Possession and Pain

Ethan curled his lips into a mischievous smile and lowered his head, meeting Emily Prescott's red lips. She immediately parted her lips to kiss him back, and they shared a long, passionate French kiss as if they couldn't tear themselves apart.

The onlookers exchanged awkward glances but didn't dare to interrupt.

Ah, so he came here for Emily Prescott, Lily thought, relieved she hadn't made a fool of herself by walking over to them. She was grateful she hadn't embarrassed herself.

Her eyes flickered with an idea, and she quietly fiddled with her camera, turning off the flash and capturing a photo of the two in their heated kiss.

What would be a good title for these photos?

"When Pure Actresses Start Stripping"?

"CEO of Blackwood Enterprise Using His Power to Bed His Star"?

Lily couldn't help but smile at the thought of how explosive this news would be once it hit the papers. She could already imagine the scandal it would stir up.

But seeing him kiss another woman, and she could still smile?

Ethan's eyes darkened as he pushed the snake-like Emily off of him. His voice was cold as he spoke, "You guys continue filming. I just stopped by for a quick look."

"Yes, yes, let's get makeup on Emily and prepare for the next scene," the director quickly called out, sycophantically pulling Ethan into the director's chair.

Lily had taken enough photos and was debating whether to leave when she noticed Ethan's icy gaze directed at her. She looked around, ensuring there was no one else he could be glaring at, and reluctantly walked over. Leaning down, she whispered in his ear, "I'm heading out."

This ungrateful woman...

He had left work to come pick her up, and she was going to walk away?

"Did I say you could leave?" Ethan's voice was cold as he grabbed her and pulled her onto his lap, his large hand landing firmly on her waist in a possessive grip.

"Ow…" Lily winced at the tight hold, trying to push him away, but he only held her tighter.

"You want me to hurt you?" Ethan deliberately twisted her words, his voice low and teasing as he whispered, "This is a public place. I'll hurt you when we get home."

This man's mind was never clean.

On the set, Emily sat on the antique bed, glaring at Lily with an intense, jealous hatred. The look in her eyes made Lily uncomfortable. But despite the crowd of people and the cameras, Ethan's hand continued to roam across her back as if no one was watching.

His fingers traced teasing patterns on her skin, but his expression remained cold and businesslike as if he were conducting a meeting.

But Lily couldn't handle his playful touches much longer. With so many people around, she discreetly reached behind her to push his hand away.

She barely felt relieved before his hand returned to its place.

Luckily, the director called for the next scene, and everyone's attention shifted to Emily.

Still sitting on Ethan's lap, Lily picked up the nearest script and began reading.

This scene was about Emily's character, a woman who had to offer herself to a tyrant from an enemy nation to save her country. But deep down, she was still in love with her childhood sweetheart.

The actor playing the tyrant was a rough-looking middle-aged man. In the shot, he throws Emily onto the bed.

Perhaps because Ethan was on set, Emily's performance seemed much more enthusiastic than before. Her moans were so loud that even Lily, as a woman, felt a shiver run down her spine.

"That's not right," Lily muttered unconsciously, setting the script aside.

Ethan bit her ear lightly. "Hmm, she doesn't sound as good as you do."

"Pervert," Lily muttered under her breath.

"Emily, that's not the right emotion," the director shouted, standing up in frustration. "You need to show inner conflict. The emperor is taking your body, but your heart is still with your lover. Your eyes need to show that! It's not just about moaning loudly!"

"What do you mean I'm not doing it right?!" Emily snapped, pushing the actor off her and sitting angrily on the bed. "If you can't capture the emotion on camera, that's your problem, not mine!"

She couldn't portray the emotional conflict, yet blamed the director for not capturing it.

Best Actress?

Not impressive at all.

"You…" The director, mindful of Ethan's presence, restrained himself from cursing and said, "Everyone, get ready for another take."

In the next take, Emily was again thrown onto the bed, her moans as exaggerated as before, her face full of allure.

"Cut! No, that won't work—"

"Cut! Do it again!"

"Cut, cut, cut! Emily, I told you, it's not about how loud you moan! We're not shooting a porn scene!"

The director called for cut after cut, and Emily's face grew darker each time. The actor who was portraying the tyrant repeatedly threw her onto the bed and touched her body.

Lily watched silently. When Emily's eyes glanced toward the camera, Lily suddenly leaned in and kissed Ethan on the cheek, lingering for a long moment.

Everyone saw it, and the entire set went quiet.

Ethan's eyes darkened, and he moved to kiss her lips, but Lily quickly turned her head, avoiding him.

She hadn't forgotten that his lips had just been on Emily's. The thought disgusted her.

Emily went silent, her eyes widening in shock. But with the camera rolling, she couldn't do anything. Her beautiful eyes filled with a mixture of resentment and jealousy...

Yet what the camera captured was Emily's perfect portrayal of a woman torn between two emotions.

Though it wasn't exactly what the script had called for, it was her best performance of the day.

"Cut! Perfect!" The director shouted excitedly, giving Lily a thumbs up. "You're a smart one, Miss."

Using jealousy to push Emily into character.

Who knew how long it would've taken to get the scene right without that?

"It was nothing," Lily smiled politely. It was rare for her to get a taste of being a director, even if it was just for a moment. She knew she'd never had the opportunity to pursue that dream, so this little moment of satisfaction would have to do.

