Devilish secretary
Chapter 354 The Taste of Betrayal (1)

Chapter 354: Chapter 354 The Taste of Betrayal (1)

After knocking the man half-unconscious, Lilith dusted her hands like she just cleaned a kitchen shelf.

With one last glance at his knocked-out body twitching like a fish out of water, she scoffed and walked out of the bar into the night air.

The wind brushed her hair back. The stars above looked less annoying now.

For the first time in a long time, she felt... refreshed.

"I’ve been civil for too long," she muttered under her breath, cracking her neck like she was waking up from hibernation. "What a waste of self-control."

But just as she stepped off the pavement—

"Lili."

That voice.

Lilith froze for half a second.

Her eyebrow twitched.

No. Nope. Not tonight. Please.

She turned her head slowly like a fed-up boss about to fire someone.

And there he was.

Rayan.

Wearing a fitted suit, hands in pockets, leaning against a black car. His soft hair was a little messy, but his face looked so clean and handsome.

Lilith stared blankly at him like he was a paper plate flying in the wind.

Useless and easy to crumple.

Rayan blinked.

"You’re wearing black," he said, trying to break the silence, his voice calm but low, like he was walking on glass.

"Wow, do your eyes work? Want a medal?" Lilith said flatly, turning around again.

She had no energy for this tonight.

"Wait—Lilith."

His voice had changed slightly.

Softer.

She didn’t stop walking, but she did roll her eyes so hard it could’ve reset the planets.

"What?" she said finally, not even turning.

"I—I just wanted to see you."

"Congratulations. Mission accomplished. Now go vanish."

"Lilith..."

She finally turned around, standing at the edge of the streetlight, looking like a queen about to drag someone by their collar.

"I don’t have time for lost puppies," she said coolly. "Go wag your tail somewhere else."

Rayan sighed, a small puff of warmth in the night air.

He looked like he wanted to say something else, but Lilith had already walked off—her heels clicking with the rhythm of ’not today, Satan’.

Rayan climbed into his car without a word.

He didn’t start it right away. He just sat there in silence, staring at the direction where Lilith had walked off, her figure already swallowed by city lights.

And then...

He started the engine and began to follow her.

Not too close, just... enough to see her.

Lilith was walking lazily, almost carelessly, like the world around her didn’t matter. Her hair was slightly messy, her dress elegant but wrinkled from the bar’s chaos. She didn’t look like herself—not the sharp, cold Lilith he remembered. Tonight, she looked tired. Like she had too much on her shoulders but no one to lean on.

And that made something twist inside his chest.

Where the hell is her boyfriend?

Rayan’s jaw tightened.

Why is she walking alone like that at this hour? He should be with her. Holding her bag, driving her home, feeding her damn soup or something—

He pressed harder on the steering wheel, knuckles turning white.

If I were her boyfriend, I wouldn’t let her look like this. I’d—

He blinked.

Realization hit him like a splash of cold water.

What... was he even thinking?

The car screeched slightly as he pulled over to the side of the road and dragged a hand down his face, groaning.

"What the hell, Rayan..." he muttered to himself.

This wasn’t why he came out tonight.

He stared at the empty seat beside him and cursed under his breath.

"Damn it..."

With that, he turned the car around and stepped on the gas.

He had to go back. Back to the small apartment he shared with Lia.

***

Rayan held the bouquet of roses in his hand as he entered the elevator, his heart strangely light.

He hadn’t felt this excited in a long time.

Things were finally changing.

His business had taken off—beyond what even he imagined. The new startup he had poured his soul into had suddenly gotten a massive investment deal, and now the company was not just surviving—it was soaring.

And tonight, he wanted to share that joy with Lia.

He wanted to see the surprise in her eyes. The way her lips curved into that small, sweet smile when she was touched. The way she blinked fast and tried not to cry even when she was overwhelmed with happiness.

They had lived in this small apartment for almost two years now. Shared ramen, broken heaters, borrowed furniture. But soon—very soon—he would take her to their new home.

A beautiful villa with glass walls, a home theater, a wide garden just like she once pointed at from a magazine.

He would make all her dreams come true.

He smiled softly, imagining the look on her face when he told her.

Ding.

The elevator doors opened on the second floor.

He stepped out, still adjusting the ribbon on the flower bouquet, when something made him pause.

His smile faded.

The door to his apartment was slightly open.

Not wide.

Just slightly... as if someone had forgotten to close it completely.

"Goodness! Lia is so careless... What if someone broke in?" Rayan muttered under his breath as he stepped inside the apartment, locking the door behind him. He had planned everything—the roses, the surprise. He hadn’t told her he was coming back tonight. He wanted to see the look on her face when she opened the door.

But now, that excitement disappeared in a second.

His steps slowed the moment he saw something strange near the entrance of their bedroom.

His eyes narrowed.

A pair of pants.

Lying on the floor. Crumpled. Disrespected.

It wasn’t his.

His brain didn’t want to believe what his eyes were trying to show.

He took one more step.

And his heart dropped.

There were shoes thrown near the wall. A tie hanging halfway off the dining chair. A man’s watch on the table. The room smelled strange—like sweat and perfume.

His face went blank. He felt cold.

But his feet kept moving.

He slowly walked to the slightly open bedroom door. A part of him still hoped—please let it be a misunderstanding. Let it be anything else.

And then—

"Oh... ahh, be careful!"

Lia’s voice. Laughing. Giggling. The kind of voice she once used only with him.

"Oh baby, don’t worry... I’ll take care of you..."

A man’s voice. Confident. Close. Too close.

Rayan felt a ringing in his ears. He couldn’t hear anything else. Only those words.

" Ahhhh!! Goodness, s-s-slower please... I’m pregnant!"

Lia’s voice again.