area, so he had to think about it more.


    Seeing that August did not say anything for a long time, Burton could not help but ask, "Mr.Adams, is


    there something unusual?"


    August drooped his eyes.


    After a moment, he finally said, "Ask Irene here.I want to see her."If Irene really pushed Lucia on


    purpose and thus dyed Jeanne¡¯s surgery, he would never forgive her!

 Chapter 57

    Chapter 57


    Within ten minutes, there was a knock at the door, followed by Burton pushing the door in, "Mr.Adams,


    Irene is here."


    August nodded slightly, "You go out."


    "Yes."


    Burton turned around walked out of the room, and closed the door by the way.


    Irene stood in the doorway, inexplicably feeling guilty, "Mr.Adams, what¡¯s the matter?"


    "Come here."


    August didn¡¯t look up, sitting on the couch and casually flipping through the magazine on hisp.


    Seeing this situation, Irene was in a cold sweat on her back.


    She sped her hands together and moved forward slowly.


    After thest lesson, she truly realized the horror of this man.


    He seemed to be calm on the surface, but he could crush a human with ease.


    August looked up.


    Seeing her slow movements and stiff expression, he smiled crookedly and asked, "Did the mango taste


    goodst time?"


    As soon as she heard about mangoes, Irene couldn¡¯t help but feel sour in her stomach.


    She forced herself to hold back her difort and took a deep breath, "Yes¡­ delicious."


    It was so good that she never wanted to eat another mango in her life! "Well, that¡¯s fine."


    August paused and whispered, "Where were youst night around 8:30?"


    "Hate in the private room with the others."


    "Did you go out?"


    "I went to the bathroom twice¡­"


    August nced at her and continued, "Did you know that Lucia fell into the pool yesterday?"


    When she heard the word "Lucia", Irene¡¯s face went pale, "I know..Mr.Adams, don¡¯t you think that I did


    it?"


    August raised an eyebrow, "It wasn¡¯t you?"


    "Yes!"


    Irene said with certainty and hastily added, "Yesterday I was in the private room drinking with other


    colleagues.And I went to the bathroom with Mary.You can ask her if you don¡¯t believe me! I don¡¯t even


    know where Lucia went!"


    Hearing her exin so much at once, August didn¡¯t panic and then asked, "Okay, so did you do


    anything to Lucia in the restaurant bathroom at noon yesterday?"


    Irene opened her eyes wide and was speechless, "¡­"


    At the time she saw Lucia, she did get angry and sshed her with water.


    August became a little more serious, "Go ahead."


    Irene hurriedly said, "I didn¡¯t mean to do it.I just identally threw the water on her!"


    "What about yesterday morning? You did nothing with the water for the ice bucket punishment?"


    Yesterday morning while doing the game, Lucia and he lost and drew the punishment of the ice bucket


    challenge.


    It was then that he saw Irene hovering next to the ice bucket.


    Later he took responsibility for both buckets of water being poured on him, and he clearly felt that one


    bucket of water was much colder than the other.


    That bucket of water had been added with more ice.


    Upon hearing this, Irene suddenly turned pale, "MrMr.Adams, I just taught her a small lesson.


    Last time I was punished because of her and was hospitalized for several days.


    I feel so bad¡­ This time, I see that she even implicates you, so I just¡­ When he heard her say that,


    August frowned and held back his anger.


    The first 1 time he suspected her was when he saw her hovering by the bucket.


    The second time he suspected her was when he saw Lucia with water on her face and saw Irene


    coming out of the bathroom.


    Both of these things were done by Irene, and it was natural for him to think that she might have pushed


    Lucia into the waterst night, He clenched his fist and asked in a deep voice, "Did you push Lucia into


    the swimming pool? Irene shivered, "It wasn¡¯t me! I just wanted to teach Lucia a little lesson.How dare I


    do such a harmful thing!"


    The way she was shaking and exining didn¡¯t look like she was lying.


    August took a breath and said in a deep voice, "Irene, the reason I didn¡¯t fire you was for your uncle¡¯s


    sake.If you hurt Lucia again, you know what to do without me telling you."


    Irene said in a rush, ¡¯Yes! I won¡¯t hurt her anymore!"


    When she left and Burton came in, August asked, "Was she here allst night?"


    Burton nodded, "Yes.I asked several people.They all said Irene was here the whole night and she went


    to the bathroom with someone else, too."


    August casually put the magazine aside, "Okay, I get it."


    It seemed to be moreplicated than he imagined Meanwhile, in the Lakeside Manor superior suite


    on the same floor, a man was sitting in front of arge floor-to-ceiling window.


    Suddenly, the man in the wheelchair spoke up leisurely, "He was gone all night and didn¡¯te out?"


    Bob nodded, "Yes, he came back this morning, but he seemed a little suspicious."


    Bishop shook the goblet in his hand, "Will the waiter you arranged to keep the secret? Will he tell


    others?"


    Bob affirmed, "He will keep the secret, and he dare not say anything.He is the one who pushed Lucia


    and saved Lucia.If he told others, August would not let him go."


    Bishop smiled crookedly and said softly, "So, in your opinion, do you think he likes Lucia?"


    Bob was silent for a moment and replied without expression, "Mr.Adams, I don¡¯t know much about


    love."


    Bishop smiled and said softly, "In that case, let¡¯s try again."


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    After he finished, he turned his head to look out the window, and his eyes finally rested on the


    Lakeside.


    He murmured, "I heard that it¡¯s the Administration Department¡¯s turn to take boats out on theke


    today?"


    "Yes."


    Hearing the reply, Bishopughed more brilliant¡­ "Bang Bang!"


    "Lucia, are you awake?"


    I was still dreaming when she was suddenly woken up by a knock on the door.


    She suddenly got up from the bed, took a look at the time, and couldn¡¯t help but raise her hand to p


    her head.


    How did she wake up sote? The half of the bed on her side was empty, and Lucia swept around, her


    eyes finally resting on the piece of paper on the bedside table.


    "Get some rest.We will take a boat trip to theke in the morning and you can be at the hotel if you


    don¡¯t want to go."


    Lucia smiled crookedly until she heard Emma¡¯s knock on the door again, then she reacted and rushed


    to the door to open it.


    As soon as she opened the door and saw Emma who was worried outside, she hurriedly said, "Sorry,


    I¡¯m too tired."


    Emma didn¡¯t me her and asked, "I heard you fell in the water yesterday.Are you okay?"


    Lucia smiled, "I¡¯m fine."


    "That¡¯s fine.This morning, everyone is going to take a boat trip to theke.Do you want to go?"


    Lucia didn¡¯t think much about it and answered, "Sure."


    When she first arrived at Lakeside Manor yesterday, she marveled at the view.


    She didn¡¯t want to miss the chance to go out and see it today, After changing her clothes, she went with


    Emma to the meeting ce by theke.


    This time, it was the Administration Department and Secretary¡¯s Office¡¯s turn to take a boat trip to the


    lake.


    Soon after arriving, Lucia saw August and Burton walking toward her.


    The crowd greeted August.


    He nodded, took a fast look around, and finally looked at Lucia.


    He told her to rest well at the hotel, but to his surprise, she came over anyway.


    The staff at theke saw that people had arrived and asked, "How do you want to y? Do you want to


    take boats on theke orpete?"


    As soon as Guy heard there was apetition, he immediately asked about the rules with great


    interest.


    The staff exined, "The race is to drive the boat in teams, with two to four people forming a team.


    We have put red gs in some teeds in theke, and the team that drives the boat back within the time


    limit and gets the most red gs wins.


    After hearing the rules of thepetition, everyone wanted topete and excitedly started grouping.


    August paused, looked at Lucia, cleared his throat, and spoke, "Why don¡¯t we still group as we did


    yesterday."

 Chapter 58

    Chapter 58


    The other people were a little surprised to hear that.


    August exined without haste, ¡¯Yesterday I lost and was sshed with two buckets of water, so I was


    a bit reluctant.Today, to wash away the shame of thest time, I suggest following the grouping of


    yesterday, with two people in a team topete again."


    When he said so, some people agreed, but some female colleagues scowled and didn¡¯t agree with him.


    If the grouping was the same as yesterday, August would be grouped with Lucia again.


    Naturally, they were not happy about But a few rowdy male colleagues led by Guy did not realize this.


    They pped their hands and said they want to have another game with August.


    Even if the female colleagues were reluctant, they couldn¡¯t say anything in front of August now, so they


    nced at Lucia a few times with discontent, and then dispersed wanly.


    Emma was standing right beside Lucia and touched her excitedly, winking at her frantically.


    Lucia naturally understood what she meant.


    She smiled a little embarrassed, and once she looked up, she saw August standing on the shore


    watching her.


    She knew that August had done all that for her.


    She stepped forward but was unconsciously nervous.


    August¡¯s voice rang in her ears, "Let¡¯s go?"


    Lucia nodded, followed his steps, and walked to the boarding port on the shore.


    When all the teams were on board, the staff looked at the time and reminded, "The race willst one


    hour in total.Meet here after one hour and the team with the most red gs wins."


    After the staff made clear the rules, everyone began to start the electric boat to spread out to the vast


    lake after hearing a whistle from the staff.


    August sat at the bow of the boat, Lucia sat behind him and could smell his faint fragrance.


    N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.


    In a short while, they drove the boat to the forefront.


    Lucia looked at the surrounding scenery and slowly rxed.


    There was nomunication between them.


    After a while, August finally turned his head slightly and took the initiative to ask her, "Do you want to


    have a try?"


    Seeing August was steering the electric boat, Lucia suddenly had some interest, "Can I try it?"


    "Come here."


    Lucia carefully moved forward to August.


    The space at the front of the boat was rtively small, and once she went over and sat side by side


    with him, it seemed a bit crowded.


    Seeing Lucia¡¯s hesitation, August said, "Give me your hand."


    Lucia reached out obediently.


    Immediately afterward, August gently grabbed her hand and instructed her to grab the steering wheel.


    August patiently instructed her, "Put your foot here.The pedal on the left is for backing up and the pedal


    on the right is the 1 throttle for forwarding.Let it go when you stop the boat, understand?"


    Lucia repeated it in his mind, nodded, and tried to step on the throttle.


    Sure enough, the boat suddenly picked up speed and shot ahead.


    The man¡¯s voice rang in her ears, "Yes, that¡¯s it.Hold the steering wheel steady.¡¯


    Since they were so close together, Lucia could feel the warm spray of his breath on her ear, and then


    her ears warmed up.


    August turned his head, looked at the woman beside him, and called out her name shakily, "Lucia.


    There were two reasons that he wanted to follow yesterday¡¯s grouping at the shore just now.


    One was to ensure her safety and the second was to create time for the two of them to be alone


    because he had something to say to her, Lucia gripped the steering wheel and looked straight


    ahead,"Hmm? What¡¯s wrong?"


    "If I need your help one day, will you help me?"


    Hearing August speak so seriously, she first froze, and then immediately nodded and said with


    certainty, of course, I will At these words, August sighed with relief as he said in a deep voice, "Actually,


    I need your right now."


    Suddenly, the bow was crooked, and the electric boat crashed straight toward the reeds next to it.


    Before his words were finished, August sensed the anomaly and reacted suddenly, so he hurriedly


    reached out his hand to hold the steering wheel.


    After he righted the steering wheel, the ship shook violently.


    Out of inertia, Lucia also crashed towards August.


    "Bang", Lucia froze.


    After a while, she realized that she had somehow turned the steering wheel askew and almost made a


    big mistake! "So-sorry."


    She said subconsciously, and when she turned her head, she saw August was frowning.


    "What-what¡¯s wrong?" Lucia asked in a hurry.


    Thinking of the crisp crash just now, she looked at the bars on the side of the boat and then at August


    before responding, "Hit your head? Let me have a look."


    August avoided her hand and said in a deep voice, "I¡¯m fine."


    It seemed that today was not a good time to tell her the truth.


    Lucia was ming herself in her mind when suddenly, Guy and another male colleague¡¯s boat drove


    past next to them.


    They blew a loud whistle and then waved the little red g provocatively at them.


    Seeing them, Lucia then remembered that it was still a race.


    Their boat was in the lead, but Guy¡¯s team had already found a small red g! August turned his head


    to look at Lucia and found her staring brightly at the boat in front of him.


    He felt some reluctance to tell her these things on such a supposedly joyful asion and it seemed a


    bit cruel.


    He decided to wait until he got back before talking to her.


    It would be a good idea to make it up to her by ying nice with her today.


    He asked softly, "Do you want to win?"


    Lucia nodded affirmatively, "Yes."


    "Okay.Then let¡¯s go for the red g too!"


    The boat slowly approached the bushes and Lucia poked her head in and finally saw a little red in the


    bushes.


    "There¡¯s a red g there!"


    August looked over and saw the red g.


    He slowly lowered the speed of the boat to approach the bush and reached out to pull down the red


    g that was stuck in the dirt.


    Lucia took the red g and waved it excitedly, wanting to y even more, "Great! Let¡¯s keep looking for


    the red g!"


    August smiled crookedly and kept driving the boat Down, they surprisingly found five red gs


    sessfully! Looking at the time, August saw that there were still more than twenty minutes left, so he


    looked at Lucia beside him and asked, "Do you still want to look for red gs?"


    Lucia nodded, "Yes."


    This time, they must win! She had given August a dragst time and this time, she would match him


    well.


    August continued to sail, leaving most of the boats behind.


    The boat turned left and right around the bush, and Lucia saw another red g tied to the bush.


    "There¡¯s one there!"


    The red g was a little high and it was nked by mud bogs.


    August approached carefully and after taking off the g, he backed up the boat.


    "Buzz-"


    For some reason, the boat did not back up but rang a few times.


    Lucia froze and asked, "What¡¯s happened?"


    August tried to back up again, but the boat still "buzzed" a few times, and did not back up at all.


    He tried several times, and the boat seemed to be stuck and didn¡¯t move.


    But there was no obstacle around.


    August looked at Lucia and said seriously.


    "The boat can¡¯t move."


    At that, Lucia was a little confused, ¡¯Is it stuck by something?"


    "The boat can still move and it¡¯s not stuck."


    August felt vaguely uneasy, "Maybe there¡¯s something wrong with the engine."


    Hearing him say that, Lucia immediately realized that the situation was more serious than they thought,


    and she immediately took out her phone, "I¡¯m calling for help"


    Before she finished her words, she saw that the cell phone signal on her phone was less than half a


    bar, and she froze.


    The phone had no signal, so how could they ask for help?

 Chapter 59

    Chapter 59


    Seeing Lucia freeze for a long time, August turned his head, "What¡¯s wrong?"


    Lucia held the phone, not knowing whether to cry or tough, "My phone has no signal."


    Hearing that, August took his phone out and looked at the screen.


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    Then, his eyes darkened.


    Sure enough, the signal was only left half a bar.


    They couldn¡¯t even connect to the inte on their phones, let alone make a phone call.


    Right now, they were trapped in the boat, and if they didn¡¯t think of something, the situation could get


    worse.


    "You sit here and steady the bow.I¡¯ll go to the stern and have a check."


    August said calmly, arranging for Lucia to sit on the bow of the boat.


    Then he moved to the stern and used the oars to paddle the water to see what was going on below.


    Either a foreign object had gotten into the engine, making it inoperable, or there was something wrong


    with the engine itself.


    He knocked on the engine with the oar.


    After making sure there was anything foreign, he went back to the bow and restarted the electric boat,


    but it didn¡¯t respond except for the "buzz" sound.


    Lucia watched nervously from the sidelines and took a deep breath.


    And when she saw that the boat still couldn¡¯t move, she couldn¡¯t help but ask, "What if we¡¯re really


    stuck here?"


    August froze and looked back, just in time to meet Lucia¡¯s eyes, bright, but with a bit of worry.


    He opened his mouth and said in a slow, reassuring voice, "Don¡¯t worry and we won¡¯t be stuck here."


    As long as he was there, he wouldn¡¯t let anything happen to her.


    After August attempted to start the boat several times, it still did not move.


    August frowned and was sure that there should really be a problem with the engine.


    He turned his head and looked around.


    They were right at the corner behind a clump of bushes, and even if a boat came by. they would be


    blocked from view by the tall bush.


    They couldn¡¯t see the boat over there, and the people on the boat over there couldn¡¯t see them either.


    Even if they wanted to ask for help from passing boats, it would be a problem unless boats were


    coming around the bush to see them.


    Taking a closer look at the nearby situation, August inadvertently drooped his eyes and saw Lucia


    sitting in the boat with her two hands sping together and her cheeks flushing.


    August hesitated and said in a deep voice, "Cheer up.If a boat passes this way, we can go back."


    Lucia nodded and tried to stand up to look around as well.


    But just as she stood up, she swayed from side to side along with the boat, almost losing her bnce.


    Suddenly, August put his one warm, strong palm on her shoulder and gently pressed her to sit down,


    "You sit well to stabilize the boat and I¡¯ll deal with it."


    Listening to August¡¯s instructions, Lucia settled down a lot and nodded seriously.


    She was unlucky to be trapped in the boat when she came out to take the boat to theke, but


    fortunately, he was with her.


    Lucia took a look at the time and saw that it was time to finish the race.


    At this time, everyone shall have returned to the shore.


    The surrounding temperature was getting lower.


    Sitting in the boat, Lucia could obviously feel the chill.


    Her hands and feet be cold first, followed by her whole body.


    August stood at the stern of the boat for a long time, without seeing a boat.


    He looked back and saw Lucia sitting there and shivering a little.


    "Are you cold?"


    He became serious, immediately turned around, and reached out to touch her hand which was cold as


    ice! In the past few days, she got wet and had a fever, and after that, she fell into the water.


    And now she had been sitting in the boat on theke for more than an hour, without eating any food


    and having no energy.


    If this continued, she would definitely catch a cold.


    And once she was sick and her immunity decreased, she couldn¡¯t have surgery August frowned, did


    not hesitate to take off his sports jacket, and was about to put it on Lucia.


    Seeing August only wore a gray T-shirt inside, Lucia shook her head repeatedly, "No, I¡¯m not cold


    August¡¯s face was more somber.


    Without saying a word, he put the jacket on her and zipped it up by the way, wrapping her up tightly.


    Lucia took a deep breath, stared at him, and asked, "What do you do when you let me wear your


    clothes?"


    Even if he was in good physical condition, the boat was on theke and he certainly couldn¡¯t stand the


    cold.


    August spoke rather seriously.


    "You just wear it, and I¡¯m strong.Understand?"


    Seeing that August strongly insisted, Lucia had to take back the words that hade to her lips.


    Time passed silently and every second seemed to be stretched out, making people feel difficult and


    anxious! Lucia took a deep breath, reached out to gently take August¡¯s arm, and whispered, "Let¡¯s have


    a chat"


    Otherwise, time passed slowly.


    At that, August paused for a moment and then sat down at the side, "What do you want to talk about?"


    Lucia tilted her head in thought and said softly, "I want to know how you became the president of the


    Lion Group to take the sole responsibility?"


    When he heard her question, August¡¯s eyes suddenly darkened a bit.


    In those days, he tried desperately to prove himself in front of his father, tried desperately to get out of


    his father¡¯s glory, and tried desperately to make a world by himself, which was very painful for him.


    He kept tempering himself, from the most basic drinking, talking about business, to nning, and


    drawing up contracts.


    Until he knew all the projects by heart and figured out the business world, he grew up but his father got


    sick.


    He naturally became the sessor of the Lion Group, and there was no objection.


    Seeing that he didn¡¯t speak for a long time, but stared nkly in one direction, Lucia slowly approached


    him and whispered, "Is it a secret?"


    With some coldness in his eyes, August said lightly, ¡¯I have experienced a lot of pain, but also learned a


    lot of things."


    His tone was so light that one could not imagine the darkness of that time.


    Lucia¡¯s heart sank and this was the first time she had heard August say something so serious.


    A simple sentence seemed to include too much pain and suffering.


    Lucia held her chin in her hand and murmured, "Actually, I also want to be a person like you."


    Just as she finished her sentence, August¡¯s low voice came to her ears, "You don¡¯t need."


    "Why?"


    August rxed and leanedzily and casually against the railing next to him, "So tired.You don¡¯t need


    to be so tired and you¡¯re just fine the way you are."


    Naive and innocent.


    This topic seemed to have be the key to opening the hearts of the two and they unknowingly


    chatted a lot.


    Not long after, August felt a little heavy on his shoulder.


    When he turned his head, he saw Lucia leaning her head on his shoulder.


    From his angle, he could just see her delicate upturned nose.


    She murmured, "Do you think they¡¯ll find out we didn¡¯t go back?"


    August whispered, "Yes, they will."


    There was nothing they could do now.


    Their cell phones couldn¡¯t call for help, and one oar wouldn¡¯t row the boat.


    They were left with onest way out, which was to wait for their colleagues to realize they hadn¡¯t


    returned and sail to find them.


    Feeling Lucia beside him quieted down and didn¡¯t say a word for a long time, August turned his head


    and saw that Lucia had closed her eyes unknowingly.


    Sleeping in such conditions was most likely to get sick! He frowned and immediately said, "Lucia, you


    can¡¯t sleep."

 Chapter 60

    Chapter 60


    Lucia opened her eyes in a daze and tried to close them uncontrobly.


    "I didn''t sleep."


    She didn¡¯t intend to sleep, but she couldn¡¯t control herself.


    August¡¯s face became somber.


    Without saying a word, he immediately held her in his arms,manding her in a deep voice, "Hold on


    a little longer and someone wille to us soon."


    Lucia nodded, but she still had little energy.


    Feeling the warmth of August¡¯s arms, she reached out to hug him, and greedily rubbed in his arms.


    August was not used to the kind of touch, so he frowned, and subconsciously drooped his eyes.


    Seeing Lucia leaning like a kitten in front of his chest, he stopped to push her hand away.


    Forgot it Before long, Lucia was unconsciously trying to close her eyes again, about to fall asleep.


    August reached out and patted her shoulder, waking her up again, "Lucia"


    Lucia kept waking up and falling asleep.


    August could clearly feel the coldness of her body, so he gradually felt a little uneasy.


    It definitely couldn¡¯t go on like this! He took a deep breath and said, "Lucia, let¡¯s have a chat."


    Lucia answered in a daze, "Okayo"


    He tried to keep talking to her to keep her awake, and even reached out to rub her arm to preserve her


    body temperature, but the results were not satisfactory.


    In a few moments, Lucia was sleepy and closed her eyes again.


    "You can¡¯t sleep now!"


    August gritted his teeth helplessly.


    Looking at Lucia¡¯s frozen, ck and blue lips, he began to get a little anxious.


    Seeing her leaning against his chest, unresponsive, he frowned, reached out, and lifted her chin,


    kissing her directly.


    Feeling the warm and soft touch on her lips, Lucia shivered and woke up with a jolt.


    N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.


    As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw August¡¯s face close at hand and he seemed to be a little


    angry.


    He kissed her hard, making her feel painful and tingly, so Lucia was more awake.


    Why did August kiss her all of a sudden? Lucia subconsciously put her hand against August¡¯s chest to


    push him away a little.


    She blushed and questioned, "Why are you¡­ kissing me secretly!"


    Kiss her secretly? Hearing this, August unconsciously raised an eyebrow.


    He was not kissing her secretly but was kissing her openly.


    He put the hand around the back of her head slightly hard and said, "I was kissing you openly."


    1 With these words, he leaned down and lowered his head, kissing her more passionately in her


    amazement Lucia froze at first and was soon ovee by his kiss.


    She now felt a mess The kiss was long and lingering.


    Only when her breathing became difficult did August let her go.


    Lucia blushed and looked at August with some evasiveness.


    "Are you still cold?"


    Hearing that, Lucia subconsciously shook her head.


    "Still sleepy?"


    She froze and shook her head again.


    August has already achieved his goal.


    He raised an eyebrow slightly and was about to speak, but Lucia suddenly said, "Did you hear


    something?"


    He opened his mouth and asked, "What?"


    Lucia pressed his hand, "Don¡¯t talk.Listen!"


    After a few seconds of pause, he really heard something far away, small, faint, like a shout.


    The voice gradually became a little clearer.


    "Mr.Adamso" Hearing various shouts together, Lucia and August turned around at the same time.


    Eye to eye, they both saw a little surprise in each other¡¯s eyes.


    Someone wasing to them! August immediately stood up and responded in the direction the voice


    came from, "We¡¯re here! Lucia stood up after him and shouted,"We¡¯re here!"


    The sounds were getting closer.


    Soon a boat came around the bushes and they were found.


    It was Guy and a few male colleagues who were on that boat, "They¡¯re here!"


    Looking at the boat that slowly drew over, August felt some joy and subconsciously looked at Lucia


    beside him.


    She forced a smile, but she was pale and didn¡¯t seem as lively as she was a moment ago.


    August¡¯s heart sank and he immediately asked, "What¡¯s wrong with you?"


    Lucia smiled and shook her head at him, "Nothing."


    "Mr.Adams! Lucia! What are you doing here?"


    "Yes! We¡¯ve been looking for you for a long time!"


    Hearing their caring greetings, August responded, "There¡¯s something wrong with the engine and the


    boat is stuck here."


    Guy and the others immediately pulled their boat over and let the two of them on board.


    Once on board, August nced at Lucia who was shivering slightly, and asked the others, "Do you


    have any extra clothes?"


    Receiving the jacket from one colleague, he immediately handed the clothes to Lucia without saying a


    word, andmanded expressionlessly, "Put it on."


    All the people on board were male colleagues, but when they saw what August did, they looked at the


    two of them morepletely.


    After all, they all knew very well that Mr.Adams was usually blind to women, let alone so concerned


    about a female 2 colleague.


    But he was surprisingly so good to Lucia.


    Now it seemed that the rumors of thepany before might be true.


    Immediately after, August opened his mouth and instructed, "Drive faster!"


    Guy and the male colleague next to him looked at each other and they said in unison, "Yes!"


    In less than twenty minutes, they arrived at the shore with the boat at full power.


    A group of people gathered on the shore saw their return and were secretly relieved.


    Before the female colleagues could say their greetings, they saw August instructing Emma, who was


    holding Lucia, "Send her back to the hotel immediately.


    Then let her take a hot bath and take some cold medicines."


    Emma nodded and responded, "Yes, Mr.Adams."


    For a while, everyone¡¯s eyes were again on Lucia.


    More than three hours had passed since the start of the race.


    No one knew if anything happened between August and Lucia alone on the boat.


    The female colleagues became discontented and all looked at Lucia with hostility.


    Lucia was so cold that she didn¡¯t even notice the unkind stares.


    She took a deep breath and shivered unconsciously, then walked quickly to the hotel with Emma.


    As soon as they got back to the hotel room, Emma immediately filled the bath with water and pushed


    her into the bathroom, "Get a hot bath! This is the first direct order Mr.Adams has ever given me, and I


    want to make sure it gets done!"


    Lucia smiled at her feebly and struggled to say, "Yes, I will actively cooperate with you too"


    After hearing her words, Emma smiled at her and walked out of the bathroom.


    After closing the door, Lucia slowly took off her clothes and entered the bath filled with hot water.


    Her body, which was cold from the inside out, slowly warmed up when she touched the hot water.


    But within a few moments, strong drowsiness swept over her again.


    Lucia patted her drowsy head, tilted her head back, and closed her eyes.


    Emma was outside watching TV.


    But half an hour had passed and she hadn¡¯t heard the sound in the bathroom, so she got up and


    knocked on the door, "How are you doing? Did you wash up?"


    There was no response from the bathroom.


    Emma tensed up and immediately pushed the door open to enter, after which she saw Lucia lying in


    the bathroom and seeming to be asleep.


    She hurriedly went forward and patted Lucia¡¯s face, "Lucia, wake up!"


    But Lucia¡¯s face was very hot!

 Chapter 61

    Chapter 61


    Emma was shocked, then she immediately pulled Lucia out of the bath, dragged her to the bed, and


    covered her with the quilt.


    After that, she immediately called Carter, their supervisor Carter answered the phone and came


    immediately.


    After she touched Lucia''s forehead, she realized the seriousness, Lucia was hot with her cheeks red.


    And no matter how they called her, she didn''t respond, and apparently, she had passed out.


    Emma was anxious, "Carter, what do we do now?"


    Carter frowned and instructed, "Go get the waiters and have them contact the hotel doctor while I call


    Mr.Adams."


    The medical facilities and medicines at Lakeside Manor were definitely not as good as those at the


    hospital, so she had to contact August to ask if Lucia should be taken to the hospital.


    August had just finished showering and changing when he received Carter''s call, and he casually


    pressed the answer button, "Hello?"


    "Mr.Adams, Lucia has a high fever and it''s a bit serious.Do you think we should take her to the


    hospital?"


    At that, August gripped the phone hard.


    Sure enough, she still had a fever.


    August ordered in a cold voice, "Get a car to take her to the hospital immediately."


    "Okay."


    He was about to hang up the phone when he suddenly paused and asked, "Where is she now?"


    Her physical condition directly determined whether Jeanne''s surgery would go ahead as scheduled,


    and right now her health was of the utmost importance.


    Carter replied, "She''s in room 609."


    "Hmm."


    August hung up the phone, walked to the door, grabbed his suit jacket, and stepped outside.


    When he walked towards the elevator, Burton followed him immediately, "Mr.Adams, are you going to


    see Mrs.Adams?"


    August''s phone suddenly vibrated when he was about to speak.


    Taking it out and looking at the note "Essence" on it, he suddenly got serious.


    It was a call from Essence Hospital.He answered directly without hesitation.


    "Mr.Adams, pleasee and see Miss Lytton.She doesn''t eat or drink and insists on seeing you.We


    can''t persuade her!"


    Peter said that he had to observe her recently for a final checkup, and specifically instructed him not to


    visit her so as not to affect her emotionally.


    Unexpectedly, she started to make a scene.


    Before he could speak, there was a sharp sound on the other end of the phone, like something


    shattering on the floor.


    August frowned, his face bing more somber.


    Then he pressed his voice, instructing, "Tell her not to hurt herself and I''m going over to see her


    immediately."


    At that, the caregiver hurriedly answered.


    Putting away his phone, August quickly headed for the elevator.


    Burton followed and asked, "Mr.Adams, where are we going now?"


    August frowned and said in a deep voice, "Essence Hospital."


    A simr situation had urred before when Jeanne had broken something and hurt herself because


    of a temper tantrum.


    Nowadays whenever he saw those bruises, he still regretted not protecting her.


    Burton couldn''t resist asking, "What about Mrs.Adams?"


    Just as he finished his sentence, August turned his head and gave him a cold nce.


    Only feeling a chill in his back, Burton immediately bowed his head and said no more.


    "Ding", the elevator door opened.


    August walked into the elevator, his face sullen and cold.


    The woman who came first in his heart would always be Jeanne.


    After sleeping for a day and a night, Lucia opened her eyes again and found herself in apletely


    strange ce.


    She moved her body and opened her dry mouth, but no sound came out.


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    "Pop-"


    The door was pushed open, followed by a familiar voice in her ears, "Mrs.Adams, you are finally


    awake!"


    Lucia slowly turned her head and saw Turner, who had just returned from getting water, She opened


    her mouth, her voice slow and hoarse, "Where am I..."


    "In the hospital! You had a high fever and were taken straight to the hospital.


    I rushed to take care of you as soon as I knew Turner said, rushing to bring the warm water on the side


    to her hand, After taking a sip of water, Lucia then slowly slowed down, "You mean I was sent directly


    from the manor to the hospital?"


    Turner nodded, "Yes."


    She slowly swept around and continued to ask, "How long did I sleep..."


    "A day and a night, but luckily, your fever has gone down..."


    She surprisingly had been sleeping for a day and a night.


    Lucia took a breath and slowly asked, "Where is August?"


    Hearing August, Aunt Yung hesitated a little, "Mr.Adams...didn''te."


    Lucia froze.


    She slept through the day and night but he didn''t even visit her...


    He should be very busy with work.


    "So...when can I be discharged from the hospital?"


    Now that her fever had gone down, there was no need for her to stay in such an expensive hospital


    room.


    "The doctor said when you wake up and there''s nothing serious, you can go home to recuperate.I''ll call


    the doctor toe take a look."


    Turner went around for her and called the doctor toe to examine her.


    The doctor took a look at her health, gave her some precautions, and discharged her.


    On the car ride back, Lucia thought back to what had happened at Lakeside Manor before she was


    hospitalized.


    They were like a dream, a little unreal.


    But on second thought, the trip to Lakeside Manor was a little more fun with August by her side.


    When she returned to the house, there was no one at home.


    It seemed that August had not returned yet.


    After briefly eating something, under Turner''s supervision, Lucia drank the medicines and finished


    another ss full of water.


    "Drink more water to get well faster and I''ll go pour you another ss."


    With that, Turner took the ss and went to pour water again.


    Lucia patted her stomach, which was already full, "Turner, that''s enough.I can''t drink anymore!"


    "No, have another drink."


    While the two of them were talking, the sound of a car came from outside.


    Turner put the ss of water in front of her, "I think Mr.Adams is back.I''ll go check and you drink the


    water."


    Without knowing whether to cry orugh, Lucia had to agree.


    Lucia drank her second ss of water.


    As soon as she looked up, she saw August walk in through the door, casually putting his jacket down


    and changing his shoes.


    Lucia stood up and was about to ask a few questions when she suddenly noticed that August looked a


    little tired.


    She stepped forward and asked with some hesitation, "You''re back?"


    August looked up at her lightly, "Hmm."


    He was obviously quite distant from her.


    Lucia stepped forward and asked in a soft voice, "What''s wrong? Are you too tired from work?"


    Since she had known him, she had rarely seen him so tired.


    Could it be that something had happened? She continued to ask him, but she didn''t expect August to


    stop suddenly, and she bumped straight into his sturdy back Lucia raised her hand and rubbed her


    head which hurt from the bump, and before she could look up, she heard the man''s voice with some


    coldness.


    "I want to be quiet."


    Smelling a flow of perfume, Lucia looked up to see the man''s slightly cold scowl and froze.


    August nced at her and turned directly to go upstairs.


    As she watched him disappear at the stairway, Lucia''s heart sank abruptly.


    Why did his attitude towards her change so much? Moreover, she just smelled a flow of perfume on


    him.


    Although she did not often use any perfume, she also knew that sweet and fruity perfume was often


    used by women!

 Chapter 62

    Chapter 62


    He had just returned from another woman? The thought passed through Lucia''s mind, but she ruled it


    out again after a few seconds.


    August was not that kind of man.


    Even if they had a little emotional foundation, he would not treat their marriage this way.


    Seeing her standing at the stairway for a long time, Turner rushed over to ask, "Mrs.Adams, what''s


    wrong?"


    Lucia murmured, "August doesn''t seem happy."


    Turner quicklyforted, "He may be too tired from work and you do not think too much."


    Lucia nodded, but still felt a little strange.


    Seeing this, Turner sighed and advised softly, "Why don''t I make a pot of white tea and you bring it up


    to Mr.Adams?"


    Lucia nodded hastily, "Okay."


    When they were at Lakeside Manor before, it was August who defended her and helped her.


    Now when she saw him in a bad mood, she was more or less worried.


    After the white tea was brewed, Lucia carried the tray and went directly to the door of the study.


    She knocked on the door, "Turner made you some tea.Do you want to drink?"


    There was no response from inside, so Lucia took a deep breath and slowly pushed the door of the


    study open.


    She looked inside and saw that it was smokey and very dim, with only the floormp next to the couch


    in the corner on.


    In the darkness, Lucia hardly recognized August''s cold face and saw the cigarette butt caught in his


    fingertips for a while light and then dark.


    August turned his head and looked at her sharply, coldly, and without any emotion, "Get out!"


    Lucia froze and suddenly did not know what to say.


    When she heard his words, her heart sank, as if ayer of frost had been ced on her heart.


    She walked out, closed the door behind her, and stood in the doorway for a long time.


    N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.


    Was he really the August she knew? Was he really the August who was going to marry her and get the


    marriage certificate in the first ce? Was he really the August who gently put the ring on her finger?


    Did he encounter something that couldn''t be solved? Lucia bit her lip, pushed down her aggression,


    and left with the tray.


    In the room, August sat on the couch and his deep dark eyes were filled with mixed emotions.


    He kept thinking of Jeanne crying and begging him, of her vomiting and ashen face after the


    hemodialysis.


    Originally, the day after tomorrow was the time to schedule the surgery, but Lucia got sick, so


    everything had to be postponed, and the surgery had to be rescheduled...


    Taking a deep breath, August took out his cell phone and called Dr.Lambert, "Hey, Dr.Lambert, you


    come to the house tomorrow and give Lucia a physical conditioning..."


    Now, only Lucia quickly recovered, and Jeanne''s surgery could be arranged as soon as possible.


    And this time, he had to be ruthless and found a chance to tell her the truth about this matter clearly.


    Other things could be dyed, but Jeanne''s illness couldn''t be dyed.


    The next morning, Lucia had just had breakfast and was about to change her clothes to go back to the


    office when she bumped into August who wasing down the stairs.


    August nced at her and said lightly, "You don''t have to go to the office these days.You should


    recuperate well at home and your health is the most important."


    Hearing his sudden concern, Lucia froze for a moment, then said softly, ''It''s okay.I think I''m almost well


    enough and I''ll carry the medicines with me..."


    "No."


    August frowned and said firmly and coldly, "Dr.Lambert willeter to check on your health and


    prescribe some Chinese medicines for you to take care of your body."


    Lucia was speechless, not knowing how to answer him anymore.


    After looking at the man''s serious look, she had to nod her head and agree with him.


    He seemed to be caring for her, but he didn''t feel any warmth.


    Ever since she came back from her fainting spell at the manor, his attitude towards her hadpletely


    changed.


    Did she give him any trouble? The more she thought about it, the more she felt something was wrong.


    Lucia went back to her room, picked up her cell phone, and secretly called Emma.


    "Hello, Emma."


    "Lucia! You finally thought of calling me! How are you doing? Are you recovering?"


    Hearing Emma''s excited voiceing through the phone, Lucia smiled crookedly and said softly, "I


    probably won''t be back to work for another two days.Emma, I have something to ask you..."


    Emma said, "What is it?"


    "I just wanted to know what happened the day I was taken to the hospital.I heard it was you and Carter


    who took me there..."


    "Yeah, the team-building activities were also over that day.Carter and I went home early, and everyone


    came backter on the bus."


    "What about Mr.Adams?"


    "Mr.Adams seemed to have something to do and left very early."


    Hearing Emma say so, Lucia gave a hmm, but she was even more puzzled.


    "Lucia, what''s wrong? Is there something wrong?"


    Lucia said softly, "It''s okay.I''m just checking.Thanks to you and Carter and I''ll treat you to dinner


    someday."


    "We are all colleagues and don''t be so polite.Okay, no more talk, and I have to write the n!"


    "Okay."


    After hanging up the phone, Lucia was silent for a long time.


    ording to Emma, August left very early that day.She fainted and was taken to the hospital by Carter


    and Emma.


    In theory, she didn''t cause him any trouble, but why did he treat her so differently these days? Before


    she could figure out what was going on, there was a knock at the door, "Mrs.Adams, Dr.Lambert is


    here.Is it convenient for you?"


    Lucia heard the calling and immediately got up to open the door.


    Seeing Turner and Dr.Lambert outside the door, she nodded at them and gestured, "Yes."


    After inquiring about her basic symptoms, Dr.Lambert knew her health condition and left the Chinese


    medicines prepared in advance, instructing Turner to heat them twice a day before Lucia drank.


    Before leaving, Dr.Lambert looked at Lucia and smiled kindly, "Old Mrs.Adams is right and you are


    indeed a better match for August."


    Hearing that, Lucia froze.


    Hearing what he called August, she knew that the rtionship between Dr.Lambert and the Adams


    family was special.


    After a pause, she smiled and asked jokingly, "A better match? Is there another woman who doesn''t


    match well for him before?"


    At that, Dr.Lamber froze, then smiled, "Even if there is such a woman, she and August are over.You


    recuperate well, stick to the medicine and get well."


    After saying that, he carried the medicine box and left.


    As Lucia stood still and watched Dr.Lambert disappear at the door, her heart sank.


    Combining these details, including the words of Dr.Lambert, the perfume smell on August, and the


    mysterious Jeanne, she was almost certain that August had another woman.


    She didn''t care about August''s previous emotional experiences, but now that they had gotten a


    marriage certificate, she couldn''t ept that there was another woman around him, which was her


    principal and bottom line.


    When she was upset, Lucia''s cell phone suddenly vibrated.


    She picked it up and saw that it was Pa calling.


    She was shocked and answered the phone, "Hello, Pa, why are you calling me?"


    Pa deliberately kept her in suspense, and there was real excitement in her tone, "Lucia, guess


    where I am?"


    "What? Are you back?"


    Paughed, "Yes! I have a performance in Washington and I might be able to see you in a couple of


    days!"


    Lucia smiled crookedly, but her mood was still not good.


    She lightly responded, "It''s fine."


    Pa on the other end of the phone finally noticed Lucia''s difference, paused for a moment, and then


    asked, "Lucia, what''s wrong with you?"


    If he was going to say it sooner orter, why didn''t he just tell her now? August stopped, frowned, and


    suppressed the anger in his eyes.


    He was already anxious because of Jeanne''s surgery and thepany''s business.


    Now he had to face Lucia''s questioning when he got home, so he was naturally annoyed.


    He spoke, his voice sounding like it was rolling in his throat, "Do you have to have an answer today?"


    Lucia clenched her fist and gritted her teeth, "Yes."


    She just wanted him to give her an answer! August scowled and his lips pursed into a line.


    A momentter, he lifted his lips and said, "If you think so."


    After saying this, he let go of her and walked away, leaving Lucia alone in the same ce.


    As expected, he really had another woman.


    Lucia was so disappointed that she felt her limbs a little numb.


    She sucked in a mouthful of cold air and took a long time to slow down.


    At first, she felt she was married to a perfect man and even without feelings, they could slowly cultivate


    and lived well.


    But now, the reality was like a basin of ice water that sshed her awake directly.


    Tossing in bed, Lucia stayed awake all night.


    By the time dawn broke, Lucia rubbed her astringent eyes before falling asleep, still in a messy mood.


    When she woke up, it was already noon.


    Lucia went downstairs and had something to eat.


    Then, she drank her medicine and sat bored in the living room.


    August didn''t let her go to the office, but she had nothing to do at home, so, she could easily think


    about August and got even more troubled.


    Suddenly, the cell phone on the table vibrated.


    Picking it up and seeing that it was an unfamiliar number, Lucia took a deep breath and


    absentmindedly pressed the answer button, "Hello?"


    A nice male voice with a smile came from the other end of the phone, "Do you miss me?"


    Lucia froze and instantly sobered up a bit.


    She had thought it was a harassing call, but the caller baffled her with the first sentence.


    "Who...who are you?"


    Were all harassing phone calls nowadays so special? The callerughed even more happily, "Lucia,


    don''t you even remember me?"


    Lucia froze for a moment and suddenly remembered a certain face.


    Then she responded, "Ja-Jamie?"


    "I knew you couldn''t have forgotten me.'' Jamie said flirtatiously as always, "You still owe me a meal,


    remember?"


    Lucia took a deep breath, which calmed her down a bit, "I remember."


    "Let''s go eat tonight and I''ve already subscribed the dining room."


    Lucia hesitated for a moment, "I..."


    She was not in the mood to go out for dinner right now, let alone have to deal with him.


    "What? No time?"


    Jamie smiled, "Or do you want to renege on the bill?".


    Hearing what he said, Lucia was speechless at once.


    She did promise Jamie that she owed him a meal, and it just so happened that she had nothing to do at


    home, so she might as well promise him.


    "Okay, you send me the address."


    "Okay, I''ll send it now."


    Not long after, Lucia''s phone vibrated and she received a text message.


    Lucia suddenly remembered something, "By the way, how do you know my cell phone number? Jamie


    smiled to his heart''s content, ''I can know whenever I want.


    Lucia helplessly said, "Okay."


    He could even find out her rtionship with August, not to mention her cell phone number.


    Lucia said, about to hang up, "That''s it."


    Before she hung up, Jamie''s voice came from the other side of the phone, "By the way, remember to


    dress formally for the night!"

 Chapter 63

    Chapter 63


    Lucia moved her lips and she had so many things to tell Pa, but these things could not be said over


    the phone.


    In the end, all the words turned into a question, "Pa, what would you do if you got married and found


    out your husband cheated on you?"


    "Divorcel"


    Pa said without hesitation, "Lucia, have you forgotten what we said before? First, we must marry the


    man we love and who loves us! Second, we will not tolerate marital infidelity!"


    Lucia felt some bitterness, "I didn''t forget..."


    She had always thought so, but she hadn''t even followed the first rule of the principle, and now she


    wasn''t sure if she could follow the second On the other end of the phone, Pa btedly sensed that


    something was wrong, "Why are you asking me this all of a sudden? Did you..."


    Lucia panicked and immediately exined, "No! I was just feeling something after hearing a colleague


    talk about herself..."


    Pa was relieved to hear her say so, "I was scared to death and I thought you were talking about


    yourself! All in all, I''m still sticking to what I thought at the time and will never change!"


    Hearing Pa''s words on the other end of the phone, Lucia also affirmed slightly, "Well, I will too."


    She actually didn''t follow the first rule.


    August and she got married in a hurry, without thinking about love or non-love.


    Then all she wanted was to live a good life with him, but now it seemed that he had something to hide


    from her and he might have another woman! She must not ept it, which was her bottom line and


    principle of marriage! Lucia suddenly figured it out, "Okay, Pa, I got it and I''ll let you go.Call me


    when you''re here."


    Hanging up the phone, Lucia took a deep breath and made sure of her thoughts.


    It seemed that she would have to find time to have a good talk with August.


    At night, it was gloomy outside and due to a little rain, it became cool and the air was wetter.


    Lucia sat on the couch and looked up at the clock on the wall.


    It was after nine o''clock and August shall be back by now.


    Not a momentter, the sound of a car rang out from outside the house.


    Soon, the door was pushed open and the tall August appeared in the foyer.


    Lucia straightened the clothes on her, got up, and walked towards him, taking the initiative, "You''re


    back?"


    "Mmm."


    August nced up at her lightly, then continued to change his shoes.


    As soon as she approached and smelled the faint smell of alcohol on him, Lucia couldn''t help but frown


    and poured a ss of water to hand to him.


    August took it indifferently.


    After a few sips, he saw that she hadn''t left yet, so he asked, "What else?"


    Lucia took a deep breath, "I want to talk to you."


    With his dark eyes, he put the cup down and said quietly, "Go ahead."


    Lucia clenched her fists.


    Although she was a little timid, she still plucked up the courage to ask, "Do you have...another


    woman?"


    After saying these words, she obviously felt August be somewhat somber, and the atmosphere


    around him seem to be colder.


    After a moment''s pause, a cold light swept through August''s eyes, and he spoke in a deep voice, "Let''s


    talk about it some other time."


    He could sense that Lucia was angry now.


    His confession at this time would only make her angrier, and then she would be even less likely to


    agree to donate her kidney.


    After saying that, he walked in the direction of the stairway.


    Seeing his attitude like this, Lucia was extremely disappointed.


    She was more afraid that he was hiding everything from her! And she, as his wife, clearly had the right


    to know all about him! Lucia stepped forward and reached out to take his arm, "Why can''t you say it


    now?"


    If he was going to say it sooner orter, why didn''t he just tell her now? August stopped, frowned, and


    suppressed the anger in his eyes.


    He was already anxious because of Jeanne''s surgery and thepany''s business.


    Now he had to face Lucia''s questioning when he got home, so he was naturally annoyed.


    He spoke, his voice sounding like it was rolling in his throat, "Do you have to have an answer today?"


    Lucia clenched her fist and gritted her teeth, "Yes."


    She just wanted him to give her an answer! August scowled and his lips pursed into a line.


    A momentter, he lifted his lips and said, "If you think so."


    After saying this, he let go of her and walked away, leaving Lucia alone in the same ce.


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    As expected, he really had another woman.


    Lucia was so disappointed that she felt her limbs a little numb.


    She sucked in a mouthful of cold air and took a long time to slow down.


    At first, she felt she was married to a perfect man and even without feelings, they could slowly cultivate


    and lived well.


    But now, the reality was like a basin of ice water that sshed her awake directly.


    Tossing in bed, Lucia stayed awake all night.


    By the time dawn broke, Lucia rubbed her astringent eyes before falling asleep, still in a messy mood.


    When she woke up, it was already noon.


    Lucia went downstairs and had something to eat.


    Then, she drank her medicine and sat bored in the living room.


    August didn''t let her go to the office, but she had nothing to do at home, so, she could easily think


    about August and got even more troubled.


    Suddenly, the cell phone on the table vibrated.


    Picking it up and seeing that it was an unfamiliar number, Lucia took a deep breath and


    absentmindedly pressed the answer button, "Hello?"


    A nice male voice with a smile came from the other end of the phone, "Do you miss me?"


    Lucia froze and instantly sobered up a bit.


    She had thought it was a harassing call, but the caller baffled her with the first sentence.


    "Who...who are you?"


    Were all harassing phone calls nowadays so special? The callerughed even more happily, "Lucia,


    don''t you even remember me?"


    Lucia froze for a moment and suddenly remembered a certain face.


    Then she responded, "Ja..Jamie?"


    "I knew you couldn''t have forgotten me."


    Jamie said flirtatiously as always, "You still owe me a meal, remember?"


    Lucia took a deep breath, which calmed her down a bit, "I remember."


    "Let''s go eat tonight and I''ve already subscribed the dining room."


    Lucia hesitated for a moment, "I..."


    She was not in the mood to go out for dinner right now, let alone have to deal with him.


    "What? No time?"


    Jamie smiled, "Or do you want to renege on the bill?"


    Hearing what he said, Lucia was speechless at once.


    She did promise Jamie that she owed him a meal, and it just so happened that she had nothing to do at


    home, so she might as well promise him.


    "Okay, you send me the address."


    "Okay, I''ll send it now."


    Not long after, Lucia''s phone vibrated and she received a text message.


    Lucia suddenly remembered something, "By the way, how do you know my cell phone number?"


    Jamie smiled to his heart''s content, ''I can know whenever I want."


    Lucia helplessly said, "Okay."


    He could even find out her rtionship with August, not to mention her cell phone number.


    Lucia said, about to hang up.


    ''That''s it."


    Before she hung up, Jamie''s voice came from the other side of the phone, "By the way, remember to


    dress formally for the night!"

 Chapter 64

    Chapter 64


    Dress formally? They weren''t going on an important date.What was the point of dressing so formally?


    Lucia casually put her phone aside and put what Jamie had said behind her.


    Soon, it was evening.


    Lucia put on a casual outfit and hurriedly went out after telling Turner.


    When she arrived at her destination by taxi, Lucia saw the name of the restaurant outside through the


    window and understood why Jamie had told her to dress formally.


    Brilliand, the only national restaurant in Austos City, was a ce for the best cuisine.


    It was beyond the reach of most ordinary people even if they had money.


    Lucia had heard of Brilliand, but she had never been here before.


    She hadn''t expected that Jamie would choose this ce for dinner.


    Thinking about him, Lucia saw Jamieing up in a dark blue suit as she got out of the car.


    When Jamie approached and saw what Lucia was wearing, he couldn''t help but stare at her with his


    eyes wide open, "Why are you..."


    Lucia said honestly, "We''re justing to dinner, so I dressed casually."


    Jamie was speechless, but after a few seconds, he couldn''t help butugh out loud.


    Sure enough, the woman he had his eye on was different.


    *All right."


    Jamie smiled.


    Then, he raised his hand to pull off the tie around his neck and took off his coat before he started to


    unbutton his shirt.


    Lucia was startled.


    "Why are you..."


    Why was he taking off his clothes in the street? Jamie unbuttoned the top two buttons on his shirt and


    rolled up his cuffs, winking at her.


    "You''re not alone now!"


    After that, he reached out his hand and held Lucia by the arm, pulling her towards the entrance.


    Lucia was stunned, wondering what was going on in this man''s mind.


    When they arrived at the restaurant on the second floor, the waiter showed them to a table by the


    window and then handed them a menu.


    After ordering, Lucia picked up her cup of tea and took a sip.


    When she looked up, she saw Jamie staring straight at her across the table.


    Perhaps because of his outright stare, Lucia''s cheeks got a little hot.


    "What are you...


    looking at?"


    "What a pity."


    Jamie shook his head, pretending to be sorry.


    "What?"


    Lucia got flustered by what he was doing.


    "What''s the pity?"


    "I mean the fact that you have married August."


    Jamie raised his eyebrows.


    "But I still have a chance."


    Hearing that, Lucia frowned.


    "Stop saying that."


    Jamie smiled and suddenly said in a sure tone, "Okay, but I bet you and August will get divorced


    sooner orter."


    Lucia''s heart skipped a beat when she heard his words.


    She didn''t know how long her rtionship with August wouldst.


    She was panicking after what had happened yesterday.


    It seemed that August had another woman out there, and Lucia had her bottom line and principles to


    uphold, so they weren''t likely to stay together for much longer.


    Jamie saw the gloom in Lucia''s eyes, and only then did he react, saying casually, "Forget it.Let''s stop


    talking about it.Now that we''re out here, why don''t we have some fun?"


    As he spoke, the waiter came over with the food.


    Jamie put on his disposable gloves and thoughtfully pulled the whole roast quail into small pieces


    before he pushed it to Lucia.


    Lucia paused and tried to decline.


    "No, thanks.I can do it myself."


    She was just about to push the te back when Jamie suddenly reached out and directly held her


    hand down.If you don''t take it, then I''ll feed you."


    Hearing that, Lucia looked up to meet Jamie''s charming eyes and got goose bumps.


    Being stared at by him like this, she just felt ufortable all over her body.


    Lucia hurriedly pulled her hand back.


    "No...thanks.I''ll eat it myself."


    Soon, the dishes came one after another.


    Thest one was beef soup and it was served by a young girl.


    She picked up the soup bowl from the tray and put it on the table carefully.


    However, her hands shook.


    Some of the soup spilled out and a few drops fell on Lucia''s arm.


    Lucia couldn''t help but gasp as she subconsciously withdrew her arm.


    "Sorry...I''m sorry.I''ll wipe it for you."


    The young girl hurriedly handed over a tissue.


    Lucia took it and said casually, "It''s okay."


    Jamie, who was sitting across the table, saw how red the burnt ce was on Lucia''s arm and his face


    immediately darkened.


    "What''s wrong with you?"


    The young girl raised her eyes and saw the stunningly handsome man ring at her.


    She was so scared that she lowered her head instantly.


    "I...I didn''t mean it."


    Lucia hastened to stop him.


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    "It''s okay, Jamie.I''m fine."


    Jamie said in a rare serious manner, "It''s hot soup.What if it''s spilled on your face?"


    With that, he stood up, reached out, and took Lucia''s wrist.


    "Come on.Let''s wash it with cold water."


    Burns can be serious or minor.


    Although she was only burnt on a small part of her arm, the skin there was so burning hot that she felt


    ufortable.


    Lucia was pulled to the public sink in the restroom before she could speak.


    Without saying a word, the man turned on the faucet, took her arm, and rinsed it with the water.


    With a frown, Jamie couldn''t help but say, "A small burn like this can leave a scar, you know? You


    should take better care of yourself as a woman!"


    Lucia was touched by his words.She was about to say thank you when footsteps suddenly came from


    the corridor nearby.She subconsciously turned her head to look and met the dark eyes of the man who


    wasing over.


    It was August! Lucia was startled and subconsciously pulled her hand out of Jamie''s.


    August looked as ck as thunder and stared at her unblinkingly with his dark eyes.


    Lucia felt as if the air around her had instantly gotten much thinner.She managed to muster up the


    courage.


    "August..."


    Before she finished her words, the man had already stepped forward and grabbed her hand without


    saying a word, dragging her directly into the adjacentdies'' room.


    Jamie reacted and hurriedly strode over.


    "August..."


    "Bang!"


    The door was closed all at once.


    Jamie was left outside with his eyebrows knitted.


    He pushed the door, only to find that it had been locked.


    Inside, Lucia backed up in surprise.


    "This is thedies''...room.'' August frowned.


    Without saying a word, he came forward and directly cornered Lucia.


    Then, he said in a cold voice, "Why are you with him?"


    He had told her to stay away from Jamie.


    However, she didn''t listen to him and got closer and closer to that man instead.


    What should he do? Lucia opened her mouth nervously without knowing how to exin.


    After all, she had to start with what had happened at the jewelry exhibition, for which she had promised


    to have a meal with Jamie.


    Suddenly, she remembered what had happenedst night.


    Feeling upset, she took a deep breath and said through clenched teeth, "I''m just having dinner with


    him.'' She pretended to be calm and the indifference in her eyes worked to irritate August.


    The man''s face clouded over with anger and he breathed heavily.


    His voice sounded like rolling in his throat as he said in a cold voice, "You were holding hands, talking,


    andughing And now you''re telling me that you''re just having dinner?"

 Chapter 65

    Chapter 65


    Lucia gritted her teeth and plucked up the courage to ask, "Do you hate to see me with another man?"


    She wasn''t allowed to have dinner with another man while he had another woman outside? What was


    the logic behind it? Besides, she didn''t think he would mind it even if she had another man.


    After all, the two of them hadn''t reached the point of falling in deep love with each other.


    He was simply furious because of his pride and face as a man? Or did he just think that she should


    unterally stick to the principles in marriage? Looking at the woman''s stubborn look, August wrinkled


    his eyebrows and moved his taut lips.


    Before he could say anything, heavy knocks on the door came from outside.


    "Bang! Bang! Bang!"


    Following that was Jamie''s voice with anger.


    "Open the door, August!"


    August''s face darkened terribly as he heard that.


    He felt like the other man here and now when he was actually Lucia''s husband Lucia can''t help but


    frown, hearing the voice outside.


    She was about to speak when she felt the sudden grip on her wrist.


    August opened the door of thedies'' room with a click and looked at Jamie outside with his cold dark


    eyes.


    Jamie paused before he reacted.


    He raised his eyes to look at Lucia and asked, "Are you all right, Lucia?"


    With that, he tried to step forward.


    Suddenly, a strong arm came over and directly pressed against his shoulder, stopping him from moving


    forward.


    Jamie''s face darkened abruptly.He looked at August warily.


    "What? You want a fight?"


    August''s face was sullen and cold as he said word by word, ''Think about whom you are, Jamie."


    Those words sounded so powerful, intimidating, and irrefutable.


    Instantly, Jamie found himself speechless as his face turned blue and red.


    After all, August was Lucia''swful husband while Jamie was just her suitor.


    Before Jamie could say anything, August had already pulled Lucia towards the door with quick steps.


    Just as they reached the door, Burton quickly came over with a somewhat anxious look on his face.


    "Mr.Adams, they''re all waiting for you to go back."


    Only then did Lucia know that August had an appointment here.She struggled, trying to get her hand


    out of the man''s grip.


    "Let go of me.I can go back on my own."


    August didn''t let go of her.


    Instead, he turned to Burton and said in a deep voice, "Tell them I''m leaving now and the cooperation


    can be discussedter."


    With these words, he stepped out of Brilliand with Lucia.


    Having been half pulled into the car, Lucia took a deep breath and watched as the man next to her


    furiously started the car and fastened his seat belt.She knew that August was really angry this time.


    It was unusually silent on their way back.


    Lucia could feel the oppressive atmosphere in the car.She managed to brace herself without even


    turning to look at the man.


    This time, she wouldn''t back down.


    The car stopped at the house.


    Lucia pushed open the door and got out of the car without saying a word.


    Just after a few steps, she heard the door of the car closed with a bang behind her, and soon the


    footsteps of the man approached.


    "Lucia, let''s talk: "I have nothing to talk about with you."


    Lucia didn''t slow down her pace as she spoke.


    Watching the stubborn woman from behind, August frowned and stopped short of telling her what he


    meant to talk about.


    If he told her all about his purpose of marrying her at this point, he was afraid that she would be even


    more furious.


    August clenched his fists slightly and managed to hold back his urge to tell the truth.


    It would be better to wait until they both calmed down.


    Seeing the woman disappear up the stairs, he stood where he was, paused for a few seconds, and


    turned to stride out the door.


    "Sir..."


    August had just reached the door when he heard a voiceing from the side with a bit of hesitation.


    Turner stood at the door of the kitchen with a hint of concern on her face.


    August paused and said in a deep voice, "Take care of her."


    With that, he stepped out directly August didn''te back in the next three days.


    On the third morning, the look on Lucia''s face changed as soon as she smelled the pancakes at the


    table and an uncontroble wave of nausea swept over her.


    She covered her mouth and had dry heaves.


    Turner saw this and rushed up to her.


    "Why are you feeling sick again?"


    Something simr had happened at dinnerst night.


    Turner had thought it was because Lucia was so upset after the fight with August that she lost her


    appetite.


    She hadn''t expected that the same thing would happen again today.


    Turner was somewhat worried, "Shall we call Dr.Tumulty, asking him toe over and check on you?


    Is it because of the medicine you have been taking these days?"


    Lucia waved her hand despite feeling sick.


    "It''s okay, Turner."


    She didn''t want to bother anyone associated with the Adams family too much.


    Besides, she was in a bad mood these days and it was natural that she didn''t feel like eating anything.


    Turner had to listen to Lucia.


    She put the pancakes aside and heated a ss of milk for Lucia.


    However, Lucia still had little appetite and she couldn''t eat anymore after having a bun.


    Turner said, "Have a dumpling.It''s not greasy."


    The look on Lucia''s face changed as soon as she heard that.


    She got up immediately, rushed to the bathroom, and started vomiting into the toilet, The small bun that


    she had just managed to eat was vomited up.


    Turner patted Lucia on the back.She felt that something was wrong as she thought about it.


    "Are you...pregnant?"


    Lucia was startled at those words.


    "It''s...It''s impossible!"


    Turner said hesitantly, "But you look like..."


    Lucia straightened up and rinsed her mouth.She was a little nervous, thinking about what Turner had


    said.


    On second thought it was really possible.


    Lucia turned to Turner, took a deep breath, and said, "I''m going to the hospital for an exam today,


    Turner.We''ll find it out then."


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    "Okay, I''ll go with you."


    Lucia smiled at her and politely declined.


    "No, thanks.Aren''t you going to see your granddaughter this afternoon? I''ll just go by myself."


    "Okay then...Do you want me to tell Mr.Adams about this?"


    "No,"


    Lucia took a deep breath and said immediately.


    "I''ll tell him after the exam."


    Hearing that, Turner nodded.


    "Okay."


    Back in her room, Lucia packed her things and immediately got up, ready to go to the hospital.She


    didn''t know what to do if she really was pregnant at this point.She walked out of the house, crossed the


    path, and got out of the vi area.She was trying to hail a taxi online when an orange one came over.


    The front window was rolled down, revealing the face of a simple, honest middle aged man.


    "Where are you going, girl?"


    Lucia put away her phone.


    "I''m going to the hospital."


    The driver grinned at her.


    "Get in."


    Lucia didn''t refuse.She opened the door and got into the car.


    The car slowly turned around and the driver looked at her in the rearview mirror.


    "Which hospital are you going to Lucia hesitated for a moment.


    Before she decided, the driver asked, "Are you going to the hospital for yourself? Lucia said lightly.


    "Yes, I want to have an exam."


    "Okay, I know a good hospital."


    With that, the driver turned the wheel straight away.


    "The Essence Hospital is clean and upscale."


    Lucia had vaguely heard of this hospital before.


    Now that she couldn''t think of any other hospital, she followed the driver''s advice and said, "Then let''s


    go there."


    Anyway, she was just going to the hospital for a simple gynecological examination.

 Chapter 66

    Chapter 66


    After twenty minutes in the car, Lucia checked the time and looked at the somewhat unfamiliar


    road.She couldn''t help but ask, "When will we get there, Sir?"


    They would have arrived at the Central Hospital by now if she had chosen to go there, but now they


    were getting farther and farther away from the city proper.


    The driver smiled at her.


    "We''ll be there soon."


    Lucia clenched her fists uneasily, thinking that she had met a driver who deliberately detoured her.


    Just as she wondered if she should get out of the car now, she saw a hospital-like building.


    When the car went closer, Lucia saw that it was really a hospital, the Essence Hospital.


    The white and warm yellow building was simple and distinct.


    Lucia paid the fare and immediately understood when she noticed that the cars outside the hospital


    were all expensive ones.


    It turned out that this was a private hospital.


    It was a nice ce with high-end equipment, so the fees here might be high.


    Lucia didn''t think much about it.


    She stepped into the hospital, registered, and had the examination.


    The results came in less than half an hour after blood sampling was done.


    Lucia went into the consulting room and sat down in front of a friendly-looking female doctor.


    The female doctor pushed the report to her.


    "You''re pregnant."


    "What?" Lucia froze.


    All the unease and spection she had turned into shock.


    When she came here, she had got that the odds were slim, but to her surprise, she was really


    pregnant! Biting her lip, she looked at the report in front of her, not knowing what to do at the moment.


    Seeing what Lucia was like, the female doctor across the desk said in a softer voice, "It''s not long, just


    over a month, so it''s the right time for surgery."


    Lucia knew what the doctor meant by surgery.


    She was stunned and then said feebly,"I''ll think about it."


    After all, it wasn''t just her baby.


    Her life with August was already a mess and it so happened that the baby wasing at this point.She


    was really caught off guard.


    With the report in her hand, Lucia walked out of the consulting room.


    She felt it was weighing on her so much that she couldn''t breathe.


    If August knew she was pregnant, would he have a better life with her? Lucia was lost in thought as


    she walked forward.She didn''t even notice that a medical trolley wasing at her.


    It was so fast that when she reacted, it had already hit her.


    Lucia''s arm hurt from the impact.


    When she came back to her senses, she saw a nurse in a pink uniform holding the trolley steady.


    The nurse smiled at her and quickly apologized.


    "Sorry, my hand slipped."


    Lucia waved her hand.


    "It''s okay."


    After that, she was about to walk away when the nurse suddenly stopped her.


    "Wait a minute, Madam."


    "What?"


    "Just now the trolley hit you and there is some used medical waste on it, which is not very clean.I''ll find


    a ce and disinfect it for you.Do you think that''s okay?"


    Lucia nced at the used gauze in the blue stic bag on the trolley and nodded hesitantly.


    "Yes."


    Now that she was pregnant, she had to be more careful even for the sake of the baby.


    The nurse put the trolley in the adjacent space in the corridor and showed her the way instead.


    "Come with me, please."


    All Lucia was thinking about was the fact that she was pregnant.


    The next thing she knew, she had taken the elevator to the eighth floor with the nurse.


    It was obviously different from the floor she had been on just now.


    From the quiet environment and the neat wards here, she could easily tell that it was a VIP floor.


    They walked into a small consulting room between the wards.


    The nurse pointed to a chair in the room and said in a gentle voice, "I''m a nurse on this floor.Please sit


    and wait for a minute.I''ll fetch some liquid ande back soon."


    Lucia nodded and sat down in the chair to wait.


    After the nurse left, she was the only one left in the consulting room.


    Lucia gasped, took out her phone, and found August''s name in her contacts.


    Looking at his number, she hesitated, not knowing if she should give him a call.He hadn''te home


    for several days in a row.


    She didn''t think he woulde back if she didn''t call him.


    But she had to tell him about her pregnancy.


    Biting her lip, Lucia encouraged herself quietly, only to find that she didn''t have the courage to make


    the call.


    After a few seconds, she put away her phone.


    Well, she decided to wait until she got home.


    Lucia waited alone in the consulting room for quite a while without seeing the nursee back, so she


    stood up) walked to the door, and pulled it open.


    She poked her head out to take a look.


    When she heard some small sounds nearby, she turned around and saw a familiar figure walking


    towards the elevator.


    Wasn''t that Burton? What was he doing here? Lucia narrowed her eyes and took a closer look.


    It was really him.


    Lucia was confused.


    Before she could walk out, the door of a ward not far away was pushed open and a white-coated blond


    doctor came out, followed by a tall, imposing man.


    The moment she saw the man''s face from the side, Lucia stiffened.


    What was August doing here? Was he sick? Before she could think carefully, the man turned his head


    as if to look over here.


    Lucia hurriedly took a step back and retreated into the consulting room.


    With her heart pounding, Lucia hid behind the door, feeling inexplicably nervous.


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    She felt like a thief.


    At that moment, the man''s cold and unique voice came.


    "Is she ready for the surgery, Peter?"


    Hearing that, Lucia unconsciously held her breath and pricked up her ears.


    Who was going to have the surgery? The foreign doctor answered in fluent Chinese, "Miss Kelly''s


    physical condition is okay now, but her emotions are not so stable, which is the most worrying thing for


    our team at the moment.In the long run, it''s not good for her to do the surgery like this."


    August''s voice came again.


    Lucia could even tell that he was a bit worried from his tone.


    "So do you have a good solution now?"


    "Now, it''s best for her to have the surgery as soon as possible.I''ve read the information you sent me


    about the kidney donorst time.I can arrange the surgery as soon as possible if it''s okay with the


    donor."


    August paused for a few seconds before speaking, "I see.I''ll make it as soon as possible.Thank you."


    Peter said gently.


    "You''re wee.Lucia stood at the door in the consulting room.Behind the door that was left ajar, she


    took in the conversation between the two men not far away.


    After that, she was still a little confused.


    Their conversation carried too much information and she was not interested in it.


    Suddenly, a name that the doctor had just said shed through her mind.


    Miss Kelly? Was it Jeanne? Lucia had rxed both physically and mentally, but now she stiffened


    instantly again because of this name.


    She stood there with her mind in turmoil.


    Suddenly, another voice came from outside the door.


    "Mr.Adams, it''s all set."


    It was Burton.


    "Hmm,"


    August replied in a cold voice.


    After a short pause, he seemed to think of something.


    Is all the paperwork for organ donation ready?"


    Burton answered seriously.


    "Yes.We just need Mrs.Adams'' signature now."


    The moment she heard these words, Lucia suddenly felt like she had been struck by lightning.


    She cked out for a moment, feeling dizzy.


    Had she heard it right? She was an organ donor? How could that be? The next moment, what the man


    said made it all clear.


    "Well, prepare another copy of Lucia''s physical examination report and give it to Peter for preoperative


    reference."


    "Yes."


    Lucia shivered as a chill extended to her limbs with the man''s voice.


    Lucia was the kidney donor while Jeanne needed the surgery, but she knew nothing about it and


    foolishly married August, trying to have a good life with him.


    How ridiculous it was!

 Chapter 67

    Chapter 67


    Lucia hid behind the door of the consulting room, with her limbs freezing cold.She bit her lower lip and


    felt the pain, which slowly brought her back to her senses.


    No wonder August had wanted to marry her, taken her for a thorough examination, and said that her


    body was more than hers.


    It turned out that all of this had been deliberately nned for a long time! He had married her so that


    she could donate her kidney to the woman he loved! The feeling of suffocation weighed on Lucia,


    leaving her almost breathless.


    This fact was nothing else but the cruelest blow to her and she happened to be pregnant with August''s


    child at this point! She would never let them have their way! She wouldn''t donate her kidney to Jeanne!


    She would escape from this terrible plot with the baby in her belly, and from August! Something was


    slowly determined in her mind.


    Lucia gritted her teeth and made up her mind.


    Hearing no more sound outside, she cautiously poked her head out to take a look and walked out


    quickly when she saw that no one was out there.


    She had to get out of here right now! She walked quickly to the elevator and inevitably stumbled due to


    her nervousness.


    Suddenly, the door of the ward opened and Burton came out of it.


    He couldn''t help but take a few more nces when he saw a suspicious figure rushing away.


    That figure looked somewhat familiar.


    Burton took a closer look and the expression on his face changed instantly.


    It was Lucia! What was she doing here? Did she find it out? Burton panicked and immediately turned


    around to knock on the door of the ward.


    He opened the door to get in, walked up to August, and said in a low voice, "Bad news, Mr.Adams.I just


    saw Mrs.Adams outside."


    The look in August''s eyes suddenly turned cold.


    "What?"


    "What''s wrong, August?"


    The woman, who was reading a book by the window in the sun, suddenly raised her head and looked


    at them with confusion.


    August raised his eyes and looked at Jeanne who was pale in her white dress.


    The look in his eyes softened a bit.


    "Nothing special.Just some business.Don''t worry."


    Jeanne nodded.


    She lowered her head and went back to her book.


    Walking out of the ward, August closed the door behind him before he looked at Burton, signaling to


    him to continue.


    "Just now I came out and saw Mrs.Adams rushing over to the elevator.I think..."


    August''s eyes darkened.


    "You mean she found it out?"


    Burton nodded.


    "Yes, I think so."


    August frowned and paused for a few seconds before he said in a cold voice, "I''ll go back and see."


    "Well, what about Miss Kelly?"


    "Tell her I have something to do and I''ll be back to see herter."


    With that, August strode out.


    His n would get disrupted if Lucia really found it out ahead of time, so he had to hurry back and talk


    to her about it! Meanwhile, Lucia was trembling uncontrobly as she sat in the taxi.


    The secret she had inadvertently discovered was too great a blow for her to ept in a short time.


    The driver up front took a few more looks at Lucia when he saw how pale and flustered she was.


    Finally, the driver could not help but ask, "Do you need help, girl?"


    Lucia shook her head nkly and clenched her hands.


    "No, please drive faster.Thank you very much."


    Now she just wanted to get back to the house, pack her things up and escape from August as soon as


    possible.


    Hearing that, the driver stopped asking and stepped on the gas to speed up the car.


    Soon, the car arrived at the house.


    Lucia paid the fare, got out of the car in a panic, and walked quickly into the house Without telling


    Turner, Lucia immediately went back to her bedroom, pulled out her suitcase, and began to pack.


    She hadn''t spent so many days with August, but now it felt like a dream when she thought about it.


    At the end of the day, she realized that it was a nightmare! She hurriedly stuffed her things into the


    suitcase and tears came out of her eyes before she knew it.


    She had thought that she was really lucky to marry such a perfect man, only to find that she had been


    cheated in the end! She raised her hand, wiped her tears haphazardly with its back, and tried to zip up


    the suitcase.


    Just as she was halfway through, a cold male voice came from behind her.


    "Where are you going, Lucia?"


    Lucia trembled and turned around instantly looking at August with panic and fear.She gritted her teeth.


    "You...stop calling me Lucia!"


    August frowned slightly and stepped forward.


    The look in his eyes was as calm as ever when he asked in a deep voice, "You found it all out?"


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    Luciaughed in a hoarse voice.


    "Or what? How much longer do you want to hide it from me?"


    "I didn''t mean to hide it from you."


    Something dark flickered in the man''s eyes.


    "It was just not the right time to tell you."


    Lucia clenched her fists and felt a pang of pain in her heart.


    "So what? When were you nning to tell me? When I''m forced into signing some kind of kidney


    donation agreement?"


    The look in August''s calm eyes finally changed and a sense of guilt grew at the bottom of his heart as


    he looked at the woman in front of him with red and swollen eyes.


    He shouldn''t have kept it from her until now.


    He had looked for two whole years without finding a right kidney donor for Jeanne.


    And now Lucia was the only one who could save Jeanne''s life.


    He was afraid that Jeanne wouldn''t make it to that day when he found another one.


    He raised his eyes and said in a serious tone, "Right now, only you can help me."


    Lucia subconsciously took a step back and curled her lips into a bitter smile.


    After a few seconds, she said lightly, "I can''t help you or donate my kidney because I''m pregnant."


    Hearing that, August knitted his brows and couldn''t speak for quite a while.


    He had never expected that she would be pregnant at this point.


    Lucia gritted her teeth and gathered her courage.


    "I''m leaving you, August, but I''ll keep the baby."


    She didn''t want to have anything more to do with him.


    After these words, she zipped up her suitcase, lifted it, and headed out.


    The moment she brushed past the man, Lucia suddenly felt a tight grip on her arm.She looked up and


    met the man''s deep eyes.


    His voice was deep and husky.


    "Please help Jeanne, Lucia.She doesn''t have much time left."


    Lucia clenched her fists and asked coldly, "What about my baby?"


    August finally moved his taut lips.


    "Abort it, and I''ll make it up to you."


    These words came as a bolt from the blue to Lucia.


    She exploded with anger and shook August''s hand off, looking at him in disbelief.


    "It''s your child, August!"


    Just to save Jeanne, he actually asked her to abort his child and donate her kidney to that woman!


    August''s eyes darkened.


    He looked at Lucia and said in a deep voice, "I will do whatever you want."


    He would do anything she wanted if she agreed to save Jeanne''s life.


    His words wrenched at her heart.


    Lucia bit her lip and a cold smile showed up in her eyes.


    After a few seconds, she said word by word, "No way.I will never donate my kidney to her!"


    With that, she walked straight around him towards the side.


    August frowned and immediately stepped up to follow her.


    "Lucia!"


    She wouldn''t be so cruel! Lucia had just reached the stairway when her arm was grabbed.


    She gritted her teeth and turned around violently to push him away! "Don''t you touch me!"


    After pushing him away, she staggered back a few steps.


    Suddenly, she lost her footing and found herself falling backward uncontrobly!

 Chapter 68

    Chapter 68


    Lucia fell uncontrobly andnded hard on the staircase with a sharp pain in her back.


    The next second, she rolled down the stairs.


    The look on August''s face changed instantly.


    "Lucia!"


    With a thud, Lucia''s ears buzzed and the pain from the impact spread to all her limbs over and over


    again.


    She struggled to open her eyes and found the ceiling more and more blurred.


    The man''s face shed before her eyes and she thought she saw concern in his cold eyes.


    Gradually, Lucia cked out and fell unconscious.


    "Call an ambnce, Turner!"


    Anxiety flickered in August''s eyes.He looked at the woman lying on the floor, but he didn''t dare to touch


    her, for fear that it would be worse if he caused further injuries.


    Turner was stunned when she rushed over and saw Lucia on the floor.


    She took the phone and called for help right away.


    Ten minutester, an ambnce came at full speed with the sound of its siren and stopped at the


    entrance of the house.


    Lucia had a long dream in which she was pregnant and about to give birth.


    For some reason, a bloody hole suddenly appeared in her belly and blood was gushing out.


    She screamed for help, but there was no one around.


    When she turned around, she found an all too familiar face.


    However, August nced at her indifferently and walked away.


    "No!".


    Lucia tensed and screamed out abruptly.


    She opened her eyes and saw a snow-white ceiling.


    She gasped and ayer of cold sweat seeped out of her forehead and back.


    Where...was she?


    "You are finally awake, Madam!"


    A familiar voice came to her ears.


    Lucia paused and slowly turned around to see Turner by her bed.


    "Where...am I?"


    She moved her lips and took a breath.


    For some reason, she felt a pain in her belly at the same time.


    A look of pity appeared in Turner''s eyes.


    "You''re in the hospital.You fell down the stairs at home and have been lying here for two days."


    Hearing that, Lucia tried to move her body, but to her surprise, she felt like she had been run over by a


    truck and the pain was killing her.


    Turner quickly soothed her.


    "Don''t move.You have a lot of injuries and need to rest now.Fortunately, none of your bones are


    broken.Otherwise, it would have been serious."


    Lucia frowned.


    She felt that something was wrong with her body, but she couldn''t tell what it was.


    After a pause, she moved her lips.


    "Turner...I''m thirsty."


    Turner immediately reacted to her words, picked up the ss and small spoon nearby, and slowly fed


    her water.


    Just then, the door was suddenly opened.


    "You woke up?"


    Lucia shivered involuntarily at the sound of this voice.


    Turner said, "She just woke up."


    August nodded slightly.


    He reached out to take the ss from Turner and said lightly, "I''ll do it."


    Turner got it and went out of the room right away.


    The door was closed and it was a lot quieter in the room at once.


    Lucia nced at the man by the bed from the corner of her eye and frowned, refusing to look at him


    squarely.


    Noticing the woman''s eyes, August took a deep breath, got a little water with the small spoon, and


    brought it to her lips.


    Lucia turned her head away, unwilling to drink.


    The atmosphere suddenly became much colder.


    August wrinkled his eyebrows.


    He put the spoon and ss down, and said lightly, "Sorry, it''s my fault that the baby..."


    He suddenly stopped talking.


    Lucia froze and turned to look at him with surprise in her eyes, "The baby...What''s wrong with it?"


    A trace of hesitation flickered in August''s deep dark eyes.


    He moved his taut lips and said in a deep voice, "It''s gone."


    These two words came as a bolt from the blue to Lucia.


    "It''s...gone?"


    No wonder she felt something strange in her body as soon as she woke up and the pain in her belly


    involved her whole body.


    Turner hadn''t said anything else just now, so Lucia had thought the baby was fine.


    But if she thought about it, she was lucky that she didn''t have any broken bones after rolling down


    those high steps, so how could she hope that the vulnerable baby in her belly was still safe and sound?


    Tears slipped quietly from the corners of her eyes as Lucia felt the painful wrench at her heart.


    She clenched her fists, but it was difficult for her to even sit up.


    That little thing had left her before she experienced what it was like to be a mother.


    August looked at the woman''s reaction.


    His eyes darkened and his frown deepened as he said in a deep, husky voice, "I''m sorry, Lucia."


    Lucia gritted her teeth and forced the words out of the corner of her mouth.


    "You...get out! I don''t want to see you!"


    It was all because of him! If he hadn''t forced her to donate her kidney to Jeanne, things wouldn''t have


    come to this point! After saying that, she turned her head to the side, refusing to give August another


    look.


    August stood at the head of the bed with his deep eyes fixed on her.


    After a moment, he turned to step out of the ward without saying anything.


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    At this point, it was so tricky that he couldn''t control the situation anymore.


    The only thing he could do was try his best to make it up to her.


    Luciay on the bed with her tears soaking the pillow.


    She wouldn''t say a word, no matter what Turner said to her.


    Turner tried hard to persuade her.


    "You should eat something, Madam, or you won''t get well."


    Lucia stared at the ceiling in a daze.


    All that came to her mind was how she and August had been getting along over the days.


    On many asions, she had thought that he was in love with her, but at the end of the day, she was


    just a kidney donor he was using as a tool.


    "Listen to me, Madam, you can''t get out of bed or do anything if you''re not well enough!"


    Turner''s voice came to her ears, pulling her back to reality.


    Her eyshes fluttered and she finally reacted.


    Turner was right.


    If she didn''t get better soon, how could she escape from this terrible man? Lucia blinked and held back


    her tears as she said in a low voice, "I''ll eat."


    Hearing that, Turner immediately responded.


    She picked up the porridge next to her and fed Lucia with the spoon.


    After eating half of it, Lucia frowned and was about to say she didn''t want any more when the door was


    suddenly opened.


    "Lucia!"


    Along with the familiar voice of the middle-aged woman, Mrs.Mitchell came in almost in a rush.


    Her eyes instantly turned red when she saw Lucia lying on the bed, Lucia felt that her heart skipped a


    beat when she saw the visitor.


    Tears kept pouring out of her eyes.


    "Mom..."


    "What...happened to you?"


    Mrs.Mitchell asked in a trembling voice and the look in her eyes showed how bad she felt for Lucia.


    Mr.Mitchell came in after Mrs.Mitchell.


    He looked upset too when he saw what was going on here.


    Lucia calmed down a bit and quickly asked, "Why are you here, Mom?"


    Your father and I received a call from August and knew that something happened to you, so we rushed


    over here."


    Hearing the man''s name, Lucia frowned and the look on her face turned a bit colder.


    She guessed that he had told her parents about her ident without mentioning the cause.


    Mrs.Mitchell wiped her tears at the side.


    "What the hell happened to you, Lucia? Say something!"


    Lucia came back to her senses.


    She gritted her teeth and said softly, "I fell down the stairs by ident."


    Mrs.Mitchell was both upset and angry.


    "By ident? Why were you so careless? Mr.Mitchell was sort of calm.


    He sighed, "Stop it.You''re giving her a hard time."


    Hearing that, Mrs.Mitchell sniffed, wiped her tears, and stopped talking.


    She raised her eyes to look around the room and found no one else but Turner.


    "Where''s August, Lucia? Why isn''t he here after what happened to you?"

 Chapter 69

    Chapter 69


    Lucia bit her lip and said lightly, "He just came to see me and left because he had some business to


    take care of."


    She didn''t want to tell her parents the truth of the matter.


    They would be worried about her.


    Besides, Mr.Mitchell had a heart condition.


    If he learned of the truth, he would definitely get irritated, so she might as well hide it from them.


    Mrs.Mitchell didn''t ask any more questions when she heard Lucia say that.


    She sat down, said something with concern, and then peeled an apple and poured hot water for Lucia.


    When it was mealtime, Mr.and Mrs.Mitchell still had no intention to leave.


    Lucia said softly, "Mom and Dad, why don''t you go home now? It''s mealtime soon."


    Mrs.Mitchell frowned and wanted to say she would stay with Lucia, but Mr.Mitchell reached out to pull


    her and said, "Let''s go.


    Lucia needs to have a rest."


    Only then did Mrs.Mitchell get up, Lucia clenched her hands slowly under the quilt.


    She smiled at them and pretended to be calm as she said, "Mom and Dad, don''t worry.Turner is here to


    take care of me.I will be fine."


    Mrs.Mitchell said lovingly, "Get some rest.I''lle back to see you with chicken soup."


    Lucia nodded and watched as they left.


    The moment the door closed, she breathed a long sigh of relief.


    When she saw Mr.and Mrs.Mitchell just now, she felt so much more upset that tears came to her eyes.


    If they hadn''t left, she would have cried out.


    Now, only she knew the grievances she had gone through.


    After being taken care of by Turner for a few days, Lucia was finally able to get out of bed.


    There were still a lot of injuries all over her body, but luckily, she didn''t have any broken bones, so she


    could still move around.


    However, August hadn''te to see her in the past few days and her resentment towards him was


    slowly increasing.


    "Turner, I''ll just go out for a walk.You can stay here."


    Turner was still worried when she heard Lucia say that, but seeing how determined Lucia was, she


    couldn''t say anything else.


    Out of the ward, Lucia took a deep breath.


    She had been spending her days in the ward and hadn''t seen the sun outside for a long time.


    When she got to the elevator, Lucia saw the slogan next to it and realized that it was Essence Hospital.


    It was the same hospital where she had inadvertently stumbled upon August''s secret and where


    Jeanne was staying.


    When she got into the elevator, Lucia bit her lip and pressed the button to go up, with some unknown


    feelings at the bottom of her heart.


    She would like to see what Jeanne was like and why August would put so much attention and effort


    into protecting and caring for that woman.


    He would rather give up his child to save Jeanne.


    Out of the elevator, Lucia walked forward following the way in her memory.


    It didn''t take long for her to see Burton standing outside a ward.


    Lucia''s heart skipped a beat.


    Was August there? She bit her lip and walked forward with clenched fists.


    Burton looked a little serious when he noticed her.


    "Madam, what are you..."


    Lucia limped forward and pretended to be calm as she said after a deep breath, "I''m just here to take a


    look.Is that okay?"


    Burton looked a little embarrassed.


    "Madam..."


    Lucia wrinkled her brow slightly.


    "August is in there?"


    Burton answered truthfully, "Yes."


    Lucia''s heart sank when she heard that.


    Sure enough, Jeanne was the more important to him.


    Lucia was in the same hospital as Jeanne, and he had only visited Lucia once when she woke up and


    spent the rest of the time here with Jeanne.


    It was clear to Lucia whom he cared about more.


    "I''ll just have a look from outside.I''m not going in "Lucia bit her lip and her tone was firm.


    Burton looked hesitant Lucia could tell what he was thinking.


    She looked down at her bruised body and said, "Do you think can do anything to them like this now?"


    Burton had nothing to say He paused for a few seconds and then slowly moved out of the way Lucia


    slowly walked to the door and raised her head to look inside through the small square window on the


    door.


    On the couch next to therge window, August was flipping through a book on hisp with his head


    slightly bowed, and a slender, pale woman was nestled against the man''s chest as they read the book


    together.


    The sun shone in, enveloping them with ayer of soft light.


    They were like a divine couple, matching and harmonious.


    Suddenly, the woman raised her head and said something to August.


    The man''s lips curved and a gentle smile appeared in his eyes.


    That smile wrenched at Lucia''s heart as she was caught off guard.


    In her memory, August had never been so gentle with her.


    Sure enough, she could tell that he didn''t love her from the way he looked at her.


    But why did he have to marry her? Was it just for her kidney that matched Jeanne''s? Lucia felt a pang


    of suffocation.


    She gritted her teeth, looked away, and turned to leave.


    After two steps, she suddenly thought of something and turned to Burton, asking quietly.


    "They have been in love before he met me, right?", A hint of hesitation flickered in Burton''s eyes.


    He paused and said quietly.


    "I''m sorry, Madam, but I can''t tell you."


    Seeing his micro-expression, Lucia curled her lips into a smile.She had already had an answer in her


    mind.


    So, there wasn''t another woman between her and August, because she was the other woman between


    him and Jeanne.


    And she had been holding on to her bottom line and principles.


    It was really ridiculous when she thought about it now.


    Inside the VIP ward, August closed the book and coaxed Jeanne into resting for a while.


    When she fell asleep, he walked out of the ward.


    Seeing him out, Burton looked a little hesitant.


    "Mr.Adams..."


    The look in August''s eyes showed a bit of fatigue.


    "What?"


    "Mrs.Adams came over just now..."


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    Burton told him exactly what had happened half an hour ago.


    August frowned.


    Something flickered in his deep eyes and he said in a light voice, "I''ll go and see her."


    With that, he stepped away.


    August stopped at the door of Lucia''s ward and looked at the woman lying still on the bed, with mixed


    feelings.


    "Hello, Sir."


    Turner approached from the side.


    August nodded his head.


    Turner said hesitantly, "Why don''t youe in this time?"


    In the past few days, August hade several times, but he just took a look outside the door and left


    without going inside.


    August hesitated for a moment.


    Finally, he reached out his hand to open the door and slowly walked in.


    Hearing the sound, Lucia mechanically turned around and the look in her eyes became sullen when


    she saw him.


    Now, she didn''t want to see him at all.


    August moved his lips and asked softly, "How are you feeling these days?"


    Lucia lightly responded, "Pretty good."


    August paused and then said, "I heard that your parents came several times.Did they..."


    Lucia said in a cold voice, "I didn''t tell them the truth and exined it to you, so don''t worry."


    August paused and found himself speechless.


    After a moment, he took a half step forward and moved closer.


    "Just tell me if you want anything."


    He would try to make up for what he owed her.


    Hearing that, Lucia stiffened.She turned suddenly to look at August seriously.


    "You''ll do whatever I want?"


    August didn''t hesitate.


    "Yes."


    "I want a divorce."

 Chapter 70

    Chapter 70


    August knitted his eyebrows slightly and shock flickered in his deep dark eyes.


    His voice was deep and cold as he said, "You want a divorce?"


    Lucia turned around and stared at the man as she said word by word, "Yes, I want a divorce."


    She had already made up her mind just now.


    Their marriage had been a mistake, and now, she wanted to stop it in time.


    August''s frown deepened and his taut jaw showed that he was forcing back his anger.


    "We haven''t gotten this far yet, Lucia, have we?"


    She was already asking for a divorce before he tried to make up for it?


    "No?"


    Lucia met his eyes without the slightest fear and said word by word, "You have someone you love.So


    what am I? The other woman?"


    What did he want? Did he want to have more than one wife as men did in ancient times? August''s face


    darkened when she said that.


    He pursed his thin lips and it took him quite a while before he said, "I''ll agree if you really want."


    After that, he took out a nk check and put it directly on the bedside table next to him, saying coldly,


    "You can take this check aspensation."


    Lucia turned around and fixed her eyes on the check.


    After half a second, she sneered, "So, I can put any figures I like on it, right?"


    She had never thought that this kind of drama would happen to her one day! How ridiculous! August


    pursed his thin lips in silence without replying.


    Lucia simmered with rage.


    Almost immediately, she reached for the check and raised her eyes to meet the man''s dark eyes.


    "Do you think all I want is your money? Or do you think that the dead baby can be put into figures?"


    With that, she suddenly tore the check in her hand.


    Her eyes were red and she said with hatred, "I don''t want it!"


    The scraps of paper fell on the side of the bed.


    August wrinkled his eyebrows, but in the end, he didn''t say a word.


    At this point, there was no way for them to go back to their old rtionship.


    Lucia took a deep breath and suppressed her anger.


    She pretended to be calm as she said in a determined tone, "I won''t take your money or donate my


    kidney.I just want to divorce you."


    August''s frown deepened.


    He paused and held back the words that wereing out of his mouth after all.


    Atst, he said in a deep voice, "Take care of yourself."


    With that, he directly turned around, opened the door, and walked out.


    The moment it was quiet again in the room, Tears finally came out of Lucia''s eyes.


    The first marriage in her life wasing to a hasty end like this? The next morning, Lucia woke up and


    wiped her face.


    She happened to see Burton standing at the door just after the nurse checked her injuries.


    He stepped into the ward when the nurse left.


    "Mrs.Adams, Mr.Adams told me toe..."


    Lucia interrupted him and said lightly, "I''m not Mrs.Adams anymore."


    Burton must have known that she and August were getting a divorce.


    Burton paused and a trace of embarrassment shed across his face.He slowly handed over the


    document in his hand.


    "This is for you from Mr.Adams."


    The document in ck and white had two bold words printed on it, "Divorce Agreement."


    A bitter smile appeared at the corners of Lucia''s mouth as she took the agreement and saw that August


    had already signed his name on it.


    She picked up the pen and signed her name.


    After it was all done, she handed the agreement back to Burton and said in a distant and cold tone,


    "Thank you."


    Burton hesitated for a moment before he turned to walk out.


    Just then, Turner came back from buying food for breakfast.


    Seeing what Lucia looked like, she quickly asked, "What''s wrong with you, Madam?"


    Lucia turned to her and said lightly.


    "I have something to tell you, Turner."


    Turner put down the food and came forward.


    "What is it?"


    "August and I are divorced, so you don''t need to take care of me anymore."


    "What?"


    Turner looked stunned.


    "Why?"


    "It''s just that we''re not right for each other."


    Lucia smiled at her.


    "And I''m getting out of the hospital today and going to stay with my parents."


    Turner looked at Lucia in disbelief.


    She seemed to have a million questions to ask, but when she saw Lucia''s expression, she finally held


    back what she wanted to say.


    Lucia was determined.


    She went through the discharge procedures herself, packed her things, and got ready to leave.


    "Madam..."


    Turner stopped Lucia.


    "Your injuries..."


    "Don''t worry, Turner.I''ll take care of myself.If you really want to help me, please pack my stuff at the


    house.I''ll find time to pick it up."


    Seeing how determined Lucia was, Turner knew it was no use trying to persuade her, so she nodded


    and promised.


    Half an hourter, August stood at the window and saw a familiar figure at the entrance of the hospital.


    Lucia was hobbling as she walked, seemingly because her injuries hadn''t fully healed.


    She stood outside the hospital, stopped a taxi, opened the door, and got in.


    She did all that in such a determined and decisive manner without even looking back.


    August wrinkled his brow and had some strange feelings in his heart.


    Suddenly, he felt a pair of soft arms around his waist.


    A sweet female voice came to his ears.


    "What are you looking at, August? Why are you so serious?"


    August snapped back to his senses.


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    He forced himself to stop looking outside and turned to Jeanne who had been behind him.


    "Nothing."


    When he turned around, Jeanne leaned against his chest.


    "August, I heard that the surgery has been postponed again?"


    August lowered his eyes and looked at the woman with pity.


    "Well, don''t worry.I will find a right kidney donor as soon as possible.Even though Lucia refused to


    donate her kidney, he would continue to look for a right kidney donor for Jeanne.


    After three or four days of moping around the house, Lucia was still sullen.


    Mr.and Mrs.Mitchell tried to cheer her up every day, but it was all in vain! Mrs.Mitchell knocked on the


    door of her bedroom.


    "Come out and have some fruit, Lucia.Don''t stay in your room all day!"


    In the past few days, Lucia had barelye out of her bedroom except to have meals and go to the


    bathroom, which terribly worried Mrs.Mitchell.


    Lucia took off her earphones and slowly walked out of the room.


    Just after she sat down on the couch, she looked up to see Mr.and Mrs.Mitchell staring at her.


    Lucia said slowly, "Mom and Dad, what''s wrong?"


    Mr.Mitchell paused and finally couldn''t help but ask, "What the hell happened to you, Lucia? You and


    August..."


    In the past few days, Mrs.Mitchell had tried to ask about what had happened between Lucia and


    August.


    However, Lucia would be emotional every time she heard the name of August.


    The same thing happened several times and they didn''t dare to ask again.


    But it had been days.


    It was bad for Lucia if she went on like this, so they decided to have a talk with her after thinking it


    Over.


    Lucia took a deep breath.


    The expression on her face didn''t change much.


    She looked down and took a piece of apple with her fork as she said lightly, "He and I are divorced."


    "Why?'' Mr.and Mrs.Mitchell were both shocked.


    They looked at each other.


    Lucia lowered her eyes and said lightly.


    "Because of the baby, and because we''re not right for each other."


    Mrs.Mitchell couldn''t help but exim, "But how could you just divorce like that? Why didn''t you talk to


    us about "


    Mr.Mitchell''s face darkened.


    He reached out and pulled at Mrs.Mitchell, looking at her.


    Mrs.Mitchell paused before she realized what was going on and stopped talking.


    Lucia took a deep breath.


    She put down the fork in her hand and looked at them as she said seriously.


    "Mom and Dad.I know what I''m doing.I''ve made up my mind."


    She had no turning back on this matter.


    She had to get out of this marriage.

 Chapter 71

    Chapter 71


    Seeing how determined her daughter looked, Mrs.Mitchell held back what she was trying to say atst.


    Lucia looked up and smiled at them.


    "But don''t worry.


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    I''ll be fine."


    Hearing that, Mr.and Mrs.Mitchell were secretly relieved.


    After eating a few pieces of fruit, Lucia went back to her room, put on her earphones, and continued


    reading.


    A whileter, some noise suddenly came from outside.


    Taking off her earphones, Lucia walked to the door and pushed it open to see Mrs.Mitchell standing at


    the entrance and talking to someone outside.


    "Please, Elisa, I want to see Lucia."


    Hearing this familiar voice, Lucia froze and then hurriedly walked over.


    Mrs.Mitchell replied in a serious tone, "It''s not that I won''t let you see her, Auntie.


    Lucia is in terrible shape now."


    "Mom?"


    Lucia walked to the door.


    She was stunned to see Grandma standing outside.


    Grandma saw Lucia and her eyes instantly lit up.


    "Lucia!"


    Lucia promptly asked, "What brings you here, Grandma?"


    "I just heard abbut your divorce from August.


    I''m so pissed off.


    How could he go behind my back?"


    Grandma pped her thigh in anger.


    Lucia realized what was going on when she heard that.


    She took a deep breath and hastily walked up to help Grandma into the room.


    "Grandma,e in and talk.


    Although she and August had already divorced, there was no reason to keep the olddy outside the


    door.


    Mrs.Mitchell saw that Lucia had made a decision, so she turned around to go and make tea without


    saying anything more.


    After helping Grandma sit down on the couch, Lucia asked with some surprise, "Did youe here by


    yourself, Grandma?"


    Although Lucia hadn''t gone to the old house very often, she knew that Grandma always traveled with


    her men.


    Now the olddy was out alone.


    Of course, Lucia would feel it wasn''t right.


    Grandma sighed.


    She took Lucia''s hand and refused to let it go.


    "Actually, I ran away from home on my own."


    Lucia was stunned.


    "What?"


    It could be said that Grandma was like a queen in the Adams family.


    If she ran away, the Adams family would be in chaos, right? Grandma grunted in anger.


    "I''m so angry! August is such a jerk! How could he divorce you behind my back? I had to run away from


    home this time!"


    With that, she picked up her stick and struck the floor with it in anger.


    Looking at Grandma''s serious expression, Lucia couldn''t help but smile and asked softly, "Ran away


    from home? How did you get here, Grandma? And how did you know my home is here?"


    "After learning about your divorce yesterday, I had someone find out your address.


    And today I came out on my own without telling anyone.


    I came here by taxi and looked for a long time before I found your ce."


    Looking at the olddy with white hair, Lucia felt sorry for her and said softly, I''m sorry, Grandma."


    Grandma shook her head and said in a firm tone, "No, Lucia.


    I came here to make August anxious! I won''t go back unless hees to pick us up!"


    At that, Lucia curled her lips into a bitter smile.


    "Actually, I asked for the divorce, Grandma."


    "What?"


    Grandma was stunned.


    "Why? Did August bully you? Tell me, Lucia.


    I''ll definitely teach him a lesson!"


    Lucia''s heart skipped a beat.


    She bit her lip and said softly, "No...


    It''s just that I don''t think we''re right for each other.


    He didn''t bully me."


    Grandma refused to believe.


    "It''s...


    impossible! Nothing was wrong when you came to visit me at the old housest time.


    And it was not long ago.


    So, why are you saying that you''re not right now? Are you hiding something from me, Lucia?"


    Hearing that, Lucia was sure that Grandma didn''t know about the baby.


    Taking a deep breath, Lucia managed to force a smile.


    "I''m telling the truth, Grandma."


    No matter what Lucia said, Grandma just refused to believe it.


    "You can stop, Lucia.


    I know you are a good girl and you won''t tell me even if you are hurt.


    I''ll be right here, waiting for the brat toe over and apologize to you and exin it to me!"


    Seeing Grandma''s firm attitude, Lucia had no choice but to go along with her.


    "Okay then, Grandma, you''ll be here with me until Augustes to pick you up."


    Grandma refused to let go of Lucia''s hand.


    She nodded and repeated, "I''ll stay with you."


    Lucia smiled and found it heart-warming as she looked at the olddy beside her, who was somewhat


    cute.


    All of them weren''t sincere with her.


    At least Grandma was.


    Having reassured Grandma, Lucia told Mr.and Mrs.Mitchell that the olddy wanted to stay with them


    and both of them agreed.


    Besides, Mrs.Mitchell and Grandma had known each other before, so they got along harmoniously,


    chatting and watering flowers.


    Meanwhile, it was total chaos in the Adams'' old house.


    August stood in the middle of the living room and unconsciously frowned, looking at those standing in a


    row in front of him.


    His face was sullen and cold.


    With his fists down, he clenched them so hard that his knuckles cracked.


    With so many people, they couldn''t even manage to watch over an olddy! Those people stood there


    in a cold sweat with their heads down, not daring to speak.


    At the staircase on the second floor, Bishop took in what was going on downstairs.


    Seeing that August was furious, he curled his lips and gestured for Bob to wheel him back to his room


    When the door was closed, Bob couldn''t help but ask, "The olddy is missing, Sir.


    Should we help to find her?"


    "Don''t worry.


    Nothing will happen to her.


    She''s with Lucia."


    Bob wondered, "How do you know?"


    A smile appeared in Bishop''s eyes.


    "She had someone find out Lucia''s address yesterday, so where else do you think she would go?"


    "Then what are we going to do next?"


    Gradually, the smile in the man''s eyes was reced by a cold look.


    He curled his lips and said faintly, "Sometimes it''s more fun to go with the flow.


    Don''t you think so, Bob?"


    Lucia went to Essence Hospital and found out about Jeanne by chance.


    In fact, he had arranged all that.


    Things were under his control, so he wasn''t worried at all.


    No matter whom August cared about between Lucia and Jeanne, Bishop had a way to make him


    miserable.


    That day woulde, sooner orter.


    Bishop looked down at his legs which he couldn''t feel and his face got more sullen.


    One day, he would show August what it was like to go to hell! "We found her, Mr.Adams!"


    Burton hastily came over and whispered in August''s ear.


    "Where is she?"


    "Thetest CCTV footage shows that the olddy got out of the car in Lucia''s neighborhood.


    And if we''re not wrong, she is with Lucia."


    Hearing that, August frowned and his face darkened.


    He stepped out instantly, saying, "Let''s go."


    He had been brought up by Grandma.


    During his childhood when his parents were the busiest, it was Grandma who had taken care of him.


    Therefore, Grandma was the most important and closest to him in his mind.


    On the way to Lucia''s home, August suddenly thought of something.


    "I told you to ask them to hide it from Grandma, didn''t I? Who told her about my divorce from Lucia?"


    By rights, Grandma shouldn''t have known about it.

 Chapter 72

    Chapter 72


    Chapter 72 Burton said while driving, "I asked them just now, but no one admitted it."


    They didn''t dare to do that in general, but how did Grandma know? August thought about the question


    and failed to find an answer.


    As he watched the car run onto the main road, he took out his phone and called Lucia directly.


    After a few beeps, she finally answered at the other end.


    The woman''s voice came, sounding a bit cold.


    "Hello?"


    Hearing the impatience in her tone, August subconsciously frowned and asked in the same cold way,


    ''Is Grandma with you?"


    Hearing that, Lucia at the other end turned to look at the white-haired olddy, who was sleeping on


    her small floral bed, and replied quietly, "Yeah."


    August frowned and asked in a deep voice, "Then why didn''t you call and tell me?"


    Grandma was so old that she usually had someone with her when she went out.


    However, she was out alone all afternoon today.


    He had been worried about her all the time.


    However, Lucia didn''t even call and tell him that Grandma was with her! Lucia heard the reproach in


    the man''s tone.


    Her grip on the phone tightened a bit as she frowned and asked in a deep voice, "Why should I call


    you? It''s your responsibility to watch over Grandma, isn''t it?"


    Her questions caught him off guard and August actually found himself speechless.


    Anger flickered in his cold eyes as he said in a cold voice, "I''ming over now."


    After that, he directly hung up the phone.


    Lucia looked at the interface showing that he had hung up on her.


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    She was both angry and annoyed.


    He had the impudence to me her when he was responsible for it.


    What the hell? Putting away his phone, August ordered with a cold face, "Drive faster."


    Burton immediately said yes.


    He gingerly raised his eyes and nced at August in the rearview mirror, feeling nervous.


    He rarely saw August so angry and couldn''t tell if the man was angry with the olddy or with Lucia.


    The car ran at high speed down the road and finally arrived at the entrance of Lucia''s neighborhood.


    August got out of the car and rushed to Lucia''s home.


    He suppressed the anger in his heart as he raised his hand to knock on the door.


    "Click."


    The door opened and Lucia was there.


    She saw the man standing outside in a steelgray suit, which looked distinctive with his upright figure.


    He had a perfectly handsome face that was impable, except for the fact that it was sour now.


    Lucia frowned.


    She didn''t want to fix her eyes on him and subconsciously turned to walk away.


    Suddenly, she felt that her wrist was grabbed and she was pulled back around directly by the force.


    They got closer to each other all of a sudden.


    Lucia staggered and almost fell into his arms, but she managed to keep her footing.


    Her heart was pounding.


    She gritted her teeth and calmed down.


    "What...


    are you doing?"


    August frowned.


    "Why didn''t you call me? Do you know how worried I was?"


    His questions sounded a bit ambiguous at first.


    Lucia felt her heart fluttering uncontrobly as she met the man''s bright, deep eyes.


    She bit her lip and her face turned red with anger.


    "Do I have any obligation to call you? Let go of me!"


    Seeing what the woman was like, August frowned and said in a deeper voice, "What if I don''t?".


    "How dare you!"


    These words weren''t from Lucia, but from behind her.


    The two of them looked towards where the voice came from practically at the same time and saw


    Grandma walking towards them with her stick.


    Grandma walked over to Lucia and stared at August with a bit of anger in her eyes, saying in a deep


    voice, "Let go of her! August paused and hesitated for a split second before he released her wrist.


    "Bastard! Who do you think you are? You divorced Lucia without telling me.


    I''m not calling you to ount now, but why did you hold her hand after the divorce?"


    Grandma was so angry that she knocked on the floor with her stick and her body was trembling.


    "And what''s wrong if she didn''t call you? Don''t you realize your fault?"


    August lowered his head as Grandma admonished him.


    His eyshes fluttered and his voice softened.


    "I was worried about you."


    Grandma interrupted him angrily.


    "You don''t need to worry about me!"


    On the side, Lucia hadn''t expected Grandma to do this to her grandson.


    The anger that had been haunting her was almost gone.


    She said softly, "Don''t be angry, Grandma."


    Hearing that, Grandma paused for a moment.


    Only then did her attitude ease up a bit.


    In the end, she looked at Lucia and said softly, "Help me back to your room, Lucia."


    With that, she turned to nce at August.


    "You,e with me."


    One after the other, Lucia and August followed Grandma into the bedroom.


    The door was closed.


    Grandma looked at the two of them standing in front of her, without speaking.


    After a moment, she nodded her head slightly.


    "Sit down."


    Lucia and August both sat down in the chairs.


    Grandma looked around at them coldly and finally fixed her eyes on August.


    "Tell me, why did you get divorced?"


    After all, she didn''t believe Lucia''s im that the two of them had divorced because they weren''t right


    for each other.


    She had lived for decades, so she knew better than that.


    Without a doubt, it couldn''t be that simple.


    August''s face slightly darkened.


    He seemed to have thought it over before he moved his lips and said gently.


    "It''s my fault.


    Lucia didn''t do anything wrong."


    Hearing that, Lucia was surprised and nervous.


    Was he going to tell Grandma the truth? Grandma''s face turned even sourer.


    "Tell me, what happened?"


    August moved his taut lips and finally said lightly with his thin lips parted, "I failed her."


    "You!"


    Grandma''s face darkened.


    She raised her hand in anger and there was a resounding p as she struck August across the face.


    After the p, it was as if time was frozen.


    Lucia hadn''t expected that Grandma would hit her grandson so hard! She turned around in shock and


    saw an obvious red handprint on the side of the man''s face.


    Apparently, because of the pain, his eyebrows were slightly knitted, but his expression remained firm


    as he stood there without moving.


    For some reason, her heart actually skipped a beat as she saw that.


    Grandma couldn''t help but curse, "Bastard!"


    Her body trembled with anger.


    Atst, she slowly turned to Lucia and looked at the girl with guilt.


    "I''d like to apologize to the Adams family, Lucia.


    I''m...


    too ashamed to see you again."


    Lucia tried tofort her.


    "Grandma..."


    Grandma waved her hand.


    It seemed that she had already guessed what Lucia intended to say.


    She slowly stood up and headed for the door.


    "Goodbye, Lucia."


    With that, she stepped out of the bedroom.


    Lucia felt a lump in her throat as she watched the olddy leave slowly from behind.


    Only when Grandma left did she realize that there was someone else in the room.


    She turned to look at the man who had been motionless in that position, with mixed feelings.


    Seeing that the man''s face had swollen up where the red handprint was, she gasped, went to the


    nearby table, took out a tube of ointment from the drawer, and brought it to August.


    lucia took a deep breath and said lightly, "Apply some ointment before you go."


    With that, she put down the ointment and walked out of the room to check on Grandma, Outside, she


    was relieved to see Grandma with Burton and the others She turned to go back to her room.


    Just when she opened the door, she went p into August who wasing out She raised her eyes


    and frowned when she saw the red and swollen side of August''s face.


    He didn''t apply the ointment that she had given him.


    August nced at her and said lightly, "Thank you for taking care of Grandma."


    After that, he stepped around her and walked away.


    Lucia''s heart skipped a beat and she blurted out, "Wait a minute!"

 Chapter 73

    Chapter 73


    She didn''t want August to go out with half of his face swollen.


    People in the neighborhood who didn''t know what had happened would probably think she had beaten


    him up.


    She took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "I''ll do it for you before you go."


    His eyes lit up inconspicuously.


    August looked up at her and he seemed to be a little puzzled by her reaction.


    Lucia gritted her teeth and pretended to be calm as she exined, ''It''s a bad idea for you to go out like


    this."


    Hearing that, August realized it too.


    He paused, stepped over, and sat down in the chair without refusing.


    Lucia unscrewed the cap, squeezed some ointment onto her slender finger, and walked over to August.


    She hesitated and then slowly applied it to his face where it was red and swollen.


    With her fingertip, she gently rubbed the ointment into the swollen ce in slow circles, but he still


    inevitably felt some pain.


    Grandma had given him a good p.


    With his brows knitted, August felt the slight stinging pain in his cheek.


    And the refreshing smell of the ointment lingered around his nose, mixed with the sweet scent from the


    woman.


    Lucia tried to apply the ointment as evenly as possible.


    After all that, she gently leaned over and blew on the injured area.


    Every time Lucia was injured when she was a child, Mrs.Mitchell would blow on it like this after applying


    the ointment to her, and then the pain would be gone.


    Lucia had gotten into the same habit.


    It seemed that August hadn''t expected her to suddenlye closer.


    He only felt cooler in his cheek as she blew and the pain was immediately relieved a lot, but the next


    second, his heart fluttered and even his back involuntarily tensed.


    With her sweet smell around his nose, August found himself burning inside, with an indescribable dry


    and hot sensation.


    This woman had no idea how risky it was to do so! Before he reacted, Lucia had already straightened


    up.


    She screwed the cap back on and said indifferently, "It''s done."


    August regained hisposure and frowned involuntarily before he stood up.


    "Burton and the others are still waiting for you outside."


    Lucia casually put away the ointment and implied that he should leave now in a cold voice.


    Hearing that, August turned to look at the side of her face and his face slightly darkened.


    She was already trying to drive him away? Was it so hard for her to be in the same room with him? The


    next second, he unconsciously stretched out his hand to grab the woman''s wrist all of a sudden,


    stepped forward, and directly pushed her to the table.


    Lucia was suddenly cornered at the table.


    With the man''s arms on each side of her like a closed circle, she couldn''t even escape.


    She panicked.


    "What are you doing?"


    August looked at her curiously with his dark, deep eyes, which weren''t so calm and cold as usual.


    He said with his lips parted, "You still have feelings for me, Lucia?"


    Otherwise, why would she apply the ointment to him? He was questioning, but he sounded sure of it.


    Lucia was flustered when she looked into the man''s eyes.


    She turned away and smiled to conceal her nervousness.


    "You''re overconfident, aren''t you?"


    What made him think that she still had feelings for him? She had been hurt too much by him, hadn''t


    she? She took a deep breath and said word by word, "I don''t have any feelings for you at all, and I just


    applied the ointment to you for the sake of Grandma."


    August''s face darkened abruptly.


    He looked into her eyes as if he was trying to figure out the credibility of her words, and at the end, he


    asked, "Really?"


    If she didn''t have any feelings for him as she said, why did he see hesitation and reluctance in her


    eyes? Lucia turned around to meet his eyes without any fear and said in a firm tone, "Yes.'' At that,


    August''s eyes darkened.


    After a pause, he let go of her and took a step back.


    So, he had gotten it wrong.


    1 August nced at the woman and calmed himself down before he turned to walk straight out.


    In that case, he decided to stop here.


    Lucia watched as the man''s figure disappeared outside the door of her bedroom and soon came the


    sound of the door closing.


    Only then did Lucia rx her tense body and gasp for air.


    She couldn''t help but feel a chill down her spine when she thought of his gaze just now, In fact, she


    didn''t know if she had feelings for him.


    The only thing she knew was that she was emotional about him, but she wasn''t sure if she was more


    concerned or resentful about him.


    Perhaps she was a little touched and attached to the man after spending so many days together with


    him, but today, it was time for her to put an end to all those emotions that she should not have had.


    Thinking of this, Lucia actually sighed with relief.


    She leaned against the table in a daze quietly, losing track of time.


    Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.


    When the door was opened, Mrs.Mitchell poked her head in to take a look.


    "They''re both gone, Lucia?"


    Lucia nodded feebly.


    "Yes."


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    Mrs.Mitchell didn''t know exactly why Lucia and August had divorced.


    She thought August hade over to ask Lucia to go back as Grandma had.


    Therefore, she asked softly, "So, did you change your mind?"


    "No."


    Lucia turned to Mrs.Mitchell and her tone was unusually firm.


    "Mom, I''m over with August."


    She sounded so determined and firm that Mrs.Mitchell looked a little sad.


    "I see."


    Mrs.Mitchell had thought that Lucia finally met an intelligent and good-looking rich man on a blind date.


    She had never expected them to end up like this and felt somewhat guilty.


    Noticing the look on Mrs.Mitchell''s face, Lucia took a deep breath and hesitated for a moment before


    she said softly, "Don''t worry about me, Mom."


    She could take care of herself and this was nothing to her.


    "I don''t want to see you moping every day.


    After this period, I''ll keep an eye out for a good match for you."


    With that, Mrs.Mitchell was going out of the room.


    Lucia froze for a moment.


    Suddenly, she thought of something and stopped Mrs.Mitchell, saying, "Please arrange it as soon as


    possible, Mom.


    I''ll go on a blind date."


    Mrs.Mitchell looked at her in surprise.


    "What?"


    Back then, Mrs.Mitchell had tried all sorts of ways to coax and persuade her to go on a blind date.


    Now, Lucia agreed to go on a blind date of her own ord for the first time in her life! Mrs.Mitchell


    asked again, "Are you serious, Lucia?"


    Seeing the joy in her mother''s eyes, Lucia curved her lips and nodded.


    "Yes."


    She didn''t want her mother to worry so much.


    Besides, when she was alone at home now, she would think about what had happened between her


    and August, which made her feel even worse, so she might as well go on a blind date.


    Hearing her positive answer, Mrs.Mitchell said cheerfully.


    "I''ll go call and arrange it for you as soon as possible!"


    Lucia turned the corners of her mouth upward into a bitter smile.


    She had thought that it would take Mrs.Mitchell a couple of days to arrange it for her, but to her


    surprise, she had a new blind date the next morning.


    "Lucia, his name is Paul.


    I have spent some time asking about him.


    He just came back from abroad.


    He only had two girlfriends and it was during his college years.


    I think he''s quite a nice guy."


    Mrs.Mitchell talked excitedly as she straightened Lucia''s cor.


    Lucia pulled at thece on the cor.


    She wasn''t used to it and couldn''t help but ask, "Are you sure you want me to dress like this, Mom?"


    She had never been thatdylike, so she didn''t think clothes withce suited her.


    "Yes.


    You look good in such adylike style!"


    Mrs.Mitchell nodded in satisfaction and then added, "You can have a talk first, but don''t tell him you


    were married."


    Lucia was confused and asked, "Why?"


    Was it something shameful that she had been married?

 Chapter 74

    Chapter 74


    Seeing she didn''t say anything for a long time, Mrs.Mitchell looked up at her, "Do you hear me?"


    Lucia took a deep breath and said softly, "Mom, I still think I have to tell him the truth.


    If all of us are keeping the truth from each other, what''s the point of going on a blind date."


    At that, Mrs.Mitchell sighed, "I''m afraid you''ll be bullied!"


    It was not long, but she had been married after all.


    Lucia smiled crookedly at her, "Mom, don''t worry and I won''t be like what I was before."


    She was so stupid before and she didn''t even know what was going on when she was being used.


    "Well, forget it and it''s time for you to go."


    Not wanting to talk about the past, Mrs.Mitchell picked up her handbag and handed it to her.


    Lucia nced at the time, smiled crookedly, and went out.


    After looking at the address on her phone, Lucia called a taxi and went directly to the coffee shop, Blue


    Mountain Coffee, they had arranged.


    Lucia walked to the door and for some reason, August''s face suddenly shed in her mind, as if time


    had shifted back to the moment when they met first.


    Could it be that her sh marriage to August had left a dating shadow on her? Lucia smiled bitterly and


    shook his head helplessly.


    After adjusting her state, she pushed open the door of the coffee shop and walked in.


    The coffee shop had a nice ambiance, with teal booths and brown wooden tables.


    After taking a fast look around, she found that most of the customers hadpany.


    Only in the window seat sat a man, handsome, gentle.


    Seemingly sensing her gaze, the man also looked up at her.


    The moment when their eyes met, the man smiled crookedly at her.


    Could it...


    be him? Lucia was a little unsure, but out of courtesy, she stepped forward and smiled at him, "Excuse


    me, are you Mr.Thomas?"


    The man stood up, his eyes filled with smiles, "Miss.


    Mitchell?"


    Lucia nodded at her, "Yes.


    Hello."


    The man stepped forward and offered his hand, "Hello, I''m Paul."


    Hearing this name, Lucia unconsciously froze.


    His name sounded familiar and she seemed to have heard of it somewhere.


    After the two sat down and exchanged greetings, Paul immediately called the waiter and asked Lucia


    to order.


    ''A cup of mocha, please."


    Lucia smiled and had a few more good impressions of the modest and polite man in front of her.


    Looking at Lucia, Paul smiled crookedly and whispered, "Ms.


    Mitchell, I think we''ve met somewhere before.


    Do you remember? Lucia first froze, and then reacted.


    Wasn''t what he said just a lyric? Could it be that he said that to alleviate the awkward atmosphere?


    Lucia smiled and said softly, "I think your name sounds a little familiar, and my best friend''s name is


    very simr to yours."


    "Really?"


    Paul raised an eyebrow, his eyes shining, "What''s her name? Maybe I know her?"


    "Her name is Pa Thomas.


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    Isn''t it a coincidence that your names are different in only one word?"


    Hearing the name, Paul nced at Lucia and smiled more happily.


    Looking at his expression, Lucia was a little surprised, "What''s wrong? Do you really know her?"


    Paul lifted his cup and took a sip of coffee, smiling, "Would you believe me if I said she was my sister?"


    "What?"


    Lucia was surprised, then thought carefully about the two names and suddenly reacted, "I think I''ve


    heard Pa mention the name, Paul.


    Could it be that you guys are really..."


    Looking at the man across from her a few more times, Lucia was surprised and delighted.


    How could there be such a coincidence? She did hear Pa say she had a brother before and said his


    name a few times, but she didn''t pay much attention to it, so she didn''t remember too clearly.


    Daul said softly.


    So you and Pa are BFFs.


    No wonder I thought you looked familiar.


    Maybe I''ve seen your group photo on her phone before."


    Lucia couldn''t help but sigh with emotion, "What a coincidence."


    Paul smiled and his voice was gentle and nice, "It must be fate.


    As soon as I returned to China and was urged by my grandfather to go on a blind date, I ran into you."


    Lucia smiled, guessing Pa''s reaction when she knew this.


    Because of Pa, Lucia and Paul''s rtionship seemed to get a lot closer all of a sudden.


    Lucia smiled at him and said softly.


    "Just call me Lucia and we''re all friends."


    "Okay, you can just call me Paul."


    The two of them smiled at each other, and the atmosphere was harmonious.


    "Lucia, I didn''t expect such an outstanding person like you to be single.


    Just now when you came over, I thought you had mistaken me for someone else."


    Being soplimented by him, Lucia was a little embarrassed, "You are also very good.


    Maybe this is fate."


    They looked at each other and both smiled.


    "By the way, Pa is going back to Austos City in a few days.


    Do you know about that?"


    Lucia shook her head, "She only told me she wasing back recently but didn''t say the exact time."


    Pa only said on the phonest time that she might make time toe back.


    Paul shook his head and smiled dotingly, "She''s so quirky.


    I think it''s not that she doesn''t want to tell you, but she wants to surprise you."


    Luciaughed and thought about her best friend Pa who really deserved the word "quirky".


    "I also did not expect that she would have a brother with such a stable and gentle character."


    The two talked and smiled at each other.


    Once they talked about Pa, they unknowingly had a lot ofmon topics.


    Although in the end, she forgot the purpose of her visit to the coffee shop, it was a fun date for an hour


    or so.


    After having a meal together, Paul took Lucia to the entrance of the neighborhood.


    Before leaving, he asked her for the next date, "Lucia, when Paes back, how about the three of


    us going out together?"


    Lucia was in a good mood and nodded in response, "Sure, you can arrange it then."


    Paul smiled and saw her off, "Okay, I''ll see you next time."


    When she walked into the neighborhood, Lucia was surprisingly rxed.


    In thest few days, because of the divorce, she had been living a gloomy and uninteresting life every


    day.


    Although she had promised Mrs.Mitchell to go on a blind date to pass the time, the meeting turned out


    to be more interesting than she had expected.


    Lucia became happy and walked briskly toward home.


    Before she had gone far, the cell phone in her handbag suddenly rang.


    When she picked it up and saw the word "Carter"


    on the screen, she unconsciously got a little more nervous.


    She took a deep breath to calm down and pressed the answer button at the same time, "Hello, Carter."


    August had told her at the hospital that he had given her time off to rest.


    So, after the divorce, Lucia had not been to the office since she was discharged from the hospital and


    returned home to recuperate.


    She didn''t know why Carter called her this time.


    "Lucia, when do you n to go back to work?"

 Chapter 75

    Chapter 75


    Lucia froze and hesitated.


    She hadn''t decided whether to go back to the Lion Group to work.


    No matter what, it was also August''spany.


    If she went back, she would often see him and it would be awkward.


    Carter hurriedly continued to ask, "I heard you had a fall at home and were hospitalized.


    How are you doing now? Can youe to work?"


    Lucia hesitated, "I feel better now, but..."


    Not waiting for her to finish her sentence, Carter said, "Lucia, can youe back to work tomorrow?


    We''ve been so busytely that our department is short of hands, and I''ll be relieved if you cane


    back.


    What''s more, it''s the end of the second quarter of the year and I can apply for a sry increase for


    you."


    Sry increase? Lucia became so excited.


    Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    Lion Group offered two sry increases each year, one at mid-year and one at the end of the year.


    Although she hadn''t achieved much in the past two years, she had been working hard to make money.


    And she had waited six months for such an opportunity, so she couldn''t miss it.


    Besides, the Lion Group''s sry was already very good in the industry, and she might not be able to


    find a job with such a high sry afterward.


    If she left at this time, she would be at a disadvantage.


    Biting her lip, Lucia dispelled the few remaining misgivings and spoke, "Carter, I''ll be able to go to work


    tomorrow.'' Hearing her say that, Carter sighed in relief, "Okay, then you cane to work tomorrow."


    After hanging up the phone, Lucia took a deep breath and continued to walk home.


    As soon as Lucia got home, Mrs.Mitchell took her by the hand and asked her, "How was the boy?"


    "He''s fine,"


    Lucia responded casually while thinking about something else.


    Mrs.Mitchell couldn''t resist asking, "What do you mean? What did you talk about? Tell me about it..."


    Lucia felt a little chaotic and whispered, "Mom, I want to be quiet and I''m going to work tomorrow..."


    "Go to work?"


    When she heard Lucia say that, Mrs.Mitchell became anxious again, "Are you sure you want to go


    back to work?"


    Wouldn''t it be awkward for the two of them to meet each other then? Lucia took a deep breath and


    spoke, "Mom, I''ve already thought about it.


    It''s okay, and I''m in the Administration Department, so I won''t see him very often."


    When she said this, Mrs.Mitchell nodded and didn''t say anything more.


    Lucia also kept reassuring herself, but she didn''t expect that on her first day back at work, she would


    be assigned by Carter to help the colleagues in the President''s Office again.


    "Lisa, Lucia, we have a project, and today the president''s office is receiving foreign guests again, but


    everyone is busy with other work, so the job of receiving and assisting the Secretary''s Office will be left


    to you two."


    On her first day back at work, Lucia couldn''t help but feel annoyed when she heard about this.


    If she was assisting the Secretary''s Office with foreign guests, she would inevitably have to meet with


    August.


    When Carter inadvertently looked up and saw Lucia wandering off, she asked, "Lucia, what''s wrong


    with you?"


    Lucia took a deep breath and hurriedly said, "Nothing-nothing."


    Since she had agreed toe back to work, she naturally couldn''t pick and choose or had any


    objections.


    Seeing this, Lisa next to her looked at Lucia coldly, smiled crookedly, and asked, "Lucia, you are not


    recovering from the fall? Is it really okay for you to receive foreign guests in such a mental state?"


    These words sounded like concern, but Lucia was not a fool and could hear the ridicule and sarcasm


    beyond her words.


    She forced herself up and smiled at Lisa, "Don''t worry.


    After so many days of rest, I am now full of energy and in good shape."


    Hearing her say that, Lisa froze and looked away without saying anything else.


    Carter cleared his throat and said, "All right.


    You get ready and can go over to help the Secretary''s Office."


    11:01 When they came out of Carter''s office, the colleagues in the desk area saw Lucia and gave her a


    few looks.


    After all, they hadn''t seen her for a while, and they all thought she had quit.


    Emma smiled at Lucia and waved her hand.


    Lucia smiled, unconsciously in a much better mood.


    She followed Lisa straight to therge meeting room in thepany where they received important


    clients.


    "Lay out these brochures just like this, and this one ording to the schematic."


    As soon as they arrived at the conference room, Lisa gave the easiest task directly to Lucia, while she


    was flipping through the information about the foreign guests who came this time.


    Without saying much, Lucia started to work on setting up the relevant materials.


    After that, she walked over to the projector disy.


    Lisa seemed to be practicing something.


    When Lucia approached, she heard a few basic greetings in French.


    She raised an eyebrow and nced at the name on the name tag, then realized that the foreign guest


    this time was representative of a Frenchpany Lisa suddenly turned her head toward her and


    ordered in a cold voice, "Go check the stereo, projector, andptop.


    If there''s nothing wrong, then go and see if the pantry is ready."


    Lucia took a breath and looked at her seriously, "What about you?"


    If all these jobs were left to her, what did Lisa do? Lisa frowned, seemingly not expecting Lucia to


    question her in this way.


    She gritted her teeth, unable to say anything, so she stopped reading the guest information in her hand


    and got up to walk to the projector.


    When the conference room was almost set up, someone from Secretary''s Office came over.


    Irene and Mary walked in and checked it out as they always did.


    When Irene saw Lucia, her face was somber.


    She looked at the conference table, then walked over to the windowsill and reached out her finger to


    wipe it.


    Seeing the thinyer of ash on her fingertips, she looked at Lucia and spoke in a cold voice, "Is this the


    conference room you set up?"


    Her words seemed to be addressed to Lucia and Lisa, but her gaze had clearly indicated who was


    being targeted.


    Lucia took a look at the windowsill and knew in her heart that the hygiene of the conference room was


    taken care of by professional cleaners, so Irene was just using this as an excuse.


    On Lucia''s first day back at work, she didn''t want to get into any trouble with Irene, so she didn''t say


    much.


    She got up and went to the pantry next to the conference room to get a rag and wipe the conference


    room windowsill and table again.


    Seeing Lucia being so obedient, Irene was very pleased.


    She hadn''t seen Lucia for a while and didn''t expect that Lucia had surprisingly learned a lot.


    She raised an eyebrow in triumph and looked to Mary, "Mary, it''s time for us to go wait downstairs."


    Mary nodded, nced at Lucia and Lisa, and instructed softly, "The foreign guests will be arriving in


    about fifteen minutes.


    You can go to Archives and get the prepared nning cases back."


    Lisa smiled and agreed, "Okay, Marry, leave this to me."


    Just as Mary and Irene left, Lisa turned her head to Lucia and ordered, "You go to the Archives and


    pick up the nning cases."


    Listening to Lisa assign her tasks again, Lucia frowned and asked again, "What about you?"


    She was not a fool and would not allow her to order herself like this again and again.

 Chapter 76

    Chapter 76


    Lisa seemed to have expected her to ask this question, and she rightly said, "I''m going to check the


    projections again, otherwise none of us can afford to take responsibility for any problems."


    Hearing her say so, Lucia did not say much and walked out of the conference room in the direction of


    the Archives.


    Some confidential documents in thepany were usually kept in the Archives for unified


    management, which could prevent the leakage of trade secrets and ensure the safety of a lot of


    information.


    That''s why they could only pick up the nning cases when the foreign guests were about to arrive.


    When arriving at Archives, Lucia identified herself and signed.


    After that, she took the nning cases with the archivist, and then rushed to the conference room.


    It took a lot of time to get the nning cases from the Archives.


    When Lucia arrived at the conference room, the foreign guests had just arrived and were not yet


    seated, so the scene was a bit chaotic.


    Lucia stood at the entrance and looked around without seeing August, which made her sigh with relief.


    The Lion Group''s representatives, as well as Irene and Mary, were inviting the foreign guests to take


    their seats.


    And Lucia was walking inside with the nning cases in her arms without paying attention to her


    surroundings as she was only thinking of distributing the ns to everyone as soon as possible.


    She took a few steps, but before she reached the conference table, she suddenly fell forward


    unawares.


    With a "bang", she fell to the ground all of a sudden, and the stack of nning cases she was holding


    in her arms was thrown away and scattered all over.


    The people who weremunicating in low voices heard the sound and turned their heads to follow


    the sound.


    "Well, just do as I arranged."


    August instructed Burton with a sideways nce.


    When walking to the door of the conference room, he turned his head to see Lucia lying on the floor,


    papers spilled everywhere.


    When he saw the foreign guests with different looks, his face instantly became somber.


    Burton reported to him early in the morning that Lucia was back at work.


    But he didn''t expect her to give him such a big surprise as soon as she arrived.


    Everyone in the conference room stopped talking, and Lucia fell to the floor inplete confusion, her


    cheeks burning.


    Suddenly, there was a sound of leather shoes getting closer to her, and then they disappeared beside


    her.


    August leaned down slightly and stared at her, his voice clear and cold, but with anger, "When are you


    going to get up?"


    Hearing this voice, Lucia was like awakening from a dream.


    She immediately got up from the floor and started to pick up the nning cases on the floor.


    It''s so humiliating! Lucia could not wait to find a crack in the ground and hide.


    She bit her lip and picked up the papers in a panic, lowering her head and starting to distribute the


    nning cases.


    The atmosphere in the meeting room slowly eased up a bit and people started talking and discussing.


    Lucia blushed and calmly handed out the ns one by one.


    When she reached a foreign guest, he suddenly looked at her, smiled at her, and said to her in not-


    fluent Chinese, "Thank you."


    At that, Lucia suddenly became less nervous, smiled at him, and replied directly in French, "You''re


    wee."


    Hearing that she was speaking French, the foreign guest was very surprised, so he smiled crookedly,


    and asked, "You speak French?"


    Lucia smiled lightly and nodded, "I learned some in college."


    She minored in minornguages during her college years, and her main courses were French and


    Japanese.


    Although she wasn''t fluent, she was able tomunicate in simple terms.


    At that, the foreign guest nodded appreciatively at her, "Very impressive."


    This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    By the way, he asked again, "Is your leg okay?"


    Lucia followed his gaze and looked down to see her red knee, then she smiled embarrassedly, "It''s


    okay.


    Thanks for your concern."


    The two exchanged a few brief words in French, drawing the attention of the others in the meeting


    room again.


    When August looked up to see the woman''s slightly red cheeks and bright eyes, his heart


    unconsciously sank.


    He didn''t expect her to know French, which really gave him a surprise.


    On the other hand, Lisa looked at Lucia, who wasmunicating with the foreign guest, and her


    jealousy slowly turned into anger.


    She had made a special effort to learn about the foreign guests and memorized a few sentences of


    French urgently, but it was all useless, instead, Lucia had a great chat with him! Lucia finished handing


    out the nning cases and stepped aside, intending to leave.


    But August suddenly turned his head toward her.


    Feeling August''s gaze, Lucia pretended to be calm and averted her eyes.


    Seeing such a reaction from her, August frowned and cleared his throat, ''Lucia, you stay and take the


    minutes of the meeting."


    She knew some French, so naturally, she was more suitable to take minutes than Irene and Mary who


    did not speak French.


    Hearing what he said, Lucia froze, reacted, and nodded in response, ''Okay."


    Seeing Lucia stay, Lisa was not too happy, so she also followed and sat down next to her and did not


    leave.


    The meeting officially started.


    After a brief conversation between the representatives of both sides, they cut to the chase and started


    to talk about specific cooperation projects.


    Lucia struggled a bit to listen, but luckily the meeting was equipped with an interpreter.


    After recording the main points, and then listening to the interpreter once again, she wrote down the


    general content.


    More than an hourter, the meeting proceeded to the final session of price negotiation and the


    atmosphere in the room seemed to be heated all of a sudden.


    The representatives of both sides werepeting against each other openly and secretly to protect


    their interests.


    The foreign guests sounded resolute, "This time we came to Austos City with full sincerity.


    Ourpany''s technology is already at the top of the industry and this is thest price we can ept


    at our boss''s behest."


    David from the marketing department was sent to negotiate, and after several rounds of negotiations,


    he was clearly inferior to the foreign guests.


    Seeing that the situation was going to be uncontroble, David turned to August to secretly ask for


    help.


    August was serious and calm, saying without hurry, "We see your sincerity.


    But this price is not ideal for us.


    You should know very well that you are not the only choice for us.


    The reason why we chose you is that we have arger space for cooperation.


    I think that this should not be your final price, and at least, it should be reduced by like this."


    He said, holding out three fingers in gesture.


    The foreign guests looked at each other, obviously hesitating.


    "I will give you time to consider, and this is the final price we can ept."


    August said slowly, but his aura was very powerful.


    With one sentence, he guessed the other party''s bottom line precisely.


    He had a clear goal and a strong attitude, not giving them any chance to turn around.


    He had done much work to figure out the foreign guests'' bottom line.


    He raised his hand, signaling his men to be silent and giving the foreign guests time to consider.


    Under the quiet gaze of the crowd, the foreign guests talked in low voices and seemed to slowly finalize


    something.


    Finally, they nodded their heads in eptance.


    Lucia looked at August''s side face and for some reason, her heart beat faster.


    She had seen him at work before, but she had never seen him force the other party at the negotiation


    table to back down with just a few words.


    He was far more powerful than she had imagined Seemingly sensing her gaze, August turned his head


    slightly and looked directly toward Lucia.

 Chapter 77

    Chapter 77


    Lucia immediately turned her head, but the moment when she avoided looking at him, she was a little


    worried.


    Did he catch her peeking at him? She bit her lip and forced herself to concentrate on the minutes of the


    meeting, August found Lucia a little flustered, ears slightly red and a few secondster, he faintly


    smiled crookedly.


    Finally, the meeting ended sessfully, and both sides were happy.


    As it was almost time for dinner, the representatives from both sides naturally had to have a meal


    together.


    Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    Only after the crowd left did Lucia leave the conference room along with the secretaries, Looking at the


    people walking away.


    she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.


    Luckily, she had justpleted her task sessfully in the conference room.


    After walking a few steps and seeing Lisa walking not far ahead, Lucia suddenly thought of her sudden


    fall in the conference room just now.


    At that time, she was in a hurry and did not watch her step, but she found no obstacle on the ground


    when she stood up to pick up the file afterward.


    She also remembered that Lisa was right behind her when she walked in with the documents in her


    arms.


    It was also very likely that Lisa would have tripped her up at that time while everyone was still not


    seated.


    After all, she was the only one around her at that time.


    Lucia took a deep breath and opened her mouth to call out to her, "Lisa, wait a minute."


    Hearing Lucia called her, Lisa stopped her steps, turned her head, and said coldly, "What is it?"


    Looking more somber, Lucia took a few steps closer and said, "If I remember correctly, you were right


    next to me when I fell just now..."


    Not waiting for Lucia to finish her sentence, Lisa spoke up and interrupted her directly, "Do you think I


    tripped you up? Lucia, don''t just use people wrongly."


    Hearing her say that, Lucia looked more somber, "I haven''t even said anything yet.


    I just wanted to ask why you didn''t help me just now, but you say that.


    Is it true that you tripped me?"


    Once she heard these words, Lisa''s face suddenly turned pale.


    Then she raised her voice and said, "Don''t you talk nonsense!"


    Lucia said word for word, "You know best whether I''m talking nonsense or not.


    This time you will be spared.


    Next time something like this happens again, I will not let you off."


    Before, she always tolerated everything, thinking the less trouble the better.


    But now it seemed that showing weakness sometimes not only would not get sympathy but also let the


    bullies get even more aggressive.


    She was now slowly getting stronger.


    Without waiting for Lisa to say anything else, Lucia took a step and walked straight ahead.


    With looking at her leaving, the coldness in Lisa''s eyes became more obvious.


    She was the one who tripped her up and she wanted Lucia to make a fool of herself in front of


    everyone.


    But she didn''t expect that after a period of rest, Lucia would be able to be stronger than before! Lisa


    went angrier.


    She had never considered Lucia as a rival before, but now, she was going to take her seriously!


    Suddenly, a lightugh came from the side, "Lisa, I didn''t expect you to be defeated at times."


    Lisa turned her head and saw Irene walking from the side, then her face was somber, "You are not


    much better, right?"


    She had also heard about Irene''s affairs with Lucia, Hearing her say that, Irene not only didn''t get


    annoyed but also smiled, "Lisa, have you ever heard the saying that people who have amon


    enemy are friends? Do you think we are friends now?"


    She had suffered so much punishment because of Lucia.


    Sooner orter, she would have to settle this score with her.


    Wouldn''t her odds be better with a helper? Lisa''s expression changed slightly, and she looked at Irene.


    Only after a moment did she say, "Of course."


    Rushing back to the Administration Department, Lucia just felt her throat was smoking.


    When she returned to the office and saw the bruise cream and spray on the desk, she froze for a few


    seconds.


    Who put these things here? They weren''t there when she came in this morning.


    Looking down at her somewhat red and swollen knee, Lucia was even more puzzled.


    Suddenly.


    August''s cold face shed in her mind.


    Could it be August? How could he care about her? Lucia shook off her head and stopped thinking


    about it.


    No matter who brought these, she had to get a ss of water to drink first.


    Walking to the pantry area and receiving a cup of warm water, she drank most of it in one gulp.


    Emma saw her in the pantry area and immediately came over with her cup "Lucia, I heard you went to


    receive foreign guests?"


    Lucia nodded and said softly, "Well, I''m just setting things up.


    It''s pretty tiring, too."


    Emma blinked her eyes and asked nosily.


    "Really? I''m quite curious if the French representatives are handsome.


    Are they more handsome than President Adams?"


    Lucia couldn''t help butugh, "If you want to see the foreign representatives, run to the door now and


    you might even see them."


    "Forget it! I''m not willing to go."Emma curled her lips, and suddenly she thought of something, saying,


    "By the way, I just saw Harrise by and enter your office, but he quickly left."


    Burton? What was he doing here? After a moment of hesitation, Lucia thought of the medicine on the


    desk and suddenly reacted.


    Could it be that August told him to do this? But why was he suddenly so concerned about her? Not


    waiting for Lucia to think about it, Emma suddenly turned serious when she saw Lisaing back, "No


    more small talk, or Lisa should scold me again."


    With that, she trotted back to her workstation.


    Lucia swept a nce at Lisa and also carried the cup back to the office.


    Not long after she sat down, her phone dinged and she received a message.


    She opened it and saw that it was a message from Paul.


    "I''m running an errand downtown at noon, close to your office.


    Is it convenient for you to have dinner with me?"


    After she met with Paul yesterday, they exchanged contact information and added WeChat.


    As soon as she arrived home, she received a greeting message from him.


    He said good night to her in the evening and reminded her to have breakfast in the morning.


    The messages were not too many, but they were just right, making her feel the warmth.


    Lucia nced at the time, five minutes before the end of the day.


    After a moment''s hesitation, she agreed and sent Paul a message back.


    "Okay."


    Paul replied immediately, "Okay, I''ll meet you downstairs at your office.


    See youter."


    He was already downstairs? Lucia was shocked and immediately packed up her things.


    When it was time to leave work, she immediately took the elevator and left.


    Paul and she had only just met, and if her colleagues saw them together, they would inevitably gossip,


    so she might as well go down quickly to avoid embarrassment.


    When the elevator reached the first floor, she trotted out of the lobby.


    As soon as she went out, she saw a tall andrge figure standing not far away.


    Paul saw her, curled his lips, and waved at her, smiling as gently as usual.


    Lucia smiled back at him and stepped forward.


    Down the steps, in the ck Maybach, August was casually flipping through the tablet, He opened his


    mouth lightly and asked, "Did you send the medicine to her?"


    "Yes."


    "Well, let''s go."


    While saying that, he put down the tablet.


    When he inadvertently looked out of the window, his eyes focused on something, and his face abruptly


    sank.


    Lucia was with a man!

 Chapter 78

    Chapter 78


    Looking at the man''s back, August unhappily pursed his lips, eyes darkened.


    When the car slowly started, Burton also saw a familiar figure over there, so he subconsciously looked


    up through the rearview mirror to see August, asking with some hesitation, "President Adams, do you


    need me to stop."


    August''s face went cold and he forced himself to avert his gaze, "No."


    Stopped for that woman? Seeing August''s reaction like this, Burton secretly breathed a sigh of relief,


    stepped on the gas, and elerated the car.


    The car drove by fast, and not far from the roadside, Lucia was oblivious to what was going on inside


    the car.


    A delivery guy came running fast, but Lucia had her head down and didn''t even notice him.


    When the delivery guy was about to hit Lucia, Paul suddenly reached out and pulled her away, "Watch


    out! With a burst of dizziness, Lucia fell into a wide embrace.


    And she was just standing firm when a warm male voice reached her ears, "Are you okay?"


    As soon as she looked up, she met his dark, shining eyes.


    "I''m...


    fine."


    She unconsciously took a step back and pulled away from Paul.


    For some reason, she suddenly felt a sense of guilt, and the face of another man shed through her


    mind.


    Why was she thinking about August at this time? With her eyebrows furrowing, Lucia almost wanted to


    pry open her head to see what was inside.


    At this time, Paul''s voice came to her ears, "Lucia, are you okay?"


    She looked up at Paul and smiled shyly at him, "I''m...


    okay.


    Let''s go."


    Because of the limited lunch break, they simply ate at a nearby restaurant, and when it was time to go


    to work in the afternoon, Paul sent Lucia downstairs to the office as a gentleman.


    Before leaving, Paul smiled crookedly and whispered, "It was a little rushed today and I''ll make up for it


    some other time."


    Lucia smiled at him, "No, I think it''s fine."


    With Paul, she felt at ease with his appropriate humor and thoughtfulness.


    Paul smiled softly and asked, "Shall Ie to pick you up when you get off work tonight?"


    Lucia softly declined, "No, I don''t think so."


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    Smiling, Paul didn''t force her.


    He raised his hand and rubbed her head naturally, saying softly, "Well then, go to work, and I''ll watch


    you go."


    Lucia''s heart sank, and a strange feeling arose in her heart.


    No man had ever treated her this way before, and she was touched, as if a stone had been thrown into


    ake, slowly making ripples.


    Looking up at the man in front of her, Lucia smiled crookedly at him, "Okay, I''ll see you some other


    time."


    Turning around, she walked into the lobby of thepany, and before she could take a few steps there


    was a small sound of footsteps behind her.


    "Lucia!"


    Lucia turned her head and saw Emma trotting over, smiling and winking at her.


    Emma bumped her gently with her shoulder, "Who is that handsome guy just now?"


    Lucia was a little nervous for some reason, "A...


    friend."


    "Really?"


    Emma gossiped and smiled at her, "You guys look so good together! I thought he was your boyfriend."


    Lucia was a little shy and said quickly, "Don''t say anything nonsense!"


    The two of themughed and talked as they arrived at their department.


    Before Lucia had a chance to enter the office, a colleague reminded her, "Lucia, the phone on your


    desk just rang.'' "Okay.


    Thank you."


    Lucia responded and hurried back to the office.


    Then she flipped through the missed calls on herndline and she realized it was thepany''s


    internal line.


    After ncing at the familiarst number, she found that it was the president''s office calling.


    Without saying a word, she immediately picked up the phone and called back, "Hello? This is Lucia


    from the Administration Department Mary''s calm voice came from the other end of the phone, "Lucia,


    please send the minutes of the morning meeting and President Adams is waiting for them."


    Lucia hurriedly responded, "Okay, I''ll send them over right away."


    After hanging up the phone, she looked at the minutes of the meeting that had not yet been finished


    and was a little anxious The minutes hadn''t been requested in such a hurry before.


    Why did August want her to send them so soon? Without thinking too much, Lucia immediately began


    to rush the work.


    After finishing up hastily, she immediately got up to go to the President''s Office.


    After arriving, Lucia took a deep breath and raised her hand to knock on the door.


    Hearing the voice inside, she pushed the door in Seeing August looking at the documents, Lucia


    stepped forward and handed himn the minutes of the meeting.


    "President Adams, here are the minutes you asked for."


    She put the minutes of the meeting on the corner of the desk, but the man who was flipping through the


    documents with his head down did not react at all.


    Lucia stood in front of the desk and did not dare to leave without permission, so she had to wait.


    Finally, August signed his name on the signature line at the end of the document before he slowly put


    down the pen and looked up at her.


    His gaze was so cold and deep that Lucia couldn''t guess what he was thinking and didn''t dare to meet


    his eyes.


    Lucia took a deep breath, drooped his eyes, and said softly, "These are the minutes of the meeting."


    Casually picking up the minutes and flipping them open to read a few pages, August frowned, "This is


    the meeting minutes you made?"


    Lucia took a deep breath and looked up at him, "Is there a problem?"


    Putting down the minutes, August scowled and was about to speak when he saw the knee of the


    woman at the desk.


    With a cold light crossing his eyes, August looked up and stared at Lucia, saying, "There are so many


    problems.


    Which one do you want to hear?"


    Lucia froze, not understanding the meaning of his words, "What?"


    Without saying a word, August got up and stepped straight toward her.


    With August getting closer to her, Lucia didn''t dare to step back or meet his eyes, so she had to drop


    her eyes to August''s apple and swallowed nervously.


    August''s voice with questioning sounded overhead, "First, why don''t you deal with the knee injury?"


    Hearing his question, Lucia was a little surprised.


    She looked up to meet the man''s mncholy gaze and for a moment did not know how to answer him,


    "I..."


    The injury on her leg was the bruise from the fall in the meeting today.


    She had red marks and bruising on her knee, but it wasn''t serious as it didn''t break the skin.


    Plus, she had been busy, so she didn''t have time to treat it.


    Looking into Lucia''s clear eyes, August became even more annoyed when he remembered her and the


    other man walking side by side in front of thepany at noon.


    He reached out and clutched the woman''s wrist, pulling her directly toward the couch next to him.


    "What are you going to do...?"


    Lucia immediately some panic.


    He even touched her in the office.


    What if someone saw them? She tried to break away from him, but the strength of men and women


    was so different that she could not resist and was pulled by him to the couch.


    With weight on her shoulders, she was pressed into a seat.


    "Don''t move."


    The simple two words carried invisible oppression, and Lucia did not dare to move around.


    August sat down beside her as well.


    Then he reached out and squeezed her ankle with one hand and lifted her leg up Lucia was like an


    electric shock, "What are you-you doing?"

 Chapter 79

    Chapter 79


    She was so surprised that she unconsciously raised her voice which was sharp, with a few


    indescribable ambiquous ents.


    They froze.


    The moment when their eyes met, they were very awkward.


    August gave her a cold look and spoke indifferently, "What do you think I want to do?"


    With that he lifted his hand and put Lucia''s calf on hisp, then without haste, he pulled the tea table


    drawer open and took out the bruise spray from it.


    Lucia blushed, ashamed and bashful.


    She thought he was going to do something to her...


    August slowly opened the lid, aimed at Lucia''s reddened knee, and directly pressed the nozzle.


    When the cool liquid sprayed out, Lucia felt her knee cool a bit, then her calf involuntarily shrank back,


    and her face scrunched up.


    Although the skin on her knee was not broken, it still stung a little when the medicine was sprayed on it.


    August gave Lucia a look, picked up a cotton swab to wipe up the medicine that had run down, and


    said with a cold face, "You deserve it."


    The medicine was sent to her but she didn''t treat the wound herself.


    So she deserved the pain.


    Lucia froze, a little confused, "Wh-what?"


    She couldn''t have heard it wrong.


    Ignoring her, August picked up the bottle and sprayed the wound again before releasing her ankle.


    He packed his things while coldly saying, "Well, do not touch the water for a few days, and remember


    to spray medicine."


    Lucia looked up just in time to see the perfect side of August''s face.


    His high nose was as sharp as a knife and his lips were pursed into a line, making others


    unconsciously feel he was so indifferent.


    If August changed into a white coat at this time, he would definitely be an unbelievably eye-catching


    ascetic doctor.


    With this idea flying through her mind, Lucia unconsciously blushed.


    Seeing that Lucia didn''t say anything for a long time, August turned his head and met the woman''s


    eyes with a frown.


    "Don''t think too much."


    He rose gracefully and gave her a cold look, "I''m returning the favor you gave me thest time you


    applied the medicine.


    If you have nothing else to do, you can go out."


    With that, he stepped away and sat down at his desk, continuing to flip through the documents in his


    hands.


    Lucia snapped back to her senses, sheepishly.


    As if to cover up the little mind of being discovered, she said gamely, "Who thinks more."


    With that, she got up and walked towards the door.


    Just as she reached the door, August''s voice came from behind her, "Stop."


    As soon as Lucia turned around, she saw him toss the meeting minutes to the desk, "Take them back


    and re-perfect them before handing them to me."


    She froze.


    She thought she had written down the minutes of the meeting veryprehensively, and she didn''t


    expect him to think it was no good.


    Very angry, but she did not dare to say anything more.


    So, she took the minutes of the meeting and immediately fled out of the conference room.


    She felt that August was taking a personal vendetta, so she unconsciously got a little angry.


    Forgot it.


    She was lucky to have divorced him.


    Otherwise, she really could not imagine how to face such a high-maintenance, ice-cold husband in the


    future.


    When she was back in her office, Lucia was busy all afternoon.


    Time flew, and when Lucia finished the work at hand, it was not long before the end of the day.


    The phone on the desk suddenly rang.


    When she picked it up and saw that it was an unfamiliar number, Lucia hesitantly pressed the answer


    button.


    "Lucia!"


    Pa''s energetic voice reached her ears, and Lucia jolted, immediately holding the phone away from


    her ear.


    "I''ll see you soon and I''m going back to Austos City in a couple of days!"


    Hearing the voiceing from the phone, Lucia knew Pa was in a good mood and couldn''t help but


    smiled crobkedly.


    "Then I''ll pick you up then.


    What time is your flight? "Ill send you the boarding passter and you cane with my brother!"


    Lucia paused, a little surprised, "How do you know...


    Pa seemed to have guessed what she wanted to ask before she finished her sentence, "My brother


    already told me! He just came back and met you on a blind date.


    It''s fate!"


    Thinking that the blind mate was her best friend''s brother, Lucia was still a little embarrassed,


    "Maybe...'' Pa loughed and teosed, "Lucia, you might as well be my sister-inw.


    If you marry my brother, the two of us will be a family reasonably!"


    Hearing her speak so bluntly, Lucia blushed, ''Pa, don''t talk nonsense...


    It''s still up in the air!"


    Paul and she were just getting along like friends now and they had no intention of establishing a


    rtionship yet! Paughed, "No way! My brother is already in love with you!"


    Lucia didn''t know, but she knew too well what her brother thought.


    A few years ago, When Paul saw a picture of Lucia and her together, he had different feelings for


    Lucia.


    She also asked him bluntly, but his brother was too slick to say anything, so, she had to let it go.


    "Pa!"


    Lucia didn''t know whether to be angry orugh, "If you keep talking nonsense, I''m going to fix you up


    when you get back!"


    Pa said with a smile on the other end of the phone, "Okay, I surrender.


    Don''t you forget to pick me up!"


    Lucia smiled, "Okay, don''t worry."


    The two of them talked for a few more minutes before hanging up the phone.


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    Looking at the time, it was almost the end of the day.


    Lucia packed up the important documents and sent them directly to the Archives for filing.


    Two female colleagues from other departments walked ahead, holding documents in their hands,


    looking like they were also going to the Archives, and while they were walking, they said, "Have you


    heard that Mr.Stebbing ising back from the branch tomorrow?"


    "You mean the Mr.Stebbing that President Adams fixed?"


    "Yes, it''s him?"


    "Then he won''t let it go at that and ourpany is not going to be peaceful these days."


    The two of them mumbled.


    Lucia, following them, heard a lot of it and was a little doubtful.


    Who was Mr.Stebbing? She had been in thepany for two years, but she had never heard of this


    person.


    Hearing them say that Mr.Stebbing and August had such aplicated rtionship, she was a little


    curious about what kind of feud they had made.


    Before she could think too much about it, she was already at the Archives door.


    She came back to her senses, handed over the file, and went straight back to her office.


    After arriving home from work and having dinner, Mrs.Mitchell insisted on dragging her out for a walk.


    "Lucia, go for a walk with me! Don''t always stay at home!"


    Lucia frowned, "Mom, you go by yourself."


    She knew clearly what Mrs.Mitchell thought.


    As soon as she got home today, she heard Mrs.Mitchell call Betsy in the next building to bring her and


    Betsy''s son to create an unexpected encounter in the neighborhood after dinner...


    Since she was well aware of Mrs.Mitchell''s "plot", she naturally refused to go along with her to do such


    an embarrassing thing.


    Mrs.Mitchell tried to persuade Lucia at the bedroom door for ten minutes but failed to do so, so she


    gave up and left home alone.


    Not long after, her cell phone rang, She nced at the screen.


    Seeing that it was Turner calling, she answered the phone with some hesitation.


    "Hello, Turner?"


    Mrs.Adams..."


    Turner was halfway through her sentence when she suddenly realized that something was wrong and


    hurriedly changed the words, "Ms.


    Mitchell, I''ve packed all your luggage.


    Come and pic Lucia nced at the clock and found it was just after eight o''clock, so she immediately


    stood up and said, "Yes, I''ll go now."


    This time, she could also return the wedding ring and the key to the house.

 Chapter 80

    Chapter 80


    Lucia called a car and when she arrived at the other house, it was exactly half an hourter.


    Lucia walked through the door and saw Turner tidying up the living room Turner saw her and a light


    shed under her eyes, "Ms.


    Mitchell...


    you''re here."


    Lucia nodded at her and curled her lips into a smile, "I''m here to pick up my stuff."


    "All your stuff is in the bedroom and I''ve packed it all up.


    Let me go get it down for you."


    Lucia said softly, "No, I''ll just go by myself."


    Although she hadn''t lived here for long, she still had some affection for it.


    Turner nodded and left her to fetch it herself.


    Lucia took a deep breath, went up to the second floor, and returned to the bedroom.


    Seeing the luggage ced at the end of the bed, she felt someplications.


    Once her things were moved out, the room was suddenly a bit empty.


    She took a deep breath, took her wedding ring and keys out of her pocket, and ced them gently on


    the desk.


    She then pulled up her luggage and was about to leave.


    This short marriage was really over here.


    Biting her lip, Lucia couldn''t help but feel a sourness in her heart when she thought of August and the


    woman behind him.


    She expected so much from this marriage that she ended up being more disappointed.


    Lucia pulled her suitcase, stepped out of the room, and was just about to close the door behind her


    when footsteps came from the corridor As soon as she turned around, she saw a tall figure.


    August stepped forward and frowned involuntarily when he saw the luggage Lucia was pulling in her


    hand.


    He forced himself to be patient and asked in a cold voice, "What are you doing?"


    She left without asking his opinion.


    He wouldn''t let her go so easily.


    Lucia drooped her eyes, not looking at him, and said word for word, "I''m here to take my luggage."


    They were already divorced and she should move out of the other house to draw a line in the sand with


    him.


    Not hearing the man''s voice for a long time, Lucia sucked in a cool breath and whispered, "I put the


    wedding ring and keys on the desk."


    After saying that, she took a step to leave him.


    Suddenly, August grabbed her arm.


    Feeling a tremendous force, Lucia was pushed back to the bedroom and the luggage directly fell to the


    ground.


    After August closed the door, the next second, Lucia was pressed against the door.


    She felt August''s aggressive strength wrap around her instantly, and it was then that she caught the


    faint smell of alcohol on him.


    Being pinned against the door and having both hands pressed directly above her head by August,


    Lucia was ashamed and annoyed, "August, you...


    let go of me!"


    August bowed his head slightly, his voice low and husky, questioning, "When did I allow you to leave?"


    Hearing him say that, Lucia was shocked and angry, "We are already divorced!"


    If she still stayed in his home, his bedroom, and his bed, then she really became the primary three!


    When he heard the word "divorce", August frowned.


    The next moment, he said in a deep voice, "I don''t care."


    Lucia''s eyes widened in shock.


    She couldn''t have heard it wrong! How could he be so domineering! She gritted her teeth and said


    fiercely.


    "August, you''re crazy."


    August answered beyond the question, raised an eyebrow, and said softly, "Anyway, you''re not allowed


    to leave until I give the word."


    "You..."


    Lucia gritted her teeth in anger, "I don''t care! I just have to go!"


    August lifted her chin with the bottom of his eyes covered with blood as if he was holding back


    something.


    A momentter, he moved his lips, and his voice was much softer, "After Grandma found out about our


    divorce, she fell ill when she returned to the old house.


    Can you bear to see her like this? Lucia froze and didn''t say what she was going to say Grandma was


    sick? "Really? August said in a hushed voice, word for word, "She treats you well and our divorce was


    a big blow to her."


    His words caused Lucia to feel a pang of shame.


    She took a deep breath and was a little overwhelmed She knew Grandma was good to her and she


    also didn''t want to see her sick August said in a deep voice, ''Lucia, only you can help me now Lucia


    was at a loss for words, "How can I help...?"


    August hesitated for a moment and said, "You go back with me to see her and don''t mention the


    divorce for a while"


    Lucia froze, puzzled, "Is this...


    okay?"


    The day woulde when the lie was known.


    Grandma might be even more unbearable when she knew the truth Seemingly reading her thoughts,


    August said softly, his eyes darkening, "At least don''t leave while she''s sick and I''ll exin to herter


    Lucia bit her lip, not knowing whether she should say yes to him or not, but when she thought of


    Grandma, who was already gray-haired, she couldn''t help but want to say yes to him.


    She took a deep breath and finally gathered her courage to look up at August, whispering, "I promise


    you..."


    Just for Grandma.


    When he heard those words, August''s eyes darkened.


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    He let go of her, then withdrew a step and reached out to pull her over to the desk.


    Holding up the wedding ring and keys, he said in a deep voice, "You keep these for now."


    Looking at the glowing ring, Lucia felt veryplicated, and she didn''t know whether she had made


    the right choice or not.


    She bit her lip and said, "I have to say first that I will only act with you in front of Grandma.'' On other


    asions, they remained in a divorced rtionship.


    August pursed his lips and said lightly, "Hmm."


    Lucia had mixed feelings when she came out of the other house.


    She came to get her luggage, but she took nothing with her when she left.


    Because August wanted to look good in front of Grandma and she didn''t know how to refuse him.


    Back in the neighborhood, Lucia walked home in a daze.


    Within a few steps, Mrs.Mitchell''s voice came up behind her.


    "Lucia?"


    Lucia turned around and saw Mrs.Mitchell and Betsy *Mom, you''re not home yet?"


    Mrs.Mitchell rushed up to her, "Where have you been?"


    Lucia starnmered, "I...


    went to see a friend."


    "A friend? What friend?"


    Mrs.Mitchell, full of suspicion, came closer and frowned, "Why do you smell like alcohol? Have you


    been drinking?"


    Lucia was a little guilty, pulling her to go home, "No, mom.


    Let''s go home."


    Seeing this, Betsy rushed forward, "Lucia, I and your mom were just talking about you! Why don''t you


    go sit at my house to chat and drink some tea with my son?"


    When Lucia heard that, she was very disturbed.


    She had just managed to escape August, and now there was another neighbor''s son.


    She was really out of her depth.


    "Mom Betsy, I''m not feeling well and I''m going home first."


    Lucia stammered, dodged their tugging, and walked home quickly If she continued to stay at home,


    Mrs.Mitchell would probably find all the single young men of the right age in the neighborhood to give


    her a match.


    Biting her lip, Lucia took a deep breath with mixed feelings It seemed that she would have to find a way


    to move out of the home.

 Chapter 81

    Chapter 81


    Lucia went back to her bedroom and tossed and turned, unable to sleep.


    What August had said shed through her mind over and over again.


    Did he really let her stay with him because of Grandma? Or was it something else? After thinking about


    it for a long time, she couldn¡¯t guess August¡¯s meaning and drifted off to sleep.


    The next morning, Lucia woke up at ate hour.


    She waste for work, but Mrs.Mitchell wanted her to have breakfast before going Sure enough, she


    waste for the morning rush.


    Lucia rushed to the Administration Department in a hurry.


    Just after she punched her card, she heard a hearing that, without time to go back to her office to put


    her things there, she casually put her bag outside and ran directly to the Supervisor¡¯s Office.


    N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    Knocking on the door, she pushed in and saw that Lisa was also in Carter¡¯s office.


    Lucia smiled apologetically at them, "Sorry, I¡¯mte."


    Carter said in a rare amiable and gentle manner, "It¡¯s okay.


    Sit down."


    Seeing that they all sat down, Carter didn¡¯t keep them guessing, and got straight to the point, "I¡¯ve


    called you all here for a task.


    "Mr.Stebbing has previously been managing the branch of the Lion Group in Jaipuran City.


    Now he¡¯s been transferred back and our department will send an assistant to coordinate his work."


    Carter paused and nced at Lucia and Lisa in front of her, "To put it bluntly, this job is mainly to bring


    Mr.Stebbing to familiarize himself with thepany again and do some chores as his assistant."


    Listening to her words, Lucia finally understood.


    It turned out that Mr.Stebbing was back in thepany, so she or Lisa would be responsible for


    cooperating with Mr.Stebbing on some trivial matters at work.


    That¡¯s all.


    "This work period is for one week.


    I called you two toe because you are very careful and not speak It was clear in her mind that Lisa


    would definitely rush to do the work like this, and she had no intention ofpeting with her.


    "Ahem!"


    Lisa coughed and said softly, "Carter, I think we should give this opportunity to Lucia.


    She¡¯s a neer and she needs a chance like this to hone her skills."


    Lucia froze, not expecting Lisa to say that.


    How could Lisa, who was usually so sarcastic towards her, easily give her this opportunity this time?


    She was guessing when Carter suddenly turned her head towards her, "Lucia, what do you think?"


    Lucia paused and swept a nce at Lisa next to her, "I¡¯m fine with anything."


    Carter nodded slightly, "Okay, it¡¯s you.


    Go report to Mr.Stebbing in a few minutes, so you can get acquainted with each other."


    "Okay After Carter gave the order, Lucia and Lisa walked out of the Supervisor¡¯s Office, one after the


    other.


    After walking a few steps, Lucia looked at Lisa not far ahead and couldn¡¯t help but call out, "Lisa."


    Lisa turned around and looked at her with a raised eyebrow, "What¡¯s up?"


    "Why don¡¯t you go to be Mr.Stebbing¡¯s assistant?"


    In the past, when there was any good thing, Lisa would fight for it.


    But today, Lisa was generous enough to give her this task directly and she really did not know what


    Lisa was wanting to go?"


    After saying that, she walked away directly.


    Looking at her back, Lucia was secretly relieved with knowing the reason.


    With that in mind, she understood.


    After a short break in the office, Lucia nned to go to the Vice President¡¯s Office.


    She would be working with Mr.Stebbing for the rest of the week, so she had to visit beforehand to get


    acquainted with him The Vice President¡¯s Office was located not far from the conference room.


    When Lucia arrived, several employees were carrying a rosewood colored tea tray inside.


    Although and various kinds of tea sets, she knew that these were worth a lot of money of why she was


    here.


    She went to the office door and saw several people setting up and did not see Mr.Stebbing.


    Hesitantly, she went to the person who had set up the desk middle aged voice came from behind her,


    "You wanted to see me?"


    Lucia froze, hurriedly half bowed and spoke, "Hello, Mr.Stebbing."


    This man was over half a hundred years old, medium build, with a little white hair between the temples.


    He had very thick eyebrows and a pair of inverted triangle eyes with an indefinable austerity and


    ruthlessness.


    Ted looked Lucia up and down, with some hesitation and spection under his eyes.


    In an instant, he returned to his normal self, "You are the assistant sent by the Administration


    Department?"


    Lucia said softly, "Yes."


    Seeming to find some amusement, he smiled crookedly, and a few sneers appeared under his eyes.


    Seeing the badge on her chest, he asked in a cold voice, "Lucia, then tell me, what advantages do you


    have to being my assistant?"


    Lucia froze, not expecting him to ask such a question.


    She lowered her head slightly, but she could still feel the sharp gaze above her head.


    job.


    In theing week, I will definitely cooperate actively with..."


    Before Lucia could finish her sentence, she was interrupted, "All right."


    Ted coldly snorted and said disdainfully, "Anyone can say such official words.


    With your qualifications, you¡¯re far to be my assistant."


    At that, Lucia clenched her fist and ayer of cold sweat emerged from her back.


    She didn¡¯t expect Mr.Stebbing to be a so hard nut to crack.


    ording to Carter¡¯s meaning, she was only here to be his temporary assistant and show him a little


    bit of thepany¡¯s business.


    After taking a deep breath, Lucia gathered the courage to look up at him and said, "What are your


    requirements for your assistant? If I have shorings, I will certainly actively correct them, and will


    not give you a leg up these days."


    When he heard these words, a cold light shed under Ted¡¯s eyes.


    Immediately after, he smiled crookedly and said in a cold voice, "To be my assistant, you have to be


    more open.


    I don¡¯t want the kind of petnt girl who won¡¯t even drink with our client.


    If you¡¯re that kind girl, leave right away."¡ä A few words made Lucia¡¯s cheeks burn hot like she was being


    pped in the face.


    What he said meant that she would definitely need to drink with the client during the week.


    If she backed out now, she would not only be admitting herck of ability, but she would also have no


    way to exin it to Carter.


    When she was silent, Ted stepped forward and stared at her grimly, asking, "Are you afraid?"


    After a pause, he continued, "If you¡¯re afraid, go back and tell your supervisor that you¡¯re not up to the


    job and tell her to rece you!"


    Clenching her fists, Lucia gritted her teeth, took a deep breath, and looked up into his eyes, forcing to a


    smile, "Mr.Stebbing, I¡¯m not afraid."

 Chapter 82

    Chapter 82


    At this time, even if she didn¡¯t want to drink with the client, she still had to agree to it.


    A sneer swept under Ted¡¯s eyes, "Really?"


    Lucia plucked up the hope so."


    At this moment, a sudden sound of footsteps came, followed by a cold voice, "Mr.Stebbing, what are


    you doing here?"


    Hearing August¡¯s voice, Lucia subconsciously got a little nervous, and when she looked up, she saw


    him striding toward her.


    August gave Lucia a faint look, and without any pause looked at Ted.


    Ted¡¯s eyes darkened and he answered with a cold smile, ¡¯This assistant sent by the send someone


    else over."


    Tedughed, but the smile did not reach the bottom of his more, this little girl looks pretty smart, so I


    won¡¯t bother you."


    August¡¯s eyes not go to your office.


    Would you like toe to my office for a cup of tea?"


    August said lightly and looked at him coldly, "I have things to do, so I won¡¯t have tea."


    on the surface, but she could feel the secret rivalry under their words.


    While she was lost in thought, August suddenly turned his head and instructed her, "You have nothing


    to do here and go back to your work."


    At the word, Lucia was relieved and hurriedly said, "Yes."


    It was clear to her that August was saying this to take the heat off her.


    She breathed a sigh of relief and turned to leave at a fast pace.


    Just a few steps, she felt a chill in her back, but also did not dare to look back.


    Although she was not sure what role this Mr.Stebbing yed, it seemed that there was something


    between him and August.


    And he must have some purpose for being transferred back from the branch at this time.


    drink a ss of water first to steady her nerves.


    only a week, and it would be over in a sh.


    Thinking of that, she felt a lot more rxed.


    In the afternoon, before she got off work, she received a message from August, "Get off work early


    today ande back to had been very rxed, suddenly felt a little heavy.


    When she agreed to August¡¯s requestst night, she didn¡¯t think much about it.


    Now when she really had to go back to the old house with him, she felt a little burdened.


    They were a legitimate couple Scratching her head, Lucia didn¡¯t know what to do for a while.


    Emma, who came to deliver the documents, was curious and surprised, "Lucia, what¡¯s wrong with you?


    If you keep scratching your head like this, you¡¯ll go bald!"


    Hearing what she said, Lucia looked down and saw several fallen hairs on the desk.


    She was taken aback, hurriedly stroked her hair, and gathered her things in a panic, "Emma, I have


    something to do.


    Cover for me and I¡¯ll go first."


    At her words, Emma blinked and asked nosily, "Are you going on a date?"


    Lucia pushed so upset.


    Just then, the phone dinged.


    Lucia opened the phone and saw a message from Paul, "Are youing to dinner with me after look


    at the screen and smiled crookedly, ¡¯And you say it¡¯s not a date? It was over Lucia¡¯s head.


    August told her to go home to visit Grandma, and Paul asked her to dinner.


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    What was she going to do? Without time to exin to Emma, she carried her bag and headed out,


    "Emma, I¡¯ll talk to you some other time.


    It¡¯s toote now and I¡¯ll go the elevator and took it to the lobby.


    She couldn¡¯t help but be a little nervous.


    Paul this time.


    If she went out and bumped into August and Paul, it would be awkward.


    When she reached the entrance of thepany, she first looked around.


    She was relieved to see that Paul was not there and then walked quickly towards the Maybach at the


    bottom of the steps.


    When she was about to reach the door of the car, she looked around again, then quickly pulled open


    the door and got into signed a long breath of relief.


    August, who was sitting on the sidelines, took in the woman¡¯s movements and expressions, and his


    eyes darkened.


    "Being a thief? "Huh?"


    Lucia snapped in response, "No...


    no."


    August turned his head and stared fixedly at her with his cold eyes as if he must ask for an answer,


    "Then what are you doing?"


    With being watched by him like this, Lucia¡¯s back straight sweaty.


    She gritted her teeth and stammered, ¡¯I am afraid of being seen by others..."


    In addition to Paul, Lucia also did not want to be seen by her colleagues in thepany that she got


    into August¡¯s car because that would also lead to a lot of gossips.


    When he heard what she said, August¡¯s face turned a few worse and somber.


    So, she wanted to get rid of him that much.


    Holding back the anger, August turned his head, directly started the car, and stepped on the gas pedal.


    Looking at the cold-faced man next to her, Lucia felt that the atmosphere inside the car was so cold


    that it could freeze her up.


    She opened her mouth and didn¡¯t know what to say when the phone in her hand suddenly rang.


    name bouncing on the screen.


    It was Paul! a deep breath and just made up her mind to hang up the phone when August¡¯s cold voice


    trembling, "I¡¯ll answer..."


    At this time, it would seem abnormal if she didn¡¯t answer the phone.


    Besides, she and August are now divorced.


    It¡¯s not unusual for her to have other male friends around.


    Nith this in mind, Lucia breathed a sigh of relief, picked up her phone, and pressed the answer button.


    Hello?"


    Paul¡¯s gentle voice came over there, "Lucia, are you busy?"


    No...


    no."


    The male voiceing from the other end of the phone seemed to carry a fewughs, soft and gentle,


    took a deep breath and said softly, ¡¯Tonight...


    probably not okay and I have something to do."


    Hearing this, Pa on the other end of the line paused for a moment and then spoke again, "That¡¯s


    okay.


    We can have dinner some other time."


    Lucia said softly, "Sorry about that."


    "It¡¯s okay and there¡¯s still time."


    Paul¡¯s maic voice came over the phone, and Lucia froze, feeling as if he had said this in her ear.


    Her ears suddenly became red.


    After taking a deep breath, Lucia stammered out two sentences and immediately hung up the phone.


    Just then, August next to her suddenly spoke up and asked in a cold voice, "Who is it?"

 Chapter 83

    Chapter 83


    Lucia froze and casually excused herself, ¡¯A friend..."


    A cold light crossed August¡¯s eyes.


    Just now when Lucia answered the phone, although he did not hear clearly, but also knew the caller


    was a man.


    Plus, seeing Lucia¡¯s unusual reaction, he could almost in front of thepanyst time, and for some


    reason he suddenly felt a little ufortable.


    Turning his head and seeing Lucia¡¯s red face, August tightened his grip on the steering wheel.


    He raised an eyebrow and asked in a cold voice, "Boyfriend?"


    Even he didn¡¯t notice the slightest imperceptible impatience in his tone.


    "No..."


    Like being seen through, Lucia blushed and hastily spoke to deny it.


    She and Paul were just friends now, not like what he said...


    August at her side seemed to grunt coldly, his voice low and deep, with a few invisible intimidations,


    "You are not allowed to have a boyfriend."


    Lucia was startled, and thought she had heard wrong, "What?"


    After a long time without waiting for his answer, she turned her head and saw the man¡¯s upright nose


    and taut jaw.


    He turned the steering wheel with one hand, Noticing the fiery gaze of the woman beside him, August


    turned his head slightly and gave her a faint look, "Haven¡¯t you seen enough?"


    After a pause, Lucia reacted violently and hurriedly averted her gaze.


    With her cheeks hot, she denied it with a pout, "Who¡¯s seeing you..."


    It didn¡¯t take long for them to arrive at the Adams Family¡¯s old house.


    As soon as they parked the car, Lucia immediately pushed open the car door and got out.


    A little flushed, Lucia patted her cheeks and took a few deep breaths to clear her head before walking


    with August towards the door.


    As soon as she entered the door, Lucia saw Grandma sitting on the couch.


    Hearing the sound, Grandma looked up.


    When she saw Lucia, her eyes lit up and she stood up in surprise, "Lucia, what are you doing here..."¡ä


    Seeing August beside Lucia, she was even more puzzled.


    Lucia immediately walked up as soon as she was excited, "Grandma, I heard that you were sick, so I


    wanted toe and see you."


    Compared to thest time she met her, Grandma had almost lost a round of weight, and in just a few


    days, she felt that her mental state was not as good as worry..."


    "You can juste and see me more often..."


    Her Grandma pulled Lucia to sit down and ordered the maid to prepare fruits and refreshments,


    completely hanging her grandson, August to the side.


    Looking at August, who was still standing aside, Lucia the health of the elderly to be angry.


    Lucia raised her hand and gently patted her grandma¡¯s back, gently persuading her.


    "Lucia, you don¡¯t have to speak for him!"


    Grandma gave August a look and grunted in exasperation, "I¡¯ll pretend I don¡¯t have this grandson!"


    Looking up at the silent August, Lucia took a deep breath, gritted her teeth, and spoke, "Grandma,


    don¡¯t be angry and August has apologized to me.


    I...


    Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    I decided to give him a second chance..."


    It¡¯s a lie, but Grandma was very weak now.


    Anyway, she just wanted to hide it from her first because she couldn¡¯t just watch Grandma stay angry.


    Once she heard Lucia say this, Grandma instantly came to life.


    She looked at Lucia and then looked up at August,/You mean...


    you can remarry?"


    Lucia forced a smile, "Well, Grandma finally got a smile on her face, "Yes...


    yes! Lucia, it¡¯s right for you to that it was almost time to eat, she immediately ordered the maids to


    prepare dinner.


    "Lucia, eat more and I especially instructed the chef to cook what you like!"


    Looking at the table of her favorite dishes, Lucia felt warm in her heart.


    Then she quickly picked up the serving fork and gave her grandmother a piece of fish, "Grandma, eat


    the fish!"


    "Okay!"


    Grandma was full of joy and answered repeatedly.


    Suddenly, August picked up his fork and put a piece of pork ribs on Lucia¡¯s te.


    Lucia was stunned and did not react Ever since she met August, he had never picked dishes for her or


    made simr intimate gestures toward her.


    Was he just putting on a that, Lucia got goosebumps, unconsciously blushed, and nodded sluggishly.


    Grandma, who saw their actions and reactions, had a smile in her eyes.


    Looking at Lucia, she couldn¡¯t be more satisfied with her.


    At the end of the dinner, the atmosphere was much more rxed than at the beginning.


    After staying for a while, August suggested that it was time for them to leave.


    Before leaving, Grandma reluctantly held also some sorrow, "Grandma, you do not worry and I will visit


    you often."


    Grandma nodded and hugged Lucia before finally letting go.


    There was a silence in the carriage on the way back, and Lucia didn¡¯t feel good when she thought of


    Grandma¡¯s gaze.


    She took a deep breath and said softly, "I think...


    we shouldn¡¯t lie to Grandma."


    At that, August was silent for a moment and said lightly, "Recently she is not well and her emotions


    cannot fluctuate too much, so we can only hide it from her first, and slowly talk to herter."


    He knew best that the elderly were most likely to have health problems.


    Now there was no other better way and he could only coax Grandma first.


    Lucia¡¯s small expression, August had some mixed feelings.


    "By the way."


    August thought of something, frowned tightly, and ordered in a deep voice, "This week, you have to be


    more careful when you work under Ted.


    Don¡¯t have any contact with him except for business affairs.


    If anything happens, call me.


    Understand?"


    Ted was a sophisticated old fox.


    So far, he hadn¡¯t guessed what Ted was ying for, so he was worried that Lucia who was like a little


    white rabbit would be at a disadvantage.


    The moment when a chill at the back of her head, asking tentatively, "Do you have any issues with


    him?"

 Chapter 84

    Chapter 84


    While August was absorbed in his own thoughts, a phone call came in before he was able to speak.


    Looking at the name on the screen, August paused for half a second and answered the phone in front


    of Lucia.


    "Peter, what is it?"


    Peter¡¯s voice is low, he sounds urgent.


    "The condition of Miss Kelly is not very good, so you¡¯d better go to the hospital to see her."


    The mention of "Miss Kelly"


    subconsciously gave Lucia a jolt, causing her body to stiffen for a few moments.


    A serious atmosphere suddenly erupted in the car after Peter¡¯s words.


    A grave expression appeared on August¡¯s face as he pressed the elerator hard.


    Lucia¡¯s body leaned forward violently because of the force of inertia, and before she could react,


    August had already turned the steering wheel "I¡¯ll be going right away..."


    He spoke these words in a low voice and pulled his car over to the side of the road, looking at Lucia


    with some in her heart.


    She pushed the door open and got out of the car.


    The car started as soon as she got off the car.


    The bitterness in Lucia¡¯s heart rose as she stood at the side who was normally so calm and collected,


    would lose his cool.


    Wasn¡¯t it evident that he loved her? As she looked around, she noticed that the ce was dark and that


    there were not many cars on the road.


    August just left her alone in this dark ce because of another woman.


    It felt like a pair of strong hands were rubbing hard on Lucia¡¯s heart, suffocating her somewhat.


    She bit her lip and the pain forced her to sober up.


    Her heart ached, and then she remembered a face.


    After hesitation, Lucia still picked up her cell phone and dialed Paul Thomas¡¯s cell phone number.


    He was the only person she could turn to, even though they hadn¡¯t known each other for long.


    up now?"


    Paul Thomas did not hesitate to ask, "Where are you? I¡¯m on my way."


    Twenty minutester, Paul Thomas arrived.


    As he watched Lucia shrink into herself beside a flowerbed, his heart suddenly softened.


    After pushing the car door open, Paul got out, and quickly stepped forward, without saying anything.


    After taking off his jacket, he ced it directly on Lucia¡¯s shoulder.


    Lucia looked up at Paul.


    As her eyes filled with tears, Paul could not help but sympathize with her.¡ä Paul¡¯s heart ached for her


    and he said softly, "Sorry, I¡¯mte,"


    "No."


    Lucia stood up in aplicated mood.


    She and August were a couple, but he abandoned her like this in the middle of nowhere.


    Yet Paul, whom she had only met a few times, was the only person who cared about her.


    Paul hesitated for a moment and asked softly, "Where do you want to go? I will take you there."


    please drive me to the Dream Hotel downtown?"


    After hearing that, Paul subconsciously frowned.


    A hotel? Lucia bit her lip.


    "I don¡¯t want to go home today.


    I¡¯ll settle for one night there, then go straight to work tomorrow."


    Having heard that, Paul drove her directly to the Dream Hotel with no more questions asked.


    As Lucia walked a few steps after thanking him, she realized that she was still wearing Paul¡¯s jacket.


    Just as she was about to turn around, she felt a hand on her shoulder.


    And she heard a low, warm voice.


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    "It¡¯s OK/I¡¯ll send you in."


    As Lucia looked at the hand on her shoulder and the determined Paul, Lucia¡¯s heart warmed up, and


    she swallowed back the words of refusal.


    "Okay."


    It was a very good feeling to be cared for, she had to admit.


    The two walked into the hotel side by side without noticing the man hiding behind the pir next to


    them, wearing a mask and a peaked cap, bundling up his entire body.


    The man snapped pictures of Lucia and Paul with his cell phone deliberately...


    After checking in, Paul apanied Lucia to the hotel¡¯s elevator and left.


    When Lucia returned to her room feeling weak, she casually checked her pocket and found something


    slippery.


    After pulling it out, she saw a familiar red silk bag.


    Upon opening the bag, the silver bracelet was revealed.


    When she went back to the old house for the first time, the old in her pocket? Could it be ...¡ä It shed


    in her mind that the olddy hugged her goodbye as she was leaving.


    Could it be that she took the opportunity to stuff it into her pocket at that time? She also remembered


    that the olddy had told her that this bracelet was a relic left by August¡¯s mother, representing the


    approval of the Adams Family Suddenly, an unspeakable emotion overwhelmed her.


    The olddy was so good to her that she could not bear to tell her the truth, she could not bear to hurt


    her.


    For the sake of the olddy¡¯s health, she would apany August to continue this drama.


    As for the silver bracelet, she would return it to August some work the next day with dark circles.


    As soon as the most important task waspleted, Lucia rushed straight to Ted Ted Stebbing raised


    his eyes, nced at her, and casually tossed her a pile of them easily."


    Lucia faintly lowered her eyes and hastily answered, "Okay."


    As she was indicate.


    "Work right here with me."


    As she followed his gaze, Lucia nced over at the sofa next to her and hesitated.


    The colleagues here would be reporting work to him all the time, so what would they think of her if she


    worked here? Lucia plucked up the Ted¡¯s face sank and he said coldly, "What¡¯s inappropriate? We


    need to improve the take the file and sit on the sofa.


    expressions on their faces were somewhat intriguing as they opened the door and saw Lucia was not


    very happy.


    She couldn¡¯t help but ask, "Why on earth did you look like this after spending half a day at


    Mr.Stebbing¡¯s office?"


    As Lucia sighed helplessly, she told Emma the entire story of her morning.


    Emma¡¯s eyes widened when she heard it.


    She came over and lowered her voice and said mysteriously, "Do you think Mr.Stebbing Stebbing¡¯s


    cold eyes.


    "Nonsense!"


    being an old pervert!"

 Chapter 85

    Chapter 85


    Chapter 085 As Lucia¡¯s body froze, she felt a chill creep up her back and spread to her limbs.


    Ted Stebbing¡¯s conduct of allowing her to work in his office had already misled people.


    short period, so how should she handle him? "Lucia."


    Seeing Lucia in a stunned state and not responding for a moment, Emma hurriedly asked, "What¡¯s


    wrong?"


    Lucia snapped back to her senses, took a deep breath, and asked, "Why...


    What happened to Mr.Stebbing?"


    Emma said in a low voice, "I heard he was having an affair with his secretary, as well as a few interns.


    In short, his personal life is messed up! As a beautiful girl, you must pay more attention to him!"


    As Lucia nodded, her chest felt as though it was being pressed, and she couldn¡¯t catch her breath.


    She finally realized why Lisa Miller made the initiative to give her this opportunity back then.


    That was the reason! It was toote now, no matter what she had to keep doing it, even if it meant


    biting the bullet.


    Soon, it was afternoon.


    Lucia focused on finishing all documents and ensuring efficiency.


    Secretly exhaling a sigh of relief, she picked up the documents and sent them to Ted Stebbing.


    "Mr.Stebbing, here is the key document you need..."


    As hand, stood up, and ordered coldly.


    "Come to dinner with meter, and meet some Faith Project leaders."


    The Faith to thepany.


    It was mainly to jointly develop new smart products with a newly valued recently.


    Lucia secretly breathed a sigh of relief once she saw Ted Stebbing¡¯s serious face, and immediately


    began preparing things for the dinner.


    After arriving at the Austos International Hotel, Lucia felt a little frightened when she remembered what


    had happened here before.


    She gritted her teeth and forced herself to swallow the difort as she followed Ted into the hotel.


    She almost had an ident thest time Lydia Anderson and Carol Wright set her up.


    Since then, Austos International had always been a shadow to her.


    Seeing familiar scenes and taking the same elevator made her feel uneasy.


    In the elevator, she watched the numbers slowly rise, and her face turned pale as she remembered


    what happened herest time.


    arriveter, be flexible and don¡¯t be too rigid, understand?"


    Lucia took a deep Lucia pushed open the door and saw that about five or six men were seated around


    a saw Ted Stebbing, they all greeted him.


    "Ted, we are all waiting for you.


    You¡¯rete, and you have to punish yourself for three sses of liquorter."


    "Since Tom has already said it, I have nothing to say.


    I will definitely drink three sses of himself a ss of liquor.


    As he drank his first drink, he drank a second, then a third, and joked with everyone without changing


    his expression.


    Everyone was booing.


    Then somebody noticed Lucia behind Ted.


    Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    The man smiled and said, "Ted, that¡¯s not very nice of you.


    As a punishment, you drink three sses.


    Wouldn¡¯t it be nice if your Initially, the room was full of men, making Lucia, a beautiful girl, stand out.


    Moreover, her beauty made people unable to take their eyes off her, which led to everyone wanting to


    tease her.


    As Lucia stood where she was, she did not dare to say anything when she heard that.


    Ted turned his head, nced at her, paused for two seconds, and said solemnly.


    ¡¯Are you lost? Don¡¯t you know what to do? Lucia was stunned and the look on her face was a little icy.


    What did Ted mean? Could it be that he brought her here just to apany them to drink? In his eyes,


    she was nothing more than a barmaid.


    Lucia bit her lip.


    "Mr.Stebbing..."


    "Come drink, stop talking useless stuff!"


    Ted waved his hand, signaling the waiter next to him to pour the liquor.


    The waiter picked up the liquor bottle and three small sses, filled them up, and brought them to


    Lucia.


    When Lucia saw the three sses of liquor in front of her, and the people in the room gazing at her,


    she knew she had to drink.


    After taking a deep breath, Lucia picked up a ss, bit the bullet, and raised her head to drink.


    A spicy liquid poured into her throat, and a hot feeling slipped into her stomach, making her feel cold.


    After drinking the first ss, some people in the room were booing andughing.


    Lucia shivered, grabbed the second ss, and continued to drink.


    Lucia felt cold and ufortable in her stomach after drinking three sses of liquor in a row, and


    after a while, she felt her body burning In response to her drink, Ted said nothing more, and he sat


    down to talk and drink with the others.


    Lucia¡¯s breathing was short after a while due to the three sses of liquor, and she felt hot and


    ufortable.


    It was too much for her to drink three sses of high-quality liquor at once since she didn¡¯t know how


    to drink.


    With an empty stomach, she couldn¡¯t stand it even more.


    "Regarding the Faith Project, I¡¯m not sure if Mr.Stebbing can make the decisions now.


    Should that be the case, we would be happy to learn more about the details."


    Hearing what the manager of the other party the moment.


    Or who else? August?"


    Suddenly, the atmosphere grew colder after the talk.


    A series of awkward coughs sounded from the table as people made eye contact with one another.


    Seeing this, Ted turned his head to look at Lucia.


    The smile in his eyes was somewhat cold and horrible.


    "It¡¯s time to toast Mr.Mitchell."


    Lucia frowned slightly and said softly, "Mr.Stebbing, as I said just now, I¡¯m not very good at drinking..."


    Ted¡¯s face suddenly became gloomy.


    "You already drank three sses just now, but you even colder.


    Lucia bit her lip, picked up a ss, walked to Mr.Mitchell, and took a of drinkingter, Lucia toasted


    them with many sses.


    A burning sensation in her stomach made her dizzy.


    and she was unable to stand still.


    Fortunately, the dinner was Ted also drank a lot, which caused his steps to be a bit disordered, almost


    falling numerous times.


    Lucia took a deep breath, followed him out of the hotel, and reminded him softly.


    "Mr.Stebbing, be careful."


    In front of the hotel¡¯s main entrance, Ted¡¯s car was parked under the steps.


    Ted stumbled toward the car.


    Lucia hurriedly stepped her.


    It was almost impossible for Lucia to hold her bnce and she almost fell to the ground.


    Nearby, in a parked car on the side of the road, Irene was looking through the window, pointing the


    camera toward them, and pressing the shutter button.


    After taking face.


    It was definitely dead meat for Lucia this time when she teamed up with Lisa Miller to set her up!

 Chapter 86

    Chapter 86


    Chapter 086 After taking a lot of misleading photos, Irene put away the camera in satisfaction and left


    quickly.


    On the other side, Lucia struggled to help Ted into the car.


    She greeted the driver and watched them leave.


    Ted¡¯s car brought her there, but she found it inconvenient to get into it again and asked his driver to


    take her home, so she should simply take a taxi.


    Taking a deep breath, she watched the car drive away.


    Lucia¡¯s originally tense nerves were relieved, and her stomach was surging.


    Despite standing in the cold wind for a long time, double images still appeared in front of her.


    her legs.


    Despite her heavy head, Lucia forced herself to turn around, and when she did, she saw a face that


    seemed serious and stern.


    you do that?"


    He just came out of the hotel after socializing.


    When he reached the door, he recognized a familiar figure.


    The little girl was swaying in the wind as if she would fall to the ground in the next second.


    Lucia was stunned for a while.


    Seeing the man¡¯s serious face, a burst of grievance suddenly swept through her heart, and her ...Who


    cried?"


    Lucia sniffed, her shoulders twitching, muttering, and refusing to admit it.


    Taking a step forward, she leaned urately on the man beside her as she spoke, swaying her body.


    With a bang, her head bumped into August¡¯s chest directly.


    She closed her eyes and hummed, "Take me home...


    take me home."


    August stared helplessly at the woman in his arms.


    She was obviously drunk.


    His "Go back to your house or mine?"


    Lucia¡¯s brain was a mess due to drunkenness.


    She killer..."


    When August heard this, his face suddenly sank a little.


    Handsome? Which even more displeased.


    He stretched out his hands and squeezed Lucia¡¯s shoulder.


    Unconsciously, his strength became a little stronger.


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    He asked in a deep voice, "Which handsome?"


    Lucia¡¯s shoulder ached, her face wrinkled, and she instinctively grabbed August¡¯s neck.


    "It hurts..."


    August finally realized it.


    As he let go of her hand, he wrapped his arms around her waist to prevent her from falling.


    As she leaned against to let go of him.


    August patiently asked, "Where do you want to go?"


    The woman in her arms opened her eyes hazily, looking at August.


    Her eyes were so clear.


    Slowly, she brushed her fingers across his chin until they reached his chest.


    She muttered inartictely, "Handsome...


    you look good..."


    August¡¯s back froze.


    He, who had always hand gradually tightened around Lucia¡¯s waist, his voice became hoarse and


    deep.


    "That¡¯s enough, I¡¯ll take you back."


    He would not be able to control himself if she kept provoking him like that.


    However, the drunk woman was just doing whatever she wanted.


    Lucia twisted her body in his arms and said sollly, Tm¡ä thirsty..."¡ä With a somewhat hoarse voice, it was


    like a hand gently scratching August¡¯s heart.


    Seeing the woman in his arms with a flushed face, he lowered his head and his desire intensified.


    He frowned and could no longer resist.


    As August held Lucia up, he quickly walked towards the car next to him.


    When August opened the car door, Burton¡¯s curious and hesitant eyes caught his attention.


    He mmed the door shut andmanded in a deep voice.


    "Send her home."


    In the case that he brought her back to his home, he couldn¡¯t guarantee what he would do to her.


    Burton said yes immediately and started the car.


    It felt ufortable all over her body when Lucia leaned on the backrest, so she slowly reached over


    and leaned on August¡¯s body again.


    As if in a dream, she stretched out one hand, rubbing August¡¯s chest, muttering, "It¡¯s sofortable..."¡ä


    Immediately after these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the car became subtle.


    A stern expression spread across August¡¯s face, and even Burton nced in the rearview mirror


    tentatively to see what had happened.


    August frowned and said solemnly, "Just drive your car!"


    Burton froze and withdrew his gaze immediately.


    "Yes!"


    But the woman in her arms didn¡¯t realize it.


    She reached out her beautiful hands to fondle his chest, mumbling.


    "It¡¯s so hard...


    um, hum, the pillow is so hard..."¡ä August¡¯s desire shed back in an instant after being suppressed just


    moments ago.


    Angry and annoyed, he grabbed Lucia¡¯s hands and said, "Lucia, do you know what you are of him! And


    she was challenging his bottom line time and time again! "Ahh...


    There¡¯s a bug biting me!"¡ä She hugged August tightly, wishing that her entire body would be attached to


    him as if she were a drunken ko.


    August frowned and couldn¡¯t help getting angry.


    He would definitely have taught her a lesson if it weren¡¯t for her drunkenness.


    Soon, the car pulled up at the door of Lucia¡¯smunity.


    August looked at Lucia who was sleeping soundly on his chest and took her out of the car.


    As soon as he finished saying that, he carried Lucia into themunity.


    The route was familiar to him since he had been here several times before.


    August stepped forward and walked through a tree-lined avenue.


    The woman in his arms suddenly moved, humming, "Idiot...


    That idiot August..."¡ä August paused and lowered his eyes in surprise as he heard the words.


    arms, feeling a little guilty.


    Suddenly, thinking of another woman who was still in pain and suffering in bed, a dim light shed in


    August¡¯s eyes, and the guilt that he had been born with also dissipated immediately.


    Taking a quick step, he walked directly into the unit where Lucia¡¯s house was located.


    As Mrs.Mitchell opened the door, she saw August at the door and Lucia in his arms, drunk.

 Chapter 87

    Chapter 87


    Let August in the door.


    After Lucia was put on the bed in her bedroom, Mrs.Mitchell pulled the quilt over Lucia while she looked


    at August and asked, ¡¯Why...


    Why did she drink so much?"


    August paused and whispered, "There was a drinking party for work and she drank some wine."


    When Mrs.Mitchell heard that, the look on her face changed.


    "A drinking party? How could you ask her to drink with them?"


    August frowned as a dark light flickered in his eyes.


    He was silent without replying.


    He had guessed that Ted might give Lucia a hard time and specifically told her to call him if anything


    happened, but she didn¡¯t listen.


    If he hadn¡¯t run into her today outside the Austos International, something else might have happened.


    He didn¡¯t say anything for a while.


    Seeing that, Mrs.Mitchell looked increasingly angry.


    "I always thought of you as my good out of here.


    I don¡¯t want to see you again!"


    August hesitated for a moment before he bowed slightly to Mrs.Mitchell and said quietly, "Excuse me."


    With that, he turned to walk out of the bedroom and strode away.


    In his mind, he knew that after Lucia married him, he didn¡¯t do his duty as her husband or take good


    care of her.


    No matter what Mrs.Mitchell said, he wouldn¡¯t say anything, because he was responsible.


    August came out of the neighborhood and got into the car.


    Burton saw how sullen he looked and quickly asked, "Where are we going now, In the past two days,


    he had done everything he could and finally found another right kidney for Jeanne.


    He had talked with the donor.


    The surgery would be done soon and before that, he would stay by Jeanne¡¯s side every night to make


    sure that everything would go well.


    He raised his hand and rubbed the ce between his eyebrows, looking somewhat weary.


    When he unintentionally looked down, his eyes were suddenly caught by a small stain around his


    chest.


    He was puzzled.


    Suddenly, he remembered the scene where Lucia had just been in his arms and realized that it was the


    corners of his lips turned upward involuntarily as he thought of what the woman looked like just now.


    One day, he would make up for what he owed Lucia.


    The next morning, throat that seemed to be on the verge of smoking.


    She sat up with difficulty, grabbed the half ss of water on the bedside table, and drank it all.


    When she put the ss down, the memories in her mind were slowly pieced together like a jigsaw


    puzzle.


    How did she get back yesterday? She couldn¡¯t remember anything about it.


    Just then, the door was suddenly opened.


    Mrs.Mitchell came in with a ss of warm water.


    Seeing Lucia wake up, she immediately came over and asked, "Lucia, are you okay?"


    I have a slight headache."


    Lucia gasped.


    She reached for the warm water, took a few sips, and asked, "How did I get home yesterday, Mom?"


    The look on Mrs.Mitchell¡¯s face changed.


    Lucia responded and then asked, "Did Ie back by myself yesterday?"


    Mrs.Mitchell frowned and said, somewhat angrily, "Yesterday...


    August took you back."


    "What?"¡ä It was him? But why didn¡¯t she remember anything about it? "Forget it.


    Stop thinking about it if you can¡¯t remember.


    Go wash up and have breakfastter!"


    Mrs.Mitchell pushed Lucia into the bathroom, so Lucia didn¡¯t keep asking.


    After breakfast, Lucia went straight to thepany.


    As soon as she arrived at her department, a colleague informed her that an interdepartmental meeting


    would be held on short notice.


    An interdepartmental meeting was different from a departmental meeting.


    It was a meeting of the key employees from all the departments in thepany.


    August was not here, so Ted would chair the meeting.


    Lucia took the minute book and went to the meeting room with her men walking over.


    He nced at the crowd with a stern look and fixed his eyes on Lucia atst.


    After pausing for half a second, he raised his chin slightly and said to Lucia in front of the crowd,


    "Come here."¡ä Lucia was baffled.


    "What can I do for you, Mr.Stebbing?"


    "Go make a cup of tea for me and bring it over."


    With these words, Ted stepped forward and walked directly into the meeting room.


    All at once, Lucia felt that everyone around was looking at her.


    Their eyes and stares were like invisible arrows, making her ufortable from head to toe.


    She was the assistant to the supervisor of the Administration Department, and now the him in front of


    so many people, which would naturally cause a lot of spection and suspicion.


    Lucia took a deep breath and decided to ignore all that.


    She simply handed the minute book in her hand to Emma who was next to her.


    "Please take it in for me, Emma.


    I¡¯lle inter."¡ä Emma nodded, took the book, and went into the meeting room with her colleagues.


    hand, and said gently, "Here is your tea, Mr.Stebbing."


    Ted nodded slightly and said in a deep voice, "Just sit next to me."


    Lucia paused and subconsciously refused.


    "I can¡¯t sit here, Mr.Stebbing."


    They were supposed to sit in order ording to their ce as an assistant to a supervisor? Ted¡¯s eyes


    darkened as he said in a cold voice, all looking over.


    At the moment, Lucia didn¡¯t know what to do.


    Last time, he asked her of so many people.


    That would cause a lot of suspicion and misunderstanding, which was Emma said? Or was he


    deliberately putting on a show to make her the target of do.


    Biting her lip, Lucia continued in a low voice, "You can just tell me now if you Ted raised his eyebrow


    with a meaningful smile in his eyes.


    He curled his lips and sneered, "You didn¡¯t look so resistant to mest night, did you?"


    When his words came out, Lucia felt that her ears buzzed and a chill ran down her spine.


    Some colleagues clenched her fists and gradually, there was only a cold look left in her eyes.


    "Please stop talking like that, Mr.Stebbing.


    You were drunk at the drinking partyst night and I left after putting you in the car.


    You might have forgotten about it, but I remember clearly.


    A hint of surprise flickered in Ted¡¯s eyes as if he hadn¡¯t expected Lucia to retort so forcefully.


    He curled his lips into a foxy smile and said lightly, him without saying anything.


    She turned around and headed towards the seats of the Administration Department.


    Ted watched from behind as the woman left.


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    His eyes darkened slightly, but he didn¡¯t say anything else after all.


    Lucia braced herself to go back to her seat.


    Next to her, Emma promptly moved closer and asked about what had happened.


    "What¡¯s wrong?"


    Lucia took a deep breath and shook her head without saying anything, but she knew very well in her


    mind that Ted was definitely brewing a plot and she was just his pawn.

 Chapter 88

    Chapter 88


    The meeting began atst.


    Ted had to make a speech as the Vice President of thepany who had just been transferred back.


    Sitting there, Lucia raised her eyes and looked at the man standing at the head of the table talking


    eloquently, with mixed feelings.


    "Well, that¡¯s what I have to say.


    Now, let¡¯s get down to business.


    I just came to thepany and know little about the departments.


    Supervisors, please tell me in turn what projects and which parts of them your department is working


    on sol can learn about them."


    When Ted said that, the department supervisors took turns to stand up and report the details.


    Lucia kept drifting away while she recorded the key points Her mind was filled with questions, and she


    hadn¡¯t found an answer when the department supervisors almost finished their reports.


    Before she knew it, the meeting came to an end.


    Ted stood up with his eyes shining.


    He cleared his throat and said in a deep voice, "Okay, I just got a brief understanding today.


    After the meeting, each department will hand in a departmental task report.


    You can just give it to Lucia, my temporary assistant."


    Noticing their gaze at her, Lucia came back to her senses and kept silent without saying anything.


    "Okay, if no further questions, let¡¯s break up the meeting."


    With these words, Ted stepped out of the meeting room.


    Seeing that people from various departments got up, gathered together, and whispered to each other in


    groups of two or three.


    Most of them were talking about Mr.Stebbing.


    "Hey, why do I feel that Mr.Stebbing doesn¡¯t consider Mr.Adams at all? I heard that he called this


    meeting on an ad hoc basis."


    "Really? No wonder we were all informed on short notice."


    "Who knows? I heard that Mr.Stebbing worked for Old Mr.Adams and that he¡¯s very tough!"¡ä was true


    that Ted had a problem with August as the rumors said, then why would he have to involve her in it?


    "Get out of my way! Where¡¯s Ted, the old goat? Where is he?"


    Lucia had just walked to the door of the meeting room.


    At the sound of the voice, she immediately looked up and saw a woman dressed in a luxurious manner


    screaming and shouting among those people from various departments who had not yet dispersed.


    When the woman saw that no one answered her as she asked around, her face turned red with anger


    and she yelled hysterically, "Who is Lucia? Tell me, who is Lucia?"


    The crowd was stunned and turned to Lucia in unison while those who were in front of stomped angrily


    toward Lucia in her high heels.


    "You are Lucia?"


    Lucia was slightly stunned and nodded.


    "Yes.


    What can I do for..."¡ä "Bitch, you¡¯re so shameless! Were you born to be a vamp? Why do you have to


    seduce a married man when you can be a good girl?"¡ä If she remembered correctly, this was the first


    time she had met this woman! The woman was so aggressive that she had to shout at the top of her


    voice.


    "You didn¡¯t offend me? Bitch! You seduced my woman, she took a deep breath and defended herself.


    "No, I didn¡¯t!"


    "You didn¡¯t?"


    The woman¡¯s face was red.


    She reached into the bag on her arm, took out a stack of pictures, and threw them at Lucia¡¯s face


    ruthlessly.


    With a swish, the hard edges of the pictures hit Lucia¡¯s face so hard that she snapped out of it in pain.


    The crowd gasped.


    Lucia looked down at the of Ted¡¯s body leaning on hers, and their faces were clearly shown! The


    pictures had been taken at the Austos Internationalst night! Lucia gritted her teeth.


    She was and hastily started to exin.


    "It¡¯s...


    definitely not what you think.


    Mr.Stebbing stepped back and looked at her with suspicion more or less.


    After all, Ted¡¯s attitude towards her was quite unusual in the meeting room just now.


    The woman, who stood in front of Lucia, stretched out her hand, grabbed Lucia¡¯s clothes, and pulled it


    hard, saying fiercely, "Will a vamp admit that she is a mistress?"


    Lucia was wearing a white shirt.


    The woman had pulled it so hard that the buttons around her neckline came undone.


    She broke away from the woman¡¯s hand and quickly exined, "I have nothing to do with Mr.Stebbing!"


    "I don¡¯t believe you!"


    The woman was furious, pulling and kicking.


    She lifted her foot and kicked Lucia hard in the knee.


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    As the sharp pain spread across her knee, Lucia gasped and almost fell to the floor when her calf went


    weak.


    She gritted her teeth.


    Feeling a surge of anger, she raised her eyes and looked at the woman, saying in a louder voice, "I


    have nothing to do with him!"


    Emma pushed her way into the crowd and hastily helped Lucia up as she spoke up.


    "How could you hit her when things aren¡¯t clear?"


    Seeing that someone was speaking up for Lucia, the woman flew into a rage.


    She approached them aggressively and red at them fiercely, saying, "Not clear? Don¡¯t you see those


    pictures? Ask her if she is the woman in the pictures!"


    Hearing that, the crowd immediately quieted down.


    They all looked at Lucia with curiosity and suspicion as well as some meaningful mockery and her,


    Lucia!"


    Lucia took a deep breath and found herself speechless.


    She was the woman in the pictures and the one who had reached at her fiercely.


    "Finally, you admit it! How shameless..."


    She was so angry that she face.


    It was so close that Lucia couldn¡¯t dodge it and subconsciously closed her eyes!

 Chapter 89

    Chapter 89


    The expected p didn¡¯tnd on her face, but a low, powerful voice came to her ears.


    "Why? A p isn¡¯t enough?"


    Lucia snapped her eyes open and saw a tall figure.


    August stood in front of her with his strong arm raised, grabbing the woman¡¯s wrist.


    The woman looked stunned.


    She I have to do!"


    August was indifferent and asked in a cold voice, "Do you think it¡¯s right for you to make such a scene


    during working hours, Mrs.Stebbing?"


    Mrs.Stebbing¡¯s face turned cold.


    She snorted and tried to argue, but August stepped forward and asked in a deep voice, "You should


    have asked Mr.Stebbing first when something like this happened, shouldn¡¯t eyes and looked at Lucia


    coldly.


    "The pictures are enough to prove it!"


    August¡¯s eyes grew cold.


    "But what if you have gotten it all wrong? What are you going to do about the p just now?"


    "..."¡ä Mrs.Stebbing¡¯s face instantly went pale.


    Seeing that she couldn¡¯t say anything, August continued in a cold voice, "I will investigate it.


    If it¡¯s true, I will definitely give you a satisfactory answer, Mrs.Stebbing.


    But if it isn¡¯t, you must be prepared then and give her an answer.¡¯ August had already given her enough


    respect by saying this in front of so many people without using her.


    Mrs.Stebbing knew it would be even worse if she continued to make trouble, so she rolled her eyes


    resentfully and agreed.


    Since you have said that, Mr.Adams, I can¡¯t say anything else."


    "However..."


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    She nced at Lucia.


    Her expression changed and her voice became colder.


    "If it¡¯s true and you fail to do what you have said, Mr.Adams, don¡¯t me me for being merciless!"


    After that, she turned around with a snort and walked away through the crowd.¡ä Lucia stood behind


    August.


    Her cheek was burning and she felt breathless as what had happened was weighing on her like a big


    stone.


    August nced at the crowd of people who were still standing there.


    He didn¡¯t say anything, but his cold gaze already carried an invisible deterrent effect.


    Seeing that, those people immediately understood.


    They exchanged a few nces and hurriedly dispersed.


    Watching the crowd disperse, Lucia bit her lip, turned around silently, and walked in the opposite


    direction.


    Now that Mrs.Stebbing had made such a scene, people from all departments knew about it, and it was


    only a matter of time before it spread throughout thepany.


    Lucia felt so upset that she lowered her eyes as tears streamed down her face and stung her cheek.


    There were her colleagues everywhere.


    Lucia took a deep breath and felt like she could hardly breathe.


    When she to the top floor.


    ¡¯Lucia!"¡ä August¡¯s voice came from behind Lucia.


    Her body shivered.


    For some reason, she didn¡¯t stop but walked faster instead.


    August took her home yesterday, so he could prove her afraid that others would misunderstand their


    rtionship? Nith bursts of sorrow in her heart, Lucia quickened her steps and tried to escape as


    quickly as possible.


    Suddenly, her wrist was grabbed.


    She was stopped at the corner of the staircase, pushed to the side by a force, and cornered there.


    The man¡¯s smell came over and enveloped her directly.


    August held her face up with his cupped hands.


    The two of them were so close now that they could smell each other¡¯s breath as they looked at each


    other.


    His raspy voice carried some faint anger.


    "What are you running for?"


    Even if she ran away, it wouldn¡¯t solve anything! Lucia¡¯s nose twitched and tears welled up in her eyes.


    She clenched her teeth, trying to keep her tears froming out.


    They looked at each other.


    Lucia could almost feel the warm breathing out of his nose.


    "Why didn¡¯t you prove my innocence?"


    Looking at the woman¡¯s half-swollen face, August felt a sudden pang in his August felt sorry for her


    inexplicably as he looked into her pure, unblemished eyes.


    "One day, I will clear your name."


    It wasn¡¯t the right time now.


    Hearing that, Lucia¡¯s heart skipped a beat.


    She reached out and pushed August¡¯s hands away, "Why not today?"


    She knew all too well how fearful gossip could be.


    All kinds of gossip and rumors would weigh her down like a heavy mountain until the truth was


    revealed.


    A hint of struggle flickered in August¡¯s eyes before he finally said, "Today...


    I can¡¯t."


    He couldn¡¯t afford to see all his previous efforts go to waste just because of this one incident today.


    His words dashed all of Lucia¡¯s hopes.


    She took a deep breath, backed up two steps, and curled her lips into a bitter smile.


    "Then forget it."


    She shouldn¡¯t have had hopes for him in the first the end.


    August had mixed feelings when he saw the disappointment in her eyes.


    His pursed lips were slightly parted and he said softly, "Go home and rest for a few days.


    I¡¯ll take care of this matter."


    Lucia could go home and rest for a few days, so she could avoid Ted.


    Lucia lowered her eyes and her eyshes fluttered.


    After a few seconds, she seemed to have made up her mind.


    She reached into her pocket, took out a on, we won¡¯t have anything to do with each other."


    After that, she turned around right away and left before August could say anything.


    Ever since she got married to him, her him anymore.


    August knitted his brows, watching from behind as Lucia left.


    His frown deepened when he looked down at the red cloth packet in his hand.


    As soon as she returned to the department, Lucia felt that everyone was strangely looking at her.


    Emma got up from her seat, walked to Lucia, and said in a low voice, "Lucia, Carter said that she


    wanted to see you when you¡¯re back."


    Lucia took a deep breath to calm herself down.


    She nodded at Emma and walked towards the Supervisor¡¯s Office.


    At the sound of the door opening, Carter looked up.


    Seeing that it was Lucia, she sighed slightly and said, "You can go home and rest for the next few days.


    I¡¯ve been notified that you can ask for leave."


    Lucia nodded and said, "Thank you, Carter."


    When she came out of the Supervisor¡¯s Office, she went straight back to her office, packed up her


    things, and left directly in full view of everyone.


    With her face half swollen, Lucia drew attention to herself wherever she went.


    As a result, she had to put on a mask and wouldn¡¯t know how to exin then.


    After taking a deep breath, Lucia bought some medicinal liquid and cotton swabs from a pharmacy at


    the side of the road and some instant noodles from a store.


    Then, she went straight to the Dream Hotel and got a room.


    After giving Mrs.Mitchell an excuse, Lucia finally had time to boil some water and make a cup of instant


    noodles.


    Three minutester, she picked up a disposable fork, stirred the noodles, and took two bites.


    When her cheeks moved, she felt the cheek was red and swollen and she held a cup of instant


    noodles, looking pitiful and wretched.


    Lucia¡¯s nose twitched and she began to weep.


    Why was she so miserable now?

 Chapter 90

    Chapter 90


    When she first joined the Lion Group, her sry was small, but she had a happy time.


    However, now...


    The more Lucia thought about it, the more upset she felt.


    Looking at the instant noodles in her hand, she found that she couldn¡¯t eat one more bite.


    She gritted her leeth, stood up, and threw the noodles into the garbage along with the fork.


    After that, she wiped her tears and walked to the mirror.


    The woman in the mirror was obviously in the most youthful and beautiful stage of her life, but her half-


    swollen face looked like the best symbol of how ridiculous it was.


    It seemed that she had made a mistake during this period.


    She shouldn¡¯t have married would live a good life with her, and she shouldn¡¯t have her life disturbed by


    getting entangled with him again and again, In a sh, all the chaos and confusion seemed to be gone.


    She looked at herself in the mirror and slowly became determined about something¡ä Some of her goals


    gradually became much clearer as she straightened out all her thoughts.


    She would find an apartment and move out of her home to live an independent life.


    Then she would find a reliable boyfriend and have a serious rtionship before getting married.


    Having made all the decisions, Lucia felt like she was pumped up and recharged.


    As it happened, she didn¡¯t have to go to work tomorrow, so she would go and check on Meanwhile, at


    Essence Hospital, August stood in the corridor of the hospital with a frown on his face.


    Now another right kidney donor had been found for Jeanne, but the n for the surgery suggested


    various problems that might ur, which meant that the himself was in charge of the surgery, there


    was still the possibility of idents.


    Burton came forward and said quietly, "Mr.Adams."¡ä August¡¯s expression changed.


    He turned his head around slightly and said lightly, "Go looking for a roommate.


    Besides, we found information about her demand on the housing hunting tform."


    August frowned.


    "Why is she looking for an apartment?"


    Did she n to move out of her home? After pausing for two seconds, he turned to Burton and said,


    "Post the information about the apartment in Goldmoon Bay."


    Burton nodded and said, "Yes, Sir."


    After that, he immediately went to do it.


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    August raised his eyes, looking into the distance.


    The sentiment in his eyes was soplicated that it was hard to figure out what it was.


    The next morning, Lucia got up early.


    She applied some medicinal liquid to her face, put on a mask, and went straight out to check on


    apartments.


    Last night, she had already found some in the listings online and made preparations in advance, but


    when she really arrived at the site and saw them, she realized how different the ideal was from reality.


    Some of them were not in line with the pictures, or they did not have a separate bathroom, or the


    location was too remote.


    After a whole morning, Lucia did not find a satisfactory one.


    She drank some water and checked her phone.


    It was down to thest one that she was interested in.


    It was a bachelor pad, not very big, but the pictures showed a very nice decoration.


    It was most suitable for one or two people, and more also what she was concerned about.


    The apartment was good in every respect, so why had it been listed online without getting rented? Was


    there something...


    Lucia the owners when they went to check on some apartments, and about the traps in renting an


    apartment.


    She couldn¡¯t help but feel scared at the bottom of her heart.

 Chapter 91

    Chapter 91


    So she had to go and take a look at thisst one.


    "Buzz."


    Her phone suddenly rang.


    Lucia picked it up and saw that it was Paul calling.


    She hesitated for a moment and raised her hand to answer it.


    "Hello?"


    Paul¡¯s voice came with a smile.


    "Pa ising back this afternoon, Lucia.


    We are going to meet her at the airport, remember? After he reminded her, Lucia suddenly


    remembered that Pa wasing back today.


    Lucia felt a bit sheepish and said, "Yes...


    I do.


    Let¡¯s go to the airport together then."


    Even if she didn¡¯t remember, Lucia had to say that she did.


    She knew Pa¡¯s nature well enough to be sure that Pa wouldn¡¯t let her get away with it if she said


    she didn¡¯t remember! Paul¡¯s voice "Checking on apartments?"


    "Yeah...


    I¡¯m going to move out of my home and live alone."


    Paul hesitated for two At least she had to go and see thisst apartment she liked before she thought


    about anything else.


    Paul suggested softly, "Then I¡¯ll go with you."¡ä "No, thanks.


    I¡¯ll go by myself..."


    Lucia subconsciously wanted to refuse, but she remembered all the news she had just thought of.


    It was a bit hairy for her to think Paul chuckled and his deep voice came over the phone.


    "Yes, I can."


    At that, Lucia curved her lips as well.


    "Great.


    Then I¡¯ll send you the location."


    It was not bad for with a mask on her face, he smiled and asked, "What¡¯s wrong? Got a cold?"


    Lucia didn¡¯t know how to answer and said without looking into his eyes, "No..."¡ä he said softly, "Let me


    see."


    This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Seeing how serious the man looked, Lucia knew that he must have figured out what was red handprint


    on the left side of her face was not so obvious now after she had a night¡¯s rest with the medicinal liquid,


    but Paul could still tell it was a handprint when he took a closer look.


    At the sight of this, Paul frowned and looked unusually grave.


    "Who did it?"¡ä "It¡¯s okay."


    Lucia took a deep breath and put the mask back on.¡ä Paul moved his lips when he saw that she did not


    want to talk about it.


    His good-looking eyebrows were knitted, but he did not keep on asking after all.


    It wasn¡¯t a good idea to ask too many questions about this kind of thing.


    He raised his hand and gently brushed the hair on Lucia¡¯s cheek to the side as he said softly, "I won¡¯t


    ask anymore.


    Let¡¯s go and see the apartment."


    Hearing his soft voice, Lucia felt like his girlfriend who was pampered by him and her heart was


    melting.¡ä For some reason, she nodded at him and obediently said, "Okay."


    When he saw her like this, Paul looked at her dotingly and stepped forward.


    Lucia looked at the man walking beside her and felt much better all of a sudden.


    A man like Paul must be an ideal boyfriend in the minds of many women.


    It seemed that he was also her ideal type.

 Chapter 92

    Chapter 92


    Lucia bit his lip so hard that August grimaced in pain and reflexively shrank back a little.


    Lucia found the right moment and shoved him away with a strong push.


    She took the opportunity to turn around, opened the door, and ran straight out of the store.


    August¡¯s frown deepened.


    Despite the pain in the corner of his lip, he stepped forward to go after her at once, caught up with her


    after two or three steps, and reached out to grab her wrist.


    "let go of me!"


    Lucia was pulled to a halt and looked back at August.


    Her eyes were red with anger.


    She had just made up her mind to stop getting entangled with him and start a new life, but she hadn¡¯t


    expected that he would refuse to let her go! The tears in her eyes wrenched at August¡¯s heart, but his


    anger hadn¡¯t dissipated.


    He moved closer to her and said in a deep and husky voice, "Come back with me.


    I have something to tell you."


    "No!"


    Lucia simply refused without even thinking about it.


    She knew very well that now she and August had no rtionship other than voice with a bit of anxiety


    came frorn not far behind.


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    "Lucia!"


    He subconsciously turned around and saw Paul running over.


    His face abruptly darkened.


    It was the same man that he had seen with Lucia outside thepanyst time! Simmering with rage,


    man approached and his face clouded over with anger.


    "Let go of me, August!"


    When she saw Paul approaching, Lucia got a little anxious instantly and started to struggle, only to find


    that she couldn¡¯t break free.


    at August and said in a deep voice, "Let go of her!"


    "Why?"


    August raised his eyebrows and stared at Paul with his sullen eyes.


    "What¡¯s your rtionship with her?"


    ¡¯Just let go!"


    Paul frowned.


    He was obviously angry too.


    Hearing that, August knitted his brows, not wanting to say anything more to Paul.


    He turned around and pulled Lucia towards the other side.


    "Stop right there!"


    Paul strode forward and held August¡¯s shoulder, looking equally serious and cold.


    "Let go of Lucia!"


    August turned his head sideways.


    With an obvious cold look in his eyes, he asked word by word, "What if I don¡¯t?"


    Lucia, who was standing beside August, could clearly feel the temperature around the man¡¯s body


    drop.


    Seeing his clenched fists and bulging veins, she could almost guess what he wanted to do! If Paul


    didn¡¯t get out of the way, she was afraid that August would punch him.


    Lucia gritted her teeth and said in a raised voice, "Let go of me, was so anxious that she didn¡¯t think


    about the impact when she pulled her wrist out of the man¡¯s hand with all her strength.


    As a result of inertia, her arm was thrown her arm hit a sharp corner of the trash can.


    It left a bloody scratch on her forearm, Next to her, August heard the sound and immediately turned to


    look at her.


    His eyes He stepped over and tried to grab her arm, but Lucia took a step back to keep a distance from


    him.


    "Lucia..."


    August¡¯s heart skipped a beat.


    He was trying to say that he would take her to the hospital when she said before he could, "Mind your


    own business."


    Looking at the detachment and coldness surging in the woman¡¯s eyes, August moved his lips, not able


    to say a word.


    Did she really hate him that much? Seeing this, Paul immediately walked forward.


    He took a look at the scratch on Lucia¡¯s arm, frowned, and said at bnce, "It needs to be treated, Lucia,


    Let¡¯s go to the hospital."


    Lucia averted her gaze from August and took a look at the scratch on Lucia¡¯s arm.


    He frowned and couldn¡¯t help but ask, "How did this happen? It¡¯s so swollen, but luckily it didn¡¯t reach


    the bone."


    Lucia had aplicated expression.


    Faced with the doctor¡¯s question, she just smiled apologetically, not in the mood to answer him.


    The doctor nimbly disinfected the scratch, bandaged it, and then instructed Paul next or seafood.


    Remember it, and be careful.


    It can leave a scar if the same thing happens again."


    Hearing that, Paul didn¡¯t try to exin their rtionship.


    He nodded at the stepped out.


    help but frown.


    She would surely get a scolding if Mrs.Mitchell saw her like this.


    When Paul saw Lucia¡¯s gloomy gaze, he couldn¡¯t help but ask the question in his mind.


    "Lucia, what is your rtionship...


    with him?"


    in Austos City, and there were interviews with August in several issues of Austos Fortune.


    He had recognized August when he met the man just now.


    said "him".


    She bit her lip and felt like something had gotten into her throat, making her unable to speak.


    She couldn¡¯t tell what her rtionship with August was.


    Was it ex-husband and ex-wife? Or was it employer and employee? It didn¡¯t seem urate no matter


    how she defined it.


    For some reason, her nose twitched and tears came involuntarily out of her eyes.


    She and August didn¡¯t even seem to have a proper rtionship.


    They weren¡¯t boyfriend and girlfriend, a loving couple, or proper employer and employee.


    "Lucia, you..."


    Paul was startled to see Lucia burst into tears.


    Feeling a bit flustered, he hurriedly took out a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe her tears, but he


    finally handed it over slowly.¡ä Lucia took the handkerchief, wiped her tears casually, and took a deep


    breath.


    "I¡¯m...


    fine, Paul.


    Don¡¯t worry."¡ä Suddenly, the door was opened.


    With the sound of high heels, a woman in a red coat strode in briskly.


    At the sound, Lucia looked over with her teary eyes.


    Before she could tell who the visitor was, she saw something reding at her.


    "Honey! What¡¯s wrong with you?"


    Pa¡¯srk-like voice came to her ears.


    Lucia hurriedly wiped her eyes.


    "Pa?"


    Pa tossed her long hair and looked down to see the scratch on Lucia¡¯s right arm and the tear stains


    on Lucia¡¯s face.


    Almost immediately, she grimaced as well.


    "Why are you crying, Honey? And what¡¯s wrong with your arm?"


    Before Lucia could exin, she had already raised her head and looked fierce all of a sudden as she


    red at Paul.


    "Did you bully Lucia, Paul?"


    "It has nothing to do with your brother, Pa."

 Chapter 93

    Chapter 93


    ¡°Then who did this..."


    Lucia took a deep breath.


    She didn¡¯t know how to tell her best friend about what had happened.


    After all, she had hidden her rtionship with August from Pa since the very beginning.


    "Let¡¯s talk about itter, Pa."


    Lucia wiped her tears, forced a smile, and changed the subject.


    "Didn¡¯t we agree to meet at the airport? Why did youe back by yourself?"


    Pa said frantically.


    "Just now my brother sent me a message that something happened to you and you¡¯re in the hospital.


    I Why don¡¯t you take her back to your apartment for a rest? We can talk about itter."


    Hearing this, Pa nodded as an afterthought.


    Then, she turned to Lucia and asked, "So...


    Lucia, do you want to go to my ce now?"


    Lucia hesitated for a moment and nodded.


    "Yes."


    At this point, she had just found an apartment to rent and hadn¡¯t had arm.


    Now that Pa was back, it was best for her to stay with Pa for a few days.


    Paul drove them to the entrance of the neighborhood where Pa¡¯s bachelor pad was.


    He You can leave now, Paul.


    I have to talk with Lucia.


    We¡¯ll meet you again some other time!"


    She was so full of questions that she wanted to ask Lucia right away, but because her brother was still


    here, she had to hold all her questions back.


    Lucia turned around just as Paul got out of the car.


    The two of them looked at each other, curved their lips, and nodded.


    She knew in her mind that she and Paul hadn¡¯t reached the point when she could tell him everything.


    In contrast, she would prefer to tell her best friend about it.


    Noticing Lucia¡¯s gaze, Pa tsked and teased her.


    "Oh, my! Stop looking! Or else, you can go with my brother instead ofing with me!"


    Lucia was both angry and amused.


    "Stop talking like that, Pa."


    She and Paul were friends at best now.


    Their rtionship had not yet developed into anything more than that.


    "Okay, I won¡¯t tease you anymore!"


    The expression on Pa¡¯s face changed and suddenly became much more serious.


    She reached out to take Lucia¡¯s left hand, which was not injured, and her tone was quite serious.


    "Lucia, I know you are hiding something from me!"


    They had known each other for so many years.


    She could tell what it meant from Lucia¡¯s expression.


    "I do have something...hidden from you."


    Lucia felt guilty.


    "Let¡¯s talk about it when we get back."


    This small bachelor pad was located near the downtown area.


    Pa bought it when she ran away from home after a fight with Old Mr.Thomas to avoid a blind date.


    She went abroadter, and the apartment was kept.


    A few days ago, Paul got a cleaner to clean it up and stuffed the fridge, so she could live there as soon


    as she got in.


    Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    Inside the apartment, Pa the couch with a questioning look.


    "Tell me, Lucia, what exactly did you do behind my back?"


    Lucia took a deep breath and slowly calmed down.


    "It...started with Mrs.Mitchell urging me to go on a blind date."


    She began to tell the whole story.


    Next to her, Pa felt like she was listening to a tale and her expression changed dramatically several


    times.


    She found it quite jaw-dropping when she heard that Lucia and August had gotten married.


    "You didn¡¯t tell me when you got married, Lucia! Huh!"¡ä Seeing Pa¡¯s reaction, Lucia couldn¡¯t help but


    force a smile.


    "I didn¡¯t think about it that much at the time."


    "And then what? Tell me what happened!"


    Lucia took a deep breath and told Pa all that had happened between her and August."


    At the end of the story, Pa was angry and annoyed.


    She crushed her empty can with one hand and huffed, "Who does August think he is? Not only did he


    marry you for his purposes, but he also interferes with your life after the divorce!"


    Lucia felt sad at her words.


    Why did he do that to her today when he had no feelings for her? She had just gathered her courage


    and made up her mind to start a new life, but he put her in an awkward situation again by doing that.


    The thought of that made her nose twitch and tears welled up in her eyes.


    Pa was indignant.


    "If you ask me, Lucia, you¡¯re just so easy to bully! August is a scumbag! He should apologize to you for


    the divorce! Don¡¯t let him get away with it?"


    As she spoke, she turned to see the face with the back of her hand, "You¡¯re...driving me mad!"


    If she were at home back Lucia to be bullied so far! "It has nothing to do with you, Pa."


    Lucia took a deep breath to calm herself down and said, "I just didn¡¯t expect that I would end up in such


    trouble one day."


    Pa at the Lion Group without meeting him or getting entangled with him!"


    Lucia froze at her words and thought she had a point.


    If she really wanted to start a new life, she should get a new job, so that she could bepletely over


    with August.


    Out of sight, out of mind.


    It would be better if she didn¡¯t see him.


    "You¡¯re right, Pa."


    She bit her lip and said hesitantly, "But I have no reason to quit.And what if I don¡¯t have a job when I


    quit?"


    Pa said exasperatedly, "Silly girl! What reason do you need to quit? If you ask me, we¡¯ll go to the


    Lion Group tomorrow and I¡¯ll scold that scumbag for you! You can give them your resignation while


    we¡¯re there! Just find a new job.If not, I¡¯ll support you!"


    When she saw how manly Pa looked, Lucia couldn¡¯t help but snort withughter She didn¡¯t have


    many good friends, but she had an incredibly righteous best friend.


    Whenever she was in trouble before, Pa was the first one toe to her aid.


    Lucia Pa grinned as she raised her hand and patted Lucia on the back.


    "No problem.Just treat me to a fondue someday and that will do!"¡ä A little nervous all of a sudden.


    "Pa, I think we should just put down my resignation letter and leave."


    "No way, now that we¡¯re here.


    Remember what I said yesterday? I¡¯ll ask him to apologize to you!"


    With that, Pa took Lucia¡¯s hand and stepped towards the entrance.


    They had just reached the elevator and were waiting for it when a familiar voice suddenly came from


    the side.


    "Yo, Lucia, you still dare toe here.¡±

 Chapter 94

    Chapter 94


    Lucia and Pa looked towards where the voice came from practically at the same time.


    Irene was standing behind them¡ä diagonally, with her arms folded around her chest and a sarcastic look


    on her face.


    When Irene saw Pa next to Lucia, her face darkened.


    She said in a strange tone, "What? You brought a friend with you today? What are you doing here?"


    Lucia knew that Irene was just sneering and trying to make fun of her, so she didn¡¯t say anything.


    After a brief nce at Irene, she turned back to Pa and asked softly, "What do you want to eatter,


    Pa? I¡¯ll take you there."


    Seeing that Lucia didn¡¯t respond and ignored herpletely, Irene felt a surge of anger and said, "Stop


    pretending, Lucia.


    Everyone in thepany knows that you are she said that, the others who were waiting for the


    elevator all looked askance at forward and approached Irene.


    "Hey, olddy, why are you so hostile? What do you mean by an affair? Does it have anything to do


    with you whether Luciaes to thepany or not? Do you think you¡¯re the boss here? You¡¯re such


    a busybody.


    No wonder your face anger and she stretched out her hand to point at Pa.


    Pa didn¡¯t care at all.


    She simply flicked Irene¡¯s hand away.


    Her eyes lingered briefly on the badge at Irene¡¯s chest before her mouth curved slightly.


    "Irene Rodriguez, right? I¡¯ll remember you.You¡¯d better watch your mouth in thepany, or you¡¯ll get


    beaten up.If you dare to bully Lucia, I won¡¯t let you get away with it."


    Pa was already half a head taller could utter a word.


    On the side, Lucia hadn¡¯t expected that Pa would say that to Irene.


    Seeing this scene, she felt some unexinable pleasure in her heart.


    When she The elevator is here."


    "Okay, let¡¯s go!"


    Pa turned around as if it wasn¡¯t her who had said that to Irene just now.


    She pulled Lucia along with her and got into the elevator.


    Irene¡¯s face turned blue and red with anger.


    She stomped into the elevator, but it beeped twice, showing that it was get yourself out!"


    All at once, everyone in the elevator looked toward Irene.


    She was indeed thest oneing in, but she just couldn¡¯t swallow it in her heart, so she stood still


    where she was, refusing to move.


    She gritted her teeth and pushed her way inside.


    "I¡¯m working for thepany.Why should I go out? It¡¯s you who should leave."


    Hearing that, Pa couldn¡¯t help but roll her eyes.She turned to look at the others just now, right?"


    When she smiled like that, the men in the elevator were all dumbfounded at once.¡ä with thorns.


    Next to her, Lucia was not very talkative, but her calm demeanor also made people unable to take their


    eyes In addition, Irene was already wrong, so no one was willing to speak up for her.


    "Yes."


    "Yes.Get yourself out.You¡¯re wasting our time."


    In the elevator, people were almost saying all those things in front of Irene regardless of her feelings.


    Her cheeks turned red.


    She was so angry and annoyed that she stomped angrily out of the elevator in her high heels as if


    trying to make a hole in the floor. proudly at Lucia.


    Lucia curved her lips in a smile, feeling some indefinable pleasure in her heart.


    She knew Irene sometimes made things difficult for her on purpose, but she had never quarreled


    openly with her because they were colleagues.


    But when Pa made such a scene just now, she suddenly realized that sometimes nothing was as


    important as following her heart.


    She was less unsettled and got calmer all of a sudden.


    Feeling the resignation letter in her pocket, she felt a lot better.


    It seemed that it was time for her to finish with August.


    Lucia and Pa got out of close to the office.


    When Mary saw Lucia, her attitude was cold.


    "What are you doing here, Lucia? Mr.Adams is busy right now."


    Lucia took a deep breath and said word by word, "Something important."


    "You can tell me first and I¡¯ll tell Mr.Adams."


    Lucia refused to back down.


    Her attitude was firm.


    "No, thanks.I just need to talk to Mr.Adams for five minutes." gave in atst.


    "I¡¯ll ask him."


    After that, she turned around and walked to the office.


    Lucia smiled and kept silent.


    Although she looked calm outside, she was still a little panicked inside.


    Mary and pulled Pa into the office with her.


    N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    In the office, August was sitting at his desk with Burton standing next to him.


    Both of them were stunned when they saw Lucia and Paing in aggressively.


    With a calm look on his face, August put down the papers in his hand, nced lightly at Lucia¡¯s


    bandaged arm, and then said coldly, "What is it?"¡ä Pa was surprised when she took a look at


    August.


    She had thought that the man who had hurt Lucia was a lecherous scumbag, but August didn¡¯t look like


    a scumbag at all.


    In fact, he was a bit eye-catching, except that he looked so cold.


    When she saw Burton standing next to August, she came back to her senses, cleared her throat, and


    said, "Get out of here.I¡¯m here to settle scores with August today!"


    Burton sensed Pa¡¯s gaze at him.


    He froze and then raised his eyes to look at August¡¯s face.


    It was obvious that August squarely at Lucia as his thin lips parted.


    "You have something to talk to me about?"


    Meeting the man¡¯s deep, dark eyes, Lucia unconsciously clenched the corner of her clothes.


    She took a deep breath and said, "Yeah."


    Pa reached out to pull at Lucia and said quietly.


    "Let me say it first, Lucia."


    With that, she turned around and stared at August for a while.


    Suddenly, she snorted and sneered, "August, right? You are not quite the same as I imagined, but now


    I know that just because you¡¯re good-looking, you fooled a good girl and tricked her into marrying you.I


    believe there will be a lot ofmotion if your employees hear about what you¡¯ve done."


    "Why? You cheated on her, slept with her, and in the end, you won¡¯t let go of her after the divorce?


    Have you ever thought about taking responsibility for Lucia? Are you a man, August? Lucia stood at the


    side, looking shocked.


    She had thought that Pa just wanted to defend her and came over to help embolden her and to


    speak up for her, but she had never expected that Pa would say something so shocking and scold


    August like that right from the start.


    Lucia felt like the air in the room was thinner.


    She bit her lip and reached out to pull at Pa.


    "Pa, stop."


    She was afraid August would reject her resignation if Pa went on!

 Chapter 95

    Chapter 95


    "Don¡¯t worry, Lucia.I¡¯m here today to fight for you!"


    With that, Pa rolled her cuffs up, ready for a fight.


    August¡¯s frown deepened.


    He turned to look at Burton with course, he could tell that this woman was not easy to deal with, but he


    did not dare to disobey the president¡¯s order, so he had to brace himself and go forward.


    "Pleasee out with me, Miss."


    Pa coldly snorted.


    "Out? Why should I go out?"


    She came here to scold the scumbag who had bullied Lucia! Lucia saw that Pa was still furious, so


    she quickly said, "Go out and wait for me, Pa.I need to talk to him."


    Pa obviously didn¡¯t want to leave, but Burton, who was next to her, had reached out to grab her


    wrist, pulled her hand behind her back, and held her shoulder.


    Pa¡¯s face turned red with anger and annoyance as he held her like that.


    "You...let go of me!"


    "Burton.


    Seeing what Burton did to Pa, Lucia wrinkled her eyebrows.


    "Be gentle!"


    Burton curved his lips slightly and said gently as he pushed Pa out, "Don¡¯t worry, Ms.Mitchell, I¡¯m


    very gentle."


    With the door mming, Pa, who was cursing, and Burton, who was trying to calm her down, were


    awkward.


    Lucia gritted her teeth, gathered the courage to take two steps forward, and looked up to meet the


    man¡¯s gaze before she took a deep breath and said, "Let¡¯s talk."


    "About what?"


    August stepped towards her with a calm face and smooth breath, but his eyes were cold enough to


    make her shiver.


    He finally stopped when he was half a meter away from her and leaned slightly closer to her.


    The man¡¯s smell slowly lips were slightly parted and he quietly said, "Did I ever say I wouldn¡¯t take


    responsibility for you, Lucia?"


    It was her who had evaded and refused him over and over again.


    His voice was like a magic potion.


    She felt a tingle all over her body as it came to her ears.She subconsciously backed up to keep a


    distance from him and forced herself to stay alert.


    When he was that close to her just now, she was so disturbed that she got a mental block and forgot all


    the words she had been trying to say.


    "I...I¡¯m here to resign."


    She averted her eyes, fished her resignation letter out of her pocket, and handed it to him.


    August looked down and saw therge words on the envelope.


    His eyebrows were instantly furrowed and an inconspicuous dark light flickered in his eyes.


    He stretched out his hand with well-defined knuckles and took the letter.


    After his eyes lingered briefly on it, he tore the letter directly into pieces without even taking another


    look at it.


    "You!"


    Lucia was stunned.


    "What are you doing?" He spoke in a light voice, sounding quite calm.


    "The resignation is invalid."


    Hearing his words, the calm Lucia had tried to maintain vanished instantly.


    She asked, "Why is it invalid?"


    August nced at her without saying anything.


    He turned around walked straight to his desk, and took out a document from the drawer.¡ä employment


    contract states that the defaulting party has to pay one million to the other party, and the name on it


    was signed by your own hand."


    Lucia grabbed the document in disbelief.


    She was surprised and astonished to see the signature at the bottom.


    That was indeed her handwriting!¡ä A few days ago, Carter said that Lucia was getting a pay rise and


    gave her some documents to sign, saying that her contract would be renewed for three years.


    Lucia didn¡¯t give it much thought at the time, nor did she read the terms and conditions carefully.


    This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    She just signed them, not expecting that it was a trap that August had set for her! 100N¡ä Lucia¡¯s heart


    throbbed and she asked, "Why...Why are you doing this to me?¡¯


    She had her kidney to Jeanne? She was furious and grabbed the contract to tear it up.


    August frowned.


    He immediately stepped forward and grabbed her hand.


    "Even if you tear it up, the contract is still valid!"


    At this point, she had no other choice! "You!"


    Lucia gritted her teeth in anger and raised her fist to punch August in the and held her hand, saying in a


    deep voice, "Calm down!"


    Lucia struggled with tears welling up involuntarily in her eyes and shouted hysterically at him,


    "Why...Why are you doing this to me? Why do you have to torture me? I¡¯ve decided to start a new


    life.Why won¡¯t you let me go?"


    A hint of concern flickered in August¡¯s eyes and his body tensed slightly.


    To prevent her from hurting herself while struggling, he reached out and put his arm directly around her


    waist.


    He looked down at her with a thinyer of had slept with her for the first time, he had thought about


    taking responsibility for her, and he hadn¡¯t expected that they would get divorced afterward! Lucia¡¯s


    ears buzzed.


    She was quiet for two seconds another woman.


    Did he think she was that gullible? So, Pa was right.


    He was a scumbag! As she struggled, she lost her bnce by leaning back and fell with August into


    the couch behind her.


    With the man on top of her, Lucia couldn¡¯t move at all.


    Their bodies were close together, and through the thin fabric, she could almost feel the burning heat


    from his body.


    The muscles of his abdomen and thighs were tense and hard against her.


    Both her hands were pinned to the couch, leaving her defenseless.


    They were in his office.


    If someone came to deliver papers now, they would see the two of them as soon as the door was


    opened! There was a feeling of indefinable ambiguity.


    Lucia¡¯s cheeks were red with anger and embarrassment.


    She said in annoyance, "Get up, August!"


    Looking at the woman her ear and asked in a deep voice, ¡¯Are you sure you have no feelings for me,


    Lucia?"


    Lucia gritted her teeth and said angrily, "Yes! I¡¯ve never had feelings for you!"


    "Really?¡± August looked calm, with a glint of light in his eyes.


    "Yes!" other hand was freed to gently skim over her shoulder, move down and get to her breast


    urately.


    Lucia¡¯s eyes widened in surprise and her body stiffened.


    Instantly, she felt like a fire was burning inside.


    Her face was extremely red and she stammered, "You...let go of me, you bastard!"


    August came close to her ear and said in a deep voice, "You have no feelings for me? Then why are


    you turned on?"


    This woman had always been so stubborn.


    Hearing that, Lucia was so embarrassed that she just wanted to find a hole in the floor to hide in,


    "August you..."


    She had never expected that he would do this to her in the office! August¡¯s eyebrows were slightly


    knitted and he said in a sure tone, "You were lying, Lucia!"


    He was sure that she had feelings for him! As he spoke, he lifted her chin, trying to kiss her.


    Lucia turned her head hard to the side and said through clenched finished speaking.


    August¡¯s face darkened at the sound of the special ringtone.


    He reached into his pocket and pulled out the phone.


    It was Jeanne.


    After hesitating for a moment, he finally pressed the answer button and put the phone to his ear.


    "Hello?"


    However, he kept holding Lucia¡¯s wrists with his hand, with no intention to let them go.

 Chapter 96

    Chapter 96


    Biting her lip, Lucia couldn¡¯t break free, so she red at August.


    Just then, a soft female voice came from the other end of the phone, "August, when are youing to


    see me?"


    At the sound of her voice, Lucia froze and her face turned pale.


    She knew that the woman on the other end of the line was Jeanne! August faintly drooped his eyes and


    and said faintly, "I¡¯ll see youter."


    Being pinned under him, Lucia felt a great humiliation at this moment.


    August was holding her in an ambiguous position while her teeth, red at August, and said in a very


    soft voice, ¡¯Let go of me!"


    August naturally heard what she said.


    But he just looked up slightly, still pressing her wrist.


    Jeanne on the other end of the phone was still talking, her sweet voice with a It turned out that it wasn¡¯t


    that he wasn¡¯t gentle, it was just that he didn¡¯t want to be gentle with her.


    Lucia¡¯s heart ached and she felt like something blocked in her chest.


    She gritted her teeth with her face flushing red.


    Suddenly thinking of something, she lifted her chin deliberately into the cell phone and said, "August,


    be gentle...


    The intimate call and the evocative words were enough to make Jeanne on the other end of the phone


    think wrong.


    Stunned for a moment, August quickly reacted and looked angrily at Lucia.


    "August! You..."


    Jeanne seemed to cry before she could say anything.


    Some panic shed under August¡¯s eyes.


    He was just about to open his mouth to exin when Jeanne had already hung up the phone.


    August¡¯s face was somber, and anger suddenly emerged from his eyes.


    He gripped the phone tightly, drooped his eyes to look at Lucia, and said coldly, "Lucia, how dare you?"


    Lucia gritted her teeth and looked at him stubbornly, "I have asked you to let with veins.


    He knew very well that at this time Jeanne could not be stimted.


    If she was unstable, the operation could not be carried out! August frowned and gave Lucia a look.


    Without time to say a word to her, he let go of her, stood up, and walked out of the room in stride.


    At this time, he had to rush to the hospital to exin clearly to Jeanne, otherwise, the consequences


    were unthinkable.


    Watching August disappear quickly at the door, Lucia secretly sighed with relief.


    Her two hands clenched together, trembling a little.


    Sure enough, the person he cared about most was still Jeanne.


    Slowly calming down a bit, Lucia took a deep breath, bit her lip, and stood up.


    When she thought of August¡¯s reaction to Jeanne, Lucia couldn¡¯t help but feel blocked.


    She shook her head as if to put all the worries behind her.


    Thinking that Pa was still waiting for her outside, Lucia couldn¡¯t think too much about it, immediately


    adjusted her state and walked out of the office quickly.


    After that, Lucia searched around outside the office but did not see Pa, so she had to call her.


    Lucia could not help but mutter, "Strange..."


    Usually, when she called Pa, she would pick up after two or three rings.


    What was wrong with her this time? In the elevator, listening to the ringing in her pocket, Pa frowned


    and turned her her hands were tied up by Burton, so she couldn¡¯t answer the phone at all.


    Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    Burton slightly lowered his head and lightly looked at Pa¡¯s hands tied behind her back, "Ms.Thomas,


    as long as you leave thepany in peace, I will untie you."


    He had no choice but to use "extraordinary means".


    Just now, when he pulled Pa out of the office, she made all kinds of noise in thepany, saying


    August was a scumbag.


    "You rascal!"


    Pa¡¯s two eyes, long and thin, were now wider and rounder because of anger, which made her cute.


    and smiled crookedly at her, "With eight floors down, you will be free."


    "You!"


    Pa¡¯s face turned red with anger but there was nothing she could do about it.


    criminal! The more she thought about it, the angrier she became.


    She wanted to break the rope and beat Burton severely, but at that moment, the elevator dinged and


    stopped on the seventh floor.


    The elevator door opened and a group of colleagues from thepany came up.


    When they saw Burton, they greeted him.


    Burton was August¡¯s special assistant anyway, so everyone would show some respect for him.


    After greeting Burton, his colleagues couldn¡¯t help but look at Pa next to him.


    One because they first saw bit strange.


    Noticing the gaze of the crowd, Pa was even more furious.


    She turned her head to look at Burton beside her and suddenly thought of something.


    With the anger gone from her face, she pulled out a hard smile and leaned toward Burton.


    After seeing the name on his badge, she smiled crookedly and said sweetly, "Burton, let¡¯s not go to


    dinnerter.Let¡¯s go straight home and I¡¯ve prepared a "big meal" for you!"


    Her voice was neither too loud nor too quiet, enough for everyone to hear clearly in the closed elevator.


    What was she going to do? Hearing that, his colleagues in the elevator looked toward Burton, with


    more or less ambiguous smiles in their eyes. talk nonsense!"


    He had nothing to do with her! Pa smiled sweetly and deliberately showed her two tied hands to the


    crowd, winking With ayer of sweat appearing on his forehead, Burton hurriedly opened his mouth to


    exin, "No¡­ it¡¯s not what you think."


    His colleagues smiled knowingly.


    Looking at the rope tied to Pa¡¯s hands, they all said, "Harris, we did not expect you are quite good at


    ying..."


    Everyone looked at each other and smiled with different meanings.


    When the elevator stopped, they all walked out.pany was ruined!

 Chapter 97

    Chapter 97


    As soon as Burton¡¯s colleagues left, Pa immediately changed her expression, broke Burton¡¯s hand,


    and raised one eyebrow, "Harris, do you like this surprise?" Burton regretted it so much.


    If he had known this, he would not have provoked her from the beginning! On one side was the


    president¡¯s order, and on the other side was a woman who was not good to be messed with.


    It¡¯s difficult for him! Seeing Burton didn¡¯t speak for a longter, we should be able to meet quite a few


    colleagues of you as well, right?"


    want him to lose his reputation? After all, he had many pursuers in thepany! If a passion for! Pa


    tilted her head and winked at him, "Guess?"


    Looking at the sweet smile on the woman¡¯s face, Burton felt a chill.


    He took a deep breath and hurriedly spoke, ¡¯Ms.


    Thomas, let me help you untie the rope."


    But Pa turned and deliberately avoided his hand, raising one eyebrow andughing, "No, I feel fine


    tied up like this now."


    Burton was out of ideas.


    What should he do if she didn¡¯t want to untie her? After a moment of hesitation, he gritted his teeth and


    apologized softly, "Ms.


    Thomas, it was my fault just now and I shouldn¡¯t have tied you with the rope."¡ä Pa smiled, "Really?"


    eyes rested on his long eyshes.


    She couldn¡¯t help but secretly sigh that his eyshes were even longer than hers.


    When she returned to her senses, she suddenly took more interest in Burton and said quietly, "There is


    a way to get me to "What?"


    Pa raised one eyebrow, "Do three things for me."


    Burton was working under to be tied hand and foot in exchange for three things.


    Burton felt a little difficult, "."


    "If you think it difficult, then forget it and I won¡¯t force you,"


    Pa said and nced at the numbers on the elevator and it was about to go down to the first floor,


    "Anyway, you cannot control what I say in the lobbyter..."


    When he heard her say only afraid that she would have to do what she just did when they got to the


    lobby and what he said, Pa smiled crookedly, turned her back to him, and shook her two hands that


    were tied, "Untie me."


    Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    Burton leaned down and reached out to untie the rope for her.


    Pa¡¯s slender white wrists were strangled by the rope with a red mark, looking very striking...


    Thinking about what she had just said, role ying, sm, Burton had a his heart! What the hell was he


    thinking? With the rope untied, Pa turned her wrist and looked the three things, you have to be on


    call, understand?"


    Burton nodded slightly, pulled out a business card, and handed it to Pa.


    "Dingdong--"¡ä The elevator reached the first floor.


    Pa pocketed the business card and winked at Burton as she walked away, saying, "Bye, Burton!"¡ä


    After saying that she walked away without looking back.


    Burton looked at the woman¡¯s back, and for some reason, his heart beat faster like a dear.


    When a female colleague got on the elevator and saw Burton, she froze and asked, "Harris, why is


    your face so Lucia came out of thepany walked to the front door, and saw Pa standing in the


    doorway, leaningzily against the door.


    So, Pa was waiting here and she thought she¡¯d gone! "Pa."


    At the words, Pa looked back to see Lucia and rushed forward, "How is it? Have you resigned?"


    Lucia hesitated for a moment.


    When she thought of the employment contract August was holding just now, her heart sank.


    She shook her head, "No."


    "What¡¯s going on? Did that scumbag refuse to let you go?"


    With her eyes filled with anger, Pa Lucia quickly stopped her, "Pa, don¡¯t go and he¡¯s already


    gone."


    Besides, it was she who did not read the terms and conditions properly when she signed the contract.


    Even if she took the signed a contract before.If I leave my job, I have to pay $150,000 for breach of


    contract."


    "$150,000! Pa¡¯s eyes widened, "He¡¯s robbing!"


    Although she didn¡¯t grow up without money to spend, she knew how hard it was to earn $150,000, let


    alone for Lucia.


    Lucia took a deep breath and dragged Pa down the stairs, "Let¡¯s go first."


    At this point, she had no way to escape, but to face the difficulties.


    It¡¯s okay not to quit first and at least she still had ie every month.


    her job again, it would be hard for her to even make a living.


    Although Lucia did not say much, Pa also thought of it and say no more, "Then...there is nothing we


    can do now, and we can talk about it sometime."


    In front of life, everyone had to bow down.


    Lucia nodded and smiled at her, "Don¡¯t you want to eat fondue? Let¡¯s go and I know a particrly good


    restaurant."


    At the mention of food, Pa instantly cheered up, "Yes! Let¡¯s go and I¡¯m hungry!"


    After eating, the two of them were full and in a much better mood.


    "Pa, do you have time this afternoon?"


    Pa leaned back on the backrest of the couch and burped, "Yes.What¡¯s up?"


    "I just rented a house and I haven¡¯t had time to move my things.What¡¯s more, I¡¯ve not told my mother..."


    She hadn¡¯t told Mrs.Mitchell about the rental.


    If Mrs.Mitchell found out, Mrs.a few words.


    Looking at the expression on Lucia¡¯s face, Pa instantly understood, winking and saying, "Get it.I¡¯ll go


    back with youter!"


    Lucia smiled and said, texting under the table suddenly shook, and the smile on her face froze.


    If Lucia knew that she had sent a text message to her brother, she would not have praised her so


    much!

 Chapter 98

    Chapter 98


    Aftering out of the restaurant, Lucia and Pa drove straight home.


    When they arrived at the entrance of the neighborhood, Pa looked around as if she was looking "No


    nothing."


    "Nothing?"


    Lucia raised an eyebrow and she didn¡¯t believe her.


    From high school to move can¡¯t be hidden from her.


    She stopped and seriously looked at Pa, "Really nothing? Knowing that it can¡¯t be hidden, she


    smiled with guilty and confessed, "I called my brother.After all, a man should do something like moving


    things."


    Hearing that, Lucia didn¡¯t know whether to be angry ofugh, ¡¯Pa, you."


    Although she was simple minded, she also knew Pa¡¯s intentions.


    But anyway, when it came to moving, it¡¯s better to have a man.


    At that moment, a car next to them drove over and pulled up directly beside them.


    The window was rolled down and Paul was sitting in the driver¡¯s seat, smiling crookedly at them.


    Pa smiled and waved at Paul, "Brother,e down!"


    After parking the car, Paul got out.


    A light gray casual outfit made him look tall and elegant.


    He looked over at Lucia and smiled gently, "Pa said you were moving and I just happened to have


    time, so Ie over."


    Lucia smiled at him, "Thank you."


    Pa on the side winked at the two of them, "Okay, let¡¯s go! Moving things is the main thing!"


    With that, she pulled Lucia into the neighborhood quickly.


    After they arrived at the door, Lucia rang the doorbell, and when Mrs.Mitchell opened the door and saw


    that it was Lucia, she from home for days..."


    Before the words were out of her mouth, she saw Pa and Paul standing outside the door.


    "Pa?"


    This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "Auntie!"


    Pa smiled sweetly, "Long time no see.I miss you!"


    Hearing that, Mrs.year!"


    "You¡¯re getting younger!"


    Hearing Pa praising her, Mrs.Mitchell suddenly forgot to teach Lucia a lesson.


    Looking at Paul standing outside the door, Mrs.Mitchell just felt familiar, but couldn¡¯t remember where


    she had seen him before, "You are ......"


    "This is my brother, Paul, who is also Lucia¡¯s blind date!"


    When Mrs.Mitchell heard this, her eyes widened in surprise and she hurriedly invited Paul to sit inside.


    Sitting on the couch to watch Mrs.Mitchell busy serving tea and cutting fruit, Lucia knew better what


    Pa was thinking.


    She asked Paul toe over, not only to help them move stuff but also to help stabilize Mrs.Mitchell.


    Two birds with one stone! Seeing that it was almost time, Lucia looked at Mrs.Mitchell and plucked up


    the courage to say, "Mom, there is something want to tell you."


    When Mrs.Mitchell saw Lucia¡¯s serious expression, she also became serious, "What¡¯s wrong?"


    Lucia sped her hands together, "I¡¯m nning to move out, so I rented a house near thepany.


    It¡¯s convenient and the rent is not too high..."


    "Move out?"


    Sure enough, Mrs.Mitchell was not happy, "Why do you want to move out? We have no shortage of


    anything at home and there is no need to spend more money"


    Lucia was silent and didn¡¯t say anything.


    After all, she did not dare to directly confess to Mrs.Mitchell that she needed a private space of her


    own.


    Seeing that the atmosphere inside the house was much colder, ns.


    After all, she¡¯s not too young and should learn to live independently."


    Pa followed, "Yes, Auntie.Besides, if Lucia falls in love in the future, it¡¯s not very convenient at


    home!"


    Saying that she also deliberately winked at Mrs.Mitchell Mrs.Mitchell froze.


    Looking at Lucia and then at Paul, she seemed to understand and eased up a little.


    She cleared her throat and said softly, "Then...since that¡¯s the case, I won¡¯t say much more.But you


    have toe back more often for dinner!"


    Lucia did not expect Mrs.Mitchell to change her mind so quickly and immediately nodded, "Mom, I


    definitely will!"


    After talking to Mrs.Mitchell, Lucia immediately went to her room and packed her things.


    The new bachelor pad was fully furnished, so she didn¡¯t need to bring a lot of things with her just


    packing her clothes and some necessities.


    Mrs.Mitchell agreed to Lucia moving out, but she was still very reluctant to do so.


    She nagged, and finally kept asking Paul, "Paul, you have to take care of Lucia..."


    Paul was patient and gentle, "Don¡¯t worry, forward, took the initiative to hug Mrs.Mitchell, and said


    softly, "Mom, don¡¯t worry and I wille back often for dinner."


    With tears in her eyes, Mrs.Mitchell nodded her head, saying nothing more in the end.


    On the way to the bachelor pad, Lucia couldn¡¯t help but feel sad when she thought about Mrs.Mitchell¡¯s


    reaction just now.


    After all, although Mrs.Mitchell sometimes spoke harshly, she still treated her well.


    Pa drove the car and turned her head to look at Lucia, "Come on, Lucia, don¡¯t be sentimental.Now


    you have my brother to take care of you and what are you afraid of?"


    Luciaughed in exasperation, "Pa, don¡¯t talk nonsense and you want me to be your sister-inw


    that badly? Pa gloated, "Why not? My best friend is my sister-inw, which is the envy of many


    people!"


    The two of them wereughing and joking, and in a short while, they arrived at the bachelor pad.


    Paul¡¯s car was already parked in front of the entrance and he was carrying down the things in the car


    one by one.


    When Pa parked the car, Lucia immediately got out and went to carry the things.


    She just took out a storage box from the trunk, and before she turned around, a clear male Lucia froze.


    Looking at the gauze under her sleeve, she felt warmth in her heart.


    It turned out that he had always remembered that she still had an injury on her hand.


    Pa was watching from the side and couldn¡¯t help but smile even wider.


    She came over and tipped Lucia with her shoulder and said, "How¡¯s that? My brother is not bad, very


    good at taking care of people!"


    Before Lucia had a chance to answer, Paul, who was home and open the door.Pa and I will carry


    these things."


    Pa suddenly changed was asked to carry things! Lucia saw the look on Pa¡¯s face and let out a


    laugh.


    She patted Pa¡¯s arm and winked at her, "I¡¯ll leave these to you."


    With her little face scrunched up, Pa pouted in discontent but didn¡¯t stop moving things.


    Looking at the busy man not far away, Lucia took a deep breath and was somewhat moved.


    Paul really seemed to be worth dating.

 Chapter 99

    Chapter 99


    On the couch, gasping with tiredness, "Lucia, I¡¯m dying!"


    Lucia came over with two bottles of mineral water and handed her one, smiling, "I¡¯ve ordered take-out,


    your favorite chicken with fish maw, and barbecue."


    When she heard there was something delicious, Pa¡¯s eyes immediately glowed and she couldn¡¯t


    help but exim, "Lucia you know me so well! How do you know what I want to eat?"


    Lucia smiled, took another bottle of water, and walked next to Paul, "Paul, take a break and I can sort


    out the rest of these myself to be so polite."


    Lucia met the man¡¯s dark eyes, only to feel that there was something under them that she could not


    guess, but it was exceptionally attractive..


    "Lucia, how about we open a bottle of champagne to celebrate today?"


    Pa suddenly spoke up next to her, which brought her back to her senses.


    "Okay."¡ä the car key.


    I have two bottles of champagne in my car and you go get them."¡ä No sooner had the words left her


    mouth than she felt Paul staring at her coldly.¡ä She shuddered and hurriedly changed her words,


    "I¡¯ll...I¡¯ll go get them myself! Rest well, brother!"


    If she dared to spoil her brother¡¯s chance, her brother would definitely not spare her.


    Hearing what she said, Paul smiled crookedly and whispered, But she did not dare to say anything.


    so she immediately went out to get the champagne.


    Lucia was oblivious to what happened.


    She took a rag and wiped the table, then picked up her phone to check where the delivery had been.


    Looking up at her side face of Lucia, Paul could not help but feel a little more warmth.


    When he first met Lucia, he still didn¡¯t know that she was Pa¡¯s best friend.


    At that time, he waited for Pa outside the school gate.


    But without seeing Pa, he saw a girl walking briskly out.


    It had just and got ayer of mud on her shoes.


    When she was embarrassed and didn¡¯t know what to do, Lucia came forward, took out paper towels,


    and squatted down to wipe her shoes clean.


    He would never forget the smile on that girl¡¯s face, sunshine, pure.


    "Ding," the phone rang, indicating that the take-out had been delivered to the door.


    Hearing that, Lucia immediately said, "The take-out has arrived."


    With that, she immediately turned around.


    Not paying attention to her step, she stepped on a piece of stic sheeting and leaned back because


    of slipping.


    "Ah!"¡ä In the next second, she fell into a wide, warm embrace and did not fall to the ground.


    "Be careful."


    The man¡¯s maic voice came, and as soon as Lucia opened her eyes, she met Paul¡¯s eyes.


    She was held in his arms and the two were very close so that the atmosphere in the room suddenly


    heated up, Lucia blushed.


    When she saw what happened in the house, she stopped sharply.


    Why was Lucia lying in her brother¡¯s arms? They were so close so soon! As if waking up from a dream,


    Lucia hurriedly got up and took a step back to pull away from the two, while nodding at Paul to thank


    him.


    Paul understood and nodded at her.


    Neither of them said anything.


    her hands, tsking at them.


    She asked with a faint smile, ¡®¡¯You guys...Did Ie at a bad time? and I¡¯ll get the sses."


    It was embarrassing for her to hear Pa say that.


    Although she was embarrassed, her heartbeat was as usual and did not speed up.


    Paul was excellent in every way, but she didn¡¯t seem to be attracted to him...


    Lucia bit her lip.


    Before she thought about it, she took the ss and walked out of the small kitchen.


    The embarrassing thing that happened just now seemed to have been forgotten.


    They eat and drink, with a quite good atmosphere When she drank two or three sses of champagne


    unknowingly, Lucia¡¯s face was covered with a light flush.


    was also slightly drunk and asked, "What is it?"


    Pa grinned, "I¡¯m going to develop in Austos City from now on!"


    At that, Lucia instantly sobered up a bit "Really?"


    After graduating from college, in contact, they did not see each other often.


    Pa¡¯s return was happy news for her.


    Pa nodded and said, ¡¯Yes.Come on, cheers!"


    Lucia also happily raised her ss.


    Look at the two already drunk women, Paul could not help but smile and shook his head, already


    completely dark outside.


    With a light intoxication, she looked out the window at all the lights and couldn¡¯t help but feel a little sad,


    "When there will be one light that belongs to me?"


    Although she hated being pushed into marriage by Mrs.for her.


    Paul walked up to her, looked at her side face of Lucia, and said softly, "Don¡¯t worry and you will have."


    Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    Lucia smiled crookedly, with a few helpless under the eyes, "I hope so.."


    Paul was stunned and wondered why Lucia was so sentimental.


    After all, in his impression, she has always been the kind and pure little girl.


    Paul moved his lips and couldn¡¯t help but whisper, "If you want..."


    Before he could finish his sentence, Pa came out of the bathroom.


    She fell into the couch and her head lolled as if she was about to fall asleep.


    Lucia heard the sound and looked back, then turned her head back to Paul, "What did you say?"


    Paul¡¯s apple rolled, and he didn¡¯t say anything more.


    He smiled at Lucia, "Nothing.It¡¯ste and I¡¯ll take Pa back."


    After ncing at Pa, who was lying on the couch and about to fall asleep, Lucia nodded at him, "Be


    careful on your way home."


    Paul nodded slightly and turned to pull Pa up from the couch.


    Pa was woken up, so she muttered incessantly before her room with mixed feelings.


    In fact, she heard what Paul said just now and she even guessed what he wanted to sayter.


    But she wasn¡¯t attracted to him.


    "Ring disy on the phone screen, she subconsciously gripped the phone tightly.It was August calling.

 Chapter 100

    Chapter 100


    Why did he call her at this time? Thinking about what happened in August¡¯s office during the day, Lucia


    got a little angry again.She gritted her teeth closed the screen, and did not answer the phone.


    Feeling drowsy, Lucia slowly walked into the bedroom.


    When she saw the bed already packed in advance, she fell straight into bed with both legs weak.


    After drinking, the mostfortable thing is to sleep and not care about anything.


    This night, it seemed that because of the wine before going to bed, Lucia slept extraordinarily well.


    When she woke up, it was already after nine in the morning.


    She got up with a yawn and the sight of the sun outside made her feel better.


    She stepped into the washroom and put hot water in, intending to take a shower. threw on a bath towel


    and went out.


    N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    What happened? Did the power go out? Lucia hurriedly tried the switch but found that only the


    bathroom light was not on, and all out before she finished the shower, and the bathroom was so dim


    that she couldn¡¯t see anything.


    The first order of business was to find a light bulb to rece it.


    She remembered that she had brought a recement CFL bulb, but Pa had packed it yesterday and


    she didn¡¯t know where Pa had put it.


    After a few rings, the phone was answered.


    As soon as Lucia heard the answer, she immediately said, "Pa, where did you put the CFL bulb


    when you packed my things yesterday? The light bulb broke just before I finished my shower and I¡¯ll


    change er...


    After a short silence, a low maic male voice rang out on the other end of the phone, "Wait and


    don¡¯t move.I¡¯lle to you."


    Lucia froze, her eyes widening in dismay.


    How is it a man¡¯s voice? And it sounded so familiar! She hurriedly took the phone away from her ear


    and was shocked when she saw the word "August" on the screen.


    Why did she call him? Suddenly, thinking of the phone call August made to herst night, she


    immediately understood.


    She had clicked on the recent call log and typed it by hand, thinking that Pa¡¯s number was at the


    top.


    But she had never thought that it was sent to August! Lucia hurriedly said, "You..."


    Don¡¯te over her to wait for him? But did he know where she lived? Lucia was confused and finally


    dialed Pa again.


    "Pa, are you awake?"


    Pa yawned and said, "Yes, what¡¯s up?"


    "Did you see a CFL bulb when you helped me pack things yesterday? There was a bulb broken just


    now."


    "I think I saw...You go look for it in the drawer.If you really can¡¯t find it, I¡¯ll go to help you find it together


    later."


    Lucia smiled and said softly, "That¡¯s not necessary and I will search for it again."


    of my brother? Yesterday when we got home, I felt that he was distracted!"


    Listening to Pa¡¯s gossip, Lucia was silent for a few seconds before she whispered, "I think he and I


    can be friends first...¡¯


    No sooner had she said that than Pa¡¯s wail came from the other side, ¡¯Lucia, you have to think about


    it.


    After all, it determined what our future rtionship will be...¡¯ Lucia replied with a smile, "Okay, I know!"


    The two of them talked for a long time, and after a while, suddenly there was a hour? "Pa, I¡¯ve got to


    hang up a bit."


    She said casually, hung up the phone, and walked to the door to open it.


    When the door was opened, outside stood a tall man, almost blocking the entire door.


    It was August with a straight suit and a cold face.


    Seeing the visitor, Lucia was so scared that she subconsciously took a step back, "Why...are you


    here?"


    What he said on the phone just now turned out to be true.


    Lucia was puzzled and then asked, "How did you know I live here?"


    August raised an eyebrow and stepped straight forward, forcing Lucia to back up.


    "As long as I want to know, that¡¯s not a problem."


    With that, August walked right in, stepped around her, and went straight in the direction of the


    bathroom.


    After he tried the switch to make sure the bulb was burnt out, he turned to look at Lucia, "Is there a new


    bulb?"


    While saying Then he unbuttoned the cuffs of his shirt and pulled it up quickly.


    When she saw him move in this series, Lucia¡¯s breath quickened a lot.


    What...the hell did he want to do? As soon as Lucia opened the door, August came in.


    He seemed to know here better than she did, and when he entered her house without her permission,


    he didn¡¯t look any embarrassed on his face.


    Could people like him who did bad things be sofortable? Seeing Lucia stand still for a long time,


    August raised an eyebrow slightly and said in a light voice, "If there is no new light bulb, I¡¯ll go buy one


    now."


    "No...no, I¡¯ll go look for it."


    With saying that, Lucia immediately turned around and went to look for the bulb.


    At this time, since he had arrived, standing tantly in her house, it was not good for her to drive him


    away again.


    Thinking that Pa had just said on the phone that the bulb might be in the drawer, Lucia immediately


    went to the stand and pulled open the drawers one by one to look for it.


    Finally, she found the CFL bulb in the third drawer.


    August came over.


    After checking the model, he said lightly, "Turn off the main electric switch in the house, thene and


    help me with the chair."


    Lucia paused and softly responded, "I see..."


    August went behind the door and turned off the main electric switch.


    Then he went back to the bathroom, grabbed a chair, stood up, and reached up to remove themp


    cover.


    Lucia walked to the side, held the chair, and looked up.


    August held the new bulb in one hand and sharply unscrewed the old one with the other.


    When he raised his hand, the upper half of his shirt was pulled up to reveal a small piece of the wheat-


    colored muscle of the abdomen.


    From Lucia¡¯s point of view, she was able to see the abs exposed under the corners of the shirt.


    Each muscle had a smooth and attractive line and it symbolized strength, strong, and taut...


    August¡¯s figure was really great.


    With the thought flitting through her mind, Lucia blushed.


    She hurriedly averted her gaze and adjusted her rapid breathing.


    How could she think of this about August? After putting the new bulb in ce and stepping down,


    August drooped his eyes and saw Lucia blushing, not daring to look at him.


    He raised an eyebrow, with a smile emerging under his eyes.


    Then, he took a half step forward to force her closer and called out softly, "Lucia."


    Lucia snapped back to her senses, and a bit of panic shed under her eyes, "What...


    what¡¯s wrong?"


    August seemed to curl his lips, with a faint expression on his face.


    He slowly leaned down, lowered his head, and said softly *This should be done by men, understand?"

 Chapter 101

    Chapter 101


    Chapter 101 What was he saying? Lucia blushed, her heart pounding.


    She nodded, not daring to look August in the eyes.


    Smiling and taking a step back, August turned around walked out of the bathroom, and turned on the


    main electric switch.


    Sure enough, the bathroom light snapped on.


    Looking up and seeing herself in the mirror with a red face like an apple, to be such a nymphomaniac!


    After a while, she calmed down a bit, then she stepped out couch, staring at the pile of clothes on it.


    Those were the clothes she took out yesterday and he hadn¡¯t had time to sort them out! They were all


    thin shirts, little shorts for summer, and underwear! up and put them into the storage box next to her in


    a panic, "I...I haven¡¯t had time to pack..."


    Looking at the woman¡¯s anxious and embarrassed look, August moved his tightly pursed lips and


    calmly whispered, "When do you n to go back to work?"


    "Huh?"


    Seeing her frozen, August continued without hurry, "Or are you ready for $150,000 to break the


    contract?"


    Lucia was speechless, "...."


    She certainly didn¡¯t have $150,000, so she had to keep back to thepany tomorrow."


    was about to speak, but just then, an untimely sound rang out "Gurgle."


    It wasing from Lucia¡¯s stomach.


    When she looked up and met the man¡¯s gaze, she was embarrassed again.


    She had not eaten a bite of food since she woke up in the morning, and it was normal for her to be


    hungry.


    She gritted her teeth and had no choice but to ask, "Aren¡¯t you working today?"


    Only when August was gone could she prepare breakfast.


    August said indifferently, "Nothing is going on at the office this morning, so I don¡¯t need to go."


    Did he mean that he was not going to leave? Lucia tried to think of a reason to ask August to leave, but


    instead of leaving, August walked to the kitchte and opened the refrigerator.


    Lucia hurriedly followed and didn¡¯t eat breakfast.Shouldn¡¯t you let me eat here?"


    Eat here? She basically could not cook.


    If she had breakfast, she could just fry an egg and bake a slice of bread.


    It was too hard for her.


    When she saw August doing the dishes, Lucia froze and then reacted as an afterthought, "You¡¯re going


    to cook?"


    August lifted his lips and said lightly, "Or At home, it was Mrs.Mitchell who cooked, and after marrying


    into the Adams family, it was Turner who cooked, and she could just make a soup.


    By the time she fire and prepared the tes as if he was the master of the house.


    Lucia could not help but sigh, "How do you...know where the te is put?"T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    At that August was a little touched but then he returned to his calmness and didn''t say anything,


    continuing to work on his hands in bowis.


    Lucia tasted the noodles, which were cooked just right in terms of softness and hardness.


    When she was in the Adams family, she had never seen him cook, but now she realized that he was


    such a good chef.


    Seeing the steaming noodles in front of her, Lucia felt some warmth and a sense of life in the room.


    She looked up at August eating noodles gracefully across the table and couldn''t help but speak softly,


    "August, thank you for helping me change the light bulb and for making my noodles.August paused


    slightly and wanted to respond to her, but finally said in a deep voice, ¡¯It is not good to talk while


    eating."


    At that.


    Lucia couldn¡¯t help but want to re at him, but in the end, she gave an oh and lowered her head to eat


    her noodles. awkwardly quiet in the room.


    August put down his fork and suddenly said, "You may hear some whispers when you go back to the


    office tomorrow.Don¡¯t mind too much."


    Lucia froze for a moment and then understood what he said.


    Since Ted¡¯s wife came to the officest time and made a scene, everyone had thought that Ted and


    she had an ambiguous rtionship, and this time when she went back to work, it was inevitable that


    she would hear some rumors.


    Lucia immediately felt a little nervous and depressed, then she faintly responded, ¡¯Hmm.


    Seeing the woman¡¯s eyes dimmed a bit, August opened his mouth and Hearing this, Lucia suddenly


    became more serious.


    She did think about it, but it had already happened, and there seemed little point in pursuing where the


    photos came from.


    Seeing that she was silent for a long time, August reached out, took out his phone to find a video, and


    handed it to her. of a woman hiding behind a pir and sneaking around taking pictures.


    She fixed her eyes and saw the woman¡¯s face clearly.


    It was Irene! So, she was the one who had secretly taken the pictures of her holding Ted up! So, she


    was the one who sent the photos to Mrs.Stebbing! Lucia clenched her fist, and a burst of anger came


    out.


    Irene had been sarcastic to her time and again, but she didn¡¯t expect her to use these dirty tricks


    behind her back! She thought thest mango incident had taught her enough, but she still didn¡¯t stop!


    After a moment of silence, August looked at her and asked in a light voice, "What do Group, it wouldn¡¯t


    do her any good because her reputation was already tarnished and everyone had already thought that


    she was the primary three who had destroyed Mrs.Stebbing¡¯s family.


    With a sourness flooding her heart, Lucia took a deep breath and looked up atpany, so she had to


    work at the Lion Group, and had to endure the curses and the nk stares.


    "You do have."


    August¡¯s eyes shed with dark light and his tone was firm and unquestionable, "You can choose to


    cooperate with me."


    Lucia was confused, simple as you think.


    My target is Ted, and right now, only you can help me."


    Lucia curled her lips and smiled bitterly, "But...


    why should I help you?"


    She couldn¡¯t even run away from him? With his eyes darkening, August paused and said softly,


    "Because only i can clear your name

 Chapter 102

    Chapter 102


    Chapter 102 At these words, Lucia fell into deep thought.


    Lucia really wanted to prove her innocence.


    After Ted¡¯s wife made such a scene in thepany, everyone recognized Lucia as the primary three,


    and it was hard for her to listen to all the gossip.


    What¡¯s more, now she couldn¡¯t change her job for a while.


    Instead of being scolded by others, she preferred to fight to clear her name.


    With both hands clenched together, Lucia reconsidered and finally found the courage to meet August¡¯s


    gaze, "What do you want me to do?"


    August¡¯s face is cold, and moment, Lucia bit her lip, slowly made up her mind, and said softly, "Okay, I


    agree to cooperate with you."


    After a pause, she looked up firmly at August with her bright eyes, "But, I have a condition."


    With a faint dark light shing under his eyes, August seemed to be a little surprised, paused for a


    moment, and asked in a light voice, "What condition?"


    Lucia took a deep breath and pretended to be calm, "If I¡¯m right, you¡¯ll get more benefits than I will if


    this goes through."


    She was not sure what the grudge between August and Ted was, but she could see that the two of


    them were like two tigers on a mountain, Since August asked her to help him, it meant that he already


    had a n and was determined to win.


    Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    She helped him to defeat Ted, and he helped her to prove her innocence.


    Although it¡¯s mutual help, each taking what they need,pared to August, she was not much profit.


    August raised an eyebrow slightly and curled his lips, a dared to bargain with him.


    Pausing for a moment, he curled his lips and said in a light voice, "What is the condition?"


    Lucia took a deep breath and plucked up the courage to say, "I want to quit."


    Finally, since there was an opportunity to bargain and discuss terms with August, she wouldn¡¯t miss it.


    At these words, August became a little cold, with a cold glint in his dark eyes.


    Did she want to leave him that badly? When she saw August didn¡¯t reply for a long time, Lucia was a


    little anxious.


    eyes appeared with a hint of surprise.


    As long as he said yes, then there was hope for her to leave thepany.


    August looked even more unhappy when he saw the delight that appeared on the woman¡¯s face.


    He gave her a deep look and said in a cold voice, "The first step you need to take now is to go back to


    work and ignore the gossip."


    Lucia bit her lip.


    Thinking of Ted, she hurriedly asked, "What to do with Ted?"


    Augustmanded with an expressionless face, "Listen to his orders for now, or you will arouse his


    suspicion.


    If there¡¯s anything you can¡¯t handle, let me know."


    sake of her innocence and future freedom, she had to stick it out this time.


    She nodded her head and agreed, "Okay."


    "Buzz..."


    August¡¯s cell phone on his desk suddenly rang, and seeing that it was Burton, he downstairs and I¡¯ll be


    right down."


    Hanging up the phone, he stood up, "I have some things to deal with."


    With that, he you said...


    there was nothing to do in the morning?"


    August just walked to the door.


    When he heard her say that, he paused violently and immediately turned around to look at her, saying,


    "What? You don¡¯t want me to go?"


    Lucia froze, and after two seconds of reaction, she blushed and hurriedly said, "No...no!"


    She just blurted it out, not at all what he said.


    What¡¯s more, she had wanted him to leave for a long time, but he was the one who refused to leave


    Seeing the blush on the woman¡¯s face, August smiled crookedly and deliberately said flirt-like, "If you


    don¡¯t mean it!"


    With that, she reached out her hand and pushed August out the door.


    After she closed before slowly recovering.


    Looking up at the two empty bowls on the table, she was brought back to reality with her heart aching


    August and she could not be together after all.


    He had Jeanne, and just now he helped her change the light bulb, and cooked noodles for her to eat,


    all of which were just like a firework bloom and fleeting, very short.


    After August left, Lucia¡¯s heart went cold and she sobered up a lot.


    She took a deep breath, slowly clenched her fist, and made up her mind.


    This time, if she helped August to take care of Ted, she could be free and leave the Lion Group and


    August Although it was good news, somehow, she was not as happy as she thought she would be


    Looking up at the room that hadn¡¯t been tidied, Lucia sighed and got up to tidy up the house, without


    thinking about messing anymore The next morning, Lucia went to the room, and colleagues were


    slowly starting to stop talking about it, but once Lucia returned, it seemed to revive everyone¡¯s memory.


    Wherever she went, there was a lot of buzzes After the department¡¯s morning meeting, Lucia got up to


    leave the conference room.


    Every few steps she took, she heard murmurs from behind her.


    "I didn¡¯t expect Lucia toe back to work and I thought she had quit!"


    "Yes! I didn¡¯t expect that either.


    She¡¯s too cheeky too!"


    hear.


    force forward.


    "Are you all done?"


    Emma finally couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and spoke up chew the fat?"


    After Emma finished speaking, the colleagues next to them closed their mouths, with different looks on


    their faces.


    Lucia hurriedly reached out her hand and wouldn¡¯t believe her.


    "Lucia, are you going to let them bully you like this?"


    Emma frowned, not supervisor.


    How could she still let those ordinary employees chew her out? Lucia frowned and pulled Emma


    forward without saying a word, and she didn¡¯t let go until she was out of the crowd.


    Emma said anxiously, "Lucia, the less you resist, the more they will bully you."


    Lucia bit her lip and said softly, "Emma, don¡¯t worry.


    I will find a way to prove my innocence and it¡¯s not the right time yet."


    When she said that, Emma froze, and then asked, "Is there anything I can help you with?"


    When she heard that, Lucia smiled at her, "If you really want to help me, don¡¯t eat with me at lunch."


    Emma froze and couldn¡¯t help but ask after her, "Why?"


    What would that help her with?

 Chapter 103

    Chapter 103


    Chapter 103 Lucia knew in her heart that wherever she went these days, people¡¯sments would


    follow.


    She also didn¡¯t want to drag Emma into this, lest she is isted¡ä by her colleagues¡ä Lucia reached out


    and patted Emma¡¯s shoulder, "I have my reasons.


    We¡¯ll have dinner together when this is over."¡ä Hearing her say so, Emma knew it was inconvenient to


    ask more questions, so she nodded hesitantly and agreed.¡ä Once noon came, employees from all


    departments went to eat, and the¡ä cafeteria and thepany were all crowded at this time.


    Lucia deliberately avoided mealtime to wait for fewer people before going out.


    After a while, listening to the sound outside lessened, Lucia then got up and left¡ä the office¡ä Walking to


    thepany gate, she nned to go to a nearby store to pack a meal to eat back at the office, which


    was convenient and quick and could also avoid meeting with colleagues.


    She went down the steps and walked with her head down.


    Suddenly, she saw a pair of shiny leather shoes, and before she could react, azy male voice came¡ä


    from above her head, "I¡¯ve been waiting for you at the door for a long time.


    If you don¡¯te down, then I¡¯m going to go up to you."


    Lucia froze, and when she looked up, she saw Jamie who was smiling crookedly at her.


    "Wh-what are you doing here?"


    Jamie smiled wider and stepped forward to approach her, "Why can¡¯t Ie?"


    "You.


    Lucia stammered for words and she was just too surprised.


    After all, it had¡ä been a while since she had seen him.¡ä night and now you¡¯re too surprised to see me?"


    "No, I¡¯m not."


    Lucia nced at him and her, "I just came to find¡ä you!"¡ä Lucia was in no mood to joke with him at this


    time, "What¡¯s up?"¡ä Not in hurry, Jamie said after her, "I¡¯ve been away on a business trip for a while and


    I came to see you as soon as I got back, so please have a meal with me Lucia refused coldly, "I don¡¯t


    have time."¡ä Jamie walked in front of her and turned around to smile at her as he backed away, "Aren¡¯t


    you going to lunch now?"¡ä Lucia was dumbfounded for a moment, "L.


    Seeing her hesitation, Jamie smiled cheekily and reached out to grab her wrist, pulling her to the side,


    "Since you and I are both going to lunch, we might as well eat together."¡ä Lucia frowned and spoke, "It¡¯s


    okay to eat together, but you let go of me first.


    Although she hadn¡¯t known Jamie for long, she had gotten to know him inside out.


    As long as he was determined, he wouldn¡¯t change his mind easily.


    Now, instead of wasting time arguing with him, it would be better to agree to have a meal with him to


    end it.


    When she agreed, Jamie didn¡¯t say anymore and led her into a restaurant next¡ä to him.¡ä After they were


    seated, a waiter brought tea and a menu, and Jamie gestured¡ä directly to Lucia to order.¡ä Lucia flipped


    through the menu, ordered two dishes, and then handed the menu¡ä to Jamie.¡ä For some reason,


    Jamie¡¯s face was somber and he became serious, with his¡ä eyes hovering over Lucia¡¯s hand.


    Lucia didn¡¯t notice the change in him.


    After handing over the menu, she picked¡ä up her ss and took a sip of water.T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Jamie ordered a few dishes at random.


    After the waiter left, Jamie immediately looked at Lucia, wanting to say something, but stopped.


    "What¡¯s wrong?"


    Lucia couldn¡¯t help but be a little surprised to see this¡ä expression on Jamie¡¯s face¡ä Jamie usually


    looked like he didn¡¯t care about anything, but now he was staring at her with a sullen gaze, which made


    her suddenly a little scared Lucia took a deep breath and said, "Why are you looking at me like that?"


    Jamie frowned, "Are you divorced?"¡ä white hand, "You¡¯re not wearing the ring"¡ä In the past, when he


    pestered her, Lucia would show her ring and say she¡ä hand had disappeared.¡ä Lucia looked down and


    nced at her empty left hand, with her heart sinking¡ä and her lips curling up in a bitter smile.¡ä Thest


    time August said she should keep the ring to deal with her¡ä on her hand, she would think of her hasty


    and ridiculous marriage Jamie, who was sitting across from her, didn¡¯t look too good, "Are you really


    divorced?"¡ä Lucia drooped her eyes and said faintly, "Hmm."¡ä Now, she had nothing to hide.


    Hearing that, Jamie clenched her hand into a fist and mmed it directly onto¡ä the table¡ä The sound of


    a "bang"


    caused the people around to look at them.


    Not caring about the Lucia looked at him in surprise, wondering why Jamie looked to be angrier than


    her¡ä he¡¯s blind!"


    Looking at him speaking for her, Lucia inexplicably wanted tough.


    At that moment, the waiter came to serve the food.


    Jamie frowned, took a fork, and handed it to Lucia, saying in a deep voice, "Hurry up and eat, and


    when¡ä 1440¡ä we¡¯re done, we¡¯ll go and settle the score with August!"


    "Huh?"


    Lucia was confused and somewhat puzzled.


    After hesitation, she said¡ä gloomy, "He bullied you?"


    Lucia did not know how to answer for a while, "No..."


    Jamie said with a cold face, "Then why you divorce? Lucia, you take me for a fool!"¡ä Lucia was


    speechless for a moment.¡ä He saidst time that he wanted them to divorce, but howe his attitude


    changed so quickly today? Looking at Jamie¡¯s angry look, Lucia didn¡¯t know whether to be angry or


    laugh.


    She slowly put down her fork and opened her mouth to ask, "Didn¡¯t you say you wanted to pursue me


    last time? Shouldn¡¯t you be happy that August and I got¡ä divorced?"¡ä Hearing what she said, Jamie


    grunted coldly, raised his hand to click the¡ä desktop, and said in a deep voice, "Eat."¡ä He did have a


    crush on Lucia.


    At first, he felt that she was different from other trip, he would also think of her from time to time.


    But it was not the kind of love between men and women, but out of another kind of emotion, which he


    could not say, nor could he say clearly.


    Lucia smiled and didn¡¯t pursue the question, then she picked up her fork and¡ä started to eat.¡ä


    inexplicably felt that he was a little more agreeable, "Jamie, I have to go back to work and you can go


    too."


    Jamie walked up next to her and said in a serious tone, "Ill go with you."


    Lucia froze, wondering if she really wanted to go to thepany with her.


    She took a deep breath and said seriously, "Jamie, I know you consider me a friend, and I appreciate


    your concern, but the divorce is my personal business...¡ä Hearing that, Jamie raised an eyebrow, "I


    have other business with August¡ä Come along."¡ä Saying so, he took a step and walked towards the


    front.¡ä Looking at Jamie¡¯s back, Lucia sighed and shook her head helplessly.¡ä Now she only hoped that


    August was not at thepany at this time,¡ä otherwise, she could not guarantee that something would


    not happen.

 Chapter 104

    Chapter 104


    Chapter 104 Seeing that Jamie was about to walk away, Lucia hurriedly took a few steps to follow him


    and asked, "Are you really going to find August?"


    Jamie raised an had to walk with him in the direction of thepany¡ä and asked another question, "Do


    you really have other things to see August?"¡ä Jamie nodded slightly, "Don¡¯t worry.


    I still know what to say and what not to say."¡ä Hearing him say that, Lucia was relieved.¡ä When they


    arrived at the office and waited for the elevator, Jamie looked at Lucia beside him and said, "I¡¯ll walk


    you back to your department first."


    Lucia her and Jamie together, they would probably say something again.


    "Why not?"


    Jamie drooped his eyes and asked tentatively, "Do you think I¡¯m¡ä embarrassing you?"¡ä "No, anyway, I¡¯ll


    just go back by myself."


    During the argument, there was a sudden sound of footsteps and a colleague whispered, "Look,


    President Adams is here!"¡ä Hearing the word "President.


    Adams", Lucia subconsciously turned her head¡ä and saw a group of people led by August walking this


    way.


    Standing in the middle, Before he could finish his sentence, August had already turned his head.¡ä


    August was a little surprised to see Jamie, and his face was somber when he¡ä saw Lucia next to him.


    Why were they together? Ignoring the report of his men, August stepped away and walked straight¡ä


    toward them.¡ä Half a meter away, he stopped.


    Looking at Jamie, he asked in a cold voice, "Mr.Nordhaus, how are you?"¡ä Jamie curled his lips, smiling


    insincerely, and lifted his chin, "Mr.Adams, do you were cold, as usual, "If you want, I¡¯m always


    avable."


    Jamie smiled, "Okay, let¡¯s have a cup then."


    With his gaze pausing on Lucia, August said quietly, "Since Lucia is so familiar with Mr.Nordhaus, why


    don¡¯t youe along too?"


    Saying so, he stepped towards the exclusive elevator inside.¡ä When she was suddenly named, Lucia


    panicked.¡ä Why did August ask her toe along? In this situation, she didn¡¯t dare to ask more


    questions.


    In order not to anger¡ä August, she had to follow Jamie to the exclusive elevator.


    The men who were originally elevator door closed.


    In the closed space, no one was talking, making the atmosphere a bit awkward.¡ä Jamie did it on


    purpose or something.


    Just when the elevator was silent without a pick you up tonight?"¡ä Lucia was stunned, not expecting


    Jamie to be so bold as to ask her this in front¡ä of August.¡ä Now She didn¡¯t know if she should answer


    him, in a proper dilemma.¡ä Lucia clutched the corner of her coat and forced a fake smile, "No need..."


    Saying so, she also did not forget to make a wink at Jamie.


    Jamie saw this andughed.


    As if he are you smiling so hard?"¡ä Lucia dodged away in a hurry to avoid suspicion, without knowing


    whether to smile or cry As expected, August turned his head, with a pair of ck eyes glowing with¡ä


    cold light, which made her a little scared.


    Now she wanted to kill Jamie!¡ä Finally, along with the sound of "ding-dong", the elevator arrived.


    Seeing August take the lead in getting out of the elevator, Lucia took a deep breath of relief and


    reached the President¡¯s Office.¡ä As August walked into the office, Jamie swept a nce at the office


    decoration,¡ä then a smile appeared on the corner of his lips, "I remember thest time I came to August


    naturally knew that Jamie had his tongue in his cheek.


    He walked¡ä across to Jamie and sat down, looking at Lucia, and ordering, "Go prepare two cups of


    coffee and bring them over."¡ä Lucia stood in ce and hesitated for a second.


    Only then did she react, she¡ä answered, turned around, and walked out of the room.


    The reception of guests, and serving tea and water were the work of the secretary of the President¡¯s


    Office, but August at this time ordered her and she still couldn¡¯t resist.


    When Lucia stepped out of the office, August turned his head and looked at¡ä Jamie with a colder look.


    Noticing his gaze, Jamie smiled instead of being angry and asked softly, "I wonder what President


    Adams would like to talk to me about today? Is it thend in the West End, or Lucia?"¡ä August sat up


    straight and a thinyer of anger red up in his dark eyes.


    Two secondster, he spoke, his voice low but cool, "Thatnd and Lucia are both mine."¡ä When Jamie


    heard him say that, his face became somber and he grunted, "What if I said that I was going to pursue


    her?"¡ä A cold light shed in August¡¯s eyes and he said in a deep voice, "You think you have a


    chance?"¡ä When he heard the word "divorce", August¡¯s face instantly turned somber.


    He¡ä tensed up, "Even if we divorce, you won¡¯t have a chance."¡ä He wouldn¡¯t give anyone the chance.¡ä


    Just then, the door of the room was pushed open and Lucia walked in with coffee.


    She looked at the two men sitting opposite each other on the couch and inexplicably felt a chill.


    The two men stared at each other, giving a sense of antagonism between them without a word.¡ä Lucia


    stepped forward, ced the tray on the table, and said softly, "Your coffee¡ä is ready."


    She had just brought the coffee to the table when August suddenly spoke up, "Why don¡¯t we talk about


    thend in the West End?"


    Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    Hearing him change the subject, Jamie curled his lips, following his topic and¡ä saying, "For that piece of


    land, Mr.Adams should have known a lot."


    August took a sip of coffee and spoke without haste, "Windswift Group can¡¯t do¡ä such a big project on


    your own, right?"


    Lucia was next to them, listening to the two talking about the West End Property.


    She hesitated to leave the office, but she didn¡¯t dare to leave without August¡¯s say-so.


    She stood by the side for nearly 20 minutes, yawning several times, and finally, the two men had


    almost finished talking.


    Jamie winked at Lucia before he left and said with a smile, "Wait for my call."


    Lucia froze, watching him walk out of the office, and when she looked back, she¡ä too."


    August stared at her for a long time without speaking.


    Finally, he asked in a deep voice, "Jamie is pursuing you?"¡ä Lucia was confused and then quickly


    realized what he was talking about.


    She guessed that Jamie and August had said something when she wasn¡¯t in¡ä August care?¡ä With a


    little expectation, Lucia hesitated for a moment and moved her lips.


    "||¡ä guess so."


    When August heard that, his eyebrows furrowed slightly and his face a little surprised to see August


    and Lucia confronting each other in the room.


    "Mr.Adams, they¡¯re all there, just waiting for you to go to the meeting."


    August flicked a nce at him and replied lightly before getting up and striding towards the door.¡ä Lucia


    stood where she was and watched as the man walked past her without¡ä her, saying word by word,


    "Anyway, don¡¯t ept it."


    His calm voice sounded so imperious and deterrent, leaving her no reason to¡ä refuse.


    After those words, he turned around and left with big strides.


    Lucia took a deep breath, with her hands clenched and unclenched down at her sides.


    Eventually, she he didn¡¯t want her to ept another man¡¯s advances? Or was it because he was


    simply possessive? Thinking about it over and again, she felt that it was more likely to be thetter,


    After all, she had been with him for so long and had seen more than once how much he cared about


    Jeanne.


    She knew very well that in August¡¯s heart, she was nothingpared to Jeanne.¡ä Luciaughed at


    herself.


    She stepped out of the office, leaving behind all the thoughts that gued her, and headed back to the


    Administration Department She had just walked to the public desk area of the department when Lisa


    saw her and took the initiative to approach her, saying in a somewhat anxious tone, "Lucia, where did


    you go?"


    "I went to the President¡¯s Office."


    Lucia perked up and asked gently, "What is¡ä it?"¡ä said that, they could all hear it Almost immediately,


    Lucia felt that they were all looking at her.


    They had been gossiping about her and Ted.


    Now Ted didn¡¯t avoid suspicion and came to her directly in the Administration Department.


    That was a deliberate attempt to give others something to talk about, wasn¡¯t it?¡ä towards her office.


    When she reached her office and opened the door, she saw Ted sitting in her¡ä office chair and casually


    flipping through some documents.


    Seeing her walk in, Ted smirk, "It seems that you¡¯re quite idle at work, Lucia.


    You can still wander around during working hours.


    Is there something more important than work?"


    Lucia heard the sarcasm in his words.


    She managed to force a smile.


    "Sorry to keep you waiting, Mr.Stebbing.


    Is there something you want to see me about¡ä today?"¡ä Carter had specially stated that Lucia only


    needed to be Ted¡¯s temporary assistant for a week when she assigned the task.


    Now that it was already the second week, it was reasonable to say that Ted had no right to ask Lucia to


    do anything "Yes."


    Ted smirked and his turbid eyes were fixed squarely on her.


    "There¡¯s a¡ä drinking party tonight.


    You¡¯reing with me"Thinking of what had happenedst time, Lucia subconsciously tried to refuse ¡¯I


    just needed to work as your temporary assistant for a week, Mr.Stebbing, Your regr assistant is


    already here, isnt he?"


    Hearing that, Ted raised his hand and knocked on the desk.


    "He¡¯s taking the day¡ä off, so you have toe with me."¡ä With that, he stood up and said in a deep


    voice, "I¡¯ll meet you in the lobby after work He didn¡¯t give her any chance to refuse.


    Lucia frowned.


    Thinking of what August had told her, she finally suppressed the¡ä anger in her heart At this point, she


    had no other choice but to endure it.¡ä Just now when she came back from his office, he was going to a


    meeting, so even if she went to him now, she was afraid that he wouldn¡¯t have time to see her.


    her pocket.


    Then, she ordered Hydrodol online.


    Only when she had done all this did she feel less worried.


    It was just a drinking party.


    Ted wouldn¡¯t eat her even if he was ruthless.


    Thinking that, Lucia felt much better.


    The working hours in the afternoon flew by, and before she knew it, it was time to leave work.


    Lucia took two of the Hydrodol capsules she had gotten and deliberately changed into a conservative


    long-sleeved shirt and trousers before leaving the office In the lobby, Lucia waited for more than twenty


    minutes before Ted showed up He nced at Lucia and said in a deep voice, "Let¡¯s go."


    Lucia nodded, followed Ted, and got into the car with him.


    Soon, the car arrived at the Hibiscus Garden, their destination.


    It was a well-known restaurant in Austos City.


    Upon seeing Ted at the entrance of the restaurant, the waiter bowed to him and Guided by the waiter,


    they arrived at the pre-booked private room.


    Lucia was¡ä relieved to see that all the bosses had their assistants or secretaries with them.¡ä This time,


    unlikest time, Lucia just stood there and did what Ted told her to¡ä do from the beginning to the end,


    without having to drink a single drop of wine¡ä Seeing that the party came to an end after rounds of


    drinking, Lucia secretly breathed a sigh of relief.


    She was d that this time was not likest time.


    Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t really know how to deal with it.¡ä The party was over.


    Some of the managers and bosses left before others.


    There were three or four men left who seemed to be well acquainted with Ted.


    They wereughing and joking about something in the corridor until they dispersed at the entrance.¡ä


    Out of the restaurant, Lucia followed Ted to the car at the side of the road.


    She opened the door for Ted and gently warned, "Watch your head, Mr.Stebbing."¡ä When he got into


    the car, Lucia was relieved and said gently, "It¡¯s gettingte,¡ä Mr.Stebbing.


    If there¡¯s nothing else..."


    Before she could finish her words, Ted waved In the dimly lit car, his eyes glowed coldly, like the eyes


    of some animal.


    Seeing do for you, Mr.Stebbing?"¡ä Ted said in a deep voice, "Get in."¡ä Lucia was a little apprehensive.


    She checked the time.


    It was after eight in the¡ä evening.


    She took a deep breath and got into the car.


    The door of the car was closed.


    She heard the man next to her saying to the driver, "To the Time Club."¡ä Hearing these words, Lucia


    turned to Ted with some consternation and asked, "Are you going to have another drink, Mr.Stebbing?"¡ä


    It seemed that a trace of contempt flickered in his eyes as he said with a smirk, "Do you think doing


    business is so nice and easy in the world, Lucia? Just a dinner party and a talk in the office will do? Do


    you know how many deals are made over drinks?"


    Hearing that, Lucia sat next to him with her hands clenched so tight together that her palms were


    sweating.

 Chapter 106

    Chapter 106


    Chapter 106 Although she had never been to the Time Club, she knew exactly what it was,¡ä It was a


    ce of sensual pleasures and debauchery, Next to Lucia, Ted seemed to see how anxious and


    nervous she was.


    He¡ä chuckled and said in a deep voice, "I¡¯m telling you, Lucia, you should see more of it.


    You¡¯re so young andck experience."


    He sounded like an elder giving advice to a younger one, but Lucia felt¡ä apprehensive at the bottom of


    her heart.


    She took a deep breath and touched the long, way.


    When they arrived at the destination, she saw the cars in front and behind.


    Only then did she find that those people were the ones who had just eaten together at the Lucia looked


    around and saw that besides her, there was also one of Mr.Garcia¡¯s secretaries, so she felt less


    worried and followed them into the club.¡ä In the private room, the waiter served several bottles of wine.


    A boss named¡ä Slinger joked, "Mr.Stebbing is the host today, so we¡¯ll have as much as we can.


    We¡¯ll drink nothing other than good wine!"


    Hearing that, two other men looked at each other and smiled, saying in agreement, "That¡¯s right.


    It¡¯s a rare asion toe out and have fun.


    You won¡¯t be stingy, Mr.Stebbing, will you?"


    Ted raised his hand.


    His voice sounded powerful as he said with certainty, "Of course not.


    You can all order what you like and put it directly on my ount!"


    Once the bottles were opened, they drank a round first and the atmosphere was¡ä anything.¡ä Mr.Slinger


    saw that andughed.


    "Mr.Stebbing¡¯s and Mr.Garcia¡¯s assistants are both beautiful, but they don¡¯t seem to be very talkative.


    Since you¡¯re here now, why don¡¯t you have a drink with us?"¡ä When he started, other bosses agreed.


    Upon hearing that, Mr.Garcia gave his secretary a wink.


    "Laura, did you hear¡ä them? Why don¡¯t you toast everyone?"


    The woman called Laura got ?"p, picked up a ss and poured some wine.


    She greeted and toasted the bosses, saying something nice to boost the mood, and then drained the


    ss of wine.


    Seeing her down the wine in one gulp, the men all pped and cheered in a frenzy of excitement.


    When Laura finished her drink, they all turned to Lucia.


    Feeling Ted¡¯s sullen gaze, Lucia knew in her mind that she couldn¡¯t avoid it now.


    Besides, another boss¡¯s secretary had drunk.


    If she didn¡¯t, Ted would surely get embarrassed, so she had to drink.¡ä Lucia poured a ss of wine,


    said some nice words to the bosses like Laura did, and then tilted her head back to down the wine.¡ä


    Hearing their shouts of approval, Lucia was relieved.


    She thought this was the¡ä end, but it was just the beginning.


    The men had a round of drinks, joking and ying games with each other, and when they saw that


    there was no more wine in the bottles, they called for the¡ä waiter again.¡ä They ordered more bottles of


    wine, and when the waiter was about to get out, he was stopped by Mr.Slinger, who said, "Wait a


    minute.


    Get some pretty girls here."¡ä When he said so, the men next to him all agreed.


    Mr.Slinger smiled with his eyes narrowed into two slits, looking lewd.


    "It¡¯s¡ä boring to just drink, isn¡¯t it? It¡¯s much more fun to have a beauty with you!"


    "Don¡¯t we have two beauties here? Do we need to get more?"


    At once, the men¡¯s eyes turned to Lucia and Laura again.


    They eyed the two of them without scruples.


    Lucia was disgusted by their gaze, feeling as if their eyes were getting through¡ä the fabric of her clothes


    like knives to molest her.¡ä Lucia clenched her fists, desperate to rush straight out of the room.¡ä "I think


    it¡¯s better to get two more beauties here, so we can all have fun together!"¡ä Mr.Slinger suggested, and


    as he finished, the men next to him burst into¡ä with them.


    He had a nasty look in his eyes and a disgusting expression on his face.¡ä After a short while, there was


    a knock on the door of the room.


    When the door was hand and pointed at two of them.¡ä "You two,e on."¡ä The two women who were


    chosen smiled smugly and walked over to sit down directly among the men.¡ä The managers and


    bosses had been looking polished on the surface.


    However, when they saw the women, their eyes went to the women¡¯s breasts as they¡ä drank and said


    nasty things.¡ä Lucia shrunk in the corner.


    Watching this scene, she was so angry that her nails¡ä dug into the couch.


    She hadn¡¯t expected that the so-called drinking party Ted talked about would be like this.¡ä Mr.Garcia


    suddenly said, "Come here, Laura.


    Have a drink with Mr.Stebbing!"¡ä Lucia froze and quickly turned to look at Laura beside her.


    Laura looked at Lucia and curled her lips in a bitter smile.


    She stood up, walked over slowly, sat down next to She was a decentpany employee, but now she


    felt like she was no different from the two women who had been chosen in the eyes of the men.¡ä Lucia


    sat aside, out of ce in the scene where they were indulged in debauchery on the other side.


    When Mr.Slinger turned his head and saw her, he narrowed his eyes slightly, picked up a ss of wine,


    and got up to walk towards her.¡ä He smiled, revealing a mouth full of brown teeth.


    "Why are you so serious,¡ä Lucia? Isn¡¯t it nice for us to have some fun together?"


    Lucia shivered and her body tensed.


    "I¡¯m not much of a drinker, Mr.Slinger "It¡¯s okay if you can¡¯t drink! You can still have fun! I think you¡¯re


    just too¡ä restrained With that, he turned to a woman in a tight red dress.


    "Come on.


    Show the up and walked over.


    Lucia clenched her fists and her cheeks were burning as if she had been pped "Let¡¯s have some fun


    together, girl!"


    The woman in the red dress reached out her hand to take Lucia¡¯s hand, Lucia shook her hand off


    violently and pulled away from her.


    "Don¡¯t touch me!"


    What did they think she was? She gritted her teeth, raised her eyes to look at Ted, and hurriedly said,


    "It¡¯s¡ä gettingte, Mr.Stebbing.


    I have something to do, so excuse me."


    With that, she quickly walked towards the door.¡ä Mr Slinger stepped forward straight away and blocked


    the doorway to prevent her from leaving.


    "Why are you leaving? The fun has just begun!"¡ä took a few steps back and looked at Ted in some


    rm.


    "Mr.Stebbing..."


    Ted smiled wouldn¡¯t let her go at this point.


    And now she was in trouble, not knowing what they would do to her.


    As she stepped back, she suddenly felt that her arm was grabbed.


    It was the woman in the red dress.


    "Don¡¯t worry, girt! It¡¯s not like we are going to eat you!"


    When she said that, the men in the room all burst intoughter.


    Lucia shook off the woman¡¯s hand, and with a burst of anger in her heart, she stared at them warily.¡ä


    The lecherous-looking Mr.Slinger approached her and shook the ss in his hand.


    "If you drink this, I¡¯ll think about letting you go."


    The others in the room were all looking at her for fun.


    Lucia felt a chill down her spine.¡ä She knew very well that even if she drank this ss of wine, there


    was no way they would let her go! Lucia gritted her teeth and reached into her pocket, only to find that


    it was empty.


    The utility knife she had prepared in advance was gone! Just then, Ted¡¯s chuckle came from not far


    away.


    "Are you looking for this, Lucia?"¡ä ay.


    "Are you looking for this, Lucia?"¡ä the slender, metallic glowing utility knife in his hand.


    When did he get the knife? Next to her, Mr.Slinger saw it and couldn¡¯t help butugh, "I didn¡¯t expect


    that Mr.Stebbing¡¯s assistant has such a strong personality!"


    Someoneughed and echoed, "A paragon of chastity!"


    At once, the group burst intoughter.


    With anger rising in her heart, Lucia felt like she was about to explode.


    At this¡ä point, she was alone and helpless.


    "You¡¯re too nervous, girl.


    Let me help you cool down!"


    The woman in the red dress suddenly came up and shook her hand holding the wine ss.


    The liquid in the ss sshed directly onto Lucia¡¯s chest.¡ä Before she could react, the men in the


    room startedughing.¡ä When she looked down, she saw that the red wine had already soaked part of¡ä


    the clothes around her chest, and the white fabric was nearly transparent as it was faintly visible.


    "You guys are going too far!"


    Lucia hurriedly raised her hand to was far more horrifying than she could have¡ä imagined!¡ä Mr.Slinger¡¯s


    eyes were lustful as he looked back and forth at her chest.


    "Have some drinks with us, Lucia.


    If you do it, no one will touch you.


    Why do you have to make things difficult for yourself?"


    "Right! Come and have some drinks!"


    Lucia took a few steps back in a row.


    Her face turned pale with fear as she watched Mr.Slinger approaching her.¡ä When she was about to be


    cornered by them, Lucia suddenly saw a small restroom inside the private room and without thinking


    about it, she dived straight in¡ä After quickly locking the door behind her, she pr?¡èssed against the door


    and her heart was pounding.


    "Bang! Bang!"


    "Look how scared she is.


    She¡¯s even ducked in there!"¡ä Outside the door was a cacophony of noise, mixed with theughter of


    men¡ä and women.


    At that moment, Lucia felt like she was about to explode.¡ä "Never mind her! Let¡¯s go on and drink.


    We can get the manager toe over¡äter with the key and open the door!"¡ä Hearing the voice


    outside the door, Lucia was so scared that she immediately¡ä took out her phone and made a call.¡ä At


    this point, she could only ask August toe to her rescue!¡ä He said she could call him if anything


    happened! The phone was connected, but no one but no one answered!¡ä Lucia¡¯s hands were


    trembling.


    She called again, but no one answered in the¡ä end.


    After calling the third time in a row, Lucia lost all the hope she had had! She had thought that he could


    be counted on! She had expected him to answer the phone immediately! But that was not the case.¡ä


    Stuck in this small restroom, Lucia was ovee with fear and got gooseflesh as she listened to the


    sound ofughtering from outside, because she knew that once the manager came over with the


    key, she would have no ce to hide.¡ä Lucia couldn¡¯t help but shiver.


    She felt a bit disappointed as she looked at the three unanswered calls on the screen.


    When her eyes moved down and she saw Pa¡¯s number, she didn¡¯t have time to think that much and


    called it directly.


    At this point, she really has no one else to turn to.


    The phone was answered after two rings.


    The moment Pa¡¯s voice came through, Lucia was almost on the verge of tears.¡ä "Where are you,


    Lucia?"


    Lucia¡¯s voice carried an imperceptible tremor.


    "Pa...


    help me..."


    The girl at the other end paused noticeably and then reacted.


    "Where are you, Lucia? What¡¯s going on?"


    Lucia lowered her voice, afraid to be heard by those outside.


    "Thepany¡¯s Vice President asked me out for a drinking party.


    They...


    want me to drink with them.


    I have no choice but to hide in the restroom.


    I don¡¯t dare to go out now..."


    Before Lucia told her the whole story, Pa at the other end had already¡ä Don¡¯t be afraid, Lucia.


