Mrs. Zimmer noticed the playful tension between Justin and Emily and tactfully left the dining area. Unaware of Emma's return, Mrs. Zimmer assumed that Emily had stormed off to stay at a friend’s place for a couple of days after an argument with Justin, only to be retrieved by him later. Just two days ago, Justin had even called to instruct Sam to have Mrs. Zimmer stock up Emily’s closet with new outfits.When Justin finally finished eating, Emily, who had been enduring the awkward situation like a prisoner awaiting release, quickly stood up from the table. At that moment, her phone chimed with a new message. it was a message from Helen. “Made it home safely.”Emily put her phone down and turned to Justin. “I want to go visit a friend.”Justin, remembering her friend from the bar last night, frowned. “No.”Emily stood frozen, wrestling with her thoughts, before reluctantly stepping forward and planting a quick kiss on his cheek. “I’ll be back before dark.”Justin lowered his g
“Alright, alright, it’s all my fault. Just don’t panic,” Zac tried to calm her down.How could Helen not panic? Emily was almost at her place, and Helen had no idea how to explain why she hadn’t come home last night or the fact that she had spent the night with a man. She threw on her clothes as fast as she could and rushed out the door. Zac drove like a man on a mission, pushing the car to its limits. When they reached the entrance to Helen’s apartment complex, she didn’t even say goodbye. She leapt out of the car and sprinted inside. Zac stayed behind, watching her until she disappeared into the building. As he started to reverse out, he spotted Justin’s car. Justin noticed him too and rolled down his window. The two exchanged a brief nod of acknowledgment. *Helen slowed her pace once she was inside, trying to catch her breath. She stopped by the lobby’s small grocery store to grab a few items, attempting to look as if she had simply been out shopping. When sh
“What’s the plan? Tell me, I want in!” Helen said enthusiastically.“Don’t worry, you’ll definitely be part of it,” Emily assured her.“By the way, how did you get home last night?” Emily asked, shifting the focus to Helen after finishing her own story.“How else? I’d had a bit to drink, so I… uh… grabbed a cab, of course.” Helen avoided Emily’s gaze, her voice carrying a nervous edge. “I’ll swing by the bar to pick up my car later today. As for those younger guys, I had already asked them to leave,” Helen added quickly, hoping to change the subject.Emily nodded, accepting the explanation, and turned to grab the gift bag she had brought. Meanwhile, Helen paced nervously around the room, debating whether to tell Emily about her night with Zac. She had only just found out Zac and Justin were friends. If she had known sooner, she wouldn’t have been so carefree about spending time with Zac at the seaside villa, exchanging contacts, or meeting him for dinners.“What are you doing?
But the real challenge was figuring out how to escape the ocean without being discovered and make her way abroad. Hiring a team from overseas sounded promising, but could they truly be trusted? As Emily was wracking her brain over these issues, her phone buzzed. Unlocking it, she saw a message from Sean. Before she could open it, her phone lit up with an incoming call from him. “Emily,” Sean’s voice was soft and reassuring, “I’m sorry for making you worry these past few days. My dad forced me to join a project and took my phone away. I just got it back now that the project’s done.” “It’s fine as long as you’re okay. I’m sorry for dragging you into this mess,” Emily replied, her tone tinged with guilt. Sean frowned on the other end of the line. “This has nothing to do with you. It’s all Justin’s fault for being such a jerk! He didn’t hurt you, did he?” “No,” Emily replied, feigning a lighthearted tone. It was just that Justin continued to keep her as his mistress, u
Under Justin's intense, stormy gaze, Emily was pulled into the grand banquet hall by Sean. The birthday banquet for Heidi was a spectacle of wealth and influence, with elites from every corner gathering to celebrate. Once inside, Justin didn’t spare Emily even a glance. Instead, he moved seamlessly through the crowd with Emma by his side, introducing her to business associates and relatives alike, cementing their relationship in the eyes of everyone present. From a distance, Jacob Yates was casually sipping from his glass of red wine as his gaze roamed over Emma’s figure, a faint smirk playing on his lips and a glint of amusement in his eyes. Nearby, guests were effusive in their praise, calling Justin and Emma a perfect match and marveling at Emma’s good fortune to secure the attention of the president of RC Corporation.Emily, however, paid no attention to the chatter. Her focus was entirely on the slice of cake before her, savoring its sweetness. Sean, on the other h
