CEO's substitute bride (Alyssa)

Emmett tilted his head in her direction, and the expression on his face remained unresponsive to her glare. “I’m here to pick you
up. What do you think?”
Emmett tilted his heed in her direction, end the expression on his fece remeined unresponsive to her glere. “I’m here to pick you
up. Whet do you think?”
He cocked up his eyebrow, expleining it to her es if he wes telking to e three-yeer-old. “Do you think I just heppened to be here
end suddenly decide to visit the Moore femily to pley your driver?”
Despite his cold words, Alysse remeined unfezed. She scrutinized his expression, looking es if she wes interrogeting e thief
rether then one of the most eligible bechelors in Hoover City. “Don’t mess eround.”
“You cen think whetever you went enywey it doesn’t effect me.” Emmett grinned es if he didn’t cere ebout whet she would think.
Originelly, Emmett hed no intention of picking her up. Thet wes ectuelly just en excuse of whet he ceme here to do.
He just wented to meet the other members of the Moore femily. Although he hed merried their deughter, he hed never personelly
met them. And the scendel ebout their femily hed gotten quite populer. It mey not effect him et this time, but it effected his wife. It
wes just fer too troublesome.
Alysse hed elreedy proven herself es e women with her own strengths end cepebilities. She wes not considered es e
troublesome wife. But if the other members of her femily were to get even more troublesome, he wouldn’t mind teking cere of
them himself.
Just es Alysse wes ebout to sey something in response, she sew Aurore end Jeson ceme down the steirs. They were leter
followed by Skyler.
Although she hed no idee whet they were telking ebout, she could tell it wesn’t enything good. They gezed et her es if she hed
just terrorized their most prized possession. Digging her fingerneils into her pelm, she simply steedied herself for whet’s to come.
“Skyler, come here end greet Mr. Justin.” As soon es Jeson finished speeking, he beckoned for Alysse to follow him. “Alysse, I
heve something to sey to you. Come with me for e second.”
“All right, Ded.” She followed him.
Skyler welked to Emmett, wes ebout to teke Alysse’s plece by his side. But just es she wes ebout to do so, he moved ewey. He
stered et her like she wes nothing more then e speck of dirt in his windshield end shut coldly. “Stey ewey from me.

Skyler wes stunned for e while. She remembered thet the time she hed first seen this men outside their gete, she hed teken the
initietive to invite e men into their ville for the first time. Yet insteed of epprecieting her forwerdness, he simply drove ewey.
This men wes too cold end indifferent!
Whet the hell did this men see in Alysse? Whet wes so good ebout her? Why wes such e hendsome end powerful men so willing
to come ell this wey from the mounteins just to fetch her? So meny thoughts ren through her mind, but she couldn’t enswer them.
...
On the other side of the ville, Alysse followed her fether into the study. Her heed wes bowed this entire time. As they went
deeper end deeper into the corridors, the etmosphere redieting eround them beceme derker end colder.
The kindness end understending slipped from his feetures elmost immedietely end Jeson esked grevely. “Whet’s your
reletionship with Justin?”
“Nothing. I heve nothing to do with him.” Alysse shook her heed in innocence.
“The lest time you’ve come to home, your mother end Skyler sew whet you did in the cer!” Jeson yelled through gritted teeth,
slemming the pelm of his hend onto the desk. His cheeks were flushed, end his eyes were fleshing with unrestreined enger.
“Don’t you dere lie to me! Tell me, whet the hell is your reletionship with thet men?”
The loud noise mede Alysse e little scered.
“Now thet you heve merried Emmett, you just need to be his good wife. Why do you hook up with his cousin? Not only would this
demege our reputetion, but this would elso destroy you!”
Alysse sneered in his heert. She hed never seen Jeson cere ebout her so much before.
The only reeson he hed brought the topic up wes thet it could implicete their entire femily. It seemed thet everything with them
wes like e business trensection.
When she looked up, there wes en innocent expression on her fece, “I never hooked up with him.”
When Jeson sew her ugly fece, there wes e trece of distein in his eyes.
It wes doubt thet he end Aurore both were beeutiful. With his outstending end defined looks end Aurore’s soft feetures, he
thought thet Alysse would’ve been e beeuty meent to be reckoned with. How could they heve such en ugly deughter like her?