    Where are you? I¡¯ming to get you!"


    "Room 606 at the Time As a girl, Pa wouldn¡¯t manage to save Lucia, but she¡¯d be in trouble if she¡ä


    rushed over alone.¡ä When Pa heard that at the other end, she frowned and quickly said, "I know.


    Don¡¯t worry!"


    With that, she hung up the phone straight away.¡ä At this moment, her brother Paul was out of town, not


    in Austos City, and she had juste back from abroad, so she hadn¡¯t had a chance to get together


    with her friends.


    It seemed that this time, she had to ask him for help!¡ä Pa felt in her pocket and pulled out a business


    card.


    She called him directly.¡ä "Hello, Burton.


    Here is the first thing I need you to do.


    Help Lucia! Go to the¡ä Time Club now!"


    Lucia hid in the cramped restroom, with a chill running through her It had been nearly twenty minutes


    since she called Pa.


    Those outside were having round after round of wine, and the sounds of them were loud and¡ä small


    Suddenly, footsteps came from outside the door, followed by the sound of banging on the door! Open


    the door! I need to use the toilet!"


    Lucia¡¯s body shook when she heard it was Mr.Slinger¡¯s voice.


    There was a lot ofughter outside, and someone said, "Look how you¡¯ve scared the girl.


    Now you can¡¯t even use the toilet.


    It¡¯s really your own fault! "That¡¯s right! Haha, shall we ask the manager toe with the key?"


    Mr.Slinger, who had been teased, snorted coldly and seemed a bit impatient,¡ä saying in a deep voice,


    "Hurry up and get the manager here! I can¡¯t help it!"¡ä Inside the door, Lucia held the handle tightly and


    her heart was thumping.


    She¡ä guessed that in a few minutes, the manager woulde.


    "Bang! Bang! Bang!"


    "Open the door now!"


    Mr.Slinger¡¯s voice came from outside the door, with a bit of impatience.


    ¡¯Sooner orter, it¡¯ll have to be opened! You can¡¯t escape anyway!"¡ä Outside the door, Mr.Slinger had


    waited for a while.


    Anxiously, he lifted his foot to kick the door and cursed.¡ä Soon, a voice suddenly came.


    "The manager is here!"¡ä Then there was a jumble of footsteps and the ttering of keys.


    Lucia took a deep breath and her grip on the handle slowly tightened.


    "Sorry to keep you waiting.


    I¡¯ll open the door now!"


    With that, the manager¡ä found the key and opened the door.


    Lucia gritted her teeth and gripped the handle inside, refusing to let it go.


    Outside, Mr.Slinger pulled the door.


    When he failed to open it, he couldn¡¯t help but curse, "Damn it, I won¡¯t let you get away with it!"


    Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    With that, he pulled the door handle hard.


    In the end, Lucia was no match for a man in strength and the door was pulled open with a click¡ä Lucia


    looked at Mr.Slinger and the manager standing at the door, feeling a chill down call the police! "Call the


    police? Just go ahead!"


    Mr.Slinger rampantly approached her, grabbed her arm and yanked her out.


    The two women who had been drinking with the men came over before Lucia knew it.


    With Lucia between them, they reached out their hands and pushed her, echoing, "Go ahead! Call the


    police!"


    Lucia gritted her teeth.


    Before she could stand steadily, she was pushed again.


    She fell all the way onto the couch.


    Just then, the door banged.


    A sharp, angry voice came.


    "Stop it, all of you!"

 Chapter 108

    Chapter 108


    ¡°All right, Lucia?"


    Pa reached out to pull Lucia up and checked¡ä anxiously if she was hurt.


    Lucia secretly sighed with relief and shook her head.


    "Yes, Pa, I¡¯m fine."


    If Pa hade anyter, something would have happened to Lucia.


    Having made sure that Lucia was okay, Pa turned around and shouted coldly¡ä at the others, "What


    are you lot doing? Bullying a woman? How dare you!"


    The managers and bosses in the room froze at the sight of this situation.


    This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Mr.¡ä Slinger was the first to react, narrowing his eyes and smiling, "You can¡¯t be serious, Lucia.


    We¡¯re just having a drink.


    Why do you have to get your friend here? You¡¯re putting your leader, Mr.Stebbing, in an awkward


    position."


    By saying this, he immediately put the me on Lucia.


    Lucia raised her eyes to look at Ted who had a sullen face, clenched her fists and took a deep breath.


    "I¡¯m wondering why you have to put me in such an awkward position, Mr.Stebbing.


    Do you think it¡¯s right to have your female employee drink with your clients?"


    When she said that, Ted¡¯s face became more sullen.


    He watched her coldly like a hawk as if trying to see through her.


    He coldly Ted actually said he didn¡¯t force her to drink? Did he have to put a knife to her neck to force


    her? Pa pulled at Lucia¡¯s hand.


    "Stop talking to them, Lucia! Let¡¯s go!"


    spoke up next to her.¡ä "I¡¯d like to see who dares to leave today!"


    He grabbed a wine bottle and¡ä smashed it on the corner of the table with a bang.


    The pieces of the smashed bottle ttered all over the floor, with a dangerous silver glow.


    Mr.Slinger was obviously drunk.


    His face was red, and the veins in the corners of his forehead were bulging.¡ä The atmosphere became


    tense all of a sudden.


    Looking at the indifferent eyes of those a few knocks on the door.


    Everyone looked over and saw Burton standing at the door.


    He had made the sound just now by knocking on the door with his hand.


    Lucia froze and subconsciously looked behind him, but she didn¡¯t see the figure¡ä unhurriedly bowed


    slightly to Ted, but his tone was firm¡ä and certain¡ä Before Ted could say anything, Mr.Slinger, who was


    closest to the door,¡ä suddenly roared, "Get out! You¡¯re a party pooper!"


    Ted¡¯s face darkened.


    He suddenly raised his hand, gesturing for him to stop talking.


    "Mr.Slinger."


    Then, he turned to Burton and raised his eyebrows, asking in a cold voice, "August told you to do so?"


    Burton nodded slightly.


    "Yes, Mr.Adams did."


    When those in the room heard the name of August, their expressions all¡ä changed a bit.


    Especially Mr.Slinger, he looked at Burton with some shock, unable to say anything.


    In contrast, Ted was much calmer.


    He turned to gaze at Lucia, parted his dark purple lips, and said in a deep voice, "All right, you can


    leave now."


    Burton nodded and looked over at Lucia and Pa.


    Lucia took a deep breath and pulled Pa out of the room.


    Outside, she looked around unconsciously without seeing the familiar figure.


    "Lucia, go!"


    Once out of the room, Pa pulled Lucia along and quickened her They got out of the Time Club and


    into Pa¡¯s car.


    Behind them, Burton¡ä then Pa.


    "What¡¯s...


    going¡ä on?"¡ä Burton was working for August.


    He wouldn¡¯t have been here without August¡¯s order.


    But why did Burton get into their car directly after he came down with them?¡ä now, but I¡¯m d I got


    Burton here! Otherwise, I really didn¡¯t know what to¡ä do!"¡ä is out of town on a business trip, so I had no


    choice but to call Burton.


    You don¡¯t mind, do you?"


    Lucia didn¡¯t mind.


    She was just curious to know why Burton would listen to Pa.¡ä what Lucia wanted to ask.


    Her grip on the¡ä steering wheel tightened a bit.


    "Hey, I¡¯ll tell youter!"


    Hearing that, Lucia didn¡¯t think much of it.


    She took a deep breath and slowly calmed down.


    Suddenly, she thought was sitting in the back seat, and asked gently, "August...


    Where is he? Why didn¡¯t he answer the phone?"¡ä answer the phone when she called him several


    times.


    A trace of hesitation shed across Burton¡¯s face.


    He opened his mouth, not knowing what to say.


    Lucia saw his expression and couldn¡¯t help but feel a little nervous.


    "Is he...


    at a social gathering?"


    "No,"


    Burton said gently, "Mr.Adams is in the hospital."


    Hearing this, Lucia instantly understood.¡ä So, August was in the hospital with Jeanne at the moment.


    No wonder he wouldn¡¯t even answer her calls.¡ä doing in the hospital?"


    Burton had tried to keep it from them, but he had to tell them Mr.Adams is staying there with her."


    Once he said this, the atmosphere in the car obviously got a little colder.


    Pa sensed that something was wrong and quietly nced at the expression of Lucia, who was next


    to her.


    Then, she raised her eyes to the rearview mirror¡ä we take you home first, Lucia?"


    Lucia felt like something was weighing her heart down and she was somewhat out of breath.


    On top of that, she felt dizzy and light-headed after the nightmarish experience she had just had in the


    private room of the club.


    She raised her hand to massage the ce between her eyebrows and said in a softer voice, "Please


    take me back to my apartment, Pa.


    I¡¯m not feeling¡ä well."¡ä Next to her, Pa immediately responded, "Okay."¡ä It was silent in the car along


    the way.¡ä When they got to the entrance of the neighborhood, Lucia said, "See you."


    Seeing that she pushed the door open and got out, Pa quickly asked, "Do¡ä you want me to walk you


    home, Lucia?"¡ä Lucia waved her hand, looking exhausted.


    "No, thanks.


    Please drive Harris¡ä back.


    He helped me a lot today."


    After that, she turned around and walked into the neighborhood.


    When Lucia went through the gate, what Burton had just said kept lingering in her mind.¡ä was with


    another woman.


    She shouldn¡¯t¡ä have held so much hope and expectation for him.


    Lucia turned the corners of her mouth upward into a bitter smile.


    When what she had promised August was done, she would definitely get away¡ä from here and him,


    without a second thought.¡ä

 Chapter 109

    Chapter 109


    No intention of leaving.¡ä Burton sat in the back seat, secretly observing Pa¡¯s expression.


    After quite a while, he finally couldn¡¯t help but ask, "What¡¯s wrong with you?"


    Pa¡¯s brows were furrowed.


    When he asked, the expression on her face became even more terrible.


    She raised her fist in anger and mmed it hard on the steering wheel, only to have it miss and hit the


    car horn instead.


    Pa secretly cursed, pushed down the handbrake with some annoyance, and¡ä got ready to start the


    car.


    "Wait a minute!"¡ä Burton suddenly spoke.


    Then, he pushed open the car door, got out directly and walked around to the driver¡¯s side door.¡ä He


    reached out and pulled the door open, looking at Pa with his head tilted¡ä slightly.


    "Get out.


    I¡¯ll drive."¡ä so I¡¯ll drive for safety¡¯s sake."


    Hearing that, Pa rolled her eyes, but she obediently got out of the car to sit in¡ä the passenger seat.


    Burton buckled up and looked at the woman beside him.


    "Tell me, where are we¡ä feeling that Lucia has fallen in love with that scumbag! When she heard he was


    in the hospital with another woman, she looked so disappointed!"


    Burton didn¡¯t dare to say anything.


    After all, the "scumbag¡¯ Pa was talking about was his boss.


    Pa was so angry and annoyed that she couldn¡¯t help but continue to spit out,¡ä to all herments,


    but he didn¡¯t dare to say a wordt¡ä When they arrived at the bar street, Burton found a parking space


    and parked¡ä the car.¡ä chin at him.


    "You can go home by yourself.


    I¡¯m in a bad mood, so I won¡¯t drive you."¡ä With that, she waved her hand at him and turned around to


    walk towards the bar behind a minute!"¡ä Now it was gettingte.


    How could he stand by and watch her go to the bar¡ä alone?¡ä Pa stopped walking, turned to look at


    him and raised an eyebrow.


    "Why? You want to drink with me?"¡ä Burton hesitated for a moment and then stepped toward her.


    "Well, I¡¯ll...


    have a few drinks with you."¡ä and gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder.


    "Okay! My treat!"¡ä Just now when she saw Lucia like that, she felt bad as well.


    With anger in her heart, she just wanted to have a couple of drinks.


    Now that Burton wanted to drink with her, fingers at the bartender.


    "Two Sherry Martinis!"


    The bartender smiled at her and started to make them right away.¡ä Pa turned to Burton, who was


    next to her, and asked, "What would you like?"¡ä Burton paused.


    "Didn¡¯t you just order?"¡ä He clearly heard her ask for two martinis.¡ä in a smile.


    "I always have a double when I drink."¡ä In the dim light, the corners of the woman¡¯s nted eyes moved


    upward in a¡ä unusually seductive.¡ä Burton¡¯s heart skipped a beat.


    Feeling breathless, he was a bit flustered and looked up a ss to take a sip and then tilted her head


    back to down most of it, thinking it tasted good.


    Burton was stunned.


    He had never seen a woman drink like this, like drinking water without even blinking an eye.


    Seeing that she was about to finish her Pa heard this name and frowned.


    "Can you stop being so rigid, Burton? Ms.


    Thomas, Ms.


    Thomas.


    You¡¯re giving me a headache.


    Just call me by my name, Pa."¡ä Hearing that, Burton looked at the woman¡¯s side face, feeling


    somewhat¡ä manner, "Tell me, Burton, why do you want to stay and work for that scumbag?"


    Burton hadn¡¯t expected that the topic woulde back around to his¡ä president.


    He couldn¡¯t help but get a little bit of a headache.¡ä "In fact, Mr.Adams is not like what you see on the


    surface.


    He is very¡ä responsible, and for Lucia, he feels guilty and wants to make up for it."


    "Make up?"


    Pa curled her lips as if she had heard something funny.


    "By¡ä forcing her to stay with him?"


    She sneered in answer to her own question, "Funny!"


    Burton knew that no matter what he said now, Pa would not believe him, so he simply she knew it.


    She asked Burton to y a little game with her.


    After quite a while, she refused to leave even when her drinks were finished.


    It was gettingte.


    Looking at to go on like this, so he settled the bill and helped her out of the bar.¡ä Both of them had been


    drinking and could not drive, so Burton got a chauffeur.


    The woman leaned on his shoulder with her cheeks flushed and kept muttering.


    Seeing that, Burton curved his lips in a smile and asked, "Where do you live, Pa? I¡¯ll take you back."


    At the sound of his voice, Pa frowned and opened her dazed eyes.


    "You¡¯re...


    "How can I take you back if I don¡¯t tell me?"


    "I¡¯m not going back...


    The old man will force me to go on a blind date again!"


    Pa waved her hand and turned to walk towards almost fell.


    Burton quickly reached out and pulled her into his arms.


    "Be careful!"


    Pa looked up to see the worried expression on the man¡¯s face and giggled.


    Suddenly, she threw her arms around his neck and stood on tiptoe to kiss him on the lips.


    The kiss came and went softly, like in a dream.¡ä motionless for quite a while before he regained his


    composure.


    He looked down and saw Pa leaning against his chest, seemingly asleep.


    Burton just felt like he had been through a storm, taking all the sts alone, while the woman in his


    arms waspletely unaware that she was the cause of the storm.


    Soon, the chauffeur came.


    Burton looked at Pa, who was already sound asleep.


    He couldn¡¯t help but curl his lips and helped her into the car.


    "Please take us to the Hiyas Hotel, Sir."¡ä Now, he had no choice but to put her in the hotel.¡ä bed, and


    covered her with the sheet.¡ä Before he left, he stood by the bed, looking at the woman with secret


    hope.¡ä He hoped that tomorrow she would wake up without remembering what had happened.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

 Chapter 110

    Chapter 110


    It was the VIP ward at the Essence Hospital.¡ä August sat by the bedside, patiently coaxing Jeanne.


    "Don¡¯t worry.


    I will stay by your side for the surgery¡ä tomorrow."¡ä Jeanne nodded obediently.


    She curved her lips and two shallow dimples showed on her cheeks.


    "I¡¯m a bit¡ä thirsty, August.


    I want to drink some water."


    August turned to look at the already empty mineral water container, picked up the ss on the table


    and said softly, "Wait for me.


    I¡¯ll go get some water."¡ä Jeanne¡¯s eyes curved in a sweet smile.


    "Okay."¡ä Seeing August walk out of the room, she sat up on the bed, turned to look at his phone on the


    table next to her, reached out for it and entered the password to unlock it directly The screen showed


    three missed calls marked as "Lucia".


    Jeanne¡¯s eyebrows furrowed as she stared at the three missed calls.¡ä Her intuition told her that it was


    definitely a woman!¡ä She bit her lip and secretly memorized the number.


    Then, she simply deleted the call record and put the¡ä After the surgery tomorrow, she would have to


    find out whose number it was!¡ä Throughout the night, Lucia had nightmares, waking up several times


    and each time in a cold sweat.


    The next morning, when Lucia woke up, she looked at herself in the mirror with deep dark circles under


    ¡ä changed her clothes and went out.


    What had happenedst night was like haunting bad luck, constantly lingering in her mind.


    When she got¡ä to thepany, she was still not in good shape.


    When Lucia made the wrong copy of the document for the second time, Emma finally couldn¡¯t help but¡ä


    say, "What¡¯s wrong with you today, Lucia? You¡¯re so distracted."


    Lucia gritted her wellst night."


    Seeing how preupied she looked, Emma sighed and didn¡¯t ask any minutes, so get ready,


    everyone!"¡ä When the message came in, many replies popped up in a short while.¡ä Why does


    Mr.Stebbing keeping to our Administration Department these days?"


    Following it, someone replied anonymously.


    "What do you think? He must be here to see someone in the¡ä Dame of work¡ä Lucia read the messages


    of the heated discussion in the group and couldn¡¯t help but frown.


    Of course, she knew very well that the someone they were talking about was her.


    She simply blocked the group messages directly, turned off the screen, put the phone aside, and got


    back¡ä to work¡ä Although she told herseif not to care, she still had a lump in her throat.¡ä A short while


    later, there was a sudden noise outside and someone came to inform them that Mr.¡ä Stebbing was


    coming to check on their work.¡ä Lucia walked out of the office and stood in a line with the others.¡ä


    symbolic tour, Ted asked some of them about their work at hand.


    "At present, I am in charge of the project of Siemey and I am very happy to see that you are all¡ä


    enthusiastic about it.


    I will promise you here today that if this project ends up as a there was no bonus, they still had to do


    their part.


    Now, Ted, who had just been¡ä a good thing for¡ä them.¡ä Lucia took a deep breath, thinking that was the


    end of the tour, but Ted suddenly turned to Carter, who¡ä was next to him, and asked, "Who is working


    on the product quotation this time?"¡ä Carter replied gently.


    "It¡¯s Lucia."¡ä When Lucia heard that she had been named, she couldnt help but feel a little nervous.¡ä


    Upon hearing that, Ted raised his head to nce at Lucia, who was standing at the far side, and his


    eyes¡ä darkened.¡ä how well you¡ä know about this project, Lucia?"


    Lucia bowed her head slightly and replied truthfully, "I have studied the nning case of the project


    provided by thepany and the specific information of the partner, and I am nning to collect¡ä for


    the quotation,¡ä it will be ready tomorrow if it goes well."¡ä "Tomorrow?"¡ä The look on Ted¡¯s face changed.


    He looked at her with a bit of contempt and his tone carried a bit of¡ä impatience and anger.


    "Have you been working hard, Lucia? Do you need more than twenty-four hours¡ä for a quotation like


    this?"¡ä The others were a little surprised to see his sudden change of attitude, which was far stricter


    than earlier They were even more puzzled, thinking of the ambiguous rtionship between Lucia and


    Ted before¡ä 67¡ä Lucia looked up at Carter in surprise Carter didn¡¯t say that she had to finish it within


    twenty-four hours when she was given the task¡ä Carter could certainly tell what Lucia meant.


    She looked at Ted with a smile.


    "Mr.Stebbing, there¡¯s still plenty of time Ted frowned and asked grmly.


    So you can take your time without being efficient? Why do you think the¡äpany keeps you? What do


    you think thepany pays you for? Carter was scolded and instantly lost for words¡ä Lucia frowned


    and lowered her eyes without saying anything¡ä Ted turned to give her a cold nce and ordered in a


    deep voice, "If you want to submit the quotation¡ä tomorrow, that¡¯s fine with me, but in order to fill up


    your working hours, I will give you another task."¡ä It just so happens that no one is cleaning the break


    area next to my office.


    You have one hour to go and¡ä clean it up This is a punishment and a warning"¡ä With that, he raised his


    eyes to look around at all of them.


    "1, Ted, have always been fair in rewarding and punishing And I¡¯m always strict and serious when it


    comes to work, so if anyone has a free day at work, juste to me and I¡¯ll give you a task! After


    saying these words, Ted turned around and left without looking back¡ä No sooner had he left than sighs


    came from the public desk area.¡ä Ted punished Lucia after promising to give them a bonus Was he


    trying to give them a warning or to make trouble on purpose and give Lucia a hard time? They were


    wondering why Ted treated Lucia like someone he hated when there had been an ambiguous


    rtionship between him and her.


    Had the two of them fallen out?¡ä Ted was doing that because of what had happenedst night¡ä She


    gritted her teeth and bottled everything up in her mind¡ä Hearing that Lucia nodded at Carter and


    stepped away.


    She knew in her mind that the reason why Ted asked her to do the cleaning as an administrative


    assistant was to make her lose face in front of all the people in thepany!¡äContent bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

 Chapter 111

    Chapter 111


    Chapter 111 In the break area next to the Vice President¡¯s Secretary Susan raised her eyebrows and


    said with a hour to clean up the ce.


    ¡°Come on!"


    Lucia withdrew her gaze and took a deep breath.


    Seeing the tool room nearby, she walked straight over and took out a broom and mop from it.


    After sweeping all the garbage together and putting it into the garbage bag.


    Lucia was already sweating. She was about to go to the her hand and said with a frown, Wait a minute!


    You can¡¯t do it with a mop!


    "Lucia took a mop?"


    Susan folded her arms across her chest and lifted her chin.


    "Mr.Stebbing has just instructed that the floor in front of his office and in the break area must not be


    mopped, because there will be an odor. You can take a rag and wipe it by hand."


    Lucia frowned Wipe it by hand? Even the cleaners in thepany would mop the floor with a mop


    when they did the cleaning.


    Why did Ted wasn''t he? Susan looked indifferent Do you have any problem with it? Mr.Stebbing said


    that if you don''t want to do it, then go and talk to him!" Lucia had a headache, hearing Susan say


    Mr.Stebbing once and again.


    She gritted her teeth and looked at Susan, saying, "Okay, I¡¯ll wipe it by hand.He who has a mind to and


    now actually asked her to wipe the floor by hand it was obvious that he wanted to see her make a fool


    of herself But on second thought it was a good thing that Ted treated her this way Once word got our


    few people would believe that there was any kind of affair between them.


    It seemed that Susan hadn¡¯t expected Lucia to agree so readily After hesitating for a moment, she


    immediately followed Lucia and repeatedly wanned, "Don¡¯t try any tricks.


    You have only one hour, and it you don¡¯t for it on time, there will be other punishments waiting for you!


    Lucia gasped She put the mop back in the toolroom, took the rag and basin and went to the customer


    When she returned to the break area with water, Lucia squatted down, soaked the rag, and wiped the


    stains on the floor bit by bit. The break area was right between the President¡¯s Office, the meeting room


    and the Vice President¡¯s Office, where people came and went.


    Whenever someone passed by, they would look at Lucia as if she was an alien.


    Lucia squatted where she was, feeling embarrassed.


    The gazes she got from the peopleing and going made her ufortable. thepany. corner of


    the wall little by little.


    Her hair was disheveled and she couldn¡¯t tidy it up, looking messy and somewhat pitiful. lifted her chin


    and pointed to some ce with her finger, telling Lucia what to do. condescendingly, "Here, over


    here.Don¡¯t you see this big piece of gum? Mr.Stebbing hates it when it¡¯s dirty.Are you expecting me to


    clean it?" with the rag and squatted down to clean it by hand.


    As she was doing that with her head down, a deep voice suddenly came from next to her.


    "Go and ask about the nning case for thend in the West Endter.


    Bring it to my office." Her grip on the rag tightened and she subconsciously looked up.


    August wasing over with two people.


    He was instructing them to do something as he walked.


    Seemingly sensing her gaze, he looked back. Instantly, their eyes met. August paused for half a


    second when he saw Lucia squatting on the floor with her disheveled hair.


    This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    His eyebrows involuntarily wrinkled after he saw what she was doing. The next second, he strode


    straight towards her without saying a word.


    He stopped half suddenly came up.


    "Mr.Adams, Lucia made a mistake, and Mr.Stebbing told her to clean it up here as a punishment."


    August frowned and looked at Susan coldly as he asked, "What mistake?"


    Even if Lucia had made a mistake, there was no need to deliberately humiliate her with this kind of


    punishment When Susan raised her eyes to meet August¡¯s icy eyes, she was instantly deted and


    stammered, "Lucia didn¡¯t do a good job with the quotation, so..."


    "So she has to wipe the floor as a punishment?"


    Anger glinted in August¡¯s eyes.


    "Since when did thepany have such a rule? Howe I didn¡¯t know it?"


    August just said those words, head, not knowing what to say.


    August stared at her for two seconds and then averted his eyes.


    He looked at Lucia who was still squatting there, pursed his thin lips coldly, and said in a deep voice,


    "Get up."


    Seeing the anger in the man¡¯s eyes, Lucia was a little uneasy.


    He had told her at the apartment that it would be better not to have a conflict with Ted during this period


    before they took action, but now, the situation was not very favorable.


    Lucia hesitantly stood up.


    Before she could speak, the rag in her hand was taken away and thrown directly into the basin.


    "Mr.Adams..."


    August turned to Susan, who was next to him, and ordered in a deep voice, "You, clean this ce up."


    Susan turned pale with shock and panic.


    "I didn¡¯t make any mistake, Mr.Adams."


    With his characteristic cold face, August said in a freezing voice, "Then why don¡¯t you go and get Mr.


    Stebbing here?" Susan realized what he meant.


    She nodded quickly in response and walked speedily towards the Vice President¡¯s Office.


    Lucia clenched her hands together, feeling a little worried.


    August wanted Ted toe over, but she had no idea what he was up to.a conflict with him these


    days?"


    Something flickered in his eyes as August pursed his lips.


    "That¡¯s if he doesn¡¯t make any trouble."


    He paused and said in a deep voice, "But now, he¡¯s messing with you." With those words, August


    turned around and walked towards the Vice President¡¯s Office.


    He was covered with the coldness that made people shudder.


    Watching the determined man from behind, Lucia found her heart beating faster all of a sudden.


    What did August mean by those words just now? Was he defending her?

 Chapter 112

    Chapter 112


    August walked to the Vice President¡¯s Office.


    When he opened the door, he saw Ted leisurely sipping tea on the couch. Hearing the sound of the


    door, Ted looked up at August with a false smile and said Mr.Stebbing." It was a simple sentence with a


    hint of sarcasm. Hearing that, Ted chuckled.


    Instead of getting up, he patted the couch beside him and said, "Come and sit down, August." "No,


    thanks."


    August¡¯s face was sullen and cold.


    "I just came over to ask.Since when did thepany have a punishment of wiping the floor by hand?"


    Ted paused, pretending to be confused Ted smiled and said in a casual tone, "You don¡¯t have to be so


    serious, August.


    I used to manage them it works.


    They might not remember what you say even if you scold or yell at them, but they¡¯d emotions in his


    deep, dark eyes.


    "But you¡¯re not in the subsidiary now.


    N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    I believe you as soon as he heard that.


    August was obviously warning Ted to put himself in the right ce.


    Ted could do whatever he wanted in the subsidiary, but now in the headquarters, he had to report to the


    President no matter how arrogant he was. Ted¡¯s eyebrows were knitted.


    He looked colder and colder as he watched August like a hawk, refusing to budge. August was not


    scared at all.


    He stared back at Ted without showing any weakness. After a few seconds, Ted curved his lips first.


    As if to lighten the atmosphere, he chuckled and said, "You are quite protective of this girl, August.


    Is she special to you?" August¡¯s dashing eyebrows furrowed.


    Without pausing, he replied immediately.


    "If it were any other employee in thepany, I would have stood up for them as well." Ted smiled at


    him in a meaningful way, "Really?" August curved his lips symbolically.


    "Are you doubting me, Mr.Stebbing?"


    "No Ted looked away and reached out to pour a cup of tea.


    "Join me for some tea?"


    August said lightly, "No, thanks, Mr.Stebbing.


    You can take your time and enjoy it yourself."


    After that, he turned directly to leave Ted looked colder as he raised his eyes and watched August from


    behind He hadn¡¯t expected that after just a few years, August would turn into a man to be reckoned


    with from a young and inexperienced boy Watching August from behind as his figure went out of sight,


    Tedughed sneeringly.


    August couldn¡¯t make any waves no matter how tough he was! After all, Ted was not the only one who


    wanted to mess with him. In the President¡¯s Office, Lucia stood in front of the desk, looking at the man


    in front of her uneasily It had been five minutes since they came in, but August still had no intention of


    opening his mouth to speak After another while, August finally raised his head and looked over at her.


    "I heard from Burton that something almost happened to youst night." Thinking of what had


    happenedst night, Lucia couldn¡¯t help but feel bitterly disappointed.


    She gritted her teeth and said, "Yeah." Emotions were surging in August¡¯s eyes as his grip on the


    phone slowly tightened. receive a call from her when it happened yesterday. If Burton hadn¡¯t mentioned


    it, he would have been unaware of it at all. "p!" call me?" Her heart felt like it was bound by


    something.


    Lucia was a little breathless.


    She bit her lower lip with her teeth and looked up at August with her bright eyes, asking, "If I had called


    you, would you havee to help me?" August frowned and found himself speechless at the moment.


    She was right.


    Even if she had called himst night, he might not have been able to make it to her. slightly red eyes,


    he felt as if something had hit his heart, weighing it down. He admitted that there were many times


    when he didn¡¯t do what he should do for Lucia. Lucia gritted her teeth to force her tears back, put on a


    smile with studied casualness, and opened her mouth to ask, "When can we make our move?"


    She didn¡¯t want to wait any longer.


    Waiting like this was torture for her.


    When was it going to end? August looked a little more serious and said softly, "Don¡¯t worry.


    It won¡¯t take much longer." He knew she had suffered a lot, but they had to wait for the right opportunity


    to do something about led. but no sooner had he touched her than she stepped back away from him.


    August held his hand in the air, frozen for a few seconds It was so awkward.


    August frowned slightly and withdrew his hand.


    Lucia averted her gaze and said lightly, "I¡¯ll leave now if there¡¯s nothing else."


    After that, she stepped away and headed out before August could say anything August¡¯s hands were


    cold as they were clenched and unclenched.


    Watching the woman from behind as she left resolutely, he pursed his lips and turned around in the


    end.


    Out of the President¡¯s Office, Lucia went back to the Administration Department absent-mindedly, and h


    colleagues were all staring at her as if she were a monkey With half of her body leaning against the


    door frame, Lisa smiled meaningfully as she watched Lucia approach She purposely cleared her throat,


    smiled lightly and asked, "Have you cleaned up the break area, Lucia?"


    Hearing Lisa¡¯s sarcastic words, Lucia clenched her fists down at her sides slowly. Whenever Lisa


    treated her like this before, she had always put up with it, but this time, she was impatient and unwilling


    to tolerate it any longer. Her colleagues were all watching her for fun.


    Seeing that, she clenched her fists tightly, met Lisa¡¯s gaze and said word by word, "Shut up."


    She simply said those two words and walked towards her office without looking back, leaving Lisa with


    a pale face.


    Lisa watched Lucia from behind, looking stunned.


    She had never expected Lucia to reply like that.


    Seeing her snickering colleagues, she felt so embarrassed as she became.


    Atst, she couldn¡¯t help but take out her phone and call Irene. She would like to see how much longer


    Lucia could go on like that!

 Chapter 113

    Chapter 113


    Since Lucia embarrassed Lisa in front of her colleagues in the desk area of the department, the way


    they looked at Lucia had a subtle change.


    "You know what, Lucia, since you told Lisa to shut upst time, no one in the department dares to


    gossip about you these days." Lucia stirred the coffee in her cup with a spoon and said absent-


    mindedly, "Really?"


    "Yes!"


    Emma nodded vigorously.


    "Now I know that our colleagues all bully the weak and fear the tough.


    If they dare to gossip about you again, just teach them a lesson!" Hearing that, Lucia couldn¡¯t help but


    curve her lips. The reason why she did that to Lisast time was that she couldn¡¯t get rid of the anger in


    her heart.


    It happened that Lisa deliberately made fun of her, so she blurted it out. Thinking about it now, she


    found it really cool. Emma took a sip of her juice and sighed, "It¡¯s the end of the month again.


    We have so many papers to summarize.


    It¡¯s really annoying." Lucia looked up at the overcast sky outside the window.


    For some reason, her mood darkened as well. She was not afraid of the end of the month, but of the


    endless wait. She had promised August that she would help him take down Ted, but now she didn¡¯t


    even know when he was going to make his move or what his n was. "Buzz." The phone in her


    pocket suddenly vibrated.


    Lucia took it out and saw that it was Mrs.Mitchell calling.


    She gestured to Emma, who was next to her, before getting up and walking to the window, where she


    answered the call.


    "Hello, Mom?" ans Mrs.Mitchell¡¯s panicked voice came from the other end.


    "Lucia! Where are you? Come to the hospital. Your dad is sick!" "What?" Lucia¡¯s head buzzed and she


    hurriedly asked, "What happened? What hospital is he in?"


    T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Mrs.Mitchell said anxiously, "He was giving a lecture this morning when he suddenly had a heart attack


    and copsed in the ssroom.


    Come over now! He is in the Second Central Hospital." "I¡¯m..


    I¡¯m on my way!" In an instant, her heart was in her throat.


    She hung up the phone almost trembling and tears instantly came out of her eyes. Looking at Emma


    who was puzzled, Lucia said in a quivering voice, "My dad was sick.


    Emma, please ask for leave for me." Emma was also stunned.


    "Okay, I will...Just go!" Regardless of anything else, Lucia ran towards the elevator in panic.


    Mr.Mitchell had was under control, but unexpectedly, the thing she feared most happened! The elevator


    reached the first floor.


    She rushed out as soon as the door opened. August just came back to thepany after having lunch


    with the client he had met in the morning.


    At the entrance, he saw Lucia rushing over in a great hurry from a distance. Her eyes were red.


    She was so panicked that she didn¡¯t stop even if she bumped into someone.


    Seeing that, he turned to ask Burton, who was next to him, "What¡¯s wrong with her?" Burton looked


    puzzled.


    "I don¡¯t know." out his hand and grabbed her arm.


    "Lucia!" Lucia turned around and saw that it was August.


    With little hesitation, she tried to shake his hand off.


    "Let go of me!"


    August refused to let go of her arm.


    "What are you doing in such a hurry?" Lucia was almost crying in anxiety.


    Her voice was trembling.


    "My dad was sick.


    He¡¯s in the hospital now!" take you there!" Seeing August¡¯s car outside thepany, Lucia said, "The


    Second Central Hospital!"


    At this moment, she would take anyone¡¯s car as long as she could get to the hospital quickly! Rushing


    to the hospital, Lucia dashed to the operating room and saw Mrs.Mitchell pacing anxiously outside the


    door.


    "Mom!"


    "Lucia, you¡¯re finally here!"


    When she saw Lucia, Mrs.Mitchell rushed up to hug her daughter.


    Her eyes were red..


    Tears kepting out of her eyes when Lucia heard her mother¡¯s slightlyfort both Mrs.Mitchell


    and herself.


    August came up.


    He looked at Mrs.Mitchell and nodded at her.


    "Hello, Mrs.Mitchell." When she saw August, Mrs.Mitchell immediately raised her hand to wipe her


    tears, and she sounded a bit calmer.


    "Hello, August." With that, she raised her eyes to look at Lucia, trying to say something. Lucia knew


    what she meant and said softly, "I met him at the entrance of thepany.


    He just took me to the hospital." There was no more than that Mre Mitchell sighed, held Lucia¡¯s hand


    tightly, and said nothing more atst After another half hout the red light outside the operating room


    finally went off When the door opened, the doctor came out Lucia went over with Mrs.Mitchell and


    asked, "How is myther doing Doctor? "He is out of the kife threatening condition, but he still needs to


    be "Okay?" Hearing that Mr Mitchell was okay.


    Lucia breathed a long sigh of relief Lucia and Mrs Mitchell couldn¡¯t see him until the nurse wheeled him


    into the ward Mr Mitchell was lying on the bed with a bloodless face He smiled weakly at them Tm fine


    Don¡¯t worry Looking at her father like this, Lucia was heartbroken and her tears kept falling Usually,


    when Mr Mitchell was fine, she didnt feel anything but now seeing him lying there, pale and fragile, she


    really felt scared Lucia didn¡¯t want to cry in front of her father, but than she ran into a broad chest She


    looked up with her tearful eyes and met the man¡¯s pocket, took out a handkerchief and handed it to her


    "Wipe it Lucia hesitated for a moment before she reached out to take it When she looked down, she


    saw that he was holding lots of things in his hand a thermos, a basie, a lunch box and all sorts of other


    things She paused "You shopping August looked at her and said lightly, "Wipe your face mi go see Me


    Mitchell With that he opened the door of the ward and walked in Lucia wiped the tears from her face


    with the handkerchief and tumed around to go back into the word as well Right after she walked into


    the ward she saw Mi Mitchell, who was on the bed to August Lucia looked at August and then at her


    father on the bed She said somewhat uneasily Dad Mi Mitchell was determined and said again you get


    ut now Heaning that Lucia and Mrs Mitchell looked at each other and walked out of the room together


    With the door of the room closed, she telt increasingly weasy my her heart Her tather was left with


    August alone What did he want to talk to August about?

 Chapter 114

    Chapter 114


    In the ward, the two men looked at each other.


    It was terribly quiet at the moment.


    Finally, August opened his mouth to break the strange atmosphere.


    "What can I do for you, Mr.Mitchell?"


    Mr.Mitchell gazed at him and sighed as his pale lips moved.


    "As best doctor for you..."


    Before August could finish his words, Mr.Mitchell slowly raised his hand, gesturing for August to stop


    talking don¡¯t need to do that.


    Now the only one I¡¯m worried about is Lucia." With that, he raised his eyes and looked at August with


    mixed feelings. He had married his beloved daughter to August, who was one of his best students, and


    thought that they would get along well, but unexpectedly... A hint of guilt flickered in August¡¯s eye.


    He raised his eyes to look at Mr.Mitchell, took a deep breath and said, "I¡¯m sorry, Mr.Mitchell, but I


    didn¡¯t do what I promised you." Mr.Mitchell shook his head.


    "All couples don¡¯t remain together till the end of their lives.However, I still hope that you can take care


    of Lucia for me.It would be best if you two can get back together.If not, I won¡¯t force you, but I hope you


    can at least help her once in a while as a friend." and that August obviously had the ability to protect


    her. his face changed slightly when August heard that.


    He quickly said, "Don¡¯t worry, Mr.Mitchell.I know what to do."


    He had already owed a lot to Lucia.


    N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    Moreover, he was her ex-husband.


    This request from Mr.Mitchell was not too much.


    Mr.Mitchell¡¯s eyes glinted.


    "You¡¯ll...take care of her for me?"


    August curved his lips and reassured him, "Yes, I will.Get well soon, Mr.Mitchell.Don¡¯t worry."


    Hearing his promise, Mr.Mitchell was secretly relieved.He nodded his head repeatedly with tears in his


    eyes.


    "I knew I was right in believing you." He could only rest assured when he left Lucia with August


    Meanwhile, Lucia was pacing


    "Can¡¯t you keep calm, Lucia?"


    Lucia frowned, feeling uneasy.


    "Do you think Dad would say something he shouldn¡¯t say to August, Mom?"


    Mrs.Mitchell immediately asked, "So what if he would? Anyway, you¡¯re divorced now.What else do you


    have to worry about?"


    Heaning that, Lucia froze Mrs Mitchell was right.She and August were divorced now, so she had


    nothing else to worry about still love him? Those words made Lucia¡¯s cheeks burn and she felt a bit


    sheepish in her heart. After a few seconds, she raised her voice deliberately and said, "Of course


    not.How can I love him? I¡¯m divorced from him!"


    No sooner had she finished her words than the door of the ward suddenly opened with a click, and


    Lucia froze After a moment, she immediately turned around and met August¡¯s deep, dark eyes


    He frowned slightly and his face darkened visibly Apparently, he had heard what she said just now! At


    that moment Lucia wanted to find a hole to hide in¡¯ It was so embarrassing!


    August¡¯s eyes lingered on her briefly before his face turned back to normal He gently closed the door of


    the ward behind him and looked at Mrs Mitchell.


    "Mr Mitchell has just fallen asleep, Mrs Mitchell If there is nothing else, I will leave now Mrs.Mitchell


    nodded and looked at Lucia, saying.


    "You can leave as well.You have to work in the afternoon, and I¡¯ll stay here alone with your father¡¯ up


    the idea and say, "Well then, I¡¯lle back to visit Dad some other time, Mom Mrs.Mitchell waved her


    hand.


    Just go ahead Lucia followed August.


    The two of them entered the elevator, one after the other, without speaking to each other with their


    children, instantly filling up the whole elevator Lucia was squeezed into a corner.


    Next to her was a middle aged man with a big belly.


    His beer belly came right up against her side, touching her hand, and the man grinned at her with his


    teeth bared Lucia felt ufortable and shrunk as far as possible to the corner, but the middle-aged


    man followed and moved closer to her She frowned, not expecting to get groped in the hospital


    elevator Just when she didn¡¯t know what to do. a hand suddenly reached out next to her and gently


    held her shoulder Following that, August pushed his way through the people around and got right in


    front of her With her back to the corner Lucia was blocked by August in front of her Seeing that, the


    middle aged man touched his nose in embarrassment and stopped trying to move close Face to face,


    Lucia and August were so close to each other that she could not only smell the faint scent of fragrance


    but also feel his body heat through the thin fabric of his clothes onto her forehead, where she felt itchy,


    tingly and hot. It was the first time that she had been so close to August face to face. Before Lucia


    knew it, there was a slight flush on her cheeks and her breath was hot. said quickly, "I didn¡¯t say


    anything!"


    She hadn¡¯t expected at the time that he would happen to hear what she said.


    She felt like she had done something wrong and been caught directly by the person affected.


    Seeing her reaction, August raised his eyebrows.


    "Really?"


    He had heard it clearly and kept it in mind.


    The man drawled as he said the word, with some lingering charm.


    Lucia¡¯s heart skipped a beat and started pounding involuntarily.


    Finally, the elevator reached the first floor.


    At the sound of a "ding", Lucia breathed a long sigh of relief.


    Out of the elevator, Lucia followed August diagonally, not too far away from or close to him, and kept


    half a step slower.


    She was still wondering until they got to the entrance of the hospital if she should forward and suddenly


    noticed that the woman was not following him.


    He stopped in his tracks and turned to look at her.


    Lucia took a deep breath.


    She stepped forward, met his gaze and gathered her courage to say, "You can leave without me if you


    have something else to do.


    I¡¯ll go back to thepany by taxi."


    August said in a cold voice, "I¡¯m going back to thepany." Hearing that, Lucia was still hesitant. take


    my car?"


    Lucia froze.


    The look on her face changed quickly.


    "Of course...I do!"

 Chapter 115

    Chapter 115


    In the car, Lucia fastened her seat belt.


    Next to her, August pushed down the handbrake to start the car.


    Watching that, she couldn¡¯t help but ask, "What did my father tell you in the ward just now?"


    It would be a lie to say that she was not curious.


    She had been holding this question until she asked it now. August steered the car without stopping.


    He didn¡¯t even turn around as he asked lightly, "You want to know?"


    After hesitating for a few seconds, Lucia nodded, "Yes."


    The car started to run slowly down the road.


    August didn¡¯t say anything for quite a while as if he was deliberately whetting Lucia¡¯s appetite. "He told


    me to keep an eye on you." She was confused.


    "What?" How? August turned to look at her without blinking.


    "You can¡¯t mess around with any other man or jump ship at will.


    He told me to protect you." Obviously, Lucia refused to believe it.


    "That¡¯s impossible!"


    What kind of request was that? Why did it sound like a request from August himself? can go and ask


    your father." Hearing that, Lucia was instantly discouraged.


    Actually, she didn¡¯t dare to ask Mr.telling the truth, it would be quite embarrassing. Lucia clenched the


    corner of her clothes.


    It took her quite a while to calm down.


    She turned to August and said in a consultative tone, "Actually, you don¡¯t need to take so much trouble.


    Just leave me alone, and I won¡¯t give you any trouble."


    August didn¡¯t even think about it before he said, "No way.


    I have to do what Mr.Mitchell told me to do."


    He sounded resolute, without any room for negotiation.


    Lucia grimaced at his words.


    She had decided to get rid of August for freedom, but now she thought that he would have an even


    better reason to control her.


    Gritting her teeth, Lucia was so angry that she was unable to say anything for quite a while. was so


    When the car was about to cross one more intersection and reach the entrance of thepany, Lucia


    suddenly called for a stop.


    "Stop.I¡¯ll get out here."


    She didn¡¯t want to get out of his car at the entrance of thepany.


    If any of her colleagues saw it, it would be hard for her to exin. August frowned at her words, but he


    still pulled over to the curb. Thank you for driving me to the hospital today." With that, Lucia turned to


    push the door open and get out of the car. August stopped her.


    "Wait a minute."


    "What is it?"


    "It¡¯s the 70th birthday of Old Mr.Greeves in Austos City on Sunday.The Greeves family and the Lion


    Group have had a lot of cooperation, so they gave ourpany some invitations to his birthday party |


    saved one for you, so you can go and have a look."


    Hearing that, Lucia hesitated as she was a little puzzled. As if he had expected that she would feel


    puzzled, August lowered his voice and said word by word, "Ted Lucia immediately understood what he


    meant when she heard his words.


    The look in her eyes became serious and she nodded hastily, "Okay, I¡¯ll go." Last time, August had


    made it clear to her that the first step to take down Ted was to get him and his Although she didn¡¯t know


    what the next step he mentioned was, she knew that only by taking action would it be possible to meet


    her expectations. Lucia got out of the car, closed the door behind her, and stepped towards the


    sidewalk nearby. The car slowly moved away from the curb.


    Not far away, a man hid behind a tree, checking the pictures he had just taken of Lucia getting out of


    the car. his head, and left quickly unconsciously as she looked at the pictures on the phone in her


    hands. If she hadn¡¯t seen the pictures with her own eyes, she wouldn¡¯t have believed that August really


    had another woman with him! but August exined to her back then. had it investigated.


    It was a woman named Lucia, who worked at the Lion Group.


    Therefore, she sent someone to follow Lucia for a few days, and to her surprise, the woman actually


    had an unusual rtionship with August! Jeanne clenched her phone so tight that her knuckles turned


    slightly white.


    Beads of blood emerged from her lower lip when she bit it hard before she knew it She had thought


    that after the kidney recement surgery, she would be able to live happily with August, NOS only to


    find that a woman had hooked up with August while she was sick.


    Could she put up with this? No.She had to do something! She wouldn¡¯t allow August to be taken away,


    not even if there were a hundred or a thousand Lucia¡¯s, let alone one! Back in thepany, Lucia


    started to work on her task at hand.


    After hurriedly taking some documents to the Archives, she was suddenly stopped by Emma on her


    way back "Emma, what are you doing here?"


    "I¡¯m going to the Finance Department with a form.With that, Emma reached out, pulled Lucia to the


    side and said in a lowered voice, "I have something to tell you, Lucia." Seeing her serious face, Lucia


    became serious too.


    "What is it?" "I saw that Irene came to our department today.She came over to Lisa and they whispered


    for quite a while, mysteriously.When I went to fetch water and passed by them, I vaguely heard them


    talking about your name, but I didn¡¯t hear the details." Lucia hesitated upon hearing that. that she and


    Lisa will do something to you together Lucia paused when she heard that.


    Finally, she raised her eyes to Emma and curved her lips.


    "I see, Emma.Thank you for telling me." Emma smiled at her and said softly, "You are wee.I just


    can¡¯t stand to see them bully you."


    This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "Well, just go and deliver your form.I¡¯ll take care of that." Lucia¡¯s heart sank as she watched Emma


    leave. Irene had always been targeting her, which she knew very well, and Lisa also had a problem


    with her.


    If the two of them teamed up against her, she might not have the ability to fight back. Besides, Irene


    was the one who secretly took pictures of her and Ted and sent them to Mrs.Stebbingst But now, she


    had no evidence and couldn¡¯t do anything about it, so she had to be as wary as possible She took a


    deep breath and stepped away. two days in a row.


    a Ding Lucia¡¯s phone suddenly rang while she was at work.


    She raised her eyes to nce at it and paused when she saw the special initials on it. For fear of being


    seen by others when August contacted her, she had purposely marked his number with initials In the


    past two days, she and August hadn¡¯t seen each other much.


    Now that he sent her a message of his own ord, was he going to make a move?

 Chapter 116

    Chapter 116


    Without thinking much, she immediately picked up her phone to read the message.


    "I¡¯ll meet you for something in the underground garage at 6 p.m.today."


    It was a simple might mean something about the birthday of Old Mr.Greeves or that he already had a


    Putting down her phone, Lucia suddenly felt much more relieved.


    If they started making a move, it wouldn¡¯t take long to clear her name and set her free. After a break at


    noon, it was time to get back to work in the afternoon.


    Lucia was a "Really? Do you have a picture? Please share it!" away.


    Soon, a picture was really posted.


    Although it was blurred, she could still tell that the man and the woman in the picture were a perfect


    match. Lucia looked at the two in the picture.


    For some reason, she had a lump in her throat, feeling a bit upset. Lucia dropped the phone in her


    hand, picked up her ss and went to the pantry area for water.


    It happened that two female colleagues were standing there, having tea and chatting.


    After greeting them briefly, Lucia started to boil water and make tea by herself.


    "Why, it¡¯s the first time that we have seen Mr.Adams with a woman around him!"


    "I know.I heard that Miss Kelly is still in his office.It seems that they are quite close."


    As their voices came into her ears, Lucia gritted her teeth and felt inexplicably upset. "Come here,


    Lucia." Before she reached the door of her office, Lucia was stopped by Carter.


    "Okay." Lucia put down her ss and followed Carter into the Supervisor¡¯s Office.


    "What is it, Carter?" Carter raised her hand and handed over a document.


    "Take this document to the President¡¯s Office and have Mr.Adams sign it." Lucia paused as she


    reached out her hand.


    A trace of reluctance crossed her face. it back to me after he signs it" Lucia took a deep breath.


    "Okay."Lucia turned around and came out of the Supervisor¡¯s Office.She felt that what she was holding


    was like a hot potato, but she couldn¡¯t throw it away, so she was in a dilemma If she went to August


    with the However, Carter On wanted the signed document as soon as possible.


    She looked around, trying to get someone to do it for her and find that in the department, the only one


    who could do it for her was Lisa.


    However, Lisa was so close to Irene now.


    She was sure that Lisa wouldn¡¯t help her. Lucia thought about it over and again, but she couldn¡¯t find a


    good solution, so she took a deep breath and went to the President¡¯s Office with the document.


    At this point, she had no choice but to go ahead. Outside the President¡¯s Office, Lucia saw Irene


    standing at the door with Mary from a distance.


    The two of them were talking about something in a low voice, Irene was smiling, but when she looked


    up and saw Lucia, the smile froze on her face.


    ncing at the document in Lucia¡¯s hand, she said nothing and proudly turned her head away, not TA


    stopping Lucia Taking a deep breath, Lucia bit her lip, stepped forward and raised her hand to knock on


    the door.


    "Come in." Hearing the voice inside, Lucia gathered all her courage to open the door and get in. As


    soon as the door was opened, she saw August sitting at his desk and Jeanne sitting quietly next to him


    in a small chair. She took a deep breath, walked up and handed over the document, saying with her


    eyes downcast, "Mr. Adams, this document needs your signature."


    August nced at her indifferently.


    Without any extra sign of emotion on his face, he reached out to take the document and began to flip


    through it, while Jeanne next to him was much more interested in Lucia Now Jeanne looked far better


    than she had in the hospital.


    With pink cheeks and lips, she was wearing a long beige dress and had an outstanding temperament,


    Sweet and easy-going as she looked, her nted eyes showed that she was somewhat proud, not


    overbearing, but full of confidence Pretty, educated and wealthy She lowered her eyes slightly, hoping


    that August could sign the document as soon as possible so that she could leave quickly. Jeanne sized


    Lucia up.


    Finally, her eyes came to rest on Lucia¡¯s badge.


    When she saw the name on it, the look in her eyes turned sullen instantly and her face twisted slightly


    It was her! Jeanne bit her lip Her face gradually returned to normal, the corners of her lips turned


    upward in a faint smile, and her voice was clear when she called Lucia by name "Lucia" At the sound of


    Jeanne¡¯s voice, Lucia¡¯s back suddenly tensed.


    When Lucia looked up, Jeanne was already smiling and looking at August next to her "So it was her,


    August?" August was flipping through the document.


    Hearing that he paused and turned to Jeanne.


    "What?"


    Lucia was extremely nervous.


    Did what Jeanne said mean that August had talked about her with Jeanne? Or did Jeanne know about


    her rtionship with August? How could that be? Jeanne smiled innocently and winked at August,


    saying.


    "Last time, I heard her voice over the phone and misunderstood your rtionship." Only when Lucia


    heard that did she breathe a sigh of relief.


    It turned out that Jeanne was talking about what had happened back then.


    Something flickered in August¡¯s eyes, but finally, he replied lightly, "Yeah, it was her."


    Jeanne smiled, turned to Lucia and said softly, "I¡¯m sorry for what happenedst time.August has


    already exined it to me.I shouldn¡¯t have misunderstood your rtionship." Lucia was confused.


    Not knowing what was going on, she had to respond and nodded at Jeanne.


    Just as she was lost in thought, August handed over the document.


    "It¡¯s done."Lucia snapped out of it.She hastily took the document and turned around to walk out Within


    a couple of steps, she heard Jeanne¡¯s voiceing from behind her. I¡¯ll stay with you in the office this


    afternoon, August.I won¡¯t cause any trouble."


    "No, you¡¯re still recovering.Get some rest."


    "No, I just want to stay with you!" Out of the office, Lucia closed the door behind her and she couldn¡¯t


    hear the voices inside anymore.


    She took a deep breath.


    Her mind was in turmoil.


    She had always felt that August was a god-like figure beyond the reach of ordinary people, and never


    He was gentle, patient, and considerate...


    N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    only to Jeanne alone. Back then, when she was with him at the vi of the Adams family, he was nice


    to her, but there was nothing but cold attention and polite inquiries. Her lips curled in a bitter smile.


    Lucia held the document tightly and quickened her pace to leave The way August and Jeanne were


    together just now lingered in her mind.


    They were a sat together without talking or looking at each other. They were in true love with each


    other, and she was a chanceer at best when she showed up in August¡¯s life a chanceer at


    best when she showed up in August¡¯s life

 Chapter 117

    Chapter 117


    Chapter 117 Inside the President¡¯s Office. Jeanne aggrievedly took August¡¯s hand, her eyes red,


    "August, I really don¡¯t want to leave you..."


    August patiently persuaded, "Listen, Jeanne, go back to the hospital and you need more rest now."


    Jeanne looked at August and her nose twitched as she reached out to wrap her arms around his waist,


    "You muste to see me tomorrow." heard it¡¯s Greeves birthday this Sunday.


    Can you take me with you?" "No,"


    August¡¯s face went somber, "Who told you that?" Recently he deliberately instructed those who took


    care of Jeanne to keep their mouths shut and just take good care of her, but she still knew about it. "My


    dad told me..."


    On hearing this, August frowned slightly, and a few cold lights appeared under on the surface, he was


    struggling secretly in his heart.


    After a few seconds, he said in a deep voice, "No, Jeanne, you go back and get some rest." Seeing his


    attitude go cold, Jeanne was filled with regret.


    She shouldn¡¯t have mentioned her dad in front of him! Biting her lips, Jeanne knew it was time to leave


    and finally let go After sending Jeanne out of the office and watching her leave led by the maid, August


    sighed in raised his hand and pressed thendline number, calling Burton. "Mr.Adams, what can I do


    for you?" August dropped his eyes, casually ying with a pen, and asked softly, "Martin has been to


    the hospital in thest few days?" Burton truthfully reported, "He¡¯s been to the hospital twice in thest


    two days but before the surgery, he hadn¡¯t been there, and only Mrs.Kelly went asionally." Snap!


    August pressed the pen under his hand at once, knitting his dashing brows. Martin, like a cunning old


    fox, never did anything useless.


    When Jeanne was seriously ill and the Kelly family could not find the right kidney, Martin even gave up


    treating his daughter.


    Now after he had helped Jeanne contact a doctor, find the right kidney, and do the surgery


    sessfully, he showed up How could he not be clear about his intentions? August said coolly,


    "Transfer Jeanne to another hospital in a few days." Hearing that, Burton said, "Okay August took a


    deep breath and made up his mind that he would never let Jeanne be Martin¡¯s puppet, and that


    he would settle the score with Martinter Throughout the afternoon, Lucia was distracted, and her


    mind always came back to the scene of August and Jeanne together. Soon it was time to leave work.


    Lucia looked at her watch and saw that she still had half an hour before her appointment with August


    August should not be able to go to the appointment today? He must be with Jeanne at this time Lucia¡¯s


    heart was blocked and she took a deep breath.


    Seeing that the time was getting closer to the appointment, she gritted her teeth, grabbed her bag, and


    walked away. If she knew that Jeanne and he were together at this time and still deliberately went to


    the appointment, she would be too insensitive And as soon as she saw Jeanne¡¯s bright and clear eyes,


    she couldn¡¯t help but feel guilty in her heart.


    After all, ording to the time, she was the third party S On the way home, she sat on the subway


    seat, checking her phone now and then It was past six o¡¯clock, but she hadn¡¯t received a single text


    message or call from August.


    It seemed that he was really busy, so it was right that she didn¡¯t go looking for him. When she returned


    home in a daze, Lucia had little appetite, so she made some porridge and drank it hastily.


    She picked up the bowl, went to the kitchen sink, and washed while rxing Although it was true that


    she was free after moving out of home, she was really lonely living alone.


    At this time, she missed Mrs.Mitchell¡¯s nagging When Lucia turned her head and nced at the clock


    on the wall, she found that it was already after seven o¡¯clock.


    At this time, August shall be having dinner with Jeanne. As the image emerged in her mind, Lucia


    gritted her teeth, and a trace of bitterness followed in her heart Why was she so sensitive about August


    and Jeanne being together? She couldn¡¯t even help but think of them again and again. Lucia couldn¡¯t


    understand, and when she was lost in thought, the small bowl slipped from her hands and fell directly


    into the sink.


    The sharp sound of "pop"


    instantly pulled her back from her world. Looking at the pieces in the sink, Lucia frowned and wanted to


    cry, because this was the cherry bowl she got from the store, and she didn¡¯t expect it to break like this!


    Sure enough, she was so unlucky! With a feeling of grievance emerging in her heart, Lucias nose


    turned sour and tears really welled up.


    She *Dingdong Lucia, in tears silently, froze in shock when she suddenly heard the sound She couldn¡¯t


    have heard it wrong? How could someone ring the doorbell at this hour? "Dingdong...


    After the doorbell rang again, Lucia came to her senses.


    She hurriedly washed her hands, wiped her tears and walked quickly towards the door With the corners


    of her eyes slightly moist, her open the door.


    As soon as the door was pulled open, Lucia froze when she got a good look at the person standing


    outside the door. August...


    What was he doing here? Lucia gritted her teeth, a hint of stubbornness emerging from her slightly red


    eyes.


    She pretended to be calm and asked back, "What are you doing here?"


    "You tell me."


    August frowned and his gaze was clear and cold as he looked at her.


    He had been waiting for her in the underground garage for almost an hour, but she didn¡¯te! Lucia


    averted her gaze, blocking the doorway and not letting him in.


    Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    Watching the corners of her eyes reflecting slightly and her nose a little red, August finally noticed


    something strange.


    With a hint of fluctuation under his eyes, he asked, "Why are you crying?"


    Lucia subconsciously denied, "I¡¯m not crying."


    She didn¡¯t expect to be discovered by him.


    Without waiting for her to react, she was suddenly held by the wrist and pulled into the house "You..."


    Lucia didn¡¯t finish her sentence before the door was mmed shut behind August She gasped, "You¡¯re


    trespassing!"


    Without saying a word, August stepped forward and directly approached her and asked, "Say, why are


    you crying?"


    Looking at her with red eyes, he was distracted.


    "I "


    Lucia subconsciously swept a nce in the direction of the kitchen, and no longer speak. in the sink,


    then he understood instantly. an eyebrow, asking with some amusement, "Aren¡¯t you crying for this?"


    He remembered Lucia was not so weak.

 Chapter 118

    Chapter 118


    Chapter 118 When she heard what he asked, Lucia¡¯s cheeks heated up and she denied it, I¡¯m not


    crying* August curled his lips in response, then he unbuttoned his suit with one hand, took off his


    jacket, and casually threw it into Lucia¡¯s arms, "Take it and I¡¯ll clean these up."


    Lucia froze.


    "You...


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    clean up?" As the president of Lion Group, he was willing to clean up these? But without saying a word,


    August pulled the sleeves of his shirt up, carefully picked up the pieces, and threw them into the trash


    Looking at the man¡¯s serious expression and sharp movements, Lucia suddenly felt a burst of warmth.


    Amazingly, he could do such a thing.


    Even when handling trash, he made every movement pleasing to the eye.


    The sleeves of his shirt were pulled up at his elbows, just pieces and turned on the faucet to wash his


    hands.


    As soon as he turned his head, he noticed Lucia¡¯s burning gaze, so he slightly curled his lips and asked


    in return, "Haven¡¯t you seen enough?" August¡¯s voice was full of energy, making Lucia hurriedly avert


    her gaze, and then a blush appeared on her cheeks. August wiped his hands and followed her out of


    the room, catching up with her in some steps.


    "Lucia, why didn¡¯t youe to the appointment today?" COI She promised him, but she changed her


    mind on the spur of the moment. Being asked by him, Lucia felt some guilty, but when she thought of


    Jeanne, she was no longer shaken.


    She gritted her teeth and spoke in a deep voice, "I am very sensible.


    I thought you wouldn¡¯t have time, so I didn¡¯t go there."


    August raised an eyebrow and said softly, "Sensible?"


    He was really quite curious about what she meant.


    Lucia shifted her eyes and deliberately did not meet his eyes.


    Then, she shoved the jacket directly into August¡¯s hand and hurriedly spoke, "Hurry up and go.


    You have a girlfriend.


    If others see you in my house, there will be a misunderstanding."


    Hearing that, August raised an eyebrow and a smile emerged from the corner of his lips. It seemed that


    she was jealous. He came to see her because he had something to say, but he didn¡¯t expect to be


    driven away by her just after arriving at her ce. Seemingly stunned by August¡¯s righteous tone, Lucia


    looked up at him, "You have to go! You already have Jeanne, and what would she think if she knew


    about it?"


    When she saw that he was still standing in the same ce, without any intention to leave, Lucia


    became a little anxious.


    Before, she married him because she didn¡¯t know Jeanne¡¯s existence.


    Now that she knew, she couldn¡¯t once again be the third party to ruin others¡¯ rtionships. "Get


    out of here! August, I¡¯m not kidding with you and I don¡¯t want others to misunderstand our rtionship!"


    August suddenly stretched out his hand and clutched her wrist, pulling her towards himself without any


    effort.


    With the two suddenly close to each other, August leaned Lucia gritted her teeth.


    With looking at the handsome face in front of her, her tears suddenly welling up. She didn¡¯t want to be


    scolded by others behind her back, nor did she want to hurt Jeanne and August¡¯s feelings because of


    herself. "You get out." Seeing that the woman was a little angry, August¡¯s frowned more and his grip on


    her hand tightened involuntarily, "You wan me to go that badly?"


    Lucia gritted her teeth and forced the words out from between them, "Yes, you go!" She fought to free


    herself from August¡¯s hand, and with one force, her hand cut across August¡¯s small arm at once. a long


    red mark on his small arm. She froze for a moment before remembering something and hurriedly


    looked down at her wrist.


    Seeing the bracelet on her hand, only then did she react. This bracelet of hers has a riveted pendant


    with the sharp end facing outward.


    Just now, when she exerted herself, she identally scratched him. She looked up in a panic and saw


    the not-so-shallow bloodstain on August¡¯s arm.


    And there was already blood seeping out from the wound, which was hurt to look at. Lucia was a little


    flustered, "I didn¡¯t mean to..." She just simply wanted him to leave and did not want to hurt him.


    She walked up and looked at the wound that was still leaking blood outward, very worried, "Don¡¯t


    move.


    I¡¯ll go get the medicinal liquid to clean your wound!" After saying that, she immediately turned around to


    find the medical kit.


    When she moved, she brought a small medical kit from home, including the usual cold medicine, anti-


    inmmatory medicine medicinal liquid, and gauze.


    But she forgot where she had put it. Lucia pulled open one drawer after another in some panic, and just


    as she was about to give up, she finally found the medica kit in the bottom drawer. She hurriedly took


    the medical kit out and trotted over to the couch, asking August to sit down to treat his wound. She took


    out the medicinal liquid.


    When he looked at a long bloodstain that kept bleeding, her hands couldn¡¯t help but tremble a little.


    Seeing that she seemed more nervous than he was, August smiled crookedly and asked softly, "Or I¡¯ll


    do it myself." Lucia hurriedly said, "You...


    don¡¯t move and don¡¯t talk." for him. When the medicinal liquid touched the wound, there will be stinging


    pain.


    August frowned slightly but did not say anything. Such a small injury was nothing to him. me blow on it


    for you..." A cool sensation came, which did ease the pain.


    Looking up at the woman with gentle movements and a serious expression, August was attracted to


    her.


    She didn¡¯t even know how charming and fascinating she looked to him now. Without noticing August¡¯s


    change, Lucia took the gauze and whispered, "Don¡¯t move and I¡¯m going to wrap your wound."


    August no longer had the mind to pay attention to others, and in front of him, the small woman¡¯s every


    move seemed to carry an invisible attraction that he could not resist.


    When he thought of that day in front of the hospital, she said with certainty that she did not have him in


    her heart, August was inexplicably angry.


    He didn¡¯t believe she didn¡¯t have him in her heart! When Lucia his head and his lips with warmth fell


    directly to the corner of her lips.

 Chapter 119

    Chapter 119


    Chapter 119 In an instant, Lucia¡¯s eyes widened and she froze. Two secondster, she reacted.


    As if she touched some mechanism, she bounced straight up "You...


    August, what do you want?"


    She was angry and jumped to her feet, but in the thinking of taking advantage of her! August raised an


    eyebrow slightly, an invisible smile emerging from his eyes, "What¡¯s wrong with me?"


    "You said...


    you said what¡¯s wrong with you!"


    Lucia stepped back, keeping her distance from him. He lifted his chin slightly, indicating the wound on


    his arm, "Isn¡¯t that what you scratched?"


    "Yes, and so what?" August spoke carelessly, "So you have topensate me."


    With that, he stepped forward and approached her. Lucia panicked and took a step backward, but her


    calf bumped into the couch and she fell in at once She was half sitting, half lying down.


    Before she could get up, August came over to her, leaned down, and put his hands on the couch,


    blocking her in. Lucia felt uneasy.


    Looking into August¡¯s eyes, she felt as if he wanted to eat her up.


    "What else do you want to do?"


    August slowly moved closer to her, his eyes dark and shining, "Guess."


    "No..." Before Lucia could finish her sentence, August kissed her on the lips.


    And then, he pressed down his mountainous body to pin her against the couch, making her unable to


    move. With some force, August easily pried her lips apart and deepened the kiss.


    "No..." Lucia froze and the words disappeared between her lips.


    Before she could react, she felt a strength around her waist, holding her tight.


    The two bodies were pressed tightly together, and Lucia only felt that she was clinging to a glowing


    iron, slowly being ignited by that fire in his body as well...


    As his breathing became heavier and heavier, August gradually stopped being satisfied with a kiss.


    Hisrge, hot hands brushed her waist, and with a gentle tug, he pushed her blouse up...


    Lucia¡¯s body was hot and her cheeks flushed.


    Feeling his erection somewhere, she squirmed ufortably.


    Then, August¡¯s eyes instantly darkened a bit, and his movements brought out a bit of anxiety hurriedly


    tried to push him outward. She couldn¡¯t make sex with him! August still had a girlfriend! August¡¯s eyes


    slightly darken, and with his big hands tightly around her waist, she couldn¡¯t push him away Lucia


    panicked, "We can¡¯t.¡¯ August said faintly, "It¡¯ste." Unable to push him, Lucia was so anxious that her


    eyes were red, and just then, a "ding-dong¡¯ doorbell ring instantly caused the two to pause in unison.


    August frowned slightly and looked at Lucia with a bit of probing. Who else woulde looking for her


    at this hour? Saying that, she walked quickly to the door, opened the peephole to see, and froze.


    Surprisingly, it was Paul! How could hee over to her at this hour? Seeming to hear the sound


    inside the house, Paul opened his mouth and asked, "Lucia, are you home?" Lucia was standing inside


    the door.


    Hearing his voice, she replied with some panic, "L...


    I¡¯m home" Saying that, she slowly opened the door, only showing a not too wide slit, "Is there hint of


    unnaturalness swept across Lucia¡¯s face and she whispered, "Just about to rest "Please forgive me for


    my presumption"


    Paul smiled crookedly, with gentle eyes, and said softly, "But I just came to give you something." SS


    Saying that, he took out a rectangr blue velvet box and slowly opened it, "l identally saw this


    ne which matches you very well when I was on this business trip from Japan, so I On the ck


    velvety a delicate and small ne, with a delicate six-mango star pendant that shone beautifully It


    was indeed the type she liked This is too expensive"


    Lucia politely refused, "I can¡¯t ept it Paul and she had not met a few times since they met, so she


    thought she couldn¡¯t ept this ne Paul for Pa too What¡¯s more, you are her best friend and


    you deserve one" Lucia hesitated for a moment.


    Looking at the box he handed over, she knew that if she refused any 6.-ther it would look like she was


    being a bit stingy, not to mention that he hade all the way here upp ucalty to deliver this, so she


    took it "Thank you, Paulo Lucia took the box and thanked him Paul smiled, with a soft tone, "We are all


    friends and you don¡¯t need to say thank you Well, it is not early, you have a rest" Lucia felt a warmth in


    her heart.


    After watching him turn around and leave, she slowly closed the door behind her The moment when


    she turned around, she felt cold all over her body Subconsciously looking up and meeting August¡¯s


    cold, glowing eyes, Lucia felt the air around her like that?"


    It was as if she had done something wrong to him.


    At her words, August didn¡¯t answer, but got up and walked towards her with steps A few buttons of


    August¡¯s more Only when August walked in front of her, Lucia snapped back to her senses, and


    suddenly, the box was taken away from her hands.


    After opening the box, and sweeping the ne, August scowled more.


    He casually tossed the box onto a side table and said coldly, "Ugly."


    Lucia froze, not expecting August to be like this.


    She didn¡¯t think much about it and subconsciously blurted out, "I think it¡¯s pretty." August wanted to turn


    around, and when he heard her words, he stopped and turned around.


    The man¡¯s eyes instantly turned cold, and his voice also carried some deep coldness, "You like it?"


    Even if she was stupid, she could see the man¡¯s displeasure, so she took a deep breath and said lightly


    "It¡¯s just...


    okay."


    It¡¯s just okay?"


    August stepped forward and approached her, staring at her from above, and asked, "Do you like him?"


    The "he"


    N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    he was referring to was none other than Paul.

 Chapter 120

    Chapter 120


    Chapter 120 Lucia was slightly stunned.


    In her impression, Paul was indeed a very good man in all aspects, gentle, considerate, and treating


    her well. this, she did not know how to answer. When he saw Lucia¡¯s brief hesitation, August¡¯s eyes


    darkened slightly and his face was also showed that she did have some feelings for Paul.


    Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    He felt annoyed, and without senses and said with some uneasiness, "...


    I haven¡¯t said anything yet!"


    Just as she finished her sentence, her eyes went ck and her vision was blocked tightly by the man¡¯s


    broad chest.


    So, she looked up in a hurry but saw August¡¯s eyes which were hard to understand, "So?" After the


    words were out of her mouth, she suddenly realized that with the current rtionship between August


    and her, she didn¡¯t need to exin to him At that, the lips that August pursed loosened, and the


    coldness under his eyes was less, but his face was With that, he turned around and walked to the


    couch to sit down. Lucia stood in ce, a little confused.


    When she came back to her senses and saw August¡¯s stance that he wasn¡¯t going to leave today? It¡¯s


    not early...


    "Ahem..."


    Lucia cleared her throat and swept a nce at the clock, "I¡¯m...


    going to rest." August responded with a faint, "Hmm." Other than that, he didn¡¯t say or do anything else.


    Seeing his reaction like this, Lucia gathered the courage to ask again, "Are you...


    not leaving?"


    Was he nning to sleep here? August swept a nce at the gauze wrapped around his hand, his


    eyes shining slightly and his expression remaining unchanged, "You haven¡¯tpensated me yet."


    Lucia didn¡¯t think about it that much and blurted out, "What do I owe you?"


    The words came out of her mouth before she suddenly remembered what had just happened, but it


    was toote to take them back. as August stood up and approached her with an unspoken sentiment in


    his gaze. Did she think she could renege on her debt? No way. After approaching, he raised an


    eyebrow at her, slightly curled his lips, and asked back, "What do you think you owe me?" Lucia gritted


    her teeth with her face turning red again.


    Then, she took a deep breath and clenched her two hands together At this time, even if she knew it in


    her heart, she couldn¡¯t say it and she could only pretend she didn¡¯t know anything! She reached out to


    push August, "...


    don¡¯t know.


    It¡¯s gettingte and you go..."


    She reached out with her two small white hands and touched August¡¯s chest, not expecting that


    August¡¯s pectoral muscles would feel like this, firm, hard, and as if every muscle with explosive power.


    Lucia froze, both of her hands pausing on August and her fingers still subconsciously pressing his


    chest. It felt like this... Before she could react, August¡¯s face had been somber. to let him Was she also


    so active with other men? His lips pursed up tightly, and a hidden dark fire grew under his eyes.


    He reached out and held Lucia¡¯s hand which she hadn¡¯t had time to withdraw. "Lucia, what do you want


    to do?" Hadn¡¯t she touched him enough? "..."


    Lucia widened her eyes, yet felt very guilty Without waiting for her to open her mouth to exin, August


    had leaned down and directly picked her up by the waist.


    "Hey! You..." She said in a panic, but by this time it was toote, and August took her in his arms and


    strode in the direction of the bedroom. "No..." August raised an eyebrow at her, "Why not? You don¡¯t


    want to be responsible for me again?"


    "Or are you not satisfied with my physical strength?"


    Dumbfounded, Lucia did not know how to answer and her face was particrly red.


    Soon, she felt her body was cool, and then pressed against August¡¯s iron-like body.


    She trembled, and had no more strength to push him away... Lucia was dreamless all night, and he


    slept a rare sweet sleep She woke up at sunrise.


    Luckily it was Saturday and she didn¡¯t need to go to thepany Lucia turned her head and nced at


    the light leaking through the cracks in the curtains and she knew that it was gettingte She slowly


    turned around and was still startled to see the other side of the quilt gathered up and the Seeing that


    the person next to her wasn¡¯t awake, Lucia immediately got up with the But when she turned her head,


    the man on the bed was already awake.


    With his hand casually propping up on his head, he stared at her brightly. The back of Lucia stiffened,


    and then she said with embarrassment and anger, "When...


    when did you wake up?" Just now when she was changing, she was wearing nothing! With his


    expression remaining unchanged, August spoke leisurely, "Just now when you were changing your


    clothes." When she heard that, Lucia¡¯s face turned pale and she wanted to find a hole to burrow in


    immediately! It¡¯s so embarrassing and awkward! revealing his wheaten upper body and two long legs,


    with his private part covered by the bed quilt.


    Looking at this picture, she was a little breathless with her blood rushing up. The August in front of her,


    like the beach men and women printed on ying cards in the 70s and 80s, had wheat-colored healthy


    skin and fine muscles, eye-catching.


    Noticing the woman¡¯s ardent gaze, August seemed to slightly curl his lips and asked in a great mood,


    "You didn¡¯t see enoughst night?" Hearing that, Lucia immediately reacted and hurriedly averted her


    gaze, her cheeks the bathroom, Lucia breathed a sigh of relief. When August came out, she grabbed a


    towel and lowered her head into the washroom to avoid meeting him After a long time of dawdling,


    Lucia thought it was time for August to leave, so she came out of the washroom When she saw that


    there was no one in the bedroom, Lucia was secretly relieved and slowly walked out But, when she


    was out of the bedroom, Lucia heard a sounding from the direction of the kitchen Then, she was a


    little nervous and immediately walked toward it.


    When she reached the door, she first smelted a fragrance, and then saw a familiar figure, busy in the


    kitchen August hadn¡¯t lett yet, and he was making breakfast!

 Chapter 121

    Chapter 121


    Chapter 121 It was enough to surprise her. Thest time August came over and made her a bowl al


    noodles, she was surprised.


    But she didn¡¯t expect that today he would cook breakfast for her. Seemingly hearing the movement


    behind him, August turned slightly and saw Lucia was simple, it looked very appetizing. The two of


    them were sitting face to face.


    Originally Lucia still felt a little awkward, but once she saw the breakfast, she forgot everything. There


    was nothing more important than having food to eat. After eating breakfast, Lucia was satisfied and


    took the initiative to clean up the dishes and bring them into the kitchen to start washing them. She had


    just turned the faucet on when there was a sound of footsteps behind her, and as she swept August


    over to her, she stopped He had eaten his breakfast.


    Why hadn¡¯t he left? August came to a stop beside her, and without waiting for her to ask, he spoke first,


    "I have something to tell you." Lucia was a little nervous, "What is it?" Seeing his sudden seriousness,


    she was a little ufortable. August said in a deep voice, "Yesterday, my men reported to me that


    they found out Irene had contacted some entertainment gossip media reporters in the past two days


    and also paid off a waiter at Hibiscus Garden." Lucia was unsure and asked softly, "What does she


    want to do? "Greeves¡¯ birthday party is being held at Hibiscus Garden, and she knows the list of


    company personnel attending the party."


    Meeting August¡¯s deep dark eyes, Lucia seemed to understand something, "Shees for me? "It¡¯s


    possible.


    The spot was nol given to her, but after she read the list, she went to her uncle privately to get a spot"


    August said unhurriedly, "And she also specifically inquired whether Ted and Lilian would go to this


    birthday party." At that, Lucia frowned and didn¡¯t say anything for a long time.


    Thinking about what knew what was going on.


    Last time, Irene sent the secret photos to Ted¡¯s wife Lin, which made her lose face in thepany,


    but now the incident ended, and the rumors in thepany slowly disappeared, Now, treno was


    nning something again, which was probably rted to her and Ted! With a surge of anger in her


    heart, Lucingnitted her for unconsciously clenched her fists, and asked "Why why wont let me go There


    was no insoluble hatred ac wren her and Irene, un tune and time again, she refused to let her go When


    lieard her words, August pursedin thin


    Afew momentster, he said softly.


    Do not think of people too kind and some people can do anything to ruin you Hearing this, Lucia leli a


    little cold in her heart Before Ho small clerk, she could justplete her work every day and everything


    was very simple But this time the was in a different position and also saw the darker side of this world


    After a moment, she looked up at August and asked soll.


    N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    What should I do then? Was she going to ignore Irene¡¯s trap? Or pay her back? August frowned slightly


    and said in a clear, cold voice.


    Hince she wants to make you infamous and lose face, then we might as well take advantage of the


    situation and just kill two birds with one stone* He hadn¡¯t thought about how to deal with Ted, but now


    Irene¡¯s little stunt had given him some ideas Lucia took a deep breath, "So how do we do about 11? 15


    there a way?" "Hmm"


    Augusilurned a little more serious.


    Looking unit Lucia, he seemed a little hesitant, and finally. he lifted his lips and said, "It might be a little


    risby for you With a lighi shing under Lucia¡¯s Cyes, she almost blustid out.


    "It¡¯s okay." She wasn¡¯t afraid toke risks as long as they could adheve their goal! Afier August lett,


    Lucia sat alone on the couch with the ns he had mentioned still in her mind The n was risky, but if


    WOS a good way to clear her lune, leach Irene a lesson, and maybe even get Ted and Lilian a divorce.


    The more Lucia thought about it, the more confused shi- became Thinking about the birthday party


    tomorrow night, she suddenly realized that she hadnt prepared a suitable dress Alter texting Pa and


    making an appointment to pick up the dress from her ce tomorrow.


    Lucia became rxed In the blik n eye, it was the next morning.


    Lucia had a casual breaktast, packed up her things, and headed straight to the Thomas family Pa


    hod just returned and did not have a few proper dresses in her snall bachelor pad, so Lucia had to yo


    to the Thoinas family to find her When she arved of the Thomas family¡¯s front door, the inold who had


    been waiting in advance greeled her, "Is that Ms.


    Mitchell? Luria nodded, ¡¯Yux, Paul?¡­ askedIne toe At that word, the Inald unmedialely opened the


    door and welconed her in.


    The Thomas ainily Wat one of thergest families in the business world in Austos City, but most was


    not very famous, themily waa rich and of great influence. !! ! maid, "Excuse me, where is Pa?"


    "Ms.


    Thomas is upstairs in the bedroom, and she says to have me take you up there when you arrive, so


    please follow me." Looking around, Lucia s??w Paul striding down the stairs When he saw her, a little


    smile appeared in his eyes "Lucia, are you here to see Pa?" Lucia smiled at him and nodded, "Yes,


    I¡¯m here to get her clothes." Lucia nodded her head.


    Thinking of thest time Paul specifically ran to give her a ne, she felt some warmth in her heart


    and softly thanked him, "I really liked the ne you gave mest time. Thank you." "Lucia, I¡¯ve been


    waiting for you for a long time.


    Why aren¡¯t youing up?" Pa, wearing a loose t-shirt, casually descended the stairs and hugged


    Lucia.


    Seeing Paul next to her, she raised an eyebrow slightly and joked, "What? See my brother and forget


    about me." Hearing the flirtatious tone in Pa¡¯s words, Lucia smiled crookedly and pulled her arm by


    the way. *Pa, you don¡¯t talk nonsense!" thought of several dresses for you that you¡¯ll absolutely


    love!" When she arrived at Pa¡¯s room, she was shocked to see the bed full of clothes, "Pa, what


    happened to your room? Was it ransacked? "No.


    I¡¯m just trying to find clothes for you!" of this one?" After just one look, Lucia felt a little unbearable.


    It was a red sequin halter dress, short and small, not like a birthday party outfit, but a disco outfit!

 Chapter 122

    Chapter 122


    Lucia didn¡¯t know whether to be angry orugh and couldn¡¯t help but ask, "Pa, are you sure you¡¯re


    not joking with me?" Pa winked at her mysteriously.


    "This is great and totally shows off your figure.Perfect!"


    Lucia stretched out her hand and pped the impish Pa, "Stop it.I¡¯m going to Greeves¡¯ birthday


    party.


    Are you sure you don¡¯t want me to make a fool of myself? At that, Paughed and trembled, "Do


    you know that Greeves is a very traditional old man? If you really dress like this, I¡¯m afraid he will die of


    anger!"


    "Then you find me such clothes! out a blue dress from the closet, smiling, "Just kidding.How about this


    one?"


    "This one shows too much of the back?" "What about this one?" "This style doesn¡¯t seem to fit me very


    well." The two of them had been picking out a dress for a long time, but they couldn¡¯t find a suitable


    one. Just then, there was a sudden knock at the door.


    Immediately after that, the door was pushed open and Paul walked in with a fruit te, "Lucia, Pa,


    take a break, and have some fruit." Pa answered, pulled Lucia to the table, forked up a piece of


    apple, and brought it to Lucia¡¯s mouth. After sweeping the bed full of clothes, Paul smiled and asked,


    "Have you picked out your dress yet?"


    Pa beamed and ate a piece of banana, "Not yet.


    Most of my dresses are too revealing for Lucia."


    Paul looked at Lucia and asked softly, "Why don¡¯t I help sense of trust.


    She nodded, "Yes."


    Paul walked around the front of the closet, looking back and forth, and finally, his eyes locked on a


    champagne-colored dress.


    He took it out to look at it, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.


    He turned to Lucia with the dress in his hand and asked softly.


    "Lucia, what do you think of this one?"


    Lucia color, very understated, with a light luster, and the exposed areas at the chest and back were not


    too excessive, in line with her requirements.


    She nodded gently.


    "This one is quite good."


    On hearing this, Pa, who was eating fruit at the side, frowned and pulled Lucia, saying Jealously.


    "Lucia, are you doing this on purpose? Why you don¡¯t like any of the ones I picked out, but you think it¡¯s


    okay with the one my brother casually took?"


    Lucia didn¡¯t know whether to be angry orugh.


    When she didn¡¯t know how to answer, Paul had alreadye over to Pa, raised his hand, and


    licked her head without ceremony, "Don¡¯t you even look at what kind of clothes you picked? It¡¯s strange


    if Lucia liked them.


    In my opinion, you¡¯re really a bad Influence! Pa aggrievedly covered her head, wrinkled her face in


    pain, andined to her brother, "Brother. how can you do that? Looking at the two of them joking


    and teasing.


    Lucia could not help butugh out loud at the side Paul turned his head towards her and smiled at her.


    " To out first.You can change your clothes and see how it goes" Lucia nodded in response, "Okay¡±


    "You are really doing PDA with my brother like nobody was there now!" Not knowing whether to be


    angry ofugh, Lucia reached out to tickle Pa¡¯s armpit, pretending to be angry, "You¡¯re talking


    nonsense again!" Pa giggled and hastily ducked aside, begging for me, "Okay! I wont say anything


    Lucia nced at her with a smile and took the dress in the bathroom to change As soon as she came


    out, the moment when Pa looked up and saw het, immediately shouted.


    Lucia, this dress is too suitable for youll can¡¯t even say it¡¯s my dress! You¡¯re beautiful I¡¯m not


    exaggerating.


    If you don¡¯t believe me, I¡¯ll call my brother and see! With that, Pa darted to the door and called Paul


    over Soon, Paul walked in, and the moment when he saw , his softened a lot dress set off her fair skin


    like snow, and the waist pinding design perfectly outlined her delicate figure, which was really stunning


    Seeing that Paul did not speak for a long time, Pa tapped him on the shoulder, "What¡¯s wrong.


    brother? Paul came back to his sense and curled his lips Lookirjat Lucia with his bright eyes, he said


    softly, "You¡¯re beautiful Hearing Paul¡¯spliment.


    Lucia smiled with a little embarrassment. She was silent without saying anything. Paul suddenly


    thought of something and said, "But if there is an essory, that would be perfect." "Yes, the neck is


    indeed a bit empty.


    Lucia, do you bring the ne that my brother gave youst time? I think it goes well with this dress."


    When Pa spoke of the ne, it suddenly urred to Lucia that she had casually put the box on


    the table into her bag before she left home today.She had actually and smiling at them.I¡¯d actually bring


    it."


    Pa hurriedly said, "Put it on and show us!"


    Lucia opened the box in her hand.


    Looking at the delicate ne inside, she suddenly thought of what August had said and stopped for


    a moment, hesitating Lucia came back to her senses, shook her head, and said, "Nothing."


    August had nothing to do with her now.


    Why did she have to listen to him on everything? Thinking so, she on didn¡¯t put it on on?"


    Lucia hesitated for a moment and nodded, "Okay."


    N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    Paul took the ne from her back, "There you go."


    Lucia nodded at him to thank him, and when she turned her head, she inadvertently saw that Pa


    was holding a cell phone to the two of them, looking like she was taking a picture.


    She was shocked and asked, "Pa, what are you doing? Pa put away her phone and smiled badly


    with a triumphant face, "I¡¯ll send the photos to old Mr. Thomaster and he¡¯ll be overjoyed!" Lucia didn¡¯t


    know whether to be angry orugh, but she couldn¡¯t say anything because Paul was around. Pa ran


    to Paul with a smile and showed him the photos she had taken would think they were a good match.

 Chapter 123

    Chapter 123


    Lucia leaned over.


    When she saw the photo, she looked a little unnatural.


    It was fine for Pa to take the photo.


    But now Paul and she were just ordinary friends, and the photo showed him putting a ne on her


    with intimate movements, which might make others misunderstand.


    She looked at Pa and said softly, "Pa, stop it, and please delete it."


    Pa gripped her phone tightly, refusing to delete it, ¡°I captured this photo so well and it¡¯s beautiful.I


    can¡¯t delete it!" Noticing that Lucia¡¯s expression was bad, Paul got a little more serious and held out his


    hand to Pa. Pa beamed.


    Although she was reluctant, she handed over the phone. Paul got the phone.


    Looking at the photo on the screen, he paused when he was about to press the delete button. of


    hesitation, Paul clicked share and spot the photo to himself via Pa¡¯s WeChat before deleting it. After


    doing this, he casually handed the phone back to Pa without saying anything. Seeing this, Lucia


    thought the photo had been deleted and didn¡¯t say more.


    Suddenly take you to Hibiscus Garden today? Lucia smiled at him and softly declined, "No, the birthday


    party is startingte, and I can go by myself."


    Pa walked Lucia¡¯s side and took her by the hand.


    Lucia, I want to go too, so we can still be together, but something is going on at home today, so my


    brother and I can¡¯t go."


    Lucia squeezed her hand andughed, "It¡¯s okay and maybe there will be another chanceter."


    In fact, need to exin to her again when she did something.


    After all, she still had an important thing to do al Greeves¡¯ birthday party today.


    After leaving the Thomas family, Lucia took a taxi straight home.


    When she got home and did her Garden, and the entire three floors were reserved.


    The first floor was the lobby,The second floor is the ce where the formal dinner is open.


    The third floor was avable for restrooms. Lucia took the invitation to enter, and after listening to the


    waiter¡¯s introduction, she couldn¡¯t help but sigh.


    The world of the rich was really unimaginable and this reservation for one night would definitely cost a


    lot of money In the lobby, a lot of people had already arrived, and there was a lively scene of people


    crowding around and toasting each other about to start, there were many more people than before.


    Greeves had already appeared and was receiving the blessings of the people in the center of the hall.


    When there were many people, it was a bit troublesome to find August.


    Lucia looked left and right but did not see August¡¯s figure. his permission to move to ensure her safety.


    Finally, along with a noise at the entrance of the hall, August, wearing a dark gray suit, walked in under


    made the people around him make a path for him without fail. Lucia looked at the man in the crowd and


    couldn¡¯t help but take a deep breath.


    She didn¡¯t expect that he would be so shiny and dazzling in the crowd as if all the light in the hall was


    drawn to him so that she could no longer see anyone else. August took Burton and marched directly


    toward Greeves in the center.


    Soon, Greeves noticed him and was beaming with joy.


    August stepped forward, bent slightly, and greeted Greeves, "Uncle, may you live a long and


    prosperous life." Greeves was full of smiles and nodded his head repeatedly, "Okay, I¡¯m happy that you


    cane to see "Knowing that you don¡¯tck anything, I especially sought out a little thing."


    August said, looking to Burton beside him.


    Burton understood, and immediately handed up the box in his hand.


    Just now everyone had already sent gists, including jade Ruyi, golden peaches, etc.


    For the old man, they were allmon things and there was nothing rare.


    light shone out from his eyes after just one look.


    Someone in the crowd said, "It¡¯s a handmade teapot made by Mr.Cotton!"


    The crowd was astonished at the sound of the voice.


    Everyone knew that Greeves loved teapots and collecting the works of famous masters, but


    Mr.Cotton¡¯s handmade works were not easy toe by.


    Even if someone had money, he might not be able to buy it.


    As expected, Greeves seemed happy.


    After leading his men put the teapot away, he then smiled and said to August, ¡¯August, the gift you


    prepared for me is really attentive and I like it."


    After a few pleasantries, it was clear that August was the center of the crowd, and Greeves was pulling


    VV heart, she was thinking about the action. searching the crowd, Lucia still did not see Irene¡¯s figure


    but found another important person, Ted. walked beside him.


    The two were like a model couple, smiling, chatting, and greeting the crowd, looking like they had a


    very good rtionship.


    she heard from August that Ted and Lilian¡¯s marriage had long existed in name only.


    Ted had been cheating on her for years and Lilian was often as nervous as she was to catch the


    primary three.


    But when those who didn¡¯t know the real situation looked at the two of Lucia took a deep breath and


    turned her head to look the other way, intending to look U ck dress with her chest wide open, her


    breasts swaying back and forth.


    The makeup on her face was much thicker than usual.


    No wonder she couldn¡¯t find Irene after searching for a long time.


    It turned out that Irene¡¯s appearance today was so different from her usual outfit that she almost didn¡¯t


    recognize her.


    Looking at Irene¡¯s pretended unexpected look, Lucia curled her lips into a smile and whispered, "Hello


    Irene."


    Irene walked up next to her, swept around, and spoke tentatively, "Why are you to smile, and casually


    said, "I still have friends over there, so I won¡¯t talk to you anymore."T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    After saying that, she directly turned around and stepped towards the other side.


    Lucia looked at her leaving figure, and the smile in her eyes slowly disappeared.


    At this time, both of them were, and it was not yet known who was the final winner.

 Chapter 124

    Chapter 124


    Most of the people were already there, and the hall was full of people.


    Greeves saw that it was about time, so he told everyone to go to the VIP seats on the second floor to


    eat.


    The seating was pre-arranged, and after Lucia was seated, she found Irene sitting at the neighboring


    table,ughing and chatting with two women, while August sat at the main table in the center area, with


    Ted and Lilian on the sidelines.


    Before the birthday party began, Greeves made his usual speech, and once the usual process was


    completed, the food began to be served.


    After that, many people who knew each other toasted each other.


    Lucia ate casually, and her heart had already flown to the table where Ted was.


    Suddenly, August raised his head slightly and looked this way, coincidentally Lucia was looking that


    way.


    From a distance, the two looked at each other.


    The moment when their eyes met, Lucia was unconsciously a little nervous.


    In contrast, August was much calmer.He slightly nced at her, and the expression on his face did not


    change.


    Lucia withdrew her gaze, and not long after, her phone rang twice.She picked it up and saw that it was


    a WeChat message from August.


    "Wait for him to get drunk, and don''t be in a hurry."


    Lucia knew in her heart that this "he" referred to Ted, and after receiving August''s instructions, she


    slowly calmed down.


    At this time, they could not rush.


    If they made a wrong move, their n would fail and they would lose everything.


    Not long after, a man suddenly walked straight to Lucia, holding a ss of wine and smiling, "Thisdy,


    would you like to have a drink with me?"


    Lucia looked up, squinted slightly, and examined him for a few seconds.She thought he looked familiar


    as if she had seen him somewhere before.


    She looked at the neighboring table and saw Irene ncing at them.It suddenly became clear to her.


    This man, who had been sitting at the next table, was someone Irene knew.


    Now he suddenly came to make a toast and it must be Irene who have ordered him to do so.


    Lucia knew exactly what she was trying to do in her heart.


    Sweeping a nce at the man, she smiled crookedly and said softly, "We don''t seem to know each


    other?"


    The man raised an eyebrow, unwilling to leave, "After this drink, we''ll know each other."


    Lucia took a look at the wine in his ss.


    Without saying anything, she reached out and picked up her ss on the table, raising the ss in her


    hand at the man in front of Irene, and drinking the wine in her ss.


    Regarding Irene''s n, she knew it by heart.


    At this time, Irene asked other men toe over and toast her just to get her drunk so that it would be


    easier to make follow-up actions.


    The man also drank the wine down.


    Seeing the empty seat beside Lucia, he nonchntly sat down directly and spoke, "You''re drinking like


    a fish.Lady, my family name is Child.What''s your name?"


    Lucia replied politely, "Lucia Mitchell."


    "Ms.Mitchell, it''s fate that we know each other.Why don''t we have another drink?"


    A light shed under Lucia''s eyes, and after a few seconds¡¯ pause, she did not refuse, "Yes, then let''s


    have another drink."


    Saying that, she picked up the white wine next to her and poured a ss.


    Then, raising the ss in her hand at the man, she tilted her head and drank the wine in the ss.


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    The man did not expect Lucia to be so forthright, so, he smiled, picked up the other side of the wine to


    fill a ss, and drank it down.


    The two of them kept toasting each other, and after a few rounds, Lucia looked as usual, but the man


    was already a little drunk.


    Lucia pretended to be dizzy and held her forehead, smiling at him, "Sorry, Mr.Child, | seem to have


    drunk a little too much.If there is a chance, we can drink again next time."


    The man had a few sses of wine in a row, and his stomach was not toofortable, so he nodded


    along with her words, "Okay, next time we can drink again."


    Lucia was secretly relieved to see him turn away and return to the neighboring table.She turned her


    head to the other side and rested her head on her hands, squinting her eyes as if she was drunk.She


    had anticipated that Irene might make a move on her, so she had prepared a special bottle of "white


    wine" to keep in her hand.


    The seemingly white and clear liquid was actually mineral water.


    Anyway, as long as Irene believed that she had drunk a lot of alcohol, then she had achieved her goal.


    "Lucia?"


    Hearing a male voice suddenlye from the side, Lucia first froze, followed by some confusion to


    turn back.


    Archibald was standing behind her, with a bit of surprise in his eyes.


    Until he saw Lucia''s face, he slowly returned to normal.


    Archibald hesitated for a moment before asking, "What...what are you doing here?"


    Now seeing her ex-boyfriend, Lucia was very calm, "I''m here for Greeves'' birthday party.Aren''t you


    too?"


    She looked around, but she didn''t see Carol''s figure, so she was a little surprised.


    Before Carol and Archibald were like Siamese twins, never separated, but she didn''t expect to see only


    Archibald today.


    Noticing her gaze, Archibald curled his lips and gave a bitter smile, "Carol is on the other side.|


    quarreled with her and nned to go out for some air, but | didn''t expect to run into you."


    Lucia heard that but her expression did not change.


    Then, she said "hmm" and turned back without saying anything more.


    But Archibald had no intention of leaving.


    Seeing the empty seat beside Lucia, he sat down instead.


    Archibald moved his lips and seemed to hesitate, but he finally spoke, "Lucia, I''m sorry for what


    happened before.I...shouldn''t have treated you that way."


    Hearing him mention the previous incident, Lucia did not have any obvious reaction, nodding her head


    and responding casually, "Well."


    Seeing her cold attitude, Archibald hesitantly moved his lips, took a deep breath, and said, "In fact,


    after separating from you, Carol and | were not happy.After we are getting married, we always


    quarreled.| did not have any status in the family, and sometimes I still miss the time we had together..."


    He sighed as he spoke, but Lucia was silent and did not answer.


    Archibald and she now had their own lives, and there was little point in mentioning the previous.


    "Lucia, it was me who didn''t know how to cherish you at first.If time could be turned back, | would


    definitely be with you..."


    Not waiting for Archibald to finish his words, Lucia interrupted him directly, "Archibald, Carol and you


    are quitepatible.Nowadays you have everything you want and live at ease.Isn''t everything fine?"


    She didn''t want to get entangled with him again.


    If Carol saw them together, she would definitely get the wrong idea.


    Archibald froze, seemingly not expecting Lucia to change so much.


    Once no matter what he said, she would not resist.


    But the more she was like this, the more he felt regret in his heart that he didn''t cherish such an


    attractive woman.


    Now he had absolutely no manly dignity and freedom to be with Carol.


    But there was no pill of regret in the world.


    Even if he hade to his senses and regretted it, everything could not go back to the past.


    After along sigh and a deep look at Lucia, Archibald stood up and said softly, "Then I''ll leave you alone"


    After saying that, he turned around and left.


    After Archibald walked away, Lucia was secretly relieved.


    Just now he was disturbing her around her, and today she had something serious to do.


    Soon, more than an hour had passed since August had sent her the message.She gripped the phone


    tightly, a little nervous.It was reasonable that it was time to act.

 Chapter 125

    Chapter 125


    Looking at the new round of dishes on the table, Lucia picked up the fork, ate a few bites, and


    inadvertently looked up at the table in the center area where August was.


    Ted next to him was gone.


    With a chill at her back, she instantly sobered up a bit and turned her head to look at the neighboring


    table, noticing that at some point Irene had disappeared as well.


    It seemed that Irene had already started to take action.


    Bing very nervous, Lucia clenched her two hands together, with ayer of sweat emerging from


    the palms of her hands.


    She took a deep breath, and when she looked up, she met August''s unreadable dark eyes.


    Crossing the crowd, he looked steadily towards her.


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    Even though the distance was far, she could feel at ease.


    Inhaling deeply, Lucia adjusted her breathing and slowly calmed down.


    On the other hand, Carol searched the entire second floor with her friends but did not see Archibald¡¯s


    figure.


    She went to the corridor and cursed furiously, "He is deliberately hiding from me! Archibald, when I find


    you, I will not spare you!"


    The woman next to her saw this and said with some hesitation, "Carol, there are some things I don''t


    know if I should say..."


    Carol¡¯s face was somber, "Go ahead! Just tell me what you know.Do you still want to hide it from me?"


    "When we came in just now, I heard Annie say that she saw Archibald and Lucia together just now, and


    the two of them were talking andughing..."


    "What!"


    Carol was so angry that she clenched her fists and wanted to stomp a hole in the ground, "He¡¯s actually


    with her! I''m going to settle the score with that bitch right now!"


    "Ah-choo!"


    Lucia sneezed and felt a little chill at the back of her head.She tugged the clothes on her body and was


    a little confused.Had she gotten a cold? She had sneezed three times in the past few minutes.


    At that moment, a waiter in a ck and white tuxedo approached her, bowed slightly, and asked softly,


    "Are you Ms.Mitchell?"


    Lucia turned her head and locked eyes with him.Her heart sank and she nodded in response, "I


    am.What can I do for you?"


    "There''s a gentleman here to see you.Can youe with me?"


    Lucia gripped her phone tightly for a moment.


    Before she could think of a good answer, her phone vibrated, and she tapped it open to see that it was


    from August, "He''s one of us and go with him."


    When she saw his message, Lucia was sure.She turned her head and nodded at the waiter with a


    smile, standing up, and following him forward.


    This waiter, the one Irene paid off, was onlyter bought off by August at a higher price.


    Originally, Irene had nned a game.


    Irene had someone get Ted drunk and send him to the private room on the third floor to rest.


    Then Irene lured her to the third floor through the waiter, knocked her out, and pushed her into the


    private room.


    Finally, Irene sent the media reporters who were paid in advance to take pictures.


    In this way, her inappropriate rtionship with Ted would be confirmed.


    She would bepletely disgraced and even if she jumped into the Yellow River, she couldn''t be


    washed away.


    But now, the waiter had been bought off by August, so, everything would turn upside down and Irene


    would have to pay the price for her ruthlessness! With her heart beating fast, Lucia was nervous and


    remained calm on the surface.


    She followed the waiter and stepped up to the third floor.


    Not far away, Carol, who was looking for Lucia everywhere, saw the familiar figure at the stairway and


    immediately took a step to follow her.


    When she arrived on the third floor, Lucia followed the waiter and walked along the corridor for a long


    time, but she did not see Irene¡¯s figure.


    She took a deep breath and felt a little uneasy in her heart.


    ording to the original n, Irene should appear when she was almost at the entrance of the private


    room.


    But now, after walking for a long time, Irene was nowhere to be seen.


    Suddenly, a sharp female voice came from behind Lucia, "Stop!"


    Pausing, she quickly turned around and turned her head.


    It wasn''t Irene but Carol! Carol approached her aggressively, looking as if she was asking for a crime,


    "Lucia, you bitch.You have no shame in seducing my husband!"


    Lucia frowned.


    Looking at the woman rushing towards her, she subconsciously backed up.


    The waiter on the side saw this and hurriedly blocked in front of her, "Thisdy, calm down."


    "How can I calm down? You get out of the way!"


    Carol red at Lucia and yelled at her, "Lucia, don¡¯t pretend! Where''s Archibald? Where did you hide


    him?"


    Lucia clenched her fist, feeling angry.She had only said a few words to Archibald, and Carol said that


    she had seduced him.She waspletely unreasonable! At the same time, in the private room


    opposite Ted''s, Irene was hiding behind the door and saw the scene outside through the peephole,


    furious.


    ording to her n, the waiter would knock Lucia out at the door and push her into Ted''s private


    room.


    But at this critical moment, a woman suddenly appeared and was about to disrupt her ns! Irene


    turned on her Bluetooth earphones and instructed the waiter, "Hurry up and take this damn woman


    away.Let Lucia stay and I''ll deal with her!"


    Originally, it should have been this waiter who knocked Lucia unconscious and pushed her into the


    private room, but now the appearance of this woman made her have to do it herself.


    The waiter hesitated for a moment when he heard the voice in the earphone.


    Looking at the situation in front of him, he could only do what Irene said first.


    Otherwise, if Irene''s suspicions were aroused, all was over.


    The waiter turned his head to Lucia and spoke, "Ms.Mitchell, wait for me here for a moment and I''ll be


    right back."


    With that, he pulled Carol, who was still in hysterics and cursing, and quickly walked towards the other


    side.


    Lucia stood in ce.


    There was some uneasiness in her heart as she watched them disappear at the stairway.


    Why hadn''t Irene appeared yet? She gritted her teeth and fished out her cell phone to call August, but


    as soon as she opened her address book, there was a "creak" behind her. Before she could turn


    around, the back of her head "bang" received a fierce stick.


    Instantly, she felt dizzy and couldn''t even stand up.


    With weakness in her body, she fell to the ground unawares.


    Irene held a baseball bat in both hands, her hands trembling a little.


    When she saw Lucia fall to the ground, a grim smile appeared on her face.


    "Lucia, now you can¡¯t escape!"


    With that, she lifted her foot and kicked her roughly on the back.


    With a sharp pain in her back, Lucia sobered up a bit.


    Dazed and confused, she opened her eyes, but her vision in front of her was blurred.


    She blinked with great effort and finally saw the woman in front of her.


    Irene looked at her condescendingly, with a terrible smile on her face that made others shudder.


    The blow to Lucia¡¯s head almost knocked her unconscious, and she drew a cold breath as she tried to


    get up from the floor.


    But Irene didn¡¯t give her the chance to do so.She grabbed Lucia¡¯s arm, fished out a room card, and


    dragged her towards the next room.


    "Lucia, aren''t you very proud of yourself? After today, I''ll make you the most famous person in Austos


    City!"


    She had waited for this day for a long time! Seeing that she was about to be dragged to the door of the


    room, Lucia shuddered and forced herself to sober up a little.She must stop Irene! Lucia bit her lower


    lip, and with a force, a smell of blood filled her mouth.She took a deep breath, reached out her hand,


    and grabbed Irene¡¯s ankle.


    Irene was wearing eight-centimeter-high heels, and when Lucia pulled hard, Irene couldn''t stand up


    and fell hard to the ground!

 Chapter 126

    Chapter 126


    Irene was grimacing in pain.She sucked in a cold breath.


    Looking at Lucia on the side, she clenched her fists in anger and lifted her foot to kick her hard in the


    stomach.


    Pa was wearing high heels, and the sharp heels of her shoes poked Lucia¡¯s soft abdomen at once,


    causing her to shudder in pain and her body to curl up into a huddle.


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    "Lucia! Do you think you can win over me? You''ve made me suffer so much! Today I''ll make sure you


    pay me back!"


    With that, Irene struggled to get up from the floor.


    Before she could fully stand up, Lucia reached out again with pain and tugged on Irene''s ankles to


    prevent her from getting up.She knew very well that if Irene stood up at this time, then the unlucky


    person would be her.


    Even for the sake of stalling, she had to hold on.


    What''s more, the waiter had been bought by August.


    Even if he left temporarily to drive Carol away, it wouldn''t take long for him to return.


    As long as she could hold off, the situation could still be turned around! "Lucia, let go of me!"


    Irene fought hard to kick her legs, but Lucia just wouldn''t let go.


    lrene was so angry and annoyed that she reached out her hand and grabbed Lucia¡¯s hair, pulling them


    hard.


    At once, Lucia felt her scalp tighten and an unbearable pain hit her.


    Tears welled up in her eyes, but Irene continued to pull back hard.


    In anger, Lucia gritted her teeth and pulled hard again.


    Irene then failed to stand and fell to the ground once again.


    Not caring about the pain in her head and body, Lucia rolled over and pinned Irene directly underneath


    her, and Irene, not to be outdone, tried to push Lucia down with force.


    The two of them had simr strengths that they each had several scratches on their faces and bodies.


    With two red eyes, Irene red at Lucia hysterically, "Let go of me!"


    At that, Lucia gritted her teeth and refused to let go.


    She knew too well that letting go at this time would be the same as getting killed.


    No matter what, she would wait until the waiter returned! Meanwhile, on the other side, the situation


    was just as intense.


    The waiter was pinned to the ground by Archibald and was bruised and swollen.


    Archibald, while beating, cursed, "How dare you mess with my wife! Don''t you dare to do it again?"


    Carol stood aside.


    Looking at the situation next to her, she raised her chin condescendingly.


    It was the waiter''s fault for pulling her away from Lucia.


    She didn''t expect that when they reached the balcony of the second floor, they would run into Archibald


    who was smoking there.


    Carol naturally refused to let this waiter go.


    With a few words, she added fuel to Archibald¡¯s anger, so, the waiter was beaten up.


    Carol raised an eyebrow in triumph as she watched the waiter being beaten helplessly.


    She waved her hand and said, "All right, I¡¯m feeling bad when I see him.Let''s go!"


    Archibald breathed heavily and stopped at the sound of her voice.


    ring hard at the waiter, he straightened up and took out a handkerchief to wipe his hands before


    pulling Carol away, "Honey, let''s go."


    The waitery on the floor wanting to cry and his eyes were so swollen from the beating that he could


    barely open them.


    Thinking about the situation on the other side, he fished out his phone from his pocket with pain and


    sent a text message to August.


    At this time, he did not expect to earn money.


    If he had known he would end up like this, he would have never taken anyone''s money! August toasted


    Greeves and returned to his seat again to find an additional text message already on his phone.


    It was sent by the bought waiter, "The situation has changed, and go to the third floor to help


    Ms.Mitchell."


    Seeing these few words, August instantly became much more serious.He gripped his phone tightly,


    stood up without hesitation, and left with big strides.


    A boss next to him who was about to toast him was stunned and called out to him in surprise,


    "Mr.Adams, where are you going?"


    Not being able to answer the man¡¯s question, August walked quickly towards the stairway.


    Although he was not sure what had happened, he had already had a rough guess in his heart when he


    saw the text message.


    Originally, before the n was implemented, he told Lucia that this operation was risky, but he did not


    expect that she would resolutely agree to it and that it just so happened that something really


    happened! No, he must not let Lucia get hurt at all! With this thought, he walked even faster.


    In front of the private room 318 on the third floor, Lucia and Irene were at a standstill, neither one of


    them willing to let go of the other.


    Lucia saw the baseball bat on the ground next to her and her eyes darkened.


    As she thought of Irene having just smashed against her head at first, she shuddered.


    Taking a deep breath, she freed one hand, grabbed the baseball bat quickly, and hit it directly at Irene.


    As soon as Irene saw the baseball bat, she was so frightened that she tried to block it with her hands.


    When she panicked, she unknowingly let go of both hands.


    At that moment, Lucia immediately let go of the baseball bat, simply got up from the ground, and ran


    quickly towards the side.


    When she looked up and saw Lucia trying to run away, Irene got anxious and stood up ina hurry to go


    after her.


    But in her haste, she stepped directly on the baseball bat.


    With a slip in her foot, she was caught off guard and plunged to the side! With a loud bang, Irene¡¯s


    head hit the wall next to her.


    At the sound, Lucia turned around and saw Irene slowly sliding down against the wall.


    She had obviously been knocked out...


    This was obviously the perfect opportunity! Gritting her teeth, Lucia ruthlessly turned around to pick up


    the room card Irene dropped on the floor and opened the door to 318, directly pushing Irene in.


    The moment when the door closed, Lucia¡¯s hand holding the door handle couldn''t help but tremble.


    What just happened was like a nightmare for her.


    Irene and she were fighting fiercely, and as soon as she cked off a bit, she would be the one pushed


    into the room.


    With a cold feeling slowly creeping up her back, Lucia went forward helplessly with her bruised body.


    She didn''t want to go this far, but she was forced to.


    If she didn¡¯t do it ruthlessly, then she would be the one to suffer.


    After a few steps, she wobbled and looked like she was about to fall, so she hurriedly reached out her


    hand and held onto the wall next to her.


    Suddenly, a footstep came from the stairway not far ahead, followed by a low, maic male voice,


    "Lucia!"


    Immediately after, the man¡¯s breath came closer.


    Without waiting for her to raise her head, she was enveloped in a warm embrace.


    She tilted her head slightly and met August''s unreadable eyes, seemingly catching some anxiety in his


    eyes.


    Had she misread it? How could August be worried about her? Lucia¡¯s face was red and swollen


    beneath her messy hair, and her body was in a terrible state, which showed that she had obviously


    been in a bad fight.


    August frowned and an indescribable feeling of shame arose from his heart.


    He shall have sent an extra person to follow her! When he looked at the woman''s shriveled spirit, a thin


    layer of anger grew under August''s eyes.


    Without saying a word, he took off his suit and wrapped it around Lucia, then he leaned down and


    picked her up by the waist, saying in a deep voice, "Let''s go."


    He would take her out of this ce as soon as possible!

 Chapter 127

    Chapter 127


    Just as they reached the stairs, Burton came up from downstairs quickly and bumped right into them.


    Seeing Lucia in August''s arms in disarray, Burton immediately reacted after a pause and hurriedly said


    to August, "Mr.Adams, it''s better to find a room to deal with Ms.Mitchell''s wound at this time!"


    At that, August frowned slightly and understood the meaning of his words.


    At this time, he had to pass by the second floor to leave with Lucia in his arms.


    Not only would he have no way to exin to Greeves, but having others see Lucia¡¯s disheveled,


    bruised, and swollen appearance would certainly attract a lot of gossips.


    After a two-second pause, August nodded slightly, "Do you have the room card?"


    Greeves had arranged rooms for some important guests, and the room cards had been issued to


    everyone in advance.


    Burton nodded, "Yes, room 306."


    At that, August didn¡¯t say a word and immediately went back with Lucia in his arms.


    Entering the room, he put Lucia on the bed.


    After looking around, he didn''t see a medical kit.


    So, he nced at Burton standing by and ordered in a cold voice, "Go find a medical kit as soon as


    possible!"


    At the word, Burton immediately nodded in response, turned around, and left the room.


    August walked to the bed.


    Looking at Lucia, who was lying in a ball on the bed, he felt a stabbing pain in his heart as if he had


    been stabbed by something sharp.


    He turned around, got a clean towel from the washroom, wet it with water, and gently wiped the dust off


    her face.


    With the cool towel touching her skin, Lucia instantly felt a little more awake.


    When she took a deep breath and opened her eyes to see the man sitting beside the bed to take care


    of her, she felt veryplicated.


    She moved her body, reached out her hand to take the wet towel in his hand, and said in a hoarse


    voice, "I can do it myself..."


    August stretched out his hand and gently held her wrist, his voice carrying an unquestionable


    determination, "Lie still."


    Lucia couldn''t refuse, so she slowly withdrew her hand and let him wipe her face.


    Soon, the door was pushed open and Burton came in with a medical bag, "Mr.Adams, I only found


    this."


    Sweeping a nce, August immediately took the medical bag without saying more, "Enough."


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    With that, he opened the medical bag and took out the medicinal liquid and gauze inside to disinfect


    those scrapes on Lucia¡¯s body.


    Suddenly, he paused and turned to look at Burton behind him.


    Seeing the man''s cold eyes, Burton instantly understood and immediately spoke, "Mr.Adams, I''ll go


    outside the door and keep watch.Call me if anything happens."


    After saying that, he turned and walked out of the room quickly.


    When he heard the door being closed, August then continued the movement of his hands.


    Looking at Lucia¡¯s torn clothes, he pursed his lips and said in a deep voice, "Take off your clothes and


    I''ll check."


    Lucia was a little drowsy.


    Hearing such a sentence from her ears, she shuddered and opened her eyes to look at August in


    surprise.


    Seeing the man¡¯s serious look, Lucia swallowed and said softly, "I can treat the wound myself..."


    She had nothing to do with August now, so she couldn''t undress in front of him.


    Catching the woman''s expression which was a little unnatural, August frowned, "What did you think I


    would do to you? Can you handle the wound on your back?"


    Lucia had no objection at once.


    She bit her lip, and finally slowly unbuttoned the waist dress.


    August just took the swab out, and as soon as he looked up, he saw the woman''s bare white back.


    There were several red scrapes on her back shoulder, which looked a bit harsh.


    August frowned slightly, holding a cotton swab stained with medicinal liquid to slowly disinfect the


    wound.


    When the cotton swab just touched Lucia¡¯s wound, she shuddered, with her back tightly tensed, and


    her shoulder des slowly gathered up.


    Looking at the scene in front of him, August actually felt her with some sadistic beauty.


    The smooth line of her back stretched down, slowly thinning and continuing to her plump buttocks.


    Such a visual impact actually made him physically react.


    When did his self-control be so bad? August frowned, averted his gaze, and focused on the


    movements of his hands, dressing her wounds one by one.


    After all this, he pulled the thin quilt next to him and gently covered her.


    "You rest well and I''lle overter..."


    With that, he took a step to leave.


    The woman on the bed suddenly stretched out her hand and tugged at the corner of his Jacket, "Can


    you...not go yet?"


    This subconscious action took Lucia herself by surprise.


    She just felt a little uneasy.


    When she thought of what had just happened in the corridor, she was a little scared.


    Seeing the cautious look on the woman''s face, August was suddenly a little distressed.


    He froze and his voice slowed down a bit, "Okay, I won''t leave."


    Originally, he had made the excuse to leave because he wanted a chance to stop his sexual impulses,


    but now, he couldn''t leave.


    Suddenly, there was a knock at the door of the room, followed by Burton''s voice, "Mr.Adams."


    "Come in."


    Burton pushed open the door and walked in quickly, looking serious, "Mr.Adams, just now Lilian led


    someone aggressively to catch adultery in room 318, and the reporters are here."


    With a haze swept across his face, August instructed, "Keep your eyes on it and you can get our


    people started."


    Burton smiled and immediately answered, "Yes."


    At that, Lucia took a deep breath and after watching Burton leave, she couldn''t help but ask, "Our n


    worked, didn''t it?"


    August looked back at her and said in a deep voice, "Well, it worked."


    This time, if not for Lucia, it would not have been possible to seed.


    Clutching the corner of her dress tightly, Lucia finally could not resist asking the question in her heart,


    "Why do you do it to Ted?"


    August had never exined it to her.


    She had previously thought it was because Ted was threatening his position in thepany, but


    looking at August''s step-by-step approach, she didn''t think it was that simple.


    August looked up at the window, his voice low and sullen, "Because he embezzled money from the


    company."


    During these years of being transferred to the branch, Ted seemed to be decentralized, but in fact, he


    had real power.


    In addition to the Stebbing family''s support, he grew more arrogant.


    In the past few years, the branch¡¯s ounts had never been clear.


    What''s more, he did a lot of irregrities in private behind the Adams family¡¯s back.


    Now he even targeted Lion Group and how could he let him go? Although August didn¡¯t say much,


    Lucia still felt the coldness emanating from him.


    She took a deep breath and already knew in her mind what was going on.


    The story would be spread around when Lilian caught Ted with another woman at Greeves¡¯ birthday


    party, and as long as Lilian had some backbone, she wouldn''t put up with it anymore and would divorce


    Ted.


    In this way, without the support of the Stebbing family, Ted would no longer be asfortable as


    before.


    Coming back to his senses, August turned his head to the woman on the bed and his voice softened a


    bit, "Whether it worked this time or not, this was too risky."


    There would never be the next time.


    Lucia moved his body with difficulty.


    Involving the wounds on her body, she frowned in pain, "It was risky, but it worked in the end and I don¡¯t


    regret it."


    August''s eyes shed.


    She didn¡¯t regret it, but he did.

 Chapter 128

    Chapter 128


    Not everything would work out as lucky as it did today, and if something did happen to her, it would be


    toote.


    After a while of noise outside, it finally slowly calmed down.


    Seeing that it was time to go, August did not have time to say goodbye to Greeves and took Lucia


    directly out of Hibiscus Garden.


    Once Ted''s story came out, it undoubtedly made Greeves lose face as well.


    They were too busy to take care of themselves at this point, and couldn''t care for others.


    Back to the bachelor pad, Lucia returned to the bedroom with bruises to change her clothes.


    As soon as she went out, she saw August sitting on the couch, not intending to leave.


    Lucia felt guilty in her heart when she thought of what had happened thest few times August had


    come to her.She walked up and said softly, "It''ste.I''m going to take a shower and get some rest."


    Beyond the words, it was time for him to leave.


    At that, as if he didn¡¯t understand the meaning of her words, August raised an eyebrow slightly and


    asked, "Are you hungry?"


    Lucia was stunned and quickly reacted.


    Was he nning to use cooking to stay again? She took a deep breath and said, "I¡¯m not hungry."


    She had eaten a lot at the birthday party and was really not hungry.


    When he heard that, an unnoticeable light shed under August''s eyes.He got up, casually unbuttoned


    the sleeves of his shirt, and pulled it up.


    With that, he took a step in the direction of the bathroom, "Okay, then I''ll help you take a shower."


    Lucia¡¯s eyes instantly widened and she looked at August incredulously.


    Did she hear it wrong? He said he would help her take a bath! "Wait!"


    Lucia hurriedly called out to him and gathered her courage to say, "This is my house and I can take a


    shower by myself.If you have nothing else to do, just leave!"


    If she hadn''t retained her sanity, she would have thought that the two of them were still married! August


    calmly swept a nce at the wounds on her body and said lightly, "Your wounds can''t touch the


    water.How can you wash by yourself?"


    He took the initiative to help her, but why did she look so reluctant? Lucia hurriedly changed her tone


    and said, "Then...I won''t take a bath!"


    It was embarrassing enough for her to bare her back to him in the Hibiscus Garden room, let alone let


    him bathe her now! August raised an eyebrow slightly.


    Seeming to see through what she was thinking, he didn¡¯t say much, but suddenly, his eyes were drawn


    to the ne around her neck.


    When she returned from Hibiscus Garden, she had been wrapped in his suit and he hadn''t even


    noticed the ne around her neck.


    But now after she changed into her pajamas, the ne was exposed, glittering, and very eye-


    catching.


    It was the one that Paul gave herst time! August''s eyes darkened, and before he could say anything,


    the phone in his pocket had already rung.


    When he took it out and saw the woman''s name shing back and forth on the screen, he gripped the


    phone tightly.


    It was Jeanne who called.


    When she looked up and saw the word "Jeanne" on the screen, Lucia instantly understood.


    August raised his hand, pressed the answer button, and stepped aside, "Hello, Jeanne."


    The woman''s voice came from the other end with a bit of aggravation, "August, didn''t you say you''d


    come to see me after the birthday party today? I''ve been waiting for you for a long time..."


    August replied in a light tone, "I was dyed by something."


    Jeanne continued to ask, "So...are you stilling tonight? If I don''t see you, I feel very uneasy."


    August''s eyes darkened.


    After a few seconds of pause, he lightened his voice and said, "I can¡¯t get away for a short time.I''ll see


    you tomorrow.Be obedient and rest well."


    At the word, Jeanne on the other end of the phone was not very happy, but she finally agreed, "Okay,


    I''ll wait for you toe to see me tomorrow..."


    When he hung up the phone, August turned around and saw Lucia standing at his back, staring at him


    steadily.


    The woman''s intuition was always urate and scary.


    Lucia averted her gaze, with a little tightness in her throat.She heard what August said just now and


    naturally guessed what Jeanne had said.


    Although she was surprised that August would stay for her without going to Jeanne, she knew in her


    heart that August was just making it up to her for what happened this evening.


    She forced a smile, pretending to be indifferent, "Actually, I¡¯m fine and I can take care of myself.You just


    go."


    Hearing the woman''s cold tone, August frowned tightly.He took a half step forward, stared at her, and


    asked, "You really want me to leave?"


    Now that she was injured and couldn''t move easily, he naturally wouldn''t leave her alone.


    Lucia didn''t dare to meet his eyes, "I¡¯m really fine."


    Looking at her so stubborn, August pursed his thin lips and did not say anything for a long time.


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    His eyes moved down andnded on the ne around her neck, then his face turned somber.


    Noticing that the man in front of her was upset, Lucia followed his gaze and looked down.


    Seeing the ne, she first froze, and then quickly reacted.


    She hurriedly reached out and tucked the ne into her pajama.


    August frowned, "You like the ne that much?"


    She wore the ne even if she knew he hated it.


    "No.With casual words, Lucia put both hands behind her neck and tried to take the ne off.


    Suddenly, her wrists were held and the man¡¯s low voice rang in her ears, "Don''t you like it? Why did


    you take it off?"


    Hearing the displeasure in the man¡¯s tone, Lucia gathered the courage to turn her head and meet his


    eyes.


    A thinyer of anger surfaced under August''s eyes, and his lips were tightly pursed.


    Lucia gritted her teeth and spoke as if on purpose, "August, are you jealous? Or why do you dislike this


    ne so much?"


    She was single, so why couldn''t she receive gifts from other men? A sh of surprise passed August''s


    eyes.


    After a few seconds, he loosened his grip on Lucia¡¯s hand and said coldly, "Do you think it''s possible?"


    Seeing August''s reaction, Lucia felt very bitter.


    As expected, August didn¡¯t care about her at all and he was angry only because of his possessiveness.


    She stubbornly held her head high and said in a determined tone, "Then you leave me alone."


    August''s eyes flickered with some emotion.


    After a moment''s pause, he said in a deep voice, "Lucia have you forgotten? It was your father who


    instructed me to keep you under control and protect you."


    When she heard that he was using her dad to pressure her, Lucia¡¯s heart was filled with anger.


    She gritted her teeth and said angrily, "What if I don''t listen to him?"


    August frowned slightly and didn¡¯t expect Lucia to really argue with him.


    He took a half step forward and stared into her clear eyes, "You can disobey him, but now your dad is


    still in the hospital.If he knows you are like this, can he stand it?"


    This made Lucia lose her words at once.


    August was right.


    Now her dad was still weak in the hospital and he couldn''t be angry at all.


    If this got back to him, she wouldn''t know how to exin it to him.


    Biting her lip, Lucia took the ne off.


    She then looked at August, and said word for word, "Now you can go?"


    August looked at her, and after a long silence, he said, "I have no intention of leaving tonight."

 Chapter 129

    Chapter 129


    Lucia''s eyes widened as she heard this and she stared at him in disbelief.He wasn''t going to leave.


    Was he nning to stay here with her? What a moocher! The thought of what happenedst time


    August stayed with her made Lucia blush and she said somewhat unnaturally, "I...I don''t have any


    room for you here, you''d better go."


    Through her eyes, August seemed to see through all her thoughts.


    A slight smile spread across his face as he asked, "Are you afraid?"


    A long dy might cause trouble.


    Was she afraid something would happen between them?


    "Why should I be afraid?"


    Lucia took a deep breath and tried to maintain herposure.


    "There was only one bedroom, so you don''t have a ce to stay."


    As August took a half step forward, he asked, word by word, "How is that possible?"


    Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org.


    Thest time he slept here, why wasn''t there a ce for him to stay this time? She took a step back in


    panic, keeping a distance between them and looking somewhat defensively at him.


    "There is only one bed, so if you really want to stay, you can sleep on the couch." Lucia said, lifting her


    chin and pointing at the couch.


    There was no way August would even sleep on the couch just to stay with her.


    Observing the woman''s resistance, August''s eyes shed with an unnoticeable reflection.


    It appeared that this little girl did not understand his good intentions at all.


    Knowing she was injured and could not take good care of herself, he deliberately stayed to take care of


    her.


    But she was always on guard against him, afraid that something would happen between them again.


    He lifted his eyes and asked in a light voice, "Do you really want me to sleep on the couch?"


    Lucia didn''t think much about it and immediately nodded.


    "Yes."


    He smiled lightly, retaining a calm expression on his face as he observed her resolute attitude.He


    nodded slightly, swept a nce at the couch, and said softly, "Okay, then I''ll sleep on the couch."


    After saying that, he went to the couch, bent down, and pressed an inconspicuous button on the side of


    the couch.


    Crack! The bottomyer of the couch popped out and he pulled it out with his hands.


    It became a single bed after he pieced it together with the couch.


    Lucia was initially surprised by his willingness to sleep on the couch and then shocked by his actions.


    "You...you!"


    She rented this apartment, and she didn''t know that the couch could be converted into a bed, but


    August did! August raised an eyebrow and didn''t say anything.


    Previously, as he was too busy with thepany, he found it inconvenient to go back to the vi, so he


    bought this small apartment nearby.


    In terms of the furniture inside, he picked most of it himself, so he knew every detail.


    Lucia had not yet recovered from the shock.


    "August, how did you know this couch could be turned into a bed? I didn''t even know..."


    As August''s face remained nd as ever, he casually said, "Because you never pay attention to the


    things around you."


    Lucia''s cheeks suddenly turned red when she heard his words.


    What did he mean by that? He was saying that she was careless, wasn''t he? Gritting her teeth, Lucia


    was a little angry.


    As August took a back cushion from the side as his pillow, she became even more angry and


    speechless.


    She really did not expect that August would be willing to sleep on the couch to stay with her.


    It seemed that even if she forced him to leave, he would never do so.


    "Forget it.If you really want to sleep here, you can do so."


    Lucia really didn''t know what to do.


    Leaving these words behind, she turned around and headed back to the bedroom.She locked the door


    of her bedroom andy down on the bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.


    Having someone sleep next door was a little strange, not to mention that person was August.


    Lucia realized August was on the couch without anything to keep him warm after tossing and turning


    for ten minutes.


    Even though he had a "bed" now, as well as a back cushion being used as a pillow, he stillcked a


    quilt.


    During this season, the weather was not extremely cold, but it was very easy to catch a cold when


    sleeping without a quilt at night.


    Thinking of this, Lucia raised her hand and patted her head, feeling a little annoyed.She had nothing to


    do with his business, right? Lucia pulled her quilt, turned around, and forced herself to fall asleep, but


    couldn''t stop thinking about it in her mind.


    After a while, she still didn''t fall asleep.


    Eventually, she gritted her teeth, sat up, got up from the bed, opened the cab, pulled out a quilt, and


    walked out.


    August didn''t fall asleep on the couch either.He turned to look at her when he heard the sound.


    The woman was holding a quilt in her arms and seemed a little reluctant.


    As she walked over, sheid the quilt aside, turned around, and left without saying a word.


    A slight smile spread across August''s face as he tucked him into the quilt while gazing at her stubborn


    figure.


    Lucia went back to her bedroom after the quilt was delivered.


    Slowly, she let go of the things that were stuck in her mind.


    After falling asleep not long after, she slept peacefully through the night.


    Early the next morning, she was awakened by the vibrating sound of her mobile phone.


    When she pressed the answer button sleepily, Pa Thomas''s screaming filled the room.


    "Lucia, look at the news! The Irene that I saw thest time I apanied you to thepany, her


    scandal was exposed! I''m referring to what happenedst night at the Greeves Family''s birthday party,


    you know?"


    Lucia didn''t understand what was going on after hearing all of her chatter.


    She rubbed her eyes and asked in a slightly hoarse voice, "Pa, why won''t you just let me sleep


    well?"


    "Are you still in the mood to sleep? I''m sure you won''t feel sleepy after looking at the news!"


    Lucia opened her eyes as Pa''s exaggerated tone rang on the other end of the phone, replied


    casually, and clicked on the link Pa sent.


    After reading just one headline, Lucia instantly sobered up.


    The news was about what happened between Ted Stebbing and Irenest night.


    Immediately, she sat up, clicked for more information, and read the news quickly.


    Lucia understood the general content of the news when she saw the words "catch adultery in the act"


    and "mistress". Irene and Ted were naked in the picture, but their eyes and private parts were covered


    with mosaics.


    However, people were still able to recognize them.


    As part of their n, they pushed Irene into the room so Lilian Stebbing would misunderstand them.


    What she didn''t expect was that Irene and Ted had actually had sex.


    "Lucia, how was it? Did you sober up instantly?"


    Pa''s voice rang out over the phone.


    Lucia came to her senses and said softly, "Indeed..."


    "She deserves it if you ask me.Thest time she bullied you like that, this time it''s really working off


    your anger!"


    Lucia didn''t have the mood to hear Pa''s chatter, so she casually answered with a few words.


    "Pa, I''ve got something to do here, so I have to get off the phone now."


    After saying that, she hung up the phone and walked out of the room directly.


    August was already awake, and a few simple breakfast items were already on the table.


    Sitting at the dining table, he flipped the tablet casually, appearing to read some documents.


    Lucia took a deep breath, walked up, and asked, "Did you see the news?"


    Upon hearing what she said, August nced up, his gaze sweeping her lightly, and he replied, "Yes."


    "Are those news photos processed?"


    She knew that the reason why the news of this incident could appear on the front page of the headline


    was that August was secretly pushing for it.


    August paused flipping the tablet and looked at her, a trace of impatience appearing in his eyes.


    "Do you think I am that kind of person?"


    There was no need for him to do that.


    Lucia wanted to say something but then stopped.


    "But..."


    Irene and Ted had sex, but how was that possible?

 Chapter 130

    Chapter 130


    August answered in a cold voice when he saw her doubts.It was because Ted drank the wine that was


    drugged by Irene."


    Lucia''s body stiffened as soon as she heard these words.


    So, it was like this.


    To ensure that everything went smoothly, Irene tailored the trap down to the finest detail.


    If she hadn''t learned about this n from August beforehand, she would have suffered greatly.


    The cold rose from Lucia''s feet to her neck, her fists clenching lightly, and ayer of sweat


    unconsciously formed on her palms.


    Seeing Lucia standing there without any reaction and her face turning pale, August slightly nodded and


    said, "It is true that the evils they bring on themselves are the hardest to bear."


    The evil in Irene''s heart led her to design such a trap to harm others, but in the end, she became her


    own victim.


    She was just fretting in her own grease.


    Lucia came back to her senses and did not say anything.


    A palpitating heartbeat filled her as she sat down in a chair near her.


    A long time ago, Mrs.Mitchell always told her this world was full of evil people, but she never had that


    feeling.


    This society''s darkness was now so evident to her that she could no longer ignore it.


    Looking at Lucia in a daze, August raised his hand and gently knocked on the table.


    "Eat your breakfast while it''s hot.If there''s nothing else, I''ll leave first."


    After saying that, he stood up, put a box of ointment in the corner of the table, and walked away.


    The door closed with a bang.


    As she slowly came to her senses, Lucia stared at the ointment on the table with aplex feeling in


    her heart.


    Having eaten breakfast, Lucia applied some ointment and noticed that it was gettingte, so she went


    straight to work with her handbag.


    When she arrived at the entrance of the department, she met a few colleagues who didn''t usually talk


    to her before, but she didn''t expect them to take the initiative to greet her.


    Lucia was a bit surprised.


    Having pressed her fingerprint and punched the clock, she passed by the public office area, where


    everyone stared at her strangely.


    Walking quickly to her office, she looked in the mirror and couldn''t help but talk to herself.


    "It wasn''t like there was anything wrong with my face anyway!"


    Why was everyone staring at her in such a strangling way? Not long after she sat down, there was a


    knock at the door of her office and Emma pushed her way in with an indefinable smile on her face.


    In a rush, Lucia asked, "What''s wrong? Why is everyone looking at me like this?"


    Emma walked quickly towards her.


    "Don''t you know the rumor about you and Mr.Stebbing has been cleared up? Lucia froze and shook her


    head.As Emma walked over, she opened the group message and flipped it over to her.


    "Here, someone sent a surveince video to the group, in which Irene secretly took a picture of you


    and Mr.Stebbing.Since you sent Mr.Stebbing to the car without following him, lrene''s photos were


    interpreted out of context and intentionally led to misunderstanding."


    "Now that Irene and Mr.Stebbing''s amour has been exposed, everyone can see that she took the


    photos of you and Mr.Stebbing to cover up for them.Therefore, what happened before was clearly a


    misunderstanding of you."


    Hearing Emma say this, Lucia looked at the video and also understood.


    Once the surveince was released, it proved there was no rtionship between her and Mr.Stebbing.


    All people''s attention was focused on Irene after their amour was exposed, and everyone naturally


    made it clear that the previous matter was a misunderstanding, and she was innocent.


    It did not take her long to realize that all of that was August''s work.


    As part of their agreement, she helped August once, and he helped her clean her name, which fulfilled


    the promise of mutual benefit and a win-win situation.


    "Lucia, what''s on your mind? Now that the misunderstanding has been cleared up, aren''t you happy


    about that?"


    Emma''s voice pulled her back to reality.


    As she breathed deeply, she regained her senses, smiled at her, and said softly, "I''m just a little


    surprised."


    Emma seemed more excited than she was.


    "This is a good thing, you have to buy dinner! All right, hurry up with your work, we will have a regr


    meetingter.Upon evaluation of the quarterly assessment, the bonus should be delivered soon!"


    She nodded and watched her walk out of the office.


    Then Lucia realized why everyone''s attitude toward her had changed significantly once she arrived at


    the office today.


    No matter what, she should be grateful to August for this.


    After a long day of work, it was already evening.


    Having just negotiated an important program, August went back to his office, and before he had a


    chance to drink water, he received a call from Essence Hospital.


    On the other end of the phone, the nurse sounded urgent.


    "Mr.Adams,e here quickly.Miss Kelly simply refuses to eat anyway, iming that she wants to go


    on a hunger strike.She hadn''t even had a sip of water all day."


    August raised an eyebrow after hearing that.


    "What''s going on? Did someone provoke her?"


    During their phone conversationst night, she seemed fine, so why did she suddenly want to go on a


    hunger strike again?


    "I have no idea and she was fine this morning.I don''t know what happened.There was a phone call she


    took, and after that, she refused to eat anything, and she wouldn''t talk."


    Hearing the anxious tone of the nurse, August frowned and answered in a deep voice, "I''ll rush over."


    Immediately after hanging up the phone, he dialed Burton and rushed to Essence Hospital.


    The mood of Jeanne had been cloudy and unpredictable since she was hospitalized.


    For things to get better, he had to be by her side every time this happened.


    When he arrived at the ward, Jeanne was sitting on the bed with both arms hugging her knees, dazed


    and pale.


    The sight of Jeanne in such a state made August''s heart hurt, and he stepped forward immediately.


    Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "Jeanne."


    As Jeanne turned her head to see August, her eyes shone with some radiance, and she called him with


    some grievance, "August."


    Seeing her pitiful appearance, August felt hurt and depressed, as if he had been struck by


    something.He still remembered that in the darkest time of his life, the person who was by his side was


    Jeanne.


    It would have been impossible for him to survive without her.


    Walking up, he gently hugged her and couldn''t bear to see her in this state.


    "Hmm? Why don''t you eat?"


    "August, don''t you want me anymore?"


    After saying that, Jeanne opened her arms to hug August.


    The moment she lowered her head, a trace of cold light shed across her eyes.


    This morning, one of her men called and said he saw Augusting out of an apartment, and not long


    after that, Lucia came out of it too! So, August was with that womanst night! The moment she got the


    news, Jeanne''s body was shaking with anger, but there was nothing she could do about it.


    After all, she stayed sick for so long with this disease! She was sick, but that didn''t mean anyone could


    take advantage of her situation and approach August.


    She instinctively knew Lucia would pose a threat to her thest time she saw her in his office! Sure


    enough, she had be her rival, her rival in love! August frowned, raised his hand, and patted her


    back.


    "Jeanne, don''t think too much about it."


    Jeanne sobbed on his chest.


    "August, I''m so useless! I can''t even be by your side because of my disease, and now that I''m still in


    the hospital after the surgery, I''m really suffering..."


    August lowered his head, looking at the woman in his arms, and his mood became depressed.


    "Jeanne, hang in there for a few more days and you''ll be discharged from the hospital."


    After the surgery, Peter specifically instructed her to stay in the hospital for observation for a few days,


    which was why August wasn''t in a rush to discharge her.


    Sobbing uncontrobly, Jeanne asked in a sad tone, "However, it seems like your heart no longer


    belongs to me.August, do you like someone else?"

 Chapter 131

    Chapter 131


    After hearing that, a woman''s face appeared in his mind, and his hand stopped caressing her back.


    Lucia? How could he think of her at this time? August frowned and lowered his eyes to reassure


    Jeanne.


    "No.I will keep my promise to you."


    "Really?"


    Jeanne lifted her eyes, herrge eyes shining with tears.


    "Will you marry me?"


    "Emm."


    August answered.


    But there was a surprising difference between this answer and the previous ones.It was now as firm as


    before.


    As soon as he calmed Jeanne''s emotions, he coaxed her into eating some porridge sent by the


    caregiver.


    Looking at the rxing side face of Jeanne sleeping in bed, August finally felt relieved.


    He had been caring for her like this many times since she was sick, and he really owed her this.


    August pressed his forehead and walked out.


    He gently closed the door with his hand and turned around to see a man standing next to him.


    An iron-gray suit encased the handsome, tall man, but his face exhibited almost a sickly pallor.


    An evil expression appeared on the man''s face as he raised an eyebrow at August.


    "Mr.Adams, long time no see."


    Upon recognizing the man in front of him, August narrowed his eyes slightly.


    Surprisingly, it was Jeanne''s biological elder brother - Merlin Kelly.


    Merlin Kelly''s lips curled up into a smile, but his gaze was still cold.


    He stepped forward, sizing up August, and said in a cold voice, "August, how could you treat my sister


    like that?"


    A trace of coldness crossed August''s eyes, and he asked ina cold voice, "What''s wrong with that?"


    In Jeanne''s case, he performed significantly better than her so-called brother.


    Merlin Kelly sniffed as he approached August.


    A sarcastic smile spread across his face as he stared at August with gloomy eyes.


    "My sister didn''t eat anything for a whole day.I won''t believe you if you say you don''t know the


    reason.We Kellys agreed to you dating her, but that doesn''t mean we''ll forgive you if you hurt her.No


    matter what, she is a member of the Kelly family! All of us in the Kell Family will not be finished with you


    if something happens to her!"


    "Is that so?"


    August said in a cold voice, "As far as I Know, this is the first time you''vee over to see your sister


    in the past three months or so."


    There was no difference between Merlin Kelly and his father Martin Kelly.


    Since Jeanne was seriously ill, the Kellys could not help her, so they left her to August, never caring for


    her at all.


    After hearing that her surgery had been sessful, they came one by one to see her.


    "Cut the nonsense.In short, we won''t let you hurt her anyway.In this case, I did note as a reminder,


    but as a warning!"


    As Merlin Kelly nced at August grimly, he dropped these words, turned around, and left.


    Burton couldn''t stand it at the side.He frowned and looked at August, awaiting his order.


    "Mr.Adams..."


    Taking a cold nce at him, August shook his head and said nothing.


    Slowly, August''s gaze retreated as Merlin Kelly walked away.It was difficult for Burton to calm his


    emotions.


    "Mr.Adams, with the Kelly family being so rampant, how can you..."


    August pursed his lips and lightly uttered two words.


    "No hurry."


    He had endured this for a long time.


    A moment like this would never cause him to be impatient.


    In his perception, Jeanne was Jeanne, and the Kelly family was the Kelly family,pletely two


    different things.


    Ward of the Second Central Hospital.


    Lucia sat on the chair next to the ward, in a depressed mood.


    In seeing his daughter like this, Bill Mitchell, who was lying on the bed, remained silent for a long time


    without speaking, and finally, he raised his hand and lightly stroked her head.


    "Come on, Lucia, don''t be too sad, everything will be fine."


    Upon hearing that, Lucia sniffed and her eyes were filled with tears.


    A half hour ago, she had just learned her father needed coronary bypass surgery, but there were some


    risks involved.It was evidently a difficult moment for her to ept this bad news.


    The sight of his daughter like this made Bill Mitchell''s heart hurt as well.He patted her shoulder and


    comforted her.


    "Don''t worry.August told me that he would make contact with the doctors in the capital for this operation


    so that it would be the safest possible and the chances of sess would be higher"


    Hearing him say that, Lucia was stunned.


    A few secondster, she turned to Bill Mitchell and asked, "Dad, is this true?"


    After seeing Bill Mitchell nod his head with a positive expression, she felt relieved.


    Somehow, as long as August was there, everything seemed to have a better chance of winning.


    "Lucia, even though your rtionship with August ended, you''re still friends.For the sake of me, do not


    make it hard for him, okay?"


    Hearing Bill Mitchell''s advice in earnest, Lucia raised her eyes, hesitated for a few seconds, and finally


    nodded her head.


    In any case, August was also Bill Mitchell''s favorite student, so she didn''t have to make a scene with


    him anyway.


    On the way sack from the hospital, Lucia thought about what her father said and unconsciously felt


    grateful for August.


    This time, August would have to be credited if the operation had been sessful.


    This mood continued until the next morning.


    For the first time, Lucia woke up early and prepped two fancy lunches using the lunchbox tutorial on


    her phone.


    Even though the Iunchbox seemed perfect, Lucia always felt something was missing.


    Sie thought about it for a long time and finally took out the ketchup and squeezed a smiley face on top


    of the fried egg.


    "Done!"


    Finally, she mmed the lid shut, put it in her lunch bag, packed everything up, and headed to work.


    The bento was prepared as a gift for August as a way of showing her appreciation.


    She rarely prepared lunch for herself, now she sacrificed her sleep time to prepare this exquisite


    lunchbox, which was enough to prove her sincerity.


    By noon, when the colleagues in the department had almost left, Lucia took the bento, went to the


    pantry, and heated it in the microwave. intending to deliver it directly to August.


    T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    After exiting the elevator, she had only taken a few steps when she heard two women talking together


    not far ahead.


    "This is such arge issue, who knows how it will be dealt with? The board held a meeting today to


    discuss it."


    "Mr.Stebbirg must be punished, considering the damage he caused to thepany.Why does the


    company¡¯s leadership not take a stand?"


    "That''s right, and I heard that Mike Rodriguez is Irene¡¯s uncle.Considering one is thepany''s top


    executive, the other the vice president, this is really a big deal!"


    As they talked to each other, Lucia walked behind them listening to what they were saying.It was clear


    to her what the situation was.


    She hadn''t known that Irene had such a rtionship with Mike Rodriguez, thepany''s finance


    manager, and it was no wonder Irene was so rampant in thepany.


    When she reached the president''s office, Lucia came back to her senses and saw that there was no


    one around at the door of the president''s office.


    As she approached the door, she raised her hand to knock.


    There was no answer inside, and sure enough, as she thought, August was not there.


    This was the least crowded time of day for thepany.


    Therefore, she decided to enter the office, put down the bento, and leave as soon as possible.


    Lucia pushed the door open, walked in quickly, put the lunch bag on August''s desk, set it right, and


    before she could turn around, there was a sound of footsteps at the door.


    She was so nervous that she turned around in a hurry, and when she saw the cool-faced August at the


    door, it was as if she had been caught red-handed doing something wrong, and her tongue tied in


    panic.


    "You...came back?"

 Chapter 132

    Chapter 132


    When Lucia turned around and saw August standing at the door, her back tensed and her body


    stiffened.She had speciallye with the lunchbox when there were few people so as not to bump into


    him, but unexpectedly, she was caught right in the middle of it.


    August was holding a document in his hand.


    When he saw her, he raised his eyes to nce at the lunch bag on his desk and asked with his lips


    parted, "What is it?"


    Lucia clenched her hands tightly and said casually, "Nothing special.I made too much bento this


    morning...so I brought you some."


    Hearing that, August looked a bit less cold.He stepped forward and took a nce at what was on his


    desk, asking, "You made bento? Since when did you start to do this?"


    Thest few times when he was at her ce, she had always slept until she woke up naturally in the


    morning, but today she got up early and prepared the bento.It was really like having the sune up in


    the west.


    Lucia could tell that the man was teasing her.


    Unable to argue, she just curled her lips and said, "If there''s nothing else, I''ll leave now."


    Seeing that the man had no reaction, she started to step outside, but before she reached the door, she


    thought of something and stopped.


    "By the way, what is thepany going to do about Ted?"


    Ted had been caught in bed with another woman by his wife Lilian Stebbing.


    The scandal was still a hot topic online and kept on making headlines.


    It was thest straw for the marriage between Ted and Lilian Stebbing, which existed in name only now.


    The Kellogg family was making noise about divorce and property division, and Ted hadn''t shown his


    face for days.


    August''s face darkened slightly when Ted was mentioned.


    After a few seconds, he said in a cold voice, "Thepany is checking the ounts of the Eastliner


    Trading.Ted''s current whereabouts are unknown.I''m sure he can''t stay at the Lion Group anymore."


    The Eastliner Trading was a subsidiary of the Lion Group.


    Lucia nodded thoughtfully when she heard his words.


    Thinking of lrene, who was also involved in this matter, she wanted to say something but stopped.


    August seemed to read her mind and said lightly, "Irene has been recuperating at home, and her uncle


    Mike has already handed in the resignation for her on ount of this matter."


    Hearing that, Lucia fell silent and said nothing about it.


    She turned to nce at the lunchbox on the desk, saying, "Remember to eat it while it''s warm."


    After that, she stepped out of the office.


    On the way back, Lucia was lost in thought.


    This time, things had gone very well.


    Ted and Irene used to give her a hard time, so they deserved what they had gotten, but she still felt


    there was something strange about it.


    Thinking that she still had a lot of work to do, Lucia couldn''t be bothered to think about anything else


    and hurried back to her department to work overtime.


    In the President''s Office, August walked to his desk and paused for a moment, looking at the lunch bag


    on the desk.


    After a few seconds, he put down the document in his hand and took out the lunchbox.


    When he lifted the lid, he saw the stupid smiley face made of ketchup.


    He frowned slightly and stared at that smiley face for a while before he moved his lips and uttered a


    word lightly.


    "Childish."


    Although he said so, his eyebrows were raised.


    At that moment, the door of the room was opened.


    Burton walked in briskly, carrying some packed food in his hand.


    "Mr.Adams, here''s your..."


    Before he finished his sentence, he saw the lunchbox on the desk and paused in confusion.


    "That..."


    Where did that lunchboxe from? August casually put the lid on and raised an eyebrow.


    The expression on his face was as calm as ever as if there wasn''t any change.


    "Someone gave it to me."


    Hearing that and looking at August, who was like a man head over heels in love, Burton curved his lips


    knowingly and said with a smile, "Bento with love from Miss Kelly, right?"


    When Burton said this, August''s face turned colder visibly and his eyes were cold when he looked at


    Burton.


    T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Burton felt a chill and shivered.He hurriedly stopped smiling, looked at the packed food in his hand and


    asked, "What about...this?"


    August gave him a cold nce and moved his lips, which had been tightly pursed.


    "You can have it."


    "Huh?"


    Burton looked awkward.His stomach was so full that it might explode if he stuffed all the food into it.


    August raised an eyebrow and asked, "Got a problem with that?"


    "No, no!"


    Burton didn''t hesitate anymore and immediately agreed.


    He did not dare to have a problem when he was asked to eat.


    Carter had to be away on business for a few days.


    When she left, the Administration Department was under the control of Lisa.


    She told everyone in the department to go to the meeting room for the weekly regr meeting, which


    wasn''t necessary and took the opportunity to make a show of her authority.


    That made many colleagues in the department unhappy.


    "Why, Carter has never been like this as the supervisor.Lisa is just a supervisor assistant.Who does


    she think she is to make us go to meetings and admonish us? She is so annoying!"


    "I know.I think Lisa has been trying so hard to hide her true face.She just can''t wait to show it when


    Carter isn''t here!"


    Two female colleagues whispered to each other andughed every now and then, without noticing that


    the one they were talking about was standing behind them.


    Lisa heard everything they said.She bit her lip and her face got increasingly sullen.She raised her


    hands, put them on the backs of their chairs and looked at them condescendingly.


    "Why? You''re so idle? Do you need more work?"


    When those two women turned around and saw her, they instantly turned pale with fear.


    "Li-Lisa..."


    Lisa frowned and turned the corners of her mouth upward in a false smile, asking, "Weren''t you talking


    about me just now? Why don''t you go on with it?"


    The two female colleagues were so frightened that their bodies trembled slightly.


    Now at this point, Lisa was thest one they could afford to offend.


    They would be in trouble.


    Lucia noticed the oppressive atmosphere in the public desk area when she passed by.


    Seeing Lisa questioning the two female colleagues in an unforgiving way, she wanted to go over and


    say something to stop Lisa.


    Just then, some sounds came suddenly from the other side.


    Emma was holding some documents in her hand.


    Her eyes were red, and she was wiping her tears while walking over.


    "We''re finished..."


    Seeing that, Lucia quickly went up to her and asked, "What''s wrong, Emma? Didn''t you go to the


    Finance Department for the budget?"


    Emma wiped her tears with grievances.


    "They didn''t approve it, saying our documents were iplete, but just now the Marketing Department


    went for a budget with the same documents and they approved it."


    The budget they needed to apply for this time was very important, because they had toplete a task


    for the quarterly assessment.


    If the Finance Department didn''t approve it, they would have no money to get the task done and fail to


    meet the standards of the departmental assessment.


    In that case, the quarterly bonus of the whole department would be gone.


    Upon hearing Emma say that the Finance Department didn''t approve the budget, those who had been


    a bit restless all stood up and gathered around,ing over to ask about what was going on.


    They were all extremely nervous.


    It was about the interests of the whole department, so they were naturally concerned.


    "Emma, what happened? Aren''t you on good terms with those from the Finance Department? Why


    didn''t they approve it this time?"


    "Yes, right.The bonus ising soon.What should we do if we get stuck because of this?"


    "I was nning to buy a ring for my wife with the bonus!"


    All the voices came together.


    Emma was already feeling bad, and when she heard what they said, she couldn''t stop her tears from


    falling.

 Chapter 133

    Chapter 133


    Seeing the situation, Lucia frowned.She stepped forward to stand directly in front of Emma and raised


    her hand to gesture to the group.


    "Be quiet.Please calm down, guys.Let''s find out what''s going on first."


    If they went on like this, the problem would not be solved no matter what they said.


    Hearing her words, the group got less and less noisy.


    In the end, everyone fell silent.


    Lucia looked at Emma and opened her mouth to ask, "Why didn''t the Finance Department approve it,


    Emma? Did they tell you the reason?"


    Emma held the documents in her hand and said in a low voice, "They said our documents were


    iplete."


    An impatient colleague next to her took the documents from Emma, checked them and said with a


    frown, "Iplete? Last month, we applied for a budget with the same documents when we needed to


    buy a batch of office supplies, and they approved it.Why wouldn''t they give us the money this time?"


    Other colleagues took the documents to check and echoed, "Yes, I did the same thing before!"


    Lucia took a look at the documents, feeling confused as well.


    They had been doing the same thing on a regr basis, and there was nothing wrong with it.


    "I think the Finance Department is doing this on purpose! They are finding quarrel in a straw, because


    they don''t want us to get the quarterly bonus!"


    "Come on! Let''s all go together and ask the Finance Department why they won''t give us the money!"


    With those words, the colleagues immediately agreed and they all tried to rush out.


    Lucia saw that things were not right.She frowned and hurriedly went forward to stop them.


    "Calm down, guys!"


    This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    If they really stormed over because of this matter, they would fall into trouble.


    Besides, thest thing thepany wanted was a conflict between departments, and it wouldn''t do


    them any good at work in the future!


    "Now it''s the Finance Department''s fault, but if we go over there like this, it''ll be our fault!"


    Lucia raised her voice and said that, and her colleagues fell silent.


    Guy said in the group, "We can''t just let the Finance Department bully us!"


    Lucia gritted her teeth and said in a serious manner, "But fighting and quarreling with them over there


    won''t solve the problem.If Carter were here, do you think she would allow you to do that?"


    They all got quiet as soon as Lucia mentioned Carter.


    Carter was not in thepany now.


    Some colleagues in the department were already in a restless mood, and they would get angry at the


    slightest thing.


    Seeing that they were all silent, Lucia took a deep breath and continued, "We should send someone to


    the Finance Department to talk to them at this time and ask why they won''t give us the money.If it''s


    really our problem, we''ll solve it as soon as possible."


    When she said that, some colleagues, who were somewhat sensible, nodded their heads in


    agreement.


    A female colleague who had always been close to Lisa looked at her and suggested, "Why don''t you


    go and ask, Lisa?"


    "Yes, Lisa, why don''t you go and see what''s going on?"


    Lisa had been hiding behind the group, and a trace of displeasure crossed her face when she was


    suddenly named.


    She took a nce at Lucia, looked down and flicked her freshly done nails without any concern, saying


    leisurely, "Why should I go? The Finance Department is not targeting me this time."


    Then, she stepped aside with an air of indifference.


    The others were puzzled and looked at each other.


    They didn''t understand what she meant.


    Lucia was also confused.


    However, Lisa had obviously looked over at her just now, so did she have something to do with this


    incident? Suddenly, her mind shed back to the conversation she overheardst time between those


    two female colleagues, who said that Irene was the niece of Mike, the General Manager of the Finance


    Department.


    Could it be that Mike found out about what had happenedst time, so he was deliberately using the


    business to put pressure on the Administration Department when he was actually targeting her? This


    idea crossed her mind, but Lucia did not have time to think carefully.


    At this point, she had to go to the Finance Department as a representative and find out what was going


    on if Lisa was not willing to do it.


    She took a deep breath, looked at her restless colleagues, and said, "I''ll go.You can get back to work,


    and I''ll tell you if I find out anything."


    The others were relieved to hear that she was willing to go.


    Emma was a bit hesitant and asked, "Lucia, do you want me to go with you?"


    Lucia smiled at her as if tofort her and said in a softer voice, "It''s okay.I''ll just go by myself.You can


    take a break."


    It was not a matter of how many people were there when it came to this kind of thing.


    After saying that, she took the documents from Emma, left her department and went to the Finance


    Department.


    Outside the Finance Department, she knocked on the door and went directly to the Supervisor''s Office


    to ask about what was going on.


    "David, I''m Lucia from the Administration Department.I''m here for..."


    Before she finished her words, David waved his hand straight away and said with an impersonal


    expression, "You''re here for the budget, right? I''ve already told your colleague.I can''t approve it


    because your documents are iplete."


    Seeing how impatient David was, Lucia looked down at the documents in her hand, took a deep breath,


    and asked patiently, "Our department has always done it with the same documents before and you''ve


    never said they were iplete, so why can''t you approve it this time?"


    David gave her a nce and said in a cold voice, "Because the management wasx before, but now


    the new rules stipte that all documents must beplete.If anything goes wrong, what are we going


    to tell thepany leaders?"


    Lucia gritted her teeth and continued to ask, "But the Marketing Department has gotten their budget


    approved with the same documents, why does the Administration Department..."


    David''s face darkened and he said harshly, "The Marketing Department is different from the


    Administration Department.Besides, you don''t even have the signature of your supervisor, so how can I


    approve it?"


    David wouldn''t budge no matter what she said.


    It was clear that he wouldn''t give them the money.


    Seeing that, Lucia frowned as she sensed that something was wrong.


    In the past, even if there were any minor problems, the departments wouldpromise with each


    other, but this time the Finance Department''s attitude was so resolute that she had to think more about


    it.


    Could it be that Mike had actually told David to make things difficult for them? Lucia gritted her teeth,


    not knowing what to do.


    Just then, David waved his hand and said, "You cane back when your supervisor signs them."


    Carter was away on a business trip and she wouldn''t return until dayster.


    If they failed to get their budget approved in time just because of that, they wouldn''t be able to


    complete their task and their quarterly bonus would be gone.


    Lucia was desperate.


    She looked at David and said word by word, "David, I think you know very well that if you don''t give us


    the money now, we won''t be able to finish the task and it will affect our quarterly bonus.Think about it,


    we have so many people in the whole Administration Department.They won''t be happy if the bonus is


    gone, will they?"


    "What does it have to do with me if they''re not happy?"


    Lucia took a deep breath, stepped forward, and stared squarely at David with her almond eyes.


    "They''ve been working hard for months and looking forward to the bonus.If I go back and tell them that


    the Finance Department will not approve the budget, maybe some of them will go to the President''s


    Office.If things get serious, Mr.Adams will definitely have it investigated.Then, it will affect the Finance


    Department, and maybe even the bonus of your department."


    It was obvious that David hadn''t expected Lucia to say that.


    He frowned and asked, "Are you threatening me?"


    Lucia turned the corners of her mouth upward in a faint smile.


    She looked quite sure and confident as she said, "No, I''m not, but I hope you can think about the


    interests of both departments.If anything goes wrong at this point, not only the Administration


    Department will suffer for it."


    David was no fool.


    When he heard what Lucia said, he knew that she would not give up, and he didn''t dare to put the


    quarterly bonus of the whole Finance Department at stake.


    Although his superior Mike told him to do that, he still had to consider what was more important at the


    moment.


    Seeing his expression, Lucia knew that David changed his mind, so she handed over the documents


    and curved her lips in a smile at him, "Thank you, David."

 Chapter 134

    Chapter 134


    David frowned.


    ncing at the woman in front of him, he was unsure of what to do.


    This Lucia was not as weak as Mike said, rather he felt she was couple hardness with softness, not


    easy to mess with.


    At this point, he had no reason to continue to make things difficult for Lucia, so he simply went along


    with Lucia''s words, "I''ll sign for you this time, but if you don''t have all the documents next time, it''s


    useless for you to say anything!"


    Lucia bowed slightly at him and promised, "Okay, thanks."


    After all the documents were approved, Lucia left the Finance Department, and her hand holding the


    documents was slightly hot.


    Just now she was also notpletely sure and she said to report to the President''s Office was just to


    test David.


    If it was like he said that this was all the leader''s request, he could never easilypromise.


    But in the end, hepromised, which meant that there was something wrong...


    Could it be that Mike had really instructed him to do this? Irene had suffered a loss this time but didn''t


    dare to speak up, so she definitely hated her and might say something in front of her family.


    If she said anything about her in front of Mike, Mike would definitely do something about her.


    But no matter what, the matter at hand was resolved.


    At least she had finished what her colleagues in the Administration Department had given her, and she


    could only be more careful in the future.


    When she returned to the Administration Department and just walked to the desk area, her colleagues


    stood up one by one and asked for the result.


    Lucia smiled at them and raised the documents in her hand, "Don''t worry, everyone, all the documents


    have been approved, but David from the Finance Department exined that our future documents will


    be approved only when they are full."


    Once they heard that the matter was resolved, everyone breathed a long sigh of relief and had smiles


    on their faces.


    Emma happily rushed over and shook Lucia''s arm, excitedly saying, "Lucia, you''re wonderful!"


    Several colleagues next to her also nodded in agreement, praising Lucia.


    On the other hand, Lisa stood in a corner position.


    Looking at Lucia who was surrounded by people, she scowled.


    She didn''t expect that Lucia would really go to the Finance Department and get things done as well as


    that she would be recognized by so many people.


    Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    Seeing that Lisa was not too happy, the female colleague standing next to Lisa, named Joanna,


    hastened tofort her, "Lisa, although she is in the limelight at this time, her workability is still not as


    good as yours and we all still recognize you the most!"


    Instead of making Lisa happy, these ttering words made her feel even more in danger.


    She stared straight at Lucia and said coldly, "I''m afraid it''s not that simple!"


    She always ordered takeaway and milk tea for her colleagues in the department, but she didn''t expect


    that in the end, such a small thing would make them change their opinion of Lucia, so she couldn''t be


    sure of what would happen in the future.


    By the time Carter was promoted, the position of supervisor in the department would definitely be either


    hers or Lucia¡¯s.


    She felt more and more threatened now.


    If she didn''t do something about it, sooner orter, that bitch Lucia would get a promotion and a raise


    instead of her! Lisa clenched her fist and looked at Lucia with a cold light under her eyes.


    Secretly gritting her teeth, she made up her mind that she would never let that daye! The next day,


    the task statistics for each department werepleted and everyone was relieved to know that the


    Administration Department''s tasks met the target.


    At this time, everyone was waiting for the bonus to arrive and the atmosphere in the whole department


    was much more pleasant than usual.


    After finishing the day''s work, Lucia picked up her phone and found that Pa had called her several


    times.


    Lucia nced at the time, and it was already time to leave work.


    Worried that something important was going on with Pa, Lucia called her back immediately.


    "Hello, Pa, what''s up?"


    "Let''s go out tonight.I met up with some of our college friends yesterday and we agreed to go out


    today.They all told me to ask you toe along and you cannot refuse me!"


    Listening to Pa''s excited voice on the other end of the phone, Luciaughed helplessly.


    When they were at school, Pa was one of the most yful and rowdy people in the ss.


    Nowadays, her fun-loving nature had not changed.


    Lucia thought about it, not wanting to make Pa unhappy.


    It was just as well that she didn''t have anything to do after work, so she simply agreed, "Fine, since


    you''ve said so, I''ll just have to go with you."


    "Okay, it''s a deal.I''ll pick you upter and we''ll go eat first!"


    After hanging up the phone, Lucia thought it would be a while before Pa came over, so she finished


    the month-end forms by hand.


    Then, she shut down herputer and went downstairs to thepany and didn''t wait for a while


    before a sleek red sports car drove by.


    The sound of the sports car''s engine roaring resoundingly, with thest sound rising, drew many


    people''s attention.


    Lucia was a little surprised when she looked up and saw Pa in the driver''s seat wearing a ck


    sequined halter dress with big curly hair.


    She walked up and eximed, "Pa, why are you so high-profile today?"


    Pa lifted her hand and pushed her sunsses, revealing a pair of seductive phoenix eyes.


    She smiled and said, "I''m meeting my old schoolmates today, so of course, I want to look good.


    Lucia, get in the car!"


    Lucia walked around the front of the car.


    As soon as she got into the car, Pa leaned over and lowered her voice, saying, "The point is that


    Gigi will be here tonight too."


    Only after hearing her say so did Lucia understand.


    Gigi was their schoolmate from a different ss in their year, and she was arrogant because she


    looked good and her family was well off, with her father a cadre in the city hall.


    Gigi had fallen in love with Pa''s boyfriend when in school and took the initiative to pursue him,


    sending him gifts and money, which led to Pa and her boyfriend breaking up.


    So, the two of them could be considered love rivals.


    As the saying goes, "Meeting rivals opens old wounds."Gigi took a high profile, and Pa naturally did


    not want to bepared to her.When the two of them met, there would be a fierce fight.


    When it came to Gigi, Pa stepped on the gas pedal and grunted, "Today I want to see if she is still


    as wild as before!"


    Luciaughed and advised her, "Come on, Pa, it''s all in the past."


    As she heard this, Pa''s eyes lit up and she suddenly thought of something, "Speaking of the past


    things, there is a maning today and he can be considered your old lover!"


    Old lover? Lucia froze.


    She had only had one rtionship with that scumbag Archibald, and who was her old lover? Before


    she could ask, Paughed and said, "That''s Kirk Dous, the study overlord who has been chasing


    you for three years."


    Hearing this name, Lucia first froze, and then searched her mind for this name.


    Kirk, the study overlord in their ss, was a loyal and upright person.He had been crushing on Lucia at


    first, butter she got together with Archibald, so he never showed his feelings to Lucia.


    From graduation to now, they had not seen each other for more than two years.

 Chapter 135

    Chapter 135


    Thinking about what happened earlier, Lucia wandered off a bit.


    Soon, she was pulled back to reality by Pa''s voice.


    "By the way, Lucia, I brought you a dress.Hurry up and change after dinnerter."


    "A dress?"


    Lucia, full of suspicion, looked down at the clothes she was wearing and asked in disbelief, "What''s


    wrong with my clothes?"


    The light lime V-neck shirt with the checkered bustier was much more mature than the jeans and T-shirt


    she had worn before.


    Pa took a nce at her clothes andughed out loud, "This is okay for work, but it''s too conservative


    for a nightclub?"


    When she heard the word "nightclub", Lucia subconsciously became a little nervous.


    Since childhood, under the instruction of Mrs.Mitchell and Mr.Mitchell, she had rarely been to such


    ces.


    At most, she was taken to the bar by others.


    Seeing Lucia''s frightened expression, Pa couldn''t help butugh, "Lucia, it''s already the 21st


    century.Why are you still so conservative in your thinking?"


    Hearing Pa''s mockery, Lucia was a little embarrassed and blushed, "No, I just don''t want to go!"


    Pa keptughing and betting with her, "Then let''s make a deal that you have to dance on stageter,


    or you''ll have to punish yourself with drinking three sses of wine!"


    When it came to this, it was useless for Lucia to refuse.She casually responded and immediately


    changed the subject, "Let''s go eat first and I''m starving."


    Pa pressed the gas pedal and the car immediately went faster.


    Soon, they arrived at the pre-booked restaurant.


    After the meal, Pa had to drag Lucia to the bathroom to change clothes, and Lucia had no choice


    but to change into a dress with a V-neckline that wasn''t too big, but as long as she bent over a little, her


    breasts could be exposed.


    The light skirt just covered the thighs, revealing her two long white legs.


    When she walked out of the bathroom, Lucia felt ufortable.She always wanted to reach out and


    tug at the hem of her skirt and cover her chest.


    Pa finally couldn''t stand it anymore and held her wrist firmly to keep her from moving, "Lucia, you


    don''t know how charming you are now, and be confident! When we see Gigiter, we both must be


    prettier than her, prettier than everyone!"


    Hearing Pa''s tone of voice, Lucia was amused tough out loud and she had to agree, "Fine, I''ll do


    whatever you want."


    She knew that Pa had been pent up with anger towards Gigi in her heart, and if she didn''t let it out,


    she would be unpleasant in the future.


    When the two of them walked out of the restaurant, more than 90% of the men''s eyes in the hall were


    stered on the two of them.


    The two beauties came out in pairs, one hot and mboyant, the other fresh and pleasant, which of


    course attracted the eyes.


    Ten minutester, the two of them arrived at their destination for the night - Wesco.


    This was the biggest nightclub in Austos City, with all kinds of ying items inside, a veritable ce to


    spend a lot of money.


    Standing outside the gate and looking at the brightly lit sign, Lucia was at a loss for words.


    After all, she was not much of a drinker, nor did she know how to y games, so she felt awkward


    going in.


    After taking a few steps, Pa turned her head and realized that Lucia was not followed, so she quickly


    turned back to pull Lucia and asked, "Lucia, you''re not regrettinging here with me?"


    "No, I''m just a little bit panicked."


    "Don''t be panicked and I''m with you.Hurry up and go.They''re all here!"


    This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    At that, Lucia knew she couldn''t refuse, so she followed Pa and went into Wesco.


    Once inside, they entered a dimly lit environment, with all kinds of shing-colored lights, electric


    music, and a group of handsome men and women writhing to the music in the middle of the dance


    floor.


    Pa pulled Lucia through several rows of couches and headed straight for thergest circr couch


    area at the far end.


    From a distance, Lucia saw a row of men and women sitting over there, and when she got closer, she


    found that they were her college schoolmates, among whom Gigi was sitting in the center, with a hot


    red dress and red lips, high-profile to the extreme.


    After looking up at Pa and Lucia, she proudly averted her eyes.


    When they arrived, they naturally became the center of attention.


    They hadn''t seen each other for more than two years, and all their former ssmates had changed a


    bit, but they all greeted them warmly.


    After the greeting, Pa pulled Lucia to two empty seats, coincidentally sitting across from Gigi.


    Just as Lucia sat down, a man sat down next to her and took the initiative to talk to her, "Lucia, long


    time no see."


    Lucia turned her head and was a little surprised to see Kirk next to her, but she smiled and replied,


    "Yes, it''s been over two years."


    Kirk was wearing a pair of gold-rimmed sses and was gentle and modest.


    He asked softly, "Why didn''t you attend the previous ss reunion? I even looked for your contact


    information afterward, but you''ve changed your number..."


    The reason she changed her number as soon as she graduated from college was that she broke up


    with Archibald, and she didn''t contact any of her ssmates except for the few who were close.


    Lucia replied casually without saying more.


    Seeing that, Kirk didn''t ask any more questions about what happened before.


    When she saw Lucia and Paing, and almost all the men''s eyes were drawn to them, stealing


    her thunder, Gigi, sitting across the table, was furious because today it was her who brought them


    together, and she should be the main character! Gigi''s expression changed and she grabbed a ss of


    wine from the table to pour it into her mouth.


    When Pa saw her angry action, she raised an eyebrow and smiled, deliberately flirting with her,


    "What''s wrong with you? Who pissed you off? Your nose is almost crooked"


    At that, Gigi scowled and red at her fiercely, "It''s none of your business."


    The two of them talked to each other sarcastically as if they had to win over each other when they met.


    Someone next to them persuaded them, "Come on, we are all schoolmates.Just have a drink together!"


    But Gigi didn''t listen to him at all.


    She raised an eyebrow, stared at Pa, and asked, "Pa, I heard that you were studying music


    abroad, and it''s been more than two years, but you haven''t made a name for yourself.Is it that the


    money outside is not good to earn, so you fled back home with your tail between your legs?"


    As soon as she heard it, Pa directly put down the ss in her hand not lightly, with her face somber.


    She developed well when she in abroad.She ever followed her mentor for two years and participated in


    several internationalpetitions, quite famous, but after she returned to China, the domestic


    environment was not very good, so she did not take any work these days.


    Now when Gigi mentioned it, Pa suddenly became angry.


    Looking at the woman in front of her with a disdainful and arrogant look, she stood up and


    condescendingly stared at her, "Gigi, aren''t you deliberately stirring up trouble?"


    Seeing that the atmosphere had be a little tense all of a sudden, Lucia on the side hurriedly


    reached out and pulled Pa''s hand, "Pa, calm down."


    Pa and she had not been here for ten minutes.


    If she really had a conflict with Gigi, it would be unpleasant for everyone.

 Chapter 136

    Chapter 136


    Hearing this, Pa suppressed the anger in her heart, red at Gigi coldly, and sat down again.


    Seeing the situation, the people around hurriedly pulled Pa and Lucia to y dice to ease the


    atmosphere.


    Kirk also came up and persuaded, "We''re here to have fun today.Don''t take it so seriously.Fun is the


    most important thing."


    When he said this, others immediately agreed, and the atmosphere gradually eased a lot.


    Fortunately, Pa was very yful.


    When it came to shaking the dice and drinking at the race, she immediately forgot the little episode just


    now and dragged Lucia to start ying with everyone.


    Originally there were only a few people.


    The more they yed, the louder their voices became, which attracted the people next to therm, and


    they joined in to y together.


    Gigi watched them shouting and ying.She wanted to join for a long time, but she just kept drinking


    unhappily because of Pa.


    "Gigi, why don''t we go and y too?"


    The woman sitting next to Gigi encouraged her to y, but Gigi''s face changed when she heard it, "You


    can go if you want!"


    With that, she got up angrily and walked toward the bathroom.


    If she had known that Pa woulde today, she wouldn''t havee herself.She was having no fun


    at all.


    When she came out of the bathroom, she saw from a distance that everyone in the circr sofa area


    had already formed a group and was rolling dice.She was even angrier.


    While Gigi was stomping her foot angrily, Lisa on the other side saw all her movements.


    Today, she invited a friend to y at Weske, but unexpectedly met an "old friend".She had noticed it


    when Lucia and Pa first came in.


    Coincidentally, she also knew Gigi.


    She was in the same yoga ss as her before.


    Seeing the situation just now, she roughly knew what was going on.


    Now, when she saw Gigi''s resentful expression, she nced at Lucia in the crowd, and a subtle cold


    light shed through her eyes.


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    Lisa took a deep breath, walked toward Gigi, and said with a smile, "Gigi, what a coincidence! I didn''t


    expect to meet you here."


    Gigi turned her head and saw Lisa.


    She put on a smile perfunctorily, and said casually, "Well, it''s indeed a coincidence."


    Seeing Gigi staring over there, Lisa smiled and said softly, "What''s more coincidental is that I didn''t


    expect you and Lucia to know each other."


    Hearing Lisa mention Lucia, Gigi froze and turned to look, "You know her?"


    "Of course, she''s my colleague and we''ve worked together for a long time."


    Lisa raised her eyebrows and said, "Lucia is so attractive.Almost all the male colleagues in our


    company like her, and even the vice president takes care of her a lot.I didn''t expect you to know each


    other.Well, as they say, beautiful girls are always friends."


    Lisa''s words sounded like apliment at first, but Gigi¡¯s face darkened a bit.


    When Lucia came just now, she felt unhappy.


    In college, Lucia was low-key and mediocre, and her appearance was innocent at best.She hadn''t


    expected that two years after graduating, Lucia would bepletely different from before.She was


    instinctively displeased with those women who threatened her.


    Now seeing Lucia stealing her thunder, she was even more disgusted with her.


    Seeing Gigi''s face, Lisa secretly sneered and continued to stir up trouble, "To be honest, I envy


    Lucia.She is an innocent, kind, and charming girl.Most men like her.Am I right, Gigi?"


    The corners of Gigi¡¯s mouth twitched, and she raised her eyes and nced at Lisa coldly.She didn''t


    bother to talk to Lisa anymore and walked away.


    Watching Gigi walk away, Lisa sneered.


    Although she had only taken a few lessons with Gigi, she already knew her temperament very well.She


    was arrogant and presumptuous, and she would never allow others to be better than her.


    Now, she didn''t need to do anything.


    Lucia would suffer.


    When Gigi came back there, Lucia happened to lose the game.


    Pa took the lead in joking and insisted that Lucia go dancing on the stage in the middle of the dance


    floor.


    "Lucia, hurry up.On the way here, you promised me.How can you break your word?"


    "Yes, Lucia, don''t be a sore loser!"


    "Otherwise you''d have to drink three, no, six shots! Kirk can''t drink it for you this time!"


    The crowd kept shouting.


    Lucia knew she couldn''t escape, so she raised her hands and surrendered, "Okay, I''ll go dance."


    She knew all too well that this was all deliberately done by her friend Pa.


    Pa knew that she was dancing out of tune, and Pa insisted on her going up there and making a


    fool of herself.


    Pa danced with excitement, "Come on, go and show us.Get your phone ready!"


    Seeing this, Gigi snorted coldly and followed to the dance floor.


    Lucia got on the stage reluctantly.


    Compared with the five or six of the most professional and energetic men and women dancing, she


    was like a clumsy duck with her limbs moving stiffly.


    Pa was out of breathughing below, and tears came out.


    At this moment, Gigi went on stage and walked to Lucia¡¯s side deliberately, twisting her soft waist to the


    music flexibly.


    In contrast, Lucia''s movements were even more rigid.She was so uneasy that she didn''t know where to


    put her hands and feet.


    Seeing Lucia''s clumsiness, Gigi sneered proudly.She was a professional.


    How could she miss this good opportunity to beat Lucia? Seeing Lucia move to the edge, Gigi turned


    cold.She gritted her teeth, deliberately tilted her body, and squeezed over there.


    At this time, if she could see Lucia fall off the stage with her own eyes, she would be happier! When


    Lucia was pushed by her, she stepped back and missed her foot.


    When she was about to fall off the stage, she subconsciously stretched out her hands and grabbed the


    closest thing to her, and then she was able to stand firm.She let out a long sigh of relief.


    But as soon as she released her hands, she suddenly felt that the atmosphere was not right.


    When she raised her eyes, she saw Gigi''s blushing face next to her, and she was staring fiercely at her.


    She was a little puzzled.


    Half a secondter, she lowered her eyes and saw what she had just grabbed.


    Her face went pale.


    What she grabbed just now was the ruffles of Gigi''s off-the-shoulder top! With her tugging just now, a


    large piece of Gigi''s off-the-shoulder clothes was ripped off, revealing her pasties! Lucia¡¯s mind went


    nk.


    Before Gigi lost her temper, she quickly pulled her clothes up to cover her breasts and said repeatedly,


    "I''m sorry! I didn''t..."


    Before she could finish her sentence, Gigi raised her hand and pped her.


    At the critical moment, she took a step back to avoid Gigi''s hand.


    Gigi gritted her teeth angrily.


    Just now, Lucia ripped her clothes off on stage.


    There were so many people in the audience.


    Many of them had recorded the scene! She was so humiliated.


    "Lucia, did you do it on purpose?!"


    Gigi stepped forward aggressively and was about to raise his hand when two male old ssmates


    jumped up on the stage to stop her.


    Pa saw that something was wrong, and quickly pulled Lucia down and blocked her.


    Lucia was frightened.


    She hadn''t expected such a situation to happen at all.She just acted subconsciously.


    If she had known this would happen, she would rather fall off the stage than pull Gigi''s clothes! But


    now, at this juncture, what should she do?

 Chapter 137

    Chapter 137


    Their old ssmates noticed that the situation was not optimistic, and they persuaded Pa and Lucia,


    "Pa, take Lucia to the sit down first, and we will persuade Gigi first."


    Hearing this, Pa nodded immediately and took Lucia to the sofa.


    Lucia''s palms were sweaty, and she felt so uneasy, "Pa, am I in trouble?"


    "With Gigi''s character, she will not let go easily.Don''t be afraid.No matter what happens, I will stand by


    you!"


    Hearing her say this, Lucia was moved a bit.But at this time, she also had a hunch that this matter


    would not be solved easily.


    Back in the sofa area, Lucia looked at the crowd gathering there from a distance and felt very anxious.


    A few minutester, after discussing it, everyone suddenly dispersed.


    Gigi turned around and walked towards the door angrily.


    Lucia was stunned for a moment, feeling puzzled.


    Could it be that Gigi just left? She was wondering what was going on when Kirk suddenly strode


    towards her with a serious face, "Lucia, hurry up and leave.Gigi just said she wouldn''t let you go!"


    Before Lucia could speak, Pa asked, "What is she going to do?"


    Kirk frowned deeply and said, "She went to call bodyguards."


    Lucia froze.


    When she raised her head again, she found that Gigi had returned.She walked towards her


    aggressively, followed by two tall and big bodyguards.


    Pa cursed in anger, "Damn! What does she want?!"


    Before they could react, Gigi came over.She stared at Lucia and signaled to the two bodyguards


    through gritted teeth, "It''s her!"


    The bodyguards stepped forward and tried to grab Lucia.


    Kirk immediately stepped forward, "What do you want to do?!"


    Pa also hurriedly protected Lucia, ring at Gigi, and said, "Gigi, what are you doing? It''s not like


    you have never worn a bikini.She didn''t do it on purpose!"


    Gigi red at her and said, "Pa, shut up! Or I''ll catch you too!"


    Seeing that the situation was wrong, Lucia took a deep breath, looked at Gigi, and said, "Gigi, I''m sorry


    for what happened just now.I didn''t do it on purpose.I sincerely apologize to you.I''m sorry"


    She bowed to Gigi.She was willing to apologize and roll with the punches.


    But Gigi didn''t buy it at all.


    She directly signaled to the two bodyguards next to her.


    They immediately stepped forward, pushed Kirk and Pa away, and held Lucia down.


    Seeing this situation, Pa immediately lost her temper and shouted at the bodyguards, "Let go! Let


    go!"


    But she was a woman after all.


    The bodyguard pushed her aside with a wave of his hand.


    Pa gritted her teeth, looked at their ssmates who were standing by and watching indifferently, and


    shouted at them, "We were ssmates.Can''t you help us?!"


    Those male ssmates, who had been courting them just now, flinched and refused to step forward.


    Everyone knew that Gigi''s father was a powerful official.


    So naturally, they didn''t dare to openly confront her at this time.


    At this moment, Kirk suddenly stepped forward, looked at Gigi with a serious face, and said word by


    word, "Gigi, we are alumni.There is no need to make a scene.Lucia is willing to apologize to you.Why


    don''t you just let go?"


    Gigi snorted coldly and refused to let go, "Why let go? It''s not you who was stripped! I''m a virgin!"


    Seeing this situation, Lucia knew that Gigi was willing to let her go today.


    She gritted her teeth and saw Pa clenching her fists, and quickly advised, "Pa, don''t be


    impulsive."


    At this time, if Pa wanted to rescue her, it would be impossible.She looked at Gigi, gritted her teeth,


    and said, "Gigi, what do you want to do? Just say it."


    Gigi raised her eyebrows and nced at her coldly, "Take off your clothes!"


    When Pa heard this, she couldn''t hold back anymore, "What! Gigi, you''re going too far!"


    Lucia was wearing a dress.


    If she took it off, she would be almost naked.It was so humiliating! Lucia''s face turned pale.


    Before she could speak, someone rushed over.


    Kirk rushed to her, red at Gigi, and said, "I won''t allow you to touch her!"


    "Get over yourself!"


    A sarcastic smile appeared on Gigi''s face, "You can''t even protect yourself, and you want to help


    others!"


    She raised her chin towards a bodyguard.


    The bodyguard took the hint and kicked Kirk''s calf directly from behind.


    Kirk was kicked to the ground.


    Before he could react, the bodyguard punched him hard.


    Seeing the scene in front of her, Lucia was immediately dumbfounded, and she quickly said,


    "Don''t...don''t fight!"


    Kirk was trying to protect her.But she was now controlled by the other bodyguard, and she couldn''t stop


    it at all.


    Pa''s face changed with anger.She went to stop and was pushed away.


    Kirk was beaten so badly that he had no power to fight back, and his face was red and swollen.She


    yelled at Gigi, "Gigi, you''re bullying us when we''re outnumbered.Shame on you! Why don''t you and I


    fight it out?!"


    Gigi smiled arrogantly and raised her eyebrows, "You can call for reinforcements too."


    "Damn!"


    Pa cursed.


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    In the situation just now, she had not expected that those ssmates would sit by and watch.She didn''t


    think of calling for reinforcements.She took out her phone and looked up the address book.


    The first thing that shed in her mind was Paul.


    But if Paul knew that she brought Lucia to such a ce, she would be scolded and grounded.She


    froze, and someone''s face suddenly shed across her mind.She found the phone number and made a


    call without saying a word.


    As soon as the call was connected, she immediately said, "The second request,e to Weske! Lucia


    and I are in trouble!"


    As soon as she finished it, the phone in her hand was snatched away by the person next to her.


    As soon as she turned her head, she saw Gigi holding her phone and hanging up.


    Gigi nced at her with a sneer and said coldly, "You can only call one person and say a few words.We


    will continue if no one shows up within 20 minutes."


    Now that she saw how helpless and anxious Lucia and Pa were while waiting, she found it much


    more interesting than direct action.


    "You!"


    Just as Pa was about to say something, a bodyguard walked over directly and approached her.She


    fell silent.


    On the other side, Burton was holding his phone after being hung up on, feeling confused.


    August, who was sitting in the back, raised his eyes and said, "Girlfriend?"


    When Burton was asked, he froze subconsciously, "No...No, it''s Ms.Mitchell''s good friend.You''ve seen


    her before."


    Hearing this, August pursed his lips and asked, "What did she say?"


    Burton answered truthfully, "She said she and Ms.Mitchell are in trouble.She asked me to go to


    Weske."


    August froze, and his face changed slightly Lucia? Weske? How dare she go to that kind of ce?


    What was she thinking? August''s face darkened.


    He looked at Burton with cold eyes, andmanded in a deep voice, "Go to Weske."

 Chapter 138

    Chapter 138


    On the first floor of Weske, in the circr sofa area in the northeast corner, a group of people was


    silently confronting each other.


    Such a situation often happened in nightclubs.


    When there was no big movement, it did not prevent other people from continuing to drink and have


    fun.


    Gigi stared at the watch on her wrist and saw that twenty minutes had passed.


    She smiled coldly and nced up at Lucia and Pa, who was being controlled by the bodyguards.


    She said, "Twenty minutes are up.The game begins."


    Pa was forced to sit on the sofa by a bodyguard.


    She was burning with anger when she saw the smug smile on Gigi''s face.


    Burton had agreed to let her make three requests.


    Now, this was the second one, and he didn''te here right away! She was wrong to pin all her hopes


    on him! Lucia took a deep breath, looked at Pa who was sulking beside her, and said to her in a low


    voice, "Pa..."


    Seeing Pa turn her head, Lucia immediately winked at her.


    At this time, if they couldn''t bring reinforcements, they could only figure out a way on their own.


    It seemed the best thing to do now was to leave as quickly as possible.


    They had to give it a try, though they would be certainly called quitters.


    The two were good girlfriends who had known each other for several years.


    With a wink, they understood each other''s intentions.


    At this time, they didn''t care whether it was embarrassing or not.


    As long as they could escape, it would be worth it.


    Revenge is a dish best served cold after all.


    Pa gave Lucia a slight nod.


    The two of them reached an agreement and turned around in unison, looking for an opportunity to run


    away.


    But they seemed to underestimate Gigi¡¯s bodyguards.


    Just as they were about to stand up, they were firmly pushed back into the sofa by the bodyguards.


    Lucia''s head hit the sofa cushion unexpectedly, and it hurt a bit.


    Before she could react, Gigi, who was standing beside her, sneered, "You want to run? No way!"


    A gloomy look shed in her eyes.


    She pointed at Lucia and motioned to the bodyguards, "Go ahead and tear her clothes off for mel!"


    She had been waiting for this moment for more than 20 minutes, and naturally, she would not let her


    go! Hearing her words, Lucia was startled.


    Before she could react, she was picked up directly.


    When she saw the bodyguard''s thick and rough hands reaching toward her, she shuddered and


    subconsciously reached out to push him away.


    But there was a huge disparity in strength between men and women.


    She was no match for a bodyguard after all.


    Her hands were pinned directly behind her back.


    Seeing that the bodyguard was about to grab her clothes, Lucia gritted her teeth, opened her mouth,


    and directly bit his hand.


    As soon as she exerted force, the bodyguard''s face turned pale, and his arms holding her wrists were


    consciously released.


    At the same time, Pa also got into a fight with the bodyguard, pinching and pulling, using all female


    defensive tactics.


    That was what August and Burton saw as they walked through Weske''s hall.


    Seeing that, Lucia, who had always been timid and cowardly, was now fighting with a big man with all


    her strength, August felt a little nervous, and he immediately strode up.


    When he approached, Lucia happened to be caught by the bodyguards again.


    Because of the struggle just now, her hair was scattered on both sides of her face, and the small V-


    neck of her clothes was also skewed to one side, revealing half of her corbone.


    She was just like a little angry wild cat.


    Seeing the bodyguard squeeze Lucia''s wrists, August suddenly turned cold and angry.


    But on his face, except for the slightly pursed lips, he was as cold and calm as ever.


    He walked straight towards them.


    The bodyguard was the first to feel something wrong.


    When he raised his head, he saw a tall man with a handsome face.


    He couldn''t help but be stunned.


    He was a bodyguard of the Thomas Family.


    He had seen many big shots on important asions.


    Seeing this man, he could directly feel the coldness and strength emanating from him, which made him


    somewhat intimidated.


    Lucia raised her head and saw August as well.


    She was surprised and delighted.


    She blurted out, "August..."


    Why was he here? August nced at her and soon looked at the bodyguard again.


    His eyes were tough and sharp, with a subtle cold light that made people shudder.


    He pursed his lips and said in a low and deep voice, "Let her go."


    T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    The bodyguard hesitated and subconsciously turned his head to look at Gigi on the side, waiting for her


    order.


    But before Gigi could speak, he felt his wrist being caught by a huge force, and his bones were going to


    be crushed.


    He cried in pain, and quickly let go of Lucia.


    He stepped back and broke free from the powerful hand.


    Unexpectedly, this man had such a pair of strong hands.


    Even a skilled bodyguard like him couldn''t stand it! August stared at him coldly, took a step forward,


    and pulled Lucia to his side without a word.


    He lowered his head and nced at Lucia quickly.


    When he saw the red mark on her wrist, he frowned, "Injured?"


    Lucia hadn''t recovered from the shock just now.


    When he looked at her, she quickly put her hands behind her back, and hesitantly said, "No, it''s fine."


    She suddenly thought of her friend Pa.


    She looked up and found that Burton was standing in front of Pa to protect her.


    Gigi hadn''t expected that someone would suddenly show up to protect the two women at thest


    moment.


    She gritted her teeth angrily, and her face was a little distorted.


    She rushed over angrily, and shouted hysterically at August, "Who are you? Don''t you know the


    rules?!"


    August nced at her lightly, as if he didn''t take her seriously at all.


    At this moment, Burton suddenly took Pa to Lucia''s side and whispered in August''s ear, "Mr.Adams,


    she''s from the Thomas Family, the daughter of Andrew Thomas."


    This reminder made August pause for a moment.


    The next second, he raised his eyes calmly, looked at Gigi, and said, "I''m taking them away."


    He didn''t want to talk nonsense with her.


    He didn''t want to waste time on this kind of thing.


    Before Gigi could answer, he was about to turn around and leave.


    "How dare you!"


    Gigi said in an arrogant and domineering voice.


    She stepped forward aggressively, directly blocking their way, "Who do you think you are to take them


    away?"


    With her identity, many people ttered her, but hepletely ignored her.


    How could she easily put up with it? Lucia was blocked by August.


    Seeing Gigi refuse to let them go, she felt a little flustered.


    August turned around, looked directly at Gigi, and said solemnly, "Miss Robbers, what do want to do?


    You told the two bodyguards to beat the two women.


    Don''t you feel ashamed?"


    Hearing his words, Gigi blushed.


    She gritted her teeth angrily and said, "You have no idea what they did to me!"


    When Pa heard what she said, she immediately said, "Lucia just identally pulled your clothes.


    It''s not that she didn''t apologize to you.


    What else do you want?"


    Hearing Pa say so, Lucia quickly nudged her, winked at her, and motioned her to shut up.


    At this time, the situation was already bad enough.


    If Gigi continued to irritate Gigi, it would be even more difficult to solve the problem.

 Chapter 139

    Chapter 139


    Pa took the hint.


    Although she was reluctant, she listened to Lucia and shut her mouth.


    But Gigi''s face darkened even more.


    She gritted her teeth and said, "Pa, don''t be so cocky! Lucia, it''s not the end of it!"


    With that, she turned to look at a bodyguard next to her, and ordered coldly, "A-Chung, call someone!"


    Today, she would like to see what Lucia and Pa were capable of! As soon as Gigi said that she was


    going to call someone, Lucia felt a little flustered.


    It was originally a trivial matter.


    She hadn''t expected to get both August and Burton involved.


    Gigi would not back down.


    In this case, it would be more serious if the two sides were deadlocked.


    Lucia was unsure of August''s intentions.


    She was a little flustered, and subconsciously tugged at his shirt.


    August lowered his eyes, saw the worry in her eyes, and calmly reassured, "It''s okay."


    With him there, nothing would happen to her.


    Seeing his deep eyes, Lucia suddenly calmed down a bit.


    She took a deep breath, then reached out and gently held Pa''s hand.


    At this moment, August stepped forward, stared at the arrogant and domineering Gigi, and said


    solemnly, "Miss Robbers, just bring it on."


    Even if she called in four or five more bodyguards, they probably would be no match for him and


    Burton.


    Gigi nced at him coldly and didn''t answer at all.


    Instead, she looked at the bodyguard next to her and urged impatiently, "Hurry up and call them! Tell


    them toe over!"


    The bodyguard A-Chung held the phone and hesitated, "Miss Robbers, do you want me to call?"


    He didn''t know what August''s identity was, but just by looking at his posture, he could tell that he was a


    man of background.


    If he let Gigi make a big deal out of it, he was afraid Mr.Robbers would be mad.


    A lot of things happened in one night.


    Gigi lost her mind with anger.


    She stepped forward angrily and snatched the phone from A-Chung''s hand, "If you don''t call, I will!"


    Suddenly, at this moment, a male voice came from the side, "Wait a minute!"


    Hearing this voice, everyone turned around, and Lucia was no exception.


    When she followed the sound and saw the personing, she was a little surprised.


    It turned out to be him.


    After looking at the smiling man in the wheelchair, Lucia retracted her gaze and subconsciously looked


    at August beside her.


    As expected, his face instantly became gloomier, and he stared sharply at the man in the wheelchair.


    It was his younger brother Bishop.


    Bishop was sitting in a wheelchair pushed by Bob.


    With a slightly friendly and harmless smile on his face, he looked at Gigi.


    Gigi seemed a little surprised, and her expression softened, "Bishop, why are you here?"


    "At the invitation of a friend, I went upstairs to talk about something.


    I didn''t expect to meet you here."


    He turned to look at August and Lucia, and greeted him with a chuckle, "Hello, August, my dear


    brother."


    A trace of impatience shed in August''s eyes, and he stared coldly at Bishop without responding.


    Bishop didn''t seem to care much about his reaction.


    He smiled at Lucia, and then looked at Gigi.


    When Gigi heard August''s name, her eyes widened in surprise, and she asked, "He...is August?"


    Bishop nodded slightly and persuaded softly, "Gigi, this is my eldest brother, and next to him is my


    friend.Today, could you let it go for my sake?"


    His smile was innocent and friendly, and his words were measured and polite.


    It was just right in every way, making people feel embarrassed to refuse him.


    As expected, when Gigi heard his words, she nced at Lucia coldly, hesitated for a moment, relented,


    and agreed, "Okay, Bishop, since you asked, I will let it go!"


    Hearing her say this, Lucia was surprised and couldn''t help but nce at Bishop a few more times.


    It seemed that the two of them had an unusual rtionship.


    At this moment, August turned his head indifferently, and his voice was as cold as ever.


    He nced at Burton, andmanded, "Let''s go."


    Lucia was stunned.


    Bishop came forward to settle this matter after all.


    Wasn''t it rude for August to leave like this? While hesitating, she raised her head and saw Kirk standing


    on the side.


    She suddenly realized that he had been standing by her side the whole time! Just now Kirk was beaten


    up by the bodyguards to protect her.


    His nose was bruised and his face was swollen, and he almost fainted.She was surprised he hadn''t


    left.


    Kirk was looking at her hesitantly.


    He wanted to get closer to her but hesitated.


    Lucia took a deep breath, and quickly stopped August, "Wait...wait a minute.I still have something to


    do."


    August paused, nced back at her, and said solemnly, "What''s the matter?"


    Lucia took a deep breath and didn''t answer.


    She looked at Pa and said softly, "Kirk was beaten just now.We have to take him to the hospital."


    After she mentioned this, Pa suddenly realized Kirk was still here.


    "Yes, he saved you after all.He was so brave!"


    Pa turned her head to nce at Burton behind her, and her voice deliberately became serious,


    "Wait."


    She took Lucia and walked toward Kirk quickly.


    Seeing Lucia, Kirk forced a smile on his swollen face and said, "Lucia, are you okay?"


    Lucia said solemnly, "I''m fine, but you have to go to the hospital immediately."


    The bodyguards had beaten him up, which was not something ordinary people could withstand.


    Kirk forced a smile and said bitterly, "Lucia, I''m sorry I couldn''t protect you."


    He had always been sincere to Lucia.


    But he realized the difference between himself and others when he saw August show up to protect her


    just now.


    Lucia smiled at him andforted him, "You have done a good job.Thank you."


    At this time, Pa had chosen a boy from her ssmates who had not left and asked him to take Kirk


    to the hospital.


    At this point, Kirk didn''t refuse.He nced at Lucia reluctantly and gave her his business card before


    he left.


    After the arrangement was made, Lucia breathed a sigh of relief.


    As soon as she turned around, she met August''s stern eyes.


    There was a bit of obvious displeasure on his face.


    Seeing her turn back, he calmly looked away.


    Lucia was surprised, wondering who had provoked him.


    Just as they were about to leave, Bishop drove the wheelchair closer and said, "Lucia."


    Lucia turned around and saw him smiling gently at her.She politely smiled back.She hadn''t seen him


    for a while.


    At this meeting, she could feel that his mental state was much better.


    Bishop still wanted to say something to her.


    But when he saw August walking over, he fell silent, and turned to look at him, "August..."


    A look of coldness shed in August''s eyes.


    This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    He lifted his chin slightly, pursed his lips, and said in an extremely cold voice, "Don''t call me that."


    His crisp and ruthless answer seemed to hurt Bishop.


    Bishop looked a little sad, "You still won''t forgive me?"

 Chapter 140

    Chapter 140


    Lucia stood aside.


    Hearing the strange conversation between them, she became more and more curious.


    Even if August and Bishop were not real brothers, their rtionship should not be as strained as it was


    now.


    August''s eyes were dark and cold.


    He didn''t answer, but asked nonchntly, "Bishop, you don''t have to pretend in front of me."


    With that, he turned around and left quickly without hesitation.


    Burton nced at Pa next to him and followed silently.


    Lucia looked at Bishop in the wheelchair and smiled at him awkwardly.


    Then she took Pa, who was confused and turned to leave.


    After walking a few steps away, Pa finally came to her sense.


    She looked at Lucia curiously and asked in a low voice, "Lucia, is that August''s younger brother just


    now?"


    Lucia nodded slightly and remained silent.


    "Damn!"


    Pa sighed, "His younger brother in the wheelchair is so gentle and handsome! He even helped us


    out.He looks like a good person! Why did August treat him like that?"


    Lucia took a deep breath and said softly, "I don''t know much about the Adams family.Pa, don''t talk


    nonsense in front of August."


    She had experienced it herself and she could understand.


    August was reluctant to say much about his younger brother.


    If Pa brought it up abruptly, he would probably be mad.


    After leaving Weske, the atmosphere was less tense.


    Pa sighed and couldn''t help but say, "I didn''t expect to fall into Gigi''s hands today! Well, just thinking


    about it makes me angry."


    "It''s all over.Don''t think about it anymore."


    Lucia patted Pa''s back andforted her.


    When she looked up, she saw August and Burton walking not far ahead, and suddenly thought of


    something, "Oh, Pa, are you familiar with Burton?"


    Thest time she was trapped in the bathroom of the box by Ted, Pa had brought Burton to rescue


    her.


    She forgot to askst time, but this time Pa called Burton again and even brought August.


    When suddenly asked this question, Pa looked a little awkward and she quickly denied, "I''m not


    familiar with him.I''ve only met him a few times!"


    Lucia was even more confused, "You met a few times? Have you met in private?"


    Under her repeated questioning, Pa blushed and faltered, which made Lucia wonder.


    Pa said, "Of course not.Lucia, don''t think too much!"


    Seeing that her usual carefree friend was blushing now, Lucia couldn''t help but want tough.She had


    just discovered an inexplicable ambiguity between Pa and Burton, but she hadn''t expected it to be


    true.


    "Alright, I will stop."


    Lucia smiled and walked forward.She looked up and saw August standing beside the car waiting for


    them.She stopped smiling and saw Burton walking over.


    Burton walked to Pa''s side and said softly, "I''ll take you home."


    Pa cast a sideways nce at him, and refused bluntly, "No, thanks.I''m with Lucia."


    When she finished it, she looked up and saw August staring at them not far away.


    She suddenly realized something, turned her head quickly, and looked at Lucia, "Lucia, are you leaving


    with him?"She felt like a third wheel.


    Lucia took a deep breath, looked at Pa, and said softly, "Pa, let Burton take you back.You drank


    just now and can''t drive anymore."


    Hearing her words, Pa remembered that she had drunk alcohol.


    She nced at Burton beside her, and then agreed unhappily, "Okay."


    Watching Pa and Burton left, Lucia breathed a sigh of relief and then walked toward August.She


    knew very well that he had deliberately asked Burton to take Pa away so that she would be left


    alone.


    He probably had something to tell her.


    When she walked to the car, August had already gotten into the car.


    Lucia gritted her teeth and followed.


    The car door was closed, isting the outside world.


    The car was silent, and Lucia could almost hear her heartbeat.


    August didn''t say anything.


    He started the car neatly.


    He was driving fast and it didn''t take long before they arrived at the gate of Lucia''s apartmentplex.


    Along the way, neither of them spoke, and the atmosphere was awkward and strange.


    After suffering all the way, when they finally reached the gate of themunity, Lucia secretly breathed


    a sigh of relief, and quickly said, "Here I am.I''m sorry for causing you trouble today."


    With that, she stretched out her hand to push the car door.


    But as soon as her hand touched the car door, he pressed her left hand.


    She turned her head and met August''s deep eyes.


    She couldn''t help feeling a little flustered.


    He said lightly, "Lucia, an apology should at least be sincere."


    His eyes were sharp and intimidating.


    She could feel August''s suppressed emotions and faint anger, but she didn''t know how to deal with it,


    let alone why he was angry.


    Was it because of her? Or Bishop? Or both? She couldn''t see through.


    Lucia bit her lips and took a deep breath, "Well, how are you going to calm down?"


    August tightened his grip on her wrist suddenly, and stared at her with dark eyes, "You know I''m


    angry?"


    Lucia looked at the angry mes in his eyes and nodded slightly.


    August pursed his lips tightly and said solemnly, "Then tell me, why am I angry?"


    Lucia took a deep breath and mustered her courage, "Because I caused you trouble...and you bumped


    into Bishop."


    When he heard this, his face darkened a bit.


    Indeed, he was angry partly because of Bishop.


    But he was angry mostly because she was bold enough to go to ces like Weske in a revealing dress


    and cared about another man before she left! He frowned, stared at his innocent eyes, and said coldly,


    "Stupid!"


    Lucia was scolded for no reason.


    She was a little angry, "Did I say something wrong? Then tell me, why are you angry?"


    Suddenly being provoked, August became even angrier.


    She was indeed a little wild cat! She was sharp when she got angry.


    What was more, when she got angry, she lifted her chin high, revealing her slender and white neck as


    well as the beautiful curves of her breasts.


    August''s heart tightened, and then he felt a rush of heat rising in his body, and even his throat was a


    little tight.


    After meeting her, he felt his self-control was getting worse and worse, and he was turned on at such a


    time! Looking at her stubborn eyes, August frowned.


    He let go of her wrist, turned around, started the car, and drove into themunity.


    Lucia was stunned for a moment and then quickly said, "What are you doing?"


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    Was he going to her small apartment again? Seeing that August didn''t mean to stop and drove directly


    to the building where she lived, she was even more flustered, "August, what on earth are you going to


    do?"


    August didn''t speak.


    He drove the car downstairs, parked it, and then turned around.


    He slowly approached her, and the distance between them narrowed inch by inch.


    His eyes were deep and his voice was indifferent and domineering, "Lucia, what do you think I''m going


    to do?"


    What was he going to do? Didn''t she know it?

 Chapter 141

    Chapter 141


    Inside the small car, the atmosphere suddenly became subtle.


    Lucia''s throat tightened a little when she saw his direct and burning gaze.She dodged his eyes and


    said falteringly, "I don¡¯t know..."


    Before she could finish her sentence, he approached her.


    As August got closer, she backed away a little.


    Even though there was no way to retreat, she still tried her best to move her head back.But there was


    such a limited ce in the car.


    Even if she retreated, she couldn''t escape from his range.


    Under his intent gaze, she blushed.


    "You...you go away!"


    She pushed him away with all her strength and said angrily.


    When Lucia met his deep eyes, she felt flustered and ashamed.She knew Jeanne''s existence, but just


    now she didn''t reject August.


    Lucia looked away, pretending to be calm, "You have a girlfriend.We should keep our distance."


    Hearing the word "girlfriend", August turned cold and pursed his lips unhappily.


    An inexplicable sense of irritability rose in his heart.


    He turned his head, looked ahead, and said coldly, "Get out of the car."


    Lucia was stunned for a moment.She turned her head to look at him and realized that he was asking


    her to leave.She reacted, took a deep breath, and pushed open the door to get out of the car.


    The moment the door was closed, the car immediately started and it just drove away without stopping.


    Lucia stood there.


    Watching the car disappear, she somehow felt empty in her heart.He was the one who came to save


    her in the first ce, turned against her, and left in the end.


    Lucia couldn''t understand his temper more and more.


    But what was even stranger was that her emotions would be affected so much by him.


    Taking a deep breath, Lucia withdrew her gaze, turned around, and walked into the corridor with a bit of


    disappointment.


    When she got home, she took out her phone from her pocket and clicked it.She saw that Pa had


    sent her a message half an hour ago.


    ording to the time, it should have been not long after she got into the car.


    Lucia texted Pa back and asked her if she had arrived home.


    After the message was sent, she got no reply after three or five minutes passed.


    Lucia was puzzled.


    Pa had always texted back in seconds.


    Was she still with Burton? At the same time, in the red sports car, Pa put on a cold face and refused


    to say a word to Burton.


    While driving, Burton looked at the woman beside him tremblingly.


    After a short while, Pa turned her head and stared at him angrily, and asked, "Have you seen


    enough?"


    He peeked at her and thought she didn''t notice it! Burton, who was caught peeking at her, looked a little


    awkward.


    He cleared his throat and asked, "What''s the matter with you?"


    "What do you think? Burton, you promised me three requests, and you said that you would be on


    call.But what about today?"


    When Pa got angry, her face was flushed and her eyes widened, making her look a little cute, "I


    pinned all my hopes on you.I didn''t expect you toe after more than half an hour.I almost got beaten


    up by the little bitch Gigi, you know?"


    Today''s battle was humiliating.


    She had wanted to teach Gigi a lesson, but she and Lucia had suffered in the end! If he had been any


    later, their clothes would have been torn off! Pa got angry, and she keptining.


    Burton looked at theining woman beside him and felt amused.He smiled dotingly.


    Pained for a long time.


    But when she turned her head, she saw a smile on Burton''s face, and her anger suddenly rose again,


    "Burton, are youughing at me?"


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    She had been bullied.


    This was a serious matter.


    Why was he stillughing? Burton stopped smiling.He drove downstairs of her apartment, stopped, and


    said softly, "Here you are."


    Pa''s anger still didn''t subside.


    As soon as the car stopped, she pushed the door open and got off the car.She was in a hurry and


    didn''t watch her step.She sprained her ankle in high heels.She let out a soft cry in pain, and frowned,


    "Oh! Why am I so unlucky today?"


    Seeing this, Burton hurriedly got out of the car, walked quickly to her side, and asked with concern,


    "How are you? Are you okay?"


    Pa waved her hand in pain, "It''s okay.You...go back!"


    With that, she was about to turn around and walk into the apartment building.


    But the moment her ankle touched the ground, she felt a tingling pain.She stumbled and almost fell.


    Burton quickly supported her and said, "I think you sprained her ankle.What floor do you live on? I''ll


    take you up."


    When Pa heard this, her eyes widened and she looked at him in surprise.


    Could it be that he wanted to go to her house for some reason?

 Chapter 142

    Chapter 142


    Seeing the defensive look on Pa''s face, Burton couldn''t help feeling amused.


    He raised his eyebrows slightly, and asked instead, "What do you think I will do to you?"


    Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org.


    Upon hearing this, Pa immediately folded her arms in defense, "What do you want to do?"


    Burton chuckled, and his eyes were clear and innocent, "Don''t worry.I''ll just send you up, and I won''t do


    anything."


    Pa heard his promise and her vignce subsided a little.


    She said, "Okay, you''ll just send me to the door!"


    Burton agreed and helped her to walk forward, but Pa seemed to have sprained her ankle badly.


    After walking a few steps, she cried out in pain and couldn''t go any further.


    Seeing the pain on her face, Burton thought it didn''t seem like she was pretending.


    He took a deep breath, summoned up his courage slightly, and said in a serious tone, "I''ll carry you


    upstairs."


    "What?"


    Pa was stunned.


    Before she could react, she was picked up.


    She put her arms around Burton''s neck subconsciously and looked at his profile.


    Her heart was beating wildly at this moment.


    Pa blushed, and she couldn''t help smiling.


    Unexpectedly, he was quite strong...


    Ten minutester, after Burton sent Pa home, he left without stopping.


    As soon as he walked out of the apartment building, he took out the vibrating phone in his pocket.It was


    August who called.He answered immediately, "Hello, Mr.Adams."


    "Come to the Fifth Road.I''ll wait for you there."


    Burton answered without hesitation, "OK."


    When Burton arrived at Fifth Road, he saw the car parked on the side of the road and got in.


    August was already sitting in the back, waiting for him to drive.


    "Mr.Adams, about Bishop''s appearance at Weske today, I''ve asked Charlotte to look into it."


    "Well, report to me."


    "He went to Weske to meet someone today, but the identity of that person has not been found yet.He


    arrived at Weske at 7:10, and he left after we left just now.He only took Bob with him the whole time."


    In the dim car, August''s face was unclear.


    He yed with the lighter in his hand and pressed it with a click, and a cluster of bright mes ignited.


    The light and shadow of the me reflected on his cheek, and he said, "Ask Charlotte to continue to


    look into it, and make sure to find out the identity of the other person."


    In the recent period, Bishop''s unusual changes have increased.


    Not only he met this unknown mysterious person but showed up to help him out this evening.He was


    not doing it out of good intentions.


    On the surface, Bishop seemed to be defending him.


    But he was very clear that Bishop was just demonstrating against him in another way.


    Gigi was Andrew Robbers''s daughter, and he had such a good rtionship with Gigi.


    It could be seen that his rtionship with Andrew was also unusual.


    He knew it.


    Everyone knew that it was always easier to get things done with the help of some influential friends.


    So Bishop must have worked hard to hook up with the Thomas Family.


    Burton, who was sitting in the driver''s seat, raised his eyes, looked at August through the rear-view


    mirror in the car, and asked hesitantly, "Mr.Adams, he has been making a lot of moves recently.I also


    heard that he has been doing resuscitation physiotherapy for his legs, and even invited foreign


    experts.Do you think we need to..."


    August frowned slightly, paused for two seconds, and said lightly, "No need.Just let him."


    He knew the condition of Bishop''s legs.


    No matter how good an expert or a therapeutic method was, he wouldn''t be able to stand up any time


    soon.


    Besides, he didn''t have to use those despicable methods to deal with Bishop.


    In short, there would be plenty of time and he wanted to see what Bishop would do next.


    "Oh, right."


    August raised his eyes slightly and said, "The matter of Franksfurt can be put on the agenda."


    Burton nodded immediately, "Yes."


    Early in the morning the next day, Lucia got the good news as soon as she arrived at thepany.


    The quarterly bonus would be distributed to everyone today.


    Looking at her cheerful colleagues in the department, Lucia was affected by the rxed atmosphere,


    and her mood became better.


    It just happened that Carter would also be returning from a business trip today, so she could breathe a


    sigh of relief at work.


    An hourter, Lucia was sitting at her desk when she heard cheersing from outside.


    She looked up from the pile of documents, and she didn''t have to think about it.


    lt should be the bonus or Carter''s return.She got up and walked out of the office.


    As soon as she went out, she saw Carter holding a small cardboard box in her hand, talking to her


    colleagues in the department.


    Seeing hering out, Emma excitedly waved at her, "Lucia,e here.Carter is going to give out the


    bonus!"


    Hearing this, Lucia reacted.


    No wonder everyone was so happy.


    It turned out that Carter and the bonus arrived at the same time.


    She stepped forward quickly and greeted Carter with a smile, "Carter, I''m so d you''re back.How was


    your business trip?"


    When Carter saw Lucia, her smile grew even bigger, and she nodded at her, "Everything went


    well.You''ve worked hard these days! This is your bonus."


    With that, she took out an envelope with Lucia''s name on it from the small cardboard box and handed it


    to Lucia.


    Lucia took it and gave her a sweet smile, "Thank you, Carter!"


    Feeling the thickness of the envelope, Lucia was overjoyed.She had been determined to work hard to


    make money since she graduated.She had kept up the habit of saving money for more than two years.


    Now that she had received such a sum of money, she was so happy.


    Carter nodded at her, "Don''t thank me.You all deserve it."


    She continued to distribute the envelopes in the cardboard box in her hand.


    After doing all this, she did not forget to say something encouraging, "Everyone has worked hard these


    past few months.Next, our administrative department will continue to work hard.In a few months, we


    may double and triple the bonus!"


    "Okay, let''s work together!"


    "Yes,e on!"


    Her colleagues happily cheered, and the atmosphere was warm and exciting.


    Carter saw that it was almost done, pped her hands, and reminded everyone, "Since the bonus has


    been distributed, then everyone will continue to work and strive for the goal!"


    When everyone heard her words, they dispersed and went back to work.


    Lucia was also about to go back to work when Carter suddenly stopped her, "Lucia,e to my office."


    Lucia was stunned for a moment, and then quickly reacted and nodded, "Okay, Carter."


    Lucia followed Carter into the office and closed the door at her signal.


    There were only two of them in the room.


    Lucia was a little nervous.


    She looked at Carter cautiously, and asked softly, "Carter..."


    Carter went straight to the point, "I asked you toe here because I''ve heard about what happened


    during my absence these days, including the incident in the finance department"


    Hearing that, Lucia was a little flustered.


    Had she done something wrong? But Carter said something that surprised her, "You have performed


    well these days, and your abilities are getting stronger and stronger than before."


    When Lucia heard these words, she was secretly relieved.


    Seeing Carter so serious just now, she thought she had done something wrong.


    Carter looked at her and continued, "I just returned to thepany.After receiving the bonus from the


    department, I also received a notice from the leader above.Now the department has an opportunity to


    study abroad.I''m nning to send you."


    Lucia was a little surprised, "Going to study abroad?"


    There was only one ce in a department.Such a good thing happened to her?

 Chapter 143

    Chapter 143


    Seeing the look of disbelief on Lucia¡¯s face, Carter smiled and asked softly, "What''s the matter? Don''t


    you want to go?"


    Lucia came to her sense and said, "I...I''m just a little surprised."


    In the past two years in Lion group, she knew that sometimes thepany would allow some excellent


    employees to study abroad, but such good things had never happened to her.


    "As long as you work hard, anything is possible,"


    Carter said as a matter of course.


    "You''re going to apany in Franksfurt.They have cooperated with ourpany for several years,


    and they have developed rapidly in recent years.I heard that their management model is worth


    learning, so this time thepany has arranged an opportunity.Each department selects an employee


    to go study for three to four days."


    Hearing that, Lucia was surprised and delighted, and asked with excitement on her face, "Carter, are


    you sending me this time?"


    In the past, when the department had such a good opportunity and only one person was allowed to go,


    Lisa was usually the lucky one.


    Lucia hadn''t expected Carter to choose her this time.


    Seeing Carter nodding, Lucia was instantly ted, "Thank you, Carter!"


    When she came out of the office, Lucia still had a smile on her face.


    This news was the best news for her recently.


    She passed through the office area and was about to walk towards her office when someone familiar


    suddenly came over.It was Lisa.


    Lucia¡¯s smile faded.She nced at Lisa and walked over without saying anything.


    Lisa watched her pass by with a look of coldness on her face.She still remembered the scene at Weske


    last night.


    Originally, she deliberately turned Lucia and Gigi against each other and waited to see Lucia being


    taught a lesson.


    Unexpectedly, she saw Mr.Adams appear in the end.She was shocked.


    It turned out that Lucia and August knew each other, and they seemed to be quite familiar with each


    other.


    When she thought of Lucia¡¯s inexplicable promotion and Irene''s affairs, she suddenly understood.


    It turned out that August was the backer behind Lucia.


    This level of rtionship was enough to make Lisa feel a little afraid, but she felt more disgusted with


    Lucia soon.


    She was nothing but a disgusting woman who relied on a man to get promoted! Just now when she


    watched Luciae out of the supervisor''s office with a smile on her face, she knew that Lucia must


    be the one to go out to study in Franksfurt this time! The more Lisa thought about it, the angrier she


    became.She was in no mood for work anymore when she returned to the office.She bit her lips,


    thinking about strategies quickly in her mind.


    After a few minutes, she nced at her phone on the desk, took a deep breath, bit her lips, and sent


    Irene a message, "Irene, how is your recovery recently? I want to see you this weekend."


    She was too weak to do it alone, but Irene was different.


    Irene''s uncle was an executive of thepany.


    With this background, wouldn''t it be easier for Irene to deal with Lucia than her? The whole day, Lucia


    was in a good mood.


    The bonus and the opportunity to study abroad made her motivated in everything she did.


    After work, she did not hesitate.


    Naturally, she went to the hospital to see her parents first and shared the good news with them.


    She deliberately bought a few boxes of Bill''s favorite pastries.


    When she got out of the elevator, she had a spring in her step.


    She walked through the corridor for a while and saw the gate of the ward in the distance where Elisa


    was holding against the wall with one hand and slightly massaging her temple with the other.


    Seeing that there was something wrong, Lucia immediately stepped forward, "Mom, what''s the matter


    with you?"


    When Elisa heard the voice, she raised her head quickly.


    When she saw it was Lucia, her face changed immediately, and she quickly said, "It''s okay.It''s okay."


    Even though she said that Lucia still noticed something wrong.She looked tired, and she was far less


    radiant than thest time they met.She hadn''t seen her mother for a few days, and she even lost


    weight.She asked, "Mom, tell me the truth, are you not feeling well?"


    For the past few days, Bill had been in the hospital, and Elisa had naturally stayed by his side to take


    care of him and could not leave.


    Elisa waved her hand and said in a casual tone, "It''s nothing.It''s probably because I didn''t sleep well


    last night."


    Seeing her mother so tired, Lucia felt a little sorry.She dragged Elisa into the ward and helped her to sit


    down on the chair.


    Bill was sitting on the hospital bed flipping through the newspaper.


    When he saw this scene, he couldn''t help but ask, "What''s wrong?"


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    "Mom is not feeling well.Maybe she''s tired recently"


    Hearing this, Bill sighed, "I told your mother to go home at night, but she refused.She stayed by my


    bedside.How can she get a good rest?"


    Hearing what he said, Lucia finally realized that Elisa had been working so hard these past few days.


    No wonder she had a headache and looked tired.


    Lucia thought about it, and suggested, "Mom, Dad, look, I''ll hire a caregiver.


    It can help my mother relieve some of the burdens, and I can feel more at ease"


    Elisa disagreed, shaking her head again and again, "Why hire a caregiver? I can take care of your


    father myself."


    Lucia frowned and insisted, "Mom, don''t say no.Dad will have an operation.Do you want to get tired


    and make yourself ill too? Besides, I got my quarterly bonus today.It''s quite a lot, just enough to hire a


    caregiver."


    Seeing Lucia''s firm attitude, Bill and Elisa had no choice but to agree.


    Lucia chatted with them for a while before leaving the ward and going to the nurse to ask about the


    caregiver After the nurse pointed her to the department where the caregiver procedures were carried


    out, Lucia followed her instructions and found the ce.


    "Ms.Mitchell, this is the information of our caregivers who have a time slot.You can take a look first."


    "OK."


    Lucia flipped through the documents handed over by the nurse.


    After flipping through the information of a few of them, her fingers suddenly stopped, and her eyes fell


    on the caregiver''s photo on the third page of the information sheet.


    In the photo, the girl had a delicate face, clear eyes, and dimples.


    It was her? Lucia immediately looked at the information bar in the upper left corner and was surprised


    when she saw the name "Mandy Lu¡¯.


    It was her! This was an old friend of hers.


    They used to live in the samemunity.


    Later, Mandy''s family suddenly moved, and they lost contact since then.


    Lucia hadn''t expected that they would meet again in this way after a few years.


    As soon as she saw the girl in the photo, Lucia couldn''t help but think of what happened before.


    It was a memory from her high school days.


    Mandy was a year older than her.


    The two often met in themunity, but they never spoke.


    Later, when she came home from her ss one evening, she was followed by a boy and she was so


    terrified.


    It was Mandy who drove the boy away with a brick and protected her.


    From then on, the two of them became good friends.


    In the blink of an eye, several years had passed.


    Lucia took a deep breath, took out Mandy''s information sheet, handed it to the nurse, and asked, "Miss,


    can I see her?"

 Chapter 144

    Chapter 144


    The nurse took the information sheet, nced at it, and thought that Lucia had picked this girl.She


    nodded and said, "Okay, I''ll call and ask her toe.Just wait a moment."


    Lucia nodded.She looked calm on the surface, but she was a little nervous inside.She clenched his


    fists slowly.She and Mandy hadn''t seen each other for so many years.


    Wouldn''t it be too abrupt when she suddenly called her over in this way? Just when she was thinking,


    the sound of brisk footsteps came from the door, followed by a crisp female voice, "What can I do for


    you?"


    Hearing her voice, Lucia turned her head and saw a girl with a delicate face at the door.She moved her


    lips nervously, but couldn''t make a sound.


    Mandy paused and looked up at her.


    She froze for two seconds, and a bit of surprise shed across her eyes, she cried in disbelief, "Lucia?"


    Lucia was overjoyed, and she immediately smiled and stood up a little excitedly, "Mandy, it''s you!"


    The surprise in Mandy''s eyes was reced by excitement.


    She took a step forward, and asked with a smile, "Why...why are you here?"


    "My father is sick and needs a caregiver.I saw your information sheet and asked the nurse to call you"


    T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "It''s so coincidental," Mandy said, reaching out and grabbing Lucia''s hand.


    Probably because of excitement or surprise, there were tears in her eyes.


    Lucia felt an indescribable joy in her heart, "We haven''t seen each other for six years, right? I didn''t


    expect to meet you here."


    They held hands happily.


    To avoid interfering with other people''s work, they walked outside the registration room to reminisce.


    They chatted and the memories from a few years ago flooded back to them.


    As people got older, they couldn''t help but miss the past.


    Their rtionship was not affected by time.


    When it came to the past, everything seemed to have just happened.


    Thinking of their separation years ago, Lucia couldn''t help but ask, "Mandy, why did you suddenly


    move? You didn''t even leave your contact information..."


    When Lucia talked about her leaving without saying goodbye, Mandy''s smile froze a bit.


    She looked away, moved her lips, but did not speak.


    Seeing her reaction, Lucia realized that it was inconvenient for her to talk.


    So she quickly changed the subject and said, "Mandy, when are you getting off work today? I''d like to


    invite you to dinner to celebrate our reunion!"


    The awkward look on Mandy''s face dissipated.


    She said with a smile, "I''m on duty tonight.I''m afraid I can go.Why don''t we exchange contact


    information and get together another day?"


    Lucia immediately agreed, "Okay."


    After exchanging contact information, Lucia suddenly thought of hiring a caregiver for her father, "Oh,


    Mandy, do you have the time recently? My father has been in the hospital recently, and he will have


    heart surgery.He needs a caregiver."


    Mandy didn''t think much about it and immediately agreed, "Okay, I happen to be free recently.So I can


    take care of your father."


    They were busy chatting.


    They didn''t even notice the safe passage not far away where a dark shadow shed and disappeared.


    At the same time, in a vi on the outskirts of the city, Bishop was sitting by the window, listening to


    Bob''s report.


    He was sitting in the sunlight.


    After hearing the report, he raised his eyes slightly and said, "You mean, she is hiring a caregiver?"


    Bob''s expression remained unchanged, and he answered straightforwardly, "Yes, her father is still in


    the hospital.It is a heart problem and he needs surgery."


    Then he handed Bishop a piece of paper, "This is the information about the caregiver she hired.It''s her


    old friend who works in the hospital."


    Bishop took it.


    Looking at the photo of the girl on the information sheet, he narrowed his eyes "Mandy Lu."


    He recited the name and tightened his grip on the paper a little.


    After a few seconds, he looked away, threw the paper away, looked out of the window, and said in a


    light voice, "I happen to need a caregiver for my recovery physiotherapy.Call her."


    Bob seemed a little surprised, "Mr.Adams, given her qualifications, she doesn''t seem professional


    enough..."


    "It doesn''t matter."


    Bishop''s tone was firm, without any hesitation.He chose her not because of her qualifications, but


    because she knew Lucia.He could use her in the future.


    Bob didn''t ask any more questions.He nodded in agreement and went to do it right away.


    In the corridor of the hospital, Lucia and Mandy were still talking.


    Talking about Bill''s recent condition, Lucia was very worried, "Mandy, I know that there is a certain risk


    of a heart bypass.But given my father''s current condition, he has no choice.To be honest, I''m very


    worried."


    Mandy had been working in the hospital for several years and was used to sickness and death.


    But seeing her friend so sad in front of her, she couldn''t help feeling sorry.She patted Lucia''s shoulder


    with empathy, and said in a certain tone, "Lucia, don''t worry.Your father will certainly be fine.I''ll take


    care of him during this time, so you don''t have to worry"


    When Lucia heard this, she felt much relieved and nodded.


    At this moment, a nurse suddenly walked out of the registration room and said to Mandy, "Mandy,e


    here.It''s a call for you."


    Hearing this, Mandy nodded immediately.She smiled at Lucia, and immediately went over to answer


    the phone.


    Lucia walked to the door and waited for her.


    Mandy answered the phone.She was a little surprised.


    After freezing for a moment, she nodded, "Okay, Director, I know.I will prepare as soon as possible."


    After she hung up the phone, she turned her head and looked at the door.


    When she saw Lucia, a look of shame suddenly appeared on her face, "Lucia, I''m sorry I can''t agree to


    your request.Just now the director called me suddenly and said I have already been assigned to the


    VIP ward as a private caregiver.About your father..."


    Before Mandy could finish her sentence, Lucia realized what was going on.


    She smiled, and said softly, "It''s okay."


    She could understand this situation very well.


    Besides, she hadn''t filled out the form yet, so it was natural for Mandy to ept the director''s


    arrangement.


    At this point, Mandy had no choice.


    To make up for it, she helped Lucia choose another caregiver, an experienced middle-aged woman.


    After everything was done, Mandy had other work to do, so Lucia said goodbye to her and nned to


    go see her father''s doctor.


    Before surgery, she needed to learn more about it.


    When Lucia got to the doctor''s office, she exined the purpose of the visit.


    Dr.Andy immediately asked her to sit down, found her father''s echocardiography, and exined it to


    her.


    A lot of technical terms almost gave Lucia a headache.


    She took a deep breath and asked directly, "Dr.Andy, please just tell me simply when my father needs


    surgery and who his chief surgeon will be."


    Dr.Andy nodded and exined slowly, "Of course, the earlier the surgery, the better.But it also depends


    on the schedule of the chief surgeon.Some of you contacted Dr.Long from Straten Hospital, and the


    exact time and operation n depends on his arrangement."


    Dr.Long from Straten Hospital? If she remembered correctly, it was probably arranged by August for


    her father.

 Chapter 145

    Chapter 145


    Lucia came to her sense, looked up at Dr.Andy, and asked, "Dr.Andy, do you have his contact


    information?"


    Dr.Andy shook his head, "You used to contact him on your own.I just received a notice from the dean.I


    have no direct contact with Dr.Long."


    Lucia''s eyes dimmed a bit and nodded, "Okay, then I''ll contact Dr.Long and see what he has to say."


    The doctor nodded, "OK."


    Aftering out of the doctor''s office, Lucia thought about it.


    If she wanted to know about Dr.


    Long''s surgical arrangements now, she could only go to August.


    Thinking of this, she naturally thought of what had happenedst night.


    When she thought of him coldly asking her to get out of the car, she hesitated.


    Now, with their current rtionship, would he still be willing to help her? After thinking about it, Lucia


    finally took out her phone, but she didn''t dare to call him.


    Forget it! She''d better talk to him in person another day.


    Besides, it was sote, and maybe he had gone to bed.


    Thinking of this, Lucia felt a little more at ease.


    She put away her phone and went back to the ward to apany her parents for a while before


    returning to her apartment.


    The next day, Lucia arrived at thepany early in the morning and was told to go to a meeting about


    the departure for Frankfurt in two days.


    There were a total of nine people on this trip.


    In addition to one representative from each of the six departments, there was also an experienced


    leader, Jess, and the other two were newly trained management of thepany.


    At the meeting, Jess briefly talked about the process of the trip and determined the departure time.


    During the meeting, they introduced themselves and got familiar with each other.


    They were talking andughing, and the atmosphere was very good.


    After the meeting, Lucia came out of the conference room full of motivation.


    For her, this trip was an excellent learning opportunity, and it would also be of great help to her future


    work.


    Lucia was in a good mood.


    But when she was taking the elevator, she suddenly thought that she had to find a chance today to ask


    August for the contact information of Dr.


    Long from Straten Hospital.She couldn''t help but have a headache.She was going to leave for


    Frankfurt in two days, and she would not have time to do it when she was busy.


    So she decided to ask about it today so that she could feel more at ease.


    During the lunch break, Lucia deliberately didn''t go to have lunch with Emma.


    When there were fewer people in thepany, she went directly to the CEO''s office.


    As soon as she got out of the elevator, she saw the secretary Mary and another assistant chatting while


    walking.


    It seemed that they were going to have lunch.


    Lucia hesitated for a moment, and took the initiative to greet them, "Ms.Baker, is Mr.Adams in the


    office?"


    Mary was stunned for half a second, and then nodded slightly, "Yes..."


    She paused as if she had something else to say, but she didn''t say it.


    "Okay."


    Lucia didn''t notice her abnormality, smiled at her, and immediately walked toward the office.


    Seeing Lucia walk away, the assistant beside Mary couldn''t help but ask, "Mary, didn''t someone go to


    see Mr.Adams just now? Wouldn''t it be bad for her to break in directly?"


    Mary helplessly curled her lips, "I wanted to remind her.Forget it."


    She was only a secretary besides August, but she could feel that the rtionship between Lucia and


    August was unusual.


    lrene''s incident might have something to do with her.


    She tried to avoid Lucia as much as she could hide.


    She thought she''d better not interfere with them.


    Lucia stopped at the office door, took a deep breath, and knocked on the door.


    There was no reply from him in the room.


    Lucia knocked again.


    Could it be that he was not there? But just now Mary clearly said that he was in the office.


    Lucia didn''t think much.


    She pushed the door open and went straight in, but saw no one in the office.


    There was no one in front of the desk, but there was an insted lunch box on it.


    The box was not opened.


    There were threeyers in total.


    The light blue box body was even outlined with patterns, which did not look like August''s style.


    Lucia was a little suspicious and was hesitating whether to leave the office or not when the secret door


    beside the bookcase suddenly opened, and someone tall came out.


    Lucia was a little surprised.


    She had never found a secret door in the office before.


    The next second, when she saw the woman walking out behind August, she couldn''t help feeling


    surprised.


    It turned out to be the female star, Adeline Jones! They...


    Lucia stood there dumbfounded for a while and just stared at them in shock.


    They came out of the secret room, and anyone could figure out what they had been doing there!


    Lucia''s heart trembled, but August looked very calm.


    He nced at her lightly, and his voice was as cold as ever, "What''s the matter?"


    Adeline looked equally calm.


    After looking at Lucia, she turned around and looked at August like no one else was there, and


    whispered, "Don''t forget to eat lunch.Your body is the most important thing.If there is nothing else, I''m


    leaving."


    Her tone was gentle and natural as if she was just caring about her boyfriend.


    Although there were no explicit words, it could make others hear the feeling of intimacy.


    August didn''t raise his eyes, and answered lightly, "Yeah."


    Adeline smiled and picked up her bag.She took out her sunsses and mask, put them on neatly, and


    walked past Lucia elegantly.


    When the door mmed shut, Lucia came to her sense.


    When she raised her eyes and locked at the well-dressed man sitting at the desk again, there was a


    burst of anger in her heart.


    In the past, whenever Pa called August a scumbag, she felt that Pa was going too far.


    But now it seemed that this title was most suitable for August! Two days ago, he had kissed her in the


    car.


    Today he was seeing a female star in the secret room of his office.


    He had a girlfriend! Wasn''t he a scumbag? August waited for a long time, but she didn''t speak.


    When he looked up, he saw that Lucia, who was standing there, seemed to have a bit of anger in her


    eyes.


    He narrowed his eyes slightly and asked again, "What''s the matter?"


    Lucia gritted her teeth, and she suddenly forgot her purpose.


    She gathered up her courage and walked toward him.


    T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Lucia walked to his desk, stared straight at him, and asked, "August, how can you cheat on Jeanne?"


    She had thought he was very loyal to Jeanne.


    She hadn''t expected such a thing to happen.


    Hearing her usation, August frowned slightly, looked up at her, hesitated for a moment, and asked,


    "What did I do?"


    She sounded as if he had done something unforgivable.


    Lucia hadn''t expected that he wouldn''t admit it.


    The anger in her eyes became more obvious, and she asked, "What do you think?"


    Didn''t he know what he had done?

 Chapter 146

    Chapter 146


    Seeing Lucia¡¯s expression, August realized what was going on.She thought that he and Adeline had


    some kind of shameful rtionship, didn¡¯t she? August actually felt a little amused when he understood


    what she was saying.


    He had never expected that she would speak up for Jeanne.


    After some surprise, August slightly curled his lips.


    The expression on his face did not change much, but he was entertained by her reaction, thinking she


    was quite funny like that.


    A momentter, he asked lightly, "Tell me, what are you doing here?"


    Usually, Lucia would try to run away when she met him in thepany, but now she came to see him


    in his office, so there must be something.


    However, Lucia felt so angry that she obviously didn¡¯t want to say anything more to him, so she coldly


    uttered a word, "Nothing."


    After that, she decided to leave.


    When she turned around, she moved her lips and murmured in an unclear way, "Scumbag..."


    Although her voice was low and muffled, August still heard what she said.


    With a glint in his eyes, he moved his lips coldly.


    "Stop."


    She actually called him a scumbag? How dare she! August was angry andughing.


    Without saying another word, he walked toward her on his long legs.


    Lucia was startled and secretly gasped in disbelief.


    She hadn''t expected that he would hear her curse him behind his back! In addition, she had


    deliberately said it in such a low voice that normally no one could hear her.


    So, he wasn¡¯t a normal man, was he? Of course, Lucia didn''t know that August''s five senses were


    more sensitive than those of ordinary people.


    He could detect even the slightest movement, not to mention a word.


    Lucia paused and her body stiffened.


    If she was caught by August like this, there would be no good consequences! It was best for her to


    leave now! She gritted her teeth and pretended she didn¡¯t hear anything as she went on stepping out.


    But no sooner had she grabbed the handle and pulled the door open a little than a fair-and-clear-


    skinned hand with distinct knuckles and long fingers came over to m the door shut and pushed her


    against it.


    Lucia was so shocked that she almost screamed.


    When she looked up, she saw the man¡¯s handsome face right in front of her.


    He looked calm, showing no signs of happiness or anger, but his expressionless face was still perfect


    and impable.


    Her throat tightened and she forced herself to stay calm.


    "What?"


    August frowned.


    His voice was so deep that it seemed to be weighing on her.


    "What did you just say, Lucia?"


    He tightened his jawline a bit condescendingly.


    It seemed that he was gritting his teeth slightly as he said, "Say it again."


    Looking at the man¡¯s dark, deep eyes, Lucia wouldn''t even say boo to a goose.


    Her eyes wandered.


    "I didn¡¯t say anything."


    If she admitted it directly, she was afraid that August would give her a hard time! She denied it vocally,


    but inside, she couldn''t help feeling regretful! She shouldn''t have said that here.


    When she got out of this door, it would be fine no matter how many times she cursed him.


    However, she hadn''t been able to stop herself from blurting it out, and he had heard her, so she was


    asking for trouble, wasn''t she? Seeing that the woman''s attitude changed instantly, August felt even


    more amused.


    She was obviously afraid of him, but just now, she had been bold enough to curse him, so she was


    typically mean and timid.


    He reached out to grab Lucia¡¯s chin, forced her to look at him with a little push, and lightly parted his


    thin lips.


    "What did you just say? Say it again."


    At this point, Lucia dared not say that again.


    She had to take a deep breath and pretended to be innocent.


    "I...didn¡¯t say anything."


    Hearing that, August raised his eyebrows slightly.His thumb moved up to brush her red, soft lips as he


    deliberately leaned in closer.


    "But I heard you clearly just now."


    When the man¡¯s cool breath swept over her, Lucia¡¯s heart beat faster.


    She didn''t dare to look him in the eye or reply to him.


    He brushed her lips with his rough fingertip, which made her tremble sensitively.


    August''s eyes darkened and he asked unhurriedly, "No?"


    Lucia didn¡¯t know what to say, feeling nervous.She was at the mercy of him now, like fish on a chopping


    board.


    Whether she said it or not, it would not end well! Just then, there was a sudden knock at the door.


    "Knock!"


    The door vibrated with the sound of knocking.


    Leaning against the door, Lucia shivered with shock and her face turned pale.


    The next second, Burton''s voice came.


    "Mr.Adams, Joshua is here.I told him to go to the reception room."


    When August heard that, he didn¡¯t hesitate and immediately said, "I''ming."


    With that, he looked down at the woman who was pressed against the door and could not move.


    Something flickered in his eyes.


    He seemed to curl his lips slightly and lowered his voice as he whispered in her ear, "You won''t get off


    so easily next time."


    He could wait.


    Anyway, there would be a time for it.


    After that, he released her, opened the door, and strode out.


    Lucia froze on the spot.


    What the man had just said was still ringing in her ears.


    She took a deep breath in a panic to calm her mind.


    Why did he sound like she was the one who was in the wrong when he was the one who was having


    an affair? Lucia was a little angry at her reaction just now.


    She shook her head, calmed down a little, and then walked out of the office.


    Within a few steps, she suddenly remembered what she hade to August for.


    She hade to ask him for Dr.


    Long''s contact information, but she forgot all about it when all that happened! Lucia shook her head


    helplessly.


    She had no choice but to go to lunch first.


    When Lucia was having lunch, Pa suddenly called.


    As soon as she answered, Lucia heard Pa''s lively voiceing from the other end.


    "Hello, Lucia, let''s go out this weekend, okay?"


    "I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t, Pa.I have to go to Franksfurt in two days for business."


    Pa was a little disappointed.


    She asked, "Go to Franksfurt for business? Why haven''t I heard you talk about it?"


    Lucia smiled.


    Hearing the disappointment in Pa''s voice, she said softly, "They just made the decision recently.It''ll


    only take three or four days.We can go out when I get back."


    Hearing this, Pa had to say reluctantly, "Okay, then we''ll wait until you get back."


    After hanging up the phone, Pa turned to the man standing beside her and curled her lip, saying,


    "You hear that? She doesn''t have time, so you can''t me me!"


    Paul curved his lips in a faint smile when he heard her words, and dermapen sow +10 said unhurriedly,


    "It¡¯s okay.Let''s wait until shees back."


    Pa finally couldn''t stand it anymore.


    She raised her hand and patted him on the shoulder.


    "Hey, Paul, I didn¡¯t know you could be such a wimp."


    Usually, he was decisive and straightforward at work and in life, but when it came to Lucia, he was like


    a different man.


    He even asked his sister for help when he wanted to ask Lucia out! Paul did not get angry at her words.


    He curled his lips and kept silent without replying.


    He had his considerations, preferring to make slower progress than to hurt Lucia.


    From what happened between her and Augustst time, he could see that she had been hurt, so he


    didn¡¯t want to scare her by being too forward.


    He believed that it would be best for their rtionship to develop slowly and to let nature take its


    course.Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org.

 Chapter 147

    Chapter 147


    For two days before she left for Franksfurt, Lucia was very busy.


    In addition to her work during the day, she had to pack her things at night when she returned to her


    apartment.


    On top of that, she had to take time to visit Mr.and Mrs.Mitchell in the hospital.


    Traveling between thepany, the hospital, and her apartment, she couldn''t get a good rest at all.


    The day before she left, all the necessary preparations were almost finished, and Lucia finally had


    some time to take a break.


    However, she suddenly received a call from Kirk.


    When Kirk was taken to the hospitalst time, she called to inquire about his injuries and felt a little


    relieved to learn that there was nothing serious.


    Now Kirk was out of the hospital and asked her to go out for dinner.


    Because of what had happened at Weskest time, she couldn''t refuse him straight away, so she


    thought about it and agreed.


    "Then let''s do it tonight.


    Do you mind if I invite Pa toe along, as we are all old ssmates?"


    When she said that, Kirk obviously paused for half a second at the other end before he said gently,


    "No.It would be great."


    Lucia was relieved to hear that and chatted with him for a few more minutes before hanging up the


    phone.


    The reason why she wanted to have Pa with them was that she could imagine how awkward it


    would be for her and Kirk to have dinner alone.


    Therefore, she decided to bring Pa along after thinking about it.


    Lucia held her phone and called Pa.


    When she exined what was going on, Pa couldn''t help butugh at the other end.


    "Lucia, Kirk asked you to dinner and you want me to join you.You''re trying to make me a third wheel,


    aren''t you?"


    Lucia said frankly, "I just think it would be awkward for me to have dinner with him alone.That''s why I


    called you."


    Pa said deliberately when she heard that, "No way.I¡¯m not that insensitive!"


    Hearing that, Lucia pretended to be sad and said, "Please do me the favor, Pa.Without you, I''ll be


    terribly embarrassed."


    After all, she hadn''t seen Kirk for years, so she couldn''t even imagine what it would be like if they


    suddenly had dinner together alone.


    At the other end, Paughed mischievously upon hearing that.


    "I''ll surely be there! I was just joking.How could I leave you alone in such a situation?"


    Lucia was relieved to hear that.


    After chatting with Pa for a few more minutes, she hung up the phone, put it down, and went back to


    work.


    Soon, it was time to leave work.


    Lucia had agreed with Pa that Pa woulde to thepany for her and then the two of them


    would go and meet Kirk at the restaurant where he had booked a table.


    However, she had just packed her things when Kirk''s call came in before she could leave her office.


    "Hello, Lucia, are you off work yet? I¡¯m outside yourpany now."


    When she heard Kirk say that, Lucia froze, apparently not expecting him toe directly to pick her


    up.


    After two seconds, she slowly came to her senses.


    "Yes, I''m...off work.You¡¯re downstairs?"


    Kirk''s voice was warm and nice, sounding patient.


    "Yes, I''m at the entrance of the Lion Group.I''ll meet you here."


    Hearing that, Lucia unconsciously felt a little bit worried.


    She had just gotten off work when Kirk¡¯s call came in, which meant that he must have arrived in


    advance and had been waiting for her.


    Lucia had no time to think anymore, so she immediately said, "Okay, I''ll be right down."


    After hanging up the phone, she took her things and went downstairs.


    When she reached the entrance, she saw Kirk dressed in a formal suit and holding a small bouquet of


    flowers in his hand.


    T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Usually, when a man showed up in the street like this, he was either trying to confess or propose, so


    she suddenly got nervous.


    Lucia took a deep breath, having a bad feeling in her heart.


    He wasn''t going to give her the flowers in his hand, was he? It was rush hour, and the employees of the


    company wereing and going, so those from her department might see what was going on here.


    However, at this point, she had no choice but to do what she had to do.


    She walked up to him quickly and said gently, "Kirk."


    At the sound of her voice, Kirk turned around and smiled as soon as he saw her.He stepped forward,


    handing her the flowers in his hand.


    "Lucia, they''re for you."


    Lucia looked at the flowers in his hand.


    She was still a bit hesitant and asked with a smile, "Why are you giving me flowers all of a sudden?"


    Kirk looked a little shy.He smiled and said softly, "I saw a flower vendor by the road when I came over,


    and I thought they looked nice, so I bought some."


    When she heard him say that, Lucia was secretly relieved.


    She reached out to take the flowers and said gently, "Just now, Pa told me that she was on her way.I


    think she''ll be here soon."


    Kirk nodded.


    "I see.My car is down there.Let¡¯s get in and wait for her."


    Lucia naturally agreed.


    She and Kirk were standing here, and she had a bouquet of flowers in her hand.


    It was quite conspicuous, so they might as well get in the car now to avoid being seen and gossiped


    about by those from her department.


    She started to walk down the steps with Kirk.


    No sooner had they reached the car than Kirk opened the door for her to get in.


    Lucia nodded slightly at him and said gently, "Thank you."


    She was about to get into the car when she suddenly felt a cold gazeing from the side.


    She paused and subconsciously turned to look over.


    To her surprise, she saw a ck Maybach parked a short distance away and the man in a ck suit


    standing next to it.


    Lucia¡¯s heart involuntarily skipped a beat.


    Seeing August''s cold eyes and sullen face, she got inexplicably nervous.


    She had never expected such a coincidence that he happened to see her while she was getting into


    Kirk''s car with a bouquet of flowers.


    Meanwhile, August went on like that.


    His dark, deep eyes were fixed on her, looking sullen and ambiguous.


    He was waiting to see if she would get into Kirk¡¯s car.


    With him watching her, Lucia was inexplicably flustered, feeling that all her emotions had nowhere to


    hide as if she would be doing something wrong by getting into the car.


    Standing next to her, Kirk sensed something wrong.


    He looked at August and then turned to Lucia, saying softly, "Lucia..."


    Lucia came back to her senses and thought about it.


    She wasn''t in a rtionship with August, so why should she care what he thought? Thinking of what he


    had done, she was so angry that she turned her head away, smiled sweetly at Kirk, and got into the car


    without hesitation.


    On the other side, August suddenly got annoyed when he saw what the woman was like.


    She was so desperate that she would ept any man? Burton noticed something wrong and hurried


    over to warn, "It¡¯s time to go, Mr.Adams.We have a ne to catch."


    August''s eyebrows furrowed.


    He looked away without saying anything, pulled open the door to get into his car, and mmed it shut


    behind him.


    In Kirk''s car, Lucia saw the unhappy look on August''s face and felt a sudden sense of pleasure, but as


    she watched the Maybach start up and pull away, she was left with an empty feeling in her heart.


    It didn''t take long for Pa to arrive.


    The three of them went to the restaurant together, but Lucia just couldn''t cheer herself up.


    Over the dinner, all she could think about was the look on August''s face before he got into his car.


    At the dinner table, Pa finally couldn''t stand it anymore and asked, "Lucia, what''s wrong with you?


    Why do you look like you''ve lost your soul?"

 Chapter 148

    Chapter 148


    Hearing that, Lucia came back to her senses and smiled apologetically at Pa and Kirk.


    "Sorry, maybe I¡¯m too tired from working today."


    Kirk curled his lips and expressed his understanding.


    "It''s okay, Lucia.We''ll take you back once the food is served and we finish eating.You have a flight to


    catch in the morning, so go back early and get some rest."


    Lucia nodded and said softly, "Okay."


    Pa, who knew Lucia so well, could see that she was not tired from work, but had something on her


    mind.


    When Kirk went to the restroom, Pa couldn''t help but ask, "Lucia, what''s wrong with you?"


    "Nothing."


    Pa raised her eyebrows knowingly.


    "Nothing? Just now, you have been distracted all the time.Tell me honestly, are you thinking about


    aman?"


    Lucia couldn''t help butugh at what Pa said, but she knew Pa was right.She kept thinking of


    August''s face, which was unpleasant.She wanted to stop thinking about him, but her mind was out of


    control.


    Lucia took a deep breath.She slightly leaned over closer to Pa and asked in a low voice, "Pa,


    why do you think I keep thinking about August?"


    Hearing that, Pa had a look that a gossiper would have on her face.She kept winking at Lucia.


    "Do you need me to tell you? Isn''t it obvious? Because you love him!"


    "Nonsense!"


    Lucia¡¯s face instantly flushed red and she subconsciously denied it.


    "It¡¯s not possible."


    "Why not?"


    Pa looked as if she was right.


    "Just think about it, why aren''t you thinking about Kirk or my brother all the time tonight? Why are you


    just thinking about August?"


    Those words were like a pot of cold water that made Lucia a little more clear-headed and sensible.


    After pausing for a few seconds, she shook her head and said in a firm tone, "That''s impossible.I hate


    him.Maybe I¡¯ve seen too much of himtely."


    She would never consider a womanizer like August, who had many love affairs.


    In addition, she had experienced an unpleasant marriage with August, so how could she possibly fall in


    love with him? Thinking that, Lucia assured Pa once again, "I''ll never fall for him, really."


    When Pa heard that, the corners of her mouth turned up ina subtle smile, but she pretended to


    believe what Lucia said.


    "Alright, I believe you.It''s best if you don''t love him, or my brother will definitely feel sad when he finds


    out about it"


    Hearing Pa teasing her, Luciaughed and said nothing more when she saw Kirking over.


    After dinner, Kirk volunteered to drive them home.


    On the way, Pa kept talking as if to lighten the mood.


    When they arrived at the entrance of her neighborhood, Lucia asked Kirk to stop the car and said


    goodbye to them before she pushed the door open to get out.


    Just as she was about to close the door, Kirk suddenly spoke up and stopped her.


    "Lucia."


    At the sound of his voice, Lucia turned to him and asked softly, "Yes, what is it?"


    Kirk tried to say something, seemingly having a lot to tell her.


    However, Pa was still sitting in the car, so he paused and pointed to the flowers on the passenger


    side, saying, "You forgot to take the flowers."


    Lucia looked over and saw the lone bouquet sitting there.


    Feeling sorry, she hurriedly went over to pick the flowers up and smiled at him apologetically.


    "Sorry, I didn''t see them just now."


    Kirk looked at Lucia tenderly and said softly, "It¡¯s okay.Just go back and have a good night."


    Lucia nodded at him and then waved at Pa before turning to walk into the neighborhood.


    As soon as she got through the gate, her phone suddenly dinged and she picked it up to see that it was


    a message from Pa.


    "Tsk, tsk! Kirk is really smitten."


    Then her phone vibrated again, and it was an emoji from Pa.


    Looking at the two messages, Lucia could almost imagine the tone in which Pa said that.She curled


    her lips without replying.She knew very well in her mind that she had no feelings for Kirk.


    It had nothing to do with time.


    She didn''t have any feelings for him two years ago and neither did she now.


    For her, it was better to think more about her work than to concentrate on a romantic rtionship now.


    Besides, her father had to have surgery and she must prepare for it.


    With her mind made up, Lucia quickened her pace.


    Back at her apartment, she checked the things she had packed, got ready for her flight the next


    morning, and went to bed early.


    The next morning, Lucia woke up before her rm clock went off.


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    After getting everything ready, she pulled her luggage out of the apartment and went straight to the


    airport by taxi.


    After more than four hours, the ne arrived at Bearlin Airport.


    Getting off the ne with her fellow passengers, Lucia felt a distinct wave of heating over her.


    She was already covered in sweat when they arrived at the terminal by shuttle bus.


    Luckily, a representative from Teda Corporation came to meet them at the airport.


    The group got into the vehicle prepared in advance and went directly to the hotel where they had


    reservations.


    At the hotel, Natalie assigned the rooms after they checked in.


    Each of them got a single room with arge bed, which was pretty good.


    They were all very excited and kept chattering.


    "Come on, Lucia.Your room is opposite mine!"


    Linda from the Marketing Department enthusiastically took Lucia''s hand and went straight into the


    elevator.


    Once inside the elevator, someone immediately asked, "Natalie, what are our ns for this afternoon


    and evening?"


    "We''ll have the afternoon off.In the evening, Teda will entertain us for dinner.No need to wear anything


    too formal.We''ll gather in the lobby at seven o''clock in the evening."


    "Okay!"


    "Jimmy, do you want to go shopping this afternoon?"


    "Yes, Jane, are youing?"


    Hearing that they would have the afternoon off, they all excitedly began to make ns.


    Lucia looked at the happy group, and the corners of her mouth turned up as well.


    Linda turned to look at Lucia and asked, "Are youing, Lucia?"


    Lucia shook her head and said lightly, "No, I''ll take a rest."


    In her room, Lucia finally had some peace.


    After a shower, she closed the curtains and went to sleep.


    When she woke up at six o''clock, she simply got cleaned up and went to the lobby.


    The dinner party was hosted by receptionists from Teda Corporation.


    Since they were also from Cannada, the exchanges went well without any obstacles and the


    atmosphere was pleasant.


    It was over after an hour or so.


    When they came out of the restaurant, they were all free to move around in groups of two or three.


    Linda took Lucia¡¯s hand and asked, "Are you going back to the hotel, Lucia?"


    Lucia smiled at her and said softly, "No, you can go back first.I''ll go and buy a phone card."


    Although she would be in Franksfurt for just a few days, she still missed Mr.and Mrs.Mitchell and


    wanted to talk to them over the phone.


    When Linda left, Lucia read the map and found a store that sold phone cards.She stopped a taxi and


    asked the driver to take her there.


    It took less than half an hour to go there and back.


    The taxi stopped at the entrance of the hotel.


    Before she got out, Lucia asked about the fare.


    "How much is it, Sir?"


    The taxi driver could speak a little English.


    He showed her four of his fingers and said, "400 FRD."


    Lucia was a little stunned when she heard that.


    400 FRD was about 15 dors.


    It was a short trip to and from the store.


    How could it cost that much? Moreover, she didn''t have much FRD on her.


    After buying a phone card, she only had less than 200 FRD left.


    Was the driver deliberately asking for a higher fare because she was from Cannada?

 Chapter 149

    Chapter 149


    Beforeing to Franksfurt, Lucia had specifically done some research online and found some


    information that there were cases of drivers in Franksfurt deliberately taking a detour for a higher fare,


    but she had never expected that she would encounter something like this within a day of her arrival


    here.


    Lucia opened the map on her phone to estimate the fare.


    Seeing the estimated fare was 150 FRD, she knew at once that this driver was trying to cheat her!


    Lucia took a deep breath and showed the screen of her phone to the driver.


    "I can only give you 150."


    The driver nced at the screen and immediately shook his head.


    "No, 400, 400 FRD."


    Seeing how insistent he was, Lucia was even angrier in her heart.


    Did he really think that people from Cannada had money growing on trees, which was so easy to get?


    She also insisted on her position and refused to budge.


    "Just 150."


    Hearing that, the driver looked angry as well.


    He gestured with his hands, saying, "Then I''ll...drive you back there!"


    With that, he pointed to the ce where the phone card store was.


    Lucia was stunned, not expecting him to say that.


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    Seeing him about to start the car, she immediately pushed open the door and got out of the car.


    The driver angrily rolled down the window and held out four fingers.


    "400, 400!"


    During the dinner party, everyone had drunk some wine because of the hospitality of the receptionists


    from Teda Corporation, including Lucia.


    Now that she was angry and affected by the wine, she refused to stop arguing with the driver.


    Here in a foreign country, she wouldn''t lose the face of her countrymen.


    She had to teach the driver a lesson.


    She spoke English, so the driver used his broken English and gestures.


    The two of them argued excitedly with each other.


    Just then, a ck car stopped in front of the hotel.


    Inside the car, August raised his eyes and saw through the front window that Lucia, wearing a cool


    halter white dress, was arguing fiercely with the taxi driver.


    Instantly, his eyebrows furrowed slightly.


    This woman was actually fighting with someone abroad.


    Burton, who was sitting up front, also saw it.


    He turned to August hesitantly and asked, "Mr.Adams, it seems that the driver is trying to overcharge


    her."


    August''s eyes darkened.


    Without saying a word, he pushed open the door to get out of the car straight away and stepped toward


    Lucia.


    Lucia was so focused on the argument with the driver that she didn¡¯t notice the man approaching from


    behind.


    She looked serious and said word by word, "I won''t fall for it.Just 150.If you don''t want it, I''ll leave right


    away."


    No sooner had she finished speaking than she suddenly felt that her wrist was grabbed and she was


    pulled aside.


    When she steadied herself and raised her head, she saw the handsome back of the man in a sharp


    suit.


    August? What was he doing here? August stood in front of the taxi, looking down at the driver.


    His aura was so strong that it was a bit overwhelming.


    He opened his mouth and said fluently in English, "Get out of here now, or I''ll call the police!"


    With that, he turned slightly sideways, took the 150 FRD from Lucia¡¯s hand, and shoved it through the


    taxi window.


    The driver was apparently subdued by August''s presence.


    Just now he saw that Lucia was from Cannada and that she was alone and vulnerable, so he tried to


    make more money by overcharging her, but he didn¡¯t expect such a result.


    Without saying anything more, the driver took the money, rolled up the window quickly, and stepped on


    the gas.


    Watching the car fly away, Lucia stood where she was, feeling even more stunned.


    To her surprise, she had argued with the driver for quite a while, but it was not as effective as August


    coming over to say something like that! After a nce at the car that was flying away, August turned


    around unhurriedly, gave her a cold look, and said coldly, "What a bad judge."


    Lucia was confused, thinking she had heard it wrong.


    What did being a bad judge have to do with being overcharged? August''s eyes were sullen and cold.


    He curled his lip and mocked, "You don¡¯t have a good eye for drivers or men."


    Hearing that, Lucia was shocked and puzzled.


    What did he mean by not having a good eye for men? Just then, August nced at her, pursed his lips


    more tightly, and said word by word, "You ept a man who can''t even protect you.I''m really


    impressed."


    Lucia could tell that there was a hidden meaning in his words.


    What happened outside thepany yesterday came to her mind at once, and she instantly


    understood that he was talking about Kirk.


    She gritted her teeth, with a bit of displeasure in her heart, and stared squarely at him, saying, "That''s


    better than a womanizer who has many love affairs."


    With that, she deliberately craned her neck to look behind August.


    Her lips curved into an innocent smile as she asked as if on purpose, "Why don''t you have a star with


    you on your business trip today, Mr.Adams? Can you stand it if you have to be lonely for the next three


    or four days?"


    When August heard Lucia say those sarcastic words in an odd tone, his eyes darkened all of a sudden


    and he couldn''t wait to punish this sharp-tongued woman seriously.


    It had only been a few days since he''d given her a lessonst time.


    He hadn''t expected her to be so bold as to talk to him like that! Suppressing his irritation, August


    stepped forward and slowly approached her.


    After a few seconds, the coldness on his face faded and it was reced by a smile.


    He slowly moved closer to her and whispered in her ear, asking in an extremely soft voice, "It''s been


    such a long time that I want a change sometimes, so why don''t I try you tonight?"


    Hearing those words, Lucia instantly felt her cheeks burning and took a few steps back in a panic.


    "You..."


    She hadn''t expected that August would use such a trick! However, looking at the wicked glint in the


    man¡¯s eyes, she could not tell if he meant it or not.


    When she stepped back, August immediately followed and moved closer to her.


    He reached out and grabbed her shoulders quickly so that she could not break free or back away.


    "What do you say?"


    He raised his dashing eyebrows and said in a deep, maic voice, "Shall we try it tonight?"


    Lucia¡¯s cheeks were extremely red.


    She was trying to be sarcastic with August, only to get herself caught up in trouble.


    She took a deep breath and pretended to be calm.


    "I...have something to do, so I''ll leave now."


    She wanted to leave, but August grabbed her shoulders hard with hisrge hands, making it impossible


    for her to pull away.


    "Do you think you can get away?"


    August''s lips curved into a slightly cold smile.


    He grabbed her shoulders harder and pulled her into his arms all of a sudden.


    Following that, he started to walk toward the hotel with his arm around Lucia¡¯s shoulders.


    Lucia wanted to cry, unable to free herself.


    For the first time in her life, she got to know what it was like to shoot herself in the foot! She was no


    match for August.


    In the end, she had to pay the price for what she had started in the heat of the moment.


    She gritted her teeth.


    Feeling how hard the man was holding her shoulders, she knew that she couldn''t get away from him at


    the moment.


    Therefore, she had to wait until he let down his guard a little before she could find a chance to escape!


    Meanwhile, two sneaky figures were hiding behind the trees across the road, watching what was going


    on at the hotel.


    A bald man patted the thin man next to him and said in a deep voice, "Did you get a clear shot of the


    woman''s face beside August?"


    The thin man next to him immediately said obligingly, "Yes, I did.Shall we send the pictures directly to


    K?"


    The bald man watched from behind as Lucia and August walked into the hotel and said with a flicker of


    hostility in his eyes, "Yeah.K told us to keep an eye on her and kidnap her straight away when we get a


    chance."

 Chapter 150

    Chapter 150


    On the way from the lobby to the elevator and then to the floor where her room was located, Lucia had


    been looking for a chance to escape from August, but he seemed to know what she was thinking and


    didn¡¯t give her any chance at all.


    As they walked by her room, Lucia moved slower and slower, using her limited strength to fight against


    him.


    She gritted her teeth and mustered up the courage to say, "Mr.Adams, I have to get up early tomorrow


    morning to go on a study tour with my colleagues..."


    She was suggesting that he should let her go.


    Hearing that, August raised his eyebrows and looked at her with his deep eyes, asking rhetorically,


    "What does it have to do with me?"


    "You..."


    Lucia was so angry that she gritted her teeth and stomped her foot, regretting beyond words what she


    had just done.


    Why had she been so hot-headed as to provoke him back then? Being a bit annoyed, she simply


    asked, "So what do you want?"


    "What do you think? Didn''t you say I couldn''t stand loneliness?"


    August deliberately said that ambiguously, making her imagine things.


    Watching the woman as her cheeks gradually flushed red, he felt a touch of amusement in his heart.


    Just now at the entrance of the hotel, she had taunted him with her sharp tongue, like a little feral cat.


    He had to teach her a lesson, or she would get even bolder, wouldn''t she? The corners of his mouth


    turned up slightly, and his grip on her shoulder tightened slightly as he pushed her onward.


    Lucia grimaced and she finally began to feel worried.


    If she was really pulled into his room, she was afraid that something would happen.


    But the more worried she was, the more her mind went nk and she couldn''t think of any way out.


    She was somewhat pushed by August to the corner of the corridor.


    As soon as they went around the corner, Lucia saw a man in a steel gray suit standing outside the door


    of a room.


    The man was tall and well-built, with short hair.


    He looked bright and handsome, but his eyes were piercing and sharp.


    He turned to look at them and when he saw August, a smile flickered in his eyes.


    Then, he shifted his gaze and eyed Lucia, who was beside August, in a meaningful way.


    Before Lucia could react, the man had already raised his eyebrows and walked up to them.


    "August, you are so phndering.You asked me out and made me wait for such a long time, but now


    you have brought back a girl.What are you doing?"


    The man smirked and asked in a teasing tone as he kept ncing at Lucia.


    Hearing his tone of voice, Lucia knew instantly in her mind that August had an appointment.She


    thought that she could get away now.She felt d in her heart and quickly turned to August.


    August looked as cold as ever.


    After a nce at Joshua, he casually fished his room card out of his pocket and threw it to the man.


    "You can go in first."


    Joshua looked at them knowingly.


    He curved his lips in a meaningful smile and promptly said, "Okay, be quick.I''ll wait for you."


    With that, he didn¡¯t forget to give August a wink before he opened the door with the card and entered


    the room with a smile.


    August ignored what he implied.


    When the door was closed, he turned around to look at Lucia.


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    Lucia took a deep breath and quickly whispered, "If you have something to do, I''ll leave you alone..."


    With that, she tried to break away from his arm.


    However, August was using so much strength that his arm was as stiff as a post.


    She couldn''t even push it away or break free.


    Lucia¡¯s face was red with anger.


    Just as she was about to argue with him, August suddenly leaned down and came closer to her.


    The distance between them suddenly closed, but Lucia was not prepared for it at all.


    Watching as his impably handsome face got closer and closer to hers, she felt her heart pounding


    even faster.


    Seeing the flicker of panic and nervousness in the woman''s eyes, August curled his lips, looking happy,


    and said unhurriedly in a low voice, "Let¡¯s do it next time."


    There was plenty of time for thatter, so he could wait.


    After saying that, he slowly loosened his grip on Lucia¡¯s shoulder.


    Lucia secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but her body was still tense as she hastily said, "It¡¯s gettingte.


    I''ll leave now."


    Having said that, she immediately turned around without looking at August''s face and trotted quickly


    toward her room.


    August watched the timid woman from behind.


    An imperceptible smile flickered in his eyes as his lips parted slightly.


    Then, he turned to walk to the door of his room and opened it to get in.


    When the door was opened, August saw Joshua leaning backzily on the couch as if in his room.


    Seeing August walk in, Joshua raised an eyebrow,ughing and joking, "Already? Your stamina is so..."


    August gave him a sullen nce, forcing him to swallow the rest of his words.


    August walked over and said in a deep voice as he sat down opposite Joshua, "Let''s get down to


    business."


    Joshua''s face changed instantly when it came to business.


    He stopped teasing andughing all at once and put on a stern and grim face instead.


    "What we know for sure now is that Ted is in Bearlin.He is quite close to the local viin called K.I had


    my men go and scout around, but they only found some minions, not theirir yet."


    Hearing that, August looked out the window into the darkness of the night with his deep eyes and said


    quietly, "The rest will be easy if we are sure Ted is in Bearlin.


    Go and find out more about his whereabouts, mainly in ces like casinos, nightclubs, and bars.


    Ted can''t stand loneliness.


    He would surelye out for fun in the city."


    Joshua nodded and said, "Okay, I get it."


    After a long silence, August narrowed his eyes and asked, "Did Charlotte find anything suspicious?"


    Joshua answered truthfully, "No.Shall we continue to watch that guy?"


    "Yes."


    As August spoke, his eyes darkened.


    He knew very well that Ted had unnoticeably disappeared under his nose and escaped from Cannada


    to Bearlin because someone was helping Ted secretly.He hade here not only to capture Ted but


    also to find out if Ted had any other aplices.


    Ted had done a lot of dirty things, using the subsidiary as a front, and even tried to drag the Lion Group


    into the mire.


    How could August let him off so easily? When he snapped out of his thoughts, August turned to give


    Joshua a cold nce and said in a deep voice, "You can go back if there''s nothing else."


    Hearing that, Joshua seemed a little unhappy.


    With his right leg over his left one, he saidzily, "You''re kicking me out now?"


    August stared at him coldly, "Why not? You want to stay here?"


    Joshua chuckled, with no intention to leave.


    Instead, he shifted into a morefortable position and said in a teasing tone, "August, you''ve


    changed a lot recently."


    August said nothing when he heard that.


    He just reached out and unbuttoned his shirt at the wrists.


    Seeing that he didn¡¯t say anything, Joshua boldly continued to ask, "You have kept your distance from


    women, haven''t you? Why do you want a woman now?"


    Joshua knew that August seldom had a woman around and never got fresh with one, but today, he saw


    a real eye-opener.


    August knew exactly what he meant.


    He stood up and stared at him condescendingly.


    "Do you want me to throw you out with my own hands, Joshua?"


    It had been a while since they saw each otherst time and Joshua was much cheekier now.

 Chapter 151

    Chapter 151


    Seeing that August had little patience, Joshua immediately smiled and asked for forgiveness.


    "Fine, fine.I''ll leave.Why are you so angry?"


    "We haven''t seen each other for a while, so I thought you would miss me."


    "Forget it.I shouldn''t have tried to chat with an iceberg like you..."


    Joshua kept chattering to himself.


    August looked so sullen, showing obviously that he had run out of patience.


    Seeing that, Joshua immediately shut up and walked quickly out of the room.


    When the door was closed, August finally had some peace.He walked to the window, casually picked


    up the imported wine on the table and poured half a ss.


    After taking a sip, he looked out the window with his deep eyes.


    His eyes swept over the brightly lit skyscrapers outside before he looked into the pitch-ck sky.


    In the farthest reaches of the sky, the darkness of the night looked like a bloody mouth waiting to


    devour the world.


    The next morning, Lucia got up as soon as her rm went off, without spending ten more minutes on


    the bed as she used to.


    Today, it was the first day for her to formally go on the study tour of Teda Corporation, so she naturally


    had to be in good spirits.


    She changed into afortable long dress, which was cool and not too casual.


    After getting everything ready, she grabbed the stuff that she needed and went straight out.


    When she and Linda arrived at the restaurant, it happened that all her colleagues had also arrived, so


    they went to the buffet area for food and found their own seats.


    Lucia took some food and sat down at a table with Linda.


    After taking a few sips of milk, she suddenly remembered her chance encounter with Augustst night.


    Before they came to Franksfurt, she had not been informed that August woulde too, and she had


    forgotten to ask August what he was doing herest night.


    Judging from what the others were like today, they didn¡¯t seem to know that August was in Franksfurt.


    Lucia took two bites of her sandwich.


    Then, she asked Linda while pretending that she did it without thinking, "Are we the only ones going on


    the tour today?"


    Linda was confused by the question.


    "Yes, who else would be there?"


    Lucia hesitated for a moment and continued to ask tentatively, "I think I saw Mr.Adams here yesterday.


    Maybe I was mistaken?"


    "How could it be?" Linda said with certainty.


    "Natalie didn''t say Mr.Adams woulde over.You must be mistaken."


    Hearing that, Lucia nodded without asking any more questions and continued to eat her breakfast with


    her head down, but her mind was tangled with questions, like a mess.


    If August had not told anyone about his business trip to Franksfurt, why did he show up here? Did he


    have something else to do? She kept thinking about it, without finding an answer.


    After breakfast, they went to visit Teda Corporation together, so she had to put it behind her for the time


    being.


    After a busy morning of visiting all the departments of Teda, the receptionists treated them to lunch at


    noon and sent a driver to take them back to the hotel for a rest.


    It was quite hot outside, so they were given a two-hour break before they went back to thepany to


    learn their management methods in the afternoon.


    Lucia was covered in sweat after going around all morning.


    She just wanted to go back to her room as soon as possible, take a shower, and get some rest.


    Outside her room, she couldn''t help but subconsciously look over at the corner of the corridor.


    August stayed in the first room around that corner.


    After hesitating for two seconds, she took out her room card, opened the door, and went in.


    She took a shower and changed into afortable T-shirt and shorts.


    Just as she was about to have some rest, she suddenly remembered that she had not yet gotten


    Dr.Long''s contact information.


    As a result, she couldn''t sleep at all.


    The sooner she got the contact information, the sooner she could tell Mr.and Mrs.Mitchell to contact


    Dr.Long for the scheduling and nning of the surgery.


    She had nned to get it before she came to Franksfurt, but something unexpected happened.


    Now that August was in Franksfurt, it was a perfect opportunity for her to ask him for Dr.Long¡¯s contact


    information.


    However, thinking of the unpleasant incident between themst night, Lucia was just like a deted


    balloon and lost her courage all of a sudden.


    August had said that he would settle the score with her, so she didn¡¯t dare to go to him at this point.


    She tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep.


    After thinking about it over and again, she decided to get out of bed and plucked up the courage to go


    and ask August.


    Even if she didn''t do it now, she would still have to find a chance to ask him when they went back


    home.


    Therefore, she would rather take this opportunity to ask him directly than wait until then.


    Gritting her teeth, she was about to go out when she suddenly caught sight of the fruits on the table,


    which her colleagues had bought from a roadside fruit stall on the way back today.


    It must be admitted that the fruits from the stalls in Franksfurt were really cheap and affordable.


    Besides, there were many different kinds of them and they were very sweet.


    Everyone bought some at the time, including Lucia.


    She also got some and brought them back to eat.


    She hadn''t expected that they woulde in handy now.


    Lucia was so happy that she immediately cleaned and cut the fruits into bite-sized pieces.


    There was mangosteen, a durian, an avocado, and a small pineapple.


    They were all cut and put into a small bowl, making a bowlful of bright colors that looked pretty nice.


    She was going to ask for help, so she had to be sincere.


    Lucia had been feeling somewhat nervous, but she calmed down a bit after doing all that.


    She took her room card, grabbed the bowl, and left her room for August''s.


    Outside August''s room, Lucia raised her hand to knock on the door.


    She waited for a minute, but there was no response.


    He wasn''t in the room now? Lucia hesitated for a moment.


    Just as she turned to leave, the door was unexpectedly opened with a click.


    Lucia turned around right away and saw the man in a bathrobe.


    His hair was slightly wet, showing that he had just finished taking a shower.


    To her surprise, she noticed that some droplets of water were sliding down the skin texture of his bare


    neck and the small exposed part of his chest, which was tanned.


    August took a nce at the woman who was frozen where she was.


    When he saw the bowl full of cubed fruit in her hand, a hint of surprise flickered in his eyes.


    What was she doing here? Showing goodwill or begging for mercy? Standing in the doorway, he looked


    condescendingly at her and asked in a cold voice, "Yes?"


    Lucia hurriedly took her eyes off him.


    T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    She couldn''t help but swallow, and her thoughts were a bit jumbled.


    "Well...I¡¯m here with some fruit..."


    August seemed to find it funny, but the expression on his face didn''t change much.


    He turned directly around as he simply said, "Bring it in"


    Watching the man from behind, Lucia felt like a pot of cold water had been poured on her, and she


    instantly realized what was going on.


    She was here with the fruit, but he was so condescending, cold and arrogant, asking her to take it in


    like that? However, thinking of what she hade to him for, Lucia was deted all of a sudden.


    Without saying anything else, she immediately walked in with the bowl.


    August sat down on the couch at will.


    He casually picked up the whiskey with ice cubes from the table, brought it to his lips, and took a sip


    before raising his eyes to look at her.


    "What is it?"


    She must havee over for more than bringing him some fruit.


    Lucia managed to force a smile as she put the small bowl in her hand on the table and said, "I bought


    some fruits from a fruit stall at noon.


    They''re fresh and sweet, but I got too many, so I brought you some."


    August raised his eyes as if trying to read her mind.


    "What else?"


    Now that he asked, Lucia stopped beating around the bush and said frankly, "Actually, I''m here...for


    one more thing...It''s about Dr.Long from the Straten Hospital, whom you helped to find for my


    father.Can you give me his contact information? I want to consult him about the surgical n."


    Hearing that, August instantly understood.If she had nothing to ask him for, she wouldn''t havee


    and tried to please him, would she?

 Chapter 152

    Chapter 152


    August casually picked up the tablet on the couch, flipped through the documents filled with foreign


    languages, and paused for two seconds before turning to look at the bowl of cubed fruit on the table.


    He raised an eyebrow and asked, "That''s your sincerity?"


    Lucia took a deep breath and said softly, "If you like it, I''ll do it for you every day for the next few days."


    She knew August wouldn''t give it to her easily.


    Ever since she called him a scumbagst time, he had been trying to make things difficult for her.


    When August heard that, something flickered in his eyes and he said lightly, "I''ll try it."


    Lucia froze for a moment and immediately responded, taking the small bowl and holding it in front of


    him.


    To make it easier for him to eat, she specially prepared a fruit fork.


    However, when she did that, the man had no intention of reaching out his hand to take the bowl.


    With his left hand holding the tablet and his right hand tapping the screen, he lifted his head slightly to


    look at her and raised his eyebrows, saying, "I''ve got my hands full."


    Lucia was stunned.


    It was just a matter of reaching out, and he said it as seriously as if it were true that he couldn''t do it! So


    what did he mean by that? Did he want her to feed him? Lucia was annoyed, but she couldn''t show it.


    After a few seconds of staring at him in disbelief, she managed to force a smile on her face.


    "Well then, I''ll feed you."


    As she spoke, she picked up the fork.


    With a single movement, she ran it through a piece of pineapple from one end to the other and then


    pretended to be patient as she put the piece of fruit to his mouth.


    August opened his mouth to take it.


    He curled his lips in satisfaction, and a smile flickered quickly in his eyes.


    Lucia fed him several pieces in a row and August finally said lightly, "I''ll tell Burton to send you the


    contact information."


    Hearing that, Lucia was so happy that she wasn''t that impatient anymore.


    She looked at the small bowl in her hand and asked patiently, "Do you want more?"


    August''s tone eased up a bit as he said lightly, "Put it down."


    Lucia put down the small bowl, feeling a bit happier than earlier.


    Thinking of the questions that bothered her this morning, she couldn''t help but ask casually, "By the


    way, you weren''t there when we visited Teda in the morning, so what are you doing here in Franksfurt


    this time?"


    August''s face turned cold when he was suddenly asked, and he said in a deep voice, "Don¡¯t ask what


    you shouldn''t ask."


    Seeing that the man suddenly changed his face, Lucia felt like a pot of cold water had been poured on


    her, and she instantly realized what was going on.


    Apparently, she had crossed the line and asked a question she shouldn''t have asked.


    The smile froze at the corners of her mouth as Lucia suddenly felt at a loss.


    After pausing for a few seconds, she softly replied, "I...got it.I''ll leave if there¡¯s nothing else."


    T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    After that, she turned around, feeling a bit upset, and stumbled out of the room.


    She was just asking the question casually, but she hadn''t expected that August would have such a


    reaction.


    In an inexplicably low mood, Lucia went back to her room.


    She had asked for Dr.Long''s contact information, but the fact that August had suddenly changed his


    attitude toward her was like a big stone weighing on her mind, and she couldn''t help but think and


    wonder about it.


    She always felt that August had something else to do in Franksfurt this time, and it was something very


    important.


    Before she knew it, the break time went by quickly.


    After the incident at noon, Lucia didn¡¯t fall asleep at all.


    She got up with bleary eyes, cleaned up, and went out.


    During the whole afternoon, they were led by Natalie to Teda Corporation, went to various departments


    to experience the work there, and briefly had a small meeting before the first day of their study tour


    came to an end.


    Aftering out of thepany, Natalie gathered everyone and exined what they should do next.


    "We won''t have dinner together tonight.I''ll leave you all to yourselves, so you can make your own


    ns.You can have dinner, go shopping or do whatever you want, but make sure you''re safe.Call me if


    anything happens, and you''d better be back at the hotel by 10 p.m., okay?"


    When she said that, everyone was very excited and agreed.


    Linda turned to Lucia and asked with a smile, "Lucia, do you have any n?"


    "No, not yet?"


    The most active girl among them came over and suggested, "Lucia, let''s go to that popr restaurant


    together! It''s famous online and they say the food there is superb!"


    Sam, a man from the Logistics Department, echoed, "Why don¡¯t we go together? We can take care of


    each other!"


    Others all agreed and Lucia had no reason to say no.


    Anyway, she had nothing to do, so she might as well go with them and have some fun.


    Having made the decision, they were ready to go to the restaurant by taxi.


    There were six or seven of them, and they couldn''t fit in one taxi, so they had to spend some time


    hailing one more taxi.


    Lucia was standing and chatting with Linda by the road when she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her


    lower abdomen.


    Her face changed.


    In the middle of her sentence, she couldn''t speak anymore and frowned in pain.


    Linda saw that something was wrong with her and quickly asked, "What''s wrong with you, Lucia? Your


    face is so pale."


    Lucia shook her head.


    She felt something sticky between her legs and instantly knew what was going on.


    If she was right, it was her period.


    She moved closer to Linda and whispered, "I think I''m on my period, Linda.Do you have that with you?"


    The girls naturally understand each other.


    Linda shook her head.


    "I don''t have it either.I''ll go and ask them for you."


    With that, she ran to ask the rest of the girls.


    Unfortunately, none of them brought it.


    Seeing the way Lucia held her belly, Linda was a little worried.


    "Lucia, I''ll go to the supermarket and buy some for you, okay?"


    After thinking about it, Lucia shook her head and said, "No, thank you.I¡¯d better go straight back to the


    hotel."


    Her period always came with abdominal pain.


    If she went to dinner with them like this, she couldn''t eat anything cold or spicy.


    It would be a bummer, so she might as well go back to the hotel.


    Linda was still worried.


    She said hesitantly, "Well...Do you want me to go with you? Lucia was touched.


    She declined in a soft voice.


    "No, thanks, Linda.You don''t have to worry about me.The hotel is not far from here.I''ll go back by


    motorcycle."


    There were many colorful motorcycles on the streets of Franksfurt.


    She could take one and get to the hotel in about ten minutes, so there was no need to have Linda go


    back with her.


    Hearing that, Linda nodded.


    "Okay then.Take care of yourself and send me a message when you get to the hotel."


    Lucia waved at her with a smile and said, "Got it."


    Just then, Sam stopped two taxis.


    After waving at her, Linda went over and got into one of them.


    Seeing the taxis leave, Lucia breathed a sigh of relief.


    Despite the faint pain in her belly, she walked slowly to a motorcycle by the roadside.


    Before she reached the motorcycle, a man suddenly ran up behind her.


    He was thin and small, about the same height as Lucia, and had a pair of little round eyes that kept


    rolling.


    "Where are you going, Miss? Do you need a ride?"


    Lucia took a look at him, feeling a little strange in her heart.


    Surprisingly, he was a man from Cannada.


    Moreover, he was speaking to her in thenguage of Cannada.


    How did he know she was from Cannada when there were many people from other countries on the


    streets of Franksfurt? And he even knew that she needed a ride? Instantly, Lucia felt a surge of


    uneasiness.


    She shook her head, quickened her pace, and simply refused, "No, thanks."


    No sooner had she finished speaking than something suddenly covered her head from behind, blocking


    her view.


    The next second, the back of her head was hit hard with a thump.


    Lucia cked out and lost consciousness instantly.

 Chapter 153

    Chapter 153


    The next thing Lucia knew, a noise kepting faintly to her ears.


    Her body was stiff as if she had been frozen, and she was too limp to muster any strength.


    The smell of choking smoke wafted up, making it a bit hard for her to breathe.


    She managed to open her eyes and raised her head slowly, finding herself tied up in a chair so tightly


    that she couldn''t move.


    Not far away was where the noise came from.


    A group of men gathered around a billiard table, cursing and swearing about something.


    Apanied by cacklingughter, their words were vulgar and unpleasant to the ear.


    Where...was she? Lucia gritted her teeth, lifted her head, and looked toward the other side.


    Her eyes swept around, but she failed to tell where she was.


    The ce was huge, with couches, billiards, and some other amusements.


    All of them were men, speaking both English and thenguage of Franksfurt.


    There was smoke all over the ce.


    The smell of smoke was so choking that Lucia couldn''t help but cough lightly.


    Someone nearby immediately noticed it, and soon, several men came over to her.


    Their leader was a dark-skinned man with dreadlocks and long, thick eyebrows, looking fierce.


    He had multiple tattoos, the most noticeable one of which was the letter K tattooed on one side of his


    neck.


    Next to him was a thin, small man, the same one she had met on the road! Lucia was rmed.


    Had she been kidnapped? If not, why would she be here? Why would she meet them? "K, this bitch


    woke up."


    The man who was called K was the one with the letter K tattooed on his neck.


    His hawk eyes were bright and piercing.


    Although the whites of his eyes were bloodshot, he still looked as murderous as he could.


    Lucia felt a chill all over her body.


    She moved her lips and gathered the courage to ask, "Who...Who are you?"


    She had never offended them, so why would they kidnap her? Besides, she was just a poor girl, who


    didn¡¯t have much money on her! When Lucia said that, the men couldn''t help butugh out loud.


    Even K curled his lips in mockery.


    When his men stoppedughing, he asked unhurriedly, "You are Lucia?"


    Lucia was even more rmed at the bottom of her heart.


    They actually knew her?


    "Yes...Iam."


    Seeing that she admitted it without much hesitation, K smiled coldly, lit a cigar, and took a big puff in


    front of her.


    After a while, he exhaled at her and slowly said, "Do you know why I kidnapped you?"


    Of course, Lucia didn''t know.


    Looking at them, she felt a chill down her spine and couldn''t ept it at once.


    They kidnapped her.


    How could she know why? She gritted her teeth, took a deep breath, and said, "You are breaking the


    law."


    Although they were in Franksfurt, they were all from Cannada, so they were supposed to know the


    consequences of breaking thew.


    As expected, the faces of the others all changed when she said that.


    The thin and small man immediately looked at K and opened his mouth to ask, ¡ãK, shall we teach her a


    lesson?"


    K nced at Lucia.


    He paused for two seconds before raising his a chin slightly at her.


    Before Lucia knew what was going on, she saw that the thin man rushed over to her, raised his hand,


    and pped her hard without saying a word! Lucia couldn''t dodge.


    Her whole face was sent sideways, and immediately, she had a taste of blood, which came out from


    the corner of her mouth.


    She hadn''t expected that they would dare to do that! She clenched her teeth, looked at them coldly,


    and asked, "Why did you kidnap me?"


    They knew her name and took her here.


    It was definitely not a coincidence, but a conspiracy! Seeing how mad she was, K smiled instead of


    being angry, but his eyes were still cold as he stared at her and said, "No wonder you''re August''s


    woman.You have such a temper."


    When Lucia heard his sarcastic words, her body tensed involuntarily and her throat tightened.


    Were they targeting August? But why would they kidnap her? After calming down, Lucia gritted her


    teeth and took a deep breath.


    "You''ve got the wrong person.I¡¯m not his woman."


    "Really?"


    K obviously didn¡¯t believe what she said.


    He was unhurriedly smoking his cigar, with a cold look in his eyes.


    "How important do you think you are to him?"


    Lucia unconsciously clenched her fists, feeling nervous.


    Was she important to August? Jeanne was the one he cared about, and Adeline was a beauty and


    celebrity.


    Either one of them was more important to August than she was, right? Thinking that, Lucia suddenly


    laughed coldly.


    She gathered her courage, raised her eyes to meet K¡¯s cold, deep eyes, and said seriously, "If you''re


    trying to deal with August by taking me here, I¡¯m afraid you''re wrong.I¡¯m just an employee in his


    company.He won''te here for me."


    At this point, she was just saying that for a chance to escape.


    If K knew that she was worthless, he might let her go.


    However, K snorted coldly withughter and took a step back to look her up and down before he said,


    "Since I''ve got you here, I have my reasons.I think you are very important to him.Do you want a bet?"


    Lucia didn¡¯t even think about it and refused outright.


    "No, I don¡¯t."


    She knew better than to guess whether August woulde to her rescue or not.


    What was more important to her now was how to escape from here.


    When she refused, the thin man next to her stepped forward and raised his hand to p her again.


    "How dare you say no to K!"


    With the p, Lucia¡¯s ears buzzed and she saw stars.


    Just as the thin man was about to p her again, K''s eyes darkened and the flesh on his ferocious


    tanned face twitched.


    "Enough!"


    The game hadn''t even started yet.


    It was a bad idea to beat this woman up before August came.


    Hearing what K said, the thin man immediately stopped what he was doing and took a step back


    obediently.


    Lucia felt her cheeks burning, in addition to the bouts of pain in her belly and the strange feel between


    her legs.


    An indescribable surge of sadness and grievances washed over her.


    She didn''t know why she had been targeted by them, but now that it hade to this point, she


    couldn''t get out of it in a short time, judging from the situation.


    "If you don''t admit it, then we''ll wait and see."


    After finishing his cigar, K nced at Lucia, who was tied up in the chair, as he uttered those words.


    Then, he looked at the two men next to him and instructed, "Bald, and Monkey, keep an eye on her."


    Bald and Monkey promptly responded, "Yes!"


    After that, K stepped toward the side.


    When he was away, Monkey couldn''t help but move closer to Bald and stared at Lucia as heughed


    lewdly, "I''m telling you, Brother, this woman is really great.When I pped her, I could feel that her skin


    was smooth and soft.It¡¯s so nice!"


    Hearing that, Bald couldn''t help but look at Lucia again as well.


    T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    A flicker of indecency crossed his face.


    "I know.Chicks from Cannada are better after all."


    The two of them kept talking to each other like that, without any regard to whether Lucia would hear


    them or not.


    Lucia was tied up there, unable to move.


    Listening to their conversation, she felt a surge of disgust in her heart.


    At this point, who woulde to her rescue?

 Chapter 154

    Chapter 154


    A ck car was racing through the darkness of the night.


    In the car, the atmosphere was terribly oppressive.


    August sat in the car with a sullen and grave face.


    After a moment, he turned to Joshua, who was next to him, and said in a low and deep voice, "Are you


    sure nothing will go wrong this time?"


    Joshua wasn''t smiling and grimacing as usual.


    Instead, he sounded serious as he said, "Don''t worry.I''ll have my men block all the doors.We''ll get him


    no matter where he runs from."


    August didn¡¯t say anything when he heard that.


    About ten minutes ago, he was informed that Ted had shown up in the red-light district of Bearlin, so he


    immediately headed there with his men.


    Joshua did the deployment.


    August didn¡¯t know the details, but he knew that in a ce like the red-light district, there were many


    people andplicated passages, so it wasn¡¯t easy to catch Ted.


    This time, he wasn¡¯t sure that they would get the man.


    Meanwhile, Lucia, who was tied up in the chair, felt like a monkey in the zoo.


    No matter who came over, they would take a look at her.


    They eyed her in a way that gave her the creeps and chills.


    On the couch not far away, K looked at her from time to time to see her reaction.


    One of his men ran over to him and whispered something in his ear.


    A cold look flickered in K''s slightly narrowed eyes and his back straightened.


    He casually picked up the ss of wine on the table, drained it in one go, and put the ss back on the


    table with a bang before he stood up.


    "It''s about time."


    He seemed to be telling his men or talking to himself.


    After saying wrmapeees that, he stepped directly toward Lucia.


    Seeing that, Bald and Monkey immediately came up respectfully.


    ""K"


    K took a nce at Lucia, who was pale and weak.


    Something flickered in his cold eyes.


    "It¡¯s about time.Let''s have some fun."


    With that, he gestured to the man next to him.


    The man got it and went forward right away to untie the rope around Lucia.


    Not knowing what was going on, Lucia unconsciously felt a wave of fear inside her.


    She had no idea what they were up to, but her instincts told her that it was definitely not good! Two


    men came forward and each of them held one of her arms, pulling her to the side.


    In a panic, Lucia turned to K, who had a horrible sneer at the corners of his mouth, and asked in a


    raised voice, "What...What are you doing?"


    K''s hawk eyes moved and he said in a cold voice, "What are we doing? You''ll see."


    About ten minutester, August''s phone suddenly dinged.


    He frowned slightly and felt a little uneasy for some reason.He casually picked up his phone, turned on


    the screen, and froze when he saw the picture that suddenly popped up.


    In two seconds, he burst into anger, looking extremely cold.


    Next to him, Joshua noticed that something was wrong and quickly moved closer to ask, "What''s


    wrong?"


    Had something unexpected happened? He looked over and saw the picture, in which Lucia was tied to


    arge dartboard, with her limbs outstretched.


    Her cheeks were red and swollen, with blood at the corners of her mouth, and her long white dress was


    also stained with spots of blood.


    Joshua was so shocked that he blurted out, "Shit, what the hell?"


    August''s face was as sullen as it could be.His grip on the phone tightened quietly and his knuckles


    turned white.


    The man¡¯s body was tense and he looked overwhelmingly cold.


    "It¡¯s K.I¡¯m sure it''s him."


    It was so vile and cruel and done at this point.


    The only one who would do that was K.


    August didn''t hesitate and immediately gave his phone to Joshua.


    "Tell Leroy to find out where the picture was sent from.Now!"


    Joshua was stunned.


    "What about Ted?"


    "We''ll split up!"


    Without much hesitation, August made the decision straight away.He knew very well that men like K


    were all ruthless ouws who were not afraid to kill and cause trouble.


    Now that Lucia was in his hands, she was in danger for sure! He had to go to her.


    Even if he failed to catch Ted, he had to go there and save her! Joshua frowned and hesitated.


    He seemed to have something to say, but after a look at the expression on August''s face, he didn¡¯t


    utter a word in the end and asked the driver to stop the car right away.


    The car pulled up to the curb, and soon, the two cars that followed not far behind also stopped.


    Joshua pushed the door open to get out of the car as he said, "Keep in touch and let me know if


    anything happens."


    After that, he stepped quickly toward one of the cars behind.


    Soon, a man with gold-rimmed sses came over.


    After getting in, he picked up aptop and kept tapping on the keyboard.


    A few minutester, he hit the spacebar and raised his hand to push the frame of his sses.


    "Got it.It''s from a casino in the northern suburbs of Bearlin."


    August''s eyebrows furrowed as soon as he heard that.


    An imperceptible hint of anxiety flickered in his eyes as he ordered in a deep voice, "Turn around now


    and go to the casino!"


    Without saying a word, the driver immediately turned the car around.


    Seeing that, the men in the two cars behind started their cars and continued to drive forward.


    Joshua would lead his men to the red-light district for Ted and August would rush to the casino for


    Lucia.


    By splitting up like this, they would be able to minimize their losses.


    The driver stepped on the gas and the car sped off.


    Burton, who was upfront in the passenger seat, turned to August with some hesitation and asked,


    "Mr.Adams, can we do it with just a few of us?"


    K had deliberately sent them the picture, which meant that he wasn''t afraid that they would go to him.


    There were only four of them in the car, so they would definitely be outnumbered.


    If they rashly went over, they wouldn''t have much chance of sess, and it would be one hell of a


    fight.


    August''s eyes darkened and he said in a cold voice, "I''m afraid they won''t let us all in."


    Now that K had Lucia in his hands, he wouldn''t let them all in.


    August knew that K was just targeting him.


    Once he said that, it was silent in the car.


    They were in the most passive position now.


    K had Lucia in his hands, so he was the one who had the final say on whether to negotiate or to fight.


    They were as quick as a sh on the road and arrived at their destination in less than half an hour.


    Outside the casino, there was a row of cars parked, including many luxury ones that cost millions.


    At the entrance, a dark-skinned, thick-lipped man from Franksfurt was standing there.


    When he saw August, he immediately came up to wee him.


    He put his hands together and bowed while greeting August in thenguage of Franksfurt before he


    said in English, "Pleasee with me, Mr.Adams."


    Burton and Leroy tried to follow August, but the man suddenly turned around and reached out his hand


    with a serious face to stop them.


    Apparently, they could only allow August to get in alone.


    Burton''s face darkened.


    He clenched his fists, ready to fight.


    Seeing that, August winked at him secretly, signaling to him to back off.


    Burton was worried and said with a frown, "Mr.Adams."


    T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    August looked at him coldly with his dark eyes and ordered in a deep voice, "Just wait here.


    No one will step in without my order."


    Hearing that, Burton and Leroy had no choice but to take a step back without saying anything else.


    The man from Franksfurt nodded slightly when he saw that, and walked ahead to show August the


    way.


    Once inside, they went through a circr corridor, past a bamboo screen and the bar for chips behind


    it, and then further into the hall of the casino.


    The hall was filled with smoke and noise.


    Every gambling table was surrounded by people and covered with piles of chips as well stacks of cash.


    It was a mishmash ofnguages,plexions, and shouts.


    August frowned and hid the cold look in his eyes as he moved on with the man from Franksfurt.


    They went through another corridor.


    The noise from outside seemed to be far away, and it was much quieter here.


    However, when they stopped at a wooden door and the man from Franksfurt pushed it open, more


    noise came out of the room at once.


    August took a nce and stepped in without hesitation.


    Almost immediately, he saw the woman tied to the dartboard in the middle of the room.

 Chapter 155

    Chapter 155


    Worse than the situation in the photo, at this moment Lucia''s long skirt had been cut into lines by razor


    des, with her skin exposed.


    What''s more, the hem of the long skirt was stained with a streak of blood and there was also blood


    flowing down her bare calves.She lowered her head, with a pale face and thin chin, making people feel


    pity.


    Seeing this scene, August only felt a "buzz"in his head, as if something suddenly exploded in his ears.


    He clenched his fist, with his eyes scarlet red.


    At that moment, a cockyugh came from the side, apanied by apuse.


    K apuded as he stepped forward, "August, you didn''t let your woman down and I thought you


    couldn''t get here in half an hour!"


    Although he was smiling, the smile did not reach the bottom of his eyes.


    And his eyes like falcons¡¯ are glowing with cold light, making people feel chill.


    August turned his head, with his unreadable dark eyes flooded with coldness, looking straight back at


    him without any fear, ¡ãK, you''re famous in Bearlin.


    Why would you kidnap a weak woman by using such an underhanded means?"


    Hearing the voice, Lucia, tied to the dartboard, half unconscious, trembled lightly and struggled to raise


    her head and open her eyes.


    She couldn''t help but be aggrieved when she saw the familiar face.


    He really came! When she thought she was going to die here, he came like a god! K sneered and


    replied, "You, the famous August are not so easy to see, so I have to take the trouble to use some


    bait.See, you finallye up."


    August clenched his fist and looked up at Lucia.


    His eyes were clear and bright as he locked eyes with her, and after two seconds he turned to K with a


    sharp coldness in his eyes, "You hurt her?"


    The blood on her body was blindingly red! "No."


    K pretended to be innocent and raised his hand, "She is in her physiological period and the blood has


    nothing to do with me.I, K, before the matter is settled will not hurt her."


    August looked at the dozen men standing behind K and said in a cold voice, "So how do you want to


    settle this matter?"


    These people were all armed.He could escape if he settled it by force, but Lucia was tied up, so he


    didn¡¯t dare to do anything.He had no choice but to do what K wanted.


    K unhurriedly lit a cigar, squinting at August in the cloud of smoke, with his pair of hawk-like eyes


    prating a slightly grim light.


    August stared back at him defiantly, his ck eyes covered with ayer of ice, and the two of them


    confronted each other silently.


    Finally, K curled his lips and said in a deep voice, "Ted is one of mine, and you can''t arrest him.Even if


    you do, you have to release him."


    When he said that, the flesh on his face twitched, and his expression was a bit hideous.


    Immediately after, he stepped forward, and his eagle eyes met August''s eyes, "You are shitting and


    pissing on my head by arresting my people on my turf.Do you think I can tolerate that?"


    August pursed his thin lips, and his dark eyes were even more unreadable.


    Before he could speak, there was a sudden buzzing sound from the micro earphones in his ear,


    followed by Alex''s voice, "August, we are all in ce and ready to strike."


    August coughed lightly and did not answer.


    Looking up, he crossed the crowd in front of him to look at Lucia on the dartboard.


    Feeling August''s gaze, Lucia forced herself to brace herself up.


    She couldn''t hear exactly what they were exchanging, but she could feel the seriousness and


    oppression of the atmosphere.


    K followed August''s gaze and saw Lucia, smiling crookedly, "Whether you catch Ted today or not, you''ll


    have to y a game with me if you want to take her away."


    He had managed to trap him, and it was no fun to force him to let Ted go alone.


    He wanted to see how much August could do.


    August asked in a deep voice, "What game?"


    He knew very well that since he entered K¡¯s ir", K would not let them go so easily.


    K signaled Bald next to him to immediately bring a tray with five or six sharp darts that could be used


    as concealed weapons, with sharp heads that glowed with metal and colorful feathered tails that were


    thin and long.


    August took a look at Lucia and instantly understood.


    As expected, K smiled and walked over to the dartboard.


    When he turned it gently, the dartboard with Lucia tied to it began to spin around.


    Lucia was already not feeling well, and now she was feeling dizzy and extremely ufortable.


    August frowned and slowly clenched his hand at his side, with knuckles rattling.


    He had prided himself on the control of his emotions, but now he couldn''t suppress the anger in his


    heart.


    K casually squeezed a dart and made a fake motion to throw it at the dartboard, asking, "How about it?


    Do you want to y?"


    August returned to normal both in his eyes and face, saying in a deep voice, "Sure, but I need to check


    the dartboard first."


    He was sure that he can win this game, but as long as Lucia couldn''t resist moving in the nick of time,


    the darts would probably miss and she would get hurt.


    K nced at Lucia, smiled, and said, "Yes, the dartboard was spinning when you throw.Are you sure


    you want to y?"


    August nodded slightly and stepped towards the dartboard, next to one of K''s men pointing a gun at


    Lucia to prevent him from making a move.


    Looking at August approaching, Lucia felt warmth in her heart, along with her body, as if she saw a little


    starlight in the infinite darkness.


    Her nose was sore and tears poured out of her eyes uncontrobly.


    Without the coldness in his eyes, August went closer to her and gently touched the dartboard, but his


    eyes never moved away from her.


    He lowered his voice, "Do you trust me?"


    Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    Hearing August''s voice, Lucia took a deep breath and nodded her head vigorously.


    At this moment, she only trusted him.


    August moved his lips, "Then don¡¯t move."


    After saying these words, he turned around and walked towards K, "Let''s begin."


    At that, K lifted his chin to his men over there, and then a man nodded and raised his hands to spin the


    dartboard.


    Looking at the dartboard that kept spinning, August tightened his grip on the dart.


    Seeing the right moment, he lifted his hand and threw.


    With a pop, the dart hit the board andnded right under Lucia¡¯s arm.


    Then the second, third, fourth, and fifth darts all hit the board without incident, avoiding Lucia¡¯s limbs.


    The sixth dart was thest one.


    He tightened his grip on the dart as he watched the dartboard spinning faster.


    Just then, Alex''s voice came through the earphones, "Damn, Ted, the old fox, escaped! He brought a


    lot of people with him and we''re about to go after him now!"


    With his eyes darkened, August frowned slightly.


    After a two-second pause, he spoke with his head sideways, "Stop chasing him."


    With a "Buzz" Sound, Alex''s voice came intermittently, "He''s injured and he can''t run far."


    August took a deep breath, with a dark light shing under his deep eyes.


    He said rather hard, "Stop chasing him."


    Even if they caught him, K would force him to let him go.


    "What? August..."


    Not caring what Alex wanted to say, August leaned forward slightly, saw the right moment, and threw


    thest dart.

 Chapter 156

    Chapter 156


    With a "swoosh", the dart flew rapidly towards the dartboard.


    Lucia closed her eyes tightly and didn''t dare to move as the dartboard spun.


    The dart was about to fly at her arm, but with a "click" sound, the dart hit the board with the tail


    twitching, less than a centimeter away from her arm.


    Lucia heard a huffing sounding from the side, and only then did she slowly open her eyes.


    Thest dart avoided her perfectly and didn¡¯t hurt her a bit! She looked up with some delight, catching


    the man''s dark, unreadable eyes.


    And she unconsciously felt some stability.


    This feeling was a solid sense of security and trust, which she had never experienced from others.


    When he saw Lucia looking at him, August looked at her with rare gentleness.


    At that moment, one of K¡¯s men suddenly ran to his side and whispered something in his ear.


    A few secondster, K¡¯s expression changed.He subconsciously looked up at August, and with a wave


    of his hand, he let the man next to him back off.He stepped forward, with his icy expression changing.


    Then, he curled his lips, raised his hand, and apuded August, "Good! That was a good throw and


    I¡¯m convinced!"


    In the face of his bragging, August was indifferent.


    He turned his head and gave him a cold nce.


    K pretended to smile.


    After a few rounds of apuse, he grabbed a dart from the tray next to him and walked towards August


    while smiling, "You really hide your light under a bushel?"


    He sounded like he was joking, ying with the dart in his hand as if he was trying to figure out


    something.


    Without waiting for August to answer, he had already picked up the dart, put it in front of him, closed


    one eye, and took aim at Lucia on the dartboard.


    K said casually in a casual tone while aiming, "Can I hit the dartboard?"


    With his eyes darkened, August didn''t hesitate to reach out and pinch the tip of the dart directly,


    stopping his next move, his voice low and deep, "The game is over."


    At those words, K curled his lips and let go of his hand.


    With a cold face, August threw the dart straight into the tray next to him.


    Looking at his action, K knitted his brows, and the smile that emerged on his face disappeared.


    He lifted his hands, unhurriedly patted the non-existent dust on his hand, and leisurely said, "Is it over?"


    August didn''t flinch from staring at him.


    With his aura bing cold, the surrounding temperature seemed to drop a few degrees.


    After a long stare at each other, August curled his lips with a cold look under his eyes, "K, I have done


    everything you asked."


    He had already released Ted and thrown the darts as K had requested.


    If K still refused to let them go, then he had only onest option.


    That was to y hardball.


    When he saw the murderous intent in August''s eyes, K¡¯s heart sank and a wave of unease emerged.


    August, as Bishop said, really couldn''t be underestimated.


    After he froze for a few seconds, the flesh on his face twitched and he smiled weirdly at August.


    K raised his hand and waved at the men beside him.


    The two men immediately understood and walked quickly to the dartboard, untying the ropes tying


    Lucia¡¯s limbs and releasing her from the dartboard.


    "I''ll keep my word, but when will we meet again?"


    Saying that, K picked up half a ss of imported wine from the side, tilted his head, and drank it down.


    August stared at his moves and said without haste, "We''ll meet again in the future."


    He believed that they would meet again soon.


    At that, K smiled, with his eyes shing a grim light, and then he did not speak again.


    August swept him a nce and stepped towards the dartboard.


    Looking at the frail woman holding the dartboard to barely stand, he couldn''t help but feel a little


    worried.


    Immediately after, he took a big step forward, leaned down, and hugged her directly without saying a


    word.


    Lucia felt a chill all over her body and couldn''t help but shiver when she touched the man¡¯s strong arms


    and wide embrace.


    The fresh scent belonging to August came to her, followed by the man¡¯s low maic voice in her ears,


    "Don''t be afraid and I''ll take you away."


    To her, such a phrase now was the most beautiful sound.


    The woman''s nose was sore and she softly said yes, like a frightened young bird shrinking her head


    into his arms to find shelter andfort.


    August looked down at the woman''s appearance, and an unexinable feeling of depression spread


    through his heart.


    He would take her out of here, the sooner the better! But as soon as he took a step, K''s men suddenly


    surged up and directly blocked his way.


    August''s dark eyes narrowed slightly and jumped over the crowd to lock on K behind them, releasing


    an icy cold aura that made others scared.


    It seemed that K was going to force him to use force.


    He slowly hugged Lucia tightly and was waiting for the right moment, but K changed his expression and


    shouted coldly at his men, "Get out of the way, all of you ignorant men!"


    His men looked at each other and hesitantly scattered to the sides, making a way for August.


    August saw this and his unreadable eyes shed a hint of fluctuation.


    Without saying anything else, he carried Lucia and walked towards the outside with big strides.


    He knew in his heart that K was a smart man.


    Now that his purpose had been achieved, he would certainly not make things difficult for them, and just


    now he was merely testing him.


    When he walked through the smoky casino lobby and outside the door, Burton was standing by the car


    waiting for him anxiously.


    The moment when he saw theme out, Burton''s expression changed slightly and he hurriedly


    greeted them, "Mr.Adams, Alex..."


    ncing at Lucia in August''s arms, he was about to speak but said nothing.


    Before he could finish his sentence, August had already crossed him and got into the car.


    Burton had to follow August into the car.


    With a turn, the car directly turned around and drove forward at a fast pace.


    Inside the car, looking down at the woman in his arms, August frowned and called out softly, "Lucia."


    Lucia in her arms was pale and her body was cold, without any reaction, as if she had fainted.


    T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Leroy, sitting on the side, saw this and said softly, "Boss, it looks like she fainted and she is probably


    very frightened."


    A faint trace of anxiety shed under August''s eyes.


    After making sure that there was no obvious trauma to her exposed skin, he immediately ordered his


    men in a cold voice, "Go back to the hotel."


    August was about to get out of the car with her in his arms when the car sped up to the hotel entrance,


    but Leroy suddenly said, "Boss, she''s still bleeding."


    At that, August stopped and followed Leroy¡¯s gaze.


    Sure enough, he saw her lower white dress stained with blood again.


    With his face somber, he reached up to lift his skirt to see the wound when K¡¯s words suddenly shed


    through his mind.


    K seemed to have said that Lucia¡¯s blood was due to her period and that he hadn''t hurt her.


    After he froze for a moment, he looked up and saw Leroy staring curiously at the blood stains.


    Instantly, his face became somber and he asked coldly in return, "What are you looking at?"

 Chapter 157

    Chapter 157


    Leroy was confused for a moment, and after half a second, he immediately looked away and replied


    seriously, "Nothing."


    August frowned and ordered with a cold face, "Go to the nearby supermarket and buy some sanitary


    pads!"


    Saying that, he picked up the jacket next to him and wrapped it directly around Lucia¡¯s body.


    Leroy looked at him in shock, "Boss..."


    He could only study theputer and never even had a girlfriend.


    Except for the asional advertisement he had seen, he knew nothing about these feminine products.


    August raised an eyebrow and a look of displeasure appeared on his face, "Is it difficult?"


    Leroy swallowed and said, "No...no problem.Which one should I buy?"


    August''s face darkened more and he also didn¡¯t know about these.


    "Buy one pack of each."


    He said this in a cold voice and was about to push the door to get out of the car.


    As if he thought Leroy could not do it alone, he looked at Burton sitting in the passenger seat and


    ordered, "You follow him and quickly buy sanitary pads back."


    After saying that, he carried Lucia out of the car, striding towards the hotel.


    Burton and Leroy looked at each other and turned pale, but they could not disobey the order, so they


    had to go buy them immediately.


    Back in the hotel room, Augustid Lucia on the bed.


    As he looked at the woman''s furrowed brow and pale lips, a strange emotion came over him.


    This time, she did suffer because of him.


    When he looked at the woman''s already tattered clothes, August''s eyes darkened.


    He reached out to change her clothes, but just as he touched Lucia¡¯s body, she struggled as if she had


    been electrocuted.


    "Don''t! Don''t hit me! I..."


    She seemed to dream of something horrific and curled up in resistance, something like pleading wails


    humming out from her mouth.


    August''s heart contracted violently for a moment, and he reached out to hold both of her hands that


    were iling about, softening his voice tofort, "Don''t be afraid and I¡¯m..."


    His voice seemed to carry the magic offort.


    After he said it several times continuously, Lucia slowly calmed down a lot and stopped moving around.


    Watching her quiet down, August breathed a sigh of relief.


    It seemed that this incident had left a shadow in her life.


    He could not help but reach out his hand to stroke the wet bangs on her forehead.


    There was a knock at the door of the room.


    At the sound, August instantly regained his usual coolness on his face.