In the restroom, Justin pressed Emily against the sink, kissing her roughly as if to punish her. Panicked that someone might come in, Emily slapped at his back, trying to push him away.Outside the restroom, Emma searched for Justin, realizing she had already checked everywhere else. Standing near the men’s restroom, she called out, “Justin, are you in there?”No response.“Guess not,” Emma murmured softly, assuming he wasn’t there. Inside, Emily froze when she heard Emma’s voice, her heart racing. She pushed harder against Justin, but he grew impatient with her resistance. He nipped her lower lip sharply.“Ow!” Emily hissed, the pain catching her off guard.Justin growled, “Focus,” and thrust his lower body against Emily in an even more aggressive way., ignoring her struggles.Emily’s heart raced. Emma, Justin’s beloved, was right outside the restroom door, calling out for him. How could he still have the nerve to behave like this? Wasn’t he worried about being caught?Emma,
“I was taking a dump,” Emily replied bluntly.Emma was momentarily stunned, her expression freezing. How could Emily be so uncouth, speaking so crudely?Without waiting for a response, Emily stepped past her and walked away.Emma glanced at the restroom entrance, her teeth gritting in frustration as her hand clenched tightly into a fist.*On a sofa by the side of the banquet hall, a group of well-dressed socialites sipped wine and nibbled on desserts while chatting. As soon as Emma left the room, their restrained conversation turned into gossip."Heidi, I must say, your son, Justin, is incredibly devoted. Three years, and he still can’t let go of Emma, even managing to bring her back into his life," one of the women remarked.The high-society circle wasn’t that large and any tidbit of gossip quickly spread.Heidi set her wine glass down, her expression sour. “Honestly, I wish he weren’t so single-minded. I don’t care if he finds someone of similar status or if it’s a business
Zac placed some of the food residue in a bag for testing and instructed the hotel staff to clean up the mess on the floor. “How’s my mom?” Justin asked, his worry evident. “She’s out of danger for now but we’ll need to put her on an IV drip shortly.,” Zac replied, his tone reassuring. Hearing this, Justin finally exhaled in relief. “It appears to be poisoning, but we’ll need to test the food residue at the hospital to confirm,” Zac said, his expression grave. “From her symptoms, it seems like organophosphate poisoning.” “Organophosphate? You mean… pesticide?” “Yes. Fortunately, the dose she ingested was small enough to allow for rescue.” “Who could be so malicious as to try and kill Heidi?” Stella blurted out. “Can’t you keep quiet?” Justin’s uncle, Harry Yates, shot her a warning glare. Stella scoffed and rolled her eyes at her husband but didn’t press further. At that moment, the ambulance arrived at the hotel. The sirens were turned off to avoid drawing
At last, Justin found Haley in the hospital’s back garden.She sat alone on a wooden bench, the autumn wind lifting strands of her hair as she tilted her head toward the starry night sky. Her eyes were vacant and hollow.“Sis…” Justin bent over, hands on his knees, panting hard. “Why are you sitting out here? It’s chilly at night. Come on, let’s go back. Dinner’s waiting, and I’m starving.”He didn’t know if she had overheard his conversation with Jacob. He had no idea how much she had heard.So all he could do now… was pretend nothing had happened."Was it fun lying to me, Justin Yates?" Her voice was dry and lifeless.The last time she found out she had only been a stand-in love, it had happened right here—at Lichfield Hospital, in the same garden, under a sky just like this one.The wind had been just as sharp, just as cold, cutting straight to the bone.It felt like being sliced open again and again, each cut peeling away more of her flesh, until there was nothing left but
Jacob clamped his jaw shut and refused to speak.Justin narrowed his eyes. “You don’t have to talk,” he said coldly. “All I have to do is send this in for testing. If it turns out to be lethal—then congratulations. You’re looking at attempted murder.”He glanced at the clock on the nightstand, estimating Haley would be back any minute. He was about to call for the guards to take Jacob away when—Jacob suddenly let out a low, hateful growl. “You think you’ve won, don’t you, Justin?“Well, you haven’t. You’ve lost completely.“You really think Emma’s first time was with you?” Jacob sneered, his face contorted with spite. “It was with me. On that hotel bed at the Mandale Hotel—right next to you!“We did it with you lying there passed out! You thought you were the one who slept with her? No—it was me!“And not just that night. Every night after, too. I slept with her again and again. Your precious angel? She’s been used up and ruined by me!“And that baby you thought was yours?
