A Friend's Support

Back in his room, Julian closed the door, shutting out Lucian’s lingering doubts. The quiet of the space did little to settle the storm in his mind. He did not want Hayes projecting his desperate longing for a mother onto Sylvie. Yes, the woman shared Giselle’s face down to the exact shape of her eyes, but Julian remained convinced she harbored ulterior motives. A stranger could not simply waltz in and break through his son's severe defenses by sheer accident. Determined to get to the bottom of it, he took out his cellphone and dialed Giselle’s number.

"Beep. Beep. Sorry, the number that you have dialed is busy now. Please try again later."

Julian frowned, his dark eyes narrowing at the glowing screen. The official voice of the customer service operator grated on his nerves. He ended the call, slipping the phone back into his pocket. He assumed Giselle was tied up with her usual late-night work engagements.

Miles away, in a dimly lit, lavishly decorated hideout, the ringing of that very cellphone was abruptly cut short. Clive sneered, turning the device off before tossing it callously over his shoulder. The phone clattered against the porcelain of a massive marble bathtub, slipping near the drain grate.

Clive turned his attention back to the center of the room. He gazed smugly at the woman lying on his wide, velvet-draped bed. Giselle was unconscious, her breathing shallow, her delicate features pale under the ambient lighting. Clive’s eyes trailed over her motionless form, a sinister satisfaction curling his lips. Tonight was simply too amazing. He had snagged his prize without a hitch.

The sharp trill of a ringtone broke the heavy silence. Clive glanced at the wooden table nearby. His own cellphone vibrated against the polished surface. He snatched it up, a wide, greedy grin spreading across his face as he read the caller ID.

"Muriel Higgins, what is it?" Clive answered, his voice dripping with arrogance.

On the other end of the line, Muriel clutched her phone, her voice tight with eager expectation. "Chairman Garrick, I just want to ask you how things are going. Was it successful?"

She was vibrating with greed. Clive had promised her thirty thousand dollars as long as she delivered Sylvie to him. On top of that, Giselle had also promised Muriel a hefty sum once the deed was done. Added together, the money would fund Muriel’s lavish lifestyle for half a year. That financial incentive had driven Muriel to deceive Sylvie with that trick tonight, leading her straight into the trap. Now, Muriel was desperate to confirm the final results.

Clive threw his head back and laughed, unable to contain his glee. "It’s done! She is next to me right now! This young girl is just perfect." He licked his lips, his gaze crawling over Giselle's sleeping figure. "She is so fair and tender. A real beauty."

"Oh, that is wonderful news," Muriel sighed in relief.

"I will keep her by my side starting from tonight," Clive gloated, pacing near the edge of the bed. "I will not let her go back anymore. I will get the marriage certificate done in time. I will arrange for someone to send you the money tomorrow morning."

He imagined the days ahead, keeping this flawless woman locked away for his own amusement.

Muriel laughed without hesitation, the sound sharp and grating. "Okay, good. I don’t have a problem with that. It’s just that she has always had a very strong personality ever since she was young. You have to watch her and discipline her well."

Clive scoffed, a dark, throaty noise. "You don’t have to worry about that. No one can escape the secret room in my house."

Like sneaky rats in a gutter, the two of them finalized the transaction, sealing the fate of the woman on the bed. They remained blind to the massive mix-up that had occurred. The proud, successful Giselle had been reduced to a mere plaything, trapped in a tragic case of mistaken identity.

Meanwhile, oblivious to Muriel’s treacherous trap and the resulting disaster playing out across town, Sylvie stood on the curb outside the hotel. The cool night breeze brushed past her face. After surviving the evening's horrors, she had zero intention of returning home to face the woman who raised her. She pulled out her phone and called her best friend, Tessa.

Twenty minutes later, a bright pink compact car pulled up to the curb, its tires squealing against the asphalt. Tessa popped the locks, and Sylvie slid into the passenger seat, slamming the door shut.

Before Tessa could even put the car in drive, Sylvie unloaded the entire ordeal. She recounted the fake dinner, the terrifying realization in the hotel hallway, and the bizarre twist of running into Julian and his silent son.

Tessa gripped the steering wheel, her jaw dropping open. "How dare that old witch treat you like this? Has her conscience been eaten by dogs? No, that’s not right. Even dogs wouldn’t want to eat her dirty heart! She is inhuman!"