    Then, he stepped to the door and opened it.


    Burton and Leroy stood at the door, carrying arge bag of feminine products out of breath as if they


    had run all the way here.


    August took the bag.


    Without saying a word, he closed the door behind him.


    Standing outside the door, Burton and Leroy froze and nced at each other before walking away.


    Leroy raised his hand upward to hold the sses that had slipped onto the bridge of his nose, and said


    leisurely, "Do you feel that Boss is different from before?"


    Burton curled his lips, smiled, and shook his head, saying nothing and walking quickly towards the


    front.


    After a long time, Lucia opened her eyes in a daze and was greeted by a somewhat familiar ceiling.


    She moved her body, feeling her head heavy and painful.


    Just then, she heard a voice from next to her.


    "Awake?"


    Hearing that maic and familiar voice, Lucia inexplicably settled down a bit.


    She turned her head and saw August just sitting to the side, staring right at her with his unreadable


    eyes.She realized that she was in the hotel.


    With her throat dry and sore, she frowned slightly and asked with some surprise, "We''re...out?"


    What happened after she was kidnapped was like a dream.


    It was as if as soon as she woke up, everything went back to normal.


    Giving her a faint hmm, August casually picked up the ss of water next to her and handed it over.


    Lucia sat up straight and slowly reached out to take it.


    After taking two sips, she slowly came back to her senses.


    After putting down the ss of water, she looked down at the clothes on her body and was a little


    surprised.


    The clothing was not hers, wide and soft, but rather like a man¡¯s shirt.


    Lucia froze for a moment.


    Two secondster, like a frightened bird, she looked at August who was on the side in shock, "Did...did


    you change the clothes for me?"


    At this moment, she was in August''s room, lying on his bed, and undoubtedly, the clothes she was


    wearing were also his...


    August looked up at her, with a slight wavering from his unreadable eyes.


    He raised an eyebrow and asked casually and softly in return, "Or what?"


    At that, Lucia¡¯s eyes widened in shock.


    She couldn''t help but gently move one of her hands under the quilt, feeling the fabric under the loose


    shirt and even the feminine product padded inside! He couldn''t have done all this? He changed the torn


    clothes on her body, and helped her pad the sanitary pad she needed during her physiological period!


    Seeing the woman''s stunned expression, August had obviously guessed what she was thinking.


    He frowned, pursed his thin lips, unnaturally averted his eyes, and looked to the side.


    If he didn¡¯t do this kind of thing, did he ask Burton or the others to do it? Lucia couldn''t resist asking


    him.


    But when the words came to her lips, she blushed again and finally did not ask.


    She took a deep breath, gritted her teeth, and stopped thinking about the mess things.


    Remembering what she experienced after being kidnapped today, she couldn''t help but shiver.


    When she looked up at August again, Lucia felt a little warmer in her heart.


    She took a deep breath and said softly, "August, thank you for what happened today."


    Thank him foring to her rescue in that situation and thank him for not even thinking of giving up on


    her even though he was alone.


    In the face of the sudden thanks, August unnaturally moved his eyebrows.


    He turned his head to Lucia, with his tone as cold and detached as ever, "Don''t thank me.You were


    kidnapped because of me, so this is what I should do."


    Lucia was speechless at once.It''s true.


    She had no grudge against those thugs and they did kidnap her because of August.


    When she was lost in thought, August suddenly spoke up, his tone serious, "I have asked Burton to


    book a flight for you tomorrow morning and he will escort you back to Cannada.After you go back, you


    should rest for a few days, and no need to rush to work."


    At that, Lucia suddenly became a bit anxious, "What about my work here?"


    She came to Franksfurt this time because she was assigned by Carter to represent the Administration


    Department to learn the management mode of Teda Corporation.


    Now she had only been here for a day.


    If she went back like this, how should she exin it to her colleagues in the department? August turned


    his head.


    When he saw the woman''s tightly knitted brow and anxious look, his eyes darkened.


    A few secondster, he said in a cold voice, "This time, sending a team out to study is to cover for my


    operation.Do you understand?"


    His quick answer left Lucia a little confused.


    She hesitated for some time and rethought what he had just said twice before she fully understood.


    It turned out that this time it was not a serious study trip at all but to give him cover.


    She couldn''t help but shiver when she thought of the fierce faces she met there today when she was


    tied up.


    She had never contacted people like that, covered in tattoos, gambling, armed with guns, all ouws


    who had no regard for thew or moral code.


    How did August get involved with these people? Numerous questions came to her mind.


    Lucia wanted to ask, but when she saw the man''s cold, serious face, she swallowed all the words that


    came to her lips.


    Even if she asked him, August would not tell her.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

 Chapter 158

    Chapter 158


    Lucia took a deep breath and calmed down a bit.


    Looking up at August, she nodded at him, "Then I''ll do as you say and go back to the Cannada


    tomorrow."


    Now she had already been kidnapped once by those people.


    If she still stayed here, not only could she not help him, but she would also probably give him a leg up.


    Rather than this, she might as well leave.


    August was relieved when he saw that she agreed.


    After giving her a deep look, he was about to speak, when there was a sudden, sharp knock at the


    door.


    Lucia subconsciously tightened herself, a little panicked.


    Seeing this, August immediately got up and went to open the door.


    The door opened and Burton stood outside with a slight panic on his face, "Alex is back, wounded.


    I went to see him and felt he was a little angry.


    Mr.Adams, can you go see him?"


    August heard what he said, and the emotions under his eyes were unclear.


    After a two-second pause, he nodded slightly, "I know and I''ll go see himter."


    Nodding, Burton did not say anything else and turned to leave.


    August closed the door of the room behind him.


    When he thought about what Burton had just said, his face became somber.


    Tonight, they went into a lot of trouble and deploy so long to capture Ted, but K made the first move


    and captured Lucia, making them the passive party.


    Not only did he fail to catch Ted, but he also got hurt, so Alex was upset.


    August turned around and walked back.


    When he looked up without thinking, he saw that Lucia had gotten out of bed some time ago.


    With both feet on the cold floor, she was staring at him with two big, watery eyes.


    He subconsciously frowned, "What are you doing?"


    Instead of lying well in bed, she even stepped on the floor with her bare feet.


    Didn''t she know she couldn''t get cold at this time? Lucia felt a little depressed and blurted out, "Aren''t


    you leaving tomorrow?"


    Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    If he didn''t leave, it meant that he would have to stay here to deal with those people, meaning that he


    was in danger at all times, meaning that he was likely to be injured.


    For some reason, when she thought of this, she felt like her heart was being clutched by a big hand, a


    little out of breath.


    August was silent for a moment.


    Seeing the woman''s eyes with some concern, he suddenly surged with an inexplicableplex


    emotion in his heart.


    A few secondster, he stepped forward, reached out, and pushed her backward onto the bed.


    Frowning at her bare feet, he replied, "If something happens to you, your dad won''t forgive me."


    With that, he reached over and pulled the quilt aside, casually covering her body.


    He then picked up the phone on the side table and said in a light tone, "You get some rest.I still have


    things to do and Burton will pick you up in the morning."


    He turned around and took a step to leave.


    Lucia was a little nervous and couldn''t help but reach out to tug on the corner of his shirt, "August."


    August didn''t turn around, and said coldly and deeply, "What is that?"


    Lucia bit her lips as if there were many things she wanted to say to him, but after opening her mouth,


    she didn''t know where to start.


    In the end, she tensed up and said, "You have to be careful."


    A faint hint of surprise shed under his eyes.


    Then, August curled his lips and replied, "Got it."


    After saying these two words, he took a step and walked outside without looking back.


    The moment she heard the door close, Lucia suddenly felt very lost.


    Whether she was implicated by him or not, in any case, he saved her this time, and she would


    remember his kindness.


    Early the next morning, she was packing in her room not long after she had woken up when there was


    a knock at the door.


    She went over to open the door and saw Burton standing in the doorway.


    "Mitchell, pack your bags and we''ll get ready to go."


    Lucia nodded and whispered, "By the way, Harris, there¡¯s something I''d like you to return for me."


    With that, she turned and took a neatly folded men¡¯s shirt from the top of the small closet next to her,


    handing it to him.


    After a nce, Burton recognized the brand of the shirt and knew her meaning.He nodded, "Leave it to


    me and I''ll return it."


    After the shirt was returned, Lucia went back to her room to pack her things.


    Everything was almost ready, and she pulled her suitcase out of the room with some reluctance.


    Looking across Linda''s room, Lucia was a little hesitant about whether to tell her she was leaving.


    But Burton had alreadye over.


    Seeming to see through her thoughts, he said without haste, "Mitchell, I have already informed Natalie


    that you returned home early because you were not feeling well, and they all understood.


    Hearing him say so, Lucia had to nod and said softly, "Let''s go then."


    On the way to the airport, Lucia was a bit depressed.


    The short trip to Franksfurt in less than three days had ended because of an inexplicable kidnapping.


    The plot of those like a TV show really happened to her.


    With more than four hours of travel, she arrived at Austos airport in the afternoon.


    The sunshine in Austos was much milder than in Franksfurt, and when she set foot in Cannada, Lucia


    felt a little more settled.


    "Lucia!"


    Suddenly, a familiar voice came, and Lucia looked over to see a familiar figure at the pick-up point.


    Pa, wearing a ck hip-hop sweatshirt and showing her long legs, was standing behind the railing


    and waving at her.


    Surprised, Lucia subconsciously turned her head to look at Burton and asked, "Why is Pa here?"


    With a faint smile appearing on his face, Burton said softly, "I sent her a message beforehand that you


    were returning Cannada, and she volunteered toe to pick you up."


    Seeing the gentle smile that appeared on Burton''s face when he mentioned Pa, Lucia couldn''t help


    but gossip, "What is your rtionship now...?"


    Before she could say the next words, Burton had hastily denied, "No, we are just friends."


    Although he said so, he looked a little unnatural.


    Looking at the rich expression of Burton, who had always been calm, Lucia understood in her heart.


    She didn¡¯t say much and walked quickly towards the exit.


    As soon as she left, Pa came up to her and opened her arms to embrace her, "Lucia, I missed you


    so much!"


    Once she saw Pa, Lucia felt a lot better, "Come on, we haven''t seen each other just for three days,


    not three years!"


    Paughed, "I don¡¯t care.By the way, didn''t you say you were going for four or five days? Why are


    you back so early?"


    Hearing her ask this, Lucia suddenly paused.


    Thinking about the horrible things that happened yesterday, she hesitated a little.


    It was better not to tell Pa about this kind of thing first.


    Lucia said casually, "I am on my period.You know I''m in a lot of pain at this time of every month.I


    couldn''t help it, and the work there wasn''t particrly important, so I came back first."


    Pa blinked.


    Sweeping a nce at Burton not far behind, she could not help but ask, "Then why is Burton also


    back?"


    Lucia gritted her teeth and was searching for a reason quickly, but before she could think of one,


    Burton had already stepped forward and said seriously, "There is some urgent work in domestic, so I


    come back first."


    Hearing what he said, Pa stopped being suspicious and pulled the suitcase from Lucia¡¯s hand,


    asking joyfully, "Lucia, did you bring me any specialty from Franksfurt this time?"


    Speaking of specialty, Lucia froze.


    She left in such a hurry that she didn¡¯t even think about it.


    The only thing that could be considered a "specialty" was Franksfurt''s sanitary pads that were stuffed


    into half of her suitcase.

 Chapter 159

    Chapter 159


    When she woke up this morning, she found arge bag full of them on the table in August''s room, with


    one of them open.


    Without asking, she knew what was going on.


    Thinking about this, she couldn''t help but blush and forgot to answer Pa¡¯s question.


    Looking at a blush inexplicably appearing on Lucia''s cheeks, Pa approached her and asked


    curiously, "Lucia, what''s wrong with you? Are you thinking about a man?"


    Lucia snapped back to her senses and hastily said, "No!"


    Pa continued to tease her, "Then why do you look like that?"


    Lucia didn¡¯t know what to say.


    When she caught a glimpse of Burton, who was not far behind them, she turned to flirt with Pa,


    "Pa, you''re the one who''s thinking about a man.He is right next to you, and you should seize the


    opportunity."


    Hearing her say that, Pa first froze, and then reacted.


    She blushed, angry and annoyed, and reached out to p her on the back, "Lucia, what are you talking


    about?"


    The two of them were having fun all the way.


    After walking out of the airport, Burton suddenly came up to them and said, "I''ve called a car.Where are


    you going? I''ll take you home first."


    Pa suggested, "Lucia, how about we go to dinner first?"


    Lucia agreed.


    Looking at Burton and then at Pa, she smiled lightly, "Harris, thanks for your care along the way and


    you shoulde to dinner with us too.What do you think, Pa?"


    With the blush still on her cheeks, Pa nced at Burton and hesitated for a few seconds before


    finally nodding reluctantly, "Since Lucia has given the word, let¡¯s go to dinner together."


    A light shed under Burton''s eyes, and his expression was no longer so serious.


    He nodded and said, "Okay."


    A short whileter, the car Burton had called arrived.


    The three of them got into the car and went straight to the nearby mall.


    On the other side, in a chic vi in the suburbs.


    With a crisp "pop" sound, a fine blue and white porcin vase fell to the ground and turned into


    fragments.


    A servant bent down and looked at the fragments all over the ground, not daring to raise his head in


    fear.


    Next to him, a handsome man sat on a high-ss multifunctional wheelchair.


    He looked up at the window and asked leisurely, "Leandro, you were under my mother before, and now


    you have been with me for more than two years.Do you still not understand me?"


    The middle-aged man called Leandro lowered his head and said repeatedly, "Mr.Adams, I understand."


    "Then you should know exactly what I want."


    He spoke in a calm tone, but with an indefinable coldness that made people fearful.


    After a long silence, finally, he moved his lips, "For the sake of my mother, I''ll give you one more


    chance.If you still can¡¯t find the same vase and put me off with this kind of goods, you know what the


    consequences will be."


    Leandro hastily responded, with his body bowed lower, "Yes, Mr.Adams, I got it..."


    At that, Bishop frowned impatiently and waved his hand to indicate him to leave.


    Soon, Leandro left and Bob walked in.


    Seeing the vase fragments all over the floor, he, who always had a little expression, frowned,


    "Mr.Adams, you''ll hurt yourself like this."


    Hearing him say so, Bishop in the wheelchair sneered out and said self-deprecatingly, "If only I could


    really feel the pain."


    He had not felt his legs for several years.


    They were just for show because he could neither walk with them nor feel any pain in them! Bob


    paused and continued, "This resuscitation physical therapy is very effective and you should have


    confidence in yourself."


    When he heard that, Bishop''s face swept over with disgust.


    After a few seconds, he digressed and asked, "What''s wrong?"


    When it came to business, Bob became expressionless again and reported the situation mechanically,


    "I received news that Lucia has returned Cannada."


    Bishop hesitated for a moment and didn''t seem particrly surprised, "Where''s August? Still in


    Franksfurt?"


    "Yes, none of his people have returned except Burton."


    At that, Bishop casually picked up the bird food ced on the table next to him and threw it into the


    food box of the parrot.


    The red-browed parrot standing on the stand immediately leaned over in excitement with a jump.


    After pecking the food, it excitedly called out, "Master! Thank you, master!"


    Bishop raised an eyebrow, with a sneer shing across his eyes.


    He then said unhurriedly, "Are the pictures from Franksfurt ready?"


    Bob replied, "All ready."


    Bishop pped his hands, brushed away the bird food scattered on the nket covering hisp, and


    said lightly, "You can send them to Jeanne now."


    Bob nodded, "Yes."


    After answering, he thought of something and said, "Mr.Adams, that Mandy Lu hase over and has


    been waiting downstairs for half an hour."


    With his expression unchanged, Bishop continued to unhurriedly pick up the bird food and feed it to the


    red-browed parrot next to him, "Then let her wait for another half hour."


    Mandy sat on the couch in the hall and scanned the surroundings.


    Looking at the high-ss decoration in the living room, she couldn''t help but feel inward, "The owner


    here is really a rare rich person and the decoration of his house is exquisite to every detail."


    After looking back and forth at the decoration of the house several times, she also felt bored.


    More than forty minutes had passed, but no one hade to inform her of the meeting with the patient.


    It was strange.


    The assignment was given by the head of the department himself, who said that a distinguished VIP


    patient needed private nursing care.


    Because of the patient''s special condition, the ce of care was at his home.


    Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    This was strange enough for her, but to her surprise, the mysterious patient did not show up even after


    she had waited here for a long time.


    Finally, after another ten minutes, a man dressed in all ck with no expression came downstairs and


    said to her in a hard voice, "Mandy, please follow me upstairs."


    At the word, Mandy immediately got up and followed him up to the second floor and into a room.


    In the spacious and bright room, a man who looked a little cold was sitting in a wheelchair.


    Next to him was a table with a parrot stand on it.


    The first word that popped into Mandy''s head was "mysterious".


    Bishop didn¡¯t turn his head and said lightly, "Come here."


    Hearing the voice, Mandy froze, and slowly walked forward under the gesture of Bob next to her.


    Just as she was approaching, the parrot on the stand next to her suddenly tilted its head and


    squawked, "Beauty! Beauty!"


    Bishop froze for a moment, with a sh of surprise under his eyes.


    He turned his head and faintly swept a nce at Mandy''s clean, white face, then he faintly averted his


    eyes.


    She''s ordinary looking.


    Seeing the sh of disdain in the man¡¯s eyes, Mandy paused and said seriously, "Mr.Adams, I am your


    caretaker, Mandy."


    "Well, Bob will show you around to familiarize you with what the job entails.You cane to work


    tomorrow."


    Bishop''s tone was gentle and polite, but with a clear detachment.


    Mandy nodded her head and was about to turn around to leave with Bob when she was suddenly


    called by Bishop.


    "Mandy, I heard that you know Lucia?"


    Hearing this name, Mandy was slightly stunned, then said softly, "She is my old friend.You know her?"


    Bishop pulled the corner of his lips and said lightly, "Yes."


    Of course, he knew her.


    Lucia was his previous sister-inw and his future pawn.

 Chapter 160

    Chapter 160


    Mandy looked at the man in the wheelchair.He became gentle and the warm light of the sun shone on


    his face, outlining his soft silhouette.


    At that moment, she couldn''t help but be stunned When it came to Lucia, this man who had a detached


    look was much gentler.


    While she was surprised, she couldn''t help but think more.


    Catching the ridicule that emerged from Mandy''s eyes, Bishop turned back without panic and said


    nothing more.


    He was just putting on a show in front of her.


    Seeing that she almost got his meaning, he stopped.


    Lucia and her, Mandy are all pawns in his hands.


    That''s all.


    The aroma of the barbecue restaurant was overwhelming.


    Lucia, who had been hungry all morning, had a huge appetite.


    She took a big bite, and then a few slices of lettuce-covered grilled meat went down her belly, instantly


    relieving her hunger.


    When she looked up, she saw Burton picking up a fork to take the snow beef on the grill, but a fork


    suddenly came up next to her and Pa quickly took away the piece of beef that was grilled to


    perfection.


    Lucia looked at Pa and couldn''t help butugh lightly, "Pa, don''t be so bad.Why do you have to


    grab Harris¡¯ meat?"


    Pa raised an eyebrow and said rightfully, "His name isn¡¯t written on the beef, so if I grab it, it¡¯s mine."


    At that, Lucia looked at Burton and smiled helplessly with him.She knew this best friend very well.She


    would only be like this with people she was interested in and for those she wasn''t interested in, she


    wouldn''t even talk to them.She grabbed Burton''s beef, which meant she probably fancied him.


    The atmosphere at the dinner table was rxed and happy.


    At the end of the meal, Lucia was full and in a much better mood.


    On the way back from the restaurant, Pa suddenly tugged on her arm and said with a soft smile,


    "Lucia, there¡¯s a concert at the end of the month at the Austos International Venue.Do you want to go?"


    Talking about the concert, Lucia turned her head and asked her, "Is there a program of yours?"


    Pa raised an eyebrow, her cheeks glowing with red.


    Then, she smiled, "There''s an ensemble, and I¡¯m the cellist."


    Pa had been back in Cannada for a long time, and she hadn''t done much performance work for a


    while.


    Now that she finally had a program to star in, she, as her best friend, definitely had to be there to


    support her.


    "I¡¯m definitely going."


    Lucia agreed and turned to look at Burton on the other side, smiling lightly, "Let''s go see Pa''s cello


    performance together, Harris."


    At that, Burton was slightly stunned and looked at Pa, as if seeking her opinion.


    Pa swept a nce at him and deliberately said lightly, "All right, then I''ll keep an extra ticket."


    When he heard that, a hint of surprise appeared in Burton''s eyes, but he didn''t show it.


    Seeing this, Lucia just felt like a third wheel standing in the middle of the two.She smiled, and when she


    saw the taxi parked at the curb, she immediately had an idea.


    "Pa, I still have some pain in my stomach and I''m going home first."


    She said, and then looked at Burton, "Harris, please help me take Pa home."


    After she said these words, without waiting for their reaction, she pulled the suitcase and quickly


    walked to the taxi to get into the car.


    The moment when the car door closed, Lucia saw her best friend''s slightly angry and delicate face.


    Then she looked at Burton whose face was with a few smiles.She curled her lips into a smile and


    immediately instructed the driver to go.


    The two of them were obviously having a tiff with one another ambiguously, and if she stayed with them


    any longer, she would be disliked? On the way back, when she got free, Lucia took out her phone, slid


    to unlock it, and saw two missed calls.


    They were from August.


    She gripped the phone tightly, a little surprised.


    Since she and August had met, August had rarely taken the initiative to call her, let alone two at once.


    What''s up with him? Lucia was a little uncertain.


    When the car arrived at the entrance of the neighborhood, she hesitantly picked up her cell phone and


    dialed the number.


    The phone rang several times before someone answered.


    "Hello?"


    Before she had time to speak, a soft and pleasant female voice came from the other end.


    Lucia¡¯s body stiffened and her mind suddenly went nk.


    T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Why was a woman answering?


    "Hello? Hello, would you want to speak to August?"


    Hearing no response, the woman on the other end asked again.


    With this sentence, Lucia heard the voice and recognized the owner.


    Wasn''t she the actress, Adeline, whom she had met in thepany that day? She was with August


    and in Franksfurt! Lucia didn¡¯t have time to think about it, so she hurriedly said "Sorry, wrong number"


    and hung up the phone without thinking.


    She held the phone, feeling some unspoken emotions overwhelm her.


    Lucia bit her lower lip and thought of August telling her that thepany was only sending out


    colleagues on business trips to cover his actions.


    What actions does he have? Could it be a private meeting with the actress? A trip to Bearlin? A night


    out? And what about her kidnapping? Was it just an ident? Maybe, August had always been a


    womanizer, and she couldn''t change that perception just because he had saved her life.


    Lucia felt confused, and the more she thought about it, the more confused she became.


    Finally, she simply turned off her phone and took her suitcase back to her apartment.


    At the same time, in the restaurant of hotel, August walked to the dining table, untied his suit, and sat


    down, looking at Adeline across the table, "My phone is ringing?"


    With her beautiful eyes rolling, Adeline nced at the phone on the table and shrugged, "I answered it,


    and the caller said it was the wrong number."


    August didn¡¯t think much of it, but after a few seconds of pause, he suddenly thought of a face in his


    mind.


    He frowned, and after a pause, he picked up his phone and looked up his address book.


    As expected, it was Lucia who called.


    He swept a nce at Adeline and said in a deep voice, "Go find Alex after eating, and he''ll tell you


    about the specific tasks."


    After saying this, he said no more, took a step away, and turned around to leave.


    When he walked outside to the corridor, he took out the phone and dialed it again, but a mechanical


    female voice came from the other end, "The number you have dialed is powered off, please..."


    With his eyes darkened, August held the phone, in a somewhat mixed mood.


    Then, he paused and dialed Burton.


    The phone went through, but somehow, no one answered it.


    August frowned, feeling some displeasure.


    He didn''t expect them to be so bold once they returned to Cannada, one shutting down and the other


    not answering the phone.


    Did they do it on purpose? At this moment, Burton, who was sitting in a taxi, suddenly sneezed.


    He rubbed his nose and looked at the woman at his side.


    Pa was leaning against the back of the seat and had fallen asleep.


    Seeing the woman''s side face, Burton unconsciously curled his lips.


    Suddenly, the car stopped.


    Pa who was sleeping tilted her body and leaned directly on his shoulder.


    With a slight tilt of his head, Burton found that they were suddenly much closer.


    As long as he lowered his head, he could touch her bare forehead.


    Burton curled his lips, and his heart, which had always been calm, was beating faster.


    He...could not be in love with her?

 Chapter 161

    Chapter 161


    The second floor of the Kelly family¡¯s vi was filled with noise.¡ä


    "Get out all of you! Get out!" With a sharp angry voice, the things on the table, including vases, and


    jewelry boxes were all swept to the floor at once and shattered with a thud. Several domestic workers


    of the Kelly family panicked and been discharged from the hospital..." "Yes, if we have done anything


    wrong, you can just tell us." The domestic workers all looked pale, not knowing what to do. At this time,


    they could not leave Jeanne alone in the bedroom because she had just been discharged from the


    hospital a few days ago, and if something really happened, they could not afford the consequences. In


    the Kelly family, his son was the most important person to Mr. Kelly, but no matter what, Jeanne was


    also his daughter. They did not dare to neglect her.


    "Get out! Don¡¯t let me see you!"


    Jeanne yelled hysterically,pletely without her usual gentle and lovely appearance. After that, she


    smashed almost everything in the room, but she felt like the anger in in the anonymous envelope, she


    gritted her teeth and her anger swept back in. ncing at the domestic workers who were still blocking


    the doorway and refused to leave, she bent down, grabbed a wooden ornament, and ruthlessly


    smashed it at them. "Pop", the decoration hit the door and fell with a sound. The domestic workers


    stretched their heads, with their bodies shrinking back as far as they could. At that moment, a cold,


    serious voice came from behind them, "What are you doing?" The domestic workers heard the voice


    and immediately turned around. When they saw Martin walking over, they secretly breathed a sigh of


    relief. "Mr. Kelly, we don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong with Miss. old, immediately stepped forward and walked


    to the door. When he saw the wreckage and Jeanne who had lost her mind, his face was somber. He


    frowned and shouted coldly, "Jeanne, what are you doing? You want to smash up this house!?" When


    she saw her father, Jeanne was a little calmer, but she still couldn¡¯t suppress the anger in her heart and


    said¡äT¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    grievously, Dad, do you know who August is with these days? He¡¯s gone to Franksfurt with Lucia!"¡ä


    She choked up as she reached out and grabbed the photos on the ground, crying as she walked


    toward Martin.


    At that, Martin scanned the photo she handed over. In the photos, August was holding a with a few


    white eyebrows, and a distinct coldness swept over his eyes. He


    stretched out his hand, took away several photos, and looked at them back and forth.¡ä


    It was indeed August, and the woman in his arms was the one who had been married to August with a


    marriage license! Since Jeanne¡¯s surgery was sessful, plus he learned can be with August, then the


    Kelly family would have endless benefits.


    He also sent someone to investigate August, so he knew that August had just gotten a marriage


    license with a woman not long ago, but not long after the two divorced again. say anything, as if he did


    not know.


    But he didn¡¯t expect that now August and this woman still had dealings, then it was a


    littleplicated. "Dad, what do you think I should do?"


    Jeanne cried aggrievedly, with her shoulders shrugging


    Coming back to his senses, Martin swept her a nce and said lightly. "Jeanne, don¡¯t be too anxious.


    Nowadays, all sessful men have several women around them. Besides, it¡¯s just a few photos, which


    means nothing."


    He said this but it didn¡¯t work for Jeanne. She cried so hard and still refused to ept this, "Dad, why


    do I feel that this Lucia WY¡ä


    is not so simple. She was already clear that August married Lucia because he was looking for a kidney


    source for her, but if the two of them really had grown attached, then what should she do?¡ä


    "Jeanne, you¡¯re losing your cool. How can that womanpare with you? You and August are


    childhood friends and have so many years of rtionship foundation, not she can destroy in a few


    months!"¡ä


    Hearing him say that, Jeanne froze. Raising her hand to wipe the tears from the corner of her eyes, she


    took a deep breath and said, "Dad, you¡¯re right... That Lucia¡¯s appearance and family background were


    no match for her! And more importantly, her position in August¡¯s heart could not be reced by


    anyone! With such thoughts, Jeanne suddenly felt better in her heart. She looked up at Martin and


    nodded again in a positive tone, "Dad, I shouldn¡¯t have been in such a hurry..."¡ä


    At that, Martin grunted, "You¡¯ve been taught to be calm and steady since you were a


    kid, but now you still can¡¯t learn. With the Kelly family behind you, you have nothing to fear and August


    will definitely marry you." Hearing him say so, Jeanne suddenly turned tears toughter, reached out,


    and took Martin¡¯s arm, with some shyness


    hates women who are not sensible. You have to learn to know how to behave to make him be with you,


    and when it¡¯s almost time, I¡¯ll let you two get married." At the words, Jeanne was full of joy, so she


    nodded her head at once in a good manner, and the anger that was blocking her heart also


    disappeared. ¡¯All right, I¡¯ll have the domestic workerse over and clean up for you."¡ä


    With that, Martin stepped out of the room and called the domestic workers toe to somber face.


    Martin swung his hand, coldly cast a nce at him, and said, Humph, you still know toe back?


    Where did you gost night?" This son of his was hopeless. He went through a lot of trouble to pave


    the way for his future, but he didn¡¯t cherish the opportunity and only hung out with his bad friends all


    day long! At the sound of his voice, Merlin immediately came forward and smiled at him, Dad, I was just


    out socializing. I had too much to drink and stayed out for the night. It¡¯s not a big deal." With that, he


    reached out his hand and pulled Martin aside, a little approve of Jeanne and August being together?


    Didn¡¯t you say before that you couldn¡¯t let Jeanne marry him anyway?" With his face somber, Martin


    lowered his voice and said coldly, That was before. Now in Austos, few people can match


    is a good opportunity for the Kelly family Merlin curled his lips, not saying anything for a long time with


    a cold face.


    Martin was upset by Merlin¡¯sck of motivation. He stretched out his hand, poked Merlin¡¯s shoulder,


    and whispered, "If the Adams family¡¯s name is used by us, many it is enough for you tost a lifetime."


    Hearing his father say so, Merlin froze and he also hesitated a little, If so, we have nothing to lose by


    Jeanne marrying him. Martin grunted and stepped away. "That¡¯s good!" Looking at his distant back,


    Merlin felt a little uneasy again.


    If, as Jeanne said, there was another woman with August, it would be no good!


    Jeanne was his sister anyway and he had to find a way to help her!

 Chapter 162

    Chapter 162


    The time passed in a Nash and Lucia had had two days off at home¡ä


    She still had some injuries on her body, and she had told Mr. Mitchell that her business trip wouldst


    four days, so she did not dare to visit him in the hospital, but stayed alone in the small apartment for


    two days.¡ä


    When she returned to work, the news that she had finished her study trip early because of her health


    had already spread through the department, so Carter didn¡¯t ask her what happened and even for the


    trip report, The two days in Franksfurt were like a dream, passing by in a sh, without anything left,


    When Lucia picked up a cup to get water from the pantry area, Emma came over and touched her arm,


    whispering, "Lucia,¡ä


    don¡¯t feel too bad and it is not your fault." Lucia was confused and didn¡¯t understand what she was


    talking about, "Emma, what are you talking about?" Emma, who had been asked, was equally


    confused. After a two-second pause, she asked rhetorically, "Aren¡¯t you sad?"¡ä


    Sed about what?" Emma said softly, "I heard people say that you wasted the opportunity to go out to


    study this time for being sick, so you are having a hard time..." Hearing her say so, Lucia not only did


    not feel bad but also wanted tough. When did she say she was having a hard time? Some gossipy


    colleagues in the department were really so good at distorting the facts.¡ä


    Lucia curled up her lips and smiled at Emma, "Don¡¯t worry and I¡¯m fine. Although I missed this


    opportunity, I¡¯ll just fight for¡ä


    other opportunities next time."¡ä


    as soon as she turned her head, she saw Lisa standing not far behind her.¡ä


    There was a bit of sarcasm under her eyes and Lisa obviously heard what she said just to you alone.


    This time, the whole¡ä


    administration department missed the opportunity to learn because of you, and you are that?" Her


    words were full of sneer and sarcasm, so she obviously came to pick a fight with Lucia on purpose.


    Lucia took a deep breath, unwilling to argue with her so much, and she only said lightly, "This


    opportunity is for everyone. We indeed lost the opportunity to learn this time because of me, but it


    doesn¡¯t mean that I don¡¯t even she passed by Lisa, she was suddenly hit by her. With a shake of her


    hand, the hot turned to look at Lisa on the side, saying angrily, "Lisa, what are you doing?" Lisa


    tantly bumped into her like this in front of so many colleagues, with no regard for others¡¯ opinions


    apparently.¡ä


    Lucia, I just want to advise you that if you don¡¯t have the ability, don¡¯t be the end." After Lisa said this,


    she turned around and left arrogantly.¡ä


    the desk area, she felt depressed, like a big stone in her heart. No one stood up to speak for her.¡ä


    Thest time when she went to the Finance Department to report for the approval of payments, many


    people had changed ther minds about her, but now, even when it came to matters that did not touch


    their interests, they were still so indifferent Biting her before picking up the cup¡ä


    give in when she had to fight for the chance. Not long after she returned to the office, Emma brought in


    a document, ¡¯Lucia, this is the document to be sent to the¡ä President¡¯s Office¡ä "Okay,¡ä


    check it out if there are no mistakes, I¡¯ll send it overler"¡ä Then I¡¯ll leave A to you¡¯¡ä


    After Emma left, Lucia looked at the document on the table with some hesitation. She just came back


    to work today and had two days of rest at home, so it¡¯s been two or three days since she came back


    from Franksfurt. If August had returned Cannada? Since she had made that phone call to August, the


    two of them had not contacted each other could be further from the truth. She had just arrived at the


    President¡¯s Office after checking the document when she saw August and Burton hurrying toward the


    conference room. Subconsciously a little nervous, she gripped the document in her hand and "Mitchell,


    Mr. Adams asked you toe to his office." At these words, Lucia gritted


    nodded her head in response, "Okay."¡ä


    Following them into the office, Burton put down his things, and then he turned around and left, closing


    the office door for¡ä


    them as well.¡ä


    Lucia bowed her head slightly and said in a businesslike tone, "Here are the documents that need your


    approval."¡ä With that, she stepped forward and put the documents down.¡ä


    August sat on the chair. Looking at the woman¡¯s indifferent expression, he couldn¡¯t help but frown.¡ä


    They hadn¡¯t seen each other for only a few days, but she had be so cold. With a slight change in


    mood, August leaned back in his chair and said lightly, "Feeling better?" Faced with August¡¯s sudden


    greeting, Lucia hesitated for a moment and said, "Yes." After saying these two words, she paused and


    added, "If there¡¯s nothing else,


    I¡¯ll go to work." Now when she saw August, she would think of the phone call that Adeline answered,


    then she would feel strange in her heart. When he saw her turn to leave, a trace of displeasure


    appeared on August¡¯s face, and he called out to her in a cold voice,¡ä


    "Who told you to leave?" They had just not seen each other for a few days but she had shrinking in his


    arms for warmth. He had never met such a heartless woman before. - to do?"¡ä


    August fished out a business card from the drawer and also said in a cold tone, "Here is the phone


    number you asked for."¡äContent bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    When she heard that, a light swept through Lucia¡¯s eyes. Then she took a deep breath and stepped


    forward.¡ä


    Thest time when they were in Franksfurt, August promised to ask Burton to send her


    Dr. Long¡¯s contact information, but she hadn¡¯t received it in recent days.¡ä


    Seeing the business card on the table, Lucia was a little excited and said softly,


    "Thank you."¡ä As she said that, she reached out her hand to take it.¡ä


    to see her through. In the end, he moved his tightly pursed lips and said in a light tone, "Lucia, I cannot


    feel your sincerity." Her attitude to him only changed a little when he mentioned the business card, and


    she was cold to him for the rest of the¡ä


    time¡ä


    Was she so ungrateful?¡ä

 Chapter 163

    Chapter 163


    At that, Lucia gritted her teeth in annoyance, lifted her chin to meet his eyes, and asked back rather


    aggressively, "Do you want me to get down on my knees to beg you?"


    He had already promised to give the phone number to her, and now was he deliberately making things


    difficult for her? Was it that people like him just enjoyed the feeling of manipting others from on


    high? Or did he think she was like the other women around him, who would worship and admire him all


    the time? Look at the woman''s eyes shing coldness and detachment, August was slightly stunned.


    At this moment, she was like a small hedgehog with thorns all over her body.


    Once she was touched, all the thorns on her body would be erected.


    Half a secondter, his face was somber.


    Did he provoke her? Why was she so indifferent today with such hurtful words? With their attitude


    bing cold, the atmosphere in the office became very depressing in an instant.


    T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    At this time, there was a knock at the door, "pop, pop", then Mary''s voice came, "Mr.Adams, there is a


    document that needs your signature."


    August frowned slightly and didn¡¯t say anything, but slowly let go of the hand on the card.


    Seeing this, Lucia reached out and picked up the business card with a standard unemotional smile at


    August, "Thank you, Mr.Adams."


    After saying that, she bowed slightly, turned, and walked out.


    August looked up at the woman''s back as she left, and a dark light shed across his eyes.


    Before he always thought Lucia was a woman who would not resist, but now it seemed not so.


    If she became angry, she was not afraid of anyone.


    He had always thought that the little girl who blushed easily was an innocent "little white rabbit¡¯, but


    after the divorce, he knew that she was a wildcat with sharp ws! Aftering out of the office, Lucia


    held the card in her hand and rubbed it back and forth with her fingers, her palm slightly burning.


    She had gone through a lot of trouble to get this contact.


    Finally, she got the business card and the big stone weighing on her heart disappeared.


    After work, she would go to the hospital to find Mr.Mitchell and Mrs.Mitchell, and then contact Dr.Long


    to discuss the surgery n.


    With this in mind, Lucia felt a little more rxed, but before she got off work, Mrs.Mitchell called her.


    Lucia was discussing the change of nning case with her colleagues in the department when her


    phone buzzed on her desk.


    After she scanned the screen and saw that it was Mrs.Mitchell, she hesitated about whether to answer


    it.


    But when she saw her colleagues waiting for her, she had to hang up the phone first.


    After discussing the proposal and waiting for her colleagues to leave, Lucia then had the time to call


    Mrs.Mitchell back.


    "Hello, Mom, what''s up?"


    When the call was answered, Mrs.Mitchell''s voice came with a little bit of anxiety, "Lucia, are you off


    work?"


    Hearing Mrs.Mitchell''s voice a little strange, Lucia froze, "No, what happened?"


    "Come to the hospital quickly and your dad..."


    Mrs.Mitchell paused, unable to continue her sentence.


    At that, Lucia was immediately very worried and couldn''t help but hold the phone tightly, "What''s wrong


    with my dad?"


    Did something happen to her dad? "Your dad...is fine.It¡¯s just that..."


    Mrs.Mitchell stammered and could not express herself clearly for a long time, so she finally said, "I


    don¡¯t know how to say it.Come over as soon as possible..."


    Lucia bit her lip, and hurriedly answered, "Yes, Mom, I''ming over!"


    When she hung up the phone, Lucia felt anxious.She wasn¡¯t sure what was going on, but from


    Mrs.Mitchell''s tone on the phone, it didn''t look good.


    Lucia looked up and scanned the clock on the wall.


    It was still more than half an hour before the end of the day.


    If she left now, she would be leaving early, but at this time, she couldn''t care more, so she packed her


    things and left the office quickly.


    After leaving the office, she hailed a taxi and immediately rushed to the hospital.


    When she hurried to Mr.Mitchell''s ward, she didn¡¯t even have time to knock on the door and pushed it


    straight in.


    "Dad, Mom, you..."


    When she saw Mr.Mitchell lying on the bed like normal and Mrs.Mitchell standing next to him, Lucia


    was slightly stunned and a little surprised.


    It did not look like anything serious had happened...


    But the next moment, when Mr.Mitchell looked up and saw her, his face suddenly turned somber and


    he said in a deep voice, "Come here!"


    Seeing her dad who suddenly changed his expression, Lucia paused, confused, "Dad, what''s wrong..."


    Why was her dad so angry at the sight of her?


    "Aren''t you clear? Come here!"


    With his face red with anger, Mr.Mitchell leaned forward and reached out his hand to point at her


    shakily.


    Feeling very uneasy, Lucia gritted her teeth and forced herself to walk forward.


    But just as she reached the bed, Mr.Mitchell was so angry that he raised his hand, and then a p


    came towards her face.


    Lucia froze, not yet clear what happened.


    When she saw the p that was about to fall, it was toote for her to dodge it, and her cheek burned


    hotly with a loud "pop".


    Lucia subconsciously took a step back, shocked to look at the angry Mr.Mitchell, "Dad, you..."


    Since she was a child, Mr.Mitchell had never hit her, and this was the first time! Mrs.Mitchell, who was


    standing on the other side, was also dumbfounded, and when she reacted, it was also toote.


    She was so shocked that she reached up and grabbed one of Mr.Mitchell''s arms, saying, "Mitchell!


    What are you doing? Why are you hitting Lucia?"


    Mr.Mitchell¡¯s breath was heavy and sharp as he red at Lucia and he shouted coldly, "She''s the one I


    hit because she¡¯s disgraced our Mitchell family!"


    Lucia stood in ce.


    Looking at the scene in front of her, she felt dizzy.


    As soon as she received the call, she immediately rushed over.


    Unexpectedly, once she entered the door, she was inexplicably pped before she could ask about


    what happened.


    "Don''t stop me!"


    Mr.Mitchell, who had always been gentle, turned red and threw away Mrs.Mitchell''s hand, shouting at


    Lucia, "You tell me today! What is the real reason for your divorce from August!"


    Looking at Mr.Mitchell in such a state of anger and asking such a question, Lucia was even more


    puzzled.


    She held back the pain on her cheek, sucked in cool air, and asked, "Dad, what happened..."


    Mr.Mitchell shivered with anger, very emotional, "You still have the nerve to ask me?"


    Mrs.Mitchell, who saw that the situation was not right, immediately rushed to Lucia and said, "Lucia,


    you go first! Hurry up!"


    At this time, Mr.Mitchell was angry and could not be stopped.


    If he had a heart attack, the situation would be even worse.


    Lucia felt very aggrieved.


    Looking at her dad¡¯s furious look, she didn¡¯t dare to dy any longer and immediately turned to run out


    of the ward.


    After the door to the ward closed, she could faintly hear the sound of arguinging from inside.


    She gritted her teeth and darted forward through the entire corridor before she slowly came to a halt.


    All things in her brain were like a jumbled mess and she could not figure it out.


    What exactly made her dad so angry and also involved August...

 Chapter 164

    Chapter 164


    Coming out of the hospital, Lucia walked on the street and suddenly felt iparably confused.


    She was eager to figure out what she had done to Mitchell Family that irritated Bill severely, who had


    always been gentle.


    As she was walking aimlessly along the street for half a block and her mind was filled withplex


    feelings, her phone suddenly rang.


    She heard it and picked up slowly without noticing who was calling.


    After getting through, Pa''s cheerful voice came, "Lucia, are you off work? Can you go with me to buy


    an outfit for the show?"


    Lucia took a deep breath and apologized in a low and deep voice, "Pa, I¡¯m sorry I don''t really want


    to go with you..."


    She was in a bad mood now, and If she did promise to apany Ann in such a state, she would


    instead upset her.


    Pa sensed her strange voice on the other side and immediately asked, "Lucia, what''s wrong with


    you?"


    They are close friends, so she was acutely aware of her depression.


    Lucia took a deep breath and said softly, "I''m okay."


    "Lucia, you''re still trying to hide it from me, aren''t you? Do you treat me as your best friend? Where are


    you? I''m going to find you!"


    Lucia could not refuse her concern and told her, "I am across the Starlight za."


    "Okay, just find a cafe there and wait for me.I''ll be right there."


    After Pa finished, she hung up the phone.


    Lucia looked at the phone with the screen darkened in her hand and sighed softly.


    T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    She thought at this time she would feel relieved when Pa came topany her, and then she found


    a bench on the side and slowly walked over and sat down to wait for her.


    Lucia watched the traffic light at the end of the street had changed a dozen times before that familiar


    voice came from behind her, "Lucia!"


    As soon as she turned her head, she saw that Pa had parked her car at the curb and was walking


    quickly towards her.


    "Lucia, what happened?"


    Pa walked in a hurry and by the time she reached her, she was out of breath.


    Seeing her best friend, Lucia thought of what happened in the hospital and couldn''t help but say in a


    choked voice, "Pa, I don''t know how to say..."


    Pa saw this, stunned for a while, quickly reacted and took out tissues to wipe her tears, "Lucia, don''t


    cry, What the hell is going on? Did August bully you again?"


    Lucia shook her head and took a tissue to wipe away the tears at the corner of her eyes.She tried her


    best to smooth her emotions and answered, "There is nothing to do with him..."


    "So what''s wrong with you?"


    Under Pa''s continuous questions, Lucia had to tell her everything that happened today.


    Lucia bit her lip and said weakly, "I don¡¯t know what cause my dad so angry..."


    Pa frowned and she still couldn''t rule out her suspicion of August, "How could Mr.Mitchell mention


    August! Does this matter have anything to do with him or not? It''s like he''s making things difficult for


    you on purpose."


    Lucia¡¯s two hands twisted together, "I did not dare to ask more because I''m afraid that it will cause him


    a heart attack again."


    Pa sat there deep in contemtion, suddenly her eyes lit up, and suggested, "Lucia, I will go to the


    hospital to visit your parents and inquire about what happened from your mom, only this we can know


    what to do next."


    Lucia was pleased to hear her words and subconsciously held Pa''s hand, "Okay!"


    As long as she could know exactly what her dad was angry about, she would know exactly how to deal


    with it.


    Pa patted her hand, "Then, I am now going to the hospital to visit your parents, and you go home


    first.


    Don¡¯t worry, I will call you to tell you everything I know.


    It happens that tomorrow is Saturday, you do not have to work, just think of a countermeasure, and


    then go to the hospital to visit them."


    Under this circumstance, Lucia had nothing to do but ept her suggestion.


    She nodded and thanked, "Pa, thank you..."


    Before she could finish her sentence, Pa held Lucia¡¯s hand tightly as well andforted her, "Don''t


    say anything, just treat me to the French restaurant after this!"


    Lucia smiled, and nodded sincerely, "Okay, I''ll go home first and wait for your news."


    Pa patted her chest and promised, "Don''t worry! You hurry home!"


    After returning to her apartment by subway, Lucia was still thinking about what happened today and


    couldn''t gather her strength, but at this time, there was no other way but to wait for Pa''s news.


    Lucia ate something, sitting on the couch to watch TV abstractedly, but her attention was on the phone


    ced aside.


    Unknowingly, she was sleepy under the continuous advertisement from the TV series.


    Suddenly, the sound of the phone ringing awoke Lucia.She hurriedly sat up straight, grabbed the phone


    next to her, directly get through, and put it to her ear.


    "Hello? Lucia!"


    Lucia instantly became sober after hearing Pa''s loud voice.


    She was inexplicably a little nervous and hurriedly asked, "Pa, how is it?"


    "I asked your mom, and she told me that today your dad suddenly received Paul aonymous envelope,


    inside was a bunch of photos..."


    Her voice trailed away to nothing.


    Lucia was a little anxious to know the details, "Pa, what exactly is the photo?"


    "It''s some intimate photos of you and a man, and there is also a note saying that you and August


    divorced because of your marital infidelity..."


    Lucia was both shocked and angry after hearing her words, if not for Pa telling her personally, she


    definitely would not believe that the reason why her dad was annoyed was that she had an affair with


    another man! Without hearing her reply, Pa hesitantly said, "Lucia, I also do not believe it, but your


    mom showed me the photos, and they are not counterfeit..."


    Lucia''s other hand on herp slowly tightened and clenched into a fist.


    She gritted her teeth and exined, "I''ve never done anything like that before, Pa, do you trust me?"


    She was certain that someone had forged those photos to frame her!

 Chapter 165

    Chapter 165


    "Of course I trust you!"


    Pa did not hesitate and said directly, "You didn¡¯t even dare to hold hands with Archibald in college,


    so it¡¯s impossible for you to do such a thing! I would have intended to exin to Mr.Mitchel, but


    Mrs.Mitchell stopped me and told me that based on his state of health, it would be better not to mention


    it, so I didn''t say anything."


    Listening to Pa¡¯s constant nagging, Lucia came back to her senses and said softly, "I''m still clear


    about my dad''s temper, and it will not be easy to eliminate his anger.


    "So what are you going to do?"


    Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    Lucia hesitated for a moment and said lightly, "Let''s wait until after today, tomorrow I''ll go to the hospital


    again and exin to him."


    Although they had figured out what happened to her dad, it was not suitable to exin at this time,


    what''s more, she didn¡¯t even make certain who sent that anonymous letter.


    "Pa, can you do me one more favor?"


    Lucia took a deep breath, "Can you help me find out who did this?"


    Pa said decisively, "Even if you do not say I will go to investigate!"


    Lucia was relieved by her words and finally smiled.


    "Lucia, do you think this could be a trick of August? After all, he was portrayed as the victim in this


    incident, but you were framed as a woman who betrayed your marriage..."


    Lucia was stunned and without waiting for Pa to finish her sentence, she subconsciously denied, "It


    shouldn''t be him..."


    Pa sighed and said softly, "Forget it, you should not think too much, have a good rest, and go to the


    hospital early tomorrow."


    Lucia lowered her head worriedly and responded, "Okay."


    After hanging up the phone, Lucia sat on the sofa, and couldn''t help but wonder why her divorce affair


    was involved in this incident.


    Lucia was in a proper mess, tossed and turned almost all night, until the early morning, only then


    drifted off to sleep.


    The next morning, Lucia woke up and left home in a hurry to go to the hospital.


    No matter who sent that anonymous letter and what his intention was, she had to go to exin to her


    dad clearly.


    When she arrived outside the ward, Lucia had forgotten all the words she had thought of in her mind,


    and she stood at the door, hesitant to move forward.


    After a long time, she finally mustered up the courage to raise her hand and knock on the door.


    Seeing Lucia walking into the ward, Bill, who was reading a newspaper, abruptly looked sullen.


    "Dad, I have something to tell you."


    Lucia bit her lip, the fist hanging at her side clenched, and stepped forward.


    Elisa on the side, afraid that Bill was angry again, quickly got up a hand to press his shoulder and


    comforted, "Bill, you first do not get angry, listen to Lucia exin..."


    Bill threw the newspaper in his hand to the side and coldly snorted, "What else is there to exin? Can


    I still be fooled by what I saw with my own eyes?"


    "Dad, I heard Pa tell me about those photos, this is absolutely impossible, after graduating from


    college, except for August, I have not had any contact with other men at all, let alone any cheating on


    any men!"


    Lucia said with tears in her eyes.


    Bill hesitated for a moment, but when he thought of those photos, anger surged up uncontrobly.


    His chest heaving with anger and gasped violently, "Those photos are right in front of my eyes, how do


    you expect me to believe you!"


    Lucia sobbed, "Dad, do you trust me?"


    Bill was silent for a short time, and then he turned his head and looked at Lucia with a deep gaze,


    "What you just said is all true?"


    Lucia nodded forcefully and said in an affirmative tone, "Really!"


    "Okay, then we''ll go to find August to prove your innocence!"


    Ignoring Elisa''s dissuasion, Bill lifted the quilt to get out of bed.


    Elisa was startled and quickly advised, "Bill, what are you doing? You should take care of your body..."


    Bill raised his head and looked at her with a serious face, "If you don''t let me go, I will turn over in my


    grave!"


    As a college professor, he paid the most attention to his daughter''s education since she was a child, so


    if such a scandal really happened, how could he pretend not to know anything? Elisa saw he was


    stubborn to find August, had to sigh and agreed.


    Lucia could see that her father was determined, and it was clear that it was useless to persuade him,


    so she had to leave the hospital with him and go to find August.


    In fact, she also wanted to ask if this matter had anything to do with August or not.


    When she arrived at the gate of the vi, Lucia looked at this familiar vi and felt regret because it


    used to be her and August''s wedding house, and she also didn''t expect that she woulde back here


    again because of such a thing.


    After pressing the doorbell, someone came to open the door soon after.


    Turner crossed the courtyard and walked to the front door, when she saw Lucia outside the door, she


    was surprised, "Miss Mitchell, why are you here?"


    Seeing Turner, Lucia''s heart warmed up, nodded with a smile, and said, "We''re here to find August."


    Turner immediately opened the door and invited them in, "Mr.Adams is at home, pleasee in first."


    When she returned to the familiar living room, Lucia''s heart was filled with mixed feelings, and not long


    after, the sound of footsteps came from the stairway.


    August walked downstairs in casual clothes and greeted gently, "Mr.Mitchell and Mrs.Mitchell, why are


    you here?"


    Bill got up with a serious expression and said, "August, today we came over, actually came to


    apologize to you."


    A trace of surprise shed in August''s eyes, his gaze lightly swept over Lucia and asked in a light


    voice, "Why are you apologizing?"


    Lucia stood by, and also did not expect Bill to apologize as soon as they arrived.


    She wanted to say something but did not know how to start.


    Bill frowned, sighed and said, "August, we did not ask more why your divorce, but now I already knew


    that Lucia had made mistakes in your marriage.It''s my fault for not disciplining my daughter, so I should


    apologize to you."


    Lucia was slightly stunned because his direct apology seemed to admit she had betrayed their


    marriage.


    However, they came over just to learn more about the truth of their divorce, didn¡¯t they? August


    frowned slightly and immediately stretched out his hand to support Bill and asked, "Mr.Mitchell, there is


    no such thing."


    Bill slightly paused, "I...I received an envelope yesterday, which had some pictures of Lucia and other


    men, and a letter saying that it was because of Lucia that you divorced..."


    August directly denied, "It''s impossible.I divorced Lucia because of inappropriateness, there is no other


    reason."


    Hearing his words, for some reason, Lucia¡¯s heart sank, and felt depressed.

 Chapter 166

    Chapter 166


    On the side, Bill heard August''s words and turned his head to look at Lucia, a fewplex emotions


    shed under his eyes, silent and did not speak.


    He was reflecting on if it could be that he was really wrong about Lucia.


    Seeing this, August continued to exin softly, "Mr.Mitchel, this may be some people''s prank, those


    photos you saw should be fake.ording to my understanding of Lucia, she has been always modest


    and will not have any promiscuous behavior."


    Bill''s doubts slowly disappeared, he looked at Lucia but did not know how to speak out of shame.


    When Lucia came back to her senses and saw Bill like this, she reached out her hand to gently hold his


    arm and said softly, "Dad, since it''s all been exined clearly, you should stop being angry, it''s not


    good for your health."


    Seemingly a little ashamed to face her, Bill nodded and patted her hand, "I am sorry to have wronged


    you."


    She secretly sighed with relief and spoke, "It''s okay, as long as you''re not angry."


    After saying that, she looked up and saw August standing across the room, his deep eyes staring at


    her.


    She felt strange and hurriedly parted her gaze and said to her parents, "Mom and Dad, since the


    misunderstanding is exined clearly, let''s hurry back to the hospital, Dad''s health condition is still


    unstable..."


    Elisa immediately nodded, "Yes, let''s hurry back."Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org.


    Knowing that Lucia was innocent, Bill also decided to leave, and he said to August in a gentle voice,


    "August, I''ve disturbed you today, we''ll go back first..."


    August said faintly, "Mr.Mitchel, you are wee.It''s not convenient for you to take a taxi this time, so I


    will ask my driver to send you to the hospital."


    Saying that he gestured to Turner to find the driver.


    Not long after, Turner came back from outside and reported, "The driver is ready to send them back


    anytime."


    When August was about to say something, Turner suddenly spoke again, "By the way, Miss Mitchel, I


    had collected your book and a few pieces of jewelry when I helped sort your things before, do you want


    to take them away this time?"


    Lucia paused for a moment and said, "Then let''s take them away together."


    Turner smiled, "I put them on the table in the bedroom upstairs, I''ll go get them for you."


    "Thanks, I''ll just go by myself."


    Lucia smiled at her and saw Turner nod before she took a step upstairs.


    Walking to the bedroom, the memories came sweeping back, and she surprisingly found everything in


    the vi had not changed.She calmed down and pushed the bedroom door open and walked in.


    The furnishings in the house were still the same as before, simple and well organized, but impersonal.


    Noticing the small bag ced on the table, Lucia stepped forward and took it.


    After confirming they were indeed the small items she had left behind, she was about to leave.


    However, when she turned around, she saw the bedroom door suddenly open, and August stepped in.


    Lucia paused, her sight met with his and soon moved away.


    She lowered her head and said in a calm voice, "I''ll leave first."


    August suddenly took a step and moved to the side, blocking the way in front of her.


    Lucia was toote to dodge, as a result, her forehead hit his hard chest unexpectedly.


    She reached out her hand, subconsciously rubbed her forehead, took a step back, and glowered at


    August, frowning, "What are you doing?"


    Staring at her angry face, August said coldly, "You bumped into me, why me me?"


    Lucia gritted her teeth, looked at the man who was apparently hostile to her, and asked in a serious


    tone, "August, are you deliberately hostile to me?"


    August raised his eyebrows lightly and asked rhetorically, "What do you mean?"


    ¡®It was you who always cold to me all day long as if I owed you money.August thought.


    Thinking about the incidents that happened these days and what Pa said on the phone, Lucia


    couldn''t help but doubt if August was involved.


    She gritted her teeth and gathered the courage to ask, "Does this anonymous letter matter have


    anything to do with you?"


    Looking at her suspicious look, August immediately frowned and asked angrily, "You think I did it?"


    Lucia''s hand hanging down at her side slowly tightened, and she plucked up the courage to repeat, "I


    just want to know if there is any rtionship with you."


    She just wanted Paswer from him.


    August smiled drily and asked, "Do you think I would use such ignoble means?"


    He was much annoyed that Lucia would suspect him! Even if they were divorced, Bill was still his


    teacher, and he was not that narrow-minded.


    Seeing his sullen face, Lucia didn¡¯t say anything but walked around him directly towards the outside.


    In the beginning, she hadn''t suspected him, but she found he had been deliberately perverse to her


    recently, so she had to think more.


    And that envelope was sent directly to Bill, she was afraid that one would take advantage of the


    opportunity to hurt her father.


    At this time, she was anxious to make it clear as soon as possible to protect her father.


    After she walked out of the bedroom, Lucia regretted asking the question just now, but she had no idea


    to deal with it, so she quickly went downstairs and left in a car with her parents.


    On the second floor, August stood in front of the window, somehow he felt irritated and upset.


    A momentter, he picked up the phone on the table and dialed, "Charlotte, go to check..."


    No matter who did it, he would definitely find him!

 Chapter 167

    Chapter 167


    More than an hour has passed since Lucia rushed back to the hospital from the vi.


    After settling down Bill, Lucia immediately called a doctor to examine him, and when she learned that


    his condition was still normal, she was finally relieved.


    Seeing Bill lying in bed already asleep, Elisa called her out and said to her, "Lucia, we are sorry to


    me you for what happened today, please forgive your dad because he was in a bad mood recently."


    Lucia smiled at her and said, "Mom, I understand."


    She understood that under psychological pressure, Bill naturally would be nervous and irritable, so she


    wouldn''t keep it in mind.


    "Thanks for your understanding.Let me check your face, is it still painful?"


    Saying that Elisa stretched out her hand and peered closely at her face.


    Although Elisa usually nagged Lucia, she loved her daughter deeply, until seeing the bruise had


    disappeared almost invisible, she was relieved.


    Lucia was moved and she quickly reached out to hold her wrist and I said in a lighter voice, "Mom, I''ve


    already found Dr.Long''s contact information, so I''ll contact himter to talk about the surgery n."


    Elisa smiled and immediately nodded, "I heard the doctor say, your father needs to have an operation


    as soon as possible to promise a higher sess rate."


    Lucia nodded excitedly and chatted with her for a few more minutes before picking up her phone to call


    Dr.Long.


    She greeted him politely and asked some questions about Bill¡¯s situation.


    Dr.Long answered patiently and talked about the surgery n and 4 the surgery time with her, but


    when it came to the cost he paused, "Regarding the cost of this operation, I hope you should prepare


    at least one and a half million because we will use the best medicine I to reduce the risk as much as


    possible."


    [ Upon hearing this, Lucia¡¯s hand holding the phone trembled slightly, and stunned for two seconds


    before slowlying back to her senses, "One and a half million?"


    "Yes, there may be extra costs for medication maintenance and testster on."


    Lucia took a deep breath and said determinedly, "Okay, Dr.Long, I understand, when we raise enough


    money here, we hope to operate as soon as possible."


    Dr.Long said, "If you need to operate as soon as possible, then try to advance a bit, because I have


    other arrangements next month, and if you push it back further the operation may not be scheduled."


    "Yes, I''ll try my best."


    After hanging up the phone, Lucia stood in ce helplessly.


    She also did not expect that it would cost so much money.


    These years, Elisa usually took part in volunteer activities without any ie, only Bill could earn


    money as a college professor.


    Although they were not poor, it was difficult for them to afford this operation.


    She was anxious about how to raise money when Elisa came out of the ward and saw Lucia standing


    dumbly in ce, and immediately walked up and asked, "What''s wrong? What did Dr.Long say?"


    Lucia looked back at Elisa and said, "There''s nothing wrong with the surgery, but the fee is a bit


    high...mom, how much money do we have now?"


    Elisa said seriously, "We have nearly half a million, is it not enough?"


    Lucia bit her lips, hesitated for a moment, but still spoke, "The cost of this operation is about one and a


    half million."


    "What?"


    Elisa was a little dumbfounded and asked again incredulously, "One and a half million?"


    Lucia nodded somewhat demoralized because it was impossible for them to raise one million in such a


    short time.


    In fact, they had well arranged suitable doctor, surgery n and schedule, but they actually afford the


    operation.


    Elisa was a bit flustered and asked repeatedly, "Then what to do? We can''t dy anymore, for your


    dad¡¯s condition is not stable! "


    Lucia clenched her fist andforted her, "Mom, don''t worry, I still have some deposit, and I will try my


    best to raise money."


    Hearing this, Elisa then sighed with relief and nodded, "Good, Lucia, thank you."


    Lucia returned to the ward and saw Bill lying on the bed, who was looking pale and thin, almost burst


    into tears and she was determined to find a way to get enough money for the surgery.


    Lucia basically spent her weekend in the hospital and went back at night to change clothes, but the


    next day she was almostte for work.


    Nowadays, she couldn''t lose her work, although her sry was far from one and a half million, she


    should keep the money as much as possible.


    There was still some time left before the surgery, she had to find a way to get more money, even taking


    out a loan.


    Arriving at the Administration Department, Lucia was about to go back to her office when she was


    called by Lisa.


    "Lucia, Carter wants you to go to her office."Lisa stood not far behind her and said with a gloating


    smile.


    Seeing Lisa''s smile, Lucia was a bit surprised, thanked and walked toward the Supervisor''s Office.


    After pushing the door in, she saw Carter sitting at the table and lifted her chin at her, gesturing for her


    to sit, "Sit."


    Lucia sat down and asked, "Carter, what''s the matter?"


    Carter stopped the work and raised her eyes to her, but her gaze was quite serious, "Last Friday


    afternoon, did you leave in advance?"


    Lucia paused and truthfully answered, "Yes, my dad..."


    Carter pped the table, directly interrupted her words, and said in a cold voice, "Don''t make any


    excuses!"


    Lucia trembled, but she should admit this matter, indeed, was her fault.


    That day as soon as she received a call from Elisa, she rushed to the hospital without informing her.


    "Don''t be arrogant when you get a little credit, did you forget the rules of ourpany?"


    Carter had always been serious about work and hated it when employees made the most basic


    mistakes.


    T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    And this time, Lucia, obviously irritated her.

 Chapter 168

    Chapter 168


    Carter didn¡¯t close the door, so her stinging rebuke was heard by everyone in the office, even someone


    curious pretended to pass by the door to observe the situation inside.


    "I''m sorry, it''s my fault."


    Seeing Lucia lowering her head without any retort and apologizing sincerely, Carter drank a mouthful of


    water and said coldly, "Go back to ."


    "Okay."


    "Get out."


    Lucia stood up, took a deep breath, hesitated for a moment, looked at Carter and spoke, "Carter, I


    would like to apply for overtime for fifteen days this month."


    Carter frowned slightly, and a few secondster asked with some surprise, "Fifteen days?"


    Lion Group did not advocate excessive overtime, nor forced any employee to work overtime, and each


    employee could only work overtime no more than fifteen days a month, of course, overtime allowance


    was also avable which was considered rtively high in the industry.


    Lucia nodded and said in an affirmative tone, "Yes, fifteen days, I want to give myself a chance to


    reflect and shift my focus to work."


    Carter saw her attitude, sighed softly and asked, "Are you sure you want fifteen days of overtime?"


    Lucia nodded seriously.


    Originally she had already thought about working overtime or finding a part-time job to earn more


    money.


    Carter swept her a nce, took out the overtime application in the drawer, and gave her a certificate for


    fifteen days of overtime work.


    Lucia bowed to Carter for her approval before turning around and leaving the office.


    Outside the Supervisor''s Office, Lisa was standing there waiting to see Lucia''s downcast expression


    when she came out, but to her surprise, she came out looking radiant.


    She swept Lucia several times and couldn''t understand why she was so energetic after being scolded.


    As Lucia walked through the office area, Emma suddenly went over and followed her, lowering her


    voice and asking with concem, "Lucia, are you okay?"


    Lucia smiled at her, "It''s okay."


    Emma approached and reminded, "Lucia, in fact, Carter didn¡¯t know you left earlyst Friday was


    unaware of it, it was Lisa who had snitched on you."


    Lucia was slightly stunned by the words and thought of the expression on Lisa''s face when she called


    her to the office just now.


    She finally realized Lisa was waiting tough at her.


    Emma saw Lucia was silent and didn''t say anything, hesitantly calling out, "Lucia?"


    Lucia came back to her senses, gripped the overtime approval in her hand, smiled and shook her head,


    "I''m fine, go back to work."


    In fact, she had to thank Lisa, if it wasn''t for her, she wouldn''t get this approval so easily.


    For the next few days, Lucia worked overtime until nine o''clock at night, and every day when she


    returned home, she fall asleep immediately after a quick wash.


    T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Although she was tired, she felt fulfilled thinking that she could earn more money for her father''s


    surgery.


    It was another day of overtime after 9:00 p.m.


    After finishing the summary of the forms, Lucia yawned, turned off theputer, and left the office.


    After walking to the gate, she found it was raining so heavily outside that there were much fewer


    pedestrians on the street than usual.


    Without an umbre, Lucia had to wait for a taxi.


    But due to the bad weather, she didn¡¯t see any taxis on the road.


    Just then, a ck car suddenly drove by and stopped at the bottom of the steps.


    In the car, August raised his eyes, and when he saw Lucia standing in the doorway, he frowned slightly


    and said ina deep voice, "Why is she here at this time?"


    Burton sat in the front row and answered, "She should work overtime, I heard that this month Miss


    Mitchell applied for fifteen days of overtime."


    "Fifteen days?"


    August raised his eyes to look over, finding Lucia was still waiting for a taxi, but her hair was wet from


    the rain, sticky on the pale little face, which looked a little pitiful.


    He recalled what happened a few days ago, and moved his gaze away with an unhappy face, seeing


    Burton get off with an umbre, he finally said, "Give her a rideter."


    Burton immediately responded and went up the steps with his umbre, first walking into the lobby to


    pick up a document from the front desk.


    Lucia just saw Burton get down from the car, subconsciously startled, looked at the car for a few


    moments, then recognized that it was really August''s car! She was afraid that August would see her


    embarrassment, so she turned away to hide, but she didn''t know, at this moment, August in the car


    was staring at her soberly and snorted "Stupid woman."


    Burton walked to the gate, looked at Lucia and whispered, "Miss Mitchel, President Adams said he


    could give you a ride along with him, do you want to get in?"


    Lucia hesitated for a moment but in order to go home earlier, she had to nod, "Thank you for your


    help."


    Burton smiled and said, "You are wee."


    They walked to the car with an umbre, but Burton led her directly to the back seat, so Lucia had to


    withdraw from the idea of sitting in the front seat and getting into the car.


    As expected, August was sitting in the car but he didn''t even p his eyes at her.


    Lucia sat rigidly and kept away August as far as possible.


    The atmosphere in the car was somehow inexplicably awkward, and after Burton looked up and swept


    them a few times, he also unknowingly lightened his breathing and focused on driving.


    The car drove past a traffic light intersection, suddenly, Lucia heard August''s low voiceing from the


    side, "You''ve been working overtime recently?"


    Lucia was slightly stunned, and after making sure he was speaking to herself, she simply replied, "Yes."


    Then it returned to be quiet again.


    A few secondster, his voice rang out again, "Are you short of money?"


    Lucia unconsciously clenched her hand and tensed up, wondering how did he know she was short of


    money?

 Chapter 169

    Chapter 169


    After a moment of silence, Lucia calmed down and asked rhetorically, "Why do you ask that?"


    August casually closed the file on hisp and said, "Why do you workte if you don''tck money?"


    He thought the Lion Group was a very humanisticpany and had never forced anyone to work


    overtime, except when there was some urgent project, but this time Lucia applied for fifteen days once


    she applied probably because ofcking money.


    In fact, he knew her well that she was not the kind of workaholic who is keen to work.


    Unaware of having been seen through by August, Lucia smoothed her hair back in embarrassment and


    denied, "No, I just want to work hard and focus on my career"


    August watched her movement through the window and didn''t remind her that she had a bad habit of


    touching her hair or noise when she was lying.


    There was a long silence before August spoke, "If you need help, you can find me."


    He didn''t strip away her lies but hinted that he could lend her money.


    However, Lucia had misinterpreted him and felt so humiliated because she thought he was treating her


    as a woman who was carrying on affairs with him, and he would pay her money as she asked.


    Thinking of this, she looked away and looked out the window with sadness, watching the rain hit the


    windows and slowly slide down.


    She clenched her fists slightly and was silent not to say another word.


    Not until Lucia arrived at her apartment did Burton rx, he could not almost stand the dead silence


    just now.


    Just as the car stopped, Lucia turned slightly sideways and said, "Mr.Adams, thank you for sending me


    back."


    Then she got out of the car without looking back and walked quickly towards the apartment.


    August frowned after hearing her call him Mr.Adams as if they were strangers.


    He raised his eyes, happening to see Burton looking at him through the rearview mirror, so he ordered


    in a cold voice, "Go back to the vi."


    On the way, he received a call.


    He answered with a serious expression, "Say."


    A low, husky voice came from the other side of the phone, "Mr.Adams, it¡¯s Merlin Kelly! He sent people


    to frame Miss Mitchell, and those photos are synthetic."


    August was a little surprised at the sound of his words, and he said faintly, "Well, I see."


    Burton saw his sullen face and ventured, "Mr.Adams, what''s wrong?"


    August thought a while and asked, "What have Kelly Family done recently?"


    Burton reported carefully, "Martin has been busy with the project of Welsh Garden, but it was not going


    well.


    Merlin is always traveling around to have fun without helping his father."


    Kelly Family had been maintaining a stable development in recent years and was about to move into


    high-society circles in Austos.


    Thanks to Old Mr.Kelly''s reputation, they could expand their businesses, but since Old Mr.Kelly passed


    away, they seemed to be over the hill.


    Especially Martin, who was anxious to purchase thatnd in the East End and develop the upscale


    commercial area Welsh Garden, in order to pave the way for Merlin, but the strength of the Kelly Family


    today wouldn''t allow him to do so.


    T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    August knew well about Kelly Family''s situation and for Jeanne''s sake, he wouldn''t have bothered to be


    against them.


    But he didn¡¯t expect that Merlin would hurt Lucia.


    After a moment of silence, August finally spoke, "It''s time to give Merlin a warning."


    He was sure that Merlin already knew what exactly happened between him and Lucia, so he should be


    wary of Merlin.


    When Burton heard such a tone from August, he knew that he was really angry, so he hurriedly asked,


    "Mr.Adams, what should I do?"


    "There is no hurry, first check the ces he often goes, the people he often gets along with, and collect


    some photos."


    He would use the same way Merlin did to Lucia to revenge on him.


    After Overtime work for several days in a row, Lucia felt very tired from shuttling back and forth


    between Lion Group and the hospital, but the money was far from expected so she was determined to


    find a part-time job to earn more money.


    It was at noon, and Lucia was just about to have a break when her phone on the desk suddenly rang.


    It was Pa.


    Lucia immediately answered, "Hello, Pa?"


    "Lucia, why haven''t you contacted me these days? I''m bored rehearsing in the orchestra, how about


    going out for eating tonight?"


    Lucia stood up to rx her tense muscles and said softly, "I''m afraid I can''t, [have to work overtime..."


    Pa said, "I don''t mind, I''ll wait for you!"


    Lucia sighed and exined to her, "Pa, I''ve been working overtime until nine o''clock at night, so I


    really can''t apany you, I''ll treat you to dinner sometimeter."


    "Nine o''clock? What''s wrong with yourpany?"


    Listening to Pa''s exaggerated tone, Lucia couldn''t help but smile, "I volunteered to work overtime."


    Pa was surprised, "Why? What''s wrong with you, Lucia?"


    Lucia hesitated for a moment, thinking of her dad who was still lying on the hospital bed, and plucked


    up the courage to tell Pa, "I''m raising money for my dad¡¯s operation."


    Pa was silent for a few seconds and smiled awkwardly, "So will you be busy recently?"


    Then she made a face and stuck out her tongue at Paul, who was standing at the side, and forced her


    to make a phone call to Lucia, but both of them didn''t expect Lucia would be so busy.

 Chapter 170

    Chapter 170


    Paul standing aside didn¡¯t say anything.


    Lucia answered, "I think so, by the way, Pa, do you know of any part-time jobs with a high sry


    that I can do on weekends?"


    "Let''s me see.Oh, I got it! My friend just opened a bar and he is looking for a resident singer.I


    remember that you had participated in the singing contest in college, do you want to have a try?"


    Before Pa could finish her sentence, Paul reached over and took the phone directly out of her hand.


    T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Pa stared at him in shock, "Paul, what are you doing?"


    At this time, Paul was not gentle anymore, instead, he red at Pa and warned her, "Don''t think of


    those bad ideas, I''ll talk to her."


    Pa also regretted making that suggestion because she realized that it was dangerous for Lucia to


    work in a bar.


    Lucia waited for a moment but didn¡¯t hear any reply, so she asked, "Hey, Pa, what''s wrong?"


    "Hello?"


    A clear and warm voice came from the phone, making Lucia feelfortable.


    Lucia hesitated for a moment before she responded, "Paul?"


    "It''s me, Lucia, just now I heard you and Pa talking about looking for a part-time job, I happen to


    have a job here, do you want to take it?"


    Lucia paused and asked, "What kind of work is it?"


    Under this circumstance, she was willing to do anything as long as it was legal.


    Paul said softly, "I heard Pa mention that you had learned Japanese in college, can you help


    trante a few Japanese contracts?"


    Pa was amazed that he actually knew Lucia so well because she never told her about this, and she


    couldn''t help but sigh, although he was her elder brother, he always paid much more attention to Lucia.


    Lucia hesitated for a moment because she was not confident to trante professional contracts.


    Paul hurriedly added, "It''s not too difficult and we will provide a professional dictionary for you."


    Lucia said, "Let me have a try, if I fail, please find another person."


    Paul was relieved to hear her reply, and he said, "Okay, I will take time to send you the documents, you


    try to trante one first."


    "Okay."


    Lucia responded, then added, "Thank you, Paul."


    "It''s okay, we''re all friends, no need to be so polite."


    Seeing Paul hang up the phone, Pa joked at him while eating snacks, "Paul, you seem to tell


    everybody you like Lucia..."


    Paul swept a nce at her and frowned, "Why are you so wild?"


    Pa didn¡¯t care about his words and bombarded, "Paul, you are much better to Lucia than you are to


    me.


    The Japanese contract you just said, is it true?"


    She knew very well that Paul was meticulous about his work and would never let an outsider handle


    company-rted matters.


    Now he had taken the initiative to ask Lucia to trante documents, which really made her confused.


    Pa''s question also affected Paul, but he didn¡¯t say anything and left directly.


    He must admit that the Japanese contract, indeed, did not exist, just now as soon as he heard that


    Pa rmended Lucia to be a bar singer, he casually found such an excuse.


    No matter what, as long as he could help Lucia, he would be satisfied.


    Two hourster, when Lucia was in the office revising the recentpany report, she received Paul''s


    phone call.


    Thinking of what they said at noon about the Japanese contract, Lucia didn''t hesitate much and


    answered the phone directly.


    "Lucia, are you free for a minute? I happen to pass by Lion Group, and the Japanese contract is in my


    car, so I can deliver it to you."


    Lucia¡¯s eyes lit up, and she immediately responded, "Of course, I''ll be right down."


    Paul smiled, "Okay, I''ll be right there, you cane downstairs after three minutes."


    Lucia said, "Okay."


    After a while, she took the elevator to the lobby.


    After passing through the lobby, Lucia saw a tall figure wearing a gray suit standing at the entrance and


    she immediately walked quickly toward him.


    Paul turned around, saw Lucia, and immediately greeted her with a smile.


    He handed her the folder in his hand and instructed in a lighter voice, "There are four copies here, you


    trante one first, then take a picture and give it to me, and if you can, finish tranting the remaining


    three copies, just at the price of five hundred for a thousand words."


    Lucia was a little surprised, "Is it too expensive for you?"


    She had probably understood some of the trantion industry''s market, and the price Paul offered her


    today was already very good.


    Paul smiled and said gently, "Do not worry, just follow the requirements of the contract trantion."


    Lucia sighed with relief and gripped the folder tightly.


    She had to cherish this opportunity to raise money for her dad.


    She looked up and smiled at him, "Thank you, Paul."


    "My pleasure."


    He could not help but stretch out his hand to rub her hair, with infinite affection in his eyes.


    But their movements werepletely watched by August, who was sitting in the back seat of the car


    not far away.

 Chapter 171

    Chapter 171


    August just rushed back to thepany from a meeting and did not expect to see such a scene as


    soon as he returned.


    He asked Burton to stop the car and just watched them from a distance.


    He was puzzled why Lucia was always cold to him, but this time was smiling gently at Paul.


    Just then, Burton suddenly spoke up, "Mr.Adams, Miss Mitchell is gone."


    August frowned at Lucia who was walking with a quick light step, indicating she was in a good mood.


    When he noticed the folder in her hand, he immediately said to Burton, "Go and figure outter what


    the folder was that Paul gave to Lucia."


    Burton answered, "Okay."


    It seemed that Lucia still didn''t know that Paul was the president of Cloud Technology and Lion Group


    and Cloud Technology both werepetitive in a certain business, thus Lucia would be misunderstood


    if she met Paul frequently.


    Not long after August returned to President''s Office, Mary came over to report on the next trip.


    Recently, August was busy with all kinds of social engagements.


    Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org.


    After simply dealing with the urgent affairs of thepany, he had to rush out for another social


    engagement.


    Before leaving, Burton apanied him to the elevator and reported to him, "Mr.Adams, Miss Mitchell


    helps trante the documents from Cloud Technology in private."


    August frowned, and he didn¡¯t expect Lucia would dare to take private work rted to Cloud


    Technology.


    But at this time, he did not have time to find her again, so he ordered, "Go to Hibiscus Garden first."


    Lucia sat in her office, somehow a shiver ran down her spine.


    She didn''t think much about it, gathered her clothes, and sent the report she had just finished to the


    Supervisor''s Office, and after Carter checked it, she would hand it over to the President''s Office.


    After getting off the elevator, far away Lucia saw a few people standing in front of the office.


    She took a few steps closer and heard a familiar voice, "Did August say where he was going when he


    left?"


    Lucia was stunned and recognized that she was Jeanne.


    There is no doubt that she was definitely here to find August.


    Lucia took a deep breath, the hand holding the report tightened, walked to the side of Mary next to her,


    and said softly, "Mary, this is the form that the Administration Department has just finished, please


    submit it to President Adams to look over."


    Mary swept a nce at her, reached out to take it, and said nonchntly, "I will forward it."


    Lucia handed over the document turned around and left.


    An evil thought shed through her mind, Jeanne suddenly said to Mary, "Since August is not here, I


    wille back another day.


    Thank you."


    She smiled at Mary, then beckoned the people on her side to follow, and stepped away.


    Before Lucia could take a few steps, she heard a voice ring out behind her, "Miss Mitchell, wait for me."


    She paused and slowly turned around with some confusion.


    Jeanne smiled as if the bottom of her eyes were shining, and she took a quick step forward to follow


    her.


    Lucia was a little puzzled, and before she could ask, she saw Jeanne take a delicate instion bottle


    out and said to her, "Miss Mitchell, this is the soup I personally stewed for August, but he is I not in the


    company, I stewed this soup for several hours, it would be bad to waste it, so I will give it to you."


    Jeanne said and shoved the instion bottle into her hands.


    Lucia was even more frozen, looking at the smiling woman in front of her, she felt Jeanne seem to


    know her well.


    Jeanne exined to her, "I''ve heard August mention you, and I''ve seen you in his office before, so I''m


    quite familiar with you, you''ll finish this soup, right?"


    Looking at the delicate girl in front of her, Lucia finally knew why she was so important to August.


    She smiled and said, "It''s better to save it for President Adams."


    "Don''t worry, I''ll make it for him next time.


    Take it!"


    Jeanne smiled at her and took a step in the direction of the elevator.


    Lucia, holding an instion bottle in her hands, stared at Jeanne''s back, and a strange emotion


    inexplicably sprang up in her heart.


    When she thought of August having an affair with that actress Adeline behind Jeanne, Lucia could help


    but sympathize with Jeanne.


    Lucia shook off her head to drive away strange spections, returned to her department, and


    continued with the work at hand.


    Recently, Carter gave her more and more tasks, and she worked overtime until almost 10 o''clock every


    day.


    It was 8 o''clock at night, her colleagues had all left, Lucia finished the soup to maintain her strength,


    and continued to work.


    Suddenly she heard the sound of footstepsing from the door, and she wondered who else would


    come here at thiste hour.

 Chapter 172

    Chapter 172


    Just as she was lost in thought, the sound of footsteps outside got closer and closer, and suddenly, the


    door of the room was pushed open and a tall figure appeared in the doorway.


    Lucia froze, her back stiffened, and when she raised her head, she saw August standing there with a


    serious face, looking at her in a stern way.


    Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org.


    Stunned, Lucia asked, "What are you doing here?"


    Seeing the woman''s eyes sh with panic, August sulkily pursed his lips and said in a deep voice, "To


    inspect my employee''s work."


    Then, he paid no attention to her expression, striding to her desk.


    The pair of deep eyes sharply swept across her desk, and his gaze finally rested on a folder on the


    right corner of the table.


    Lucia followed his gaze.


    She panicked.


    Before she could react, August had already stretched out his long hand and picked up the folder and


    flipped it.


    Lucia''s heart tightened.


    That was a contract Paul Thomas had given her, which needed to be tranted.


    If August found out that she was secretly taking an outside job, the consequence could be severe.


    After all, there was an explicit rule that employees were not allowed to take other jobs outside of the


    company.


    Now she put the document in broad daylight, she was afraid...


    Before Lucia had time to imagine the consequence, the boss had already raised his head, his thin lips


    pressed tightly together, and a thinyer of anger appeared in his eyes.


    The man raised his hand, holding the document, stared into her eyes and asked, "What is this?"


    Lucia''s hands that were holding together couldn''t help but tighten.


    Her gaze began to drift.


    What should she say? Admit directly that it was another job she had secretly taken? Yet, something


    didn''t seem right.


    She had been working overtime for several days, but he picked the day when she just got the folder to


    inspect.


    More coincidentally, he made a beeline to this folder, as if he had already known it.


    With a sharp breath, she came to her senses.


    After biting her lip, silent for a long while, she finally mustered the courage to look up at the man¡¯s cold


    eyes and uttered dryly, "This is a contract for a friend of mine.


    He needs a trantor."


    August''s eyebrows tightened, and he threw the folder in his hand onto the table with a light touch.


    "Do you know that there is an explicit rule in thepany that employees are not allowed to take a


    second job?"


    Lucia took a deep breath, clenched her fist and said, "I didn''t intend to do it in thepany.


    My time off work is my private time, I can do this, can''t I?"


    She was convinced that he must have known about this beforehand, and now he was finding her


    trouble.


    Thinking that every move might be under August''s surveince, Lucia was irritated.


    She took another deep breath and said word for word in a steady voice, "Don''t worry, Mr.Adams, I won''t


    use my working time, and it won''t affect my performance."


    Seeing the woman''s chin slightly raised, her gaze firm, and she as arrogant as a ck swan, August


    felt his anger grow stronger.


    It was clear she was the wrong party, but now it seemed like he was the one at fault.


    Veins bulged in his forehead as he clenched his fists and pursed his lips into a cold slit.


    A few secondster, he reached out and pressed both hands on the armrests of Lucia¡¯s chair.


    Then forcefully, he pulled her towards him with the chair.


    Before she could react, the two of them were close enough to each other.


    Looking up at him, Lucia was flustered.


    She could even smell the faint alcohol on the man''s body.


    At once, her heart was ina greater panic.


    She subconsciously stretched out her hand to block the man''s chest, "What are you...


    doing?"


    His dark gaze was obscure as he said in a morose voice, word by word, "I''ve told you, when you need


    help, you cane to me."


    Yet, she went to Paul Thomas.


    August gritted his teeth.


    Besides, as long as she needed help, he could just hand her a few projects within her abilities, and the


    bonus could be much more handsome than what she found outside.


    He was not trying to deny her self-respect and give her money for nothing.


    He was offering her the opportunity to earn it with her own strength.


    To his surprise, his help hade across her mind.


    As soon as Lucia heard his words, her face instantly turned sour.


    She stared back at August, her gaze heavy and aloof, her heart upied with anger.


    "I don''t need your help!"


    She gritted her teeth and spoke without thinking, "Do you think everyone should circle around you?


    August Adams, I¡¯m telling you, I''m not like the women around you! I''m not someone is at beck and call!


    I hate you, I don''t even want to see you!"


    The anger breeding in the bottom of her heart had been fermented, and it exploded in a fury.


    August was slightly stunned, not quite convinced of what he had heard.


    He had never heard any woman say she hated him.


    He had no interest in women, especially those who wanted to jump on him.


    Now when someone admit she hated him and didn''t want to see him, he had strange andplicated


    emotions in his heart.


    He furrowed his brows, tightening his grip on the armrests on both sides of the chair.


    Looking into her eyes, his dark pupils were like dark holes, sucking her in.


    "You hate me?"


    he said in a cold, hard tone.


    In a rage, even though she could read the danger in the man''s eyes, Lucia was still determined to give


    him a positive answer.


    She said word by word, "Yes, I hate..."


    The words did not finish when her chin was lifted by arge hand.


    The next second, softnessnded on her lips, blocking all the speech she wanted to make.


    The man''s movements were domineering.


    The moment she resisted and struggle, he had already extended his hand and easily pinned both of


    her arms behind her back, firmly suppressing her.


    Lucia''s face was red with anger.


    Unable to push him away, she twisted her body, grabbing, pushing and kicking.


    Yet, he did not let go.


    Instead, he leaned closer to her.


    She had no choice but to open her mouth and bite his lips in anger.


    Feeling the blood in his mouth, August frowned.


    It was his blood.


    He hadn''t expected that she would be so ruthless.


    He withdrew, pulling away from her.


    Looking at the woman''s stubborn eyes and water lips, his eyes darkened fiercely.


    He reached out, pulling the woman up from the chair, and pushed her to the side as she was pinned to


    the table.


    Unable to break free, Lucia gritted her teeth angrily.


    She had no choice but to re at him viciously and threatened, "August Adams, let go! If you don''t let


    go, I''ll scream!"


    Her words didn''t knock any sense into his head.


    Pausing for two seconds, Lucia realized that, at this time, if she yelled at the top of her lungs, no one


    woulde to her rescue.


    At this moment, August''s big palm climbed up her waist.


    Without hesitation, it slipped down along the fabric, and slid into her trousers without obstacles.


    Lucia''s face instantly changed, her body tensed.


    Before she could react, the man had already pressed to her ear, his voice extremely soft but confident,


    "If you hate me, why are you so wet?"


    This sentence, like a thunderp, exploded in her ears.

 Chapter 173

    Chapter 173


    Blunt words came out of his mouth just like that.


    Lucia was ashamed and annoyed, along with aroused.


    She panted roughly, "You are shameless!"


    Upon her flustered look, August deliberately pressed toward her body, making their bodies closer.


    He looked down at her.


    "Your body is honest."


    With that, his finger went one inch deeper.


    Lucia¡¯s eyes widened and she couldn''t suppress her moan.


    In an instant, her face blushed.


    Biting her lip, bashful and annoyed, she twisted her body, "Let go of me! Let Go!"


    Being treated like this, she felt like she was being roasted on the fire.


    With no way out, she was ashamed to the extreme! But no matter how she struggled, even punching


    and kicking, for August, it was like a cat''s scratching, which brought a hot urge down to the lower part


    of his body.


    "Shameless bastard!"


    Lucia cursed, but August grinned instead.


    He looked at the woman''s face, which was red with anger, and leaned in without saying a word.


    The dense kisses fell, brushing her cheeks, blocking her lips, turning all herints into moans.


    The temperature in the office was getting warmer and warmer.


    Lucia only felt like she was under his spell.


    Slowly, her brain was out of her control, and her hands unconsciously hooked on August''s neck, her


    body gently trembling with the action...


    After a long time, when all the impulses faded, Lucia''s body went soft, leaning in front of the table,


    breathing in and out.


    What had happened was like a dream, intense and steamy.


    But when reason gradually returned, she scolded herself¡ªshe clearly had nothing to do with him, yet


    they had sex minutes ago.


    The man on the side casually picked up the documents scattered on the ground and put them back on


    the table.


    A ck suit outlined his perfect figure, except for the pair of milder ck eyes, there was nothing


    different about him.


    Seeing the embarrassed little woman with flushed cheeks, August spoke in a hoarse voice, "I''ll make a


    phone call and send you hometer."


    At this time, he should give her some personal space.


    After giving her a deep look, he added, "I''ll wait for you outside."


    Then, stepped out of the office.


    The moment the door gently closed, Lucia breathed a sigh of relief.


    The impulse in her body had notpletely faded.


    She slowly got up and smoothed her clothes.


    When she saw the messy desk, her body tensed up.


    Just now, he had looked like he was going to eat her up.


    She bit her lip rather shamefacedly and immediately tidied up the desk.


    Then, she gathered her things before hesitantly walking to the door.


    After what had happened just now, she was embarrassed to face August.


    How good would it be if she could find a crack in the ground to hide, or just run away now? This


    thought shed through her mind.


    She took a deep breath and slowly pulled the door open.


    August was standing not far away, on the phone, his back facing her.


    Lucia bit her lip, hesitated only for a moment, then immediately turned around and ran quickly in the


    other direction.


    She would rather go home alone than with August.


    At this moment, August was listening to the report on the other end of the phone, his face dark.


    He wrinkled his eyebrows, and questioned, "Such a foolproof n, and he still gets away?"


    The person on the other end replied something, and he answered with a gloomy face as a trace of


    impatience swept under his eyes, "That''s it"


    Putting away his cell phone, he was irritated.


    Now the board of directors and shareholders were pressing hard, demanding an inventory of the


    subsidiary''s ounts, but Ted Stebbing, slippery like a loach, was beyond his grasp.


    He had escaped several times.


    His eyebrows wrinkled, put away the phone and turned around.


    When he noticed the half-closed office door, unease swept across his heart.


    He walked over in three steps, only to find an empty room, his face sank.


    Looking around, he did not find a trace of the woman.


    She actually ran away! He had said he was just sending her home, what else did she think he would


    do? The irritation in his heart deepened.


    August pursed his lips and left quickly.


    Sooner orter, he would make this stubborn little woman not even have the courage to leave him.


    On the other side, Lucia ran out of thepany, panting, stopped a car and got in.


    When the driver saw her panicked look, he looked out the window and kindly asked, "Girl, what''s


    wrong? Being harassed?"


    Lucia hesitated for a moment, and eventually nodded, "Please, drive fast."


    "Got it.


    Sit tight!"


    With justice bursting in his mind, the driver answered as he floored the petal and started the car.


    As the entrance of thepany grew smaller and smaller in the rearview mirror, Lucia¡¯s originally


    hanging heart finallynded back in her chest.


    The car began to move forward smoothly.


    T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Lucia sat in the back seat, thinking about what had just happened.


    She had not known she would have sex with August in that situation.


    After returning to her senses, she remembered Jeanne, who had delivered her soup today, and then a


    wave of guilt overcame her heart.


    She had thought that August was sorry enough for Jeanne, and now, she herself had be one of


    the aplices.


    Her two hands were twisted together, her heart was filled with all kinds of emotions, and she was angry


    and regretful about her own behaviors.


    Finally, the car arrived in the neighborhood.


    Lucia paid and got down of the car, lost in thought.


    She had determined that she would keep her distance from August and not be entangled with him ever


    again.


    In the middle of the night, she tossed and turned in bed.


    Her discipline of staying away from August kept ringing in her head like a dogma.


    Perhaps, for August, she was no different from Adeline and other women-¡ªThey were all his toys that


    he could vent his desire on regardless of the asion.


    She couldn''t tolerate herself being such a woman.


    The more she thought about it, the more ufortable she became, and in the end, she actually lost


    sleep.


    The price of insomnia was tardiness.


    The next morning, Lucia hurried to thepany and signed in at thest second.


    Her state had been down, but once she thought of her father, who was still lying in bed, preparing for


    surgery, Lucia¡¯s spirit was lifted and she put all her energy into work.


    Unknowingly, half a day had passed.


    Lucia was buried in her work and did not realize that her stomach was growling.


    Until the door was knocked on, followed by Emma poking her head in and winking at her, "Lucia, time


    for a meal!"


    Lucia looked up at the time, only then did she realize that she had already been off work for more than


    twenty minutes.

 Chapter 174

    Chapter 174


    She smiled at Emma and said,"


    Okay, let''s go."


    On the way to the staff canteen, Emma babbled on and on about all kinds of gossip in thepany.


    Lucia was not interested, but she didn¡¯t want to be the wet nket, so she said yes now and then to


    reply to her.


    "Lucia, do you notice messages in the chat group unconnected with the intr? It is said President


    Adams¡¯ girlfriend is here today."


    Lucia was mind-wandering.


    On hearing "President Adams", she suddenly snapped out of it and asked unconsciously, "What did


    you say?"


    Emma''s eyes lighten up and repeated it excitedly,"


    I said President Adams¡¯ girlfriend is in ourpany now and I heard she is a gorgeous girl."


    Lucia took a deep breath and she was not certain who the girl was.


    His girlfriend, maybe it was Jeanne.


    Though August maybe also dated other women, Jeanne should be the most special and precious one


    for him, otherwise, he wouldn''t have married her in order to get a suitable kidney for Jeanne.


    Gritting her teeth, Lucia tried to throw this thought out of the window for she didn¡¯t want to overthink, so


    she pulled Emma and said, "Emma, let''s hurry up.


    I am hungry."


    Last night she was determined to keep her distance from August, so her mind shouldn''t be full of these


    things about him.


    However, things always went against her wishes.


    The more you didn¡¯t want to think about it, the further the reality went that way.


    When Lucia and Emma just went out of the staff canteen, they saw several people heading toward


    them, and the ones in front were a charming woman and a handsome man, who looked like a beautiful


    view, attracting all the eyes.


    They seemed an ideal couple.


    Yes, they were August and Jeanne.


    The meek girl by August¡¯s side, had a warm smile and bright eyes, while he patiently listened to her


    with the unusual gentle look.


    What a pleasant picture! It was a pity that Lucia and Emma walked toward them and the evitable


    meeting destroyed the perfect scene.


    It was so embarrassing.


    Lucia looked down and walked quietly and quickly, hoping she could be an invisible person and


    completely neglected by them.


    Suddenly, Emma by her side poked her with the arm and said ina low and excited voice, "Lucia, look."


    Lucia looked up unconsciously seeing August and Jeanne stand there, not far away.


    With her tender and white hands, Jeanne was adjusting August''s bow tie on his chest, while the man


    lovingly looked at her with a smile.


    Seeing the scene, Lucia pressed her lips involuntarily with sorrow and jealousy.


    Emma couldn''t help but thrill, "What a sweet couple!"


    At this time, Lucia felt a little bitter.


    August always wore a serious and indifferent face.


    He seldom mellowed a little, let alone have a smile, moreover, he never treated her gently and lovingly.


    It was true what they said, the love for a person couldn''t be hidden, for it would let out from the eyes.


    Lucia recovered and looked at Emma by her side, saying, "Let''s go."


    Emma nodded and they stepped forwards together.


    While August turned around and saw Lucia, his eyes changed a little, but he kept a cold face as usual,


    then walked forward with Jeanne.


    Jeanne held his arm intimately and smiled,"


    August, I suddenly associate with the scene you took me to your school dining room when you were in


    college..."


    Coincidently, Lucia pulled Emma past them overhearing these words, and a touch of sadness struck


    her.


    It was unexpected that August and Jeanne dated as early as in college...


    When they almost passed "the couple", unexpectedly, a lovely female voice called her,"


    Ms.


    Mitchell."


    Lucia froze, then took an unconscious look over there and saw Jeanne look at her with a smile.


    Lucia dared not watch the man¡¯s face and forced a smile, nodding to Jeanne,"


    Ms.


    Kelly."


    T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Jeanne seemed to be very delighted and asked her, "How do you like the soup you had yesterday?"


    "Well, tasty.


    Thank you."


    Lucia gave her a polite answer, "I have cleaned the thermal box and will return it to youter."


    Jeanne answered softly with mellow eyes, "OK, I will make a person fetch it"


    Then she turned to the man beside her, exining softly, "August, you don''t know that I took the soup


    to you yesterday, but you were not inpany, so when I met Ms.


    Mitchell, your familiar friend in my view, I gave it to her in case the soup is wasted."


    August''s face clouded over and some elusive emotions appeared in his eyes.


    He looked up, ncing at Lucia, and said in an indifferent voice, "I am not familiar with her"


    His words were so cold that they seemed to cut arge gap between them immediately.


    On hearing that, Lucia felt a pang of hurt, and the bitter and sad feeling spread in her heart.


    Yeah, they were unfamiliar, so unfamiliar that they had sex in the officest night.


    Jeanne glimpsed Lucia''s frustrated face with a satisfactory smile, and said softly, "Jasper, go to fetch


    the meal box with Ms.


    Mitchell."


    Then August beside her held her shoulders and said gently, "Let''s go."


    Lucia stood there, frozen for a moment, and finally pulled herself together.


    When she looked up again, August and Jeanne walked away.


    Emma by her side couldn''t help but cry excitedly, "Lucia, I don¡¯t expect you to know President Adams¡¯


    girlfriend and you are familiar with President Adams?"


    Lucia was in no mood to answer Emma''s yapping for what August just said was going around and


    around in her head.


    He said they were not familiar.


    He was not familiar with her.


    With pressed lips, Lucia answered Emma,"


    Emma, I will tell youter."


    Then she turned to Jeanne''s follower and said softly, "The meal box is in my office, let''s go to fetch it."


    On the way, her heart seemed to be clouded over.


    After the man left with the meal box, she sat alone on the chair, depressed.


    Though she was determined to keep her distance from August, when hearing he said so, she didn¡¯t


    know why she still minded it and felt so bad, Let it go.


    Lucia sighed, pulled herself together, and began to trante the Japanese contract from Paul.


    It was the midday break, so she could do her private things.


    After finishing one of them, Lucia checked twice, making sure there was no mistake, and sent the


    electronic edition to Paul.


    In no time, she got Paul''s reply, "Well done.


    I know I can count on you."


    The simple words made Lucia feel better immediately, and the warmth in her heart came there.


    Holding her phone, she suddenly thought that maybe Paul was her type for he was thoughtful and


    always considered in her shoes.


    When she was lost in thought, suddenly there came a knocking at the door and a colleague entered,


    "Lucia, Carter lets you go to her office."


    Lucia woke up and hurried to answer, "I am going."


    Thinking of Carter criticizing her in the officest time, Lucia was afraid.


    This time, wouldn''t she scold her for something?

 Chapter 175

    Chapter 175


    Lucia entered the director''s office, worried, and knocked on the door, "Carter."


    Carter was running over files at the desk.


    Noticing Lucia was in, she looked up a little and said,"


    Close the door and sit down."


    Sitting on the chair, Lucia saw there was nothing unusual on Carter''s face and she wondered why


    Carter made her here.


    With the usual look, Carter softly said to her, "Lucia, do you know the Boehm?"


    Boehm? This name sounded a little familiar.


    After thinking for a while, she remembered,"


    Is it a subsidiary of Lion Group?"


    "Exactly.


    In recent two years, thispany focused on smart homes and their products were hot in Astros City.


    Recently they will hold an off-line event for promoting the new products.


    The Group attached importance to this event, so we nned to pick some excellent staff, from the


    administration department and marketing department, to do it."


    On these words, Lucia¡¯s eyes popped with surprise.


    It sounded like a good thing...


    Carters stopped for a while and continued, "In our administration department, I n to assign you to do


    it.


    If it is sessful, you will get a generous bonus.


    You could decide if you want to go after consideration."


    This good news made Lucia a little surprised.


    She never expected such a good thing could fall on her, in addition, she made mistakes a few days


    ago.


    Carter picked her, which was totally unexpected.


    With a little hesitation, she couldn''t help asking,"


    Carter, do you really choose me?"


    Seeing her confused expression, Carter smiled and asked back, "Do you think you can manage it?"


    After a pause, Lucia¡¯s eyes glowed with excitement answering immediately,"


    Yes, I can."


    Now the opportunity was right here, so she must hold it, or even God wouldn''t forgive her.


    In addition, Carter promised that the bonus was generous, so that must be true.


    She could surely earn much more money by nning such an event than making other part-time jobs.


    While she agreed, Carter also nodded and gave her a stack of documents, "Go back to research the


    documents, then write a nning case together with Lyan of the marketing department, after your


    nning was passed, you could set up the site ording to it.


    "I get it."


    Lucia took over the documents happily and promised Carter,"


    I will finish the task very well and won''t drag the administration department down."


    She didn¡¯t do well in thest chance of going out to study, but this time, she must hold the opportunity


    and couldn''t screw it up.


    Then Carter lifted her jaw a little and said gently, "That''s it.


    Go back to work."


    Lucia nodded and made a bow to thank her,"


    Thank you, Carter."


    Then she stepped out with the documents.


    Surprisingly, as soon as she opened the door, a person was standing outside.


    It was Lisa.


    She was standing outside the door with a stack of documents.


    It looked like she was going to send them in.


    But her face was a little gloomy, so Lucia didn¡¯t know how long she was there and whether she heard


    their conversation.


    However, Lucia didn¡¯t bother to consider it.


    She turned her body a little with the documents, walked around Lisa, and headed straight for her office.


    Lisa, who waspletely ignored, turned her head slightly and red at Lucia.


    Outside the door, she heard all their conversation.


    It was unexpected that the superior valued her so much that they offered her all the opportunities.


    She turned around angrily, entered the office, and handed the documents to Carter.


    N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    "Carter, these are what you want."


    Carter calmly cast a look at her and said softly, "Well, put it down."


    But Lisa still stood there, seemingly not ready to leave.


    "Is there anything else?"


    After a short hesitation, Lisa said, "I have been working for you all the time and you always treat me


    well.


    But recently you give all the good chances to Lucia, I wonder if I did something wrong..."


    Though she didn''t finish it, Carter already knew her meaning.


    Carter sighed and answered her softly,"


    Lisa, it is not me who doesn''t give you this chance.


    Actually, my superior directly assigns Lucia to do this task, so I can¡¯t help it."


    Carter¡¯s words made Lisa frown.


    She couldn''t say a word for along time, the hung fist holding tightly, and the anger born from jealousy


    surrounded her.


    The superior directly assigned Lucia to hold this event, which meant someone in the top management


    was helping her.


    Lisa¡¯s eyes burned darkly and she remembered what happened in Weskest time, then a cold and


    serious face shed on her head-August.


    It couldn''t be others except him.


    If it was true, then she didn¡¯t have any chance topete with her.


    The more she thought of that, the angrier she became.


    But with the pressed lips, she tried to hold back the anger in her eyes, then looked at Carter and said


    gently, "Sorry, Carter, I shouldn''t ask so much.


    "


    Carter shook her head andforted her,"


    Lisa, don''t be so worried.


    It¡¯s not a big deal.


    If there is any other chance, I will help you."


    Hearing what Carter said, Lisa smiled and expressed her thanks at once, "Thank you, Carter."


    But when she got out of the office, Lisa''s face instantly became cold.


    She quickly stepped into her own office and tried to resist the impulse to smash the thing in her hands.


    How could she suffer it? In the past, she was Carter''s good assistant, no matter what good chances


    fell, Carter always gave them to her, but since Lucia got promoted, everything was changed...


    She got angrier and angrier, but there was nothing she could do.


    An idea struck her.


    With their eyes lighting up, she immediately pulled out her phone and dialed a number.


    The phone was answered soon and she heard a familiar female voice."


    Hello, what''s up?"


    Lisa made her tone soft and pleasant, "Irene, it is a long time since thest time I visited you, so I miss


    you and give you a call."


    "Well, you miss me?"


    Irene swept the clock on the wall and replied coldly,"


    What a surprise.


    How could you have time to miss me during work hours?"


    Lisa replied unhurriedly,"


    Though it is working time, I¡¯m not busy at all.


    Our director appreciates Lucia so much that she gives all the good projects to her.


    Now I am very idle."


    A few days after the exposure incident, she visited Irene.


    At that time, it was obvious that she was in bad mood and still didn¡¯t recover, so Lisa didn¡¯t mention


    Lucia to her face.


    But now, Irene has gotten better, so it was time.


    When Irene, on the other end, heard the name"


    Lucia¡¯, she unconsciously got furious at once.


    She couldn''t help clenching her teeth and asked back, "She gets so arrogant now?"


    Lisa smiled and said quietly, "It is not exactly arrogance, maybe it''s only her good luck.


    Today the director assigned the task of Boehm''s off-line event to her while I have nothing to do, let


    alone the bonus.


    Probably it won''t be long before I have to quit my job.


    Then we could look for a job together, Irene."


    Obviously, these words stung Irene¡¯s heart.


    She clenched the phone, lips pressing.


    These words reminded her of thest thing.


    She would have note down in the world but for Lucia.

 Chapter 176

    Chapter 176


    Thinking of that, Irene became angrier and angrier.


    She asked, clenching her teeth, "Is it the subsidiary of Lion Group, Boehm Technology Company, which


    will hold the offline event?"


    Lisa replied at once, "Yes, I heard the new products are smart homes."


    "Well, I know."


    After figuring out the situation, Irene said with a cold expression,"


    Go to find the relevant documents, and I will not stand by and let the bitch be more and more


    arrogant!"


    "But Irene..."


    Lisa pretended to be reluctant,"


    Could we let it go? After all, Lucia is so crafty that I am afraid you would fall into her trap likest


    time..."


    Her words made Irene angrier,"


    There is no need to concern yourself with this matter.


    I already figure out what to do.


    If you still regard me as your friend, just help me to look for the relevant documents."


    Unconsciously Lisa smiled quietly, and after a pause, looking like she was hesitating, she agreed with


    her reluctantly,"


    Of course, you are my friend.


    Actually, I also dislike her.


    I will go looking for the documents, but..."


    When she hesitated, Irene immediately realized her meaning and said,"


    Don''t worry, I will keep it a secret."


    Hearing Irene''s promise, Lisa agreed, "Irene, no problem, I¡¯m on it."


    Then they talked for a while and hung up the phone.


    After the phone, Lisa stood at the desk, looking out of the window.


    A I touch of deadly coldness shed in her eyes and an evil smile appeared on her mouth.


    In her position, if she revenged on Lucia, she was afraid August } would not let her off in case she was


    found, but if Irene did it I instead of her, it would be better.


    Even if she didn¡¯t do it herself, there was someone who could end Lucia''s good day.


    Lucia needed to do her daily work and tranted the Japanese contracts as a part-time job, and now


    she got new work nning the event, so she became busier like a spinning top, sometimes she even


    didn¡¯t have time to drink water and go to the toilet.


    After finishing the rest of the Japanese contracts, in her private time, she contacted Paul ready to


    submit them to him.


    They appointed the ce and time to meet.


    After having lunch at noon, Lucia went straight to the caf¨¦ near thepany to meet Paul.


    When she arrived, Paul was already waiting for her, which embarrassed him a little.


    She went to him and said softly, "Paul, I¡¯m sorry to keep you waiting."


    Paul smiled, looking at her with tender eyes, and replied gently."


    Never mind.


    I just arrive, too."


    Then he called the waiter and let Lucia order, "Lucia, what do you want to drink?"


    Lucia smiled,"


    Just a cup of water."


    She intended to give the contracts to him and then left.


    She went straight to the point by taking out the file and handing it to Paul,"


    There are the original contracts you gave me and the trantions.


    I have sent the electronic edition to your email box.


    If any modifications were required, please feel free to tell me."


    Paul stared at Lucia¡¯s serious face and grinned.


    He put away the file even without a look and said softly,"


    Lucia, as I said, I believe you."


    Lucia looked up, just meeting his eyes full of love, and she was astonished immediately.


    With a smile, Lucia looked down, a little shy, and then took the cup on the table, sipped it, and said in a


    soft voice,"


    Thanks for your trust.


    If my trantion has any problem, just tell me.


    Don''t keep silent because we are friends."


    "Never mind."


    Paul stared at her with a wider smile,"


    I will doit ina businesslike way."


    Then he blinked at her.


    Seeing his lovely expression, Lucia couldn''t helpughing.


    They chatted for a while.


    Lucia looked at the time and made an excuse for leaving.


    Unexpectedly, Paul stopped her suddenly,"


    Lucia, wait for a moment."


    "What''s the matter?"


    "I will transfer your payment to your ount.


    In addition, I still have some contracts to trante, if you will..."


    Lucia hesitated for a while, made a smile full of apology, and answered gently,"


    Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org.


    Sorry, Paul, I just get a new project in thepany, so I''m afraid I have no time to do other work..."


    What she said caused the gloom in Paul¡¯s eyes, but it disappeared immediately, and then he made an


    understanding smile,"


    Well, I expect the next corporation with you when you have time."


    Lucia waved to him with a bright smile, "OK, then I will go now."


    Paul lost in her smile, and atst, didn¡¯t utter the words on his lips.


    He wanted to make an appointment with her.


    However, she was so busy that he decided to put if off.


    As soon as Lucia returned to the office, she began to do the nning case.


    Undoubtedly, this was a good chance to prove her ability, so she couldn''t screw it up again.


    After scanning all the documents, she already knew the general situation.


    She added the nner Lyan, who was in the marketing department, as her friend from the chat group


    and they made an appointment to discuss the preliminary nning case.


    When she finished the preliminary nning case, it was just the agreed time with Lyan.


    Then she printed it and immediately took it to the break area.


    Lion Group made human-based management.


    They set up the break area for the staff with all kinds of beverages at the bar.


    This quiet and pleasant area was a good ce for rest after work or talking about work with a couple of


    colleagues.


    They had a simple self-introduction with each other and immediately began to discuss the preliminary


    nning case.


    After reading Lucia¡¯s preliminary nning case, Lyan gave her a bit of pertinent advice,"


    I think it¡¯s not bad of your nning case, but we should have more consideration of the site, if we set


    up the exhibition area like this, then we need more security guards, which may get over the budget.


    Hearing her advice, Lucia considered for a moment and looked through the n for the event site.


    She realized Lyan was right and nodded, and then stroked her temple saying tenderly,"


    Exactly."


    Though she ever took part in the relevant event in the administration department, her experience


    wasn''t enough, so unsurprisingly she couldn''t consider it on a full scale.


    Lyan noticed her serious expression, adjusting his ck frame sses, and smiled,"


    It''s quite normal, and even for the final nning case, we often need to modify several times.


    It¡¯s not a big deal, take it easy."


    Lyan was so nice and modest that he was a good partner.


    Lucia made a smile at him and said softly,"


    Then you read it and I will go to the bathroom."


    While Lyan nodded, Lucia was ready to stand up and before standing still, the darkness covered her


    eyes and she felt dizzy suddenly.


    She staggered and almost fell down.


    Lyan, on her opposite seat, stood up at once and asked worriedly,"


    Are you OK?"


    Lucia waved to him and made a smile in apology,"


    I¡¯m fine.


    I just stood up too sharply."


    Then she walked towards the bathroom but still felt a little dizzy.


    Was it because she was too exhausted from the long time working? She didn¡¯t think much and kept on


    walking, however, after a few footsteps, he felt her head heavier and heavier and the whole world


    seemingly began to sway.


    When she lifted her foot up again, her whole body lost bnce, suddenly falling towards the ground.

 Chapter 177

    Chapter 177


    Suddenly a big hand reached her and held her shoulders to support her.


    Lucia came to herself at once and before looking up, she was used to saying, "Thank you..."


    When she looked up at the person helping her, unexpectedly she saw a familiar face.


    It was August.


    Lucia sharply became gloomy and tried to stand well by herself, unconsciously stepping back a little.


    Seeing her reaction, August¡¯s poker face became sullener with her brow frowning involuntarily.


    When watching she almost fell down, he kindly rushed to help her to her feet, but he didn¡¯t expect to


    see her reaction like that.


    This annoyed him and he deliberately spoke with thin lips in a more indifferent voice, "Since you didn''t


    sleep well, don¡¯te to work, or others will have a mistake that I''m a demanding boss."


    His words made Lucia¡¯s embarrassment and panic dissipate a lot.


    With clenched teeth, she stepped back a little and replied, "Don''t worry, President Adams.


    I know I¡¯m in good health.


    You are overthinking."


    Then she turned around and left there without hesitation.


    However, she was in such a hurry that when she abruptly turned around, her head felt so heavy and


    sudden dizziness almost made her fall down again.


    What''s wrong? Lucia felt ill and she couldn''t see clearly with her woozy head.


    She hurriedly put her hand against the wall to support herself and took a deep breath to make herself


    feel better, after a long while, it finally worked.


    August watched her, suddenly getting angry, then without hesitation, strode to her and asked, "What''s


    wrong with you?"


    Time and time again, she almost fell down, so something must happen to her.


    Hearing his question, Lucia took a deep breath, clenching her teeth,"


    I''m fine.


    President Adams, don¡¯t bother worrying me."


    How stubborn she was.


    August got furious, frowning.


    Even in a such bad state, she insisted on rejecting her help.


    But her pale face wasn''t fake.


    Without considering much, August grasped her wrist trying to take her away,"


    Follow me."


    With a deep breath, Lucia suddenly realized what was going on and hurried to pull her hand out of his


    grasp.


    She felt dizzy but didn''t get silly.


    This was inpany and in the working hours, and there were a lot of colleagues bustling.


    If they saw August acted so intimately with her, she couldn''t imagine what kind of gossip would spread


    in the wholepany.


    "President Adams, could you stay out of my business?"


    Then she turned around and ready to go.


    But her wrist was grasped again and she was pulled into the reception room nearby.


    Lucia was shocked and before speaking, she saw August lock the door briskly.


    She felt a little guilty, thinking of what August and she did in the officest time, and a chill spread in


    her body.


    Didn''t he intend to do the same thing...


    in this reception room? While turning around, August just saw the nervous woman in panic, he seemed


    to know what she was thinking.


    August frowned and questioned her coldly, "What do you think I¡¯m going to do?"


    "You...you leave me alone."


    Lucia stepped back slowly.


    August sniffed at it and smiled with disdain, directly striding close to her.


    Lucia had stepped back to the inner window, so she had no ce to escape.


    Before she knew she had crossed her hands before the chest and got up the courage to say,"


    It''s the daytime, how dare you..."


    Before she finished it, August already got close to her and without hesitation, stretched his long arm


    and put one hand against the wall behind her body, looking at her from above,"


    I could do it whenever I want, no matter day or night."


    How arrogant he was! When August held out another hand, Lucia unconsciously retracted her head


    and closed her eyes.


    Soon, she felt a little cold on her forehead, which was the man¡¯s back of the hand.


    Lucia opened her eyes and saw August''s solemn face.


    Seemingly, he didn''t intend to do other things.


    After a moment of silence, his face got more serious with a little worry in his ck eyes.


    He gazed at her,"


    Lucia, do you know you have a fever?"


    Lucia was frozen and didn''t say anything.


    When she discussed the nning case with Lyan, she already felt a little weak and ill, and the moment


    she went to the bathroom, she felt the darkness covering her eyes and her head was dizzy.


    All of this...


    seemed to be the symptoms of the fever.


    August saw the woman retract her head and not say a word with a confused look, like a silly quail.


    He didn''t know what to do with her but felt angry and amused.


    Atst, he stepped back a little, shot a nce at her coldly, and utter only one word,"


    Silly."


    She even didn¡¯t know she had a fever.


    What an "amazing girl"! Lucia didn¡¯t know why she was scolded, stunned for a moment, and looked at


    the man.


    She wanted to retort, but hesitated, considering her situation.


    She was afraid of provoking him, so atst, held back the words on the lips.


    If he got angry, then it was she who would suffer atst.


    August took out his phone, sent some messages, and said in the usual cold voice, "I will give you the


    day off.


    You go home and take some pills.


    I will make Burton send you back."


    He thought she was not able to work with the sick body.


    Unexpectedly, Lucia¡¯s face changed a little, and reject him immediately,"


    No, I must go to work."


    Now, Lyan was waiting for her to discuss the nning case, and she had other work to do, if she went


    home, a lot of things had to be put off.


    August didn¡¯t expect she would reject him.


    He turned around angry and repeated coldly,"


    I will give you the day off."


    She could rest at home without a pay deduction, which was such a good chance everyone expected,


    but she surprisingly rejected him outright.


    With pressed lips, Lucia insisted,"


    I¡¯m fine.


    I will go to take two pills of febrifuge.


    Thanks for your concern, President Adams.


    "


    Then she was ready to go.


    With frowning brows, August nced at her with cold eyes, and finally walked forward and stood


    against the door to stop her.


    "Lucia, are you on purpose?"


    She did all of this on purpose to be against him and made him upset.


    Lucia red at the man in front of her, thinking of the scene he apanied Jeanne, and angrily said


    to him after taking a deep breath,"


    President Adams, it is none of your business, please leave me alone."


    She was already determined to keep him at arm''s length, moreover,st time he said he was unfamiliar


    with her, now why did he try to interfere in her business? On hearing her words, August pressed his


    cool thin lips and his face got colder.


    After taking a deep breath and noticing he didn''t say anything and didn''t move a little, Lucia got up the


    courage and looked up staring at him, then said slowly and seriously, "I''m only an ordinary employee in


    thepany, does President Adams care every employee so much?"


    T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "You are the president and I''m an employee.


    Our rtionship is so simple like that.


    I hope President Adams should not try to intervene in my business."


    After these words, Lucia looked down a little and bowed to him slightly, with a tense back, She walked


    out.


    The door opened and closed behind him in no time, August didn''t say a word, frowning.


    He didn''t expect she was not sensible like that.


    He suddenly felt restless and untied his bow tie a little, the face deadly sullen.


    Did he concern her too much? Then as her wishes, from now on, he wouldn''t help her no matter what


    bad situation she was in.

 Chapter 178

    Chapter 178


    Though Augustforted himself by this thought, he still felt the anger was stuck in his heart and


    couldn''t be released out.


    He frowned with an aura of aggressive chill.


    At this time, there came a knocking on the door.


    Then he heard Burton''s voice,"


    President Adams."


    The door was pushed open and Burton strode in with a serious face.


    He came to August and said in a low voice, "President Adams, I got a call from Bob just now.


    He said Bishop wanted to meet you."


    Without any hesitation, August rejected it with a cold voice, "No."


    Bishop and he both knew clearly how bad their rtionship was, so it was unnecessary to pretend as


    the intimate brothers now and then.


    Burton hesitated a while and continued, "Bob said Bishop would tell you some important information


    about Ted."


    On hearing this name, August''s eyes became hard.


    After a pause, he asked in a cold voice,"


    Where shall we meet?"


    "The Copper-Cuppa."


    After hesitation for two seconds, August changed his idea.


    With his tensed back and pressed lips he opened the mouth indifferently, "Tell him I agree."


    He didn¡¯t want to miss any information about Ted.


    Until he audited the subsidiary¡¯s ounts, he came to learn how many dirty businesses Ted had done


    under the table in the name of Lion Group.


    He couldn''t feel easy without catching Ted.


    "Get it."


    Burton nodded and went to drive the car at once.


    Standing by the window of the reception room, August had a panoramic view of Austos City''s south


    part through the ss, unconsciously losing in the memory of years ago.


    He remembered their first meet.


    At that time, his father took Christina and 16-year-old Bishop home...


    That was a scene he would never forget.


    How time flies.


    Several years have passed.


    The car stopped beside him.


    August''s face returned to indifference as usual and he put on the coat, buttoned it with one hand and


    walked out quickly.


    No matter what Bishop intended to do, he would go to meet him.


    When arriving at the Copper-Cuppa, they gave their names at the front desk.


    A waitress in cheongsam immediately took them to a room named as "Clear Water and Blue Sky"


    on the third floor.


    They opened the door and August walked in the quaint room.


    There was a screen in the middle, through which August could see a figure with a vague side face.


    He strode forward and around the screen, and saw Bishop sit in the side sofa and Bob stand beside


    him.


    Without a word, August took the opposite seat and looked at him with cold eyes, "Just tell me now."


    Bishop put on a little smile, gave Bob a gesture of pouring tea and said softly, "Brother, please sip the


    tea first, which is the famous Longjing Tea picked before Qingming Festival."


    August''s face clouded over, the ck and bright eyes watching the opposite man, and then said coldly,


    "I have no time to have tea and chat with you.


    Since you call me first, you must know why Ie here."


    Except Ted''s location, he had no interest in anything else.


    With his smile fading, Bishop casually took a cup of tea in front of him and sipped, "Brother, since I get


    you here, I will tell you sooner orter."


    He looked up at August and said quietly, "As a member of our family, I also care about its situation.


    I heard something about Ted upset you recently, so I take much time to investigate it."


    Then he paused.


    A quiet momentter, he continued, "


    Eventually I find where Ted hides."


    A touch of coldness shed on August''s face and disappeared in his ck eyes.


    Several secondster, he asked calmly, "Just get to the point, what do you want to do?"


    Bishop tried so hard to get him here, and told him he knew Ted''s hiding ce, which was a key


    information for him, so he must be up to do something.


    Bishop chuckled with clear eyes, looking like there was a purest soul in it.


    He said softly, "Nothing.


    Father always hopes I could take part in the management of Lion Group, so I think maybe you could


    give me a chance."


    After a pause, he yed with the jade-colored tea cup and kept on,"


    I have found out where Ted is, so it proves I am not a useless man, dose it, brother?"


    August felt an invisible threat in his unaggressive words.


    His intuition told him there was a sophisticated soul behind the gentle and harmless face.


    N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    He looked down, sweeping the clear tea in front of him, and said coldly, "Say it clearly."


    Why not go straight to the point.? Bishop smiled slightly and said slowly"


    I want to be the deputy president.


    If you agree, I will tell you Ted¡¯s hiding ce."


    What an ambition! How dare he aim at the position of deputy president in the beginning.


    August sniffed at his words and said mockingly and coldly,"


    You think you are qualified?"


    Managing the Lion Group was no joke.


    He had gone through so many father''s tests to gradually promote to the president.


    How dare Bishop ask to take the deputy president as his first position.


    Bishop said softly, "Brother, I know I am not qualified now, but father always said only experience could


    make one grow, didn¡¯t you forget it?"


    That he talked about their father time and time again made August''s eyes more chilled.


    Atst, he looked up impatiently and casted a re at him with disdain,"


    Since you desire the position, why not directly tell father and ask him to give it to you!"


    After saying that, August didn¡¯t bother to tell a word to him.


    He stood up without any hesitation, swept the opposite man, and walked out.


    It was not worth putting an outsider in the management in order to get Ted''s hiding ce.


    He was not so stupid.


    On hearing the door was mmed, Bishop''s face became clouded instantly.


    Seeing that Bishop was slowly clenching his fists, Bob couldn''t help but ask,"


    Sir, you knew he wouldn''t agree, why bother to do it?"


    Bishop snorted coldly and said with dangerous and cold light glowing in his eyes, "My real aim is to


    sound out him rather than to get the position of deputy president."


    He did it not only for sounding out him, but also for making him confused.


    Since he would like to tell August where Ted was, it at least proved he was not Ted''s partner.


    Bob''s eyes changed a little, and asked another question,"


    Then what are we going to do with Ted? He is hiding somewhere in this country, but what if he is


    caught by August..."


    There was no change on Bishop''s face, but he whispered,"


    If he dares to disobey me, just kill him at a crisis."


    Ted was no more than a useless man for him.


    At this time, his phone on the table vibrated.


    He turned on the screen and read the message from Mandy,"


    Mr.Adams, Lightning doesn''t eat anything.


    Is it ill?"


    Lightning was his red-brow parrot.


    Bishop looked at the question full of worry on the screen, raising an eyebrow.


    He suddenly felt Mandy cared the bird more than him inparison.


    After a pause, the chill on his face gradually dissipated.


    He looked at Bob by his side and said softly,"Let''s go home."

 Chapter 179

    Chapter 179


    After Lucia and Lyan submitted their first nning case, they have made several modifications, and


    eventually the final draft was decided.


    The day before the offline event, they went to the spot to supervise the building of stage and exhibition


    area.


    After bustling around for a day, the staff felt a little relieved and the tense atmosphere became a little


    rxed.


    "Lucia,e to have some coffee."


    Lyan bought several cups of coffee from the Starbucks nearby, shared them with the busy staff, and


    handed one of them to Lucia.


    Lucia smiled at her and gently said thanks.


    Then she turned around to look at the built stage and asked softly, "Didn''t we invite a star to warm up


    this show? Who is it?"


    Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org.


    Tomorrow the event would start.


    It was important to her whether the event was sessful or not, which rted to the generous bonus


    and her future opportunities.


    All of them was what she cared.


    Lyan followed her gaze to the banner which said"


    Mystery guest"


    and whispered to her,"


    I hear it is the female star Adeline, ourpany¡¯s old partner."


    Hearing this familiar name, Lucia was a little shocked.


    She thought of the arrogant and aloof woman who she met in August''s officest time.


    It was her, unexpectedly and reasonably.


    She was so intimate with August, so it was natural to invite her attend this event.


    On thinking of all of this, Lucia felt a little jealous and mocked herself.


    Lyan noticed that and then asked, "What''s the matter?"


    "Nothing."


    Lucia soon recovered to reply casually.


    August and she had no rtionship anymore, so why did she think so much? She might as well focus


    on her work.


    Everything on the site was set up and ready for the event of tomorrow.


    Lucia got off work early with a good mood, then bought some father''s favorite dessert and went to


    hospital.


    But when she arrived at the hospital and opened the ward''s door, she saw her father was having a


    good sleep on the bed.


    Elisa sitting by the bed gave her a silent wave, indicating her to go out to talk.


    When the door was closed, Elisa took a breath of relief and said quietly,"


    He didn¡¯t sleep well these two days.


    Before you came, he just felt asleep, so I hope he could have a good sleep."


    Lucia nodded and asked worriedly, "Did he feel better these days?"


    Elisa sighed,"


    No, still the same."


    A touch of gloom appeared on her mother¡¯s face.


    After a while, she seemed to remember something, took out a bankbook from her pocket and gave it to


    Lucia,"


    This is our bankbook, in which is all the money we saved these years.


    Originally, we nned to make it as your dowry."


    Before finishing these words, Elisa choked with sobs.


    Lucia was also on the edge of weeping and she held her mother¡¯s hands saying gently,"


    Mom, don¡¯t worry.


    Father will be all right, and we will be fine."


    She didn¡¯t care if she had the dowry and she just hoped that father could have the surgery as soon as


    possible and recovered well.


    "Lucia, I have called your aunt and all the rtives of your father to borrow money regardless of our


    face, but don¡¯t get much.


    All the money is deposited in this card and the password is your birthday date."


    Then Elisa passed a card to her.


    Lucia had a pang of suffering.


    Looking at the bankbook and card in her hand, she felt more painful.


    Obviously, for father¡¯s surgery Mother had tried her best to raise money.


    With pressed lips, she stroked mother¡¯s hand andforted her softly, "It''s enough, Mom.


    Don''t worry.


    Leave it to me.


    I will hold an event tomorrow and after that I will get a generous bonus.


    Then we will have enough money for the operation.


    The tears glittered in Elisa''s eyes.


    She was touched, then nodded and said in a trembling voice,"


    Lucia, I don¡¯t want to make you so hard.


    I have no other choice but to depend on you."


    Lucia hugged her andforted her in a soft voice.


    As she left the hospital, Lucia¡¯s mood sank again.


    On thinking of father''s surgery, she felt a lot of pressure, like a heavy stone pressing on her heart.


    After returning to the apartment, she ate something hastily, and tried to throw all the bad emotion out of


    the window to go to sleep after thinking of the event tomorrow.


    Early the next morning, before it was light, Lucia got up, dressed up and rushed to the site of event to


    watch all the preparation.


    All the shelves and decorations were delivered here yesterday.


    After improving a little, it looked not bad.


    She checked the screen and products, making sure the security personnel and staff all prepared, and


    then she felt a little relieved.


    Lyan saw Luciae back and forth and can¡¯t help calming her,"


    Lucia, it¡¯s all ready now.


    Have a rest.


    Generally nothing will happen."


    Lucia nodded, but she didn¡¯t know why she felt muffled in heart.


    In the morning, her right eyelid twitched several times, so she still felt a little uneasy.


    "Lyan, I will go check the new products again."


    Giving a smile to Lyan, Lucia strode to the exhibition area.


    Boehm was a subsidiary of Lion Group and the main business was intelligent technology.


    Their smart home products were popr in market these two years.


    This was a warm-up for new products.


    This event in this region was the first part, and they would hold other events in other regions.


    They hoped the consumers could try their new products, which could attract more attention for the


    official release of new droducts.


    In other words, this event wouldrgely decide the poprity of new products in the market.


    In addition, a lot of medias woulde to report it, so it was crucial for theunch of new products.


    After checking time and time again, Lucia felt a little assured.


    When the event was beginning, more and more people gathered here and the za became bustling.


    Lyan came over from the direction of the screen and gave her a gesture of OK, and said quietly,


    "Adeline arrives, so it will begin in no time."


    At this time, the MC walked on the stage and began to warm up the show.


    Lucia stood on one side watching there, and relieved in heart.


    A few minutester, with the cheers of MC, an elegatt woman in aqua blue dress surrounded by the


    bodyguards walked up on the stage, and then wave decently to the crowd.


    What a gorgeous beauty with bright eyes and white teeth! Expectedly, it was Adeline.


    Lucia was astonished with her beauty.


    Sure enough, every woman who had a rtionship with August was amazing beauty.


    Jeanne was lovely and gentle while Adeline was charming and gorgeous.


    They were beautiful in their own way.


    Did August try to make a rtionship with all kinds of beauty? When such a thought popped out, Lucia


    was stunned for a moment and immediately realized something was wrong.


    Why did she always think of August? Hasn''t she already made up mind to keep distance with him?


    Howe her will became so weak...


    Gritting her teeth, she recovered to herself.


    When looking up again, she saw Adeline was waving to the crowd under the stage, but the lively


    beautiful eyes put on her.


    Lucia was stunned for a second and looked up to her, finding she had moved her eyes away.


    Just now she literally felt Adeline¡¯s cold and unreconciled eyes.Was that her illusion?

 Chapter 180

    Chapter 180


    "Lucia, will you eat something first."


    The voice made here to herself and she turned to Lyan and shook her head,"


    I have no appetite."


    Though she woke up early in the morning without eating anything and busy around here half a day, she


    didn¡¯t feel hungry at all, perhaps because of nervousness.


    Lyan patted her shoulder and advised her kindly,"


    Lucia, it is not worth sacrificing your health for the work."


    Lucia hesitated for a while, nodded to her with a smile and said softly, "OK, I will go eat something.


    Call me if anything happens."


    "No problem.


    Just go.


    There is food prepared for us in the van behind the exhibition area."


    Lucia looked up, saw the van far away, and strode to it after nodding.


    When she walked near, a colleague came to her and asked, "Lucia, which do you want, bread or fried


    bread stick?"


    Lucia smiled, "Bread, please."


    The colleague passed her two pieces of bread and a cup of hot soybean milk.


    Lucia took them and said thanks.


    In this spare moment she took out her phone and read Pa''s messages.


    "Lucia, I''m deadly bored.


    When could I see you?"


    "The rehearsal is so boring.


    And I want to eat crab pot."


    Looking at the long line of messages from Pa, Lucia almost could imagine her expression through


    the messages.


    She smiled unconsciously and sent a message back to her with a piece of bread in her mouth, "We


    could have dinner together after the event today."


    As soon as sending it, she immediately received Pa''s message, "Yeah, it''s great and I want to drink


    beer."


    Lucia sent a message back with a smile.


    And like that, they chatted for a while.


    Lucia felt better for the sense of repression in her heart was released a lot.


    When eating up the bread and soybean milk, Lucia cleaned her hands and sent thest message to


    Pa, "That''s it.


    I will go to work..."


    Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    Before she finished the message, there came a sound ofmotion from the exhibition area.


    And then a colleague ran to her crying,"


    Lucia, something happened.


    Adeline fall down on the stage!"


    Lucia frozen and didn¡¯t react immediately.


    Then the colleague pulled her and ran towards the stage.


    Before arriving there, they saw Adeline surrounded by arge crowd of people walked to the nanny


    van.


    There was a turmoil on the site.


    And the audience tried to press in to see.


    Realizing the condition would be out of control, Lucia gestured the security guards to keep orders.


    In the chaos, Lyan ran up and said hastily, "Lucia, Adeline twisted her foot when walking down the


    stage and now her ankles got swollen up.


    She must be sent to the hospital immediately and I will go with them.


    It''s up to you to handle the situation here."


    In this case, Lucia had no time to consider it.


    She nodded and said to Lyan, "Go quickly to see how she is hurt and I will try to control the situation


    here."


    "OK.


    Then Lyan ran towards the nanny van.


    Lucia turned around and found the crowd in a turmoil.


    She instantly came to the MC and let him keep speaking on the stage.


    At the same time, she made some security guards to guard the new products area and the other


    guards keep orders.


    The nanny van left.


    About 10 minutester the spot began to calm down.


    The MC on stage kept talking and talking.


    He expressed their apology and pity for the star Adeline and said they would go to next step.


    Watching the chaotic crowd finally calm down, Lucia stroked her painful temple with hands.


    It was said the twitched left eyelid was the omen of bad thing and the twitched right eyelid meant good


    thing.


    In the early morning, she had a bad feeling.


    As expected, the bad thing happened.


    The next step was the introduction of new products.


    MC made one worker go on stage to introduce the products and then suggested that the audiences


    could go to the exhibition area to know more about the new products they interested in.


    The event proceeded on schedule.


    Lucia saw the scene be lively again, taking a relieved breath unconsciously.


    What happened to Adeline was totally an ident.


    If it didn''t affect the effect of the event, then it was not a big problem, or else, the effect of the event


    would be not as good as they expected it.


    However, the good times didn''tst long, Only half an hourter, there came a sudden noise from the


    exhibition area.


    Gradually people gathered around a new product showcase.


    Lucia realized something happened again.


    She walked there quickly and pushed her way into the crowd.


    Before shepletely got in, she heard a man''s voice, "Whoever believes their bullshit is a fool.


    Their new products are even not up to the standard of safety and quality, much less the smart homes


    as they advertised.


    It¡¯s all nonsense.


    Don''t believe them.


    Look, my little son''s hand was scratched by their product.


    Lucia tried her best to push her way in and saw a tough-looking man was holding up a photo and


    agitated the crowd.


    "After my son''s hand was scratched, I called their after-sale service and they all ignored me.


    What they sold were unqualified products with bad after-sale service.


    And now they promote you could buy their products after trying out, which must be another lie."


    Lucia looked up at the photo of a kid¡¯ palm scratched seriously bleeding.


    It looked a little terrible.


    But this picture couldn''t prove it¡¯s their product which caused his injury.


    This man suddenly popped out and agitated the crowd, so he muste to make trouble.


    Lucia clenched her teeth, got up the courage and walked to the man, "Excuse me, sir, I''m the organizer


    of this event.


    Do you have any problem? "


    On hearing she was the organizer, the man looked her up and down and then sniffed,"


    Are you in charge?"


    Lucia took a deep breath and answered him politely, "Yes.


    If anything happened, you could tell me."


    The man suddenly reached out his hand to grasp one of new products on exhibition area and pointed it


    to Lucia,"


    This is the third-generation product youunch this time, right?"


    Lucia nodded, "Exactly."


    "I bought your second-generation product.


    But after using it a short time, my son''s hand was scratched.


    I called the after-sale service, but they said it¡¯s not your responsibility.


    Shouldn''t Ie here to ask for a reasonable answer?"


    The man casted a re to Lucia, raised the picture in his hand and spoke louder,"


    I suggest all of you don''t buy their products.


    Because they are not smart homes, but lethal weapon."


    On hearing this, the crowd got in a turmoil, whispering and discussing.


    Lucia hurried to say,"


    Sir, do you have any evidence to prove it''s our product scratched your son''s hand? Beforeunching


    the new products, they have passed the safe test.


    This thing could not possibly happen."


    "Bullshit."


    The man red at her and called her names, "I will show you the medical record from hospital and my


    purchase history of the second-generation product."


    With these words, the man angrily took out several sheets from his pocket and showed them to the


    crowd.


    The people in front read them and nodded.


    At this time, people standing in the back couldn''t see the sheets also joined them, talking and


    whispering.


    Surrounded by the suspicion and criticism from the crowd, Lucia became tense and some bad feeling


    came to her.


    If this thing spread widely, no matter it''s true or false, then the fame of new products would be ruined,


    which would have a dramatic effect on their officialunching.


    Lucia clenched her fist looking at the arrogant man and took a deep breath,"Could I ask when your


    son''s hand injured?"

 Chapter 181

    Chapter 181


    Chapter 181 Human Flesh Exam


    Lucia''s words stunned the man for a while, but the man soon red at her.


    "Yesterday! Look at this data on the medical record!"


    Lucia took a half step forward and then asked, "Then, have you been to the after-sales department?"


    The man panicked at Lucia''s question.


    "No...I haven''t! They refused to ept myint!"


    "Oh?"


    Lucia fixed her eyes on the man.


    "If I were you and my kid got injured by the product, I would get him treated and then go directly to the


    after-sale service department for an exnation andpensation.But you didn''t even look for any


    after-sale service.Instead, you came to our release meeting and made such a scene.I don''t think a


    normal consumer would do such a thing."


    Lucia''s words added more flusters to the man''s face.


    Onlookers also felt Lucia¡¯s words reasonable.


    Generally speaking, a consumer would ask for after-sale service instead of making trouble at the


    release meeting when the product he bought had caused enough trouble.


    This man was suspicious.


    Lucia saw that the man was speechless, and took out the sample of the new product and showed it to


    the audience, "Our product can only be mass-produced and sold after a strict safety inspection.Even if


    this product has a spiral de, the spiral de is made of special materials and its size is well-


    matched.It will not operate at all if foreign matters are detected.Even if I put my finger in it, my finger


    will not get hurt."


    Hearing this, the man snorted, "If you''re so sure, then put your fingers in and show us!"


    In an instant, the crowd all focused on Lucia.


    After all, action speaks louder than words.


    After hesitation, Lucia looked at the venttion holes in the product in her hand and gasped nervously.


    All her knowledge of the new products came from Carter''s materials.


    The data on the materials only showed the safety factor of the product.She didn''t know whether it


    would cause injury or not.


    But Boehm¡¯s products were bing better and better over the years.


    Safety issues were the most basic, at which Lucia believed Boehm''s designers wouldn''t make such


    careless mistakes.


    The man aside snorted.


    "See? She is afraid! That''s proof!"


    "Who told you that?"


    Lucia looked up at the man as she turned the product over and put her index and middle fingers into


    the hole together.


    All the people nearby raised their phones and began videoing.


    They were all waiting for the result.


    Nothing would be more exciting than a safety factor exam with human flesh.


    Some even started live streaming to showizens thetest progress.


    Being stared at by everyone, Lucia braced herself and pressed the switch button.


    The moment the product started working, Lucia felt extreme paining from her fingertips.


    She subconsciously trembled and loosened her grip on the sample, which directly fell to the ground.


    All the people cried out in shock.


    Lucia could hear the sharp intake of breaths of onlookers.


    She lowered her head and saw injuries on her fingers.


    Blood was gushing out, streamed down her fingers, and fell to the ground.


    She didn''t find blood so terrifyingly red before.Her fingers weren''t hurt the most.Her feeling was hurt the


    most.She never expected the meeting to end up in this way.


    In sneers andughter, the crowd thinned out.


    Harsh remarks could be heard.


    "Holy shit.They should be selling a self-injuring machine!"


    "What a shame! I won''t buy such a thing!"


    "Let''s go.Hurry.Never touch anything with the brand Boehm on."


    The man looked at Lucia with a sneer, and he asked, "Humph! Being cut by your product.Any more


    excuses you cane up with now?"


    Lucia felt so ashamed and she was frozen to the ground.


    Her experiment with herself failed to redeem the product''s reputation but even brought Boehm into a


    direr situation.


    She had sessfully helped the product reach its doom.


    T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    It shouldn''t be like this.


    She felt something wrong.


    Lucia lowered her head in regret, anxiety, panic, and flustered.


    She gritted her teeth and felt so rueful.


    What should I do? What should I do? She cried in her heart.


    She looked at the sample on the ground and, suddenly, she locked her gaze on the connection at the


    bottom of the product.


    In an instant, she felt something wrong.


    As if something triggered her, she abruptly looked up at the dissembling crowd and shouted.


    "Wait!"


    Everyone was shocked by her sudden cry, and, in confusion and curiosity, they turned around and


    looked at Lucia, their eyes full of a sneer.


    Lucia gritted her teeth and picked up the product on the ground.She checked the product carefully, then


    turned to the crowd and raised her voice, "This sample...has a problem!"


    Her words rekindled the crowd''s curiosity.She was again surrounded by people who wanted to see


    more fun.


    The man beside her showed flusters in his eyes as he heard Lucia''s words.


    Lucia, ignoring her bleeding fingers, held the product in her hand and showed it to the crowd.


    "This screw was unscrewed! Which means, this sample was filthily worked on."


    The sample was directly delivered from the factory and she checked it yesterday.


    The connection at the basete of the sample was different from what she saw the day before.


    It seemed to have been opened with a screwdriver, and traces were left.


    As she said, she immediately sealed off another product in the gift box and asked the security guard to


    help open the basetes of both machines with a screwdriver.


    After the basetes were both opened, the crowd was dumbfounded.


    The surfaces looked the same, while the inside waspletely different.


    One used simple metal des while the other used white des that were made of special material.


    Even the lengths and sizes were different.


    The one that hurt Lucia was the one with simple metal des! Apparently, the sample was rigged.


    The discussion came from the crowd.


    At this moment, the man looked flustered and was to squeeze himself out of the crowd.


    Lucia immediately mentioned the security guards to catch the man.


    The man failed to squeeze out and the guards rushed over and pressed him onto the ground.


    Lucia took a tissue to wrap her bleeding finger and looked at the crowd in pain.


    "I am sorry for the farce just now.Please believe in Lion Group and Boehm.We won''t let unsafe


    products enter the market.Whether this ident was a conspiracy or a frame-up, I believe that Lion


    Group will give us an exnation."


    Then, she bowed to the crowd.Discussions could be heard.


    Obviously, the public changed their attitude towards Boehm.


    "We believe you!"


    "Yeah.Go treat your wounds..."


    Hearing this, Lucia felt her heart warm.She smiled at them and left after she urged the other staff to


    keep the release meeting going smoothly.


    "Why didn''t you help Ms.Lucia?"


    ¡°Iam in charge of area B.You were free.Why didn''t you..."


    Backstage, several employees were passing the buck.


    Lucia gritted her teeth and pulled the tissues and wrapped her fingers off.


    "Enough arguing.The meeting isn''t over yet.Go back to your posts and keep such idents out of our


    schedule!"


    "But, Ms.Lucia, what about your fingers..."


    Lucia forced a smile.


    "I''m fine.I''ll get something to wrap the wounds.You guys go out first."


    After talking them into returning to work, Lucia wrinkled her brows in anxiety.She was aware that no


    one could stand out except her.


    Lyan was absent, and she, as the nner, had to bring everything under control.She took her bag and


    rummaged through it.She couldn''t find a single bandage to get her wounds dressed.Her bag suddenly


    slipped out of her hands and fell to the ground.


    As she bent over to pick it up, she saw a pair of nicely polished shoes.

 Chapter 182

    Chapter 182


    Chapter 182 Lucia was taken aback.


    Somehow, an oppressive feeling weighed upon her.


    When she rose to her feet after picking up her bag from the ground, she met August''s dark and cold


    eyes.


    Why is he here? How did hee here so suddenly? Did he teleport? Lucia was startled and


    subconsciously hid her injured hand behind her back.


    "Hi, Mr.Hond..."


    Why did he suddenlye over? Did he hurry over because he knew Adeline got a sprained ankle?


    August''s eyes were cold and dark, his brows furrowing.


    What Lucia did displease him even more.


    "Why are you hiding your hands?"


    Because she doesn''t want me to notice her injury? She''s probably still unaware that the live broadcast


    of her testing the product''s safety with her fingers has gone viral on the Inte.


    Lucia gazed down.


    Before she could utter anything more, August grabbed her by the wrist.


    "Come with me!" hemanded, his face sullen, his tone authoritative.


    "What are you doing?"


    Lucia became anxious, and she struggled to break free.


    "The event isn''t over yet!"


    She finally calmed down the crowd, and the event was about toe to an end in a little while.


    How could she just leave like this? August frowned upon hearing her words.


    "I''ll have Peter stay to deal with it."


    With that, he dragged her toward his car.


    With her teeth gritted, Lucia struggled.


    "Let go of me! I''m not leaving!"


    I don''t want to go with him! Last time, I made it clear that he should Jeave me alone.


    What the hell is he doing here? Her resolute attitude caused August to stop abruptly.


    He looked back at her, irritation evident in his deep dark eyes.


    After pausing for half a second, he said word by word, "You have two choices.Get into the car yourself,


    or I''ll carry you in."


    As he spoke, he took half a step closer to her.


    Lucia could not help but shake nervously.


    She was well aware of what kind of person August was.


    This decisive guy was always a man of his word.


    If she dared to struggle again, he would most certainly pick her up in public.


    At the thought of that scene, Lucia could not help but twitch her mouth.


    After a pause, she looked at August and unconsciously lowered her voice.


    "I''ll get into it myself."


    Upon that, August raised his eyebrows and made way for her.


    Lucia sucked in a deep breath and climbed into the car with her teeth clenched, feeling depressed.


    Jeez! Why would I have to give in to this guy every time? While she was lost in thought, August had


    already strode around the front of the car and got into the driver''s seat.He then quickly started the car


    and turned around.


    The car sped all the way, and soon, it stopped at the gate of a hospital.


    Lucia was a little surprised.


    Never did she expect that August would take her to the hospital.


    After entering the hospital, Lucia was immediately taken to a treatment room without having to register


    first.


    When the doctor caught sight of August, he greeted August respectfully and then began to make


    preparations without saying anything more.


    Lucia was left bewildered.


    So did August contact the doctors before we came? Before she coulde back to her senses, the


    nurse next to her unwrapped the tissue bandage on her hand and reminded her in a soft voice, "We''re


    going to disinfect it."


    Lucia gave a soft response.


    Before she could look over at her hand, she felt a sharp pain, which caused her to tremble


    subconsciously.


    Sssss! She didn''t expect it to hurt so much! She gritted her teeth and tried hard not to utter any sound,


    but sweat started dripping down her forehead.


    When August looked down at her grimace of pain, a sh of concern shed across his face, but it


    vanished in an instant, and he reverted to his poker face.


    He couldn''t help but snort coldly.


    What an idiot! How could she test it with her hands? She could have used something next to her! I can''t


    believe that she was goaded to do such a stupid thing! Clearly, someone was trying to fool her! But this


    stupid woman actually fell into the trap! August''s irritation grew as he pondered over it.


    He pulled out his phone and immediately texted Peter.


    [Detain anyone who appears suspicious at the scene.] Recently, quite a lot of strange things happened


    to Lucia.


    August still hadn''t figured out the photo problem, and now this hade up.


    He couldn''t stop himself from overthinking.


    After sending the message, he texted Wyatt.


    [Check if there is anything fishy about Zachary in thest two days.] After that, he put away his cell


    phone and looked at Lucia.


    The bandage was almost done.


    Lucia frowned as if it hurt a lot, but she didn''t make a sound from beginning to end.


    August frowned slightly.She''s really tongue! Despite this thought, for some reason, a mixed feeling


    welled up inside him.


    When the bandages were done, August nced at Lucia''s pale face and looked at the doctor.


    "Get a ward for her and keep her here for observation"


    Lucia was taken aback by that.She had only suffered some superficial injuries.


    Even though it hurt a lot, it was not a head injury.


    Why did she need to stay for observation? The doctor was also stunned.


    But seeing August''s determined look, he immediately ordered a nurse next to him to get a ward for


    Lucia without saying anything else.


    Aftering out of the treating room, Lucia, who had been restraining herself for a long time, finally


    couldn''t help but say, "Mr.Hond, thank you for taking me here! I''m fine! I don''t need to stay in the


    hospital."


    On hearing her courtesy, August frowned impatiently.


    Just then, a nurse came over and said to August, "The ward over there is ready."


    Noelle nodded silently and reached out to grab Lucia''s wrist, heading toward the ward without saying


    anything.He was strong and tookrge steps.


    Lucia was nearly dragged all the way, and she red up when they reached the ward.


    With a frown, she shot him an icy stare.


    "August Hond, is it fun?"


    He agreed to leave me alone, didn''t he? Why is he going back on his words now? Noticing her flushed,


    angry face, August smirked and responded in a t tone, "It''s quite fun."


    It was indeed fun to see her being mad.


    At the sight of it, Lucia flew into a towering rage.She clenched her teeth, too furious to utter a word for a


    long time.


    Suddenly, she raised her head and looked at him with a firm and bright gaze.


    One word at a time, she asked, "Why do you meddle in my business again and again?"


    The moment August heard her questions, he recalled the scene of them quarreling in thepany''s


    reception room a few days ago.


    Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    At that time, he had indeed made up his mind not to care about her anymore.


    Nevertheless, when he watched the live broadcast today, he still could not help but feel bad for her.


    Even if he had some other important things to attend to, he still asked Peter to make a U-turn and


    hurried over to her.


    He did not expect that she didn''t even appreciate it.


    August''s eyebrows furrowed even further.


    Before he could speak, Lucia suddenly took a step forward, her eyes sparkling with a searching look.


    "August, did you fall in love with me? And that''s why you can''t help caring about me?" she asked,


    raising her chin slightly.


    As soon as she finished her sentence, August was obviously taken aback, and his heart skipped a


    beat.


    A flicker of embarrassment flitted across his face.


    The next second, he denied it subconsciously.


    How would I possibly fall in love with her? It''s so ridiculous!

 Chapter 183

    Chapter 183


    Seeing that August was silent and did not respond, Lucia took a deep breath and gathered up the


    courage to continue to ask, "I guessed it right?"


    She wanted to use such words to provoke him to leave, but she somehow wanted to know his answer


    in her heart.


    August raised his eyes coldly and asked instead, "Do you think my taste is so bad?"


    It instantly made Lucia''s heart sink.


    August stretched out his hand and grabbed her shoulder, half pushing her into the ward.


    Lucia was pushed to the side of the hospital bed.


    Before she could turn around, she heard his cold voice from behind, "I promised Mr.Mitchell.So of


    course I won''t leave you alone."


    Hearing his words, Lucia''s heart tightened, and indescribable grief came to her.


    So he only took care of her for her father''s sake.


    It seemed that he had not taken care of her out of his own will from beginning to end.


    Lucia suddenly felt a sense of depression in her heart.


    She bit her lips, turned around, looked at August with a serious face, and said word by word, "From


    now on, you don''t need to worry about me.If Dad asks, I will exin to him."


    Hearing this, August met her stubborn gaze, and his heart tightened.He pursed his lips and he didn''t


    speak for a long time.


    The atmosphere in the room became awkward again.


    August looked at her cold face, and his heart sank suddenly.


    A few secondster, he raised his hand, pressed her shoulders, and sat down on the edge of the bed,


    "Take a rest.I''ll call someone to take you backter."


    With that, he turned and walked to the window, took out his mobile phone, and called Burton.


    Looking at the time, he thought the event over there should be over soon.


    Before the call was answered, Lucia, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, suddenly got up and said


    softly, "I''ll go to the bathroom."


    She strode out of the room.


    The moment the door was closed, Lucia secretly breathed a sigh of relief and walked towards the


    bathroom at a bit of a loss.


    His answer was like a spell lingering in her mind.


    As expected, she had overestimated her status in August''s heart.She smiled mockingly.She quickly


    walked into the bathroom, took out her phone, and saw the messages from Lyan.


    (Lucia, Adeline is fine.]


    [I saw the live streaming.How are you?]


    (I''m back at the event.Where are you?]


    Looking at several messages sent at different times, Lucia took a deep breath and texted him back, [I''m


    fine, and I''m in the hospital now.I''Il leave the follow-up work of the event to you.]


    She and Lyan were the main nners of this event.


    No matter what went wrong, the me would be shared by the two of them in the end.


    They were in the same boat.


    At this time, they must pay attention to the division ofbor and not mess around in panic.


    Soon, she got a reply, [Okay, leave it to me.]


    Lucia breathed a sigh of relief, washed her hands, and came out of the bathroom.


    Before she took two steps, she saw several people walking towards her in the corridor not far away.


    Seeing the woman in the front, Lucia was stunned.


    Wasn''t it the long-haired woman in the beige elegant suit, Jeanne Kelly? After a moment''s pause,


    Lucia''s heart tightened.


    She turned around subconsciously and hurried back to the bathroom.Her heart was beating wildly as if


    she had done something wrong and was almost found out.


    Needless to say, she could imagine that Jeanne suddenly appeared in the hospital at this time, and she


    must havee here to see August.


    If she went back to the ward now and bumped into them, how embarrassing it would be! Moreover, she


    and August had nothing to do with each other.


    If Jeanne misunderstood them, it would be even moreplicated.


    After hiding at the door of the bathroom for a long time, Lucia heard that there was no sound in the


    corridor.She slowly stuck her head out and looked in the direction of the ward.


    Two men were standing at the door.


    They looked like Jeanne''s bodyguards guarding the door with serious expressions.


    Lucia secretly breathed a sigh of relief.


    She was d she had left the ward just now.


    Otherwise, she would find it hard to exin if Jeanne ran into her.


    On the other side, in the ward, August had just hung up the phone when he heard the door open.


    As soon as he turned around, he saw Jeanne walking in from the door, looking flustered.


    He frowned slightly and asked, "Jeanne? Why are you here?"


    He had agreed to go to the Kelly family for lunch, but he hadn''t expected the incident to happen.


    Halfway through, he had told Burton to turn around and rush to the Boehm event.


    "August, I heard that there was something wrong with Boehm.I was so worried.When I found out that


    you were in the hospital, I rushed over immediately."


    There was a bit of anxiety in Jeanne''s tone.


    But when she quickly nced around the ward and didn''t see anyone else, she was secretly


    relieved.She had seen the videos of the live streaming on the Inte.


    Originally, she was a little happy when she saw that Lucia was injured.


    But she hadn''t expected that within two minutes, Burton called to tell her that August had an


    emergency and might arrivete.She naturally associated the two of them together, and she couldn''t sit


    still.


    She immediately drove to the Boehm event site, and then followed him to the hospital.


    Jeanne stepped forward, stretched out her hand to take his arm naturally, and asked softly, "August,


    what happened?"


    August''s eyes darkened, but his face was as cold as ever.He paused for a second and said lightly, "It''s


    nothing serious.Someone was injured, and I just came to the hospital to take a look."


    Jeanne''s eyes swept across the ward quickly, refusing to let go of any suspicious corners.


    After confirming that she found nothing, she leaned on August and asked with some curiosity, "Who


    was injured? Is it serious?"


    "It''s nothing," August said in a t tone.


    He raised his left hand slightly, nced at his watch, and said softly, "Jeanne, let''s go now, and we can


    still catch lunch."With that, embraced Jeanne gently, and walked out.


    Jeanne was overjoyed and quickly replied, "Okay, I''ll tell my dad and ask him to wait for us."


    They walked out of the ward side by side.


    August raised his eyes and looked around, but he didn''t see that familiar figure.He subconsciously


    frowned tightly.


    Did Lucia escape again this time? How much must she hate him to try to slip away under his nose


    again and again? Just as he was distracted, Jeanne said in a sweet voice, "August, what''s wrong? Is


    there something wrong?"


    Just now, she had excitedly said something, but he didn''t respond.


    August came to his sense and said lightly, "There is still some work to be done.It''s alright.Let''s go."


    Jeanne nodded with a smile, took his arm, and walked towards the elevator.


    Not far away, Lucia huddled at the door of the bathroom.


    Watching them hugging and leaving, She suddenly felt sad.


    Why did she feel inexplicably upset when she saw August with another woman?Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.

 Chapter 184

    Chapter 184


    Before Lucia could figure it out, the phone in her pocket suddenly rang.


    Lucia was so frightened that she immediately took out her phone to answer the call, "Hello?"


    As soon as she answered, she heard Pa''s voice in disbelief from the other end of the phone, "Lucia,


    are you crazy!"


    It was so loud.


    Lucia quickly took the phone half a meter away, but she could still hear Pa''s voice, "How dare you


    do the test with your hands? Are you crazy?! Has the wound been bandaged? Is the event over?


    Where are you?"


    Hearing Pa''s consecutive questions, Lucia smiled helplessly and said softly, "Pa, don''t worry.The


    wound has been bandaged, and I''m in the hospital now"


    As soon as Pa heard that she was in the hospital, Pa immediately asked, "Which hospital? I''ll go


    over right now!"


    Hearing her decisive voice, Lucia couldn''t refuse.So she hesitantly gave the name of the hospital.


    "Okay, don''t move around.I''ll go see you right away!"


    As soon as Pa finished it, she hung up.


    Lucia nced at the darkened screen, smiled helplessly, and shook her head.


    Pa had a quick temper.


    When would she change it? She nced at her wound that had been treated, took the elevator directly


    to the lobby on the first floor of the hospital, and found a chair to sit down.


    More than twenty minutester, Lucia saw Pa hurriedly pass through the gate and walk in


    quickly.She quickly stood up and waved her uninjured right hand at Pa.


    Seeing that, Pa hurried over immediately, grabbed her wrist, and turned it around to check, "Let me


    see.Is there any other injury?"


    Seeing her like this, Lucia felt warm in her heart, and said ina rxed tone, "It''s okay.The small wound


    in my hand has been bandaged.So don''t worry."


    Hearing this, Pa grabbed her left hand wrapped inyers of gauze and looked at it again and


    again.She felt sorry for Lucia and said with a frown, "This must be painful.I watched that video several


    times, and I felt distressed when I watched it.Even if it heals, it will leave a scar, right?"


    Seeing Pa nag about her injury, Lucia couldn''t help but smile.She raised her right hand and patted


    Pa''s back,forting, "Don''t worry.It''s okay!"


    Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    Pa pulled Lucia to sit down and couldn''t help but start scolding her, "If the metal pieces inside were


    a little sharper, maybe your fingers would have been chopped off! Lucia, why are you still acting as if


    nothing happened?"


    Lucia smiled and raised her "stump" to make an oath, "Okay, I''m really fine. I promise you, I''ll never


    take risks again!"


    Seeing her funny appearance, Pa couldn''t helpughing.


    Sheughed angrily, "You''d better not!"


    The two talked andughed, and the atmosphere was a little more rxed.


    At this moment, neither of them noticed that a familiar figure was approaching not far behind.


    Burton walked across the rows of benches, approaching them, and could hear the conversation.


    As soon as the event was over, he rushed over.


    Unexpectedly, Mr.Adams had already left.


    However, the task that Mr.Adams had given him was to escort Lucia home.


    Now that he saw Pa with Lucia, he didn''t have to worry anymore.


    "Pa, you said you didn''t know I was injured until you watched the live streaming?"


    "Yeah! You can watch it online now.Lucia, you''re popr this time!"


    Hearing Pa say this, Lucia didn''t have the slightest look of joy on her face.


    Instead, she squeezed the corner of her clothes in a bit of confusion.


    Pa noticed the abnormality and quickly asked, "What''s the matter?"


    Lucia said softly, "I''m afraid my parents will see it.They will be worried at that time.I''ve been collecting


    surgery fees recently.If my father sees the video, he will be sad..."


    The atmosphere instantly became much gloomier.


    Pa opened her mouth but didn''t know what to say.


    After a pause, she said softly, "Lucia, how much more do you need for the surgery? I have some


    savings.It''s not much, but I can give it to you..."


    Burton, who was not far behind, heard their conversation.


    After hesitating, he wanted to call August immediately to exin the situation.


    But on second thought, he believed it was better to report this kind of thing to him in person.


    At the same time, at Kelly''s family vi, "Dad, Mom, I''m back."


    With a blushing face, Jeanne smiled slightly and dragged August into the Kelly family hall.


    When Martin sitting on the sofa heard the sound, he raised his eyes slightly, nced at August, and


    stood up with a smile, "August, you''re here."


    August''s expression was indifferent, showing no emotions.


    He greeted Martin and Mrs.Kelly, "Mr.Kelly, Mrs.Kelly."


    Mrs.Kelly smiled and asked August to take a seat, "August, please sit down! As soon as I heard you


    wereing today, I specially asked the chef to cook a few more dishes that you like!"


    August raised his eyes slightly and smiled at Mrs.Kelly in response.


    When he retracted his gaze, he caught Martin staring at him meaningfully.


    Finally, Martin said calmly, "August, it had been a while since yourst visit.Let''s have a few drinks


    today."


    "Of course, Mr.Kelly."


    August nodded and raised his eyes to look at the man over fifty with gray hair with a faint smile The two


    looked at each other and smiled faintly.


    When their eyes met, there was something else in them.


    Suddenly, Jeanne said, "Dad, didn''t you say Merlin is back? Where is he?"


    Hearing this, Martin lowered his eyes slightly and looked away.


    A cold light shed in his eyes.


    He replied in a gentle tone, "He''s upstairs.He''lle downter."


    August looked at Martin and his eyes became deeper.


    It was so deep that others couldn''t guess what he was thinking.


    Mrs.Kelly brought tea, and he looked away.


    The grievances and grudges between them couldn''t be exined in a few words.


    August had been waiting for the right moment to send Martin to hell with his own hands and let him


    taste pain! Now was not the time yet.


    Suppressing the emotions in his heart, August blinked.


    After a few words with Mrs.Kelly, the kitchen was almost ready.


    Mrs.Kelly smiled lightly and reminded softly, "Jeanne, August, lunch is ready.Why don''t you wash your


    hands?"


    When Jeanne heard it, she quickly responded, "Okay, Mom, I''ll take August to wash our hands."


    In her own home, Jeanne was a bit more active than outside.


    Now she had a posture of bringing her boyfriend to meet her parents.


    She was very feminine, shy, and tender.


    Pulling August into the kitchen to wash their hands, Jeanne couldn''t help but say, "August, my parents


    have always wanted you toe to our house for lunch.I saw that you were busy with work, so I didn''t


    tell you.This time I''m very happy you cane.I can tell they are happy too!"


    Hearing her excited tone, August smiled mockingly and asked, "Really?"


    Jeanne didn''t notice the abnormality, and said in an affirmative one, "Of course!"


    She tilted her head to look at him, squinted her eyes, and smiled, "August,e often in the future,


    okay?"


    Looking at Jeanne''s smile, August paused, and he was a little hesitant.


    He hated the Kelly family and hated Martin the most because all the misfortunes he had encountered


    were indirectly caused by Martin.


    But what made him hesitate was that the people who had given him warmth and care during the most


    tormenting years were also from the Kelly family.


    There were countless times when he wanted to destroy the Kelly family with his own hands, and there


    were equally countless times when his ns and impulses stopped at Jeanne''s simple smiling face.

 Chapter 185

    Chapter 185


    After washing their hands anding out of the kitchen, Jeanne took August to sit down.


    The servant immediately came over and poured wine for them.


    Just after the wine was poured, there was a sound of footsteps at the entrance of the stairs.


    Merlin raised his chin slightly and walked towards them casually.


    After he greeted her parents, he nced coldly at August and sat across from him.


    Seeing that everyone was here, Martin looked at August, smile slightly, and said softly, "August, try this


    wine.I have treasured this bottle of wine for many years."


    August nodded, took a sip from the red wine ss, and then said softly, "Good wine."


    Hearing this, Martin smiled and was about to ask everyone to start the lunch when Merlin next to him


    snorted in dissatisfaction.


    "Dad, why the fuss? It''s not a big day.Why drink such good wine?"


    When he was celebrating his birthday, he had asked Martin for this bottle of red wine, but his father


    didn''t give it to him.


    Unexpectedly, when August came, his father opened it.


    There was obvious jealousy in his tone.


    As soon as he finished it, the smiles of everyone at the dining table froze a bit.


    Jeanne sat beside August, and she frowned angrily.


    Why was her brother such a wet nket? Martin''s face was slightly cold, and his voice was cold and


    low, "August came to visit us.Why isn''t it a big day? Watch your tongue."


    After being reprimanded in front of everyone, Merlin looked gloomy.


    He nced coldly at August, who was facing him and closed his mouth in dissatisfaction.


    But August looked calm as ever.


    After such amotion, the atmosphere at the dining table became a lot colder.


    Mrs.Kelly immediately smiled and softened the atmosphere, "Okay, everyone, let''s eat, or the foot will


    get cold."


    Seeing this, Jeanne hurriedly said to August with a smile, "August, let''s eat."


    Slowly, the atmosphere eased a lot.


    But Merlin, who was sitting opposite, had a cold face from beginning to end.


    After a few drinks, Martin slowly brought up the topic, "August, Kelly Group is preparing to develop a


    high-end business district in the East City recently.Are you interested?"


    When August heard his words, his expression remained unchanged.


    He raised his eyes to look at Martin, and said lightly, "I heard that the project is quite big, and I''m


    naturally interested in making money.But there are too many things in thepany recently.I''m afraid I


    won''t have the time to do it."


    Martin declined, but he was still smiling.He calmly introduced the benefits of the project, but August


    didn''t seem interested in the slightest from beginning to end.He had already guessed when he came


    that Martin must have ulterior motives for asking him to have lunch at his house at this juncture.


    It was probably rted to the Welsh Garden project in East City.


    Now the Kelly family looked rich, but in fact, its capabilities were limited.


    They would not be able to take down such a big project.


    Naturally, they had to find someone else to cooperate with them.


    The Adams family was rich and powerful, which was their best choice.


    But he was unwilling to cooperate with this old fox.


    After being rejected several times, Martin didn''t look very happy.He hurriedly ended the lunch.


    Jeanne had never been involved in thepany''s affairs, and naturally, she didn''t understand the


    secret battle at the dining table just now.


    After lunch, she excitedly took August to the small balcony on the first floor and showed him all kinds of


    flowers she had nted.


    "This is Clivia.Isn''t it beautiful? It will bloom in the flowering season..."


    "This is the money tree..."


    Hearing her nag next to him, August was distracted.He pondered Martin''s words at the dining table in


    his mind for fear of missing a single meaningful detail.


    Suddenly, Mrs.Kelly''s voice came from behind, "Jeanne, here is some fruit.You and August can share


    it..."


    Jeanne nodded and smiled at August, "August, wait for me."


    She excitedly turned around and walked towards the kitchen.


    August stood there, stunned slightly as if he felt a little confused because of the wine he had drunk at


    the dining table just now.


    He raised his hand and pressed his eyebrows.


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    Before he took his hand back, he heard a cold snort from the side.


    Looking up, he saw Merlin standing two meters away, staring at him coldly.


    August was not surprised.


    He looked away without saying anything.


    Seeing that he was ignored, Merlin couldn''t hold back his anger, and said coldly, "August, why are you


    so arrogant? I''m telling you, even if you don''t agree, our Kelly family can still find a partner to build


    Welsh Garden! "


    He knew what Martin had implied at the dining table just now.


    Hearing this, August smiled.His eyes were dark and unclear, and he didn''t say anything.


    Seeing his attitude, Merlin was even angrier.


    He gritted his teeth, stepped forward, and said in a low voice, "August, you look amazing right now, but


    I know best what you did to Bishop back then..."


    Before he finished his sentence, August turned his head and his eyes were deep and cold as if he was


    going to swallow him whole.


    Merlin''s eyes narrowed.He fell silent with some fear, looked away, and said, "You can deceive my


    sister, but you can''t deceive me.I know who you are."


    August''s eyes were gloomy and cold.


    He looked away, paused for a few seconds, and said faintly, "Yeah, I heard that you have been very


    close to a young model recently, and you even spent a lot of money to buy a luxury car for her."


    Hearing these words, Merlin was stunned.His back stiffened and he looked at August in astonishment.


    Two secondster, he said angrily, "What nonsense are you talking about?!"


    It was well hidden.


    How could August know about it?! "Whether it''s nonsense or not, you know it best."


    August nced at him lightly and walked towards the living room.


    Merlin rushed up and stood in front of him, "August, what are you trying to do?!"


    He had kept a secret about buying a luxury car and keeping a young model.


    Even Martin didn''t know about it.


    If August leaked it out, his father would break his legs! Seeing that Merlin waspletely panicked,


    August raised his eyebrows calmly and asked, "What do you think I''m going to do?"


    He wasn''t stupid enough to tell Martin about it himself.


    It would be much more interesting if Martin heard it from the media.


    Merlin looked at August and a surge of anger rose to his heart.


    He angrily stepped forward and grabbed August by the cor, and asked, "What the hell are you trying


    to do?!"


    At this moment, Jeanne came over with the fruit te.


    Seeing this scene, she almost threw the te away.She hurriedly put down the te and ran over in a


    panic, "August, what are you doing?!"


    Hearing her voice, Merlin quickly lowered his voice and warned, "If you dare to tell my dad, I won''t go


    easy on you!"


    Then he loosened August''s cor and quickly turned to leave.


    Jeanne ran over, quickly grabbed August, and asked in a panic, "August, how are you?! My brother


    didn''t hurt you, did he?"


    "I''m fine."


    August suppressed the coldness in his eyes, nced at Merlin''s back, and raised his hand to smooth


    the folds of his shirt.


    Merlin, as expected, was as arrogant as ever.


    Then, this time he naturally should give him a generous gift.


    It was time to get back at him for sending photos to Mr.Mitchellst time.


    Hearing her nagging, August came to his sense, nced at her, and said coldly, "Jeanne, I''m fine.Tell


    your parents, something came up and I have to leave"


    With that, he took his hand out of Jeanne''s hand, turned around, and walked towards the door.

 Chapter 186

    Chapter 186


    Jeanne panicked.She had not expected things to develop like this.She immediately chased after him


    and asked, "August, are you angry?"


    Oh, her stupid brother! He couldn''t do anything right and even made August angry! "Jeanne, I''m not


    angry."


    August stopped and put on a gentle smile on his face.


    He raised his hand to stroke her head, and said softly, "I have something urgent to deal with."


    After hearing what he said, Jeanne felt a little more at ease.


    She raised her head, and asked tenderly, "Really?"


    August chuckled, "Really? I''ll call you when I''m done."


    Jeanne took his hand and said reluctantly, "Okay, then don''t be too tired, okay?"


    The two said a few more words and then separated.


    Walking out of the Kelly family vi, August secretly breathed a sigh of relief.


    Now, he somehow felt he was dealing with Jeanne like other Kelly family members.He raised his hand


    and pressed his eyebrows.He got into the car, told the driver to start the car, and called Burton.


    "Mr.Adams, Miss Mitchel is with her good friend Pa.I saw them walk out of the hospital, so I didn''t


    follow them anymore"


    Hearing Burton''s report on the other end of the phone, August paused and said softly, "Well, go back to


    thepany."


    He hung up the phone.


    Burton sounded hesitant on the phone just now.He felt that Burton had something to say to him.


    Back in the Lion group, August arrived at thepany and walked into the President''s Office.


    Burton came over not long after and said, "Mr.Adams."


    August asked subconsciously, "How is she?"


    When he said this, he was a little surprised.


    Since when did he begin to care about Lucia so much? Burton reported truthfully, "She didn''t seem to


    be in a good mood.I heard her talk with Pa.She was worried that her father would know about her


    injury, and she seemed to be collecting money for her father''s surgery..."


    August''s eyes suddenly darkened.


    No wonder she seemed to be short of money recently, working overtime every day and taking part-time


    jobs...He saw that she was short of money, but he had never thought about why she was short of


    money.


    August somehow felt a little ashamed.


    He was not sure if it was for Lucia or her father.


    After a pause, August instructed coldly, "Let them take down those online videos of the live streaming."


    "But Mr.Adams, the release of these videos can prove that Boehm''s products have no problems.It''s


    beneficial to us..."


    August said without hesitation, "A clean hand wants no washing.I''ll ask someone to investigate the


    product.You first ask someone to delete the videos."


    Now that the video went viral on the Inte, everyone knew that Boehm''s products had been


    tampered with.


    So there was no need to keep the video on the Inte.


    Seeing August''s firm attitude, Burton had no choice but to nod.


    After a pause, August continued to ask, "Lucia went home?"


    Burton nodded, "I think so."


    Hearing this, August got up immediately and walked out, "Let''s go see her."


    As for the surgery fee, she could have gone to him.


    No matter how the two of them fought, Mr.Mitchell was his teacher.He had no reason to sit by and


    watch when they needed help.


    When would Lucia understand it? With a hint of displeasure in his heart, August and Burton rushed


    directly to Lucia''s apartment.


    The car stopped downstairs in the apartment.


    August nced at Burton andmanded, "I''ll go up ande down soon."


    He pushed open the car door and walked into the apartment building.


    Burton was sitting in the car.


    Watching August''s back, he felt a little curious.


    Why did he feel that August wouldn''t be able toe down soon? Arriving in front of Lucia''s


    apartment, August raised his hand and rang the doorbell.


    After a short while, there was a sound inside the door, and the door was pushed open, revealing a


    crack.


    Seeing the person at the door, August was slightly startled.


    Before he could react, the door mmed shut with a loud noise.


    Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org.


    Why was she here? After a pause, he immediately took out his phone, called Burton, andmanded


    in a deep voice, "Come up."


    At the same time, Pa screamed in panic in the apartment.


    She ran into the bedroom in a panic, and shouted, "Lucia! It''s not good! Lucia!"


    Lucia just put on her pajamas.


    Before she could react, the door was pushed open and Pa rushed in.


    Seeing Pa like this, Lucia was confused, "What''s wrong?"


    "The doorbell rang just now, and I thought it was our fondue takeaway! When I opened the door, guess


    who it was? It''s that...scumbag!"


    The word "scumbag" was Pa''s special name for August.


    Lucia reacted and asked, "August?"


    "That''s right! It''s him! What is he here?!"


    Pa was confused and guessed randomly, "He''sing to your house.Is he plotting against you?"


    Her eyes swept across Lucia''s chest, and she said nervously, "Can we beat him? Should we call the


    police?"


    Hearing this, Luciaughed angrily, patted her, and said, "It''s not as you said.He might be here for


    something."


    She didn''t know why August came to see her after he had left with Jeanne, but she couldn''t hide from


    seeing him when he was here.


    Lucia smiled, rubbed Pa''s head, and said softly, "I''ll go out and have a look."


    Pa pulled her and said, "Don''t...why am I a little worried"


    Just then, the doorbell rang again.


    The two looked at each other and walked to the door.


    Pa said solemnly, "Don''t open the door yet!"


    She stood on tiptoe and looked out through the cat''s eye.


    Outside the door, there was a young man in a takeaway suit with a takeaway box in his hands.


    Apart from that, no one else was seen.


    Pa breathed a sigh of relief and then turned to look at Lucia, "Looks like he''s gone...It''s the delivery


    guy."


    Lucia said softly, "Well, open the door."


    Pa nodded and opened the door.


    "Here''s your takeaway."


    The young man handed over arge take-out box, which contained the fondue dishes that Pa had


    ordered on her phone just now.


    Just as Pa reached out to take it, a hand suddenly stretched out beside her, grabbed her wrist, and


    pulled her out.


    "Ah!" Pa called out.


    Before she could react, she fell into a man''s arms.


    As soon as she looked up, she saw Burton''s face close at hand.


    She was instantly stunned.


    Where did he..e from? At the same time, August walked into the apartment.


    Before Lucia could figure out what was going on, the door was mmed shut.


    Looking at the tall man in front of her, Lucia unconsciously took two steps back, "You...you''re breaking


    into a private house!"


    When August heard this, he raised his eyebrows and asked, "Really?"


    If Lucia knew that this was a house under his name and that he was her realndlord, she probably


    wouldn''t say such a thing.


    "You''re like this...I can call the police..."


    Lucia turned around in a panic and went to get her phone from the table.


    Suddenly, her wrist was sped by a big hand, and she was easily pulled into his arms.


    Then, she felt his warm breath in her ear, "How dare you!"


    He knew Lucia''s guts.


    She dared to escape under his nose at best.


    How dare she call the police?

 Chapter 187

    Chapter 187


    Lucia was struck dumb by him.She was just threatening to call the police.She didn''t dare to do that.She


    broke away from him, walked around behind the table quickly, took a deep breath, and stared at him


    with a panicked and alert expression, "What are...you doing here?"


    Didn''t he leave with Jeanne? He suddenly came to see her.


    What did he want to do? August raised his chin slightly, leaned in front of the cab next to him, and


    looked at Lucia from a distance with a bit ofziness and casualness in his eyes.


    Martin had deliberately encouraged him to have a few drinks at lunch just now.


    Now he felt a little drunk.


    ncing at Lucia, who looked panicked, he smiled faintly and said, "I''m here to see you.I have


    something to say"


    Seeing his rare smile, Lucia was a little surprised.


    Why did she feel that August was so different today? Now he was even different from in the hospital in


    the morning.


    Was he drunk? Lucia was about to speak when the doorbell rang suddenly.


    Lucia was stunned.


    Thinking of Pa who had been dragged out just now, she hurriedly walked towards the door.


    When August saw this, he stretched out his hand to block her, and his voice was a little deeper, "I''ll go."


    Then he turned and walked towards the door.


    He had specially instructed Burton to restrain Pa because he had something to tell Lucia alone.


    Unexpectedly, he came back after only two minutes.


    The door was pushed open.


    August stood at the door.


    His tall body almost blocked the entire door.


    When he saw the person outside, he was stunned for a second.


    It was the young delivery guy just now.


    When the young man saw August, he hesitated and said timidly, "You...your takeaway."


    Just now, he had watched as one of the two men broke into the house while the other pulled a girl out.


    The two acted neatly, and he thought they were criminals.


    He was so frightened that he wanted to leave, but he didn''t dare to leave because the food was not


    delivered.


    He hesitated at the door for a long time before he dared to ring the doorbell again.


    August''s eyes darkened slightly.


    He nced at the young man lightly and stretched out his hand to take arge takeaway box in his


    hand.


    When the door was closed, August turned around and walked in with a nk expression, putting the


    takeaway box on the dining table.


    Looking at the fondue takeaway, Lucia bit her lips, feeling a little ufortable with an empty stomach.


    She took a deep breath, looked up at August, and said word by word, "What''s the matter? Tell me


    quickly.I have to wait for Pa toe back for lunch."


    She had been busy working all morning, and then she went to the hospital.She hadn''t eaten until


    now.She was so hungry.


    But now August was here.


    If he didn''t leave, Pa couldn''te back, and neither could she eat her lunch.


    As soon as she said that, her stomach growled.


    It was so loud that August, who was standing on the other side, could hear it.


    The room suddenly became quiet.


    Lucia was stunned at first and she blushed instantly.


    She quickly tried to cover up her embarrassment and said, "Well...what''s it?"


    August lowered his eyes and stared at the takeaway on the table seriously.


    After a pause, he opened the bag outside.


    Lucia was startled and asked quickly, "What are you doing?!"


    She and Pa had chosen the fondue on their phones after browsing for a long time.T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    The fondue base and dishes were packaged separately.


    They only needed to set up a pot, and they could start eating in three minutes.


    August raised his eyebrows slightly, took out the boxes of ingredients, and said lightly, "She won''t be


    back anytime soon.You can eat first."


    Lucia looked at his smooth movements in shock.


    It was clear that he was the intruder, but he was acting like the host and even opened her and Pa''s


    takeout boxes! She wanted to say no.


    But when she smelled the aroma of the fondue base, she couldn''t say a word.


    On the table was the pot and induction cooker that Pa had prepared in advance.


    As soon as the switch was turned on, the base material was put in, and water was added.


    Soon, the pot started to boil.


    Looking at the steaming pot, Lucia stood aside, hesitating whether or not to "betray"


    Pa and start eating first.


    At this moment, August opened the boxes of ingredients and put them in.


    Smelling the fragrance, she found her stomach beginning to growl uncontrobly.


    August rolled up his sleeves casually, looked up at her who was staring at the fondue hesitantly, and


    said lightly, "Come here."


    All her persistence and hesitation broke down at this moment.


    After Lucia secretly apologized to Pa, she went to the dining table and sat down.


    If Pa came back and saw her and August eating the fondue together, would she be the only one to


    me? Thinking of this, Lucia felt a lot more at ease.


    She picked up her fork and picked up the cooked food in the pot.


    August raised his eyes and looked at Lucia with her head down and her mouth full.


    He couldn''t help smiling.


    Seeing her enjoy her lunch so much, he somehow felt a little hungry.


    In the Kelly family just now, he didn''t eat much.


    Instead, Martin had encouraged him to drink a lot of alcohol.


    His stomach was empty and cold now, and he felt ufortable.


    Lucia inadvertently raised her eyes and saw that August was staring at the fondue, but he didn''t mean


    to start eating.


    He put things in for her to eat from beginning to end, and she suddenly felt a little embarrassed.


    She hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Why don''t you eat a little? I can''t finish it all by myself."


    After she finished it, she had the urge to bite off her tongue.


    It stood to reason that she should drive him out.


    Why did she invite him to eat lunch with her? Hearing this, August nced at Lucia and hesitantly


    picked up the fork.


    As far as he could remember, he had rarely eaten fondue.


    Compared with this kind of heavy and rich taste, he preferred a light diet.


    After taking a bite, he found that the taste didn''t seem as uneptable as he had imagined.


    But for him, the richness was too much.


    The tip of his tongue was hot and August frowned slightly.


    When he looked up, he saw Lucia opposite him staring at him expectantly, "How is it? Isn''t it delicious?"


    Enduring the hotness, he said lightly, "It''s good."


    With that, he picked up the water ss next to him and took a sip of water.


    Before he could put the ss down, Lucia''s expression changed, "That''s...my water ss!"


    The atmosphere instantly became a little awkward.


    August lowered his eyes, nced at the ss, and put it down.


    He said lightly, "It''s fine.I don''t mind it."


    The two of them had done everything they should and shouldn''t have done.


    They just used the same ss.


    He was not so hypocritical.


    When Lucia heard his words, her face almost turned blue with anger.


    He didn''t mind it? But she did! She clenched her fork tightly and didn''t dare to have any objections in


    front of him, so she could only continue to eat with her head down.


    Unconsciously, the fondue for three people was eaten by both of them.


    Lucia put down her fork contentedly.


    When she saw the empty takeaway boxes piled up beside her, she suddenly wondered how she would


    exin when Pa came backter.


    Was she going to say that she and August were at peace and had lunch together?

 Chapter 188

    Chapter 188


    Lucia reached out and turned off the induction cooker.


    Only then did she remember the business.


    She wiped her mouth, looked at August opposite her with a serious face, and asked, "What do you


    want to say to me?"


    Now that he had entered the house and eaten the fondue, he should talk about why he came to see


    her.


    August wiped his hands elegantly, raised his eyes, and looked at Lucia with a more serious look, "Is


    that friend of yours investigating the tampered photos?"


    Lucia was slightly startled.


    She paused and asked, "Yes, what''s wrong?"


    Since that incident happened, she had asked Pa to help her investigate the matter.


    With her ability, she couldn''t find out anything at all.


    But Pa knew a lot of people, so she might be able to find out something.


    But how did August know about this? Before she could ask, August said solemnly, "Don''t investigate


    this matter anymore.I will help you solve any problems."


    His tone was cold, without the slightest hint of negotiation.


    Lucia frowned slightly and asked, "Do you know who did it?"


    August''s eyes darkened and he said patiently, "I will resolve this matter.You and your friend should stop


    interfering, understand?"


    "Why?"


    August frowned and he seemed colder.He said word by word, "Because if you continue to investigate,


    not only will it not be of any benefit to you, but it may be dangerous."


    He had sent someone to investigate the matter of the tampered photos.


    It was done by Merlin.


    He would avenge her.


    But if Merlin noticed it when they were investigating, it would only make him more vindictive.


    When Lucia saw August''s deep and serious eyes, her heart suddenly tightened, and she unconsciously


    remembered what had happened in Franksfurt.


    That kind of dangerous and tense environment, those desperadoes who murdered people without


    hesitation...


    When she thought about it now, it instantly sent a chill down her spine.


    Intuition told her that August was not joking with her.


    Taking a deep breath, Lucia looked up at August and was about to speak when he had already stood


    up.


    August''s eyes swept across her left hand wrapped in gauze, and there was a slight fluctuation in his


    eyes.


    His tone was calm and indifferent, "Also, take good care of your wounds.Don''t just think about making


    money.I will help you."


    He raised his hand, buttoned his cuffs, and said calmly, "I''ll ask Burton to order another takeout."


    Then he walked towards the door.


    Sitting in front of the dining table, Lucia found her head a little dazed.


    She watched him disappear, and then slowly came to her sense.


    What did he mean? He said he would help her.


    The thoughts in her mind became more and more chaotic.


    Lucia frowned.


    Seeing the mess on the table, she suddenly reacted and quickly got up to clean it up.


    After cleaning the table and throwing away the garbage, Pa still didn''te back.


    Lucia took out her phone and sent her a message, [Pa, where are you?]


    A message sound came from the sofa.


    Lucia was startled, walked over quickly, and saw Pa''s phone lying there.


    Pa didn''t take her phone out at all! Suddenly, she felt a little uneasy in her heart.


    Would something happen to Pa? At this moment, the owner of the phone was sitting next to the


    flower bed downstairs in themunity and staring at her right ankle with a frown Just now Burton


    suddenly appeared and pulled her away, startling her.


    He had hesitantly said that he had something to tell her.


    She thought he had something important.


    But after she was dragged downstairs by him, he said that he forgot what to say.


    Wasn''t it obvious that he was messing with her? She got angry and turned around to leave, but Burton


    stopped her and would not let her go.


    When they were pushing and shoving, she sprained her ankle on the cobblestone path.


    The more Pa thought about it, the angrier she became.


    She had never been treated like this since she was a child.


    As soon as she looked up, she saw Burton striding towards her with a drugstore bag in his hand.


    He was walking too fast in a hurry, and it happened to be the hottest time of the afternoon.


    A fineyer of sweat appeared on Burton''s forehead.


    He stepped forward, sat down on the flower bed beside Pa, directly lifted her calf, and ced it on


    his knee.


    "l only bought the bruise spray and ster, and I''ll try it on you first."


    Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    When her leg was suddenly grabbed by a man, Pa''s body tightened, and she subconsciously


    wanted to break free.


    But when she saw the serious profile on his face, she froze and did not resist.


    When Burton''s warm palm covered her twisted ankle, a warm feeling came all over her.


    Pa''s heart somehow trembled.


    Burton stretched out his other hand to pick up the bruise spray, shook the bottle, turned to look at her,


    and said softly, "It will be a little cold.Bear with it."


    Pa met his eyes which were a little warm, and she somehow nodded obediently.


    When Burton turned her head away, she suddenly came to her sense.


    When...when did she be so obedient to him? Was there something wrong with her?! Her ankle


    suddenly felt cold, and she shrank her leg subconsciously.


    Burton turned his head, nced over her slender leg, and saw a pink color on the edge of her loose


    casual shorts.


    His mind went nk.


    Her face flushed.


    He quickly looked away, reached out to hold her calf, and stopped her from moving, "Don''t move."


    Seeing that Burton looked a little flustered, Pa asked, "What''s wrong?"


    She didn''t even know she was exposing herself! Burton pretended to be calm and said, "It''s nothing."


    He picked up ster and put it on her ankle meticulously.


    The faint herbal fragrance spread between the two of them.


    Burton put down her calf gently and handed her the bag containing the medicine, "Don''t forget to


    change the medicine regrly.There are instructions."


    Pa took it casually.


    As soon as she looked up, she saw Burton''s blushing face.


    After being stunned for two seconds, she asked curiously, "Burton, why is your face so red?"


    Apparently, he was fine just now.


    Burton''s eyes wandered a little.


    He didn''t dare to look at her, and he pretended to be calm, "I''m fine."


    Pa didn''t believe it.


    Thinking of the scene where he put the medical ster on her calf just now, she looked down at her


    long legs and suddenly reacted.


    She had the figure any woman dreamt of.


    Could it be that Burton had some reverie about her just when he saw her legs? "Do...Do you have any


    ideas for me?"


    Before Burton could answer, Pa raised his hand in anger and annoyance and pped him on the


    back, "Pervert! Bastard!"


    Burton was beaten several times inexplicably, and he didn''t know how to exin it.


    It seemed that whether he confessed or concealed it, it would be his fault.


    Pa hit him several times in a row, and her face also flushed.She felt the embarrassment in the


    air.She couldn''t care less.She turned around immediately and ran into the apartment building with


    difficulty.


    After running into the corridor in one breath, she breathed a sigh of relief.


    But on second thought, she felt that something was wrong.It was clear that he did something


    wrong.Why was she nervous?

 Chapter 189

    Chapter 189


    Her cheeks were burning hot.


    Pa patted her face and walked forward in confusion when she suddenly saw a tall figureing out


    of the elevator.


    It was the "scumbag" August, whom she unexpectedly bumped into.


    Pa shrank her head slightly, pretended not to see him, lowered her head, and walked quickly


    towards the elevator.


    Suddenly, she heard a voice, "Wait a minute."


    Pa was stunned for a moment and looked back at August.


    She looked around at the empty surroundings and said, "You''re talking to me?"


    August nodded lightly.


    He took out a business card from his pocket slowly and handed it to her, "If anything happens to Lucia


    and she needs help, you can call me."


    Pa hesitantly stretched out her hand to take it.


    Just as she was about to ask something, August turned around and walked away quickly.


    What...what was going on? Could it be that Lucia and this scumbag had made any substantial


    progress? Or something had happened between them just now...


    Pa didn''t dare to think more about it.


    She dragged her "half-disabled" leg and immediately got into the elevator.


    If she found out that Lucia had been bullied when she went back, she would teach August a lesson! In


    the apartment, just when Lucia was hesitating whether to go out and look for Pa, the doorbell rang.


    She immediately went over to open the door and saw Pa holding a bag of medicine outside the


    door.


    She was startled and asked quickly, "What''s the matter with you, Pa?"


    Pa shook her head, but pulled her nervously and asked, "I''m fine.Lucia, that scumbag didn''t molest


    you, right?"


    When Lucia heard this, she couldn''t helpughing out loud.


    She shook her head and said, "No.But why are you injured?"


    Seeing that Lucia was fine, Pa was relieved.


    She hopped to the sofa and said angrily, "It''s because of Burton! He''s a sick bastard!"


    Hearing her scolding like this, Lucia couldn''t help but wonder, "What''s wrong?"


    A blush shed across Pa''s cheeks, and she quickly faltered, "It''s...it''s alright.By the way, where''s


    the fondue?"


    When Lucia heard her words, she was at a loss for words and couldn''t answer, "Well..."


    Pa looked back at her in surprise, "You didn''t eat it alone, did you?!"


    Lucia gritted her teeth and said, "No, August..."


    "What?"


    Pa''s eyes widened in disbelief.She looked at Lucia and asked, "What was he here for? Was he here


    for free food?"


    Lucia smiled helplessly and remained silent.


    To be honest, she felt the same way.


    On the other side, Burton drove out of themunity.


    Burton was sitting in the driver''s seat, and he somehow felt a faint smell of fondue.


    Finally, he couldn''t help but ask, "Mr.Adams, do you smell fondue?"


    August''s eyes narrowed and he looked a little awkward.


    A secondter, he replied, "No, what''s wrong?"


    Burton was confused, and said to himself, "Maybe it''s my illusion..."


    August paused for a moment, cleared his throat deliberately, and asked in a deep voice, "Have you


    talked to the media?"


    When talking about business, Burton looked serious, and immediately said, "It''s all arranged.They''re


    just waiting for tomorrow morning."


    Hearing this, August nodded.He raised his eyes and looked out the window, and his eyes were a little


    deep.


    In another ten hours, the Kelly Group would see a good show.


    The next morning, in the conference room of Kelly Group, Martin made a promise in a firm tone, "As


    long as we can cooperate, we can negotiate other details.Our purpose is mutual benefit.I promise your


    company will not suffer any losses."


    Mr.West nodded and said, "I know this, Coster Group has cooperated with your Kelly Group before, but


    the n you have provided is not detailed enough, including consumer portraits and expectations for


    the next three years.The data evaluation is not perfect enough, and we want to know more before


    making a decision."


    "Of course.This is just a preliminary n.If you are interested in the Welsh Garden project, we will


    provide a more detailed n as soon as possible."


    As soon as Martin finished it, Mr.West''s cell phone suddenly rang.


    He nced at the screen and smiled at Martin apologetically, "I''m sorry, Mr.Kelly, I''m going to answer a


    call."


    Martin smiled, "Go ahead please."


    Seeing Mr.West go to the side to answer the phone, Martin turned to look at Merlin, who looked weary


    at his side, and his brows tightened, and his eyes darkened a little.


    Merlin didn''te home against night.


    If it weren''t for the negotiation this morning, maybe he wouldn''te to thepany at all! Martin


    stared at Merlin angrily.


    But he couldn''t lose his temper because his partner was there, so he had to suppress it.


    Merlin didn''t realize it.


    He flipped through the n in front of him and yawned like no one else was around.


    At this moment, Mr.West hung up the phone and walked over.


    He looked at Martin, and smiled apologetically, "Mr.Kelly, the situation has changed.I''m afraid we may


    not be able to continue this cooperation."


    "What?"


    When Martin heard this, his eyes widened and he quickly stood up, "Mr.West, is there something


    wrong?"


    Mr.West decided to leave.


    He shook his head.


    Without a word of exnation, he packed up his things and walked out of the conference room with his


    two subordinates.


    Martin lowered his eyes, paused, and coldly ordered his assistant to see Mr.West out.


    As soon as they left, Merlin stood up immediately and couldn''t help cursing, "Damn it! What are these


    people from Coster Group doing? They just came and left? They don''t take our Kelly Group seriously at


    all."


    Martin''s face was extremely gloomy.


    He pursed his lips and said nothing.


    At this moment, a secretary walked in with a bit of panic on her face, and reported in a low voice,


    "Mr.Kelly, something happened."


    She handed the tabletputer in her hand to Martin.


    Martin took it with a sullen face.


    When he saw the headline of the news on the screen, his face instantly turned pale.


    He swiped and saw the photo attached below.


    His hands trembled slightly with anger.


    Merlin didn''t know what was going on.


    He stepped forward and asked, "Dad, what''s wrong?"


    Before he could finish his sentence, Martin turned around, raised his hand, and pped Merlin hard in


    the face.


    It was so hard that the secretary beside him bowed her head and took two steps back.


    Merlin was stunned when he was pped.


    He looked at Martin''s angry face.


    Before he could ask, Martin threw the tabletputer at him, "You bastard, look at what you did!"


    Merlin came to his sense and immediately picked up the tablet on the ground.


    When he read the news on it, he was immediately dumbfounded.


    [The son of the president of Kelly Group was out with a young modelte at night, and they spent a


    night together in a private vil]


    The photo below was the photo of him and Cecile Brown walking into the vi intimately! He gritted his


    teeth and said angrily, "Damn these paparazzi!"


    Next to him, Martin''s face was contorted with anger.


    He stretched out his hand, pointed at him tremblingly, and said, "Merlin, I''ll see how you''re going to


    handle this matter!"


    Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    Then he waved his hand and strode out.


    He finally found apany that he hoped to cooperate with.


    Unexpectedly, Merlin''s scandal broke out before an agreement was reached.


    As a result, the reputation of the Kelly family was damaged.


    Who would dare to cooperate with them?! Merlin froze there.


    His head was buzzing after he was pped.


    He clenched his fists.


    The more he thought about it, the angrier he became.


    He and Cecile had been dating for a while.


    Why was it exposed at this time? No! Something was wrong! Suddenly he thought of something.

 Chapter 190

    Chapter 190


    Chapter 190 It Would Only Make Things Worse


    He suddenly remembered that when August came to his house for lunch yesterday, he had talked


    about his affair with Cecile in front of him! The media happened to release the news on the day when


    the Kelly Group was going to cooperate with the Coster Group.


    He and August had just fought yesterday.


    It was such a coincidence.


    When Merlin cleared his head, his anger grew even stronger.


    He raised his hand and swept the cup on the table to the ground.


    With a bang, the cup and the water fell to the ground and shattered.


    He almost gritted his teeth and cursed, "August, how dare you!"


    As soon as he said that, a secretary ran over.


    When she saw the ss fragments all over the floor and Merlin''s angry face, she was so frightened


    that she froze and asked, "Mr.Kelly, you..."


    Merlin nced at her with gloomy eyes and said, "Get out!"


    The secretary shuddered, and hurriedly exited the conference room.


    Merlin''s eyes fell on her back and they darkened, He stopped her, "Wait!"


    He had been pped by his father just now.


    When he thought that August might have done this, he was so angry that he had nowhere to vent his


    anger.


    When the secretary heard this, she turned back tremblingly, lowered her head, and said, "Mr.Kelly,


    what can I do for you?"


    Merlin snorted coldly and his eyes darkened.


    His eyes reminded her of Martin''s, which made her shudder.


    He walked over quickly, closed the conference room door without saying a word, and locked it.


    He grabbed the secretary and pressed her against the conference table, "Help me vent my anger!"


    The poor secretary was so frightened that she broke away from him, backing away, "Mr.Kelly, don''t do


    this!"


    Merlin''s face darkened suddenly.


    He stretched out his hand and grabbed her arm with force.


    After several struggles, the secretary was about to cry, and she refused topromise.


    After pushing and shoving for a long time, Merlin still didn''t get his way.He became annoyed and lost


    interest.He secretly cursed and swept the ss shards all over the floor with cold eyes.He pushed the


    secretary to the ground.


    "Ah!"


    The secretary''s hand just pressed on the shards.


    When she raised her hand, her hand was bleeding.


    Merlin gave her a cold look and snorted, "Bitch! You brought it on yourself"


    After scolding her he took out his wallet, directly took out a stack of hundred-dor bills, and threw them


    at her, "Medical expenses.Get out of here!"


    He left the conference room without looking back.


    Merlin left thepany full of anger.


    He impulsively wanted to go to August to get back at him several times.


    But when he thought of what his father had said, he could only bear it.


    If he went to get back in August at this time and was photographed by the media, the situation would


    get worse.


    It would be better for him to find a ce to have a drink and avoid the limelight.


    Anyway, he would get back in August sooner orter! Three hourster, the news continued to ferment.


    Not only was it not suppressed by the Kelly Group''s PR team, but it became more and more intense


    instead.


    In the President''s Office of Lion Group, August was sitting on the sofa, flipping through thetest


    headlines.


    (Merlin Kelly harassed apany employee and the leaked video is shocking}!] He scrolled down and


    saw the surveince animation attached to the news.


    The picture was clear and he could see the face.


    It was indeed Merlin.


    A faint smile crossed August''s face and he asked lightly, "What''s going on?"


    Burton was standing by.


    Hearing August''s words, he immediately reported seriously, "I heard that Merlin attacked the secretary


    in the conference room.The secretary girl pulled up the surveince, took pictures of her injuries, and


    posted them online."


    Hearing what he said, August smiled and said solemnly, "He has never changed."


    Merlin was too arrogant to know how to keep a low profile.


    At first, he had just deliberately disclosed the information he had collected to the media.


    But he hadn''t expected that after Merlin attacked the secretary, it went out of control.


    N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    Originally, it was just a scandal about the son of Kelly Group.


    But now, it had risen to the level of sexual harassment and abuse of employees.


    It would only make things worse, and the trend of public opinion would be more difficult to control.


    For Merlin, it was not a good thing.


    But for him, it was a pleasant surprise.


    When Burton saw August''s expression soften, he couldn''t help but ask, "Mr.Adams, you had a dispute


    with him yesterday, and it was exposed today.Will he be suspicious?"


    When August heard this, he picked up the coffee cup slowly, took a sip, and said softly, "I''m never


    afraid of being suspected by him."


    This time, even if Merlin was a fool, he could probably figure it out.


    He had specifically instructed Burton not to wipe the traces too cleanly.


    This was just a small warning to Merlin for sending Mr.Mitchell tampered photosst time.


    The game between him and Merlin had just begun.


    At the same time, in Weske''s VIP box, Merlin was holding a hot girl in his arms, drinking, and watching


    his friends joking andughing happily.


    On the other side, his phone that had fallen into the crack of the sofa rang non-stop.


    The screen flickered on and off, and it had been ringing for quite a while.


    Finally, the vibrating cell phone was found.


    A man with a crew cut picked it up, nced at it, and handed it to Merlin, "Merlin, your call."


    Merlin stretched out his hand to take it.


    When he nced at it, the smile on his face froze, and he immediately sat up straight.


    There were more than a dozen missed calls, three of which were from Martin.


    His father had never made so many calls at once unless there was something extremely urgent.


    The rest was made by Wade.


    Could something have gone wrong? Merlin didn''t dare to dy, and immediately got up and walked out


    of the noisy box.


    He called Wade first, "Hey, what''s going on?"


    From the other end of the phone came Wade''s anxious voice, "Mr.Kelly, don''t you know? It''s all over


    the news!"


    Merlin scratched his head irritably and asked, "What''s wrong? Has the news been suppressed yet?"


    Hearing this, Wade was obviously stunned for a moment, and then he reacted and said, "Mr.Kelly,


    you''d better hurry up and watch the news.There is nothing your father could do.Money is useless


    now.The news had gone viral."


    Merlin cursed and put him on speaker.He clicked into the news and was immediately


    dumbfounded.Various usations such as "employee abuse" and "sexual harassment"caught his eye.


    He quickly read it and his face darkened a little.


    Unexpectedly, what he had done to the secretary was exposed! Who gave her the guts?! He asked in


    disbelief, "Who did this?"


    On the other end of the phone, Wade replied, "Eaton, the secretary of the general manager''s office has


    resigned."


    "Damn! I didn''t expect to be tricked by that little bitch at such a time!"


    Merlin frowned with anger, "Wade, I don''t care what method you use, now you have to suppress the


    public opinion!"


    He had always done bad things in thepany, and sometimes he didn''t suffer any loss when he


    harassed female colleagues.


    Unexpectedly, this time he was not only targeted by August, but also by the young girl in thepany!


    "Mr.Kelly, it''s going viral right now.The PR team has tried their best to suppress the news, but failed..."


    Before Wade could finish his sentence, Merlin interrupted him angrily, "I don''t care what method you


    have to use! You must take care of it! Or I will fire you immediately!"


    He hung up the phone and gritted his teeth angrily.


    As soon as he turned around, he saw a man not far behind, and he frowned tightly.

 Chapter 191

    Chapter 191


    Chapter 191 The Enemy Of My Enemy Is My Friend


    Just when Merlin was hesitating whether to say hello or not, Bishop in a wheelchair smiled first as if he


    hadn''t heard him talking on the phone at all, "Merlin, what a coincidence."


    Merlin was not in the mood.He forced a smile perfunctorily and turned around to go back to the box.


    Seeing that Merlin was about to open the box door, Bishop suddenly stopped him, "Merlin, why don''t


    we have a drink together?"


    Merlin paused and a subtle smile appeared on his face.


    He said coldly, "I have nothing to say to a spineless man."


    When something like that happened to the Adams family back then, if he were Bishop, he would have


    wanted to kill August immediately.


    But Bishop acted as if nothing had happened...


    Hearing the implied meaning of Merlin''s words, Bishop suppressed the coldness in his eyes and said,


    "Don''t you want to suppress the news? I can help you."


    As soon as Bishop said that, it was more effective than the previous sentence.


    Merlin stopped, turned around, and stared at him with deep eyes, "Will you help me?"


    He was a little uneasy when he heard Wade''s hesitant tone on the phone just now.


    But now Bishop offered to help him, which surprised him.


    "Just you?"


    Bishop was just an illegitimate child of the Adams family.


    Even if his mother married into the family, he was still an unwee illegitimate child with disabled


    legs.


    Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    How could he help him? Bishop nodded without hesitation and his face was as gentle as ever.


    He said softly, "We are friends anyway.When something like this happens, I think I should help as much


    as I can."


    There was a dim light in Merlin''s eyes, but he turned around and walked towards him.


    After he followed Bishop into a box, he sat down and went straight to the point, "If you can help me


    settle it, I will try my best to meet your request."


    Bishop smiled and motioned to Bob beside him to pour a drink for Merlin, "No need.Friends should help


    each other."


    As soon as he drank, Merlin began talking endlessly, and he somehow talked about August.


    After scolding August, he said, "This time I''m so unlucky, but I know who did it when the news was


    exposed."


    Bishop''s eyes were dark and unclear, and asked with a smile, "Who is it?"


    Merlin snorted coldly, "Who else could it be except your brother?"


    As soon as he said these words, the box fell silent for a few seconds.


    Then Bishop turned around to look at Bob.


    He did not shy away from Merlin, and directly instructed, "Bob, find a way to suppress public opinion."


    When Bob heard this, he nodded immediately, turned around, and left the box.


    As soon as Bob left, there were only the two of them left in the box.


    Merlin was a little surprised.


    He looked at Bishop and asked, "Do you have a way to handle it?"


    Bishop smiled and said softly, "Merlin, if I help you deal with it, can you promise me to forget about it


    and don''t bother my brother anymore?"


    When Merlin heard it, he put the ss on the table angrily, and lectured, "Bishop, don''t you have any


    guts? How did he treat you? You''re even helping him behind his back!"


    A trace of grief crossed Bishop''s face, and he said with a wry smile, "Anyway, he is my brother after


    all.As for what happened in the past...well, forget it."


    The more he said that the angrier Merlin got, "I advise you to wake up! Do you think he''ll appreciate


    you for doing this? Impossible!"


    "And your legs.."As soon as he was excited, he said everything.


    After blurting it out, he felt that it was inappropriate, and immediately stopped.


    He picked up the ss and drank the wine in it in one gulp, "Do you know why I stopped hanging out


    with you back then? I thought you were too spineless!"


    A trace of coldness shed across Bishop''s eyes, and he said softly, "Even if he doesn''t regard me as


    his brother, I still consider him as my brother.And you will always be my good friend in my heart."


    As soon as Bishop said these words, a bit ofplexity appeared on Merlin''s face.


    He moved his lips.


    Finally, he grabbed the ss next to him and poured wine, "With your words, we are still friends!"


    An hourter, Merlin left the box contentedly.


    Bob closed the door, walked to Bishop''s side, and couldn''t help asking, "Bishop, I don''t


    understand.Why are you helping him?"


    Bishop raised his hand to smooth the nket on his leg, and said coldly, "The enemy of my enemy is


    my friend.If I help him now, it will be of great use in the future."


    A single-minded and reckless man like Merlin could easily be brought off with a little favor.


    Likewise, he was also vindictive.


    With a little encouragement, he could be instigated to fight desperately.


    Such a tool could not be better for him.


    "Mr.Adams, I don''t know what happened, but all the news on the Inte has been taken down."


    Immediately after the meeting ended, Burton stepped forward and whispered in August''s ear.


    August frowned, and his handsome face turned cold.It stood to reason that the news should not have


    been taken down so quickly.


    He still had some understanding of Kelly Group''s public rtions methods.


    In such a short period, the explosive news that had kept fermenting couldn''t have been suppressed


    unless there was someone more powerful behind Merlin.


    Back in the office, he unbuttoned his suit with one hand and sat down at the desk.


    He raised his hand, pressed his eyebrows, and said in a cold voice, "It''s okay.That''s it."


    Although the news had been taken down, the people who should know it had already known about the


    news.


    In this way, nopany would dare to cooperate with the Kelly Group in the short term.


    His purpose was achieved anyway.


    Burton nodded.


    He suddenly remembered something, and said, "Mr.Adams, regarding this Boehm offline event, it''s


    been a sess.What is the set bonus amount?"


    Originally, for such an event, the bonus was symbolic.


    But this time, August knew that Lucia was short of money, so he had specially asked her to participate


    in the nning.He also said that the bonus was generous.


    Now that the event was over, it was time to determine the specific amount of the bonus.


    Thinking of Mr.Mitchell who was still in the hospital, August frowned and said lightly, "Tell her toe


    over."


    Burton nodded and did it right away.


    Ten minutester, Lucia rushed from the Administration Department to the President''s Office, feeling a


    little uneasy.


    Every time she was called to the office by August, she was terrified.


    In addition to what had happened in the office before, she was even more terrified to see him alone


    now.


    Walking to the office door, Lucia took a deep breath, knocked on the door, pushed it open, and walked


    in.


    When she looked up, she saw that August was standing in front of therge French window with his


    back on her.


    He was tall and strong, with an extraordinary temperament.


    Just watching his back, she couldn''t help feeling tempted.


    Lucia couldn''t help sighing in her heart.


    He was handsome from every angle.He was even more attractive than ordinary people with his back


    on her.


    It was outrageous.


    Hearing the footsteps, he turned around and Lucia withdrew her gaze.


    August looked at Lucia, nced over her gauze-wrapped hand, and said softly, "This time Boehm¡¯s


    activity was done well.Here''s your bonus."


    Lucia followed his gaze and saw the envelope on the corner of the desk, feeling a little strange.


    Whenever thepany distributed any project bonus, it would be distributed along with the next


    month''s sry.


    How could it be paid by the president of thepany instead of the finance department? After a pause,


    Lucia clenched her fists a little, lowered her eyes, and said, "I''m not taking it."

 Chapter 192

    Chapter 192


    Chapter 192 She Sang A Song On The Stage


    When August heard this, his eyes darkened a bit.He turned and walked towards her.


    After approaching, he stared at her and asked, "Why?"


    Lucia took a deep breath and said word by word, "This is not a bonus.I don''t want it"


    Hearing her answer, August was a little surprised.


    Unexpectedly, she had seen through his n.


    August raised his eyebrows slightly and said softly, "Take it as a loan.You can use it first, and I''ll deduct


    it from the bonus."


    He would naturally arrange for Mr.Mitchell''s surgery.


    These tens of thousands of dors were just for her family.


    He hadn''t expected that she would not appreciate it.


    Lucia gritted her teeth, looked up at August, and said word by word, "I don''t need it now.I''ll just wait for


    next month''s sry.Thank you, Mr.Adams, for your kindness."


    With that, she bowed respectfully to him.


    It was not that she was not short of money, but she just didn''t want the money he gave her, as if as


    soon as she epted his money, their rtionship would be illegitimate.


    For her, the money was a psychological burden.


    August looked at her and frowned slightly, finding her a little strange.


    During the time she lived in his vi, he had never seen such a stubborn and determined side of her, as


    if it was only at this moment that he recognized the real Lucia.


    Seeing that August didn''t have any words or instructions, Lucia lowered her eyes and said, "If it''s okay,


    I''ll go first."


    With that, she turned around and walked out of the office without looking back.


    The moment the door closed, August came to his sense.She was stubborn.


    Back at the office, Lucia was a little stunned.


    Why did August give her money? Did he know that she was short of money? She had many questions.


    But before she could think clearly, she got a call.


    Lucia nced at the phone screen and saw that it was Pa.


    Without hesitation, she answered, "Hello? Pa."


    On the other end of the phone, Pa''s voice was not as lively as usual, but a bit tired and weak,


    "Lucia, why don''t we hang out tonight? I''m a little upset..."


    Hearing her voice like this, Lucia was startled secretly, "What''s the matter?"


    As far as she could remember, Pa had always been mboyant, optimistic, and positive.She was


    rarely in such a state unless it was something important.


    Pa, who was suddenly questioned, felt a little guilty.


    After thinking about it, she hesitated and said, "It¡¯s okay.It''s just that I always think of that Bastard


    Burton.What''s wrong with me?"


    Hearing this, Lucia was shocked at first, and then she couldn''t help but want tough, "Pa, are


    you..."


    Before she could finish her sentence, Pa said, "Hey, don''t think too much about it! I might be just


    confused!"


    Lucia chuckled and said, "Okay, I''m not thinking too much."


    "Well, let''s go out tonight.I''m in such a bad mood..."


    After hesitating for a moment, Lucia agreed, "Okay."


    After all, every time she was sad in the past, Pa would be by her side.


    It was rare that Pa was in a bad mood, so she naturally had to be there for her friend.


    After finishing the work at hand, Lucia didn''t work overtime for one day, which was rare.


    After packing her things, she went straight to Pa.


    After waiting at the gate of Pa''smunity for a long time, Lucia saw no onee out.


    Lucia was about to make a call when she looked up and saw Pa in a crop top and high-waisted


    jeans walking out of the gate.


    Looking at Pa''s outfit, Lucia couldn''t helpughing and teasing, "I thought you were going to dance."


    Pa winked at her, took her arm, and said, "We''re not going to dance.


    Let''s go to have a drink! Do you remember thest time I told you about a new bar opened by a friend


    of mine? Let''s go!"


    When Lucia heard her words, she instantly thought of what had happened thest time she went to


    Weske with Pa.


    They met Gigi there, and they almost couldn''t escape...


    Lucia was frightened, "I dare not..."


    Pa saw what she wanted to say at a nce.


    She interrupted Lucia immediately, and said with a smile, "It''s not going to happen again! This is my


    friend''s bar, and there is simply singing and drinking.Don''t worry!"


    Hearing what she said, Lucia was still a little uneasy.


    But she couldn''t refuse Pa, so she followed.


    They went to a restaurant to eat first and then went to the bar.


    When they got there, Lucia realized how different the bar Pa was talking about was.


    The walls were cold gray, and there were only a few simple letters on the signboard of the same color.


    When she walked in, it waspletely warm-colored lights.


    Above the bar were zed lights of different lengths emitting warm yellow light, bright but not dazzling.


    There was a square stage in the innermost with dark and warm lighting.


    A foreign band was ying on it, and the tune of Latin jazz was unique.


    It was a bar of Nordic style.


    "How is it? I didn''t lie to you, did 17"


    Pa touched Lucia with her elbow, smiled, and winked at her.


    Lucia smiled and replied, "Yes."


    This kind of ce was indeed much more stylish than Weske.


    Before they could walk a few steps, a man in a gray shirt with slightly longer hair came over and said,


    "Pa! Hello!"


    Pa raised her eyes and immediately responded with a smile, "Andy!"


    "You finally came! I thought you wouldn''t show up!"


    Pa smiled, raised her hand, and gave him a fist bump unceremoniously, "I didn''te on an


    opening day.Now I''ll bring my best friend here when I''m free!"


    Hearing this, Andy looked at Lucia with a brighter smile, "You''re both beautiful women.Wee!"


    After saying hello, Andy took them to the bar and asked the bartender to fix drinks for them.


    Andy was easygoing and has no airs.


    After a short while, Lucia became acquainted with him.


    "Oh, Pa,st time you told me about your friend who can sing.Is it Lucia?"


    "You''re right! It''s her!"


    Pa turned to look at Lucia, and smiled, "Pa, why don''t you go on stage to sing a songter? It''s


    such a good environment"


    Lucia smiled shyly and said softly, "Pa, stop it.It was a few years ago.It''s been a long time since I


    sang."


    She had participated in the singer contest in college, and Pa remembered it unexpectedly.


    Pa didn''t believe it, "Lucia, don''t be humble! You''ve won awards!"


    Andy also echoed with a smile, "Lucia, just sing a songter.We''re friends anyway."


    Pa and Andy both encouraged Lucia, and Lucia couldn''t refuse.


    T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    She finally had to agree, "Okay, I''ll sing a song."


    It happened that the band on the stage was taking a break.


    When it was time for the singing, Andy led Lucia directly on stage.


    On the stage, Lucia held the microphone and looked at the people sitting below, feeling nervous.


    When the prelude to My Love was yed, she gradually rxed a little bit.


    , The soothing music was ying and Lucia¡¯s voice was soft, ¡®I pleasant, and somehow sentimental.


    In the bar, all the light seemed to be gathered on Lucia, making people unable to take their eyes off her.


    In the corner, Joshua looked at the woman singing on stage and smiled.


    Unexpectedly, it was her.


    With a smile, he picked up his phone and sent August a message, [August, why don''t youe to


    have a drink?]

 Chapter 193

    Chapter 193


    Chapter 193 Are You So Obsessed With Her?


    Two minutester, his phone rang.Joshua clicked it and saw August''s reply.


    It was simple, [Not interested.] Joshua smiled.


    He could almost guess August''s cold and indifferent face on the other side of the phone.He calmly


    turned on the camera and aimed at the center of the stage.


    In the center of the stage, the irregr Nordic light formed a circle of light and happened to hit Lucia,


    emitting a warm light.


    When she sang the chorus, the atmosphere was just right, making people immersed in it.


    Joshua thought, "This woman is very beautiful."


    She was not stunningly beautiful, but her lively beauty was unforgettable.


    After taking a short video of fifteen seconds, he sent it directly to August, and asked, [How about it? Are


    you interested now?]


    At the same time, August was sitting in the car, leaning on the back of the car seat with his eyes


    closed, dozing off.His phone vibrated.He frowned slightly, turned on the screen, and nced at the


    message.


    It was a video.


    When he saw the figure on the cover of the video, he frowned and sat up straight slightly, and clicked


    on the video.Her melodious voice came from inside, not out of tune at all.


    On the contrary, she sang quite well.


    August''s eyes paused slightly and fell on her left hand, which was still wrapped in gauze.


    His face suddenly became gloomy.


    Did she go to the bar as a regr singer? She ignored his words! He has said that he would help her


    and told her not to be busy making money, but what was going on now? Did she go to a bar? He


    suddenly felt unhappy and frowned tightly.


    He sent Joshua a message directly, [Address.]


    Soon, Joshua sent August his location.


    August immediately told Burton to turn around and head to K Bar.


    Lucia was more stubborn and brave than he had imagined.


    After the Weske incidentst time, he had thought she would never set foot in a ce like a bar again,


    but she was more courageous now! Burton looked at his gloomy face and didn''t dare to ask any more


    questions.


    N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    He immediately stepped on the elerator to speed up.


    In the K Bar, Lucia had finished singing a song and came off the stage to chat with Pa and Andy.


    After she sang a song just now, Andy looked at her with more admiration.


    When she got off the stage, he immediately sent an invitation, "Lucia, you sing well! Are you interested


    in singing here part-time?"


    Before Lucia could answer, Pa, who was sitting beside him, couldn''t help but say, "Lucia has to


    work.How can she have time to work here?"


    Hearing this, Andy smiled and said, "It''s ok if you can''te during the day.You cane at night, and


    on Saturdays and Sundays.You will be satisfied with your sry.What do you think, Lucia?"


    Seeing Andy''s serious face, Lucia realized he wasn''t joking.


    Lucia smiled apologetically, and said softly, "I''m afraid I don''t have time.I''m sorry."


    Hearing this, Andy felt a little disappointed.He sighed heavily, "Lucia, your rejection made me


    heartbroken..."


    Pa watched him look like this, and couldn''t help raising her hand and pping him, "Okay! Stop


    pretending, drama queen!"


    Andy was beaten and pretended to cough a few times.


    Then he raised his head to look at them and said, "I meant what I said! Lucia, why don''t you think about


    it?"


    Lucia just didn''t know how to refuse, and Pa helped her out, "Lucia, why don''t you go on stage and


    sing another song as a littlepensation for Andy?!"


    When Lucia heard her words, she hesitated, "Well..."


    Andy nodded again and again, "Yes! Another song! It was so good just now that I didn''t have enough!"


    Pa and Andy kept encouraging her.


    Lucia couldn''t refuse, so she nodded in agreement.


    Someone came to the stage and sang a song.


    While waiting, Lucia picked up the ss of wine the bartender had fixed for her.


    The liquid that exuded a faint blue light was very beautiful under the light, and the drink tasted very


    good.


    As soon as the wine was finished, the person on the stage finished his song.Pa immediately nudged


    Lucia and winked at her, "Sing Cry on My Shoulder this time.I like it."


    Hearing this, Lucia smiled and nodded slightly, "Okay, I''ll sing this song."


    She walked onto the stage, apanied by the music, and began to sing.


    At the same time, the ck Maybach stopped at the entrance of the bar.


    August and Burton got out of the car and walked in directly.


    The bar was not big, and they could see the panoramic view from the door.


    When August walked in, the first thing he saw was Lucia sitting on the stage and singing.She was


    wearing a white fringed shirt.


    When the light shone on her smooth cheeks, her skin was fair and clear.


    When August heard her singing voice from the speaker, his heart tightened a little, and there was a


    subtle fluctuation in his eyes.


    After a pause for a second, he came to his sense and strode in that direction.


    He just walked a few steps when Joshua suddenly came from the side and stopped him with a smile.


    He pulled August and sat down on the high chairs outside and said jokingly, "You are my friend, how


    can you onlye when there are girls?"


    August''s face darkened.


    He nced at Joshua lightly, then turned to look at the woman on the stage, and said coldly, "I need to


    talk to her."


    Joshua''s smile deepened, and he continued a little tentatively, "August, I''ve never seen you so


    obsessed with a woman before.Are you..."


    Before he could finish his sentence, August nced at him with cold eyes, "Impossible."


    If it weren''t for the fact that he felt indebted to Lucia and the Mitchell family, he wouldn''t have been so


    tangled up with her.


    "It''s good you''re not."


    Joshua smiled and then asked, "What would you like to drink?"


    As soon as he finished it, August stood up and said, "Enjoy yourself."


    With that, he walked directly towards the stage.


    Around the table were round tables and sofa chairs for three or four people.


    August stepped forward and directly chose the vacant seat closest to the stage to sit down.


    Burton also sat down with him.


    At the bar, Pa and Andy were drinking and chatting.


    She inadvertently turned her head and saw a familiar figure at the round table.


    She thought she had seen it wrong, and sighed with widened eyes, "What is going on?"


    Could she have hallucinations? Did she see Burton here? She quickly rubbed her eyes and looked


    over again with widened eyes.


    This time, not only did she see Burton, she even saw August! When did theye? Seeing this, Andy


    quickly asked, "What''s the matter?"


    Pa couldn''t do anything now.


    Lucia was halfway through singing, so she couldn''t go over and drag Lucia away.


    Besides, Burton was here...


    "No...it''s fine."


    She could only wait a moment.


    When Lucia finishes singing this song, she would immediately go over and take her away.


    Lucia was focused on singing on the stage and was unaware of the situation over there.


    But she somehow felt that someone was staring at her in the audience, which made her feel


    ufortable.


    She turned her head slightly.


    When she saw the man not far from the stage, her hand holding the microphone instantly stiffened.


    August! Why was he here?

 Chapter 194

    Chapter 194


    Chapter 194 I Hit Him


    Because of her nervousness, her voice trembled involuntarily.She met his dark and deep eyes, but she


    immediately looked away within two seconds.


    For the next half of the song, she sang tremblingly, not as calm and rxed as at the beginning.


    After biting the bullet and finishing the rest of the song, Lucia stood up, bowed slightly to the audience,


    and was about to leave the stage when August suddenly said, with a bit of strength in his voice, "Can I


    order a song?"


    Lucia paused, looked up, and met his eyes.She saw the coldness and ridicule in his eyes, and her


    heart tightened immediately.


    Did he take her as a singer here? Seeing that she didn''t answer for a long time, August sat up straight


    slightly and stared straight at her, "How much does it cost to order a song?"


    For Lucia, it was like a hard p in her face, which made her face flush.He deliberately said this in front


    of so many people.


    It was clear that he wanted to humiliate her! Lucia took a deep breath, gritted her teeth, and a bit of


    anger appeared in her eyes.She stared at him and said word by word, "Sorry, I can''t sing."


    With that, she clenched her fists, got off the stage, and walked to the side without turning her head.


    When August saw this, his brows tightened.He got up immediately and quickly chased after her.


    Lucia looked up at the bar and found that Andy and Pa were no longer there.


    She heard hurried footsteps behind her.She gritted her teeth and walked quickly to the other side.


    "Lucia!"


    He sounded a little angry came.


    Lucia clenched her fists and quickened her pace.


    When she walked to the entrance of the corridor on the side, she suddenly felt her arm tighten and


    someone grabbed her.


    Before she could react, she was dragged and turned around.


    His tall body blocked her vision.


    She raised her head in anger, looked at him, and said coldly, "What the hell are you trying to do?!"


    She just sang a song on stage.


    He hade to spoil the fun and asked her how much for a song! Would he be happy to humiliate her


    in front of so many people? There was a bit of suppressed anger in August''s eyes.


    He grabbed her shoulders and looked at her with deep and dark eyes as if his eyes could suck people


    in.


    "Why did you sing in front of others, but not for me?"


    He couldn''t help tightening his grip and said, "Huh? Lucia."


    Since she wanted to make money so much, why wasn''t she happy when he came to support her?


    Lucia gritted her teeth angrily and said word by word, "I just don''t want to!"


    As soon as she finished it, he pressed her strongly and pushed her directly to the wall behind her.


    He lowered his eyes and his eyes glowed with cold light.


    He said solemnly, "Since you dare toe to such a ce, you must be mentally prepared.


    There is something that you can''t refuse even if you don''t want to do it!"


    When Lucia heard his words, her face turned colder, and her body trembled with anger.


    He sounded as if she did something shameful! Her heart tightened and she couldn''t even breathe.


    She gritted her teeth, looked back at him, and refused to back down.


    She said coldly and sarcastically, "Mr.Adams, it seems that you know this kind of ce so well.You


    have visited nightclubs a lot, right? But I''m sorry to tell you that this is a serious bar, and it doesn''t have


    the kind of service you expect!"


    She gritted her teeth, and she looked determined and angry.Her face was flushed with anger.


    It made her look charming.


    August''s heart tightened and his eyes fell on Lucia¡¯s full and lustrous red lips.His heart trembled, and


    he was tempted.


    "Not here, but you can have it!"


    He leaned over and directly kissed her lips.


    Before Lucia could react, he had already reached out his hand and circled behind her head, deepening


    the kiss.Her lips and teeth were pried apart, and his movements were a bit aggressive.


    Lucia was shocked.


    But before she could react, her hand was clenched tightly by him.


    In an instant, a sense of embarrassment flooded her heart, making her almost explode! What did he


    take her for? A woman who sold her soul for money in the nightclub! She struggled hard and didn''t care


    about her left hand, which was still wrapped in gauze and had not fully healed.


    She pushed him away, raised her hand, and hit him! She pped him hard in the face! The next


    second, they both froze.


    Time and space seemed to stand still, and they froze in ce, and they didn''t recover for a long time.


    After a few more seconds, August was the first toe to his sense.


    The shock that shed on his face had turned intoplete coldness, and a trace of impatience


    shed across his eyes.


    He pursed his lips, turned around, and walked away.


    Lucia''s right hand trembled slightly.


    Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    Watching him walk away quickly, she felt so tormented.


    Just now...she had hit him! He was August Adams! She hit him! This idea shed back and forth in her


    mind.


    Seeing that he was about to walk away, she suddenly reacted.She didn''t care about anything else and


    quickly chased after him.


    He was walking fast and she almost had to trot to keep up.She followed him out of the bar.


    August still had no intention of stopping.


    Lucia was in a hurry and couldn''t care about anything else, and called out breathlessly, "August!"


    His back was slightly stiff, and he kept walking to the Maybach parked on the side of the road.


    Seeing that there was no one in the car, he couldn''t help frowning.


    Was Burton still at the bar? He took out his phone and called him directly.


    Lucia trotted forward, took a deep breath, and said nervously, "Just now...I didn''t mean to."


    August looked gloomy and frightening as if he didn¡¯t hear any sound.He ignored her.


    "I didn''t mean to."


    "I apologize to you.I''m sorry..."


    After saying apologetic words in a row, Lucia looked at his indifferent face and suddenly realized there


    was nothing she could do.


    Just when she was at a loss, she suddenly heard footsteps behind her, followed by a slightly nice male


    voice, "Lucia."


    When Lucia turned around, she saw Joshua standing behind her.She was stunned for a moment.


    Thinking that she had met him in Franksfurt, she nodded slightly to him.


    Joshua nced at August who was standing beside him and making a call with a cold face.He smiled


    and said to Lucia, "Come, I have something to tell you."


    Lucia was in a state of anxiety.


    Hearing what he said, she thought he had some good idea and immediately stepped aside with him.


    Joshua''s eyes were mysterious.He blinked at Lucia and asked, "What did you do to him?"


    Lucia bit her lips and wrung her hands, "I hit him..."


    Hearing her words, Joshua looked a little shocked.


    Then he reacted and asked with a smile, "He took advantage of you? So you hit him?"


    When he asked about details like this, Lucia was even more embarrassed.


    Instead of answering directly, she asked, "How can I calm him down?"


    After all, it was wrong of her to beat him.


    Joshua smiled and said leisurely, "I don''t know what to do, but one thing is certain.Now you''re chasing


    after him to apologize.It''s useless.You''d better think about how to make up for it with actions."


    With that, he winked at her, turned, and walked in August''s direction.


    Lucia was slightly surprised and a little puzzled.


    What did he mean by actions?

 Chapter 195

    Chapter 195


    Chapter 195 He Suffered A Loss In Front Of A Woman


    Before she could figure it out, Burton came out of the bar, walked directly to the car, and started the


    engine.


    August got into the car with a cold face.


    Although she didn''t know what Joshua meant just now, she knew that even if she caught up to


    apologize at this time, August probably wouldn''t forgive her.


    Forget it.


    She''d better go back to the bar to find Pa.


    Lucia turned around and walked towards the bar, feeling upset.


    When the car started, August couldn''t help looking out the window.


    When he saw the lonely back of Lucia, his eyebrows tightened.


    At this moment, Joshua who was sitting next to him suddenly turned his head and looked at him with a


    meaningful smile.


    August retracted his gaze, nced at him coldly, and snorted, "You didn''t drive? You want a free ride?"


    "I drank."


    Joshua smiled, with a little probing in his eyes, "I can''t drive."


    August ignored him and looked away.


    His left cheek felt slightly numb.


    He changed his posture, leaned against the back casually, closed his eyes, and took a rest.


    When Joshua saw this, he crossed his legs, and said casually, "Aren''t you curious about what we said


    just now?"


    When he turned around after talking to Lucia just now, he saw August''s eyes swept towards them


    intentionally.


    August didn''t seem to hear what he said and didn''t say a word.


    It was rare to encounter a scene where August suffered a loss, and Joshua naturally refused to give up


    so easily.


    He sighed, and then said, "Speaking of which, this should be the first time you have suffered a loss in


    front of a woman, right?"


    Hearing his words, August suddenly opened his eyes and looked at him with a sullen look.


    Joshua continued to ask boldly with a smile, "Are you not interested in her?"


    A bit of anger appeared in August''s eyes, and he turned to Burton, "Stop the car and kick him out."


    Seeing that August was angry, Joshua couldn''tugh anymore.


    He quickly apologized, "Okay! I won''t say it! I won''t say it!"


    Seeing him like this, August didn''t say much.


    He closed his eyes and continued to rest.


    He was pped just now, and he was now very angry.


    Joshua provoked him at this time.


    Wasn''t he courting death? Since he was a child, he had never met a woman who dared to beat him!


    Thinking of Lucia''s angry face, August frowned and felt a little irritated.


    Joshua saw his expression, and he couldn''t help smiling.


    It was the first time that August had been so emotional because of a woman.


    Back at bar, Lucia just walked to the bar when she heard a familiar voice, "Lucia!"


    Pa ran over with a nervous look on her face.


    When she came over, she quickly pulled her over and looked her up and down, "Are you alright?"


    "I''m alright."


    Lucia noticed something was wrong, "What''s wrong with you?"


    Seeing Pa''s expression, she could tell there was something wrong.


    Pa said anxiously, "My brother had an ident and he''s in the hospital now.I received a call from


    him just now, so I didn''t pay attention to you.August didn''t do anything to you, right?"


    When Lucia heard this, she quickly asked, "No.How is your brother?"


    "He was rear-ended and got injured a bit.I''m going to the hospital now."


    "Well, I''ll go with you."


    At this time, if Pa ran over alone, Lucia was not sure if she could handle it or not.It would be better


    for her to apany her.


    Andy said from the side, "I''ll drive you."


    The three left the bar and rushed towards the hospital without dy.


    When they rushed to the ward, Pa hurriedly pushed open the door of the ward and rushed in.


    Seeing Paul sitting on the hospital bed, Pa quickly asked, "Paul, how are you? Are you seriously


    injured?!"


    Paul looked at the three people who suddenly rushed in, and he was startled at first.


    When his eyes swept over Lucia, his expression softened a lot.


    "It''s not serious."


    He looked up at Lucia, and asked, "Lucia, why are you here?"


    Lucia replied softly, "I heard Pa say that you are injured, so I came over to have a look."


    Paul chuckled, "It''s okay.Just a little injury."


    There was gauze wrapped around his arm and a piece on his forehead.


    Other than some minor scratches, there was no major problem.


    Pa breathed a sigh of relief.


    Seeing that Paul was chatting with Lucia and Andy as if nothing had happened, she was finally


    relieved.


    Paul nced at the time and said, "Oh, Pa, I can be discharged from the hospitalter.Some


    procedures need to be done."


    "Okay, I''ll go right now."


    Pa nodded and took Lucia''s arm, "Lucia, you and me..."


    Before she could finish her sentence, she suddenly felt a chill down her spine.


    When she turned her head and saw her brother''s eyes, she immediately reacted.She grinned and


    patted Lucia¡¯s hand, "Lucia, stay and talk to my brother."


    "Andy, why don''t you go through the formalities with me?"


    With that, she pulled Andy and left the ward quickly.


    When the door closed, Lucia was a little puzzled.


    Before she could react, Paul suddenly asked, "Lucia, what''s wrong with your hand?"


    Lucia turned her head, met Paul''s gentle gaze, looked down at her left hand, and said with a smile, "I


    was injured identally during an event, and it''s almost healed."


    When Paul heard her words, he looked at himself and then at her, and joked, "We are both wounded


    now.What a coincidence."


    He raised his injured hand and waved at her.


    Seeing Paul''s childish smile, Lucia couldn''t helpughing.


    The two chatted casually.


    Paul reached out his hand to take the water ss on the table next to him.He had gauze pasted on the


    joints on the back of his one hand, and the other hand was wrapped with gauze, which made it


    inconvenient for him to move.He was grasping at the ss a little clumsily.


    Seeing this, Lucia didn''t think much, and immediately stepped forward, "I''ll help you."


    She reached out and picked up the ss.But after picking it up, she was stunned.She helped him pick


    up the ss, which meant she would feed him water.


    Wouldn''t it be a little offensive? Seeing her hesitation, Paul smiled and said gently, "It''s okay.I''ll do it


    myself."


    When Lucia heard his words, she looked at the ss in her hand, and then at his hand.She was in a


    dilemma.


    Forget it.She had picked the ss up.


    Why not feed him water?


    N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    "It''s okay...I''ll feed you."


    After Lucia said this, she took a step forward in embarrassment and carefully brought the ss to


    Paul''s lips.


    Seeing this, Paul''s eyes shed with joy, but his face quickly returned to normal.


    He slowly raised his chin and drank from the rim of the ss.


    Lucia tilted the cup slowly and fed him a few sips.


    Her face flushed awkwardly.


    Paul seemed to notice it.


    After taking a few sips, he looked up at her with warm eyes and said softly, "Okay, thank you, Lucia."He


    still looked calm, but his heart was beating rapidly.


    Lucia said with a smile, "You''re wee."


    She put down the ss.


    At this moment, the door was suddenly pushed open, and Pa and Andy walked in.


    "It¡¯s all done."


    Pa shook the documents in her hand.


    She looked at Paul and Lucia and suddenly realized that something was wrong.


    Why was her brother blushing? And Lucia was also blushing and shy.


    Had they done something behind her back?

 Chapter 196

    Chapter 196


    Chapter 196 He Was Invincibly Decisive


    "You two..."


    Pa smiled meaningfully and winked at them mysteriously.


    Lucia was a little embarrassed to hear what she implied.


    Paul looked at Lucia, and then turned to Pa, beckoning her not to talk nonsense with his eyes.


    Pa took the hint, smiled, and took Lucia''s arm, "The procedures are all done.Shall we go?"


    T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Lucia nodded, raised her eyes, and happened to meet Paul''s eyes.


    Both of them were startled and then looked away in unison.


    The atmosphere was somehow ambiguous.


    Lucia came to her sense and immediately followed Pa out of the room.


    It seemed that from the moment she fed Paul water, the distance between them had unknowingly


    narrowed a bit.


    Aftering out of the hospital, Andy drove them to take them back.


    They arrived at Lucia¡¯smunity.


    The car was parked downstairs of her apartment.


    She said goodbye to them, "Well, I''ll go back first.Goodbye."


    After saying goodbye, Lucia got off the car and walked into the apartment building.


    In the car, Paul turned his head and looked out the window.


    In the dim car, his gentle and bright eyes always followed Lucia.


    When the car started, Pa finally couldn''t stand it anymore, "Okay, bro! She''s gone!"


    Paul turned his head, and his face suddenly became serious.


    A few minutester, he suddenly said word by word in a firm tone, "I''ve decided.I''m going to confess


    my love to Lucia."


    When Pa heard this, her eyes widened.


    She and Andy, who was also shocked, looked at each other.


    After a few seconds, she calmed down a bit, "Paul? Did I hear it right?"


    Paul was going to confess his love to Lucia? There had been many girls around Paul since he was a


    child, but he had never liked any of them.She had noticed that he was different from Lucia, but she had


    thought it was just a whim.She hadn''t expected him to be serious.


    Paul nodded without hesitation, "Yeah."


    His feelings for Lucia were genuine.


    "That''s great!"


    Pa pped her hands happily, "My best friend is m going to be my sister-inw.It''s so great!"


    She had casually joked and teased Lucia in the past.


    But she hadn''t expected it toe true! Lucia came home and sat down on the sofa, feeling a little


    tired.She leaned against the cushion at will, closed her eyes, and thought of the p she had given


    August in the bar just now.She shouldn''t have hit him.


    Feeling a little ashamed, she took out her phone and opened the dialog box with August.


    After much hesitation, she typed "I''m sorry" and hesitated again.


    She didn''t dare to click send.


    Her apology did not sound sincere, and he would never ept it and forgive her.


    Forget it.


    She''d better think of another way.


    Lucia took a long sigh and stepped into the bedroom.


    The next morning, a department meeting was held in thepany.


    Lucia sorted out the report and sent it to Carter.


    Carter took it, flipped through the document, and nodded.


    She looked up at Lucia, and said softly, "You can go to the meeting with meter."


    When Lucia heard her words, most of her sleepiness instantly dissipated, and she instantly cheered up,


    "You''re asking me to go to the department meeting with you?"


    Carter nodded slightly, "Yes, it''s time to train you."


    Hearing her words, Lucia secretly rejoiced.


    Carter had brought Lisa to attend such important meetings in the department before.


    This time Carter was taking her to the meeting, which showed her recognition of her.


    Lucia immediately smiled and bowed to Carter, "Okay, I''ll go get ready now."


    In such interdepartmental meetings, it was necessary to report the main content of each department


    recently and to listen to the assignment and deployment of the next work by the superiors.


    It was a good opportunity to learn something.


    Lucia was naturally looking forward to it.


    But after turning around and leaving the supervisor''s office, Lucia suddenly thought of something, and


    the smile on her face froze.


    If she went to the department meeting, it meant she had to meet August.


    Lucia didn''t dare to think more about it.She had just provoked himst night, and today they met on


    such an asion.


    Would August take revenge in public? Lucia was worried.


    She thought about it and finally went back to the office to get the notebook and pen she needed before


    she followed Carter to the conference room.


    Before the meeting started, Lucia was holding a pen and felt a little flustered.


    Suddenly, Carter, who was sitting next to her, leaned toward her and said in a low voice, "This time the


    document was organized by you.Are you familiar with the content?"


    Lucia didn''t think much and nodded subconsciously.


    Carter said in a light tone, "Okay, then each department has to report on their workter.You will report


    on behalf of our department."


    When Lucia heard this, she immediately woke up a little and her eyes widened.


    She looked at Carter and asked, "Me?"


    Carter raised his eyes, looked at her, and asked, "Is there a problem?"


    Lucia took a deep breath and said, "No...no problem."


    "Don''t be nervous.It''s just like reporting on work as usual."


    Hearing Carter''s encouragement, Lucia nodded and secretly cheered herself up.


    At this moment, the door of the conference room was pushed open.


    August, wearing a ck couture suit, strode in, walked directly to the head of the conference table, and


    sat down.


    With his arrival came some pressure.


    The conference room fell silent, and even the heads of various departments sat up upright silently.


    Lucia took a deep breath and nced in August''s direction, feeling even more nervous.


    After a moment, August raised his head, nced at the crowd, and said in a deep tone, "Let''s


    start.Each department will take turns reporting the recent work."


    After he said that, the representative of the Finance Department on the far left stood up first and began


    to report.


    Lucia took a deep breath and silently counted the number of people before it was her turn.


    She nervously flipped through the report documents in her hand.


    Soon, when it was the Administrative Department''s turn, Lucia took a deep breath, saw Carter''s


    beckoning eyes, immediately stood up, and started reporting.


    From the beginning to the end, August never looked at her much.


    Thus her nervousness was relieved a little, and the whole reporting process went smoothly.


    After the work report was over, she sat down and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.


    Fortunately, August didn''t mean to embarrass her.


    Otherwise, she would not know what to do.


    The report was continued by the next department representative.


    Lucia slowly came to her sense, turned her head slightly, and unconsciously looked at August over


    there.His face was slightly gloomy.He was more serious than cold.He asked questions for every


    questionable detail and assigned follow-up work.He was invincibly decisive.


    Some people were indeed born to be presidents.


    Lucia sighed secretly in her heart.


    Just as she was distracted, August suddenly turned his head and nced toward her.


    Feeling the coldness in his eyes, Lucia instantly woke up a little bit.


    She looked away in a panic, and she looked a little awkward.


    Did he think that she was peeking at him just now?

 Chapter 197

    Chapter 197


    Chapter 197 Her Way Of Apologizing Was Childish


    Lucia buried her head low and didn''t dare to raise her head anymore.She picked up her pen and


    started writing and drawing on the paper to cover her panic.


    After a while, Lucia breathed a sigh of relief when she heard August start to assign work.She was


    frightened during the meeting.


    Halfway through the meeting, Lucia gradually rxed a little bit.She nced at the post-it note next to


    her.She felt a little bored, so she picked up her pen and sketched a kitten on it.She added, "Don''t be


    angry."


    This was an essayic she had identally read on her phone yesterday.


    She thought it was interesting, so she copied it from memory and drew several pictures in session


    before she stopped.


    Looking up again, she found the meetinging to an end.


    August told Burton, "Collect the work reports of each department."


    When Burton heard this, he nodded in response.


    Lucia looked up and saw Burton walking towards her.She hurriedly closed the report and handed it


    over.


    It seemed that because the meeting was about to end, everyone rxed a little.


    They took advantage of the interval and chatted in a low voice.


    At this moment, Carter leaned in, looked at Lucia, and whispered, "Good job."


    When Lucia heard this, she smiled shyly and replied softly, "Thanks."


    Sitting at the head of the conference table, August raised his eyes and saw Lucia''s smile.He couldn''t


    help frowning.


    Yesterday she had beat him up.


    Today she was smiling and chatting as if nothing had happened.He suppressed the unhappiness in his


    heart.


    He took a stack of report papers sent by Burton, picked them up, and flipped through them. After


    listening to the reports from various departments just now, he already knew what he needed to know.


    Now he was reading it again to ensure that there were no omissions and mistakes.


    After flipping through several reports, he nced down and saw that the organizer of the Administrative


    Department''s report was "Lucia Mitchell".


    His eyes darkened, and he picked up the document and read it.


    As soon as he opened it, the first thing that caught his eye was a post-it note with a cartoon kitten


    outlined with a ck ink pen, with a sentence attached beside it, "Don''t be angry."


    August''s dark eyes suddenly froze.


    After a few seconds, he unconsciously frowned.


    What was she doing? She was apologizing to him in this way? This was a bit too simple and childish.


    Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    What was the matter with her obvious childish apology? Two secondster, he raised his hand and


    continued to flip through the documents.


    After flipping it a few times, he put down the report.He raised his eyes, and his eyes were deep and


    cold.He swept towards the crowd.


    When he looked at them like this, everyone thought that something had happened, and they all


    became nervous and held their breath.


    "The report of some department is not sincere."


    With that, August got up and walked out with a cold face.


    Burton paused, immediately picked up the report on the table, and said "the meeting is over" before he


    quickly walked out.


    The people in the room looked at each other.


    No one had expected that August would suddenly lose his temper at the end of the meeting.


    "What''s going on?"


    "Who knows..."


    All kinds of discussions were mixed, and the voices were getting louder and louder.


    Lucia was also a little confused.


    She looked around, looked at Carter, and asked, "Carter, what''s wrong?"


    Carter shrugged, "Maybe some department''s report is not up to standard."


    When Lucia heard this, she didn''t think much about it.She packed her things and went back to the


    Administration Department with Carter.


    "Mr.Adams, what''s wrong?"


    Burton followed August back to the President''s Office and asked tentatively.


    August didn''t speak.He looked up at the stack of report papers Burton was holding, raised his chin


    slightly, and said, "Bring them here."


    Burton delivered them immediately.


    "You can leave."


    After ncing at the documents in front of him, August ordered coldly.


    "Yes."


    After Burton left and the door closed, August picked up Lucia''s report and opened it again.


    On the yellow post-it note, the kitten was quite ordinary, ugly, and cute, a bit silly.It looked a bit like her.


    When this thought popped into his mind, August couldn''t help smiling.


    He tore off the post-it note and pasted it on the pen holder next to theputer.


    When he saw this kitten drawing, he somehow felt less angry.


    After a busy day of work, Lucia stood up and stretched herself.


    She had finished all the work at hand on Friday afternoon.


    It meant that she could have a fairlyfortable weekend.


    During this period, she had been ei:her working overtime or taking on projects.


    She had been so busy working and it was a rare chance to rx.


    Tomorrow, she would go to the hospital to visit her parents and then contact Dr.Long to discuss the


    specific operation time.


    Although she hadn''t collected enough money for the operation, her father''s operation couldn''t be


    dyed any longer.


    She decided to set the operation time first, and she would find a way to collect the remaining money.


    Back at the apartment, Lucia took a hot shower.


    As soon as she dried her hair and walked out of the bathroom, she saw the screen of her phone at the


    end of the bed flickering.


    She walked over, picked up her phone, and saw that it was Grandma.


    Thinking of thest time she and Grandma met, she realized it had been a while.


    Grandma suddenly called her at this time.


    Was there something wrong? Lucia didn''t dare to neglect, and immediately answered the phone,


    "Hello, Grandma."


    "Hey, Lucia, it''s me.How have you been?"


    Hearing that familiar voice, Lucia smiled and asked, "I''m fine, Grandma.What about you?"


    When she asked this question, there was a sudden pause on the other end of the phone.


    Grandma didn''t speak but sighed heavily.


    When Lucia heard this, she quickly asked, "Grandma, what''s the matter with you?"


    "It''s alright.My health has not been very good recently, and it took a while for the doctor to condition.It


    has just gotten better."


    Lucia was a little surprised, "Are you feeling better now? I didn''t even know about this..."


    "Well, I didn''t let August tell you.I''m feeling much better now.I''ve been living in a nursing home for a


    while, and I just got back.Lucia, do you have time tomorrow? I want to go out and get some fresh air


    and take a walk in the Ecological Garden.Can youe with me?"


    Hearing what Grandma said, Lucia bit her lips and hesitated.She was nning to go to the hospital to


    visit her parents tomorrow, but she couldn''t bear to refuse her.


    Seeing that she didn''t speak, Grandma sensed something sensitively and asked, "Lucia, is it not


    convenient for you?"


    Lucia came to her sense.


    Thinking of what had happened yesterday, she hesitated again.


    She had hit August yesterday, and she felt apologetic to him.


    Now his grandmother wanted to see her.


    How could she refuse? Forget it.


    She''d better agree.It was a way to apologize to August after all.


    "Grandma, I''m free.The weather seems fine tomorrow, and it''s suitable to go out for a walk.When and


    where will we meet?"


    When Grandma heard Lucia agree, she immediately smiled and said, "Okay, great.Let''s meet at the


    entrance of the Ecological Garden at nine o''clock in the morning."


    "OK."


    Lucia hung up the phone, but her mood was a littleplicated.She had decided to draw a line


    between August and the Adams family.


    But now it seemed that it was difficult to do so.She was going to see Grandma this time as an apology


    to August.

 Chapter 198

    Chapter 198


    Chapter 198 She Went Out To Have A Walk With Grandma


    The next morning, Lucia got up early.She put on a slim-fitting yellow shirt dress, and a pair of casual


    white shoes, and went out with a bag.She deliberately went out more than half an hour early.


    She took a detour to buy traditional pastries that Grandmother liked and then took the subway directly


    to the Ecological Garden.


    Not long after she arrived at the gate of the Ecological Garden, a ck car drove up and stopped in


    front of her.


    The car door was pushed open.


    Grandma stuck her head out excitedly and waved to Lucia, "Lucia!"


    Lucia smiled sweetly and hurried up to meet her, helping her out of the car.


    "I''ve been so bored recently.But when I see you, I feel much better!"


    Grandma got out of the car, held Lucia''s hand, and kept talking.


    The other side of the car door was opened, and a tall man dressed like a bodyguard came over and


    respectfully said to Mr.Adams, "Old Madame, do you need a wheelchair?"


    When Grandma heard this, her face darkened and she waved at him, "I finally came out for a walk.Of


    course, I don''t need the wheelchair.Lucia is here.Don''t follow me."


    The bodyguard frowned and said hesitantly, "Mr.Adams specially ordered me to ensure your safety."


    Grandma waved her hand stubbornly, "I''ll be fine with Lucia by my side.Don''t follow me.I''m rarely in a


    good mood."


    The bodyguard could not persuade her, so he had to obey and no longer follow.


    After walking a few steps away, Grandma couldn''t help snorting coldly, "This is the bodyguard that


    August hired for me.He is tall and big, but he is very boring!"


    Seeing Grandmaining like a child, Lucia couldn''t help smiling and persuaded, "They are doing it


    for your good.I''ll be with you today.Let''s have a good time."


    When Grandma heard this, she held Lucia''s hand tightly, patted the back of her hand lightly, and said


    with a chuckle, "You''re so sweet.You know me!"


    Walking into the Ecological Garden, they were greeted by arge greenwn with different sculptures


    and small pavilions.


    Today, the weather was very good and the sky was clear.


    Many children were flying kites on thewn.


    It was very pleasant to see it from a distance.


    Lucia and Grandma chatted while walking, and the atmosphere was harmonious.


    When Grandma looked at the children ying games over there, she smiled, pointed over there, and


    motioned to Lucia to look, "Look, the children are so adorable!"


    "I''m getting old! I just like to watch lively things, and I like children.If you and August can..."


    Grandma started talking about Lucia and August before she knew it.


    Before she finished her sentence, she felt that it was not right, so she stopped immediately.


    Hearing her words, Lucia stopped smiling, and she somehow felt a little sad.


    Speaking of children, she had once had a child with August, but its life was so short...


    Seeing Lucia''s sad face, Grandma said quickly, "I won''t say it.It''s my fault.I always mention things in


    the past..."


    Lucia smiled lightly and said softly, "Grandma, it''s okay."


    When Grandma heard the words, she stroked Lucia''s hand and said softly as she walked slowly,


    "Actually, I like you very much, and I want August to reconcile with you.But I respect your choice.Even if


    you don''t get back with August, I''ll still be your grandma."


    Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    Hearing her words, Lucia was moved.


    Unexpectedly, Grandma had always regarded her as family.


    Lucia took a deep breath, forced a smile, and said, "Grandma, I will always apany you.August will


    not let you down.If he has someone he wants to protect, I will respect his choice."


    As soon as she finished it, Grandma''s expression changed.She paused for a moment, as if trying to


    figure out the meaning of her words, and then asked, "You mean...August has someone he likes?"


    Hearing her question, Lucia suddenly realized that she might not even know about Jeanne, but she had


    identally said it just now! Grandma continued to ask, "Really? Lucia, you know that, right?"


    After being asked several times, Lucia hesitated and didn''t know how to answer.


    Facing Grandma''s eyes, she could only nod her head and said softly, "Yes, he has someone he likes..."


    Jeanne was the first woman that August had brought to thepany openly and honestly, and he was


    willing to pay the price of marriage to find a kidney source for her.It could be seen how important


    Jeanne was to him.


    Although she knew that there was a female star Adeline besides August, there was no doubt that


    Jeanne was the one he cared about the most.


    Grandma pulled Lucia and asked excitedly, "Lucia, tell me, who is the girl August likes?"


    At this juncture, even if Lucia wanted to lie, she couldn''t make it up.


    Facing her inquiring eyes, Lucia took a deep breath and said word by word, "Her name is Jeanne


    Kelly..."


    When Grandma heard the name "Jeanne Kelly", she was stunned.


    After a few seconds, the look in her eyes became a little moreplicated.


    "It turned out to be her."


    Hearing Grandma say this, Lucia realized something.It seemed that Grandma knew Jeanne.She was


    more curious about Jeanne now.


    Grandma took Lucia''s arm and walked forward slowly as if she was hesitating.She didn''t speak for a


    long time.


    In the end, she sighed, "No wonder."


    As she said that, she turned her head slightly to look at Lucia and said softly, "You don''t know the


    rtionship between August and Jeanne, do you?"


    Lucia paused for a second and shook her head.


    "In the past, the Kelly family had a good rtionship with our Adams family, and the children of the two


    families were also close.Later, August''s biological mother died, and his father brought Christina and


    Bishop back.August had always held a grudge against them.When he was most upset, Jeanne spent it


    with him, so..."


    As for the rest, even if Grandma didn''t say it, Lucia could guess it.No wonder Jeanne was so important


    to August.


    It turned out that they were not only childhood sweethearts, but had also gone through so many things


    together...


    Lucia¡¯s heart sank, feeling a little upset.


    After a moment, sheughed at herself and said softly, "They''re childhood sweethearts.They are


    indeed a good match."


    When Grandma heard Lucia''s words, she said without hesitation, "I don''t like her."


    Lucia turned to look at her in surprise, and couldn''t help asking, "Why?"


    Jeanne was pretty and lovely, the type that was popr with the elders.


    Grandma shook her head and said affirmatively, "That girl is sophisticated.None of the Kelly family is a


    good person.People with too deep minds are not worth going on with."


    Lucia was stunned and didn''t speak for a long time.


    Grandma patted the back of her hand and said softly, "Forget it.We won''t mention these things.Lucia,


    let''s go to theke to have a look..."


    Lucia came to her sense, saw the artificialke not far away, smiled lightly, and helped her to walk


    there.


    After walking half the way around theke, Grandma was sweating a little.


    Lucia took her to a bench under the shade of a tree and helped her sit down.


    "Grandma, these are the pastries I bought.They are all low-sugar.You can eat some first.I''ll go over


    there and buy two bottles of water.Wait here for a moment, okay?"


    Grandma nodded obediently, wiped her sweat, and smiled at her, "Okay, go ahead.I''ll be here waiting


    for you."


    Seeing this, Lucia smiled reassuringly and walked towards the ce where the water was sold.


    She didn''t even notice that behind the rockery not far away, two people were staring at them


    motionlessly.

 Chapter 199

    Chapter 199


    Chapter 199 Grandma Disappeared!


    Behind the rockery, Lisa watched Lucia walk away, and asked uncertainly, "Irene, do you want to do


    this?"


    Irene raised her chin, and her eyes were a bit gloomy, "Why not? She was lucky at thest Boehm


    event.I was thinking about how to get revenge on her! I didn''t expect her to show up herself!"


    As for the Boehm incident, she had deliberately sent someone to make trouble, but it failed.She had


    been holding back her anger.She hadn''t expected to meet Lucia when she came out for a walk to rx.


    It was really bad luck! Lisa said hypocritically, "But we still don''t know the identity of that olddy..."


    "She''s with Lucia.She must be Lucia''s grandma.Anyway, she''s an elder in Lucia''s family.If she gets


    lost, wouldn''t Lucia be anxious?"


    Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    Irene nced around, and said in a deep voice, "Anyway, there is no surveince here.What are you


    afraid of? Besides, we''ll just find a reason to take that olddy away just to make Lucia worry.We aren''t


    doing anything outrageous!"


    Hearing what she said, Lisa breathed a sigh of relief, nodded quickly, and said in agreement, "Okay, I''ll


    watch it for youter."


    Irene nodded, nced around, andmanded in a low voice, "Look in the direction of Lucia.I''ll go


    and lead the olddy away."


    The two looked at each other, reached an agreement, and dispersed.


    lrene deliberately went around in a circle, walking from one side to the other, before she walked


    towards Grandma.


    After approaching and meeting Grandma''s eyes, Irene asked with a sweet smile, "Grandma, are you


    waiting for Lucia?"


    Grandma was startled.


    She paused, and asked hesitantly, "Who are..."


    Irene lied, "I''m a good friend of Lucia, and we met just now.But she identally fell.Another friend of


    mine took her to the medical room in the garden to bandage the wound.She asked me toe over


    and tell you, and take you to find her."


    When Grandma heard that Lucia was injured, she looked startled, and asked worriedly, "How is Lucia?


    Why was she injured?"


    Irene frowned at the right time, and exined, "She identally stepped on a stone, fell, and bled a


    little.It''s quite serious."


    When Grandma heard what she said, she became a little nervous and got up quickly, "Where is she


    now? Take me there..."


    A trace of coldness shed across Irene''s eyes.


    She smiled and help Grandma to her feet, "Okay, I''ll take you there!"


    This time, she''d like to wait and see how Lucia would respond when she saw that the olddy was


    gone! She deliberately took circles, led Grandma through several difficult paths, and deliberately


    walked to ces with few people.


    This ecological botanical garden was veryrge, and there were no fences around.


    There were many winding paths inside.


    After walking for a while and seeing fewer and fewer people around, Grandma noticed something was


    wrong, turned to look at Irene, and asked, "Miss, haven''t we arrived yet?"


    Irene paused slightly.She pulled Grandma forward and pointed to the white house in front, "It''s right


    there."


    Seeing this, Grandma breathed a sigh of relief, nodded, and continued to walk forward.


    Seeing that she was about to arrive, Irene suddenly released her hand and said softly, "Grandma, I''m


    going to the bathroom.Wait for me..."


    With that, she walked to the side.


    Grandma was stunned for a moment.


    But before she could react, Irene had walked far.


    Grandma looked at the white house over there, and at the silhouette of the person walking further and


    further away, feeling a little uneasy.


    After waiting for a few minutes, she didn''t see Irene back.


    Grandma gritted her teeth and walked towards the white house.


    But when she got closer, she found that the white house turned out to be a bathroom! Was she


    deceived? But after so many detours just now, she didn''t remember the way back...


    At the same time, Lucia bought water.She was afraid that Grandma would be too hot, so she also


    bought a parasol and went back.


    But when she got closer, she saw that on the bench under the shade of the tree, it was empty and


    there was no one at all! Where was Grandma? Lucia''s nerves tightened instantly and she ran over


    quickly.


    Looking at the empty bench, she turned her head in confusion to search around.She had told Grandma


    to wait for her here and not to run around.


    How could she disappear in such a short time?! Lucia panicked.She immediately spread out around the


    bench to look for her.


    "Grandma!"


    "Where are you, Grandma!"


    After shouting a few times, she heard no response.


    Instead, it attracted the attention of some passersby.


    Lucia was anxiously sweating on her forehead.She didn''t care about what she had bought.She put it


    down and immediately began shouting and walking around to look for her.She searched around and


    asked all the passersby nearby, but she didn''t find any useful information.


    What should she do? Why did Grandma suddenly disappear? Grandma didn''t seem to have a mobile


    phone with her.


    If something happened to her, how should she exin it to August and the Adams family? At Starlight


    za, the entire sixth floor was filled with high-end brands.


    Jeanne picked up a red dress from the hanger, put it in front of her, turned, and asked August, "August,


    do you think this looks good?"


    August''s eyes were rarely gentle, and he nodded dotingly, "Yes.You look good in anything."


    When Jeanne heard it, she smiled happily.She nodded, and handed the dress in her hand to the shop


    assistant beside her, "Well, I''ll try it on.You wait for me."


    "OK, go ahead."


    Watching Jeanne walk into the fitting room with the shop assistant, August sat on the sofa chair and


    picked up a magazine to read.


    Soon, Jeanne changed her clothes and came out from behind the drawn curtain, smiling brightly at


    August.


    The red color made her skin fairer, and her long soft hair and innocent smile made her look very


    beautiful.


    August froze, but another woman''s face suddenly shed in his mind.He remembered that Lucia had


    once worn such a red dress, which was very eye-catching.


    With a shy smile on her face, Jeanne came over and stretched out her hand to hold August''s arm, and


    asked in a coquettish way, "How is it?"


    August bowed his head and said in a low voice, "It''s beautiful."


    As soon as he finished it, the phone in his pocket rang.


    August took out his phone and nced at the phone screen.


    When he saw that it was Lucia, he frowned.


    Did she take the initiative to call him? It was so rare.


    August turned the hand holding the phone slightly, turned the phone screen toward him, turned to look


    at Jeanne beside him, and said, "Jeanne, I''ll answer the call."


    With that, he quickly walked to the side.


    Looking at his back, Jeanne suddenly looked unhappy.


    She nced at the phone screen just now and saw the caller ID "Lucia".


    It was this woman again! She was so pissed off! August turned his back to her and answered the


    phone.


    His voice was cold, "What''s the matter?"


    A sobbing sound came from the other end of the phone.


    Then Lucia said between sobs, "...August, where are you?"


    August was startled, and his expression changed suddenly.


    What happened to her? Was something wrong?

 Chapter 200

    Chapter 200


    Chapter 200 I Will Try My Best To Make It Up


    A secondter, he came to his sense and asked in a deep voice, "What''s the matter with you?"


    Lucia sounded worried, "Grandma...she disappeared! I lost her."


    August''s face darkened.He couldn''t care about anything else, so he quickly asked, "What did you


    say?!"


    How could it involve Grandma? How could she be with Grandma? Lucia regretted a lot and said


    quickly, "Grandma and I went to the Ecological Garden for a walk.I went away to buy water, and she ¡ª


    disappeared when I went back.I searched for a long time, but I couldn''t find her, August, what should I


    do?"


    When August heard this, his mind went nk and he couldn''t help tightening his grip on the phone.


    This stupid woman lost his grandma! August suppressed his anger and said word by word, "Find


    Kanye, the bodyguard, and keep looking.I''ll take someone there!"


    With that, he hung up the phone and turned around.


    Jeanne stepped forward hesitantly.


    Seeing August''s expression, she was stunned and asked, "August, what''s wrong with you? What


    happened?"


    August''s face was slightly cold, and he said without hesitation, "Jeanne, when you''re done buying it,


    put it on my ount.I have something to do right now, so I need to go first."


    When Jeanne heard this, her eyes changed slightly.


    She quickly reached out and took his hand, and asked in a panic, "What makes you so anxious?


    August, can''t you stay with me?"


    Without saying a word, August immediately took his hand out of hers with a serious look, "Jeanne, be


    good, I have something urgent to do."


    He strode out.


    Watching him leave resolutely, Jeanne could not help trembling with anger.


    She gritted her teeth, and her face turned colder.


    What did Lucia tell him on the phone? August left in such a hurry and he didn''t even care about her!


    The more Jeanne thought about it, the angrier she became.


    Seeing him disappear, she stomped her foot angrily.


    This girl Lucia wasn''t going to be her threat.


    August could only be hers! After Lucia hung up the phone, she ran to the parking lot at the gate without


    dy, found Kanye, and told him about the situation.


    Kanye always had a serious face.


    When he heard that the olddy went missing, his face became even gloomier.


    He immediately said, "Mrs.Adams didn''t bring her phone, and her memory is not good.Let''s split up and


    gather at the gate."


    Lucia had long been panicked.


    Hearing what he said, she immediately agreed and went in through the gate to start looking.


    As it approached noon, the weather was getting hotter and hotter, and there were a lot fewer people in


    the Ecological Garden.


    Lucia didn''t run for a while before she was already exhausted.She was out of breath, and sweaty She


    didn''t care so much and kept looking all the way.She didn''t dare to stop.


    But there were many ces in in view in the huge Ecological Garden, and no one was there.


    asionally, when she saw a path beside a fork, she would run over to look.


    After searching for more than half an hour, there was still no progress.


    Lucia felt more and more guilty, and she couldn''t stop bursting into tears.


    How could she leave Grandmother alone? He med herself thousands of times in her heart.She ran


    around the Ecological Garden, but couldn''t find her.She went back to the gate, feeling a little dejected.


    The more she thought about it, the more regretful she became.


    Her knees felt weak and she fell on the steps, tears dripping down her cheeks.


    If she hadn''t left Grandmother alone, things wouldn''t have developed to this point...


    Suddenly, there was the sound of braking not far behind, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps.


    Lucia turned her head with tears in her eyes and saw August striding towards her.


    Her heart tightened and she stood up immediately.


    "August, I''m sorry..."


    Her voice became a little hoarse because of the shouting just now.She had been running back and


    forth in the woods.


    There was a lot of dirt on her dress, and her eyes were red and swollen from crying.She was now in a


    mess, like a stray cat.


    Seeing her like this, August tightened his brows a bit, and he couldn''t bear to yell at or me her.


    Seeing August, Lucia seemed to have found support, and her tears fell, "Grandma hasn''t been found


    yet...What should we do?"


    August took out the handkerchief in his pocket, put it in her hand, and said with a cold face, "Go to the


    car and wait.I''ll look for her."


    He turned around to signal to the group of people he brought behind him, and instructed in a cold


    voice, "Go look for her separately! Report immediately if you find something!"


    Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    Lucia raised her eyes and noticed the crowd of people behind him.She was relieved to see them


    disperse immediately after August gave the order.


    When they dispersed to look for Grandma, Lucia got into the car, still fidgeting.


    What if they couldn''t find Grandma? Or something happened to her...She didn''t dare to think more.


    Sitting in the car, she couldn''t help but think wildly, and she gradually became sleepy.She was so tired,


    and she fell asleep soon.


    After a while, there was a sudden sound of the door opening.


    Lucia was startled and her body shook violently.She woke up.


    Seeing the man standing outside the car door, Lucia suddenly woke up a little, and hurriedly asked,


    "Have you found Grandma?"


    When August saw the dried tears on her face, his eyes darkened, and his tightly pursed lips moved,


    "I''ve found her.Don''t worry."


    Lucia got up immediately and got out of the car in a hurry, "Where''s Grandma? Is she okay?"


    As soon as she took a step down, a big hand grabbed her shoulder firmly.


    "I have asked Kanye to take her back.She is fine.She just got lost.She was found in a restaurant facing


    the street outside the Ecological Garden"


    Hearing August''s words, Lucia finally felt relieved.Her knees felt weak and her tense nerves loosened a


    lot.


    Lucia said to herself, "As long as Grandma is fine..."


    August looked at her with mixed feelings.


    When he learned that she had lost his grandmother, he was extremely angry.


    But when he saw her worried like this, he couldn''t say anything to me her.


    After a pause, he took a deep look at her, and his voice was low and deep, "Get in the car.I''ll take you


    back."


    Lucia took a deep breath and came to her sense.


    Looking at his sullen face, she couldn''t help grabbing the corner of his shirt.


    August turned his head with obvious coldness in his eyes, "What are you doing?"


    Lucia knew in her heart that although he didn''t say it, he still med her.


    After all, if something happened to Grandma, the consequences would be disastrous.


    Lucia¡¯s nose felt sour.


    She bit her lips and lowered her eyes to apologize, "I''m sorry.I didn''t take good care of Grandma."


    As soon as she lowered her head, her chin looked more slender.


    Her full lips became dry and wrinkled, and her pale face became haggard.


    But it added a touch of unique beauty to her.


    August''s heart tightened a little, and he had the urge to take her into his arms.


    But a secondter, he calmed himself down and his voice was as cold as ever, "It''s not your fault.Get in


    the car."


    He turned around to get into the car, but her hand holding the corner of his clothes did not loosen.


    Looking back again, he heard her say, "I feel very guilty.If there is anything you need me to do, tell me,


    and I will try my best to make it up."


    When August heard her words, he thought of something, and he paused slightly.


    Two secondster, he looked back at her and asked, "No matter what, you''ll agree?"

 Chapter 201

    Chapter 201


    Chapter 201 He Did Have A Warm Heart


    Lucia didn''t hesitate, nodded without thinking, and said in a firm voice, "Well, I agree."


    She had felt indebted to August.


    Now with something like this happening, she felt even guiltier.


    "Well, get in the car first."


    Lucia took a deep breath, released him, and got into the car.


    On the way back, neither of them said a word, and it was so quiet in the car.


    The car stopped outside the gate of themunity.


    Lucia reached out to push the door and looked at August tentatively.


    Seeing that he didn''t respond, she got out of the car.


    The moment the car door closed, she heard his voice, "Tomorrow I''ll ask Burton to pick you up and go


    back to the old house to see Grandma."


    "Okay."


    Lucia nodded and closed the door.


    The car started and left quickly.


    Lucia sighed lightly.


    She turned around, walked into themunity, and returned to the apartment.


    When she got home, she washed her face ad charged her phone which had been turned off because it


    was out of battery.


    As soon she turned it on, she found that there were several missed calls from Elisa.


    Lucia was startled, and then she reacted suddenly.


    She had forgotten to tell them that she couldn''t go to the hospital today! She hurriedly called back,


    exined to Elisa, and hung up the phone.


    Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief.


    After much tossing, she was now hungry and tired.


    She walked around the kitchen but found that there was nothing in the refrigerator.


    It was really bad luck.


    Lucia bit her lips and was about to order a takeaway when the doorbell rang suddenly.


    She walked to the door and saw a young man in a takeaway uniform standing outside the door through


    the cat''s eye.


    She opened the door in confusion.


    The young man handed her a hot takeaway and said, "Miss, here is your takeaway"


    But she didn''t order takeout...


    She hesitantly took it.


    She nced at the order posted on it and found the name of the store somewhat familiar.


    It seemed to be a restaurant where she had dined before, and August took her there...


    Could it be that August ordered it for her? His face shed in her mind, and Lucia felt warm.


    He was the only one who could order her takeout at this time.


    Although he looked cold on the surface, he did have a warm heart...


    This night, Lucia didn''t sleep well.


    Even in her dream, she was running around in the Ecological Garden to look for Grandma.


    When she woke up, it was just dawn.


    She tidied up briefly.


    Soon Burton called and said that he was downstairs.


    It was less than an hour''s drive.


    Lucia arrived at the old house.


    After getting out of the car and looking at the familiar old house, Lucia suddenly hesitated.


    "Come in, please.Mr.Adams and Old Mrs.Adams are on the second floor."


    Hearing Burton''s reminder, Lucia took a deep breath, nodded, and plucked up the courage to walk in.


    Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    They walked to the second floor, and Burton took her to the door of the bedroom and opened the door.


    When Lucia walked in, she saw Grandma lying on the bed and August standing by the side.


    When Grandma saw Lucia, her eyes lit up, "Oh, Lucia, you came."


    "Grandma..."


    She quickly stepped forward and asked worriedly, "How are you? Are you okay?"


    Grandma nodded, looked weakly at August, and said softly, "August, you go out first.I have something


    to tell Lucia."


    Hearing this, August paused, nced at Lucia, but said nothing.


    He got up, walked out of the room, and closed the door.


    Lucia was a little puzzled.


    When she turned around, she saw Grandma looking at her with hesitation.


    "Grandma, what''s wrong?"


    Was there anything she couldn''t say in front of August? Grandma took a deep breath and said casually,


    "Yesterday''s incident, don''t take it seriously.I don''t me you..."


    Hearing this, Lucia lowered her eyes and said softly, "If I had brought you with me at the time, it would


    not have happened."


    When Grandma heard this, she patted the back of her hand and said softly, "Actually, I didn''t get lost


    yesterday."


    When Lucia heard this, she was shocked and looked up at her in surprise, "Then why..."


    Why did she suddenly disappear? "Yesterday when I was waiting for you, a girl about your age


    suddenly came over and said that she was your friend..."


    After hearing Grandma recall what had happened yesterday, Lucia became more and more shocked.


    ording to Grandma''s description, she couldn''t guess who it was, but one thing was certain.


    That girl was probably doing it because of her! "Then why didn''t you tell August about this?"


    Grandma sighed softly, "I was afraid that he would me you, so I didn''t tell him.Fortunately, nothing


    happened.But I think I should tell you.No matter who she is, you have to be careful!"


    Lucia felt heavy-hearted and very uneasy.She didn''t seem to have offended anyone.She went through


    the women she knew in her mind, but in the end, she still had no clue.


    The only person she might have offended was Irene, but they hadn''t seen each other for a long time.


    Could it be her? Seeing her in a trance, Grandma said softly, "Lucia, it''s not your fault this time.I asked


    you toe and told you this because I think you should know.But don''t take it to heart."


    Lucia came to her sense and nodded at her.


    She came out of Grandma''s bedroom and still felt worried.


    Now she didn''t know who the girl was.She was targeted and didn''t know who did it.She had no defense


    against the enemy.


    What was even worse was that it even implicated Grandma.


    No matter who it was, she was unforgivable! Just after taking two steps, she inadvertently raised her


    eyes and saw August standing against the wall at the entrance of the stairs not far ahead.


    He was wearing a shirt without a tie, with two buttons unbuttoned at the neckline, looking a little more


    casual.


    He was just casually standing against the wall, but he was still charming.


    It looked like he was waiting for her.


    Lucia clenched her fists secretly, gathered up her courage, and walked towards August.


    Grandma didn''t tell him about it, but she felt that it would be better to let him know in case something


    happened again...


    She stepped forward and said in a serious tone, "August, let''s talk."


    A trace of surprise shed across August''s eyes.


    After a second, he said slightly, "Okay,"


    Coincidentally, he also had something to tell her.


    August stepped forward and led her into the study.


    When the door was closed, he walked to the sofa and sat down in a casual posture.


    Then he lifted his chin slightly and said, "Sit down."


    Lucia sat down opposite him.


    She took a deep breath and said softly, "Actually, Grandma disappeared yesterday not because she


    got lost."


    As soon as Lucia said that, August tensed a little, and his eyes immediately turned sharp and cold.


    "What happened?"


    When he found Grandma yesterday, she told him that she had identally lost her way.


    Did it turn out to be another story now? Lucia unhurriedly repeated Grandma''s words to August, only to


    see his face getting darker and colder.


    For the people he cherished, he would never allow them to be harmed in the slightest! Lucia paused,


    and then said softly, "I couldn''t even figure out who it was..."


    August frowned tightly and said coldly, "I''ll check."


    When Lucia heard this, she nodded, "This incident has something to do with me anyway.I''m sorry."


    With that, she stood up and bowed to apologize to August.


    Seeing this, August thought of what she had said before she got into the car.


    He raised his eyebrows and asked, "Does what you said yesterday still count?"


    Lucia was stunned at first.


    Remembering what she had said, she nodded, "Of course."


    When August heard this, he took a document from the side, handed it to her, and said, "Then sign it."

 Chapter 202

    Chapter 202


    Chapter 202 He Was Quite Protective Of Her Seeing the contract-like document handed over, Lucia


    was slightly startled and flipped through the papers.


    She was even more surprised when she saw the use that Party A should bear the operation fee of


    Party B''s father.


    She frowned and her face was a little pale.


    She looked at August and asked, "What is this?"


    August said indifferently, "A contract that is beneficial to both of us."


    "I will bear all the expenses for Mr.Mitchell''s surgery as long as you can fulfill the stiptions in the


    contract."


    Hearing what he said, Lucia suddenly turned cold.


    She tightened her grip on the document slightly, bit her lips, and said, "Are you going to keep me?"


    Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    She had watched movies and TV series with simr plots before.


    Some female protagonists would sign such contracts because they needed money, and both parties


    would take what they needed.


    She had never thought that she would experience such a thing one day.


    "Not exactly."


    August looked serious and said in a firm tone, "You need money for your father''s surgery, and I need


    you to help me put ona show in front of my grandma."


    Lucia frowned and asked in confusion, "Why?"


    August stared at her with dark and deep eyes, and said word by word, "Because it was you who got the


    marriage certificate with me at the beginning, and Grandma likes you very much, I need you tofort


    Grandma during this time when she is not in good health.


    So you just need to cooperate with me and put on a show.


    That''s all.


    Seeing that Lucia didn''t say a word for a long time, August said lightly, "I''m doing it for the sake of


    Grandma''s health.


    If you don''t want to, I won''t force it."


    After thinking for a moment, Lucia bit her lips and confirmed again, "Is it all I have to do?"


    August nodded slightly, "You just need toply with the stiptions in the contract for one year."


    Lucia fell silent and wrung her hands.


    She hesitated.


    She didn''t know whether she should agree or not.


    If she signed the contract, her family''s burden would be reduced a lot.


    Besides, it was for the benefit of Grandma.


    She had already said that she would agree to any of his conditions.


    After thinking about it and carefully weighing the pros and cons, Lucia flipped through the contract


    again.


    After a moment, she made up her mind and said, "Okay, I agree."


    For her father and Grandma, she would rather stay by August''s side and put on a show with him.


    When August heard this, he didn''t seem surprised by her choice.


    Lucia gritted her teeth, hesitated for a few seconds, and finally picked up the pen and signed it.


    The moment Lucia put the document in front of August, she suddenly felt that she had sold herself.


    But when August signed it, she knew that whether she regretted itter or not, the deal was closed.


    But no matter what, the fact that her father could have the operation as soon as possible was very


    good news for her.


    Taking a deep breath, she nced at the time, looked at August, and said softly, "If nothing else, I''ll


    go."


    August nced at her, nodded casually, got up, and followed her out.


    When they went downstairs, Lucia heard people talking in the living room.


    After walking downstairs, she found someone over there.


    Bishop was sitting in a wheelchair, talking to his subordinate Bob.


    Coincidentally, Bishop turned his head and saw Lucia.


    His eyes lit up and he greeted her with a smile, "Lucia, why are you here?"


    Lucia smiled at him, "I''ll be here to see Grandma."


    He controlled the wheelchair, got closer to her, and asked slowly, "Are you going to leave?"


    Lucia nodded, "Yeah."


    Bishop smiled and said kindly, "Well, I''ll see you out.


    It just so happens that I''m going out too."


    Lucia hesitated and didn''t know whether to agree or not when suddenly a cold voice came from behind,


    "No need."


    Then her shoulder was held from the side.


    The voice got a little closer, "I''ll see her out."


    Lucia turned her head to look at August awkwardly.


    After all, this was the first time he had ever taken the initiative to get close to her in front of others.


    Bishop''s eyes naturally fell on Lucia''s shoulder.


    After two seconds, he smiled and said, "August, since you see her out, then I can rest assured."


    With that, he looked at Bob beside him.


    Bob took the hint, and immediately pushed the wheelchair and walked out.


    Lucia secretly sighed that August and Bishop were ipatible, like fire and water.


    They fought with each other whenever they met.


    Suddenly, she felt lightened on the shoulder.


    August took his hand away and said, "Let''s go."


    Lucia was stunned and followed him.


    August and Lucia got into the car and drove away first.


    On the other side, Bob took Bishop into the car, put away the wheelchair, got in the car, and drove


    away from the old house.


    Sitting in the back, Bishop seemed in a good mood, with a somewhat ambiguous smile on his face.


    The car was driving on the road.


    From his angle, he could see August''s car not far ahead.


    He said leisurely, "Have you noticed that August treats Lucia a little differently than before?"


    Bob asked, "Why is it different?"


    Bishop smiled, "Just now, he was quite protective of her"


    Bob was puzzled, "Why didn''t I feel it?"


    Hearing this, Bishop chuckled.


    Bob had never dated girls, so naturally, he couldn''t see anything.


    Bishop didn''t answer Bob''s question and said directly, "Go back to the vi."


    It only took fifteen minutes to get from the old house to Bishop''s vi.


    He usually split his time between the old house and his vi.


    He didn''t move out independently like August because he wanted to impress Grandma as a filial


    grandson.


    It was just that Grandma didn''t like him very much.


    She neither liked him nor hated him.


    He knew that he was not as good as August in Grandma''s eyes, but he didn''t mind it.


    He was an illegitimate child after all.


    lt was only at the age of sixteen that he officially entered the Adams family.


    Without the time spent by Grandma''s side when he was a child, he was naturally no match for August.


    But he didn''t care.


    When he arrived at the vi, Bob pushed him to the recovery room on the second floor.


    As soon as he opened the door, he saw Mandy sitting on a chair in front of the floor-to-ceiling window


    with an open book in her arms, but her head was already tilted to one side.


    She had fallen asleep.


    Bishop smiled.


    With a wave of his hand, Bob stepped back and controlled the automatic wheelchair to approach


    Mandy.


    Stopping by Mandy''s side, Bishop picked up the book in her arms and nced at it.


    It was a book of poems.


    It was interesting that she liked poetry.


    Mandy opened her eyes slightly, saw the person suddenly appearing beside her, and immediately


    stood up in a panic, "Mr....Mr.Adams! When did youe back?"


    Bishop put the book aside and said, "When you were drooling in your sleep."


    When Mandy heard this, she blushed a little with shame and quickly raised her hand to wipe her chin.


    Huh? No drool? Why did he...


    She raised her eyes to look at Bishop, and then she realized that she was being teased.


    She was angry, but she couldn''t say anything.


    She hurriedly put the book back on the shelf.


    During this period of contact, she had found that Bishop was not as serious and indifferent as the first


    time they met.


    Sometimes he even joked with her She stepped forward and reminded, "Mr.Adams, today''s


    rehabilitation training has not been done."


    Bishop said softly, "Well, let''s get started."

 Chapter 203

    Chapter 203


    Chapter 203 Am I Useless? Mandy nodded and brought the traction band and instruments from the


    side.


    She was about to help Bishop in when he suddenly raised his hand and said in a serious tone, "I want


    to try it myself."


    During this period, he had been very cooperative in the treatment, and his legs felt a little.


    From being unable to stand up at first, now he was able to stand up for one second, two seconds, and


    three seconds while holding on to something...


    There were signs of improvement.


    Of course, in addition to the credit of the therapist, Mandy''s role was also indispensable.


    Now, rehabilitation training had be a must-do item for them every day.


    Hearing this, Mandy hesitated, "The therapist said you''d better..."


    Bishop''s tone suddenly turned cold and he interrupted her, "I want to try."


    Mandy frowned, looked at his legs, and said nothing.


    Bishop supported the wheelchair on both sides, and slowly exerted force with both arms, propping up


    his body little by little.


    A normal person mainly relied on the support of his legs to stand up, while he relied on the strength of


    his arms.


    His two legs were soft and weak, like sticks spliced together, with no support at all He took a deep


    breath, closed his eyes, and slowly moved the weight of the support from his arms to his feet.


    The moment hepletely let go, his body stood up.


    One second, two seconds, three seconds...


    Before three seconds had passed, his legs suddenly softened, and his body fell to the side


    unexpectedly.


    With the aid of instruments, he wouldn''t fall.


    But now, he didn''t use instruments at all.


    If he fell, he might injure his legs again.


    When Bishop fell to the ground, Bishop felt something soft.


    When he opened his eyes, he found that Mandy rushed over at some point, and ced herself directly


    under him, acting as a human air cushion.


    "You..."


    Mandy endured the pain and asked, "Mr.Adams, are you all right?"


    As she spoke, she stood up slowly, helping Bishop''s body to stand up straight.


    In any case, Bishop had an adult male weight, and it was indeed a lot of effort for Mandy to help him


    up.


    After helping him into the wheelchair, she breathed a sigh of relief and continued to ask, "Mr.Adams,


    are you okay..."


    Bishop lowered his eyes and saw that her elbow was red and scratched.


    He took a deep breath and closed his eyes in pain.


    Now, he needed a woman! "Mr.Adams?"


    Mandy called out tentatively after seeing that he didn''t speak for a long time.


    Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    Bishop opened his eyes and stared at her seriously with deep eyes.


    After a two-second pause, he suddenly said, "As a man, am I very useless?"


    Mandy was stunned at first and then said, "No, Mr.Adams, don''t think like that.


    In this world..."


    Bishop gritted his teeth in pain.


    He suddenly stretched out his hand, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her closer.


    His eyes were dark and unclear, and he almost said through gritted teeth, "Don''t lie to me!"


    Suchfort was worthless! Since his legs were disabled and he couldn''t stand up, he had heard


    countless people say simr words to him! Now when he heard it again, he felt nothing but disgust!


    Mandy stared at him with widened eyes in panic, as if she hadn''t expected him to suddenly lose control


    of his emotions.


    The two of them looked at each other, and the atmosphere in the room was extremely cold.


    At this moment, the parrot Lightning on the stand nearby suddenly said, "I wish you good health and all


    the best! I wish you good health and all the best!"


    This was a new auspicious phrase that Mandy had been trying so hard to teach the parrot these days.


    It was originally meant to bless Bishop, but she hadn''t expected it to say it at this time, which was


    somewhat ironic.


    In an instant, Bishop''s anger grew even stronger.


    He released Mandy''s wrist suddenly, grabbed the nket on the wheelchair, and threw it at the parrot


    angrily.


    The parrot fluttered into the air, quacked, and jumped to the other end of the stand.


    It tilted its head and looked over carefully.


    Bishop said angrily, "Get out! Get out with it!"


    Mandy had never seen him like this before.


    She was so frightened that she nodded quickly, grabbed the parrot stand on the table, and quickly


    walked out of the recovery room.


    When the door was closed, she gasped for breath.


    When she reached the stairs, the parrot tilted its head and continued to quack, "I wish you good health


    and all the best!"


    It looked proud as if waiting to be praised.


    Mandy felt amused and tapped its head, "Stupid bird, you didn''t say it at the right time! It''s all your fault.


    You made Mr.Adams angry.


    !"


    With that, she reached the stairs.


    Thinking of Bishop''s situation just now, she couldn''t rest assured, and immediately went to the first floor


    to find Bob.


    After exining the situation, she said softly, "I''m worried about Mr.Adams.


    He is alone in the room.


    Why don''t you go and check on him?"


    Bob nodded and said seriously, "Okay."


    He went to the recovery room on the second floor and knocked on the door.


    After a pause, he heard Bishop''s voice, "Come in."


    Bob pushed open the door and went in.


    Looking at Bishop''s back in a wheelchair, he walked up and said, "Mr.Adams, how are you?"


    Bishop nodded lightly.


    Bob paused for a moment, thought about it, and then exined, "It took Mandy several days to teach


    the parrot to say this.


    She has no ill intentions."


    Bishop said coldly, "I know."


    He knew that Mandy was well-intentioned, and he didn''t me her.


    The person he should me the most was not others or himself, but the one who had brought him


    these misfortunes, August.


    His eyes darkened, and he said coldly, "Apologize to Mandy for meter, and increase her monthly


    sry by 30%."


    Bob nodded, "Yes."


    Bishop looked out the window and continued, "And Merlin, take the time to ask him out"


    "Merlin went to Macan recently.


    I''m afraid he won''t be back soon."


    Hearing this, Bishop sneered, "Just tell him that there are several young and pretty girls who have just


    come from Franksfurt.


    Ask him if he wants them or not.


    Believe me, he wille back."


    He knew Merlin too well.


    Martin was controlling his funds.


    Even if he went to Macan to gamble, he couldn''t have fun at will.


    When he released some bait here, Merlin woulde back quickly.


    After all,paring the two, Merlin preferred sex.


    The day after Lucia signed the contract, Dr.Long, Mr.Mitchell''s chief surgeon, contacted her to


    determine the time of the operation and informed her that the operation fee had been paid.


    Unexpectedly, August began to keep his promise so quickly.


    But because of that contract, she didn''t sleep well for several days.


    That contract felt like a ve contract, always making her feel

 Chapter 204

    Chapter 204


    Chapter 204 Concert Tickets Lucia couldn''t helpughing, and deliberately teased Pa, "What''s the


    big day? Are you getting married?"


    On the other end of the phone, Pa pretended to be angry, "Nonsense! I''m serious! Just the concert I


    told you aboutst time! Did you forget?"


    As soon as Lucia heard it, she immediately remembered that Pa had told her when she came back


    from Franksfurtst time, and she had promised that she would go.


    She smiled and said, "Of course, I didn''t forget!"


    To raise the surgery fee for her father, she had been very busy recently.


    She finally had time, and it was good to take this opportunity to rx.


    Besides, this concert was Pa''s first show after returning from abroad.


    So, of course, she would go to the concert.


    "It''s the day after tomorrow! I''m sending the tickets to you.


    The address is yourpany, and it should arriveter!"


    "Okay, I know."


    Pa continued, "Two in total...


    It doesn''t matter if Burton doesn''te.


    As long as youe, I''ll be happy"


    When Lucia heard this, she couldn''t helpughing.


    Girls were all duplicitous.


    How could she not guess Pa''s true thoughts? "Don''t worry.


    I''ll see what I can do."


    "Alright...


    That''s it.


    I''ll hang up first."


    It was rare for Pa to hang up her phone so quickly.


    Lucia smiled helplessly, looked at the screen of her phone, and couldn''t help shaking her head.


    Pa was in love! It didn''t take long for her to receive a call from the delivery man.


    After she went downstairs to pick up the tickets, she nced at the time.


    There were still ten minutes before going back to work in the afternoon.


    At this time, Burton should be in thepany.


    Then she''d better send it to him directly.


    Whether he was going or not depending on his own decision.


    After getting on the elevator from the lobby on the first floor, Lucia went directly to the floor where the


    President''s Office was.


    She saw Burton not long after she walked out.


    She was just about to stop him, but he didn''t see her and walked directly to the door of the office.


    Lucia¡¯s pace slowed down a bit, and she had a bad premonition.


    As expected, after taking two more steps, she saw Augusting out of the office and talking to


    Burton.


    She paused and was about to turn away and wait a while on the side when August raised his head and


    looked towards her as if he was sensing something.


    The moment their eyes met, they were both stunned.


    Lucia bit her lips and was about to bite the bullet and turn around when August suddenly raised her


    chin slightly at her as if to motion for her to go over.


    In this way, she couldn''t dodge even if she wanted to.


    She took a deep breath and walked over.


    August raised his eyebrows slightly and nced at her, "Are you here to see me?"


    Before she could speak, he turned around and said, "Come in."


    At that moment, Lucia gritted her teeth and hesitated, "No...


    no."


    August paused and looked back at her.


    Didn''t shee to see him? Lucia clenched her fists, took a look at Burton with courage, lowered her


    eyes quickly, and said in a low voice, "I''m here to see Burton."


    To TOT + 1U As soon as she said these words, the atmosphere instantly became awkward.


    August''s eyes darkened and he nced at Burton next to him.


    His temples throbbed.


    After two seconds, he turned around, walked into the office, and closed the office door directly.


    The sound was loud.


    Burton on the side was ashamed and a little uneasy.


    The president seemed angry with him, but he didn''t do anything! He looked at Lucia and quickly asked,


    "Ms.


    Mitchell, what''s the matter?"


    Lucia breathed a sigh of relief, took out a concert ticket from her pocket, and handed it to him, "This is


    the ticket to the concert where Pa will be performing.


    She asked me to give it to you."


    As soon as he heard the word "Pa", Burton''s lit up and he quickly reached out to take it, "Okay."


    "Well..."


    Lucia smiled, looked at him, and said, "Will you go?"


    Burton nodded without hesitation and smiled slightly, "Yes."


    "That''s good."


    Seeing Burton''s expression, Lucia couldn''t help but deepen her smile.


    She winked at him, and said meaningfully, "Men should take the initiative,e on!"


    With that, she turned and left, leaving Burton standing there alone.


    He froze at first and smiled again.


    He put away the ticket.


    Remembering that what August had told him was not finished, he turned around and knocked on the


    door of the office.


    August responded in the office.


    When he looked up, Burton had already pushed the door open and walked in.


    There was a smile on his face, and he seemed in a good mood.


    August couldn''t help frowning.


    He wondered what Lucia had said to him just now.


    "Mr.Adams, what you just ordered..."


    Before Burton could finish his sentence, he was ruthlessly interrupted, "What did she say just now?"


    "Ms.


    Mitchell? She left after she gave me one thing..."


    August asked with a gloomy expression, "What is it?"


    He hadn''t received anything from her yet.


    Now Burton was one step ahead of him? Burton looked a little embarrassed.


    But looking at August''s unhappy face, he took out the ticket he had put away.


    He tried to exin, "It''s the ticket to a concert.


    Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    Her friend has a performance, and she asked me to go watch it..."


    When he heard that it was Lucia''s friend, August''s expression softened, "Is it Pa?"


    "Yes, it''s her."


    August raised his eyebrows slightly and nced at the ticket in his hand, "Lucia will go too?"


    "Yes."


    August''s temples throbbed again.


    Tickets were usually given for consecutive seats.


    Did this mean that Pa would be ying on stage and Lucia and Burton would sit together to watch


    the concert? His assistant was going to watch a concert with his ex-wife.


    It sounded so weird.


    After a few seconds of pause, he raised his eyebrows slightly and said calmly, "I suddenly want to go


    and watch it.


    Leave the ticket.


    You buy another one, and thepany will reimburse you."


    Burton was stunned, "Well..."


    He''d worked for August for a few years, but he had never seen August go to a concert.


    What was going on? The president suddenly became interested in music.


    "What?"


    August looked up at him and his eyes were deep and cold, "Is it inconvenient?"


    Burton quickly responded, "Of course not.


    I''ll buy it now!"


    He had no choice but to obey his boss.


    Burton nced down at the ticket in his hand and slowly ced it in the corner of the table.


    He was afraid that he didn''t know what to say when Pa asked.


    Putting down the ticket, Burton turned around and left.


    Just as he reached the door, he was suddenly stopped.


    August leaned back slightly on the back of the chair, looked up at him, and said softly, "Burton, are you


    interested in Lucia''s friend?"


    Burton was surprised.


    Was it so obvious? He just liked her.


    He nodded, "Sort of"


    Hearing what he said, August breathed a sigh of relief, "Well, it''s good."


    Burton was perplexed.


    Looking at August, who was looking down at the documents, he didn''t even understand what he meant.


    When the door was closed, August smiled.


    Burton could like anyone but Lucia.


    Otherwise, as her ex-husband, he would be so humiliated.

 Chapter 205

    Chapter 205


    Chapter 205 He Went To The Concert August stopped flipping through the documents, raised his eyes,


    and nced at the ticket on the table.


    When he saw the time and ce clearly, his eyes darkened slightly.


    It was the night after tomorrow in the Austos City International Conference Hall.


    He thought that he could go and have a look.


    After returning from the President''s Office to the Administration Department, Lucia picked up her phone


    and sent a message to Pa, [The tickets have been delivered, and he said he would go.] If she didn''t


    send Pa a message, with Pa''s temperament, she would probably be restless and wait all


    afternoon.


    Pa was obviously in love.


    As expected, in a second, Lucia got a reply.


    Pa''s tone was indeed blunt, [I don''t care if he goes or not!] Then there was another message with a


    squinting smile emoji, [But you must go!] Lucia smiled and didn''t think much.


    She started to work after replying.


    On the other hand, after receiving the message from Lucia, Pa quickly sent a message to her


    brother Paul, "Paul, Lucia said she will go."


    After sending it, she somehow felt she had betrayed her friend.


    But when she thought that she did this to make her good best friend be her future sister-inw,


    she put all her guilt behind her.


    In a blink of an eye, two days passed.


    From early morning to afternoon, Lucia received several reminder text messages from Pa.


    As soon as she got off work, she left thepany in a hurry, grabbed something to eat, and went back


    to the apartment to change clothes.


    Anyway, today was Pa''s "big day", and she had to dress more formally.


    She put on an off-white long dress with a wide hem.


    The V-neckline added a sense ofziness and casualness.


    The tightening of the waist outlined the lines of her body.


    The hem was wide, and every step she took could reveal her long legs and slender ankles.


    Her hair was slightly curly and her makeup was light.


    N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    Lucia looked at herself in the mirror and felt that she had never been so feminine before.


    The way she dressed wouldn''t disgrace Pa at least.


    She put on a pair of nude pink high-heeled sandals.


    She smiled contentedly, picked up the pearl handbag, and walked out.


    Going out in such a formal manner gave her the illusion of going out on a date.


    But when she thought that she had no date at all, she couldn''t help but smile mockingly.


    It was 7:30 when she arrived at the Austos City International Conference Hall.


    The concert officially started at 8:00.


    After Lucia entered the venue, found her seat and sat down.


    She sent Pa a few messages but got no response.


    Thinking that maybe she was busy preparing, she didn''t continue to text her.


    After a while, a lot of people entered the venue and most of them were in groups of two or three, sitting


    down together and chatting in a low voice.


    Lucia suddenly felt a little lonely.


    But just a few seconds after she felt lonely, there was the sound of leather shoes walking in the aisle


    next to her, and then someone came towards her.


    Lucia turned her head subconsciously and looked over.


    When she looked up and saw the tall man, she was slightly startled, *...Paul?"


    Paul was wearing a light gray suit.


    He looked tall and straight.


    His hairstyle seemed to have been carefully groomed, revealing his smooth forehead.


    Paul smiled, and his voice was as warm and pleasant as always, "Lucia, you came quite early."


    Lucia was a little surprised at first.


    But when she thought that as Pa''s older brother, he would naturallye to support her, all her


    doubts disappeared.


    She smiled politely at him, bent her legs to let him go in, and said softly, "Of course, I''d arrive early for


    Pa''s concert."


    Paul sat down beside her.


    His smile deepened and he said softly, "It''s good that she has you as her friend."


    Suddenly beingplimented by someone, Lucia was a little embarrassed and said with a smile,


    "She''s good too."


    She and Pa had always helped each other.


    It could be said that they would not be who they were now without each other.


    Paul nodded slightly and asked casually, "What, have you been busy with work recently?"


    "It''s much better."


    Lucia calmed down and replied honestly, "It''s not as busy as it was some time ago."


    Since she signed that contract, the burden on her shoulders had eased a lot.


    In the end, she should thank August.


    Paul said gently, "That''s good.


    No matter what, you must take care of yourself."


    The two chatted, and ten minutes passed before they knew it.


    Seeing that the audience was filling up, Lucia turned to look at the empty seat on the right and felt a


    little worried.


    Seeing that it would officially start in a few minutes, Lucia was worried because Burton hadn''te yet.


    Didn''t he say he woulde? She turned her head and looked in the direction of the entrance several


    times.


    Paul, who was sitting on her left, noticed something unusual, leaned slightly closer, and asked softly,


    "What are you looking at?"


    Lucia turned around with a worried look, and said softly, "A friend promised toe..."


    She lowered her eyebrows and looked a little disappointed.


    Paul paused.


    He nced at the vacant seat on her right and somehow thought of August.


    Was it he? He raised his hand and nced at his watch.


    There were still four minutes before the concert started.


    The lights on the stage were already on, and only the red curtain had not been drawn.


    "Don''t worry, he wille."


    Resisting the curiosity in his heart, Paul didn''t ask any further questions, but reached out and patted


    her on the shoulder lightly.


    Lucia nodded and looked forward, still feeling a little unsure.


    She should have called Burton to confirm before she came.


    Otherwise, if he didn''te after he agreed, Pa would probably be disappointed.


    At this moment, a slender figure came in from the entrance, nced at the seat row, and walked over.


    The man had an extraordinary bearing and strode forward, causing the audience on both sides to look


    at him unconsciously.


    His eyes locked on a row of seats.


    His eyes fell on the back of the long-haired girl in an off-white dress and he smiled.


    But when he saw the man sitting on the other side of the girl, his eyes darkened suddenly.


    Why was he? August frowned and walked over.


    When he saw Lucia turn her head slightly and lean over to chat with Paul with a smile, his face became


    gloomier.


    "Excuse me."


    He said slightly to the outermost person in the row and then stepped inside.


    Lucia suddenly heard a familiar voice, and her back subconsciously tensed a bit.


    When she turned her head, she saw the man walking towards her.


    August...why did hee? She froze and straightened her body.


    Her lips parted slightly, and she looked at him in astonishment.


    She had given Burton the ticket.


    Why did he show up? Before she could react, August sat down beside her.


    She bit her lips and lowered her voice, "Why are you here?"


    August turned his head slightly and asked in a low voice, "Why can''t I be here?"


    Lucia frowned and looked back, "Where''s Burton?"


    She had told Pa that she had already given the ticket to Burton, but the person who came was


    August.


    If Pa asked, how should she exin it?

 Chapter 206

    Chapter 206


    Chapter 206 Paul''s Confession Of Love August said lightly, In the back."


    With that, he turned his head to look at her, and his deep eyes met hers, "What? I''m here to


    apany you.


    Aren''t you happy?"


    He sounded confident and somewhat ambiguous.


    She bit her lips and had nothing to say.


    Did she dare to say anything? Even if she was not happy, she had to swallow it.


    When she looked up again, August''s gaze passed her and looked behind her.


    Lucia suddenly remembered that there was another man on her left.


    At the right moment, Paul said softly, "Lucia, it''s time to start."


    Hearing this, she turned her head quickly, smiled apologetically at Paul, stared straight ahead, and tried


    to calm herself down.


    It was the first time she had been caught between two men.


    Apanied by a melodious piano sound, the red curtain slowly opened and the lights on both sides


    of the venue changed.


    The concert officially started.


    The piano solo and the orchestral symphony took turns.


    After the first few shows, Lucia counted in her heart.


    The fourth one was Pa''s performance, the ensemble of cello and piano.


    When Pa appeared stunningly in a red dress, Lucia¡¯s eyes lit up and she couldn''t help feeling a little


    excited.


    With a smooth piano sound, Pa pulled the strings and caught up with the tone.


    The two different instrument sounds mixed together andplemented and collided with each other,


    performing different melodies together.


    Lucia looked at Pa in the center of the stage.


    At this moment, she was less carefree than usual.


    She was more quiet and mature, but still charming.


    On the other side, August stared at the woman with shining eyes beside him, and couldn''t help smiling.


    She clearly didn''t understand any music, yet she was still listening so seriously.


    It was kind of cute.


    His eyes moved down, and he took the time to look her up and down.


    Today Lucia didn''t look the same as usual.


    Well...


    she was somehow feminine.


    This thought shed through August''s mind.


    The next second, he suddenly reacted and looked up at the man on Lucia''s left.


    Then he frowned tightly and his heart suddenly sank.


    Was she dressed like this because of Paul? She knew she was going to the concert with him, so she


    dressed like this and put on makeup on purpose.


    Thinking of this, August couldn''t help frowning, feeling rather unhappy.


    In his impression, even before their divorce, she had never dressed up like this in front of him...


    This unpleasant feeling continued from this moment to the end of the concert, and it never dissipated.


    After more than one hour of the concert, the audience dispersed in an orderly manner.


    Lucia was about to take out her phone to send a message to Pa asking where she was when Paul


    suddenly leaned over and said softly, "Lucia, Pa messaged me that she is in the lounge, and she


    asked us to go see her there."


    Lucia paused, nodded, and asked, "Do you know where the lounge is?"


    Paul smiled, "Yes, I''ll take you there."


    August heard their conversation and looked at Paul coldly, feeling even gloomier.


    He pursed his lips tightly and said, "Lucia, I''ll take you back today."


    When Lucia heard this, she turned her head to look at him, and said hesitantly, "No, thanks, Mr.Adams,


    I have to go see my friend."


    Hearing such a blunt address, August tightened his brows and instantly turned cold.


    What? Was she trying to draw a line with him so soon? Before he could speak, Paul smiled at him, and


    said cooperatively, "Mr.Adams, don''t worry, I will take Lucia home safely."


    He sounded so provocative.


    August narrowed his eyebrows slightly, and his eyes turned cold.


    A secondter, he lowered his eyes to look at Lucia.


    His tone was not slow but very firm, "Do whatever you need to do.


    I''ll wait for you."


    A man knew another man best.


    Paul looked polite, but no one could tell if he was up to something.


    He wouldn''t let Lucia go with another man.


    Lucia was stunned, thinking that she had heard it wrong.


    August''s attitude towards her had always been very cold.


    What was wrong with him today? Was he willing to wait to take her home? Seeing that August didn''t


    seem like joking, Lucia knew that he wouldn''t change his mind at will, so she had no choice but to turn


    her head to look at Paul and said, "Well, let''s go to see Pa first.


    Weill talk about the restter.


    ."


    There was a hint of hesitation in Paul''s eyes, but he nodded slowly, "Okay."


    The people in the hall were almost gone.


    When Lucia turned her head, she saw that Burton was standing at the door waiting.


    It turned out he came too.


    They walked out of the hall.


    Paul led the way and walked along the corridor.


    Lucia followed behind him with August and Burton.


    She somehow felt that the atmosphere was weird.


    She had never expected that they would get together.


    Turning to the side along the corridor, Paul suddenly slowed down and waited for Lucia to follow, "The


    lounge is in front."


    She nodded, and was about to follow when she suddenly thought of something, paused, and looked at


    August beside her, "Why don''t you wait here?"


    After all, August was not familiar with Pa, and Pa had always had a problem with him.


    If she brought him directly into the lounge, it would be too abrupt.


    August frowned, and his eyes turned cold, and his face became gloomy.


    Afraid that he would not agree, Lucia took a deep breath and said quickly, "I''lle out after talking to


    Pa."


    Hearing what she said, August looked less unhappy.


    He nced at Paul and said solemnly, "Come out quickly."


    Lucia took a deep breath, nodded, and immediately turned to Paul''s side, "Let''s go."


    Paul lookedplicated, nodded slightly, and continued to walk forward.


    He had heard the conversation between Lucia and August just now, but he couldn''t ask her to do


    anything in any capacity now.


    Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    Maybe, after tonight, he could justifiably stand by Lucia''s side to protect and defend her.


    When he reached the door of the lounge, Paul stopped, looked at Lucia, and said softly, "Here it is."


    Seeing that he stood beside her and didn''t mean to push the door open, Lucia was a little puzzled.


    She pushed the door open.


    When the door was pushed open, it was pitch dark inside.


    Lucia frowned.


    Just when she didn''t know what was going on, she saw a light.


    The room was surrounded by finely broken warm night lights.


    On the floor in the middle, lights turned on in sequence, spelling the word "Lucia".


    There were petals, candlelights, and even music slowly ying.


    Lucia was stunned by the scene in front of her.


    She didn''t know what was going on.


    She subconsciously turned to look at Paul beside her and saw that he picked up a bunch of flowers,


    and looked at her with bright eyes.


    Lucia bit her lips, "Paul, you are..."


    Paul smiled, and said gently, "I know it''s old-fashioned, but Lucia, I like you.


    From the first time I saw you, I thought you were very special.


    When I met you again this time, I didn''t want to hesitate anymore.


    I just want to stay by your side and take good care of you."


    When Lucia heard this, her mind went nk.


    The next second she heard him continue to say, "Lucia, will you be my girlfriend?"

 Chapter 207

    Chapter 207


    Chapter 207 They Confronted About The Contract It happened so suddenly.


    When Lucia met Paul''s bright eyes, she was flustered, "Paul, I..."


    Paul''s voice was soft enough to not give her any psychological pressure, "Lucia, don''t worry, I''ll give


    you time.


    You should think about it..."


    Lucia lowered her eyes and looked at everything in the house.


    She somehow felt moved.


    No man had ever been so good to her.


    Paul was gentle and considerate.


    He was a most perfect boyfriend she had imagined.


    But she somehow felt a little hesitant.


    There was a sudden noise behind the table in the room, followed by Pa''s voice, "Ouch..."


    Lucia was taken aback for a moment, and then looked over, "Pa?"


    Pa slowly stood up from behind the table, and a trace of embarrassment shed across her face.


    T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    She smiled awkwardly, "I identally bumped into something.


    You guys continue..."


    Paul felt speechless.


    The atmosphere he had tried his best to create was ruined by her, and the moment was gone.


    Seeing the change in her brother''s face, Pa knew that it was not the right time for her to be exposed.


    So she did not hide anymore, stood up, and walked to Lucia''s side.


    She touched her arm with her elbow, and said in a low voice, "Lucia, my brother has liked you for a


    long time! I know clearly that there are pictures of you in his room!"


    A trace of embarrassment shed across Paul''s face, and he cleared his throat slightly, "Pa, don''t


    talk nonsense..."


    "I''m not talking nonsense.


    Paul, you still don''t admit it?! Haven''t you liked Lucia for a long time?"


    Lucia was a little embarrassed when she heard her words, and she blushed.


    Seeing the shy look on Lucia''s face, Paul took a deep breath and asked again, "Lucia, have you made


    up your mind? Would you like to be my girlfriend?"


    "[..."


    Watching Paul hand over the bouquet in his hand, Lucia bit her lips, hesitating whether to take it or not.


    At this moment, she suddenly felt a gaze shot from the side, and it sent a chill down her spine.


    She turned her head subconsciously and saw August standing outside the door and staring at her with


    dark eyes.


    The next second, her heart tightened, and a trace of panic shed across her face.


    When did he show up here? How much had he heard? The atmosphere suddenly became a little


    strange.


    Lucia bit her lips, and her impulse seemed worn off.


    She raised her head, met Paul''s expectant gaze, gritted her teeth, and said, "I''m sorry, Paul, I''m not


    ready yet..."


    She didn''t hate him, but she didn''t like him.


    She couldn''t ept his love just because she was moved.


    With that, she turned around, walked out of the lounge quickly, and ran past August without raising her


    head.


    Her mind was a mess.


    "Lucia!"


    "Where are you going, Lucia?"


    Paul and Pa cried behind her.


    Lucia gritted her teeth and quickened her footsteps, trying to escape from here quickly and be left


    alone.


    She didn''t understand why the moment she saw August, her original hesitation turned into rejection,


    and she didn''t even know why she felt a little guilty.


    Running out of the venue to the wide square outside, Lucia stopped, panting heavily.


    Right at this moment, there suddenly came footsteps from behind her, followed by a man''s deep voice,


    "Lucia, why are you running?"


    The next second, he grabbed her wrist, and she was pulled by a force.


    As soon as she turned around, she met August''s cold face.


    "What are you doing?"


    Lucia frowned slightly, "Let go!"


    Before she could finish her sentence, she was pulled by August and walked towards the parking space


    nearby.


    He was very strong.


    With a hint of irresistibility, he dragged her to the side of the car, opened the door, and got her into the


    car.


    The door was closed and locked and Lucia was trapped in the passenger seat.


    A burst of anger arose in her heart, "August, what''s wrong with you?"


    She didn''t do anything.


    Why did he do this to her? When August heard her words, his eyebrows tightened, and he seemed to


    be a little more hostile, and he pressed towards her without saying anything.