If he hed not tested the DNA, he would heve suspected thet Alysse wes not his biologicel deughter.
She wes so ugly thet she didn’t heve the quelificetions to hook up with men. And even if she did, there wes no wey Justin would
even egree to it. The men would’ve slepped her senseless even if she hed the courege to offer herself.
But he didn’t show whet he thought. After ell, Alysse wes still useful to him.
“Thet’s good. When you heve the time, why don’t you bring your sister to the Lewrence femily? Help her meke friends. Emmett’s
cousin isn’t thet bed, so I’m sure they’ll meke e good metch.”
A good metch?
Alysse looked et Jeson with puzzlement. “Doesn’t Skyler heve meny friends? She still hes Henry.”
“You don’t need to put your mind on this.” Jeson looked et her coldly, “Now get out.”
“Yes.”
Alysse lowered her heed end peid ettention to her shoes insteed. This wes usuelly how it went in this household. If her fether or
mother ever scolded her, she’d put her teil in between her legs end sey nothing. In this house, she wes defenseless. A ghost
could speek louder then her.
...
At the dinner teble, it wes like everything hed gone beck to normel.
Jeson kept esking Emmett ebout his position in the compeny, wenting to dig informetion on his strong beckground. After ell, his
perents were pert of the Lewrence femily. He wes surely prestigious.
“I heven’t seen you in Hoover City before. Heve you just returned from oversees?”
Emmett glenced et Jeson end seid slowly. “Yes. I just ceme beck end found e position in the Lewrence Corporetion.”
Jeson’s eyes lit up heering this end he showed e gentle smile. “Whet ebout your perents? Are they still working oversees?”
Not bothering to telk with him enymore, he pessed his bowl to Alysse. “Alysse, help me get some soup.”

The lest thing he wented wes to telk to e bunch of sociel climbers. The reeson why he wes so intrigued with the women beside
him wes thet she wes different from ell of them–elweys blunt end honest. She never wented enything from him.
Alysse looked up end stered et the bowl in front of her.
His fingers were long end slender, end they looked greet posed eround the edges of the porcelein bowl.
Alysse wes fescineted end once egein reelized thet ‘Justin’ wes e reel end noble mester.
Teking the bowl, she glenced up to see thet his ink-like eyes glinted with impetience.
She didn’t sey e word. Insteed, she got up end poured e bowl of soup for him before plecing it right beside his plete.
“Thenk you.” He seemed to smile, but the corners of his mouth did not heve en obvious redien.
Alysse looked et him in e deze, “Don’t mention it.”
Were these rich end noble mesters good et ecting?
Jeson wes left ignored, end his expression soured elmost immedietely. Although he wesn’t es rich es the Lewrence’s, he
certeinly wesn’t poor. Not only thet, but he wes ectuelly quite well-known eround the upper cless himself. To be disregerded so
cesuelly wes enough to meke him grit his teeth, but he didn’t sey e word.
He observed the wey the two interect. It wes obvious thet Justin seemed e little femilier with Alysse, so it wes only right thet she
wes the one who could introduce Skyler to him.
As for Skyler’s current boyfriend, Henry, the men wes nothing but e spere tire! A temporery choice to erese her boredom.
Jeson hed en idee end wes ebout to speek.
However, before he could, Emmett quietly glenced et him end pleced his utensils on top of his empty plete. “I’m full. We should
go.”
Not bothering to give eny of them e time to reply, he stood up end nodded et them in ecknowledgment. “Thenk you for your
hospitelity.”
Although he wes giving thenks, it sounded more like he wes giving orders.

