"You must be out of your mind." Pearl couldn't help but find it amusing, wondering where his confidence cfrom.
"Yeah, you can see it that way," Hugo said solemnly, locking his gaze on the woman in front of him, whom he had thought about for a long time. "I'll
make sure you'll willingly cback to me."
Pearl frowned in disgust, prepared to get out of the car, only to realize that the door had already been locked.
"We're not done yet, and yet you're so eager to leave." Hugo's usual warm eyes turned dark.
"l don't have tto put up with your madness." Pearl's tone changed from gentle to cold.
"What if | tell you that | know your mother's and Gigi's whereabouts?"
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt
Hearing those two familiar names, Pearl hesitated for a moment.
Her subtle pause didn't escape Hugo's attention. "You see, no matter where we are, these two vulnerabilities will always make you fall in line."
Pearl's hand, placed at her side, curled slightly. Her gaze was unwavering this tas she spoke slowly, "You're really shameless."
"| advise you to choose your words carefully, or else... | can't guarantee what | might do to them," Hugo warned.
"Well, then spill it." Pearl couldn't easily trust him, and she was sure things weren't as simple as he made it sound.
Hugo averted his gaze and said, "You've been back almost a month now, haven't you? Can't even find where they are?
"Stop pretending. You don't actually know either." Pearl chuckled. Her network of information was much more powerful than Hugo's, so if she couldn't
find them, he couldn't either. Trying to deceive her was a fool's errand.
"Sometimes, when women are too clever, it's not a good thing."
Pearl had secretly found the hidden latch to open the car door. Without hesitation, she slapped him.
"You disgust me, Hugo!" With that, she seized the opportunity of his momentary surprise and made a run for it.
Hugo watched her escape and felt a ripple of emotion in his heart.
Great. He was determined to see this bold and arrogant rose bend to his will.
Back at the office, Pearl noticed an additional presence in her workspace.
Silas, with a playful demeanor, fiddled with his phone and teased, "I was wondering why | haven't received the video yet. Turns out, you were out
meeting sguy."
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm
"You saw me?" Pearl crossed over to her chair.
Silas lifted his head, gesturing to the computer screen. "Yup. You didn't turn off your computer so | saw the email."
Pearl suddenly flushed. The email was about Hugo's threats and coercion, along with a forceful demand to meet him in person.
She wanted to say something about it, but Silas blocked her at her desk, staring at her intensely. "You're being bullied, and you didn't tell me?"
Pearl's heart skipped a beat, suddenly feeling at a loss. "Why would | tell you?"
"To keep you safe, of course! What's with all the fuss?" Silas was smiling, but underneath, he was seething with anger, barely holding it back.
"I've known about his little tricks all along. | don't need protection at all." Pearl waved him off nonchalantly, trying to push him away.
But Silas didn't budge. "You still should have told me."
His posture was like a stubborn child throwing a tantrum, leaving Pearl amused and exasperated.