Jacob was a man of indulgence. Unlike other wealthy households that typically hired older, plain-looking housekeepers—women in their forties who had already gone through childbirth—he had personally selected a young female college student to work in his home. She was even younger and prettier than Emma. With wide, innocent eyes, she peeked out from behind Jacob, her maid uniform neatly pressed, her expression looking as if she had just been startled. That pitifully delicate act—it was exactly how Emma used to be. And that was precisely why Emma was now gritting her teeth, itching to drag that shameless little maid out and slap her across the face. But Jacob was oblivious to the unspoken hostility brewing between the two women. Right now, his mind was consumed by one thing. Why hadn’t Emma taken the fertility-boosting supplements? Did she not want to have his child? Then whose child did she want? Justin’s? The thought made his expression darken further.
Jacob's eyes darkened as he glared at her. Emma, unafraid, lifted her head and met his gaze head-on. “Don’t start acting crazy all of a sudden. I don’t feel well—I don’t want to fight with you.” “Fine. No fighting.” His voice was low and dangerous. “Let’s do something else instead. We’ll keep at it until you’re pregnant. Otherwise, the supplements won’t stop.” “Jacob, what the hell are you doing? Let me go! I told you I don’t feel well!” Emma struggled violently. In the past, Jacob had always indulged her, making her believe she was stronger than him. But now, with just one push, she lost her balance and fell backward onto the couch. Fueled by anger, Jacob ignored her resistance, leaning down and sinking his teeth into the curve of her neck. “Jacob, let me go!” Emma’s body was weak. She hadn’t eaten much all day. Her feeble punches landed on him with all the force of a tickle. Just then, as Jacob shifted slightly, his eyes caught something on the floor. He
Why did she have to go through all of this? Was it wrong to like money? To crave power? She only wanted to climb higher, to live above everyone else! After that one failed escape attempt, she had learned her lesson. She had stopped fighting and started pleasing those men instead—learning how to survive in bed. Step by step, she climbed from the lowest rank of women to the highest. But really—what difference did it make? Low or high, she was still just a woman for sale. She had dropped hints, begging those men to buy her freedom. She had even tried using the secrets she gathered as leverage. But it was as if they had all conspired against her—not one of them dared to agree. A bunch of spineless cowards who acted like they didn’t even know her the moment they pulled up their pants! And now, Jacob wanted her to have his child? For what? He was no different from those men—surrounded by women, constantly indulging himself. Why should she let him
“Did Justin send you to save me? Did he find out I was being abused by Jacob and send you to rescue me?” Emma immediately put on her best performance. Why would Justin be looking for her? Her mind raced, running through the possibilities. Did he find out she stole the international project proposal? It made sense—if the New Alliance boss had already come after her, Justin had probably figured it out too. But if that was why she was being taken to him, she wasn’t scared. In fact, she felt completely confident. After all, she had saved Justin’s life once. As long as she held that over him, Justin would never pose a real threat to her life. He would even protect her. Compared to being beaten by Jacob, seeing Justin again didn’t sound so bad. She could just admit her mistake—act pitiful, apologize, and in exchange for her remorse, she could ask Justin for a payout. Enough money to start over in a new city. The only thing that pissed her off was that E
Emma cried for what felt like forever, but Justin remained completely unmoved. He sat there on the couch, silent, watching her performance with those dark, hate-filled eyes. Fifteen years. He had known Emma for fifteen years—from the day she saved him until now. And yet, in all that time, he had never realized just how good of an actress she was. What a waste of talent—working in his corporation instead of becoming a professional actress. Fifteen years, and he had never seen through her lies. She acted when she tried to kill Haley. She acted when she killed his mother. Right now, all he wanted was to rip her heart out and see what color it was. Was it red? Or was it black? When he first saw the video, his rage had been uncontrollable. But after sitting here, waiting in the dark for her to arrive, his mind had calmed. Finally, he spoke. “Emma, have I ever treated you badly?” His voice was low, restrained. “Aside from love, what have I not giv
Emma played her old tricks again, trying to use the life debt to awaken Justin’s sympathy and conscience. “I’m begging you, please let me go! I know I was wrong. I’ll leave right away and go back to my hometown. If that’s still not far enough, I’ll go abroad—I swear, I won’t disturb your life ever again…” The pitiful, groveling figure in front of him made Justin hesitate for a brief moment. Was this really the same kind-hearted girl who once saved him from the brink of death? How had she become so disgusting? Just looking at her made his blood boil with hatred. “You don’t like this punishment?” He sneered. “That’s fine. We’ll change it. How about sending you back to where you came from?” Back to where she came from? Emma’s head snapped up, shaking violently. Tears and snot covered her face, making her look utterly wretched. “No! No, please! Don’t send me back!” That place was her nightmare, the hell she had barely escaped from. How did Justin even kn
