The intense, long night rendered Stephenie exhausted, causing her to wake up late and arrive late for work.

She had just graduated from Woodlake University with a master's degree in architecture last year and had just joined a famous local architecture firm named Margin.

Since Stephenie didn't graduate from a well-known architectural school, she was not qualified enough to be an official architectural designer. She was only hired as a junior assistant architect, whose daily work was doing clerical tasks and outlining the craft design.

When Stephenie arrived at the office, the routine Monday morning meeting had already ended, and she could only participate in the group A meeting of the design department, where she belonged.

After the group meeting, Monica Robles, her supervisor, summoned her to the office.

Thinking it was about her being late, Stephenie quickly apologized as soon as she stepped into the office. "Sorry, Miss Monica. I overslept. Last night's weather made me snuggle in my bed more."

However, that was not the reason for calling her. Monica had only wanted to inform Stephenie of something. "No, that's not why I called you. I just wanted to let you know that Vanloon Property's residential project has a new project manager. So, pause your work in the meantime as you'll be attending the meeting with the new project leader in the afternoon, but you can resume it after discussing the necessary modifications."

Stephenie was not bothered by pausing her work but with the new project manager instead. In that case, the modification would be that simple because she was certain that the entire design scheme would be revamped and they would begin from scratch.

That said, Stephenie only replied, "I see." Feeling helpless and stressed, she excused herself and was about to leave when Monica suddenly spoke up.

"Do you want to cover your nape?" the latter asked, prompting Stephenie to turn around and face her.

Having a slight idea of what her supervisor was referring to, she dashed to the bathroom to confirm her suspicion. When she looked in the mirror and turned her head sideways, she discovered a salacious pink hickey on her nape that Edward had left yesterday.

Well, she had a coat on when she arrived, but because the weather was sultry, she took it off. However, she forgot about her hickey and was wearing a round-neck blouse today, so her entire neck and her hickey were exposed!

To hide it, Stephenie applied powder to lighten its color before covering it with a band-aid so no one else could see it.

Afterward, she returned to her cubicle to start some of her tasks even though her supervisor had told her she could pause them. She was in her seat when Rita Ruschel, a colleague next to her cubicle, slid over to her and teased her, "Quite an intense battle last night, huh?"

Stephenie's hand automatically flew to her nape, and she whispered, "You saw it, too?"

Waving her index finger, Rita answered with a playful smile, "Nope, everyone in the group actually, and now almost the entire institute knows why you're late."

To extreme shame, Stephenie wished the earth would just swallow her whole right at that moment.

The construction employees were busy, but the designers, to whom she belonged, were even busier. So, it was challenging to find time to develop a serious relationship in this industry, leaving many people in that industry single. As such, if one found his/her love who worked in the same industry as him/her, he/she would try his/her best to work that relationship out for that once-in-a-lifetime opportunity not to slip away.

But in Stephenie's case, it was not rare to come as she resembled a goddess. In fact, when she entered the firm, she had already won the hearts of several co-workers even after she had posted a selfie with John on her social media on her first day of work. The latter even always came to pick her up from work, but the number of her admirers didn't cut down a bit.

They were probably under the impression that Stephenie and John were still dating and had not yet married. Furthermore, even married couples got divorced from time to time, so they thought they still had a chance.

Today, her hickey was a bombshell in the entire firm, so Rita couldn't help but be intrigued and asked her privately, "I didn't know that you two are such a lovely couple. So, when do you plan to get married? Haven't you both survived the seven-year itch smoothly and are now entering your eighth year?"

While the latter was speaking, Stephenie's gaze was drawn to the picture resting next to the pen holder. The photo was taken at her graduation ceremony last July, where she was wearing a degree suit and holding a huge bunch of red roses that John had given her in one arm and John's arm in the other. In the photo, she was grinning from ear to ear as if she were the luckiest person in the whole wide world.

"So? Do you want to see me step into the grave of love?" Stephenie jested, then took the framed picture and stuffed it into her table drawer.

The meeting Monica had mentioned earlier had finally arrived, and Stephenie and her supervisor arrived at Vanloon Property at 3 o'clock in the afternoon. However, because the new project manager was not yet present, they waited in the conference room for about ten minutes.

Afterward, a few people finally entered the room, and the secretary introduced the new project manager, "Hello, everyone! I'd like you to meet Mr. Smith Junior of Vanloon Property. He will be responsible for managing this project."

"Hello, Miss Robles. Nice to meet you," Edward greeted after stepping forward, reaching out his hand, and politely shaking hands with Monica.

Meanwhile, Stephenie, who was standing behind her supervisor, felt her feet root on the ground in great surprise.

Seeing Edward dressed well impressed Stephenie more than seeing him as a best man yesterday. Edward was wearing a good-looking suit, and his serious face made him more attractive.

Well, maybe because she didn't usually see Edward being dressed and acting like that. She hadn't gotten used to it because Edward didn't look like a womanizer at that point.

Stephenie was confident that their time spent together revealed Edward's genuine attitude. Edward was pretending to be someone who was not him. If Stephenie hadn't got a chance to be with him, she would not know the real Edward, his true colors.