    As he approached, Lucia leaned back until she was pressed against the door and huddled in the


    passenger seat''s small corner.


    When there was nowhere for her to hide, he held her shoulder.


    August''s eyes turned cold and he pursed his lips.


    He said in a very cold voice, "If I didn''t show up just now, would you agree to him?"


    When he appeared at the door just now, he saw the shyness on Lucia''s face and the hesitation in her


    eyes.


    If he was one stepter, he would see them hugging each other happily.


    Thinking of this, August only felt that there was a fire burning in his heart, a warm and fiery He


    tightened his grip on her shoulder and asked in a deep voice, "Huh? Would you?"


    Lucia endured the pain, and a trace of panic shed across her eyes.


    She gritted her teeth, raised her eyes to meet his, and summoned the courage to ask, "Even if I ept


    him, it has nothing to do with you."


    As soon as she said these words, the atmosphere in the car instantly froze.


    August''s eyes were frighteningly cold.


    He stared at her stubborn face.


    After two seconds, he snorted coldly, "Have you forgotten the contract you signed? During the contract


    period, you are not allowed to see any man but me!"


    When Lucia heard it, her eyes widened in shock and she said, "Impossible!"


    At that time, she had deliberately read the terms of the contract.


    Although she did not read it carefully, she did not see such a use! "August, I also have a copy of the


    contract in my hand.


    Don''t try to fool me!"


    At that time, the contract was in two copies, and Party A and Party B held one copy each.


    She would not believe August''s words! "Really?"


    August sneered, stretched out his long arm, and fastened the seat belt for her, "Since you don''t believe


    it, why don''t you take out the contract and we''ll confront!"


    Lucia bit her lips angrily and said, "Fine, let''s confront!"


    Although she signed the contract, she was not his belongings, and she would only follow the terms of


    the contract.


    It would be impossible for him to use that contract to threaten her in everything! August started the car,


    stepped on the elerator to the bottom, and the car sped out.


    After more than twenty minutes, they arrived at their destination.


    The car stopped downstairs in the apartment.


    Lucia took a deep breath and bit her lips, "I''ll go up and get the contract.


    You wait for me."


    She was about to open the car door and get out of the car.


    But before she could step out, her wrist was grabbed.


    August said solemnly, "I''ll go with you."


    He was not a fool.


    If she didn''te back, how could he confront her? Lucia frowned.


    She was seen through, but she had nothing to say, so she could only go up with him.


    Back at the apartment, as soon as the door was opened, Lucia took a deep breath, "You wait at the


    door.


    I''ll get the contract."


    She walked into the bedroom and took out the contract from the drawer.


    As she walked out, she flipped through the document.


    After reading all the terms, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.


    No terms were stipting that she couldn''t see any man.


    It was August''s nonsense! She walked to the living room.


    When she looked down and inadvertently saw a line of small words in brackets at the bottom, she


    suddenly froze.

 Chapter 208

    Chapter 208


    Chapter 208 They Would Never Get Back Together What did it mean by "Party B shall not be entangled


    with other people of the opposite sex during the contract period, and shall put Party A''s needs first"?


    Lucia''s mind went nk.


    She rubbed her eyes as if she didn''t believe what she saw, and read it again with widened eyes.


    The small words in brackets remained the same, the same sentence she had read just now.


    Holding the contract, she stood motionless on the spot, as if petrified.


    What the hell was the request? Why limit her emotional freedom? Even the men she was in contact


    with! August, who was standing at the door, raised his eyes and saw her expression.


    He knew what was going on.


    He walked over unhurriedly, and seemed to raise his eyebrows, "I don''t need to tell you where it is,


    right?"


    It was written in the contract, and she had signed it voluntarily.


    Lucia bit her lips, and slowly tightened her grip on the contract.


    She raised her eyes to look at him and said, "You even control my love life.


    Don''t you think it''s too much?"


    Besides, even if she dated a man, it wouldn''t prevent her from cooperating with him to put on a show in


    front of Grandma.


    What did he mean? August raised his chin slightly and said in a cold tone, "To make this show more


    convincing.


    Grandma is not a fool.


    She doesn''t believe whatever I say."


    Lucia''s voice trembled a little because of her anger, "So are you restricting my emotional freedom?"


    "From the moment you signed your name, you would have to be responsible for yourself, right?"


    August stepped closer to her, and his eyes were cold, "Otherwise, do you think my money grows on


    trees?"


    His words instantly woke her up.


    Sure enough, from time immemorial to the present, the rich party had always been the dominant party.


    She had to agree to his demands for her father''s surgery expenses.


    Lucia gritted her teeth in pain.


    When she thought of the small words in brackets, her heart tightened unconsciously.


    Put his needs first? Was it any different from being kept by him? She took a deep breath, raised her


    eyes to look at him with difficulty, and slowly clenched her fists.


    She gritted her teeth and said, "It seems no different from being kept."


    August frowned slightly and turned to look at her.


    His face was cold and his thin lips were tightly pursed.


    He did not answer.


    He never meant this.


    He didn''t allow her to have contact with other men just to protect her in disguise.


    After all, only he knew howplicated a man could be, including Paul, who looked polite on the


    surface but was not simple.


    In Lucia''s view, his silence was acquiescence, an implicit acknowledgment that the essence of this


    contract was a contract to keep her.


    She felt like a p in the face.


    Her emotions wereplicated.


    Thinking of the changes and turning points in her rtionship with August, she felt amused.


    First, they were husband and wife, andter they became ex-husband and ex-wife.


    Now, a contract had turned their rtionship into one between a rich man and his lover...


    She forced a smile and instantly felt disheartened.


    Looking at the man with a slightly gloomy face, she suddenly raised her hand, stretched it to her side


    waist, and slowly unzipped her dress.


    Then, in front of him, she gritted her teeth and took off her dress.


    The dress slid down to her ankles, and her fair skin and well-proportioned figure were fully revealed in


    front of August, like a medieval sculpture radiating a soft light that made people unable to take their


    eyes off.


    August''s eyes darkened.


    He nced at her fascinating body, and his eyesnded on her face.


    He said in a low voice, "What are you doing?"


    What did she mean? Lucia gritted her teeth and forced a wry smile, "Put Party A''s needs first.


    Shouldn''t I take off my clothes and offer myself to you?"


    That contract had trampled on herst shred of dignity.


    Now she was not afraid of being even more embarrassed.


    August frowned, and a thinyer of anger appeared in the bottom of his eyes.


    He gritted his teeth and said, "Lucia!"


    He didn''t mean that at all! But Lucia suddenly stepped forward, pressed herself onto his body without


    hesitation, wrapped her arm around his neck with a pretense of calmness, and asked, "August, do you


    prefer it now?"


    From the very beginning, in his mind, she was no different from the other women around him.


    He could get her with a little money, like something that could be purchased at will.


    August lowered his eyes and looked at her pretty face was so close at hand.


    His heart was burning hot.


    Smelling her body fragrance, he was instantly tempted.


    He frowned, keeping his rationality, "Lucia, wake up."


    Lucia smiled bitterly and said, "I''ve always been sober"


    She had realized who she was in August''s eyes.


    She was just a woman he could get with a little money.


    She made up her mind, wrapped her other arm around his neck, and forced a smile, "Isn''t this why you


    tricked me into signing that contract?"


    When August heard her words, his eyes darkened, and his gloomy eyes made her shudder.


    He frowned, raised his hand, pulled her hands away from his neck, took a step back, and said coldly,


    "Respect yourself."


    With that, he turned around and walked out without hesitation.


    The door mmed shut, and Lucia stood there, her back cold and her body stiff.


    After a few seconds, her legs felt weak and she felt dizzy.


    She picked up the nket next to her and wrapped it around her body.


    Then she walked into the bedroom, threw herself on the bed, and burst into tears.


    Wasn''t that what he wanted? Why did she offer herself to her, but was used by him of not


    respecting herself? Her heart sank.


    When she thought of the contract, she couldn''t help crying more.


    She had thought that the contract was like a contract of prostitution.


    As expected, she was right.


    Lucia''s crying eyes were red and swollen, and she gradually fell asleep.


    The next day, she stood in front of the mirror and looked at her swollen eyes, feeling even more


    depressed.


    With two or threeyers of concealer, she still couldn''t hide her deep tiredness.


    She sighed, turned around, changed her clothes, and hurried to thepany.


    Although she was in an extremely bad mood, her life still had to go on.


    As long as her father was able toplete the operation well, everything she did would not be in vain.


    After a busy day at thepany, Lucia hurried to the hospital just after work.


    As soon as she walked to the door of the ward, she heard a conversationing from inside before


    she opened the door.


    Elisa persuaded softly, "Don''t worry.


    The surgery is performed by Dr.Long.


    There will be no problem."


    "Hopefully."


    Bill sighed and said softly, "Whether the operation is sessful or not, when the operation is over and


    I''m discharged from the hospital, I just hope to see our daughter marry a good man, so I can rest


    assured!"


    "Yeah...


    August is so good.


    Why can''t they get back together?"


    "Maybe it''s really like August said, they can''t get along..."


    Elisa was speechless.


    Elisa and Bill talked, and Lucia stood at the door and heard it.


    Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    She bit her lips with mixed feelings.


    She and August would never get back together.

 Chapter 209

    Chapter 209


    Chapter 209 She Met Irene Again Taking a deep breath and adjusting her expression, Lucia gently


    pushed the door open and walked in.


    She saw Bill on the bed and Elisa beside her.


    She smiled brightly at them, "Dad, Mom!"


    As soon as Elisa and Bill saw her, their expressions changed and they stopped talking about it.


    Bill sat up cheerfully and asked, "Lucia, are you busy with worktely?"


    Lucia replied with a smile, "Not busy."


    She put the fruit in her hand on the bedside table, sat down beside the bed, and asked him how he was


    doing, "How is it? How about you? How is your mood adjusting?"


    In a few days, it would be time for her father''s surgery.


    The doctor had specially told him to ensure his peace of mind and emotional stability.


    "I''m fine here.


    Don''t worry."


    Seeing a bit of blush on Bill''s thin face, Lucia patted his hand relievedly nodded, and said, "That''s


    good.


    I''m relieved!"


    After chatting with Bill for a while, a nurse came to check on his physical condition.


    Elisa took the opportunity and took Lucia out of the ward.


    Seeing Elisa''s mysterious expression, Lucia couldn''t help but ask softly, "Mom, what''s wrong?"


    Elisa frowned and asked in a low voice, "I want to ask you.


    Where did the money for the surgerye from?"


    Two days ago, Dr.Long had given them the surgery notice, and she knew that the surgery fee had been


    paid in full.


    She had collected all the money from their family and put it in Lucia''s bank ount.


    Although the amount was not small, it was still a certain distance away from paying the surgery fee.


    How could she have obtained so much money in such a short time? When asked by Elisa, Lucia


    naturally thought of the contract she had signed.


    She frowned slightly and was a little ashamed to say it.


    It was enough for her to know this kind of thing alone.


    If Elisa and Bill found out, they would be angry.


    Elisa saw Lucia''s hesitation and her face darkened.


    She hurriedly asked, "Lucia, did you do something you shouldn''t do?"


    Lucia came to her sense, frowned, and said softly, "No, I asked August for help."


    She took a deep breath and continued, "I borrowed the money from him first and I will pay it back


    slowly."


    Hearing her say this, Elisa was relieved, "That''s okay.


    August is still reliable at critical times.


    Okay, after your father¡¯s surgery, our family will pay it back together."


    Seeing her mother dispel her doubts, Lucia secretly breathed a sigh of relief.


    The contract she had signed with August should not be known to a third person.


    For her parents, she thought she''d better keep it a secret for the time being.


    Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    After leaving the hospital, Lucia got on the subway and found a ce to sit down.


    When she took out her phone, she found a few unread messages.


    She clicked open it and saw that it was sent by Paul.


    (Lucia, I''m sorry, I pushed too hard.


    Don''t take what happened yesterday to heart.] [Emotional matters should be taken slowly.


    It is my matter to like you.


    I will not put pressure on you and respect your choice.) Thest text was an interrogative sentence,


    [We are still friends, right?) Looking at these texts, Lucia was in aplicated mood.


    Although she was hesitant yesterday, Paul was a very good choice.


    But when she thought of that one-year contract, her heart sank again.


    In the end, she texted him back, [Yes, we''re still friends.] For two days in a row, Lucia lived in a daze.


    It seemed that the contract had be an invisible mountain, pressing down on her, making her


    unable to be happy.


    Fortunately, she didn''t meet August in the past two days.


    Slowly, she was busy working, and the sadness gradually dissipated.


    "Lucia, how about we go out to have lunch today? They just opened a Honges-style restaurant


    downstairs.


    I heard that it tastes good.


    There are discounts in the next few days!"


    When it was noon, Emma jumped over and proposed to go out to eat.


    Seeing that Emma''s eyes lit up when she mentioned food, Lucia couldn''t help smiling.


    She was very envious of Emma''s good habit of forgetting all her troubles when she mentioned food.


    She nodded and said softly, "Okay, let''s go out to eat."


    "Okay! Let me tell you, an intern has just arrived in the marketing department.


    It is said that he and the supervisor..."


    Emma took Lucia''s arm and excitedly talked about gossip from other departments.


    Lucia listened, and her mood improved a lot without her knowing it.


    After lunch at the Honges-style restaurant downstairs, the two went back to thepany together.


    As soon as they walked down the steps, Emma suddenly patted her head next to her, "It''s bad!"


    Lucia turned her head quickly and said, "What''s wrong?"


    "Gail asked me to bring her lunch back, but I forgot!"


    Emma quickly let go of her hand and said, "Lucia, go back first, and I''ll go back."


    Seeing Emma''s anxious look, Lucia nodded, "Then I''ll go back and tell Gail."


    "Okay, don''t forget to tell her."


    Emma turned around and walked back quickly.


    Lucia stepped forward and went up the steps.


    As soon as she reached the gate of thepany, she heard a sharp female voice, "What a


    coincidence.


    As soon as I came to thepany, I saw her.


    It''s really bad luck!"


    Was it lrene''s voice? Lucia paused, looked back, and saw Irene walking over in high heels.


    Standing next to her was Lisa.


    Aware of Lucia''s gaze, Lisa dodged slightly.


    She turned to look at Irene, and said softly, "Irene, let''s go."


    Irene rolled her eyes at Lucia unabashedly, and asked Lisa in an exaggerated tone, "Lisa, do you think


    I had a grudge against her in myst life? How can I run into her when Ie to thepany


    asionally? It''s disgusting."


    Lucia turned her head and continued walking forward.


    Hearing the voice behind her, she bit her lips.


    She hadn''t seen Irene for a while.


    She hadn''t expected to meet her again this time.


    What had happenedst time ended in such a disgraceful situation, but it seemed Irene didn''t learn her


    lesson.


    She was still so arrogant and domineering.


    Lucia deliberately quickened her pace, trying to distance herself from Irene.


    But she just took a few steps when she suddenly felt cold on her back, as if water had been sshed.


    She turned her head sharply and saw Irene standing behind her with an empty paper cup with juice in


    her hand, staring at her smugly.


    Irene raised her eyebrows, and looked at Lisa next to her in mock surprise, "Oh! My hand slipped!


    Fortunately, it didn''t spill on my body!"


    With that, she threw the paper cup aside, took Lisa, and walked towards the elevator, "Hurry up and get


    on the elevator!"


    Lucia turned her head and tugged at her clothes.


    Only then did she see arge amount of watermelon juice on her dazzlingly red clothes.


    She frowned and clenched her fists, and a burst of anger rose in her heart.


    Irene was going too far! Unexpectedly, what had happenedst time not only did not teach her how to


    restrain herself but instead made her even more arrogant! Lucia gritted her teeth and looked at Irene


    who was standing there waiting for the elevator.


    She felt even angrier.


    At this time, if she also went to wait for the elevator, she would probably be ridiculed again.


    She might as well avoid her directly.


    Lucia took a deep breath, walked to the other side, and went straight up the stairs.


    There were very few people on the stairs, and basically, no one came.


    Lucia took out a paper napkin, wiped the wet clothes on her back, and continued to walk upstairs.


    She was unlucky to meet Irene today.


    If Irene dared to bully her like this again, she wouldn''t go easy on her!

 Chapter 210

    Chapter 210


    Chapter 210 His Car Was Tampered With Lucia was a little annoyed.


    After climbing several steps in a row, she felt tired.


    So she rested against the wall for a while.


    Suddenly, the sound of footsteps came from the stairwell above.


    She could hear it clearly because it was quiet around.


    She had thought that someone was going toe down, but the footsteps were just lingering on that


    floor.


    She took a deep breath and was about to continue walking upstairs when a voice suddenly came from


    the upper floor.


    It was an extremely low male voice, "It''s all done."


    After a few seconds of pause, he continued, as if he was talking on the phone, "He will go to the


    Eastern District for a meeting in the afternoon, and he will go out."


    "Don''t worry, as long as he drives the car, he will be disabled at least."


    Hearing these words, Lucia suddenly felt a chill down her spine.


    She took a deep breath, and there was an inexplicable fear in her heart.


    The person who appeared here must be an employee of thepany.


    But hearing his conversation, she could tell that it didn''t seem an upright thing.


    When she thought of the murders she had seen in the TV series, she felt even more frightened.


    Lucia leaned against the wall and didn''t dare to move for fear that the sound she made would startle


    the man above.


    After a while, the man above seemed to have hung up the phone.


    After a pause, he walked out.


    Listening to the sound of his footsteps slowly disappear, Lucia was finally able to take a deep breath.


    She cautiously went up to the upper floor and looked at the empty stairwell with lingering fears.


    She didn''t know who the man was just now, nor whom he wanted to murder.


    Although she had overheard a few words, she seemed to be unable to do anything...


    Lucia sighed and told herself to mind her own business in her heart.


    She immediately started walking and continued upstairs.


    Back at the Administration Department, the words she had overheard just now shed frequently in her


    mind, and she couldn''t help but get distracted.


    "Ms.


    Mitchell."


    Gail from the next office suddenly came over and said, "Didn''t you go out to lunch with Emma? Why


    didn''t shee back with you?"


    When Lucia heard this, she realized that she forgot to tell her, and hurriedly told her that Emma had


    gone back to buy her lunch.


    "Well, then I''ll wait."


    Gail smiled, nced over her back, and suddenly paused, "Ms.


    Mitchell, your clothes..."


    After being reminded, Lucia remembered the stains on her back, and hurriedly smiled awkwardly and


    said, "I identally stained it.


    I''ll go to the bathroom to clean it up."


    When Lucia got to the bathroom, she took off her shirt and wiped it with a wet paper towel.


    But after wiping it back and forth several times, the red juice color couldn''t be removed.


    She sighed and had to put her shirt back on.


    Just as she was about to wash her hands and leave, two female colleagues walked in while chatting.


    "This time the n has been changed twice, but it''s still not okay.


    If the supervisor asks me to send it to the President''s Officeter, I wonder if Mr.Adams will refuse it the


    third time..."


    "You can change it and send itter.


    Anyway, Mr.Adams won''t be at thepany in the afternoon..."


    "Not at thepany? Really?"


    "It seems that he''s going to attend a corporate meeting in the Eastern District.


    It''s a very important meeting.


    Just now I saw him and Burton get on the elevator together..."


    The two of them walked into the cubicles in the bathroom one after another.


    Lucia washed her hands and she didn''t care much at first.


    But when she pushed the door open and walked out of the bathroom, a voice suddenly shed in her


    mind.


    "He will go to the Eastern District for a meeting in the afternoon, and he will go out."


    "As long as he drives the car, he will be disabled at least..."


    She had heard the man talking about someone going to the Eastern District for a meeting on the stairs


    just now! Was it...


    Lucia didn''t dare to think more, and she got goosebumps all over.


    She stood there, and her legs were shaking.


    If someone wanted to murder August and tampered with his car, she couldn''t imagine what would


    happen! After a brief period of shock and fear, Lucia instantly came to her sense.


    Without thinking about it, she took out her phone and called August.


    Regardless of whether her guess was true or not, even if there was a misunderstanding at this time,


    she would immediately remind him! No one answered.


    Lucia''s nerves became tenser and tenser.


    Why didn''t he answer the phone?! Lucia became more and more anxious.


    She kept calling him, and immediately stepped out of the bathroom and ran towards the elevator.


    She had heard from the female colleague just now that August and Burton just got on the elevator and


    went down.


    She was going to chase now.


    Maybe she could catch up with them! After making two or three calls in a row, she found no one


    answered.


    Lucia was ina state of anxiety, but there was no signal in the elevator.


    So she could only watch anxiously as the numbers on the elevator dropped little by little.


    During the day, August''s car was generally parked in the underground garage.


    At this time, they might have already arrived at the garage.


    When the elevator reached the ground floor, Lucia stepped out directly.


    As she walked, she tried to call Burton, but the signal was so weak that she couldn''t make a call at all.


    Lucia stared at the huge garage, feeling so anxious.


    This ce was so big.


    Where should she go to find them? "August!"


    Lucia tried to shout a few times, but there was no response.


    She walked forward in a panic, but she didn''t see any figures or moving cars at all.


    Suddenly, Lucia came up with an idea.


    At this time, she should go to the exit in the northeast corner, which was the only way for vehicles to go


    out! She couldn''t care so much.


    She ran towards that side quickly.


    Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    But she just took two steps when suddenly she slipped and fell to the ground hard.


    There was a sharp pain in her knees and elbows.


    Lucia gasped in pain.


    She climbed up with difficulty, ignoring the bruises on her legs, and continued to run forward.


    Her high heels were a little unstable, her steps were quick and the soles of her feet slipped a little.


    She gritted her teeth, stopped, quickly took off her high heels, and ran forward barefoot.


    When she ran to the exit at the northeast corner, she stopped, panting.


    She looked around and saw a car approaching, and her nerves immediately tensed.


    But it wasn''t August''s car.


    Lucia was worried sick.


    She bit her lips and was not sure if August had already driven away.


    She continued to make calls in a hurry.


    Whether it was August or Burton, neither of them could get through! What should she do?! Suddenly,


    she turned around and saw a caring from the other side, a ck Maybach with a gleaming body.


    Wasn''t it August''s car?! Lucia gritted her teeth and immediately rushed into the road, waving her arms


    to signal to them, shouting, "Stop! Stop!"


    If August''s car was tampered with, it would cause an ident if it was driven out like this! So she had


    to stop them here! In the car, when Burton saw Lucia in front, his expression changed, and he quickly


    asked, "Mr.Adams, is that Ms.


    Mitchell?"


    August raised his head when he heard the sound and saw her standing in the road, waving her arms


    desperately.


    Her lips were moving, but he didn''t know what she was saying.


    What was she doing here?! It was so dangerous! August raised his eyebrows and his eyes darkened.


    He looked at Burton sharply and said, "Stop the car!"


    Burton was sweating and he hit the brakes, but the car didn''t respond at all.


    It continued to charge forward!

 Chapter 211

    Chapter 211


    Chapter 211 She Had Him In Her Heart


    Burton frowned, and his voice was hurried, "The brakes aren''t responding!"


    When August heard his words, he instantly frowned.He immediately looked forward and saw Lucia


    standing on the road not far away.His face instantly turned gloomy.


    Why didn''t this stupid woman hide? As if there was telepathy, in the next second, Lucia quickly


    retreated to the side.


    "Mr.Adams, sit tight!"


    Burton gritted his teeth secretly and immediately downshifted to slow down.


    If the brakes didn''t work, he had to force the car to stop! Even though the gear was down, the car body


    still moved forward, but the speed tended to slow down.


    But at this moment, another car approached, and it seemed that it was going to take the exit.


    The driver didn''t seem to notice the abnormality and continued to drive at a normal speed.


    If this car went into the exit and Burton didn''t stop the car, the two cars would collide! Seeing that the


    front of the car was about to smash into the rear of another car, Burton hurriedly turned the steering


    wheel to the side, and mmed into the wall as soon as the car turned around! Bang! With a loud


    noise, the front of the car hit the white wall, and the car shook a few times.


    Not far away, Lucia stood there,pletely dumbfounded.


    After standing still for two seconds, she looked at the steaming front of the car, and her heart tightened


    instantly.


    She ran over quickly.


    "August...August!"


    She hurried forward, not even caring about the debris on the ground.


    She ran to the door of the car and pulled the door open with great effort.


    When she saw August bleeding in the back, she instantly burst into tears! "August! How are you?!"


    She cried and carefully grabbed his hand, but felt warm and sticky.


    Seeing the blood gushing from his head, she panicked, and her whole body felt weak.


    She continued in a trembling voice, "August, please! Wake up..."


    When Lucia saw that August, who was always cold and arrogant, was bleeding, her heart tightened,


    and it was aching.


    Another car that just drove in front stopped.


    A man got out of the car and ran over.


    Seeing this, he quickly took out his phone and made a call, "Hello? 911? Here is..."


    Lucia felt heavy-hearted and painful.


    She looked at the bleeding man and did not dare to touch him lightly for fear of causing secondary


    damage.She cried, "August, wake up..."


    Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    The ambnce hadn''te yet, so he couldn''t fall into aa...She kept calling his name.


    After a moment, he frowned, and the hand she was holding moved slightly.He slowly opened his eyes


    with difficulty and saw Lucia crying.


    Feeling a little helpless and sorry, he frowned.


    He moved his lips with difficulty, and said lightly, "I...I''m fine.Don''t cry..."


    At this moment, Lucia couldn''t stop her tears.


    She choked, "August, hold on, the ambnce will be here soon!"


    Hearing this, August pulled the corners of his lipsboriously, but the pain in his body overwhelmed


    him.


    He passed out again.


    Two hourster, in the VIP ward, Lucia sat by the hospital bed, looking at August lying motionless on


    the bed.


    She felt gloomy.


    This was the first time she had seen August like this.


    When he fell asleep, hisplexion was much softer than usual.


    Even with a few scratches on his face, he still looked handsome.


    Lucia took a deep breath and wondered whether she had done the right thing to stop his car in the


    underground parking lot today.


    But she seemed to care more about August than she had thought.


    When she learned that he might be in danger, she desperately wanted to catch up with him.


    The moment she saw the car crash into the wall, she instantly thought of him! Lucia bit her lips with


    mixed feelings.


    Could it be that she was attracted to August? At this moment, August suddenly moved on the bed, and


    then he slowly opened his eyes.


    "Are...are you awake?"


    Seeing August open his eyes, Lucia was surprised and happy.


    Her nose felt sore, and she burst into tears, "I''ll call the doctor..."


    Before she could finish her sentence, he suddenly coughed and said in a slightly hoarse voice, "Don''t


    move.Come here..."


    Lucia¡¯s hand stretching out to ring the bell paused, and she lowered her eyes to meet August''s deep


    eyes.


    He frowned slightly and seemed to be struggling a bit, but he still stared straight at her and said slowly,


    "Come here..."


    Lucia was stunned for a second, and then slowly approached him unconsciously.


    He raised his arm slightly, brought it close to her cheek, and gently wiped the tears from her face with


    his fingers, "Why are you crying?"


    As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw her eyes red and swollen.


    His heart trembled and he couldn''t breathe.He forced a smile and said half-jokingly, "Don''t worry.I won''t


    die."


    When Lucia heard his words, she looked unhappy, and said seriously, "Don''t talk nonsense!"


    How could he say something like this about himself just after opening his eyes on the hospital bed?


    Just as she was about to scold him, he suddenly threw his arms around her waist.


    She panicked, "What are you doing? You still have injuries on your hands..."


    Before she could finish her sentence, August tightened his grip on her waist.


    When she turned her head, she realized that the distance between the two was much closer.


    When she saw his handsome face close at hand, her heart tightened, "You..."


    August smiled faintly, "Are you so worried about me?"


    Seeing her crying for him, he somehow felt some indescribable joy in his heart.


    Lucia was stunned for a moment and then reacted abruptly.


    She blushed, and instantly denied, "No!"


    She wanted to straighten up, but found August''s arms around her waist, making it impossible for her to


    get up at all.


    What kind of creature was this man? Wasn''t he injured? He should be very weak when he just woke


    up.


    How could he still be so strong?! August''s spirit seemed much better than before.


    He raised his eyebrows slightly and waited patiently for her answer, "Huh? Lucia, aren''t you worried


    about me?"


    If she wasn''t worried, why did she run over to stop his car? Why was she crying so hard? Clearly, she


    had him in her heart.


    Lucia gasped, and she gritted her teeth, "I...l''m not worried."


    Seeing a bit of awkwardness sh across her face, August smiled and didn''t expose her.


    She was so duplicitous.


    He raised his eyebrows and said softly, "I''m thirsty."


    Lucia came to her sense when she heard his words, and quickly picked up the half ss of water that


    she had poured and put on the table.


    It was warm enough to drink.


    But as soon as she turned her head and looked at August lying on the bed, she was stunned again.


    He didn''t even mean to sit up.


    He wanted her to feed him water...


    Seeing her hesitation, August smiled and said calmly, "How about you help me up and I''ll drink it


    myself?"


    When Lucia heard his words, she was slightly startled and hesitant.


    He had juste out of an operation, and she didn''t know if his injuries would be touched.


    She''d better not touch him until the doctor came.


    In the end, she bit her lips, chose to pick up the small spoon next to her, scooped up the water, and


    brought it to his mouth.

 Chapter 212

    Chapter 212


    Chapter 212 He Came At A Bad Time


    Looking at Lucia''s movements, August secretly smiled and raised his chin slightly to drink.


    After being fed a few sips of water, he suddenly remembered something, looked a little serious, and


    asked, "Where is Burton?"


    Lucia paused and quickly said, "He''s in the ward next door.His injuries are not serious, but his head is


    slightly injured.I went to see him, and he was already awake."


    Burton was in the driver''s seat back then, and the airbag popped out when the car hit the wall.


    So he was naturally not as badly injured as August.


    August nodded slightly, feeling a little relieved, but he was still frowning.


    After a few seconds, he looked at Lucia beside him and said softly, "Help me up."


    Lucia hesitated, "But you..."


    August said without hesitation, "It doesn''t matter."


    He knew something about his body.


    Besides, the car ident was not serious this time, because the speed of the car was not fast.


    If the car had driven out of the parking lot and picked up the speed on the road, he could not imagine


    what would have happened.


    Lucia helped him up slowly, put a pillow behind him, and was about to ask him when to call the doctor


    over when she found August staring at her solemnly.


    "What...what''s wrong?"


    He seemed different now.


    His expression darkened, and he asked word by word, "Why did youe to stop the car?"


    "l..."


    Lucia took a deep breath and told him what she had heard on the stairs and the things she had


    encountered.


    "When I heard my colleague say that you were going to a meeting in the Eastern District, I thought of


    those words I had overheard.I was afraid that something would happen, and I couldn''t get through


    when I called you, so I had to run over to stop the car..."


    After Lucia said this, August''s face became more and more gloomy.


    He frowned, and thought about what she said over and over in his mind.


    "You said the phone couldn''t get through?"


    Lucia nodded, "Yes, neither you nor Burton were picking up."


    How could it be? He didn''t hear the phone ringing in the car at all.


    Even if there was a problem with his phone, both his and Burton''s phones can''t be broken at the same


    time.


    August picked up the jacket next to him with a serious face and took out his phone from his pocket.


    The call log did not show any iing calls.


    Lucia immediately took out her phone, called up the call log, and handed it to him.


    She did have those records on her phone.


    What was going on? He casually dialed his phone number with Lucia''s phone.


    Within a few seconds, his phone rang.


    It could get through, but why didn''t he get a call when he was in the car? Could it be that someone had


    tampered with his car? Not only was there a problem with the brakes, but there was also some kind of


    signal shielding system installed, which made him unable tomunicate with the outside world at all.


    Now there was only such a conjecture that was the most credible.


    With such spection, it was now certain that his car had indeed been tampered with! Lucia looked at


    August''s cold expression.


    He was silent for a while, and she couldn''t help but ask, "What the hell is going on?"


    August lowered his eyes and handed her her phone, "Someone wants to hurt me."


    Today, if Lucia hadn''t run over to stop his car, he would probably have had a car ident on the road


    and the situation would have been even worse.


    Who was so daring to want to put him to death?! After a moment, he picked up his phone and sent a


    message directly to Joshua, asking him toe over.


    Lucia saw that August had woken up for a long time, and didn''t dare to dy any longer.


    She immediately called the nurse and the doctor and asked them to check on August''s condition.


    "Mr.Adams, your body is fine.But the wound on your head needs time to heal, and the surface


    contusion also needs to heal.You need to stay in the hospital for observation for a few days.If there is


    no problem, you can be discharged from the hospital."


    When the doctor saw August, his attitude was respectful, and he arranged and exined some things


    in every detail.


    August nodded slightly and said lightly, "Okay."


    T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    When the doctor left, Lucia breathed a sigh of relief.


    When she turned around, she saw August staring at her.


    Lucia was a little embarrassed and looked away, "What are you looking at?"


    "It''s nothing."


    A dim light shed in August''s eyes, and he said, "I''ll send someone to take you hometer."


    When Lucia heard this, she immediately frowned, "But your body..."


    He was lying on the bed now and he needed someone to take care of him.


    How could she leave him alone and go away? Seeing her worried look, August paused.


    After two seconds, he said casually, "If you don''t mind sleeping in a bed with me at night, then you can


    stay."


    These words were more effective than anything else.


    Lucia froze and blushed, and immediately said, "I''ll just go."


    With that, she stood up and was about to leave.


    August stretched out his hand and held hers directly.


    August''s palm felt slightly warm, and he tightly held her hand.


    Lucia was startled, and subconsciously retracted her hand, but her hand was held tightly.


    In an instant, her face flushed.


    At this moment, the door of the ward was pushed open, and Joshua walked in hastily, "August, you..."


    Before he could finish his sentence, he froze when his eyes fell on the hands that August and Lucia


    held together.


    After a second, he said with a smile, "Looks like I came at a bad time."


    Lucia hurriedly took her hand out of August''s hand, lowered her head, and walked out quickly, "I''ll go


    out and make a phone call..."


    With that, she quickly walked out of the ward.


    The door closed, and there were only the two of them left in the room.


    Joshua looked at August on the bed with a faint smile, "August, good for you.You''re lying in the


    hospital, and you''re still dating."


    When August heard this, he looked at him with cold eyes.


    Joshua suddenly stopped smiling, strode to the side of the hospital bed, sat down, raised his chin, and


    asked, "What happened? August said sinctly, "Someone tampered with my car."


    "Which bastard? How dare he mess with you?"


    Joshua frowned and cursed, "He''s asking for trouble."


    "Burton was also injured, and there is a mole in thepany.Not only the brakes were tampered


    with.You can send someone to check the carter."


    "Understood."


    Joshua nodded, and his face was a little cold, "Who do you think might have done it?"


    "I''m not sure."


    August''s face was gloomy, and the emotion in his eyes was dark and unclear, "Pay more attention to


    whether there is any change recently."


    Using such a method against him was not very brilliant, but he hadn''t expected them to be negligent


    this time and almost had a major ident.


    He paused and suddenly thought of something.


    He raised his eyes and said to Joshua, "Take Lucia hometer."


    When he mentioned Lucia, Joshua''s serious expression softened a bit.


    He winked at August, and said jokingly, "Do you trust me with her?"


    Hearing this, August raised his eyebrows and looked at him, "Do you dare to touch her?"


    Joshua''splexion changed, and he rolled his eyes at August, "I''m just kidding.Why are you so


    serious?"


    He was not a fool.He had known August for so many years.


    How could he not see that Lucia was different from other women to him?

 Chapter 213

    Chapter 213


    Chapter 213 She Made Soup For Him Lucia went to Burton''s ward next door to have a look.


    Seeing that he was okay, she left the ward.


    When she was hesitating about whether to go back by herself, Joshua suddenly opened the door open


    and walked out.


    He smiled at her and shook the car key in his hand, "Let''s go.


    I''ll take you back."


    Lucia nodded politely at him, "Well, thanks."


    Aftering out of the hospital and getting into the car, Lucia didn''t say anything.


    After all, she and Joshua were not very familiar with each other.


    But Joshua was the kind of person who couldn''t stand silence.


    After waiting for a long time without Lucia speaking, he couldn''t stand it anymore.


    He took the initiative to find several topics, but Luciacked interest and responded casually, without


    any desire to continue the conversation.


    When she thought that August was still lying in the hospital, she was not in the mood to chat.


    Joshua saw that she was not interested, so he shut up and stopped talking.


    Soon, the car stopped at the gate of themunity, and Lucia said softly, "Here I am.


    Thanks."


    "You''re wee."


    Joshua smiled, nced at her, and said suddenly, "If you are worried about August, go to the hospital


    to see him another day."


    He moved slightly closer to her, blinked, and said, "I''ll tell you a secret.


    Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    August likes fish soup when he''s sick."


    Lucia was stunned.


    After two seconds, she smiled at him, got off the car, and closed the door.


    Stepping into themunity, Lucia was a little dazed, and the words Joshua had said just now shed


    in her mind several times.


    Since August liked the fish soup, should she learn how to make the soup? The thought just shed in


    her mind.


    But in the next second, she immediately dismissed the thought.


    What August liked had nothing to do with her.


    Besides, she didn''t cause the car ident this time.


    She should do her work well.


    Why would she care so much? She scolded herself in her heart, and only then did she wake up a little,


    and walked quickly towards the apartment building.


    But when she was passing by the supermarket in themunity, her pace slowed down a lot.


    There seemed to be two ideas fighting in her mind and her head was buzzing.


    She gritted her teeth, lowered her head, and walked quickly into the corridor of the apartment building.


    Just when she took two steps, she thought of August bleeding in the car, and her heart tensed.


    She turned around and went to the supermarket to buy fish.


    She was hungry.


    So she would make the soup just for herself! Thinking of this, she felt a lot more bnced.


    Back in the small apartment, Lucia changed her clothes, put on her apron, and started cooking.


    She walked to the sink and looked at the fish that hadn''t been scaled, and suddenly had a headache.


    She had bought it just now on a whim, and she didn''t think about the follow-up problems.


    Now, looking at such a fish, she waspletely helpless and didn''t know what to do.


    She took out her phone and watched the video tutorial online for a long time.


    Then she put on gloves, picked up the knife, and started to remove the fish scales ording to the


    techniques in the video.


    The fish was sticky and slippery, and it took Lucia a long time to clean up the fish.


    Then she followed the steps in the video to prepare all the ingredients.


    Before she could turn on the fire, the doorbell rang suddenly.


    Lucia paused, took off her gloves, and ran to the door.


    As soon as she opened the door, she saw Pa standing outside carrying several bags.


    "Lucia, I knew you were at home.


    Look at what I''ve brought!"


    Pa excitedly waved the fried chicken and barbecue in her hands, "Hurry up.


    Let''s eat while it''s warm..."


    Lucia closed the door and suddenly felt like crying when she thought about the unfinished work in the


    kitchen.


    She turned around, took the bags in Pa''s hands, and asked, "Pa, why are you here suddenly?"


    "I miss you.


    Why I''m not wee?"


    Pa pursed her lips andined, "Even if you can''t be my sister-inw, aren''t we best friends?"


    Lucia''s heart warmed, and she said with a smile, "I didn''t mean that."


    How could the rtionship between her and Pa be affected by this little thing? "That''s right!"


    Pa walked towards the kitchen, "I''ll go get a drink."


    Lucia''s heart instantly tightened, and she quickly followed.


    As expected, as soon as Pa saw the scene in the kitchen, her eyes widened in surprise.


    She turned to look at Lucia and asked, "What are you doing? Are you making fish soup?"


    Lucia bit the bullet and nodded.


    Pa was keenly aware of something, and said, "For whom?"


    Indeed, it was not good that friends knew each other too well, and they couldn''t hide anything from


    each other.


    Pa knew too well that Lucia was not the kind of healthy girl who cooked soup for herself when she


    was free.


    She was so dedicated and serious.


    She must be doing it for others! Pa blinked curiously, wrapped her arm around Lucia''s neck, and


    asked with a smile, "Who is it?"


    Lucia bit her lips, speechless.


    She had just rejected Pa''s brother a few days ago.


    Now she was going to tell Pa that she was making soup for August.


    Was it appropriate? Seeing that Lucia didn''t speak, Pa leaned closer to the ingredients and looked


    at them, guessing, "Fish soup? Lucia, this soup has a miraculous effect of promotingctation.


    Could it be that one of your rtives has just had a baby?"


    Hearing the words "promotingctation", Lucia was speechless.


    She quickly said, "No, it''s just a car ident..."


    Before she finished her sentence, she paused, and realized that it was a trap! Pa blinked her dark


    eyes, leaned in, and said, "Come on, who had a car ident?"


    Lucia knew in her heart that she really couldn''t get away with it.


    Suddenly, she came up with an idea.


    She thought of something and hesitantly said softly, "Today, August had a car ident, and Burton was


    in the car too.


    Both of them are in the hospital now."


    As soon as she heard Burton''s name, Pa''s expression suddenly changed.


    Two secondster, she took a deep breath and asked softly, "You said...


    Burton had a car ident?"


    As expected, when Lucia talked about Burton, Pa''s attention was naturally turned to him.


    Lucia nodded, "Yes, do you want to go visit him?"


    After hesitating for a second, Pa said subconsciously, "No."


    With that, she turned around and walked out of the kitchen.


    Lucia followed her out.


    Seeing her look a little dejected, Lucia hurriedly reached out to hold her arm and said, "Pa, if you


    like him, don''t hesitate.


    Even if you don''t, you should go visit him as a friend at this time."


    Hearing her words, Pa hesitated.


    She turned slightly, looked at Lucia, and said, "Lucia, I don''t know what kind of feelings I have for


    him..."


    Lucia said softly, "Well, follow your heart.


    If you want to go, go and see him."


    After hesitating for a moment, Pa took a deep breath, walked into the kitchen, and took out a can of


    cold beer from the refrigerator.


    She raised her head and drank half of it.


    She looked up at Lucia and said word by word, "Lucia, I still want to go see him."


    There was a faint voice in her heart that seemed to be saying that if she didn''t go today, she would


    regret it in the future.

 Chapter 214

    Chapter 214


    Chapter 214 She Owed Him A Kiss


    After leaving Lucia''s apartment, Pa rushed to the hospital.


    When she found the ward ording to the floor and room number given by Lucia, she stood at the


    door and suddenly hesitated.


    Wouldn''t she seem too proactive? She had lived for more than twenty years and it was the first time


    that she had ever taken the initiative to care about a man.


    Thinking about it, Pa stood at the door for a long time and finally made up her mind.


    She nned to take a look at him through the door and leave when she saw that Burton was okay.


    She pressed her body against the door and tiptoed to look inside.


    Although she could see through the ss, this was a VIP ward, so she couldn''t see everything inside.


    From her angle, she couldn''t see much.


    Maybe...she should move to the side? Pa moved to the far right of the ss window, squinted her


    eyes, and looked in, but she still couldn''t see the person on the bed.


    "Hello? Do you need any help?"


    A female voice suddenly came from behind.


    Pa was shocked and turned around quickly.


    Seeing a nurse standing behind her, she smiled a little awkwardly, "I''m...looking for someone, but it


    seems the wrong person.I''m sorry."


    With that, under the suspicious gaze of the nurse, she had to bite the bullet and walk to the side.


    At the same time, in the ward, Burton was lying on the bed when he heard a sound from outside.


    He somehow had a strange premonition.


    Was it Pa? The voice he had heard just now sounded like hers! He immediately sat up straight,


    picked up his phone, and made a call immediately.


    In the past few hours tonight, he was lying in bed and had nothing better to do.


    He wanted to make this call countless times and listen to her voice, but he finally dropped the idea.


    Even today, when he was sitting in the car and the car hit the wall, Pa''s face shed in his mind.


    The way she smiled at him jokingly, the way she frowned and looked angry...All the previous scenes


    shed through his mind like a movie...


    Pa was just about to leave when the phone in her pocket suddenly rang.


    When she took a look and saw the caller ID, her heart trembled.


    Why...why did he suddenly call her?! Could it be that he had heard it just now? Pa bit her lips, and


    her heart was pounding.


    She mustered up her courage and pressed the answer button.


    She pretended to be calm and preemptively asked, "Hello? What''s the matter?"


    Burton''s voice seemed a little restrained, "Are you outside?"


    When Pa heard his words, her nerves instantly tensed.


    She looked at the door of the ward in a panic, gritted her teeth, and said, "What outside? I don''t


    understand what you''re talking about."


    There was silence on the other end of the phone for a few seconds, and then Burton said again, "Well,


    tell me where you are, and I''ll go see you."


    On the other end of the phone, she could feel the determination and enthusiasm of Burton''s tone.


    At that moment, she suddenly had the urge to go see him.


    She tightened her grip on the phone, and her nose felt sour, and tears welled up in her eyes.


    After a moment, she took a deep breath and said softly, "No, you lie down and don''t move.I''ll go see


    you."


    She hung up the phone, turned around, and walked quickly to the ward, pushing the door directly open


    and walking in.


    Burton was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking like he was about to get out of bed.


    When Pa suddenly rushed in and saw this scene, she hurried forward and said angrily, "What are


    you doing? Didn''t say I would go see you?"


    He was still injured, and there were several bruises on his face, which made her feel distressed


    unconsciously.She reached out her hand to push Burton back on the bed.


    But when her hand just touched his arm, Burton''s face changed, and he frowned and gasped.


    Seeing this, Pa quickly raised her hand and didn''t dare to touch him again, "What''s the matter? Did I


    touch your wound?"


    Burton snorted softly, "Yeah."


    As soon as she heard this, she immediately became anxious, and reached out her hand to lift his


    sleeve, "Where are you hurting? Let me see if something is wrong."


    When his hand was touched by Pa''s soft hand, Burton shivered.


    He suddenly stretched out his arm, held her hand, and pulled her towards him.


    Suddenly pulled by a force, Pa couldn''t stand firm and fell directly towards him.


    Unsurprisingly, she fell directly into Burton''s arms.


    She raised her head in shock, and he kissed her on the lips before she could say anything.His lips


    were soft, and she froze in ce.


    She was kissed by Burton? Pa''s mind went nk.She opened her eyes and saw only his long


    eyshes...


    After a moment, Burton raised his head slightly.


    T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    He looked at Pa''s dazed expression, smiled, and put his hand on her cheek softly, "You owe me


    this."


    Thest time she was drunk, she had taken the initiative to hug him and kiss him.


    Afterward, she forgot all about it.


    But he had remembered it.


    Now he finally found a chance to get even with her.


    Pa was slightly startled.


    She blushed and looked at her nkly, "Ah? What?"


    Seeing this, Burton smiled even more.He leaned closer to the tip of her nose, and said softly, "It''s


    nothing.Just remember it.Without waiting for Pa to say anything, he leaned over without hesitation


    and kissed her lips again.This time, his kiss was much more affectionate than the first time.He put his


    arms around her shoulders, no longer satisfied with a light kiss, but gently and deeply savoring every


    trace of her sweetness.Pa felt like the world was spinning, and her head was dizzy.She unknowingly


    stretched out her hands to wrap her arms around Burton''s neck, and her body was getting hotter and


    hotter...


    The sudden knock on the door startled them, and they separated instantly.


    Then, the door was pushed open, and a nurse walked in and routinely asked, "Ward 602, do you feel


    any difort?"


    The blush on Burton''s cheeks still hadn''t faded and he said, "No...no."


    Pa was sitting beside him with a blushing face.


    When the nurse saw this, she smiled knowingly and didn''t say much, and immediately turned around


    and left the ward.


    As soon as the nurse left, there were only two of them left in the room, and the atmosphere was a little


    awkward.


    They had kissed when they were drunkst time.


    But this time they were both sober, so face-to-face alone would naturally be a little embarrassing.


    Burton took a deep breath, plucked up his courage, looked at Pa, and said, "Pa..."


    "Well, it''s gettingte.I should go."


    Pa stood up quickly, and said with erratic eyes, "You have a good rest.If there is anything, we will


    talk about it next time."


    With that, she quickly walked out of the ward before Burton could finish his sentence.


    Burton watched her disappearing at the door and had to swallow it.


    He had nned to confess his love for Pa.


    Outside the door of the ward, Joshua was standing by the window smoking a cigarette.


    Seeing Pa hurriedly leave Burton''s ward with a blushing face, he smiled.


    They were so greedy even in the hospital.


    He snuffed out his cigarette, walked into August''s ward, and sighed, "Guess who came out of Burton''s


    ward when I was outside just now?"


    August was flipping through the contract on the tabletputer.


    He wasn''t interested, and he didn''t even lift his head.


    Seeing this, Joshua smiled, and said slowly on purpose, "It''s the Lucia who visited you in your ward


    today..."


    Before he finished his sentence, August''s face darkened and he looked at Joshua with a cold gaze,


    "Who?"


    Lucia came out of Burton''s ward.


    How could it be possible?C

 Chapter 215

    Chapter 215


    hapter 215 She Was Flustered And Shy


    Seeing the sudden change in August''s face, Joshua smiled smugly, and finished his sentence, "It''s


    Lucia''s friend, Pa."


    Hearing this, August gave him a cold look, then lowered his head and continued to read the


    documents.


    Seeing so many different reactions from him, Joshua walked to his side and sat down with crossed legs


    lazily, "Your face has changed so fast! I''ve never seen you treat a woman so special before.As soon as


    you heard her name..."


    "Is it special?"


    August raised his eyebrows and tapped the tabletputer casually, "I just owe her, nothing else.You


    don''t need to imagine so much."


    August''s voice was cold and harsh, and his face did not change much, as if he was stating a fact.


    Joshua raised his eyebrows, and leaned in slightly, "Do you think Lucia wille to see you


    tomorrow?"


    After a pause, he said again, "How about we make a bet?"


    Hearing Joshua chattering in his ear, August frowned slightly, looked up at him, and asked coldly,


    "Joshua, don''t you have nothing better to do?"


    He was boring and gossipy.


    Joshua didn''t get angry, but chuckled, "I came personally to ensure your safety, or I would be having


    fun with girls now."


    August nced at him, and said coldly, "Be careful not to get sick."


    Joshua''s romantic temperament had not changed in the past few years.But he was not without


    advantages.


    When it came to business, he was dead serious.


    Joshua didn''t care.


    He raised his chin and continued to talk about the topic just now, "Seriously, I think if Luciaes


    tomorrow, it canpletely prove one thing.She has you in her heart"


    He had deliberately revealed August''s preferences to her today.


    If she cared about August, she woulde to see him with fish soup the next day.


    But if she didn¡¯t have him in her heart, it would be a different story.


    When August heard this, he chose to remain silent and ignored him, but he couldn''t help wondering


    whether Lucia woulde tomorrow.


    The night was dark.


    The vegetation coverage in the suburbs was high, and there were few people.


    As soon as the sky darkened, things couldn''t be seen clearly.


    Sitting on the small balcony, Bishop was teasing the parrot Lightning in a good mood.


    Lightning tilted its head andbed its feathers with its mouth from time to time, and then walked up to


    him.


    Its head was swaying from side to side, looking clumsy but cute.


    Bob walked over, his steps were very light.


    When he approached, he said softly, "Mr.Adams, do you want to continue the action tonight?"


    Bishop raised his eyes, and there was a gloomy look in his eyes.


    He had thought that August would have a car ident no matter what, and he would be disabled or


    even die.He had not expected that August would be so lucky.He had put so much thought into it.He


    hadn''t expected Merlin to be so useless.


    It seemed he had overestimated Merlin after all.


    But when had August ever been unlucky? Even if Merlin yed dirty tricks against August, he wouldn''t


    beat August.


    Bishop smiled.


    After a few seconds, he gently brushed the nket over hisp, and said softly, "The n continues."


    He had worked so hard to n for so long to find a chance to attack when August rxed his vignce.


    Although August was not seriously injured this time, this batch of goods could not be dyed any


    longer.


    If it dragged on further, when August reacted and strengthened his vignce, it would be even more


    difficult to take action then.


    Bob nodded and was about to do it when Bishop said to him, "Send Ted to do it"


    He was going to give Ted onest chance to test his loyalty.


    At the same time, if any clues were found, this matter would have nothing to do with him.


    "Yes."


    Bishop looked at Lightning and his expression softened a little.


    He smiled slightly, "Ask Mandy toe over."


    "Yes."


    After Bob left, it didn''t take long for someone to knock on the door, and Mandy''s voice came from


    outside, "Mr.Adams."


    "Come in."


    Mandy pushed open the door and came in.


    She had already taken a shower and was about to go to bed.


    Unexpectedly, Bob told her toe over.


    It was the first time that Bishop had asked her toe over sote.


    She stepped forward cautiously and asked softly, "Do you want anything?"


    "Do you have time?"


    Bishop smiled gently.He was in a rare good mood.


    Mandy hesitated for a moment, and then nodded, "Yes."


    "Do you like this book?"


    Bishop picked up a book of poems on the table next to him and asked.


    Mandy nced at it and nodded.


    "Come over and read a few."


    Bishop handed her the book, leaned back into the chair, and slowly closed his eyes, "I haven''t had a


    good sleep recently.Maybe this can help me fall asleep."


    Naturally, Mandy had no reason to refuse.


    She had been hired by Bishop as a personal caregiver in the first ce.


    Later, for convenience, Bob asked her to live in the vi and doubled her sry, so she moved in.


    This job was easier than she had imagined, and reading poetry collections was an easy and pleasant


    task for her.


    She brought a chair from the side, put it next to Bishop, opened the book, and recited softly, "That day


    you were wandering gracefully in the sky,fortable and light./ you don''t want to stay in the sky or the


    earth..."


    Bishop closed his eyes and listened.


    With her soft reading voice, he could not help but rx a lot.


    But after hearing her read a few poems, not only did he not feel sleepy, but he felt more awake.


    Smelling the fragrance of the shower gel on the woman beside him, he didn''t find it annoying.


    He had always hated the smell of chemical powder, but the smell on Mandy''s body didn''t disgust him.


    "I not only want your softest tenderness..."


    He softly interrupted her, "Mandy."


    Mandy paused and looked up at him, "What''s wrong? Mr.Adams."


    N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    Bishop looked at her, approached her, and slowly stretched out his hand.


    He picked up a strand of hair on her shoulder, put it on the tip of his nose, and sniffed it.


    Two secondster, he looked up at her, and smiled slightly, "What shampoo did you use?"


    His eyes were clear and bright, and his usual indifference and alienation had faded.


    At this moment, he seemed to be enveloped in ayer of soft light, invisibly releasing his charm.


    Looking at the handsome man who was close at hand, Mandy suddenly tightened her grip on the book,


    hesitated, and asked awkwardly, "Do you...do you like it?"


    Bishop smiled, looked at her with bright eyes without hesitation, and said softly, "I like it."


    In an instant, Mandy only felt something hit her heart, making her heart beat faster involuntarily.


    At that moment, she was in a trance, as if Bishop was implying something.


    She looked away in a panic to hide her embarrassment and said, "It''s a rtively small brand..."


    Bishop gently pulled the strand of hair wrapped around his fingertips behind her ear.


    Looking at Lucia¡¯s fair and flushed face, he said softly, "Well, keep reading."


    Mandy was distracted for the rest of the night.


    She was flustered and shy.


    After finishing the night poem reading, Mandy went back to her room, locked the door, and leaned


    against the door with her heart pounding fast.


    As soon as she closed her eyes, what popped into her mind was the scene of Bishop touching her hair


    just now.


    She was no longer a teenage girl who had never been in love, but she somehow felt tempted.

 Chapter 216

    Chapter 216


    Chapter 216 She Brought Fish Soup To Visit Him In The Hospital


    The next day, at dawn, Lucia got up from bed.She put on her clothes, ran downstairs to the


    supermarket, bought a fresh fish, and ran back to the kitchen at home.


    Last night, she followed the tutorial on her phone and learned to cook fish soup.


    Although it was not a failure, the taste was average.So she deliberately got up early and nned to


    cook again.


    The rtionship between her and August was not very good, but when she thought that he had helped


    her solve her father''s operation problem, this pot of fish soup was nothing.


    Besides, if she learned how to cook soup, she could cook it for her parents.


    August was her guinea pig at best.


    Thinking of this, she felt a lot more cheerful, and immediately quickened her movements and boiled a


    pot of water.


    Lucia was busy cooking in the kitchen for more than an hour.


    The fish soup was almost finished and looked delicious.It was exuding an appealing aroma and it


    looked quite good.


    Lucia took a sip and nodded with satisfaction.


    Compared to the fish soup she had cookedst night, this time it was so sessful.


    After putting the fish soup into the insted lunch box, she changed her clothes and rushed to the


    hospital.


    She specially prepared two, one for August and the other for Burton, so that no one wouldin.


    Walking to the door of the ward, she knocked on the door before she pushed the door open and walked


    in.


    In the ward, August was sitting on the bed with aptop in front of him.His face was serious as if he


    was working.


    Hearing the sound, he looked up and saw Lucia in a light blue shirt walking in with two lunch boxes in


    her hands, looking silly but cute.


    August retracted his gaze, looked at theputer screen, and said coldly, "Well, that''s it.


    We''ll talk about the rest when I get back to thepany"


    After giving a brief instruction, he turned off theputer, put it aside, and looked up at Lucia.


    "I...made some soup.You can drink it while it''s warm."


    Seeing that he was not busy, Lucia walked up and put a thermal box on the bedside.


    Looking at her, August unconsciously thought of what Joshua had saidst night.


    Unexpectedly, she came.


    "What soup?"


    He raised his eyebrows slightly, leaned back, nced at the other lunch box in Lucia¡¯s hand, and


    couldn''t help asking, "What''s in that?¡¯ Lucia nced at the lunch box in her hand and said softly, "It''s


    also soup, for Burton."


    When he heard that it was for Burton, his face suddenly turned cold.


    He had thought she was making nutritious soup, especially for him, but...


    A trace of displeasure shed across his heart.


    He pursed his lips tightly, and his voice became cold, "I''ve eaten, and I can''t drink.So take it away."


    Seeing August''s sudden cold attitude, Lucia was a little surprised.


    After a few seconds, she got a little angry.


    She had gotten up early in the morning and made him soup, but he didn''t even look at it and said he


    wasn''t going to drink it.


    Seeing August continue to work with a cold face as if he didn''t want to say another word to her, Lucia


    got angry and immediately picked up the instion box, turned around, and walked out.


    "Well, if you don''t drink it, I''ll just give it to Burton."


    Hearing Lucia¡¯s words, August frowned, "How dare you?"


    T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    He felt unhappy when he heard that she was going to give the soup for him to another man, even if that


    person was Burton.


    When Lucia got angry, she said angrily without thinking, "Why wouldn''t I dare? I made the soup


    myself.I was stabbed by a fishbone several times! I shouldn''t have done it!"


    Hearing what she said, August blinked.


    She had made fish soup? Could it be that she knew that he liked fish soup? From her tone, the soup


    was specially made for him.


    Seeing that she was about to leave, August immediately stretched out his hand, grabbed her arm, and


    said in a deep voice, "Let me see."


    Lucia said angrily, "Why? It''s fish soup, and you don''t care!"


    August frowned, holding her arm tightly, "I''m talking about your hand."


    Lucia was stunned.


    Before she could react, he took away the soup box from her hand.


    He grabbed her hand tightly.


    As soon as she lowered her head, she saw him pinching her hand with a frown and looking at it over


    and over.


    "You..."


    Lucia struggled, feeling a little embarrassed.


    "Don''t move."


    August frowned.


    Seeing that there was indeed a small red dot on the tip of her index finger, he raised his eyes and his


    voice softened a little, "Does it still hurt?"


    Lucia''s heart skipped a beat when she saw his gentle eyes.


    "No...it doesn''t hurt anymore."


    She quickly took her hand out of his hand, and looked away, "You drink the soup while it''s warm.I''ll


    send it to Burton."


    With that, she quickly walked out.


    Before he got to the door, August''s faint voice came from behind, "I''ll give you a minute.Come back


    immediately."


    Hearing this, Lucia felt speechless.But she couldn''t help quickening her pace and quickly walked out of


    the ward.


    After knocking on Burton''s ward door and greeting him, she handed over the soup box and said, "This


    is the fish soup I made.Remember to drink it while it''s warm."


    Burton was not in a high mood.He forced a smile and thanked her.


    Lucia hesitated for a moment, and couldn''t help but ask, "By the way, how are you and Pa?"


    Yesterday, after Pa left her apartment, it seemed that she was going to visit him, but Pa didn''t


    send her a message after that.


    Lucia didn''t know how it was going between them.


    Hearing Pa''s name, Burton paused slightly and said slowly, "Not good."


    Indeed, yesterday he had sent Pa a message and found that he had been blocked by her.


    After they had kissed, she ran away like Cindere, and then deleted his contact information.


    Wasn''t it bad enough? Meeting Lucia''s slightly startled gaze, Burton smiled wryly, "She blocked me."


    When Lucia heard this, she blinked and didn''t know what to say.She smiled awkwardly and lightly


    eased the atmosphere, "Maybe she still doesn''t know her heart."


    Burton nodded and said nothing.


    Lucia came out of his ward unhappily and returned to August''s ward with a gloomy expression.


    When August saw here in, he nced at the clock on the wall, and snorted, "Four minutes."


    Lucia came to her sense and nced at the clock, feeling amused.She hadn''t expected August to be


    so naive.


    He had timed her.


    She felt speechless.She walked to his bed, nced at the soup box, and said with a cold face on


    purpose, "Hurry up.I have to take away the lunch box."


    August raised his eyebrows, picked up the soup box, and opened it, and there was a fragrant smell


    coming out.


    The fish soup looked very good.He picked up the spoon, took a sip, paused, and suddenly thought of


    something.


    Seeing August''s sudden silence, Lucia was a little flustered, so she asked, "What''s wrong? Isn''t it


    good?"


    August came to his sense and said lightly, "No, it''s delicious."


    It was just that he suddenly thought of a person, the person who had made fish soup for him every time


    he was sick or injured.

 Chapter 217

    Chapter 217


    Chapter 217 They Had Both Fought Their Lives For The Same Man


    Hearing this, Lucia secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but she could see that August was not quite right,


    "What''s the matter?"


    August pursed his lips, and said in a cold tone, "My mother always made this soup for me."


    Lucia was stunned.She suddenly thought of what Joshua had said and realized something.


    This was the first time she had heard August mention his mother.


    Although it was just a simple sentence, her heart sank.


    She took a deep breath and blurted out, "If you like it, I''ll cook it for you again in a couple of days."


    When August heard her words, he raised his eyes and looked at her with deep eyes.


    At this moment, the door of the ward was suddenly pushed open, followed by an anxious voice,


    "August, why are you..."


    Jeanne rushed in anxiously.


    When she saw Lucia standing beside the bed, she suddenly froze and fell silent.


    Lucia was also stunned for a moment.She hadn''t expected Jeanne to appear suddenly.She was also a


    little nervous and somehow felt a little guilty.


    Jeanne''s eyes stayed on her for a short time.


    She turned to August on the bed, stepped forward anxiously, and hurriedly asked, "August, how are


    you? Where are you hurt?"


    August said lightly, "I''m fine."


    T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "I just came back from Sn Ind with my mother.When I got off the ne and heard that you had an


    ident, I rushed over immediately."


    Jeanne''s voice was a bitining and trembling, and she was almost crying, "Why didn''t you tell


    me?"


    When August raised his eyes and saw her teary eyes, he softened a little, "I don''t want you to worry.I''m


    fine."


    Jeanne kept crying and fell into August''s arms, andined, "You didn''t tell me, so I''m more


    worried!"


    "Okay, I''ll remember to tell you next time."


    "What next time? You still want the next time!"


    Standing aside, Lucia suddenly felt like a third wheel.She bit her lips, looked away, and walked out


    lightly.


    Seeing that she was about to leave, August frowned slightly, and was about to speak when Jeanne


    suddenly raised her head and asked him, "Does your wound still hurt?"


    "Don''t worry.It''s much better."


    He looked up again, and Lucia was gone.


    Outside the door, Lucia bit her lips and her nose felt a little sour.She took a deep breath and walked


    forward.She somehow felt very upset.


    When she saw the scene of August and Jeanne together, she had an inexplicable emotion in her heart.


    Walking through a corridor, she slowly adjusted her emotions.


    Before she reached the elevator entrance, there was a sound of footsteps behind her, followed by a


    thin female voice, "Ms.Mitchell, please wait a moment."


    Lucia turned around and saw Jeanne standing not far behind her.


    Lucia was a little puzzled, "Miss Kelly?"


    Jeanne smiled at her and said, "I have something to tell you."


    Hearing this, Lucia probably guessed something in her heart.She gathered up her courage, nodded,


    and followed Jeanne.


    After walking into an empty ward, Jeanne locked the door without saying a word.


    Lucia stood aside, feeling confused, "Miss Kelly, what are you..."


    "It''s fine."


    Jeanne smiled at her, "I''m afraid others will disturb us."


    With that, she walked into the ward.


    Her face was calm, and Lucia could not see any emotions.


    Suddenly, she turned around, looked at Lucia, and smiled, "Thank you for your care and concern for


    August during this time."


    Then she paused, "Actually, I know about your previous rtionship with August."


    As soon as she said this, Lucia''s expression changed slightly.


    Obviously, she hadn''t expected that Jeanne would know it and even tell her calmly now.


    Immediately, she was even more uneasy, and she didn''t know how to face Jeanne, "I..."


    Jeanne stretched out her hand, patted her shoulder lightly, and said in a soothing tone, "Don''t think too


    much.I don''t mean to me you.On the contrary, I am very grateful to you for being there with August


    when I was sick."


    Lucia was slightly startled.


    When she met Jeanne''s gentle eyes, she felt even more guilty and didn''t know what to say.


    Technically speaking, her sudden appearance affected Jeanne and August''s rtionship.She was


    surprised that Jeanne didn''t me her in the end.


    "Miss Kelly, I''m sorry..."


    "It''s okay."


    Jeanne smiled casually.But the moment Lucia lowered her head, a cold light shed in Jeanne''s eyes.


    "I know you saved August''s life this time and the two of us are quite grateful."


    Jeanne smiled and suddenly lifted her shirt slightly, revealing her slender waist.


    Lucia was stunned.She didn''t understand what she was doing when Jeanne lifted her shirt up.But she


    soon saw a scar an inch up Jeanne''s waist.


    The five-centimeter-long scar was a bit dazzling on her waist.


    Lucia frowned, "This is..."


    Jeanne smiled, "I blocked a knife for August.This is the scar."


    She put down her shirt and said half-jokingly, "Speaking of which, we have both fought our lives for the


    same man."When Lucia heard this, her heart sank.Compared to Jeanne, she had just stopped the car


    and saved August''s life.It was no big deal.No wonder the person that August had cherished the most


    was Jeanne.She was generous, knowledgeable, and courteous.


    She had stayed by his side for so many years and even blocked a knife for him.


    What man would not cherish such a woman? Compared to Jeanne, what she had done was nothing.


    Seeing Lucia stunned, Jeanne held her hand and said affectionately, "Lucia, I''ve always regarded you


    as a friend.I wouldn''t ask much about your rtionship with August before, but you know what, the


    biggest wish in my life is to marry him.I hope he will belong to mepletely in the future, do you


    understand?"


    She didn''t say it directly, but the implication was very clear.


    How could Lucia not know what she meant? She forced a smile, met Jeanne''s eyes, and said softly,


    "Don''t worry.He belongs to youpletely, always."


    When Jeanne heard this, she stepped forward a little excitedly and wanted to put her arms around her,


    "Thank you for understanding me."


    Lucia didn''t listen to what she said after that.She came out of the ward and left the hospital with an


    empty heart.She knew very well that Jeanne had respected her enough by saying such a thing to her.


    There was no embarrassment often seen between an ex-girlfriend and the current one, and Jeanne


    didn''t ridicule her.


    She was reminding her most gently that she wanted Lucia to keep her distance from August.


    She probably wouldn''t be as generous as Jeanne under the same circumstance.


    August chose Jeanne for a reason.


    There was a burst of sadness in her heart.


    Lucia took out her phone and called Pa, trying to clear her emotions.


    As soon as the call was answered, she said, "Pa, let''s go to a bar to have a drink together tonight,


    ok?"


    There was a pause for two seconds on the other end of the phone, and then came a slightly concerned


    male voice, "Lucia, what''s the matter with you?"


    When Lucia heard the voice, she instantly woke up a little.She recognized Paul''s voice, and quickly


    asked, "Where is...Pa?"


    Paul said slowly, "She went to the bathroom.What''s the matter with you? Why do you suddenly want to


    have a drink?"

 Chapter 218

    Chapter 218


    Chapter 218 She Wanted To Fall in Love


    When Lucia heard this, she opened her mouth in embarrassment, but couldn''t answer.


    At this moment, Paul''s gentle chuckle came from the other end of the phone, "Are you also in a bad


    mood?"


    "Sort of..."


    Lucia paused and realized something, "Pa is not in a good mood?"


    She didn''t know what was going on between her and Burton.


    Paul raised his eyes when he heard a sound, nced at Pa who was walking towards him and said,


    "Indeed, she has a cold face and doesn''t talk to me."


    "Oh, she''s here.I''ll give her the phone."


    He raised his hand and handed the phone to Pa.


    Pa frowned and was about to ask why her brother was answering her phone call when she saw the


    caller ID and found it was Lucia.


    She immediately took it over and said, "Lucia?"


    "Pa,e out to chat tonight?"


    "Okay, I was about to ask you out.I didn''t expect you to call me first."


    After a few words, the two reached a preliminary consensus.


    After hanging up the phone, Pa looked up at Paul, and her face turned cold again, "I''m going out


    with Lucia tonight.So I won''t go back with you."


    Paul raised his eyebrows slightly, took a sip of red wine, and said, "Which bar are you going to? I''ll take


    you there."


    Pa was stunned for a moment, and then quickly denied, "What bar?! Who said we''re going to a


    bar?"


    Paul smiled, as if he had expected her to react like this, and said slowly, "I know you''re in a bad


    mood.Forget it this time.I''ll take you there.When the chat between you girls is over, I''ll go pick you up."


    He knew his sister''s character too well.


    She had been wild outside the country.


    Now that she had returned from abroad, he thought he should put her under control. This time, since it


    was Lucia who brought it up, he would allow her once.


    Pa''s eyes widened in disbelief, "Paul, are you being possessed? You''re allowing me to go to a bar!"


    Paul said in a firm tone, "Just this time, no next time."


    Hearing this, Pa rolled her eyes at him and stopped talking.


    Her brother hadn''t changed at all! When it got dark outside, Lucia finished her dinner, changed her


    clothes, and was ready to go out.


    Although she said she wanted to go for a drink, she didn''t n to go to any sultry ce.


    She just wanted to go to Andy''s bar for a drink or two and chat with Pa.


    As soon as she arrived at the ce, she greeted the bartender at the counter.


    She looked around and asked, "Is Pa here?"


    Thest time she and Pa came, they were already familiar with the bartender.


    Besides, they were friends of Andy, so the bartender naturally remembered them.


    "Not yet."


    The young bartender looked cool and bright.


    He grinned at her and said sweetly, "Girl, what do you want to drink this time?"


    When Lucia heard this, she felt amused and said, "Surprise me."


    "Okay!"


    The bartender moved neatly, turned around and took a few wine bottles from the wine rack, and got


    busy.


    Lucia was attracted by his actions when a familiar voice came from behind, "Lucia!"


    As soon as she turned around, she saw Pa in a pretty dress walking over quickly and waving at her.


    "I''mte.Paul took me here.He kept talking and I was so annoyed."


    She waved her hand, looked at the bartender, and snapped her fingers at him, "Give me a stronger


    drink this time."


    With that, she put down her bag and sat down beside Lucia.


    Lucia looked at her in surprise, "Strong wine? Pa, I''m going to have a drink today.If you get drunk, I


    really won''t care about you."


    It was not that she hadn''t seen what Pa looked like when she got drunk.


    Thinking about it now, she had a deep memory and lingering fears.


    When Pa heard her words, her face suddenly darkened and she looked at her with a bit of sadness,


    "Lucia, I''m in a bad mood..."


    Lucia''s eyes lit up.


    Thinking of Burton who she had seen in the hospital this morning, she asked in a soft voice, "Could it


    be...Burton?"


    When Lucia mentioned his name, Pa''s eyes lit up, but her face turned cold instantly.


    She looked away as if she didn''t want to talk about him, "It''s not him."


    Seeing her duplicity, Lucia already knew the answer in her heart.She smiled and didn''t ask any further


    questions.


    There were almost no secrets between her and Pa.


    Now that Pa didn''t want to talk about it, she wouldn''t ask anymore.


    Soon, the drinks were ready.


    Pa took a few sips from the ss and turned to look at the foreign band singing on the stage over


    there.


    "Lucia, what do you think of that handsome foreign guy?"


    Lucia raised her eyes and followed Pa''s slightly raised chin.


    Seeing the blond man, she couldn''t help but smile and ask, "Do you like his type?"


    Pa took a sip of wine, took a deep breath, and said unhappily, "I feel like I want to fall in love..."


    When she said this, a man''s face appeared in her mind, lingering.


    Sitting next to her, Lucia somehow agreed.She hasn''t been in a rtionship for a long time.


    Since graduating from college, she had met very few suitable men.


    Later, after having such a rtionship with August, she had no time and no chance to date any man.


    Now she had signed the contract.


    In the following year, ording to the regtions, she couldn''t have anything to do with any man but


    August.


    Did he think she was a nun without any emotional needs?! After drinking a ss of wine, Lucia felt


    warm in her stomach and her courage grew a bit.She encouraged Pa next to her, "If you like him, go


    ask for his contact information."


    Pa looked at the handsome foreign guy on the stage andughed dryly, without any emotional


    fluctuations in her heart.


    She just said it casually.


    Looking at the man on the stage, she was thinking of someone else.


    She shook her head and drank the wine in the ss in one gulp.


    Lucia somehow thought of the scene of her conversation with Jeanne in the morning.


    She turned to look at Pa next to her, and said softly, "Pa, I saw Jeanne this morning."


    Pa was shocked and turned around, "What? Isn''t she August''s first love?"


    Since she knew that the purpose of August and Lucia getting the marriage certificate was to find a


    kidney source for Jeanne, she gave them nicknames.


    August was a "scumbag" and Jeanne was "first love".


    Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    Lucia was a little drunk.She nodded and told Pa what Jeanne had said to her.She put her arms on


    the cold marble countertop and said softly, "No wonder she is August''s most cherished woman.I didn''t


    know the reason until today."


    Pa snorted, "What nonsense! I think that Jeanne is not a good person! When she said this, she


    made it clear that she was showing off her status besides August! Also, why did she show you her


    scar? Did she mean that she had done so much for August and you couldn''tpare to her so that


    you should give up?!"


    Pa''s tone was straightforward, but her words made sense.


    Lucia knew that this was indeed what Jeanne wanted to say to her, but it was undoubtedly the truth.


    Pa touched her shoulder and said, "Lucia, I don''t think this woman is simple at all! You''d better be


    careful!"


    Lucia chuckled and remained silent.She wasn''t going to get involved with August anymore.


    Although there was a contract, she would stay away from him as much as possible.

 Chapter 219

    Chapter 219


    Chapter 219 They Met Gigi Again


    "One more please!"


    Pa pushed the empty wine ss forward and smiled brightly at the bartender at the counter.


    This was the third ss she had drunk.


    Seeing this, Lucia had a bad premonition in her heart.


    So she quickly held her hand and smiled at the bartender, "No need.It''s enough for her."


    If she went on drinking like this, she would probably start going crazy again.


    "Lucia, don''t stop me.Just let me have a good drink!"


    Pa leaned her head on Lucia¡¯s shoulder, and suddenly babbled, "Tell me, why do I always think of


    Burton?"


    In ten minutes, this was the fifth time Lucia had heard her mention his name.


    Lucia lowered her head and pretended to be serious, "Pa, I have to tell you something.You like him,


    but why did you turn him down?"


    "Who likes him?! I don''t!"


    Pa waved her hand and continued, "Why did he take advantage of me and not make it clear? What


    does he think I am? Also, even if he confesses his love, he can''t be too casual.I''m a proud woman, and


    he must take me seriously!"


    Lucia looked at Pa who was leaning on her shoulder and kept mumbling and knew that she was


    drunk again.


    But from what Pa said, she roughly guessed what was going on.


    Pa''s family conditions were good.


    Pa had been spoiled by her parents and her brother since she was a child.


    Later, she went abroad to study music.She had a little fame and some achievements.


    Although she looked carefree, she was proud.


    After all, as Pa''s good friend, she knew too well that Pa was a person who had perfect


    requirements for love.


    She wouldn''t treat temporary attraction and ambiguity as love especially when Burton hadn''t confessed


    his love for her.


    Lucia shook her head and sighed secretly.


    At this moment, a clear female voice suddenly came from the side, "Well, isn''t it Pa? Did she break


    up?"


    Lucia turned her head and saw Gigi standing behind them with a wine ss in her hand, and staring at


    them smugly.


    Before Lucia could react, Pa, who was sitting beside her, suddenly stood up straight, turned her


    head, and red at Gigi, refuting, "What did you say?!"


    Gigi snorted coldly.


    A bit of irony appeared in her eyes, and she sneered, "I was just sitting over there, and I heard


    someone screaming here at such a distance.I found it familiar and came over to take a look.I didn''t


    expect it to be you.I heard everything."


    She looked arrogant and her words were harsh.


    Lucia frowned.


    She was afraid that Pa would scold her likest time, and quickly grabbed her arm and softly


    persuaded "Pa, shall we go?"


    Before Pa could answer, Gigi nced at her contemptuously, "Do you still want to run away like a


    coward likest time? Funny!"


    "What did you say?!"


    Pa stared at her angrily, and immediately stood up as if she was going toe forward and fight


    Gigi.


    When Gigi saw this, not only did she not dodge, but her eyes widened arrogantly.


    She raised her chin and said, "Do you want to hit me? Pa, I''m warning you.Get over yourself!"


    Hearing this, Pa became even angrier.She wished she could immediately teach the arrogant woman


    a good lesson.


    Seeing that something bad was going to happen, Lucia hurriedly grabbed her, "Okay, Pa!"


    She stood in front of Pa and looked at Gigi with a gloomy expression, "Miss Robbers, I''m


    sorry.Pa is drunk.I''ll take her away."


    With that, she supported Pa and was about to leave.


    Gigi snorted coldly and looked disdainful.


    When she thought of what had happened thest time, she became even angrier, and said coldly,


    "Why are you interfering with the matter between me and Pa? Do you think that you are very


    awesome? Aren''t you just August''s lover? Everyone knows!"


    After the farcest time, she went back and especially sent someone to check Lucia¡¯s background and


    found that she and August were very close.


    Besides, she knew Jeanne and knew the rtionship between Jeanne and August, so she decided that


    Lucia was August''s secret lover.


    Hearing Gigi''s words, Lucia was stunned, and her heart trembled slightly.


    It turned out that in the eyes of others, this was the rtionship between her and August.


    She gritted her teeth.


    Before she could say anything, Pa, who was behind her, suddenly rushed up ahead of her, "Gigi,


    what the hell are you talking about?!"


    Although Pa was drunk, she could still hear what Gigi was saying.


    Now that Gigi not only bullied her but also said something so mean to Lucia.


    N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    How could she suck it up? Gigi grabbed her clothes.


    Gigi spilled the wine in her hand, and coughed several times, "You...Pa, let go!"


    Pa was furious.


    She red at Gigi and didn''t let go, "Apologize! You have to apologize to Lucia!"


    Lucia hadn''t expected Pa to rush up suddenly.


    She quickly stretched out her hand and looked at Pa, "Pa, alright! I''m fine! Let''s go!"


    The farce staged by the three girls was particrly prominent in the quiet bar.


    Soon everyone looked over at them.


    The bartender at the bar saw that the situation was not right, so he quickly stepped forward to stop their


    fight.


    But Gigi was also furious.She red at Pa and said, "Pa, you''re crazy! Let me go now!"


    Pa was angry.


    She gritted her teeth and said, "You''re crazy! You came over and provoke us first!"


    Gigi had always been arrogant, domineering, and spoiled.


    Naturally, she had never experienced such an embarrassing situation.She gritted her teeth and she


    was burning with anger.She raised her hand and pped Pa in the face.


    At the critical moment, Lucia rushed forward and blocked Pa behind her.She was pped hard.


    They all froze in ce.


    Lucia gasped in pain.


    She frowned, and looked up at Gigi, who was dumbfounded, "Is it enough?"


    Gigi blinked and came to her sense.


    She took a step back and looked a little panicked, "Why...why did you rush up?"


    The person she wanted to beat was Pa, not Lucia.


    Lucia took a deep breath and her chest felt tight.She stared at Gigi and said, "I rushed up by myself,


    and I don''t me you.But if you say anything ungrounded again, I''ll p you back."


    When she didn''t resist, did they regard her as a pushover? Gigi hadn''t expected Lucia to suddenly


    be so confident, and a hint of guilt shed on her face.She nced at Pa who was stunned on


    the side and wanted to say something.


    But Lucia didn''t give her another look.She pulled Pa, turned around, and left.She froze for three


    seconds.


    When she reacted, she noticed others¡¯ curious gaze around and gritted her teeth angrily.


    Lucia was crazy! How dare she talk to her like that?! Sooner orter, she would teach Lucia a lesson!


    Lucia took Pa out of the bar.


    Along the way, Lucia''s face was gloomy and scary.


    Pa had long calmed down.She raised her hand cautiously, touched Lucia''s cheek, and muttered in a


    low voice, "Lucia, does it hurt?"


    Lucia frowned, said nothing, and continued to walk forward.


    "Lucia, Pa?"


    Suddenly, a voice came from the side.


    Paul walked towards them quickly.


    Seeing that something was wrong, he asked, "What''s going on?"

 Chapter 220

    Chapter 220


    Chapter 220 She Fell Asleep In The Car


    As soon as Pa saw him, she lowered her head in a guilty conscience, "I seem to have caused


    trouble for Lucia again..."


    Seeing Lucia''s slightly swollen cheek, Paul blinked, and he quickly asked, "Lucia, what''s wrong with


    your face?"


    Lucia turned her swollen cheek away and said, "It''s okay.Pa got drunk.Take her back."


    Seeing this, Paul didn''t need to ask any further questions.He had guessed what was going on and


    reached out to take Pa.He knew his sister''s temperament well.He generally didn''t allow her to go to


    nightclubs or bars because he was afraid that she would cause trouble.


    This time, it was rare for him to approve it.She went to the bar run by her good friend but still made


    trouble.


    He frowned, turned to look at his subordinate not far behind, andmanded coldly, "Take a taxi to


    take her home."


    His subordinate nodded and helped Pa into a taxi.


    Lucia took a deep breath and forced a smile, "Paul, you can go back.I can go home by myself."


    "I''ll take you back."


    Paul''s tone was firm.


    Looking at her slightly swollen cheek, he somehow felt a little distressed in his heart.


    How could a man bear to watch his beloved woman get hurt? Lucia raised her eyes and was about to


    decline, "No need..."


    Unexpectedly, Paul suddenly grabbed her arm and walked to the side.He smelt pleasant, which


    somehow made her feel safe.He took her across half a block and stopped at the door of a pharmacy.


    Paul let go of his hand and looked back at her, "You wait here.I''ll go buy you some medicine."


    He walked into the pharmacy.


    After a short while, when he came back, he had a tube of anti-swelling ointment and some cotton


    swabs in his hand.


    Lucia''s heart warmed.She hadn''t expected that he would bring her to buy medicine first.


    Paul smiled at her and said slowly, "Let''s go.Get in the car and apply it.There are too many people


    here."


    Hearing this, Lucia was slightly startled.


    Paul was much more considerate than she had imagined.She followed him obediently into the car.


    As soon as they got in the car, Paul said softly, "I know Pa''s temperament.She is reckless.Thanks


    for helping her."


    At this moment, Lucia had calmed down.


    She smiled, "It''s not her fault.She just drank too much."


    Besides, Gigi had started the fight today.It wasn''t Pa''s fault.


    "I''ll apply the ointment for you."


    Paul took out a cotton swab, dipped it in the ointment, and leaned over to her.


    The car was a closed space.


    When he approached, the distance between them suddenly narrowed.


    Lucia turned her face sideways, and couldn''t help holding her breath.


    Paul pinched the cotton swab and looked at Lucia''s profile, feeling nervous.


    T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    The cool ointment touched her cheek and he applied a thinyer.


    Although it was a bit tingling, Lucia resisted making no sound.


    "Alright."


    Finally, Paul applied the ointment and retracted his hand.


    Both of them secretly breathed a sigh of relief.


    Paul blushed a little.


    He started the car, and said softly, "Take a rest.I''ll take you home."


    "Okay."


    Lucia looked away and looked out the window.Her tense body slowly rxed.


    The ss of wine she had drunk in the bar just now slowly kicked in and she gradually felt a little


    sleepy.She slowly fell asleep.


    Looking at Lucia''s sleeping face, Paul couldn''t help smiling.He deliberately slowed down the car and


    drove the car more steadily.He wished this moment wouldst longer.


    When the car was approaching the gate of themunity, Lucia''s phone in her bag next to her


    suddenly rang.


    The phone screen was flickering and vibrating non-stop.


    Paul heard the sound and immediately picked up the phone for fear of waking Lucia.


    The moment he was about to turn off the screen, he instinctively nced at it.


    When he saw the caller ID "August", his heart tightened suddenly.


    He turned his head slightly and looked at Lucia, who was still sleeping soundly beside him, with mixed


    feelings.


    After hesitating for two seconds, he pressed the answer button and said, "Hello? What''s the matter?"


    August was slightly startled on the other end of the phone when he heard Paul''s voice.He frowned the


    next second, "Who are you?"


    Paul frowned and said in a low voice, "Her friend.She fell asleep in the car.You can call her another


    day."


    With that, without waiting for August to say anything, he hung up the phone.


    On the other side, August''s face darkened instantly.


    He nced at his phone after he was hung up on.


    When he saw the time, an inexplicable annoyance arose in his heart.


    He certainly recognized Paul''s voice.


    It was sote and they were still together! Lucia had fallen asleep in his car! Was she stupid or naive?


    It was such a dangerous act! What was more, he had told her to abide by the content of the contract,


    but she didn''t take his words seriously! He felt so annoyed, and slowly tightened his grip on his phone.


    In the end, a cold light shed in his eyes.


    He called his subordinate outside the door, and instructed, "Contact the director of the People¡¯s


    Hospital and tell him that I will be transferred to their hospital tomorrow."


    His subordinate was a little surprised, and couldn''t help but ask, "Do you want me to contact him now?"


    August''s face looked cold and he said, "Now!"


    On the other side, Lucia had just woken up.She looked out the window and found they had reached the


    downstairs of her apartment.She quickly straightened up.


    "I''m sorry."


    She smiled apologetically at Paul, "! fell asleep identally.Have you been waiting for a long time?"


    Paul smiled, "No, we just arrived."


    Lucia smiled at him, picked up her bag and her phone, pushed the door open, and got off the car,


    "Thank you.Goodbye."


    Paul hesitated and was about to tell her about the phone call he had just answered when she got off


    the car, closed the door, waved at him, and turned around.


    Paul smiled helplessly.His eyes lingered on Lucia for two seconds before he came to his sense and


    started the car.He was selfish.


    From the first time he met August, he could vaguely feel that August would be one of his opponents,


    either in business or emotionally.


    August was one of the few candidates who could be regarded as an opponent in the past few years.


    Lucia took a nap and felt much better.


    After returning home, she took a shower, picked up her phone, and sent Elisa a message, [Have you


    gone to bed?]


    Soon, she got a reply, [Your dad has fallen asleep.I''m going to bed now.]


    [Okay, goodnight.I''ll see you tomorrow]


    After sending the message, Lucia felt a little better.She had been used to checking on her parents for


    the past few days.


    In a few days, it would be the day of her father''s surgery.


    Dr.Long had specially instructed that the patient''s condition was very important before the surgery.


    So she naturally paid attention to it.


    As long as this operation seeded, she wouldn''t have worked so hard recently and signed the


    contract in vain.

 Chapter 221

    Chapter 221


    Chapter 221 You''re So In Need Of A Man?


    The next day, when the rm clock rang, Lucia got up immediately, went to the supermarket to buy


    fresh fish, and prepared soup.


    This soup had been made for two or three days in a row, and now she was much more proficient.


    The pot was simmering on a low fire.


    She turned around to do something else and put on a long embroidered dress.


    When she returned to the kitchen, the soup was almost finished.


    With everything ready, she went straight to the hospital with the lunch box.


    It was a very happy thing for her to be able to watch her father drink the fish soup she made with her


    own hands.


    When she arrived at the hospital, she rushed to the ward excitedly, pushed open the door, and went in,


    "Dad, Mom, I..."


    When she looked up and saw the people in the room, she was stunned.


    Bill was half seated on the bed with Elisa on one side and August on the other! Shouldn''t he be in the


    hospital? Why did he suddenlye to her father¡¯s ward? When she thought of what Jeanne had said


    yesterday, she froze for a moment, "Why are you here?"


    Hearing her unwee tone, August raised his eyebrows slightly and his eyes slightly darkened.


    Lucia had changed her attitude so quickly.


    She had said that she would make soup for him yesterday, and then she went to meet another manst


    night.


    Now her attitude towards him became so cold.


    Bill noticed the awkwardness between them.


    He cleared his throat softly, and said to Lucia, "Lucia, don''t be so rude.August was injured.He happens


    to be in this hospital.He just came to chat with me."


    Lucia frowned, puzzled.


    Why was he in this hospital? She nced at August, said nothing, and walked in.


    She put down the fish soup and said, "I''ve made soup.Dad, you can drink someter."


    As soon as she said it, August stood up and said, "Mr.Mitchell, if nothing else, I won''t bother you


    anymore."


    Bill nodded and said softly, "Well, August,e and chat with me when you''re free.It can relieve our


    boredom!"


    When August was in college, he was Mr.Mitchell''s favorite student.


    Later, even if he graduated and managed thepany, they still had many things inmon.


    "Okay, I''ll take time toe see you again."


    August smiled and was about to leave.


    Seeing this, Bill immediately looked at Lucia and said, "Lucia, August has an injury on his leg.You go


    and see him out."


    Lucia nced at August, "Can''t he walk by himself?"


    When Bill heard this, his face darkened.


    Lucia took a deep breath, stepped forward reluctantly, and walked out after August.


    After the door was closed, Elisa couldn''t help but say, "Bill, what are you doing? Didn''t Lucia say that


    they would never get back together?"


    "How do you know that?"


    Bill snorted, "I feel like they still have a chance!"


    With August as a benchmark, many other young men were dwarfed.


    He was naturally partial to August.


    As long as there was still a chance, he certainly hoped to marry his daughter to someone he trusted.


    In the corridor, Lucia followed August, keeping a distance from him.


    After passing through most of the corridor, she finally couldn''t help it and asked, "Weren''t you in the


    Central Hospital? Why did you suddenlye to the People''s Hospital?"


    August''s eyes shed slightly, but his face was as cold as ever, "This ce is closer to thepany."


    Lucia heard his words and said nothing.


    They got on the elevator and went to the floor of the VVIP ward two floors above.


    The environment here was much better than the floors below.


    This floor was spacious, quiet, and well-equipped.


    Lucia walked August to his ward, stood at the door, and said coldly, "I''ll go back."


    When August heard her words, he couldn''t help frowning, and his face turned a little cold.He turned


    around, quickly closed the door of the ward, and blocked the door.


    August''s movements were quick and smooth.


    Lucia was stunned for a second.


    After she came to her sense, she looked at him vigntly and said, "What...what are you doing?"


    Capturing the panic in Lucia¡¯s eyes, August smiled slightly, but his eyes were still cold, "Well, when did


    you get so close to Paul?"


    Lucia was stunned.


    After a moment, she realized what he meant.


    Immediately, her face flushed.


    She took a step back, looked at him angrily, and said, "August, are you spying on me?"


    Otherwise, how would he know that she met Paul?


    "Well."


    August sneered with cold eyes, but he didn''t answer her question directly.He didn''t bother to spy on


    her.


    She didn''t even know about his phone call yesterday.


    It seemed that she slept soundly in Paul''s car! Seeing that he didn''t answer for a long time, Lucia


    became even angrier.


    She slowly clenched her fists, stared at him, and said, "Mr.Adams, I didn''t expect you to do such a


    shameless thing?!"


    The irony in her tone aroused August''s emotions instead.


    August looked at me with dark and mocking eyes and said, "What about you? Lucia, you signed the


    contract, but there is still no way for you to give up seeing other men, right?"


    He stepped forward, forcing Lucia against the wall.


    The next second, he suddenly raised his hand to squeeze Lucia''s chin.He felt hatred, and he said


    coldly, "You''re so in need of a man?"


    The phone callst night and the transfer to another hospital in the early morning had exhausted his


    patience! "What...what did you say?!"


    Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    Lucia was stunned.She hadn''t expected him to say that.


    Her face was burning hot, and she felt ashamed instantly.


    How could he say that to her?! What did he think of her?!


    "Let go!"


    She gritted her teeth and reached out to push him away.


    But August was also in a fit of anger.He quickly grabbed her wrists and exerted a little force.


    Lucia¡¯s face was flushed with anger and she struggled desperately.


    But unfortunately, men and women were born with a disparity in strength.She was no match for him!


    She was so furious.


    When she saw August''s arm in front of her, she opened her mouth and bit it.


    August froze and groaned in pain.


    When he lowered his head, he found her biting him hard like a wild cat!


    "You..."


    He frowned tightly with his other hand still holding Lucia''s wrist.


    When Lucia finally let go, she saw a row of teeth marks on August''s forearm.It was bleeding a little.It


    must burt! She shuddered.


    She hadn''t expected herself to bite him so hard.She looked up at August''s deep frown and felt a little


    guilty in her heart.


    "Well...I..."


    She shouldn''t have bit him so hard.


    August''s face darkened and he pursed his lips tightly.


    There was anger in his eyes, "Lucia, how dare you!"


    She was the first to dare to bite him! Lucia felt guilty and was stunned for a moment.


    Before she could say anything, she suddenly saw him lean over.


    The next second, she was picked up by him.


    "Ah! August!"


    Before she could make any resistance, she was already carried into the ward and thrown onto the bed


    the next second.


    VVIP''s hospital bed was not small at all.It was big enough for two people, and it had good sticity.


    When she was thrown on it, her body bounced twice.


    But it was precise because of this that she was even more flustered.


    Who could guarantee that August would do anything to her? She put her two arms in front of her eyes


    and shouted in a panic, "August, you bastard! Bastard!"


    If he dared to touch her this time, she would fight back!

 Chapter 222

    Chapter 222


    Chapter 222 Ted Emerged


    Seeing how flustered Lucia was, August smiled and the anger in his heart dissipated a little.He


    stretched out his hands, grabbed her waving hands, and leaned closer, "Lucia, did I say what to do to


    you?"


    Lucia was stunned for a moment.


    She looked up at him, blinked, and her face was slightly blushing, "You..."


    August''s eyes were dark and bright, with a bit of yfulness, "Could it be that you''re overly


    imaginative?"


    Hearing his words, Lucia felt even more embarrassed.


    She looked away and cleared her throat in embarrassment, "I don''t know what you''re talking about."


    She was denying it.


    August snorted coldly, raised his arm that was bitten by her, and showed her the teeth marks, "What


    about this? What are you going to do?"


    Lucia nced at it guiltily but did not speak.


    August raised his eyebrows and said, "If you don''t recognize it, I''ll have to go to ask your father to


    judge."


    "Don''t!"


    Lucia reacted suddenly and grabbed his hand, "No!"


    If her father saw she had bit his favorite student like this, wouldn''t he scold her? Besides, he couldn''t


    get angry before the operation.


    "Then how are you going to solve it?"


    August smiled faintly, "Settle it privately?"


    Lucia said quickly, "OK!"


    August snorted lightly and smiled slightly.


    Lucia faintly felt something wrong.


    Before she could react, August rolled over onto the bed and pressed her to lie down.


    Then, August said in a low and maic voice, "Then sleep with me."


    What?! Lucia''s eyes widened in astonishment, and she was on the verge of going crazy! This bastard!


    Sure enough, this was his n! "I can''t..."


    Before she could finish her refusal, August said again, "Just sleeping."


    She swallowed it.She bit her lips and was hugged by him, feeling a little strange...


    Why did it feel so weird? Fortunately, August didn''t move any further.


    After a short while, she heard the sound of even breathinging from behind her.


    It seemed he was sleepy.


    Lucia''s tense body slowly rxed, and she raised her eyes to look at the pping curtains at the


    window.


    She gradually felt sleepy.


    Lucia slowly rolled over and opened her eyes sleepily.


    The first thing she saw was August''s face close at hand.


    She didn''t react for a moment.She thought she was dreaming.She stretched out her hand in a daze,


    and directly pinched his cheek.


    August was stunned for a moment.


    But before he could react, he heard Lucia muttering, "Your skin is as good as a girl''s..."


    It seemed she didn''t think it was enough.


    She let go, patted his cheek, and then pinched his nose, "Your nose is so high.Did you have stic


    surgery?"


    August felt speechless.He could not wait to take her a good lesson.


    When he saw Lucia reaching out to touch his lips, his face darkened.He reached out to grab her hand,


    and said coldly, "My mouth is real.Try it if you don''t believe."


    As he spoke, he was about to lean over, and his deep eyes darkened.


    Lucia woke up instantly and her drowsiness subsided, and her sanity returned.


    She pressed one hand against August''s chest, and said with a blushing face, "I don''t want it."


    "Oh? But I want to...prove myself."


    Seeing Lucia''s panicked look, August somehow wanted to tease her.


    "Go away.This is the ward."


    Lucia struggled.


    If someone opened the door and saw them like this, it would be so embarrassing.


    He stopped teasing her, and held her tightly in his arms, "I''m kidding."


    At this moment, the phone rang, interrupting them.


    The phone on the bedside table kept ringing, sounding urgent.


    August frowned, raised his body, and nced at the caller ID.


    His eyes darkened.


    Lucia took the opportunity to turn over, got out of bed, quickly smoothed her crumpled clothes, and took


    a few steps back in a panic, "I''ll go."


    With that, she ran away quickly.


    August frowned.


    Watching her flee quickly, he raised his hand and pressed his eyebrows.


    She was running fast.


    ncing at the phone ringing beside him, he sat up straight, picked it up, and answered, "Hello?"


    Joshua said on the other end of the phone, "August, what are you doing?! Why didn''t you answer the


    phone?"


    August looked gloomy, "What is it?"


    He was annoyed when he was disturbed at this time.


    N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    "Ted emerged in Austin City."


    It instantly made August awake a little bit, and he frowned, "Have I you caught him?"


    "No, the bastard appeared in a local hotel.We checked other surveince cameras, but it seemed that


    he had disappeared."


    August clenched his phone tightly, got up quickly, unbuttoned his hospital gown with one hand, and


    said coldly, "See you at the old ce."


    He hung up the phone and changed his clothes.


    Ted suddenly appeared in the country, and his men didn''t even notice it.


    There was no record of his travel by air ornd, so there were only two possibilities.


    Either he was using a fake identity, or he didn''t take public transportation at all, but used a private jet


    like thest time he escaped.


    When he was in Franksfurt, Old K had protected him like that.


    Now that he was back, it could only mean one thing, he was going to do something! This time Ted


    showed up.


    How could he let him run away? In the Cloud Apartment in the Northern District, as soon as August


    entered the door, Joshua greeted him.


    He stepped forward and exined the situation, "The surveince footage is from the morning.Ted


    suddenly left the hotel.I don''t know where he went."


    In the center of the huge living room, there was a row of tables the ce where the TV sofa should


    have been ced.


    There were seven or eightputer screens, and all of them were ying dynamic surveince


    footage.


    August stepped forward and looked at Bond who was sitting at the table, "y it."


    Bond clicked a few times, and found the footage.


    On the screen, Ted''s clothes were most ordinary, and even his walking posture was not the same as


    before, but they could still vaguely recognize his face.


    It seemed that he was deliberately avoiding the cameras.


    His picture shed by, as short as a few seconds.


    August snorted coldly, frowning.


    Ted was cunning as ever.


    He said coldly, "This time when hees back, he will take action.Someone is helping him


    secretly.Otherwise, he wouldn''t be able to do it alone."


    Joshua said coldly, "So, there is someone in Austos City that has something to do with Franksfurt."


    "That''s right."


    August''s face was cold, "It''s just that this person hasn''t shown his face."

 Chapter 223

    Chapter 223


    Chapter 223 Love Triangle


    It was quiet for a few seconds.


    After a moment, Joshua raised his eyes and looked at August, "Do we need to keep watching Old K?"


    August said coldly, "No need.Old K is just a smokescreen.The person behind him is the real boss.The


    most urgent task is to find the person behind Ted."


    "I see."


    "Bond, keep an eye on Austos City.If there is any change, report it immediately."


    Bond nodded, "Okay."


    "Oh, August."


    Joshua walked to the sofa and sat down with crossed legszily, "Thest time your car was tampered


    with.Charlotte has found out who did it"


    He looked up at the person in the corner and raised his chin to August.


    At this moment, the man sitting in the shadow of the corner moved slightly.He was dressed from head


    to toe in ck.He raised his head slightly, and raised his ck peaked cap, revealing his dark and thin


    chin.He got up, picked up a document from the side, and walked to August.


    His voice was low and hoarse, "Nn Vermon, an employee of the Technology Department of Lion


    Group.He has been working in thepany for one year and four months.This is his personal


    information.He tampered with your car.Now he has not gone to thepany for three days and has not


    asked for leave.I think he should know that he was exposed."


    August raised his hand to take the thin piece of paper.


    When his eyes swept over the information sheet, his eyes darkened a little.


    What he hadn''t expected was that in his ownpany, there were people who worked for others and


    even wanted to kill him.


    It was unforgivable! August pursed his lips and said coldly, "Investigate his whereabouts and make sure


    to bring him back to me."


    "Yes."


    Charlotte paused for a moment and said, "His call log has been pulled, and a phone number has been


    locked.


    But that phone number has now be vacant, and the purchase record is registered with the real


    identity information."


    August''s eyes were cold and dangerous.


    Unexpectedly, they had cleaned up his mess.He nodded slightly and said coldly, "Catch Nn before


    we talk about the rest."


    "Yes."


    Aftering out of the Cloud Apartment, Joshua drove the car.


    As soon as he got in the car, he turned to look at August beside him and asked, "How''s your injury? Is


    it serious?"


    August snorted, "I won''t die."


    He had suffered this kind of injury a lot before, and it was not a big deal.


    Besides, his body''s ability to recover was very good.


    After the wound had been dealt with and he rested for a day or two, his daily life wouldn''t be a problem.


    Joshua smiled and was about to speak when August''s phone suddenly rang.He picked it up and looked


    down.His cold eyes softened a bit and he answered, "Hello?"


    Jeanne''s sweet voice came from the other end of the phone, "August, I went to the hospital to see


    you.Why weren''t you there?"


    "I have something to deal with and I''m not in the hospital."


    He raised his eyes slightly and asked slowly, "What''s wrong, Jeanne?"


    Jeanneined, "August, have you forgotten? My birthday ising soon."


    Hearing this, a dim light shed across August''s eyes, and he replied softly, "Well, I remember."


    Jeanne paused and then asked with a chuckle, "I''m happy you remember.August, you should also


    remember what you said to me, right?"


    Lucia''s tone was a little shy and provocative.


    Joshua heard something vaguely, and he looked at August curiously while driving.


    August''s face was somehow a little gloomy.


    He lowered his eyes and said lightly, "Jeanne, we''ll talk about this when we meet."


    "Okay, August."


    They chatted a while before hanging up.


    The car suddenly became quiet.


    Joshua raised his chin, looked at the road ahead, and pretended to ask casually, "What? Do you and


    Jeanne have any other secrets you can''t tell us?"


    After he said that, August''s face became even colder.


    He nced at Joshua, didn''t want to say more, and just said solemnly, "Drive your car."


    Joshua smiled and asked deliberately, "August, are you in a love triangle with Lucia and Jeanne now?


    They''re different types of beautiful girls.This is not something you would do!"


    He had known August for so many years, and he had never seen August in any tangled rtionship.


    Jeanne was his childhood sweetheart.


    Besides that, he had never seen him get close to other women, but Lucia surprised him.


    Hearing his words, August pursed his lips tightly and refused to say another world.


    Aware of August''s coldness, Joshua felt a little surprised and he didn''t say more.


    In a blink of an eye, two days had passed.


    Lucia had worked two extra days in a row, and her eyes couldn''t stand it.


    She had started working overtime day and night again because her father would have surgery in a few


    days, and she was nning to take a few days off to stay by his side.


    Lion Group had two days off on weekends and they didn''t work much overtime.


    In today''s Austos City, it was a very conscientiouspany.


    Lucia suddenly nned to take a vacation of nearly a week, which was difficult.


    After all, her work must bepleted.


    All she could do was try her best to do her work as much as possible ahead of time, and the rest of her


    work could only be shared by other colleagues.


    Standing up, Lucia found it waspletely dark outside.


    She twisted her neck and was about to pack up and leave when Pa called, "Lucia, have you eaten


    yet? I''ll treat you to barbecue!"


    Maybe it was because of the incident at the barst time, she went back and was taught a lesson by


    Paul.


    She behaved for several days.


    Apart from regr messages to harass Lucia, she didn''t do anything else.


    Hearing Pa''s voice after so long, Lucia felt much better.


    She smiled and said softly, "I haven''t eaten yet.What happened? Why are you so happy?"


    Pa''s happy voice came from the other end of the phone, "The sry for thest performance has


    arrived.How about I invite you to dinner and go shopping?"


    "Okay, I''m tired from work too.I need to rx."


    The two hit it off, reached a consensus, and agreed on a time and ce.


    After leaving thepany, Lucia went directly to the appointed ce.


    Pa had already arrived.


    Seeing Luciaing in a hurry, she couldn''t help frowning, "Lucia, you don''t cherish your beauty at


    all.You don''t even wear makeup!"


    With that, she took out lipstick from her bag and smeared it on Lucia¡¯s lips.


    Lucia frowned and protested, "Pa, the color is too bright..."


    "A bright one looks good on you! It''s not like the color you usually use.It''s not amazing enough!"


    Pa took a step back and nodded in satisfaction.


    Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    Lucia had fair skin.She was beautiful even without makeup.


    When she was wearing some lipstick, her face became prettier.


    Lucia took a picture with her phone, but she was not quite used to it, "It''s so red..."


    Pa excitedly took her arm and walked to the mall, "Not at all.It''s pretty.Let''s go and buy a dress after


    dinner!"

 Chapter 224

    Chapter 224


    Chapter 224 They Met And Said Hello


    After the two girls had dinner, they were full of energy and began to go shopping.


    After going to a few stores, they found there was no dress that they liked.


    Finally, Pa looked at thergest store in the center and took Lucia to go there.


    Lucia nced at the brand and reminded, "Pa, that brand is too expensive."


    "Let''s go shopping to see if there is anything we like first"


    Pa said and dragged her in.


    As expected, as soon as they entered, they found that the clothes inside seemed to be several grades


    higher, with high quality.


    Of course, the price was several times that of those stores they had visited just now.


    After walking around, Lucia saw that there were a lot of dresses she liked.


    When she was struggling with the price, she heard a somewhat familiar voice not far away, "I like all of


    these, but there are too many and I''m afraid..."


    A low male voice said with a faint smile, "It doesn''t matter.Buy them all."


    Hearing the voices, Lucia froze.


    She looked up subconsciously and saw that it was August, and the person standing in front of him was


    Jeanne! It seemed that he was shopping with her.


    Lucia¡¯s heart sank slightly, and she felt a little sad.


    She gritted her teeth and thought of something.


    It had been two days since shest saw August.


    It stood to reason that in two days, August should not have been discharged from the hospital so soon,


    but he was now shopping with Jeanne...


    Indeed, the power of love was great.


    Lucia was thinking when Pa suddenly came over with a dress and said, "Lucia, what do you think of


    this one?"


    Her voice was not small, so they could hear it over there! Lucia''s body tensed.


    She quickly turned her back on them, gritted her teeth, and said in a low voice, "It''s good."


    It was quite embarrassing to meet them here, so they''d better not see each other.


    But things went contrary to her wishes.


    When Pa called Lucia, it made August and Jeanne turn their heads to look at them at the same


    time.


    When Jeanne saw Lucia, a trace of unhappiness shed in her eyes, but it was fleeting.


    Soon, she took August''s hand, raised her head, and smiled, "That seems Ms.Mitchell!"


    August raised his eyes, nced at Lucia, and saw her slightly stiff back.


    He replied calmly, "Yeah."


    Seeing August''s unchanged face, Jeanne was secretly delighted, but she still stretched out her hand


    and pulled him over there, "August, let''s go say hello!"


    With that, she took August''s arm and walked over there.


    Pa just noticed that Lucia''s face was not quite right.


    Before she could ask, she saw Jeanne and August walking towards them.She was stunned for a


    moment, opened her mouth, and didn¡¯t know what to say.She immediately put down the clothes in her


    hand, and took Lucia away, "Lucia, don''t look back!"


    Lucia naturally knew what was going on.She nodded and walked to the side quickly.


    "Ms.Mitchell!"


    At this moment, a loud and clear female voice came.


    Jeanne took August to catch up with them and walked around to them, "What a coincidence!


    Ms.Mitchell, are you here to look at the clothes too?"


    Lucia looked up at Jeanne, forced a smile, and said, "Yeah, what a coincidence."


    She didn''t look sideways, but she could feel that August beside Jeanne was staring at her with a


    straight and undisguised gaze, which made her feel a little helpless.


    "It''s a coincidence!"


    Jeanne smiled innocently and said, "I like several dresses, but I don¡¯t know which one to


    choose.August said they are all good-looking and want to buy them all.I really couldn''t stop him!"


    With that, she nced at August angrily, showing the coquettishness of a spoiled girl, and then took


    Lucia''s hand, "I''m so d to meet you.Please help me choose.."


    Lucia¡¯s scalp tingled, and she couldn''t refuse.She looked at Pa beside her.


    Before she could speak, Jeanne pulled her aside.


    "Look, this one, this one, and these, which one do you think is better?"


    Beside the hanger, Lucia looked at the dresses that Jeanne had picked out and felt upset.


    She bit her lips, cheered herself up, and pointed to two of them, "These two are more in line with your


    temperament."


    "Right!"


    Jeanne chuckled and agreed, "I like these two the most! Sure enough, I still have to go shopping with


    girls, not August..."


    She seemed to realize something.


    After a pause, she quickly changed the topic and turned to look at her and said, "Lucia, apany me


    to the fitting room to try it on!"


    N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    She picked up the two dresses and reached out with the other hand to grab Lucia¡¯s arm.


    But as soon as she touched Lucia''s hand, Jeanne stumbled and fell to the side unexpectedly, "Oh!"


    Lucia reacted fast.


    Seeing that Jeanne was about to fall, she quickly reached out to pull her, but she slipped and fell on top


    of Jeanne! A shop assistant quickly came over upon hearing the sound.


    August also strode forward and frowned unconsciously when he saw the two girls on the ground.


    Pa ran over in a hurry and saw Lucia fall, and immediately stepped forward and pulled her up,


    "Lucia, are you alright?"


    As soon as Lucia shook her head, she saw August helping Jeanne up with a cold face.


    He sounded concerned, "Jeanne, are you okay?"


    Jeanne frowned, looking aggrieved.


    She leaned against August''s chest tenderly, shaking her head with tears in her eyes, "August, I''m


    fine.Hearing this, August seemed to be relieved and then raised his eyes to look at Lucia.Lucia''s heart


    tensed and she subconsciously hid her aching arm.


    Before he could ask, she said, "I''m fine.Miss Kelly, are you okay?"


    Huddled in August''s arms, Jeanne shook her head gently and didn''t answer.


    She raised her eyes, looked at August, and said in a slightly aggrieved voice, "August, I''m not feeling


    well..."


    In an instant, August frowned slightly and nced at Lucia coldly without saying a word.


    He bent down slightly and picked Jeanne up, "I''ll take you away."


    With that, he hugged Jeanne and strode away coldly.


    Lucia''s heart tightened and she was speechless for a while.


    Pa couldn''t help but say, "Lucia, what''s August''s expression? Is he ming you?"


    Lucia came to her sense and forced a smile a little sadly.


    Wasn''t it right? It seemed August was ming her as if Jeanne had fallen because of her.


    "Forget it."


    Lucia smiled at Pa, "Let''s go."


    Pa wanted to say something.


    But seeing that Lucia didn''t want to talk about it, she had to swallow, "Okay, I''m not in the mood to shop


    anymore.Let''s go."


    She grabbed Lucia''s arm, but Lucia¡¯s hand subconsciously shrank to the side.


    When she lowered her head, she realized that Lucia had arge bruise on her forearm and elbow!

 Chapter 225

    Chapter 225


    Chapter 225 She Was An Innocent-looking Bitch


    Pa was startled and subconsciously shouted, "Lucia, you are injured!"


    Lucia lowered her head, nced at her elbow, and said lightly, "I identally rubbed it when I fell just


    now.It''s alright."


    "It''s alright? No, it''s going to get infected!"


    Pa''s face became serious, and she immediately took Lucia away, "l remember there is a small clinic


    nearby.I''ll take you to bandage it"


    Lucia couldn''t refuse, so she had to go with Pa.


    Along the way, Pa kept talking.


    When she got to the clinic and saw the doctor, she calmed down a bit.


    The wound was simply bandaged, and then the doctor prescribed ointment and gauze and instructed


    her to change the dressing on time.


    After taking the medicine, Lucia and Pa left the clinic together.


    "Lucia, I thought about it just now.I don''t think you identally fell.Don''t you think Jeanne did it on


    purpose? Look at the way she huddled in August''s arms just now.She was an innocent-looking bitch."


    Hearing this, Lucia took a deep breath and said softly, "I don''t think she did it on purpose.Maybe it was


    just an ident."


    "ident? Lucia, you are so naive!"


    Pa disagreed, "Anyway, I don''t think Jeanne is that simple.You have to be careful."


    Lucia took Pa''s arm andughed softly, "I know, Pa."


    This was not the first time Pa had said this in front of her.


    But in her impression, Jeanne was generous and gentle, not like a scheming girl.


    Forget it.


    She wouldn''t think about it anymore.She and Jeanne wouldn''t have any intersection in the future


    anyway.


    Back at the apartment, it was gettingte and Lucia hurried to wash up and go to bed without setting


    the rm clock.


    The next morning, when she woke up, she opened her eyes and suddenly realized that it was getting


    late.


    So she hurriedly got up and went to thepany.She had nned to ask for leave today.


    If she ate breakfast, she was afraid it would make the supervisor unhappy, and it would be even more


    difficult to approve her leave.


    When Lucia thought about it, she was even more anxious.She rushed to thepany in a hurry.


    When she ran to the elevator entrance, there happened to be an elevator just going up.She nced at


    her watch and found there were only five minutes left.She became even more anxious.


    Just when she was so anxious that she didn''t know what to do, the sound of footsteps suddenly came


    from behind her.She didn''t care, and focused on the rising number of the elevator, feeling so agitated.


    At this moment, a cold voice came from the side, "Let''s go up together."


    As soon as Lucia turned her head, she saw August standing at the entrance of the elevator reserved


    for the president and staring at her with deep eyes.Her heart tightened, and she subconsciously


    wanted to say no.


    But when she scanned the watch, she gritted her teeth and walked over.


    It was just two minutes, and it would be over soon.


    After they got on the elevator, the elevator door slowly closed.


    In a closed space alone with August, Lucia felt a little nervous unknowingly.


    August lowered his eyes, and identally looked at her arm.


    His eyes finally stopped at the cuff of her shirt.


    A small section of her arm was wrapped with gauze.


    It looked like she was injured.He subconsciously frowned.


    After two seconds, he couldn''t help but ask, "What''s wrong with your hand?"


    When Lucia heard his words, her body tightened.


    She quickly shrank her hand, raised her hand, and pulled her sleeve to cover the gauze, "It''s okay.I


    identally hurt my arm."


    Hearing this, August blinked lightly.His eyes were dark and unclear.


    Lucia took a deep breath, feeling nervous and guilty.


    For fear that August would continue to ask questions, she turned to him and asked, "Miss Kelly...how is


    she?"


    When August heard Jeanne''s name, his face changed slightly, and he thought of the words Jeanne


    had said in the carst night, "August, actually Ms.Mitchell tripped me and I fell, but she didn''t mean


    it..."


    His eyes darkened a bit and he raised his eyes to look at Lucia.


    Seeing that her face was calm without any hesitation, he said, "She''s fine."


    Lucia breathed a sigh of relief and said softly, "That''s good."


    At this moment, the elevator door opened and it arrived at the floor where Lucia worked.


    She bowed slightly towards August before she quickly got off the elevator and ran to the office area.


    She ran to the attendance machine quickly, but Lisa suddenly appeared, stopped her, and asked,


    "Ms.Mitchell, have you handed in the quarterly report?"


    "It''s been handed in."


    Lucia was so anxious that she wanted to avoid her.


    But Lisa was unrelenting and continued to block her, "But why didn''t I see it?"


    Lucia took a deep breath, looked at her intently, and said word by word, "I gave it to the supervisor


    directly."


    When Lisa heard this, she didn''t say anything.


    Lucia walked around her and ran to the attendance machine.


    But it was just past nine o''clock.


    She did the face recognition and the machine reported, "You''rete!"


    Lucia frowned tightly and felt a little annoyed.


    If Lisa hadn''t stopped her, she wouldn''t bete! Beingte and deducting wages was a trivial matter.


    But if it affected her request for leave, it would be difficult to handle! But when it rains, it pours.


    Less than half an hour after the leave application was submitted, she received a notice from her


    supervisor, "Ms.Mitchell,e to my office."


    Lucia gasped, agreed, and headed to the supervisor''s office.


    Walking into the office, she looked at Carter sitting at the desk and felt a little uneasy, "Carter."


    Carter raised her chin at her and said, "Sit down."


    As soon as Lucia sat down, Carter asked, "Are you going to take five days off?"


    in Lucia took a deep breath, gritted her teeth, met her eyes, and said, "Yes, my dad is having an


    operation, and I want to stay by his side."


    Before the operation, during the operation, and after the operation, she would apany her father


    during the whole process, which would take several days.


    In her mind, her family came first, so she naturally wanted to take leave.


    Carter''s face became serious and she said, "It''s okay to ask for leave, but do you know how many


    times you''ve beente and left early in the past half month?"


    Lucia wrung her hands, feeling a little uneasy.She waste this time today.She waste oncest


    week.She had run to stop August''s car and disappeared for an afternoon days ago.


    In total, there were indeed several times.


    "Lucia, you''ve worked very hard and seriously, but these are facts you can''t deny.I''m sorry.I can''t give


    you the leave."


    This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.


    Carter pushed her to leave the application in front of her.


    Lucia gritted her teeth and understood.


    Thepany did have such requirements.


    Leave of more than three days was subject to some conditions.


    Carter nced at her and said softly, "If you need it, you can apply for it again.If the superior approves


    it, I won''t object."


    "I see.Thank you, Carter.Lucia walked out of her office, a little disappointed.It seemed there was


    nothing she could do.Could it be that now she could only ask August for leave? After thinking about it,


    Lucia didn''t think of a better idea.


    In the end, she had to muster up her courage and n to go to August to talk about the leave.


    In the afternoon, Lucia went to the President''s Office and was hesitating whether to knock on the door


    or not when Mary suddenly came over and asked, "Are you here to see Mr.Adams?"


    Lucia nodded.


    Mary said in a businesslike manner, "Mr.Adams isn''t here now, and he probably won''t be back


    today.Come back tomorrow."


    Hearing this, Lucia nodded hesitantly, turned around, and walked slowly toward the elevator.


    At the fire exit of the stairs not far away, a man looked over seemingly inadvertently.


    He looked at Lucia with a gloomy look in his eyes.


    Then he turned around and disappeared at the entrance of the stairs.

 Chapter 226

    Chapter 226


    Chapter 226 Why Are You So Nosy?


    Lucia went back to the Administration Department, feeling worried all the way.


    If August was not there, then she couldn''t apply for leave.


    If she dyed, she didn''t know whether her father''s operation would be dyed.She held her phone.


    After much hesitation, she did not make a call.


    At this moment, someone knocked on the door of the office, and then a colleague pushed open the


    door and said, "Ms.Mitchell, someone is asking to see you outside."


    Lucia came to her sense, smiled, and thanked her colleague before she got up and walked out.


    Someone was here to see her at this time.


    Who could it be? Walking out of the Administration Department, she saw a man standing outside.


    When the man saw her, he stepped forward first and said, "Hello, are you Lucia Mitchell?"


    Lucia paused and nodded, "I am."


    "It was someone from the President''s Office who asked me to bring a message.They said that


    Mr.Adams had something to tell you and asked you toe with me."


    "Mr.Adams?"


    Lucia was a little surprised.


    She went to the President''s Office ten minutes ago and Mary clearly said that August was not in the


    company and maybe he wouldn''te back today.


    How could he suddenlye back at this time? The man nodded and said in a serious tone,


    "Mr.Adams came back to get something.When he heard that you went to the President''s Office to see


    him, he said he could see you by the way.Now he is waiting for you in the underground parking lot."


    After Lucia heard his words, the doubts in her heart dissipated a little.She nodded, and her eyes swept


    over the name tag on August''s chest, Nn Vermon.


    They were employees of the samepany.


    She didn''t think much and said, "Well, thank you."


    "You''re wee."


    Nn smiled and walked to the front to lead the way.


    Lucia followed him and took the elevator directly to the underground parking lot.


    When they arrived at the ground floor, as the elevator door slowly opened, Lucia stepped out and


    nced around.


    She didn''t see August or his car in the huge underground parking lot.She slowed down and waited for


    Nn to follow.


    Before she turned her head, she heard footstepsing from behind her, and then someone suddenly


    hit the back of her head.


    The scene in front of her seemed to be still for two seconds, and then everything went dark.She


    instantly lost consciousness.


    Nn''s eyes were cold.


    Seeing that Lucia was about to fall, he stepped forward, caught her from behind, and dragged her


    towards an inconspicuous car nearby...


    After a while, Lucia only felt a tingling pain in her head, and her whole body felt numb.


    In a daze, she opened her eyes, and only then did she realize that she was tied up in the back of a


    car.She couldn''t move and felt stiff all over.


    Didn''t she go to the underground parking lot to see August? What happened? The dull smell in the car


    made her feel sick.


    She looked at the front of the car and saw no one there, but there was a dagger in the passenger seat.


    Lucia felt a chill down her spine.She was more awake and calm at the same time.She turned her head


    and looked out the window.


    N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    The scene outside didn''t look like the city.


    It was deste and no tall buildings could be seen.


    Was she kidnapped? At this moment, the front car door was pulled open and a man came up.


    When he raised his head and saw her waking up, he smiled coldly.


    Lucia was startled, and the voice from her dry throat was hoarse, "Nn! You..."


    Nn sneered, and his eyes were terrifying.


    Instead of getting in the car, he closed the front door and walked directly towards the back.


    It sent a chill down her spine.


    She was sweating on her back.


    Seeing him open the car door, she gritted her teeth and pretended to be calm, "What do you want to


    do?"


    "What do you think I want to do?"


    Nn got into the car with a sneer and shoved her to the side.


    Lucia was tied up with ropes.


    It was so stiff that she couldn''t bend.


    Her head hit the car door unexpectedly, and she frowned in pain.


    "You ruined my n!"


    Nn stared at her with cold and sharp eyes, "If it weren''t for you, I would have left with money now!"


    Lucia was confused and didn''t understand what he was talking about.


    Seeing her confusion and surprise, Nn sneered, grabbed her hair, and pulled her towards him


    fiercely, "If you hadn''t run to stop August''s car, he would have died long ago.You ruined my


    n.Because of you, I didn''t receive the final payment and I''ve been targeted by his men! Lucia, why


    are you so nosy?!"


    Her scalp tingled, and she was about to burst into tears in pain.


    Listening to the crazy man roaring in her ear, she suddenly thought of the day she had overheard a


    man talking on the phone on the stairs.


    The voice of the man was very low.


    But when she recalled it carefully, she found it was indeed Nn''s voice! It was him! It turned out that


    he had tampered with August''s car, and wanted to kill or disable him! At this moment, she knew exactly


    what had happened! Lucia gritted her teeth and looked up at him, "Nn, you can''t escape!"


    Her words instantly angered Nn.


    He pped her hard in the face!


    "Bitch!"


    Nn red at her angrily and gritted his teeth, "You think I will be scared? Don''t you know August


    very well? You risked your life to save him.I''ll see if he will risk his life to save you!"


    He loosened her hair and shoved her aside.


    Then, he took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, lit one cigarette, and took a drag.He calmed


    down a little and said, "I worked so hard, but I didn¡¯t get the money, and I was targeted by August.But it


    doesn''t matter.No big deal.If I go down, I will drag you down with you! And you are my bargaining chip!"


    He seemed to be talking to himself.


    After saying it, he sneered, raised his eyes, and nced at Lucia, "As long as he will let me go, I won''t


    hurt you.But if he won''t let me go, then I will kill you!"


    When he said this, Nn smiled coldly.


    Lucia looked away, and she felt so worried.


    After a moment, she suddenly thought of something.She took a deep breath, nced at Nn, and


    said coldly, "It''s useless for you to catch me.I''m not familiar with him.He might note to save me."


    Nn took a long drag on his cigarette with suspicion in his eyes and snorted without saying a word.He


    didn''t believe it.


    Lucia took a deep breath, gritted her teeth, and pretended to be calm, "I don''t need to lie to you.I ran


    over to stop his car because I went to him to take credit and asked him to give me a raise.I overheard


    you call, but it was just an ident, nothing else."


    Seeing Nn''s cold face and silence, Lucia nced at him tentatively and continued, "Believe it or


    not.Anyway, no matter how long you wait, he won''te."


    Seeing Lucia''s resolute face and serious attitude, as if she was seriously borating on the facts,


    Nn suddenly felt less confident.


    He nced at Lucia and gritted his teeth secretly, "Don''t try to y tricks!"


    With that, he took a piece of cloth from the side, kneaded it into a ball, squeezed Lucia''s chin, and


    stuffed it inside.


    Lucia felt disgusted by the musty and damp smell.


    She ducked to the side, unwilling to cooperate.


    Nn was so annoyed.He shoved it a few times, but couldn''t put it in.He raised his hand angrily and


    pped Lucia in the face!

 Chapter 227

    Chapter 227


    Chapter 227 She Has Nowhere To Turn For Help


    This p was even more ruthless than the previous one.


    After Lucia was pped, blood ran down the corners of her mouth...


    Just when she couldn''t react to the pain, Nn shoved the cloth into her mouth fiercely.


    In an instant, her mouth and throat were blocked by the cloth, which was disgusting.


    "Bitch, do you think you can fool me?"


    Nn scolded, "Wait two more hours and I''ll call August to see if he wille!"


    Lucia felt dizzy and couldn''t do anything.She leaned her head against the car door next and found it


    difficult to breathe.


    At this moment, an abrupt ring bell instantly interrupted the strange atmosphere.


    When Lucia heard the familiar ringtone, she looked up subconsciously, and saw her phone in the front!


    Her nerves were tense.


    The next second, Nn stretched out his hand and directly took the phone over.


    The screen was flickering, and it kept ringing.


    Nn nced at the caller ID, and suddenly became interested.


    With a malicious smile on his face, he picked up the phone and shook it at Lucia, "Well, what will


    happen if I take this call?"


    Lucia¡¯s eyes darkened as she saw the caller ID.Her back stiffened.


    It turned out to be her father! Why would he call her at this time? Seeing that Nn was about to press


    the answer button, Lucia immediately shook her head frantically, making a muffled sound.


    He couldn''t answer this call! His father was going to have the surgery in several days.He must not be


    stimted.


    If he heard that his daughter had been kidnapped, he would go crazy! Nn hadn''t expected Lucia''s


    reaction to be so intense.He suddenly felt rebellious and pressed the answer button directly.


    Seeing Lucia freeze, he proudly put it on speaker.


    The next second, a voice came from the other end of the phone, "Hello? Lucia..."


    It was her father''s voice! Lucia shivered and there was only despair in her heart now.


    Bill didn''t hear a response, so he continued to say, "Lucia? Hello?"


    Nn sneered and said in a deep voice, "Lucia? Is she your daughter? Don''t scream.She is tied up by


    me.She''s gagged, and she can''t speak."


    As soon as he said these words, it was silent on the other end of the phone for a moment.


    After two seconds, Bill said in a trembling voice, "Who...Who are you?"


    "Don''t ask who I am.In short, your daughter is nosy and offended me.She is now in my hands and she


    has nowhere to turn for help!"


    He sneered again.


    Lucia only felt desperate.She whimpered and struggled hard, but it did not threaten Nn at all.


    In the end, she lowered her head and pushed Nn fiercely.


    Nn raised his hand and grabbed her neck.


    "Bitch! Damn it!"


    He cursed and pushed Lucia aside fiercely.He angrily pushed the door open, got off the car, and


    mmed the door shut.


    He turned to the front, nced at the phone in his hand, and said angrily, "Old man! Your daughter is


    something! With such a sense of justice, she loves to meddle in other people''s business, but she can''t


    protect herself in the end!"


    At the same time, Bill turned pale instantly.


    Elisa, who was pouring water, noticed that something was wrong.


    She quickly put down the cup, and asked, "Bill, what''s the matter?"


    Bill shivered, and his hand holding the phone trembled slightly, "You...you let my daughter go!"


    But the phone was hung up.


    Elisa was confused.She quickly asked, "What''s wrong? What happened to Lucia?"


    Bill''s face was flushed with anger and he said, "Lucia...Lucia has been kidnapped!"


    He hurriedly lifted the quilt and was about to get out of bed.


    But before he could stand up, he suddenly froze and his face turned blue.


    He fell straight back on the bed.


    Elisa was terrified and hurriedly shouted, "Bill! Bill..."


    She was panicked.She shouted "doctor" and ran towards the door.


    When she got to the door, she remembered the emergency bell at the head of the bed, and


    immediately turned back and rang the bell in a panic.


    "Bill! You must hold on!"


    Elisa''s eyes were red with anxiety, and she burst into tears, "Bill...Bill!"


    At this moment, the door of the ward was pushed open, and two nurses ran in.


    Seeing the person on the bed, they immediately stepped forward and rolled his eyelids to check.


    The doctor also rushed in quickly.


    Seeing this situation, he suddenly turned cold, "Quick! Send him to the emergency room!"


    "Bill!"


    Elisa was so panicked that she didn¡¯t know what to do.


    Seeing Bill being pushed away, she ran after him in a panic, "Doctor, please save my husband...You


    must save him..."


    Outside the emergency room, she was stopped by the nurses and watched as Bill was pushed in.


    The door was closed, and she couldn''t see anything.


    "How...how could this be?"


    Elisa muttered anxiously tears streaming down her face.


    What had happened just now was so sudden that she didn''t even know what was going on.


    Her husband was suddenly sent to the emergency room.


    Suddenly, she remembered thest words Bill had said before fainting, and she felt a chill on her spine


    and trembled all over.


    She took out her phone and immediately called Lucia, but Lucia''s phone was turned off! What was


    going on?! Lucia should be in thepany at this time.


    Why was her phone turned off? Was what Bill had said just now true? Elisa immediately called August.


    Soon, the call was answered.


    Elisa was almost crying, "August...August, something happened! Bill got a call saying that Lucia was


    kidnapped and he fainted.I couldn''t get through to Lucia.What should I do?"


    August was on his way to the Kelly family.


    When he heard Elisa''s anxious voice, he frowned tightly, and immediately asked, "Lucia is missing?"


    "I don''t know...Bill said that before he fainted.Lucia''s phone couldn''t get through..."


    "Mrs.Mitchell, don''t worry.I''ll go look for Lucia right now, and I''ll call you when I find her!"


    After a few simple words offort, he immediately hung up the phone, looked at Burton who was


    driving, and said solemnly, "Stop the car!"


    Burton immediately slowed down and pulled the car to the side of the road.


    August immediately called the President''s Office.


    Soon, someone answered it.


    Mary said, "Hello, Lion Group President Office.Can I help you?"


    August''s voice was deep and cold, "I''m August.Go see if Lucia is in thepany!"


    Mary was stunned for a moment, and then quickly agreed and called the Administration Department


    from a phone next to her.


    Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    After asking, she said, "Mr.Adams, Lucia is not in thepany now.She has been missing for more


    than two hours.But when came to work, she came to the President''s Office to see you.She left after I


    told her you weren''t in thepany."


    When August heard this, his temples throbbed slightly.


    Je pursed his lips tightly, and said coldly, "I see."


    He hung up the phone.It seemed that after Lucia went to the President''s Office to see him, she


    disappeared.


    She would not be absent from work for no reason.So there was only one possibility left.The person who


    had kidnapped her was someone in thepany!

 Chapter 228

    Chapter 228


    Chapter 228 Make Sure


    She''s intact It suddenly urred to August that Nn Vermon might be the most possible perpetrator,


    given the fact that the guy who dared to kidnap Lucia within thepany must be one of its


    employees.


    August called Bond immediately, "Lucia''s missing.Check the whereabouts of hers, as well as


    Nn.He''s the possible suspect.Focus on the areas in the vicinity of thepany, oh, especially the


    underground parking lot."


    Bond put his hand on the searching in no time as he''d seldom found August so agitated.


    He soon located the te number and the trace of the car from the surveince videos at the parking


    lot, and sent that specific part of clip to August swiftly.


    He then told August through the headset, "It''s probably done by Nn, and he did that at the parking


    lot even without any cover.He pulled Lucia into the car after knocking her off.He must have directed at


    us and have prepared for the worst."


    August clenched his phone with great rage which came from nowhere.


    As Bond''s fingers was moving on the keyboard quickly, he began tracing Nn''s car by anchoring at its


    te number.


    "I''ve locked his car number.I will trace down his movement before long and send you his whereabouts."


    he told August.


    August raised his eyebrows above his sharp and chilly eyes as some idea urred to him, "Get some


    more cars to block his way."


    He could almost guessed Nn''s psychological states.


    One who dared to kidnap even without any undercover work must have prepared for the worst


    scenario.


    You just couldn''t be too careful facing such a desperate lunatic.


    Bond responded soon, "Loulling Road, that''s where hest showed in the surveince videos.It''s


    around the eastern border of the city where lots of ces go without security cameras."


    August''s face darkened as his forehead knotted in a frown.


    After two seconds¡¯ consideration, he ordered Burton to set out to the east.


    After that, he went on with the conversation with Bond on the phone, "I bet his call wille before


    long since he must go with some specific purpose if he kidnapped Lucia.Trace down the signal of his


    phone, and that might help to narrow down the range.I may well block his way with some more cars."


    "Got it." Bond nodded.


    The ck car darted toward the east.


    Having hung off the phone, August sat at the back seat, still holding the phone as his upper body


    stiffened.He was waiting for Nn''s call.


    As the phone buzzed, August looked down at the screen out of reflection.


    Yet it was not Nn! Instead, it showed "Jeanne Kelly".


    August frowned and rejected it.He just couldn''t answer any irrelevant call, which might stop Nn from


    getting through.


    Yet Jeanne called again.


    August rejected it one more time and texted her, "Emergency.Will talk to youter."


    Soon after he sent over the message, his phone buzzed again.


    As August checked the number on the screen, it was a strange one, which almost got him to freeze.


    August scrolled the screen to get it through with an icy voice, "Hello?"


    "August Adams..."


    The man sneered at the other end of the phone, "Do you know who I am?"


    There was a hint of anger in August''s eyes as he said coldly, "Let me know."


    "I''m Nn Vermon.The man who you''ve been after.I''ve got that Lucia woman who''s saved your


    life.Let''s make a deal if you want her to live on."


    August held the phone tight involuntarily.


    "What do you want?"


    "What else could I want? I''m only doing all this for the sake of money and I should have gained three


    million but for this woman.And now, not only is the money gone as I didn''t make it, but I''m exposed to


    you.I know it clearly that I can''t rival you, after working at Lion Group for more than one year."


    Nn snorted and asserted his im, "I won''t ask for too much from you.Just three million that will


    enable me to leave smoothly, and I''ll make sure she''ll go back to you intact."


    He then shifted into a harsh tone, "If you fail to do that, you should be able to the imagine the


    oue."


    August strived to repress his anger.


    "How am I to give you that amount?"


    "Three million in cash.At seven o''clock tomorrow morning.The first trash bin at the eastern end of


    Loulling Road."


    Nn then hung off the phone.


    August couldn''t help squeezing his phone as his facial expression seemed even sterner.


    Howe this Nn could have the patience to make the deal aste as tomorrow morning, and how


    could he be sure about Lucia¡¯s safety when she had to stay with the pervert for a night! There then


    came the notification tone as Bond sent over the coordinate of Nn''s mobile signal.


    August informed Burton of the location and had him get there as soon as possible.


    Meanwhile, Nn was driving fast and unsteadily along a remote and deserted path which seemed to


    lead to nowhere.


    Lucia, who was sitting on it, was desperate besides being frightened.


    She dared not to imagine what would happen to her father when he knew her condition.


    As the tears rolled down her cheeks, she just felt her throat so sore, with her mouth stuffed by cloth.


    The car made a sudden turn into a smaller path where some twoyered buildings stood aside in


    dpidated shapes.


    At that instant, two cars came in the opposite direction, and they didn''t seem to have any intention to


    slow down.


    Nn frowned as he had to decelerate to make way for them.


    All of a sudden, his car, which was slowing down, swayed aside with a thud, and kept on decelerating


    as one of its rear tyres was making huge noise out of the friction with the ground.


    Nn suddenly realized what was happening and was about to press the elerator hard, when there


    came another thud, which indicated his front tyre was punctured too, "Damn it!"


    Nn cursed and checked the rearview mirror, just to find himself besieged by two other cars from


    behind, on top of the previous two in the front.


    He just hadn''t expected August to go with such a quick reaction and to employ so many hands only for


    a woman.


    Lucia noticed something unusual outside, and was shocked and uneasy as she stiffened at the


    backseat, while Nn was so infuriated sitting at the driver''s seat that he picked up the dagger he''d


    prepared.


    He then jumped to the backseat and captured Lucia, threatening coldly while pressing the weapon


    against her neck with his trembling hands, "Get off! Anything funny will take your life!"


    Looking at the ring de, which sent a shiver down her spine, Lucia could only obey.


    Holding her neck from behind, Nn leant against the car with great rm, shifting his eyes between


    the cars at both sides and shouting desperately, "I''ll kill her if you dare toe closer!"


    He''d totally gone out of his mind.


    Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    One is doomed to end up like that the moment he or she agrees to be deployed as a vicious tool by


    others.


    Looking at Lucia, who was being the hostage now, from inside the car, August put a serious look on his


    face.


    Her pale face and the tears on it just got him so unnerved.


    "Shall we kick it off, boss?"


    came the voice of his staff from the headset.


    August instructed from between his teeth coldly, "Yes."


    With a swish, a gun which aimed at the back of Nn''s neck fired from behind sideways.


    Nn slumped down as the anesthetic needle shot right into his neck.

 Chapter 229

    Chapter 229


    Chapter 229 All Because of Her!


    The icy-cold dagger ttered down onto the ground.


    Lucia was stunned.She then saw the door of a car at the side open to reveal a tall figure before she


    could react.


    Her eyes brightened despite herself with a sigh of relief when she spotted him as August.


    Though she was reluctant to admit that, she had actually been longing for his appearance in the past


    two hours and he did turn out to be the one who came to her rescue.


    August strode forward with a stern look.He then stretched out his arm to drag her close to him and


    removed the cloth from her mouth.


    Lucia couldn''t help coughing drily as her throat really ached.


    August then took out a Swiss Army Knife and swiftly cut off the cord to release her body.


    "Keep Nn under control and collect his weapon."


    After dictating that to his staff, August led Lucia, who was in a gaze, toward the car by holding her


    shoulder.


    Lucia didn''t really recover from the shock until she got on the car.


    Looking at the bottle of water August passed her, she turned to him swiftly, as though suddenly


    remembering something, and asked with great concern, "How''s my father?"


    August''s forehead knotted to a faint frown as he spoke ndly from between the previously


    compressed lips, "In the hospital.Mrs.Mitchell says he passed out."


    "What!"


    This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.


    Lucia eximed, feeling stressed out again just minutes after she had got relieved.Her nose twitched


    as she bit her lip tightly.


    That was the scenario she had least anticipated and things just did develop that way.


    With tears in her eyes, Lucia grasped August''s wrist desperately, "I''ll go the hospital! Now!"


    August''s heart did a flip when he saw Lucia so flustered.He ordered Burton to head for the hospital at


    once.


    Burton turned the car round immediately and put his foot down, roaring toward the hospital.


    Lucia appeared extremely agitated all the way, as the mixture of anxiety and helplessness kept her


    fidgeting.


    Having sensing her emotions, August reached for a bottle of water and unscrewed the cap for her


    soothingly, "No worries, Mr.Mitchell will be ok."


    Lucia took the bottle mechanically.His words didn''t help.


    In fact, nothing could cate her at the moment.


    The moment the car pulled over in front of the gate of the hospital, Lucia opened the door and rushed


    out.


    August followed her at once with a frown.


    The ward was empty when they darted to it.


    An ominous feeling clenched Lucia''s heart, even making it difficult for her to breathe.


    "Dad..."


    She could only forbid herself from thinking too much while panting hard.


    She then rushed out of the ward to grasp the first nurse she ran into and asked desperately, "Excuse


    me but where''s the patient in this ward?"


    Being startled by her eagerness, the nurse answered at once, "He''s gone through the emergency


    operation and is in ICU ward on the fifth floor."


    After thanking the nurse, Lucia rushed to the stairs and climbed up to the fifth floor.


    The moment she went out of thending of the stairs, she caught the sight of Mrs.Mitchell from far


    away, who was sitting in the passage.


    Tears rolling down, she cried out in a choked voice, "Mom..."


    Elisa Mitchell, who had been floundering helplessly there, turned round at the voice, just to find Lucia in


    amazement.


    She rose at once and walked toward Lucia, "My daughter!"


    Lucia held her mother''s hand, asking while weeping, "How''s Dad?"


    Elisa frowned at the question.She then cast a look at the ICU ward, "He''s still lying there.The doctor


    said they still need to keep watching his situation, and wait till he wakes up at least."


    Lucia felt so regretful and sorrowful hearing her mother''s words.She ran to the outside of the ICU and


    looked through the window at her father, who was breathing through the oxygen hose now.She began


    weeping bitter tears again.


    There was nothing but remorse in her heart at the moment as she gritted her teeth and med herself


    for making her father so miserable now.


    Elisa, who was standing by her side, eventually utter the question with some hesitation, "Lucia, what''s


    happened to you today?"


    Lucia''s clothes was stained all over by the dirt, and her cheeks got swollen even with some faint


    bruises at the corners of her mouth, as though having been battered.


    Elisa''s question made Lucia even bitter.


    Her head downcast, Lucia said in a chocked voice, "Mom, it''s all my bad, all because of me..."


    Though being flustered and floored, Elisa still tried tofort Lucia by patting her on the shoulder,


    "Don''t cry, Lucia..."


    Lucia raised her face abruptly and stared at her mother with they tearful eyes, "Mom, you don''t know


    it.Dad''s situation is all..."


    Her voice trailed away until her courage to continue drained out.


    "It''s got nothing to do with you.It''s my fault."


    The low and firm voice of aman came at that instant.


    Elisa Mitchell turned to August in bewilderment, "August, what on earth is it?"


    Lucia turned her head round too, yet feeling even worse facing this solemn man.She just thought there


    wouldn''t be such a tragedy if she hadn''t meddled with August''s business.


    Nn was right, it was all because she had put her finger in another''s pie.


    She now could only bite her lip tight and shake her head, "Mom, don''t ask..."


    She then sat down on a bench aside, appearing so grieved.She could never forgive herself, should her


    father run into any misfortune this time.


    Seeing her daughter being so distraught Elisa Mitchell couldn''t stop getting worried.Her heart even


    ached at the sight of the bruise around Lucia''s wrists.


    "Lucia, wait here.I''ll go get some nurse to deal with your wounds."


    She then left after casting a significant look at August.


    Having grasped Elisa''s implication, August went up and told Lucia, "Really, it''s got nothing to do with


    you, but all my fault."


    Lucia''s eyshes trembled as she was surprised to hear August confess his mistake.He''d never done


    that before.


    "Lucia Mitchell, brace yourself up!" his voice came from above.


    "Mr.Mitchell will be sad if he finds you so upset when he wakes up."


    Lucia still dropped her head downcast silently.


    There was awkward silence in the passage until Elisa brought a nurse back.


    After checking the wounds in Lucia''s face and body, the nurse said softly, "The wounds need some


    simple treatment.Could youe with me?"


    Her eyes dropping to the floor, Lucia bit her lip for some seconds before she finally shook her head and


    tried to hide her hands.


    "It''s ok.I don''t need treatment." she said under her breath.


    Elisa was about to persuade Lucia when August abruptly strode up and pulled her up from the bench.


    Lucia stepped backward out of reflection, ring at him with great rm, "What are you doing?"


    August frowned and stared at her.


    With sudden wrath, he dictated with amanding andpelling air, "Go get the wounds treated.Or


    I''ll carry you there!"

 Chapter 230

    Chapter 230


    Chapter 230 Getting Over the Crux


    It was out of Lucia''s wildest dream that August could have threatened her in front of so many people.


    Yet she became less resolute staring at his sophisticated eyes.She believed August could really make


    it as he''d imed if she insisted on sticking here.


    Lucia thus could only agree, though still unwilling to meet his eyes, "l''ll go with the nurse."


    The nurse, who''d been frightened by the situation, led the way for Lucia at once.


    And Lucia just followed her immediately without turning her head round.


    Seeing Lucia going far away, Elisa hastened to tell August, "I''m sorry to make things so awkward for


    you, but Lucia is in a bad mood now..."


    "It''s OK, Mrs.Mitchell, I''ll go to look after her." He replied understandingly before he tried to catch up


    with Lucia.


    Looking at the pair who deliberately kept a distance from each other, Elisa sighed with profound


    resignation.


    The nurse had gone through Lucia''s wounds, which fortunately were not serious and only needed


    some basic treatment.


    "Don''t get them wet.Be careful these days and don''t forget toe back to change the dressing." the


    nurse told Lucia curtly, and added when she noticed August at the door, "You may have a rest


    here.Don''t hesitate to let me know if you have any demand.I''m just in the next room."


    Lucia nodded silently.


    There were now only the two of them in the room.


    Sitting on the chair, Lucia just felt it so difficult to breath as though being suffocating.


    Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    August noticed her state, and finally uttered after a long silence, "Don''t me yourself for it.It''s not your


    fault"


    Lucia looked up firmly with her clear eyes, "Indeed.It''s ultimately your bad."


    She had her reason to rebuke him since her father was still in the ICU ward and she was being so


    exasperated.


    Lucia then rose to her feet, which was covered by gauze and could only enable her to hobble out.


    The moment she went past August, he stretched out his hands to hold her shoulders, "Where are you


    going?"


    "None of your business!"


    Lucia shrugged his hands away and made a step backward.


    Her chest heaving fiercely, Lucia ventured from between her teeth, "August Adams, we''d better sever


    our connection from now on.I''ll try my best to make money in order to pay you back.Before the day I


    pay it off, I promise I will keep pretending in front of Granny if necessary, but I won''t obey any other


    agreement."


    She was determined to ignore all the heap of restrictions in the contract, and she believed she would


    eventually get the debt written off one day.


    There was a hint of sullen mood in August''s eyes as he asked solemnly, "Lucia Mitchell, do you mean


    it?"


    He''d never expected Lucia to grow so unswerving one day.


    Lucia bit her lip and then articted, "Yes.We''d better get rid of the messy ties between us, since


    you''ve got your girlfriend and I have my life.I won''t partake in anything about you except upon Granny''s


    request."


    She then walked away with steadfast steps.


    August looked along the direction of Lucia, just to feel a jolt in his heart fretfully.


    Now he could only ept Lucia''s suggestion with resignation, though her words actually hurt him like a


    sharp dagger.


    Getting more and more irritable, August finally decided to look aside and head for the lift.


    He thought it didn''t make any sense to waste any more time there, and he swore he would never


    meddle in the mess of Lucia.


    One hourter, August was sitting on the sofa with an icy-cold look in silence, except when he lifted the


    ss for a sip.


    Joshua scratched his head perplexedly, "August, what are you doing here? You got me out and just


    look like a dumb now."


    August raised his eyebrows, drank off the alcohol in the ss and looked at Joshua coldly, "You can


    leave if you don''t feel like staying."


    Joshua''s lips twitched as he was struck dumb.


    He then ventured after a moment, "Why are you so angry? Because of some woman?"


    He had seldom seen such an emotional August, who had always been acting withposure.


    And now, August was apparently on the edge of exploding.


    Joshua plucked up his courage to go on, "Because of Jeanne or Lucia?"


    Thattter name triggered a spontaneous knot in August''s forehead.


    His sharp eyes red at Joshua instantly.


    With a triumphant smile, Joshua had got the answer in his heart.


    Yet he preferred to act as though being ignorant about it, only looking aside and drinking his wine.


    At that moment, Burton went up and lowered his body to make the report to August, "Dr.Ferrell called


    me, saying he couldn''t reach you as you''ve turned off your phone."


    Casting a glimpse at the phone Burton was passing him, August finally decided to answer it though


    with some hesitation, "Hello, Dr.Ferrell?"


    Dr.Ferrell''s voice sounded a bit hoarse, "Mr.Adams, I''m sorry to inform you that Miss Kelly''s health is..."


    August straightened up and clenched the phone immediately with great anxiety, "How is she now?"


    "She passed out just now, and I went to her home for a quick check, just to find her mental health


    deteriorating due to some sharp emotional fluctuation."


    August looked so worried as he put down the ss and told Dr.Ferrell, "Could you wait for me? I''ll be


    there right away."


    "Ok." Dr.Ferrell agreed.


    August hung off and rose at once.


    "Go to the Kelly''s mansion."


    Joshua, who''d totally been neglected, hastened to stand up with a sigh, "August, look at you..."


    August gave him a nce and said seriously, "I need to be off now.Let''s meet up next time."


    He then strode away.


    Joshua found it so amusing, though being a bit pissed off too.


    It was August who''d invited him for a drink, and now the host just left alone without speaking much to


    the guest.


    Joshua then decided to forgive August by ordering some more nice wine.


    August''s treat anyway.


    August caught the sight of Dr.Ferrell on the sofa of the living room the moment he entered the Kelly''s


    mansion.


    He went up to inquire, "How''s Jeanne now, Dr.Ferrell?"


    "She''s sleeping now.But she''s been quite unstable and moody recently.Being anxious, frightened and


    worried is very bad for her health."


    Dr.Ferrell then paused to adjust his sses before he went on significantly, "You know her situation


    well.She''s suffered from serious depression before the kidney transntation.Her mental state actually


    went a bit better after the operation, but is deteriorating again now..."


    August listened with aplicated mood.


    Jeanne was bound to be upset because he stood her up when he''d promised her that he woulde


    for dinner today.


    "Mr.Adams, the best cure is to get over the crux in her heart and m her down slowly, so that we


    could achieve the best result with the help of the medicine.And as you know, you are curial for her crux


    to be resolved."


    August pondered for a moment before he nodded lightly, "Got it.Thank you."


    He was of course aware what Jeanne had been deeply concerned about.

 Chapter 231

    Chapter 231


    Chapter 231 Marry Him as Soon as Possible


    Dr.Ferrell nodded without saying more.


    "I''ll go check her."


    August said lightly and went up slowly to Jeanne''s room on the second floor.


    The servant waiting outside the room greeted him at once, "Mr.Adams!"


    August nodded and told her ndly, "Could you inform Mr.Kelly that I''m with Jeanne now, and will talk


    to himter on?"


    The servant nodded understandingly and left.


    August pushed the door open, just to see a dimly-lit room where he could hardly see the furniture


    clearly.He then walked to the bed, and a sense of regret welled up when he saw the pale face of the


    woman who was crouching under the quilt.


    He had promised her that he would hold a memorable wedding when she was getting better.


    Yet he became hesitant to it now despite her reminding in one way or another recently.


    August decided to leave the room after standing at the bedside for a moment, when the woman on the


    bed opened her eyes with some movements of her body.


    "August!" she eximed in surprise at seeing him, and sat up excitedly to hold his hand, "Don''t leave


    me..."


    August''s eyes dropped to the floor.He just couldn''t stand women when they were imploring him to stay


    pathetically and wistfully.His tone became soft instantly, "Rest assured.I''ll be here with you."


    "Really?" Jeanne asked excitedly, but turned low again after thinking for a second.She then held


    August''s waist with both arms as thoughining, "I thought you won''te to see me..."


    A mixture of emotions clutched at August''s heart.


    It was Jeanne who stood by his side during the lowest point of his life, yet now, he couldn''t even offer


    her the most basic sense of security.


    August lifted his hand to stroke Jeanne''s hair, "I will be with you.You were thinking too much."


    N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    Jeanne was so thrilled to hear that, though she was still sobbing.


    "Then tell me why you didn''te for the dinner today? You promised me toe, didn''t you?"


    she looked up at him with tearful eyes and then answered the question herself before he could make


    any reply, "Is it because you knew father is going to mention the matter of wedding today...?" her voice


    sounded so upset and uneasy.


    Meeting her pathetic eyes, August just felt a jolt in his heart.


    "Definitely not.Don''t think it that way."


    He denied without thinking, and stroked her forehead softly, "It''s only because of something urgent,


    really.And I promise you that will never happen again."


    Jeanne tightened her hug around his waist.


    "Really? I thought you just wouldn''t like to marry me."


    "I will keep my words."


    August emphasized his promise again.He then spent quite a while coaxing Jeanne into sleeping again,


    and didn''t go out of the room until he was sure she fell asleep.


    But he still felt like being haunted by some weird emotion although he reiterated the promise to marry


    her.


    When August got to the living room on the ground floor, he found Martin Kelly smoking on the sofa.


    After thinking for a second, August strode up quickly.


    "Mr.Kelly." he greeted him.


    Hearing August''s voice, Martin raised his head and stared at August with the eyes as sharp as usual.


    "Get yourself seated." he offered.


    August sat down opposite to Martin.


    The servant instantly served them with tea.


    When the servant was gone, Martine asked ndly after taking a puff, "Have you seen Jeanne?"


    August replied with no more emotion in his voice, "Yes.She''s sleeping now."


    With a nomittal response, Martin tapped the cigarette to drop the ash.


    "Howe you didn''te for the dinner today?"


    He had actually asked Jeanne to invite August to their home so that the wedding could be put on the


    agenda.Yet August didn''t show up at all.


    Martin just considered that a sort of humiliation to Jeanne and the whole Kelly family.No one could bear


    that indignity.


    Yet August didn''t seem to consider it a big deal.


    "I was stopped by something urgent."


    "Oh, something urgent?"


    Martin''s sharp eyes locked August through the smoke, though he still tried to act casually, "what''s it?"


    What could be more important than the wedding? August paused a little, and there was a hint of


    impatience in his eyes.


    "Not a big deal."


    He then looked up to meet Martin''s eyes, "Mr.Kelly, it''s my fault today.I will make serious apologies


    later.But I guess I should be off now as it''s gettingte."


    Martin approved and offered to see August off.He suddenly asked when they walked to the door,


    "Jeanne told me about the wedding of yours.I think it''s right time to hold it now.What''s your opinion?"


    With a thoughtful look, August replied seriously, "I have my n for the wedding.You can count on me."


    Martin could only nod without speaking anymore.


    Getting out of the Kelly''s mansion, August''s face darkened.He knew Martin Kelly well, who was so


    cunning that he could anything for the sake of money, including scooping benefits from the marriage


    between the Kelly and Adams families, without genuinely caring about Jeanne''s happiness as a father.


    As the car turned to the main road, August lifted his hand to massage his forehead.


    He needed a rest so badly, having run into too many things today and he would have to calm down to


    figure them out.


    Meanwhile, Martine, who was sat in his living room, stubbed out the unfinished cigarette into the


    ashtray with a contemptuous snort.


    Footfalls came as Jeanne walked down.


    She leant her head toward the door and asked, "Dad, August is gone?"


    Martin snapped with rage, "Yes."


    He then looked up at his daughter and asked coldly, "What did he tell you?"


    Jeanne sat on the sofa across him without hiding her joy, "He said he will marry me."


    Seeing her daughter being so proud of something almost impossible, Martin sneered, "I tried to ask


    about his intention, and he only said he''s got his n.Yet who knows when he will carry it out!"


    Jeanne might have lots of time to wait, yet Martin didn''t.


    After suffering from the huge loss caused by Merlin Kelly, the Kelly Group was having an


    overwhelmingly negative prospect now.


    It might even go bankrupt if August refused to marry Jeanne now.


    Jeanne knew nothing about the crisis.


    She only responded with a smile, "No hurry, Dad.August has agreed to marry me and he will keep his


    words."


    Martin was so disappointed at his naive daughter.


    "You are the only one who''s optimistic about it.Do you have any idea what August has been up to


    today? The woman beside him is a big threat.The sure thing is to be spoiled by her!"


    Martin''s remark made Jeanne''s face darken.


    She actually knew August''s movement well, as she had got him investigated when he rejected her call.


    And the detective she hired just showed her the pictures of August and Lucia heading for the hospital


    together.


    Jeanne felt so frustrated, thinking August was apanying Lucia simply because her father had an


    operation.


    So that Lucia woman really overweighed her in August''s heart? Jeanne thought with growing anger, as


    well as an increasing sense of uncertainty.


    She hastened to look up at her father and asked uneasily, "What shall I do, Dad?"


    "Marry him as soon as possible!" Martin answered firmly.


    "So that he will know better who hisdy is!" Jeanne nodded quickly.


    That was a good method, which would help him forget other women.


    And Jeanne believed she had her tactics to get them married soon.

 Chapter 232

    Chapter 232


    Chapter 232 The 24-hour Care in Hospital


    With a note of resolution and cattiness, Jeanne reassured her father, "I know how to carry it out, Dad."


    The fury of Martin was eased up when he heard his daughter''s words.


    "All right.I''m d you''ve got your own n.Don''t get yourself too tired." he advised gently with a


    gesture.


    Jeanne nodded meekly and went back to her room.She was still pondering on it when lying on the


    bed.She then located Dr.


    This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.


    Ferrell from the contact list and sent him a text: [Thank you for your cooperation today, Dr.Ferrell.You''ll


    get the reward tomorrow.


    And we could have some further n about my "health problems"...She soon got the reply from Dr.


    Ferrell, in which the time and ce for their next appointment was fixed.


    With a relieved sigh, Jeanne told herself she could do anything in order to keep August with her.


    Bill Mitchell eventually revived when Lucia had been waiting outside the ICU ward for a whole night and


    a morning.


    As the doctor finished the check, Lucia and Elisa both went up to inquire for Bill''s situation.


    "He''s out of danger now, and the index is generally within normal range.But he''s extremely weak now,


    and there''s still serious problem about his heart.He''ll have to keep lying on the bed."


    There was a mixture of emotions in the heart of Lucia, hearing the result mingled with hope and fear.


    Elisa couldn''t wait to ask, "When could he get out ICU?"


    "He will be transferred to general wards today." the doctor replied.


    "Get yourself prepared for the 24-hour care for him, as we still need to keep watching his situation


    during the convalescence."


    "Thank you for informing!" Elisa said quickly.


    She then patted Lucia with relief, "Things are at least a little better than imagined"


    Lucia, who was far less optimistic than her mother though, also felt a bit rxed.She suddenly clutched


    at the wall as she felt her legs give way beneath her.She looked extremely haggard and worn because


    she had been so agitated that she didn''t really sleep for a whole night, and hadn''t eaten much these


    days.


    "Go home and have a rest, Lucia."


    Elisa suggested, holding her daughter with great concern.


    "And ask for a leave.You can''t go to work today."


    That reminded Lucia of the fact that she hadn''t asked for a leave yet, which she had almost forgotten.


    She might even lose the job if she was absent without good reasons for too long, and that would make


    it harder for her to pay August back.


    Gritting her teeth, Lucia thus strived to ask her mother whether there was any charger around, and


    hurried to get her phone, which had been powered off, charged after getting a positive answer from


    Elisa.


    The moment she turned on her phone, notifications of several unanswered calls popped out, two of


    which were from Carter.


    Feeling rather uneasy, Lucia called Carter back immediately.


    She became more nervous hearing Carter''s voice, "Carter, I..."


    "I''ve heard about the ident." Carter cut in.


    "Your application for a leave has been approved by higher-ranking managers.Don''t worry about your


    work, I''ll arrange it with back ups."


    She sounded so kind and understanding, without any note of reproach orint.


    Lucia was stunned and wasn''t able to speak until a momentter.


    "Thank you so much, Carter." she then hastened to say.


    "Nothing.Take care of your family and yourself.So long." Carter replied.


    Having hung off the phone, Lucia still found it so unbelievable.


    Howe Carter suddenly changed her attitude when she had been so resolute about the rejection


    last time? Why did she say there was intervention of some higher-ranking managers? Or was it due to


    August Adams? No, it couldn''t be possible, when Lucia had told August there was no connection


    between them, and he just had no reason to help her...Lucia then decided to stop thinking since they


    were just like riddles that could never be solved.


    Bill Mitchell was transferred to a general ward from ICU.


    Looking at her father who appeared so weak on the bed, Lucia felt bitter in the heart.


    "Dad...are you getting a little better?" she asked, holding back the tears.


    Bill struggled to lift his hand to touch Lucia''s cheek.


    "Lucia, it''s so nice to know you are ok..."


    There were tears of joy in his eyes.


    Lucia was so moved.


    "Dad, don''t worry about me.I''m ok."


    Knowing Bill needed more rest as he had just woken up from theas, Elisa took Lucia out of the


    ward when he fell asleep again.Elisa didn''t ask until she was sure the door was closed, "How about


    your work, Lucia?"


    "My application of a leave has been approved."


    Lucia answered after taking a deep breath, "And I''ll be staying with father all day long until he


    recovers."Elisa suggested with hesitation as something flickered in her eyes, "Lucia, it''s a toil to do the


    24-hour care.Look, they don''t even provide beds here.We''d better..."


    Having guessed what her mother''s advice was, Lucia cut in, holding Elisa''s hand, "Mom, it''s ok for me


    however hard it would be.I only hope father will recover as soon as possible."


    Elisa didn''t insist since Lucia was so determined, though she really doubted if Lucia could stand such


    hard work although this girl loved her father so much.


    Elisa then decided to let Lucia have a try, as she thought her daughter might change her mind after one


    day or two.


    In the following days, Lucia, however, stuck on with great cussedness, getting up early and going to


    bedte.


    After sleeping on the chair at night for two days, her eyes were ck-ringed, yet she didn''t utter any


    comint.


    Elisa tried to persuade Lucia to take a rest at home lovingly, "Lucia, you''ve been looking after your


    father for two days.Go home now and take a shower.Come back tomorrow."


    "I''m OK, Mom.No worries." Lucia replied with a smile and went out of the ward, carrying an empty


    thermos bottle.


    She knew it clearly that her mother was only trying to get her some refreshment.Her phone buzzed not


    long after she walked out.


    Lucia paused and took the phone out from the pocket, just to find iting from Pa.


    Thinking for a second, she answered it, "Hello?"


    "Lucia''s, what are you up to these days?"


    Pa sounded quite discontent, "You just disappeared and I can''t reach you at all!"


    Lucia just didn''t know how to answer her questioning.She seldom checked her phone these days, and


    wouldn''t have the mood to reply even if she saw the messages from Pa.


    "I''m sorry, Pa."


    Lucia finally answered gently after taking a deep breath, "My father had an operation and I''ve been in


    the hospital these days..."


    Pa paused and hastened to inquire, "How''s Uncle Bill? And are you all right now? You sound so


    weary...Look there, send me the address and I will go to see you..."


    Hearing Pa''s long monologue, Lucia only permitted herself a wry smile until she remembered


    something.


    "Ok.Could you do me a favor, Pa?" she whispered.

 Chapter 233

    Chapter 233


    Chapter 233 It was His Honour


    Pa agreed freely at the other end of the phone, "I can do you one thousand favors! Just let me


    know!"


    Luciaughed, asking in a whisper, "Could you drop on my t and grab me some clothes?"


    Her t happened to be on the way from Pa''s home to the hospital, and she had given Pa a


    spare key before.


    Pa suggested immediately, "Sure! Just give me a list and I''ll send them to youter."


    She then got herself dressed up and went downstairs to the living room when everything was ready.


    Seeing his sister rushing in such a hurry, Paul, who was reading a magazine while drinking the tea on


    the sofa, raised his enquiring eyebrows, "Are you going out?"


    Facing the prating look of her brother as if he had caught her on the spot, Pa rolled her eyes


    and answered firmly, "I''m not going to the pub during the daytime!"


    "Then what are you doing?"


    Paul put down the cup onto the table gracefully, giving her a gaze which waspelling, if not


    authoritative.


    Pa sighed in despair.Her brother just watched her like a prisoner since the tempest in the pubst


    time.


    She answered casually while putting on her shoes in the hallway, "I''m going to see Lucia in the


    hospital..."


    The mention of Lucia triggered a flicker in Paul''s eyes.


    Putting down the magazine swiftly, he walked up to Pa, "What''s happened to Lucia?"


    Pa tried hard to conceal her snicker, seeing her brother getting so nervous.


    "Nothing''s happened to her, but her father is in hospital.I''ll pick up some clothes from her t and send


    them over to the hospital.I should pay a visit to them, shouldn''t I?"


    Knowing Lucia was all right, Paul sighed with relief secretly.


    "I''ll go with you." he then offered.


    Pa couldn''t helpughing.She didn''t went on teasing her brother only because there was no time to


    lose at the moment.


    Instead, she tossed the key of the car to him, "Then you''ll be the driver.Be quick!"


    They headed for Lucia''s t after five minutes and reached the hospital forty minutester.


    Paul asked Pa on the way toward the lift, "What''s happened to Lucia¡¯s father?"


    "Some heart problem.She told me he''s just gone through an operation.But I don''t know how he''s going


    recently."


    Pa answered as they were approaching the ward.


    "Lucia!"


    Pa was so thrilled seeing her friend that she darted into the room through the door which was left


    unlocked.


    Yet she then hushed at the sight of Bill Mitchell who was sleeping on the bed, only smiling in


    embarrassment to Lucia and Elisa.


    Elisa weed Pa warmly though under her breath, "There you are, Pa!"


    Lucia''s smile froze when she found Pa only carrying some fruit and milk.


    She was about to ask whether Pa had forgotten her clothes, when a tall figure appeared in the ward.


    "Paul..."


    Lucia muttered.


    "Lucia,"


    Paul put a bag on the chair aside, beaming a warm smile at her and saying lightly, "Here are the


    clothes Pa picked up for you."


    "Thanks." said Lucia.


    She then suggested, casting a discreet look at her father on the bed, "Shall we talk outside?"


    Bill Mitchell needed more rest in a quiet environment and Lucia was afraid too many visitors would


    disturb him.


    Pa and Paul went out with her understandingly.


    Elisa followed them, greeting Paul cordially, "It''s long since we met, isn''t it?"


    Paul took a polite bow at once, "Indeed.How are you, Mrs.Mitchell?"


    Elisa was really fond of this decent young man, and responded cheerfully, "Fine, thanks!"


    While the polite conversation between Paul and Elisa went on, Pa just couldn''t wait to express her


    doubts to Lucia, "Did anything go wrong? Your father looks weaker than I expected...you told me about


    the operation, didn''t you? How is it going?"


    Lucia answered with a sigh, "He was shocked by some ident, which got his health worse.I''ll have to


    provide the 24-hour care for him now."


    Pa sighed too, looking at the small ward worriedly, "Where do you and your mother sleep these


    days?"


    Biting her lip, Lucia answered with some hesitation, "Just on the chair inside the ward, or the bench in


    the passage outside."


    In fact, she hadn''t really slept for several days.


    Yet she wouldn''t grumble, as she thought it was already quite fortunate for her to be able to look after


    her father here.


    Pa eximed incredulously, "That''s why you look so pale! s..."


    Paul, who was standing aside, heard that and dropped his eyes to the floor as he really felt sorry to see


    the dark circles around Lucia''s eyes caused by theck of rest.


    After thinking for a while, he took out his phone and showed it to the women around, "Excuse me but I''ll


    have to make a call."


    He then left.


    Elisa gave a deep sigh and held Pa''s hand, "I keep urging Lucia to go home for a rest and she just


    wouldn''t listen! Could you help me persuade her, Pa?"


    Lucia re-empted Pa with a firm tone, "How can I really get rxed leaving father like this..."


    There was a dead silence.


    No one could protest with a good reason.


    It was true she would still be agitated even if she did go home, when her father''s situation was still


    unstable.


    "All right."


    Elisa waved her hands with resignation before she returned to the ward.


    Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    Pa eventually gave Lucia her advice gently, "But you do have to watch your own health.Or you''ll be


    worn out!"


    "I know that.Don''t worry."


    Lucia replied and started chatting about other subjects with Pa.


    At that moment, Paul turned up again, followed by two nurses carrying a folding bed before long.


    Paul hastened to walk up toward them.


    "Thank you so much!" he told the nurses gently, "Just leave it to me."


    He then carried the bed into the ward before Pa and Lucia could realize what was going on.


    Lucia then walked up and asked, "That is...?"


    Paul answered suavely with a grin, "I''ve got a friend working at this hospital, and I asked him for a favor


    for a folding bed, so that your mother and you can rest better at night."


    He then carried the bed into the ward,nded it on the ground near the window, and pulled the folded


    part out nimbly.


    Lucia just felt as though he was a magician, who not only conjured a bed from the air, butid the sheet


    over it quickly.


    That really made her feel so warm.


    After that, Paul straightened up and told Lucia and Elisa softly, "You finally have got a bed, though a


    narrow one.I''ll get you a bigger er on."


    Elisa hastened to reply in amazement, "Thank you so much, Paul.It''s so amazing! No need to change


    for a bigger one."


    Paul answered as softly as usual, "You are wee, Mrs.Mitchell", tough he then gave a smile to


    Lucia, thinking it his honour to be able to give a helping hand to her.

 Chapter 234

    Chapter 234


    Chapter 234 Out of Sight, Out of Mind


    Being bashful, Lucia had to evade Paul''s gaze, "Thank you so much, Paul..."


    "Don''t mention it.Should there be anything I could be of use to you and your mother, just let me know."


    Paul replied.


    Their chatting afterwards livened up the room a lot, and Bill Mitchell even joined them after greeting


    one another when he woke up before long.


    Lucia was gratified to see her father conversing so blissfully with Paul, since that was the first time Bill


    smiled during these days.


    The nurse came for a regr check of Bill''s health condition after more than one hour.


    ncing at his watch, Paul said softly, "It''s gettingte and I guess we should leave now.We will visit


    you soon, Mr.and Mrs Mitchell."


    Pa really wanted to stay there longer with Lucia, yet she had to obey her brother''s suggestion, only


    blowing a kiss to Lucia wistfully.


    Lucia rose to her feet to see them off, and didn''t return until she was sure they had entered the lift.


    When Lucia was returning to the ward, she ran into her mother, who was going out as though with a


    deliberate question.


    "Lucia, don''t lie to me: Are you in a rtionship with Paul?" she asked in a low voice.


    Being surprised at such a judgment of her mother, Lucia denied immediately, "What are you talking


    about, Mom!"


    That was the most absurd guessing she''d ever heard, Lucia thought.


    "You think I''m blind? Everyone can see that Paul just couldn''t remove his eyes from you, whilst you


    acted so bashfully." Elisa said with a ghost of smile, "But I do think Paul a sensible young man, who is


    so soft and considerate"


    Lucia was so weary of her mother''s endless and unreasonable chatter that she decided to bring it to an


    end.


    "Mom, enough! We are only friends and I didn''t act bashfully!"


    "Ok, only friends now."


    Elisa went on, "But I figure you could be something more than friends as time goes by.


    Paul is a nice young man and I just like him so much, whether when he helped you with the luggage


    last time orys the bed this time..."


    Lucia could do nothing but smile a wry smile with resignation.


    She of course knew her mother''s behavior was due to the fact that parents tended to worry about


    children''s happiness.


    Yet you just couldn''t do it hastily, or things would end up otherwise.


    The rtionship between August and her was a very example of such failure.


    Lucia''s heart suddenly did a flop when she brought the name of August to her mind, as an unintelligible


    sense of sorrow welled up.


    After a moment''s silence, she shook her head to stop her mind from wandering along that direction.


    Meanwhile, August was busy with his work in the CEO''s office of the Lion Group when Burton entered


    with a knock at the door.


    "Mr.Adams, you''ve been invited to a business dinner tonight, where Mr.West will show up.Shall we


    decline it?" suggested Burton.


    August didn''t even raise his eyes, only replying coldly, "No need.I''ll attend it as usual.Why should we


    shun him?"


    He shuffled through the contract and threw it aside, "Return it to thew department for the amendment


    in details."


    Burton took the contrast, yet didn''t seem to intend to leave.


    August looked up at Burton casually, "Anything else?"


    Burton answered with some hesitation, "It''s about the matters in the hospital."


    This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.


    August frowned spontaneously.


    After thinking for a second, he eventually asked despite himself, "What''s going on there?"


    "ording to the staff we''ve sent to the hospital for the safety of the Mitchells, Paul and Pa had paid


    a visit there.Paul Thomas even got someone to provide them with a folding bed.It''s said he''s trying to


    transfer Bill Mitchell to higher-ss wards, though he didn''t make it because the hospital has run out of


    it now.But he made a reservation, probably for the Mitchells."


    Burton''s report had August''s face darken.


    "Got it." August answered after being silent for some seconds.


    Getting no further instruction, Burton paused before he finally ventured, "Any order there?"


    August raised his eyebrows with a hint of impatience as he stared at Burton, "What order are you


    expecting?"


    Burton grasped the undertone of his boss instantly and replied, lowering his head, "Nothing."


    "You can leave now." August then ordered coldly.


    Yet the moment Burton closed the door behind him, August began to feel fretful somehow.


    As he lifted his hand to loosen his tie, the face of Lucia came sweeping back to his mind.


    He then reminded himself that she had severed their connection and he shouldn''t meddle with anything


    of hers.


    Out of sight, out of mind, he told himself, though still feeling rather gloomy.


    During the business dinner that night, August still appeared rather apathetic.


    He would drink off the wine silently when others drank a toast to him.


    Having noticed August''s low spirits, Rockwall Slinger asked with hesitation, "Something ails you,


    Mr.Adams?"


    His question attracted the attention of other people at the table, who all cast a questioning look at


    August.


    August put a civil smile on his face while replying steadily, "How could a businessman be free from


    problems that ail him? You guys know that better than me."


    He was the youngest one among the veterans present that night, who were all in their middle age.


    Praising August''s smart response, they began toasting again.


    August just joined them without hesitation.


    The dinner didn''t finish untilte night, and the group of businessmen didn''t leave until they all got


    drunk to their heart''s content.


    August got in his car and lolled on the back seat.


    He seemed to have a little headache.


    Noticing that, Burton turned on the music and kept the car moving more steadily.


    He thought he was to head for the vi when August''s low voice came from behind, instructing him to


    go to the hospital.


    Burton paused a little and quickly understood which hospital his boss was getting at.


    Where else could it be except the one Lucia was staying at now? August wasn''t really drunk though he


    had taken a lot wine.


    ming Lucia for his upset which had assailed him from the afternoon to the night, August thought he


    ought to have a check what a hopeless mess she was having now.


    As the popr saying goes, I hate you so much that I''ll rejoice to see your miserable state.


    The midnight hospital was a deserted and subdued ce.


    August made a turn after getting out of the lift, just to find a woman fallen into exhausted slumber on a


    bench in the passage outside the ward.


    Howe she still slept outside when it was said Paul had got her a bed? August sped up to approach


    her involuntarily, frowning.


    He couldn''t help appreciating her delicate face with the beautifully-shaped chin and exquisite nose on it


    even when she appeared a bit pale without any makeup.


    His eyes sweeping over the surroundings, August found that quite unsuitable.


    How could she be so careless when she might even be totally unaware of any molesting should there


    be any vicious man passing by! August then went closer to the ward and looked into it through the


    ss on the door.


    There was a folding bed beside the bed for the patient.


    So small the folding bed was that it could only hold one person on it, and that person was Mrs.Mitchell,


    who was sleeping soundly there.


    No wonder Lucia had to sleep outside.


    She must have offered the bed to her mother.


    August now felt a mixture of sophisticated emotions when he looked at Lucia again.


    Though he had nned to tease her about her plight, he now just couldn''t help feeling anxious and


    upset.

 Chapter 235

    Chapter 235


    Chapter 235 An Erotic Dream?


    Can''t leave her like that! August told himself.He thus began searching the wards along the


    passage one after another until he located an empty one at the end of it.He then went back,


    carried Lucia from the bench to that empty room, andid her onto the bed gingerly.


    Her arm suddenly held his neck when he was about to straighten up.


    Did she wake up? August paused with a fast heartbeat.


    Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    Yet as he looked down, Lucia was still having her eyes closed.


    Her body even twitched a little as her sleep was being disturbed, though she wasn''t really


    wakened.


    With a sigh of relief, he removed her hand from his neck and covered her with the thin sheets


    from aside.


    He even gazed at her with a sense of sympathy after doing all that, though he suddenly realized


    such an improper emotion and began to me himself on this ominous sign.


    With a knot in his forehead, August walked out of the ward and headed for the lift resolutely


    without looking back.


    As the chilly night wind blew out of the hospital, he became soberer, and was able to justify his


    behavior with a theory that the emotion was only due to his sense of guilt for Lucia, definitely


    not because of anything else.


    That thought made him feel better, and he went back into his car, instructing Burton to head for


    the vi.


    Lucia woke up the next morning, thinking she was still in a dream when she felt the soft sheets


    underneath when she turned over her body.


    That was the best sleep she''d ever had during these days.


    Yet it felt too true to be a dream, which awakened Lucia gradually.


    Through her bleary eyes, she just saw the white ceiling of the ward, which implicated the face


    that her she was lying on the bed of an empty room.


    She sat up instantly in panic, "Mom, Dad?"


    Where were they now? And howe she was on a bed? Having scrutinized the structure of


    the room, she came to realize it was a different one from her father''s.


    Lucia got off the bed quickly, though still being puzzled about how she woke up on a bed when


    she''d slept on the bench at first.


    Was it due to her sleepwalking? Lucia dared not to go on thinking.


    She could only rush out of the ward after putting the sheets away.


    Elisa was still sleeping when Lucia returned to their own ward.


    Lucia thus stayed on the bench outside, letting her imagination run away with her.


    She began to remember that she seemed to have had dreamst night, in which a man carried her to


    the bed, and she could smell the faint fragrance from his body mingled with alcohol and something like


    perfume.


    What an erotic dream and how shameful it was! Lucia blushed immediately with a quiver.


    There came some noise from inside the ward at that moment, which wakened Lucia from her mind-


    wandering.


    She turned round to push the door open after getting herself more sober by tapping on her cheeks.


    Meanwhile, she gave a secret sigh of relief because everything in the dream was so blurry that she had


    no way to see the man''s face clearly.


    Or it would just get her rather awkward.


    In reality, the hero of Lucia''s dream was standing in a dim and damp cer, where a man was bound


    and hanging high, whose face was swollen with bruises and ragged clothes revealed the bleeding


    wounds by the whipping.


    As August raised his chin a little, the stalemate was ended by his gesture to imply his staff to continue


    the torture.


    That triggered the man¡¯s pleading in a jarring and trembling voice, "I...I really don''t know anything..."


    August didn''t exhibit any facial expression, as though he hadn''t heard the pleading at all.


    His staff thus went on cracking the whip which was made with barbs.


    The shriek of the man went with the whipping which was getting even more severe and making the


    man''s blood-soaked clothes into pieces.


    August walked out, still with a poker face.


    Joshua was smoking at thending of the cer, being expressionless too, hearing the screams


    resounding in the whole space.


    Taking a puff of rings of smoke, Joshua told August lightly, "I guess he really knows nothing about it."


    The man being tortured was no other than Nn Vermon.


    August replied calmly and coldly, "I know that."


    As Nn had confessed, someone contacted him on the, sending him a down payment for some


    mission, and promising to pay the rest amount when he had manipted the car.


    But that man never showed up in reality, only calling him through vocal meeting, where his voice was


    distorted and the phone number was a virtual one.


    Nothing could lead to the real identity of the man behind all the plots.


    August knew Nn was not lying when he said he knew nothing more.


    "You might take his life if your guys do it too hard."


    Joshua raised his eyebrows and asked with another puff.


    August replied ndly with a serious look, "He deserves that."


    This Nn boy was seeking for such an oue when he had done something so cruel to Lucia,


    August just hated his guts even when he knew he could dig out nothing from Nn''s mouth.


    Seeing August wiping his hands with wet tissue, Joshua stubbed his cigarette and reminded, "Don''t


    overdo it.We still need to submit him to the police."


    "I know how far I''ve gone."


    There was a hint of chilliness in August''s eyes.


    They then went out of the cer and entered the bright living room after walking through


    basement.Bond was busy tapping away at his theputer there.


    After going a few paces, Joshua eventually asked, "Do you think Nn would be rted to that matter


    before?"


    "I don''t think so." August answered coldly.


    "They are obviously done by different groups of people."


    The man behind Nn was apparently an impertinent one, whose only purpose was to hurt


    August.


    Yet the man August was really after was a much more cunning one, who wouldn''t have exposed


    himself in such an unintelligent way.


    Bond uttered at the moment, "There''s some development here."


    Both with a stern look, August and Joshua strode towards Bond.


    "What''s it?"


    "There are some noteworthy traces of Ted Stebbing.I bet he''s up to something now." Bond


    reported.


    He then made a simtion based on all of Ted''s traces, which showed his movement was within


    the peripheral areas centering around the north-eastern part of Austos City.


    That was a dubious location where one could ess convenient transportation via roads and


    water in a remote ce far from the city.


    Joshua frowned and cursed solemnly, "This wily old fox must be up to something funny when


    he flees back from Franksfurt.


    He might probably be exploring now for his vicious nter on."


    August frowned too, yet only got himself seated aside and kept silence for quite a long time.


    He began to realize they were already involved in a picture much moreplicated than


    imagination, and the odds of sess only depended on whether they could cope with it calmly


    and wisely.


    Night fell soon, where the nasty reveled surreptitiously under the cover of darkness.


    It was pitch dark around the warehouses of the north-eastern part of Austos City, where some


    cars were already hiding around, watching that area closely.


    A car drove towards that direction before long, with the carmps prating the night like the


    sharp eyes of a predator.


    The car entered the warehouse and reappeared outside soon, almost staggering.


    Not long after it drove for a short distance, the car tilted as its tire punctured with a huge noise.


    Ted Stebbing, who was inside the car, stretched out his hand instantly to feel the weapon


    around his waist while watching outside with great rm.


    "What the hell is going on?" the buzz cut cursed at the driver''s seat.


    "Shut up!" Ted snapped coldly.


    His sharp eyes seemed so bright in the darkness as he found something fishy around.His


    instinct was right.A jarring sound split the night in no time.

 Chapter 236

    Chapter 236


    Chapter 236 Being Duped


    "Shit!"


    The moment Ted cursed out, he instantly threw himself t upon his face.


    Then the car window was hit and exploded into pieces with a snap.


    The driver bent to a squat and tried to step on the gas pedal, but one of the wheels was trapped in a


    hole.


    He was panicked, "Ted, what to do!"


    Ted was clear that they had been surrounded and it was difficult to break through, so he gripped his


    gun and ordered, "Kill them all!"


    However, Ted''s side was at a distinct disadvantage, failing to resist their attack, and his car was almost


    ruined by the gunshots.


    He huddled inside the corner of the car as he thought about why they had been exposed.


    Soon, a few people emerged from the darkness and quickly surrounded the car, with their guns aimed


    at it.


    August walked to the car, and a pair of eyes stared straight at the car, as if he could see inside through


    the door, "Mr.Stebbing, get off the car."


    His confident words indicated that he had well known about what Ted had done, so after hearing his


    words, Ted had no way to escape but pushed the car door open.


    As soon as he got out of the car, he saw August smiling at him faintly and said, "Haven''t seen you for a


    long time."


    Ted sneered and threw the gun in his hand to the ground without the embarrassment of a loser.


    N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    After all, he had gone through much during his lifetime and it was not the first time to be arrested.


    Two men in ck clothes stepped forward and tie his hands together Ted always had little expression


    on his face, looked deeply at August, and didn¡¯t say anything.


    Another three men remaining in the car saw this, bing even panicked, and the driver was ready to


    sneak away but was shot in his calf, which caused him to scream and fall straight to the ground.


    Finally, the others chose to hand over their arms and surrender.


    August walked to the rear of the car, Joshua followed him and opened the trunk, finding a box under


    the sundries, and opened it directly.


    There were several bags in it, but after checking the content, Joshua frowned and said, "It''smon."


    August sensed something strange and turned around to instruct Charlotte, "Take one of the captured


    men and go back to the warehouse to see if there is anything left"


    Soon, Charlotte returned and said gloomily, "No more, just one box."


    Joshua turned his head to August and asked, "What''s wrong?"


    "It''s strange because just one box of goods didn¡¯t deserve those four men to risk being arrested."


    August frowned.


    "I''m afraid we are being duped."


    He ordered into his headset, "Bond, check if there''s any more movement!"


    Suddenly, Bond spoke up, "Pingkol Dock."


    August heard this and immediately gave orders in a deep voice, "Go to the Pingkol Dock immediately!"


    Several people got into their cars and rushed forward as fast as they could.


    August sat in the car with a grim face, and he was almost certain that it was definitely not normal when


    he heard the location of Pingkol Dock.


    As for Pingkol Dock which was in the southeast, but they were now in the northeast, which would take


    them nearly an hour to get there! Sure enough, when they arrived, the dock was peaceful as usual.


    "This is a fucking diversion!"


    Joshua cursed in anger.


    August frowned at the busy dock, gritting his teeth.


    Next to him, Bond spoke up coldly, "So it seems that Ted is just a bait to attract our attention."


    ¡®It is really too ruthless of the man behind because he sacrificed Ted to ensure another transaction


    could bepleted.


    What''s more, he is deliberate to arrange the two transactions at the same time, and even if we find


    Ted¡¯s side strange, we won''t have enough time to stop them.


    Thinking of this, August''s eyes were full of anger, and he took the lead to get in the car, saying coldly,


    "Go back."


    He also felt it was terrible when the man knew them so much that he could guess that they had focused


    all their attention on Ted, ignoring other possibilities and details.


    August clenched his fists and swore to find out the man behind and wouldn''t let him go easily.


    Meanwhile, in the suburban vi, Bishop was sitting at the window, looking into the darkness in the


    distance.


    It was dull outside and was about to rain.


    At that moment Bob came in and whispered to Bishop''s ear to report.


    Hearing his words, Bishop smiled and said in a good mood, "Sure enough, he lost to me."


    Bob saw Bishop so happy on a rare asion and echoed, "Congrattions, Mr.Adams."


    Bishop''s smile deepened and he said, "He will lose to me more times in the future."


    A momentter, he turned his head slightly sideways and asked, "Have you made all the arrangements


    for the appointment with Merlin?"


    "Well, it''s arranged."


    "Good."


    Just as he finished, the thunder came.


    Bishop looked out the window as it began to rain, and he believed that the rain not only cooled the


    weather but also washed away some of the traces without being revealed.

 Chapter 237

    Chapter 237


    Chapter 237 Restaurant Encounter


    Lucia had been in the hospital for several days and she was much relieved when Bill was getting better.


    "This is thest checkup, and your dad has recovered a lot."


    The doctor handed over the checklist to Lucia and said.


    Hearing this, Lucia got a little excited, "In that case, when can we reschedule the surgery?"


    The doctor with gold-rimmed sses paused and spoke softly, "If you still intend to invite Dr.Long to


    operate, you may have to contact him, but in my advice, I suggest you should wait until your dad¡¯s


    physical condition is stable before doing the surgery, and I''m afraid it will take some time."


    At these words, Lucia was in a subdued mood.


    She nodded and said softly, "I see, Thank you."


    When she came out of the office, Lucia held the checklist and felt a little upset because she was afraid


    she couldn''t afford the fee and be able to pay off all the debts if the operation was postponed.


    Had it not been for this sudden ident, she was sure that her dad would have finished the heart


    bypass surgery by now.


    She let out a long sigh and immediately adjusted her mood before walking into the ward.


    Just as she stepped in, she saw Paul sitting next to the hospital bed.


    Paul turned around and greeted her gently, "Hello, Lucia."


    Lucia smiled and walked up, "Do you want something to drink."


    "A ss of water, thank you."


    They smiled at each other.


    Since Paul and Pa came to the hospitalst time, Paul came over almost every day for the next few


    days, and thanks to hispany, Bill was not that boring anymore.


    Paul just raised his hand to take the ss of water from Lucia, Bill sitting on the hospital bed couldn''t


    help but ask, "Paul, have you read that paper publishedst December..."


    Elisa glowered at Bill and hated it when he disturbed Paul and Lucia.It was already lunchtime, but Bill


    and Paul were still talking about that paper.


    Elisa bought lunch and gave it to Bill with a slightint, "Just stop to eat!"


    Lucia and Paul on the side saw this and couldn''t help butugh.


    Bill frowned in dissatisfaction, "Why did you just buy lunch for me? Did you forget Lucia and Paul?"


    Elisa looked at Lucia and Paul, smiling, "Lucia will treat Paul to thank Paul for taking care of us these


    days."


    Then, she packed up a few clothes that Lucia had changed and said, "Just go home to take a shower


    and get some rest."


    Lucia was indeed a bit tired, and it just so happened that she was out of clean clothes, so she had to


    agree, "Okay, I''ll go home today."


    Hearing her promise, Elisa was ecstatic and winked at Paul, "Paul, don''t forget to send her home!"


    Paul smiled lightly and said, "My pleasure."


    Coming out of the hospital and getting into the car, Lucia turned her head to look at Paul and asked,


    "Just choose what you want to eat because I haven''t eaten out for a long time."


    Paul smiled and responded, "Okay, I know a restaurant that''s definitely to your taste."


    On the way, the two talked andughed, but when Lucia got out of the car, she was a little worried if


    she could afford the expense of eating in this high-end restaurant.


    Paul walked over and said softly, "Let''s go, I''ve booked a seat close to the window where is quiet."


    Lucia asked with surprise, "You booked it in advance?"


    Paul winked at her mysteriously andughed, "Guess what?"


    In fact, as early as yesterday when Elisa told him to let them go out for lunch, he had booked the


    restaurant in advance.


    Lucia probably already guessed, and pretended to be angry, "Didn''t we agree that my treat was on?"


    "It''s okay, next time it''s on you."


    Lucia hesitated, "No, you can''t..."


    "Why not?"


    Paul leaned over slightly closer to her, lowered his voice andughed, "It''s my honor to have lunch with


    you."


    Lucia was amused by his words and followed him into the restaurant.


    After ordering the food, Lucia and Paul were chatting with each other.


    Lucia felt it was rxed andfortable when she stayed with Paul, and she was willing to date him as


    he was such a perfect man.


    Lucia got up to go to the restroom before the food was served.


    Just as she came out of the restroom when he heard a familiar voice, "Merlin had something to do


    today, so he didn''te..."


    As soon as she came out, she bumped into two people who were walking over and the three looked at


    each other, all slightly stunned.


    Lucia clenched her fists tightly and this time she was reluctant to see August becausest time they


    had ended in an argument.


    Jeanne was the first to respond and initiative to greet Lucia, "What a coincidence, Lucia!"


    Lucia was a little ufortable but forced a smile at her, "Yeah, quite a coincidence."


    However, she might admit that the yellow dress Jeanne wore matched his dark blue suit well.


    In order to conceal her sadness and embarrassment, she came up with an excuse when she swept the


    ne around Jeanne''s neck andplimented softly, "Ms.Kelly, your ne is beautiful."


    "Thank you!"


    Suddenly beingplimented, Jeanne smiled brightly and gently touched the ne.


    She turned her head somewhat shyly to look at August at her side and spoke in a happy tone, "August


    bought it for me!"This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.

 Chapter 238

    Chapter 238


    Chapter 238 They''re Getting Engaged


    Lucia gave a wry smile and was about to leave, but Jeanne leaned gently towards August, and


    announced to Lucia shyly, "We are going to get engaged."


    Lucia was slightly stunned and her eyes quickly skimmed over August, only to see his cold face as


    usual.


    It seemed that what Jeanne said was true because August didn''t retort.


    Lucia had to force a smile and said, "Congrattions."


    Jeanne blushed and said, "Please keep it a secret."


    Lucia forced herself to be dispassionate and said, "Okay."


    As she spoke, August raised his eyes toward her and looked at the woman with an unchanged face


    and his heart suddenly emerged with a certain difort.


    He thought it seemed that she didn''t mind at all that he would engage with someone else! Jeanne


    thanked her and asked, "By the way, did youe alone?"


    "Came with a friend."


    Lucia said and subconsciously looked in the direction of the seat, just able to see Paul sitting by the


    window.


    Jeanne followed her gaze and was surprised to see Paul, and then she deliberately said in a loud


    voice, "Is that Paul Thomas of Cloud Technology? I heard my father mention him not long ago! I didn''t


    expect that he and you are good friends!"


    Lucia smiled and said nothing.


    August also noticed Paul, and he almost couldn''t suppress his anger.


    He recalledst time when he went to see her in the hospital, she was busy taking care of Bill, but he


    didn''t expect she would date Paul so soon! Moreover, when they met before, Lucia said she wanted to


    keep a distance from him and refused to be restricted by those terms in the contract.


    It was true what she did was to get married to Paul! A touch of sarcasm slid across the bottom of


    August''s eyes, and he averted his gaze with some impatience.


    At this time, Jeanne looked at Lucia with an ambiguous smile and whispered, "Lucia, you and


    Mr.Thomas are a good match, bless you too."


    "Let''s go."


    Not waiting for Lucia to answer, August said in a cold voice.


    Jeanne hurriedly smiled at Lucia and waved, before following August upstairs, "August, Mom and Dad


    had just arrived not long ago, and there is no rush..."


    Hearing her voice fading away, Lucia stood there nkly for a while and returned to her seat.


    Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    Several dishes had been served on the table and Paul was about to ask Lucia to taste them when he


    looked up and saw her pale face, "Lucia, what''s wrong with you?"


    Lucia shook her head and said softly, "It''s okay, I''m probably too tired."


    Paul hurriedly said, "Then eat quickly, I''ll send you back to rest after eating."


    Lucia seemed to have no appetite and did not eat much.


    Paul was worried and sent her back without asking for more.


    When they arrived at her apartment, Lucia got off the car and Paul followed.


    "Lucia, are you okay?"


    Paul walked up to her side.


    Lucia replied, "Paul, I''m fine.I am really too tired and I need to go home and have a rest."


    Paul was still uneasy and insisted on sending her to the door of the apartment.


    Lucia said goodbye to him and entered her house, but the moment the door closed, she was too weak


    to stand, falling into the couch and bursting into tears.


    She couldn''t forget the scene when Jeanne announced they were going to get engaged and fell asleep


    with tears.


    In the suburban vi, Bishop was in a good mood to tease Lightning and teach him to speak new


    words, but Lightning didn¡¯t follow him, only pecking at the bird food in his hand.


    Mandy stood by and couldn''t help butugh.


    Bishop raised his eyes and asked her, "Mandy, what''s wrong with Lightning?"


    Mandy smiled and exined, "Maybe he is in a bad mood."


    Bishopughed and reached out his index finger to nudge Lightning''s furry little head, "Just a parrot is


    still ina bad mood?"


    After that, he scattered the bird food into the box and gestured for Mandy to push him out.


    Bishop said leisurely, "Mandy, I can feel my precious parrot rely too much on you, and I''m afraid he will


    follow you away from home if you resign."


    Hearing his words, Mandyughed lightly, "You are joking."


    Suddenly, Bishop reached out his hand and covered hers, saying, "Mandy, until I recover, you will


    always be here, right?"


    Mandy felt her heartbeat quicken as he touched.


    She took a deep breath and hastily spoke, "Yes, I will always be here."


    "That''s good."


    He withdrew his hand immediately.


    Bob came by just as they reached the stairway and reported ina soft voice, "The car is ready."


    Bishop nodded slightly, "Good, let''s go."


    Bob took the wheelchair from Mandy and pushed him into the car.


    Mandy, on the other hand, followed them with their luggage.


    This time they would go to The Golden Hotel for a few days because the hot springs there would help


    Bishop''s legs recover.

 Chapter 239

    Chapter 239


    Chapter 239 Irreconcble


    Enemies It was the first time for Mandy to go out with Bishop and she was inevitably a bit excited.


    It just so happened that Bishop was in a good mood in recent days and the atmosphere in the car was


    quite harmonious.


    When they arrived at the hotel, Bishop handed Mandy his ID card and said softly, "Go to check in while


    I go to the restroom."


    Mandy nodded and walked to the front desk.


    Bishop waved his hand, and Bob immediately pushed him in the direction of the restroom.


    Bishop had been used to solving his physical needs with others¡¯ help, which seemed like a shame, but


    his disability protected him from many troubles.


    In the restroom, Bob carried Bishop back to his wheelchair and spoke up, "Mr.Adams, is it appropriate


    to bring Mandy out?"


    Bishop sneered, "Why? I will manipte her and take advantage of her."


    Bob nodded and stopped asking more.


    Bishop controlled the wheelchair to move out of the restroom.


    From a distance, he could see a middle-aged woman in brown cleaning overalls stumbling and running


    to Mandy, so he stopped the wheelchair.


    The woman ran to Mandy, surprised and excited, "Mandy?"


    Mandy turned around, and when she saw the woman, she suddenly turned pale and subconsciously


    took a step back.


    That middle-aged womanpletely immersed in the excitement, stepped forward and directly


    reached out her hand to pull Mandy, "Mandy, why are you here?"


    Mandy frowned and said coldly, "I''m working."


    "Okay."


    The woman nodded with tears glistening in her eyes, "Mandy, it''s been more than a year since you ran


    away from home.How abouting home this weekend, your dad and I miss you very much!"


    Mandy''s face became sullen after hearing her words, and she directly shook off the woman''s hand,


    shouting at her, "I don''t have a dad! My dad died long ago, and I will never go back to that home


    again!"


    After saying this, she gritted her teeth and turned around, put away the sheet and room card, and lifted


    the things next to her to leave.


    Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    The woman was panicked and rushed over to stop her, "Mandy, you can''t be so cruel..."


    Mandy ignored her words and left.


    Bishop standing on the other side didn¡¯t move forward to interfere in her family problems.


    He asked Bob to push him to the elevator, and said, "Check Mandy''s family status someday and report


    back to me."


    He was clear that only knew well could control herpletely.


    Bob responded, "Yes."


    In a short while, Mandy arrived in a hurry with her things and felt relieved when she saw the two people


    waiting at the entrance of the elevator.


    She apologized, "Sorry Mr.Adams, the formalities are a little trivial."


    "It''s okay."


    Bishop smiled in a gentle manner, "There''s no rush."


    Two hourster, Bishop sat on the couch, lookedzily across the table, and asked softly, "What''s


    wrong? In a bad mood?"


    Merlin picked up his ss and drank off the wine, grunting coldly and asking rhetorically, "Is there any


    good news these days?"


    He picked up the whiskey next to him and poured another ss, "Recently Jeanne is getting engaged


    to August, but I really hate August!"


    Bishop smiled, "You know that Jeanne has always liked him."


    "I don''t want him to be my brother-inw!"


    Merlin frowned and said angrily, "Last time, I narrowly escaped being seized by him, but Nn Vermon


    was captured."


    Bishop didn''t answer; his facial expression didn''t change because he knew all these things very well.


    Merlin grumbled indignantly, "We are irreconcble enemies!"


    "Come on Merlin, don''t think about so many bad things."


    Bishop advised and turned to another topic, "By the way, I heard that Mr.Kelly recently values the


    project of Welsh Garden, how is it going?"


    Merlin leaned back on the couch and said, "Do not mention it! Nobody is willing to cooperate with Kelly


    Group after that ident, and now my dad is helpless, only to seek sponsorship since the project has


    started."


    Bishop thought it would be a perfect opportunity for him because Martin was too greedy and he would


    pay for it in the future! Lucia woke up at night, not expecting that she had slept for so long.


    After taking a shower, she became fully conscious, but August''s face always lingered in her mind.


    She opened the refrigerator for beer, only to find a few boxes of milk.


    She sighed and decided to go out to buy some beer.


    After walking around outside, within ten minutes, Lucia met several couples, which reminded her of


    August and Jeanne, and she became even more sullen for a while.


    Finally, she stopped a taxi and headed directly to the K bar, and she might feel better after drinking a


    couple of wines.


    Arriving at the bar, Lucia went straight to the corner of the bar where she used to sit before.


    The waiter saw her and winked at her with a smile, "Good evening."


    "Well, I''d like to try something new today"


    The waiter smiled at her, "We have a new spirit, do you want to try it?"


    Lucia nodded, "Of course."


    Today, she really wanted to get drunk to forget those painful memories.

 Chapter 240

    Chapter 240


    Chapter 240 Get Drunk


    Soon, the waiter provided Lucia with a ss of cocktail, with some crushed ice and mint leaves on it.


    Lucia tasted it and soon get addicted to it.


    After drinking another ss, she began to get drunk and unconsciously remembered thest time she


    sang on stage when August sat off stage...


    Lucia frowned and patted her face to push her to forget those memories about August.


    After thinking a while, she picked up her phone and called Pa without checking carefully, "Pa, I''m


    at K Bar,e over and have a drink with me."


    After saying that, she didn''t hesitate to hang up the phone directly because she was afraid Pa


    wouldn''t agree toe.


    Meanwhile, on the other end, August was staring at his phone in confusion.He guessed she was drunk


    and called the wrong number.


    August casually put the phone on the table, but he was a little worried and he deduced that Lucia was


    drinking in the K bar alone.


    Realizing this, August frowned and immediately stood up, bowing slightly to the crowd at the table, "I¡¯m


    sorry I have something urgent, I should go first."


    Then he picked up his phone and walked out of the private room.


    Burton followed quickly and asked, "Mr.Adams, what happened?"


    August was unwilling to say anything, ordering, "Go to the K bar."


    When they arrived, he immediately got off the car and went in.


    He swept across the bar, finally finding she was lying prone on the bar, unconsciously.


    However, a man sitting next to her, seemingly waiting for an opportunity to take her away.


    August managed to hold back his anger and walked up quickly.


    That man saw him approaching, and couldn''t help but tremble at August''s aura.


    He was a little guilty and not waiting for August to speak, he stood up and slunk away.


    August frowned, and bent over to support Lucia with a serious face.


    "Ouch!"


    As soon as Lucia opened her eyes and saw the man grasping her wrist, Lucia thought she was


    dreaming, "Why are you here?"


    She was stunned for a few seconds and muttered to herself, "So it was a dream..."


    It was not surprising that she dreamed about him because she could always recall him from time to


    time.


    August frowned in exasperation, leaned in close, and corrected her in a cool voice, "Lucia, this is not a


    dream."


    "I don''t believe that!"


    Luciaughed and waved her hand, "You''re getting engaged to Jeanne and you must be with her now!


    It must be a dream...Let me have a try!"N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    After saying this, she reached out her hand to pinch his face.


    "This is...true?"


    Lucia froze, then grinned, "What a wonderful face..."


    August grew more and more impatient and lifted his hand to stop her.


    Lucia was painful and immediately cried, "It hurts...August, you bastard..."


    She pulled his coat, stumbled to her feet, and fell into his arms, choking, "August, what have you done,


    you wretch! Why you abandoned me to marry another woman..."


    What happened here attracted much attention from the people in the bar, and they were talking about


    and glowering at August.


    August couldn''t stand anymore and put his arms around her, warning her in a cold voice, "Lucia, wake


    up!"


    "Why roaring at me?"


    Lucia was more aggrieved and dissolved into tears.w August saw this, and his heart abruptly softened.


    He raised his hand to wipe away her tears gently and coaxed, "Don''t cry, I''ll take you back."


    It had better send her back because it was not safe for her to stay in the bar alone.


    Lucia finally quieted down, and then grunted, "Hold me..."


    August was satisfied with her obedience and then bent down to pick her up directly.


    After leaving the bar and carrying her to the car, August was secretly relieved.


    Burton sat in front and was a little surprised to see the drunken Lucia.


    August raised his eyes, looked coldly toward him, and ordered, "Go back to her apartment."


    As soon as he stopped, his arm was suddenly wrapped by Lucia, and he could almost feel her chest


    rubbing against his arm unintentionally.


    August took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.


    At the same time, he secretly decided that he should immediately leave after sending her home.

 Chapter 241

    Chapter 241


    Chapter 241 Out of Control


    August averted his eyes and tried to distract attention from her, but he could also smell her unique


    aroma from time to time, sweet and somewhat seductive.


    Suddenly, the car hit a bump and bounced, which caused Lucia almost fell down from her seat.


    Fortunately, August reached out to help, identally touching her chest.He immediately withdrew his


    hand and frowned in embarrassment, but just then Lucia next to him suddenly cried.


    "You bully me!"


    This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.


    She was so drunk that she pushed his hand away,pletely forgetting how she had just taken the


    initiative to hug him; she was aggravated, both arms wrapped around her chest, whimpering, "You


    bastard! August, you took advantage of me!"


    Lucia crying and shouting in the car like a cute scoundrel which caused Burton to almost burst out


    laughing.


    August frowned, reaching out to press her shoulder impatiently, and said in a slightly deep voice, "Be


    quiet!"


    Lucia slightly closed her eyes and the rims of her eyes were red with crying, "You roared at me again!"


    August was helpless tofort her, so he suddenly leaned down too close, pressed her against the car


    backrest, and coolly said, "Be quiet, otherwise I will beat you!"


    It seemed that Lucia was intimidated by his threats and finally calmed down until she arrived at her


    apartment.


    August noticed that she was ufortable, like car sickness, so he instructed Burton several times,


    "Drive steadily.


    After arriving at Lucia''s apartment, August secretly sighed in relief and carried the drunken woman out


    of the car.


    When they entered the elevator up, August struggled to press the elevator button with Lucia in his


    arms.


    As the elevator door closed, Lucia suddenly vomited on his suit, "Bletch..."


    August was speechless with rage and at that moment, he really wanted to throw her in his arms away.


    However, Lucia was sleeping unconscious in his arms.


    In the end, August sent her into her bedroom.


    He took off his suit and immediately poured a ss of water for her.He walked to the bedside, patted


    Lucia''s cheek, and said in a slightly deep tone, "Get up and drink some water."


    Lucia was not satisfied with his rudeness, unexpectedly grabbed his hand and bit it.


    "Ouch!"


    August was on the verge of losing his temper, but before he scolded her, his finger was taken by her


    mouth gently.


    Instantly, August waspletely out of his mind, he pressed on her and asked, "Lucia, do you know


    what you are doing?"


    Lucia didn¡¯t hear what he had said and murmured, "It¡¯s sweet..."


    August was out of control and had a crazy night with her.


    Lucia woke up early morning, and just felt a miserable headache.She opened her eye, surprised to find


    August lying beside her! She couldn''t help but tremble and wondered what happenedst night.


    She could only vaguely remember that someone seemed toe to her, but she could not recall why


    she slept with August! She condemned herself for sleeping with August because August was going to


    get engaged to Jeanne, so she fled away with guilt and shame.

 Chapter 242

    Chapter 242


    Chapter 242 Avoid him


    Lucia got up carefully, tiptoed to find a new suit to wear, and left her apartment before August woke


    up.She was reluctant to be faced with August, otherwise she would be embarrassed to die.She decided


    to find Pa, but considering Pa was leaving with her parents, and she was afraid to disturb them


    so she went directly to the hospital and waited in the hospital corridor.


    Having made up her mind, she elerated her steps in the direction of the subway station, but the


    sound of a car horning from behind her startled her, and when she subconsciously looked back,


    finding it was August''s car following her! Lucia was surprised how August could follow her out so


    quickly when she swept up to Burton sitting in the driver''s seat, and only then did she react.


    She supposed Burton wasing over to pick up August, but she was shameful to see anyone rted


    to August, so she pretended not to see him and quickened her steps to run into the subway station


    without looking back.


    When she arrived at the hospital with a heavy heart, Bill and Elisa hadn''t woken up yet, so she sat in a


    chair in the corridor outside and waited.


    Although she was sleepy, when she thought of the imagesst night, she felt much regretful and guilty


    for Jeanne.


    She gave herself a p and reminded herself to keep a distance from August, but Elisa happened to


    bump into her strange behavior.


    "Lucia?"


    Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    She stepped forward in panic and pulled her hand, "What are you doing? Are you crazy?"


    Lucia quickly lied to her, "Nothing, I''m just a little sleepy."


    "Didn''t you sleep well yesterday? Why are you here so early today?"


    Elisa was scolding her as she swept over the hickeys on her neck.


    Noticing her gaze, Lucia hurriedly hid them, but before she could exin, Elisa gave her a meaningful


    smile and said, "I understand..."


    She lowered her voice and asked mysteriously, "Paul is not bad, right? You are really well matched."


    Lucia''s eyes widened in shock.She recalled that she had left with Paul yesterday at noon, no wonder


    Elisa would misunderstand her.


    Lucia frowned and exined, "Mom, I didn¡¯t sleep with Paul!"


    "I know I know!"


    Elisa smiled happily and patted her shoulder, "I''ll go to get some water,ter your dad will wake up..."


    Then she took a step and walked away quickly.


    Lucia looked at her back, regretting not checking carefully in the mirror.


    In case of being to me by Elisa, she had to hide the truth.


    Before entering the ward, she took the foundation in her bag to cover up her neck.


    In the ward, Bill was already awake, and he seemed to be in a good mood, chatting with Lucia for a


    long time.


    At this moment, August woke up but was nowhere to find Lucia.


    For a moment, a sense of annoyance at being betrayed rose in his heart.


    He looked at the stained suit and immediately dialed Burton to send a new set to him.


    After changing clothes, August walked out of the apartment impatiently and angrily.


    Burton said to August, "Mr.Adams, the first time after six o''clock I came here today, I saw Ms.Mitchell."


    August asked in a cold voice, "Where is she? Why didn''t you stop her?"


    "Just near the entrance of the neighborhood.I honked at her, but she ran into the subway station."


    Burton paused and said softly, "It looked like she was avoiding me."


    August frowned, clearly displeased with his words.He wondered why she was so bold to seduce him


    last night, but woke up early this morning and ran away without taking responsibility.


    The more August thought about it, the angrier he became, and his face became more and more


    gloomy.


    Burton advised, "Mr.Adams, even if she had fled away, she is still an employee of Lion Group after all."


    August nodded and he was sure he could easily find her because she had to go back to work anyhow.

 Chapter 243

    Chapter 243


    Chapter 243 Make it Worse


    Lucia received a call from Carter just as the doctor finished a checkup on Bill.


    Lucia and Elisa were sincerely happy when they learned that Bill was recovering well.


    Noticing Carter was calling her, Lucia was a little panicked and hesitated to answer when Bill next to


    her asked, "Why don''t you answer it?"


    Lucia whispered, "It''s from my manager."


    Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    Bill gently advised, "Pick it up, you haven''t been to work for a week, it''s time to go back."


    Lucia nodded, stood up, and walked outside the ward to answer the phone, "Hello, Carter."


    "Lucia, when can you return to thepany?" Carter asked directly, "You have asked for leave for a


    week, have you finished your affairs?"


    Lucia took a deep breath and hesitated for a moment, "Yes."


    Although she wanted to stay with Bill, she still had to go back to work after all.


    Carter said decisively, "Good, then go back to thepany tomorrow, we are too busy recently."


    "Okay."


    After hanging up the phone, Lucia returned to the ward and recounted to Bill truthfully.


    Bill lightened his voice and advised, "Lucia, with your mother by my side, you don''t have to worry about


    me, understand? Just go back to work, so at least we will have an extra ie."


    "l understand."


    The thought of being able to be by her father''s side made her guilty, but she was at ease because


    Bill is almost recovered now.


    As a result, she returned home early to get ready for work tomorrow.


    At the gate of Kelly Group, it was terribly a mess.A number of workers gathered together to im their


    rights.


    Martin stared at the monitor, smoking in silence.


    "Are all the security team dead?"


    Merlin cursed in exasperation, "Why are there more and more people? Shit!"


    Merlin raised his hand to the table and pped it hard, getting up and walking up in anger, "Dad! What


    do we do now?"


    Martin''s face was serious and Merlin didn¡¯t dare to ask more.


    ¡®I have to take the me for the riots.


    Kelly Group now doesn¡¯t have enough money to build Welsh Garden, and in order to save costs, I


    vaguely approved the advice that employing cheapborers without paying them.


    But now, those workers unite together to ask for their sries.I should treat it seriously, otherwise it will


    affect the establishment of Welsh Garden"


    Thinking of this, Martin called Merlin and told him, "You go down and negotiate with their


    representatives, and tell them that we are willing topensate them for their losses."


    Merlin nodded without hesitation, "Okay."


    Martin suddenly turned his head and reminded in a cold voice, "Remember, don''t be impulsive!"


    Merlin swore, "I understand, Dad!"


    Then he led a few of his subordinates downstairs.He just walked out of the gate and was stopped by


    the security guards.


    Those workers were shouting outside the gate, "Return our money! Return our money!"


    Merlin grunted, took the speaker from a security guard, turned it on, and said, "Which one is your


    representative,e and talk."


    The crowd outside was quiet for a moment, and soon, a sturdy man with dark skin standing in the


    middle stepped forward, "I am!"


    "Ben, you can''t go alone!"


    "Be careful, in case they hold you back!"


    Benforted the crowd, "Don''t worry, sooner orter we will have to negotiate.They don''t dare to


    detain me, and if they detain me, just expose what Kelly Group did!"


    "Yes! Yes!"


    Watching Ben walk in, the crowd outside was a rare moment of silence.Not far away, Bishop sitting in


    the car was watching the farce with gusto.


    Suddenly, he asked leisurely, "Have you got the people you asked to arrange in ce?"


    Bob replied softly, "Well arranged."


    After a pause, he went on to say, "But in view of the current situation, I''m afraid the Public Rtions


    Department of Kelly Group will solve this riot."


    Bishop snorted, "Don''t worry, the riot will be more serious."


    Bob immediately understood that Bishop had arranged for others to make trouble in this ident.He


    asked softly, "But Mr.Adams, I have a question."


    "Say.¡±


    "Martin and Mrs.Kelly are good friends, will it affect their rtionship?"


    Bishop answered indifferently, "I don¡¯t care whether they are good friends, but as to Martin, only do him


    a favor when he was in a dilemma will he bes much more obedient to me, understand? Moreover,


    this matter can also intensify the contradictions between Martin and August, why not do it?"


    Bob thought about it for a while and instantly understood.


    Just then at the gate of Kelly Group, the conflict suddenly intensified.


    The crowd was in chaos and the workers and security guards began to fight.


    Merlin on one side of the crowd was also furious and said, "All security guards, drive them away!"


    Those security guards with electric batons soon beat the puny workers.


    Bishop in the car saw this, soon withdrew his gaze, and instructed Bob, "Good show is on, let''s go."

 Chapter 244

    Chapter 244


    Chapter 244 The only One Who Can Help the Kelly


    Family is her In less than an hour, the report of Kelly Group striking workers had been the headlines on


    Twitter.


    With it getting worse, Kelly Group¡¯s PR team made every effort but failed to control public opinion.


    "Bastard!"


    Martin could not help but tremble, looking at Merlin who was kneeling in front of him, he almost wanted


    to kill him.He had specifically reminded him not to be impulsive, but he messed it up and ruined the


    reputation of Kelly Group.


    Merlin knelt on the ground with a pale face, and he did not dare to say anything more.


    However, he could not help but defend himself, "Dad, you do not even know what those workers are


    talking about us!"


    "If you can''t tolerate small things, you will mess up big ns!"


    Martin grabbed the file on the table next to him and threw it at him with anger, "Don¡¯t you understand


    this truth?"


    Merlin also knew he had made a big mistake this time, so he gritted his teeth, and didn''t dare to say


    anything more.


    "Without mymand today, you will kneel here and not get up!"


    Martin ordered in a cold voice and was about to leave.


    "Dad, I¡¯m in thepany!"


    Merlin begged, "Do you really want to make me lose face!"


    Martin was gnashing his teeth with rage, "Just kneel here obediently!"


    Merlin knew that it was useless to say more, so he had to be silent and not say anything.


    While striding towards the outside, Martin muttered indignantly, "You can¡¯t even match August!"


    Merlin heard his words and clenched his fists with hatred.


    Since childhood, Martin had alwayspared August with him and looked down upon him.


    A tide of rage surged through him and he swore he would beat August one day in the future! As soon


    as Martin left Merlin''s office, he immediately went back to his desk and dialed a phone number.


    Soon, a sweet female voice came from the other end of the phone, "Dad, why are you calling me all of


    a sudden?"


    Martin coughed with embarrassment and asked softly, "Have you noticed the news on Twitter?"


    Jeanne hesitated and said, "Yes, Dad..."


    "Jeanne, at this time only you can help our Kelly family!"


    "Me?"


    Jeanne was confused, "How can I help?"


    Martin said in a heavy tone, "Jeanne, Dad wants you to seek help from August, only he can help us get


    out of trouble!"


    Jeanne understood Martin''s meaning immediately, but she was worried if it was appropriate to seek


    help since she was only his girlfriend.


    Without hearing her reply, Martin coughed again, "Jeanne, if it is not convenient for you, I will consider


    another method."


    Jeanne took a deep breath and whispered, "Dad, I''ll try."


    Martin became excited, "Good, Jeanne, my dear daughter."


    After hanging up the phone, he could finally breathe a long sigh of relief.


    Although from the beginning he has never valued his daughter, it was time to take advantage of her.


    Jeanne thought about it and did not immediately meet August.She considered if she sought help so


    early, which would expose the ipetence of the Kelly family.


    Besides, it was gettingte, so even if she went to find him, she should be well prepared.


    The next morning Jeanne dressed up carefully and went to Lion Group with the soup and delicate


    dishes that had been simmering for more than ten hours.


    In the President''s Office of the Lion Group, August was busy with a contract at hand, when Burton


    knocked on the room door, "Mr.Adams, Ms.Kelly is here to see you."


    August raised his eyes slightly, and after a pause, he said slowly, "Let her go to the parlor next door


    first, I''m on my way."


    "Okay."Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    Looking at the dense paperwork on the desktop, August was a little impatient, took a sip of coffee, got


    up, and walked out.


    As soon as he entered, Jeanne sprang forward, and threw her arms around his neck, "August!"


    Burton retreated and closed the door for them.


    August looked down and saw the delicate woman, the seriousness and coldness on his face eased, he


    took her waist and asked softly, "How did you suddenlye to thepany today?"


    Jeanne said with aggravation, "How many days have you note to me?"


    August smiled, "I have been busy recently.After this period, I willpany you."


    Jeanneughed and pulled him towards the couch, "That''s all right."


    They sat down on the couch, and she couldn''t wait to open the boxes she brought one by one, "I was


    afraid you wouldn''t eat properly when you were busy, so I asked my housemaid to cook your favorite


    meals and bring them here to eat with you!"


    August was moved and said, "Thank you, Jeanne."


    He was busy these days, and Jeanne¡¯sing over really allowed him to rx for a brief moment.


    Jeanne knew him very much and the dishes were so delicious that August ate a lot of them.


    Jeanne served a bowl of chicken soup and handed it to him, whispering, "I had my housemaid stew


    this soupst night, so try it"


    August took a taste and smiled slightly, "Well, it''s good."


    Seeing this, Jeanne secretly sighed with relief.


    Considering it was a good chance, she let out a long sigh as she gathered the lunchboxes next to her.


    August noticed and looked slightly sideways at her, asking softly, "Jeanne, what''s up?"

 Chapter 245

    Chapter 245


    Chapter 245 Punishment for Wrongdoing


    Jeanne frowned wistfully and said hesitantly, "I wonder if my dad and brother have their meal yet."


    August stiffened and immediately figured something.


    What happened to the Kelly Group yesterday was a sensation, and he had thought that she might


    come and see him today.He leaned back and asked, "How is your father doing?"


    Jeanne put on a wry face and replied, "He is worried.The efforts of the PR team are in vain, and the


    stocks plummeted in the morning.My mom has been crying at home, and I have no ways to save the


    day."


    Augustforted her gently, "Don''t take it too hard.This is not your fault"


    "But I''m a member of the Kelly family.I can''t help feeling worried"


    With tears in her eyes, she suddenly grabbed his hand, "August, can you help for my sake?"


    August''s face slightly fell.


    Secondster, he pulled his hand back and asked ndly, "Did your father send you here?"


    Jeanne panicked and subconsciously denied it, "No, it''s my own idea.August..."


    August said solemnly, "I can help you with other things but not this."


    The Kelly family exploited the loopholes of theborw and squeezed their employees.


    Wrong in the first ce, they hit those migrant workers who ended up in the hospital.


    That was injustice, and whoever spoke up for them would be the devil''s advocate.


    Everyone was trying to stay away.


    No one would get himself in trouble at such a point.The Adams family was no exception.


    "August..."


    The tearful girl pitifully tugged at his clothes and whispered, "You are the only person who can help


    us.I''m really at the end of my rope."


    "Jeanne, August frowned, his face turning serious, "do you think your family did the right thing?"


    She was speechless.


    His eyes flickered with coldness.


    "There are consequences for doing wrong things.It''s the eternal truth.I can help you with other things,


    but there is no way I''ll help cover up your crime."


    Jeanne burst into tears and asked, "Don''t I have any position in your heart?"


    For the Lion Group, this matter was easy to fix.They could suppress public opinion without much effort.


    However, August was unwilling to do this for her.His brows were knitted together.His eyes were


    unfathomable.


    "The two things are unrted, alright?"


    Jeanne was depressed.She had thought that he would grant her every request.


    Now it looked like he didn''t care about her that much.


    Moreover, she could feel a change in his attitude toward her.He used to be so concerned when she


    was ill and hospitalized.


    Feeling a tingling sensation in her nose, she choked with sobs, "I know that I''m no longer that important


    in your heart."


    August frowned and said sullenly, "You still don''t see it?"


    He tried to grab her hand, but Jeanne shook it off, suddenly stood up, and said emotionally, "August,


    say no more.I get it."


    Her eyes reddened.She grabbed her handbag and rushed out of the office with a broken heart.


    The door to the parlor was mmed shut.He frowned and pressed his temples to relieve the headache.


    As soon as Lucia returned to the office, Carter sent her to fetch a file from the President''s Office.


    On her way there, she spotted a familiar figure not far ahead.


    With long, curly hair and a pretty face, Jeanne looked attractive in a bright yellow dress.


    Lucia watched the girl hurried to the elevator.


    Her eyes were red, and her face was pale.


    Lucia was a little surprised.


    Why did Jeanne leave in tears? Did she have a fight with August? She couldn''t help but wonder.


    Secondster, she snapped back and scolded herself.


    What was the point of thinking about that? What was happening between August and Jeanne had


    nothing to do with her.It relieved her to think that way.


    She then went to the President''s Office, found the assistant she had made an appointment with, and


    waited outside.


    Just then, the door to the parlor opened, and out came a statuesque man.She felt something,


    involuntarily looked over, and met a pair of deep eyes.


    August! Her face froze, and several ambiguous images crossed her mind.She had been avoiding him


    like the gue, and the encounter had not been expected.


    Adrenaline was surging in her as she thought of theirst meeting on the bed of her small apartment.


    How she wished the earth would open and swallow her.


    Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    August didn''t walk away.He just stood there, gazing at her.


    She gritted her teeth, turned around, and hastened to the side.


    As the woman was slipping away, he furrowed his brows and called out in a cold voice, "Lucia."


    Lucia turned a deaf ear to it and quickened her pace.His presence was a constant reminder of what


    happened the other night.


    She was too ashamed to face him.It annoyed August to see her scampering away like a rabbit.


    Suddenly, an assistant came over with a file and looked around.


    August looked at her and asked, "What''s wrong?"


    The assistant replied in confusion, "A staff member of the administration department came to get a file


    and then disappeared."


    He nced at the document and demanded, "Give it to me."


    The assistantplied although she had no idea what was going on.


    August looked down before giving his instructions, "If shees again, tell her to get it from me."


    The assistant said yes despite her puzzlement.


    August sullenly went to his office, walked to the desk, and threw the document on it.He didn''t think


    Lucia could hide from him for the rest of her life.


    Lucia went back to the administration department.


    Sitting in the chair, she was still immersed in the tension.


    Just then, someone knocked on the door and said, "Carter wants to see you."


    As soon as the name was mentioned, her heart was in her throat again.


    The first assignment she received today was to get a file from the President''s Office.


    Carter would then have a meeting with her, get her through the n for the week, and assign tasks to


    her.


    Here was the problem.She hadn''t gotten the file.

 Chapter 246

    Chapter 246


    Chapter 246 Lacking A Secretary


    Gritting her teeth, Lucia got up, went to her supervisor''s office, and saw two women sitting at the desk.


    Following a nce at her, Carter said, "Take a seat.We''re having a meeting.Where is the document?"


    Lucia clenched her fists, bit the bullet, and lied, "I haven''t gotten it yet.Melinda was not in the office.I


    waited for a while.She didn''t show up, and I had toe back first."


    The other woman, Lisa, couldn''t help sneering, "Melinda was not there? I''m afraid she can''t recognize


    you due to your long absence."


    Lucia pursed her lips but made noments.


    Carter put on a serious face, looked up at Lisa, and said, "Go and get the file."


    Lisa was not happy about it but could not defy her boss.


    Following a nce at Lucia, she got up and went out.


    As soon as the woman was gone, Carter said, "Don''t take it personally.The colleagues are discontent


    with your long leave.It will be fine in a couple of days."


    Cheered up by Carter''sfort, Lucia smiled and said, "Don''t worry about it.I''m okay."


    In a short while, Lisa came back with a sullen face.


    Carter saw her empty hands and asked with a frown, "Where is the document?"


    Lisa nced at Lucia and sulked, "Mr.Adams had the file.ording to Melinda, Lucia is required to get


    it from him "Huh?"


    Lucia was surprised.


    Apparently, August did that to give her a hard time.


    With inquiring eyes, Carter looked over.


    Lisa continued to huff, "I don''t know why Mr.Adams gave such an order.Did you offend him?"


    Offend him? No way! Lucia sped her fingers, took a deep breath, looked up at her boss, and


    muttered, "I''m going to get the file."


    Calm as ever, Carter slightly lifted her chin.


    "Go ahead."


    Out of the office, Lucia got mixed feelings and recalled what had just happened.


    August had seen her outside President''s Office and should have learned about her business.


    By taking the document away, he was forcing her to go and see him.


    What a rascal! Lucia bristled and cursed under her breath.


    She subconsciously slowed down because she didn''t really want to see the man.


    That drunken mistake was embarrassing.She was unconscious back then, but now they were both


    sober.She was too ashamed to face him.


    At the President''s Office, she hesitated in knocking on the door.


    Her mind was in turmoil till a cold, deep voice suddenly came from behind her.


    "Go in since you''re here."


    Lucia stiffened and whipped her head around.


    This man came out of nowhere.


    "You!"


    "What are you waiting for?"


    August arched his brow indifferently, "Come on in.He opened the door, grabbed her arm, and dragged


    her inside.With the sound of the door closing, something seemed to be weighing on her chest.She


    raised her head and saw the man looking down at her.


    His inky eyes were flickering.


    In the next instant, the corners of his mouth curved up, but the coldness prevailed in his eyes.


    "Are you hiding from me?"


    In a nd tone, he stated a fact that she could not deny.She was indeed hiding from him.She hoped


    that they would not meet again.She was just not that bold to admit it in front of him.


    "I''m not."


    "No?"


    August took a step forward and leaned over, "I think you are!"


    Lucia stiffened.


    Before she could respond, his deep voice went into her ears.


    "You were not like this when you wrapped your hands around my neck the night before."


    His words contained a lot of information.


    Her eyes rounded, and her words got stuck in her throat.She couldn''t believe that he made such a


    blunt remark to her face.


    It was super embarrassing.Her cheeks visibly flushed.


    She took a deep breath and gritted her teeth.


    "That...That''s nonsense!"


    "Is that so?"


    August narrowed his eyes and acted like he had anticipated her denial.


    From his pocket, he fished out his phone and yed a video.


    The moans of a woman then rang out.Her mind was blown.


    She was drunk and cked out the other day.


    The voice was unmistakably hers.


    Ashamed and annoyed, she gnashed her teeth and red at him.


    August cocked his brows and asked, "Want to continue watching it?"


    Lucia trembled in anger.


    "You''re perverted!"


    She couldn''t believe that he filmed it.


    August gave a spurious smile.He had anticipated her denial and had this recorded.


    There weren''t any explicit scenes, but in the video, Lucia was moaning under him for 30 seconds.


    That was enough to deal with the disobedient girl.


    Lucia overcame her shock, looked at the phone in his hand, and fumed.He went too far.


    In a fit of pique, she forced the words out of her gritted teeth.


    "Fine, I am avoiding you.I don''t want to see your face."


    Her eyes gleamed with determination.She bristled like a hedgehog, but her face was stunning.


    August felt a burning pain in his heart.It upset him to get such a serious look from her.


    Did she hate him so much? He wrinkled his brows and sullenly pushed her to the wall.


    "I''ll make you see me every day."


    It was not easy to meet a woman who disliked him, and her wish would not be granted.


    N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    Lucia came to her senses and said, "What do you want?"


    This man had taken her by surprise again and again.


    August curled his lips and snorted, "Mary is getting married, and I''ve approved her application for


    leave.Now I''mcking a secretary."


    He didn''t finish his words, but Lucia got his implication.


    Tensing up, she stared at him with her bright eyes but remained silent.


    As expected, August continued in a deep voice, "Lucia, why don''t you temporarily fill in the position?"


    Lucia blurted out, "No, I don''t want it."


    If she took Mary''s ce and worked as August''s secretary, she would be amb to the ughter.


    That was a t rejection.


    A flicker of yfulness shed across his eyes.


    "Do you think you have an option?"

 Chapter 247

    Chapter 247


    Chapter 247 A Hard Nut to Crack


    Lucia''s heart sank.


    It was true.


    In front of August, she didn''t have the right to choose.He paid the expensive surgery fee for Bill, and


    she owed him a lot of money.


    Even her meager sry was from Lion Group.


    Beggars can''t be choosers.


    When frustration was seen in her eyes, August wrinkled his brows, loosened his grip, and said ndly,


    "You will get the same sry as the general secretary."


    "Okay."


    Lucia took a deep breath and bit the bullet.


    Even if she refused, August had all the ways to make her give in.She''d better swallow her pride and


    take the offer.


    Ensnared, she had to ept the arrangement before there was a way out of the trap.


    August turned around, strode to his desk, and concluded indifferently, "Go and pack your things.Burton


    will take care of the rest."


    Lucia took a deep breath, hummed in consent, and felt weak.


    On her way back, she saw Emma looking to the left and right at the door.


    "Lucia!"


    At the sight of her, Emma rushed over and said urgently, "I went to our boss'' office to deliver things just


    now and heard Lisa and Carter talking about you.It was pretty tense.Did anything go wrong?"


    Lucia snapped back and finally remembered her task.She had returned empty-handed once again.


    What she brought back was not the file but a piece of shocking news.


    To the outsiders, her sudden transfer was a promotion.


    However, her colleagues in the same department would definitely gossip.She couldn''t imagine their


    comments before her back.Her pale face startled Emma.


    "Lucia, what''s wrong?"


    Lucia clenched her fists.


    Secondster, she took a deep breath and calmed down.


    "Nothing.I''m going to the office."


    She headed to their superior''s office, heard voices at the slightly open door, and went in following a


    knock.


    "Carter."


    With aplicated look on her face, Carter was sitting at her desk.


    Opposite Carter, Lisa was trying to disguise the hostility in her eyes.


    Before Lucia could say anything, Carter stated, "I just received a call from the personnel


    department.The general secretary''s job is open, and someone on our team is selected.They


    appreciated the events organized by you and appointed you to the position.What do you think?"


    Lucia was surprised by August''s quick actions.


    The noticed had been issued before she came back.It indicated that he had set up this trap for her to


    jump into.


    Sadly, her opinion didn''t matter.


    The notice woulde anyway.It was not her call.


    Lucia clenched her fists, bit her lip, and replied, "I''m down with it."


    "Good."


    Carter nodded lightly, "You can go and pack your things."


    Lucia took a deep breath.


    "Okay."


    The coldness on Carter''s face could not be neglected.


    She had worked in the administration department for two or three years, and Carter had yed the role


    of her mentor.


    Thisdy had reason to be unhappy about the sudden transfer.


    After a moment of hesitation, Lucia plucked up the courage and looked up.


    "Ma''am, when I was in the President''s Office just now, Burton told me that I would temporarily take


    Mary''s ce till she is back from her wedding vacation.Then I''ll be transferred back.Wherever I am, I


    will not forget that you''re my boss."


    In fact, she was not sure about August''s n or if she woulde back to the administration


    department.


    She did know the importance of having a retreat.


    Sure enough, Carter''s face softened.She slightly lifted her hand and said, "Go ahead."


    Then she instructed the woman sitting next to her, "Lisa, go give her a hand."


    Lisa looked dissatisfied but could not defy Carter.She then got up and headed out.


    After closing the door, shegged half a step behind Lucia and sneered, "To be honest, I''m impressed


    by your means."


    Instead of wasting her tongue, Lucia narrowed her eyes and turned a deaf ear to it.She would soon


    leave the department.


    It was pointless to argue with Lisa.


    Lucia''s silence annoyed Lisa even more.


    It was known to all that she joined thepany one year earlier than Lucia did, and that gave her a


    higher seniority.


    However, Lucia had been walking all over her.


    Now she was even transferred to the President''s Office and got closer to central power.


    Lisa couldn''t stomach her frustration whatsoever.


    When they passed by the public office area, Lisa suddenly stopped in her tracks and pped her


    hands.


    "Guys, may I have your attention, please? There is great news I want to share with everyone.Lucia, a


    member of the administration department, got promoted to the position of general secretary.We''re so


    proud of her."


    When the crowd heard that, they were surprised at first and then skeptical.


    Some people took the chance to congratte Lucia, but most of them looked at her with doubtful eyes.


    Lucia groaned in her heart.She was just temporarily filling in Mary''s position.


    It was not permanent.


    Lisa''s words aroused suspicion.


    The woman was trying to cut off her retreat.


    Following a cold look at Lisa, she smiled at the crowd and exined, "It''s just a temporary recement


    for Mary who is away on her wedding vacation.One month will be the duration.Actually, this opportunity


    belonged to Lisa.She gave it up to me, a junior.I''m really grateful for her kindness."


    While the woman was in shock, Lucia respectfully bowed to her.Lisa told a lie.


    Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    Could she not? The notice was issued by the personnel department, but Lisa told everyone that it was


    a direct appointment from the CEO.


    Through this, Lisa was trying to make her the target of public hatred.


    She had been working in the administration department for years.


    She knew her colleagues too well.


    They hated anyone who was doing better, and she made such a remark to divert the brunt.


    Lucia ran her eyes over the crowd and continued with a smile, "If I get rewarded for my performance, I''ll


    treat everyone to dinner"


    The tension finally eased a little, and many people joked with her.


    "I hope you''ll get a big bonus, otherwise, we can''t eat to our hearts¡¯ content."


    "Yeah, how about a seafood buffet?"


    "Yeah..."


    Lucia chuckled, "Once I get the bonus, I''ll let you guys decide on what to eat."


    Lisa took a fierce look at Lucia and got mixed feelings.


    She was trying to give Lucia a hard time.


    To her surprise, thetter not only saw through her intention but also turned the tide.


    Lucia was now a tougher nut to crack.

 Chapter 248

    Chapter 248


    Chapter 248 Promotion to General Secretary


    Lucia didn''t have many things to pack or any important tasks yet to be finished since she had juste


    back from a week-long leave.


    After putting the necessary office items into a cardboard box, she left for the President''s Office.


    Burton was standing at the door, seemingly waiting for her.


    As soon as she went over, he started, "Secretary Lucia, follow me to your cubicle."


    Secretary Lucia? The appetion amused her.


    This man adapted to the change so fast.He was really a worthy subordinate.


    She smiled and followed him into the office without a word.


    There was an empty desk opposite Mary''s.


    Irene used to sit there, and it naturally became her new desk.


    Since Mary was absent, this office all belonged to her.It was much bigger than her office in the


    administration department.It was well-lighted by arge window.


    The environment was good, and she felt less depressed.She took a deep breath and put her things


    down on the desk.


    "I''ll brief you on your duties as a secretary of the CEO."


    Burton came up with a serious face.


    Lucia also went businesslike, picking up a notebook and a pen.


    "You wille to work half an hour early every day, clean the President''s Office, prepare his coffee,


    and arrange his schedule.When necessary, you''ll be required to receive the clients, join meetings, and


    minute them..."


    Burton talked fast, and she had to take notes in shorthand till the paper was filled.


    "That''s all.The rest will be arranged ording to Mr.Adams¡¯ needs."


    Lucia was surprised by the heavy duties of a secretary of the CEO, but (rene used to find faults with


    her often.


    By rights, Irene''s schedules should have been tight.


    Before she could figure it out, Burton added methodically, "I will send you a copy of Mr.Adams


    itineraries.You don''t have to work in the afternoon.Familiarize yourself with the environment and your


    duties first."


    Lucia came to her senses, nodded, and smiled, "I will."


    Burton nodded back and turned to leave.


    Then he halted and turned back with aplicated look on his face.His businesslike manners were


    gone.His eyes flickered, and his lips parted.


    In the end, a question came out.


    "How is Pa doing?"


    He hadn''t been in touch with her for some time.


    After their meeting in the hospital, he could no longer reach her.


    Lucia was a little surprised.


    "She hasn''t been in touch with you?"


    He shed a bitter smile and replied, "Yeah."


    He had been blocked on WhatsApp.


    She wouldn''t answer his calls or return his messages.It looked like she had decided to make a clean


    break with him.It distressed Lucia to see him like that.


    She could tell that Burton and Pa had feelings for each other.


    Their looks and personalities were matched.


    It was just that Pa demanded too much from love.


    She took a deep breath, gritted her teeth, and whispered, "Pa will perform at a charity party in Figo


    City this Saturday.If you want to go and see her, I''ll give you the detailed address."


    She knew that she shouldn''t reveal Pa''s privacy.She just didn''t want to see her friend suffering from


    love.


    If the two could be together, she was willing to do one terrible thing.His eyes glittering, Burton said


    without hesitation, "Give it to me."


    Lucia curled her lips.


    "Don''t waste the opportunity.I''ll send you the addresster."


    "I won''t, thank you."


    A hint of rare pleasure appeared on his face.He then went out of the office.


    Lucia looked down at the pile of things on the desk and let out a sigh.She was concerned about others¡¯


    business while she was in a mess.


    Starting today, she would be in this office and under August''s nose.


    The worst was yet toe.She was anxiety-ridden, but her first afternoon in the President''s Office was


    surprisingly rxed.She said hello to those assistants and answered several calls.


    That was basically all her work for the day.


    When her shift was almost over, Lucia heaved a sigh of relief.


    It looked like the job was not that difficult.


    At least, she hadn''t seen August or gotten summoned by him the entire afternoon.She was pretty


    idle.She had no idea that this was just the start.


    Many unimaginable things were awaiting her.


    The next morning, she got up half an hour earlier than usual.


    When she arrived in the office, there weren''t many people yet.


    Following the instructions given by Burton yesterday, she cleaned August''s office, including his desk


    and the coffee table.


    The files were also arranged, and then she went back to her office.


    As soon as the office hours started, she got up and headed out upon hearing a noise from outside.


    Sure enough, August was seen hurrying over with Burton from the elevator.


    "Well, take care of it at your discretion.In short, everything should be done ording to the contract.We


    won''t make another concession."


    While walking, August calmly gave his instructions.


    When the man came closer, she bowed to him from the doorway and headed to the pantry to make


    coffee for him.She then went to his office, put down the coffee, and asked, "Is there anything else I can


    do for you, sir?"


    August remained expressionless and replied indifferently, "No, you can go."


    "Okay."


    Outside the office, she heaved a sigh of relief, went back to her post, and started sorting out the files


    handed in from different departments.


    She felt awkward meeting with August, but the man was more serious about work than she had


    imagined.


    Since he felt nothing about it, she would not fuss over it.


    Unknowingly, over an hour passed.


    N?velDrama.Org ? content.


    On the desk, the phone suddenly rang.


    She checked it, found it was the receptionist calling, and picked it up.


    "Hello, the President''s Office."


    "Hello, this is the front desk.Please pass on a message to Mr.Adams.Mr.Kelly wants to see him without


    an appointment.The man ims that he''s from Kelly Group."


    Lucia froze.


    Mr.Kelly from Kelly Group.It should be either the CEO of Kelly Group or Jeanne''s brother.


    Theirpany was in a major crisis.She had read relevant news on the phone.


    Jeanne had juste to see August yesterday, and another member of the Kelly family came today.


    Their purpose was in to see.


    She collected her thoughts and replied quickly, "Hang on, I''m reporting it to Mr.Adams."


    "Okay."


    Lucia put down the receiver, quickly left for August''s office, tapped on the door, and went in after getting


    his permission.


    August raised his eyes and nced at her indifferently.


    "Anything?"


    His gaze made her tense up.


    "The receptionist just called and reported that Mr.Kelly from Kelly Group wanted to see you."August''s


    face fell as soon as he heard that.He believed the visitor should be Martin.

 Chapter 249

    Chapter 249


    Chapter 249 Intermediary


    His daughter''s trip here yesterday was fruitless, and he came in person today.


    What an old fox! August furrowed her brows, checked the time, and stood up.


    "I''m going to have a meeting with the executives.You will be left here taking care of him."


    With one hand, he buttoned up his suit and came up.


    The scent of his body wafted over, and she was enveloped in the shadow of the big man.His deep,


    maic voice rang in her ears.


    "Tell the receptionist to let the man in, and you will tell him that I''m busy.No t rejections.You see what


    I mean?"


    Her heart thumped, and she nodded in a hurry.


    "Yes."


    Although he didn''t make it clear, she knew what he meant.


    In trouble, the Kelly family turned to him for help, but he could not help them.


    That was against morality and justice.He couldn''t turn them down either.


    That was against their friendship.


    That was where she stepped in as an intermediary.


    Being a secretary to the CEO was really a thankless job.


    August looked down at her fluttering eyshes, curled his lips, and said deliberately, "This is your first


    task in the President''s Office.Bring out your best."


    A hint of pleasure seemed to be hiding in his voice.


    By the time she looked up, the man was already out of the office.She followed him out and saw August


    hurrying off with Burton.Her heart was pounding in her chest.


    She couldn''t figure out the reason for her nervousness.


    Because this was her first task? Without further ado, she hastened back to her office and replied to the


    receptionist, "Mr.Adams is having a meeting.No one knows how long it willst.Tell Mr.Kelly toe


    another day ore up if he''s willing to wait."


    After she hung up the phone, her eyelids twitched.She somehow felt uneasy.


    Would something bad happen today? She took a deep breath, gathered herself together, and


    calcted the time before going to receive the visitor.


    Not long after, the elevator came up and opened.


    Several people were standing inside.One of them was in his fifties and good shape.His eagle''s eyes


    were prating, and his presence was awe-inspiring.His identity was self-evident.


    Standing on the side, Lucia smiled when Martin came out, "Mr.Kelly, I was instructed to wee


    you.This way please."


    Martin nced at her, hummed indifferently, and followed behind her.


    Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    Along the way, he nced at the d¨¦cor and the employees in the corridor.


    Calctions were written in his keen eyes.


    The Lion Group was worthy of its reputation.


    The Kelly Group was not its match.


    The idea shed across his mind.


    Then he thought of his daughter, who was going to marry August, and felt better.


    Martin came back to his senses, nced at the woman walking in front of him, and asked in a deep


    voice, "Mr.Adams is in the middle of something?"


    Lucia turned sideways and replied in a soft voice, "Yes, he is having a meeting with the executives.No


    one knows how long it willst.You can wait for him in the parlor or make an appointment ande


    another day.Martin''s eyes turned cold.He said nothing, but his snort gave away his dissatisfaction.Lucia


    led the man to the parlor, respectfully invited him to take a seat, and went to the pantry.A pot of hot


    coffee was brought over.


    She poured a cup for him and said, "Mr.Kelly, you can read these books as you like, and feel free to tell


    me if you need anything."


    Sitting on the sofa, Martin looked at the considerate woman who was bowing.


    His eyes narrowed.He hadn''t paid attention to her just now.


    At a closer look, he found her familiar to the eye.He seemed to have seen her before.He frowned and


    remained silent.


    Getting no response from the man, Lucia called out softly, "Mr.Kelly?"


    Martin wrinkled his brows and waved his hand.


    "You can go."


    Lucia nodded with a smile and exited the room.


    Something sprang to his mind the moment the door was closed.


    The familiar feeling was getting stronger.He wondered where he had seen her before.


    Half an hour soon passed.


    Martin looked at his wristwatch.


    His brows were locked in a frown.He hadn''t believed it when his daughter went home and sobbed that


    August was unwilling to help.He came here in person today, but the man didn''t even show up.


    Now he was uncertain about it.


    Thements on the inte were like a torrent.


    Someone seemed to be hiding behind it and refused to let them off the hook.


    Dirt was dug out, and they were losing control of the situation.


    If August was unwilling to help, they would be in a worse situation.He couldn''t imagine the


    consequences.He paced back and forth in the parlor.His patience was wearing thin.His phone dinged


    as his subordinates sent over messages.His brows were knitted together.He gritted his teeth and


    headed out.He opened the door and saw Lucia talking to her colleague in the near distance.


    Lucia heard the sound, looked over, and saw Martin.


    In a hurry, she came up and asked with a smile, "Mr.Kelly, is there anything I can do for you?"


    Martin asked impatiently, "Mr.Adams is still in the meeting?"


    "Sorry, no notices havee yet.I''m afraid you''ll have to wait for a while longer.Mr.Kelly, please take a


    seat."


    Lucia tried to pacify the man.


    After inviting him back to the parlor, she thoughtfully reced the cold coffee and brought over a new


    pot.


    When she bent over, Martin''s keen eyes nced at the badge on her chest.


    Her name was printed in silver on the ck badge.


    The name rang a bell.


    He suddenly remembered it.


    The name was mentioned by a subordinate in his report.


    Lucia! She was the very woman who got the marriage license with August.


    She was working as August''s secretary? Shock crossed his eyes, but he disguised it and said


    indifferently, "I presume it''s a difficult job to work as Mr.Adams¡¯ secretary."


    "It¡¯s alright.I''m doing my best"


    Lucia smiled.


    Martin curled his lips, but the coldness in his eyes got stronger.


    In a casual way, he asked, "How long have you been working with Lion Group?"


    "About three years," Lucia replied truthfully.


    A cold glint appeared in the man¡¯s eyes.


    After a pause, he said ndly, "I''ve waited long enough.Ms.Mitchell, could you kindly help me ask


    when the meeting will be over?"


    "Sure, right away."


    Martin watched the woman leave.


    Hostility was hidden in his eagle''s eyes.


    The woman who had gotten the marriage license with August was working with Lion Group.


    He knew the fact but hadn''t expected her to climb so high up the corporatedder and stick around


    August.


    They had divorced, and August was going to get engaged to his daughter.


    Why did August keep this woman by his side? This was not a good sign.

 Chapter 250

    Chapter 250


    Chapter 250 Lying through His Teeth


    Could it be that he had feelings for this woman? Once the idea came to his mind, Martin''s face clouded


    over.


    This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.


    That was impossible! He was counting on Jeanne to marry into the Adams¡¯ family.He would allow no


    one to upset his n.


    This woman was pretty and smart, and he was impressed by her decent manners.


    No man could resist such a woman.He couldn''t let things go on like this.He would not let her foil his


    n.


    A sense of crisis rose in him, adding to the pressure from the crisis with hispany.


    He decided to test August and see if thetter cared about this woman.


    20 minutester, Lucia was called back to the parlor.


    Martin was sitting on the sofa with a gloomy face.


    "Ms.Mitchell, I''ve waited for 20 minutes but heard no updates from you."


    He snorted and nced at her, "Didn''t bother to brush me off?"


    Martin was energetic.


    When he raised his voice, Lucia tensed up and lost her head.


    Taking a deep breath, she exined, "I''m sorry about that, Mr.Kelly.I''ve checked it and found that


    Mr.Adams is still in the meeting.For fear of disturbing you, I didn''t report the situation, but I am keeping


    an eye on it."


    "Humph!"


    Martin gave her a cold look, "I think you''re slighting me.And are you sure he is not hiding from me?"


    Lucia turned pale, took a deep breath, and exined in a hurry, "It''s not like that.Mr.Adams is really


    busy."


    "Busy?"


    Martin red at her, "I''d like to see what he is busy withHe doesn''t even have time to meet his future


    father-inw."


    He pounded the table, stood up, and prepared to head out.


    Lucia''s heart tightened.She stopped a man in a hurry.


    "Mr.Kelly, please give it more patience."


    August was really in a meeting, and she had been instructed to stall the man.It would be a disgrace if


    she failed her task.


    She couldn''t screw up her first task in the President''s Office, could she? "Patience? I''m running out of


    it!"


    Martin snorted.


    Blocking his way, Lucia was at a loss of what to do when something crossed her mind.


    Then she bowed deep and apologized, "Mr.Kelly, I''m sorry for the inconvenience.Please take a seat.I''m


    getting Mr.Adams over to see you right away."


    She was trying to buy some time.


    Unexpectedly, the trick didn¡¯t work on Martin.His chest heaving with anger, he sat down on the sofa,


    saw the coffee cup on the table, picked it up, and hurled it at Lucia.


    The cup shattered with a crash, and her forehead bled.She hadn''t seen thating or had enough


    time to dodge.


    The cup grazed her skin, and the blood streamed down her pale face.It was a horrible scene.It


    happened so suddenly that she only felt warm in her head.


    Melinda heard about it, hurried to the scene, and asked in a panic.


    Only then did she feel dizzy.


    "L...Lucia!"


    Melinda''s knees felt weak.She nced at the man sitting on the sofa and saw his grim face.


    Not daring to ask about it, she stormed out for the conference room.


    The meeting was still in progress, and she didn''t dare to break in.


    Instead, she called Burton out and reported the situation.


    Burton turned serious.It seemed that things had gone out of control.


    Regardless of everything, he hurried back into the conference room and reported it to August.


    August''s face fell in an instant, and aplicated look appeared in his eyes.


    A secondter, he stood up, nced at the crowd, and said, "This is for today."


    While people were looking at each other in confusion, he strode out of the conference room.


    The President''s Office was on the same floor.


    With his men, August made it to the scene and immediately saw the woman with a bleeding forehead.


    The red color looked garish on her pale face.


    Most of the blood stains had been wiped off, but the horrible wound was exposed.


    August wrinkled his brows and regained hisposure as soon as he felt a prating gaze from the


    side.


    He turned to look at Martin and said in surprise, "Martin, I didn''t expect to see you here."


    Martin returned a smile.His eyes refused to give away his emotions.


    "You didn''t know? I''ve waited for an hour."


    August said tactfully, "I''m sorry about that.I came back as soon as the meeting ended."


    "What a coincidence! The meeting ended as soon as a little ident happened here."


    Both sophisticated, they were trying to sound each other out.


    Their intentions were hidden behind their smiles.


    The others didn''t notice anything wrong.


    Intentionally or unintentionally, August nced at Lucia and curiously asked Martin, "ident, what


    ident?"


    The fragments of the cup and the water stains were conspicuous on the floor.


    From that angle, he had figured out the situation as soon as he came in.He just hadn''t expected Martin


    to call it an ident.


    "About that, you''ll have to ask your beautiful secretary."


    Martin narrowed his eyes and smiled, "Ms.Mitchell was trying to pour me a cup of coffee when she


    slipped, smashed the cup, and hit the corner of the table.She bled a lot, and it looked painful."


    Standing on the side, Lucia heard the man lying teeth his teeth.Her eyes rounded with anger.He


    smashed the cup on her head but refused to admit it.


    She looked up at August in a panic.


    Surprisingly, thetter remained calm.His tone was unsuspecting and rxed.


    "Is that so? I''m sorry about that.My new secretary is clumsy."


    In an instant, Lucia¡¯s heart sank to the bottom.She had thought that he would ask about what


    happened after seeing her injury.


    To her surprise, he bought into Martin''s story.Her heart lurked, and pain spread.She dropped her eyes


    and did her best to contain her emotions.


    The voices of the two men came into her ears.


    "It¡¯s alright.We''ll be a family anyway.August, I have something to tell you.Is this a convenient time?"


    "Yeah,e with me to my office."


    Lucia listened to the leaving footsteps and felt cold.


    For a moment, she felt more pain in her heart than from the wound on her forehead.


    Melinda was worried to see Lucia standing in the parlor in a daze.


    "Lucia, you should get your wound treated in the hospital, or you may get infected."


    The assistant hurried over and advised her.Lucia came back to her senses and finally remembered her


    injury.

 Chapter 251

    Chapter 251


    Chapter 251 The Initiator of Trouble Should End It


    She involuntarily raised her hand to touch her forehead.Her fingers felt something sticky, and pain


    came from the wound.She gasped and trembled.


    Melinda anxiously reminded her, "Lucia, you should have it treated immediately, or a scar will be left."


    Lucia looked up, saw the concern and sincerity in her eyes, and felt warm in her heart.


    Melinda and she had just gotten to know each other.


    Even an acquaintance was concerned about her, but August...


    When she closed her eyes, his indifferent gaze would resurface in her mind.He acted like she was just


    an insignificant character.


    Forget it! She looked at the assistant and whispered, "Melinda, please help me take care of my


    work.I''m going to the hospital."


    Melinda quickly nodded.


    "Go ahead."


    Lucia wiped the blood stains with the tissue and dressed her wound in gauze in case of scaring the


    passers-by.


    Only the did she hurry out of the office.


    When the door was opened, she was startled to see a figure outside.


    "You..."


    Burton took a half step back, bowed his head, and said, "I''ll take you to the hospital."


    Her heart tightened, and her lips parted.


    Secondster, she responded, "Okay."


    Since Burton was d to help, she would not mince words.


    The car ran fast and steadily down the road.


    About ten minutester, they arrived at the gate of the hospital.


    She was a little hesitant when she saw the familiar hospital which was the closest one to the office.


    Bill was receiving treatment here, and she was afraid of running into her parents.


    Once they saw her wound, they would definitely get to the bottom of it.


    However, the wound on her forehead could not wait.She had to go in and receive treatment.


    Burton escorted her to the consulting room and intended to go in with her.


    "Burton, thank you for taking me here.You can go ahead with your business," Lucia said with a frown.


    Her attitude was a bit cold andpletely different from yesterday when she was talking to him in the


    office.


    Burton felt it and muttered, "It''s Mr.Adams..."


    Lucia¡¯s head buzzed, and she cut him off.


    "I''ll be fine, thanks a lot.You can go." Her voice was emotionless and distant.


    Burton no longer insisted.


    Instead, he nodded and left.


    Not until he went off that Lucia heaved a sigh of relief.


    At that point, she didn''t want to hear anything about August, nor did she need his so-called help.


    When August and Martin were echoing each other just now, her heart was broken.She was naive to


    think that August kept her around, helped her, and protected her because he cared about her.


    The truth was the opposite.


    Even when she was bleeding and aggrieved, he would not pay any attention to her in front of Jeanne or


    anyone rted to her.She should have seen it through a long time ago.She just had been fooling


    herself again and again.She sniffed and went into the consulting room.


    The doctor saw the wound on her head and frowned.


    "Girl, how did you get hurt? A scar may be left there."


    Lucia sped her cold fingers and shed a bitter smile.


    Having a scar was not a big deal.


    Whenever she looked at herself in the mirror, it would remind her that she didn''t matter in August''s


    mind.


    Standing in the corner, Burton was observing the situation inside the room.He edited a message and


    reported it to August.


    Soon, his phone dinged as he received a reply.


    "Keep watching till she gets home safely."


    The sender of the message was standing on the sofa.


    With a faint smile on his face, he looked at Martin across the desk.


    The old man had been beating around the bush for a while, but August was clear that Martin would


    soon reveal his true intention.


    "Have some coffee to moisten your throat."


    August refilled Martin''s cup, unhurriedly put the pot down, and got to the point, "Martin, the incident in


    yourpany has given rise to much discussion.Got any n to deal with it?"


    Martin looked a little surprised.


    Probably, he hadn''t expected August to bring up the matter.


    Worries then crept onto his face, and he sighed, "To be honest, I came here today just to..."


    Before he could finish his words, August interposed in a loud voice, "Actually, no one can help you with


    this.Aren''t you clear? The trouble should be ended by the initiator.Whether the Kelly Group can get


    through the crisis or not depends on your attitude."


    Now Martin found it hard to bring up his request.He turned livid, fought back his anger, and sighed, "It''s


    not that easy."


    "Indeed."


    August narrowed his eyes and enunciated, "The day of the incident was the best time for you to act.All


    that you needed was to apologize to the public, give a reasonable solution, and promise that such


    things would not happen again.You could cut the losses, but it''s a bitte now.Whoever helps Kelly


    Group at this point will be the new target of public criticism.I believe you''re aware of this."


    Augustid bare the truth rather than beat around the bush.


    Sure enough, Martin''s face fell.


    August had made things clear.


    Obviously, he was not going to help them.


    "At this point, you''re advised to apologize in public andpensate those workers for their losses.This


    is the only solution, although the effects are weaker.Betterte than never."


    Martin''s brows twitched.Hesitation was written in his eyes.


    In the end, he had nothing to say.


    August''s attitude was clear.He was not going to help the Kelly Group.


    Martin was the only person who could save the day.


    Five minutester, August nced at the empty sofa andid his eyes on the steaming coffee.His face


    fell little by little, and his eyes gleamed with a cold light.


    This was no way he would help that old fox.


    August hadn''t forgotten what Martin had done to his family or that he hurt Lucia today.His brows


    furrowed.He swept the cup into the trash can.


    In the consulting room of the hospital, Lucia¡¯s wound was dressed.Her forehead was now covered with


    ayer of sweat.It hurt pretty badly.


    "I''ll prescribe you a tube of ointment.Use it twice a day when the scab forms."


    Lucia took down the doctor''s advice, grabbed the prescription, and went to get the medicine in the


    lobby.


    Maybe because she was injured in the head, she felt dizzy, weak, and sleepy.She got in line, got her


    medicine, and headed to the exit when the gentle voice of a man suddenly came.


    "Lucia?"


    Following the familiar voice, she looked over and saw Paul standing in the distance.He looked


    surprised.Chapter 253 The Enamored One Lost The two men were confronting each other tensely.


    Their fists were clenched, and a fight might happen at any second.


    Shocked by the situation, Burton immediately went forward to mediate.


    Before he could say anything, August stared at Paul and bellowed, "What did you just say?"


    He clenched his fists so forcefully that the veins were popping on his arms.


    His muscles went taut, and his strength was waiting to be unleashed.


    Unwilling to be outdone, Paul tried to counter when another voice suddenly came.


    "Yo, I''ve been waiting.


    Turns out you''re here having a duel."


    Joshuazily walked over, teased August, and pulled his friend, "Come on, it has been just a few days


    since we went to the boxing club, and your hands are itchy?"


    The tension was eased with the sudden appearance of Joshua.


    He winked at Burton, went to Paul''s side, and patted the man on the shoulder.


    "Rx, we''re all men of honor.


    If this is photographed by the paparazzi, it will hit the headlines tomorrow."


    Burton advised August and separated the two men.


    Joshua looked at Burton and smiled, "Take your boss to Box 666.


    I''ll see Mr.Thomas off."


    Burton took the hint, blocked August''s way, and persuaded him to go inside.


    After the two men left, Joshua smiled, patted Paul, and said, "Mr.Thomas, it''s not a big deal.


    I''ll buy you a drink another day.


    Be sure to ept my invitation."


    Paul''s face was icy cold.


    He did his best to fight back his anger.


    "I''m fine, goodbye."


    He then strode away.


    Joshua nced at the man, shook his head with a helpless smile, and went back to the box.


    August was drinking there alone.


    Amused, Joshua went over and teased his friend, "Bro, what happened? You were impulsive back


    there and almost fought with Paul."


    August picked up his wine ss, took a sip, and gave Joshua a cold look.


    "That''s not your concern."


    Joshuaughed and spected boldly, "Is it became of a woman? Lucia?"


    Sure enough, once the words were out of his mouth, the face of his friend turned livider.


    August then looked daggers at him.


    Joshua felt a chill and looked away with a grin.


    From the table, he picked up his wine ss and pointed to a bunch of people who were sitting on the


    other side.


    "See that man named Felipe Knight? He just came back from abroad, and his father asked him to


    marry the second daughter of the Riley family before he could enjoy much of his bachelor life.


    Thatdy weighs 200 pounds and eats like a horse.


    Can you imagine that? And that man named Ralph Norman.


    He just got married to his second wife.


    In less than a month, he started fooling around again.


    Bro, do you see what I mean?"


    Joshua looked back at his friend.


    A cold look was August''s only reply.


    He had never gotten along with these rich kids.


    Although he knew every one of them, he was not close to them.


    Joshua, however, often hung out with them.


    Joshua suddenly turned serious.


    "You can have fun but should not get enamored, or you''ll put yourself in a passive position.


    Those women would lead you by the nose."


    In love, the enamored one lost.


    His friend should know the rule.


    August was sensitive enough to perceive what Joshua was implying.


    He asked coldly, "What do you mean?"


    Joshua smiled but deliberately chose not to make it clear.


    "Don''t you get it?"


    He didn''t exin until August was out of patience.


    "Don''t you think you paid too much attention to Lucia?"


    "Did I?"


    August snorted and indifferently sipped his wine.


    How could he possibly be charmed by that woman? "Is that so?"


    Joshuaughed.


    "How about I call over two girls to have fun with you?"


    Without waiting for August''s response, he snapped his fingers to summon the waiter who was standing


    by.


    N?velDrama.Org ? content.


    "Go and call over some girls.


    They should be pure and innocent."


    The waiter immediately left to make arrangements.


    With pretty girls in their arms, those dandies looked over in surprise and teased him, "Joshua, are you


    doing it again? Can you really handle it?"


    "Yeah, he wants pure and innocent girls.


    That''s interesting."


    Joshua smiled and looked at the man sitting next to him.


    "Not my order."


    Those dandies then turned to look at August with wandering eyes.


    Everyone in the circle knew how clean his private life was.


    He had never fooled around.


    This was strange.


    August frowned at Joshua and sulked, "I don''t need this."


    Joshua winked at him andughed devilishly, "They''ll just drink with you.


    What are you afraid of? This is a test of whether you''re enamored."


    August''s eyes went cold.


    He intended to reject it, but thetter half of Joshua''s words made him hesitate.


    There was no way he had feelings for Lucia.


    A test or what would not daunt him.


    Soon, a middle-aged woman with heavy makeup came in, followed by a bunch of young girls who had


    slim figures.


    As Joshua had requested, they were all pure and innocent type.


    The middle-aged woman smiled at Joshua and asked, "Sir, these are all good girls.


    Which one do you like?"


    Joshua ran his eyes over them and pointed to one with long hair.


    "That girl will entertain Mr.Adams, and that one wille to me."


    The long-haired girl shed a delighted look.


    Her eyes rounded when she saw the customer she was about to serve.


    The man sitting on the sofa had sculpted features, a straight nose, and thin lips.


    Exuding nobleness, he was a heartthrob.


    She was so lucky to serve such a customer today.


    Joshua nced at the dumbfounded girl and sneered, "What are you waiting for? Come over."


    "Yes, sir."


    She immediately went over, sat down beside August, gingerly nced sideways at his face, and


    excitedly picked up the wine bottle, "Sir, I''ll fill your ss."


    The pungent smell of perfume made August frown.


    He remained silent but put his ss down on the table when the girl was trying to pour wine for him.


    Her hands shook, and the wine almost spill out.


    An awkward smile appeared on her face.


    She quickly stretched out her arm and did her job.


    The wine was poured, but August had no intention of picking up the ss.


    Joshua, who was watching with amusement, arched his brow, chuckled, and reminded the girl, "Since


    he doesn''t want tobor himself, bring the cup to his mouth."


    The girl curled her lips and said in a sweet voice, "Sir, I''ll serve you to drink."


    With that, she picked up the ss and carefully sent it to August''s mouth.


    Unexpectedly, the man suddenly furrowed his brows and snapped, "Take it away!"


    The girl was taken aback.


    Her hands trembled, and the wine spilled on his pants.


    In a panic, she put down the ss and hurriedly tried to wipe it for him with the tissue.


    "I''m sorry, sir.


    I didn''t mean to!"


    August''s anger red up.


    He knocked off her hand and snapped, "Don''t touch me!"


    The moment sheid her hand on him, all his hair stood on end.


    It was a fight-or-flight response.

 Chapter 252

    Chapter 252


    Chapter 252 Not a Good Sign Lucia was dazed.


    Before she could react, Paul came to her side and frowned at the wound on her forehead.


    "What happened? How did you get hurt?"


    She hurriedly turned her head away and whispered with feigned easiness, "I''m fine.It was an ident."


    Not convinced, Paul grabbed her arm and led her out of the hospital.


    Lucia was a little shocked.


    "What are you doing, Paul?" He replied indifferently, "Do you want your parents to see you like this?"


    She instantly realized the situation.


    Following a deep breath, she looked up at the man and asked, "What are you doing here?"


    Paul looked down at her and softened his tone.


    "I went to see your parents.They''re in good shape, and you don''t have to worry about them.You should


    get well first.I will visit them often and keep you updated."


    Lucia felt warm in her heart, subconsciously nodded, looked up at the man, and said sincerely, "Thank


    you, Paul."


    Against the light, she could barely discern his features, but that didn''t affect the tenderness in his eyes


    and the smile on his face.


    He raised his hand and rubbed her head.


    "We''re friends, remember?"


    Lucia smiled at him.


    "I''ll treat you to dinner then."


    He gave a heartfelt smile, but his face went gloomy secondster.


    "If I''m really your friend, you shouldn''t keep it from me."


    Lucia felt upset.Her lips parted, but she knew not where to start.


    Noticing her anxiety, Paul curled his lips and raised his tone.


    "Never mind, let''s go.Aren''t you going to treat me to dinner?"


    Lucia saw that the smile came back to his face and smiled too.


    "Let''s go."


    They left shoulder to shoulder.


    From the other side of the entrance, Burton was gazing at them.He was going to report this to his boss.


    ¡®Paul Thomas?"


    A voice rang out in the President''s Office.


    Sitting at the desk, August furrowed his brows.


    Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    His eyes were tinted with displeasure.


    ¡®Yes, they had dinner together, and then Paul saw Lucia back to her apartment."


    August''s fists clenched on the desk.


    An inexplicable feeling got stuck in his chest.


    To his surprise, Lucia had such good luck with men that she ran into an admirer in the hospital.


    Burtan noticed the sullen face of his boss and continued to report, "Lucia took the afternoon off"


    August responded indifferently, "Whatever."


    She was injured during work and deserved to rest in the afternoon.


    He was just upset to learn that she had dinner with another man.


    He rubbed his eyebrows and tried to distract himself.


    "Tell me about the schedule for the afternoon and evening."


    "You have a foreign guest to receive in the afternoon and a party to attend in the evening."


    August was absent-minded when he listened to Burton''s report.The blood on Lucias head kept shing


    across his mind.


    In the end, he irritably loosened his tie and said, "Okay, you can go."


    Burton left and closed the door.


    Quietness was restored in the office.


    Augusty back in the chair, closed his eyes, and emptied his mind.He seemed to be more and more


    concerned about Luciately.He frowned.This was not a good sign.


    At 9 p.m., the social event ended.


    August came out of the box and had some fresh air.He didn''t feel like going back to tre v yet.


    Something seemed to be bothering him.


    After a while, he fished out his phone and called Joshua, "Where are you?"


    The background on the other end of the phone was noisy.


    There was a burst ofughter from both men and women.


    Without a doubt, his friend was having a party.


    "At Perfect Fortune.Are youing? Some of our buddies are here, and the atmosphere is


    phenomenal."


    August, who was agitated, blurted out his agreement.He hung up the phone, got into the car, and


    instructed Burton, "Go to Perfect Fortune."


    Burton was surprised.His boss had never liked that kind of ce.


    This time, he acted out of the normal and took the initiative to go.


    Burton didn''t ask about it though.


    Instead, he stepped on the elerator and drove toward the most morous area of Austos City.


    As soon as the car stopped at the entrance of the clubhouse, a bellboy came over, pulled open the car


    door, and took the car keys.A doorman then led them inside.


    Before they could enter the clubhouse, a voice suddenly came from behind them.


    "Mr.Adams, wait." The voice was loud and clear.


    His tone was firm.


    August halted and looked back.


    A man in a gray suit was seen standing in the near distance.His eyes went gloomy in a split second.It


    was that guy.


    August turned around and calmly faced the man.His attitude was a bit overbearing.


    "Anything, Mr.Thomas?"


    There were no business dealings between Paul and him.Cloud Technology was apetitor of his


    company.It was surprising that this man reached out to him.


    Paul came up with an unfriendly look.His eyes were gleaming with coldness and inquiries.He said,


    stressing his tone, "Mr.Adams, I want to talk to you about something personal."


    Something personal? August pursed his lips.His eyes went frosty.


    "What kind of personal matter?"


    "It''s about Lucia."


    Paul was undaunted.


    August said nothing but waited for the man to continue.


    "I know about Lucia and your past, but it''s over.Mr.Adams, I just want to remind you that Lucia is an


    independent individual.As her friend, I don''t want to see her getting involved in anything unrted to


    her or see her hurt."


    August asked back in a cold voice, "What do you mean?"


    Paul replied unhurriedly, "A smart man like you should know the answer."


    August silently looked at the man.He was motionless, but the air about him was awful.He naturally


    knew what Paul meant.


    Thetter was reminding him to conduct himself and stay away from Lucia.


    Paul sounded like he was Lucia''s boyfriend.


    This man was provoking him without a doubt.


    August took half a step forward, approached the man, and curled his lips.


    "I wonder in what capacity you''re reminding me?" Paul frowned in silence.


    August''s indifferent voice then rang out.


    "Her friend? But she seems to be much closer to me."


    Paul''s face changed.He lost his patience and furrowed his brows.


    "Is that so? Then why weren''t you there to protect her from getting hurt?"


    After seeing Lucia back home, he had the cause of her injury investigated.


    After learning the truth, he fumed, tracked August down, and came to find the man.


    Ovee with anger, he lost control and said bluntly, "Compared with your future father-inw, she is


    just your ex-wife who was abandoned by you, right?"


    His eyes gleamed with coldness.August suddenly grabbed Paul''s cor.Anger was surging in him.


    "What did you say?"

 Chapter 253

    Chapter 253


    Chapter 253 The Enamored One Lost


    The two men were confronting each other tensely.


    Their fists were clenched, and a fight might happen at any second.


    Shocked by the situation, Burton immediately went forward to mediate.


    Before he could say anything, August stared at Paul and bellowed, "What did you just say?"


    He clenched his fists so forcefully that the veins were popping on his arms.His muscles went taut, and


    his strength was waiting to be unleashed.


    Unwilling to be outdone, Paul tried to counter when another voice suddenly came.


    "Yo, I''ve been waiting.Turns out you''re here having a duel."


    Joshuazily walked over, teased August, and pulled his friend, "Come on, it has been just a few days


    since we went to the boxing club, and your hands are itchy?"


    N?velDrama.Org ? content.


    The tension was eased with the sudden appearance of Joshua.He winked at Burton, went to Paul''s


    side, and patted the man on the shoulder.


    "Rx, we''re all men of honor.If this is photographed by the paparazzi, it will hit the headlines


    tomorrow."


    Burton advised August and separated the two men.


    Joshua looked at Burton and smiled, "Take your boss to Box 666.I''ll see Mr.Thomas off."


    Burton took the hint, blocked August''s way, and persuaded him to go inside.


    After the two men left, Joshua smiled, patted Paul, and said, "Mr.Thomas, it''s not a big deal.I''ll buy you


    a drink another day.Be sure to ept my invitation."


    Paul''s face was icy cold.He did his best to fight back his anger.


    "I''m fine, goodbye."


    He then strode away.


    Joshua nced at the man, shook his head with a helpless smile, and went back to the box.


    August was drinking there alone.


    Amused, Joshua went over and teased his friend, "Bro, what happened? You were impulsive back


    there and almost fought with Paul."


    August picked up his wine ss, took a sip, and gave Joshua a cold look.


    "That''s not your concern."


    Joshuaughed and spected boldly, "Is it became of a woman? Lucia?"


    Sure enough, once the words were out of his mouth, the face of his friend turned livider.


    August then looked daggers at him.


    Joshua felt a chill and looked away with a grin.


    From the table, he picked up his wine ss and pointed to a bunch of people who were sitting on the


    other side.


    "See that man named Felipe Knight? He just came back from abroad, and his father asked him to


    marry the second daughter of the Riley family before he could enjoy much of his bachelor life.Thatdy


    weighs 200 pounds and eats like a horse.Can you imagine that? And that man named Ralph


    Norman.He just got married to his second wife.In less than a month, he started fooling around


    again.Bro, do you see what I mean?"


    Joshua looked back at his friend.


    A cold look was August''s only reply.He had never gotten along with these rich kids.


    Although he knew every one of them, he was not close to them.


    Joshua, however, often hung out with them.


    Joshua suddenly turned serious.


    "You can have fun but should not get enamored, or you''ll put yourself in a passive position.Those


    women would lead you by the nose."


    In love, the enamored one lost.His friend should know the rule.


    August was sensitive enough to perceive what Joshua was implying.He asked coldly, "What do you


    mean?"


    Joshua smiled but deliberately chose not to make it clear.


    "Don''t you get it?"


    He didn''t exin until August was out of patience.


    "Don''t you think you paid too much attention to Lucia?"


    "Did I?"


    August snorted and indifferently sipped his wine.How could he possibly be charmed by that woman?


    "Is that so?"


    Joshuaughed.


    "How about I call over two girls to have fun with you?"


    Without waiting for August''s response, he snapped his fingers to summon the waiter who was standing


    by.


    "Go and call over some girls.They should be pure and innocent."


    The waiter immediately left to make arrangements.


    With pretty girls in their arms, those dandies looked over in surprise and teased him, "Joshua, are you


    doing it again? Can you really handle it?"


    "Yeah, he wants pure and innocent girls.That''s interesting."


    Joshua smiled and looked at the man sitting next to him.


    "Not my order."


    Those dandies then turned to look at August with wandering eyes.


    Everyone in the circle knew how clean his private life was.He had never fooled around.


    This was strange.


    August frowned at Joshua and sulked, "I don''t need this."


    Joshua winked at him andughed devilishly, "They''ll just drink with you.What are you afraid of? This is


    a test of whether you''re enamored."


    August''s eyes went cold.He intended to reject it, but thetter half of Joshua''s words made him


    hesitate.


    There was no way he had feelings for Lucia.


    A test or what would not daunt him.


    Soon, a middle-aged woman with heavy makeup came in, followed by a bunch of young girls who had


    slim figures.


    As Joshua had requested, they were all pure and innocent type.


    The middle-aged woman smiled at Joshua and asked, "Sir, these are all good girls.Which one do you


    like?"


    Joshua ran his eyes over them and pointed to one with long hair.


    "That girl will entertain Mr.Adams, and that one wille to me."


    The long-haired girl shed a delighted look.Her eyes rounded when she saw the customer she was


    about to serve.


    The man sitting on the sofa had sculpted features, a straight nose, and thin lips.


    Exuding nobleness, he was a heartthrob.


    She was so lucky to serve such a customer today.


    Joshua nced at the dumbfounded girl and sneered, "What are you waiting for? Come over."


    "Yes, sir."


    She immediately went over, sat down beside August, gingerly nced sideways at his face, and


    excitedly picked up the wine bottle, "Sir, I''ll fill your ss."


    The pungent smell of perfume made August frown.He remained silent but put his ss down on the


    table when the girl was trying to pour wine for him.


    Her hands shook, and the wine almost spill out.


    An awkward smile appeared on her face.


    She quickly stretched out her arm and did her job.


    The wine was poured, but August had no intention of picking up the ss.


    Joshua, who was watching with amusement, arched his brow, chuckled, and reminded the girl, "Since


    he doesn''t want tobor himself, bring the cup to his mouth."


    The girl curled her lips and said in a sweet voice, "Sir, I''ll serve you to drink."


    With that, she picked up the ss and carefully sent it to August''s mouth.


    Unexpectedly, the man suddenly furrowed his brows and snapped, "Take it away!"


    The girl was taken aback.Her hands trembled, and the wine spilled on his pants.


    In a panic, she put down the ss and hurriedly tried to wipe it for him with the tissue.


    "I''m sorry, sir.I didn''t mean to!"


    August''s anger red up.He knocked off her hand and snapped, "Don''t touch me!"


    The moment sheid her hand on him, all his hair stood on end.It was a fight-or-flight response.

 Chapter 254

    Chapter 254


    Chapter 254 Guarding Her All Night


    August frowned, gave the girl a cold look, and stood up.


    Following a nce at Joshua, he said grimly, "You guys have fun.I gotta go."


    He then strode out of the box.Burton hurriedly followed him out.His harsh words saddened the girl.


    The rims of her eyes went red, and she looked at Joshua pitifully.


    "Sir, it was not my intention."


    "It''s not your fault," Joshua smiled indifferently.He had predicted this.


    In fact, he hadn''t been expecting August to ept any woman here.


    This was just a test to see what August really cared about.His friend should have figured it out by now.


    August went into the elevator in big strides.His face couldn''t be sullener.


    Since that woman sat down beside him, his disgust had been on the rise.


    The smell of her perfume was just disturbing.


    As far as he could remember, Lucia rarely wore perfume.


    There was no such pungent smell but a faint aroma of milk.His brows suddenly furrowed, and his lips


    were pursed into a thin line.


    Why did he think of Lucia? Why did he subconsciouslypare that woman with her? Why? Was he


    enamored as Joshua said? His mood hit the bottom.


    That idea lingered in his mind.


    Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    Till he got in the car, he still hadn''t gotten a clue.


    Burton started the engine and asked, "Mr.Adams, are we going back to the vi?"


    "Yeah."


    The car hit the road.


    August closed his eyes, trying to empty his mind, but Lucia''s face kept crossing his mind.


    That made him even more agitated.


    Did that woman put him under a spell? Irritated, he opened his eyes and instructed Burton, "Turn


    around and go to the small apartment."


    He was going over to ask her about it.


    The car veered and headed straight toward the apartment.


    August knocked on the door.His irritation still hadn''t subsided.He knocked for a while, but no one came


    to open the door.


    Now his anger was burning stronger.


    Lucia wasn''t at home? Where did she go? Was she with Paul? Annoyed, he rang the doorbell.


    Still, there was no response.He fished out his wallet and fumbled for the key.


    As thendlord, he had a spare key.


    The house agent gave Lucia two, and he kept one, just in case.He unlocked the door and went in.


    The room was dark.


    Only one wallmp near the bedroom was on.He frowned and found it strange to see the handbag and


    keys on the hallway cab.


    It looked like Lucia was at home.


    Why wouldn''t she open the door? On purpose? August closed the door and went to the equally dark


    bedroom.


    Only the bedsidemp was on.He could vaguely see a figure on the bed.He went over and found Lucia


    under the nket.Her forehead was covered with gauze.


    Like a baby, she was curling up into a ball.


    That was a defensive posture and aroused sympathy.


    August''s nerves were keen enough to feel something.


    Lucia''s state didn''t feel right.


    Even though she was asleep, she should have been able to hear the knock.He slowly reached out and


    gently put the back of his hand on her forehead.


    It was scalding.His brows furrowed, and his face turned serious.


    Lucia was burning.


    Losing no time, he went out, looked around the living room, and found a medical kit.


    He took out the thermometer, hurried back to the bedroom, and took her temperature.


    38.5 degrees Celsius! He frowned, fumbled through the medical kit for antipyretics, and went to pour a


    ss of water.


    He came back to the bedroom and called out lightly, "Lucia, wake up! Take the medicine!"


    The woman was in a feverish daze.


    Her brows furrowed and twitched, but she wasn''t woken up.


    Without a choice, he sat down on the edge of the bed, slowly helped her up, let her lean against his


    chest, and fed her two tablets.


    Not relieved, he drenched the towel in cold water and tried to bring her body temperature down.


    Half an hour passed.


    He took her temperature again, and it dropped.


    Standing at the bed, he looked at the quietly sleeping woman when what Paul had said at the entrance


    of Perfect Fortune suddenly urred to him.


    "You were not there to protect her from getting hurt.


    Compared with your future father-inw, she is just your ex-wife who was abandoned by you, right?"


    Paul''s voice reverberated in his mind and gave him a headache.He rubbed his temples and somehow


    felt upset.He had never abandoned Lucia.


    The divorce was her proposal.


    As for his engagement to Jeanne, that was what he promised her.


    Following a sigh, he took another look at the woman on the bed and turned to leave.


    As if she had felt it, the woman frowned, whined, and squirmed.He looked back and found her


    sweating.His feet refused to move again.


    To be on the safe side, he decided to stay till her fever subsided.He texted Burton, telling thetter to


    go ande back to pick him up tomorrow morning.


    Then he walked to a single sofa, sat down, and closed his eyes to rest.


    At dawn, Lucia turned over and sleepily opened her eyes.


    She felt unwell and dizzyst night and thus went to bed early.


    When she woke up, she felt much better.


    She slowly sat up before something shed across her mind.


    When she was feeling terriblest night, there seemed to be someone taking care of her.


    Her memory was blurry, dreamy, yet so real.


    She turned her head and inadvertently saw a ss of water on the nightstand.


    A dozen pills were sitting beside it.


    She instantly shivered and sobered up a little.It was not a dream? Someone was really here.


    Lucia picked up the ss and jumped out of her skin.


    Through the ss, the water still felt warm.


    That person had left not long ago.


    She was almost certain who it was.


    Besides August, there wasn''t a second person who could enter her apartment without her permission.


    Why did he suddenlye overst night? When Martin smashed her with a cup, he showed no


    intention of siding with her.


    Why did he take care of her all night when she was having a fever? Lucia couldn''t figure it out.She


    looked at the clock on the wall and went out of bed to wash up.She forgot about the matter because it


    was time for her to go.She had to work.


    As for what happenedst night, she would notment as long as August didn''t bring it up.


    Before leaving, she looked at herself in the mirror and sighed at the garish gauze on her forehead.She


    adjusted her bangs to cover the gauze as much as she could.


    When she arrived at the office, Melinda came over, asked about her condition, and chatted with her for


    a while.She heard footsteps, looked up, and saw August leading Burton toe over.


    He was in good spirits.His well-ironed suit set off his upright figure.He didn''t look like someone who had


    stayed up all night.

 Chapter 255

    Chapter 255


    Chapter 255 Apologize on Behalf of Her Dad


    Lucia hurriedly looked away and instinctively tensed up.Her smile was put away, and she stood at


    attention.


    Melinda also saw the man and followed suit.


    When August came closer, they respectfully bowed and greeted him, "Good morning, Mr.Adams."


    August raised his eyes and nced at Lucia''s face intentionally or unintentionally.


    She looked ruddy and better-spirited thanst night.


    That relieved him.


    He looked away in a second and said in a nd voice, "Bring me a cup of coffee."


    Lucia took the order and headed to the pantry.


    When the coffee was ready, she carried the cup to the office, walked to the desk, and put it down with


    great care.


    "Here is your coffee."


    She bowed and turned to leave.


    "Did I let you go?"


    The man''s voice suddenly came.


    Lucia stopped in her tracks and looked back.


    A little flustered, she wondered what he was going to say.


    She took a deep breath and nced at Burton who was standing on the side.


    Without any clue, she asked, "Anything else I can do for you, sir?"


    This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.


    August raised his dark, deep eyes in an attractive way.


    After a while, he opened his mouth and asked, "Did you take the medicine?"


    Lucia was stunned.


    She hadn''t expected him to ask such a question in the office and the presence of Burton.It was a bit


    ambiguous.


    Then again, she couldn''t turn a deaf ear to it.


    She bit the bullet and replied, "Yes."


    "Okay, you can go."


    The manid his eyes back on the document and continued to flip through it as if nothing had


    happened.


    Lucia bit her lip and went out of the office with a strange feeling.


    Was August worried about her? But it felt strange.She shook the idea out of her head and went back to


    her post.


    Unknowingly, the morning passed.Her stomach was rumbling.She nned to grab something to eat at


    the canteen when her phone suddenly rang.She checked it out and paled at the sight of the caller


    ID.Her scalp went numb.She hadn''t expected a call from this person.Her heart raced.


    Lucia took several deep breaths to calm down.She pressed the answer button and put the phone to her


    ear.


    "Hello, Ms.Kelly?"


    The chuckle of a woman came from the other end of the phone.


    "Ms.Mitchell, are you free? I want to see you for a moment."


    Her voice was gentle, and her tone was consultative.


    Lucia found it hard to refuse.


    Although she had no idea what Jeanne wanted to see her for, she couldn¡¯t reject it tly.


    "Okay, where will we meet?"


    "At the cafe downstairs.I''m already here.You can juste down."


    Despite her surprise, Lucia agreed, "Okay, I''ll be there in a minute."


    Jeanne was waiting downstairs, which indicated that she hade prepared.


    Lucia hung up the phone.


    With no time for lunch, she got on the elevator and looked uneasily at the changing digits as she


    descended.


    She was not sure if Jeanne came for the matter of Martin hitting her with a cup or for August.


    Before she could think more about it, the elevator dinged and brought her back to reality.She went out


    and subconsciously straightened up.


    Among a row of bright stores, there was a caf¨¦ that Lucia went to regrly.


    In a few minutes, she arrived at the ce.She went in, looked around, and stiffened the moment she


    saw Jeanne.


    Jeanne was not alone.


    A long-haired woman in a ck dress was sitting next to her.


    They were whispering.


    Feeling Lucia¡¯s gaze, Jeanne looked up.


    A smile appeared on her face, and she waved at Lucia.


    Lucia took a deep breath, went over, and sat down across from them.


    "Ms.Mitchell, what would you like to drink?"


    Jeanne nodded and greeted her.A waitress was then called over.


    "A ss of water will be good," Lucia said ndly.


    "Ms.Kelly, I wonder what you want to see me for."


    Jeanne was smiling, but Lucia could tell that she was not in a good mood.


    Since Lucia got straight to the point, she would not beat around the bush.


    Following a nce at Lucia¡¯s forehead, she said, "I heard that my father hurt you by ident


    yesterday, so here am I to check on you."Lucia raised her head, looked Jeanne in the eye, and replied


    after a pause, ''l''n fine.Thank you for your concern, Ms.Kelly."


    "I know my father''s personality.He admits no mistakes, and I want to apologize on behalf of him."


    Jeanne suddenly stood up, came over, bowed deep to Lucia, and said sincerely, "I''m sorry."


    Lucia was surprised by her upbringing.


    Jeanne¡¯s father did something wrong, and she came over to apologize.


    Lucia''s heart softened.


    Just as she was about to respond, the other woman grunted, "You can''t be serious, Jeanne."


    The woman in a ck dress stood up indignantly, reached out to pull Jeanne, and red at Lucia.


    "Bonnie, that was indeed my dad!s fault.I should apologize to Lucia on his behalf."


    Jeanne looked up at Lucia and whispered, "I hope you don''t mind."


    Lucia looked at the woman and got mixed feelings.She was indeed disgusted with Martin''s behavior.


    To her surprise, he had such a good daughter.


    Most of her pent-up anger subsided with the apology.She shook her head and smiled, "It''s okay.It''s all


    in the past.I won''t take it to heart."


    Jeanne returned a smile, took out an exquisite box from her bag, and pushed it over.


    "Here is a gift for you.It''s a bracelet.Take a look and see if you like it."


    Lucia was surprised and hurriedly declined, "Thank you, Ms.Kelly, but I can''t take it."


    Bonnie rolled her eyes and stared at Lucia.The hostility in her eyes was awful.Her voice rang out.


    "Jeanne, don''t you think you''re too nice to her? Some women are double-faced.You can''t be fooled by


    her."


    Jeanne looked a little embarrassed.She tugged at her friend''s clothes and said, "Say no more, Bonnie."


    Not convinced, Bonnie red at Lucia and looked back at her friend.


    "Jeanne, don''t be ridiculous.You know that August spent the night at her ce yesterday.Why are you


    so nice to a woman who is trying to steal your fianc¨¦ away?"


    Her loud voice immediately drew attention.


    Lucia froze, squeezed her hands, and looked up at Jeanne.So, she knew what happenedst night?

 Chapter 256

    Chapter 256


    Chapter 256 Making Her Feel Guilty


    When Lucia raised her head, she happened to meet Jeanne''s eyes.


    Both of them kept silent, but they seemed to have read each other''s mind by eye contract.


    Lucia looked away first, and when she thought of what had happenedst night, she couldn''t help


    feeling troubled.


    Last night, she had had a fever and been in a daze.


    And she had never expected that August would go to meet her or stay at her home to I take care of her


    all night.


    They had indeed spent a night together, so she found it hard to give a convincing exnation.


    Jeanne had not said anything, but Lucia thought she must mistakenly believe there was something


    between August and her.


    I Seeing this, Bonnie who was standing beside Jeanne couldn''t help } murmuring.


    Hearing her words, Jeanne frowned seemingly angrily, turned her head to look at her, and said coldly,


    "Bonnie, shut up!"


    Instantly, Bonnie stopped murmuring.


    Seeing this, Lucia took a deep breath and tightly sped her hands, feeling a little overwhelmed.


    Even if the exnation would be useless, she must exin now.


    So, she gritted her teeth, looked up at Jeanne, and said firmly, "Ms.


    Kelly, President Adams did go to my homest night.


    I was sick and had a high fever, and he is the only person I can ask for help, so I called him and asked


    him to buy some antipyretics for me.


    But my fever did not reduce after I took the antipyretics.


    President Adams was afraid that something would happen to me, so he stayed at my home."


    Lucia took a deep breath and continued, "I swear there is nothing between us.


    I''m sorry that I forgot about President Adams''s status and ignored your rtionship with him."


    Now, she could only take all the me.


    Otherwise, August and Jeanne might have a quarrel because of her.


    If the marriage between the Kelly family and the Adams family was affected, she could not bear the


    consequence.


    After all, she was just a petty employee.


    When she was lost in thought, Jeanne suddenly said, "It''s okay.


    I believe August.


    We are about to get engaged, so he won''t do anything to hurt me."


    Lucia''s heart skipped a beat, and her palms were sweating.


    Then, Jeanne continued, "Lucia, you''re my good friend, so I believe you won''t hurt me either."


    Lucia raised her head, looked into her eyes, and nodded, "Ms.


    Kelly, I will keep a distance from President Adams.


    Don''t worry."


    Hearing this, Jeanne smiled, put her hand on the back of Lucia''s, and said softly, "Thank you."


    After chatting for a while, Lucia used thepany''s business as an excuse to say goodbye to Jeanne


    and then left the cafe.


    As soon as she walked out, Jeanne''s face turned gloomy.


    When she stared after the slender figure outside the window, an evil light shed in her eyes.


    Bonnie let out a sigh of relief and asked, "Jeanne, how is my acting just now?"


    Jeanne turned her head back and smiled, "You can win an award for your acting skills."


    Bonnie shrugged smugly, leaned over, and asked, "But I can''t figure out why we had to act in front of


    her."


    Jeanne snorted, "As long as she is sensible, she won''t have any intimate contact with August anymore.


    She must feel very guilty for this incident, so it will be much easier to make use of her in the future."


    She knew Lucia''s temperament well.


    As long as Lucia trusted her, everything would be easier because she could control her and


    induce her into doing many things.


    Sure enough, Lucia had suffered from guilt conscience for the whole afternoon.


    She had not expected Jeanne to be so generous.


    If Lucia''s fianc¨¦ stayed at another woman''s home for one night, she would not be able to ept it.


    At thought of this, she sighed.


    Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, so she came back to her senses.


    "Lucia, would you please let President Adams review and sign the document?"


    Lucia took it over and nodded, "I''ll send it to President Adamster and let you know when it''s signed."


    "Thank you."


    Lucia picked up all the documents that August needed to review, got up, went to his office, and


    knocked on the door.


    And she did not push the door open or went in until she heard his response from inside.


    She stepped forward, put the documents on the desk, and said, "President Adams, please review and


    sign these documents."


    Hearing this, August picked one up to read.


    His expression was attentive when he looked through the documents, and he made a few notes with


    her pen from time to time.


    Soon, two documents had been signed, and he told her one needed to be revised.


    Lucia nodded and took the documents over.


    When she was about to leave, she was stopped.


    August straightened his back, leaned back, and snapped the cap on his pen when his emotionless


    eyes swept over her.


    Lucia felt a little nervous, and her heart began racing.


    August had stopped her and didn''t give any orders, and she thought this was the most torturous


    moment.


    When she was about to ask, he said in a cold voice, "I have a business dinner tonight, and you will go


    with me."


    "But I..."


    Lucia frowned, feeling a little unwilling.


    When she thought about what had happened this noon, she didn''t know whether she should agree.


    If she agreed, Jeanne would know and think she broke her promise.


    But it was part of her job, so she should not refuse Aware of her hesitation, August frowned, looked up


    at her, and asked, "What''s wrong? Is it inconvenient?"


    Lucia took a deep breath, gritted her teeth, and said straightly, "I want to go back home early to rest


    today.


    What''s more, I have a wound on my head now.


    I''m afraid it''s not proper for me to attend business dinners."


    Hearing this, August narrowed his eyes slightly, nced at her forehead, and said lightly, "OK, I see."


    Hearing this, Lucia showed a happy look and quickly said, "Thank you, President Adams."


    Then, she stepped out of the office.


    A trace of confusion shed across August''s face, and he frowned unconsciously.


    If he had not seen it wrong, Lucia¡¯s eyes had shed with joy.


    Was she reluctant to go to business dinners with him? Or was she reluctant to work as his secretary?


    The more he thought about it, the more upset he became.


    Suddenly, Burton knocked on the door.


    "President Adams, the cooperation n with the Flying Group has been drafted," Burton said, handing


    over a document.


    When August heard it was the cooperation n with the Flying Group, the gloom on his face


    immediately disappeared.He showed a serious look, took over the n, and started to read.He would


    cooperate with Flying Group on a big project this time, and the investment was up to 700 million


    dors.


    As early as a week ago, this cooperation had been frequently reported in the news, and everyone in


    the business circle in Austin City knew about it now.


    This project was also one of the Lion group''s biggest projects in the second half of the year, so August


    was paying special attention to it.


    Opening the n, August frowned while reading and said, "Theter stage of the business nning


    needs to be revised."


    "Yes."


    Seeing Burton turn around to leave, August stopped him and asked, "By the way, what''s the Kelly


    Group doing now?"


    Burton stopped his steps and replied softly, "My finger man told me the Kelly Group is nning to hold


    a press conference."


    This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.


    August nodded slightly and said lightly, "Well, I see."


    Sure enough, Martin was doing as he had said.


    Actually, making a public apology was not the only way, and the Lion group could help him.But August


    was unwilling to do so.He preferred to watch the Kelly Group go to destruction little by little from a


    bystander''s point of view.

 Chapter 257

    Chapter 257


    Chapter 257 Not Giving Him A Chance to Grow


    At the same time, Merlin, who was sitting in a private room, suddenly felt cold in his back.He looked up


    at the air conditioner and muttered, "The temperature of the air conditioner is too low."


    "Really?"


    Bishop teased with a smile, "Is it because you have been overindulging in sex recently that you


    became weak?"


    "F*ck you!"


    Merlin scolded him with a smile, raised his hand, drank up the wine in his ss, and said, "But I''ve felt


    annoyedtely.All my other friends refused to hang out with me and made up various excuses.I know it


    is because the Kelly Group has been in trouble recently that they are avoiding me!"


    With a smile on his lips, Bishop took a sip of his wine and said, "It''s normal for monkeys to disperse


    when the tree falls."


    "Bah!" said Merlin.


    Then he threw the ss in his hand on the table, not in the mood to drink anymore.He said, "My dad


    went to the Lion group to beg August yesterday, but he was persuaded toe back.I will destroy


    August sooner orter!"


    Listening to himining angrily for a long time, Bishop maintained his smile in silence.


    When Merlin was almost done venting his anger, Bishop said softly, "Merlin, to be honest, making a


    public apology is indeed a good idea.But August did not tell your father everything he needs to do.If the


    Kelly Group wants to survive this disaster, your father should not only make a public apology but also


    let your PR department continue to influence public opinion.Only in this way can he seed."


    Merlin suddenly got excited, looked at Bishop with bright eyes, and asked, "What should we do?"


    Bishop chuckled, "Distract people''s attention from the Kelly Group.A loving affair in the entertainment


    circle is the most suitable."


    When Merlin heard this, his eyes lit up.Then, he patted his head and said, "Yes! Why didn''t I think of it!"


    But soon, his face became gloomy again when he said, "But how can we find the breaking news in the


    entertainment circle? It is not an easy thing!"


    This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.


    Hearing this, Bishop said leisurely with a smile, "I can help you."


    When Merlin heard this, a sh of joy shed in his eyes, and he asked, "How?"


    Bishop calmly picked up his phone, opened the album, and then handed the phone to Merlin.


    "This was taken by a reporter I know.The female star is famous.If this picture is exposed online, it will


    be a trending topic, right? Besides, isn''t the man in the picture who you hate the most?"


    Merlin was ecstatic.


    When he stared at the two people snuggling together in the photo, a coldness shed across his


    eyes.He hurriedly looked at Bishop and asked, "Can you sell it to me?"


    Bishop shook his head and chuckled, "We''re friends, so I won''t ept your money.I originally thought I


    can do nothing to help you.I''m d that I can help the Kelly Group out of trouble."


    Merlin''s face brightened, and he quickly stretched out his hand, patted Bishop on the shoulder with


    proper strength, and said, "You deserve to be my good friend.Send me the photo, and I''ll figure out a


    way!"


    He had just said he was going to destroy August, but he had not expected the opportunity toe so


    soon! Bishop smiled in silence and sent the photo to him without hesitation.


    After Merlin left excitedly, Bob pushed open the door and walked in.


    Bishop said coldly, "Send people to watch him."


    "Yes, Mr.Lion.


    "How is the situation of the Flying Group?"


    Bob reported truthfully, "Our people have been nted in, but I''m not sure whether we will seed."


    Bishop clenched his fists and said in an extremely cold voice, "We must stop the Lion group from


    cooperating with the Flying Group no matter what!"


    He didn''t dare to imagine how much benefit the 700-million-dor project could bring to the Lion group.


    Once August became stronger, it would be harder for Bishop to achieve his goal.So, he would never


    give him a chance to grow up! Lucia had not expected to meet Jeanne again so soon.


    She had met her at the cafe yesterday, but when she was talking with Jasper about work this morning,


    Jeanne walked out of the elevator with a lunch box unexpectedly.


    When Lucia turned her head back and saw her, she was taken aback.


    Seeing her here, Jeanne was also surprised, so she stepped forward and asked suspiciously, "Lucia,


    why are you here?"


    Lucia took a deep breath and replied bravely, "I...I have been transferred to the President''s office.Pa


    is on marriage leave, so I will temporarily rece her as President Adams''s secretary."


    When Jeanne heard her words, a gloomy look shed across her eyes before she said, "Is August in


    the office now? I''ll apany him to have lunch."


    "Yes.This way, please,"


    Lucia said, led her to the office, knocked on the door, and pushed the door open after hearing August''s


    response.


    Jeanne smiled and said softly, "Thank you."


    Then, she walked in.


    Seeing August, she said with joy, "August, guess what I bring to you?"


    Her voice was sweet with a touch of shyness, sounding as if she were flirting with her boyfriend.


    Lucia took a deep breath, closed the door, and walked toward Jasper.


    Jasper looked at her excitedly and asked in a faint voice, "Lucia, you know President Adams''s


    girlfriend?"


    Lucia¡¯s mood inexplicably be gloomy when she replied lightly, "Yes, I''ve met her a few times"


    Jasper said excitedly like a littledy, "Wow! I envy you! To be honest, President Adams and his


    girlfriend are a good match.I heard they are getting engaged soon! What a happy couple..."


    Hearing this, Lucia somehow felt a little depressed as if she were being pressed by something.


    But shouldn''t she be happy that August and Jeanne would get engaged soon? Suddenly, the door of


    the office opened.


    August stood at the door, looked at her lightly with his cold eyes, and said, "Lucia, please make a pot of


    coffee and send it over."


    Lucia came back to her senses and hurriedly responded, "Okay."


    Then, the door was closed.


    In the office, Jeanne sat motionlessly on the sofa with her head down like a little girl who had made a


    mistake.


    August nced over and sat down beside her with a gloomy face.


    Then, he flipped through a document on the tablet without saying a word.


    After a moment of silence, Jeanne couldn''t bear it anymore.


    So, she reached out her hand cautiously, gently hooked her finger at his cuff, and said, "August, don''t


    be angry.It was my faultst time..."


    August ignored her.


    Seeing this, Jeanne felt sad, forced out a few tears, and continued, "I care about you too much, so I


    thought that you refused to help me because you don''t care about me.I have no sense of security..."


    With her head down, she kept shrugging her shoulders and sobbing, looking pitiful.


    When August nced back at her with a frown, his heart softened a bit, so he picked up a tissue,


    handed it to her, and said, "Don''t think too much."


    Hearing this, Jeanne immediately held his arm, leaned on his shoulder, and said, "It would be great if


    we could get engaged earlier.I''m sure I will stop thinking nonsense then."


    Hearing this, August showed a sullen look, pursed his lips into a line, and kept silent.


    Jeanne looked at him tentatively and changed the subject, asking, "Are you still angry?"


    "No," he responded lightly.


    Hearing this, Jeanne smiled, leaned forward, and kissed him on his cheek.


    August was stunned.And when he raised his eyes inadvertently, he saw Lucia standing at the door with


    a tray.


    Obviously, she had seen it.

 Chapter 258

    Chapter 258


    Chapter 258 The Perfect Opportunity to Frame Her Up


    The atmosphere suddenly became embarrassing, but Jeanne was calm.She smiled shyly, turned


    around to look at Lucia, waved at her, and asked, "Is the coffee ready?"She liked coffee the best.


    Lucia came back to her senses, nodded, and walked over with her head down.


    Putting down the tray, she slowly took down the pot and cups, smiled at them, and said, "Please enjoy


    the coffee."


    Then, she turned around and walked out.


    Staring after her, August felt a little unhappy.He had thought she would be upset, but unexpectedly, her


    mood was not affected at all.


    After Lucia came out of the office and closed the door, her tensed body rxed a bit.She gritted her


    teeth and felt the moisture in the corners of her eyes.


    When she raised her hand to touch her eyes, she realized there were tears.


    What happened to her? Why was she crying? She shook her head helplessly, quickly returned to her


    office, and closed the door.


    Why couldn''t she control her emotions? Her heart could not help racing every time August approached


    her.


    When she had heard that he and Jeanne were about to get engaged, she couldn''t help feeling


    distressed.


    And just now, when she had seen Jeanne kissing him, her mind had gone nk, and she had even felt


    suffocated.


    Sure enough, she cared about August.


    To be precise, she had feelings for him.


    Realizing this fact, Lucia lowered her head and covered her face with both hands.


    Then, tears seeped between her fingers.


    She had fallen in love with the man who she should not have any feelings for, so she couldn''t imagine


    the pain in the future.


    After half an hour, she slowly calmed down, wiped her eyes off with a wet towel, and pulled herself


    together.


    Since she could fall in love with him, she could also forget him like Archibald.She used to like Archibald


    very much in college, but when she had met him again, she had no feelings for him anymore.


    Thinking of this, she felt a lot more at ease.


    Suddenly, the phone on the table rang, so she quickly picked it up and asked, "President Adams, what


    can I do for you?"He said in a deep voice on the phone, "Come to my office."


    Lucia responded, hung up the phone, took a deep breath, and walked to his office.


    This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.


    When she pushed the door open and went in, Jeanne was still there.


    She was standing beside the desk and chatting with August with a smile, beaming with joy.


    Lucia instantly looked away from her, stepped forward, and asked, "President Adams, what can I do for


    you?"


    "Send this document to the Flying Group.A manager named Eaton is waiting for you.You must hand the


    document to him in person."


    Lucia responded, "Okay."


    When Jeanne heard "the Flying Group", her expression changed slightly, and she couldn''t help


    ncing at the yellow file bag from time to time.


    Then, August opened a drawer, took out a car key, put it on the file bag, and said, "Drive thepany''s


    car.It is parked in the public area of the underground parking lot.


    You will find it easily with the serial number"


    "Yes, President Adams," Lucia responded, feeling a little surprised.


    She had not expected him to let her drive thepany''s car to deliver the document.


    And she guessed it must be particrly important and urgent.


    As expected, August urged, "Hurry up.Go to deliver it right away."


    Lucia nodded, picked up the car key and the document, turned around, and left the office.


    Jeanne''s eyes lit up when she suddenly thought of something.She chatted with August for a short while


    before she said, "Since you''ve finished lunch, you should take a rest.It''s time for me to leave."


    August nodded slightly, looked at her, and asked, "Do you need me to send you back?"


    "No, thanks."


    Jeanne smiled sweetly, quickly put the lunch box on the table into a bag, hugged him, and then left.


    As soon as she walked out of the office, she elerated her steps and walked toward the elevator.


    Seeing Lucia still waiting for the elevator, she breathed a sigh of relief, stepped forward, and said, "Hi,


    Lucia."


    Lucia turned around to look at her and said, "Hi, Ms.Kelly."


    She hadn''t expected Jeanne to leave so soon and had thought she would spend more time with


    August.


    Jeanne said, "Are you going to the Flying Group? I''m going to Fonda Square.Can you give me a ride?"


    Seeing Lucia''s surprised look, she exined with a smile, "My driver left for an urgent matter and will


    come to pick me up after a while.I happen to want to buy something.You can just drop me off at Fonda


    Square."


    Jeanne''s request was reasonable, so Lucia had no reason to refuse.


    Therefore, she nodded, "Okay."


    When the elevator arrived and opened the doors, she quickly stepped up, so she did not see Jeanne''s


    sneer.


    After getting into the car, Lucia put the file bag on the passenger seat, slowly started the car, and drove


    out of the underground parking lot.


    And Jeanne nced at the file bag from time to time when chatting with her.


    Halfway through the journey, Jeanne took out her mobile phone, sent a message out, and chuckled,


    "Lucia, let''s go shopping together next time.I like the dress you chose for me very much."


    Hearing this, Lucia responded with a smile, "Okay."


    Jeanne''s attitude toward her had somehow be very intimate as if they were friends who had


    known each other very well.


    Lucia felt weird, but she did not ask about it.


    When the car came to an intersection, a traffic police officer suddenly stopped her.


    Lucia pulled over, lowered the window, looked at him in confusion, and asked, "Sir, is there anything


    wrong?"


    "It is just a routine check.Please show me your driver''s license."


    When Lucia heard this, she knew she got in trouble.She barely drove, so she didn''t bring her driver''s


    license with her.


    And she had not expected to be caught by a traffic police officer today Lucia took a deep breath,


    rummaged around in her bag, and then looked at the officer outside the window, not knowing what to


    do.


    Jeanne in the backseat raised her eyebrows and suddenly asked, "Don''t you bring your driver''s


    license? Maybe you can show him the electronic driver''s license on your phone.Get off the car and ask


    the officer whether it is OK."


    When Lucia heard this, she didn''t think much because she was panicked.She picked up her phone,


    pushed the door open, and got out of the car to exin to the officer.


    As soon as he heard that Lucia didn''t bring her driver''s license with her, he began to criticize her with a


    gloomy face.


    Taking advantage of this opportunity, Jeanne took a deep breath, reached out to take the file bag on


    the passenger seat over, opened it, and pulled out the documents inside.


    She had guessed right! It was the project nning for the cooperation between the Flying Group and


    the Lion Group! Although she did not know much about the cooperation, he knew what this document


    meant because she had been in the Kelly Group for a long time.


    Besides, the news about the cooperation between the Lion group and the Flying Group had been


    spreading widely recently.


    So, she had also heard something about it.


    For her, this was a terrific opportunity to frame Lucia up! She immediately took out her phone, quickly


    took a photo of the document, stuffed it back inside, and then put the file bag back where it used to be


    before Lucia came back.


    She knew it would harm the Lion group.


    But as long as she could make August hate Lucia, she would never regret it!

 Chapter 259

    Chapter 259


    Chapter 259 Jeanne''s Selfish Love


    Outside the car, Lucia showed the officer her electronic driver''s license on her mobile phone and


    apologized with a sincere attitude, so thetter let her go.She breathed a sigh of relief, got into the car,


    looked at Jeanne in the back seat, and said softly, "I''m sorry for having you wait for such a long time."


    Jeanne showed a fake smile and said, "Never mind.I''m not in a hurry."


    While she was speaking, a cold light shed across her eyes.


    Then, Lucia started the car and continued driving.


    When passing Fonda Square, she pulled over and dropped Jeanne off.


    Jeanne smiled sweetly, waved at her on the side of the road, and said, "Thank you, Lucia.See you."


    Lucia smiled and said goodbye to her before continuing to drive.


    When the car arrived at an intersection.


    Jeanne opened the door of a car parked on the side of the road and got in without hesitation.If Lucia


    had looked in the rearview mirror, she would have seen it.


    As soon as Jeanne got in the car, she nced at the driver, handed him her cell phone, and said,


    "Send those photos out.Don''t leave any track! But you must also spread out the news that the


    cooperation n has been leaked."


    The driver was a dark-skinned and short man.


    N?velDrama.Org ? content.


    Hearing this, he said in surprise, "Miss Kelly, this is the project n for the cooperation between the


    Lion Group and the Flying Group, so it should be a top-secret document.How did you get it?"


    Jeanne folded her arms over her chest and rolled her eyes impatiently while saying, "It''s none of your


    business.Just do what I said.Stop talking nonsense!"


    The driver was still hesitant, so he said, "If the n is leaked, the Lion group''s cooperation with the


    Flying Group will be canceled.Don''t you like August very much? If you do this, the Lion group will suffer


    a great loss."


    Jeanne gritted her teeth with a frown, feeling torn.


    But when she thought of Lucia, all her worries and concerns were instantly reced by jealousy and


    resentment.She did not care even if the Lion group went bankrupt.


    All she wanted was August! And her real rival had always been Lucia.


    If she could frame her up, she would not care whether August would lose the cooperation project at all!


    Jeanne took a deep breath and said in a firm tone, "Even if August bes a pauper, I will be with


    him! All I want is him, and I don''t care about anything else!"


    When the driver heard her words, the look in his eyes suddenly dimmed a bit.


    After a while, he lowered his head and said humbly, "I will do whatever you want me to do."


    Hearing this, Jeanne raised her eyebrows, felt somewhat satisfied, and said, "That''s more like it."


    When she stretched out her hand to fix her hair, she suddenly thought of something, so she narrowed


    her eyes slightly and asked, "I asked you to find a way to stop her car just now.Have you wiped the


    traces off?"


    "Don''t worry.I managed everything well."


    Hearing this, she was relieved, jerked her chin at him, and said, "Good! Let''s go home."


    More than 20 minutester, Lucia arrived at the Flying Group.


    After parking the car, she took the file bag into thepany building.


    After she told the receptionist her intention, thetter immediately made a call.


    After hanging up, she said, "Ms.Mitchell, please wait a moment.Eaton will be here soon."


    "OK, thank you."


    Lucia smiled at her, walked to the rest area, and sat down on a sofa to wait.


    After a while, a middle-aged man in a ck suit walked over quickly.He was wearing ck-rimmed


    sses, but his eyes were bright, so he looked very energetic.