Haley didn’t mock him. Instead, she stared at the windshield, her tone flat. “And her? How did you deal with her?” Justin’s voice sounded even more exhausted. “I sent her to a casino overseas. Back to where she started.” Sending Emma to prison would have been too easy. Worried that Haley might misunderstand, he added in a low voice, “Don’t overthink it. I have no feelings for her anymore. The only reason I let her live is because…” “Back to where she started?” Haley wondered. She recalled what Richard had mentioned earlier that night—how Emma had disappeared for three years, working for the Lori Organization, selling her body. And now, Justin had sent her back to that life? “Because of what?” Haley turned to look at him. She hadn’t caught the first part of his sentence, only the last few words. “Because she once saved my life.” Haley’s brows furrowed slightly. She hadn’t known that. She only knew that Emma had been Justin’s college sweetheart, the
Haley’s gaze flickered, unreadable. Her expression seemed distant, lost in thought until Justin spoke again.“Don’t overthink it. And don’t assume I still have feelings for her. From now on, she is her, and I am me.”Justin turned to face her directly.“I always thought the feelings I had at seventeen would stay with me for life. But don’t think I’m some heartless jerk who just moved on so easily. After meeting you—after those three years with you—something in me changed.“I barely thought about her anymore. I had almost forgotten her, accepted her ‘death.’ Running into her again on the streets of Merika caught me off guard. But even then, I still didn’t want to let you go.“At first, when she came back, I tried. I told myself I had to end things with you. I forced myself to. But I couldn’t do it.“When I saw Sean by your side, I wanted to get rid of him. I wanted to keep you close, lock you by my side. Just me. No one else.”Justin suddenly paused, realizing what he had just ad
At the very center of the photo stood Emma, a year younger than the rest. Beside her, shoulder to shoulder, was the real Justin Yates in his college years.His expression darkened for a split second before he caught himself and quickly masked it. He covered it well—furrowing his brows, pretending to study the photo with a blank look, like he wanted to remember something but couldn’t quite grasp it.“This picture… I don’t remember it,” he said, feigning confusion. “But wait—why are you in it, too?” He pointed at the image, his tone naive and questioning.Haley lowered her gaze and answered calmly, “It’s your college graduation photo. From Haven State. The girl standing next to you is Emma.“She’s the one who saved your life. You spent years searching for her… the ‘one true love’ you couldn’t forget.”She didn’t even know what she felt as she said it. Maybe she just wanted to help him recover what he had lost. Maybe that was all.But Justin shook his head, flustered. “No, that’s
After they finished walking around the school, Justin suggested seeing a movie.According to Alex’s strategy notebook, watching a movie together was a great way to build intimacy—especially in a dark theater, sitting close together. The earlier plan at the school had worked pretty well, so Justin was eager to keep following his son’s guide. Later that evening, he also planned to take her to a bustling night market—more shared experiences, more bonding.“There’s a new movie out. Want to go see it with me?” he asked hopefully.“No need,” Haley replied flatly. “Didn’t you say you wanted to recover your memory? Since we’ve already seen your high school, let’s stop by the Yates family estate. Maybe being there will help jog your memory too.”She wasn’t interested in the movie date. If they were going to revisit the past, she wanted to get it over with in one go so there would be no excuses to keep dragging her around next time. Yes, she was grateful that he had saved her life on t
“That was my seat.” Justin led her to a desk near the middle of the classroom, pointing it out. “This is where I used to sit. My deskmate back then was Zac.”He blinked in confusion. “Why do the textbooks look different?”Haley flipped open one of the books left behind by a current student. A name she didn’t recognize was written inside the cover. Probably a student from the current class. No wonder the textbooks were different. Justin’s memory was still stuck in his senior year, but those students would have graduated by now. These must be juniors who had just moved up.Still, something didn’t add up. When she found him injured years ago, he had been wearing a foreign school uniform. Judging by the look of it, he must have been studying abroad. So how was he suddenly enrolled in a high school in Haven State?The question lingered in her mind, so she asked. Of course, she didn’t mention the fact that she had found him half-dead in a trash bin.“I already graduated overseas,” Jus
