Chapter 153 - Underhanded Tricks (2)

"What do you mean?" Shen sat up, more attentive than before. If there was any danger around his wife, he wanted to at least know about it, if not follow her everywhere. 

"Well…she apologised for everything but she seemed to be holding something back. But strangely enough, to 'make up' for it, she invited me to a nightclub opening party tomorrow night" 

Shen frowned. Lina had never been interested in partying, and so far as he knew, she and Mana had never spent late nights out clubbing. 

Where was this coming from so abruptly? 

"Really?" Shen pondered, his eyes sharp as his fingers pinched the bridge of his nose. 

Lina nodded. 

"As far as my memories with Mana go, I don't ever remember she and I doing anything like this in past. We always went to cafés or quiet bars or restaurants for meals. I don't really want to go, it doesn't sound fun. But she's making an effort. So I'm going to go." 

She had already made her decision. Shen grimaced, he desperately wanted a say in the matter. With everything that was going on, being in dark, crowded nightclub with people from who knows where — Lina could be so vulnerable. 

Not just to their enemies, but to creeps and perverts in general. 

"Well, if you know what you're doing…" he bit his lip as he reluctantly gave his blessing. "Just, let me pick your outfit." 

Lina laughed out loud. 

"Deal." she agreed. 

And then she jumped into bed with her handsome beast of a husband as they remained wrapped in each other's arms till the break of dawn. 

*****************************

~at the Lim Villa~ 

Mana entered the large estate owned by the main branch of the Lim clan. It was elegant and royal as always as she saw in the airy living room, waiting for her hostess.

Today Lina would get what was coming to her. 

Mana felt oddly comfortable. This life wasn't too bad. If she became close to the young miss of this prestigious household, who knew the opportunities that could open up to her? 

Not to mention, getting close to the infamous and mysterious young master of the family. 

As Mana's daydreams took her to another world, the young miss of the Lim Villa entered the living room. 

She looked graceful and elegant as ever. This time she wore an afternoon sundress, a light yellow shade dotted with small embroidered pink poesies. 

Her hair hung loose over her shoulders, perfectly curled. Her make-up was bare, but her eyes beautifully outlined, making visible her royal, high cheekbones. Lila Lim was truly a vision. 

"Hello, Mana" she said in her soft, yet distant voice. 

There was always something so untouchable about her. But Mana could see the shadow of Loren's image in his sister's face, enthralling and entrancing her more than ever. 

Lila knew that, at this point, she had this fickle woman hanging off her every word. 

"H-Hi, how are you today?" she asked awkwardly, smiling every now and then, but a nervous wreck. 

Lila smiled politely.

"I'm well, and how are you?" she asked Mana in return. 

"Great!" Mana said, smoothing her plain skirt downwards, slightly conscious that she looked almost sickly next to this regal woman, and her glowing aura. She should have tried harder in college to get to know her, instead of clinging to Lina's back. Lina couldn't seem to compare to Lila when she sat so close to her. 

"I was excited to tell you," Mana continued talking, "that Lina bought everything. She stupidly agreed to meet me at Tresor tonight" Mana laughed awkwardly at the end of her sentence. 

Internally, Lila rolled her eyes. 'How desperate Mana is to please, she has no sense of who she is, she would do anything I asked of her' 

As much as Lila found this weak personality trait to her advantage, she also hated such people. They seemed like dead puppets, without minds of their own. 

If Lina hadn't been so despicable and arrogant, she might have actually liked her. But she had stolen the one thing Lila needed — Shen Moshi. And Lila had the blood of a princess. A princess gets what a princess demands. 

So Lila put of a sweet face to Mana. 

"That's great, you must have been so convincing!" she said, her voice soft, but dangerous. 

Mana nodded proudly. 

"It's time to put the next part of our plan into action, then" Mana added, looking hopefully at Lila.

She would draw Lina in, but Lila had the right people on her fingertips to destroy Lina once and for all and put her in her place. 

"Lina needs to know she isn't better than anyone else and is not entitled to having everything she wants. Nobody even knows who her family is or where she comes from? She must have used her body to seduce Shen and make him marry her." Mana talked nasty things, trying to goad Lila. 

The truth was, when Lina had disclosed her relationship with Shen to Mana, she had never thought such things. In fact, Mana knew Lina well enough to know that she had never slept around or thrown herself at all the powerful young masters who had run after her. 

But her own insecurities and her own flaws made her mind a breeding ground for such poisonous thoughts and accusations. 

She wanted Lina to know what it felt like to be cheap and low and inadequate. 

Lila on the other hand, she only wanted Shen to see her class and upbringing was the only thing that matched his own. Nobody Lina Mito was nobody compared to her. 

"Really? You must be right, Mana. I can't imagine the young master of the Moshi family could have gone seeking out someone like her." Lila gracefully feigned horror. 

She was too refined to even listen to something as vile as what Mana had just accused Lina of. 

"Well, we only have one option then. We must protect young master Moshi" Mana added, her eyes gleaming at the thought of the confidence in Lina's eyes dimming. 

"Yes, his eyes need to be opened to Lina's character, and the kind of cheap woman she is. He deserved better." Lila agreed. 

'He deserves me' she thought to herself.