Dolly suddenly called. "Eve, what happened between you and Julian? He somehow got my number today and completely lost it on me."Just hearing Julian’s name was enough to give me PTSD.I quickly stepped onto the balcony and answered, "Why was he mad?"Dolly let out an exasperated sigh. "He swears I’m the one who put these ideas in your head and turned you against him."I scoffed. "Does he really not know what he did? Blaming everyone else—he’s shameless.""I told him exactly that, and guess what happened?"I frowned. "What did he do?"She sighed. "He called my boss and put me on unpaid leave.""What?!" I was stunned. "That lowlife actually did that?"Dolly sounded unfazed. "It’s just unpaid leave. I don’t really care. I was thinking about taking some time off and traveling anyway."But I knew better.I felt guilty. Dolly was dragged into this mess because of me. If it truly didn’t affect her, she wouldn’t have bothered calling—she would’ve just sucked it up in silence."Come stay with
I realized that Miles had a habit of ruffling my hair, like he was soothing a bristling cat.He said, "If you need anything while I’m away, call my assistant, Patrick Cooke. And remember not to get into trouble.""Mm, got it," I promised.With that, he picked up his suit jacket, ready to leave.Just as he was heading out, Mary came out from the kitchen and called after him. "Mr. Wynn, you’re leaving already? Why not stay and rest a bit?"I stiffened.Miles gave her a polite smile. "No, I have to go. I’ll be away on a business trip for the next few days, so I’ll have to trouble you to take care of Eve."Mary beamed at him like a mother sizing up a promising son-in-law. "No need to worry, Mr. Wynn! Miss White is just like my own daughter—so pretty and well-behaved. Even if you didn’t ask, I’d take good care of her."Miles smiled and turned to me, lowering his voice. "Be good. Wait for me to come back."My ears burned instantly.After he left, Mary kept gushing. "Mr. Wynn is such a gentle
The next morning, Dolly and I got straight to work, figuring out our next steps.Her first suggestion was to sell off everything I took from Julian’s villa."Liquidate it!" Dolly said enthusiastically, dividing the items into three categories on paper. "First, the high-value pieces—anything worth millions. These need to go through reputable luxury resale platforms. “Second, the fine jewelry—valuable but a bit trickier to sell. “And third, the designer goods that won’t fetch a great price but should still be sold."She tapped the list confidently. "I did a rough estimate. Eve, your stuff alone should bring in at least four million dollars. At minimum, four million dollars!"She grinned like she had just struck gold. "Put that in a solid investment fund, and you’ll be earning a hefty amount in interest every year. Eve, you’re rich!"I still didn’t fully grasp the significance of money.My parents never really taught me about financial matters.But I understood that Dolly had a plan, a
They were as impeccably dressed as ever, but I glanced at the shopping bags in their hands and couldn’t help but smirk."Oh, what a coincidence. Are you two here to shop for secondhand bags?"Rossie’s expression darkened. "Eve, we still haven’t settled our last score! What are you so smug about?"Lilian sneered beside her. "Rossie, don’t you see? She’s here because she’s broke and needs to cash out."With a mocking chuckle, she added, "Look at her, without Julian Moore, she’s nothing. Didn’t she used to call herself Mrs. Moore all the time? What a joke."Both of them covered their mouths, laughing as if they’d just heard the funniest thing in the world.I felt irritation bubbling inside me.I was here to sell things, and of all people, they just had to run into me at the worst moment.Not wanting to waste my breath, I turned to leave.But Rossie wasn’t done. "Oh, leaving so soon?"I ignored her and headed back toward the VIP room.Then, behind me, she suddenly said, "Hey, Lilian, did y
I couldn’t help but laugh along with her. What we didn’t know was that inside the store, Rossie and Lilian were fuming, their faces twisted with anger. Lilian snapped, "Rossie, are we really just going to let those two bitches insult us and run off?" A cold glint flashed across Rossie’s perfectly made-up face. "We still have unfinished business with them. Just wait." She found the appraiser who had just stepped out of the VIP room and asked a few questions. The appraiser nodded. "Yes, Miss White just brought in quite a lot of high-end pieces to cash out." Rossie smirked. "We’d like to take a look. Who knows? We might find something we like." The appraiser’s demeanor instantly became more respectful. "Of course, Miss Dean, Miss Frost. Please, come in and browse." As soon as they stepped inside, both of them were momentarily stunned. A massive table was covered with gleaming luxury handbags, some of which were limited editions. Lilian discreetly tugged at Rossie’s sle
I jolted in surprise and instinctively stepped back. Dolly immediately moved in front of me, her expression fierce. "What do you want?" The man, clearly drunk, had a flushed face, and the heavy stench of alcohol clung to his words. "Relax, gorgeous. Just wanna get to know you. How about adding me on Instagram?" Dolly let out a cold, mocking laugh. "Not happening. Now move. We’re heading home." The man trailed behind us, his mouth spewing filth. "Damn, feisty one, huh? I’m just being friendly. You two stunning ladies, out here drinking alone—what a shame. “No boyfriends to keep you company? That’s just sad. Come on, hang with me instead. Next time you wanna drink, hit me up—I’ll take you to the best bars." By the time we reached the curb, he was still following, refusing to let up. Dolly was getting annoyed. "God, are you serious? Take a hint, we’re not interested. You’re drunk, so do yourself a favor and get lost." I noticed his expression darken and quickly stepped b
