Chapter 178 Lucian’s Attempt at Pleasing a Woman
Calista didn’t alight from the car, and Lucian didn’t force her to. However, he was already exerting
pressure on her by refusing to budge from his place at the door.
The pair were left in a stalemate. It was much colder in the mountains than in the city. The wind
whipping around them felt akin to a knife cutting against the skin.
In the end, it was the sudden ring of a cell phone that broke the silence. It was Calista’s phone.
The name flashing on display was “Paul Baker“. The letters seared themselves into Lucian’s eyes.
The man’s casual expression turned grim. She picked up the phone.
“Did you need something, Paul?”
She sounded far less lifeless than she did when speaking to Lucian.
“A friend of mine gave me a bunch of fireworks. I wanted to ask if you’d be interested in them. We
can go somewhere to set them off.”
In truth, Paul had gone out of his way to buy the fireworks. He knew Calista was alone in Capeton
and recently had a falling out with her uncle’s family before the New Year.
e had a feeling that she was having a hard time and wanted to cheer her up. But, he didn’t want to
burden her with the knowledge. That was why he claimed that they were a gift from a friend.
Calista glanced at Lucian with a hint of disdain in her eyes. Of course, it was directed solely at
him. Men only liked what didn’t belong to them.
The winter mountains were silent. Lucian could hear Paul’s words come loud and clear through.
the receiver.
Lucian didn’t know what was going through her mind. When Calista turned to look at him, he
assumed that she was thinking about how to shake him off to get down the mountain to meet up
with Paul.
He smirked.
“Are you done? We’re waiting for you to set off the fireworks with us.”
Paul was taken aback.
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“You’re with the Northwoods?”
+15 BONUS
Selena treated Calista as if she were one of her own. Of course, she wouldn’t be left spending the
New Year all alone in her apartment.
“Do you want me to pick you up?”
“No thanks.”
Calista didn’t want to delve into whether his statement about picking her up was just to set off
fireworks or to compete against Lucian.
“You should celebrate the New Year with Mr. and Mrs. Baker. Say hello to them for me!”
The man on the other end of the line fell silent for a second before answering, “Alright. Happy
New Year, Calista!”
With that, Paul promptly hung up. Her hands had been frozen stiff from the cold. Her phone
continued to remain in her grip long after the busy tone ended.
“Miss him already?” Lucian taunted. “It’s too bad he hung up so quickly.”
Calista put her phone away and pushed him away to get out of the car.
“Where’s the lighter?”
He handed her the lighter.
“It’s not completely dark out yet. Let’s head in for dinner and…”
His words were drowned out by a series of firecracker explosions.
She knelt in place with the lighter in one hand and small firecrackers in the other. Once they
were lit, she tossed them with no care for whether they looked aesthetically pleasing or not.
It was as if she were completing a task, albeit reluctantly. She looked ready to call it a day.
The fireworks that Lucian bought were high–grade goods inaccessible to the general public. Yet,
the colorful sparks being set off lost all its allure.
“Calista…”
Lucian pulled her to her feet and snatched the lighter out of her hand.
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+15 BONUS
“Did you have to make your show of ignorance so obvious even if you don’t know how any of this works? Is this how you set off fireworks?”
His anger now burned hotter than the fireworks that illuminated a part of the resort.
The firecrackers were so loud that Calista could barely hear him. All she could see were his lips moving. But his expression hinted that whatever was being said was far from kind.
Half a minute later, the resounding crackles finally ceased, leaving their surroundings even
quieter than before.
“Let me light one,” Lucian said irritably.
He bent down to light one up. The motion accentuated the lines of his hips and back.
Calista’s gaze fell on his back as she finally recalled when she had made that wish. It was during their first year as a married pair during her birthday.
Lucian had returned close to midnight that day and tossed her a hideous cake. He had claimed it
to be one of David’s failed creations intended for his girlfriend.
Even so, she was delighted by it. After her mother passed away, no one besides Yara remembered
her birthday. So, the wish she made had been one of careful consideration.
He returned to her side. He couldn’t help the satisfaction that welled up in him to see Calista
gazing blankly at the fireworks.
“Aren’t they more beautiful than any other fireworks you’ve seen before? Anything you can afford
in the market is ordinary at best. What more are the ones that are gifts?”
She shot him a look.
“What’s with that tone? Haven’t you and Paul been friends for years?”
“Would you and Yara still be best friends if she wants to steal your man?”
“Like that would happen. Yara isn’t interested in you,” Calista said without a hint of exaggeration.
The conversation came to a screeching halt. Neither of them spoke another word.
She looked up as the fireworks exploded into darkened skies. It was a brilliant sight and indeed.
different from ordinary fireworks.
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+15 BONUS
As far as her eyes could see, a cascade of purple flowers fell like a waterfall. It was magnificently
dreamy and lifelike
Lucian wasn’t the most pleasant person to be around, but he had an eye for appreciating the arts
Calista caniled. It was hard not to be happy to be presented with such a magnificent sight.
He turned to see the woman smiling with a sparkle in her eyes. Her fair complexion reflected the
splashes of color from the fireworks.
The tense atmosphere between the two had somewhat eased as a result. Half an hour later, only
one firework remained
“I hear making wishes on fireworks works pretty well. Do you want to try making a wish?” Lucian
suggested
He didn’t know whether or not wishes made on fireworks could come true. But, he was a miracle
worker. Calista had chosen to stay with him tonight over Paul. He could help make her wish come
true.
“Really? How effective is it?”
Her enthusiasm infected him.
He hummed and said, “Your wish is almost guaranteed to come true.”
As long as her wish wasn’t something as unattainable as the stars, he could make it happen.
Calista looked at the fireworks blooming overhead and joined her hands together. “I wish Lucian
and I will never cross paths again for the years to come…”
Before she could finish, Lucian came close to kiss her. She swiftly dodged his advances as he
leaned in, leaving his kiss falling short of his target.
His intense gaze filled with thickly–veiled anger bore down on her. Each word was enunciated
with a heavy bite. He was so furious that he seemed eager to strangle her.
“You want to be rid of me that badly?”
This was his first time trying to please a woman. But she wasn’t the least bit touched by the
gesture, she seemed entirely content to escape from him. It was almost laughable.
“That’s right,” Calista said.
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+15 BONUS
The air of amiability from moments ago vanished in an instant. It was instead replaced by stifling tension Lucian got up and sneered.
“If you’re that worried about me bothering you, rest assured that the fireworks display…”
He held his cheek.
“It was all part of Cade’s plan to woo Cameron. We weren’t sure if it would work. So, he had me
help pull it off.”
With that, he called Cade right in Calista’s face. Before Cade could get a word in, Lucian said, “I’ve
tried it. It doesn’t work.”
Then, he hung up the phone. Cade was left utterly baffled. He had no idea what was going on.
