The Top-Floor VIP Room
Wine cups clinked, and neon lights flashed.
A group of young men and women writhed wantonly on the dance floor, flaunting their youthful bodies.
Some grinded against each other, while others kissed recklessly in the corners.
The scene was a chaotic and decadent blur of wine and women.
In a corner
The half-dim, half-bright light spilled over the man's body.
His long, well-defined fingers toyed with a crystal glass, swirling it gently.
His profile was noble and elegant, veiled in the dim light.
His powerful aura kept the women who wanted to hit on him at a distance.
His cold presence isolated his small corner, turning it into a world of its own.
The man lowered his gaze, looking at the phone on the table.
He seemed to be waiting for a message from someone.
But the screen remained dark.
All night, he had stared at his phone countless times.
As time ticked by, his patience finally ran out.
Aiden Pierce picked up the phone, tapped on the keypad, and unlocked the screen.
He'd seen the password yesterday in bed when Willow West had unlocked it.
On the screen was a woman's glamour shot.
The woman's makeup was radiant, and she was exquisite down to every last strand of hair.
Even her smile seemed meticulously measured.
A typical elegant, intellectual, and gentle beauty.
Just as everyone in Aethelgard's high society gossiped.
The eldest daughter of the West Family was proper and virtuous—the most suitable woman to take home as a wife!
In Aiden Pierce's mind, scenes of their entanglement last night flashed by like a revolving lantern.
The woman's breath had been scorching as she brazenly teased and touched him.
Even when it came to *that*, she had to be on top, taking the lead.
Even when she winced in pain, she insisted on pressing him down beneath her!
She was clearly rebellious, bold, provocative, and passionate as fire!
He opened Willow West's phone. Her photo album was empty, save for a single picture.
It was a photo of a woman smoking.
She was also wearing all black, but the prim, off-the-shoulder gown had been replaced by a pitch-black biker jacket.
The woman's long, straight black hair had been replaced by sexy, sultry waves.
She was sitting on a motorcycle, her long, beautiful legs dangling casually. Her gaze was slightly lowered, creating an alluring but not vulgar air.
Her fingers were lovely—pale and slender.
Between her fingertips was a slim cigarette, the same brand he had snuffed out tonight.
'A woman like this... how could her soul possibly be boring?'
But now, Little West was afraid of him.
Just like all those years ago.
Seeing him zoning out, Roman West, who was beside him, leaned over with a grin. "You've been staring at that phone all night. Is there a beautiful woman hiding in there?!
Let me see!"
Just as Roman West leaned in, Aiden Pierce smoothly turned off the screen and locked the phone.
Then he stood up.
"Why are you being so stingy!
Got something good and you're hiding it away?
Aiden Pierce, something's not right with you!
You've been distracted all night!
Are you seeing someone?
Come on, tell your bro!
Is it a guy or a girl?"
It was no wonder Roman West was running his mouth.
He and Aiden Pierce had known each other since childhood.
Ever since they'd met, Aiden Pierce had always worn a cold and indifferent expression.
He did everything by the book, strictly adhering to old conventions!
When they were kids, people used to say Aiden Pierce was an old soul, mature and serious for his age.
Now that he was grown, he was even more aloof and ascetic, a model of self-restraint and propriety.
Everyone around him, from his secretary to his assistant to his driver, was male.
He'd never even been the subject of a romantic rumor!
Roman West always joked, "Even the flies buzzing around Aiden Pierce are male!"
Aiden Pierce had become known in their circle as a feudal relic!
Roman West had even wondered if the reason Aiden Pierce had no women around was that he was into men.
Aiden Pierce shot Roman West a glare as cold as a blade. Roman shut up, slapping his own mouth.
"Running my mouth. I deserve a smack!"
Aiden Pierce's expression didn't change. He just tossed out a sentence: "It's nine-thirty. Time to rest.
You have fun.
I'm going home."
With that, he picked up his trench coat and left.
Roman West protested, "You can't be serious!
Aiden Pierce, with a schedule like that, even my old man doesn't live as healthy a lifestyle as you!
For young people, the night has just begun. Stay a little longer!"
With his back to him, Aiden Pierce gave a wave and left without a backward glance.
Willow West was being ignored by Bianca Sterling.
He was with a group of dubious friends, playing a game with Robin Sutton where they passed a piece of tissue paper from mouth to mouth—a thin sheet serving as the last fig leaf over a kiss between a man and a woman.
Willow West found it all boring. When no one was paying attention, she got up and left.
She walked aimlessly down the street.
In September, Aethelgard was already showing signs of autumn with the first falling leaves.
Aethelgard's Vireon River Bridge was a landmark structure.
Back in middle school, whenever Willow West was in a bad mood, she would come here.
Like after every time she was corporally punished by Melanie Ulrich...
The year she'd been in a puppy love romance, it was here, after taking a whipping, that she was caught, dragged back to the West Family, and sent off to the Feminine Virtue Academy.
The memories were as clear as day.
Willow West's expression didn't change at all.
Standing by the bridge railing, looking down at the rushing waters of the Vireon River, she would always wonder if jumping from here would make all her troubles vanish without a trace.
Later, after she was sent to the Feminine Virtue Academy, she rarely had the chance to look down at the churning river.
And she rarely had the chance to think about dying.
The twenty-three-year-old Willow West despised the sixteen-year-old Willow West.
That little coward who always thought she could solve her problems by taking a leap!
'If a person isn't even afraid of death, what other hardship could they not face with composure?'
She turned around, her back to the Vireon River.
She let the night wind tousle her ink-black hair.
Her eyes were filled with a deep weariness.
The cigarette between her fingers, fanned by the river wind, glowed and dimmed, quickly burning halfway down.
She took out the phone that had been lying in her bag and gently touched the screen.
Aiden Pierce's phone screen showed a clear lake.
A light breeze rippled across the water's surface. The highly transparent, aquamarine color gave off a feeling of extreme comfort.
Willow West stared.
'This color—'
Her heart felt as if it had been struck by something.
Just as she was lost in thought, a black luxury sedan, like a swift cheetah, sped across the bridge, kicking up a gust of wind.
The hem of Willow West's black dress flew up, fluttering in the wind.
The cold wind assailed her, and Willow West couldn't help but shrink back.
A fine drizzle began to fall from the sky.
Willow West hugged her arms tightly.
The black sedan that had already passed now slowly reversed, its lights flashing softly as it pulled over to the side of the road.