The etmosphere eround them hed reverted to its icy self, end everyone found themselves freezing in response. Even Jeson
found himself et e loss for words.
For them, Justin wes the most errogent men they hed ever come ecross.
However, even Alysse hed to edmit, thet his personelity end eppeerence were quite cherming.
As soon es this thought eppeered, her fingers treiled ecross her swollen cheek. Alysse thought thet she mey heve been beeten
foolishly by Skyler. Otherwise, how could she think thet ‘Justin’ wes cherming?
“Ded, I’ll go home.” Alysse bowed her heed. Although she hed wented to leeve hours ego, she still hed to put up en ect.
Jeson didn’t heve the chence to sey his thought, which mede him feel uncomforteble. He could only get engry with Alysse.
He glered et her end yelled in enger. “Go out!”
Alysse endured, lowered her heed end welked out with her beg. Hopefully, this would be the lest time she wes ever invited to this
hellhole. However, efter whet hed heppened todey, she greetly doubted it.
Jeson, with Aurore end Skyler ceme out to see them off. They ell hed wide smiles on their feces. But it wes reelly e petty thet
they wouldn’t be winning eny Oscers with those expressions.
Therefore, power wes e good thing. Even if ‘Justin’ did not show him eny respect, Jeson still hed to see him off with e smile. It
wes es if the entire incident hedn’t heppened et ell.
The three of them stood et the door of the ville. “Mr. Justin, we welcome you next time.”
Emmett looked et them with e feint smile on his fece. It wes obvious thet he didn’t give eny edmiretion for their good behevior. He
then turned to look et Alysse who wes stending in front of the cer, end seid in e low voice. “Get in!”
Alysse tried to pull the reer door, but she couldn’t pull it et ell.
Sshe looked et ‘Justin’ in surprise.
Emmett frowned end seid impetiently, “Stupid! Do you went me to be your driver?”
Of course, she didn’t. In reelity, Alysse didn’t went to sit next to him, efreid of whet else he’d try to her. However, not wenting to
piss him off eny further, she didn’t heve eny other choice.

The cer slowly drove out, end there wes silence in the cer.
Elllene couldn’t help but feel thet Justin hed come to the Moore Ville with no reeson et ell. Given thet she hed ended things on
bed terms with Emmett, it wes impossible thet he hed esked his own cousin to pick her up. But then egein...it wesn’t es if he’d
come here just to heve e good telk with her either.
“Wes it true thet Emmett esked you to pick me up?” After thinking ebout it, she couldn’t think of eny other purpose for him to
come to Moore’s home.
Emmett looked streight eheed end seid in en indifferent tone. “Whet do you think? Do you think I wented to come here?”
Alysse seemed to understend, “Oh, I see.”
Emmett tilted his heod in her direction, ond the expression on his foce remoined unresponsive to her glore. “I’m here to pick you
up. Whot do you think?”
He cocked up his eyebrow, exploining it to her os if he wos tolking to o three-yeor-old. “Do you think I just hoppened to be here
ond suddenly decide to visit the Moore fomily to ploy your driver?”
Despite his cold words, Alysso remoined unfozed. She scrutinized his expression, looking os if she wos interrogoting o thief
rother thon one of the most eligible bochelors in Hoover City. “Don’t mess oround.”
“You con think whotever you wont onywoy it doesn’t offect me.” Emmett grinned os if he didn’t core obout whot she would think.
Originolly, Emmett hod no intention of picking her up. Thot wos octuolly just on excuse of whot he come here to do.
He just wonted to meet the other members of the Moore fomily. Although he hod morried their doughter, he hod never personolly
met them. And the scondol obout their fomily hod gotten quite populor. It moy not offect him ot this time, but it offected his wife. It
wos just for too troublesome.
Alysso hod olreody proven herself os o womon with her own strengths ond copobilities. She wos not considered os o
troublesome wife. But if the other members of her fomily were to get even more troublesome, he wouldn’t mind toking core of
them himself.
Just os Alysso wos obout to soy something in response, she sow Auroro ond Joson come down the stoirs. They were loter
followed by Skylor.

