Chapter 1

The pain shot through Olivia Levington.

She could not help but bite down on her lips. Her face soon turned red, and her eyes started to glisten.

Her hands were trembling as she clutched tightly onto the armrests.

The young lad behind her had his head hung low, with locks of hair covering half of his face.

When he heard her gasp, he lifted his eyes to look at her—dark eyes that were fierce and cunning.

"Are you sure you want to continue if you can't even handle this amount of pain?"

Olivia broke out in a thin layer of sweat, causing strands of her long hair to become stuck to the side of her face.

The young lad's eyes darkened, but his hand did not stop their movements. Not until the tattoo was completed.

"Done."

Olivia got up, rolled up the sleeves of her blue and white colored school uniform, and took a look in the mirror.

She grinned in satisfaction when she saw the small but detailed white rose on the side of her waist.

"Thank you, Wilden. It's gorgeous."

Olivia opened her eyes groggily as she woke up from her dream, and it was a while before she came back to her senses.

She could not count the number of times she had had the dream. Yet, she could only remember that there was a young lad, but not what he looked like or what his name was.

The frequency of these dreams had increased these past few days too, likely because she was tired from all the overtime she had been pulling.

Olivia shook her head to clear away all these random thoughts, then looked at the time. She and her boyfriend, Lucas Zarden, were going to meet his childhood friends later that night.

The parking garage at The Moon, an establishment for the filthy rich, was filled with luxury cars. When they got out of their cars, these rich men's eyes would all be lured by the beauty standing by the door, and they would wolf-whistle at her obnoxiously.

Olivia was used to this kind of behavior, so she merely averted her eyes calmly.

It was her first time meeting with Lucas' friends, so she made sure to dress more formally than usual.

Underneath her beige-colored coat was a long dress that emphasized her slim waist.

However, her clothes were too thin to withstand the chill of March, so Olivia was practically freezing at the time. Splotches of red were visible on the tip of her nose and her ears.

Lucas soon came out and felt sorry for her when he saw this.

He took her hand and said, "Your hand is so cold. Why didn't you go straight in, Liv? You must be freezing."

Olivia gave him an understanding smile. "It's okay."

Truthfully, she had been stopped outside by the security, but she was embarrassed to say that.

Lucas led her into a private room where six or seven people were already seated.

Someone teased, "No wonder you've been hiding her so well. Turns out she's a beauty. Aren't you going to introduce us?"

Many amazed gazes fell on her.

Olivia was indeed gorgeous.

She had a palm-sized face, a pair of mesmerizing eyes that seemed to shimmer, a perky nose, and red lips that were just the right thickness.

Yet, underneath this strikingly glamorous appearance was someone with a gentle and docile personality. And this kind of combination easily gave someone the urge to take advantage of and completely and fully possess her.

Moreover, she had trained in ballet in her earlier years, so she had a slender figure.

Even without any extra adornments, with her long hair draped across her back, and her white dress outlining the curves of her body, she looked as beautiful as a white rose that was just baptised by the morning dew.

Yet, the person herself was not aware of this.

Lucas introduced her to the group. "This is Olivia Levington, my girlfriend. I've mentioned her before."

Olivia gave a slight smile as a greeting. It was clear she was feeling shy, and she had not let go of Lucas' hand, at least not until a waiter reminded her that it would get warm in the room and generously offered to take her coat.

The waiter was so enthusiastic that she was unable to refuse him.

The moment she took her coat off, she felt a gaze hone in on her.

Olivia looked over instinctually.

On the couch sat a man wearing a meticulously tailored suit. He had broad shoulders and a narrow waist, and a pair of Cartier diamond cufflinks could be seen sparkling in the shadows.

He had one leg crossed over the other, and in his hand was a lit cigarette with its smoke rising to frame his intense-looking eyes.

Though his eyes were lowered, he still exuded a sense of cunning ruthlessness.

Maybe she imagined that gaze from before.

Olivia had been raised to be a well-mannered girl and a good student. Thus, she felt a natural distaste for people like him.

"This is Wilden Schumer," Lucas introduced.

Oliva gave him a nod as a form of greeting, whereas the man's eyes flicked up to her in acknowledgement before lowering back down again.

When she followed Lucas to take a seat, she caught a whiff of a crisp pine scent. It was faint, but like the person wearing the cologne, it carried a hint of unignorable coldness and aggression.

Her eyes fluttered. She then discreetly shuffled closer to Lucas.

Wilden's eyebrow perked slightly before he continued chatting with the person next to him.

"I just attended an academic conference, and now I'm overseeing a project at the company.

"There's nothing else I can do. The old man is watching me like a hawk. He's getting older, and he's not in the best health anymore, so I'm just trying to abide by him as much as possible."

"That's true," said Randall Wolfe with a nod.

He then continued to tease, "But it's really strange hearing those words coming from your lips, Wilden. You were infamous for being a devil-may-care trust-fund baby in your younger years after all."

Wilden gave him the side-eye. "Are you saying I'm old now?"

Randall nearly fell onto his knees. "My bad! I'm so sorry, Wilden! I'll pay for everything tonight."

Olivia usually found herself unable to join in on the conversations at these functions, so she could not help but feel a little awkward.

Unfortunately for her, Lucas was completely occupied with the conversation he was having with the buddy beside him.

A magnetic voice sounded from next to her.

"You've learned ballet before, Ms. Levington?"

Olivia looked toward Wilden. She did not expect him to initiate a conversation with her, so it took her a beat before she nodded her head obediently in response.

"For four years. Then I stopped learning."

Wilden appeared to be very curious. "Why did you stop?"

Olivia pursed her lips. "Some stuff happened at home."

With this, the conversation ended. Both parties tactfully chose to move on.

Not long after, people started to rush to input their pick of songs into the karaoke machine.

This left only Olivia and Wilden on the couch.

Oliva tried a small sip of red wine, but it choked her so badly she could feel her nose turning sore, and her eyes started to mist over. She was worried someone would see her tears that were threatening to fall, so she hurriedly grabbed a tissue to dab at her eyes.

"Red wine doesn't suit you."

Wilden handed her a glass of juice.

"T-Thank you," Olivia said with a rasp while hurriedly reaching for the glass.

