The next morning, when Lillian opened her eyes, she found the space beside her empty.
Just as she let out a sigh of relief, thinking he’d left, the door swung open.
Conrad walked in, carrying a bag.
“Eat.”
Lillian’s sharp nose caught the scent of food from her favorite breakfast place. But that shop was at least an hour and a half away from here…
“What time is it?” she asked.
“Seven-thirty.” Conrad hooked a chair over with his foot and sat down, watching her. “If you don’t get up, do you want me to feed you?”
The construction site opened at eight, and Lillian was never late.
As she threw off the blanket, she realized she wasn’t wearing anything. Caught under Conrad’s dark gaze, her cheeks flushed. “Don’t look at me.”
“What haven’t I seen on you? Honestly, I’ve probably seen parts of you that even you haven’t looked at closely.”
“…”
Left with no choice, Lillian grabbed the bedsheet, wrapped it around herself, and went to the wardrobe to find clothes.
Conrad leaned back and watched her slowly get dressed, clearly entertained.
Ignoring his expression, she went to wash up and eat breakfast.
“Where are you going after this?” he asked.
“To the construction site. What about you?”
“I’m coming with you.” He grabbed a strand of her hair and said, “I want to see exactly what’s keeping you so tied to this place that you’d rather stay here than come back with me.”
Lillian’s day was actually pretty dull.
But Conrad wasn’t an ordinary person. He was the main investor, the big boss, and since he had personally shown up, Lillian couldn’t just brush him off with a quick tour.
Every day, a shuttle bus left the hotel at a fixed time to take staff to the site. When Gordon had been around, he’d taken the shuttle to accommodate everyone. But Conrad didn’t care about such things. He refused to squeeze into a bus with others.
“I’m not taking the shuttle,” he declared.
“Then wait and go to this address later,” Lillian replied.
“You’re not coming with me?” Conrad frowned, clearly displeased.
Lillian tidied up the trash, slung her camera and work materials over her shoulder, and said, “I have to go with my colleagues.”
“So why did you go with Gordon when he was here?” Conrad shot back, annoyed.
“Let’s be reasonable, Mr. Conrad. When Mr. Gordon was here, he also took the shuttle,” Lillian said, exasperated.
Why did everything have to be a competition with Gordon? Unlike Conrad, Gordon didn’t demand special treatment.
Conrad’s expression darkened at the mention of Gordon’s name. He clearly hated hearing it.
“Get in my car,” he ordered.
“I don’t want my colleagues to…”
“Get in, or I’ll find someone else to take over your job,” Conrad interrupted.
Taking a deep breath, Lillian had no choice but to inform her colleagues before climbing into Conrad’s car parked by the curb.
The crew already thought Lillian’s youth and beauty meant she must have some insider connections to make it into the director’s team. Now, seeing her leave the inn with Conrad, their looks became more scrutinizing.
Lillian didn’t bother worrying about what others might say about her. People had already called her all sorts of names behind her back.
This world always worked the same way: people hated you when you had something, laughed at you when you didn’t, despised you for being poor, and feared you for being rich.
After getting in the car, Lillian began directing Conrad on where to go.
As the car drove farther and farther, Conrad frowned and asked, “What do you even like about this godforsaken place?”
She must have had too many good days and was now looking for misery.
“Mr. Conrad, I want to create a project that’s truly my own.”
“I can invest. Lillian, you can make as many films as you want.”
“As long as I stay by your side, right?”
Conrad didn’t look at her, but his attitude made it clear that was exactly what he meant.
“Based on what I know about you, Mr. Conrad, when you say I can make as many films as I want, you really mean that as long as you want to see me, I have to show up. Whether or not I actually make a film is irrelevant. With your power, you could easily slap my name on something.”
Conrad found it irritating how she always saw right through him and insisted on saying it out loud.
The car stopped by a small convenience store. Lillian got out to order ten cases of bottled water to be delivered to the construction site later.
When she got back in the car, Conrad noticed she had been taking calls nonstop since they’d left. Even minor details, like buying paint, were being run through her.
“Are you here to be a director, or just to do everyone’s grunt work?” he asked.
“What rookie director starts off making big-budget films? Besides, Mr. Conrad, you’ve invested money in this too. The harder I work, the more money I save for you, right?”
Her words were smooth as silk, but not a single one was sincere.
Conrad sat silently, his face clouded with displeasure. He couldn’t shake the feeling that Lillian was deliberately finding new ways to irritate him.
If it were up to him, he’d have thrown her out of the car right then and there. But suddenly, a small hand reached over, turned his face toward hers, and carefully planted a kiss on his cheek.
Oh, here she goes again.
She was about to use that pitiful look on him-the same one she always did.
It reminded him of the pack of underfed hunting dogs back at the old estate. Whenever they begged for a bone, they’d stare at people with the exact same expression.
Conrad glared at her menacingly. “You think this is enough to win me over? Lillian, who do you think I am?”
Lillian placed his hand on her leg and pressed it between her thighs, rubbing gently. “Once this is all over, I’ll go straight home, okay?”
Conrad started the car without pulling his hand away.
He always drove with a reckless intensity. Lillian was used to his aggressive driving, even on a construction site where safety should’ve been a priority. He clearly didn’t care.
Meanwhile, she was quietly calculating her next move. Angering him didn’t work. Being soft and obedient didn’t work either. How could she get him to let go?
For the past two months, she’d thought he’d forgotten about her entirely. She’d even planned to gently approach Ford about getting her documents back.
She hadn’t expected everything to fall apart so suddenly.
“What are you thinking about?” Conrad’s voice broke the silence.
Lillian snapped out of her thoughts and, without hesitation, replied, “I was thinking about you, Conrad~.”
Conrad chuckled coldly at her obvious attempt to flatter him. “Lillian, there’s not a single honest word that comes out of your mouth.”
Thinking about him? More like spending all her time with Gordon and forgetting who her man was.
If he hadn’t come, this little brat would’ve ghosted him again.
The thought made his mood sour further as he steered the car in a sharp S-curve toward the base. Dust kicked up around them as he screeched to a stop at the front gate. The security guard rushed out, ready to scold him, but froze under Conrad’s piercing glare.
Conrad climbed out of the car, his long legs carrying him effortlessly. He glanced around at the construction site and the indoor set. It was starting to take shape.
The crew was already busy with work, even this early in the morning.
Instead of wandering around, Conrad settled in a large tent set up as a break area for the staff. From there, he watched Lillian, who was constantly on her phone, fielding one call after another. She was busier than he was.
“Mr. Conrad, please have some water.”
Conrad turned his attention to the woman offering him a bottle. He vaguely remembered her introducing herself earlier but didn’t recall her name.
He didn’t respond. Conrad never drank anything given to him by strangers.
In City N, Gordon was known for his roguish charm, George for his refined demeanor, and Hogan for his affable nature.
As for Conrad? Most of his reputation was negative. Some called him violent, others said he acted like everyone owed him money.
But the consensus was always the same: He was hard to get along with.
The woman wasn’t discouraged. “Mr. Conrad, I’m Silence Stillman from the production team. I didn’t expect to see you here today. It’s such an honor to finally meet you in person.”