His Ruthless Possession

The first thing Liora did after she ran out was to buy herself a pair of black-framed glasses that were as exaggerated as the original pair. She stared at them in the mirror with a satisfied smile, putting them on and adjusting them a few times, all while the shopping guide watched her with a mix of confusion and amusement. Liora didn't mind the strange stares; after all, it wasn't every day that someone walked out of a store with glasses that practically screamed for attention.

Liora had always been a fan of oversized, bold black-framed glasses—she knew it was a bit embarrassing, but she didn't care. There was something about them that made her feel like she could conquer anything. The bigger, the better. The more ridiculous, the more fun. But there was no denying it—she was, to put it mildly, a little eccentric when it came to her taste in fashion.

As for why she was so obsessed with black-framed glasses, well, that was something only Liora knew. Maybe it was because they made her feel like someone else, someone more confident, someone more in control. Or maybe it was just a silly whim. Either way, she'd never questioned it—until today.

After walking into the glasses store, she suddenly realized that she didn't even know Chris's eye degree. A wave of embarrassment washed over her, and she quickly turned on her heel, deciding to abandon the idea of buying glasses for him—for now, at least. She could always compensate him later, but for now, she needed to figure out what to do next.

In the afternoon, to everyone's surprise, Liora returned to work, looking as though nothing had happened. She walked through the door with a carefree smile on her face, as if she hadn't just run out of the office in a flurry of emotions earlier. It wasn't the first time, and it probably wouldn't be the last.

Who did they think she was?

She was invincible, and no matter how painful or sad things were, she could only allow herself to feel down for one day at most. That was her rule: no matter what life threw at her, she would only give herself 24 hours to wallow in sadness. After that, it was time to pick herself up and move on.

After all, she had promised her mother in her past life that she would always live happily, no matter what.

Liora spotted two women in the corner, bickering over who should deliver coffee to Kieran. Rolling her eyes, she shook her head and walked over, her hand outstretched.

"What for?" Annie asked, her voice full of surprise. She couldn't believe how quickly Liora had bounced back from everything that had happened that morning.

"Give me the coffee! I'll deliver it!" Liora said, her tone light but firm, as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

Annie blinked in shock for a second, then suddenly threw her arms around Liora, grinning. "Liora! You're amazing! I admire your spirit of facing challenges head-on and being fearless!"

Liora smirked playfully, "Come on! Look at your potential! You're the one who should be out there taking on challenges, not me!"

Happiness and strength were her protective colors—without them, she wouldn't be able to survive, especially when dealing with someone like Kieran. She couldn't afford to be defeated in front of him. No matter how much he trampled on her, no matter how much life knocked her down, Liora was like a weed that would sprout again, no matter how many times it was stepped on.

But right now, the last thing she needed was for anyone to pity her. Feeling a sharp gaze on her, she whipped her head around and glared fiercely at the source of the stare. "What are you looking at?! If you keep looking, I swear I'll twist your head off and kick it like a ball!"

Ethan, who had been standing nearby, had been staring at Liora for a while. His eyes widened in realization. "I was wrong this morning..." he muttered under his breath, his tone full of a mixture of admiration and regret.

Just as Liora was about to walk away, she paused and caught a faint conversation coming from the office. She could vaguely hear her name, so she stopped, curiosity piqued, and leaned against the wall to listen.

"Really? I didn't expect her to be so perseverant and not give up for so many years." A voice she didn't immediately recognize. But it sounded familiar—like someone she knew, but not someone she had heard recently.

"I'm almost annoyed to death by that girl!" That voice… it was Kieran's. Liora's heart skipped a beat. She didn't need to guess who he was talking about.

"I think Liora is cute! It's a pity that you already have Qian Ning." Wait—did he just call her Liora? Liora felt her stomach flip. Why would he call her by her first name so casually? Who was this person?

Kieran snorted, and she could almost hear the irritation in his voice. "If you think it's cute, I don't mind you accept it and help me solve this problem!"

Liora couldn't stand it any longer. Her freshly recovered vitality felt like it had been sucked away in an instant. Without thinking, she stormed into the office, anger bubbling inside her, ignoring the fact that she hadn't even knocked.

"President! Your coffee!" she announced, trying to sound more confident than she felt, though her hands shook just slightly as she set the coffee down on Kieran's desk.

Kieran looked up at her, his eyebrows raised in mild surprise. "Why did you deliver it?" His voice was a mixture of confusion and, oddly enough, something else—relief?

He had thought she would resign after what had happened earlier in the day. He had expected her to break down, to give up. But there she was, standing before him, as if nothing had happened.

Liora stood tall and met his gaze, her chin raised. "Because no one dares to deliver it to you, the president, except me!"

She placed the coffee down heavily, trying to shake off the frustration building up inside her. But just as she turned to leave, she heard a familiar voice call her name.

"You?" The voice was gentle, slightly surprised.

Liora froze, looking over her shoulder toward the direction of the voice. There, on the sofa, sat Chris. The man she had met earlier in the morning. Her breath caught in her throat. Why was he here?

For a moment, time seemed to slow. The world outside the office seemed to fade into the background as she focused on him, unsure of what to say or do next.