Another Plan

She was petrified looking at the person before her.

"Y-Yao M-mingzie?" she stuttered, batting her eyelids in disbelief.

"It's Tristan to you, baby girl," he said as he walked in while she stood frozen at the spot. After some few seconds, she regained herself and took a few steps back. She approached him and glared at him with annoyance.

"What are you doing here?" she asked with folded arms.

"What do you think?" he smirked, closing the gap between them and she subconsciously stepped back. She almost tripped on a flower vase but Tristan held her by the waist just in time.

"Let go, you scoundrel!" she scowled.

"Okay, if you say so my lady," he said and he obediently let go of her making her bump her butt hard on the marble floor and she winced in pain.

He stretched his hand with an annoying smirk to help her but she slapped it away.

"What are you doing here?" she asked shooting daggers at him with her doe eyes.

"I know you missed me baby, well I have good news... I also missed you," he said, squatting to meet her gaze, and winked at her.

His grey eyes looked deeply into her brown eyes searching for something. He had a chiseled face, the face of a model, with dark curly hair. He looked deeply into her eyes when an unruly strand of his hair fell and covered part of his left eye.

"Get out!" she said through gritted teeth. He scanned her body very carefully as if he had not just heard what she said. She was wearing a short that didn't cover half of her thigh and a short-sleeved free but not baggy shirt. She was feeling very uncomfortable with his eyes roaming on her body but she tried not to show it, she knew this guy too well. As if it couldn't get worst, his gaze fell on her naked thigh, she couldn't hold it in anymore and she flinched, then he licked his lips with a sinister smile of satisfaction on his face.

"S-stop looking at me like that," she managed to say.

"But why baby, I just can't help. You're just... beautiful," he said biting the side of his lower lip.

"I'll leave for now, but don't think I'll be gone for too long," he said, standing up and he went out after winking at her one last time.

Mia stood up hastily and ran toward the door to lock it. She leaned against the wall with her chest heaving up and down, she could feel her heart thumping as if she had ran for a long distance. After a while, she let out a deep breath.

She later went on to her room, picked up her phone, and sent a message to Ivy. She turned off the lights and darkness clothed the room, she lay on her bed and tried to sleep.

★★★

"That bitch!" Lisa screamed, tugging hard on her hair.

"You know doing that isn't going to help, right? Now tell me what's the problem... this time?" a lady in her early twenties asked.

"..."

"Did you succeed this time?" she continued but she didn't get any reply.

"I just hate her, you should've seen the way they were acting all lovey-dovey with each other, yuck!" Lisa said and the lady just looked at her with confusion written all over her face.

"Okay, first, who's 'her' and second, what 'lovey-dovey'," the lady asked.

"Xavier is mine, only mine!" she said through gritted teeth like a maniac. "Dad promised me and now look... I've become a third wheel. Impossible!" she ranted and raked her hand through her already disheveled hair.

"But Lisa, you know... or never mind," the lady waved her hand like it was nothing important and picked up a nail file from the dressing table and started filing her nails. She had blonde hair, and she looked American.

"Oh, whatever, who cares?" Lisa commented and slumped on the couch.

"But you haven't told me yet who this 'her' is," the lady stated curiously expecting a reply from Lisa who was busy with her eyes closed, slowly massaging her temples with her thumb and index finger.

Lisa spared her a glance and replied afterward shortly. "Ivy Li".

The lady subconsciously dropped the nail file on the ground and stared blankly at Lisa in utter shock.

" Y-you're kidding right?" she asked with wide eyes.

"No, you heard right"

"Are you talking about t..."

"Yes Nora, yes, the Ivy Li," she said as she felt shivers run down her spine just from calling her name.

"Girl, I advise that you give up already. That lady is danger. She's scary. The photos of her that got leaked a few weeks ago... I haven't even seen her in person but I felt the power, yeesh!" Nora shivered, "those eyes... I don't know how, but I got the urge to bow down before her photo on m..."

"Cut it out already. She may be prettier than m..."

"Way prettier, you mean. She's a goddess," Nora commented.

"Shut up already, let me finish," Lisa yelled, "As I was saying, her charm can't be compared to mine," Lisa said and a smile formed on her lips.

"Wait a minute, didn't you just say that they were all lovey-dovey a while ago, and he hasn't even spoken to you like a human being not to mention l..."

"Oh shut up! You can leave now," Lisa said irritated. Nora just shrugged and left. Lisa watched her from her window as she left with her red Ferrari.

She walked out of her room angrily, through the large hallway till she reached her dad's study, she barged in and the middle-aged man looked at her nonchalantly as if he had been waiting for her.

"What is it this time?" he asked with his focus still on his work which made her fume more in anger.

"I've endured enough dad, do something!" she scowled, "I'm tired of this, just do something already, I'm just sick and tired. I've done everything possible but it's just not working. You need to help me," she said in desperation. That's when he rose his head up and saw how tattered she looked, starting from her disheveled hair down to her shaky legs.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked with seriousness in his tone.

She banged her hands on the desk as she craned her neck to look at him, "I will die for him," she said through gritted teeth.

She stood and started walking to and fro in the large room. "Since my college days, I've been yearning for him and his attention, but he never even spared me a glance. I became smart, a bookworm for him just to notice me but all in vain. I did literally everything possible but to no avail. He was my senior, but from the movies and books I've read, the female lead's situation wasn't as tough as mine. Why is mine just different?!"

"Calm down and think about this, you're acting irrationally," he paused then scanned her face before he continued, " I have another plan"

"Tell me, dad, what is it?"

"Your sister"

"B-but she's dead"

"No, she's not. She is right here, in this city," he said with a menacing smile.

"Nora?" she asked with an arched brow.

"No," he shook her head at her remark. 'How can an American be your sister you idiot?' he said inwardly.

"Just wait for it dear, patience"

Qin Villa...

"Mom, eat something at least," Ava asked, holding a spoonful of soup in her hands

"But I don't feel like," Lin Baozhai cried dramatically, pushing her hands away.

Xander came in and was greeted with the sight of his mom rejecting the food. "What's happening?" he asked.

"She's not eating," Ava said as Xander approached them and sat down next to his mom.

"Mom, don't go this please or you'll fall ill," he placed his hands on his shoulder trying to coax her.

"Yes ma, Xander is right and besides you don't want your future DIL to see you in this condition, right?" she asked holding the spoon to her mouth. "Now open up, ah...!" she said putting the tip of the spoon to the entrance of her mouth.

"Give me that! What am I? a child?" Lin Baozhai said and snatched the spoon from her hand, careful not to spill the soup as she put it in her mouth. A smile spread across Ava's lip when she saw her mom eating the soup with haste.

"The soup is nice, though," Lin Baoazhai commented.

"That's because it's made with extra love, right, Xiao Zhan?"

"Hm," she replied shortly.

"Now I've eaten, so can I have my beauty sleep. I need it after all since my son's wedding is in a few days," she said happily and they both nodded in approval.

She stood up and left the dining hall.

"She looks better," Xander commented, still looking at the direction she took to leave.

"Yes, I'm happy, I wish she could be like this forever"

"Yeah, me too," he replied shortly afterward.

"Wait, where's brother? Didn't you guys leave together?" she asked inquisitively