Chapter 22 Accept Me Willingly

Eliz took a deep breath and said, "Please, save my father first. Is that possible?" Eliz projected her soft side as she begged for her father's immediate need. Her sweet and meek look touched Pierce and caused him to think twice.

Pierce's calm eyes exhibited an unspoken roguish grin, his thin lips twitched, and he said coldly, "No."

'He refused!' Eliz's sweet face changed in an instant. Her stomach twisted, and her eyes widened at his sharp refusal and sudden change of mind. Eliz had expected that he would not agree. She just felt helpless about her father's horrible situation.

She thought, 'He is right. If I don't accept his proposal, why would he help me?' Hot tears fell down her delicate face, and hopelessness swept inside her.

Unsure if she was doing the right thing, she asked slowly, "What if I agree to your condition?"

"Too late," he answered quickly with his arms folded in front of him, and his brown eyes gazed at her smooth face. He didn't want to see her like that, nor did he want to make things difficult for her, but he realized he wanted something else.

Eliz closed her eyes in agony as she took deep breaths. She slowly opened her eyes. They were red and puffy now. She wiped her tears with her empty hand, flashed a brittle smile, and said, "I know."

Eliz turned around to leave with her remaining pride, but Pierce quickly stopped her and softly said, "I want you to accept me willingly, rather than being forced by a situation like this." Pierce was not used to begging for acceptance nor demanding it with conditions. After honestly expressing his thoughts, he squinted and smirked. He preferred that she agreed willingly to be his mistress.

Eliz froze at those words. She thought that becoming his mistress out of her willingness was a curse. She knew that it would be hard for her to refuse Pierce.

'Maybe one day, I will fall in love with him. Who knows what will happen in the future?' she thought. 'For now, I have no special someone. My recent heartbreak made me a skeptic. How could I fall in love so easily or expect to be loved back?' Though the cold night breeze and fresh air on the rooftop brought a good mood, Eliz was disturbed by Pierce's presence.

Eliz arrived late at her apartment. It was already half-past ten. She cautiously opened the door, hoping not to disturb her mother.

"Eliz, you're back," her mom said. The soft voice came from the living room.

"Mom?" she replied. She did not expect her mother would still be up. She turned on the light and found her mom patiently sitting on the sofa, waiting for her.

"Go to bed now and get enough rest. You still need to go to work tomorrow morning," Elizabeth said without enthusiasm. Her mother had been as worried as her. She was restless from all their troubles and their uncertain future.

Eliz lazily sat down on the sofa. She felt exhausted. She bit her lips and asked, "Mom, it's late. Why don't you go to bed?"

"I'm waiting for your father," Elizabeth answered calmly. Her contracted brows then relaxed slightly. Eliz felt like her heart was stabbed repeatedly upon hearing those words. Her parents had an excellent relationship. They had loved each other very much since they got married. They had never been separated like this.

"Mom, Dad is..." she cleared her throat. "Dad won't be home for a while. You can go to bed tonight," Eliz finished. Looking at her mom, Eliz felt extreme sadness and pain for her, but she held back the tears in her eyes. For a moment, she understood that kind of true love. She realized that love was not about eating out or seeing a movie, but about having company. As long as the person you loved was by your side every day, even if you had simple meals, you would still be happy.

"Eliz, I called your father's friends today. Some of them didn't answer the phone, some said that they were busy, and some said that they could do nothing. You see..." Elizabeth stammered, looking for the right words to release her emotions.

"What kind of friends are they?!" Elizabeth said furiously. She became flustered and slapped her thighs in frustration.

'When the company was running well, they were good friends. When something went wrong, they suddenly became strangers.' Eliz grimaced at the thought. 'This is the harsh reality. Indeed, nothing is permanent. You would know your true friends when you are at your worst, ' Eliz thought to herself.

"Mom, it's normal. That's how things work in this world. Now that you have seen their true colors, don't try to reach out to those people again," Eliz said as she stretched out her hands to give her mom a comforting hug. Now, it was her turn to take good care of her mother, especially now that her father was away.

"Eliz, let's visit your father tomorrow, okay?" Elizabeth suggested. She had stayed home the whole day. But she didn't dare to visit her husband, afraid that he would feel sorry for her.

"Mom, I've already been to the police station today. The officers said that we can't visit dad for a week," Eliz lied. She was afraid that her mom would be more depressed if she saw the awful situation with her father.

"Really?" Elizabeth doubted. She longed to see her husband. She rubbed her temples and slowly closed her eyes.

That night, Eliz couldn't sleep and kept turning in her bed. She was bothered by problems all night. The more she thought about it, the more frustrated she became. She looked out of the window. The scenery had dramatically changed. She used to see and appreciate the most beautiful night scenes of Milan Italy, but now, all she could see was darkness. She had recently been miserable like this. There was no progress in the company's business, and the policemen said that the case was still under investigation. For unknown reasons, Eliz had not been allowed to visit her father at the police station for six days now. She was furious. She guessed that it was Pierce's ploy to show her what he was capable of.

'That self-absorbed, arrogant man! Does he want me to kneel and beg him?' Eliz thought to herself. For the past six days, Eliz had felt confident and calm because Pierce did not bother her.

In the Queen Bar, Audie Donor, the head of the Cardiology department, celebrated his birthday. The staff of the department had reserved a private room for his party. Eliz was the last one to arrive. She was hesitant to be in this bar because of her previous experience. She had too much to drink then, and she had been drugged. That had led to her losing her virginity. Her colleagues had already drunk a lot. When Audie noticed that Eliz came in late, he smiled and joked, "Eliz, why are you so late? Do you look down on me?" It was said in a friendly manner but implied a double meaning.

Eliz knew that Audi didn't like her because her existence threatened his position. "Audie, I'm so sorry to be late. I needed to attend to a family matter. I'll make up by drinking three glasses of wine," Eliz replied humbly. She knew the rules, so she took up her glass and immediately drank three glasses of wine.

Audie's eyes were filled with mischievous plans. He gave a crooked smile and said, "Eliz, you're awesome. Why not have a good time tonight?" Eliz drank too much. So much that she did not notice how many glasses she had. She was so tipsy that she almost stumbled on her way to the bathroom.

A man dressed in a handmade Italian suit sat in the VIP room near them and was darting Eliz a cold stare. He studied her every move with his brown eyes. 'I haven't seen her for only a few days, and she's enjoyed her carefree life all too well. She even maximizes her blithe enjoyment by getting drunk in a bar. How could she?' Pierce thought to himself. The expression on his handsome face reflected resentment. The deputy mayor who was discussing business with him noticed that Pierce had lost his focus.