It was early afternoon, and Alex was taking his nap. As he slept, he had a nightmare. He dreamed that his mommy had fallen, broken her leg, and became permanently crippled. In the dream, he burst into loud sobs. His crying quickly drew the attention of Chase and Richard, who rushed into the room. “What’s wrong, Alex? Why are you crying? Did your leg cramp up in your sleep?” Richard asked anxiously, immediately reaching out to rub Alex’s leg. Since Alex trained every day, he sometimes got leg cramps while sleeping, especially during growth spurts. But ever since he had been given a few doses of their lab-developed nutrient shots, the leg cramps had stopped. Even so, Richard was worried. His hands didn’t stop massaging as he tried to soothe him. He was the only adult in the house today. Just in case something unexpected happened, he had brought a few nutrient shots with him. He got up, ready to grab one. Before he could, Alex reached out with his chubby littl
Evelyn shot Helen a quick look. Helen immediately shut her mouth. Turning back to the screen, Evelyn spoke in a coaxing tone. “I called you from upstairs, but no matter how much I called, you wouldn’t wake up. So, I had no choice but to come to the hospital alone.“If you don’t believe me, you can ask your Uncle Richard,” she added, completely straight-faced. Alex turned to Richard, who was sitting beside him. “Uncle Richard, is that true? Did Grandma really try to wake me up?” Richard was speechless for a moment. “Yes, I saw it. You were sleeping like a little pig,” he added.“Ahhh—!” Alex wailed dramatically. Chase sighed, unable to watch anymore. How could his little brother be this gullible? Even such an obvious lie had fooled him? “Alright, enough wailing.” Evelyn cut in, handing the phone over to Haley. “Your mom’s right here. You two can talk.” She knew that Alex just missed his mom. There was no need for extra words—letting them see each other was t
However, Haley couldn’t leave the hospital just yet. Emma was still a threat, and until she was dealt with, Haley didn’t want to risk putting Chase and Alex in danger. The safest way to protect them was to eliminate the threat at its source. After all, Emma still had no idea she had two sons.“Have you decided what to do about Emma?” Evelyn asked. Of course, she hadn’t come to the hospital just for a visit. She had already learned the results of Richard’s investigation at home. Now, she was here to hear Haley’s plan. The daughter she had raised wasn’t some naive girl sheltered from the real world. “Mom, I want to handle this myself.” Haley replied firmly. She had always preferred to handle things on her own, especially when it came to Emma. Their feud ran deep, going back five years. If she had known back then just how ruthless Emma could be, she never would have let her live after regaining her memories. If it weren’t for Justin saving her this time… “Al
After turning off the engine, Emma got out of the car and walked to the elevator. The screen above showed the most recent stop—the VIP luxury inpatient ward. She pressed the button and took the same elevator Justin had just used, arriving on the same floor. Meanwhile, Justin made his way past layers of security and reached the hospital room door. William, familiar with the routine, stood guard at the entrance, watching as his boss stepped inside. Pushing open the door, Justin expected to find only Haley inside. But instead, there were four people in the room, and the atmosphere felt off—like a lively conversation had suddenly come to an abrupt stop. He greeted calmly, “Mrs. Walker.”Evelyn, sitting by the hospital bed, knew that Justin had just lost two family members in a row. She didn’t want to add to his pain, so she simply nodded in acknowledgment without saying more. His arrival cast a brief silence over the room. No one resumed their conversation. Sensing th
“Emily, what happened to your leg? Did you get hurt again?” Emma’s expression was full of concern.However, deep down, she was secretly pleased. “Why hadn’t it broken completely?” she thought to herself. No one responded to her. Ignoring the silence, she kept talking to herself. “Today was the day Aunt Heidi’s case was officially closed. I went with Justin to the funeral home to settle everything for her. On our way back, he said he wanted to come check on you.” Emma provoked as she spoke, carefully watching Emily’s reaction. In her eyes, the so-called great artist, Haley, was still the same foolish, clueless Emily from five years ago. But Haley remained indifferent, her gaze calm and unreadable, showing no sign of anger. Surprisingly, Justin reacted even more strongly than she did.He immediately denied it. “Haley, I didn’t take her to the funeral home. She followed me there on her own. I didn’t even know she had come to the hospital.” His words hit like an invi
Even Haley looked at Evelyn in confusion. “The person who orchestrated the car accident and tried to kill my daughter has been identified.” Evelyn spoke calmly, watching everyone's reactions closely. “Justin, don’t you want to know who the culprit is?” Justin’s gaze sharpened. Of course, he wanted to know who was behind the attempt on Haley’s life.Emma’s body went rigid. She stopped crying and stopped making excuses. The grip on her handbag tightened, fingers clutching the chain with tension. Her eyelids fluttered slightly as she glanced warily at Evelyn. There was no way she could have found out. She had been meticulous. The money had gone through multiple layers of laundering, never directly moving through any domestic banks. Even RC Corporation’s own financial institutions showed no suspicious transactions. If Justin’s resources hadn’t uncovered anything after all this time, then Evelyn couldn’t have either. With that thought, Emma’s racing heart slowly set
