The restaurant Justin had reserved was near the music fountain, in a spacious area that was entirely taken up by the restaurant.
At 10 p. m. every night, the fountain would start, accompanied by a fireworks display.
When Lillian arrived, Justin was already waiting at the restaurant.
“Lillian, you look beautiful today,” he said as he stood up and pulled out a chair for her.
“Thank you.” Lillian glanced at the seat he had chosen.
It faced away from the Brown Family Group office building.
But considering the Brown Family Group was a landmark building in City N, it wasn’t something you could easily ignore.
Justin, no doubt, was the perfect match picked out by Grace, the woman who knew how to manipulate situations.
He could talk about anything-astronomy, geography, you name it-and he kept the conversation flowing, never letting it get awkward.
He was knowledgeable but didn’t flaunt it. If he only wanted to be friends with her, Lillian would have to admit this dinner was quite worth it.
“I’ll be right back. I need to go to the restroom.”
Lillian stood up and asked the waiter.
“Sorry, the restroom on the first floor is broken. You’ll need to go upstairs. Just take the staircase right there.”
“Okay, thanks.”
As soon as Lillian reached the top of the stairs, she noticed it was completely dark, and something felt off. She tried to leave, but it was already too late. When she regained consciousness, she could smell the mist from the lake.
“Awake now?” The man’s voice was cold and eerie.
Lillian stiffened when she realized she was tied up, and the ropes were near the water.
It took a while for her eyes to adjust to the darkness.
The evening breeze had dried out her eyes, and because the wind was so strong, her skirt clung to her body.
She turned her head and saw the man across from her, smoking a cigarette.
Conrad was dressed in a black shirt, with the collar undone to the third button, revealing the contours of his chest. He looked darker and more mysterious than ever before, and even harder to understand.
Lillian stared at him for a long time before asking, “Are you a freak? Why did you tie me up here?”
“You’re asking me?” Conrad sneered, flicking his cigarette onto the ground, where it was quickly crushed under his shoe.
He walked over to her, and Lillian turned her head away. Unfortunately, his hand was already on her face.
“So what now? I know, I’m a freak. But every time I see you eating with another man, I just can’t control myself.”
Lillian glared at him. “If you can’t control yourself, then go see a doctor.”
He chuckled darkly. “But what can I do? You’re probably my cure. Tell me, what kind of magic do you have? Even now, after all this time, when I think about you with someone else, I still feel uncomfortable.”
Lillian almost wanted to bite a chunk of his flesh off. “Conrad, what did I do to offend you? If you can’t stand it, just hit me or yell at me, whatever. Just say it.”
“It’s not that serious.” Conrad lowered his gaze. “Who told you to pick all these low-class men? What do you even see in that Justin?”
“Mr. Conrad, I think your old habits are coming back.” After Lillian spoke, she noticed his hand was actually shaking.
“What are you doing?” She leaned back, wary, but since she was tied up, where could she go to escape?
Conrad looked at his hand shaking from excitement and smirked. “Is it that weird? As soon as I saw you eating earlier, it started. I’ve been holding it in until now, holding off until you finished your meal without shooting that guy and getting blood all over your face. You should thank me for that.”
Lillian was almost rethinking everything she thought she knew.
“You really don’t want to hear this…?” she started, but before she could finish, Conrad kissed her fiercely, lifting her skirt at the same time.
Lillian realized what he intended to do and widened her eyes, trying to retaliate by biting him again.
But Conrad wasn’t himself tonight. He seemed genuinely angry, and his gaze had no warmth in it whatsoever. He was just ruthlessly trying to get what he wanted.
Lillian felt a bit scared because it was as if she’d found herself on a narrow, rotating staircase, with the port terminal right beneath her. Yachts docked there. Through the gaps in the iron railings, she could see the musical fountain restaurant.
“Take a guess, how long do we have to make love so that we can just spray along with the musical fountain?” Conrad squinted.
Lillian let out a frustrated groan, and bit his shoulder hard.
“Bite harder, Lillian.” He seemed to enjoy the pain she inflicted on him.
“Lillian, look. It’s only when we have sex that I feel relieved.” He finally stopped thinking about killing someone. Lillian really was his best medicine.
Lillian watched her skirt flutter, tears slipping down the corners of her eyes.
“Conrad! Don’t make me hate you!”
She had been saved by him several times before, even risking his life. But that was all in the past.
She even thanked him for finally letting her go.
She only regretted not having a proper goodbye.
But why? Why, now that she had let go, was he still clinging on?
Was she really destined to be at his mercy, coming and going as he pleased?
“Mr. Conrad! You… hmm…”
“Don’t call me like that, but I do like the way you say it.”
Conrad turned his head, meeting her defiant gaze. Following her line of sight, he saw the restaurant.
His eyes grew colder. “Lillian, look carefully. The man on top of you is me! It’s me, Conrad!”
The light in Lillian’s eyes finally dimmed.
She didn’t say another word. She stopped struggling, and Conrad’s torment felt unusually long that night.
She waited until the musical fountain completely blocked the restaurant, and fireworks erupted above her head.
All the while, she was held tightly in Conrad’s arms.
She didn’t truly collapse until he finally reached orgasm.
Meanwhile, Justin had been patient at first, but as time went on, even someone came to pick up Lillian’s bag. That’s when he realized something was wrong.
When he tried to contact Lillian, his phone rang first.
“Mom?” Justin said, surprised.
His mother’s voice was cold. “Where are you?”
“I’m out eating.”
“Are you with Lillian?”
“… Mom, I told you, this is my personal life. I’m grown up now.”
“Justin! How many times do I have to tell you? You can date whoever you want, but not Lillian. Do you know why I’m so sure? I’ve told you before that Lillian isn’t as simple as you think. Alvin owed a debt of hundreds of millions! If she didn’t have some big shot backing her, do you really think she could pay off her dad’s debt and still afford City N University?!”
“Mom, I know all that. What I’m saying is, I don’t care. She’s just a girl. How can you expect her to carry all this alone?”
“Justin, are you trying to ruin the whole family? Get back here now! Don’t drag your father and me into this!”
Justin stared at the phone that had been hung up, his lips pressed into a thin line.