"I don't care. You have to figure out a way to make him go, or else you're covering my food expenses this month." Alicia raised her eyebrows."Hey, aren't you being unreasonable? Fine, I'll figure it out, but you're writing my reflection statement." Calla handed Alicia the paper and pen.Grinning, Alicia replied, "Even though writing a reflection statement for the husband is not my forte, I can definitely accomplish the task."Calla shook her head at Alicia's words. At least she didn't have to worry about the reflection statement anymore. But how could she ensure that Mercer would go on the trip?…Thursday night, Calla tossed and turned in bed.She had hoped to see Mercer over the past two days to ask him if he would join them on the trip. But he had been elusive, leaving her frustrated.She and Alicia had 200 dollars riding on this. What should she do?Despite her reluctance, Calla eventually picked up her phone and sent a text to Mercer. "Are you very busy lately?"She coul
On Friday afternoon, Atlas employees were granted an early leave. Four tour buses were parked in front of Atlas Tower, with employees boarding one after another.Sitting on the bus, Calla kept glancing outside. Most of the company's executives had already arrived, but Mercer was still nowhere to be seen."Is he coming or not?" Alicia couldn't contain her impatience."I don't know," Calla replied with a frown.Covering her face, Alicia lamented. "Oh, no. We're leaving in five minutes. My money!""Fine, I'll treat you to lunch every day for the rest of the month, okay?" Calla thought that since she couldn't finish all the food at the Riviera by herself, Mercer wouldn't mind her bringing some back."Mr. Garland! Mr. Garland is here!" a woman suddenly exclaimed.Calla looked up and saw a tall figure in a black suit walking toward them from a distance, followed by Simon and Ally, who were carrying luggage bags."He really came! We won!" Alicia grabbed Calla's arm excitedly.At this
"She's so disgusting," Alicia whispered in Calla's ear.Calla glanced at the two figures ahead and said, "Hang in there a little longer. We're almost there."Soon, the two-hour bus journey came to an end as the buses pulled into Luna Resort.Luna Resort was nestled among mountains and rivers, boasting not only beautiful scenery but also comprehensive facilities. As soon as they got off the bus, the refreshing air greeted them.Each group was assigned a tour guide. Then, Calla and the others received their hotel room keys.Mercer, Simon, and Ally naturally couldn't stay in regular hotel rooms. The resort's staff led them to the VIP wing as soon as they got off the bus.Meanwhile, Peggy stubbornly tagged along, dragging her suitcase behind her. It was obvious that she was planning to stay in the VIP wing as well."What a joke! She's bringing shame to all women!" Alicia scoffed."Aren't you tired from the ride? Let's go to our room." Calla maintained her composure despite feeling
Alicia had already mingled with some male colleagues.Peggy was even more extravagantly dressed today. She wore a backless gold dress that nearly exposed her backside. Despite its gaudiness, the men couldn't help but sneak glances.Meanwhile, Calla quietly sat in a corner, enjoying the food rather than seeking attention.As the dinner party was nearing its end, the evening emcee, Toby Davies, announced the start of the game session."Ladies and gentlemen, our first game tonight is a balloon transport competition. In these two boxes are cards with the names of everyone present."I will randomly select five men and five women to come up on stage," Toby explained while standing in front of two transparent boxes filled with cards.The balloon transport game required one man and one woman to form a team. They couldn't use their hands and couldn't let the balloon touch the ground. Instead, they had to use their bodies to transport the balloon from the starting point to the finish line.
Soon, the game began.At first, Calla was in front, with Mercer behind her. The balloon was wedged between her bottom and his abdomen. This immediately drew laughter from the crowd.However, this method proved too slow, so they changed tactics. They faced each other, and the balloon was now squeezed between their bellies as they held hands to synchronize their movements.Calla's hands were enveloped by his warm, large hands. Their faces were so close that they nearly touched.Suddenly, she felt a flutter in her chest, and her face flushed. She didn't dare look up at his eyes. His warm breath brushed against her cheek, making her feel a little ticklish.However, she had no time to dwell on these feelings. Even the slightest lapse in attention would cause the balloon between their bodies to drop.Encouraging cheers filled the air around her. Coming in last meant facing a penalty, so she was determined not to lose.Their coordination was quite good. Though not first, they maintaine
Toby counted down, "Three, two..."Mercer quickly removed his suit jacket and draped it over Calla's head. After pulling her into his embrace, he held her tightly against his chest.His actions were so swift and smooth.Calla opened her eyes to find darkness enveloping her, but she was tightly held in his embrace. Her forehead rested against his chin, and she caught a whiff of his distinct scent.The air was filled with cheers and screams. Calla didn't need to think twice to know how many women were now envious of her.But unlike before, she now wasn't afraid of their envy and jealousy. Instead, she basked in the admiration shining in their eyes.He stood tall like a sturdy mountain, providing her with a sense of security and affection she had never felt before.Surprisingly, she found herself not hating him as much as she used to. In fact, she even found herself eager to catch a whiff of his scent."Pour it!" Toby's command rang out, and a bucket of ice-cold water was tipped o
"Sure!" Alicia gladly agreed.On the way, she whispered, "Looks like the scrooge is treating you quite well. His expression changed dramatically when you fell just now.""He's just worried about my belly. Do you think he really cares about me?" Calla replied, though she couldn't deny the warmth she felt inside."Come on. Which of the women here wouldn't want that thing in your belly? Don't act innocent. By the way, the way the scrooge held you was so gallant—like a knight protecting a princess." Alicia clasped her hands together, and her eyes betrayed obvious envy.Calla pondered whether her encounter with Mercer was a blessing or a curse. Having him by her side gave her a sense of security, just like earlier when she felt like a fully protected princess.Throughout the years, she had always taken on the role of protector for her mother and sister. Even during her relationship with Tim, she was the one taking care of him. She had never experienced the feeling of being protected an
Upon hearing Ally's words, Calla stared at her with a puzzled expression.This was Mercer's room? Did Mercer really ask Ally to bring her here? Wasn't Ally afraid and wanting her company?Seeing Calla's puzzled look, Ally chuckled softly. "Sorry, Mrs. Garland, I had to lie in front of the other employees. It was Mr. Garland who asked me to bring you here."The title "Mrs. Garland" made Calla realize that Ally had known about her relationship with Mercer all along.It seemed Alicia's guess was right—Mercer was behind all of this."There's a hot spring outside. You can try it out. If you need anything, just call for room service. I'll leave now," Ally politely said before heading out."Wait..." Calla, who had just recovered from her shock, immediately stopped Ally."Do you need anything else?" Ally stopped in her tracks.Noticing Ally's politeness, Calla suddenly felt a little embarrassed. It struck her how being the CEO's wife changed things—but why did she feel so uneasy?"Um.
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