"Tell me about it," Sylvie sighed, resting her head against the cool glass of the window.

But Tessa’s outrage vanished in the blink of an eye, replaced by a sparkling, overwhelming excitement. She turned toward Sylvie, bouncing slightly in her seat. "Wait a minute! You met your son by mistake? And you will get to spend more time with Mr. Sterling in the future? Sylvie, this is a blessing in disguise! I am so envious of you!"

Sylvie groaned. "Don't start."

"I have to start! Do you think that you and Mr. Sterling will be in the plot of 'Domineering Chairman Falls in Love with Me'?" Tessa squealed, her imagination taking flight.

Sylvie rolled her eyes, leveling a stern, exasperated glare at her friend. "You are an adult, so when will you stop watching those stupid television dramas? Listen to me, Tessa. I am serious. You have to promise me that you will not let Aria know about her father’s existence."

All these years, Sylvie had maintained a strict lie, telling Aria that her father passed away. Aria was a smart, sweet girl, but she possessed an undeniable weakness: she was obsessed with good-looking guys. If Aria discovered her father was still alive, and that he was a handsome powerhouse like Julian, she would lose her mind. Sylvie pictured her daughter packing her little bags and trailing after Julian, forgetting her own mother in a heartbeat. Aria would be abducted by his charm without putting up a single fight.

Tessa stared at Sylvie, baffled by her resistance. "Why? He is Julian Sterling! The Adonis in the hearts of all women in Ashbourne, and an idol in the eyes of all men. If he finds out that you are the mother of his child, and that you actually have such a lovely and adorable daughter, he will definitely want to marry you. He would bring you back home with him. After that, you would make a massive leap in life. You will never have any shortage of food or clothing in the future. Wouldn’t that be great?"

Sylvie shook her head rapidly, crossing her arms tight over her chest to ward off the ridiculous fantasy. "No! No! I am not interested in that kind of blind man who can’t even tell his own wife apart!"

Her voice held a firm, unwavering edge. "Now, I only hope that Hayes will be able to regain his childhood innocence. I want his health to improve. After that happens, Julian and my sister can leave Arinthia as soon as possible. That way, I will have peace in my life once again."

Tessa looked at Sylvie’s resolute expression and shook her head emotionally. Other women would kill for the chance to get involved with a man like Julian. Why did her best friend have to be so stubborn? Tessa smiled to herself. Actually, this was perfect. Didn't those overbearing, domineering chairmen always fall for the stubborn women who rejected them?

Refusing to entertain the romantic nonsense for another second, Sylvie shifted the conversation to her real priority. "Well, the reason why I asked you to come pick me up is that I want you to help me out with a certain matter. I need you to pick Aria up and let her stay at your house temporarily."

Tessa frowned, the teasing fading from her face. "Move Aria? Tonight?"

"Yes," Sylvie urged. "You know that no matter how bad Muriel was to me in the past, she always treated Aria fairly well. I decided to keep staying at that house because the rent was expensive elsewhere, and I needed someone to help me look after Aria while I worked. But after tonight? The situation has changed."

Sylvie gripped the edge of her seat, a cold dread pooling in her stomach. "Muriel tried to sell me off to Clive Garrick tonight, even though she knows full well he has a sick, pedophilic fetish. She set that trap without blinking. I cannot guarantee Aria’s safety there anymore. I am really afraid that she might sell Aria off too if I don’t pay attention one day, especially since I will be busy dealing with Hayes."

Tessa’s expression darkened with realization. She nodded firmly, slamming the car into drive. "That old witch is so evil she will certainly do something like that. Let’s go. I will go and pick her up right now."

"Thank you, Tessa," Sylvie breathed out, a massive weight lifting off her shoulders.

"Hey, why are you thanking me?" Tessa laughed, the car speeding down the neon-lit street. She shot Sylvie a sideways glance, unable to resist one last jab. "Just don’t forget me when you finally marry Mr. Sterling."

Sylvie sat frozen in the passenger seat, bereft of words. She had genuinely never entertained the thought of a relationship with a man as cold and arrogant as Julian. Why couldn’t Tessa just let the joke die?

As Tessa hummed a cheerful wedding tune under her breath, Sylvie squeezed her eyes shut and rubbed her temples, fighting a rising, pounding headache.