“Miss Yates?” Wilfred turned to Emily after Sean declined the invitation, his tone polite yet insistent. Emily hesitated, caught in a dilemma. She wanted to hear more about Haley’s artistic inspirations, but turning down Sean’s dinner offer only to accept Wilfred’s would feel wrong. Sensing her discomfort, Wilfred added with a calm smile, “Please, don’t feel obligated. I simply dislike owing favors.” That made sense. Though Emily didn’t know much about Wilfred’s background, his presence at Heidi’s exclusive birthday celebration hinted at significant influence. People of his stature likely avoided debts that could lead to unreasonable demands. But if anyone owed a favor here, it was Emily. Wilfred had helped her earlier by speaking up in her defense. With that thought, she spoke up. “Actually, it should be me treating you to dinner, Mr. Wilfred. After all, you helped me back in the room.” “Well then,” Wilfred said with a light chuckle, “as we say back in Haven State, i
Sean tightened his grip on his utensils, his knuckles turning white, barely suppressing the anger from being called out so directly. “I’ll grow. I’ll fix all of this in time,” he said through gritted teeth, his voice firm but strained. “You might grow, but Emily doesn’t need to waste her time waiting for you,” Wilfred replied calmly. Sean’s suspicion only deepened. Wilfred was clearly interested in Emily. “If I can’t give her happiness, what makes you think you can?” *Meanwhile, Zac left Heidi’s room once he was sure she was fully recovered. Walking from the hallway to the main hall, he scanned the crowd but didn’t see Emily anywhere. Had the Yates family driven her off? If Emily had gone to vent to Helen, Zac was sure Helen wouldn’t let this slide. The mere thought of Helen causing trouble for him sent a chill down Zac’s spine.Spotting Justin in the crowd, Zac waited until he wasn’t surrounded by others before approaching. “Where’s Emily? Did she leave? Aft
“Still, Emma managed to land him.”“She was missing overseas for three years, wasn’t she? How did Justin even find her?”“No idea. Justin kept everything under wraps.”“If you ask me, Emma wasn’t really missing. Maybe she hooked up with some rich guy abroad, ditched Justin, and now that the guy’s done with her, she’s back looking for Justin to pick up the pieces.”“Justin’s too naive when it comes to love. Emma’s got him wrapped around her finger.”“Don’t forget, back in college, Emma used to hit on plenty of rich guys driving fancy cars.”“She even snuck out with Liam a few times late at night and didn’t come back until morning.”“How do you know that?”“I was her roommate. Of course I’d know!”*At the restaurant front desk, Emily saw the bill had already been settled and made a mental note to repay the favor later. Returning to the private room, she noticed Wilfred’s assistant standing by the door, looking slightly out of place. As she stepped inside, she immediately sen
The cashier, caught off guard by the scene, hesitated, unsure whose payment method to accept. Emily stood a few steps behind, her headache growing as she watched. Unable to hold back, she pinched the bridge of her nose. What on earth was Sean doing now? Why was he so insistent on paying? Breaking through the standoff, Emily pulled out her phone and thrust it toward the cashier. “Scan mine,” she said firmly, raising her voice just enough to cut through the tension. She then shot a polite but pointed smile at the two men. “I said it’s my treat.” After paying and collecting the bagged pastries, Emily walked out of the shop. On the street, Wilfred gestured toward a sleek car parked nearby. “My driver just brought the car around. Miss Yates, let me give you a ride home.” His assistant, ever attentive, held the rear door open for her. Sean, standing defiantly in front of Wilfred’s car, opened the passenger door of his own vehicle. “Emily’s not heading home just yet. I’ll
As Justin accepted every drink offered, he finally managed to drink himself into a stupor. After dealing with yet another wave of guests, his expression relaxed, and his gaze grew unfocused.“Justin, you’re drunk. Let me help you upstairs to rest,” Emma said softly, her voice gentle as she leaned close to his ear. Her breath carried a faint sweetness, and her lips lightly brushed against the skin near his ear. Justin felt an irritating tickle and instinctively frowned, trying to move away. But with his drunken state, he stumbled, nearly losing his balance. Emma quickly caught him, steadying his swaying body. “Justin, be careful. Let me help you,” she urged gently as she guided him toward the elevator.They ascended to the upper floors of the Mandale Hotel, a property owned by Justin’s family. Due to Heidi’s birthday celebration, the entire hotel had been closed to the public for the evening. Many guests who had too much to drink had already retired to rooms upstairs.Emma had
Emma swiped the card and entered the room, her high heels sinking into the soft carpet as she walked step by step toward the bed.Just as the door was about to close behind her, a polished brown leather shoe wedged itself in the gap, stopping it silently.Unaware of the intrusion, Emma approached the bed where Justin lay fast asleep.Emma began undressing, one piece of clothing at a time, and slipped under the covers beside him.The mattress shifted slightly under her weight, stirring Justin from his slumber. Half-awake, he opened his eyes, his vision blurry.“Emily… come here,” he mumbled, pulling the figure beside him into his arms before falling back into a deep sleep.Emma let out a shaky breath, her chest rising and falling as jealousy burned within her.A notification broke the silence. Justin’s phone lit up, the screen showing a call from “Mrs. Zimmer.”“So noisy,” Emma thought irritably, immediately silencing the phone. Moments later, a text notification appeared. The p
