Chapter 1

After being Conan Stone’s secretary and girlfriend for seven years, he was going to be engaged to someone else.

Ninian Springs was dejected. She was going to resign, but he decided to cancel the engagement in public.

During the auction, just when everyone thought that Conan was going to propose to Ninian, his crush showed up.

When everyone saw that Ninian had the exact same face as Conan’s crush, they began to whisper.

At that moment, Ninian finally realized: she was just a replacement.

Chapter 1

“Ninian, you’re already thirty. You’re no longer young. Are you going to devote yourself to work for life? If you still won’t get married, come back and go on a blind date. Your aunt will introduce you to a boy. He’s coming back next month, and he seems like a good catch. Why don’t you meet him?”

When it was almost time to clock off work, Ninian received a call from her mother.

This was not the first time she called to urge her to get married. In the past, Ninian would always hesitate.

But this time, she agreed to it. “Alright. Once I resign, I’ll go back.”

Yvonne, her mother, was stunned. “You’re coming back?”

“Yeah.” Ninian hung up and grabbed her handbag to go back when the intercom rang.

“Come in.”

When she opened the door, Ninian immediately saw the man standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window.

He was tall, and even though he was just standing there, his presence was incredibly daunting.

Ninian walked over, and Conan Stone turned around. He whispered, “I’ll go to your place tonight.”

“I’m not free tonight.” Ninian took a step back, but Conan grabbed her wrist.

“Your period will come in another ten days.”

“I have to meet a client.” Ninian rejected him again.

Conan tugged off the scarf around her neck.

The red marks under the scarf looked like flowers.

“You know that I don’t like it when you don’t listen to me.”

He started kissing her.

Ninian tried to push him away, but she could not.

So, she let him kiss her, but she felt empty inside.

Yesterday, when she went to a bar to deliver some documents to him, she overheard his conversation with a few rich men.

“Mr. Stone, I heard that your grandmother got you a fiancee. What’s going to happen to your girlfriend?”

Conan answered nonchalantly. “What do you mean by what’s going to happen? We’re just friends with benefits. What am I supposed to do? Marry her?”

Everyone knew that Ninian loved Conan so much that she would always be at his beck and call, no matter what.

But Ninian never expected that Conan would only treat her as a friend with benefits.

At that moment, Ninian came to her senses.

Conan sent her back home, and right after they opened the door, he pinned her against the wall beside the door and took her.

Even though it was supposed to be fun, to Ninian, it was torture.

After that, he sat on the edge of the bed while holding her and breathed against her ear.

“I’m about to be engaged.”

“I know.”

She did not react strongly. She already knew, so why would she need to give him any sort of reaction?

“Aren’t you mad?” But Conan was not actually surprised by her nonchalance.

From the moment they got together, Conan had never seen Ninian lose her composure.

She was as cool as a robot. It was as if she had no feelings for anyone or anything.

She also had a great sense of propriety.

But most importantly, she looked quite similar to that person.

That was a major reason why Conan chose her.

“No. Just go to sleep. I’m tired.”

Ninian turned around and put some distance between herself and Conan.

Conan stared at her thin frame. Then, he held her in his arms.

Ninian stiffened up and shut her eyes, but she could not sleep.

The next morning, when Conan got up, Ninian was no longer beside him.

Even after he went downstairs, he did not see any breakfast prepared for him.

In the past, whenever he stayed overnight, Ninian would prepare the clothes he was going to wear the next day and a matching tie.

He was picky about what he ate, too. He insisted on eating steak in the morning, and he wanted the freshest meat.

Ninian would go to the market to choose the beef in the morning and rush back so that she could cook the steak for him before he came downstairs.

But this morning, she did not prepare his clothes nor his breakfast.

Chapter 2

When Conan went downstairs, he found Ninian watering the plants in the garden.

She wore a black professional suit and tilted the watering can forward. There was a faint smile on her lips.

Conan seldom saw her in such formal wear. He always preferred it if she wore dresses, because when she wore a dress and had her long hair let down, she looked like “that person.”

Of course, Ninian did not know about this.

He walked over and asked, “Where’s breakfast?”

When she heard his voice, Ninian put down the watering can, and her smile vanished.

“I didn’t make it.”

