Chapter 4
"Oh, this..."
She quickly recovered, scratching the red mark nonchalantly. "I got bitten by a mosquito yesterday while accompanying Adrian on his walk."
"Is there a problem, Mother?"
Vivian Lowell stared intently into her daughter's eyes, finding nothing unusual, and finally relaxed a little.
"You should keep your distance from Adrian Sinclair."
She closed the door, lowering her voice. "Your uncle said that man appears gentle and noble on the surface, but he's ruthless and merciless at his core."
"The Sinclair family wasn't considered top-tier in New York originally. But since Adrian took over Sinclair Corp, he now dominates everything."
"The old master favors his decisiveness and intends to hand over the Lowell Corporation to him as well."
"He dares to use any means in business. A young girl like you is nothing but a blank page in his eyes!"
"Besides, he's now your nominal cousin. Don't you dare entertain any improper thoughts!"
Anna Ross lowered her eyes, answering obediently. "I know, Mom. If it weren't for... Dad's arrangements, I wouldn't have gone out with him either."
Vivian finally felt reassured and left after a few more words of advice.
Anna watched her mother leave, her nails digging deeply into her palms.
She couldn't afford to entangle with Adrian any longer.
Even if their breakup three years ago was unpleasant, he was now her cousin!
Neither the Sinclair nor the Lowell families would ever accept her. Moreover, Adrian's current behavior was clearly just to humiliate her!
If he was going to stay at the Lowell residence, then she had to leave...
After a moment's thought, Anna dialed her best friend's number. "Mia, are you still working in real estate? Can you help me find a suitable apartment? I want to move out as soon as possible..."
Unaware, footsteps approached outside her door. A man in a black suit stopped at her doorway, his gaze cold and gloomy.
By the time Anna finished her shower, it was already 1 a.m.
Drying her hair, she picked up her phone. The screen lit up with a text message from a number that hadn't appeared in a long time.
[S: Come to the room next door.]
Her fingertips trembled slightly.
It was all her fault for being soft-hearted back then... She hadn't had the heart to block him when they broke up!
She ignored the message and directly dragged the number into her block list.
But soon, her phone buzzed with an AirDrop notification.
Hesitating for a moment, she opened the image. A photo filled the screen.
In the picture, she lay on a sofa, her neck and ears flushed red.
A slender hand rested on her leg, the thumb adorned with a sapphire ring. It was Adrian's hand!
Anna's pupils constricted sharply.
When did he take such a photo?!
Trembling, she gripped her phone tightly, threw on a coat, and hurried out of her room.
The door to the adjacent room was slightly ajar. The manor was silent, only warm yellow light spilling from within.
Clenching her teeth, Anna pushed the door open.
Adrian had just emerged from the bath. His wet hair fell across his forehead, a towel wrapped around his waist. His broad shoulders and narrow waist were strikingly apparent, the usual sharpness softened, replaced by a lazy elegance.
Those eight-pack abs were still dripping water, enough to make anyone's heart race and cheeks flush.
"We're at home! Even if you disregard Uncle, do you not care about Grandpa Lowell at all?!"
Anna kept her voice low, demanding, "Adrian Sinclair, what exactly do you want? Aren't you going on blind dates? Why won't you let me go?"
A faint smile touched Adrian's lips. He reached out and pulled her into his embrace.
Anna struggled fiercely, but he restrained her, and they tumbled into the swimming pool.
Water flooded her nose and mouth, sending her into a fit of violent coughing.
Suddenly, her chin was gripped. Adrian kissed her lips forcefully.
"I want to sleep with you."
Her freshly changed clothes were soaked through, clinging to her body and outlining her alluring curves. Adrian's lips and teeth trailed downward, from her jaw to her neck, then biting open the strap behind her neck.
Dazed from the water, Anna leaned weakly against his chest.
"You think moving out will let you escape?"
Adrian nibbled on her earlobe, his voice lazy yet full of threat. "Once you leave the Lowell family, what do you think will hold me back?"
Anna's heart tightened.
Had he overheard her phone call with Mia?
Her heart sank bit by bit. She looked up at him, eyes red. "Then what do you want me to do? Isn't it enough that I won't stay here to be an eyesore? Mom already noticed. Do you have to push me to death to be satisfied?"
A mocking smile played on Adrian's lips. He increased his pressure, making her cry out in pain.
"Oh? She knows? Doesn't that make it more exciting?"
He released his bite, twirling her reddened earlobe carelessly. "If something like this happens, would your mother dare tell Howard Lowell? Tell him his stepdaughter seduced his nephew?"
Then, he added sarcastically, "Perhaps this is Howard Lowell's plan all along. If something happens between us, angering the old master, won't the Lowell Corporation fall into his hands?"
"By then, he might even thank you, his good daughter."
Anna's fingertips turned white, all color draining from her face.
Adrian was the old master's most favored grandson. Any family scandal would only be covered up for his sake.
And she, the stepdaughter, would only become the scapegoat, ruined and thrown out of the Lowell family!
Seeing her cease resistance, a flicker of disgust passed through Adrian's eyes. He stood up, pulled her from the pool, and threw her onto the floor.
"Weren't you so skilled at seducing men three years ago? Now you're stiff as a board?"
He looked down at her, playing with his ring mockingly. "Do you think being a Lowell stepdaughter makes you aๅ้ๅฐๅง? Have you forgotten your old tricks?"
Anna's lips trembled. Watching him snort derisively, sit by the window, and light a cigarette, she shakily climbed up from the floor and fled through the door.
Adrian didn't follow.
Relieved, she ran back to her room to change, but sleep eluded her for a long time.
Early the next morning, after much hesitation, she went upstairs toward her mother's room.
Before she could knock, she heard a pained cry from inside.
Her heart clenched. She pushed the door open in a panic.
She saw her stepfather grabbing her mother's hair, slapping her hard across the face.
Blood trickled from the corner of her mother's mouth and nose, her eyes filled with terror and helplessness.
A chill ran down Anna's spine. Her eyes widened in fury!
She rushed forward, trying to pull her stepfather away. "Let go! Mom is pregnant with your child! How can you hit her?!"
"Get away from me! Damn liar! How dare you deceive me!"
Howard Lowell's eyes were bloodshot, like a mad bull. He shoved her away. "Pregnant? I've been fooled by this damned pillow... Vivian Lowell, you are utterly shameless and would stop at nothing!"
"Return all the bride price I gave when I married you! We're getting a divorce now! Or else you'll regret it!"
Disbelief flashed in Anna's eyes.
Her mother faked the pregnancy...?