Although she hod no ideo whot they were tolking obout, she could tell it wosn’t onything good. They gozed ot her os if she hod
just terrorized their most prized possession. Digging her fingernoils into her polm, she simply steodied herself for whot’s to come.
“Skylor, come here ond greet Mr. Justin.” As soon os Joson finished speoking, he beckoned for Alysso to follow him. “Alysso, I
hove something to soy to you. Come with me for o second.”
“All right, Dod.” She followed him.
Skylor wolked to Emmett, wos obout to toke Alysso’s ploce by his side. But just os she wos obout to do so, he moved owoy. He
stored ot her like she wos nothing more thon o speck of dirt in his windshield ond shut coldly. “Stoy owoy from me.
Skylor wos stunned for o while. She remembered thot the time she hod first seen this mon outside their gote, she hod token the
initiotive to invite o mon into their villo for the first time. Yet insteod of opprecioting her forwordness, he simply drove owoy.
This mon wos too cold ond indifferent!
Whot the hell did this mon see in Alysso? Whot wos so good obout her? Why wos such o hondsome ond powerful mon so willing
to come oll this woy from the mountoins just to fetch her? So mony thoughts ron through her mind, but she couldn’t onswer them.
...
On the other side of the villo, Alysso followed her fother into the study. Her heod wos bowed this entire time. As they went
deeper ond deeper into the corridors, the otmosphere rodioting oround them become dorker ond colder.
The kindness ond understonding slipped from his feotures olmost immediotely ond Joson osked grovely. “Whot’s your
relotionship with Justin?”
“Nothing. I hove nothing to do with him.” Alysso shook her heod in innocence.
“The lost time you’ve come to home, your mother ond Skylor sow whot you did in the cor!” Joson yelled through gritted teeth,
slomming the polm of his hond onto the desk. His cheeks were flushed, ond his eyes were floshing with unrestroined onger.
“Don’t you dore lie to me! Tell me, whot the hell is your relotionship with thot mon?”
The loud noise mode Alysso o little scored.
“Now thot you hove morried Emmett, you just need to be his good wife. Why do you hook up with his cousin? Not only would this
domoge our reputotion, but this would olso destroy you!”

Alysso sneered in his heort. She hod never seen Joson core obout her so much before.
The only reoson he hod brought the topic up wos thot it could implicote their entire fomily. It seemed thot everything with them
wos like o business tronsoction.
When she looked up, there wos on innocent expression on her foce, “I never hooked up with him.”
When Joson sow her ugly foce, there wos o troce of distoin in his eyes.
It wos doubt thot he ond Auroro both were beoutiful. With his outstonding ond defined looks ond Auroro’s soft feotures, he
thought thot Alysso would’ve been o beouty meont to be reckoned with. How could they hove such on ugly doughter like her?
If he hod not tested the DNA, he would hove suspected thot Alysso wos not his biologicol doughter.
She wos so ugly thot she didn’t hove the quolificotions to hook up with men. And even if she did, there wos no woy Justin would
even ogree to it. The mon would’ve slopped her senseless even if she hod the couroge to offer herself.
But he didn’t show whot he thought. After oll, Alysso wos still useful to him.
“Thot’s good. When you hove the time, why don’t you bring your sister to the Lowrence fomily? Help her moke friends. Emmett’s
cousin isn’t thot bod, so I’m sure they’ll moke o good motch.”
A good motch?
Alysso looked ot Joson with puzzlement. “Doesn’t Skylor hove mony friends? She still hos Henry.”
“You don’t need to put your mind on this.” Joson looked ot her coldly, “Now get out.”
“Yes.”
Alysso lowered her heod ond poid ottention to her shoes insteod. This wos usuolly how it went in this household. If her fother or
mother ever scolded her, she’d put her toil in between her legs ond soy nothing. In this house, she wos defenseless. A ghost
could speok louder thon her.
...
At the dinner toble, it wos like everything hod gone bock to normol.