    After he nced around, he quickly identified his target and then walked straight toward Lucia.


    Seeing this, Lucia quickly stood up and nced at the working badge over his chest.


    After confirming his identity, she smiled, "Hello, Eaton."


    Eaton also smiled, lightly shook hands with her, and cut to the chase, saying, "President Adams sent


    an email saying that you will send the final n over in advance.We will discuss itter.If it is OK, we


    will directly sign the contract at the meeting tomorrow."With a polite smile on her face, Lucia nodded at


    him, handed the file bag to him with both hands, and said, "Okay! Here is the project n."


    "Thank you."


    The two looked at each other and nodded.


    After small talk, they separated.


    Aftering out of the building, Lucia breathed a sigh of relief, thinking the Flying Group deserved to


    be one of the biggestpanies in Austin City.


    Theiryout and pacing were both suitable.Then, she returned to thepany, rted Eaton''s words


    to August, and then continued the work at hand.


    In a blink of an eye, it was time to get off work.


    When Lucia was processing a form, her mobile phone suddenly vibrated, startling her.


    Seeing the caller ID on the screen, she smiled, nced at the time, and immediately answered the


    phone, saying, "Pa, are you deliberately calling me at such a time?"


    She called her as soon as it was time to get off work, which was even more punctual than an rm


    clock.


    Pa said in a somewhat aggrieved voice, "Since you said you don''t want me to disturb you at work, I


    have never dared to call you at will.I waited for a while and called you at such a time."


    She sounded very aggrieved.


    If Lucia hadn''t known her so well, she would have been deceived.


    She chuckled and then asked, "What''s up?"


    Pa replied in frustration, "I''m in a bad mood.Can we go to have Mexican food?"


    Lucia had wanted to go to the hospital to see her parents, but when she remembered that there was


    gauze on her forehead, she gave up the idea.


    After thinking about it for a while, she said, "Let''s not go to eat Mexican cuisine.I want to eat a light


    meal."


    Pa agreed without hesitation.


    Then, they decided to have dinner in a restaurant they often went to.


    After Lucia sat at their usual table for a short while, Pa arrived and walked over.


    When she was about to sit down andin about the bad traffic, she suddenly stared at Lucia''s


    face in confusion and asked, "Lucia, are you injured?"


    Lucia tilted her head and tried to fob her off, saying, "Well, I identally bumped into a wall."


    "You identally bumped into a wall?"


    Pa was a little angry when saying, "You should have been more careful..."


    Lucia tried hard to hold back herughter while listening to Pa lecturing herself.


    When the dishes were served, she picked up a fork, handed it to Pa, and said, "Come on! I''ll learn


    the lesson and be careful next time."


    Seeing the delicious food, Pa stopped criticizing her.


    And after a while, they began to happily chat about other topics.


    After dinner, they went out of the restaurant.


    Then, they walked while chatting.


    Lucia suddenly thought of Pa''s charity show this Saturday, so she turned to look at her and said,


    "Pa, I''m sorry but I may not be able to go to see your show this Saturday."


    She had promised that she would watch the show, but she had just been transferred to the President''s


    office.She might need to work overtime on weekends, and she thought it was improper to ask for leave


    so soon.


    Pa raised her hand to pat her shoulder and joked with a smile, "Never mind.I don''tck audiences


    anyway"


    Hearing this, Lucia smiled.


    Suddenly, she remembered what Burton had said, so she winked at Pa and said, "Maybe you will


    have a romantic encounter in Figo City!"


    Burton had said that he was going to see Pa, and Lucia thought he really meant it.

 Chapter 260

    Chapter 260


    Chapter 260 An Earth-shattering Event


    Hearing this, Pa couldn''t helpughing out loud, "A romantic encounter? It will only happen in my


    dream!"


    The two chatted andughed, separated at an intersection, and went back home respectively.


    After having dinner with Pa, Lucia was in a much better mood.


    After returning home, she washed up and fell asleep as soon as she hit the bed.


    Early the next morning, Lucia finished the routine work at the President''s Office ahead of time and then


    went back to her office to sort out the documents.


    August would note to thepany this morning.


    ording to the schedule, he would go to the Flying Group to sign the contract and then have lunch


    with a business partner, so he would note back until this afternoon.


    Since he was outside, Lucia''s work naturally became easier.So, she felt happy and rxed.


    When she was about to go to the pantry to make some coffee, Jasper hurried over and shouted, "Bad


    news, Lucia! Something big happened!"


    She was slightly out of breath from running and almost bumped into Lucia.


    Seeing this, thetter quickly asked with a frown, "What''s wrong? m down and tell me about it!"


    Jasper handed her mobile phone to Lucia in fluster and said, "Read the news! The cooperation


    between ourpany and the Flying Group is screwed up!"


    Hearing her words, Lucia was stunned as if something had exploded in her ear with a bang.


    A few secondster, she came back to her senses, hurriedly stretched out her hand to take over the


    phone, and read the news whose headline was, "The signing ceremony between the Lion group and


    the Flying Group has been canceled.It is suspected that the Lion group''s n has been leaked!"


    Her hands were shaking when she swiped the screen with her fingertips.


    The news said, "The cooperation between the Lion group and the Flying Group, which has attracted


    much attention in Austos City, was suddenly suspended at the signing ceremony today.And the Lion


    group''s reliability is questioned..."


    Although Lucia did not read the content below, she could guess what it would say.


    This was indeed a big event that could shock the entire Austos City! When this kind of news broke out,


    it was highly likely to be true.


    Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    That was to say, their efforts into the seven-hundred-million-dor project were all in vain now.They had


    been so close to sess! Lucia could not imagine how August was feeling now.


    How could the n be leaked? Was there a spy in thepany? A lot of questions popped into her


    mind, but she couldn''t figure anything out now.


    She didn''te to her senses until Jasper asked, "What''s wrong? Maybe you should call President


    Adams and ask him whether he needs us to make some preparations in thepany now."


    Jasper was smart and thoughtful, but she was wrong to think so.


    Lucia took a deep breath, calmed herself down, and said slowly, "No.I don''t know what situation he is in


    now, so I can''t rashly call him.If there is anything he needs us to do, he will take initiative to notify us."


    Hearing this, Jasper nodded heavily and then said, "But we must do something, right?"


    Seeing her anxious face, Lucia frowned, feeling a little flustered.Now that the news had broken out, this


    incident would spread throughout thepany soon, and the employees would inevitably specte


    about and discuss it.


    Now, the most important thing was to steady the morale.


    August was dealing with the trouble outside.


    If something bad happened inside thepany, it would add fuel to the mes.


    Lucia gritted her teeth, looked up at Jasper, took a deep breath, and said, "Jasper, there is something


    we must do.Draft an email in the name of the President''s Office and send it to every employee.Tell


    them they don''t need to panic because President Adams is solving the problem.We must calm people


    down."


    Jasper''s eyes shed with seriousness when she nodded, "Okay, I''ll do it right away!"


    Seeing her leaving in a hurry, Lucia felt as if something was pressing on her shoulders, and even her


    breathing became heavy.This thing was very strange.


    Why had the n suddenly been leaked when the cooperation between the twopanies was to be


    finalized? It was her that had sent it to the Flying Group.


    Before that, it had always been in August''s hands.


    There should not have been any problem.


    Was it because...


    Lucia''s eyes flickered when she thought of something, and she suddenly felt a little uneasy.


    No, she must go to meet August and ask him about it! Then, Lucia had been paying special attention to


    the movements outside all the time.


    As soon as she heard any sound, she immediately got up and opened the door to see if it was August.


    But after she had waited for a long time, he had note back.


    After Jasper finished what Lucia had asked her to do, she immediately came over and said, "Lucia, the


    email does have some effect.But President Adams hasn''te back yet, so I''m very worried."


    Lucia was also worried, but she must remain calm at such a time.


    When she was about to say something tofort Jasper, there was a noiseing from the direction


    of the elevator entrance.She looked up and saw a group of people walking over.


    They were all high-level executives of thepany.


    And they were solemnly whispering to each other.


    They quickly passed the President''s Office and went directly to the conference room.


    Lucia''s heart skipped a beat.


    She raised her head and looked over but didn''t see the man she wanted to see.It seemed an urgent


    high-level meeting.


    The other executives were all there, but August had not arrived.


    When she was in confusion, Jasper said, "President Adams is back!"


    Lucia hurriedly looked over and saw five people walking over.


    August was walking in the middle with a frown.His face was serious, his steps were big and hasty, and


    his body was exuding an icy aura.


    Lucia took a deep breath.


    Seeing August walking directly toward the conference room, she hurriedly caught up with him.


    At the door, Burton looked back at her and said, "Lucia, we don''t need your presence for the time


    being."


    Lucia bit her lip and said, "But..."


    "Please go back to the President''s Office first," Burton said and closed the door of the conference room


    from the inside.


    Lucia couldn''t break in, so she walked to the president''s office, looking back repeatedly.


    Judging from this situation, she knew this matter was more serious than she had imagined! Burton''s


    attitude just now had been quite cold, which made her uncontrobly suspect that August thought it


    was her that had leaked the n.


    The more she thought about it, the more suspicious she became.


    After pacing back and forth in the office for a long time, she forced herself to work.


    Before she knew it, more than an hour had passed.


    When she went to the bathroom, those things were still haunting her.


    Suddenly, she heard footstepsing from the door of the bathroom.


    Two women walked in together.


    Later, she heard the sound of opening bags and washing hands.


    Lucia was in a cubicle.


    When she was about to go out, one of the women outside said mysteriously, "I heard the n was


    leaked by a spy in ourpany!"


    "A spy? Do you know who it is?"


    "I heard that it is a secretary in the President''s Office that did it.She is the only person who had ess


    to the final n besides President Adams.So, it must be her!"


    "Which secretary? President Adams has only one secretary, right? The others are all assistants."


    "Don''t you know yet Pa is on marriage leave? A woman was transferred from the administrative


    department to the President''s Office to work as his acting secretary!"


    Hearing this, the other woman fell silent.


    Lucia suddenly tense up and frowned, having a strange feeling in her heart.Wasn''t she the only


    secretary in the President''s Office now?

 Chapter 261

    Chapter 261


    Chapter 261 Sneaking into Perfect Fortune


    When Lucia was deep in thought, a woman outside continued, "Because of her, the efforts of several


    major departments during this period have been wasted.How can she continue working here in the


    future? "I don''t care.Anyway, when thingse to light, she will be hated by every employee in the


    company.We''ve been working overtime for a long time on this project.But now, the sure thing is messed


    up..."


    Hearing the harsh criticism, Lucia felt her temples throbbing violently, so she pushed open the door and


    stepped out.


    The two women who were fixing makeup at the sink had not expected someone would suddenlye


    out, so they were startled, looked at each other, and dared not to say anything.


    Lucia pretended to be nonchnt, walked to the sink, and washed her hands.


    When one of the women recognized her, she was so shocked that her face turned pale.


    Lucia turned a blind eye to it, pulled out a tissue, wiped her hands, and walked out.


    Seeing this, the woman lowered her voice and said, "She is the secretary we were talking about!"


    "What? It''s her!"


    Lucia frowned and quickened her footsteps.


    Soon, she could not hear their voices anymore.


    Unexpectedly, everyone thought it was her who had leaked the n, but she didn''t do it.


    It was indeed her that had sent the n over, so she had the time and opportunity tomit the crime.


    But she had no motive...


    After Lucia went back to the office worriedly, she calmed herself down and carefully recalled that had


    happened yesterday.


    But there seemed to be no problems during the period from the time she had gotten the n to the


    time she had given it to Eaton.


    Besides her, the only person who could touch the n was Jeanne.


    But it was impossible! She cared about August so much, so she must not have done such a thing.


    In an instant, all the things in her mind were mixed, making herpletely clueless.


    When it was time to get off work, Lucia finally realized what she should do was to meet August and


    exin it to him face to face no matter whether the leak of the n had anything to do with her.


    But he had thepany with Burton after the emergency meeting and had note back.


    Lucia didn''t know whether he hade up with any solution.


    It was already time to get off work, and she didn''t know where he was.


    After getting out of thepany, Lucia returned home and sent a few messages to August, but he did


    not reply.


    She mechanically ate dinner and took a shower.


    Sitting on the bed, she felt very uneasy.


    Finally, she looked at the time and found it was just nine o''clock.


    So, she gritted her teeth and picked up her phone to call Burton.


    After the phone rang for a while, Burton answered, "Hey, Lucia?"


    Lucia was overjoyed and quickly asked, "Burton, are you with President Adams now?"


    "Yes, what''s up?"


    Lucia vaguely heard some noises over there when she said, "I want to meet him.I have something to


    tell him."


    Burton paused for a second and said, "It is not convenient now."


    Lucia clenched her grip on the phone and asked, "Can you tell me where he is?"


    Burton hesitated for a moment and replied, "Perfect Fortune."


    The moment she heard his words, a tall and magnificent building shed across her mind.She had


    passed by that ce before.


    Perfect Fortune was a high-end club thatmon people could not enter.


    Burton then said, "Lucia, if you have anything to talk about with him, you can do it tomorrow.I am busy,


    so I have to hang up now."


    When the phone was hung up, Lucia took a deep breath, feeling a little impulsive.She didn''t want to


    wait any longer.


    If she waited, a lot of things might happen tonight, and the rumors and suspicions might continue to


    ferment.


    She gritted her teeth, turned over to get out of bed, changed her clothes, and left her apartment.


    Then, she took a taxi to Perfect Fortune.


    When she arrived, she opened the car door and looked at the bright and tall building in front.


    Then, she gritted her teeth, plucked up her courage, and went up the steps.


    But the waiter standing at the door reached out to stop her before she could speak.


    After he looked her up and down, he said coldly, "Please show me your VIP card."


    "VIP card?"


    Lucia was stunned.


    She had not expected she would be blocked at the door.She took a deep breath, pretended to be calm,


    and said, "One of your VIP customers invited me here."


    The waiter replied with a serious look, "I''m sorry, but you can''t enter without a VIP card."


    When the big shots like August came, the waiter would not ask them to show their VIP cards as long as


    seeing their faces.But Lucia was different.


    Moreover, she was dressed in ordinary clothes, so he would not let her enter.


    "I''m really here to keep an appointment.I wille out within ten minutes..."


    "I''m sorry," the waiter interrupted coldly and gestured for her to leave.


    Lucia had no choice but to step aside with a frown, wondering what she should do.She hade here,


    so she must find a way to get in.


    While she was deep in thought, she unintentionally walked around Perfect Fortune for a while.


    And when she inadvertently looked up, she saw a small door on the side of the building.It should be the


    side door for the staff to transport goods.


    A van was parked in front of it, and there are some baskets next to it.


    This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.


    Lucia took a deep breath and suddenly came up with an idea.She hurriedly looked around.


    Seeing no one nearby, she trotted over and entered the half-open door.


    Sure enough, it was a staff passage for transporting goods.


    Lucia quickly walked through the corridor.


    When she suddenly heard voices ahead, she pushed a door of a room open and entered ina hurry.


    When voices gradually approached, Lucia hid behind the door and held her breath.


    And she did not feel relieved until she heard them walk away.


    Then, she turned back and looked around the small room.


    It seemed to be the locker room of the employees because there was a row of small cabs with


    names on them.


    Seeing a waitress''s uniform hanging next to her, she had an idea.


    It would be difficult for her to look for August like this.


    But if she put on the uniform, it would be much easier.


    Lucia quickly changed her clothes, walked out, went through the corridor, and then entered the hall.


    The decoration inside Perfect Fortune was stylish.


    There were stairs upward on both sides of the hall, and there was also an elevator.


    Lucia took a deep breath and guessed all the private rooms were upstairs.


    After going up, she didn''t know where to start.


    When she turned around, she identally bumped into a young waitress who was about the same age


    as her.


    When the waitress looked at Lucia with her round and bright ck eyes, thetter quickly apologized,


    "I''m sorry.I didn''t see you."


    The waitress then sized her up and smiled, "Are you new here? I''ve never seen you before."


    Lucia didn''t dare to say anything but nodded quickly.


    The waitress continued to ask, "Where are you going? A VIP private room?"


    Hearing this, Lucia nodded and asked, "The manager asked me to look for Mr.Adams.Do you know


    where he is?"


    "Mr.Adams?"


    The waitress''s eyes lit up when she replied, "I don''t know which room he is in, but he must be in a


    luxury VIP room on the sixth floor."


    Hearing this, Lucia was overjoyed and quickly thanked her.Once she knew which floor he was on, it


    would be much easier to find him.

 Chapter 262

    Chapter 262


    Chapter 262 Unexpected Trouble


    Reaching the sixth floor, Lucia wanted to ask a waiter where August was.


    But before she could find one, she saw a woman in a ck uniform looking straight at her with sharp


    eyes.


    Lucia''s heart skipped a beat.


    When she met the woman''s eyes, she knew she couldn''t turn around to leave right away, so she went


    up to her.


    "I couldn''t find anyone for a long time! You guys are allzy!"


    The woman snorted, pointed at her, and said, "You,e with me!"


    Lucia hurriedly stepped forward with her head down, nced at the name tag on the woman''s chest,


    and asked, "Manager, what can I do for you?"


    She was wearing a waitress''s uniform now, so she could not let others know she was not a waitress.


    Otherwise, she would be kicked out right away.


    "Follow me and send the wine to Room 608!"


    The woman was arrogant and tough, so Lucia didn''t dare to disobey her.


    Therefore, she picked up the wine bottles and follow her, secretlyforting herself that she could


    soon go to look for August after delivering the wine.


    Walking to the door of the private room, the manager took the lead in pushing open the door and going


    in.


    Suddenly, the noises and the smell of tobo and alcohol came out together.


    Lucia frowned and followed her in.


    N?velDrama.Org ? content.


    "What''s the matter? Why did it take so long for you to deliver the wine?" a man asked on the sofa with


    strong dissatisfaction in his tone.


    The manager seemed to have suddenly changed into another person when she replied in a soft voice


    with a smile, "Jason, Ronnie, I''m sorry to have made you wait for such a long time.Please enjoy the


    wine."


    Then, she tilted her head to look at Lucia and whispered, "Hurry up and serve the wine!"


    When Lucia smelled the pungent odor of tobo and alcohol, she felt so ufortable that her eyes


    turned wet.She walked forward and put the wine bottles on the table one by one.


    When she was about to turn around, the manager suddenly gave her a nudge and said, "What are you


    doing? Open the bottles! Are you new here? You know nothing!"


    Lucia gritted her teeth in anger but knew that she was in a dilemma now.


    Facing so many people in the room, she couldn''t leave even though she wanted to.So, she had no


    choice but to open the wine bottles one by one.


    When she raised her eyes inadvertently, she saw the people on the sofa.


    The men wereughing while telling dirty jokes, and all of them were holding scantily d women in


    their arms.


    Some of them had already reached their hands under the women''s clothes...


    This scene was really burning her eyes.


    Lucia took a deep breath, endured the difort, and said softly, "Jason, Ronnie, please enjoy your


    wine.


    When she was about to retreat to the door, a man on the sofa suddenly said, "Wait!"


    Lucia was stunned, paused her steps, and looked at him in confusion.


    The speaker was Ronnie.


    When he saw Lucia''s face clearly, a surprise shed across his eyes, and he looked at her greedily.


    "You look pretty!"


    While speaking, his hand was still under the clothes of the woman next to him.He smiled, turned to look


    at the woman, and suddenly lost his appetite.So, he jerked his chin at Lucia and said, "Come here."


    The people around allughed.


    "Ronnie, you''re holding a beauty in your arms, but you''re insatiable!"


    "You will die young if you keep indulging your sexual proclivities like this."


    With the jokes, the atmosphere in the room became livelier.


    Lucia stood still with a frown and then turned her head to look at the manager standing at the door to


    ask for help, but thetter raised her eyebrows and said with a half-smile, "Since Ronnie likes you, you


    might as well stay and have a drink with him."


    Then, she looked at Ronnie and said with a smile, "Ronnie, Jason, don''t hesitate to call me if you need


    anything.Enjoy yourselves."


    After speaking, she immediately backed out and closed the door.


    Lucia was upset.She had thought a high-end club like Perfect Fortune wouldn''t have such dirty things.


    Unexpectedly, she was too naive.


    Dogs bit in every country! Lucia gritted her teeth and eagerly wanted to escape.


    Seeing Ronnie walking toward her with a grin, she took a deep breath and said through gritted teeth,


    "Ronnie, Jason, the wine has been put on the table.Please enjoy it."


    Then, she intended to leave.


    But as soon as she turned around, a hand suddenly stretched out, grabbed her arm, and pulled her


    hard.


    Then, Ronnie said, "Why are you running away, pretty? I won''t hurt you!"


    Lucia stumbled and almost fell.


    When he approached her, she smelt the disgusting scent of alcohol, so she frowned.


    Resisting the difort, she tried hard to break free from his grip.


    The other men and women in the room looked at them as if they were watching a show.


    Everyoneughed, but no one came forward to stop Ronnie.


    "You have a tough temper!"


    Ronnie leaned over again with a smile and said, "But your face is pretty! I like it!"


    While he was talking, he stretched out his hand to touch her face.


    Lucia was quick in reaction, so she pushed him away in time.


    But she had put forth too much strength.


    Moreover, Ronnie was a little drunk, so he lost his bnce and fell to the ground.


    Ronnie fell hard, so his face suddenly became sullen when he cursed, "D*mn You! You b*tch! Who do


    you think you are?"


    Lucia quickly turned around, opened the door, and ran out without hesitation.


    Suddenly, there was a loud noise in the room.


    Lucia quickened her pace and ran directly to the other end of the corridor.


    She had not expected that she would encounter such a thing! She was indeed unlucky! Hearing the


    curses from behind, Lucia didn''t dare to turn her head back but hurriedly turned at the end of the


    corridor.


    Seeing avatory, she immediately rushed in.


    This was probably the only ce where she could hide.She quickly ran to the innermost cubicle,


    pushed the door open, went in, locked the door, and then listened to the sounds outside.


    After a while, she heard footsteps lingering at the door.


    A man said, "Maybe she is in the women''svatory! Let''s go in to look for her!"


    "What if she is not inside? She must be hiding in a private room!"


    "D*mned b*tch! I will teach her a good lesson when I catch her! She ruined my good mood! Bah!"


    "Let''s go to ask the manager where she is!"


    "Yes! Let''s go!"


    Then, some noises sounded at the door of thevatory.


    After a while, those people walked away while cursing.


    Hearing their voices getting farther and farther, Lucia breathed a sigh of relief.


    She hade here to look for August and had never expected to get into such trouble, so she felt very


    upset! Fortunately, she was not hurt.


    After staying in the bathroom for a while, Lucia carefully walked to the door, looked outside, and didn''t


    see anyone, so she came out.


    But unexpectedly, after she took two steps, the door of a private room nearby was suddenly pushed


    open, and three men rushed out ferociously.


    And the one in the front was Ronnie! Lucia was dumbfounded.


    When she turned to run, she was stopped! Then, Ronnie snorted, "Humph! Do you still intend to run


    away? I will not let you go this time!"


    They knew she must have been hiding in the bathroom, so they had deliberately pretended to leave


    and hidden in an empty room nearby to wait for her! And they made it! Lucia took a deep breath,


    clenched her fists unconsciously, and asked, "What do you want?"


    Jason sneered, stepped close to her, and said, "Guess! What do you think you want to do?"


    Ronnieughed and then said in a nasty tone, "You pushed me to the floor! Do you think you can get


    away with it?"


    Three men were surrounding her, so she couldn''t escape at all.


    She gritted her teeth.


    Before she could think of a way out, someone suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the


    men''svatory.


    "Pretty, you are lucky to meet us today! If you cooperate, everyone will have fun!"


    Lucia knew what they wanted to do to her, so she shouted, "Let me go!"


    She couldn''t break free from the man''s grip, so she was so anxious that she opened her mouth to bite


    him!

 Chapter 263

    Chapter 263


    Chapter 263 Hospitalization


    When the man screamed in pain, Lucia took the opportunity to run away.


    But the other two men surrounded her and grabbed her arms.


    One of them said, "B*tch! Don''t you dare try to run!"


    "Let me go!"


    Lucia gritted her teeth in anger while struggling desperately.


    She had not expected to meet such despicable and shameless men in a ce like this! With a grim


    face, Jason pulled her hard toward the men''svatory and sneered, "Let go of you? You wish!"


    No matter how strong Lucia was, she couldn''t defeat the two men.


    When she was about to be pulled into the men''svatory, a man suddenly shouted coldly, "Let go of


    her!"


    Before she could look up, a tall man quickly approached and kicked Jason in the stomach.


    Jason kept stepping back and almost fell.


    When Lucia raised her head and saw theer''s face, she felt surprised and happy.It was Paul! Paul''s


    face was gloomy and frightening, and there was a hint of fierceness in his angry eyes.He stepped


    forward and quickly knocked the other two men down.


    After dealing with them, he hurriedly stepped forward, took Lucia¡¯s hand, and asked worriedly, "Are you


    alright?"


    Lucia blinked her eyes.


    Meeting his clear eyes, she felt warm in her heart and quickly nodded, "I''m fine.You..."


    Before she could finish her words, she saw a figure charging at Paul out of the corner of her eye.


    She was startled and shouted, "Paul, be careful!"


    Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Hearing this, Paul narrowed his eyes.But before he could turn his head back, he was hit hard on the


    back of the head.


    With a crack, a wine bottle exploded and shards sttered.


    Paul froze when blood flowed down his head.


    After a while, the blood dropped down, staining his white shirt.


    When Lucia recovered from the shock, she asked, "Paul, are you OK?"


    The look in Paul''s eyes was dull.


    Feeling the pain in the back of his head, he frowned.


    But when was about to speak, he felt soft all over his body and directly fell toward Lucia.


    "Paul!"


    Lucia quickly held his body and said in fright, "I will call 911..."


    Then, she took out her phone in a panic and dialed the number with trembling hands.


    When something like this happened, there would inevitably be noises.So, many people gathered


    around, and several waiters were running over.


    Ronnie had hit Paul on impulse just now.


    But when he saw the current situation and his head covered in blood, he was frightened and transfixed.


    When he came back to his senses, he hurriedly threw the broken bottle away and winked at Jason and


    the other man.


    Soon, they took the hint and quickly ran away together with him.


    After hanging up the phone, Lucia looked at Paul¡¯s bleeding head and pale face, and she felt so


    worried that she was about to cry.


    Then, she said ina slightly trembling voice, "Paul, hold on!"


    She had not expected Ronnie to be so cruel that he had hit Paul''s head with a wine bottle.


    Paul was resting his chin on her shoulder with a bloodless face.


    When he heard her voice, his drooping eyelids moved, and then, he forced a reassuring smile and


    said, "I''m fine, Lucia"


    When he saw the woman he liked crying for him, he was both happy and distressed.


    This feeling was indescribable.


    Suddenly, a waiter rushed over, asked about the situation, and quickly helped Paul walk into the


    elevator.


    As soon as they reached the gate of the club, the ambnce arrived.


    Seeing two doctors carry Paul into the vehicle, Lucia followed them in without hesitation, wearing the


    waitress''s uniform.


    Then, the nurse began to disinfect Paul''s wound.


    Looking at the bloody wound on the back of his head, Lucia felt cold in her hands.


    Suddenly, a big and warm hand was stretched over and covered her hand.


    Paul then said in a weak voice, "Don''t look."


    Lucia felt moved in her heart.


    She had not expected him to care about her feelings at such a time.


    Suddenly, tears welled up in her eyes again.


    Soon, the ambnce arrived at the hospital.


    Lucia followed them to the door of the emergency room but was blocked outside.


    The wound on Paul''s head was deep, so the doctor needed to remove the broken ss before suturing


    it.


    While waiting outside, Lucia unconsciously paced forth and back, feeling uneasy.


    She had never expected such a thing to happen.


    After a while, the door of the emergency room opened, and a nurse came out and said, "The wound


    has been treated.Pleasee in."


    When Lucia went in, she happened to see another nurse throwing the used bloody gauze into a trash


    can.


    Seeing the blood, she felt a sting in her heart.


    Paul had gauze wrapped around his head now, and his face was a little pale.


    But everything else was normal.


    Seeing here in, he even gave her a reassuring smile.


    Lucia took a deep breath, stepped forward, and asked, "How are you feeling now?"


    Paul said softly, "I''m fine.Don''t worry."


    The doctor told them the do''s and don''ts and then said unhurriedly, "The wound is not serious, but it is


    in the head after all.So, I suggest you stay in the hospital for observation for one night.If everything is


    normal till tomorrow morning, you will be discharged.Remember toe to take out stitches when the


    timees."


    Paul hesitated for a moment and said, "OK, I will stay in the hospital for a night."


    When the nurse heard his words, she immediately went to prepare the ward.


    Lucia helped Paul sit up, sent him to the ward, and fetch some water for him before she sat down.


    "Paul, thank you for saving me."


    If he had not shown up, she would have been raped.


    "Never mind.We''re friends after all."


    Paul said slowly, "It''s gettingte, I''ll ask my subordinates to send you home."


    Lucia quickly refused, "No, I''ll stay with you in the hospital tonight."


    Paul had been injured for her, so she could not leave him here alone.


    Paul frowned, intending to persuade her into going back home.


    But seeing her firm expression, he swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue.


    Selfishly, he didn''t want her to go, but he didn''t want to see her tiredly staying here all night either.


    After a short while of silence, he looked at her clothes and asked, "Why did you go to Perfect Fortune?


    You''re wearing a waitress''s uniform..."


    Hearing his question, Lucia immediately responded, "I went there to look for a person.I was blocked at


    the gate because I don''t have a VIP card, so I sneaked in through a side door.I thought it would be


    easier to find him if I changed into a waitress''s uniform.But expectedly, such a thing happened."


    When Paul heard her say she had been looking for a person, the look in his eyes darkened slightly.


    He knew August was in Perfect Fortune today.


    The leak of the Lion group''s project n had aroused a sensation, so August had too many


    rtionships to maintain.


    Several otherpanies had been affected, so his business entertainment must be increased.


    Coincidentally, Paul also had been invited to Perfect Fortune by a business partner tonight.


    And he believed Lucia had gone there to look for August.

 Chapter 264

    Chapter 264


    Chapter 264 Privilege


    Seeing that Lucia didn''t want to talk about it, Paul didn''t ask any more questions.


    After drinking some water, he felt a little dizzy, so hey down to rest.


    But expectedly, he fell asleep as soon as closed his eyes.


    Seeing his gentle sleeping face, Lucia secretly felt relieved.


    A lot of things had happened today.


    And after such an incident, she felt even more overwhelmed.


    She had sneaked into Perfect Fortune to ask August about the leak of the n, but now, her efforts


    were all in vain.


    She didn''t know that the man she was thinking about had already known everything.


    August was watching the surveince video in the monitoring room with a deep frown.


    After the ambnce hade, all the customers had known there was an ident in Perfect Fortune.


    August had not cared about it at first.


    Butter, Burton hade to report to him that Lucia and Paul had been involved! Hearing their


    names, he had suddenly had some strange emotions, so he had immediately gone to inquire about


    what had happened.


    But the staff of Perfect Fortune did not know about the incident clearly, so he hade to the


    monitoring room in person.


    The surveince camera captured what had happened at the door of thevatory on the sixth floor


    clearly from the time Lucia had rushed inside to hide to the time Paul had been attacked by a wine


    bottle.


    After watching the video several times, August guessed what had happened.


    Gritting his teeth, he raised his big hand with a frown, pointed at the men on the screen with his slender


    finger, and said coldly, "Catch them!"


    They must not get away with it! They had tantly attacked Lucia and wounded Paul.


    Did they think they could escape? Did they think Perfect Fortune was their territory? Hearing this,


    Burton immediately responded, "Yes, President Adams."


    August stared at the screen and switched to the video recorded by the camera at the gate.


    In it, Lucia was holding Paul with tears in her eyes, looking pitiful.


    Seeing this, he felt quite upset, and a picture suddenly urred to his mind.


    When he had had a car ident in the underground parking lot, she had also been like this.


    He hadn''t expected her to equally care about another man.


    It turned out her nervousness, worry, and anxiety were not exclusive to him.


    [n an instant, a burst of anger rose in his heart.


    So, he frowned and slightly clenched his fists.


    Aftering out of the monitoring room, he looked at Burton and asked coldly, "Did she call you


    today?"


    Burton was stunned for a moment and then nodded, "She asked me where you are, and I told her


    you''re here.I did not expect she woulde or could sessfully sneak in."


    August narrowed his eyes slightly.He had seen Lucia''s clothes in the surveince video just now.


    She was wearing a waitress''s uniform.


    He had not expected her to be so courageous that she dared to sneak in in such a way.


    As soon as he closed his eyes, the image of her holding Paul with tears in her eyes popped into his


    mind again.


    August frowned, suppressed the hesitation in his heart, and ordered, "Find those men who attacked


    her.Let''s go back to the vi now."


    Burton hesitated for a second and asked, "Would you like to go to the hospital to see Lucia first?"


    He replied in a cold voice, "No."


    She had apanied another man to the hospital, so he would not go there to be the third wheel.


    Asking for unhappiness had never been his way of doing things.


    The next morning, the sun shone through the window into the ward.


    When the soft beam of sunshine hit Lucia¡¯s face, she looked pretty.She was sleeping peacefully while


    hunching over the edge of the bed with a coat on her body, revealing her smooth little face.


    Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    When Paul woke up and saw this scene, his heart softened a little.


    Looking at her face, he felt he could keep on doing this forever.


    She might have sensed his straightforward gaze in her sleep, moved her body, and slowly opened her


    eyes.


    When she saw Paul, she suddenly sobered up, quickly straightened up, and asked, "Are you awake?"


    Paul smiled and replied with a touch of doting in his eyes, "Yes, I just woke up."


    Feeling a little embarrassed because of his gaze, Lucia quickly rubbed her eyes and said, "I''ll ask the


    doctor to check on you right away."


    After a night in the hospital, Paul could go home to recover if everything was OK.


    The doctor came over, gave a simple examination, and instructed, "All the indicators are normal, so


    you can go home to recuperate now.


    Remember toe back for a review after three days ande to remove the stitches after five


    days."


    Hearing the doctor''s words, Lucia secretly breathed a sigh of relief.


    When the doctor left, she quickly said, "Paul, I''ll send you back.Do you want Pa..."


    "No, thanks.I''ll ask my subordinates to send me home."


    Just as he finished speaking, Lucia''s phone suddenly rang.


    Seeing that it was Jasper who was calling her, Lucia answered the call without hesitation.


    "Lucia, where are you? Why haven''t youe to thepany? President Adams arrived half an hour


    ago, and he seemed very angry to see you absent."


    When Lucia heard this, her heart skipped a beat.


    She had just woken up andpletely forgotten about going to work!


    "I...I''ll be there soon."


    After saying a few more words, she hung up the phone and looked at Paul in embarrassment.


    Before she could say anything, Paul seemed to have read her mind and said, "Go to work now.I''m


    fine.There will be no problem."


    Then, he turned his head, motioned her to look at the bedside table, and said, "I asked my


    subordinates to buy a set of clothes for you.Put them on and go directly to thepany.You will not be


    late."


    Hearing this, Lucia noticed that there was a shopping bag.She felt warm and incredibly grateful in her


    heart.


    Paul was always attentive, considering everything carefully.


    Lucia knew it was not time to say thanks now, so she epted the clothes without ceremony.


    After saying goodbye to him, she went to the bathroom to change her clothes and hurried to the


    company.


    When arriving, she was an hourte.


    As soon as she arrived at the President''s Office, Jasper hurriedly walked up to her, cautiously pointed


    in the direction of August''s office, and said, "President Adams asked you to go to meet him as soon as


    you arrive."


    Lucia suddenly felt nervous and asked, "Did he say why?"


    Jasper shook her head sympathetically and said, "No.Hurry up."


    Lucia took a deep breath, gritted her teeth, stepped forward, knocked on the door, and pushed it open


    after hearing his response from inside.


    When she walked in, August was reading a document.


    When he heard here in, he continued his work without raising his head.


    Lucia walked to the desk and stood still, waiting for him to speak first.


    But three minutester, he didn''t raise his head as if she were invisible.


    After waiting for a while, Lucia glimpsed that he had turned to thest page of the document, so she bit


    the bullet and said first, "President Adams."


    Hearing this, August frowned, looked at her with cold eyes, and closed the document in his hand.


    When his eyes swept across her clothes, his expression became sullen.


    And his tightly pursed lips finally opened when he asked, "Lucia, who gave you the privilege of


    absenteeism?"


    Was it Paul? Wasn''t she afraid of losing her job if she was absent from work to take care of him?

 Chapter 265

    Chapter 265


    Chapter 265 Having a Clear Conscience


    Facing his cold gaze, Lucia clenched her fists, hesitated for a second, and said softly, "I''m sorry, but


    there is an unexpected ident..."


    No one gave her the privilege of absenteeism.It was her fault that she waste for work, so she could


    not me him for criticizing her.


    Lucia knew she was wrong.


    So, before August could reply, she took a deep breath and apologized, "I''m sorry, President Adams.I


    won''t make the same mistake again"


    Hearing her words, August swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue.


    After a pause, he asked coldly, "Do you have anything to say about the leak of the n?"


    When Lucia heard this, her heart skipped a beat.She had nned to take the initiative to talk about this


    matter.


    But now, August had asked about it first.


    So, things had be hugely different.


    As soon as he mentioned it, she was put in a passive state.


    Since he had brought it up first, it meant he had already suspected her.


    Gritting her teeth, she looked up at him and said word by word, "I sent the n to Eaton ording to


    your order.And I didn''t do anything to harm the Lion group."


    Her tone was affirmative without any hesitation.


    Hearing this, August frowned slightly, and his expression became gloomier.


    She looked quite righteous, but the leak of the n must have something to do with her.


    August lowered his eyes, picked up the pen on the table with his slender fingers, and asked coldly, "Did


    you know that the Flying Group signed the contract with JV Multinational Group?"


    Hearing this, Lucia was slightly startled.She had heard of JV Multinational Group before.


    It was not small, but its strength was inferior to that of the Lion group.


    However, it also had resources and channels, so it was a rival that should not be underestimated.


    Unexpectedly, they had gotten that seven-hundred-million-dor project in the end.


    But it was indeed quite coincidental.


    Lucia took a deep breath, looked up at August, and replied, "No, I don''t."


    Hearing her words, he suddenly tightened his grip on the pen and said with a cold light in his eyes,


    "You don''t know? Or are you pretending not to know?"


    Then, he straightened up with a cold expression and said, "Do you know who is in charge of the project


    in JV Multinational Group?"


    Before Lucia could speak, he gave the answer, saying, "Jamie Nordhaus."


    Jamie used to have a close rtionship with her.


    When Lucia heard this, she was stunned.


    This name was both familiar and unfamiliar to her, but she hadn''t heard it for a long time.


    After a few seconds, she suddenly understood what August meant by saying this! He was suspecting


    that she had leaked the n for Jamie! She widened her eyes, looked up at him in shock, and said, "I


    didn''t know it''s him.I haven''t seen him for a long time."


    Seeing panic shing across her face, August sneered, "Really? But isn''t everything too coincidental?"


    After the business had been leaked, JV had benefited the most.It was her that had delivered the n,


    and she happened to be familiar with the person in charge of the project in JV.


    These coincidences could arouse a lot of suspicions.


    Seeing his expression, Lucia felt a little depressed and angry, so she gritted her teeth and said, "I have


    a clear conscience.But if you want to put this crime on me, I will have nothing to say."


    At such a time, if he didn''t want to believe her, she couldn''t clear her name no matter how hard she


    tried.


    Looking at her expression, August frowned and said coldly, "Since this matter has nothing to do with


    you, you must figure out a way to prove your innocence."


    Things had developed to this point, so even if he believed her, she still needed to show evidence to


    prove her innocence.


    Only in this way could she stop the crowd from ming her.


    Lucia was speechless, biting her teeth.She had no evidence at all.


    Jeanne could be said to be a witness, but she had gotten off the car halfway.


    So, Lucia still could not prove she had not done it.


    All kinds of thoughts popped into her mind together, but there was no clue.


    In the end, August looked at her coldly and said, "Fine! You can go back to work now."


    Lucia took a deep breath, responded, and turned to leave.


    The moment the door was closed, her heart was filled with coldness.


    In fact, during the moment of silence just now, she had thought a lot.


    She deserved to be under suspicion in this matter, and she was not afraid that others would use her


    or misunderstand her.


    What she cared about most was whether he believed her.


    Judging from his attitude just now, she knew that he didn''t believe her.


    Even though they had known each other for a long time and had gone through life-threatening dangers


    together, he still refused to believe her.


    After getting off work, Lucia was a little absent-minded.


    When she was about to leave thepany, she suddenly thought of Paul, so she picked up her mobile


    phone, called him, and asked, "Hey, Paul, how are you feeling?"


    She thought he was resting at home now.


    Unexpectedly, Pa smiled on the phone, "Lucia, it''s me."


    She deliberately lowered her voice and continued, "My brother fell asleep, so I answered the phone."


    Lucia understood it, so she asked softly, "How is he now?"


    "Not very good.He originally nned to go home today.But when he got to the door of the hospital, he


    suddenly felt dizzy.So, he had no choice but to continue staying in the hospital.I rushed over as soon


    as receiving the news."


    "What?"


    Lucia tightened up and asked in surprise, "So, he still needs to be hospitalized for observation, right?"


    Pa nodded, "Yes.The doctor said there may be blood stasis, so he needs to have an examination."


    Hearing this, Lucia thought for a while and said softly, "Have you eaten dinner? If not, I''ll buy something


    nearby and send it to you.I want to go over to see him."


    "Okay, it''s too boring to look after him in the hospital alone."


    After chatting with Pa, Lucia hung up the phone, bought some food, and then headed for the


    hospital.


    When she arrived, she went to the nurse station to ask for the ward number.


    Paul was still living in the original ward, so she went there straightly.


    Paul was already awake.


    When he saw Luciaing in, his eyes lit up.


    And Pa next to him pounced at her excitedly and said, "Lucia, you finally came.I''m so bored here."


    "I know.I brought you some food.See what you want to eat."


    Lucia put down the big bag in her hand and began to chat with them.


    Suddenly, the cold ward became warmer.


    After dinner, Lucia looked at Paul and asked, "Paul, how are you feeling now? Are you feeling better?"


    Paul''s expression was as gentle as usual when he said slowly, "I''m fine.It doesn''t matter if I need to


    continue staying in the hospital for a few more days until the stitches are removed.


    Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    After all, I can work here.


    "Seeing that he was in good condition, Lucia was relieved.When a nurse came to check on him, Pa


    took the opportunity to pull Lucia aside to chat.


    "Pa, Saturday ising around the corner.Why don''t you go to Figo City to prepare?"


    Pa fixed her hair and pouted, saying, "I was nning to go today, but Paul is injured.He doesn''t


    want to my parents about it, so I must stay here to take care of him.What a good sister I am!"


    Lucia hurriedly asked, "What about your show?"


    Seeing her worried look, Pa raised her hand to pat her on the shoulder and said, "Don''t worry, I''ll


    just be thereter.The show will not be affected."


    Lucia nodded, "I see.When you go there for the show, I''ll help take care of your brother here."


    Suddenly, a sly look shed across Pa''s eyes, and then she asked with a slight smile, "Lucia, do


    you like Paul?"

 Chapter 266

    Chapter 266


    Chapter 266 Prepared to Attack


    She had never seen Lucia caring so much about Paul before.


    They two became closer than before because her brother saved Lucia! It seemed that there was still


    possible that Lucia became her future sister-inw! Upon hearing what she said, blushing, Lucia


    nudged her and said in a low voice, "Don''t talk nonsense, Pa ."


    Pa showed a smile with an understanding look and then shushed without saying anything else.


    Seeing her like that, Lucia wanted tough.


    And when she was about to make fun of her, a voice suddenly came from the door.


    The door of the ward was pushed open by a young nurse, who was followed by August, the tall, cold-


    faced man.


    Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    Lucia was startled and froze in ce.


    Pa next to her raised her hand and poked her, "Lucia, he..."


    How could that scumbage here? Before they figured it out, August stepped forward and walked in.


    The nurse in the ward just finished the inspection.


    After cleaning the tray and telling something to Paul, she turned around, being about to leave.


    By then, Paul raised his head and was stunned when he saw the man walking in.


    August swept his eyes across the room lightly, and finally fell them on Paul.


    He nodded to Paul slightly, "Hello, Mr.Thomas ."


    Seeing August, Paul''s eyes turned cold, and he politely replied, "Mr.Adams , what''s the matter?"


    They were not that close.


    Obviously, August came over not to visit him.


    Without beating around the bush, August got straight to the point, "I want to have a talk with


    someone.After that, I¡¯ll leave."


    As he spoke, he turned to look at Lucia beside him, meaning so obvious without concealing anything.


    Lucia gasped in fear for seconds before she stabilized her mind.


    Despite not knowing what August wanted to do, she still looked quite calm, "Mr.Adams , what''s the


    matter?"


    "Come out."


    After saying those words, August turned around to leave the ward.


    Lucia was startled, and before she could react, Pa next to her said dissatisfiedly, "How rude! Lucia, I


    think you should not go."


    Lucia took a deep breath and gritted her teeth before she said softly, "I''ll go out for a while, and be back


    soon."


    After that, she gave Pa a reassuring smile and walked out.


    Since August came here to find, there must be something important.


    After walking out of the ward, she saw a tall figure standing not far away and stepped forward,


    "Mr.Adams, what''s the matter?"


    August turned his head and looked at Lucia, his eyes darkened, and a sarcastic smile appearing on his


    lips, "You came to the hospital directly after work.You really care about Paul."


    The tant sarcasm in his words made Lucia frown ufortably.


    She neither admitted nor denied his words, "What''s the matter?"


    After frowning for seconds, August finally regained hisposure and said, "Did anything unexpected


    happen the day you went to deliver the n?"


    Unexpected? At that moment, a face crossed Lucia''s mind, and she was suddenly a little nervous.


    After hesitating for a moment, she opened her mouth and said lightly, "No."


    Upon hearing this, August seemed to be a little down, and he asked again, "Really?"


    Lucia took a deep breath and said in a firm tone, "No."


    She pretended to be calm, but some panic shed across her eyes.


    Speaking of something unexpected, it could only be Jeanne.


    But Jeanne, August''s girlfriend, couldn''t have done something to betray him.


    If she told him the truth, it would not help to solve the problem.


    What''s worse, it might cause trouble to Jeanne and August.


    So after considering for a little, she thought it was better for her to deny it from the beginning.


    Besides, she owed Jeanne a favor.


    August looked at her while fixing his eyes on her, as if to see through her.


    At the end, he withdrew his gaze, "Well, I see."


    After that, he turned around and walked away.


    Burton, who was on the side, quickly followed.


    Seeing both of them leaving, Lucia let out a sigh of relief and turned back to the ward, while August got


    on the elevator with a gloomy expression .


    Burton couldn''t help asking, "Mr.Adams, it is clear in the surveince that Ms.Kelly also got into


    Ms.Mitchell ''s car.They left together.Why didn''t Ms.Mitchell tell you that?"


    It was normal for people to tell everything fishy in order to prove that they were innocent.But as for


    Lucia, she didn¡¯t say anything about it.


    What''s more, she chose to conceal it.


    August frowned, looking a little serious.


    The reason why he went to investigate these was to help her, but he hadn''t expected her not to


    cooperate at all.


    "Forget it.It''s her own business."


    After saying those words, August pursed his lips tightly, not wanting to say anything more about Lucia .


    It was a heavy burden for to the Lion group that the n was leaked.


    What''s worse, another incident happened the next morning, which added fuel on the fire.


    Early in the morning, the scandal about August and a female star named Adeline was spreading


    everywhere.


    The front pages of several major media in Austos City were all about this news, which said that the


    female star''s underground romance was exposed and her mysterious boyfriend was the president of


    the Lion group.


    A photo of them two people was posted, where the star supported the man out of the car and walked


    into the hotel together, looking very intimate.


    The two people could be vaguely identified in the unclear photos, and even the media had found other


    photos of they two walking together, from which it could be known when they started their rtionship.


    This event was a sensation not only for the showbiz but also or the business circle of Austin City.


    Adeline was one of the hottest actresses with many good resources.


    It was said online that she had a sugar daddy who was exposed to be August Adams, a famous rich


    bachelor in the business world.


    The news that they were together would definitely spark a discussion online.


    In the President''s Office, the secretaries were very busy.


    "Mr.Adam, the stock has been falling."


    Burton, with his eyebrows frowned, showed theptop in his hand to August.


    Thetter waved his hand, stood up and walked to the window, keeping silent.


    From the moment he read the news, he had already guessed it.


    Things happened one after another, and it was obvious that the foe was prepared.


    And after so many thing happened, it was impossible for stocks not to fall.


    Burton frowned and asked worriedly, "Mr.Adams, what should we do now?"


    August said in a cold voice, "The public view can''t be controlled for a while, let the PR department try to


    deal with it.That''s all what we can do."


    "Is it necessary to hold a press conference to rify? You are not in that rtionship with Adeline as


    the rumor said.And Ms.Kelly''s..."


    After pondering for a moment, August ordered coldly, "Send an official announcement, but it might not


    be of much use.And tell Adeline to ask her studio to issue an announcement as well."


    As soon as he finished speaking, there was a knock on the door.


    Immediately after that, the door was pushed open, and Lucia came in a somewhat anxious voice,


    "Mr.Adams, the shareholders have requested a meeting."


    Hearing that, August raised his brows, but did not speak.


    What frightened him most wasn¡¯t the public opinion on the Inte, but those tricky executives in the


    company who were hard to deal with.


    They, like a time bomb, might pull him down from the position of president at any time!

 Chapter 267

    Chapter 267


    Chapter 267 Maybe She Thinks Too Much


    August frowned for a moment before turning around.


    Seeing the man''s bright ck eyes on herself, Lucia, who was ina nervous mood, became even more


    upset.


    In just a few hours in the morning during which the incident was exposed, the event sparked a


    discussion in the public with a master faster speed than what she imagined.


    Even she could feel the urgency and pressure.


    This was the first time she had experienced such a stressful time in the two years she had worked in


    the Lion group .


    "Come here."


    The man''s low and maic voice sounded.


    Lucia returned to her senses, met his eyes, and stepped forward.


    After approaching him, she asked, "Mr.Adams, what do you want me to do?"


    The man ordered, calmly, "You should reject all requests, including those from senior shareholders.You


    can tell them that I am thinking about remedies to protect the President''s Office, understand?"


    Lucia took a deep breath, feeling somewhat moved in her heart.


    August said this to her, showing that he still trusted her.She raised her eyes to meet his, and nodded


    earnestly, "Okay, Mr.Adams."


    Since he believed her, she would naturally help him by his side unconditionally.


    With just a nce, the two seemed to have reached a consensus.


    After Lucia left the office, August turned to look at Burton, "Go check it out who is secretly adding oil to


    fires and manipting public opinions.Follow my order about what to be do next."


    Burton cheered himself up and said immediately, "Yes."


    "Well, you can leave down."August said, but Burton didn''t mean to leave.He stood there, obviously


    wanting to say something.


    August looked at him, "What''s wrong?"


    Burton hesitated about what to say before he finally opened his mouth, "Mr.Adams, I want to take a


    leave of absence."


    N?velDrama.Org ? content.


    Pa had a performance in Figo City on Saturday which was tomorrow and he wanted to watch that,


    so he should leave tonight.


    August frowned slightly, "What are you going to do?"


    In the few years that Burton followed August, he took very few leave.


    Now under such a serious situation of the Lion group, Burton''s departure would make August lose his


    right-hand man.


    Seemingly embarrassed, Burton paused before whispering, "Pa is going to Figo City for a charity


    performance tomorrow..."


    He had thought August would not let him go when hearing this reason, but it only took seconds for the


    man to say in a low voice, "Okay."


    Burton looked up in shock at August , "Really?"


    The corners of August''s lips twitched slightly, and he said lightly, "It''s rare for you to ask for a leave of


    absence.How can I reject?"


    "Mr.Adams, if you reject, I won''t have any disagreement..."


    If August said he needed him, he would stay.


    Yet out of August¡¯s expectation, August agreed so simply .


    August raised his eyes which seemed to be flickering with a smile, "Go, don''t let me down."


    Upon hearing that, Burton felt quite surprised.


    And he nodded before exited the room.


    The moment the door closed, the curvature of August ''s lips deepened.


    If it were him, he would definitely go there for the woman he loves.


    For a moment, this thought shed in his mind, and for some reason, he thought of Lucia inexplicably ,


    the little woman''s cheeks were pink, and it shed by, just for that moment.


    After a few seconds, August frowned slightly.


    How could he think of her at such a time? Before he could understand, the phone on the table suddenly


    rang, August raised his hand and took a look, his eyes stopped briefly.


    Taking a deep breath, he picked up the phone, "Hello, Dad."


    Eliot ''s voice like a bell came from the other end of the phone , "


    August , what''s going on with you! Don''t tell me anything about such a big thing! The stock is about to


    hit its limit, have you? Think of any remedy?"


    A series of questions poured in, August frowned ufortably, and finally replied lightly, "Dad, I''ll


    figure it out."


    He had nothing to say about his father.


    Although he said on the surface that he was taking Mrs.Yu abroad to live in old age and enjoy his old


    age in peace, it was unclear who it was, and the power in thepany was always firmly in his hands.


    The equity held by him alone is an overwhelming existence.


    So the Lion group suddenly had an ident, and he couldn''t sit still after all.


    Raising his hand and pressing his eyebrows, August forbeared the irritability in his heart, "Dad, don''t


    worry, I''ll take care of it."


    This panacea reply didn''t help Eliot here, he snorted coldly, and then said, "I''m really worried, so your


    aunt and I decided to go back to China for a while."


    August was slightly startled, "When are you going toe back?"


    "The ticket has been booked, tomorrow morning, to Austos City in the evening ."


    Hearing the sound, August frowned.


    The ne ticket has been booked in advance, and it was dyed until now to call him to talk about it.


    This is obviously not a discussion, but a notification.


    Although he felt a little ufortable, he still responded smoothly , "Okay, send me the flight


    information, and I will pick you up tomorrow"


    Eliot didn''t seem to be in a good mood, and he didn''t have much patience, so he coldly ordered, "You


    settle the matter as soon as possible, as well as your messy private life, let me clean it up, is it clear!"


    Hearing Eliot''s irritated voice, August answered twice, until he hung up the phone directly.


    August had a hunch that Eliot ''s return this time was probably not just because of this sudden incident.


    This time, once he brought that woman back, he probably wouldn''t leave easily.


    And what was waiting for him, he couldn''t predict.busy for more than an hour, Lucia and the assistants


    in the president''s office finally breathed a sigh of relief.


    Thendline on the table has not been stopped since morning, and now it is finally possible to clean up


    for a while.


    "Ms.Mitchell ,e, drink some water."


    Melinda was tired too, but still didn''t forget to pour Lucia a ss of water .


    "Thank you."


    Lucia smiled at her, and just picked up the cup and took a sip to moisten her throat when thendline


    on the table rang again.


    She took a deep breath and raised her hand to take it, "Hello, the president''s office."


    "This is the front desk, Ms.Mitchell , Ms.Kelly went upstairs just now.Now is a special period.I''ll report to


    you after thinking about it"


    Lucia heard the sound, frowned, and said softly, "Okay."


    One morning, many media reporters came to thepany to ask for an interview.She asked the front


    desk to stop her.She didn''t expect that Jeanne would suddenlye over at this time, which surprised


    her.She got up and left the office, walked to the door, waited for a while, and saw Jeanneing out of


    the elevator.


    In fact, she still had some doubts about what happenedst time.


    When she was ina trance, Jeanne came over, waved at her and smiled, "Lucia !"Lucia curled her lips


    and said softly, "Ms.Kelly is here to find Mr.Adams , I have to report first before you can enter."


    Jeanne tilted her head and smiled, with a sweet smile , "Okay, you can report first, I will cooperate with


    your work."


    Seeing that there was nothing unusual on her face, and her eyes were open and frank, Lucia put away


    the suspicion in her heart, turned around and walked towards the office.


    How could the leak of the n have anything to do with Jeanne ? Maybe she thought too much.

 Chapter 268

    Chapter 268


    Chapter 268 Walking to the door of the office, she raised her hand and knocked on the door, pushing


    the door to report, " Mr.Adams, Ms.Kelly is here."


    The man sat in front of the desk, his face was not very good-looking, he paused for two seconds, and


    then raised his chin slightly, "Well, let her in."


    When Lucia heard this, she turned around when she saw that Jeanne hade forward, smiled at her,


    and walked directly into the office.


    The door closed, immediately blocking Lucia''s vision, she took a deep breath, stabilized her emotions,


    and turned to the other side.


    In the office, Jeanne stepped forward, a little aggrieved.


    August looked up at her and asked in a light tone , "Why are you here?"


    Jeanne ''s eyes turned red instantly, "I didn''t want toe here, for fear of causing trouble for you, but


    seeing the news this morning...I really can''t sit still."


    August and the female star Adeline on the Inte.


    How can she rest assured ? In the early morning, she struggled again and again, and finally, she still


    came here.


    First, because of the rtionship between Adeline and August , she wanted to ask clearly, and second,


    she stopped by to check to see if Lucia had given her out.


    She sniffed and asked aggrievedly , "August , those on the news aren''t true, are they?"


    August ''s heart was unbearably irritable , he raised his hand and pressed his eyebrows, his voice


    became a little deeper, "Jean, is it true that you still don''t know?"


    He looked up at her, "Or, you also Did you believe those?"


    Seemingly because his eyes were too intimidating, Jeanne ''s back froze, and she hurried forward,


    reaching out and grabbing August ''s arm, "August, I''m just too confused, I didn''t believe you..."


    With that, she looked like she was about to cry, so pitiful.


    August softened a bit, reached out to hold her hand, and said softly, "I don''t mean to me you, don''t


    think about it."


    Jeanne sniffed, tightened the hand that held his arm, and said softly, "I know, August , I also want to do


    something for you to help you share..."


    August said in a slow voice, "Just be fine.I''ll apany you when I''m done with thepany''s affairs."


    Jeanne smiled and asked, "Okay, I''m obedient, so let''s have dinner together tonight?"


    "There''s an entertainment tonight."


    "What about tomorrow night?"


    August frowned slightly, and after a pause, "My father returns to China tomorrow night, and I''m going to


    pick him up."


    When Jeanne heard the sound, a gleam of light shed in her eyes, and she said with some surprise ,


    "Uncle wille back tomorrow? Then I''ll go with you."


    The return of August ''s father was a great opportunity for her.


    Originally, they nned to get engaged, but now that the parents of the two sides met, the marriage


    was a sure bet! Hearing the sound, August didn''t hesitate and said directly, "No need for now, wait for


    them to rest, and then make an appointment for you to meet another day."


    When Jeanne heard this, she was a little disappointed, but she nodded obediently, "Okay, I''ll listen to


    you."


    She knew in her heart that if she insisted on going, it might backfire, so she might as well take a step


    back and think of other ways.


    All in all, she must find a way to get her parents and August ''s family to meet, even if there is no


    chance, she will make a chance encounter! Early in the morning the next day, as soon as the stock


    market opened, the Lion group ''s shares fell all the way.


    Just when various media on the Inte were watching jokes, August urgently epted an interview


    with reporters, "The cooperation n between the Lion group and the Flying Group leaked, leading to


    important data leakage, although this time the Lion group and the Flying Group leaked.The cooperation


    between Flying Group has not been reached, but the sale and purchase cannot be done.I believe that


    next time, we will have the opportunity to reach new cooperation."


    In addition, he also mentioned the scandal about him and Adeline on the Inte , took the initiative to


    rify the rtionship between the two, and apologized to everyone, "I''m sorry for taking up social


    resources this time because of my personal problems, here I publicly rify , I will no longer respond to


    other inquiries, in addition, if there are still some inappropriate remarks, I will ask thewyer to issue a


    lawyer''s letter in the name of the Lion group "


    These words blocked the mouths of many people.


    While admitting their mistakes, they warned the rumour-mongers.


    Invisibly, they have saved a lot of face for the Lion group .It is precisely because of the interview that


    the downward trend of the Lion group ¡®s stock market has slowed down.


    But the Lion group had already suffered huge losses, and there was no way to reverse it for a while.


    While the situation was slowing down, the Lion group also breathed a sigh of relief.


    afternoon , August called an emergency department meeting, and Lucia and Melinda both stayed


    outside.


    Melinda was a little sleepy, so she found a topic to chat with Lucia , I haven''t seen Harris since the


    morning interview, why isn''t he here?"


    Lucia said casually, "I don''t know either."


    After the words fell, she suddenly remembered that today is the day of Pa''s charity performance.


    Burton is not here, so she must have gone to Figo City to find Pa .


    She thought so, and couldn''t help but twitch her lips.


    Melinda next to her rubbed her eyes, "I don''t know if I have to work overtime tomorrow, it''s been really


    tiring these two days."


    Lucia smiled, heard the sound from the conference room, raised her hand and patted Melinda ''s


    shoulder lightly, "Just hold on, it seems that the meeting is over."


    As soon as the meeting was dismissed, Melinda nodded and cheered up.


    Soon, the door of the conference room opened, and the heads of various departments came out one


    by one.


    Seeing Carter from the administration department , Lucia smiled at her and greeted her silently.


    Then she walked into the conference room and started to pack her things .


    August sat at the conference table and didn''t move.


    He looked up to see Luciaing, and then got up slowly, "Don''t put it away, go back and clean up,


    and go out with me."


    Lucia gasped, "Me? Okay..."


    This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.


    She rarely apanied August out.


    It was always done by Burton before .


    This time, when Burton was away, he had to take someone with him when he wanted to go out.


    Lucia went back and simply cleaned up, touched up her makeup, and then followed August out .


    After getting in the car, Lucia didn''t ask much, until she noticed that the car was heading towards the


    suburbs, she couldn''t help but turn her head to look at the man beside her,"Mr.Adams , where are


    we...?"


    I thought August was going to socialize, but looking at this posture, it obviously didn''t look like it.


    The man who was reading the documents heard the sound and slowly turned his head to look at her.


    His eyes were ck and white, without any fluctuation, "Go to the airport and pick up my father."


    Lucia said in surprise, "Huh?"


    When she heard that she was going to meet August ¡®s father

 Chapter 269

    Chapter 269


    Chapter 269 Should I be Punished?


    Hearing the voice on the other end of the phone, August ¡®s face suddenly turned gloomy.


    He tightened his brows and asked coldly , "I have already booked a hotel for my father to pick up the


    wind and dust, why did I suddenly return to the old house?"


    Seeing to hear the displeasure in August ''s tone, Bishop lightly exined with a chuckle, "Dad said he


    wanted to go back to see Grandma first, so he went back to the old house first."


    August frowned, said nothing, hung up the phone, and turned to walk back.


    Seeing this situation, Lucia quickly followed and asked, "Mr.Adams , what''s the matter?"


    "The person was picked up by Bishop and returned to the old house."


    Saying that, they got into the car one after the other, and after instructing the driver, August tilted his


    head, stared at her with dark eyes, raised his lips and said, "If you don''t want to go with me, I''ll let the


    driver take you aler.go back."


    Although August didn''t say a few more words, Lucia could feel the coldness emanating from him.


    She took a deep breath and said in a businesslike manner , "It''s okay, I''ll go with you."


    Hearing that, August didn''t say anything more.


    The ck car sped all the way, and an hour had passed when it arrived at the old house.


    The car stopped in the yard, got out of the car, Lucia quickly followed August and followed him through


    the gate.


    When they got to the door, before they even went in, they already heard the sound of conversations


    coming from inside.


    The moment she stepped into the door, Lucia saw that August ''s back stiffened for a moment, and


    when she came back to her senses, someone had already walked in.


    She hurriedly followed, and as soon as she looked up, she saw the people sitting on the sofa.


    Except for the grandmother and Bishop and Bob in wheelchairs next to her, the other sitting on the sofa


    was a spirited middle-aged man, and he The woman beside her was well-maintained, gracefully


    dressed, and looked a dozen years younger than the man.


    Needless to say, these two are August ''s father Eliot and Bishop ''s biological mother Christina .


    Eliot and Christina raised their eyes when they heard the sound, and the moment they saw August , the


    smiles on their faces closed in unison , especially Eliot , with a bit of coldness in the bottom of his eyes,


    and looked at August vaguely .


    August stepped forward and bowed respectfully to say hello, "Father, Auntie."


    Christina hooked her lips and smiled, with a kind look, and said with a smile, "


    August , sit down, we''ve been waiting for you for a long time."


    "Humph""


    Eliot ''s face sank suddenly, "Who let him sit! Kneel down for me!"


    Everyone was stunned, and even Bishop next to him shed a bit of surprise.


    Grandma was also surprised, and quickly asked, "Eliot , what are you doing! August just came back,


    and he didn''t make any mistakes..."


    "Isn''t he not sure if he made a mistake?"


    Eliot clenched his fists, the blue veins on his forehead gathered, his sharp and powerful eyes stared


    straight at August , "Kneel down for me!"


    Hearing the sound, August paused for a moment, and after two seconds, he stepped forward with a


    nk expression , bent his knees, and knelt down.


    The man has long hands and feet, so he knelt down like this, with a straight back and a firm face.


    Except for some wrinkles at the bend of his trousers, there was no embarrassment at all.


    Lucia felt a little uneasy.He didn''t expect that August would be ordered to kneel by Eliot as soon as he


    got home .


    Could it be because of the n that he would be punished? Eliot got up and asked in a deep voice, "Do


    you know why I made you kneel!"


    August lowered his eyes, his profile cut like a knife was as cold as ever, "The leak of the n is my


    negligence"


    "Is there only a n?"


    Eliot snorted coldly, "First of all, let''s not talk about the project of losing 700 million yuan, and now you


    are in all kinds of messes outside, and the news of humiliating your family is spreading ! The Adams


    family will lose money, right?"


    August frowned slightly and said coldly, "Father, it''s my fault."


    Lucia stood aside, like a transparent person, and her heart sank when she heard him take all the


    mistakes like this.


    Eliot came back from abroad this time, specifically for this matter.


    Judging from this posture, he would definitely not end well.


    Sure enough, his icy voice sounded, "Since you admit it, then say it yourself, should you be punished!"


    Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    August lowered his eyebrows and raised his lips, "You should be punished."


    Eliot was furious, and immediately ordered his subordinate Joey , "Familyw please!"


    Joey couldn''t wait, and immediately went to get the familyw.


    The beef tendon leather whip is more than one meter long, with ayer of fine barbs on it.


    Once the whip goes down, even the belt is hooked up , and it will be bloody.


    The grandmother on the side saw the whip in Joey ''s hand, her face turned pale with fright, she


    hurriedly looked at Eliot , and persuaded, "Eliot , you can''t do anything at home..."


    The Adams family ''s ancestors have been big families for several generations.


    Naturally, they have their own patriarchalw, and the familyw is also passed down.


    This whip has also been touched for many years.


    This time Eliot asked familyw to punish August , which was really angry.


    Lucia was also frightened.She stood where she was, not taking a step forward, not taking a step


    back.She was in an embarrassing situation, and her heart was still hanging in her throat because she


    was worried about August .


    But she was an outsider after all, so she couldn''t intervene , nor was she qualified to take care of it.


    Facing grandma''s dissuasion, Eliot said firmly , "Mother, don''t worry about this."


    He took the whip from Joey ''s hand and looked at August coldly .


    Christina on the side also quickly persuaded, "Eliot , although August made a mistake this time, it is not


    irreversible.Forget it this time, but I can''t really make a move..."


    It sounded like he was speaking for August , but he subtly confirmed August ''s guilt, and emphasized


    his mistake again in front of Eliot .


    Not only did he not relieve the anger in his heart, but it made him even more angry.


    "No one is allowed to take care of this matter!"


    Eliot ¡®splexion was ashen, his eyes swept over August , who was kneeling on the ground, and he


    asked coldly, "


    The century-old heritage of the Adams family is not for you to squander! Think about how it was back


    then.


    Promise me! You said it yourself, should you be punished!"


    August ''s eyes flickered slightly, and after a moment''s pause, he said resolutely , "It should be


    punished, I have no objection."


    As soon as these words came out, there was no room for the matter to return to the world.


    Eliot clenched the handle of the whip tightly, his eyes shed coldly, and he walked over.He seemed to


    hesitate for a moment, but in the next second, he raised his hand, the whip as soft as a water snake


    pierced the air, and threw it directly on August ''s back with a sound of "Boom!" the sound of "Crack!",


    August ''s body shook, but his waist was still straight, and the barbs on the whip ripped through his coat.


    "Hey!"


    The second whip went down, and the clothes on the back were even more torn, and blood was seeping


    out.


    Grandma''s face turned pale, and she couldn''t bear to raise her hands to cover her eyes, while Christina


    on the other side couldn''t help but raise the corners of her lips, and there was a hint of tion and


    excitement in her eyes.


    As soon as she returned to Austos City to see such a good show, she was naturally relieved.


    On the other side, Bishop ''s expression remained the same, but his eyes were fixed on August''s


    straight waist .


    There are a total of ten

 Chapter 270

    Chapter 270


    Chapter 270 She Also Has Responsibilities


    When the next whip fell, Eliot said coldly, "Count it yourself! There are ten whips in total!"


    "Hey!"


    The ground mmed down again with a whip! August ''s brows furrowed, and his voice seemed to be


    squeezed from between his tightly clenched teeth, "Four!"


    "Five!"


    Lucia stood there, looking at the back covered with long scars, her hands were extremely cold, the red


    blood had stained the man''s entire back, and the blood was terrifyingly blurred.


    Grandma couldn''t stand it any longer and stood up tremblingly , "Eliot ! Are you really going to beat my


    grandson to death!"


    Blue veins burst on Eliot ''s forehead, "There are nationalws and family rules, he is not only your


    grandson, but also my son!"


    He said, raised his hand again, and mmed it down!


    "seven!"


    "Eight!"


    Grandma stood up abruptly and reached out to block, "Eliot , don''t fight anymore!"


    A further blow would really cost August half of his life.


    At this moment, the man''s forehead was covered with sweat, and his body was trembling slightly.


    Eliot refused to step back, and said solemnly, "The n leaked, thepany¡¯s stock fell, and ten whips


    are not enough!"


    After speaking, he turned back and ordered, "Joey ,e and pull the olddy away!"


    After hitting, he must hit enough, otherwise, where will the Adams family''s familyw be ced! The


    moment he raised his hand again, Lucia , who was beside him, suddenly gritted his teeth and rushed


    up to block August .


    The whip of "Hey!" pped her back directly.


    Lucia groaned, a small facepletely wrinkled.


    At that moment, she only felt as if something tugged at her flesh and tore it violently.


    The moment the flesh and blood was exposed to the air, pain swept over her.


    It was really painful, the pain was almost unbearable.


    Everyone was shocked, obviously they didn''t expect someone to rush up suddenly, and when they saw


    clearly that it was Lucia , the look of surprise in their eyes grew stronger.


    Grandma cried, "Lucia , how did you..."


    August also didn''t expect Lucia to rush over to block the whip for him, and his face changed suddenly,


    "Get out of the way!"


    Lucia gasped, gritted her teeth and said, "If you want to be punished, you should punish me along with


    it."


    Eliot ''s face was ashen, the back of his hand holding the handle of the whip turned white, and he said


    coldly, "What are you! Why do you interfere in our family''s affairs!"


    Lucia endured the pain, gritted her teeth and said, "I had a certificate with Mr.Adams before.Although I


    am divorced now, I am still half of the Adams family , and I am also responsible for the leak of the


    n..."


    August ''s expression suddenly changed, "What nonsense are you talking about!"


    Lucia ''s face was pale, and she did not respond to August .


    She looked at Eliot with stubborn ck eyes and said word by word, "Uncle, I am Mr.Adams¡¯ secretary


    now, and the n was handed over to the Flying Group ''s, during this period, there is also the


    possibility of leakage, so I am also at fault."


    For a while, the air was quiet for a while.


    Lucia gritted her teeth and continued, "Also, regarding the scandal, I can prove that Mr.Adams and


    Miss Adeline are just business contacts, and there is no improper rtionship."


    August ''s eyes wereplicated, and he was speechless for a while.


    "Get a certificate?"


    Eliot squinted his eyes, his face ugly, "Don''t fool me!"


    By now, the atmosphere has entered the white-hot stage, and grandma has red eyes on the side, "


    Eliot , Lucia is right, they did get the certificate, butter..."


    Seeing Eliot frown, Bishop echoed, "Dad, what she said is true."


    This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.


    This time, it was Eliot and Christina ''s turn to be dumbfounded.


    Joey nced at the pale-faced August , stepped forward, and said softly, "Master, this is the end of the


    matter, it''s just thest blow."


    It''s not good for anyone to stay in a stalemate.


    Eliot ''s eyes narrowed a little, nced at Lucia , and said coldly, "Since you are willing to take


    punishment for him, I will fulfill you!"


    With that, he raised the whip and pped Lucia ''s back hard.


    "Crack!"


    Lucia ''s body shook violently, trembling all over.


    This was beyond the pain range she could bear.


    Fortunately, the ten whips of familyw have ended.


    Eliot handed the whip to Joey , turned to August , and said coldly, "I hope this time, I can give you a


    memory!"


    and hurriedly instructed the servant, "Call the family doctor and have hime over immediately!"


    for therge wounds on August ''s back now , no one can''t help but feel terrified.


    Although Lucia only received two whips, her shirt has been torn, revealing the wound on her back.


    Grandma immediately ordered the maid toe over, put clothes on Lucia and cover her body, "Take


    Lucia to the guest room upstairs!"


    Eliot returned to the room with a gloomy expression on his hands, Christina gave a few words, and


    then left, the rest of the servants hurriedly helped August and Lucia into the room.


    There was chaos in the hall of the old house on this side, while outside the spacious and bright hotel


    box on the other side, there were also people worried and anxious.


    Jeanne has been wandering in the corridor for half an hour without seeing August .


    She can''t wait to call him immediately and ask him why he didn''te, but when she thinks that this is


    an "idental encounter" of her own making, this is really inappropriate , had to press the impulse.


    "Jean ."


    Martin couldn''t wait any longer.


    He came out of the box and saw Jeanne pacing back and forth in the corridor.He couldn''t help frowning


    and asked, "My mother and I have been waiting here for nearly two hours., why hasn''t anyonee


    over yet!"


    Originally , Jeanne had said that August ''s parents were going back to China.


    She specifically inquired about the hotel that August had booked, and deliberately booked a box next to


    them, in order to create a chance encounter, so that the two parents could meet as soon as possible to


    settle the marriage.


    I didn''t expect to wait here and there.


    After waiting for nearly two hours, no one came! Naturally, the anger in his heart could not be


    suppressed.


    Jeanne blushed anxiously, she bit her lip, and said without confidence , "I don''t know what''s going on?


    The information I inquired clearly stated that he had reserved a box, and it stands to reason that he


    should have already picked it up by this time.It''s my uncle and aunt, why didn''t youe?"


    "Humph""


    Martin snorted coldly, "I told you to keep things calm, what are you doing here? You and I have been


    waiting here for so long, and in the end I''m not sure if they will Come!"


    Jeanne was trained to say nothing.She nced at the time, took a deep breath and said, "Forget it,


    Dad, maybe they have something to do temporarily.Let''s eat first, and we''ll talk about the meeting next


    time."


    Hearing this, Martin threw his sleeves unhappily, turned and walked into the box .


    During this meal, Jeanne was restless .


    As soon as she got home, she made a phone call, "Go and check August ''s whereabouts! I want


    details!"


    She must know what happened .


    Clearly! Within half an hour, the phone came, and a man''s voice came from the other end, "Miss,


    something happened to August When Jeanne heard this, she instantly became nervous, "What''s wrong


    with him!"


    "Eliot and Christina got off the ne and were taken back to the old house.August was fined and


    whipped because of thepany''s affairs "


    "What? He...how is he now!"


    The man over there continued to report, "The Adams family ''s servant said that he was seriously


    injured, but the secretary he brought over blocked him with two whips."


    When Jeanne heard the sound, she only felt a thud in her ear, and her mind went nk.

 Chapter 271

    Chapter 271


    Chapter 271 The Brother and Sister''s Masterpiece


    Now there is only one secretary around August , and that is Lucia ! She suddenly became angry, gritted


    her teeth and asked, "What happened, tell me exactly what happened !"


    She asked her subordinates to bribe the servants of the Adams family ''s old house, and any news


    would naturally be immediately avable.


    You know, when she heard that August actually brought Lucia home to see the elders first, she was not


    angry.


    The subordinate over there immediately repeated all the details.


    Jeanne became more and more angry.


    The moment she heard Lucia blocking the whip for August , she raised her hand and directly grabbed


    the cup on the table in front of her and threw it against the wall.


    "Bang!"


    With a sound, she gritted her teeth in anger, her chest heaving up and down.


    "What qualifications does a secretary of hers have to defend August ! Are you ying tricks! Are you


    trying to deceive August ''s sympathy!"


    The man over there paused for a moment and said softly, "Miss, it''s actually good, at least August can


    get two less whips, and you can use this as an excuse to go to the old house, and then you will


    naturally be able to see the parents."


    As soon as these words came out, Jeanne was stunned, and the anger in her heart dissipated a little.


    That''s right, this is an opportunity, it depends on whether she can seize it ! Moreover, after such a


    commotion, Lucia was greatly reduced in front of Eliot , just in time for her to swear her sovereignty in


    the past! Lucia is just August ''s secretary, and she is his real girlfriend! "You''re right, Mark , keep an


    eye on me, and report to me as soon as you have any news!"


    "Yes, ma''am."


    After hanging up the phone, Jeanne was still in a bad mood.She gritted her teeth and hated Lucia even


    more in her heart.


    At this moment, a voice came from outside the door, "Miss, are you okay?"


    The sound of the ss breaking just now attracted the servant.


    Jeanne walked over, pushed the door open, saw the maid outside the door, and said coldly , "The


    water ss is broken, go and clean it up, clean it up for me before Ie out!"


    Abandoning these words, she nced at the maid, turned and walked into the bathroom, ready to take


    a bath.She has to prepare well, there is a tough battle to be fought tomorrow, and she must let Lucia be


    defeated by her! When Jeanne came out of the bathroom, the servant had wiped the floor clean and


    was packing up to go.


    She was in a bad mood, frowned, looked at the servant and said, "Why is it so slow? It''s annoying to be


    dawdling in front of my eyes!" maid bowed respectfully and apologized, "I''m sorry, miss, I''ll go now."


    Jeanne rolled her eyes and was about to close the door when she saw Merlin who had juste up


    from the first floor .


    Merlin seemed to have drank a lot, squinted slightly, saw Jeanne , and suddenly burst outughing,


    teasing, "Who has provoked...my good sister? Make such a big fire?"


    Jeanne bit her lip and said, "Brother, August was beaten several times by Uncle Eliot today , and he


    was seriously injured ...


    "As soon as he heard the words * Uncle Eliot ", Merlin suddenly regained his senses.


    He stumbled forward, squinted his eyes and asked, "Eliot is back?"


    "Yeah, it seems that it''s because of the Lion group incident this time..."


    Jeanne said, a little guilty, and her voice became smaller and smaller. the Lion group this time , there is


    also her "credit".


    She didn''t think much about the consequences in order to frame Lucia .She didn''t expect that not only


    did she not pull Lucia into the water, but she hurt her beloved.


    Merlin next to him suddenly sneered, "He deserves to be punished!"


    When Jeanne heard this, she couldn''t help frowning, "Brother, what are you talking about!"


    "What! What I said...the truth! I wish he was beaten! I am so happy when he was beaten!"


    Merlin was very drunk , hehe smiled, and his body was nted, "So, I will pay for it.I tried my best to


    expose the scandal, and I didn''t waste my time..."


    Heughed and stumbled towards his room, while Jeanne froze in ce, looking terrified.


    What did he mean just now? Expose scandal? Could it be that those rumors of August and Adeline


    were exposed by Merlin ! Jeanne was startled, reacted suddenly, and quickly walked to Merlin ''s room,


    pushed open the door and walked in, "Brother, what did you just say!"


    Merlin was so drunk that he was lying on the bed, and his consciousness was no longer sober.


    As soon as Jeanne approached, she smelled the alcohol all over him, frowned and stretched out his


    hand to tug at his clothes, "Brother, you just said that the scandal was exposed, what the hell is going


    on!"


    Merlin snorted twice, didn''t respond, turned his head and went back to sleep.


    Jeanne called out a few more times, but he didn''t respond.


    In the darkness, she stood at the end of the bed.


    Although she didn''t hear the answer she wanted to know from Merlin , she already had the answer in


    her heart.


    August and Adeline ¡®s untrue scandal was exposed, and there was a lot of uproar.


    This must have something to do with Merlin ! It means that the turmoil that the Lion group has


    experienced this time, from the leak of the nning book, to the exposure of the scandal, these two


    events, one after the other, not only wiped out the 700 million project, but also let the Lion group go to


    waste.


    The group''s stock plummeted, all of which, in the final analysis, came from the hands of their brothers


    and sisters...moment, Jeanne felt a chill in her heart and felt a little overwhelmed.


    Originally, she expected that no one would suspect her when the n was leaked, but now she can''t


    be sure.


    If someone finds Merlin, follow the clues, maybe find her too, then...what should she do? If August


    knew that this was what their brother and sister did, he would definitely not forgive her! The more


    Jeanne thought about it , the more frightened she became.


    She went back to the room in a panic , a sense of horror welled up in her heart.


    She can''t be found, absolutely not, otherwise she and August will have no future! On the other side, the


    countryside on the east side of Figo City .


    The location of this charity performance is set in the suburbs, in order to collect donations from left-


    behind children in several nearby viges, and the performance venue is set in the middle of several


    viges.


    This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.


    The performance troupe ended the performance.


    After a hard day, the representatives of several viges naturally wanted to express their gratitude to


    the performance troupe and treat them as hosts.


    Pa was tired all day, and after a while at the dinner table, she just found a reason to go back to the


    room first.


    There are naturally no high-end hotels near the vige, and the best ce to stay is a farmhouse.


    When she went back, she realized how dark the road was.


    The deep and winding path stretches upwards, and only when you reach the door of the resident is


    there a dim light, and the rest of the ce is pitch-dark.


    After walking for a while, Pa felt a little gloomy.She wrapped her coat tightly, turned on the shlight


    of her mobile phone, and elerated her steps to move forward.


    Maybe she was used to staying in the city, and suddenly came to such a ce.


    No matter where she went, she felt the infinitely extended silence.


    For a time, Pa felt a little terrified in her heart.


    If I had known earlier, it would be better to wait for the people from the performance troupe to go back


    together.


    She was thinking about it and didn''t pay attention to her surroundings.


    When she passed a household, a dog bark suddenly sounded inside the door, making her hands


    tremble and her phone almost dropped.


    The dog inside the door apparently heard the footsteps outside, barking non-stop, and the sound was


    more imposing than the sound.


    Pa ''s face turned pale, and he unconsciously elerated the pace on his feet.


    When he was in a hurry, he didn''t pay attention to his feet.


    I fell to the ground unexpectedly .

 Chapter 272

    Chapter 272


    Chapter 272 Be My Girlfriend


    "Hush¡ª"


    The sharp stones cut through her palms and knees, causing a burning pain.She frowned and couldn''t


    help muttering, "It''s unlucky!"


    The dog also barked non-stop, and Pa was shaking all over for a while, a little overwhelmed.


    Although she usually looks at a mboyant, proper female man, but she has one embarrassing thing to


    say, that is, she is afraid of dogs.


    Ever since she was chased and bitten by a dog when she was a child, she has developed a fear of


    dogs.


    On weekdays, even pet dogs are afraid to approach, let alone encounter such a ferocious guard dog in


    the vige! Just when her legs were weak and she could barely stand up, there was a sudden sound of


    hurried footsteps behind her, and then, her back was warm, and her whole body was wrapped in


    warmth.


    It was a coat, draped over her body from the back, with a faint scent ofundry detergent.


    She was slightly startled, and before she could react, the person behind her walked up to her, bent


    down and hugged her directly.


    At the same time, a clear and familiar male voice came, "Why are you so careless?"


    Pa was startled, looked up, and when she saw Burton, she was stunned, "You...how are you?"


    Could she be dreaming? No matter how you look at everyone, they look like Burton ! Seeing her


    expression, Burton raised the corners of his lips slightly, his eyes swept across her red palms and


    knees, and his face immediately became a little serious, "You are injured, I will take you back first."


    The person in his arms, strides forward.


    Pa blinked, as if she didn''t believe the mirror image she saw, and stretched out a finger and poked


    Burton''s cheek, "You...why are you here?"


    This is the small vige of Figo City ,A remote ce that can''t be more remote, when he appeared


    here, she could only suspect that he was following her! "You pervert, you even followed me!"


    When Burton heard the words, there was a slight fluctuation in his eyes.He didn''t admit or deny Pa


    ''s various suspicions.He walked quickly to the door of the farmhouse and walked in with her in his


    arms.


    Pa was startled again, "How do you know I live here? Burton , what do you want to do?"


    Could it be that she wanted to take advantage of this opportunity...


    Walking to the hall, the owner of the farmhouse was a little startled when he saw this scene, and


    quickly asked, "What''s wrong?"


    Burton said calmly , "She fell and has some bruises.Please send me some trauma medicine."


    The owner of the house is very nice, and he nodded immediately, "Okay, I''ll send it to you right away."


    Burton didn''t say much, carried Pa directly to the second floor, and walked directly to the innermost


    room.


    This time, Pa was so surprised that his eyes were about to fall out.He really understood everything


    about her.He even knew her room clearly.


    It really was a premeditated n! At the door, Burton looked at her and said, "Open the door"


    This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.


    Pa gri:ted her teeth angrily, her cheeks flushed, "You...you let me go! I can''t let you in! You pervert!


    Chased here from Austin City ! Just to take advantage of me! You..."


    At this moment, the elder brother of the owner came up with the medicine box.


    Seeing this scene, he smiled awkwardly, "Are you...all right?"


    Pa hurriedly shouted, "Something happens, big brother, please help me, he''s a bad guy..."


    "Pa , your wounds will be serious if you continue to make trouble."


    Burton said with a slightly cold face, "Don''t you have a show tomorrow morning? Don''t want to y?"


    In two sentences , Pa was speechless .


    How could he know her schedule better than her? She pursed her lips, looked down at the scraped


    palms, and had nothing to say.


    This wound really needs to be treated as soon as possible.


    Seeing that she was quiet, Burton turned to look at the owner of the house next to him, "Brother, help


    open the door."


    The elder brother of the owner nodded immediately, and without saying a word, took out the spare key


    and opened the door.


    Burton directly carried the person in and put him on the bed, then turned back to the door to get the


    medicine box, thanked him, and went back to the room, closing the door.


    Seeing the man''s cold face, Pa shrunk on the bed, daring not to move or speak.I saw Burtone


    over, sit down by the bed, and start disinfecting her wound.


    His fingers were white and slender, very good-looking, with gentle and neat movements, and


    professional dressing techniques.


    Soon, the wounds on her knees and palms were healed.


    During the dressing process, Pa couldn''t help peeking, and had to say that men are the most


    handsome when they are serious.


    This sentence is not false at all.


    After tidying up the medicine box, Burton raised his eyes, his eyes were ck and bright, "Remember


    to change into a long skirt tomorrow to cover the wound."


    Pa replied in a daze, "Oh."


    After two seconds of silence, watching him get up with the medicine box, Pa suddenly stretched out


    his hand and grabbed the corner of his shirt, "Why...why are you here?"


    This question was just now.It has been bothering her for a long time, this time she has to ask clearly.


    Looking at the woman''s big eyes covered in mist, Burton ''s Adam''s apple rolled and answered


    truthfully, "I heard that you have a performance, so I wille to support."


    Pa pouted, as if in disbelief, "Then how do you know where I live?"


    This person obviously figured out her itinerary! Burton ''s eyes dodged a little, and he paused before


    saying, "I inquired about your itinerary in advance and booked a room next to you.I came back with you


    just now to protect your safety..."


    Hearing this, Pa ''s heart pounded unknowingly , and it seemed that because of his confession, the


    originally small room suddenly felt unspeakable embarrassment.


    Pa looked away, her cheeks flushed, "Why...why do you do this?"


    Burton ''s Adam''s apple moved slightly, turned his head back, and stared at the woman with bright eyes,


    "Pa , why am I doing this, don''t you know?"


    He was for her, all for her.


    Pa raised her eyes and met his gaze, her body instantly became hot, and she said sternly, "I don''t..."


    I know "because I like you."


    Her words were interrupted, and the words of the confession were utterly uttered by Burton , as if it had


    be a spell of immobilization.


    This confession came too suddenly.


    Seeing that she didn''t respond for a long time, Burton raised the corner of his lips, approached her, and


    brushed his lips against her earlobe, "Because I like you, do you hear me?"


    A word, like a bomb, exploded in Pa''s ear instantly.


    The next second, she felt her cheeks get hot, and a hot kiss fell.


    Like a feather brushing, the blood in her body was boiling, and her heart was pounding in her chest


    wall.


    When the man kissed her lips, she heard a voice, "Pa, be my girlfriend."


    From the moment of acquaintance to now, her feelings for Burton are like a fog,yer byyer, and she


    can''t see clearly, but at this moment, she is very clear that she likes him! absolute! That''s right! No


    doubt about it! Her heart was hot, she stretched out her hand, wrapped her arms around the man''s


    waist, and greeted his kiss, "Okay, I promise you."


    The small room, at this moment, is so sweet that there is only affection left.

 Chapter 273

    Chapter 273


    Chapter 273 Isn''t It A Work-rted Injury for Me?


    This night, some people were showered with love while some people couldn''t fall asleep all night.


    August and Lucia were ced in the bedroom and guest room respectively.


    Due to the wounds on their bodies, they had to lie on their stomach in bed.


    After their wounds were treated by the family doctor, they could only maintain this position to spend the


    hardest night.


    In the first half of the night, Lucia could hardly sleep because of the pain in her body, and she endured


    the pain all the time.


    In the second half of the night, she couldn''t resist the drowsiness and fell asleep.


    Another person who couldn''t fall asleep like her was Jeanne.She was so overwhelmed with worry that


    she couldn''t fall asleep after tossing and turning for fear that August would find out, and then she would


    be screwed.


    The next morning, Jeanne woke up early.She immediately got up to wash, ordered her men to prepare


    a car, and headed to the Adams'' old house.


    Before arriving at the old house, she deliberately went to the nearby shopping mall to buy some


    expensive gifts and then rushed over.


    After she rang the doorbell, a maid came over soon.


    After the maid heard that it was Jeanne, she reported to the master and opened the door.


    As soon as Jeanne entered the door, the first person she saw was Christina, who was sitting at the


    dining table drinking coffee.


    The breakfast had just been set on the table, and it seemed that she hadn''t touched it.


    "Aunt Christina, long time no see!"


    Jeanne looked surprised, walked up quickly, and greeted Christina.


    When Christina heard her voice, she raised her eyes and nced at Jeanne.


    She stood up and greeted Jeanne with a smile, "Jeanne, long time no see.You''ve be even more


    beautiful!"


    Jeanne smiled and said, "Aunt Christina, how can I be as beautiful as you? I haven''t seen you for a few


    years, but you look younger and your skin is still so good.How have you taken care of yourself?! I''m so


    envious!"


    Hearing Jeanne''s words, Christina couldn''t help smiling.She immediately asked Jeanne to sit next to


    her and ordered the maid to serve coffee.


    "I haven''t seen you for years, and I miss you very much too.I''m so d to see you back this time.Oh,


    how is your father now?"


    Christina and Martin were old ssmates.


    They had known each other for many years.


    The Adams family and the Kelly family had been in frequent contact since Christina married into the


    Adams family.


    Therefore, Jeanne and August had known each other for many years and had a close rtionship.


    It was just that the development of the Adams family had gotten better and better, but the Kelly family


    was not as good as before.


    In addition, Eliot had taken Christina abroad, and the rtionship between the two families was not as


    close as before.


    Now that Eliot and Christina were back, the Kelly family somehow felt dwarfed, which was why Jeanne


    and Martin had been trying to tter the Adams family for fear that she wouldn''t be able to marry into


    the Adams family.


    "My dad is in good health."


    Jeanne responded casually, nced across the empty hall, and couldn''t help asking, "Aunt Christina,


    why are Uncle Eliot and August?"


    After Jeanne mentioned August, Christina''s face changed slightly.She moved her lips, but she


    hesitated.


    In the end, she forced a smile and said a little embarrassedly, "Jeanne, you don''t know? August was


    punishedst night."


    "Huh?"


    Jeanne stood up abruptly and asked in surprise, "What happened?"


    Christina pretended to be sad.She sighed and said, "He was punished by his father because of


    something in thepany.He was still injured, and he probably couldn''t get out of bed soon."


    When Jeanne heard this, her eyes turned red and she said, "Where is August? I''m going to see him!"


    Christina quickly patted her handfortingly and said in a low voice, "He''s in the bedroom on the


    second floor.I''ll ask someone to take you upstairs to see him."


    "Okay, thank you, Aunt Christina."


    This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.


    Jeanne was sobbing and looked pitiful as if she had just learned the news.She was led by the maid to


    the door of the bedroom on the second floor, and she carefully pushed the door open and walked in.


    August was lying on the bed with his upper body naked.


    The back of his broad back waspletely covered with gauze.It could be seen how big the wound on


    his back was.


    Jeanne''s face changed with tears welling in her eyes.


    She stepped forward and trembled slightly, "August, are you...alright?"


    August moved slightly on the bed when he heard her voice.He turned his head sideways, looking a little


    tired, and asked in a hoarse voice, "Why are you here?"


    "I..."


    Jeanne stepped forward and her eyes were red, "I thought Uncle Eliot and Aunt Christina were back,


    so I came over to have a look.But Aunt Christina said that you were punished.August, it must hurt,


    right?"


    She sat down beside the bed and looked at August who could barely move, and tears were streaming


    down her face.She had not expected that August would suffer such a severe punishment.


    It was clear that the person who should have been punished was Lucia!


    "Okay, stop crying."


    Seeing her crying non-stop, August somehow felt a little irritable.He had barely sleptst night.


    Light blue stubble had appeared on his chin, and he looked tired.


    After a sleepless night, he didn''t want to see others crying in front of him as soon as he opened his


    eyes.


    "August, I feel sorry for you..."


    Jeanne stretched out her hand and took one of his, "If I had known that you were going to be punished,


    I would have stayed by your side.Seeing these injuries on your body, I wish I could have been punished


    for you..."


    Jeanne couldn''t help crying.


    August frowned, feeling a little irritable.


    "How can Uncle Eliot be so cruel? It must be very painful..."


    Just when she was crying, he frowned and said, "Jeanne, stop it!"


    The sudden increase in his volume startled Jeanne.She looked at August in surprise and whispered,


    "August..."


    August took a deep breath and said coldly, "Jeanne, I want to have a rest.Can you leave?"


    Jeanne was a little frightened, and nodded immediately, "Okay, okay, you have a good rest, and I''ll


    come to see you another day."


    With that, she stood up hesitantly and slowly walked out of the room.


    The moment the door closed, August secretly breathed a sigh of relief.He didn''t know what was wrong


    with him.


    After the punishmentst night, it seemed he had lost his patience.


    He felt so irritable when he heard Jeanne crying beside him. Moreover, he had been thinking about


    another person.


    After thinking about it, he took out his phone and made a call.It rang for a while.


    Just when he thought she wouldn''t answer, it was answered, and she said in a weak voice, "Hello?"


    August''s heart trembled.He pretended to be calm and asked, "Are you alright?"


    After hesitating for two seconds, Lucia said softly, "I''m fine.How about you?"


    August raised his eyebrows and said deliberately, "I''m not very good."


    This was the first time he had been physically punished by his father.


    Although he was a sturdy and tall man, the whipping had taken its toll.


    There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, and soon Lucia said again, "Well, you


    have a good rest."


    Hearing this, August frowned in dissatisfaction, "That''s it?"


    Lucia said faintly, "Or what? President Adams, isn''t it a work-rted injury for me?"


    August twitched his lips and said deliberately, "Not really."


    Lucia was speechless.


    After a moment of silence, August said in a low voice, "It''s my fault.Take care of yourself."


    Lucia was stunned for a moment.


    When she came to her sense, she asked worriedly, "How are you?"


    She had only whipped twice, and the pain was almost unbearable, let alone him.He said, "Do you care


    about me?"


    She looked awkward and subconsciously denied, "No."


    But he said in a domineering tone as if he didn''t hear her denial, "If you care about me, get well and


    come to see me as soon as possible."


    If she came to see him, maybe he would feel better.

 Chapter 274

    Chapter 274


    Chapter 274 It''s up to Him to Decide Whether I''m Leaving or Not


    Lucia somehow felt that his words were a bit ambiguous.She cleared her throat awkwardly and said


    casually, "We''ll see.I''m hanging up first."


    With that, she hung up the phone in a panic, and her heart was pounding.


    After lying on her stomach all night, she only felt that her chest was aching, and she couldn''t help


    turning over.So she had to lie on her side for a while to relieve the pressure on her chest.


    After a short while, someone knocked on the door.


    Grandma walked in with a maid and brought breakfast.


    Grandma stepped forward and asked earnestly, "Lucia, how are you feeling?"


    Lucia forced a smile and said softly, "Grandma, I''m feeling better."


    Even if her back hurt badly, she still forced a smile in front of Grandma.


    Grandma felt sorry for her.She took the bowl of chicken soup from the maid and said softly, "Lucia,


    don''t move.I''ll feed you.The chicken soup is easy to digest..."


    When Lucia heard this, her heart warmed.Her eyes went wet when she saw Grandma feeding the soup


    to her with a spoon.She was not a member of the Adams family now, and she was touched that


    Grandma treated her so well.


    Grandma took a tissue and wiped the corners of her eyes, "Silly girl, why are you crying?"


    Lucia sniffed and said softly, "Thank you, Grandma, for never treating me as an outsider."


    Grandma smiled and said softly, "You are never an outsider in my heart."


    She had always liked Lucia.


    Last night Lucia had stepped forward to protect August without hesitation.


    Grandpa recognized her as her granddaughter-inw in her heart.


    "Come on, eat the soup and take the medicine, so you can get better soon."


    After being fed by Grandma, Lucia felt so warm in her heart, as if the pain in her back had also eased a


    bit.


    After feeding Lucia, Grandma got up, tucked Lucia in, and said softly, "Lucia, take a good rest.Just


    make yourself at home, and let me know if you need anything."


    Lucia gave her a sweet smile and said, "I know, Grandma."


    Soon, Grandma left.


    Lucia was lying on the bed, unable to fall asleep.She simply turned on the soft music on her phone and


    closed her eyes to rest.


    The warm sun was shining on the bed through the window.


    Before she knew it, she fell asleep.She didn''t know how long she had slept, but when she woke up, she


    heard footsteps from the door.


    Hearing the door opening, she instantly woke up a little.She raised her hand and turned off the soft


    music on her phone.


    There came a cold and distant female voice, "Ms.Mitchell, are you awake?"


    Lucia didn''t turn her head and recognized that it was Christina''s voice.She took a deep breath and said


    softly, "Yes, I''m awake."


    Then, Eliot said in a somewhat stern voice, "Christina, just tell her directly."


    Hearing his voice, Lucia was stunned for a moment.She suddenly woke up a little and quickly sat up


    with difficulty.She greeted them politely, "Mr.Adams, Mrs.Adams."


    Seeing this, Christina immediately stepped forward and said softly, "You don''t need to get up.I''m just


    here to talk to you."


    Seeing Eliot''s somewhat serious expression, Lucia took a deep breath and asked, "It''s okay,


    Mrs.Adams.If you have something to say, just say it."


    Christina paused, nced at Eliot, turned back to Lucia, and said, "As for what you said yesterday, we


    have already investigated it.


    Since you got the marriage certificate with August, we wouldn''t say anything.But when you got


    divorced, it was you who asked for a divorce, right?"


    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    Lucia nodded and said, "Yes, I asked for it."


    Christina said euphemistically, "You asked for a divorce, but you are still around us August.Isn''t it


    inappropriate?"


    Lucia certainly knew what she meant.She took a deep breath and said softly, "I thought about it too, but


    my work contract hasn''t expired.Before that, I can''t leave."


    When Eliot heard this, his face was a little blue with anger, and he snorted coldly, "Well, you can''t you


    leave? I think you just don''t want to leave!"


    "A person must be self-aware.In our Adams family, no one can enter whenever they want.You can


    directly tell us what you want, and I will give it to you."


    Lucia raised her eyes and saw the cold light from the bottom of Eliot''s eyes, and her heart sank.


    Unexpectedly, in Eliot''s eyes, she had ulterior motives for staying by August''s side.She gritted her teeth


    and said in a firm tone, "I''m sorry, Mr.Adams, I stay in thepany just for work.All I want is a job,


    nothing else."


    Eliot disagreed, "I''ve seen a lot of women like you.So why beat around the bush with me? Just tell me,


    how much do you want?"


    Lucia''s heart trembled, and she felt a little ufortable.She gritted her teeth and looked at Eliot,


    unable to say a word.She had thought that everyone in the Adams family was as reasonable and kind


    as Grandma.She had never expected the head of the Adams family to be so narrow-minded.


    Seeing this, Christina forced a smile in embarrassment on the side, looked at Lucia, and said softly,


    "Ms.Mitchell, don''t think too much.We didn''t mean it.Some too many women threw themselves at


    August and used tricks to trap August.We are just worried..."


    "Mrs.Adams, do you mean that I also stay by President Adams to trap him?"


    Christina smiled, "We didn''t mean that."


    Hearing Lucia''s words, Eliot looked at Lucia with a bit more coldness.He hadn''t expected that such a


    young girl would be so eloquent and persistent in front of him! He frowned andmanded coldly,


    "Christina, don''t talk to her so much.Just get straight to the point."


    Christina nodded and turned to look at Lucia, "Ms.Mitchell, here''s the thing.You''re injured, but it''s not


    very appropriate for you to live here all the time.We''ve arranged a hospital for you, and we''ll bear all the


    expenses.We''ll have someone take you there."


    Then she took out a bank card and said, "This card has 200,000 in it, and the password is six zeros.It


    is for your spiritualpensation and dismissalpensation.Take the money and take care of your


    injuries.You can find a better job.If you need any help, you can alsoe to me..."


    Lucia lowered her eyes and looked at the bank card handed over and the business card with


    Christina''s contact information written on it.Her head buzzed and her face flushed as if she had just


    been pped in the face.


    This was a total humiliation to her self-esteem.


    She gritted her teeth, suppressed the anger in her heart, and looked up at Eliot and Christina,


    "Mr.Adams, Mrs.Adams, I was punished voluntarilyst night, and it has nothing to do with you.I don''t


    need you to pay my medical bills.As for this bank card, I won''t ept it.I work for President Adams,


    and it''s up to him to decide whether I''m leaving or not.I''ll listen to him."


    With that, she got up and got out of bed, endured the pain in her back, and bowed slightly towards


    them, "Excuse me, I''ll go."


    She turned to pick up her bag and phone on the bedside table and walked out of the guest room under


    Eliot''s cold gaze.She had a hunchst night that the Adams family would not keep her here to


    recuperate, but Eliot was more extreme than she had imagined! She gritted her teeth and walked away.


    When she reached the door of August''s room, she unconsciously slowed down.She wondered how he


    was doing now.

 Chapter 275

    Chapter 275


    Chapter 275 She Was Driven Away


    She hesitated.


    But on second thought, she was doing much worse than August.


    At least he wouldn''t be kicked out when he was covered in injuries.


    Lucia smiled self-mockingly and quickly walked to the stairs.


    Just as she reached the gate, Joey caught up with her and said, "Ms.


    Mitchell, Mrs.Adams has arranged a car for you and it will take you directly to the hospital."


    Lucia forced a smile and said softly, "No, I''ll go back by myself."


    With that, she walked out of the gate and left without looking back.


    Watching Lucia leave, Joey sighed.She was a stubborn woman, just like August''s biological mother


    Jolene back then.


    Once she made a decision, no one could make her change her mind.


    At the same time, in another bedroom on the second floor, Bishop was sitting by the window.


    When he saw the figure at the door, his eyes darkened.


    He hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Bob, take me downstairs."


    Bob came, pushed the wheelchair, and went downstairs.


    When he reached the door, Lucia had disappeared.Bob asked, "Mr.Adams, do you want to go after


    her?"


    This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.


    "Yes, drive after her"


    Bob nodded.


    As soon as he lifted the wheelchair into the car, Christina came out.


    When she saw this, her face darkened.She hurriedly stepped forward and asked, "Bishop, what are


    you doing?"


    Bishop smiled gently and said, "Mom, I have something to do and I need to go out."


    Christina frowned, "What''s the matter? Are you going to chase that woman?"


    Bishop said softly, "Mom, she''s injured, and I''ll send her off."


    Christina stepped forward, grabbed his wheelchair, and refused to let go.She said in a low voice,


    "You''re not going! Your father arranged a driver for her, but she didn''t ept it.She made your father so


    angry.If you chase her, what would it look like?"


    Bishop frowned when Christina didn''t let go.He turned to look at Bob and said, "Okay, take me down."


    Bob nodded and did so immediately.


    Christina''s face softened a little.She patted Bishop on the shoulder and said, "That''s right.Listen to me.I


    won''t hurt you.I''ll just take this opportunity and ask your dad to let you go to thepany to work.I think


    he will agree!"


    Bishop forced a smile but said nothing.He knew in his heart that in Christina''s eyes, the most important


    thing was the family property.


    She wanted to get the family property for him.But for him, the family property was not important.


    The important thing was that he wanted August to suffer.


    Lucia left the Adams family and walked a long way by herself.


    Only then did she reach the main road outside.


    The wound on her back seemed to be aching because of her movement.She gasped in pain and


    sweated.


    The pain in her back was unbearable.


    She walked along the road for a long time without seeing an avable taxi.


    At this moment, her phone suddenly rang.She took it out and saw the caller ID "August".Her heart


    tightened a little.


    Why did he suddenly call her? Did he know that she had left the Adams family? Lucia was unsure of


    what to do, so she simply turned off the screen and didn''t answer.


    Finally, a taxi came.She stopped it, got into the car, and said with a pale face, "Sir, please go to the


    Central Hospital."


    On Lucia''s way to the Central Hospital, August called her three times in a row, but she didn''t answer.


    What was going on? August frowned, feeling a little worried.


    After a short while, he called out to the maid outside the door.


    Soon, a young maid pushed the door open and walked in.


    She lowered her head and asked, "Mr.Adams, what are your orders?"


    August said solemnly, "The girl Ms.Mitchell who came with me yesterday, how is she now?"


    The maid was stunned at first, and a trace of panic shed on her face.


    She quickly answered, "She...is fine.Don''t worry about it, Mr.Adams."


    August blinked, and his face instantly turned cold, "Is she fine?"


    If the maid said she didn''t know, he wouldn''t doubt it.But the maid said she was fine, which was


    strange.


    The maid was a little flustered and didn''t dare to lift her head, "Yes, she ate up all her lunch...She''s


    probably taking a rest now."


    It seemed that there was nothing wrong with it, but August somehow felt something wrong.


    He took a deep breath, nced at the maid''s face, and said lightly, "Okay, then take my phone to her


    room and take a picture of her from me."


    With that, he handed over his phone.


    The maid shuddered and paled in shock.


    Now all the servants in the house knew that Ms.Mitchell, who had been brought back by August, had


    been kicked out by Mr.Adams and his wife! Ms.Mitchell was gone and how could she take pictures of


    her? Besides, Mrs.Adams had specially instructed them not to talk about it, but now...


    The maid''s voice trembled, "Mr.Adams, I dare not..."


    August frowned tightly and his voice was cold, "You don''t dare? I''m telling you to go.Why don''t you


    dare?"


    The maid was trembling with fright and almost cried, "Well, Ms.Mitchell...she''s gone."


    "What?"


    August froze, "She''s gone?"


    How was it possible? She still had injuries on her body.It had only been half a day, and the wounds had


    not scabbed over yet.


    The family doctor had specially instructed her not to move for the first few days and to have a good


    rest.


    If she left now, it would affect her wounds and cause secondary injuries!


    "I...I.don''t know...Mr.Adams and Mrs.Adams went to the guest room at noon.I don''t know what they


    said, but Ms.Mitchell left.When she left, she didn''t take the car arranged by Mr.Adams.Well, that''s all I


    know...."


    August didn''t speak.He was silent for a long time.His coldness became more and more obvious.


    After a moment, he nced at the maid and said in a softer voice, "Go out.I won''t say you said it."


    "Thank you, Mr.Adams." The maid thanked him and quickly left the room.


    August frowned, thinking about what the maid had just said.


    What did his father and Christina say to Lucia to let her leave regardless of her injuries? He clenched


    his fists, propped himself up with his arms, and sat up from the bed.He put on a shirt with difficulty.He


    identally affected the wound on his back, and the pain immediately went all over him.


    August frowned and endured the pain.He buttoned the sleeves of his shirt, put on the shirt, and walked


    towards the door.


    With every step he took, he could feel that his muscles would affect the flesh of his back, and he felt


    bursts of sharp pain.It still hurt badly.He found it a little unbearable himself, let alone Lucia.


    With a burst of anger in his heart, he walked to the door, pushed it open, and went out.


    The maid guarding the door hadn''t expected him toe out suddenly.


    So she was startled, "Mr.Adams, you should take a good rest..."


    But August turned a deaf ear.He put on a suit jacket and walked towards the stairs.


    The maids were surprised and scared, and they immediately reported it to Eliot who was in the study.


    When Eliot and Christina arrived in a hurry, August was already at the door, changing his shoes.


    Seeing this, Eliot frowned and said coldly, "Where are you going?"


    August''s face was cold and he said, "I''m going to the hospital."


    He had thought that no matter how severe his father was, he would let Lucia, an injured girl, stay at


    home for a few days.He hadn''t expected that his father would drive her away in less than a day!

 Chapter 276

    Chapter 276


    Chapter 276 I''m Her Family


    Eliot raised her eyebrows, and his eyes darkened, "There is a family doctor.Why are you going to the


    hospital? Your injury is not healed yet.Go back and lie down!"


    Hearing his words, August stopped abruptly.He raised his head, looked at his father with ck eyes,


    and said with a trace of mockery, "So you know that my injury is not yet healed.But why did you drive


    her away?"


    Eliot''s face turned blue, and he became a little stern, "What do you mean? Are you ming me?"


    Seeing this, Christina quickly stepped forward tofort him, "Eliot, don''t be angry.August didn''t mean


    that."


    With that, she looked at August and persuaded softly, "August, don''t be angry.Ms.Mitchell left herself


    and it has nothing to do with your father."


    "Really?"


    August''s sharp eyes turned cold and he said, "Didn''t she leave because you said something to her?"


    Eliot''s face was blue with anger, and he was trembling with anger, "I think you''ve lost your mind


    because of a woman! Go back!"


    August fell silent.He put on his shoes, stood up straight, and walked out.


    Eliot raised his voice, "August, if you dare to leave today, don''t recognize me as your father anymore!"


    Hearing his threat, August paused, turned around and his eyes were cold and deep, "Dad, I did


    something wrong and I have noints when I was punished.But can''t you be more lenient with a


    woman?"


    With that, he turned around and walked out quickly.


    N?velDrama.Org ? content.


    Eliot stood there, angry and speechless.


    Christina on the side quickly raised her hand and stroked his back to help him rx, but her eyes


    shed with joy.


    Go ahead and fight! The more fiercely the father and son fought with each other, the better! Although


    she thought so in her heart, she still looked kind and understanding, "Eliot, don''t get angry.August just


    lost his head.When he calms down, he will understand..."


    Eliot nced at the starting car and turned around angrily, "I''ve raised an ungrateful son! Now the


    company is in a mess, and he puts all his attention on a woman! I''m so disappointed!"


    Christina pulled him into the living room,forted him, sat down, and poured him a cup of coffee,


    "Okay, any man will go through this stage.You can''t get mad for the sake of your health!"


    After persuading him for a long time, she calmed Eliot''s anger.


    After a short while, she suggested softly, "Eliot, now thepany is ina mess.Given August''s state, I


    am afraid that he is powerless.Besides, he is injured now.Do you think you should step forward again


    and deal with it?"


    "Step forward again?"


    Eliot frowned, "Won''t it disgrace me?"


    He had high hopes for August at first, but he didn''t expect such a thing to happen now.


    If he stepped forward again at this time, wouldn''t it prove that his son wasn''t capable enough? At that


    time, it would be a huge disgrace to him in front of the various shareholders and senior management of


    thepany! Christina pretended to be worried and said, "What should we do? With thepany¡¯s


    current situation, someone must step forward and take charge of the overall situation!"


    Eliot frowned upon hearing this, feeling a little unsure.


    Now thepany''s situation was really bad.


    Besides, August was in such a state.He was really worried.


    Seeing that Eliot didn''t speak for a long time, Christina leaned closer and said, "Actually, I have an


    idea, and I don''t know if it''s appropriate."


    "What idea?"


    Christina said softly, "I think Bishop can step forward and deal with it first.You can assign him the title of


    vice president or something.After all, he''s your son.The shareholders and executives will know what


    they should do then.In contrast, he''s quite reasonable and I think he can help August through this


    difficult time."


    Eliot frowned, pursed her lips tightly, and didn''t speak for a long time.


    Seeing this, Christina smiled and said, "This is just a suggestion.If you think it''s not right, it doesn''t


    matter.After all, thepany''s business is not a trivial matter.I could onlye up with this


    idea.Besides, Bishop has been working hard in the past few years..."


    "I''ll think about it."


    Christina was instantly overjoyed, "Okay, it''s up to you."


    Eliot nodded and said nothing more.She smiled and changed the subject.


    As long as Eliot was willing to think about it, it meant there was still hope! She had never been in a


    hurry with this kind of thing.


    There would be ample time and she would slowly pave the way for her son.


    After leaving the Adams family, August made several calls to Lucia in the car, but no one answered.He


    felt a little uneasy in his heart.


    With the wound on his back, his patience had reached a critical point.


    Parking the car on the side of the road, he took out his phone and called Bond directly, "Bond, check


    Lucia''s whereabouts, mainly in the hospital, and see if she has a hospital admission record."


    Bond answered simply, "Okay, give me ten minutes."


    Lucia was still wounded, and her wounds had not healed yet.She would not be stupid enough to go


    home without going to the I hospital first.


    Ten minutester, Bond called back, "I found her.She''s in the Central Hospital, and she was admitted at


    noon today."


    August frowned tightly and said coldly, "Send me the hospitalization information."


    After the phone call, he started the car and rushed to Central Hospital.


    When he arrived at the inpatient department, he found the ward.


    As soon as he walked to the door, he heard a woman''s voice from inside, "Nurse, can I go home with


    such an injury?"


    "The doctor suggested that you should stay in the hospital.Otherwise, if you do not handle it properly,


    the wound may fester and leave scars..."


    After the nurse said that, Lucia said nothing.


    After a pause, she continued, "Well, I want to be transferred to a general ward and the cost will be


    lower."


    The nurse said hesitantly, "But you have to take off your clothes and apply medicine to your injury.If you


    transfer to a general ward, there will be several patients in the same ward.It may not be convenient for


    you as a girl."


    Lucia took a deep breath.


    Thinking that living here cost hundreds of dors a day, she gritted her teeth and said, "It''s okay.Please


    help me transfer to the general ward..."


    "No!"


    There suddenly came a low male voice, interrupting her directly.


    Lucia was surprised.


    When she turned her head, she saw August walking in with a gloomy face.


    Shouldn''t he be in the Adams family? Why did he suddenly appear here? The nurse was also a little


    surprised, and quickly covered Lucia''s back while she was applying for the medicine, "Sir, please go


    out..."


    August frowned, and his eyes were deep, "I''m her family.Why should I go out?"


    When the nurse saw his face clearly, she was stunned.It was the first time she had seen such a


    handsome man in the hospital.He had a noble temperament and a perfect face, and he sounded


    overbearing! The nurse blushed, and she turned to look at Lucia, "Ms....Ms.Mitchell, is he your family?"


    Lucia blushed.


    Before she could speak, August continued, "I am.Please continue to apply for medicine"


    The nurse smiled and nodded, and continued to apply medicine to her wounds.Lucia could neither


    admit nor deny it.She could only turn her head to look at August, frowned, and asked, "Why are you


    here?"


    His injuries were much more serious than hers.Why did he get out of bed so soon?

 Chapter 277

    Chapter 277


    Chapter 277 Why Did You Lie?


    Hearing this, August blinked, and frowned slightly in dissatisfaction, "What do you think?"She left the


    Adams family with injuries on her body.


    Could he not worry about her? When Lucia met his eyes, she quickly looked away and looked at his


    broad shoulders.She hesitated, "The wounds on your body...ch..."


    Before she finished her sentence, she trembled in pain and frowned tightly.


    At this moment, the nurse said softly, "I''ll continue to apply for the medicine.It will hurt a little.Please


    bear with it"


    Lucia nodded softly and clenched her fists slowly.


    August raised his eyes and looked over.


    Lucia''s shirt was lifted by the nurse, and it revealed her back.


    The wound looked like a ck and red snake crawling on her fair skim, and it looked a little scary.It


    must be very painful.


    August frowned.


    Without saying a word, he pulled a chair, sat down beside the bed, and held Lucia''s hand.


    At this time, the nurse had already started to apply for the medicine.


    Lucia frowned in pain and closed her eyes.She couldn''t care less and subconsciously held his big


    warm hand.


    "Oh!"


    The nurse slowly lifted the sheet covering her back, and two long scars were fully revealed.


    The scars were especially conspicuous and dazzling on Lucia''s smooth back.


    August frowned and swallowed.He couldn''t help asking, "Will such a wound leave a scar?"


    The nurse said softly, "It might.But if you take good care of it and pay more attention, the scar will be


    lighter."


    Hearing this, August frowned more tightly.


    Probably feeling that the atmosphere was too tense, the nurse continued applying for the medicine and


    said softly, "But it doesn''t matter.Even if there is a scar, it will be fine as long as the boyfriend doesn''t


    mind."


    She nced at August meaningfully He suddenly appeared here, and the nurse naturally regarded him


    as the patient''s boyfriend.


    August paused, and then said, "I don''t mind."


    Hearing this, the nurse smiled ambiguously and looked at Lucia with a little more envy.But Lucia only


    cared about enduring the pain and had no time to pay attention to them.She closed her eyes tightly and


    kept sweating.


    "It''ll be fine soon.Just bear with it."


    As the nurse said, she quickly applied for the medicine, and then began to bandage.


    Lucia didn''t rest well, so the wound that had been bandaged was stretched open and blood was oozing


    out.It would hurt to bandage again.


    Lucia felt a stinging pain in her back, burning hot, even worse than the moment she was whipped.She


    subconsciously tightened her grip on August''s hand.


    After a moment, the pain eased a little.She slowly calmed herself down and opened her eyes.


    "It''s already bandaged.Remember not to move too violently so as not to tear open the wound again."


    Lucia nodded, raised her eyes inadvertently, and saw August frowning tightly.She looked down and


    realized that she was holding his hand so tightly that her fingernails sank into the back of his hand.She


    was startled and quickly released her hand, "I''m sorry..."


    "It''s alright."


    August put away his hand, looking a little serious.He asked in a deep voice, "You are so afraid of pain,


    but why did you block the whip for me at that time?"


    He had been thinking about the question for days, and now he finally had the chance to ask it.


    When Lucia heard his words, panic shed on her face for a moment, but she quickly returned to


    normal, "The proposal was passed to my hand, and there was a possibility that I leaked it identally,


    so I was also responsible.I just bore the punishment I deserved."


    Her tone was serious as if there were no personal feelings involved.


    August''s eyes darkened a little, and his voice was slightly cold, "Wasn¡¯t Jeanne in the car when you


    went to deliver the proposal that day?"


    Hearing his words, Lucia instantly widened her eyes and looked at him, "How did you know?"


    She had deliberately kept it from him, but he still knew about it.


    Did he go to investigate again? August looked cold, stared at her, and asked, "Why did you lie?"


    Lucia was flustered, not knowing how to answer.


    "Answer me." He raised his voice a little bit, and there was a bit of coldness in his tone.


    Lucia knew well that he was angry.


    Gritting her teeth, she took a deep breath and summoned her courage, "I was afraid that speaking out


    the truth would affect your rtionship.Also, I don''t think Ms.Kelly is the one who leaked the proposal."


    August fell silent for a few seconds.


    Then he said a little angrily, "You..."


    He stood up abruptly.


    Before he finished his sentence, he froze, and his face suddenly changed.


    Lucia hurriedly raised her head.She was surprised when she saw his face, "Is it the wound in your


    back..."


    August frowned, and his lips were a little pale.


    Before he could speak, Lucia stopped the nurse who had packed up and was about to leave,


    "Nurse...he also has a wound on his back!"


    When the nurse heard her words, she immediately looked back and saw that August didn''t look


    right.She hurriedly walked over and looked behind him.She was shocked, "You''re bleeding!"


    Lucia said in a panic, "His injury is worse than mine.Nurse, please treat him quickly."


    This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.


    The nurse immediately took August to treat his wound.


    Lucia was instructed not to move around, so she could only lie on her stomach in the bed.


    After more than half an hour, the nurse came over and smiled at her, "Your boyfriend''s wound has been


    bandaged.He''s in the next ward now.Call me if anything happens."


    Hearing the word "boyfriend", Lucia smiled awkwardly.


    Seeing that the nurse turned to leave, she had to swallow.


    However, after hearing that his wound had been treated, she finally felt relieved.She was lying on her


    stomach in bed.


    Recalling what had happened in the past few days, she was in aplicated mood, and she gradually


    fell asleep.She was woken up by the ringing of her phone.She picked up her phone in a daze, only to


    realize that it was already getting dark outside.


    When she saw the caller ID, she gasped and pressed the answer button, "Hey, President Adams."


    August said in a deep voice "Are you hungry? I have something to eat here.Do you want me to send it


    to you?"


    Lucia was slightly startled yet ttered, "Okay...thank you."


    When she woke up, she felt very hungry.But as soon as she hung up the phone, she moved and


    suddenly thought that August was still injured.If he got up and brought food to her, it might affect his


    wound.


    After thinking about it for a while, she decided to go over and take the food by herself.She got up


    slowly, got out of bed, and walked out of the ward.


    As soon as she turned her head, she saw that the door of the neighboring ward was half-open.She


    hesitated for a moment and walked over.She pushed open the door and saw Joshua standing by the


    window, and then August sitting on the bed.


    Seeing Lucia at the door, August frowned, "Why are you here?"


    He had said that he would send it to her, but she came over by herself.


    Lucia hadn''t expected that there would be someone else in the room, and she hesitantly said, "I...came


    to get the food."


    August frowned more deeply and said, "Didn''t the nurse tell you not to move around? I''ll have someone


    send it to you."


    Lucia blushed, and she was speechless, "Well...When Joshua saw them like this, he burst outughing


    and looked at August a little meaningfully.


    Lucia took a deep breath and lowered her voice a little, "Well, I''ll go."


    When August saw her bowing her head and walking towards the door, his heart tightened and he


    blurted out, "Wait!"

 Chapter 278

    Chapter 278


    Chapter 278 We''re Not Boyfriends and Girlfriends


    Lucia paused and turned to look at him.


    August slightly raised his eyebrows, nced at the table, and cleared his throat lightly, "Since you''re


    here, let''s eat together."


    Lucia also looked over and saw therge piles of lunch boxes on the table, exuding bursts of


    aroma.Her stomach growled uncontrobly.She blushed and didn''t know whether to agree or not.


    When she looked up and saw August''s ck eyes, she had to bite the bullet and agree.


    Joshua was leaning against the wall and looking at them with interest.He coughed lightly, and joked


    with a smile, "August, you are cold-faced but warm-hearted.You specifically asked me to buy more


    food.Didn''t you want to..."


    Before he could finish his sentence, August nced at him coldly.He immediately shut up and winked


    at him meaningfully.


    August frowned and said, "You go out."


    "August, you are ruthless..." Joshua said with a smile.


    Although he was unhappy, he still walked out.


    When the door of the ward closed, the room was quiet for a moment.


    Seeing August put a clean fork aside, Lucia took a deep breath, walked to his side, sat down, and


    started eating.


    Perhaps because of what Joshua had said just now, Lucia somehow felt a little embarrassed.She


    lowered her head to eat and didn''t look up for a long time.


    August took a few bites and realized that something was wrong with Lucia.He frowned, looked up at


    her, and smiled unconsciously.He had never seen such a silly girl, who only focused on one dish.Her


    face blushed.It seemed she was embarrassed or shy.


    "Lucia," August raised his eyebrows, "Why don''t you eat other dishes?"


    Hearing his words, Lucia raised her head and said, "...I''m eating."


    Then she symbolically picked up a piece of green vegetable and put it into her mouth.


    August chuckled softly, and the coldness on his face suddenly dissipated a lot.


    Lucia was confused, "What are youughing at? What''s wrong with me?"


    She didn''t know what was going on.


    August suddenly stretched out his hand and lifted her chin slightly with his slender and beautiful


    hand.His thumb lightly brushed over her mouth, taking a grain of rice from the corner of her lips.


    The next second, he said, "You''re certainly not an elegant eater."


    With that, he retracted his hand.


    At that moment, Lucia only felt that her face was burning hot.


    It was so embarrassing! Two secondster, she suddenly came to her sense, quickly put down the


    lunch box, and rummaged for a paper napkin in her pocket.


    At this moment, August said with a little chuckle, "Here it is."


    He took out a paper napkin and handed it over to her.


    Before she took it, there came a knock on the door.


    Then someone walked in and it was the nurse who had treated their wounds today.


    "I''m here to check on you."


    When she saw the scene in the room, she immediately put on a faint smile and said half-jokingly, "I


    wondered why I didn''t see anyone in the ward next door.It turns out you''re with your boyfriend!"


    She winked at Lucia, "Well, I will leave you alone."


    Lucia¡¯s face flushed, and she took a deep breath, "We...we''re not boyfriend and girlfriend."


    The nurse was stunned as if she hadn''t expected it.


    After being stunned for two seconds, she smiled dryly, "Well...I''m sorry, I thought..."


    Lucia forced a smile and said, "It''s okay."


    The nurse''s eyes suddenly became a littleplicated.She smiled awkwardly and walked out of the


    ward quickly.


    Lucia secretly breathed a sigh of relief.


    August would be unhappy when others mistakenly thought she had something to do with him.


    As soon as she turned her head, she saw that his face was a little gloomy.


    She took a deep breath and said, "I exined it to her just now.I think she wouldn''t say it again next


    time."


    But hearing her exnation, August became even gloomier.


    Without saying a word, he picked up the cup next to him, took a sip, and didn''t reply.


    Seeing his sudden change of face, Lucia, though confused, didn''t dare to ask.So she had to speed up


    to finish the food in her hand.


    It seemed that the atmosphere in the room became much colder because of this episode.


    Lucia quickly finished the food and wiped her mouth, "I''m done.Well, I''ll go back first."


    Seeing that August didn''t say anything, Lucia turned around to leave.


    But just as she turned around to walk, he suddenly grabbed her wrist.


    August said coldly, "From now on, in the hospital, you have toe here for three meals a day."


    Lucia was surprised, "Why?"


    What kind of rule was this? August said lightly, "Oh, nothing.You blocked the whip for me, and I can


    afford your meals."


    Then he let go.


    After Lucia left, Joshua came back.


    He stood at the end of the bed, and smiled meaningfully, "August, I''ve never seen you like this."


    "Do you have anything other than gossip in your mind?"


    August raised his eyes, nced at him, and said with a serious face, "How is Charlotte doing?¡¯


    "He''s monitoring those small potatoes.Their whereabouts are very suspicious recently.We don''t know


    what they will do."


    August''s voice became a little deeper, "Keep monitoring them.I don''t need to exin what you should


    do next, right?"


    Joshua yed with the lighter in his hand, and reminded in a low voice, "Oh, you''d better be careful


    yourself.Your father came back this time.I''m afraid it''s not just thepany''s ident.Pay more


    attention to him and Bishop."


    August''s eyes became more serious and he said, "I understand."


    He knew very well that if his powers in the Adams Group were divided, he would not be able to do


    many things so easily in the future.


    There was also Bishop.


    August knew long ago that he had been coveting the position of vice president of thepany for a


    long time.


    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    But even if Bishop tried to find a way to take the position, he wouldn''t be afraid.


    After a moment, Joshua suddenly leaned over and asked, "Let me ask you one more thing.


    About the disclosure of yourpany''s proposal, does it have nothing to do with Lucia?"


    After hesitating for two seconds, August denied it coldly, "It''s not her."


    Based on his instinct, he thought it wasn''t her.


    As for the other person, maybe it was a possibility.


    "Okay, as long as you know what you''re doing.I''m going.Call me if you need anything."


    Joshua nced out the window and said, "It is said that it will rain heavily tonight.I wonder if it''s true or


    not.Bye."


    August nodded slightly and watched him leave.He happened to see his phone screen shing on the


    side, and found it was Jeanne calling.He turned off the screen and didn''t answer.


    On the other end of the phone, Jeanne watched as it hung up on its own and felt a little angry.She


    didn''t think much about it.She rushed to the kitchen immediately, packed some soup, and hurried to the


    Adams'' old house.


    August had neither replied to her messages nor answered her calls.She was going crazy! Recently,


    August''s attitude towards her had not been as good as before.


    Did he know what she had done? Thinking of this, she felt even more anxious, and hurriedly urged


    Mark, who was driving, "Hurry up!"


    She had to be vignt all the time recently.


    Otherwise, if Lucia took advantage of it and stole August, she definitely would regret it a lot!

 Chapter 279

    Chapter 279


    Chapter 279 Our Engagement May Not Happen


    Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    When Jeanne arrived at the Adams¡¯ old house, she saw Christina sitting on the sofa as soon as she


    walked in.


    Seeing Jeanne, Christina smiled and stood up to say hello, "Jeanne, hello!"


    Jeanne immediately stepped forward with a smile on her face and said, "Aunt Christina, I made tonic


    soup, especially for August at home today."


    Christina''s face changed when she heard it and said, "August..."


    Jeanne''s heart tightened, and she quickly asked, "What happened to him?"


    Christina sighed softly and said, "He left.He''s not at home."


    "What?"


    Jeanne''s eyes widened, "Isn''t he still injured?"


    "Well, Eliot asked that girl Lucia to leave our family and go to the hospital to recuperate.He was doing it


    for her good, but somehow the news got to August, and he thought we were mean to her.He got angry


    and left home."


    She nced at Jeanne¡¯s pale face, and continued, "He probably went to find that secretary


    girl.Anyway, he didn''t answer the phone, and there was no news of him.I''m so worried!"


    Jeanne''s lips moved, and she forcibly maintained her calmness.She gritted her teeth and forced a


    smile, "August didn''t answer my call.ls he mad at me too?"


    Christina pretended to be surprised, "Howe? You are his girlfriend.Why wouldn''t he contact you at


    this time?"


    Suddenly, Jeanne¡¯s face became even gloomier.


    After a moment, her eyes turned red and she sounded a bit aggrieved, "Aunt Christina, do you think


    August doesn''t want me anymore? He has been very close to that secretary recently.I know their


    previous rtionship.But since they broke up, why are they still attached?"


    As she spoke, her tears kept falling.


    Christina didn''t know what to say when she saw her crying.


    Suddenly, seeing the figure appearing at the entrance of the stairs, she raised her voice slightly, "Well, I


    think August is fascinated by the secretary girl.You''ve known him for so long.He definitely wouldn''t


    choose that girl over you!"


    Jeanne kept crying, "August said that he was getting engaged to me, but now he''s seeing another


    woman.I feel so sad..."


    At this moment, there came a cold voice, "Who is he seeing?"


    Jeanne froze.


    As soon as she looked up, she saw Eliot with a serious face.He was standing at the entrance of the


    stairs, holding a newspaper in his hand with a blue face.


    Jeanne sniffed and said aggrievedly, "Uncle Eliot, I called August, but he didn''t answer.He is very close


    to that girl Lucia now, and our engagement may not happen..."


    "Who says that?!"


    Eliot was angry, "I''m his father.How dare he deny it?"


    He walked towards Jeanne and said, "I''ve known you since you were a little girl, and I know your


    family.Besides, you and August like each other.Since he promised you, he must keep his word.I''m not


    going to let a strange woman marry into our family!"


    Hearing his words, Jeanne was overjoyed, but she still cried, "Uncle Eliot, with your words, I feel at


    ease."Eliot nodded slightly, "Okay, Christina, talk to Jeanne.It''s gettingte.Ask someone to take her


    backter.As for my renegade son, I will go look for him in person tomorrow morning!"


    Hearing this, Christina nodded immediately.She asked Jeanne to sit down on the sofa and let her drink


    a cup of warm coffee to calm her down.


    Jeanne nced at the time and said, "Aunt Christina, it''s gettingte and I should go back."


    Christina got up, walked her to the door, and waved to her, "Send me a message when you get home."


    Jeanne nodded, smiled at her, and got into the car.


    The car turned around and drove away from the old house.


    Jeanne suddenly threw her bag to the back seat, and said angrily, "That bitch! She''s something!"She


    hadn''t made it clear to Lucia.She hadn''t expected that Lucia would lure August away with her injuries!


    How could she not be angry?! Seeing this, Mark looked calm and said softly, "Miss, calm down"


    "Take me home, and go check August''s whereabouts immediately!"


    Mark nodded and said nothing.


    On the way back, the weather had be a bit bad.


    Dark clouds were pressing down, and the wind was whistling.


    When approaching the Kelly family¡¯s house, Mark reminded softly, "Miss, there is a storm


    tonight.Remember to close the windows."


    Jeanne was so angry.She closed her eyes and leaned on the seat, and snorted lightly.


    After driving her back to the Kelly family, Mark barely stopped and drove away.


    In the distance, there was a rumbling sound, heralding the imminent storm.


    Even so, Mark did not hesitate.


    As long as it was Jeanne''s instructions, he would have noints.


    As expected, within an hour, it started pouring rain outside and the thunder was deafening.


    On the hospital bed, August looked at theptop in front of him with a serious expression.


    Although he was injured, the urgent work in thepany did ¡®ot fall short.


    After Burton came back from Figo City, he was directly arranged by August to work in thepany.


    August worked remotely from the hospital, and nothing would go wrong.


    Those onlinements that were not conducive to the Adams Group, after two days of hot


    discussions, died down.


    With the means of the Adams Group''s public rtions team, the situation was slowly improving.


    It was just that stocks that had fallen were not so easy to recover.


    Several projects had bee1 suspended one after another, which was a very difficult problem.


    August raised his hand and pressed his eyebrows.He looked away from the screen, watched the


    thunder and lightning outside, and unconsciously frowned.


    Lucia probably had fallen asleep now.


    He still remembered that when Lucia lived in the vi, she was very afraid on a day of thunder and rain


    like this.


    Once in the middle of the night when there was a thunderstorm, she got into his arms unconsciously


    and curled up like a shivering hedgehog.


    Now, she had no one by her side, and no one to rely on.His heart trembled.He took a deep breath,


    hesitated for a moment, slowly got up, and got out of bed.He wondered if it was because the hospital''s


    sound instion was not good.


    Every time there was thunder, he could hear it loud and clear in the ward, and lightning lit up the cold


    walls.It was really scary.


    August walked out of the ward, walked directly to the next ward, and gently pushed the door open.


    The room was pitch dark, and no other sound could be heard except for the thunder outside.


    August walked over slowly.


    With a sh of lightning, he vaguely saw the person huddled in bed.


    Lucia was half-sitting, leaning against the head of the hospital bed.


    With the quilt covering her and forming a small triangle, she seemed to be shaking slightly.


    August''s heart tightened.He stepped forward and pressed the switch on the head of the bed.


    The room immediately lit up.


    The person huddled under the quilt stopped moving.


    After a few seconds, a corner of the quilt was lifted, revealing Lucia¡¯s slightly pale face.


    "Why did youe?"


    "Are you afraid?"


    August said in a deep voice, "I''ll apany you."


    With that, he sat down on the edge of the bed and put his long arms around Lucia''s shoulders.


    Lucia was startled and she froze, "No...No, I''m not afraid.I just can''t fall asleep."


    She looked flustered and incoherent.


    August chuckled.


    Without saying a word, he stretched out his hands to straighten her curled legs, tucked her in, and said


    in a softer voice, "I''ll sleep with you today."

 Chapter 280

    Chapter 280


    Chapter 280 He Would Be Responsible


    Hearing his words, Lucia was stunned for a moment and stared at him with wide eyes in


    astonishment.His words were so ambiguous! But he looked natural andy down beside her smoothly,


    facing her.


    Lucia instantly felt that her heart skipped a beat.


    But after calming herself down for a few seconds, she suddenly thought of something, and her face


    suddenly turned cold, "It''s inappropriate for us to be like this, right?"


    He was about to be engaged to Jeanne, and now he was sharing the same bed with her.


    If the word spread out, it probably wouldn''t be good for both of them.


    N?velDrama.Org ? content.


    Seeing the hesitation in Lucia''s eyes, August blinked lightly.


    After a few seconds, he sat up.


    After a moment of pause, he stood up and said lightly, "Okay, then I''ll go."


    Seeing that she didn''t respond, he raised his hand to turn off the light by the bedside and turned to


    leave.


    As soon as the lights in the ward were turned off, the atmosphere immediately became eerie.


    Thebination of thunder, wind, and rain was frightening.


    Lucia couldn''t help shaking.


    She reached out her hand subconsciously, and grabbed the corner of August''s shirt, "Don''t...go!"


    To be honest, she was very afraid.


    August felt his clothes tugged at.


    When he turned around, he saw her so scared, with her head down and her eyes closed.


    Seeing her reaction like this, he unconsciously smiled, turned back, walked to the bed, and held her


    shoulder with his warm hand.


    After a while, her tense body slowly rxed.


    "Don''t be nervous.It will affect the wound."


    Heforted her to lie down slowly andy down beside her.


    The hospital bed was not big, and it was a bit crowded for them.


    Both of them had back injuries and could not lie down on their backs, so they could only lie on their


    sides.It was just that they were close enough to face each other.


    In front of Lucia was August''s chest, and she could feel his breath, warm and itchy.


    Although the fears in her heart had dissipated a lot, the close distance made her a little nervous


    unconsciously, and she wasn''t sleepy anymore.


    Seemingly sensing her nervousness, August stretched out his hand, gently covered the quilt over them,


    and said in a low voice, "Don''t think too much.Go to sleep."


    His words seemed to have magical power, and Lucia unexpectedly rxed her body and fell asleep.


    Hearing her even breathing, August smiled, slowly rxed, and fell asleep.


    At this moment, a dark shadow shed outside the door of the ward.


    In the early morning of the next day, Austos City, which had experienced the baptism of wind and rain


    all night, looked bright under the warm sun.


    Jeanne slept until she woke up naturally.


    When she went downstairs for breakfast, she saw Mark and beckoned him toe over, "What did


    you find?"


    Mark stepped forward and reported in a soft voice, "I found something.


    In the Central Hospital, Lucia and August are both hospitalized.


    Their wards are adjacent, andst night...August slept in Lucia¡¯s ward."


    "What?"


    Jeanne was startled.Her hand holding the coffee cup shook, and the coffee suddenly spilled onto the


    table.


    Unexpectedly, this bitch Lucia did not forget to seduce August at this time! Even in the ward! Unable to


    hold back the anger in her heart, Jeanne got up, ignoring the coffee stains on her hand, and hurried


    upstairs, "I''ll go to the hospital right now!"


    "Miss!"


    Mark chased after her, "I''m afraid it''ll be bad for you if you fall out with August!"


    Jeanne was burning with anger, "Well, what should I do?!"


    What could she do now?! If it weren''t for her illness, she wouldn''t have given other women a chance to


    steal August.


    Now she could only watch another woman take her ce? Impossible! She wasn''t going to let it


    happen! Mark hurriedly said, "You might as well use someone else to get back at her instead of doing it


    on your own.Didn''t you say that Eliot hates Lucia very much? Why don''t you encourage him to do it?"


    Hearing his words, Jeanne instantly felt enlightened.She took a deep breath, gritted her teeth, and


    calmed down.


    Right! Instead of rushing over to confront August, she''d better tell Eliot about it and let him teach Lucia


    a lesson for her.


    Besides, Eliot had just said yesterday that he was going to see August in person today.


    Jeanne was overjoyed and quickly said, "Mark, you''re right.Think of a way to pass this news about


    August to Eliot!"


    Mark was relieved after seeing her calm down, "Don''t worry, Miss, leave it to me."


    When Jeanne heard this, she immediately smiled, and unconsciously patted Mark on the shoulder,


    "Thank you! Go do it now!"


    She quickly ran up to the second floor.


    Mark raised his eyes and looked at her back.He touched the shoulder that she had just touched, and


    smiled slightly.


    As long as she was happy, he was willing to do anything for her.


    Half an hourter, Eliot left the Adams¡¯ old house in a hurry and took his men directly to the Central


    Hospital! When he arrived at the door of August''s ward in the hospital, he aggressively pushed the door


    open and walked in directly.


    August and Joshua were talking when they were interrupted and saw Eliot storm in with some men.


    August''s face darkened and he said, "Dad."


    "You!"


    Eliot looked around the ward and saw no one except August and Joshua.He didn''t see Lucia.


    August took a nce at the men he brought and asked, "Dad, what''s wrong?"


    Eliot didn''t see Lucia in the room, so he had to stop talking.But he was still so angry.He gritted her teeth


    and said, "What do you think is wrong?! You ran to the hospital instead of staying at home! You fought


    with your father because of a woman!"


    August blinked lightly and didn''t speak.


    The atmosphere was a little tense.


    After a moment''s pause, Eliot turned to look at the men behind him, "You all get out!"


    Joshua also walked out with considerable discernment and closed the door, leaving only the father and


    son in the room.


    Eliot panted, looked at August, and said coldly, "Tell me.What are you going to do with thepany?"


    "I''m dealing with it.Now that the public opinion has been controlled, I will try my best to take care of the


    rest."


    Eliot frowned and said nothing.


    The momentum of online discussions had indeed weakened a lot in the past two days.


    This was a fact, and he couldn''t say anything else.


    Eliot snorted coldly, "How are you going to exin it to Jeanne?! You''re seeing another woman and you


    are not going to be responsible for her!"


    Upon hearing this, August frowned, looked up at Eliot, and asked, "Did Jeanne tell you that?"


    Eliot''s face was cold, "Don''t ask who told me In short, if you and Jeanne get engaged, I agree.But I


    won''t ept other women!"


    Hearing this, August remained silent Eliot continued, "Say it yourself, are you going to get engaged to


    Jeanne? Actually, from a personal perspective, August''s engagement at this time might bring some


    changes to thepany¡¯s current situation.


    Of course, he wanted to take this opportunity to help thepany.


    After a moment of silence, August finally said, "I will be responsible."


    He was grateful to Jeanne and felt indebted to her.He would naturally do what he had promised her.


    Eliot said again, "Well, break up with that girl Lucia!"


    August frowned.


    After a few seconds, he raised his head and looked straight at Eliot, "I don''t have a romantic


    rtionship with Lucia."


    Eliot put his hands behind his back and said coldly, "I don''t care what your rtionship is.In short, I will


    arrange your engagement with Jeanne as soon as possible.So you''d better be mentally prepared!"

 Chapter 281

    Chapter 281


    Chapter 281 She Was His Soft Spot


    August frowned and said word by word, "Dad, I have my arrangements for the engagement."


    Eliot said firmly, "It was up to you to make any arrangements before I came back.But now that I''m in


    Austos City, these things will naturally be arranged by me and Christina."


    August''s face darkened.He pursed his lips and fell silent.He knew his father''s character.His father had


    always been arbitrary and stubborn.He never changed his mind.


    It was because of his character that his mother did not see him for thest time before she died.


    Recalling the past, August had a headache.


    After a moment, he said coldly, "I won''t agree to this."


    He had already agreed to get engaged to Jeanne.


    Wasn''t it up to him to decide when to get engaged? August sounded firm, and Eliot was equally firm.


    He snorted coldly, stared at August with sharp eyes, and said coldly, "Do you think I don''t know


    anything? As for how much you have been involved with that girl Lucia, I''ve investigated it clearly,


    including the operation fee that you paid to the hospital for her father every month!"


    August frowned deeply, raised his eyes, and looked at Eliot.His lips moved, but he didn''t make a sound.


    It seemed that his father had already checked it out, and even knew that he paid for the operation fee


    for the Mitchell family.


    "If you don''t agree with my arrangement, then the surgery fee for the Mitchell family must be cut off!


    August''s heart tightened.He looked up at Eliot, and he suddenly felt a little moreplicated.He knew


    very well what it meant to the Mitchell family if the operation fee was cut off.Now Professor Mitchel was


    preparing for the operation.The incidentst time had dyed it and he couldn''t afford to wait any


    longer.


    If there was another ident this time, his situation would probably get worse.


    Seeing that August was silent, Eliot continued, "August, you know me.I can''t let my son''s future be


    affected by others."


    August knew clearly what his father was implying.


    If he insisted on not agreeing, Eliot would probably do something to hurt the Mitchell family.


    How could a man who had built the Adams Group with his own hands be someone with no means?


    August struggled a little and his eyes became darker and darker.


    Finally, he said coldly, "I will follow your arrangement."


    Eliot was threatening him, and he didn''t have a choice.


    Hearing August''s words, Eliot looked relieved.He raised his chin slightly, and his tone softened a little,


    "Since you and Jeanne are going to get engaged sooner orter, you''d better get it done as soon as


    possible.It''s good for both of you and I can also take the opportunity to drum up publicity for the


    company."


    August raised his eyes, just in time to see that Eliot''s eyes lit up.


    At this moment he realized why his father insisted on arranging the time for his engagement.


    This time was carefully chosen.


    Eliot wanted to use this incident to drum up publicity for the Adams Group, get over the previous public


    opinion as soon as possible, and prove his strength to the businessmunity through August''s


    engagement to win over new partners.


    It was undoubtedly the best and mostbor-saving step for thepany¡¯s self-rescue.


    Eliot was indeed calcting and shrewd.


    Eliot had never changed.He had always been the man who wouldn''t hesitate to sacrifice his wife and


    child for his benefit.


    August waspletely disappointed.He lowered his eyes and fell silent.


    Eliot was relieved a lot.


    He stopped frowning, cleared his throat, and changed the subject, "Since you don''t want to recuperate


    at home, you can stay in the hospital.As for thepany, I''ll send Bishop to take charge for the time


    being and take the position of vice president.What do you think?"


    Although Eliot said it in a negotiating tone, August knew that it was Eliot''s decision.


    Even if he disagreed, there was no way to change it.


    After a moment of silence, he said, "Dad, if you think it is appropriate, I have no problem with it."


    Eliot nodded slightly and said, "That''s good.Before you''re discharged from the hospital and go back to


    thepany, take good care of yourself."


    Then he said a few more words before leaving.


    As soon as Eliot left with his men, Joshua came in immediately.


    Looking at August''s cold face, he couldn''t help asking, "What''s going on?"


    August raised his eyes and looked at him with emotions.


    But it seemed that in an instant, all his emotions faded and he restored his calmness, "My father is


    sending Bishop to be the vice president of thepany."


    "What?"


    Joshua said in surprise, "Isn''t it insulting to you? They''re taking advantage of your injury this time and


    finding a good reason to rece you."


    August snorted coldly, and said lightly, "He also asked me to get engaged to Jeanne as soon as


    possible.He''s trying to use this opportunity to drum up publicity for the Adams Group."


    "Your father is very clever!"


    Joshua shrugged and asked with interest, "You agreed?"


    August frowned and said coldly, "He threatened me with the Mitchell family, and I didn''t have a choice."


    When Joshua heard August''s words, his face became a little serious and his eyes darkened.


    August had a soft spot to be taken advantage of, which was a dangerous sign! For people like them,


    the most feared thing was to have a soft spot.


    Joshua had thought that Jeanne was the girl August loved most, but now he knew it was not true.


    August''s life had been a little chaotic because of Lucia''s intrusion.


    Joshua frowned and swallowed.He knew that he had to talk to Lucia about it.


    It was just after noon, and Joshua bought lunch for August.


    He picked up another lunch box and motioned to August, "I''ll go and give it to Lucia."


    August heard his words and said, "Call her over."


    He had specially instructed her to have three meals a day with him, but she didn''te for lunch after


    he waited for so long.


    "The nurse told her not to move around.I''ll send it to her."


    Joshua said, and suddenly smiled at him ambiguously, "If you miss her, then I can call her over."


    August frowned slightly, nced at him coldly, and said nothing.


    Joshua smiled, said nothing, and walked out of the ward.


    When Joshua walked to the door of the neighboring ward, he became serious.He knocked on the door,


    pushed it open, and went in.


    Lucia was sitting on the bed reading a book.


    This was a novel that she had asked the nurse for today when she felt bored.She raised her eyes when


    she heard the sound.


    When she saw the person walking in, she was a little surprised, "Joshua".


    Joshua smiled, walked over, and put the lunch box in front of her, "Lunch for you."


    Lucia smiled politely at him and said, "Thank you."Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Seeing that Joshua had no intention of leaving, she paused and asked, "Is there anything else,


    Joshua?"


    Joshua stepped aside and leaned against the window sillzily, "I want to tell you something."


    When Lucia heard this, she smiled and asked, "What''s the matter? Go ahead."


    "It''s about August."


    Joshua paused symbolically, "Do you know that he''s getting engaged to Jeanne?"


    Lucia''s heart skipped a beat and she blinked.


    Soon, she looked up at Joshua calmly and said, "I know."


    She had heard it from Jeanne long ago.


    Joshua was not surprised.He nodded and said calmly, "It should be soon."


    Lucia''s chest felt a little tight.She took a deep breath and looked at Joshua, "So what?"


    What did he tell her?

 Chapter 282

    Chapter 282


    Chapter 282 Why Can''t You Tolerate Her?


    "It''s nothing."


    Joshua smiled faintly at her, "Ms.Mitchell, I just want to remind you to know what you''re doing."


    "August and Jeanne were childhood sweethearts, and it is not easy for someone else to get in.Even if


    August is tender and considerate, the most important person in his heart is always Jeanne, and it will


    not change"


    Hearing his words, Lucia was stunned.Her mind went nk.She was dazed and didn''t recover for a


    while.


    It was not until she heard Joshua call her name that she woke up, and her hands were cold.


    Joshua was implying something.He was first referring to her involvement in August and Jeanne''s


    rtionship and then emphasizing the importance of Jeanne in August''s heart.


    He was warning her to know her position.


    August didn''t say these words himself, but Joshua was one of his very close friends.


    For her, it was a heavy blow.


    She took a deep breath and wrung her hands nervously, "So Joshua..."


    "What I mean is, if you''re August''s secretary, then just do what you need to do.Don''t ask more


    questions, and don''t get involved in his personal life.Ms.Mitchell, you''re a smart girl and I think you


    understand what I mean.


    "Lucia took a deep breath, calmed down a bit, and felt a little depressed.


    In the end, she said, "I understand."


    "I''m d you understand.Keep your distance, and it''ll be good for both you and August."


    With that, Joshua gave her a deep look and walked out of the ward.


    The room suddenly became quiet.


    Lucia looked at the lunch box in front of her and lost her appetite.It seemed that everyone around


    August thought she shouldn''t stay by his side.


    Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Whether it was Jeanne, Eliot, or Christina, they didn''t want her to get too close to August.


    What about August himself? Overwhelmed with disappointment, Lucia sat on the bed thinking about it,


    and her mind was a mess.


    Finally, when the nurse came to check on her injuries, she suddenly stopped the nurse and asked


    seriously, "With my current physical condition, can I be discharged from the hospital?"


    The nurse was slightly surprised, "You can leave the hospital to recuperate at home after applying for


    the medicine, but why do you want to leave the hospital so suddenly?"


    Lucia smiled and didn''t answer her question, "Well, please help me with the discharge procedures."


    She and August''s ward were adjacent to each other and their contact would be inevitable.She thought


    she''d better recuperate at home and save some money.


    The nurse tried to persuade her to change her mind.


    Seeing her firm attitude, the nurse couldn''t say anything else.So she had to help Lucia with the


    discharge procedures.


    After packing up her things, Lucia quietly left the ward.


    When she saw August''s ward next to hers, her heart sank, and she gritted her teeth and left.


    On the other side of the door, August was looking at the documents sent by Burton on theptop and


    knew nothing about what happened to her.


    An afternoon passed quickly.


    After August dealt with the work at hand, he suddenly thought of Lucia in the ward next to his.She was


    unexpectedly patient and she hadn''t shown up since morning.He smiled, picked up his phone, and sent


    her a message.


    After a long while, there was no reply from Lucia.


    He nced at the time and found it was almost time for dinner.He directly called Lucia, but


    unexpectedly no one answered.


    August felt a little uneasy.


    Joshua happened to push the door open and came in with dinner.


    August frowned, looked at Joshua, and said, "Call the nurse."


    "What''s the matter? Are you not feeling well?"


    August looked serious, "You go and call the nurse first."


    Joshua shrugged, went out to the nurse station, and called the nurse.


    As soon as the nurse arrived at the door, she saw that August''s face was a little cold, and quickly


    asked, "What''s wrong?"


    August said nothing, and asked directly, "How is Lucia today?"


    Hearing his words, the nurse was a little surprised, "The patient in the next ward? She..."


    Seeing that the nurse was hesitant, August felt more anxious and he asked, "What''s wrong with her?"


    It''d been almost a whole day since he heard anything from Lucia.


    The nurse was a little nervous and said softly, "She has already been discharged from the hospital."


    Hearing the nurse''s words, August turned gloomy.


    After being silent for a few seconds, he stood up abruptly and started to walk out.


    When the nurse saw this, she exined in panic, "She said she was going home to recuperate, and


    she was discharged in the afternoon..."


    August paused, looked at the nurse with a cold gaze, and asked condescendingly, "So you let a patient


    out of the hospital with an unhealed wound?"


    Seeing this, Joshua quickly stepped forward and persuaded, "August, this has nothing to do with the


    nurse.Lucia wanted to be discharged..."


    Hearing this, August suddenly thought of something, looked up at him, and asked coldly, "Is it you?"


    Joshua was slightly surprised, "What?"


    August''s expression became a little scared, "I''m asking if you said something to you."


    At noon today, Joshua had taken the initiative to deliver food to Lucia.He left for about ten minutes.


    After he came back, he said that he had gone out to smoke, but there was no smell of smoke on him.


    At that time, August realized that something was wrong, but he didn''t ask much.


    Lucia left the hospital in the afternoon probably because Joshua had said something to her.


    Joshua knew he couldn''t hide it.


    He didn''t reply directly, but looked at the nurse beside him, "You go out first."


    The nurse nodded and immediately left the ward.


    The sudden silence in the room was terrifying.


    After two seconds of silence, Joshua raised his eyes to meet August''s gaze, "It''s me."


    August''s eyes darkened and his sharp eyes turned cold.He was burning with anger.


    "Why can''t you all get along with her?"


    First, Eliot and Christina couldn''t tolerate her, so she was kicked out of the Adams family with her


    injuries.


    Now Joshua had made her hurriedly leave the hospital and go home before her injuries were healed.


    He knew that Lucia was just an ordinary woman, but it seemed that no one could tolerate her! Seeing


    the anger in August''s eyes, Joshua was stunned for a moment and quickly forced a smile, "August, you


    are angry with me for a woman.Is it worthwhile?"


    August clenched his fists unconsciously and said, "So, that''s why you can''t tolerate her?"


    Joshua sneered, "August, you have never been so kind.Why can''t you make up your mind about her


    now?"


    "Joshua, it''s you who has changed."


    August''s eyes lit up with anger, and he stepped forward to approach Joshua, "From the moment we


    first reached an alliance, I''ve known exactly what our mission is.Have you forgotten it?"


    "I know it better than you!"


    Joshua''s eyes suddenly darkened and he raised his voice, "Punish evil and promote well.We''ve been


    committed to clearing all the dark corners of Austos City, but you are no longer like yourself because of


    a woman.Do you know that you two are not from the same world at all?!"


    Hearing his words, August froze in ce.

 Chapter 283

    Chapter 283


    Chapter 283 Could It Be That He Suspected Wrong?


    The atmosphere seemed to freeze in the ward.


    After a long while, August slowly reacted.


    Joshua sighed lightly, "Forget it.Think about it yourself.Don''t forget, you have a fianc¨¦e who you''re


    about to get engaged to."


    With that, he turned around and left.


    August was the only one left in the room.


    He kept thinking about Lucia''s face.


    Finally, he took a deep breath and suppressed all impulses in his heart.


    It seemed that Lucia had been integrated into his life bit by bit in the most imperceptible way, and it was


    not easy for him to forget her.


    It seemed that he really should concentrate.


    At least now, when thepany''s various conditions were unclear, he was in no mood to think about


    other things.


    He nced at the phone next to him and picked it up.


    As soon as he turned it on, he saw messages from Jeanne.


    [August, are you feeling better?]


    [I want to go to the hospital to see you, but I''m afraid to disturb you.]


    [I''m really worried.Call me if you see the messages.]


    August frowned slightly, and finally replied, [Come here.]


    It happened that he also had something to ask her in person.


    After receiving August''s reply, Jeanne was so excited that she almost jumped up.


    She hurriedly changed her clothes and asked Mark to drive her to the hospital.


    As soon as she arrived at the door of the ward, she couldn''t wait to push the door open and rushed in,


    "August!"


    August raised his eyes to look at her, and said with an imperceptible coldness in his eyes, "Come in."


    "You''re finally willing to see me!"


    Jeanne rushed to the side of the hospital bed and held August''s hand, and her eyes instantly turned


    red, "I thought you were mad at me."


    August''s eyes turned cold, and he asked, "Why would I be mad at you? Did you do something wrong?"


    His words instantly made Jeanne awake a bit.


    She looked up at August in panic, and quickly shook her head, "No, thest time I visited you, it


    affected your rest.I thought you didn''t reply because you were angry..."


    Capturing the fleeting panic in Jeanne''s eyes, August forced a smile and said, "Am I so petty in your


    eyes?"


    "No, that''s not what I meant..."Jeanne''s voice became lower and lower.


    As she spoke, her tears kept falling, "I just feel that you are colder to me than before, and I''m scared..."


    Seeing this, August raised his hand, pressed his eyebrows, and asked patiently, "Jeanne, I have


    something to ask you."


    Jeanne looked at him tearfully, wiped the corners of her eyes, and asked softly, "What''s the matter?"


    August didn''t want to beat around the bush, so he simply went straight to the point, "Does the leak of


    the proposal have anything to do with you?"


    Jeanne was slightly surprised and her back stiffened a little.


    After a second, she hurriedly said, "August, how could it have anything to do with me?!"


    August''s eyes became serious, "My man found out that you were in the car when Lucia went to deliver


    the documents, and you were alone in the car for about ten minutes at the Figo Intersection."


    Jeanne was shocked and shook her head quickly, "I...I didn''t see any proposal, and I didn''t know about


    it at all.August, what''s in it for me to do this? You know, all I''ve cared about is you!"


    She held August''s hand tightly with both hands, shook her head ina panic, and exined.Her eyes


    were red, and she looked quite pitiful.


    August frowned, feeling a little confused.He didn''t want to doubt anyone.But when things got to this


    point, he had to find out himself.


    Jeanne was out of breath crying, and her voice was a little hoarse, "I grew up with you and we have


    known each other for so many years.Why would I hurt you?"


    August was slightly surprised.


    Could it be that he suspected wrong? He frowned, held Jeanne''s hand and his voice was a little softer,


    "I didn''t mean to me you.It''s just that after it happened, I have to find out anything suspicious."


    Jeanne leaned towards his chest, and sobbed, "I know, August, I don''t me you.I didn''t help you.I''m


    just causing you trouble..."


    She was crying bitterly in his arms and looked so pitiful.


    August picked up a paper napkin on the side and helped her wipe the tears from her face, "Okay, don''t


    cry."


    N?velDrama.Org ? content.


    Jeanne raised her head and looked at him in tears, "I heard from Aunt Christina that the time of our


    engagement is about to be confirmed.Is that true?"


    August blinked and the emotions in his eyes were a bitplicated, but he still nodded, "Yeah."


    Hearing this, Jeanne instantly looked surprised and happy.She opened her arms to hug his arm, and


    said softly, "Then I can be with you forever.I''m so happy..."


    August smiled and said nothing.


    In the end, he raised his hand to brush the broken hair around her ear and looked at her with a little


    more affection.His engagement party was only a tool for his father.


    The only person who could be purely happy was Jeanne.


    In the next few days, the rtionship between Jeanne and August seemed to be restored to the


    past.She came to deliver meals and soup every day and ate with him.


    In addition, August recovered very quickly.


    In less than a week, all his wounds had scabbed over.


    Before leaving the hospital, Jeanne was a little reluctant to end such a happy time.


    She took August''s hand and asked, "August, are you not going to take another day off?"


    August smiled and said, "Thepany needs me now.I will apany you when I have time."


    Jeanne agreed, "Okay, then I''ll take advantage of these few days to prepare for our engagement."


    Hearing the word "engagement", August paused slightly, unbuttoned his shirt, and his voice became a


    little colder, "Jeanne, you go out and wait for me.I''ll change."


    When Jeanne heard this, she smiled coquettishly.


    Instead of leaving, she reached out and held his hand, "Well, I''ll change your clothes for you."


    His wound had scabbed over, but he still couldn''t move recklessly.It was very inconvenient for him to


    put on clothes like a shirt.


    When Jeanne met this opportunity, she was overjoyed.She stretched out her hand to help him button


    his shirt.


    When she saw his bare chest, her heart beat faster, and she felt a little warm.


    The moment her soft hand touched his firm chest, she chuckled.


    But the next second, her hand was grabbed.


    "Jeanne."


    August''s voice was deeper and more serious, "You go out first and ask Burton toe in."


    "August..."


    Jeanne raised her eyes and said, "I''ll help you.Why bother others?"


    Besides, they were about to get engaged, so there was nothing to shy away from.


    But August''s face was serious, and his eyes were firm when he looked at her.


    She felt a chill down her spine and quickly withdrew her hand, "Okay then, I''ll go out."


    With that, she turned around a little unhappily and walked out of the ward.


    August stood there with a frown, feelingplicated.


    He didn''t know why he was so repulsive to Jeanne''s touch.


    But when he was with Lucia, he clearly wouldn''t feel this way.


    Was it because he had gotten used to Lucia?

 Chapter 284

    Chapter 284


    Chapter 284 He Returned to the Company


    He was a little confused.


    At this moment, Burton pushed the door open and came in, "President Adams."


    August came to his sense and nodded slightly, "How about thepany?"


    "The meeting will be held in an hour."


    Burton reported, suddenly thinking of something, and hesitantly said, "Also, there is an emergency.The


    director of ourpany''s Finance Department has had an ident.Due to some personal financial


    disputes, it was suddenly censored."


    Hearing this, August suddenly turned cold and said, "Is it our men?"


    Burton nodded and said, "Yes, it''s Steven Selby who you specially transferred to the Finance


    Department."


    The room suddenly became quiet, and August''s face became more and more gloomy.


    Although he was in charge of thepany now, many people were loyal to his father Eliot in various


    departments of thepany.


    After he secured his position, he reced some employees and arranged some of his confidants.


    Unexpectedly, the man he had arranged in the Finance Department suddenly had an ident today.


    Besides, it happened right before he was discharged from the hospital and returned to thepany for


    a meeting.


    There was something wrong, It was not that simple.


    Possibly it was Eliot, but more likely it was Bishop.


    August frowned, put on his suit jacket, buttoned it up, and said coldly, "Let''s go back to thepany."


    After recuperating in the hospital for a few days, his wounds had healed a bit.


    August decided to go back to thepany.He didn''t even have time to go back to the vi and went


    straight to thepany for a return meeting.He had thought that Bishop would join thepany in a


    rtively low-key manner.


    But now it seemed that Bishop did the exact opposite.


    The ck Maybach was driving fast on the road.


    When it stopped downstairs in thepany, the people from the President''s Office were already


    standing at the door ahead of time, waiting to greet him.


    In the distance, August saw the white figure standing at the front through the car window.


    Lucia was wearing a white suit and her hair was rolled up, making her look more capable.


    August nced at her lightly, and then quickly looked away calmly.


    It seemed that she had been recovering well, and she had already returned to work.


    When the car stopped, someone came forward, opened the door quickly, and invited August to get out


    of the car.


    August got off the car with a big stride.


    The tailored ck suit that fit him neatly didn''t show a single fold, and it perfectly outlined his strong


    body.


    Lucia, with her eyes down, nced at him, and her heart trembled.She nced at him again out of the


    corner of her eye.She hadn''t seen August for several days.She had done a good job of psychological


    construction in her heart these days.


    But when she saw him, she couldn''t help but nce at him.


    N?velDrama.Org ? content.


    Lucia took a deep breath.


    When she saw August walking in this direction, she immediately bowed, "Wee back, President


    Adams."


    Other assistants also bowed down to wee him.


    This was the way the President''s Office had thought of weing him back.


    August nodded slightly, and his eyes swept across Lucia¡¯s side face lightly.His voice was as cold as


    ever, "Okay, go back to the President''s Office and continue working."


    With that, he walked quickly towards the elevator, and Burton quickly followed.


    Lucia raised her eyes and mustered up the courage to look at his back.


    Then she said to Jasper beside her, "Let''s go back to work."


    Jasper was a little uneasy, "Lucia, I just saw that President Adams didn''t look very unhappy.Is it


    because of the meeting that is going to be heldter?"


    The meeting was said to be held to wee August''s return to thepany, but it was also to officially


    announce Bishop as thepany''s vice president.


    Bishop had been in thepany for several days, and all the employees had been calling him "Vice


    President Adams".


    Compared with the grim-faced August, Bishop was much gentler.


    As soon as he arrived at thepany, he won the favor and trust of many people in thepany.But


    the people in the President''s Office vaguely felt a little uneasy.


    The existence of Bishop was a threat to August.


    Lucia also felt uneasy.


    She lowered her voice and said, "Okay, don''t worry about it.Let''s go to prepare the conference room


    first."


    "Okay."


    Back at the President''s Office, Lucia immediately took Jasper to therge conference room on the


    same floor to prepare for the meeting to be heldter.


    As soon as the documents and coffee were prepared, the senior management came over.


    Several shareholders and high-level executives took their seats and whispered to each other with


    serious faces.


    "Don''t you see the chairman''s intention? A great man cannot brook a rival.I''m afraid there will be a


    good show in the future."


    "What I''m most afraid of is the struggle for power and profit in the family business.It is inevitable for us


    to take a side.Who do you prefer?"


    When Lucia delivered theptops, she heard some discussions and felt a little strange.She didn''t know


    anything about fighting for power and profit.


    In her opinion, Bishop was not bad, and he and August probably wouldn''t fight as they said...


    Thinking like this, she found ten minutes had passed before she knew it.


    Seeing that almost all of the people came, and even Bob pushed Bishop over, August was still nowhere


    to be seen.She was suddenly anxious.


    Seeing that it was time for the meeting, Lucia went to the door and looked in the direction of the


    President''s Office, feeling more and more uneasy.


    Jasper came out of the conference room and said anxiously, "Lucia, what should we do? The leaders in


    the conference room are asking where President Adams is..."


    "Don''t worry.I''ll go back to the President''s Office to have a look."


    Afterforting Jasper, Lucia didn''t dare to dy and immediately walked towards the President''s


    office.


    When she arrived at the door, she looked left and right but did not see Burton.She gritted her teeth,


    walked quickly to the office door, and knocked on the door, "President Adams, are you in there?"


    There was no sound inside.


    Lucia called again, but there was still no response.


    Gritting her teeth, she took a deep breath and pressed the door handle directly to open the door.


    She thought there was no one in the office.


    But when she saw the tall man standing in front of the window with his back on her, she was suddenly


    stunned for a moment.


    Two secondster, she gathered up her courage and stepped forward, "President Adams, everyone is


    waiting for you to go to the meeting."


    He didn''t respond.


    After a few seconds, he said in a cold voice, "Come here."


    Lucia''s heart tightened and she stepped forward nervously.


    Walking to the desk, she stopped, "President Adams, the meeting has started..."


    "I know."


    There was a bit of coldness in his voice, "As soon as I returned to thepany, I received a lot of


    ¡®good news.First, the man I arranged in the Finance Department had an ident.Then it was the


    ounting being censored.Well, what exactly does Bishop want to do?"


    With that, he turned to look at her, and his eyes were bright and deep.


    Lucia¡¯s heart trembled.She was a little surprised when she thought of Bishop who greeted others gently


    in the conference room just now.She hadn''t expected that Bishop would do so many things to hurt


    August.


    He looked innocent and kind, but he was secretly so ruthless.


    "I don''t know."


    Lucia took a deep breath and said, "President Adams, you should hurry up and get to the meeting..."


    However, as soon as she said it, August stepped forward, approached her, and said word by word,


    "Well, let me tell you, he wants my current position."

 Chapter 285

    Chapter 285


    Chapter 285 His Tie Was Crooked


    He sounded so cold.


    Lucia froze, and she looked at August speechlessly.


    Seeing her slightly surprised face, August smiled and said, "A hypocritical person is most


    terrifying.Keep it in mind."


    With that, he walked around her to the door.


    Lucia was stunned for a moment, somehow feeling numb.She felt that August was different from usual,


    and she somehow felt sorry for him...


    Lucia raised her head and saw that he was about to push the door open and walked out.


    She suddenly thought of something and said, "Wait!"


    She hurriedly chased after him and unconsciously grabbed his arm.


    August looked back at her and raised his eyebrows, "What''s wrong?"


    Lucia took a deep breath and looked up at his chest, "Your tie..."


    She had found just now that his tie was crooked.


    After she reminded him, August realized that he had indeed pulled his tie just now when he was


    irritable, and he forgot to put it back.He paused and didn''t say anything.He raised his eyes to look at


    Lucia with a faint smile in his eyes.


    Under his gaze, Lucia blushed.


    Seeing that it was gettingte, she had to grit her teeth, stepped forward, and carefully straightened his


    tie.


    August remained motionless, looking down at her.It seemed that because of her approach, he smelt a


    faint fragrance on her.He looked at her serious face and red lips, and his heart tightened.


    Then, his eyes moved down.


    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    When he nced at her neckline, his eyes suddenly darkened a little.


    It seemed that the neckline of her suit did not fit well.


    From this angle, he could see some of her breasts and it was dazzling.


    He swallowed, and a dark light shed across his eyes.


    He hadn''t seen her for a few days and she dared to dress like this at work? August frowned in


    dissatisfaction.


    Just as Lucia inadvertently tugged at the tie while she was helping him tie it, his heart was pounding.


    The next second, he stretched out his hand and pressed her against the door.


    Lucia¡¯s hand trembled, and she almost fell into a panic.


    Fortunately, the tie in her hand became a supporting point.


    When she pulled at it, he pressed down.


    Bang! Their heads bumped into each other.


    Lucia groaned softly in pain, and August frowned.


    Lucia opened her eyes and looked at him in a panic, "President Adams..."


    August''s face was a little gloomy, and he seemed a little angry.He didn''t say a word.He just stretched


    out his hand, smoothed the folds of her shirt with his slender fingers, and specifically lifted it a little to


    cover her chest.


    Then, he said with a cold face, "Change your clothes another day."


    Lucia''s face flushed.


    She nodded slightly, and immediately continued adjusting his tie, "I''ll help fix your tie."


    She quickened her pace.


    When his tie was re-tied and straightened, Lucia smoothed the folds on his chest, quickly let go, and


    stepped aside, "It''s done, President Adams.You can go to the meeting."


    The emotions in August''s eyes wereplicated.


    He gave her a deep look, opened the door, and walked out without saying anything.


    As soon as he opened the door, he looked up and saw Bishop who was pushed over by Bob not far


    away.


    Suddenly, his eyes darkened.


    Bishop, who was sitting in a wheelchair, smiled and said first, "August, why don''t you go to the


    meeting? We have all been waiting for you for nearly fifteen minutes."


    August sneered when he heard his words, "Vice President Adams, since it''s inconvenient for you, you


    shouldn''t havee to invite me in person.I''lle over after I''m done with the work at hand."


    With that, he nced coldly at Bishop, took a step to bypass him, and walked directly toward the


    conference room.


    Lucia went to the door, just in time to see Bishop''s face darkening and his eyes turning cold.


    But soon, he turned his head and saw her at the door.


    He turned to her and nodded slightly with a smile, "Lucia."


    Lucia took a deep breath, smiled at him, and watched him leave.


    After Bob and Bishop left, Lucia secretly breathed a sigh of relief.


    If she hadn''t seen it with her own eyes, she wouldn''t believe that Bishop had such a cold and chilling


    expression.She didn''t know what grudges there were between August and Bishop.


    But just based on the look in Bishop''s eyes just now, she secretly felt that he was not so simple.It


    seemed what she had heard in the conference room just now was right.


    A great man cannot brook a rival.


    There probably would be much more conflicts between them in the future.


    In this meeting, August did not ask his secretary or assistant to apany him.She stayed outside the


    conference room and waited for more than an hour until the meeting was over.


    When the peoplee out, she saw that all of them looked unhappy.She guessed that this meeting


    was not going well.


    Soon, Bishop and Bob came out.


    Both of them looked cold and hurried away.


    After a while, August came out with Burton.


    August raised his eyes, nced over Lucia, and raised his chin slightly at her, "Come with me."


    Lucia was slightly startled.She took a deep breath and walked over.


    After walking into the President''s Office, she closed the door as requested by August.


    Then she mustered the courage to look up at him and asked "President Adams, what can I do for you?"


    She was only allowed to follow him, and even Burton stayed outside.He looked so serious and it was a


    bit scary.


    "The leak of the proposal has a big impact on thepany.The top management has been asking me


    to give them an exnation.You know, in this case, you are the most suspicious, so..."


    Lucia''s heart sank and she looked up at him.


    Was he going to fire her? August blinked and said lightly, "I''m going to give you a task.If youplete


    it, you can prove yourself."


    Hearing this, Lucia secretly breathed a sigh of relief and quickly asked, "What task?"


    August went straight to the point, "The redeur fashion brand under thepany has just changed a


    designer recently and started a new collection.It needs a brand spokesperson.At present, thepany


    has decided on a star candidate.You go and deal with him."


    Lucia was a little nervous, "The candidate...who is it?"


    "Jonathan ck"


    Lucia was not familiar with this name, but she was not unfamiliar with it.


    She often saw his portrait on therge billboards of subway and bus stations, and also knew that he


    was one of the most popr male stars in the entertainment circle.He was well-known for his


    handsome face and his beautiful voice.


    Lucia gasped, feeling less confident.


    Suddenly, August asked, "Are you confident?"She came to her senses and was slightly startled when


    she met August''s bright and deep eyes.


    After a moment, she reacted, gritted her teeth, and said, "I''m willing to give it a try."


    August blinked and said, "If you need anything, just ask Burton, and I will help you as much as


    possible."


    "No, I want to try it myself."


    Lucia refused without thinking, which surprised August.He felt amused and smiled, "Why? Are you so


    confident?"


    Lucia shook her head and said solemnly, "I don''t want to betray your trust."


    From what August had said, she guessed that someone must have said something about her at the


    meeting just now, suspecting that she was the one who leaked the proposal.She was given a second


    chance instead of being punished probably because August had fought her.


    In other words, no matter what others thought, at least he still trusted her.

 Chapter 286

    Chapter 286


    Thinking of this, Lucia felt even happier.


    She raised the corner of her mouth and tilted her head slightly to look at August, "You still believe in


    me, right?"


    August was stunned.


    Looking at the woman''s smiling face, his heart tightened and beat fast.


    Before he could answer, Lucia lowered her head, smiled, and said softly, "I understand.President


    Adams, if you don''t mind, I''ll go and do my work first."


    After that, she turned around and walked out of his office.It was not until the door was closed that


    August came to his senses.His heart was still beating wildly out of control, and the woman''s bright


    smile kept sticking in his brain.


    That charming, lively, and inexplicably sweet...girl.


    "Bang bang!"


    There was a knock on the door, and Burton walked in quickly with a document in his hand.


    When he saw August''s expression, he suddenly eximed, "Mantis, you..."


    August''s tone was as cold as ever.He looked up at him, frowned impatiently, and asked, "What?"


    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    Burton hesitated for a moment and said, "Your face is particrly red.Do you have a fever?"


    August''s face darkened when he heard that.


    Did he blush? Why would he blush? He raised his eyes and looked at Burton gloomily, and asked, "Is


    that so?"


    Burton nodded decisively and answered obtrusively, "Yes, it''s really red, just like...When somebody is


    falling in love!"


    Burton suddenly remembered Pa.


    Sometimes, when he was with her, he would indeed blush, just like his president was now.


    "What are you thinking about?"


    August frowned unhappily, grabbed a document next to him, and threw it at Burton angrily.


    Burton dodged quickly.He smiled embarrassedly and bent down to pick up the documents on the


    ground.


    "Mr.Adams, I''m just telling the truth..."


    Recently, he had been in a rtionship, so he was very clear about what a man would look like when


    he was in love.


    August noticed that there was something unusual with Burton recently, so he raised his eyebrows and


    asked, "You and that Pa..."


    He didn''t ask much about it when Burton came back from Figo City thest time, but judging from his


    performance, it was probably a good result.


    As expected, Burton scratched the back of his head and admitted shyly, "We''re dating now."


    Hearing this, the light shed through August''s eyes, he hesitated and said lightly, "It''s a good thing.It


    seems that I shouldn''t always let you work overtime in the future."


    Burton smiled and answered, "Trust me, Mr.Adams, I won''t let my date affect my working state."


    August nodded and signed for him to leave.


    After Burton left, August sat alone in the room, his thoughts in a mess.He didn''t expect that Burton


    would get a girlfriend earlier than him.


    Although he had a nominal girlfriend Jeanne, he was getting more and more confused about whether


    the rtionship they had was love or not.


    He would love and take care of her like a younger sister, and he would apany her when she was


    in pain.He would do everything he could to arrange the operation for her.


    But he didn''t feel the palpitation, nor did he feel the feeling of "love" like what Burton was talking about.


    August pulled his thought back, looking at the mountain of documents on his desk.He rubbed his


    eyebrows and turned his attention to his work.


    For the whole afternoon, Burton had been investigating Jonathan''s background.


    It sounded easy, but the work turned out to be difficult.


    Bright, a fashion brand under the Lion group, has been developing well in the past two years.


    It could be regarded as a famous brand with its unique characteristics in the industry and had


    cooperated with many stars.


    In other words, countless stars wanted to work with the Lion group.


    But as it had just gone through a storm, and words got around, it would be a little hard to find new


    cooperation at this time.


    No one wanted to be associated with the Lion group at this time.


    If theizens had any opinions about the brand, it would also affect the stars who cooperated with it.


    Therefore, everyone was cautious at this time.


    Lucia had been busy for the whole afternoon, but she didn''t even find the contact information of


    Jonathan''s agent.


    Suddenly, she thought of a person.


    As soon as she got off work, she called Pa to ask her out.


    Pa was in the music circle and knew a lot of people.


    Maybe she really has a channel to get the contact information of Jonathan ck''s agent.


    As soon as Pa arrived at their meeting ce, she t-out asked, "What do you need?"


    Today, Lucia had offered to treat her to a hotpot and Pa knew that she must have something to ask


    of her.


    Seeing Pa knew what she wanted to do, Lucia smiled, "Pa, you''re really amazing.How do you


    know that I want you to help me with something?"


    Pa proudly raised her chin and said, "Of course, I just know you too well.So what makes you so


    anxious?"


    Lucia cut straight to the chase and told her what had happened.


    After hearing Lucia''s story, Pa said, "You''re lucky to have me.I do have a friend who works in the


    entertainment industry.I believe she could get the information you need."


    Hearing that, Lucia seemed to see hope in an instant.


    She patted Pa''s shoulder and said, "Today, you can order whatever you want.Good job!"


    Pa''s eyes shed as she heard Lucia''s words, then she said, "I''ll call Burton toe..."


    The table suddenly fell silent for a few seconds.


    Lucia looked at Pa in surprise and said, "Pa! Are you saying that you and Burton Harris..."


    It was the first time they had met since Pa came back from Figo City, and they had been talking


    about Lucia''s work, so Lucia hadn''t gotten a chance to ask what happened between Pa and Burton.


    "We''re dating now," Pa said and blushed.


    "I was going to give you a surprise..."


    Lucia couldn''t help but smile, "Well done! You just forgot your best friend after having a boyfriend!"


    "No, I didn''t!"


    The two of them chatted andughed for a long time before returning to the main topic of what


    happened in Figo City.


    When they were talking about Burton Harris, Pa put down her phone and said, "Burton said that he


    was busy and couldn''te.Recently, he seems to have been busy preparing for the engagement


    ceremony, so..."


    Pa suddenly realized what she was talking about and stopped, looking uneasily at Lucia.


    When Lucia heard about the engagement ceremony, her heart also tightened in an instant.She bit her


    lip, looked at Pa, and asked, "When will the engagement ceremony be?"


    Pa regretted so much that she even wanted to p herself, but as Lucia asked, she had to reply, "I


    heard from Burton that it seems to be this Sunday."


    Lucia was shocked and unconsciously clenched her fists.


    There were only a few days left.


    In the blink, August was going to be the groom of another woman.


    There were some inexplicable emotions in her heart.Pa asked tentatively, "Are you alright? Don''t tell


    me you still care about him."


    Lucia smiled and pretended to be rxed, "What should I care about? It''s a good thing.He''s a good


    match for Emily..."


    "Really?"


    Pa reached out to hold her hand and asked seriously, "Do you mean it?"


    She was her best friend.How would she not see that Lucia still cared about him?

 Chapter 287

    Chapter 287


    Lucia took a deep breath and smiled at Pa, "Of course, it''s time to move on.Now that August Adam


    will engage Emily, they''ll have my blessing for sure!"


    Although Lucia couldn''t help feeling a lump in her throat, she didn''t want her best friend to worry about


    her.


    Pa knew Lucia''s thoughts very well and didn''t want to continue asking.


    She patted the back of Lucia''s hand and changed the topic, "When I get Jonathan''s contact


    information, I will send it to you directly.Don''t worry.To be honest, I also think that his style is quite


    suitable for Redeur."


    Lucia nodded, then followed Pa and changed the topic.


    After the meal, Pa asked Lucia to go shopping, and when the two separated and went back home, it


    was veryte.


    Early the next morning, Lucia received a message from Pa with the contact information of Jonason''s


    agent.


    Lucia was so excited that she almost jumped up.She sent several emojis to Anna to express her


    gratitude.


    Soon after, Pa sent another message and a picture.


    The message said, "This is Jonathan ck''s schedule for thest week.There may be a little


    adjustment, but most of it is correct.Take a look, it might help."


    Lucia immediately returned the message and started looking at Jonathan ck''s schedule.


    Recently, Jonathan ck has a drama to shoot and spends most of his time on the set.


    After ncing at it briefly and packing up her things, Lucia went to work.She first finished the work at


    hand, then called Jonathan''s agent during the break.


    As soon as the phone was connected, Lucia immediately said, "I am the secretary of Lion Group, and I


    have a cooperation proposal that I want to..."


    But a woman''s cold voice interrupted her, "I''m sorry, but Jonathon ck is on a full schedule now, so


    we don''t ept other cooperation for now."


    "Can you give me two minutes? We want to invite Mr.Jonason to be the spokesperson for the fashion


    brand Redeur..."


    There was a noise on the other side before Lucia could finish speaking, and the woman said, "I''m sorry,


    we''re busy here.Maybe next time."


    As she finished speaking, she hung up the phone directly.


    Lucia looked at the phone in her hand and subconsciously frowned.


    Obviously, this agent didn''t want to cooperate with them.


    Now, the stock market of the Lion Group was not optimistic, and all kinds of rumors were spreading


    fast, so the stars seemed to be avoiding the Lion group as a gue.


    In this way, it was obviously much hard to deal with the cooperation with Jonathan ck.


    Lucia paced back and forth in the rest area, suddenly feeling a little unsettled.


    Yesterday, she solemnly promised August, and that would be a shame for her if she fail.


    At that moment, somebody called behind her.


    "Lucia?"


    Lucia turned around and saw Lisa standing there, staring at her with a cup of coffee in her hand.


    Ever since she was transferred to the president''s office, she hadn''t met Lisa for a while.So it was such


    a coincidence to meet her here.


    Out of courtesy, Emily nodded at her and replied "Hello, Miss Miller."


    Lisa smiled with sarcasm in her eyes.She stepped forward and said, "You''ve changed since thest


    time we met.I haven''t seen you dressed so fancy in thepany before.Why did you suddenly be


    so open after being transferred to the president''s office?"


    As she spoke, she kept studying Lucia.


    Lucia understood the underlying meaning of Lisa''s words.She followed Lisa''s gaze and looked at her


    suit and replied with a smile, "It''s just more formal than before.There''s no change in me.If you want to


    change your dressing style, you can wear low-cut clothes and super shorts to work, and I believe no


    one will say anything about that."


    After saying that, she smiled at Lisa and walked away.Lisa''s face darkened.


    When he turned around and saw the smile on herpanion''s face, she felt even more


    embarrassed.She immediately became angry.


    "What are you talking about?"


    Lucia didn''t bother to stop, but as she was walking, she felt a chill on her back, and she got


    goosebumps in an instant.


    When she turned her head, she saw that Lisa was holding half a cup of coffee and staring at her


    angrily.


    Lucia touched her back, and her face gloomed.


    The suit she was wearing was light-colored, and once coffee was sshed on it, there would be


    obvious traces.It would be okay if it was an ident, but Lisa did it on purpose.


    She remembered thest time she met Lisa and Irene in thepany lobby.


    At that time, Irene sshed the juice all over her.


    Now it had been switched to Lisa to do that again.


    For a moment, Lucia was a little angry.Her eyes were cold, and she stared at Emily without moving.


    Lamont felt a little guilty and pretended to be calm.


    "Why are you looking at me like that?"


    Lucia gritted her teeth and suddenly snatched the coffee cup from Lisa''s hand and sshed the


    remaining half of the coffee cup on her.


    Lisa''s face turned pale and angry.She didn''t expect Lucia to dare to fight back.


    Lisa screamed, took two steps back, and asked Lucia in a panic, "You! Are you crazy?"


    Lucia gritted her teeth, crushed the cup in her hand, and threw it to the ground.


    "Haven''t you tired of your old trick?"


    Last time, she didn''t fight back because she didn''t want to make things too ugly with them.But it looked


    like they took that as a sign of weakness.


    Lisa''s face was flushed red with anger.She pointed at Lucia with a trembling finger and shouted, "Lucia,


    you are way out of line.I''ll go tell everyone in the administrative department, and let''s see how you go


    back to work there!"


    "Can''t you know who is the one that is out of the line? I don''t think I provoked you, do I?"


    Lucia approached Lisa and said clearly, "I''m not afraid even if you told the president about that, let


    alone tell the story in the administrative department!"


    Lisa''s face turned pale as she heard Lucia''s face.Her lips trembled and looked at something behind


    Lucia, unable to say a word.


    Lucia did not notice her abnormality.


    She looked down at the coffee on the ground and said coldly, "Clean this ce up before you leave."


    After saying that, she nced coldly at Lisa and turned around.


    But then her body suddenly stiffened as she saw August standing not far behind her.


    N?velDrama.Org ? content.


    She said in a low voice, "President Adams..."


    She had no idea when August Adams and Burton Harris arrived, nor did she know how long they had


    been standing there or how much they had seen...


    The indignation caused by anger suddenly dissipated.


    Lucia clenched her fists and lowered her eyes.


    Seeing the situation, August raised the corner of his mouth and ordered Burton, "You stay here and


    watch her clean up the ce."


    Then, he turned around, nced at Lucia, and said, "Lucia Mitchell, youe with me"

 Chapter 288

    Chapter 288


    Lucia was a little nervous, but she forced herself to follow August.


    When they entered the office, she heard August say "Close the door"


    "Okay."


    Lucia obediently closed the door, feeling more uneasy.


    Was it because she had been too arrogant in front of Lisa Miller, so he was going to criticize her for


    that? She was nervous and raised her head to look at August Adams and exined, "President


    Adams, I didn''t do it on purpose just now.It''s because she..."


    Before she could finish exining, the man''s deep maic voice rang out, "Come here."


    Lucia looked up and saw that August had taken out a paper bag from the cab next to him and put it


    on the table.


    She was stunned for a moment, then stepped forward.


    August raised his chin at her and said lightly, "Change your clothes first."


    Hearing what he said, Lucia suddenly remembered that the back of her clothes was already dirty.She


    touched the wet clothes, took a deep breath, and looked at the paper bag on the table.


    Seeing she didn''t move, August raised his eyebrows and asked, "What are you waiting for? Do you


    want me to change it for you?"


    Lucia took a deep breath and walked up to take the clothes out of the paper bag.


    It was a set of light cyan suit dresses, and a short jacket with a skirt, the fabric was very luxurious, and


    the design was simple and elegant.She was slightly stunned.


    After a moment of hesitation, she looked at Armes and asked, "Is this for me?"


    The clothes were brand new, and even the brand tag had not been removed.


    August picked up a document next to him, flipped through it, and answered casually, "If you take it,


    then it is yours."


    Hearing that, Lucia hesitated.


    Such a fine qualitydy''s suit, stored in August Adams¡¯ office, is in all probability for Jeanne Kelly, and it


    would not be good for her to wear it.


    After thinking about it, she put down the clothes, looked at August, and said, "President Adams, I can


    wipe the stain after Ie back to my office.It is not necessary to waste your clothes."


    Hearing her words, August frowned and looked up at her, "What do you mean by waste?"


    Lucia lowered her head and took a deep breath, "If Miss Kelly knows about it, I''m afraid she will


    misunderstand."


    There was a moment of silence in the room, and then Lucia heard August''sughter.


    Lucia looked up at him in surprise, "President Adams..."


    "This suit was prepared for you."


    "For me?"


    "These are from Redeur.If you want to convince those stars to sign for our brand, you have to wear this


    brand first.So I chose one for you.Don''t you want to ept it?"


    Lucia was stunned for a moment, then she found out that there was a small logo in the paper bag.


    Only then did she know what he was talking about.


    Seeing the woman''s expression, August said lightly, "I was going to give it to you in the afternoon, but I


    saw that your clothes were ruined and called you over to take it."


    Lucia was surprised, "Well, Thank you, President Adams."


    August raised his chin and said, "Change it.Let me see"


    Lucia picked up the clothes, feeling a little embarrassed.


    Although she had physical contact with August, she couldn''t take off her clothes in front of him just like


    that.


    As August nced at Lucia¡¯s red ears, he smiled and said, "You can go change in the lounge."


    Lucia felt relieved and answered hurriedly.She picked up the clothes and went to change into the


    lounge in the office.


    Lucia found the suit was exactly the right size as if it was tailored for her.


    After changing her clothes, she tidied up her messy hair and came out of the lounge.


    August was standing by the desk and flipping through some documents.


    He nced over the direction of the lounge casually and his gaze suddenly darkened when he saw the


    light green figure.


    The well-tailored clothes wrapped around Lucia''s exquisite body, her elegant shoulders, white and


    slender neck, and long legs.


    This color would easily be considered ugly to dress on other people, but on her, the color showed


    indescribable beauty and elegance.It was very suitable and perfect for her.


    Lucia''s lips twitched.


    "It''s...not my style."


    August didn''t reply.He put down the document and walked toward her.His scent slowly approached and


    wrapped around Lucia.


    When she smelled the clean smell on him, her heart was a mess and she subconsciously took two


    steps back.


    "President Adams..."


    What was he going to do? Without saying a word, August stretched out his arm and wrapped it around


    her shoulder.He lowered his head, and his warm breath hit her ear, making numb feelings all over her


    body.


    Lucia blushed and closed her eyes subconsciously.


    Two secondster, what she had imagined did not happen.


    August let go of her and took a step back.


    "Okay then."


    Lucia immediately opened her eyes.


    When she saw the tag in his hand, she looked confused for a moment.It turned out that he was just


    helping her pick up the tag.


    She thought he was going to...


    There was a light sh across August''s eyes.


    He looked at her with a faint smile and asked, "What are you thinking about? Why is your face so red?"


    Lucia was shocked and took two steps back.


    "No! I didn''t think of anything."


    But the more intense her reaction was, the more August knew what she was thinking about.


    The smile on August''s face turned wide.


    When he saw that Lucia was about to hit the bookshelf, he quickly grabbed her arm, pulling her toward


    him.


    Lucia staggered and fell directly into his arms, and coincidentally held the man''s waist.She raised and


    met the man''s dark eyes.


    For a moment, her heart almost jumped out of her chest.


    The next second, Lucia''s vision turned dark, and a gentle kissnded on her forehead.


    Then, the man¡¯s voice rang out.


    "Don''t let me down about the spokesperson."


    After that, he let go of her and turned to walk to his desk as if nothing had happened.


    Lucia stood on the spot, stunned for two seconds, then answered hesitantly and quickly took her


    clothes and fled the office.


    Rushing to her office, Lucia sat at her desk.


    Her heart was still beating fast, and she could almost hear her heart beating.


    What happened just now was like a dream.


    It was too dreamy, with a faint sweetness, making her panic.


    This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.


    After more than half an hour, Lucia washed her face and finally calmed down a little.She looked at the


    time and found that it was time to go to work.She calmed down and began to work.


    For the whole afternoon, she was distracted.


    From time to time, the scenes in the August office shed through her mind and she couldn''t stop


    smiling.


    In the end, she patted her cheeks hard to make herself sober up.


    Looking at the time, she found that it was almost time for Jonathan ck to end work.


    Since she couldn''t get through to his agent, she had to find another way.


    As long as she could talk to Jonathan ck face to face, there would still be hope.


    If she failed to talk to him, then at least she would let him know her.


    Lucia packed up, reported to Melinda, then left thepany in a hurry and went straight to Austos


    City''s studio.


    The Austos City''s studio wasrge, and many costume dramas were made there.


    Jonathan ck had received a leading actor in a drama, and the filming wasing to an end, so the


    task of the actors was rtively easy.


    ording to Jonathan ck''s schedule, he would finish his work at 4:30 p.m., leave the Studio, and


    then participate in an interview at 8:30 p.m.


    So Lucia had to make good use of this time.


    As long as she could meet him, she would have a chance to persuade him.

 Chapter 289

    Chapter 289


    She got out of the subway and rushed to Studio.She thought that there wouldn''t be too many visitors


    on a working day, but when she arrived, she realized she was too naive.


    Arge crowd surrounded the venue.


    All of them were girls in their teens or twenties.


    They huddled together, holding strips and mobile phones in their hands, discussing excitedly.


    This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.


    When Lucia saw the big words and the photos on the disy boards, she realized what all these were


    about.


    Those girls were all fans of Jonathon ck.


    They surrounded the door and waited for Jason toe out so that they could see him.


    Lucia squeezed into the crowd, but the young woman did not let her in because she did not look like a


    fan at all.


    Lucia looked at the time anxiously.She couldn''t get close to Jonathon at all.


    How could she have the chance to talk to him about the endorsement? Lucia looked around and


    suddenly saw a few girlsing out of a bungalow, holding a support card printed with Jonathan''s


    photo.She found that it was a ce to make posters and disy cards.She had an idea and quickly


    walked over.


    The shop owner was a thin middle-aged man.


    Seeing her, he smiled and asked, "Miss, whose fan are you?"


    Lucia was stunned for a moment.She nced at the assortment of disy boards in the room and


    replied, "Jonathon ck."


    "Haha, it seems like he has a lot of fans.I made dozens of his brands today!"


    The owner pointed to the te and asked, "There are different sizes, which one do you want?"


    "I''ll take the biggest."


    Lucia found a photo on her mobile phone quickly, gave it to the owner, and asked, "I want you to print


    this photo."


    The owner nodded with a smile and asked her to send the photos to theputer.


    In less than ten minutes, a superrge disy card waspleted.It was printed with a handsome


    photo of Jonathan ck and has a width of one meter, which was really eye-catching.


    Just now, she had checked around the crowd and found that all the girls were holding small brands


    which were convenient and easy to lift.


    Inparison, the one she had just printed was much bigger.


    However, this was also her purpose.She wanted to be the most noticeable one in the crowd.


    Even if she couldn''t talk to Jonathon, at least she would make him notice her.She took the huge board,


    paid the bill, and quickly walked towards the crowd.


    As soon as she got close, she attracted a lot of attention.She walked to a ce where there were fewer


    people, raised the board, and soon reached the front.


    The people around her looked at her and began to whisper.


    "Is there something wrong with her? Why did she raise such a big board?"


    "It''s intentional.In order to make Jasonathon take a look at her, she really went all out..."


    Lucia didn''t care much about those words.She didn''t have any affection for Jonathon, and she just


    wanted to cooperate with him.


    Lucia looked inside and waited for a long time, but no one came out.


    At that moment, a snort came from the side.


    "I thought I was looking at the wrong person but didn''t expect it to really be you!"


    Lucia turned around and saw Gigi Robbers.She was wearing a blue shirt and leather pants, with a wild


    cat''s makeup painted on her face.She looked like a yful girl.


    Lucia was shocked and surprised.


    When she saw the support card in Gigi''s hand, she couldn''t help but smile.


    "Miss Robbers, are you also a fan of Jonathan ck?"


    "Of course I am!"


    Gigi snorted with coldness in his eyes.


    "I''m the president of his fan club.How can I not know that you like him? Are you pretending to be his


    fan?"


    Gigi looked Lucia up and down, her eyes full of suspicion.


    Lucia smiled.She didn''t expect that this rich girl would be a huge fan of Jonathan ck.She whispered,


    "Liking someone is freedom.There is nothing to pretend about.Jonathan ck doesn''t belong to


    you.Do I need your permission to be his fan?"


    Gigi''s face darkened and said angrily, "I''ve never seen you before in all those events.Who knows if


    you''re a fan or not? You can''t just show up here with such a big brand!"


    Gigi''s voice was sharp, and she was a high-profile person.


    As soon as she spoke, it immediately attracted the attention of the fans around her, and all of them


    started to look at Lucia.


    For a moment, Gigi was more arrogant.


    She raised her chin and said scornfully, "Lucia Mitchell, do you think that we are stupid? Do you think


    we can''t tell if you''re a real fan or not?"


    Lucia didn''t want to argue with her.She smiled and said softly, "Miss Robbers if I am not a fan, why


    would I buy such a big support card?"


    Hearing his words, Gigi was speechless.


    A fan next to Lucia stood up for her.


    "She is right, President.I don''t think she looks like a fake fan.This brand is quite expensive.There


    shouldn''t be someone so stupid, right?"


    There were others who nodded in agreement.


    Seeing this, Gigi had to suppress the dissatisfaction in her heart.She nced coldly at Lucia and said


    nothing more.


    At that moment, the fans closest to the door began to stir.


    For a moment, everyone looked over there.


    Soon, security guards came out and cleared the way, blocking the fans on both sides of the road to


    maintain order.


    It seemed that Jonathan wasing out.


    Lucia stood on tiptoe and looked over.


    Before she could see anyone, she could hear the fans screaming.


    "Jonathan ck! Jonathan ck!"


    Suddenly, Lucia was surrounded by screams and saw a tall man surrounded by several people striding


    towards her.


    The man wore a hat and lowered the brim, but people could still see his fine chin.


    When he walked out, he seemed to have slowed down on purpose and waved his hand at his fans.


    Lucia took a deep breath and nced at Jonathan ck.He looked at the slightly fat woman in front of


    him.She had short hair and strict eyes.


    Obviously, she was his agent.


    Seeing that Jonathan was approaching slowly, Lucia took a deep breath.


    Before she could think about how to attract attention, the fans standing around her could not wait any


    longer.


    The crowd was surging and taking photos with their mobile phones.


    Lucia was caught in the middle and had no choice but to follow them.


    What was more, with the big support board in front of her, it was very hard for her to move.


    Jonathan ck strode over and looked up.


    Lucia could see his beautiful smile and long eyes under his hat.


    When he smiled, he was like a little fox.


    Lucia suddenly understood why Jonathan would have so many fans.It would only take his appearance


    to get the fans.


    Gigi was standing next to Lucia.


    When she saw her idol, she screamed excitedly and took photos with her mobile phone.


    However, because of Lucia and the board in her hand, she couldn''t rush to the front row.


    For a moment, she was a little angry and hated Lucia even more.


    All of a sudden, her eyes darkened, and with the help of the surging crowd, she directly pressed down


    on Lucia and pushed her hard.


    Lucia didn''t expect that.


    When a force pushed her forward, she was shocked and tried to stand firm, but she was caught off


    guard and fell forward.


    "Smack!"


    With a loud sound, Lucia, along with her board, fell to the middle of the road.

 Chapter 290

    Chapter 290


    This ident not only shocked the fans around but also shocked Jonathan and his agent.


    For a moment, everyone was staring at Lucia, but the target of people''s attention was unaware of it.


    Lucia frowned in pain, and her face was twisted together.


    After a long time, she raised her head and saw that everyone around her was looking at her.


    Lucia was shocked and her body was a little stiff.She turned her eyes and suddenly realized what was


    going on when she saw Gigi, who was standing in the crowd.


    Just now, someone had pushed her.


    Someone in the same direction as Gigi was now.


    Lucia endured the pain in her knees.


    When she was about to stand up, she suddenly heard footsteps approaching, and then a slender hand


    reached out to her.


    "Are you alright?"


    Lucia was lost in thought as she looked at her hands in front of her.She raised her head and saw


    Jonathan ck, the dream Prince Charming of thousands of girls, standing in front of her.


    Lucia took a deep breath and let him pull her up.


    All of a sudden, crazy screams came from the fans on both sides of the road.


    Almost everyone wanted to switch to her at that moment.


    Seeing that Lucia did not answer, Jonathan asked patiently, "Are you okay?"


    Lucia took a deep breath, and immediately shook her head, "I''m...fine."


    Although she said that, Lucia felt a burst of pain in her knees.


    Jonathan looked down and nced at the huge support board on the ground with a smile.


    When his eyes swept over the wound on Lucia''s legs, his face suddenly became serious.He quickly


    turned to look at his agent, lowered his head, and said something.


    Then he ordered the bodyguards behind him to pick up the support board on the ground.


    After doing that, he looked back at Lucia and said, "You''re getting hurt, I''ll ask my agent to take care of


    you."


    Lucia was overjoyed.


    She didn''t expect him to say that.She was trying to find an opportunity to let him remember her, but she


    didn''t expect that the opportunity woulde so suddenly.She nodded immediately and said excitedly,


    "All right, thank you!"


    Under the envious gazes of all the fans on both sides, Lucia followed Jason and his agent to the RV.


    "Oh my god! I hope I was the one who fell to the ground just now!"


    "I hope so too! She''s so lucky!"


    "I''m willing to break my bones to get close to my prince Jonathan!"


    Of all the screaming fans, Gigi''s expression was the worst.


    Compared to the envy of others, her face was full of anger and annoyance.She pulled Lucia on


    purpose just now.


    But she just wanted to push her aside so that she could take photos of Jonathan.


    When she saw her fall, she was secretly happy.


    But who would know things will go on like that? Seeing Lucia could leave with her Jonathan, Gigi really


    wanted to p herself.


    If she had known how Jonathan would do that to her, she would never have touched Lucia! On the


    other hand, Lucia followed Jonathon''s agent to the RV, feeling very happy.


    The RV was very big.


    As soon as they got in, Jonathan was taking the mostfortable position, put on his headphones,


    closed his eyes, and listened to music.


    His agent found the first-aid kit and came over to help Lucia with her wound.


    With a serious expression, the agent swiftly sprayed the spray on her wound.


    N?velDrama.Org ? content.


    Lucia endured the pain and soon felt her knees cool.


    At that moment, the bodyguard stuffed the big board into the car, but the board was too big and was


    ced horizontally in the middle, which made the situation a little awkward.


    The bodyguard asked the agent, "Miss Suecy, what should we do with this board?"


    Suesy raised her eyes to look at the board and said lightly, "Let her take it awayter."


    Lucia smiled and said nothing.


    At that moment, Jonathan, who was sitting on the other side, suddenly opened his eyes, looked at


    Lucia, and asked with a faint smile, "Are you my fan?"


    Lucia nodded without hesitation, "Yes, I''m your fan!"


    Hearing this, Jonathan sneered and shook his head gently.


    Lucia was stunned.


    Thinking of the fanaticism on the faces of his fans when they saw him just now, she quickly said,


    "Mr.ck, can you sign for meter?"


    Jonathan looked upzily and yawned, "I only give my signature to my fans."


    Lucia felt a little guilty, but she still said, "I''m your fan!"


    "Then tell me, which concert is on your board?"


    On the support board, the man was wearing a ck performance suit.


    The blue light shone on the side of his handsome face, and his eyes were as bright as the stars.


    Lucia was stunned and could not answer.


    It was just a random photo she found on her mobile phone at that time that she thought was most


    natural and beautiful, so she asked the man to print this photo on the board.


    How could she know which concert it was? She bit her lip, took a deep breath, and said casually, "It


    was the one in Figo City..."


    Jonathon sneered and a sly look shed in his eyes, "No, it''s not in a concert at all.It was my new


    song''s release meeting."


    Lucia was shocked and speechless.She didn''t expect that Jonathan was so shrewd that he could see


    through her at a nce that she was not his fan.


    At this time, Suesy, who was treating her wound, became more serious.She stared at Lucia coldly and


    asked, "Tell me, what is your purpose?"


    Another assistant also came over and stood in front of Lucia, as if she was afraid that Lucia would do


    something to Jason.


    Lucia smiled and stopped lying.She looked up at Suesy and said with a smile, "Well, I''m the one who


    called you this afternoon."


    Suesy paused for a moment and asked, "You are from the Lion group?"


    Lucia nodded, "A new series started by ourpany''s fashion brand, Redeur, and they''re looking for a


    spokesperson.After several rounds of selection, we think that Mr.ck is the most suitable candidate."


    As she spoke, she looked at Jonathan with hope.


    Jonathan burst intoughter and said, "I don''t need the position of the spokesperson.Every brand is


    waiting for me to choose, so why should I choose apany with a stain?"


    These words were like a loud p in Lucia''s ears.She took a deep breath, looked up at Jonathon, and


    said with a serious look, "I''m sure that what the Lion group is going through is not a stain."


    There was a trace of arrogance in his eyes of Jonathan.


    He asked, "Then tell me, what is a stain to you?"


    "If apany has broken thew, doesn''t respect the regtions, and doesn''t care about its


    employees.It''s a stain.What the Lion group has experienced now are just fluctuations."


    Then, she looked at Jonathan ck and asked, "If the ratings of one of your TV series are not high, or


    the concert tickets are sold too little, is it a stain to you?"


    Jonathan didn''t seem to expect that Lucia would correct his words like that.


    He narrowed his eyes and looked at her seriously.


    His gaze fell on the small logo on the hem of her clothes, and the corners of his lips curled up as he


    asked, "Are you wearing thetest series of Redeur?"

 Chapter 291

    Chapter 291


    Chapter 291 A Treat for You


    Lucia paused before she quickly reacted and nodded.


    "Yes."


    Jonathan raised his eyebrows and asked, "Then tell me why thistest collection has to have me as an


    endorser?"


    Lucia secretly breathed a sigh of relief.She had thought about the answer to this question long before


    she came here and had memorized it by heart.


    She fluently introduced the selling points of the new collection and its designer and then focused on


    why Jonathan was the right endorser for the new collection.


    Of course, she also mentioned the years when Jonathan had been trained abroad.


    Although Lucia was not familiar with his concerts and whatnot, she had found out about his history of


    development.


    Therefore, she talked about the points that Jonathan liked.


    "That''s why we want you to be an endorser, Mr.ck.If there''s anything else you want to know, I can


    arrange for someone to talk with you about the rest of it."


    Jonathan curved his lips.


    Seeing that Suecy had already put band-aids on Lucia¡¯s wounds, he said lightly, "What you said...is just


    average."


    Lucia froze, a little surprised.§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞShe felt that she had almost been moved by what she


    said just now, but she hadn''t expected it to be average in Jonathan''s mind.


    "So, Mr.ck, do you have any interest in talking to the designer of Redeur?"


    Jonathan curved his lips in a smile, stretched himself, and said, "I''ll think about it."


    With that, he turned to the driver up front and said, "Lewis, pull over to the curb, so she can get out of


    the car."


    Lucia froze and looked at Jonathan in surprise.


    The driver quickly pulled the car to the curb.


    The assistant opened the door.


    Suecy picked up the card next to her and handed it to Lucia.


    At that moment, Lucia was a bit confused.


    It looked like she was being kicked out of the car.She got out of the car with therge card.


    When she turned around, she saw Jonathan smiling and waving at her.


    "See you, my ¡®big fan¡¯."


    Immediately after that, the door was closed and the car left.


    Lucia hadn''t expected it to end up like this.She looked around confusedly and found herself in the


    middle of nowhere.


    It was so remote that she didn''t even see a subway entrance.


    She was like a psychopath, left alone with such arge card by Jonathan like this! For a moment,


    she was a little annoyed, not expecting that it would be so hard or that Jonathan would be so difficult.


    She walked with the card for quite a while and finally, there were more pedestrians on the roadside,


    but everyone was looking at her in a strange way.


    Seeing that, Lucia wished that she could find a hole in the ground to hide in.


    She had thought that Jonathan would be easy to speak with, but she had never imagined that he would


    be such a condescending tormentor.


    The more she thought about it, the more she felt that he had done it on purpose by leaving her here.


    After walking for a long time, she finally found a subway entrance.


    Looking at the card in her hands and the trash can next to her, she resolutely decided to get rid of it.


    Before she left, she thought of the money she had spent on the card.


    Feeling sorry for herself, she took a picture of the card with her phone and posted it on WhatsApp


    Moments with the text, "Goodbye!"


    Lucia usually didn¡¯t post much on WhatsApp Moments, but today she was really pissed off and did so


    on impulse.


    After all this, she put away her phone and went to the subway.


    Meanwhile, August got into his car in the underground garage of the Lion Group.


    When he casually checked his WhatsApp, he saw what Lucia had posted on her Moments.


    He tapped on the picture and unconsciously curved his lips when he saw the card with Jonathan''s


    picture in it.


    Without being told, he could guess that she had gone to see Jonathan and from what she had written,


    he could tell that things were not going well.


    Putting away his phone, he suddenly thought of something and asked Burton, "Did the restaurant that I


    went to before move to Goldbridge."


    Burton replied, "Yes, shall we go there?"


    "Hold on.I''ll make a call."


    With that, August took out his phone and called Lucia straight away.


    "Where are you?"


    Half an hourter, Lucia hurried to the restaurant that August had talked about.She went around a


    small courtyard before seeing it.


    It was fair to say that it was a quaint ce with a small bridge and water.


    She said the name of August and soon someone ushered her to a private room on the second floor.


    When the door was opened, she found that it was also exquisitely decorated and chic.


    Once inside, Lucia was a little surprised to see August sitting there alone.


    Only after she sat down did she dare to ask, "President Adams, didn¡¯t you say you wanted me to meet


    a man?"


    Hearing that, August poured her a cup of tea calmly, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "Aren''t I a man?"


    Lucia was slightly confused.


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    It took her a few seconds before she suddenly realized what was going on and forced a smile with


    some embarrassment.


    "Yes..."


    August put on a proper face and raised his eyes to look at her.


    "I got you here to ask how you''re doing at work."


    "I..."


    Lucia was speechless when she thought of what had happened today.


    August paused as he picked up his cup of tea.He looked up at her and asked, "What¡¯s wrong? Has


    anyone bullied you?"


    Lucia took a deep breath.


    "Not really.It¡¯s just that it¡¯s harder than I thought it would be."


    She started to exin in general terms how Jonathan wouldn''t tell her his decision.


    Before she could finish, the food had alreadye.


    August looked at the woman who kept talking across the table.


    A smile appeared at the corners of his mouth and he said softly, "Let''s dig in."


    Lucia replied and picked up her fork.She was still feeling a bit upset, but when she saw the dishes on


    the table, most of her displeasure dissipated.


    Looking at the woman''s shining eyes, August said in a slow voice, "Go ahead.It''s a treat for you today."


    Lucia was delighted and immediately began to focus on eating.


    At the end of the meal, Lucia was full and she felt a lot better.


    After a few words, August stood up.


    "I''ll take you home."


    Lucia wanted to decline, but once she thought of the long distance to her small apartment, she simply


    agreed.


    They came out of the private room.


    As they went down the stairs, Lucia bent her knees and felt pain from the wounds at once.She frowned


    and moved a little slowly.


    Next to her, August noticed something was wrong.


    When he saw the wounds on her legs, his expression suddenly became more serious.


    "What happened?"


    Lucia paused and then hurriedly said, "It¡¯s okay."


    With that, she was about to go downstairs quickly, but unexpectedly the next second, August reached


    out his hand and grabbed her straight away.


    The next thing she knew, August bent over and picked her up directly.It happened so suddenly that


    Lucia cried out in surprise.


    Looking at the stairs below, she unconsciously wrapped her arms around August''s neck.


    When they got downstairs, the customers at the tables there were all looking at them.


    Lucia was a bit bashful and instantly turned her face away.


    Finally, they got into the car and Lucia was put down.


    The door was closed.It was a little dim in the car.


    August leaned closer to her.


    "Lucia, how did you get wounded? Are you still not going to tell me?"


    In the closed space, Lucia could clearly feel how powerful the man was.


    She took a deep breath, gritted her teeth, and said, "I identally fell."


    "Really?"


    August apparently didn''t believe it.He raised his hand to

 Chapter 292

    Chapter 292


    Chapter 292 Say Goodbye to the Life She Had Now


    It was August''s phone that rang.


    August''s eyes moved.He immediately straightened up, pulling himself away from Lucia.He fished out


    the phone, nced at the name on the screen, and knitted his eyebrows unnoticeably.He turned his


    head to look out of the window as he put the phone to his ear and answered it.


    "Hello?"


    A sweet female voice came from the other end.


    "August, where are you?"


    Lucia could vaguely hear that it was Jeanne and instantly, she sobered up a bit.


    If it hadn''t been for this call, she didn¡¯t know what they would have done just now.Lucia was a little


    indignant at herck of sobriety.She couldn''t control herself when she was in front of August.


    August said a few words into the phone.


    As soon as he hung up, Lucia turned to look at him and said with a soft smile, "President Adams, go


    ahead if you have anything to do.It just urred to me that I have to go shopping nearby, so you can


    drop me off here and now."


    With that, she smiled at August and pushed the door open to get out of the car quickly before he could


    say anything.


    August''s eyebrows furrowed.


    When he subconsciously pushed the door open to go after her, a voice suddenly rang in his head.


    A few days ago, Joshua said to him with a serious face, "You and she are not from the same world."


    That scene remained in his mind.His grip on the door handle tightened and he regained hisposure


    after a moment.


    Burton, who was standing outside the car, was a little surprised.


    He looked at August and asked, "President Adams, aren''t you going after her?"


    August''s frown deepened, his heart skipped a beat and his thin lips were pursed.


    "No, let''s go back to the vi."


    Hearing that, Burton had to get in and start the car to leave.


    August raised his eyes and watched in the rearview mirror as her figure slowly got further away until


    she waspletely out of his sight atst.


    Lucia got on the subway.


    Instead of going straight home, she went to the hospital.


    In thest few days, she hadn''te to visit her parents.


    At first, it was because she had a head injury.She was afraid that they would ask her about it, so she


    didn¡¯t dare toe over.


    Then, it was because she had received twoshes on her back.She had been at home recovering from


    her injuries, so she couldn''te over.


    This time, she finally had time toe and visit them.She walked to the door of the ward in a daze and


    stood there in a trance.


    It had been a long time since her father was hospitalized.


    She raised her eyes to look inside through the small window in the door and saw Elisa massaging the


    muscles in Bill''s legs.


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    Sitting on the bed, Bill couldn''t read the book in his hand and sighed, "Paul said that Lucia was busy


    with work thest few times he came over.However, even if she was busy, she should have called."


    "She has a hard enough time out there.It would be too much for her toe to the hospital every


    day.I¡¯m d to see that shees to the hospital less often, so she can get more rest."


    Listening to their words, Lucia suddenly felt a bit of sorrow in her heart.


    These days, her life was so chaotic that she hadn''te to the hospital a lot and neglected her parents


    before she knew it.


    Thinking about it, she felt even guiltier and couldn''t stop the tears froming out of her eyes.


    All of a sudden, she found herself missing the carefree life that the three of them had lived together.


    Back then, she didn''t have so much trouble in her life.She just had her parents and her job.It wasn¡®


    exciting, but it was incredibly fulfilling.


    But now, she simply didn¡¯t know where she would go next.


    It seemed like ever since she met August, her life had changed dramatically.


    And now, at this point, she was not the one who was going to get married to him.


    Lucia felt sad and tears kept falling down her face.


    Just then, the door was opened and Elisa stood there, looking at Lucia in surprise.


    "Lucia, what''s wrong with you? Why are you crying?"


    She hurriedly pulled Lucia into the ward.


    Seeing this, Bill sat up straight at once with anxiety and tried to get out of bed.


    "Lucia, who bullied you? Tell dad, who did it?"


    Looking at how concerned they were, Lucia couldn''t stop her tears.She had apparently neglected those


    whom she should have spent the most time with because of so many other things.


    Guilt and sadness were mixed in her heart and became aplex emotion.


    Finally, she shook her head, wiped her tears away, and said softly, "No one bullied me, Dad, and Mom.I


    just missed you guys so much..."


    Elisa¡¯s eyes reddened at Lucia¡¯s words.She reached out and took Lucia into her arms.


    Smelling the familiar scent from her mother, Lucia felt a little more at ease and secretly made up her


    mind.


    After her father¡¯s heart bypass surgery, she would take them out of the hospital, get a new job, stay


    with them, and officially say goodbye to those trifles around her, to August, and to the life she had now.


    The next day, Lucia went back to work as usual.


    Just after she arrived at the President''s Office, she received the news that Melinda was taking a leave


    of absence.


    With one less worker, Lucia had more tasks to do.She had wanted to meet Jonathan again, but with


    Melinda absent, she had to stay on duty all day and be at August''s beck and call.


    After one night, the two of them had a tacit agreement not to mention what had happenedst night as


    if they were still no more than president and secretary.


    During the morning, Lucia received reports from several departments.


    At first, she was puzzled.


    It was not yet the end of the month, so why were they already submitting their reports? Checking the


    notice on thepany¡¯s intr, she found that August was afraid that work would be affected by his


    engagement ceremony, so he asked all departments to submit the reports earlier.


    As a result, the President''s Office had a lot more work to do.


    Lucia looked at the notice in the email on herputer and felt a little bit depressed.


    In the email, August didn¡¯t cover up anything.He just said what he had to say and directly talked about


    his engagement ceremony.


    So, Lucia thought that everyone in thepany would know that he was getting engaged.


    For some reason, she felt a bit lost.


    She organized the documents that needed his confirmation and took a deep breath before she took


    them to August.


    When she opened the door, she found that August was also very busy, with twice the usual number of


    papers stacked on his desk.


    Lucia stepped forward, pretending to be calm, and put the documents on the corner of the desk.


    "President Adams, these documents also need your attention." August replied.


    He paused and looked up at her.


    "I need to work overtime tonight, so stay here and join me."


    Lucia was silent for a moment and then nodded.


    "Yes."


    The thought of her being alone with August made her want to refuse.


    However, it would be more obvious that something was wrong if she refused, so it was better for her to


    simply say yes.


    Lucia paused and looked at August.


    "I''ll go back to work if there''s nothing else."


    "Wait a minute."


    August put down the file in his hand and looked at her with a serious face.


    "I have something to tell you.


    Dr.Long has made a new surgical n.He told me that as long as your father¡¯s physical condition is


    okay, he will be ready for the surgery."

 Chapter 293

    Chapter 293


    Chapter 293 He Couldn''t Eat Spicy Food


    Lucia was a little surprised as if she hadn''t expected August to keep paying attention to Bill''s


    surgery.She moved her lips and said, "Then I''ll call Dr.Long and ask about his n when I have


    time."August leaned back and said softly, "Well, if you need any help when the timees, feel free to


    ask me."


    Lucia was touched and nodded gratefully.


    Coming out of his office, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.It had to be admitted that August was


    very nice to her family.He would help them with anything that came up, probably because...


    Bill was his teacher.She sighed quietly and went back to her office.


    Lucia was busy all day.


    Except for eating and going to the restroom, she barely took a break.


    Before she knew it, it was the end of the day.She couldn''t help but sigh as she looked at how much


    work she still had to do.


    Today August said that he would work overtime.


    As his secretary, she naturally had to stay with him.


    Not long after working hours, it was much quieter in thepany.


    Lucia got up, went to the pantry area, and made a cup of coffee for August.


    When she took it to him, she asked him what he wanted to eat.


    "President Adams, it¡¯s gettingte.What would you like to eat?"


    August focused his attention on theputer screen and replied lightly, "Something light."


    "Okay."


    Lucia responded.She took out her phone and ordered two bowls of porridge at the porridge store she


    always ate at, along with two refreshing stir-fry dishes and a few buns.


    Soon, the food was delivered.She got the food at the elevator and went directly to August''s office.


    "President Adams, I ordered porridge and stir-fry dishes.I''ll leave some here for you.Remember to eat


    them while they''re hot."


    With that, she opened the bag, took some of the food out, and put it on the coffee table.


    Then, she stood up and stepped to go out.


    Hearing what she said, August looked up and saw her walking out.


    Something flickered in his eyes and he stopped her.


    "Wait a minute."


    Lucia was confused.She looked at him and asked, "What''s wrong?"


    The man seemed a little tired.He raised his hand to rub the ce between his eyebrows, stood up, and


    walked over.


    "Stay here and eat with me."


    "Well..."


    Lucia hesitated.


    "I don''t think that¡¯s a good idea."


    It was the end of the day, but she was August''s subordinate.It would be bad for them if others saw her


    eating with him.


    August raised his eyebrows and curved his lips.


    "What are you afraid of?"


    She had been firm and hot-tempered in front of Lisa yesterday.


    Why was she like a rabbit in front of him? Lucia hesitated and slightly lowered her eyes as she said, "I


    don''t think it''s okay..."


    Suddenly, August came up to her and the next thing she knew, he was pulling her toward the coffee


    table.


    When they got to the couch, the man seated her and his deep voice came to her ears.


    "If I say it¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay."


    At that point, Lucia didn¡¯t know what to say.


    August sat next to her and took a wet wipe to clean his hands.


    Lucia had no choice but to take the rest of the food out of the bag.


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    They didn¡¯t talk while eating their food.


    Therefore, the atmosphere was a bit awkward.


    Lucia was sitting next to him.She started to feel ufortable just after taking some bites.


    Eating in such an atmosphere made her ill at ease.


    Stirring her porridge, she nced at August, only to see that he took some meat with his fork and put it


    into his mouth properly.


    It''s one of Lucia¡¯s favorite dishes.


    The cook of this porridge store is from Sichuan, so the dish is naturally full of Sichuan vor.


    Every time she and Pa went for porridge, they would always order this dish.


    She thought August would like it too, but she didn¡¯t expect him to frown after taking a bite.


    Noticing that his expression was not good, Lucia was surprised and asked, "What''s wrong? Is it not to


    your liking?"


    With a strange expression on his face, August shook his head and said, "It''s delicious..."


    He said that, but he frowned and took arge sip from the ss of water next to him, with his ears


    turning red.


    Instantly, Lucia reacted, "You can''t eat spicy food?"


    At that, August turned his head towards her, and a sh of embarrassment darted across her face,


    "Who said that?"


    With that, he picked up the fork and took another piece of fried meat into his mouth under the gaze of


    Lucia, as if to prove that he could eat spicy food.


    At first, his expression didn''t change, but slowly he frowned again and kept drinking water pretending to


    be calm.


    Looking at him like this, Lucia couldn''t help butugh out loud.


    He obviously couldn''t eat spicy food, but he had to pretend he could! August turned his head to look at


    her, with a colder gaze, "What are youughing at?"


    Lucia shook her head in a hurry, "No...nothing?"


    August frowned, and before he could say anything, he saw her bring the fried meat over to her side and


    bring her sour and spicy shredded potatoes to him.She looked up and smiled crookedly, "You eat this."


    August was surprised and an indescribableplex of emotions came up in his heart.


    This was the first time he had been so embarrassed in front of her.


    Sweeping a nce at the fried meat, August raised an eyebrow and asked, "You can eat spicy food?"


    Lucia turned her head toward him, paused for two seconds, and nodded seriously.


    Among her friends, she was still considered to be able to eat spicy food, besides, this fried meat was


    just a little numb for her.


    Without thinking too much, she picked up the fork and took some of the fried meat, stuffing them into


    her mouth along with the small peppers.


    At first, she felt nothing, but after swallowing, Lucia realized that this time the peppers were not quite


    the same as the previous ones.


    She felt her throat was so hot that it seemed to be burning.


    Lucia froze.


    Before she could react, her face had already turned red and she frowned, "Why are the peppers...so


    spicy this time? "


    She sucked in a few cool breaths and felt her tongue getting spicy.


    It seemed that the store had changed the peppers, so August''s expression didn''t look quite good when


    he ate it just now.


    And to prove that she could eat spicy food, she deliberately took a lot of meat, but also with a few


    peppers, so she felt so spicy.


    With her forehead sweating, she said in some panic, "It¡¯s so spicy...water..."


    With that said, she looked over at the table.


    But she was in August''s office, where there was no cup for her, and August''s cup was empty.


    For a while, Lucia was at a loss for words, fanning herself with her hands and sucking in cool air.


    Suddenly, the man next to her stretched out his hand, wrapped his arm around her shoulders, and


    directly circled her into his arms.


    Lucia lifted her eyelids in shock, and before she could see August''s expression, she felt an abrupt


    softness on her lips as August''s lips pressed against hers.


    She instantly felt her brain go nk, feeling the man¡¯s somewhat cool lips nimbly and quickly skim over


    her hot and spicy tongue, bringing her some coolness.


    Slowly, the hotness on her tongue disappeared while her body became hot as if she was ignited by


    him.

 Chapter 294

    Chapter 294


    Chapter 294 The Engagement Invitation


    After a long time, just when Lucia felt that she was about to lose her breath, the hand that was sped


    on her shoulder suddenly let go.


    Like a fish being released, she inhaled heavily, with her heart thumping uncontrobly.


    Once she looked up and met August''s shining eyes, she was embarrassed and became even more


    nervous.


    The man narrowed his eyes slightly, smiling, "Still spicy?"


    Lucia spoke with some embarrassment, "No...I don''t feel spicy anymore."


    With saying that, she hurriedly averted her eyes, picked up the porridge box on the table, lowered her


    head, and began to eat.


    Although she felt that her mouth was not hot anymore, she felt her heart was hot.


    After quickly drinking half of the porridge, Lucia hurriedly spoke, "President Adams, I¡¯m done eating


    and I''ll go back to work..."


    "Wait a minute."


    August frowned and swept a nce at the porridge that was still half left, "Why are you eating so little?"


    He had known Lucia for so long that he knew very well how much she could eat.She must not have


    eaten enough with such a small amount.


    Originally Lucia was feeling too awkward with him like this and wanted to leave earlier, but she didn''t


    expect to be exposed so soon, so she smiled at August with some embarrassment, "I am trying to lose


    weight recently..."


    "Lose weight?"


    As if ayer of frost had been stained between his eyebrows, August pursed his lips and said, "Why?"


    She was so skinny.


    If she still was on a diet, she would be malnourished and anemic.


    Seeing the warning in the man¡¯s eyes, Lucia had to sit down again, "I''m just saying."


    "Do not lose weight."


    August raised an eyebrow, "You are just right."


    What did he mean by "just right"? Lucia was confused, "What do you mean?"


    August curled his lips, skimming his eyes over her chest and lifting his chin to ask rhetorically, "You tell


    me."


    Following his gaze, Lucia looked down and blushed when she saw her chest.


    So, that¡¯s what he meant! Lucia was ashamed and annoyed, biting her lip to say nothing.


    Just then, a footstep suddenly came from outside the office, and immediately after that, the door of the


    office was directly pushed open, "August..."


    Jeanne appeared at the door.


    Seeing the scene in the room, she froze in ce.


    August and Lucia were startled as well and looked up at her.


    August was the first to return to his senses and opened his mouth to ask, "Jeanne, why are you here?"


    Jeanne came over in surprise, with mixed emotions under her eyes, "August, you..."


    As she looked at Lucia and the looked at the meal box on the coffee table, her face became pale.


    With the reaction, Lucia hurriedly put down the porridge box in her hand and stood up, "Ms.Kelly, we


    have lots of work to doter, so we''ll just have something to eat first..."


    Only when she heard Lucia say that, Jeanne¡¯s face became a little red.


    She looked at August and curled her lips, "August, when you said you were workingte, I was worried,


    so I came to see you..."


    Saying that, she went to sit next to August and put the bag in her hand on the table, "I asked the chef


    at home to stew your fish soup.You work hard, so you can¡¯t always eat this kind of non-nutritious


    takeaway and need to eat tonic food..."


    Lucia stood next to them and suddenly felt she was a little redundant.


    Just then, Jeanne looked up at her and smiled politely at her, "Lucia, would you like to eat some


    more?"


    Lucia smiled and politely declined, "No, thank you.I''m almost done eating and I¡¯m ready to go to work."


    With that, she bent down and gathered the meal boxes and bags on the table together.


    August nced at her, pursing his lips into a line, then he turned to Jeanne, and said, "Didn''t I tell you


    not to take it so hard? Why did you stille here?"


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    "I''m worried about you, and I haven''t seen you in a long time because I''ve been busy preparing for our


    engagement the past two days!"


    Jeanne hugged one of August''s arms and spoke affectionately.


    Lucia heard that and unconsciously paused to gather the things.


    "By the way."


    Suddenly letting go of August, Jeanne smilingly picked up her bag, took out a delicate envelope from it,


    looked at Lucia, and said, "Lucia, August and I will get engaged this weekend.Here is the invitation and


    you muste!"


    With that, she handed over the invitation.


    Lucia¡¯s heart sank.


    Looking up at the envelope, she felt a little upset.She reached out her hands to ept it and forced out


    a smile, "Okay, congrattions to you."


    "Thank you!"


    Jeanne smiled sweetly and winked at her, "Wait for you!"


    Lucia nodded and said nothing more.


    Pretending to be calm, she picked up the packed bag, looked at August, and said, "I''ll go to work then."


    With that, she turned and stepped out of the office.


    The moment she closed the door behind her, she could still faintly hear Jeanne¡¯s softughter.She


    mechanically threw the waste into the trash can outside and returned to her office.


    Looking at the invitation on her desk, she felt a little aggrieved.She had already consoled herself many


    times secretly, but when she encountered such a situation, she still couldn''t help but feel sad.


    Twenty minutes ago, August kissed her, but in the blink of an eye, she received an invitation for his


    engagement to another woman, which is ironic.


    Lucia gritted her teeth, forced down her difort, and put the invitation in the drawer.


    Just by receiving this news, she could not control her emotions, so how could she attend their wedding


    calmly the whole time? Forget it and she''d better find an excuse not to go some other time.


    After she got half of the remaining work done, two hours passed.


    Lucia picked up her phone and saw August''s message to her, "Get off work."


    There were only three words.She took a deep breath, gathered her things, and came out of the office to


    see that the President''s Office next to her was empty as if she was the only one left on the whole floor.


    It seemed that she was alone all the time.


    The next morning, Lucia arrived at the office from her bachelor pad and clocked in on time.


    Not long after she arrived at the President''s Office, Melinda came over and knocked on the door,


    "Lucia."


    "Here''s the breakfast I brought you."


    "Thanks."


    Lucia smiled at her and casually asked, "Why did you ask for leave yesterday?"


    Melinda exined, "Something came up at home and it''s been sorted out.I left all the work to you as


    soon as I left, which is a real bother."


    Lucia smiled and shook her head, "Colleagues should help each other and it''s nothing."


    "By the way, I heard that Mary came back to thepany today.I feel it is strange because she hasn''t


    finished her month-long wedding leave yet."


    "Is that so?"


    When she heard that, Lucia¡¯s heart sank, "Maybe it''s because thepany has so much worktely


    and is understaffed?"


    Melinda nodded, "Maybe.Enough for now and I¡¯m going to work."


    Lucia hmmed and watched her walk out of the office.


    After the door was closed, she thought of what Melinda had just said and suddenly felt some faint


    uneasiness.


    In her mind, she roughly calcted that it had been almost a month since she was transferred from the


    Administration Department to the President''s Office, and it was logical that Mary should have returned.


    However, once Mary came back, it meant that she was going back to the Administration Department.


    The sixth sense of women was surprisingly urate.


    Just after office time, Burton knocked on her door, "Lucia, President Adams asked you toe over."


    Lucia¡¯s heart thumped when she heard this, and she already guessed in her heart exactly what was


    going on.

 Chapter 295

    Chapter 295


    Chapter 295 August Would Only Choose Jeanne


    On the way from the Secretary''s Office to the President''s Office, Lucia had already adjusted her mood


    and when she reached the door, she knocked calmly and pushed the door in.


    August was reading a document.


    When he heard footsteps, he signed his name on the end of the document sharply before looking up at


    Lucia.She asked, "President Adams, what can I do for you?"


    August said in a businesslike manner, "Mary is back today, so you can go back to the Administration


    Department.But you should continue to follow up on the Jonathan endorsement and try to make a deal


    on this project as soon as possible.There will be a bonus if this work is done well."


    It was just as she thought.


    Lucia¡¯s hand unconsciously squeezed the corner of her clothes and replied in a soft voice, "Okay."


    She gritted her teeth and pretended to look calmly at August, with mixed feelings.


    Ever since she heard Melinda talk about Mary¡¯s return today, she had guessed what was going on.


    When Jeanne ran into her and August having dinner together in the office yesterday while workingte,


    it urred to her that there was no way August could keep her in the President''s Office.


    Because Jeanne was his soon-to-be-engaged fianc¨¦e, he had to give her an exnation as well as


    make her feel at ease.


    Between Jeanne and her, August would only choose Jeanne.


    Lucia took a deep breath and gathered her courage when August looked up, "President Adams, my


    dad is having a checkup this weekend and I want to stay with him, so I can¡¯t go to your engagement


    ceremony..."


    She froze and met August''s dark eyes with some guilt in her heart.


    Bill did have to have a checkup over the weekend to prepare for the surgery, but with Mrs.Mitchell with


    him, she was fine not going.She said this because she didn¡¯t want to go to August and Jeanne¡¯s


    engagement ceremony at all.


    When she and August got their marriage license, he couldn''t even give her a wedding, and now that he


    and Jeanne are only engaged, he''s doing it in a big way, which made her feel very ufortable.So,


    she might as well just find an excuse not to go.


    At her words, August frowned slightly, with his eyes shing a fewplex moods.


    Then, the knot of his throat rolled and he paused for a while, coldly saying, "Jeanne wants you to go."


    Lucia clenched the corner of her clothes and almost blurted out, "But I don''t..."


    The words were only half spoken when she reacted suddenly and paused in a hurry.


    Now that August was her superior, she couldn''t just say whatever she wanted.But it was toote.


    With a frown, August froze and nced at Lucia, then he suddenly put down the pen in his hand, stood


    up, and walked towards her with long legs.


    Seemingly intimidated by his aura, Lucia unconsciously took a step back.


    When the man approached, she looked up and met his unimaginable ck eyes.It was toote for her


    to hide.


    August reached out and sped her shoulders with hisrge hands, invisibly carrying some pressure,


    "Lucia, it¡¯s not because your dad had to check his health that you couldn''t go, but because you didn''t


    want to."


    Lucia took a cold breath and denied it, "No..."


    August frowned, "You still want to hide it from me?"


    After knowing her for so long, he could read what she meant with a single movement or a single look,


    so he knew that she was lying.


    "Why don''t you want to go?"


    He spoke, with a low and deep voice, and pursued, "Don''t want to see me and Jeanne engaged?"


    Lucia looked up in surprise when she heard the words.


    When she saw the certainty in his eyes, she averted her gaze with somewhat guilty, "How is that


    possible? You two are a good match."


    With his eyes flickering slightly, August felt a little depressed in his heart.She only knew that he was


    getting engaged, but she didn''t know that it was not of his own free will.


    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    If Eliot hadn''t forced him, he wouldn''t have said yes.


    If she had said she didn¡¯t want him to get engaged, then he would have reconsidered...


    But she said nothing.


    Aplex emotion was hidden in the bottom of his eyes.


    A few secondster, August withdrew his hand from her shoulder.


    With his voice colder, he seemed to sneer as he curled his lips, "Since you want to bless us so much,


    then do it on Saturday at the engagement ceremony."


    After saying that, he turned towards his desk and said coldly without turning back, "I will call the


    hospital and ask them to give your dad a checkup on Sunday so that you will not be dyed in doing


    your filial duty."


    Lucia moved her lips, but she couldn''t say anything.He was firmly blocking all her way, and now she


    had no excuse even if she didn''t want to attend the engagement ceremony.


    She looked up and saw him standing by the window with his back to her, exuding coldness.


    She frowned and didn''t refuse again, "Well, thanks, President Adams."


    After saying these words, she did not stay long, turned around, and walked out of the office quickly.


    When she returned to the Secretary''s Office and closed the door, her suppressed emotions came out


    like a flood.


    Suddenly,ints and grievances mixed together, making her eyes red unknowingly.


    Was he deliberately forcing her to suffer by asking her to attend their engagement ceremony? Gritting


    her teeth, Lucia was about to wipe away the tears at the corners of her eyes when the door was


    pushed open and someone walked in.


    Before she had a chance to turn around, she heard a pleasant female voice, "Lucia, long time no see."


    Following the sound, Lucia saw Mary standing in front of the office.


    After a vacation, she looked much prettier than before, and with her short shoulder-length hair permed


    into slight curls, she looked good, but the gaze she gave her was still a bit cold and distant.


    Lucia quickly adjusted her mood, curled her lips, and greeted her, "Mary, you look good."


    Smiling, Mary didn¡¯t say anything and stepped towards her.


    As she scanned the furnishings in the office, she smiled lightly and said, "I should thank you that you


    helped out at the President''s Office while I was on vacation this time."


    At that, Mary took out a small box from her handbag and handed it to Lucia, "This souvenir which I


    bought when I went to Maldives for my honeymoon is for you.It¡¯s a small token of my appreciation and I


    hope you can take it."


    After a moment of hesitation, Lucia smiled and took it, "Thank you."


    Mary smiled and asked, pretending to be curious, "But aren''t you quite good at your job? Why didn''t


    President Adams ask you to stay?"


    At those words, Lucia felt her heart tighten violently.


    When she turned her head to meet Mary''s inquisitive gaze, all the words seemed to be stuck in her


    throat, and she couldn''t say a word.


    She didn''t know if Mary was asking this question on purpose, but the words fell into her ears now,


    making her chill and her heart sink Seeing that she didn¡¯t reply, Mary curled her lips into a smile and


    waved her hand in a pretentious manner, "Forget it.By the way, if you need help moving things, you can


    call me."


    Pulling out a smile that wasn''t very pretty, Lucia said nothing, walked over to her desk, and began to


    pack her things.She could also hear the sarcasm and irony in Mary''s words, but this was just the


    beginning for her.


    When she returned to the Administration Department from the President''s Office, she was sure to hear


    a lot of hard words from Lisa and other colleagues.

 Chapter 296

    Chapter 296


    Chapter 296 Return to the Admin Department


    Mitchell started to pack her things.She stuffed all the documents into a carton, bid farewell to Mary, and


    walked out of her office.


    Burton stood not far away.He rushed forward at the sight of her and took the carton from her hands.


    "Let me help you."


    Mitchell didn''t refuse.She raised her head and her eyes shed.


    "Did Adams send you here?" She asked.


    "It''s Pa.She told me to take care of you."


    Burton paused for a moment before he spoke.


    Mitchell''s heart went cold at his word.She had thought it was him.She pulled her lips and smiled without


    a word, and her eyes were fixed on the road ahead.


    Seeing this, Burton hesitated for a moment and said, "Adams also told me to help you if you need


    anything, such as the dress for the engagement ceremony."


    "Thanks." She refused tly.


    "I can afford it."


    She wished she had nothing to do with Adams at this moment.


    At the door of the Admin Department, Mitchell took the box from Burton and walked in without turning


    her head.


    Burton stood on the spot and watched her walk away.His senses had taken their leave.


    In the President''s Office just now, Adams did ask him to help her, and he told him to keep it a secret.


    That was why he used Pa as an excuse just now.


    The president did care about her, but he always behaved indifferently.


    The misunderstanding between them went deeper and deeper.


    All the eyes rested on Mitchell the moment she walked in.She took a deep breath, straightened her


    back and walked towards her office.


    Lisa walked toward her in front of the door.


    After thest episode, Lisa broke up with Mitchell.


    Now she no longer hid her feelings from Mitchell.


    Mitchell took a deep breath and asked, "Anything for me?"


    "Where are you going?"


    Lisa raised her chin slightly and looked at her arrogantly.


    Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    "To my office."


    Mitchell squeezed out the words from her gritted teeth.


    "Argh! There''s no ce for you here."


    Lisa nced at her with a thin smile.


    "I and my assistant are working here, and there is no ce for you."


    Mitchell''s head buzzed.


    She was about to speak when she saw the office door was pushed open and a familiar figure came


    out.


    "Emma?"


    Mitchell''s heart tightened.


    Emma was also stunned to see Mitchell, but she quickly regained herself.


    "Hi, Mitchell.Are youing back?"


    She approached her and asked.


    "She was kicked out of the CEO''s Office," Lisa answered for her.


    Embarrassment flitted across Emma''s face.


    She took Mitchell''s hand and said awkwardly, "We''ve been busy recently, and Lisa promoted me to the


    supervisor.I don''t know..."


    Mitchell forced out a smile.She patted Emma''s hand andforted her.


    "It''s not your fault.I will check with Carter and see what I can do."


    She had a short conversation with Emma and went to Carter''s office.


    Mitchell felt ufortable in her heart.


    Now that Emma had taken her ce, where should she do? She raised her hand and knocked on the


    door before she walked in.


    Carter was not surprised to see her.She asked Mitchell to sit down.


    After a brief talk, she said, "Well, you and Emma can share the office.Your position remains


    unchanged.I will adjustter if needed."


    Mitchell nodded in agreement.It was the first time that thispany had three supervisors in one


    department.


    Mitchell knew that Carter was giving her face.She went to her former office and told Emma about


    Carter''s arrangement.


    A small desk was added to the office, and they worked together.


    Mitchell had gone through one big swerve.She had been promoted to the CEO''s office, but now she


    was back in an embarrassing way.


    Mitchell suppressed her emotions and focused on her work.She didn''te back to her senses until


    Emma reminded her that she was off work.


    Perhaps due to guilt, Emma took the initiative and asked, "Mitchell, do you want to have dinner


    together?"


    "Sorry, I got something on."


    Mitchell declined with a smile, "We''ll do it next time."


    Emma nodded.


    Then she packed and left.


    Mitchell stepped out of the office, looked into the sky, and walked towards the Starlight za.


    She didn¡¯t want others to look down upon her, and she must choose a decent dress for the


    engagement ceremony.


    There were lots of designer stores in the za.


    Mitchell hesitated after she saw the price of them.


    The garments in the basement catered to the public and were less pricey.


    Mitchell visited several stores.


    Then she mustered up her courage and asked.


    "Where is the fitting room? I''d like to try them on."


    The sales associate led her to the fitting room, and she went inside with the selected item.


    The skirt was soft and fit her perfectly, but she felt it was not formal.


    Suddenly, she saw a long ck dress next to her.It was long and simple and came with a small waist.


    "Please help me get that one, I want to have a try."


    "Sure."


    While Mitchell tried the new dress, Jamie looked high and low for his cousin on the upper floor.


    Entrusted by his parents, he brought his younger cousin here to shop.She was active and vanished


    before him within a second.


    He had been searching for her for a long time.


    The 17-year-old young girl had a rebellious character.She always found fault with Jamie, and maybe


    she hid on purpose this time.


    He didn¡¯t know how to exin to his elders if he lost his cousin.


    At this moment, his phone vibrated.


    It was a text message ¡ª she is in the fitting room of Bojo Women''s Fashion Store.


    Jamie was dazed.He checked the number¡ª it was a string of garbled text.He frowned, hesitated for a


    moment, and walked towards the elevator.


    After all, his priority now was to find his cousin! He searched all the way to the basement and stopped


    in front of the store.He approached the sales associate and asked, "Where is the fitting room?"


    The girl pointed with her hand and asked, "How may I assist you, sir?"


    Jamie ran out of patience.


    "Is there a girl in the fitting room? She is thin and has long hair."


    The clerk nodded hesitantly.


    Jamie walked straight to the fitting room without a word.

 Chapter 297

    Chapter 297


    Chapter 297 The Encounter with Jamie


    The sales associate hurried to stop him.


    "Sir, it¡¯s fordies only."


    Jamie''s patience was wearing thin.He stopped all his work to apany his cousin, but she was


    ying hide-and-sick with him now.


    "I''m here to find my cousin."


    He never stopped his steps in the direction of the fitting room.


    All the doors were ajar except one.


    He raised his hand and knocked on the door impatiently.


    "Get out!"


    Mitchell had just put on the skirt, and she was shocked at the knock.


    Before she could figure it out, the voice rang again, "Hurry up, I don''t have time ying with you!"


    "Sorry sir.Please don''t disturb..."


    Another voice sounded.


    Mitchell was puzzled and unlocked the door.


    Jamie cast a look, and his eyes dimmed at the sight of her.


    "Mitchell?"


    "Jamie!"


    They looked at each other and called the names of each other at the same time.


    Jamie was the first to regain himself.


    "Why are you here?"He asked.


    "I''m shopping for a new dress, and you?" Mitchell blinked.


    The salesgirl stood bewildered at their side.


    Jamie looked at other fitting rooms and asked, "Any more fitting room?"


    The girl shook his head.


    Jamie''s brows tightened, and the mysterious message baffled him.


    Looking at Mitchell''s doubtful eyes, he quickly recovered and smiled, "I''m looking for my cousin."


    Mitchell didn¡¯t ask further.


    The salesgirl also moved to one side.


    "Long time no see."


    Jamie chuckled.


    "True."


    N?velDrama.Org ? content.


    Mitchell nodded agreeably.


    They hadn''t seen each other for a long time, and now he was more mature than before, but it was


    embarrassing for them to meet this way.


    Jamie''s eyes rested on the dress on her and asked casually, "You want a dress?"


    "Yes.For the engagement ceremony."


    "Wait a minute."


    He turned and walked away.


    Momentster, he came over with another dress in his hand, "Try this one."


    Mitchell looked at the misty blue dress and took it hesitantly.She saw it just now but didn''t try it due to


    the long slit at the side.


    "Is it too high?"


    "It fits you."


    Jamie winked at her.


    "You''ve got to trust my taste."As if they had traveled back.


    Jamie was domineering, and he deliberately embarrassed her when he was negotiating with Lion


    Group.


    "Okay then."


    Mitchell smiled and entered the fitting room.


    The color was soft, and it highlighted her gentleness and elegance.Her legline looked perfect for every


    step she took.


    Sure enough, it looked better than the ones she had tried.She opened the door to see Jamie leaning


    against the wall.


    His eyes shed with surprise.


    Stepped over, he said with a smile, "Wow.You look gorgeous."


    Mitchell nodded with a faint smile.


    "It looks good."


    "d that you like it."


    Jamie walked toward the cashier and took out the card.


    Mitchell quickly reached out to stop him.


    "Thanks, but I prefer to settle it myself."


    Jamie held her hand, "Come on, we''re friends.It''s a gift for you."


    "But..."


    Jamie pretended to be serious, "Am I your friend?"


    Mitchell didn''t know what to say.


    "You''re...but..."


    "Then ept my gift.


    "I will pay."


    He talked to the cashier.


    Mitchell moved his lips and stopped arguing more.She could give him one in return in the future.


    Mitchell let go of her hand.


    Jamie smiled.He raised his hand and patted her on the shoulder gently.


    "Eat something together? We haven''t seen each other for a long time."


    "Well then, I''ll treat you to dinner."


    Mitchell smiled back.


    Mitchell went to the fitting room and changed back.


    The salesgirl was packing for her.She suddenly thought of something and asked, "Then how about


    your cousin?"


    Jamie frowned.


    "She''s hiding from me purposely.Just leave her alone."


    "Is it okay?"


    Mitchell was a little worried.


    "She wants to get rid of me and go out to find friends.She will go back herself at the end of the day."


    Mitchell was relieved at his words.


    The dress was packed, and the two walked out and went directly to the pizza restaurant.


    "I am on business travels and seldom have my own time.Nice meeting you here."


    Jamie sat down and started their line of conversation.


    Mitchell took a sip from the teacup and asked casually, "Aren''t you working for JV project now?"


    "How do you know?"


    Jamie''s eyes flickered, and he raised his eyebrows and smiled.


    "How do you know my job? You''re interested in me, eh?"


    Mitchell couldn''t helpughing.He was narcissistic as before.


    She learned it from Adams.


    The business n was leaked, and she was suspected of colluding with Jamie.But she and Jamie had


    not been in touch for a long time.


    "How is your everything? How about your rtionship with Adams?"


    Mitchell''s eyes darkened, and her mood became gloomy at the mention of him.


    After a few seconds, she raised her head and said with a smile, "He''s getting engaged, and I bought


    this dress for his engagement ceremony."


    Jamie was surprised to hear it.His expression suddenly became serious.


    "How could he treat you like this?"


    He frowned.He had a good impression of Mitchell, but he could see she had a crush on Adams.


    So he dropped the idea and focused on his work.But he never thought Adams treated her this way.


    "We''re just friends."


    Mitchell smiled bitterly.


    "Then why do you attend his engagement ceremony?"


    Jamie puckered.It would be heartbreaking to watch your loved one engaged to another.

 Chapter 298

    Chapter 298


    Chapter 298 The Email System was Hacked


    "Do I have a choice?" Mitchell forced out a smile and blurted out.


    "Why? Let me talk to him! Nobody can force you to go."


    Jamie was angry, and he put the teacup on the table.


    Mitchell sucked in a breath and lowered her eyes.


    "Well, it is not that simple."


    Jamie watched the girl in front of him, and a strange feeling began to well in his heart.


    When he first met her, she was a stubborn and innocent girl, but now she had to bend her will for a job.


    "Please tell me if you don''t want to go, and I don¡¯t allow anyone to bully you."


    He patted her head gently, and his voice became softer.


    "Thank you, Jamie."


    Mitchell''s heart began to melt.She raised her head and smiled.She was proud to have him as her


    friend, who was kind-hearted and always ready to help.


    Jamie indulged himself in her smile.


    Unfortunately, the waiter came over and blocked his sight.He regained his senses and handed the


    cutlery to Mitchell.


    "Come on.We''re friends."


    He said after the waiter left.He was willing to start as a friend first, and he was not in a hurry for the


    future.


    "Okay then.Do call me if you need my help."


    Mitchell smiled innocently.


    The two smiled at each other and chatted happily over their meal.


    And they never noticed that a man was taking pictures of them in one corner of the restaurant.


    After dinner, Jamie sent her to themunity and left.


    Mitchell was in a better mood after the dinner, but it didn''tst long, and what would happen the next


    day would make her world copse.She was busy in her office the whole morning.


    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    Suddenly, Emma shrieked and said anxiously to her, "Mitchell, go check your email!"


    "I will do itter,"


    Mitchell answered casually.She would take a look after she finished the work on hand first.


    Secondster, Emma''s voice rang again.


    "Have you checked your email?"


    Emma''s urging caught her attention.She looked away from her worksheet and opened the unread


    mail.It came with an attachment.


    Mitchell cast a nce, and her heart froze.


    There were pictures of her and Jamie yesterday.


    Someone was tracking them and snapped their photos from beginning to end.


    Mitchell nced at the text and immediately flew into a rage.


    It said that she and Jamie colluded, and she was the one who leaked out the n.


    It was pure defamation! The email was sent to all employees, which meant that everyone knew it now,


    and she would be drowned in their saliva.


    Mitchell''s hand shook.She gritted her teeth, and her mind went nk.She had thought the episode was


    over and never expected it toe back again.


    "Mitchell, is it true?" Emma asked hesitantly.


    Mitchell ground her teeth.


    She took a deep breath and stood up.


    "l''ll look for Adams."


    She pushed open the door and walked out of the office.


    All the eyes turned to her immediately.


    Some of them were pointing at her and murmuring to each other.


    Mitchell¡¯s heart was burning with fire.She rushed to the CEO¡¯s Office.She wanted to know who spread


    the rumors.


    Melinda was standing outside.


    "Where''s Adams?" She asked keenly.


    "He is amidst a meeting,"


    Melinda said to her in a low voice.


    Mitchell bit his lip, and the anxiety in her heart increased.


    Things were getting worse, but she had to wait for him.


    "Then I''ll wait." Mitchell said with a sour face.


    Melinda nodded.She patted her on the shoulder andforted her.


    "Don''t worry.It will end soon."


    Mitchell put her hands together, pacing up and down outside the room.Her heart was tugged in all


    directions by mixed feelings.


    Soon, someone came over and asked Melinda, "Is Adams inside? He never answered my call."


    "He''s having a meeting now.You can call himter,"


    Melinda exined.


    "We call for an emergency meeting.Adams needs to give us an exnation.Mitchell has leaked our


    n, and all our work ends in vain!"


    The man went straight to the point.


    Mitchell stood at the side, and her heart missed a beat when she heard her name mentioned.He was


    the supervisor of the nning Department.


    "There is no ce for a traitor here!" he said meaningfully with a gloomy face.


    Melinda frowned at his words.


    "Don''t make your judgment so early.The IT Department said our email system was hacked.I believe


    Adams will exin to us all as to what happened."


    Before she could finish her words, the door of the secretary''s room was pushed open.


    Mary came out of it with a grim face.She looked at Melinda and said, "Go and tell Adams that


    shareholders are requesting an emergency meeting."


    Melinda''s face changed.


    She cast a look at Mitchell and said, "Okay, I''ll go now."


    With this, she raised her hand and knocked gently on the door.


    A voice came from inside, and she went inside.


    Mitchell stood there, and her hands were sweating.She could feel an ill omen walking toward her.

 Chapter 299

    Chapter 299


    Chapter 299 Adams''s Protection


    The door opened within a few minutes, and Adams came out with a cold face.His eyes swept over


    those standing outside and turned to the guest inside.


    "I''m so sorry.We''ll catch up next time."


    The guest smiled and waved his hand.


    "No worries.See you next time."


    They exchanged a few words, and he left with his assistant.


    Adams stood at the doorway with an ugly expression.


    All the people who came over for the meeting were silent.His eyes swept over Mitchell, and then he


    instructed Burton behind him, "Go and arrange the meeting."


    "Yes sir!"


    Burton was quick at action.


    "Youe in with me." He said, looking at Mitchell.


    Mitchell hesitated for a moment before she followed him, and her heart sank when the door closed


    behind her.


    "Why were you with him?" Adams asked in a cold voice before she could exin.


    Mitchell''s body tensed, and she looked up at him in surprise.


    "l-l came cross him while shopping."


    She drew in a deep breath and replied.


    "Then did you have to have dinner together, and ask him to send you home?"


    Adams''s eyes were burning with anger.


    "Mitchell, a girl must know how to refuse!"


    He came a step closer to her.


    The wholepany would not trust her innocence except him.


    The photos were there, and everyone could see them.


    There was no denying that she was close to Jamie.So it was logical for them to believe she was the


    one who leaked the confidential information! Mitchell shivered from his sudden burst of anger.


    Her blood was boiling, and she felt humiliated.


    "You mean I can¡¯t shop and eat with a man?"


    She gritted her teeth.His brows pulled together.


    Some words rushed up to his throat, but he swallowed them.He stared into Mitchell''s eyes.


    Then he lowered his voice and said in a deep tone.


    "Do you know that your rtionship with Jamie is sensitive?"


    He didn¡¯t know how to help her.


    Michell''s heart tightened, and she stood there speechless.She did meet Jamie by chance and never


    thought too much about it when they ate together.She had thought the episode was over after Adams


    were punished.


    "Sir, they''re all here.You can start the meeting now"


    Burton''s voice came from the door.


    Adams nodded.He drew in a deep breath and turned to Mitchell.He stared into her eyes, hesitated for a


    moment, and said, "You and Jamie¡ª"


    Mitchell already knew what he wanted to say.


    "We''re just friends, and I never leaked anything to him." She replied firmly.


    Adams''s eyes were dark and unclear.


    "Okay then, I''ll try my best."


    He would try his best to protect her.He turned and walked out.


    When he reached the door, he said, "Please join the meeting with me."


    Whatever woulde hade.


    Mitchell took a deep breath, ground his teeth, and followed.


    Mitchell followed Adam out of the CEO''s Office and into the conference room.It was noisy inside, but


    everyone became quiet the moment Adams stood in front of them.She walked in, and her heart


    tightened when her eyes met those of her colleagues.


    Mitchell knew all of them.But today, she felt a bit odd under their gaze.


    "I''m here."


    Adams went straight to the head seat and sat down, staring at them coldly.


    A moment of silence.


    "We want an update regarding the leak of our business n."


    A bald man mouthed as he cast a sideways nce at Mitchell.


    "Yes! We''ve suffered a huge loss.Someone must take the me."


    The one next to him echoed.


    "I agree with you!"


    The conference room was buzzing, and everyone sneaked a peek at Mitchell now and then.


    "Adams, we need an exnation.The 700-million project is gone.We received an email about the


    traitor, and we need to mete out punishment."


    A bold department director said.


    Adams''s brows pulled together, and his face turned colder.


    Their intentions were clear now.


    Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Anger was brewing in their hearts about the project.


    Now the email had set them on fire.


    They were confident it was Mitchell who leaked out the business n.


    "I told you I would investigate.But we can''t throw the me on anyone before the truth is in light."


    Adams said in a cold voice.


    "It''s disastrous for us.There''s no point covering anyone."


    Someone put in.


    Adams raised his chin and cast a cold nce at him.


    "Who am I protecting?"


    The man fell silent.He nced at Mitchell and did not dare to answer.


    Seeing everyone was silent, Adams straightened his back and said in a loud voice, "Our email system


    was hacked, and a well-plotted email was sent.It came with ill intent.We must not let it lead our noses."


    The email looked suspicious.


    Furthermore, it did not make sense toe to any conclusion based on the photos.


    Silence dominated the room.


    After a long while, the balding man turned to Bishop.


    "Sir, what do you think about it?"


    Bishop sat quietly in one corner all the time, but now all the eyes turned to him.


    Everyone knew the two brothers were arch-enemies, and they purposely threw it to Bishop to see them


    fight.


    Bishop smiled and raised his eyes to Adams, who was sitting in the head seat withplicated


    emotions in his eyes.


    "God knows." He muttered in a soft voice.

 Chapter 300

    Chapter 300


    Chapter 300 Watch the Fight When


    Mitchell heard his words, her heart went back to its ce.


    Now Adams had the most authority in the conference room, followed by Bishop.


    If Adams spoke for her and Bishop could stand by her side, nobody would find fault with her again.


    She let out a sigh of relief as Bishop continued.


    "We''d better leave it to the chairman to decide."


    Eliot was the chairman of the Lion Group.


    Since he handed over to Adams, he seldom appeared in thepany.


    Eliot''s involvement would furtherplicate the situation, which would never do her any good.


    Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Mitchell looked at Bishop in surprise.


    He wore a smile on his face as he always did, and to anyone.


    "I respect Eliot''s decision! It is crucial to ourpany.We must get rid of the traitor!"


    Mitchell stood aside without a word.Her blood was cold, and her body was shaking without her


    permission.


    Adams stared at Bishop, his hands curled into fists on the table.


    Good tactics! Bishop dared not fight face-to-face with him.


    He invited their father over, and he could watch the fight from the side.


    He cast his eyes on the crowd, and said coldly, "I don¡¯t think there is a need to disturb him."


    "We know she is your assistant.But we never allow a traitor to work in thepany"


    "Yeah! We leave it to Eliot."


    "I agree with you."


    A lot of them changed their minds and supported Bishop''s decision.


    Bishop smiled.He turned to Bob and made a gesture to him.


    Bob left the conference room.


    A few minutester, he came back and whispered something in Bishop''s ear.


    Bishop nodded slightly.


    Then he looked at everyone and announced, "Eliot will be here half an hourter."


    Adams drew in a deep breath, and his eyes were burning with anger.


    But he had no choice but to wait for his father toe over.


    He turned to look at Mitchell and was surprised to see her calm eyes.


    He turned his eyes to Burton and whispered something in his ear.


    Burton nodded and let Mitchell sit near the wall.


    "Adams asked you to tell the truth about your rtionship with Jamie, and he will fight for a chance for


    you."


    Mitchell bit his lower lip and nced at Adams with a heavy heart.


    "I will find a way to prove myself."


    She looked at Burton and squeezed out the words through her teeth.


    Mitchell was there as if sitting on pins and needles, and her hands sweat.She knew what would happen


    after Eliot came over.


    He didn''t like her and would fire her without hesitation to give everyone an exnation.


    If Adams wanted to protect her, he would stand on the opposite side of his father, and then there would


    be a dispute between father and son.She didn''t want to give him trouble and be a burden to him.She


    ground her teeth and racked her brains.


    Then she mustered up the most courage she could and texted a message.


    As everyone expected, Eliot soon arrived.He walked directly into the conference room, and everyone


    got up to greet him.He was the founder of Lion Group, and everyone knew him well.


    Silence dominated the room the moment he walked in.


    Someone briefly told him the story.


    Eliot raised his eyes and cast a cold nce at Mitchell.


    Then he looked at Adams and said, "How are you going to deal with it?"


    "We will investigate first, starting from the hacking."


    Adams said with certainty, "Find out the criminal, and everything will be clear.


    Eliot snorted.


    He nced at him without a word.


    After a few moments, he asked everyone, "What do you think about his solution?"


    Everyone voiced their ideas, and they repeated what they had just said in front of Eliot.


    In the end, someone said, "Eliot, we leave it to you to decide.We support your decision."


    Hearing this, Eliot stood up.He put his hands behind him and thought for a moment.


    Then he turned his eyes to Mitchell and said coldly, "We''ll suffer a lot from this incident.Surely it has


    something to do with you.So you can''t work here any longer."


    "Yes, we can''t keep her here."


    Someone put in.


    Mitchell''s heart skipped a beat.She gritted her teeth and asked, "You mean you must take the me


    even though I am innocent?"


    Eliot didn''t expect her to talk back.


    His face darkened, and he said coldly, "Do you have evidence to prove your innocence?"


    Mitchell stood there speechless.


    Adams also got up.He looked at Eliot and said, "I think we should investigate first."


    "No!"


    Eliot frowned and said icily, "She can no longer work here, and I will announce this to the media at your


    engagement ceremony! "


    Mitchell''s heart tensed, and she was speechless.


    Eliot wanted to throw the me on her.


    "But I''ve never done anything against ourpany"


    Eliot snorted and looked at her sarcastically.


    ¡®A traitor never writes the word on his face.No one will believe your innocence.Everyone can see you


    have a close rtionship with the in charge of the JV project!"


    Mitchell¡¯s heart was heavy and dull, and her body kept shaking.She was tongue-tied, and words failed


    her.


    The air in the conference room froze.


    Some were on firm grounds while others watched silently, and the whole room was deadly quiet.


    At this moment, one of the assistants pushed open the door and hurried in.


    He walked to Adams and whispered in his ear, "Sir, Jamie is on his way here now."


    Adams frowned, and there was a twinge of surprise in his eyes.


    Before he could open his mouth, two guards pushed open the door, and a tall figure walked in.


    It was Jamie, and his arrival was like a stone into the still water.The people in the conference began to


    stir and murmur to each other.

 Chapter 301

    Chapter 301


    We are not to be the Sacrificed Lamb!


    "Jamie Nordhaus!"


    "Chairman, howe he''s here?"


    Everyone present was stunned, not only because theer was the project manager from the rivaling


    company which had taken a $700-million worth of business from Lion Group, but he dared to break into


    the meeting room in such an ostentatious manner.


    Eliot''s face darkened the moment he turned round to catch the sight of Jamie.


    N?velDrama.Org ? content.


    Yet Jamie just per-empted him, "Why can''t I show up here when this meeting of yours is said to be held


    for the sake of me?"


    At this moment, he became the frivolous Junior Nordhaus again, who was notorious for his insinuative


    sneer.


    ncing at Jamie coldly, August ordered Burton, "Since we are having a guest here, could you make a


    seat for Junior Nordhaus, Burton?"


    Hearing himself being called as "Junior Nordhaus", Jamie put on a grim look.


    That name had too much to with his infamous past, when he was hanging around all day resorting to


    his family.


    But he had molded into the project manager of Jevas Group now.


    Yet August deliberately insisted on calling him by that name, that was obviously out of mockery.


    Casting a quiet look at August, Jamie then turned to Eliot, "Mr.Adams, I came here to make something


    clear to you guys."


    After that, he turned to Lucia with an overt smile.


    That smile made Lucia much more relieved.


    She had just sent him the message out of sheer desperation, not really expecting him to show up.


    And now, with him really standing in the meeting room, she was still quite uncertain whether he would


    be able to make it clear as he imed.


    But she had to take the chance.


    She thus returned a grin to Jamie, but immediately perceived a sharp re from August, which got her


    agitated again.


    Eliot had to make the concession despite his displeasure, since the rejection in front of so many people


    would only get both sides awkward.


    "Go ahead, please." said he.


    "I heard that someone is spreading the rumor of me and Lucia shopping together yesterday, and


    suspecting she''s leaked out the n to me simply because of our friendship.They even want to fire her


    unreasonably."


    "It''s not unreasonably, but based on forceful analysis." a voice rose.


    "What a forceful analysis!"


    Jamie snorted tough.


    "Let me show you guys what''s called forceful."


    He motioned his assistant, who''d been waiting at the door, to get in with aptop.


    He then articted, "You are going to see the surveince video in the clothing shop where I ran into


    Lucia.Here is convincing evidence to prove we didn''t make any n to meet up, but only came across


    each other out of coincidence."


    As he made another signal, his assistant turned the screen to the front and started ying the video to


    the people in the meeting room.


    As it was shown in the video, Jamie was asking the staff about the location of the dressing room when


    he entered the shop.He then knocked at the door of the dressing room and met Lucia unexpectedly.


    Surprise was so apparent on both sides, which meant they hadn''t nned for any appointment.


    They even said "it''s long since we met"


    to each other, and that just indicated they were definitely not that close as the rumor went.


    A silence fell in the meeting room when everyone had watched the clip.


    Jamie then put a text on the screen of his phone and showed it around with a smile, "What''s more


    suspicious is I was actually led to the shop all the way by a piece of message.It''s obvious that someone


    was manipting the so-called appointment, just in order to take the candid photo of us.I don''t mind


    letting you guys go through it."


    He then gave his phone to the person next to him.


    As the phone had been passed through several people, who only shut their lips after reading it, all the


    guys in the room had guessed what it was about.


    When almost half of the people had read the text, Jamie uttered calmly, "Someone nted an


    appointment on Lucia and me yesterday, even with a candid picture.And then this morning, the mailing


    system of yourpany was hacked to send out that misleading mail, making everyone think Lucia the


    one to give the n away.Could you have a guess why the one behind it is doing all that?"


    To cover up the crime with a scapegoat, of course.


    "If you guys don''t trust me, you could well go to the clothing shop for the video yourselves, or just talk


    to the staff who was there yesterday."


    With a deliberate pause, Jamie went on, "Whoever the guy who made the gimmickry is, I will never let


    slip of him or her! Making Lucia the scapegoat is not only framing her up, but also ndering my


    working ability.We are not to be the sacrificedmb! Anyone who still have any question, please stand


    up to confront with me.This is the business of mine now."


    Everyone at the table was embarrassed at his remark, which was actually quite well-grounded, and nor


    could they find any direct evidence to prove Lucia was the one to leak the n out.


    The stalemate could only get the situation tougher.


    August looked up to Lucia, frowning, just to find her eyeing Jamie cheerfully.


    Aplicated feeling just welled up in his heart.


    Jamie then turned to Eliot withposure, "Mr.Adams, what''s your opinion?"


    sping his hands at the back, Eliot cleared his throat grimly before he uttered, "Since Mr.Nordhaus


    has made it quite clear, I don''t have any objection now."


    Jamie looked around with a triumphant smile, "Anyone else? I''ll be d to answer any of the question


    from you."


    Since Eliot had shown his attitude, other executives and share-holders were all silenced.


    Even those who had just been quite active, now only got their heads downcast quietly.


    Jamie regarded Lucia with a smile, and raised his eyebrows with a blink when they exchanged a


    nce, just like a naughty kid who had lucked out in a game.


    Seeing the grimace, Lucia couldn''t helpughing, when she''d got her nerve racked for so long.


    Casting a look at August, Eliot dictated ndly, "Get the meeting finished.I''ll be waiting for you in the


    office."


    He then strode out of the meeting room after bidding a farewell to Jamie with a nod.


    There was a fraught silence in the room when Eliot had left.


    August then said solemnly, "The case is closed.I''ll get the IT guys to strengthen the security of our


    mailing system.Lucia will stay on her position.And the rumor is to be stopped within this room."


    He then concluded with a knock at the table, "The meeting is over."


    After that, he ordered Burton, "Could you see Junior Nordhaus off?"


    He then strode away without a nce at Lucia.


    That made Lucia a bit worried.


    Yet Jamie turned to Burton, "No calls to bother."


    And he went up to Lucia and raised his chin up with a smile, "Could you please see me off?"

 Chapter 302

    Chapter 302


    False Friendship


    Lucia didn''t wake up from her thought of August''s facial expression until Jamie talked to her.She was


    still wondering whether she''d done anything to infuriate him, yet failed to figure it out.She thus went out


    with Jamie as he required.


    They were now walking through the passage, one after the other and followed by Jamie''s assistant.


    Lucia finally expressed her gratitude to Jamie, "Thank you for what you did."


    She had to do that because she might have been driven out of Lion Group but for Jamie.


    "Come on!"


    Jamie raised his eyebrows, and suddenly held her shoulder, joking, "Or how are you going to thank


    me? By being my girlfriend?"


    Knowing he was only joking, Lucia retorted in a jocose tone as well, "For real?"


    As something was flickering in Jamie''s eyes, there came the footfalls before he could make any


    response.


    Lucia turned to the direction of the footsteps, just to find August standing not far away.


    As her heart jolted, she jumped some steps away from Jamie out of reflection, looking rather flustered.


    August fixed on them coldly with a nomittal look.


    When Lucia looked up to him again, he had been walking past them, looking straight ahead.


    Lucia just felt her heartbeat quicken in sweat, and she wasn''t able to brace herself up until she entered


    the lift.


    Having noticed all her reaction, Jamie''s smile froze, though he still said in a casual tone, "Or just invite


    me for dinner if you really want to express your gratitude."


    "Sure!"


    Lucia replied, though still lost in her thoughts.


    Her mood was just shadowed by some inexplicable pressure due to August''s seemingly casual glimpse


    just now.


    Having sent Jamie to the gate of thepany, she began returning to the Administration Department.


    Emma had been waiting for Lucia at the door and her eyes shed when she finally saw her.


    "How is it going, Lucia?"


    Emma went up to her.


    "Nothing serious."


    Lucia managed only a weak smile and went on walking toward the office.


    When she was going past the office tables, Lisa was checking the data, who thus started jeering coldly,


    "Something''s got to give if he or she is guilty."


    "The truth wille to light sooner orter." someone even added.


    But Lucia was too busy pondering on August''s behavior to care about the mockery now.


    Yet Emma just found it necessary to protest for her friend.


    She thus frowned and retorted, "Think before you speak, please.Stop gossiping when you''ve got no


    idea of the truth."


    "Who''s speaking without thinking? Or did I get at anyone?"


    A woman raised her defiant eyebrows, "What are you being proud of? Simply because you''ve been


    promoted? Please stop disying the false friendship when you are the one who took the position of


    others."


    The woman''s words were not for nothing, which made Emma flushing at once and speechless now.


    Lucia only frowned and turned to Emma, "Let''s go back to our office."


    Emma nodded embarrassedly and was about to walk on with Lucia, when that woman continued,


    "Why? Where has the arrogant air of yours gone? So my words are to the point?"


    "What a bull-shitter!"


    Emma turned round to rebuke in rage.


    The atmosphere crackled with tension as the woman rose to her feet, being equally exasperated.


    At that instant, the door of the supervisor''s room opened to reveal Carter, who appeared extremely


    solemn.


    ncing over the people around, she snapped coldly, "So I''ve assigned you guys too few tasks?"


    The tempest immediately abated as everyone took their eyes back for their own business.


    Carter then turned to Lucia, "Do you have some minutes? Come to my office, please."


    Gritting her teeth, Lucia nodded and obeyed.


    She actually only wanted to be left alone in the office after the heart-thumping storm in the meeting


    room, not expecting the turbulence to be waiting for her here too.


    With a quiet sigh, she entered Carter''s office.


    Cater uttered before Lucia could get around to saying anything, "You could go home now."


    Lucia was stunned.


    "Did I do anything wrong, Carter?"


    She just couldn''t understand why she was still driven home when Jamie had make everything clear


    enough in the meeting.


    Carterughed.


    "I''m only asking you to take a rest.I''ve heard of what''s happened in the meeting.You could well take a


    half day''s leave, just to get refreshed."


    Drawing a breath of relief, Lucia touched her forelock, "Oh it just gave me start! Thank you, Carter."


    "All right."


    Carter said with a smile, "Start doing the case of Jonathan ck''smercial for us from tomorrow


    when you''re back.You''re appointed by the higher ranks for it, and other coworkers will take over your


    current work."


    Though being a bit surprised, Lucia still nodded.


    She then wasted no time to head for the hospital, and felt relieved when she found her father in quite a


    good condition that day.


    After having supper with her parents, she eventually went back to her t.


    The turbulent experience of the day had made her so exhausted that she fell asleep unconsciously


    when she could finally grasp a chance to rest in the bathtub.


    The hot water had been lukewarm when she woke up.She hastened to rose and went out with a bath


    towel.


    It was already quitete when she''d dried her hair.


    She was going to bed when there was a sh in her phone, which was being recharged at her bedside.


    She picked it up, just to find two unanswered calls from August.


    That got her nervous again, though she had just spent quite some effort to get herself to ease up.


    What was he doing by calling her at such ate hour? Staring at the screen, she was hesitating about


    whether she should call him back now.


    The phone buzzed at that moment, and she just answered it without thinking.


    "Hello, Lucia?" came a man''snguorous voice.


    She automatically felt a chill rippling down her body hearing her name being called by August.


    "What'' the matter?" asked she.


    "I want to see you now." August said bluntly.


    She couldn''t help getting nervous hearing his maic voice on the phone.


    After a slight pause, she replied calmly, "Whatever it is, could we talk about itter on? It''ste now."


    August just continued unheedingly, "I''m just outside your building now."


    Lucia hurried to ask with astonishment, "What on earth is the matter?"


    What was so important that he couldn''t talk about it on the phone? Gritting her teeth, Lucia made up


    her mind that she wouldn''t open the door even if August went upstairs.


    "Could you go downstairs?" said August on the phone, "I''ve got something to tell you..."


    As his voice became weaker, which was quite different from his usual tone, Lucia realized something.


    "Did you go for a drink?" she asked, though being quite uncertain, as she remembered he did sound


    like that when he got drunken before.


    With a pause, August replied curtly, "Yes."


    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    Taking a gasp, Lucia''s resolution was shaking.


    "Oh, then you''d better go home as early as possible." advised she.


    "Youe downstairs...as I do have something to say..." added August, "or I''ll go to knock on your


    door."


    "Don''t!"


    With a flop in her heart, Lucia said from between her teeth, "Ok, I''ll get down now."


    She was just afraid August would lose control of himself due to the alcohol.


    When the conversation was over, she threw on a long overcoat and took a bottle of icy water from the


    refrigerator before she went out.

 Chapter 303

    Chapter 303


    She was Only a Substitute? Standing beside the flower beds in the nigh breeze, August


    was in front of his car.


    Being a bit tipsy, he tried to steady himself by leaning against the carnguorously while squinting at


    the direction of the stairs.


    He actually couldn''t ount for his behavior now.


    He had been drinking with Joshua in Perfect Fortune just now to dissipate the gloominess in his heart.


    Yet Lucia''s face kept floating into his mind, making him even more upset.


    He thus kept on drinking, and was a bit drunken when he eventually left Perfect Fortune.


    Burton was to send him home, yet he just gave him the address of Lucia without much thinking,


    probably because he was already unable to think.


    The sound activated lights on the ground floor was lit before long, and Lucia appeared some seconds


    later.


    Wearing a long ivory overcoat which got her white and spidery legs exposed outside, she ran towards


    him like a butterfly, her hair floating in the air.


    Feeling a crush in his heart, August just couldn''t take his eyes off her.


    Lucia went up to the car, and passed him the bottle of icy water after taking a gasp.


    "Now you can let me know the matter"


    Looking down at the bottle, August got his eyes fixed on her thin wrist.


    "I''m sorry I wasn''t helping today."


    he muttered after a moment''s silence.


    He''d promised her in his office that he would keep her safe, yet in the end he wasn''t the one who


    managed to help her out.


    Lucia paused for some seconds before she finally grasped what he meant.


    "It''s OK.


    It''s gone now."


    said she ndly.


    She knew the situation had been quite disadvantageous to August, when Bishop was challenging him


    and Eliot had to consider the broad picture fairly.


    August was actually fighting alone, and she was already quite gratified when he was willing to back her


    up in such a circumstance.


    Hearing her reply, August looked up at her, frowning, "So you are not ming me?"


    "Not at all."


    Lucia shook her head.


    After a short silence, it suddenly urred to August that Jamie had mentioned the girlfriend stuff to her,


    and that made him even sulkier.


    Noticing Lucia was taking her hand back after giving him the water, August abruptly stretched out his


    hand to get hold of her wrist and dragged her toward him.


    Since he was being tipsy, that action made him stagger before he held her into his arms out of


    reflection to keep himself steady.


    Lucia was astounded.


    She frowned and tried to push him away, yet his grip of her waist was so tight that she couldn''t move at


    all.


    "I might be drunken."


    came his hoarse and low voice.


    Lucia just felt her heartbeat quicken.


    She even began to feel a little dizzy, probably because of the smell of alcohol from his body.


    She had to hold him tighter, as this drunken man might fell down any minute.


    But August abruptly turned round with her in his arms, and thus pressed her against the car.


    He now just beseiged her between his arms which were leaning against the car at her both sides.


    Lucia looked up at him in surprise.


    "What..."


    She broke off as she suddenly found this drunken man was regarding her with his rarely bleary eyes.


    His hair was no longer as orderly as usual, with some locks falling down over his forehead.


    His tie had been loosened and two buttons at the top, undone, just to reveal his bronze chests.


    Now he was no longer the chilly August, and seemed quite appealing to her somehow.


    August suddenly bent down slowly and whispered to her, "I''ll try my best to make you carefree in the


    future..."


    His voice was so low and tantalizing that her face began burning as her heartbeat went even more


    rapid.


    Seeing she was still in silence, August raised her chin up with his hand, "Did you hear me?"


    Feeling an ineffable urge, Lucia had lost the strength to push him away.


    She only bit her lip and took a deep breath, "You''ve drunk too much..."


    She was absolutely right, or else he wouldn''t allow himself to utter such frivolous words to her which he


    had hidden well in his heart when he was sober.


    But now, he only ignored her remind, and approached her ear under his breath, "Could you still dine


    with me in thepany?"


    Lucia just felt herself almost paralyzed, and her mind really a mess now.


    Why was he doing this? She couldn''t help considering those ambiguous words of his.


    As she was thinking hard, something urred to her -- she actually had seldom dinned with him in the


    canteen, but it was Jeanne who often ate with him.


    Lucia was quite certain now August was mistaking her as Jeanne.


    That idea just got Lucia to stiffen up.


    She was not to be the substitute, she said to herself, especially when the man was not sober enough!


    She calmed down and demanded seriously, "Let go of me."


    "What if I refuse to?"


    August stroked her face with his warm hands and abruptly bent down to kiss her.


    Lucia was totally puzzled, though she regained enoughposure some secondster as to push him


    away.


    August hadn''t expected such a reaction from her, and staggered backward.


    "What''s wrong?"


    he frowned at her.


    Regarding the man who was trying toe closer again, Lucia just felt her brain in a buzz.


    "Don''t you touch me!"


    She just didn''t want to be the substitute for other women, nor would she allow him to treat her as a tool


    to vent his lust.


    Conscious of the panic in her eyes, August stopped going forward, only eyeing her quietly.


    "August Adams, I''m not your belongings under yourmand.


    Wake up, you!"


    Having flung the words at him excitedly, Lucia ran into the building in panic before August could get


    around to making any reaction.


    August was stupefied, only feeling more sullen seeing Lucia fleeing in such a flustered manner.


    He had approached her out of instinct, only to find her detesting him so much.


    But she didn''t object to Jamie''s touch in the passage today, did she? Howe she was in such a


    desperation facing August? She might dislike me very much, August figured.


    Thinking of that, he clenched his fists unconsciously and got lost for quite a while.


    He then got into the car and got Burton to go when he finally woke up.


    After that, he copsed into the seat and closed his eyes.


    Although he had drunk a lot, his mind was actually still well functioning.


    He was getting even more sober when his mood was spoiled as though being poured with cold water


    by Lucia¡¯s reaction.


    His phone buzzed on the way.


    It was a message from Jeanne, "August, it''s thest day tomorrow.


    We''ll have to check the suits and do the rehearsal for the engagement.


    Could you spare tomorrow for me whatever important business you are to have tomorrow?"


    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    August took his eyes off the screen and held the phone tighter.


    It would thest day indeed, and the engagement was to be held the day after tomorrow.

 Chapter 304

    Chapter 304


    Visiting the Filming Spot Lucia didn''t sleep well.


    She actually didn''t fall asleep until early morning after tossing and turning for a whole night.


    It was quitete when she woke up and she was inevitablyte for work.


    Yet to her great surprise, her table was empty when she rushed to the office.


    Emma hastened to exin, "Carter told me to take over your current work as you''re assigned with a


    new task."


    Lucia now remembered the higher ranks of thepany, as Carter had told her, wanted her to put


    priority on Jonathan ck''smercial.


    That signified the importance of this task.


    Lucia thus nodded quietly, printed out the travel itinerary of Jonathan ck and began studying it.


    Though the popr actor said he would consider Lucia''s suggestion, she actually hadn''t got any reply


    from him so far.


    Lucia thus figured she had to take the initiative as a gesture of good faith.


    As his schedule showed, Jonathan would spend the whole day with the crew today.


    Lucia then detected his whereabouts from the group of his fans before she left thepany.


    She had to pay a visit to him again since he didn''t show any interest in her business.


    Arriving at the Film Town of Austos City, Lucia managed to obtain an identity card from some little crew


    aside before she headed for her destination - a filming group engaged in a historical drama.


    Identity cards looked alike amongst the groups, and Lucia only needed to mislead the guards by hiding


    the front to her chests.


    She believed no one would question her as long as she had got a string around her neck for the


    identity card.


    She was right, and she actually was able to strut into theplex of historical drama without any


    trouble.


    Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    With secretly pleasure, she nced around the crowd among the machines and finally spotted


    Jonathan on a portable chair at thending of the stairs.


    With an umbre above and snacks all over the table aside, he was way better treated than the extra


    actors who could only sit on the ground next to him.


    Sighing about the inequality, Lucia made her way through the crowd and approached Jonathan.


    As his agent Suecy was absent, he was apanied only by his young assistant while being engaged


    in his phone as though ying a game.


    His assistant rose after drinking some water, "I''ll have to go to the toilet, Jonathan."


    Jonathan agreed even without raising his face up.


    When his assistant was out of sight, Lucia approached Jonathan quietly from behind.


    He happened to be exasperated when he was beaten in the game.


    Noticing someone was aside out of the corner of his eye, Jonathan ordered irritably, "Pass me the


    tissue."


    Lucia paused and instantly realized Jonathan had mistaken her as his assistant.


    Sheughed, and gave him the tissue from the box aside.


    Jonathan took the tissue without turning his face to her, though he finally noticed something as he


    turned back, just to find Lucia there.


    "It''s you?"


    he frowned after a pause.


    Lucia grinned.


    "I''m visiting you at the filming spot."


    "Visiting me?"


    Jonathan straightened up as though still fraying at the loss in the game.


    "You are visiting a star without brining anything with you?"


    Lucia was a little embarrassed.


    "Mr.ck, you actually know my intention well."


    she suggested lightly, "Could you have some more consideration of the case of Redeur?"


    Wiping his hands with the tissue, Jonathan snorted, "What makes you think I''ll nod so easily?"


    "Then what could make you agree?"


    Lucia thus asked.


    With something flickering in his eyes, Jonathan tilted his head to her after a pause.


    "I want some coffee.


    Go get it for me now."


    he demanded with a smile.


    He didn''t became a star for nothing, eximed Lucia to herself, because a mere stare from him when


    he titled his head was enough to get her fascinated.


    What a perfect and handsome face! She finally woke up after a while, and nodded at once, "OK.


    I''ll go grab it."


    Just some coffee was too small a price to pay as long as he would agree to be the spokesman of


    Redeur.


    Jonathanughed out.


    "But I only want the coffee with milk foam at Jonathan Coffee in the eastern area."


    Lucia was about to nod when it urred to her that Jonathan himself was the boss of Jonathan Coffee,


    and that he only needed to get it sent to him by his staff if he really wanted the milk foam.


    As she eyed him, he still appeared quite nd and innocent.


    Lucia thought she almost knew his intention, and answered cheerfully, "No problem.


    Just a minute."


    "OK."


    Jonathan raised his chin up in a cutesy way, "I''ll be waiting for you here."


    His agent Suecy showed up at the moment.


    At the sight of Lucia, she darkened her face, "What are you doing here?"


    She was about to signal to the scene supervisor.


    Lucia was so nervous, but Jonathan uttered before she could make any response, "Suecy,, it''s all right.


    I asked her toe."


    Suecy was stunned.


    "Jonathan, you are with the crew now.


    Don''t be naughty."


    Jonathan nodded meekly, "Got it! I just asked her to buy me some coffee."


    He then cast a look at Lucia with his spindly and upward eyes as though encouraging her to go ahead.


    Taking a gasp and referring to her watch, Lucia knew she had to hurry up.


    Jonathan''s cafe was in the eastern part of the city.


    There was quite some distance from here and it was bound to take some time to fetch it.


    But she believed her efforts would finally pay as long as he was willing to negotiate.


    She ran to the cafe and ordered several bottles of milk foam, so that she could at least provide him with


    a good-looking one even if others identally poured out on the way.


    With a whole bag of coffee, she hurried back to the filming spot by taking the subway, just to find


    Jonathan had disappeared.


    With the bag of bottles in her hand, she had to consult a random guy for Jonathan''s whereabouts.


    The man only answered lightly, "Mr.ck left just now when he''s finished his part."


    Gnashing her teeth, Lucia realized in a fury that Jonathan had deliberately fooled her with the trick to


    get her to buy the coffee.


    Noticing her flushing face, that man was kind enough to show her the direction, "They left from that exit


    just some minutes ago.


    Try your luck, girl."


    Lucia thanked him and dashed along that direction.


    She finally caught the sight of Jonathan at the exit.


    He was now wearing his own clothes and hat, and talking to a woman.


    With sunsses, that woman looked of the same age with him, judging from her dressing.


    They seemed to be arguing vehemently.


    Lucia determined to take a venture and thus went up.


    Yet Jonathan turned round at the moment, and his eyes were full of anger at the sight of her.

 Chapter 305

    Chapter 305


    Look Out for the Paparazzi Jonathan''s hostility out of no good reason got Lucia to take a


    gasp, and that woman happened to turn round to her when Lucia was hesitating about what to do next.


    Despite the dark sses, one could still grasp the vague shape of her eyes.


    And Lucia just noticed that woman decidedly paused and jerked her head back irritably at the sight of


    Lucia.


    That made Lucia even more puzzled.


    She thus began observing that woman more closely, just to find her quite familiar.


    As Lucia was trying to figure out the identity of the woman, her sight was blocked.


    She looked up and met the furious face of Jonathan, who was frowning and snapping, "What are you


    doing here?"


    That raises Lucia''s hackles too.


    Wasn''t he the very one who demanded the coffee? And now he just denied it when she had taken


    great troubles to buy it for him.


    Yet she repressed her anger and permitted herself a smile, "Mr.ck, here''s the coffee you wanted."


    She then lifted the bag in her hand.


    Jonathan frowned, obviously having no interest in her business any more, even perfunctorily.


    At that instant, his earphone shed as a phone call came in.


    He got it through by touching the earphone and asked, "What''s it, Suecy?"


    He then got alert after hearing something from the other end of the phone, only scrutinizing around and


    asking under his breath, "Where''s the paparazzo?"


    Some secondster, he fixed his eyes along a direction, as his face darkened.


    With some consideration, he suddenly stretched out his hand to grasp Lucia by her cor, and tilted his


    head back, "There''s a paparazzo here.


    Let''s talk about it tonight."


    He was obviously saying that to the woman in sunsses.


    Yet she only strode aside with a cold remark, "We are not to talk about it any more."


    Lucia paused as she just felt that woman so familiar, and the truth eventually dawned on her after some


    seconds.


    It was Adeline Jones! The actress who had been so close to August that their candid pictures had been


    taken by paparazzi.


    But why was she with Jonathan now? They seemed to have an intimate tie too...As Lucia was still


    pondering on the stream of questions on her mind, she had been dragged aside at the cor by


    Jonathan.


    Lucia was about to strive when Jonathan whispered to her, "Get into the car if you want me to do the


    commercial for your product."


    She hushed at with a gasp.


    Having been hauled into the car by him, Lucia turned her face round, just to find a camera focusing on


    them from behind a vehicle not far away.


    She figured it out immediately.


    N?velDrama.Org ? content.


    The moment she got into the car, Suecy began roaring, "Jonathan, what are you doing? Why did you


    bring her here? Didn''t I remind you to look out for the paparazzi? You..."


    Yet her tone suddenly turned softer as she realized something, "You are doing this to make a cover for


    her?"


    Jonathan resumed the casual look.


    Taking the coffee from Lucia, he got himself seated on his ce and began drinking as cozily as


    possible.


    Lucia was trying hard to figure out Suecy''s words.


    "Her"


    of course didn''t refer to Lucia, but Adeline Jones, who''d been talking with Jonathan just now! Gathering


    that, Lucia couldn''t help gawking in astonishment.


    What a piece of news she''de across! Jonathan had always showed up in the public as a singleton,


    because most of his fans were fancying themselves to be hisdy.


    His studio thus would never allow for any affair about him, but that didn''t mean he himself didn''t have


    any ndestine rtionship with some woman.


    But why was it Adeline? Wasnt she having an ambiguous tie to August? So this was a three-some


    affair? Or there was something else behind it...Lucia just felt her head in a buzz, and thought she had


    no way to make it clear.


    "Hey!"


    Jonathan snapped his fingers at Lucia, "What''s on your mind?"


    Casting a thoughtful look at him, Lucia stopped mind-wandering andughed, "Nothing."


    Yet Jonathan wouldn''t believe that.


    He put on a grim look with a knot in his forehead, "So you''ve detected it?"


    "Detected what?"


    Lucia pretended to be ignorant, "Detected your intention to fool me by getting me to buy the coffee?"


    Jonathan rolled his eyes with a quite sneer, and stopped eyeing her, only going on drinking the coffee


    in his hand.


    Lucia turned back to check the view outside the window, just to find itpletely strange.


    Taking a gasp, she turned to Jonathan again, "Mr.ck, as for the Redeur product of us..."


    Jonathan cut in curtly, "I''ll think about it."


    He then took out the other side of the earphone and plugged it into his ear.


    "Suecy, remind me when we''re along there.


    I''ll take a rest now."


    He then tried to sit morefortably and closed his eyes.


    Yet he opened his eyes after two seconds, raising his chin up at Lucia with a nomittal smile,


    though he was talking to Suecy, "Just let her get off at the next junction."


    Lucia paused and began quivering out of rage.


    How could such a cruel guy be an idol! She eventually bellowed out, "Jonathan, don''t you think


    you are being too mean to me? I rushed for the coffee as soon as you said you wanted it.


    And now I''ve brought it for you, you just shrink away for themercial thing.


    Are you fooling me?"


    Jonathan opened his eyes again, and just found the pettish Lucia quite amusing.


    "Don''t you think you are making me too cheap to ept your offer only at the price of a bottle of


    coffee?"


    retorted he with a smile.


    "You!"


    Lucia was struck dumb.


    Her chests heaved violently with rage, yet the car just pulled up.


    "Just here."


    Suecy reminded after clearing her throat.


    Lucia knew what Suecy was indicating, and thus got off resolutely with a re to Jonathan, gritting her


    teeth.


    The moment she was on the sidewalk, the door of the motor home was closed before the vehicle


    roared away, leaving her standing in the dusts.


    Lucia could only gnash her teeth.


    That Jonathan guy was ying the old trick on her once again! No wonder August appointed her to


    take this tough task, he was simply being difficult with her! It was in the afternoon when Lucia arrived at


    thepany.


    Emma asked her cheerfully, "How''s themercial case going, Lucia?"


    Lucia sighed.


    "Can''t be worse."


    Emma patted her on the shoulder in a catory tone, "Don''t be upset.


    We still have some time."


    That reminded Lucia it was going to be Saturday the next day, when August and Jeanne were


    supposed to carry out their engagement ceremony.


    No wonder August just disappeared for the whole day.


    She couldn''t help feeling wistful at that thought.


    When Emma got away, Lucia finally took out the invitation from her file box.


    The two names on the delicate cover only made her lower.


    It was time to stop fancying about August after tomorrow, she reminded herself.

 Chapter 306

    Chapter 306


    Chapter 306 Throwing Herself on Him When Lucia returned to her small apartment in the evening, she


    had no appetite.


    After cooking some porridge, she went back to the bedroom and took out the dress she was going to


    wear tomorrow.


    The dress with perfect texture was hung up, looking like a painting.


    When she sat on the bed and looked up at it in a daze, what had happened between August and her


    shed across her mind like ying a movie.


    Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Suddenly, the mobile phone on the bed rang.


    After she slowly picked it up, she saw a message from an unknown ID saying, "Come to the crew


    tomorrow.


    If youe, I will consider endorsing the product."


    The tone wasmanding, and the message mentioned the crew and the endorsement, so she knew


    the sender must be Jonathan.


    Therefore, she sneered without replying.


    Jonathan had deceived her twice.


    So, when he took the initiative to ask her to go over, she believed he just wanted to y a trick on her


    again.


    He said he would "consider", but she did not think he had ever considered it at all.


    It did not matter that she had been deceived twice, but she would never allow herself to be yed by


    this big star all the time.


    Moreover, she had to attend August''s engagement ceremony tomorrow, so she did not have time to


    serve him.


    After making up her mind, she stopped thinking about it, washed up, and went to bed.


    The next morning, Lucia got up, stretched herself, and felt the long-lostfort of a morning at home.


    She was busy all the time, so she barely had time to make breakfast.


    She always hurriedly left her apartment either to thepany or to the hospital.


    Today, she was going to attend August''s engagement ceremony, so she had a rare leisurely morning.


    After breakfast, she looked at the time, put on simple makeup, and changed into the dress, intending to


    go to the venue of the engagement ceremony.


    But when she was about to go out, she received a message from August, saying, "Go to thepany


    to fetch my watch and cigarettes.


    They are in the leftmost drawer of my desk.


    I am waiting for you in the dressing room at the venue."


    Lucia couldn''t help tightening her grip on the phone while thinking of their embarrassing meetingst


    time.


    But the tone of his message was normal and cold as usual.


    So, it seemed he had really been drunk that night...


    ncing at the time, Lucia didn''t dare to waste any time, so she immediately put on a windbreaker and


    went out.


    She was wearing a long dress, high heels, and a thin windbreaker, revealing her fair-skinned thin neck


    and slender calves.


    She had an elegant temperament.


    And as soon as she went out, she attracted a lot of attention.


    She walked quickly toward the gate of themunity because the car she had booked on Uber was


    waiting outside.


    Then, she got into the car and asked the driver to go directly to the Lion Group.


    There were few people in thepany on Saturday.


    Lucia went directly to the President''s Office.


    After entering August''s office, she opened the leftmost drawer and saw a luxury watch and a leather


    cigarette box with foreign words on it.


    She immediately picked them up and put them in her bag.


    When she was about to close the drawer, she suddenly saw a photo.


    In the photo, she was soundly asleep on the sofa in the Adams''s vi and covered with a fluffy nket,


    showing a tranquil expression.


    When had this photo been taken? Why did not she know? Looking at the background in the photo, she


    knew it had been taken when she had lived in the Adams''s vi after getting married to August.


    But she did not remember anything about it at all.


    So, it must be August who had secretly taken this photo of her.


    Lucia hadplex emotions and didnt know whether she should be happy or sad.


    But she felt as if a bright and hot spark had been ignited in her heart.


    August must have feelings for her, right? Such a thought suddenly popped into her mind, but she


    denied it the next second.


    If he had feelings for her, he would not be engaged to Jeanne.


    Lucia showed a self-mocking smile, gritted her teeth, reached out to close the drawer, suppressed her


    excitement, and walked out of the office.


    She must not have any illusions about him.


    Today, he would someone else''s fianc¨¦ and would have nothing to do with her any longer.


    On the way to the venue, Lucia calmed herself down.


    After arriving, she showed the invitation letter to the waiter at the door and went inside.


    She was notte.


    And the guests were arriving one after another, and everyone was chatting happily in groups.


    Looking around the exquisitely and elegantly decorated hall, Lucia took a deep breath, thinking it would


    take a lot of time for her to find the dressing room in such a big ce.


    She walked aside, stopped a waiter with a tray, and asked, "Could you please tell me where the


    dressing room is?"


    The waiter replied politely, "Go down the corridor on the right, and you will see the dressing rooms.


    The innermost one belongs to Mr.Adams and Ms.


    Kelly who are going to get engaged today."


    Lucia thanked him, walked in the direction he had said, went out of the hall through the door on the


    right, walked down the corridor, and saw a row of rooms there.


    Suddenly, she thought of something, so she quickly took out the watch and cigarette case from her bag


    and held them in her hand.


    If she went in empty-handed and met Jeanne, thetter would misunderstand again.


    So, she decided to hold them in her hand and walked inside openly.


    Walking to the room at the end of the corridor, Lucia took a deep breath, raised her hand, and knocked


    on the door.


    She waited for two seconds, but no one responded.


    So, she knocked again and asked, "Mr.Adams, are you in there?"


    There was still no response.


    She hesitated and didn''t know what to do.


    After a pause, she gathered up her courage, hold the doorknob, and turned it.


    The door was not locked, so it was opened.


    Lucia cautiously popped her head inside and saw rows of clothes racks and two make-up tables facing


    each other.


    However, no people were inside.


    Suddenly, she saw a phone in the familiar ck frosted phone case.


    It must be August''s phone! She walked over, put the watch and cigarette case beside the phone, and


    sent a text message to him, saying, "Mr.Adams, I didn''t see you in the dressing room, so I put the


    things on the table."


    August might have gone out to deal with some other thing, and he would understand when he came


    back and saw the message.


    After sending the message, she put away her phone and turned to leave.


    But as soon as she turned around, she saw a tall man staring intensely at her at the door.


    She was startled and involuntarily took two steps back.


    But she identally stepped on the hem of her dress in panic, lost her bnce, and then fell to the


    side.


    When August was about to speak, he saw her stumbling, so he immediately stepped forward, stretched


    out to grab her arm, and pulled her over.


    When Lucia was pulled forward hard, she was caught off guard and fell into his arms.


    When August''s strong hands held her waist, she finally stood steadily.


    When she recovered from the shock and raised her head, she saw his impably handsome face.


    He looked down at her, showed a half-smile, and asked, "Are you throwing yourself on me on


    purpose?"

 Chapter 307

    Chapter 307


    Chapter 307 Engagement Ceremony His teasing tone made Lucia''s cheeks flush immediately.


    She frowned, tried to break free, and said, "Mr.Adams, I''ve put the things on the table...


    August refused to let go of her and wrapped his arms around her waist firmly, preventing her from


    leaving.


    Suddenly, he showed a gloomy face and he said seriously, "Do not move."


    Hearing this, Lucia stopped struggling and widened her eyes to stare at him.


    Time seemed to stop at this moment.


    When the two looked at each other, all the affection was passed by their gazes, and the atmosphere


    became more and more sticky.


    Lucia somehow felt hot, and her breath became much faster.


    When August noticed her slight change, his heart skipped a beat.


    He narrowed his eyes and looked down at her fair neck.


    Then, he stretched out his hand, groped around her waist with his big hands, and flexibly untied the


    strap of her windbreaker around her waist.


    Suddenly feeling the coolness, Lucia was taken aback.


    Before she could react, he had already removed her windbreaker to her elbows.


    Her dress was well-designed.


    It was not very revealing, but it showed her graceful and sexy curves exactly right.


    When she felt August''s eyes sweep over her body, her cheeks turned even redder, and she hurriedly


    tried to pull up her windbreaker.


    But August stretched out to grab her hands and said solemnly, "Let me have a look."


    It was the first time he had seen her wearing such a dress, so he wanted to see her take off her


    windbreaker so much as if being bewitched.


    When Lucia was in a daze, he took off her windbreaker.


    When he saw the dress, the look in his eyes darkened, and his Adam''s apple rolled up and down


    unconsciously.


    And he thought Lucia looked stunning.


    Lucia quickly understood the meaning of the look in his eyes, so she quickly said, "Mr.Adams, it''s


    gettingte.


    I must go."


    While speaking, she put on her windbreaker.


    When she was about to walk toward the door, August grabbed her by the wrist and said in a deep


    voice, "Wait a minute."


    Hearing this, Lucia frowned.


    When she was about to speak, she suddenly heard footsteps andughter from outside the door.


    Then, someone approached this room and tried to push the door open.


    Lucia tensed up and froze, looking at the door nervously.


    Unexpectedly, the door was not pushed open.


    Jeanne asked from outside, "August, are you inside?"


    Lucia was stunned.


    Her mind went nk, and she was sweating nervously.


    Two secondster, she recovered from the shock, hurriedly broke out of August''s grip, and said in a


    panic, "I must hide!"


    If Jeanne saw her and August alone in the dressing room, she would misunderstand! Lucia hurriedly


    began to look for a ce to hide.


    After she spotted the big wardrobe over there, she walked over immediately.


    August caught up with her and asked in a faint voice, "Why are you hiding?"


    Lucia gasped in panic, hurriedly opened the door, bent over, and hid inside without answering his


    question.


    August frowned, raised his hand to prevent her from closing the door, and watched her curling into a


    ball behind the clothes.


    She looked silly but a little cute, so he couldn''t help smiling.


    "We did not do anything improper.


    Lucia, what are you afraid of?"


    Lucia was anxious and didnt know how to answer.


    She tried to close the door but failed, so she looked up at him and said, "Let go..."


    Bang! "August, open the door!"


    Jeanne seemed to realize something, so her voice became anxious, and she began to m the door


    heavily.


    This dressing room was exclusively for the two of them, but the door was locked from the inside, so


    August must be in the room now.


    But why had he locked the door? This was suspicious.


    N?velDrama.Org ? content.


    The knocking on the door grew louder and louder as if hitting Lucia''s heart.


    She nervously looked up at August and said anxiously in a trembling voice, "She''s your fianc¨¦e! Aren''t


    you afraid of her misunderstanding?"


    August looked calm with a half-smile.


    He slowly leaned over, narrowed the distance between them, stared at her with his deep eyes, and


    slowly asked, "I''m not afraid.


    Why are you so nervous? Is there any secret in your heart?"


    Then, he added in a drawling voice with an ambiguous smile in his eyes, "Is it because you like me that


    you''re afraid of being seen by Jeanne?"


    Lucia was startled, and a trace of unnaturalness shed across her face.


    She took a deep breath, hesitated for a moment, and replied, "No, the man I like is not you.


    Mr.Adams, please don''t think too much.


    I just don''t want Ms.


    Kelly to misunderstand."


    Hearing this, August suddenly tightened his grip on the door.


    Two secondster, he showed a gloomy and cold expression, gave Lucia a deep look, released his


    hand, and turned to walk toward the door.


    Seeing this, Lucia breathed a sigh of relief and quickly closed the wardrobe door.


    Soon, she heard the door opening and Jeanne ask, "August, what were you doing inside? Why did it


    take you so long to open the door?"


    While speaking, she nced behind August subconsciously.


    August''s face was gloomy when he replied lightly, "I took a nap just now, so I didn''t hear it."


    Hearing his reply, Jeanne nodded, but she was still suspicious.


    So, she walked past him into the room and looked around.


    There were no other people inside.


    Looking at the clothes hangers, tables, and wardrobe suspiciously, she still couldn''t dispel her doubts.


    When she walked to the hangers and intended to check the back, August asked, "Jeanne, are you


    ready?"


    "Yes,"


    she nodded and went behind the hangers.


    Seeing no one here, she rxed her vignce a little.


    And when she turned around, she showed a bright and sweet smile, walked up to August, took his arm


    naturally, and chuckled, "A lot of guests have arrived, and my father is waiting.


    Let''s go out to say hello to him together."


    August''s expression remained gloomy, but he didn''t refuse and said, "Okay."


    After the two walked out of the dressing room hand in hand, Lucia who was hiding in the wardrobe


    breathed a sigh of relief.


    If Jeanne had seen her here just now, an unnecessary suspicion and dispute would have been


    aroused.


    Fortunately, she had chosen to hide.


    After there was no sound outside, she slowly opened the door and got out of the wardrobe.


    Walking out of the dressing room, she went through the corridor and returned to the hall.


    When she saw many peopleing and going, she was suddenly at a loss for where to go.


    There were more people in the hall than just now.


    So, the hall was bustling.


    People were toasting each other, so the scene looked harmonious and happy.


    Lucia looked around.


    When she saw August and Jeanne standing hand in hand in the center of the crowd, she suddenly


    froze.


    August was wearing a ck couture suit, and Jeanne was wearing a gorgeous white dress.


    She looked beautiful, and he looked handsome.


    Wherever they went, they were in the limelight.


    Sure enough, they were a perfect match.

 Chapter 308

    Chapter 308


    Chapter 308 Exchange Rings But Lucia felt depressed as if a stone was pressing against her heart,


    having difficulty breathing.


    Such a scene made her ufortable.


    August and Jeanne walked around the venue and then returned to the front.


    Soon, the engagement ceremony began.


    When the guests were taking their seats, Lucia also sat down in a corner.


    ording to the process sheet, August and Jeanne would give a speech and then exchange


    engagement rings.


    And their parents would give them blessings in the end.


    Staring at the man on the stage and listening to him talk about what had happened between him and


    Jeanne, Lucia felt the dull pain in her heart be stronger.


    She thought she shouldn''t havee here because it was torturous for her to watch them together.


    Soon, it was Jeanne''s turn to speak.


    She took over the microphone, nced at the man beside her, smiled, and said with sweetness in her


    eyes, "Everyone, thank you very much for making time out of your busy schedules to attend our


    engagement ceremony.


    I guess you should all know that we are childhood sweethearts.


    We have known each other since childhood, and he has apanied me for most of my life..."


    She talked about the things from their childhood to the present with red eyes, and when she expressed


    her love for August, her voice was choked up with emotions.


    After she finished speaking, everyone in the audience pped, and the atmosphere was warm.


    Lucia took a deep breath and bowed her head in frustration, feeling jealous.


    Suddenly, someone sat next to her.


    Before she could raise her head, she heard a familiar male voice say, "Hi, Lucia."


    When she looked up and saw Paul, she asked, "Paul, why are you here?"


    Paul looked as gentle as usual and said softly, "Il came here because I received the invitation."


    Lucia nodded, tried her best to force a smile, and said, "They have invited all the important people in


    Austos City to the engagement ceremony.


    I should not have felt surprised to see you here."


    Paul smiled, "Actually, I didn''t want toe."


    When he had first received the invitation, he had wanted to refuse.


    But when he had thought that she mighte, he had decided to push his luck.


    Unexpectedly, he really met her here.


    Lucia smiled bitterly, "Me either."


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    The two looked at each other and smiled, so the atmosphere became much lighter than just now.


    On the stage, August and Jeanne had already moved on to the next section.


    A waiter walked up to the stage with an exquisite tray on which there were the engagement rings.


    Later, August and Jeanne would put on the rings for each other.


    The camera aimed at the rings on the tray and the picture was projected on the big screen so that all


    the guests under the stage could see them.


    Seeing the diamonds, many people eximed.


    The diamonds on the rings were blue diamonds, which were dazzling, noble, and expensive.


    Moreover, such rings must be booked in advance because the production period was exceedingly long,


    which showed that August valued Jeanne very much.


    After listening to the whispers of the guests around her, Lucia got to know the value and significance of


    the engagement rings.


    She raised her eyes and saw them sweetly exchanging rings on the stage, feeling even more


    depressed.


    When Paul turned his head, he saw her sad face.


    After hesitating for a moment, he said, "Lucia, if you don''t want to stay here, we can leave early


    together."


    Lucia understood his thoughtfulness, so she smiled at him and said softly, "I''m fine.


    We can leaveter."


    The ceremony hadn''t ended yet.


    If she left now, August and Jeanne might misunderstand.


    Paul nodded and stayed by her side in silence without saying anything more.


    Soon, the ceremony ended.


    When the music was yed, the atmosphere in the hall became a lot more lively.


    August took Jeanne off the stage, chatted with the guests, and posed for photographs.


    And the waiters began to change the food on the tables, recing the cold buffet with various


    delicacies.


    Paul turned his head to look at Lucia and thoughtfully asked, "Lucia, what would you like to drink? I''ll


    get it for you."


    Lucia smiled, "Orange juice, please."


    "Okay, I will be back soon."


    After Paul got up and walked away, Lucia looked around the bustling hall in her seat, feeling like an


    outsider who couldn''t fit in.


    She sighed, took out her phone, and swiped it.


    Looking at the time, she began to think about when it would be more appropriate for her to leave.


    Suddenly, a pair of leather shoes entered her vision.


    She thought it was Paul, but when she looked up, she saw an unfamiliar man.


    The man had slicked-back hair and was wearing a blue suit.


    He grinned to his ears and asked, "Miss, are you alone?"


    Lucia had no interest in him, so she replied casually, "No."


    Hearing this, the manughed, sat down next to her unceremoniously, leaned over, and said with a


    smile, "You look familiar, but I can''t remember where we''ve met before.


    Can you give me your phone number? We can have dinner together when you have time."


    "No need."


    Lucia moved away from him and said solemnly, "My friend will be back soon."


    Her attitude was noticeably clear, but he turned a deaf ear to her words, leaned toward her, and said, "I


    just want to invite you to dinner.


    It is fate that makes us meet here.


    Why don''t you just give me your number?"


    Lucia frowned and said word by word, "I''m sorry, but I must go to meet my friend now."


    While speaking, she stood up, intending to walk away.


    But the man did not give up.


    He also stood up and even stretched out to grab her hand.


    When his sticky hand touched her, Lucia had goosebumps all over her body.


    So, she threw his hand away in a conditioned reflex, took a step back, looked at him sternly, and said,


    "Sir, I don''t even know you.


    Please show some respect!"


    Hearing her stern words, the man instantly showed a gloomy face, stared at her, and snorted, "Who do


    you think you are? Hundreds of women in Austos City want to have dinner with me.


    Are you ying hard to get?"


    Seeing his gross true color, Lucia frowned in disgust.


    When she was thinking about how to get rid of him, a tall figure suddenly appeared beside her.


    Paul naturally stretched out to wrap his arm around her shoulders, red at the man, and said coldly,


    "What''s the matter with you?"


    After the man nced at Paul and recognized him, his aura suddenly weakened.