Piece by piece, the evidence was laid out. How Emma had funneled money through laundering schemes into offshore accounts. The exact timestamps of each transaction. The amount transferred to the hired gunman. Even the text messages coordinating the hit. Every detail pointed directly to Emma. The evidence was undeniable. Justin had never imagined she was capable of something like this. The fragile, helpless image she had always portrayed was nothing more than a carefully crafted mask. He wasn’t a fool—he wouldn’t have held his position if he were. But that fleeting moment when she had saved his life, and the guilt of losing her overseas, had blinded him. Because of that, he had put her on a pedestal, convinced himself she was good. And that blindness had kept him from seeing just how ruthless she really was. Behind Justin, Zac was in complete shock. The level of calculation and deception Emma had displayed was something even they, as businessmen,
“You—” Helen shot up from the bed, her face flushed with anger. She pointed a trembling finger at Emma, who was crying like a helpless victim. She was unbelievable. She could turn black into white with just a few tears and a sob story. Helen was so furious she couldn’t even find the right words to curse her. Instead, she turned to Justin, glaring at him. He wasn’t going to fall for her lies again, was he? Zac noticed his wife losing her composure and quickly tugged at the hem of her dress, signaling her to calm down and sit back down. Then Justin suddenly shifted his focus, his sharp gaze locking onto Emma. “Then who is Nadia Lawson?”Emma’s breath hitched.“Na… Nadia Lawson? I don’t know her!”She shook her head frantically, forcing herself to keep her gaze steady and not dart around.Nadia Lawson?!They had even uncovered that name?She couldn’t admit it.She had to deny everything.Nadia had been one of the people who escaped with her that night.But
“You—” Helen shot up from the bed, her face flushed with anger. She pointed a trembling finger at Emma, who was crying like a helpless victim. She was unbelievable. She could turn black into white with just a few tears and a sob story. Helen was so furious she couldn’t even find the right words to curse her. Instead, she turned to Justin, glaring at him. He wasn’t going to fall for her lies again, was he? Zac noticed his wife losing her composure and quickly tugged at the hem of her dress, signaling her to calm down and sit back down. Then Justin suddenly shifted his focus, his sharp gaze locking onto Emma. “Then who is Nadia Lawson?”Emma’s breath hitched.“Na… Nadia Lawson? I don’t know her!”She shook her head frantically, forcing herself to keep her gaze steady and not dart around.Nadia Lawson?!They had even uncovered that name?She couldn’t admit it.She had to deny everything.Nadia had been one of the people who escaped with her that night.But
Piece by piece, the evidence was laid out. How Emma had funneled money through laundering schemes into offshore accounts. The exact timestamps of each transaction. The amount transferred to the hired gunman. Even the text messages coordinating the hit. Every detail pointed directly to Emma. The evidence was undeniable. Justin had never imagined she was capable of something like this. The fragile, helpless image she had always portrayed was nothing more than a carefully crafted mask. He wasn’t a fool—he wouldn’t have held his position if he were. But that fleeting moment when she had saved his life, and the guilt of losing her overseas, had blinded him. Because of that, he had put her on a pedestal, convinced himself she was good. And that blindness had kept him from seeing just how ruthless she really was. Behind Justin, Zac was in complete shock. The level of calculation and deception Emma had displayed was something even they, as businessmen,
Even Haley looked at Evelyn in confusion. “The person who orchestrated the car accident and tried to kill my daughter has been identified.” Evelyn spoke calmly, watching everyone's reactions closely. “Justin, don’t you want to know who the culprit is?” Justin’s gaze sharpened. Of course, he wanted to know who was behind the attempt on Haley’s life.Emma’s body went rigid. She stopped crying and stopped making excuses. The grip on her handbag tightened, fingers clutching the chain with tension. Her eyelids fluttered slightly as she glanced warily at Evelyn. There was no way she could have found out. She had been meticulous. The money had gone through multiple layers of laundering, never directly moving through any domestic banks. Even RC Corporation’s own financial institutions showed no suspicious transactions. If Justin’s resources hadn’t uncovered anything after all this time, then Evelyn couldn’t have either. With that thought, Emma’s racing heart slowly set