“Why didn’t you? You know that I want to eat breakfast cooked by you once I wake up.” Conan frowned. He had a feeling that Ninian was acting strangely today.

“I have to meet a client soon, and I don’t have time to make it for you. Have the servant make it.”

Ninian turned around to leave, but Conan stopped her.

“You’re going in this suit?”

“What’s wrong with it?”

Ninian looked at him. She knew that Conan did not like it.

But she did not care anymore. She only cared about what she liked.

She did not like wearing dresses. She always did think that she should dress more formally while at work, but Conan liked her in dresses and in makeup that gave her a refined look. He liked her looking like a doll.

She was no longer going to listen to him.

“What’s wrong?”

Once he noticed that something was off with Ninian, Conan spoke to her gently. “You don’t like that I got engaged, do you? You must know that this is what my parents want. I didn’t agree to it either.”

“You’re mistaken. Mr. Stone, you’re free to marry whoever you want. No matter what, you told me from the start that our relationship is purely physical with no emotional strings attached.”

She broke free of his grip and left.

When she returned to the office, Ninian found a gift box on her table.

Her colleague came over to tease her. “Ninian, you got another admirer giving you a gift?”

With a schooled expression, Ninian opened it. In the box was a limited-edition handbag.

This was the third handbag she received.

She knew who gave it to her. This was a gift with no effort put into it, and only Conan would do such a thing.

Whenever they lay together, Conan would always give her a gift.

Once, she told him that she liked handbags. After that, all that Conan gave her were handbags.

He gave her handbags of the same style in different colors or of the same series but in different styles.

He even gave her the exact same handbags multiple times.

In the past, she loved all his gifts. Even if she knew that he did not put any thought into it, she still felt happy.

But she no longer cared for them anymore.

“Do you want it? I’ll give it to you.”

She passed the handbag to her colleague, who was so happy that she tried carrying it.

“Really?! This is a limited-edition handbag! Ninian, you’re so generous!”

She went off to show off her new handbag to their other colleagues. Just then, Conan walked out of the elevator.

Immediately, he saw that Ninian had given the handbag he had given her to someone else, and he felt angry.

He dragged her into his office. “Ninian, why are you being so difficult? I told you before when we first got together that I won’t ever marry you.”

“I know,” Ninian said coolly. “Of course, I know that.”

“What’re you trying to pull, then?”

“It’s nothing. It’s just that this is the third exact same handbag I have received, and I am sick of it. So, I don’t want a third one.”

Conan was stunned. Did he really give her three of the same handbags?

Those were the newest, limited-edition handbags, and they were all expensive. Though he bought them without putting any thought into them, he still thought that she would like them.

“I’ll give you something else next time.”

“You don’t need to. There won’t be a next time.” Ninian checked the time. “It’s 9 a.m., Mr. Stone. It’s time for your meeting.”

She went out. As Conan watched her retreating figure, he sank into deep thought.

Chapter 3

While Ninian was preparing the documents Conan needed for the meeting, her stomach spasmed in pain.

If it were in the past, she would have just endured it.

But this time, without any hesitation whatsoever, she turned on an app that would help her make a reservation in a hospital.

She wanted to take leave and visit the doctor.

When Conan was in the meeting, he found himself unable to focus on it.

All he could think about was Ninian. His eyes were fixed on her, but Ninian never looked at him.

Once the meeting ended, it was time for lunch. He wanted to ask her to go out for lunch with him, only to realize that she was no longer in the office.

“Where’s Ninian?”

“Didn’t she tell you? She took leave for the afternoon.”

“Where did she go?”

She took leave? She had been working with Conan for years, but she had never taken leave before.

Even when she was sick and nearly fainted, she still continued working.

Why would she suddenly take leave and not tell him?

“I don’t know. Let me check where she went.”

At the hospital, the doctor told Ninian that her stomach had grown weaker due to her not having any proper meals.

That made sense. Over the years, she had worked hard for Conan, and she had almost forgotten how it felt like to sit down and have a proper meal.

After her visit to the doctor, Ninian did not hurry back to the company. Instead, she sat down beside a window in a cafe.

The afternoon sun was bright and warm. As she leaned against the window, she took her time sipping coffee.

It had been a long time since she had relaxed and drunk coffee while admiring the view.

She had practically drained herself working for Conan over the years.

