In Her Pond: The CEO’s Obsession

---- Chapter 5 Snapping out of my thoughts, I looked around. The room was nearly empty. Most of my things were already packed and moved out. The photo of Hubert and me on the bedside table had fallen face down. I stepped on it in my heels, and the frame shattered into a scatter of glass. He might not be dead, but to me, he was as good as gone. As I walked out of the Parker house, Susan's voice followed me down the hall, sharp and venomous. "Good riddance! Don't ever come back!

And don't you dare visit my son's grave!" [That old witch's acting like the female lead's after their inheritance when her own family's worth ten times more.] [As if her son were royalty. Visiting his grave isn't some divine privilege, for crying out loud.] "Mrs, Parker, please, that's enough," Sean said, stepping in. ---- He and Ryan walked me to the door. "Rose, if you need anything, just call us." "No need," I said quietly. "I just want to be alone for a while." Ryan hesitated. "You know, maybe you're right. There's still a chance Hubert's alive. The police never found a body, right?

Maybe we just need to wait for some good news." [The male lead's terrified she'll do something drastic after moving out, so he's got his buddies feeding her false hope.] [If only he knew the female lead already knows the truth. What a bunch of clowns.] lowned a few properties myself, but they were all rented out. Icouldn't just throw out my tenants because I needed a place to stay. So, I agreed to Holly's suggestion and moved into her brother's unused villa. As she handed me the keys, I asked, "Your brother's not going to suddenly come back, is he?" "No, [just talked to him recently.

He said he's got no plans to return anytime soon. ---- "Even if he does, he barely stays there. He usually goes straight to our family home. You'll be fine." Ispent two whole days and nights buried under the covers, sleeping off the exhaustion until the swelling around my eyes finally faded. That evening, Holly invited me out for a few drinks at a bar. After a few glasses, I spotted Ryan and his friends across the room. Not wanting to talk to them, I turned my head and pretended not to see them.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ryan pull out his phone, snap a picture of me from the side, and send it to Hubert. "Hubert, I just ran into Rose at a bar. She's drinking alone. Should I go over and comfort her?" Hubert replied, "Yeah, I handled things badly. She's been through a lot because of me." Ryan slipped his phone back into his pocket and started walking toward me. But before he reached me, another message came through. ---- "Forget it. Don't bother. She needs to feel what it's like to lose me. That way, when I 'come back from the dead,' she'Il appreciate me more." "Good point.

You always think ahead." Hubert added, "Just keep an eye on her. Bars can be dangerous. Make sure nothing happens to her." ['Make sure nothing happens to her'? Sure, buddy. Keep lying to yourself.] (How about you take the real challenge-make that fake death an actual one and really shock us all?] Sean sighed. "Man, when will I ever meet someone like Rose? She's gorgeous, devoted, and from a good family. I'd die happy for a girlfriend like that." Ryan shot him a look. "You could always try stealing her from Hubert while you have the chance." "No way.

If he came back, I'd be the first one he'd kill." Over the years I'd been with Hubert, a few of his friends had secretly tried to pursue me. When Hubert found out, he cut ties with them without hesitation.