She suddenly felt a little apologetic. She immediately overturned her initial judgement of Wilden. At the very least, his actions did not reflect the calculating ruthlessness he projected.

"If you don't mind, Ms. Levington, shall we exchange contacts?"

Wilden pulled his phone out. "I'll scan you."

He did not give her a chance to refuse him, but she did not think it was a big deal either. So she took out her phone and pulled up the social media's QR code for scanning.

Wilden left the gathering earlier, while everyone else left around 11:00 pm.

As he needed to send Olivia back, Lucas had restrained himself and not had any alcohol.

When they got into the car, a notification sounded on Olivia's phone.

"The dress you wore tonight was gorgeous. Next time, wear it for me alone."

She could not hide her shock when she saw this message.

"What's wrong, Liv? You look pale."

Lucas, who was in the driver's seat, had turned to look at her with a concerned expression.

Olivia hurriedly turned her screen off.

She bit her lip then, with a shake of her head, said, "It's nothing. I took in too much cigarette smoke earlier, so I'm just feeling a little bit light-headed."

Lucas felt a little guilty when he heard this. "It's my bad. Randall and the others insisted on meeting you. We've been dating since college, but I've never introduced you to them. The boys and I finally got the chance to hang out tonight, so I thought it'd be good for you guys to finally meet."

Olivia fell silent.

She had been with Lucas for three years now—two years while still in college and one more after graduating.

Today was the first time she met with his friends.

Wilden wanted to exchange contacts with her, and she did so out of politeness. But why did he send her such a suggestive message? Should she tell Lucas?

He and Lucas had known each other for many years and were as close as brothers. What if he was actually drunk and had accidentally sent the message to the wrong person? Then this would all just be one huge misunderstanding.

Or what if he was just playing something like truth or dare? In that case, things would only be awkward the next time they met if she needlessly brought it up.

Olivia's indecisiveness was on full display, perhaps now more than ever.

After running her options through her mind several times, she finally decided to put the matter aside first.

When they reached Olivia's place, Lucas gentlemanly opened her car door for her.

Olivia declined his offer to walk her upstairs. Once his car was out of sight, she climbed the steps to her apartment, still wearing her high heels.

Chapter 2

Olivia lived in an older seven-story apartment. It had no elevators and was located in a remote area.

But this was the best that she could afford to rent right now. After all, she had only just graduated, and she needed to save wherever she could.

Olivia's apartment was on the seventh floor.

There was a moldy smell in the stairway as no one had bothered to clean it for a while. Cigarette butts and other stuff could be seen on the ground.

Olivia had the torchlight function on her phone turned on, and she was just reaching for the keys in her bag when a low chuckle rang out from behind her.

She was so alarmed that she nearly dropped her keys.

"I see you're back, Liv."

Behind her, a middle-aged man with a scruffy beard and a pot belly was staring at her.

Oliva nodded, and her hand moved faster to unlock her door.

Walter Bingham stepped forward.

"Why do I smell alcohol on you? You're dressed very nicely too. Did you go somewhere to party, young lady? You really shouldn't be muddling about at night, you know. You might attract the wrong attention. I'm only saying this to you because you're so young."

The stench of alcohol and cigarette smoke attacked Olivia's nose.

Her stomach gurgled, and the urge to throw up became stronger and stronger.

This was only made worse when Walter's stubby hand landed on her shoulder and gently caressed her.

It was like a cold, slithery snake was sliding over her body and leaving behind slimy residue.

Finally, the door opened. She quickly darted inside at the first opportunity.

Afraid that Walter was going to follow her in, she hurriedly slammed the door shut and exhaled a big breath in relief.

She changed out of her high heels and into a pair of comfy slippers before heading into her bathroom.

Her middle-aged neighbor, Walter, who owned the building, was a loner with a penchant for drunken trouble-making.

When she had just moved here, he had run into her once. Since then, he would often initiate conversation with her.

In the beginning, things still remained normal. However, as time went on, there were a few occasions when he would straight up bang on her door late at night.

She dared not report this to the police as she was worried that he would retaliate. Fortunately, even though the doors in this building were old, they were still sturdy and relatively safe.

She had also installed cameras on the outside, which were linked to an indoor alert system.

As long as she did not open the door, he would not be able to do anything to her.

Olivia took a shower and let the water wash her problems away.

Thanks to her four years of ballet training, she had a beautiful body. Her waist was so small that two hands would be sufficient to circle around it. She had visible shoulder blades, and her legs were long and shapely.

Even though she was quite thin, she still had plenty of curves in the right places.

There was also a tattoo of a white rose on the side of her waist—a tattoo that made her body seem extremely seductive.

She brushed her fingers across the tattoo. Even she herself forgot exactly when the tattoo appeared on her body. She only vaguely recalled that it was some time after she graduated from high school.

Lucas sent her a voice message.

"Are you home yet, Liv?"

Olivia murmured a reply. Her voice sounded as gentle as her personality.

His reply came quickly.

"That's good to hear. Sleep earlier tonight. Good night."

"Good night. Love you."

Though their conversation was short and simple, they were clearly filled with warmth and affection.

She and Lucas had been dating since college till now, for a total of three years. Their relationship was comparable to a flowing river—long and steady.

They were both gentle-hearted people, so they barely had any disagreements. They would also often accommodate the other person in various aspects.

Lucas also respected her. Even though he had wanted to go further in their relationship, he still prioritized her wishes. Thus, the two of them had never crossed the line even until now.

Olivia's beauty was not a particularly conventional one. She was strikingly glamorous, but she also harbored a certain naivety. This combination was lethally attractive to men.

Her personality, on the other hand, was much more traditional. Once she decided on someone, it would be with the goal of marriage in mind.

When Olivia was about to put down the phone, she unwittingly caught sight of the plain black profile picture again.

It was aggressive and intense, just like the person behind the picture.

She long-pressed on the chat and deleted it, forcing herself to quickly forget this incident.

The next day, she clocked in to work on time.

Olivia studied mass communication in college. After she graduated, she became a financial journalist. Unfortunately, her recent job change meant she was still in her probationary period, and her salary reflected that.

