As Mio’s figure disappeared into the distance, Rebecca gradually let the innocent expression on her face fade. At some point, a young girl had appeared silently at her side.
“Hey, why are you dressed like that? Weren’t you always wearing black dresses before? Oh, and the servants told me you just took a man into my room and left it a complete mess. What exactly are you up to? You even bullied my Coco, didn’t you?”
Rebecca turned to look at her youngest sister, Lila, who was only ten years old. Clearly, the cute, childlike room from earlier wasn’t Rebecca’s at all.
No wonder she couldn’t find the first aid kit while searching earlier-it wasn’t even her room.
“Just looking for a little fun. You’re too young to understand,” Rebecca replied with a smile.
“Why wouldn’t I understand? It must be that devilish side of yours acting up again, and now that man is going to be in trouble.” Lila cast a sympathetic glance at Mio’s retreating back. While others might not know, she was all too familiar with her sister’s antics.
Today, Rebecca had dressed up so innocently, even going out of her way to bring Mio to her room. It was obvious she had ulterior motives.
“Trouble is inevitable. He hurt someone he shouldn’t have, so naturally, he has to pay the price,” Rebecca said, her smile mischievous, like that of a little devil.
If Mio could see her now, he would definitely curse himself for being blind earlier. He had mistaken her for an angel when, in fact, she was far closer to a demon.
“But that guy’s pretty handsome. He doesn’t look like a bad person. Why go out of your way to mess with him?” Lila asked, fully aware of her sister’s mischievous nature.
“Does being a good person come with a label on their face? That’s why I say you’re just a clueless little girl. I once had a close friend who fell for him. He’s a master of pretending to be the perfect, tender, and considerate lover, slowly luring his prey into his trap.
When the prey gets used to his gentleness and unknowingly becomes obedient to him, they’ll follow his every word. But once he achieves his goal, he discards them like yesterday’s trash. My friend was devastated after being dumped by him, practically on the brink of collapse.”
“So you’re avenging your friend? Honestly, I think you and he would make a perfect match. Didn’t you used to enjoy ‘conquering’ different men too? Aren’t you two cut from the same cloth?”
“Don’t talk nonsense, you silly brat! How could I be as shameless as him? I’ve always handled things openly and honestly. I’ve never lured men or played dirty tricks.
As for those men, weren’t they the ones throwing themselves at me? I didn’t like any of them, and since they weren’t good people to begin with, I was just doing the world a favor.”
“Fine, fine, you’re the hero of justice, happy now?”
Rebecca nodded approvingly. “That’s more like it. But this time, I’m not just avenging my friend-I’m also helping Julian with something.”
“Julian? What’s he gotten himself into now? Speaking of which, today’s supposed to be his big day, yet I didn’t see him in the hall.”
Lila adored Julian. Unlike Phil, that little rascal who always stole her ice cream, Julian was warm and gentle.
“Oh, he’s busy charming some beauty. How could he have time to deal with the crowd? By the way, Irene is here too. I need to make plans to go shopping with her tomorrow.”
“Hmph, you always leave me out of your shopping trips,” Lila said, crossing her arms in frustration.
“You’re still too young, at the age for watching cartoons. Wait until you grow up a bit more,” Rebecca teased, laughing.
“You’re all so mean! I’m going to find Julian,” Lila declared, stomping her foot.
“You might want to think twice about that. I heard that cold-faced devil Nick is here too. Aren’t you terrified of him?” Rebecca reminded her.
Lila’s confidence wavered as she shrank back. “Then maybe I won’t go.”
“Good girl. Come on, I’ll take you to get some cake.” Rebecca’s words quickly appeased Lila.
In her heart, Lila spared a moment of silent pity for Mio. He had crossed her sister and was bound to end up as another heartbroken soul.
Mio always saw women as his prey, but this time, he had unknowingly fallen into someone else’s trap and had no idea.
—
Back at her home, Aurora sent a text to Julian before heading to bed. Carmine woke her up on time the next morning, bringing along the clothes she had prepared for the day.
Usually, Aurora would throw on whatever was handed to her without a second thought. But today, for some reason, she hesitated.
“Isn’t this outfit a bit too similar to yesterday’s?”
“If you don’t like it, I can fetch another one for you immediately.”
“No need. I’ll pick something myself.”
Yawning, Aurora made her way to the walk-in closet next door and carefully chose an outfit. From accessories to clothes and shoes, she selected everything with care.
Since becoming pregnant, she hadn’t worn makeup. But today, she applied a light, moisturizing lip color and shaped her eyebrows.
Carmine watched in surprise. “Miss Aurora, are you planning to meet someone special today? Women usually only put this much effort into their appearance when it’s for someone they care about.”
Aurora’s hand paused mid-stroke. “Uh, no, not really. He just liked the cake I gave him last night, so he invited me to see a movie today. That’s all.”
“Looks like the young master is quite fond of you, Miss Aurora.”
“It’s not like that. We just share common interests. I find our conversations enjoyable, and I figured this would be a good opportunity to build a closer relationship. That way, it’ll be easier to discuss the project later.”
Aurora’s explanation sounded logical, but even she felt a twinge of guilt as she said it.
“Oh, so it’s just common interests?” Carmine adjusted her glasses. While it was good that Aurora was fostering a connection, things seemed to be progressing faster than expected.
“Of course. What else could it be? It’s not like he’d be interested in me, a pregnant woman.”
“You never know, Miss Aurora. You’re young, beautiful, and highly capable. Plenty of men would find you attractive.”
“Stop joking. I’m not falling for anyone. I’m still waiting for the father of my child to show up,” Aurora said, gently touching her belly.
In tight-fitting clothes, her slightly rounded abdomen was already noticeable, so she avoided wearing anything too form-fitting.
“It’s about time, Miss Aurora. Let’s head down for breakfast,” Carmine suggested, wisely dropping the subject. Matters of the heart weren’t something an outsider like her could meddle in.
“Alright.”
Aurora set down her eyebrow pencil. She wasn’t looking forward to meeting him-just to the potential collaboration. That was all. Definitely.
Still, she had been in a good mood since waking up that morning. After finishing her work at the company, she even left early.
On her way downstairs, she bumped into Mio. He seemed to be in a great mood as well.
“Miss Montgomery, leaving work so early today?”
“And you, Vice President?”