"Asher... I want more..."
Ambiguous gasps and moans were heard through the gap in the bathroom doors.
Eliana Pierce felt like she was falling into an ice cellar as she stood outside the door.
The people inside the bathroom were none other than her friend, Erica Duffy, and her fiance, Asher Harrison.
"You mischievous little darling." Asher's voice was filled with lust, which was nothing like Eliana had heard before.
Erica smiled and asked softly, "Do you like it? Aren't I better for you than Eliana?"
"Don't talk about her!" Asher huffed in a low voice.
Erica groaned, "Don't be angry. It's all her fault that she would rather find a male prostitute than sleep with you..."
"She is such a bitch!" Asher interrupted Erica, venting the hatred in his heart as he kneaded her body so hard until she began to implore him to be gentle.
At the same time, Eliana staggered backwards, her hands trembling as she tried to hide the hickeys on her neck. Her eyes were red and she was on the verge of tears.
"You will break off the engagement with Eliana, won't you?"
"Of course, I will! That bitch doesn't deserve to marry into my family! Like mother, like daughter. Back then, her mother also tempted and provoked some big shot, which caused Eliana's father to die..." Asher snorted disdainfully.
"Didn't her father commit suicide?"
"That was just for show!"
Upon hearing those words, Eliana felt her brain buzzing.
By the time she came to her senses, she had already pulled the bathroom door open, and stormed in.
"What did you just say, Asher?"
Asher and Erica naked in the bathroom, their faces paled from the shock.
Asher quickly grabbed the bath towel beside him in a hurry. "Eliana, what are you doing here?"
Eliana grabbed his hand tightly, trembling, and demanded, "Tell me, who killed my parents!"
"Let him go!" Erica, who was still naked, reached out and pushed Eliana away.
Since Eliana was not expecting the attack, she staggered backwards, and hit her head on the bathtub.
She instantly blacked out and fell unconscious.
Seeing that she was not moving, Erica plucked up the courage to feel her breath, and found that it was very weak.
Horrified, Asher asked, "What happened to her?"
Erica suddenly withdrew her hand, and said in a shaky voice, "She has... I think she's dead."
"What? She's dead?"
"Yeah. What should we do now, Asher?" Erica's lips were quivering as she lowered her head, preventing him from seeing through her lie.
Asher's heart skipped a beat. He took a step forward to find out the truth for himself.
However, Erica threw herself into his arms, and burst into tears. "Eliana is dead! And I don't want to go to jail! Help me, Asher! Could you keep it a secret for me?"
Asher frowned. He was really irritated. "What's the point of keeping it a secret? When..."
"Just dispose of her body, and erase all evidence!"
Asher was dumbfounded when he heard what she said.
Eliana woke up, listening to the loud humming sound of the yacht. She felt her head was like being poked open. Feeling the intense pain in head, she touched the back of her head, and the growing pain made her shudder.
Before she could breathe, she felt someone grab her hair.
"Ah..." Eliana let out a scream as she subconsciously propped her neck backwards.
Erica was standing behind her with an evil smile.
"Were you satisfied with the gigolo that I sent you last night?"
Thinking of the passionate scenes from the night before, Eliana gritted her teeth and retorted, "So it was you who set me up!"
She had woken up that morning in a mess. However, she still believed her friendship with Erica, and that was the reason she had rushed to her house. She believed that there must be some misunderstanding. Erica wouldn't have done something like that to her.
But she did not expect to see Erica having sex with her fiance!
"Yes, since I took your fiance away from you, I certainly had to compensate you, and that was the reason I chose the gigolo to serve you." Erica covered her mouth and smiled with hatred in her eyes. "I'll let you enjoy yourself a bit more before you die."
Eliana looked at her in disbelief and then glanced around with a pale face. There were two bodyguards, who were tall and strong, standing beside Erica. The endless ocean surrounded the yacht, making it impossible for her to escape.
"Throw her down!"
As soon as Erica gave the order, the bodyguards picked up Eliana and tossed her out like a bag of trash.
