Conrad’s expression immediately darkened.
Alice lay there without a stitch of clothing, her face flushed as she looked at him. “Mr. Conrad.”
“Put your clothes on,” was all he said, already turning to leave.
He had to go catch Lillian.
“Mr. Conrad!” Alice hurriedly covered herself with a sheet. “Are you just… going to leave me like this?”
Seeing him pause, she couldn’t help but feel a mix of hope and excitement. “Mr. Conrad, I…”
“What are you doing here?” Conrad’s voice suddenly cut through the air, low and ice-cold.
Alice wasn’t about to admit she had anything to do with Lillian’s escape, let alone that she’d taken her place in bed.
“I… I heard Miss Lillian calling for me earlier, and then… this happened. I don’t know anything else. Please, don’t just leave me here.”
Conrad turned to her, giving a cold, mocking smile. “Let’s be honest here. I’m not a fan of idiots, and your acting is just plain terrible. Plenty of women want to get into my bed-what makes you think you’re special?”
He added with a chilling edge, “You know my rules, Alice.”
The last woman who tried a stunt like this ended up tossed out by his bodyguards. Whether or not she felt humiliated was her problem, not his. To Conrad, Alice’s stunt was a betrayal; as his assistant, she was crossing a line.
Alice, a pampered daughter of a wealthy family, had given up a lot just to be his secretary and stay by his side. Was she really here just for the job?
Now that she finally had a shot, she wasn’t going to let it go. She stood up from the bed, baring herself without a trace of shame.
“Mr. Conrad, I know you’ve never noticed me, and I’m not qualified to be your wife. But I wanted a chance to fight for you, to show I care. Lillian doesn’t love you. She’s only after your money and power. She’s not fit to be by your side, but I am-I genuinely care about you!”
Conrad’s gaze was cold and indifferent. Her gesture, stripping away her dignity and offering herself, couldn’t make him budge in the slightest.
“You want the truth?” he scoffed. “She’s after my money and power? That’s part of who I am. What’s wrong with that? Should I go for someone who’s after a broke, powerless nobody? I don’t love her, and I don’t need her to love me. I’m paying for her youth and her company. That’s between the two of us-not something you need to comment on.”
He looked her up and down, unimpressed. “Besides, I’m very particular. As you can see, even with you practically throwing yourself at me, I don’t feel the slightest desire. What makes you think you can replace Lillian? Your big ego?”
“Now put your clothes back on. Out of respect for your father’s loyalty to my Brown Family Group, I’ll let you off this time. Try this stunt again, and I’ll make sure your Pink family won’t have a place to eat in City N. You can undress for whoever you want then. There will be plenty of beds for you.”
With that, Conrad opened the door and walked out, slamming it shut behind him. Ford saw him storm out and hurried to follow.
“Find out how Lillian managed to slip away,” Conrad ordered.
Ford, who never questioned Conrad’s commands, simply nodded. “Mark has been waiting for you this whole time.”
Conrad sneered. “Waiting for what? Waiting to die? He better clean up his act, or he won’t need that head on his shoulders anymore.”
Downstairs, his convoy was already waiting. Andrew opened the door, and as Conrad got in, he saw Evelyn standing in the cold wind.
“Conrad.” Evelyn looked frail, like a lily trembling in the breeze, her small face pale and pitiful.
Conrad looked at her coolly. “If you know you’re not in good health, why are you standing in the wind?”
Evelyn bit her lip, and Janet, clearly worried, chimed in, “Mr. Conrad, Evelyn didn’t know where you went, so she waited here. She’s delicate; please don’t be hard on her.”
Conrad ignored Janet and said, “Let the bodyguards take you home. You wanted to go to H University, so I’ve made the arrangements for you.”
Evelyn felt a rush of happiness. Her family didn’t have much money, and she’d only been able to get into a community college. She’d once mentioned admiring students from prestigious schools, and now he’d made it happen for her-how could that not be favoritism?
“Thank you, Conrad.” Evelyn felt sweet and happy inside, thrilled to realize she was so special to Conrad. It instantly lifted her spirits.
“It was just something I mentioned in passing. You’re not in good health, so head back now,” Conrad said before getting in the car.
Janet nudged Evelyn’s arm, encouraging her.
Taking a deep breath, Evelyn stepped forward, tugging on Conrad’s sleeve. “Conrad, can I… go back with you tonight?”
“I have something to do tonight. Be good,” he replied before getting in the car, leaving her disappointed as his convoy pulled away.
Janet sighed. “Such a good opportunity wasted. See? I told you being reserved gets you nowhere.”
Evelyn took a deep breath. “I’m not like women like Lillian. Self-respect is what makes a woman valuable. Conrad only cares about me. Don’t say things like that.”
Janet wouldn’t dare upset her. “Of course, of course. Let’s get in the car.”
Just then, Booth pulled up and honked. “Evelyn, hop in-I’ll take you.”
Booth, while not as impressive as Conrad, was still quite the catch. Though young, he’d seen more of the world than the typical college guy.
Janet, clearly excited, replied, “We’re on our way!”
Once they were in the car, Booth asked, “Why didn’t Uncle Conrad take you?”
Janet quickly answered, “No idea. He’s probably off dealing with that Lillian again. Mr. Booth, is that the kind of woman you guys all go for?”
Booth scoffed. “Not me! A woman like Lillian, who only cares about money, can’t compare to Evelyn. Did she give you trouble again?”
Evelyn shook her head. “It’s my own fault.”
Booth fumed, “That Lillian better hope she doesn’t run into me, or I’ll definitely teach her a lesson!”
******
Lillian, meanwhile, couldn’t care less about all that. She’d just escaped by the skin of her teeth and only wanted to lay low for a while.
With Mark now playing lapdog for Conrad, she needed to get John to settle the matter of her grandmother’s guardianship as soon as possible.
“Still heading to the same apartment?” Gordon asked.
“Yeah. Thanks,” Lillian replied, coming back to her senses.
“A single question scared you this much? What, you think Conrad’s gonna eat you alive or something?”
Lillian pursed her lips. “He doesn’t have to eat me to be terrifying.”
The gap between their worlds was too big. She couldn’t fight him, but she could hide.
Her answer amused Gordon. “If you hate being around Conrad so much, what are you even afraid of? It’s not like he’s gonna fall in love with you.”
Lillian shrugged. “I’d hope not. Alright, we’re here. I owe you twice now. I’ll repay you if I get the chance.”
She hopped out of the car. Just as Gordon picked up a call, he looked up again to find she was already gone, running as if she had a ghost on her heels.
“What’s up?” he asked.
On the other end of the line was Conrad.
“Where did you take her?”
Gordon chuckled, “You’re asking me for your own woman? What, if you lose your money one day, you need me to pay it back?”
“Who else would I ask? You took her, didn’t you?”
Seeing that Conrad was genuinely annoyed, Gordon raised an eyebrow. “Relax. I just dropped her off safely at home. If you’re so eager to come get her, do it yourself. You really can’t let go, huh? Thought you said she was just for fun? It’s been three years, and here you are, getting all worked up.”
“Who told you I can’t let go?”
Gordon couldn’t resist teasing him. “Oh really? Perfect timing, then. Just now, I mentioned that you’d never fall for her. Wanna guess what she said?”
Silence from the other end.
Gordon smirked. “She said, ‘That’s just how I want it.'”
Whatever else Gordon said, Conrad didn’t hear a word of it. He hung up.