He was obviously here to be a puppet and was constantly playing with his phone. The architectural idea was indeed communicated to them by the planning and design department director. The director was not the same as the last time, and his attitude was significantly worse. She was arrogant as if she were the world's ruler.

While Monica was taking minutes, Stephenie felt sad for her.

Monica was one of the Margin Architecture Firm's three significant partners. She was a senior designer who formerly played a vital part in A-Level Architectural Design Institute, despite being no better than the top leaders.

Many companies wanted to hire Monica when she decided to leave the institute. Until now, headhunters had been tenacious in their attempts to win Monica away with considerable compensation. Monica's design had now been criticized for nothing. On the other hand, Monica was mature and handled the criticism with gentleness. She attentively considered every suggestion from the director, meticulously examined the actual feasibility, and followed up on a compromise proposal.

Three hours later, the meeting ended. Edward ran out of patience and decided to end the session, "Okay, whatever the feasibility, you do what we desire."

While answering his phone call, Edward left without looking back.

"The meeting just ended. Don't be too excited. I'll be there later. You will have a memorable night." He said.

Without explanation, it was obvious that tonight he was going on a romantic dinner date.

On the other hand, Stephenie and Monica were ready to leave as they packed their things, but the director called Monica. The director suddenly shifted her attitude and served Monica dates, expressing her admiration and respect for Monica. She even requested that she not take the discussions and disagreements in the meeting too seriously. The director meant everything she said to help the initiative succeed.

"Well, Stephenie and I were university classmates; how could I purposefully humiliate my classmates in front of everyone?" The director said.

Stephenie was taken aback when she heard it. She studied the woman's face anxiously, trying to recall something about her.

"Did you forget about me? It's me." the director blinked her eyes. "Okay, I will introduce myself properly. Hi, Stephenie. I am Lily Millis."

-

Stephenie called Joyce and told her what had happened. Joyce was so surprised and couldn't believe what she had heard.

"Are you being serious? Lily Millis? Is she now the first party on your project?" Joyce asked and still shocked. It was true that one of Stephenie's undergraduate classmates was Lily. Nevertheless, there was a "blood hatred" between them for the unbelievable that happened in the past.

"Aw. That was sad. I am sorry to hear that, Stephenie." Joyce was making fun of Stephenie.

"I called you because I want you to comfort rather than mock me. Thank you very much." Stephenie replied irritably.

Joyce laughed as she heard Stephenie's accusation, "I see. You still have time to complain to me, and it appears that Lily didn't give you too many modification recommendations." Joyce wanted to end the call.

The truth was that too many adjustments nearly undid the original plan, so Monica said they wouldn't have to work overtime tonight. But, even if they don't need to work overtime now, they still have a lot of work to do tomorrow.

"Kidding aside, why didn't you recognize Lily immediately?" Joyce asked.

Stephenie massaged her head and said, "You must see her yourself. When you return from your business trip to Woodlake, let's see whether you can recognize her in person or not."

"Did she undergo plastic surgery?" Joyce curiously asked. Stephenie recalled Lily's appearance and realized that it went far beyond cosmetic surgery; she was transformed from head to toe. But she didn't answer and stopped talking about Lily.

"When do you plan to come back?" Stephenie asked to change the topic.

"Is there a problem you want to talk about? What's wrong?" Joyce realized something was wrong.

She was not sure where to begin discussing Alan and John's affair, so she mumbled her lips, "I will tell you when you come back."

At this point, the cab, which had been running well, instantly stopped. Sitting in the back seat, Stephenie was forced forward and landed roughly on the back of the front seat with her forehead. The driver pulled the window down and cursed at the person who caused the car accident, "What's the matter with you? Car racing is prohibited here! Go to hell!"

Stephenie felt dizzy and reached for her phone under the seat. She noticed three race cars around the taxi.

The driver of the lake-blue Bugatti Veyron opened the door, approached, knelt, pushed one arm against the window, and requested with a vague expression, "I was not able to hear you. Could you repeat it? In my face?"

His intimidating attitude so scared the driver that he quickly lost courage and displayed fear, "I am sorry. But no, I didn't say anything. I apologize again. There are still passengers in the back seat. Enjoy the race. Enjoy yourself."

After hearing what the driver said, Edward looked at the backseat, and then she saw Stephenie. Their eyes met unexpectedly. As if she didn't know him, she frowned and kept quiet. On the other hand, Edward didn't greet her either.

Edward turned his head away and looked at the driver. He handed the driver a significant amount of cash, "Here. For mental loss fee."

The driver rejected the money, "No, I am okay."

The drivers of the red and yellow cars beeped their horns and yelled at Edward, "Let's go! We are in a rush! The time is running out!"

Using his chin, Edward pointed to Stephenie and instructed the driver, "Just in case your passenger experienced trauma."

Stephenie didn't understand what he meant, "You're sick!"

Stephenie couldn't help herself but argue and curse Edward.

As he made his way to the back seat, Edward gently tilted his head. Without asking, he unlocked the door and dragged her outside!"