And funnily enough, her efforts were nothing to Conan. Still, it was about time for Ninian to live for herself.

Her phone started vibrating. Ninian looked down and saw that it was a call from Conan.

She just glanced at it but did not answer.

Her lack of response seemed to have made Conan anxious because he kept calling her.

Ninian found it annoying and turned her phone off.

“You turned off your phone?! How dare you, Ninian?!”

When he realized that she had turned off her phone, Conan nearly smashed his phone.

Ninian had never turned her phone off over the past seven years she was with him. What happened this time?

Ninian ended up in the cafe for the entire afternoon. For the first time, she felt as if she was the master of her own time. When the sun went down, she turned on her phone and found that she had a bunch of missed calls and countless WhatsApp messages.

[Where are you?]

[I’m waiting for you at your place. Come back now.]

[Ninian, I’m giving you half an hour. Come back right now.]

The last message was sent at 3 p.m. It was already 6 p.m.

Ninian sneered at Conan’s message. Judging from the words alone, she could tell just how mad Conan was.

She took a stroll outside, ate some food she liked, and took her sweet time going back home.

It was dark inside. She bent down to change into her indoor slippers. Once she turned on the lights, she saw Conan on her couch.

The sight of Ninian coming back so late made Conan furious.

“Where did you go? Do you have any idea just how long I’ve been waiting for you?”

No one had ever dared to make him wait for so long, Ninian was the first person to do so. Not to mention, this was also the first time she had done something like this.

Ninian ignored him. She went to the kitchen countertop and poured herself a glass of water.

In the past, she was the one who waited for him.

So long as Conan said that he was going to visit her, no matter how long it took for him to arrive, she would always sit on the couch to wait for him.

If he said that he was going to visit at 10 p.m., then she was going to eagerly wait for him starting from 6 p.m.

If he said that he was going to visit the next day, she would change the sheets, air out the blankets, and change the covers before putting them back on the bed.

But she was exhausted and no longer wanted to wait for him.

Chapter 4

“Ninian, I’m talking to you. Didn’t you hear me?”

He grabbed her hand, and his eyes were burning with rage.

But Ninian remained calm. “I had some business to attend to. You could have gone back if you didn’t want to wait for me.”

“What’s with you? You’ve been acting strange all day.”

“It’s nothing.”

Ninian moved past him and wanted to go upstairs.

But the anger Conan had been keeping in check for so long finally exploded. “Ninian, remember your place. No one has ever made me wait for so long. Don’t you forget, you’re just my—”

“Your what?” she interrupted him. “Friend with benefits?”

Conan was stunned. “You heard what I told them that night?”

Conan finally understood why Ninian was acting so strangely. “I was just running my mouth off. That’s not what I meant.”

“Then, who am I to you?” Ninian stared at him.

Conan fell silent. He found himself unable to say anything.

“I’m tired. Go back.”

For the first time, she rejected his advances. Ninian just went back to her room, took a hot shower, changed into her pajamas, and got ready for bed.

Downstairs, Conan leaned against his car and smoked, but he did not leave even after a long time had passed.

Ninian ignored him. She drew the curtains, turned the lights off, and soon fell asleep.

The next day, before Ninian even woke up, her phone rang.

“Ninian, check the news! Conan canceled the engagement his grandmother set for him! Is it because of you?”

Ninian shot out of bed and turned on the TV.

Conan was indeed telling the reporters that he was going to cancel the engagement because there was someone even more important to him.

Her heart skipped a beat. As Ninian stared at Conan’s firm gaze, she felt a little excited.

“Congratulations, Ninian. You’ve finally won over Conan’s heart.”

After she hung up, Ninian found herself unable to calm down even after a long time had passed.

She wanted to call Conan and ask him what he meant. Did he really cancel his engagement for her?

But before she could even call him, she received a message from Conan.

[Come to Morre Hotel at 8 p.m. tonight. You’re attending a banquet with me. Dress up nicely.]

When she saw the message, Ninian finally smiled.

Conan seldom asked her to attend banquets. In the past, no matter what functions he went to, he seldom brought her along.

But this time, he actually asked her to attend a banquet with him.

She sent a message to her best friend, Robin Underwood, who got excited for her.