The surging waves immediately swallowed her, and she did not even have a second to cry out for help.
Hearing the sound of the waves around her, Erica heaved a sigh of relief, feeling happy.
Five years later, at the airport.
With a serious look in his eyes, a little boy supported the luggage cart as he turned to Eliana and said, "Let me help you, Mommy!"
Lowering her head, Eliana touched the boy's soft hair and remarked, "What a considerate son I have!"
"What about me, Mommy?" A little girl, who was sitting in the luggage cart, poked her head out, blinking her big eyes. She looked very cute.
The boy mercilessly replied, "You're thoughtfully helping us increase the weight of our luggage."
The girl glared at him and pouted before she raised her hand to attack him.
With a bright smile, Eliana's heart softened when she saw her kids.
She had thought that her life would end when Erica had thrown her into the sea, but fortunately, someone saved her life.
She had been unconscious for several months, and when she had regained consciousness, she had found out that she was pregnant.
Several more months after that, she had given birth to the twins, Aileen Pierce and Adrian Pierce.
To her, they were angels who brought light to her life again.
"Miss Pierce." A woman walked up to her with a big smile. "I'm Kimora, the nanny sent by Mr. Jonathan Bowman to take care of you and your babies."
Kimora took out her ID card and handed it to Eliana.
While they were talking, Aileen's eyes lit up.
A tall man was walking towards them. He was dressed in a deep black suit, had sharp features, and dark eyes. His intimidating aura made everyone step away, but it attracted Aileen.
When he was about to walk past her, she jumped down from the luggage cart, and put her arms around his leg.
"Daddy!"
In an instant, the air around them seemed to freeze.
Maurice Moran looked down at the little girl clinging to his leg.
The girl had a fair and adorable face. Maurice could see his own face reflected in her bright and round eyes.
Maurice felt that he could not take his eyes off of her.
He was filled with the sudden urge to take away this cute child.
Maurice stared down at the little girl and gently asked, "Where is your family?"
"Daddy! You are my daddy!" The little girl stared boldly back at him. She squinted a bit and smiled sweetly, melting Maurice's heart.
"Hold me. I don't want to walk," she mumbled.
Maurice was about to reach out to pick her up when a whiff of perfume filled his nose. A woman suddenly appeared and scooped the little girl into her arms. "I'm sorry," she said earnestly. "My daughter likes to pretend that handsome strangers are her dad. She didn't mean to offend you. I'm really sorry."
She gave Maurice a nod before turning to leave.
As he watched the woman walk away, Maurice was filled with a sense of familiarity.
Eliana gently pinched Aileen's face. "Didn't you promise that you would stop doing this?"
"But he was so handsome..." Aileen pouted and seemed about to complain some more, but Eliana gave her a reproachful look and she stopped talking.
Eliana met up with Kimora, and they walked to the parking lot together.
Eliana placed the twins in the car and was about to help Kimora with the luggage. When she got out of the car, she was met with two familiar figures.
Asher's car key fell from his hand to the ground with a clatter.
He didn't even notice it. "Eliana?" he asked incredulously. "You are still alive?"
Eliana was shocked for a moment. Her expression turned cold. She glanced from Asher to Erica, who was standing behind him.
"Yes. I didn't deserve to die. Do you agree, Erica?" Eliana spoke each word slowly and deliberately.
Erica was so startled to see Eliana that she stumbled backward in horror. She twisted her ankle and fell to the ground with a cry of pain.
Erica looked up and saw that Eliana was not the shabby-looking woman she had been five years ago. Eliana was tall and beautiful even without any makeup. Erica shuddered at the mocking smile that lifted the corners of Eliana's mouth. Without thinking, she turned to Asher for help, only to find that he was staring at Eliana with obsession in his eyes. Asher walked slowly towards Eliana and reached out his hand.
"Why haven't you contacted me for all these years?"
Eliana stepped back to avoid his hand. "Don't touch me. You're disgusting."
Asher was shocked and stood frozen.
Erica was livid. She couldn't believe that Asher still loved this horrible woman!
