Imperium City — 11 pm.

The rays of the moon seeped into the huge European-styled bedroom through the open curtains.

Desmond gazed gushingly at Zaria under the dim light. Her slightly dazed almond eyes seemed to suck him in like a vortex and he couldn't help pressing another kiss onto her lips.

She peeked at her bag as his lips trailed to her neck and his hands slid the straps of her top off her shoulders. Would this lighting be sufficient? If it was too dim, then it was pointless...

"What's the matter? Are you unwilling?" He sharply noticed her distraction with a frown.

"Not that!" She panicked when he stopped. How could she get distracted at such a time? 'Focus, Zaria!' She scolded herself and threw in an excuse through the sweetest smile she could manage. "I just like having the lights on."

The man gave her an amused look and wordlessly snapped his fingers, then the lights turned on, much to her relief.

He pushed her against the wall with his arm behind her waist. Just when she thought he was going to continue, he suddenly stopped with a pensive look on his face.

Her heart skipped a beat. 'No… you can't get distracted now.' She thought urgently. She decisively reached to stroke his chest, but he pushed her hands off him.

"You are that woman." Desmond's face scrunched up in realization as he eyed the woman in front of him. "You are that woman, aren't you?"

She remained calm under his scrutiny, but he didn't miss the slight panic that flashed through her eyes for half a second. She bit her lower lip and flashed a brilliant smile. "Desmond, what are you saying? What woman?"

He balled his fists and pulled away from her, resisting the urge to punch a dent into those pretentious eyes. He hated schemers like her, but what he hated most were liars!

And this woman was both. As if being his enemy's daughter wasn't enough, she had the nerve to lie her way into his life as well? He grabbed her jacket and top from the floor and tossed them into her face. "Get out of my house."

Seeing that she had no way out, she grabbed his hand, sobbing two trails of what he knew were fake tears. "Desmond, I can explain. Please listen to me."

Yeah, right. Listen to her lies.

He flung her hands away in disgust, looking down at her threateningly. "Get dressed and scram! Otherwise, don't blame me for wrecking what is left of your miserable life."

The fake tears stopped as suddenly as they had started rolling. With trembling hands, she picked up her top and wore it at rapid speed, zipped up her jeans and grabbed her leather jacket and bag, then walked out of the room. There was nothing she could do to change his mind at this point, after all. Just as her fingers connected with the doorknob, she heard his voice, a few degrees calmer. "Wait."

She turned robotically, not daring to let herself regain the tiny ray of hope that was crawling into her heart. He didn't seem to have the intention to speak, so she carefully probed, "what is it?"

He closed in on her, his height towering over her small frame intimidatingly. "Don't let me ever see your disgusting face again, Savannah. Or is that even your name?"

She looked him up and down, her lips clenched. "No, the name is Zaria, and no, you will not wreck my life. I will wreck yours!" She then forcefully opened the door, forcing him to retreat a few steps into the room, and banged it on her way out.

"You and what army?" He chortled to the air after she had left. What had the world come to? Even spineless little liars could afford to threaten him now?

He grabbed his phone in a fit and was about to make a call that would ruin that young woman's life forever, but on second thought, that would be no fun. A cat doesn't kill a mouse immediately after catching it. It would be much more fun to watch the poor little mouse struggle for its life, thinking it could escape.

"For daring to lie to me, I will make you pay tenfold." He glared at the spot where she was standing just a moment ago, treating the wall as her.

_

"Who the hell does he think he is?! Zaria kicked a stone on the road, treating it like him. "Ow!" The pain shot through her toe, making her all the more enraged.

"Just because he has some lousy money and status, he thinks he can boss everyone around? F*ck him!"

"F*ck you Desmond Fort!" She yelled at the top of the lungs, then immediately felt a little relieved.

"Hey, that wasn't bad." She said to no one in particular then sucked in a long breath, gathering the loudest yell she could muster. "F*ck you! F*ck you! F*ck you!"

Luckily, there was no one else on the streets since it was late at night. Otherwise, she might have ended up at a mental institution.

Seeing a bench under a street lamp a few steps away, she went over and sat down, ignoring its coldness. She then took out a tiny camera, connected it to her phone, and checked the content. Her lips curled into a smirk when she saw the suggestive video of her and Desmond in his room. "Let's see how you wiggle your way out of this."