Lillian grabbed her things, unfazed. She knew Alice was talking about Evelyn.

She, too, wondered why Conrad had shown up in her room instead of being with Evelyn last night. But better to have Conrad than end up with Mark.

"Fine by me," Lillian said casually. "Go tell him I expect payment for the night-he knows the market rate."

Without wasting any more time, she hurried out of the hotel before Conrad noticed.

Alice turned around to find Evelyn standing there, pale.

"Alice, last night…" Evelyn stammered.

Alice put on a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Evelyn. You're different to Mr. Conrad. He's never treated anyone else so well. Lillian can't compare to you, but don't bring this up with him."

When Conrad came out of the bathroom, ready to deal with Lillian, he found Alice and Evelyn waiting in his suite.

"Mr. Conrad, Miss Lillian left just now," Alice informed him.

Conrad frowned. "Did she say anything before she left?"

"She told me to remind you to send the payment, at the market rate," Alice replied.

******

Lillian slept the whole day after getting home before realizing her period was late. She rushed to the hospital to get checked.

"Looks like your period should be starting soon. Any other tests you'd like?" the doctor asked.

She shook her head, feeling a wave of relief.

Thank goodness she wasn't pregnant-she'd had no idea what she'd have done if she were. She didn't want her child to grow up as someone's secret.

Leaving the exam room, a small smile crossed her face.

Evelyn froze, staring hard at Lillian's back. Why was she here at the OB-GYN? Could she be pregnant?

Meanwhile, Lillian had no idea she'd bumped into Evelyn. In a great mood, she grabbed a modeling gig from a familiar client in her work group chat-the kind of client who always saw a boost in sales when she wore their clothes. She quickly got home, planning to take a shower before heading over.

Her phone rang; it was Grace. Lillian didn't feel like talking, so she put the call on speaker and left it on the coffee table as she walked into the bathroom.

"Lillian, Mr. Mark said he's very satisfied. He's already transferred the money to your uncle's account. He wants to meet next week for some golf and introduce you to some important people. I've even got your dowry ready… This is the way to go, dear. A woman always needs a reliable man to depend on, and Mr. Mark is perfect for you."

Lillian stripped down and looked at herself in the mirror. Conrad, the brute, had left marks all over her. She could cover her arms with foundation, but her thighs were another story. Hopefully, tonight's outfit wouldn't be too revealing, or her client would think twice about hiring her again.

She sighed-he was getting in the way of her making money!

Just as she closed her eyes and stood under the showerhead, squeezing shampoo into her hands, the bathroom door suddenly opened.

A tall, muscular figure wrapped his arms around her from behind. Lillian's eyes flew open, and she screamed, the soap suds dripping into her eyes.

As she blinked in pain, the man held her firmly. "What's with the scream? Seen a ghost?"

Lillian froze, shivering, feeling as trapped as a snake held at its weakest spot.

"How did you get in?"

"Got a key. Did you really think it'd be hard for me?"

Of course, for him, it was easy. The building staff practically rolled out the red carpet for him, showing remarkable "professional ethics" by not tying a ribbon around her and handing her over.

His voice, dark as a devil's, whispered by her ear. "Why don't you stay at that nice place I got you? You prefer this dump?"

His breath was so close that her skin prickled.

"Or is it…" His words trailed off with a teasing edge, "…you like coming to places like this to cause trouble?"

She wanted to tell him she just wanted to get away from him-what's so wrong with that?

"What are you hiding from? Scared of me?" Conrad frowned at her, clearly irritated as she avoided his gaze.

"I don't want to have sex right now," she muttered.

He smirked. "Even if you did want to, don't you think I need a break?"

Conrad turned off the shower. "Get out already. Why are you standing there like a stiff?"

Lillian eyed him warily.

The cramped bathroom was so small it barely had room for him to turn around. He'd left his clothes in the living room. Grabbing a towel off the rack, he pulled her over, drying the water off her before giving her breasts a quick squeeze. "You've lost weight. You didn't eat right while I was gone, huh?"

She smacked his hand away, and to her surprise, he didn't get mad.

Conrad wasn't the type to like women who were too obedient or too feisty. Lillian had a knack for getting it just right, keeping him intrigued.

He pushed open the bathroom door, and the creaky sound made him frown. He found her so peculiar-she'd grown up pampered and privileged, but now she willingly put up with these rough conditions.

Lillian hurried to her room to change, but Conrad followed, pinning her down on the bed.

"I thought you said you weren't in the mood to have sex!" she snapped.

"Relax, I'm just checking if I hurt you last night," he replied, smirking.

He leaned down, and Lillian felt a bit awkward. No matter how many times they'd been close, she still wasn't used to him suddenly getting in her space like that.

Lillian felt the cool ointment being applied to her private area, telling herself he was just putting on medicine-maybe he still had a bit of conscience left.

But she finally couldn't take it. "You've done enough!"

Conrad pulled his hand back, showing her the mess of her own fluids on his fingers. "You want to leave? Funny, your body's a lot more honest than your mouth."

"Oh, please, Conrad. Just because I enjoyed the sex with you doesn't mean anything."

His good mood vanished, and he stood up, glaring down at her coldly. "What exactly is your game here? Go on, let's hear it."

Lillian sat up, clutching the blanket around her, giving a cold smile. "What game? I already told you, I'm getting older-I want to find a guy and settle down."

"Oh, you've got someone in mind? Mr. Mark, huh? Seems like you're not thrilled about it, though."

Her face fell. "Doesn't matter if it's him or someone else-at least he's willing to marry me. Unless… what, you're going to make me Mrs. Conrad?"

He looked down at her. "Keep dreaming."

Even though she'd already known the answer, hearing him say it still sparked a flare of anger.

"Then get out. Mr. Conrad, you're telling me you can't even pay for a woman's company? Go ahead and transfer last night's payment to my account."

Conrad hadn't expected that-Lillian actually telling him to leave.

"Lillian, remember those words."

Her eyes flashed with a hint of fear, but she steeled herself. If she could sell off whatever she'd gotten from him and add her grandmother's things, she'd have enough to leave City N with her grandma…

Seeing her looking defiant, he slammed the door as he left.

Lillian slumped down, exhausted. Good thing no one else had moved into this apartment yet. With him coming and going as he pleased, her safety was at risk.

She hadn't even had time to think about what to do next when Grace's call came through.

"Lillian, what are you doing? You haven't sent us any money this month, have you?"

Lillian frowned. "Didn't I just send money last month? It's only mid-month; why are you asking for more?"

"Your uncle's business loan hasn't come through yet. We need another $600, 000. Besides, your grandma's got those hospital checks and a nurse-those things aren't free, you know."

"Doesn't Grandma have an insurance policy? Can't you claim it?"

"Oh, that's a laugh! If your dad hadn't gone bankrupt, your grandma wouldn't have been blacklisted as his guarantor. You should be grateful you can even go to school-could've been working in a brothel instead."

"Now, send over that $600, 000. She needs a transfusion."

Lillian was done arguing. Holding onto her grandma's guardianship, they were basically extorting her. The reason Grandma had been blacklisted was because she had cosigned for her uncle, and now they were refusing to pay back their debts.

Her ID was even registered with them, leaving her under their control for every little thing.

$600, 000…

She thought it over, threw on a nightgown, and went out the door to chase after Conrad.