Zoe did not expect that it would still hurt in every way possible."We let you in not out of sympathy but to make sure you understand your status now. Don't appear here ever again for your own sake, because our family will never accept you," Alan said, watching her dispassionately just then. "We wouldn't have been this cold if you weren't Ivan's illegitimate child."Yes.Her fault was being an illegitimate child—her birth was impermissible in the first place. "But is this my fault? Did I get to choose my own birth?" Zoe asked with neither rage nor grief—only confusion. "Why am I supposed to suffer everything?"There was a flash of emotion in Alan's eyes, and he said, "You're not at fault, but it happened to you anyway. And that is why you must endure it."Zoe's tears trickled out along the corner of her eye—so this world was really that unfair.She never hurt anyone, but she had to suffer this anyway. "Is there a reason for our family to accept you? That would be a slap to ou
Zoe silently and somberly walked down the stairs.So that was how it felt to be scorned by a loved one.She was actually worried that she would break down for a moment.But halfway down the stairs, a figure suddenly appeared at her side.She did not turn to find out who it was, but she could hear Jay's deep voice. "Let me see you out."His voice was quiet, as if afraid he would scare her."No," she said flatly—he was the person she needed the least now."Zoe…" he murmured nonetheless."Jay." Nancy called out to him icily from the top of the stairs, and the hand Jay extended to Zoe stiffened.Seeing that, Zoe laughed coldly.Fortunately, she never held out any expectations for him, just like how he left without returning while she was at the hospital since the day she chased her out.He would never disappoint her—not when she expected nothing from him. "Don't forget the reason you're allowed to stay here," Nancy continued to warn Jay just then.Zoe did not even turn to loo
There were three days left until Cordy's trial.Meanwhile, Sachs Enterprises was celebrating their anniversary. They were not exactly keeping things quiet—the major media outlets were reporting it, at the very least.Naturally, the articles online were peppered with titles such as 'Sachs Enterprise celebrates anniversary while disregarding Cordy Sachs' trial'.Those titles drew controversy as they went online. Some netizens maintained that the Sachs were too cold, since Cordy was their eldest daughter but none of them showed concern.Others claimed that since she was on bad terms with the Sachs, and since Cordy had already left them anyway, she should be taking responsibility for her own actions no matter how terrible it was. There was considerable controversy as both sides held their ground.-On the night of the Sachs Enterprises' anniversary gala, the family was being interviewed by the media, with Plum declaring with righteous indignation before the cameras, "Cordy has
Noel was clenching her knuckles and restraining her rage inside.Whatever she did for the Sachs, they would never acknowledge her—in the end, she amounted to nothing more than an ordinary employee for Sonny.Still, she sneered—she never took anything lying down.Once she took majority shares of Sachs Enterprises, she would make all of them suffer in every way they could!And it was just three more days now. Three days until Cordy's trial. And once she was given her sentence…The mere thought left Noel delighted!-The night before Cordy's trial, she and Quinn sorted out all their documents and evidence prepared for her defense.But just as Quinn packed up and was about to leave, Cordy suddenly stopped her. "Quinn…"After working together for a while now, they had gotten close."Yeah?" Quinn replied, looking at Cordy then."Do you know about Zoe?" Cordy could not resist asking—it has been two weeks, but she still could not reach Zoe at all.It was obvious how much this
Zoe's voice was very quiet. "But I can't come back.""Who told you that?!" Quinn snapped. "You've lost the Levines, but you never lost us—or are we dead to you?! You're not a Levine now, but so what? Is the world ending because of that?!"Zoe's eyes welled up with tears.She did not want to turn on her phone, let alone contact Cordy or Quinn, as she did not want to trouble them.Cordy had a trial coming up, and things were complicated between her and John. There were people who were after her as well, and if she had to fight the Levines for Zoe's sake, she would only get uncomfortable. Zoe did not want to deny Cordy happiness any further too. She actually could see very clearly that John and Cordy were really in love with each other. There was just so much between them that they could not tell each other that, and the path ahead was exceedingly trying so that Cordy could scarcely get distracted for Zoe's sake.As for Quinn, her family ties were quite complicated too.Moreover
Clara shrieked in agitation, "Don't touch her!"She picked up the stool nearby and smashed it over Denzel!Denzel was taken aback, surprised that Clara would go that far. Nonetheless, he recovered and slapped Clara brutally across the face, and Zoe thought for an instant that he had killed her.Clara dropped to the ground, unable to get up for a long while. And after knocking her down, Denzel strode toward Zoe again, who said bluntly, "I'll give you the money you want.""Hah!" he laughed. "Trying to trick me, you little bitch?! You're a slut just like your mom! She got pregnant by riding some dude and had you! Just shut up and come with me, spread your legs a couple of nights and I won't ever bother you once I have my money—""I said, I can give it to you!" Zoe bellowed, her voice furious and almost frightening, as if she was venting all the grief she had kept inside at that instant.Denzel was actually a little shocked by her sudden ferocity. After all, Cora had never dare
As Zoe drank the shrimp soup, she asked coolly, "Who is that man from yesterday?"She did not care, but still needed information anyway—she certainly did not want to face something like that every night.Clara worked hard to hold back her tears before saying, "He's my husband."As Zoe glanced at her, she continued, "After I left the Levines' service, I could not be picky since I already have a child, so I had to marry a good man."Zoe raised an eyebrow—a good man?"He used to be a good man—a farmer. I thought that he had been good to me and Cora, and he did not seem to mind that I was a single mother…"Clara then paused for a moment before continuing. "So, I told him about the money I had. He seemed to change immediately after that and kept coaxing me to give it to him so he could start a business in the city. He appeared determined, so I didn't stop him, but it turns out that he wasn't built for it. Soon, all our money was gone, our house taken as collateral, and to top it off,
Nonetheless, Zoe pulled herself together.She thought about many people who could help her, but as she scrolled through her contacts, she suddenly found herself unable to call them.There was John, Cordy, Quinn… even Bob and the rest of his gang.Forty grand was pocket change to them.But she refused to call them—to let them know her tragic, impoverished state—and certainly did not want to add to their troubles.Her fingers hovered over her manager's number for a moment, but she eventually called her manager, throwing aside all her dignity to ask for forty grand.Linda, however, refused—it was not as if she was reluctant to help, but she had been threatened and forbidden from aiding Zoe. To make things worse, Linda told Zoe that all her endorsement deals and advertisements she was scheduled to shoot had all been called off. Even the TV series and movies that were already filmed and were in post-production would now be altered, either with a new actress taking her place or havin