As Gernard spoke of his sister, a hint of fondness and helplessness appeared on his face. Aveline watched him quietly for a moment before saying, "I actually have a question I want to ask you.""Go ahead," Gernard replied, his expression soft and patient. For some reason, every time he saw Aveline, he felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity that made him more patient than usual.Aveline hesitated for a second before speaking, "I know someone whose identity was stolen by another person. This person not only took everything that should have belonged to her—her life, her opportunities—but also went so far as to try and destroy her, using any means necessary, even resorting to arson and drugging. What do you think my friend should do?"Gernard's brow furrowed as he listened. "Your friend should expose the impostor for their crimes and reclaim everything that was stolen from her."Aveline kept her gaze fixed on him. "Do you really think that?""Of course." Gernard nodded firmly, answeri
Juliet returned to her room, quickly grabbing her phone and dialing a number. Her tone was full of accusations. "Didn't you say you were going to help me? Where are you? Where’s your plan? Are you lying to me?"The voice on the other end was calm and unhurried. "Why are you so anxious? Do you know you’re already under surveillance? Those two things you did have already been found out.""Impossible!" Juliet jumped up, her face filled with certainty. "I did everything so discreetly, how could they have found out? You must be lying to me!"A cold laugh came from the other end, and then Leo spoke, "Who do you think Lucas is? He managed to wrest control of the Tudor Group from his own father, pushing him to a stroke and hospitalization. His capabilities are far from ordinary."Juliet's panic grew, and she quickly asked, "If they know it was me, are they going to expose me?"Leo replied, "Exposing you is inevitable, it’s just a matter of time. In the meantime, lay low, stay quiet, and wait f
The two of them stood close, and his faint, fresh scent mingled with a hint of tobacco, wrapping around her senses. His eyes were locked on hers with a deep, intense gaze, like an ancient well drawing her in, refusing to let go.Aveline's lashes trembled slightly. She immediately took a step back and turned away, saying, "I won’t regret it."With that, she headed straight to the study.Lucas watched her retreating figure, feeling a wave of helplessness wash over him at her determined tone. Was she really that heartless? Could she not see the changes he had made?He followed her, speaking as he walked, "Now that Gernard came to ask you to get divorced, if he finds out you're actually his sister, he'll definitely regret it."Aveline's tone remained calm. "I don’t care."She had no great expectations for parental affection; her reason for seeking recognition was simply to stop the person who had been harming her from continuing to enjoy a life of wealth. Whoever had taken what belonged
There was one week left until the end of the cooling-off period.Aveline had been extremely busy, leaving early and returning late every day, with the two interns following suit. One afternoon, she received an unexpected call.“Hello?” she answered, puzzled.“Is this Miss Young? I'm the caregiver looking after Madam Barbara. Do you have some time now? She said she wants to see you,” the caregiver's voice came through.Aveline frowned slightly, considering Barbara's current condition. “Does she remember me?” she asked.The caregiver replied, “You'll know when you get here.” And with that, the line went dead.Aveline felt a bit suspicious, but she didn't dwell on it too much. She quickly sent a message to Lucas. He didn't respond immediately; he was likely busy.Since Aveline didn't have much scheduled for the afternoon—most of her tasks had been handed over to the two interns who were eager to learn and take on their first big project—she decided to head directly to the nursing home.
Barbara slowly lowered her raised hand, her clouded eyes filled with doubt as she looked at Aveline. “Are you telling the truth?” Seeing that Barbara had calmed down, Aveline helped her lean back against the headboard and replied, “Yes, we're getting divorced soon.” Barbara pressed further, “When are you getting divorced?” Aveline answered, “In seven days.” Barbara counted on her fingers and then looked at her, “You better not be lying to me. If you dare lie, I’ll still hit you!” Aveline looked helpless. If she wanted to hit, she could let her, right? Pulling a chair over, Aveline sat down and looked at Barbara's wrinkled face. “Grandma, do you really not remember me at all?” Barbara's face remained stern. “Why should I remember you? Are you that important?” A flicker of sadness crossed Aveline’s eyes. Indeed. She wasn’t important. So, it didn’t matter if she was remembered or not. The room fell silent for a moment. Aveline kept her gaze down, not looking a
Lucas's expression was truly terrifying, cold as ice, his dark eyes laced with a hint of harshness. Even though the person on the hospital bed was his grandmother, he showed no sign of softening. Aveline saw this and quickly said, "No, Grandma didn’t bully me." Barbara nodded repeatedly. “Yes, yes, I didn’t bully her. She wanted to cry on her own, I didn’t bully her.” Aveline was at a loss for words, caught between laughing and crying. She wiped her tears and said, "Seeing Grandma like this now, I just remembered some things from the past." Hearing this, Lucas’ expression softened a bit, and he asked, “What did you remember?” Aveline, her eyes red from crying, looked at him with a faint sadness. “Are you sure you want to know?” Lucas sighed. “Never mind.” There were many unpleasant things in the past, best not to bring them up. He turned to Barbara with a softened expression. “Why did you want to see her today?” Barbara still looked aggrieved and scared, her cloudy
Lucas glanced at the caregiver. “Take good care of her. If anything comes up, call me. Don’t bother Aveline again.” The caregiver nodded. “Yes, sir.” … When Lucas stepped outside, he saw Aveline's slender figure already at the entrance. She pulled her scarf tighter, looking like she was feeling the cold, and reached out to open the car door, getting in. She turned on the heater first, waiting for the temperature to rise before starting the car. At that moment, a knock came from the passenger side window. Aveline turned her head to see Lucas standing there, his sharp, handsome features framed by those deep eyes. She unlocked the car door. Lucas opened it and got in. She asked, “Is something wrong?” Lucas replied, “Why did Grandma want to see you?” Aveline shrugged. “Nothing in particular. Maybe she felt lonely and wanted someone to talk to.” And with no one else Barbara could think of, she could only call Aveline whom she had a faint impression of.Lucas said, “I
Lucas let out a helpless laugh. “Yes, yes, it’s my idea, not you asking for my help, so you don’t owe me anything.” Aveline immediately looked away. The two fell into silence once again. By the time they arrived at the hospital, the sky had already darkened. Aveline had arranged a private room for Annie at the time so she could recover in peace. Now, there was a middle-aged couple standing outside the door of the room. The woman was banging on the door forcefully, shouting loudly. The nurses and security guards nearby were trying to calm her down, but she wouldn’t listen. “Annie, you worthless girl, get out here right now! Didn’t you say you were going to tutor someone? Why are you at the hospital? Did you do something shameful and get beaten up by someone’s wife, so you ended up here? You little tramp, open this door, and I’ll beat you to death today for being so shameless!” The woman’s words were harsh and vulgar, without a thought that she was talking about her own da