Chapter 38 She Bit Him
Lucian frowned “You’re overthinking it. There’s a crucial upcoming project at Northwood Corporations
“The person in charge thinks highly of those with happy and harmonious families. So, if we divorce now, it might take me longer to secure the collaboration.”
Calista had only asked him to provoke him. Yet, his indifferent reply still stirred her heart.
“We got married in secret Not many people know that we’re married,” Calista argued.
“Yes, but some people are aware If the truth about us reaches the person in charge, then it wouldn’t be worth it for me to divorce you.”
As Lucian explained this to Calista, he carried her to the second floor. From her vantage point, she could only see the sharp line of his jaw. It was reminiscent of when she was in bed with him at the hotel. He appeared just as cold, arrogant, and domineering.
He brought her to the room, and an all too familiar sight greeted her.
To everyone else, Everglade Manor was elusive and grand. But to Calista, this was a prison where she had spent three years of her youth. Every nook and cranny of this house held memories of her spending her days and nights alone.
The memories of her unjust treatment over the past years turned into bitterness. Calista turned her gaze downward, unable to stand the sight of the room any longer. However, she
unintentionally buried her face into his chest by doing so.
Her sudden, intimate action dissipated the frustration lingering in Lucian’s heart. To him, burying
her head in his chest meant her submission to him.
Her hot breath dampened his shirt, making it stick to his skin. That sensation made Lucian’s body stiffen. He leaned down toward her to croon in a raspy voice, “Alright, don’t be so stubborn
anymore. You can move back in tomorrow…
However, his sentence was suddenly cut short by a low groan of pain from Lucian. He unwittingly
raised his voice as he yelled, “Calista! Are you a dog? How could you bite me?”
Calista loosened her jaw and studied her teeth imprints on his neck in satisfaction. She raised her
head to stare straight into his eyes with her own red–rimmed ones before trying to squirm out of
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This time, Lucian didn’t stop her. He put her down. His expression was downright thunderous. The look he gave her was no different from a look that he would give a rabid dog.
“Don’t be so arrogant, Lucian. If it weren’t for Yara, I would have never come here. Also, do you only know how to force women to submit to you? When did I ever say that I consented to you carrying me?”
Lucian remained silent. He remembered when she would do just about anything to receive a shred of his attention. But now, she despised his very touch. In fact, she didn’t consent to it either…
Lucian felt annoyed again. He raised a hand to rub at his temples instead of replying.
Calista regulated her emotions as she reminded herself of the reason why she was here in the first place.
“Are you really going to let Yara go to jail over a slap that Lily has probably already healed from?” she asked.
“She hurt Lily, so she should face the consequences.”
”
Calista gritted her teeth in annoyance. She thought back to what he had said earlier. It seemed like she had to cut a deal with him.
“You said that there was an upcoming project. I can wait until the project has been completed before proceeding with the divorce. However, you must ensure that Yara doesn’t go to jail.”
The silence in the room was deafening after Calista made her offer.
After a few seconds of silence, a crease appeared between Lucian’s brows again. He reluctantly nodded in agreement.
Now that she had settled Yara’s problem, Calista had no other reason to stay, so she turned to
leave.
She went straight to the police/station once she left Everglade Manor. Harvey was still at the
police station. Yara was free to leave after they had filled out the required documents.
“Lucian didn’t make any outrageous requests, right?” Yara asked concernedly.
Calista shook her head. “No.”
He hadn’t made any requests. She was the one who proposed the offer. All he did was agree
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Yara didn’t believe her Lucian had been furious and was hellbent when he had arrived at the police station earlier. But now, she was able to leave without any problems. So, it meant that Calista must have promised him something.
“I’m sorry. I lost control and got you in trouble as well,” Yara apologized quiltily.
“Nonsense. I’m not in trouble,” Calista replied with a smile before continuing, “If you hadn’t hit her,
I would have. So, if anything, you’re in trouble because of me.”
Since Calista had already assured her everything was all right, Yara didn’t say anything else. However, she made sure to keep a personal vendetta against both Lucian and Lily.
After that, Calista’s life returned to normal. She would restore documents at work and then restore artworks after work. Lucian never contacted her either.
One morning, Calista was called to Jacob’s office right after she arrived at the office.
“Here’s the thing, Claude. A representative from a television crew approached me and asked me to do one episode of their show on our work. What do you think?” 2
“I think it’s great. Not many people know about our line of work. And there are even fewer people pursuing this profession. This TV show could provide us the exposure we need to attract new recruits to join us!”
Few individuals are suited for the role of a conservator–restorer. One would have to work with dust and chemicals. One would also have to spend hours scrutinizing old artifacts without interaction. Also, the extended periods of intense focus might foster various workaholic tendencies.
Jacob shared the same sentiment. He nodded and replied, “I think the senior members won’t be
taking part in the show.
“Amongst all the young employees, you have the best skills. I was thinking of getting you to participate in the filming. Besides, this will also be a good opportunity for you to showcase your
skills”
There was a pause before he added, “You don’t have to worry. I know you like to keep a low profile.
So, if you’re uncomfortable on camera, you can talk to the crew about not showing your face. Our
skills matter more in our field than our faces.”
Calista understood what Jacob was trying to say but…
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Jacob smiled and continued, “Being on TV will help the company and your reputation. Reputation helps you earn more. It’s natural to want more money, right?”
Calista paused at that. It was unusual for someone as respectable as Jacob to say that.
Nonetheless, it caught her attention.
He was right. If she had a good reputation, she could get better–paying jobs.
Even though she had a solid reputation in her field, she wasn’t widely known outside her contacts.
Plus, her three–million–dollar debt was also an issue.
Calista pondered it a while longer before finally replying, “I’ll think about it.”
Later that night, Lucian was frowning as he massaged his temple in the VIP room at Luminary Lounge.
He was seated haphazardly on the corner couch. Two of his shirt buttons were undone, revealing his chest.
Cade had invited him for drinks at the Luminary Lounge tonight. The room was crowded, full of familiar faces from his field. Lucian hadn’t held back on drinks due to the familiarity and had consumed one too many.
He was extremely drunk when he fished out his phone. He squinted at his screen to call Jonathan.
After a few seconds, a woman’s voice came from the other end, “What is it?”
Lucian frowned. Was he having hallucinations? He had dialed Jonathan’s number, so why was he hearing Calista’s voice instead?
He hadn’t seen Calista since they resolved the issue regarding Yara. They worked in entirely different lines of work. She was also no longer his assistant, so they didn’t have any interactions at all.
Lucian looked at his phone screen and realized that the ID displayed on the screen was Calista’s name. He had called the wrong number!
