Aiden's complexion became dull. After a few seconds, he quickly responded: "Do you really think it's an accident that he met you in front of the coffee shop that day? He had just been at the airport, so he wouldn't have passed that way!"
The car stopped at the gate to the mall. Kylie unfastened her seatbelt as Aiden held her hand. She looked at him with confusion but continued to listen.
"When I was in Baleney, I went to see you at night. I saw that your room was dark, and I thought you were asleep. But when I was about to leave, I saw my uncle coming out of your room and into another. Believe me, and he's up to something!"
Kylie stood at the gate of the mall and watched the Audi disappear.
Ethan had left the room that night, but he had explained to her that he'd gone to see his friend. As for why they had met in front of the coffee shop, that may not have been an accident.
But the words spoken by Aiden sounded like they were meant to cause disagreement. What purpose could Ethan have to approach her, a poor, random girl?
She persuaded herself to stop thinking about Aiden's words, but she couldn't help but take out her mobile phone. She found a bench to sit on, searching for Ethan in her phone book.
She really didn't know anything about his past...
There was one piece of information that she found in the news: that he had taken over as CEO of Century Group a few days ago. But the picture that came with the article was of the Group building, which soared high up into the clouds. There was no photo of him, the pilot of the Group.
It was as if Ethan had suddenly appeared in this world. There was nothing to reveal whether he had joined the secret force or run some illegal business.
Kylie wondered where all the rumors about his past originated. Is there something behind it all?
"Kylie?"
A soft female voice suddenly emerged from behind her. She exited the pages she had been browsing and turned to leave. But the person behind her didn't intend to let her stride away.
��It's been ages. Fancy running into you here. Which dress do you like? Shall I pay for you? After all, with your income... you can't afford it."
The person who spoke was Khloe, the white lotus, the last person that Kylie wanted to see.
She had just been bothered by Aiden. And now, Khloe. A good Jack makes a good Jill!
She turned towards her with a cold expression and saw Khloe wearing a cap and sunglasses. But she was not alone. Taylor, Aiden's mother, accompanied her. No wonder Khloe was so kind!
Taylor taunted, with a sneering smile: "An ugly duck can't be more than that. Don't think you can become a white swan with a few white feathers. If you can't afford it, don't come here. Don't let people who never come here mistake the Galleria as a sales mall."
"Auntie..." Khloe's voice was soft and pitiful. "My sister was almost raped a few days ago. It's really horrifying. I was so worried that she'd suffer from psychological damage. I felt relieved when I saw her shopping. We are sisters. It doesn't matter who pays the bill."
"Ha!" Taylor's eyes changed immediately. His upper lip rose. "She really is strong enough if she can go shopping after being raped. Anyway, no need to wonder about this. She's already experienced so much—raped or not, and it's all the same to her!"
"Please don't say that she can hear you." Khloe pouted, almost crying.
"What are you afraid of?" Taylor gestured to Khloe. "It's lucky that Aiden chose you. If Aiden had chosen her, he would have been cheated on many times."
"My sister really cares a lot about Aiden. Otherwise, she wouldn't..." Khloe tried to defend Kylie.
Taylor patted Khloe on the shoulder, with an expression that told her not to be silly again. "If she really cares about Aiden, why does she stay with Aiden's uncle? She only loves money."
"No... she isn't that kind of person..." Khloe put her finger under her sunglasses and rubbed as if she was really crying.
Kylie hugged her own shoulders and watched Aiden's fiancee and his mother echo each other. When she had heard enough, she took out her cellphone with a smile.
"You two should look at this. It's not me who bothers Aiden, but he who bothers me." After saying that, Kylie turned her phone around so that the screen faced the two women. She saw Taylor's face become dull, then Khloe realized what it was, and she couldn't pretend to be weak anymore.
"Sister... This is..." Khloe tried to snatch the cellphone, but Kylie waved her away.
The photo had been taken just moments before when Kylie had been in Aiden's car. Her hand was being gripped by Aiden's hand, as she had been trying to undo her seatbelt. Their heads were close. You couldn't see their faces clearly, but it was apparent that they were having an intimate moment.
She had learned this trick from Lord Ethan: fooling the eyes with photos.
"You little bitch." Taylor was so angry and looked like she wanted to fight Kylie. Kylie took a step back and smiled brilliantly. "Your son has inordinate ambitions on me. What would you think if that photo was sent to Lord Ethan?"
Taylor suddenly stopped advancing on Kylie, and her face became very pale.
Since Lord Ethan had taken over the Century Group, the senior manager had been experiencing big changes so that some of the members, such as Matthew, had lost power and were loudly complaining about it.
Because of this, Matthew had been venting his anger on Taylor. He complained that she didn't know how to behave socially, and was a family gossip. He also grumbled that her family was unable to help him at such a critical moment.
Taylor felt wronged. Khloe had asked her out to go shopping, so that had helped relieve some of the tension. But if she made Ethan angry through a quarrel with Kylie, Matthew would blame her again.
It's an invisible, but terrifying, food chain.