Rich Cat A Would Never Fall in Love with a Fake Heiress - Chapter 8

At the estate gate, the servants had already parked the car, but Mo Wang did not get in. Instead, she walked toward the slightly desolate shade beneath the trees near the hillside villa. The rose vines from the courtyard stretched all the way here, but as they were outside the garden and left untended, they had burst into a fiery, sprawling blaze of vibrant, almost decadent blossoms.

Mo Wang turned around, the sea of flowers making her complexion appear pale, her eyes gleaming faintly in the dim light.

Mo Li also stopped walking, averted her gaze, and questioned in a low voice, “You used Luo Liming to quell the rumors, and then you used me to secure funds from Mother. Is your company really that important? Worth all this… this… lowering yourself to me?”

The feeling of being utterly used was not new to her. When she first entered the Mo Corporation, many looked down on her as a beneficiary of nepotism, circling around to mock her unfamiliarity with the business. More compared her to Mo Wang’s tenure, but she gritted her teeth and endured it all. Whether through force or competence, she made sure they fell silent.

Yet the once radiant and principled Mo Wang was now resorting to the most contemptible means, striving for power by any method.

Pity for her misfortune, anger at her lack of self-respect.

Mo Wang gave her a deep look, reached out to brush aside the stray curls on Mo Li’s forehead, and then gently covered her eyes with her hand.

“It’s not for the company, but it’s worth it.”

In the darkness, her senses heightened exponentially, the warmth of a breath seeming to linger by her ear.

“Don’t look at me like that. Don’t pity me. Don’t think of me as too noble. No one can make me do what I don’t want to do. Ninety-nine percent of who Mo Wang is, is made up of her own willful, autocratic decisions.”

Mo Li blinked, only to hear a soft chuckle.

The pressure before her eyes suddenly eased. Feeling somewhat dazed, she watched as Mo Wang gathered her hair, lifted the hem of her skirt, and knelt on one knee, taking Mo Li’s injured hand, the one that had been cut while holding a glass, and carefully picking out the embedded shards under the faint light spilling from the mansion.

“Ah! why didn’t you dodge back then?”

Mo Wang’s expression softened unusually. “It doesn’t matter what happens to me. Getting injured means I can demand more money.”

Surprised by her lack of self-care, Mo Li frowned. “Next time, I won’t care if you-”

Before she could finish, a warm, moist sensation suddenly touched her fingertips. Mo Li glanced down, her heart skipping a beat.

Mo Wang bowed her head, as if performing a hand-kissing gesture, reverently and meticulously tracing each wound with her lips. Her mouth was brilliantly red, gleaming like a ruby.

A faint sting accompanied by an itching sensation traveled from her fingertips straight to her heart. Mo Li’s heart pounded like a drum, and she slightly curled her fingers.

Mo Wang’s snow-white nape was completely exposed. From this angle, looking down, it seemed as though Mo Wang was willingly submitting beneath her. If she wanted, she could press down on that slender neck, bite into her gland, or force her to grovel at her feet.

A mix of cruelty and inexplicable pleasure surged wildly within her. Mo Li swallowed hard but did not pull her hand back.

She knelt down, shifting from looking down to meeting Mo Wang’s gaze at eye level, and saw the faint curve of Mo Wang’s lips.

“You really haven’t changed at all, have you, oh righteous one?”

…

On the way back, Mo Wang drove while Mo Li sat in the passenger seat, using a medical device to slowly heal the already stanched wounds. Outside the window, the city lights shifted and shimmered in a kaleidoscope of neon colors.

Mo Li asked, “How is Noke?”

Mo Wang looked straight ahead, calm and composed. “He’s an old dog now. He can run freely on the ranch and is very happy.”

Mo Li: “You know perfectly well it wasn’t Noke’s fault, so why did you…?”

Mo Wang: “You know perfectly well who was behind it, so why are you asking?”

Silence fell between them.

Mo Li averted her gaze, her eyes drifting vacantly toward the window. The ambiguous tenderness from earlier seemed like a fleeting dream, as Mo Wang had reverted to her sarcastic, unpleasant self.

What did that kiss on her fingertips mean? What exactly was their relationship now?

Lovers? Friends with benefits? More than family but less than lovers?

Mo Li nearly laughed at herself. Any of these labels, if exposed, would become the Mo family’s biggest scandal.

Besides, someone as unpredictable as Mo Wang would likely discard anyone or anything she fancied on a whim.

“That project you wanted to collaborate with the Luo family on was it the entertainment complex in the North New District of A City? Without the funding from that project, you don’t have any liquid capital left, right?” Mo Wang suddenly spoke.

Mo Li paused, then nodded cautiously. “Yes.”

“Just one piece of advice: stay away from Luo Licheng and seek cooperation with the Lin family instead.” Mo Wang’s counsel was brief. “Also, sell off your shares in the Luo Corporation. Don’t get yourself tangled in their mess.”

Mo Li was taken aback. She was aware that the Luo family had ulterior motives, but in the business world, who didn’t employ some tactics? The majority of Mo Corporation’s shares were held by Mo Li’s parents, followed by Lin Qianying, the second daughter of the Lin family.

Years had passed since they last interacted. After the Lin family’s eldest son passed away due to illness, Lin Qianying’s exceptional business acumen had emerged. Fueled by long-standing grievances and competing interests, she had become Mo Wang’s biggest obstacle at every shareholders’ meeting.

Mo Li and a handful of other minor shareholders came next.

Mo Li rested her chin on her hand. “If the Lin family hadn’t been relentlessly targeting me, I wouldn’t have had to resort to seeking cooperation with the Luo family.”

Unfortunately, the Lin matriarch had extensive connections, with old and new lovers constantly in the picture, making it impossible for Mo Li to employ her usual tactics.

Mo Wang remained expressionless.

“It’s just advice. Whether you take it or not is up to you, and whether you can act on it is your problem.” She turned her head, raising an eyebrow. “Consider it a tip for these two times. At least I didn’t take advantage of you for free.”

She openly acknowledged their friends-with-benefits relationship.

Mo Li laughed in exasperation, ignoring the slight disappointment in her heart. “I am, after all, the current head of Mo Corporation and one of the four major shareholders. Are two nights of hard work only worth this piece of baseless information from you?”

Mo Wang shot her a sidelong glance. “Ungrateful. I even think I overpaid.”

She slammed on the brakes, causing Mo Li to lurch forward violently. When she looked up, the entrance to her apartment building was right in front of her.

Mo Wang unlocked the car doors and turned to tease her. “Well then, Head of Mo Corporation, Director Mo, let’s meet again next time. Wishing you a bright future and steady success.”

As soon as Mo Li stepped out of the car, Mo Wang hit the accelerator, speeding toward the city center as if in a hurry, leaving a trail of fine dust behind.

Mo Li felt a bit confused, vaguely sensing she had forgotten something, then turned and headed upstairs.

She entered the passcode and unlocked the door.

The room, left in disarray by Mo Wang, lay before her eyes. The most notable feature was the makeshift nest of cushions Mo Wang had built, still faintly carrying the cool, subtle scent of her pheromones.

In just one day, Mo Wang had left a strikingly distinct mark here.

Mo Li had never encountered a similar scent before, Mo Wang’s pheromones, which had remained undetectable for the past decade, now flowed unrestrained overnight.

She picked up the scattered clothes, folded them neatly one by one, and stacked them back into the soft-padded nest.

After finishing this, she froze for a moment.

Do Alphas also have a nesting period?