Parker was a famous family name in Seattle. Aiden Parker was used to having a lot of luxuries, but that was his first time even seeing a Knight XV.

He felt especially guilty in front of this man.

“Sir, this is my personal business, if you don’t mind,” Aiden said, dragging Kylie into his arms.

The man who had spoken wore normal clothes, yet still looked extremely powerful and proud. He grabbed Kylie’s other hand.

“This is also my personal business,” he said. “This woman hit my car.”

Standing in between the two men, and looking from one to the other, Kylie had a hunch that the stranger was perhaps more dangerous than Aiden.

But without knowing why, she thought it would be wiser to leave with that new man.

So when Aiden was busy squabbling with him, Kylie managed to push her ex-boyfriend aside, and jump back into the Knight XV. She patted the driver’s shoulder and said, “Handsome, let’s go.”

“The lady is waiting for you.”

Even Kylie had forgotten that Khloe was lying on the ground.

Damn, she really loved being a drama queen. The street on such a hot day was burning. Even if she didn’t feel the heat, wasn’t she worried that the paparazzi would see her like this?

Aiden had also almost forgotten about Khloe. He stared at Kylie for a moment, then turned around to help Khloe up. He put his coat over her head to keep out the heat.

Looking at them, Kylie felt a stab of pain in her chest. She had difficulty breathing, so she leaned back.

Even though she had almost hit Khloe today, she had still lost the game of love.

She was known for being calm and arrogant all the time, but that was just her armor. And even though Aiden had never struck her, he had already shattered her shield.

In the end, the things that began with love ended with love.

It was so quiet in the car, that when she closed her eyes, she could perfectly envision Aiden and their good days together. She had to try to distract herself.

So she looked at the strange man’s face for the first time.

He was about twenty-eight or twenty-nine years old and had a beautiful profile. She could see his long, thick eyelashes—his skin looks smoother than that of most women.

He sat upright, with his hands on his knees. Even while sitting perfectly still, he looked very powerful.

Kylie stared at him for a long time until the man suddenly opened his eyes.

They looked at each other, and she felt guilty. She quickly lowered her head and pretended to play with her fingernails.

“You can look at me.”

Pooh! She laughed. Who did he think he was?

Kylie smiled and changed the topic: “Nice to meet you, and thank you for what you did back there.”

The man’s eyes became darker.

It was getting cold inside the car, and his tone sounded mocking and derogatory. “Don’t you remember me?”

Kylie was surprised to hear those words, but she forced herself to smile. “There’s a bus station ahead. I can get off there, thank you.”

Even though that man had helped her, Kylie felt that something dangerous was afoot, and getting closer by the minute.

His beautiful face held no emotion. He said in a low voice, “My car is still broken.”

“I gave you that credit card.” Although, to be honest, Kylie had no idea how much money was still available on that card, nor how much it would cost to repair the damages.

“I don’t need a card.”

Kylie laughed and responded: “Do you mean it? You’re such a good person. I thank you and wish you a very happy life.”

The man turned his head to face her slowly. “I want you,” he said.

She rolled her eyes and thought how odd he was.

“You want me? But I work in the entertainment industry and have a bad reputation. Are you sure you want me?”

“You think I can’t afford you?”

Did he think they were playing chess?

She sneered and held her chin up. “I have high standards for a boyfriend.”

The man was silent for a while, then calmly replied: “For as long as you want, I’ll give you what I have. I think I can fulfill your demands.”

He was quite confident in himself.

Kylie could feel a twitch in her eye. She shamelessly said: “I have three requirements—first, you must be a virgin; second, you can only love me; and third, you must be pretty good in bed.”

She felt arrogant, and like she was showing off values, he couldn’t possibly have. She believed that there was no way he would fit all the requirements. He would give up his naive notion.

“Deal!” he said with confidence.

“...” At that moment, Kylie’s body felt frozen in place.

She had just agreed to become some stranger’s partner in bed.

Her stupid actions were unacceptable. After hearing what she had said, this man could still answer her with seriousness.

She tilted her head and looked at him. The beautiful man closed his eyes again.

He didn’t say anything more or change his position in the slightest. But the feeling of being repressed made her very anxious.