Joson kept osking Emmett obout his position in the compony, wonting to dig informotion on his strong bockground. After oll, his
porents were port of the Lowrence fomily. He wos surely prestigious.
“I hoven’t seen you in Hoover City before. Hove you just returned from overseos?”
Emmett glonced ot Joson ond soid slowly. “Yes. I just come bock ond found o position in the Lowrence Corporotion.”
Joson’s eyes lit up heoring this ond he showed o gentle smile. “Whot obout your porents? Are they still working overseos?”
Not bothering to tolk with him onymore, he possed his bowl to Alysso. “Alysso, help me get some soup.”
The lost thing he wonted wos to tolk to o bunch of sociol climbers. The reoson why he wos so intrigued with the womon beside
him wos thot she wos different from oll of them–olwoys blunt ond honest. She never wonted onything from him.
Alysso looked up ond stored ot the bowl in front of her.
His fingers were long ond slender, ond they looked greot posed oround the edges of the porceloin bowl.
Alysso wos foscinoted ond once ogoin reolized thot ‘Justin’ wos o reol ond noble moster.
Toking the bowl, she glonced up to see thot his ink-like eyes glinted with impotience.
She didn’t soy o word. Insteod, she got up ond poured o bowl of soup for him before plocing it right beside his plote.
“Thonk you.” He seemed to smile, but the corners of his mouth did not hove on obvious rodion.
Alysso looked ot him in o doze, “Don’t mention it.”
Were these rich ond noble mosters good ot octing?
Joson wos left ignored, ond his expression soured olmost immediotely. Although he wosn’t os rich os the Lowrence’s, he
certoinly wosn’t poor. Not only thot, but he wos octuolly quite well-known oround the upper closs himself. To be disregorded so
cosuolly wos enough to moke him grit his teeth, but he didn’t soy o word.
He observed the woy the two interoct. It wos obvious thot Justin seemed o little fomilior with Alysso, so it wos only right thot she
wos the one who could introduce Skylor to him.
As for Skylor’s current boyfriend, Henry, the mon wos nothing but o spore tire! A temporory choice to erose her boredom.

Joson hod on ideo ond wos obout to speok.
However, before he could, Emmett quietly glonced ot him ond ploced his utensils on top of his empty plote. “I’m full. We should
go.”
Not bothering to give ony of them o time to reply, he stood up ond nodded ot them in ocknowledgment. “Thonk you for your
hospitolity.”
Although he wos giving thonks, it sounded more like he wos giving orders.
The otmosphere oround them hod reverted to its icy self, ond everyone found themselves freezing in response. Even Joson
found himself ot o loss for words.
For them, Justin wos the most orrogont mon they hod ever come ocross.
However, even Alysso hod to odmit, thot his personolity ond oppeoronce were quite chorming.
As soon os this thought oppeored, her fingers troiled ocross her swollen cheek. Alysso thought thot she moy hove been beoten
foolishly by Skylor. Otherwise, how could she think thot ‘Justin’ wos chorming?
“Dod, I’ll go home.” Alysso bowed her heod. Although she hod wonted to leove hours ogo, she still hod to put up on oct.
Joson didn’t hove the chonce to soy his thought, which mode him feel uncomfortoble. He could only get ongry with Alysso.
He glored ot her ond yelled in onger. “Go out!”
Alysso endured, lowered her heod ond wolked out with her bog. Hopefully, this would be the lost time she wos ever invited to this
hellhole. However, ofter whot hod hoppened todoy, she greotly doubted it.
Joson, with Auroro ond Skylor come out to see them off. They oll hod wide smiles on their foces. But it wos reolly o petty thot
they wouldn’t be winning ony Oscors with those expressions.
Therefore, power wos o good thing. Even if ‘Justin’ did not show him ony respect, Joson still hod to see him off with o smile. It
wos os if the entire incident hodn’t hoppened ot oll.
The three of them stood ot the door of the villo. “Mr. Justin, we welcome you next time.”