“Let me go! What are you doing?” Stephenie hissed while wriggling in Edward’s arms. However, Edward was stronger than her, so he successfully placed her inside his Bugatti Vernon.

Stephanie was heavily scowling as she watched the retreating taxi. The taxi driver was so scared that he ignored Stephenie’s cries for help and drove away. He didn’t even ask for the fare anymore.

“Unlock this car! Let me out!” she yelled as she slammed the door of Edward’s car.

Meanwhile, Edward leaned closer to her and fastened her seatbelt. “Your screams remind me of the night you were in my room,” he teased.

Stephenie glared at him. In just a blink of an eye, the sports car roared to life and made its way to the highway.

The strong force made Stephenie lean her back against her chair. She could feel her heart pound rapidly against her rib cage while her hand crawled to the car’s handle. She swallowed hard and watched the road ahead of them.

The other sports car appeared beside Edward’s car, driving as fast as Edward. The sounds of their engines blasted through the road, leaving the bustling city behind and speeding into the endless winding mountain highway.

Once they reached the winding mountain road, Edward noticed that the road was a bit steep and the cars wouldn’t fit if they drove together simultaneously. So, he stepped on the gas and squeezed more room on the driveway with the other vehicles.

Of course, Stephenie was terrified for her life!

Not long after, Edward overtook and drove ahead. Stephenie could barely catch her breath as Edward drove through the endless zigzag roads. Stephenie’s eyes almost bulged out when she saw that the car was already beside a high cliff.

She looked behind and saw that the cars were working together to squeeze Edward out of the driveway. The next thing she knew, something bumped into Edward’s car. Edward stepped on the brake, and the car spun so fast that it stopped near the cliff’s edge.

‘This is it. I’m going to die!’ Stephenie thought to herself as she closed her eyes.

After feeling a wave of dizziness, she felt as if her soul had already left her body and couldn’t feel anything until she felt someone push her.

“Hey, don’t ruin my car.”

Stephenie slowly fluttered her eyes open. She slowly grabbed the door handle and hopped out of the car. She felt as if she was floating in the air. With her legs shaking uncontrollably, she immediately fell to the ground.

Stephenie hugged her stomach and threw up. She felt more disgusted, knowing that she hadn’t had any meal yet.

After a while, she heard someone sneer behind her. She gnashed her teeth and raised her pale face.

She found Edward lazily leaning against his car. Behind him was the vast, starry night sky. A cigarette was trapped between his fingers, and his arrogant eyes were directed straight at her. Even when he wasn’t smiling, Stephenie could still sense his joy at her situation.

She clenched her teeth and gave him dagger stares. She just wanted to grab these stones on the ground and throw them at him!

The red and yellow sports cars also arrived at their location. The drivers climbed out of their cars and the two gorgeous women they were with.

The drivers looked as calm as Edward. The two attractive women looked undisturbed, too. Stephenie realized that she was the only one who was greatly affected by the ride.

Edward looked at them. “I haven’t raced for two years. Still can’t beat me, huh?”

The owner of the red car smirked. “Don’t be too cocky. Two wins in three games, remember? We’re still down to two.”

Edward smirked, too. “If you badly want to have a taste of shame, I’ll keep you company until the end.”

Stephenie couldn’t believe what she had just heard.

‘Two more rounds? And I’ll sit in the passenger seat in all those times?’

“What are we waiting for? Let’s do the second round!”

The owner of the yellow car looked at Edward and gestured to Stephenie.

“Can you stand up?” Edward asked her.

“What do you want?” she replied and rolled her eyes.

“If you can’t get up, then stay here and don’t go anywhere else,” Edward strictly said before throwing away his unfinished cigarette. Then, he got inside the car.

One of the women probably felt sorry for Stephenie and went to her side. “This must be your first time? The game they’ll be playing is quite tricky. They’ll speed up their cars and stop in front of their female partners. Whoever stopped the nearest to his partner will win,” she explained.

Stephenie felt like throwing up again.

The woman patted her shoulder. “It’s okay. Don’t be scared. They’re all used to this.”

Stephenie angrily stood up and tumbled toward Edward. “You’re a crazy man! I’m not going to participate in this stupid game of yours!” she muttered impatiently.

Edward rolled the window down and looked at her nonchalantly. “I’ll give you two options. Go back to where you are and stand still, or run away. Let’s see if you’re faster than my car.”

Stephenie clenched her fists. She stared into his eyes and realized that he would definitely do it without a doubt.

When Edward was still a student, one of his classmates was sent to the hospital because of offending him. His classmate didn’t even try to sue him.

After that incident, everybody started to avoid getting on Edward’s nerves.

Stephanie stood still on the mountain top. The harsh glare of the headlights made her squint her eyes a little bit. Several meters from her were Edward’s car, ready and roaring to life.

The next thing she knew, Edward’s car was already galloping toward her. No one even asked her if she was ready or not!

Stephenie closed her eyes. The harsh wind attacked her skin, and the strong urge to run invaded her mind. Her body trembled in fear until she could only hear the sharp sound of the wheel rubbing against the ground and her pounding heart.