She was mostly in charge of the collecting, editing, and planning of news stories.

"Olivia, you look a little tired. I bought coffee for everyone, so make sure to grab one."

Olivia smiled. "Thank you."

In her late 20s, Raven Lannister was the team leader and most experienced member of their department. She also took good care of Olivia.

"All good. Have a good day at work today."

Then, with a lift of her eyebrows, Raven leaned in and whispered secretly, "We're going to be really busy soon. Have you heard of Nupoint Group?"

Olivia shook her head.

"Nupoint is one of the top three companies in the country. They have been making big waves lately and purchasing a lot of properties. It seems like they intend to monopolize the market. Apparently, this is all the doing of the scion that was just newly appointed.

"He's really the big deal right now. All the news media wants to do a piece on him. Even our boss is super determined and is using every connection he has."

Raven then excitedly took out her phone. "Let me show you guys his photo!"

Everyone swarmed over to her.

Olivia was not interested, so she continued to work. The situation did not really affect her, especially since she was just a low rung on the ladder. She was mostly concerned with passing her probationary period anyway.

Lucas had asked Olivia out to dinner after work.

When she got off work, Lucas' car was already waiting outside the building for her.

A black Bugatti with one of those rare and super expensive license plates immediately attracted a lot of attention.

Lucas was wearing a black bomber jacket, and in his hand was a bouquet of roses.

Olivia and Raven immediately saw him when they stepped out of the building.

"Liv!" Lucas yelled while waving at her.

Feeling the envious and surprised looks of her colleagues, Olivia hurried over.

"Didn't we say we'd meet at the restaurant? Why'd you—"

"I wanted to give you a surprise," Lucas chuckled. "Happy third anniversary!"

Olivia stilled for a second.

"Third anniversary? I'm sorry. I've been so busy that I forgot."

Lucas gathered her into his arms. "It's okay. I know you've been busy lately. We just need one of us—and by that, I mean me—to remember.

"Get in the car. I have somewhere to take you. Your colleagues are all watching, and they're getting an eyeful."

Olivia turned around. Behind her were her colleagues, all looking especially nosy. Her face immediately heated.

When they got into the car, Lucas chivalrously buckled her in.

Olivia recalled the events from the night before and pretended to ask off-handedly, "Are you close with Wilden Schumer?"

Chapter 3

Lucas answered after giving it some thought.

"We were closer before. Our parents had some business dealings, but the Schumer family's business has expanded to be much bigger than ours now, so we slowly lost touch.

"We haven't seen each other in two years actually. Randall was the one who extended the invitation last night. I didn't know he was coming either."

"What kind of person is he?" Olivia wanted to know what Lucas thought of that man.

"He studied at a neighboring high school," recalled Lucas.

"Oh! I think it's the same one you went to. He was living with his grandfather then. He ended up getting in a huge brawl with some of the hoodlums from our school and got in trouble. The school even had his guardians come for a meeting, and he was nearly kicked out.

"It was only because his family donated some facilities to the school that he was allowed to stay."

Olivia unknowingly furrowed her brows as she heard this. She had not expected Wilden to be a schoolmate of hers.

However, whether it was in the past or the present, they were never going to be from the same world.

If it were not for that gathering, they likely would never have any interactions.

After giving it some thought, Olivia resolutely dug out that contact with the plain black profile picture and deleted it from her friends list, then exhaled a long breath.

Lucas had made a reservation at a restaurant of a private club.

The place was designed very stylishly, and there was a view of the river through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Street lights beamed, and neon lights flickered. The whole city was reflected in the river.

In this place where every inch of land was worth a pot of gold, lavishing in extravagance was but a daily occurrence for the wealthy.

Their table was next to an outdoor swimming pool.

"I know you prefer having lighter dinners. This place makes excellent salads and soups."

Then, Lucas took out a jewelry box from his breast pocket. He looked at her earnestly before opening it and taking a necklace out.

It was the classic four-leaf clover necklace from Van Cleef & Arpels, but the Valentine's Day limited edition.

"Liv, happy third anniversary. I love you."

He then stood up and walked behind her to put the necklace on for her.

Olivia had a perfectly beautiful swan-like neck. Her skin was so fair that she suited wearing any kind of jewelry.

When he was choosing his present, on top of wanting to show how he felt, he also had a little bit of a self-serving reason.

She was like an innocent but alluring white rose, and there were many who wanted nothing more but to leave their mark on her.

Lucas could not stop himself from taking out his phone and taking a few photos of her.

…

By the swimming pool sat a man with iciness dripping from his dark eyes. His hair was damp, and there were beads of water sitting atop his eyelashes.

He only had a towel covering his lower half, so his broad shoulders and narrow waist, along with his chiseled abs and prominent Apollo's belt, were on display.

A sexy temptress was heading toward him. As she strutted over, her chest bounced with each step.

Her eyes fell on the man. Her gaze was filled not only with infatuation but also determination.

As long as she could land that man, she would never want anything for the rest of her life. Moreover, both his looks and his physique were top-notch.

The woman nonchalantly eased closer to him as she handed him a towel. Then, while giving him a seductive look, said, "Mr. Schumer, what a coincidence. I met you at a dinner previously. Do you still remember—"

Wilden shot her a look. There was no warmth in his eyes at all.

The woman was so taken aback that she quickly lowered her head. "I-I'm sorry. I'll leave right away."

He took the towel and roughly dried his hair before throwing it to the side. His whole being exuded a sense of unrestrained wildness.

He grabbed his phone and scrolled through the recent updates on his social media page.

That was when he saw Lucas' post of "Happy Third Anniversary" along with a series of photos.

Wilden's lips curled up into a smirk before he gave a snort of derision, and his eyes darkened.

He stared at the photos of Olivia for a while.

He then clicked on Olivia's profile picture to bring up the chat. He typed in a message and pressed send, but the moment he did, he received a notification that made him narrow his eyes.

He had been deleted from her friend list and thus could no longer DM her.

Wilden blinked in surprise, then broke out in a low chuckle.

This was something to be expected.

But for the things he wanted, he would always get them by any means necessary.

…

Both Olivia and Lucas had a bit of wine, so they called for a driver instead.