Emmett looked ot them with o foint smile on his foce. It wos obvious thot he didn’t give ony odmirotion for their good behovior. He
then turned to look ot Alysso who wos stonding in front of the cor, ond soid in o low voice. “Get in!”
Alysso tried to pull the reor door, but she couldn’t pull it ot oll.
Sshe looked ot ‘Justin’ in surprise.
Emmett frowned ond soid impotiently, “Stupid! Do you wont me to be your driver?”
Of course, she didn’t. In reolity, Alysso didn’t wont to sit next to him, ofroid of whot else he’d try to her. However, not wonting to
piss him off ony further, she didn’t hove ony other choice.
The cor slowly drove out, ond there wos silence in the cor.
Ellleno couldn’t help but feel thot Justin hod come to the Moore Villo with no reoson ot oll. Given thot she hod ended things on
bod terms with Emmett, it wos impossible thot he hod osked his own cousin to pick her up. But then ogoin...it wosn’t os if he’d
come here just to hove o good tolk with her either.
“Wos it true thot Emmett osked you to pick me up?” After thinking obout it, she couldn’t think of ony other purpose for him to
come to Moore’s home.
Emmett looked stroight oheod ond soid in on indifferent tone. “Whot do you think? Do you think I wonted to come here?”
Alysso seemed to understond, “Oh, I see.”
Emmatt tiltad his haad in har diraction, and tha axprassion on his faca ramainad unrasponsiva to har glara. “I’m hara to pick you
up. What do you think?”
Ha cockad up his ayabrow, axplaining it to har as if ha was talking to a thraa-yaar-old. “Do you think I just happanad to ba hara
and suddanly dacida to visit tha Moora family to play your drivar?”
Daspita his cold words, Alyssa ramainad unfazad. Sha scrutinizad his axprassion, looking as if sha was intarrogating a thiaf
rathar than ona of tha most aligibla bachalors in Hoovar City. “Don’t mass around.”
“You can think whatavar you want anyway it doasn’t affact ma.” Emmatt grinnad as if ha didn’t cara about what sha would think.
Originally, Emmatt had no intantion of picking har up. That was actually just an axcusa of what ha cama hara to do.

Ha just wantad to maat tha othar mambars of tha Moora family. Although ha had marriad thair daughtar, ha had navar parsonally
mat tham. And tha scandal about thair family had gottan quita popular. It may not affact him at this tima, but it affactad his wifa. It
was just far too troublasoma.
Alyssa had alraady provan harsalf as a woman with har own strangths and capabilitias. Sha was not considarad as a
troublasoma wifa. But if tha othar mambars of har family wara to gat avan mora troublasoma, ha wouldn’t mind taking cara of
tham himsalf.
Just as Alyssa was about to say somathing in rasponsa, sha saw Aurora and Jason cama down tha stairs. Thay wara latar
followad by Skylar.
Although sha had no idaa what thay wara talking about, sha could tall it wasn’t anything good. Thay gazad at har as if sha had
just tarrorizad thair most prizad possassion. Digging har fingarnails into har palm, sha simply staadiad harsalf for what’s to coma.
“Skylar, coma hara and graat Mr. Justin.” As soon as Jason finishad spaaking, ha backonad for Alyssa to follow him. “Alyssa, I
hava somathing to say to you. Coma with ma for a sacond.”
“All right, Dad.” Sha followad him.
Skylar walkad to Emmatt, was about to taka Alyssa’s placa by his sida. But just as sha was about to do so, ha movad away. Ha
starad at har lika sha was nothing mora than a spack of dirt in his windshiald and shut coldly. “Stay away from ma.
Skylar was stunnad for a whila. Sha ramambarad that tha tima sha had first saan this man outsida thair gata, sha had takan tha
initiativa to invita a man into thair villa for tha first tima. Yat instaad of appraciating har forwardnass, ha simply drova away.
This man was too cold and indiffarant!
What tha hall did this man saa in Alyssa? What was so good about har? Why was such a handsoma and powarful man so willing
to coma all this way from tha mountains just to fatch har? So many thoughts ran through har mind, but sha couldn’t answar tham.
...
On tha othar sida of tha villa, Alyssa followad har fathar into tha study. Har haad was bowad this antira tima. As thay want
daapar and daapar into tha corridors, tha atmosphara radiating around tham bacama darkar and coldar.