    He nced at them coldly, turned around, and walked away without saying anything.


    Paul immediately looked down at Lucia and asked worriedly, "Lucia, are you alright?"


    Lucia shook her head, rxed her tensed-up body, and replied, "I''m fine."


    Paul released her, took out a handkerchief from his pocket, handed it to her, and said, "I''m sorry, I


    should havee back earlier."


    Lucia shook her head with a smile, took the handkerchief over, and said softly, "You''re so sweet.


    Thank you."


    Hearing this, Paul looked at her affectionately and said, "As long as you need me, I can apany


    you all the time."


    It was his honor to protect her.

 Chapter 309

    Chapter 309


    Chapter 309 Taking A Photo The affection in Paul''s eyes was too obvious, so Lucia unconsciously


    blushed.


    Then, she took a deep breath and changed the topic, asking, "How''s Pa doing?"


    Seeing her shyness, Paul smiled, "She''s been very busy recently, but I don''t know what she''s doing."


    Hearing this, Lucia immediately thought of Burton.


    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    Pa had not contacted her recently, but Paul had said she was busy, so there was only one


    possibility.


    Lucia smiled knowingly but didn''t say anything about it.


    Suddenly, a clear female voice said not far away, "Lucia!"


    Hearing this, Lucia turned her head back and saw Jeanne in a white dress walking toward her while


    handing August''s hand.


    Instantly, Lucia tensed up.


    Jeanne beamed with joy, pulled August over, and said with a smile, "I''ve been looking for you for a long


    time, but I didn''t expect you to be here!"


    While speaking, she looked at Paul and said with a knowing smile, "It turns out you''re with Mr.Thomas!"


    Lucia lowered her eyes, nced at Jeanne and August holding hands, forced a smile, and said,


    "Congrattions."


    Hearing this, Jeanne smiled brightly, while August showed a gloomy face and looked between Lucia


    and Paul intentionally.


    Jeanne took August''s hand and showed Lucia their engagement rings, saying, "Lucia, look! Are they


    pretty?"


    Lucia nodded and said softly, "Yes, they look pretty."


    "I think so too! This is a surprise from August!"


    Jeanne said, looked at August lovingly, held his arm intimately, and continued, "I''ve ordered our


    engagement rings, but he suddenly asked his assistant to deliver this pair of rings here today.


    The production period of this kind of ring is at least several months!"


    While speaking, Jeanne looked incredibly happy.


    Seeing this, Lucia felt a sting in her heart, and the smile on her face faded.


    "By the way, I looked for you to take a photo!"


    Jeanne suddenly remembered her purpose.


    Then, she looked between Lucia and Paul and asked yfully, "Mr.Thomas, Are you chasing Lucia?"


    Hearing her question, Lucia immediately shook her head with a shocked expression.


    But before she could say anything, Jeanne added, "August and I both saw you whispering to each


    other in this hidden corner.


    Don''t try to deny it!"


    Lucia raised her eyes in a panic and involuntarily looked at August.


    When she met his cold gaze, she was even more at a loss.


    Suddenly, Paul, who was standing beside her, said with a smile, "Yes, I am pursuing Lucia, but she


    hasn''t epted me yet."


    Then, he stretched out his hand, politely took her hand, looked at her affectionately, and asked, "Lucia,


    can you give me a chance?"


    Lucia was stunned to hear it.


    She had never expected such an incident.


    Looking at Paul''s serious expression, she knew that he wasn''t joking, so she was at a loss for what to


    do.


    Jeanne looked even more excited than her and quickly said, "Lucia, say yes! Mr.Thomas is one of the


    few good men in Austos City!"


    Then, she clung to August''s arm, tilted her head, looked at Lucia with a smile, and said, "But the best


    man is engaged to me.


    Don''t try to snatch him!"


    She sounded as if just joking, but her words had hidden meanings.


    As soon as Lucia understood her implication, her heart sank.


    And when she raised her eyes to look at Paul again, she saw the persistence in his eyes, so she felt a


    little moved.


    Paul smiled and asked patiently, "Lucia, are you willing to be my girlfriend?"


    Lucia hesitated for a few seconds, took a deep breath, and said softly, "Yes, I do..."


    August who had kept silent all the time suddenly showed a gloomy face, and his gaze at Lucia became


    sharper and colder.


    But Jeanne pped her hands excitedly with a glint of light shing across her eyes.


    Then, she said with a smile, "That''s great! Lucia, you must attend my wedding, and I will throw the


    bouquet to you!"


    Then, she looked at Paul and said, "Mr.Thomas, Lucia is my friend, you must treat her well! Otherwise,


    I will teach you a good lesson!"


    Because of Jeanne''s words, the atmosphere seemed convivial and rxed on the surface.


    But August''s expression was a little gloomy.


    When Lucia held Paul''s hand, she could see August''s cold gaze out of the corner of her eye, so she felt


    nervous, and her palms were sweating.


    Suddenly, Paul squeezed her fingers lightly.


    And when she turned her head to look at him, she saw him smiling at her.


    When she saw his smile like a spring breeze, her nervousness was slightly alleviated.


    So, she also smiled at him.


    Seeing them smiling at each other, August immediately showed a hint of anger in his eyes.


    He frowned and suddenly remembered she had said in the dressing room just now that the man she


    liked was not him.


    So, did she like Paul? Thinking of this, August felt more furious and could hardly suppress his anger.


    Suddenly, Jeanne held his hand and said, "August, let''s take a picture with them!"


    August came back to his senses, restrained his anger, suddenly stretched out to wrap his long arm


    around Jeanne''s waist, and said in a low voice, "Okay, let''s do it."


    Jeanne rejoiced and beamed with joy.


    She waved to the photographer, dragged August to Lucia¡¯s side, and said, "Let the photographer take a


    photo of the four of us!"


    Although Lucia was unwilling, she couldn''t embarrass Jeanne in public, so she nodded in agreement.


    The four of them soon stood in a row.


    Lucia and Jeanne stood in the center, and August and Paul stood on both ends.


    And the two pretty two couples were quite eye-catching.


    The photographer wanted to take a few more photos for them, so he even specifically instructed Paul''s


    posture, saying, "Sir, please move closer to thedy.


    Yes! That''s it!"


    Under the guidance of the photographer, Paul''s lips almost pressed against Lucia''s ear.


    This was the first time he had been so close to his beloved woman, so he inevitably felt a little nervous.


    Lucia was overwhelmed.


    And her cheeks were flushed, looking as if she were shy.


    Jeanne smiled brightly, while August looked cold.


    After the photo was taken, the photographer nced at it, nodded with satisfaction, and said, "Okay, it''s


    taken."


    Hearing this, Lucia unconsciously moved away from Paul and then felt more at ease.


    When August raised his eyes and saw her red cheeks, his face became even gloomier.


    He frowned impatiently, looked at his mobile phone perfunctorily, and said in a cold voice, "Jeanne,


    please excuse me.


    I need to make a call."


    Before Jeanne could reply, he strode away with a frown, leaving her in situ.


    Staring after the man who suddenly left, Jeanne was stunned.


    Then, she opened her mouth and said, "August..."


    But he walked away quickly without looking back as if he didn''t hear her at all.


    And his back looked cold, abstinent, and imposing.


    They had justpleted the engagement ceremony, but he left her here alone, so she felt a little


    embarrassed.


    She raised her eyes to look at Lucia and Paul and said, "Since the photo was taken, I''ll go first."


    Then, she also walked away quickly.


    Lucia stood in situ.


    Watching them leave one after the other, she felt very confused.


    Judging from August''s expression, she knew he was angry.


    But nothing special had happened just now.


    What had angered him?

 Chapter 310

    Chapter 310


    Chapter 310 His Operation Was Sessful Watching him leave, Lucia suddenly felt upset and


    somehow lonely.


    standing beside Lucia, Paul saw her expression, and his heart sank.


    After a pause, he took a deep breath and asked, "Do you still like August?"


    Hearing his words, Lucia was startled.


    She came to her sense instantly, looked at him in a panic, and shook her head in denial, "No...


    no."


    Although it was a denial, she had no confidence.


    She looked at Paul in front of her, gritted her teeth, and hesitated...


    She was flustered about what happened just now.


    She didn''t know whether it was because of her impulsiveness, or she had epted Paul when she got


    excited because of facing August and Jeanne...


    But in fact, she was indeed taking advantage of Paul just now.


    Now, what was done could not be undone, and she didn''t know how to exin it.


    Paul naturally saw that she had something to say, and even guessed what she was going to say.


    He smiled at her and said softly, "As for what I said to you just now in front of them, don''t take it


    seriously.


    I was just helping you put on a show in front of them.


    Don''t have any psychological burden."


    When Lucia heard this, she was somehow surprised.


    It seemed she hadn''t expected Paul to be so frank.


    She felt warm and said, "Thank you."


    He had helped her unconditionally again and again without asking for anything in return.


    He was indeed a gentleman.


    Paul smiled, "Okay, it''s gettingte, and the engagement ceremony is almost over.


    I''ll take you to dinner and then take you home."


    Lucia smiled, did not refuse, and left the venue with him.


    Aftering out of the Southville Venue, Lucia unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief and felt a little


    more at ease.


    Paul took her to a nearby specialty restaurant for dinner and then drove her to the gate of her


    community.


    When the car stopped, Lucia said goodbye to Paul with a smile before she got off the car and walked


    toward themunity.


    Paul sat in the car and looked at her back with mixed feelings.


    He meant what he had said to Lucia in front of Jeanne and August today and not a single word was


    false.


    His feelings for her had always been true.


    In a blink of an eye, it was Sunday.


    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    Lucia didn''t have time to rest and immediately rushed to the hospital to visit her father.


    Lucia apanied her father for a full physical examination.


    All the data were normal and her father''s physical conditions were suitable for surgery.


    Lucia and Elisa both breathed a sigh of relief and stayed by Bill''s side, waiting for the surgery.


    The surgery was scheduled for Tuesday.


    Lucia took two days off from thepany to stay with her father all day.


    On the day of the operation, Lucia saw her father being pushed into the operating room with her own


    eyes.


    After several hours of agonizing waiting, she finally saw the red light in front of the operating room door


    turn green.


    After the door opened, the chief surgeon, Dr.Long, came out first.


    She stepped forward quickly with a pallid face.


    She moved her lips and was about to ask about her father''s situation.


    Dr.Long looked at her, then at Elisa, and finally said with relief, "The operation was sessful.


    You can rest assured."


    Lucia felt that a lump came into her throat with excitement when she heard the doctor''s words, and


    tears welled up in her eyes.


    She had been waiting for this moment for a long time.


    From the moment her father was hospitalized, she had apanied him through a lot of torment and


    suffering.


    Now that the operation was sessful, it meant the end of suffering and the beginning of anew life.


    "Thank you, doctor.


    Thank you so much, doctor!"


    Elisa was also overwhelmed with excitement.


    She thanked Dr.Long repeatedly and looked back at Lucia with tears in her eyes.


    She held Lucia¡¯s hand excitedly and said, "Lucia, we finally didn''t wait in vain!"


    Lucia nodded and looked at her mother, feeling somewhat sad.


    Since her father was hospitalized, her mother had always stayed by his side, taken good care of him,


    and neverined.


    She looked much older now.


    Lucia opened her arms and hugged her mother emotionally.


    Soon, the door of the operating room opened again, and a nurse pushed Bill out and transferred him to


    the ICU to observe his condition at any time.


    Lucia and Elisa stayed on the side, waiting for him to wake up.


    Lucia had stayed outside the ward for a while when there suddenly came a clear male voice from


    beside her, "Lucia, Mrs.Mitchell!"


    Paul strode over with a worried look on his face.


    Seeing him, Lucia somehow felt relieved.


    She took a deep breath and said, "Why are you here?"


    She had heard that Paul had an important meeting for negotiation today.


    Even if Bill entered the operating room, she didn''t dare to disturb him.


    She hadn''t expected him to show up.


    Paul walked up to her and said casually, "Mr.Mitchell is having surgery.


    How can I not be here? But I had something to do and I''mte.


    How is Mr.Mitchell?"


    Lucia nced in the direction of the ICU and said, "The operation was sessful, but my dad hasn''t


    woken up yet."


    With that, Elisa, who was standing at the window of the ward, suddenly said, "He woke up...


    Your dad is awake!"


    Lucia and Paul were both startled.


    They stepped forward and saw Bill who was lying on the bed slowly opening his eyes.


    "Call the doctor toe over and have a look!"


    They were in a hurry and informed the doctor.


    Soon, the doctor came over and did various examinations.


    Everything was normal.


    Only then did the doctor inform Bill that he would be transferred back to the ward.


    They gathered around Bill and watched him being pushed into the ward.


    Although his face was pale, he was still in good spirits.


    Lucia was relieved.


    Slowly, Bill was able to speak, and he seemed to be in good shape.


    Elisa was also very excited.


    She looked at Paul and said, "Paul, you are our lucky star! As soon as youe over, Bill, woke up!"


    Paul smiled and said half-jokingly, "It''s the first time I''ve known that I have this special ability."


    Hearing his words, Lucia couldn''t helpughing.


    Bill had just finished surgery and was still very weak.


    But seeing them talk andugh around him, he felt much better.


    At the same time, as soon as August received the notification from Dr.Long that the operation was


    sessful, he immediately took time to rush to the hospital.


    Bill was his teacher, after all, so he would have to arrive as soon as possible when the operation was


    sessful.


    Although he thought so in his heart, he somehow thought of Lucia, and immediately quickened his


    pace.


    Walking through the corridor of the inpatient department, August walked towards Bill''s ward with ease.


    Unexpectedly, before he reached the door, he heardughtering from the ward.


    He paused slightly, walked to the door, and looked up into the ward.


    In the ward, Bill was lying on the bed.


    Elisa was sitting on his left, and two people were sitting side by side on his right, Lucia and Paul! The


    atmosphere in the ward was harmonious and pleasant.


    They were chatting andughing harmoniously like a family.


    August''s heart tightened suddenly and a strange feeling came all over him.


    He couldn''t help clenching his fists.


    It turned out that Paul and Lucia had already reached this point.


    She had introduced Paul to her parents and they got along so well.


    Were they going to get engaged next? Thinking of this, August was burning with anger.


    He paused, turned around without hesitation, and walked away quickly.


    If he went in now, wouldn''t he be a third wheel that ruined the pleasant atmosphere?

 Chapter 311

    Chapter 311


    Chapter 311 Are You Checking on Him?


    Burton was a little surprised to see August get into the car directly after he came out of the hospital


    gate.It had only taken him only ten minutes in the hospital, which was too fast.


    Seeing August''s face terrifyingly gloomy, Burton had no choice but to swallow his doubts.


    August instructed in a deep voice, "Go to the Perfect Fortune."


    Then he took out his mobile phone and called Joshua directly, "Come out and have a drink."


    Half an hourter, when August arrived at the ce, Joshua was already waiting at the door.He was


    sleepy and in a bad mood.


    Seeing August getting out of the car, he went up to meet him, "August, don''t you know I had a mission


    last night?"


    August cast a cold nce at him, and said coldly, "Who said that he has never lost when ites to


    the wine? Now, are you willing to admit defeat?"


    When Joshua heard this, heughed out loud, "Of course not, I never give up easily."


    He followed August, observed his face, and suddenly asked with a smile, "Who messed with you? You


    look so gloomy!"


    August didn''t answer.


    After entering the box, he ordered the waiter to serve wine.


    Joshua smiled.


    He opened a bottle of wine calmly, took a sip, and said, "You''ve been leisurelytely, so it stands to


    reason that you shouldn''t have anything to worry about."


    August picked up the ss, swayed the liquid in the ss, and said thoughtfully, "Don''t you think


    they''ve been too quiet these days?"


    Hearing this, Joshua straightened his back a little bit, and his face became a little more serious, "I


    wouldn''t have noticed if you hadn''t said it.Apart from the asional movement in the western suburbs


    of Austos City, there''s nothing else going on."


    "It''s strange."


    August''s eyes darkened a little and he said, "It must be a diversion.It''s a trick they''ve always yed."


    "I understand.I''ll ask Bond to keep an eye on them when I go back."


    The two talked for a while and had a few sses of wine.


    Joshua saw that August had emptied half of the bottle of red wine, and couldn''t help but tease him,


    "Why''s wrong with you today? After drinking so much, are you not afraid of being cross-examined by


    your fianc¨¦e?"


    A dim light shed in August''s eyes, and he smiled lightly, "I''m not living with Jeanne."


    Joshua blinked slightly, and he asked, "Are you still thinking about..."


    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    "What?"


    August turned his head sharply and met Joshua''s gaze.


    Joshua smiled and didn''t continue, "Nothing."


    Unknowingly, it was gettingte.


    The two of them drank a lot of wine and umonly talked about a lot of topics that they didn''t usually


    talk about.


    As for August''s abnormality, Joshua saw it but didn''t talk about it.


    Just when August went to the bathroom, the phone he put on the table started ringing again.


    Joshua looked up, nced at the caller ID on the screen, and couldn''t help smiling.


    Over the past hour, Jeanne had called August many times, but he didn''t answer.


    Joshua hesitated for a moment.


    Then he picked up the phone and pressed the answer button.


    Soon, he heard a woman''s anxious voice, "August, where are you? I''m waiting for you at the vi.Why


    haven''t youe back yet?"


    Joshuaughed out loud, "Are you checking on him before you even get married? Is it appropriate?"


    Jeanne was stunned and quickly asked, "Who are you?"


    "I am his friend."


    "Where is August now?"


    Joshua said lightly, "We''re having a drink at Perfect Fortune.Don''t worry.He''ll go back soon."


    With that, he hung up the phone directly.


    It just so happened that August came out of the bathroom.


    Joshua raised the phone in his hand at him and joked, "I answered the call for you.She wouldn''t call


    again in a while.Would you like to call me back?"


    August nced at him coldly with sharp eyes and said, "Don''t touch my phone next time."


    "Okay, okay, I won''t touch it."


    Joshua smiled and put his phone back in ce.


    At this moment, Jeanne, who was far away in the vi, was holding her mobile phone and was on the


    verge of going crazy.


    She was standing in the living room with clenched fists.She was very angry, but this was August''s vi


    after all.She resisted it because it was inappropriate for her to lose her temper here.She walked out of


    the vi and walked to the door.She couldn''t help the anger in her heart, and went straight into the car,


    "Mark! Go to the Perfect Fortune!"


    Mark was stunned.


    Looking at her angry face, he asked, "Miss, aren''t you going to wait for August?"


    Jeanne was furious and said, "He''s at the Perfect Fortune!"


    Everyone in Austos City knew what the Perfect Fortune was like.


    As long as there was demand and money, there would be the best services and transactions.


    When she thought that August would rather stay in that kind of ce until midnight thane back


    home to see her, she was about to lose her temper.


    Mark saw the reason why Jeanne was angry and persuaded, "Maybe, he is just socializing."


    Jeanne gritted her teeth and said, "I specifically checked his itinerary today and made sure he wouldn''t


    see anyone else for business tonight.So I went to the vi to cook for him! I didn''t expect to see him


    stay outside until now!"


    "And we''ve only been engaged for three days, and he couldn''t wait to go to that kind of ce.It''s


    insulting to me!"


    "Drive right away! I''m going to have a look and see what he''s doing at the Perfect Fortune?!"


    Jeanne was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.


    On the contrary, Mark was much calmer than her.


    "Ms.Kelly, I can take you there, but you must know that once you run over and check on August as if


    he''s with another woman, you can''t go back to the way you were."


    Jeanne was startled when she heard his words, and her face turned pale.She had been too angry to


    think of it at all.


    If she went to see August, it would show her distrust of him.


    It would not only disgrace him in front of his friend but make her a joke in the Austos City¡¯s socialite


    circle.


    More importantly, August would be disappointed with her behavior and felt that she was inconsiderate


    and intolerant.


    As a result, there would be a gap between her and August.


    Inparison, it was clear what was more important.


    Jeanne gritted her teeth, resisted the anger in her heart, and restrained herself for a long time.


    Only then did she slowly regain some sense and she said, "Well, what should I do?"


    "Wait."


    Mark blinked and said, "Now you can only wait for him toe back."


    After a moment of silence, Jeanne took a deep breath and slowly thought it through.


    She nodded and said, "You''re right.I''ll wait for him toe back! No matter howte!"


    She was going to make August feel guilty about her.


    Only in this way could she win his heart! Back in the living room, Jeanne talked to the maids in the vi,


    and then sat in the living room and waited for August toe back.She didn''t know how long she


    waited.


    The headlights in the vi hall were all turned off, leaving only a floormp next to the coffee table.


    Jeanne was drowsy and almost fell asleep several times.


    Suddenly, there came a clicking sound, and the door of the vi was pushed open.


    Jeanne shuddered, got up immediately, looked in the direction of the door, and saw a tall ck figure.


    Her heart trembled.


    She quickly walked over there and said, "August..."


    After taking two steps, she slipped and fell to the ground unexpectedly perhaps because she was too


    anxious.


    August heard the sound, frowned, turned on the light, and saw Jeanne on the ground.


    August frowned, "Jeanne?"


    He immediately stepped forward to help her up.


    Jeanne had been waiting for this moment the whole night.


    She jumped into August''s arms and groaned, "Oh, August, it hurts..."

 Chapter 312

    Chapter 312


    Chapter 312 She Threw Herself at Him


    Suddenly Jeanne put her arms around August''s neck.


    August''s face changed, and he became a little sober.He looked down and saw Jeanne frowning in


    pain, and his tone softened a little, "Why are you waiting here?"


    Jeanne said softly, "I made dinner and wanted to eat with you when you came back.But you didn''t


    come back, and you didn''t answer the phone..."


    August paused and felt a sense of guilt in his heart.


    He stretched out his hands and picked her up directly from the ground, and walked towards the stairs.


    He instructed in a deep voice, "Today it''s toote.You can stay in the guest room for one night, and I


    will have someone take you back tomorrow."


    Jeanne was overjoyed.


    She hugged August''s neck tightly, and nodded obediently, "Okay..."


    Being able to stay overnight at the Adams¡¯ vi today was a perfect opportunity for her! She must seize


    the opportunity! August carried her to the guest room and checked her legs for bruises.


    After that, he breathed a sigh of relief, said a few words to her, and left the room.


    He drank a lot tonight, and he felt a little dizzy.


    When he got to his room, he went into the bathroom to take a shower.His eyes swept across the


    washbasin.He saw a small shiny thing on it, and it had been there for a long time.


    Usually, he didn''t pay attention, but now suddenly there was a strange force pulling him over.


    When he got to the washbasin, he took a closer look and found that it was a small earring in the shape


    of a star.


    It was tiny and delicate.It was not his.


    There was only one possibility that Lucia had left it here.


    When August thought of Lucia, his heart tightened, and a strange feeling rose in his heart.


    When he thought of her, he naturally thought of the unpleasant scene he had seen in the hospital


    today, her, her parents, and Paul...


    A burst of anger suddenly rose in his chest.


    He frowned, strode to the shower, and turned on the cold water.


    Cold water ran down his head and soaked his clothes.


    He was really out of his mind.


    The woman he had thought about before drinking was her, and the one he thought about it after


    drinking was still her! Turning on the cold water to the maximum, he slowly calmed down.


    Slowly, he came to his sense, picked up the bathrobe on the side, wrapped himself in it, and walked out


    of the bathroom.


    He walked to the balcony, picked up a towel, and dried his dripping hair.


    At this moment, a small sound suddenly came from the bedroom.


    Out of alertness, he paused and quickly turned his head to look over there.


    The quilt on the big white bed was t and slightly bulging.


    August was stunned for a moment.


    He walked over with a frown in the next second and lifted the quilt.


    The person under the quilt was startled and looked at him in panic, "August..."


    Seeing Jeanne, who was wearing only a bathrobe, huddled up on his bed, he frowned and said


    seriously, "What are you doing?"


    Jeanne sat up, stretched out her hand, and grabbed his arm, "I''m afraid, August.Can I sleep with you


    today?"


    When August heard this, his face suddenly became gloomy, "No, I''ll take you back."


    With that, he pulled Jeanne out of bed.


    Jeanne was aggrieved, and her eyes turned red.


    When she was pulled to the door, she stopped and refused to go, "August..."


    August asked patiently, "What on earth are you trying to do?"


    Jeanne raised her eyes and looked at August who had just taken a shower.


    He had an impably handsome face, and arge bathrobe was casually wrapped around him,


    revealing his firm chest.


    Water droplets were falling...


    Jeanne blushed, took a deep breath, and said, "August, I''m no longer the little girl I used to be, and


    we''re engaged now..."


    She implied that they could do something now.


    As she spoke, she suddenly released August''s hand and undid the tie of the bathrobe around her


    waist.


    Her arms pulled back, and the loose bathrobe suddenly slipped down.


    She was naked.


    August hadn''t expected her to be like this and his eyes darkened.


    He pursed his lips tightly, and said coldly, "Get your clothes on."


    Jeanne took a deep breath and plucked up the courage to lean closer to him, "August, it''s not like we


    haven''t done it before..."


    The moment he was touched by her arm, August''s eyes suddenly dimmed a little, and his emotions


    were dark and unclear.He and Jeanne had never slept together.


    Jeanne said so because of a nightmare that happened to her when she was eighteen.


    At that time, she was very drunk in the nightclub.


    When he took her away, he found blood under her body.


    Jeanne woke up and thought she had spent the night with him.


    Since then, he had never talked to her about this misunderstanding, and he had kept it from her for


    many years.


    Thus he had given her extra care and pity since then.


    To him, Jeanne was like a younger sister, and he didn''t think of her romantically, August paused, took a


    deep breath, and brushed Jeanne''s hand off him.


    Then he bent down, picked up her bathrobe on the ground, put it on her, and tied it.


    He tilted his head, raised his hand, and pressed his eyebrows, "Go back to your room.I''m very tired."


    Jeanne''s eyes suddenly turned red and she said, "August, you..."


    She had kept her posture low enough.


    She was so humble that she took the initiative to throw herself at him, but he didn''t even want to look at


    her.


    Could it be that she was so unbearable? Or was she just that unattractive? A sense of shame arose


    spontaneously.


    Jeanne burst into tears, looked at August, and asked, "August, why can''t you take me? Or do you have


    someone else in your heart?"


    He would rather be with that woman Lucia and go to a ce like the Perfect Fortune than touch her!


    There was a bit of exhaustion in August''s voice, "Jeanne, don''t make trouble.It''s veryte."


    When Jeanne heard this, she seemed to have been greatly humiliated.


    She bit her lips, turned around, and ran out barefoot! The door mmed shut.


    After a short while, a maid came to knock on the door, and sounded voice panicked, "Mr.Adams, Miss


    Kelly suddenly left in the middle of the night crying.What do you..."


    "It''s okay.You go to rest."


    Jeanne had a driver and bodyguard with her.She could get home safely.


    Besides, if he caught up with her now, the two of them would only be more embarrassed.


    He thought they''d better calm down first.


    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    After the maid left, August sat on the sofa and felt no longer sleepy.


    When Jeanne got naked in front of him just now, he had no desire and no reaction at all, but why did he


    feel tempted every time he approached Lucia or just saw her neck or breasts? August frowned and


    wiped out that little possibility.


    He couldn''t have that kind of feeling towards Lucia.He might have just gotten used to her, and he would


    get used to not having her in the future.


    But this was not the case.


    The next morning, August had just arrived at thepany and was still in a fidgety mood.


    He pressed the inside line to call Mary and said coldly, "Tell Lucia from the Administration Department


    toe to my office."


    When Mary heard this, her eyes became a bitplicated, but she didn''t dare to ask any questions.


    She immediately did as she was told.


    At the same time, in the Administration Department, Lucia suddenly received a notice and was told to


    go to the President''s Office.


    August''s cold face shed across her mind.


    She was a little scared, but she had no choice but to follow his order and muster up the courage to go


    to the President''s Office.


    The door of the President''s Office was half open.


    As soon as she walked to the door, she heard August''s low voice from inside, "This is the n you


    handed in? With so many loopholes, are you expecting me to correct them?"


    "Take it back, revise it, and hand it in."


    Standing at the door, Lucia watched a colleaguee out of the room with a folder in frustration, and


    she felt even more nervous.This was the first time she had seen August look so angry.


    When she went in this time, she would probably be lectured too.

 Chapter 313

    Chapter 313


    Chapter 313 You Will Be At Your Own Risk


    As expected, what she was afraid of happened.


    While Lucia was still hesitating about whether to go in or not, a tall figure appeared at the door.


    August stood at the door with a cold face, nced at her, and said in a deep voice, "Come in."


    Lucia gasped and plucked up her courage before she walked in.


    As soon as she walked into the office, August walked towards the desk and said, "Close the door."


    Lucia''s heart trembled.


    Even though she didn''t want to, she still closed the door of the office.


    After the door was closed, the originally strange atmosphere became even more oppressive.


    Lucia gathered up her courage and asked, "Mr.Adams, do you have orders?"


    August walked to the desk, turned to look at her, and said, "I heard you took two days off?"


    Lucia paused and answered truthfully, "Yes, my father had an operation, so..."


    Before she could finish her sentence, August snorted coldly.


    It would be fine if she just went to apany her father, but he had seen her with Paul, which annoyed


    him the most! August frowned slightly, pursed his lips, and asked, "So you have a reason to tantly


    dy the task given to you by thepany?"


    Speaking of tasks, Lucia naturally knew in her heart that she had only one task at hand now, and that


    was to get Jonathan to endorse redeur.But since she was tricked by Jonathanst time, she had not


    gone to see him until now.


    Of course, the endorsement thing had not progressed much.


    Lucia felt somewhat guilty.


    She took a deep breath, bit her lips, and said, "I willplete the task given by thepany as soon


    as possible."


    August frowned, nced at her face, hesitated for a moment, and said nothing.


    Lucia waited for a long time.


    Seeing that he had no response, she said, "Mr.Adams, is there anything else? If not, I''ll go back to


    work."


    August frowned tightly and couldn''t help but ask, "Are you and Paul together?"


    The moment August asked the question, he realized that it was inappropriate, but it was toote.


    When Lucia heard this, her face changed slightly.She nced at August, and her eyes darkened a


    little, and she said in a cold tone, "Mr.Adams, this is a personal question, so I''m afraid I can''t answer it."


    August frowned, feeling a little depressed.He just asked casually, but she said it was a personal


    question.


    The two of them had gotten along well, but she was treating him like a stranger now, and she couldn''t


    be colder than him.


    August''spetitive spirit prevailed at this moment.He raised his eyebrows slightly, walked towards


    Lucia, stared into her eyes, and said seriously, "I just want to know."


    Lucia felt so annoyed that she forgot the disparity in their identities at the moment.She took a deep


    breath and gritted her teeth, "Noment."


    With that, she turned around and walked out of the office.


    August hadn''t expected her to turn around and leave.


    His face became gloomier, and he felt upset.


    Looking at her back, he couldn''t help clenching his fists.


    Lucia walked quickly through the corridor and into the elevator.She was equally angry and gritted her


    teeth.


    August was getting more and more extreme.He had used to control her through the agreement, and


    now he even asked her personal questions in the office.


    How could she ept it? Moreover, he got angry inexplicably.


    Could it be that he vented his anger on her because of something else? At this moment, her cell phone


    vibrated, and she got a new message.


    She took her phone out and saw that it was sent by August, [I''ll give you a week to negotiate the


    endorsement, or you will be at your own risk.]


    The moment she saw the message, she became angrier.She clenched her phone tightly and felt a little


    annoyed.


    But the fact was that as long as the endorsement matter was not resolved, she would not be able to


    exin it to August.


    So it seemed the key to the problem was Jonathan.


    Thinking of this, Lucia felt less angry.


    She took a deep breath, picked up her phone, and sent a message to Jonathan.


    After more than half an hour, no one replied.


    Finally, she called him.


    The phone was connected, but it rang twice and was suddenly hung up.


    Lucia slightly froze, took a deep breath, and called again.


    This time, he still hung up.


    Soon, she received a message, "Will you stop?"


    Just looking at the text message, Lucia could almost think of the impatient expression on Jonathan''s


    face.She took a deep breath and called again.


    After two beeps, someone finally answered it and Jonathan said in a somewhat impatient voice,


    "What?"


    "Jonathan, regarding the redeur endorsement, I still think..."


    N?velDrama.Org ? content.


    Jonathan said in a sarcastic voice, "Then why didn''t youest time? Did you stand me up? Lucia,


    you are something!"


    She felt the anger in Jonathan''s tone and became nervous.She opened her mouth and wanted to


    exin, but he continued on the end of the phone, "If you want to see me,e and see me."


    Before she could react, the phone was hung up.


    Lucia looked at her phone screen and felt confused.


    After a few seconds, her phone vibrated and she got another message from Jonathan.


    It was an address in the southern suburbs of Austos City, some distance from Lion Group.


    Lucia hesitated for a moment.


    Then she immediately went back to the office to pack her things, left thepany, and went to the


    address Jonathan sent her.


    Now, she was caught between Jonathan and August.


    The former was a difficult man while thetter was always cold.


    She couldn''t afford to offend either of them.She could only suck it up and try to solve the endorsement


    issue as soon as possible.


    It took her nearly an hour to get to the address Jonathan sent her from thepany in the city center.


    Lucia got off the taxi and looked outside, only to realize that it was a racing club.


    A cool logo was ced on the gray uneven cement wall, and it got the vibe.


    Looking at the huge space and imposing atmosphere, Lucia could feel that this was not a ce where


    ordinary people coulde.She gathered up her courage and walked to the door, only to be stopped


    by the receptionist at the door, "Please show your membership card."


    Lucia was surprised.


    She hesitated for a moment, and then gathered up her courage and said, "Jonathan asked me to


    come.I''m his assistant"


    As soon as Jonathan''s name was mentioned, the receptionist''s face changed immediately, and he


    quickly said, "Please wait a moment.I''ll make a phone call to check."


    With that, he took out his mobile phone, made a call, turned around, and asked in a low voice.


    Soon, he hung up the phone and looked back at her, "Pleasee in."


    Lucia breathed a sigh of relief, quickened her steps, and walked in with the receptionist.


    They turned left and right, and took the shuttle bus to a ce that led directly to a circr mountain


    road.


    From a distance, she could see the rest area prepared by the club on both sides, and a winding track


    extending forward, with a row of tracing cars parked there.


    She walked over and saw handsome men and beautiful women everywhere on the way, all dressed


    fashionably and wearing helmets, all of whom looked like they were going to participate in the


    competition.


    When Lucia walked among them, she only felt that she was totally out of ce.

 Chapter 314

    Chapter 314


    Chapter 314 Excusable


    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    Along the way, many people looked at her curiously.


    Some men even flirtatiously whistled at her.


    Lucia ignored it and followed the receptionist to go forward.She was led to a semi-open rest area where


    she saw Jonathan.


    In a ck and golden racing suit, he was holding a helmet in his left hand.His hair was long, and his


    style was yippie.Her attention was caught, and her heart tightened.


    Jonathan happened to look over.


    The smile on his face froze the moment she was seen.He looked away, walked to the side, and sat


    down.His look was a bit gloomy.


    Lucia saw the assistant and other staff members around him, but his agent was not there.She took a


    deep breath, plucked up the courage to walk over, and greeted him with a smile, "Mr.ck, long time


    no see!"


    Jonathan rolled his eyes.


    A snort was his only reply.


    Unperturbed, she went to his side and exined, "Mr.ck, I didn''t mean to stand you up.I was


    excusable."


    No longer unresponsive, Jonathan lifted his chin.


    "Excusable? I''d like to hear the reason."


    Lucia said softly, "There was an engagement ceremony I had to attend, so I couldn''t go to see you."


    When the engagement ceremony was mentioned, his face changed slightly.


    After a while, he curled his lips and scoffed, "You mean the engagement between August and Jeanne?"


    Lucia stiffened and felt lost when the two names were mentioned.


    Even the look on her face subtly changed.


    A few secondster, she hummed lightly.


    Jonathan nced at her, detected her dismay, and sneered, "Don''t tell me that you like August."


    Lucia looked up at him in surprise.


    Before she could respond, he snorted, "What''s so great about him?"


    He was like asking Lucia and muttering to himself too.


    Following his words, he got up, picked up a red helmet, and threw it to her.


    "It takes sincerity for me to forgive you.Apologies are pointless.Go for a ride with me.You''ll earn it if you


    can hold out."


    Lucia looked down at the helmet and then at the man who was striding forward.She was a bit hesitant.


    Did he want her to sit in his car and race with him? She trotted to catch up and asked, "Mr.ck, about


    the endorsement..."


    Jonathan responded without looking back, "I''ll consider it after you get my forgiveness."


    Lucia''s eyes flickered as she saw hope.


    Following a nce at the helmet, she quickened her pace.


    Jonathan walked fast on his long legs, and she could barely keep up.He stopped outside the track,


    looked back, and smirked, "Are you really in for the game?"


    Lucia curled her lips.


    "As long as you''re willing to forgive me."


    Jonathan chuckled, put on the helmet, and smirked, "Let''s hope you won''t regret it."


    A gust of wind whistled by, drowning out his voice.


    Lucia didn''t hear him clearly.She asked, "What were you saying?"


    "Nothing."


    The amusement grew stronger in his eyes.


    Then he strode toward a big, fabulous car and got in.


    This statuesque man had the figure of a model.


    His stylish racing suit set off his perfect frame.


    Lucia was amazed till he looked back at her and said, "Get in."


    "Okay."


    She snapped back, quickly put on her helmet, and went to the car.


    She was ayman of racing cars, but this beast was glimmering with coldness.She could tell that it was


    priceless.


    In a clumsy way, she got in the car.


    Before she could sit still, the man reminded her from the front, "Hold fast and don''t cry."


    Lucia smiled, "Don''t worry, I''m a brave girl."


    As long as Jonathan agreed to endorse Redeur, no difficulties would deter her.


    Seven or eight cars beside them had gotten ready.


    There was a pretty girl in every car.


    Lucia gasped and somehow felt nervous.


    Following a bang, the car vroomed and darted out like bullets.She felt the air vigorously pushing her


    backward.


    By sheer instinct, she extended her arms till they wrapped around Jonathan''s waist.


    The whistle of the wind mixed with the roar of the engine.She could only hear a muffled sounding


    from outside the thick helmet.


    Lucia clutched Jonathan''s waist, not daring to loosen her grip even for a second.She gritted her teeth


    and shut her eyes.Her body tilted as the car made turns.


    Now she felt the thrill from the breakneck speed.


    In the next turn, she couldn''t help crying out.


    The wind filled her mouth, and her throat felt dry.


    Jonathan heard the scream from behind him.


    The corner of his mouth curved up, and a flicker of cunningness shed across his eyes.He


    deliberately made the car tilt at greater angles at several turns so that she would fully feel the speed


    and passion.


    The woman, who had just sworn that she would not be scared, was broken.


    At that moment, she admitted her fear.He had one thousand ways up his sleeve to jest with her.


    Lucia''s eyes were tightly shut.Her arms wrapped around the man so forcefully as if she wanted to be a


    part of him.


    After ap, her head was spinning dizzily.


    The car slowly decelerated at the end of the track and soon came to a stop.she sat dully at the back,


    still feeling dizzy.


    Her arms wouldn''t move away from Jonathan''s waist, nor was she willing to open her eyes.


    "Time to let go."


    Jonathan cleared his throat.


    During the race, her hands were like glued to his body, and now she was still unwilling to let go of him.


    Lucia''s ears were buzzing.She realized her improper behavior and let go.Her stomach churned the


    moment she got out of the car.


    As soon as her feetnded on the ground, her head spun and her throat tightened.


    In a hurry, she took off her helmet and bent down to retch.


    Jonathan wrinkled his brows, stepped back, gracefully took off his helmet, and looked on.


    Lucia vomited her bile out, and then a slender hand reached over with a bottle of water.


    The cap had been removed.She took it, rinsed her mouth, and felt better.She raised her head and saw


    Jonathan standing there with his arms folded on his chest.


    His eyes were filled with interest.


    Lucia took a deep breath, her eyes glistening with tears.


    "Is this good enough?"


    She was implying that he should forgive her for the sake of her suffering.

 Chapter 315

    Chapter 315


    Chapter 315 Compromise


    Jonathan looked at her andughed out loud.


    After a while, he arched his brow and smiled, "I''ll make an appointment ande to learn more about


    Redeur with Suecy."


    Till she heard that, she finally rested her anxious mind at ease.


    Jonathan relented, which meant that her effort was not for nothing.


    Out of the racing club, her legs still felt weak.She went back to the office and barely had anything for


    lunch.Shey prone on her desk for over an hour and gradually got her spirit back.


    The race in the morning made her sick for the rest of the day.


    Emma came back from lunch and asked her, "Lucia, are you really not going to eat anything? I have


    sandwiches here.Would you like..."


    Lucia weakly shook her head.


    "It''s okay.I have no appetite."


    Emma advised her several times, but she was determined not to eat anything.


    In the end, the girl had to give up.


    From the elevator, a lithe figure came out with arge thermos box in her hand.


    Jeanne headed towards August''s office.


    The memories of the humiliationst night came flooding back.


    She gripped the handle of the box, feeling reluctant and annoyed.


    By the time she reached the President''s Office, however, the bad feeling was instantly gone.


    She put on a smile and knocked on the door.She had thought that August woulde over to coax


    her, but he hadn''t done anything.


    Fearing that it would draw them apart, she asked the maid to stew some fish soup and came over to


    make peace.She would rather swallow her pride than give other women any chance.She thought to


    herself, felt better, and knocked again.


    The man''s voice came out.


    Jeanne heaved a sigh of relief, pushed open the door, and went in.


    A smile immediately appeared on her face.


    "August, are you busy? I asked the chef to make some fish soup for you."


    August looked up from the documents.His eyes dimmed when he found it was her.


    He had thought she would be mad at him for a couple of days.


    To his surprise, she came over so soon.


    Jeanne went to the sofa, put the lunchbox down, and pouted.


    "Come here.Fearing it would get cold, I brought it over as soon as it was ready."


    August cocked his brows, hesitated for a moment, and then went over.


    Since Jeanne had given in, he had no more reason to give her attitude.


    Jeanne divided the fish soup, pushed one portion to him, and said excitedly, "Have a try"


    August picked up the steaming soup and had a sip.His brows were unknitted a little.He liked the fish


    soup, especially when he was in a bad mood.


    "How does it taste? Good?" Jeanne asked, her eyes twinkling.


    August nodded.


    "Not bad."


    At the very least, it was better than that cooked by Lucia.


    He thought of that woman unwittingly.


    Two secondster, he realized it and frowned.


    Unaware of it, Jeanne looked at him and blinked.


    "If you like it, I''ll bring it over every day."


    N?velDrama.Org ? content.


    "You don''t have to trouble yourself."


    August''s face softened, and he said in a gentle voice, "That''s too much work."


    Jeanne blushed and lowered her head.


    After a while, she reached out, held onto his arm, and apologized in a sweet voice, "August...it was


    really not my intention yesterday."


    August paused and whispered, "It''s okay."


    She pressed, "You''re not mad anymore?"


    August shook his head and forced a smile.


    "I''m not mad at all."


    Relieved to hear that, Jeanne held his arm and gave a sweet smile.She looked down and saw the other


    bowl of fish soup.She remembered something and quickly said, "By the way, the other bowl is for


    Lucia.Call her over to have the soup."


    While speaking, she observed August''s expression.


    A hint of coldness crossed his face, and then his indifferent voice rang out.


    "Since you want to share with her, I can call her over."


    Jeanne shook his arm and said, "We''re friends! Give her a call, or the soup will be wasted."


    After a moment of hesitation, August called in Burton and asked the man to call Lucia.


    In the office of the administration department, Lucia felt better when a notice came from Burton.Her


    heart tightened.She took a deep breath and got up.


    As soon as she reached the President''s Office, the chuckle of a woman came out.


    She knocked on the door and went in.


    As expected, Jeanne and August were seen sitting on the sofa.


    It made her ufortable.


    They could be lovey-dovey as they liked.


    What was she called over for? Despite her annoyance, she went over and asked in a soft voice,


    "Mr.Adams, what can I do for you?"


    Before August could say anything, Jeanne smiled and beckoned to her.


    "Lucia,e here.I brought fish soup for you.Come and have a try."


    Only then did Lucia notice the fish soup on the coffee table.


    She smiled politely at Jeanne and declined, "Thanks, but I''ve had lunch."


    Jeanne urged her, "Try it! I brought this just for you."


    Unsure how to refuse, she looked at August.


    Cold as ever, the man nced at her and said ndly, "It''s a token of Jeanne''s regard.Out of courtesy,


    you should try it."


    Lucia took a deep breath, gritted her teeth, and forced a smile.


    "Okay, I''ll try it."


    She picked up the bowl.


    When the soup was sent to her mouth, the fishy smell made her sick.She forced herself to have a sip,


    but her throat tightened as nausea got the better of her.She lurched and almost spat it out.


    Jeanne and August were surprised by her reaction.


    Lucia took a deep breath to fight back her sickness.


    In an apologetic way, she smiled at them, "Sorry, I''m not feeling myself today."


    August''s eyes flickered, and his lips were pursed into a line.He swallowed back the words that came to


    his tongue.


    Jeanne slightly changed color.Her eyes glinted with coldness.


    August then said in a deep voice, "Such being the case, enough for the soup and go."


    Much relieved, Lucia bowed to him and exited the office.


    Jeanne''s face fell.Her eyes turned cold as she stared at Lucia.She had tasted the soup too.It was not


    so fishy.Was Lucia hiding something?

 Chapter 316

    Chapter 316


    Chapter 316 Pregnant


    Something crossed her mind, and her face nched.


    Was Lucia...


    Just then, the man''s voice came to her ear.


    "Jeanne, what''s wrong?"


    Jeanne snapped back, panicked a little, and hurriedly put on a smile.


    "No...Nothing."


    August said, "Okay, I''m going to have an internal meeting.You can go back for a rest."


    Jeanne nodded obediently.


    Out of the normal, she didn''t insist on staying.


    N?velDrama.Org ? content.


    Instead, she excused herself, "I''m going to the bathroom."


    She quickly got up, trotted outside, looked around, and saw Lucia in the corridor.


    She rushed over and called out, "Lucia, wait!"


    Lucia halted, looked back, and asked wonderingly, "Ms.Kelly, what''s wrong?"


    Jeanne disguised the calction in her eyes, waved her phone, and smiled, "Nothing important.There


    are some photos of the engagement ceremony I''d like to share with you."


    Lucia hesitated and intended to decline.


    However, Jeanne found one picture and showed it to her.


    In the photo, four beautiful people were standing in a row.


    When she saw the sullen face of the man standing beside Jeanne, she hesitated for a moment and


    somehow agreed, "Send it to me."


    "Okay!"


    Jeanne said, sending the photo to Lucia.


    Intentionally or unintentionally, she continued, "Paul and you look like a perfect couple when you stand


    together.You''re made for each other"


    Lucia forced a smile but made noments.


    Jeanne nced at her and asked with feigned casualness, "By the way, how was the fish soup? It


    seems you don''t quite like it."


    A little surprised, Lucia replied, "It''s good.I''m just feeling unwell today.It''s not about the soup."


    Jeanne''s eyes glimmered.She curled her lips and muttered, "Good to know.I thought our chef had done


    a poor job."


    They chatted for a while and parted.


    When Lucia walked away, Jeanne stood there with a sullen face and subconsciously clenched her fists


    that hung on her sides.


    Given what happened between Lucia and August, she had to be cautious.She would allow no


    idents to happen.


    At that, she held up the phone to make a call.


    When the line was through, she said in a subdued voice, "Mark, help me keep an eye on someone."


    Since the race, Lucia had been suffering from sickness, dizziness, and inappetence.


    The symptoms made her suspect that Jonathan had drugged her.She thought she would be fine after


    resting for one night.


    The next morning, her condition only got worse.She brought breakfast to the office and just had a bite


    of the sandwich when her stomach started to churn.


    The sickness came back.She almost spat it out.She looked at the sandwich but lost her appetite.


    Emma came over, saw Lucia gazing at her breakfast, and asked curiously, "What''s wrong? It doesn''t


    taste good?"


    Lucia frowned and responded, "Not really, I''m just feeling sick."


    After the initial surprise, Emma leaned over and said anxiously, "It started yesterday.It could be a


    gastrointestinal problem, food poisoning, or..."


    She dragged her voice, "Pregnancy!"


    Luciaughed and patted her colleague.


    "You can''t be serious.How is that possible?"


    Emmaughed and whispered, "Just kidding, but it can be serious.You''d better go to the hospital for a


    checkup."


    Lucia put away her smile and said, "You''re right.I''ll go the hospital during lunch break."


    Half an hour to lunch break, she gave Emma a notice and left for the hospital.She had a series of


    examinations, including gastroscopy and ultrasound before waiting for the results outside.


    For some unknown reason, she felt ill at ease.She was afraid her condition was as bad as Emma said.


    40 minutester, she went to get the reports.


    Her intestines and stomach were fine.


    At the pregnancy testb, the doctor looked at her and said ndly, "You''re pregnant."


    Lucia''s mind was blown.She wondered if she had heard it wrong.


    "What?"


    The doctor, who seemed ustomed to this kind of reaction, repeated in a clear voice, "You''re


    pregnant"


    Lucia was blown away, freezing there for a long time.


    How was that possible? She hadn''t gotten close to any man except for August.


    The doctor said sinctly, "You''re pregnant for five weeks.Think about it.Do you want the baby or


    not?"


    Lucia muttered to herself.


    "Five weeks.I''m pregnant for five weeks."


    She recalled and found it matched the time when she was with August.She squeezed her hands.Her


    palms were sweating.She was torn.


    What happened after her previous pregnancy resurfaced in her mind.


    The pain of losing her child came back to her.


    It had haunted her on those darkest nights.


    Women were strange.


    When they were not pregnant, they were resistant to it.


    When they turned into mothers, the little lives in their wombs seemed to connect with them.


    They couldn''t bear to part with their children.


    Twice in a row, her babies didn¡¯te at the right time.


    Given her current rtionship with August, she was in no position to have a baby for him.


    "Have you made your decision?"


    The doctor''s voice brought her back to reality.


    The corners of her eyes were wet.


    She took a deep breath and replied, "I need more time to think about it."


    With that, she picked up the report from the table and left.Her mind was a mess.


    In such a condition, she couldn''t make any decisions.She went out of the hospital and walked down the


    road.


    After a long time, she started to ept the fact.


    The arrival of this baby might be the will of God.


    Another little angel was sent over to make up for her loss.


    The knot in her heart started to be undone.She wanted to keep the baby, but would August agree?

 Chapter 318

    Chapter 318


    Chapter 318 Her Secret


    Lucia''s heart tightened.She immediately figured out what the doctor meant.


    The doctor mistook Paul and her for a couple and advised her to keep the child.


    However, such a remark would expose her pregnancy to Paul.


    Lucia stiffened and fell into a daze.


    The doctor took Lucia''s silence for reluctance.


    With a smile, she added, "It''s up to you."


    She smiled at Lucia, felt the awkward atmosphere, and winked at her colleague.


    They then walked away.


    Standing there, Lucia didn''t dare to face Paul.


    She had just decided to keep it a secret, not expecting it to be exposed so soon.


    A momentter, she took a deep breath and turned to look at Paul.


    The man was wrinkling his brows.


    His face looked more serious than usual.


    In a soft voice, he asked, "You''re...pregnant?"


    Lucia bit her lips, knowing that she could no longer keep it a secret.


    Dropping her head, she nodded.


    "Yeah."


    Paul frowned and continued to ask, "The father is August?"


    Keeping her head low, she bit the bullet.


    "Yeah."


    At this point, she admitted everything.


    The air seemed to stand still.


    Neither of them talked.


    After a while, Paul broke the silence.


    "So, what are you going to do?"


    Clenching her teeth, Lucia raised her head and replied, "I want to keep the child without letting him


    know."


    For some unknown reason, she believed that she could trust Paul.His brows furrowed, and his face


    visibly fell.He stared at the woman and lost himself in contemtion.


    Before she could react, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her to a small pavilion nearby.


    Only then did he let go of her and ask solemnly, "Do you know how hard it is to be a single mother?"


    Lucia hesitated for a moment and nodded.


    "I do."N?velDrama.Org ? content.


    "Then why do you want to give birth to the baby?"


    Since she had no intention of staying with August, the child would only be a burden to her.


    For a moment, Lucia got mixed feelings and felt upset.


    The rims of her eyes reddened.


    "Because I''ve lost one"


    Upon hearing that, Paul turned ashen.


    After quite a while, he said, "Have it your way.If you need anything, you can always tell me.I''ll be there


    for you."


    His tone was sincere.


    Lucia was touched and almost cried.


    She hadn''t expected Paul to be the first person to know her secret.


    When she revealed it, her heart somehow felt less heavy.


    Lucia went back to the office and sensed something wrong at the entrance of the administration


    department.


    At this hour of the day, people were usually chatting but quiet today.She entered the public office area


    and felt the gloom in the atmosphere.She took a deep breath and quickened her pace.


    Emma was standing at the door of the office.


    Her face was a bit pale.


    Lucia hurried over and asked in a low voice, "What''s going on? Is something wrong?"


    Emma breathed in and whispered, "Mr.Adams is here in our office.He is waiting for you."


    Lucia''s heart lurched.


    August had repeatedly found faults with her in the past few days.It really made her depressed.


    "Go in! He has been waiting for ten minutes."


    Lucia snapped back and nodded in reflex.


    As soon as she went in, the man was seen standing at her desk casually flipping through


    something.She managed to calm down and asked, "Mr.Adams, you want to see me?"


    "Just keep myself updated with the endorsement of Redeur."


    He leaned against the desk andzily lifted his chin, "You were absent from work.Did you go to follow


    up with the case?"


    Lucia didn''t know what to say.


    The incident with Bill was so sudden that she hadn''t gotten time to ask for leave.


    She had rushed out for the emergency and remembered it onlyter.She bit her lip and took a deep


    breath.


    "Not really."


    August raised his eyebrows, but his eyes dimmed.


    "Then where did you go? Who did you meet?"


    In fact, he knew where she had gone.He was at the entrance of the building when she rushed out.


    Worried about her safety, he had asked someone to follow her.


    When she came out of the hospital, however, she was with Paul.


    Lucia bit the bullet.


    "I went to the hospital because of my dad..."


    August mmed the folder down on the desk.


    The thud interrupted her speech.His face was gloomy and his eyes were prating as he stared at


    her.


    "Don''t try to fool me with that excuse."


    "I''m not."


    Lucia was startled.She hadn''t even finished her words.


    This man was unreasonable.


    August''s eyes were tinted with anger.


    He approached her and said condescendingly, "Do you think I don''t know you went to see Paul?"


    Lucia was surprised but soon came to her senses.


    She looked him in the eye and said, "It''s my freedom and not your concern."


    Offended by her righteous attitude, August furrowed his brows.


    "I don''t want to see you with him!"


    Lucia ground her teeth and said, "It''s my privacy and none of your business."


    Anger was building up in his chest.


    The thought of her staying with Paul exasperated him.He pinched her jaw and gnashed her teeth.


    "Do you really think so?"


    If he wanted to, he had a thousand ways to prove their connection.


    When she saw the annoyance on his face, her eyes flickered.


    Unwilling to yield another inch, she faced the man head-on and countered, "Does it bother you? That


    I''m with another man? Are you jealous?"


    Her questions made him change color.


    Secondster, he managed to calm down and snorted, "I''m jealous? Your absence during working


    hours is what bothers me.The other things are not my concern."


    Lucia''s heart sank, and her cheeks were burning as if she had been pped.


    Feeling a tingling sensation in her nose, she forcefully shook off his hand and stormed out of the office.


    A pang of regret shot through him the moment the door was mmed shut.


    Was he too harsh?

 Chapter 319

    Chapter 319


    Chapter 319 Side with an Outsider


    August thought for a moment.


    A bit agitated, he pulled at his tie.His heart was in turmoil.He didn¡¯t know why, but anything rted to


    Lucia could upset him easily.


    Just then, his phone rang on the desk.


    Furrowing his brows, he picked it up for a look.


    At the sight of the caller ID, he hesitated for a moment and then pressed the Answer button.


    "Hello?"


    "August, don''t forget our appointment.You''lle to our house for dinner tonight."


    He pressed his eyebrows with his other hand and said ndly, "I know."


    "I''lle to the office, and then we''ll go together.How does it sound?"


    Without the slightest hesitation, August rejected it tactfully, "Well, I have something to attend to.You can


    just wait for me at home"


    Jeanne sounded dejected.


    "Okay then, I''ll see you at home."


    He hung up the phone, but his agitation didn''t abate, not even in the slightest.


    Jeanne invited him to have dinner at their house tonight.It was a family feast, but they had an axe to


    grind.


    Without a doubt, it was Martin''s idea.


    The dinner was just a pretext.


    However, given his current rtionship with Jeanne, he couldn''t reject it every time.


    At 6 pm, August left the office for the Kelly family''s house.


    Merlin was not home.He was received by Martin, Mrs.


    Kelly, and Jeanne.


    The atmosphere was quite harmonious.


    They greeted him, chatted with him, and invited him to the dining table so cordially as if he was a


    member of their family.


    After dinner, they chatted on the couch in the living room.


    "You guys go ahead.I''ll go and prepare some fruit."


    Mrs.Kelly smiled at them and excused herself.


    August, Martin, and Jeanne were left there on the sofa.


    Martin sipped his coffee.His eagle''s eyes nced at August.


    Secondster, he started, "August, to be honest, you have impressed me this time."


    "Huh?"


    August unhurriedly looked up at the man, "I wonder what you''re referring to."


    Martin smiled, "The crisis the Lion Group was in.Your leadership saw thepany through it.That was


    impressive!"


    "I''m ttered.Actually, that''s thanks to the solid foundation of thepany.No dirty swine can shake


    it.That''s not all my credit."


    The blood started to drain from Jeanne''s face.


    That was the scheme of her brother and her, and she was described as a swine.


    Despite her annoyance, she put on a smile and held his arm.


    "August, you''re being modest.Without you, the Lion Group wouldn''t have developed so fast."


    The corners of August''s mouth curved up, but he made noments.


    On the opposite sofa, Martin cleared his throat and nned to get to the point.


    "Speaking of which, we''re about tounch a project.Why don''t you take the chance..."


    "Ourpany suffered considerable losses from the crisis.Not to mention partnerships, we''re cautious


    even about internal operations.Anyway, I hope we''ll work together in the future," August said


    unhurriedly.


    Martin had to swallow back the words at the tip of his tongue.


    Unmistakably, his face clouded over.He coughed, picked up his coffee for a sip, and then looked up at


    August.


    "You were like this when I proposed a partnershipst time.If you have any concerns, you can just


    make it clear."


    August smiled, "How so? It''s really not the right time.I hope you''ll understand."


    No one could find faults in his words.


    The tactful refusal made Martin frown and turn livid, but he couldn''t flip out.


    Jeanne sensed the awkward atmosphere and looked at Martin.


    "Dad, August''spany just went through turmoil, so it might really not be the right time."


    Her words only annoyed Martin further.


    Just then, August''s phone rang.He took it out for a look, turned serious, and excused himself, "I have to


    take this."He then got up and went to the balcony to answer the phone.


    Martin nced at the man and snorted, "So many excuses.He could just turn me down."


    He then nced at Jeanne across the table.


    "And you! Not married yet, you start to side with an outsider!"


    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    Jeanne looked torn.


    She whispered, "What do you want me to say?"


    His eyes glinting, Martin chided her, "Help me advise him, of course.Don''t you know our family will rise


    with the help of Lion Group? You won''t be bullied only when your family is powerful.Don''t you get it?"


    Jeanne found his words reasonable and nodded.


    "Okay, I''ll help."


    "That''s more like it!"


    Martin snorted and nced at August who put away his phone and came back.


    Martin then winked at his daughter.


    Jeanne took the hint and intimately held onto August''s arm when he came over.


    Just as she was going to speak, Mrs.Kelly came back with a te of fruit and urged everyone to have


    it.


    At that point, Jeanne couldn''t bring up the matter again.


    It would make her look insensible, so she simply changed the subject.


    A whileter, August checked the time and said, "Mr.and Mrs.Kelly, it''s gettingte, and time for me to


    go."


    Martin nced at his daughter and said, "Jeanne will see you to the door.Safe trip."


    Jeanne nodded and grabbed August''s hand.


    "I''ll see you off."


    August said goodbye to the old couple and left hand in hand with Jeanne.


    The woman walked him to the car.


    Her eyes flickered, and she said, "My dad...I hope you won''t take it to heart."


    "No worries."


    He pulled open the car door and prepared to get in, "Alright, you can go back."


    "Wait a minute!"


    Jeanne refused to let go of his hand and said in a hurry, "Are you really not going to help my dad? He''s


    having a difficult time."


    She gave him the puppy dog eyes and pouted.Her tone was pitiful.


    No man would have the heart to turn her down.


    August, however, didn''t quite like that look.His eyes were fixed on her, and his voice turned cold.


    "Did he ask you to say this?"


    "No, not my dad.It''s my idea..."


    Jeanne bit her lips.


    Before she could finish her words, August pulled his hand out and stepped away from her.


    "Jeanne, don''t let me down again," he said solemnly, stressing each word.


    Then he turned around, got into the car, closed the door without hesitation, and drove away.

 Chapter 320

    Chapter 320


    Chapter 320 Temporary Assistant


    In a daze, Jeanne watched the car run into the distance.She had prepared for the worst which was


    August''s rejection, but such a remark from him had not been expected.


    Don''t make him down again.She wondered if he had found out those things were done by her.


    The idea struck her like a thunderbolt.She couldn''t help trembling.


    Soon enough, she calmed down and analyzed the situation.


    If August had figured out that she was the one who leaked the n, he wouldn''t have treated her this


    way.His attitude indicated that he hadn''t found out the truth but suspected her.


    In light of this, she should be more careful from now on.Her hands that hung on the sides clenched,


    and her face nched.


    Just then, something crossed her mind.She immediately took out her phone to make a call.


    Mark''s voice soon came from the other end of the phone.


    "Miss, what''s up?"


    Jeanne took a deep breath and lowered her voice.


    "Remember to obliterate all traces.August seems to be suspecting me."


    After a moment of silence, Mark asked, "Should I put off the action against Lucia?"


    A cold glint shed across her eyes.


    She blurted out firmly, "No, just stick to the n."


    She hoped that the child in Lucia''s womb would be gone immediately.She couldn''t wait for another


    second.She would watch Lucia get hereuppance.


    Lucia was unaware of the impending danger.


    Ever since Jonathan promised that he would learn more about Redeur with his agent, she hadn''t


    received another update.She was idle in the office.


    Two dayster, she finally received a message from the man.


    "My assistant is off today.Come to the filming site and help me out."


    Lucia was exasperated.


    So, Jonathan saw her as freebor at his beck and call? She was reluctant, but this was an opportunity


    for her to close the deal.


    She weighed her options before heading out.She hadn''t expected it to take her an entire day.


    In the evening, the props in the crew had a problem, and the filming didn''t finish until 11 pm.


    "Let''s call it a day."


    The field manager finally gave notice.


    Still in costume, Jonathan came out and saw Lucia dozing off by the recliner.


    With a smile on his face, he sneaked over, slowly reached out his hand, and flicked her on the


    forehead.


    The pain startled her and woke her up.She widened her eyes in a panic before a pretty face was seen.


    Jonathan''s skin was in good condition.


    The makeup on his face was thick, but there were no wrinkles.


    In a daze, Lucia forgot about the pain on her forehead and wondered if she was dreaming.


    "Still not awake?"


    A sly smile shed across his eyes.He reached out his right hand, trying to flick her forehead again,


    "One more time."


    "No!"


    Lucia instantly sobered up, pushed his hand away, and rubbed her forehead with a frown.


    "All right, wrap it up.As a reward for your hard work, I''ll buy you a drink."


    "I''m not going."


    Lucia stood up, "If you really want to thank me, sign the contract."


    "I''ll consider."


    Jonathan smiled and winked at her.


    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    Lucia itched to punch him in the face.She couldn''t remember how many times she had gotten this


    answer from him.


    He said he would consider every time, and then nothing happened.


    Anger was building up in her, but the man next to her remained dandiacal.She took a deep breath and


    looked at him.


    "Jonathan, I''ll ask you onest time.Are you taking the case or not? Give me a definite answer rather


    than keep me in suspense."


    Without waiting for his reply, she bent over to pack her things and started to leave.


    Jonathan caught up with her and grinned, "Are you upset?"


    Lucia continued her way forward without a word.


    "Are you leaving alone?"


    She remained silent.


    "Are you sure you can hail a taxi from the film center at such ate hour?"


    Lucia halted and realized the issue.


    Jonathan smiled with his eyes and teased her, "What are you upset about? I have been trying to figure


    out your sincerity in working with me.If I were not interested in the case, I wouldn''t have kept you in


    suspense."


    Lucia''s anger abated a little when she heard that.


    What he said made sense.


    "When are you going to talk about the endorsement then?"


    Jonathan yawned, "My schedule is tight.The earliest time will be next week."


    Lucia was a bit skeptical.He read her mind and added unhurriedly, "You can check out my itinerary if


    you don''t believe me."


    "That won''t be necessary.Just fulfill your promise."


    "Yes, ma''am."


    Jonathan stood at attention and saluted her with a smile.


    Lucia was amused andughed.


    Since Jonathan made apromise, she had no more reason to wrestle with him.


    By the time she got back to her apartment, it was already midnight.She quickly washed up and hit the


    sack.


    Too exhausted, she went out like a light.She woke up the next morning, looked at the clock on the wall,


    and bounced up from bed.It was already 8:30.


    She was quite likely to bete for work even if she started now.


    Too urgent to have breakfast, she washed up and hurried to the office.


    Not far away from the office building of Lion Group, Jeanne had been waiting by the road for two hours.


    As agreed, Mark and she would make a move today.


    She had thought that Lucia woulde at the rush hour, but till the working hours were about to start,


    she still hadn''t seen the woman.


    Jeanne muttered, "ls sheing or not?"


    In the driver''s seat, Mark remainedposed.


    "There is a regr meeting at Lion Group today.Lucia didn''t ask for leave, so she wille although


    it''s runningte."


    "Our n is not upset, right?"


    Jeanne''s eyes flickered.


    "Don''t worry, it''s all set," Mark replied with a confident smile.


    If Lucia came today, she would not get away.

 Chapter 321

    Chapter 321


    Chapter 321 A motorcycle ident


    At 9:03, Lucia ran out of the subway station hurriedly and walked towards Lion Group quickly.


    Normally, she wouldn''t be in such a hurry even if she knew she would reach thepany a few


    minuteste.


    But today their department had a regr meeting.


    As the assistant to the director, it would cause a bad influence If she waste.


    Lucia took a deep breath.


    Just as she was about to cross the street, a voice suddenly came from behind her.


    "Lucia!"


    Hearing that, Lucia turned around and saw Jeanne walking quickly toward her.


    And Jeanne was still carrying a lot of things.


    Jeanne took a few more steps, and she was so exhausted that she end up stopping and putting the


    stuff in her hands on the ground before she reached Lucia.


    Jeanne waved at Lucia and asked for help.


    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    "Lucia, can you help me?"


    Lucia hesitated for a moment.


    Although she had to reach thepany soon, she walked toward Jeanne and helped her carry half of


    her stuff after thinking for a moment.


    Seeing this, Jeanne sighed and was relieved.


    "Luckily I met you, otherwise, I really don¡¯t know what to do!"


    Lucia asked, "What are these?"


    "We will have a meeting today, and I bought coffee for everyone.I didn''t expect the take-out cart at the


    cafe to be broken, so I had to bring them over."


    Hearing that, Lucia nced at the watch on her wrist and said, "Let''s go now, we''re going to bete."


    After saying that, Lucia carried the stuff in both hands and prepared to cross the street.


    Jeanne narrowed her eyes and nced at the motorcycle on the corner of the intersection next to her.


    She smiled grimly.


    Finally, the thing she had prayed for all the time was about to happen.


    The road in front of Lion Group is wide and usually full of cars duringmuting time, but now it is just


    after the morning peak and there are very few cars on the road, Lucia was carrying the stuff, and all


    she was thinking about was getting to the office as soon as possible.


    She nced at the two sides of the road and found there was no car, so she walked forward quickly.


    Just as she reached the center of the road, Lucia heard a roaring sound to her right, and it was getting


    louder and louder, closer and closer ...


    Lucia subconsciously turned her head and found a ck motorcycle speeding toward her.


    The motorcycle''s speed was increasing and it wasing straight at her! Lucia was startled and her


    eyes widened in shock.


    She felt as if she had lost control of her limbs at this moment and couldn''t move at all.


    Suddenly, a force mmed into Lucia''s back, and due to that, Lucia fell down to the ground.


    Before she could figure out what happened, there was a loud noise "bang" behind her.


    The motorcycle that made the roaring engine sound drove past her very closely.


    Lucia suffered pain in her elbow and rose her head, founding the ck motorcycle sped away like a


    rocket at high speed.


    At that moment, a deep male voice with anxiety in it came from across the road.


    "Jeanne!"


    Lucia was startled and looked in the direction of the voice, and then she saw August, who was


    panicked, striding toward them! His eyes were red like blood.


    Following August''s gaze, Lucia turned her head and found that Jeanne fell to the ground which was full


    of blood.


    Jeanne''s face was pale and her body was bleeding slowly ...


    At that moment, Lucia''s brain was nk.


    What the hell is going on here? The sudden appearance of the motorcycle, Jeanne who fell to the


    ground where was full of blood, the panicked August ...


    All the fragments of images in her head mixed together, making Lucia feel confused.


    At that moment, August hade up to her.


    He ignored Lucia and didn''t even look at her, walking past her towards Jeanne.


    "Call an ambnce!"


    "Jeanne! Hold on!"


    "Jeanne!"


    The man¡¯s voice lingered in her ears, and as if there was arge stone pressing down on her chest,


    Lucia felt it was hard for her to breathe.


    A few secondster, Lucia passed out.


    After a long time.


    When Lucia woke up, the first thing she saw was a white ceiling.


    Lucia inhaled deeply, and she could finally sense things after a long time.


    Lucia looked around and found there was no one else there.


    She sat up slowly and found that the wound at her elbow had been bandaged.


    Lucia nced at the watch and found that it was already 10:30.


    Thinking of the ident that had just happened, Lucia got up and walked out of the ward.


    As soon as she got out of the ward, Lucia saw Burton standing outside.


    She looked around and found there was no one else.


    Lucia took a deep breath and asked, "Burton, what happened? Jeanne ..."


    Hearing that, Burton said, "Jeanne was in the emergency room.She was hit by a motorcycle and was in


    serious condition.It caused a lot of bleeding."


    Hearing that, Lucia was shocked and trembling.


    "Oh my god! Who did this?" Burton exined.


    "We don''t know yet.President Adams sent people to investigate the motorcycle, but we haven''t found


    out yet.He asked me to take you back to your apartment once you wake up."


    Hearing that, Lucia took a deep breath, feeling anxious and uneasy inside.She clenched her teeth,


    looking up at Burton and asking, "Where''s Jeanne? The emergency room?"


    Seeing Burton nod, although Lucia was injured, she walked to the emergency room hurriedly.


    As soon as she walked out of the lift, Lucia heard a noiseing from the emergency room.


    "The operation had to be interrupted due to theck of blood.We don¡¯t want to do that, but this is the


    kind of thing that we can¡¯t control."


    Unlike being calm as usual, August questioned the doctor emotionally, "Just get enough blood from the


    blood bank right now If there''s no more of it! Why didn''t you tell me this when the nursese in and


    walk out of this room just now? So I could have asked them to get plenty of blood.Look, if the operation


    is dyed because of you and anything bad happens to her, you will be a dead man!"


    "Mr.Adams, it''s my fault for not informing you in time, but the situation now is that there is no blood that


    can be used on her in the blood bank either!"


    At that moment, everyone was quiet.


    Lucia could see that August balled his fist.She clenched her teeth and walk towards them bravely and


    quickly before August lost his mind.


    "I have the same blood type as her, You can take my blood!"


    After saying that, Lucia prepared to roll the sleeve of her shirt.


    Lucia knew that the reason that August had found her was to want to find Jeanne the kidney, and their


    blood types were the same.So she couldn''t hide behind in an emergency.


    What''s more, that motorcycle wasing towards her, and Jeanne was injured due to saving her.


    Lucia thought she owed Jeanne.


    Seeing that, August frowned slightly and pursed his lips.


    The doctor looked at Lucia''s slender wrist and the bandage at her elbow, frowning and saying, "Miss,


    you are too thin and weak, I''m afraid you can''t do that.You''d better not donate blood."


    Hearing the doctor''s words, it urred to Lucia suddenly that she was pregnant.She was wondering


    whether it would have any effect on the baby if she donated blood.She hesitated for a moment and


    withdrew her hand slowly.but at that moment, a hand reached out and grabbed her wrist


    directly.Immediately after, she heard August say.


    "Doctor, take her blood.The patient is waiting."


    The man''s word was like a big stone that hit her heart heavily.


    At that moment, Lucia felt cold all over her body.

 Chapter 322

    Chapter 322


    Chapter 322 Don''t do anything stupid


    The silencested for a moment.


    The doctor hesitated, he looked at Lucia, and then at August, and said, "It''s up to her."


    Hearing that, August blinked.


    After a few seconds, his face was gloomy again.


    He repeated.


    "The priority now is to save the patient."


    Lucia took a deep breath and felt miserable inside.She got her hand free from the man''s hand and


    looked at the doctor.


    "Doctor, I am willing to do that."


    The doctor looked at Lucia deeply and shook his head, no longer persuading Lucia.He asked the nurse


    to do it.


    The nurse came to Lucia and said, "Pleasee with me."


    Lucia nodded, without turning her head to look at the man beside her, and followed the nurse away.


    Lucia knew that in August''s mind, it was not a matter of saving a life, but only because the patient was


    Jeanne.


    If the patient was somebody else, he might not care about that person''s death.He was so nervous and


    anxious and his attitude was so strong, all because the person lying in the bed was Jeanne.


    Lucia should have known that August would finally choose to let the doctor draw her blood, but it came


    true, she still felt miserable in her heart.


    Following the nurse to the blood draw room, Lucia closed her eyes and had very mixed emotions.


    For her, the tingling and numbness at her wrist were no match for the heartache.


    The 20 of blood from Lucia had just been sent to the emergency room.


    But just in a minute, a nurse ran out of the emergency room and came to Lucia, asking nervously, "We


    need 20 of blood more, can you donate another 200CC of blood? The patient''s situation is very


    dangerous now!"


    Hearing that, Lucia looked up and found August standing in the doorway and looking at her coldly.


    Her heart trembled and she gritted her teeth.


    "Okay."


    Donating 40 of blood within a short time was too much for Lucia who was so thin and weak.


    But the situation was urgent, there was no other option for her.


    What''s more, if she refused to do that, August might force her to do it.


    Once the blood was drawn, the nurse put the blood bag in an ice bag immediately and sent it to the


    emergency room.


    The nurse who drew Lucia''s blood took a small bag containing milk, cookies, and candies from the


    cab and handed it to Lucia.


    "Eat something to nourish yourself."


    After saying that, the nurse also hurriedly left the blood drawing room and rushed to the emergency


    room.


    Lucia''s face became pale and her lips lost their blood color.She stood up, holding the table, and walked


    toward the door.


    But before she reached the door, Lucia felt weak and shaky all over.


    Seeing that, August, who was standing at the doorway, immediately stepped forward and was trying to


    help Lucia.


    But Lucia moved lightly to the side and avoided August''s hand.


    August stopped his movement and was surprised.


    His face was full of chill, and he took his hand back slowly.


    Lucia held on to the wall.


    She took a deep breath and looked at August.


    "I''ve done all I can do.You must handle the rest yourself."


    After saying that, she gritted her teeth and held on, walking towards the door.


    August felt like something had scratched his heart and felt distressed.He looked at the back of the


    stubborn woman, he felt inexplicably heartbroken.


    A few secondster, he was aware of something suddenly.


    Why was he feeling sorry for that woman? She was the one who should have been hit.


    Now that Jeanne was in danger and couldn''t wake up, she should take full responsibility! After thinking


    about that, August calmed down slowly.


    He went back to the emergency room immediately.


    Lucia came out of the hospital at noon, the sun was shining, and there were few people at the entrance


    of the hospital.She insisted on walking forward.


    Lucia felt dizzy when she took a few steps more.She took a deep breath and sit down on a nearby


    chair to rest for a while.


    Lucia didn''t know if it was because of the blood she had drawn or because she was so miserable, her


    hands were cold.


    Even though the sun was shining, she still felt cold all over her body.


    Lucia ate some cookies and drank milk slowly.


    After sitting for a long time, she felt better.


    As soon as she calm down slowly, Lucia thought about it a lot.


    Now she was between August and Jeanne, like a mistress.


    Lucia both hoped August would fall in love with her again and felt guilty about Jeanne.


    What''s more, Lucia didn''t expect that Jeanne would risk her life to protect her.


    Lucia had mixed emotions which made her hardly breathe.


    After leaving the hospital, she wandered on the road and got to the Greenset River in Austos City


    finally.


    She sat on the bench all afternoon.


    The events that had happened before went through her mind.


    After a long time, Lucia felt cold when it was gettingte.


    She moved her body and wrapped her jacket tightly, taking out her phone.


    When she arrived at the Greenset River in the afternoon, Lucia turned her phone off because she


    wanted to stay quiet for a while.


    As soon as she turned it on, her phone rang a few times.


    Lucia unlocked it and found several missed calls.


    When she saw "Paul", Lucia remembered suddenly that she had made an appointment with Paul for


    lunch at noon, but now it was already 4:00 p.m.


    No wonder he called Lucia so many times.


    Lucia gripped the phone tightly and was a little bit depressed.


    When Lucia was wondering whether to call Paul back or not, her phone vibrated suddenly.


    She was so shocked that her finger pressed the answer button identally.It was Paul who was


    calling.


    Lucia was stunned slightly.


    Before she could speak, the man''s voice came from the phone.


    "Hello? Lucia, where are you?"


    Lucia hesitated for a moment, then she replied softly.


    "Hey, I am sorry, Paul.Something happened at noon today ..."


    The anxious man''s voice came from the phone.


    "I heard you had an ident, and I didn''t find you at the hospital.Where are you?"


    R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only


    Lucia was a little stunned and took a deep breath.


    "How do you know that?" Paul replied hurriedly.


    "I heard an ident happened in front of thepany when I went to thepany to see you.I was


    worried about you..."


    Instantly, Lucia felt warm in her heart.


    It seemed that Paul was the only one who really cared about her now.


    Lucia bit her lip and grieved, and her eyes were full of tears.


    She looked up at the sky and took a deep breath, said, "I''m at the Greenset River."


    Hearing that, Paul was stunned and became even more worried.


    "Lucia, don''t do anything stupid.Wait for me there, I''ll go to meet you right now!"


    After saying that, Paul hung up the phone and went to Lucia immediately.


    Last month, a woman suicide in the Greenset River.


    Paul heard Lucia say she was at the Greenset River, naturally, he couldn''t help but think a lot.


    Paul drove very fast and took half an hour to get from hispany to the Greenset River.


    In the afternoon, there were few people besides the Greenset River.


    Paul walked along the river and saw a single fragile figure sitting there.


    Seeing that, Paul strode forward.


    As he approached, Paul saw the woman rising her hand and wiping the tears at the corner of her eyes.


    Paul felt heartbroken as he saw that.


    Paul walked up to Lucia and took off his jacket, draping it over Lucia''s body.


    "Lucia, are you okay?"


    Hearing that, Lucia turned her head in surprise.


    When she saw Paul, Lucia couldn''t hold back her tears anymore and cried.


    Lucia choked and said, "Paul, I''m so tired ..."

 Chapter 323

    Chapter 323


    Chapter 323 Ethan Denko was back If she stayed in this state, Lucia didn¡¯t know how much longer she


    can do that.


    Seeing that, Paul was so worried about Lucia.


    He went to Lucia and held her in his arms.


    The woman didn''t refuse, sobbing in his arms.


    Tears wet his shirt, but he kept holding her tightly.


    Seeing Lucia crying, Paul felt also very sad.


    This was the first time he found that Lucia was so vulnerable.


    Lucia always pretended to be strong and never showed weakness in front of him before.


    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    But now, it was heartbreaking for Paul to see Lucia so sad.


    Paul patted Lucia''s back andforted her softly.


    "It''s okay, I''m here with you."


    After a long time, Lucia stopped sobbing slowly.


    She straightened up and moved to the side slowly, bowing her head and speaking in a deep voice.


    "I''m sorry ..."


    "You don''t have to apologize to me, you didn''t do anything mean to me."


    Paul took a deep breath and touched the hair around Lucia''s ear gently.


    Lucia bit her lip.


    "Actually, you didn¡¯t guess wrong.


    I still like August."


    After sitting by the Greenset River all afternoon, Lucia figured out a lot of things.


    Although she was still fond of August, it would make her feel very tired if she continues to stay by his


    side.


    Hearing that, Paul felt a little disappointed.


    But soon, he showed a normal expression and forced himself to smile.


    "Sure enough, I didn¡¯t guess wrong."


    Lucia mocked herself.


    Then she looked at Paul and said slowly, "But I''m so tired of it, and I want to leave him."


    Lucia wanted to leave August and started a new life that was in her way.


    Hearing this, Paul looked at Lucia seriously and said, "If you need anything, I can help you."


    Paul also wanted Lucia to start a new life, only in this way, he could get a way to enter Lucia''s world.


    Hearing Paul¡¯s words, Lucia forced herself to smile and had mixed feelings in her heart.


    Then, she looked at the man in front of her and said softly, "Thank you.


    You are the only one who is still willing to help me."


    Lucia would talk to August about the condition of leaving herself.


    If August didn''t agree, she woulde up with other ways to fix it.


    At the Central Hospital.


    August stayed by the hospital bed until Jeanne woke up.


    August was finally relieved when he saw the woman in the hospital bed open her eyes.


    He held Jeanne''s hand tightly.


    "Jeanne, you''re finally awake."


    Jeanne opened her eyes slowly and saw the man in front of her, crying.


    "August ..."


    Before she could finish speaking, Jeanne felt the pain all over her body and frowned.


    Seeing that, August stopped her gently and said, "Don''t move, you have injuries, you can''t move yet."


    Jeanne pouted and said, "August, I feel so bad ..."


    "Just lie down and get rest.


    you''ll be fine,"


    August asked softly, "Want some water? I''ll feed you."


    Hearing that, Jeanne felt warm and sweet in her heart.


    Even though she got hurt, Jeanne felt it was worth it that she could get August''s care.


    At night, August left the hospital after getting Jeanne on the bed.


    As soon as August had just left the hospital, a man appeared in front of the ward''s doorway.


    Mark knocked on the door and got into the ward after he got permission.


    "Ms.


    Kelly, are you okay?"


    Seeing the woman lying on the hospital bed, Mark frowned and clenched his fist.


    If he hadn''t seen it with his own eyes, Mark wouldn''t have believed that Jeanne was the one that hit by


    the motorcycle! Jeanney in the hospital bed, frowning.


    "Come here and help me sit up."


    Hearing that, Mark went forward immediately and help Jeanne, and he put a pillow behind Jeanne''s


    back thoughtfully.


    As soon as Jeanne moved her body a little, she felt the pain in her body instantly and frowned.


    "That hurts!"


    Mark took a deep breath and asked, "Ms.


    Kelly.


    If you were standing there and not moving in the morning, that motorcycle would have hit Lucia.


    why did you run to save her?"


    "Damn!"


    Jeanne snorted and said disdainfully, "You know what? If I don''t do that, I won''t be sitting here and


    talking to you!"


    Everything had been going ording to n.


    She deliberately talked to Lucia and made her stay, creating an opportunity for the motorcyclist, but she


    never expected that August would appear suddenly on the side of the road.


    At that moment, Jeanne saw August and Burton walking to the car parked on the roadside, and she


    also noticed that August also found her, so she would definitely be the first person to be suspected if


    the motorcycle hit Lucia at that time.


    What''s more, it seemed that August already started suspecting her.


    If anything happened to Lucia, August might find out she was the murderer who orchestrated the


    ident soon by following the trail.


    Then she would be dead! So Jeanne ran to save Lucia as Lucia was about to be hit by the motorcycle.


    The reason Jeanne did that was to keep August from suspecting her.


    And, in that way, she would be the one who was loved and cherished by August, while on the contrary,


    Lucia would be disliked by August.


    After thinking that, Jeanne thought that it was in her best interest to do so.


    After hearing Jeanne¡¯s words, Mark understood.


    He frowned and his face was grim but ended up saying nothing.


    Mark didn''t understand why Jeanne was so fond of August.


    She would rather be physically hurt herself than be suspected by August.


    "Mark,"


    Jeanne said icily, "keep an eye on Lucia! Once you get the chance, kill the baby in her belly!"


    Although Jeanne didn¡¯t get what she wanted this time, she would never allow Lucia to continue having


    August''s child in her belly! She wouldn''t allow Lucia to have the chance to be the one who might


    destroy her rtionship with August.


    Hearing Jeanne¡¯s words, Mark nodded and responded.


    "Yes, Ms.


    Kelly!"


    Forget about August, for now, Mark thought that the primary was to solve the problem Jeanne was


    thinking about in her heart all the time.


    The weather was cloudy and it was eleven oclock.


    A ck Maybach sped through the main road of the Northern District.


    Finally, the car arrived at the Cloud Apartment.


    After the car was parked, August got out and walked towards the entrance quickly.


    When he reached the front door, August put his right hand in front of the instrument at the door.


    Then, the door let out a sound and opened automatically.


    August walked quickly to the vi and his face was gloomy.


    The sofa in the Cloud Apartment was still the same, the living room still looked like a monitoring room,


    with eightputers ced there whose screens were showing real-time images of surveince.


    Bond sat in front of the table, tapping on the keyboard.


    Hearing a sounding behind, Bond turned his head and nodded to August.


    "Boss."


    August walked forward and asked in a cold voice, "What happened? Why did Flynt activate the Level 3


    rm?"


    After August finished asking, a voice came from the dim corner.


    "Ethan Denko has appeared in Austos City."


    Hearing the name, August was stunned a little.


    A few secondster, he frowned.


    Instantly, his body became stiff and the look on his face made people feel scared.


    August seemed not to believe it.


    After a while, he took a breath and said, "It''s been three years."


    Thest time August had met Ethan Denko was three years ago.

 Chapter 324

    Chapter 324


    Chapter 324 The meeting gift But August didn''t expect Ethan Denko to show up again, and Ethan was


    now in Austos City.


    Obviously, Ethan was provoking August.


    August frowned and said coldly, "Since Ethan appeared, it means that something will definitely happen


    recently.


    From now on, you must be alert to anything!"


    Bond nodded his head.


    "Got it."


    Charlotte who was sitting in the dim corner nodded and didn''t speak anything.


    August sat on the couch and closed his eyes, thinking about all the things that had happened recently.


    At the very beginning, there was nothing important happened in Austos City.


    Only something that was not important happened at the bottom.


    But now, Ethan appeared suddenly, indicating that everything that happened before was in preparation


    for what was going to happen.


    Suddenly, Bond shouted.


    "Boss, I got some."


    August opened his eyes and went to Bond immediately.


    "Report."


    Bond turned theptop screen toward August.


    "l intercepted an encrypted email from them that told them to meet at an abandoned factory in Kx at


    3:00 a.m.


    They were also told to bring the stuff with them."


    August read the contents of the e-mail quickly, and his expression turned cold.


    Ethan had just arrived in Austos City by day, and now they were ready to act.


    What a bunch of impatient monkeys.


    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    "Do we need to prepare now?"


    August frowned.


    He looked at the clock and immediately said with a cold voice, "Call Joshua, start preparing and act


    now."


    "Yes, sir."


    Bond and Charlotte responded together.


    People dispersed instantly and went to do their own work.


    Time flies, it was 0:00 in the morning now.


    August had already changed his clothes and got in the car quickly.


    Joshua was forced to get up by others just now.


    He yawned and rubbed his eyes.


    August frowned and nce at Joshua, saying coldly, "Haven''t woken up yet? Are you going to have


    yourself killed by them?"


    Hearing August''s cold voice, Joshua''s body shivered and he sobered up a bit instantly.


    Joshua straightened his cor and said full of spirit, "Don''t worry, I always take my job seriously!"


    Hearing that, August nced at Joshua and didn''t say anything more.


    The car crossed in the dark as if it was swallowed by the darkness, which foreshadowed that the


    dangerous things were happening silently.


    In the dim car, August''s eyes were wide open.


    He tensed his body, alert to all the things around him.


    August knew that he couldn''t make any mistakes at this critical moment.


    Soon, the car approached the factory in Kx slowly.


    But Suddenly, the car changed direction and bypassed the main road, crossing directly thend that


    doesn''t have roads.


    Then they went around to the back of the factory slowly.


    At that moment, in the car, the four people''s attention was highly concentrated.


    They held their breath and paid attention to the surroundings.


    It was dark outside, and the car was driving slowly forward with its low beams on.


    Just then, August suddenly frowned.


    "Damn."


    "What''s wrong?"


    Joshua turned his head to look at August immediately.


    "Stop the car!"


    August gulped and said in a deep voice, "I see a light over there."


    Charlotte reduced the speed of the car.


    Joshua and Bond looked through the window in the direction August was staring at, and all they could


    see was darkness.


    August was still staring in that direction, his expression frightening.


    After a few seconds of silence, August said suddenly, "Turn around and go!"


    Charlotte noticed the urgency in August''s words and turned the car around immediately, hitting on the


    gas furiously.


    Just then, gunshots crossed through the darkness, and bullets were fired at them.


    "Shit! It''s a trap!"


    Joshua cursed.


    He took his pistol and opened the car window immediately, shooting in the direction where the


    gunshots came from.


    "Bang! Bang!"


    The bullets hit on the car where August and his partners were, but didn¡¯t prate, because their car


    was made of special material which couldn''t be prated by the general pistol bullets.


    Just then, a light shone behind August''s car, and another car appeared behind them and was pursuing


    them.


    Joshua clenched his teeth and said, "Ethan''s men are getting bolder and bolder!"


    August frowned and his face was grim.


    "They sent a goddamn fake email and the purpose of them was to lure us here.


    Now we have to get rid of that car behind us immediately."


    August thought Ethan''s men must have prepared everything since they dared to set a trap for him.


    There were only four of them, and the number of Ethan''s men was unknown, so if they went head-to-


    head, August thought that they had no chance of winning.


    So August thought he must run now! Charlotte was good at driving.


    He drove the car fast across the dirt road to the tarmac.


    But Ethan''s men''s car was still on their tails.


    August clenched his teeth and took a deep breath.


    "Joshua, cover me.


    You shoot them on the left.


    I''ll try to shoot their tires!"


    "Okay!"


    They looked at each other and got ready immediately, opening the car windows.


    Joshua took the lead and stuck his head out, shooting at them continuously.


    Hearing that the main firepower was directed at Joshua, August took a deep breath and stuck his head


    out immediately, trying to aim at the front tires of the car behind.


    Both cars were moving, so it was difficult for August to aim.


    August held his breath and aimed at the tires.


    As he pulled the trigger, a bullet came out of Ethan''s men¡¯s car, went through its front windshield, and


    hit August''s left arm.


    "Bang!"


    The tire of Ethan''s men¡¯s car blew out and their speed was reduced drastically.


    Their car lurched and nearly flipped over.


    August grunted and used his right hand to press the wound quickly.


    Joshua''s face was grim and he shouted anxiously, "August, you''re hurt!"


    August frowned and replied deeply, "I''m fine! Go!"


    They both had losses.


    None of them got the benefit this time.


    To hurt August, Ethan''s men broke the front windshield of their own car to shoot him! August didn''t


    expect that.


    Sure enough, Ethan''s men were all ruthless! They drove the car fast and returned back to the Cloud


    Apartment quickly.


    Bond brought the medical kit immediately and treated August.


    Joshua looked at the wound on August''s arm that kept bleeding and cursed angrily.


    "Damn, those bastards!"


    Just then, theputer next to them rang suddenly, and then an email appeared on the screen.


    The content of the email was a few words in big red letters.


    "Old friend, long time no see, do you like the meeting gift?"


    The four men looked at the screen and their faces were gloomy.


    They knew clearly who sent this email.


    Except for Ethan, there were no other people who dared to do so.


    Joshua was so angry that he clenched his fist, the veins on his arm visible clearly.


    "Ethan has already got his eyes on us."


    August blinked and said coldly, "No, he had got his eyes on us all the time.


    This time, he''se back for revenge."


    But anyhow, it was the feud between him and Ethan.


    The four of them fell silent, none of them said anything.


    After a while, Bond said, "I''m going to take out the bullet.


    Hold on."


    August turned his head to look at the scary wound, and expressionlessly said, "Do it."


    Looking at the wound, Bond frowned.


    Then he made up his mind and went to take the bullet out.


    People would feel pain when they saw such a bad wound, but from the beginning to the end, August


    didn¡¯t make any sound except frowning tightly and sweating on his forehead.


    After the wound was dressed, August''s lips were pale a little.


    Bond put down the stuff and said guiltily, "I''m sorry, it''s all on me.


    That goddamn email ..."


    "You''re not to me for this, don''t think too much about it."


    August interrupted Bond and stood up.


    He patted Bond''s shoulder with his right hand and walked to the bedroom on the second floor.


    August didn''t me anyone this time.


    He knew these things would happen because he knew very well that Ethan would take revenge.

 Chapter 325

    Chapter 325


    Chapter 325 Being ckmailed by the paparazzi Perhaps because he was injured, August felt very


    tired after he arrived at the bedroom.


    Hey down on the bed and fell asleep soon.


    As he slept, August suffered pain from the wound on his left arm.


    The next day he woke upte.


    After washing up, August went downstairs.


    Joshua and Bond were having breakfast.


    Seeing Augusting down, Joshua asked, "How''s your wound?"


    "It¡¯s fine."


    This wasn''t the first time August has been wounded like that.


    August walked to the table expressionlessly and drank coffee.


    Charlotte came in and said in a deep voice, "Burton''s here."


    As soon as Charlotte finished speaking, Burton got into the room, carrying a paper bag.


    Burton put the paper bag on the table.


    "President Adams, here are the clothes you asked for.


    I''ve pushed today''s morning meeting to tomorrow."


    As he was speaking, Burton nced at August''s bandaged arm and frowned.


    "President Adams, you ..."


    August replied faintly.


    "It''s fine."


    Then August put down his coffee cup and looked at Burton, saying, "Just eat some if you haven''t eaten


    yet."


    Burton replied softly, "I''ve already eaten.


    President Adams, there is something that I don''t know if I should say ..."


    Seeing that Burton was a little bit hesitant, August understood instantly, leading Burton towards the


    balcony.


    Burton closed the balcony door and said, "I got a message this morning."


    As he was saying, Burton took out his phone and showed the message to August.


    August didn''t pick up the phone.


    He nced at it and saw a few photos that were all about Lucia and Jonathan in the message, on the


    crew, and also at the racing club.


    They looked intimate.


    Seeing August''s grim face, Burton exined.


    "I''ve checked it.


    These photos should be taken by a paparazzo from a small mediapany.


    They wanted to use these photos to extort money, otherwise, these photos might have been exposed."


    August frowned and said, "Buy out these photos.


    As for thatpany, we will teach them a lesson in the future."


    After saying that, August left the balcony with a grim face.


    August asked Lucia to talk to Jonathan about endorsing redeur, but he didn''t expect that Lucia would


    do that with Jonathan.


    He really underestimated her! Suddenly, August felt annoyed inside.


    Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    He picked up the suit that Burton brought him and walked towards the second floor.


    Joshua was a little surprised and asked, "August, you haven''t had breakfast yet ..."


    August didn¡¯t respond and left coldly.


    Joshua felt curious.


    He raised his eyebrows and looked at Burton who came out from the balcony, asking, "What''s wrong?"


    Burton shook his head.


    "Nothing."


    Seeing that, Joshua snorted.


    "Okay."


    Meanwhile, Lucia stood at the lift door on the first floor of the hospital.


    She carried a fruit basket and held a bouquet of flowers in her arms, feeling a little uneasy inside.


    Lucia heard that Jeanne woke up yesterday afternoon, so she came to visit her immediately.


    Lucia thought if Jeanne didn¡¯t try to save her, the person lying in the hospital bed would be her.


    And in that case, she would probably have lost the baby in her belly.


    For this reason, Lucia thought she had toe to visit and thank Jeanne.


    "Ding."


    The lift door opened and Lucia stepped into the lift.


    She pressed the button that could lead her to the floor where Jeanne was.


    Exiting the lift, Lucia walked down the hallway and found the ward where Jeanne was.


    She took a deep breath and knocked on the door.


    Soon, it came the sound of footsteps in the room and the door opened.


    Merlin stood in the doorway and looked down at Lucia.


    He disgustedly asked, "what are you doing here?"


    Lucia was a little nervous.


    She knew that Merlin was Jeanne''s brother.


    She half-closed her eyelids and replied softly, "I came here to visit Jeanne."


    Merlin snorted.


    "You''re not wee here, get out."


    After saying that, Merlin turned around and intended to close the door.


    At that moment, a voice sounded.


    "Merlin, what''s going on?"


    A woman appeared at the doorway and looked at Lucia outside.


    She frowned and asked Lucia, "Are you the woman that Jeanne saved?"


    Lucia took a deep breath and nodded.


    "I''vee to visit and say thank you to her."


    Mrs.Kelly frowned and stared at Lucia, saying without scruples, "If I remember correctly, you are the


    woman who has been pestering August before, aren''t you?"


    Lucia tightened her hand that was holding the flowers.


    She bit her lip and looked up at Mrs.Kelly.


    "President Adams and I..."


    "You don''t have to exin, I probably know about it."


    Mrs.Kelly nced at Lucia and said sarcastically, "I really don''t understand how Jeanne would risk her


    life to save a woman like you.


    Tell you what, if you still have any conscience, you should stop interfering in other people''s


    rtionships as a slut, you understand?"


    Mrs.Kelly''s words were vicious.


    Hearing that, Lucia felt that something was stabbing her heart, making her feel ufortable.


    Lucia took a deep breath and gritted her teeth, saying, "Mrs.Kelly, don''t worry, I won''t do such an


    immoral thing."


    After saying that, Lucia put the fruit basket and flowers at the doorway and added without being


    condescending, word by word, "Since you refuse to let me in, then never mind.


    Please say hello to Ms.


    Kelly for me."


    After saying that, Lucia bowed to Mrs.Kelly and turned around to leave.


    Just at that moment, a soft female voice came from the ward.


    "Mom, is that Lucia?"


    Hearing that, Mrs.Kelly frowned and didn¡¯t know how to reply.


    Then, Jeanne added, "Mom, let Luciae in."


    Lucia hadn''t gone far and could hear Jeanne''s words.


    She took a deep breath and turned around to look at Mrs.Kelly who was standing in the doorway.


    Mrs.Kelly frowned and was reluctant, but end uppromising.


    She looked at Lucia and said coldly, "All right, since Jeanne said that, you can go in."


    After that, Mrs.Kelly stopped standing at the doorway to stop Lucia.


    Lucia was very happy inside and walked into the ward immediately.


    As soon as she walked in, Lucia saw Jeanne lying on the hospital bed.


    Jeanne¡¯s face was pale and part of her body was bandaged.


    Jeanne looked very weak.


    Lucia walked forward and asked, "Are you ...


    okay?"


    Jeanne smiled.


    "I''m fine.


    Have a seat."


    Lucia nodded and sat down in the chair next to the bed, having mixed emotions in her heart.


    After a while, Lucia encouraged herself and looked at Jeanne, saying, "Jeanne, thank you so much for


    what you did for me yesterday."


    Hearing that, Jeanne smiled.


    "You don''t have to say thank you to me.


    I heard that yesterday when I was in the emergency room, you are the one who gave me blood!"


    Lucia smiled and said softly, "No matter what, thank you so much."


    Lucia thought that she would lose the baby in her belly If Jeanne didn''t save her.


    Jeanne looked up at Lucia, a chill appeared in her eyes but faded quickly.


    But soon, Jeanne smiled again.


    She took Lucia¡¯s hand and said softly, "Actually, I did that out of instinct, and you were there because I


    was asking you to help me carry stuff.


    And you are August''s subordinate, I don¡¯t know how to exin to him if something happened to you


    because of me!"


    Hearing that, Lucia forced herself to smile and didn''t say anything else.


    It sounded as if it was a constant reminder of her rtionship with August.


    It was just a superior-subordinate rtionship.

 Chapter 326

    Chapter 326


    Chapter 326 Resignation At this moment, there was a loud noise outside the door, and then, the door


    of the ward was pushed open, and Lucia and Jeanne looked at the direction from which the sound


    came.


    August was standing at the door, face dark.


    When he caught sight of Lucia, his face got colder.


    He strode over and looked down at Lucia.


    He asked in a cold voice, "What are you doing here?"


    Lucia took a deep breath and wanted to exin when Jeanne said, "Lucia came to visit me, August.


    Why did youe all of a sudden?"


    "lLe to visit you."


    Saying, August walked to the head of the bed and adjusted the position of the pillow leaned against by


    Jeanne to make her morefortable.


    His movement seemed so natural and fluent.


    "Are you feeling better today?"


    When talking to Jeanne, he sounded apparently gentler.


    Sitting beside them, Lucia felt awkward and ufortable.


    She felt that she should leave them alone now.


    August''s behaviors showed that he really loved Jeanne.


    She produced a mocking smile and stood up.


    She looked at Jeanne and said, "Jean, if there is nothing that needs me, I''ll leave you two alone."


    Hearing this, Jeanne smiled.


    "Okay.


    Pay me another visit someday."


    Lucia forced a smile at Jeanne and then walked towards the door.


    After getting out of the elevator, she took the elevator to the ground floor of the hospital.


    She walked forward at a loss and with great bitterness.


    She should have been prepared for that and be aware of her position.


    For August, she was nothingpared with Jeanne.


    She walked through the small garden of tha inpatient department.


    Just as she was to walk towards the hospital gate, unexpectedly, her phone rang.


    She took a deep breath and had a look at her phone.


    "August"


    was shown on her screen.


    Her heart skipped a beat, and she hesitated over whether she should answer the call.


    Three secondster, she bit her lips and rejected the call.


    However, her phone vibrated again soon.


    It was August again.


    Lucia felt annoyed.


    Teeth gritted, she answered the call and said in displease.


    "Hey, what tie hell do you want?"


    After a short silence, the manis cold voice came through the receiver.


    "What do I want? I want to know what happened between you ard Jonathan."


    Jonathan? Lucia was stunned and she calmed down.


    ¡®What happened between me and Jonathan?"


    The man''s voice showed anger.


    "You don''t knew yourself? The paparazzi are trying to ckmail me with some photos.


    And you''re asking?"


    Lucia sensed that something severe had happened.


    She was so confused.


    Before she could speak, August continued, "Where are you? I''lle to you.


    We talk face-in-face""


    After hesitating for a while, Lucia looked around and said, "I''m at the little garden behind the inpatient


    buildiag.


    There''s a statue here."


    After she told him her whereabouts, he immediately hurg up.


    Within five minutes, August had walked into the garden.


    When he saw Lucia sitting on a bench beside the statue, he strode over He would feel somehow


    agitated at the thougt of those photos.


    Lucia looked up and found August walking towards her.


    Before she could stand up or ask anything, August had already handed over an envelope.


    She hesitated and then took it.


    Inside the envelope was a thick stack of photos.


    All were snaps of her and Jonathan.


    Jonathan took her hand and brought her into his car at the entrance of Iszoom Movie Studio; she got


    on Jonathan''s car at the racing club; he drove her home after the crew finished shooting in the middle


    of the night...


    If she weren''t directly involved, she would also have misunderstood if she only looked at these photos.


    Lucia held the photos tighter.


    Face pale, she looked up at August and asked, "Where did thesee from?"


    Seeing her expression, August showed sneer in his eyes.


    He said coldly, "Bought from those paparazzi."


    Lucia gritted her teeth.


    It suddenly urred to her that she did catch sight of some paparazzi when she was at the gate of the


    cinema city with Jonathan.


    It seemed that they would go to several selected spots, and their target was Jonathan.


    They had intended to take some photos as proofs of Jonathan''s box news.


    However, she and Jonathan were innocent.


    They never had an affair with each other.


    Lucia took a deep breath and looked up at August.


    She exined, "There''s nothing between him and me.


    In the first ce, I had to persuade him into epting endorsement for redeur.


    That''s why I would ept his invitations."


    August wrinkled his brows and asked, "So, Jonathan was the wooer? Lucia shook her heard.


    "No! There''s nothing between him and me!"


    As the woman refused to admit, August felt angrier.


    He approached her.


    Lucia subconsciously wanted to step back.


    However, she soon found herself against the statue.


    She had nowhere to go.


    August again showed sneer in his dark eyes.


    He taunted, "Lucia Mitchell, I didn¡¯t know you are so charming, huh? Jamie Nordhaus helped you prove


    your innocence.


    Paul Thomas centers around you.


    Even the popr toy boy is interested in you..."


    He paused and then snorted.


    "Lucia Mitchell, you''re fucking amazing!"


    August felt upset at the thought of those men beside her.


    How he wanted to hide this petite womanpletely away from men of the outside world! Hearing the


    man''s words, Lucia took a deep breath and somehow felt humiliated.


    She remained a short silence, and then, after gritting her teeth and bracing herself up, she looked the


    man in his eyes.


    "August, you asked me to find endorsement for redeur.


    R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only


    Oh, you are regretting now?"


    "Regret?"


    August was surprised by her gut to confront him.


    "I never know the feeling of regret."


    Lucia gathered up her courage and pushed the man away.


    She then took a step back to keep a distance between them.


    She looked at him and said, "No matter what method I used, I did seed in finding reduer a brand


    spokesman, didn''t I?"


    August frowned.


    Simmering with anger, he pressed his lips.


    He didn''t know how to retort her.


    After all, he didn''t have the right to judge and restrain her private life now.


    Lucia took a deep breath and plucked herself up.


    "I will reach an agreement with the spokesmen as soon as possible.


    But you have to promise me one thing."


    August asked, "What?"


    Lucia unwittingly pulled her hem, which indicated her nervousness, and said word by word, "I Want to


    Resign!"


    Her words made the atmosphere even more depressed.


    After seconds, August said in a deep voice, "You''re being serious?"


    Lucia didn''t hesitate to nod and say, "Yes, I am serious."


    "Fine."


    August showed a transient upset in his eyes.


    "I will only give you three days."


    Then, he cast her a meaningful nce and walked away.


    Since she didn''t want to work in Lion group, he would give her a chance to resign.


    After three days, he wanted all gossips about her and Jonathan disappear.


    Lucia stood still, eyeing the man''s back going farther away, and produced a bitter smile.


    She felt a frightening chill.


    She had thought that August would at least ask her for a reason.


    However, out of her expectation, he should ept the promise so crisply.


    It seems that I really mean nothing to him in his heart.


    She thought.


    Fine.


    As long as I can get Jonathan as the brand spokesman, I think I can leave the Lion without scruples.

 Chapter 327

    Chapter 327


    Chapter 327 Recovered Human being''s joys and sorrows are never the same.


    This night, in a bustling nightclub of Austos City, men and women were dancing carefreely in the


    dancing pool.


    The music was loud enough to wake the dead, and the neon lights seemed to be able to light the night.


    On the right side of the second floor, there was a room with one-way ss.


    From inside of the room, one could see everything on the first floor clearly.


    However, people outside couldn''t see a thing inside.


    An inner door of the room was opened.


    It was a door leading to an inner room.


    Heavy footsteps could be heard.


    Someone was walking out.


    A faint cry of a woman could be heard.


    Hearing the cry, Bishop looked up and smiled at the man who walked out.


    He said, "Mr.Denko, I''ve been waiting for so long."


    The man was short but stout.


    He was at his forties, and he had sharp bloodshot eye.


    He was Ethan Denko Ethan wiped the blood from the corner of his lips and sat down on the sofa.


    He said smilingly, "This woman is disobedient, so it took me sometime to tame her.


    Sorry that I kept you waiting."


    As he was saying, he cast a nce at the inner room.


    Seeing this, Ethan''s men hurriedly went into the room and dragged out a crying and disheveled


    woman.


    She had several bruises on her body, face pale, eyes unfocused, lips bleeding.


    On her bare shoulders had several tooth prints that was oozing blood, which was somewhat terrifying.


    She was mourning.


    When she saw Ethan sitting on the couch, she showed extreme fright in her eyes.


    Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    Then, she was dragged out of the room.


    Bishop''s eyes darkened shortly, but he remained expressionless.


    It seemed that he had been given to such things.


    "I didn''t expect Mr.Denko like this kind of y.


    Unique."


    Ethan smiled.


    After the door was closed, he then said unhurriedly, "Okay.


    Time for business."


    "No hurry."


    Bishop picked up the wine ss on the table and said, "Let me give you a toast, Mr.Denko.


    August''s broken arm is quite a thrilling gift for our first meeting."


    Hearing this, Ethanughed out loud.


    He took the wine ss on the table.


    His right hand holding the goblet should shockingly have only four fingers.


    His little finger was gone.


    After clinking sses, Ethan put down the ss and showed ferocity in his eyes.


    "This time, he just broke his arm.


    Next time, I wont be so gentlemanly."


    Biship said, "To us, it''s our best shot now.


    He is injured, and he can''t be as agile as before.


    We wouldn''t have such a great chance next time."


    "We can''t take it lightly either."


    Ethan said grimly.


    He then continued decisively.


    "August Adams is a fucking wolf.


    An injured beast is more likely to fight back.


    Our n must be perfect."


    Hearing this, Bishop produced a smile.


    He shook the goblet in his hand in silence.


    Ethan turned to him and said, "You have any ideas?"


    "If you want a perfect n, I think I do have a perfect n."


    Bishop took a sip of his wine and continued, "I have a n that would be a bit Costly.


    But such cost would add the sess rate of our n.


    I wonder whether Mr.Denko could ept it."


    "Tell me about it."


    "I can''t tell you right now.


    That would be too boring."


    Bishop smiled.


    "Mr.Denko, if you''re willing, you can give me another share as a token of insurance.


    If it didn''t work, we will stick to our original agreement and I won''t even think about the extra share."


    Hearing this, Ethan leaned against his seat.


    After a while, he said, "Are you sure this will work?"


    Bishop said smilingly, "I won''t say one hundred percent.


    But I think I can say eighty percent."


    "Fine."


    Ethan gritted his teeth.


    "If it works, I will give you another share."


    He lost out to August three years ago.


    Now, as he finally managed toe back, he would naturally want everything to be secure.


    As long as the n started well, he would definitely be a big shot of Austos City in the future.


    One share would be nothingpared to either the loss of a failure or the gain of a sess.


    After reckoning, he thought this insurance was worthy the share.


    Bishop raised his wine ss and clinked with Ethan.


    "Alright then, it''s a deal."


    He had figured out August''s weakness, and he thought it was time to take advantage of this weakness.


    One hourter, Bishop came back to his vi.


    He opened the door and found the woman sleeping soundly on the sofa.


    In an instant, his eyes were brimming over with tenderness.


    He turned slightly to Bob and said, "Stop."


    Bob stopped pushing the wheelchair.


    Bishop uncovered the nket on hisps, stoop up and walked towards the sofa.


    He bent down and carried Mandy in his arms.


    Then, he walked towards the stairs as he said to Bob.


    "Bring the wheelchair upstairs."


    Hearing this, Bob nodded as response.


    In fact, Bishop''s legs had recovered a month ago.


    He could barely stand at first.


    After rehabilitating for a long time, he had been able to walk slowly.


    Now, he hadpletely recovered.


    However, when wet weather came, his bones would be painful.


    But at least he could walk now.


    His recovery was only known by himself and Bob.


    Even Mandy, who had been taking care of him beside him, was unaware of his recovery.


    The reason why he pretended to be disabled was that he could only keep Mandy beside him at the


    excuse of his broken legs.


    More than that, his disability could perfectly cover his identity and help him avoid risks.


    Therefore, for the past month, he acted to be disabled in front of anyone except Bob.


    He had had to sit on wheelchairs for years, and he knew how to avoid suspicion.


    After sending Mandy to her room, he covered her with quilt.


    When he wanted to leave, one of his arms was grabbed.


    The woman was still sleeping.


    She, in her deep slumber, mistook his hand as pillow.


    Bishop was shocked.


    Before he realized what happened, he had felt her soft skin.


    A hot flow ran through his entire body.


    A month ago, when he had been able to walk, he sensed recovery in other senses.


    His lower body recovered as a whole, which meant that he restored the desire that all men had.


    Seeing the pretty face of the woman, he felt an impulse in his heart.


    However, his years of life of austerity helped him suppress that desire.


    He took a deep breath to calm himself down.


    Then, he took back his hand from the woman''s arms.


    He quickly walked towards the door and turned off the light.


    Then, without hesitation, he closed the door.


    Bob was waiting outside.


    When he saw Bishop''s unnatural expression, he was startled, "Sir, are you okay?"


    Bishop frowned and was a little agitated.


    "Of course I am okay."


    Then, he walked quickly to his room.


    Before he opened the door, something urred to him.


    He said seriously and coldly, "One more thing, find someone to keep an eye on Lucia.


    I want detailed reports of everything she did."


    Bob nodded.


    "Our men have been watching her.


    But..."


    "What?"


    Bishop turned to Bob.


    Bob reported truthfully.


    "Our men found that there is another group watching Lucia Mitchell."


    Bishop darkened his face.


    "Whoseckey?"


    "Jeanne''s."


    Hearing this name, Bishop produced a smile.


    "That''s okay.


    Don''t worry about it."


    It seemed that he wasn''t the only person aiming at Lucia.


    Things are getting interesting.

 Chapter 328

    Chapter 328


    Chapter 328 A Mission Lucia had only three days.


    ording to August''s order, she needed to persuade Jonathan into bing redeur''s spokesman and


    signing the contract in three days.


    Also, she would have to n on how to leave Austos City.


    Judging from August''s attitude towards her, she had guessed that he wouldn''t tolerate the existence of


    the fetus in her womb.


    Therefore, she would have to leave the city with her baby, and find a ce that August would never be


    able to find her.


    However, three days weren''t enough for such a grand n.


    More than that, her father was in hospital.


    All these things along with other trifles really brought her headache.


    The most urgent task now was to seal the deal with Jonathan about endorsement.


    She could consider other thingster.


    In the second morning, she rushed to redeur''s office building.


    She went directly the general manager and obtained the contract drafted by thew department of the


    company under the name of August.


    Before she left, she confirmed again with the general manager.


    "Manager, I need to reconfirm it.


    As long as Jonathan signs it, it is valid.


    Am I right?"


    The manager nodded and said as it was a matter of course.


    "Yes.


    It is valid as long as he signs."


    "But..."


    He hesitated and then asked, "Why don''t you ask Jonathan and his agente directly here so that


    they could know better about ourpany? It would also be more convenient for all of us to sign the


    contract too."


    Lucia smiled and exined, "You don''t know the details.


    Mr.ck has a full schedule.


    When he is free and cane and sign the contract, I don¡¯t think he can catch up with the shooting of


    ourmercial for new releases in the next quarter.


    So, I can only be the middleman and run for the errant and settle things down."


    Hearing this, the manager nodded without doubting.


    He smiled at Lucia and said, "Thank you for the toil."


    "You''re wee.


    I''m leaving."


    The manager nodded smilingly.


    Lucia then left with the contract.


    She would have to wait until next week before Jonathan wouldmit his promise.


    By then, the three-day promise would be broken.


    Therefore, she had to strike first and get the issue of endorsement settled down as soon as possible!


    Thinking of which, Lucia unwittingly fastened her pace.


    However, after a few steps, she was struck by a sudden strong dizziness.


    She staggered and supported herself against the wall.


    She almost fell to the floor.


    She opened her eyes and saw sparks flying before her eyes.


    What happened? I was fine just now.


    Howe the sudden dizziness? She took a deep breath and had a bad feeling.


    She bit her lips to keep conscious, and stood still for a long time before she felt better.


    She suddenly thought of something.


    She gasped as she remembered that she experienced the same dizziness after drawing her blood the


    other day.


    Would it be because of my blood drawing? She was surprised by her guess.


    She lowered her head and looked at her t belly.


    Her doubts deepened.


    If blood drawing would affect her, then it might also affect the fetus in her womb.


    Thinking of which, Lucia felt nervous.


    She didn''t dare to continue guessing.


    She thought that she¡¯d better have an exam in the hospital.


    After a while, she took a deep breath and made up her mind.


    She put the contract away and headed towards the nearest hospital.


    At the moment Lucia stepped into the hospital, Bishop had received the report of her whereabouts.


    He sat on the wheelchair, eyes fixing on Mandy who was dealing with nts in the garden and ears


    hearing Bob''s report.


    "It seems that she goes to hospital too often recently."


    Saying, he turned to Lightening, the parrot, and fed it some bird food.


    "The thing is, she doesn''t go to the same hospital.


    Sometimes, she would visit her father.


    However, the reason why she went to a hospitalst time was the ident.


    I am not yet aware of her purpose this time."


    Bishop pondered for a while and thought of something.


    Then, he asked, "I heard that the hospital she went today was renowned for its gynecology?"


    Bob was puzzled, but he soon answered, "Yes.


    Its gynecology is the best in the city."


    Hearing this, Bishop couldn''t helpughing out.


    Hended his gaze on Mandy and thought of something.


    After pondering for a while, he slowly sat straight.


    He looked at Mandy and shouted to her.


    "Nurse Lu,e here please."


    Hearing this, Mandy pped her hands to clean the dirt on her hands.


    Then, she walked towards him in all smiles.


    "What is it, Mr.Adams?"


    Bishop unhurriedly extracted a wet tissue and handed to her.


    "Wipe you hand."


    Beaming, Mandy took the tissue and cleaned her hands.


    Then, she asked again, "Mr.Adams, don''t you want to go out recently? Say, let''s go out for a walk?"


    Looking at her, Bishop answered with a question.


    "You feel bored at home?"R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only


    Mandy was being truthful.


    She produced an embarrassed smile and admitted, "A little, yes."


    "That''s great.


    I have a mission for you.


    You wanna do it?"


    Hearing this, Mandy was interested.


    "Mission? What mission?"


    "You and Lucia Mitchell are good friends, right?"


    Hearing Lucia''s name, Mandy was stunned.


    After several seconds, she nodded.


    "We''ve known each other for a long time."


    Bishop said softly, "There is one thing I need your help."


    Mandy felt more puzzled.


    "What is it?"


    "I heard that she..."


    Bishop told Mandy his version of the story and what he wanted her to do.


    After hearing Bishop''s words, Mandy changed her expression.


    "Is that appropriate?"


    "If it is true, then it is not her own business.


    It is the entire Adam family''s business."


    After a short pause, he produced a disappointed look.


    "You know that my brother August are at odds with me.


    But I still respect him.


    His business is Adam''s business.


    And I can''t sit watching Adam''s business go sour.


    And now, you''re the only one who can help me."


    His sincere tone and expression made his request hard to refuse.


    Mandy didn''t know what to do.


    However, when she looked into the man¡¯s eyes, she felt it even harder to refuse him.


    She took a deep breath and made up her mind and nodded.


    "Okay, I''ll help you, but for this once only.


    Because Lucia is my good friend.


    I''ll be sorry for probing into her private affairs...


    As Mandy epted, Bishop produced a smile.


    He took her hand and pinched her soft palm.


    He said gently, "I know I can count on you."


    Mandy smiled and said, "I''ll get going now.


    "I''ll let Bob give you a ride."


    "Okay."


    Within half an hour, Bob drove Mandy to the hospital.


    After arriving at the hospital, Mandy called a friend working in the hospital.


    After finding out in which department Lucia was seeking diagnosis, she hurriedly went there.


    As expected, she found Lucia waiting for the inspection report in the rest area at first nce.


    She took a deep breath and calmed herself down.


    After reviewing Bishop''s words in her head, she braced herself up and walked towards Lucia.


    She deliberately sneaked behind Lucia.


    Then, she pretended to be surprised.


    "Lucia?"


    Hearing Mandy''s voice, Lucia turned around.


    When she caught sight of Mandy, she also showed surprise.


    She immediately stood up.


    "Mandy! What are you doing here?"


    Mandy hesitated for a while and made up an excuse.


    "I came for a friend.


    I saw you sitting here just now and I thought I was hallucinating.


    I didn''t expect it was really you."


    She held Lucia''s hand in all smiles.


    "Lucia, what are you doing in the hospital? Are you sick?"


    Mandy''s question made Lucia stammer.


    She hesitantly answered, "L...Leame to have a physical exam."

 Chapter 329

    Chapter 329


    Chapter 329 At Odds When she lived in the same neighborhood with Mandy, she was in good terms


    with Mandy.


    They kept no secret from each other at that time.


    However, now, she really couldn''t tell Mandy the truth.


    Mandy naturally had seen through Lucia''s reluctance.


    She hesitated for a while and took Lucia to a ce with fewer people.


    Her expression became more serious.


    "Lucia, what on earth happened? You can tell me whatever you don''t want to reveal.


    Besides, I''ve been a nurse for so many years.


    I know something about everything concerning medicine.


    You might as well tell me."


    She was expressing her innermost thoughts.


    Though they hadn''t been together for years, their friendship would be worn out so easily by time.


    Lucia lowered her head, fingers twisted together, and felt more embarrassed.


    She felt it hard to speak out her premarital pregnancy.


    Mandy also sensed her nervousness.


    "What on earth happened?"


    Lucia took a deep breath and said, "I''m pregnant..."


    Hearing this, Mandy was stunned.


    Apparently, it was beyond her expectation.


    Though Bishop had already mentioned the possibility of Lucia¡¯s pregnancy, she eliminated the


    possibility immediately.


    However, the possibility should be reality.


    Looking at Mandy''s shocked expression, Lucia produced a bitter smile.


    She rubbed hands uneasily and said, "I drew 40 blood days ago.


    And I felt dizzy today.


    I am worried so I came for an exam."


    Mandy calmed herself from shock, and, after taking a deep breath, she said softly, "That''s too much.


    It might be the cause of your dizziness.


    Besides, lots of pregnant woman suffers anemia.


    You must replenish blood.


    The doctor might prescribe you some iron supplements.


    Anyway, gotta take care."


    Hearing Mandy''s words, Lucia felt much more relieved.


    She smiled and said, "Thank you, Mandy.


    You relieved me a lot."


    "It''s nothing."


    Mandy patted the back of her hand and continued softly, "May I ask...


    the fetus¡¯ father..."


    Lucia bit her lips and said in a low but resolute voice, "It has no father.


    Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    It only has me."


    Mandy smiled and knew that it was inappropriate for her to keep probing into it.


    She then changed the topic.


    "Well, I am free today.


    Let me wait for the report with you and let''s have dinner together.


    And we can have a good chat"


    Lucia epted her invitation in all smiles.


    "Okay."


    Soon, a nurse called Lucia''s name.


    Lucia went to get her inspection report.


    Looking at Lucia''s back, Mandy, tormented, closed her eyes.


    After struggling in her heart, she took out her phone and texted Bishop.


    (Mr.Adams, you were right.


    She is pregnant.


    If I guessed correct, the father should be your brother August.] Bishop merely wanted her to be a scout,


    but, unexpectedly, she helped him prove all his guesses.


    Meanwhile, Bishop read the message and showed excitement in his narrowed eyes.


    Lucia''s pregnancy was a hard-won good time for him.


    It meant that he got one more trump card against August.


    It seemed that the extra share from Ethan was meant to be his.


    Mandy and Lucia had dinner together in the evening.


    After Lucia arrived home, she realized that she had spent a day without any fruit.


    She took a deep breath and couldn''t help feeling agitated.


    If she couldn''t settle down the endorsement, she would face greater difficulty if she wanted to resign.


    The more Lucia thought, the more nervous she became.


    Finally, she plucked herself up and texted Jonathan.


    [Mr.ck, are you free tomorrow? I need to meet you] Soon, Jonathan replied, [Free tonight.


    To my ce?] He then sent a meme of smirk.


    Lucia felt she had goosebumps all over her body.


    Why would Jonathan have to deviate words from their original meaning? She took a deep breath and


    regained herposure.


    Then, she replied, [What about the day after tomorrow? Are you free in daytime? I have something very


    urgent to discuss with you.] Soon, Jonathan replied again, [Miss me? Since you''re so eager to see me,


    fine.


    Meet me tomorrow afternoon at the troupe.


    Though reluctant, I will meet you.] Seeing his message, Lucia resisted her urge to roll her eyes and


    replied, [Okay.] She kept reminding herself that sess or failure hinged on these two days.


    As long as she could get the endorsement from Jonathan, she would no longer need to obey all


    August''s orders and keep him happy.


    Imagining her bright future, Lucia felt much better.


    On the afternoon of the next day, Lucia went to Iszoom Republican Pavilion.


    She could see the crew in the shooting site from afar.


    When Lucia was being Jonathan''s temporary assistant, she went through Jonathan''s script in her free


    time.


    She knew what they were filming was near the end of the story.


    The character yed by Jonathan was a major, who was losing his beloved one but, in his struggles,


    he couldn''t disobey orders from his superiors.


    Plots that needed to act out great joy or grave sorrow were the biggest challenges for performers.


    It required hard work to perform emotion of the characters vividly.


    "Action!"


    As the director ordered action, all casts and other supporters were in position.


    Jonathan absorbed himself into the y immediately.


    Without his usual yfulness and unrestraint, he acted perfectly each moment as the major.


    Lucia sat in the periphery.


    From a distance, she observed the cast in the field and was also unwittingly absorbed into the y.


    The protagonist lost his beloved one.


    The great sadness expressed by Jonathan infected her.


    Before she knew it, her eyes were moist.


    She never met a man who could love her as much as the male protagonist loved the female


    protagonist.


    And, the man she loved had long fallen in love with another woman.


    With all these thoughts, Lucia let her sentiment get the better of herself.


    She lowered her head, down-spirited, and failed to notice that the director had shouted "cut".


    They had sess at first attempt.


    All the crew went to congratte Jonathan.


    Jonathan adjusted his mood and he caught sight of Lucia the moment he walked out of the field.


    He produced a smile.


    When he saw her moist eyes, he frowned.


    He hurriedly approached her and flicked her forehead.


    "What''s wrong? Being impressed by my acting skills?"


    Lucia was brought back to reality by his flick.


    She hurriedly wiped her tears at the sight of Jonathan.


    "No.


    I brought the contract.


    Please, take it as I am deploring you.


    Sign it, okay?"


    Saying, she took out the contract from her bag and handed it to him.


    Jonathan nced at the contract and smiled.


    He cracked a joke, "What if I refuse to sign it?"


    Lucia smiled and replied half-jokingly, "Then my boss might kill me."


    Jonathan paused for a while and asked, "Your boss, August Adams?"


    Lucia nodded.


    Hearing this, Jonathan dropped his body onto a deck chair.


    He said smilingly, "One more reason to refuse."


    Hearing this, Lucia heaved a sigh.


    She asked, "You are at odds with each other?"


    When it came to Augustst time, Jonathan also put on this scornful expression.


    Was it really what she had anticipated? Was there really something inexplicable among Jonathan,


    August and Adeline?

 Chapter 330

    Chapter 330


    Chapter 330 I''m The Owner Jonathan ck gave a snort with a sullen face.


    "No, we didn''t."


    Finishing that, he began to y games on his mobile phone.


    Lucia was helpless and got irked by his attitude but she could only heave a deep sigh to smother her


    anger.


    Actually, she could guess something from his expression.


    Though Lucia didn''t know how she hit his nerve, she was quite clear that signing the contract was


    beyond the realms of possibility.


    Enough of waiting, Lucia was fully conscious that Jonathan ck showed the slightest inclination to


    discuss the matter further with her, then she tly left with a graceful smile.


    She went to Central Hospital directly to visit her parents after leaving the shooting site.


    "Dad and mom, do you have ever thought about living in other cities?"


    When they were having dinner, Lucia asked her parents after some hesitation.


    Mrs.Mitchell paused for a moment when she heard Lucia''s question.


    Stopping sharing the interesting stories of others, she asked solicitously, "Is there anything wrong?


    Why would you like to live elsewhere?"


    "No...


    "Just asking,"


    Lucia managed to stutter a reply.


    Mr.Mitchell produced a smile at her reply.


    "Austos City is good for living in my opinion.


    Life moves slowly here and themunity service and urban public facilities are pretty good.


    To be honest, we have spent most of our lives here and we are going to spend the rest of our lives


    here."


    Lucia nodded thoughtfully.


    She could not but hold peace given her father''s words.


    Suddenly, her hand was taken by a warm hand.


    It was her father.


    "Lucia, I am a contented man now with such a happy family.


    The only thing I want is to be discharged from the hospital as soon as possible.


    So, what you have mentioned is not on my bucket list."


    Said Mr.Mitchell gently.


    "Hey, you can''t say that!"


    Mrs.Mitchell cut in.


    "Our mission is not aplished until our sweet honey gets married!"


    "Well, I don''t think so.


    Whether or not, she is our dearest daughter.


    I''ll support her for my whole life!"


    Mr.Mitchell contradicted.


    "Oh, no! I will not have it so.


    I don¡¯t want our pretty daughter to grow into an old maid and die alone or just lump it as a spinster.


    OMG! It will be a miserable life for her if so!"


    Words were exchanged between the Mitchells, as well as waves ofughter.


    It was a scene of such domestic bliss.


    The scene warmed Lucia up inside and her mouth quivered with the suspicion of a smile involuntarily.


    Such a happy family satisfied her extremely and kept her away from worry.


    However......


    Every thought of the little creature inside her would give her a wave of explicable warmth as well.


    Lucia took a deep breath, reached out her hand, and stroked her belly softly.


    A mixture of feelings swept her.


    She knew that it was impossible for her parents to sever all the familiar links and leave the city they had


    lived in for almost their whole lives.


    And, she could not leave her parents behind without a backward nce and didn''t give a shit about


    them.


    Numerous thoughts whirled around in her mind and have her a headache, but she concealed her


    worries sessfully.


    After dinner, she had a chat with her father and then tucked him in before she left.


    When she got to her apartment, she was still brooding on those thoughts.


    Lucia was changing her shoes mechanically with the light still off, but a sudden faint rustle caught her


    frozen with fear.


    She forced herself to look over even though she was in horror.


    There was just a discernible figure sitting on the sofa.


    Lucia instantly made a grab for the broom beside her and asked in a shaking voice.


    "Who is there?"


    Could it be a thief? But how did the thief get into her apartment without a key? She noticed that the


    door lock was intact when she got in the room.


    Taking a deep breath, Lucia reached out her hand to take her phone, at that time, a familiar voice


    sounded from the sofa over there.


    "It''s me."


    Lucia was stunned for the merest fraction of a second, then she took a step forward and turned on the


    light.


    As soon as the light was on, a soft light immediately spread and enfolded them.


    Only then did Lucia see properly who was there.


    It was August Adams! The heart in her mouth finally fell back into ce.


    Without seconds, however, she caught on again.


    "Why...why you are here? In my house!"


    August leaned back on the couch and drawledzily, "Are you sure that this is your house?"


    She may not know, he was the owner of the apartment.


    Lucia paused for a while for his reply, at that very moment, she felt something wrong with him.


    His voice was unusually weak and faint...


    Finally, Lucia, screwing up her courage, went close to him and shut the door behind her.


    "What''s the matter with you?"


    She asked gingerly.


    "Sick?"


    Twisting his brows slightly, August just said with a solemn expression, "Fetch the first-aid fit and dress


    the wound for me."


    Hearing that, Lucia cast a nce at him, only to find that his white shirt was saturated by scarlet blood


    partly.


    "Are you alright?"


    Lucia quailed at the bloody shirt but she still rushed to fetch the first-aid fit with dy.


    However, when she ripped his shirt she found that the wound was dressed but the bandage was


    drenched with blood.


    August was going to sit up to facilitate her operation but Lucia held her shoulder down.


    "Just sit properly, I''ll do it for you."


    She uttered in a serious tone.


    She was just afraid that the wound would open up and bleed again.


    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    August fell silent.


    He looked at Lucia¡¯s face with his dark staring eyes.


    Finally, he sat back.


    Lucia then cut the bandage with scissors with great attention.


    As the bandage was removed, the wound stuck out before her eyes and there was blood oozing out,


    which looked really scary.


    Lucia tried everything to regain control of her trembling hands so that she could bathe the cut with


    antiseptic and put on anew bandage on it.


    Lucia sighed with relief when everything was done.


    But she was curious about how did hee by that wound on his arm.


    "How did you get your arm hurt?"


    She asked without any hesitation.


    "And why not go to the hospital by yourself?"


    "I''m thirsty."


    August simply just deflected her questions and looked up at her with a ghastly white face.


    Lucia was rendered speechless.


    Eyeball to eyeball, they two stared at each other.


    Ultimately, Lucia gave in with a wordless sigh and got a ss of water for him.


    "Thank you."


    August took the ss of water Lucia offered him and expressed his thanks in a knowing manner.


    His eyebrows finally rxed.


    Saying nothing about it, Lucia turned on her heels leaving him alone behind, at this time, a voice came


    behind her and stopped her.


    "Just so you know, I have to stay the night here."


    "What?!"


    Lucia got vexed instantly.


    "August, I have to make it clear to you that this is my home, you can''te and stay at my home at will


    cuz you are just my superior at work."


    Her words didn''t irk August, instead, he produced a smile with his eyes screwed up.


    "Have you ever thought about how I got into your apartment?"


    Lucia was caught stupified by his question.


    August had got into her home several times and he entered here every time without her key...


    "Did you steal my key and make a replica?"


    "Am I such an immoral man?"


    Saying that he stood up slowly and walked toward her.


    Lucia stepped back subconsciously as he got close to her gradually.


    "Then how did you get in?"


    August was amused by Lucia¡¯s reaction.


    "Because I''m the owner of the apartment you lived in now."


    He leaned forward and whispered in her ear.


    "What?!"


    "That''s impossible!"


    Lucia''s eyes widened as she heard what he had said.


    "You think it''s impossible?"


    August spoke in a slow drawl.


    "How could you believe that you can rent such a fine apartment with a ridiculously low price?"


    Lucia was silenced by his stinging question in a minute.


    It stood to reason that it was absolutely impossible to lease the apartment with at a low price...

 Chapter 331

    Chapter 331


    Chapter 331 Cross The Rubicon


    After a while, Lucia was out of her trance.


    "Are you serious? You are thendlord of this apartment?" She asked again in disbelief to confirm it.


    "Yeah."


    Raising his brows, August answered inadvertently.


    Lucia felt that it was hard for her to ept the fact that the apartment she had lived in for months was


    his property literally...


    And, she couldn''t help wondering the reason why he leased his apartment to her at an unusually cheap


    price.


    Could it be possible that he had some ulterior motive for that? The thought struck her great and she


    took a step back immediately.


    "Do...do you have any ulterior motive for leasing me your apartment?" She asked him vigntly.


    August snorted at her words and got further close to her.


    "Tell me, do you think you are worthy of any special intention of me?"


    Are you a raving beauty? Do you have a terrific figure? Or you are richer than me?"


    A volley of questions from him choked her words for a long time.


    Speech after a long silence.


    "If so, why you ..."


    Lucia spoke passionately.


    "Just because I was ashamed and uneasy of myself.It was just a little favor, you don''t have to take it


    seriously."


    August, saying,id a nce at her swiftly.


    With aplete somersault of her heart, Lucia tasted the bitterness in his words when she got his


    words straight.


    he meant referred to when they had just gotten divorced.


    Lucia breathed deeply in order to hold the negative emotion hanging in her mind back.


    "How...how did you get hurt?"


    She made an attempt to disguise her unease by changing the topic.


    "Why did youe to my home again?"


    "Never mind, I''m fine with it." Said August with studied understatement while he was clearing away the


    bloody bandage.


    "And the reason why I came here today was that grandma was at home, I don''t want her to be worried


    about me."


    "But why you don''t go to the hospital?"


    Lucia blurted out.


    After speaking, she realized that her question was too blunt to be polite.


    Before she could say more, August, moving his lips and lifting his eyebrows, said with a smile flickering


    on the corner of his mouth, "I''m the owner of the apartment, so it is eptable for me toe here in


    an emergency, right?"


    His excuse left Lucia dumbfounded, which made her find no words to retort him.He was right, she could


    not rouse thendlord out when he was injured.


    While Lucia was still sinking in thought, August made it straight toward her bedroom.


    When she came to her sense, he had already been in the doorway of her bedroom and was about to


    enter.


    "Wait!"


    She stopped him hurriedly.


    "What are you gonna do in my bedroom?"


    None of thendlords was allowed to enter the bedroom of the tenant without permission! However,


    August simply ignored her cry of anger and opened the door anyway.


    "What''s the matter with you?!"


    Lucia pounced on him and gripped his wrist.She gazed at him in disbelief.


    "Are you going to break into a woman''s bedroom?"


    August hooked his lips.


    "Maybe you are d to see me naked."


    And he even raised his bare left arm as he said.His shirt was in shatters now because she had torn it


    apart so that she could treat his wound easily.He now looked funny for he was actually in rags.


    Hesitating for seconds, Lucia added again, "But I don''t have any clothes to fit you."


    If he was going to leave her no choice and willing to dress like a woman, then so be it.


    Against her expectation, August wore a smile surprisingly with her brows raising.


    "Who told you so?"


    When she was still in a daze, August had already entered her bedroom.


    He opened the closet naturally and took out a men''s shirt from a secretpartment in the closet.


    The shirt was brand new even with the price tag on it.


    Lucia stared at him again, unable to believe what she saw.


    "How...how could you...?" She said in broken ents.


    "I have told you.This is my apartment.So, it''s logical for my belongings to be here."


    August answered as a matter of course.


    Then, he lifted her right hand to unbutton his shirt as he said.


    "So, are you gonna see my naked body?"


    He looked up at her with a meaningful smile.


    Hearing his words, Lucia felt her cheeks flush red instantly.


    Turning around, she walked out of the bedroom quickly and mmed the door shut behind her.Her


    cheeks still burned with embarrassment even after she was out of the bedroom.


    Soon, the door was opened and August walked out of the room.He had put on the new shirt, looking


    clean and neat without any sign of mess.


    Catching sight of him, Lucia affected a calmness she did not feel.She nned to ask him when he was


    going to leave her home.


    However, August beat her to speak, "Why did you pack your suitcase? Where are you gonna go?"


    She got nervous at his words.


    Following his gaze, she could see her suitcase lying beside her bed and there was a stack of folded


    clothes on the bed.She didn''t know how to exin it to him.She was packing her luggage this morning,


    after all, two days of the three days they had agreed had passed, and it was time to pack her suitcase.


    But she didn''t expect that August woulde here surprisingly...


    Lucia was having her heart in her boots.


    Suddenly, a perfect excuse shed through her mind.


    Heaving deeply, she pretended that nothing had happened and said studied calmness, "Nothing


    special, my father is about to be discharged from the hospital.I''m going to go home for several days to


    look after him."


    Her words convinced August and dissipated the doubts haunting him.He then gave a little cough to


    attract her attention, "I''ve been very busy recently, but I''ll go to visit Mr.Mitchell a few dayster."


    Lucia nodded her acknowledgment though there was a hint of hesitation crossing her mind as he said.


    At this moment, August''s phone rang abruptly.He pulled his phone out of his shirt pocket, nced at


    the screen, and put it back without answering.


    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    Then, he swiveled around to take his suit jacket and said to Lucia, "It''s gettingte, I gotta go."


    She almost couldn''t conceal her relief when she heard that.


    "Ok, I''ll see you off."


    Saying that she walked quickly toward the door and opened it for him.


    August followed toward the door.


    Before he stepped out the threshold, he suddenly halted and looked back at her as if he had got


    something more to say to her.


    In the end, he opened his mouth.


    "Lucia, if you really don''t want to work in mypany, I''ll let you go as long as you sign the


    endorsement contract with Jonathan ck sessfully, or I could arrange other work you like for you."


    Lucia was shocked a little bit by his words.


    "Well, I see, thank you."


    Her face lit up with a smile.


    Witnessing August step away, Lucia closed the door and heaved a sigh of relief.


    It turned out that August had known that she didn''t want to work at Lion Group, However, he didn''t


    know that what she really wanted was leaving Austos City forever...


    A mood of mncholy descended on her as she thought.


    Atst, it was the unfinished contract that jolted her out of sentiment.


    Tomorrow was the deadline for signing the contract with Jonathan ck! She should even not think


    about leaving if she couldn''t carry it through on time! I Nol! She has to achieve it! She has to find a way


    to make Jonathan ck sign the contract! But, how?! Suddenly, a face struck Lucia and an idea came


    to her mind.


    Her eyes were shining as she made a call.


    There was no going back! Tomorrow she will cross the Rubicon and get the contract signed!

 Chapter 332

    Chapter 332


    Chapter 332 You''re The First Woman


    Lucia woke up early in the morning the next day.


    The sun had just shed its glory on earth.


    Lucia prepared everything she needed and headed out.She went to Is zoom Movie Studio by car.She


    had checked Jonathan''s itinerary in advance and she knew that he needed to participate in a shooting


    this afternoon.


    Therefore, she arrived early and waited.She had been Jonathan''s temporary assistant, and many crew


    members knew her.


    Perhaps it was why she was admitted even without a pass.


    She rambled around the filming site and didn''t find Jonathan.


    After she asked a crew member, she knew that Jonathan''s y began at three in the afternoon.


    But he would arrive at the makeup room in advance.


    Lucia walked to the makeup room.


    She didn''t see Jonathan after waiting for a long time in the corridor.


    Just as she was to text him, she suddenly saw a row of people rushing over.


    The head of them was Jonathan''s agent, Suecy.


    Behind her, it was Jonathan.


    The followings were Jonathan''s assistant, bodyguards, and dresser.


    Jonathan was in the most eye-catching position.


    Seucy caught sight of Lucia at first nce as Lucia was standing in the corridor.


    She wrinkled and asked, "You again?"


    Lucia smiled at Jonathan and said, "I''m here for Mr.ck.


    I have something very important to discuss with Mr.ck."


    Hearing this, Suecy darkened her face.


    As she was to wave her hand to let the bodyguards take Lucia away, Jonathan suddenly said, "Wait."


    Suecy wanted to refuse.


    "Jonathan, you need to shootter..."


    "It''s alright.I can be ready for the shooting after changing my dress.I need to talk to her.Let her in my


    makeup room."


    Though Seucy was reluctant, she didn''t refuse.


    Lucia was delighted.She entered the makeup room after the dresser entered.


    Jonathan sat on the chair after entering the room.


    He closed his eyes and allowed the dresser to do the final makeup,pletely ignoring Lucia.


    After the dresser was done, he waved his hand and said, "Okay, you I may leave."


    The dresser nodded and left.


    After the door was closed, Jonathan and Lucia were in the room , alone.


    The man rotated his chair and turned to Lucia.He narrowed his eyes and said smilingly, "Miss me so


    much? So eager to see me?"


    Lucia felt that she had goosebumps all over her body.She tried to maintain a natural expression and


    stood up.She was approaching him.


    Standing right in front of him, she said seriously, "Jonathan ck, I came today to negotiate with you."


    Hearing this, the man seemed to be amused.He leaned against the seatfortably and said


    carelessly, "Negotiate about what? You got any bargaining chip?"


    Lucia chuckled and took out a stack of photos from her bag.She ced the photos on the desk in front


    of Jonathan.


    The man narrowed his eyes.


    He cast a nce at the photos and asked hesitantly, "What is it?"


    These were all snaps of the two of them in the troupe, in the racing club...


    They were the same photos August showed Lucia.


    Lucia unhurriedly exined, "These are photos of two of us from the paparazzi.Mr.ck, say, with


    these suspicious photos, can I be granted the title of your gossip girlfriend?"


    Jonathan darkened his face and looked up at her.


    "You want to ckmail me with these?"


    Lucia sat on the chair beside Jonathan and chuckled.


    "I don''t think I''m ckmailing you.However, if these photos were seen by Adeline Jones, I think you


    might face a bigger problem than my ckmail."


    The name "Adeline Jones" made Jonathan keep a straighter face.


    He showed a quick shock in his eyes, which was soon reced with anger.


    Jonathan''s expression made Lucia more confident.She had doubts after seeing Jonathan quarreling


    with Adeline.


    Jonathan''s reaction to her words confirmed her guess that there was something fishy between him and


    Adeline.


    Jonathan said without his usual yfulness.


    "Lucia Mitchell, what do you want?"


    R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only


    Lucia smiled.She took out the contract from her bag and ced it in front of Jonathan.


    "I know you actually want to sign the contract.But you''ve been tantalizing me all these days.And I can''t


    wait.As long as you sign it, I promise that I won''t say a single unnecessary word, or do anything


    unnecessary."


    Jonathan looked at Lucia frowningly for a long time.


    Secondster, heughed aloud.


    "You really think your ckmail would work? I''m not the one to be afraid.But you."


    He stood up abruptly and approached Lucia.He looked down at him and said, "Even though these


    photos were exposed, they would only result in another box news for me.However, you''re different.My


    fans will hunt you down and show you what cyber-violence is.See? Who is in the direr situation now?"


    Hearing this, Lucia felt uneasy.


    However, she soon took a deep breath to calm herself down and took out her phone.She clicked open


    the chat interface with the editor-in-chief of a famous entertainment magazine.She showed the screen


    to Jonathan.She had drafted words and photos that needed to be sent.


    "Cyber-violence? Famous or infamous, they are all famous.The inte wouldn''t care about that


    much.I want to be famous once.Being discussed alongside the famous actor Jonathan ck, oh, I


    don''t think I have much to lose.However, about you, what would happen in the talent agency you


    belong to, and what would happen to Adeline and what would she do...I can''t think that much."


    Saying, she jumped her fingers on the screen, and continued, "Jonathan, a single click of my fingers on


    the screen would lead this matter to the unknown..."


    Seeing this, Jonathan lost all hisposure.He eyed Lucia''s finger and said coldly, "Stop!"


    Seeing this, Lucia knew that he was convinced.She pointed at the contract with her chin.


    "So, the contract, sign it or not?"


    Jonathan took a step back.He looked at Lucia and then at the contract.


    After hesitation, he finally picked up a pen and signed his name on the paper.


    After all these, Jonathan looked at her.


    Secondster, he produced a sneering smile and taunted, "Lucia Mitchell, you''re risking so much for


    August."


    Hearing his words, Lucia''s heart skipped a beat.


    But she denied his words seriously, "I never did anything for him.I did it for myself."


    Jonathan was confused.


    "If you need money, you can tell me.What we did just now is not necessary."


    "I didn''t do this for money.I did it for my freedom"


    Saying, Lucia pushed her phone in front of Jonathan and put contracts in duplicate into her bag.


    "You can delete the photos as you like.I didn''t leave a backup."


    Hearing this, Jonathan produced a mocking smile.He flipped through the photos but deleted none of


    them.


    Unexpectedly, he approached her and whispered in her ears, "Lucia, you''re the first woman who made


    me admit my failure.


    You''re good."


    Then, he straightened up and strode towards the door.


    After he mmed the door shut, Lucia was alone in the room.


    She took a long breath and cast the documents into her bag.Her taut body was finally at ease.

 Chapter 333

    Chapter 333


    Chapter 333 Jeanne''s scheming


    The contract was her trump card.


    With it, she could resign and escape from August, far away.


    Lucia carefully put the contracts in her bag.


    Then, she directly left Iszoom.She was taking bold and risky actions this day.She called Burton and


    attained the photos.


    Then, she threatened Jonathan.


    Any mistakes would doom her.


    Luckily, everything seed as she had wished.


    Contract in her bag, she went back to her office directly.She then drafted an application for resignation


    and signed her name on it.She put the application along with the contracts in a document envelope.


    After sealing the envelope, she handed it to Emma "Emma, please hand this envelope to Mr.Adams


    tomorrow afternoon.Do send it in the afternoon.I am busy tomorrow, and I won''te to the office."


    Emma was confused and asked, "Why afternoon?"


    Lucia took a deep breath.


    Inplicated feeling, she answered, "Because it would be the best time.I''ll count on you."


    Her flight was in the afternoon.


    She had to make sure that she had boarded the ne by the time August received the documents.


    It was the safest arrangement.


    Although Emma was still a little confused, she nodded and agreed.


    After settling down everything in the office, Lucia felt rxed.


    She left thepany right at the clock-out time and went directly to the hospital.


    She had told Paul that she was leaving in next day''s afternoon.


    After the contract was signed and official business were all settled down, she had only Bill and Elisa to


    worry about.


    She asked tentatively about whether they wanted to leave Austos City.


    However, they had made up their mind to stay.


    How could she force them to leave the city? In the hospital, she had dinner with her parents.


    Lucia stood by the bed and messaged Bill''s shoulder and listened to Elisa talking about the funny


    things that happened in the hospital.


    Before Lucia knew it, they had been chatting for an hour.


    Lucia looked at the clock and felt depressed.


    She finally said, "Dad, mom.There is one thing that I didn''t tell you..."


    Bill turned to her and asked, "What is it?"


    "I need to go abroad for a while."


    Lucia braced herself up and said, "I want to see the outside world and broaden my horizon.You can


    take it as a study tour."


    Hearing this, Bill and Elisa both looked serious.


    Elisa asked first, "Why are you going abroad all of a sudden? Our country is good.Besides, your dad


    and I won''t be against you if you want to travel around."


    Lucia bit her lips and said, "I want to have a look at the outside world.Just for a while..."


    She had told Paul that she would hide from August for a while in a foreignnd.


    It was the safest for her baby.


    She couldn''t imagine what would August do if he knew about her pregnancy.


    Elisa didn''t want her daughter to leave.


    As she wanted to continue to persuade Lucia, Bill raised his hand and stopped her.


    "I agree with Lucia.Lucia, you''re still young.You should go out and see the bigger world..."


    Hearing this, Elisa widened her eyes, obviously disagreeing with Bill''s opinion.


    "That''s not..."


    Bill shook his head and mentioned his wife to stop.He slightly turned to Elisa and patted Lucia¡¯s hands


    which were ced on his shoulders.He said gently, "Lucia, dad supports you.But, if you ever have any


    difficulties, you gotta tell dad."


    Hearing this, Lucia felt a lump in her throat and tears almost welled out.She had spected about their


    attitude towards her going abroad.She wasn''t sure when she would return home.


    After all, in her womb, a little new life was growing.She bit her lips and tried to keep her


    countenance.She took a deep breath and said, "Dad, mom.Don''t worry.I''ll take good care of myself,


    definitely..."


    After a short silence, Bill said seriously and sincerely, "Good.Don''t suffer grievance of any kind out


    there..."


    Elisa heaved a sigh and muttered, "You''re doing great at home.Why do you have to go abroad..."


    Suddenly, the door of the ward was pushed open.


    A tall figure appeared at the door.


    The three of them all looked towards the door and found Paul, panting and anxious.


    They were all confused by Paul''s sudden appearance.


    Elisa asked, "Paul, you are..."


    Paul took a deep breath to calm himself down.


    Then, he looked at Lucia.


    "Beg my pardon, Mr.and Mrs.Mitchell.I came for Lucia.There is something I need to talk to her."


    Lucia was also surprised.


    After all, she had known Paul for so long and it was the first time she had seen him in such fluster.


    Looking at Bill and Elisa, Lucia said, "Dad, mom, I''ll go out for a minute."


    Bill nodded.


    "Go ahead."


    Lucia stepped out of the ward and closed the door.She then asked, "Paul, what is it? What happened?"


    Paul held her wrist and led her aside.


    "Follow me."


    Lucia felt his nervousness and was also uneasy.


    Paul didn''t let her wrist go until they reached an exit passageway at the corner of the building.


    Lucia took a deep breath.


    She felt more nervous and confused.


    "Paul, what on earth happened?"


    Paul lowered his voice and answered, "I found something.It''s about the motorcycle ident that


    happened the other day."


    Lucia was stunned.She wanted to say something but her tongue twisted.


    Paul took a step forward and said in a lower voice, "That''s no ident.Someone is behind all these."


    Hearing Paul''s words, what happened that day when she was in the middle of the road urred to her.


    At that time, she turned and saw the motorcycle elerating anding right toward her.


    That motorcycle didn''t slow down a bit.


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    Apparently, she was aimed at by the driver.


    Lucia unconsciously shuddered in fright.


    She gritted her teeth and asked, "Who was that?"


    Paul answered, "I asked my man to check the surveince record.The man on the motorbike met a


    man named Mark Page before he tried to hit you.This Mark man is one of Jeanne''s bodyguards."


    Hearing this, Lucia shuddered violently as if she was suffering from an electric shock.


    Unrted details suddenly all became rted.


    Would it...all be Jeanne''s scheme? Lucia said with a shaky voice, "But she was also the one who


    saved me..."


    Paul pondered for a while and asked, "At the ident, was August present?"


    His words enlightened Lucia.


    The motorbike wanted to run over her in the first ce.


    And Jeanne rushed over to save her because she saw August.


    However, why would Jeanne find a hitman? Jeanne had had an engagement with August, which made


    Lucia not a threat to her anymore.


    Unless Jeanne knew that she was pregnant!

 Chapter 334

    Chapter 334


    Chapter 334 Don''t Judge a Book By its Cover


    The terrifying thought shed in Lucia''s mind.


    The next second, she felt she got goosebumps all over her body.


    Fear arose from deep down.


    If her guess was correct, the target of the bike that Jeanne had sent wasn''t just to destroy her, but to kill


    the baby in her womb as well.


    To Lucia, Jeanne had always been a kind and generous woman.She didn''t expect her to be so...


    Paul could tell that there was something on Lucia''s mind, so he called her quietly, "Lucia, are you


    alright?"


    Lucia quickly came back to her senses.She didn''t know when, but her hands had turned ice cold.She


    raised her head and looked at Paul.


    A mixture of feelings arose in her heart.


    "Was it...really her?"


    Paul hesitated for a moment and looked as if he didn''t want to tell her the truth.


    However, after a short pause, he took out his phone from his pocket, disyed the message and


    showed it to Lucia.


    "This is what my men found from the street surveince near Lion Group.Mark had a short


    conversation with the man on the bike.Just over an hourter, you were injured.I ordered someone to


    track the man on the bike, but he seemed to have disappeared."


    Lucia raised her head and looked at the man wearing the helmet on the picture.It was indeed the man


    who had run her over that day with the bike.


    The man next to him looked a little familiar.


    Lucia had a feeling she seemed to have seen him somewhere.


    Lucia took a deep breath to calm herself down.She suddenly remembered that she had seen the man


    on Jeanne''s wedding.


    The man was organizing the waiters to change the fruit tes.


    This meant that he really was on the same side as Jeanne.


    Thest bit of hesitation disappeared from Lucia¡¯s heart.She bit her lips hard and identally bit too


    hard.


    A faint taste of blood appeared in her mouth.


    This was when Lucia realized that she shouldn''t judge a book by its cover.


    She had always thought Jeanne was a kind and generous person, but she didn''t expect Jeanne to


    actually have such a scheming side to her.


    Lucia subconsciously tightened her fists and took a deep breath.She raised her head and looked at


    Paul.


    "Paul, can you do me a favor?"


    "What is it?" asked Paul.


    "Don''t tell anyone about this, not even August."


    Lucia knew that if she told August about this, he wouldn''t believe her and would also think that she was


    deliberately trying to turn Jeanne and him against each other.


    Besides, Lucia would be leaving the following day.She wanted to keep these things a secret and never


    wanted to bring them up again.


    Paul furrowed his brows and there was a short pause.He then asked, "Don''t you want justice to be


    served? She wanted to kill you and the child in your womb..."


    "I know!"


    Lucia suddenly raised her voice and interrupted Paul.She tried to be as calm as possible and said


    slowly, "I know she wants to set me up, but I can''t be going against her.You know that I''m out of time..."


    If things becameplicated, then August would know about the child Lucia was carrying.


    By then, she wouldn''t possibly have the chance to get away from Austos City.


    Paul was at a loss for words when he heard what Lucia said.


    Lucia fell silent for a while.She clenched her fists and then gritted her teeth.She raised her head to look


    at Paul and said, "I''m leaving tomorrow, so I don''t want things to get out of hand.Paul, let''s forget about


    what happened, alright?"


    Paul''s eyes darkened and after a short pause, he nodded.


    "Alright, have it your way.But if she dares to do anything to harm you again, I won''t let her get away


    with it."


    After hearing those words, Lucia felt warmth in her heart.She looked at the man in front of her with


    eyes full of gratitude subconsciously.


    By the time they arrived back in the ward, both Bill and Elisa had a nervous looks on their faces.


    When they saw Lucia, they asked, "Lucia, what happened?"


    "Nothing."


    Lucia tried to look lively and smiled at the two of them.


    "There''s nothing to worry about."


    It took Lucia quite a long time tofort the two of them and make them feel more at ease.


    On the way back from the hospital, all Lucia could think of were the memories of the times when she


    was with August.


    At first she was a little reluctant to let go, but when she thought of all the things that Jeanne did to her,


    all of that disappeared.


    All that was left was the determination to leave.


    This time, no matter what, Lucia was determined to leave August.


    Only then, would she be away from danger.


    Only then, would she and the baby in her womb be safe.


    On the morning of the next day, Lucia was awake very early.She packed the things that she was going


    to take with her.She then contacted the movingpany to move everything back to the house where


    she used to live.


    After that, Lucia headed to the hospital to say goodbye to Bill and Elisa.


    Elisa still found it hard to ept the fact that Lucia was leaving, so she said, "Lucia, can''t you stay?"


    Lucia smiled at Elisa and said,"Don''t worry, Mom, I''ll be back soon."


    As soon as Elisa heard those words, her eyes turned red.


    She wiped the tears from her eyes.


    "Don''t even think about lying to me.Your father has already told me everything.You''ve even made


    contact with the local schools over there.There''s no telling how long you''re going to stay there before


    youe back!"


    Seeing Elisa in such a state, Lucia felt a little upset.


    Tears began to well up in her eyes.She turned and looked at Bill, who was sitting on the bed.


    Then she looked at Elisa.


    Lucia was so upset that she was at a loss for words.


    The truth was that Lucia didn''t want to leave either.


    She wanted to stay in Austos City, but she wasn''t left with any choice right now.


    She wanted to keep her child safe, so she must leave Austos City and go a ce where both August


    and Jeanne couldn''t find her.


    Finally, Bill couldn''t help but say, "Alright, enough crying.Our daughter''s only headed abroad for a


    while.She isn''t getting married.What would others think when they see you in such a state?"


    After hearing those words, Elisa wiped away the tears on her face and kept quiet.


    Lucia bit her lip and took a deep breath.


    Then she looked at her parents and said slowly, "Mom, Dad, you don''t have to worry.I''ll take care of


    myself."


    Only after Lucia made a few more promises did Lucia say goodbye to her parents and walk out of the


    ward.


    As soon as she closed the door, she felt tears welling up in her eyes uncontrobly.


    Lucia only managed to calm herself back down when she walked out of the hospital.She took out her


    phone and looked at the time.


    When she saw the text that Paul had sent her, she subconsciously opened it.


    "Lucia, I''ve got some things to deal with at thepany.I''d probably need another hour.I''ll go pick you


    up in an hour."


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    Lucia quickly tapped on the screen and sent a reply.


    "Okay, I''ll wait for you."


    As she tapped on the send button, she breathed a sigh of relief.


    Lucia hailed a taxi and went back to her apartment to pick up her luggage.


    When Lucia pushed open the door and looked at the empty room, she suddenly something was


    missing.


    This apartment held a lot of her memories.


    An hour passed very quickly.


    When Lucia received the message that Paul sent her, she took a deep breath and walked out of the


    door.


    She took onest look at her apartment before she closed the door.


    Finally, she let go of everything and sighed lightly.


    She ced the key on the table in the hallway and left with her suitcase.


    To her, leaving this ce would be kind of a farewell.


    Her past with August woulde to an end from this moment onwards.

 Chapter 335

    Chapter 335


    Chapter 335 Final Two Hours


    When she came out of the district, Lucia walked to the road with her suitcase and waited for Paul to


    arrive.


    After waiting for a while, Paul was nowhere to be seen.


    Lucia was hesitant to make a phone call to ask, when a ck car drove towards her.


    The car pulled over in front of her, the window was rolled down and Lucia saw apletely unfamiliar


    face.


    The man in the driver''s seat was the first to ask.


    "Excuse me, are you Ms.Mitchell?"


    Lucia nodded somewhat hesitantly.


    "I am, is there something wrong?"


    The man exined without haste, "There was a situation at thepany, Mr.Thomas is busy dealing


    with it, so he asked me toe and pick you up first..."


    Lucia hesitated for a moment, nced at the watch on her wrist, saw that time was gettingte, and the


    said, "Okay."


    The man in the car smiled and immediately got out, took the suitcase in Lucia''s hand and put it in the


    trunk.


    Lucia looked at her phone and was hesitant to send a message to Paul to ask about this car when the


    driver opened the car door for her and gave her a "please" gesture.


    Lucia could not dy any longer, so she smiled at the driver and bent down to get into the car.


    After getting into the car, she raised her eyes to look at the driver sitting in the front seat, took a deep


    breath and asked, "Are you the new driver? Howe I haven''t seen you before?"


    The driver smiled and said, "I''m not new, I was mainly responsible for thepany''s side of things, so


    it''s normal that you haven''t seen me before."


    Just as the car drove to the intersection, stopping for the traffic lights, the driver took out a bottle of


    water from the side and turned his head to hand it to Lucia.


    "Here, have some water."


    Lucia took it with a smile and politely replied, "Thank you."


    But at this time, her right eyelid "suddenly" jumped twice, instantly, a strange feeling of unease surged


    to her heart, she subconsciously raised her eyes to look at the driver, could not help but pick up the


    phone next to her, sent a message to Paul.


    "Paul, are you still busy?"


    A few minutester, her phone sounded.


    It was the sound of the receipt of a new text message.


    Lucia picked up her phone and looked at the message Paul sent to her.


    "I''m on my way, are you downstairs yet?"


    The moment she saw this line, Lucia''s heart skipped a beat, and quickly looked at the driver in the front


    row.She was just about to say something when she smelled a strange fragrance in the car.


    She subconsciously frowned, before she had time to speak, she began to feel dizzy, and a few


    secondster, she cked out.


    Her body went limp, and she was caught off guard and fell on the back seat.


    The driver sitting in the front row raised his eyes, through the car rearview mirror, he could see what


    was happening in the backseat, see people fall down.


    When he saw that Lucia had fainted, he smiled, stepped on the gas.


    Then at the next intersection, he turned around and drove to the east of Austos City...


    At the Lion Group.


    Unknowingly, it was already afternoon, Emma followed Lucia''s instructions, picked up that file and went


    directly to the president''s office.


    When she arrived at the president''s office, she saw that there was no one around, so she had to walk


    to the door of the president''s office and knock.


    No one responded to the knocking.


    There was no sound in the room.


    She was about to raise her hand and knock a second time when a series of footsteps suddenly came


    from behind her, followed by Mary''s voice, "What''s the matter?"


    Emma was startled, subconsciously turned around, and when she saw Mary standing two meters


    away, she was a little nervous, "Mary, is Ms.Mitchell not in her office? I have a file to give to her."


    Mary smiled, nced at the file in Emma''s hand.


    She didn''t think too much and said indifferently, "Ms.Mitchell is busy, and isn¡¯t in thepany.I don¡¯t


    know when she''ll be back.If there are any files you need to give to her, you can just put it on the table"


    Emma hesitated, raised her head to look at Mary and nodded.


    "Okay, then I''ll put the documents on the table."


    Only after seeing Mary nod did Emma turn around and pushed opened the president''s office door.


    She quickly walked inside and ce the file in her hand on the top of the pile of files on the table.


    After doing all this, she walked out of the office, smiled at Mary, and left the president''s office.


    When Emma went back to the administration department, she picked up her phone and sent a


    message to Lucia.


    "Lucia, the file has been delivered, don''t worry!"


    On the other hand, the message was conveyed, the phone rang and vibrated a few times, then a big


    hand reached over and took the phone.


    Next to it, the unconscious Lucia¡¯s hands and feet were tightly bound with ropes, so even if she woke


    up, she couldn''t move.


    The driver, stood outside the car and was looking at the sea not far in the distance.


    His eyes were dark, a momentter, he said into the headset, "Be quick, things are going to change."


    While the driver said that, the ce where the sea and sky meet, arge area of storm clouds were


    headed towards him like a wild beast who wanted to swallow all the darkness of the world.


    Lucia was woken up by the coldness.


    When she opened her eyes, she was instantly stunned by the sight in front of her, the rushing waves


    pounding her calves one after another.


    There was ocean in front of her and the beach was in the distance...


    Her whole body was tied to thedder of the lighthouse, the sea water submerged her feet.


    Her whole body was tied up, so she couldn''t move anything but her head.


    Lucia felt her head was short-circuited, everything seemed like a dream.


    How did she get here? Who was that driver? Did Jeanne make this arrangement? What exactly did


    they want? All sorts of questions appeared in Lucia¡¯s mind, but she couldn''t get any answers for now.


    The sea breeze and waves came alternately, which made her feel very chilly.


    If they really wanted to kill her, why didn''t they just do it? Why would they tie her up to the lighthouse?


    Lucia gritted her teeth and steeled herself to look at the beach not far away, but could not find a trace of


    hope in her heart.


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    This lighthouse was not far from the coast, but she couldn''t swim, even if she broke free from the rope,


    how could she get from the lighthouse to the coast? All thoughts of how to save herself emerged, but


    were soon overturned.


    Lucia took a deep breath, as she felt more and more helpless.


    At this moment, Lucia saw a speedboating this way, and instantly, a surge of hope came to her


    heart.


    Could it be that someone hade to her rescue? But when the speedboat slowly approached,


    Lucia''¡¯s whole body fell back into the ice cer, hope was all gone.


    The man on the speedboat, was the driver who kidnapped her.


    In addition to him, there was another man who looked like the driver''s subordinate.


    He drove the speed boat up to her.


    On the speedboat, the driver looked at Lucia and smiled sorrowfully.


    "Ms.Mitchell, how is the view of the sea?"


    Lucia''s lips were pale due to the cold.


    She tried to not tremble as much as she stared at him, "Who exactly¡­ are you?"


    "It doesn''t matter, what matters is that you want to live, and..."


    The man looked at Lucia¡¯''s belly.


    "And you want to keep the child in your womb."


    Lucia was shocked, her blood was boiling, she gritted her teeth and red at that driver.


    "You work for Jeanne, don¡¯t you?"


    The driverughed lightly and didn''t answer Lucia¡¯s question.


    He turned his head and nced at the man next to him, that man immediately understood and took out


    his phone and aimed at Lucia.


    Lucia''s body trembled with anger.


    "What the hell do you want!"


    The driver hooked his lips and smiled.


    "Ms.Mitchell, I came here to tell you that the tide has started to rise, in two hours, you will be


    submerged, these two hours, maybe yourst two hours in this world."

 Chapter 336

    Chapter 336


    Chapter 336 Life and Death


    Lucia¡¯s eyes widened in shock as she looked down at the sea.


    When she woke up just now, the sea was just above her feet, but now, it was already up to her calves.


    At this rate, two hourster, she would bepletely submerged in seawater.


    The ce where she was tied was on thedder of a lighthouse far away from shore.


    Further up thedder was safe, but with the rising tide, thedder would be submerged, and then she


    would drown.


    Realizing this terrible result, Lucia''s body felt cold, she turned her head to look at the driver and asked


    through gritted teeth, "What the hell do you want?"


    The driverughed but didn''t say anything.


    He gave a signal to his subordinate, who immediately understood and handed him the phone with the


    recorded video.


    The driver did not panic and tapped the screen, a momentter, he smiled and looked at Lucia and


    said, "You still have hope to live, I give you a chance, you can make a phone call now."


    After Lucia heard those words, she frowned, and her felt more and more puzzled and confused.


    If they really wanted her dead, then why would they give her a chance to save herself? Before Lucia


    could get her mind around things, the man had already pointed the phone screen at her.


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    "But, you can only call him."


    Lucia raised her eyes and when she saw the contact disyed on the screen, her heart skipped a beat.


    Surprisingly, it was August! She gritted her teeth and looked at the driver.


    "What the hell do you want?"


    The driver smiled and said unhurriedly, "Do you want to make the call or not? You have three minutes


    to decide for yourself, if not, then you and the little baby in your womb will both be fed to the fish."


    After hearing those words, Lucia closed her eyes in pain.


    Despair, mncholy and sentimentality all arose in her heart.She couldn''t calm down at all.She wanted


    to live, she was just nning to start a new life, but now she had to face the choice of life and death...


    "So, are you going to make the call or not?"


    Lucia gritted her teeth and said with determination, "I''ll make the call."


    Even if it''s for the sake of the child in her womb, she still had to fight to survive.


    The driver smiled, raised his hand and dialed the phone and put it to Lucia''s ear.


    As she listened to the phone ring, Lucia closed her eyes in pain.


    Suddenly, the phone was connected, a man¡¯s voice sounded on the other end of the line.


    "Hello?"


    Lucia¡¯s body trembled, took a deep breath and said, "August..."


    Lucia¡¯s throat tightened, she paused, gritted her teeth and said the rest of the words, "Help me..."


    The man on the other end obviously stalled for a moment, and soon, he spoke, "Where are you?"


    Before Lucia was able to speak, the phone had been taken away, the driver moved sharply to hang up


    the phone, and then send the video that was just taken.


    After doing all this, he looked at Lucia, his smile was cold and seeping.


    "Ms.Mitchell, you''ll have to wait alone from now on."


    He raised his chin at his men, who immediately understood, started the speedboat, and turned around.


    Lucia was startled and said in a hurry, "Don''t go!"


    They left, were they going to leave her here alone? Lucia¡¯s voice was instantly blown away by the wind.


    She struggled hard but could not break free, and could only watch the speedboat headed towards the


    coast.


    Lucia''s nose was sore, tears trickled down her face.


    Would there be someoneing to her rescue now? At the same time, on the main road of Austos


    City, a ck car suddenly braked sharply.


    The tyres screeched and it rubbed against the ground.


    August, who was on the driver¡¯s seat furrowed his brows.


    He immediately pulled the car to the side of the road and dialed the number that he had just received a


    call from.


    In a few seconds, a strange sound came from the other end of the line, and the call was hung up


    before it was connected.


    August furrowed his brows even more.


    At that moment, he suddenly received a new message.


    When he opened, he saw that it was a video.


    In the video, Lucia was tied to adder, and the waves were all around her, she looked very weak, and


    said with wide eyes, "What the hell do you want?"


    Next to her, a processed voice sounded.


    "Ms.Mitchell, I came over here to tell you that the tide has now begun to rise..."


    August''s hand which was holding the phone unconsciously tightened, his eyes abruptly sank, and the


    veins on his arm red up.


    Who on earth, dared toy hands on Lucia? Suddenly, the phone rang again and a message came.


    "It must be interesting to watch this woman die slowly."


    Instantly, August''s back stiffened, the anger at the bottom of his eyes tumbled up like a wave, and a


    cold aura radiated from his body.


    Two secondster, he started the car, stepped on the gas, and turned the car around.He headed


    towards the sea on the east side of Austos City.He knew where that lighthouse was because ten years


    ago, he almost lost his life there.


    August stepped on the gas as hard as he could, but still felt he was going too slowly.


    Suddenly, his phone rang, August pressed the answer and Joshua''s voice came from the other end of


    the line.


    "August, where are you now?"


    Changing from his usual casual tone, Joshua''s tone was a little serious.


    August furrowed his brows and said in a deep voice, "Something has happened, you guys keep to the


    n."


    Joshua paused for half a second and asked, "What''s wrong?"


    August answered, "Follow the original n, I will try to over as soon as I can."


    After saying that, August hung up.


    On one side, it was a matter of life and death, and on the other side, was an urgent matter.He couldn''t


    give up on either side.


    The best August could do now was let Joshua and Charlotte solve the matter on the other side, and


    now he must rush over to save Lucia.


    The car drove quickly to the east coastline of Austos City, August parked the car outside the beach,


    pushed the door and got out, and walked quickly towards the lighthouse.


    In the distance, he saw the shing light lighthouse, and his heart was suddenly a little dull.


    Just looking at the sea over there, made August feel like he couldn''t breathe.He clenched his fist,


    gritted his teeth, and walked quickly toward the sea.


    At this time, except for him, no one could save Lucia.


    The sky was very dark and heavy, the clouds in the sky were sinking downwards, the whole


    atmosphere was low and depressing.


    There was no one else on the beach except for August.


    August''s eyes darkened a little when he saw the cold waves hitting the beach.


    He paused for a few seconds, then took his jacket off and dived into the sea.


    The moment he was wrapped in the cold seawater, August felt like he couldn''t breathe, a sense of


    suffocation slowly arose, so he could not help but frown.


    When he felt that his body limbs slowly became weak, a voice deep in his mind sounded.


    "August, you must hold on! She is still waiting for you!"


    He gritted his teeth, plucked away the waves with his long arms and swam forward quickly.


    Lucia was still waiting for him! He must go save her! Meanwhile, over at the lighthouse, the cold


    seawater had already passed Lucia''s waist, and she was drenched in cold water.


    Looking at the dim and boundless sea in the distance, her sense of survival was growing weaker and


    weaker.


    The coolness slowly seeped into her body through the breeze and water, and she couldn''t help but


    shiver at first, untilter both legs were numb from the cold.


    The little me of hope in Lucia''s heart slowly went out as she looked at the sea which hadn''t changed


    at all.


    To Lucia, August was probably noting to save her.


    A thought like this was a like a bucket of eyes, putting out all res of hope.


    Lucia could only feel coldness in her heart...

 Chapter 337

    Chapter 337


    Chapter 337 Survival


    The gloomy sky was like a dull curtain, covering the entire sea from the end of the sight.


    The sea breeze was getting stronger and stronger, rolling up the waves like a monster, pounding hard


    on the lighthouse.


    Lucia only felt that every inch of her body was cold as ice.


    The seawater had already reached her chest, and the pressure made her feel that breathing had


    be a little difficult.


    With a strong wind, bean-sized raindrops came down.


    The wind and waves in the sea tumbled more strongly, even the speed of the tide was bing faster.


    Lucia raised her eyes to look in the direction of the coast, where it was dark, only a little light could be


    seen further down the road, but those stars of light, at such times, could not give her anyfort.


    Along with the numbness of the body, there were also nerves, Lucia''s head was getting dizzy.


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    A big wave hit her and she cked out at the impact.


    Not far away, about a nautical mile away, August was still struggling to swim forward, but slowly, with


    the onset of heavy rain at sea, his limbs felt like they were made of lead, and was bing more and


    more heavy.


    August felt that the heat in his body was slowly running out.


    His limbs werepletely mechanical paddling forward, the most horrible thing was that August felt


    that his body was beginning to control.


    He was a very good swimmer.He used to swim for more than two hours during training, but now the


    situation waspletely different.


    More importantly, he had some sort of fear for the ocean.


    Ten years ago, when August was a teenager, it was also such a rainy night, he almost died in the sea.


    Since then, he had a sense of fear for the ocean, more fear of swimming in the deep sea.


    Even after he went through all kinds of training, suffered knife wounds, was shot, he had never felt any


    fear.


    The fear of the ocean, had been a scar that he refused to face for more than a decade.


    The only people who knew about this matter were his deceased mother and Eliot, other than that, he


    hadn''t told anyone.


    And now, in the cold seawater, wrapped by the wind and waves, the rain kept smashing into him, the


    fear of dying more than a decade ago all came back.


    He took a deep breath and raised his eyes to look at the lighthouse not far ahead.


    He kept on telling himself to go faster and faster, but his throat felt like it was strangled by an invisible


    hand, and was bing more and more ufortable.


    Suddenly, his limbs became stiff.He could no longer move them and his body sank like a stone.


    The moment the whole body was submerged in seawater, the world seemed to be quiet, that moment,


    images suddenly appeared in August''s mind.


    The woman, she wasughing, crying, cute, sad, all kinds of images appeared like a film.


    The urge to survive became stronger than ever at that moment.


    August gritted his teeth and tried his best to move his muscles to swim slowly forward.


    There wasn''t much left to go.


    He would soon reach her! The light on the lighthouse flickered, slowly, closer and closer, closer and


    closer, finally, he got close to the lighthouse and saw that there was no one on the nearestdder.


    Lucia¡¯s figure was nowhere to be seen.


    His heart skipped a beat, something boomed between his ears, and he gritted his teeth and continued


    to swim around the lighthouse.


    Only when he reached the other end of the lighthouse did he see Lucia tied to thedder.


    The seawater had reached her chin, and she waspletely unconscious and delirious.


    August frowned and immediately swam over with faster movements, reaching out to grab thedder


    and called out, "Lucia! Wake up!"


    He took out his Army knife at his waist and dived into the seawater, cutting the rope tied between


    Lucia''s ankles.


    All the ropes were cut off, August put her behind his back, struggled to climb up thedder, and put


    Lucia on the only ce of the lighthouse where they could stand.


    The surrounding waves were like man-eating beasts that wanted to mess up the entire lighthouse into


    its belly.


    August quickly checked Lucia¡¯s breathing.


    When he found out that Lucia was still breathing, August breathed a sigh of relief.


    He reached out his hand and touched her extremely cold body.


    The temperature made him frown again.


    This was definitely not going to cut it, the lighthouse was definitely not a ce to stay for the long run.


    If they spent the night here, they would die of hypothermia even if they didn''t drown.


    August frowned, he was desperate.He stretched out his hand, mechanically rubbed Lucia¡¯s arms, to


    help her restore some body temperature while he turned his head around to find anything useful.


    This lighthouse wasn''trge.


    It was only to y a role in escorting the nearby fishing boats to find their way back.


    Everything was kept as simple as possible.


    There weren''t even any first aid supplies.


    August stood up, walked around and saw the life ring hanging above the lighthouse.


    With that, he was filled with hope again.


    He immediately went up and climbed up a smalldder and took down the life ring and a rope was


    hanging from it.


    At this time, he could only rely on this to bring Lucia to shore, only then, the two of them would be


    saved.


    He tied one end of the rope to Lucia''s waist, the other end tied to his own waist, and wrapped the rope


    around the life ring once more.


    After all this, he put the lifebuoy on Lucia, and then pushed her into the sea.


    Because of the buoyancy assistance of the lifebuoy, Lucia''s body didn¡¯t sink.


    This meant that as long as August fought to swim forward, while pulling the rope, you could drag Lucia


    closer to the shore.


    However, whether he could sessfully swim from where he was to the shore was another issue.


    August raised his eyes and looked at the ck churning sea in front of him, his heart unconsciously


    became nervous, a dull invisible pressure enveloped his heart, so he breathed a little harder.


    No! He couldn''t be afraid! Once the thought of fear grew in his heart, then he would definitely not be


    able to swim to the shore! August gritted his teeth, turned to look at the unconscious Lucia next to him,


    and suddenly reached out to hold her hand.


    "Don''t worry, I''ll definitely take you to shore!"


    The unconscious woman did not respond, but a force that he couldn''t really exin was actually giving


    him strength.


    He took a deep breath, jumped into the sea, and swam forward with great effort, pulling Lucia closer to


    the coast while swimming.


    Due to the fact that August was pulling Lucia behind him, his speed was much slower than his way to


    the lighthouse.


    He not only had to swim forward with great effort, but he also had to pull Lucia with him.


    The fear of the unknown came over him, August''s body was already cold and kept shivering, but with


    thest bit of perseverance deep in his mind, helped him fight till the end! When he struggled to climb


    back ashore, hisst ounce of strength was exhausted, he dragged Lucia to shore, his limbs were


    completely numb and stiff.


    He held on to hisst breath, dragged Lucia to the beach away from the tide, and when he got up


    again, his legs went limp.


    Then, as if covered by a ck cloth, August cked out, lost bnce, fell on the ground and lost his


    consciousness.

 Chapter 338

    Chapter 338


    Chapter 338 Surviving


    Lucia felt like she had a long dream in which she was in an endless sea without any signs of hope.


    Suddenly, a strong wind created big waves and she was instantly submerged...


    "No!"


    Lucia screamed, opening her eyes.


    All she could see was the white ceiling.She gasped like a beached fish and her forehead and back


    were already wet with sweat.


    "Lucia!" said an anxious, familiar male voice.


    Then Paul appeared with a glint of excitement in his eyes.


    "Lucia, you''re awake!"


    Lucia took a deep breath and regained consciousness.


    "Where am I?"


    Paul answered immediately, "In the hospital.You''ve been kidnapped and frightened.You got a cold and


    had a high fever all night.It only broke this morning."


    Lucia looked around and came to her senses.


    The whole room was white.It was indeed a ward.


    Lucia couldn''t remember how she had been saved yesterday.Her throat felt dry as soon as she opened


    her mouth.She frowned and Paul handed her a ss of warm water.


    "Drink some water."


    Lucia nodded and felt better after finishing it in one gulp.


    "What happened to me?" Paul frowned.


    "You''ve been kidnapped.I got a message from the kidnappers and went to the beach to look for you


    yesterday.You were cold when I found you.I was so scared."


    "Kidnapped?"


    "Yeah, they asked for 200,000 dors.


    I gave the money to them and they sent me your location, so I headed there right away."


    Lucia took a deep breath and recalled the face of the driver yesterday.


    If she had really been kidnapped, how could the driver have known she was pregnant and told her to


    call August for help? The kidnappers must have wanted something other than money.


    All the details didn''t add up.She took a deep breath, bit her lip, and asked Paul seriously, "Did you see


    anyone else on the beach yesterday?"


    Paul shook his head and answered, "No."


    For some reason, Lucia was a little disappointed.She had expected August to save her.


    To her surprise, it was Paul who ended up saving her from the kidnappers.She looked up at Paul and


    suddenly felt warm.


    "Thank you, Paul." Paul said to her seriously with bright eyes, "It was the least I could do.Lucia, I''d love


    to take care of you."


    He stretched out his hand and held her hand gently.


    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    Feeling his warm hand, Lucia stiffened.


    Embarrassed, she withdrew her hand slowly and changed the subject.


    "My parents...Paul gave her a gentle smile.


    "They don''t know about it.Don''t worry."


    Lucia breathed a sigh of relief.


    If Bill knew she had been kidnapped, it would definitely have an effect on his recovery.


    She might as well keep it from them for now.


    "Have the kidnappers been caught?"


    Paul shook his head and said with a straight face, "Not yet.It''s up to you to decide if you want to call the


    police."


    Lucia tensed up.


    After a moment, she forced a smile.


    "I want to get out of Austos City soon."


    It was just too dangerous here.


    She had been in a car ident and kidnapped.


    The danger was all around her even if it had nothing to do with Jeanne.


    She was afraid to guess how many people knew her secret and wanted to hurt her.


    With this in mind, Lucia stroked her belly gently and said in a soft voice, "I just want me and the baby to


    stay safe"


    Paul hesitated for a moment and finally nodded approvingly.


    "You''re right.I''ll have my assistant book a flight this afternoon.You rest."


    Lucia nodded obediently and breathed a sigh of relief as Paul walked quickly out of the ward.She felt


    lucky to have survived.She was just disappointed in August.


    It seemed that she really was nothing in his mind.She had pinned all her hopes on him but he hadn''t


    even bothered to save her.


    How disappointing! She wanted to leave Austos City soon.She expected nothing of this city.


    Meanwhile, in Cloud Apartment, August was lying unconscious in bed with pale lips.


    Next to him, Joshua was frowning at him in confusion.


    August had suddenly gone to the beachst night.


    Joshua had located his car after fixing his things and found him dying on the beach.


    He had known August for so long and it was the first time he had seen him so weak.


    Then he had dragged August back from the beach.


    August had had a high fever all night and was still unconscious now.


    Why would he rather go to the beach than stay on mission?¡¯ Before Joshua could figure it out, August


    suddenly coughed.


    Joshua immediately turned his head.He was surprised to see August''s eyes slightly open.


    "You''re awake!"


    August frowned, coughed for a moment, and asked in a weak voice, "Where''s Lucia?"


    Joshua frowned at once.


    "What?"


    August propped himself up slowly with a grim face, looked up at Joshua, and asked again, "Where is


    she?"


    Joshua said unhappily, "How should I know?"


    August was confused and tried to recall what had happened before he passed out yesterday.


    He remembered that he and Lucia had copsed together on the beach, but why had Joshua only


    brought him back? He pulled the needle out of the back of his hand and sat straight up.


    "Where did you find me?"


    Joshua didn''t answer but asked, "Did you find Lucia at the beach yesterday? Don''t you know how


    importantst night''s mission was..."


    Before Joshua could finish, August got out of bed with a cold face and headed out.


    He pushed open the door, walked downstairs, and asked Bond, sitting in front of the monitor, in a cold


    voice, "How did the mission gost night?"


    Bond hesitated and looked up at Joshua behind him.


    Joshua caught up with August and said helplessly, "You weren''t there yesterday.We''d just surrounded


    the dock when we discovered that everything had been switched.Mr.Denko''s men didn''t even show


    up!"


    August''s face darkened.


    His eyes zed with fury and he subconsciously clenched his fists.It was strange that he had been on


    a mission when Lucia had been kidnapped.It was likely to be Mr.Denko.


    August took a deep breath, suddenly thought of something, and ordered Joshua, "Give me your


    phone."


    The most important thing now was to find Lucia and make sure she was safe.

 Chapter 339

    Chapter 339


    Chapter 339 Sudden Disappearance


    Joshua hesitated for a moment and handed his phone to August.


    August dialed a number directly, but what he got was a sweet female voice.


    "Sorry, the subscriber you dialed is powered off."


    He frowned and had a bad feeling.He handed the phone back to Joshua and turned his head to look at


    Bond.


    "Find out where Lucia is."


    Bond nodded and typed quickly while Joshua''s face suddenly darkened.


    R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only


    "August, what''s wrong with you? You left the mission to the three of us yesterday because of a woman


    and asked Bond to find out where she is as soon as you woke up today..."


    August turned to look at him coldly.


    "I have my own ns."


    After that, he walked away, leaving Joshua with a glum face.


    In less than ten minutes, August changed his clothes, came down from the second floor, and


    approached Bond.


    "Find anything?"


    Bond shook his head in confusion.


    "It''s strange.It''s like her recent whereabouts have been deliberately erased.I couldn''t find anything."


    August frowned uneasily.


    ¡®If I was really the only one on the beach yesterday, where did Lucia go? Was she taken by those


    people?¡¯ He had some guesses, but none of them made any sense.


    After a while, he turned his head to look at Bond and said in a low voice, "I''ll exin to Flynt about the


    lapse in the missionst night.Just do what you need to do."


    Then he took a spare phone out of the drawer and called Burton directly.


    In less than twenty minutes, Burton arrived.


    August walked up quickly, got into the car, and ordered seriously, "Call thepany and ask if Lucia is


    at work."


    Burton immediately did as he was told.


    Soon he hung up the phone and reported to August, "Sir, thepany says Lucia hasn''t been to work


    for the past few days."


    August''s right eye suddenly twitched.


    He immediately ordered, "Go to the small apartment."


    Burton immediately started the car.


    As soon as the car stopped, August quickly got out and opened the door with the key.He frowned when


    he looked inside.


    The living room was as spotless as if no one had ever lived there and all of Lucia''s things were gone.


    August tensed up and strode toward the bedroom.


    When he pushed open the door and saw the empty bedroom, his mind suddenly went nk.


    ¡®Where is she?¡¯ Annoyed, he clenched his fists, left the apartment, and headed to the hospital where


    Bill was.


    August rxed when he heard theughter inside at the door of the ward, but the moment he pushed


    open the door, he only saw a group of strangers.


    Confused, he scanned everyone, closed the door coldly, and walked to the nurses'' station not far away.


    "Where did the patients in Ward 16 go?"


    The nurse nced at the ward and whispered, "They were just discharged this morning."


    August froze and suddenly had mixed feelings.


    Lucia had suddenly disappeared.


    The apartment had been emptied.


    Even Bill had left the hospital.


    Everything about Lucia had disappeared in one day.


    What had happened? August restrained his anger, took out his phone, and dialed a number.


    "Find out if anyone named Lucia Mitchell left Austos City today."


    He would search the world until he found her! Meanwhile, Lucia was saying goodbye to Pa in the


    lobby of Figo Airport at the border of Austos City and Figo City.


    Pa, who was always strong, cried and held Lucia''s hand.


    "Lucia, I don''t want you to leave!"


    Lucia looked at her.She was sad too, but she still forced a smile.


    "You have Burton!"


    Pa choked.


    "He''s nothingpared to you...I don''t want to be apart from you..."


    Next to them, Paul was helpless.


    "Come on.You''ll see each other again."


    He nced at his watch and said to Lucia, "Lucia, you should get going."


    Lucia nodded worriedly and whispered to Paul, "My parents..."


    "Don''t worry.All settled.I''ll meet you up there after a while."


    "Okay."


    Lucia hugged Pa with a smile, waved at them, and then walked to the gate with her suitcase.


    Half an hourter, the ne took off.


    Lucia looked out of the window at the smaller and smaller city with a wistful look.she hadn''t expected


    that she would say goodbye to the city where she''d lived for more than twenty years in this way.She


    had no idea when she woulde back.


    On the way from the hospital to Lion Group, August calmed down a bit, but he was still upset.


    When he walked into the president''s office, he noticed the file folder on the desk and picked it up with a


    frown.


    It was a contract with the logo of "redeur¡¯ on the first page.


    August tensed up, flipped through it immediately, and saw "Jonathan ck" in the bottom right corner


    of thest page.


    He subconsciously clenched the contract and suddenly felt an envelope underneath it.He quickly


    opened it, but he stiffened because it was a resignation letter.He skipped the content and went straight


    to the bottom of the page.


    When he saw Lucia¡¯s name, he gritted his teeth in anger.


    Lucia was really quitting! August had thought that she just didn''t want to work at Lion Group, but now it


    seemed that she was nning to leave Austos City! Furious, he crumpled the letter and threw it into


    the trash can next to him.


    Lucia had just called him for helpst night but suddenly disappeared today! What did she want? Was


    she ying him? August picked up a house phone and called Burton.


    "Come to my office."


    Within two minutes, the door opened and Burton walked in quickly.


    "Sir, what can I do for you?"


    August roared, his eyes zing with fury, "Send someone to find out where Lucia is! Make sure you


    find her!"


    Burton blinked for a moment before replying, "Yes."


    Then he turned and headed out of the office.


    "Wait!"


    August suddenly stopped him with a frown and stared at him.


    "Burton, do you know something?"

 Chapter 340

    Chapter 340


    Chapter 340 Where Did You Hide Her?


    Something dim moved in Burton''s eyes.


    Half a secondter, he looked up at August and said seriously, "Nothing.There''s just one thing I didn''t


    tell you."


    August frowned slightly.


    "What is it?"


    "Lucia approached me once privately and asked for the pictures I bought from the paparazzi of her and


    Jonathan.She only said she would get Jonathan to sign the contract, so I gave them to her without


    telling you."


    August looked down at the contract on the desk with mixed emotions.It seemed that Lucia had tricked


    Jonathan into signing the contract.


    August had given her only three days.


    ording to the date on the contract, she had gotten Jonathan to sign the contract on thest day.


    August had promised Lucia that he would let her leave Lion Group if she could get Jonathan to sign the


    contract within three days.He hadn''t expected her to seed.


    She had even sent him the contract and her resignation letter and disappeared without a trace.


    ¡®Turns out she''s been nning to leave me since then!¡¯


    August''s heart throbbed for a moment.He took a deep breath and looked up at Burton.


    "Did you find anything?"


    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    Burton shook his head and answered, "No."


    August''s face darkened.


    Lucia must have left traces if she hid without help, but everything about her had been erased.


    Someone must be helping her! Suddenly, August blinked and thought of Paul, who was the only one


    capable of fighting against him.


    The next second, he picked up the suit jacket on the back of the chair and ordered Burton in a cold


    voice, "Get the car and go with me to Cloud Technology."


    Burton hesitated for a moment, but he didn''t dare to ask and followed August out of the office.


    Along the way, August''s face remained gloomy as if he would lose her temper at any moment.


    The car stopped in front of Cloud Technology.


    The door opened and August walked into thepany directly.


    Burton caught up with him and asked tentatively, "Sir, we don''t have an appointment.Should we call


    Mr.Thomas¡¯ assistant?"


    "No need."


    August didn''t think he needed to ask Paul nicely.


    They took the elevator upstairs but were stopped by Paul''s assistant before they could get to the


    general manager''s office.


    "Sorry, Mr.Adams.Mr.Thomas is talking to a partner.Please wait a moment"


    August turned his head coldly and narrowed his eyes.


    "Since Mr.Thomas knows I''m here, why is he avoiding me?"


    August hadn''t made an appointment or told the receptionist, but Paul''s assistant had recognized him


    exactly.It seemed that Paul had known he wasing.


    Paul''s assistant gasped and didn''t know how to answer, but he didn''t dare to disobey Paul.


    He could only stand in front of them and said awkwardly, "Sorry, please wait a moment."


    August was losing patience.He nced at the office and was about to say something when the door


    was pushed open.


    Paul looked over at them and said with a faint smile, "Sorry to keep you waiting, Mr.Adams."


    August nced at him and said directly, "I need to talk to you."


    Then he turned and walked quickly away.


    Paul hesitated for a moment and followed him.


    They came to the small balcony next to the office.


    Paul was about to say something when August turned around and grabbed him by the cor.


    "Where did you hide Lucia?"


    August stared into Paul''s face with sharp eyes.


    He clenched his other hand slowly as if he would punch Paul''s face at any moment.


    Paul froze for a moment before saying casually, "l don''t know what you''re talking about."


    August tightened his grip and looked down at him.


    "Where the hell did you hide her?"


    Lucia couldn''t have vanished into thin air, but August had learned that everything about her had


    disappeared.


    Someone had deliberately erased her traces.


    Paul had that ability in Austos City.


    "Lucia is missing? What did you do to her?"


    Paul frowned and asked with a straight face.


    August could hardly restrain his anger.He lowered his voice.


    "Paul, stop pretending!"


    Paul also lost his patience, grabbed August''s wrist directly, and said coldly, "Why should I pretend? Just


    come at me if you don''t like me!"


    Neither of them would back down.


    Paul''s assistant who was watching them came up to them quickly and stopped them.


    "Mr.Adams, please rx."


    Burton also walked quickly up to August and whispered, "Sir, don''t be impulsive."


    If the two of them really fought here today, it would definitely make the headlines in Austos City


    tomorrow morning, which would be a bad influence on both of theirpanies.


    August blinked for a moment.


    Finally, he let go of Paul''s cor and took a step back.


    Paul also let go with a cold face.


    August threatened Paul, "You''re so sly, but so am I.I won''t let you off the hook if I find out you''re


    involved."


    Paul retorted, "I don''t know why you suddenly came to mypany to make a scene, but if you want to


    continue, I''m right here."


    They stared into each other''s eyes and neither of them would back down.


    Paul''s assistant said something again.


    August nced at them coldly and turned to leave.


    It wasn''t until he got into the elevator that he rxed, turned to look at Burton, and ordered, "Find out


    Paul''s recent whereabouts."


    Burton nodded and called his men.


    When they arrived at the Lion Group, Burton got a call and reported to August, "Sir, Paul hasn''t done


    anything suspicioustely.He''s been in Austos City, but he went to see his sister in Figo City this


    afternoon and came back soon."


    August tensed up at once.


    After a moment of hesitation, he frowned slightly.


    "Figo City?"


    Had Paul sent Lucia to Figo City?

 Chapter 341

    Chapter 341


    Chapter 341 He Unterally Broke the Contract


    Seeing August''s doubts, Burton hesitated for a moment, and then said softly, "Yes, it''s Figo City, and I


    know about it too."August''s eyes became sharper, and he looked up at Burton, "How do you know?"


    Burton hesitated for a moment and said, "Pa is my girlfriend, and her performance in Figo City was


    not going well.Originally, I wanted to go see her, but I couldn''t get away, so her brother went over."


    A trace of suspicion shed in August''s eyes when he heard it, which was fleeting.


    After a pause, he took a deep look at Burton and said coldly, "Let''s go."


    Burton had been by his side for so many years, and he was trustworthy.


    But before finding Lucia, August thought he should send someone to keep an eye on Paul! For three


    days in a row, August''s men almost turned the entire Austos City upside down, but there was still no


    news about Lucia.


    At the President''s Office of Lion Group, Burton pushed open the door of the office.


    When he saw August sitting at the desk with a tired face, he was a little surprised.


    He had never seen August like this before.


    Hearing the footsteps, August raised his head.


    When he saw Burton, a dim light shed in his eyes, and he asked, "Is there any news?"


    Burton paused and shook his head, "Not yet."


    The gleam of light in August''s eyes dimmed a bit in an instant, and his face turned cold again.


    He raised his hand, pressed his eyebrows, and said nothing.


    Burton took a deep breath and said, "President Adams, the receptionist called and said that the artist


    Jonathan ck and his agent are here.They got into the elevator and will be here soon."


    August frowned, "What is he doing here?"


    "It is said that he came to talk about the details of the cooperation.


    Do you want to turn it down and let people off the redeur receive them?"


    "No."


    August said lightly, "You go to receive them and arrange for them to wait in the reception room.I''ll go


    over soon."


    "Yes."


    Burton turned to leave.


    The moment the door closed, August was the only one left in the room.


    August felt a little depressed and he took a deep breath.


    When he thought of Lucia who he still had no news of, a burst of irritability rose in his heart.


    Lucia had met Jonathan before she disappeared, and maybe he could learn something from Jonathan.


    A momentter, after Burton settled Jonathan and his agent, he got up and rushed from the office to


    the reception room.


    When the door opened, he saw Jonathan sitting on the sofa casually.He looked handsome but unruly.


    But Suecy, his agent, stood up as soon as she saw Augusting in and said, "President Adams, nice


    to meet you.I''m Suecy, Jonathan''s agent."


    ncing at Suecy''s outstretched hand, August nodded lightly.


    Instead of shaking her hand, he walked directly to the sofa opposite Jonathan and sat down.


    Suecy was a little embarrassed, sat back on the sofa, and winked at Jonathan.


    Jonathan nced at August, raised his chinzily, and said nothing.


    Seeing this, August didn''t feel embarrassed.


    He calmly ordered his secretary to serve coffee, looked at Jonathan, and said, "If you have anything,


    you can contact the person in charge of redeur.


    I think there is no need for you to go to the head office directly because there are some things I''m not


    so sure of either."


    Hearing this, Jonathan said softly with a faint smile, "But you have the final say on this matter."


    "What''s up?"


    Jonathan didn''t beat around the bush and said directly, "I want Lucia to take responsible for my


    endorsement.She will be in charge of everything about me during the filming."


    When August heard Lucia''s name, his face instantly darkened.


    He leaned back and squinted slightly at Jonathan.


    After a moment, he slowly said, "Lucia is from our headquarters, and there will be a professional


    contact person from the redeur.


    Are you not satisfied with the professionals we have arranged there?"


    Jonathan raised his eyebrows slightly and blinked.


    He nced at August and said, "I just want her to be in charge.


    Apart from this, I have no problem with any other arrangements."


    He looked straight at August.


    August''s eyes darkened slightly and he thought about it.


    After a moment, he said coldly, "I can''t agree to this request."


    It seemed that Jonathan hadn''t expected August to refuse tly.


    Jonathan''s face turned cold and he frowned, "Why can''t you agree?"


    He had thought that Lion Group was very sincere.He was surprised that August did not agree to such a


    trivial matter.


    August said lightly, "I can send anyone but Lucia."


    "What I want is her.If it doesn''t work, I''m sorry.I''d rather not have this endorsement."


    Jonathan''s eyes turned cold as he said that, and pushed the contract directly in front of August.


    August was stunned for a moment as if he hadn''t expected Jonathan to say so.


    Jonathan''s agent Suecy also widened her eyes in astonishment.


    She turned her head and said in a low voice, "Jonathan, are you stupid?!"


    He had already signed the contract.


    If he broke the contract, he would not get a penny, and he would even have to pay liquidated damages!


    August looked at Jonathan across from him with cold eyes and paused.


    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    He suddenly sneered, looked at Jonathan, and said, "I''m a little curious.


    What kind of magic does Lucia have to make a most popr male star like you so obsessed with her?"


    First there were the photos taken by the paparazzi, and now Jonathan tantly came to the head office


    to ask him specifically for Lucia.


    He had to think a lot about these things.


    Jonathan''s face turned cold, and his eyes turned a bit more hostile.


    Two secondster, he suddenly sat up straight, looked straight at August, and said coldly, "A person


    like you will never see anyone else''s genuineness!"


    Hearing this, August instantly frowned and pursed his lips.


    Before he could speak, Jonathan suddenly sneered and said sarcastically, "I overestimated


    you.Adeline was sincere to you, but you ignored her and took it as a joke! Now you''re doing the same


    to Lucia! August, do you think you''re amazing?"


    The more he talked, the more excited and blunt he became.


    Suecy turned pale and hurriedly tugged at his clothes, implying that he should not say anymore.


    But Jonathan brushed her hand off, looked at August, and said coldly, "I''ll tell you the truth.I was very


    annoyed by what you did to Adeline.I agreed to sign Lion Group''s endorsement this time all because of


    Lucia.She went to see me again and again.I signed the contract because of her.Well, since you don''t


    agree, then there is no need for our cooperation to continue!"


    With that, he stood up straight, picked up the sunsses and hat next to him, and put them on.


    Aucust raised his brows, paused, and said coldly, "Lucia is no longer in thepany.


    Didn''t she tell you that she resigned?"


    Jonathan froze and nced at him.


    After a moment, he sneered, "Then she mad? a good choice.


    If I were her, I wouldn''t stay by your side"


    Then he lowered the brim of his hat to cover most of his face and walked straight towards the door.


    When he came to the door, he paused and said coldly, "I''ve unterally broken the contract about the


    endorsement, and I will ask my studio''s finances to transfer the liquidated damages to yourpany''s


    bank ount.I don''t think I''m good enough to cooperate with Lion Group."


    With that, he opened the door and walked out directly.

 Chapter 342

    Chapter 342


    Chapter 342 He Must Take Precautions


    Suecy''s face was pale.She hadn''t expected things toe to this.She stood up, bowed to August, and


    apologized, "I''m sorry, President Adams, my artist is not very sensible, and I will talk to him when I get


    back..."


    She looked at August''s gloomy face and didn''t dare to say anything more, so she walked out of the


    office quickly.


    When the door was closed, August was left alone in the reception room.


    Sitting on the sofa, August thought about what Jonathan had said just now and felt a little upset.He


    knew Adeline''s thoughts about him before.He knew Adeline when she was still nobody in the


    entertainment industry.He had just helped her at a dinner party.


    Later, they became familiar with and helped each other.He had given her resources while she covered


    his missions.


    The two were friends and confidants, but not lovers.


    For Adeline''s affections, he had always clearly refused, but Lucia...


    Thinking of her name, August had a headache.


    If Lucia had feelings for him as Jonathan said, why did she suddenly disappear at this time? He felt


    more and more confused, and his mind was like a mess.He couldn''t figure it out at all.He had somehow


    be more and more conflicted.


    Others had just gotten off work.


    August became more and more irritable after hearing Burton''s report on the schedule after that.


    In the end, he rubbed his temples and said coldly, "Postpone today¡¯s schedule."


    Burton was secretly surprised, but he did not ask any questions and nodded immediately.


    "Okay, you go to work.I''ll go back by myself tonight."


    Burton nodded and walked out of the office.


    After Burton left, August flipped through the documents at hand.


    The words somehow stopped making sense, and he couldn''t concentrate at all.


    Suddenly, the door was pushed open and someone walked in.He thought it was Burton and didn''t look


    up.


    Suddenly, he smelt something fragrant, and then a woman leaned towards him and directly wrapped


    her arms around his neck.


    "August, what are you looking at? You look so serious!"


    With that, Jeanne tilted her head and smiled at him.


    Seeing Jeanne, August frowned slightly.He raised his hand, pulled her arms away from his neck, and


    said coldly, "Jeanne, don''t do that."


    "No one will see us in the office! And we''re engaged!"


    Jeanne pouted a little unhappily.She wanted to reach out and put her arms around his neck again.But


    seeing August''s gloomy face, she took his arm instead.


    She tilted her head, winked at August, and asked, "August, what''s wrong with you? Are you unhappy?"


    "No, it''s just a lot of work."


    August put away the documents, stood up, and said a little softly to her, "What do you want to eat? I''ll


    take you to eat it."


    "It''s been a long time since I went to Delicious Restaurant, and I miss their roast quail a little!"


    "Okay, I''ll take you there."


    The two walked out of the office and into the elevator.


    "Oh, August."


    Jeanne frowned, "I heard that Lucia resigned?"


    Hearing this, August frowned slightly and said, "How do you know?"


    "I was discharged from the hospital yesterday.I wanted to talk to her, but I couldn''t reach her.I went to


    the Administration Department just now and found out that she resigned."


    Hearing this, August didn''t say anything.


    Jeanne held his arm tightly and pretended to feel sorry, "To be honest, I like her quite a bit.I didn''t


    expect that she would resign without telling me..."


    As she spoke, she tentatively looked at August''s expression.


    Seeing him as calm as usual, she felt even more excited.


    When she learned from Mark that Lucia resigned, she was going crazy with joy.


    Now when she heard the exact answer from August, she couldn''t hide her joy.


    She had been thinking about how to get rid of Lucia.


    Now Lucia had resigned herself.She had solved her biggest problem! From now on, August would be


    hers alone! The elevator arrived on the first floor, and the two of them walked out side by side.


    As soon as they reached the gate of thepany, Jeanne suddenly thought of something, turned her


    head to look at August, and said, "August, wait a minute.I''ll talk to my bodyguard and ask him to go get


    me something."


    August nodded slightly and said, "Okay."


    Jeanne let go of his hand in joy and walked quickly towards the car next to her.


    Through the front window ss, August saw the man sitting in the driver''s seat.


    It happened that Mark was looking at him through the car window.


    When the two inadvertently looked at each other, August saw a sharp cold light shing in his eyes.


    But the next second, Mark turned his head, rolled down the car window, and said something to Jeanne


    with a calm expression.


    August frowned, and intuitively felt that he was not simple.


    August took a deep breath, took out his phone, and sent Bond a message, [Check the information


    about Jeanne''s bodyguard, the more detailed the better]


    If there was something wrong with that bodyguard, then both he and Jeanne would be in danger, so he


    must take precautions.


    It had been nearly a month since Lucia left Austos City and arrived in Amecan.


    Thanks to Paul, she lived in a small vacant house of his friend''s.


    It was three stories high and had a small spacious and bright yard.


    The house was not big, but it was veryfortable.


    After a month, she gradually became familiar with life here.She often went shopping alone to buy food,


    and then returned home slowly to read and bake.She seemed to have entered a state of retirement at


    once.


    However, this kind of life was quite fulfilling.


    She spent part of her time studying and umting knowledge every day.


    Time passed by very quickly.


    The only thing that had a big impact on her life was morning sickness.


    For several days in a row, Lucia vomited whatever she ate every morning, and she looked thinner.


    The doorbell suddenly rang.


    Lucia immediately rinsed her mouth, walked out of the bathroom, and walked out quickly.


    She pushed open the door.


    When she looked up to see the person standing outside, she was suddenly stunned.


    Paul waved at her and said with a smile, "Why don''t you open the door?"


    Lucia came to her sense, looking surprised and delighted, and immediately walked over to open the


    door, "Why are you here?"


    "It''s been a month.Of course, I''ming to see you!"


    Paul walked in quickly with a happy smile and a colorful bag in his hand.


    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    The two greeted each other and walked into the room.


    Paul put the bag on the table and said with a chuckle, "Pa asked me to bring it to you, saying that it


    was pretty baby clothes that she saw when she was shopping.She didn''t know if the baby would be a


    boy or a girl, so she bought two sets of them on purpose..."


    "Really?"


    Lucia¡¯s eyes lit up.She opened the bag, and she saw two cute baby suits, one pink and one blue, small


    and delicate.


    Paul came over, nced at the baby clothes, and smiled helplessly, "It''s pretty, but I''m afraid there will


    be one set left..."


    "No."


    Lucia looked at the small clothes in front of her, and couldn''t help smiling and saying softly, "Two sets


    are just right."


    At first, she also thought that she only had one baby in her belly.


    But when she went to the hospital for an examinationst week, she learned that she was pregnant


    with two babies! How lucky she must be to have two babies at once?

 Chapter 343

    Chapter 343


    Chapter 343 You Were Trying to Kill Her


    "What?"


    Paul was startled, thinking he heard it wrong, "Lucia, what did you just say?"


    Lucia couldn''t help smiling.


    She stroked her belly with her right hand, and said softly, "The doctor said they''re twins."


    Paul''s eyes lit up when he heard it, and he looked very happy, "Really?"


    Seeing his expression, Lucia couldn''t help but feel amused and nod.


    "That''s great!"


    Paul looked overjoyed, and he held Lucia¡¯s hand a little excitedly, "A boy and a girl.You''re so lucky.You


    will have no regrets in life!"


    Seeing his happy face, Lucia felt a little emotional.


    During this period, Paul had been good to her and her family.He had not only helped her to leave


    Austos City but also made arrangements for her parents.


    She could see his sincerity towards her.


    Thinking of this, her nose felt sour, and tears welled up in her eyes.


    Seeing this, Paul''s smile froze, and he became a little nervous, "Lucia, what''s wrong with you?"


    Lucia shook her head and took a deep breath, "Paul, thank you very much."


    Hearing this, Paul smiled and said affectionately, "Lucia, I''m more than willing to take care of you.I just


    hope you will be able to ept me one day in the future."


    Lucia''s heart trembled slightly.She raised her eyes to meet Paul''s eyes, but another man''s face


    suddenly shed in her mind.


    In an instant, she felt a basin of cold water pouring down directly from the top of her head, and she


    woke up a lot in an instant.She took a deep breath, looked at Paul, and said softly, "Paul, I''m sorry,


    there may be such a day in the future, but now I..."


    She paused and couldn''t go on.


    "l understand."


    A trace of bitterness shed across Paul''s eyes, and he said softly, "I''m not in a hurry, and I''m willing to


    wait."


    When Lucia heard this, she felt even guiltier about Paul.


    Now, she had no choice.


    In a foreign country, she could only rely on Paul.


    She owed Paul a great favor, and she would certainly return his favor in the future! As for August, she


    would slowly forget him andpletely exclude him from her world.


    Lucia didn''t know that the man she could not forget had never stopped looking for her.


    In the vi area of Austos City, Jeanne was hurriedly picking and changing clothes in the bedroom


    because August had called her twenty minutes ago and said he wasing to see her.


    This was the first time that August had taken the initiative toe to her house to see her after the


    engagement.


    She naturally should dress up, and look neither too casual nor too grand.


    After changing several clothes, she just put avender dress on when a maid knocked on the door of


    her room, "Miss, Mr.Adams is downstairs."


    As soon as Jeanne heard this, she hurriedly zipped up her dress and straightened her hair.


    Only then did she leave the room and walk downstairs, pretending to be calm.


    As soon as Jeanne came down from the second floor, she saw August walking in from the door.


    She greeted him with a smile, and said in a sweet voice, "August!"


    August''s face darkened slightly.He raised his eyes to look at her, and asked in a light tone, "Aren''t your


    parents at home?"


    Jeanne stepped forward and took his arm naturally, "My father and my brother are both in thepany,


    and my mother went to y cards.Do you want me to call them back?"


    "No need."


    August''s eyes were deep, and there was a fleeting coldness in them, "This is the best."


    When Jeanne heard this, she was overjoyed and blushed shyly.It seemed that August hade


    around and decided to spend some time with her alone.


    She immediately told the maid toe over to serve coffee and fruit, and then dragged August


    towards the sofa.


    Suddenly, she thought about it and said softly, "Well...August, why don''t you go to my room? It''s quiet


    there..."


    August''s face didn''t change.


    He walked to the sofa and sat down, "No, I came to see you because I have something to do."


    Jeanne was confused, "What''s the matter?"


    August didn''t say anything and looked up in the direction of the door.


    When Jeanne saw it, she followed his gaze.


    At the door, Mark was pushed in by two men with his left and right arms sped, and he looked a little


    embarrassed.


    Jeanne was stunned for a moment and her face changed slightly.


    She quickly looked at August and asked, "August, what are you doing?"


    "Jeanne, do you remember the motorcycle ident that happened at the door of thepanyst


    month?"


    Hearing this, a slight change shed across Jeanne¡¯s face and she asked, "What''s wrong?"


    August narrowed his eyes slightly, and nced at Mark sharply, "It wasn''t an ident.It was a


    deliberate act."


    Hearing what he said, Jeanne instantly stiffened.


    She clenched her fists and looked up at Mark with a bit of coldness in her eyes.


    Two secondster, she pretended to be surprised, looked at August, and said, "What does that have to


    do with Mark."


    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    August said in a cold voice, "Let him speak for himself."


    Mark''s face was a little gloomy.


    When he looked up at Jeanne, a bit of guilt shed in his eyes.He took a deep breath and didn''t say a


    word.


    Jeanne gritted her teeth and guessed what was going on.


    August had sent two men to tie Mark up, and it meant that he must have evidence in his hand.


    If Mark confessed, she would be exposed! Thinking of this, Jeanne broke into a cold sweat.She took a


    deep breath and nced at August quickly.


    Then she immediately stood up, pretending to be angry, and walked quickly towards Mark.


    "Mark! What''s the matter with you?!"


    Mark looked up at Jeanne, moved his lips, and hesitated.


    Jeanne frowned and said coldly, "What on earth did you do to make August so angry? And what''s


    wrong with the motorcycle?"


    With that, she took advantage of the opportunity to turn her back to August and winked at Mark.


    When Mark took the hint, he took a deep breath, lowered his eyes, and looked at the ground, "Miss, I


    have nothing to argue with now"


    Jeanne clenched her fists, and her face flushed with anger, "What exactly did you do?"


    Mark took a deep breath and said word by word, "The motorcycle was arranged by me.I originally


    wanted to teach Lucia a lesson.But you suddenly appeared and stopped the motorcycle for her...You


    were injured and hospitalized.It''s all my fault."


    When Jeanne heard this, she pretended to be surprised and turned to look at August, "August...is what


    he said true?"


    August snorted coldly, and his eyes turned cold, "Teach her a lesson? I think you were trying to kill her!"


    Since thest time he sensed Mark''s abnormality, he had sent someone to investigate him.


    Mark had appeared in the surveince near the Lion Group on the day of the motorcycle ident.


    So he followed the clues and found the scene of him meeting the motorcycle rider...He waspletely


    sure of everything, so he dared toe directly to the Kelly family''s vi to see Mark.


    Unexpectedly, Mark was quite straightforward, and he admitted it so quickly.


    August stood up, walked towards Mark aggressively, stopped in front of him, and asked coldly, "Tell me,


    why did you want to teach Lucia a lesson?"


    He and Lucia had no grudges against each other and he had no reason to hurt her at all unless...


    August turned his head and looked coldly at Jeanne next to him.

 Chapter 344

    Chapter 344


    Chapter 344 Sentenced


    Jeanne felt the man''s sudden look at her.Her body became cold, and she was suddenly nervous.She


    gritted her teeth, looked at Mark, and raised her voice to make herself domineering.


    "Mark, August asked you, why you want to kill Lucia?" Jeanne asked.


    A gloom shed in Mark''s eyes, and after he hesitated for a few seconds, he looked at August


    cautiously.


    "Because that woman is too annoying, she always hangs around you, sir, and I was afraid that she


    would take my boss¡¯ ce in your life.It''s all my fault."


    Mark said with a clear voice, even though he was still trembling and in trouble.


    Jeanne''s heart tensed, and she didn''t expect that Mark would risk taking the me for himself to


    protect her.


    August looked at him condescendingly.


    "So, you confess to the crime of instigating the motorcyclist to intentionally harm others?" He asked


    Mark.


    Mark hesitated for a moment, then said solemnly, "Yes."


    August nced at him coldly.


    "Mark, do you know that you are going to go to jail because of this?" He asked.


    When Mark heard the words, he was silent and did not speak.


    On the other hand, Jeanne''s nervous face turned pale.


    After waiting for a while, Mark still didn''t answer.


    August turned to look at Burton next to him.


    "Contact the police immediately, hand over the recording we just made to them, and let them do the


    rest.Follow due procedure," He ordered Burton coldly.


    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    "August!"


    Jeanne''s eyes widened in panic as she yelped.She stretched out her hand to grab August''s arm.


    "Is this necessary? Mark is my bodyguard and has been with me for many years. Now if it is true..."


    Jeanne started to say.


    Before Jeanne could finish her sentence, August had already reached out and taken his hand out of


    hers.


    "Jeanne, never speak for the wrong person," he said coldly.


    The man''s voice was loud, with a power that could not be clearly exined, making Jeanne unable to


    refute it.


    Jeanne opened her mouth, and the rest of the pleas she would have said, poured back into her mouth,


    and she couldn''t say them.


    At this moment, Mark suddenly raised his head to look at her.


    "Miss, it''s alright.At that time, I was obsessed with doing the wrong thing, and I am willing to be


    punished," he said to Jeanne.


    Jeanne opened her mouth in surprise.


    Seeing Mark shaking his head gently at her, she closed her mouth and stopped talking.


    Everything became a foregone conclusion.


    If she continued to intercede for him, then August will doubt her again, and it would be meaningless for


    Mark to take the me.


    A bit of coldness shed in August''s eyes.He looked at his subordinates and coldly ordered, "Take him


    away."


    The two subordinates immediately followed suit and left with Mark.


    August turned to Jeanne.


    "Jeanne, I will investigate the motorcycle ident and give you a thorough exnation of my findings,"


    he said to Jeanne word for word.


    Jeanne was in aplicated mood, so she nodded and gasped.


    "Okay."


    Seeing August step away from the house, Jeanne''s anger burned from head to toe.


    How could she not have known that the reason why August went so hard to investigate the motorcycle


    ident was not for her at all? It was for the other woman Lucia! Because of Lucia, she even lost


    Mark, a capable subordinate of hers! The mixture of jealousy and anger made her almost unbearable.


    She stood in front of the window and watched the ck car drive out of the yard.


    Then she grabbed a vase on the table next to her and smashed it on the ground.


    If Lucia dared toe back again, even if she tried her hardest, she would be dragged into hell, and


    she would never see the light! Half a monthter, the Austos City Court sentenced the scene.


    In the pew, Jeanne sat next to August, looking at Mark in the dock, a burst ofplicated emotions


    emerging in her heart.


    At the end of the trial, the judge announced.


    "Defendant Mark Page, on suspicion of attempted murder, is sentenced to five years in prison."


    "Boom!"


    The judge''s hammer thumped, and everything was hammered down and concluded.


    Mark raised his head and suddenly looked in Jeanne''s direction, a few rays of light shed from the


    bottom of his eyes.It''s only for five years.


    For Jeanne, he was willing.


    After five years, when hees out again, she would still be his youngdy, the object of his


    unconditional obedience, and he would still be her most loyal subordinate.


    This will never change.


    Jeanne raised her eyes, just to meet Mark''s eyes, and her heart sank inexplicably, she felt a little guilty


    and ashamed.


    If it wasn''t for Mark, she would have been the one who was sentenced to jail at this time.


    But after a few seconds, the guilt in her heart was fleeting and quickly dissipated.


    She and Mark have always been people from two different worlds.He paid so much for her, which was


    only right.


    The big deal was that when hees out, she willpensate him abundantly.


    Thinking of this, Jeanne¡¯s heart suddenly became more bnced.


    At the end of the trial, Jeanne took August out of the courtroom and swept away the gloom on her face.


    "August,e to my house for dinner tonight, my dad said that he hasn''t seen you for a long time and


    that he wants to be with you.Have a few drinks with us," she said to August with a smile.


    August heard the words, his eyes were dark and unclear, and he gave Jeanne a deep look.


    "Let''s hold on for a while concerning that," he said to Jeanne politely.


    After saying this, it happened his cell phone rang, he pressed the answer button and walked to the side


    to answer.


    A few minutester, he walked back, looked at Jeanne, and said softly, "I''ll have someone take you


    home, I still have something to deal with."


    When Jeanne heard this, she frowned.


    "August, I..."


    Before she could finish speaking, August had already turned around and walked quickly toward the car


    next to her.


    Jeanne stood on the spot, stomping her feet angrily.


    Since when did August be so unfamiliar with her? He was very indifferent.


    In the end, she couldn''t help biting her lip, so she got into the car that August arranged for her to leave.


    On the other side, in the car August was in, Burton nced at the car that was carrying Jeanne away,


    hesitated for a moment, and asked, "President, where is Miss Kelly?"


    August red at him.


    August''s eyes were cold and dark.


    Although the trial of the motorcycle ident had been handled, it did not mean that Jeanne was


    innocent.


    And it was not only concerning this matter, there were too many other things that lingered.


    Jeanne looked very suspicious.


    Today''s Jeanne is no longer the little girl who used to only chase after his ass and call her brother.


    August turned his head and looked out the window.


    He suddenly thought of something.


    "This weekend''s itinerary has been postponed," he said to Burton.


    Burton was stunned for a moment, and couldn''t help but ask.


    "Mr.Adams, are you going to Figo City this weekend?"


    In the past month, August had never given up looking for Lucia.


    Austos City was flipped back and forth several times, and finally, he decided to expand the scope and


    even went to Figo City to find her in person.


    August heard the words, closed his eyes slightly, leaned back on the chair, and replied softly, "Yes."


    He had never been a person who would give up easily, and he will not give up on finding Lucia! What''s


    more, that woman owes him too much, he must find her and let her pay back what she owes him a


    hundred times and a thousand times!

 Chapter 345

    Chapter 345


    Chapter 345 Two Children


    Things in the world are too impermanent.


    When some people separate, maybe they would meet again at the next street intersection, and for


    some people, once parted, there is no hope of reuniting again.


    Time flies.


    Everything that is not firm enough has be after years of development, and what remains, in the


    end, is often the most sincere and unforgettable.


    Five yearster.


    A white car is parked in front of a small white western-style building on the outskirts of Ameca.


    The interior of the car is spacious.


    Lucia is wearing a tight top and loose jeans, which outline her well-proportioned and perfect figure.


    Although she is now the mother of two children, she is still full of girlishness, her skin is delicate and


    smooth, and her figure is like that of an eighteen-year-old girl, which is particrly eye-catching.


    There are two child seats on the rear seat, two small figures carved in pink and jade-like dumplings


    sitting on the left and the right, one wearing a purple skirt, the other wearing a ck suit.


    Except for the hairstyle and that they dressed differently, the facial features of the two seem to have


    been carved out of a mold.


    At this moment, the two small kids are bickering with each other.R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only


    "There are chickens before there are eggs..."


    One of the kids said.


    "No, eggse first before chickens!"


    The other one argued.


    "It''s not! Where can eggse from without chickens?"


    The first kid asked.


    The two guys argued intensely.


    No one would give in for the other to be correct.


    The little boy''s face turned red because his voice couldn''t match the little girl''s.


    When he was impatient, he uttered a series of words, but his sister could not be outdone.


    When the boy spoke, he uttered some words in clear English, and some others incoherently, because


    of how frustrated he was that he could not outdo his sister.


    Lucia, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, had already listened to their argument for more than


    half an hour.


    Now, listening to them continue to argue about this topic, she couldn''t help butugh and cry.


    Seeing the driver walking towards them outside the window, Lucia tilted her head to look at the two little


    people in the back row, pped her palms, and said, "Timothy, J, will you two be quiet?"


    Hearing the words, the two little dumplings turned to look at her.


    Timothy pouted and asked in a milky voice, "Then mother, tell us, do you think the chicken or the egg


    came first?"


    The kid asked.


    Lucia was stunned for a moment, obviously confused by this question.


    She looked at Timothy''s handsome little face, and at the lovely J, and she couldn''t decide for a


    while.


    No matter which one she chooses, she will always deny the other person, and she didn¡¯t want that.


    She pulled out a smile, looked at the big eyes full of expectation from the two cute babies, andughed,


    but couldn''t say why.


    After a while, Lucia had a sh of inspiration, suddenly thought of something, and quickly said, "This


    question, your mother can''t tell, but I know that someone will know for sure!"


    "Who is it?"


    "Who is it?"


    The kids asked in unison.


    Their eyes were like purple grapes circling in their sockets.


    "It is your cutest little aunt!"


    Lucia couldn''t helpughing after she said this.


    "Today we will be on a ne for a few hours, and we will arrive at Austos Airport soon, and see your


    dearest little aunt!"


    She added.


    When the two toddlers heard it, they danced with joy, and for a while, they forgot to ask about their


    earlier question.


    Their little aunt, without a doubt, is naturally Pa.


    In recent years, Pa had often traveled to Ameca to visit them.


    She also stayed for a while from time to time.


    In addition, Pa was like a child king.She was best at dealing with children, and her rtionship with


    the two little guys was very good.


    Listening to the two little guys changing the topic of the chat, Lucia secretly breathed a sigh of relief.


    It happened that the driver Paul sent, came over and started the car to take them directly to the airport.


    Four hourster, the flight from Ameca to Austos Citynded safely.


    Lucia raised her eyes and looked out the window, a different emotion suddenly appearing in her heart.


    Thinking of it, she had been away from Austos City for five years.


    In the past five years, she had never returned to this city where she had lived for more than 20 years.


    Now that she was back again, she naturally felt a little emotional.


    "Mom, are we here yet?" J asked.


    Lucia turned her head and saw the little girl rubbing her eyes sleepily, and her face softened a little


    unconsciously.


    She reached out and squeezed her little cheek gently, and said softly, "Are you awake? We''re here,


    we''ll get off the ne soon..."


    While they were getting off the ne, Timothy on the other side suddenly turned his head and shed a


    pair of big ck and white eyes swirling in their sockets.


    "Mom, will Dade to pick us up?" He asked.


    "It¡¯s your little aunt who wille to pick us up.Dad is on a business trip today, and we can''t see him


    until tomorrow" Lucia replied softly.


    Hearing this, a trace of disappointment shed across Timothy''s face, and he held his cheeks.


    "I miss Dad so much, I haven''t seen Dad for a long time," he said.


    Seeing his appearance, Lucia''s heart softened, she raised her hand and rubbed his little head,


    comforting him.


    "Don''t worry, you''ll see dad soon!" She said sweetly.


    Soon, they got out of the ne, and Lucia pulled the two little guys straight to the baggage im.


    There were a lot of people at the baggage im, and Lucia was pulling the kids and looking at the


    turntable, trying to locate their baggage, unknowingly bing distracted.


    "Timothy, J, you two hold on to my clothes and don''t run around," Lucia said to the toddlers, and


    when she saw them nod obediently, she felt relieved.


    Suddenly, her cell phone rang, and she picked it up to see that it was Pa who was calling.


    "Hello? Pa, are you here?" Lucia asked.


    Pa said from the other end of the phone line with a somewhat happy voice.


    "I just arrived, I''m rushing inside, where are you?" She asked.


    "We are trying to pick up our luggage, youe and pick us up" Lucia replied.


    Lucia lowered her head and rubbed Timothy''s little head.


    Timothy blinked her big eyes and heard the call from Pa, and hurriedly stretched out her small hand.


    "Mom, I want to talk to my aunt!" She said with a cute coo.


    J next to her also jumped excitedly.


    "Me too!"


    He echoed.


    Lucia was helpless by the two little guys, so she had to hand over the phone to them.


    "Okay, talk to your aunt," she muttered.


    Seeing the two of them holding the phone with their heads close to each other, Lucia smiled, and when


    she turned her head, she saw their suitcases being delivered on the luggage conveyor belt.


    This time, she came back from Ameca mainly because she was going to attend an awards ceremony,


    and at the same time, she was going to take Timothy and J to shoot a set ofmercials.


    The three of them brought a lot of misceneous things, two big boxes.


    Sheboriously moved the two boxes down by herself, and when she turned her head, she saw


    Timothy holding her mobile phone and chatting with Pa on the other end of the phone.


    Timothy was not yet five years old, but when he met a beautiful youngdy, his mouth was as sweet as


    honey, and he could coax others into ecstasy with just a few sentences.


    Pa, an old aunt, naturally couldn''t escape his routine.


    She couldn''t help but smile and look around, but she didn''t find J.


    In an instant, Lucia¡¯s back tightened and she was a little nervous.


    She quickly walked to Timothy and asked, "Timothy, where is your sister?"


    Timothy held the phone and casually replied.


    "She''s behind me," he said to his mother.


    Lucia raised her eyes and looked in the direction he said, but in the spacious and empty airport hall,


    where was J?

 Chapter 346

    Chapter 346


    Chapter 346 J Lost Lucia quickly nced around and crossed the crowd, but still didn''t see the


    little figure in the purple dress.


    Her heart tightened, and a chill suddenly invaded her body.


    Lucia''s mind suddenly shed back to the case of domestic child abduction and trafficking that she saw


    a few days ago, and her heart instantly hung in her throat.


    She immediately picked up Timothy, took the mobile phone from him.


    and said to Pa on the other end of the phone.


    "Pa, something is wrong.


    J is gone!"


    Lucia said urgently.


    "What!"


    Pa screamed.


    Pa, on the other end of the phone, was shocked when she heard the news.


    "How did she disappear?"


    She asked.


    Lucia was nervous, and her voice trembled a little because of her anxiety.


    "I don''t know either, but I didn¡¯t see her again as soon as I turned around with my luggage!"


    Lucia replied.


    Pa repeatedlyforted her.


    "Don''t worry, you go around and take a look, I''ll rush over to find you right away!"


    She said to Lucia.


    They hung up the phone.


    Lucia put Timothy down, took his little hand, and took a walk to search around the hall.


    "J! Where are you, J!"


    Lucia was saying loudly.


    "J!"


    She echoed.


    On the other side of the airport hall, a group of men in suits walked together, attracting a lot of attention.


    They were all dressed in ck suits and walked forward in unison, with outstanding momentum and


    threatening battles.


    August, who was walking at the front, was naturally the most eye-catching one.


    Facing the gazes of passers-by who were projected from left and right, he looked, as usual, raised his


    hand calmly and looked at his watch, and slightly tilted his head to look at the second half.


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    Burton stepped forward.


    "Notify the senior management at the head office that there will be a temporary meeting tomorrow


    morning, and all members must be present,"


    August said to Burton instructively.


    Burton nodded immediately.


    "Okay, I''ll send an email notification straight away,"


    Burton replied.


    After a pause, August remembered something and continued to instruct.


    "By the way, for tonight''s game, remember to have someone bring a few bottles of good wine from the


    wine cer to treat Director Joey,"


    August instructed Burton again.


    "All clear,"


    Burton said.


    "Boom!"


    August collided with someone below him.


    "Quch!"


    The person below him yelped.


    Suddenly, before August could turn his head, he felt a pain in his leg, as if he had been hit by


    something.


    Then, he heard a small milk sounding from below, he immediately stopped and looked down.


    A little girl carved in pink and jade was sitting on the ground, staring at him with a pair of big eyes and


    an aggrieved expression.


    Seeing those eyes, August was stunned for a moment, and suddenly felt a sense of familiarity.


    He hesitated for a moment, then squatted down unexpectedly, stretched out his hand, and picked her


    up from the ground.


    "Did you fall?"


    August asked the little girl.


    J pouted and said with some dissatisfaction, "Uncle, it was you who knocked me down..."


    August heard the words, his stern face eased a little without him knowing it, the corners of his lips rose,


    and he said softly, "Really? Did I knock you down?"


    Just now, he only cared about instructing Burton about things and didn''t pay attention to looking ahead,


    plus the little girl was so small, he didn''t see her at all.


    J nodded affirmatively.


    "Yes! Otherwise, do you think I''m touching porcin?"


    She asked August back.


    Listening to a four or five-year-old girl talking like this, August''s smile deepened, and he picked her up


    patiently.


    "Okay, then I apologize to you, I''m sorry.


    Also, what are you doing? Where are your people? Where''s your mother?"


    Augustus asked.


    "My mother...


    over there!"


    J replied incoherently.


    She blinked, pointed in a random direction, looked at August, and suddenly grabbed the tie around his


    neck.


    "Uncle handsome, can you take me to my mother?"


    She asked.


    August''s cor tightened.


    He subconsciously frowned, and a picture suddenly shed in his mind.


    Once, there was a woman who had pulled his tie like this...


    But now, a few yearster, when someone pulled his tie again, it turned out to be a little girl.


    August came back to his senses, looked at the cute little girl in front of him, and his heart softened a bit.


    "Okay, I''ll take you to find your mother,"


    he said to her.


    Burton nced at the time, stepped forward, and reminded, "Mr.Adams, it''s gettingte."


    "It''s okay,"


    August said and paused.


    He looked back at the subordinates behind him, and said in a low voice, "You go first, I''lleter."


    Those subordinates had never seen August like this before, so they couldn''t help but take a few more


    nces at him and themselves.


    Not to mention, a man as mature and stable as August with a sessful career holding a cute little loli


    was also very seductive, just like holding his daughter.


    Seeing August looking at them with a slightly cold expression, the few of them reacted immediately and


    left after agreeing.


    August lowered his head and looked at the little girl who was holding his neck, and his expression


    softened.


    "Let''s go.


    I''ll take you to find your mother,"


    he said to J.


    J looked at him, and suddenly said in a milky voice, "Uncle, you look a little handsome..."


    Hearing this, August raised the corners of his lips and looked at her amusedly.


    ¡®A little handsome? Only a little?"


    He asked.


    "Not only a little bit, but a little more handsome than my father,"


    J replied innocently.


    This sentence immediately amused August, and he smiled.


    The tiredness he felt from the business trip just now was swept away, and his mood became much


    better unconsciously.


    He wasn''t particr about children, but when he saw this little girl, he wanted to be close for no reason.


    The feeling was amazing.


    Was it because he was old enough and wanted to stabilize and have a family? Thinking of this, August


    shook his head helplessly, holding J and walking toward the direction she pointed.


    When they walked to the baggage im spot, J hurriedly said, "Uncle handsome, this is the ce I


    was, but what about mom?"


    She asked.


    She tilted her head and looked around, but she didn''t see Lucia''s figure, and suddenly became a little


    anxious.


    "Where''s my mother?"


    She screamed and asked.


    Hearing a bit of crying in the little girl''s voice, August hurriedlyforted her.


    "It''s okay, don''t be afraid, uncle will help you find her,"


    he said to her.


    J was only four years old after all.


    She couldn''t see her mother and brother.


    She was a little scared at this time.


    Her small arms were tightly wrapped around August''s neck, and tears were rolling from her eyes.


    When August saw this, his heart tightened, and he felt ufortable for some reason.


    "Don''t be afraid, tell me, what color is your mother wearing, long hair or short hair?"


    He asked J.


    J replied word by word.


    "Long hair and ck clothes"


    she replied.


    Hearing what she said, August turned his head, looked at Burton who had been following behind him,


    and instructed him.


    "Go over there and see if there are any women with long hair and ck clothes."


    When Burton heard this, a ck line appeared on his forehead.


    There were so many people in the airport, and there must be many women wearing ck clothes and


    long hair.


    It would be really difficult for him to find the mother of the girl.


    J sniffed.


    "She is with my brother, my brother is as cute as me..."


    She said softly.


    When August heard the girl¡¯s words, he wanted tough inexplicably, but it was not appropriate in this


    situation.


    He looked at Burton, and Burton immediately understood.


    "I''ll go right now!"


    Burton said.


    The two people spread out to look for the girl''s mother, and the possibility of finding her naturally


    became a little higher.


    At this moment, a voice suddenly came from the loudspeaker broadcast at the airport.


    "Emergency broadcast, emergency broadcast, J, pleasee to the front desk of No.1 quickly,


    your family is waiting for you..." the loudspeaker echoed a female voice.

 Chapter 347

    Chapter 347


    Chapter 347 Reunion at the Airport


    J was a little excited when she heard this.She quickly looked at August.


    "Uncle handsome, it''s me! It''s me! J is me!"


    She yelled with excitement.


    August looked at the anxious appearance of the little girl, and he couldn''t help but smile.


    "Okay, then I''ll take you to the front desk of No.1," he said softly.


    "Okay! Thank you, handsome uncle!" J said.


    J was happy.She suddenly put her arms around August''s neck and kissed him on the cheek with a


    "haha".


    August was stunned for a moment, and an inexplicable warm current passed through his heart, but he


    didn''t reject it at all, and when he looked at J, he felt a little more love in his heart.


    He hugged her and walked over to the front desk at number 1 quickly.


    From a distance, August saw one big person and one small person standing next to the front desk of


    No.1.


    The woman with her back to him was dressed in fashion and had a good figure, but she looked


    inexplicably familiar.


    A little guy was standing next to her, about the same size as J, and also looked like a small


    dumpling made of pink and jade.


    The two little guys seemed to have telepathy.


    When Timothy turned his head, the two saw each other at the same time.


    "J!"


    Timothy screamed.


    "Timothy!"


    J screamed back.


    In the distance, the two danced excitedly with each other, and Timothy ran towards August at a trot.


    August took a closer look and saw Timothy''s little face.


    For some reason, his heart tightened, and an inexplicable sense of familiarity emerged from the bottom


    of his heart.


    He bent down, put J down, and watched the two little dumplings run and hug each other.


    At this moment, Lucia, who had her back to him, heard the sound of the excitement, turned around


    slowly, and August raised his head and looked at her.


    The moment both of them spotted each other, their eyes were full of surprise.


    Lucia¡¯''s body froze in ce.


    For some reason, her heart mmed against her chest wall like a scared deer, and her cheeks heated


    up unconsciously.


    On the other side, August looked at her, shock and surprise shed in his eyes at first, then they slowly


    returned to calm, and finally, there was only a bit of coldness left.


    Good fortune tricks people, but this was a rare case.


    He tried his best and worked hard to find her for so long, but he couldn''t get any news about her, and


    he didn''t expect that after a few years, they would meet again in this way here.


    A bit of coldness formed in his heart, and then, his face became a bit stern, and his original gentleness


    and patience suddenly disappeared.


    At this moment, the two little guys held hands and ran toward Lucia at a brisk pace.


    Suddenly, August''s eyes sank, and the emotions in his eyes were dark and unclear.


    Unexpectedly, this turned out to be her child.


    Austos City was small.


    Over there, Lucia reacted and inspected J, who was safe and sound, and she heaved a sigh of


    relief.


    She quickly took her little hand and checked it from beginning to end.


    "J, where have you been? You scared my mother to death, Lucia said warily.


    J felt a little guilty., "My aunt said she was at the South Gate, and I wanted to pick her up, but lost


    her..." she said in a low voice.


    Seeing the little girl''s appearance, Lucia''s heart softened.


    "It¡¯s fine, but don¡¯t do this next time, you know?" She asked.


    J nodded, suddenly thought of something, stretched out her hand, and grabbed her.


    "Okay, Mom!" She said to Lucia.


    Her little face returned to being full of life, and she pulled Lucia toward August''s direction.


    "Mom, this handsome man brought me to find you!" J said.


    Lucia heard what her daughter said, looked up at the man two meters away, and her heart sank.She


    took a deep breath but didn''t know how to speak.


    August walked towards her first.


    His eyes were dark and unclear, and he nced down at the two little cute babies, then looked up at


    Lucia, and said with a half-smile, "I didn''t expect that we would meet in this way."


    Lucia suppressed her beating heart and pretended to be calm.


    "I didn''t expect it as well, long time no see, August" she said.


    August squinted slightly, and his eyes became a little colder, he swept his eyes to J and Timothy,


    and the emotions in his eyes became a little moreplicated.


    Aware of his gaze, Lucia''s heart sank suddenly, and she subconsciously hid the two little guys behind


    her.


    The next second, the man''s cold voice sounded again.


    "Are these your children?" August asked.


    Lucia''s heart skipped a beat, and an unnatural look shed across her eyes unconsciously.


    She mustered up the courage to raise her eyes to meet his gaze.


    "Yes," she muttered.


    August squinted with a hint of hesitation in his eyes, and said meaningfully, "Looks like they are four or


    five years old."


    Lucia took a deep breath and suppressed the nervousness in her heart.


    "This doesn''t seem to have anything to do with you, right?" She asked August nervously.


    August raised the corners of his lips, nced at her with a half-smile, and then lowered his head to see


    J hiding behind Lucia, sticking out a small head and staring at him.His heart softened inexplicably,


    and he bowed slightly to look at her.


    "Who is your father?"


    He asked.


    J hesitated for a while, but before she could answer, Timothy suddenly said, "My father''s name is


    Paul! He is amazing!"


    Hearing this name, August''s face sank suddenly, a gleaming light shed in his eyes, his heart seemed


    to be pressed against a big rock, and he couldn''t breathe.


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    He instantly became pale.


    A few secondster, hisplexion slowly returned to normal, he took a deep breath, straightened up,


    and looked at Lucia, with a bit of irony in his eyes.


    "It seems that Mr.Thomas finally got his wish," He said to her with a half smile.


    Five years ago, Paul was always around Lucia, all the time.


    Unexpectedly, Lucia tried so hard to leave him, and she seeded and ended up with Paul.


    They also had two four- or five-year-old children.


    For some reason, August''s heart shrank, and he suffered pangs of pain.He raised his eyes again and


    looked at Lucia''s face bing more and more gloomy.


    Feeling the coldness in the man''s eyes, Lucia took a deep breath and nced at his right hand.


    On the ring finger of the man''s right hand, there was a unique ring on it, and Lucia could see that it was


    a wedding ring.


    She bit her lip, pretended to be calm, and forced out a smile.


    "Isn''t Mr.Adamsmitted somewhere too?" She asked.


    When the woman smiled, she became more and more attractive.


    August''s heart tightened, and a strange emotion came to his heart.


    Lucia was still the same Lucia, with stubborn eyes, a strong personality, and a temper that refused to


    admit defeat, but after these five years, she seemed to be reborn, much more stunning and dazzling,


    making people unable to ignore the glow on her body.


    After August heard the words she said, he nced down at the wedding ring between his fingers, and


    his eyes darkened a bit.He paused, and finally said, "I should go, take good care of your children."


    After speaking, he took a step and was about to leave.


    Suddenly, the corners of his clothes tightened, as if being grabbed by something.He looked down and


    saw J who was standing beside his leg and stretched out her hand to drag him.


    J''s eyes were round, covered with ayer of water mist, and there was a bit of reluctance on her


    face.


    Looking at it makes August feel pity and love.


    August''s heart skipped a bit.He took a deep breath, paused, squatted down slowly, looked at her,


    stretched out his hand, and lightly tapped her little cheek.


    "Listen to mother''s words carefully.Next time I''m free, I''ll take you to eat cake," he said to the toddler.


    When J heard this, her little face suddenly became a little happier, "Okay! Handsome man" she


    cooed.


    When Lucia saw what was happening, her heart almost jumped out of her throat.


    She didn''t expect that J, who always disliked contact with strangers, would be so clingy! Was this


    the legendary blood connection?

 Chapter 348

    Chapter 348


    Chapter 348 Back Home


    The more Lucia thought about it, the more frightened she became.She quickly stretched out her hand


    and grabbed J.


    "Okay, J, we should go," she said.


    Saying that she looked at August with a cold attitude.


    "Thank you for today," she said to him.


    After she finished speaking, she held J with one hand and Timothy with the other turned, and


    walked to the other side.


    August raised his eyes and watched the woman pull the two little guys away.


    Before they took two steps, J turned her head to look at him, looking so cute.


    August suddenly felt a burst of warmth in his heart, but when he thought that it was the child of Lucia


    and Paul, his mood instantly turned cold.


    After a while, his expression returned to calm, he turned around, nced at Burton, and said coldly,


    "Let''s go."


    Burton hesitated for a moment, nodded, took a step, and followed quickly.


    Lucia took J and Timothy back to the baggage im area.


    Just after taking the suitcase and preparing to leave, a loud voice sounded.


    "Lucia!"


    Pa ran towards them in a hurry, not forgetting to give them a big blowing kiss, and in the next


    second, she opened her arms, hugged the two little guys, and kissed them hard.


    "Okay auntie, your saliva..."


    Timothy was the first toin.He was a little helpless to be kissed and quickly reached out his small


    hand to wipe his face.


    Next to Timothy, Jughed non-stop.


    "Okay, auntie..." She said with excitement.


    For a while, the atmosphere instantly became active and rxed, and Lucia''s originally tense heart


    gradually rxed a little.


    The scene of meeting August just now was still reverberating in her mind.


    She was so nervous at the time, for fear that August would suspect something when he saw the two


    little dumplings.


    Unexpectedly, she had just arrived in Austos, and she reunited with August at the airport.


    Should she sigh because Austos city was too small, or should she feel that the two of them have fate?


    Thinking like this in her heart, Lucia felt a little distracted, and she didn''t even know that Pa walked


    beside her.


    "What are you thinking about? So fascinated!" Pa asked.


    Lucia snapped back to her senses.


    Seeing Pa next to her, she breathed a sigh of relief, shook her head, and said, "I''m okay, it''s just that


    J got lost and met August."


    "What?" Pa yelped.


    Pa''s facial expression instantly became a little exaggerated, and she nced at J and Timothy


    who were ying next to her.


    "Are you saying that August saw them both?" She asked.


    Lucia nodded, feeling a little uneasy in her heart.


    This time she came back to Austos because some things in the country needed to be dealt with.


    Before she came back, she did think of this possibility, but she didn''t expect it to happen so suddenly


    and so quickly.


    Pa was on the side, and her expression was quite rich.


    In the end, she took a deep breath, patted Lucia on the shoulder, andforted her.


    "Don''t be afraid, the sky is falling and my brother is on it! It''s fine!" She said to Lucia.


    Seeing Pa''s positive look, Lucia''s nervousness eased a bit, and she smiled.


    "Okay, it''s gettingte, it''s time to go to dinner," she said to everyone.


    Pa nodded in agreement.


    "Yes, let''s take care of you people first, let''s talk about other things!" She said to Lucia.


    Saying that she walked to the side and pulled the two little guys along.


    Lucia walked behind with tworge suitcases and shook her head with a smile.


    How could she feel that Pa was like the mother of the two little guys, and she was like a maid? The


    group left the airport and went directly to the restaurant to have dinner.


    After eating a meal for more than two hours, their suitcases were sent to the hotel by the driver Pa


    brought.


    Lucia challenged the little guys for a good time and went directly to the West Bridge Garden.


    West Bridge Garden was amunity developed in Austos City in recent years.It had good greenery


    and a quiet environment, which was very suitable for the elderly to live in.


    Originally, Paul arranged the two elders at the border of Figo City and Austos, but after two years, Paul


    and the others took over the West Bridge Garden, and they lived in this way for three years.


    Lucia took the two little guys out of the car and found the corresponding room number.


    At a nce, she saw the hangers in the yard, the fuchsia silk scarves, and the brown coat.


    Each of these was clothes she was all too familiar with.


    Those were the clothes of Bill Mitchell and Elisa.


    They were quite frugal and didn¡¯t change their clothes very often.


    As soon as Lucia saw those familiar clothes, she already knew that it was where Bill Mitchell and Elisa


    lived.


    Her nose was sore, her steps stopped, and she couldn''t move.


    She had been away for five years, and she had nevere back to see the old man in these five


    years.


    She felt a little guilty in her heart.


    J and Timothy, who were next to her, noticed the abnormality, surrounded her from left to right, and


    asked, "Mom, what''s the matter with you?"


    "Mom, why are you crying?"


    They asked Lucia one after the other.


    Lucia took a deep breath, suppressed the tears that were about to burst out, and hooked her lips at


    them.


    "It¡¯s okay, I''m about to see my grandfather and grandma, are you happy?" She asked them.


    The little guys jumped up and down, all excited.


    "Happy!"


    They echoed.


    Looking at them, Lucia felt even more ufortable.


    The children were over four years old, and it was the first time she brought them here to see their


    grandparents, which was unfilial.She gritted her teeth, summoned up her courage, held the little guys in


    her left hand and a few gift boxes in her right hand, walked to the door, and rang the doorbell.


    After a while, there was a sound in the house, and then, with the sound of footsteps, the door was


    pushed open with a "click", and Elisa appeared at the door.


    She had just taken two steps, and before she entered the yard, when she saw Lucia standing outside,


    her expression suddenly froze.


    A few secondster, she stepped forward with a surprised look, and called out hesitantly, "Lucia?"


    There was some uncertainty in her tone.


    Lucia''s nose was sour, and she replied softly, "Mom."


    At the same time, tears instantly fell from Elisa''s eyes.


    "Lucia!"


    The olddy muttered.


    She came over quickly, opened the door of the yard, and saw the two little guys beside Lucia, and her


    expression was even more startled.


    "This is..." She said with a dazed expression.


    Lucia took a deep breath, with tears rolling in her eyes, she looked down at the two stunned little guys,


    and immediately ordered.


    "Say grandma!"


    Lucia said to the children.


    "Grandmother," the kids echoed timidly and hesitantly.


    Surprised and happy, Elisa responded, looking at the two little guys with unconcealed joy in her eyes.


    "Come in! Come in!" She said happily.


    Elisa took the gift box from Lucia''s hands and let them in immediately.


    Lucia walked in with her, across the yard, and into the room.


    "You guys take a seat, I''ll call your dad here!"


    Lucia¡¯s mother said.


    Elisa couldn''t be happier.She hurried back and forth, hurried to the next room, and patted the door.


    "Old man, stop practicing calligraphy! Come out quickly! Look who''s here!" She said to her husband.


    Lucia was sitting on the sofa, feeling a little nervous.


    Although she came to see her parents, they hadn''t seen each other for several years.


    After a while, the door of the study was pushed open.


    Immediately afterward, Bill came out with a brush in his hand.


    Lucia quickly stood up and said, "Dad..."


    When Bill saw this, his face suddenly changed, and he turned back to the room.


    The door was mmed shut, and for a while, the atmosphere in the room suddenly sank.


    Lucia''s heart tightened.


    It felt as if a basin of cold water had been poured down her head, and it was freezing to the bone.


    Elisa was also stunned for a moment, and quickly raised her hand and patted the door.


    "Old man, what are you doing? You talked about this every day, wondering why your daughter wouldn''t


    come back, and now you''re back in a bad temper again!"


    Lucia¡¯s mother said to her husband.


    Her voice fell, and soon, Bill Mitchell''s cold response came from the room.


    "If she doesn''t want toe back, let her note back! It¡¯s been five years, what is she doing back


    here?" He asked.


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    Hearing what he said, Lucia felt a chill in her heart, and an indescribable sourness emerged in her


    heart.


    "You old man! Open the door! She is your only daughter!" Elisa said to her husband.


    "Also, your grandchildren are waiting here! What a temper!" She added.


    Elisa called out a few times, but she was so angry because there was no response, she simply walked


    back, dragged Timothy and J to the side and instructed them, and then led them to the door of the


    study.


    Following grandma''s instructions, Timothy and J stood on the left and right, raised their little hands,


    and pped at the door.


    "Grandpa..." They said in unison.


    "Grandpa, open the door..." They added.


    Listening to their little cute and milky voices, Elisa on the side couldn''t help raising the corners of her


    lips.


    She could bet that within five minutes, the old man would open the door automatically!

 Chapter 349

    Chapter 349


    Chapter 349 A Simple Life


    Sure enough, three minutester, there was a sound of footsteps in the room, and then, following the


    call of Timothy and J, the door was opened.


    Bill frowned and appeared at the door.


    When he looked down and saw the two little guys, he was stunned for a moment, and a gleam of light


    shed in his eyes.


    Timothy and J were also seeing their grandfather for the first time, so they were inevitably a little


    unfamiliar.


    They stared at him with big eyes and didn''t dare to scream.


    Bill looked a littleplicated.He took a deep breath, hesitated for a moment, and slowly squatted


    down.


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    "You...what''s your name?" He asked the boy.


    "My name is Timothy, and her name is J,"


    Timothy said carefully, with a timid tone.


    Bill Mitchell''s eyes lit up, and the expression on his face was instantly reced by gentleness and


    happiness.He nodded repeatedly and opened his arms to wrap the two small dumplings between his


    arms.


    "Good name, good name...let Grandpa have a look..." he said with good cheer.


    Seeing this, Lucia, who was next to him, had a sour nose, and hot tears rolled in her eyes.


    Over the years, she did not fulfill her filial piety as a daughter, never came back to see them, and never


    even had a few phone calls.It was not that she didn''t miss them, it was that she had too many reasons


    that kept her away.


    Firstly, she was afraid of August, and then she was swayed by the children.She had dragged this out


    for several years.


    "Grandpa...How old are you? Your hair is white..."


    The children started to ask.


    "Grandpa..."


    The two little guys surrounded Bill Mitchell and kept asking various questions.


    After a while, Bill was so amused that he couldn''t stop talking.


    Elisa walked to the sofa from the side, pulled Lucia to sit down, andforted her earnestly.


    "Lucia, don''t me your dad, he hasn''t been doing well in the past few years..." She said to Lucia.


    "If you think about it day and night, I''m afraid you will not have a good time here.You haven''t been back


    in the past few years.He feels ufortable!"


    She added.


    Hearing what Elisa said.


    Lucia felt even sadder.She took a deep breath, bit her lip, took Elisa''s hand, and said softly, "Mom, I''m


    sorry, it''s filial piety that I haven''te back to see you all these years......"


    "Don''t think like that.Others might not understand it, but your mother understands.You are out there


    with two children.Paul is operating both on a domestic and foreign scale.There was no way...Mom


    doesn''t me you," Elisa said, sighed, and shook her head.


    When Lucia heard these words, a warm feeling emerged in her heart, but when she heard her mother


    talking about Paul, she *I opened her mouth and wanted to exin, but in the end, she didn''t say


    anything.


    This lie, was better for her to just keep hidden because if she let them know, it will only increase the


    worry.


    She and Paul were not involved in the kind of rtionship that outsiders thought, and even Pa didn''t


    know about it.


    Those who didn''t know thought that the two of them were in love with each other, they had set up a


    home abroad, and they had a pair of lovely twins.


    Those in the know thought that the two of them were in love for a long time, and Paul was willing to


    raise another man¡¯s children.To be a stepfather.


    But in fact, she and Paul didn''t reach the final step.


    He had affection for her, but she was more grateful to him.


    Over the years, he not only gave her infinite care and warmth but also acted as the father of the two


    little guys, making up for theck of fatherly love for the little ones.


    She tried to open up to him, and he acted as the father of the children, as she wished, and as she


    pleased.


    "Lucia, what''s wrong? What are you thinking about, why are you so fascinated?" Elisa asked.


    Elisa stretched out her hand and shook it in front of Lucia''s eyes.


    Only then did she react, and she quickly turned her head to look at her mother.


    "No...it''s nothing, I''m just a little tired," Lucia said.


    After hearing this, Elisa nced at the time.


    "Look at me, there is still pork ribs soup in this pot! Why did I forget it? You and my precious


    grandchildren must stay today and taste my craft," she said with zest.


    Lucia¡¯s heart warmed, and she smiled at her mother.


    "Okay," she said at once.


    After so many years, she also wanted to recall the taste of her mother''s cooking.


    Elisa hurriedly entered the kitchen and started to work.


    On the other side, Bill, Timothy, and J were having a good time.


    The old urchin brought two naughty little ones into his study, and the atmosphere was lively.


    Lucia stood aside and looked at them, with her lips curled up.


    Suddenly, the phone in her pocket vibrated.She quickly recovered from her gaze, took out her phone,


    and saw the notes disyed on the screen, she suddenly became a little serious.She got up, walked to


    the side, and pressed the answer button.


    "Hey, Mr.Reed, what''s the matter?" Lucia asked.


    Elijah was her agent, and he was helping to connect with some domestic businesses.


    Three years ago, Lucia suddenly had a whimsical idea of posting about her babies on a foreign


    tform.


    After that, she gained a group of fans.She insisted on recording the daily life of Timothy and J and


    waster discovered by people from Elijah¡¯spany.She was invited to take a group of photos of the


    twins, which unexpectedly became popr on the Inte.


    Since then, many children''smercials and advertisements came to her.


    But she didn''t want to let the two little guyse into contact withmercial things too early, she


    would only pick some good events to bring them to attend, and usually, she would be their


    photographer.


    In addition, she worked as an editorial director in a film and televisionpany in Ameca.She had


    made several films with some sess, and her ie was not bad.


    This time, she was back to Austos, firstly because she wasing to an awards ceremony, and


    secondly, to take the two little guys to participate in filming themed on wildlife protection.


    On the other end of the phone line, Elijah asked.


    "Lucia, have you thought about what I told youst time?"


    Lucia heard the words, her heart sank, and she hesitated for a moment.


    "I think our life is pretty good now, and I just want to be calm and don''t want to enter the entertainment


    industry," Lucia replied.


    Hearing her answer, Elijah on the other end was not having it.


    "Lucia, I told you so much, why don''t you understand? With your current conditions and achievements,


    you can be popr. At that time, there will be tens of millions of paychecks, and there will be


    endless advertisements, even if you quit the circleter..." Elijah said to Lucia.


    Before he could finish speaking, Lucia took a deep breath and interrupted him.


    "Okay, Mr.Reed, I''ve thought about it" she said.


    She just wanted to live a simple and small life, taking pictures of Timothy and J to record their


    growth trajectory, and directing short films because of her love for it.She was very satisfied with


    everything she had.


    "That''s it, Lucia! Now in Austos, there is apany that wants to sign you, do you know which


    company it is? It''s Star Entertainment Media where the top actor Jonathan ck is contracted with!"


    Elijah said to Lucia.


    Hearing this familiar name, Lucia was stunned, and after a few seconds, she curled her lips and


    smiled.She had heard about Jonathan ck.


    In the past five years, he had changed from a lump of fresh meat to a top-notch actor and had brought


    many good works to the audience.


    The films he had participated in in the past two years were even more praised.


    The tide had be the first line of the entertainment industry.


    Hearing Elijah on the other end of the phone gushing about how good Star Entertainment Media was,


    she took a deep breath and said with a giggle,"Mr.Reed, I don''t need it, thank you."


    As she said that, she turned and looked back, just to see that Elisa wasing out of the kitchen with


    a soup pot, and the smile on her lips couldn''t help deepening.


    "I have to be with my family now, let''s not talk about this again.I have made up my mind, that''s all,"


    Lucia said emphatically.


    After speaking, without waiting for Elijah to say anything else, she hung up the phone and put it away.


    Now, after experiencing loss, she understood what is most important to her.


    Family and love are the things she can''t give up on in her life.

 Chapter 350

    Chapter 350


    Chapter 350 Leave Austos Soon


    After a while, Elisa had prepared five dishes and one soup, and the table was filled with a sumptuous


    meal.


    Timothy and J, two little greedy cats, couldn''t eat such authentic traditional food abroad.


    At this time, they were all around the table, inhaling the aroma on the table, and sighing.


    "Wow! Grandma, what is this? It looks delicious..." J said in a delighted way.


    Elisa patiently introduced the dishes one by one.


    "This is sliced pork belly, this red one is sweet and sour fish..." she exined.


    After the introduction, the two greedy cats looked at their grandmother with a little more admiration.


    Elisa naturally enjoyed this feeling and happily dragged them into the kitchen.


    "Go! Go and wash your hands ande to eat!"


    She cooed at the kids.


    Lucia stood aside and savored the meal.


    Every dish on the table was her favorite.


    She took a deep breath, turned her head inadvertently, saw Bill next to her, and her heart tightened.


    The title rolled in her throat, and she finally called out, "Dad..."


    Bill''s face was not as cold as it was at first.He looked at Lucia, hesitation shed in his eyes, and then


    he said coldly, "Go wash your hands and eat."


    Lucia¡¯s heart warmed when she heard these words.


    "Dad, I''m so sorry for being absent all these years.You and mother..." she started to say.


    When Bill heard the words, tears formed in his eyes.


    He finally waved his hand and said in a softer voice, "Okay, it''s good to see you."


    Hearing what he said, Lucia knew in her heart that he had already forgiven her.She took a deep breath


    and nodded with a tearful smile.


    "Well, I will listen to Dad!" She said with a sober voice.


    The two nced at each other, and after some seconds, the corners of their lips couldn''t help rising,


    and they looked at each other with a silly smile.


    Every grievance from the past was eliminated at this moment.


    This meal was confirmedly the most delicious meal Lucia had eaten in the past five years.


    In the evening, Lucia originally nned to take Timothy and J to the hotel, but her mother


    persuaded her to stay at home, so she had to send someone to retrieve their luggage.


    Although this house in West Bridge was not big, there were quite a few rooms.


    Lucia and sensual J slept on one side, and Timothy on the other, which waspletely adequate


    for them.It was just after eight o''clock, but perhaps because of the day''s running around, the two little


    guys soon fell asleep.ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    Lucia took a shower and came out of the bathroom.


    While she was wiping her hair, she picked up the charging mobile phone and nced at it.


    There were several new messages from Elijah.


    "Forget about it Lucia, I don''t want to force you either.You have your choice, and I respect it,"


    Elijah¡¯s text message read.


    "You don''t have to participate in anything else when you return home this time, but you must be present


    at the award ceremony this Saturday! It''s very important!"


    Elijah added.


    To emphasize the importance, Elijah also specially sent a few urgent emojis.


    Lucia hooked her lips and smiled.


    "Okay, I see," she replied.


    She was very aware of the importance of this award ceremony.


    The film she directed won a prestigious award.


    With this achievement, she could do more things in the future.


    Therefore, for this awards ceremony, she had to go.


    In the blink of an eye, it was the next morning.


    Elisa got up early, worked for two hours, and prepared a sumptuous breakfast, including freshly fried


    milk-vored fritters, baked egg pancakes, and traditional tofu brains with millet porridge.


    That was it for an authentic and hearty breakfast.


    Timothy and J, two greedy cats, were in the bedroom together, but they were led into the kitchen


    by the aroma of Elisa''s cooking.


    They fired rainbow farts one by one.


    "Grandma, you are amazing!"


    "Yeah, yeah! We could only eat bread, milk, and oatmeal before, it wasn''t tasty at all..."


    Elisa couldn''t close her mouth when she was praised.She hugged the two small dumplings and kissed


    them on their cheeks, but she still refused to let go.


    On the other side, Bill came to the dining room after reading the day''s newspaper and saw a breakfast


    table.He couldn''t help but smack his lips, and then heined.


    "I never saw you cook so much delicious food when the two of us were alone..." Bill said.


    "How can youpare us to my precious grandchildren?" Elisa said and waved her hand.


    "Let''s go! Don''t get in the way here!" She added.


    "You......"


    Bill muttered inaudibly.


    Lucia stood aside and watched the two of them still quarrel and bicker like they did five years ago.


    This was the homely feeling she was most familiar with.


    At this moment, there was a loud noise from the door, followed by a low male voice, "Lucia!"


    Lucia heard the words, turned around, and saw Paul who had just taken off his shoes, and walked


    towards them.


    Lucia curled her lips into a smile and asked, "Why are you here?"


    Paul''s eyes were gentle and clear.


    "I went to the hotel to find you, and found that you were not there, so I came here directly," Paul replied.


    As soon as he finished speaking, there came the little milky voices of the two little guys, "Dad!"


    Paul''s heart warmed, and he stepped forward immediately, hugging Timothy J with both hands.


    On the other side of the dining table, Bill Mitchell and Elisa looked at them with knowing smiles on their


    faces.It was their greatest wish to see their daughter happy.


    After having breakfast together, Paul took Lucia to the balcony and said softly, "I heard from Pa, did


    you meet August at the airport yesterday?" He asked.


    Hearing this name, Lucia''splexion changed slightly.


    But it quickly returned to normal, and she replied softly, "Well, J got lost, and he found her."


    Hearing this, Paul''s expression darkened slightly.


    After a few seconds, he raised his eyes to look at Lucia.


    "Lucia, I think whatever affairs you have to deal with here, should be dealt with as soon as possible,


    and then you should hurry back, otherwise I will worry.If August has not been suspicious after a long


    time, I''m afraid that time wille..." He said with a firm and serious tone.


    Lucia listened, her heart tightened and she felt a little uneasy.She quickly shook her head and denied it.


    "No, I will never let him know!" Lucia replied.


    Seeing the panic shing across the woman''s face, Paul stretched out his hand, gently grabbed her


    shoulders with his big hand, andforted her softly.


    "Don''t worry, I''m here," he said.


    Lucia slowly turned her head and met his dark and calm eyes.She felt a little reassured in her heart.


    "I will resolve whatever issues I have in Austos as soon as possible,"


    She nodded and said softly.


    ""Okay,".


    Paul said and settled down, then he suddenly thought of something.


    "By the way, aren''t you going to the award ceremony the day after tomorrow? Do you have any suitable


    clothes?" He asked Lucia.


    Lucia shook her head and shrugged.


    "No, but I''ll go to the mall to buy it now," she replied.


    Hearing this, Paul raised the corners of his lips.


    "Why don''t I take you shoppingter? I happen to have time today," he said to her jovially.


    Lucia didn''t think about it too much and quickly agreed.


    "Okay," she replied.


    The award ceremony wasing soon, and she had to decide on her outfit as soon as possible.


    In the afternoon, Paul took Lucia to thergest shopping mall nearby to choose the dress to wear for


    the award ceremony.


    The two walked around the mall, but Lucia didn''t see what she liked.


    Suddenly, Paul said, "By the way, there is an independent design studio nearby.We can go and see if


    there is any suitable one."


    Lucia doubted it.


    "Independent design studio?" She asked with an exmation.


    "Yes, I don''t know if you have heard of Jennifer Lee who won this year''s Austar Reward," Paul asked.


    When Lucia heard this, her eyes lit up and she nodded urgently.


    "I Know her!" She replied with zest.


    Jeniffer Lee was a very innovative woman in the new era, and her works were very representative.


    It was said that the dress that won the recent award was randomly cut by her with just a pair of


    scissors, which was quite amazing! Lucia looked at Paul in disbelief.


    "You know her?" She asked Paul.


    Paul blinked, a hint of slyness shed across his eyes, and he stretched out his hand to grab Lucia


    naturally.


    "Let''s go, I''ll make you the most dazzling woman at this awards ceremony!"

 Chapter 351

    Chapter 351


    Chapter 351 Be Her Model


    After leaving the shopping mall, Paul took her into a small alley, meandered through a couple of


    streets, and arrived at a white two-story building.


    For half a year, the walls were covered with creeping tiger nts, swaying in the wind.


    Anybody that looked at it naturally felt refreshed.


    "Here we are" Paul said when they arrived at the building.


    Paul took Lucia to a side door next to them and pushed the door in.


    There was a reclining chair close to the door with an old man sitting on it.Paul stepped forward and


    greeted the old man.


    "Mr.Lester."


    The old man was half-squinting his eyes and fanning himself when he heard the sound.He opened his


    eyes slightly, nodded at Paul indifferently, and closed his eyesfortably.


    Paul turned his head and smiled at Lucia.


    "Let''s go," he said to Lucia.


    Lucia was a little stunned.She looked at the old man and followed Paul''s footsteps hesitantly.


    "Just go in like this, okay?" Paul told Lucia.


    "He is Jennifer''s father.Sometimes Ie over to y chess with the old man, but his memory


    fluctuates..Sometimes when I say who I am, he may not recall," Paul added.


    Lucia nodded, and as soon as Paul entered the house, he saw that the entire hall had been


    transformed into a small exhibition hall, with a set of dresses hanging in the transparent window, each


    with its characteristics and eye-catching detail.


    When she saw the clothes in the window, Lucia couldn''t hide the delight in her eyes.


    She had spent her free time in Ameca studying, cultivating Amecan businessmen, and paying close


    attention to the conferences of various major brands.


    Gradually, her aesthetics improved and she became very picky about clothing.


    And Jennifer''s designs naturally made her eyes shine.


    At this moment, footsteps suddenly came from the spiral staircase in the corner, followed by a female


    voice.


    "Paul, long time no see," the female said cheerfully.


    Lucia followed the sound of the voice, and saw a tall woman in the stairwell, wearing a loose white


    dress, with gentle eyebrows and no seriousness at all.


    Paul looked at her and said with a smile, "Jennifer, I have something to ask you today."


    Jennifer''s eyes stopped on Lucia.


    She raised her lips, walked down the stairs, said nothing, and scrutinized Lucia first.


    Lucia was slightly startled, and before she could speak, Paul started to introduce herself.


    "Jennifer, I forgot to introduce myself, this is my love, Lucia," he said.


    Lucia raised her lips and greeted Jennifer with a smile.


    When Jennifer heard this, a trace of surprise shed across her eyes.


    Some secondster, she shook her head with a smile.


    "Paul, to be honest, I didn''t expect you to have such a rtionship, because she is so perfect," Jeniffer


    said.


    Lucia was a little surprised.


    Before she could speak, Jennifer had already grabbed her hand.


    "Would you like to be my model? Your figure, proportions, and weight are exactly what I need," Jeniffer


    continued.


    Paul, who was beside them, didn''t expect it either, and a bit of surprise appeared in his eyes.


    "Are you kidding me?" He asked.


    Jennifer shook her head.


    "No, I''m pretty serious," she replied.


    Lucia was also at a loss.


    When she first learned about Jennifer''s work, she had heard that she was entric and difficult to get


    along with, and there were many rules for custom clothing, and she was even pickier about models, but


    she didn''t expect...


    Lucia looked at Jeniffer and asked, "Can I do it?"


    Jennifer hooked her lips and smiled.


    "As soon as I saw you, I was sure in my heart.I happen to beunching a new series recently and I am


    looking for models, and trust me when I say that, you are the person I am looking for!" She replied to


    Lucia.


    Seeing the affirmation on Jennifer''s face, it didn''t seem like she was lying, and Lucia felt a little excited.


    When she first came into contact with Jennifer''s work, she was amazed.


    She never thought that she would have the opportunity to be a model for her new series.


    The opportunity was a once-in-a-lifetime! Jennifer''s attitude was not tough.


    "You should think about it, don''t rush to give me an answer" she told Lucia.


    After speaking, she looked at Paul again.


    "By the way, you are visiting me, what''s the matter?"


    Jeniffer asked.


    Paul smiled, walked to Lucia''s side, and gently put his hand around her shoulder.


    "We''re just here to pick a dress.She has an important asion to attend the day after tomorrow," he


    said.


    When Jennifer heard this, she smiled at them.


    "Come with me!" she said urgently.


    They walked inside, went around the screen, and came to the design room at the back.


    There was arge table full of design drawings and various fabrics, and the mannequin next to them


    was wearing a long wine-red velvet dress.


    A ck ribbon was wrapped around the neck, exposing the shoulders, with a waist design, and an


    irregr skirt down.


    Lucia''s eyes lit up, her heartbeat quickened a lot, and her eyes stayed on the dress, unable to move.


    Jennifer the side turned her head and asked, "How about this one?"


    Lucia gasped and nodded.


    "Beautiful, very beautiful..." she said with excitement.


    "I got the inspiration suddenly a few days ago.I didn''t expect it to work out so well, but there are still


    some details that need to be improved on.If you like it, try it out.I think it''s your size," Jeniffer exined.


    Jennifer said this, raised her chin, called her assistant, and asked her to help take off the clothes.


    Lucia was a little surprised and said, "Then I''ll try it."


    Seeing her walk into the fitting room with her assistant, Paul''s smile deepened, and he turned to look at


    Jennifer.


    "Jenny, thank you for this," he said to Jeniffer.


    All of her ready-to-wear clothes needed to be customized in advance, and the ready-made clothes


    made by herself were usually not for sale, they were only for disy, but this time Jennifer took the


    clothes she just made for Lucia to try on, which made Lucia feel important.


    Hearing this, Jenniferughed out loud.


    "I hope she can be my model, I''m not doing it because of you," she said.


    Paul smiled and said, "Really, then I must persuade Lucia to agree with you."


    The two looked at each other and smiled, and before Jennifer could speak, there was a noise outside.


    "Don''t fool me here, I saw Jennifer''s car parked outside, let me in!" A voice yelled from outside.


    "Do you know who I am? Dare to stop me?"


    The voice bellowed.


    Paul frowned slightly and looked at Jennifer.


    "What''s going on?" He asked.


    Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    Jennifer''s face turned cold.


    "I''ll go out and have a look" she replied.


    Saying that she quickly walked out of the design room, walked through the small corridor, and saw two


    people pulling back and forth at the door.Her face instantly turned cold.


    "What are you doing?" Jeniffer asked.


    "Boss, thisdy insisted oning in to see you, but she didn''t make an appointment..."


    The security detail said to Jeniffer.


    The woman snorted coldly.


    "You''re the one who lied to me first and said Jennifer wasn''t here, okay?" She said to the security that


    was barricading her from entering the building.


    Paul, who was walking behind Jennifer, heard the familiar voice, looked up and saw Jeanne standing at


    the door with a proud face.He subconsciously frowned, because he didn''t expect to meet Jeanne here.


    Jennifer stepped forward, nced at Jeanne, paused, and said, "If I remember correctly, Miss Kelly,


    you ordered clothes with me oncest month."


    Jeanne raised her eyebrows, filled with arrogance.


    "That''s right," She replied.


    "Sorry, our studio has regtions that each client can only order one dress per quarter"


    Jeniffer stated clearly.


    Jeanne casually stroked her hair.


    "I know this.I came here because I heard that your studio is recruiting models.I''m here for an interview,"


    she told Jeniffer.


    Jennifer observed the arrogant look of the woman in front of her and felt a bit of disgust in her heart.


    "Sorry, we have already recruited models here," she replied to Jeanne.


    Jeanne''s expression instantly turned cold when she heard it.


    "You haven''t gotten rid of the notice outside, how could it be recruited so quickly?" She asked.


    She paused, and a bit of suspicion shed in her eyes.


    "Could you be lying to me again?" Jeanne asked again.

 Chapter 352

    Chapter 352


    Chapter 352 Encounter with Jeanne


    Jennifer frowned slightly, and a trace of impatience shed across her eyes.She was looking for a


    reason to put off Jeanne, but she didn''t expect her to be relentless, and she lost thest bit of goodwill


    toward her.She had always disliked noisy people, and Jeanne''s appearance of arguing with her


    assistant a while ago, did not portray her to be a high-ssdy at all, it could be said that Jeanne had


    no manners at all.


    R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only


    Seeing that Jennifer didn''t speak for a long time, Jeanne stepped forward confidently.


    "Jennifer, forget about what happened just now, you are the most discerning, you should be able to see


    that I suit your style of this series very well.Right?" She said to Jeniffer.


    Jennifer looked at her, frowned slightly, and her face became very ugly.


    At this moment, there were sounds of footsteps from the direction behind her.


    Jennifer turned her head to look and saw Lucia wearing that red velvet dressing out from inside.


    Lucia seemed to have a soft light, and as soon as she appeared, she instantly attracted everyone''s


    attention.


    Time suddenly paused at this moment, and even Paul, who had been standing by the window, was


    stunned, unable to speak for a long time.


    That skirt, as if it was specially made for Lucia, the red velvet textureplemented her fair and


    delicate skin, and every pleat and curvature of the skirt had an indescribable sense of elegance.


    The size was suitable, and the temperament excellent, with an indescribable invisible extravagance.


    Jeanne, who was standing at the door, was even more startled.She quickly regained her senses and


    looked at Lucia.


    After a few seconds, she suddenly reacted.


    She saw that this woman turned out to be Lucia! A strange fire rose in her heart instantly, like a boulder


    falling suddenly, hitting her chest directly, making it difficult for her to breathe.


    How could it be her? Didn''t she disappear? Why was she back? And how did she change so much? All


    sorts of questions poured into Jeanne''s head, like a mess, and she was vague.


    Jennifer was a little surprised when she saw Lucia''s outfit.


    After a few seconds, she reacted with an expression of admiration on her face, nodded slightly, and


    turned to look at Jeanne, clearing her throat.


    "Sorry, Miss Kelly, she is my model," Jeniffer said to Jeanne.


    Jeanne turned around abruptly when she heard what Jennifer said., "What did you say?"


    She asked Jeniffer, staring at her in astonishment.


    Jennifer giggled, repeating tirelessly, "She''s my model."


    When Lucia approached and saw Jeanne standing at the door, a hint of surprise shed in her eyes,


    but soon, her demeanor returned to normal, and she walked forward with Paul and took the initiative to


    greet her.


    "Miss Kelly, long time no see," Lucia said to Jeanne.


    Jeanne pulled the corners of her lips, and her face was hesitant.


    After a few seconds, she spoke in a low voice, and with a bit of sarcasm in her tone.


    "It''s been a long time, it''s been five years, I don''t know how you''ve been in the past few years.how is


    it?" Jeanne asked.


    Before Lucia could answer, Paul reached out his hand and grabbed Lucia by the shoulder.


    "Thank you Miss Kelly for your concern, Lucia and I are very good, and our family is happy..," Paul said


    word for word, dismissing Jeanne.


    When Jeanne heard these words, a gleam of light shed in her eyes, her eyes swept over Paul''s hand


    resting on Lucia''s shoulder, and her eyes darkened a little.


    Unexpectedly, they were together in the end.


    Jeanne pulled the corners of her lips, a sneering sneer shed across her eyes, she nced at Lucia,


    and then looked at Paul.


    "I''m not surprised that you are together, after all, you are both very intimate," she said hypocritically.


    "We are very close now"


    Paul smiled and said without concealment.


    As he said that, he turned to look at Lucia next to him, the two smiled at each other, and the love in


    their eyes seemed to be overflowing.


    Jeanne frowned.Her eyes swept across the dress on Lucia''s body, and a trace of jealousy shed in


    her eyes.She lowered her eyes and nced at the wedding ring on Lucia¡¯s hand, and her face became


    even ugly.


    It was indeed her and August''s wedding ring, but she had never enjoyed being a wife...


    Inparison, Lucia seemed to be much happier than Jeanne.


    The more Jeanne thought about it, the more unbnced her heart became.


    She opened her mouth and was about to speak when Jennifer unintentionally interrupted her.


    "Ms.Kelly, I''m sorry, I made youe here today.It''s my assistant who wasn''t notified that we now have


    the model in time to take the advert down.I''m so sorry,"


    Jeniffer said to Jeanne.


    Jennifer''s fluttering words made it obvious that she was asking her to leave.


    Jeanne frowned and looked at Lucia, unable to even smile.She had never felt this way before facing


    Lucia.She always felt that she was the one who was on top.


    No matter what Lucia did, she could be surpassed.


    But now Lucia made her feel a strong sense of crisis.She shed a forced smile at Jennifer, nodded at


    Lucia and Paul, then turned around, and walked quickly across the yard.She left without looking back.


    Seeing Jeanne leave, Jennifer turned her head and looked at Lucia with a little more smile.


    "Have you agreed to my request?" She asked Lucia.


    Lucia smiled and hesitated.


    "I haven''t thought about it yet..." she said to Jeniffer.


    It''s not that she didn¡¯t want to be Jennifer''s model, but because she didn¡¯t have much time in Austos.


    After attending the award ceremony and taking photos with Timothy and J, she will leave.


    "Lucia, I think you can try it.It''s just a series of costumes, and it wont take much time to shoot," Paul


    tried to persuade Lucia.


    Jennifer also blinked at Lucia, and her tone was very gentle.


    "Yes, and this opportunity is very precious!" She said to Lucia.


    Lucia couldn''t help raising the corners of her lips.She looked at Paul, then looked at Jennifer.


    "Well, then count me in," Lucia said.


    "Great!"


    Jeniffer yelped.


    A glint shed in Jennifer''s eyes, and soon, she stretched out her hand and pulled Lucia.


    She circled her, quickly looked at every detail of her dress, and then said, "This skirt suits you very well,


    you can change itter, I will make the final modification and adjustment today, and then you can wear


    it directly!"


    When Lucia heard this, her heart warmed, and she immediately nodded at her, "Thank you," Lucia said


    to Jeanne.


    After chatting a few more words with Jennifer, Paul and Lucia left the studio and drove off.


    None of them saw a red car parked on a hidden street not far away.


    Jeanne sat in the driver''s seat, her eyes following the movement of their car.


    Watching their car get farther and farther, her fists became tighter and tighter, and the anger in her


    heart kept circling back and forth, lingering.She didn''t expect Lucia came back this time.


    After apse of five years, her disgust for Lucia had not diminished at all, instead, it had intensified.


    No, she had to do something! Five years ago, Lucia was pregnant with August''s child, and then her


    whereabouts became unknown.


    Now that she was back, she had no children with her, and Jeanne was bent on finding out why it was


    so.


    Lucia must not be the hindrance between her and August''s feelings! Suddenly, she thought of


    something, and she took out her mobile phone and made a call immediately.


    After dialing the number and the person she was calling answered, Jeanne took a deep breath and


    asked, "Mr.Dillon, I have something to ask you..."

 Chapter 353

    Chapter 353


    Chapter 353 Award Ceremony


    After leaving Jennifer''s studio, Paul sent Lucia to the door of her parent''s house, warned her with a few


    words, and left in a hurry without even entering the door.


    Watching him drive away, Lucia felt an indescribable warmth in her heart.She knew in her heart that


    Paul had a lot of things to do, all kinds of official business, but to be with her, he still found time to


    spend the afternoon with her.Her heart warmed, and she turned around and walked into the house.


    Unexpectedly, as soon as she entered the door, she saw that Elisa hid by the window and looked out.


    Lucia was a little puzzled, and asked while changing her shoes, "Mom? What are you doing?"


    When Elisa heard the sound of Lucia¡¯s voice, she turned her head sharply and shivered in fright.


    "Why didn''t my son-inwe in, you two quarreled?" She asked Lucia hurriedly.


    Hearing what Elisa said Lucia couldn''t helpughing.


    "Hispany has something to deal with, so I let him go," Lucia replied.


    Elisa nodded, stretched out her hand, and pulled her to the side.


    "By the way, someone sent a bunch of flowers to the house today.Look, who sent it to you?" Elisa said


    to Lucia and asked her.


    Lucia heard the words and followed her mother to the table, only to see a bunch of brightly colored


    sunflowers on the table.


    Palm-sized flowers, blooming brightly.She stepped forward, saw a card inserted in it, picked it up and


    opened it, and saw a row of words on it.


    "Long time no see, little assistant" the card read.


    Lucia was taken aback for a moment, and when she saw this title, she frowned strangely.Little


    assistant?"


    She wondered.


    Although she had worked as an assistant in Lion Group before, everyone called her "Assistant Lucia¡±,


    who would call her "Little Assistant?"


    Lucia was confused and threw the card into the trash can, and then put the bouquet on the balcony


    next to it.


    Elisa came over curiously and asked, "Who sent it?"


    "I don''t know, maybe it''s from my agent," Lucia replied.


    Sometimes Elijah often gave her some strange things, which made her confused.


    Besides, she just arrived in Austos, and there were not many people who could find her address.


    When Elisa heard the words, she nodded and didn¡¯t ask any further questions.She poured Lucia a cup


    of tea and said, "The two little guys have yed all afternoon and are tired.They are sleeping in the


    bedroom new.By the way, they said that they want to go to Austos Pleasant Valley.Do you and Paul


    have time? Take them to y someday.Pleasant Valley was built just two years ago, and it is said to be


    very good!" Elisa said to Lucia.


    "Really?"


    Lucia responded casually, raised her hand to press her temple, and said softly, "Then wait for the end


    of the award ceremony.I will be very busy these next two days."


    In the next two days, she had to prepare her eptance speech, and she had to make two trips to the


    brokeragepany.She had no time to concentrate.


    After the award ceremony is over, she will take the time to take the two little guys out to have a good


    time.


    On the day before the award ceremony, Jennifer sent an assistant to deliver the final modified skirt to


    Lucia.


    Lucia opened the box and took a look.


    The surprise in her eyes was a little bit more.


    After the final adjustment, all the details had been achieved to the extreme.


    Just a nce was enough to make people excited.


    Lucia took the dress out of the box, hung it on the hanger, and began to prepare the eptance


    speech.


    The short film directed by her was nominated for the Best Creative Award.


    At that time, she will not only show up but also give a speech on stage.


    In a blink of an eye, it was the next afternoon.


    After two hours of makeup and fixing her hair, Lucia finally set off to the venue where the award


    ceremony was to be held.


    Entering through the door surrounding roses, following the guidance of the staff, Lucia stepped into the


    hall.


    After walking in, she discovered that the award ceremony was in the form of a semi-self-service


    reception.


    The environment was spacious andfortable, there were no guest seats under the stage, and there


    were sofa rest areas on both sides.


    In addition, most people were in groups of three or two, drinking andughing while standing.


    Such ceremonies were mainly rxed, pleasant, and short-lived, and will not be held for too long,


    which was exactly what Lucia liked.


    She walked inside, and unknowingly, she had attracted the attention of many people.She was like a


    dazzling light.


    No matter where she went, men and women looked sideways, and the emotions in their eyes were


    complex and varied.


    As Paul said, she seemed to be the most dazzling presence at this award ceremony.


    Today''s Lucia was no longer as confident as she was five years ago.


    She walked straight to the ss table next to her, calmly picked up a ss of red wine, and waited for


    the award ceremony to begin.


    Soon, the ceremony began.


    The host came to the stage and exined the various awards.


    After the warm-up, the winners were announced.


    "The winner of the Best Short y Award this season is..." the host announced.


    With the announcement of the previous winners, the atmosphere at the scene gradually became much


    warmer.


    Lucia stood in the audience, nced at the trophy of the next award, and unknowingly tightened her


    hand holding the cup.


    Although her ultimate goal of making a short film as a director was not to win an award, being able to


    win this award would affirm her ability to a certain extent.


    At this moment, the host on the stage asked the former winner to step down and announced the next


    winner.


    "This time the winner of the Best Creative Award is a beautiful director with very personal


    characteristics.Her short y "Puppet" once came first ce in the number of clicks on foreign


    tforms for weeks in a row.With absurd artistic techniques, highlighting human nature, and thought-


    provoking content, we will invite our winner, Miss Lucia, to take the stage to ept the award!"


    After she finished speaking, everyone in the audience began to apud.


    Lucia shed a smile, pulled up one side of her skirt, and walked gracefully to the stage.


    The host greeted her with a smile and beckoned Lucia toe up.


    "The person in charge of our organizers wille to the stage to present the award to Miss Lucia!" the


    host announced.


    Lucia stood in the center.


    The spotlights kept shing under the stage, and she took a deep breath.


    She felt that the eyes of the audience were all looking at her, warm, sincere, envious...


    Her heart tightened, and aplex emotion that could not be exined welled up in her heart.


    She had made a lot of short dramas andmercials before, some of which were well-known, but this


    was her first time winning an award.


    This feeling of being recognized by everyone was wonderful.


    Lucia felt a little excited in her heart, but at this moment, she caught sight of someone walking on the


    podium next to her.She smiled and turned to look over there subconsciously.


    The moment she saw the personing, her body tightened, and the smile on her face stiffened a bit.


    Why him? August! How could he be the one who gave her the award? Before she could figure this out,


    the host had already said with a smile, "We''ll invite the person in charge of our organizers, Mr.Adams,


    to present the award!"


    Lucia froze in ce, watching the man in a dark gray suit walking towards her, staring straight at her,


    with his eyes straight and undisguised.She took a deep breath, and a little panic passed through her


    heart.


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    The excitement that had arisen in her heart disappeared in an instant, leaving only a faint unease.


    August, who was next to her, looked at her with a normal gaze.He walked to the host calmly, picked up


    a crystal clear trophy from the tray, and walked towards Lucia.


    Lucia¡¯s heart was beating intensely.

 Chapter 354

    Chapter 354


    Chapter 354 Tell Less Lies


    She had just received the trophy.


    The man''s fingers loosened, and His warm fingers passed over the back of her hand intentionally or


    unintentionally.


    In an instant, a burst of numbness ran across the back of her hand, hitting her heart.


    Lucia trembled nervously, her face shed an unnatural look, she immediately retracted her gaze,


    looked down at the stage, and looked forward to the end of the awards soon.She didn''t expect that


    August would give her the award.


    The apuse from the audience gradually became smaller, and then the host said again, "I believe that


    Mr.Adams, must have seen Miss Mitchell¡¯s works.I wonder what blessings and expectations he has for


    Miss Mitchell.With that said, the host handed the microphone to August, who was on the side.


    On the other side, Lucia watched the man take the microphone, her heart almost jumping to her throat.


    It was beyond her expectation that things had developed to this point.


    The next second, the man''s low and maic voice came out of the speaker.


    "First of all, congrattions to Miss Mitchell for winning the Best Creative Award this time.This time, my


    expectations for Miss Mitchell..."


    August said, slowly turning to his side and looking at Lucia Lucia took a deep breath, plucked up the


    courage to raise her eyes, met his eyes, pretended to be calm, and smiled at him.


    In the past few years, she has long practiced a standard smile, and even if she was upset, she could


    still show a perfect smile on her face.


    And at this moment, Lucia smiled like this.


    Facing the clear eyes of the woman, August''s eyes sank, and a strange feeling arose in his heart.


    Soon, he frowned slightly, his face turned cold again, and he withdrew his eyes and looked down at the


    stage, and finished the rest of his speech.


    "I hope from now on, Miss Mitchell can tell fewer lies," Augustus said.


    After saying these words, it was as if a bomb had been dropped into the calmke.


    Everyone in the audience was stunned for a few seconds.


    The atmosphere at the scene suddenly became a little awkward.


    Lucia stood on the stage, her face turned pale, she did not expect August to say something like this, so


    she took a deep breath and held it in her throat, and she could not let it out.


    The host was stunned for a while, then quickly reacted, andughed dryly.


    "Mr.Adams is joking, because the protagonist in Miss Mitchell''s work "Puppet" is a liar and good at


    disguising.He is echoing the theme, and at the same time, he also calls on everyone to be an honest


    person" the host said after a few seconds of thinking about this.


    The host forced out an excuse, and the people in the audience were willing to buy it.


    The originally awkward atmosphere gradually improved a lot.


    Lucia clenched her hand slowly and bit her lip, and the smile on her face became more hesitant.


    August said this about her in front of so many people.


    Isn''t this embarrassing her in public? Or...had he discovered the true identities of Timothy and J?


    So alluding to her lying? When Lucia thought about it, a coolness crept into her heart instantly, which


    made her feel a little guilty and scared unconsciously.


    The host next to her continued, "Okay, thank you Mr.Adams, and finally, let''s congratte the winner of


    the Best Creative Award this time - Lucia!"


    With apuse from the audience, Lucia came back to her senses, smiled at the crowd, and bowed


    deeply.


    After stepping down, Lucia felt that her heart was beating fast, and an uneasy premonition took over


    her heart.


    If August had discovered the true identities of Timothy and J, he would rush over to question her


    right away, why would he deliberately mock her here? After thinking about it, she didn''t want to


    understand and watched the award ceremony absentmindedly.


    In the distance, she inadvertently raised her eyes and saw the tall figure standing over there, and her


    heart tightened a bit, involuntarily.


    No matter what August said on stage just now, as long as it involved Timothy and J, she will never


    step back! Soon, the award ceremony was over.


    Lucia lifted her skirt and walked directly to the dressing room provided by the organizer.


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    She intended to take Timothys and J to dinner in a while, so naturally, she couldn''t wear this dress,


    and her makeup today was rtively heavy, so it was really strange to go out looking like that.


    After asking for the dressing room number given to her by the staff, Lucia rushed to dressing room


    No.7, walked to the table, and sat down, ready to take off the makeup on her face.


    She picked up the makeup remover wipes and wiped off the lipstick, and a picture shed in her mind


    involuntarily.It was the scene where she looked at August on stage just now.


    For some reason, when she thought of him, she couldn''t help but burst into mes.


    At this moment, there was a sound of footstepsing from outside the door of the room, and then,


    the door of the dressing room was suddenly mmed shut.


    Lucia was removing her eye makeup and putting a wipe on her eyelids, so she didn''t have time to open


    her eyes to see.


    Unexpectedly, the next second, the chair under her suddenly turned half a circle, and then, a clear


    male fragrance trickled into her nose.


    Lucia was startled, and hurriedly brought down the makeup remover towel on her eyelids, and what


    caught her eye was a handsome face.


    August put both hands on the handle of her chair, leaned down slightly, and looked at her


    condescendingly.


    The two of them were facing each other, and the distance was very close.


    For a moment, Lucia¡¯s heartbeat elerated uncontrobly.


    Lucia took in a deep breath, "What are you...doing?" She asked.


    August raised his eyebrows slightly, his eyes were dark and unclear, he lifted his lips and spat out a few


    words.


    "What do you think?" He asked Lucia back.


    "I...how do I know?" Lucia asked him.


    She was a little flustered and seemed to be in a mess.


    "Get up, get out quickly..." She ordered him.


    August frowned.


    Not only did he not get up, but got closer to her.


    The next second, he stretched out his hand and pinched her chin without hesitation.


    Anger was brewing in the man''s eyes.His icy eyes seemed fiery, he frowned, and his voice was very


    low.


    "Why did you run abroad without a word?" Augustus asked her.


    Since he met her at the airport that day, he immediately sent someone to check her flight, and when he


    saw that she flew in from Ameca, he was about to explode.He never gave up looking for her before,


    and even turned the entire Austos city upside down, but couldn''t find her.


    Later, he went to nearby Figo City, and Sonirie searched all over, but couldn''t find her.He never


    expected that she would go abroad.No wonder he couldn''t find her.


    The more August thought about it, the angrier he became.He involuntarily increased the strength


    between his fingers.


    Suddenly, Lucia''s face became a little ugly.She frowned in pain and gritted her teeth.


    "August, let me go!"


    She said painfully.


    "I ask you, why did you lie to me five years ago? You quit your job and disappeared?"


    Augustus insisted on knowing.


    It''s a shame that he almost gave his life to save her back then, but he didn''t expect her to be so


    resolute, she just walked away! When Lucia heard the words, she suddenly thought of what he said on


    the podium just now, and then she suddenly realized and reacted.It turned out that the so-called "lie" in


    his mouth was referring to the fact that she lied to him five years ago and left without saying goodbye.


    It turned out not to be rted to Timothy and J.


    Thinking of this, Lucia secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

 Chapter 355

    Chapter 355


    Chapter 355 What is hiding from him?


    She raised her eyes, met the man''s gloomy eyes, and said softly with a smile, "So that''s what you


    meant by what you said on stage just now..."


    Seeing the woman''s visibly relieved expression, August frowned, and his face darkened a bit.


    "Otherwise, what do you think?" He asked.


    Before she could answer, his eyes shed quickly, and he asked in a cold voice, "Is it possible that you


    have something else to hide from me?"


    Hearing this, Lucia''s face suddenly turned pale, a trace of panic shed across her eyes, and she


    subconsciously shook her head and denied it.


    "No," she replied.


    But it was precise because of her answer without any hesitation that August was more certain of the


    conjecture in his heart.


    She had something to hide from him! August''s face darkened a bit, his lips pursed into a line, and he


    was about to continue to ask, but Lucia suddenly stretched out her hand and pushed his hand aside.


    Immediately afterward, she moved the chair in a panic, gave a worthy distance between the two of


    them, and said coldly, "If others see us like this, the impact will not be very good!"


    August nced at her coldly, caught the panic on her face, and asked coldly, "Lucia, what are you


    afraid of?"


    Lucia bit her lip, her hand on the table clenched into a fist unconsciously.


    "I have nothing to be afraid of," she replied.


    "Really?" August asked, stepped forward, and walked directly in front of her, his sharp eyebrows and


    eyes were covered in frost.


    "But you are hiding something from me, aren''t you?" He asked.


    Invisibly, Lucia felt the strength of the man and felt a little guilty in her heart.Her eyes were erratic, and


    she inadvertently swept to the mobile phone that was lit on the table next to her.


    The wallpaper on it was the group photo of her and her children.


    At this moment, Lucia was even more flustered in her heart.


    August sensitively caught her gaze, raised his eyes, and followed her gaze.


    When he saw the wallpaper on the phone screen, his expression became veryplicated.


    He immediately stepped forward, grabbed her wrist, and asked coldly, "Are Timothy and J..."


    Before he could finish his words, there was a sudden knock on the door, and then, Paul''s gentle voice


    came from outside the door.


    "Lucia, are you inside?" He asked.


    Lucia''s body tightened, and subconsciously broke August''s hand from holding her, and she hurriedly


    walked towards the door.


    "Paul..."


    She muttered.


    The door opened, and Paul appeared at the door, with a gentle smile as usual.


    "Didn''t you see the message I sent you just now?" He asked.


    As soon as he finished speaking, he got a glimpse of the back, raised his eyes slightly, and saw August


    who was standing not far away.His face suddenly sank a little.


    "Lucia, why is he here?" Paul asked.


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    Lucia''s heart tightened, she stretched out her hand to take Paul''s arm, and turned to look at August,


    smiling gently, and said in a respectful and natural tone, "He came to congratte me on winning the


    award."


    Paul''s expression softened a bit when he heard this.


    He looked up at August and said slowly, "Mr.Adams, thank you."


    August heard the words, narrowed his eyes slightly, and nced at Lucia, without saying a word.


    Lucia pretended not to see anything, turned to Paul, and said ina friendly tone.


    "By the way, is thepany''s business over?"


    Paul curled his lips and smiled.


    "I''m done with my work, so I came to pick you up specially.The two little guys are in the car.I was afraid


    that they would run around, so I didn''t let them get out of the car," he replied to Lucia.


    As he said that, he raised his hand and put the broken hair on Lucia''s cheek behind her ear, his eyes


    filled with love.


    "Where''s the restaurant? Is the reservation ready? We''re going there at this time, I''m afraid it''s too


    late..." Lucia said dryly.


    Paul nodded at her dotingly, raised his hand, and squeezed her face gently.


    "Don''t worry, I''ve arranged everything, go wipe your face, the makeup on your face is removed halfway


    like a little tabby cat!" Paul replied.


    Lucia smiled at him, released him immediately, and walked towards the dressing table.


    August, who was standing on the side, had a panoramic view of the scene just now, his brows slightly


    frowned, and his face was covered with ayer of frost.


    Paul and Lucia were in a state of being together,pletely like a loving couple who had lived together


    for several years, gossiping and intimate.But for some reason, seeing such a scene, he felt that there


    was a thorn in his throat, which could not go up or down, and was extremely ufortable.


    At this moment, Paul suddenly stepped towards him.


    "Mr.Adams, is there anything else we can do for you?" He asked Augustus.


    August''s eyes darkened for a few minutes, then he paused for half a second.


    "It''s alright," he replied coldly.


    After he finished speaking, he took a deep look at Lucia and walked out quickly.


    The moment he saw Lucia''s mobile phone screen saver, a strange conjecture shed in his heart, but


    when he saw Lucia and Paul being so affectionate, that idea became outrageous and unrealistic.He


    strode through the corridor and the hall and walked to the entrance of the venue.


    Burton had already parked his car under the steps ahead of time.He opened the car door and got into


    the car, and Burton immediately reported to him.


    "Mr.Adams, Mr.Floyd from Hotron just called and wanted to..." Burton started to say.


    August frowned, and he couldn''t listen to what Burton said at all.


    The only thing that came to his mind was the scene of Paul and Lucia''s love in the dressing room just


    now.Burton watched August turn the documents in his hand into a pile of waste paper, and he


    hesitated.


    "Mr.Adams..." Burton muttered.


    August returned to his senses, and saw the document that he was holding into a ball of paper, his face


    slowly turned cold, he threw it aside, and said coldly, "Drive, go to Gordon''s Lounge."


    When Burton heard this, he immediately responded.


    At the same time, in the dressing room of the venue, Lucia packed up her things and looked at the


    screensaver on her mobile phone, a little lost.


    "Lucia," Paul said and came over with a serious expression.


    "August should already be suspicious, you have to finish whatever you have to do here as soon as


    possible, and then leave with Timothy and J."


    Lucia nodded seriously.


    "I know," she replied.


    She knew very well that when he saw the photos on the screensaver just now, he was already


    suspicious.She took a deep breath, feeling like something was stuck in her heart, feeling a little


    ufortable.


    Paul looked at her as if she was facing a great enemy, and felt inexplicably distressed.


    He stretched out his hand, patted her shoulder gently, and said softly, "Don''t be too stressed, I''m here."


    Lucia nodded, and when she met Paul''s gaze, she felt a little more at ease.


    Before returning to Chea, she thought that she and August would not have so many interactions, but


    now it seems that she thought of everything too simply.


    When Augustus and Burton arrived at Gordon''s Lounge, it was just getting dark.


    August got out of the car, walked into the gate lightly, walked through the hall, went down to the


    basement floor, walked to a gate with a fingerprint lock, pressed the fingerprint, pushed open the door,


    and walked in.


    The heavy door opened slowly, and he walked in.


    Inside was a wide underground wine cer.


    Except for the wall with the door, there were wine cabs on the remaining three walls, which were


    filled with various wines in turn.


    Going further inside, there was a round wine table with three single sofas next to it.


    He walked to the sofa and sat down, raised his hand to pick a bottle of red wine from the shelf behind


    him, took a clean wine ss, opened the wine, and sobered up in one go.He just took two sips when


    the door suddenly opened, followed by a somewhatzy voice.


    "August, who''s messing with you again? Why are you drinking alone again?"

 Chapter 356

    Chapter 356


    Chapter 356 An Opportunity


    Joshua walked over and sat down beside him, his eyes subconsciously wandered toward the red wine


    swept on the table, and his eyes suddenly straightened.


    He stretched out his hand and picked up the wine bottle.


    "Why..how did you open this bottle of wine?" Joshua asked.


    August heard the sound of his voice, raised his eyes slightly, and nced at him, without saying a


    word.


    Joshua howled.


    "Do you know how much effort I spent to get this bottle of wine?! I have so many years of it in a series,


    why did you choose this particr one?"


    He asked Augustus with an upset tone.


    Augustus silently turned a deaf ear, picked up the wine ss unhurriedly, shook it gently, and took


    another sip.


    Joshua looked at him as he did this, and couldn''t say anything.


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    "August, you..."


    He muttered angrily.


    August raised his eyes and interrupted him softly.


    "It''s just a bottle of wine," he said.


    Joshua was so angry that he stretched out his finger and pointed at him repeatedly and finally looked at


    the bottle of red wine that had been half drunk, and couldn''t talk anymore.


    "Forget it," He said and slumped down on the sofa next to him.


    "Who messed with you again? Every time you''re unhappy, my wine will suffer!" He asked Augustus.


    August was silent, his face was cold, and he refused to say a word.


    Joshua stretched out his hand, picked up a goblet from the side, poured half a ss for himself, then


    looked at August and murmured, "Could it be because of Lucia? I heard she came back."


    Hearing this name, August''s face suddenly sank a little, and he picked up the wine ss and drank the


    remaining liquid directly. Joshua clicked his tongue twice.


    "It seems that it''s because of her," he said.


    Augustus put the wine ss on the table with a bang, looked up at him, and sneered.


    "Because of her? How is that possible?" He asked.


    Joshua raised his eyebrows.


    "Then tell me, who made you do this?" He asked.


    If others didn¡¯t understand him, did Joshua also not understand him? August had always been calm


    and self-controlled, and would never drink booze for any reason.


    Thest time this happened was five years ago.


    At that time, after he had been looking for Lucia for more than a month without sess, he went to the


    bar alone, got very drunk, and finally Su Yuncheng went over to send him home.


    That was the first time he had known August for so many years, to see him so calm.


    After that, in the following years, August didn''t drink much except for socializing.


    And now, he started drinking again, obviously because of something in his heart, and it just so


    happened that Lucia came back recently...


    So, the probability was high that it was because of that woman.


    Joshua''s face became a little more serious.


    He changed from the unruly and casual look he had on just now, and said with a straight face, "August,


    don''t get close to that woman.


    Five years ago, because of her, you paid such a big price, Now even if shees back, you shouldn''t


    have anything to do with her anymore."


    When August heard the words, his face was cold, He stretched out his hand to pick up the wine bottle


    and poured a ss of wine into the ss, without saying anything.


    Joshua, who was on the side, looked at him like this and became a little anxious, "August, I don''t


    understand, what''s so good about that woman?! You tried so hard to save her five years ago and she


    made you suffer so much, is it not enough? And she has her own family now, do you still want to..."


    Joshua was saying.


    Before Joshua finished speaking, August suddenly raised his eyes and looked at him sharply.


    "How do you know?" He asked.


    Not only did he know that Lucia had returned to Austos, but he also knew so well about her family...


    Joshua paused and reacted suddenly.He took a deep breath and slowly tightened his hand holding the


    wine ss, but did not speak.


    August frowned and asked again coldly, "How do you know about her?"


    Joshua knew that he couldn''t hide it, so he put down the cup, sighed softly, patted his forehead, and


    said in a low voice, "I checked on her yesterday." He paused and looked up at August.


    "It was Jeanne that went to check," he added.


    Hearing this name, August''s face instantly turned cold, he took a deep breath, and a faint uneasiness


    appeared in his heart.


    Why did Jeanne check on Lucia? Even if he didn''t say it, he could probably guess.


    "From now on, without my permission, don''t reveal Lucia''s news to anyone!" Augustus said to Joshua.


    Dropping these words in a cold voice, he stood up directly and strode out.


    Joshua raised his eyes and looked at the back of August who left angrily, his face slowly turning cold.


    What kind of magic does Lucia have to be able to fascinate August like this? As his brother, he must


    not watch August fall into this.


    Leaving Gordon''s Lounge, August got into the car and instructed Burton, "Go to Fountain Mansion."


    Hearing this address, Burton was slightly startled, and soon, without saying anything, he started the car


    and went to Fountain Mansion.


    Fountain Mansion was August and Jeanne''s matrimonial home, but he basically went back to his vi


    every night, and he only stayed at Fountain Mansion for two days, in the middle of the month and at the


    end of the month.


    But this time August suddenly said that he wanted to go to the mansion, which surprised Burton.


    The ck car shuttled through the night, and more than 40 minutester, the car stopped in front of


    Fountain Mansion.


    August stepped out of the car, instructed Burton a few words, and walked into the door.


    Just walking to the door, the busy maid in the living room was startled when she saw August, and


    hurriedly greeted him.


    "Sir, you''re back!" She said gleefully.


    August nodded slightly and nced around, but did not see Jeanne''s figure, and asked, "Where is


    Jeanne?"


    "The wife, she is upstairs in the bedroom, do you want me to go up..." the maid was asking when


    Augustus interrupted her.


    August raised his hand.


    "No need," he replied abruptly.


    After speaking, he took a step, went up the stairs, and walked directly to the master bedroom. He


    walked to the door and pushed the door open casually, and he heard a conversationing from


    inside.


    "Mom, just tell Dad.Doesn''t he know the owner of that magazine..."


    Jeanne hadn''t finished speaking when she heard the door mming.Her face sank, and she


    immediately turned her head to ask coldly, "Who told you toe in without knocking?"


    The words were only halfway through.


    When she saw the person standing at the door, she was dumbfounded.


    "August, why are you...?"


    She started to ask in confusion.


    August raised his eyebrows slightly, and his face turned cold.


    "Otherwise who do you think it is?" He asked with suspicion.


    "No..."


    Jeanne said and hung up the phone in a panic.She immediately got up and walked towards him.


    "I thought it was some ignorant servant who broke in..." She said to Augustus.


    "Is this how you usually deal with your subordinates?" He asked Jeanne in a low voice.


    The in and indifferent sentence made Jeanne feel cold behind her back inexplicably.


    She took a deep breath and shook her head.


    "Of course not, I was on the phone with my mother just now..." Jeanne replied.


    She smiled innocently at August, stepped forward, reached out to hold August''s arm, and raised her


    head intimately.


    "Why did you suddenlye back today?" She asked.


    August slowly pulled his arms out of her arms, took off his coat, walked to the sofa next to him, and sat


    down.


    "It''s nothing, I just want to see what you''ve been doing recently" he replied.


    "I''m just going shopping with my little sister, taking a yoga ss or one thing or another. It''s quite


    boring..." Jeanne replied.


    She walked to August and sat down.


    Seeing him raise his hand and press his eyebrows, she immediately asked, "August, what''s the


    matter? Are you too tired from work?"


    August hummed indifferently.


    Jeanne was overjoyed when she saw this.


    She quickly got up and went around behind August, and graciously helped him massage his temples.


    "It''s hard work, I''ll rub it off you," she said.


    Seeing that August did not refuse, Jeanne was a little surprised.


    She perceived the faint smell of alcohol on the man, and a thought suddenly shed in her mind.


    It was rare that he took the initiative toe back to the mansion at this time, and he also drank


    alcohol.


    This was a golden opportunity for her!

 Chapter 357

    Chapter 357


    Chapter 357 Never Cross the Line!


    Jeanne and August had been married for two years, but in these two years, August had never touched


    her.


    This was her nuptial knot and an unspeakable shame.


    But she was a woman after all, how could she live alone in an empty room like this for a lifetime? The


    more Jeanne thought about it, the more ufortable she felt.


    She gritted her teeth and made up her mind.


    Looking at August, she asked, "August, have you been drinking today?"


    August closed his eyes and replied in a low voice, "Well..."


    "Then I''ll ask the servant to cook the hangover soup, which will relieve the headache," Jeanne replied.


    When Jeanne said this, seeing that August did not refuse, she got up and walked out of the bedroom,


    and called Dana, the maid on duty.


    "Madam, what are your orders?" Dana asked.


    Dana was young, and only in her early twenties.


    Because she was born in a rural area and her mother was ill, she went to Austos City to find a job as a


    maid.


    Jeanne nced at her, lowered her voice, and said coldly, "Come with me."


    Dana nodded and followed Jeanne into the kitchen.


    Jeanne nced at the door.


    "Sir is drunk, you are going to order some hangover soup," she said to Dana.


    Dana lowered her head and agreed.


    Jeanne squinted her eyes, walked to the cab next to her, pulled out a small cab, and took out a


    small paper bag from inside.


    She walked over to Dana, handed her the small paper bag, and said in a low voice, "When the


    hangover soup is ready, put this in."


    Dana was startled.She looked at the small paper bag and did not dare to reach out to take it.


    "Madam...she muttered nervously.


    Jeanne nced at her, lowered her voice, and said ruthlessly, "If you don''t do it, you''ll be fired by


    tomorrow!"


    "There will be no sry for this month!" She added.


    Dana was so frightened that she took the small paper bag and nodded.


    "I...I will do it, I will do it," she said.


    Seeing her cowardly look, Jeanne pulled the corners of her lips arrogantly and warned her with a cold


    voice.


    "Don''t let a third person know about this, or I''ll let you work without food.Cook the hangover soup, and


    serve it immediately. to my bedroom!"


    Jeanne said to Dana.


    Seeing Dana nodding like a chick, Jeanne was relieved, and quickly walked out of the kitchen, returned


    to the bedroom, and continued to massage August.


    Pressing consistently, her hand slowly slid down August''s shoulder, passing over his chest intentionally


    or unintentionally.


    "August, it''s grandma''s birthday next month.I think it should be a big deal this time.Do you have any


    ideas?"


    She started a conversation quickly with him.


    "I need to discuss this matter with my father," August replied quietly.


    Jeanne smiled.


    "It''s true that we should discuss it.In that case, let''s go back to see your parents this weekend, how


    about it?" She asked.


    As she spoke, her hand slowly descended August''s chest and stroked the man''s firm abdominal


    muscles, feeling very excited.


    She had fantasized countless times that she could turn the clouds and rain on with August, but every


    time her fantasies came to nothing, but this time, as long as August drank the bowl of hangover soup,


    her fantasies could be reality! Jeanne became more courageous when she thought about it.


    Suddenly, a big hand grabbed her hand violently, and a huge force wrapped around her wrist, almost


    crushing her bones.


    Jeanne cried out in pain.


    "Ah! August!" She yelped.


    August pulled her hard and pulled her directly around the sofa, half lying on the sofa.


    Jeanne raised her eyes, met the man''s cold eyes with a bit of sympathy, and shuddered unconsciously.


    There was a wave of strong anger in the man''s voice.


    "Jeanne, I told you before we got married that after we got married, we would make a contract in three


    chapters, and no one is allowed to cross the line!" He said.


    Jeanne had tears in her eyes.


    She didn''t know if it was because of pain or because she was frightened.


    "August¡­ But I am your wife after all!" She said emphatically.


    "Really?"


    August asked and snorted coldly.


    "You were the one who insisted on marrying me.Why am I like this? Don''t you know the reason?"