Lucas suggested that she stay over at his place for the night, and she agreed because she was too lazy to make the extra trip. Lucas' place was not far from where they were currently.

Lucas lived in a very high-end apartment. Even the front door used a state-of-the-art fingerprint entry system. The living room was also spacious and spotless, with a minimalistic black-and-white design.

Olivia did not drink alcohol often, much less would she drink a lot in one sitting.

However, it was a night of celebration, so she had a few fruity cocktails.

The taste was refreshingly sweet and zesty, but once the alcohol kicked in, it kicked in hard.

Her body sank into the soft couch with her coat spread open around her. She was wearing a white shirt and a tight pencil skirt.

A few of the buttons on her shirt had come undone, so one could vaguely see the beauty that lay underneath.

Lucas froze for a bit before averting his gaze. Then, he picked her up in his arms and headed toward the guest bedroom.

"Liv, don't sleep on the couch."

"No…" Olivia snuggled herself into him.

The hair on the top of her head rubbed against his chin while her red lips were pressed against his chest. As if feeling a little uncomfortable with how she was positioned, a few whines escaped her.

The sounds sent a bolt of electricity shooting through him.

Lucas was a gentleman, but he was also a man with desires.

"Liv," Lucas started as his Adam's apple bobbed.

His voice had grown raspy too. "Can we…?"

Olivia had not heard one word he said, but she continued to mumble, "I… No…"

Lucas sighed when he heard this, then continued carrying her to the guest bedroom. His movements were so gentle and careful, as if he were handling some priceless treasure.

He tucked the blankets securely around her. After seeing how peacefully she was sleeping, he pressed a kiss on her lips.

"Liv, I'll wait for the day you're happy and willing."

…

When Olivia arrived at work the next morning, Raven had just come out from the manager's office.

"Liv, there's an important dinner tomorrow night. The manager asked for two from the editorial department to attend. So, you'll come with me," she told her in a hush.

"Be sure you do well. Who knows. You might become an official staffer at this company after this."

"What kind of dinner?" asked Olivia.

"It's regarding the Schumer scion," Olivia answered in a low voice.

"The company doesn't want news to spread, so only those from the board know. And since you're still in your probationary period, I thought I'd take you along so you can get some experience."

Olivia hesitated. "I think it'll be better if you find someone else. I'm worried I'm too green."

Raven gave her shoulder a pat. "It's decided. I'll send you the material later so you can go through them. This will be a great opportunity for you. Make sure you make the most of it!" she said before she sauntered away.

Olivia considered this carefully. She understood that this was Raven giving her an opportunity.

She gave herself a quick stretch and then promptly downloaded the documents.

She became engrossed with work for the rest of the day, and even when her colleagues asked her out for dinner, she declined.

Instead, she went back, made herself a cup of coffee, and then continued studying the material from the day.

The coffee machine was a new one.

Ever since her parents passed away, her quality of life dropped greatly.

She was sent to live with her uncle, and though they were all quite nice, they were but an average family. The things that could be provided to her were limited.

Olivia always had high expectations when it came to the items she used.

For example, the clothes she wore had to be at least a few hundred dollars, her shoes needed to be retired after a month of wear, and things that were out of season were never touched.

Also, she never drank instant coffee.

Even though the princess had now turned into a pauper, her need for expensive tastes had been etched into her bones and would not be changing.

However, with her current financial capabilities, the best she could do was buy herself a coffee machine.

Suddenly, someone started banging loudly on the door.

Olivia glanced over, and her face immediately paled.

She shut her laptop. She was so nervous that there was a layer of sweat on her palms.

The banging continued relentlessly. Then, without warning, a bottle crashed against the door, breaking into pieces.

Slurred shouts erupted from Walter.

"Liv! Open the door! I forgot to grab my keys when I left the apartment earlier. I'll stay with you for a bit."

Getting no response, Walter spat on the ground, his anger rising.

Chapter 4

"Fuck! Open the door, bitch! Do it while I'm still asking nicely!

"Don't pretend to be some innocent thing when you're clearly a whore! Don't think I haven't seen you coming home in some guy's car. That guy is your boyfriend, isn't he? You've already slept with him, so why can't you sleep with me too?"

Walter's shouts were getting more and more appalling. He continued to bang on the door again and again, as if letting his anger out.

Teeth clenched, Olivia pulled out her phone to call the police.

The police arrived within five minutes and immediately detained Walter.

Perhaps because the cops were there, the neighbors from the other floors decided to stop holding back too. They flocked over to express their anger toward Walter and speak up on her behalf.

"He's a totally shameless man! He often bangs on this young lady's door after midnight!"

"The young lady doesn't want to give him the time of day, so he starts spewing absolute filth. Even we can't stand it!"

"Does this constitute harassment? Hurry up and arrest him!"

With the neighbors providing testimonies, Olivia was not required to go to the police station.

Walter was cuffed and led away, but not before shooting a hate-filled glare at her.

Olivia was freaked out by this. When she closed the door behind her, she could no longer stop her tears from gushing out.

She crouched down and hugged herself tightly while placing a call to Lucas.

"Lucas…"

Lucas instantly panicked the moment he heard the sobs.

"What's wrong, Liv? Don't cry. Tell me what happened."

"Lucas, I'm really scared. Can you come and keep me company?"

He fell silent for a beat.

"I'm sorry, Liv. Something's up at home, and I can't leave right now. But I'll go to you right away after I'm done, okay?"

"That's okay."

Olivia sniffled, wiping her tears away. "You go back to what you were doing."

When you needed someone the most but that someone could not come, it was natural to feel disappointed. But she had already become accustomed to this over the years.

…

Even though it was March, the evergreen trees on the sides of the roads were still covered in frost. There was no indication that the weather was warming up either, and it was still just as cold. It was only spring in name.

When Olivia arrived, the CEO, team leader, and manager were already there, along with reporters from other departments, making it clear this was an important dinner.

The manager, Charles Hansen, took a look at her and frowned. Then, in a low voice, he turned to Raven. "Didn't I tell you to bring someone experienced? Why did you bring someone still in their probationary period?"

Raven could only smile sheepishly after being told off. "Mr. Hansen, we need to give the new kids a chance."