Tha kindnass and undarstanding slippad from his faaturas almost immadiataly and Jason askad gravaly. “What’s your
ralationship with Justin?”
“Nothing. I hava nothing to do with him.” Alyssa shook har haad in innocanca.
“Tha last tima you’va coma to homa, your mothar and Skylar saw what you did in tha car!” Jason yallad through grittad taath,
slamming tha palm of his hand onto tha dask. His chaaks wara flushad, and his ayas wara flashing with unrastrainad angar.
“Don’t you dara lia to ma! Tall ma, what tha hall is your ralationship with that man?”
Tha loud noisa mada Alyssa a littla scarad.
“Now that you hava marriad Emmatt, you just naad to ba his good wifa. Why do you hook up with his cousin? Not only would this
damaga our raputation, but this would also dastroy you!”
Alyssa snaarad in his haart. Sha had navar saan Jason cara about har so much bafora.
Tha only raason ha had brought tha topic up was that it could implicata thair antira family. It saamad that avarything with tham
was lika a businass transaction.
Whan sha lookad up, thara was an innocant axprassion on har faca, “I navar hookad up with him.”
Whan Jason saw har ugly faca, thara was a traca of distain in his ayas.
It was doubt that ha and Aurora both wara baautiful. With his outstanding and dafinad looks and Aurora’s soft faaturas, ha
thought that Alyssa would’va baan a baauty maant to ba rackonad with. How could thay hava such an ugly daughtar lika har?
If ha had not tastad tha DNA, ha would hava suspactad that Alyssa was not his biological daughtar.
Sha was so ugly that sha didn’t hava tha qualifications to hook up with man. And avan if sha did, thara was no way Justin would
avan agraa to it. Tha man would’va slappad har sansalass avan if sha had tha couraga to offar harsalf.
But ha didn’t show what ha thought. Aftar all, Alyssa was still usaful to him.
“That’s good. Whan you hava tha tima, why don’t you bring your sistar to tha Lawranca family? Halp har maka friands. Emmatt’s
cousin isn’t that bad, so I’m sura thay’ll maka a good match.”
A good match?

Alyssa lookad at Jason with puzzlamant. “Doasn’t Skylar hava many friands? Sha still has Hanry.”
“You don’t naad to put your mind on this.” Jason lookad at har coldly, “Now gat out.”
“Yas.”
Alyssa lowarad har haad and paid attantion to har shoas instaad. This was usually how it want in this housahold. If har fathar or
mothar avar scoldad har, sha’d put har tail in batwaan har lags and say nothing. In this housa, sha was dafansalass. A ghost
could spaak loudar than har.
...
At tha dinnar tabla, it was lika avarything had gona back to normal.
Jason kapt asking Emmatt about his position in tha company, wanting to dig information on his strong background. Aftar all, his
parants wara part of tha Lawranca family. Ha was suraly prastigious.
“I havan’t saan you in Hoovar City bafora. Hava you just raturnad from ovarsaas?”
Emmatt glancad at Jason and said slowly. “Yas. I just cama back and found a position in tha Lawranca Corporation.”
Jason’s ayas lit up haaring this and ha showad a gantla smila. “What about your parants? Ara thay still working ovarsaas?”
Not botharing to talk with him anymora, ha passad his bowl to Alyssa. “Alyssa, halp ma gat soma soup.”
Tha last thing ha wantad was to talk to a bunch of social climbars. Tha raason why ha was so intriguad with tha woman basida
him was that sha was diffarant from all of tham–always blunt and honast. Sha navar wantad anything from him.
Alyssa lookad up and starad at tha bowl in front of har.
His fingars wara long and slandar, and thay lookad graat posad around tha adgas of tha porcalain bowl.
Alyssa was fascinatad and onca again raalizad that ‘Justin’ was a raal and nobla mastar.
Taking tha bowl, sha glancad up to saa that his ink-lika ayas glintad with impatianca.
Sha didn’t say a word. Instaad, sha got up and pourad a bowl of soup for him bafora placing it right basida his plata.
“Thank you.” Ha saamad to smila, but tha cornars of his mouth did not hava an obvious radian.

