Chapter 174
Mason
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“Mason,” Julia called softly as I crossed the distance between us. My jaw set at the sight of her, and anger skittered through me.
“Who let you in?” I narrowed my eyes, looking past her. A few little minutes ago, I stepped out with Lydia and walked down this hallway, but she wasn’t here.
It seems I asked the wrong question: “How did you get in?”
Her face was pale, and dark circles sat under her eyes. Her hair was rolled in a messy bun; I had never seen her looking like this, unkempt and frail.
“I came through the gate,” came a weak reply from her. I maintained a five–foot distance between us.
“Then go out through that same gate,” my voice sliced through, cold and sharp.
I was reaching for the door, but she moved closer to me. Instinctively, I raised one hand to stop her. “Not another step,” I warned, and her feet froze.
I touched the tip of my nose. My day has been going well, and I needed no Julia to ruin it. “I have something important to say to you,” she spoke slowly, as if counting her words.
“You always have something to say,” I snapped, not giving a hint of care over whatever she had to say, “get lost before I throw you out.” I reached to open my door, but she held my hand.
Irritation crawled through my skin, “Don’t touch me.” My voice was calm, although annoyance squeezed my lungs, and I wiped the place she had touched.
Her face felt something unrecognizable dancing in those orbs as though she had not expected to be treated like this. Well, she shouldn’t have expected us to cuddle, should she?
She swallowed hard, “Let’s not make this harder than it already is between us. Our lawyers are already in touch, you can say anything you want, go-”
“Lydia is in danger,” her voice was low, almost a whisper, but I had heard those words.
I furrowed my brows. “I’m serious,” she inhaled softly.
“I know we’ve not been on good terms for the last days, especially after the entire stuff,” she squeezed her eyes shut briefly as if to dispel the emotions that were beginning to clog her voice, then opened them, “but I regret all that, and I want to make things right, that’s why I’m here.”
I tilted my head to the side, my jaw ticked as I watched her, but I didn’t interrupt her, not yet, “Victoria, she is planning to harm her.” I crossed my hand over my chest.
Her shoulder dropped helplessly, “You… you don’t believe me?” She asked, her eyes darting from one orb to the other, begging me to accept her words.
10:07 Tue, Oct 28 T
Chapter 174
“Are you done?”
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“I just said Lydia is in danger, don’t you care about that?” She lifted her brow, a mix of surprise and confusion
scribbled over her face.
“I’ve listened to you, don’t make me throw you out.” I’ve seen enough of her tricks, and I won’t be falling for
this.
I turned to the door, pushed it open subtly, then stopped and spun around, “and tell your ally that her trick won’t work this time.” Without another word, I stepped in and closed the door behind me.
I don’t know what mom had up her sleeve this time, but it would amount to nothing.
*****
I sat behind my table, a file was spread open in front of me. I scanned the file. I had promised Lydia that I would clear my schedule so we could go visit Tim, but that wouldn’t be possible. There was too much for me to do.
I sighed, placing the file on the table. I leaned into my chair and placed my head on the headrest, turning the chair from side to side. I could still smell Lydia all over me. I hadn’t taken a bath for fear that I might wash the
scent away.
Julia had tried to mess with my morning, but that wasn’t enough to wipe out the memory of Lydia and me being intimate earlier today.
I could still remember how her lips felt on mine. How smooth and soft her skin felt under my hand, how she moaned my name as I stroked her with my fingers.
The beep from my phone pulled me out of my trance, and I groaned before reaching for it. Such bad timing. My face immediately brightened when I saw that it was Lydia. It was a message.
Lydia: “Hey! Are you free?”
Before I could reply, my phone started ringing, she was calling.
Her face came into view once I took the call. My heart sped up heat rushed to my face as I saw the face of the woman I had been reminiscing about.
“You’re working?” She sounded disappointed as she asked.
“No, yes.. I mean, I…” sigh, “I had something to finish up,” her lips pressed into a firm line, I could tell she had a lot to say, but she held back, because at that moment, Melanie poked her head into the screen then said, “Liam, come over it’s Dad.” then her focus returned to me. She was now holding the phone, “Hey, Dad!” She greeted excitedly.