Upon hearing that, Charles had no choice but to let the matter go.

A few minutes later, the company's CEO, Arthur Zelenski, abruptly stood up and rushed outside to lead someone in.

To be more specific, he very respectfully ushered someone in.

The man who walked in was wearing an immaculately-tailored black suit. He had broad shoulders, legs so long and defined that they appeared domineering, and eyes that exuded a sense of cunning ruthlessness.

He only needed to stand there—like a majestic tree, standing tall and firm among the wasteland—and no one would be able to avert their eyes or have the nerve to desecrate him.

It was the unmistakable air of someone who had always been at the apex of power, whether bestowed at birth or ruthlessly acquired.

The atmosphere seemingly froze with his arrival.

"Mr. Schumer, I've heard great things about you."

With a grin that nearly stretched from ear to ear, Arthur pulled a seat out for him.

Olivia was there mostly as a seat-filler anyway, so she was not too interested in what was happening.

That was until she heard a familiar, magnetic voice.

"You're too kind, Mr. Zelenski."

Just then, a sharp thud alerted Raven to the fallen glass on the table. Raven quickly righted it.

"Liv, be careful."

Olivia bit her lips in awkwardness. She lowered her head and pretended to wipe at the splatter that had gotten on her shirt.

Thankfully, Wilden's gaze only flickered toward her briefly before looking away, as if he had not recognized her.

Olivia breathed a sigh of relief.

However, in the next moment, she realized that the man had declined Arthur's seating arrangement and had instead sat down next to her.

"Here is fine," said Wilden with a smile.

He was humble and polite in the way he talked, which greatly differed from the first impression he had given her.

Arthur nodded in response, then immediately had the others move their seats accordingly.

Charles took a look at Olivia and coldly told her off, "Ms. Levington, read the room. Can't you see we have things to discuss with Mr. Schumer?"

Olivia did not even have a chance to react before Wilden answered, "No need to move. This is fine."

Charles nodded his head awkwardly. "You're right, Mr. Schumer. This looks good too. Haha!"

Wilden narrowed his eyes at him—eyes that held no warmth.

Goosebumps erupted over Charles' skin. He could feel something was wrong, but he did not know what specifically had set their esteemed guest off, so he could only smile apologetically at him.

Olivia sat back down awkwardly.

Everyone at the dinner was pulling out all the stops to have a conversation with Wilden. And Wilden answered them all politely and graciously. No one would be able to nitpick anything about him.

Olivia was quite surprised. She had assumed that a scion like him would be arrogant and narcissistic, but it appeared that this was not the case.

Arthur took the opportunity to ask, "Mr. Schumer, could we perhaps conduct an interview when you have the time?"

The corner of Wilden's lips curled up when he heard this.

He was very obliging. "I don't see a reason to say no to your enthusiasm, Mr. Zelenski."

Arthur was both flattered and shocked by how quickly Wilden had agreed to it.

There was a reason why he felt surprised too. He had had to pull a lot of strings and use his connections to schedule this dinner, and he had also learned that Wilden was not someone who easily agreed to things.

So for Wilden to oblige so easily was a surprise to say the least.

Arthur was ecstatic. "Then here's to a great working relationship! To Mr. Schumer!"

Hearing this, everyone hurriedly reached for their glasses.

While Olivia was still hesitating, the wine glass in front of her was taken away.

"Let's skip the toast. She doesn't do well with alcohol."

The whole room fell silent.

Olivia turned to Wilden in a daze.

Arthur was the first to regain his composure. Crinkles appeared around his eyes as he smiled.

"You know Ms. Levington? What a coincidence! I guess this is all meant to be!"

Olivia could not get a word in, so she remained silent. Moreover, she did not have the standing to speak up either.

The incident from before had not even been dealt with, and now there was this.

She did not understand what was going through Wilden's head.

When dinner ended and everyone was preparing to leave, Olivia took out her phone to get herself a cab too.

Arthur suddenly called out for her.

"Ms. Levington, wait. Mr. Schumer had wine earlier, so he can't drive. You should send him home."

Olivia wanted to refuse. "Mr. Zelenski, I've already—"

"Hurry," Arthur said while giving her a look.

Olivia swallowed her words. She had no choice but to follow Wilden to the basement carpark.

Wilden, who was ahead of her, suddenly turned around.

She was so alarmed that her steps faltered.

"Ms. Levington, you seem afraid of me," said Wilden with a perk of his eyebrow.

His eyes were still as intense as ever, but beneath the intensity was a hint of teasing and mirth.

Even when he tried to tone it down, his presence remained more aggressive than most.

Olivia plucked up her courage and raised her head to look at him.

She said with a polite but reserved smile, "I'm not. It's just better if we keep a certain distance, given we're the opposite sex.

"Moreover, Lucas is my boyfriend and also your friend, so we should be more careful with our actions too."

Chapter 5

Wilden snorted before saying airily, "What a clear distinction, Ms. Levington."

The temperature around them dropped a few degrees, and Olivia could feel a heated gaze on her.

She clenched her fists together tightly.

"Ms. Levington, I think you may have misunderstood. A friend of mine took my phone without my permission and played a joke. I didn't expect him to send it to you. If it offended you, then I apologize," he said in a nonchalant tone.

"However…"

He took a beat, then, with a devilish lilt, continued to say, "I'm very curious. What did he send exactly to make you react so harshly and delete me from your friend list right away?"

The words from the message flashed across Olivia's mind, and a slight blush spread across her face.

"It was nothing. Turns out I misunderstood," she said with a smile.

It was similar to what she had guessed. Wilden was not the person who sent it; it was just one big misunderstanding.

Moreover, Wilden did not even need to make such a joke.

In other words, with his status and power, he only needed to curl his finger and women would be throwing themselves at him. Why would he need to covet his friend's girlfriend?

Even under the dim lights of the basement car park, Wilden could clearly see each and every one of her reactions.

His lips curled slightly. "Weren't you going to send me home?"

…

The Maybach drove into a luxurious mansion located on the east side of the city.

Through the windows, a greenhouse could be seen. In the greenhouse, a whole field of white roses bloomed beautifully under the moonlight. Water droplets were on the petals, and they looked as pure as they did beautiful. There was something breathtakingly mesmerizing about them.