The hospital suite was a luxury unit. No one was in the living area or kitchenette. The heavily disguised “doctor” shifted his gaze toward the main bedroom.The door was closed.He quietly pushed the cart forward, lightly pressing down on the handle and easing the door open. The sound was barely audible—just the faint squeak of wheels and the soft tap of footsteps.Approaching the bed, he saw Justin lying there with his eyes shut, seemingly fast asleep.Carefully, the man pulled out an empty syringe and filled it with a clear liquid. Moving slowly, he rolled up the loose sleeve of Justin’s hospital gown, exposing his arm. The needle crept closer to the skin.But just as it was about to pierce—Justin’s eyes flew open.In one swift motion, he grabbed the man’s wrist and sat upright, twisting his arm behind his back and slamming him facedown against the bed.With a sharp twist of his fingers, the syringe slipped from the man’s grip and clattered to the floor.Justin yanked down
Haley wanted to tell Justin what had happened at the company.But when she opened the door to the hospital room, she found both Sam and Zac already inside."You're back, Sis," Justin said with a cheerful smile. Clearly, he had already heard everything from Sam—yet there was no anger, no frustration on his face. Just warmth, like nothing had happened."Um... we’ll let you two talk," Zac said, rubbing the bridge of his nose before gesturing for Sam to follow him out.The door opened and shut again, leaving only Haley and Justin in the quiet room.She walked over slowly, guilt written all over her face. Her voice was low, almost trembling. "I'm sorry... about the company.""It’s okay, Sis. Don’t blame yourself," Justin said brightly, pumping his fist in the air. "My uncle bullied you. When I learn how to run the company, I’ll make him pay for it! Sound good?"He looked like he couldn’t care less about losing the president title.Haley stayed quiet, her head still down, should
In the top-floor conference room, an emergency shareholders' meeting was underway. The primary agenda was the removal of Haley as RC Corporation’s acting president.The fallout from the recent workplace fatality had seriously damaged the company’s reputation, even forcing their flagship international project to halt temporarily.Things had barely begun, and they were already facing one obstacle after another.Harry sat near the end of the table, watching Haley’s icy expression with undisguised satisfaction. “Just yesterday,” he announced with a smug smile, “I acquired three percent of RC Corporation’s shares from Jason Zimmer.“With the two percent I already held, my total may not exceed Miss Haley’s, but I have full confidence in my ability to lead this company forward. I will rally our thousands of employees, and I promise each of you—my fellow shareholders—you will see the returns I deliver.“I ask for your trust and your vote.”This time, Harry didn’t even bother hiding hi
Justin glanced at Haley again through the mirror. She was still beautiful. Years of skincare, clean living, and regular workouts had kept her looking as stunning as ever. Aside from the deeper emotion in her eyes—the kind that came from life experience—she hadn’t changed at all.He leaned in close and said with a grin, “Sis, I want one too.”Haley gave him a sideways look, then picked up another face mask from the counter and handed it to him.“I don’t know how to use it. Can you help me put it on?” he asked, clinging to her sleeve.“If you don’t know how, don’t do it,” she replied, pulling her hand back.Justin immediately snatched the mask back. “Aww, how can you be so heartless? You won’t even help me?”“You’ve got hands, don’t you?”“But I’ve never done it before!”“You did before you lost your memory.”“Well, I don’t remember that now.”“Then give it back.” Haley held out her hand, palm up.“Nope.”They bickered playfully, the back-and-forth echoing through the bathr
In the hospital room at Lichfield, Haley was half-reclining on the sofa, casually scrolling through her phone while Justin sat quietly nearby, studying project documents. He really seemed to take Haley’s words seriously. Despite the memory loss, he was making an effort to run the company.Suddenly, a notification popped up on her screen. She tapped it open.It was a message from Helen.“Sis, have you seen today’s trending news? Justin’s uncle got caught sneaking around with his mistress. It’s all over the internet. Yikes, it’s graphic. Let’s just say... there’s a whole lot of skin. You think his wife hasn’t lost her mind by now?”Haley replied with a calm message.“I saw it. You’re pregnant—try not to look at that kind of stuff.”“It was a push notification, I didn’t go looking for it! But seriously, for a gossip story to trend this high and stay up so long… you think Justin might’ve had a hand in it?” Helen was home with nothing to do during her pregnancy, and lately, her i
“Jacob, you…” Stella stared at him in disbelief. She had raised this child with her own hands, and now that something had happened, he was taking his father’s side?Jacob was a man himself. He had his fair share of flings outside, so naturally, he understood where his father was coming from.Never mind the fact that he still obsessed over Emma. That didn’t stop him from sleeping with other women over the past few months.“Dad, I’ve already paid someone to start pulling the news down. Things are at a critical point right now. You need to lay low.”It was clear Jacob knew all about his father’s affairs—probably more than one.Harry finally pulled out his phone and checked the news. His expression darkened as he read through the headlines. It wasn’t until Jacob reminded him that he realized how serious this could be.“What about your engagement?” he asked.“Don’t worry. I’ve already smoothed things over with my fiancée,” Jacob said flatly.Both families had entered this engageme
Harry burst into laughter and didn’t spare a single glance at his son. He dragged the woman straight into the bedroom, not even bothering to close the curtains before getting straight to "work."Across the street, someone aimed a camera from a neighboring window and captured the entire scene. That same day, a scandalous exposé was written up and posted online. It didn't take long before it shot to the top of trending news and stayed there.Though Harry wasn’t a celebrity or public figure, curious netizens flooded the comments. As people started digging, they quickly discovered that the man in the photos was none other than Harry Yates, Vice Chairman of RC Corporation.That night, back at the Yates’ villa, the entire place was lit up. Stella sat stiffly on the sofa, gripping her tablet so tightly her knuckles turned white. On the screen were blurred-out photos and detailed captions of her husband’s affair.Each image and every word only added fuel to her rage.Her first instinct wa