At the top floor of the Lu Conglomerate, the atmosphere was one of quiet authority and power. The walls were lined with sleek black marble and tall glass panels that offered a panoramic view of the bustling city below.
Seated behind an imposing mahogany desk, Lu Tingkai exuded the kind of presence that could silence a room without a word. He leaned back in his leather chair, one hand resting lightly on the armrest, the other holding a silver pen he twirled absentmindedly.
Dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit, his appearance was immaculate. The crisp white shirt beneath accentuated his broad shoulders and lean frame, while a slim black tie hung neatly against his chest. The subtle glint of a platinum watch peeked from his cuff — understated, yet a quiet declaration of wealth and taste.
His features were the kind that seemed sculpted to perfection — sharp jawline, straight nose, and lips that carried the faintest hint of stern elegance. His eyes, dark as midnight ink, reflected both intelligence and danger. When he looked up from the documents on his desk, that gaze could pierce straight through pretence and deceit, leaving most people breathless or trembling.
A few strands of his jet-black hair fell slightly over his forehead, softening the coldness of his expression just enough to make him devastatingly handsome. There was an air of controlled dominance about him — the kind that came from years of being obeyed without question.
The faint hum of the city below seemed to bow before his silence.
Lu Tingkai — the man every business titan feared to offend and every woman wanted to touch — sat there like a dark monarch overseeing his empire.
The air in the top-floor office was heavy — so still that even the faint hum of the city below seemed afraid to intrude.
Lu Tingkai sat behind his desk, the sleek black surface littered with files that had long lost his attention. His fingers tapped rhythmically against the wood, his jaw tight, his expression unreadable — yet his aura radiated a quiet, controlled fury.
When Chen Jin, his long-time personal assistant, entered the room, he instinctively came to a halt. After serving under Lu Tingkai for over a decade, he didn't need words to know — his boss was in a dangerously foul mood. Ever since the Lin family had begun their charade, the calm, composed CEO had grown colder by the day.
He took careful, measured steps forward and placed a folder on the desk.
"Sir, this is the South City project file you requested," Chen Jin said cautiously. "Also… a call came from the front desk. Miss Lin is downstairs."
Lu Tingkai's pen stilled midair. Slowly, his gaze lifted — cold, sharp, and cutting. The weight of that look made the temperature in the office drop several degrees.
"Of course," Chen Jin quickly added, his tone shifting with practiced reflex, "I already had them turn her away."
A faint sound — perhaps a low hum of acknowledgment — escaped Lu Tingkai's throat as he lowered his eyes back to the documents. His voice, when he spoke again, was calm but edged with steel.
"Any news about the eldest Miss Lin?"
Chen Jin swallowed lightly. "Not yet, sir. I've searched through every Lin Hye Ji in Lianzhou and the neighboring cities, but there's no match to the one you asked me to find."
Lu Tingkai's expression didn't change, but his fingers stopped tapping. His gaze grew distant — like a storm gathering behind dark clouds.
"Then try her mother's surname," he said quietly. "With her temper, she wouldn't keep her father's name. She'll have changed it… to Mo."
Chen Jin nodded, sensing the unspoken emotions beneath the calm command. "Understood, boss."
Without another word, he bowed slightly and exited the room, closing the door behind him with utmost care.
Silence reclaimed the office. The city stretched endlessly beyond the floor-to-ceiling glass, but Lu Tingkai's eyes weren't on the skyline — they were lost in memories and shadows.
The Lin family… their lies, their manipulation — and the girl who had vanished like smoke in the wind.
His hand tightened around the pen until his knuckles turned white.
"Mo Hye Ji…" he murmured under his breath, his voice low, dangerous, and tinged with something that sounded very much like regret.He had found out too late
*** *** *** *** ***
At the Lin residence, chaos echoed through the grand living room.The sound of shattering glass and crashing porcelain filled the air as Lin Jia Li swept her hand across the table, sending everything tumbling to the floor. Her face was streaked with tears, her lips trembling with frustration.
"Lin Jia Li!" Su Man's sharp voice sliced through the noise as she rushed out from the hallway, her heels clicking against the marble floor. "Why are you smashing things again? Didn't you go to see Lu Tingkai?"
Jia Li spun around, her eyes red and swollen. "Go to see him? Mom, I didn't even get to see him!" she cried, her voice cracking. "His assistant—his stupid assistant—had the front desk turn me away! They didn't even bother to tell him I was there!"
She kicked a broken vase aside and clutched her hair in frustration. "Do you know how humiliating that was? Everyone was watching, whispering about me—saying the 'bride-to-be' got kicked out like a beggar!"
Su Man frowned, forcing her voice to remain calm. "Jia Li, calm down. This isn't the time to lose your head."
"But, Mom…" Jia Li's voice broke again. "Do you—do you think he'll even show up for the wedding?" Her eyes searched her mother's face, desperate for reassurance, for something to cling to.
Su Man's lips curved into a thin, composed smile. "Of course he will." She walked closer, her voice steady, her eyes glinting with calculation. "If he had no intention of marrying you, he would have refuted the rumors long ago. The engagement between the Lin and Lu families was arranged before you were even born — by his late grandfather himself. He can't just reject it without dishonoring his family's name."
"But… but what if—" Jia Li's voice quivered, her confidence cracking like the glass at her feet.