Knowing it was futile to argue with Pierre, Calla stood up and said, "You're a top lawyer, I can't win against you in a debate. But from now on, let's keep our distance, Mr. Garland. Please understand where I'm coming from."After saying this, Calla turned and stormed off toward the door."What kind of distance are you talking about?" The voice behind her suddenly asked as she reached the door.Calla paused, hesitated for a moment, then turned around and looked at Pierre seriously. "The kind of distance that should exist between a normal employer and a normal employee."Without waiting for Pierre's response, Calla turned and left his office.After leaving Pierre's office, Calla walked around the hallway and noticed many people gathered in twos and threes, whispering to each other. When they saw her, they quickly dispersed.Calla knew that these people were gossiping about her relationship with Pierre. She understood that she couldn't stop the rumors, so she decided to keep her di
Calla was furious upon hearing the gossip in the break room. Knowing that arguing with them now would be pointless, she turned and walked away. As she turned, she suddenly saw Natasha standing behind her, looking awkward. With a frown, Calla went back to her office.She placed her still-empty cup on the desk and slumped into her chair. At that moment, Natasha walked in, glanced at the dejected Calla, and then closed the door behind her."Ms. Sherman, Faith is the kind of person who thrives on chaos. Don't let her get to you," Natasha advised as she approached the desk.Though Calla was unhappy, she knew Natasha was right. She composed herself and reassured Natasha, "I'm fine. Don't worry.""By the way…" Natasha then lowered her voice. "I found out what Faith's background is.""What is it?" Calla asked, looking up."It has to do with Mr. Garland… It turns out that he has a longtime girlfriend named Wanda Jensen. I heard that she's an artist who travels around the world for exh
Alicia carefully examined the corner of Calla's mouth. Seeing the wound there, she furiously exclaimed, "Why is Peggy everywhere I look? You should have had Pierre hit her a few more times and knocked her teeth out. We'll see if she still talks so much then!""All these issues started with those few slaps. Besides, Peggy didn't lose out this time; she got over ten thousand dollars in medical expenses," Calla said, frowning."Peggy is just a nuisance, and she only causes you minor inconveniences. Faith is the dangerous one. You can't let your guard down with her!" Alicia reminded her."What else can I do? She uses underhanded methods." Calla groaned."So what's your plan?" Alicia asked as she cast Calla a worried look.Calla fiddled with her cutlery for a while. "I'm thinking of resigning," she said after some time."Resigning? That's your solution?" Alicia's eyes widened in disbelief."Well, what do you suggest I do? The rumors about Pierre and I are spreading like wildfire. I
"That's me. May I ask who you are?" Calla thought the woman might be here to settle an account, so she smiled politely at her.Upon hearing Calla's voice, the woman stalked arrogantly toward her in high heels. She scrutinized Calla up and down before asking, "You're Calla Sherman?""Yes, I am. May I—" Calla barely nodded when the woman suddenly raised her hand and slapped Calla hard across the face.The loud slap echoed throughout the large office. The hit was so strong that Calla's ear went deaf for a moment, and she staggered in her high heels. Natasha caught her just in time to prevent her from falling."Who are you? How could you just hit people out of nowhere? Do you know where you are?" Natasha immediately demanded, pointing at the woman.Glancing at Natasha, the woman removed her sunglasses to reveal a face with exquisite makeup. She then sneered, "You must be new here. No wonder you don't recognize me."Still supported by Natasha, Calla shook her head vigorously, trying t
Her voice was loud, not because she intended to shout, but because she was scared and couldn't hear herself. Everyone was surprised when they heard her words that echoed throughout the room.Pierre immediately stepped forward to support Calla, asking, "What's wrong?"Calla, who couldn't hear him, kept repeating the same thing. "I can't hear. I can't hear anything…"Pierre quickly said, "I'll take you to the hospital!"He then grabbed Calla and started to leave. As Calla couldn't hear what he said, she simply followed his lead, trusting that Pierre would help her."Pierre..." Wanda called out, frowning as she saw Pierre hurriedly leave with Calla. She was frustrated that he wasn't paying attention to her at all."I didn't even hit her that hard. How could she have lost her hearing?" Wanda muttered to herself after Pierre had left."I bet she's faking it. She's full of tricks!" Faith interjected at that moment.Hearing this, Wanda glanced at Faith and agreed to what the latter
Seeing Calla, Mercer pushed Pierre aside and grabbed Calla's shoulders. He urgently asked, "What's wrong? Where are you hurt?" He scrutinized her from head to toe, relieved to find no external injuries except for the swelling on her left cheek.Calla saw his mouth moving but couldn't hear a word. His furrowed brows and worried eyes showed his concern. Meanwhile, his firm grip on her shoulders gave her a sense of security. She hadn't realized that Mercer cared about her. At the very least, he had rushed to the hospital as soon as he heard about her injury."I..." Calla could not find it in herself to speak. At this moment, she must have been too nervous to speak.When Mercer noticed her struggle, he turned to Natasha and grabbed her arm. "What's wrong with her?""Ms. Sherman's ears... She's having hearing issues. She can't hear anything right now," Natasha replied truthfully.Taken aback, Mercer looked at Calla's swollen face again and pressed Natasha further. "Who hit her? How d
Pierre didn't hold back this time. He swung at Mercer, landing a punch of his own. "She's not your property. What right do you have to rebuke me?"Having been hit, Mercer lost all control and started exchanging blows with Pierre.Seeing the chaotic scene, Calla grew anxious and frustrated. Although she couldn't hear what they were arguing about, she could guess it was related to her being slapped."Stop fighting!" Calla tried to shout.But they didn't listen. Their punches flew like raindrops, making it impossible for Calla to get close to them.In her distress, Calla felt her headache and tinnitus worsen before her vision blurred. She started to collapse."Ms. Sherman!" Natasha, quick to react, caught Calla just in time. "Stop fighting! Ms. Sherman has fainted!" Natasha yelled at the fighting duo as she struggled to support Calla.Hearing Natasha's words, Mercer and Pierre immediately stopped and rushed over."Calla, are you okay?" Both Mercer and Pierre spoke at the same time
With serious expressions on their faces, the two of them communicated through back-and-forth typing. Unlike before, where a single word uttered with emotion led to a heated argument, this method of communication seemed relaxed and didn't hurt each other's feelings.Soon, a nurse brought breakfast for Calla. Since the bathroom was unoccupied, Calla slipped into it and stood in front of the sink. She couldn't help but frown as she looked at herself in the mirror.The left side of her face was swollen, and her appearance was weary. Touching her face, she thought wryly about how her face had been through a series of slaps recently. However, she hadn't expected to end up in the hospital because of a single strike.After freshening up, Calla walked back into the hospital room and saw Mercer quietly sitting on a chair, waiting for her.Upon seeing her, he gestured toward the meal on the bedside table, indicating she should eat.Calla nodded and sat on the bed. Just as she took a bite
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