Willow was sitting right in front of Cheryl's apartment door. As a result, some of her neighbors gathered around to watch. They understood that the woman on the floor could only be Cheryl's mother. Everyone turned to stare at Cheryl. Their eyes held different emotions—mockery, disdain, and even contempt.Someone commented, "She looks like such a well-behaved girl. I can't believe she's actually like this.""Indeed. She doesn't even take care of her parents. It looks to me like she's a cold-hearted person. No wonder she can live in a house like this at such a young age!"Another person chimed in, "She's staying in such a high-end and luxurious house, yet she doesn't give her parents a penny. How shameless!"Even though Cheryl had gone through a lot working for Caroline, her mental resilience couldn't compare to the latter's. After hearing those comments, she was on the verge of crying. Nevertheless, what truly disappointed her was her parents' actions. Even when she had be
Jack approached Cheryl and pulled Willow up. "Are you here to extort money again?" Jack questioned. He was a trained fighter. Thus, he spoke with unwavering confidence, enunciating each word clearly. He wasn't afraid of Willow's loud voice at all. Upon hearing the word "extort", the onlookers were stunned. Yet Jack ignored them and continued, "So, your son wants a 20-thousand-dollar computer. He's an adult now. Why can't he work to buy it himself?"Cheryl was astonished as she looked at him. She hadn't expected Jack to know about it.One of the neighbors asked in confusion, "Huh? Didn't she say he was sick?" "Sick? Who told you he's sick?" Jack questioned. Following the neighbor's gaze, he shifted his attention to Willow. He scoffed before saying, "You just took her word for everything she said. Would you also believe me if I said her son is in outer space now?"Upon hearing what he said, the crowd lowered their heads. They quickly realized that Willow's words were nothing
Cheryl sniffled and answered, "I'm fine. I'm just thinking about how my family treats me. But Jack, you understand my struggles even though you're an outsider. Don't you think this is surreal?"Noticing the pain in her eyes, Jack felt a pang in his heart as well. However, he didn't know how to comfort people. "So I'm just an outsider to you?" he asked while scratching his head. Cheryl was stunned by his words. With a vacant gaze, she fixed her eyes on Jack. He was already looking at her. In no time, Jack's face turned red. After a while, he scratched his head and mustered the courage to say, "Cheryl, I don't want to be an outsider. I want to be your family—no, wait. I want to be someone who is closer than family. I want to protect you all the time."Cheryl's face gradually flushed. She could also feel a warm sensation creeping up her face."What do you mean?" She lowered her head to look at the ground as complex emotions washed over her. Finally, Jack blurted out, "I-I w
Her relationship was static. If there were any changes, it was the fact that she no longer rejected intimacy. However, it would be unrealistic to talk about marriage at this point.Sean probably knew it too, so he never brought it up. Yet sometimes Gwen couldn't help but feel like it was unfair to keep him waiting. Suddenly, the thought of seeing a therapist rose in her mind again.When the group saw her reply, they understood what was going on. They promptly started chatting about different topics. Among them, the most-mentioned subject was Cheryl's new relationship. Her friends even asked her to treat them to a meal.Cheryl was in a great mood. She had even forgotten how upset she had been about Willow. So she happily agreed to treat everyone to dinner the next day.This brought another burst of cheers from the group. But where there was joy, there was worry.At Morrison Manor, Eddy was in his worst mood. Asher, who had just walked in and sat in the chair opposite the for
In Kirk's room at a hotel, Charles was giving him a report on Eddy's situation."After finding out that Roald had gone abroad, Eddy was furious. He said he was going to arrest Roald's wife and daughter, but Roald had already sent them away as well. "Eddy will probably cause a fuss this time," Charles said. As he thought of that, he couldn't contain his laughter.Kirk glared at him, his face devoid of any emotion. "Is that all?" "Not yet.""Then, hurry up and tell me.""Sir, why are you in such a rush?" Charles asked boldly. Although Kirk was still a cold man, Charles knew that he was no longer as cold and ruthless as he used to be. Kirk had finally become human, so sometimes Charles would dare to joke with him."Caroline should be back soon."Charles promptly realized something. "Are you afraid that Mrs. Morrison will see me?"Kirk hummed in assent and flipped through the magazine in his hand."Sir, Jack's already met the madam. Why can't I meet her? I too want to meet