[Is Conan going to propose to you? Ninian, all that waiting has come to fruition!]

Ninian pursed her lips, and she started to look forward to this.

She told herself that this was the last chance she was going to give her relationship with Conan.

Since Ninian seldom attended banquets, she did not have many gowns.

She went to the shopping mall and bought a gorgeous gown worth tens of thousands of dollars.

Then, she hired a makeup artist and stylist to make herself pretty before she arrived on time at the entrance of Morre Hotel.

She had heard some things about the banquet tonight. It was an auction meets banquet for the upper-class society, and all the people who attended were celebrities.

As she stood at the entrance, Ninian sucked in a deep breath before she walked into the lobby.

When she arrived at the majestic banquet hall, she found plenty of people inside. It was full of life.

Despite the swarm of people, Ninian immediately saw the man who had been occupying her thoughts.

Delight rose in her heart, and she walked over, only to hear someone say something.

“To think that Mr. Stone would bring a plus one this time.”

“I heard that the woman he loves the most has finally returned to the country.”

“I see. That’s why he told the press this morning that he’s canceling his engagement with Jennifer Jones. So, his crush has returned.”

Ninian’s smile froze. His crush? What crush?

Chapter 5

Then, Conan turned around, along with the woman beside him.

Ninian saw a woman with a face strikingly similar to hers, and she was smiling while she held Conan’s hand.

At that moment, Ninian felt her blood freeze.

Who was she? Conan’s crush?

Ninian had been with Conan for seven years. Why did she never know that he had a crush?!

Her heart spasmed in pain. She wanted to leave, but Conan called out to her. “You’ve arrived, Ninian.”

“Ninian Springs? Conan Stone’s secretary?”

“She looks so similar to Rose Charlemagne!”

“Don’t you know? She’s just a replacement. I heard that during the years Rose wasn’t around, Conan Stone got a replacement. It must have been Ninian Springs!”

Everyone stared at her while they talked about her.

Those words kept pouring into her ears, and Ninian felt as if someone had seized her throat. She could not breathe.

“Hello, Miss Springs.” Rose went over to Ninian and sized her up. “I’m sorry, I heard from Conan that you don’t like such banquets, but I really wanted to see you, so I asked him to invite you over.”

She saw the provocation in Rose’s eyes, and Ninian clenched her fists.

“You wanted to see me?”

So, Conan did not cancel the engagement for her. It was because his crush came back.

He wanted Ninian to doll herself up for the banquet because he wanted his crush to see what her replacement looked like.

She felt as if someone had driven a knife into her heart, and Ninian felt her legs giving out. She was about to collapse.

“I heard from someone that you look like me. Conan, do you think we look alike?” Rose raised her head and asked Conan sweetly.

Conan smiled and said nonchalantly, “It’s just a coincidence. She can’t compare to you.”

At his words, Ninian’s heart hurt so much that she staggered backward.

She turned around and wanted to leave, but Rose stopped her.

“Miss Springs, I haven’t toasted you for taking care of Conan in my place for so long. He’s really picky, so you must have had a hard time with him.”

She gave off such a high-and-mighty air because she was the one Conan truly liked, while Ninian was just the side hoe.

People’s gazes fell on her, and they looked at her as if she was a joke.

Ninian forced a smile. “That’s my job. I was being paid for it, so it’s not hard for me.”

“You must have done plenty of other things besides work, right?” Rose raised her voice and chuckled in a magnanimous fashion. “But I’m back now. You don’t need to do certain things in my place anymore.”

Ninian looked at Conan, who stood expressionlessly in place and did not even spare her a single glance.

It was as if all that was happening had nothing to do with him.

Ninian nodded in disappointment. “Alright. I understand.”

She turned around to leave but ended up knocking into an attendant who was holding flutes of red wine.

Red wine spilled on her and ruined her expensive gown.

Rose was shocked. “Are you okay, Miss Springs? Your gown is ruined! I’ll have an attendant bring you a new one. We can talk once you change.”

“There’s no need.”

Compared to the kind and generous Rose, Ninian felt as pathetic as a loser.

When Conan saw that Ninian’s gown was dirty and that she nearly fell, he wanted to help her, but Rose had grabbed his hand before he could do it.

“Conan, since Miss Springs doesn’t need my help and the auction is about to start, let’s head in.”