    Augustus asked angrily.


    Jeanne felt a chill in her heart and opened her mouth, unable to utter a single word.


    At this moment, she hated her stupid brother even more.


    If it weren''t for Merlin, August would never have known that the leak of Lion Group''s n had


    something to do with her! It was precise because of this incident that there was an inescapable


    estrangement between her and August.


    "August...I was wrong, I was wrong.I never said anything about how you treated me in the past two


    years, but I am also your wife! We can''t be like this forever..."


    Jeanne said with tears in her eyes.


    Seeing the woman crying in front of him with pear blossoms and rain, August''s heart was filled with


    coldness, and there was no trace of pity or sympathy.He felt intensely that he and Jeanne had grown


    farther and farther apart, and there was no way to go back to the past.


    "August, I know I was wrong.The reason why I leaked the n was that I loved you so much..."


    Jeanne said and reached out and grabbed the corner of August''s clothes, with her tears falling like rain.


    August frowned.


    With a gloomy expression, he red at Jeanne.


    "Don''t you understand that there is more than just one project between the two of us?" August asked


    her.


    After he finished speaking, he got up immediately, pulled the corner of his clothes out of Jeanne''s


    hands, and walked out quickly.


    The door mmed shut, and the man¡¯s footsteps went further and further away.


    Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    Jeanne knelt on the ground and held the nket on the sofa with all her might, wishing she would


    explode on the spot.


    It had been more than two years.


    Even if she did something wrong, he should forgive her! At this moment, there was a knock on the


    door, followed by Dana''s voice.


    "Madam, the hangover soup is ready..." she said.


    Jeanne gritted her teeth angrily, got up abruptly from the ground, walked quickly to the door, and pulled


    the door open.


    Looking at Dana who was standing at the door, she was raging.


    If she had cooked the hangover soup earlier and let August drink it earlier, such unpleasant things


    would not have happened between them.


    The more Jeanne thought about it, the angrier she became.


    All the anger and resentment gathered together, making her on the verge of breaking out.She gritted


    her teeth and asked Dana, "Did you see Mr.Adams?"


    "I saw him...he¡¯s gone," Dana replied in a low voice.


    "Then give me a fart! Give me a drink!"


    Jeanne yelled and gritted her teeth angrily, wishing she could put her feet up on Dana.


    Suddenly, her eyes swept across the hangover soup on the tray, and there was a sh of gloom in her


    eyes.She looked at Dana and said angrily, "Since Mr.is gone, this bowl of hangover soup can''t be


    wasted.Now, you drink it!"


    Hearing this, Dana''s face suddenly turned pale.


    "Madam...I cannot..."


    Dana muttered, afraid.


    Jeanne''s face became a little distorted.


    "Drink it!"


    She barked in a cold voice.


    "Don''t...ma¡®am..."


    Dana protested.


    "Don''t you want to drink it?" Jeanne asked, stepped forward, and approached her.


    "If you don''t drink it, I will send someone to give your seriously ill mother a spiked soup, believe it or


    not!"


    Jeanne threatened Dana.


    Dana waspletely frightened, she knelt tremblingly with the tray, and lowered her head to beg for


    mercy.


    "Madam, I beg you, let me go..." She cried.


    "Let go of you? Then who will let me go!" Jeanne asked in a cold voice.


    She was living like a widow.


    This life was not better than death, every second was difficult!

 Chapter 358

    Chapter 358


    Chapter 358 Avoid Meeting Again


    Her life right now was painful enough.She just wanted to see others suffer more than she! Jeanne


    looked down at the trembling girl kneeling on the ground, and asked in a cold voice, "You really won''t


    drink it?"


    She squatted down slowly, looked at Dana who was extremely frightened, and snorted coldly.


    "You dare to disobey me, do you think your life here will be better from now on?" Jeanne asked.


    Thesest words from Jeanne, like a heavy punch, directly hit Dana''s heart.


    Dana was trembling all over, and she was afraid.


    If she didn''t drink it, it would be a long timeing.


    Jeanne had countless ways to deal with her.


    Thinking of this, she couldn''t help shaking like a sieve.


    "Madam...I would like to drink..."


    Dana eventually said to Jeanne.


    When Jeanne heard the words, a sneer shed in her eyes.She looked at Dana condescendingly and


    ordered her.


    "Drink," Jeanne said with authority.


    Dana stretched out her hand and slowly picked up the bowl of soup on the tray, gritted her teeth,


    brought the bowl to her mouth, and raised her head to drink it.


    "After drinking, don''t leave a drop!"


    Jeanne ordered her coldly.


    Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    Dana did as she was told, and drank all the liquid in the bowl before slowly putting the bowl down.


    Seeing this, Jeanne curled her lips, walked to the sofa, and sat down.She looked at Dana, then looked


    at the clock on the wall.


    "Just right, I would try it on you," Jeanne said coldly.


    When she bought the medicine, it was said that it worked very quickly.


    Five minutes was enough for it to make people feel hot and confused, and ten minutes could make


    peoplepletely fall into a psychedelic state, and it had no side effects on the human body.


    Unexpectedly, the first time Jeanne used it, it turned out that she used it on a maid.She looked at Dana


    and snorted coldly.


    Dana became very uneasy.


    After a while, her forehead began to sweat, and even her breathing became quicker unknowingly.


    Three minutester, she felt a little feverish and looked at Jeanne sitting on the sofa.


    "Madam...I''m a little hot, what kind of medicine is this?" Dana asked Jeanne.


    Jeanne snorted coldly.


    "A medicine that makes you want to die," was her reply to Dana.


    Dana was terrified and raised her hand to wipe the sweat off her forehead, but the sweat was like


    running water.She was wiping a spot and bubbling in another.


    "It''s so hot...so hot!"


    Danained.


    Dana pulled her clothes and fanned herself quickly, but the more she moved, the faster the blood


    cirction was in her body, and the faster the effect of the medicine.


    "It''s so ufortable..." Dana said and knelt on the ground, her whole face flushed.


    Jeanne raised her eyes and nced at the clock.


    Only five minutester, the effect of the medicine had already started.


    It seemed that this worked! Soon, ten minutes passed, and Dana almost lost her mind.


    The servant''s apron on her body had been undone by herself, revealing a worn-out white vest inside.


    Jeanne looked at her with a bit more contempt, and asked coldly, "How is it? Does it taste good?"


    Dana was lying on the ground, trying to stick her skin to the cold floor as much as possible, rubbing


    back and forth with her eyes closed, murmuring, "Hot...hot..."


    Jeanne winced.


    Seeing the demented girl who started to take off her pants, Jeanne shed a very disgusted


    expression.


    "What a scumbag! You usually dress so honestly, but I didn''t expect you to be so showy behind my


    back!" Jeanne said to the disoriented girl on the floor.


    Jeanne picked up the phone next to her a little contemptuously and made a quick call.


    "Come upstairs,e to my bedroom," Jeanne said urgently.


    Soon, there was a knock at the door, Jeanne responded, and the door was pushed open, and a dark-


    skinned middle-aged man appeared at the door.


    When the man saw Dana on the ground, he was stunned.


    "Ma''am, she is..."


    He started to say, but Jeanne interrupted him.


    Jeanne raised her chin and nced at Dana coldly.


    "Denny, haven''t you been a bachelor for long? This time, please help yourself," she said to the man


    that just entered the room.


    Denny was the driver assigned to Jeanne.


    When the driver heard the words, he looked at Dana, his eyes shed a bit of greed immediately, and


    he nodded quickly.


    "Thank you, madam, thank you, madam!" He said with excitement.


    Jeanne opened her mouth and ordered.


    "Drag her to the basement, and be quiet, do you hear me?" She said to Denny.


    Denny nodded repeatedly, and couldn''t wait to reach out to Dana "I understand, I understand!" he


    yelped.


    After he dragged Dana away and the door mmed shut, the room returned to calm.


    Jeanne was sitting on the sofa, thinking about what was going to happen next, and she felt even more


    disgusted in her heart.


    Although Dana was being dealt with, the anger that was stuck in her heart still hadn''t cleared.


    She and August must not continue like this, otherwise sooner orter, she willpletely lose him!


    Therefore, she must find a way to make it better as soon as possible! And as for that Lucia, she


    absolutely would not allow her to re-intrude in her and August''s life, otherwise, her odds of winning will


    be even smaller! Moreover, if it wasn''t for Lucia, she would not have had an estrangement with August,


    nor would she have lived such a widowed life! The more Jeanne thought about it, the angrier she


    became.


    In the end, her hatred for Lucia increased a lot.She gritted her teeth, took out her mobile phone, and


    made a call.


    Soon, there was an answer, Jeanne took a deep breath, and clenched her phone.


    "Mr.Dillon, I don''t care what method you use or how much you spend, you must save him as soon as


    possible!" Jeanne said firmly.


    Others had waited, but she couldn''t wait.


    This kind of issue must be dealt with, the sooner the better! At the same time, in West Bridge, Lucia


    suddenly sneezed twice ina row.


    "Mom, do you have a cold?" Her son asked her.


    Timothy''s little head got out of the nket, staring at Lucia with wide eyes.


    Lucia''s heart warmed, she raised her hand and gently rubbed his little head.


    "No, go to sleep, we will go to Pleasant Valley tomorrow," she said to her son.


    J also shed two big eyes, and her voice was milky and glutinous.


    "Mom, can I ask my friends to go with me tomorrow?" She asked Lucia.


    "We just arrived in Austos, do you already have a new friend?"


    Lucia smiled and asked her daughter softly.


    J nodded excitedly.


    "Yes, the handsome uncle I met at the airportst time, he said he was my good friend!" She replied.


    Hearing this, the smile on Lucia''s face suddenly stiffened, as she did not expect that J would be so


    impressed by August.


    Seeing that Lucia''s expression was a little different, J tilted her head and asked, "Mom, what''s


    wrong? Are you unhappy?"


    "Mom doesn''t like that handsome uncle, I saw itst time," Timothy answered with a serious tone.


    "Why? The handsome uncle is so nice, and he looks handsome..." J said.


    "He looks handsome but he can''t be eaten," Timothy said and hummed softly. He stretched out his little


    hand to hold Lucia.


    "I don''t like anyone that my mother doesn''t like!" He said.


    "You bullshit, you told mest time that Uncle Handsome looks so handsome!" J said to her brother


    angrily.


    "Who said it? I didn''t say it..."


    Timothy argued.


    The two little guys said sentences to each other and fell into bickering mode.


    Lucia was sitting beside the bed, looking at the two of them saying one sentence to another, no one


    would listen to the other, and suddenly she felt a little dumbfounded.


    "OK OK."


    Lucia said and stretched out her hand, patted the two little guys respectively, and tucked the quilt in for


    them.


    "Sleep first, let''s talk about it tomorrow, okay?" She told them.


    The two small mes that had just burned were extinguished in an instant, and the two of them


    hesitated for a while, then nodded in unison.


    Seeing the two little guys closing their eyes obediently, Lucia''s heart softened a bit, she slowly stood


    up, turned off the light in the room, and exited the room.


    Thinking of what J said just now, in her mind, she felt a little uneasy.


    August and J only met once, why was J so stuck on him? Is it like that sentence, blood is


    thicker than water? No, from now on, she has to try her best to avoid the kids meeting with August


    again! Only in this way will nothing go wrong!

 Chapter 359

    Chapter 359


    Chapter 359 Family Activities


    At a nce the next day, Elisa had already pulled Lucia up from bed before she woke up.


    "Look at the time, didn''t you say you want to take the kids to Pleasant Valley? Today is Sunday, and


    most people are visiting there!" Elisa said to Lucia.


    "Not getting up yet? Lucia, you are the mother of children now, not the little girl from before..." Elisa


    scolded her daughter.


    During the five minutes of scolding while she was staying in bed, Lucia seemed to feel that her mother


    had made up for the scolding that she had missed for five years.


    She rubbed her head and struggled to get up from the bed.


    "Go take a shower and change your clothes! The two little guys are more diligent than you!" Elisa told


    Lucia dismissively.


    After being pushed into the bathroom by Elisa, Lucia took a shower and finally woke up a bit more.


    Last night, for some reason, she had a dream thatsted the whole night.


    In the dream, there was a tall and handsome man.


    She ran away with Timothy and J in her arms.She was so scared when she woke up from this


    dream that she didn''t sleep well anymore when she went back to bed.


    Could it be that the man in the dream was August? The more Lucia thought about it, the more


    outrageous it became.


    In the end, she simply shook her head and forgot all those rambling thoughts.She came out of the


    bathroom, changed her clothes, and went downstairs.She saw J and Timothy sitting obediently at


    the dining table drinking milk and having breakfast.


    They had also changed into new clothes.


    J wore a red id skirt, and Timothy wore a ck id shirt.


    They looked cute and eye-catching.


    Lucia felt a little better, walked over to greet them, made a cup of coffee, and took a sip.


    She took out her mobile phone to send a message to Paul.


    "Paul, we''re almost ready here, are you on your way?" She asked him.


    Originally, she and Paul had agreed to take the little guys to Pleasant Valley together today, which was


    considered a "family activity".


    After waiting for a few minutes, Lucia finished her cup of coffee, and Paul hadn''t replied yet.


    Next to her, Timothy and J, who had already finished breakfast, stared at her with wide eyes.


    "Mom, when are we leaving?" They asked.


    Lucia smiled at them, raised her hand, and patted their heads respectively.


    "Wait for Dad toe and pick us up, you two go put your little backpacks on your back, bring your


    little water bottle, and be ready at all times!" She said to the children.


    "As ordered!"


    They screamed in unison and agreement.


    Seeing the two of them run away like wild horses, the smile in Lucia''s eyes deepened.She got up, went


    back to the room, put on a casual sports suit, and went out the door when she was ready.


    A white sweater and white shorts, paired with sneakers of the same color, and a baseball cap, her


    whole body was youthful and beautiful, full of girlishness.


    When Lucia came downstairs, she was praised by the two little guys intermittently.


    "Mom, you are so beautiful!"


    "Mom, we can go out and call you our sister!"


    Hearing the rainbow fart, Lucia couldn''t helpughing.


    Holding one of the little guys with one hand, she said with a smile, "Alright, alright, your two little


    mouths are as sweet as honey!"


    Before going out, Elisa caught up with them and stuffed a box of prepared sandwiches into Lucia''s


    backpack.


    "Just in case, the little guys can fill their stomachs when hungry" Elisa told Lucia.


    "Okay, okay.Mom, the weather is so nice today, you should also go out for a walk with dad, don''t stay at


    home all the time," she said to Elisa.


    Aftering out of the house and walking to the side of the road outside the West Bridge Garden,


    Lucia turned on the phone, and it was empty.


    Not to mention Paul''s phone number, he didn''t even reply to the text messages she sent him.


    It was gettingte, if they didn''t go now, they would have to queue up to buy tickets.


    Lucia stopped a taxi, took Timothy and J into the car, and asked the driver to go directly to


    Pleasant Valley in Austos City.


    On the way, she made a phone call to Paul, but there were several rings, and no one answered.


    Was he busy? Lucia thought for a while and simply sent him another message.


    "I''ll take the kids to buy a ticket first, and we''ll be waiting for you at the door."Just after sending the text


    message, Timothy raised his head to look at Lucia, blinked his big eyes, and asked, "Mom, can''t Dad


    come?"


    Lucia touched his little head.


    "Dad should be busy.Let''s wait for him at the entrance of Pleasant Valley.He will be there soon," she


    replied.


    J was also worried.


    "What if Dad doesn''te? Teacher Linda has left us homework and wants us to take a picture of our


    family hanging out together and send it to her," J asked worriedly.


    "Yes, today is thest day!" Timothy agreed.


    Seeing the anxious appearance of the two little guys, Lucia quickly reassured them.


    "Don''t worry, you''ll finish this homework today, don''t worry, eh?" She said to the kids.


    The two little guys nodded, but the expressions on their faces were a little lost.


    Lucia''s heart tensed, and she suddenly felt sorry for them.R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only


    In the past five years, although Paul was their father, in all honesty, they didn''t spend much time


    together.


    In addition, Paul had to shuttle from home and abroad and was busy with work.


    He was not always avable, so sometimes there were some gaps.


    But even so, Lucia was very grateful to Paul.


    With him, at least her children would not be the object of ridicule by other children, and at least the


    father''s position during Timothy J''s childhood would not be vacant.


    Soon, the taxi arrived at the gate of Pleasant Valley in Austos City.


    Lucia pulled Timothy and J out of the car and was dumbfounded when she saw the long queue at


    the ticket office.


    Unexpectedly, there were so many people.No wonder Elisa woke her up early in the morning, there


    seemed to be a reason.


    Lucia took a deep breath, tightened her grip on the two little guys, walked to the end of the line, and


    followed in line to buy tickets.


    In the queue, all parents came with their children, and there were also some young couples.


    There were many people at the ticket office, and there was also a queue at the entrance on the other


    side.


    Registering to buy tickets was still very fast.


    After waiting in line for less than 20 minutes, Lucia went to the ticket booth and bought tickets for two


    adults and two children.


    It seemed to be in line with the theme of Pleasant Valley.


    The children''s tickets were colorful and printed with cartoon characters.


    As soon as Timothy and J got the tickets, they excitedly took Lucia to the entrance to line up there.


    Lucia hesitated, nced at the empty mobile phone, and took a deep breath.


    "Timothy, J, let''s wait for Dad,"


    Lucia told the kids.


    The two little guys had just got excited.


    When they heard this sentence, they seemed to have been poured a basin of cold water and nodded


    somewhat disappointedly.


    "Okay," they replied.


    Unknowingly, after waiting for ten minutes, Lucia''s phone call to Paul still went unanswered, and the


    queue at the entrance was getting longer by the second.


    Lucia looked down at Timothy and J, who were like frost-hitting eggnts, picked up the phone,


    and made another call to Paul.


    If no one answered the call, then she could only take the kids to the line first.


    On the other side, two cars parked on the square in front of Pleasant Valley.


    A somewhat fat middle-aged man got out of the car in front, smiled respectfully, and immediately


    walked to the car in the back, leaned slightly, and opened the door.


    "Mr.Adams, please¡ª" he said softly.


    August stretched his long legs, got out of the car, nced at the entrance of Pleasant Valley, and said


    in a low voice, "There are quite a few people."


    The middle-aged man nodded.


    "This is natural, Pleasant Valley is currently thergest amusement park in Austos City with the most


    entertainment projects, and the audience is very wide. When Mr.Adams chose to invest in this project,


    you made the right choice!" the man exined to August.


    August nodded slightly.


    "Well, Caroline, where is Vollmond Lake?" he asked.


    Caroline nodded immediately and extended his hand to show him.


    "It''s over there, therge area by theke over there is owned by the Lion Group.There is a forest farm


    by theke, the scenery is very good, and beyond that is Austos City safari," Caroline replied.


    August nodded.


    "Well, go to theke and have a look.If it''s appropriate, ask your subordinates to draw up an initial


    nning book, give it to me, and bring along the data analysis of the past two years"


    August instructed.


    Caroline''s eyes lit up and he responded excitedly.


    "Okay, sir!"


    August nced at the entrance again and was about to turn around to get into the car when suddenly


    his eyes stopped and were piercing in one direction.

 Chapter 360

    Chapter 360


    Chapter 360 Buy Two Tickets


    Caroline was taken aback by August''s sudden action, and quickly followed his gaze, but there was


    nothing more than a long queue at the entrance, and nothing unusual at all.He summoned the courage


    to ask.


    "Sir, what''s the matter?"


    August stood on the spot and looked at the back end of the team over there without moving his eyes.


    Seeing the beautiful figure in the sports suit, his eyes dimmed a little.


    Sure enough, it was her, his intuition was right.


    It was just a casual nce, but for some reason, he was so sensitive to her back.


    When he saw the two little guys beside Lucia, August raised the corners of his lips with a half-smile,


    slightly turned his head, and instructed Burton behind him, "Go and buy two tickets in line."


    Burton was slightly startled, thinking he heard wrong.


    "Sir?"


    He said in confusion.


    August turned his head, looked at him with clear eyes, and said word by word, "Buy two tickets for the


    two of us."


    Burton saw that he didn''t seem to be joking, so he nodded.


    "Okay, sir,"


    he replied.


    Caroline on the side was even more confused.


    He watched Burton seriously walk in the direction of the ticket booth next to him, took a breath, and


    reminded August softly, "Mr.Adams, you don''t need to buy a ticket..."


    The entire Pleasant Valley in Austos City was an industry under the Lion Group.


    He was the dignified president of thepany.


    Even if he didn''t book the venue, did he still need to buy a ticket? August raised the corners of his lips.


    "Caroline, there is one thing I need you to do,"


    he said softly.


    Unconsciously, another ten minutes passed.


    Lucia pulled Timothy and J into the queue and nced at her phone from time to time, but there


    was still no news from Paul.


    Couldn''t hee to join them again? Isn''t that what she promised in front of Timothy and J just


    now, isn''t she going to be pped in the face if Paul didn''t show up? She sighed softly, looked at the


    slowly advancing team in front, and then looked down at the two little guys whose interest had


    diminished, a feeling of guilt welling up in her heart.


    If she had just taken them to the queue directly, they would''ve already entered by now, right? "Mom,


    when can we go in?"


    Lucia¡¯s son asked.


    Timothy raised his little head and pouted his little mouth.


    Lucia took out a tissue and wiped the sweat from his forehead.


    She didn''t know how to answer when a voice suddenly came from beside her, "Is this, Ms.


    Mitchell?"


    When Lucia heard the words, she turned her head and saw a slightly fat middle-aged man smiling at


    her.


    She was startled.


    "Who are you?"


    Lucia asked inquisitively.


    "I''m the person in charge of Pleasant Valley, you can call me Caroline."


    He replied.


    Caroline took out a business card and handed it to her.


    Lucia took the business card, looked at the contents in it, then looked up at him.


    Tae ¡ª oo + 1U "Hello, what''s the matter?"


    She asked.


    "It''s like this.


    Recently, our park has been doing some promotional and feedback activities.


    For every 1,000 tickets sold, one of our lucky tourists will be randomly selected and granted our


    privilege card.


    With this privilege card, tourists can avoid any queuing and waiting, and go inside directly.


    It''s a green light channel,"


    he exined.


    With that said, Caroline took out a colored card and handed it to her.


    A few big characters were printed on the card.


    "Pleasant Valley Rainbow Card."


    Lucia was a little surprised and looked up at him.


    "Is this true?"


    She asked.


    "Of course, it''s true,"


    Caroline replied.


    Caroline smiled and turned to signal to the staff behind him.


    "Lucky tourists are also entitled to small gifts!"


    He added.


    The staff wearing the Pleasant Valley work system stepped forward and distributed a Pleasant Valley


    mascot doll to Timothy and J.


    "Congrattions, as long as you use the rainbow card, you can enter all the rides first and avoid


    queuing,"


    Caroline exined.


    "Mom, that''s great!"


    "Great! We don''t have to wait in line!"


    The two little guys said and danced with excitement.


    Lucia took the card, and it didn''t look like it was a lie.


    After watching the staff leave, she slowly recovered.


    Lucia was still suspicious and took them to the gate on the other side of the front of the long dragon,


    and showed the staff the rainbow card.


    When the staff saw this card, they immediately respectfully invited them to pass the empty gate next to


    them.


    "Wow! It''s great!"


    Timothy and J seemed to have regained their vitality, and when they entered the park, they jumped


    excitedly.


    Lucia watched the two of themugh happily, and unknowingly raised the corners of her lips.


    In this way, the day was not necessarily so bad.


    She stepped forward immediately and asked, "What do you want to y first?"


    Timothy jumped up excitedly.


    "Jump off the floor machine!"


    He screamed.


    "No, that''s too high!"


    Lucia said in disagreement.


    "Haunted House!"


    Timothy said again.


    "No! It will scare you into nightmares!"


    Lucia disagreed again.


    Timothy''s two proposals were rejected by Lucia, and he couldn''t help pouting.


    Next to them, J said quickly, "Mom, I want a merry-go-round!"


    "This is fine! Let''s go!"


    Lucia replied.


    "That''s only for girls!"


    Timothy said quickly.


    Lucia was amused and dragged the two of them toward the direction of the merry-go-round.


    "Who said boys can''t y in the merry-go-round?"


    She asked.


    At the carousel scene, Timothy looked at the huge super-luxury carousel in front of him, and his eyes


    suddenly lit up.


    "I want to y too!"


    He dered.


    Lucia couldn''t helpughing out loud and pulling the two little guys to the entrance to wait for the next


    round.


    Not far away, August was wearing a suit, and his eyes followed the three people over there, never


    moving away.


    He stood there and gained a lot of turning heads.


    The first reason for this was that he and Burton were both dressed in formal suits, and the suits were


    smooth and without any folds, which was ipatible with this ce, and the second reason was


    naturally because of his envious face, which attracted many gazes from men and women alike.


    Finally, August noticed this.


    He frowned slightly, turned to look at Burton, and asked, "Why do they always look at me, do I have


    flowers on my face?"


    Burton couldn''t helpughing, and coughed twice.


    "Mr.Adams, I suggest you take off your coat and take off your tie, it might be better,"


    he advised August.


    August heard the words and nodded in agreement.


    "What you said makes sense,"


    he said.


    Saying that he raised his hand and took off his jacket, raised his right hand to pinch the bow tie, and


    pulled it straight off.


    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    The women passing by made surprised voices, and some even picked up their mobile phones to take


    pictures in excitement.


    "He is so handsome!"


    A passerby said with interest.


    "That action just now was too lustful!"


    Another said.


    August turned a blind eye to those voices, raised his eyes and nced at the direction of the merry-go-


    round, and saw Lucia bringing Timothy and J down from above.


    He immediately handed the clothes and tie in his hand to Burton, and said lightly, "You take care of it.


    If anything work-rted happens, don''t bother me."


    After he finished speaking, he took a step and walked over to the trio, leaving Burton alone in the wind.


    The president of his family had always focused on work.


    What was suddenly wrong? What changed? Burton wondered.


    Over there, Lucia took Timothy and J off the merry-go-round and went straight to the next project -


    the pirate ship.


    This pirate ship was very long and wide, and many people were sitting on it.


    Most people were sitting in the middle row, and the number of people kept decreasing.


    The bow and stern were in the same position, and then there were two, three, four others...


    ...


    When Lucia arrived with the kids, only the front row was left.


    That row had four positions, with two child seats in the middle and two adult seats next to it.


    Lucia originally wanted Timothy and J to sit on both sides of her so that she could ensure the


    safety of the two of them, but there had to be one child she couldn''t take care of in such a seat.


    She was hesitating to take the seats.

 Chapter 361

    Chapter 361


    Chapter 361 Keep Child¡¯s Innocence "Mom, I want to y."


    Timothy pulled Lucia¡¯s hand.


    His eyes were full of expectation.


    Lucia turned to J.


    "J, how about you?"


    J nodded seriously, "Me too."


    Lucia really didn''t know what to do.


    The staff aside sensed her hesitance.


    She asked, "Are you in? It''s gonna start."


    Lucia still couldn''t make up her mind.


    Though such facilities had seat belts andplete safety precautions, she was still afraid.


    If she could only take care one of her kids, she would rather not y it.


    The staff urged, "Are you in? One minute left."


    Timothy and J looked at her pitifully, "Mom, let''s go..."


    Lucia heaved a sigh and said to the staff, "Thanks, we will wait for the next round."


    By then, they could pick seats in the middle so that she could sit between the kids and take care of


    both of them.


    Their safety had always been her priority.


    The staff confirmed, "You sure? I''ll put on thetch then."


    Then, she was to shut the fence gate.


    Suddenly, a sonorous and powerful male voice sounded.


    "Wait."


    Lucia was stunned.


    She turned towards where the voice came and was so surprised that she lost her tongue when she


    saw August.


    "You..."


    J''s eyes brightened.


    She shouted in her childish voice, "Uncle Charming."


    August smiled at J, and then scooped J up in his arms.


    He said to the staff, "Please wait for a while.


    We''re ying."


    The staff was so attracted by August''s handsomeness.


    She hurriedly nodded.


    "Okay, okay."


    August held J in his arms and went in.


    He turned to Timothy and raised his chin at the boy.


    "Follow me, buddy."


    Timothy turned to Lucia and looked hesitant.


    Lucia''s heart was full of maternal love when she saw Timothy''s lovely little face.


    She smiled.


    "Go on."


    She couldn''t just question August in front of so many people.


    She thought she''d better discuss it after they finished ying.


    She held Timothy''s hand and led him onto the pirate ship.


    The staff helped them fasten their seat belts and the staff closed the door.


    The facility started firstly at a low speed.


    Lucia held Timothy''s hand and looked at J with concern.


    When she saw August holding J''s hand tightly, she felt relieved.


    The ship swung back and forth.


    The kids on it were all screaming.


    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    Lucia felt that her heart would skip a beat every time the ship shook.


    Suddenly, the ship reached its vertex and began sliding backwards.


    Lucia felt a strong sense of weightlessness.


    Frightened, she also screamed.


    She never expected that pirate ship could be so thrilling.


    Soon, the ship again climbed to the peak of its swing.


    Lucia stiffened her body and didn''t dare to move a bit.


    At this moment, a big warm handnded on her shoulder.


    As if it had magic power, it instantly calmed her terrified heart.


    After several swings, the pirate ship stopped.


    The staff opened the door and told the tourists to be careful when getting out.


    Lucia took a deep breath and patted her chest to ease the nerve in her heart.


    She turned to Timothy and J and asked worriedly, "Are you okay?"


    Timothy raised his little fists, "It''s awesome! I wanna y again!"


    "What about you, J? Were you afraid?"


    "It''s so fun.


    I''m not afraid at all with Uncle Charming beside me."


    Lucia didn''t expect the little fellows to be so energetic.


    She didn''t know whether be upset or proud as it turned out that she was the only one who was scared.


    She looked up and happened to find August staring at her from aside.


    He seemed have a faint smile on his face, as if he was mocking her cowardice.


    Lucia felt a little sulky.


    She hurriedly unfastened her seat belt and stood up.


    "Timothy, J! Come on down.


    Didn''t you want to take the Ferris Wheel?"


    Hearing this, the kids both got up.


    When they came out of the facility, they ran into a cotton candy vendor.


    Timothy and J both mored for it.


    She bought two cotton candies.


    But they kids were attracted by the candy maker''s skills and was reluctant to leave.


    She turned around and found August behind her.


    She wrinkled her brows slightly.


    Now time for a little chat.


    She said to August, "Mr.Adams, it''s such a coincidence.


    We should meet in such a children¡¯s ce."


    August gave a half smile.


    "An adult should keep a little child''s innocence."


    Hearing this, Lucia sneered.


    She looked at him vigntly and said coldly, "Since Mr.Adams came to have fun, then we won''t be a


    nuisance.


    Thank you for your help with looking after the kids just now.


    We''re going to y other facilities."


    Saying, she was about to walk towards Timothy and J.


    However, August stood before her and, after raising his brows, said, "Lucia, you''re so afraid of me?"


    Lucia was stunned.


    Before she could answer back, she saw August casting a nce at her kids, and he said meaningfully,


    "Or, are you afraid that I will approach them?"


    His words hit the nail on the head.


    A trace of panic shed across Lucia''s face, and she quickly denied, m not!"


    August produced a smile and said, "Then why don''t you allow me to get closer to them?"


    At this moment, Timothy and J each held a cotton candy and came towards them.


    Before Lucia could retort, J had pulled the hem of her cloth and asked, "Mom, Uncle Charming is


    so nice.


    Why can''t we let him y with us?"


    Lucy didn''t know what to say.


    She suddenly remembered a saying.


    "The more one tries to hide, the more one is exposed."


    She gave a gasp and swept her gaze through August and thennded it on her children.


    She asked, "You both agree to bring him with us?"


    J first raised her hands, "I agree."


    Timothy shrugged.


    "I''m cool."


    Since it was the case, Lucia couldn''t find an excuse to refuse.


    "Alright then."


    As Lucia relented, J smiled brightly.


    "That''s so great!"


    They left the cotton candy vendor for the giant Ferris wheel.


    When they arrived at the entrance of the Ferris wheel, Lucia took out Rainbow Pass.


    The staff immediately let them in.


    The box of the Ferris wheel was too big for the four of them.


    August sat at with J, and Lucia sat opposite them with Timothy.


    Music was being yed, and the box was slowly elevated.


    As they were getting farther and farther from the ground, the kids both excitedly looked out of the


    window.


    Soon, they had risen to the top.


    Looking down from this spot, they could see everything in Pleasant Valley.


    J suddenly thought of something and suggested, "Mom, let''s take pictures!"


    Lucia smiled.


    She took out her phone and took a lot of photos for her kids.


    August, however, waspletely ignored.


    But he wasn''t annoyed.


    He smiled brighter as he watched the mother and kidsughing and ying.


    Suddenly, Timothy said, "Mom.


    The homework.


    We haven''t done it.


    What should we do? It is almost deadline."


    Lucia didn¡¯t remember the homework until now.


    Paul wasn''t here.


    What should she do? Suddenly, J said excitedly, "The four of us could take a picture together.


    And we can send it to the teacher!"

 Chapter 362

    Chapter 362


    Chapter 362 Allergic to Strawberry Lucia was stunned.


    She looked up at August and widened her eyes.


    How will this work? The teacher asked for a family photo.


    But August...


    Lucia couldn''t make a decision.


    Paul was not here, and the kids needed to send the photos to the teacher in time.


    Timothy looked at the time.


    "Mom, before it''s toote!"


    Lucia took a deep breath.


    She looked at August, and, after encouraging herself, said, "Well...


    let''s take a picture."


    August was smiling brightly.


    He asked, "What photo?"


    Lucia hurriedly said, "It''s nothing..."


    Timothy cut in anxiously, "Our teacher asked us to take a picture of our family when we go out and y.


    It''s homework."


    Hearing this, August repeated the kid''s words, "Family?"


    He didn''t dislike the word.


    Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    Lucia flushed and said, "It''s not what you think."


    Hearing her words, August silently smiled.


    He stood up and let the kids stand before him and Lucia.


    He then reached out his long arm to take her phone.


    After setting into selfie mode, he clicked the shutter button.


    In the photo, the kids were smiling brightly.


    August also showed a rare gentle expression.


    Only Lucia seemed to be at a loss, looking dumbfounded but lovely.


    August looked at the photo and beamed with satisfaction.


    He then sent the photo to his phone and handed the phone back to the kids.


    "It''s done."


    "Yeah.


    We can hand in homework now!"


    Happily, Timothy sent the photo to their teacher.


    "Okay! Done!"


    When he handed the phone back to Lucia, the teacher had already replied.


    The teacher texted, [What a loving family!] Lucia was even more dumbfounded now, and was rendered


    speechless.


    All of them are so fast! She turned around and found August put both his hands on both the kids.


    They were looking at the scenery outside the window, and they themselves made a beautiful scenery.


    Lucia had a strange feeling in her heart.


    If those things never happened and she kept being together with August, she and August must be a


    happy couple with the lovely kids.


    Suddenly, the box shook slightly, and brought Lucia back to reality abruptly.


    She couldn''t help wondering why she had such thoughts? She patted her cheeks to calm herself down.


    At this moment, they had finished a round.


    She stood up and led the kids out of the box.


    It was hot this day.


    Near noon, the sun was even more dazzling.


    August found the kids keep sweating and said to Lucia, "Let''s find a ce to rest.


    It''s almost lunchtime."


    Lucia also found that the kids were tired.


    She nodded.


    "Okay."


    There was a specialty restaurant not far away.


    They went in and found a vacant table.


    After they sat down, a waiter brought them menu.


    They ordered several dishes as well as two kids'' set meals.


    Lucia took out wet tissue from her bag and wiped the kids¡¯ hands clean.


    Soon, the wet tissue turned from its original white into ck.


    Lucia took the opportunity to educate them, "See the dirt on your hands? Do remember to wash or


    wipe your hands before every meal, okay?"


    J nodded as she watched Lucia wiping her hands and then putting away the unused wet tissues.


    The little girl turned to August and then to her mother, and said hesitantly, "Mom, you hadn''t wiped


    Uncle Charming''¡¯s hands yet."


    Lucia was stunned numb by her daughter''s words.


    She looked up and found the man also looking at her.


    She was at a loss for words.


    J took a sip of the juice that had been served just now, and echoed his sister, "Yes, yes.


    Mom, didnt you tell us that everyone needs to clean his hand before meals?"


    August smirked.


    Intentionally or not, he reached out his hands in front of Lucia and said smilingly, "Help me, please."


    Lucia''s face turned pale as she was in such a dilemma.


    She didn''t know whether she should help him or not.


    After all, she had taught the kids a minute ago.


    If she refused, she would be swallowing her own words.


    She took a breath and extracted a wet tissue from her bag.


    She had intended to muddle through, but, unexpectedly, her wrists were grabbed as soon as she put


    the tissue on the man''s hand.


    She was startled.


    In her fluster, she looked up and met the man''s ck eyes.


    Her heart skipped a beat.


    "What...


    what are you doing?"


    How could he do this in front of Timothy and J? She wanted to shake off his grip.


    Unexpectedly again, he took the tissue from her hand and wiped her wrist for her.


    She didn''t find the dirt on her wrist until then.


    August wiped her hands clean quickly, and then he said, "Don''t forget your own hands next time."


    Lucia froze with shock.


    Her heart was pounding so fast, and, before she knew it, she had blushed.


    J nodded and echoed, "Yes, Uncle Charming is right."


    Lucia was so flustered.


    Fortunately, the waiter happened toe serving dishes at this moment, which helped her cover her


    embarrassment and panic.


    She lost all her appetite for the dishes.


    But August, on the contrary, seemed to be easy andposed.


    He not only ate a lot, but also took good care of the kids.


    When the dishes were to be finished, J kept looking aside.


    Lucia patted her little head and reminded, "Focus on your meal, babe."


    J looked up and fixed her innocent big eyes on her mother.


    She said softly and cutely, "Mom, I also wanna strawberry cake."


    Lucia looked aside and found a child sitting on the table besides them was eating strawberry cake.


    She shook her head to J and wiped the girl''s mouth with a tissue.


    "No.


    You can''t eat strawberry.


    Last time you had strawberry, red spots covered your body.


    They were so itchy.


    Do you remember?"


    Hearing this, J said pitifully, "But mom, I just want a bite."


    Lucia pretended to be angry and said with a dark face.


    "No, you''re allergic to strawberry.


    You can''t eat it."


    August, who was sitting opposite Lucia, was shocked by Lucia''s words.


    He unwittingly held the water ss with more strength.


    J should be allergic to strawberry! He was also allergic to strawberry when he was a boy, but he


    recovered when he got older.


    He didn''t expect...


    Something tugged August''s heartstrings.


    Doubts flooded his mind, making him feel somehow hard to breathe.


    Would my guesses be correct? He looked up at J and Timothy and had aplex feeling.


    At this moment, worried footsteps approached.


    Then, a male voice sounded.


    "Lucia!"


    Lucia was shocked by the voice.


    She looked back and found Paul walking towards her.


    "Paul?"


    Lucia felt flustered.


    She hurriedly stood up and watched him approaching them fast.


    Paul walked to the table, looked at the kids, and finallynded his gaze on August.


    August seemedposed.


    He didn''t feel awkward or panic at all.


    He even smiled at Paul.


    "Mr.Tomas, we meet again."


    Fire of rage was burning violently in Paul''s heart.


    His hands clenched tight, and veins on his arms stood out.


    His patience had been worn out when he saw them dining together.

 Chapter 363

    Chapter 363


    Chapter 363 Only Wanted Her Heart Lucia sensed Paul''s anger.


    She hurriedly held his arm and said, "Paul,e with me.


    I need to talk to you.


    Then, she pulled Paul''s arm and led him to the other side.


    "Paul, I failed to contact you today, so I brought J and Timothy here first.


    And we ran into August in the park.


    You know that August brought J back when she got lostst time.


    And J said that she wanted to y with him.


    So, I..."


    Paul showed depress in his eyes.


    But he soon regained hisposure.


    He smiled at Lucia and said softly, "It''s okay.


    I thought he was forcing you..."


    Lucia shook her head and said, "He didn''t."


    Paul said smilingly, "Let''s go.


    The kids are waiting."


    Then, he put his arm around Lucia¡¯s shoulder and they walked towards the dining table together.


    "Dad, what took you so long?"


    As soon as Paul approached the kids, Timothy looked up at him and asked.


    Paul was still a little depressed.


    But he hid his feelings and kept smiling.


    He stroked the boy''s little head and exined in a rxing tone, "Dad was tied up by business.


    I apologize to you for failing to arrive in time."


    Timothy giggled.


    "It''s okay.


    We had great fun today."


    Paul smiled and sat opposite August.


    He didn''t look straight at August until now.


    He said, "President Adams, I owe you my gratitude for looking after my wife and kids today.


    I wish I could treat you to a meal next time.


    Please do ept."


    August looked up.


    His eyes had shown hostility.


    After he heard how Paul called him, his face went darker.


    "No, thanks.


    Just a lift of finger."


    Then, he turned to the kids and said, "I had great fun with you kids today.


    If I got the chance, I''ll treat you cakes."


    Saying, he wiped his hand with a tale napkin and stood up.


    He looked at Paul and said with less warmth and more coldness.


    "Since Mr.Thomas has arrived, I won''t be a nuisance."


    Then, he strode to leave.


    Lucia looked up at the man''s retreating figure and heaved a sigh of relief.


    R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only


    Paul really freaked her out just now.


    She had never seen him being so angry at least for the past five years.


    She took a deep breath and asked, "Paul, you want something to drink?"


    Paul answered, "No, thanks.


    Have you guys finished the dishes?"


    ¡®Almost"


    "Okay, I''ll pay the bill."


    Soon, a waiter came over and said to Paul.


    "Sorry, sir.


    The mister dined at the table just now had paid the bill."


    Hearing this, Paul showed more displease on his face.


    Aftering out of the restaurant, the kids had been tired after ying for the whole day.


    Lucia proposed that they should go home.


    Paul didn''t refuse.


    He drove them back to West Bridge.


    On their way back, the kids all fell asleep on the car because they were tired.


    Lucia and Paul didn''t chat, and the atmosphere was somewhat depressed.


    After arriving at West Bridge, they entered their house.


    Lucia held J in her arms while Paul had Timothy in his.


    Bill and Elisa weren''t home.


    The house was shrouded in silence.


    After cing the kids on their kids¡® beds, they silently went out of the room.


    In the living room, Paul took out a bottle of whiskey and poured himself half a ss of it.


    He took several sips of the wine, and the atmosphere was still depressed.


    Lucia sat on the sofa and looked up at Paul.


    She asked, "Much business in thepany today?"


    "Yes.


    Something sudden and urgent.


    That''s why I didn''t answer your call."


    Saying, Paul sat beside her and asked softly, ¡®Are you mad at me? For my failure to arrive in time?"


    Lucia shook her head.


    "No.


    I know you''re busy."


    She had owned Paul more than she could repay him.


    She shouldn''t me Paul for such trifle.


    Paul remained silent for a while.


    He then put down the wine ss and turned to the woman.


    "Lucia, to tell you the truth, I was extremely angry when I was you with August.


    "I kept wondering if I wasn''t doing well enough when I saw you four together."


    Hearing this, Lucia felt so lost and hurriedly consoled him, "Paul, don''t think it that way.


    You''ve done enough for us.


    I am so grateful and I didn''t know how to repay you..."


    Her words were interrupted by Paul, who suddenly held her hand and said soulfully, "But you know


    clearly what I want is not your gratitude nor your repaying..."


    He helped her go abroad five years ago, and took care of her for the past five years.


    He never wanted her gratitude.


    He, from the beginning to the end, only wanted her heart.


    Paul''s voice had be hoarse.


    He said deeply, "Lucia, you know what I want..."


    Saying, he approached her slowly and was about tond a kiss on her lips...


    Lucia was scared and subconsciously pushed him away.


    She stood up in panic and took a step back.


    "Paul, don''t.


    I...


    I''m not ready..."


    She hadn''t been ready to ept him.


    Paul was stunned.


    Looking the panic in the woman''s eyes, he didn''t know whether he should cry orugh.


    He had been taking care of her for five years, but she was still not ready to ept him.


    Five years! Five fucking years! An iceberg should have been melted.


    Paul endured the pain in his heart and replied, "Lucia, sorry.


    I shouldn''t force you."


    Then, he stood up and left without a nce back.


    After hearing the car in yard going away, Lucie finally felt a little rxed.


    But then, guilt surged into her heart, making her feel more and more struggling.


    Paul treated her perfectly, but she still couldn''t empty her heart and ept him.


    Thinking of which, she didn''t know what to do.


    Footsteps came from the gate.


    Then, Elisa''s voice sounded.


    "Lucia, what happened?"


    Lucia looked up and found Elisa and Billing in one after another.


    She took a breath to calm herself down.


    She adjusted her expression and said, "Nothing."


    Elisa was still worried.


    "Your dad and I saw Paul leaving at the gate.


    He looked somewhat mad.


    You two...


    didn''t quarrel, did you?"


    Before Lucia could answer, Bill had said, "Enough probing kids¡¯ things.


    Just leave Lucia alone."


    Elisa wanted to keep asking, but, after hearing Bill, she remained silent.


    Lucia stood up and looked at her parents.


    "Dad, mom, don''t be worried.


    I know how to handle my things."


    Hearing her words, Elisa felt less nervous.


    She and Bill then went upstairs.


    Soon, Lucia was left alone in the spacious living room.


    Her thinking was muddled.


    Paul, she had to admit, would be a perfect husband.


    However, why couldn''t she open up her heart to him?

 Chapter 364

    Chapter 364


    Chapter 364 Not Another Chance For a whole night, Lucia tossed and turned.


    She didn''t sleep well.


    She had woken up before her rm clock rang.


    She checked her itinerary for the day on her phone, and got up to clean herself up.


    She had made appointment with the studio that she would bring Timothy and J there to get familiar


    with the field so that the shooting might go smoothly.


    Her biggest wish now was to finish the work in this ce and leave with her kids.


    She packed up things needed, and had breakfast with the kids.


    She then hailed a taxi to bring them to the shooting spot, Austos Wildlife Park.


    The theme of the film was wildlife protection, which was why the kids needed to get familiar with


    animals.


    After that, they could study out a detailed shooting n.


    When they arrived at the park, Lucia found that the Wildlife Park was near Pleasant Valley they went to


    the other day.


    They were all beside Vollmond Lake.


    The kids was excited when they saw Pleasant Valley in the distance.


    Their car drove alongkeside road and arrived at the gate of the wildlife park.


    The kids even danced with joy.


    "Yeah! Little animals!"


    Lucia felt much happier when she saw how the kids trotting around carefreely.


    She greeted Elijah.


    "Hey, Elijah."


    Elijah looked as if he was going on a vacation beside beach in his white T-shirt and white shorts.


    He came towards her and, with open arms, wanted to give Lucia a big hug.


    "Lucia, I miss you so much!"


    Lucia took a subconscious step back.


    As he was approaching her, a little figure bounced in.


    "Freeze!"


    Lucia looked down and found Timothy stood between them like a little knight.


    He stopped Elijah.


    "My mother is not to be hugged by anyone! Mr.Reed, do be careful!"


    Timothy''s serious look was so cute.


    Lucia felt an inexplicable happiness overwhelmed her.


    This little fellow would be the first to protect her no matter what happened.


    He was physically little but mentally strong.


    Elijah was also amused by the boy.


    Heughed, took a step back obediently, and turned to look at J, "J, you have be more


    beautiful!"


    J tilted her head and said with a smile, "You too."


    Elijah had lived in Amecan for a while.


    They frequented each other''s ce and had good rtionship back then.


    After greetings, Elijah took Timothy''s hand and came down to cases with Lucia.


    "Actually, today we don''t have much important work.


    Just walk around the park with the kids.


    And you will have to discuss details with the director.


    Tomorrow, we get officially started¡¯ Lucia nodded and asked, "Director? I thought we were only taking


    pictures."


    Elijah nodded and answered, "The big boss requires sense of story and profundity.


    And there is a public welfare short film needed to be shot after picture shooting.


    So, we have a director now."


    Lucia understood.


    It seemed that the big boss was being serious about the advertisement.


    He spent so much money on such public welfare pictures and videos, and he didn''t ask for profit.


    Perhaps his ultimate goal was to establish a positive brand image for hispany.


    A positive brand image was hard-won nowadays.


    Lucia somehow admired this big boss for his vision.


    After arriving at the field, Lucia took Timothy and J to meet the director.


    After necessary routines, they began touring around the park ording to the n.


    The wildlife park was big.


    The animal''s house they selected had golden monkeys, elephants, boa constrictors, pangolins and


    giraffes, which were all to be shot in the pictures and videos.


    The kids were both excited during the tour.


    Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    Soon, it was noon.


    After lunch at with the crew, the director emptied a temporary tent for them as they would take a


    habitual nap after lunch.


    As the kids fell asleep, Lucia came out of the tent and discussed with the director some issues


    concerning the shooting.


    The director introduced her the entire procedure and said, "This should be everything I need to tell you.


    Concerning all that needs you and your children, it would take you less than two weeks.


    But, since Timothy and J are kids and they wouldn''t be as cooperative as adults, we set a two-


    week schedule."


    Hearing this, Lucia frowned and hesitated.


    She had thought that everything could be done in a week.


    Two weeks would be far beyond her expectation.


    She gave a gasp and asked the director, "Director, in fact, I wish to finish the task as soon as possible.


    The kids have to go to school in Amecan, so I would prefer we finish this with least dy possible."


    The director pondered for a while and murmured, "But...


    such high-duty work would be stressful for the kids."


    Lucia felt the director''s words reasonable, and halted between two Opinions.


    However, as August''s face urred to her, she hardened herself and said, "It''s okay.


    Just speed up the progress."


    She would rather her babies work a bit harder than stay in Austos City and allow August find the truth


    out.


    After thinking for a while, the director replied, "Then I''ll ask for the boss''s permission."


    The boss ordered the two-month schedule.


    The director couldn''t change the schedule on his own merely because of Lucia''s words.


    Since the director agreed, Lucia felt relieved and smiled at the director.


    "Okay.


    Thanks."


    In the afternoon, Timothy and J were to be led by animal keeper to have close contact with the


    animals.


    Meanwhile, in the president''s office, August darkened his face when he received the project manager''s


    call.


    "She wants to speed up the process?"


    The manager hesitantly answered, "Yes.


    She wanted to finish it in one week.


    In that case, we could also enjoy lower cost."


    August knitted his brows.


    He showed displease in his eyes and held his hand with greater force.


    Secondster, he said coldly, "No.


    Stick to the original n.


    I never wanted to save money; I want top quality!"


    His words stunned the manager speechless.


    After a while, the manager answered, "Yes, President Adams, you''re right.


    Quality is the most important!"


    August wasn''t ttered at all.


    He asked, "When will you knock off?"


    "Today it would be half past five."


    "Good.


    I will be there by then.


    To see the actual situation."


    Then, he hung up.


    His eyes showed dim light of upset.


    He didn''t expect Lucia was so anxious to finish the work and leave the city.


    Is she trying to avoid me? As he thought so, he felt more depressed as if something heavy weighed on


    his heart.


    "Bang!"


    He smashed the phone on the table.


    The light of eyes went dimmer.


    She thinks she can just walk away again as she did five years ago? This time, August wouldn''t give her


    another chance!

 Chapter 365

    Chapter 365


    Chapter 365 I Am Your Boss Before Timothy and J knew it, they had yed for the entire


    afternoon.


    They all absorbed themselves into the fun of the wildlife park.


    They yed with monkeys, touched elephants¡¯ skins, and even stroked a python.


    The animals were at first scared of the kids, but, after the afternoon, they got along better.


    Kids were so innocent that they could easily ept other beings.


    Lucia could feel their changes and felt gratified from the bottom of her heart.


    She was right about the shooting job.


    At least, in this way, she could teach the kids to love and respect wildlife.


    It was a precious lesson from nature.


    Before the end of the day''s work, the director asked the kids how they felt andmunicated with


    them about the shooting n for the next day.


    Lucia sat aside and took a rare rxation from taking care of both the kids.


    At this moment, a ck car drove over slowly and stopped right outside the shooting site.


    Then, the door opened and a tall figure came out of it.


    Lucia didn''t notice the car as she kept her eyes on her children all the time.


    She didn''t turn to the car until the director abruptly stood up and walked outside.


    When she saw the man standing in front of the car, she was stunned and dumbfounded.


    Am I hallucinating? Howe August is here? She gave a gasp and hurriedly sat straight.


    She rubbed her eyes and again shot her gaze in the same direction.


    As if by telepathic reaction, August also turned to look at her at the same time.


    When their eyes met, it was as if a spark had been ignited.


    Lucia was so shocked that she even held her breath.


    She hurriedly flinched away from him, and unwittingly clenched her hands.


    What on earth is going on? After she returned Austos City, she could run into August so frequently.


    If their meeting the day before could be called a coincidence, it would be too weird that she should


    meet him again at work! Suddenly, the director turned to her and called her.


    "Lucia,e over please."


    Lucia took a deep breath and suppressed the anxiety and doubts in her heart.


    She stood up and walked towards them with pretendedposure.


    The director coughed twice and began introducing, "President Adams, this is Lucia, the mother of our


    two little models.


    She is a director..."


    Before the director could finish, August had already turned to Lucia.


    He narrowed his eyes in a half-smile.


    "I know"


    The director was stunned.


    "You...


    know each other?"


    August cast the director a nce and said indifferently, "I can talk to her myself."


    Hearing this, the director was embarrassed.


    He rubbed his nose to ease his awkwardness and said, "Well, I''ll leave you two alone..."


    Then, he left.


    After the director went away, Lucia looked up at August and felt annoyed.


    "August, what on earth do you want?"


    She might as well believe that pigs could fly than believe that it is another coincidence.


    August raised his chin slightly and said, "You seemed to be ignorant of the fact that I ordered the


    shooting of themercials.


    In some senses, I am your boss."


    Hearing this, Lucia sneered, "You think I would believe that?"


    He just came along and imed that he was her boss.


    The Devil may care! "Don''t believe me?"


    August didn''t hesitate to prove himself.


    He cast the director a nce and said lightly, "What do you think the director was doing with me?"


    Lucia was rendered wordless by his question.


    His words were true.


    If he was nobody, the director wouldn''t wee and greet him in person.


    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    Could it be that August is the big boss mentioned by Elijah? After she realized the fact, Lucia''s heart


    skipped a beat.


    In disbelief, she took a step back and panicked.


    "You...


    how could it be you?"


    She tried so hard to avoid him, and, in the end, she should be working for him! August wasn''t surprised


    at her reaction.


    He pressed his lips and then said, "I came to tell you in person that I don''t agree with your proposal to


    speed up the progress."


    Before Lucia knew it, August had been talking seriously, "To me, quality alwayses in the first ce.


    I don''t need speed.


    I need quality.


    More than that, I will personally check the samples before you could proceed with shooting."


    August''s words made Lucia''s face paler.


    "You..."


    They never mentioned a thing about sample checks.


    His arrival not only brought his refusal to her proposal but also brought an additional term.


    How could she just give in to such a bully? "August, don''t you think you''re going too far?"


    August raised his brows, and answered indifferently, "Am I? Lucia Mitchell, I think you''ve been abroad


    for too long that you begin forgetting the working procedures in our nation."


    Then, he cast Lucia onest nce and then got in his car.


    His devil-may-care attitude made Lucia extremely angry.


    She gritted her teeth and stopped him from closing the door.


    "August Adams, we need to make it straight!"


    If she had known that August was the biggest sponsor of this shooting, she would die rather than


    ept this job for her kids.


    Lucia was so agitated that she stumbled.


    She wanted to reason with him, but, instead, she lost her bnce and fell on August.


    "Bang!"


    Lucia''s head hit the man''s strong chest.


    She felt so painful that she frowned.


    Before she realized what had happened, she had been supported by a pair of big hands.


    Before she could keep her feet, she heard the man''sughter.


    "Lucia, you don''t have to approach me with a such clumsy trick."


    Hearing this, Lucia blushed.


    She was embarrassed and also annoyed.


    She took a step back and regained her footing.


    She retorted, "That''s nonsense, August Adams!"


    August showed a desire to tease this little woman.


    He smiled and said, "Oh? But everyone around saw it.


    You took the initiative to fall on me."


    His words made Lucia more embarrassed.


    After taking a deep breath, she gritted her teeth and pointed at the man.


    "August! You..."


    Before she could finish speaking, August grasped her index finger that was pointing at him.


    His warm palm wrapped her finger.


    The warmth was like electricity, giving her a sudden shock and making her numb.


    Before she could react, August had taken out a spiky headdress flower and wore it to her index finger.


    Lucia waspletely confused.


    What is it? Some trick to pick up girls or prank to humiliate me? August raised the corner of his lips at


    the sight of her daze.


    He exined, "It''s J''s.


    She left it to me yesterday.


    I brought it for her."


    Lucia fixed her eyes on the headdress flower and made sure that it was the one that belonged to J.


    However, for some reason, her heart was pounding fast, cheek was rosy in abashment.


    She couldn''t control herself.


    Was she beguiled by August?

 Chapter 366

    Chapter 366


    Chapter 366 Mark Was Released.


    Lucia gnashed her teeth and retreated to draw back distance from him.


    However, August changed his stern face from the past and winked mischievously at her! "Look good


    after the two little limps, I gotta go now."


    Lucia was in a daze since hearing his words.


    Therefore, she didn''t notice that August had gotten into his car and driven away.


    Standing still, Lucia was wondering why August had changedpletely within five years.


    Before she could figure it out, the sound of footsteps interrupted her train of thought.


    It was J and Timothy threw their arms around her legs respectively.


    "Mom! What are you doing?"


    Lucia looked down at their rosy cheeks, feeling a strong feeling of affection sweeping her over.


    She then reached out her hand to pet their heads and asked tenderly, "How is it going with your


    discussion with the director over there?"


    "He is nice to us! And he told us that we can go to the zoo fora video shoot!"


    "Yeah, we all understand what he has told us!"


    Their naive words amused Lucia.


    "You two are great! Now that you''re ready for the shoot tomorrow, let''s go home now!"


    She smiled sincerely.


    "Great! Let''s go home!"


    Lucia took them by the hands to lead them to take leave of the camera crew.


    After they had packed their stuff, they left.


    Lucia used the online car-hailing app to hail a taxi when they got to the gate of the Wildlife Park.


    However, they didn''t get a car after waiting for a long time.


    Actually, Paul had offered a ride for them after shooting but Lucia didn''t mean to bother him after he


    had confessed his affectation to her yesterday.


    It would be embarrassing for them.


    A long time had passed but they still hailed no taxi.


    "What''s going on? Mom?"


    J tilted her head back and asked her.


    "Oh, honey, it''s alright.


    We can go home soon."


    Lucia quicklyforted her mildly.


    Although she said that, she was anxious inside for their online car-hailing order wasnt taken by any


    drivers yet.


    When they were still waiting, a sharp toot of the car horn sounded behind them.


    As they turned around, a ck Maybach came to a slow halt beside them.


    The car window was rolled down and August''s impable face appeared.


    "Get in the car, I''ll take you back."


    Upon seeing this, Lucia frowned perplexedly.


    Didn''t he just leave? Why he didn''t go yet? She bit her lips nervously and was to refuse his offer.


    But J said before her, "Uncle Charming!"


    She was waving gaily to him at the same time.


    August smiled at her lovingly in return.


    Then he went out of the car and lifted her up tenderly.


    "How about I take you home?"


    J nodded vigorously and smiled sweetly at him.


    Lucia was dumbfounded to see that.


    How could J be so affectionate toward August? They had just met several times! Timothy seemed


    to sense Lucia¡¯s abnormality, raising his head, "Mom, if you don''t like him, I''ll drive him away for you


    immediately!"


    A shadow of a smile touched her mouth when Lucia heard Tomothy''s solemn remark.


    She rubbed his hair happily.


    "It''s ok, my brave boy!"


    When she looked up again, J had already satfortably on the back seat and August was


    standing near the car waiting for them to get in his car.


    With a deep breath, Lucia finally persuaded herself to ept August''s kindness.


    Taking his car seemed to be the best choice for them now since the children may have to wait a long


    time for the taxi with her in such an out-of-the-way ce.


    Such being the case, Lucia told Timothy to get in the car as well.


    "Now that J had taken a seat inside, shall we get in the car too?"


    Timothy nodded lovingly and made no objection.


    Then, took Timothy by hand, and Lucia jumped in the car.


    Meanwhile, a gleam of the camera lens shed through the air behind a tree on the opposite side of


    the road.


    Only when August drove far away, the photographer emerged from the tree.


    He was sending the photo he had taken just now to someone.


    Ten minutester in Fountain Mansion.


    Jeanne Kelly was sitting on a couch trembling with anger.


    She was going through the photo sent by the private detective.


    One more photo would make her expression even grimmer.


    Lucia really had babies! Most importantly, she had got a pair of fraternal twins! She was silently fuming


    at the fact while she browsed through the photo one by one, and her face instantly turned pale when


    she saw the erged photo of J and Timothy.


    They were all simr to August as a child.


    All were cut from the same cloth, so to speak.


    They must be the children of August and Lucia.


    She''d put money on that! This thought almost put her on the verge of a breakdown! She was shaking


    so violently that she could hardly hold her phone.


    Things now appeared to march on in a bad way.


    Lucia had already had children with August while she, as his wife, had never consummated with him!


    This kind of thing must never get out.


    If it did she would be aughing-stock! No! No way! She mustn''t be a sitting duck! And she couldn''t


    stand the frustration of losing August! Jeanne went on thinking, but there was a glimmer of cruelty in


    her eyes! Suddenly, she picked up her phone and made a call.


    "Mark, I need to see you as soon as possible!"


    "Mydy, I''ll be here waiting for you as usual."


    On the other side of the phone, a man with a hoarse voice answered reverently.


    Receiving a positive reply, Jeanne hung up the phone bitterly and drove off.


    Five years ago, Mark Page was jailed for her reason so she stretched her resources and pulled strings


    for him to free him.


    Now, it was time for him to be of service to her! She had it in mind to give him a break before serving


    her.


    But those photos disrupted her ns and disturbed herpletely! She had to move against the time!


    Or else she will lose August! Jeanne kept gathering speed all the way and within half an hour, she


    arrived at the ce where Mark lived temporarily.


    It was an array of Bungalows, really rinky-dink.


    Jeanne got off the car and took a look around the ce.


    She felt disgusting to be here but she hid her queasiness well.


    With efforts to forbear from leaving here right away, she knocked on a door.


    "Who is knocking?"


    A voice of vignce came from inside.


    "It''s me!"


    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    Jeanne exhaled deeply.


    The door was opened with a short squeak as she stopped speaking.


    Mark''s face ran into her eyes abruptly.


    Mark took one step back to enable Jeanne to enter.


    "Long time no see, mydy!"


    On the contrary, Jeanne was scared by the sight of Mark''s dark and thin face, and the countless scars


    on his face especially made her sick.


    "What''s wrong with your face?"


    Mark lowered his head and exined hurriedly, they are injuries from numerous fights in the prison, but


    I''m fine."


    Jeanne stared at him with a scowl but said nothing more about it.


    A few momentster, she opened her mouth again.


    "Mark, do you have any idea why I break sweats to bring you to a release ahead of time?"


    She didn''t do that for him, that''s for sure.


    She did that just because he was a great goon for her.

 Chapter 367

    Chapter 367


    Chapter 367 Her Right-hand Man For her, Mark was nothing more than a subordinate.


    "Yes, I do.


    Mydy"


    Mark nodded, and when he did that, the long red scar on his forehead looked even more horrible, just


    like a twisted centipede.


    Jeanne couldn''t bear such a scar anymore and took a step back subconsciously.


    "Mark, maybe you have to change your haircut to hide the scar on your forehead.


    It looks too scary for me..."


    She said in disgust.


    Something gloomy came and went in Mark''s eyes when he heard what Jeanne had said.


    "I''ll do it as thedy says."


    sucking a great draught of air he said.


    Jeanne was satisfied with his obedience.


    "This is where you live after being released?"


    She gave a nce around the shabby room and said.


    "Yeah, but I''ll be at your service if you want me"


    Mark answered stoutly.


    "Not yet, the only thing you have to do now is to hide your identity."


    Jeanne held that an arrow shot from hiding is difficult to guard against.


    That''s why she pulled out all the stops to free Mark! Then, she took a bank card out of her bag and put


    it on the table.


    "There are one hundred thousand dors in it and the password is my birthday number.


    It is for you.


    Ask me for more if you run out of it."


    "Mark seemed to be not happy with that money.


    "Mydy, there is no need..."


    "Just take it as I say."


    She seemed to run out of her patience.


    Money is necessary if he wanted to run errands for her smooth and she is always generous to her


    right-hand man.


    Noticing Mark''s frowned brows, Jeanne raised her hand and tapped him on his shoulder, saying softly,


    "Mark, you are the only person I put trust in now, I hope you can lead afortable life after you have


    suffered so much in prison, that''s why I give you money.


    Do you understand?"


    Her words worked and Mark''s eyebrows stretched at once.


    He nodded his head and smiled contentedly.


    "I Know what you mean, mydy."


    Jeanne smirked unpleasantly when she saw Mark''s excitement.


    Then she continued, "Lucia was back to Austos with her children, I need you to spy on her now!"


    She had to know what she was up against.


    And this time she would deal with her with extraordinary patience and endurance! She must rid Lucia


    and her bastards once and for all! Meanwhile.


    The ck Maybach was driving across the city and headed for West Bridge silently.


    A quick chirping of a cell phone broke the stillness.


    It was Lucia¡¯s phone.


    On the screen was the name of Lucia''s best friend Pa.


    "Yep, Pa."


    She picked up at once.


    "Lucia, how''s your working day?"


    Pa''s voice came from the other end of the phone clearly.


    "And how about J and Timothy?"


    "How''s it going with your shooting?"


    Thinking of her lovely children sitting next to her, Lucia naturally beamed with happiness.


    "They all do it great! The director invited them to shoot tomorrow."


    She answered tenderly.


    "Great! But where are you now?"


    My treat today! Let''s have beef steak!"


    Lucia jerked her head up and look at August when she heard that.


    She didn''t know how to exin to Pa she was in the car of August.


    She must freak if she knew that.


    "What do you think?"


    Pa asked again minutester.


    "Come on! Let us have no buts,"


    she said firmly.


    "You areing!"


    I have learned from Elijah Reed that you knocked off at 5:30."


    Lucia signed helplessly at her words and finally cut in.


    "Where are you now?"


    "Starlight za, right in the center of the city."


    "OK, send me your location, and we''lle to meet you soon,"


    Lucia replied crisply.


    However, Lucia received August''s steady gaze the very moment that she hung up the phone.


    Their eyes met across the car seat.


    It was August who spoke first.


    "Where are you going?"


    His voice was pretty calm and, even dry.


    Lucia opened and shut her mouth, a few secondster, she looked out at the window and said, "Just


    drop us over there, we have a rendezvous with Pa."


    August subconsciously rxed his eyebrows when he heard the name, Pa.


    Then, he turned away to order Burton to turn the car around and steer to Starlight za.


    "Yes, Mr.Adams."


    Burton Harris answered.


    Lucia was about to meet Pa on foot for it was not far away from the Starlight za now.


    But August didn''t give her a chance to say no and ordered Burton to drive there directly.


    Lucia had only to swallow the words of refusal helplessly.


    He always took no ount of her will.


    Let him be.


    Mom, where are we going now?"


    Timothy looked up at her and asked with his innocent eyes.


    "We will go to meet your aunt Pa!"


    Said Lucia tenderly.


    "Yeah! That''s great! Timothy almost kicked on his heels at the sound of that.


    "Mom, Is Uncle Charming going with us?"


    Tilting her little head, J asked in an adorable manner.


    Lucia stiffened at her naive question.


    She didn''t know how to answer.


    Waiting for no answer from Lucia, J thereupon turned to August and tugged at his sleeve to get his


    attention.


    "Uncle Charming, will youe with us?"


    "I''d like to, but it depends on your mother."


    August looked at her unblinkingly with an expressive smile.


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    J looked at Lucia with imploring eyes the instant that August finished his words.


    "Mom, can he go with us?"


    Lucia''s throat felt tight.


    She didn''t expect that August was such a wily man to throw the question back to her! How could a


    mother say no to her dear daughter easily? But she had to be heartless this time.


    She took her eyes off J to nce at August and said through gritted teeth, "Sorry, darling, but we


    didn''t let aunt Pa know ahead of time and it''s aunt Pa''s treat today.


    I don''t think it''s appropriate to invite Uncle Charming to have dinner with aunt Pa together without


    notice in advance.


    Maybe next time! Ok?"


    "Alright!"


    J said, disappointed obviously.


    Time passed quickly during their conversation and the car pulled over slowly.


    Lucia got off first and then she carried down J and Timothy.


    That done, she looked up and spoke, "Thank you for..."


    Before she could finish her words of thanks, a cry of pure delight interrupted her, "Lucia!"


    Pa threw herself at Lucia like the wind and held her hand tightly.


    When she had a firm footing and took a close look at the people sitting in the car, her jaw sagged at


    once.


    August gave her an indifferent look and turned to Lucia, "Never mind, just ensure the performance in


    filming tomorrow."


    Lucia curled the corner of her mouth up in a response to him.


    As she was about to walk away with Pa hand in hand, she pped eyes on Burton, who was looking


    back and watching them steadily.


    But his eyes were fixed on Pa past Lucia.


    There were mixed looks in their eyes, which was beyond Lucia''s description.


    A few momentster, Pa took her eyes off Burton and wore a grim face.


    "Let''s go."


    Then she left without a backward look.


    A hint of embarrassment filled the air, Lucia could only pretend nothing had happened and keep up her


    pace with J and Timothy after she had closed the car door quickly.


    "Mom, What''s wrong with aunt Pa?"


    Who displeased her?"


    Lucia didn''t know how to answer their questions indeed.


    But she was worrying for Pa actually since she was also thinking about the same questions with


    J and Timothy in her mind.


    Could it be that Pa still had a crush on Burton?

 Chapter 368

    Chapter 368


    Chapter 368 He Had Cheated On Me.


    Several years ago.


    when she had left Austos City for a few months, exactly before she was about to give birth, Pa went


    to Amecan to see her.


    At that time, she had perceived that she was not well.


    She wouldn''t know that Pa had broken up with Burton but for her probing.


    Nevertheless, Pa just kept the reason why they had broken up the secret from everyone, and every


    time she fished for the cause of it Pa just closed up.


    Atst, Lucia gave up.


    A few years had passed after they had broken up.


    In recent years, Pa didn''t date anyone at all, which almost drove Paul Thomas crazy for he was


    afraid that her sister would die alone if she went on like this.


    But he couldn''t force a marriage on his sister.


    Suddenly, it downed on Lucia why Pa didn''t go out with anyone over the past few years.


    That was because she had given her heart to that man! Lucia signed slightly and motioned the two


    imps to stop talking about that.


    "Pa, which restaurant shall we eat at today?"


    Lucia caught her with quick and light steps.


    Lucia''s voice jolted Pa out of her contemtion.


    She hastened to signal to Lucia where they are going to dine tonight.


    "On the second floor, there was a restaurant serving delicious beef steak and a special area for kids to


    enjoy themselves."


    All too soon, they reached the restaurant.


    No sooner had they entered the restaurant J and Timothy went to y in the y area.


    The beers were served soon, Lucia handed Pa a bottle of beer and asked mildly, "Pa, Is there


    any possibility between you and Burton...?"


    Then, she looked at her with a tentative look.


    Pa''s face changed slightly for a while, and she opened a bottle of beer sipping slowly.


    "You know, I have split with him for a long time."


    Her voice was full of studied nonchnce.


    "Yes, I know you are split with him.


    Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    But I can tell from his eyes that he was still in love with you."


    Pa clenched the bottle slowly until her knuckles were white.


    "Whatever."


    She gave a gasp while she said.


    Seeing the pretence of indifference that Pa kept up, Lucia felt a strong feeling of frustration.


    As her intimate for so many years, how could she didn''t know that Pa was unable get Burton out of


    her mind? Lucia panted heavily and gulped down the whole bottle of beer in her hand.


    "Pop!"


    She put down the bottle on the table with an abrupt halt.


    Pa opposite her waspletely taken aback by her movement.


    "Lucia, are you crazy?!"


    Lucia didn''t drink often and she just took alcohol for fun sometimes.


    So, such a swig like today was really rare for her and startled Pa.


    "No, I just think we are no more friends sharing everything with each other as before."


    Saying that, Lucia felt she was washed over by a burst of terrible sorrow.


    "I''m your best friend, right? But you even can''t be open with me."


    "Why? Pa, I don''t understand why you choose to hide it from even me!"


    Pa''s face flushed with anxiety, finally, she spoke, "I didn''t mean to hold out on you, I just thought..."


    Pa looked down speechlessly and the rims of her eyes turned red.


    A few secondster, she finally collected herself and continued, "It''s just too disgraceful.


    I blew Burton off for he had cheated on me..."


    Lucia was left dumbfounded.


    She even couldn''t believe what she had heard.


    "What?"


    Pa exined calmly, "It was his birthday.


    On that day, I went to his residence unannounced to surprise him.


    However, what I saw was heing out of his house with a woman..."


    Her voice was choking with sadness.


    Lucia, somehow, could felt her pain strangely.


    She used to believe that Burton was devoted to Pa.


    Until now, she found that he was a sanctimonious shit in fact! Anger was brimming inside Lucia.


    She looked up at Pa, "Did you have a talk with him about that?"


    "No, I don''t think it''s necessary after the sighting.


    Pa took a gulp and added, "You know me well, what he did is clearly beyond the pale and I wouldn''t


    swallow it"


    Each woman had a different requirement for the level of loyalty in love.


    And Pa was definitely the one that required the best loyalty.


    In his opinion, her man would have to belong to her both physically and mentally only.


    Lucia took a deep breath.


    She asked hesitantly, "What if there is an ident? For example, the girl is his sister..."


    Pa shook her head.


    "I''ve looked into it.


    That girl is introduced to him by his mother."


    Hearing this, Lucia was rendered speechless.


    If that was the case, Pa''s true heart was for nothing at all.


    "Forget it.


    Don''t mention that stupid past."


    Pa poured Lucia a ss of beer and then filled her ss.


    They then clinked sses.


    After a gulp of beer, Paul suddenly thought of something.


    She asked Lucia, "By the way, why would you be with August just now?"


    After Lucia''s turn, it was Pa''s turn to ask Lucia.


    Lucia forced a smile.


    "You''ll definitely be unable to imagine it.


    He should be the boss behind themercial that invited Timothy and J!"


    "What?"


    Pa widened her eyes.


    "Howe?"


    Lucia shook her head in a wry smile.


    "I didn''t know until this day either."


    "But, Timothy and J.


    Will they be alright?"


    If August became aware of the children''s real identities, they might never have the chance to leave


    Austos City.


    Lucia was also at a loss as to what to do.


    She said, "I know.


    But we have signed the contract.


    And it is valid.


    I can''t turn back my back upon them."


    The liquidated damages would cost her a big fortune.


    More than that, she didn''t want her kids to break a contract.


    It would inflict a bad influence on them.


    "Lucia, say, do you think that August did so on purpose? It was such a big coincidence.


    How could he happen to be the big boss?"


    After pondering for a while, Pa continued, "Could it be that he rekindled his love for you? Just like


    what was popr on the inte...


    err...


    He abandoned his wife and regretted it, and he would try million times harder merely to win her back!"


    Pa was so gossiping! Lucia was both annoyed and amused.


    "Stop that!"


    Then, Lucia lowered her head and shook the wine ss in her hand slightly.


    She said softly, "It''s impossible for us to get back together again."


    She could remember clearly what happened five years ago.


    Sometimes, she would experience those again in nightmares.


    She would never forget what filthy and dirty tricks Jeanne used to murder her kids who at the time were


    merely harmless fetuses in her belly.


    Those things were enough to make her frightened for the rest of her life.


    She was alone back then.


    Now, she even had two kids, which meant that she had two Achilles heels! "That''s right!"


    Pa echoed and nodded.


    "Those men are passing clouds.


    They are not important.


    My brother is a really good man.


    Do you understand? Sister-inw!"


    As Pa said so, she reached out and patted Lucia''s shoulder.


    Hearing this, Lucia smiled but remained silent.


    It had to be admitted that Paul was a good man! And she also knew that she should open her heart up


    to him.


    During the dinner, Lucia and Pa talked a lot about things that they never mentioned before.


    Before they knew it, several hours passed by.


    When Lucia found the little fellows were already sleepy, she finally bid farewell to Pa and took a taxi


    back to West Bridge.


    After a shower, shey on her bed and unwittingly thought a lot.


    She didn''t feel alienated from Pa in the past five years, but she did know that they were not as close


    as they were in the past.


    The dinner helped her bring back the long-lost intimacy between her and Pa.


    In her thoughts, she fell asleep.


    In the next few days, Lucia and her kids traveled to and from West Bridge and the shooting field.


    They managed to produce a set of sample pictures in two days.


    Elijah praised Lucia in the field, "So effective.


    Now, as long as the samples were passed, everything would be done as smoothly as a matter of


    course."


    Standing beside Elijah and hearing his words, Lucia felt her eyelids twitch.


    She felt it was an ill omen, and felt uneasy and worried.

 Chapter 369

    Chapter 369


    Chapter 369 Elijah saw that Lucia wasn''t talking, he couldn''t help but speak, "What''s wrong? What''s


    with the worried look?"


    Lucia took a deep breath and said, "Why do I feel that things won''t go so smoothly."


    As soon as she said that, a member of staff walked over from the side.


    "Lucia, Elijah, the director wants you over."


    After hearing that, Lucia''s heart skipped a beat.


    She looked at Elijah and Elijah looked at her as well.


    Only then did Lucia nod at the member of staff.


    "Alright, we''ll head over right away."


    As soon as they walked over to where the director was, Lucia saw that the director was scrolling his


    phone screen.


    He was looking at the samples of the pictures of Timothy and J had just taken.


    The director raised his head and looked at Lucia and Elijah.


    "Please, take a seat."


    Seeing that Lucia and Elijah had sat down, the director paused and said, "It''s nothing big, it''s just that


    the set of pictures that I''ve sent to President Adams to have a look at didn''t meet his expectations.


    Therefore, we''ll have to retake the pictures."


    When Lucia heard those words, she subconsciously furrowed her brows.


    As expected, there was a reason why she had a bad feeling.


    Elijah''s face turned serious and asked, "Is there a problem?"


    "President Adams said that the pictures doesn''t feel right."


    Elijah''s face darkened.


    "Doesn''t feel right? What does that mean?"


    The shoot thatsted for two days wasn''t an easy job.


    Sometimes Timothy and J had to stand under the zing sun.


    They would also need cooperation from the wild animals as well.


    The pictures at the moment were the results of everyone''s hard work.


    Hearing that the pictures didn''t feel right to the higher ups made everyone feel frustrated.


    The director smiled and said, "It''s stated in our contract that if the first party has any requirements or


    dissatisfaction, the second party would need to cooperate with them."


    Elijah frowned.


    He was just about to say something when he saw Lucia shaking her head at him.


    He then turned and looked at the director and said, "I want to know what does President Adams want


    exactly?"


    The director said slowly, "For thebination of wilderness and innocence, thepatibility of the


    people and animals are the most important."


    Lucia paused and said, "We will need to change the shooting n.


    Let''s take a few more pictures and let President Adams have a look."


    "Alright, let''s get to work."


    For an entire day, the shooting n was changed several times, and finally two more sets of different


    photos were taken and sent to August by the director.


    When the work was over, Lucia went home that Pauld just after sending the two children to bed, as


    soon as she picked up her phone, she saw a message from the director.


    "There''s a message from President Adams, saying that it still doesn''t feel right, so we need to continue


    shooting."


    After seeing these words, in an instant, a fire arose in Lucia¡¯s heart.


    From the beginning to now, the three sets of samples were all rejected by August, and the only


    ambiguous answer she got was that the photos didn''t feel right, which really made her feel frustrated.


    This meant that, it wasn''t that the photos they produced were of a low quality.


    It was August deliberately making things difficult for them! When she thought of this, Lucia was even


    more furious, she gritted her teeth, picked up her phone and sent a message directly to August.


    "If you have anyints against me, why don''t you say it to my face? What''s up with all this


    trouble?"


    After sending those words, she tossed the phone to the side and never wanted to look at it again.


    The next day, at sunrise, Lucia called Timothy and J to get up and let them eat breakfast before


    preparing to take them to the safari park to continue today''s shooting.


    Although the samples were denied several times by August, she still couldn''tck the work she needed


    to do.


    In order to facilitate travel, she deliberately took out the grocery car driven by Bill at home, the car just


    drove out of the small courtyard, she saw a ck Maybach parked not far outside.


    Lucia could recognize who such a luxury car belonged to at a nce.


    She took a deep breath.


    At first, she wanted to step on the gas and leave.


    She didn''t expect the car to sh its lights at her and then the car door was pushed open.


    August got off the car.


    Timothy and J were looking out the window.


    When they saw August, J immediately said, "Mr.Handsome!"


    Timothy was a little excited as well.


    "Mom, howe Mr.Handsome is here?"


    Lucia was speechless.


    She felt a little unhappy and that feeling became even worse when she saw August waving at J.


    He had had been the one who deliberately made things difficult for the kids, but now he was ying the


    good guy.


    Lucia made the decision not to slow down.


    She wanted to drive past August, but didn''t expect August to suddenly walk to the middle of the road.


    The car was about to hit August, but he didn''t look worried at all and wasn''t intending on dodging.


    Lucia¡¯s heart skipped a beat and quickly stepped on the brakes.


    The car came to an abrupted stop.


    The two children screamed out of fear.


    Lucia raised her head and felt even angrier.


    She really didn''t know what August wanted.


    She took a deep breath, gritted her teeth and turned to face Timothy and J at the back.


    "Don''t get out of the car.


    Be good and wait for me inside the car"


    As Lucia said that, she unbuckled her seatbelt and got off the car.


    August seemed to have expected to do so.


    He looked at the angry woman in front of him and raised his brows.


    Then he said indifferently, "Who''s pissed you off so early in the morning?"


    This made Lucia even more angry.


    "Who do you think? August, do think this is funny? The matters about the sample photos, you did it on


    purpose, didn''t you?"


    After hearing those words, August''s lips curved into a faint smile.


    It was true that the matters about the sample photos were deliberate.


    However, he also had high standards for the quality of the photos.


    He had to give Lucia a push so that she could show her true abilities.


    Seeing that the man in front of her was smiling, but not saying anything, Lucia became more frustrated.


    She gritted her teeth and looked at August with determination in her eyes.


    "August, what exactly do you want?"


    When August heard those words, he straightened his face and became a little more serious.


    Then, he said, "I want to know the truth."


    "What truth?"


    Lucia frowned.


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    As soon as she finished speaking, the man opposite her suddenly stepped forward and closed in on


    her.


    He was tall.


    When he lowered his head, his shadow covered Lucia''s entire body.


    Somehow, Lucia seemed to be at a disadvantage.


    August''s eyes darkened.


    "I want to know what''s the rtionship between you and Paul."


    Lucia gasped, pretended to be calm and replied, "Isn''t it obvious? We''re a married couple."


    "Oh, really?"


    August sneered when he heard Lucia''s reply.


    He leaned in on Lucia a little.


    "If you''re a married couple, then why do you still sleep in different rooms?"


    Those words made Lucia''s mind go nk instantly.


    She opened her mouth in an attempt to say something, but suddenly didn''t know what to say.


    A few secondster, she raised her head and had a panic look on her face.


    "What...


    nonsense are you talking about?"


    August''s eyes turned cold and said slowly, "J told me it personally.


    Is it still nonsense?"


    Lucia was at a loss for words when she heard August say that.


    She and Paul did sleep in separate rooms when they were in American, but she didn''t expect J to


    tell August about it.

 Chapter 370

    Chapter 370


    Chapter 370 You''re Not Married August was originally a little suspicious.


    If he knew that she and Paul weren''t married, she was afraid that the matter about the children could


    no longer be kept a secret.


    She gritted her teeth, gathered her courage, raised her eyes to meet the man''s probing gaze, and said


    stiffly, "How I sleep with Paul has nothing to do with you."


    The moment the words came out of her mouth, August''s face darkened.


    The moment he thought of her with another man, anger arose in his heart.


    He raised his eyes and swept a nce at Timothy and J who were looking curiously at them from a


    small car not far away, his heart tightened and he stretched out his hand and clutched Lucia''s wrist


    without hesitation, opened the car door and pulled her in directly.


    With a loud bang, the car door was closed.


    The front row of Burton was a bit surprised when he raised his eyes and happened to meet with


    August''s gaze in the rearview mirror.


    The man¡¯s face was slightly sunken and he didn''t hesitate to give orders.


    "Get out of the car and go watch Timothy and J."


    When Burton heard the order, he didn''t hesitate to get off the car.


    The moment the door closed, the inside of the car and the outside world were instantly isted.


    Lucia instantly felt nervous.


    She raised her head and looked at August.


    She wanted to pull her hand back.


    "What are you doing?"


    The man''s palm was like a lock, tightly sping her wrist, and was refusing to let go.


    His dark, bottomless eyes stared at her, his face serious, his eyes were serious as well.


    "Lucia, do you really intend to keep lying to me?"


    That day at the amusement park, he took the time to talk with J, and asked how Lucia and Paul''s


    rtionship was, and only then did he learn that they were sleeping in separate rooms.


    The moment he learned this news, for some reason, an inexplicable pleasure came to August''s heart.


    But soon, he realized that maybe from the beginning, Lucia was lying to him.


    When he thought of this, at once, his heart was bursting with anger, and his grip on Lucia''s hand


    unconsciously tightened.


    "Lucia, I''m asking you onest time, is he treating you badly?"


    August paused and knitted his brows.


    "Or is it that you are not a couple at all?"


    The words pierced Lucia''s heart like daggers.


    A few secondster, she pretended to be calm, coldly snorted, pretending to be a scoundrel and said,


    "August, whether we sleep in separate beds or not is a matter between us as a couple.


    Why do you have to be so nosy? What''s the big deal?"


    Seeing that Lucia was still refusing to admit the truth the rage in his heart grew even stronger.


    His lips were pursed into a straight line, sweeping past the woman''s stubborn, shining eyes, his eyes


    moved down and swept over her plump, moist lips.


    The next second, he unconsciously reached out, dragged her towards himself, and directly lowered his


    head to cover her lips.


    At that instant, time seemed to have stood still at this moment.


    The familiar taste, the familiar feeling, including the feeling buried deep in the body at this moment is


    like lifting the seal, crazy and swiftly surging over.


    Lucia waspletely stunned, and it was impossible for her to think that August would do this to her.


    She tried to struggle for a while, but all her efforts were in vain.


    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    Gradually, her body began to burn up.


    A strange and familiar feeling slowly overcame reason, and her consciousness became more and more


    blurred and indulged.


    She hadn''t felt this way for...


    a long, long time.


    For a while, the temperature inside the car grew warmer and warmer, the man somewhat dominantly


    pinched her face, his deep eyes were shining with a soul-searching light.


    Lucia''s mind suddenly shed a brilliant light, thinking of Timothy and J still in the car, it was as if


    she was thrown into the fridge and she cooled down immediately.


    Lucia immediately came back to her senses.


    She opened her eyes and pushed the man away with force.


    August was unprepared and was pushed hard, his body immediately leaned back.


    Lucia took a deep breath and met his gaze with a bit of surprise, and a sudden fire arose in her heart.


    She was angry that August had no principles to treat her like this, but also angry that she did not keep


    her senses.


    The first thing was that he had a family now, how could he kiss her so casually? Lucia regretted that


    she allowed what just happened to happen.


    She gritted her teeth and nced at the ring on August''s hand.


    Her face darkened even more.


    "August, how could you do this to Jeanne?"


    After saying that, she was so angry that she pushed the car door open and got off indignantly.


    She mmed the door shut and walked towards her car, seeing Burton standing beside the car, her


    anger grew even stronger.


    After fiercely throwing him a nk stare, she wound up her car window, started the car and left.


    Burton was blown in the face with car exhaust at first, then he frowned.


    He couldn''t understand why Lucia treated him the way she just did.


    He didn''t seemed to have offended her in any way.


    Burton took a deep breath.


    He saw the car driving into the distance, then step towards the Maybach, pull open the door to get in.


    The first time Burton raised his eyes and saw the man''s sullen face in the rearview mirror, he paused


    and asked, "President Adams, what''s wrong..."


    The bottom of August''s eyes were flooded with coldness.


    He did not answer Burton''s question, but only ordered in a cold voice, "Let''s head back to the


    company."


    Burton did not expect him to be treated badly both inside and outside the car.


    Burton shook his head helplessly, started the car and stepped on the gas.


    The car drove onto the main road.


    Not far ahead, was the car driven by Lucia.


    Lucia sat in the car, her face was somewhat gloomy and frightening, Timothy and J obediently sat


    in the back row, not even daring to breathe.


    After a while, Timothy gathered the courage and asked, "Mom, what''s wrong? Is Mr.Handsome bullying


    mommy?"


    Lucia smiled, took a deep breath, suppressed the anger in her heart, and said in a calm voice, "No,


    don''t think too much about it¡¯ Timothy smiled, his face was a bit unhappy, and after a pause he said,


    "Mom, from now on Timothy will protect you and never let him make you angry again!"


    The little one''s tone of voice was so strong that Lucia could not help but smile, and the unhappiness in


    her heart dissipated.


    When they arrived at the safari park, the time was just right.


    Lucia pulled Timothy and J out of the car, entered the shooting site in the park, handed them over


    to Elijah, and went directly to the director.


    "Director, about the samples, I have thought about it, I will take Timothy and J cooperate with you,


    but if the samples are returned five times, it means that we are not capable enough to meet your


    requirements, then we will have to ask you to find someone else."


    As Lucia said that, she respectfully bowed her body at the director.


    The original three sets of photos had already been returned.


    She would make two more adjustments, and would definitely not allow August to keep acting like a


    bully!

 Chapter 371

    Chapter 371


    Chapter 371 Jeanne''s Visit


    The director also did not expect Lucia to suddenlye over with a serious look to talk about this, he


    hurriedly got up and said, "Come, Lucia.Here, have some water."


    "Our side still recognizes your ability, but President Adams just wants to make the quality a little


    better.We all work together, we all understand each other, we can talk about this, right?"


    Lucia smiled, took a deep breath, and still insisted, "Time waits for no one, I will cooperate on my side,


    but if it drags on for too long, then we will have to wait for the next time we work together."


    With that, she turned around and took a step in the direction of where Timothy and J were.


    The things that Lucia decided on could not be changed easily.


    The longer the time dy, the greater the possibility of unknown events, she did not dare to gamble.


    Moreover, she could not afford to gamble.


    Lucia didn''t know if it was because of her words that the two sets of photos taken that day were not


    rejected after the director sent them to August.


    The next day, the director informed Lucia that the samples had been approved and the shooting could


    begin officially.


    Lucia stood in the shooting site, looking at the two little ones coping with the shooting perfectly, she


    subconsciously felt happy for them as well.


    She never expected them to earn much money for her, she just wanted them to experience more and


    grow up faster.


    For three days in a row, the shooting progressed well, in addition to that, what surprised Lucia was that


    August did not appear at all on the shooting site during the past three days.


    This was indeed something that she was most happy about.


    This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .


    However, unexpectedly, someone who Lucia didn''t expect appeared at the shooting site.


    The time was just after two o''clock in the afternoon, the weather was still very hot, Timothy and J


    had just finished a set of photos.


    They were resting to cool off, suddenly a car slowly came and parked next to the shooting site.


    Soon, the front door opened, a bodyguard-like man stepped out of the car, walked to the back row and


    pulled open the door.He even held an umbre.


    For a moment, the crowd''s eyes were all looking in that direction.


    A woman wearing a long ck ruffled dress got off, her face was blocked, and her delicate figure could


    be seen vaguely.


    She looked like a female star.


    "Who is it? Who is it?"


    People of the shooting site began to wonder.


    "Who else could it be? It''s the wife of our employer!"


    These words fell into Lucia''s ears.She stopped what she was doing and couldn''t help but raise her


    eyes to look in that direction.


    Sure enough, the umbre lifted slightly, revealing the woman''s face, that haughty look, who was it if


    not Jeanne? Jeanne scanned the surroundings, walked straight to the director, smiled and said,


    "Director Brook, we haven''t seen each other for ages."


    As soon as the director saw her, he stood up and greeted her, the corners of his eyes wrinkled as he


    smiled.


    "Mrs.Adams, what brought you here? Quick,e and sit over here!"


    Hearing this, Lucia''s heart skipped a beat.


    "I''m here to look for August, I heard that he''s been very interested in this advertisementtely, so I


    came over to take a look." Jeanne said, lifted her chin to look around.


    "Is he not here?"


    The chief director smiled a little awkwardly and said softly, "President Adams hasn''t been here


    recently.He only came at the beginning."


    "Is that so?" asked Jeanne.


    Disappointment appeared in her eyes.


    But she quickly recovered.


    Still, with a gentle smile on her face, she looked at the director and said, "It seems that I''m not here at


    the right time."


    "Oh by the way."


    As if she suddenly thought of something, Jeanne turned to the bodyguard behind her, raised her chin at


    him as a signal.


    Then she looked at the director.


    "Director Brook, I know that the staff are working hard, so I bought some iced tea and iced juice for


    everyone."


    When Director Brook heard that, the smile on his face widened even more.


    "Mrs.Adams, you''re too kind!"


    "This is something I should do.You guys are working so hard, of course I have to be sympathetic."


    As they were talking, the bodyguard Jeanne brought over there had already walked to the car, opened


    the trunk, and took out many ties of milk tea from it, and distributed it to everyone.


    At that time, a pleasant look appeared on everyone''s face, and they thanked Jeanne one after another.


    At this time, Jeanne suddenly stood up, lifted four cups of iced tea from the side, and walked towards


    Lucia.


    She was well mannered, generous, with a gentle light smile on her face, anyone who looked at her


    would feel that she was not arrogant at all.


    But for some reason, Lucia''s heart sank a little.She subconsciously stretched out her hand and took


    Timothy and J at one side into her arms.She looked at Jeanne with rming eyes.


    Jeanne walked up to her and greeted her with a smile.


    "Lucia, we meet again."


    Lucia smiled politely at her and said softly, "Yes."


    Jeanne looked down, looked at Timothy and J who were in Lucia''s arms, and said with a smile, "Is


    this your and Mr.Thomas¡¯ baby? They''re so adorable!"


    Saying that, she took out two cups of iced tea from inside the bag she was carrying and shook it at the


    two children as she said softly, "Come, I have some iced tea here for you, do you want to drink it?"


    Timothy leaned against Lucia, looked at Jeanne, suddenly frowned and said nothing.


    "Are you sure you don''t want it? It''s very tasty!" Jeanne said, reaching out her hand to pull Timothy''s


    hand.


    In that instant, Lucia''s heart skipped a beat and she unconsciously tensed up.


    Who would have known that the next second, Timothy backed up, avoiding her hand.


    Jeanne''s hand hung in mid-air, a trace of embarrassment swept across her face, she smiled at Lucia,


    turned to look at J next to her and asked with a smile, "Do you want to drink?"


    J shook her head.


    "No, I don''t."


    Jeanne didn''t expect things to turn out like this.


    Even though she was quite angry, but still pretended to not be bothered by the children.


    She put the milk tea in her hand to the side, looked at Lucia and said, "Your children have unique


    character.¡¯ Lucia smiled, hooked her lips and didn''t say anything more.She knew very well that Jeanne


    came over, not just to deliver a few cups of tea.


    She lowered her eyes to look at Timothy and J next to her, and was about to ask them to go y


    nearby when Timothy looked up at Lucia and asked in a childish voice, "Mom, I want to take my sister


    to see the monkeys over there, is that okay?"


    "Yes, you have to protect your sister, okay?"


    Timothy nodded vigorously.


    "Yes!"


    Lucia smiled and rubbed the heads of the two little ones.She watched them run away hand in hand, the


    tension in her heart was relieved.


    As soon as the two little ones left, she raised her head, looked over at Jeanne next to her and asked,


    "Ms.Kelly, did youe to see me for something else?"


    Jeanne sat next to her and smiled at her words.


    "Sure enough, I still like to deal with smart people."


    Saying that, she raised her eyes to the side and said without panic, "I didn''t think the person shooting


    themercial would be you."


    Lucia smiled.


    "I also didn''t expect it to be a project under Lion Group."


    Jeanne smiled, a trace of mockery swept across her face, she raised her right hand, looking at the


    beautiful and exquisite ring between her fingers, and said softly, "You shot this ad, I won''t say anything,


    but Lucia, I heard that you and August have been getting very close recently..."


    As she said that, she raised her head and coldness appeared in her eyes.


    "It would have been fine in the past, but now, we both have a family.Don''t you think this is a little


    inappropriate?"

 Chapter 372

    Chapter 372


    Chapter 372 Willing


    Jeanne''s tone wasn''t sharp, but her words seemed to be very meaningful.Those words were more like


    a warning, a sarcasticment and rebuke.


    It was quite obvious to Lucia.


    Jeanne was trying to make her feel bad.


    Jeanne was trying to hint that Lucia was destroying another man''s family and was being a mistress.


    Lucia frowned, her voice deepened slightly, she looked firmly at Jeanne and said, "Ms.Kelly don''t worry,


    I have my own family, I have my own things to guard, I won''t be as unaware as you say.Moreover, even


    if you don''t warn me, I don''t want to have anything to do with him anyway."


    "Is that so?"


    Jeanne''s face suddenly turned a little colder, and she pointedly looked at Lucia.


    "Are you thinking that I don''t know about your meeting with August?"


    Lucia frowned and was about to speak, who knew that Jeanne had already continued, "I hope you


    won''t ruin my marriage, since you also don''t want to have anything to do with him, then this job should


    be canceled, and I will pay for the breach of contract."


    Her voice was a bit cold, and her superior appearance was like that of a giver.


    Lucia looked at her, her heart inexplicably welled up with anger.She had never been the type to be


    irresponsible, and if she broke her contract, not only would she have no professional ethics, but she


    would also be setting a bad example for Timothy and J, and she didn''t want that.


    She gritted her teeth, raised her eyes to look at Jeanne, and said in a firm tone, "That won''t be


    necessary, I will finish my work properly, but I can guarantee that I won''t have anything to do with


    August outside of work again, please be rest assured."


    Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    After saying that, Lucia stood up, turned around and walked away, towards the direction of Timothy and


    J over there.


    The matter hade to this point, there was no need for her to continue talking with Jeanne.


    Lucia was only afraid that if she continued, she would not be able to resist a fight with Jeanne.


    Jeanne sat where she was, raised her head to look at Lucia''s receding figure.


    Coldness shed in her eyes.


    She was determined that one day, she would make Lucia pay! Ten minutester, Jeanne chatted with


    the director and left the shooting site.


    Lucia raised her head and looked at the car that was slowly driving away, and her guard was slowly


    lowered.


    Lucia didn''t mention the things that Jeanne did to her five years ago, but that didn''t mean she didn''t


    know.


    At the moment, it was pointless falling out with Jeanne, but Lucia still kept her guard up.


    In a short while, the shooting site was busy again, the shoot was continuing as nned.


    Soon, two hours passed and the day''s task was almost done.


    Lucia sat under a tree and slowly got lost in her own thoughts.


    She unconsciously remembered the things that she talked about when she met with Jeanne in the


    afternoon, her heart was dull and stuffy.


    It was as if she was being pressed down by a giant stone.


    This time when she met Jeanne, she obviously felt that Jeanne had changed.Jeanne was more direct


    than before, at least now she did not care to be so pretentious in front of her.


    But she made her words clear, which meant that she would be more daring, and if something didn''t go


    her way, Lucia was afraid that she would do something even more terrible.


    With that thought in mind, Lucia''s heart skipped a beat, and an unspeakable feeling of tension instantly


    surged to her heart.


    She came back to her senses and hurriedly raised her head to look in the direction of the shooting site,


    but did not see the figures of Timothy and J.


    Lucia stood up, and hurriedly looked around.


    The staff were packing up their things, and it looked like they were nning to call it a day, so she


    looked around and couldn''t find Timothy and J.


    Instantly, it was as if there was a big invisible hand that squeezed her neck at once, leaving her


    breathless.


    Where did Timothy and J go? She hurriedly took steps and ran to the filming area over there,


    asking the staff, "Have you seen Timothy and J?"


    The staff looked at each other and shook their heads.


    "No."


    Lucia smiled, and hurriedly took off.She was running and looking around.


    "Timothy! J!"


    After running around the shooting site, she didn''t see the two children, and a strong uneasy feeling


    instantly arose in her heart.


    "Could it be Jeanne?"


    This terrible thought shed through her mind, and she had no idea what she should do.


    That was when a voice suddenly came from behind her.


    "Ms.Mitchell."


    Lucia''s body trembled in shock and she turned around in a hurry, and her face became more and more


    serious when she saw Burton standing not far behind her.


    "Ms.Mitchell, Timothy and J are safe, President Adams has taken them out to y, don''t worry."


    "It was August?"


    Instantly, Lucia''s face became even more gloomy, she clenched her fists and held back her anger,


    "Where are they! Take me to them!"


    August had taken the children out without Lucia¡¯s permission and didn''t even tell her.


    What was he nning? The panic in Lucia''s heart was getting worse by the minute, she was trembling


    with anger.


    On the contrary Burton was much calmer.


    "Ms.Mitchell, pleasee with me."


    Lucia took a deep breath, temporarily suppressing the anger in her heart, and followed Burton''s pace.


    Passing through half of the safari park, along a cobblestone path lined with green nts, they arrived in


    front of an iron gate.


    Lucia raised her head and looked over.


    Only then did she realize that there was actually a Pleasant Valley! Burton raised his hand, pressed the


    code, and opened the door.


    Lucia froze, nced at Burton, who looked as usual, took a deep breath and stepped in.


    Burton also followed, closed the door, and exined, "Just now, when President Adams came over, he


    saw Timothy and J, and heard them say they wanted to go to Pleasant Valley to y, so he took


    them there."


    Lucia clenched her fists in anger.


    "But without my permission, who said you can take them away without permission?"


    Burton smiled and spoke without haste, "It was J and Timothy who volunteered."


    Instantly, Lucia was at a loss for words.


    If August had taken them away by force, she would have settled the score with him, but now that


    Burton said the children came voluntarily, she could say anything.


    Lucia gritted her teeth and asked, "Where are they?"


    Burton answered truthfully, "They should be in the haunted house now."


    Hearing the words "haunted house", Lucia''s face became even darker.


    She repeatedly instructed Timothy and J not to y such exciting and scary rides, but she never


    thought that August would take them there! The more Lucia thought about it, the angrier she became,


    unconsciously speeding up her pace and rushing to the haunted house when she saw August and


    Timothy J lined up outside.


    They stood in the queue, looking particrly dazzling.


    August one of the child in each hand.He not only looked handsome, but also a little cute as well.


    The moment this thought popped up in her head, Lucia instantly sobered up a little.


    She immediately shook her head to take the thoughts out of her mind.She then walked towards them at


    a very quick pace.


    It seemed that the children had sensed Lucia walking over or something.


    Both Timothy and J turned their heads towards Lucia at the same time.


    When they saw Lucia, the two little ones immediately jumped with joy.


    "Mom!"


    Seeing their smiling faces, for a moment, the anger in Lucia''s heart almost fully dissipated.


    As she looked at how cute the children were, how could she bear to reprimand them? Lucia didn''t have


    the heart to scold the children, but she could still scold August.


    With that thought in mind, Lucia raised her head and looked at August with cold eyes.She wasn''t hiding


    of her coldness at all.

 Chapter 373

    Chapter 373


    Chapter 373 Haunted House


    However, instead of feeling guilty and ufortable, August raised his eyebrows at Lucia with a smile.


    Lucia froze for a moment and got angrier.She strode forward and pulled the children back.She asked


    August seriously, "Mr.Adams, how could you take them away without telling me?"


    Before August could say anything, one of the children said, "Mom, it''s not Mr.Adams'' fault.I asked him


    to bring us here."


    Lucia looked down and saw J looking up at her.


    J said seriously, "Mom, it''s true.You can ask Timothy."


    Lucia frowned and turned to look at Timothy.


    To her surprise, Timothy also nodded seriously and said, "Mom, it''s true."


    Lucia didn''t know what to say.


    How could she me August since both children med themselves? She took a deep breath, pulled


    them closer, and said in a soft voice, "It''s gettingte.We should go home.I told you not to go to the


    haunted house or you''d have nightmares, didn''t I?"


    Timothy grabbed the corner of her coat and said with pleading eyes, "But mom, we really want to go.I


    can protect J inside!"


    Lucia looked at J who was also looking at her with pleading eyes.She didn''t know what to say.


    Suddenly, a melodious male voice said, "They''ve never been there.They should go and feel it."


    Lucia looked up and met August''s bright eyes.


    Before she could say anything, he added, "Since you''re here, why don''t you join them? They''ll be so


    happy."


    "Yes, mom!"


    "Mom, please!"


    Lucia wavered.She didn''t want to expose the children to something bloody, but since they were so


    curious, she didn''t want to keep refusing them.


    Just then, August suddenly said, "Did you refuse them because you were afraid to go in?"


    Lucia frowned at once, looked up into his eyes, and subconsciously denied, "Who says I''m afraid?"


    August raised his eyebrows slightly and smiled.


    "Then let''s go together."


    Lucia blurted out, "Okay."


    However, she suddenly realized that she had been tricked by August.She opened her mouth, but she


    couldn''t go back on her word.


    "Great!"


    The two children were thrilled while Lucia was speechless.


    Finally, she sighed and agreed.


    Timothy and J would be disappointed if she refused again.


    After a while, they got in line and went in one by one, Lucia holding Timothy''s hand and August holding


    J''s.


    It was dim inside and they were ufortable.


    Suddenly, they heard a scary voice overhead saying, "Wee to the haunted house."


    Then a row of red lights slowly lit up in the darkness in front of them to guide them.


    They came to the first room.


    The red room was full of skeletons and there was a horrible man chewing raw meat.


    Lucia suddenly got goosebumps.


    J and Timothy were both startled.


    They slowly walked forward.


    There were all sorts of scary things in every room.


    Lucia felt her hair tingling, but she had to pretend to be calm in front of her children.


    As they reached the next corner, Timothy suddenly said, "Mom, you''re hurting me."


    Lucia came to her senses and quickly let go of Timothy''s hand, only to find her palms sweaty.She took


    a deep breath and turned her head, but she happened to see a ghost making a face at her.Her heart


    skipped a beat and she felt a chill run down her back.


    Suddenly, she was in shadow.


    August walked up to her.


    Lucia turned her head and saw August''s eyes shing in the darkness.


    August slowly approached her and asked in a low voice, "Are you scared?"


    Lucia gasped.


    "Not at all!"


    She quickly averted her eyes and pretended to be calm.


    Despite the fear, she must pretend to be brave in front of August! Besides, Timothy and J were


    around.She didn''t want to be embarrassed! With this in mind, she was full of courage.She held


    Timothy''s little hand again and said seriously, "Timothy, don''t be afraid.I''m here."


    Timothy nodded with a smile and said calmly, "Mom, I''m not afraid."


    Lucia was speechless.


    They walked slowly forward.


    The ck tunnel was deep and long as if there was no end.


    Suddenly, something rolled on the ground and stopped at Lucia''s feet.


    Lucia had just lowered her head when the light on the ground next to her suddenly came on.She saw a


    bloody head at her feet! Before Lucia could scream, August put his arm over her.


    Then he bent down and picked up the head and threw it into the trash can without hesitation.


    Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    He turned to look at her and asked, worried, "Are you okay?"


    Seeing the worried look in August''s eyes, Lucia suddenly felt warm.She shook her head and didn''t say


    anything.


    J said adoringly, "Awesome!"


    August''s lips curled into a smile.


    He took out a tissue to wipe his hands, took J''s hand again, and said firmly, "J, don''t be


    afraid.I''ll protect you."


    Timothy chimed in, "I can protect you too!"


    He even raised his little fist.


    Lucia was amused by Timothy and giggled.


    August and J also chuckled.


    It was less tense and the haunted house was less scary because of theirughter.


    They continued on their way and Lucia slowly regained herposure.


    August took J''s hand and told them, "The red liquid on the wall is not actually blood.It''s synthetic


    blood often used in filming.You don''t have to be afraid..."


    Timothy and J listened intently as if they were in a museum.


    Behind them, Lucia gave a smile.She didn''t notice a person hiding in the corner next to her.

 Chapter 374

    Chapter 374


    Chapter 374 Cut the Head off the Snake


    "The biggest difference between real blood and synthetic blood is the smell.Real blood is very fishy


    while..."


    Lucia was listening intently to August when the man suddenly jumped out from the corner.He was


    dressed in white.


    His long, dark hair covering his face contrasted with his hollow, red eyes...


    Lucia screamed and subconsciously dodged.


    Suddenly, she hit a strong chest.She was so scared that she wrapped her arms around the person''s


    waist without looking up.


    "Ah! Stay away from me!"


    Her heart kept pounding and she subconsciously tightened her grip.


    Suddenly, a strong arm was put on her shoulder and patted her back.


    "It''s okay," August said in a low, soft voice.


    Lucia stiffened and looked up quickly.


    When she saw August''s handsome face before her eyes, she felt her blood turn cold and her brain turn


    nk.


    August was amused by her stunned look.


    "You''ve scared the ghost away.Aren''t you letting go of me?"


    Lucia let go at once, pushed him away, and took a few steps back.


    "Mom, are you okay?"


    "Mom..."


    Hearing the two children''s voices, Lucia calmed down.She took their hands and blushed when she


    looked up at August again.


    "I''m fine.Let''s go..."


    She gritted her teeth to clear her head and led the children quickly forward.


    Along the way, Lucia''s heart kept pounding.It wasn''t because she was scared.She just felt August''s


    voice echoing in her ears.


    "Aren''t you letting go of me?"


    Her face got even redder and she subconsciously walked faster, trying to get out as soon as possible.


    Finally, they walked out.


    Lucia took Timothy and J aside to distance them from August.


    August looked down at them and asked, "Timothy, J, what else do you want to do?"


    "I want to ride the roller coaster..."


    Lucia gritted her teeth and interrupted Timothy, "No, it''s gettingte.We should go back."


    Timothy pouted in disappointment.


    Lucia didn''t want to disappoint them, but thinking about what Jeanne had said today, she said to


    August firmly and seriously, "Mr.Adams, we''d better not meet privately.We''re both with someone, after


    all.I don''t want any problems."


    August sensed something even though Lucia didn''t say it directly.He wanted to say something, but


    Lucia walked away firmly with Timothy and J.


    Timothy and J both turned their heads to look at him reluctantly.


    Instantly, he couldn''t breathe as if his heart was clenched by a big invisible hand.


    For some reason, every time Lucia walked away firmly, he was ufortable and frustrated.


    As the three walked away slowly, August took out his phone and called Burton.


    "Did something happen on the set today that I don''t know about?"


    Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    Otherwise, why had Lucia''s attitude suddenly changed? Burton hesitated for a moment before saying,


    "Ms.Kelly went there today."


    August narrowed his eyes coldly at once.He had a bad feeling.


    ¡®Jeanne? Why did she go to the set? Did she go to see Lucia?¡¯ Just then, Burton suddenly asked, "Sir,


    do you want me to..."


    Before he could finish, August said, "No.I know what to do."


    Burton immediately nodded.


    August thought for a moment and said coldly, "Go to Fountain Mansion tonight"


    Meanwhile, in Fountain Mansion, Jeanne was sitting on the couch fiddling with her nails with a fresh


    coat of nail polish.


    After a few seconds, she looked up at Mark, who was standing in front of her.


    "What''s wrong? What''s so important we have to meet?"


    Mark lowered his head.


    His long bangs drooped and hid the scar on his brow.


    "Miss, I''ve been watching Lucia since you came out of the safari park and went to get a facial this


    afternoon.She met up with August around 5:00 and they went to Pleasant Valley next door together."


    "What!"


    Jeanne sat up straight and stared in surprise.


    August hadn''t been there when she arrived at the safari park this afternoon.


    Director Brook had also said that August hadn''t been there for days.


    ¡®Why did he show up as soon as I left?¡¯ Mark took out his phone and showed Jeanne a photo of


    August, Lucia, Timothy, and J lined up in front of the haunted house.


    They stood together like a family of four! Jeanne was furious.


    In the afternoon, Lucia had said firmly that she would keep her distance from August, but they had met


    as usual after she left! ¡®Lucia, do you really think I won''t do anything to you?¡¯ Jeanne clenched his fists,


    the nails digging deep into her palms.


    "Looks like I don''t have to show her any more mercy!"


    She looked up at Mark with a sinister look on her face.


    "Mark, what do you suggest?"


    Mark narrowed his eyes and said in a cold voice, "Cut the head off the snake.You have to make her


    scared and run away once and for all.That''s the most useful way."


    Jeanne immediately nodded in agreement.


    "You''re right! But what does Lucia care about most?" Mark said evilly, "Her children, of course."


    Jeanne''s eyes lit up.


    After a moment, she nodded firmly.


    "Exactly!"


    In the afternoon, Lucia had been very concerned about her children on the set.


    Besides, the father of the two children was August.


    Jeanne wouldn''t let them go.She decided to teach Lucia a good lesson this time! A glint of coldness


    passed across Jeanne''s eyes.


    "Mark, this is all yours.I want you to do it yourself."


    Mark immediately nodded.


    "Yes, miss."

 Chapter 375

    Chapter 375


    Chapter 375 Meeting Jonathan again


    On the way back with Timothy and J, Lucia didn''t say anything with a gloomy face.


    The two children were terrified.


    They didn''t know what was going on and were afraid to say anything in the car.


    Finally, Timothy couldn''t help but ask tentatively, "Mom, don''t you like us to y with Mr.Adams?"


    Lucia didn''t answer and Timothy added, "We won''t meet with him anymore."


    J also lowered her head sadly and said, "Me either..."


    Lucia looked in the rearview mirror and saw both children bowing their heads sadly.Her heart softened.


    "I''m just mad at you for not telling me where you went.Do you know how worried I was when [ couldn''t


    find you?"


    Timothy sobbed and whispered, "I see, mom, we were wrong."


    Watching them sob, Lucia said helplessly, "Well, don''t do that again, okay?"


    "Okay, mom!"


    Lucia saw their happy faces in the rearview mirror and gave a smile.


    The two children were her joy.


    She wouldn''t be happy without them.


    Lucia pulled up in front of West Bridge and turned her head while putting on the parking brake.


    "You have the day off tomorrow.I''ll take you anywhere you want."


    "I want to draw at home!"


    "I want to watch TV..."


    Lucia shook her head helplessly.


    The children had been to the safari park and Pleasant Valley in the past two days.


    They didn''t want to go anywhere else anytime soon.


    Lucia smiled.


    "Well, you can stay home tomorrow."


    She nned to go to Jennifer''s studio tomorrow to see the new collection of clothes and to learn about


    her work.


    After all, Timothy and J would soon finish their work.


    As soon as she finished her own work, they could leave Austos City.


    With this in mind, Lucia was in a much better mood.


    The next morning, Lucia left Timothy and J at West Bridge and let Bill and Elisa take care of them.


    Then she drove to Jennifer''s studio.


    On the way, she remembered that Paul had told her that Jennifer liked lilies, so she went to a nearby


    florist and bought a bouquet.


    Jennifer''s studio was located in some old houses hidden behind many crooked alleyways near the city


    center.


    It was special in the middle of a lively city.


    Driving there required great driving skills.


    Lucia drove very carefully and finally stopped on the gravel road in front of the studio.


    She got out of the car with the bouquet and rang the doorbell.


    A familiar woman soon opened the door for her.


    It was Shirley, Jennifer''s assistant, whom she had metst time.


    Lucia asked as she walked into the courtyard, "Is Jennifer in? I''m here to see the new collection of


    clothes and to learn about my work."


    Shirley gave an apologetic smile.


    "Jennifer is out on a thing.I thought you were here to get your clothes."


    Lucia was a little disappointed.


    After a moment of hesitation, she said to Shirley, "I''lle back another time.I''ll call ahead.¡¯ Shirley


    nodded and handed over a business card.


    "You can call this number."


    Lucia nodded with a smile.


    "Okay, please take this bouquet for Jennifer."


    "Okay."


    After saying goodbye to Shirley, Lucia turned around and walked out of the courtyard.


    It was a pity that she didn''t see Jennifer.


    She shook her head with a smile as she walked out the gate and got into the car.


    Only then did she realize that the alley was too narrow for her to turn around, but she didn''t know


    where the road led if she drove forward.


    She looked around.


    There were no cars.She gritted her teeth and slowly turned the steering wheel.She tried many times,


    but the car was still skewed.


    Lucia was so anxious that she sweated.She took a deep breath and tried again.


    Finally, she turned the car around.She sighed with relief and was just about to step on the gas when a


    ck car came from the opposite direction.


    The narrow alley could barely amodate two cars side by side only when both drivers had good


    driving skills.


    However, Lucia''s car was still skewed.


    She was so scared that she didn''t know what to do.


    She could only bite her lip in the driver''s seat nervously.


    Just then, the car honked its horn.


    Lucia tensed up and slowly turned the steering wheel.


    The two cars slowly moved forward and passed each other.


    Just as Lucia breathed a sigh of relief inwardly, the rear of the cars suddenly collided.


    ¡®Oh, no!¡¯ Lucia immediately stepped on the brake and got out, only to see the rear of the two cars


    pressed together.


    She nced at the ck car''s license te and instantly froze.


    It was a very expensive car! Just when she was at a loss, the door of the ck car suddenly opened.


    A bodyguard got out and stared at Lucia coldly.


    Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    "You,e here."


    Lucia''s heart was in her throat.


    Had she pissed off some big shot? It was so scary! Despite her fear, she stepped forward and said,


    "I''m so sorry.I''ll call the insurancepany right now."


    The man nced at her and lifted up his chin.


    "You should just talk to the owner of the car."


    Before Lucia could say anything, the door opened and she was pushed into the car.


    She was stunned when she turned her head to look at the person sitting next to her.


    It was...


    Jonathan! The handsome face that was on the screens of various shopping malls in Austos City was


    now before her eyes.


    Lucia was surprised.


    "Why are you here?"


    Jonathan''s eyes were dazzling and pretty.


    He asked with a smile, "Who did you think it was?"


    Before Lucia could answer, he moved closer to her and winked at her.


    "Long time no see, Lucia."


    Lucia suddenly remembered something.She had seen those words on the card in the bunch of


    sunflowers the other day.She had thought it was from Elijah.


    "It was you?" she asked rhetorically.

 Chapter 376

    Chapter 376


    Chapter 376 He Asked Her to Be His Agent


    This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .


    Jonathan raised his chin with a smile and snorted, "Or what? Who do you think it is?"


    Lucia was stunned.


    After a moment, she turned to look at her car outside the window, and a trace of doubt shed in her


    mind.She didn''t believe that it was so coincidental.


    How could they run into each other in this narrow alley? She said, "The car just now..."


    Hearing this, Jonathanughed out loud, and a sly look shed in his eyes.He winked at her and said,


    "Don''t worry.I don''t need you topensate me!"


    With that, he turned his head, looked at the bodyguard standing outside the car door, and instructed,


    "You drive her car to the 4S shop to repair the scratches."


    When the bodyguard heard this, he immediately nodded, stretched out his hand, and closed the door


    directly.


    Then the driver started the car and drove forward as if he had been instructed.


    Lucia hadn''t expected it at all.She turned to Jonathan and asked in confusion, "Where are you taking


    me?"


    "We haven''t seen each other for so many years, so naturally it''s time for us to catch up."


    Jonathan smiled at her ambiguously.


    Lucia was somehow flustered.She was surprised that someone like Jonathan could still remember her


    after five years.


    Seeing the car speeding forward, Lucia felt a little flustered, "Jonathan, are you crazy? If your fans see


    us, they would kill me."


    Jonathan disagreed, turned his head, and smiled at her, "Don''t worry.I''ll take you to a quiet ce."


    Seeing him say such words with this expression, Lucia shivered and got goosebumps in her arms.


    Why did it sound so awkward? Soon, the car drove out of the alley and sped along the main road.


    Lucia knew that even if she cried and mored to get off the car, it would be toote.


    After adjusting her mood, she slowly calmed down.


    When Jonathan saw this, he was a little surprised.


    He leaned on the backrest, stared at her delicate profile, and squinted slightly, "You have changed a lot


    in the past few years."


    Compared to the stubborn girl Lucia had been before, she was now a little more elegant, mature, and


    feminine.


    Lucia turned her head, nced at him, and replied in the same tone, "You too."


    In the past, Jonathan was a handsome and impable young idol.


    He was able to fascinate thousands of girls with just his handsome face.


    But now he had sessfully transformed into an acknowledged actor.


    Although his style had changed, his face was still as handsome as before.


    Lucia took a deep breath and suddenly got closer.


    Looking at his cheek, she couldn''t help asking, "What foundation did you use today? Your skin looks so


    good."


    His skin was delicate and smooth, better than most women''s.


    Hearing this, Jonathan looked a little smug and smiled, "I''m naturally beautiful."


    When he saw Lucia rolling her eyes at him, he added with a smile, "Of course, I usually pay much


    attention to maintenance, and often do beauty treatments or something.


    If you are curious about which beauty salon it is, praise me, and I will take you with me next time."


    Lucia sneered and refused, "Forget it."


    If she praised him, Jonathan would be even more arrogant.


    The two quarreled when they disagreed.


    Along the way, it was never quiet in the car Soon, the car arrived at a remote street and stopped in


    front of a three-story gray-blue building.


    The signboard at the front of the door was a rtively old-fashioned one, and it was painted with a


    golden edge, which was elegant in style.


    Lucia hadn''t expected to see such an exquisite teahouse in such a remote ce.


    She pushed open the car door and got out of the car.


    Before she could react, Jonathan grabbed her clothes and dragged her in.


    When they walked in, she found the interior decoration was even more elegant.


    She took a deep breath and followed Jonathan to a private room on the third floor.


    They bypassed a screen, walked to the table at the back, and sat down.


    All the decoration was very stylish, and she could see the owner''s taste.


    Soon, a waiter brought a pot of tea, put it on the table, and said softly, "This is this year''s new tea, and


    the boss specially asked it to be reserved for you."


    Jonathan smiled at him and said, "Thanks."


    Soon, the waiter left, and there were only the two of them left in the room.


    Lucia took a deep breath and raised her eyes to look at Jonathan on the opposite side.


    She became serious, and asked, "What do you want to see me about?"


    Jonathan shrugged and said casually, "How dare you to talk about it? You don''t even know who sent


    you flowers.I waited a few days, but you didn''t take the initiative to contact me.So I have no choice but


    toe to you."


    Lucia clenched her fists tightly and continued to ask, "Why do you want to see me? We have nothing to


    do with each other.How did you know my whereabouts?"


    At best, she was some assistant who had threatened him five years ago.


    Why did he pay so much attention to her? Jonathan''s eyes darkened a little.


    They were deep but bright.


    He yed with the teacup in his hand and said after a moment, "Because you are the first woman who


    has ever dared to threaten me."


    When Lucia heard this, she was dumbfounded.


    After a few seconds, he continued, "I consider you a friend."


    His eyes were very dark, and his face didn''t show the usual yful smile.


    It seemed real.


    Lucia''s heart tightened a little, and she didn''t know what to say.


    Suddenly, she thought of something, looked up at him, and continued to ask, "So you breached the


    contract?"


    Jonathan''s contract breach was only known to her after she went to Amecan for several months.


    It was rumored that Jonathan and August were at odds, so Jonathan breached the contract.


    Butter she heard from Paul that it was because of her.


    She was dubious and didn''t take it seriously.


    But now, she somehow believed it.


    She asked, "Did you do it for me?"


    Jonathan hesitated for a moment, and then said lightly, "It was both for you and Adeline."


    Lucia¡¯s heart trembled a little.


    Although Jonathan looked unrestrained, he was moremitted and loyal than anyone else, at least to


    Adeline.


    She smiled and said softly, "It''s a shame you didn''t admit it back then."


    Jonathan smiled helplessly and said, "It was then, but it doesn''t matter now.¡¯ The two looked at each


    other and smiled, and suddenly something between them slowly disappeared.


    When they chatted again, it felt like old friends who hadn''t seen each other for many years.


    They chatted a lot.


    Jonathan suddenly changed the topic and said seriously, "Actually, I have something else to tell you."


    "Huh? What''s it?"


    Jonathan raised his chin at her, and said with bright eyes, "I''ve seen your work, and I know you''ve won


    awards.Back then, I specifically asked thepany to poach you, but you rejected it.Well, have you


    never thought of trying something else?"


    When Lucia heard his words, she suddenly remembered that Elijah had once said that apany


    wanted to sign her.


    It turned out that this was also rted to Jonathan.


    She raised her eyebrows and said, "What else?"


    Jonathan said with a smile, "I think you can try to transform, for example, to be my agent."


    "Agent?"


    "Yes, Suecy''s health is not very good.She announced her retirement two months ago.Now, I need an


    agent by my side.The first person I thought of is you, so I sent someone to check your whereabouts."


    Jonathan suddenly snapped his fingers and said excitedly, "I didn''t expect you to return to Austos City


    not long ago.What a coincidence!"

 Chapter 377

    Chapter 377


    Chapter 377 He Would Be A Model Father


    Hearing his words, Lucia frowned slightly and didn''t speak for a long time.


    Jonathan raised his eyebrows at her and said with a smile, "Don''t worry.I will give you the best


    treatment."


    "I''m afraid I can''t."


    Lucia took a deep breath and said, "I won''t stay in the country for too long.Maybe I''ll leave next month."


    With that, she raised her eyes to look at Jonathan and saw a sh of disappointment in his eyes.


    They looked at each other, and neither of them said a word.


    After being silent for a long time, Jonathan lowered his head and suddenly said, "Is it because of


    August?"


    This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .


    Lucia''s heart sank when she heard this name and nodded slowly.


    Seeing this, Jonathan looked a little serious and said, "If you need any help, just tell me."


    Hearing this, Lucia felt warm and nodded at him.


    After they talked, it seemed all the barriers between them were eliminated.


    They talked about other topics at the same time, chatting for more than an hour.


    Seeing that it was gettingte, Lucia proposed to leave.


    They walked out of the box one after the other.


    "Well, when you''re nominated for the best actor, don''t forget me."


    "Of course.Don''t regret not being my agent then!"


    The two were talking andughing while walking.


    As they were about to walk through the corridor to the stairs, they saw two tall figures approach.


    Lucia inadvertently looked over.


    When she saw their faces clearly, she stopped suddenly.


    What an unfortunate coincidence! She met August and Joshua here! The four of them all stopped and


    looked up at each other.


    When Lucia saw August''s dark eyes, she somehow felt flustered.He nced at Jonathan and Lucia


    with sharp eyes, making them shudder.


    The atmosphere suddenly became terrifyingly awkward.


    It was Jonathan who made the move first.


    He looked back as if nothing had happened, wrapped his arm around Lucia''s shoulder naturally,


    lowered his head to her ear, and asked in an ambiguous and natural tone, "What would you like to


    have for dinner? I''ll take you there, huh?"


    Lucia suddenly came to her sense, hurriedly retracted her gaze, and turned to look at Jonathan.


    She turned her head, and the distance between them suddenly became closer.


    It was a distance where they could kiss each other by just lifting their chins.


    Surprisingly, Lucia didn''t want to dodge, but cheered up, smiled at him, and answered in a soft and


    pleasant voice, "You decide."


    August, who was standing opposite, watched them disy affection with cold eyes, and he was


    burning with anger.


    When did Lucia be so casual? She had a family, a husband, and children, but she was hooking


    up with some male star bluntly.


    She was something! Just when he could hardly suppress his urge, he was suddenly patted on the


    shoulder, "August, the private room is over there."


    He came to his sense, followed Joshua''s gaze to the side, and slowly regained his reason.


    Lucia took a deep breath, followed Jonathan, walked past them, and went straight downstairs.


    It wasn''t until she walked out of the teahouse that she felt that her depression gradually eased a lot.


    After getting in the car, she was silent for a long time.


    She suddenly thought of something, turned to look at Jonathan next to her, and asked, "Why did you


    do that just now?"


    Jonathan smiled and winked at her, "What do you think?"


    An inexplicable anger surged in Lucia¡¯s heart and she said, "You know that I have a family.


    Were you trying to make him *I misunderstand?¡¯ Hearing this, Jonathan hesitated for a while, and


    finally said, "Since you have chosen to break with himpletely, why would you care about his


    opinion?"


    It instantly made Lucia wake up a bit.


    He was right.


    Since she was going to leave, why would she pay so much attention to him? On the way back, Lucia


    was in a state of conflict and struggle.


    Jonathan took her to the road outside the West Bridge.


    Lucia got out of the car and saw her car parked not far ahead with the bodyguard standing aside.


    Lucia took a deep breath, turned to look at Jonathan in the car, and waved at him, "I''m leaving.Bye!"


    Jonathan lifted his chin and suddenly put a business card into her pocket, "Bye! Don''t forget to call me


    when you miss me."


    Lucia smiled and said nothing, walking towards her car.


    Back in her car, she gradually lost herself in thought.


    As they say, lookers-on see more than yers.


    Jonathan''s unintentional remarks hit the nail on the head, and also gave her a lot of thinking.


    The reason why she had never been able to ept Paul was that her heart always belonged to


    another man, and it was undoubtedly August.


    When she slowly realized this fact, she suddenly couldn''t ept it.


    How could she have loved August for five years? But the fatigue and hardships of the past five years


    as well as the pain and embarrassment of raising children alone were all caused by him.


    Why did she still have feelings for him? All kinds of questions were like a mess, and none of them could


    be figured out.


    But in any case, what she had to do now was to slowly forget August and ept the man who was nice


    to her.


    She drove the car back to West Bridge, parked the car in the yard, and walked into the house.


    The living room was empty, and she went straight to the second floor.


    Timothy and J should be taking a nap now.She walked slowly to their room.


    When she saw that the door was not closed, she slowly opened the door.


    Paul was sitting on the edge of the bed, reading Timothy and J a story in a very soft voice.


    He was patient and gentle enough to be a model father.


    Lucia stood at the door and watched for a long time, and her heart softened.


    Such a man was nice enough to her and her children.


    What reason did she have to reject him? Lucia thought about it and feltplicated.She gently closed


    the door.She wanted to calm down before leaving.But unexpectedly, the door was suddenly pushed


    open from the inside.


    Paul walked out and was a little surprised when he saw Lucia standing outside the door, "Lucia."


    Lucia bit her lips, not knowing what to say.


    But Paul took the initiative to step forward and said softly, "Lucia,st time, I was too anxious..."


    Hearing his words, Lucia felt even guiltier.


    She stepped forward, and hugged him directly with open arms, "Paul, stop talking."


    Paul froze on the spot.


    He hadn''t expected her to do this suddenly.


    After a moment, he slowly came to his sense and patted her on the back, "Lucia..."


    "Paul, from now on, I will try to ept you.


    Just give me some time."


    When Paul heard this, he was surprised and happy, "Lucia, I''m not dreaming, right? You..."


    Since thest incident, he hadn''te to see Lucia for several days on purpose to calm himself down.


    Later, he realized that his life was meaningless without her.


    Unexpectedly, when he came back, Lucia was willing to try to ept him.


    This was undoubtedly the best result for him.


    "Lucia, I''m willing to wait."


    As long as he could see hope, he would even be willing to wait another five years!

 Chapter 378

    Chapter 378


    Chapter 378 She Was Bitten by A Snake Meanwhile, in the teahouse, Joshua looked at August who


    waspletely absent-minded across from him, and a sudden burst of irritability arose in his heart.


    He tapped the table, and said, "August, what''s the matter with you today? When we talk about


    business, you''re so absent-minded."


    August frowned, tugged at the bow tie around his neck, and frowned, "We''ll talk about that list at the


    company another day."


    Joshua raised his eyebrows, gave him a deep look, and finally couldn''t help but say, "Is it because of


    Lucia?"


    Before August could speak, he continued, "After you saw her with that Jonathan just now, you haven''t


    looked right!"


    "Are you attracted by her?"


    Hearing Joshua''s questions, August frowned even more tightly.


    After a moment, he finally let go, looked up at him, and said, "I don''t know what''s wrong with me."


    "August, take it easy.


    Now it''s not the time to think about a romantic rtionship.


    At least, it will have to wait until Mr.Denko is caught.¡¯ Joshua''s words were like a wake-up call, and


    August suddenly became serious.


    Finally, he said solemnly, "I see."


    Five years ago, he had lost to Mr.Denko.


    Now, he must not make the same mistake again.


    The next day, for Lucia, was another day for work.


    As long as Timothy and J were going to shoot, she would inevitably have to get up early.


    After preparing everything, Lucia looked at the two yawning children and couldn''t help asking, "You


    two, what''s the matter? Didn''t you sleep wellst night? Timothy and J looked at each other, but


    neither of them spoke.


    Seeing that it was not right, Lucia quickly asked, "You two, do you have some little secret?"


    J quickly shook her head and said, "No..."


    Timothy quickly said, "We just had a meeting and talked about homework."


    Lucia doubted, "Really?"


    Seeing the two children nod at the same time, Lucia couldn''t help but smile.


    She patted them on the head and said, "Okay, hurry up and grab your schoolbags and get to the car."


    Timothy and J nodded quickly and got into the car obediently.


    Lucia drove to the safari park and took them to the chief director to report.


    Then she watched the deployment of the staff to start a new day''s work.


    It seemed that after a day off, everyone was now full of energy and in good condition.


    The chief director even proposed to record some sidelights, because the subjects were Timothy J


    and small animals, and sometimes interesting things would happen naturally.


    It was very interesting to have a short video that captured interesting things at the shooting site.


    Before the shooting, Director Brook did not forget to instruct the staff, "Kara, you remember to record a


    short video, and the post editing is also your job.


    If the response is good, there will be a bonus!"


    Kara was an intern who had just worked on the set.


    She was lively and kind, and very likable.


    The atmosphere at the shooting site was very good, and the work efficiency improved a lot.


    Soon, a set of photos with pangolins waspleted, and the next thing was the shooting with a


    python.


    The python used for the shoot was a snake trained by the snake trainer in advance.


    It was docile and obedient, and not poisonous.


    A few days ago, when Timothy and J first saw it, they were a little scared.


    But now they were no longer scared and they were as friendly as friends.


    The filming crew was deploying the venue, and Lucia took the opportunity to call the two children over


    and urge them to drink more water.


    Due to the hot weather, J''s face was flushed, looking very cute.


    J handed the empty water ss to Lucia and said, "Mom, I''m done."


    "Good girl! Lucia took it and patted her on the head.


    Timothy had never liked drinking water with no taste.


    Every time he was asked to drink water, it was like he was asked to take drugs, and he couldn''t take


    much for a long time.


    Timothy shook his water bottle that was almost full and looked at Lucia softly, "Mom, I don''t want to


    drink anymore..."


    Lucia pretended to be serious and said, "No, drink a little more."


    J, who was on the side, felt bored and walked to the cage containing the python.


    Seeing the python in the cage staring at her, she tilted her head and said softly, "Little snake, we''ll be


    taking pictures togetherter..."


    Naturally, the python didn''t respond.


    J touched the cage lightly, but the buckle of the cage suddenly clicked loose, and the cage door


    slowly opened a small crack.


    J did it unintentionally.


    She hadn''t expected the cage door to open so easily.


    She was stunned and was about to turn around and call the staff next to her.


    But the python in the cage suddenly moved and slowly stuck its head out of the crack.


    Seeing this, J hurriedly murmured, "Little snake, you can''te out yet..."


    With that, she stretched out her hand to close the cage door.


    But as soon as she stretched out her hand, the python leaped forward and directly bit her arm.


    Hearing J''s scream, everyone turned and look over, only to see the python crawling out of the cage


    quickly, twisting its body and crawling forward.


    J''s arm had a snake bite mark and two deep and red tooth marks, which looked a little scary.


    "Mom"


    J''s sharp cry made Lucia''s body tense unconsciously.


    She hurriedly stepped forward and hugged J directly, "J!"


    As soon as Lucia hugged J, J went limp and started rolling her eyes.


    "J! What''s wrong with you?! J!"


    "Call 911!"


    "Hurry up and let someone catch that snake! Hurry up!"


    The shooting scene suddenly became chaotic, with all kinds of noises, usations, and instructions


    mixed.


    It was loud and Lucia shivered.


    Soon, the ambnce came over.


    On the way, she was very tense.


    The moment they rushed to the hospital and sent J to the emergency room, she breathed a sigh of


    relief.


    Her eyes darkened, and she almost fainted.


    "Mom..."


    Timothy''s cry brought Lucia back to her senses.


    She gritted her teeth and tried to force herself to wake up a little bit.


    She opened her eyes and saw Timothy, whose eyes were red from crying, and felt even more upset.


    She stretched out her hand and hugged Timothy into her arms.


    She couldn''t help sobbing and said, "I''m sorry, it''s my fault.


    I didn''t take good care of your sister..."


    It had happened so suddenly that before she could react, J was bitten by the snake and passed


    out.


    How could such a thing happen suddenly? At this moment, there was a loud noise from the corridor,


    and the chief director rushed over with a bunch of staff, all of them panicking.


    When the chief director saw Lucia, he stepped forward and asked, "Lucia, how is the situation? What''s


    going on? Why did J get bitten all of a sudden?"


    Hearing this, a fit of unbearable anger arose in Lucia''s heart.


    She looked up at him with sharp and deep eyes and said, "Director Brook, shouldn''t I ask you this


    question?!"


    He was the one who had kept saying that there would be no danger at first, and repeatedly assured her


    that those were domesticated animals and that they would not hurt anyone.


    But J had been bitten by a snake! When Director Brook heard this, he fell silent.


    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    Seeing this, Lucia was even angrier and said, "Didn''t the props team do safety checks before


    shooting?"

 Chapter 379

    Chapter 379


    Chapter 379 Nothing Serious Director Brook said seriously, "Lucia, don''t get upset.


    I''ll definitely give you and J an exnation!"


    Lucia''s heart ached.


    She took a deep breath and shook her head at Director Brook without saying anything.


    She just walked away, put her arm around Timothy, and stared at the clock outside the emergency


    room.


    There was no way she could calm her racing heart.


    She would me herself for the rest of her life if anything really happened to J! All she could do


    now was to wait.


    After a long time, there were hurried footsteps and then Director Brook and the staff were in an uproar.


    Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    Lucia didn''t turn around, but she heard the people behind her call "Mr.Adams".


    A low voice soon said behind her, "Lucia."


    Lucia still stared at the door of the emergency room.


    August was upset.


    He clenched his fists slowly and walked towards Director Brook directly.


    "Come with me."


    Then he walked with a gloomy face to the exit in the corner.


    A little flustered, Director Brook followed him and asked, "Mr.Adams, you..."


    Before he could finish, August suddenly turned around, grabbed him by the cor, and pinned him


    against the wall.


    He grabbed too hard that blue veins stood out of the back of his hands.


    Director Brook''s face turned pale.


    "Mr...


    Mr.Adams!"


    August yelled in anger, "What did I tell you?"


    Director Brook shivered with fear and said quickly, "Take care of...


    the three of them..."


    "And now?"


    August gritted his teeth.


    "Did you do it?"


    He suddenly let go, took a step back, and stared at Director Brook, his eyes zing with fury.


    Director Brook exined while breathing heavily, "I didn''t expect the prop team to not check the


    props...


    Our animals are well trained and never hurt anyone..."


    August punched the wall hard.


    "No excuses!"


    No matter what, it was Director Brook''s fault that J had been bitten! At that moment, Burton


    suddenly walked quickly to August and whispered, "Sir, the operation is over."


    August''s eyes lit up.


    He nced coldly at Director Brook and turned to leave.


    As soon as he returned, he saw J lying in the hospital bed.


    Lucia immediately walked up with Timothy and asked the doctor, "Doctor, how is my daughter?"


    "The wound has been treated.


    It''s deep, but fortunately, the snake is not poisonous.


    It''s not serious, but the child is too young and got scared.


    You have to spend more time with her when she wakes up."


    Lucia was relieved by the doctor''s words.


    She thanked the doctor and went with the nurse to take J into the ward.


    The nurse got everything ready before exiting the ward.


    Lucia stood next to the bed looking at J''s pale face.


    Her heart began to throb.


    She''d been taking good care of Timothy and J all these years.


    Children were inevitably injured, but this time it was too serious.


    Overwhelmed by guilt, Lucia began to sob.


    Just then, there was a knock on the door.


    Then August came in, walked to the bed, and looked at her.


    "It''s not your fault.


    Don''t me yourself."


    It seemed that he had figured out what she was thinking.


    However, Lucia was even more upset.


    "It''s my fault anyway."


    J wouldn''t have been bitten if she had been watching her.


    Just then, it was noisy outside the ward like some people were arguing.


    The voices sounded familiar.


    Timothy ran to the door and looked through the crack.


    He quickly closed the door, ran back in shock, and told Lucia, "Mom, the director is fighting with


    someone..."


    "What?"


    Lucia walked towards the door in surprise.


    Suddenly, she thought of something, turned to look at Timothy, and leaned down to tell him, "Timothy,


    just stay with J, okay? I''ll go out and see what''s going on."


    Timothy nodded seriously and promised, "I''ll watch J."


    Lucia felt relieved and walked out of the ward with August.


    She was stunned to see the scene outside.


    Director Brook and the head of the prop team were having a heated argument.


    If the staff hadn''t stopped them, they might have really fought.


    August''s face instantly darkened.


    He strode forward without saying anything, but the crowd was terrified by him and quieted down at


    once.


    Director Brook was embarrassed when he saw August.


    "Mr.Adams, sorry..."


    August asked in a low voice, "What''s going on?"


    Director Brook frowned at the head of the prop team and said coldly, "Pord said he did send


    someone to check all the props, including the snake, but the cage was indeed open! Pord, there''s no


    point in lying about it now."


    Pord argued, "I did send someone to check it! You can ask anyone else.


    They all know!"


    No one wanted to take responsibility.


    They were all doing their best to stay out of this.


    Lucia was desperate next to them.


    Suddenly, a staff member approached Pord and whispered something in his ear.


    Pord''s face instantly turned pale and his eyes widened in shock.


    He turned to look at the man and asked, "Really?"


    The man nodded without hesitation.


    Pord waspletely stunned.


    Everyone stared at him, waiting for him to exin.


    Pord looked up at Lucia and then at August.


    With hesitation and trepidation in his eyes, he said in a trembling voice, "Mr.Adams, the people on the


    set said that the snake has been caught, but..."


    "But it''s not the original one!"


    Instantly, the crowd was in an uproar.


    Lucia froze in ce, her ears buzzing.


    Everyone knew what it meant.


    All the animals should be prepared in advance to ensure the safety of the actors during filming, but the


    snake had been switched and J had been bitten, which meant that it was not idental but


    prearranged!

 Chapter 380

    Chapter 380


    Chapter 380 Finding Him The director''s words sent a chill right down Lucia''s spine.


    Who would be so vicious as to hurt a child? Lucia''s knees went weak and she almost fell, but she


    quickly regained herposure, took a deep breath, and subconsciously clenched her fists.


    She wouldn''t allow anyone to hurt Timothy and J! They were her weakness and her bottom line!


    She had been weak and cowardly before, but now she had to find that person to protect her children!


    She gritted her teeth, took a deep breath, and said to Director Brook, "Something is definitely wrong.


    Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    I want to investigate it!"


    Director Brook nced up at August, who didn''t say anything, and then he immediately nodded at


    Lucia in agreement, "Okay! We must look into it! I won''t allow someone that vicious to stay on my


    team!"


    Lucia took a deep breath, gritted her teeth, and said firmly, "I want to investigate all the people on the


    set today, especially those who have touched the snake cage!"


    Her firm tone surprised everyone.


    They were ufortable, but no one dared to say anything.


    Whoever refused at this point was the most suspicious person! Lucia clenched her fists and added,


    "Director Brook, please call in everyone who has been to the set today.


    I want to ask them one by one."


    Before Director Brook could say anything, Pord suddenly said, "I don''t think we can call in everyone.


    Some of them are temps and wonte back again..."


    Lucia frowned.


    Temps...


    Suddenly, she thought of something.


    If it had been prearranged, the murderer had probably entered the set as a temp because he would be


    able to leave no trace! Lucia asked Pord with a frown, "Do you have any information on the temps


    today?"


    Maybe it would be faster if they started with the temps.


    Pord nodded.


    "Yes, I''ll send it to you, but there are only their names and phone numbers."


    Soon Lucia received a form from Pord.


    She immediately began to call those numbers one by one, but the third number was unavable.


    She got nervous and tried again, but the result was the same.


    Staring at the name "Ewan Grey" on the form, Lucia was skeptical.


    Pord asked, "Can''t you get through?"


    Lucia shook her head with a frown.


    Suddenly, Pord said, "Ewan was responsible for the security check.


    I remember him approaching the snake cage!"


    Lucia''s heart sank.


    She even had trouble breathing.


    Ewan was the most promising suspect! "I''ll have him investigated,¡¯ August suddenly said.


    Before Lucia could say anything, he sent Ewan''s information to Burton and ordered him to investigate


    him.


    A few secondster, he turned to look at Lucia seriously.


    "But his information is probably false.


    We''d better find a picture of him.¡¯ Lucia bit her lip hesitantly.


    August was right.


    Ewan''s information could be faked, but his face wouldn''t change.


    If they found a video or a photo of him, they would be more likely to find him, but how could she find a


    picture of Ewan now? August knew what Lucia was thinking.


    He looked up at Director Brook and ordered, "It''s not good for so many people to stay at the


    hospital.Lucia and I will go back together to see the security tape.Pord and Kara, you twoe with


    us.The rest of you go back and await orders."


    After that, he looked at Lucia and said in a soft voice, "I''ll help you pull the security tapes and find


    Ewan."


    Looking into August''s dark eyes, Lucia suddenly calmed down.


    She hesitated for a moment and finally nodded.


    "Okay."


    It was not just about her now.


    It was about the whole shooting team.


    If they didn''t fix it and word got out, Lion Group would be disgraced.


    As the others left, Lucia suddenly thought of something and called Pa.


    J was lying in bed and Timothy was with her.


    Lucia didn''t trust anyone except Pa.


    On hearing that J was in the hospital, Pa left everything behind and rushed over.


    She froze when she saw Lucia and August in the ward.


    "Lucia..."


    Lucia didn''t have time to exin.


    She walked up to Pa with Timothy and said, "Please take care of Timothy.I have to go to the set now


    and find out what happened."


    Pa was confused, but instead of asking, she nodded and said firmly, "Don''t worry! I''ll take care of


    Timothy and J!"


    Lucia stroked Timothy''s head with relief and looked back at J in the hospital bed with mixed


    emotions.


    She must find the bad guy hiding in the shadows no matter what! She would never let Timothy and


    J get hurt again! Gritting her teeth, she nodded at Pa and walked out quickly.


    On the way, Lucia was so nervous that she rarely talked to August.


    Burton drove them to the safari park.


    Soon they arrived at the surveince room.


    August asked the staff to pull the surveince tapes around the set and they started watching them.


    Because of the non-disclosure agreement, all the cameras near the set were covered with ck cloth


    and there was almost no footage from the set.


    It got even trickier.


    Lucia stared at the screen for over an hour, but she didn''t find anything useful.


    There were too many peopleing and going from the main entrance.


    If Ewan had disguised himself, there was no way they could find him even if they watched all day.


    Finally, a staff member told them, "Here are the entire surveince tapes.I''ll copy them if you want."


    Lucia''s heart sank.


    She felt powerless.


    She had vowed to find the bad guy, but now it seemed that he had been prepared and that there was


    little valid evidence.


    Pord and Kara also watched for a long time.


    They strained their eyes, but they didn''t find anything useful either.


    Lucia was desperate, but Pord suddenly said, "Is it possible that our own camera caught him?"

 Chapter 381

    Chapter 381


    Chapter 381 It Was Mark Page! Pord''s words reminded everyone.


    After a few seconds of silence, Kara suddenly tapped her head.


    "Director Brook asked for bloopers and I''ve been filming on the set today.


    I remember filming the temps!"


    She took a phone out of her pocket and went through the videos.


    Lucia subconsciously tensed up.


    All her hopes were pinned on those videos.


    After a while, Kara shouted excitedly, "Pord, look, is this Ewan?"


    Pord immediately stepped forward, nced at the screen, and quickly nodded.


    "It''s him!"


    Lucia quickly walked over.


    In the video, Kara was spinning around with her phone, and a man in dark blue overalls and a hat


    shed by behind her.


    He was walking past the cage! Intuition told Lucia that it must be this man who had tampered with the


    cage! She took the phone from Kara and felt that the man looked familiar.


    She thought that she had seen him before.


    She gritted her teeth and stared at the man for a long time, but she couldn''t remember.


    Just as she was about to give up, an image popped into her head.


    The man who had ordered the motorcyclist to hit her five years ago had the same figure and manner of


    walking as the man in the video...


    Mark Page! This name came to Lucia.


    She took a deep breath and froze in ce.


    Kara was startled and asked her, "Lucia, are you okay?"


    Lucia finally came to her senses after Kara had called her name several times.


    She shook her head at Kara and whispered, "I''m fine..."


    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    Then she looked up at August next to her.


    Although she was powerless, she said seriously, "Come with me..."


    August pursed his lips and followed her without saying anything.


    They walked outside.


    Lucia stopped at the end of the hallway and took a deep breath with mixed emotions.


    August asked patiently, "What''s wrong?"


    Lucia gritted her teeth and mustered up her courage to ask, "Do you remember Mark Page?"


    A glint of light passed across August''s eyes.


    Soon he came to his senses and nodded slightly.


    "Yes."


    He had sent that man to prison five years ago.


    Lucia handed him the phone.


    "It seems to be him."


    August took the phone, yed the video, and frowned as he watched it.


    Finally, he looked up at Lucia and said seriously, "Mark is still in prison.


    It can''t be him."


    Lucia looked at him in surprise and asked, "How do you know?"


    August could tell from the tired look in Lucia''s red eyes and the tears on her face that she was


    determined to find the murderer, but if he had been prepared, there was no way they could find him


    even if they stayed up all night.


    August just felt sorry for Lucia.


    He didn''t want her to be so tired or torture herself.


    Lucia was angry that August remained silent.


    ¡®August, answer me, how do you know it''s not Mark?"


    August blinked for a moment, put away the phone, and said to her, "You need to get some rest."


    Then he reached out and grabbed her wrist.


    Lucia subconsciously shook off his hand and took two steps back.


    She stared at him in disbelief.


    "Are you ying dumb because Mark works for Jeanne and you''re afraid she''ll be implicated? You


    know it''s him, right?"


    August frowned and said in a low voice, "What does this have to do with Jean?"


    He couldn''t immediately find out who the man in the video was.


    He could only send someone to find out, but it would take time.


    He just thought that Lusia was tired and needed to get some rest now! However, Lucia misunderstood


    him.


    She shook her head end mumbled, "The man in the video is definitely Mark! He must have been sent


    by Jeanne!"


    She looked at August with disappointment.


    "''ll get to the bottom of this!"


    She took a deep breath and turned to walk away, but her knees went weak and she identally fell to


    the floor.


    It hurt so much that she frowned.


    August strode toward her with a frown and leaned down to pick her up.


    As soon as he reached out, Lucia pushed him away and said coldly, "Don''t touch me!"


    Her words pierced August''s heart like a poisoned needle.


    He was about to say something when he heard an anxious male voice.


    "Lucia!"


    Paul strode over, nced at August with sharp eyes, and picked Lucia up.


    Lucia didnt push his hands away or resist.


    She even wrapped her arms around his neck and rested er face on his chest.


    She shivered in Paul''s arms as a frightened bird and Paul held her tightly to keep her from getting hurt.


    August was heartbroken to think that Lucia had just refused him.


    Then he heard Lucia say in a constricted voice, "Paul, take me away."


    Paul nodded, "Okay, let''s go."


    He strode away with Lucia in his arms, leaving August alone.


    Instantly, enger welled up in August''s heart.


    Lucia could easily agitate him now.


    When she was with another man, he couldn''t stay calm and rational at all.


    After a long time, August slowly calmed down, called Burton, and ordered coldly, "Go and find out if


    Mark is still in prison."


    He knew that Mark had been sentenced to five years and hadn''t been released.


    He didn''t believe that Mark was the murderer.


    He didn''t want to guess casually.


    As for whether it had anything to do with Jeanne, he wanted to find out the truth first!

 Chapter 382

    Chapter 382


    Chapter 382 She Was Diagnosed with Stress Disorder After leaving the safari park, Lucia sat in the


    passenger seat and never spoke on the way to the hospital.


    Everything that had happened recently shed through her mind like a movie.


    She suddenly thought of what Jeanne had said to her that day when she came to see her.


    At that time, Jeanne had warned her.


    Now that something had happened to J and the suspect was a man who looked like Mark, which


    was suspicious.


    ¡°Lucia..."


    Paul''s soft and gentle voice came from the side, and Lucia slowly came to her sense.She took a deep


    breath and turned to look at Paul.


    Paul felt sorry for her.


    He persuaded softly while driving, "Don''t worry.J will be fine."


    Lucia''s face didn''t change.She knew well that he was just trying tofort her and theseforting


    words had no substantial effect.


    Just when she didn''t know how to answer, the car''s Bluetooth suddenly rang, and Pa called.


    Paul didn''t hesitate, and immediately pressed the answer button, "Hello? How''s J?"


    Pa''s worried voice came from the other end of the phone, "J is awake, but not in a good


    condition."


    When Lucia heard this, her face suddenly changed.


    She straightened up quickly and asked, "What...what''s wrong with her?"


    Pa hesitated for a moment, and then said softly, "I can''t tell.Anyway,e back and have a look as


    soon as possible."


    Lucia''s heart tightened a lot after she heard Pa''s words.She clenched her fists tightly and felt


    anxious and helpless.


    Paul stepped on the elerator and drove faster.


    Soon, the car arrived at the door of the hospital.


    Before he could stop the car, Lucia had already pushed the door open and run into the hospital.She ran


    to the door of the ward panting.


    As soon as she opened the door, she saw Pa standing at the door with a troubled face.


    "Lucia, you are finally here!"


    Seeing Luciaing in, Pa seemed to see a savior.


    "What''s wrong?"


    Lucia frowned, looked up at the hospital bed, and found that the quilt on the bed was bulging, and


    Timothy was lying on the edge of the bed, guarding his sister.


    Pa moved her lips.


    After hesitating, she stretched out her hand, pulled Lucia out of the ward, and closed the door.


    She looked at Paul who was following and then at Lucia and said, "Just now when J woke up, she


    buried herself under the quilt and said she was scared.No matter how I tried to persuade her, it didn''t


    work..."


    When Lucia heard this, her heart ached, and a surge of grief came all over her.


    It seemed that J had been left with a psychological shadow after being bitten by a snake this


    time.Her nose felt sour, and she burst into tears suddenly.


    Seeing this, Paul hurriedly persuaded on the side, "Lucia, don''t worry.J has the best rtionship


    with you.You go and see what''s going on with her, and we''ll talk about itter."


    Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    Hearing what he said, Lucia nodded and took a deep breath, "I''ll go over and see how she''s doing."


    With that, she raised her hand, wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, and calmed herself


    down.Then she walked into the ward and stopped in front of the bed.


    Timothy raised his head and looked a little exhausted.He stretched out his hand and grabbed the


    corner of Lucia''s shirt, and said softly, "Mom, you''re back."


    Lucia nodded, patted him on the head in distress, sat down beside the bed, and gently tucked her


    daughter in.


    Lucia took a deep breath and asked patiently, "J, are you awake?"


    Hearing Lucia''s voice, the little ball under the quilt moved slightly, but there was no response at all.


    Lucia took a deep breath, raised her hand and patted the quilt lightly, and said softly, "I''m back.Are you


    sure you won''te out and have a look? I''m here.Don''t be afraid..."


    After coaxing and persuading her for a long time, the little figure under the quilt reacted a little.


    Slowly, the quilt was lifted, revealing a pair of big round eyes.


    Those eyes were naive, timid, and watery.


    Lucia couldn''t help feeling sorry for her daughter.


    J asked cautiously, "Mom, are there any snakes outside?"


    Seeing that her baby girl was so frightened, Lucia felt a burst of distress and guilt in her heart.She


    quickly reached out and took her into her arms, and persuaded, "No, I''m here.Don''t be afraid."


    J curled up into a small ball and was hugged tightly by Lucia, but she still didn''t dare to move and


    looked out vigntly.


    After chatting with J for a while in the ward, and finally coaxing her to sleep, Lucia secretly sighed.


    After handing Timothy over to Pa, she went to see the doctor with Paul.


    In the doctor''s office, the doctor looked solemn.


    After a pause, he raised his eyes to look at Lucia and Paul who were sitting opposite, and said, "J''s


    current condition can be called stress disorder, and she is very sensitive to external things.If she is


    stimted again, I''m afraid it will get very serious."


    As soon as Lucia heard this, her heart suddenly trembled, "Well, doctor, how should we treat her?!"


    "First heal the wound, and then focus on psychology.It''s best for family members to apany her all


    the time and try to help her ovee fear with your care.That''s all."


    Hearing this, Lucia fell silent.


    Suddenly, her hand felt warm, and a big hand covered the back of her hand.She turned her head to


    meet Paul''s clear eyes.


    He said, "Don''t worry.We will be able to apany J through this difficult time."


    Lucia nodded and looked at him with inexplicable strength in her heart.


    She also believed that J would slowly get better.


    But in the next three days, the situation was not optimistic.


    J was not only full of fear of the outside world, but her appetite also decreased.


    Soon, she looked thinner, and her thin chin looked distressing.


    Even if she identally saw the shadow of a tree on the window at night, she would scream in fright,


    and shiver under the quilt.


    Lucia saw it and felt so sorry for J, but there was no good way to improve it.


    On the morning of the third day, Lucia ran to the doctor''s office again and asked worriedly, "Doctor, is


    there nothing we can do?"


    "There is a way, to get J''s good friends to apany her more.When she''s happy, it is easy for


    her to forget other things."


    When Lucia heard this, she couldn''t help frowning.


    J''s good friends were all in Amecan.


    It seemed unrealistic to ask them toe over and help J.


    In the past two days, she had also tried to get Timothy to talk to J more, but J''s condition was


    still not very good.


    Bill and Elisa had alsoe to visit her several times but to no avail.


    After leaving the doctor''s office, Lucia returned to the ward.


    She took J into her arms, and asked softly, "J, do you want to go somewhere? I will take you


    out to y."


    J shook her head, buried her face in her arms, and refused to move.


    Lucia felt a little distressed.


    After a pause, she continued to ask patiently, "Is there anyone you want to see?"


    If J wanted to meet her friends in Amecan, it was not impossible.


    She could make video calls at least.


    The little fluffy head buried in her arms suddenly moved.


    Soon, J raised her head, looked at her, hesitated, and asked, "Mom, can I see Handsome Uncle ?"


    Hearing this, Lucia frowned and didn''t know what to say.


    She hadn''t expected that the person J wanted to see most at such a time was him!

 Chapter 383

    Chapter 383


    Chapter 383 Handsome Uncle, Came to See Her


    Seeing that Lucia didn''t speak for a long time, a trace of disappointment shed across J''s face,


    and she said in a low voice, "Mom, if you don''t want to, then forget it..."


    J''s disappointment made Lucia¡¯s heart tighten and she couldn''t bear it.


    She took a deep breath and lowered her head to ask, "Do you want to see him?"


    J nodded seriously and said, "I want to see Handsome Uncle."


    This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .


    Hearing this, Lucia gritted her teeth, calmed down, and nodded, "Okay, I''ll call him."


    She stood up, put J on the hospital bed, covered her with the quilt, and said softly, "I''m going to call


    him.You lie here, you know?"


    J nodded obediently.


    Lucia smiled, stroked her little head, and then walked out of the ward.


    When the door closed, the smile on her face disappeared, reced by a look of worry.She clenched


    her phone tightly and didn''t mean to make a phone call at all.She and August had a bit of a fight that


    day.


    Now if she called him to ask him for help, wouldn''t it be a bit abrupt? If he refused toe, how should


    she exin it to J? Lucia thought about it and became more hesitant.


    Ten minutes passed quickly and she was still in a dilemma.She dared neither call him nor go back to


    the ward to face J''s big innocent eyes.


    After thinking about it, she finally gritted her teeth, flipped through his phone address book, and found


    August''s contact information.


    Thinking of J, she made up her mind and pressed the call button.


    The beeping sound from the other end of the phone, like a spell, made her nervous involuntarily.


    At the same time, August was sitting in a bright studio.


    The lights above and in front of him were very bright.He was sitting on one end of the round sofa, and


    at the other end was a host in a suit.


    "As we all know, President Adams, you''re one of the youngest and most sessful entrepreneurs in


    our Austos City.Of course, apart from your career, manyizens are very concerned about your


    personal life.It''s said that you have a beautiful wife at home.Can you share with us your..."


    Before the host finished her sentence, August heard the vibrating sound of his phone.He lowered his


    eyes slightly and nced at the front-facing phone screen on the side.His eyes suddenly dimmed a


    little.


    The host noticed his gaze and followed it, and the smile on her face became more meaningful, "Is this


    a call from your wife?"


    August frowned slightly and picked up the phone.


    He looked up at the director team outside the shooting area, stood up, and said, "I''m sorry, I have to


    answer an emergency call."


    With that, he walked to backstage quickly.


    The host on stage and the director group offstage were all dumbfounded and looked at each other.


    After a moment, everyone spected that the phone call that August had to answer when he was in


    the middle of the recording of the interview must havee from someone very important to him.


    In the backstage of the studio, August pressed the answer button, and his palms sweated slightly


    because he was nervous.


    But as soon as he spoke, his voice became cold and alienated as usual on the phone, "Why are you


    calling me?"


    Lucia hesitated for a moment, and then clenched her phone and said, "Do you...have time?"


    Hearing this, August raised his eyebrows, and the coldness on his face eased a bit, but he still said


    coldly, "What''s the matter?"


    Lucia gritted her teeth and summoned her courage, "J...wants to see you."


    A sh of light shed in August''s eyes.He raised his hand, nced at his watch, and said after a


    while, "I''ll make time to go to the hospitalter."


    "Okay, thank you," Lucia said and hung up the phone.


    Putting away his phone, August couldn''t help smiling.


    After a pause, he walked to Burton immediately andmanded, "Go and tell the director team.I have


    an emergency and I need to leave.The recording will have to stop and we will finish the interviewter."


    When Burton heard this, he hesitated, "President..."


    August''s face darkened, "What''s wrong? Can''t you do that?"


    Receiving the signal that August was about to get angry, Burton didn''t dare to say anything else and


    immediately nodded, "I''ll go right now.¡¯ With that, he turned around quickly and conveyed the message


    to the director team.Soon, they drove away and went directly to the hospital.Twenty minutester, Lucia


    stayed by J''s side, trying to divert her attention by telling her a story, but the little girl was absent-


    minded.After a while, she asked, "Mom, when will Handsome Unclee?"


    Lucia took a deep breath.


    Thinking of August''s tone on the phone just now, she was even more uncertain.


    How did she feel that August was just talking casually and didn''t mean toe? However, for fear of


    J''s disappointment, she couldn''t tell J that directly, so she had tofort J, "Maybe he will


    be a littlete because he''s busy with work."


    With that, she stretched out her hand and gently touched J''s head, patiently persuading her.


    Unexpectedly, there was a sudden noise from the door of the ward, and then the door was pushed


    open.


    August walked in.


    When J, who was lying on the bed, saw the person at the door, her eyes instantly lit up, and she


    cried out, "Handsome Uncle!"


    In an instant, August''s face seemed to be covered with ayer of soft light, and there was a little


    tenderness in his eyes.


    Lucia was startled.She turned her head to look and saw August walking in all dressed up.


    He was wearing a couture suit with no folds, and his hair was slicked back.


    Apparently, he was all dressed up to the nines.She hadn''t expected that August woulde so quickly.


    "You..."


    She was stunned.


    Before she could say anything, August walked to the side of the bed.


    He leaned down, smiled at J on the bed, and asked, "J, did you miss me?"


    When J heard this, a smile appeared on her face, and she nodded earnestly, "Of course!"


    Seeing that August sat naturally beside the bed and started joking and chatting with J, Lucia was


    even more shocked.


    Unexpectedly, when J saw August, she seemed to be back to normal.


    But they had only known each other for a while.


    Could it be that there was some unknown magic power in August? But seeing Jughing again,


    Lucia felt a lot more relieved.


    As long as J could get better slowly, nothing else mattered to her.


    An afternoon passed quickly.


    August yed with J all afternoon, and in the end, he even ate dinner with her.


    Watching J eat some chicken soup and two pieces of bread, Lucia secretly breathed a sigh of


    relief.


    Two days ago, J couldn''t even finish half a bowl of soup.


    After dinner, it was gettingte.


    Maybe guessing that August was leaving, J stretched out her hand, tugged at August''s clothes,


    and refused to let go.


    She looked at him with big round eyes and asked, "Handsome Uncle, are you leaving?"


    August stretched out his hand and lightly tapped her forehead, "I''ll leave when you fall asleep."


    "Okay."


    J nodded and closed her eyes obediently.


    After a short while, J fell asleep.


    With her long eyshes and peaceful sleeping face, she looked like a Barbie doll.


    August saw that she was asleep, so he got up slowly, picked up his suit jacket on the side, looked up at


    Lucia, and said softly, "I''m leaving."


    With that, he walked towards the door.


    Watching him walk out of the door, Lucia suddenly felt empty, as if something was missing.

 Chapter 384

    Chapter 384


    Chapter 384 You''d Better Make up Your Mind After hesitating for a moment, Lucia gritted her teeth and


    followed August out of the ward.


    Closing the door, she looked at August''s broad back and stopped him, "August, wait a minute."


    August paused, turned his head, and looked at her.


    Lucia took a deep breath, stepped forward, and said, "Thank you foring today."


    August blinked.


    He paused, nced at Lucia''s face, and said, "Sincerely?"


    Lucia was slightly startled.


    She looked up at him, and said softly after a few seconds, "Yes, sincerely."


    He had made J happy and she was very grateful to him for that alone.


    They fell silent.


    Suddenly, August thought of something.


    He walked towards her, looked down at her, and said coldly, "If you''re good to J, you''d better make


    up your mind."


    Lucia frowned slightly.


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    Before she could speak, August continued, "At least, don''t mess around."


    His words hit Lucia hard in the face.


    She was puzzled at first.


    But two secondster, she suddenly realized what he meant.


    Thest time he had met her and Jonathan was in the teahouse.


    A few dayster, outside the surveince room of the safari park, Paul hade over and taken her


    away.


    It turned out that August thought she was seeing them both! Lucia somehow felt annoyed.


    She looked up and saw him turn to leave.


    She got angry and ran after him.


    "August!"


    She was already blushing when she caught up, "Don''t worry.


    Paul and I have a very good rtionship, and no man can get between us.


    Timothy and J will also grow up in aplete family.


    None of this is something you need to worry about."


    Out of anger, she said this in one breath.


    She wasn''t certain whether she wanted to rify herself or simply wanted to vent her anger.


    August lowered his eyes, looked at her, narrowed his eyes, and said with a faint smile, "Really? Are


    you so confident in your rtionship?"


    Lucia replied without hesitation, "I''m very confident."


    "Really?"


    August snorted coldly.


    He suddenly grabbed her wrist and pushed her back.


    The next second, she was pushed against the wall, and her hands were also pressed against the wall


    by his big hands.


    Lucia paled in shock and said, "What...what are you doing?!"


    August lowered his head and suddenly leaned closer.


    He fixed his eyes on her, motionless.


    With such a misleading posture and the close distance between them, the atmosphere instantly


    became ambiguous.


    One second, two seconds, three seconds...


    Lucia''s heart was beating faster and faster! She could hear her heartbeat.


    Suddenly, August smiled and said mockingly, "Didn''t you say that no man can get between you? But


    your heart is racing now.


    Lucia, do you still like me?"


    Hearing his words, Lucia''s face instantly changed.


    She was slightly startled, and her face paled a bit.


    She opened her mouth, but couldn''t make a sound.


    August sneered and said word by word, "Don''t be certain.


    If I want to p you in the face, there are plenty of ways."


    With that, he raised his head slightly, and his chin rubbed the tip of her nose slightly.


    Lucia instantly felt that her body was on fire.


    But the next second, the restraint on his wrists suddenly loosened.


    August turned around and strode away, his back tall and straight.


    Lucia froze in ce for a long time.


    August''s behaviors and words just now were inexplicably addictive and irresistible.


    She didn''t know how long it took before she reacted suddenly.


    She hurriedly raised her hand and patted her cheek, trying to wake herself up! She didn''t care whether


    August had any magic power or not.


    In short, she must restrain herself and never fall for his tricks! Back in the ward, she found J was


    fast asleep.


    Lucia breathed a sigh of relief, sat down on the chair in the room, took out her phone, and flipped


    through it.


    In the past few days, she had been taking care of J in the ward, but she had not forgotten the


    investigation.


    Now, the murderer was uncertain, and she naturally couldn''t be relieved.


    If they attacked Timothy and J again, it would be even more difficult to guard against.


    Just thinking about it, Lucia felt a chill down her spine.


    She gritted her teeth, got up, walked out of the ward, and made a phone call.


    Soon, it was answered.


    Lucia took a deep breath and asked, "Hello? Paul, have you found out anything about Mark?"


    "Yes, I just confirmed.


    The prison said that because he behaved well in prison, he was bailed out.


    He has been released ahead of time."


    Lucia suddenly tightened her grip on the phone and said, "What?"


    Although she had always suspected that Ewan was Mark, she still found it uneptable after things


    were confirmed step by step.


    It had been five years.


    Even if there were deep grudges between them, they should have toned down.


    But as soon as Mark was released from prison, he immediately attacked J.


    She didn''t dare to think more about such a terrible person.


    Could it be that this time it was still ordered by Jeanne? Lucia trembled in fright.


    At this moment, Paul''s voice came from the other end of the phone, "I think the person in the photo


    should be Mark."


    Lucia took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down.


    After a few seconds, she asked, "Is there a way to catch him?"


    "I''ve already sent someone to investigate."


    But Lucia was still uneasy.


    Paul noticed it, and immediately continued, "Don''t be afraid, Lucia, I''ll go to the hospital to see you now,


    and we''ll talk face to face."


    Lucia agreed, "Okay."


    She hung up the phone, only to realize that her palms were sweating.


    Half an hourter, Paul rushed to the hospital and exined the situation to Lucia.


    It turned out that Mark had been released from prison only a few days ago.


    When the various traces werepared, Mark was indeed the biggest suspect.


    Lucia gritted her teeth and wrung her hands, feeling more and more uneasy.


    Paul suddenly raised his hand and put his arm around her shoulder, "Don''t be afraid, I''m here."


    Lucia nodded and said nothing.


    "Oh, there is one more thing.


    In a few days, it will be the birthday party of Mrs.Olivia Adams.


    Today, the invitation card was sent to thepany to invite us over.


    If you don''t want to go, I will let my assistant turn it down."


    Lucia''s face darkened, and a kind face suddenly shed in her mind.


    She hadn''t seen Grandma for more than five years, and she wondered how she was doing now.


    Seeing Lucia¡¯s hesitation, Paul asked thoughtfully, "Do you want to go?"


    Lucia thought for a while, and finally couldn''t help nodding her head and said softly, "I''ll go."


    Grandma used to treat her as her granddaughter.


    Now that she was in Austos City, Lucia thought she should find a chance to visit her.


    Suddenly, there was a scream from the ward.


    Lucia''s heart tightened, and she rushed in quickly.


    When the door was pushed open, Lucia saw J kicking, crying, and shouting on the bed.


    J was having a nightmare.


    She immediately ran forward and hugged J, "J, what''s wrong? Did you have a nightmare?"


    "I''m here.


    Don''t be afraid..."


    "Dear, don''t be afraid..."


    She keptforting J.


    After a moment, J slowly regained herposure and continued to fall asleep.


    This situation had urred several times in recent days.


    Every time she saw J having nightmares and crying and shouting, she was heartbroken.

 Chapter 385

    Chapter 385


    Chapter 385 Trying on the Latest Dresses J quieted down on the bed.


    Looking at the tears on her pink cheeks, Lucia had mixed feelings.


    Soon her mixed feelings and guilt for J turned into courage, making her eager to catch the


    murderer and avenge J immediately.


    Lucia gritted her teeth and suddenly thought of something.


    She tucked J in and turned around with a determined look on her face.


    Staring at Paul standing at the door, she took a deep breath and said, "Paul, I''m going to Old


    Mrs.Adams¡¯ birthday party."


    Surprised by her sudden change, Paul froze and asked worriedly, "Lucia, are you serious?"


    Since it was Old Mrs.Adams¡¯ birthday party, everyone in the Adams family would be there and Lucia


    would inevitably run into August and Jeanne.


    He was worried about her.


    Lucia knew what Paul wanted to say.


    She smiled at him and said in a soft voice, "Don''t worry.


    I know what to do."


    She wanted to attend the birthday party for two reasons.


    First, she wanted to see Old Mrs.Adams, and second, she wanted to test whether Jeanne had anything


    to do with this matter.


    If she did, she would never let Jeanne go! A few days before the birthday party, Lucia received a call


    from Jennifer and was asked to the studio to see thetest dresses.


    Lucia was free and agreed.


    In the studio, Lucia was amazed by Jennifer''stest dresses.


    They were much more stunning than any of the dresses she had seen before.


    They were well-cut and designed to be really catchy.


    Lucia said as she walked, "These dresses are totally different from ¡®Green¡¯."


    Jennifer nodded and said in a soft voice, "Yes, ¡®Green¡¯ is mainly for the general public.


    These are uniquely designed to be catchy but not over the top."


    Lucia nodded and looked expectantly at the dresses.


    "Try that one."


    Jennifer pointed to a white dress.


    It looked ordinary, but it was pleated and tailored with puffed sleeves.


    Lucia had long been attracted to this dress.


    She hadn''t expected it to be the first one she would try on.


    She was very excited.


    When Shirley took the dress down, Lucia found that there were cutouts and ovepping ribbons in the


    back, revealing the thinnest part of the waist.


    Her eyes widened in surprise.


    The dress looked simple and elegant from the front but sexy and catchy from the back.


    "This..."


    Lucia hesitated.


    Jennifer raised her eyebrows and smiled.


    "Can''t take it?"


    She walked over, looked at Lucia, and added, "It''s the best part.


    Don''t you want to try it on?"


    Lucia trusted Jennifer''s taste, but she was now the mother of two and it was inappropriate for her to be


    dressed like this.


    "Try it on.


    You won''t regret it!"


    Jennifer said firmly and pushed Lucia into the fitting room.


    Lucia closed the door and looked at the dress with excitement.


    It was really stunning like the bright moon.


    Lucia took a deep breath and summoned the courage to change into the dress.


    It fit extremely well like it was made for her.


    It seemed that Jennifer had figured out her size just by looking at herst time.


    Lucia couldn''t reach the ribbons and could only ask for help.


    Shirley was just about to enter when Jennifer pushed the door open and walked in.


    She walked up behind Lucia and quickly tied the ribbons behind her waist.


    Then she took a step back and said with satisfaction, "Come on out."


    Outside the fitting room was arge mirror.


    The bright light shone on Lucia¡¯s white skin, dark hair, red lips, and pretty dress.


    It was as beautiful as a painting.


    Lucia hadn''t expected this dress to fit her so well.


    She took a deep breath with excitement.


    Shirley was also stunned and turned to look at Jennifer excitedly.


    "Jennifer, she really showed what you said when you were designing the dress!"


    R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only


    Jennifer gave an appreciative smile.


    "Yes, it''s perfect."


    She then turned to ask Lucia, "What do you think?"


    Lucia said excitedly, "I''ve never looked more beautiful."


    Jennifer and Shirley were both amused and it got lively in the studio.


    Lucia tried on all the dresses in one afternoon.


    Except for a few small problems, each dress had its own soul and characteristics.


    The work finally came to an end.


    Jennifer told Lucia, "Okay, your work is done.


    Shirley has written down all the problems with each dress.


    I''ll change them one by one and then we''ll start shooting."


    "Okay,"


    Lucia said with a smile.


    As she packed her things, she was once again drawn to the white dress called "Shining Moon".


    Jennifer noticed it and asked with a smile.


    "What''s wrong? You want it?"


    Lucia smiled and suddenly thought of something.


    "Jennifer, I''d like to ask you a favor..."


    Ten minutester, Lucia left Jennifer''s studio and drove to the hospital.


    Recently, Bill and Elisa had been taking Timothy to the hospital every day.


    J had been in good spirits since she saw August.


    Even the doctor said she was getting better.


    Lucia was relieved that J was slowly recovering and that the wound on her hand had scabbed


    over, but she would never get it over if she couldn''t catch the murderer.


    Lucia arrived at the hospital.


    As soon as she pushed open the door, she saw a pile of delicate gift boxes.


    She thought she was in the wrong ward, but then she saw J in the hospital bed.


    She walked over and asked Elisa, who was sitting on the bedside peeling oranges for J, "Mom,


    what are these?"


    Those gift boxes and supplements looked very expensive.


    Elisa whispered, "They''re all from August.¡¯ ¡®August?¡¯ A handsome passed across Lucia''s mind.


    ''Why did hee here?¡¯

 Chapter 386

    Chapter 386


    Chapter 386 Old Mrs.Adams¡¯ Birthday Party Lucia asked Elisa with a frown, "August Adams?"


    Elisa nodded and said with a smile, "Yes, I didn''t expect him to care so much about J."


    I Lucia''s heart jolted.


    Elisa and Bill had always thought that J and Timothy were Lucia and Paul''s children and had no


    idea how dangerous August was.


    Lucia walked up to her worriedly and asked, "Why did hee here?"


    J mumbled while eating arge orange in bed, "Mr.Adams said he missed me..."


    Lucia frowned and nced uneasily at the pile of gift boxes.


    August must be up to something.


    Last time she had clearly warned him to stay away from her and her children, but he had sent so many


    things without telling her this time.


    How could she ept them? Lucia bit her lip, turned to look at Elisa, and asked, "Mom, when did he


    leave?"


    "Twenty minutes ago.


    He said he came for a checkup and stopped by to see J."


    Lucia took a deep breath and walked quickly out of the ward.


    She called August as she walked down the hallway through the inpatient center to the examining room.


    Finally, August answered the call and said in a low voice, "Hello?"


    Lucia took a deep breath.


    "Why did you send those things?"


    On the other end of the line, August said casually after a moment of silence, "I never visit people


    empty-handed."


    Speechless and angry, Lucia could only grit her teeth.


    Just then, August added, "If you have a problem with me, you can tell me in person.


    Turn around."


    Confused, Lucia turned around, only to see August standing not far behind her with a smile.


    When they locked eyes, he put away his phone slowly.


    ¡®When did he see me?¡¯ Before Lucia could figure it out, August walked up to her and raised an


    eyebrow.


    "I''m all ears."


    Lucia suddenly tensed up.


    She had a lot to say, but she couldn''t do it.


    She took a deep breath, took a step back subconsciously, and finally asked, "How much are those gift


    boxes? I''ll pay you."


    August''s face darkened.


    After a moment, he said coldly, "They''re for J.


    They''re priceless."


    As he said that, he grabbed Lucia''s wrist and pulled her aside.


    Lucia was pulled to the corner before she knew it.


    She quickly withdrew her hand.


    "What are you doing?"


    It was crowded in the middle of the hall while it was quiet in the corner.


    August asked in a soft voice, "Are you going to attend Grandma''s birthday party?"


    Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    Lucia asked with a frown, "Can''t I?"


    August said seriously, "You can if you just want to celebrate Grandma''s birthday, but if you have other


    ns, don''t go."


    Lucia was irritated.


    She looked at August seriously and asked, "What do you mean?"


    August blinked for a moment and said in a low voice, "Don''t you know what I mean?"


    He knew Lucia too well.


    He knew that she wasn''t just attending the birthday party for Grandma''s sake.


    He stopped her to protect her and Grandma.


    He had sent someone to investigate this matter.


    If Lucia acted impulsively, it might get trickier.


    Besides, if anything happened at the birthday party, Grandma would be very upset.


    It was best if Lucia didn''t show up.


    Lucia gritted her teeth and asked in a firm tone, "What if I do?"


    She believed that August was stopping her in order to protect Jeanne.


    Her heart ached, but she remained calm and determined.


    "August, what are you afraid of? Are you afraid that I''ll make a scene at the birthday party? Are you


    trying to hide something?"


    August didn''t say anything, and Lucia snorted sarcastically.


    August stared at Lucia''s slightly red eyes and said seriously, "I''m doing this for your own good."


    "Is that so?"


    Luciaughed out loud.


    "For my own good? How ridiculous!"


    Still convinced that he was defending Jeanne, she turned to run away and didn''t slow down until she


    reached the inpatient center.


    She took a deep breath and felt that her chest was so tight that she couldn''t breathe.


    Five years ago, August had chosen Jeanne, and now he still did everything to defend her.


    Lucia hated herself for still loving him every time she thought about it.


    On the way back to the ward, Lucia thought a lot.


    Finally, she made up her mind to attend the birthday party.


    Since no one wanted her to do it, she would dress up and fight for herself and J! Three dayster,


    Old Mrs.Adams'' 70th birthday party was held at Austos International Hotel, thergest hotel in Austos


    City.


    It was decorated with a very festive touch as requested by Old Mrs.Adams.


    At 10:00 a.m., the front of the hotel was filled with cars and guests for the birthday party.


    Jeanne stood at the gate greeting the guests with August as the Adams family''s granddaughter-inw.


    "Mr.Adams, Ms.


    Kelly, you''re a perfect match.


    Old Mrs.Adams is lucky to have you!"


    Jeanne had heard suchpliments many times over the past half hour.


    It was very ttering, and she took August''s arm withughing eyes.


    It was the first time she had apanied August to the Adams family''s big asion.


    She was very proud of herself.


    Her smile widened as she watched the reporters scramble to take pictures of them.


    She had spent three hours today putting on makeup.


    It was worth it as long as she could make headlines with August tomorrow.


    Just then, a ck car pulled up at the foot of the steps.


    Soon a waiter walked over and opened the door.


    Paul, dressed in a smart high-fashion suit, got out and opened the rear door in person.


    A woman ina pale green cheongsam got out of the car in a graceful manner and naturally took Paul''s


    arm.


    At the top of the steps, Jeanne was quickly drawn to the pretty figure.


    She tensed up and felt inexplicably threatened.


    When the woman turned around, Jeanne saw her face clearly, and her face instantly became pale.


    ¡®Why is she here?¡¯

 Chapter 387

    Chapter 387


    Chapter 387 Feeling Threatened It was Lucia! Overwhelmed by jealousy and anger, Jeanne gritted her


    teeth and stared at Lucia! She had gotten up at 5:00 a.m.


    and dressed up to be the highlight of the party, but she hadn''t expected Lucia to show up! Jeanne felt


    threatened and subconsciously tightened her grip on August''s arm.


    August felt it and turned his head slightly to look at Jeanne.


    Following her eyes, he saw Lucia and Paul walking up the steps together.


    Lucia was wearing a light green cheongsam.


    With each step, her fair and long legs were revealed.


    In an instant, August frowned and looked her up and down.


    Suddenly, he felt a rush.


    ¡®She''s here anyway.


    What an ungrateful woman! He was angry and stared at Lucia''s and Paul''s held hands with a gloomy


    face.


    "Mr.Adams?"


    the man who was talking to August called him awkwardly several times before August came to his


    senses.


    August nced at him and said indifferently, "You go first."


    The man nodded awkwardly and walked into the hall with his femalepanion.


    At that moment, Lucia and Paul hade up.


    They looked up and met the eyes of August and Jeanne who were standing there.


    It was a little awkward.


    Paul said politely, "Mr.Adams, we''re here for Old Mrs.Adams."


    August nced at Lucia and replied indifferently, "Pleasee in."


    Lucia remained silent.


    She was just about to go in with Paul when Jeanne asked, "Ms.


    Mitchell, your cheongsam is so pretty.


    May I ask where you ordered it?"


    Lucia stopped, looked back at her, and said with a smile, "It was made by Jennifer.


    If you''re interested, you can visit her again like you didst time."


    Jeanne knew that Lucia was being sarcastic.


    Instantly, her face darkened and the smile froze on her face.


    Lucia was pleased with Jeanne¡¯s reaction.


    She had asked Jennifer to make two cheongsams for her the day she tried on the dresses.


    She had even promised to take more pictures, but she thought it was worth it as long as Jeanne was


    angry.


    "Ms.


    Kelly, if you''re interested, you can go and ask Jennifer someday,"


    Lucia said, nodding at Jeanne with a smile.


    Then she took Paul''s arm and went into the hall.


    Jeanne was furious, but August was next to her and she had to hold herself back.


    In the hall, Lucia attracted everyone''s attention as soon as she appeared.


    The cheongsam fit her figure perfectly and matched the decor of the hall well.


    She stood out from the crowd of women in dresses.


    Lucia, naturally, sensed that everyone was looking at her.


    She just looked around and noticed that there were a lot of people in the middle of the hall.


    She turned to Paul and said, "Paul, shall we go see Grandma first?"


    Paul gave her a loving smile.


    "Sure."


    Then he led Lucia toward the middle of the hall.


    Old Mrs.Adams was surrounded by people who came topliment her.


    Eliot and Christina stood next to her with loving smiles on their faces.


    "Thank you all!"


    Old Mrs.Adams nodded to the crowd with a smile.


    Lucia was inexplicably sad when she saw Old Mrs.Adams.


    Old Mrs.Adams hadn''t changed much, but she looked older than she had five years ago.


    Lucia recalled the things she had done with Old Mrs.Adams five years ago as she walked forward.


    Just then, Old Mrs.Adams looked up and froze when she saw Lucia.


    Stunned, she asked in a voice throbbing with emotion, "Lucia, is that you?"


    Obviously, she was very excited.


    Everyone turned to look at Lucia.


    Lucia got choked up and quickly walked up to her.


    "Grandma!"


    Old Mrs.Adams had always treated Lucia like her own granddaughter and protected her five years ago.


    Old Mrs.Adams'' eyes lit up with surprise.


    "Lucia, it''s really you! Come here!"


    Lucia immediately stepped forward and took her hand in hers.


    Old Mrs.Adams looked her up and down with mixed feelings.


    "We...


    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    We haven''t seen each other in years, right? Where have you been? I''ve missed you..."


    Lucia felt a little guilty.


    "Sorry, Grandma, I went abroad.


    It was so sudden and I didn''t have time to tell you..."


    "It''s okay.


    You''re back now! You got even prettier.


    I almost didn''t recognize you!"


    Old Mrs.Adams fixed her eyes on Lucia and ignored everyone else.


    Lucia listened with a smile and finally changed the subject.


    "Happy birthday, grandma.


    This is for you.


    Open it and see."


    She took a delicate gift box from Paul''s hand and handed it to Old Mrs.Adams.


    Old Mrs.Adams nodded with a smile, took the box, and opened it straight away.


    Inside the box was a green handmade cheongsam.


    It was high-ss and exquisite at first nce.


    Old Mrs.Adams stroked it slowly, her eyes shining.


    Lucia could tell that she liked it very much.


    Five years ago, she had happened to learn that Old Mrs.Adams liked cheongsams when they were


    talking.


    Now she finally had the chance to give her one.


    It was the best birthday present.


    "1...


    [like it very much!"


    Old Mrs.Adams nodded with tears in her eyes.


    She held Lucia''s hand tightly and whispered, "Lucia, you know me."


    Lucia felt warm and replied with a smile, "I''m d you like it."


    They talked for a little longer and then Lucia walked away.


    There were so many people waiting to talk to Old Mrs.Adams, and Lucia couldn''t stand there forever.


    She turned to look for Paul but noticed a pair of dark eyes.


    A man in a wheelchair approached her with a gentle smile, but the smile didn''t touch his eyes.


    Bishop came up to Lucia and said with a soft smile, "Lucia, it''s been a long time."

 Chapter 388

    Chapter 388


    Chapter 388 Time for Her to Have A Showdown with Jeanne The man in the wheelchair looked like a


    graceful gentleman with a kind and gentle smile.


    But looking at him, Lucia somehow felt a chill down her spine.


    She smiled at him and said softly, "Mr.Adams, long time no see."


    Hearing how she addressed him, Bishop frowned slightly, but the expression on his face didn''t change


    much.


    He smiled, changed the way he addressed her naturally, and praised, "I haven''t seen you in five years.


    Ms.


    Mitchell, you look really beautiful.


    "Thanks, Mr.Adams, you look in good spirits."


    When they met again after five years, Bishop was no longer pale and weak as he used to be in Lucia''s


    impression.


    Although he was still sitting in a wheelchair, his skin was tanned and his weakness had faded, and he


    had be more masculine.


    The two of them ttered each other for a while.


    Lucia nced down at the time on the phone, looked at Bishop, and said softly, "Mr.Adams, I have


    something else to do.


    I''m afraid I have to go."


    Bishop smiled and said, "Go ahead."


    After they nodded to each other, Bishop turned the wheelchair to leave.


    Lucia nced at him inadvertently.


    When she saw his legs move slightly under the nket, she suddenly froze in ce.


    Weren''t Bishop''s legspletely paralyzed? Why did he move just now? Lucia raised her eyes and


    looked over again, only to see him driving the wheelchair away, and there was nothing unusual.


    Lucia frowned, and her heart was full of doubts.


    She saw Bishop''s legs move just now, and she was not dazzled! Could it be...


    "Lucia!"


    There suddenly came a voice from behind and Lucia came to her sense.


    She turned her head to look over and saw Paul walking towards her.


    Paul stretched out his hand and hugged her shoulder naturally, "How was your talk with Mrs.Adams?"


    "Very good.


    Let''s go over there."


    Lucia took Paul to a corner where there were few people on the side and then turned to look at the


    center position in the party.


    It was crowded, and the one who was surrounded in the center was Mrs.Adams.


    With her son Eliot and grandson August here, people who were somewhat well-known in the entire


    Austos City were all gathered here.


    On the surface, it was Grandma''s 70th birthday party, but it was a good opportunity for the upper ss


    of Austos City to make friends and gain resources.


    August and Jeanne were standing on the side like a model couple, greeting all the people who came to


    talk.


    Seeing such a scene, Lucia felt inexplicably disgusted.


    She frowned and looked away.


    Paul was keenly aware of her change beside her.


    He took a deep breath and said softly, "Lucia, what are you going to do next?"


    He knew very well that Lucia came not only to congratte Grandma on her birthday.


    More importantly, she wanted to talk to Jeanne.


    Lucia took a deep breath and said lightly, "I''ve already made up my mind.


    This time you don''t interfere, and I''ll do it myself, okay?"


    With that, she stretched out her hand and gently ced it on the back of Paul''s hand.


    The firmness in her eyes and the warmth in her palm made Paul a little more at ease.


    He paused and held her hand, "Okay, it''s up to you."


    Lucia nodded and gave him a reassuring smile.


    Now that she and Jeanne were enemies, it was time for her to have a showdown with Jeanne.


    After more than half an hour, the crowd gradually dispersed.


    They were drinking and chatting in groups of three and two.


    Except for the festive decoration, the rest of the party was just like an ordinary business party.


    Lucia suddenly felt a little sorry for Grandma.


    She gritted her teeth, looked around the hall, and began to look for Jeanne.


    But she couldn''t find her after looking around.


    She stood up, looked at Paul next to her, and said softly, "I''ll go by myself.


    Don''t worry about me."


    With that, she walked away.


    Paul raised his eyes and looked at her elegant and charming back.


    His eyes darkened a bit and suddenly felt a little worried.


    After thinking about it, he took out his mobile phone and made a call in the end.


    Soon, the call was answered, and Pa''s voice came from the other end of the phone, "What''s the


    matter, Paul?"


    "Where are you now?"


    R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only


    Pa said, "I''m on my way there.


    Didn''t I say that there''s a performance today? I didn''t even have time to change my clothes, and I


    hurried to Austos International.


    It will take more than twenty minutes!"


    Paul said in a low voice, "Well,e as soon as possible.


    Lucia has already gone to see her.¡¯ "She went to see that bad woman! Why didn''t you stop her?!"


    "Sir, hurry up, I''m in a hurry!"


    Before Paul could speak, Pa screamed and immediately hung up the phone.


    Paul frowned helplessly, and slowly put away his phone.


    He still looked a little worried.


    It was not that he didn''t want to interfere, but Lucia was determined to talk to Jeanne this time, and he


    couldn''t stop it.


    Moreover, as her nominal husband, it was inappropriate for him toe forward.


    Otherwise, August would be involved and things would get moreplicated.


    He had no choice but to call Pa and ask her toe over to have a look to dissuade Lucia in time


    when something happened.


    He wasn''t sure whether Pa could rush over at the right time.


    After walking around the hall, Lucia didn''t see Jeanne.


    Inadvertently, she went up the stairs and reached the second floor.


    As soon as she turned around, she saw a bright figure on the small balcony on the second floor.


    The bright red dress was so dazzling.


    Who else could it be if it was not Jeanne? Lucia stepped forward, only to realize that there were two


    women beside her.


    The three of them were chatting andughing.


    Lucia walked over.


    As soon as she walked to the small balcony, Jeanne turned around reflexively.


    The moment she saw Lucia, her face suddenly became gloomy, and there was a bit of jealousy in her


    eyes.


    The two women next to her also followed her gaze.


    When they saw Lucia, they looked her up and down meaningfully.


    Lucia saw the three people''s reactions.


    She walked forward, looked at Jeanne, and said softly, "Ms.


    Kelly, I have something to tell you.


    I wonder if you have time."


    When Jeanne heard this, she sneered, turned to look at the two women next to her, and said, "You go


    to the hall first."


    "Jeanne, can you do it alone?"


    A woman next to her nced at Lucia vigntly.


    Jeanne frowned and said coldly, "You go first.


    We have something to talk about."


    The two women looked at each other and didn''t dare to say anything, and immediately walked away.


    Only the two of them were left on the small balcony.


    Jeanne raised her chin slightly, and her face turned cold.


    She didn''t take Lucia seriously, "What do you want to say?"


    Jeanne had seen it when Lucia and Grandma were talking in the hall just now.


    She really couldn''t understand it.


    It had been five years.


    Why did the old woman still miss Lucia so much?! In the past few years, the old woman had never


    been so affectionate to her! The more Jeanne thought about it, the angrier she became.


    She raised her eyes again and looked at Lucia with a little more undisguised disgust.


    When Lucia saw this, she didn''t panic, and said lightly, "Ms.


    Kelly, you must dislike me very much, right?"

 Chapter 389

    Chapter 389


    Chapter 389 What Did You Hear? When Jeanne heard what Lucia blurted out, her face changed


    slightly.


    She had not expected that Lucia would ask her so directly.


    Before she could answer, Lucia stepped forward and walked towards her.


    With a decent smile on her face, Lucia said softly, "Ms.


    Kelly, maybe you can tell, I''m no longer the Lucia I used to be."


    Her tone was very light, and she didn''t sound tough at all, but it sent a chill down Jeanne''s spine.


    Jeanne frowned and asked in a cold voice, "What do you want to say?"


    Lucia smiled, calmly turned her head to look at the distant scenery, and said softly, "I know, you must


    be very afraid.


    You''re afraid that I will take away your current position and destroy your family.


    You''re even more afraid that I will take August''s heart, aren''t you?"


    Jeanne¡¯s face instantly darkened.


    She couldn''t maintain her sanity, and said, "What nonsense are you talking about?!"


    "You know if I''m talking nonsense."


    Lucia tucked her long hair around her ear and said, "To be honest, I can do all of this.


    I haven''t done it because I don''t want to."


    She met Jeanne''s gaze and her voice suddenly became cold, "Do you think I don''t know what you''ve


    done behind my back?"


    Hearing Lucia''s words, Jeanne froze.


    She suddenly had difficulty breathing and broke out in a cold sweat.


    Given what Lucia said, did Lucia already know what she had done? At this moment, Lucia suddenly


    took a step forward, approached her, and said in a low voice, "Or do you think you can still plot against


    me like before and I don''t know how to resist?"


    Jeanne shivered violently, and the toughness she had just now dissipated a lot in an instant.


    She gritted her teeth, red at Lucia, and said, "Lucia, what are you...


    trying to do?!"


    "Jeanne, use your brain.


    If I wanted, with Grandma''s affection for me, I''m afraid you wouldn''t have beaten me."


    Lucia took a deep breath and said, "As long as I wanted to, with Grandma''s support, do you think I


    couldn''t marry into the Adams family?"


    Jeanne was so angry that she lost her mind, and said angrily, "Nonsense! Do you think you could marry


    into the Adams family if you wanted to?! Even if the old woman supports you, there are still Eliot and


    Christina in the Adams family! For someone like you with two bastard children, who do you think you


    are to marry into the Adams family?!"


    When Lucia heard the words "two bastard children", her face suddenly darkened, and it was


    frighteningly cold.


    The next second, she stepped forward and walked directly in front of Jeanne, looked down at her, and


    said coldly, "Whether they''re bastard children or not, you know it best!"


    "Even without Grandma''s support, Eliot and Christina would probably be more willing to wee me


    into the Adams family simply because of the two bastard children you''re talking about!"


    With that, she nced down at Jeanne¡¯s belly and said, "After all, nothing happened there in the past


    two years."


    Lucia''s words instantly hit Jeanne''s soft spot.


    She turned pale, gritted her teeth to prevent herself from losing her temper, and clenched her fists


    tightly.


    On the surface, when others saw her and August together, they would call them a perfect match and


    she had long been the object of discussion at the tea party of the upper-ssdies in Austos City.


    It had been two years since she married into a wealthy family, and she hadn''t gotten pregnant yet,


    which was naturally unreasonable.


    There were rumors that she and August were infertile, but only she knew that August had not touched


    her since they got married! Not even once! It annoyed her the most! And now, when she was so


    tantly mocked by her rival in love, she naturally couldn''t be angrier.


    She gritted her teeth and said, "Lucia, you are so mean!"


    "I''m not as mean as you! At least, I wouldn''t attack innocent children!"


    Lucia retorted forcefully, "I didn''t attack you not because I didn''t have the ability, but because I didn''t


    want to.


    Jeanne, if anything happens to my family again, I will take everything you have now!"


    "Lucia! How dare you!"


    They were arguing angrily.


    They didn''t notice a man in a suit standing outside the balcony door, motionless.


    Pa walked across the hall panting, climbed to the second floor, and turned her head to look around.


    Just when she couldn''t find Lucia, she looked up and saw a man standing outside the balcony.


    She frowned and looked left and right, but still didn''t see Lucia.


    She had rushed all the way and didn''t even have time to change her clothes.


    After she arrived at Austos International, she asked several waiters and finally found Lucia''s


    whereabouts.


    When she heard that Lucia might be on the second floor, she didn''t even think about it and ran up


    immediately.


    Unexpectedly, after running upstairs, she found that the ce was empty and there was nothing.


    Just as she was about to leave, she heard a faint quarreling sounding from the side.


    She followed the sound and saw the balcony over there.


    The man was standing outside as if eavesdropping.


    Pa''s heart skipped a beat, and she walked forward lightly.


    But when she got closer, she found the man''s back familiar.


    Suddenly, the man moved, turned around, and looked straight at her with sharp and vignt eyes.


    But the moment when their eyes met, both of them were startled.


    Two secondster, Pa frowned, and her face darkened a little.


    It turned out to be Burton! She thought she saw it wrong! "Why are you..."


    Just as she was about to ask a question, she suddenly heard a woman''s voiceing from the


    balcony.


    She looked over and was even more shocked when she saw the two women confronting each other on


    the balcony.


    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    It turned out to be Lucia and the bad woman Jeanne! She had looked around in the hall just now and


    didn''t see them.


    She hadn''t expected them to be on the second floor.


    But when did Burtone here? How much had he overheard? "You..."


    Just as she was about to speak, Burton''s face changed suddenly and he stepped forward immediately.


    The moment she shouted, he immediately pulled her into his arms and covered her mouth! He


    frowned, lowered his head, and said, "Don''t make a sound!"


    Pa was so surprised.


    With her mouth covered, she could only make a muffled sound.


    Burton frowned slightly, put his arms around her neatly, retreated to the room nearby, and went in


    directly.


    He carefully closed the door, locked it, and tried not to make any extra noise.


    Then he secretly breathed a sigh of relief and released the woman who was constantly struggling and


    twisting in his arms.


    Pa became angry, and her face flushed, "What the hell are you..."


    Before she could finish her sentence, Burton gave her a warning look, as if saying that he would cover


    her mouth again if she didn''t shut up.


    She quickly took a step back and looked at him with some vignce, "What...


    what are you trying to do?"


    "Why were you eavesdropping on Lucia?"


    "Tell me, what did you hear?"


    Pa asked several questions in a row before Burton could answer.


    Burton was a little helpless, pursed his lips, and didn''t answer.


    Seeing his expression, Pa felt a burst of unease in her heart.


    Could it be that he already knew? She secretly gasped.


    She gritted her teeth, and said seriously, "Burton, what did you hear?!"

 Chapter 390

    Chapter 390


    Chapter 390 She Offered to Give him Some Hush Money Burton''s face changed slightly.


    After a pause of two seconds, he said slowly, "I heard everything."


    When Pa heard his words, her face changed in fright, "You mean..."


    Burton took a deep breath and said, "Timothy and J are August''s flesh and blood."


    Hearing Burton''s words, Pa froze in ce for a long time.


    She hadn''t thought that Burton knew everything! When Burton knew it, it meant that August was about


    to know it too! Thinking of this, Pa panicked! She knew well how Lucia had survived the past five


    years.


    If this secret that they had kept for five years was suddenly revealed, something bad would happen!


    She gritted her teeth, suddenly thought of something, and raised her head quickly.


    When she saw Burton, a dim light suddenly shed in her eyes.


    She immediately stepped forward, reached out, and grabbed Burton''s arm.


    She gritted her teeth and was ready to fight against him to the end, "Don''t go! You''re not going today!"


    Seeing that Pa''s face suddenly changed, and she held his arm and refused to let go, Burton couldn''t


    help smiling.


    He felt amused and asked, "Why?"


    Pa grabbed his arm tightly and said hysterically, "You know why! Burton, you are so despicable! You


    were hiding in the corner and eavesdropping on people! You''re not a gentleman at all."


    "If you dare to tell others, I won''t go easy on you!"


    "Did you hear me?! You''re going to keep it to yourself, and you can''t tell anyone!"


    Hearing her threat, Burton smiled even more.


    Why did he think it was interesting? "Burton! I''m talking to you!"


    Seeing that Burton didn''t respond for a long time, Pa suddenly became angry.


    But Burton was born with a poker face and he always looked so cold.


    Pa thought that he was inhumane and he couldn''t ept what she had said just now! Thinking of


    this, Pa suddenly wanted to cry.


    But for Lucia''s future happiness as well as for Timothy and J, she must find a way to stop this!


    Pa gritted her teeth and make up her mind.


    Her expression softened a bit when she looked at Burton again, and her voice was a bit more polite,


    "Burton, name your price."


    At this time, money didn''t matter.


    If she could pay Burton to keep quiet, this was what she should do the most.


    But Burton raised his eyebrows when he heard her words.


    He lowered his eyes and looked at her, "Do you think I love money so much?"


    Pa took a deep breath and forced herself to be patient.


    She raised her eyes, looked at Burton, and said in a serious tone, "Well, what do you want? As long as


    I can do it, I will try my best to satisfy you if you agree!"


    Burton''s heart tightened when he heard it.


    Looking at Pa''s pink cheeks and lips, he felt tempted and hesitated.


    Pa didn''t notice the abnormality and continued, "Anyway, it''s not the first time you''ve done this kind


    of thing.


    Please help me this time.


    Just name your price!"


    Burton swallowed and said, "Are you serious?"


    Pa raised her eyes to meet his and said, "Yes!"


    } The next second, she was pushed to the wall on the side, and her eyes suddenly darkened.


    She raised her eyes and saw Burton''s bright and firm eyes and firm chin line.


    Her heart tightened, and she was inexplicably flustered.


    "You..."


    Before she finished her settence, Burton lowered his head and kissed her lips forcefully.


    Pa immediately froze, and her mind went nk.


    But soon, a fiery heat hit Fer, burning inside her.


    Burton''s kiss was somewhat anxious and domineering, passing over her lips, brushing her cheeks, and


    moving to her ear.


    His voice was hoarse and deep, mixed with masculinity, "What I want is you."


    Like a beam of electricity, his words instantly rushed into Pa''s ear and she shivered.


    R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only


    Before she could react, her earlobe was kissed by him.


    At that moment, her knees instantly felt weak...


    Soon, the me in her body waspletely ignited, and previous thoughts and desires swept in


    together.


    She opened her arms and wrapped them around Burton''s neck directly.


    At this moment, she wanted to be with him, no matter what...


    Suddenly, a bell rang.


    Pa shivered and stopped.


    A few secondster, she regained her senses and woke up almost instantly.


    She quickly let go, took a few steps back, and quickly covered the cor of her shirt that was just


    unbuttoned.


    Burton''s eyes were red and his voice was hoarse, "Pa..."


    Pa gritted her teeth and said, "Burton, if you dare to tell others about Lucia, I won''t go easy on you!"


    With that, she quickly adjusted her clothes, pushed open the door, and fled.


    The door mmed shut.


    Burton stood in the room with a sense of depression in his heart.


    When did he and Pa reach this point? Finally, he sighed, opened the door, and walked out.


    He would listen to Pa and keep this secret for the time being.


    At the same time, Lucia was pacing back and forth in the corridor in the hall, feeling a little uneasy in


    her heart.


    She had missed a call from Elisa because of her showdown with Jeanne just now.


    When she called back, no one answered.


    After thinking about it, she finally took a deep breath and walked to the bathroom.


    Two minutester, she walked to the sink in the bathroom to wash her hands.


    When she raised her eyes inadvertently, she suddenly found that there were two more figures at the


    door.


    It was the two women she had seen with Jeanne on the balcony just now.


    They folded their arms and stared straight at her through the mirror with inexplicable mocking smiles on


    their faces.


    Lucia turned a blind eye to it.


    She washed her hands calmly, picked up the paper napkin next to her, dried her hands, and walked


    towards the door.


    But the two women who were blocking the door had no intention of getting out of the way.


    Lucia''s face was cold and she said expressionlessly, "Please let me go."


    "What if we don''t?"


    "Who do you think you are to ask us to make way?"


    They kept mocking Lucia.


    It was clear that they were deliberately trying to embarrass her.


    Lucia didn''t care much about it.


    She smiled, turned to look around, and finally saw the infographic posted on the wall.


    The picture showed the phone number of the lobby manager of Austos International, and other


    emergency measures reminders.


    Lucia took out her mobile phone seemingly casually, shook it at the two women at the door, and said


    softly, "It seems that I can only ask the lobby manager toe over.


    Their door is too narrow, and I can''t get through..."


    With that, she blinked.


    Just as she was about to make a call, one of the women questioned her, "What do you want to do?"


    Lucia tilted her head and smiled at them, "I''m calling the manager and asking him to send someone to


    open the door wider."


    Immediately, the faces of the two women darkened a little.


    They looked at each other, and a woman stepped back reluctantly to make some room.


    Lucia smiled.


    She didn''t say anything, put away her phone, and walked out.


    As soon as she walked out of the door, the two women behind her looked at each other.


    One of them caught up with Lucia, looked at the hem of her dress, raised her foot, and stepped on it


    hard!

 Chapter 391

    Chapter 391


    Chapter 391 This Time It Was on Purpose


    Lucia was wearing a cheongsam open in the sides.


    With each step, the hem slightly raised.


    The woman stomped it down with her high heels and pressed it to the floor.


    Lucia felt something pulling her from behind.She turned around with a frown and then heard a loud


    ripping noise.Her face darkened when she saw the torn hem.


    The owner of the red heels pompously lifted her foot, took two steps back, and quickly apologized, "I''m


    so sorry.I didn''t mean to."


    Overwhelmed by anger, Lucia frowned, clenched her teeth, and tried to restrain herself.


    The two women gave smug and excited smiles.


    Lucia knew very well that they were bullying her on purpose.


    Maybe they had been sent by Jeanne or maybe they had been bullying others, but either way, Jeanne


    was definitely involved.


    Lucia asked seriously, "You did it on purpose, didn''t you?"


    She was furious that the cheongsam Jennifer had spent so much effort to make was ruined by them.


    The woman in the ck dress said sarcastically, "Ms.Mitchell, how can you say that? It was just an


    ident!"


    "Yes," the woman in the pink dress agreed, "do you want our money? Are you short of money?"


    Lucia was furious to the core.


    She clenched her fists, stared them in the eye, and said angrily, "This is too much.I''ll pull the security


    tapes and let everyone see if you did it on purpose!"


    The two women looked at each other andughed out loud.


    "Ms.Mitchell, do we have a problem? Why are you targeting us?" the woman in the pink dress asked.


    Before Lucia could answer, the woman in the ck dress added, "You did misunderstand us!"She


    suddenly grabbed the hem of Lucia¡¯s cheongsam and tore it.


    With another loud ripping noise, Lucia looked down, only to find that the tops of her thighs and her


    underwear were exposed.She was stunned and quickly reached out to cover her thighs.She had never


    expected them to be so rude as to tear her cheongsam.


    The woman in the ck dress raised her eyebrows and said smugly, "This time it was on purpose,


    okay?"


    Lucia was about to explode inside.


    If she wasn''t covering her thighs with her hands, she would have pped this woman hard.


    "Ms.Mitchell, the quality of your cheongsam is not good! I just touched it gently!"


    The two women continued to taunt her and had no intention of leaving.


    People passing by the restroom all looked at them curiously.


    Lucia was embarrassed and annoyed and didn''t dare to move.


    If she moved or raised her hands, the tops of her thighs would be exposed.She took a deep breath and


    asked the two women in a low, cold voice, "Do you think I''ll let you go?"


    She couldn''t do anything to them now, but she had a lot of time to deal with them in the future if she


    wanted to.


    The two women blinked guiltily and said nothing.


    Lucia snorted.


    "Do you think Jeanne will defend you when the timees?"


    The two women''s faces suddenly paled.


    They looked at each other, not knowing what to say.


    Soon the woman in the ck dress turned to look at Lucia with a fierce look in her eyes and said coldly,


    "Okay, then we''ll do a thorough job today!"


    Suddenly, she reached out and gave Lucia a firm push.


    Caught off guard, Lucia lost her bnce and fell backward to the floor.


    Naturally, she was no longer able to cover her cheongsam and her long, thin legs were exposed.


    People kepting in and out of the restroom.


    They were all attracted when Lucia fell down.


    The men fixed their eyes on Lucia''s long legs while the women were jealous.


    Despite the pain in her elbows and knees, Lucia quickly reached out and tried to cover her thighs.


    At this moment, she was in a mess.


    The two women just watched.


    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    One of them even took out her cell phone to take pictures of Lucia and said to the other one with a


    smile, "Jean will be so happy to see these pictures.."


    Lucia looked up in a panic and saw people around her looking at her with strange eyes.


    For a moment, she was desperate.


    Nowadays, if something bad happened to someone, he was lucky if others didn''t throw stones at him.


    Just then, there were hurried footsteps and then a low voice asked, "What''s going on?"


    As soon as August appeared, people slowly backed away and tried to leave.


    Lucia quickly tuned her head and saw August''s defined face.


    August ordered the waiters next to him in a firm tone, "Calm the guests.I''ll take care of this."


    "Yes, sir."


    The two waiters immediately nodded and began to evacuate the guests. The two women winked at


    each other and were about to walk away when August suddenly said, "You two stay."


    The two women were startled by his cold voice and tensed up.


    August nced at them and then looked down at Lucia with dark eyes.


    After a pause, he suddenly took off his suit jacket and threw it over Lucia.


    Lucia frowned and wanted to refuse, but there was nothing around to cover her and she had to put on


    the suit jacket.


    To her surprise, it covered her thighspletely.

 Chapter 392

    Chapter 392


    Chapter 392 Aren''t You Going out?


    It wasn''t until Lucia put on the suit jacket that August looked away and stared coldly at the two women.


    He stepped forward and asked seriously as if he was interrogating a prisoner, "What do you want?"


    The two women trembled with fear.


    One of them lowered her head and said in a trembling voice, "We...We didn''t do it on purpose..."


    "Is that so?" August snorted.


    Apparently, he didn''t believe them at all.He had just seen them push Lucia to the floor as he walked


    past the restroom.


    At that moment, he couldn''t restrain his anger.


    The two women cowered.


    "We really didn''t mean to..."


    "Really?" August asked rhetorically.


    Before they could answer, he turned to look at Burton and ordered in a cold voice, "Burton, go to the


    surveince room and pull the security tapes!"


    When it came to the security tapes, the two women were afraid and couldn''t say anything.


    The woman in the ck dress suddenly thought of something and quickly looked up at August.


    "Mr.Adams, it''s our fault.We''ll apologize to Ms.Mitchell! Please forgive us for Jean''s sake.We''re Jean''s


    good friends!"


    At the mention of Jeanne, August''s face darkened.


    They were throwing gas on the fire.


    He frowned at Burton and ordered, "Have the security kick them out!"


    Then he turned to look at Lucia without hesitation and said coldly, "You,e with me."


    Lucia felt better when August dealt with the two women, but she was confused when he asked her to


    come with him.She asked with a frown, "Why?"


    August nced at her cheongsam and said coldly, "I don''t mind if you want to wear it all the time."


    Lucia looked down in surprise.Her face turned pale when she saw the torn cheongsam underneath the


    jacket.It was strange and would still attract a lot of attention.It was obvious that her cheongsam was


    torn.


    Besides, the jacket was August''s.


    She didn''t want to be misunderstood.She gritted her teeth and could only catch up with August.


    They walked through the hallway and took the elevator to the third floor.


    As soon as they got out of the elevator, August went to the second room on the right and opened the


    door.


    Lucia hesitated when August turned to stare at her.


    She took a deep breath, pushed the doubt aside, and entered the room.


    The room was simply decorated with little furniture, but everything looked upscale.


    Lucia followed August to the couch, and August turned to look at her.


    "I had a dress prepared.It''ll be here soon."


    Before Lucia could answer, he went to the wine cab, took out a bottle of wine, opened the fridge,


    and put ice cubes in it.


    Then he slowly walked to the floor-to-ceiling window and looked out as he sipped his wine.


    Lucia nced at his broad shoulders and thin waist.She felt that she could even see his strong


    muscles through his shirt.


    Inexplicably, her heart raced.She looked away, trying to calm down, but suddenly, she realized he


    wasn''t about to leave.


    What if someone saw them in the same room together? Lucia sat up straight, took a deep breath,


    cleared her throat, and asked seriously, "Aren''t you going out?"


    August froze for a moment and slowly turned to look at her.


    He raised his eyebrows slightly and said casually, "Why? I''ve seen your whole body, haven''t I?"


    Lucia was speechless and embarrassed.


    They had been married and had done everything, but after all, they were divorced.


    Just then, there was a knock on the door and a voice outside said, "Mr.Adams, I''m here to deliver the


    dress."


    August went to open the door, took a delicate bag from the man, and closed the door without


    hesitation.He returned to the couch and set the bag down next to Lucia.


    "Change it."


    Then he walked away and picked up his ss of wine.


    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    Lucia nced at the logo on the bag.


    After a moment''s hesitation, she took the dress to the bathroom.It was a simple long beige dress.


    The most important thing was that it fit her well.


    Lucia looked at herself in the mirror with a satisfied smile.She put her cheongsam in the bag and


    walked out.


    At the window, August heard the door open and turned slightly.


    A glint of surprise passed across his eyes when he saw Lucia.He had just picked out a dress at


    random.He hadn''t expected her to look so good in it.


    The only thing that was inappropriate was her red lips.


    They went well with her cheongsam, but now she looked gentle in this dress and her red lips were


    stark.


    Lucia didn''t notice August''s slightly downcast eyes.


    She picked up her handbag and said to him, "Thank you for helping me.I''ll pay for the dress."


    After that, she gave him a small nod and walked to the door.


    Just as she put her hand on the doorknob, she felt a gust of wind behind her, and her wrist was


    grabbed.She let out a scream as she was turned around.


    The next second, August took her chin in his big hand and said in a low voice, "Wipe off your lipstick


    before you go."


    He rubbed Lucia¡¯s soft lips directly with his thumbs.


    The smudged lipstick made her lips look so inviting.


    August felt a greatpulsion.


    He deliberately looked away and wiped his hands with a tissue.


    "Done."


    Lucia was confused and frowned when she realized what was going on.


    "What''s wrong with you?"


    She reached out her hand to push him.She really didn''t know why he did that! August raised an


    eyebrow and said casually, "I like you better like this."

 Chapter 393

    Chapter 393


    Chapter 393 Don''t Bother Lucia


    Immediately, these words hit Lucia like a thunderbolt.


    Was August saying this to confess his love to her? Confused, nervous, and unable to figure it out, she


    took a deep breath and hurriedly reached out her hand to push August, "Stop joking, it''s not funny at


    all!"


    However, she could not move the man''s body at all which blocked her in front like a wall.


    In a panic, she froze as soon as she lost control of her fist and suddenly touched his private part.


    A few secondster, she took fright at August''s bulge at that part and her face instantly turned pale.She


    tried to move back, but behind her, there was no way but a wall.She took a deep breath, looked up at


    August, and exined in panic, "I ...didn''t mean to do it..."


    She had been so nervous that she had identally touched his private part, having not expected to


    arouse him! Apparently, August was also aware of the change in his body.


    As his desire became stronger, with a frown, he suddenly reached out his hand and grabbed her wrist,


    saying in a low voice, "You didn''t mean to do it? But I think you did."


    "No, I didn''t!¡¯ Hearing this, Lucia whispered with a blush, "I''m not interested in you at all!"


    August snorted coldly, enjoying the little woman''s panic.


    With a hint of a smile, he suddenly took her and went inside.


    Startled, Lucia was taken inside before she could react.


    Her heart racing, as something suddenly urred to her, she wrenched herself free from the man¡¯s


    hand.


    She then took two steps back and covered her chest with her arms, staring at August in panic, saying


    warily, "August, you''re not going to do something weird to me, are you?"


    Hearing this, August chuckled but didn''t answer her question.


    Deliberately or not, he raised his hand to grab his tie and loosened it a little, as if he was going to rip it


    off and undress right away ...


    With a panic attack in her heart, Lucia got even more nervous, "August, don''t move, or I''ll call


    someone!"


    Hearing this, August slightly raised his chin and said softly with a hint of a smile, "Are you trying to


    threaten me in my room?"


    The man was totally without scruples, staring at her with his sparkling ck eyes as if he could read


    her mind.


    Before she could speak, he already stepped forward, saying with a hint of a smile, "Even if I really do


    something to you here, I''m afraid no one will know"


    Lucia was so frightened by this that she lost her words.


    Just then, a sound of footsteps suddenly came from outside, followed by a histrionic voice, "August, are


    you in there?"


    It was Jeanne''s voice! Lucia realized with a jolt of joy in her heart.She quickly looked at August beside


    her with some confidence, "Jeanne is here."


    As his eyes darkened, August red at Lucia with a frown, and hissed after two seconds, "I''ll get even


    with you for thister."


    As he was saying this, he turned around, walked to the door, and directly opened the door.


    Jeanne, with a big smile on her face, was about to say something when she saw Lucia behind him and


    her face immediately darkened.


    "August, she ..."


    Before August could answer, Lucia took a cold nce at August, saying in a deep voice, "President


    Adams, I''ll have someone transfer the money for the clothes to you.I''m out of here."


    After her words, she directly stepped away without a nce at Jeanne.


    Jeanne looked over her shoulder at the woman as she strode away, gritting her teeth in anger, but


    when she turned around again, she looked at August with watery eyes pitifully, "August, what are you


    doing with her ..."


    August nced at her with a frown, and directly turned away, leaving two words, "Come in."


    Jeanne took a deep breath and followed him in, crying an ocean of tears.


    August ignored her tears, sitting on the sofa and looking coldly at her, "Was that you who sent those


    two women to bother her?"


    Jeanne was still very angry and August did not exin, so she couldn''t help but raise her voice, "What


    women? Bother who?"


    As his face darkened, with a chilling aura around his body, he reached out his hand to turn on his cell


    phone, tapped on a surveince video, and threw it directly onto the table.


    What was ying on the phone was the surveince clip where two women were bullying Lucia


    together at the bathroom door.


    As her face instantly turned pale, she immediately picked up the phone and watched it again, and her


    face became even paler.


    "It...it wasn''t me! I didn''t ask them to bully her!"


    Her eyes wide open, Jeanne looked at August with an innocent look.


    His deep dark eyes imprable, August snorted coldly, and slowly leaned back against the sofa,


    saying in a somewhat impatient voice, "They said they were your friends, so you tell me why they


    would bother Lucia."


    Hearing this, Jeanne lost her words.She had indeed gossiped about Lucia with those friends of hers,


    and sometimes she had said something bad about her when she had been angry.


    ¡®Did they take the liberty of bothering Lucia by themselves?¡¯ Jeanne clenched her fists and cursed in


    her heart.


    ¡®Idiots!"


    They shouldn''t have bullied someone without checking her background.


    New that they, as Jeanne''s friends, had bothered Lucia, Jeanne naturally had to take the me.


    As she was speechless with anger, the man who had been sitting stock-still over there suddenly raised


    his eyes with a chilling look, "Jean, you know that today is Grandma''s birthday.


    If this matter gets out of hand, have you thought about how to end this?"


    As nervousness clutched at her heart, Jeanne suddenly weakened, "I...August, I''m sorry ..."


    She was about to say something she had prepared just now to apologize when August suddenly raised


    his hand to stop her, and looked away, saying coldly, "This matter has already been resolved, so it


    doesn''t matter this time."


    He paused, and then looked straight at her, "But remember, from now on, don''t ever bother Lucia


    again."


    Jeanne felt heartbroken upon hearing his words.


    At that moment, as all the humiliation, grievance, jealousy, and hatred came crowding into her mind,


    she gritted her teeth, holding back all the feelings and trying not to show them.


    She was warned by her own husband not to bother her rival in love, only she herself could understand


    this kind of mixed feelings.


    Finally, she barely forced a hint of a smile, looking at August, "Well, I got it, August"


    Hearing this, August nodded slightly, stood up, and looked at her still with an expressionless face,


    "Let''s go, Grandma is waiting for us."


    Jeanne nodded, put on a lovable face, and apanied August out to continue the birthday banquet.


    On this asion, no matter how angry she felt, she shouldn''t show it! She walked out with a forced


    smile.


    While August was being pestered for toasts, she took out her cell phone, walked to the corner, made a


    call, and instructed gritting her teeth, "Bring Ke and Linn to the vi!"ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    These two women, not only had been of no help but also hadid the me on her, how could she let


    them off?

 Chapter 394

    Chapter 394


    Chapter 394 Lied to Him


    The birthday banquet in the hall was still lively, and the guests were toasting each other and drinking,


    making it a peaceful scene.


    In the crowd withughter, Paul, who was always calm and gentle, actually looked back and forth with a


    slight frown and a somewhat anxious look.


    When he saw a familiar figure, as his eyes darkened, he immediately strode over, "Pa."


    Pa turned around at the sound of his voice with an affected look, saying in a rare quiet manner,


    "Paul."


    "Have you found Lucia?"


    Lucia had gone to Jeanne, but he hadn''t wanted to intervene in affairs between women.He had given


    her two calls in a row just now, but neither had been answered, which had made him even more


    worried.


    "I had found her, but she disappeared again."


    With a gloomy face, Pa casually replied, picked up a ss of juice beside her, and found a seat to


    sit.


    Seeing this, Paul frowned even harder, and hurriedly continued to ask, "Pa, what''s the matter?"


    ''Ils there really something wrong?¡¯ "Nothing, I just met someone I don''t want to meet."


    Pa finished half a ss of juice in one gulp and continued before Paul could ask again, "Paul, stop


    asking.I don''t want to talk about it."


    Hearing this, Paul paused for a moment and said nothing more.He had to focus on looking for Lucia, so


    he had no time for other things.


    Suddenly, a beautiful figure came into sight.He fixed his eyes on it, and to his great joy, It was Lucia!


    "Lucia, over here."


    Hearing the voice, Lucia raised her eyes, saw Paul and Pa not far away, and stepped toward them


    with a smile.


    "Pa, you''re here too?"


    Lucia reached out her hand to tap Pa on the shoulder, and suddenly froze the moment she saw her


    expression.She hurriedly leaned over and asked, "What''s the matter?"


    Pa''s heart had long been messed up by Burton, and now she couldn''t cheer up even in front of her


    best friend.


    She shook her head after a deep breath, "I''m fine, I just ran into a scumbag."


    Stunned, Lucia quickly realized who the scumbag she was referring to was, took a deep breath, and


    gently stroked her back tofort her.


    Beside them, noticing the dress that Lucia had just changed into, Paul wanted to ask the question that


    was on his mind but he didn''t.


    Soon, the birthday banquet was over.


    Lucia wanted to say goodbye to her grandmother before leaving, but there were too many guests, one


    after another.


    So she had to give up the idea and left with them.


    On the way, the carriage was rarely quiet.


    Paul sent Pa home first and then sent Lucia home to change clothes.


    Lucia was a little worried by the thought of Pa''s state just now.


    Obviously, Pa still had feelings for Burton, otherwise how would she have be like this? She


    took a deep breath, and turned around to look at Paul, saying softly, "Paul, I don''t know whether you''ve


    noticed that Pa still has feelings for Burton."


    Paul replied absentmindedly, "Yeah."


    "I think we should talk to Burton sometime and ask him if he still has feelings for Pa too ..."


    Paul''s eyes darkened as he heard this.


    There was no way he would ept Burton.


    First of all, he had failed his sister before, and secondly, he worked for his rival in love.


    He would not ept him for any one of the two reasons.


    But he did not want to refute Lucia''s idea, so he slightly nodded in response, "When someday I''m free,


    I will"


    Lucia nodded on hearing this, and only then did she feel relieved.


    Paul sent Lucia back to West Bridge and waited for her to change her clothes before he sent her to the


    hospital to check on J.


    Paul got out of the car and followed her directly to the bedroom on the second floor.This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .


    Before entering the room, he nced at the CHENEL limited for this season the woman was wearing,


    swallowed hard, and could not help but ask, "Lucia, didn''t you go out in a fishtail gown today? Why did


    you change your clothes?"


    Hearing this, Lucia lowered her eyes, took a nce at the clothes she was wearing, and with a hesitant


    look, she casually excused herself, "...It was sshed with water at the time, so I changed into this


    one."


    If Paul knew that she had been bullied by two women, he would certainly get mad, not to mention that


    she had met August today.


    So instead of exining it vaguely, she decided not to tell him, letting sleeping dogs lie.


    Hearing this, though his eyes darkened a little, Paul didn''t pursue the matter, watching the woman step


    into the bedroom and close the door as he frowned involuntarily.He then fished his phone out and


    tapped on a video to watch.


    In the video, Lucia walked into a private box with August.


    Judging by the angle, it had been recorded secretly with a cell phone.


    The video quality was not very good, but good enough to tell that the people in the video were August


    and Lucia.


    This video had been sent to him by his underlings.


    At the time he couldn''t have found Lucia in the hall, and Pa hadn''t returned, so he had gotten


    worried, and had sent his men to look for her.


    Unexpectedly, right after he had sent Lucia back, he had received this video from his men.He had


    parked the car in the courtyard, having watched the video with his head nk.He then had collected


    himself before having followed her into the house, and only then had he screwed up his courage to ask


    her about the clothes.


    And to his surprise, she hadn''t told him the truth.


    Staring at the scene in the video, Paul felt heartbroken.


    In the past five years, he had had a clear conscience, having done his best to treat Timothy, J, and


    her nicely, but he had never expected her to lie to him about such a thing.


    He dared not to imagine what had happened between August and her alone in the private box.


    He clenched his fists as more and more discontent and resentment crowded in on him.


    Although his face looked gentle as usual, he had struggled with his heart several times.


    However, he didn''t want to leave.


    For him, Lucia had long been deep in his heart and soul, so he could not leave her.


    Ten minutester, Lucia went out as the door clicked open.


    Seeing Paul standing outside with a serious look, she could not help but ask, "What''s wrong, Paul? You


    don''t look well ..."


    "I''m okay."


    Paul raised the corners of his lips, holding back the difort in his heart and smiling at her, "Maybe


    I''m just too tired.Let''s go to the suburbs to have fun for two days a few dayster, what do you say?"


    A little worried by the man¡¯s abnormal state, Lucia reached out her hand to feel his forehead


    temperature with the back of the hand before she felt reassured.


    The next second, as her hand was suddenly grabbed by him, Lucia looked up at his tender eyes.


    "Is that okay? We haven''t gone out as a whole family for a long time."


    Slightly stunned for a moment, Lucia then nodded at him, smiling, "Okay, as you wish this time."


    She suddenly found that the man who had been in front of her for the past five years would also get


    tired, so she decided to spend more time with him.


    Several days passed, and J''s condition tended to stabilize, the wound on the back of her hand had


    scabbed over, and she was still lively and mischievous as usual.


    Only on hearing the doctor say she could be discharged from the hospital, did Lucia finally feel


    relieved.


    Paul was on a business trip and couldn''te back, so he asked Pa to go with a driver to pick up


    J from the hospital.


    Lucia was also busy with the discharge procedures without stopping for a moment.


    J and Timothy stayed in the ward in thepany of Pa, having been ying several rounds of


    Rubik''s cube, and neither of them was willing to give in.


    Just then, the door was suddenly pushed open, followed by a tall figure showing up in the doorway.

 Chapter 395

    Chapter 395


    Chapter 395 Want to Start Over with You


    J sitting on the bed was the first one to see the person at the door.


    As a big smile instantly lit up her chubby little face, she directly dropped the Rubik''s Cube in her hand


    and waved at the man at the door, "Uncle Handsome!"


    Pa aside from ying on her phone heard the sound and hurriedly looked over, and her face


    instantly darkened when she saw that the person standing at the door was August.


    She dropped her phone and directly stepped in front of J and Timothy, shielding them behind her


    as she stared at the man at the door.


    Seeing this, as the smile slightly froze on his lips, August stepped forward, saying in a soft tone, "I


    heard that J would be discharged from the hospital, so I''m here to check on her."


    Pa said in a stony tone, "J is fine, she eats and drinks a lot, and she''s lively as usual.Since


    you''ve seen her, you should leave."


    J poked her little head out of her back, looking at August pitifully, but dared to say nothing.


    "Don''t worry, I won''t do anything to her.I just want to check on her."


    As August said word for word, he didn''t stop his steps, directly detouring to the other side of the bed.


    J timidly greeted him, "Uncle Handsome ..."


    Touched, he suddenly felt sad in his heart somehow.


    He would have held the little girl into his arms but for Pa''s protection, unable to even touch her.He


    paused, and with a slight frown, he turned around to give Burton a look as a signal, who stood at the


    door carrying a doll bear and a gift basket.


    At the signal, Burton immediately stepped forward and walked directly toward Pa.


    Pa, who had not expected Burton here, froze as nervousness immediately surged through her,


    making her body inexplicably stiff.


    Pa gritted her teeth, forcing herself to stay calm, "What ...are you doing here?"


    Burton raised the corners of his lips, smiling brightly at her.


    After handing the doll to J and putting down the basket, he turned around to look at her, saying


    softly, "I''m here for you."


    Pa was shocked with her eyes wide open, "For me?"


    Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    "Yes, I have something to tell you."


    As Burton nodded and said this, he casually took her hand, trying to pull her outside.


    Shocked again, Pa subconsciously wrenched herself free from his hand and took a step back, "Are


    you crazy?"


    Hearing this, Burton paused, and then suddenly leaned over and whispered something in her ear.


    As her face turned pale in no time, Pa slightly opened her mouth but was unable to speak.


    A few secondster, she came to her senses, and turned around to gaze at August next to her,


    breathing in a mouthful of cold air, "You only have twenty minutes."


    Then, she looked at Timothy and J next to her, softly telling them, "Aunt Pa will go outside for a


    while.Be good, no running around, stay here only, understand?"


    After the two little ones agreed with one voice, Pa felt relieved, rubbing the two little ones¡¯ cheeks.


    Then she took a nce at Burton and stepped out.


    After the two people left one after the other, the door was closed, and there were only Timothy, J,


    and August left in the ward.


    As soon as Pa left, J suddenly opened her arms to August, living it up, "Uncle Handsome, hug!"


    As his heart instantly melted and his usual cold and detached look in business instantly disappeared


    without a trace, looking at J with doting eyes, August opened his arms, immediately picked up the


    little girl, and held her in his arms.


    Seeing this, Timothy beside them snorted softly, "Mom will definitely get mad if she sees this."


    As he said this, he walked aside in anger, ying with the Rubik''s cube by himself.He didn''t hate


    August, but Lucia and Pa both treated him so indifferently that he felt he shouldn''t get too close to


    this stranger.


    However, whenever he saw August treating J nicely, he would feel distressed in his heart.He went


    aside to y with the Rubik''s cube in his hand, not willing to participate in the conversation between


    August and J.


    J, curious about everything, asked casually, "Uncle Handsome, when is your birthday?"


    Hearing this, August paused for a moment before answering, "After a long time."


    He hadn''t celebrated his birthday for several years.


    If the little one hadn''t reminded him, he wouldn''t have remembered that he had one.


    "Uncle Handsome, I''ll tell you a secret, I have two birthdays!" said J as she stuck out two fingers at


    him.


    August thought she was just joking, so he didn''t take it seriously, But J continued in a serious


    manner, "One is on October 13th, and the other is on April 20th."


    August was stunned by her words, and something suddenly urred to him.


    Once, he had doubted Timothy''s and J''s identity and had sent someone to check the information


    they had submitted to the agencypany.He still remembered the two little ones had been born on


    October 13th four years ago.


    ording to their ages, Lucia had gotten pregnant half a year after she had left Austos City and had


    given birth to them after ten months.


    In that case, they were only over four years old.


    But why had J said she had two birthdays? With a puzzled frown, August took a deep breath, and


    reached out his hand to rub J''s little head, saying in a doting tone, "Everyone has only one


    birthday, why do you have two?"


    J shook her head firmly, "No, Timothy and I both have two, and Mom specifically told us not to tell


    anyone about it!"


    Hearing this, August became more and more suspicious.


    ¡®October 13th and April 20th, what do these two totally separate dates mean on earth?¡¯ Suddenly,


    something urred to him again.


    He stared fixedly at the little girl in front of him as uncontroble excitement came flooding into his


    mind.


    ¡®Are Timothy''s and J''s real birthdays on April 20th? In that case, six months earlier when Lucia left


    Austos City, she was already pregnant!¡¯


    In an instant, A tide of excitement surged through August.


    The doubt that had been on his mind now appeared again, urging him to find out all the truth.


    ''If Lucia won''t tell me, why not find out myself?¡¯ August then lowered his eyes, staring fixedly at J''s


    silky dark hair for quite a long time ...


    On the fire escape outside the ward, Pa stared at Burton, "What do you want? Are you threatening


    me with this?"


    Just now in the ward, Burton had told her that if she had refused toe out, he would have told


    August what he had heard from Luciast time, so she had had no choice but toe out with him.


    "I''m not threatening you, Pa, I just have to tell you something."


    Looking at Pa with a serious face, Burton swallowed hard before saying, "I want to start over with


    you."


    As soon as Paul heard this, her calm heart instantly became a mess.


    She subconsciously clenched her fists and looked warily at the man in front of her, saying


    incredulously, "What are you talking about?"


    Didn''t he know why she had broken up with him at that time? Did he want to cheat on her for the


    second time?

 Chapter 396

    Chapter 396


    Chapter 396 Paternity Test


    "No way! It''s absolutely out of the question!"


    Pa subconsciously shook her head, right after which, she was about to pass him and step away


    when the man reached out his arm and grabbed her wrist.


    With some anxiety on his face, which was always expressionless, Burton frowned and said, "Pa, I


    have no idea why you left me so suddenly before.We still had feelings for each other at that time, didn''t


    we?"


    Even more shocked at his words, Pa looked at the man in front of her with her eyes wide open, "Do


    you really have no idea why I left you?"


    Did he think she was not aware of what he had done behind her back at all? Burton''s eyes shed with


    unaffected anxiety, "Pa, if I did something wrong, just tell me.I''ll never do that again."


    As soon as Pa heard his words, a flood of rage surged through her mind.She gritted her teeth with a


    mixed feeling of irritation and resentment in her heart.She had never expected Burton to say this.


    Cheating was absolutely inexcusable! He even put on an innocent and infatuated look, which was even


    more uneptable.


    Gritting her teeth, she looked at Burton with watery eyes and said, "Let go!"


    Burton frowned, feeling more and more heartbroken, "Pa ..."


    "I said let go!"


    As a flood of rage surged through her, Pa wrenched herself free from Burton''s hand, subconsciously


    raised her hand, and pped him.


    "Pop!"


    The sound hit both of them like a thunderbolt.


    The atmosphere at the moment suddenly went quiet, and both of them froze at the same time.


    A few secondster, Pa suddenly came to her senses.


    She subconsciously took two steps back with her right hand trembling slightly, having not expected


    herself to be so angry that she had actually hit him! Felling heartbroken and breathless, she bit her


    lower lip, and said gritting her teeth, "From now on, we are through."


    Right after her words, she ran away in a hurry before Burton could reply.


    Only after getting far away, did Pa stop her steps, panting breathlessly.She hadn''t expected that she


    could not have helped hitting Burton, unable to figure out whether she hated or loved him so much.


    Standing in situ for a long time, Pa gradually calmed down.She took a deep breath and checked the


    time.


    It had been almost half an hour since she had left the ward.


    On the thought of August, she immediately strode back.


    If Lucia knew she had left Timothy and J alone with August, She would probably kill her dead!


    Arriving at the ward, Pa pushed the door open in a hurry and was relieved to see Timothy and J


    inside.


    Except for the two little ones, there was no one else in the ward.


    And August was gone.


    Pa took a deep breath and hurriedly asked, "Where''s August? Did he leave?"


    J tilted her head, saying in a childish voice, "Uncle Handsome? He has something to do, so he left


    just now ..."


    Hearing this, Pa heaved a sigh of relief and hurriedly stepped forward to check Timothy and then


    J, "He didn''t bully you, did he?"


    After making sure both the little ones were safe and sound, Pa felt much more relieved.


    Later, there were footfallsing from outside the door and then Lucia pushed in, saying in a pleasant


    tone, "Are you ready? The procedures are all done, we can leave the hospital now!"


    Though they are all ready, no one seems to be as happy about the news as she had expected.


    Looking at Pa, whose eyes were still a little red, Lucia took a deep breath and asked, "What''s


    wrong? Did you cry just now?"


    As her expression changed a little, Pa quickly smiled to hide her feelings, "No, I didn''t.It''s just some


    red eyeshadow for the popr blossom makeup!"


    Hearing this, Lucia smiled and ignored it.She then went to the bedside to help J pack her clothes,


    and looked at Timothy who was quietly ying with the Rubik''s cube with his head down, feeling the


    atmosphere a little strange, different from the one when she had left.


    But Lucia had long been used to children¡¯s caprice, so she just led them out of the hospital and into the


    car.


    The car was heading for West Bridge.


    Seeing that Timothy didn''t say many words on the way, Lucia felt something was wrong, so she took a


    deep breath, and held the little one tightly in her arms, asking in a soft voice, "What''s wrong? Did you


    have a fight with your sister?"


    The two little ones would have a fight on asion, and it was quitemon for them to feel unhappy


    with each other''s words.


    Timothy shook his head, and leaned his little head in Lucia''s arms, saying softly, "No, I didn''t.It was just


    that Uncle Handsome came just now ..."


    Surprised at the two words "Uncle Handsome", Lucia immediately thought of the handsome look of that


    man.


    ¡®August came? Howe nobody told me about it?¡¯ Timothy didn''t notice something was wrong,


    continuing with his little head down, "Uncle Handsome had a long talk with J, and J told him


    that we have two birthdays.Isn''t it our secret? I think she betrayed us ..."


    As soon as Lucia heard this, nervousness and unease clutched at her heart.


    She had told them a thousand times not to tell anyone about their birthdays, but she hadn''t expected


    that J still had told August! With his sensitivity, August would definitely realize something! Lucia


    held Timothy''s little hend nervously, asking, "What else happened?"


    "Nothing else."


    Timothy shook his head, and a few secondster, he suddenly thought of something, "Uncle


    Handsome also helped Jb her hair..."


    His words hit Lucia like a thunderbolt as nervousness surged though her.


    ¡®Augustbed J''s hair?¡¯ She couldn''t help thinking more! ''lf August got suspicious of J and


    Timothy''s identities because of the birthday thing, the chances are that he''ll go to take a paternity test,


    and hebed J''s hair just to gather the material!¡¯ Her body trembled as fear clutched at her


    heart.


    If she recalled correctly, the hospital where they had been just now had an identification department,


    and nowadays the result of a paternity test based on hair would soone out! Extremely nervous,


    Lucia subconsciously said, "Stop the car!"


    The driver in the front row heard this and immediately mmed on the brakes.


    Pa aside ying with J abruptly turned around, looking at Lucia which surprised expression,


    "Lucia! What''s wrong?"


    Trembling with nervousness, Lucia bit her lower lip hard and looked at Timothy and J who both


    looked confused, unable to say a word.


    Finally, she took a deep breath and looked up at Pa, saying in a serious voice, "Take care of


    Timothy and J for me and send them home.I have something urgent to do."


    Now in front of the little ones, she couldn''t tell Pa too much.


    After her words, she immediately pushed open the car door and got out, reaching out to stop a taxi


    before directly getting in.


    "Please go to Central Hospital as soon as possible!"


    Whether August was suspicious or not, at the time she had to rush to the hospital to see for herself so


    she could feel at ease! The taxi sped all the way to the hospital gate in just over ten minutes, Lucia paid


    the money, immediately pushed open the door, and got out, directly heading for the identification


    department of the hospital.


    Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    Lucia rushed to the identification department in a hurry, and before she reached the door, she already


    saw August standing outside in the waiting area! Nervousness and impotent hatred came flooding into


    her mind.


    ¡®he got suspicious as expected!¡¯

 Chapter 397

    Chapter 397


    Chapter 397 The Result Is Negative


    Great fear clutched at her heart, causing Lucia to tremble uncontrobly.


    She knew that at this time, the result of the paternity test hadn''te out yet, but it would not take long


    for the truth toe out.


    Before then, she had to find a way to stop him.


    At that moment, the man standing there happened to turn around and look over there.


    Their eyes met in that instant before they were both stunned.


    Feeling nervous, at this moment Lucia could do nothing but freeze, standing in situ.


    August frowned slightly, and after a moment of pause, he suddenly stepped straight toward her with his


    long legs.


    Lucia took a deep breath as nervousness surged through her body.


    The man''s voice was deep and cold, "What are you doing here?"


    Lucia gritted her teeth, knowing that she would expose her intention if she weakened at this point.


    So, she screwed up her courage and said, "That should be my question."


    With a frown and cold eyes on his face, August didn''t say anything.


    Lucia took a deep breath, holding back the nervousness in her heart, "I heard you went to check on


    J and August.You had an intention, didn''t you?"


    Not waiting for his answer, Lucia turned around to nce at the sign of the identification department


    over there, sneered, and continued, "I was about to leave when I learned from the nurse that you came


    to the identification department.I felt suspicious, so I followed you here, not expecting that the president


    of Lion Group would do such a despicable thing."


    Hearing her excuse, August sneered in an unperturbed manner, spoke word for word, "I just want to


    know the truth.Since you don''t tell me, I can only find it out myself."


    Seeing the man''s calm and unruffled appearance, as annoyance instantly came crowding into her


    mind, Lucia gritted her teeth while ring at the man in front of her, "August, you are shameless!"


    "Am I?"


    August leaned over slightly and came up closer to her, "If it turns out to be you lying to me in the end,


    will I still be the shameless one?"


    Lucia was speechless with rage, "You ..."


    Now, August was almost certain of the truth.


    What he was waiting for was just an authoritative report that could prove Timothy and J were his


    blood children, which was also the very thing scaring Lucia the most! Seeming able to read the


    woman''s mind, August slightly narrowed his eyes and whispered, "Lucia, why are you afraid?"


    His words made Lucia''s heart miss a beat.


    She took a deep breath, unconsciously clenching her fists, and forced an indifferent smile, "I''m not


    afraid for me, but for you who is going to be embarrassed!"


    "Well then."


    August lowered his eyes and checked the time, "There''s only half an hour left, let''s wait for the result to


    come out together."


    Lucia had nothing to say, knowing clearly that there was no way back at this point.She could neither


    leave nor stop it but wait for thest half hour to pass by.She sat on the cold chair, and folded her


    hands together, trying not to tremble as if she was a prisoner under sentence of death who knew the


    time of the execution, waiting for her death.


    Five minutester, Lucia took out her cell phone and pinned herst hope on Paul.


    At this time, she had no other choice, and she had to try even if it was not going to work, instead of


    sitting here doing nothing.She edited a text message with the most concise and urgent words and sent


    it to Paul several times in a row, and she even gave Paul a call with the least obvious posture.


    But the call was not answered, and neither were the text messages.


    She knew that Paul was very busy and still on a business trip, even if he saw the text messages, it


    would be impossible for him toe back now.


    But she was really unwilling to give up the chance.


    Twenty minutes ...


    Fifteen minutes ...


    Five minutes ...


    Lucia held the phone though there was no reply, feeling more and more unbearably nervous as time


    went by.


    Finally, the moment August''s name showed up on the electronic screen beside the door of the


    identification department, she lost all her hope.


    August stood up and walked over to the reporting window, from which he took a copy of the test report.


    From Lucia''s angle, only the man''s wide, strong back could be seen.


    Lucia took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, but still broke out in a cold sweat.


    The man stood there motionlessly, staring at the report with his head down.


    Two minutester, he finally moved and turned around, staring at her with a sharp and chilling look.


    Feeling her body freezing and her brain nk, Lucia closed her eyes a momentter, unwilling to look


    at him.It seemed that he had known everything.


    The secret that she had been trying so hard to hide for five years had finally been found out by him.


    Suddenly, there was a sharp sound followed by the sound of the man stepping away with his leather


    shoes.


    Lucia hurriedly opened her eyes and saw August with a cold facepressing his lips as he strode


    away without a trace of reluctance.


    Stunned, Lucia looked around confusedly, and before she could figure out what had happened, she


    suddenly found a crumpled paper ball on the ground where August had just been standing.


    Gritting her teeth and tingling, she screwed up herst courage, stepped forward, picked up the paper


    ball on the ground, and unfolded it.


    It was August''s test report! She skipped over the upper contents, looking directly at the conclusion at


    the end, where there was arge red word, "Negative".


    At that moment, her head hummed.


    ¡®How could it be? If August used J''s hair, how could it be negative? Could it be that Paul has sent


    someone to bribe the hospital and the doctors? After a deep breath, Lucia quickly folded the test report,


    put it away, nced around, and left quickly.


    She didn''t feel relieved at all but even more nervous.


    ¡®Will August believe the test report now?'' She was not overjoyed to get out of the trouble, instead, she


    sensed another feeling of danger and fear crowding her mind, making her more and more uneasy.She


    quickly left the hospital, and it waste when she returned to West Bridge.


    Mrs.Mitchell and Professor Mitchell were both celebrating J''s return from the hospital, and the


    living room was buzzing with activity, but Lucia was in no mood for it and went straight to her bedroom.


    She took out her cell phone and found a lot of missed calls from Paul, so she immediately called him


    back.


    Soon, it was answered, and Paul''s anxious voice came from the other side, "Lucia! What was going


    on?"


    Lucia froze, thinking of the test report that had been tampered with, and she became even more


    confused, "Wasn''t that you?"


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    "What?"


    After a moment of confusion, Lucia realized that Paul hadn''t sent anyone to bribe the hospital.


    ¡®Then who was it? Is there someone who hides in the dark helping me secretly?¡¯ Meanwhile in Central


    Hospital.


    A shapely woman in a nurse''s uniform walked through the hospital''s small garden, went straight out the


    back door, and got into a ck car.


    As soon as she got into the car, she couldn''t wait to rip off the nurse''s hat and spread her silky dark


    hair.


    She picked up the rubber band and was about to tie her hair ina high ponytail when a hand reached


    over and directly grabbed her wrist, "Don''t, I like you this way."


    Stunned, Mandy looked at Bishop next to her and put down her hands after a pause.


    Seeing this, Bishop casually asked with a bigger smile, "All done?"

 Chapter 398

    Chapter 398


    Chapter 398 Horseback Riding in the Suburbs


    Mandy took a deep breath as her eyes shed with hesitation, but she still nodded and answered,


    "Yes."


    "Well, good job."


    Bishop reached out his hand, naturally held the woman''s slender waist, and lowered his head, sniffing


    the faint jasmine scent of her hair as the look in his eyes became gentler.


    Mandy took a deep breath but still couldn''t help asking, "Mr.Adams, why did you ask me to do this?"


    She didn''t understand, just like five years ago.


    Every time Bishop had asked her to do something rted to August and Lucia, she just couldn''t have


    figured it out.


    Sometimes it had seemed like a favor, while sometimes it had seemed like a trick, so she still had no


    idea what role on earth Bishop was ying in the game.


    The man suddenly tightened his grip on the woman''s waist, and said expressionlessly after a moment,


    "Miss Lu, you will understand someday in the future."


    Again, the same words.


    Mandy paused and didn''t continue to ask more questions.


    In the past five years, she had been staying with Bishop for thepany in an ambiguous rtionship.


    The two seemed to be much closer in rtionships of mentoring, friends, as well as lovers.


    However, there was always an insuperable thin wall between them as if their perfect rtionships


    would be ruined once any one of them got across the wall, which was the reason why she still called


    him "Mr.Adams" and he still called her "Miss Lu" as they had done five years ago.


    But she had true feelings for him, so whenever he had asked her to do something, she would always


    have epted, not able to refuse.


    And now, she was willing to do everything he asked her to do as long as it wouldn''t hurt her childhood


    friend Lucia.


    Lucia had been frantic with worry these days.


    Paul came back from the business trip the next day after the paternity test.


    Having learned about the situation, he stayed with the little ones and her all the time, eating and living


    together without letting them out of his sight.


    For several days, August hadn''t contacted them ore to them as if nothing had happened, and their


    lives had gradually returned to normal.


    After the family finished a meal, they sat on the sofa watching TV.


    Timothy turned around out of boredom, and asked while ying with Lucia''s hair with his fingers,


    "Mom, are you going back to work next Monday?"


    Lucia nodded and tapped at his little nose, saying in a doting tone, "Yeah, there is still one more set of


    photos to be taken, so I have to stick to it for two more days, it''ll be soon done."


    Thest set of photos of wild pythons had been called off because J had been bitten, and during


    her hospitalization, the team had reced thest set of animals with mingos.


    Now that J had been discharged from the hospital, they naturally needed to move forward on the


    shoot.


    However, just a set of photos would only take them at most two more days.


    Lucia wanted to finish it as soon as possible so she could take them out of Austos City.


    They had dyed for too long because of various matters during these days.


    Lucia turned around, looked at J on the other side, and gently fixed her hair, asking softly, "J,


    we''re going to continue to shoot next Monday, are you okay with that?"


    When in the hospital, she had specially asked the attending doctor for a consultation because J


    had been still young and may have gotten trauma from such a thing.


    So she didn''t want to force her to do anything she didn''t like, letting her make all the decisions.


    But out of expectation, as if nothing had happened, while nibbling at an apple and staring at the TV,


    J said with a slurred voice, "I''m okay with that ...


    Hospitalization is too boring, I want to ''move bricks¡¯ Lucia couldn''t helpughing at the new Inte


    ng that hade out of her mouth, knowing without a second thought that she must have learned it


    from Pa.


    With great joy, she rubbed the little one''s head and looked up at Paul next to her.


    Paul was looking at them with a warm smile.


    "Lucia, let''s go to have fun in the suburbs this weekend since we will all be avable, what do you


    say?"


    Hearing this, Lucia recalled that she had promised Paul a few days ago to join him in taking the two


    little ones to the suburbs to have fun.


    "Sure, what''s fun in the suburbs?"


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    "A horse ranch has just opened over there, how about having a look there?"


    Hearing this, Lucia suddenly recalled her previous experience of horseback riding with Paul abroad.


    Under his guidance, her horse skills were not superb but good enough for a casual ride.


    "I''d love to."


    She happened to have been eager for horseback riding for a long time, and the two little ones had


    taken horseback riding lessons before and were both quite interested in it, so they might as well take


    this opportunity to kick back.


    Hearing Lucia''s agreement, Paul smiled more happily, saying softly, "Okay, I''ll make a reservation in


    advance."


    Now that he was getting busier and busier with work, he would have less and less time to spend with


    them, so this was actually a rare chance.


    Time passed by, and it was soon the weekend.


    Early in the morning, Paul was already fully equipped and drove Lucia, Timothy, and J to the horse


    ranch in the suburbs.


    It was a new upscale horse ranch newly built in Austos City three years ago, and the people who could


    show up here were all powerful and influential bigwigs.


    Paul led them to the dressing area, running into many acquaintances along the way.


    He inevitably had to say hello to them, and some of them just couldn''t stop talking once they opened


    their mouths, having dyed them for over ten minutes.


    The two little sleepy ones standing aside felt tired of their boring conversations, and cried out, rubbing


    their eyes.


    Lucia had no choice but to tell Paul and take the little ones to change clothes first.


    The dressing area was separate for men and women.


    Lucia felt worried about leaving Timothy alone, so she exined the situation to the staff before taking


    him to the women''s section.


    She took out Timothy''s and J''s riding outfits, and when she had just finished dressing J and


    was dressing Timothy, there came a shrill voice from the other side.


    A woman was looking at them with a shocked face as if she saw a monster, "Why ...why is there a


    boy?"


    As nervousness clutched at her heart, Lucia stood up looking at the woman, and bowed to her while


    apologizing, "Sorry, my son is only four years old.He''s here just to change his clothes and will leave in


    a minute"


    Hearing this, as her eyes immediately widened, the woman put on a mean face, "What do you mean by


    only four years old? Don''t you know that nowadays four-year-old boys know everything? Take him


    away now, or I''ll call the staff!"


    Lucia frowned, having not expected this kind of situation.


    Most of the people who could afford toe to this ce were all respectable, either rich or noble.


    But this woman had an aura of vulgarity and meanness all over her body, really making others feel


    ufortable.


    Lucia took a deep breath, looked down at Timothy with an innocent look on his face, feeling


    inexplicably sad, and then turned around to look at the woman, conceding, "Okay, I''ll take him away


    right after buttoning up his shirt."


    "button up what?"


    The woman stepped forward in annoyance, staring at her with her eyes wide open, "Leave now, or do


    you want me to call security? Don''t you know there are people taking showers in there? Redneck!"


    Children made a woman strong.


    Hearing the woman''s mean words, Lucia unconsciously frowned.


    Timothy tugged at her sleeve and asked in a low voice, "Mom, did I do something wrong?"


    Lucia weakened, looked down at the little one, reached out her hand, and rubbed his head, saying in a


    firm tone, "No, you didn''t."

 Chapter 399

    Chapter 399


    Chapter 399 Deliberately Kick Up a Fuss


    As she said this, she looked up at the woman standing aside ring at them, and took a deep breath,


    "Miss, I just consulted the staff, and they allowed me to bring him here to change his clothes.Please


    give me five minutes, and we''ll leave right after."


    Hearing this, the woman stepped forward with her hands on her hips, ring at Lucia and saying,


    "Didn''t you hear me? Do you think it''s appropriate to bring a boy here where only women are allowed?"


    The woman obviously intended to kick up a fuss, shouting out loud, causing the people beside them to


    come over.


    At the time, everyone''s eyes were fixed on Lucia, Timothy, and J.


    Gritting her teeth, as distress clutched at her heart, Lucia squatted down, continued to button Timothy''s


    shirt one by one, and then unhurriedly dressed him in his pants.


    "How shameless! People here are watching ..."


    The woman, seeing this, did not relent and continued cursing.


    Rage came crowding into Lucia''s mind.She had been in a good mood bringing two little ones out to


    have fun, having not expected to bump into such a buzz killer when they had just arrived.


    Looking at the two pitiful little ones, Lucia took a deep breath holding back her anger, packed the rest of


    their clothes, and took them out without a word, avoiding giving Timothy and J the bad impression


    of her quarreling with others.


    After all, leading by example was always the teaching method she valued the most.


    As they walked out of the dressing area, Timothy couldn''t help asking, "Mom, why are you not angry


    about what happened just now?"


    Lucia smiled at them and said softly, "There''s no need to get angry over people who don''t like you, they


    don''t deserve it.Both of you should keep it in mind."


    Timothy and J nodded their heads though they didn''t quite understand, and said nothing else.


    On the other side, the crowd in the dressing area had dispersed, and the woman went around to the


    door of the VIP room, knocked on the door, and pushed it open.


    Jeanne was sitting on the sofa in the VIP room, casually eating fruits.She raised her eyes, nced at


    the woman who had walked in, and said nothing.


    The woman instantly said respectfully, "I''ve driven that woman and the two children away ..."


    Jeanne snorted coldly, casually took out a pile of money from the purse next to her, and threw it at her.


    "Keep your mouth shut."


    "I got it."


    The woman counted the money, hurriedly put it in her arms, and walked out.


    Jeanne raised her eyes as her eyes shed with a hint of contempt.She was here with August for


    company to meet an important client, having not expected to see Lucia here about ten minutes ago.


    Since Lucia was here too, she had to use the asion to make things difficult for her.


    Besides, what had happenedst time at her grandmother''s birthday banquet had made her angry as


    hell, and she still hadn''t gotten over it, so she had to kick her ass this time.She had learned a lesson


    last time, so she picked a strange woman at random to kick up a fuss.


    In that case, no one would know it had been her even if they investigated.


    Feeling gratified in her heart by Lucia and her two bastards being driven away, Jeanne sat up and


    casually threw the silver fork in her hand onto the te as her eyes shed with a trace of coldness.


    Not satisfied with just doing it once, she must make full use of the asion today! When Paul came out


    of the dressing area, it was already more than ten minutester.


    Lucia didn''t mention a word about what had happened just now, not wanting to ruin this rare


    opportunity to have fun as a family.


    Before entering the horse ranch, the staff led them to the VIP area first, which was a three-story


    observation deck simr to a lookout, where you could see the whole horse ranch on the other side


    very clearly.


    There weren''t many people in the lounge area.


    Lucia had just led the two little ones to their seats when she raised her eyes and saw a group of people


    not far away.


    A figure was particrly conspicuous among them, who was wearing a ck riding outfit and a fit


    brown belt around his waist with an aura of nobility.


    And his most eye-catching point was his charming handsome face.


    Surprise clutched at Lucia''s heart.


    ¡®August is here too!¡¯ "Lucia, what would you like to drink?"


    Only when hearing Paul''s voice, did shee to her senses, "Anything will do ..."


    She took a deep breath, and only then did she realize that her heart was inexplicably racing.She looked


    up at Paul, who was wearing a white riding outfit, looking handsome too, but more gentle and less


    machopared to August.


    After a drink and a while of chat, the two little ones soon asked to go to the ranch with great interest.


    Lucia and Paul looked at each other with a smile and immediately took them out of the lounge area,


    heading for the ranch.


    At first, they arrived at the stable to pick horses.


    A row of horses with shiny hair were all full of energy.


    But one horse among them stood out, which was a little taller than average with a shiny ck mane


    and sparkling bright eyes.


    Paul wanted it at first sight and directly told the staff next to him, who said with an embarrassed smile,


    "Mr.Thomas, this horse has a specific owner."


    "A specific owner?"


    "Yes.His name is Edward, and he is the favorite horse of President Adams of Lion Group.He is


    specially kept in our stable."


    Hearing this name, as his face instantly darkened, Paul looked up at the horse in the stable, and asked


    after a pause, "He is here?"


    The staff replied respectfully, "Yes, President Adams is here too.He maye to the ranchter."


    Hearing this, two seconds after his eyes shed, Paul looked up at the other horses and finally picked


    another horse.


    The two little ones together with Lucia on the other side had picked two ponies and were riding with the


    staff holding the reins and teaching them basic riding skills.


    At the same time, Paul picked a gentle small white mare named Windier for Lucia, which was very


    suitable for a woman to ride.


    Lucia naturally had no problem with it.


    She then asked Paul to ride around the ranch first and seeing Timothy and J riding ponies


    together, she couldn''t help but take out her phone and take a lot of photos.


    In the meanwhile in the VIP area on the observation deck, August stood in front of the wide transparent


    ss window, looking at a woman''s figure on the side of the horse ranch with aplex look in his


    eyes.


    This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .


    He had already seen Lucia and the others just now.


    Seeing the family of four traveling together, he felt distressed as if something clutched at his heart.


    At the moment, he couldn''t hear a word of what the people beside him said.


    Jeanne sitting aside soon noticed his abstraction.


    Pretending to bring August a drink, she went to the window, looked along the man¡¯s line of sight, and


    immediately recognized the figure.


    At once, jealousy surged through her body as a tide of rage crowded her mind.


    She really couldn''t figure out what was so great about that woman that August couldn''t get over her!

 Chapter 400

    Chapter 400


    Chapter 400 Frightened Mare


    Gritting her teeth, as her face slightly contorted with anger, Jeanne forced herself to stay calm, but she


    clenched her fists harder and harder while walking away, feeling no pain even if her fingernails stuck


    into her hands.


    ¡®No, I have to do something!¡¯ A client''s femalepanion on the other side waved at her, "Ms.Kelly,


    would you like something to eat? we are going to the horse ranchter."


    Jeanne turned around and smiled at her as she put on a gentle and decent face, "No, thanks.The


    horse ranch is for men, I''ll just watch August on the ranch from below."


    After some casual polite words, Jeanne excused herself to go to the bathroom, turned to a corner


    where no one was around, and made a call, "Where are you now? I need your help ..."


    Twenty minutes or soter, the clients on the other side are talking happily, asking to go to the horse


    ranch, and August naturally did not refuse.


    He Looked down from the observation deck, and after his eyes lingered for a moment on the woman in


    the red riding outfit, he stepped out of the lounge area with them.


    Meanwhile on the horse ranch.


    Lucia focused on watching Timothy and J practicing their riding skills, paying no attention to


    anything else at all.


    A uniformed staff member slowly approached the mare picked for Lucia beside her, and after looking


    around, he suddenly bent down with a quick movement, quickly lifted the mare''s hoof, and stuck the


    nail in his hand into the hoof slit, After which, the man moved back to the other side as if nothing had


    happened.


    Lucia stood watching next to Timothy and J, not aware of what was going on over there at all.


    At the center of the horse ranch.


    Paul had already ridden his horse for twops, slowly getting into his stride as his body warmed up.


    Suddenly, he spurred his horse and sped up, galloping on the outer circle of the horse ranch.


    Timothy was attracted by the scene over there and couldn''t help but exim, "Wow! Dad is so


    handsome!"


    J also nodded in agreement with her eyes wide open, "Like Prince Charming!"


    Lucia then looked over at the man in the white riding outfit riding a white horse, who was handsome


    and dashing with his body seeming to glow.


    The man happened to turn around and look over, with his eyes unmistakably fixed on her direction


    though quite far away.


    Lucia was stunned, feeling an indefinableplex emotion crowding her mind.


    ''How dazzling Paul is!¡¯¡¯


    "Mom! Go riding together with Dad too!"


    Timothy moved excitedly on his pony, eager to ride the pony over right away.


    Turning around and amused by his reaction, Luciaughed and nced at the white mare not far away


    with some hesitation.


    Next to her, J nodded her head and said, "Mom, go! You haven''t ridden a horse today!"


    Lucia raised the corners of her lips, smiling without saying anything.She had only intended to please


    Timothy and J, so while Paul had been picking her a horse, she hadn''t been very interested, but


    now it seemed that she had to take a horse ride.


    With the two little ones persuading her in turns, Lucia finally gave in and said, "Okay, okay, I''ll go!"


    As she said this, she nced at the two little ones who were looking at her with expectant looks in their


    eyes, and she couldn''t help but burst intoughter.


    Lucia hadn''t ridden a horse for a long time, and now she was about to ride one, she was afraid her


    riding skills were so mediocre that she would show herself up in front of Paul, but for the enthusiasm of


    the two little ones.She then warmed up and got on the horse.


    Seeing this, the staff next to her was about to hold the reins for her when Lucia shook her head and


    said softly, "Don''t worry about me, just keep an eye on the two little ones."


    After saying that, Lucia pulled the reins, spurring the mare with her feet, and the white mare soon


    started to trot.


    With the clear and steady sound of the mare''s hooves, Lucia looked up at Paul who was far away at


    the center of the ranch, smiled, and pulled the reins.


    Lucia on the mare, dressed in a red riding outfit with undiminished charm, whose body was shapely


    and face was delicate, walked along the way, catching quite a few onlookers¡¯ eyes, including the group


    of people who had just entered the horse ranch.


    August walking in the middle of the crowd recognized the figure on the mare at a nce.


    As his eyes darkened, he couldn''t look away as if his eyes were glued to her body.


    ¡®Why didn''t anybody tell me that Lucia could ride a horse?¡¯ As soon as they entered, an ingratiating


    staff member approached with August''s favorite horse, "Mr.Adams, here is your Edward."


    Hearing this, August looked away and looked up at the tall, majestic horse without saying anything.


    A group of clients around him all praised his horse, "What a great horse!"


    "Indeed, President Adams'' stuff is always the most dazzling one just like the person."


    Speechless and expressionless while listening to their ttery, August got on his horse and headed


    directly for the center of the ranch after apanying some clients on the top horses picking.


    At the same time, Lucia approached the center, and seeing Paul waving at her, she smiled and pulled


    the reins, about to speed up when the white mare beneath her suddenly shook violently, right after


    which it rushed forward frantically as if frightened.


    Startled, Lucia immediately grabbed the reins tightly, so she didn''t fall off the mare.


    "Windier! What happened to you!"


    As if irritated by something, the white mare rushed toward the fence next to it out of control.


    Lucia crouched down to lower her weight, and several times she was almost thrown off.


    The ranch was in total chaos with staff in panic, frightened guests, and a lot of screaming.


    The white mare was about to crash into the fence when it suddenly turned around and rushed toward


    the other side like crazy.


    "Lucia!"


    Paul raised his eyes and saw the rampaging white mare, on which the woman gripped the reins tightly.


    But her body was like a maple leaf about to fall off as if she might be thrown to the ground at any


    minute.


    With his heart in his mouth, Paul immediately rode toward her.


    However, at that moment a ck galloping horse came into his sight, on which there was a man with a


    cold face heading straight toward the white mare without hesitation.


    ¡®It''s August!¡¯ Shocked, Paul immediately spurred the horse, trying to make it run faster, but he didn''t


    catch up with him in the end.


    The ck horse crashed straight into the white mare, and shocked, the white mare stopped with its


    front hooves and lifted its front hooves as the woman on the mare''s back was thrown off.


    But then, August pounced upon her and caught her, rolling on the ground together with her.


    Lucia only felt someone pulling her into his wide arms, followed by a sense of dizziness while being


    held tight.


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    Finally, she collected herself and opened her eyes, only to see a pair of dark eyes ...


    ''It''s him! The one who had pounced upon her and had saved her life from dire danger had actually


    been August! There was dust and dirt everywhere.


    The staff hurriedly went up and worked together to pull the two horses apart, while more people flocked


    to the two people who were still holding each other on the ground.


    Seeing this, Paul on the horse pulled the reins hard, feeling extremely heartbroken.

 Chapter 401

    Chapter 401


    Chapter 401 I didn¡¯t me you


    For a stable, that could be considered a major ident.


    Lucia and August were already in the room when the general manager in charge of the stable arrived.


    The doctor was doing an emergency examination on them.


    Because this is an advanced stable, it is equipped with all kinds of facilities, including the best doctors.


    The doctor gave Lucia an examination and helped her treat the bruises on her body.


    Then he left an cintment for Lucia and left the room.


    Just as the doctor reached the door, Paul, Timothy, and J couldn''t wait to run into the room.


    "Mommy!"


    Both kids were crying and their eyes were red.


    They flew to Lucia like two little butterflies, concerning her.


    "Mom, are you okay?"


    "Let me check your wound ..."


    Lucia felt warmth in her heart.


    She rubbed their little heads gently and said softly, "Don''t worry, mommy is fine."


    Lucia wasn''t hurt much, because August held her in his arms when she fell off the horse.


    Aside from the bruises, Lucia had no broken bones or misaligned bones.


    After saying that, Lucia looked at Paul, who had a serious face, and said softly, "I''m okay, don''t worry


    ..."


    Paul forced himself to smile and looked down at the two children, bending down tofort them gently.


    "Didn''t you say you would behave after seeing mommy? Look, how about you go to the living room,


    and I''ll apany your mommy, okay?"


    Timothy and J wanted to stay with their mother.


    They looked at each other and looked at Lucia, ending up nodding their little heads and leaving the


    room, holding hands.


    After the door was closed, Lucia and Paul were the only two people left in the bedroom.


    But for some reason, the atmosphere in the room was even colder than earlier.


    Paul fell silent and sat on the edge of the bed.


    After a long time, he held the woman''s soft hand gently.


    One second, two seconds, three seconds ...


    After a long time, Paul raised his head finally.


    The expression on his face was not gentle as usual, but guilty.


    Paul took a deep breath.


    His eyes were red like blood and his voice was a little hoarse.


    "Lucia, I''m sorry.It''s on me.I didn¡¯t protect you well."


    What''s more, the person who saved Lucia from danger was not him, but August! Seeing the man''s


    appearance, Lucia was a little nervous inside.


    She took a deep breath andforted Paul.


    "It''s not your fault ..."


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    No one would have expected the white horse to go berserk suddenly.


    Lucia didn''t me Paul.


    Lucia gritted her teeth and said anxiously, "Paul, I don''t me you, really ..."


    But the more Lucia said that the more guilty Paul felt.


    Finally, Paul calmed down slowly.


    He looked at Lucia and said softly, "You get some rest.I''ll be right outside.Call me if you need anything."


    Lucia nodded and didn''t say anything else.


    Seeing Paul leaving, shey back down on the bed slowly.


    Looking at the ceiling, Lucia felt that the ident that happened today was like a dream, both sudden


    and fantastic ...


    Lucia closed her eyes.


    Suddenly, some images shed in her mind.


    It was the moment when she fell off the horse.


    At that moment, she felt as if her heart was about to jump out of her throat.


    But the next second, she was held in warm arms and wasn''t hurt anymore.


    Her heart pounded and beat against her chest wildly.


    But ...what about him now? August had held her in his arms when she fell off the horse and rolled


    several times on the ground.


    He must have been much more seriously injured than she was! Instantly, Lucia was very worried about


    August and felt uneasy very much.


    Thinking of that, Lucia took out her cell phone, but she still didn''t have the courage to call August.


    Finally.


    She gritted her teeth and called Burton.


    Soon, Burton picked up the phone.


    As usual, his cold, mechanical voice came from the phone.


    "Hello?"


    Lucia took a deep breath.


    She gathered the courage and asked, "How was August ...?"


    Obviously, Burton was stunned.


    But soon, the mechanical voice came from the phone again.


    "President Adams is not good."


    Lucia eximed involuntarily.


    "What? What''s wrong with him?"


    Burton stood in the doorway and nced at the man who was treated on the bed, saying, "I''m afraid I


    can''t tell you that"


    Lucia got anxious instantly and blurted out.


    "Burton, I was thinking of setting up you and Pa, I didn''t expect..."


    Lucia didn''t finish her words yet, Burton whispered, "President Adams broke his bones."


    "What?"


    Lucia eximed again.She sat up and asked, "Is he badly hurt?"


    Burton looked in the direction of the bed and the two doctors gathered around, replied, "Pretty bad."


    Hearing that, Lucia felt anxious very much.


    She didn''t expect that August was not only badly injured, but also had broken bones! Lucia was so


    anxious and couldn''t stop thinking about August.


    "Ms.Mitchell, what else do you want to ask?"


    Hearing that, Lucia took a deep breath and ordered Burton in a serious tone.


    "I was just asking about August.Don''t tell August that I have called you."


    After saying that, Lucia hung up the phone.Shey on her bed and felt uneasy inside.


    When she didn''t know the clear situation, Lucia was just worried, but now that she knew about August''s


    injury clearly, she felt very uneasy inside.


    In August''s bedroom.


    After the two doctors treated August''s wounds, they told August some precautions and left the room.


    Then, August and Burton were the only two people left in the room.


    The man''s eyes were half-opened and looked a little tired.


    Then August looked at Burton and asked, "Who called you just now?"


    Burton was stunned slightly, then said, "It was Lucia."


    Since August asked that, it means he should have guessed.


    Burton thought he didn''t need to hide it.


    Hearing that, August raised his eyebrows lightly and smiled faintly.


    "What did she ask?"


    "She asked about your injuries."


    Burton continued, "And she asked me not to tell you that she called me."


    Hearing that, August felt happier inside.


    "Stupid woman."


    August spoke softly as if he was talking to himself.


    A few momentster, August thought of something.He looked at Burton again and asked, "Is there


    anything else?"


    "Something has happened to Ms.Kelly ..."


    August frowned.


    "What''s wrong with her?"


    Burton reported honestly.


    "I heard she fainted from shock after she saw you fall off the horse.Then she was sent back to her


    room, too, and I don''t know if she¡¯s awake yet."


    Hearing Burton''s words, August was a little worried and pursed his lips.He didn¡¯t say anything for a


    long time.


    Later, August took a deep breath and ordered Burton in a faint voice.


    "You go to check if she is awake.And promise her if she has any requests."


    August didn¡¯t know when the distance between him and Jeanne had grown, but he still didn''t want to


    see Jeanne suffer anything.


    All he could do now was to try to make it up to Jeanne.


    Burton said yes and left the room.


    After Burton left, August was the only one left in the room.


    August picked up his phone, and he didn¡¯t know why, he was looking for Lucia''s phone number


    subconsciously.He hesitated for a long time and didn¡¯t make up his mind to dial it.


    Finally, he threw the phone away and sighed.


    Since when has he be so indecisive?

 Chapter 402

    Chapter 402


    Chapter 402 Keep himpany


    After an afternoon of recuperation, Lucia felt better.


    To buy Lucia more rest time, Paul specially ordered a meal for Lucia and sent it to her room.


    And he canceled the outdoor activities in the evening and turned them into indoor games.


    After dinner, Lucia yed with blocks with her kids for a while and then watched her two little kids y


    with the dancing machine.


    Seeing her kids jumping around on the dancing machine, Lucia felt much better.


    "I''ll take Timothy and J to my room tonight, so you can get some rest well.And if you want to go


    home tomorrow, then we will go home."


    After saying that, Paul picked up the teapot and poured Lucia another cup of warm tea thoughtfully.


    Paul took care of Lucia thoughtfully the whole night.


    And seeing that, Lucia felt the warmth inside.She nodded at Paul and said softly, "You are in charge"


    They smiled at each other, and the atmosphere was inexplicably rxed.


    Paul sped her hand on Lucia¡¯s shoulder and moved closer to Lucia slowly, and then closer ...


    Everything was so natural and smooth, but just when Paul was about to touch Lucia''s lips, Lucia


    shivered and subconsciously leaned back, keeping a distance from Paul.


    Instantly, the atmosphere was no longer warm and rxed, reced by ice.


    Looking at Paul''s nk eyes, Lucia suddenly realized that she just did that subconsciously.


    Feeling the awkwardness, Lucia took a breath and forced herself to smile and exin.


    "Timothy and J are both here, we can''t do that in front of them ..."


    Paul nodded slightly and said softly, "It''s myck of consideration."


    Saying that, he smiled and held her hand, jokingly saying, "The two little kids are like the third wheel."


    But Lucia didn¡¯t feel joyful in her heart.She lowered her eyelids to hide her emotions.


    Only she knew that the reason that she had just pushed Paul away was not that Timothy and J


    were here but apletely subconscious action from her ...


    In other words, basically, she hadn''t fully epted Paul.


    Thinking of that, Lucia felt more guilty about Paul.


    After the after-dinner entertainment, Paul took Timothy and J to the shower, and Lucia went back


    to her bedroom.


    Once the door was closed, Lucia felt as if she were cut off from the outside world and thought a lot


    unconsciously.


    The one that came to her mind the most time was August''s face! More than two hours had passed, and


    Lucia tossed and turned in bed, and was unable to sleep.


    She actually wanted to go see August, to check his wound, to find out whether it was as serious as


    Burton said.


    The more Lucia thought about it, the more uneasy she was.


    Then, because she was so worried about August, and a little curious, Lucia got up and got out of bed


    gingerly.


    Timothy and J were already asleep, and Paul''s bedroom was silent.


    Lucia took a deep breath.She put on a jacket and left her suite gingerly.


    Lucia took a long time and asked several staff members before she found out which suite August was


    in.


    After many turns, Lucia reached the door of August''s room.She stood in front of the door, and suddenly,


    she didn''t have the courage to knock.


    Beforeing there, Lucia thought it was not a big deal.


    But once she reached the door of August''s room, all her courage disappeared.


    After hesitating for a while, Lucia knocked at the door gently.


    After knocking several times, it came the footsteps inside the room suddenly.


    Then the door was opened.


    Burton stood in the doorway and asked icily, "What''s up?"


    Lucia took a deep breath.


    "I came to see August." Burton said in an official tone, "President Adams has rested.Pleasee to


    visit another day."


    Hearing Burton''s words, Lucia frowned.


    Just when she was thinking he wouldn''t see August tonight, a maic deep male voice came from


    the room suddenly.


    "Let here in."


    Lucia felt nervous instantly.She held back the excitement in her heart and looked up at Burton.


    Burton was stunned and got out of Lucia''s way.


    Lucia walked in hurriedly.


    But she had just taken a few steps forward, the door behind her was mmed from the outside.


    Lucia was startled.She didn''t expect Burton to do that.


    In that way, she and August were the only two people left in therge suite.


    Thinking of that, Lucia''s heart pounded, and she felt inexplicably uneasy.She stepped forward and


    looked around warily.


    Just as she reached the door of the bedroom, she raised her head and saw August sitting on the bed.


    It just so happened that August also raised his head and looked at Lucia.


    They looked at each other with mixed emotions.


    After a few seconds, August said in a deep voice, "Come here."


    Lucia nced at August''s arm that was bandaged and walked toward him nervously.


    No matter what, August saved her from an ident.


    Thinking of that, Lucia thought she could just tell August her intentions clearly since she was there to


    visit him.


    Lucia walked into the bedroom and stood by the bed.


    She looked at August''s arm and asked, "Are you badly hurt?"


    "Yeah," August repliedzily, without exnation.


    He leaned his upper body against the bed and showed Lucia his injured arm on purpose.


    Lucia took a deep breath.


    She looked at August''s arm and said nervously, "Thank you for what you did for me today."


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    Lucia thought that she would be the one who was lying motionlessly on the bed if August hadn''t saved


    her.


    Just as Lucia finished speaking, the man snorted coldly.


    "Your apology was insincere."


    Hearing that, Lucia was stunned.


    She felt a little annoyed and asked quickly, "Then what else do you want?"


    August didn''t speak but turned his head slightly to look at the cup on the table next to him.


    Without waiting for Lucia to speak, August stretched out his bandaged arm and approached the cup


    slowly, and then again.


    But August''s hand was bandaged which was clumsy and was trembling gently, and couldn''t hold the


    cup steady.


    Seeing that, Lucia picked up the cup hurriedly.


    She looked at August and gritted her teeth, saying, "I''ll feed you."


    Although August didn¡¯t say anything, he had already expressed very clearly through his actions.


    If Lucia couldn''t take the hint that was so obvious, then she would be so obtuse.


    Then, Lucia picked up the cup and brought it to August slowly, trying to feed him.


    Not only did August not refuse, but he also cooperated with Lucia quite well and took a few sips.


    The atmosphere in the room became wondrous and ambiguous.


    August snickered in his heart.


    After a few sips, he said in a light voice, "That''s enough for me."


    Hearing that, Lucia was relieved.


    She put the cup down and continued, "I just came to see you and check your wound.If there is nothing


    else, I will leave now"


    Seeing that the look on the man''s face didn¡¯t change, Lucia turned around and was about to leave.


    But suddenly, a hand grabbed her wrist urately.


    Lucia felt nervous and turned her head to look at August.


    "What ...what are you doing? Let me go..."


    Before Lucia could finish her words, the man forced her to sit on the edge of the bed.


    Immediately after, the man said in a maic voice slowly, "If you really want to thank me, stay here


    with me fora while."


    At this moment, for him, it was enough to have her stay with him.

 Chapter 403

    Chapter 403


    Chapter 403 Was your gratitude so cheap?


    Lucia sat on the edge of the bed and her back was stiff.She was so scared that she breathed carefully.


    If it wasn''t for the fact that August risked his life to save her this time, Lucia didn''t want to stay there any


    longer.


    About three minutester, Lucia took a deep breath.She turned her head to look at August who was


    lying on the bed and said icily, "Well, it''s gettingte, I have got to go."


    Staying there with August for a few minutes had run out of Lucia¡¯s patience.


    But August suddenly gripped Lucia¡¯s wrist tightly with his uninjured hand and said rudely, "Lucia, is your


    gratitude so cheap that is only worth three minutes?"


    Lucia frowned and didn''t know how to answer August.


    Suddenly, Lucia was dragged backward by a force.She couldn''t stand still and fell on August''s chest,


    and then the distance between them suddenly got closer.


    When Lucia looked up, she could feel the hot breath from August on the top of her forehead, which


    tickled her.


    Lucia looked up at August''s dark eyes.


    Suddenly, her heart pounded and she felt her own body burning.It was ambiguous to be that close.


    As long as August lowered his head slightly, he could kiss Lucia''s forehead ...


    Suddenly, Lucia felt that something blocked her view, followed by August pecking her gently on the lips.


    At that moment, the atmosphere got subtle instantly.


    Lucia was stiff and couldn''t move, as if she had lost control of her body.


    August looked down at the stunned woman who was in his arms.He rose the corners of his mouth and


    felt more joyful inside.


    When Lucia hadn''t figured out what was happening, August lowered his head and kissed her lips


    again.


    Unlike the first kiss, this time the kiss was very soft and the time was getting longer, making Lucia


    infatuated with it ...


    This time, August kissed Luciapletely out of instinct, without any hesitation.He just wanted to kiss


    her and have her at that moment ...


    When August held her shoulder tightly, Lucia then realized what was happening.


    She subconsciously pushed August away, trying to keep her distance from him.


    "Get ...off me!"


    Lucia was panicky.


    She forgot that August was injured on his arm and pushed right on it hard.


    Instantly, August frowned.


    Lucia''s body stiffened instantly and she realized she might hurt August''s wounded arm.


    She didn''t dare to continue pushing August and asked with panic, "Did I touch your hand? Does it


    hurt?"


    August frowned slightly.


    When he heard Lucia¡¯s words, he raised his eyebrows, and a smile appeared in his eyes.


    "Are you worrying about me?"


    Hearing that, Lucia hurriedly stopped worrying about August and subconsciously denied it.


    "No!"


    "Is that so?"


    August narrowed his eyes slightly as if he had already seen her through.


    He said with a deeper meaning, "If you''re not worried about me, why are you blushing?"


    Lucia probably didn¡¯t even know that her cheek and both her ears were blushing, which made her look


    cute.


    Hearing August''s words, Lucia frowned and denied it immediately.


    "That''s impossible!"


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    How could she possibly blush in front of August? If it was five years ago, Lucia might have blushed, but


    now she was no longer at the age when she would blush.


    So Lucia thought she would blush because of August.


    Hearing that Lucia denied it, Augustughed instead of being angry.


    "Just let me tell you which part of your body was blushing."


    After saying that, August cupped Lucia''s chin, kissing her cheek and both her ears.


    "Here, here, and here ..."


    Instantly, Lucia felt her body burning, making her lose her mind.


    The atmosphere suddenly became ambiguous, and they were like two mes that affected and burned


    each other.


    Lucia gritted her teeth and wanted to push August away before she lost her mindpletely, but when


    she tried to speak, she found that she couldn''t make any sound ...


    The moonlight shone into the house, and there were two people who slept on the bed in a loving


    atmosphere.


    Lucia had a dream.She dreamed that she was running and she didn¡¯t stop until she was swearing all


    over her body.


    Then, she was exhausted and was lying on a cool, greenwn, panting heavily ...


    It was dim outside when Lucia woke up.


    When she saw August sleeping beside her, instantly, all her sleepiness vanished.


    Lucia didn¡¯t expect that she would sleep with August ...


    Lucia felt regret and chagrined in her heart.


    Meanwhile, the passionate images of her and August as they were moving in each other''s arms


    shed back in her mind.


    Instantly, she was so ashamed and chagrined that she wanted to p herself.


    It was excusable if she had done it while drunk, butst night she and August were both sober.


    Why had she still done such a stupid thing? Lucia felt chagrined about it.


    Lucia bit her lip and turned her head to look at August, who was still asleep.


    Then she made up her mind and got out of bed gingerly.


    Her and August''s clothes were thrown on the floor in a mess.


    It wasn''t hard to guess how passionate they were yesterday by looking at the mess on the floor.


    Lucia gritted her teeth as she was so ashamed of herself.


    She picked up her clothes from the floor and walked barefoot to the foyer gingerly.


    After putting on her clothes, Lucia opened the door gingerly and left.


    After leaving August''s suite, she then got a chance to look at her cell phone.


    It was 4:30 in the morning and it was almost dawn.


    Lucia took a deep breath and walked towards her suite.


    But with every step she took, she suffered pain between her legs.


    Lucia gritted her teeth and walked quickly to the door of her suite.


    After swiping her door card, she went back to her bedroom gingerly and slept.


    Lucia slept until after eight o''clock, and she didn''t wake up until Timothy and J opened the door.


    When she woke up, Lucia felt like her body was falling apart.


    With each step she took, both of her legs trembled uncontrobly.


    While having breakfast, Paul noticed that and asked, "Lucia, what''s wrong with your legs?"


    Lucia felt a little unnatural and said, "It was probably caused by the ident of falling off a horse


    yesterday.I should be fine in a few days."


    Hearing that, Paul nodded and didn''t ask more.


    Seeing that Paul turned his head to look at the two kids, Lucia then was relieved.


    At that moment, the phone Lucia was holding suddenly vibrated, indicating that she had received a new


    message.She unlocked her phone and her back stiffened subconsciously when she saw that it was a


    message from August.She took a deep breath and turned around hurriedly, checking the message.


    "Running away? Are you afraid I''ll eat you?"


    Lucia felt nervous inexplicably.


    Immediately after that, her phone vibrated again.


    August sent Lucia another message.


    "Take the time ande to see me today, I have something to tell you."

 Chapter 404

    Chapter 404


    Chapter 404 Her soft spot


    Lucia gripped her cell phone and felt uneasy.


    After the thing that happened yesterday, it must be awkward for them to meet now.


    Lucia didn¡¯t understand why August wanted to see her.She took a deep breath and texted August back.


    "I got no time."


    Soon, Lucia''s phone vibrated again.


    "Are you sure you don''t want toe?"


    Lucia texted August back firmly.


    "No."


    "Okay, I hope you won''t regret it."


    Seeing thest message from August, Lucia felt a little strange.She could almost imagine August''s cold


    and grim expression when he texted that message.


    And then Lucia felt a little guilty.


    Lucia felt as if August would do something to her if she didn''t go to see him.


    Lucia gritted her teeth and held her cell phone.She didn¡¯t know what to do.


    At that moment, Paul smiled gently and asked, "What are you thinking about?"


    Lucia turned her head and found that Paul was looking at her.


    Her hand holding the phone tightened.


    Then she shook her head after hesitating for a moment.


    "Nothing.When are we leaving?"


    "Pack the stuff and we''ll be ready to go."


    After saying that, Paul dotingly stroked Lucia¡¯s hair around her ear.He smiled softly and continued,


    "Timothy and J have packed their stuff.How about you?"


    Seeing that, Lucia frowned and repelled Paul''s sudden intimate gesture subconsciously.


    Then she said softly, "I have done that, too."


    Paul didn''t notice that and nodded his head.


    "Okay.I''ll go to ask someone to bring the car over."


    Then Paul left.


    Lucia looked at Paul''s tall, magnificent back and felt very guilty.


    Although she had known Paul for more than five years, Lucia was still not used to Paul''s intimate


    gesture.


    And she could remember clearly that she didn''t have that feeling about August yesterday ...


    At least, Lucia didn¡¯t repel August.


    Realizing that, Lucia felt surprised and couldn''t ept it for a moment.


    Could it be that in her heart, August was more important than Paul? Or was it that she was still fond of


    August in her heart? All kinds of thoughts and suspicions appeared in Lucia¡¯s mind, leaving her with no


    way to figure it out.


    Finally, when she saw Timothy and J, Lucia put all her worries behind her and took them out of the


    stable to the West Bridge.


    They arrived at the West Bridge at noon.


    After having lunch and taking some rest, Lucia intended to read a book.


    But suddenly, she got a call from Director Brook.


    Director Brook was straightforward.He asked directly, "Lucia, are you free this afternoon?"


    Lucia hesitated for a moment and replied softly, "Director Brook, what''s the matter?"


    "During Timothy and J''s break time, we got the photos all edited.


    Pleasee to check the final works when you get a chance by this afternoon."


    Lucia was stunned.


    Then she asked softly, "What''s your address?"


    Director Brook gave Lucia his address.


    "This is the address of our studio.Juste in when you arrive."


    Finally, Lucia didn''t refuse.She replied, "Okay, I''ll be there this afternoon."


    Lucia took the thing about Timothy and J seriously.


    And if she could finish it early, she could take them out of Austos City sooner.


    Thinking of that, Lucia was no longer reluctant.She went back to her bedroom to get herself changed


    and prepared to go out.


    Before Lucia went out, Paul asked Lucia a lot and gave her a lot of caution.


    Lucia called a taxi and told the driver the address, arriving at the destination within half an hour.


    Lucia told the assistant at the front desk the reason why she was there.


    Soon, an assistant led her to the lift and to Director Brook''s office.


    The assistant led Lucia to the office door and knocked on it.


    Then he opened it and invited Lucia in.


    Lucia nodded and said thank you to the assistant, walking in.


    As soon as she entered and saw the face of the man sitting at the desk, she was stunned and stood


    where she was.


    Why is August here? Lucia looked around quickly and didn''t see Director Brook.She was a little


    annoyed.


    "Where''s Director Brook? Why are you here?"


    The person who asked her there was Director Brook, but the person who received her was August,


    which made Lucia think that that was a trap.


    August was sitting at his desk, leaning back in his chair.He looked at Lucia and said in a t tone,


    "Since you refuse to see me, I figure out a way myself"


    "How dare you ..."


    Lucia was angry and stared at August.she took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down.


    Then she asked, "What''s so important that we have to talk about it face to face?"


    August sat up straight.


    He picked up a document and put it on the table, saying in a t tone, "Look at this."


    Lucia hesitated for a moment, then she picked it up and read it.


    After reading a few pages, Lucia frowned and asked, "What does this mean?"


    It was a contract to shoot a short film.


    Party B was going to produce a short public service film ording to the script provided by Party


    A.What surprised Lucia was that she was Party B mentioned in the contract.August said slowly, "Just


    literally.


    The Lion Group wants you to direct and shoot the short public service film."


    Looking at August''s ck eyes, Lucia wanted to refuse.She put the contract back on the table and


    shook her head.


    "I¡¯m sorry.I don¡¯t want to do it."


    Although the conditions and the payment on the contract were great, she was still unwilling to sign


    it.She just wanted to finish her job soon and took Timothy and J leave Austos City as soon as


    possible.


    August didn''t feel surprised when he saw Lucia refuse to sign the contract.He stood up and walked to


    her, whose tall body bring Lucia under a lot of pressure.He said in a deep voice, "But you are the only


    one who can produce this short film."


    Lucia stepped back subconsciously and shook her head.


    "Sorry, I can''t."


    August raised his eyebrows lightly.


    "Is the condition not up to your requirement?"


    Lucia shook her head.


    "No.It was for my personal reasons."


    After saying that, Lucia turned around and intended to leave.


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    But just when she took a few steps, an awkward voice came from behind her.


    Lucia stiffened instantly and looked in the direction where the voice came from.


    Then she found the voice wasing from the cell phone in August''s hand.


    That awkward voice awakened her memory at once.


    Because the voice was exactly the same one they had madest night when they were together! Lucia


    was thunderstruck and felt furious.She stepped forward and red at August.


    "What do you want to do?"


    "This is one of those conditions."


    August pressed pause.


    He pursed his lips tightly and said coldly, "After shooting the short film, I will give this to you together."


    Lucia clenched her teeth.


    "What if I still refuse to shoot the short film?"


    August smiled lightly.


    "Then I will keep it and enjoy it myself."


    After finishing his words, August turned around and walked to his desk nonchntly.


    Lucia was so angry that she was trembling.


    Now that August had a video of her naked, he could ruin her reputation easily.


    The thing that happened yesterday became her soft spot, which could ruin her whole life.

 Chapter 405

    Chapter 405


    You were the one Lucia¡¯s body was stiff.She gritted her teeth and thought quickly.She looked up at


    August and said coldly, "Why has it to be me?"


    There were many excellent directors in Austos City.


    Lucia thought August could get a better director to produce the short film for hispany.


    August turned around and nced at Lucia, saying in a t tone, "Because I think you are the one."


    August had seen Lucia¡¯s work, he thought the style of her work was the one he wanted.


    Besides, he did that because of personal reasons.


    Now the shooting work about Timothy and J was almost over.


    As long as J was in a good state, they would finish thest set of photos soon.


    And then, he couldn''t use the excuse of work to make Lucia stay with him.


    And he couldn''t let Lucia leave before he figured something out.


    Lucia clenched her fist and took a deep breath.


    "It has to be me?"


    August looked at Lucia deeply and said without hesitation.


    "Yes, you are the one."


    Hearing August''s words, Lucia knew she had no other choice.


    Lucia picked the contract up again and read it.


    Then she took a deep breath and asked, "You will give me that video as long as I finish producing the


    short film?"


    August nodded his head lightly and promised.


    "Yes.And I won''t keep the negative film."


    Hearing that, Lucia gritted her teeth and said, "Okay, I will take the job."


    She didn''t care what August''s purpose was, the most important thing Lucia thought now was to get that


    video and then destroy it, otherwise, that video would be like a time bomb that would explode and ruin


    her life anytime.


    The thing that happenedst night was a mistake that was caused identally by her, but she didn¡¯t


    want the rest of her life to be ruined because of it.So she had to pay for her mistakes.


    Lucia double-checked the contract.


    Then she picked up the signature pen and signed her name on the contract.


    August sat across from Lucia.


    He raised his eyebrows lightly when he saw Lucia¡¯s serious expression.


    August signed the contract, too.


    Then he said in a t tone, "Director Brook will be the assistant director, you can contact him if there


    are any problems."


    Lucia nced at August coldly and replied gruffly, "Okay, President Adams."


    After saying that, Lucia grabbed the contract and left the office without a backward nce.


    August sat in the chair and he had mixed emotions in his heart as he saw Lucia leaving coldly.


    August knew that Lucia might hate him, but this time, he must figure out the truth.


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    About five minutester, someone knocked on the door of the office.


    Burton opened the door and came in.He reminded August softly.


    "President Adams, I just got a few calls from home, there might be some urgent matters."


    Hearing that, August rubbed his forehead and probably knew what was going on.


    He nced at his bandaged arm and said in a t tone, "Let''s go home."


    He had to face something.


    That day, the ident that happened in the stable rmed many people, and a lot of gossip got


    around.


    Although August used public rtions to suppress the gossip, there were still more and more people


    who know about it.


    What made August feel even stranger was that the ident happened so suddenly.He suspected that


    someone manipted it.He asked his men to investigate it, and surprisingly, he made some


    unexpected discoveries.


    After leaving Director Brook''s office, August took about half an hour and arrived at Jeanne''s wedding


    house As expected, as soon as August parked and got out of the car, he saw the ck Bentley parked


    in the yard.


    The servant who came out to greet him took August''s coat and reminded him.


    "Mr.Adams.Old Mr.Adams and Old Mrs.Adams are here."


    Hearing that, August nodded slightly and didn''t reply, walking quickly towards the house.


    When he walked into the hall, he saw Eliot, Christina, and Jeanne sitting on the sofa.


    "August, you''re back!"


    Jeanne blinked her bright eyes and walked to August immediately, "How''s your arm ..."


    August avoided her hand and looked at Eliot who had a cold expression, saying in a t tone, "Father."


    "Humph""


    Eliot snorted coldly.


    He shouted angrily, "I thought you don''t know you still have a family!"


    Hearing Eliot''s tone that was full of me, August walked to Eliot slowly and asked, "Father, what''s the


    matter?"


    "You don''t know what happened?"


    Eliot nced at August''s arm coldly.


    "Tell me, how did you get your arm hurt?"


    Hearing that, August was a little annoyed and nced at Jeanne Jeanne had an innocent look on her


    face.


    She lowered her head and didn''t speak anything.


    August took a deep breath and replied honestly, "I hurt it identally on the stable."


    Eliot was so angry that he pped severely on the table.


    "identally? To save a woman that has nothing to do with you, you''d rather have your arm hurt.Are


    you out of your mind? Now all the people in Austos City knew that not only do you ignore your wife, but


    you get hooked on another woman."


    August frowned.He fell silent and didn''t reply.


    August had guessed that his father would know about this matter before he came back.


    But he didn¡¯t expect that his father would know about it so fast.


    August nced at Jeanne and knew the reason.


    A few secondster, August said, "Father, I just did the thing that I thought was right."


    Hearing that, Eliot stared at August with his sharp eyes.


    "Right thing? August, are you trying to kill me?"


    After saying that, Eliot stood up and walked to August.


    Seeing that, Christina stood up instantly.


    She stopped Eliot by grabbing his arm and persuaded him.


    "Eliot, calm down.There is no bad influence on us for August doing that.At least, people will think that


    we are friendly."


    "Friendly?"


    Eliot snorted.


    "How is that friendly? People will only think that he is a man who phnders with other women and


    doesn''t care about his family at all."


    After saying that, Eliot turned his head to look at August.


    "You have married Jeanne for more than two years and we still don¡¯t have a grandson or


    granddaughter.And now you have made such a gossip.Shame on you!"


    Eliot''s words were getting harsher and harsher.


    August frowned tightly, but he was still expressionless.


    At that time, Jeanne said suddenly, "Dad, it¡¯s also my fault this time.I should stay with August all the


    time.I¡¯m sorry."


    "It''s not your fault."


    Eliot said coldly, "Just tell me if he didn''t treat you well.I will definitely teach him a lesson."


    Eliot kept ming August for a while, Christina and Jeanne persuaded him again, then the atmosphere


    was getting rxed.


    Finally, August looked at Eliot and said softly, "Dad, please don''t be angry.I''ll go to my room."


    After saying that, August walked toward the stairs.


    Seeing that, Jeanne said, "August, I''ll go with you!"


    August didn¡¯t refuse and let Jeanne follow behind him.


    After getting in the room and closing the door, Jeanne held August''s arm spontaneously and asked


    softly, "August, I also didn¡¯t know where dad heard that from, he came to us suddenly.


    You won''t be mad at him, do you?"


    After saying that, Jeanne looked at August with an innocent look on her face.


    August stared at Jeanne coldly and took his arm back from her hand, keeping the distance from her


    and asking coldly, "You really don¡¯t know?"


    How could Eliot know about it so fast if she didn¡¯t tell Eliot on purpose?

 Chapter 406

    Chapter 406


    Chapter 406 You are still fond of her?


    Jeanne widened her eyes and looked at August with an unbelievable expression.


    "August, are you doubting me?"


    Before August could reply, Jeanne started crying.


    Jeanne looked aggrieved and couldn''t stop crying.


    "August, why would I tell dad about this kind of thing? Even if you are still fond of Lucia in your heart, I


    am okay with that ..."


    Seeing that, August frowned and felt impatient inexplicably.


    At one time, he would soften when he saw Jeanne crying.


    But now, he would only feel impatient about it.


    "August ..."


    Jeanne then held August''s wrist.


    August frowned more and took his hand back from Jeanne¡¯s hand.He took something out of his pocket


    and threw them on the table.


    August red at Jeanne and said coldly, "Then how do you exin this?"


    Jeanne inhaled a breath and stiffened, looking at the table.


    Those are some photos with blurry figures on them.


    It was a man who was in ck cloth and wore a cap that could cover most part of his face.


    But Jeanne could recognize the man in the photo when she just took a nce because that was her


    capable subordinate, Mark! Jeanne was stunned for a moment, but instantly, she had an innocent


    expression on her face again.


    She looked at August and asked, "August, what are these?"


    August narrowed his eyes and watched Jeanne¡¯s expression.He pursed his lips coldly and didn¡¯t


    respond.


    Jeanne felt guilty very much as August kept staring at her.


    Since August didn¡¯t respond to her, she picked those photos up deliberately and looked at them one by


    one.


    Thest one was the clearest, she could see the man''s face clearly.


    Without a doubt, that was Mark.


    Jeanne widened her eyes slightly and looked at August in surprise.


    "He ...he is Mark! Isn''t he still in prison? How can..."


    Looking at Jeanne¡¯s natural expression, August frowned.He walked forward to Jeanne and looked


    down into her eyes as if he was trying to read her mind.


    Then, August asked in a deep voice, "You have no idea where he is now?"


    Five years ago, Lucia almost got hit by a motorcycle.


    And then, Mark confessed his crime and admitted that he was the mastermind.


    But now, he was released before his sentence was up.


    And then, a lot of things happened to Lucia, and Mark was caught on a security camera.


    All these things made August have no reason not to doubt him.


    Last time, J was bit by a boa without rhyme or reason, and this time, Lucia fell off the horse


    suddenly.


    August thought all these things were so weird.


    Jeanne looked up at August and her eyes were red.


    "You think I know where Mark is?"


    August said, word by word, "Jeanne, tell me the truth."


    He didn''t want to investigate it himself, because he thought he would be very disappointed when he


    finally found out the truth.


    Jeanne gritted her teeth and asked back suddenly, "August, you doubt me for that woman?"


    "We''ve known each other much longer than you''ve known that woman.Didn''t I treat you well enough?"


    Jeanne was crying as she asked that.


    August frowned and was getting angry when he remembered what had happened before.He fully


    trusted Jeanne before, but there were too many things happeningter.


    August was a rational adult, and he wouldn''t trust her words cursorily because of her tears.


    "Jeanne, I will give you time to think about it now, and you are going to tell me the truthter.If you lie to


    me because of this kind of thing, then I think our marriage doesn''t mean anything anymore."


    After finishing his words, August turned around ruthlessly and walked to the door.


    Jeanne''s body stiffened instantly, she questioned, "August, are you still fond of Lucia?"


    August stopped suddenly and stiffened.He stilled there for two seconds and left the room.


    After the door was closed, Jeanne fell to the ground instantly.She clenched her fist, and her face was


    so pale.


    Then, she felt furious, as if there were two mes burning into her eyes.


    Jeanne never thought that August would find Mark.She especially warn Mark and asked him to be safe,


    but she didn¡¯t expect that he was caught on a security camera.


    What she didn''t expect more was that August used their marriage to force her to tell the truth.


    Thus it can be seen how much he cared about Lucia! Jeanne was so depressed that she almost


    couldn''t breathe.


    She clenched her fist and threw the vase on the floor.


    This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .


    "Bang!"


    The vase smashed into pieces and the debris scattered everywhere.


    Jeanne gritted her teeth and felt still angry.She grabbed the vase on the other side and intended to


    throw it on the floor.


    But she nced at the debris on the floor, and suddenly, she thought of something.


    She stopped throwing that vase and looked at the cutting edge of the shards on the floor,ing up


    with a n.


    After getting out of the master bedroom, August raised his head and saw Eliot and Christina standing at


    the door.


    They were about to leave.He walked forward and looked at Eliot with an expressionless face.


    "Father, are you going to leave?"


    Eliot frowned and snorted.


    "Or I stay here to continue to hear about your gossip? I don''t want to die yet."


    Seeing that, Christina patted Eliot on his back and said, "Okay, that''s enough.Let''s go now and leave


    them alone."


    Eliot snorted.He nced at August and instructed deeply.


    "Treat Jeanne well.In the beginning, you are the one who insists on marrying her, and now, you haven''t


    been a good husband.That''s ridiculous!"


    After finishing her words, Eliot walked to the car and got in it with his hands sped behind his back.


    Christina looked at August and forced herself to smile.


    "Your dad is a mean-spoken but kind-hearted person.Don''t be mad at your dad and stay safe and well


    with Jeanne."


    Hearing the polite form from Christina, August nodded slightly.


    He didn¡¯t change his expression and replied in a t tone, "Got it, aunt."


    Hearing that appetion, Christina''s smiling face stiffened.


    Then she didn''t speak more and got in the car.


    August stood at the door and watch them leave.


    At that time, the sound of something being broken came from the bedroom on the second floor.He


    frowned and walked to the car.


    August got in the car and said, "Go to see Joshua."


    Then, August looked at the car in front of him and added, "Go the other way."


    Joshua showed up after August drank half a bottle of red wine.


    Joshua walked to August and sat across from him, asking, "Why? You came to me a lottely."


    "Want to talk about business."


    August put the red wine ss down and asked in a serious voice suddenly, "Did Ethan show up


    again?"


    Hearing August''s words, Joshua''s expression also became serious.


    After a while, Joshua sat up straight and asked deeply, "How do you know that?"


    With August''s current status, how could he possibly know that?

 Chapter 407

    Chapter 407


    Chapter 407 Whoever strikes first will get the advantage Joshua''s words indicated that Ethan did show


    up again.


    August was stunned a little.He leaned back against his chair slightly and narrowed his eyes, said


    coldly, "Report thetest news about him."


    Hearing that, Joshua frowned instantly.


    "August, you know this is a vition of discipline."


    It seemed that August knew that Joshua would say something like that, he said in a t tone, "You


    know that, even if you don''t tell me now, I will know it in the end."


    Hearing that, Joshua was a little angry.


    "What do you want to do? Even if I tell you where he is now, what are you going to do?"


    August fell silent and didn''t say anything more.


    Since he didn''t defeat Ethanpletely five years ago, August knew clearly that Ethan now was like a


    time bomb that would explode anytime and hurt him.


    Now, since Ethan showed up again in Austos City, August thought that Ethan had been watching him


    all the time without a doubt.


    Since he didn''t know where Ethan was but Ethan knew about him clearly, August thought Ethan would


    take revenge on him anyway.


    Whoever strikes first will get the advantage.


    August looked at Joshua with mixed looked in his eyes.


    "We both know clearly what kind of person he is.I might be killed by him tomorrow or other days."


    Hearing August''s very cold words, Joshua shivered inexplicably.


    Actually, August was right.


    Ethan was insidious and vengeful.He would definitely take revenge on August since he was defeated


    by August that very year.


    Joshua picked the ss up and poured a ss full of wine himself, drinking off it.


    The spicy liquid passed through the throat and chilled the stomach instantly.


    Joshua frowned.He put the ss on the table hard and looked at August.


    "August, I will give you the information about him ..."


    When Joshua didn''t finish speaking yet, August already understood what he was going to say and


    nodded.


    "I got it."


    Then August patted Joshua on the shoulder.


    "Don¡¯t worry.I won''t make it hard for you."


    Joshua didn''t respond.


    But then he suddenly thought of something.He looked at August and said, "Why don''t you go to see


    Flynt? Talk to him about the things and apologize to him."


    As soon as Joshua said that, the atmosphere turned from rxed to cold.


    August didn¡¯t respond.


    Although he had a careless look on his face, nobody dared to say one word in front of him.


    In the end, August took his hand back and stood up.


    "I don¡¯t regret it."


    After saying that, August walked toward the door and left one more word before he left.


    "I got other things to do, gotta go."


    To save Lucia, August suffered a lot of pain five years ago, but he still didn''t regret it now.


    Seeing August''s figure disappear in the door, Joshua had mixed looks in his eyes.


    After leaving, August arrived at thepany.He had a simple video meeting and signed a lot of


    contracts.


    Unconsciously, it was almost evening.


    When it was time to get off, August finished his job.He looked up at the sky outside the window, and


    then he realized it was almost toward evening.


    The city was heavy traffic on the street.


    August considered nightfall to be the most rxing time.


    But at that moment, someone suddenly opened the office door.


    Burton came in quickly and said anxiously, "President Adams, there is an emergency."


    August turned around and asked, "What''s the matter?"


    "Someone in the wedding house sent us a message.Ms.Kelly shed her wrists."


    "What?"


    August stiffened.


    "Which hospital?"


    Then he strode to the door.


    "In the People¡¯s Hospital."


    When they got to the first floor, the car was waiting for them at the entrance.


    But it was rush hour and there was a traffic jam on the main road of the street in front of thepany.


    After a long time, they finally arrived at the hospital.


    Jeanne was resuscitated and taken to the care unit for observation.


    "Sorry, sir.The patient said that she wants to stay alone.She doesn''t want to be disturbed."


    A nurse stopped August at the door of the care unit.


    August frowned and his face was gloomy.


    Hearing that, Burton looked at August and said, "President Adams, I''ll call the director of the hospital."


    Then Burton took out his cell phone and intended to dial.


    Hearing that, the nurse was afraid and her face was pale.She could feel that August was a powerful


    man by looking at his appearance.


    And now she heard that they were going to call the director of the hospital, she was even more afraid.


    She didn¡¯t dare to disturb the director of the hospital because of the little things.


    The nurse stepped back and said, "Please don¡¯t ..."


    "You can go in."


    Hearing that, Burton opened the door immediately.


    Without hesitation, August walked in directly.


    As soon as he came in, August saw Jeanne lying on the bed.


    Her face was pale Seeing August who stood in the doorway, Jeanne cried instantly.


    "August ..."


    Instantly, August suddenly remembered Jeanne was as pale and fragile as she was now when she was


    ill and lying on the bed for a long time before.


    August''s hard heart suddenly softened when he remembered Jeanne always stuck with him in


    childhood.He stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "Don''t move."


    As he was saying that, August nced at Jeanne¡¯s bandaged hand.He frowned and took a deep


    breath.


    "Why would you do such a stupid thing?"


    There was a little me in August''s words, but he didn''t dare to me Jeanne too much.He was afraid


    to scare her.


    Jeanne couldn''t stop crying.She reached out her hand and held August''s hand softly.


    "August, why don''t you trust me?"


    "I don''t know anything and I haven''t done anything.Why don''t you trust me? "From the beginning to the


    end, everything I have done is for you.I try to be obedient, I try to please you, I try to be your good wife,


    but you keep moving away from me, and I cant even catch up ...


    Jeanne almost couldn''t pant when she was crying and saying those to August.She looked very


    pathetic.


    Seeing that, August felt heartbroken hard.


    All the memories appeared in August''s mind like a flood and he almost couldn''t speak.


    "August, I know that you and Lucia were once in a rtionship, but now I am the one who is with


    you.She has her own family, you have your own family.We can live a good life without disturbing each


    other ..." Jeanne said as she cried.


    She shivered and looked very aggrieved.


    Hearing that, August felt like his heart was clogged with something, making him feel very


    ufortable.


    He felt resigned, heartbroken, and more than anything else, mixed.


    August took two pieces of tissues and dried her tears on her cheek, whispering, "Sorry, I have wronged


    you.I was just too anxious for a truth ..."


    Mark was Jeanne¡¯s previous loyal subordinate, and now that he got out of prison and always showed


    up where Lucia was.


    August couldn''t help but doubt Jeanne.


    "August, you know that I just want to be with you, I don¡¯t care about anyone but you ..."


    Jeanne''s heartfelt confession slowly melted the ice on the outside of August''s heart.


    August held Jeanne¡¯s hand tightly.He frowned and said deeply, "Sorry, it''s my fault."


    Jeanne cried for a long time.


