A bright moon hung in the sky, while below, amidst the dense thicket of trees, a pair of lovers nestled together, their faces kissed by the spring breeze.
Lucienne had secured the contract with Mr. Kingswell, achieving great success for the Ashdown Company led by the Ashdown family. As the heir to the Ashdown family and her fiancé, Quintus was in high spirits tonight.
In his excitement, he had three more drinks at the banquet, and the alcohol made him feel lightheaded. Unable to resist, he quietly pulled his beloved benefactor away to a secluded spot to share their feelings. "Quintus, what are you doing…" Lucienne blushed, trying to shy away from his closeness.
Quintus complained, pressing her wrist gently: "Lucy, how long has it been since you've spent time with me?" Lucienne's eyes showed some guilt: "Quintus, I'm sorry, I've been so busy lately."
Quintus shook his head, affectionately placing his hand on her face: "It's all worth it. You are now the great benefactor of my company, proving your ability. Even my father won't be able to stop us from being together anymore! Once the contract is finalized, I'll start planning our wedding. What style of wedding dress do you like?"
"Quin…" Lucienne looked at him, moved and about to reply, when suddenly a sarcastic laugh came from outside the thicket: "If you want Mr. Ashdown to change his opinion of her, she'd better have really secured the contract with Mr. Kingswell on her own merit!"
The two of them turned toward the voice. When Lucienne recognized the small figure, she exclaimed in surprise: "Elly?"
Eloise glanced at her, then her gaze landed on her "designated crush" and "original male lead"—Quintus's elegant and handsome face: "Quintus, there's a huge rumor spreading outside. They say that Lucy was able to secure the contract with Mr. Kingswell by using some underhanded methods!"
Quintus furrowed his brow: "Elly, those people are just talking nonsense out of jealousy. Why are you believing them?"
"Because I think they make a lot of sense!" Eloise walked over, looking at Lucienne with disdain. "Otherwise, why would Mr. Kingswell specifically ask Lucy to receive him? And why would he finalize such an important deal in such a short time? Ashdown Company's strength among competitors isn't overwhelming, but Mr. Kingswell never seemed to consider any other partners. Does that make sense?"
Lucienne opened her mouth, but words failed her. Indeed, she didn't know the answers to these questions herself. This muddled contract seemed like a whimsical gesture from Mr. Kingswell, a large cake thrown down out of the blue, inexplicably landing on her head.
"Business sometimes depends on fate and intuition, there's no need to question everything," Quintus spoke in a tone that defended his fiancée, yet Eloise could clearly sense the doubt lurking within him. Seizing the opportunity, she struck while the iron was hot and blurted out a shocking lie: "But I saw them being all lovey-dovey with my own eyes!"
Lucienne was shocked: "How is that possible! Elly, what nonsense are you talking?" Quintus's face turned ashen: "Elly, even if you don't like Lucy, you can't slander her like this!"
"How is it slander? I have proof!" Eloise took the opportunity to pull out the photos Mr. Kingswell had sent her, confidently showing them to Quintus. Quintus looked closely, and his expression relaxed. After Lucienne saw them, her face turned strange.
Eloise was confused, but then Quintus sighed helplessly: "Elly, these people are close to each other in the photos, but that doesn't prove anything. Besides… this man isn't Mr. Kingswell at all!"
"What?" Eloise's eyes widened in disbelief. She pulled the photos back and stared at them, her face filled with incredulity. Upon closer inspection, it was true—the man above had well-proportioned features, but he wasn't handsome enough to be considered the second male lead.
But that's impossible! Isn't Isel one of Mr. Kingswell's people? How could he have made a mistake?
Lucienne studied her expression and asked, "Elly, don't you know what Mr. Kingswell looks like?"
Eloise shot her a glare. How could she possibly know! At the last welcome banquet, she was too busy preparing the sleeping drug and tying a safety rope to the balcony railing on the rooftop. She barely had time to eat two bites of her meal, let alone pay attention to Mr. Kingswell's appearance—besides, in the original story, he didn't have much of a role in her scenes, so it seemed unnecessary to even look.
"Of course I know!" But no matter what, she never imagined things would go wrong here. Her heart panicked, as if she could already see these two successfully married, while she, unable to stir up any trouble, would be sent by her father into a disastrous arranged marriage for business purposes.
She gritted her teeth: "I just accidentally mixed up the photos! Heh, but I have a witness. One of Mr. Kingswell's people also saw you two getting close!" When it came to "one of Mr. Kingswell's people," Quintus and Lucienne exchanged a glance. They couldn't take it lightly, both looking at Eloise with serious expressions.
Eloise pretended to calm down and stepped aside. With the mindset of "settling the score with Isel," she dialed the number she had saved when the photos were sent. The voice on the other end was calm: "What's up?" Eloise lowered her voice and scolded, "Are you messing with me? The person in the photo isn't Mr. Kingswell!"
The voice on the other end let out a light laugh: "I thought you were very familiar with him!" Eloise didn't have time for a back-and-forth: "I'm bringing Quintus over now, and you're going to help me as a witness. You know what to say. Otherwise..." She couldn't think of a proper threat, and in a moment of desperation, she added, "Otherwise, I'll start to hate you!"
After saying it, even she thought it was unreasonable and spoiled. Her face flushed as she asked, "Where are you?" The voice on the other end carried neither mockery nor disdain, as if this childish threat truly held some deterrent power. It answered straightforwardly, "The rooftop, by the swimming pool."