Cultivating that many white roses during the harsh winter would have required a substantial amount of money and labor.

Olivia never imagined that Wilden was someone who liked white roses that much.

She turned to look at the man sitting in the passenger seat.

The man furrowed his brows slightly. He appeared tired, and with his eyes closed, his eyelashes projected long shadows onto his face.

"Mr. Schumer, we've arrived."

"Mr. Schumer?"

She repeated this for a few more times, but the man remained motionless.

She had no other choice but to get out of the car and open the door on his side.

She then gave his shoulder a nudge and tried to pull him out of the car.

"Wilden."

That woke him up a little. He got out of the car, stumbled for a bit, then leaned himself against Olivia without even realizing it.

She had to support almost half of his body weight.

By the time she got him to the front door, she was already sweating.

The door used facial recognition to unlock, so she managed to get in.

Just as she was about to place the man on the couch, the weight on her increased.

Caught off guard, she lost her footing and was squished into the couch.

"Ah!"

The crisp pine scent attacked her senses, feeling both intense and unfamiliar.

Wilden's warm breath was very close, mostly brushing across her neck. The breaths were like shocks of electricity zapping down her spine, and the tingles they gave her made her face blush as red as a tomato.

She raised her hand to push him further away from her.

"Mr. Schumer… Mr. Schumer, wake up."

He was so heavy that she could barely breathe. Her chest heaved, and her breaths were shallow and ragged.

Moreover, he seemed to be quite drunk, and there was no sign of him waking up at all.

Anxiety coated Olivia in a layer of sweat.

"Mr. Schumer!"

Her struggles caused the two top buttons of her shirt to pop open. Her legs were a chaotic jumble with his, and sweat matted her hair against her face.

Wilden's bent legs held her captive, impeding her egress.

Her face flushed red, and her red lips hung slightly open. She was panting and gasping for air.

Due to her overdeveloped tear ducts, her eyes were also glistening with tears.

All of this added up to a particularly sensual scene.

Finally, the still-asleep Wilden flipped over.

Feeling the weight lift off her, Olivia hurriedly pushed him aside, leaped off the couch, and then headed out the door without another backward glance.

Once Olivia was gone, Wilden's eyes snapped open, alert.

…

It took only one night for the news of Olivia and Wilden to spread around the whole company.

She had just arrived at work when Raven and her other colleagues eagerly swarmed her, wanting to hear more about Wilden Schumer.

"So Wilden is your boyfriend's childhood friend? No wonder he declined the wine on your behalf, Liv."

"Wilden sure is good-looking. He's so much more distinguished in person than in the photos. Even those top celebrities would look less desirable when standing next to him. I didn't even dare take one extra glance at him last night. Oh right! Does he have a girlfriend?"

"I'm sure he does. These kinds of rich men from rich families never lack female companions."

Olivia could only chuckle awkwardly. "I really don't know him well. We've only met a few times."

Around noon, Charles asked her to go to his office.

"Mr. Hansen, you asked for me?"

She took a beat before continuing, "I haven't finished the monthly report. Please give me the rest of the day, and I'll try to finish it by tonight."

Charles had his eyes crinkled in a smile. "Ms. Levington, I mean, Liv. There's no rush for the monthly report. You can take your time on it. I was too strict on you before, but that was because newbies needed to be trained. It was in the best interest of the company and for you as well."

Olivia listened to him quietly, then smiled. "Is there anything else, Mr. Hansen?"

"You know the company is preparing to interview Mr. Schumer recently. Since you and Mr. Schumer know each other, I intend to have you be fully in charge of the whole interview."

Olivia was taken aback. "Me? Fully in charge? But I work in the editorial department."

"That doesn't matter at all. Didn't you conduct interviews at your last job? Thinking about it now, having you in news coverage and editing is greatly underutilizing you. When you're done with Mr. Schumer's interview, I'll transfer you to the reporting department. How does that sound?"

This was undeniably good news for Olivia. She was indeed more experienced in doing reporting work.

If it were not necessary, she would not have resigned from her last company. And because she got on someone's bad side, she was nearly blacklisted by the whole industry. When she was at her wit's end, it was Suncrest Technology that gave her a chance.

"Alright. Thank you, Mr. Hansen. I'll do my best not to let you down," she said with a nod.

"That's the spirit."

With a crafty expression on his face, he said earnestly, "You have a good academic background and great qualifications. You don't have to worry about not having chances to move up the ladder at all."

He watched Olivia leave his office before taking a long exhale, as if he had just completed an important mission.

Who would have expected that this employee of his would catch Wilden's eyes?

That esteemed guest of theirs had purposely hinted to the boss that Olivia should be the one to handle the upcoming interview. If it were anyone else, then it would be called off.

That surely sounded like they were more than just acquaintances, and clearly, Wilden's interest lay not in the interview.

Lucas came to pick Olivia up from work. He was not wearing his usual casual style but a white suit with a black shirt underneath. His hair was slicked back nicely, not even a strand out of place. The newest indigo-colored Porsche behind him made him appear even more distinguished.

The scene attracted many looks from passersby.

A young lady, who was also walking by, whispered something to her friends before walking up to him with a smile.

Olivia had just walked out of the office building when she caught sight of this.

Chapter 6

The lady was wearing a sexy pencil skirt, and large sensual curls framed her face. With a shy expression plastered on her face, she flirtily and boldly placed a hand on Lucas' shoulder.

"Hey, handsome. You're dressed nicely. Are you waiting for me?"

Lucas glanced over the lady and was about to say something when his eyes suddenly brightened.

He took out the champagne roses from the car and strode right up to Olivia without sparing another look at the lady.

"Liv."

Olivia reached for the flowers with a smile and glanced at the luxury car behind him.

She remembered Lucas was driving a Bugatti the last time he picked her up, but he had switched to a Porsche just a few days later.

"What's wrong?" Lucas waved his hand in front of her face.

"Nothing." Olivia shoved down the feeling of distance between them.

A little distance ahead, the sexily dressed lady spun around in indignation. But when she caught sight of Olivia's face, a look of shock flashed across her face. Then, she lowered her head, clenched her teeth, and stomped off in her stilettos.

