Hearing Calla's words, Mercer frowned and asked, "Did Sophie give you trouble?""Why are you pretending to be so innocent? Don't you know what your woman is like?" Calla questioned angrily.Mercer frowned deeper and hesitated before saying, "Don't worry, I'll warn her not to bother you in the future. But you must stay away from Pierre!""That's none of your business!" Calla firmly refused."There's a limit to my patience. Don't test me!" Mercer warned with a stern face.Calla sneered. "Mercer, who do you think you are? We’re already divorced. From now on, we will go our separate ways. What right do you have to tell me who I can or can't be with? I will keep seeing Pierre. I like Pierre, and I might even move in with him. I—"Before Calla could finish, Mercer raised his hand and slapped her!Dizzy from the blow, Calla staggered, almost falling.Mercer had only meant to reprimand her, but he didn't expect to hit her so hard. He reached out to steady her, but Calla shoved him, cau
The items donated by Nelson and Melinda were all valuable. This included ancient vases, paintings, various jewelry, and even artifacts. It was clear that the elderly couple was very generous.Some guests were genuinely interested in charity, while others were there to show respect to the elderly couple. Some just wanted to put on a show. As a result, the auction was quite lively. More than a dozen treasures were auctioned off. They raised over 20 million dollars in donations.As the auction reached its climax, the emcee announced, "Ladies and gentlemen! Mr. and Mrs. Lowry Senior are deeply moved by your generous support. Our beloved Mrs. Lowry Senior has decided to put a treasure she has kept for over 40 years up for auction!"The next moment, Melinda walked onto the stage, carefully holding a blue velvet box. She opened it and gazed at the item inside for several seconds. Then, she spoke into the microphone, "This brooch was given to me by my husband when he proposed. It is a tok
Amidst the crowd, a gaze as cold as ice swept across the men below who were ogling Calla. His face had already darkened with rage.The auctioneer announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, this brooch is from the vaults of the Ephawinian royal family. It symbolizes a happy and fulfilling marriage. This is a rare and remarkable piece. "According to expert appraisal, the market value of this brooch is 2.6 million dollars. Our starting bid tonight is 2.6 million. If anyone is interested, please state your bid now!""2.6 million!" The first to call out from the crowd was a wealthy lady, who liked the brooch very much."2.8 million!""2.85 million!""Everyone, pay attention! Each bid increment must be at least 100 thousand dollars. Thank you!" the auctioneer quickly added."Three million!" Pierre suddenly raised his hand."Mr. Pierre Garland bids three million!" the auctioneer announced immediately.Calla turned to look at Pierre. At that moment, he was looking at her with an appreciative
Under everyone's gaze, Mercer stepped onto the stage. He shook hands with Nelson and Melinda, then took the microphone. Then, he turned to the audience. "Everyone, first I would like to apologize to Mr. Lowry Senior and his wife. I have taken something they cherish."He then lowered his head in apology to Nelson and Melinda.Mercer continued, "I bought this brooch today to give to the person I love most. I hope that my beloved and I can have a long, happy life together like Mr. and Mrs. Lowry Senior."Many young women in the audience looked envious upon hearing this. Mercer, a highly eligible bachelor, was a dream for many.Hearing this, Calla glanced at Sophie in the audience.At that moment, Sophie was listening to Mercer's speech with rapt attention. Her eyes filled with excitement and happiness.The next moment, Calla turned her gaze elsewhere. She thought that he must really love Sophie. From what she knew of him, he wasn't one to express his feelings easily. Saying somethin
Mercer stood very close to Calla, bending his head to remove the brooch. His scent enveloped her, making it hard for her to breathe. With so many eyes on them, she felt incredibly nervous.Luckily, the emcee had moved on to the next part of the party—dancing. The crystal chandeliers in the ballroom dimmed, and a melodious waltz began to play. The guests took their partners and started to dance.Mercer kept working on her dress. His fingers occasionally brushed against her skin, which drove Calla crazy. Her heart was in turmoil because of him!"Are you done yet?" Calla asked, irritated.Mercer didn't answer, still focused on the brooch."Why don't you get some scissors?" she suggested impatiently.He remained silent, making Calla so anxious she started to tap her feet. "Did you hear me?"By this time, Sophie had eagerly approached, followed by a concerned Pierre."Mercer, let me help you!" Sophie was already fuming, seeing Mercer so close to Calla.As Sophie approached, Calla
After Mercer and Sophie left early, the party started to wind down.As they were saying their farewells, Melinda took Calla's hand. "Ms. Sherman, thank you for your help today.""Mrs. Lowry Senior, it was my pleasure," Calla replied with a smile.Melinda lacked the obnoxious demeanor of a wealthy lady from high society. Instead, she was very kind and respectable."You remind me of myself when I was young. I hope we'll meet again." Melinda's eyes showed a hint of admiration."I'm sure we will." Calla nodded. Even though she said that, Calla knew their social statuses were worlds apart. They would likely never meet again. Regardless of the thoughts she harbored, Pierre drove Calla home in his Land Rover."You don't have to accompany me. I can go in on my own." Calla got out of the car, declining Pierre's offer to walk her to her door.But Pierre insisted, getting out of the car and walking her to the entrance of her complex. He smiled and said, "This old neighborhood isn't very