Eliana watched them both with disdain. "Wait and see," she said through red lips. "We'll see each other again. I will watch you pay for what you did!"
At this moment, Kimora slammed the trunk closed, making Erica and Asher tremble in fear.
Eliana sneered, got into the car, and drove away.
Eliana and Kimora began to unpack their suitcases after arriving home.
"Mommy, we want to help you!" The twins ran towards Eliana and kissed her on the face.
Eliana was pleased. She kissed them too and handed them some light luggage.
"Look at this handsome guy!" Aileen shoved a photo towards Adrian. "It's my grandfather!"
Adrian was speechless.
Eliana paused. She looked over and found that Aileen had opened the photo album to a photo of her father as a young man. Aileen was giggling.
"Let me have a look."
Aileen passed the photo album to Eliana.
Eliana gently touched the photos one by one. A few tears left her eyes as she looked at her parents' smiling faces.
She remembered what Asher had said. There was more to her parents' death than met the eye. The Pierce Group was directly purchased by the Moran Group after its bankruptcy. There should be some old employees working there.
She must find out the truth!
Eliana made up her mind as she stared at the job offer from the Moran Group on her phone.
The Moran Group had a prime location and its tall Twin Towers were magnificent.
The receptionist led Eliana into the office and reminded her in a low voice, "This is Gabrielle Aston, the director of the Design Department."
Eliana nodded and walked inside.
A woman sat on the sofa in the middle of the room. She looked Eliana up and down.
The woman's gaze made her uncomfortable. Eliana kept her cool and smiled politely. "Hello, I'm Eliana Pierce."
"Welcome to the Moran Group." Gabrielle smiled. She gave Eliana a meaningful look and said, "I have a client meeting tonight. You can go with me."
"Tonight?" Eliana was surprised, but she immediately hid it. "Okay."
Gabrielle nodded with satisfaction and walked toward the door, swaying her hips. "Follow me."
Eliana was ready to go through the formalities. As they stepped out of the elevator, she saw the employees' faces become serious, as though they were faced with a formidable enemy.
A tall figure walked out of an office room, surrounded by senior executives. He wore a haut suit and had a dignified posture. He was clearly not an ordinary employee.
Eliana blinked and stared at the man. He looked familiar.
The man stopped in the corridor and turned his head.
"Eliana," Gabrielle called her from behind.
Eliana was dragged aside before she could react.
Gabrielle's face darkened and her eyes turned cold. "You have to know your place. Mr. Moran is ruthless and distant. If you display any inappropriate feelings towards him, you will be fired immediately."
The man was Maurice, the CEO of the Moran Group.
Eliana thought for a moment and lowered her head obediently. "I understand."
Gabrielle snorted and walked into the office, but Eliana didn't move. She raised her head and looked down the corridor.
Seeing the man stop in his tracks, the assistant immediately approached and asked with concern, "Mr. Moran, is there something wrong?"
Frowning, Maurice looked away and continued to walk forward.
Perhaps his mind was all over the place, causing him to feel that the woman he met looked familiar.
As night fell, the Imperial Golden Club came to life.
A Maybach slowly came to a halt at the front door. Maurice got out of the car and strode right in.
"Well, this is a first. You're ten minutes late this time." At the front desk in the center of the hall, Wyatt was playing with a signet ring on his finger with a faint smile. He looked like a playboy.
The receptionist beside him blushed. It was obvious that Wyatt had been flirting with her.
"I'm late because of a meeting." Maurice raised his chin and walked inside without waiting for a response from Wyatt Todd. "If you don't want to join us in the private room, why don't you become a receptionist at my club?" he added.
With a disapproving click of his tongue, Wyatt followed behind Maurice, only to find a gloomy expression on his face. He raised his eyebrows and asked, "I didn't mean anything by calling out your tardiness. What's with the long face?"
Maurice ignored him.
Wyatt studied his face for a while before muttering under his breath, "That mask looks so real..."
Maurice strode all the way to the private room. After he closed the door behind him, he asked in a low voice, "Do you know where the ring is?"
