Chapter 118 Mr. Northwood Doesn’t Like Madam Calista
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Lucian opened his eyes. The white wisps of smoke escaped from between his lips.
None of the lights in the living room were on. The only source of light that illuminated the room
was from the street lamps outside the massive windows.
The already dim glow was further obscured by the smoke that lingered in the air, casting a hazy veil over his vision. He cleared his throat and hummed in response. David quickly sent him the manuscript after hanging up.
The brightness of his phone was rather harsh under the dim lighting. But, Lucian wasn’t in the mood to switch the lights on.
He simply checked through what he’d been sent despite the manor being equipped with smart home technology. All he needed to do was use the smart app to switch it on.
It was just as he expected. Calista had been caught confronting Lily. But, it only featured a photograph of her raising her hand. There was no follow–up.
The article’s text sympathized with Lily and insinuated that Calista was arrogant and overbearing, There was also mention of the incident of them spending the night together.
It implied that she had earned her position of Mrs. Northwood by climbing into his bed. The wording was mild. But, Lucian knew the draft was to test his reaction.
If he kept silent, the article that would be published tomorrow would be much harsher in tone.
“Should we go ahead with this, Mr. Northwood?”
Lucian ran his fingers against the armrest of the couch. His short hair and features were bathed in the intense pale light of the phone screen. It intensified the shadows on his face.
“Do you believe she forced me into a marriage by sleeping with me?”
David kept silent because he didn’t know what answer Lucian expected of him. He had once assumed that was the case.
Having worked alongside both Lucian and Calista, he observed the way his boss saw the woman. Anyone could see that he wasn’t fond of her.
But, with Lucian’s recently cryptic behavior, he knew things weren’t as straightforward as they initially seemed.
Lucían couldn’t blame David for his silence.
He continued hoarsely with a humorless smirk, “I’m the one who forced her into a marriage.”
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David had no idea whether or not Lucian was telling the truth. Was that what Lucian wanted him
to convey to the press? But no matter what it was, he knew exactly what Lucian meant.
“I’ll have them revise it immediately.”
“The journalist who wrote this press release,” Lucian paused.
“I never want to see them in this industry again.”
“Yes, sir.”
David felt no sympathy for the journalist. Anyone with a proper head on their shoulders wouldn’t
engage in their affairs. Regardless of how Lucian felt about Calista, she was still Mrs. Northwood
No matter how favored Lily seemed, she was simply an ex. All she was now was a mistress.
The next day, Calista was bombarded by articles about how loving she and Lucian were the moment she opened her phone.
The photo depicted the two of them holding hands and smiling while being interviewed by the media. She quit the application and opened the browser instead.
The trending search was about Lucian revealing his hidden marriage and his admission that he
was the one who forced the marriage to happen. Going into another app only led to the same news.
That was when she received a call from Yara. The woman could barely hide her surprise. She
sounded excited to hear about the latest gossip.
“What’s going on here, Calista? Aren’t you and Lucian getting a divorce? Then, I woke up to this announcement. Everything is happening so quickly”
Calista lay in bed and stared up at the ceiling in despair.
“Would you think I’m lying to you if I said I have no idea what’s going on?”
Yara fell silent.
“Is he finally realizing your worth and wants to win your affection now?”
“I don’t think so. It’s more likely he’s gone insane after suffering a beating from Hector.”
“Hector Calloway?” Yara asked.
Calista’s anger flared up. She scrambled to sit up.
“That scumbag. He laid a trap because he doesn’t want me to go out with Hector.“,
The photo was taken at the auction last night. The entire article was about their shared affection
for one another. There was no mention of Lily Scott.
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Given the media’s penchant to care about nothing but traffic, they wouldn’t miss the opportunity
to report on the massive scoop. Why would they only report the official announcement?
The mother–in–law was protecting her daughter–in–law and publicly shamed the mistress. It was
a topic that would generate buzz. Yet, there wasn’t any word about it.
It didn’t take a genius to guess that this was Lucian’s doing!
“How despicable can he be? He’s all lovey–dovey with Lily. But, I want to go out with a friend and
he makes a big show of it…”
With such extensive trending topics, anyone who read the news would know who she was. If she went out with Hector by herself, what would others say? His reckless behavior would not help their case. 1
Yara had no idea what had happened the night before. She didn’t share Calista’s sentiments and
cut her off.
“Wait. Hold on? Hector Calloway? The guy who always waits for you by the campus gates? The guy you see as a brother? Did you bump into him last night? You even made plans to grab a bite together?”
Calista recounted what had happened the night before.
“You should go.”
Yara smacked her thigh.
“Wait for me. I’ll do your makeup for you. I guarantee even your… Dad wouldn’t recognize you.” she had nearly slipped and said “Mom“.
She had been the number one fan of the Calista and Hector ship. Unfortunately, Calista never saw it that way. She never noticed Hector’s crush on her
One of them was married now and the other had no intention of starting a relationship. But, they could still hang out. It would soothe Yara of the pain of seeing them broken
up
“Forget it…” Calista said.
She didn’t want to involve Hector in this mess. She agreed to his invitation yesterday to hang out with a friend she hadn’t seen in years.
But now given that the meal would cause unnecessary trouble for the man, she should just forget about it.
“Wait for me. I’ll be right there. Lucian doesn’t want you to meet him. But, we’re not going to let things go his way.”
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With that, she hung up Calista was rendered speechless. It would take Yara roughly half an hour to get here Calista decided to prepare breakfast downstairs
She had just opened the door, only to find two stout men dressed in black suits standing in the
doorway She frowned.
“What are you doing here?”
She could hazard a guess on who was behind it. But, she asked anyway One of the men turned
around
“Mr Northwood sent us here to protect you, Mrs Northwood *
“Protect me?” she scoffed
She raised her voice “Are you protecting me or monitoring me?”