The man seized the opportunity to jump into the driver’s seat, and with a sharp launch, the Ferrari shot forward, speeding away from the chaos. Dolly and I were squeezed together in the passenger seat, both of us still tense from what had just happened. He drove through the streets, making several sharp turns before finally pulling into a secluded spot and bringing the car to a stop. The doors opened, and Dolly and I hesitantly stepped out, still shaken. The man followed, casually pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. His sharp, mischievous eyes flicked to me as he leaned against the car with a grin. "So, Eve, how do you plan to thank me for saving your ass tonight?" Eve? A shiver of discomfort ran down my spine. I finally recognized him. "Trey Wynn?" "Mm-hmm." Trey leaned lazily against the car door, cigarette dangling from his lips. He arched a perfect brow, a smirk playing on his lips. "Took you long enough to recognize me. I gotta say, I’m a little hurt." I
I slept terribly that night. In my dream, I saw myself getting harassed by strangers, and Trey stepping in to fight them off. But in the next instant, Miles was there, standing quietly, watching. "Miles!" I ran toward him, but he just looked at me with disapproval. "What trouble have you gotten yourself into this time?" I opened my mouth to explain when Julian suddenly stormed in from nowhere, his face livid. He grabbed my wrist and snapped, "Evelyn, you’re causing trouble again. Can’t you just stay out of it for once?" I struggled hard to break free. "I don’t need you to control me! Let go!" Julian shot me a look of pure disdain. "Haven’t you had enough? You never stop making a scene. Do you even care if your friends get dragged down with you?" I turned in alarm—sure enough, I saw Dolly being taken away. Panic surged through me. "I didn’t do anything! It wasn’t me! They were the ones harassing us!" I shouted, desperate to explain, but no one moved to help Dolly.
But what did she say?Julian’s grip tightened around the charm, his fingers curling into it as pain filled his eyes...."Julian, I know there’s nothing I can do for you… Just keep this charm. They say the priest there is the real deal. You’re not supposed to throw it away once it’s been blessed.""Julian, I don’t care if you ever become rich or powerful. I just want you to be safe."That foolish woman had clutched the charm in her hands, smiling at him with such innocence and blind faith....The knot dug into his palm, sharp enough to hurt. Julian opened his hand, then closed it tightly around it again.Chloe, who had been rambling on, finally noticed something was off.She caught sight of the charm in his hand and scoffed. "What is that? It looks so tacky."She reached over, trying to take a closer look.Julian quickly slipped it into the inside pocket of his suit jacket.Chloe’s eyes narrowed. "Did she give you that?"He started the car, his voice flat. "No. I got it myself. Some p
Julian looked at me, confused.I took a deep breath. "Julian, stop. I know why you're apologizing. You're doing this for Chloe’s child, right? You just don’t want things to get ugly."He lowered his head, then gave a small nod. "Yes, that’s part of it... but I really…"I cut him off quickly. "Don’t. Goodbye, Mr. Moore."Without looking back, I turned and got into the car.Miles noticed something was off the moment he saw my face. "What did he say?"I steadied myself. "He wants to settle everything privately. He doesn’t want it to go to court."Miles glanced toward Julian’s lonely figure in the distance, his eyes flickering."You okay?" he asked.I shook my head. "I’m fine."He paused, then handed me a tissue. "If it hurts, just cry."I looked at him, my eyes dry. "I can’t cry. But why do I still feel so awful?"His gaze softened. "Julian's pulling all this to protect his pride because of Chloe’s child, isn’t he?"I drew in a shaky breath. "Yeah. He apologized, but in the end, it’s still
Julian's expression darkened as he stared at me. "Evelyn, I thought you said you loved me? And yet here you are with Miles already—what, were you two sneaking around while we were together?"Without thinking, I slapped him.He grabbed my wrist, sneering coldly. "Did I strike a nerve?"I laughed in anger. "I shouldn’t have let Miles in the car earlier. If I hadn’t, the one slapping you right now would’ve been him."Julian let go of my hand and said coolly, "Enough nonsense. Evelyn, dragging this to court would just be a spectacle. After five years of marriage, I don’t want things to end like this."Was he trying to reconcile?I forced down my fury and asked, "What do you have in mind?"Julian hesitated, his gaze complicated. "I’ll return everything that belongs to you... just give me some time."I was stunned.I hadn’t expected Julian, who always seemed so tough, to willingly give up fighting and hand over what I deserved.I went quiet. "Alright. How much time do you need?"Julian tugged