Conan nodded and retracted his hand. He just gave Ninian a look. “Go back and change. Don’t catch a cold.”

They then left without sparing her another glance.

The people around her left as well, but Ninian remained rooted to the spot. She did not move even after a long time had passed.

At that moment, she was completely disappointed in Conan.

Chapter 6

Ninian never knew that she was just a replacement. But when she met Rose, plenty of the things that had puzzled her in the past finally made sense.

Conan liked it when she wore white dresses because Rose loved white dresses.

Conan liked it when she wore her hair long because Rose had long hair.

Conan refused to let her dye her hair because Rose’s hair was black.

Even the handbags he gave her were in the styles that Rose liked.

Ninian knew very well that the handbag Rose carried tonight was the one in the same series as the handbags Conan had given her duplicates of.

Ninian looked down, and she teared up.

When she returned to her place, Ninian curled up on the floor while still in her ruined gown. She looked outside at the moon and let her mind wander.

She remembered the first time she met Conan seven years ago. They had met in a bar.

At that time, she needed money, so she worked at a bar and met him.

She immediately caught his fancy and got her to work as his secretary.

As time passed, she grew to like Conan and became his lover.

At that time, he never made their relationship public, and she thought that it was only a matter of time before he would do it.

But at this very moment, she knew that no matter how long she waited, she would never become his girlfriend or his wife.

At that, she finally decided to leave.

The next morning, she got up early in order to hand in her resignation letter.

When she went downstairs, she saw Conan.

He had arrived early in the morning. Knowing that she was still sleeping, he did not bother her.

He knew that she loved the buns from South Street, so he bought some this morning.

Ninian did not have too much of a reaction when she saw him.

“You’re awake?” But Conan was really enthusiastic. “I bought the buns you love. I queued up for a long time for them. Have some.”

“I’m not hungry.”

Ninian bent down, changed into her shoes, and intended to leave.

When Conan saw her attitude, he got mad. “Why are you throwing a tantrum? Do you have any idea how much time I had to waste to get these?”

“Mr. Stone, I never asked you to do those things. I’m leaving now and have no time to argue with you.”

He grabbed her arm. “Are you mad because of Rose?”

Ninian pursed her lips and said nothing.

Conan sneered. “I’m never going to marry you, no matter what. Does it really matter whether you’re a replacement or not?”

Those words hurt.

Ninian nodded. “It doesn’t matter, alright. It’s late now, Mr. Stone. I still have to go to work. Please let me go.”

Before she went to the company, she went to a hairdresser and cut the long hair Conan had asked her to keep for seven years.

She always preferred her hair to be at shoulder-length, so she cut it short.

Once she cut her hair, she felt lighter.

When she arrived at the company, she was already late, but she did not care.

Once her colleagues saw her, they gasped, “Ninian, you cut your hair? You look even prettier now!”

“Yes! Short hair suits you more! You look neat and professional!”

Ninian smiled. “I know, right? I like it too.”

She returned to her table, turned on her computer immediately, and typed out her resignation letter.

After she printed it out, she wanted to hand it to Conan.

He was not in his office. However, his driver was around to pick some things up for him.

She handed her resignation letter to his driver. “Please hand this to Conan.”

…

When Conan got her resignation letter, he was shocked. But once he recovered, he smiled. “Where can she go after leaving my side? She can’t survive without me. She’s just throwing a tantrum because Rose is back. She’ll calm down very soon. Ignore her.”

…

After she resigned, Ninian felt as if a burden had been lifted from her shoulders.

She hailed a cab to go home, only to suddenly realize that her home was not actually hers.

Conan had given her the place, or rather, it was the place he used to keep his mistress, which was her.

Since Ninian had decided to cut all ties with him, she did not want the house anymore.

When she opened the door, Ninian smelled perfume.

It was the perfume Conan had given her. He had said that there was only one in the world, and it was made for her.

She seldom used it, because she could not bear to use it all.

She only used it when Conan came over.

She made her way to the hall, only to see the woman sitting on the couch.

Chapter 7

“Rose.”

“Hello, Miss Springs.”

Rose had gotten into her house and was sitting on her couch.

In front of her was Ninian’s perfume.

“This is my house. It’s not right for you to barge into my place like this,” Ninian said in a hostile tone as she stared at her.

