Ford waited downstairs for a long time, the team also arrived one by one, and when Conrad appeared wearing a bathrobe with wet hair, several female assistants in the photography team almost had a nosebleed.
In their line of work, handsome and well-built men were never in short supply. But the one in front of them, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, looked particularly photogenic, featuring deep facial features, exuding an indescribable sense of tough and untamed wildness. Like a wild horse on the grassland, he would never submit to anyone. The tattoo on his neck that was exposed made it hard to look away, the gaze couldn’t help but glance at him.
It was often said that the young and handsome president of the Brown Family Group, with extraordinary means, when he initially took over the Brown Family Group, ruthlessly cut off the old-fashioned shareholders, earning him the title of the little tyrant of the Brown family. As he grew older, now people would only dare to call him Grim Reaper behind his back.
But no one had mentioned just how striking Grim Reaper’s face was in person, even more impactful than on TV. The rumors among outsiders were all about his ruthless and ruthless methods behind the scenes, how he spared none in his pursuit…
Conrad cast a sidelong glance at these people, sat directly on the sofa, and remembered what Lillian had been nagging in his ear about, “It has to have sexual tension, making people irresistibly want to buy it.”
Other than the staff, the team they had brought in were indeed women.
“All the finalized pictures need to have the key parts pixelated without a trace, the negatives can’t be taken away, I will have them checked before letting you go.”
“Mr. Conrad, rest assured, Assistant Ford has briefed us on this.”
Conrad nodded.
However, when the actual shooting started and the photographer saw Lillian coming down alone and being pulled onto Conrad’s lap, she suddenly had the idea to ask if Conrad could join in.
“With Mr. Conrad’s physique, there should be no problem with sales.”
The money-minded Lillian’s gaze instantly fell on Conrad.
Conrad’s face darkened, “Lillian, do you know how valuable my time is?”
“Just try it~” She coaxed him softly.
Conrad’s Adam’s apple rolled as she rubbed against him.
“If not, then I’ll have to… Andrew has a good physique too…”
“You’re looking to die, huh?” Conrad’s face turned dark.
Throughout his lifetime, Conrad had only a few photos taken. There were hardly any pictures from his childhood, and as an adult, the only front-facing photo of him was in financial reports. When interviewed, there were only a few more front-facing shots.
Now, being asked to pose shirtless for a group of women to photograph, Conrad was truly not very pleased. Especially when the photographer saw Lillian changing into different clothes and lying obediently in his arms, Conrad unconsciously lowered his head to touch her hair, and the shutter flashed so much that Conrad was nearly blinded.
Just as he was getting impatient to quiet her down, Ada jumped down from upstairs. Although they had heard that Conrad kept a large dog at Hillside Villa, they were still frozen in place when they saw the fierce dog up close.
It wasn’t until the lazy dog nonchalantly passed by them, exuding a royal air as it lay down next to Conrad and Lillian, that the photographer nearly screamed, “It would be better if we had a python right now.”
Merely 15 minutes later, the python was airfreighted to the scene.
Even as the photography team was leaving, the photographer was still pleading with Ford, “Assistant Ford, we will never reveal Mr. Conrad’s face! Can’t we publish these photos?”
“Don’t ask silly questions.”
The photographer was utterly regretful to the point of despair!
That night, Lillian sat in front of the computer, enthusiastically uploading product images and reviews. The photos didn’t show Conrad’s face, but they featured the silhouette of his, his solid abs glistening with sweat, and women’s products.
As soon as they went on sale, fans flocked, just the wild style and the physique of the man and woman in the photos were enough to excite people’s blood. The night saw a surge in sales, and Lillian was elated, but Conrad promptly closed her laptop.
“What time is it? Aren’t you going to bed? I’ve satisfied you today.”
His right of publicity was invaluable, yet he had accompanied her in such a venture today, which was considered generous enough on his part. Lillian had better comply tonight and let him choose the sex position; otherwise, he would be very displeased.
However, she was currently busy with business matters, having achieved her goal, and had no good expression towards Conrad.
“I’m tired.”
Conrad frowned, “Are you kidding? Your eyes were shining at the computer just now, and you’re tired?”
He had prepared several sex poses to use. Now she was tired?
He had cooperated earlier, allowing those photographers to take advantage, and he had never engaged in a losing deal.
“I’m really tired today, and I just got discharged from the hospital, and you know that.”
Bringing up this matter, Conrad lit a cigarette, “Why didn’t you mention the Taylor Mansion situation?”
Previously, she would have caused a scene and asked him to take back control. Besides, that house was already hers. From the moment he caught her earlier until now, she hadn’t said a word. It seemed like if he didn’t ask, she didn’t plan to say, as if it didn’t matter at all. This made Conrad feel very uncomfortable.
Lillian stared out of the window, not turning to look at him, leaving him with a silhouette. This woman, who had once been within his reach, now seemed beyond his control.
“Even if I said something, it probably wouldn’t matter. Evelyn already exists. It’s only a matter of time before Taylor Mansion changes owners. But I don’t like sharing a roof with strangers, and I doubt she does either. Mr. Conrad, if she’s ever at Taylor Mansion, I’ll move her out of the way. I’ll leave.”
She said this with a smile still on her lips. But that smile made his chest tighten, and he wished he could pull her close and make her take the smile back.
However, the more angry he became, the darker his gaze grew, and the wider his smile stretched.
Conrad exhaled smoke, blurring the space between them.
“When did you become so understanding and obedient?”
Lillian’s chin was teased by him, and she felt that his touch was no different from the way he played with Ada.
Oh no, there was a difference after all.
She couldn’t compare to that purebred black dog.
She was just a kept woman, and once he grew tired of her, she knew she’d be discarded.
“Resistance is futile. Mr. Conrad, I believe you don’t want to waste time listening to me argue about this. The Taylor Mansion was originally yours, and you can give it to whomever you please,” she said.
Conrad darkly responded, “So it doesn’t matter to you who it’s given to.”
“As a temporary resident, I seemingly have no right to say what’s acceptable and what’s not. The choice has never been mine,” she retorted.
He clearly knew, so why ask further?
She had mentioned letting Evelyn leave, but he just mocked her.
No need to invite insults; she had understood that long ago.
When had she become numb to his responses? Perhaps it was from every night and day of waiting, or from the feeling of detachment after intimate moments where she couldn’t hold on.
She was by his side, yet she knew they wouldn’t last forever.
So, she gradually learned to be alone, to detach from dependence.
After hearing her response, Conrad swallowed the words about how he dealt with Evelyn and her family once she left. His desire to vent vanished instantly, and he simply said, “This is fine.”
Yes, this was just fine.
They were merely using each other.
Love, that trivial thing, couldn’t take up too much of his time.
“I won’t be back tonight. You can sleep on your own.” After he spoke, he stood up, and any remaining sexual desire for her faded away.
As he reached the door, he suddenly spoke coldly.
“Since you know your place, don’t expect too much. My time is precious.”
“I’m paying for you, so I don’t need to spend all my time comforting you or worrying about your moods.”
“My patience has limits. Lillian, you’re not irreplaceable. Don’t overestimate yourself.”
The door slammed shut.
Lillian remained motionless, curled up on the single sofa, reopening her laptop to look at the rapidly growing orders on the screen.
She thought that seeing all the orders would make her happy. But it wasn’t until the sea breeze from the balcony made her body numb with cold that she blinked, reaching up to press her hand against her chest.
It turned out, she still felt heavy and uncomfortable.
Hadn’t he said she shouldn’t care about what he said?
Yet, here she was… still feeling this way… still so weak…