On Saturday afternoon, under the guidance of the resort staff, the Atlas employees explored the beautiful scenery of Luna Bay.Throughout the afternoon, Calla didn't see Mercer. Even during dinner, he remained elusive. She couldn't help but find it a little strange. Was he not eating?Noticing Calla's disappointment, Alicia teased in her ear, "What's wrong? Are you feeling like it's been ages since you last saw him?""Stop it. I'm just a bit tired," Calla retorted while pushing Alicia playfully.Alicia quickly adorned a serious expression. "Seriously, you've been wandering around all afternoon. You should go back and rest. Don't overexert yourself.""You're right." Calla nodded and headed toward the VIP wing.As she entered the VIP wing's entrance, she saw Ally walking toward her with a thick folder."Mrs. Garland, have you had your meal?" Ally smiled and stopped in her tracks when she saw Calla.Privately, Ally always addressed Calla as Mrs. Garland and treated her with great
Calla thought that Mercer's excuse was far-fetched. He drove all the way here at night just because the air was fresh? Did he feel that way because of her presence?Even though she felt she might be flattering herself too much, she couldn't help but think this way.The night was quiet, and neither of them spoke again. Calla began to feel drowsy, but she was aware of something soft and furry brushing against the back of her neck.Instinctively, she shifted her position. Although she hadn't experienced significant pregnancy symptoms yet, she couldn't endure his demands for two consecutive nights.Calla squirmed a bit and couldn't help but say, "I-I can't.""Can't what?" Mercer asked with a smirk. His voice carried a captivating allure."I-I'm pregnant. I can't handle your… nightly demands," Calla stammered. Her face was burning.As soon as she spoke, Mercer cleared his throat and said, "I spent eight hours negotiating with the head of a company this afternoon. I drove straight to
What? Back to Riverford again? Calla couldn't quite process the information."Mrs. Garland, if there's nothing else, I'll hang up now," Ally said before disconnecting the call.Calla was taken aback. He had driven back at 2:00 am, only to leave again at 6:30 am. Since he knew that he had work in the morning, why did he spend over four hours driving back and forth? Was it really just to see her?At this thought, her heart began to race.The breakfast today was sumptuous, with milk, risotto, sandwiches, and croissants. As Calla enjoyed her meal, she found herself missing Mercer. She realized she was starting to like him more and more.The morning's activities included a boat ride, flower viewing, and tea drinking in the resort. Calla was distracted the entire time, her mind filled with thoughts of Mercer.During lunch, she barely touched her food.Alicia glanced at Calla and chuckled. "Why are you so listless today? Is it because you haven't seen the scrooge?"Only then did Calla
"Do you think he would mind if I used him to win a bet?" Calla asked Alicia nervously. Alicia shook her head. "You can only blame your bad luck. Winning 400 dollars in exchange for offending the scrooge isn't worth it.""What should I do?" Calla wanted to pull all her hair out. "You could always sweet-talk him. That might just placate him," Alicia said with a smile.Calla frowned, looking troubled. "I don't think that's a good idea."Alicia pressed, "Why not? You two are legally married, after all.""I'll think about it." Calla pouted, feeling a little regretful. Wasn't he supposed to be at some sort of grand opening? Why did he come back at noon? And why did he have to overhear her conversation?After lunch, everyone was packing up and getting ready to return. Calla was no exception. She went to the VIP wing to pack her luggage. As soon as she entered the villa, she saw Ally standing in the living room with her suitcase in hand.Seeing Calla, Ally approached her with a smile
Simon looked at the puzzled Calla. He was a little embarrassed to say it but still told her, "Mrs. Garland, Ms. Horn is inside. Hearing that, Calla stared at Simon in shock. She then looked at the door in front of her, dazed for a moment. There seemed to be a bit of reluctance in Simon's eyes, but there was nothing he could do. Calla didn't understand why Mercer had brought Peggy here at this time—but she had a feeling that it wasn't for anything good. Then, Calla took a step forward and gently pushed the door open.As soon as the door opened, Calla saw Mercer and Peggy sitting shoulder to shoulder. Mercer was wearing a white shirt. His face was slightly flushed—likely from drinking a bit of alcohol. Peggy was sitting in front of him in a V-neck blouse. The neckline was plunging as low as it could go. She looked radiant, constantly placing food onto Mercer's plate. Their postures and the strange atmosphere around them clearly indicated an unusual relationship.At that moment, C
Mercer pushed Peggy's hand away and said coldly, "Excuse me." Then, he turned and walked out of the room."Mercer…" Peggy was very angry, but she had no way to deal with the sudden coldness Mercer exhibited.Mercer and Simon walked into the elevator one after the other. Mercer asked, "What was her reaction?""She asked me to tell you that she'll be having lunch on her own from now on," Simon replied. Hearing this, Mercer frowned. Simon caught sight of this and gathered his courage, saying, "Mr. Garland, why are you doing this? You clearly care about Mrs. Garland. Seeing her upset must make you feel bad too.""You're talking too much today," Mercer said as his cold eyes glanced at Simon, who dared not say another word.The elevator sounded, indicating they'd arrived on the first floor. Before stepping out, Mercer instructed, "Order a meal from Sunny Café under your name and have it delivered. Make sure to include a freshly baked cream bun. As for the rest, you decide.""Yes, s
From that day on, Calla started experiencing morning sickness. They were quite severe. She almost couldn't eat anything without throwing up. Any pungent or strong smell would make her vomit violently. Within a few days. She was listless and had lost a lot of weight. One morning, Derek handed Calla a document and instructed, "This is last month's financial report. Mr. Garland is waiting for it. Deliver it immediately."Calla frowned after hearing that she had to deliver the report to Mercer. She was reluctant to see him at the moment. Seeing Calla hesitate, Derek frowned and said, "The task is easy. I've been trying to accommodate you. I don't make you work overtime or force you to spend too much time on the computer. But you need to understand my position as well. I can't manage everyone if there's no order.""No problem. I was just wondering if there were any issues with the report. It would be bad if Mr. Garland sends it back." Calla quickly found an excuse. After all, work
"What are you laughing at?" Seeing Calla's reaction, Peggy couldn't contain herself."I'm laughing because you're so naive. What you just said is the funniest joke I've heard this year." Calla said, stifling her laughter.Peggy was furious and retorted sharply, "Calla, are you jealous of me? Look at you, you're just like an old hag. What man would like you? "By the way, you're pregnant, aren't you? Where's the man who got you pregnant? Why haven't we seen him come to marry you in a grand ceremony? I bet he's either already married, or some poor loser with no house or car!""Me? Jealous of you? Oh…" Calla scoffed, but then felt a wave of nausea. Unable to continue arguing, she covered her mouth and ran toward the bathroom.Peggy felt more energized as she saw Calla flee. She continued to jab in Calla's direction. "Looks like I hit the nail on the head. She's so embarrassed she's running away."The exchange happened to be witnessed by Mercer from behind the partially open door. He
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