But in the next second, his face became hard.

His assistant immediately saw this as a bad sign. In his mind, he blamed the woman for being too rude. Her question had touched on Absolon's taboo topic. He wondered if Absolon would get furious.

But Absolon didn't. Nevertheless, he looked stern and his eyes went dark. "I don't like women," he said to the woman in a cold tone.

With that, he turned and left.

The woman's heart was crushed and she collapsed on the couch.

Absolon's assistant breathed a sigh of relief, glad that his boss had not gotten mad with anger. It had been so many years, so he never imagined that his boss's ex-fiancee could still impact Absolon so heavily.

As Absolon left the room, he saw a young woman going out of the one next door. She had a bright and gentle smile on her face.

Instantly, Absolon fell into a trance.

"Good evening, Mr. Morris," Gerard greeted him. His voice brought Absolon out of his reverie. But still, Absolon didn't stop staring at Lilah.

This did not sit well with Gerard. His eyes narrowed and he called him again with a growl, “Mr. Morris?"

"Who is she?" Absolon asked, referring to Lilah.

"My girlfriend, Lilah Phillips. Lilah, this is Mr. Absolon Morris,"

Gerard introduced them.

His big hand was wrapped around Lilah's shoulder as he spoke, making it clear to Absolon that this woman was his.

Lilah, on her part, looked at Absolon curiously.

Somehow, she felt he looked familiar.

Absolon, too, had his gaze fixed on her eyes.

He also felt that she was very familiar.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Morris," Lilah finally greeted him. Her crisp voice quickly brought Absolon back to his senses. Without thinking twice, he asked her, “May I know your mother's name, please?"

Lilah was surprised by the sudden question, but she answered nonetheless, “My mother... She has passed away, Mr. Morris."

Her words echoed in Absolon's ears.

Absolon wondered if her mother was really the woman he thought she was—Joselyn Rhodes.

He wondered if Joselyn had married another man and given birth to a daughter.

"I know this might sound impolite, but can I please see a photo of your mother?" Absolon asked. His voice was elegant and charming. But there was a hint of anxiety and restlessness in his eyes.