Although Charles had been in Easton at the time and hadn't needed to report to Kirk in person, he had still been nervous when talking to the latter. Afterward, when Caroline's condition visibly improved, Kirk's mood also improved. That was when everyone could finally relax. So in SY Group, anyone who knew of Caroline's existence now treated Caroline like their savior.Before Charles could explain himself to Kirk, an even more terrifying scene played out.Caroline, who had been waiting outside, leaned in and murmured, "Strange, I think I heard something." Charles immediately covered his mouth.Outside, Caroline started knocking on the door again. "Kirk, are you inside? I heard something. Why aren't you coming out?" Her voice became more and more anxious as she spoke.Her expression turned nervous and uneasy. "Are you hiding from me again? Do you not want to see me?"Kirk glared at Charles fiercely. He motioned for the latter to hide behind the door before opening it. As he open
Caroline's mouth twitched. This "woman" was a bit different from what she had in mind. Seeing that she wasn't reacting, Kirk turned his attention to Charles. "This is Charles, my assistant." Kirk knew exactly what Caroline was thinking, so he shut those thoughts down quickly.Caroline smiled awkwardly. "So, you're his assistant." She was surprised. Charles looked at her. Unable to hold back his excitement, he grabbed her hand, his eyes welling up with tears. Caroline shot a confused look at Kirk.Kirk furrowed his brows so tightly that they almost formed a line. However, Charles didn't notice it at all. He was feeling thankful for Caroline, but he was also excited, as if he were meeting an old friend.Kirk rubbed his temples. This was exactly why he hadn't wanted Charles to meet Caroline. After a while, Caroline said, "Your assistant seems—""Charles!" Kirk interrupted coldly. Charles snapped out of his thoughts and composed himself. He sniffed and excused himself. "I'm s
Asher took his phone out and glanced at the screen. He had put his phone on silent while he had been talking to Eddy. It just so happened that his parents had tried to reach him then. But since they hadn't been able to talk to him, they had called Aurora instead."Weird, weren't they out looking for my sister? Why would they come back so quickly? Did they find her?" Asher wondered out loud.Aurora replied, "Maybe." Then, she discreetly glanced at Asher. "Sweetheart, now that everything's resolved—I mean, if your parents have found their real daughter, they'll surely be very happy, right?" Without hesitation, he answered, "Of course." Aurora's eyes lit up in an instant. "If your parents are in a good mood, they'll be more likely to say yes to us. What do you think?"Asher finally understood what she was hinting at. He smiled and held her by the waist. "Honey, even if you made mistakes, the cooperation between the Hacketts and Morrisons is all thanks to you. It's a historica
Soon, Kirk and Caroline met up with Thomas. When he saw the two of them, his eyes turned bloodshot from the rage boiling within him. "You won!" He spat with so much force that it seemed like he had used up all his strength for it. "Things didn't have to come to this," Kirk said calmly as he sat down beside Thomas. Thomas snorted derisively. "Oh really? If you hadn't chosen to marry Caroline at such short notice, do you think Eddy would have died? You two were the cause of the tragedy!" Caroline didn't feel like talking anymore after seeing how foolishly adamant Thomas was. She gave Kirk a look, and he hummed in acknowledgment. When he turned to face Thomas again, his eyes were frosty "I'm here to tell you something," he said.Thomas let out a bark of scornful laughter. "Why? What else do you have to tell me, huh? Are you going to tell me that you have a child now?" "It's not about me and Caroline's child. It's about yours," Kirk stated plainly as he stared at Thomas
"Yes, it's true! Why would I lie to you about something so important?" Betty said. "This is wonderful! Marietta's wish has finally come true." Caroline turned to look at Marietta, who had just stopped by the door. Marietta was so shocked by the results that she was too stunned to speak. All she did was stare at Caroline in silence. Caroline opened her lips to speak, but no words came out of her mouth. She and Marietta stood facing each other, tears streaming down their cheeks. The next second, the two of them rushed toward each other and hugged each other as tightly as they could. The words that were at the tip of their tongues turned into tears at this significant moment. The others felt touched as they witnessed the mother-daughter duo's reunion. After some time, Betty broke the silence. "What are you waiting for? Hurry up and call her 'Mom'!"Caroline had once used that word to address Marietta, but she hadn't known that Marietta was her biological mother back then.