Jacob extended his tongue to lick his lips and smirked wickedly. “The same way you got in, that’s how I got in.”He brought the hand that had just touched Emma’s skin to his nose and took a deep breath. It was a scent that felt oddly familiar. Just like him.Cunning. Deceptive.“I don’t care how you got in. Now get out!” Emma hissed, wrapping the blanket tightly around her body.Jacob sneered dismissively. “I’ve already seen it all. What’s with the act?”“My brother’s drunk and useless, so here I am, happy to help you out,” he drawled, his voice dripping with insidious amusement.The thought of sleeping with his brother’s woman thrilled him.“I don’t need your help. Get out now!” Emma’s voice was firm, though her trembling hands betrayed her unease.Jacob’s gaze flicked to the phone placed neatly nearby. “You sure about that?”Emma froze, silent.After a long pause, Jacob finally climbed off her. Picking up his pants from the carpet, his eyes caught a stain of blood on the
“Who would’ve thought… you wouldn’t let me leave, and then… then you…” Emma’s voice faltered, and she lowered her head in apparent distress, pulling the blanket up to hide her face.Justin’s expression darkened as he frowned, struggling to piece together fragments of the previous night. It wasn’t Emily helping him change—it was Emma? The realization gnawed at him, filling him with inexplicable irritation. Emma’s soft sobs broke the silence, the sound grating on his nerves. Why did he feel annoyed? This was Emma, the woman who had saved his life, the woman he had always claimed to love. Yet, he couldn’t recall a single moment from last night. His head throbbed, and the remnants of his hangover clouded his mind.Emma peeked out from beneath the blanket, her fingers pulling it aside just enough to expose the bloodstain on the white sheets. “Justin, last night… it hurt so much.” Her tearful eyes shimmered, red and swollen. A small patch of the blanket beneath her face was damp with
The bank card was still in Emma’s possession, but there were no traces of that unknown woman’s daily activities. Chances were, she had already died a long time ago. And yet, her bank account remained active, and no death certificate had been filed. It seemed she had been taken by the same organization—except Emma had somehow managed to escape alive. Richard didn’t bother digging deeper into which organization was behind it. His only concern was finding out who had hurt his sister and wanted her dead.Haley’s eyes were cold as she flipped through the report page by page. The evidence was solid. Helen saw her sister’s dark expression and assumed something big had happened again. She hesitated before asking, “Sis, what’s wrong?” “They found the person who hired a hitman to kill me.” “Who?” “Emma.” Helen’s eyes widened. The answer was both expected and unexpected at the same time. She had always felt that this was something Emma was capable of, but she was still cu
“My foot hurts!” Haley groaned, feeling utterly miserable. Not only had she managed to sprain her ankle while running, but her elbow and tailbone hurt like hell too! She looked down at her ankle—sure enough, a nasty swelling was already forming. After another round of fussing and medical checks, the X-ray results finally came back. No broken bones—just a sprained ligament. “Soft tissue injuries take a few months to heal. Sis, just stay in the hospital and recover properly. We’ll take good care of you!” Zac said, pushing up his glasses with a serious expression. But despite his serious tone, there was an unmistakable hint of relief in it. At least now, he didn’t have to come up with an excuse to help Justin keep Haley from being discharged. A sprained ankle? The perfect reason to keep her in the hospital. Lying in bed, Haley stared mournfully at her foot, propped up on pillows. All she had wanted was to leave the hospital. Why was everything working against
Through the gap between the bodyguard’s arm, Haley cast a cold glance forward.The man who had stopped her hesitated.Mr. Yates indeed hadn’t given orders to prevent Miss Haley from leaving the room—only to guard her.He immediately apologized, “I misspoke. Mr. Yates didn’t say you couldn’t leave your room. But you’re not allowed to leave the hospital. Even if you go downstairs for a walk, we must accompany you.“Please cooperate, Miss Haley. Don’t make our job difficult.” It sounded like a concession, but the firm stance left no room for rejection.She raised an eyebrow, taking it as an agreement. “Fine.” She had barely walked a few steps before she was completely surrounded—bodyguards in black suits flanking her from the front and behind. To anyone passing by, it must have looked like a mafia boss heading out for a gang fight.Nurses and doctors in the hallway kept glancing over, visibly curious about the high-profile scene.Many wealthy patients came here for treatment,
The moment one call ended, another came in. This time, it was William. “Mr. Yates, I’ve sent you the surveillance footage from the hospital’s underground parking lot and the street cameras. Madam Heidi took the elevator down and drove straight toward the riverside in the suburbs. However, there are no surveillance cameras in that area. The road cameras only captured her car turning into that direction.“The timeline doesn’t add up. There’s nearly an hour unaccounted for between when she left the parking garage and when she arrived near the river. There’s a stretch of road where the cameras lost track of her. It’s possible she made a stop elsewhere during that time.“Or,” William continued, “there’s a strong possibility something happened to her in that window—someone else could’ve driven her car to the river afterward.” His tone was analytical and steady as he laid out the findings. “Go over that unmonitored area carefully. Leave no stone unturned,” Justin ordered coldly.
