In Her Pond: The CEO’s Obsession

---- Chapter 8 accepted his request. His profile picture was a crescent moon hanging ina dark night sky, like a tear splitting through the darkness. [Do I even need to explain what that profile picture means?] {Let's give a round of applause to the man who's been testing the waters for years-sending random links just to see if the female lead would delete him, searching her ID a hundred times, and finally working up the nerve to senda friend request today!] [Clap clap clap~] I glanced through his posts. Most were work-related, with the occasional photo from the gym or a skydiving trip.

Back in high school, there had been far more girls chasing after Liam than after Hubert. The golden boy of the Park family-everywhere he went, people treated him like he hung the moon. He'd always reminded me a little of my father, surrounded by a rotating crowd of admirers. ---- After Hubert confessed to me, I barely saw Liam around campus again. Rumor had it he'd transferred to the international program and was preparing to study abroad. At the time, I'd felt relieved. After dating Hubert for a while, the engagement between our families quietly dissolved.

But now the messages kept saying that if I didn't reply to him, Liam would turn dark. That he'd lock me up. That last night, he'd... Ijust couldn't connect any of those things with the man I knew. The night of my birthday banquet, Ashford's elite gathered in one place. Iperformed one of my favorite violin pieces on stage, and when the last note faded, the room erupted in applause. "Ts that the heiress of the O'Brien family from Ashford? She looks like a celebrity. She could totally make it in the ---- entertainment industry." "Didn't her fiancé just pass away recently? She looks...

surprisingly fine." "T saw a clip of her crying during an interview. She looked like a fallen angel, so delicate it made my heart ache." [Why do all the side characters in this story sound so awkward?) [Probably because we're only seeing the text and not the visuals. The emotional punch just isn't landing. ] (Still, the female lead's incredible. The male lead totally didn't deserve her.] After stepping offstage, I spotted Ryan in the crowd. Thadn't even sent him an invitation. God knows how he got in. He waved at me. "Rose!" Iwalked over. "Don't act so friendly.

Now that Hubert's gone, we're not that close anymore." "alright," he said, scratching his head. "When we were sorting through Hubert's things yesterday, we founda ---- birthday gift he'd already prepared for you. I wanted to give it to you on his behalf." He handed me an ornate box with a small card attached. "To my beloved wife, Rose." Even ata glance, I could tell the handwriting wasn't Hubert's. [Oh no, don't tell me the female lead's going to fall for this again and start crying.) ['Sorting through his belongings,' my ass.

That gift was something Hubert told him to buy last night.] "T see. Just leave it over there," I said, nodding toward a nearby table piled high with presents. Ryan blinked. "You're not going to open it?" "There are too many gifts. 'll never get through them all." As I walked away, he texted Hubert the update. "Hubert, she didn't seem interested in your gift." Hubert replied, "Are you stupid? Rose's sentimental. If she opens it, gets emotional, and starts crying in front of everyone, wouldn't that be humiliating?"