“Mom?” Haley was stunned for a second before her face lit up with joy. Evelyn stepped into the room. Oh, this was rich. One man had tricked her younger daughter into marriage.The other was lingering in her elder daughter's hospital room.What a pair of great ‘brothers’ indeed. “Hi, Mrs. Walker. It's great to finally meet you.”Justin, usually so composed, felt a rare flicker of nervousness in front of Evelyn.This was Haley’s mother, after all.Evelyn barely spared him a glance before replying, her voice cold.“I’m pretty sure our family doesn’t feel the same way.”The very first thing she said, and she had already put him in his place.It was clear just how unwelcome he was in her eyes. Seeing Justin completely shut down, Zac quietly laughed to himself. Finally. Finally, someone else had to experience his mother-in-law’s wrath. Why should he be the only one suffering? Justin opened his mouth but immediately shut it again, his voice stuck in his thro
“I don’t want a stake in the market,” Justin said firmly. “If Haley wants, I can transfer all my shares in the Merikan medical company to her immediately.“I can also give her my shares in RC Corporation.” As if one company wasn’t enough, he added another. “Cough—cough!” Zac had just taken a sip of water when he nearly choked at Justin’s words. Was he copying me? Did he really think this move would work on Haley? Zac had his doubts. Haley’s expression remained unreadable. She only blinked once before looking away. Helen, on the other hand, gawked. Fifty percent of the Merikan medical company’s shares? Plus shares in RC Corporation? That was an insane amount of money. With that kind of wealth as backing, their family’s power in Ostland State could double overnight. Wouldn’t that make them as rich as an entire country?As for the remaining fifty percent of the medical company’s shares?Of course, they were in her hands.Zac had already transferred
At Mistletoe Villa, Evelyn stepped out of the car and made her way straight to Richard’s study.Inside, Richard sat at his desk, staring at his computer screen, his frown deepening the longer he looked.Every single one of Emma’s transactions—big or small—checked out. The numbers all lined up perfectly.So where was the problem? A knock on the door. “Come in.” It was Evelyn. She had come alone—Helen wasn’t with her. “What have you found?” she asked, getting straight to the point. Richard sighed, his expression troubled. “Mom, we’ve hit a dead end.“The one who made the attempt was just a low-level gun-for-hire, someone lurking on the outskirts of the underworld. Based on exposed skin and height comparisons, he’s most likely from Southeast Atlantis.“But as for the person who hired him?” Richard shook his head. “Still no leads. We’ve lost the trail.” His brows furrowed even deeper. They still hadn’t identified the one behind the attack on his sister. For the fi
“We’ve looked into it before. She was Justin’s first love, his so-called ‘dream girl’ back in college,” Richard said dismissively. Just mentioning her name made his expression darken with disgust. His sister had been nothing more than Emma’s stand-in for three whole years—all while she had lost her memory. Disgusting. Those two were the absolute worst. Evelyn, however, remained unfazed. “Since we’ve hit a dead end, let’s go deeper into Emma’s past.” “Got it, Mom.” *“Grandma? Grandma, where are you?” A soft voice echoed through the hallway. From the moment Alex woke up this morning, he had been excited to finally see his grandma. But when he got up, she was already gone—off to the hospital with Zac. He had waited all day, peeking at the door every chance he got. And now, finally, she was home. Evelyn paused mid-conversation, turned, and opened the door. Before stepping out, she looked over her shoulder at Richard. “Be patient. Pay attention to
Evelyn’s suggestion gave Richard a new lead, and he wasted no time acting on it. Investigating Emma’s past wasn’t difficult. By nightfall, he had compiled her entire background. She was an only child. Her father worked as a bank employee and her mother was a teacher. Her preschool, elementary, middle school, high school, and college years were uneventful.Everything about her life was ordinary until her third year of university. That was when Emma suddenly vanished. For three years, she was completely off the radar. Then, out of nowhere, she resurfaced. Three years?Again, three years?That number—it was the same amount of time Haley had disappeared back when she was still Emily.The overseas trip that Justin had organized, taking Emma and his other graduating classmates along, wasn’t difficult to investigate. Justin hadn’t even bothered to hide it.Everyone within their social circle had known about it, but for those outside of it, access to such informati
A bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating the stormy night with a deafening clap of thunder. For a split second, its flash lit up Justin’s face—dark, grim, and foreboding. Something had happened to his mother. *Outside, thunder rumbled violently. "Ahhh!" Emma jolted awake, drenched in sweat, gasping for air. Her wide eyes darted around the dimly lit room. She had a nightmare. She had dreamed of Heidi. In her dream, Heidi had crawled out of a raging river, her body covered in blood—coming for her. Crack! Another lightning strike illuminated the room. Emma’s face turned ghostly pale, her lips bloodless. She wrapped her arms around herself, trembling, her gaze filled with cold hatred. “Heidi Yates… I wasn’t the one who killed you. You did this to yourself. “You should have just stayed out of it. “You should have never opposed my marriage to Justin. “And you should have never come downstairs that night. “If you hadn’t overheard
