I knew these things truly hurt her."To say that I'm just an accessory is too flattering. The words those people said today were not wrong at all. I'm not even worthy of being his wife," she said with a chuckle."Do you have to belittle yourself like that?" I looked at her, a bit frustrated."This isn't about belittling! I did have such thoughts before. I wanted to stay by his side because I assumed that when she was gone, I would be his partner. After all these years of mockery and ridicule, I consoled myself that it would all be worth it when I was officially recognized."She wiped her face, and I realized what she was saying was the most honest reflection of her soul. I could understand her."In reality, I don't love him that much. It's just that I endured a lot for this one person, and it became a habit. I buried my desires and couldn't escape..."She patted my leg and laughed bitterly, but her tears flowed.I comforted her, "You're not wrong. Anyone in your position will ha
"Chlo, this is reality. It’s too late, even if he stands by me or even promises to marry me now. That one sentence, that one action, represents everything. It hurts my pride.""I understand," I said calmly."Taking him back will mean that I choose to discard my dignity. Therefore, I must climb out of his hell. Only then can I truly be myself. I'll no longer be that lowly woman clinging to him." "I'm here for you," I told her seriously."So, you get me. Please help me. There's no turning back for me. It's not that I want to hurt Oliver, retaliate against him, or abandon him..." Lauren seemed to be explaining herself to me, afraid I wouldn't understand.She was very anxious, looking at me with splayed hands. "He pushed me into an abyss, took away my dignity, and left me stranded on the moral high ground. Then he could casually say, without hesitation, that he wouldn't marry me!"She burst into laughter suddenly, an unsettling laughter."Oh damn! What the hell am I? It feels like
Under the soft glow of the streetlights, he walked briskly toward me, extending his hand. I joyfully ran to him. "Why haven't you slept yet?"His handsome face looked warm as I looked at it under the golden lights. He leaned in until he was close enough for me to feel his breath. His affectionate gaze hid a layer of endearment within. "You haven't come back yet. How could I sleep?" He pecked my lips. "Let's go home!"I don't know why, but my heart felt warm every time he said those words.His hand held mine, caressing it gently. "Why did it take you so long?""She wasn't feeling too good, so I stayed with her a bit longer." I looked at him apologetically. "Did I keep you waiting?""How can you leave your fiance aside and run to take care of someone else? Today is a special day!" He seemed to be reproaching me."I didn't plan for it to be like this!" I sighed."My sweetheart is too kind," he said with a captivating smile. "She's here to save the world!"I laughed heartily, lig
Stella was the first person to appear before me, and I wasn't surprised at all. She came with an air of sharpness when I had just arrived at my office.Approaching my desk, she looked down at me for a while. With a hint of disdain, she uttered two words, "Let's talk."I calmly gestured. "Sure, have a seat."She unceremoniously took the chair before me, arrogantly looking at me. "I've underestimated you."I chuckled at her words and replied, "You shouldn't have underestimated me.""I only saw you as the second Annalise," she said bluntly.I stared at her, anger rising from within. "So, you repeatedly targeted me? Are you trying to handle me the way you did with Annalise? Pushing her off a cliff and then trying to drown me. You're ruthless, but your methods aren't that clever!"My eyes remained fixed on her, refusing to back down.Apparently, she didn't expect me to be so straightforward. After a moment of silence, she suddenly relaxed and laughed cunningly, looking at me with a
The chaos in my mind made it impossible to focus on anything else. I grabbed my bag and told Carol I was going to ATL Empire. I had to find Atlas and get some answers.I needed to know exactly what Atlas was hiding in this tangled web.However, when I arrived at ATL Empire, he was nowhere to be found. Apparently, he had gone to Rivendell.I called him right away, but on second thought, I realized this situation would take some time to unravel. It wasn't something that could be clarified in a brief phone conversation.Forget it. I hung up the phone and decided I would ask him when he came back.I dialed Lauren's number instead to check if she had arrived. I was concerned about her emotions from last night.After a few rings, she answered. "Why are you calling so early? Are you worried about me?""What do you think?" I replied."Please, Ms. Chloe, I'm already studying!" Lauren teased with a lingering tone, sounding quite cheerful.Hearing her voice, I couldn't help but smile. It
I looked at Trinity and said, "To be honest, I feel guilty about Atlas. I only found out about this after he returned to Jitador. I didn't expect him to break into their stronghold. Looks like you really need to thank him.""Why do you say that?" Trinity asked me, looking puzzled."He has a deep-seated grudge with that organization from Jitador because they killed his parents. He infiltrated their base for the antidote after we captured the assassin. If you hadn't mentioned it today, I wouldn't have had the chance to ask about it. Looks like I’m not that good of a partner.”"That Jitador organization killed his parents?" Trinity was surprised."Yes. They’ve been in conflict for years. They even kidnapped my daughter and targeted me recently, but we still couldn’t find any solid evidence against them. Everything pointed to this organization, but a crucial person was missing, which made it impossible to pin it on them back then," I didn't hide the truth from Trinity. "If you hadn’t b
Ryan and Hana were reviewing the design drawings when I arrived at the company. When he saw me enter the room, Ryan instructed Hana, "Make the modifications and send this to the Design Division for review."Hana agreed and quickly left.I looked at Ryan. "The notice was issued today? That means Liora already knows she's out of the game. Then…”Before I could finish my sentence, the phone rang again. I checked the screen. It was Matthew. I instantly realized that Matthew had already found out. It seemed like news had spread fast.I answered the call. Matthew sounded very excited. "I didn't misjudge you, Chloe. You really did pull this off."I knew what he was talking about, but I couldn't admit to it."What do you mean? What's going on? Can you explain?" I pretended not to understand."Oh, don't play dumb. You pulled off the Avalon Hills deal, didn't you?" He continued delightedly. "Let me tell you, Liora is furious right now. She's calling for help all over the place.""What ar
I quickly asked, "What's wrong? Did something happen?""I've been watching Grace today, and she doesn't seem quite right," my mom whispered to me. "I was thinking of waiting for you to discuss it together. Maybe we should take her to the hospital."Alarmed, I asked, "What do you mean, not quite right?""It seems like her pain has gotten worse. She keeps asking when you'll be back, and she won't let me call you. She barely ate anything for dinner too," my mom told me. "Atlas isn’t back yet either.""Alright, I'll come back right now." I felt a sense of urgency. "Atlas is with me."Atlas, who had been watching me all this time, saw my distressed expression and asked, "What's wrong?"After I hung up, I looked apologetically at him and shrugged. "It seems like we won't be going to Pleca Park. My mom says Grace isn't feeling well."I was a little embarrassed, because Grace had no connection to Atlas. I had already divorced her son, but I was still in close contact with her.He stood