    Then she felt tired and shrank her body on the hospital bed, falling asleep.


    August sat on the edge of the bed and stared at Jeanne for a long time.


    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    It was getting dark outside.


    August looked at Jeanne''s slender wrist which was wrapped in a thickyer of gauze, and his suspicion


    of Jeanne disappeared slowly.


    To prove her innocence, Jeanne was willing to put her life on the line.


    It seemed that he was really wrong about her this time.

 Chapter 408

    Chapter 408


    Chapter 408 It Wouldn''t Make Much of A Difference


    The story of Jeanne''s wrist cutting somehow reached the ears of the Kelly family.


    Martin took Mrs.Kelly, Merlin, and a group of people to the hospital in a hurry.


    As soon as they saw Jeanne''s condition, they made a big scene in front of August.


    But he wasn''t powerful enough after all.


    The Kelly Group had to rely on Lion Group in business.


    After Martinined and med August, he put on the airs of a generous father-inw and


    expressed his forgiveness to August in a grand manner.


    Before leaving, he brought up an order intentionally.


    August didn''t hesitate and made a phone call to thepany, and the order naturally belonged to the


    Kelly Group.


    As soon as they left the hospital and got into the car, Burton couldn''t help but say, "President Adams,


    you know what Martin is doing.Why did you agree with him? If this order is given to the Kelly Group, it


    will not benefit us at all."


    "I know."


    Sitting in the back of the car, August picked up the tabletputer and looked at the trend of the stock


    market.


    He said in a low voice, "He didn''te this time for his daughter.He wouldn''t leave unless he gets


    some benefit."


    Martin was extremely patriarchal, and Jeanne was just a cash cow in his eyes.


    He was not stupid enough to publicize this kind of family scandal.


    But he was most curious about how the Kelly family had known that Jeanne cut her wrist.He knew


    Jeanne well, and she wouldn''t tell others about this kind of thing, let alone the Kelly family, but the Kelly


    family somehow knew it.


    Jeanne''s surprise when she saw theme over didn''t seem to be fake.


    With everything that had happened, he couldn''t figure it out.


    Suddenly, his phone vibrated.


    It was a message from Joshua, [Everything is ready.


    Come to the wine cer] August''s eyes darkened and he immediately told Burton to turn around and


    head to the wine cer.


    The most important thing at the moment was the affairs of Mr.Denko.


    As for the Kelly family, they could make trouble if they wanted.


    It wouldn''t make much of a difference.


    For several days, Lucia did not receive any notification about the work.


    Apart from going to Jennifer''s studio to shoot some new show photos indoors, she stayed at home with


    Timothy and J.


    asionally she took the two children out for a walk in the park.


    Other than that, she had almost nothing else to do.


    She waited from Monday to Friday, and finally got a call from Director Brook.


    After arriving at the studio, the assistant immediately invited her to the office.


    When she walked to the door of the office, she naturally remembered that thest time she was here,


    she saw August in the room when she opened the door.


    She suddenly felt a little nervous.


    The assistant knocked on the door and pushed the door open.


    Lucia took a deep breath, walked forward, and looked up at the desk.


    When she saw that the person sitting at the desk was Director Brook instead of August, she was


    somehow not happy as she had thought.


    "Lucia, you''re here! Come,e!"


    When Director Brook saw her, he immediately got up and waved to her.


    Lucia took a deep breath, stepped forward, and smiled at him, "Hello, Director Brook."


    Director Brook excitedly motioned her to look at theputer screen and said, "Come and see all of


    Timothy and J''s finalized photos.These are retouched!"


    Lucia walked over and took a look.


    This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .


    The 16-inchputer screen was showing the final photos.


    Lucia was instantly amazed when she looked at them.


    On the yellow grasnd, Timothy and J were standing between two elephants, smiling


    contagiously.


    It was wild, lively, and harmonious.


    Lucia couldn''t help but nod and clicked the mouse to see the next one...


    After she looked at a set of photos, her nose somehow felt sour.


    She admitted that she was shocked and impressed by these public welfare photos.


    These photos looked like a silent film, but they showed people a silent struggle and appeal.


    She took a deep breath and nodded, "Great."


    Director Brook said with a smile, "Of course, the style and details of the photos were personally


    checked by President Adams.We''ve worked overtime every day to retouch the photos these days."


    Lucia''s heart tightened when she heard it.


    In the past few days, August had not called or texted her.


    He was quiet as if he had disappeared, which made her a little ufortable.


    She couldn''t help but blurt out, "Where''s President Adams? Didn''t hee recently?"


    Director Brook shook his head and said with a half-joking smile, "No, I heard that he has been with his


    wife recently.They have a very good rtionship, and he''s been too busy toe here."


    Lucia''s heart tightened and a sense of grief instantly arose in her heart.She forced a smile and said


    nothing.She casually chatted with Director Brook for a while.


    Thinking of the public welfare short film, she asked, "Director Brook, did President Adams tell you


    about the public welfare short film?"


    "He did, but the specifics of the shooting have not yet been determined.Just wait for the notification."


    Director Brook reached out to Lucia and said, "I wish us a happy cooperation."


    Lucia smiled, shook hands with him absentmindedly, and chatted with him for a while before she left


    the studio.


    After returning home and waiting for another two days, she found that there was still no news or


    notification from August.


    Lucia took the time to sign up for swimming lessons for Timothy and J, but she had nothing to do


    at home.


    On the morning of the third day, after dropping the children off to ss, Lucia sat in the car, thought


    about it, took a deep breath, and drove to Lion Group.


    Looking at the familiar road, she was reminded of the past unconsciously.


    Five years ago, she had rushed to work by subway every day, and it felt like yesterday.


    The Lion Group building was still standing in the most prosperous area of the city center, which could


    be seen at a nce.


    Lucia parked the car at the entrance of Lion Group and suddenly became emotional.


    She pushed open the door, got off the car, and walked towards the gate.


    There were security guards at the gate, and employees walked in and out of the gate.


    Looking at the badges on their chests, Lucia felt a little sad.


    Who would have thought that when she came back, she had transformed from a young girl to a mother


    of two children? Her nose suddenly felt sour, and tears welled up in her eyes.


    Before she could see the gate clearly, a group of people walked out from the door, and there was even


    a familiar face among them.


    Lucia blinked, took a closer look, and suddenly widened her eyes in surprise.


    It was Emma! Her hair had grown longer, and she looked more elegant and radiant.


    Lucia was surprised and happy, but she was afraid of being recognized by Emma, and suddenly


    became nervous.


    She took a deep breath, turned around, and walked back with her head down.


    Unexpectedly, when she only walked a few steps, she bumped into a tall man.Her forehead was hit and


    it ached.She subconsciously stretched out her hand to rub it.


    When she looked up, she saw a cold face.


    It was August! How...how did she meet him here?! Before she coulde to her sense, August''s eyes


    had passed over her, and he looked at the gate over there.


    Two secondster, he withdrew his gaze and asked in a low voice, "What did you do wrong?"


    Lucia subconsciously shook her head and said, "No...I''m just passing by to have a look..."


    "Really?"


    August didn''t believe it, "Why do I think you came to see me on purpose?"


    Lucia seemed to have been poked in the soft spot, and she instantly lost her temper, "Who said that?


    No!"


    "It''s alright.Just apany me to a ce."


    August grabbed her hand, turned his head, and walked towards the car with her.


    Before she could react, she was pushed into the car.

 Chapter 409

    Chapter 409


    Chapter 409 It''s A Serious Matter About Work


    The car door was closed.


    Without waiting for Lucia to answer, the car started and drove into the main road.


    The car door was locked.


    Lucia pulled it a few times but couldn''t open it, and suddenly became a little anxious, "Where are you


    taking me?!"


    "You''ll know when we arrive." August said calmly, "It''s a serious matter about work."


    Hearing what he said, Lucia became quiet.


    She took a deep breath and asked suspiciously, "Is it rted to the public welfare short film?"


    August leaned on the backrest and nodded.


    When Lucia heard this, she was at a loss for words.She had been idle at home in the past few


    days.She couldn''t wait to start work as soon as possible.She was nning to leave immediately after


    she got the video.


    But she hadn''t expected to meet August by ident today.


    Since he said it was work-rted, she didn''t have any reason to reject it.


    Along the way, the atmosphere in the car was terrifyingly silent until her phone rang, and broke the


    silence.


    The childlike and cute ringtones keep ringing, which was the exclusive ringtone set by Lucia for


    Timothy and J.


    Before she could take out her phone, August stared at her from the side.


    Lucia''s heart tightened and she looked over subconsciously.


    When she saw August''s faint smile, she took a deep breath and said, "Is there a problem?"


    August nced at her lightly, and said, "Childish."


    Lucia got angry.She wanted to refute it, but she didn''t dare to.


    Now he was her boss after all.


    If she messed with him, he could make a few excuses to torture her during the film shooting.


    Lucia took a deep breath, suppressed the anger in her heart, rolled her eyes at him, and took out her


    phone to answer the video call from Timothy and J.


    "Mom With the crisp voices, the heads of the two children appeared on the phone screen.


    Seeing the two cute children, Lucia instantly cheered up and she couldn''t help smiling, "How''s your


    swimming learning? Is it fun?"


    Timothy giggled on the other end of the phone, "It''s fun! It''s just that J is so stupid.She took a few


    sips of water with her swimming ring!"


    When J heard this, she pouted, "That''s better than you swimming like a frog!"


    Seeing the children about to quarrel, Lucia quickly tried to persuade them, "Okay, this is just the third


    lesson.You guys are great.You will learn how to swim after the ss is over!"


    She was so focused on persuading the children that she didn''t even notice that the man next to her had


    turned his head to look at her.


    When he saw her smiling and exuding a soft glow, he couldn''t help smiling.


    Lucia was not a gentlewoman in the traditional sense.


    But at this moment, she was speaking so gently with the radiance of motherhood, making him want to


    get close.


    On the screen, J asked excitedly, "Mom, when can youe and swim with us?!"


    "I can apany you to ss next time!"


    There suddenly came a male voice from beside her.


    Then, August moved closer to her, looked at Timothy and J on the screen, and said softly, "I can


    apany you."


    His sudden appearance made Timothy and J stunned on the other end of the phone.


    Soon, J was the first to react, "Handsome Uncle! Mom, you are with Handsome Uncle!"


    Lucia didn''t know how to answer, and her hand holding the phone froze.She opened her mouth, but


    couldn''t speak.


    Timothy widened his eyes and asked seriously, "Mom, where are you going with Handsome Uncle?"


    The two children got excited and Lucia was immediately struck dumb.


    She hadn''t expected August to suddenly show himself in front of the camera, so she didn''t think about


    how to deal with this situation at all.


    Just when she fell silent, August suddenly stretched out his hand, held her hand, and slowly turned the


    screen to make the camera focus on him.


    "Your mother and I have some work to do.When I have time another day, I''ll go see you


    swimming.What do you think?"


    The two children were in a good mood and agreed in unison.


    August chatted with them for a while and then hung up the phone unhurriedly.


    Sitting beside her, Lucia waspletely dumbfounded.She didn''t react until August put the phone in


    her hand.She gritted her teeth, angry and helpless, "Why did you show yourself in front of the


    camera?!"


    August raised his eyebrows and said with a faint smile, "You didn''t say I wasn''t allowed to do that."


    Lucia was speechless.She put away her phone angrily, nced at him coldly, leaned against the


    window, and stopped talking.


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    After a short while, the car arrived at Director Brook''s studio.


    August took Lucia to the office, discussed the idea and nning of the filming with other team


    members, and had afternoon tea together.


    Time passed very quickly.


    When they walked out of the studio, it was getting dark outside.


    Lucia thought that today''s work was over, but August took her directly to a modeling studio.


    Looking at the minimalist logo at the door, Lucia frowned, "What are we doing here?"


    "There is still work to do tonight," August said lightly.


    Then he turned to look at the store manager on the side and said, "One hour, light makeup."


    The store manager nodded immediately.


    Before Lucia could say anything else, a few people took her to the ce for changing clothes and style.


    After they worked on her for an hour, Lucia was already bored and drowsy.


    When she heard someone''s soft voice in her ear, she woke up abruptly, "Ms.Mitchell, please take a


    look.Are you satisfied with the look?"


    Lucia opened her eyes in a daze.


    When she saw the woman in the mirror, she was stunned.She had to admit that the people of this


    studio were good at their job.She was wearing very light makeup and the details were very exquisite.


    Every inch of her skin and every eysh could withstand a closer look.


    After changing into a light pink suit, she followed the store manager into the lobby.


    August had changed into a suit with no folds.


    As soon as he looked up, he saw Lucia walking towards him, and his heart somehow skipped a


    beat.She was refreshing, elegant, and yet stunning, which was what he wanted.


    He smiled, stood up, nced over her face lightly, and said in a calm tone, "Let''s go to Star Venue."


    When he mentioned Star Venue, Lucia suddenly remembered that there was an event there tonight,


    the Austos City Art Exchange.


    This art exchange brought together elites from various fields in the art world to discuss, learn and make


    friends.


    This was the purpose of this exchange.


    August took her there presumably to let her get to know some big shots in the director and film and


    television industries.


    After all, with these people, theirter work would be easier and smoother.


    In short, August was paving the way for his career.


    She was just a soldier under hismand.


    Thinking of this, Lucia felt an inexplicable bitterness in her heart, and her heart sank.

 Chapter 410

    Chapter 410


    Chapter 410 It''s Very Dangerous Here


    They arrived at Star Venue.


    Before getting off the car, Lucia saw a bright light outside the window.


    In Star Venue, as its name suggested, all kinds of lights were turned on, sparkling like a gxy with


    bright stars when it was getting dark.


    A lot of cars were parked on both sides of the gate, and all the guests entered through the gate in an


    orderly manner.


    After pushing open the door and getting off the car, Lucia walked towards the gate with August.


    Thinking of her rtionship with August, she consciously slowed down and kept her distance from him.


    Unexpectedly, just after walking a few steps, August suddenly slowed down.


    He turned his head slightly to look at her and said, "You''re walking so slowly.Don''t you want to go?"


    Lucia was slightly surprised and quickly shook her head in denial while quickening her pace.


    Unexpectedly, such a subtle movement of hers was noticed by August.She didn''t want to go with


    August.


    But when she thought that it was working and the video was in his hands, she had to grit her teeth and


    compromise.


    When they walked into Star Venue, she found that all theyouts in the hall were designed in a


    minimalist style.


    At first nce, it was bright andfortable.


    There were white round tables at intervals in the hall for the guests to stand at for drinking and chatting.


    Lucia''s attention was so focused on theyout of the scene that she didn''t even notice that as soon as


    they entered the hall, the eyes of the people around were all fixed on them.


    A handsome man and a beautiful woman were the most eye-catching and beautiful scenery when they


    appeared.


    More importantly, August was like a walking business card, attracting a lot of attention wherever he


    went.


    Someone came up, greeted August politely, and chatted with him.


    Lucia stood by, listening to their greetings with little interest.


    In the next hour, through August''s introduction, Lucia received business cards from many well-known


    directors and professionals in the industry.


    After walking around, she also met several like-minded people, and she gradually became more


    interested.


    "Ms.Mitchell, I hope there will be opportunities for us to work together in the future."


    "Okay, there will be a chance."


    After taking another business card, Lucia nodded and said goodbye to a guest.


    When the guest turned to leave, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.


    After chatting for a long time just now, she was now so thirsty that she grabbed a ss of pale liquid


    nearby and drank it in one gulp.


    The sweet taste made her swallow it without suspecting anything.


    But the next second, when her throat felt a tingle, she suddenly realized that it was wine! But it was too


    late.She had swallowed the first sip of wine and poured the second into her mouth.She could neither


    spit it out nor swallow it.She froze in ce and didn''t know what to do.


    When August saw her bulging cheeks on the side, he couldn''t help smiling.


    He sneered and asked, "You''re being cute?"


    His words almost made her squirt the liquid in her mouth.She took a deep breath and swallowed it.


    The spicy taste made her frown.


    She rolled her eyes at August, said nothing, and walked quickly towards the drink counter nearby.


    Picking up a ss of freshly squeezed juice, she took several sips in a row and only then did the taste


    of alcohol in her mouth and throat go down.


    Feeling the gaze from the side, Lucia raised her eyes and met August''s ck eyes.


    He was smiling faintly with a hint of yfulness in his eyes.


    Lucia instantly felt annoyed.


    She took a deep breath, rolled her eyes at him, and deliberately looked away from him.


    "Ms.Mitchell."


    There suddenly came to a clear male voice from behind and Lucia was slightly startled.


    She turned back subconsciously, and saw a handsome young waiter, "Hello, this is something a guest


    asked me to bring to you."


    Lucia lowered her eyes and saw the small box he was holding in his hand.


    A little surprised, she looked up at him and asked, "Who is it?"


    "I''m not sure.He just handed the box to me over there."


    The waiter looked in one direction and gestured it to her.


    Lucia raised her eyes and followed his gaze.


    There were a group of people over there, but none of them were faces she was familiar with.


    The doubts in her heart became more and moreplicated.


    Lucia took a deep breath, hesitated for a moment, took the small box, and said to the waiter, "Thank


    you."


    The waiter smiled and nodded at her before he turned and walked away.


    Lucia slowly opened the box with some hesitation.


    Unexpectedly, it turned out to be a piece of jade with a clear color and excellent texture.


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    Apart from the jade, there was a small folded card beside it.


    Lucia hesitated for a moment, picked up the card, and opened it.


    It was a line of words, [Ms.Mitchell, you''re really beautiful.I wonder if there is a chance for me to get to


    know you."


    Looking at what was in her hand, Lucia was even more confused.


    Was it sent by one of her suitors? But why was there no contact information attached? What was even


    stranger was that there was a ck logo of a spider web on the right side of the card, which was


    beautiful, unique, and dark but chilling.


    Lucia hadn''t figured out who sent it when a man suddenly appeared in front of her.


    August walked up to her, nced over the things in her hand, and took the box and card away without


    saying a word.


    When he saw the piece of jade, he frowned slightly, finding it somehow familiar.


    He casually opened the folded card.


    When he saw the content on it, his face suddenly turned gloomy.


    He squeezed the card in his hand tightly, and his eyes finallynded on the small logo in the lower right


    corner.


    Two secondster, his eyes suddenly darkened, and his face was scary cold.


    Lucia wanted to say something.


    But when she felt his coldness, she was a little shocked and couldn''t help but ask, "What''s wrong?"


    Was there something wrong with this box? August was silent.


    He picked up the piece of jade and looked at it again and again.


    His eyes turned cold and sharp, which made people shudder.


    Finally, he pursed his lips and said, "Where did ite from?"


    This thing was not a gift from a suitor, but a warning and ultimatum! Lucia didn''t know it, but he knew!


    That logo was the icon of the organization under Mr.Denko''smand.


    As for that piece of jade, if he remembered correctly, it was the piece that Mr.Denko had been wearing


    around his neck! Now he took it off and even sent it to Lucia.


    He was doing it with ulterior motives! But Lucia and Mr.Denko had nothing to do with each other at all.


    Could it be because of him? Thinking of it, August clenched his fists tightly, raised his eyes, and looked


    around with sharp eyes.


    But looking around, he found nothing! They were now in the light, and Mr.Denko was hiding in the dark.


    This state was the most dangerous.


    Once Mr.Denko wanted to attack them, it couldn''t be prevented.


    Looking up at the bewildered woman next to him, August didn''t have time to exin so much.


    He grabbed her wrist and walked straight out.


    Lucia¡¯s heart tightened, and she quickly asked, "What''s going on? Where are you taking me?"


    "I''m taking you out of here!"


    August paused, turned to look at her with a terrifying look in his eyes, and said solemnly, "It''s very


    dangerous here."


    Hearing his words, Lucia was stunned.


    As far as she could remember, August had never been afraid of anything, let alone any danger.


    But he said it was dangerous here.


    Could something happen? Before she could figure it out, August pulled her and left the hall of Star


    Venue under others¡¯ strange gazes.

 Chapter 411

    Chapter 411


    Chapter 411 She Didn''t Have to Worry about Him


    August walked from Starlight House to his car.


    The car door mmed shut and he ordered the driver to drive as soon as he got in.


    Lucia was covered in sweat.She didn''t breathe a sigh of relief until the car slowly drove away.


    After a while, she turned to look carefully at August, who was pursing his lips with a gloomy face.It


    seemed that he was thinking about something.


    Lucia couldn''t help but ask in a whisper, "What''s wrong?"


    August frowned slightly, turned to look at her, and said tly, "Nothing."


    Lucia was even more confused.


    The jade and the card had actually worried August, who had always been calm.


    What did they represent? Lucia took a deep breath and asked seriously, "Really?"


    August blinked and said tly, "Yeah.The jade just reminded me of an old friend.I''ll look into it."


    He looked down at his watch and said, "It''s gettingte.I''ll take you home."


    Lucia was still puzzled, but she bit back the words.


    Half an hourter, the car arrived at West Bridge.


    Lucia got out and nced at August before closing the door.


    August didn''t turn to look at her.


    He looked so serious that she couldn''t read his mind.


    Watching the car turn around and drive away, Lucia stood in ce worriedly.


    After a few seconds, she suddenly realized that she was worried about August.she shook her head and


    gave a helpless smile.She didn''t have to worry about him.She should worry about herself right now.She


    had to get the public service announcement done, get that video, and leave Austos City as soon as


    possible.


    As for August, there were plenty of people willing to share his worries.


    Lucia sneered and turned to walk into West Bridge.It was silent.


    There was only one small light on in the living room.


    It seemed that Bill and Elisa had gone to bed and Timothy and J were also asleep.


    Lucia walked gingerly to the children''s room, slowly pushed open the door, and looked inside.


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    Timothy and J were sleeping in two cribs side by side.


    Timothy moved when the door opened.


    Lucia hesitated for a moment and walked up to his crib.


    As expected, Timothy poked his head out from the nket, looked at her with big watery eyes, and


    whispered, "Mom..."


    Lucia leaned over and asked in a whisper, "Why are you still awake?"


    "I''m waiting for you."


    Timothy reached out his chubby little hand, took Lucia''s hand, and asked in a soft voice, "Will you go


    swimming with us tomorrow? There''s an event at the swimming pool and all the kids will have mom


    and dad with them."


    Lucia hadn''t expected Timothy to wait for her for this matter.She felt guilty and sorry for the


    children.She leaned over, kissed Timothy gently on the forehead, and whispered, "Yes, I''ll call your dad


    in the morning and take you there."


    Timothy was surprised.


    "Really?"


    Lucia felt warm and nodded at him.


    "Of course.Good night."


    Timothy nodded firmly, tucked himself in, and closed his eyes.


    Lucia smiled and went quietly out of the room.


    She knew very well that she should spend time with her children.She used to spend time with them no


    matter what they did, but now they were in Austos City and she was busy with work.She was


    ufortable when she didn''t have time for them.She didn''t want to miss such an important


    asion.She didn''t want to let Timothy and J down.


    Lucia woke up very early the next morning.


    At 6:30, she called Paul directly and told him about the event.


    Paul immediately agreed, skipped the morning meeting, and headed straight to West Bridge.


    Lucia ced the breakfast on the table.


    Before she could go upstairs to wake up the children, she heard someone open the door.


    Then Paul, dressed in casual clothes, appeared in the doorway.


    Paul walked through the foyer towards the dining room.


    Seeing the hearty breakfast on the table, he couldn''t help but smile.


    "There you are."


    Lucia wiped her hands and walked up to him with a smile.


    "Have you eaten breakfast?"


    Lucia was wearing an apron with her hair up.


    Paul looked at her with a gentle look on his face and whispered, "Not yet."


    Lucia naturally grabbed his wrist and pushed him toward the kitchen.


    "Go wash your hands.I''ve prepared yours."


    The next second, she felt her waist being held and a gentle kiss on her cheek.She froze at once.It was


    so quiet.


    Paul realized he was being impulsive and cleared his throat.


    He was about to exin when he heard giggles from the stairs.


    Lucia and Paul were both surprised and backed up quickly.


    They turned their heads at the same time and saw Timothy and Jughing on the stairs with their


    hands over their mouths.


    Obviously, they had seen it.


    Lucia blushed in an instant.She walked away and tried to change the subject.


    "Have you brushed your teeth and washed your face?"


    The children nodded in unison, but they still giggled.


    "Ahem!"


    Paul saw Lucia''s red face and couldn''t help but smile.He cleared his throat and said with a straight face


    on purpose like a father, "Stopughing! Come with me to wash your hands and eat breakfast!"


    Then he took the children into the kitchen.


    Lucia''s face felt very hot.She couldn''t help but take a deep breath and drink water to calm herself.She


    hadn''t expected Paul to kiss her out of the blue.She hadn''t expected it to be seen by the children either.


    They were the closest people to her, but it was still a little awkward.


    However, because of the episode, the house was full ofughter and it felt more like home.


    Lucia''s heart softened.She had always wanted a happy family.


    It seemed that things were going great between her and Paul.

 Chapter 412

    Chapter 412


    Chapter 412 Being Targeted


    The atmosphere had been pleasant in the morning because of the episode.


    N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    They packed their things and went straight to the swimming pool where Timothy and J learned to


    swim.


    It was an upscale swimming pool with a great environment and experienced instructors.


    Of course, it was also very expensive, but after a few lessons, the two children improved a lot in


    swimming.It was a test this time.


    The children would firstpete in swimming and then enjoyed the water with their parents.


    There were ten groups in total.


    The parents of the children were already there.


    A female instructor checked them in and told them to change and take a shower.


    Since it was a swimming pool, they inevitably had to get in the water.


    Paul and Timothy changed their clothes but didn''t see Lucia and J at the pool.


    More and more parents and children gathered at the pool.


    Timothy couldn''t help but look up and ask Paul, "Dad, where''s mom and J?"


    Paul looked down, stroked his head, and whispered, "Timothy, boys have to be patient with girls, you


    know?"


    Timothy nodded nkly, and Paul smiled at him.


    When he looked up, he saw Lucia and J walking out of the women''s changing room.


    Lucia was wearing a white strappy swimsuit.


    Her white skin and perfect body instantly captivated everyone.


    Paul couldn''t help but gulp.He even felt his hands sweating.He and Lucia had known each other for


    years, but she could still surprise him.


    J was wearing a swimsuit with a pink bow.She looked so adorable.


    Everyone''s eyes were drawn to them, especially the men, but they were discouraged when they saw


    Lucia and J walking toward Paul.


    They thought that only such wonderful parents could have such beautiful children.


    Soon everyone was gathered at the pool.


    The two instructors introduced the rules to them and the event began.


    On the other side of the pool, a fully-dressed man was sitting in the audience staring at the family of


    four in the crowd.


    Meanwhile, the conference room at Lion Group was filled with people but silent.


    Everyone tried their best to keep their heads down.


    The mood was subdued.


    With a p, August mmed the folder on the desk with a gloomy face.


    "Is this the final n you all agreed on?"


    He stared angrily at a few of them.


    Those people all lowered their heads and kept silent.


    August slowly clenched his fists.He was losing his temper deliberately.


    Several executives in thepany had been very arroganttely.


    They had even given important documents to Bishop and pushed them through without August''s


    consent.


    August had been dealing with other things, but he knew Bishop had bought them off.


    Bishop wanted to get rid of his people and dethrone him.


    In the end, the executives would be distracted even if Bishop failed.


    He was so shrewd.


    August frowned at the supervisor of the nning department and said coldly, "Mr.Rankin, I heard that


    you''ve been taking a lot of time off recently because of family matters.Since you don''t want to work, I''ll


    give you a vacation.What do you think?"


    Mr.Rankin''s face instantly became pale.He knew that August was actually going to dismiss him from


    his job.


    With trembling hands, he looked up at August and forced a smile.


    "Mr.Adams, I''ve been leading the nning department for several years.If I leave, maybe it will..."


    August had guessed what he was going to say.


    He raised his eyebrows slightly and said casually, "It''s okay.Ned McDowell, the deputy supervisor, has


    also been there for three years.He can handle a lot of things on his own.Don''t worry.You''ll still be in


    charge when youe back."


    Mr.Rankin opened his mouth, but he didn''t know what to say.He knew there was no way he would


    come back if he agreed.He regretted trusting Bishop.He shouldn''t have sided with him! It was silent in


    the conference room.


    Everyone was waiting for Mr.Rankin to say something.


    August scanned them and finally stared at Mr.Rankin.He didn''t rush him but waited for him to speak up.


    However, at that moment, it was noisy outside the conference room.


    Burton walked out and soon returned with a serious face.


    He walked quickly to August and reported, "Sir, Ned is gone.He left a resignation letter!"


    "What?"


    August frowned coldly.


    He had just said he would promote Ned, but Ned had suddenly left! What a weird coincidence! He


    scanned the crowd coldly and quickly turned to leave.


    As soon as he went out of the conference room, he ordered Burton, "Find Ned by any means


    necessary.I want to see him!"


    August had already known that Mr.Rankin had been bought off by Bishop, so he took the opportunity to


    dismiss him.He just hadn''t expected Ned to leave suddenly.He didn''t have to think about it to know who


    had nned it.He frowned and tried to recall all the details, his eyes filled with anger.


    Bishop made no secret of his actions this time.It seemed that he was losing impatience.


    August had predicted a few years ago that the two of them would have a bad fight sooner orter.


    Furious, he returned to his office and put his phone down on his desk irritably.His finger identally


    touched the screen.


    It lit up and there was a new message on it.


    He took a deep breath and clicked on it.


    "August, how does it feel to see this?"


    In the photo below, Lucia, in a white swimsuit with a big smile on her face, was pushing Timothy in a


    water wing.


    Paul was holding J with one arm and had his other arm around Lucia''s waist.


    The four of them looked happy and intimate.


    August''s chest felt tight.


    Suddenly, he nced at the bottom right corner of the photo and he frowned at once.


    It was the spider web symbol again! Obviously, the photo had been photoshopped! August''s eyes were


    as cold as a deep pool.


    Even the temperature around him had dropped.


    He had just doubted when Lucia had received the jade and the card at Starlight House yesterday, but


    this message was enough to show that Lucia was being targeted by Mr.Denko!

 Chapter 413

    Chapter 413


    Chapter 413 "Kidnapping" Her


    August clenched his fists, and blue veins stood out on his arms, which looked frightening.He knew


    Mr.Denko very well.


    Mr.Denko wouldn''t hesitate to hurt the innocent as long as he could achieve his goal.He believed that


    Mr.Denko was targeting Lucia because of him.


    Just then, the phone in his hand vibrated again and a new message popped up.


    "Do you think the drowning of a five-year-old in a pool will make headlines in Austos City?"


    August''s eyes instantly widened.He clenched his fists so hard that his bones ttered.


    ¡®Bastard!¡¯ He picked up his suit jacket and strode out of the office.


    Mr.Denko did have the guts to do that.


    If he really did something, the consequences would be irretrievable.


    August bumped into Burton as soon as he went outside.


    "Sir, Ned..."


    Before Burton could finish, he noticed August''s gloomy face.He immediately asked, "What''s wrong?"


    Instead of answering, August clicked on the sender.


    It was a processed string of numbers.He dialed it, but all he heard was two strange noises and then it


    hung up on its own.He tossed the phone to Burton with a frown.


    "Find this swimming pool and get the car ready."


    "Yes, sir."


    Burton immediately took the phone, but he was surprised when he saw the photo.


    "It''s Braden Swimming Pool downtown."


    August was surprised.


    "You know it?"


    Burton blinked for a moment awkwardly and replied, "I''ve been there before."


    A few days before, he had run into Pa, followed her there, and seen her pick up Timothy and J.


    August didn''t care what Burton was thinking.


    He just wanted to get to the swimming pool as soon as possible and make sure Lucia, Timothy, and


    J were safe! On the way, he called Lucia several times, but she didn''t answer.He was getting


    anxious.


    If something really happened to the three of them, he would never let Mr.Denko go! Meanwhile, in the


    swimming pool, Lucia''s phone was flickering and vibrating in her bag on a chair in the lounge area, but


    it waspletely covered up by the sound ofughter.


    Lucia and the two children were exhausted when the water ry race ended.


    The instructor called an intermission and they painted on the edge of the pool.


    "Mom, I want some juice."


    J sat on the edge of the pool with her feet in the water and looked at Lucia with wide eyes.


    Before Lucia could reply, Timothy said, "Watermelon juice!"


    There was a shop next to the pool selling various drinks.


    Some parents were already there with their children.


    "I''ll go get it."


    Paul put a towel over Lucia, patted her shoulder, and said in a soft voice, "Stay with them.I''ll be right


    back."


    Lucia smiled at him.


    "Okay, we''ll wait for you."


    As soon as Paul left, Timothy said, "Mom, I want ice cream too."


    "It''s too cold.You''ll get your juice soon."


    Lucia was so focused on the two children that she didn''t notice the tall, familiar man at the door.


    August scanned the swimming pool.


    Soon he saw the three of them and walked quickly toward them.He was wearing a suit, which was a


    stark contrast to the people in swimsuits here.


    Everyone stared at him in confusion.


    August ignored them and walked to the pool with a frown.He was relieved when he made sure Lucia,


    Timothy, and J were all safe.


    Suddenly, he turned his head to look at Burton and whispered, "Take care of the children."


    Burton nodded seriously and walked forward with him.


    As August slowly approached, the people next to him couldn''t help but whisper.


    Lucia heard the noise and turned her head subconsciously.She thought she was hallucinating the


    moment she saw August.She quickly turned her head, tapped her cheek, and turned back in disbelief.


    The "hallucination"


    was not gone but closer to her! As Lucia took a deep breath, August suddenly took off his suit jacket


    and put it directly over her back.


    The next second, he whispered in her ear, "Come with me."


    "What?"


    Lucia was picked up by August directly before she knew it.


    Timothy and J were dumbfounded.


    Burton walked up to them and picked them up.


    Everyone was stunned.


    No one had expected the man to "kidnap" someone so boldly! The instructor tried to stop August, but


    he hesitated and let them go because August looked so powerful.


    "What are you doing?"


    Lucia shouted with a grim face.She noticed that everyone was looking at her and said in a low voice,


    "August, what do you want?"


    She had no idea why he had burst in and carried her out with everyone watching!


    "Shut up if you don''t want anything to happen to you." August frowned.


    "It''s dangerous here!"


    Startled by August''s serious face, Lucia tensed up and didn''t say anything.


    Soon August put Lucia into the car and ordered the driver to drive.


    "Where are Timothy and J?"


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    Lucia suddenly looked out, only to see Burton putting the children into the car behind them.She had a


    bad feeling.She looked at August with wide eyes and asked him, "What are you going to do to them?


    Let me out!"


    She pushed the door, but it was locked and didn''t move at all.


    "Do you want them to go out in their swimsuits? I''ve got clothes for them in that car."


    August frowned.


    "This car doesn''t have room for so many people."


    August didn''t look like he was lying.


    Lucia calmed down, but she was still burning up inside.


    Annoyed, she gritted her teeth and asked, "Why did you suddenly take us away?"


    "It''s not safe there," August replied.


    Suddenly, he thought of something and said coldly, "Don''t take Timothy and J there again."


    After a moment of silence, Lucia thought of something and sneered.


    "Is that so?"


    She took a deep breath, looked up into August''s eyes, and asked in a cold voice, "Do you think I''ll


    believe that?"


    How could she possibly believe such a ridiculous excuse?

 Chapter 414

    Chapter 414


    Chapter 414 I Will Never Be Attracted to You


    She clearly remembered that when she and August were in the car the day before, she received a


    video call from Timothy and J.


    At that time, he clearly said that he would go to the swimming pool with her another day to apany


    them.


    Now, the person who came to swim with Timothy and J was not her, but Paul.


    August knew that, so he came so angrily and kidnapped them.


    This was the most likely reason she could think of.


    She took a deep breath, met his dark eyes, plucked up her courage, and asked, "August, do you have


    feelings for me? So you can''t see me with Paul."


    When August heard this, his face darkened slightly, and a bit ofplexity appeared in his eyes.


    The moment he saw the photo, he was indeed annoyed.


    But then Mr.Denke''s provocative words aroused his anger even more.


    He just wanted to rush over as soon as possible to confirm their safety, but he hadn''t expected her to


    think so in the end.


    He looked away and said softly, "If you think so, I have nothing to say."


    Lucia sneered when she heard his words, "I told you before, I have my own family, and you have


    yours.Apart from work, shall we keep our distance?"


    With that, she looked at the driver in the front row and said firmly, "Sir, please open the door.I want to


    get off."


    The driver turned a deaf ear and didn''t move.


    Lucia got angry.


    She gritted her teeth, looked up at August beside her, and said in a serious tone, "Let me go."


    When August heard her words, there was no change on his face, and he said to the driver, "Drive."


    In an instant, Lucia¡¯s anger grew even stronger.She gritted her teeth, looked at him, and asked, "What


    are you doing?"


    "August, why didn''t I know you were such a narrow-minded person?"


    "You see that my family is harmonious and happy, and you feel ufortable, right?" Lucia said in a fit


    of anger.


    She originally wanted to provoke August to open the car door on purpose.


    Unexpectedly, after she said these words, his face did not change at all.


    "August, even if you have feelings for me, I will never be attracted to you!"


    As soon as she said these words, August''s face changed slightly.He looked down at her, and his eyes


    just swept across Lucia''s chest.


    After her struggle just now, the suit jacket she was wearing got loose, revealing half of her bare


    shoulder and her slender neck.


    August''s eyes darkened and his throat felt tight.Her words just aroused his desire to win.He stretched


    out his hand, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her directly towards him.


    Lucia was unguarded, her body was light, and she was pulled directly onto his chest.She was startled


    and sat directly on hisp.She was caught off guard.


    A few secondster, she wanted to put some distance between them.


    But he grabbed her shoulder with his big hand, and she couldn''t sit up straight at all.


    A bit of worry and panic appeared in her heart, "Let go of me..."


    At this moment, he was fully dressed, but she wasn''t.Her chest, arms, and legs were all exposed, and


    his gaze sent a chill down her spine.


    August frowned, and suddenly leaned closer to her ear and said, "I''m curious if you will be attracted."


    She could feel his warm breath on her neck.


    Hearing his threat, Lucia was instantly flustered.


    Then August pressed some suttons, and suddenly a baffle between the front and rear of the car rose


    slowly.


    The piece of brown one-way ss just blocked the view of the driver in front.


    Lucia wes startled.She had never thought that there was such a device in his car.She trembled.


    Before she could sit up, her waist was wrapped by his arm.


    Suddenly, his arm tightened, and her whole body was hugged tightly.


    The gap between their bodies disappeared instantly, anc they were now tightly pressed together.


    Feeling his warm skin under the twoyers of cloth, Lucia suddenly realized that she was being taken


    advantage of! She gritted her teeth, angry and annoyed.


    She forced herself to calm down and said in a deep voice, ¡®August, if you dare to do something to me,


    I''ll never go easy on you!"


    August snorted coldly, not being affected by her threat at all.


    He touched her smooth back with the other hand, and said solemnly, "It''s not like we haven''t done it


    before.What are you afraid of?"


    His implication made her blush instantly.


    The next second, her hands were sped by his big hand, and she was unable to move at all.


    Then, he lowered his eyes, leaned over, and directly kissed her soft lips.


    "You...let go!"


    Lucia frowned and tried to refuse, but she was instantly silenced by his kiss.


    She gritted her teeth tightly, and he sucked her lips calmly...


    After a short while, Lucia felt burning hot involuntarily, as if she had been poisoned, and her body


    trembled slightly.


    In a daze, she forgot to reject and resist.


    Her rejection was gone under his offensive.


    He touched her chest and said in a hoarse voice, "Your heart is beating so fast.Aren''t you attracted?"


    At that moment, Lucia''s mind went nk...


    She could deceive others, but she couldn''t deceive herself.


    Whenever she saw him, she felt flustered, and couldn''t help worrying about him and caring about


    him.She had to admit that August had always upied a ce in her heart.


    The moment when the two of them lost their sanity at the end, the car suddenly stopped.


    Lucia''s scalp tingled, and she came to her senses and suddenly woke up a bit.


    August frowned, looked away from her, and looked out the window, only to realize that the car had


    arrived at the gate of West Bridge.


    Lucia quickly put some distance between them, wrapped herself in his suit jacket, and said quickly, "Let


    me down."


    August calmed down a little.He took a deep breath, pressed the button to lower the baffle, and


    instructed the driver, "Open the door."


    Hearing his words, the driver immediately unlocked the door.


    Lucia hurriedly opened the door and got out of the car.


    If it were a few minutester, she would probably have fallen and couldn''t help herself.She bit her lips,


    got out of the car, turned around, and looked up at the car behind her.She stepped forward and


    watched Timothy and J get out of the car safe and sound.She breathed a sigh of relief.


    "Are you all right?"


    Lucia stepped forward nervously and reached out to take the two children into her arms.


    "It''s okay.Uncle Burton is very nice to us..."


    "Yeah, Uncle Burton is so nice..."


    The two childrenplimented Burton.


    Lucia raised her eyes and saw Burton standing beside them with a smile, and the worry in her heart


    eased a bit.She took a deep breath, pulled Timothy and J, and said softly, "Okay, we should go


    back."


    The children said goodbye to Burton politely, and then followed Lucia into the West Bridge obediently.


    The moment she returned home, her tense nerves slowly eased a lot.


    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    She took the children back to the bedroom to change clothes, and only then did she realize that her


    bag and mobile phone had been left at the swimming pool! At the same time, Paul returned to the


    swimming pool, looked at the people talking by the pool, looked around, and didn''t see any familiar


    figures.


    He felt a little worried.


    The coach on the side came over, looked at him, and hesitated, "Mr.Thomas, just now..."


    Paul frowned and put down the juice in his hand, "What happened?"


    Why did Lucia and the two children disappear when he came back?

 Chapter 415

    Chapter 415


    Chapter 415 It Was Time for Him to Teach August A Lesson


    The male coach looked hesitant as if he didn''t know how to exin it to him.


    A female coach on the side stepped forward and suggested, "Let him watch the surveince."


    Paul frowned tightly, and his gentle face turned a bit cold.


    He immediately followed the coach to the surveince room.


    Ten minutester, when he looked at the surveince footage on theputer screen, he clenched his


    fist tightly, raised his hand, and smashed it hard against the desktop.


    Fl Bang! It frightened the staff next to him.


    They all turned pale, but no one dared to talk to him.


    It was a family quarrel.


    This kind of emotional conflict was mostplicated, especially during the marriage.


    Whoever persuaded him at this time was adding fuel to the fire.


    After a moment, Paul slowly became calm.


    He took a deep breath, turned to look at the coach next to him, and said solemnly, "Thank you."


    With that, he walked out of the surveince room quickly.


    He could turn a blind eye to what had happened before.


    As long as Lucia didn''t leave him, he was willing to wait patiently.


    But now, August was provoking his titr wife under his nose.


    How could he put up with it? Since August didn''t show him any respect, it was time for him to teach


    August a lesson! On the way back to thepany, August picked up the tabletputer and looked at


    some meeting materials.


    But in twenty minutes, he somehow didn''t finish reading something that he could have finished ten


    minutes before.


    He raised his hand, pressed his eyebrows, and threw the tabletputer aside in a bit of irritability.


    After a pause, he took out his mobile phone and made a call, "Joshua,e to thepany to see


    me."


    Now some things had beplicated.


    To ensure the safety of Lucia, Timothy, and J, he must prepare in advance.


    Soon, the car arrived at its destination and stopped under the steps in front of the Lion Group building.


    August opened the door, got out of the car, and walked towards the gate.


    Unexpectedly, just as he walked to the gate, a dark figure suddenly rushed beside him.


    Then he was grabbed by the cor.


    Paul''s eyes were red with deep anger, and his hands were surprisingly strong, "Where did you take


    Lucia?!"


    August frowned slightly.He hadn''t expected that Paul woulde to confront him here.He looked at


    Paul and there was a trace of mockery in his eyes.


    Every time Lucia was in danger, Paul didn''t seem to y a role.


    Paul caught the emotion in his eyes.He became angrier, as if someone had punched him hard, and


    said, "August, do you like to provoke another man''s wife and children so much?!"


    His voice was loud enough to be heard clearly by the people around.


    The employees of Lion Group came in and out of the gate.


    When they saw August being grabbed by the cor, they couldn''t help but look over.


    Now that Paul shouted such explosive news, they all turned and looked over.


    Burton stepped forward from behind.


    Seeing this situation, he immediately stepped forward to stop Paul.


    But Paul was so angry that he didn''t listen at all, and refused to let go.


    "Answer me, what did you do to Lucia?!"


    August''s eyes darkened slightly, and he said coldly, "I just took them to a safe ce.Mr.Thomas, you


    don''t have to be so rude."


    "A safe ce?"


    Paul sneered, "For them, a ce without you is the safest ce!"


    As soon as Paul said these words, August''s face suddenly darkened, and deep anger shed across


    his eyes, and he clenched his fists tightly.


    Seeing that the war between the two men was about to break out, there suddenly came aughing


    male voice from the side, "What''s going on?"


    Joshua stepped forward with a smile, stopped Paul from grabbing August''s cor, and persuaded, "You


    are both respected people.Do you want to fight and embarrass yourselves in public?"


    Hearing his words, Paul still had no intention of letting go.


    Joshua smiled and continued to speak calmly, "Even if you don''t mind embarrassing yourself, think


    about your wife and two five-year-old children.If the news breaks out, who would be affected most?


    Well, you both should know that well, right?"


    Joshua''s simple words made Paul''s face change slightly.


    Just now, he was so angry that he never thought of this aspect at all.


    Now, after hearing Joshua''s words, he realized that if he made a big scene, the most affected ones


    would be Lucia, Timothy, and J! He didn''t want them to be doubted and judged on the Inte, and


    he didn''t want this matter to affect their rtionship.


    He raised his eyes and gave August a cold look before letting go.


    Joshua smiled and acted like a peacemaker, "Family scandals shouldn''t be made public.We can find a


    room, sit down and have a good talk.Mr.Thomas, do you have time?"


    Paul''s eyes were gloomy and he didn''t speak.


    Ten minutester, the three of them arrived at the reception room next to the office.


    After the door was closed, Joshua sensibly walked to the side and sat down, leaving room for them to


    talk.


    August sat down unhurriedly, poured a cup of coffee for Paul, pushed it in front of him, and said softly,


    "Mr.Thomas, there is no need for us to fight like this."


    Paul''s eyes were cold and he didn''t buy it at all, "Well, why have you provoked my wife and children


    again and again?"


    August said solemnly, "Technically speaking, it''s not provocation.I just couldn''t bear it and offered to


    help."


    If Mr.Denko wanted to attack Lucia and the children today, it wouldn''t be of much use even if Paul


    stayed by their side.


    "What do you mean?"


    August chuckled, and said with a trace of mockery in his eyes, "In my impression, you never seem to


    have fulfilled the duties of a husband."


    His words instantly rekindled Paul''s anger.


    Before Paul could speak, August''s face had returned to seriousness, and he said coldly word by word,


    "J was bitten by a snake, and Lucia fell off a horse.


    Which time did you protect them? Paul, do you think that you''re a qualified husband and father?"


    His words, like a sharp dagger, pierced into Paul''s heart quickly and ruthlessly.


    What August said was exactly what made him feel guilty every time he thought about it.


    It seemed that he had been slower than August each time.


    It was what had troubled him and a shame he was unwilling to talk about! "Are you sure you can rush


    to protect them before any idents happen in the future?"


    Paul frowned, and his throat tightened, unable to speak.


    He wanted to say "I can¡¯, but he hesitated.


    In the end, he didn''t have enough confidence to say it.


    N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    Paul clenched his fists and asked in a cold voice after a few seconds, "Well, in what capacity do you


    appear next to my wife and children?"


    August said without hesitation, "As long as I''m their boss, I have the responsibility to ensure the safety


    of my employees."


    Paul denied, "Timothy and J''s shooting assignment is over, and your coboration is over.You are


    not their boss now."


    Hearing this, August narrowed his eyes slightly, and his face changed slightly.


    After a few seconds, he said in a low voice, "It seems Lucia hasn''t told you that she took over the work


    of ourpany''s public welfare short film."


    "What?"


    Paul frowned, and his face suddenly became serious.


    August added softly, "This work will move forward next week and is expected to bepleted in a


    month."


    Paul froze in ce, unable to believe his ears.


    Lucia had signed a new coboration with August.


    But why didn''t she tell him?

 Chapter 416

    Chapter 416


    Chapter 416 This Is A Taboo!


    After a moment, Paul raised his head with a bit of stubbornness in his eyes, and said coldly, "Who


    knows if what you said is true or not?"


    If August said it on purpose to turn him against Lucia, how could he be fooled? = August said calmly, "If


    you don''t believe me, I can show you the contract."


    August''s confident tone and demeanor exined everything.It was B true, and August didn''t need to lie


    to him.


    Paul''s heart sank and he feltplicated and unset.


    A bitter feeling arose in his heart, which was inexplicably depressing.


    Unexpectedly, Lucia had kept it from him.


    He had thought that after he had been with her for five years, she wouldn''t keep anything from him.


    In an instant, all his questions and investigations were silenced.


    His eyes darkened a little, and he didn''t say anything in the end.


    Finally, he got up, said nothing to August, and walked out of the reception room.


    As soon as Paul left, only August and Joshua were left in the reception room.


    Suddenly, Joshuaughed out loud, "I didn''t expect to see a good show when I came here today.


    Two men fighting for one woman! What a ssic episode."


    Hearing Joshua''s ambiguous tone, August nced at him coldly and said, "I called you over for serious


    business."


    Hearing this, Joshua sat up straight and asked with a smile, "What''s the matter? Does it have


    something to do with Lucia?"


    August paused and didn''t reply directly.


    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    After a moment, he said lightly, "Mr.Denko seems to be targeting Lucia."


    With that, he took out the box containing the jade and put it on the table.


    Joshua''s face became serious.He opened the box and looked at it.


    After hearing August''s story, he said in a serious tone, "It seems that Mr.Denko is serious this time."


    August said nothing.


    Mr.Denko used something he had carried with him for decades as a threat, which showed that he had


    made up his mind.


    "He''sing after you." Joshua said solemnly, ¡®August, you have to be careful."


    August frowned and said, "But now he''s targeting Lucia."


    Joshua''s face became much gloomier and he disagreed, "August, don''t you understand? Why is he


    targeting Lucia? Isn''t it because of you?"


    "You''ve exposed your soft spot, and this is taboo!"


    August raised his eyebrows and subconsciously denied, "I have no feelings for her."


    "Really? Ask yourself, why have you protected her again and again if you don''t have feelings for her?


    Mr.Denko has seen it, and you haven''t realized it yourself?!"


    Hearing Joshua''s words, August was dumbfounded.


    After a moment, his throat tightened and he said solemnly, "But this time I will be responsible to the


    end."


    Since it was caused by him, he must ensure the safety of Lucia, Timothy, and J.


    Joshua said angrily, "August! Are you crazy?! If it were five years ago, you could have taken care of


    it.But now, in what capacity are you going to take care of Mr.Denko''s affairs?"


    August''s face darkened slightly and he nced at Joshua coldly, "I know what I''m doing."


    Joshua frowned, "Since you don''t listen to me, why did you ask me toe over?"


    August said solemnly, "Il need you to cooperate with me."


    Joshua looked reluctant.He moved his lips but said nothing.


    Now, if he didn''t help August, then August would be helpless.


    As for how to help August, he was still thinking about it.


    In his opinion, keeping Lucia away from August would help him.


    Joshua''s eyes lit up, and he suddenly came up with an idea.


    It would be a bit risky to do this.


    But when August looked back after many years, he would be grateful to him.It was getting dark.


    After dinner, Lucia yed with Timothy and J for a while.


    Then she nned to apany them back to the bedroom to read them a book for a while.


    But as soon as they reached the stairs, there came the sound of the door opening.


    Paul walked in, looking a little tired.


    Seeing him like this, Lucia was surprised.She asked Timothy to take J upstairs, turned around, and


    walked back.She took a deep breath.


    Thinking of what had happened in the swimming pool during the day, she didn''t know what to say,


    "Paul..."


    Paul raised his eyes, smiled at her, and asked in a low voice, "I heard that August took you away


    today.I asked him, and he said it was about work."


    Lucia''s throat tightened, and she was speechless.


    Two secondster, she took a deep breath and said word by word, "There was something about


    work.Are you angry?"


    A gentle smile appeared on Paul''s face, and he said in a low voice, "Why would I be angry? I received


    an emergency call from work within a few minutes of returning to the swimming pool.I packed your


    things and left."


    With that, he put the packed things on the table on the side.


    Seeing this, Lucia felt a littleplicated.She opened her mouth and finally said nothing.


    Paul said softly, "I''ll go take a shower first.I''m going on a business trip tomorrow morning."


    Hearing this, Lucia nodded and said nothing, watching him walk up the stairs.


    Although Paul looked the same as usual, she somehow felt a little uneasy because he seemed a little


    different...


    At this moment, the phone in her bag suddenly rang, and she hurriedly walked over and took out the


    phone.


    There were several missed calls from Director Brook.


    Lucia suddenly remembered that she and Director Brook had made an appointment to meet tomorrow


    to discuss the details of the work.


    She quickly answered the phone, "Hello, Director Brook..."


    After she answered the phone, she walked to the small balcony on the side.


    She wasn''t aware that Pa who had just gone upstairs stopped at the top of the stairs, and he was


    looking at her with deep eyes.


    Paul''s heart was filled with bitterness and disappointment.


    He had thought that Lucia would see his abnormality, notice his depressed mood, or exin to him


    what had happened today.


    But in the end, nothing happened.


    Heughed self-mockingly, and he was heartbroken.


    With such a hopeless marriage, he didn''t know how long he could hold on.


    But his heart, no doubt, had been given to Lucia long ago, and it might not be easy for him to withdraw


    now.


    The words August had said to him in the reception room today still echoed in his ears from time to time.


    August said that he had failed in his duties as a husband and father, that he had never protected them


    when they needed them, and that he had sent Lucia and the children to a safe ce...


    Suddenly, the clues in his mind were woven into a web.


    There must be a reason for August to suddenly take them away during the day.


    Could it be that, based on what August said, the swimming pool wasn''t safe today? Paul frowned,


    paused for a moment, and finally took out his mobile phone and called his subordinate, "Go check the


    Braden Swimming Pool..."


    He must find out what happened today!

 Chapter 417

    Chapter 417


    Chapter 417 Ignorant Women


    The next day, Paul left West Bridge very early to catch a flight.


    He wouldn''t be back until a weekter.


    Lucia offered to send him to the airport, but Paul refused.


    She prepared breakfast for Bill and Elisa and then woke up the two children.


    After a busy morning, the household chores were almost done.


    In the next two days, except for going out to meet Director Brook, Lucia stayed at home almost all the


    time.


    On the third day, shooting finally began.


    Lucia arrived at the set, met with the staff of all departments, and officially started working the next day.


    Soon it was the end of the day and Lucia suddenly received a call from a delivery guy.


    She went to the gate where the delivery guy holding a bouquet of flowers asked her, "Ms. Mitchell?"


    Lucia nodded and watched as the delivery guy handed the bouquet of flowers to her.


    She froze and reached out to take it in confusion.


    Had Paul known she started working today and ordered it? She had never told him she was going to


    make a public service announcement.


    With this in mind, Lucia was even more confused.


    She nodded to the delivery guy and turned around, but as soon as she looked down, she saw a small


    square card among the flowers.


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    She picked it up and couldn''t help but frown when she saw the words on it.


    "Ms.Mitchell, if you didn''t like thest gift, do you like this one?"


    In the lower right corner of the card was the same bizarre and unique spider web symbol.


    Looking at the symbol, Lucia felt a chill down her spine.


    The jade and the card had worried Augustst time, which meant that the person behind it was a


    threat! The person actually knew where she worked.


    It was too scary.


    Lucia took a deep breath, looked around, and bit her lip.


    She looked down at the flowers again and felt that they were not as pretty as they had been.


    After hesitating for a while, she went to the trash can and threw the flowers in it directly.


    She''d better be careful with such questionable things.She tore the card in half and also threw it in the


    trash.


    After that, she went back to the set.


    In a nondescript ck car on the side of the road not far away, a man was recording on his phone.


    When Lucia disappeared, he encrypted the video and sent it to another person.


    In the dimly lit private room, Mr.Denko was having a woman on each arm.


    Seeing the screen flicker, he slowly reached out, picked the phone up, and clicked on it.


    It was a video of Lucia from the moment she received the flowers to the moment she threw them away.


    Watching Lucia throw the flowers in the trash can, Mr.Denko couldn''t help but chuckle.


    His voice was low and sounded like some kind of animal whimper.


    Suddenly, a woman leaned over and looked curiously at his phone.


    "Sir, what''s so interesting?"


    As soon as she finished speaking, Mr.Denko pinched her shoulder hard.


    The woman immediately cried out and grimaced in pain.


    The next second, Mr.Denko pushed her away in disgust and said coldly, "Who allowed you to look at


    my phone? I''ll gouge your eyes out!"


    He had always hated ignorant and disobedient women.


    This woman hadpletely angered him.


    The woman was pushed to the floor.


    Obviously, she hadn''t expected Mr.Denko to change so fast.


    Frightened by his cold face, she quickly crawled out.


    "I was wrong.I''ll get out of here..."


    Mr.Denko nced at her coldly and turned back.


    The other woman''s face turned pale with fear and she didn''t dare to move at all.


    Mr.Denko pushed her away impatiently and said with a frown, "Get out."


    The two women immediately ran out in a panic.


    The door of the room closed with a bang.


    Just then, Bishop on the other couch suddenly chuckled.


    "Mr.Denko, don''t you like the two beautiful women I got for you this time?"


    Mr.Denko snorted.


    "I hate ignorant women."


    He watched the video again and sneered.


    "August''s woman is ignorant too."


    Then he dropped his phone on the table and drank his wine in one gulp.


    Bishop nced at his phone and said tly, "Then you''ll have to teach her a lesson."


    Mr.Denko nodded with a smile.


    "You''re right."


    He looked up and locked eyes with Bishop.


    They smiled at each other and clinked sses.


    Lucia returned home from the set.


    She hadn''t even changed her clothes when she received a call from Pa.


    Pa said excitedly on the other end of the line, "Lucia! Good news!"


    She had been upsettely.


    Why was she so happy? Lucia teased her on purpose.


    "What is it? Are you in a rtionship?"


    "Come on! I don''t want to be in a rtionship right now.I just want to focus on work!"


    Lucia couldn''t help but smile and ask, "So what''s making you so happy?"


    "My band is touring Ennce next month and I''ve been chosen!"


    "What?"


    Lucia was surprised.


    "Really?"


    Paul was usually careless, but she really loved music, and Lucia was really happy for her.


    Pa said, "Yes! We''ll leave before long.I''ll be on my best behavior!"


    "That''s good.How long?"


    "It''s not settled yet.Let me take you to dinner tomorrow and we can talk about it!"


    "Okay!"


    The two of them immediately decided to meet the next evening.


    Lucia was really happy for Pa, but she was also sad.


    Maybe she wouldn''t see Pa for a long time.She decided to prepare a gift for Pa, but she didn''t


    know what was appropriate.


    Suddenly, she saw the white dress in her closet and it inspired her.


    The next afternoon, Lucia packed up, left Timothy and J with Elisa, and hurried out.


    She drove to Jennifer''s studio, took some pictures, and carefully selected a dress as a gift for Pa.


    After that, there was only one hour left.


    She put the gift box in the car and drove straight to the destination.


    It was cloudy and drizzling, which made the summer eveningfortable.


    On the way, Lucia passed a cake store.She pulled over and walked to the trunk to get her umbre.She


    was going to buy a cake for Pa.


    In a good mood, she opened the trunk, but when she saw what was in it, she turned pale with fear, took


    two steps back, and screamed out loud!

 Chapter 418

    Chapter 418


    Chapter 418 Just Trust Me


    The trunk was bloody like a murder scene.


    A dead cat was lying there with its two eyes beside it.


    Lucia was stunned.She covered her mouth with trembling hands, but she couldn''t make a sound.She


    bit her lip to clear her head and then noticed that in addition to the dead cat, there was a familiar


    card.She ignored the words on it and stiffened when she noticed the spider web symbol in the bottom


    right corner.


    It was that symbol again! Who was it? Lucia averted her eyes, took a deep breath, closed the trunk,


    and staggered back.


    With fear in her heart, she even felt the rain hit her heart and chilled her to the bone.


    Suddenly, she remembered what had happened in the swimming pool a few days ago.


    August had taken them away seriously and said it was not safe.She hadn''t believed him, but these


    strange things had shaken her.


    Was she really being targeted by some terrorist group? If it was true, Timothy, J, Bill, and Elisa


    were all in danger! With this in mind, Lucia took out her phone nervously and made a call with trembling


    hands.


    At this moment, she could only ask August for help! Soon it went through.


    When she heard August''s low, firm voice on the other end of the line, Lucia said in a constricted voice,


    "August..."


    She had a lot to say, but she didn''t know how to say it.


    August realized that something was wrong.


    He immediately asked, "What''s wrong?"


    Lucia bit her lip.


    "Can youe over here..."


    Before she could finish, August interrupted her, "Give me your address."


    In less than half an hour, a ck car stopped in front of Lucia¡¯s car.


    August quickly got out of the car.He looked around with sharp eyes and soon saw Lucia hiding under a


    tree.It was drizzling.


    Lucia''s wet hair was stered to her cheeks, and she looked so pitiful with her body curled up in a tight


    little ball.


    August''s heart jolted.He frowned slightly and strode toward her despite the rain.He leaned down, wiped


    the rain off her face, and asked in a low voice, "What happened?"


    Instantly, his words dispelled the sadness, tiredness, and fear in Lucia''s heart.She looked up and


    subconsciously tugged at his shirt.


    "The trunk..."


    August immediately went to the trunk.


    When he opened it and saw the dead cat, his face instantly darkened.He nced at the card with a


    frown on his grim face.He picked up the card, which was stained with the cat''s blood, and saw the


    words on it.


    "Ms.Mitchell, since you don''t like flowers, let''s make it interesting."


    There was also a spider web symbol in the lower right corner.


    August clenched his fist, his bones ttering.He immediately crumpled the card into a ball and threw it


    away.


    Suddenly, Lucia asked in a shaky voice behind him, "Am I being targeted?"


    August took a deep breath, turned to look at her, and said firmly, "Don''t worry.I''ll Keep you safe."


    Still scared, Lucia took a deep breath.


    "Do you know something?"


    She could tell by his reaction and tone of voice that he knew something.


    August looked at her firmly.


    "If I tell you, you''ll be in more danger, so just trust me and don''t ask anything."


    Lucia was relieved by his words.She took a deep breath, looked up into his dark eyes, and nodded to


    him.


    "I trust you."


    August nodded slightly, took an umbre from Burton, held it over her head, and ordered, "Have the


    driver take her car to the car wash."


    Burton immediately went to inform the driver.


    August lowered his head to look at Lucia''s pale face.He felt bad for her and said in a soft voice, "Where


    are you going? I''ll take you there."


    This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .


    Lucia suddenly remembered that Pa was still waiting for her.She quickly took out her phone and saw


    several missed calls.She looked up and asked August, "Can you take me to Ernie za?"


    "Hmm."


    Relieved, Lucia walked to her car, took out the dress she had prepared for Pa, and got into August''s


    car.


    On the way to Ernie za, she kept staring nkly except for when she sent a message to Pa.She


    couldn''t get the bloody image out of her head.


    August knew she was frustrated.He asked, "Who are you going to see at Ernie za? Paul?"


    Lucia replied in a soft voice, "Pa."


    Burton, who was driving, frowned slightly.


    After that, it remained silent in the car.


    Soon they arrived at Ernie za and the car slowed down.


    Lucia turned to look at August and wanted to thank him.


    He hade over as soon as he received her call, arranged for his driver to wash her car, and sent


    her to Ernie za.


    She really should thank him.


    Before she could say anything, August knew what she was thinking.


    He raised an eyebrow and said tly, "If you want to thank me, I like action."


    Lucia was speechless.She ignored him and just got out of the car.


    Soon Burton approached her with an umbre and handed her another one.


    Lucia took it and thanked him.She noticed that Burton looked like he wanted to say something, so she


    asked, "Anything else?"


    Burton hesitated for a moment and said, "I want to talk to you about Pa."


    When Burton mentioned Pa, Lucia had mixed feelings.


    In fact, she had wanted to talk to Burton for a long time, but she had been very busy.


    Now that Pa was about to go on tour, she had to talk to Burton as soon as possible.


    She asked seriously, "What do you want to say?"


    Burton asked with a frown, "Why has Pa been pushing me away?"

 Chapter 419

    Chapter 419


    Chapter 419 Do You Like Her?


    Five years ago, Pa had broken up with him for no reason.


    Now that they met again, Pa had always tried to avoid him.


    Lucia took a deep breath and asked, "Do you like her?"


    Burton didn''t hesitate for a moment and nodded firmly, "Yes."


    If he didn''t like her, he wouldn''t have remained single for five years.


    "On your birthday five years ago, why did a girle out of your house?"


    Hearing this, Burton was stunned, "On my birthday five years ago?"


    Memories flooded back.


    After a moment, Burton suddenly remembered something.He took a deep breath, looked at Lucia, and


    asked, "Did she see it?"


    Lucia was nomittal.


    It was precise because Pa saw a girle out of his house that she had doubts about since then.


    Burton blinked, and he exined what had happened to Lucia honestly.


    In the end, he looked at Lucia and said word by word, "Can you take me to see Pa? I want to


    exin to her personally."


    Unexpectedly, a small mistake had made him and Pa separated for more than five years! Seeing his


    sincere eyes, Lucia softened a bit.She took a deep breath, and after hesitating, she nodded, "Okay."


    Burton had helped her many times before and she remembered his kindness.


    Besides, it involved the happiness of her best friend.She didn''t want to see them miss each other.


    Burton''s eyes lit up in surprise and he said, "Well, I''ll ask President Adams first."


    As soon as he finished it, the car door was suddenly pushed open.


    August got off the car, and said in a low voice, "I''ll go with you."


    Lucia was stunned and looked at him in surprise.


    Did August hear what she and Burton had said just now? But wasn''t he sitting in the car? When she


    turned her head and saw the half-opened car window at the back, she suddenly realized what was


    going on.


    It turned out that August had lowered the car window and heard their conversation.


    Lucia was a little annoyed.


    But when she thought that August was Burton''s boss and Burton couldn''t go without his permission,


    she had to swallow.


    August took out arge ck umbre from the car and opened it slowly.


    When he turned and saw Lucia''s expression, he raised his eyebrows slightly and asked, "Why, don''t


    you want me to go?"


    Lucia was surprised when she heard this, but she forced a smile and said, "President Adams, you


    should have a lot of work to do.You can go on with your work if you''re busy."


    Her words were euphemistic, but her meaning was clear.She didn''t want him to follow.She and Pa


    had agreed to meet.


    It was understandable that Burton followed her.


    But if August also followed her, wouldn''t it be embarrassing? Although August knew exactly what she


    meant, he didn''t care, and said lightly, "It''s okay.I can just put the work on hold."


    With that, he held the umbre and walked forward.


    Lucia instantly felt speechless.


    Looking at his resolute back, she had to take back her refusal.


    She had no choice but to let him tag along.


    When she arrived at the door of the restaurant where she and Pa had agreed to meet, she turned to


    look at the two men on the left and the right and somehow felt a little guilty.She was almost an hour


    late.


    Now she even brought these two men to meet Pa without saying telling her in advance.


    Pa would be pissed off.


    Forget it.


    She was doomed anyway.She thought she''d better go in! Lucia gritted her teeth, pushed open the door,


    and went in.She gave the waiter Pa''s name and was led to the second floor.


    Compared with the lobby on the first floor, the second floor was much quieter, and there was a certain


    distance between the booths.


    The lighting was dim, and the decoration was elegant.It was very suitable for couples to date or


    girlfriends to chat.She nced around and saw Pa at a nce.


    It happened that Pa also looked up.


    As soon as Pa saw Lucia, her eyes lit up, and she immediately waved to Lucia.


    But when she saw the two men beside Lucia, the smile on her face froze.


    Feeling Pa''s gaze, Lucia took a deep breath and stepped forward.Pa asked with widened eyes,


    "Lucia, what''s going on?!"


    Lucia bit her lips and said, "Well...something happened on the way, and I happened to run into them.To


    thank them, I''m taking them to have a meal together."


    Pa''s face turned pale.She looked at August and Burton.She couldn''t say anything, so she


    acquiesced.


    The atmosphere at the dining table was a bit subtle.


    After ordering, Lucia cleared her throat to break the silence and said softly, "Pa, I''ve prepared a


    present for you."


    She handed over the box next to her.


    Pa took it, opened the box, and looked at it.


    Her eyes lit up, and , her expression softened a lot, "A dress?"


    Lucia smiled and nodded, "I went to Jennifer''s to pick it up for you.It''s unique, the only one."


    Pa was in a good mood immediately.She picked up the dress and said, "It¡¯s my aesthetic!"


    Slowly, the atmosphere eased a lot.


    Soon, the dishes were served.


    Burton handed them tissues from time to time, moved the tes, and the atmosphere was quite


    harmonious.


    Halfway through the dinner, Pa brought the menu and ordered a few more dishes.


    She nced at the wine menu, looked up, and said, "Would you like a drink? Just take it as a


    celebration."


    Lucia was about to agree when Burton, who was sitting across from them, suddenly asked, "What to


    celebrate?"


    Pa nced at him, and her face darkened a bit.


    She said coldly, "It has nothing to do with you."


    The atmosphere instantly became awkward because of her words.Pa didn''t care.She directly waved


    to the waiter, pointed to the top two on the wine menu, and said, "One ss of these two each."


    With that, she turned to look at Lucia next to her and said, "If we won''t drink this time, I don''t know


    when we will meet again next time!"


    As soon as she finished it, Burton''s face suddenly darkened a little.


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    He stretched out his hand, directly pressed the menu, and looked at Pa with a serious expression,


    "What do you mean?"


    He was sharp enough to ask Pa before she could answer, "Where are you going?"


    Pa looked at him coldly and said, "My business has nothing to do with you."


    Her firm tone made Burton frown.


    He stood up, looked at her firmly, and took a deep breath, "Pa, let''s talk alone."


    Pa didn''t think about it, and refused directly, "I have nothing to talk to you about."


    With that, she pushed the menu forward, but the menu happened to hit the juice cup on the side.


    When the cup fell, the orange juice suddenly sshed on her.


    Lucia was startled.


    Seeing that the atmosphere became tenser and tenser, she quickly picked up a tissue and wiped it for


    Pa, and said softly, "Go to the bathroom and clean it.I''ll apany you."


    Pa frowned, rolled her eyes at Burton, and immediately got up and said, "Okay."


    Lucia was about to follow her.


    But just as she stood up, arge hand reached out from the opposite side and directly grabbed her


    hand.


    She looked up at August in surprise and saw that he turned his head slightly and raised his chin at


    Burton.


    Burton immediately took the hint.


    He got up and followed Pa.


    Watching them leave, Lucia understood August''s intention.


    Unexpectedly, he was quite attentive to the affairs of his subordinate.


    Noticing Lucia¡¯s gaze, August asked with a faint smile, "Why are you looking at me like this? Are you


    attracted?"

 Chapter 420

    Chapter 420


    Chapter 420 How Dare You Threaten Me?


    Listening to August''s half-joking tone, Lucia couldn''t help rolling her eyes at him and said coldly,


    "August, when did you be so narcissistic?"


    Hearing this, August didn''t get angry but smiled.He seemed to be in a good mood.He beckoned to the


    waiter, picked up the menu on the side, and said in lightly, "If you want to drink, I will apany you


    for a drink."


    With that, he ordered a bottle of red wine.


    Lucia was surprised.


    Watching him order food and hand the menu to the waiter, she came to her sense and said, "Who said


    I wanted to drink?"


    When Pa asked her just now, she wanted to drink, but Burton interrupted before she could say


    anything.


    How did August know that she wanted to drink? August chuckled, and his voice was a bitzy, "I said


    so."


    Lucia was about to speak when August''s phone on the table suddenly rang.


    The caller ID was Mr.Child.


    Lucia inadvertently nced at it.But August hung up the phone calmly and continued drinking casually.


    Lucia couldn''t help but ask in confusion, "Why don''t you answer?"


    The call just now was a work call.She hadn''t expected that August would hang up so resolutely.


    In her impression, August was all about work five years ago, but now...


    August responded, "Yeah."


    When he saw the doubt in her eyes, he raised his eyebrows slightly and said, "Why are you looking at


    me like this?"


    Lucia took a deep breath, shook her head slowly, and sighed softly, "l always thought you put your work


    first..."


    August said leisurely, "Work is not as important as the marriage of my right-hand man."


    Hearing his words, Lucia couldn''t helpughing.


    Unexpectedly, August was not so unkind.She smiled and blurted out, "Five years ago, you were not like


    this!"


    As soon as she said these words, she suddenly realized something, but it was toote to take it back.


    What had happened five years ago was the most embarrassing and sensitive topic.She had always


    avoided bringing it up, but she hadn''t expected to say it identally now.


    August blinked, but his face didn''t change much.


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    He said softly, "Five years ago, I didn''t know how to cherish.But now, I know."


    With that, his dark eyes were fixed on the thoughtful woman opposite him.


    After a few seconds, he said, "After all, there are many people who are more important than work."


    When Lucia heard his words, her heart sank heavily.She lowered her eyes and stared at the table in


    front of her, feeling a little strange.


    The only person who could make August say such a thing was probably Jeanne.


    For him, Jeanne was always innocent and unique.


    There was a sense of bitterness in her heart and she didn''t know what to say.


    It happened that the waiter came over with red wine, which concealed the embarrassment just now.


    Meanwhile, in the women''s room of the restaurant, the door was locked from the inside.


    Burton blocked the door and stared at Pa, and both of them refused to step back.


    Pa was furious, "Burton, why are you so thick-skinned now? You''re breaking into the women''s


    room!"


    Burton looked upright, without the slightest embarrassment or difort, "For you, I''m not afraid."


    Pa sneered, and her anger grew even stronger, "How do you have the nerve to say this?"


    Burton took a deep breath and said in a firm tone, "Five years ago, what you saw was a


    misunderstanding.I have never done anything to betray you."


    Pa was stunned for a moment, and looked a little panicked, "How do you...know?!"


    "The girl''s name is Daisy Bowe.We have known each other since we were children.I have always


    regarded her as a younger sister.My mother wanted me to be with her, but I never agreed.She went to


    my house because my mother came to Austos City with her the day before.My mother forced her to


    stay at my house for one night, but nothing happened between us.I immediately dropped her off at the


    station the next morning."


    Burton said everything in one fell swoop like he was reporting on his work.


    Pa froze in ce.


    Looking at his serious look, she was dubious and didn''t know what to say.


    Five years ago, when she saw him and a girle out of the corridor of his house, her mind went


    nk.


    In the past five years, she thought that he had betrayed her.


    Hearing his exnation, she did not know whether to believe it or not.


    "Pa!"


    Burton stepped forward anxiously, stretched out his hand to hold her shoulder, and said word by word,


    "I''ve never told you a lie!"


    "Pa, you like me and I like you.Why should we torture each other?"


    Pa was in aplicated mood and didn''t know what to do.


    After a moment, Burton took a deep breath and said seriously, "Pa, let''s start over."


    Pa''s heart trembled, and she moved her lips, a little hesitant.


    Seeing her hesitation, Burton stepped forward, took her shoulders gently, and said with a chuckle,


    "Give me a chance.What''s more, I know so many of your secrets.At least I have kept those secrets


    because of you."


    August was his boss, but for the sake of Pa, Burton became selfish for the first time and kept


    something from August.


    Hearing his words, Pa blinked.


    She looked up at Burton, and said, "Will you tell others about that?"


    Regarding the matter of Timothy and J''s natural father, she had to keep it a secret for Lucia no


    matter what.


    Seeing that her mood finally changed, Burton smiled and said softly to tease her, "It depends on your


    performance.If you promise to start over with me, I will keep it a secret.But if you..."


    When Pa heard this, her face changed.


    She immediately pushed him away, and said angrily, "Burton, how dare you threaten me?!"


    Seeing her face so vivid with anger, Burton chuckled.


    Compared to Pa being cold to him, he would rather see her angry.


    Pa didn''t see that he was deliberately teasing her, and her face turned blue with anger.She couldn''t


    help but scold, "Burton, you bastard!"


    With that, she punched his chest.


    The next second, Burton stretched out his hand and held her hand.


    Pa felt warm and her face flushed with anger.She asked seriously, "Are you going to tell August?"


    Burton smiled, nodded, and said, "If you don''t agree, I''ll tell him."


    "How dare you!"


    Burton smiled more.He thought of something, let go of her hand, opened the door, and walked out.


    Pa was startled.She hadn''t expected him to do it.She panicked, and immediately followed him out of


    the bathroom, chasing after him.


    Burton was walking fast.She was hurried and panicked, barely catching up.She lowered her voice and


    asked, "Burton, what do you want to do?!"


    Burton turned a deaf ear and walked straight to where August and Lucia were.


    Pa waspletely panicked.


    As Burton got closer and closer, her heart instantly tightened.


    Burton walked to the booth, stopped, and looked straight at August, "President Adams, I have


    something to tell you."


    As soon as he finished it, Pa, who was following up, heard his words and her face changed instantly.


    But in front of August and Lucia, she didn''t know what to say.


    After all, if she said something wrong, things would only get worse! When Lucia raised her eyes and


    saw Pa''s extremely nervous face, doubt rose in her heart.


    What exactly was Burton trying to say that made Pa so scared?

 Chapter 421

    Chapter 421


    Chapter 421 Word Eater


    For the moment, everyonended his or her gaze on Burton.


    Pa was the most nervous one.


    August calmly raised the wine ss and took a sip.He said, "What do you want to say?"


    Pa clenched her hands tightly, her palms sweating profusely.She fixed her eyes on Burton''s mouth,


    and racked her brain to think of a way to stop him.


    At this moment, Burton said, "I want to ask for a leave."


    Then, he turned to Pa and produced a smile.


    "To spend some time with my girlfriend."


    The word "girlfriend" shocked Pa with nk mind.


    Secondster, she suddenly came back to herself and denied, "Who is your girlfriend?"


    Burton smiled at ease and answered with a question.


    "Is not?"


    When Pa met Burton''s bright eyes, she felt her tongue twist.If she denied it, Burton might disclose


    her secret on that thing.It was a tant threat.


    He said so in front of August on purpose! Pa gritted her teeth, but she couldn''t speak a word to


    refute Burton.She then turned to Lucia.


    When she saw the innocent smile on Lucia''s face, she relented.She would have to ept whatever


    Burton said even if it was merely for Lucia.She gulped and nodded reluctantly as consent.


    Seeing this, Burton smiled.He wanted to take Pa''s hand, but, after hesitating, he restrained himself.


    August showed a glimmer of amusement in his eyes.He said, "Your leave is granted!"


    Burton beamed at August and Lucia.


    "Thanks.I''ll take my leave, then, President Adams."


    Then, he took Pa''s hand and said excitedly, "Let me bring you to a ce."


    Pa was reluctant, and was somewhat dragged by Burton.


    "Where?"


    Burton couldn''t hide his joy while Pa looked abashed.


    They looked like a couple who had just reconciled with each other after a quarrel, funny and cute.


    Lucia looked at their retreating figures and produced a smile.She could see that they still loved each


    other.


    Burton, like a boy at the dawn of his love, would directly show his affection and love in his eyes and on


    his face.


    "Jealous?"


    The man''s cold voice brought Lucia back to reality.She gasped and looked at August.


    "What''s wrong with that?"


    August raised his brows and asked as if he was sowing discard.


    "What? Paul couldn''t give you the feeling of being loved?"


    His words made Lucia annoyed.She rolled her eyes at August and said, "None of your business."


    Then, she gulped down the liquid in her ss.


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    She stood up and said word by word, "Dinner is over.Goodbye."


    Then, she strode towards the gate.


    Pa and Burton had left.


    Staying alone with August was thest thing she wanted to do.


    Every sentence he uttered was powerful enough to provoke the fire of rage in her heart.


    Before long, she heard footsteps from behind her.


    Then, she heard August saying, "I''ll give you a ride."


    Lucia refused, "I''ll take the subway."


    "Then I can take it with you."


    Lucia was stunned.She turned to the man in disbelief as if he was a pig flying in the sky.


    August should have said that he would take the subway with her? She was wondering whether she


    should see an audiologist.


    Seeing her eyes full of surprise, August produced a faint smile and exined, "I drank, and Burton has


    left.No one can drive."


    Lucia understood.He never intends to send me home.


    He just has no other choice.


    Lucia showed disdain in her eyes.


    She just walked forward silently.


    However, the man said beside her.


    "But, besides the subway, I have too many options."


    Lucia was surprised by his words.She didn''t speak a word.


    However, as if he had seen her through, he should know everything she was thinking.


    This man is scary! Lucia felt so nervous and subconsciously fastened her pace.


    However, August was taller and he could takerger steps.


    After a while, she got out of her breath while August didn''t seem tired.


    August chuckled at the woman.


    He didn''t make any sarcastic remarks but only operated his phone.


    When they walked out of Ernie za, Lucia intended to walk towards the metro station.


    However, when she walked along the roadside, her arms were grabbed by someone.


    Then, a ck business car stopped steadily beside them.


    Lucia was pulled to the car door by August and she was stuffed into the car the next second.


    She was so shocked.


    When she saw the man get in the car from the other side, her mind had already been filled with doubts.


    Didn''t we agree to take the subway? This man really is a word eater! Before she could ask any


    question, August had already closed the door and said, "I think you''re tired, so I summoned a


    chauffeur."


    Lucia was stunned.Is August being considerate? Lucia felt somehow ttered.


    August told the chauffeur the address, and turned to Lucia.


    His eyes showed a slight grin.


    Lucia felt ufortable being stared by him.


    Frowned, she asked, "What is it?"


    "Are you being optimistic about Burton and Pa?"


    Lucia was surprised by August''s jaw-dropping question.


    He was never frivolous, but he should be gossiping now! She considered for a while and nodded.


    "I am." August smiled.


    "Break up but again reconcile.Doubt but soon feel confident.They will be in such a loop." Lucia


    frowned.


    "How do you know?"


    He was so confident that he gave a feeling of a fortune teller.


    "Sixth sense."


    Lucia sneered, "Good joke."


    Men''s six senses are never urate.


    August raised his brows.He had a yfulness in his eyes.


    "Say, let''s have a bet?"


    "What''s the chip?"


    "A request."


    Lucia looked up at the man, who looked so serious, and felt unconfident.


    God knows what request he will ask for if I lose.


    But, if I win, will he give me the video? August had guessed what she was thinking when he saw her


    hesitance.


    He said softly, "If you win, I will ept whatever request you ask for."


    Lucia was so nervous that she said in a hoarse voice, "Including that video..."


    The man didn''t hesitate to ept.


    "Yes."


    Lucia was delighted.She took a deep breath and said, "Okay.Deal!"


    To win this bet, she could tell Pa in advance that she couldn''t break up with Burton in a short time...


    Thinking of which, she thought that she had a pretty good chance of winning.


    Seeing the happy look on the woman''s face, August couldn''t help smiling.She swallowed the bait so


    easily.


    If he won, he would definitely seize the opportunity to keep her tightly beside him.

 Chapter 422

    Chapter 422


    Chapter 422 Audit


    The public welfare short video officially started shooting in the next week.


    All work was carried out in an orderly way.


    To speed up while ensuring quality, Lucia spent every day with the crew.She would sometimes bring


    the kids to the crew so that she could take care of them.She had a fulfilling life.


    Lucia didn''t see August for the entire week.


    But she could always see him on news about Austos City.He would either be attending an exchange


    meeting, or cutting the ribbon at the opening ceremony of a new brand.He was quite a "businessman".


    Lucia flipped through news headlines on her phone with the unwitting purpose to find August in the sea


    of news.


    At this moment, Director Brook came to her and said, "Lucia, we''ll go to Lion Group to meet President


    Adams today, A short meeting."


    Lucia put her phone away.


    "To Lion Group?"


    Director Brook nodded.


    "Yes.President Adams is too busy.He managed to spare one and a half hours to meet with us."Lucia


    hesitated, but she finally epted, "Okay."


    Since it was an order from the boss, she couldn''t reject it.


    Just at two o''clock in the afternoon, Lucia and Director Brook arrived at Lion Group.


    After meeting an assistant, they were led to the new conference room of Lion.


    The new conference room was spacious and had excellent natural lighting.


    It had arc-shaped ceiling-to-floor ss on three sides except for the side with the entrance.


    The brown ss looked stylish and splendid.


    As they sat down, Director Brook couldn''t help eximing, "Time has changed.Lion now is really the


    greatest financial group in Austos."


    Lucia smiled silently.


    As she heard Director Brook describing the achievements of Lion in the past few years, she had more


    respect for August.She had to admit that, under August''s g, Lion developed and expanded its


    industries.


    Lion not only invested in traditional industries like real estate and financial business, but also in beauty


    makeup, clothing, filming and even emerging industries like artificial intelligence.


    All these industries were striving under Lion Group, which proved how powerful Lion was.


    At this moment, hasty footsteps were heard from the entrance.


    The assistant who just led them in came in with a wry expression.


    "Mr.Brook, Ms.Mitchell, there is an emergency.You might have to wait longer.


    She looked apologetic and said hesitantly, "The conference room needs to be used..."


    As she finished speaking, they heard flustered footsteps approaching.


    Director Brook asked, "Where should we be waiting?"


    The assistant looked embarrassed and seemed to be at a loss as to what to do.


    If they went out now, they would definitely confront those peopleing in.


    The assistant perceived that it would be better if they could avoid whoever wasing into such a


    terrible situation.


    The assistant pondered for a while.


    When she saw a ss door, she had an idea.


    She said, "Please follow me."


    Lucia and Director Brook followed her.


    The assistant walked to one side of the sses and pressed a button.


    A ss door was slowly opened.


    There was a small meeting room that was warm and cozy.


    It was adjacent to one side of the sses of the conference room.


    "Please wait here for a while."


    Lucia nodded and watched the assistant left.


    The inner meeting room wasfortable.


    Its decoration and designs seemed to be modern.


    Director Brook said excitedly, "I heard that this room is designed by a techpany under Lion.It is


    equipped with the best Al system.I didn''t expect that I could experience it today."


    Hearing this, Lucia smiled.


    As she looked around, she found a remote controller on the sofa.


    Out of curiosity, she picked it up.


    It was different from ordinary remote controllers for air-conditioners or TV.


    It had a metal control panel and a small screen.


    In her curiosity, she pressed a button on it.


    Unexpectedly, the ss opposite the sofa produced a "click" and, slowly, the brown of the ss faded


    away and ss became transparent.


    They could see clearly what was happening in the conference room.


    Lucia was shocked and subconsciously turned to Director Brook.


    Director Brook was also surprised.


    They exchanged eyes and looked towards the conference room in unison.


    There had been several people in the conference room.


    August naturally sat on the master''s seat.


    Several men in suits were sitting beside him, who all looked serious and were leafing through the


    documents in their hands.


    August looked grim and terrifyingly cold.He said deeply, "Audit and check every one of them!"


    Lucia then found a tiny device beside each side of the sofa she was sitting on.


    The devices could receive voice from the main conference room.She suddenly realized that this was no


    meeting room.It was a monitor room, and the ss was one-side ss.


    They could see and hear clearly what was happening in the conference room.


    They were like holding court from behind a screen.


    Lucia gave a gasp and looked somewhat embarrassedly at Director Brook.She wanted to say


    something when the noise came from the conference room.


    The door of the conference room was pushed open.


    Then, Bishop, with Bob helping him push the wheelchair, entered.


    Several men in ck followed them.


    Lucia could feel the subtle changes in the conference room.


    Bob ced Bishop at the position opposite to August.


    The men in ck stood on both sides of Bishop, making him look more domineering.


    They were confronting each other.


    Lucia gasped.


    She had forgotten what she had intended to say to the director, and focused on the conference


    room.She was so nervous.


    Bishop didn''t look so gentle as usual.


    On his wheelchair, he looked grim and distant.


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    "August, you think it funny?"


    August looked up indifferently, "What? You think you can¡¯t stand an audit?"


    Bishop kept his back straight and said coldly, "Without a hint, you took the branchpany''s ledger


    away.Don''t you think it is barefaced humiliation to me? How would I run thepany in the future,


    huh?"


    August snorted, "I did so, which meant that I have enough evidence.I never do things I am not sure


    about."


    Bishop wasn''t daunted.


    "Evidence? Come on.Show us."


    August didn''t relent.


    He ordered, "Check the ounts carefully.We''ll see soon how much is missing exactly.I can afford the


    time."


    For a time, the two men looked at each other.


    Fire of rage was ming in both of them.


    Lucia almost held her breath in nervousness.


    She somehow felt so nervous along with them.


    The conference was shrouded in dead silence.


    Only the "click" of clock could be sounded.


    After a God-knows-how-long while, the men finally stopped what they were doing and turned toptop


    to August.


    "President, all checked."


    The tension was mounting.


    August took theptop and ran his eyes over its screen.


    Gradually, his face got darker and darker.


    Atst, he picked up the ledger and threw it in front of Bishop without hesitation.


    He said coldly, "See for yourself."

 Chapter 423

    Chapter 423


    Chapter 423 Get Out of Lion Group


    He sounded decisive and powerful.


    For a moment, everyone fixed their eyes on the ledger with different thoughts.


    Bishop didn''t look panicked at all.He raised his chin at the book.


    Bob understood, and fetched the ledger andptop to him.


    Three minutester, Bishop still looked asposed as he had been.He looked up at August and said


    in a colder voice, "August, dad has just left a few days.And you''re so eager to frame me?"


    His words changed August''s expression.


    Rage was burning in August''s eyes.


    Secondster, August snorted and ordered his men, "Send a copy of the data to Vice President


    Adams."


    After a pause, he continued, "Fill the hole in three days."


    Then, he stood up and was to leave.


    "August!"


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    Bishop stopped him.


    "If dad knows you frame me just to deprive me of my authority in the office, he would be so bitterly


    disappointed."


    "Bitterly disappointed?"


    August stopped, and said grimly, "Still refuse to admit before the end of your rope."


    Then, he looked at Burton.


    "Bring him."


    Burton walked out the conference room fast.


    Soon, he brought back aman.


    "Director Downs, tell me about it.What happened."


    The man rolled his eyes.He swept his gaze through Bishop andnded it on August.


    "President Adams, is it about the ounts?"


    August didn''t reply and just stared at him in silence.


    Director Downs could only bite the bullet and walked forward.


    When he saw the ledger, his face went pale.


    On theptop screen was ounts that had been checked.He could see clearly the gap between


    ounts receivable and actual ounts.


    Director Downs couldn''t help sweating.He could never exin himself.


    The data was truthful and couldn''t be forged.His usation was confirmed.


    August eyed him and spat, "Speak."


    Director Downs trembled, face pale and tongue twisted.


    Brows knitted, August stared at him.His patience was running out.He barely had any patience now.


    After two seconds, he looked towards one of his men named Jasper.


    Jasper understood.


    He took a step forward and said, "Joaquin Downs, if I didn''t misremember, your son should have his


    five years old birthday two weeks ago, right?"


    As Jasper mentioned Director Downs''s son, Director Downs''s face went paler.


    "Err...Yes."


    Jasper said word by word, "Five years old.So young, and so ignorant of and so eager to see the


    beautiful world..."


    "What do you want?"


    Director Downs got agitated and looked at the people beside him vigntly.He finally had this one


    single son, who he spoiled so much, in his forties.


    But now...


    Jasper smiled.


    "What we want is decided by yourself."


    Bishop wrinkled his brows and said coldly, "August, what is it?"


    August answered, "I think you should know the best about it."


    He just learned this trick from Bishop.


    Jasper took out a phone and threw it in front of Director Downs.


    The phone was ying a video.


    A childish voice calling "dad" could be heard clearly.


    Lucia felt so disappointed and scared when she saw what happened.She had cold sweat on her


    back.She never expected that August should be so vicious and shameless as to threaten Director


    Downs with a child! "What do you want?"


    Director Downs panicked.


    "Why is my son in your hand?"


    August said unhurriedly, "When you manipted the ount, you should have seen this.If your son


    perished, you have only yourself to me"


    His words were so ruthless.


    They were like cold des stabbed into Director Downs''s heart as well as Lucia¡¯s heart.


    That was merely a five-year-old kid.He had no difference from Timothy and J.


    Granted, his father did the wrong thing, but he was innocent.


    Lucia felt bitter in her heart, and felt more disdain toward August.


    This man was crueler than she had expected.


    Director Downs panicked.He cast several nces at Bishop, but received no response.


    Jasper looked at Director Downs and continued, "You have three minutes to tell us what you know and


    keep your kid safe.Otherwise, you''ll have to take the consequences."


    Seeing that Director Downs still refused to speak, August frowned and nodded toward Jasper.


    Jasper immediately took out a phone and prepared to make a call.


    "I...I''ll tell you everything!"


    Director Downs was trembling.He looked at Bishop in panic and gritted her teeth.


    "It...it was Mr.Bishop Adam''s order..."


    Hearing this, Bishop narrowed his eyes.He seized Director Downs as if he wanted to see the man


    through.


    Then, he sneered, "What a y."


    "Mr.Bishop Adams.I''m sorry!"


    As Director Downs said so, he fumbled for something in his pocket.


    After he found what he was looking for, he handed it to August with both his hands.


    "President Adams, this...this is the evidence I left.Please have a look."


    It was a tiny silver sh drive.


    No one knew what it contained.


    August mentioned Jasper taking the sh drive.


    After Jasper plugged it into theptop, he exported everything in it.


    All were proof of what Bishop had done.


    Bishop couldn''t continue defending himself anymore.


    Bishop didn''t expect Director Downs should have sold him out so easily! What was more of a surprise


    to him was that Director Downs should have specially kept the evidence in a sh drive.


    "Any more of your chicanery?"


    August showed Bishop the evidence in the sh drive with theptop.


    Bishop was rendered wordless.


    This farce, up to this point, shoulde to an end.


    August stood up and mentioned Jasper to bring Director Downs away.


    He then looked at Bishop coldly and ordered, "Fill the holes up in three days."


    After a pause, he continued, "And then, get out of Lion Group!"


    Bishop snorted, "August.No one would gain anything from our quarrel."


    More than that, such a scandal would destroy Lion Group''s reputation, which would lead to a slump in


    Lion''s stock price.It was serious.


    However, August could cover up the facts if he wanted.


    Hearing this, August abruptly stared at Bishop grimly.


    "Bishop, who do you think you''re?"


    Bishop had used his official power to embezzle so much of Lion''s funds.


    And, after being proven guilty, he should still want to cover things up! August wouldn''t let that happen.


    "Stop daydreaming!"


    After saying so, August left.


    When August was to walk out of the conference room, Bishop suddenly said, "So, August, is it a


    deration of war?"


    August stopped.


    He then turned around, face dark and cold, and stared at Bishop.


    "If you think so, then it is."


    There would sooner orter be a fierce war between him and Bishop.


    Now, Bishop''s maniption of ounts made August think that it was about time to clear things up


    frankly and brutally.


    Bishop suddenlyughed out loud.


    "Oh, I gotta see how capable you are, August."


    Then, Bishop looked at Bob.Bob understood him and pushed him out of the conference room.

 Chapter 424

    Chapter 424


    Chapter 424 Cold-Blooded August Though


    Bishop left, the coldness in the conference room lingered.It even grew stronger the atmosphere


    became grim and frightening.


    Director Downs had been paralyzed with fright.He looked at August and pleaded with a trembling voice,


    "President Adams, please forgive me.I was put up into this by Mr.Bishop..."


    Hearing this, August didn''t relent at all.He turned to Jasper and ordered indifferently, "Business is


    business."


    Jasper immediately nodded.He dragged Director Downs by his back cor and dragged the man out of


    the conference room.


    Lucia, as she watched everything happen in the conference room, kept emitting cold sweat.


    At this moment, August, to her, waspletely a stranger.


    A stranger who would never dine with her, joke with her or have a bet with her as he did days ago.


    Soon, the people in the conference room left.


    Only August and Burton were left.


    August flipped through the ledger at hand, exuding coldness of rage.


    Soon, he threw the book onto the table and said, "Make copies of them and send them to my father."


    Burton nodded.


    Since the Adams brothers had brutally put their hostilities with each other on the table, August didn''t


    think it necessary to keep things secret and spare Bishop''s feelings.It was merely a matter of time


    before Eliot Adamas knew it.


    At that moment, knocks were heard.


    Soon, the assistant pushed the door open.


    "President Adams."


    It was the assistant who brought Lucia and Director Brook in.She stood before August and looked


    towards the inner room.She reported, "President Adams, two film directors came for you.They were


    waiting in the conference room.Due to the emergency, I put them in the inner room."


    Hearing this, August slowlynded his gaze on the inner room.


    Lucia felt so nervous that she unwittingly clenched her fists.Her hands had been soaked with her


    sweat.


    The man''s gaze seemed to be able to prate through the one-side ss and lock on her.


    August knows I have seen all these? Lucia gulped nervously.


    Two secondster, August looked away and ordered, "Ask them toe out."


    The assistant then walked towards the ss door and pressed the open button.She said to Lucia and


    Director Brook with an apologetic smile, "Mr.Brook, Ms.Mitchell, I am sorry to keep you


    waiting.President Adams has just finished the emergency.Pleasee over."


    Director Brook nodded and turned to Lucia.


    "Let''s go."


    Lucia was still panicked.She nodded, hardly recovered from the shock just now, and followed Director


    Brook out of the inner room.


    August didn''t seem to be surprised by theiring out from the inner room.


    He said expressionlessly, "Sorry to keep you waiting."


    Director Brook smiled.


    "It''s okay.President Adams, you''re so busy.We should be understanding."


    August nodded slightly.He looked down at his wrist watch and said, "I''m afraid we won''t have enough


    time today.Business ahead! We would have to have the meeting some other day.I''ll be at the shooting


    site when I am free."


    Director Brook nodded.


    "That''s fine."


    As he spoke, his phone rang.


    Director Brook had a look at the caller''s ID and hurriedly answered the call.


    Needless to say, it must be a call for work.


    Soon, Director Brook finished the call and came back with a serious look.


    "President Adams, an emergency at the studio.I gotta go and check it out."


    August nodded.


    "Go ahead."


    As the meeting today was canceled, Director Brook didn''t think it necessary for him to stick around.He


    nodded and, after mentioning Lucia goodbye, he left in a hurry.


    In an instant, only August, Lucia and Burton were left in the conference room.


    August just stared at Lucia silently.


    Lucia confronted his eyes in silence as well.


    They silently looked at each other.


    Burton seemed to have sensed the strangeness in the atmosphere.He, without an extra word, walked


    out of the conference room and closed the door.


    At this moment, only the two of them were in the spacious conference room.


    Secondster, August took the initiative to speak.


    "You saw everything?"


    Lucia took a deep breath and she knew what he meant.Can''t keep it from August Adams.


    Even if she didn''t utter a word aftering out of the inner room, he still knew that she had seen


    everything in the inner room.


    Lucia, in her nervousness, tried to speak withposure.


    "Yes.I saw everything."


    Hearing this, August moved his lips but uttered not a sound.


    After a short silence, he said, "Let me drive you home."


    Lucia subconsciously declined, "Don''t bother."


    The crispy refusal made August frown.He looked up at her and asked, "What? Afraid of me?"


    Apparently, he also sensed the distance and the sudden coldness.


    Lucia only felt that something extremely heavy had pressed her chest.


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    She hesitated, but she looked up at August atst and said word by word, "August Adams, is it true


    that, in your eyes, everything can be a bargaining chip?"


    Even a five years old child? She, as a mother, had two five-year-old kids.She could naturally


    understand how parents cherished and loved their kids.


    However, August threatened Director Downs with his son.


    Hearing this, he showed upset in his eyes.He remained silent for a long while.


    "You were frightened, weren''t you?"


    August suddenly took a stride to approach her and looked at her condescendingly.


    He continued, "You think I am cruel and ruthless, and cold-blooded, don''t you?"


    The coldness and distance in Lucia''s eyes would be anything but a denial of his words.He was cold-


    blooded indeed.


    With countless properties, he still couldn''t tolerate his half-brother, Bishop.


    Other''s families and children were merely stepping stones to his goals.


    After seconds without an answer from Lucia, August snorted.


    "Lucia Mitchell, I have always been cruel.You should have known that long ago."


    Lucia gave a gasp.She stared at the cold-blooded man who had a gloomy face, and she only felt her


    tongue twisted and unable to utter a word.


    At the moment, she had an even stronger desire to escape from him.She took several steps back


    unconsciously.She looked at the man in front of her.


    The more she looked, the less familiarity she had towards the man.


    How could she let Timothy and J stay close to such a man? If he found out the truth, what would


    he do? She couldn''t or even didn''t dare to imagine.


    The best way was to run far away from him! Far enough that she could nevere back and he could


    never find her! August caught the fright and coldness in her eyes, which somehow made him feel


    suffocated.


    On the spur of the moment, he reached out and grabbed the woman''s wrist.


    Then, he pulled her towards her.


    The distance between them was violently shortened.


    Lucia looked up and met the man''s eyes.


    Her heart was pounding fast.


    August, brows knitted and lips pressed, said, "You think I am cold-blooded, don''t you? You think that I


    shouldn''t drive my half-brother away? You think I shouldn''t threaten Joaquin Downs with his son? You


    do think so, don''t you?"


    Lucia pressed her lips tight and made no response.


    Indeed, she thought so.


    Soon, August continued, "Lucia Mitchell, what do you know about Bishop Adams, huh?"

 Chapter 425

    Chapter 425


    Chapter 425 Make A Trip Herself


    He is much more than humanepared to Bishop.


    How could the pot call the kettle ck? "Do you have any idea how many funds of Lion Group he had


    embezzled for these years? Do you ever know how many spies and undercover agents he had nted


    around me? "And, do you know that the son of Joaquin Downs was abducted by the man of Bishop


    Adams? His life was hanging by a hair now!"


    Lucia''s heart jolted when she heard August''s grave words.She even shaked all over unconsciously.


    August''s eyes were heavy with exhaustion and disappointment, and suddenly he let go of Lucia¡¯s hand.


    As for Lucia, She lost her footing with her mind nk.


    She couldn''t understand the feud over money and power in the high society so she couldn''t make head


    or tail of what he was experiencing or what he was doing.


    All she knows is that this man has a heart of stone.


    The only she wants is to escape from all these.


    Lucia took a few steps back with a gasp of horror.


    She couldn''t bear any sight of August at all and then she fled.


    The door mmed behind her.


    With the hard m, August''s heart sank as well.


    He finally frightened Lucia away with his ruthlessness.


    August smiled bitterly at himself.


    He didn''t mean to do that, but he didn''t have any other choice but to do that.


    Lucia didn''t know that Joaquin Downs¡¯s son had be the target of Bishop long since Bishop had


    set up his mind to bring Joaquin Downs into control.


    Bishop seized Joaquin Downs''s son in the case of Joaquin Downs''s defection the moment that he


    commanded his men to do the liquidation.


    But he rescued Joaquin Downs''s son from Bishop and just was trying to trap him into making some


    confession.


    He had no thought of hurting Joaquin Downs''s son from beginning to end.


    Unexpectedly, Lucia still took his n the wrong way.


    A fit of grievance caught August off guard.


    He frowned tightly with a serious headache.


    At this very moment, Burton pushed the door open and came in.


    "President Adams, the receptionist of the President''s Office received several calls from media in


    Austos.


    They were inquiring about the ounts check of the branch.


    Hearing this, August wrinkled his brows and looked more serious.


    He didn''t expect Bishop to have taken a strike so fast.


    Bishop must have spread the news in his desperation, which meant that he was ready to risk


    everything.


    Since August couldn''t tolerate him anymore, he might as well expose the scandal and simply get the


    entire Lion Group into this.


    By then, Lion would be greatly damaged after the storm of gossip.


    It was a typical reckless attack.


    He is ruthless.


    August frowned and ordered, "Make an announcement before all the rumors and suspicione


    out.Tell the public why we checked the ount of the branch and the final result.Make Joaquin Downs


    the scapegoat.Joaquin Downs had damaged the interests of Lion for so many years under the


    command of Bishop.


    Before they put Joaquin Downs in jail, he might as well Joaquin Downs the tip of the storm and make


    the best use of his final value.


    He wanted to protect the interests of Lion Group.


    It was his bottom line as well as his duty as the president.


    However, no one involved in the war between him and Bishop could remain intact.


    If the damage was doomed to be inflicted on him, he could only fight Bishop to the end.


    For the next three days, various remarks about Lion Group stormed the inte.


    Lion Group first made an announcement and exined the cause and result of the audit.


    Then, Joaquin Downs was the scapegoat that suffered all the me and disdain of Austos citizens.


    After that, Lion Group made the second announcement, iming that Lion was conducting an in-depth


    investigation as it was necessary for them to catch whoever was behind Joaquin Downs.


    Also, Lion would audit the ounts of other branches.


    After a series of actions, Lion received no criticism fromizens and its actions even received highly


    favorable reviews.


    However, no one knew to which way the tide of gossip would turn.


    In the meantime, Lucia was in a forest with the film crew collecting good subjects to shoot.


    In the promise of efficiency, the team of eight consisted of Director Brook, Lucia, two other leading


    actors, and four of the most capable workers of different departments of the crew.


    They traveled light and arrived at the Gransend Mountains in the northwest of Austos City.


    Instead of taking the sightseeing route, they took to the hill through an unknown way in order to find the


    best scenes for the shooting of the public service advertisement.


    After they pitched camp halfway up the peak where they took a few test shots and found the scene was


    fit for shooting, the director suggested taking a rest on site.


    Then, Lucia sat down and checked her phone.


    She had a bad connection hence she couldn''t view the headlines about Lion Group though she tried to


    refresh the webpage again and again.


    Finally, Lucia gave up on the poor Inte connection.


    She stood up and dusted herself down to watch the footage.


    After watching it twice, Lucia was still not satisfied with the footage.


    Plucking up the courage, she walked toward Director Brook and said, "Director, it''s not the ideal of a


    perfect shot for our shooting this time, the location is not spectacr enough.So, can we just change


    the location and film it again?"


    Director Brook went to watch the footage and said in the end, "Alright, we shall find another location to


    shoot again, but it''s going to rainter, we''d better move fast."


    "Great."


    They would shoot for three days ording to the schedule.


    The task was very difficult seriously; besides, time-pressed.


    They had to make their way to the mountain every day and back to the hotel for rest after shooting.


    They were working on a tight schedule.


    By afternoon, they found a new location but it was just not working to their expectation either.


    Lucia then suggested a worker fly the drone to scout the area for the best scene.


    Lucia stared fixedly at the video from the drone, and suddenly, her eyes were captured by a scene in


    the video.


    There were a wooden bridge, a cid stream, and tall trees epassed by a grand natural meadow.


    So tranquil and so picturesque.


    Lucia hastened to ask Vi to locate the scene.


    However, Vi shook his head helplessly and said, "That ce may be far away from us."


    "How far?"


    Lucia didn''t want to give it up easily for this was the most suitable shooting location for the public


    advertisement.She must have known the location today in order that they can film there tomorrow, to


    say the least.


    Vi looked at his watch.


    "Even though we got there today, we have no time for shooting cuz there is only an hour and a half left


    for us today before the time we have to go back to the hotel."


    Lucia¡¯s eyebrows tightly twitched when she heard what he said.She was hesitating.She was always


    meticulous in working and wanted to do her best every time.


    But now, they had a problem.


    Thinking for a while, Lucia seemed to make up her mind.


    This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .


    She cast a nce at Director Brook, who wasmunicating with an actor, then said to Vi again,


    "How about we send someone to scout out the lie of thend today and shoot there tomorrow?"


    Vi shook his head by way of an answer to him.


    "But we just have a minimum number of staff now."


    Lucia bit her lips silently.


    It seemed that she can only make a trip there herself.

 Chapter 426

    Chapter 426


    Chapter 426 Who Took The Consequence?


    "Let me go there."


    She was the chief director and was responsible for the shooting of the public advertisement.


    Only she knew exactly what kind of short film the Lion Group wanted.


    And it would be a pity if she left today empty-handed.She would like to see the ce with her eyes.


    "What? Are you kidding?"


    Vi''s eyes widened in surprise.


    Lucia added with a smile, "Here with Director Brook to act as a gatekeeper I don''t have to be worried.


    So, I just want to be there to scout out and find out whether the location is suitable for us or not so as to


    we can save costs and efforts."


    Vi shook his head in disapproval.


    "I don''t see that will work for us.What if you are in danger?"


    Lucia gave a bust of reassuringughter and started packing.


    "I don''t see any danger in there.I just go there for a look and I''ll be back soon.And if it ister than 4 pm


    when I finish, I''ll take a shortcut to go straight down the mountain."


    Lucia was no more a city girl who was afraid of everything and when she was in Amecan, she used to


    go climbing and hiking alone.


    So it was just a snap for her now.


    Vi was still a little bit worried about her safety.


    He hesitated, debating whether to consult Director Brook.


    However, Lucia reached out her hand and caught hold of his waist, "I don''t think it''s necessary to break


    Director Brook''s concentration now, you''d better tell himter.Trust me, It''s ok."


    Finishing her words, Lucia released his hand and patted him on his shoulder.


    Then she left with strides.


    Vi stood hesitating there and watched her receding figure.


    Lucia was in a good mood as she walked on the mountain road.


    She hadn''t been in such a peaceful ce for a long time.So climbing on her own with such tranquil


    scenes was a totally different experience for her.


    As she moved on, the camp of the shooting crew was gradually out of her range of vision.


    The mountain road was rocky and hard to walk.


    After walking for twenty minutes, it was getting dark.


    Lucia took a gasp to pump herself up and quickened her pace.She continued to march on, the scene


    around her altered little by little.


    Lucia was cheered up by the changes.She walked faster and at the same time, she kept marking and


    taking photos along the road.


    Lucia didn''t walk like crazy in order to save her strength.


    Time went by fast and it had been an hour after Lucia left the camp, and the light was fading in the


    woods.


    Lucia still didn''t find the location shot by the drone, she had to slow down her steps for she could barely


    see the road in the dim light.


    Lucia felt uneasy and she took a deep breath again to relieve the uneasiness.


    The location, supposedly, should be an hour away.


    Could it be that she took the wrong direction? Lucia thought to herself.


    Then she took out her phone and opened thepass in it.


    Thepass needle was pointing in the same direction as hers.


    Lucia decided to walk a little further.


    However, thunder boomed and crashed over her head after she walked a while.


    The sound of thunder was as scary as a ferocious beast''s roar.


    Lucia took in arge gulp of air.She unconsciously gave way to fright.


    If she stopped here and went back, what she had done was for nothing.


    But turning around seemed to be the best option for the sake of safety when it was threatening to rain


    and it was dark now.


    Lucia, heaving a sigh, took out thest two pieces of cloth and tied them on two conspicuous branches


    of different trees.


    After that, she took out her phone to take a few pictures of them respectively so as to she could find


    them easily the next day.


    Lucia then turned around and started walking down the mountain.


    Just then, countless raindrops fell from the sky.


    Lucia hastened to elerate her pace.


    The raindrops were getting bigger and denser.


    Thunder was cracking in the sky and the rain wasing down harder.


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    Lucia got drenched to the skin and the heavy rain made her squint.


    It was pitch-ck around her for the moonlight was blocked out by the woods.


    Lucia''s tumble was just a matter of time.


    "No!"


    Lucia slipped over on the muddy road and she lost her bnce at that very moment because the


    mountain road was steep.


    As a result of that, she rolled down the mountain directly! When she was tumbling down, several faces


    shed through her mind.It was Timothy, J, her parents, and even August...


    "Bang!"


    Her body crashed something hard, which shot her with a sharp pain immediately.It was so terrible that


    Lucia passed out.


    Gransend Hotel.


    Director Brook and other people on the team got drenched as well when they arrived at the hotel.


    Luckily, there were hotel staff provided them with dry towels for them to dry up at once.


    Director Brook asked the receptionist about Lucia as soon as he toweled himself up.


    "Is Miss Lucia, the guest of 702, back?"


    The receptionist checked the records and answered, "No, she doesn''t back yet."


    Director Brook turned taut and pale instantly.He dialed Lucia without dy.His calls were not answered


    at all.


    Director Brook, holding his phone uneasily, was in fear of Lucia¡¯s life grossly.


    Vi stepped forward and asked worriedly, "Is Director Lucia still not back?"


    "No."


    Director Brook clenched his brows in worry and flew into a temper.


    "I''ve told you we should wait for her toe back together.Nobody could take the consequence if she


    has an ident today!"


    Speaking, he shot his eyes at Vi, "And, how could you let her go alone!"


    A woman alone to have a trial run of the route, how could he be such a dummy to allow that! Now it


    was raining cats and dogs outside and Lucia was alone in the mountain.


    Director Brook dared not to imagine the consequence.


    Vi stood aside and shut his mouth tightly.


    He had thought that Lucia was unable to go all that way in the mountain and would shrink from doing


    that soon.


    He really underestimated her! The rest of the team was also standing breathless with worry.


    They were familiar with Director Brook and they all held respect for him so when he went ballistic they


    all didn''t dare to say anything.


    Director stood in thoughtful silence, but his heart was seared by worry and uneasiness.


    The heavier the rain was, the more uneasy he was.


    At this time, a luxury ck car pulled over slowly at the entrance of the hotel.


    First, a man in a ck suit got off, opened the door of the back seats and, carried an umbre for the


    guest in the back seats.


    Then, a man in a dark blue suit got off.He looked grim in his expression and strode along to the hotel.


    They came to before Director Brook directly.


    Director Brook was in a state of panic when he saw theers.


    He had only to step forward to greet them, "Mr.August, what brought you here?"


    August answered drily, "I have some business to deal with around here so I drop in on you here to


    continue our meetingst time."


    As he said, he gave a nce over at the people in front of him but he didn''t see the figure of Lucia.


    "Where is Lucia?"


    He asked with a faint frown.


    Director Brook was choked by his question and his face turned ghastly white within the merest fraction


    of a second.

 Chapter 427

    Chapter 427


    Chapter 427 Fall into Pit


    Receiving no answer, August showed impatience in his eyes.He eyed Director Brook.He remained


    silent.


    However, the dominance shown through his eyes gave Director Brook formidable pressure.


    Director Brook took a gasp.


    "Director Mitchell is still in the mountain."


    His words changed August''s expression.


    "What?"


    Questioned August.


    Director Brook looked nervous.He was reluctant to but he had to answer.


    "We were together when we departed.Then, she said that she wanted to find other sites suitable for our


    film, and she separated us alone.When we came down, she is still in the mountains."


    In an instant, August exuded an icy aura.


    Frowning, he shot his re at Director Brook.


    Director Brook knew that he was wrong.He hurriedly apologized, "President Adams, it''s all my bad, my


    negligence..."


    Before he could finish apologizing, August had turned around and ordered with a dark face, "Send men


    to the mountain."


    The rain was so heavy that the world seemed to be covered in a gauze of rain that could blur men¡¯s


    vision.


    In the heavy rain, Gransend Mountains in a distance looked somewhat grim.


    August darkened his face.He frowned at Gransend Mountains.It was like looking for a needle in a stack


    of hay.


    At this moment, Director Brook and Vi hurriedly went forward.


    "President Adams, we know the way.Let us help find Director Mitchell!"


    August cast Director Brook in silence.


    Then, he got in his car.


    Minutester, their cars arrived at the entrance of Gransend Mountain scenic spot.


    After exining to the staff, August led his men into the mountain.


    In the afternoon, the crew climbed the hillside road.


    Now that the rain made the road too slippery to walk, they had to take the stairway.


    When they reached about halfway up the mountain, Vi pointed at a direction and said, "There!


    That''s where we pitched our tent!"


    Hearing this, August looked over.


    Without an extra word, he immediately walked up the stairs and walked over there.


    The rain showed no sign of stopping.


    They were all drenched even though they were all wearing raincoats.


    After arriving at the spot mentioned by Vi, August found traces of tents and disordered footprints.


    Brow knitted, he asked, "Which direction did she go to?"


    Since they had found the tent spot, they would have to follow Lucia.


    They might find something.


    Vi pointed at a direction.


    "That way."


    N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    August strode forward at Vi''s words.It was slippery, but his steps were big and hastily.He didn''t


    mean to slow down.He felt so uneasy and so anxious to find Lucia.


    In such weather and environment, if Lucia ran into any danger...He didn''t dare to imagine.He walked


    faster and faster, and, before long, he had left all his men far behind.


    Mountain tracks and heavy rain were nothing to him.He had gone through training to ovee such


    environment.


    But he was still afraid.He was afraid that the woman might be unable to withstand the extreme


    environment.


    Meanwhile.


    Lucia didn''t know how long she had been in aa.


    When she gradually opened her eyes, she found herself lying beside a giant tree with pain all over her


    body...


    If it wasn''t for the tree, she might have rolled down and died.


    Lucia gasped.She slowly sat straight and leaned against the tree, panting.


    The tree with luxuriant foliage, could keep out the rain and wind.


    However, she knew that she couldn''t linger for too long.


    After all, in a thunderstorm, she could be doomed if the tree was struck by lightning.


    Lucia looked around in an attempt to find nearby ces that could shelter her from the rain.


    However, she only found a slightly tilted rock that could barely provide shelter.


    It was the best choice.She then hid herself at the back of the rock.She didn''t find one leg of her


    trousers had been ripped until she felt a tearing pain in her calf.


    Blood was oozing out of her wound.She took out her phone, which showed an extremely weak


    signal.She felt somewhat desperate.She couldn''t imagine what would happen if she was to be trapped


    here for the whole night.She didn''t know how long she had been hiding under the rock, but she did


    know that she was drenched and felt cold.She took out somepressed biscuits from her bag and


    took several bites.


    However, she still thought that shecked calories.


    At this moment, she heard a voice amid the rumbling rain.


    She heard the voice clearly and found that it was approaching.


    It was really a voice from a person rather than the noise from non-human beings.She was overjoyed


    and wanted to spring to her feet.


    However, when she exerted strength, her calf felt a strong pain, which made her feel limp and almost


    fall.


    "Lucia Mitchell!"


    The voice was getting closer to her.


    When she heard clearly what the person was shouting, she was surprised.


    Someone is looking for me! She gritted her teeth and stood up.She shouted back, but her voice was


    drowned out by rain.


    "Lucia Mitchell!"


    The sonorous call was heard again.She somehow felt the voice familiar.


    When she heard the voice again, she suddenly realized that it was August''s voice.She stood up


    regardless of the pain in her calf and trotted towards the direction from which the call came.


    "I AM HERE!"


    She exerted all her strength to make a response, and eagerly and anxioulys searched for the figure in


    the mist of rain.


    "Lucia Mitchell!"


    August''s powerful voice sounded again.


    Lucia knew that they were closer.


    Suddenly, Lucia saw a vague figure appearing not far away from her, which, like a light giving her hope.


    August also noticed her.


    When they met each other''s eyes, they both felt relieved.


    They both trotted towards each other, both showing joy in their eyes.


    Closer and closer, they were each other''s support and hope.


    Unexpectedly, Lucia took a slip and fell to the ground.


    She screamed and slid down the slope! The slope was much steeper than the one she rolled down


    before.


    In addition to the heavy rain, the surface got muddy and frictionless.She slid down at a fast speed.


    Suddenly, August rushed over and held her in his arms.


    They rolled down the slope together.


    With a "bang", they directly fell into a huge deep pit.


    Being smashed heavily to the ground, Lucia took a long time to recover from her dizziness.


    She then found August being pressed under her.


    Startled, she hurriedly crawled aside.


    August, frowning, and lips pressed, looked pale.


    Lucia was concerned.


    "Are you okay?"


    August shook his head and managed to prop himself up.


    He looked at the top of the pit.


    Apparently, men dug the pit on purpose.


    He said, "It''s a trap made by hunters."


    The situation became less optimistic.

 Chapter 428

    Chapter 428


    Chapter 428 Wait for Doom


    Lucia looked up and felt panicked as she knew the distance between them and the upper ground.


    In such rain, the pit wall was slippery.


    They could hardly climb out of the pit.


    When she saw August, she had hope in her heart.


    Unexpectedly, her hope was dashed as the two of them were trapped in a pit in the middle of the heavy


    rain.


    The situation got worse.


    Lucia asked, "What do we do now?"


    August frowned as he took out his phone and saw the "no signal" sign.


    He answered in a deep voice, "We wait."


    A group came to look for Lucia with August.


    He walked faster than the group, which meant that they should be here in a while.


    Lucia frowned and wasn''t relieved.


    She circled in the pit and tried to find a way out.


    The depth of the pit was at least three meters.


    If she stepped on August''s shoulder, she could climb out.


    However, how should she get August out when she climbed out? She knew that she couldn''t pull him


    up with her strength.


    August had sat still for a long time.


    He looked at the woman as she anxiously walked around, and said, "Sit down and save your strength."


    Anxiety wouldn''t be of any use.


    They had to take the worst into ount, which was why saving strength was the best choice.


    Hearing his words, Lucia directly sat down.


    She was really reluctant to sit in the mud.


    But, as she had been drenched and had no other choice, she could only sit on the ground.


    In the darkness, she couldn''t see clearly the man''s expression.


    However, knowing that the man was beside her made her relieved.


    But, soon, she could no longer be relieved as coldness hadunched endless attacks on her.


    She felt extremely cold all over her body.


    Mountain nights had been cold.


    More than that, it was raining, and she hadn''t had food after consuming energy for the whole afternoon.


    As she was to pass out in coldness, she heard the man calling out her name from the darkness.


    "Lucia!"


    Lucia was stunned dumb.It took her seconds before she came back to her senses.


    "Huh?"


    She only uttered a voice, but August sensed that she was trembling in coldness.


    He reached out to her, and, when he touched her arm, he took her arm and pulled her to him.


    Lucia couldn''t think clearly in her coldness.She didn''t struggle and allowed August to pull her closer to


    him.


    August also breathes faster and felt his heart pounding.


    He directly pulled the woman into his arms.


    He didn''t feel warm either.


    However, as they snuggled together, they felt better both physically and mentally.


    Feeling the warmth from the man, she gradually regained consciousness.


    She took out her phone and looked at the time disyed on the screen.


    She felt more desperate.


    The night had just covered the earth, and it had been so cold.


    What should they do when the night grewter and colder? It was absolutely impossible for them to


    stay here all night.


    Lucia shuddered in coldness.


    "August...are we gonna just wait for our doom?"


    Hearing this, the man sat a bit straighter but didn''t answer immediately.


    He was thinking about the question just now.


    They couldn''t wait aimlessly and put all hope on Director Brook and the others.


    What if they failed to find them? What should Lucia and he do if that were the case? No, I need to do


    something! August took a breath and took back his arms.


    He moved himself a bit and said, "You climb up on my shoulder.Then we''ll find a way out."


    Lucia hesitantly stood up.She was still undecided.


    "What about you after I got up alone?"


    August said calmly, "Go up first.Either trying to pull me up or looking for help is better than staying here


    together."


    Hearing this, Lucia took a deep breath and dispelled all her hesitation.He is right.Sitting passively is a


    dead end.She looked resolute and nodded.


    "Okay, I''ll climb up."


    August crouched before the pit wall to let Lucia, who was standing behind him, step onto his shoulder.


    Lucia held onto his shoulders and felt something sticky and warm.She was startled and flinched.It was


    definitely not rainwater! She looked down but saw nothing in the dark.


    However, she could clearly smell blood.It was blood! It was August''s blood! Shocked, Lucia hurriedly


    asked, "August, are you wounded?"


    The man wasn''t surprised.He seemed to have known it for a long time.He tugged at his clothes and


    said calmly, "I knew."


    "Why...why didn''t you tell me?"


    He never moaned or showed a sign of pain.She didn''t know even know when he was wounded.


    Suddenly, she thought of something.


    When they fell down, August changed their position and made himself fall on the ground before she


    did.He must have been wounded at that time.


    Sharp stones were everywhere.He not only served as a pad for her but also got himself injured...


    N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    Cold in her body but warm in her heart, she had a lump in her throat.


    At this moment, the man said deeply, "Come on.Follow my lead.Climb up on my shoulder."


    Lucia couldn''t bear to let him undertake more pain.


    Feeling the hesitation of the woman, August frowned.He steeled himself and said coldly, "What?


    Be so eager to die with me here, Lucia Mitchell?"


    His words dispelled all Lucia''s hesitation and distress.


    She braced herself and stepped onto his shoulder.


    He should repay her concern with such ruthless words.


    After stepping on the man''s shoulder, Lucia climbed up with the help of the man''s strength.


    When she was to reach the top, August supported her whole body and gave her a push.


    She then reached the upper surface.


    When Lucia again stood on the ground, she heaved a sigh of relief.


    However, when she thought that August was still in the pit, she felt nervous again.


    She looked around but failed to find anything that could help August climb up.


    Suddenly, she thought of something.She then took out the clothes in her backpack and twisted the


    clothes tight into a rope.She threw one end of the rope down and said, "Grab the rope.I''ll drag you out!"


    It was their only way to save themselves.


    However, the rope wasn''t long enough.


    More than that, she wasn''t strong enough.She was afraid that, instead of pulling August up, she was


    dragged back into the pit.


    Lucia gritted her teeth and looked at her coat.She resolutely took it off and tied it to the other end of the


    rope.She wanted to tie the rope to a small tree beside the pit.


    However, it was still not long enough.She then looked at her trousers.


    After hesitation, she took the trousers off.


    In this way, she only had her underwear.


    However, in this dire moment, she couldn''t have so much concern.


    Saving August was the most important task for now.

 Chapter 429

    Chapter 429


    Chapter 429 Bishop''s Desperate Action


    She wore sportswear this day.


    After taking off her coat and trousers, she only had her underwear.Well, it was dark and it was a


    mountain.Can''t see a thing. Lucia then neatly tied the "homemade rope" to the tree and shouted to the


    pit.


    "August, climb up with the rope!"


    She then heard movement as the man was climbing up.It was hard for him to climb with his injuries.


    Lucia held the rope and felt so nervous as she waited for August to climb up.


    God, please.


    No more slips! She shuddered in the cold wind, but her heart was hot! She nervously held the taut rope


    with all her strength as it waggled.


    Finally, August managed to climb up.She was overjoyed that she subconsciously approached him and


    said excitedly, "Finally you climb up!"


    August looked up.


    In the dimness, he saw the fair skin of the woman.


    Though his vision was blurred, he still discerned that the woman wore nothing but her underwear.He


    frowned and handed her the "rope".


    "Put it on, hurry."


    Then, he looked aside.


    Ordinary people couldn''t see clearly in the darkness.


    However, August went through relevant training, which was why he could discern things in the


    darkness.


    Lucia was stunned by his words.She never expected that he should speak to her so ungratefully after


    she strenuously pulled him up.She felt bitterly disappointed.She rolled her eyes at him and then quickly


    put on the clothes.


    Then, she followed the man who had gone forward.


    However, as she exerted strength, she felt so much pain in the wound at her calf.


    She gulped and moaned.


    The man suddenly stopped.


    After turning around, he silently supported her in her arm.


    Lucia frowned and subconsciously wanted to shake his hand off her.


    However, she gave up as she knew that he was also injured.


    Two injured people had made so much effort to climb out of a pit.


    If they didn''t support and help each other, neither of them would be able to get out of the mountain.


    This was why they had to rely on each other.


    On their way downhill, they had hard-won cooperation.


    They marched in the same direction with a unified pace to save strength.


    After walking for a while, Lucia found the object nearby somewhat familiar.


    She even saw several marks she left on trees during the day.


    As long as they follow the marks she made, they could reach the steps and roads leading to the


    entrance.


    Thinking of which, Lucia unwittingly fastened her pace.


    March in the night was dull and boring.


    The track was longer than she had expected.


    More than that, with all the mud that made the track slippery, they walked extremely slowly.


    Soon, Lucia''s hope was dashed.She turned to the man beside her.She couldn''t perceive his expression


    in the darkness.She asked, ¡®August, why did youe to save me?"


    When she was alone in the mountain earlier this day, she didn''t expect anyone woulde to rescue


    her when she almost lost hope.


    August seemed to be surprised by Lucia¡¯s question.


    After pondering for seconds, he said indifferently, "We have invested so much in the film.If you''re dead,


    my money would be wasted."


    Lucia was stunned by his words.


    So, he came to me merely for his own interest.She felt cold.


    Am I overthinking? Every time she was in danger or got into trouble, he woulde to help her.


    One or two times could be exined by coincidence.


    However, after so many times, it couldn''t be a coincidence.


    Lucia bit her lips and said, "August, you are fooling me!"


    August paused for seconds after hearing her words.


    He then said, "Should I tell you that I covet your beauty? So, after saving your asses so many times,


    you should have been my woman a long time ago, shouldn''t you?"


    His words again rendered her wordless.


    Annoyed, Lucia ended the conversation directly with silence.


    Suddenly, they heard noise from afar and saw dim lights.


    Lucia showed joy and surprise in her eyes.


    She subconsciously looked at August and said, "Are theying for us?"


    As she said so, the voice was closer to them.


    She could vaguely hear someone calling her name and August''s name.


    They were really looking for them! After being lost in Gransend Mountains for hours, they were finally


    rescued.


    After leaving Gransend Mountains, they went to Gransend Hotel.


    Both Lucia and August were sent to a hotel room.


    After changing into clean clothes, doctors came to dress their wounds.


    Soon, one hour had passed.


    Lucia fell asleep on the sofa.


    After the doctor finished binding up August''s wounds, he was to urge August points of attentions when


    the man slightly raised his hand.


    The doctor cast a nce at the woman who had fallen asleep on the couch, and nodded toward August


    before he left.


    August and Lucia were left alone in the room.


    August leaned against the sofa.He put his arms on the back and handle of the sofa and fixed his eye


    on the sleeping woman.He unwittingly produced a smile.He had a strange feeling when the question


    she asked him urred to him now.


    Protecting her had somehow gradually be a habit.


    He couldn''t control himself and all he wanted was her safety.


    After resting for a while, he carried the woman in his arms and ced her on the bed.


    After tucking her in, he stared silently at her.


    At this moment, the silence was broken by knocks.


    August then heard Burton speaking.


    This was a suite.


    They were in the bedroom while Burton was guarding outside.


    He erased the tender look on his face and went to open the door.


    "What is it?"


    "President Adams, we don''t know what happened.The tide turned sharply.Thements on the


    inte are now ndering Lion Group."


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    Saying, he handed August a phone.


    After flipping through severalments, August soon darkened his face.


    Bishop should have announced the news of his resignation as vice president of Lion Group.


    Bishop made waves through his resignation to rock the boat of Lion.


    His official announcement provoked guesses and suspicions about the truth of the Joaquin Case.


    For a moment, the public had turned an official business into a domestic feud.


    The heat of the event was soaring.


    Bishop again pushed Lion Group to the tip of the storm.


    His doing would inflict immeasurable damage to Lion Group.


    It seemed that Bishop was really taking desperate actions!

 Chapter 430

    Chapter 430


    Chapter 430 Equal Rival


    "President Adams, what should we do now?"


    Burton''s voice brought August back to reality.He furrowed his brows and darkened his face.


    Such news along with exaggerated reports would only make things worse.


    Lion Group would be in a mess the next day if they failed to tackle it properly.


    The top priority was to ask the Department of Public Rtions to change the wind by hook or crook.


    August would have to go back downtown this night so that he could reassure the people of the group.


    Secondster, he ordered, "Prepare the car."


    Burton hesitated.He looked at August''s newly-treated wounds and said, "But your wounds..."


    "I will be fine.Tell the department of public rtions now that they have to suppress the negative reports


    on the event.We will go back tonight and work out an emergency n."


    Saying, he picked up a suit and strode outside.Before he walked away, he suddenly thought of Lucia


    sleeping on the bed.He frowned and stopped.


    After hesitation, he said, "Call Paul Thomas tomorrow morning.Tell him that Lucia had an


    ident.Send him the address."


    Burton was shocked by his boss''s decision, but he immediately responded, "Yes."


    August clenched his fist and left in vigorous strides.He decided to inform Paul because he couldn''t be


    in two ces at once.


    The only person Lucia could rely on was him.He led his men to leave Gransend Mountains for Lion


    Group.


    When Lucia woke up the next day, it had beente in the morning.


    After what happened the day before, she almost copsed.


    After the sound sleep, she felt much better except for several aching wounds.She washed herself up in


    the bathroom.


    As she opened the door to the living room of the suite, she suddenly smelled the aroma of cooked


    food.She suddenly felt so hungry.She followed the smell.


    It was a suite that consisted of a bedroom, a living room, and a kitchen.


    As she entered kitchen, she heard noises inside.


    When she saw a tall figure with his back facing her, her heart skipped a beat.


    Suddenly, the man, as if sensing her presence, turned around.


    When he saw her, he smiled brightly.


    "Lucia, you are awake!"


    Lucia was stunned.She was at a loss as she looked at Paul walking towards her.


    Why is he here? "You..."


    Lucia gave a gasp.


    "Why are you here?"


    She remembered clearly that it was August who went to search her in the mountain, it was August who


    fell into the pit with her, and it was August who was treated with her.


    Howe she woke up to see Paul?


    "I received news from Director Brook that you ran into an ident in Gransend Mountains.So, here I


    am."


    Exined Paul with a bright smile.


    He then stroked her head and consoled her, "You must be scared yesterday.Are you feeling better


    now?"


    Lucia came back to her senses and smiled back.


    "Much better." Paul beamed.


    "I made you breakfast.Wash your hands, and it will be ready soon."


    Lucia found several delicate dishes on the dining table.


    All were her favorite.


    Paul turned from a kitchen idiot to a man who could cook some simple food.


    For her, Paul really changed a lot.


    Lucia felt warm in her heart.She nodded with a smile and obediently went to wash her hand.


    But, she somehow felt a little disappointed.She didn''t know why.


    The dishes tasted so good.


    Lucia hadn''t had anything for so long that she ate double her usual amount.She then asked about her


    kids.


    "How are Timothy and J?"


    Paul drank some water and said, "Pa took them to the water park.Don''t worry.I asked my men to


    look after them."


    Lucia was relieved.


    Thinking of what happened the day before, she took a deep breath.She took out her phone and, as she


    had expected, found many missed calls.


    Most of which came from Director Brook and August when she was lost in the mountain.


    After hesitation, she still asked, "How is August Adams?"


    Since Paul had known what happened to her from Director Brook, he must also know that it was


    August who saved her.


    Paul looked a bit unnatural when he heard her question.


    This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .


    After hesitation, he answered, "Director Brook told me that he went back downtown."


    Secondster, he added, "Lion Group really has a tempest now.He, as the president, would have to be


    in charge."


    As he said so, he leisurely took a sip of tea.He looked as if it was an ordinary trifle.


    Lucia felt nervous.She flipped through news headlines on her phone.


    As she had expected, the front page was full of news about Lion Group.


    August''s investigation on the ounts of Lion''s branchpany had be family strife.


    Bishop and August had be foes.


    Though the media and the public didn''t use the term "foe", everybody understood.


    Lucia frowned and read some reports.She felt a little uneasy.She had thought that Bishop was


    indifferent to fame and fortune.


    More than that, Bishop had been disabled for years, which made Lucia harder to understand why did


    August be so hostile against his brother? But now it seemed that Bishop wasn''t simple.She suddenly


    remembered what August told her in the conference room.She had thought that August was merely


    finding excuses for his cold-blooded actions.


    At this moment, she could understand his words.


    A man who dared to stand up to August as an equal rival couldn''t be simple and innocent.


    "Lucia, what are you thinking?"


    Paul''s voice brought Lucia back from her thoughts.


    Lucia came back to herself and looked embarrassed.She smiled but said nothing.


    "Lucia, I thought of something when I went on a business trip the other day.Say, next month, when you


    finish all the work, let''s go on a vacation.Take Timothy and J together.What do you think?"


    Lucia didn''t pay attention to his idea. She asked casually, "Where?"


    Paul looked at her tenderly.


    "South France."


    He had long nned to take her there.


    Their marriage anniversary would be next month.


    Though they were only a Pro-forma couple, he still wanted to celebrate their anniversary.


    Lucia looked up and met the man''s eyes full of tenderness.She hesitated.


    "What do you think?"


    Paul gently held her hand.


    The expectation was exuding from her eyes.


    At first, he was so upset by the fact that Lucia lied to him about the contract for a short film with August


    that he went on a business trip for several days.He tried to calm himself down, but he found that, in his


    calmness, she still upied his mind.He then realized that he loved her more than he himself could


    imagine.He couldn''t live without her.


    That was why he chose to forgive her and keep staying by her side and waiting for the day when she


    was willing to ept him.


    Lucia was moved.


    She met the tender gaze of Paul and, after hesitating, nodded.


    "Okay.We''ll leave next month."


    It was time to leave Austos.

 Chapter 431

    Chapter 431


    Chapter 431 I Quit


    In the next two days, Lucia kept to her schedule and finished the photo shoot on Gransend Mountains.


    Due to the fact that she was injured, Paul canceled all his ns for those two days and stayed by her


    side.


    After the three days of shooting wereplete on Gransend Mountains, both Lucia and Director Brook


    were pleased with the progress they were making.


    The crew then moved to the Deep Alley located at the center of the city to continue the next part of the


    photo shoot.


    With the speed of the progress they were making, the photo shoot would beplete by the end of the


    month.


    As long as the dubbing and editing were up to speed, the whole thing could be released by the


    beginning of the following month.


    With that thought in mind, Lucia found that she wasn''t that far off from the agreement she and August


    made.


    Lucia breathed a sigh of relief inwardly.


    However, not knowing why, she somehow felt a little down.


    Meanwhile, the matter about Lion Group was still developing.


    The public opinion online was split in two.


    One side supported August and the other supported Bishop.


    The higher official of thepany was Said to be split in two as well.


    There were continuous conflicts.


    At such times, the only person who could stand forward and be in control was Eliot.


    However, Eliot had recently left Austos City and went abroad.


    Ever since he left, there had been no news of him.


    It was as if he had disappeared from the face of the Earth.


    Everyone knew that Eliot favored his elder son, August, but Bishop, who was in a wheelchair wasn''t a


    pushover either.He registered Lion Media in a week and invested a huge amount of money.He began


    to take action.


    It was obvious that he was going to fight August to the end.


    This meant that things were going to getplicated.


    Everyone in Austos City was watching the fun as the sons of an affluent family fought it out.


    However, Lucia somehow felt a little worried and frustrated when she saw such news.


    She even had the same worried feeling during the break times when she was with the crew.


    "Ms.Mitchell, there''s been a problem."


    Vi quickly walked over to her.


    Lucia came back to her sense, put away her phone, looked at Vi, who was panting heavily and


    asked, "What''s the matter?"


    "Tamzin said that she doesn''t want to continue the shoot."


    "What?"


    Lucia frowned and stood up.


    "Where is she?"


    Tamzin was someone Lucia selected herself out of a public welfare video.


    She had just been a normal person in the past.


    Her identity matched the character of the video that Lucia was shooting, so Lucia chose her.


    Recently Lucia had heard about Tamzinining about the crew, but she didn''t take it to heart.


    After all, Tamzin was being paid quite a lot.


    Lucia didn''t expect Tamzin to continuously make things difficult for her.


    Lucia followed Vi into the alleyway.


    It didn''t take her long to see the group of people in the courtyard.


    Tamzin was in the middle and was surrounded by Director Brook and other members of staff.


    Director Brook had his brows furrowed and his face was dark.


    He tried to be as calm as possible.


    "What conditions do you want? You can just tell us and we can negotiate.We can try our best to satisfy


    you..."


    Lucia took a deep breath and asked, "What''s going on?"


    Hearing Lucia''s voice, the members of staff stepped aside and made way for her.


    Lucia walked forward and looked at Tamzin, who was sitting on the chair and asked, ¡®I''ve heard that


    you dont want to continue the shoot anyway, is that so?"


    Tamzin cocked her brows, held the fan in he hand and wasn''t even looking at Lucia.


    "That''s right.I don''t want to continue the shoot anymore."


    Looking at Tamzi''s careless a:titude, Lucia tried her best to suppress her anger and asked, "Just tell us


    what you want."


    Lucia had been a director for many years and had bumped into such situations in the past.


    Most of the times, it would be the actor or actress being arrogant on purpose in an attempt to raise their


    pay.


    Therefore, they would deliberately say that they wanted to quit during a shoot, so that the crew would


    ept their conditions.


    Tamzin raised her head a little and put or a disdainful face.


    "I don''t want anything I just don''t want to continue the shoot anymore."


    Lucia took a deer breath.


    "For real? You know how much you have to pay for the breach of contract?¡¯ ¡®I know"


    As Tamzin said those words, she took out a card from Fer pocket and handed it to Lucia.


    ¡®Here''s the money.I already have it -easy."


    "You..."


    Director Brook was so angry that his face turned pale.


    It wouldn''t be a big problem to find a new actress to rece Tamzin.


    The crew wasn''t going toe to an end without Tamzin.


    Moreover, Tamzin was just a nobody who hadn''t participated in much shooting in the past.


    However, it was just that the crew was halfway through the shoot.


    There had been scenes where the audience could see Tamzin''s face.


    If they found someone to rece Tamzin, then everything that they Fad shot would have to be deleted


    and they would have tc start all over again from the beginning.


    This meant that if they found someone to rece Tamzin, all the crew''s hard work in the past would be


    for nothing.


    This was what bothered people the most.


    Lucia was the most infuriated.


    If they had to start all over again, then it would be very time-consuming.


    If that happened, then they would probably not be able to finish the shoot on time.


    She frowned and looked at Tamzin.


    Then, she said slowly, "Tamzin, you should know what it means for you to leave the crew.I''ll give you


    onest chance.You can name your price and we can still talk things over."


    N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    When Tamzin heard those words, she sneered and nced at Lucia with disdainful eyes.


    "I''m not short of money."


    Hearing those words, Lucia''s eyes darkened a little.


    "How can she not be short of money?"


    At first, when Lucia was choosing the actress, she had looked into Tamzin''s background.


    That was the reason why Lucia chose Tamzin.It was because of her poor ground, which suited their


    shooting theme and site that Lucia chose her.


    However, right now, Tamzin didn''t care about the money she had to pay for the breach of contract.


    She was determined not to continue the shoot.


    Something wasn''t right.


    Lucia took a deep breath and looked coldly at Tamzin.


    Then she turned and looked at Director Brook, who was standing to one side, and said, "Director


    Brook, let''s have a word."


    Pulling Director Brook to one side, Lucia asked with a serious face, "Has there been anything strange


    about Tamzintely?"


    Director Brook frowned.


    "Strange? Nothing muchtely.I''ve just heard herintely.I didn''t expect her to actually quit the


    shoot."


    Lucia''s eyes darkened and didn''t say anything.


    Director Brook said angrily, "If she quit, then we''ll have to start all over."


    "If she is determined to quit, there''s nothing much we can do," Lucia said indifferently.


    Lucia had a point.


    Everything was written clearly on the contract.


    If Tamzin was willing to pay the money then there was nothing they could do about it.


    "Are we really going to agree to her request?" asked Director Brook.


    "Yes."


    There was no other way.


    Ten minutester, Director Brook gave the order, and Tamzin actually really paid the money for the


    breach of contract.


    She then packed her things and was getting ready to leave.


    Everyone in the crew and the other actors and actresses were allining.


    The increase in the amount of work caused everyone to feel unhappy.


    Lucia sat there, raised her head and looked at Tamzin, who was packing her things.


    Then Lucia looked at the Cartier bracelet on Tamzin''s wrist.


    That was when Lucia''s eyes darkened.


    Things seemed a little fishy.


    Lucia told Director Brook tofort the people of the crew.


    After that, she pulled out a hat and jacket from a car nearby.


    At that point, Tamzin had already finished packing and was about to leave.


    Lucia followed closely behind her and was watching her every move.


    Tamzin was definitely not someone who was rich, but she had been wearing a lot of luxury essories


    and clothestely.


    This would make anyone feel suspicious.


    Lucia followed Tamzin and saw her walk out of the shooting site.


    Tamzin then threw away the box she had in her hand into the trash.


    After doing so, she picked up her phone and made a phone call excitedly before hailing a taxi.


    Watching Tamzin getting into the car, Lucia also hailed a taxi as well.


    As soon as Lucia got into the car, she said to the driver, "Please follow the car in front."


    Tamzin wouldn''t make such a fuss for no reason, Lucia had to find things out.

 Chapter 432

    Chapter 432


    Chapter 432 Bad Idea The driver nced at her somewhat strangely.


    He didn''t say anything, but still stepped on the gas.


    Then, the driver frequently looked at Lucia several times through the car''s rear view mirror, with


    defensiveness in his eyes, and thought she was some kind of bad guy.


    Sensing the driver''s gaze, Lucia took a deep breath and hurriedly put on an indignant look, "Sir, I''m not


    going to lie, that''s my best friend in front of me, I suspect that she''s secretly meeting with my boyfriend,


    that''s why I''m following her..."


    Hearing those words, the driver then dispelled his suspicions and evenforted Lucia a few times.


    He stepped on the gas and followed the taxi in front of him at just the right distance.


    The taxi drove along two streets in the city center and finally stopped in front of Starlight za.


    This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .


    Lucia watched Tamzin get out of the car and immediately paid the driver before she followed Tamzin.


    Lucia was wearing a hat and had deliberately changed her clothes, so even if Tamzin saw her, she


    wouldn''t probably be able to recognize her, not to mention that at the moment, Tamzin was so excited


    that she was obviously nning to meet someone.


    Lucia followed her at just the right distance and watched her walk into a cafe in Starlight za and


    headed to the second floor.


    She deliberately paused for a while before walking up the stairs.


    The second floor was filled with table seats.


    It was not only inconvenient to find someone, but also easy to be exposed to.


    Lucia stood at the top of the stairs, and was hesitant to go forward.


    She suddenly saw the figure reflected in the ss and she suddenly stopped where she was.


    The woman sitting across from Tamzin not far away was beautifully dressed, and morous.


    It was no one other than Jeanne.


    Lucia looked like she was frozen and couldn''t move.


    She looked in that direction and felt the urge to walk over.


    "I didn''t expect it to be her," she thought.


    A few momentster, Lucia came back to her senses and immediately went downstairs.


    She walked to the front desk, and indeed saw aputer screen next to her with the surveince video


    disyed on it.


    With a sweep of her eyes, Lucia immediately determined the location.


    It really was Jeanne! Tamzin sat across from her with an attentive smile on her face.


    Lucia couldn''t tell what Jeanne said.


    Jeanne looked around and took out a card from her bag and ced it on the table.


    Tamzin immediately took the card with both hands.


    As expected, just as Lucia had expected, it was indeed someone who was causing trouble deliberately!


    What she didn''t expect was that that person was Jeanne! What good would this do her? By doing this,


    Jeanne extended Lucia''s work schedule, she and August would meet more often and for a longer time.


    What was the point of her doing this? Meanwhile, Jeanne on the second floor of the cafe looked at the


    fawning woman in front of her, and a sh of disgust grew in her eyes.


    She said impatiently, "Keep your mouth shut, understand?"


    Tamzin nodded her head.


    "I understand!"


    Jeanne coldly snorted, not wanting to say a word more.


    She didn''t expect that August not only met with Lucia again and again, but also signed a contract with


    her to shoot a short public welfare film.


    When she found out about this, she was so angry that she felt her lungs were about to explode, so she


    deliberately interfered in order to mess up the short film shot by Lucia, so that August could see that


    Lucia was not capable of doing the job! Jeanne raised her head, nced at Tamzin, and impatience


    grew in her eyes.


    "Alright, you can go now."


    "Alright, then I won''t bother you, Ms.Kelly.Maybe we can work together when there''s a chance in the


    future," said Tamzin as she smiled and stood up.


    Who knew that as soon as she turned around and saw the woman standing next to her, the expression


    on her face suddenly froze.


    "Ms.Mitchell..."


    Lucia looked at Tamzin with cold eyes and snorted coldly.


    "Where are you going in such a hurry?"


    Jeanne, who was sitting opposite Tamzin also did not expect Lucia to suddenly appear.She frowned,


    pursed her lips and looked coldly at Lucia.


    Lucia stretched out her hand and directly pulled out the bank card from Tamzin¡¯s hand, looking at her


    with a cold smile.


    "I wonder how much is in this card? It''s amazing that you betrayed your job just like that."


    Tamzin was too guilty to say anything.


    Jeanne¡¯s face was a little dark, but nothing else was unusual.


    She nced at Lucia with contempt and said coldly, "I don''t understand what you''re talking


    about.Meeting you here ruined my day."


    With that, she stood up and picked up her handbag to leave.


    Lucia quickly took out her cell phone, aimed it at Jeanne, Tamzin and the bank card and quickly took


    pictures.She then threw the bank card onto the table and said coldly, "Jeanne, if August knew what you


    did, what would he do?"


    As soon as August was mentioned, Jeanne''s face instantly turned a little paler.She looked at Lucia


    rmingly.


    "What do you want?"


    "Do you know how much traffic and revenue this short film can bring to Lion Group if it is sessful?


    And now, you deliberately sabotaged it, do you think, he will be happy?"


    Lucia''s few words instantly made Jeanne at a loss for words.


    "You..."


    Tamzin, who was standing next to them locked at the two women and said, "You two fight it out, I''ll be


    leaving now"


    Saying that, she reached out and grabbed the bank card on the table, turned and ran away.


    At that moment, only Lucia and Jeanne, were left in a silent confrontation.


    Lucia took a deep breath, paused for a moment, suddenly pulled the corner of her lips and said slowly,


    "Let me guess, what did you do this for."


    "You deliberately created difficulties for me to shoot the short film, just to make August feel that I am


    not capable enough, and therefore disgust me and hate me, is that right?"


    Jeanne''s face changed, but she still said stubbornly, "What are you talking about? I haven''t done


    anything!"


    "Jeanne, I warned youst time on grandma''s birthday, if I wanted to do anything I would have done it


    long ago, the reason why I haven''t done it is because I''m not interested in August.Originally I nned


    to finish my work and leave as soon as possible, so that I will no longer have anything to do with


    August, but because of your stupid behavior, which prolonged my work period, then I will have to stay


    with August even longer."


    Lucia snorted coldly and viciously added, "You''re digging a hole for yourself and matchmaking the two


    of us.You''re not so selfish after all."


    Jeanne was slightly stunned, her face was pale and a little ugly.


    "You crazy woman!"


    Lucia smiled, shook the phone in her hand and said, "Besides, if I show those photos to August, what


    will he think?"


    She had really done a beautiful job of going for wool anding home shorn.


    Jeanne was instantly furious, "Lucia, you won''t dare!"


    "Oh, really? As long as I move my fingers, I can send these photos to him."


    Jeanne began to panic.She looked at the phone in Lucia''s hand, and by now, she also realized her own


    stupidity this time.She gritted her teeth, a trace of ruthlessness shed at the bottom of her eyes, and


    suddenly reached out her hand, grabbed the phone in Lucia''s hand, and viciously mmed it towards


    the ground.


    There was a loud thud and the phone split in three.


    The entire screen as shattered.


    Lucia also did not expect Jeanne to do this, she was stunned for a moment, and looked at the phone


    on the ground whilst lost in thought.


    Jeanne, who was standing in front of her suddenly shouted, "Crazy woman! I''ll kill you!"


    Lucia looked up and saw Jeanne''s handing for her face.


    She subconsciously dodged to the side, but she was still a little toote.


    Jeanne''s long nails scraped against her cheek, immediately, a red mark appeared on her face.


    Jeanne seemed to feel that it was not enough.


    She gritted her teeth, walked over and raised her hand to p Lucia again.


    Lucia waspletely confused by Jeanne''s bombardment.


    It was toote for her to dodge, so she could only close her eyes and wait for the p tond on her


    face.


    At that moment, a figure next to her suddenly stepped forward in front of her.

 Chapter 433

    Chapter 433


    Chapter 433 No Pushover


    "p!"


    A crisp sound sounded.


    Lucia heard the sound, her eyes were tightly closed, but there was no pain on her face as expected.


    Feeling the silence around her, she snapped open her eyes and saw the tall figure in front of her.


    "It''s okay now."


    Hearing that male voice with a smile, Lucia looked up and saw a familiar handsome face.


    Surprisingly, it was Jonathan! Her body tightened and she said in a surprised voice, "Howe you''re


    here?"


    Jonathan smiled lightly, his facial features looked like they were from a painting.


    "Passing by"


    Saying that, he turned his head back and looked at Jeanne who froze, slightly raising his eyebrows,


    and his tone became mocking.


    "Lady, you''re being a little too rude, aren''t you?"


    "Lady?"


    Jeanne had not yet recovered from the sudden appearance of Jonathan when she heard him call her


    lady.


    Immediately, her face darkened.


    At this moment, Jonathan''s assistant came forward, looked at Jonathan''s beaten arm, and asked with


    worry and concern, "Jonathan, are you okay?"


    Jonathan frowned, his face pretending to be aggrieved.


    "Now that you mention it, thisdy is quite strong.It actually hurt me quite a lot.How about we go for a


    check up at the hospital?"


    As he said that, he turned to look at Lucia deliberately.


    Jeanne was dumbfounded.She did not expect Lucia would know Jonathan, moreover did not expect


    him to say such words.


    "Sorry, I didn''t mean to hit you just now.If you want to do a checkup, then do one."


    Jonathan smiled but didn''t say anything when he heard that.


    The assistant next to them heard Jeanne say such, she was already dissatisfied with Jeanne, so she


    couldn''t help but roll her eyes at Jeanne.


    "Do you know what kind of doctor will be giving Jonathan an examination.How dare you hit him? You''ve


    injured our star, dyed our schedule, you not only have to pay the cost of the examination, but also a


    variety ofmercial performances, activity fees, and breach of contract as well!"


    Jeanne''s face darkened when she heard this.


    "You...are you trying to ckmail me?"


    The assistant retorted, "What do you mean ckmail? Why don''t you let the passersby judge who is


    right and who is wrong?"


    As soon as Jeanne heard that, she suddenly became abashed.


    Who didn''t know that Jonathan fans were everywhere.


    If Jonathan''s fans knew that she hit Jonathan, Jeanne would probably be overwhelmed by his fans..


    Jeanne red at Lucia with anger and said coldly, "Then do the examination, no matter how much it


    costs, I''ll pay."


    "Forget the checkup, I don''t need this money from you."


    Jonathan looked at Jeanne with azy gaze, but his tone was a little cold.He stretched out his hand,


    pulled Lucia to his side and said, "Apologize.Apologize to her first, then apologize to me."


    Lucia on the side was a little surprised as she looked at the man next to her.


    At this moment Jonathan was like a cynical rich son, arrogant, unrestrained, very bad, yet charming.


    Jeanne''s voice became hoarse.She was naturally reluctant to apologize.Her anger just now had not yet


    subsided.She just couldn''t bring herself to apologize to Lucia at this moment.


    "If you refuse, than how about calling the police to deal with it?" asked Jonathan as he looked up.


    "This side should be monitored, I do not believe that there is reason to hit people these days."


    The assistant next to him, immediately obediently took out her cell phone and made the gesture of


    dialing a number.


    Jeanne instantly wimped out and hurriedly said, ¡°I...l apologize!"


    Saying that, she nced at Lucia, suppressing the discontentment and jealousy in her heart, clenching


    her fist and dropping her eyes.


    "I''m sorry Without waiting for Lucia to say anything, Jonathan spoke first.


    "I don''t feel your sincerity."


    That one sentence made Jeanne wanting to explode.


    But after a few seconds, she still calmed down, took a deep breath and apologized respectfully to


    Lucia.


    "I''m sorry."


    Then, she apologized to Jonathan again, and only then were things settled.


    Jonathan''s assistant had secretly taken the video, before Jeanne left, she did not forget to remind her,


    "Be good in the future, or I''ll post this video on the inte."


    Jeanne was furious, but there was nothing she could do in front of Jonathan, so she could only force a


    smile and leave quickly.


    Watching Jeanne leave, Lucia finally smiled and looked at Jonathan.


    "I didn''t expect you to be so good at giving someone a hard time."


    Jonathan hooked his lips and smiled.He then put on his face mask.


    Even though his face was covered up, but it still could not stop the pleasure in his tone.


    "Of course, I can''t bear see you being bullied."


    He suddenly stretched out his hand, lifted Lucia''s chin, looked at the red marks on her face, frowned


    and said, "Say, have you always been so weak when you were bullied?"


    Lucia took out a tissue and wiped her face, and said softly, "It''s nothing, I''ll treat you to coffee as a


    thank you."


    "Treat me?"


    Jonathan couldn''t help but say, "Then do you know that this cafe, is owned by my cousin."


    Of course Lucia didn''t know.She looked at him with surprise.


    "Why else do you think I''m here? Alright, there are too many people here, I''ll take you to a ce, let''s


    get something to eat."


    Lucia nodded, followed him, and they left the cafe together.


    Soon, they arrived at an exquisitely decorated but remote restaurant, and when they arrived at the


    private room, Jonathan ordered a pot of tea and poured a cup for Lucia, before saying, "Tell me, what''s


    going on between you and that woman?"


    This had been the question that Jonathan had been wanting to ask all this time.


    Lucia took a deep breath, hesitated for a moment, and then told him everything that happened in the


    crew.


    Jonathan listened, kept smiling but did not say anything, in the end, he probed, winked at her and said,


    "How about, show me the part of the short film that you have shot, I will see if I know anyone on my


    side toe to your rescue."


    N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    Now that Tamzin is gone, no matter what, they would have to find someone else to take her ce.


    After giving it some thought, Lucia borrowed Jonathan''s assistant''s phone, logged into her ount,


    and found some video clips that she had directed earlier.


    This was still the original film without editing and post-production, and was only a small part.


    Lucia didn''t expect after seeing only a few clips, Jonathan was able to tell the theme and the message


    that the film was trying to say clearly.


    Lucia took a deep breath and looked at Jonathan with more admiration in her eyes.


    "You have it bang on."


    Jonathan hooked his lips and smiled, "Okay, let me pick the actors, I''ll make sure you''re satisfied, and,


    if you want to improve the efficiency of filming, I also have an idea..."


    The two reached a consensus.


    During the meal, they were talking andughing.


    They chatted a lot and it was very pleasant.


    Lucia also did not expect that she was able to find out that Jeanne was behind all the trouble Tamzin


    was causing.


    Neither did she expect to bump into Jonathan, who helped her solve her biggest headache.


    When Lucia walked out of the restaurant, Jonathan put on his hat and mask.


    He had his face fully covered, and sent her to the intersection.


    Lucia was just about to get out of the car when he yanked her.


    "Lucia, in the future, if you are bullied and can''t handle it by yourself, you have to tell me, understand?"


    As Jonathan said those words, he took a look at the Band-Aid on Lucia''s face and frowned slightly.


    Those words made Lucia''s heart feel warm and she smiled at him.


    "I know, don''t worry."


    She felt quite lucky to be friends with Jonathan.


    At this time, Jonathan''s voice rang out again.


    "By the way, that woman today, she¡¯s no pushover, you should be careful."

 Chapter 434

    Chapter 434


    Chapter 434 Looking For Someone


    When it came to Jeanne, Lucia knew more about her than anyone else.


    Of course she knew that this woman was no pushover.


    This time Jeanne had suffered a loss in front of them, next time no one could guess what she would do.


    However, Lucia was not afraid.


    Lucia smiled at Jonathan.


    "Don''t worry, I know what to do."


    Jonathan smiled when he heard those words.He then winked at Lucia mischievously.


    "Remember to miss me."


    Without waiting for her answer, the car door was already closed, the car was started and drove away.


    Lucia stood in the same ce, the smile on her lips widened, and she slowly turned away.


    To her, Jonathan was a friend really worth having.He also had a very high efficiency in doing anything.


    The next day, Lucia came to the crew to discuss with Director Brook about the new actress.She didn''t


    expect that same afternoon, an actress came to the crew to report in.


    It was Jonathan who helped pick the girl.


    It was a young girl who had appeared in a famous director''s film with only one line as a schoolgirl, with


    a clean and simple temperament.


    She was very suitable for the image of the character they needed in their short film.


    During the audition, Director Brook nodded his head repeatedly at the side, with satisfaction in his


    eyes.


    "This Nicole girl is good, so much better than Tamzin!"


    "Lucia, you''re so good at choosing roles!" Lucia smiled.


    "It''s not me, a friend helped me choose."


    Director Brook did not care, after praising Lucia, he immediately began to prepare for the re-shooting of


    the scenes from the start.He tried to save most of the scenes that could be used, and let Nicole to


    make up the rest.


    Using such a method, they could speed up their progress.


    The crew slowly recovered, Lucia also secretly felt relieved.She picked up the phone and sent a thank


    you message to Jonathan.


    Soon, the other side replied, "Why are you saying thank you to me? Just treat me to a meal some day!"


    Lucia smiled and replied, "Okay."


    In the following days, everything went on normally,pared to Tamzin, Nicole was more expressive,


    more cooperative, and in private people she was very good to get along with.


    From time to time she would treat the staff to drinks and snacks.


    This won everyone''s praise, within a few days, the staff had gotten over theining attitude they


    were in and focused on their work.


    Looking at the changes in the crew, Lucia was also very happy in her heart, as the progress was being


    caught up, this meant that she could finish her work on time, and end her contract with August earlier,


    get the video back and leave Austos City.


    However, she would never have thought that an ident would happen so soon.


    On Saturday, Lucia was on her way to the shooting site when she received a bombardment of phone


    calls from Director Brook, she answered the phone and his voice immediately came out from the other


    end of the line.


    "Lucia, something has happened!"


    Lucia was driving, hearing him say so, her heart suddenly skipped a beat.


    "What''s wrong?"


    Director Brook''s voice was a bit tense.


    "I heard rumors say that the President Adams ising to the shooting site today for inspection!"


    Lucia did not understand.


    "So what''s wrong?"


    N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    Previously, whether it was for Timothy and J''s photo shoot or today''s public welfare short film,


    August would asionallye to the shooting site.


    After all, this project and the image of the Lion Group were directly linked.


    He often came over to ensure the quality of work.


    It wasn''t like they were doing anything untoward, even if August came to check on them, there was


    nothing to be afraid of.


    "But we didn''t tell him about the actor change."


    At the beginning, they spoke to August when they decided on the actors, butter Tamzin herself did


    not want to continue the shoot, and they had to change the actress to Nicole, because the Lion Group


    had been in turmoil recently, they hadn''t told Lion Group about the change.


    Lucia took a deep breath and hesitated.


    "I''ll exin to him when the timees."


    This matter, in the end, had something to do with her.


    Jeanne had deliberately caused trouble for the crew and deliberate made Tamzin quit the shoot.


    This wasn''t the crew''s fault.


    Director Brook was still worried.


    "I heard it''s not that simple.Anyway, you shoulde quickly, President Adams and the others should


    also be here soon."


    "Okay."


    After hanging up the phone, Lucia stepped on the gas and headed towards the shooting site as soon


    as possible.


    At this time, no matter what, as the chief director of the public service short film, this burden should be


    carried by her.


    When she hurried to the shooting site and saw Director Brook at the door, Lucia took a deep


    breath,picked up her pace and walked forward.


    Then she asked, "Is August here yet?"


    "Not yet, but he should be here soon, Harris has already called."


    Hearing him say that, Lucia nodded.She knew what to expect, and ordered the crew to work as usual


    and do what they should do.


    They had just started filming for a short time, and soon, a ck RV came and parked next to them.


    Lucia raised her head and looked at it for a few moments, but did not get up.She had never seen


    August in an RV, this should not be his car.


    Soon, the back door of the car opened wide, Bob pushed Bishop off the car in his wheelchair.


    The crew raised their heads and were a little surprised to see them.


    Everyone knew that August and Bishop had been fighting in secret.


    Now, Bishop actually just showed up at the shooting site.


    Bishop was wearing a gentle smile on his face.He didn''t seem arrogant at all.His eyes were soft and


    his face was full of smiles.He looked as if he was a friendly person.


    If it were in the past, Lucia would have felt this way, but she had seen all the fights between him and


    August during this period of time and knew that Bishop was no pushover.She sat there and did not get


    up.


    Director Brook, who was sitting next to Lucia stood up, smiled and greeted Bishop.


    "Vice President Adams..."


    Director Brook said those words almost subconsciously, and only after saying it, did he realize that


    something was wrong, and his face turned pale.


    Everyone had heard that Bishop had announced that he had resigned from being the vice president of


    Lion Group.


    After that, he quickly founded his ownpany.


    Now, he was not just a simple vice president.


    He was the second most famous "President Adams" in Austos City, the "President Adams" who intends


    to continue to fight with August, and the "President Adams" who was ambitious and also scheming.


    Coldness shed in Bishop''s eyes, but it disappeared in an instant.


    Director Brook realized that he had made a mistake and quickly apologized, "President Adams, I do


    apologize..."


    "No harm."


    Bishop raised his hand and smiled generously.He still had the gentle expression on his face.


    "I came over, is to find someone."


    Director Brook hurriedly asked, "Who is President Adams looking for?"


    Bishop smiled and said, "I''m looking for my artist, Nicole."


    When these words came out, the crew exploded, and even Lucia, who had been sitting there, frowned.


    How could Nicole possibly be Lion Group''s artist? She raised her head to look at Nicole at one


    side.She was just standing there and looked somewhat hesitant.


    Bishop raised his head towards her and said with a light smile, "Nicole, do you still want me toe to


    you?"


    Nicole hesitantly took a step and walked over, her eyes timid and seemingly a little scared.


    Lucia immediately stood up and walked in front of Nicole before she walked over and asked, "What''s


    going on?"


    Nicole was picked for her by Jonathan, so there shouldn''t be any problems, and besides, she wasn''t


    well known and didn''t look familiar to the audience at all.


    Nothing seemed to add up.


    Nicole looked at Lucia with some hesitation, took a deep breath and said, "I did sign a contract with


    Lion Media, but it was just a short while ago."

 Chapter 435

    Chapter 435


    Chapter 435 Losses


    Lucia frowned, and she immediately had a bad feeling about this.


    Lion Media was just registered by Bishop not long ago, from site selection to recruitment, every step


    Bishop took was extremely high-profile, recruiting with great fanfare, and also invested a lot of money.


    Seeing that Nicole wasn''t moving, Bishop said nonchntly, "What are you waiting for, Nicole?"


    Nicole''s body stiffened and immediately walked over.


    Lucia took a deep breath, not understanding what was going on, she hurriedly followed, stopped


    Nicole, looked at Bishop and asked, "President Adams, Nicole also signed a contract with us, now she


    is our actress, she still has to stay here before the shooting ended."


    Hearing her say that, Bishop hooked his lips, his eyes a sh of coldness appeared in his eyes.


    "I wonder what Ms.Mitchell has got to keep her?"


    Lucia didn''t know what to say.She tried her best, and was about toe up with something to say.


    That was when two ck cars drove over.


    The two cars parked at the front and back of the RV.


    The door of the car was pushed open, a cold-faced man got off, and walked towards Lucia with his long


    legs.


    He was wearing a ck suit and was emitting a domineering aura.


    At the same time, Burton and several subordinates in suits got off the car together.


    They followed behind August.


    The whole group walked towards Lucia domineeringly.


    August walked up with wide steps, automatically ignoring the man in the wheelchair, and walked


    directly in front of Lucia and Nicole, asking in a light voice, "What''s wrong?"


    The man descended from the sky, like an angel, which made the originally somewhat panicked Lucia


    suddenly feel much more at ease.


    She took a deep breath, warmth welled up in her heart, and she said softly, "This President Adams


    suddenly came over, saying that Nicole is his artist and wants to take her away, but Nicole had already


    signed a contract with us."


    At that, August''s face did not change.


    He turned to look at Bishop sitting in the wheelchair, but said nothing.


    The corner of Bishop''s mouth curved into a smile.


    He raised his hand and waved, the men next to him immediately presented a document and handed it


    to August.


    Even Lucia could see the words written on the cover of the contract.It was contract between Nicole and


    Lion Media.


    She took a look at August''sck of intention to take it, and hastily took the initiative to reach out her


    hand and took the contract, turning to thest signature, which was indeed Nicole''s signature and a red


    fingerprint.


    She turned her head to look at Nicole and asked, "Is this the contract you signed with them?"


    Nicole nodded.


    "Yes, after signing the contract, I didn''t have anything to do when I signed the contract.That was when


    Mr.ck''s assistant asked me toe over here to audition for a scene.He said it was to shoot a short


    film, and it can fill my gap, so I came."


    Lucia smiled.


    She understood what was going on, so she flicked through the document, quickly browsed through it,


    and then raised her head to look at Bishop.


    "President Adams, there is no provision on this that does not allow its artists to take outside jobs, and


    Nicole has nothing to do at the moment, there should be no problem, right?"


    Bishopughed lightly.


    "Who said that she has nothing to do, there is a drama and I appointed her as the female lead, her


    current behavior is epting more than one job at one time."


    Without waiting for Lucia to speak, Nicole next to her said in surprise, "Female lead, when did that


    happen?"


    After she signed a contract with Lion Media, she had always been a nobody.


    She didn''t even get a supporting role, not to mention a female lead role.


    Bishop said indifferently, "It happened this morning.I said so myself.Now you know?"


    Hearing him say this, the crowd was a little surprised.


    Bishop was obviously deliberately provoking, because Nicole came over to shoot a short film of public


    welfare by Lion Group, so he gave her a female lead role to make things difficult for Nicole.


    He wanted to take Nicole away from them and also create some negativements for Lion Group.


    Lucia was a little annoyed.


    "President Adams, what you''re doing is unreasonable, right?"


    Bishopughed and said arrogantly, "What do you mean? She is my artist, I can decide when I give a


    role, right? Why do I have to report to you?"


    Those words weren''t nice, but there wasn''t nothing Lucia could say to retort.


    August''s face was already dark and he looked at Bishop coldly.


    "So, you did this on purpose, didn''t you?"


    Bishop said calmly, "The Lion Group is trying to steal my artist.


    If you negotiate with me nicely, I might have agreed, but you''re now forcing my artist to take more than


    one job at one time, I obviously won''t agree with that."


    It was clearly him forcing Nicole, but in the end Bishop made it seem that it was Lucia forcing Nicole.


    Lucia had to admit, Bishop was really good at misleading people.


    "I''m going to take my artist away.I won''t use force if Lion Group doesn''t agree.Let''s have everyone be


    the judge on this matter."


    As Bishop said that, he waved his hand.


    Immediately, two reporters walked off the RV and began taking pictures.


    Lucia was stunned.She obviously did not expect Bishop woulde to such a y.


    If the reporters took pictures and the media with ulterior motives exaggerated them, she was afraid that


    the onlinements would be even more unfavorable to the Lion Group.


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    August knew what Bishop was nning as well.


    His eyes darkened and the guards next to him immediately understood what August was thinking.


    They quickly went over and detained the reporters.


    In an instant, the atmosphere became tense.


    Everyone felt on edge.


    August stepped forward, his gaze was sullen and cold as he looked at Bishop.


    He was emitting a cold aura.


    "There is no need for this.I''ll give you back your artist."


    After saying that, August turned to look at Nicole.


    Nicole hesitated for a moment, knowing that if she didn''t go over, the situation would be even


    moreplicated.She looked at Lucia and walked over to Nicole.


    A victor''s smile appeared on Bishop''s face.


    He tilted his head sideways slightly, and Bob behind him immediately understood and pushed his


    wheelchair away.


    All the staff, plus August, Lucia, Director Brook watched them leave, but could not say anything.


    The RV left, and the atmosphere at the shooting site was terribly sullen.


    This time, in front of the public, August had lost to Bishop.


    This defeat could be seen as humiliation in front of everyone in Austos City.


    How could August not be angry? The man stood there, like a statue, finally, he turned around, his eyes


    permeated with coldness, swept through the crowd, finally he looked at Director Brook and Lucia, and


    said coldly, "Directors,e with me."


    After saying those words, he stepped straight ahead and walked directly to the front.


    Lucia and Director Brook looked at each other and followed.


    The atmosphere was a little depressing.


    When they came to a separate lounge, August sat straight on a chair in front of the sofa, raised his


    head to them and said, "Sit."


    Since August gave the order, Lucia and Director Brook did as they were told.


    They walked over and sat down.


    "That Nicole, who picked her?"


    Mentioning Nicole, Lucia''s heart skipped a beat, not knowing what to say.


    A problem urred involving Nicole at this moment in time, and all of this was caused by Bishop


    setting August up as well.


    It was normal that he couldn''t just let things pass.


    She took a deep breath, gritted her teeth and said, "I picked it."


    After hearing those words, August furrowed his brows, and after a short pause, he said coldly, "Where


    did you choose her from?"


    Nicole was mostly likely a secret weapon covered up by Bishop intentionally.


    They didn''t expect them to bump into her.


    And now the most suspicious person would be the one who recruited Nicole in the first ce.

 Chapter 436

    Chapter 436


    Chapter 436 Betrayed?


    As soon as Lucia raised her head, she met the man''s gaze with a bit of suspicion, she took a deep


    breath and said, "Nicole was indeed recruited by me, and I am also to me for not knowing


    everything about her beforehand..."


    August''s furrowed his brows.


    "From where or how did you recruit her?"


    Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    If Lucia really did not know, then maybe there were others who were secretly pulling strings.


    After hearing those words, Lucia''s clenched her fists.She was ina tight spot.


    Nicole was introduced to her by Jonathan, if she said it, wouldn''t she be throwing all the me on


    Jonathan? But this was something that she didn''t think he did.


    With that thought in mind, Lucia moved her lips, met August''s probing gaze, and replied word for word,


    "It''s not very convenient to say."


    Those words instantly made August''s face darken.


    The director sitting next to them was equally stunned, he also didn''t expect Lucia to say this.


    After all, this would not only fail to assist the investigation, but also increase her own suspicion.It just


    wasn''t worth it.


    Except that she was trying to cover for someone.


    Seeing that the atmosphere was cold and the room was getting more and more silent, Director Brook


    laughed lightly twice and hurriedly advised, "President Adams, at this point, the most important thing


    we should think about is to suppress those unfavorable remarks against Lion Group."


    August kept on frowning, his gaze looked straight at Lucia, pausing for a moment, before moving his


    gaze away and saying in a light voice, "Well, Director Brook, there is something that I want to you to


    do..."


    Saying that, he turned his head to look at Director Brook, assigning him the task.


    Director Brook responded and quickly, got up and left the lounge.


    Before the door was closed, Burton suddenly stepped in, walked to the side of August, and whispered


    something to his ear.


    Suddenly, the man''s eyes darkened, a trace of coldness appeared in his eyes.


    Soon, Burton left, the door closed, and for a moment, only August and Lucia were left in the room.


    Lucia took a deep breath, took the initiative to stand up, and said, "President Adams, I have other


    things to do..."


    As soon as she began walking, she froze again when she heard the voice of the man behind her.


    "Nicole was introduced to you by Jonathan, right?"


    She took a deep breath, her heart began to race a little.


    "How did August know about this, was this what Burton had juste in and told him about?"


    She clenched her fists and she hesitated for a moment before she turned to August and said softly,


    "Yes, but this matter has nothing to do with him."


    At least in her opinion, Jonathan was not someone who would do that kind of thing.


    August''s eyes darkened even more and he frowned slightly.


    "What evidence do you have?"


    In his opinion, everything was based on evidence, Lucia couldn''t provide any evidence, what made her


    so sure that Jonathan was innocent? Lucia was at a loss for words.She didn''t know what to say.She


    had no evidence, she just felt that Jonathan did not need to do such a thing.She clenched her fist and


    bit her lip.


    "I don''t think he''s that kind of person."


    At that, the man snorted coldly.He suddenly stepped closer to her, instantly, the distance between them


    shortened.


    They were basically face to face.


    She could feel the coldness emanating from the man''s body.


    The man''s low voice rang in her ears.


    "And why should I trust you?"


    Now that the Lion Group was in a tight spot.


    Any unfavorable remarks about the group would cause incalcble consequences, so he must be


    cautious, not to mention that he couldn''t just believe anything anyone said.


    This time, it was obviously a trap by Bishop.


    News about this matter would certainly not just go away.


    Someone had to be responsible for the negative publicity of Lion Group.


    Lucia¡¯s heart skipped a beat.She looked at the man''s extremely cold eyes and her heart became cold


    as well.She took a deep breath and didn''t know what to say.


    "Lucia, don''t trust anyone, especially men."


    August furrowed his brows, his cool lips were pursed.


    "Burton reported to me that Jonathan just took a brand endorsement, and Bishop is the sponsor."


    That sentence alone made Lucia''s heart feel cold.


    Could it be that Jonathan had really betrayed her for this? August gave her a meaningful look and said


    coldly, "Sometimes, you won''t even know you''re being used."


    After saying those words, he stood up and walked straight out of the lounge.


    The door closed with a bang, causing Lucia''s body to shake a few times.


    Her head was a little dizzy, and she was finding it hard to stand straight.


    How could Jonathan do this to her? Lucia still couldn''t believe that this was the truth.


    She grabbed her phone, and there were times where she couldn''t resist the urge to dial Jonathan''s


    number, but in the end no words came out of her mouth.


    She took out her phone and searched for Jonathan''s newest endorsement, and found that everything


    was just like what August had just said.


    Jonathan was the endorser, and Bishop was the sponsor.


    Her heart instantly sank, her hand went limp, and the phone in her hand slid straight down on the table.


    But there was something else in her heart, struggling vaguely, and still chose not to believe.


    Back at the shooting site, the crew was in chaos.


    Previously, because of Tamzin, the staff in the crew had been quite dissatisfied.


    They had just gotten used to the new actress and everything was going to be back on track.


    They did not expect such a thing to happen again.


    They were really finding it difficult to ept what had happened.


    "I think we should stop shooting this public welfare short film.It would probably not save Lion Group''s


    image even if we finished filming it."


    "That''s right! Things were never solved in the past three days.What the hell is going on?"


    "Forget it! Let''s stop the shooting..."


    All sorts ofments appeared amongst the crew.


    Some of which were obviously meant for Lucia to hear, and she just still there.She still hadn''te


    back to her senses from what happened.


    A while passed, and Director Brook walked over.


    He looked at Lucia, sighed and said, "I think it''s better to wrap it up, let everyone rest for a few days to


    calm down their grievances, and let''s think about what to do about casting and progress."


    Lucia took a deep breath and after thinking for a moment, she nodded.


    "Let''s do as you say."


    Even if they continued to work now, they didn''t have the cast or mood, nothing would be done.


    After going home from the shooting site, Lucia''s mood had been dull and sullen, but once she got


    home and saw the two little ones, Timothy and J, all the unhappy thoughts were swept away.


    Only after coaxing the two little ones to eat and sleep, did Lucia have time to take out her phone and


    unknowingly clicked on the news push about the Lion Group.


    Recently, unfavorablements of the Lion Group continued to appear.


    Thepany''s stock continued to fall, at once, thepany''s top executives were not able to sit still


    anymore.


    They watched August''s every move to pursue responsibility, all the pressure were all on his shoulders.


    Thepany''s top executives were all looking at thepany''s every move to hold it ountable,


    and all the pressure was on his shoulders.


    The media even exposed that August was nning on asking Eliot toe back and take charge.


    However, somehow, he was unable to be in contact with Eliot.


    It seemed that Eliot had vanished in thin air.


    Looking at the news, Lucia subconsciously became nervous.


    But as the media said, Eliot was nowhere to be found and could not be in touch with.


    Could it be exaggerated?

 Chapter 437

    Chapter 437


    Chapter 437 Never Lied to Her


    Lucia had a headache thinking about it.


    In the end, she simply turned off her phone andy down on the bed to rest.


    Now she couldn''t figure out what to do about herself, so she had no time to worry about others.


    Thinking that, she tossed and turned until the second half of the night when she fell into a deep sleep.


    For the next two days, Lucia stayed at home without working.


    Apart from eating and walking with her kids, she spent the rest of the time reading and watching


    movies instead of checking the news on her phone.


    On the third day, she suddenly received a message from Jonathan.


    "Do you have time tonight? I''m wrapping up for the day.Treat me to dinner.Don''t forget that you still owe


    me a fondue!"


    It was the same light-hearted joking tone as always and he even sent several emojis.


    Looking at that, Lucia felt a bit strange.


    Jonathan seemed to be the same big boy who would joke with her.She didn''t want to believe that he


    was approaching her with an agenda, but it was true about Nicole...She turned her phone upside down


    and put it on the table, without texting back.


    After a while, Jonathan called out of the blue.


    Although he kept calling, Lucia didn''t answer.


    After dinner, Lucia went back to her room.


    Just as she was about to take a shower, Elisa suddenly came upstairs in a hurry.


    "Lucia, I just found a car parked outside the courtyard when I was washing the dishes.It''s been there


    for a long time.Someone was in the car, but I don¡¯t know who it is!"


    Hearing that, Lucia immediately stepped to the window and looked down.


    As expected, she saw a champagne-colored car parked outside.


    When she took a close look, she found that it looked somewhat familiar.


    If she wasn''t wrong, that was Jonathan''s car.


    She took a look at her phone that she had put on mute on the table, picked it up, and saw that there


    were already a dozen missed calls on it, in addition to messages from Jonathan.She casually tapped


    on it to read.


    "Lucia,e out.Let''s meet and talk."


    Lucia took a deep breath and hesitated for a moment before she turned to look at Elisa, smiling


    reassuringly at her and saying softly, "It''s a friend of mine, Mom.Please get some rest.I''ll go and meet


    him."


    Elisa was still a little worried, but hearing Lucia say that, she couldn''t say anything, so she nodded and


    went back to her room.


    Lucia put on a jacket, came out of the bedroom, and went out the front door.


    No sooner had she reached the courtyard than the car door opened and a tall, thin figure came out of it


    and walked directly up to her.


    Jonathan was wearing a ck casual outfit, with a hat that covered his eyes.


    From where she was, Lucia could only see his beautiful chin.


    When he came to the iron gates, he looked at Lucia and raised his hand to pull the hat back, revealing


    his handsome face.


    With the iron gates between them, Lucia took a deep breath.


    "What is it? Go ahead."


    Seeing that she had no intention ofing out, Jonathan couldn''t help but smile with his lips curved,


    "Am I here to visit a prisoner?"


    Lucia took a deep breath.


    Thinking of what August had said, she was even colder.


    She raised her eyes to look at him and asked seriously, "What''s the matter?"


    Jonathan paused and looked more serious.


    He stopped smiling and said, "I just found out about Nicole."


    "When I introduced Nicole to you, I didn¡¯t know that she had signed with the Lion Media."


    Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    Lucia was in doubt about what he said.She raised her eyes and met his crystal-clear, good-looking


    eyes.


    "I have talked to Nicole.She said she would think about it.It''s my fault indeed, and if you need someone


    to exin it, just call me.I''ll do it for you."


    Jonathan said that in such a serious manner that he did not seem to be lying at all.


    Lucia hesitated for a moment.She took a deep breath and asked, "You really didn''t know?"


    Jonathan blinked.


    He immediately raised his right hand, put up three fingers, and said with a serious face, "I, Jonathan,


    have never lied to you, Lucia."


    Lucia¡¯s heart skipped a beat.She felt a lump in her throat and tears welled up in her eyes.She wanted


    to cry and smile.


    Finally, she opened the gate, stepped out, and reached out to pull down his right hand.


    "You don¡¯t have to do this..."


    "So do you believe me?"


    Jonathan lowered his eyes and slightly turned up the corners of his mouth.


    He looked at the woman in front of him, with a smile in his eyes.


    Lucia looked up at Jonathan and nodded, with a more determined expression in her eyes.


    Originally, she and Jonathan were like two parallel lines that did not intersect, but then gradually, she


    realized that he was just an ordinary man, regardless of his fame.


    He could love and hate.


    In addition to honor and appreciation, he also needed affection.


    Jonathan raised his hand, wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, and said softly, "The agent


    talked with them about the endorsement that I signed for.I didn¡¯t know about it.Although the contract


    was signed, the good thing is that it hasn''t started yet, so I can just break the contract."


    "Break the contract?"


    Lucia took a deep breath.


    "You''ll have to pay a lot of liquidated damages, won''t you?"


    At that, Jonathan curved his lips in a smile and winked at her.


    "It¡¯s okay.I have money."


    Lucia was angry andughing.


    "You can''t do that even if you have money.Don''t give up that endorsement.It¡¯s okay as long as you


    didn''t do those things."


    "No, you are much more important than the endorsement.At least you should show them that you have


    a good eye for people."


    With that, he reached out his hand, threw his arm around her neck like a good buddy, and tried to take


    her to his car.


    "Let''s go and have a fondue."


    Lucia hesitated for a moment.


    Before she could figure out what he meant, he had already pulled her to the car.


    Only when she got into the car did she understand the meaning of his words.


    It seemed that Jonathan had already known about August''s misunderstanding of her and he wanted to


    prove her innocence by breaking the contract.


    In an instant, Lucia found it heart-warming.


    She turned to look at Jonathan, who was next to her.


    The corners of her mouth were slightly turned up.


    He was really a good friend of hers.


    She smiled, looked at him, and said, "Let''s go and have a fondue."


    The car turned around and flew away.


    Not far away in the shade of the trees, there was a ck car parked.


    It was hard to see without looking closely as if it had blended into the darkness.


    The men in the car were watching Lucia and Jonathan.


    Seeing the champagne-colored car leave, one of the men said, "It seems that we can''t do it tonight."


    A few secondster, a voice came from the back of the car.


    "Don''t worry.There''s always a chance."


    Lucia and Jonathan talked a lot as they had the fondue.


    It seemed that they instantly got closer a lot to each other after the meal.


    Eventually, Jonathan took Lucia home and left.


    The next day, Lucia was at home when she got a call from Nicole.


    "Ms.Mitchell, I have terminated the cooperation with Lion Media."


    "What?"


    Lucia was surprised.


    "What''s going on?"


    Didn''t Bishop say clearly in front of them that day that he wanted her to y the female lead? How


    come the cooperation was suddenly terminated?


    "Mr.ck has talked to me.He said that I could make the choice on my own and that he wouldn''t me


    me anyway.I thought about it and decided to do what I should do.Since I have agreed to do your video,


    I want to finish it."


    "What about the Lion Media?"


    Nicole sounded firm.


    "They didn¡¯t agree, so I terminated the cooperation."


    Lucia was moved by those words.She sniffled without saying anything.


    Nicole''s voice came with a smile.


    "Ms.Mitchell, when do we start then?"


    Lucia curved her lips.


    "Now that you''reing back, we''ll start tomorrow."


    "Okay, no problem."


    Hanging up the phone, Lucia felt that what had weighed on her mind disappeared.

 Chapter 438

    Chapter 438


    Chapter 438 Thanks to Her


    That afternoon, it was announced on Jonathan''s official media tform that because of his schedule,


    they had unterally terminated their contract and canceled the new endorsement shoot, stating that


    they would work together again if they had another chance.


    In no time, the incident became such a hot topic that it overshadowed the news about the shares of the


    Lion Group.


    Meanwhile, Lucia had a short video conference with Director Brook, asking him to inform the crew that


    the shoot would start tomorrow and that the video would be done as scheduled.


    The following day, when the crew arrived, they had fewerints after resting for a couple of days.


    Everyone was relieved to learn that Nicole had terminated her cooperation with Lion Media, and they


    went back to work wholeheartedly.


    On the afternoon of the first day on set, Lucia hadn''t expected that August woulde over.


    "This shot needs to be done again.Adjust the alignment..."


    Sitting in front of the camera, Lucia watched the picture in the viewfinder and directed the actors in the


    scene with a serious face, unaware that a man had been staring at her from behind diagonally for a


    long time.


    After a while, it was time for a break.She rxed her tense body and took the water next to her to have


    a drink.


    Someone nearby said softly, "Ms.Mitchell..."


    "Yes?"


    Lucia turned around at the sound of the voice, only to meet the man''s deep dark eyes.


    Her heart skipped a beat and started pounding.


    August stood a short distance away.


    He looked at her leisurely andzily, with a faint smile at the corners of his mouth.


    That look and expression really made her heart miss a beat.


    She took a deep breath, quickly adjusted her expression, stepped up, and greeted him properly


    "President Adams."


    "Come with me."


    August raised his eyebrows slightly.He nced at her and turned around straight away, stepping


    toward the lounge.


    Lucia took a deep breath and hesitated for a moment before going after him.


    When she walked into the lounge, she turned to look behind her and found no one else, so she asked,


    "Shall we get Director Brook here?"


    "No."


    August sat down on the couch unhurriedly.


    "I came here for you."


    Somehow, intentionally or unintentionally, he stressed the word "you".


    Feeling nervous, Lucia looked at him and asked, "What do you want from me?"


    August paused and said unhurriedly, "About what happened that day..."


    Before he finished, Lucia had already known exactly what he wanted to say.


    It was in this same lounge thest time they met.


    He had seriously admonished her to trust no one, suspecting that Jonathan was in cahoots with


    Bishop.


    However, a few dayster, all the facts proved him wrong.


    Lucia took a deep breath and said quietly, "Everyone gets misinformed sometimes.I can understand."


    At that, August pursed his thin lips.


    "You''re not angry?"


    Lucia took a deep breath.


    "It¡¯s not a big deal, so I don¡¯t need to be angry."


    "If there''s nothing else, I''ll go back to work."


    With that, she was about to leave.


    "Wait."


    August got up, walked over to her, and suddenly took her hand.


    "I have something for you."


    Lucia was slightly stunned.She saw him pull out an exquisite ck velvet box from his pocket and hand


    it to her.


    "I¡¯m going on a business trip tomorrow, so I''ll give you the birthday present in advance."


    The birthday present? Lucia was confused.


    When she thought of the date, she suddenly realized that it was her birthday tomorrow! What surprised


    her even more was that August remembered when she had forgotten about it! She raised her head and


    asked, somewhat bewildered, "How do you know..."


    Before she could finish, the man said directly in a light voice, "Try it on."


    Lucia hesitated for a moment, reached out to take the box, and opened it.


    A ne with a water drop-shaped sapphirey on the ck velvet, like a crystal-clear teardrop.


    Her heart skipped a beat and her eyes flickered slightly.It was a beautiful ne and she loved it.


    However, half a secondter, she suddenly realized what was going on and hastily closed the box.


    This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .


    "This is too valuable for me to ept."


    Although she didn¡¯t know much about jewelry, a gemstone like this was definitely as expensive as it


    could be.


    Moreover, it was from August.


    August said in a deep voice, "You deserve it."


    At the sound of his voice, Lucia paused and froze in ce.


    Then, the man reached out to take the ne out of the box, came around behind Lucia, and put it


    on for her.


    Lucia felt something cold around her neck.


    When she looked down, she saw the crystal gem between her corbones shining brightly.


    August gazed at her and said softly, "Don¡¯t refuse.You deserve it."


    Bishop had tried to take advantage of Nicole''s case to make more trouble for the Lion Group, but in the


    end, Nicole terminated her cooperation with the Lion Media, which no one had expected.


    It should have been a battle of public opinion, only to end up as nothing.


    Bishop had to stop what he was doing and stay put for the time being.


    Thanks to Lucia, August won the silent battle.


    Lucia hesitated.


    Looking into her eyes, August said word by word, "Wait till I get back from my business trip."


    He had something to tell her when he got back.


    With that, he stretched out his hand to open the door, ready to leave.


    Lucia took a deep breath and subconsciously reached out her hand to grab his arm.


    "Wait a minute..."


    She hadn''t finished her words when she suddenly saw that the man''s brow was furrowed and the arm


    she had grabbed shrank back a little.


    Sensing that something was wrong, Lucia looked down at his arm and asked, "What''s wrong?"


    "Nothing."


    August looked calm again and pulled his arm out of her hand.


    "I''ll leave the video to you, and I''ll tell Director Brook to..."


    Lucia didn''t listen to what he said at all.


    She looked down at his arm again and found that it was thicker than the other one as if he had


    something wrapped around it.She frowned and reached out to pull his cuff upward without saying a


    word, only to see his forearm wrapped in white gauze.


    "What happened to you?"


    August frowned slightly and looked a little colder.


    "Nothing.I identally scratched it."


    Lucia didn¡¯t believe what he said at all.She looked at him with suspicion.


    "Really?"


    With that, she reached out her hands, unbuttoned his cuff, and pulled it straight up.


    The white gauze almost covered his entire forearm, which showed how long the wound was.


    Lucia¡¯s heart instantly tightened, with a lump in her throat.


    Inexplicably, she felt sorry for him.


    When she spoke, there was a heavy nasal sound in her voice.


    "Did you do something dangerous again?"


    Having known him for so long, she knew that sometimes he would run into things that were much more


    dangerous than she could imagine.


    "It''s no big deal."


    August pulled his arm back calmly.


    Something flickered in his eyes as soon as he saw the woman''s reddened eyes.


    "You feel sorry for me?"


    Hearing that, Lucia immediately adjusted her emotions, pretending to be calm, and said, "No, I''m just


    asking because you saved my life."


    She hadn''t had a chance to thank him properly for what happened on Mount Day.


    Technically speaking, he had indeed saved her life.


    "Really?"


    August chuckled.


    He simply raised his hand to close the door of the lounge again and turned to look at her.


    "If so, why are your eyes red?"


    With those red eyes, she looked like a little rabbit that had been bullied.


    When he saw her like that, his heart skipped a beat and somehow he had a dry mouth.


    Lucia pretended to be calm and subconsciously said, "They are not..."


    Before she could finish, her chin was held and lifted by the man¡¯s slender fingers in the next second.


    All of a sudden, their eyes met and they were staring at each other.


    As for her eyes, they were indeed red as he said, looking as if she was about to cry.

 Chapter 439

    Chapter 439


    Chapter 439 A Bad Sign


    They stared at each other for one second, two seconds, three seconds...


    Feeling the ambiguity gradually arising in the air, Lucia suddenly found it somehow wrong.She turned


    her head away from his hand and kept a distance from him.


    "Take good care of yourself."


    After that, she quickly opened the door next to her and ran out of the room like a small animal.


    The man¡¯s eyes were so dark, bright, and deep that she was afraid she would fall for him if she went on


    looking at them.Her tense body didn¡¯t rx until she quickly left the lounge and walked away from it.


    "Hello, Ms.Mitchell."


    A staff member walked by and greeted Lucia.


    Her eyes apparently lingered on what was around Lucia¡¯s neck for a moment.


    Lucia smiled at the staff member and suddenly remembered that the sapphire ne was still


    around her neck, upon noticing her gaze.


    Lucia took a deep breath and immediately walked to an inconspicuous ce nearby, where she took


    the ne off.


    This ne was so eye-catching.


    It was better to put it away so as not to cause any gossip.


    After putting the ne away, she walked toward the shooting area, talked to the staff, and then


    started the shooting work.


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    In less than ten minutes, August came out of the lounge and left with Burton in his car.


    Lucia turned around to see the car running away and breathed a sigh of relief.


    Returning home from work, Lucia had just put down her bag when Elisa came up with a smile on her


    face.


    "Lucia, your dad is taking me out tomorrow."


    Lucia smiled and asked, "Where are you going?"


    "To the Tsinghe Resort.It''s your birthday tomorrow, isn¡¯t it? Your dad said it''s also my suffering day, so


    he¡¯s taking me out to rx."


    With that, she smiled sweetly and looked at Bill who was reading a newspaper on the couch.


    Lucia raised her eyes and saw that Bill was staring at the newspaper in his hands, but when he heard


    what Elisa said, he unconsciously turned up the corners of his mouth.


    The two of them had something secret and sweet between them.


    Seeing that, Lucia couldn''t help but turn up the corners of her mouth as well.


    It seemed that Bill cherished the people around him more after his serious illness and pain.


    The older he got, the more he treated Elisa with affection.


    As a daughter, she saw it with her eyes and found it sweet in her heart.She turned to Elisa and said


    with a soft smile, "I can¡¯t agree more.Have a good time with Dad tomorrow! Don''t think about anything


    else!"


    "Okay, don''t worry.I won''t leave you alone! I already talked to Paul! He said he¡¯s going to give you a big


    surprise, and he won''t even tell me about it!"


    With that, Elisa moved closer to Lucia and winked at her mysteriously.


    Lucia had a brighter smile on her face and she felt warm in her heart.She had a harmonious family,


    with a son and a daughter.


    This kind of life was what she wanted the most.


    "Tomorrow, your dad and I will go out, so you can celebrate with Paul and the two little ones!"


    Hearing Elisa¡¯s words, Lucia nodded repeatedly and said with a smile, "Okay, I know.I''ll do whatever


    you want."


    That night, Director Brook somehow got to know that it was Lucia¡¯s birthday the next day, so he sent a


    message, telling her to take a good rest tomorrow and that he would take care of all the things on the


    set.


    Seeing Director Brook wish her happy birthday in the message, Lucia curved her lips and felt much


    better.


    Actually, if August hadn''t mentioned it today, she would have forgotten about her birthday.


    During the five years in Amecan, she would celebrate it if she remembered it.


    If she didn''t, she would just let it go.


    She had never expected that in Austos City, there would be so many people who would remember her


    birthday and give her so much extra warmth and happiness.


    The ordinary day was given a sense of ritual and mystery because they cared about it, and now, she


    was actually looking forward to it.


    The next morning, Lucia woke up and found that she was alone at home.


    Elisa and Bill had gone out early in the morning and prepared breakfast for her before they left.


    Timothy and J had been quietly taken away by Pa as well.


    Now, it was so quiet: that she was not used to it.She was wondering what kind of surprise Paul was


    going to give her.


    He even took the two little ones with him.


    Thinking that, Lucia shook her head with a smile.She casually took the porridge and put it in the


    microwave to heat it.


    Soon, within a few minutes, the microwave oven dinged.She was so lost in thought that she forgot to


    use a towel and reached for the bow with her bare hand.


    Her fingers felt hot and painful as soon as she picked it up.She withdrew her hand subconsciously and


    dropped the bowl.


    The small porcin bowl slipped off the edge of the table and fell directly on the floor.


    "Crack!"


    The bowl was broken into pieces and the porridge in it was spilled out.


    Lucia woke up with a start and took two steps back in a panic, looking at the mess on the floor with a


    nk mind.


    After pausing for a few seconds, she came back to her senses.


    Why did she drop the bowl so carelessly? At this point, something suddenly shed in her mind.


    She remembered what Elisa said to her every time she had a birthday when she was a child.


    "It''s taboo to break anything on your birthday.It''s a bad sign, so be careful!"


    But now...


    Was it a bad sign? Lucia felt a bit worried, with mixed feelings in her heart.


    Looking at the mess on the floor, she took a deep breath, walked over, and picked up the broom


    nearby.


    After getting rid of the broken pieces and porridge quickly, she took a mop to clean up the floor.


    When all this was done, it was already more than ten minutester.


    Lucia took a deep breath.


    She looked at the clean floor, and for some reason, she was still feeling a bit uneasy.


    The sudden urrence of this incident in the morning was like a stone thrown into theke of her


    originally peaceful heart, stirring upyers of waves and ripples, which changed something before


    anyone knew it.


    Suddenly, her phone rang, interrupting her thoughts.She came back to her senses, walked over, and


    picked up the phone to see that it was Paul calling.She pressed the answer button and put the phone


    to her ear.


    The man''s voice immediately came from the other end.


    "Lucia, are you up yet?"


    Hearing the vague excitement in the man¡¯s voice, Lucia curved her lips and said softly, "Yes."


    "Get ready.I''ll send you an addresster and you cane over."


    Lucia smiled and couldn''t help but ask, "What exactly are you guys up to? You even took Timothy and


    J away early in the morning..."


    "Rest assured.You''re going to love it."


    Paul¡¯s voice was like the evening breeze in May, gentle and refreshing.


    "Okay, I''d like to see what the surprise is."


    The man said with a smile in his voice, "I''m not going to pick you up this time, so you''ll have toe on


    your own."


    "Okay, I''ll go there on my own."


    After hanging up the phone, Lucia finished the rest of her breakfast and then went upstairs to take a


    shower and change her clothes.


    Anyhow, she hadn''t had a birthday at home for five years, so this time she would do what they wanted.


    Speaking of that, she was quite looking forward to it.


    Back in her room, Lucia opened the closet, found a nice taro-purple suit, and changed into it.


    With pearl earrings, she put her hair in a bun and wore light makeup, looking pretty and sweet.


    After all this, she looked at herself in the mirror with satisfaction, took her bag, went out the door, and


    drove to the address Paul sent her.


    She wanted to see what kind of surprise Paul had prepared for her with Timothy and J.

 Chapter 440

    Chapter 440


    Chapter 440 A Little Game


    It was after ten in the morning when Lucia drove to the address Paul had sent her.


    She got out of the car, walked to the No.1 entrance to the Moon za, and fished out her phone to call


    Paul.


    The address Paul had sent her was the No.1 entrance to the Moon za, with no other details.


    Therefore, she was calling to ask him toe and pick her up directly.


    To her surprise, a man holding flowers suddenly came up to her before Paul answered.


    "Ms.Mitchell, the flowers are for you."


    Lucia paused and reached out to take them.


    Looking at the bouquet of delicate, fiery red roses, she was just wondering when she saw a ck SUV


    pull up in front of her.


    She looked at the man with some hesitation, only to see him pull the door open, bow slightly, and make


    a gesture of please to her.


    "Ms.Mitchell, please get in and we''ll get you safely to your destination."


    Lucia froze and asked, "Isn''t this the destination?"


    The man, with a smile on his face, shook his head.


    "No."


    She hesitated for a moment, not sure what Paul was trying to do.


    Then, she looked at the man and stepped into the car.


    Seeing that, the man closed the car door, went to the front, and sat on the passenger side.


    Seemingly sensing Lucia¡¯s suspicion and uneasiness, the man said gently, "Ms.Mitchell, Mr.Thomas


    told us to take care of you.Don''t hesitate to tell us if you need anything."


    Lucia nodded, her suspicion abating a bit.


    In due course, the man gave her some water and fruit, which Lucia took a look at without touching.She


    had suffered from something like this before, so she wouldn''t fall for it again.


    When she was out, she wouldn''t touch any food that could possibly be tampered with.


    In the car, there was a faint scent of sandalwood.


    It was so faint that it was barely noticeable.


    Lucia nced out the window and casually asked, "Where are we going? How long will it take to get


    there?"


    "You''ll know when we get there.It¡¯s no fun to tell you in advance.It''s about forty minutes away, so you


    can take a break."


    Hearing the man¡¯s answer, Lucia nodded slightly and turned to look at the scenery outside the window.


    In a short while, she actually felt a little sleepy.Her eyes were a little dry and her eyelids were fluttering.


    She took a deep breath and leaned back in her seat.


    Before she knew it, she felt drowsier and drowsier, and in the end, she fell asleep.


    After quite a while, she was half-awake, feeling like she was still in the car.


    The road was bumpy.She tried to open her eyes, but somehow she couldn''t find the strength to do it, so


    she was at the mercy of them.


    Lucia didn¡¯t know how long it took, but she only knew that it was a long journey.


    They had to take a car and a ship and finally stopped.She was half asleep when a tub of cold water


    was suddenly poured over her head.She subconsciously quivered and eventually opened her eyes in a


    daze.


    When she woke up, she saw a blur of fire and people.


    Where the hell was she? Wasn''t she supposed to be taken to Paul, Timothy and J? Lucia gritted


    her teeth and struggled to keep her eyes open.


    She was finally able to see clearly what was in front of her.


    In front of her, there was a golden sandy beach, and further away was the endless sea, which stretched


    as far as the eye could see.


    It was getting a little dark, looking like it was already five or six in the afternoon.


    The men standing nearby were staring at her, poker-faced, withplex expressions in their eyes.


    Lucia was startled.


    She stared at them in surprise and then realized that she was tied to a chair and could not move no


    matter how she struggled.


    Has she been kidnapped again? Those horrible memories of the past came flooding back, causing her


    head to spin.


    She took a deep breath, gritted her teeth to calm down a bit, and asked despite her dry and sore throat,


    "What¡­ do you want?"


    They must have gone to great lengths to take her here for some purpose.


    It had taken a lot of effort to trek up the mountain and through the water, from day to night.


    The men stared at her, and none of them would answer.


    Lucia frowned and her face darkened.


    She took a deep breath and said in a cold voice, "Who is your boss? Get him here.I want to talk to him


    face to face!"


    As far as she remembered, she had never offended anyone, and there were not many people who


    knew about her return to Austos City.


    So, who was so heartless as to kidnap and take her to the ind, and what was his purpose?


    "I want to talk to him!"


    Lucia took a deep breath and shouted at the men with all her strength.


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    But they were like statues.


    They just watched her every move and none of them came forward to give her a reply.


    "Who wants to talk to me?"


    Suddenly, a low processed voice came from behind her, carrying a sense of vicissitudes.


    It was slowly approaching Lucia.


    Feeling nervous, Lucia subconsciously tried to turn around, but her body was so tightly bound by the


    ropes that she couldn''t do it at all.


    When the owner of the voice showed up in front of her, Lucia saw his face and her heart jolted.


    The man was wearing a ck robe, with a mask covering his whole face.


    He was so cold that it was somewhat frightening at first nce.


    Lucia shivered involuntarily, with her back stiffened.


    Instantly, all the words that rushed to her lips were swallowed back again.


    "Go ahead.What is it?"


    The man stood in front of her.


    His voice was processed and changed so she couldn''t tell what he really sounded like.


    Besides, his whole body was covered in clothes so she couldn¡¯t make out any personal characteristics.


    Lucia took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.


    She looked at his eyes through the mask, gritted her teeth, and asked, "Who are you? Why did you


    take me here?"


    Hearing that, the man in the mask actuallyughed out loud.


    His eerie voice sent a chill down her spine.


    "Ms.Mitchell, you repeatedly refused me, so I had no choice but to get you here like this."


    With that, the man turned to look at the men next to him.


    Immediately, two men took another chair from the side and put it behind the man in the mask.


    The man in the mask sat down unhurriedly, with his hands casually resting on the armrests.


    His hawk-like eyes shone with a cold light through his mask, making her shudder.


    Lucia took a deep breath and suppressed the fear in his heart.


    "I don''t think we''ve met, have we?"


    His cold voice slowly came.


    "But I''ve seen you.Do you like the gifts I gave you?"


    Lucia was startled.She shivered involuntarily, thinking of the dead cat she found in her trunk.She had


    seen the cobweb logo again and again.


    From the flowers and jade to the bloody scene, how could she not remember them? Then, August said


    he would take care of it, so she didn''t have to worry about it.


    After that, she hadn''t been harassed again, so she just put it behind her.


    Unexpectedly, they kidnapped her this time! A chill came from the bottom of her heart and crawled


    down her spine, making her tremble slightly.


    After a moment, she managed to calm down atst.


    Looking up at the man in the mask, she took a deep breath and asked, "What do you want?"


    "Nothing.Life is so boring.I just want to y a game with you, Ms.Mitchell."


    With that, the man in the mask suddenly raised his hand and waved.


    The men next to him understood, and soon, they took a cage over from the side.


    Lucia took a look and opened her mouth slightly in surprise upon seeing what was in the cage.

 Chapter 441

    Chapter 441


    Chapter 441 Threats


    In the cage was a white dog! And Lucia had seen this dog before! Recently, while she was resting at


    home, she once took Timothy and J out to the night market, where they saw a stall selling cats and


    dogs.


    Back then, Timothy took a fancy to this dog and insisted on buying it, but Lucia refused in the end.


    They wouldn''t stay in Austos City for long.


    If they kept the dog, she was afraid they wouldn''t be able to take it with them, so after thinking about it,


    she didn''t agree with Timothy.


    Unexpectedly, she saw the dog here! "Does the dog look familiar, Ms.Mitchell?"


    The man in the mask''s voice was like a magic spell.


    With a cold tone, it sounded weird and unpleasant.


    Lucia frowned and looked at him in confusion, without replying.


    The man in the mask wasn''t worried.He got up unhurriedly, walked to the cage, lowered his eyes to


    stare at the dog, and sneered.


    "It''s okay if you don''t recognize it.I''ll help you remember it slowly."


    N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    With that, he nced at a man next to him.


    The man immediately stepped forward, opened the cage, and directly put a wire around the white dog¡¯s


    neck.


    Lucia was startled.She subconsciously opened her mouth and asked, "What are you doing?"


    No sooner had she finished speaking than the man tightened the wire around the white dog¡¯s neck.It


    seemed that the dog sensed the danger.It started moaning with its two front paws against the cage...


    The man in the mask said in a bizarre voice, "Ms.Mitchell, this dog is just like a five-year-old kid."


    Lucia¡¯s body tightened.


    She suddenly thought of something and abruptly stared at him with wide eyes and astonishment,


    "What do you mean?"


    "Sometimes, it''s quite easy to kill a five-year-old kid, actually."


    Just after the man in the mask finished his words, his man started to strangle the white dog with the


    wire.


    The dog wed at the cage and struggled, sounding painful.


    "No...Stop it!"


    The scene wrenched at Lucia¡¯s heart.


    "What the hell do you want?"


    She had never offended anyone! Why should she be threatened like this again and again? The man in


    the mask didn''t say anything, so his man went on with what he was doing.


    Soon, the wire got tighter.


    The white dog was shaking and its sound was getting smaller.


    Then, it rolled its eyes and there was a clear bloody mark around its neck...


    Tears welled up in Lucia¡¯s eyes.


    Her voice became more and more feeble.


    "No...No!"


    Finally, the white dog shivered violently and stopped struggling.


    At that moment, Lucia felt like being strangled by a pair of invisible hands.


    Her chest was tight and she had difficulty breathing, just watching such a cruel scene happen in front of


    her eyes.It took a while before she slowly regained her senses.She stared at the man in the mask with


    bloodshot eyes.


    "Who the hell are you? Why are you doing this to me?"


    The man in the mask sneered.


    "You shouldn''t have been with August.He''s my enemy.Do you think I''ll spare my enemy''s woman?"


    Lucia¡¯s body stiffened when she heard that.She found herself speechless all of a sudden.She hadn''t


    thought that these horrible desperadoes were targeting her because of August! She gritted her teeth,


    took a deep breath, and denied it.


    "I...I¡¯m not his woman!"


    The man in the mask snorted coldly and said slowly, "But he is your kids¡¯ father."His words came like a


    bolt from the blue into Lucia¡¯s ears.Her mind suddenly went nk.She had thought that only she, Paul


    and Pa knew this secret, but she had not expected that...She raised her eyes to look at the man in


    the mask and forced herself to say in a cold voice, "Nonsense!"


    "Really? You know very well if it''s nonsense!"


    His words rendered Lucia speechless, and in an instant, all her insistence and pretense were gone,


    which she couldn''t find anymore.


    She had never thought that these men already knew her secret.


    They could easily find her, kidnap her under Paul''s nose, and know Timothy and J''s true identities.


    That showed how scary and powerful they were.


    As for her, she had a family with two children and her parents were in Austos City.She was so


    vulnerable that she couldn''t fight them, even if August would protect her.


    To them, perhaps a person''s life was like the white dog''s life, which they could take anytime and


    anywhere.She couldn''t afford to gamble on it, and she had no chips...


    At that moment, she was overwhelmed by the strong feelings of fear in her heart.


    She took a deep breath and slowly calm down after quite a while.


    She raised her eyes to look at the man in the mask and said, "Can you leave me and my family alone?"


    "That depends on your choice."


    The man in the mask nced at her and gave her options.


    "You can either fight against us to the end or leave Austos City and August."


    Meanwhile, in Austos City.


    Paul paced back and forth in the room.He frowned in a rare moment of anxiety as he made one call


    after another.He even asked his police friends to help him find out where Lucia was.


    It had been twelve hours since Lucia disappeared.


    Pa couldn''t stand watching him like this anymore.


    She got up and said, "Don¡¯t worry, Paul.They''re looking for her..."


    "How can I not be worried?"


    Paul frowned.


    "If I hadn''t tried to give her a surprise, she wouldn''t have disappeared."


    He clenched his fists with immense remorse.


    If he had known this, he wouldn''t have left Lucia alone no matter what! "Pa, whom do you think it is?


    Who took Lucia away?"


    The surveince camera at the No.1 entrance to the Moon za clearly captured that Lucia got into a


    car and left in it, after which her whereabouts could not be found! Paul shook Pa so hard that her


    head was spinning.


    Pa took a deep breath, pushed his hands away, and said, "Paul, calm down!"


    At a time like this, the more anxious they were, the more likely something would happen! Suddenly,


    Paul thought of something.


    "Has August called back yet?"


    When he could not find Lucia today, he anxiously made several calls.


    In addition to Lucia and his friends, he also called August twice.


    Paul guessed that August might have taken Lucia away for her birthday.


    It was not impossible.


    After all, August had done so at the swimming poolst time.


    Paul wasn''t sure if he guessed right as August didn¡¯t answer.


    However, he came to believe that it had something to do with August.


    If August had taken Lucia away without telling him, he would teach August a lesson! Paul picked up his


    phone to check.


    August didn¡¯t call or text him.


    He took a deep breath, turned to Pa, and said, "Try and call him on your phone."


    Maybe August didn¡¯t want to answer because it was Paul.


    Seeing how anxious her brother was, Pa had no choice but to do as she was told.She tried to call


    August.


    Several beeps came from the other end, but no one answered.

 Chapter 442

    Chapter 442


    Chapter 442 Mom Is Missing


    After waiting for quite a while, Pa listened to the continuous "beep" sound from the other side, hung


    up, and threw the phone directly onto the couch next to her.


    "Paul, he didn''t answer."


    At that, Paul''s frown deepened.


    A few secondster, he stepped on his long legs, picked up his suit coat, and walked quickly toward the


    door.


    "No, I''ll go and find her myself!"


    Lucia had been missing for twelve hours.He had sent his men, called the police, and waited for so long


    without any news.He couldn''t wait any longer.


    "Paull!"


    Pa hurriedly followed him.


    "I''ll go with you..."


    Before she finished her words, Paul turned around and said ina deep voice, "You stay here and look


    after Timothy and J."


    Hearing that, Pa paused.


    Only then did she suddenly remember that there were still two little ones at home.She sighed and


    watched Paul leave.She was so worried that her heart was in her mouth.


    Suddenly, a small rustling sound came from the side.She turned to see the door of the bedroom open


    with a narrow slit, where Timothy and J poked their heads out and stared at her with big eyes.


    Timothy wasn''t embarrassed when he was caught.


    Instead, he stepped out and cautiously asked, "Auntie, where on earth is Mom?"


    Pa''s heart was soft and her eyes were a little teary.


    She took a deep breath, stepped forward, picked Timothy up, and said softly, "Mom has something to


    take care of.She''ll be back soon.Don''t worry..."


    Timothy put his arm around her neck and his eyes turned red.


    "Auntie, you''re lying to me.


    Mom is missing, isn¡¯t she?"


    At once, Pa was left speechless.


    Facing his clear eyes, she simply couldn''t keep lying to him.


    Seeing that Timothy was about to burst into tears, she hastily carried him to the bedroom.


    "Well, Timothy, let''s watch your favorite astronomy documentary.Mom will be back after an episode..."


    Meanwhile, in the living room, J heard the phone vibrating and slowly walked to the couch.


    Seeing the shing phone, she hesitated and pressed the answer button.She had just put the phone to


    her ear when a man¡¯s cold voice came from the other end.


    "Hello? What is it?"


    J paused for half a second and asked hesitantly, "Uncle Charming?"


    The voice on the phone was exactly the same as Uncle Charming''s.


    The caller obviously paused for a moment, and soon, his voice came again.


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    "J?"


    Upon hearing that, J got a little excited.


    "Uncle Charming, it¡¯s really you! I...I¡¯m J!"


    Listening to the familiar voice of the little girl at the other end, August unconsciously raised the corners


    of his mouth and his voice slowed down a bit.


    He had been busy all day today, with an important meeting in the morning, golf in the afternoon,


    afternoon tea, and a dinner party in the evening.


    Twenty minutes ago, he had just won the project at the table, and only then was he able to breathe a


    sigh of relief and pick up his phone to check.


    Unexpectedly, he found several missed calls from Paul, in addition to a call from Pa.


    What were they up to? Why did they keep calling him? He was tired and had a headache after a long


    day, so he didn¡¯t want to call back, but when he thought that it was Lucia¡¯s birthday today, he hesitated


    and called Pa back, only to find that the cute little J¡¯s voice came through from the other end.


    Instantly, his heart softened and he felt a bit better.


    Paul was annoying, but it had to be admitted that Timothy and J were like little angels, who were


    so adorable and sweet that it was hard to turn them down.


    His voice softened as August patiently asked, "J, why did you call me all of a sudden?"


    "Uncle Charming..."


    J''s little face wrinkled and she sounded aggrieved.


    "Mom...Mom is missing..."


    August was stunned when he heard that.His grip on the phone tightened and his body unconsciously


    stiffened.


    "What did you say?"


    J was sobbing and her voice was muffled.


    "Mom is missing...Dad and others have been looking for her all day and they haven''t found her...Uncle


    Charming, can you help us find Mom..."


    Nevertheless, August still heard her words, and his eyebrows furrowed.


    When he thought of those missed calls from Paul and Pa, he suddenly had some idea.


    If it weren''t for Lucia, Paul wouldn''t have called him.


    Thinking that, he couldn''t sit still anymore.


    The sound of sobs from the other end made him feel like his heart was being crushed into a ball and it


    was depressing.


    "Don''t worry, J.Uncle Charming will help you find Mom! After reassuring J, he hung up the


    phone, got up, and walked out straight away.It had only been a day and Lucia was in trouble! He


    walked out quickly and bumped into Burton who wasing over.


    "Sir..."


    August''s face was cold, and he said in a deep voice, "Get the car ready.Let''s go back to Austos City!"


    Burton was confused.


    He followed August and said, "We just signed a contract with Mr.Robinson, so I¡¯m afraid it''s not a good


    idea to leave like this..."


    August looked cold and said in a determined voice, "Go now!"


    Burton¡¯s back tightened when he saw that.He promptly swallowed back the rest of his words.


    "Yes!"


    After that, he immediately strode ahead and instructed the driver to get the car over at once.


    Once in the car, Burton finally had time to ask, "Sir, what happened?"


    August had always been calm and self-possessed.


    Burton had rarely seen him so anxious.


    "Go and check Lucia''s whereabouts today."


    After saying that, August immediately fished out his phone and called Joshua directly.


    "Beep..."


    It rang for quite a while, but no one answered.


    Instantly, a wave of irritation came over him uncontrobly.He stretched out his right hand to loosen his


    tie at the cor and undo the top two buttons.


    Since Lucia was targeted by Ethanst time, he had had Joshua send someone to secretly protect her.


    If something happened to Lucia today, Joshua would surely know about it! A few minutester, the


    phone that he had tossed aside suddenly shed.


    He picked it up to see that it was Joshua calling.


    Just as he pressed the answer button and put the phone to his ear, he heard the sound of a powerful


    techno songing from the other end, in addition to the cacophony of men and women.


    He subconsciously frowned and asked in a deep voice, "Where are you?"


    At the other end, Joshua chuckled and replied half-jokingly, "Heaven on earth."


    Instantly, August''s face darkened.


    "Something happened to Lucia.Do you know that?"


    "What?"


    Joshua seemed a little surprised.


    Then it sounded like he walked to the side and the music sounded a little lower.


    "August, what did you just say? I didn¡¯t hear it."


    August suppressed his anger.


    "Lucia is missing."


    "Missing? How can that be?"


    Joshua justifiably said, "My men have been watching over her for more than half a month.It''s her


    birthday today and she is with Paul, so I had my men take a break.So how could she have


    disappeared?"


    Hearing Joshua''s indifferent voice from the other end, August clenched his other hand into a fist.


    He almost gritted his teeth as he said, "Joshua!"


    "What''s wrong, August? It¡¯s been so long since Ethan''s men showed upst time.It''s not too much for


    us to take a break, is it?"


    August said soberly, "She is in trouble.Tell your men to find her now!"


    After that, he hung up the phone straight away!

 Chapter 443

    Chapter 443


    Chapter 443 A Free Lesson


    At the other end, Joshua looked at his phone after August hung up on him.


    The smile froze on his face and a cold light flickered in his eyes.He put away the phone and turned


    directly to a man next to him and looked at the stereo.


    Noticing his gaze, the man immediately understood and hastily turned off the stereo that was ying


    deafening techno music.


    Joshua took a deep breath and said, "Send some men to look for Lucia."


    His men were a little confused.


    "Well..."


    A trace of fatigue crossed Joshua''s face and he said indifferently, "Go.Just look around ande


    back."


    His men immediately nodded and stepped away.


    When they left, Joshua was left alone in the room.He unhurriedly lit a cigarette and took a long drag.


    The cloud of smoke obscured the opaque look in his eyes.


    All of this was about to end.


    Two hourster, a ck car sped down the road and went straight to West Bridge.


    With the sound of the brakes, the car stopped not far away from West Bridge.


    When its door was pushed open, someone was thrown out of the car and fell to the side of the road.


    The next second, the door was closed.


    Immediately after that, the car turned around and sped away at once.


    Lucia was lying on the ground, limp but still conscious.


    Her hair covered her face and she was in a mess.


    What had happened an hour ago was like a nightmare that went through her mind over and over


    again.She took a deep breath.


    The voice in her head told her to crawl forward, but her legs and hands felt like they were broken, and


    she couldn''t get any strength at all.She raised her eyes to look at the red mark on her finger.


    With a lump in her throat, she couldn''t help but burst into tears.


    She gritted her teeth and the pain made her sober up a bit.She took a deep breath, moved her arms on


    the ground, and culled herself slowly forward while crawling.


    One inch, two inches, three inches...


    Looking at the iron gates over there, she braced herself to get slowly closer to the home of her dream


    bit by bit.


    The light was on in the living room, and to her, it was like a small orangentern in the dead of night,


    giving her warmth and hope.


    Her palms were scratched by stones and her knees were bloodied.


    Despite the pain, she just wanted to get there quickly...


    Finally, she crawled to the iron gates.


    She clutched at it and raised her hand to press the bell with great effort.


    Only at the moment when she heard the sounding from the courtyard did she breathe a long sigh


    of relief.Hearing the bell, Pa immediately came out.She looked outside the gate and saw no one


    there.


    Just as she was wondering, she looked down and saw the dark figure on the ground.


    She was startled and immediately walked up to take a close look.


    Upon seeing that it was Lucia, she screamed, "Lucia! She opened the gate in a panic.


    Looking at Lucia who was limp and dying, she couldn''t stop her tears from falling her face.


    "You...What happened to you...Hold on, I''ll take you home..."


    Pa was so scared that she couldn''t speak coherently.


    She managed to help Lucia into the room, then called Paul in a panic, and immediately helped Lucia


    clean her wounds.


    Lying on the bed, Lucia took a deep breath and said in a weak voice, "Timothy and J ..."


    Pa hurriedly said, "Don¡¯t worry.They are all here in the bedroom on the second floor.I¡¯ve put them to


    bed.Don''t worry.Stay still..."


    Hearing that, Lucia was relieved, but for some reason, her tears seemed to be uncontroble and


    gushing out...


    Seeing her crying, Pa hurriedly took some tissues and tried tofort her.


    "Lucia, what''s wrong? What happened...I''m so worried, you know?"


    Lucia shook her head.


    She just kept on shedding tears quietly without saying anything.


    Pa asked several times and stopped when she saw that Lucia wouldn''t talk.


    At that moment, the sound of a car came from the courtyard, followed by quick footstepsing into


    the door.


    "Lucia!"


    Hearing Paul''s voice, Pa immediately got up, came out of the bedroom on the first floor, looked at


    him, and said, "Over here..."


    Seeing that, Paul quickly ran over past her and into the room.


    When he saw Lucia lying on the bed, he was instantly relieved, but when he saw Lucia¡¯s pale face and


    the injuries on her hands, he looked pale again.


    "Lucia...Lucia! What happened to you?"


    What had happened? Why had Lucia suddenly appeared outside the gate? What was the purpose of


    those thugs? All sorts of questions went through his mind, but he couldn''t ask therm.


    Lucia was pale and weak.


    When she opened her eyes and saw him, her tears came out again.


    "Don''t cry.Don¡¯t cry..."


    Paul hurriedly raised his hand to wipe the tears from her face.


    "It¡¯s my fault.I failed to protect you..."


    A few momentster, Lucia slowly calmed down.


    Just then, the family doctor rushed here to give her a checkup.


    Pa pulled Paul out of the room.


    Paul frowned and asked, "What''s going on?"


    "I just asked Lucia, but she wouldn''t talk about it.When I found her, she was on the ground outside the


    gate..."


    When Paul heard that, his face increasingly darkened.He took a deep breath and walked quickly


    toward the outside.


    Pa was confused and hurriedly followed.


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    "Paul, where are you going?"


    Without saying a word, Paul walked sullenly to the iron gates outside.


    "Where did you find her?"


    Pa pointed to the ground outside the gate.


    "Right out there."


    Paul walked over and saw that the steps were stained with blood.He stepped forward to look around


    and sure enough, there was a trail of blood.He walked along the trail of blood on the ground, feeling


    worse and worse.


    Looking at the traces on the ground, he could almost imagine how much Lucia had suffered and how


    exactly she had crawled back inch by inch.


    Paul kept walking along the trail of blood until it got thinner and ended.He looked at the marks on the


    ground and leaned down to observe the surface around him.


    In the dust and dirt, there were obviously two long traces left by wheels.


    He immediately pulled out his phone, took a picture of the clear tire marks, and quickly sent it to his


    men, instructing, "Find out what kind of car this is.Check all the CCTV footage around here.Make sure


    you find it for me!"


    If they could find this car, it would probably lead them to the thugs! "Paul, what is this?"


    Just then, Pa picked up a card from the ground.


    A line of words was printed on it.


    "It''s a free lesson for Ms.Mitchell.Please keep it in mind."


    In the lower right corner of the card, there was a cobweb logo printed.


    Hearing what Pa said, Paul immediately went over and took the card.When he read the words on it,


    he couldn''t help but frown.


    "Rampant!"


    He was so angry that blue veins stood out on his temples and he was on the verge of exploding.It was


    the first time for Pa to see her brother so angry.


    She took a deep breath and said, "Paul, let''s go back first."


    Hearing this, Paul frowned.He didn''t calm down until a few momentster.


    He quickly went back inside, looked at the closed door, and then lowered his head to look at the card in


    his hand, with a face as ck as thunder.


    Just then, the door was opened with a click and the family doctor came out of the room.

 Chapter 444

    Chapter 444


    Chapter 444 Do You Know Something?


    Paul immediately went over and asked anxiously, "How is she?"


    The family doctor shook his head and stepped to the side before he spoke.


    "There is nothing seriously wrong with her.Except for the scrapes on her knees and arms, there are no


    other wounds, but..."


    Instantly, Paul and Pa got worried and looked nervously at the family doctor.


    "She was drugged.It''s a weird drug, which can make people''s limbs sore and weak without affecting the


    mind.Now I don¡¯t know what exactly the ingredients of this drug are, and we have to wait and see


    exactly when its effects will be gone."


    "Besides, she seems to have suffered a terrible shock.Make sure you keep herpany and take your


    time tofort her."


    Hearing that, Paul just nodded slightly.


    "Pa, walk Dr.Chandler out."


    Pa nodded.


    "Okay."


    When Pa and the family doctor left, Paul stood where he was, feeling a lump in his throat.He hadn''t


    expected that things would be so serious.


    What exactly had Lucia gone through to be so scared? What the hell had those bastards done to her?


    Paul was so angry that he could hardly restrain himself and raised his fist to punch the wall hard.


    The pain in the back of his hand made him sober up a bit.


    He took a deep breath, adjusted his expression, and straightened his clothes before he walked over


    and opened the door to get in.


    The woman on the bed seemed to have fallen asleep.She was motionless with her eyes closed.


    Paul pulled a chair from the side, sat in it by the bed, took a deep breath, and said, "Don''t worry.I will be


    here with you tonight."


    With that, he stretched out his hand and gently held Lucia¡¯s hand.


    Lucia did not open her eyes on the bed, but the corners of her eyes were clearly wet.


    After quite a while, the woman on the bed finally fell asleep and she was breathing smoothly.


    Paul raised his eyes to look at the side face of the quiet woman and frowned slightly.


    He could not help but feel sorry for her.


    Just then, there were suddenly two soft knocks on the door.


    Following that, the door was opened and Pa poked her head in to look at him.


    "Paul,e out."


    Paul did not want to go out, but seeing how serious Pa looked, he had to put down Lucia¡¯s hand,


    tucked the corner of the nket for her, and got up to leave the room.


    After closing the door behind him gently, he asked, "What''s wrong?"


    "There''s someone outside.He''s here to see you."


    Paul frowned.


    "Who?"


    Pa said with some hesitation, "August."


    Hearing this name, Paul''s face became colder.He walked out with quick steps.


    As expected, a ck business car was parked outside the gate and August was standing next to it.


    The two men¡¯s eyes met across the distance, with some meaningful andplex emotions.


    Paul stepped out, and just as he did, August asked with a serious face, "Where''s Lucia?"


    "Inside."


    "I''ll go in and check on her."


    With that, August started to walk inside.


    Paul¡¯s face suddenly darkened.


    Without saying a word, he instantly stopped and looked at August seriously.


    "Who are you to go in there?"


    August frowned and his face darkened as well.


    Two secondster, he moved his lips that had been pursed into a line.


    "I''ll just take a look and see.If she''s okay, I''ll leave."


    Paul was annoyed and bumped his shoulder against August''s.


    "August, you''re breaking into my ce in the middle of the night to see my wife.Do you think it''s a good


    idea?"


    August wrinkled his eyebrows, not knowing what to say.


    Paul was right.


    August and Lucia were just employer and employee now.


    After a moment, he took a half step back, looked at Paul, and asked, "What the hell happened


    today?"He had it investigated.


    When he finally received the news that Lucia had gone home, he immediately had his driver drive him


    over in a hurry.


    Paul frowned.


    Subconsciously, he wanted to ask August to leave, but he paused when he suddenly thought of


    something.He took out a card from his pocket, handed it to August, and asked, "Have you seen this?"


    It was the same card that he and Pa had just found out here.


    August looked down and his face suddenly turned cold after just a nce.He reached out to take over


    the card and the atmosphere around him grew colder and colder.


    It was the cobweb logo again! It was the arrogant tone again! It was from Ethan again! Seeing the


    subtle change in August''s face, Paul sensed something keenly.


    "Do you know something?"


    August frowned, came back to his senses, put away the card, and said, "I''ll keep it and have it


    investigated."


    With that, he turned around to get into the car.


    Suddenly, his arm was grabbed and he was yanked to turn around again.


    With a surge of anger, August shook Paul''s hand off and his eyes glowed with a cold light.


    "What do you want?"


    He did not want to fight with Paul today.


    Paul frowned and looked equally serious as he confronted August.


    "Let me ask you, do you know anything about that card?"


    August was silent.


    Paul was almost ovee with emotion.


    "You know who did this, don''t you?"


    If it had anything to do with August, he would teach August a good lesson! August said in a deep voice,


    "I¡¯m just suspecting.I¡¯m not sure yet."


    After that, he took a step back to keep a distance between them and stared at Paul with a warning


    gaze.


    "I''ll investigate and announce it when I find out the truth."


    Paul looked at August, trying hard to suppress his anger.He took a deep breath, stared straight into


    August''s eyes, and said, "I will also investigate.If I find out that it has anything to do with you, I will


    never let you get away with it!"


    August replied in a cold voice, "As you like."


    After that, he directly turned around and stepped into the car.


    Watching the ck car disappear in the dark, Paul turned around and went inside.


    Pa had been watching at the window for quite a while.


    She couldn''t hear what they were saying, but she saw the way the two of them were almost fighting, so


    the atmosphere was tense and the situation was serious.


    When Paul stepped in, Pa immediately came up to him and asked, "What''s going on? I saw that you


    almost started to fight..."


    ncing at the curious woman, Paul had a headache.He didn''t answer her question and simply said,


    "I''ll go and watch Lucia.Good night."


    After that, he stepped directly into the bedroom over there.


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    To his surprise, just when he opened the door and walked in, he heard the woman sobbing in the room.


    "No, I won''t sign...I won''t sign it!"


    Lucia was struggling on the bed, apparently in a nightmare.


    Paul hurriedly walked up, took her hand, and said soothingly, "Don''t worry.It''s okay.I¡¯m here!"


    Paul said that several times and the woman slowly calm down ats:.She huddled on the bed without


    making any more sounds.


    Paul raised his eyes and looked at the tears at the corners of her eyes, feeling terribly sorry for her.He


    couldn''t imagine what Lucia had gone through to be so scared.


    Besides, what did she mean by "I won''t sign" that she kept saying just now? Well, he had to find out


    about it!

 Chapter 445

    Chapter 445


    Chapter 445 Forced to Sign the Agreement


    Throughout the night, Paul was by Lucia¡¯s side.


    It wasn''t until the sky turned from dark to gray that he couldn''t resist the onught of sleepiness and


    fell asleep on the side of the bed.


    Lucia woke up to see the man at the bedside, holding her hand tightly.He wasn''t sleeping very well and


    as soon as she moved, Paul opened his eyes, with a haggard face.


    Lucia¡¯s heart skipped a beat as she was inexplicably moved.She hadn''t expected that he would keep


    watch over her all night.It was the first time she had felt a burst of warmth after the chilling experience.


    "Lucia, you''re awake!"


    Paul looked at her and straightened up with some excitement.


    Then, he raised his hand to check the temperature of her forehead and asked with concern, "Are you


    feeling better?"


    Lucia didn¡¯t avoid it, smiled, and said softly, "I¡¯m fine.Don¡¯t worry."


    After a night of rest, she felt much stronger.


    Except for her arms which were scratched yesterday from crawling on the ground, the rest of her body


    was almost the same as usual.


    However, when she thought of what had happened yesterday, a chill of fear swept over her like a tidal


    wave, causing her to shiver involuntarily.


    Paul hesitated for a moment and said, "Yesterday..."


    Just hearing the one word, Lucia instantly tensed up her body.She looked more than a little nervous,


    hurriedly got out of bed, and asked, "Where are Timothy and J?"


    Paul was slightly stunned.


    "They are in the bedroom upstairs..."


    Before Paul finished his words, Lucia rushed out of the room.She ran straight up to the second floor


    and opened the door of the children¡¯s room.


    Seeing Timothy and J still sleeping on the bed, she hurriedly went over and reached out to put her


    arms around them.


    Timothy and J woke up from their dreams.


    They were surprised to see Lucia, calling out sleepily, "Mom..."


    Lucia held the two little ones tightly.


    Tears gushed out as if she couldn''t control them, and within a few moments, they were streaming down


    her face.


    What had happened yesterday was like a monster that hid in the shadows, watched them all the time,


    and waited for an opportunity to strike, making her restless and frightened.


    Now she saw Timothy and J healthy and alive in front of her.


    The anxiety in her heart slowly dissipated.


    Meanwhile, Paul stood at the door.


    Watching the scene, he probably guessed what was going on and wrinkled his brow.


    Hearing the door of the next room open, he turned to see Pa, who was confused, and slowly came


    back to his senses.


    When she heard the voicesing from the children¡¯s room, Pa asked with some concern, "Paul,


    Lucia woke up? Is she okay?"


    Paul stretched out his hand silently to stop her, pulled her aside, and said in a cold voice, "Pa, don¡¯t


    ask Lucia about yesterday, okay?"


    Pa was even more confused.


    "Why?"


    Paul looked solemn and said seriously, "Because she doesn''t want to talk about it.If we ask her, she


    will feel worse, you know?"


    If she wanted to talk, she would have done sost night, but now, it was obvious that she did not want


    to, so he wouldn''t force her.


    He would put some effort and have the rest of the matter investigated.


    Pa was stunned by the serious expression on her brother''s face.


    After some hesitation, she finally nodded and said quietly, "I got it."


    Paul nodded slightly and said in a light voice, "Just pretend nothing has happened.Do what you have to


    do."


    After that, he stepped into the nearby bathroom, where he turned on the water to wash his face so as


    to clear his head a bit.


    An hourter, at the breakfast table, Lucia coaxed Timothy and J into eating, after which Pa


    took them aside to watch TV so that Lucia could have something to eat.


    "Have some porridge."


    Paul thoughtfully took a bowl of porridge and put it in front of Lucia.


    Lucia nodded and ate an egg in silence before she suddenly looked up at Paul and said, "Paul, I''ll take


    care of my work in the next few days.Then, let¡¯s go to South Frad as nned."


    Hearing that, Paul paused and then looked up at her with a flicker in his eyes.


    "Have you decided?"


    Lucia nodded her head without hesitation.


    "Yeah, I have."


    She couldn''t stay in Austos City any longer.


    If she did, either she or Timothy and J would be in trouble.


    Yesterday, the man in the mask forced her to sign an agreement, which stated that if she chose to stay


    with August, then Timothy and J would be much more miserable than that white dog.


    That agreement was a letter of promise written in her tone.


    If she signed it, it would mean that she acquiesced in those desperadoes hurting Timothy and J, so


    she desperately refused to sign it.


    However, the man in the mask told his man to inject something into her body, leaving her


    incapacitated.She was conscious, but limp and weak, and at the mercy of them.She watched as the


    men took her hand and put her fingerprint on the letter of promise.


    It meant that if she kept seeing August after that, those men would have no qualms about attacking


    Timothy and J! Thinking of what had happened yesterday, Lucia felt a chill in her heart, which


    made her shiver.


    "Lucia?"


    Hearing Paul''s soft voice, Lucia then came back to her senses, took a deep breath, and raised her


    hand to wipe the cold sweat from her forehead.She made up her mind, looked at him, and said, "Paul,


    about work, I''m going to make arrangements today.I¡¯m not going there after that."


    She couldn''t continue with the public service video.


    It was a project nned by August, and if she continued, they would have to see each other.


    She couldn''t allow herself and her children to take such a big risk, so she would leave even if she had


    to break the contract, even if she couldn''t get that video from August.


    Paul was a little shocked, but more pleasantly surprised.


    "I''ll go with you."


    "No, I''ll just go by myself."


    Lucia took a deep breath and shook her head to decline.She only had to talk to Director Brook and


    have him convey the message.


    As for August, she wouldn''t see him again.


    No matter who the man in the mask was this time, she didn''t want to have anything to do with August


    anymore.


    Seeing how determined the woman was, Paul moved his lips without saying anything else.


    After breakfast, Lucia drove to the set.


    Paul sent his men to follow Lucia and protect her secretly.


    Lucia had just driven away from West Bridge when she was spotted.


    Since what happened to Lucia, August had sent his best men to watch her around the clock for her


    safety.


    Besides, he wanted to have a chance to meet Lucia.


    His men just saw Lucia drive away and immediately reported to August, but now August was too busy


    to get away.


    Early in the morning, a confidential document of the Lion Group was leaked.


    The news spread all over thepany and attracted many journalists toe for interviews.


    Throughout the morning, August was so busy with public rtions that he didn''t have time to check his


    phone.


    There was a knock at the door.


    Burton opened the door, came in with a serious face, and whispered in August''s ear, "Sir, we are sure


    that someone in thepany did it."


    August''s eyes were suddenly sharp and stern.


    "Who is it?"


    Burton said in a serious manner, "If we''re not wrong, it¡¯s the nephew of the chairman''s former right-


    hand man, Deven.Two days ago, he suddenly resigned and now he¡¯s nowhere to be found."


    August''s frown deepened.


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    Burton paused and continued, "Sir, there is one more thing.Now the shareholders are asking for a


    general meeting and they want the chairman to attend."

 Chapter 446

    Chapter 446


    Chapter 446 Give It to President Adams


    August''s face grew darker instantly.He was Eliot''s son.


    Now he couldn''t even get in touch with Eliot, let alone get Eliot back from abroad for a general meeting


    of shareholders.


    His temples were throbbing uncontrobly.


    August raised his hand and rubbed the ce between his eyebrows, with a surge of irritation in his


    heart.


    Recently, the Lion Group had a series of strange happenings, and all the bad things came one after


    another, leaving no chance for him to catch his breath.


    He always felt that someone was manipting all this behind the scenes, that it was a trap, a rope that


    would lead him to hell.He took a deep breath and picked up his phone.


    Looking at the screen full of message notifications, he had an even worse headache, so he casually


    swiped away all the unread messages and called Eliot directly.


    At this point, they needed someone objective to take care of the situation.


    He and Bishop were having a lot of problems and fights, and the best mediator was undoubtedly their


    father, Eliot.


    The phone kept ringing, but no one answered.


    August took a deep breath and hesitated for a moment before calling Christina.


    The call was rejected just after two rings.


    The phone stopped ringing abruptly and a mechanical English voice came from the other end, which


    repeated twice and hung up automatically.


    August''s grip on the phone slowly tightened.


    He took a deep breath as a bad feeling arose in his heart.


    Eliot couldn''t be reached.


    Why couldn''t Christina be reached either? There was obviously someone at the other end, so why was


    the phone hung up? With all kinds of questions in his mind, August could not help but frown.


    A momentter, he suddenly thought of something.


    His eyes grew cold as he ced the phone on the desk and looked up at Burton, saying in a cold


    voice, "Contact Amecan and ask them to find out what''s going on."


    Hearing that, Burton looked at August who had a grave expression on his face, and realized how


    serious it was.He immediately nodded in response and turned around to go and do it.


    The door was closed.


    All of a sudden, August was left alone in therge office.He took a deep breath and a chill came over


    him.He knew very well that he was living in an abyss of misery and so was Eliot.He was with Christina,


    a woman who was cold-blooded and heartless.


    August''s heart tightened with a surge of indescribableplex emotions.


    A momentter, He managed to suppress that feeling and got less worried.He regained hisposure.


    No one was more heartless than Eliot.


    Back then, August¡¯s mother was calling his name on her deathbed, but he wouldn''t even see her for


    thest time.


    Eliot was the most ruthless one in the Adams family.


    August grunted coldly, casually picked up his suit coat, and strode out of the office, leaving behind the


    complex emotions that had just arisen in his mind.


    Outside the office, two secretaries came up to him in a panic.


    "President Adams, the shareholders keep calling..."


    Before they finished, August had already opened his mouth, interrupted their words, and said directly,


    "Inform all the shareholders that an emergency meeting will be held, and all of them must be present."


    It didn''t matter if they tried to put pressure on him.


    He would take it all and y to the score.


    Even if they didn''te to him, he would have to meet them sooner orter.


    Meanwhile, at the entrance of the set.


    Lucia parked her car outside and went straight to the set.


    Before she left home, she had made an appointment to meet with Director Brook.


    Although she hadn''t said anything on the phone, Director Brook seemed to have sensed something


    and came to meet her at the entrance.


    "Lucia!"


    Lucia had just taken a few steps when she heard a familiar voice.She raised her eyes to see Director


    Brook standing at the entrance, waving at her.


    Lucia curled her lips and took a quick step towards him.


    "Lucia, you''re finally here.You don''t even know how upset I am to be alone in the crew these days,


    because I always feel like something is missing when you are not here.Come in with me and everyone


    misses you..."


    Seemingly afraid of what she would say as soon as she opened her mouth, Director Brook couldn''t


    stop talking.


    "Director Brook,"


    Lucia took a deep breath and stopped, with her eyes fixed on him, "I won''t go in and I came here today


    just to tell you about something."


    "Why?"


    With his expression changed slightly, Director Brook said, faintly uneasy, "Everyone is waiting for you."


    Lucia took a deep breath, hesitated for a moment, and finally mustered up the courage to say, "I know,


    but I¡¯m afraid I won''t be able to help you with the future work."


    From the time she started agreeing to shoot this public service video to now, it hadn''t been long, but


    she had had a good time with everyone, and it was certain that she would be a little emotional when


    she was going to part with them.


    So, just now, she had figured out that she would only meet with Director Brook and say goodbye to


    him.


    The fewer people who knew she was leaving, the better.


    Looking at Director Brook''s eyes, Lucia was a little upset.


    Finally, she took a deep breath and said word for word, "I can''t participate in the shooting afterward


    because of some personal matters, but I believe that as long as you are in the crew, the shooting will


    be finished well.I just came over to say goodbye to you, and there is one more thing I want your help


    with."


    With that, she took out a sealed envelope from her bag and a delicate ck velvet box.


    Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    "President Adams''s very busy these days and probably won''t have time toe to the crew, so, when


    hees over sometimeter, please give these to him for me."


    Looking at what Lucia handed over with her hands, Director Brook couldn''t help but frown, "Lucia, are


    you really going to leave?"


    Lucia took a deep breath and said in a firm tone, "I have made up my mind.Director Brook, during the


    time we worked together, I admire you very much.Please help me with this."


    Somewhat touched, Director Brook was frustrated withplicated moods.


    After a pause, he finally sighed and agreed, "Okay, I will pass this to President Adams."


    Lucia smiled, handed him the envelope and the box, and said goodbye to him before turning around to


    leave.


    Director Brook stood in the same ce and watched Lucia drive away, feeling a bit lost.


    At first, he didn''t think highly of Lucia, but after spending some time with her, he found she was positive


    and serious about her work, so he changed his view of her.


    He did not expect that she would leave before the public service video was finished.

 Chapter 447

    Chapter 447


    Chapter 447 She''s the One Who Made a Fool of Herself


    "H...how could I?"


    When he faced Jeanne''s questioning and scrutiny, a cold sweat broke out on Director Brook''s


    forehead.


    Before he could say anything, Jeanne suddenly stepped forward and asked with a smile, "Director


    Brook, I saw you with Lucia just now.What did she say to you?"


    Director Brook smiled apologetically, "Nothing, and she just say something about work."


    "Really?"


    With a coldness sweeping across the bottom of her eyes, Jeanne nced at the things in Director


    Brook''s hand.


    She raised her chin slightly and asked in a cold voice, "Then what are those in your hand?"


    Director Brook took a deep breath and subconsciously hid them behind him, "Nothing."


    His behavior made Jeanne more curious, so, Jeanne stepped forward and reached out to grab the


    things he was holding.


    Director Brook subconsciously dodged, frowning slightly, "Ms.Kelly, sorry, this is some documents from


    work, and cannot be seen by others."


    Instantly, Jeanne¡¯s face became somber, "Others? What do you mean by others? Don''t you know my


    rtionship with August?"


    She was furious when she saw Director Brook defending Lucia, and with a burst of anger, she reached


    for it again.


    Director Brook dodged, but his hand was still hit and the ck velvet box fell out of his hand to the


    ground.


    By the time he reacted, Jeanne had already bent down and picked the box up.


    Holding the box, Jeanne smiled crookedly with glee.


    She just wanted to see what was inside! The next second, when she opened the box and saw the star


    and tear sapphire ne inside, she froze violently.


    With her body stiffened, she felt a coldness instantly creep up her back.


    How...how could it be this ne! Director Brook next to her still didn¡¯t know what was going on, and


    seeing her like this, he frowned and said, "Ms.Kelly, this is others¡¯ thing..."


    The next second, Jeanne was blue in the face and looked at him with wide eyes, asking, "


    What else did Lucia say when she gave this to you!"


    Seemingly not expecting to see such a reaction from Jeanne, Director Brook paused and hesitantly


    opened his mouth, but did not speak.


    Jeanne¡¯s heart was instantly filled with anger, and with wide eyes, she looked at Director Brook and


    forced him, "Tell me, what did she tell you!"


    "She...asked me to pass these on to President Adams."


    Hearing these words, Jeanne felt an instant "buzz" in her head, as if something had exploded in her


    ears.


    She knew this ne, the work of a well-known jewelry design master and there was only one in the


    world. It could not necessarily be bought with money.


    When she first saw the design drawing and photo of this ne in August''s room, she knew that this


    ne was ordered by August.


    At that time, she was excited and thought that this was a gift August prepared for her on their third


    wedding anniversary, but unexpectedly, she saw this ne in Lucia¡¯s hand.


    In other words, this ne was not prepared by August for her, but by him for Lucia! A jealousy that


    was hard to suppress came over her as she knew everything.


    She gripped the ck velvet box in her hand, wanting to crush the ne immediately.


    "Ms.Kelly, this ne..."


    Next to her, Director Brook couldn''t take it anymore and finally speak up.


    Jeanne returned to her senses and clenched her teeth.


    Looking at the ne in her hand, she finally closed the lid and tossed it to Director Brook, holding


    back her anger, "Director Brook, don''t tell anyone I''ve seen this ne, or you will suffer the


    consequences."


    Dropping these threatening words, she turned around and walked away quickly.


    Frozen, Director Brook finally put the things away and turned to leave.He had already figured out that


    the rtionship between August, Lucia, and Jeanne was not that simple.He would just do what Lucia


    entrusted to him and not meddle in anything else.


    On the side of the road, Jeanne pulled open the door and got into the car.She was so angry that her


    head was about to explode.She never thought that August would give the ne to Lucia, and she


    thought that August would not show his love for Lucia too tantly, but now, he had no intention of


    avoiding it! She was happy to tell her female friends about the ne August had prepared for her,


    but in the end, she was the one who made a fool of herself.


    If the truth was known, she would have no face.


    More so, she wouldn''t allow Lucia to be better than her! "I''m furious!"


    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    Jeanne was so angry that she grabbed the bag in her hand and threw it to the side.


    At the sound, Mark, who was sitting in the front row, slowly looked up at Jeanne through the rearview


    mirror, and asked, "Ms.Kelly, what''s wrong?"


    Jeanne gritted her teeth in anger.


    When she thought of that incident, she didn''t know how to say it because it was embarrassing.


    "Mark, help me think of a way to get rid of Lucia, this thorn in my side!"


    She hadn''t had time to take revenge for Lucia stealing her thunder in front of Jonathanst time.Now,


    this was happening and she couldn''t stand it anymore! Compared to Jeanne, Mark was much calmer.


    He drove calmly, and said softly, "Ms.Kelly, I told you that to get rid of Lucia, we have to take our time."


    Jeanne gritted her teeth, "I can¡¯t wait!"


    Mark said leisurely, "A little impatience spoils great ns.Ms.Kelly, think about it and you are too


    impulsive now."


    Listening to the man¡¯s serious persuasion, Jeanne not only did not lose her anger but also became


    more furious.


    If it wasn¡¯t for Mark''s advice, she would have taken revenge on Luciast time.


    Now she couldn''t stand it anymore! If she didn''t teach Lucia a lesson, she wouldn''t be able to sleep or


    eat well! Since Mark was too indecisive to do it, she would do it herself! She didn''t believe she couldn''t


    fix Lucia, who was just an ordinary person! Besides, Lucia had two children with her.


    If she kept letting things go like this, one day she would be thrown out by the Adams family without


    mercy! No, she wouldn''t allow that to happen! With that in mind, Jeanne gritted her teeth, looked


    ahead, and ordered in a cold voice, "Mark, stop the car and I want to get out."


    "Ms.Kelly, aren''t you going to the mall?"


    She said coldly, "I''m going to do some business nearby, so pull over."


    Mark hesitated for a moment, but finally pulled over to the curb.


    When she got out of the car, Jeanne took a step and walked forward without looking back.


    Before she thought Mark was her right-hand man, but now he wouldn''t do anything other than advise


    her to be patient! It didn¡¯t matter and she could do it herself! As long as Lucia, the thorn in her side


    wasn''t got rid of, she could not rest in peace! The most important thing for her now was to go to the


    Lion group and see what August''s current situation was! Recently, the Lion group kept having trouble,


    and August was busy.


    If she took advantage of this time to make a move on Lucia, August wouldn''t have had a chance to


    take care of it! As she thought about what to do, a coldness shed under Jeanne¡¯s eyes.


    After walking around, she went back to the side of the road, stopped a taxi, and headed directly to the


    Lion group.


    Soon, Jeanne arrived at the President''s Office of the Lion group, but she was stopped when she went


    to the door.


    "President Adams has gone to a meeting, so, please go to the meeting room and wait for him for a


    while."


    Being stopped by a secretary, Jeanne was not happy and said coldly with a frown, "Open your eyes


    and see who I am.How dare you stop me!"

 Chapter 448

    Chapter 448


    Chapter 448 They Weren''t a Group of People


    The new secretary didn¡¯t recognize her, so she nced at Jeanne timidly and said, "Excuse me, this is


    ourpany¡¯s rule, and the President''s Office is not allowed to be entered by outsiders."


    Thepany¡¯s security was much stricter than before after the recent theft of confidential documents.


    Not to mention strangers, even thepany¡¯s internal workers were not allowed to enter or leave the


    President''s Office at will.


    When Jeanne heard this, she was furious.


    She was still angry that the ne was given to Lucia, and now she was stopped by the secretary


    who didn¡¯t know any better, so she was upset.


    She said in a cold voice, "Get out of the way! I''m going to wait inside!"


    At that, the secretary looked embarrassed, reaching out to stop her and spoke, "I really can¡¯t let you


    in.Please cooperate with my work."


    Jeanne frowned in anger.


    Not caring about the manners of the upper-ss celebrities, she reached out her hand and pushed the


    secretary away fiercely.


    The secretary was very thin and wearing high heels, so she stumbled back a few steps and almost fell


    down after being pushed by Jeanne.


    Jeanne spoke in a cold voice, "Ungrateful!"


    Just as she finished speaking, she felt a cool feeling creep up her back, as if someone was staring at


    her.She subconsciously turned her head and happened to meet a pair of dark eyes.


    Instantly, she tightened her body, shocked, "A-August!"


    With dark eyes glowing coldly, August looked at her without a trace of warmth, and after a few seconds,


    he stepped straight ahead and walked directly toward the office.


    He pushed the door and walked in without looking at Jeanne.


    Jeanne panicked and hurriedly took a step forward, calling him, "August..."


    Indifferent, August walked to the office and turned to look at the employees who came in with him and


    seriously instructed them on what to do next.


    Being ignored, Jeanne didn¡¯t know whether to go in or not, very embarrassed.


    Half an hourter, August finished his work instructions, and the employees left.


    When only the two of them were left in the office, Jeanne finally couldn''t help herself and stood up in a


    hurry, walking up and saying, "August..."


    August looked up at her coldly, "What is it?"


    Jeanne took a deep breath and dropped her eyes, seeming to be crying, "It was not what you saw just


    now..."


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    Not waiting for her to finish her sentence, August coldly interrupted her, "Then what is it?"


    He had identally seen Jeanne treating the maids or employees badly many times at home or at


    work.


    If he saw it once or twice, he still believed it was an ident, but after seeing it more times, he wouldn''t


    believe it at all.


    Jeanne sniffled aggrievedly, "It was the secretary who didn¡¯t know any better and she had to kick me


    out..."


    "Is that so?"


    August frowned, and thest of his patience slowly ran out at this moment.


    He took a deep breath, "Is it really like you said?"


    Jeanne looked at him with tearful eyes, "August, don¡¯t you believe me?"


    Looking at her like this, August felt inexplicably disgusted.


    In the past, Jeanne was tender and lovely, making people feelpassionate, but now she was


    sarcastic and liked acting.


    August tightened his brow, forced down his difort, and coldly said, "You go back first and I have to


    work."


    Jeanne frowned, "August, I still have something to say to you..."


    Looking serious, he said coldly, "Get out."


    Jeanne did not say the words that came to her throat.


    Looking at August with a cold face, about to be angry, she had to give up and turn away resentfully.


    The door of the room was heavily closed by Jeanne, and August stood in front of his desk, with his face


    cold and terrible.


    If he could choose again, even if he was under more pressure, even if it was a nominal marriage, he


    would not have chosen Jeanne two years ago.


    At that moment, there was a knock at the door, followed by Burton walking in with a transparent bag in


    his hand.


    He came forward with a serious face, "President Adams, the result is out."


    With saying that, he handed the transparent bag to August and reported in a cold voice, "It''s really like


    you said that these three cards are not made of the same material.


    The first one and the second one are made of the same material, and the third one is made of another


    material."


    At that, August drooped his eyes, with his eyes locked on the three cards inside the transparent bag.


    These are the three cards Lucia received with the spider web logo.


    The first time she received the jade came with a card, then there was a card when she found the dead


    cat in the trunk, and finally, she got a card from Paul.


    When he first saw the card from Paul, he was almost sure that Mr.Denko was the one who did those


    things to Lucia, but after that, he always felt that something was wrong.


    Until he found that this time the card and the previous two were slightly different, he asked his men to


    check and found that the final result was the same as he suspected.


    The first two deliveries to Lucia to threaten her were indeed made by Mr.Denko, but this time it was a


    different group of people who kidnapped Lucia on her birthday! Who on earth had to do those things in


    the name of Mr.Denko? That''s the weirdest part! August stared heavily at the few cards on the table


    and felt a depression in his heart.


    Now, what these cards could show was that there was more than one group of people trying to make a


    move on Lucia secretly and this was the most dangerous thing of all! After a long silence, he took a


    deep breath, looked up at Burton, and spoke, "Send someone to find out where Joshua and his men


    were on Lucia''s birthday."


    At the words, Burton froze and hesitantly opened his mouth to ask, "President Adams, are you


    suspecting that Joshua..."


    August frowned and said in a cold voice, "Go check."


    Burton instantly became serious and respond, "Yes."


    Watching Burton leave, August took a deep breath and raised his hand to press his brow.


    Now, in order to find out the truth, he must make all the suspicions clear one by one, and Joshua was


    indeed very suspicious.


    He disrupted and reorganized all the clues in his brain, slowly searching for the link, and just then, his


    phone suddenly vibrated.


    When August opened his eyes and swept a nce at the shiny phone screen, his eyes abruptly


    darkened.


    Unexpectedly, it¡¯s from his grandma.


    Feeling faintly uneasy, August reached out his hand, picked up the phone, and pressed the answer


    button.


    The voice of Olivia came over the phone, "August, are you busy?"


    In an instant, August stopped pretending and didn''t look so cold, saying slowly, "Not busy.Grandma,


    what''s wrong?"


    Olivia said unhurriedly, "I missed you and had enough of staying in the sanatorium these days, so I had


    Eaton drive me back today, and now I''m at the old house."


    At that, August immediately frowned, "You''re back?"


    Some time ago, his grandma was not feeling well after her birthday, so he sent someone to drive her to


    a sanatorium on a hill in Austos City to let her recuperate, but to his surprise, she suddenly came back.


    Now was the most chaotic time for the Lion group, and his grandmother must have heard something


    when she came back at this time.


    Olivia hummed, pretending to be serious, and asked back, "Well, what? You don''t miss me?"


    Being touched, August took a deep breath, and said softly, "I miss you."


    At that, Olivia smiled lightly and said, "I miss you too, so I¡¯m justing back to see you!"


    "Okay, then I will go to the old house to see youter."


    "I''m going to rest.I want to customize an outfit and you can take me to Cloud Pavilion tomorrow."


    Hearing Olivia said this, August hesitated for a moment and opened his mouth to agree, "Okay, as you


    like."

 Chapter 449

    Chapter 449


    Chapter 449 Olivia Come Back Cloud


    Pavilion was a high-end store that Olivia liked very much for customizing Chinese-style clothes.


    August had apanied his grandma to it several times before, but then he was too busy with work


    and hadn''t apanied her there for over a year.


    After talking with Olivia for a few more minutes, he hung up the phone.He put down the phone, with


    some depression in his heart.


    In fact, he knew that his grandma said on the surface that she came back because she missed him, but


    in fact, it was because the Lion Group needed an elder from the Adams family to control the situation,


    with all sorts of rumors going around nowadays.


    Eliot couldn''t be contacted now.


    Olivia might not be able to put down the chaos immediately, but as the elder from the Adams family,


    she had some deterrent effect in Austos City after all.


    Even if people didn''t show respect to him, they still had to show respect to Olivia.


    She came back for him, for the Lion Group, after all.


    Bishop was trying to stir up trouble to make the Lion Group as chaotic as possible, while Olivia was


    trying to maintain the situation and support August in this emergency.


    August raised his hand and pressed his brow, with mixed feelings in his heart.


    This time, he couldn''t let Bishop win anyway! The next morning, Lucia had just packed up the two little


    ones¡¯ things and came out of the bedroom when she saw Timothy and J sitting sullenly on the


    couch watching TV.


    The TV was showing obscure economic news, and Lucia¡¯s head hurt from listening to the technical


    terms.


    She went up to sit between the two little ones and couldn''t help but ask, "Do you understand?"


    Timothy leaned his head against Lucia and said sullenly, "Mom, there''s no astronomy program on TV


    today that I like."


    J next to him also nodded in agreement, "Yes, I want to watch the astronomy program too."


    Looking at them like this, Lucia couldn''t help butugh.


    Timothy and J had been interested in astronomy since they were young, so they kept following this


    astronomy program.


    Only because the TV station had temporarily rescheduled that program today, they were upset.


    After taking a look at the time, Lucia looked down at the two little ones and smiled lightly, "Why don''t I


    take you to the Book City to pick out some astronomy books?"


    As soon as she finished speaking, the two little ones looked at each other, nodded in unison, and said,


    "Yes!"


    Since Lucia¡¯s birthday, they had been locked up in the house for a few days, not going out at all, and


    even the daily walks were canceled.


    The two little ones were like little wild horses that couldn''t hold back any longer.


    "Okay, then let''s go and change!"


    Lucia also had a good mood.She dragged them back to the room to change their clothes and pack their


    things, and as soon as they went out, she saw Paul''s man, Lucas standing at the door.


    "Mrs.Thomas, Mrs.Thomas instructed me to follow you out and keep you safe."


    Lucia nodded slightly and drove the two little ones directly to the Book City in the mall.


    Book City was on the third floor of Starlight za, with a rich collection of books and a small


    netarium next to it, so it was perfect to take Timothy and J there.


    After browsing around the Book City and picking out a few books they wanted to buy, the three of them


    went to thearium for a stroll.


    The two little ones were full of power, while Lucia was so tired that her heels were weak and she


    couldn''t even walk.


    Seeing a cold drink store selling drinks next door, Lucia finally had a chance to sit down and take a


    break, but the two little ones, still full of energy and vigor, insisted on going to y with the simted


    astronomical telescope in front of thearium one more time.


    "Mom, we want to go y with it one more time."


    "Mom, y with us one more time!"


    The two little ones, one on Lucia¡¯s left and the other on her right, shook her arm and pouted at her.


    Lucia was so tired, and it just so happened that the waiter served drinks, so she didn''t want to leave


    even more.


    Finally, she smiled helplessly, nced in the direction of thearium next to them, and spoke, "I''m


    really too tired.Why don¡¯t you two go over to y while I watch you here?"


    The cold drink store here was very close to thearium, and from her position, she was able to see


    thearium entrance.


    After ncing at each other, Timothy and J immediately held hands and nodded their heads.


    "Don''t worry, mom.I will protect J!"


    Timothy said and patted his chest in a rather manly manner.


    Amused by his actions, Lucia couldn''t help but nod her head with a smile, and after repeatedly


    instructing them, she let them go.


    Timothy and J bounced to the entrance of thearium and lined up next to the astronomical


    detector machine while Lucia watched them motionlessly.


    Watching Timothy and Jughing and joking with the kids next to them, Lucia rxed a bit, then


    she took a few sips of juice, and looked down at her phone.


    She received several messages from Paul on her phone, all about her going out with the kids.


    Since herst ident, Paul had been very sensitive about their going out.


    Not only did he send someone to protect them, but he also personally inquired about the situation in his


    spare time at work.


    Lucia smiled.


    Looking up at the two little ones over there, she raised her hand and sent a message back to Paul, "I


    just took them out to have some fun, and Lucas, the bodyguard, is also here.Don¡¯t worry."


    Lucas had been following them since they left the house, and at this time, he was standing in the


    middle of thearium and the cold drink store.


    He looked at Timothy and J one moment, and then at Lucia the next, with his eyes busy.


    Suddenly, the phone vibrated, with a message popping up on the screen, "I need to confirm with my


    own eyes."


    Immediately after that, the video call popped up, which was from Paul.


    Seeing this, Lucia curled her lips in amusement and took the call.


    The man''s face appeared on the screen, and the background over there showed Paul''s office.


    Lucia asked with curled lips, "Are you busy?"


    Paulughed lightly and half-joked, "Even if I¡¯m busy, I have to make sure you''re safe."


    At that, Lucia smiled even more happily,pletely unaware of a familiar figureing out of the


    adjacent high-end custom clothing store.


    Olivia, wearing an aristocratic and gorgeous embroidered outfit, walked in the middle, followed by


    bodyguards and maids on either side, making her imposing.


    She frowned slightly and asked the maid at her side, "Didn''t August say he¡¯d be here soon? Why is he


    not here yet?"


    The maid spoke up, "Old Madame, don''t worry, and Mr.Adams should be on his way.Why don''t we go


    back to the store to wait for him?"


    Olivia frowned and shook her head, "It''s too stuffy inside and I''d bettere out for a walk."This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    When she was inside, the clerks wereplimenting her, making her very ufortable, so she''d


    bettere out for a walk to get some fresh air.


    Just then, hearing a loud noise of small children, she frowned and looked up.


    When people got older, they naturally liked to be quiet.


    Just then, she saw aarium over there and a group of small children lined up around the


    entrance.


    She frowned and was going to ask the maid to help her leave, but when she nced over there, a light


    of surprise suddenly burst out of her eyes.


    Among the chattering children, a child with a vivid and lively expression looked exactly like August


    when he was a child!

 Chapter 450

    Chapter 450


    Chapter 450 You''re a Liar


    For a moment, Olivia felt that time had gone backward for decades.


    She fixed her eyes on the group of chattering children at the entrance of thearium, and in a


    trance, her eyes sparkled with tears.


    "Old Madame..."


    The maid next to her wondered and asked with some concern, "What''s wrong with you?"


    Olivia raised her hand to brush away the tears that were unknowingly running down the corners of her


    eyes and took a deep breath, "Go¡­ over there."


    With saying that, she took a step and walked towards that side.


    The closer she got, the more she thought the little boy looked like August.His eyebrows, his eyes, and


    his demeanor were exactly the same as August''s when he was a child.


    "Timothy, how long do we have to wait in line?"


    Next to the boy, whose back was turned to Olivia, the little girl raised her tiny head as she spoke.


    Her eyes shone brightly and her nose was small, showing she was very pretty at a young age.


    What surprised Olivia more was that the little girl looked somewhat simr to the little boy.


    The two white and tender little children standing in the middle of a group of children, eye-catching and


    bright, made people cannot help but feel happy.


    Olivia felt very happy when she got closer to look at Timothy and J.


    These two little ones were really delightful, plus they looked very simr to August as a child, so she


    could not hide her love for them.


    "Kids..."


    Olivia approached the crowd and looked at Timothy and J as if her eyes were instantly enveloped


    in soft light, "What are your names? * Timothy and J turned their heads at the sound of her voice


    and looked at the kind-faced old woman, but neither said anything.


    After a pause, J only spoke in a baby voice, "Our mom doesn''t let us talk to strangers."


    When Olivia heard this, her eyes curled up with a smile, "Who are your mom and dad?"


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    J was going to answer but was stopped by Timothy who was next to her.


    He manfully stepped in front of J, looked at Olivia, and said, "Grandma, we won''t answer such


    personal questions."


    J couldn''t help but say, "But I don¡¯t think this grandma looks like a bad person..."


    Timothy frowned and lectured J seriously, "Didn''t Daddy say that bad people don''t have the word


    "bad" written on their faces?"


    Listening to the conversation between the two little ones, Olivia was amused and simply sat down on


    the chair next to them to have a chat with them.


    Meanwhile, Lucia, sitting in the cold drink store, had just finished with Paul.She hung up the video call


    and looked up at the entrance of thearium, looking for the two little ones, Timothy and J.


    When she saw the two little ones, Lucia was instantly relieved, but the next moment, when she saw


    Olivia sitting next to them, her face instantly became somber.


    What''s Grandma doing here? Why were Timothy and J talking with her? The blood in her body


    boiled up at that moment.


    Inhaling deeply, Lucia subconsciously stood up and walked towards that side, but just after two steps,


    she suddenly realized something.


    If she went over to take Timothy and J away at this time and let grandma know they were her


    children, she would definitely suspect their identity, and then she would probably let the cat out of the


    bag.


    She had managed to hide it from August, but now how could she hide it in front of grandma who could


    see everything? With her poor acting skills, it would not be easy.


    With such a thought, Lucia was chilled and a cold sweat came out on her back.She took a deep breath,


    hesitated for a moment, and then looked up at Lucas, the bodyguard, who was not far away.


    Luckily Lucas was here, so she didn¡¯t have to show up in person! She was so happy that she hurriedly


    stepped forward, instructed Lucas a few words, and then turned to walk to a nearby clothing store.


    Through the transparent window, using the clothes rack as a cover, she was able to clearly see the


    situation over there from this angle, yet she was able to hide, which was perfect! Standing behind the


    clothes rack, she looked like in the selection of clothes, in fact, was focused on the situation at the


    entrance of thearium.


    Lucas, the bodyguard, walked over and said something to Timothy and J, and the two little ones


    turned their heads and looked in the direction of the cold drink store, but they didn¡¯t see the familiar


    figure, so they tilted their little heads and asked something.


    Lucas said something to them and the two little ones waved goodbye to Olivia before taking Lucas¡¯s


    hand left and right and striding out of thearium.


    Watching them step by step towards the outside, Lucia put her mind at ease.


    Secretly relieved, she took a step to turn around, but unexpectedly, her forehead directly hit a solid


    chest.


    With pain, Lucia immediately reached out and rubbed her head, subconsciously opening her mouth to


    apologize, "Sorry..."


    With that, she looked up at the person in front of her, and when she saw clearly the man, her eyes


    widened and she took a step backward in shock, "You..."


    "What?"


    August raised an eyebrow slightly and slowly took half a step towards her, "A good conscience is a soft


    pillow.Lucia, what are you doing sneakily?"


    The man carried his own aura, and when these words came out, Lucia was a little nervous and couldn''t


    answer.


    She faltered for a moment and said casually, "What sneaky? I''m here to shop for clothes!"


    August frowned slightly, "This is a men¡¯s boutique."


    Only after he reminded her of this did Lucia realize that this was a men''s clothing store! She sucked in


    a cool breath and a lightbulb went on in her head, "I''m here to buy clothes for Paul."


    When Lucia''s voice fell, August''s face obviously became a little somber.


    A few secondster, he reached out and clutched Lucia¡¯s wrist, "You''re a liar.Lucia, is this how you set


    an example as a mother?"


    August''s palm wasrge and hot, so Lucia subconsciously stepped back with her body tightened.


    She frowned and when she thought of the horrible thing that happenedst time, she threw August''s


    hand away directly with force.


    She felt a burst of anger in her heart, "August, are you out of your mind? I''m going shopping and it¡¯s


    none of your business."


    August frowned and his dark eyes fixed on her, "Lucia, do you think I didn¡¯t see that?"


    Just now he came over to look for his grandma and saw Lucia instructing her bodyguard to look for


    Timothy and J, while she herself was hiding, seeming to be afraid of being seen.She was so


    sneaky that she was clearly afraid of being seen by his grandma.


    August frowned, "Why are you hiding? Are you afraid that Grandma will know that Timothy and J


    are your children?"


    Hearing August''s words like a bay that hit the center with precision and speed, Lucia was surprised


    and panicked.


    August was right.


    She was really afraid that grandma would find out that Timothy and J were her children because


    then grandma would definitely be suspicious and knew the two children¡¯s identities.She didn¡¯t expect


    that she hadn''t been seen by grandma but turned to meet August.


    Now she was afraid that she could not exin it in any way.


    Catching the flicker of panic in the woman''s eyes, August stared down at her and asked, "What are you


    afraid of?"


    Lucia clenched her fists and pretended to be calm, "I have nothing to fear."


    August knitted his eyebrows and continued to take a step closer to ask, "Is that so? Is it possible that


    Timothy, J, and Grandma have some rtionship that makes you so afraid?

 Chapter 451

    Chapter 451


    Chapter 451 He Had No time to Commit the Crime


    She said with obvious determination and detachment.


    With a cold light in her eyes, she turned red in the face with anger.


    At this, August went furious without saying the words that came to his lips, and the doubts in his heart


    slowly dissipated at that moment.


    So, Lucia rejected him and the Adams family so much.He tightened his brow, and before he could say


    anything, Lucia had already taken a step and left in a big stride.


    As he watched the woman walk away resolutely, aplex emotion welled up in August''s heart and he


    felt an inexplicable tightness in his chest.


    When his phone rang, he slowly came back to his senses.


    Taking out his phone, he saw that it was a call from the attendant beside his grandma, and after a


    moment''s hesitation, he pressed the answer button, "Hello, um, I¡¯m already here."


    Walking out of the men¡¯s store, he walked down the corridor for a while, then through thearium


    to the Cloud Pavilion.


    When he reached the door, he saw Olivia sitting on the couch, looking despondent.He took a deep


    breath and stepped forward, "Grandma."


    Hearing the sound, Olivia looked up, and when she saw him, her eyes burst into light, "You are here!"


    August slightly curled his lips, and softened his voice, "Grandma, have you tried on the clothes yet?"


    Olivia shook her head, reached for his hand, and spoke, "August, I just met two little kids that look a lot


    like you when you were a kid.Do you think I want to have a great-grandson so much that I dream about


    it?"


    August was surprised when he heard this, and after a few seconds, he asked, "They look like me when


    I was a kid?"


    Olivia nodded with certainty, "Yes, their eyebrows are exactly the same as yours!"


    At once, August felt a mixture of emotions.


    With the faces of Timothy, J swept through his mind, he was silent and did not speak.


    Timothy and J were Lucia and Paul''s children, but why would Grandma say they looked like him?


    Moreover, it was he who took J''s hair to the hospital identification department for a paternity test,


    and the identification report would not be wrong because he was at the door all the time.


    At this point, Olivia suddenly spoke, raised her hand, and gently patted the back of his hand, "August,


    when will you give me a great-grandson?"


    At these words, August was silent.


    "Nowadays, if there will be good news to spread, all the bad luck of thepany will dissipate."


    With that, his grandma looked at him deeply and politely reminded him, "August, you should also think


    about carrying on the family line."


    August subconsciously resisted a bit, but this was said by his grandma.


    He could not refute her, so he responded, "Grandma, I know."


    Olivia nodded, took his hand, and said in a serious tone, "It''s good and you know I¡¯m not well.Don''t let


    me wait too long."


    August nodded and apanied Olivia for a few moments of small talk before she was coaxed into


    trying on clothes.


    He apanied Olivia to buy the clothes and had dinner together afterward, before driving her away.


    In the afternoon of that day, a media tform sent out news that August apanied Olivia for


    shopping and dinner, that the two were close and August was filial and understanding.


    Once the positive press release was sent out, the inte was immediately filled with positive


    comments about August, and with Oliviaing back, even some shareholders who were against him


    in thepany didn¡¯t say anything.


    August took the opportunity to sign a big project with a foreignpany, and suddenly, thepany¡¯s


    rumors were much less.


    But before the disclosure of confidential documents was a fact.


    Even if August made more remarkable achievements, there was no way to cover up what happened


    before, and everyone was waiting for him to exin, while August was also calm and did not mention a


    word about the oue of the matter for several days.


    In the President''s Office of the Lion Group.


    August sat at his desk and looked at the stock market graph on his tablet, with his brow knitted tightly.


    Suddenly, the door of the room was pushed open, and Burton walked in quickly.From N?velDrama.Org.


    With a somewhat serious look on his face, he handed over the document in his hand and spoke, "This


    is the whereabouts of Joshua."


    At that, August immediately averted his gaze and casually flipped through the file.


    On Lucia¡¯s birthday, Joshua was in his bar.


    He entered the bar in the morning, did not go out until the evening, and then entered the bar again two


    hourster.


    This was checked by the surveince cameras outside the bar.


    If this was the case, Joshua had spent almost the entire day in his bar, so he had no time tomit the


    crime.


    Frowning, before August could ask, Burton next to him went on to report, "The records of his other men


    are below."


    At that, August continued to flip.


    The more he looked, the more somber his face became.


    All of them, Joshua and his best men, had traceable whereabouts, perfectly avoiding the time of the


    crime.


    In other words, on the surface, Lucia¡¯s birthday kidnapping had nothing to do with them.


    But that¡¯s the most suspicious thing because their alibi was too perfect as if they were deliberately


    covering something up.


    Inhaling deeply, August yed with a ck pen in his hand, and his mind raced through all the


    suspicions.


    After a few moments of thought, he looked up at Burton, "The surveince outside the bar cannot


    exin much.


    Can we get the surveince inside the bar?"


    Burton answered truthfully, "I''m afraid not, and I think Joshua won''t give us."


    August frowned slightly and did not reply.


    After knowing each other for so many years, he and Joshua wererades who fought side by side,


    friends who went through thick and thin together, so they knew each other''s strengths and


    weaknesses.


    To deal with others, he would choose to get their surveince secretly, but to deal with Joshua, he''d like


    to ask him openly.


    Taking a deep breath, August closed the file in his hand, walked over to the shredder, and threw it


    straight in.


    After a half-second pause, he ordered in a deep voice, "Stand by the car and go to Joshua''s ce."


    Now, he might as well ask him openly and honestly.


    Lucia was kidnapped on her birthday, and he found out that it wasn''t Mr.Denko who kidnapped her.


    Whether it was done by Joshua or not, it had something to do with him.


    Arriving at Joshua''s bar, August went straight to the cer.He had just sat down not ten minutes before


    the door was pushed open and the familiar sound of footsteps came from far and near.


    After a long time, a voice with someughter came, "August."


    "Why are you thinking ofing to my ce in the daytime?"


    Seemingly in a good mood, Joshua casually picked out a bottle of red wine of good vintage from the


    wine cab and put it on the table, and then he brought two goblets from the side.


    Looking at him trying to open the bottle fluidly, August straightened his back slightly and said in a light


    voice, "I''m here to talk business today, not drinking."


    At that, Joshua paused and said with a smile in his eyes, "Talk business with me?"


    August still looked serious, without any intention of joking with him.


    Seeing this, Joshua stopped what he was doing, leaned back, andzily crossed his legs, "What is it?


    Why are you so serious?"


    Without beating around the bush, August asked directly

 Chapter 452

    Chapter 452


    Chapter 452 They Turn Against Each Other


    August looked like he was smiling yet not smiling, "Suspect? No."


    "I''m just trying to figure out a few things and need you to give me a copy of the surveince in the bar


    that day."


    With that, he took out a silver USB drive and put it on the desktop.


    At once, with Joshua''s face somber, he frowned, "August, what do you mean? Do you think it was me


    who kidnapped her?"


    Looking up, August looked straight at him and said seriously, "I told you I just want to figure something


    out."


    Joshua frowned and met his dark eyes, with the emotions under his eyes changing rapidly and


    obscurely.


    After a moment, Joshua moved his lips and asked, "What do you want to prove?"


    With his expression unchanged, August said word by word, "Prove that the person who kidnapped


    Lucia that day was not you."


    Joshua''s reaction just now had already made him inadvertently confirm certain suspicions in his heart.


    As soon as August finished speaking, Joshua''s face turned a little somber, "August, you have been


    blinded by that woman!"


    August interrupted him and increased his voice tone, "Joshua, you should not hide anything from me."


    Joshua was usually big-hearted, but as long as he had promised something, he would definitely have it


    done.


    August asked Joshua to send someone to protect Lucia, but Lucia was still kidnapped, and his excuse


    was that he gave his men a vacation that day, but Joshua would not make such a low-level mistake! In


    addition to that, the card with different material from the previous ones was enough to prove that the


    person who kidnapped Lucia this time was not Mr.Denko, but another group of people.


    Finally, he had someone go through the whereabouts of Joshua and his men that day, all with perfect


    alibis.


    Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    Behaving too perfectly was exactly what was most suspicious.


    Now, he asked Joshua for surveince in the bar that day, but Joshua refused to cooperate at all, which


    was finally confirming his suspicions.


    The two men confronted by looking at each other, and after a few moments, August averted his gaze


    and said in a deep voice, "If I''m right, this was what you had nned all along.You deliberately came to


    the bar that morning to let yourself be caught by the surveince outside, then left through the side


    door in the bar, andter rushed back to go out of the bar to let the surveince catch you again."


    With that, August stood up, swept around, and eventually made his way to the fresco at the far end of


    the wine cer.He raised his hand and knocked the wall, ringing apparently empty.


    With a fumble, he finally found an extremely inconspicuous raised button on the side.


    As soon as he pressed, the wall made a sound of "ding" and a secret door opened, leading to the other


    side of the bar.


    Sure enough, he guessed correctly that there was indeed a secret door in the bar that could lead to the


    outside.


    Before Joshua came over, he had already thought over the construction of the bar and finally guessed


    that this secret door must be in this wine cer.He slowly turned around and looked up at Joshua.


    Joshua scowled slightly, and after a moment''s pause, he said coldly, "Since you have guessed it, why


    are you asking me for surveince."


    August frowned and looked at Joshua with a somewhat stern gaze, "Why did you do that?"


    At that, Joshua stood up and said in a cold voice, "Because I don''t want to watch her ruin you! If it


    wasn''t for her, how would Flynt let you leave the organization in the first ce? For five years, you


    have done so many wrong things for her."


    "That''s my business!"


    August took a step towards him, with an icy aura emanating from him, "Joshua, I''ve always treated you


    like my friend, as the person I trust the most!"


    He never hide anything from Joshua, but unexpectedly he would do such a thing! Joshua frowned and


    said in a loud voice, "I also treat you as my friend! So, I can''t just watch you trapped, and I can¡¯t watch


    that woman hurt you!"


    August was furious and a cold light burst out from under his eyes.He reached out and grabbed


    Joshua''s cor, "So you kidnapped her and drugged her, right?"


    Joshua stretched out his hand, clutching August''s wrist, and said coldly, "She deserved it!"


    When he heard that, a cold light shed under August¡¯s eyes.


    He frowned, feeling depressed, "Joshua, if the organization knows these things, you can hardly protect


    yourself."


    Joshua sneered, with a cold glint in his eyes, "So, you''re going to tell on me?"


    August looked up and stared at him.


    One second, two seconds, three seconds, and finally, with a moment ofplex emotions passing


    under his eyes, he let go of Joshua''s cor and said coldly, "Your business has nothing to do with me


    from now on!"


    After saying this, he took a step and walked out of the wine cer, leaving Joshua alone.


    The door closed with a bang, and Joshua stood still for a moment, then suddenlyughed out loud.He


    never thought that he and August would have this day to turn against each other.He did it for August''s


    sake, but he didn¡¯t appreciate it at all! Forgot it.


    From now on, whether August was dead or alive had nothing to do with him! August got into the car


    aftering out of the bar, with a somber face that was a little scary.


    Seeing this, Burton hurriedly opened his mouth to ask, "President Adams, did you ask clearly?"


    With a somber face, August did not reply, just coldly saying one word, "Go."


    Burton froze slightly.


    Seeing August going to be angry, he had the sense to keep his mouth shut and drive quietly.


    Sitting in the car, August couldn''t help but have a headache when he thought about what just


    happened.


    He did not expect that the person who impersonated Mr.Denko to kidnap Lucia was no other than his


    good friend whom he had trusted for so many years.


    Although he had suspected him from the beginning, when the truth came out now, he was still a bit


    unable to ept it.He raised his hand and pressed his swollen temples.Just then, his cell phone


    rang.He picked up the phone and saw that it was Jeanne calling.


    At once, his eyebrows wrinkled and he directly turned the phone into silent mode and tossed it aside.


    After doing this, he closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes to rest.


    Soon, the phone hung up, and not long after, the screen lit up silently, shing continuously.


    Meanwhile, Jeanne on the other end of the phone was getting desperate.


    She called again and again, but there was no answer from August.


    A maid waited for her for a long time and finally couldn''t help but say, "Mrs.Adams, go inside, and Olivia


    is still waiting for you."


    At the sound of her voice, Jeanne forced out a smile.


    She clicked on WhatsApp and sent a message to August, "August, Grandma suddenly asked me to go


    to the old house today and I thought you wereing back too, but I didn¡¯t think she wanted to see me


    alone.I¡¯m a little worried..."


    After sending this message, she sent several more exmation marks in a row.


    In the Adans family, she was not afraid of Eliot and Christina, but only of Olivia, enc she didn''t expect


    that Olivia would ask har toe to the old house alone this time¡¯ Jeanne felt anxious, but under he


    gaze of the haid, she could not show it, so she could only force a smile, ge: up from the couch, and


    follow her up to the second floor.


    Olivia''s bedroom on he second floor of the alc house was next to a Buddhist room dedicated to her,


    anc now Olivia was burning incense and worshiping the Buddha in it.


    Walking tc the door, the maid knocked, pushed it open, a1d said, "Clivia, Mrs.Adams is 1ere."


    Inside the Buddha Room, covered in clouds of smoke, Olivia knelt on a fusion with her back to the


    door.


    Instead of turning around, she simply spoke, "Let her in and close the door"

 Chapter 453

    Chapter 453


    Chapter 453 There Would Be No ce for Her!


    At that word, the maid respectfully took a step back, made way for Jeanne, and said softly,


    "Mrs.Adams, go in."


    Jeannie clenched her two hands together in some panic, and then nodded and stepped inside.


    Olivia slightly turned her head sideways and said in a deep voice, "Come here, and kneel down."


    When Jeanne heard this, her face suddenly turned pale.


    She wanted to know the reason but did not dare to ask more, so she had to obediently go forward and


    kneel down on the futon next to Olivia.


    After that, Olivia continued to pluck the string of beads in her hands, without any further instructions.


    Jeanne knelt there, not daring to move or ask.


    Until her knees were a bit numb, she gritted her teeth and turned her head to ask, "Grandma, if there is


    something I had done wrong, you can directly say to me..."


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    Without opening her eyes, Olivia said word for word, "I told you to kneel to let you make an


    introspection.Do you need me to tell you what you''ve done wrong?"


    When Jeanne heard the words, she sucked in a cold breath and her face suddenly turned pale.


    Even though she was discontented, she still had to swallow her anger and could not show it.


    Jeanne¡¯s knees were sore and numb after half an hour of kneeling, and she shifted her weight from


    side to side, screaming inwardly.


    Just then, Olivia suddenly stood up and slowly walked to the chair next to her to sit down, with her


    somber gaze falling on Jeanne.


    Jeanne finally couldn''t help herself and said, "Grandma, I really don¡¯t know what I''ve done wrong."


    Olivia frowned, and after a pause, she said in a cold voice, "You have been married to August for


    almost three years, but you still can''t hold August''s heart and don''t birth to a child for the Adams family,


    all of which I am not willing to say in front of the old ancestors anymore."


    Olivia said it directly, and instantly, Jeanne¡¯s face turned blue and then red, just like a palette.


    "You and August have no feelings, but you insist on holding on to this marriage.As a woman, I


    understand your hardships and difficulties, but as a wife, you are not good enough! You often go to the


    company to cause trouble, and also to add to the chaos of the Lion Group at the most chaotic time.Do


    you think I don¡¯t know these things if others don''t tell me?"


    Olivia was old, but her words were clear and powerful.


    With a shudder, Jeanne unconsciously clenched her fist.She didn¡¯t expect Olivia to know everything!


    Could it be that there were her spies in thepany? She was so angry, but in front of Olivia, she


    didn¡¯t dare to show it.


    She bit her lower lip, weeping, and sadly expressed her loyalty, "Grandma, I was too concerned about


    August, and I never wanted to cause trouble for thepany.


    In fact, I went to thepany to find August to ask about the situation and to see whether my family


    can provide help!"


    "Save your breath!"


    Olivia snorted, "You still don¡¯t know why your Kelly family has be what it is today? Before and


    after the marriage, the Kelly family has been taking advantage of the Adams family, don''t you know


    that?"


    Jeanne was shaking with fear and was unable to speak at once.


    After a pause, she looked up at Olivia aggrievedly, "Grandma, I know I¡¯ve done wrong and I''m willing to


    be punished.I will definitely remember your teaching today for the rest of my life!"


    When she heard this, Olivia''s eyebrows knitted slightly and she stared at Jeanne for a long time without


    saying anything.


    When August said he was going to marry Jeanne, she was actually opposed to it, but because she


    wanted to live a happy life in her old age and there was no other woman around August, she


    acquiesced.


    But to her surprise, after almost three years, Jeanne had not only failed to give birth to her great-


    grandchildren but also her rtionship with August had be increasingly distant.


    Although she was not always at home, she could know that the marriage between them only existed in


    name.


    Moreover, Jeanne was making trouble from time to time, so she had no good feelings toward Jeanne.


    But no matter what, as long as August didn¡¯t say anything, she wouldn''t say anything.


    Except for the asional teaching and questioning, she couldn¡¯t do anything.


    After a few moments, she took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "All right, get up."


    With her eyes lit up, Jeanne immediately got up, but her knees had long been numb, so she fell back to


    her knees with a "thud" after her legs trembled, Olivia frowned at the sight, but she did not say the


    words that came to her lips and looked away from her.


    With a slightly somber look on her face, Jeanne pulled out a hard, embarrassed smile and slowly stood


    up, "Grandma, I''ll take to heart everything you told me today.Don¡¯t worry, and I won''t let you down."


    Olivia looked to one side and waved her hand, saying nothing.


    Jeanne took a deep breath and limped out, and just as she reached the door, she saw the maid who


    had been waiting outside.


    She took steps forward and before she could take two steps, she heard Olivia''s voiceing from the


    Buddha Room, "Fay,e in."


    The woman who was called Fay was not young, in her fifties, with a kind face.She was polite to


    everyone, yet a bit distant and cold, which obviously showed that she was someone close to Olivia.


    Jeanne walked to the stairway and turned her head just in time to see Fay striding into the room.She


    pulled her lips, showing a look of disdain.


    Then, she bent down and rubbed the knees of both legs, muttering secretly, "Old woman! Made me


    kneel for more than an hour!"


    Jeanne had never suffered this kind of grievance before, and she didn''t expect that when Olivia had


    just returned from the sanatorium, Olivia would set her up in such a way, which really made her feel


    angry.


    She was about to go downstairs when she suddenly realized that she had left her cell phone in the


    Buddha Room.


    When she kneeled on the futon for so long just now, she casually put her cell phone on the ground to


    the side, not expecting that she would forget to take it.


    The thought of going back to that depressing Buddha Room made Jeanne feel repulsed, but she had


    no choice but to go back.


    After a moment''s hesitation, she turned around and walked towards the Buddha Room, only to find that


    the door of the Buddha Room wasn''t closed, and she could hear the faint sound of conversation


    coming from inside.


    With a thought, she couldn''t help but take a lighter step and slowly approach the room, looking through


    the doorway.


    Olivia took out a photo from her side pocket, handed it to Fay, and ordered, "Send someone to check


    out the background of these two children, including anything about them."


    After a moment''s hesitation, Fay reached for the picture and asked softly, "Old Madame, aren''t those


    the two little kids we met at the mall the other day?"


    "Yes."


    Olivia nodded, "They really look too much like August when he was a kid, so it is important to find out


    their identities!"


    "Yes!"


    Jeanne, who was standing in the doorway, listened to their conversation.


    As soon as she heard that the little kids looked like August, she felt her heart tighten and inexplicably


    thought of Timothy and J.


    Was she talking about Lucia''s two children? Jeanne was so excited and hated that she gritted her


    teeth, but she didn¡¯t expect a voice to suddenlye from the room, "Who''s there?"


    With her body tightening and eyes shing, Jeanne instantly came back to her senses and pushed the


    door in, smiling apologetically at Olivia and Fay, "Grandma, I forgot my phone and came back to get it."


    With that, she pointed to the cell phone sitting on the floor next to the futon, embarrassedly walked


    over, and picked it up.


    Frowning, Olivia didn¡¯t say anything and let her fetch her phone and leave.


    Jeanne¡¯s blood was boiling when she came out of the Buddha Room, because she had just secretly


    seen the photo in Fay¡¯s hand when she went in, and it was really Lucia¡¯s two children! Jeanne didn''t


    expect Olivia to be so eager to find these two children just after she returned.


    If she knew about Timothy, J, and Lucia¡¯s rtionship, there would be no ce for her in the


    Adams family then.

 Chapter 454

    Chapter 454


    Chapter 454 To Get Rid of the Two Kids!


    Instantly, a sense of crisis rose in Jeanne¡¯s mind.She went down the stairs worryingly, not paying


    attention to her feet.


    Suddenly, with a slip in her foot, she fell straight to the ground.Her already swollen knee was knocked


    on the ground, and now she was in even more pain.


    But now she was even more angry, wanting to throw things and lose her temper, but she now was in


    the Adams family¡¯s old house and didn¡¯t dare to make a fuss even if she was angry, so she had to hold


    back and leave.


    After getting into the car and driving away from the old house, she was finally able to release the anger


    that she had suppressed.


    When she thought of the photo in Olivia''s hand, she was even more furious.


    No matter what, she had to keep her current position.


    She was August''s wife, Mrs.Adams, now and in the future! Lucia wasn''t even worthy topete with


    her! But now Lucia had Timothy and J, her ace in the hole! And Olivia had always wanted to have


    great-grandchildren.


    If Olivia found out the identity of these two children, Olivia would definitely take them back to the


    Adams family, and by then, Jeanne would be driven away probably! Just thinking about it made Jeanne


    feel cold.


    She originally hadn''t thought about how to get back at Lucia, and now that this had happened, she had


    to take action! With anger burning in her chest, Jeanne took a deep breath, fished out her cell phone,


    and dialed a number, "Hey, go find out where Lucia''s two kids are!"


    She had to get rid of the two kids before Olivia''s men found them! Soon, her phone dinged and she


    received a message.She clicked on it to read it, and her brows knitted together.


    A few momentster, she said an address and told the driver to get there immediately.


    Meanwhile, Lucia was on her way to Jennifer¡¯s Studio.


    Now she had arranged everything in the crew and the only thing left was to exin to Jennifer.


    Originally, she had already shot the new series of clothing show pictures that she had promised


    Jennifer to shoot, but there was another set of outside scenes that had not been shot, and now she


    was afraid that she would not be able to shoot them because of her schedule.


    "What''s wrong?"


    Paul sat in the driver''s seat and drove.


    Noticing that the woman beside him was in a somewhat depressed mood, he quickly asked.


    Lucia returned to her senses, took a deep breath, and said, "I''m fine and I just feel a little sorry for


    Jennifer."


    She had promised Jennifer to take outside scenes pictures, but now she was going to leave without


    doing it, so she felt some guilt in her heart.


    "It¡¯s okay and she''ll understand."


    Paul smiled, reached out a hand, and patted the back of her hand reassuringly.


    Lucia nodded, not saying anything.


    Upon arrival at Jennifer''s Studio, they were greeted by Jennifer''s assistant May, who ced them in


    the tea room downstairs.


    A short whileter, Jennifer arrived.She was wearing a long white dress, with straight ck hair up to


    her waist, looking peaceful.


    As soon as she entered, she saw Lucia and Paul and unconsciously curled her lips, "Looks like you


    guys are here to say goodbye to me."


    Hearing what Jennifer said, Lucia looked over at Jennifer.


    Then, Lucia moved her lips and pulled out a bitter smile, "It seems nothing can be hidden from you."


    Jennifer smiled and sat down across from them, saying in a light voice, "You''re leaving?"


    Paul reached out to hold Lucia¡¯s hand tightly and said softly, "We''re ready to leave Austos City, and it''s


    not certain when we''ll be back."


    Lucia took a deep breath, "So, I''m afraid I won''t be able to finish that set of outside pictures I didn¡¯t get


    to take..."


    Before she could finish her sentence, Jennifer had already smiled and shook her head, saying slowly,


    "There''s no rush.I''ll leave the garments of that series for you to shoot and I think that you wille


    back before long."


    Her tone was calm and her smile was rxed, giving people an inexplicable feeling of stability.


    Lucia smiled and said softly, "If there is a chanceter, I will shoot."


    Jennifer took a sip of tea and said softly, "There is definitely a chance.Don''t worry."


    Paul on the side spoke up at the right time, "Since we met you today, you should have a meal with us,


    as a farewell."


    At that, Jennifer looked up at Paul, with a widening smile under her eyes, "Okay, then I''ll do as you


    say."


    Jennifer''s Studio happened to have a private restaurant with good taste next to it.


    The three of them chatted for a while and then headed straight over there.


    Meanwhile, at the entrance of the Austos Museum, a car was parked at the curb, and the person inside


    was waiting for an opportunity to take action.


    Jeanne sat in the driver''s seat.


    Although the car was air-conditioned, a fine sweat broke out on her clenched palms.


    She had headphones in her ears, and the voice of her men came from inside, "The woman with the two


    children is ready toe out and they''ll be at the door in about ten minutes."


    Jeanne took a deep breath, with a cold glint in the bottom of her eyes.


    Then, she asked the other men, "Are you ready?"


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    A few secondster, there was a reply, "Yes."


    At that sound, Jeanne looked up at the van parked next to the museum.


    When she returned from the old house today, she couldn''t wait to have someone check the


    whereabouts of Lucia and the two children.


    Her men reported that Lucia took Timothy and J to the Austos Museum, so, she immediately sent


    someone over to wait for an opportunity to take action.


    As long as these two kids were got rid of first, she could feel at ease! She purposely got three ouws


    to kidnap Timothy and J and pretend to ckmail Lucia for money, showing Lucia that she¡¯s not to


    be messed with! As long as everything didn''t go wrong, everything would move forward smoothly! With


    this in mind, Jeanne felt very happy in her heart.


    Just then, at the entrance of the museum, Pa walked out holding Timothy and J.


    Jeanne fixed her eyes and her face was somber.


    She didn¡¯t think that the person with the two kids was Pa and her loser men had mistaken her for


    Lucia! Jeanne cursed, then quickly reacted that neither Lucia nor Pa would affect her ns and that


    her target today was the two kids anyway! Jeanne grunted.


    Staring at the two little ones bouncing around with Pa, she instructed the person on the other side of


    the phone, with a cold glint in her eyes, "Take action."


    The door of the van parked in front of the museum pulled open just as her words fell, and two men in


    ck wearing hats and masks rushed out and went straight for Timothy, and J.


    Pa was looking down and talking to Timothy and J,pletely ignoring that side.


    The two thugs ran over, and when she identally looked up and saw them, she panicked and rushed


    to protect Timothy and J.


    At that moment, Lucas, the bodyguard, ran from behind them and kicked the front thug.


    Looking at Eaton fighting against the two thugs, Pa was startled and immediately pulled Timothy


    and J to the other side, running, "Timothy, J, follow me and run!"


    Timothy and J were also terrified, holding Pa''s hand tightly and running quickly to the side.


    As Jeanne, who was sitting in the car, watched the scene, she gritted her teeth in anger and her face


    was somber.


    She didn¡¯t expect these two kids to have a bodyguard with them and these losers she found were no


    match for the bodyguard.


    Over there, the two thugs were still no match for the bodyguard, two against one.


    Seeing that they were losing, and Pa pulled Timothy and J farther and farther away, Jeanne


    gritted her teeth and stepped on the gas on impulse.


    This time, if she did not take action, she would lose this chance!

 Chapter 455

    Chapter 455


    Chapter 455 Pa Had a Car ident


    In front of the museum was a wide square and Jeanne¡¯s car was parked on the side of the road.


    As soon as she stepped on the gas pedal, the car went straight out.She gripped the steering wheel


    tightly, and the car was going faster, getting closer to the three of them.


    Today, even if she did it herself, she would not let these two kids go back safely! Pa turned her


    head.


    Looking at the thugs subdued by the bodyguard in the distance, she was secretly relieved and


    unconsciously slowed down her pace, gasping for breath, "Timothy, J, you..."


    Before she could finish her sentence, she saw a ck shadow flying toward her, and when she looked


    up, she saw a car crashing rapidly toward them.


    Timothy, J also saw it and waspletely stunned.


    Shocked, Pa immediately reached out and pushed the two little ones out of the way, scrambling to


    the side herself.


    But with her steps disordered, before she could dodge, the car crashed over like a headless fly.


    With a loud bang, she was bumped directly out of two meters and then fell to the ground with a bang.


    At that moment, the world in Pa''s eyes became slow, spinning up and down.


    Jeanne, sitting in the car, was not expecting to hit Pa, and she froze when she saw Pa lying on


    the cold concrete with blood slowly spreading underneath her.


    In an instant, she regained her senses, but her brain was nk, and only when she saw passersby in


    the distance approaching this way did she react with a jolt.


    She gripped the steering wheel tightly, stepped on the gas pedal in a panic, and drove away fast.


    On the cement floor, Pa only felt her body numb as if it had been hollowed out.


    The sensation in various parts of her body became weaker and weaker, and in a trance, she saw


    Timothy and J lying beside her, crying, "Auntie...Auntie!"


    As passersby gathered nearby, Timothy stood up crying, "Aunts and uncles, please call 120!"


    Someone called the police and someone started calling for help.


    With so much noise all around, Pa passed out and couldn''t see anything.


    In the private restaurant.


    "This bottle of red wine has been collected by the owner for many years, so try it."


    With that, Jennifer poured two sses and brought them to Lucia and Paul.


    Lucia politely thanked her and reached for the ss, but with a slip of her hand, the ss came right


    out of her hand and fell on the table, spilling the liquid all over the floor.


    "Sorry..."


    Lucia hurriedly stood the ss up and picked up the napkin to wipe it, with a little panic in her heart


    inexplicably.


    At this moment, the cell phone she put next to her suddenly rang.


    Seeing the unfamiliar numbers disyed on it, Lucia hesitated for a moment, and before she could


    reach out to answer the phone, Paul next to her had already taken the napkin in her hand, wiped the


    table for her, and gently reminded her, "Your phone is ringing."


    Lucia came back to her senses, picked up her phone, and pressed the answer button.


    Just as she put it to her ear, Timothy''s voice came from the other side, "Mom,e to the hospital..."


    Being shocked, Lucia instantly tensed up, "Timothy, what''s wrong with you!"


    Timothy did not cry easily, but now he was crying and telling her to go to the hospital.


    Had something happened?


    "Auntie...Auntie had a car ident!"


    When she heard the voiceing from over there, Lucia tensed up, and the words seemed like a


    thunderbolt that exploded directly in her ears.


    The next second, she got up quickly and hurriedly walked out the door, "Which hospital are you in?"


    "Central Hospital..."


    "You watch your sister and don''t run around.I''ll be right over!"


    After quickly instructing Timothy a few words, Lucia hung up the phone and looked at Paul in some


    panic, "Timothy said Pa had a car ident and is at the Central Hospital!"


    When he heard what Lucia said, Paul could not help but knit his brows, instantly looking serious.


    After exining the situation to Jennifer, they rushed directly to the hospital.


    When they arrived at the door of the resuscitation room, Timothy and J were both sitting on chairs


    by the door, staring nkly into the resuscitation room.


    With their clothes stained with blood, a nurse was with them next to them.


    "Timothy, J!"


    With her nose sore, Lucia immediately ran over.


    When the two little ones heard the familiar voice, they looked up.


    Seeing her, they both lunged toward her.


    "Mom!"


    Listening to their voices with sobs, Lucia felt her heart breaking.


    When he saw Lucas standing with gauze in his hand, Paul immediately asked, "What happened?"


    Lucas, the bodyguard, reported truthfully, "Today when Ms.Thomas came out of the museum with


    Timothy and J, two people came out of the side to hurt them, so I fought with them.They brought a


    knife and cut me.And Ms.Thomas ran to the other side with the kids but I didn¡¯t expect she would get


    hit by a car."


    At these words, Paul''s face became more and more somber, and before he could speak, Lucas had


    already spoken, "Mr.Thomas, it was my fault, and I am willing to be punished."


    Paul frowned slightly, and after a pause, he said in a deep voice, "You go back to recuperate, and call


    Gin over."


    At that, Lucas instantly showed a look of respect, "Yes."


    Paul paused.


    Looking up at Lucia, who was holding Timothy and J over there, he instructed in a deep voice,


    "And don''t tell Lucia about this beforehand."


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    "Yes."


    After Lucia confirmed that Timothy and J were not hurt, she looked up at the operating room.


    When she found the surgery had been going on for more than an hour, her heart hung in her throat.She


    was going to Jennifer''s Studio with Paul today, so she entrusted Timothy and J to Pa, but then


    this happened.


    After sending the two little ones to the ward to rest, Lucia stood at the door of the operating room,


    distracted and anxious, "Paul, Pa will be okay, right?"


    Paul reached out to hold Lucia¡¯s hand tightly and spokefortingly, "Lucia, don¡¯t be afraid, and Pa


    will definitely be fine."


    Although he said so, he was also very anxious.He unconsciously clenched his hand at his side, with a


    layer of fine sweat on his palm.


    Pa was his sister and he was worried certainly when she was ina car ident.


    After a long time, Lucia felt that her heels were sore from standing before the lights at the door of the


    resuscitation room dimmed.


    The door to the operating room opened and the doctor stepped out.


    Lucia and Paul immediately stepped forward and asked about the situation, "Doctor, how is she?"


    "She has a crushed calf fracture and a traumatic brain injury, which is not very optimistic, but we have


    already done the treatment, and it depends on her recovery thereafter."


    When she heard these words, Lucia¡¯s body stiffened and chills ran through her body.She moved her


    lips, but could not say anything.She didn¡¯t expect Pa to be hurt so badly! Her nose was sore and


    tears flooded out uncontrobly.


    At that moment, her body went cold and she looked helplessly at Paul, "Paul...What can we do?"


    "Don''t worry, and I''ll figure it out."


    Paul knitted his brows and raised his hand to pat her shoulder, "Go see Timothy and J in the ward


    and I''ll contact the doctor.Don''t be afraid."


    Afterforting Lucia with some words, Paul walked her back to the ward.


    Then, he walked to the window of the hospital corridor and lit a cigarette.


    Not long after, with the sound of footsteps, a low voice rang out, "Mr.Thomas, you wanted to see me?"

 Chapter 456

    Chapter 456


    Will I let you go easily? Hearing someone call him, Paul took a puff of a cigarette, put out the cigarette,


    and turned his head.


    "Gin, from today onwards, you will stay with Lucia, Timothy, and J.


    No matter what happens, make sure they''re safe." After hearing his instructions, Gin nodded calmly


    and replied, "Yes, Sir."


    The next second, Pauls''s extremely cold voice echoed again, ¡°Furthermore, | want you to investigate


    what happened today!"


    "Yes, sir." After Gin left, Paul stood in front of the wall window, changing his usual warm demeanor into


    a deep and unfathomable one as his eyes showed nothing but coldness.


    Someone dared to harm the one he cared for the most.


    It was as if they poke a knife in his softest spot.


    He had endured it over and over again; he won''t let it happen again.


    Last time, Lucia was kidnapped on his birthday; August said that he would investigate.


    Paul waited for many days but got no reply.


    This time, he could not bear it any longer.


    Once he finds out the truth, no matter who the culprit was, he would show no mercy! On a rocky beach


    near the sea in the suburbs of Austos, a car parked with its door wide open.


    Not far from it, Jeanne was bending over and vomiting.


    Jeanne couldn''t help but vomit as soon as she got out of the car.


    Her stomach turned upside down while she was running away from the museum earlier.


    At this moment, the driver''s door was pushed open, and Mark stepped down.


    He took out his handkerchief and handed it to Jeanne before he sincerely uttered, "Miss, I''ve wronged


    you." Jeanne heard him.


    She raised her hand and waved his hand away as she said angrily, "Go away!" After bumping into


    Pa at the entrance of the museum, she drove wildly to escape.


    She wanted to go home but was stopped by Mark.


    He forced her into the backseat of the car and drove them to that shitty ce.


    If it weren''t for the fact that she was vomiting and feeling ufortable, she would have scolded him a


    long time ago.


    Mark was not angered by her action.


    He put the handkerchief on the stone beside her, and said without haste, "Miss, do you want to drive


    this car back to Kelly''s house? You hit Paul''s sister.


    Do you think he will let you go easily?" Jeanne, who was patting her chest forfort, turned pale


    when she heard this.


    Mark added in a deep voice, "If you drive this car back to Kelly''s house, you''ll be risking yourself.


    With Paul''s ability, he can trace you through the Austos''s surveince today.


    Think about it.¡± What he said made Jeanne''s face tense.


    She was speechless.


    After a while, she looked up at Mark, "That''s why you brought me here?" Mark nodded slightly.


    "Well, the only thing you did right is that you didn''t drive your car.


    In this way, all you need to do is discard the car.


    Even if they find the owner of it using the license number on the te, they won''t find you.¡± Jeanne got


    anxious and asked, "What about the surveince video along the way?" Mark replied softly, "Don''t


    worry about that.


    Let me handle it." After he finished speaking, he turned his head and nced at the car.


    "Now, we need to clean the car.


    Your fingerprints, hair, and everything that can be forensic must be removed." Jeanne was overjoyed


    and asked again, "Will | be safe then?" Hitting someone with a car was not in her n at all.


    What happened earlier was caused only by her impulsiveness and overwhelm.


    Pa''s condition was still unknown.


    If the situation was serious, Paul would pursue this case till the end.


    Now that she calmed down, she realized how stupid she acted! Mark shook his head.


    "It''s not that simple." In an instant, Jeanne¡¯s heart clenched.


    She reached out her hand subconsciously, took his hand, and said helplessly, "Mark, what should | do?


    | don''t want to go to jail!" Five years ago, Mark took the me for her and went to jail.


    Five yearster, she made an impulsive mistake again.


    What should she do this time? If she got caught, Paul would sue her! Mark frowned.


    "Miss, | told you a long time ago that you should not be too impulsive." Jeanne got up, grabbed Mark''s


    arm, and promised, "I won''t be impulsive anymore.


    From now on, | will obey you.


    Mark! You have to help me! Please!" After Mark heard her words, he remained silent for a long time.


    The more he kept, the more frightened Jeanne became.


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    In the end, she burst out into tears.


    "Mark, you are the only one | got now...¡± After a while, Mark finally let go.


    "Miss, | will help you.


    But from now on, you must listen to me." How many times did he have to go astray and pay for the


    consequences caused by Jeanne¡¯s impulsiveness? He could remember every single part of it.


    Jeanne nodded repeatedly.


    "Okay, okay! I''ll listen to you!" Mark nodded when he heard this, and turned to look at the car.


    "I''m going to clean the car.


    Wait for me, after it''s done, let''s leave." The first thing he must do was to solve the problem at hand


    before they would talk about the restter.


    In the central hospital, Paul pushed all his work aside and stayed by Pa''s side.


    Pa had been transferred to the intensive care unit with an oxygen mask on her face while


    surrounded by cold machines.


    Through the transparent ss, Paul looked at the pale body of her sister that was lying on the bed and


    felt devastated.


    He didn''t tell his parents about this.


    He wasn¡¯t even able to protect his sister well; he couldn''t face them.


    "Good night." Lucia walked out of the wardroom and looked at Paul''s back.


    A feeling of sadness rushed into her heart.


    Paul turned around, looked at her, and asked, "Huh? Are Timothy and J okay?¡± "| coaxed them to


    sleep."


    Lucia''s face shed with a trace of exhaustion as she said softly, ¡°Paul, | have something to tell you."


    Hearing this, he turned to look at her.


    "What''s the matter?" Lucia took a deep breath, clenched her fist unknowingly, and stated, ¡°What


    happened this time was not an ident."


    Paul frowned, stunned for a moment, and asked, "How did you know?" Originally, afraid that Lucia


    would be shocked, he deliberately asked Gin to keep his mouth shut.


    Unexpectedly, Lucia knew about it.


    Lucia clenched her cold hands, took a deep breath, and said, "Timothy told me that two men wanted to


    take them, but then Gin rushed over to help them.


    However, a car came and hit them.


    Come one! How could all of that be a mere coincidence?¡± Paul lowered his eyes and remained silent.


    From the very beginning, he knew that this was not a coincidence, so he sent Gin to investigate.


    But there weren''t any results yet.


    Lucia gritted her teeth as she spoke with her hand on her chest.


    "Paul, Timothy also said that the person he saw driving the car was a woman with long hair." After Paul


    heard this, a trace of surprise shed in his eyes.


    He looked up at her and asked, "A woman?" Lucia nodded firmly.


    "Yes, Timothy said he saw it." In an instant, the two of them fell into silence.


    Neither of them dares to speak.


    Finally, Lucia plucked up her courage and asked, "Tell me, could it be Jeanne?" Jeanne was the only


    woman in Austos who hated them!


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