Liam soon joined her, and we spent a long time discussing. It ended with a promise to come take them out.
***
“Thank you, Mr Woods.”
10:08 Tue, Oct 28 T
Chapter 174
“The pleasure is mine.” I shook hands with Mrs Margret after concluding a successful meeting.
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The day rolled by quickly, I took a quick glance at my Rolex wristwatch, it was already past 7 pm. Daniel walked beside me as we approached the car parked in the distance.
“Lydia would be attending, too?” I asked, holding Daniel’s eyes briefly through the rearview mirror.
He nodded, honking at a slowly moving car in front of us, then he said, “Yes. I heard that from Mia yesterday.”
Tim left the country yesterday, which also means leaving Lydia’s hotel. We had lunch together one last time, I guess that was where Daniel and Mia had spoken.
I leaned into the seat, resting my head on the headrest, “Have you sent the email?”
“Not yet,” he replied, his voice holding a hint of amusement, like he could already tell the next words I’d say.
“Then don’t send it, since they are asking for my present earnestly, I’ll go to the event. No need to reject the invitation,” I said.
“I have your things ready. I knew you’d be available.” I gave a slight nod even though I knew he couldn’t see
- me.
The next day, I had only two meetings, which took 2 hours each. Once it was 5pm, I left the office in the company of Daniel, who drove me to the studio, which he had rented for me to get dressed.
I wore a grey Italian suit, and a golden Rolex sat on my wrist. I pulled my suit together before buttoning it.
Stepping out of the room, I walked to the car where Daniel was already waiting for me. The sun sank below the clouds.
The car drove at full speed, passing the traffic light just before it turned red. My phone beeped, a message from Lydia.
Lydia: “I’ll be done in thirty minutes. See you soon.” It was accompanied by a kiss emoji.
I relaxed into the chair, before placing the phone in my pocket. We got to the spot where Lydia was getting ready and had to wait twenty minutes for her.
Lydia stepped out, wearing the dress I had gotten for her. It was a limited edition yellow dress. The dress cost a few thousand dollars and was the second and remaining piece in the world.
As Lydia walked closer to me, I couldn’t help but wonder if her beauty kept growing with each passing day.
A delicate finger waved through my face, bringing me back to reality. Lydia was standing a few feet away from me. Up close, her beauty was blinding.
“Hey, have you been waiting for long?”
I shook my head, “No, just arrived.” I said, my eyes lowered to her pouty lips, which had been painted with red lipstick. It was inviting. “You look stunning.” I couldn’t hold the compliments for another second.
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Chapter 174
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She smiled shyly before tucking her hair behind her ear, “I know, right? Chloe, my personal stylist, refused to let me go unless I looked my best, so I guess we achieved that.” Her voice was soft.
Cameras went off immediately we stepped out of the car, we stopped for a brief interview, a lot of people were drawn to Lydia’s dress, and they kept throwing compliments.
After exchanging pleasantries with a few guests and business partners, we walked to our seats.
“I have a call,” Lydia said thirty minutes later, leaning on me, “I’ll be back,” she excused herself afterwards. It has been thirty minutes since the event began. After the speech by the chairman on the podium, the next item was watching fireworks, and I didn’t want Lydia to miss it.
Five minutes later, we were being led to the field where we’d be watching the fireworks, but Lydia hadn’t returned. I tried calling her, but it rang without her taking the call.
The sky stretched into infinity, designed by small stars which twinkled like diamonds.
The fireworks will begin in two minutes. Not comfortable being here without Lydia, I decided to go back to search for her.
I had barely taken two steps when I heard a thud, and a heartbeat later, a loud scream cut through the night. A crowd had gathered at a distance. I paused on my way and turned, taking slow steps towards the now growing crowd. No one cares about the fireworks anymore.
Once I saw the woman on the floor, the hair in my hand stood, and my eyes widened.
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
Synopsis : Worst Fear
