Helen felt that she was a despicable woman. Her best friend kindly sheltered her, but she developed a crush on her friend's husband. Before committing a major mistake, she wanted to leave the estate but found various reasons hindering her departure. First, she inexplicably fainted and fell asleep. Then, she lost her job. She woke up in a strange room. Worst of all, she couldn't remember when she had slept with her friend's husband. She gradually discovered the mysteries within the estate. Her best friend and her husband's relationship was not as loving as it seemed, and that extraordinarily handsome man seemed inhuman. As strange events unfolded, she finally realized that she had stirred up a monster that she shouldn't have. At first, Richard only found this woman too enticing, she was just his prey. His prey, of course, couldn't be stolen by others. He saved her from danger time and time again. However, slowly, he couldn't bear to devour this prey that he finally had in his grasp.
Chapter 1 First Meet
"Helen, I want to eat the fried chicken, fries, and toast you made," Lydia Clark kicked off her high heels as soon as she entered, took off the sparkling diamond earrings from her ears, and flopped herself lazily on the sofa, not wanting to move.
Her black spaghetti strap dress tightly embraced her ample and rounded bosom. She was beautiful, charming, and cute, bringing out a sense of tenderness.
Her snow-white skin became even more alluring against the backdrop of the black dress.
Helen Lewis closed her laptop and walked over to pull up the raised hem of Lydia's dress. "Don't be like this even if nobody is here."
Lydia narrowed her eyes and smiled, "Helen, you are so old-fashioned and conservative, no wonder your man ran off with another woman."
Before she finished, the air became tense. Lydia knew she had said the wrong thing, but she was used to speaking her mind without reservation and didn't feel like apologizing.
Helen, on the other hand, mockingly remarked, "You're right, I am indeed too old-fashioned and conservative."
She was not angry either, and went to the kitchen to put on an apron, took out ingredients from the refrigerator, and quietly started cooking.
Lydia licked her red lips, sat up, and picked an apple from the table.
She walked barefoot to the kitchen, watching Helen busily working, and asked, "How's the job search going?"
Helen paused and shook her head. It was not going well. At 28, in today's age where youth is emphasized in all industries, coupled with the economic downturn, it was difficult to find a job. Should she not be looking for a job at 28 and start a business instead?
But she didn't have the capital to start a business.
Her boyfriend of eight years took her money to start a business, failed repeatedly, and finally took the remaining funds and ran away. Before leaving, he blamed Helen for being an extremely boring and unlucky woman, and claimed that she was the reason he couldn't make a fortune.
Helen was at a loss, unable to afford the rent, and was evicted by the landlord. She was walking on the street with her suitcase when she met Lydia.
Without hesitation, Lydia brought her back home.
Helen knew she had married a rich man, but she had no idea she had married well. The car drove into a luxurious estate, and in the distance, a magnificent European-style castle could be seen. The well-maintained pines and the rose garden surrounding the castle were adorned with a huge fountain, and the winding roads were lined with red roses.
This was the English Rose, the estate exuding a subtle sense of English elegance.
Helen couldn't help feeling inferior. Although they were college classmates, some people were born much better than her. She had thought of leaving after having coffee, but Lydia insisted on her staying, saying it wouldn't be too late to leave once she found a job.
Helen had nowhere else to go, so she stayed on despite her reluctance.
To salvage her remaining dignity, she took on the role of a housemaid voluntarily. She helped with the housekeeping, cooking, and laundry.
It's strange, such a large estate, but there aren't many servants. She only saw the butler, the chauffeur, and a few gardeners in the entire castle. Lydia said her husband doesn't like too many people around, so they only have cleaners come in on a schedule, but not many household staff.
Helen felt strange, especially the way the butler looked at her, always making her feel uncomfortable. He was a stern old man, with a long face, triangular eyes, and surprisingly gray-blue eyeballs. When he looked at you, even the most composed person couldn't help but feel nervous, fearing that they might do something wrong and be harshly reprimanded by him.
But she had never seen the butler lose his temper; he was always polite, courteous, and reliable. When Lydia said she wanted to stay on, he didn't ask many questions, just quietly arranged her accommodation.
Lydia said, "Just treat him like a robot. Give him tasks, and he'll do them well for you."
But Helen didn't dare, being just a temporary visitor, she wouldn't dare to boss her friend's butler.
After a few days of nervousness, seeing that the people here didn't look at her with strange eyes, Helen felt a little relieved.
The estate is very large, with reportedly hundreds of rooms. Helen couldn't understand how someone in City A could have such a large private estate.
Lydia told her that the Brown Family's ancestors went to Europe during World War II and married into the British nobility. After several generations of development, the family grew large. This is just one of their small holdings in America; even her husband holds the title of duke.
Lydia seemed proud as she said this. She was beautiful and had always skipped class to go on dates during her school days, meeting various rich second-generation men. Compared to Helen, who was plain-looking and only focused on studying, Lydia's life was undoubtedly more colorful.
People in the school used to look down on Lydia and gossip about her behind her back. Only Helen didn't get involved in these things; this was also why Lydia was willing to be friends with her.