"Alright." Calla nodded, then turned to walk into the building.The old stairwell was dark, with only one dim light hanging overhead. Calla still felt a bit scared every time she returned, especially when coming home late at night.She finally reached the third floor, quickly pulled out her keys, and opened the door. She reached inside to turn on the lights, and the room was instantly illuminated.As Calla was about to close the door, she suddenly saw a dark figure standing outside. She was startled and her legs went weak.It was a man's shadow—and a tall one at that. The first two words that flashed through Calla's mind were "robbery" and "assault".The next moment, she tried to close the door shut—but it was too late. The dark figure stepped forward, grabbed the door, and had already put one foot in.At this point, Calla saw the man's face. It was Mercer.Seeing him, Calla angrily tried to slam the door shut. Despite using all her strength, she couldn't push him away.Soon, M
"Let go!" Calla used all her strength but couldn't break free. Mercer's large hand only tightened its grip, trapping her waist against his body. Her body was pressed against his, unable to move."Mercer, what do you want?" After struggling for a bit, Calla was out of breath, and her arms were numb."To kiss you!" Those were the first words he uttered since entering the room. He then lowered his head to seal Calla's lips with his. She swallowed her protests and discontent.His kiss came forcefully. Calla couldn't fend him off, but was also powerless to stop his advance. She tried to push him away, but it was futile. In the end, she could only passively accept it.When Calla felt she was about to suffocate, he finally released her.She took a breath of fresh air. Feeling nearly smothered, she could only temporarily lean against his chest. His hand still refused to release her waist."There's nothing between you and Pierre. Why didn't you explain it to me?" His low voice reached h
Seeing Pierre's expression, Calla realized that a few words wouldn't dispel his suspicions. She reached into her bag, unzipped it, and pulled out the knife.Pierre's eyes widened as he noticed the gleaming knife Calla was pulling out of her bag. He furrowed his brows in concern. "What are you—"Calla explained, "Mercer told me that Casper is my son, that he wasn't stillborn as I was told. I didn't believe him at first, but I was afraid he might be telling the truth, so I went to his house to see him."But I was afraid he might have ulterior motives toward me. As a woman, I'm naturally no match for him. In a moment of desperation, I had to grab this knife from the kitchen for protection. If he dared to do anything to me, I wouldn't have hesitated to use it on him."Her expression was intense, reflecting her genuine fear and resolve.Pierre looked deeply at Calla, then gently touched her cheek. He took the knife from her hand and placed it on a nearby table.Calla then rushed into
Suddenly feeling Mercer's hand on her shoulder, Calla instinctively recoiled. She swatted away his hand and shouted, "Don't touch me, Mercer!"The harm he had caused her was too profound. Even though she now understood his desperate reasons, she still felt immense aversion toward him."Fine, I won't touch you." Mercer retracted his hands and left them suspended in the air."Don't think you can use Casper to threaten me, Mercer. I will never be manipulated by you!" Calla shouted at him.Mercer's expression turned pained at her words. He took a step back, and his eyes filled with profound anguish. "Do you really see me as someone who would use my own son as a bargaining chip?""Yes," Calla replied sternly.Mercer's body swayed slightly, then he turned away in dejection. "If that's the case, then you should leave."Seeing his forlorn figure, Calla felt a pang of sadness, but she couldn't bring herself to trust him again. She turned and walked out of the house.She stumbled out of
At this moment, Mercer clenched his fists. Even with his resolute nature, his eyes seemed misty."This is where I feel most sorry toward you and Clover. Clover is my daughter too. Of course, I wanted her to come into this world healthy. But I couldn't let Casper disappear from this world either."His condition worsened so severely at that time. I was afraid he wouldn't make it to your due date, so I had to take drastic measures..." Mercer struck his fist hard against the wall.Seeing the despondent and remorseful Mercer before her, Calla felt a twinge of compassion, but she still couldn't accept all his explanations.Glancing at the reports in front of her, Calla placed her hand on her cheek. She could feel her fingers trembling.Suddenly, she looked up and asked, "You kept searching for me in Greendale to get me pregnant so you could use the baby's umbilical cord blood to save Casper?"From the timeline Mercer had explained, Casper's condition must have been severe by then.Cal
Mercer smiled bitterly. "I knew that you wouldn't believe me, so I prepared a copy of Casper's medical reports. You can take a look." He pulled out several thick envelopes and set them on the coffee table. Calla frowned upon seeing those envelopes which were all an inch thick. She opened one of them and flipped through the documents inside, frowning as she read. The envelope held reports of Casper's hospitalization in both the city and state hospitals, spanning two years, starting from when Casper was a year old. They were records of Casper's illness and his recovery process.Calla couldn't help thinking about his adorable, chubby face, and she felt her heart clench. She wondered how Casper had managed to triumph over his illness after two years. She couldn't even fathom how painful and difficult the process must have been.Suddenly, Calla noticed something in Casper's surgery reports—a note about how a newborn baby's umbilical cord blood was miraculously compatible with Casper.