Olivia did not pay any attention to her behavior.

Once they got into the car, Lucas chivalrously buckled her seatbelt for her, then suggested they go try out a newly opened restaurant.

"I'm sorry, Liv. My father had me take care of some work stuff that night, and I just couldn't get away," he said, looking very apologetic.

"What happened exactly?"

The events from that night flashed through Olivia's mind. She recalled how Walter had banged on her door incessantly, as well as the hate-filled glare he shot her when the police took him away.

Those were all distressing memories.

She was even more embarrassed to bring it up to someone who shone as brightly as Lucas.

That was why she never let him walk her up to her apartment.

Behind her polished appearance hid the damp, musty stairway that reeked of something rotting, the overhead lights that were not working and had never been fixed, as well as the walls with the paint peeling off.

That was the last piece of dignity that she could hold on to.

Olivia shook her head. "It's nothing. It's all in the past."

Hearing this, Lucas did not pursue further and instead changed the subject.

"Liv, where do you want to spend your birthday?"

"Birthday?" Olivia looked at him in confusion. The man's profile was reflected in her eyes.

Lucas nodded. "That's right. Your birthday is next week. You didn't forget, did you?"

Olivia stilled, and it took her a few seconds to snap back to her senses. Then she blinked her eyes slowly.

Her series of actions were adorable.

Despite her strikingly glamorous appearance, she often behaved with a child-like innocence. The contrast was so great that it gave her an indescribable sense of vibrancy and sensuality.

Lucas broke out into a grin and stroked her head with one hand.

"Such a silly billy to forget your own birthday. I often hear people say that women get scattered-brain after they give birth. What are you going to do when we get married and actually have children of our own?"

Olivia shot him a side-eye for his teasing.

"Who said I'm going to have children with you?" she blurted, feeling flustered.

Lucas pretended to be mad. "Who else are you doing to have children with?"

A sense of anticipation started to grow in Olivia.

Once she decided on someone, then it would be forever.

Speaking of marriage, she would eventually need to meet Lucas' parents. She worried that his wealthy family might disapprove of their relationship. Would they instead want a daughter-in-law who was of the same social status as them?

Lucas did not notice her worries and continued to tease.

"Liv, let's have two children in the future. What do you say?"

Olivia glared at him. "Keep dreaming."

"Well, the only person you can marry is me, so not only will I keep dreaming, I'll put it into action too."

Lucas forcefully wrapped an arm around her waist and wanted to tug her to him.

Olivia was alarmed. "Pay attention to the road!"

The next morning, Olivia followed the address Charles had given her and took a cab to Nupoint's headquarters. It was located in the heart of the city, and it stood proud and tall above everything else. It even gave off the impression of a powerful predator that held everyone else's fates in its hands.

Even though she had familiarized herself with the details about Nupoint, she still found herself awed when standing in front of the building.

With the script she had diligently prepared the night before, she went in to ask for Wilden.

The lady at the front desk, with a polite smile on her face, placed a call before turning back to Olivia.

"I'm sorry, but you can't go up there without Mr. Schumer's permission."

Olivia was taken aback. "Does Mr. Schumer know it's me?"

"I'm sorry," said the lady with a smile still firmly in place.

Olivia's stomach sank.

Could Wilden have just been getting back at her when he agreed to the interview that night at the dinner?

All because she had deleted him from her friend list?

Or did he never intend to be interviewed by them in the first place?

Olivia's stomach sank even further, and she walked out of the building despondently.

She did not leave but instead continued standing there. It was a while before a familiar Maybach drove into view.

She hurriedly ran up to it and peered through the window at the man sitting in the backseat.

"Mr. Schumer, hold on."

The man rolled down the window, revealing his chiseled jawline.

He was leaning against the seats, and his long, pant-clad legs were crossed one over the other. His dark eyes fell upon her, and they were as aloof as usual, with barely any warmth in them.

Goosebumps erupted over Olivia's neck when she felt the gaze.

"Mr. Schumer, have you forgotten? We arranged to have the interview today," she carefully brought up.

Wilden studied her. She was probably someone who was afraid of the cold. Both her hands had turned red, and her face was visibly pink-tinged even under her light makeup.

Coincidentally, she was only wearing a light pink puffer jacket with a fur hood that day. On her slim legs were just a pair of stockings that did not do much against the cold, as well as a pair of white ankle-length boots.

"Get in." He opened the car door while averting his gaze.

Olivia did not hesitate. She quickly got in and then handed her script over.

"Mr. Schumer, could you take a look at this? If there are no problems, then I'll conduct your interview according to it."

Wilden asked the driver to turn the heat up, then swept his dark eyes over her lazily.

"I don't want to discuss work right now."

Olivia felt a little taken aback, but she quickly composed herself and put a smile back on.

"Then I'll leave it here. You can look through it later when you're free."

Wilden turned his head to her, and a scoff escaped his lips.

"It seems like Ms. Levington is quite the forgetful person.

"Why would you think I'm gracious enough that—after being misunderstood as someone who would steal their friend's girlfriend and then be derided upon—I would still pretend like nothing had ever happened and still happily accept your interview?

"Or do you think that your work performance is more important than an apology?"

Olivia's hands fisted in embarrassment while her face flushed red.

"I'm sorry. I misunderstood what had happened."

In order to prove that she was feeling apologetic, she hurriedly opened her bag.

"I'll add you back right now."

A flash crossed Wilden's eyes.

Seeing how cautious, nervous, and placating she was, his long finger came down on the screen and accepted her friend request. "What is your full name again?"

"Olivia Levington."

Olivia watched as he edited her name on his end.

Chapter 7

Wilden then said nonchalantly, "The interview will continue as planned. I won't forget something I've already promised. As for why you were stopped downstairs, it might have been because the staffer overlooked something. Next time you come here, just send me a message directly."

Olivia always felt nervous when she was around him. It was probably due to the way he carried himself.

"I will. Thank you, Mr. Schumer," she said while nodding her head meekly.

The conversation between the two could be considered amicable, though it mostly consisted of pleasantries.

