I couldn’t tell if he knew what he was saying."The car accident was my fault, and she ended up like that because of me. I wasn't a good husband. She became paralyzed, yet I fell in love with another woman..." Oliver admitted it with remorse."When I faced her, I felt guilty and conflicted. I struggled, and she tolerated my mistakes. I felt truly sorry toward her, but I can't deny that I love you—""Oliver!" Lauren interrupted sternly. "There's a higher power watching over us. Your wife is watching you, too. Don't try to redeem yourself with me. I'm not a savior. I'm just an ordinary woman trying to live her life. Spare me."As Lauren spoke, she became increasingly agitated, suddenly sitting up from the bed. Her pale face twisted, and she clutched her chest.Alarmed, I rushed forward. "Lauren, don't move. It's dangerous..."Considering her fractured ribs and concussion, such sudden movements were undoubtedly risky."Haven’t I made myself clear?" she said, raising her hand to sto
I reluctantly looked at Oliver, whispering, "Mr. Oliver, why don't you go home to avoid agitating her again when she wakes up? Her recovery is the most important."Before potentially hurting him, I added, "Let's take things slowly. Give her some time to think things through.”Oliver stood motionless, gazing at the sleeping Lauren for a long time. Finally, he said to me reluctantly, "Thank you for your effort.""This is what I should do," I replied lightly. "Give her some time. Perhaps she needs time to heal."When I mentioned healing, Oliver understood what I was referring to. It was a wound in Lauren's heart. From her behavior today, I knew that the wound hadn't healed. At the slightest touch, it would still bleed.Oliver stepped back, but his eyes were unwilling to leave Lauren's face. I didn't know what kind of storm might be raging beneath his calm exterior.Lauren's words had reflected her inner thoughts, pointing at Oliver's vulnerability. Only he knew how much pain he was
I snapped out of my thoughts, took out my phone and dialed Atlas's number. However, the call went straight to voicemail.A tight knot formed in my chest, and a suspicion immediately flashed through my mind.This suspicion made me uneasy. I quickly tried Dylan’s number, only to discover that his phone had also been turned off.My palms became sweaty instantly, and a thought crossed my mind. Could Atlas have already set out?Just as I was pondering this, my phone rang. Glancing at the screen, I saw that it was a call from Johnson. I worried that receiving a call at this hour couldn't be good news."Chloe, we lost Ardora." Johnson sounded disheartened.My grip on the phone tightened. It happened too soon."We just finished the meeting. Liora has completely taken over Ardora and will not be responsible for any of Ardora’s previous projects. She has taken over all the new projects, though.”"Got it." Although everything was within my expectations, I had to admit Liora's actions were
I instinctively looked up and found the woman holding the hanger glaring at me arrogantly. "I saw this dress first.""But I got it first," I replied calmly."So what?" she sneered. I saw it, so others can only take it if I don’t want it anymore."I assessed the woman before me. Her long, wavy hair gathered on one side, and her face was dolled in makeup. Her features were defined, proving that she had gotten something done on her face in the past. Her slightly upturned eyes suggested a cunning personality.She wore a long yellow dress, had a limited edition designer bag on her arm, and carried a strong scent of perfume that lacked taste despite her stylish appearance. The light purple dress would not match her dull skin tone at all.Behind her stood a tall man with his eyes fixed on my face, and when our eyes met, he quickly offered a slight smile.I withdrew my gaze, looked at the woman before me, and casually asked, "Are you sure you want this dress?"Noticing my scrutiny, she
I was taken aback and instinctively looked at the owner of this hand. It was Vicky, the person I encountered at the clothing store earlier.She confidently handed the receipt to Annika, saying, "Take mine, I'm in a hurry."Annika glanced at her, wearing a gentle smile. "Miss, please wait a moment. She only has one bill, and she's been waiting for a while. I'll finish her payment immediately and deal with yours. Hers will take a shorter time.”"Why should I wait? So what if she only has one bill? That’s because she can’t afford the things here!" Vicky’s face turned cold, her eyes looking even more disdainful. "I said I'm in a hurry. I'm a major customer of your store, so why can't I be prioritized? “She’s just buying a few cheap scarves, and I have to wait here for her to be done. Doesn’t she feel embarrassed?”I had been silently observing her, not getting angry, even though she deliberately belittled me. I wanted to see how Annika would handle the situation."Miss, please be pa
I smiled and nodded at Annika, saying gently, "Thank you for the excellent work.”She looked up at me gratefully and nodded politely. "Take care, Miss."I smiled warmly and walked away. I didn't bother looking back at the pair of them.Someone suddenly called out to me as I headed downstairs to leave Arkadia Plaza. "Miss, please wait."I turned around to see the man who had been with Vicky. He was walking toward me with a bag in his hand. I raised an eyebrow as I asked, "You called me?""Yes, Miss. I apologize for what happened today." He smiled, but there was a mysterious glint in his eyes. He handed me the bag, saying, "This dress was originally something you liked. A gentleman does not take away what someone loves. Take this as my apology to you.”I was a bit surprised. A gentleman?That was unlikely."Thank you, but I'm sorry. I've lost interest in this dress. Besides, I don't have a habit of accepting things from strangers," I said straightforwardly. "I don't know you."H
I smirked and locked my phone while the car smoothly left the mall's underground parking lot and headed straight back to the company.When I returned to the office, I eagerly unlocked my phone again and carefully read the detailed information about Melvern.The records were thorough, detailing the Sunny family's history, status, and influence in Foswood. But there was no information about what trouble Melvern had caused here.It seemed like that incident was something they wanted to keep hidden, or they wouldn't have covered it up so thoroughly. That made me very curious.I picked up the phone again and called Grayson. He answered promptly. "What’s up, Chloe?""Can you investigate Melvern's past?" I asked. I believed his return to Foswood must be related to some past incident."That might require a special plan," Grayson replied. "I'll think of a way."His mention of a "special plan" implied he had something in mind."Okay. This is related to Liora. Melvern has invested a lot i
Lauren furrowed her brow. "Melvern, the second son of the Sunny family? Didn’t the Sunny family move overseas? Why are you suddenly asking about them?"I realized that Lauren did know him. I quickly explained, "Yes, they moved, but Melvern’s been active in Foswood recently. Do you know about his past relationship with Liora?"I looked at Lauren, holding onto a glimmer of hope that she might have some insider information.Lauren frowned. "I don't really know much about Melvern. When I came to Foswood, the Sunny family was already showing signs of decline. I hadn't met Oliver at the time, so I didn't have any contact with the Sunny family. But everyone knew that they had to move. The Sunny family were still important in Foswood."Her words left me somewhat disappointed. It seemed that this matter with the Sunny family was a well-guarded secret."As far as I know, Melvern was Liora's first love, and she married Atticus later. I think something must have happened there.”"Oh, is that