Blushing, Caroline nodded. However, Kirk couldn't lift his head due to his injuries. So, Caroline took the initiative to bend over so that she was closer to him. Their lips touched. Yet before Caroline could get that warm, fuzzy feeling she always had when they kissed, she heard Gwen's voice. "Oh? Did we come at the wrong time?" Gwen grinned.It gave Caroline such a shock that she almost fell to the ground. Cheryl reacted quickly and gave Caroline an arm to hold on to for support. Steadying herself, Caroline stared daggers at Gwen, who giggled and placed the supplements she had brought on a table. Sean and Kirk started discussing what had happened that day, while Caroline led Gwen and Cheryl out of the ward. "Are you two back together?" Gwen asked. There was a sparkle in her eyes, which said enough about how eager she was to gossip. When Caroline nodded, Gwen patted her back gleefully and said, "Great! We all know how much Kirk loves you, even though he kept his ident
As Caroline mentally prepared to face death, there was a sudden, loud commotion. The noise was followed by gusts of wind that were so strong that no one could pry their eyes open to see what was going on. Still, Caroline could make out the silhouette of a helicopter above her. She had no idea what had happened next, though. …When she woke up, she was already lying on a bed in a ward. Beside her were Betty and Marietta, their eyes red and puffy from crying. When they noticed that Caroline was awake, the two of them shot up from their chairs."Carrie? You're finally awake!" Still groggy, Caroline forced herself to hum in response. After getting up, she grabbed Betty's hand and said, "Where's Kirk?" "He's fine," said Betty while wiping the tears off her cheeks. "He's in another ward, but he hasn't woken up yet." "Can I see him?" Caroline asked, tearing up. Betty nodded and asked Sean to push Caroline's wheelchair to the ward next door. Caroline couldn't hold back her
Kirk and Caroline hadn't even caught their breaths yet when they sensed a more intense attack coming their way. It didn't seem like these people were human. They seemed like monsters, bringing destruction wherever they went. Caroline watched the situation outside in concern. "Why hasn't Nightshade come back yet? Did he lie to us?" she asked. Kirk gritted his teeth and replied, "No, he wouldn't. They're all people from the dark web, and they're all honorable. Since he promised to bring the top two assassins, he'll definitely come back."As he spoke, he pushed her into a car. "But before that, you have to leave first," he insisted.Caroline noticed that his words were only directed at her. She grabbed his hand tightly. "What do you mean by that?"What did he mean she had to leave first?He replied, "Finn has sent over all his trump cards. If you don't leave, I have no doubt that he'll come here too. So, you need to leave now!" Caroline grabbed his hand. "We haven't gone to Ci
When she saw his reaction, Caroline couldn't help but smile. "What I mean is, let's head to City Hall to re-register our marriage certificate. The information we used to register our marriage before was all fake. "Can we update it with the real information now?"Kirk brightened up. "No problem."She looked at him and smiled again. However, it disappeared as quickly as it appeared. "Oh, I forgot about Thomas. Do you think he'll send someone to ambush us when we go to City Hall?"Kirk fell silent. He didn't want to change the plans, but he still said, "Then, let's wait for Nightshade to find the assassins—"Before he could finish his sentence, gunshots rang out from downstairs. His face dropped, and he rushed to the window, where he saw two groups of people engaged in a gunfight. One of the groups was Thomas' men."What's going on?" Caroline asked as she got up from bed."Thomas must have found out that Nightshade left, so he took the chance to ambush us."Kirk led her to a
"If you make up with Kirk, I'll help you find them both."Caroline and Kirk were stunned to hear Nightshade's condition. Kirk had never expected Nightshade to say such a thing. Caroline was also in disbelief. She felt somewhat reluctant to agree to it."You don't agree?" Nightshade asked when Caroline remained silent. "Alright then, if you disagree, I won't look for them. Besides, Thomas is already planning to go all out against you. "When the time comes, I can escape. But what about you two?"Caroline looked at Kirk. "Thomas plans to go all out against us? You're not lying to me?"Kirk met her eyes and gulped. "No."She pondered for a moment, then looked at Nightshade again. "Do you really have a way to help us find the two assassins?""Of course.""Okay." Caroline lowered her head. "As long as you can help us find those two assassins, I'll agree to your condition."On the other side of the room, Betty and Marietta exclaimed excitedly when they heard her words. "Carrie, do
When Betty noticed how confused everyone looked, she said, "Oh, dear. Did you all forget?"Back then, when Marietta did the DNA test with that girl from the Hackett family—no, the fake Ms. Hackett—Caroline was the one who went to the restaurant with her."She continued, "Didn't we look through the footage from that day? Then, we called in the people who were at the restaurant that day to do another DNA test."Although they had unfortunately been unable to find Marietta's daughter, Betty still considered it a great effort. "We had thought that we had tested everyone. But there was someone who we didn't test!" Betty's eyes lit up as she looked at Caroline. Marietta immediately understood what she meant. She looked at Caroline with excitement, but she didn't dare to get her hopes up. "Caroline…"Caroline also looked at Marietta excitedly. "I… Aunt Mary… this… Is it possible?"Betty replied, "Why wouldn't it be possible? We tested so many people back then, and you were the only
Sarah was about to tell Caroline, but Dan stopped her."Don't tell her. Let her live in pain without ever knowing who her real parents are. Besides, do you really think she will get us the best lawyer?"Caroline wasn't upset that they hadn't taken the bait. Instead, a small smile appeared on her face. "You still have some sanity left."Upon realizing her trick, Sarah shouted angrily, "You liar!"However, she was taken away before she could shout more. Caroline watched as Sarah and Dan disappeared in the police cars. The feigned strength on her face finally disappeared. She might never find her parents in this life. But she didn't regret it. She tilted her head and glanced at Kirk, Cheryl, and Jack beside her. She had no regrets anymore.Even though she couldn't get her parents back, she was content that she had so many friends."Let's head back." Caroline's voice was weary. She needed a good rest, but there was still a tough battle waiting for her. The news about Caroline n