After she handed the documents to Wilden and received confirmation that he would read through them carefully, Olivia finally let out an exhale and found a place to be dropped off.

Wilden watched as she walked off, and his lips curled into a smile while his eyes filled with confidence.

Olivia was too easily alarmed, so he needed to act slowly when luring her into his net.

A good hunter had plenty of patience and energy when awaiting his prey.

Olivia got a cab and went straight home.

Things had gone very smoothly, and Charles was so pleased that he gave her the rest of the day off.

When she took out her keys to unlock her door, she instinctively felt something behind her.

She turned to take a look.

Through her slightly opened door, she caught sight of Walter's chubby face staring at her intently and obscenely.

She spun around, not daring to look for a second more, and quickened the pace in unlocking her own door.

However, the key became lodged in the keyhole.

The doorknob had needed changing, and she had mentioned it to the landlord, but he kept delaying it.

Three seconds later, a loud bang erupted.

The door behind her had been flung wide open, and Walter barged in, his hand clamping down on her shoulder.

"You bitch! How dare you call the police? Let's see if you still have the nerve to call now!"

"Let go!"

Olivia's face paled. She knew that she was no match for Walter when it came to pure strength, so she could only try to threaten him so that he would back off.

"If you dare do anything to me, I'll call the police right away! Then, it won't be a matter of just being detained for a few days!"

Walter sneered. There was a devilish glint in his eyes.

"Still pretending to be innocent? You got me stuck in a cell, so you're just going to have to make it up to me!"

The pressure on her shoulder increased, and it felt like her bones were going to shatter in a matter of time.

Olivia lifted her arms to fight back, but Walter only became worse. He leaned into her ear and sneered, "You're always dressed so sexily, so how dare you say you're not trying to seduce me?"

A wave of shame swept over her, and she clenched her jaw tightly.

In Walter's eyes, this reaction of hers implied that she was giving in. A grin of satisfaction broke out across his face.

That was when Olivia stomped down hard on his toes, and Walter immediately wailed in pain.

Seeing her escaping down the stairway, Walter hurriedly followed suit, his screams and yells never stopping once.

With her heart nearly jumping out of her throat, Olivia raced down as fast as she could.

She only needed to get out of the building. It was daytime, and there were plenty of people outside, so Walter would not dare do anything to her.

However, right as she was about to make it to the stairs heading down to the first floor, Walter caught up to her. He grabbed her by the neck and jerked her back roughly.

He then dragged her into the shadows. "Go on, keep running! Why aren't you running anymore?"

Walter was so enraged that he lifted his hand, intending to smack her in the face.

Olivia had her eyes shut tight, but the expected pain never came. Instead, she heard the sound of something crashing to the ground, followed by a loud groan of pain.

She opened her eyes.

A tall, broad figure was planted in front of her. His dark eyes were filled with more ferocity than usual, and the hair that had originally been slicked back was now a little messy because of his movements.

The fury in his eyes was so intense that it appeared to take a physical form.

"Mr. Schumer!" she gasped in shock.

Wilden spared her a gaze. Right then, he was violently crushing Walter's large body under his expensive leather shoe.

Walter had been sent sprawling earlier, unable to mount any resistance. Now, the sheer force of Wilden's presence washed over him, leaving him no choice but to concede.

"I'm sorry! Please let me go! I'll never do it again!"

"Now you're saying you won't do it?" Wilden's voice was icy, and his words sounded as if he had squeezed them through gritted teeth. "What about earlier, when you were acting so stupidly? Why didn't you say this then?"

He landed another kick on Walter's groin.

The whole dilapidated stairway was suddenly filled with screams and wails.

Walter curled in on himself on the floor as he convulsed in pain and eventually lost consciousness.

Olivia was so horrified that she took several steps back.

"Scared?" It was as if Wilden was sneering at her being so weak.

The ferociousness still lingered in his eyes. "Do you know what would have happened to you if I hadn't come?

"From the looks of it, he's long set his eyes on you. How old are you, Ms. Levington? How do you not even know how to protect yourself?"

Olivia shriveled up under his glare. "I… I've reported him to the police before."

"Then that's even more reason for you to know better. He's obviously harboring hatred toward you, so it's only normal for him to retaliate," Wilden scoffed.

He wanted to admonish her some more, but his gaze fell on the redness around her neck and her wrists. His eyes flashed, and he eventually decided to swallow the rest of his words back down.

Instead, he called to have someone come take care of Walter.

Olivia found the words "take care of the man" to be slightly chilling.

She could not stop herself from asking, "What are you planning on doing?"

"Kill him," answered Wilden airily before chortling.

"You're overthinking things, Ms. Levington. We live in a lawful society after all, and I'm a law-abiding citizen, so I'll just be doing things according to the law. I'm sure a person like him has done something illegal before, and whatever it is will be enough for him to be locked up for a few years."

Seeing as Olivia was still in a daze, he instead handed a Yves Saint Laurent lip gloss to her.

Olivia looked at it and realized it was hers. She had likely dropped it in his car earlier.

She felt surprised. She did not expect someone of Wilden's standing to be humble enough to personally come here just to return it to her.

"You're not going to invite me to your place?" Wilden asked with a lift of his eyebrow.

Olivia did not wish to let outsiders into her apartment, especially if that person was Wilden, who seeped savagery from every pore of his body.

However, he was her client, and he had helped her out at the dinner with the alcohol, had sent her home, and this time, even saved her.

No matter how she thought about it, she found no reason to refuse him.

Her place was a simple one-bedroom apartment.

After she graduated, Olivia chose to rent this place because of its price.

She had no other choice. After her parents died in the car accident, she was taken in by her uncle's family.

Her uncle had to retire early because he was ill, which made it even more difficult for her aunt to keep the family afloat. They also had a son to raise, so they were already going above and beyond to raise her—someone who was not even their own child—and even sent her off to college.

Her cousin was in high school, which meant there were a lot of necessary expenses.

So, when she received her monthly wages, she would take 2,000 dollars out to send to her uncle. After deducting all the daily expenses, there was not much left.

Olivia poured a glass of water for Wilden.

"I'm sorry. I've only got water."

Wilden reached for the glass without even a hint of disdain.

Instead, he looked around the living room with great interest.