Ethan, of course, realized what had just happened. His face darkened, and without a word, he pushed Lily off his lap and stormed out of the studio, his back radiating cold anger.

Everyone was shocked, and Emily looked desperate to follow him, but her assistant stopped her.

Did I upset him again?

Sighing, Lily quietly said goodbye to the director and grabbed her camera before running after Ethan.

Ethan slammed the door of his sports car shut with a loud bang.

Lily bit her lip and followed him into the car. "What's wrong with you?"

What's wrong with me?!

When did Ethan become someone to be used as a tool?

He kissed Emily in front of her, and she turned around and used that to help Emily get into character. Did she forget who her man was?!

"Get out," Ethan growled, slamming his fist against the steering wheel, his face stormy.

"Oh." Lily opened the door, about to step out when his angry voice cut through the air again.

"Try getting out of the car, I dare you!"

Does he want me to leave or not?!

Can he be any more contradictory?! Are you moody?!

Lily froze her hand still on the door handle. She didn't want to make him angrier, so she stayed put.

The air in the car was suffocatingly tense.

She had no idea why he was so mad. She had helped his actress get into character! Shouldn't he thank her instead of glaring at her like she owed him something?!

Suddenly, his phone buzzed, and a robotic female voice said, "Reminder: before going home, take Lily to buy toiletries."

Lily blinked, startled. Wait, he came to the studio just for me?

Everything she used at the Blackwood villa was disposable. Does he want to take her out to buy proper toiletries?

"Smash—"

Ethan angrily threw his phone into the backseat, his rage only growing.

Constantly making your benefactor angry must be the ultimate sin for a mistress, right?

"So, are we still going shopping?" Lily asked, deliberately softening her voice. Her expression showed that she was backing down.

Even though she didn't think she had done anything wrong, prolonging this tension wouldn't do her any good.

Ethan glared at her, pulled her into his arms, and kissed her fiercely.

It was a kiss filled with urgency and dominance.

Ethan didn't smoke, but Lily could still smell a faint trace of cigarette smoke—Emily's scent. The thought made her stomach turn. She pressed her hands against his chest, trying to push him away, but he only held her tighter.

A camera flash went off.

Lily stared at him in shock as he held up her DSLR. Instinctively, she tried to grab it from him.

Ethan quickly blocked her attempt, flipping through the photos with a dark expression. "Why did you take pictures of me and Emily?"

Damn it, he found out.

"Just capturing a beautiful moment of a handsome man and a beautiful woman. I was thinking of framing it and hanging it on a wall," Lily said with a fake smile.

Ethan's eyes darkened with a flicker of anger.

Lily quickly changed her tune, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Or maybe I'll print it out and use it as a dartboard for Emily."

And I'll throw in a few darts for you, too!

That answer satisfied Ethan. His cold expression softened into a smirk.

"Just print this one." He held up a photo of them sharing a passionate kiss moments ago. Aside from her slightly furrowed brows, the picture made them look like a couple deeply in love.

Lily quickly flipped through the camera. Sure enough, all the photos of him and Emily had been deleted… Her exclusive, juicy scoop was gone just like that… She felt like crying but couldn't.

"Let's go buy your things." Ethan tossed the camera aside, started the car, and drove off. One hand on the steering wheel, the other holding hers, his fingers teasing her palm.

His mood changes faster than the weather in June.

Lily was starting to understand Ethan a little better.

Had Emily dated him for a year? Lily couldn't imagine how she had survived it.

Ethan took her to a newly opened mega-mall to pick out toiletries. His tall, striking figure and handsome face attracted stares from all around, especially from the housewives shopping nearby.

"Wow… that guy is so handsome!"

"Is he a celebrity? He must be, right?"

"But I've never seen him on TV."

"Should we ask for an autograph?"

"I'm too nervous! Plus, he's with his girlfriend."

A group of middle- and high-school girls in uniform circled them at least six times, whispering excitedly to each other.

Lily had never experienced being stared at like this while shopping. It made her feel like an animal on display at the zoo, and it was incredibly uncomfortable.

Ethan, on the other hand, seemed completely unfazed. He pushed the shopping cart down the aisles, grabbing items off the shelves until he eventually stopped in the adult toys section…

Lily wanted to pretend she didn't know him.

While Ethan was distracted by his shopping, Lily took a few steps back and slowly slipped away.

A few people were browsing the shelves in the bookstore section of the mall. Lily's eyes immediately landed on a book titled The City of Art.

The voice of a younger Alex Carter seemed to echo in her ears: "Lily, Paris is the city of art. Don't you want to study directing? I'll go with you."

I'll go with you.

It's such a beautiful promise. Alex, do you still remember?

It didn't matter if you didn't. It didn't matter. It would be better if you forgot all about me, too.

Lily picked up The City of Art and flipped through its pages, looking at the beautiful landscapes. So many of these places were ones Alex had told her about.

Once upon a time… she had dreamed of going to Paris with Alex.

"Mr. Carter, the mall is in its second phase of leasing. Many brands are eager to work with us, and sales have been strong."

"Good. The brands that enter Carter Mall must be carefully selected. Once the list is finalized, bring it to me for review."

"Yes, Mr. Carter."

The gentle voice of a man broke the quiet of the bookstore.

Lily slowly turned around, her gaze falling on a group of men in suits surrounding a young, elegant man as they walked toward her, discussing work. His simple shirt and trousers highlighted his tall, slender frame.