She felt depressed inside that quiet car. Kylie bit her lip and looked outside. After a while, she started to talk again. “You are a funny man, sir.”

The answer she got was a smile. When she thought he wouldn’t say anything, he asked: “Come to a banquet with me?”

A banquet? Is that all he wanted, to have her as his plus-one for a banquet?

But she still doubted his intentions. She scratched her head and replied: “Uh...I’ll go to that banquet with you. But now I’m late for a crucial audition. Can you take me there?”

They went to Garcia Entertainment as quickly as possible, but she was still late.

“What’s wrong with you? Didn’t I tell you not to come here?” Her agent, Lucas, glared at her angrily.

“Give me a reason!” Kylie calmly stared at him down.

He rolled his eyes and said: “The Finch family has investments with Blossom. They want to use it to increase Khloe Finch’s popularity. It has nothing to do with you.”

Kylie raised her eyebrow and confronted him without caring about his opinion. “So, you’re afraid of me stealing her big role?”

“You? Give me a break!” Lucas sneered and added in a girlish voice: “If you still want me as your agent, come back. I can arrange other roles for you.”

“So, you do know that you’re my agent?”

After saying this, Kylie quickly walked towards the director. “I’m sorry that I’m late.”

She bowed slightly before him.

“The number one priority for an actress is punctuality!” The vice director said angrily. “The audition is over!”

"Sorry, please give me one more chance." Kylie tried so hard to convince him.

She badly wanted to take back all of her mistakes. Plus, she wanted to convince Aiden that giving up on her had been a terrible decision!

Lucas approached her and tried to taunt her: "They don't want to see you. Get out and stop embarrassing the company."

Kylie clenched her fist and looked at the director.

Even though the camera wasn't running, she still wanted to prove herself in front of the director. She had made up her mind to give it her best shot and was stepping forward when someone suddenly grabbed her by the arm.

"Are you Kylie Finch?"

Lucas and Kylie looked at each other with suspicion. Her agent had already stripped Kylie of her fanbase. How could anyone know her name?

"I am." Kylie stepped forward.

"Your previous roles have mostly been villains, so I don't think you're the perfect match for Blossom. But I have another role for you—Do you want to give it a try?"

The man was polite and smiled at Kylie. She had no clue who he was.

Lucas didn't look happy about the situation, but he couldn't say too much without knowing more about this stranger. "I'm her agent. The company will decide which role she'll take!"

The man didn't even glance at Lucas but said to Kylie: "You can say no. That's alright."

"Of course I'll try!" She nodded enthusiastically.

The gods were smiling down on her! How could she turn down any opportunity!

After glancing through the script for a few minutes, she decided to audition for the role. The vice director in front of her was still in charge. "Hurry up! Don't waste our time."

The director lazily sprawled on a chair after a long day. Then Kylie suddenly began her performance in front of the camera: "Nonsense! You snobbery mother-fucker!"

The director immediately woke up and stared at the woman on the screen. He was speechless after witnessing her performance.

When Kylie finished the audition, she returned to her lazy, indifferent self. "Thank you for the opportunity."

"Good, good, good." The director repeated the same word three times, then asked her: "Are you from Garcia Entertainment?"

Lucas stood next to her, and reluctantly said: "I'm her agent."

"Very well. Can you explain to me your understanding of the role?" He smiled at Kylie.

Tea House was a war drama. It centered on the female star named Annie, who made a living by making tea. Her father forced her to marry an old businessman, but right after the marriage, their home was robbed by criminals.

She was silent for a moment, then said: "Before she finally loses it, Annie can endure all sorts of injustice. Bottom line, she always surprises everyone."

Kylie was the same. As she spoke those words, her eyes gleamed with pride.

After she had left, the vice director couldn't stop complimenting her performance: "This girl is from Garcia Entertainment? I didn't even know they have such good actresses."

The scriptwriter was also very excited: "Did you see her eyes? When Annie was forced to marry that old man, her eyes were full of obedience. But when they went bankrupt, her eyes filled with pride and toughness. She did such a fantastic job!"

The vice director thought of something and asked the producer: "You don't know her, so how did you decide to recommend her after taking a call?"

The producer smiled mysteriously. "Because the role was made for her!"