The next morning, the sky was clear, not a cloud in sight. After getting dressed, Jacob was ready to head to work, leaving Emma behind at home. “I’ll have someone stall things for you at the branch office, so just stay put here and wait for me. This storm will pass soon, and in a few days, I’ll get you reinstated.” Standing in front of the mirror, Jacob straightened his tie, his tone arrogant—completely disregarding the company’s president as if he were nothing more than a minor inconvenience. In the mirror’s reflection, Emma sat behind him, her head slightly lowered, lost in thought. Clearly, she hadn’t been paying attention to a word he had said. Jacob’s expression darkened instantly. He turned abruptly, striding over to her in just a few steps. His fingers clamped around her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. His voice was sharp, threatening. “Don’t even think about double-crossing me. Like you said, we’re in this together. Justin will never take you back! O
Jacob rarely disregarded her suggestions, but this time, he merely let out a cold scoff before striding out of the room. Emma’s expression darkened as she watched his departing figure, resentment flashing in her eyes. With a loud bang, the door slammed shut behind him. Men and their sweet talk—nice to hear in bed, but the moment she needed them to actually do something, they scattered like cockroaches. Still, bitterness wouldn’t solve her problems. If Jacob was useless, she had to find another way. Grabbing her phone, she scrolled through her contacts, searching for someone with access to the project. *Inside RC Corporation, operations were running smoothly, especially in the marketing department. With a certain someone finally gone, the workload had eased, and the atmosphere had become noticeably more relaxed.“Ugh, that tyrant finally left. We really survived hell. I just feel bad for the people over at the branch office. They’re stuck under Miss Xanader for the r
Justin wasn’t without blood relatives in this world. He still had his two sons—Chase and Alex.The thought lingered at the tip of Haley’s tongue, but in the end, she held it back. She considered telling him for a moment but decided against it.“I'm sorry,” Justin's voice was thick, weighed down by the remnants of his tears.Haley was surprised. She hadn’t expected him to apologize. Shaking her head, she replied, “It's fine.”Though, thanks to him, her pajama top was damp with tears. Now she would have to change.Justin released her and, seeing that she was still awake, no longer bothered to soften his footsteps.Under the dim glow of the small nightlight in the living area, he made his way to the bathroom. Turning on the faucet, he splashed cold water onto his face, washing away the traces of his tears.Haley said nothing. She simply used the moment he was in the bathroom to change into fresh sleepwear.When he came back out, he flipped on the main light, his face composed once
Outside, the night was still and quiet.Justin stood by his car, making no move to open the door. An unlit cigarette rested between his fingers.He wanted to smoke, but the thought of the lingering scent clinging to him and bothering Haley made him hesitate. His dark eyes were fixed on the distant city skyline, his thoughts drifting. He stood there for a long time, lost in thought, until William’s voice pulled him back to the present. “Mr. Yates, we should go.” Snapping out of it, Justin finally reached for the car door, ready to head back to the hospital. But before he could step in, his phone rang. It was Emma. “Justin, I saw the news online. Is it true? Is Aunt Heidi… is she really gone?” Emma’s voice was filled with concern, laced with just a hint of fear—soft, fragile, like an innocent little rabbit. On the other end of the call, she held her phone in one hand, scrolling through news videos on a tablet with the other. Despite the worry in her voice, her e
Justin answered truthfully, “My mother had a habit of traveling. She texted the house staff, saying she was going on a trip. None of us thought much of it at the time. It wasn’t until two days later, when we couldn’t reach her, that I started searching.“When I checked her bank statements and found no transactions at all, I knew something was wrong. That same night, I reported her missing.”The officers took note. His statement aligned with the messages found on Heidi’s phone.“All right, we’re done here. You’re free to go,” the officer said, organizing the case file before tapping on the final page. “Sign here.”Justin mechanically repeated the process. Perhaps because he had just signed his name in the morgue, this time, his signature was a little smoother. But it was still unsteady, his hand refusing to cooperate.As he put down the pen and pressed his fingerprint on the document, he finally asked the question that had been gnawing at him. “What was my mother’s cause of death