The screen reverted to the four-person relationship chart, but now, Heidi’s photo at the top was grayed out. Chase glanced at the faded image of Heidi, then turned to Alex, who was still obsessing over his pajamas. “Do you want to call Uncle Justin? His mommy passed away. He’s probably really sad right now.” Oh, right! Alex immediately dropped the pajamas he had been holding. He had been so excited about Mommy coming home that he completely forgot Uncle Justin’s mom had passed away. He quickly ran over to his brother, took off his smartwatch, and placed it on the desk. This way, they could both listen in on the call together. Justin had just stepped out of Zac’s office and was making his way back to the hospital room when Alex’s call came through. It had been a while since they last saw each other—probably because the adults in Alex’s home had been keeping a closer watch on him.“Alex.” “Uncle Justin, I saw the news online. I heard your mommy passed away. You must
His mom was bringing it up again.At just five years old, Chase was already learning what it was like to have a nagging mother.Thankfully, before he had to endure much of it, Alex came bursting through the door, racing toward the screen like a tiny whirlwind. Alex was his savior, pulling him out of his mom’s relentless nagging. “Mommy! I missed you so much!” Compared to Chase’s calm, composed demeanor, Alex was the complete opposite—full of childish energy, exactly like a five-year-old should be. “My sweet boy, Mommy missed you too,” Haley responded with a smile. “Did you miss me so much that you couldn’t sleep?” “Of course.” “That’s great! Because I missed you so much I couldn’t sleep either. How about Chase and I come visit you? We can stay over and sleep with you at the hospital.” Alex remembered the hospital bed was huge. If Mommy slept in the middle while he and Chase took either side, they would all fit just fine! Haley chuckled. “I’ll probably be dis
Justin sat across from Zac in silence, his gaze lowered as he mulled over something. Zac, noticing his lack of response, repeated himself. Only then did Justin lift his eyes to meet his. His voice was slow, measured. “She hasn’t fully recovered. She can’t be discharged.”With a single sentence, he had made the decision for Haley. Just like before. Once again, he was keeping her by his side—not in a villa this time, but in a hospital. And in the end, what difference did it make? The same overbearing possessiveness. The same suffocating control. To love someone was to give them everything he had. But if she refused to love him, then he would take away her freedom instead, binding her to him. A chain with no key. One end locked around him, the other around her. They would be forever entwined. Neither able to leave the other. And freedom? As long as she was within his reach, that was the only freedom he would allow.Zac understood exactly what Justin meant,
“Justin, have you seen the news online?” Emma’s voice carried a tone of worry, but beneath it lay a carefully calculated move. She had debated for a long time. Waiting anxiously for his reaction was pointless. It was better to take the initiative. Feigning shock and ignorance, she played her role seamlessly. Whether Justin had seen the post or not, whether he suspected her or not, she had to remain composed. If she lost control now, it would only raise suspicion. Even if Justin did doubt her, once he investigated and found that the post had nothing to do with her, it would help clear her of suspicion. “What post? I’m busy. I don’t have time for the internet.” Justin’s voice was distant, devoid of warmth, as if he were speaking to a subordinate. It was nothing like the indulgent tone he had once reserved for her five years ago. His gaze, however, never left Haley. He watched her intently, studying every shift in her expression, worried that she might misunderstand his
”Yes, yes, boss.” After issuing his warning, the man hung up again, cursing under his breath. Frustration surged through him, and he kicked the nearby sofa with full force. *That afternoon, Justin finally returned. The first thing he did was try to take Haley’s phone. But before he could grab it, she turned away, dodging him effortlessly. “What are you doing?” She looked at him warily. The doctor had already said she could use her phone, so what had gotten into him now? “Don't look at it,” he said, his voice carrying a rare trace of hesitation. Justin was scared. He didn’t want her to see the rumors online, the ones accusing Heidi of orchestrating her car accident. He was afraid she would see his mother differently, that she would start to resent her. But Haley met his gaze, instantly reading the meaning behind it. It was the kind of unspoken understanding that came from years of knowing each other, something that hadn’t faded even after five years apart.