"Did you say that Lord Ethan wants to invest in her? But she's from Garcia Entertainment!"

***

There were so many people at the private club. Kylie held onto his arm and walked through the other guests.

"Sir, did you bring me here to show off in front of your ex?" She had performed well at the audition, so she was happy. "Then you've come to the right person. I have a lot of experience dealing with those bitches."

There was a giant, heart-shaped cake at the party, so she reckoned someone would be proposing tonight.

"Ex, indeed." The man nodded.

He was so tall that when he spoke, his low, deep voice was way over her head. "I'm looking forward to your performance."

Kylie smiled with suspicion.

She looked at him: he stood straight. How could men like him ever be dumped? He must have been the one to take the initiative to leave.

Perhaps thinking the same thing, many of the guests who walked by, looked his way with admiration. But apparently, they had no interest in looking at Kylie the same way.

She smiled and didn't really care. She circled his waist with her arm, and whispered in a deep voice: "If I help you out today, does that mean I don't have to pay for your car?"

He lowered his head and looked at her large breasts and white skin.

On their way to the banquet, he had brought her out for a formal dress, and a haircut. Now, unlike when he had first seen her, she looked like a lady.

This woman was so flexible.

"Of course." His mouth moved into a slight smile, and he added in a low voice: "But don't forget about our deal."

Deal? Did he mean those absurd requirements?

Kylie jokingly responded: "Sir, you're too old to be a virgin. You can forget about our deal."

His eyebrows twitched, and he looked at her with dark eyes. He sounded cold. "How do you know that I'm not a virgin? We should try it once before you make that assessment."

Kylie instinctively wanted to refuse him, but she noticed a beautiful girl wearing a white princess dress.

When that girl had first arrived, many guests had greeted her, so Kylie assumed she must be the star of that evening.

So she tightened her hold of the man's waist and turned her back to the pretty girl. "She's coming. Get close to me," Kylie whispered to her companion.

He glanced at the girl, then lowered his eyes. He kissed Kylie on the forehead.

She knew that he was just pretending, but when she felt his warm breath, her heart began to quicken its pace.

She shifted her eyes in an attempt to distract herself. Then she suddenly noticed her father and stepmother in the crowd.

They were both dressed up and smilingly greeting guests.

After her mother had died, her father, Laurence Finch, had married Alice Davis. Kylie's relationship with them wasn't great. They would never have taken her to a banquet, so she didn't want to confront them there.

She wanted nothing more than to hide from them.

She snuggled against him, like a cat against his chest.

He was surprised by this, but his lip twitched into a smile.

Meanwhile, Kylie sensed the beautiful girl stop beside them. She stared at Kylie, and the man hugged her more tightly. The girl stormed away.

Was this a victory for Kylie?

When Laurence Finch and Alice Davis went off in another direction, Kylie emerged from his arms and started to breathe freely again.

But before she could feel too much relief, she heard a very familiar voice.

A man on the center stage was talking into a microphone. “I’m so delighted that you can all be here to join my engagement party. Then please witness this glorious moment with me!”

Kylie suddenly felt nervous. That sound...

She slowly turned her head towards the stage, and to no surprise, there was Aiden, holding the microphone.

His engagement party?

She hadn’t heard anything about this, so it was clear that she wasn’t the one being proposed to.

Kylie raised her head and angrily stared at her companion’s chin. “Are you trying to make fun of me?”

Hadn’t he said that they were here to see his ex? How had it turned into Aiden’s engagement party? He had momentarily saved her from Aiden, only to bring her back to him? What did he want? Was it his intention to embarrass her in front of all these people?

Then Kylie regretted her instinct to believe this strange, dangerous man. He looked so calm, but was he actually plotting some evil plan?

That man lowered his head to look at the angry woman by his side. He took out a cigar and lit it.

Surrounded by a cloud of smoke, she could no longer read his expression, but she managed to catch a glimpse of his twitching lip.

At that moment, she wanted to escape that place.

She could see a smiling Aiden, still on stage, bringing forth a pretty little box. Kylie’s feet were fixed to the floor. She couldn’t seem to move.

Aiden hadn’t yet noticed Kylie’s presence, but many of his guests already had. They mostly knew about their relationship, so they kept their distance and let her walk past them towards the stage.