“Nothing in this world is impossible. A rich, single woman like her? Maybe she was meeting up with some guy in the middle of the night and just fell into the river.” “Show some respect. You got proof she was with some guy?” “Please, how many rich people are actually decent? They’re all the same.” “Sounds like you’re projecting. Just because you’re a mess doesn’t mean everyone else is.” The comment section quickly spiraled into chaos, with arguments taking a turn for the absurd. However, among the noise, a few people who recognized Heidi from elite circles saw the post and immediately informed their families. *At the police station, officers rushed to the scene as soon as the report came in. They conducted a thorough examination and retrieved the body. Heidi’s handbag and other personal belongings were sent for forensic analysis. Her water-damaged phone was repaired and powered back on that same night, revealing a suicide note, text messages about hiring a hitman,
Evelyn’s tone was somewhere between a question and a statement.“Justin’s mom? Why would she go after my sister?” Helen, who had come home a day early for once, furrowed her brows in confusion. Both she and Evelyn turned to Richard, waiting for an answer. Richard shrugged. “You’re asking me? Who the hell am I supposed to ask?“The hitman’s IP address was traced back to her phone. The transaction logs, the call history, even a suicide note—I printed everything out.” His tone was laced with irritation. They had spent all this time digging into Emma, only for the real culprit to walk right into their hands. It felt like throwing punches at thin air—then having the target show up and hit themselves instead. “It doesn’t add up, though. My sister had no connection to Heidi whatsoever.” Helen shook her head, still struggling to make sense of it. “They barely even saw each other. There was no grudge, no history. Why would she target Haley?” Even someone as oblivious as H
Richard had attempted to trace the buyer’s IP address before, but it had always shown as inactive. He had assumed the culprit had destroyed their electronic devices to erase any evidence. Yet now, out of nowhere, the signal had popped up again. Without hesitation, he followed the digital trail, reverse-tracing it back to its source. He had expected obstacles—perhaps even deliberate interference. But the process was shockingly smooth. Until he saw the location. The police station? *Meanwhile, at the hospital, Justin received a call. “Hello, is this Mr. Yates?” The cold, mechanical voice on the other end came from the Lincourt City Police Department. “A body was discovered near the riverbank on the outskirts of the city. After conducting DNA tests, we’ve confirmed that the remains match those of your mother, Heidi Yates. We need you to come in to identify the body.” It was like a bolt of lightning, striking him in broad daylight. From the moment William reported
“Look what I got you—a brand-new Ultra Warrior figure!” Sean’s voice was full of excitement as he held up the toy. Alex’s smile faltered for a split second. Could he say he didn’t like them anymore? He had switched to Iron Man now. But not wanting to upset Uncle Sean, he quickly put on his best happy face, beaming up at him. “Thanks, Uncle Sean! It’s my favorite!” Still cradling the toy, he let Sean carry him inside. *The moment Sean stepped through the door of Mistletoe Villa, he greeted warmly, “Aunt Evelyn, I came to see you.” Having known and mentored him for years, Evelyn was naturally familiar with him. “Sean, you’re here! Come in and have a seat.” She motioned for a maid. “Go call Richard and Chase down.” Knowing how much Sean had looked after Haley when she had lost her memory in Haven State, Evelyn had always treated him well. Over the years, she had introduced him to high-profile legal cases, and even hired him as the family’s official legal ad
Haley remained on the balcony, watching until Sean’s car disappeared down the street. Only then did she turn back inside.She then grabbed her phone to send a quick message home, letting them know that Sean had arrived.Just as she hit send, the door swung open.Justin stepped in, his earlier hostility toward Sean nowhere to be seen. He closed the door behind him and walked over to her, his presence noticeably quieter.Haley barely acknowledged him. She spared him a fleeting glance before turning back to her phone, uninterested. Sean had brought her some fruit salad, and since she still had a little room left, she figured she might as well enjoy it. She turned on the TV, settling into her seat comfortably as she snacked.As far as she was concerned, Justin was nothing more than background noise.Justin said nothing at first. He had countless things he wanted to ask, a million thoughts running through his mind, but he already knew that she wouldn’t answer him.In the end, he co
Seeing that Justin had nothing more to say, Sean quickly lost interest in arguing. There was no fun in taunting someone who wouldn’t fight back.Under Justin’s watchful gaze, the two finished their lunch. Sean had no plans to linger, so he stood up to leave. Haley got up to walk him out. He had flown all the way from Merika State just to see her, so no matter what, it wouldn’t feel right not to see him off.Just as they reached the door, Justin, who had been silent all this time, suddenly blocked her path. “Stay in the room. I’ll walk him out.”“Justin, stop acting crazy,” Haley warned in a cold voice.Sean cut in before she could say more. “It’s fine, Haley. If he wants to walk me out, let him. I actually have a few things I’d like to say to him too.”Since it was Sean who spoke up, Haley relented. “Alright then, but be careful. If he tries anything, call me, and I’ll send someone down.”She still wasn’t at ease. The difference in their builds was obvious. Sean wasn’t weak,