Julian blurted out, “What?!”Then, snapping out of his shock, his face twisted with fury. “Miles Wynn, what the hell do you mean by that?!”Miles smiled, calm and unbothered. “Nothing more than the truth.”Julian’s voice rose, livid. “Truth? This is nothing but one of your dirty tricks!”Miles raised a brow, pretending to be confused. “Dirty? Hmm. I’d actually call it a fresh idea.”Julian’s already dark expression grew stormier.Chloe stood beside him, jaw clenched, eyes locked on us with thinly veiled rage. Suddenly, she cut in sharply, “But wasn’t it Miss White who transferred the 1.2 million to Elmwood?”Dolly stepped forward without missing a beat. “That money was loaned to Eve by me. Got a problem with that?”That shut them both up.I felt a wave of satisfaction rise in my chest. But I also knew Julian wasn’t going to let this slide so easily.Sure enough, he turned to me, eyes cold. “Eve, this is going to court anyway. You can spin the story however you want. We’ll see what the
The moment I saw that elegant, refined face, so striking it felt almost divine, every bit of the frustration I’d buried surged to the surface.Without a second thought, I rushed into his arms. “Miles!”Warmth enveloped me, and the familiar clean scent of pine wrapped around my senses. My eyes stung instantly.Miles lowered his head, chuckling softly. “What’s wrong? You look like a little bunny with those red eyes.”Feeling embarrassed, I gave his chest a light smack. “Why are you here?”He studied my face carefully, then gently brushed his fingers across my cheek. “I heard someone was picking on my darling, so I came running.”That warmth spread through my chest, overflowing, making it hard to hold back tears.He leaned down, his voice low in my ear. “Don’t cry, silly girl.”Then he straightened and looked around the room.His gaze passed over Sarah and Dolly, finally landing on Julian.Julian instinctively straightened his back.He stepped forward, voice laced with sarcasm. “What brin
I turned to Sarah with an apologetic expression. “I’m sorry, Miss Care. It seems I’m not in a position to work with your company until I sort out my personal matters.”Sarah shook her head regretfully. “Please don’t apologize. Our company is moving forward with expansion this year. We’ve already allocated the available investment slots. If you decide not to invest… we’ll have to open the opportunity to others.”She gave me a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry, Miss White. But once this window closes, there will be no further opportunity.”I offered a bitter smile and nodded. “I understand.”Dolly was so angry, she could barely hold back a choked sob. “That shameless bastard… absolutely shameless!”I squeezed her hand, silently telling her it was time to go.Julian stepped in front of us, blocking the way. His expression was conflicted, and when he spoke, his voice was softer than I’d ever heard it.“Eve, maybe we can talk this through.”“Julian, you… you’re still not done?” Chloe’s voice r
The moment I heard those words, a rush of blood surged to my head.My ears rang, and that all-too-familiar wave of dizziness came crashing back.I barely registered Dolly's voice rising in fury. “Julian Moore, do you have no shame? You really dare say that was marital property?! Eve paid for it herself! You… you're absolutely disgusting!”I could barely stay on my feet, the world tilting around me.“Dolly… I…” I whispered weakly.She quickly caught me and helped me sit down.I took a few deep breaths to steady myself, then looked up at Julian. And for a split second, though maybe it was the dizziness playing tricks on me, I thought I saw a flicker of concern flash through his eyes.Sarah noticed something was off and immediately stepped in. “Miss White, don’t worry. We can take this slowly.”I fought to calm my pounding heart and spoke, voice steady but cold. “What exactly is it that you want, Mr. Moore?”Julian hesitated for a moment, but soon the polished businessman returned to his
She was the one with the real foresight, not me. But now, just to help me leave a good impression on Sarah, she gave me all the credit.Sarah looked at me and smiled thoughtfully. “Turns out people really can change. To be honest, three years ago, I didn’t have the best impression of you, Miss White.”I felt a twinge of guilt. “Was I arrogant back then? I’m sorry…”She shook her head. “No, it wasn’t arrogance. It was… well, your reputation at the time. Let’s just say it wasn’t great. “Within our team, your sponsorship actually stirred up a lot of debate. Some people felt it wasn’t a good look to accept money from someone with such a controversial name.”I cringed. “Ah... I see.”She went on. “But others argued that if someone had the money and was willing to help us through a rough patch, we’d be fools not to take it.”The discomfort on my face deepened.So even a struggling little startup like Elmwood had once hesitated to take my money. My reputation back then must’ve really been
The moment Julian spoke, Chloe broke into even louder sobs, tears streaming down her cheeks like a porcelain doll cracked beyond repair.Dolly gave a cold laugh, then tugged my arm. “Come on. This place is suffocating.”We turned to leave.“Wait!” Julian called out.I stopped and glanced back, frowning.He looked like he wanted to warn me and say something sharp but seemed to realize this wasn’t the time or place.In the end, all he could manage was, “Eve, don’t take it out on Chloe. Think about the baby.”I gave a short, cold laugh. “The baby? Whose baby?”His face flushed, then paled. “Eve, don’t be so... unreasonable…”The last word came out weak and guilty.I smiled. If Julian had changed at all since I lost my memory, this was it—he’d gone from brazenly cheating and blaming me to fumbling through half-hearted defenses, too ashamed to even meet my eyes.I didn’t bother wasting another second on him. “Mr. Moore, instead of lecturing me, maybe ask your precious Chloe why she came al