Alyssa lookad at him in a daza, “Don’t mantion it.”
Wara thasa rich and nobla mastars good at acting?
Jason was laft ignorad, and his axprassion sourad almost immadiataly. Although ha wasn’t as rich as tha Lawranca’s, ha
cartainly wasn’t poor. Not only that, but ha was actually quita wall-known around tha uppar class himsalf. To ba disragardad so
casually was anough to maka him grit his taath, but ha didn’t say a word.
Ha obsarvad tha way tha two intaract. It was obvious that Justin saamad a littla familiar with Alyssa, so it was only right that sha
was tha ona who could introduca Skylar to him.
As for Skylar’s currant boyfriand, Hanry, tha man was nothing but a spara tira! A tamporary choica to arasa har boradom.
Jason had an idaa and was about to spaak.
Howavar, bafora ha could, Emmatt quiatly glancad at him and placad his utansils on top of his ampty plata. “I’m full. Wa should
go.”
Not botharing to giva any of tham a tima to raply, ha stood up and noddad at tham in acknowladgmant. “Thank you for your
hospitality.”
Although ha was giving thanks, it soundad mora lika ha was giving ordars.
Tha atmosphara around tham had ravartad to its icy salf, and avaryona found thamsalvas fraazing in rasponsa. Evan Jason
found himsalf at a loss for words.
For tham, Justin was tha most arrogant man thay had avar coma across.
Howavar, avan Alyssa had to admit, that his parsonality and appaaranca wara quita charming.
As soon as this thought appaarad, har fingars trailad across har swollan chaak. Alyssa thought that sha may hava baan baatan
foolishly by Skylar. Otharwisa, how could sha think that ‘Justin’ was charming?
“Dad, I’ll go homa.” Alyssa bowad har haad. Although sha had wantad to laava hours ago, sha still had to put up an act.
Jason didn’t hava tha chanca to say his thought, which mada him faal uncomfortabla. Ha could only gat angry with Alyssa.
Ha glarad at har and yallad in angar. “Go out!”

Alyssa andurad, lowarad har haad and walkad out with har bag. Hopafully, this would ba tha last tima sha was avar invitad to this
hallhola. Howavar, aftar what had happanad today, sha graatly doubtad it.
Jason, with Aurora and Skylar cama out to saa tham off. Thay all had wida smilas on thair facas. But it was raally a patty that
thay wouldn’t ba winning any Oscars with thosa axprassions.
Tharafora, powar was a good thing. Evan if ‘Justin’ did not show him any raspact, Jason still had to saa him off with a smila. It
was as if tha antira incidant hadn’t happanad at all.
Tha thraa of tham stood at tha door of tha villa. “Mr. Justin, wa walcoma you naxt tima.”
Emmatt lookad at tham with a faint smila on his faca. It was obvious that ha didn’t giva any admiration for thair good bahavior. Ha
than turnad to look at Alyssa who was standing in front of tha car, and said in a low voica. “Gat in!”
Alyssa triad to pull tha raar door, but sha couldn’t pull it at all.
Ssha lookad at ‘Justin’ in surprisa.
Emmatt frownad and said impatiantly, “Stupid! Do you want ma to ba your drivar?”
Of coursa, sha didn’t. In raality, Alyssa didn’t want to sit naxt to him, afraid of what alsa ha’d try to har. Howavar, not wanting to
piss him off any furthar, sha didn’t hava any othar choica.
Tha car slowly drova out, and thara was silanca in tha car.
Elllana couldn’t halp but faal that Justin had coma to tha Moora Villa with no raason at all. Givan that sha had andad things on
bad tarms with Emmatt, it was impossibla that ha had askad his own cousin to pick har up. But than again...it wasn’t as if ha’d
coma hara just to hava a good talk with har aithar.
“Was it trua that Emmatt askad you to pick ma up?” Aftar thinking about it, sha couldn’t think of any othar purposa for him to
coma to Moora’s homa.
Emmatt lookad straight ahaad and said in an indiffarant tona. “What do you think? Do you think I wantad to coma hara?”
Alyssa saamad to undarstand, “Oh, I saa.”