Chapter 7

Even after I closed the door, I could still feel Freya's hostile gaze.

This sister of mine hadnever liked me.

Whether it was because Killian had carefully groomed me before, taking me to many high society parties and giving me chances to meet Virio.

Or because the outside world gossiped that I was a sickly socialite, and Freya, as my sister, was also suspected by association.

Killian himself didn't care about these outside opinions, since he only cared about profit.

His so-called protection of Freya was just fake kindness.

I thought it was because he hadn't found the right opportunity to make the most use of Freya yet.

Back in my room, I took off the clothes Virio gave me.

I had to say, he had good taste. Both dresses he picked for me were beautiful.

Though they were both limited edition new releases, they suit me well. And since Virio was willing to spend money, not many people in high society had the same outfits as me.

I laid the two dresses side by side and looked at them for a while.

Without realizing it, I thought about that night of pleasure with Virio again.

I wonder if Freya would be even more jealous and crazy if she knew about this?

After I finished getting ready, Killian had already sent a message through the servants.

The partnership meeting would be held at a private cocktail party tonight at nine.

I had to say, Virio timed the partnership meeting perfectly.

It still gave me some time to rest.

Though I had already slept at Virio's place last night, I was worried about how Killian would punish me, so I couldn't really relax.

I set an alarm, lay down on the bed and fell asleep. I kept feeling like someone came in.

In my dreams, all I saw was Freya's jealous face.

At eight in the evening, Killian arranged a car to take me to meet the business partner. As I got in the car, I casually glanced up.

A figure flashed behind the large floor-to-ceiling window.

I knew it was Freya.

Maybe because Killian already knew this partnership was arranged by Virio, and that the person meeting me was also one of Virio's people.

This person's name was Charles Scott. Two days ago, when Virio and I first "spent the night together," I heard Virio mention his name on the phone.

But what I didn't know was that this person would be trusted with such an important task by Virio, sent to discuss the partnership with my Killian.

In the car, I was lost in thought about this partnership.

If Virio and I hadn't already discussed our strategy and decided on the partnership, I actually wouldn't want his people to approach Killian.

After all, if we really partner up, it was Killian who benefits in the end.

I couldn't forgive Killian, who I treated as family, for treating me like goods behind my back.

And even giving Hamilton drugs to control me!

Thinking of this, my hand gently gripped my velvet dress.

The soft texture helped calm my mind for now.

I looked back without thinking, and saw another black car behind ours.

At first I didn't pay attention, but after two blocks, that car was still following us.

Strange, at this hour, who would be secretly following me?

Thinking it over, besides Freya, I couldn't think of anyone else.

The car I was in was arranged by Killian, so he shouldn't need to send another car to follow me.

I stared at the car behind us for a while, then looked up and said to the driver, "Excuse me, could we go a bit faster?"

"I'm worried about being late."

The driver replied politely, "Of course, Ms. Lacey."

After the car sped up and we made it through another block's traffic light, the black car was finally left behind.

But I started to feel uneasy.

If it really was Freya, she could just ask Killian directly about this partnership meeting.

Why would she specially arrange a car to follow me?

I couldn't figure it out, but quickly collected my thoughts. After all, today what mattered most to me was securing this partnership.

Though the partnership was arranged by Virio and I wouldn't need much effort to get a good result.

But too many eyes were watching me, and walls have ears. Who knows what unexpected things might happen with this partnership?

When I arrived at the designated location, I gave Charles's name.

The server quickly led me to a private room on the second floor.

After pushing open the door, I was surprised to find Killian was also there.

I didn't know he was coming.

The moment he saw me, Killian calmly stood up. "Finally here, today's star."

He smiled and reached for my hand, like a dear family member.

But I knew that after yesterday, everything had changed.

Charles was sitting comfortably on the sofa not far away.

He was a man with blonde hair and blue eyes, with deep-set brow bones, handsome in a different way from Virio.

Seeing Killian's gesture toward me, Charles smiled and raised an eyebrow. "Your family bond is touching. Before we even start talking business, I can already imagine the happy scenes ahead."

These words seemed to have hidden meaning.

I instinctively glanced at Charles.

I didn't know if Virio had told him not to reveal our deal in front of Killian.

Fortunately, Charles quickly changed the subject. "Now that the person I wanted is here, let's talk about this partnership."

The whole conversation went much more smoothly than I expected.

Charles came prepared under Virio's instructions. After discussing the partnership details with us, he readily signed the agreement.

Killian was quite puzzled by this. "We originally discussed this partnership with Carrington Davis, but couldn't close the deal for years."

"Now that you've acquired it, everything's going so smoothly."

Charles laughed heartily. "Carrington has old-fashioned ideas. He doesn't understand what the market needs these days, what kind of people."

"I've wanted to acquire it for a while, just hadn't found the right opportunity."

As he spoke, Charles's gaze fell on me.

"But to finalize today's partnership, I need to propose one key condition." Charles said, his eyes moving back and forth between me and Killian.

The atmosphere in the room suddenly turned cold.

Killian seemed to sense something and put down his wine glass. "What kind of condition, Mr. Scott?"

I suddenly gripped my fingers tight.

Some words Virio said to me echoed in my ears.

Sure enough, when Charles spoke again, his tone carried a hint of seriousness. "Since I specifically asked for Ms. Lacey to discuss this partnership, I hope she'll lead this project going forward."

"We'll have plenty of meetings in the future. I hope Ms. Lacey will have full control and personally attend every time."

After Charles finished speaking, he looked at me deeply again.

Those deep blue eyes made my heart skip a beat.

I couldn't shake the feeling that Virio was also secretly watching all of this. I unconsciously rubbed my arms and turned my head.

There were only the three of us in the room.