At first, Aiden was surprised to see her; then, he was furious.

After a mere three seconds, he got off the stage and walked towards another person—a gorgeous woman among the crowd.

That woman acted as though she was surprised, and softly said: “Oh my God, what are you doing?”

Aiden kneeled and lifted his hands high, which held the ring.

“Khloe, would you marry me? I will love you forever with my whole heart.”

It was so beautiful, and all the guests looked so surprised. They looked back and forth from Khloe to Kylie.

At that moment, Khloe timidly replied: “Andre, I love you too. But...”

“That’s enough!” Aiden said with frustration. “No one can tear us apart.”

He looked at Kylie, who was not too far away and glared angrily. Then he softly gazed at Khloe.

“Khloe, I don’t love her. I love you. Please say yes.”

Khloe’s eyes turned red, and she looked beseechingly at him. “Don’t be like this. My sister would be heartbroken. She treats you so well. I can’t do anything that’ll disappoint her.”

Aiden suddenly looked at Kylie with a cold expression, and raised his voice at her: “Kylie Finch, we’re broken up now. Don’t even think about hurting her!”

Hurt that bitch? What a joke!?

A few hours ago, Khloe had been begging her for forgiveness!

Laurence Finch and Alice Davis had dressed up for the event.

So, was she the only one who hadn’t known about the engagement party?

Was she the black sheep in her family?!

When she looked around, she saw Laurence in the crowd. But he didn’t seem to want to do anything besides hiding amongst the other guests.

But she noticed that he looked her way with hate. It was like she was an embarrassment to him.

Her sister had stolen her boyfriend, and he blamed her?!

Then she began to hear to whispers around her:

“What’s happening? Two sisters have the same husband?”

“What can she do now?”

“I said it before. Aiden wouldn’t love a woman like her. He must like cuter girls, like everyone else.”

“Kylie Finch is doomed. She has so many enemies now because of Aiden.”

“She’s pathetic.”

Even though Kylie was heartbroken, she had to act as if she didn’t care what happened, or what people said.

She had to fight back.

“I’ve got to say, you play it well, Khloe. I was thinking about how to dump him, and now here you are. I must thank you.”

Kylie smiled happily, but Aiden felt guilty when he recognized the man standing next to her.

That man looked at them. Though he didn’t speak, everyone could feel his power. Then, he placed his hands on Kylie’s shoulders.

Kylie instinctively wanted to push his hands away, but she realized that Aiden wanted to embarrass her, and she couldn’t let that happen.

She grabbed his tie and pulled his ear close to her mouth. From a distance, they looked like a sweet couple, but Kylie angrily whispered: “Asshole, if you don’t want me to kill you, then do what I say.”

The man gently touched her head, which made Kylie’s heart beat faster. Then he whispered into her ear: “They call me Lord P.”

Lord, my ass! Kylie thought.

She was furious but continued to smile. “Actually, I’ve been with Lord P. for a while now. He’s so handsome, and we’ve unlocked some new positions together. It’s so unforgettable.”

Unlocked new positions?

That was maybe the best, strangely-put phrase Lord P. had ever heard. He was smiling.

Watching them being so close and comfortable around each other, Aiden was shaking with anger. Kylie had loved him for five years, but she’d never been so warm.

That Lord P. he barely knew, had stolen her away in front of the coffee shop.

He wasn’t happy to hear the news, so he pointed at Kylie and spoke: “Kylie Finch, you shameless bitch! You said you loved me, but you immediately went to find yourself another man!”

Kylie shrugged helplessly and said: “I didn’t want it to happen like this. But when my options are a needle mushroom and a king oyster mushroom, of course, I’d choose the king oyster!”

“You...who are you calling a needle mushroom?”

“Oh, why do you ask if you don’t think it’s you?”

Everyone was laughing.

At that time, Khloe was jealous of her sister. She had been lying on her face after the events of the coffee shop, so she had never seen the man’s face.

But in comparison with Aiden, who was wearing the same black Armani suit, that new man looked much more handsome. He looked cold but powerful.

And whoever was invited to the banquet came from a wealthy, notorious family. But Khloe couldn’t place which family this outstanding man belonged to.

Most importantly, she wonders, when did Kylie get to know him?