She hated people who dropped by unannounced.

“Your house?” Rose smiled and twirled the keys in her hands. “If it’s your house, why do I have the keys?”

She got up and went over to Ninian. “Are you seriously telling me that you don’t know that this house was actually meant for me? I didn’t want it, so Conan gave it to you instead.”

Ninian’s breathing stuttered. As she stared at Rose, she pursed her lips and clenched her fists.

Even the house was for Rose?

“This perfume too.” Rose picked up the bottle on the table and spritzed it in the air.

“Do you have a habit of touching other people’s stuff?” Ninian reached out to grab the bottle.

Out of all his gifts, Conan had put the most effort into this one.

Rose easily avoided her and said coolly, “How would you know that this is for you and not for me? Do you know the name of the perfume? It’s called Stone Rose. Conan hired a perfumer to make this for me. It’s one-of-a-kind.

“Miss Springs, I’m being nice and giving you a reminder here. It’s time for you to accept reality.”

Rose left.

Ninian was the only one left in the house. At that moment, she felt as if the place was like a cage, and she was the bird being kept inside.

Rose was right. It was time for her to accept reality.

She threw away all of the gifts Conan had given her, aside from the handbags.

After she found a new house she liked online, she intended to move.

Once her ex-colleagues learned that she was leaving, they could not bear to see her go, so they invited her for a karaoke session as a farewell party for her.

The party was at Crimson. Ninian arrived at 8 p.m.

When she opened the door, Ninian immediately saw Conan. Rose was beside him. She immediately wanted to leave.

“Ninian, you’re here!”

But she was too late. Someone dragged her in.

“Ninian, look at how respected you are! Even Mr. Stone has come!”

Ninian frowned. If she had known that he would come, she would not have come here.

“Mr. Stone, who’s the person beside you? Why don’t you introduce us?”

One of the executives who had been working with Conan for years teased him. Ninian looked up and saw Conan holding Rose’s hand.

“I forgot. This is my girlfriend, Rose Charlemagne. She just came back.”

At that moment, Ninian could hear her heart shattering.

She had been looking forward to Conan admitting that she was his girlfriend for seven years, but he declared someone else as his girlfriend instead.

Things got awkward in the room. Everyone turned to look at Ninian.

Over the years, she was the one who had kept Conan company, and everyone saw all that she had done for Conan.

They had thought that she was the one who would marry him in the end. Even Ninian herself had thought so.

“Come, let’s toast to Mr. Stone’s girlfriend!”

The people started cheering. Conan looked at Ninian. “What about you? You’re about to leave the company. Aren’t you going to drink at least once?”

Ninian’s stomach was weak, and it was all because she worked too hard for Conan.

The doctor had told her that she could not drink.

“I can’t drink.” Ninian looked down and picked up the glass of water on the table. “I’ll toast you with water instead, Mrs. Stone.”

She practically hissed the last two words.

Despite drinking the glass of water, Rose was not satisfied with it.

“You’re not willing to give Rose a proper toast after resigning? You don’t respect her at all, Ninian.”

Her resignation letter was still in the car. At the thought of her throwing a tantrum with him, Conan felt frustrated.

Chapter 8

“Conan, don’t be like that. We’re here to give Miss Springs a proper farewell. How about I toast to her instead?

“Miss Springs, thanks for taking care of Conan and the company for all these years.”

Just as Rose was about to drink, Conan stopped her.

“Why are you trying to drink? You have a weak stomach. If your stomach starts hurting at night, you won’t be able to sleep, and what are you going to do then?”

“That’s more than seven years ago! You still remember? My stomach is fine now,” Rose said sweetly, and Conan booped her nose.

“Be good. If Ninian is not willing to drink, why are you trying to drink, then?”

Conan’s words cut into Ninian’s heart like a sharp knife.

He did not know that her stomach was weak, but he remembered that Rose had a weak stomach seven years ago.

She did not want to look at them anymore. Ninian opened a can of beer and started drinking while sulking.

She drank a few cans, and her stomach hurt, but it did not hurt as much as her heart did.

Conan sneered. “Look. You can drink, can’t you? Why were you unwilling to toast to Rose, then? Ninian, when did you become so petty?”

Her stomach churned, and Ninian wanted to puke.