In Lydia's words, Helen's heart was pure and clear, and she was worth befriending.
Thinking of this, Helen felt guilty. When she first saw this large estate, she felt a twinge of jealousy. Although very brief, she had indeed been jealous. She had thought maliciously that this woman's good looks were the only reason she had such a good life. But she quickly snapped out of it and laughed at her madness. What was the point of being jealous of someone else's fortune?
After living there for a while, Helen just wanted to find a job quickly and move out. Lydia once said that she wanted her husband to help arrange a position for Helen, but she refused. Her friend was different now, and if she kept clinging to her, she would inevitably be suspected of being opportunistic. She had a little bit of self-respect left and didn't want to be mocked and pushed around.
Seeing this, Lydia didn't force her and continued to live her own lively life every night.
Her husband was often away on business. And even after being here for nearly a month, Helen hadn't seen her friend's husband, and there wasn't even a single photo of him in the house. But Lydia seemed unconcerned, spending her days shopping and attending various parties and events.
She often came back drunk, pestering Helen to make her hangover soup.
Today Lydia came back early, and there was no smell of alcohol on her. She was nibbling on an apple and said, "Helen, if it's not working out, you can go to my husband's company. He happens to be back today, I'll talk to him, it's just a matter of a few words."
Helen lifted the lid, and her eyes were steamed by the hot vapor. After much deliberation, she realized that she couldn't survive on pride alone. She tugged at the corner of her lips and said, "Okay, I'll just brazen it out and accept it."
She couldn't stay here any longer. She needed a job first before leaving this place.
Lydia was overjoyed and rushed over to hug her, cooing, "You finally agreed! Don't worry, I will make sure my husband gives you a job with good pay and little work."
Helen made a few small dishes and a soup. When she came out, a man sitting at the table wearing a white shirt.
He had a mixed-race face, and handsome features, even more handsome than the world's number one male model according to Time magazine. The sleeves of his white shirt were rolled up to his elbows, and two of the buttons at the chest were unbuttoned, revealing attractive collarbones. He was lightly scrolling on a tablet, and when he heard a noise, he lifted his eyes. His deep blue eyes were unfathomable as he gazed at Helen.
Seeing Helen, he had a cold expression, seeming slightly displeased. Helen was scared by the silence and coldness emanating from him, and she stood frozen with the soup in hand, not daring to move for a while.
Lydia came down from upstairs, smiling as she rushed over and encircled the man from behind, saying, "Darling, why didn't you give me a call when you came back?"
Lydia changed into a pink nightgown, wearing it to combine the playful of a girl with the sensuality of a mature woman.
Richard Brown showed a hint of tenderness in response to her intimacy, but to Helen, this man was still keeping her at a distance. If it weren't for his handsome face, Helen wouldn't dare to take more glances at him.
Helen brought the soup to the table, and Richard glanced at her before looking at Lydia.
Lydia quickly introduced, "Darling, this is my college classmate who is currently looking for a house. Since our home is spacious, I thought she could temporarily stay here and keep me company. You wouldn't mind, would you?"
It was clearly a hint of coquetry, but Helen felt that something was not right. She looked at Richard who looked back, and her heart pounded uncontrollably. It was unclear whether it was because of his good looks or his unfathomable scrutiny.
Richard nodded and said, "As long as you're happy." His expression was indifferent, disregarding Helen as he lowered his head to continue scrolling on his tablet.
Lydia wanted to pull Helen to sit down and have a meal together, and Helen wanted to refuse, but she couldn't resist Lydia's coquetry.
Assuming the role of a good wife, Lydia actively served Richard rice and soup, "Darling, try it. This soup is made by Helen, it's delicious."
Upon hearing this, Richard put down his tablet and glanced at the bowl of soup in front of him, paused, then took a shallow sip with a spoon, and then stopped consuming it.
Lydia eagerly offered to pick up the vegetables for him again, "Don't you like it?"
Richard remained indifferent, took a few bites of the vegetables and lost interest. He stood up and rubbed Lydia's head, "I'm going to take a shower, you guys enjoy your meal."
His manner was polite yet distant, and his gaze was cold and distant.
Helen couldn't taste the food, and worriedly asked Lydia, "Is your husband upset about seeing me?"
Lydia chuckled, "How could it be, that's just his temperament. You'll get used to it."
Feeling uneasy, Helen returned to her room to continue sending out resumes. However, many of them seemed to have gone unanswered. She thought it would be better to visit the job market tomorrow.
Chapter 1 First Meet
25/01/2024
Chapter 2 Savory Blood
25/01/2024
Chapter 3 Join Me For Dinner
25/01/2024
Chapter 4 She Was So Sweet
25/01/2024
Chapter 5 Chop Her Up
25/01/2024
Chapter 6 She Is My Food
25/01/2024
Chapter 7 Strange Concern
25/01/2024
Chapter 8 Forced Kiss
25/01/2024
Chapter 9 Met Ex-boyfriend
25/01/2024
Chapter 10 Vampire's Primal Instincts
25/01/2024
Chapter 11 Dream or Reality
12/03/2024
Chapter 12 The Mysterious Landlord
12/03/2024
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