“Emily, what happened to your leg? Did you get hurt again?” Emma’s expression was full of concern.However, deep down, she was secretly pleased. “Why hadn’t it broken completely?” she thought to herself. No one responded to her. Ignoring the silence, she kept talking to herself. “Today was the day Aunt Heidi’s case was officially closed. I went with Justin to the funeral home to settle everything for her. On our way back, he said he wanted to come check on you.” Emma provoked as she spoke, carefully watching Emily’s reaction. In her eyes, the so-called great artist, Haley, was still the same foolish, clueless Emily from five years ago. But Haley remained indifferent, her gaze calm and unreadable, showing no sign of anger. Surprisingly, Justin reacted even more strongly than she did.He immediately denied it. “Haley, I didn’t take her to the funeral home. She followed me there on her own. I didn’t even know she had come to the hospital.” His words hit like an invi
After turning off the engine, Emma got out of the car and walked to the elevator. The screen above showed the most recent stop—the VIP luxury inpatient ward. She pressed the button and took the same elevator Justin had just used, arriving on the same floor. Meanwhile, Justin made his way past layers of security and reached the hospital room door. William, familiar with the routine, stood guard at the entrance, watching as his boss stepped inside. Pushing open the door, Justin expected to find only Haley inside. But instead, there were four people in the room, and the atmosphere felt off—like a lively conversation had suddenly come to an abrupt stop. He greeted calmly, “Mrs. Walker.”Evelyn, sitting by the hospital bed, knew that Justin had just lost two family members in a row. She didn’t want to add to his pain, so she simply nodded in acknowledgment without saying more. His arrival cast a brief silence over the room. No one resumed their conversation. Sensing th
However, Haley couldn’t leave the hospital just yet. Emma was still a threat, and until she was dealt with, Haley didn’t want to risk putting Chase and Alex in danger. The safest way to protect them was to eliminate the threat at its source. After all, Emma still had no idea she had two sons.“Have you decided what to do about Emma?” Evelyn asked. Of course, she hadn’t come to the hospital just for a visit. She had already learned the results of Richard’s investigation at home. Now, she was here to hear Haley’s plan. The daughter she had raised wasn’t some naive girl sheltered from the real world. “Mom, I want to handle this myself.” Haley replied firmly. She had always preferred to handle things on her own, especially when it came to Emma. Their feud ran deep, going back five years. If she had known back then just how ruthless Emma could be, she never would have let her live after regaining her memories. If it weren’t for Justin saving her this time… “Al
Evelyn shot Helen a quick look. Helen immediately shut her mouth. Turning back to the screen, Evelyn spoke in a coaxing tone. “I called you from upstairs, but no matter how much I called, you wouldn’t wake up. So, I had no choice but to come to the hospital alone.“If you don’t believe me, you can ask your Uncle Richard,” she added, completely straight-faced. Alex turned to Richard, who was sitting beside him. “Uncle Richard, is that true? Did Grandma really try to wake me up?” Richard was speechless for a moment. “Yes, I saw it. You were sleeping like a little pig,” he added.“Ahhh—!” Alex wailed dramatically. Chase sighed, unable to watch anymore. How could his little brother be this gullible? Even such an obvious lie had fooled him? “Alright, enough wailing.” Evelyn cut in, handing the phone over to Haley. “Your mom’s right here. You two can talk.” She knew that Alex just missed his mom. There was no need for extra words—letting them see each other was t
It was early afternoon, and Alex was taking his nap. As he slept, he had a nightmare. He dreamed that his mommy had fallen, broken her leg, and became permanently crippled. In the dream, he burst into loud sobs. His crying quickly drew the attention of Chase and Richard, who rushed into the room. “What’s wrong, Alex? Why are you crying? Did your leg cramp up in your sleep?” Richard asked anxiously, immediately reaching out to rub Alex’s leg. Since Alex trained every day, he sometimes got leg cramps while sleeping, especially during growth spurts. But ever since he had been given a few doses of their lab-developed nutrient shots, the leg cramps had stopped. Even so, Richard was worried. His hands didn’t stop massaging as he tried to soothe him. He was the only adult in the house today. Just in case something unexpected happened, he had brought a few nutrient shots with him. He got up, ready to grab one. Before he could, Alex reached out with his chubby littl
Lily had grown up with Heidi and knew her sister’s proud and domineering personality all too well. There was no way she would have taken her own life over some woman her son was involved with. The reporters online were full of nonsense. It wasn’t as if her husband, Henry, had cheated on her. He had been dead for years. She was the matriarch of the family. Was she really supposed to be bullied to death by some random woman in her son’s life? Lily didn’t believe it. At the same time, she blamed Justin for not keeping his personal affairs in check. How had his mess managed to drag her sister into it? Still, no matter how much she resented the situation, she couldn’t say it out loud. After all, Justin wasn’t her son. The media loved to stir up rumors, but gossip always needed a spark to ignite. If those two women didn’t exist, would the reporters have had anything to write about? “I understand, Aunt Lily. My mother would never take her own life. I’ll find out the tr