"Calla, you're an idiot. You can go to the orphanage and investigate it yourself. There's a set of formal procedures that must be followed when adopting orphans," Alicia said."That's right, but I don't know which orphanage Mercer adopted Casper from." Calla expressed her distress.Alicia thought for a moment, then asked, "Do you think Hazel, Casper's nanny, might know?"After contemplating, Calla said, "I heard she's been taking care of Casper since the beginning. I'll go there one day and try to get some information from her. Honestly, I miss Casper a lot." "Oh Calla, you're done for. Mercer used to have you head over heels, and now his son has you pining for him day and night. If they team up, you won't stand a chance," Alicia teased."You're always making fun of me about this. I'd like to see what kind of person will come and sweep you off your feet someday." Calla rolled her eyes at Alicia."He probably hasn't been born yet!" Alicia laughed heartily.A moment later, Calla
"You..." Calla's words nearly drove Sophie mad. She raised her hand, ready to strike."I advise you not to make a scene here. There are cameras everywhere, and our altercation has been recorded in full. I'm working for one of the best lawyers in Riverford. I don't mind taking this to court!" Calla warned, pointing to the camera above her.Calla's words reminded Sophie of her surroundings. She lowered her hand and smirked. Her face twisted into a malicious grin. "Oh right! How could I forget? You've latched onto Pierre, haven't you? I'll have you know that Pierre and Mercer are first cousins."Do you think Mercer is unaware of your little fling with Pierre? Mercer will not play this game of sharing the same woman with his cousin. You should give up on that idea!"The mention of sharing the same woman made Calla's hair stand on end. When Mercer used that phrase, she had a huge reaction. She couldn't believe Sophie had repeated the same phrase now—and it was the last straw."Get
"Ms. Sherman?"Calla knew her visit was somewhat abrupt, considering she had no direct relationship with Casper."Hazel, I was in the neighborhood for some errands today, so I thought I'd drop by to see Casper. I’ve been missing him." Calla plastered a smile onto her face, for she was truly not good at lying."Please come in. Casper is sleeping right now." Hazel led Calla inside, gesturing for her to keep quiet.Calla tiptoed into the living room. Seeing the cute little one asleep in his crib, she couldn’t help but walk over. Casper lay under a blue blanket with cartoon prints, sleeping soundly. There was a bit of drool at the corner of his mouth, and his chubby little hands were raised above his head. He looked both silly and adorable.Calla took a tissue and gently wiped away the drool from Casper’s mouth. Her eyes were filled with deep affection."Ms. Sherman, have a glass of water." Hazel placed a glass of water on the coffee table."Thank you." Calla turned and sat on the
In the evening, Calla was resting on her bed. She leaned against the headboard, pondering how she could find out which orphanage Casper was adopted from. Her train of thought was abruptly interrupted by a sudden phone call. She glanced at the screen and saw it was Alicia calling, so she quickly answered."Hello?""Calla, I've had the worst luck today! What rotten luck!" Alicia's voice came through, immediately venting."Who upset you this time?" Calla didn't take it too seriously, as Alicia often complained like this."Who else? The third wheel between you and the scrooge!" Alicia was still fuming."Did Sophie give you a hard time?" Calla asked, suddenly tense.Alicia angrily replied, "I was late by half an hour when I went back to work this afternoon. She caught me red-handed. Not only did my bonus for this month go down the drain, but I'm also being tasked with writing a self-review report!""Did she call Atlas Enterprises to report you?" Calla hadn't expected Sophie to be s
This time, Calla had an unexpected gain. Hazel casually mentioned that Casper was adopted from Happy Hearts Orphanage in Riverford.Hearing this news, Calla was so excited that she couldn't sleep all night. The next morning, she skipped work and headed straight to Happy Hearts Orphanage.Everything went smoothly at the orphanage, and Calla soon met the principal. She explained her purpose, saying that she once had a child whose fate was unknown. She wanted to check the adoption records from the previous winter.The principal, Betty, was a woman in her 50s. She wore gold-rimmed glasses and was neatly dressed, with a kind face and approachable demeanor.Hearing Calla's request, Betty readily agreed. She had someone bring the records of infants received and adopted at that time. When Betty handed the record book to Calla, she felt its weight, and her hands trembled slightly."Ms. Sherman, please take a look," Betty said with a smile. Calla lowered her head and began to leaf thro
Seeing Calla, the other person also seemed surprised. Already feeling down, Calla didn't want any additional trouble. She intended to ignore the person, turning to head back to her office. But the other person wouldn't let her have her way, stepping forward to block Calla's path."It's not like we don't know each other. Why are you running away so quickly? Are you afraid of me?" The woman taunted Calla, as unreasonable as ever.Thinking Calla wouldn't stand up for herself, Peggy acted like a bully.Calla turned and glared at the woman before her. She retorted, "Avoiding a vicious dog isn't about fear; it's about not wanting to be bitten!""Who are you calling a dog?" Peggy snapped, angered."Whoever barks is the dog," Calla replied coldly."You... you're asking for it!" Peggy raised her hand to slap Calla's face.But Calla was quick to react. She grabbed Peggy's wrist, warning her, "If you're here to sell insurance, I can tell you there's no business for you here. You'd bett
Peggy was still envious of Calla for winning over Mercer. After all, Peggy had used every trick in the book to charm Mercer, but he never spared her a glance."I bet you don't even have a chance to fly," Calla sneered. "What did you just say?" Peggy exploded in anger. "I don't repeat myself." Calla glared at her. Seething, Peggy stepped forward and raised her hand to slap Calla again. At that moment, a figure swiftly approached and seized Peggy's wrist. Calla didn't feel the pain on her face. When she looked up, she saw Pierre standing in front of her. With a push of his hand, Peggy sprawled onto the ground. "Ouch!" Peggy yelped, landing hard and grimacing in pain."Are you alright?" Pierre asked Calla. His voice filled with concern as he noticed the blood at the corner of her mouth. "I'm fine." Calla shook her head, looking down to see that her collar had been torn by Peggy. "Who are you? Are you even a man? How dare you hit a woman!" Peggy had already gotten to her fe
Calla knew Peggy was a troublemaker, and she didn't want to drag Pierre into the mess. Thus, she stepped forward and said, "Peggy, this is between us. We don't need to involve anyone else!""Oh really? Your lover just hit me, didn't you see?" Peggy's arrogance grew as she noticed Calla's qualms.The word "lover" made Calla's face flush with embarrassment. It was even more mortifying with dozens of colleagues watching.Pierre wasn't one to be bullied. He stepped forward, pointing at Peggy angrily, "Are you going to keep running your mouth? Fine, try me!"Seeing the extent of Pierre's anger, Peggy quickly covered her face and stepped back a few paces. Feigning calmness, she said, "Y-You're ganging up to bully a weak woman like me!"At this point, two lawyers from Brightway stepped forward to reason with Peggy. They explained the consequences to Peggy and agreed to compensate her for medical expenses.Peggy, being clever, knew fighting with lawyers wouldn't end well for her. So afte
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