"My heart is already in pieces because of you. So what if I hit, cursed, or even stabbed you now? What's the point of doing all that? I beg this of you, Mercer, please let me live my life quietly and stop bothering me!"Stop making up all these ridiculous justifications too. I'm tired—exhausted! I don't want to deal with you anymore," Calla sobbed, tears running down her face.She knew that she shouldn't have cried in front of him. It wasn't just a sign of her weakness, it might also fuel his assumption that she still cared for him. However, she couldn't control it. Whenever she thought of the suffering she'd gone through in the past couple of years, tears ran uncontrollably down her face."I want nothing more than for you to let me tell you the truth in its entirety. I want you and Casper to not miss out on the chance to reconnect as mother and son. "I promise that I'll respect your choice once I'm done telling you everything, and I won't bother you again in the future!" Mercer l
Calla's eyes widened as she remembered everything that had happened in the past. She stumbled over her words as she said, "B-But we were going to get married after we were back on good terms with each other, and I'd already met Casper at that point. Why didn't you tell me about him back then?"Mercer looked at Calla meaningfully. "Do you remember when I told you, on the day we were about to get our marriage certificate, that I had a big surprise for you?"Calla thought about it, then nodded. He had indeed said that he'd prepared a big gift for her. Could the gift have been Casper?Facing Calla's doubtful look, Mercer nodded. "Yes. I wanted to tell you after we received our marriage certificates, but I didn't expect something else to happen on that day."Calla sneered. "'Something else' is a nice way of putting it. You didn't go to get the marriage certificates done with me, because you chose to hold a press conference with Sophie instead, announcing your marriage with her."When
Mercer's face fell. He sat on an armchair before asking Calla, "Do you dislike me that much? Are you not even willing to stay by my side for one minute?""I don't dislike you—I hate you. Also, one minute is too long—I can't even bear to stay by your side for one second!" Calla replied without hesitation.As memories—filled with love and resentment alike—flashed in Calla's mind, she felt an intense hatred for Mercer. If not for Casper, she would never have stepped inside this place again, much less take a seat across Mercer to have a conversation.Calla's words hurt Mercer. He sat there for a while with his head lowered before lighting up a cigarette and taking a long drag.Calla couldn't help coughing when the acrid smell of smoke entered her nose. Realizing that he'd made her cough, Mercer quickly stubbed the cigarette in his ashtray. Calla didn't want to waste any more time with him. She asked impatiently, "Why did you have me come here? Who is the woman you had Casper with?"
Calla finished getting ready, slung her bag over her shoulder, and walked over to Clover. She gave her a quick peck on the cheek and then turned to Fiona. "Fiona, I'm going out to meet a friend.""Okay," Fiona replied with a smile, then continued feeding Clover some water.Calla left the apartment and was about to press the elevator button when Pierre emerged from the opposite door."Hey, aren't you supposed to be off work today? Where are you going this early?" Pierre asked, noticing Calla was heading out."Oh, I'm meeting Alicia. She's going back to work tomorrow, so we're hanging out later," Calla replied hastily, avoiding eye contact with Pierre. She had never been good at lying."She's going to be your bridesmaid. It's only right to express our gratitude," Pierre said with a smile, walking into the elevator with Calla."Where are you meeting her? I can give you a ride," Pierre offered."We're meeting at the department store. It's not on your way, so you should get going. I'
Calla was initially certain that Mercer's goal was to use Casper to ruin her marriage with Pierre.But as the night wore on, Calla's doubts grew. She couldn't shake the feeling that maybe—just maybe—Mercer was telling the truth. Perhaps Casper was indeed her child, the one she had given birth to all those years ago.She couldn't help but feel a glimmer of hope. What if her child had not died? What if he was still alive and well?As the first light of dawn crept into the room, Calla made a decision. She would go see Mercer, no matter what his motives were. She had to get to the bottom of it.Calla gazed at Clover, who was still fast asleep. She gently stroked her daughter's cheek. "Clover, don't you think it would be wonderful to have an older brother to share your toys and adventures with?Clover's chubby face didn't move. Calla's eyes lingered on her for a moment before she spoke again. "I have to get to the bottom of this no matter what the outcome is. I have to find out if Casp