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
“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,
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
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 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
Helen cursed under her breath, pulling out her phone to show Haley the latest online buzz. The video of Heidi’s body had disappeared, but a new wave of rumors had taken over. — Heidi Yates was murdered by the artist, Haley!The post was disturbingly detailed, as if the person writing it had been present at the scene. Every twist and turn was laid out so vividly that it almost felt real. [The mother of RC Corporation’s CEO, Heidi Yates, disapproved of a world-renowned artist marrying into the family. Before her death, she allegedly hired someone to tamper with ‘her’ car, causing a brake failure that led to a fiery explosion. In retaliation, the artist lured her to a secluded riverside and pushed her into the water, leaving her to drown. Has RC Corporation’s CEO once again fallen for the wrong woman? Who is truly his fated love?][With judgment like this, can he really lead RC Corporation into a brighter future? What will become of the company under his leadership?]Below the
Their goal was to manipulate public opinion to undermine RC Corporation and Justin’s credibility, ultimately increasing their own chances of success.Haley analyzed the situation while calmly continuing her breakfast. Seeing that Helen had arrived so early, she figured her sister hadn’t eaten yet. Without a word, she slid half of her breakfast toward her. Helen, deep in thought, furrowed her brows and put on an air of calculated scheming, as if she were a seasoned strategist. “So, basically, Justin is too high-profile now, and everyone’s just waiting to take him down,” she concluded with exaggerated seriousness. Haley nodded in agreement. It made sense. After Mr. Yates Sr. passed away, Justin had inherited a massive share of RC Corporation at such a young age. It was only natural that the older generation in the company resented him. Targeting him was to be expected. Helen nodded knowingly, pretending to be contemplative. But the moment the aroma of food hit her, she
“Alright, I got it.” Haley replied. Like Helen, her first instinct upon seeing the post was to suspect Emma. But by the time she reached the end, she sensed something was off. That was why she had Richard investigate. And sure enough, her hunch was right. Unlike Helen, however, she wasn’t fuming with anger. She had already expected this outcome. “Do me another favor,” she texted Richard again. “Dig up everything you can about this newly registered company. If you can find out who’s really behind it, even better.”Justin had saved her life. Maybe she’d finally found a way to repay him. *For the past few days, Emma had been stuck at Jacob’s place, unable to go anywhere.Of course, she had seen the news. After reading through the entire post, her eyes flashed with resentment. Who did this?! Her mind immediately jumped to one suspect. It had to be “him.” Suppressing the tremor in her fingers, she scrolled through her call history and dialed his number.
Haley shook her head quickly, flustered. “No… I mean—no.” Then she realized how that sounded and corrected herself. “Actually, yes. I’m just hot.”Helen blinked in confusion. “Hot? The classroom has air conditioning. Was the sunlight from the window hitting her seat?” Helen wondered.Without missing a beat, she rushed over and tugged the curtains tighter, making sure her bestie didn’t get “sunburned.” She still needed Haley to hold onto that top spot. Otherwise, she would lose her excuse at home for going out to “study” with Zac.The pressure and tension of senior year finally came to a close. On the day of the college entrance exam, when everyone stepped out of the test hall for the last time, their faces lit up with genuine smiles—relaxed, free, and full of relief.Haley tossed aside her textbooks. Her summer break was filled with makeup shopping trips with Helen or third-wheeling her and Zac on their study-dates-turned-real-dates.That routine came to an end the d
Haley’s eyes shifted as she thought quickly. “But… I don’t really like guys who rank higher than me on exams.”She gave a light shrug and continued, “I mean, I think we should be focusing on school right now. Relationships can wait until after we get into college, right? What if we don’t even end up at the same school? Long-distance never works, and after a while, we’d probably drift apart. Don’t you think?”Was that a gentle rejection? It seemed like it. Haley wondered if she had been too blunt. Had she left him any dignity at all?They still had a whole year of high school left together. She didn’t want things to get awkward between them. A harsh rejection would only make everything more uncomfortable.Justin furrowed his brows, thinking for a long moment before giving a single reply. “Okay.”Then he slung his backpack over his shoulder and walked off.Haley stood there, completely confused.“Okay? What did he mean by that?“Did he understand what I was trying to say?