She rushed out of the room and ran into the washroom before puking like her life depended on it.

After puking, a few burly men came in and blocked her way.

“Oh? To think there’s such a beautiful lady here!”

Ninian frowned and wanted to bypass them, but her path was blocked. “What’s this?”

“What’s this, you say? What do you think?”

The leader waved his hand, and the other men came over to pin her down.

Ninian started panicking. Just when she wanted to scream for help, Rose walked over.

She gave Ninian a confused look. Before she could say anything, the men grabbed her as well.

“Another one dropped by! We’re going to have fun tonight, boys! Bring them in!”

“No! Help me!” Rose screamed in panic. “Help! Don’t touch me! Conan, save me!”

“Rose!”

Conan charged in at the sound of Rose’s cries for help and punched one of the men. “How dare you touch my girlfriend?! I’ll kill you!”

He kicked the man, and he fell to his knees to beg for mercy.

Rose was so terrified that she buried her face in his embrace while she trembled. “Conan, I’m so scared!”

Conan held her tightly. “Don’t be. I’m right here.”

“What the hell?! Miss Springs, one of my men is injured! I want extra for this!”

In the chaos, Ninian managed to break free, and she was rubbing her red wrists when she heard this. In her confusion, she asked, “What extra?”

“You told us that you’d pay us if we kidnapped Rose Charlemagne! Are you trying to deny this now?!”

When Conan heard this, he became livid. “Ninian, how could you ask someone to kidnap Rose?! Have you lost your mind?!”

Ninian just stared at Conan and sneered. “Can’t you see that they also grabbed me? Also, am I that sort of person to you?”

“I don’t know whether you’d kidnap other people, but I do know that you’d kidnap Rose.”

Right after Conan finished speaking, Rose started crying. “Conan, why would Miss Springs do this to me?”

Only Ninian saw the glee and provocation that appeared briefly in Rose’s eyes.

And Ninian immediately understood that Rose was the one who hired these people.

“Rose, why would you set me up?! I don’t know these people at all!”

“That’s enough!” Conan furiously interrupted her. “Ninian, you’re hopeless!”

“Conan, my head hurts!”

In the next second, Rose fainted in his arms.

“Rose! I’ll take you to the hospital! Don’t worry!”

In his panic, Conan picked Rose up and left.

“Drag the woman in now! We have to finish this soon. We get money from this and even get to sleep with a beautiful woman. I suppose we can work with Miss Charlemagne next time as well.”

Miss Charlemagne?

Ninian almost laughed. She was right. Rose had indeed orchestrated this entire thing.

Her acting was horrible, but Conan would never see through it.

The men blocked Ninian’s path and wanted to drag her into a room. Ninian could only watch as Conan left and call out for help as she still refused to give up. But Conan was unmoved, and the last shred of hope in her heart died.

“Strip her naked! We need to have fun with such a beautiful woman!”

They charged over and tore Ninian’s clothes to shreds.

The light before her eyes grew dimmer. Ninian looked around and saw a bottle of beer on the table. Despair flickered in her eyes.

…

Despite being unconscious, Rose was still trapped in a nightmare.

“Ah! Don’t!”

At the sight of her panicking, Conan’s heart went out to her, and he held her.

“It’s okay, Rose. You’re fine now.”

“Conan, I’m so scared. Why would Ninian do this to me? Does she blame me for taking you from her?”

Conan’s expression turned cold. “She has no right to blame you. Don’t worry. I’ll be sure to make her apologize to you.”

Once he calmed Rose down, Conan stormed over to Ninian’s house.

But she was not there, so he called his assistant. “Find out where Ninian is.”

While he waited, Conan’s anger burned even greater.

How dare she stay out overnight?!

“Mr. Stone, Ninian is—”

“Is what? Tell her to come back right now! I want her to give me an explanation for what happened yesterday!”

“Mr. Stone, we found Ninian’s belongings in Crimson, but she’s nowhere to be found.

“There was also a fierce fight in Crimson yesterday. The police have come over and locked down the place for an investigation. They found blood all over the floor in a room. I heard that someone died.”

“What?” When he heard what his assistant said, Conan trembled. “Say that again.”

“The police said that it’s highly likely that the one who died from the altercation is Ninian.”