"They're already looking for it." Wyatt shrugged his shoulders. "As of right now, there's still no news."
As he spoke, he poured a glass of wine for Maurice. "Come on. Don't you have a lead?"
Five years ago, Maurice made the mistake of having a one-night stand with a strange woman. The following morning, he found that the family ring had gone missing, and so did the mysterious woman.
"I used to think it was planned by my uncle." Maurice raised his glass lazily and took a sip. There was something about his demeanor that made him indescribably sexy. "But I found out that his people were also searching for the ring. I didn't know what trick he was playing."
Wyatt broke into a wide, teasing smile. "You must've suffered a great loss that night, am I right? Not only did you lose your ring, but also your virginity!"
Maurice leaned against the back of the chair and glanced at Wyatt's direction. He might be smiling, but a chill ran down Wyatt's spine when they locked eyes. He quickly coughed and dropped the subject.
Meanwhile, in another private room in the Imperial Golden Club, Eliana was following Gabrielle inside.
The private room was dimly lit and the table was covered with bottles of different kinds of liquor. A fat man was slumped on the sofa. When the two women came in, his lustful eyes swept over the first one like a venomous snake.
Frowning slightly, Eliana couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.
Gabrielle strode towards the man with a flirtatious smile. "Hello, Mr. Blake. You came so early."
"It'd be rude of me, a gentleman, to let a woman wait."
Antwan Blake laughed and reached out to stroke Gabrielle's thigh with his chubby fingers.
Gabrielle managed to dodge Antwan's advances calmly and beckoned to Eliana. "Come on, say hello to Mr. Blake."
Only then did Antwan shift his focus to the woman by the door.
Eliana was wearing a cream-colored dress, enveloping her tender skin and hugging her small waist.
Antwan's soul left his body the second he laid eyes on her. He immediately stood up and pulled her by the arm. "Come and sit here!"
But Eliana took a step back and looked at Gabrielle hesitantly.
"What's taking you so long? Mr. Blake just asked you to sit down!" Shooting Antwan an apologetic smile, Gabrielle put a glass into Eliana's hand and leaned over to whisper, "Our project's success hinges on Mr. Blake. If you can't even accomplish your first task, don't bother to come to work tomorrow."
Eliana understood what Gabrielle meant. With clenched fists, she had half a mind to up and leave right then and there. But if she wanted to find out the truth about the past, she needed to stay within the Moran Group. She had to endure whatever she was to face tonight.
Forcing a smile, Eliana took a deep breath and toasted to Antwan. She then quickly gulped down the drink in her hand.
"Good girl, Eliana!" Gabrielle clapped her hands and filled another glass for Eliana.
After drinking one glass after another, Eliana began to lose her consciousness.
With a clang, her glass fell to the carpeted floor. She sank into the sofa and raised her hand weakly. "No, I can't drink another glass..."
Seeing that the time was right, Gabrielle quickly exited the room.
As soon as the door of the private room was closed behind her, Antwan couldn't wait to touch Eliana's delicate body and push her on her back.
In a drunken haze, Eliana peeled her eyes open just in time to see the chubby face of Antwan leaning over. He was trying to kiss her.
Before she knew what she was doing, her hand slapped him hard across the face.
The sound of the slap echoed in the private room. Eliana immediately sobered up.
Antwan was knocked backwards by the heavy blow and his head hit the corner of the table as he went down. Then he curled into a ball and whined, "Ah! What the fuck! How dare a bitch like you hit me?"
But Eliana wasn't about to stay and chat. She immediately jumped off the sofa in a hurry and rushed out the door.
"Stop right there!" Antwan's roar came from behind as he tried to get back on his feet to chase after her.
Eliana suddenly noticed a crack in the door of the private room next to hers, so she pounced into the room without thinking.
As soon as she stepped into the room, she suddenly lost all her strength and collapsed, falling into the arms of a strong man.
She struggled to raise her head and saw a strange, masculine face, but his eyes seemed somewhat familiar...