Emma and her little clique of schoolyard mean girls had Justin completely surrounded.“I’ll ask you one more time,” she said, smug and unbothered. “Will you be my boyfriend or not?”“No,” Justin replied coldly, his face unreadable.“Hey!” one of Emma’s loyal followers stepped forward, cracking her knuckles and getting way too close. “Do you even know who our Emma is? She’s the heiress of the Xander Corporation. She’s giving you a chance, and you should be grateful. You better say yes.”“What, you want us to beat you up before you agree?” another girl sneered.Justin didn’t flinch. His icy stare locked onto the girl who spoke, completely unbothered by the threat.Emma waved a hand to hold her crew back, pretending to be generous. Then she turned to Justin again, cocky and bold.“I like you way too much to have anyone rough you up,” she said sweetly. “But I heard you’re trying to get into Altiplano University in the capital. Here’s the deal—if you go out with me, I’ll have my dad
As soon as Justin sat down and pulled out the textbook for the next class, a hand suddenly reached out from beside him.“Hey, I’m Zac White,” Zac said.Justin glanced up with a cold look, then went right back to pulling out his notebook and pen—completely ignoring the extended hand.Zac awkwardly pulled his hand back, speechless.“Man… this guy’s seriously cold. What a show-off,” he thought to himself.The class flew by. When the bell rang, signaling the end of the period, Haley and Helen linked arms and headed off toward the bathroom. Zac immediately trailed after them.“Where are you two going? Take me with you.”“You planning on going into the girls’ bathroom, you perv?” Helen smacked his hand away, not wanting their classmates—or worse, their teacher—to get any ideas about the two of them dating.Zac scratched his nose. “Fine, I won’t go in the girls’ room… but I can go to the guys’ one, can’t I?”“Hmph!” Helen huffed, scrunching her nose playfully.Zac clutched his chest
At a top-ranked high school in Lincourt City, the bell rang.Students still lingering in the hallways or restrooms were urged to hurry back to class.Outside, the summer heat simmered, accompanied by the steady buzz of cicadas. Inside, the air-conditioned classrooms offered a much more comfortable escape.In Class 2–1 of the junior year, students hurried back to their seats. Just as the final chime faded, the homeroom teacher walked in, holding a stack of freshly graded exam papers.“For this round of mock exams,” she announced, loud and clear, “the top score in the entire grade once again goes to our very own Haley!”A wave of murmurs and applause followed. “Let’s all work hard and try to catch up to her next time!”She began handing out the papers in order, from the highest score to the lowest.After Haley got her paper, the next few went to her seatmate, Helen, and the student sitting behind them—Zac.“Work hard and catch up?” Helen muttered as she slid back into her seat, s
But what did it matter, even if she still loved him? The pain he caused her in the past was still there, lingering beneath the surface.They had loved, they had hurt, they had been entangled for years. But not every love story had to end with forgiveness and reconciliation.Haley couldn’t pretend the past hadn’t happened. She couldn’t smile and pick up where they left off, as if nothing had ever gone wrong.She would always remember that street in Merika State, when Justin turned away, picked Emma up in his arms, and left her standing there alone.Even if he had mistaken someone else for her, the pain he caused and the love he failed to give were real.And that wasn’t something she could ever forget.She could make peace with the past, but she could never erase it.Her heart ached, but she didn’t say anything. Instead, she turned and walked away.*Years later, Haley passed away peacefully in her bedroom at the estate.That same day, Justin had gone out to the grocer
It was just a shame that life rarely worked out the way people wanted it to.*Ten years passed in the blink of an eye.Chase and Alex had grown taller and older. Haley’s once-small jewelry brand had not only found its place in the industry—it had grown into a globally recognized luxury label, known for bespoke, high-end pieces.As for Justin, he split his time between Haven State and Merika State. Whenever he wasn’t busy, he would shamelessly camp out at the estate, claiming he was just there to “see the kids.”Eventually, no one even bothered to call him out on it anymore.One day, Haley had a business meeting with a potential partner—a widowed single father. Somehow, Justin caught wind of a rumor that the man had feelings for Haley and was actively pursuing her. Word had it that she was interested too, and they were currently having dinner together at a restaurant.The second Justin heard that, he canceled a company meeting, boarded his private jet, and flew straight to Mer
As soon as Haley stepped into the room, Justin followed right behind her.It was the first time he had ever set foot in Haley’s room—the space where she lived in Merika State.“Get out!” she snapped.“Haley, I just wanted to see you. Please don’t make me leave, okay?”His eyes scanned the room. The walls, the shelves—everything was filled with Haley’s photos. There was even a custom-built glass display case, clearly made with love, housing her pictures from childhood to adulthood. It was something Evelyn had put together just for her, and it overflowed with affection.There were portraits of her alone, family pictures, and right at the top—photos of Chase and Alex.Justin looked at each one carefully, as if he were trying to piece together a life he hadn’t been part of, but desperately wished he had been.Then his gaze landed on a particular photo: Haley in her teens, wearing a soft pink-and-white hoodie with little bunny ears on the hood. Her pale skin, big round eyes, and brig
“Haley…” Justin’s voice was weak. There was so much he wanted to say, but he didn’t even know where to start.“I heard you’re sick?” Haley said.“I… I’m fine. I’m not really sick, I just—”“Take care of yourself. Heart problems aren’t like other illnesses. Just look forward. Let go of the past. Meet someone new. Live your life.”Justin fell silent. His head dropped, and the phone pressed against his ear was clenched so tightly in his hand that his knuckles turned white. He wrestled with the words for a long moment before finally managing to force out.“Okay.”But he knew. He wouldn’t meet someone new. Without Haley, what kind of life could he possibly call “living”?The call ended. Life went back to its quiet rhythm. Justin no longer clung to Haley or tried to find her. After one more day in the hospital, he threw himself back into work and took over the reins of RC Corporation.They had truly managed to part on peaceful terms.After returning to Merika State, Haley d