In the Vice President’s office, Harry sat behind his desk, scowling, his face etched with frustration.The door clicked open, and Jacob stepped in, locking it behind him.“Son, finally!” Harry slammed his palm on the desk. “That little bastard actually woke up! A vegetable! How the hell does someone just wake up from that?!”By now, word of Justin’s recovery and his meeting that morning with Chairman Quinn had spread through the upper ranks of RC Corporation. To be more accurate, the rumors had already started circulating yesterday, the moment he showed up on the executive floor.“Calm down, Dad,” Jacob said, pulling out a chair and taking a seat. His voice was low, his expression unreadable. “Yes, he woke up, but I heard from people in the exec suite that he might have amnesia. They say Sam prepped everything for his meeting with Quinn. Justin was just parroting a script.”“You serious?” Harry’s eyes lit up, the frustration melting into something sharper.“My source isn’t 100%
“Sis, I’m pretty handsome, right?” Justin asked, grinning proudly.And just like that, his voice shattered the illusion Haley had briefly fallen into.She gave him a look. “Don’t flatter yourself. Let’s go.”The two headed downstairs, where William was already waiting to drive them to RC Corporation. He pulled into the underground parking garage, and they made their way up to the executive floor.Inside the president’s office, Haley still wasn’t fully at ease. She had him run through the negotiation script one more time, rehearsing the key points like a stage play. Only when Justin delivered his lines with calm precision did she finally relax.“This shipment is critical for the international project’s timeline,” she reminded him. “You read through the materials yesterday—you get how important this is, right?”Justin nodded.“Don’t stress too much. Just channel that cool, commanding energy you had a minute ago,” Haley said, coaching him seriously. “Get in there and bluff your way
Following Haley into the kitchen, Justin was about to speak when he caught the sound of her voice—she was chatting with Helen.Haley had just poured herself a glass of water from the fridge. Helen, as always, was talking non-stop at her side.“Sis, with Justin calling you ‘sis’ every day, doesn’t it kinda feel like you’ve got yourself a younger, puppy-eyed boyfriend?” Her tone was teasing, full of mischief. “Kinda like that matchmaking event I set up for you back then.”She nudged Haley’s shoulder, waggling her eyebrows suggestively.That one line pulled both of them back to that night at the bar.Haley shot her a look. “You’re pregnant. Can you not let your imagination run wild for once? If you’re that curious, have Zac call you ‘sis’ every night.”“Oh, come on. What’s the harm in a little gossip?” Helen giggled. “Honestly though, this amnesia version of Justin is kind of adorable. All innocent and wide-eyed. You’re telling me you don’t feel anything?”“No,” Haley answered flat
Haley pressed her fingers to her temple, her headache building. “Prepare a full briefing. I want all the contract details, background on the partner company, and a response script. He needs to memorize everything by tomorrow. He’s going to that meeting.”She gestured toward Justin, clearly making him responsible.“Yes, ma’am,” Sam replied.“And one more thing,” Haley added, her tone sharp. “Find a new supplier. Once this delivery is done, terminate the contract. We’re not working with unreliable partners.”“Understood.”As Sam left, Haley turned to Justin, looking down at him from where she stood. “Memorize the talking points. Lock the key contract terms in your head. Tomorrow, you’re facing their CEO. Think you can handle it?”Justin blinked up at her with wide, innocent eyes. “Don’t worry, Sis. If it’s something you asked me to do, I’ll make sure I get it right!”*That evening at Mistletoe Villa, Helen had just returned from a prenatal checkup. Everyone was gathered in the l
“You want your memory back, right? Great. Go ahead and read through these files and sign off on them. That’ll jog your memory in no time.”Haley pushed the day’s workload onto Justin’s desk. Memory loss or not, she was sure his business instincts and decision-making skills were still in there somewhere.It was just like when she had lost her memory. Her painting skills and foreign languages had still been there, buried in her subconscious.Justin didn’t need to recall every detail of the past. As long as he could function in the office and resume his role as president, that was good enough.He froze. Sure, he wanted to grow closer to Haley and get her to care about him again, but going back to work so soon? That hadn’t exactly been the plan.Still, realizing what she wanted, he didn’t argue. Instead, he obediently picked up the first document and started reading carefully.Then, suddenly, he asked, “Sis, what’s the project timeline for the international expansion? I don’t remembe
Zac jogged off in a hurry, not daring to stick around and witness more of Justin’s embarrassment.Justin, having failed to sneak into Haley’s room, had no choice but to sulk back to the guest room the housekeeper had prepared for him.*The next morning, Haley came downstairs for breakfast. She hadn’t slept well—staying up late to work, only to get riled up by Justin all over again. The dark circles under her eyes were impossible to hide, no matter how much concealer she applied.She stepped into the dining room and spotted Justin already sitting at the table.“Morning, sis!” he chirped.He looked every bit the picture of youthful energy, dressed in a clean athletic tracksuit, his expression bright and full of life. He really did look like a high school senior.Haley took one look at his well-rested, cheerful face and felt an unexplainable surge of irritation rise in her chest.She didn’t say a word. Ignoring him completely, she walked to her seat and sat down. Her gaze swept t