Chapter 1 Don’t Lie to Me

Mr. M’s existence gave Tiffany new hope for NC Company. She felt a lot more energized than before. The color eventually returned to her cheeks. Nonetheless, she often wondered what sort of genie Mr. M was, and why he was willing to help her. With all sorts of questions in her mind, Tiffany held on until the weekend, which was the time to meet Mr. M. She said to Monroe, “I’m going to school tonight. I won’t be coming back for dinner.” Mortimer glanced at her and asked, “Isn’t it the weekend today?” “I…… My lecturer asked me to help tidy up some papers and it will take a whole day. I might be back late tonight.” Mortimer frowned and took a sip of his coffee, shifting his gaze away. Tiffany let out a relieved sigh and stuffed a few bites of bread into her mouth. Just as she was done eating and about to leave the house, Mortimer called out to her. He played with his fingers as he said coldly, “I’ve said it before. I hate lies.” Tiffany sensed that Mortimer was probably also talking about something else, but her head was preoccupied with meeting Mr. M, so she didn’t take his words to heart. She quickly left the mansion. She went to the Twilight Bar at Route 50 off Liddle Drive. The dance music was so loud it was deafening. The colored lights flashed in the bar, blinding anyone who looked at them. It was full of teenagers and young adults letting out their wild sides. Tiffany had never been to a place like this before. She felt like a fish out of water. She dialled Angus’ number. “I’m here, where are you?” “I ran into an accident on the way and I don’t know how long it’ll take to resolve it. Why don’t you meet Mr. M first? I’ll be there as soon as I can.” Tiffany immediately felt uneasy without him by her side. In fact, she was starting to get cold feet. Just as she was contemplating making a run for it, a waiter walked over to her and said, “Hello, are you Miss Tiffany? Mr. M is already waiting for you in the VIP room. Let me show you the way there.” Tiffany followed the waiter and stopped in front of the VIP room. She closed her eyes, braced herself, and pushed open the door. When she finally caught sight of the man in the room, she was so shocked that she stayed rooted to the ground. “Mortimer? What are you doing here?” Mortimer answered her calmly, “What do you think?” The cogs in Tiffany’s head began to turn. Mortimer… M… Could he be Mr. M? No, that was impossible. Mortimer hated her and wanted to see NC Company go bankrupt. How would he help her out? However, she had indeed agreed to meet Mr. M at this time and venue. Aside from the explanation that Mortimer was Mr. M, she couldn’t think of anything else to explain his appearance. Mortimer coldly took in Tiffany’s shock and confusion. A hint of mockery reflected in his eyes. “Didn’t you say you were going to school? Why are you at a place like this?” “I… was just… passing by.” It was a lame excuse. Nobody would ever believe it, especially not Mortimer. It suddenly dawned on her that she was in grave danger and she turned to run away. However, just as she was reaching for the door handle, she realized that the door was locked from the outside. Mortimer immediately got up from his seat. The chair was pushed back and made a screeching sound against the floor. He took heavy steps toward the frightened Tiffany. His arms formed a narrow cage against the wall, trapping Tiffany in it. He asked word by word, “This is your last chance. Tell me the real reason you are here.” His voice was cold as ice, and so was his gaze. Tiffany shivered. She wanted to duck, but Mortimer cupped her chin and forcefully made her look at him. Tiffany gulped and said, “I’m not your prisoner. I don’t have to tell you about my whereabouts all the time.” Her answer made Mortimer clasp his hand tighter around her neck until she could barely breathe. Her face turned a bright shade of red. Even so, she refused to cry for help. She no longer had anything. The only thing she had left was her dignity. Just as she was about to suffocate, Mortimer let go of her. His eyes were bloodshot. It made him look even more like a dangerous wild animal. He pointed at the alcohol on the table and said to her in a dominating voice, “Drink with me.” Tiffany lightly massaged her painful neck and said, “I think I’ve already told you many times that I can’t drink.” “I’ve also told you before that I hate lying women. Why don’t you remember that?” Mortimer smiled instead of getting angry. He drank a large mouthful of red wine as he stared at her. Tiffany took a deep breath. “That’s right. I lied to you. I didn’t go to school. I came here to meet an investor.” “Oh? And who is he?” “I don’t know.” Mortimer scoffed. “You have quite the balls, coming here to meet a stranger in a bar.” “That’s not it!” Tiffany explained hurriedly. “I came here with Angus. But he met some obstacles on the way and got stuck.” Although Tiffany was telling the truth, she wasn’t sure how much Mortimer would believe her right now. She took out her phone, meaning to call Angus to prove that she wasn’t lying. Before she could even dial his number, Mortimer forcefully grabbed her wrists. Tiffany was completely caught by surprise and didn’t manage to react in time. Her body followed his strength, and she fell heavily on the sofa. It was a relief that the couch had soft cushions and probably didn’t manage to hurt the baby in her belly. Before she could thank the heavens, Mortimer pressed down on her body. “Since you promised to meet other men at a place like this, it means you were ready to accept whatever they do to you! Why are you still acting innocent with me? Do you think that someone else can give you what I can’t?” He grabbed a glass of wine and started forcing it into her mouth. Under the dim light, the red liquid looked a lot like blood. Tiffany was immediately sent into despair. Her life was already so bitter. She might as well just let Mortimer do whatever the heck he wanted with her. However, when she suddenly touched her stomach, her barely conscious mind suddenly became crystal clear. She was no longer living for herself. She was also living for her baby. Her motherly protective instincts kicked in, giving her the strength she didn’t know she had to push Mortimer off her body and land a huge slap on his face. Mortimer’s anger immediately erupted like a volcano. He pressed Tiffany down and raised his fist up high in the air. Tiffany knew that he would never let her off easily. She shut her eyes tightly. However, the expected pain didn’t come, even after a while. Tiffany slowly opened her eyes. She realized that the door to the VIP room was wide open, and Mortimer was nowhere in sight. Tears started blurring her sight. She bundled up her wine-soaked clothes and ran away from the bar under the eyes of many shocked patrons. “Mortimer, why do you want to be so cruel to me?” she thought.