"Baby..."
That low, husky voice brushed past Lydia Thompson's ear like a whisper.
Lydia’s chest heaved slightly, heart racing in the pitch black. She could feel someone speaking into her ear, their breath so real it made her skin crawl. Her mind was foggy, but the feeling just kept getting clearer—so much so that tears slipped down her cheeks.
"Baby, when are you finally divorcing that Benson guy?"
The man kissed the tears off her face, voice turning colder by the second. "Keep dragging your feet, and don’t blame me for taking matters into my own hands."
Then, with even more venom, he spat, “You know I can kill him if I want to.”
The sharp chill in his voice was like icy blades slicing her apart.
She jolted awake, drenched in cold sweat.
Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling window, softly chasing away the nightmare’s darkness.
Lydia took a few deep breaths, trying to calm her chaotic heartbeat. Her eyes quickly scanned the room.
No one was there.
Right. Just another dream.
But what had her on edge was that this dream kept repeating for a month now—showing up every few nights, each time feeling more vivid, more intense.
At first, it was just someone kissing her in the dark. Then came the man's heavy breathing and constant whisper of "baby" in her ear.
Lydia covered her burning cheeks with her hands. She honestly had no idea why the hell she kept dreaming such... explicit stuff.
The worst part? What the guy said tonight.
When are you divorcing Leonard Benson?
So this guy in her dream... was some dude she was cheating with?
Twenty years of her life, and the most “wild” thing she did with a guy was holding hands in elementary school. Now she was dreaming about having an affair?
She shut her eyes, seriously questioning everything.
As she stared blankly at the ceiling, a knock came from the bedroom door, followed by Mrs. Parker’s gentle voice from outside, "Miss Lydia, are you awake? Madam and Miss Clara are waiting for you downstairs."
Only then did Lydia snap back to reality—right, today was the charity luncheon.
It was hosted by the powerful Harper family here in Dijing.
Technically, Lydia wasn’t even a proper Thompson. She was just the result of Robert Thompson’s affair. A love child, plain and simple.
Normally, she'd never be allowed at this kind of event.
But things had changed.
She just celebrated her 20th birthday last week, and apparently, Robert could barely wait to marry her off for some kind of business deal.
Events like this, surrounded by powerful families? No way Robert would pass up the opportunity.
Lydia didn’t dress up too much, just did the basics before heading downstairs.
Even so, with her soft long hair down and her bare face bright and delicate, she was still stunning enough to turn heads.
Especially Clara Thompson—who clenched her fists the second she looked up and saw her.
The girl descending the stairs had a slender figure, breathtaking features.
Long, arched brows. Lush lashes. A cute, petite nose. Pouty red lips.
And then, those almond-shaped eyes. When she smiled, they sparkled like stars, and when she was quiet, a hazy softness made every glance seem full of unspoken emotion. Kind of dangerous, honestly.
Clara bit her lip hard.
What a fake little—
Clara was three years older than Lydia and barely stayed at home these years.
Lydia usually avoided her like the plague to keep the peace. Honestly, they’d only seen each other a handful of times in the past year. The last time? Two months ago.Maybe it was all in her head, but Clara always felt like Lydia looked even more stunning every time they met.
With someone that dazzling around, would anyone even bother looking at her?
Margaret, who was standing next to Clara, stayed calm and composed. She gently squeezed Clara’s hand, signaling her to relax and not mess up the plan.
Clara snapped out of it. Thinking about what they had planned for today made her feel a lot better.
So what if Lydia looked good? In the end, she was still being married off to some old guy.
Just picturing that made Clara feel a satisfying sense of relief, and a sarcastic smile crept onto her face as she looked at Lydia.
The smile actually put Lydia a bit on edge.
She paused for a second, hesitating, when Margaret called out sweetly,
“Lydia, are you ready?”
Her tone was as gentle as a loving mother’s. Lydia had no choice but to keep walking. She curved her lips into a small smile.
“Yeah, I’m ready.”
Then she glanced over at Clara and softly said, “Sister.”
Clara let out a cold laugh and looked away.
Lydia lowered her eyes, unbothered by the reaction.
She wasn’t looking to stir anything up with Clara.
After all, Clara never liked her.
And Lydia could get why. Honestly, who would be okay with a half-sister from their dad’s affair?
Even she hated that part of herself.
Margaret took the two girls out to get their makeup and hair done before heading to the hotel hosting the charity event.
It was exactly 11:30 a.m. when they arrived. Guests were just starting to arrive.
Even though Lydia had purposely chosen a simple black dress, she was like a walking spotlight. Just standing there drew everyone’s attention.
The moment she stepped out of the car, gasps and whispers spread around them, eyes locking onto her, making her drop her gaze in discomfort.
She suddenly had this ridiculous thought—
Like she was one of the items on auction too, being sized up and waiting for someone to place a bid.
Clearly, she wasn’t the only one who felt that way.
Not far from the hotel’s main doors, under a towering marble column, a pair of sharp, watchful eyes rested on her.
But it was only for a split second, and then he looked away.
William wasn’t interested—probably not in any woman, to be honest.
But Derek, standing next to him, had stars in his eyes, practically glued to Lydia.
He’d seen his fair share of women, but Lydia, with that angelic face and killer figure? She was something else. The kind that could totally mess with a guy’s head.
Derek rubbed his chin, clicked his tongue, and muttered, “That must be the illegitimate Thompson girl they’ve been hiding, huh? And now Robert’s finally decided to put her on display.”
He even wondered if he could throw in a bid himself. He didn’t need to marry someone like her, but having her around for fun? Totally worth it.
William gave no reaction, just stubbed out his cigarette in a nearby bin, rubbed his temple, and started to turn away.
Right then, Lydia and the others were already heading toward the hotel entrance.
Since Lydia was dragging her feet a bit, Clara gave her a shove.
“Can you move any slower?”
Lydia stumbled, almost falling. Clara looked irritated but couldn’t go too far with people watching.
Margaret steadied Lydia and asked gently, “Are you okay, Lydia?”
Biting her lip, Lydia quietly replied, “I’m fine.”
Just those soft words made William freeze mid-step.
He whipped around, eyes sharp like blades slicing through the air, scanning the entrance—
Only to catch a glimpse of Lydia’s delicate back disappearing inside.
