Chapter 125 Jealousy
A few of Calista’s colleagues were with her. They all wore smirks as they shot her looks. After enduring a full day of teasing, she now had no problems keeping her calm as they watched her.
Chelsea Ferguson leaned over to whisper to Calista as she passed her by, “You didn’t cover up the love bites behind your ear, Callie.”
Calista, a woman who had dated and jumped straight into marriage, stayed as innocent as a virgin
in the last three years.
No matter how calm and composed she seemed, it was a challenge to keep a straight face when faced with such an embarrassing situation.
She immediately tried to cover her ears so Chelsea would stop staring.
“Don’t bother. Everyone has seen them.”
Calista had checked herself over in the mirror before she left the apartment. She had covered the
traces on her neck with concealer.
She wore a turtleneck sweater and a scarf on top of that. Even her hair which she usually kept
pulled up was down. She didn’t think there would still be traces she failed to cover up.
Chelsea was nothing if not a lively girl unafraid of what life threw her way. She noticed the blush
on Calista’s face and scurried away after saying hello to Lucian.
The studio, including the cleaning staff, consisted of only a dozen people. In the blink of an eye,
only Calista and Lucian were left at the entrance.
“Get in the car.”
“You should watch yourself, Mr. Northwood.”
Calista, who had been the target of his relentless pursuit, felt that her temper had escalated to the point she no longer felt anything. There was no anger when she saw him.
“How trusting of a woman do you expect me to be to get into a man’s car? A man who forced himself on her no less!”
She heavily emphasized how he forced himself on her, making it clear that she was still upset about what happened last night. Lucian looked at her.
After a moment of silence, he said, “Sorry. I couldn’t hold back.”
It sounded like an apology. And yet, there was no sincerity in his words at all. He was acting as if he wasn’t at fault. It was like he was saying that he simply slipped up and that he might do it
again.
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She remained silent. Forget it. There was no use in trying to reason with an animal. Why should she waste time with him? Trying to incite a reaction with sarcastic remarks was futile.
She could hit him. But a masochistic man like him would probably get off on that.
“Calista.”
He stopped her as she turned to leave.
“Your mother’s belongings. Do you still want them?”
She suddenly turned around.
The car was air–conditioned. The man was dressed only in a shirt and trousers. The buttons of his shirt were done up to the top just enough to reveal his Adam’s apple.
It gave him a look of restraint in his allure. But no matter how attractive he looked, it couldn’t hide his despicable nature.
“Why would you have my mother’s belongings?”
Zachary said he would send them to her. He had also given her a tracking number, but nothing arrived. There was a chance her belongings were long gone.
Even if there were any left, she held little hope that they would return them to her. She never
bothered to follow up with them.
Lucian was not a good man. But, he wasn’t one to lie to her about these matters. It was easy to retrieve the items as long as he said the word. It was such a simple feat that it wasn’t worth the
effort to lie.
“Get in.”
Calista took a deep breath and got in the car. He gave her a once over and noticed the woman took out a can of pepper spray and a car safety hammer from her bag.
Lucian did not doubt that the hammer was what she intended to use to smash his skull in.
They made their way to Everglade Manor. Calista had turned her head to look out the window the
moment she got into the car. It was clear she wasn’t interested in engaging in a conversation.
“Why did you throw the flowers away?” he asked.
“Why wouldn’t I? Should I have taken a photo and flaunted them on the forums too?”
Her statement was meant to be sarcastic but she had forgotten that Lucian was a confident man
After a few seconds of silence, he asked, “Jealous? Lily’s bouquet isn’t from me.”
To avoid getting herself worked up, she closed her eyes and pretended to sleep. Trying to explain
She was enduring this for the sake of her mother’s belongings!
They finally arrived at Everglade Manor.
She had moved out months ago. There were times when she would briefly return, but they were hurried visits. She hadn’t bothered to take a close look at anything and expected the place to look
unfamiliar.
However, everything inside was exactly as she had left it. Even the positions of the ornaments hadn’t changed. Her slippers were still in the shoe cabinet.
She moved out during the summer. But now winter slippers were waiting inside. It was as if she
had never left.
“Where are my Mom’s belongings?”
“Upstairs. In the guest bedroom.”
Once she got her answer, she ignored Lucian and sped upstairs.
There wasn’t much to be found. Everything was related to the restoration of relics and collectibles. She couldn’t be certain if they belonged to her mother, but she did find a few familiar items.
Lucian leaned against the doorframe and made no move to join her in the room.
“There were bags, clothing, and shoes that had been sold. Everything had already been worn. So, I didn’t buy them back.”
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Those were big–name brands. Despite it being second–hand goods, there were still those who were
interested in buying them.
Calista opened one of the toolboxes containing things for the restoration of relics. they weren’t worth much which explained why they were so well–preserved.
“Thank you. Can you give me a suitcase?” she asked.
Her mother had passed away a long time ago. She had long since reigned in her grief. But she
couldn’t help the tears welling up in her eyes at the sight of what was left behind.
“There aren’t any here. I’ll send for someone to get one but it might take half an hour.”
Calista had her back to him. Nothing seemed particularly wrong with her from where he stood.
“I still have a meeting to attend. I’ll have the servant bring it to you once they return.”
He closed the door behind him as he left. It wasn’t until the footsteps faded into the distance that she slumped into a chair.
How could there be no suitcases in the home? Lucian was indirectly conveying to her that no one would enter the room for the next half an hour. She was given space to vent her emotions as she
pleased.
She found familiarity with the items. They were all used by her mother. Minutes later, she lowered her head and buried her face in her palms.
Half an hour later, a servant arrived with a suitcase. She rejected help and personally packed up her mother’s effects before carrying them downstairs.
When she arrived downstairs, Lucian was in the dining hall where a sumptuous spread had been
laid out.
“Join me.”
Calista demonstrated what one might call an expression of cold indifference. She didn’t say a
word. She headed for the door with the suitcase in tow.
The manor was nothing if not spacious. There was a distance between the dining hall and the
entrance. The man stopped her just as she reached the door.
“I’ll drop you off after dinner.”
“Thank you for helping me retrieve my mother’s belongings. I leave you and your lover to your
date.”
Lucian was confused by what she meant until a familiar voice, soft in tone, called out, “Lucian
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