The moment Conrad stepped into the room, he knew it was bad-but he hadn’t expected it to be this bad.
The hallway was dimly lit, with mysterious stains in the corners, peeling walls, wallpaper that reeked of mildew, and a decor that hadn’t been updated in twenty years.
As soon as Lillian shut the door behind them, Conrad frowned and asked, “Why isn’t the heat on?” It was colder inside than outside, practically an icebox.
“This air conditioner only works for cooling. If you’re cold… maybe you should go back?”
There was no way Conrad would just leave after coming all this way without achieving his goal. Absolutely not.
Conrad fixed her with a frosty stare. “What, are you trying to get rid of me?”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Sure seems like it.”
It was what she meant, so she couldn’t refute him.
The mildew smell was already getting to him. Conrad glanced around the room. Lillian had clearly been staying here for some time. A camera sat on the windowsill along with some documents that were spread across the desk. There wasn’t much else-just two pieces of clothing and a down jacket from the production crew. Her setup was as barebones and spartan as it got.
Conrad couldn’t reconcile this version of Lillian with the woman who used to take baths, do her skincare routine, and stretch before bed.
“So you went out of your way to piss me off just to live like a construction worker in this dump? Lillian, are you asking for it?”
He had harsher words on the tip of his tongue, but considering she’d been relatively cooperative tonight, he bit them back.
She had a house with maids to serve her, luxury cars to take her wherever she wanted, and could land any movie or TV role with just a bit of sweet talk. Becoming a star wasn’t out of reach for her.
But no-he didn’t like the idea of other men touching Lillian. Acting was unnecessary.
Instead of enjoying an easy life, she’d chosen to rough it out here, in a place so unlivable that even Conrad’s dog wouldn’t stay here.
Out of the corner of his eye, Conrad spotted something scurrying across the wall. Without a second thought, he grabbed a nearby remote and hurled it.
The remote hit the floor in pieces, and Lillian jumped in shock. When she focused on the wall, she realized it was a huge cockroach-one that Conrad had smashed to death.
“How the hell are you putting up with this place?!” The thought of cockroaches crawling on the bed made his skin crawl.
“With a place like this, what’s there to complain about?” Lillian silently wished he’d be so disgusted he’d leave.
Conrad shrugged off his coat and headed for the bathroom, only to nearly hit his head on the low doorway.
The water heater didn’t work, so after waiting for ages with no hot water, he ended up taking a cold shower. At least Lillian’s toiletries were things she’d bought herself.
When Conrad came out wrapped in a towel, Lillian was still making the bed. She’d already hung up his clothes.
He picked up his phone to order takeout, only to discover that no delivery services were available in the area. He let out a sharp curse.
Lillian spoke softly, “We’re in the suburbs. This is just how it is.”
Of course, any nearby shops would be in busier areas. Otherwise, there wouldn’t have been such a large plot of land available for their project. He knew exactly how high land prices were these days.
He hadn’t interfered when she’d chosen to come here. At the time, he’d thought it might do her some good to suffer a little, so he’d let her be.
But he hadn’t expected her to stay in a place like this without once coming to him for help.
What a stubborn woman!
“How about I cook some noodles for you?” Lillian offered tentatively.
Conrad shot her a glance. “You can cook noodles?”
In response, Lillian pulled out a cup of instant noodles from beside the bed. “This is the only flavor I have left. Want it?”
“…” Conrad was practically full from frustration alone.
Instant noodles? As if Conrad the Great would ever stoop to eating that.
He wanted to call Ford over immediately and ask if the Brown Family Group had gone bankrupt. Why else would the projects they invested in leave employees living and eating in such miserable conditions?
Seeing Conrad’s grim expression and silence, Lillian awkwardly set the cup noodles aside-only to be pinned onto the bed by him.
Conrad stared at her for a long moment, lowering his gaze to study her face.
“You like living like this?”
“I do,” Lillian replied.
“Liar.” Conrad curled his lips into a cold smile. “You’re used to enjoying the best of everything. There’s no way you can tolerate this kind of environment for even a second. So why are you staying here? Is it because of Gordon?”
At that, Conrad’s jaw tightened, and his hand slowly reached for Lillian’s neck. If she dared to admit it, he wasn’t sure if he could stop himself from choking the life out of this ungrateful woman.
What he, Conrad, discarded, no one else had the right to claim!
Lillian looked dazed, but before she could react, Conrad flipped her over with a sudden motion, releasing the restraint on her body.
“No, it’s not true! I didn’t!”
“Too late!” Conrad applied a little pressure, making Lillian wince in pain.
Most of the time, when he was in a good mood, he could be gentler-but his “gentleness” always carried an edge of punishment. He enjoyed watching her lose control.
Lillian felt utterly wronged. The grievances she couldn’t voice to Gordon now turned into tangible pain under Conrad’s rough treatment. Her hands clenched so tightly that veins bulged, yet tears silently rolled down her cheeks.
Lillian had many ways of crying-she’d cried in frustration, mocked with bitter tears, and often used them to feign innocence or gain sympathy.
But tonight, her tears were quiet and real.
Conrad suddenly lifted her and set her on the windowsill, tilting her chin upward. He penetrated her roughly.
The heat radiating from him and his overpowering demeanor made Lillian’s feelings of injustice reach their peak.
“Sleeping with me, and you feel wronged?” Conrad sneered. “Well, tough luck. Whether you’re willing or not, you’re mine for life.”
That remark must’ve struck a nerve because Lillian lashed out, attempting to slap him.
She missed, but her nails scraped a raw, bloody mark across his chin.
“You’re right!” she shouted. “Every night in this room, Gordon and I had sex! I was thrilled! I never expected you to still be clinging to me!”
Her voice broke as she continued, “If you’re even half a man, give me back my documents! What else can you do besides holding my grandmother and this over my head? You know I’ve been pampered all my life-I can’t stomach trash. You sleep with other women and then come to me, and I find you absolutely revolting!”
Conrad’s chest heaved as he grabbed her again.
But Lillian, fueled by rage, refused to let him touch her. She fought back with everything she had-kicking, thrashing-but her strength was no match for his. He pinned her hands and blocked her kicks with his legs, leaving her completely restrained.
“The last person who dared to touch me is long dead.”
“Then go ahead and kill me. It’s not like you’re planning to let me go anyway, right?” Lillian didn’t even bother to look at him, fully resigned.
Her defiance only made Conrad less angry, strangely enough.
“Is Gordon clean, and I’m dirty?”
“Don’t bring up Gordon’s ex-girlfriend. At least he doesn’t date four or five women at once. Who knows how many others you’ve got out there,” Lillian said, looking at him with utter disdain.
Conrad clenched his jaw. “Looks like you really love him. You want to be with him?”
“I wouldn’t dare aim that high. I know what I am. Mr. Conrad, if you don’t want to see me around this circle anymore, I can disappear far, far away.”
In truth, if he hadn’t shown up tonight, there wouldn’t have been any reason for their paths to cross.
“I really do feel like killing you, especially with that mouth of yours. I just need to figure out the right way to shut you up and make you say things I like to hear.”
Lillian stared at him, her beautiful eyes filled with anger and a cold defiance that was hard to describe.
“Don’t look at me like that, Lillian,” Conrad snapped, suddenly letting go of her and tossing her back onto the bed. “I’ll give you one more chance. Apologize to me. Apologize, and I’ll forgive you.”